grimmoired | CHAPTER SIX ; EXECUTION

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CHAPTER SIX ; EXECUTION

The Story Continues...
END OF CHAPTER 5 - WEEK 517 Narrators Remain ;

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!

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varian ; to be continued

When the group steps out the door, they find themselves deep in the woods - off the beaten path. They are urged to step aside by the suits of armor that usher Varian forward, and as he walks past, he is engulfed by swaths of shimmering white light. When it fades, he is transformed.

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?

zelos wilder ; to be continued

Before their eyes, the scene shifts - to another part of the woods. A river cuts the area ahead of them in two, and the only way to cross it seems to be a rickety wooden bridge that looks about one wrong step away from collapsing.

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?

goro akechi ; to be continued

The scene shifts once more - this time, they find themselves standing near the shore of Swan Lake. The swans drift languidly on the water for the moment, long, elegant necks swiveling in the group's direction, though for once, they do not move to attack them.

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.

[Following the execution of Varian and Zelos, everyone will be led to the grand foyer. The ornate clock opens beneath the face, revealing a compartment in which a large glass container is revealed to the eyes of everyone present. Two spouts lead from the interiors of the clock into the glass container. From one side comes a steady stream of crimson ink and from another, a slightly smaller amount in gold. Finally, an amount of purple ink a bit less than that of the gold flows down as well. When all three colors mix into the container, it appears to be black. The Tiger watches the ceremony with her lips pulled tightly together. It's hard to tell exactly how she feels about it...though her flat expression seems to flicker in the briefest indication of frustration before it straightens again.

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.]

[Oh - but wait?

It seems like one of your number has something to say...]

[For your reactions and subsequent threading for Sunday.]

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EXECUTION

EXECUTION

EXECUTION...?

LOOSE ENDS

A THING

AFTERMATH