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grimmoired2018-07-22 09:54 am
themodsgrimm) wrote in grimmoired2018-07-22 09:54 am
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CHAPTER SIX ; EXECUTION
END OF CHAPTER 5 - WEEK 5 It's execution day, naughty murder children. Breakfast is served in the dining hall, all the better to fortify you for what is to come. Wherever you might wander in the castle, you will find yourself drawn to the foyer when the clock strikes not twelve, but ten. In the distance, there is the sound of clanking armor. Varian, Zelos Wilder, and Goro Akechi appear, each of them flanked on either side by suits of armor, escorting them to their punishment. Tears are streaming down Varian's cheeks, and he shakes his head back and forth as if he can stop this from happening simply by willing it so; those close enough as he passes by may hear a whimpered "Dad, please--" as he passes. Zelos saunters forward as if nothing is wrong, a swagger in his step and a sardonic grin on his face - although he will not meet the eyes of any Narrator in attendance. Finally, Akechi flashes everyone one of his patented, pleasant smiles-- a smile now known to be nothing but a mask-- as he straightens his tie. It's as if he's saying, I'm ready. A moment later, the Tiger appears on the foyer's staircase. Her hand trails down the banister as she sashays down it, and she takes her place at the head of the group, standing in front of what appears to be a wall. "Come along, darlings," she says. "The execution awaits." You blink, and then it's there — a door leading to the outside. The Tiger steps through it. You have no choice but to follow.  Welcome to your sixth execution post! Please see here for the results of yesterday's voting. In addition, make sure you fill out your CR Chart for Chapter 6! If you have any questions, please ask on our Discord server or ping us on plurk. Please direct pings for the NPC to Danielle (Discord DMs preferred, then
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EXECUTION
Gone are his usual peasant's clothes. Instead, he stands before the group clad in a long black dress with a deep purple cowl, a tiny witch's hat perched atop his head. His toolset is gone, but in its place he holds two things - a mixing bowl and a whisk.
Before their eyes, a house made of gingerbread springs up as if from nothing - walls and rooftops slotting into place and standing tall as if they were always there. Varian finds himself compelled to walk toward it, and as he approaches, its gingerbread door swings wide open. He vanishes inside of the house, and the door shuts behind him. One might think that he has finally gone home to rest -
But that's not the case, is it? He paces around inside of the house, visible in brief glances through the spun sugar windows. Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth.
There is movement in the shadows of the woods, and two small figures step out of the shadows of the trees. Both have inky-black hair and sharp, glinting white teeth. They giggle together as they approach the house, and when the boy puts his hand on the gumdrop handle of the door, their eyes glow an eerie red.
They vanish inside of the house. Outside, the Narrators hear the sound of a scuffle, followed by a loud crash and a grunt of pain. Then, silence. A long, deafening silence that stretches on and on and on until they smell the faint tinge of smoke in the air. Plumes of purple smoke rise from the gingerbread chimney, trailing away into the air.
But they cannot leave yet. They stand there, waiting for what seems like almost a full half hour, until the door swings slowly open. The boy and the girl step delicately around a puddle of purple ink as they emerge. Both have splotches of purple on the fronts of their clothes that were not there before.
The girl giggles as she takes a bite of what looks like a charred hand, and tears away a pinkie finger with her teeth. Purple ink drips down her chin, and she munches contentedly as she and her brother walk away, back into the woods. He leaves a trail behind them - a blue eye, an ear, a toe...
Silence falls over the group, and you can't help but wonder:
The story of Varian has come to an end... or has it?
EXECUTION
The gathered Narrators are urged to step to the side as suits of armor usher Zelos forward. As he takes his first step, he is engulfed by a shimmering white light, which fades away to reveal a large, vicious-looking wolf. It has long, matted red fur, and a single vivid blue eye.
On the other side of the bridge stands a female figure in a red cloak. Her hood is pulled up to obscure her face - it's impossible to tell who it is - but she stands there alone, a basket in her hands. She does not seem to notice the wolf, or doesn't care; she turns away from him and starts off down the path. She's gone over the river and all that remains is to go through the woods... but before she can get far, the howling of multiple wolves splits the air, and an entire pack slinks out of the shadows. Six wolves surround the girl, teeth bared, spittle dripping from their maws as they snap at the air.
They lunge for her. The red wolf - Zelos - springs off from the bridge to intercept. The wooden structure collapses behind him and is swept away by the water as he lands in front of the girl and is met with another wolf sinking its teeth into his haunches. He gives off not a single howl or whimper of pain, but snarls at the other wolves and snaps at them with sharp, sharp teeth. The hooded girl steps back and watches.
The wolf pack makes multiple attempts to devour the girl, but each time they find themselves blocked by Zelos. Purple ink stains the grass as they tear away chunks of his flesh; one claws at his good eye, and he relies on scent and sound to fight from then on. It's one against six, but he's holding his own, and though he suffers many grievous wounds he never once seems to be in pain.
With one last final snarl, he repels the final wolf of the pack, and they go slinking away with their tails between their legs. Zelos collapses to the ground, bloodied and breathing laboriously but not quite dead - it is possible that, even with this injuries, he might still survive. The hooded girl kneels down next to him.
She reaches into her basket.
There's a glint of metal, and she drives a dagger directly into her savior's heart. Zelos's breathing slows, then stops entirely; the girl turns him over onto his side so that the Narrators cannot see his face from the other side of the river. Slowly, she withdraws the dagger and brings it up to her lips, locking eyes with the Narrators and licking the purple ink from the blade before she turns and walks directly into the shadows of the woods.
Silence falls over the group, and you can't help but wonder:
The story of Zelos Wilder has come to an end... or has it?
EXECUTION...?
The Narrators are urged to step to the side as the suits of armor usher Akechi forward. As he walks, he is engulfed in a shimmering white light - and by the time he makes it to the water's edge, he is transformed. Clad in an elegant white dress, with a cloak of white swan's feathers draped across his shoulders and a tiara adorning his head, Akechi walks on the water, not into it.
One step after another, and he walks across the water to the center of the lake. The swans arrange themselves around him as if they are a part of his court.
There is a beat, then two. The swans watch Akechi expectantly as his feathered cloak flutters at his feet, then shifts of its own accord and engulfs him, wrapping him from toe to neck. His eyes widen and his body shakes with spasms as his knees buckle and he drops to the surface of the lake. The feathered cloak falls away, revealing bare arms from which feathers begin to sprout, fingers clutching and clawing at his chest as he gasps for air. One, after another, after another - golden droplets of ink drip out of his skin onto the water from each point where the feathers sprout.
Until, suddenly, the ink is red. And suddenly, Akechi's features twist and change - his face rearranges itself into Eichi's, and his hair lightens from brown to blonde… His eyes widen at first, and then close, almost in relief.
The Narrators standing near Eichi will note that it is now Akechi who stands within their midst, expression wide-eyed and slack. Eichi is trapped on the water, bleeding ink as more feathers sprout themselves out of his skin, doubled over in pain. His expression wrinkles out of its relief and into something desperate, his feathered arms clutching at himself. On the opposite side of the lake, a hunter lumbers forward, heavy crossbow out and at the ready. He takes careful aim at the figure on the water.
There's a crack in the air, and Akechi finds himself able to move. He cries out a single word, strangled and panicked-- NO!-- and then breaks away from the gathered Narrators. He sprints across the surface of the lake, throwing himself down to shield Eichi like a blanket just as the hunter's crossbow bolt would have pierced flesh. It strikes him, and the two of them sink beneath the surface of the water, Akechi's arms wrapped around Eichi, Eichi's feathered limbs clinging just as tightly to him.
The hunter turns away and retreats back into the woods.
The surface of the water remains still - until, miraculously, somehow, Akechi's head breaks the surface, hair soaked and matted against his forehead as he gasps for air. It's followed by Eichi's. Akechi swims for the shore, tugging Eichi along with each stroke, and both of them collapse in the dirt when they reach the beach. Akechi is crouched on all four limbs, head bowed as water drips from his hair and chin and arms, breathing heavily. And Eichi is barely breathing at all, coughing up water, a weak hand reaching for Akechi...
But they are both alive.
LOOSE ENDS
Sanji will find himself overcome with a sudden burning sensation. Many phantoms feelings pass him all at the same time: his feet undergo a sensation like they're being ignited with flame, his heart is going to be pulled out of his chests, and there is the faintest feeling as though a blade is cutting across his necks - the roulette wheel spins for how his death is going to be carried out as partnerless until—
It stops.
He feels perfectly fine, like everything is slotting back into place, and a coin burns in his hand before he flicks it away, inadvertently flipping it through the air. It lands face-up, revealing the face of a Roman emperor for a brief moment before vanishing.
The Tiger, having watched with unblinking, sharp eyes, smiles at him.]
Thank goodness--it seems there was no need for anyone to come through for you this week. [She turns back to the rest of the Narrators and announces.] This partnerless has been spared.
[And that... seems to be it, this time.]
Run along now, darlings... you may want to fetch these two a towel?
[The Tiger waves a hand to indicate Akechi and Eichi, and will remain for questions, though she seems a little impatient.]
A THING
It seems like one of your number has something to say...]
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... With tears pouring down her face because so much just happened and so much has happened, but she has to talk now, so Cardia steps forward and does her best to speak through her tears. ]
I-I bring a message from the Vizier again. Namely-- each faction... has completed the minimum number of objectives. In terms of that, i-it doesn't matter if we're imbalanced. It's enough to attain Dragon's ending, though... that may have to be one of the questions we ask. I don't know where to go with it.
... So please, if your objective involves... k-killing, please don't do it. The Blotters aside, that's... no longer necessary, and the factions absolutely cannot drop below three. Also, from the Vizier directly-- [ and she seems to recite this part, pausing to draw a sleeve across her face. ]
"You don't have to worry about the Editors. I've got an agreement with them, so unless the Crafters screw us over, they won't be a problem."
I-- I was also asked to name who is in which faction, so we're aware. If this list is wrong, pertaining to you, please let me know. If you want to switch factions, please wait.
T-the Heroes are as follows: Ion, Magnus, Rebecca, Sanji, Souji, Stephanie and-- Akechi.
The remaining Civilians are myself, Eichi, Hikage, Nico, and Shirasu.
And the last three villains are Belph, Kyouka, and Veronica.
... Thank you, for listening.
[ And she'll talk to anyone if need be, but otherwise, she's just going to be over here trying to regain her composure. ]
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Anyway Souji doesn't need to talk, but he will be standing close by as she speaks. Once she's finished, he'll move to her side and reach for her hand carefully, using his free one to wipe at her cheeks.]
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But no, she'll squeeze his hand, and duck her head in embarrassment because god, don't mop her up?? ]
I-I'm sorry, I thought I was prepared--
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You have nothing to apologize for.
[But he'll just wait with her like this until she's done talking to people, and then gently shepherd her off after so she can take that nap.]
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Hey, you did good.
[Bless her for just spilling the rest of the tea and getting that information out there.]
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I was just delivering the message. T-that's all.
[ She's so tired. ]
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... What question do you mean, exactly?
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That makes sense. It would be remiss of us to miss anything small, now that each of our actions are so pivotal.
... Will you be all right, after this?
[ because they sure did see someone get eaten, and he's... trying to throw himself into things that they can do as a distraction. ]
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[ Because someone sure did get eaten. ]
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[ he just wanted to know if she would want company, but...
...... that's the sort of thing his replica would have been better at. ]
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[ ... ]
I think I want to rest, a little, but after that-- can we talk? It doesn't have to be about this, but...
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[ ... ]
Rest well, please.
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Thank you, Cardia. This helps a lot.
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AFTERMATH
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Y-you...
[Didn't just save him... he's alive? He's alive. He's alive... His hand slips away, clutching at the front of his dress, struggling to breathe. With every cough, his body feels like it wants to give out. It's trembling, it's cold, it's soaking wet, but Akechi is alive, and he can only laugh between it all, weak and wheezy.
Get him while he's down! Or just come give him a towel, I guess.]
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Oi, no dying. Let's get you warm.
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You're alive. You're both alive... thank goodness.
[He's so relieved... even if it's just one more week, Cardia's words give him hope that this can all be fixed.]
I was so worried...
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[and now there's light, and he knows deep down that he isn't supposed to be here. and that's when a flicker of panic and fear crosses his expression]
[he reaches out and clutches Eichi's hand too, holding it tightly, and not saying a word]
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Well, even if Eichi is dying, he's not going to stop from reaching for Akechi as soon as he can move properly. His hand clutches at the one that's being held, but his other arm moves to wrap around him, and that probably makes them both fall to the floor clumsily, even more than they already were. Sorry.]
You're alive...! [HE DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO REACT this is so many emotions.] You saved me, but you continued to live... you're still here. Despite everything, you're still—
[welp back to dying, but he's happy]
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[Akechi clings back pretty tightly, but he still doesn't say anything. the words won't come, no matter how hard he tries to gather them. so for now he's just. . . going to curl up on the dirt of the lake bed, listening carefully to the sound of Eichi's breathing and the thrum of his heartbeat in his ear while he tries to compose himself]
[he may]
[need a bit]
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He's not sure how long this will last. But it's fine... Everything will work out in the end. He has to believe that.]
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[what the fuck]
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right now she looks like she's about to either faint or throw up after watching what happened to varian. honestly, she doesn't even notice the other executions-- she registers that zelos is killed,for some reason akechi isn't, but that pretty comes second to the fact that varian just got fucking eaten
okay yeah vomiting wins. she's kinning veronica from investigation. ]
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when she decides to go and kin veronica, he moves to hold her hair away from her face, remaining silent.]
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once she's done, she just kind of stares blankly before slowly turning to look at him. ]
We need to go. Please.
[ her tone starts semi-even, but once she gets to the last one it's closer to hysterical. ]
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[he reaches out to support her. whatever she wants.]
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... So. Alive and alone, huh?
At least it's not a new feeling.
There's a fleeting look of disappointment that he didn't get to keep the coin before he decides he's had enough social interaction for the day! He's leaving (after he gets Eichi a towel).
Anyone can try to stop him. Just no promises that he listens.]
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She thought she was going to be alone again. That another person who she cared for would die- but she's still here. She was trying to prepare herself for it, but while this is arguably better-- her thoughts are in a jumble. It's too hard to organize them.
She throws reason to the wind and just curls in on herself, sobbing.
Distantly she can hear Cardia's announcement. Processing it is another story.]
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So, you know. The moment the Narrators can move again, she's dropping to her knees, her weaks limb and no longer able to support her. She's sobbing, wailing, covering her face with her hands as she cries her heart out. And while there's some retching happening, it doesn't seem like she's eaten enough in the past hours to produce anything except vile. No puke from her today. Hooray!
Veronica's out of commission for a while. Come back another day.]
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Souji will just. Sit down next to her while she's having a bad time on the floor, gently reaching out to rest a hand against her back.]
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he's going to linger until he has to leave, a slight restlessness in his posture as if he's waiting to see if anything changes.]
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