FINAL INVESTIGATION

[strangerpeople]

FINAL INVESTIGATION


[Fifteen X-Passes. Six weeks. Freedom at last.



But it's not the end. Of course it's not. There are questions to answer, and souls to save. And now that the group is outside, they can see where they are.

They are inside a massive cavern, illuminated in an eerie green light, standing on a stone path. On one side is the ship-or rather, a massive, ship-shaped tangle of bloody branches, the trunk-like roots snaking out and into the river its buoyed on, as well as into the ceiling of stalactites. Said river is wine dark, but it's clearly not water. No-it is blood.

And on the other side of their little pathway? A root-encrusted palace. It sits over a labyrinthine city, bathed in emerald, and all is eerily silent save for some sounds coming from within the castle. It's clear the infestation somehow started here. And it is here that answers are likely to be found.

The doors are right in front of the group-and they are already open, covered in branches. From the outside, it seems little more than a ruin. Once everyone goes in, though?




It's even worse. The tree has taken over. Whatever lives here is no longer in charge. There's no easy way to disentangle the Qilphoth from this place. But there is life here, somehow. You can see figures entangled within the roots as you explore. And-they are still, somehow, alive. More than alive. They are beings that bleed ichor instead of blood-beings of incredible divinity and power. They are gods. And they are hostage to the tree, forever and ever, trapped in induced ennui, unless something is done.


So welcome, Strangers, to the House of Hades.]







[Once you enter, the investigation shall begin.


Good luck.]



((OoC: And here are team assignments!))

Comments

[pegasinister]

...

Good.

[ Kaito has been approved]

EVIDENCE

[strangerpeople]

[Indeed you can.]




--You. You are a twin.

...I would appreciate it if you returned that photo to me.

In time. I would like to ask you a hypothetical question. You are the parent of twins. You and your children are being held hostage. Both of your children have a knife at their throat. There is no way to save both. If you spare one, you condemn the other. Even if you sacrifice yourself, only one child will survive.

[silence]

No response? Then I shall continue. The same scenario, but you are told more information: one of your children will grow up to be known as a mass murderer. The other child will not be of such a cruel disposition, but will nevertheless suffer grievously throughout their life, ultimately taking just as many lives as the mass murderer. Both children will cause suffering, regardless of which one survives.

Which do you spare?

...Do you have a point?

You know that I do. Brother. Or should I call you Delta Klim?

[the sound of rustling clothes and a creaking chair]

You know how I can save those twins from that fate. You will aid me however I want…

[a baby's cry]

...and while I suspect you have no regrets about your own life ending...I do not think you will wish to refuse, now that you know of her.

[hatesdeerstalkers]

[Oh - damn his form at the moment, keeping him from what he so wishes. Still, he can feel her warmth, as his own eyes in the shadow close.]

And I you, my Akane. Always.

[His cape billows a bit towards her, almost as if to envelop her - even if it can't.]

I was so very lonely without you, you know? Of course I missed everyone else, but...as much as I was glad you were not with me among the dead, I also couldn't help but feel that selfish desire to have you near me.

...

This time, I will not let anything separate us again.

[strangerpeople]

[Well, one's got a real bushy white beard with a wreath of lightning, one's got green hair, one's...wearing snowflakes, and one is clutching a caduceus and a cap with wings, and another is a woman with no clothing o-

Oh. Oh.]

[exequte]

.... Daddy, there's a baby right there....

[hatesdeerstalkers]

Of course!

[He'll follow after Alastor, just in case - he's pleased to see Hermes is also much more direct now!]

[strangerpeople]

[While he does give a slight glare at Akane, it seems less pointed at her than at the coin. Hm.

But, that seems to be it. Everything seems to have been found. Including a maybe your baby!




Congratulations...?]

[strangerpeople]

[Nope! It looks like everything has been found. Congrats!]

[autonomousthought]

[.........

She's going to count them.]

[strangerpeople]

[As Alastor and Moriarty get closer, they find that the noise is splashing. From the blood pool.




The roots are holding something down in there.]

1/2

[somuchshipping]

2/2

[somuchshipping]

[Being in control for once feels... good. And nothing bad's happened to him! Yet.

Hermes will keep the weird conglomeration of Sir, Burr, and Risk company.

WHO'S A GOOD DOGGIES? WHO'S A GOOD DOGGIES???]

[strangerpeople]

[The doggie stares at Hermes, even as the heads whimper.

Art thou a chew toy?]

[somuchshipping]

[Do you need more chin scritchings? Hermes will provide!]

[exequte]

I do know.

There were other people there, but... I was lonely without you too.

I wished.... I wished I hadn't had to kill you. Especially.... not like that.

[strangerpeople]

[There are nine of them. Enough to make the Nonary Game: Mt. Olympus module.]

[superstylishsquid]

[Concerning! Fortunately, he still has that serrated knife from earlier, so...going to try to cut those roots and see what's thrashing about.

...And just to be sure, he'll be keeping most of his body dry, and thinking about things that keep him tied to the physical world.]

[strangerpeople]

[These roots are new. Thin. Enough to hold whatever is down there, but it's nothing to Alastor's swords, and they instantly calcify to dust.







Immediately a hand bursts out, flailing and splashing. Then a second hand. And bubbles.



Someone is alive in there.]

[superstylishsquid]

I've got you!

[He's going to put the holy water bottle down at the edge of the pool and grab hold of one of those hands to pull. If any more roots become visible, he'll cut those away too.]

[autonomousthought]

[Ohhhh big dislike.

Anything else standing out here, or are we moving on?]

[godspiousjasper]

[ He'd come just to see how things were going but is close enough when those hands suddenly came from that pool of blood.

Alastor has his literal hands full here so he raced forwards to grab that other hand. Going to pull as much as he can. ]

Here! Let's get them out of there!

1/2

[strangerpeople]

[The hands immediately grab on with a vice grip, and the person underneath is pulled out, covered in blood.

Their face emerges from the pool, and-]

2/2 EVIDENCE

[not_a_lego_maniac]

HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-

[Immediately Zack Prince, the One, is pulled from the pool, alive.



And very clearly shaking and traumatized.]

Can't breathe...can't m-move...

[strangerpeople]

[One of the heads starts to lean in, even as the other heads whimper.


Hermes looks very chew toy-...y.]

[countingme]

Oh!! There you are!

[ The sheep was... asleep on the sofa nearby. Turns out floating down the hall got a little too taxing.

Now it floats up, bobbing happily. ]

What were you doing? You're not supposed to stay in there, you know!

[ Oh you. Silly! ]