Arc 3: Canon Z-2: Traitors Among Us

[Kazura Uzaki]

Curse that clown for making them wait before delivering his punchline. There would be no laughter from Kazura. The girl who had taken the place of Zack turned out to be not the fullbringer's type, as she apparently didn't recognize one of the country's biggest philanthropists. The man who was responsible for billions of dollars in aid to the country, especially disaster relief like after Hell invaded Karakura Town. Who was she to try and label him a narcissist who had nothing but himself on his mind? Seriously, screw her! She knew nothing of Kazura and what was going on in his head. Just because he chose not to talk to her didn't make him heartless, it just made him angry at the whole situation that they were in.

Getting to 0 points is... bad, was the general idea that Kazura got from Cross' message. While he wasn't sure just how Reynard got the way he was, he had thought that it had to do with getting 0 points, but Cross' message seemed to say otherwise. Regardless, Kazura wasn't about to trust Cross 100%, and Reynard's memory was foggy, if nearly nonexistent, so there really was no understanding what was going on just yet. All that was left was to worry about voting again, and doing something with the odd card that the fullbringer had obtained from the bat challenge. It hadn't reacted to any of his attempts yet, so he would just wait until a new opportunity to mess with it presented itself. Now was the chance to vote. Kazura took the pillar that was closest to himself and Reynard, hoping the blind man would come to the one next to him. "Come on, Reynard. Time to vote. The pillars are here again."

SPOILER: Click to show

{5}TRUST

[Deleted]

Cross's annoying voice came out once more, as soon as his conversation with Shizuka ended. What little info the man gave out didn't help at all. Instead it made him more afraid of what was to come if his points dropped to zero. The effect of some kind of drug would be pumped into their body, from what he said it would be considered a sort of mind control drug. He shuddered at the thought of something like that actually existing and Cross being one of the people who had such a power to use at will. Still the way things were he had to pick and vote quickly.

Looking once more at Shizuka he smiled an honest smile, “we have to vote now, picking trust means that two people could get points, but if you get stuck with someone who picks betray you will lose your points. Betray is a safer option, but you might end up making someone mad.” His smile faded as he moved himself to block other people's view of Shizuka. He pulled out the gun he had hidden in his clothing placing it in one of her hands. “Keep it hidden and don't let anyone know you have it. If you need it pull it out to threaten someone, sadly it's empty, but given most of us are normal right now it's a great threat. Be safe I don't want anyone else getting hurt.” With that said he turned around and walked to an empty voting pillar and voted.

SPOILER: Click to show

{7}Trust

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

Holy crap on a cracker, Shizuka thought to herself as her body jolted from her startled surprise. The voice that boomed over the speakers caught her off guard, so she snarled at it for a minute to show her anger. She was still pretty hazy so the loud noises bothered her a lot. After hearing this Cross guy talk a bunch and basically scream into the microphone, Shizuka's ears started ringing and didn't stop for quite a long time. She rolled her eyes and clenched her fists, instinctively getting more and more upset with every word Cross spoke.

Vannan gave Shizuka a gun that was concealed in his jacket as he explained a little bit about the voting process. Immediately, she knew it was empty. Guns were her specialty, of course, so it would be obvious to her. She felt silly, but chances were that no one else would notice, especially since she was so proficient at using them. She could play it off if she needed to, right? But the thing that made her stomach sink the most was that she would lose points if she picked the wrong option. She only had two to start with. She needed more, but she really couldn't handle the possibility of dying. Was it a 100% thing? No, but she would just assume the worst.

She finally learned a little bit more about the game she was playing. So she couldn't let her points get to zero. She had no idea if she had any powers at all or if anyone else did, either. She only had two points in the first place but she had no idea what that even got her. Still, hearing that death was a possibility, whether he was joking or not, freaked her out. It didn't make sense. Letting out a sigh of frustration, Shizuka took a couple of steps back towards the wall where she came from, only to be surprised again by the giant panels. She'd only been in this game for a few minutes and she was already wanting out.

As the room somehow set itself up, the screen in front of her displayed her options. She had to choose either trust or betray, right? Well, Shizuka wouldn't want to make the wrong choice when it came to any of this. She had no idea what she was doing so she'd rather not mess it up. Besides, she felt like only one, maybe two, of the people in this room could really be trusted. The rest of them didn't give her any good vibes. She needed the good vibes. She could be a quick learner but all of this was still just way too confusing right now.

"Hey, Iian? Uh... There is a way out of this, right?" She was obviously uncomfortable. All she could do was take a deep breath and vote.

SPOILER: Click to show

{8}Trust

[Zeich Yajuu]

The votes were in soon enough, and as before, a screen would appear in the center of the room, displaying the results. For Shizuka this would be the first time, but for the others, they all knew what to expect. The scores would be listed pretty simply, with each person placed against their “partner.” Their choices had been simple; they could choose to Trust one another or Betray one another. There were only three outcomes, as well; if they both showed trust, then both would gain points. If both betrayed one another, neither would get points. And if one betrayed while the other trusted, the betrayer would be rewarded while the trusting party would be punished. The prisoner's dilemma was a scary thing, when an unknown fate awaited those who were betrayed often enough and only through victory could they earn their freedom.

But for now, the screen was flickering, revealing the results for all to see:

[Vannan] [Betray (+4)] [(6) Points Total] || Versus || [Kazura] [Trust (-2)] [(3) Points Total]
[Shizuka] [Betray(+4)] [(6) Points Total] || Versus || [Reynard] [Trust (-2)] [(3) Points Total]
[Iian] [Betray (+0)] [(2) Points Total] || Versus || [ Z ] [Betray (+0)] [(5) Points Total]
[ A ] [Trust (-2)] [(3) Points Total] || Versus || [Beatrice] [Betray (+4)] [(5) Points Total]

As always, Cross decided to have his fun by announcing the results himself. “Alrighty, we have the ever traitorous Vannan stabbing people in the back once more; first the nun, and now Kazura, who was a sucker to trust a former traitor! Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me! Our newest player is as cutthroat as the person she replaced; poor Reynard! Z played smart, as traitorous Iian did what he always does, and A found herself at a surprising loss when our favorite nun decided she was tired of being betrayed and turned the tables back on the rest of you! And once a traitor... always a traitor.”

That last statement was jolting, and as they looked around, the players would discover that there were nine among them, instead of seven. Well, eight; the newest two individuals were one and the same, figuratively speaking. Beatrice's body stood there, eyes unseeing, empty of life. The gunshot wounds on her body and in the side of her head were still present and still covered with the blood that soaked her head and shirt. Yet there was a new addition; emerging from her chest was a Soul Chain, visible to all of those present, linking her to the woman in her arms. And in her arms was... Beatrice. While the body was unresponsive, empty, the soul connected to the chain was somewhat more animated. Tired, pain-filled eyes looked over the room, hate burning in them weakly as she slumped in the arms of her body. The nun, somehow connected to her body despite her death, which should have snapped her Soul Chain and set her free, was being carried around by her corpse, which stood there as a silent escort.

Worse yet was the dark aura emanating from the nun. Hatred and pain turned what might have been a beautiful soul into something far more sinister. The aura was enough to make anyone with the slightest shred of Energy Sensory feel somewhat sick, and they were all fortunate that they were limited to a small amount; anything sharper might have left some of them feeling sick, dealing with such a twisted and blighted aura. Something had changed, either before or at the time of Beatrice's death, and all except Shizuka would recognize that this whole situation was horrifying on so many levels. Three pairs of eyes turned to Vannan as blame was immediately directed at him; after all, Vannan had betrayed Beatrice in the last round, and then had emerged from his room without her. It was only natural that they blame him.

“Right-o!” Cross broke through the horror, amusement filling his voice. “Well now that you've had time to catch up, I've got one more thing to explain! I'm sure a few of you found some numbered cards as you explored your challenges!” Both Kazura and Vannan had found one, and Z held up a card with a “1” on it. “There you go! You've found a nice little bonus card! These cards are special; by giving them to someone after a voting round, that person automatically becomes your partner for the next challenge! This way, you're able to pick someone who is vitally useful to you, or in the worst case, someone you can actually trust! The person you leave behind and the person your new partner leave behind will be teamed up as well. Oh, and cards can only be traded once per voting session, so you can't just keep trading about in one session to pick who you want. And remember that at the end of this game, the cards will have a special use, so pay attention! Ta-ta for now!”

With that, the party would have a chance to reconvene, and speak amongst themselves, though Beatrice would have none of it as she walked away, carried in the arms of her corpse. Reynard would pull Kazura aside briefly, writing quickly in his hand. “I don't think I had anything unlocked.” He answered in response to Kazura's earlier question. “Even if I did, it's locked now; my bracelet has ten boxes, as you can see.” He showed his companion his bracelet, which did indeed show ten boxes to indicate fully locked parameters. So it seemed that despite his belief that he had been in previous games, Reynard was as level as the rest in terms of what capabilities he had. Simple enough.

So, the question was, what would they do? Would those who bore cards trade them to work with someone they could trust or use? The challenge doors lay before them, and that was another choice; they had to pick which challenge they encountered. This time, the door choices were only four: “Physical”, “Spiritual”, “Mental”, and “Emotional.” They would be first come, first serve; once a door was claimed, it was locked. That meant that someone could take advantage of those who wanted to swap partners by jumping in while the swaps were occurring, picking their door ahead of others. So who would choose what, and how would they act?

((OOC: No posting order! First come, first serve on doors, as I said.))

[Deleted]

The results came out and Vannan was rather shocked to see what was beside his name, betray. He bit his lip and narrowed his eyes at Cross. This man isn't playing fair, he's messing with us....or at the very least me..... He wanted to call out Cross, but he knew that it wouldn't do a single thing at all. He had locked in his role as the villain in this group and it seemed like Cross wanted to mess with him now that the so called MR. Grumpy wasn't in the game.

The results of the votes shocked him, he didn't think that Shizuka would betray someone, but then again no one expected him to be the cause of Beatrice's death. As he looked down the voting results he saw it, Beatrice had voted, not only voted, but she voted to betray someone. Vannan quickly looked around the room to spot where she was, a bit happy that she was still here, but when he saw her his feelings of joy vanished. There she was a corpse with a soul chain attached to it. What ever this game was doing to people it was wrong.

Vannan could feel the malice coming off of her and her aura being so sinister. He knew all the eyes would be on him, so he started to laugh. It was a slow chuckle that grew louder and louder and at it's climax he spoke out loud once more to everyone. “Looks like the little nun is still around. I thought I got rid of you in the last game, oh well I guess I can try again.” On his face was a devilish smile that everyone could see. Even though he knew that he was playing an act he hoped that Kazura would know after their last exchange.

After listening to Cross once more he had a plan, he needed to get answers, answers from Cross and Beatrice, one would be easier than the other to get answers from. Walking over to Kazura he leaned into the man and whispered. “My vote was reversed, I'm going to get answers, you get some as well.” With that he headed straight for Beatrice, a card in hand he gave it to Beatrice. “You're coming with me again.” After giving her his card he walked over to the door that read Spiritual selecting it as his own door.

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

Shizuka gasped as her eyes widened at the results. She immediately pursed her lips together as both sadness and confusion overwhelmed her. Sadness took hold because of the fact that she was surprised at both Vannan and Kazura's votes, seeing as she assumed they would be reversed. Confusion was prevalent, though, because she knew for a fact that she didn't choose Betray. Was that part of the game? Maybe since hers was reversed, the others had a similar situation going on. That just meant her assumptions could be right, and Vannan chose Trust while Kazura chose Betray. She didn't really think Kazura was a good person, anyway.

As the Fullbringer looked around the room, panic struck her and paralyzed her as her body started shaking in fear. She noticed that there were a total of eight people around her, which was something she didn't quite remember before. Still, she also wasn't paying attention. Regardless, that wasn't what made her pause with anxiety. No, instead it was the undead woman linked to a Soul Chain. She'd heard stories about how Hollows are made and what Soul Chains are, but that didn't scare her as much as the fact that this type of woman had a specific name. It was something Shizuka feared more than anything else.

"Sh-she's a... zombie..." She whispered, all but crying as she tried desperately to look away.

Closing her eyes as quickly and tightly as possible, she broke her gaze with the horrible being. Shizuka managed to look in another direction after a short while and saw Vannan start to laugh manically. That was highly unlike him. But everything about this game was extremely unsettling. Still, the laughing didn't bother her as much as the lying. Vannan was lying. Shizuka had enough training as an assassin and knew Vannan well enough to be able to tell that he was faking being so evil, but she saw it through his unusual behavior. He was faking the entire thing. But why? And why did he approach Kazura so soon after? He seemed to whisper something but it's not like Shizuka could hear it. Instead, she looked down at Iian and smiled.

"I guess you and me aren't going to be together this time, huh? That's okay. Just try to be safe!"

As for choosing doors and partners, Shizuka was both relieved and upset that Vannan went off with the monster woman. At least she didn't have to be partnered up with Beatrice because Shizuka would actually have had emotional breakdowns from just being near that thing. But instead of thinking about it too much, Shizuka went over to Reynard and introduced herself briefly after apologizing for the interruption. She shoot his hand and offered for him to go with her to the door that said "Mental" on it. She couldn't choose "Spiritual" after Vannan, but out of all of the other choices, "Mental" seemed like the best option for her. Was it the safest? Probably not at this point. But what else could she do?

"So what do you say, Reynard? Wanna get through all this with me?" Shizuka flashed a calm smile at him and then continued speaking once they were out of range of anyone else's hearing. "Look, I know you have no reason to trust me. I understand that, especially since I'm new here and you and Kazura seem like good friends. But I'm telling you now that I didn't choose Betray like the sign says I did. Something weird is going on here and even though I'm not familiar with the rules, I don't think switching the votes happens every time. We need to get people in on this so that none of us have to suffer. If nothing else, just believe that I'm not here to kill anyone."

Whether he believed her or not was up to him, and she couldn't blame him for choosing not to. Still, she needed to make sure she at least explained herself. They needed to be on the same page.

[Kazura Uzaki]

Kazura was stunned, and furious. He had arranged it so he'd be matched with Reynard again, and instead he was betrayed by Vannan and this new girl, Shizuka, had betrayed the blind man. Frustrated beyond belief, Kazura had nothing to say to Vannan even when he came up and said his vote was reversed. It didn't matter. Whoever or whatever had betrayed him was irrelevant. He was farther off from gaining his mind back, and that pissed him off. On top of that, Shizuka betrayed Reynard and then was coming up to him and flirting with him. As Kazura was close enough to overhear what she was saying to him, Kazura himself spoke up to the blind man. "Don't forget who truly had your back in the last challenge. See you on the other side."

Kazura assumed that he'd be paired with the mysterious A, seeing as Vannan had switched to be with Beatrice instead. There wasn't a lot of time, so he just had to come up with a plan and lock in their choice, whether or not she had any objections. Kazura knew that he'd have no chance in the Physical challenge, especially with his abilities and techniques sealed like this. Shizuka and Vannan had already chosen their paths, so that just left Emotional as the last choice. To be honest, Kazura was angry and upset right now, but when it came down to the wire, he knew that his strength of will should be able to power through an emotional challenge. "It's not time to get physical, we're going emotional. Hope that doesn't bother you." Having not even approached her to talk, Kazura locked in their choice for the Emotional door and went into the elevator alone, waiting for her to follow.

[Zeich Yajuu]

The results were displayed, to the shock of many. Some claimed that their votes were fixed, while others believed that this was just an act to try and get them to lower their guard. It seemed that the game was truly revealing the traitors among them, showing who could not be trusted. From the start, Vannan had been a traitor, constantly using those he was paired against in order to further his own agenda, and this new girl seemed no better. Iian was in the same boat as Vannan, playing for himself and not the group, while Z had only betrayed in order to defend himself against Iian, giving him a net total of zero points gained, but none lost either. Iian and Vannan were prime suspects for traitors, by their previous action, and this girl had replaced an assassin only to follow suit in her vote; these three, for obvious reasons, were the greatest threats to the group.

Of course, they weren't the only ones. Another odd card was Beatrice, the half-dead nun whose soul was now carried about by her animated corpse, blood still spread liberally across its form. The hatred and disgust she held for them radiated like a blighting cloud, and in close proximity the sensation was that much worse. When Vannan went to hand her his card, she grabbed his wrist and tugged him in with surprising strength, given that that parameter was still locked. If looks could kill, the glare she gave Vannan upon pulling him closer would have caused excessive collateral damage in the process. “You're next...” She whispered, before plucking the card out of his hand, letting him go, and making her way towards the Spiritual door.

So out of the group, four of them were suspicious; Shizuka and Iian had simply betrayed, while Vannan's actions had liked killed Beatrice, and of course the twisted nun was now a threat to them all. That left four who were uncertain of one another, for the most part, those who had been partners up until this point. Kazura and Reynard trusted one another, but no one could really say anything about A and Z, who were mysteries up until this point. Kazura would be finding out about the former likely, as he was partnered with the female of the pair. Reynard, however, would have to watch his back, lest Shizuka, who had betrayed him, do what Vannan may have done to Beatrice. Overall, the game was becoming far deadlier, and it was taking on a more grim appearance for all those involved.

But now, it was time for them to move forward. Cross quickly piped up before players could go through their doors, though their choices were locked. “Don't forget to spend some points before you go, if you have some to spare! Five points for a parameter of your choice, seven for half of your techniques, or nine for your spiritual powers back!” It was one last reminder to let them spend points and prepare themselves for the challenges ahead; who knew what advantages that would give them? Shizuka would likely remember Iian's insistence that she unlock Reiatsu Strength as soon as possible, and whether or not that would influence her decision would be up to her.

Once all points had been spent and everyone was ready to move forward, the groups moved towards their various doors. Beatrice hadn't budged from the Spiritual door, having no desire to spend her points, letting Vannan return if he decided to unlock something himself. She was cold towards him, would ignore any questions or statements thrown her way, and would simply exit through the door once Vannan approached enough for their challenge to begin. Shizuka and Reynard had it a bit easier as the woman guided her blind companion towards the Mental door; though Reynard was visibly uncomfortable being near Shizuka after her “Betray” vote had been revealed, especially since she had detracted a fair amount of points from him, he still followed, doubtful at her explanation but forced to work with her for the meantime.

Iian and Z went towards the Physical door together, with Z as composed as ever while Iian was in a childish pout at once more not getting any points. Of course, they'd be playing the Traitor's Fortune game shortly, though the rest of the party would not yet know that. Finally, A and Kazura headed for the Emotional door; the leather-clad woman said nothing, not even turning to look at Kazura, and waited patiently for him to arrive. Once he had, she would simply reach out and touch it before it swung open, allowing them access and letting them walk inside. The others would all be able to enter their own doors as well, and in turn all four groups would leave for their various rooms by the usual elevator.

Kazura and A would step out of their rooms first, and find themselves in a large, square room. A single door was set at the far side of the room, and a panel above it glowed with a bright red color, likely indicating it was locked. Indeed, any attempts to open the door would have no effect. Instead, they'd look around the room and note something of interest; there were eight buttons located around the room, and above each button was a portrait of each of the eight current players, from Kazura himself to the newest player, Shizuka. Each button was clearly labeled as well: “Kill.” What was this room? Had they stumbled into some kind of control room by mistake? Whatever it was, this was bizarre. Why were there “Kill” buttons by each of their names?

And then A would notice a small piece of paper attached to the wall next to the door. She looked at it before bringing it over to Kazura, handing it to the man before speaking, a thick German accent making her voice seem rough. “Mister Kazura... this may explain our goal here. Please read it, and think on it.” Kazura, upon taking the paper, would be greeted with a simple message. “To progress forward, one must simply press any of the two buttons in the room. However, doing so causes that person to die. In exchange, though, you will gain a number of points equal to those lost, so that their death will not be in vain. Pick wisely before sacrificing others in order to move forward.”

A crossed her arms, tapping a single finger against her forearm. “This is... a quandary. I do not wish to sacrifice people needlessly. If I were a more vengeful person I would take out Vannan and Iian, as they're the most likely to be traitors. But can we, mere humans, make such decisions?” An odd statement to come from the mostly enigmatic woman, and indeed, there was no better time than now if Kazura wished to ask questions and learn more about her. After all, they couldn't proceed unless they killed two other people.

Shizuka and Reynard, however, would be split up as they came out of the elevator, as per the rules of the first round, which had the traitor and betrayed go into different rooms. Shizuka, forced to proceed alone as her door would not allow Reynard through, would come to an entirely new room, one that was small, but fairly simple. In the middle of the room was a table with a set of scales on it, perfectly balanced. In front of it was an ornate chest and, in said chest, were eight golden coins. Each was stamped with the face of one of the players, and beyond that, there was nothing special about them. Well, aside from one; Shizuka's coin had another face on the opposite side, that belonging to Zack. She wouldn't know that she had taken her co-worker's place, but that coin certainly symbolized it. Finally, beyond the table were two doors, each with a circular indentation about the same size as the coins in the chest.

As she was left to ponder the room, Shizuka would notice a piece of paper tucked underneath the chest on the table. Unfolding it, the message was simple. “To open the doors, you must find the traitor amongst the eight. The scale will only work three times, and then you will be forced to make your decision. Once you find them, the weight of their sin will determine the door you go through. If they are borne to the earth with a tremendous weight, then you will proceed through the door on the right. If they are above such mortal matters, then you will proceed through the door on the left. Be warned that while those who are perceptive will be rewarded, those who fail to see the traitor amongst them will be penalized after the third failure.”

Finally, Vannan and Beatrice would also be separated, both having betrayed a teammate as well, and were forced into their own rooms. Beatrice would stalk off without even once looking back, leaving Vannan to proceed alone. He wouldn't have to proceed long, however; he was stopped partway down a hall by a scene at the end of it. Beatrice was looming over Shizuka, a gun in her hand; the same one that he had given Shizuka earlier. It was likely that this was some sort of trick, given that Beatrice had only departed from him a minute before. Indeed, the image was frozen, unmoving; it just sat there, waiting for him to act. At his feat, Vannan would spot a gun, similar to the laser rifle he had used in his last challenge; perhaps he could use it in this situation? He would have time to make his decision, at least. But one question remained: What did this have to do with Spiritual...?

[Kazura Uzaki]

OOC: Sorry that this post is coming before Clash of Ideals.

Kazura rode the elevator up with A in silence. She wasn't talkative, and he was still pouting and sorting through his feelings. They arrived at their challenge, which was a completely white hallway with portraits, buttons, and a locked door. The instructions stated that they'd have to kill someone... No, kill two different people. Killing them would steal their points, but in doing so they'd have killed someone. This challenge quickly sobered up Kazura and made him start thinking clearly again. Death was something that he took very seriously.

A considered Iian and Vannan to be threats, but like Kazura she had a conscience. She did not want to make the decision as a "mere human" and did not desire to have that responsibility. Kazura could respect that. So he decided to reason with her instead of just pushing buttons willy nilly. "Yes, that may be true. It is that cursed Cross who put us in this situation. But to continue and live, we must choose. I feel as though we should put Beatrice's vengeful soul to rest. That chilling Aura... That Hate... It will consume her and form a Hollow as soon as that chain decays. If we can stop that... If we can save her Soul... Then it would be worth pushing her button."

Kazura looked around the room at all of the other portraits. He grew sorrowful as he did so. There was Reynard, the blind mute man whom he'd grown to trust and respect. There was Shizuka and Vannan who seemed to betray and lie. A and Z, who were still mysterious enigmas and an unknown value. Iian, who was annoying but still a child. Beatrice, whose life had appeared to be ruined by Cross and this game. And Kazura himself... "I know that Iian appears to be a threat. But he's still a child, A. Children grow up, Children Mature and break free of their bad qualities. To cut off his potential would be... Would be wrong. As much as it pains me to say this... I think the other one to die should be Reynard..."

Kazura didn't pause for long, lest A think that he was betraying his friend and temporary ally. "Reynard is a shell of the man that he was. He has memories, vague ones, of losing his sight and his voice. While he has the most knowledge of this torturous 'game' than anyone else that I've met here... Maybe it would be a favor to him to release him from the Hell in which he has lost so much... But blast it, A, I just don't know. This is an Emotional Trial, and I can't tell what it's supposed to be. Are we supposed to feel sorrow for the lives we Murder or are we to take a life in Anger? It's just not right. What do you say about all this? You must know something that I don't know about this game."

[Deleted]

As she grabbed his wrist and pulled him, he noticed something was off, something was wrong here. She was much stronger than she should have been. Was her bracelet no longer working like before? Had all of her abilities been unlocked when she died? Either way he now had more questions to ask her and he already had tons to ask her. For now he allowed himself to be pulled close to her and hear her whisper that he was next. He let out a slight chuckle from a mix of fear and confusion as to what she was implying, because simply dying wasn't what happened to her, no instead someone had done something to her that was worse than just death. With his arm now free he didn't waste any time and simply walked through the door with Beatrice.

Once the door closed behind them he spoke in a loud voice towards Beatrice. “What happened to you?” He waited for a moment, but he got no response from her at all. Again he cried out to her “Beatrice what did they do to you?” Once more nothing but silence and her walking closer to her own door. It seemed like she wasn't going to say a word to him. He knew right now it was pointless to even try saying anything else to her, but he would try again after he completed his own challenge. He had to wonder what Cross was planning this time, given that the last challenge was a mini shooting game.

Stepping through the door he saw what appeared to be Beatrice standing over Shizuka with a gun in her hand pointing it at her. His heart skipped a beat before he noticed that nothing was happening, it wasn't moving, no it was a still image there down the hall, taking one step forward he noticed that there was a gun similar to the one he had used in the previous challenge just sitting there on the ground by his feet. He wondered what this entire thing had to to with spirituality at all. The answer seemed simple, he had to take the gun and shoot Beatrice to save Shizuka. This was too simple, he didn't like this at all.

Stepping over the gun he walked passed it and looked up and down the hall. His hand went over to a wall and felt it as he continued onwards towards the image, he would keep a close eye on it watching it to see if it changed as he got closer to it. If he did he would stop walking and head back to the gun, if it didn't he would continue onwards to the image. His goal was to get to it and see what it was made of, see what it really was, was it a painting? A projection of some sorts? All the while he looked around trying to see if something else was in this room besides him and the gun. If he got to the image without anything happening he would touch the gun on the image, pushing it upwards away from Shizuka, just in case the image was touch sensitive. If nothing happened he would look back down the hall and yell out. “Cross, I know you're watching. Tell me what did you do to Beatrice.”

[Zeich Yajuu]

((OOC: Skipping Shizuka this round to get this going again))

A would consider Kazura's words carefully, his suggestions, but the woman's expression, despite being hidden behind a mask, suggested something almost... disapproving. It wasn't as though she were looking down upon him however, more a sign of disagreement, as though the answer was wrong despite the logic being sound. For a few moments she was silent, however, letting Kazura rant about the weight of the decision upon him, how he felt about it. The woman seemed unbothered by his emotional quandary, patiently allowing him to start sifting through his emotions until the question finally came around to her: What did she know about this game?

She was quiet for a few moments after being asked, and even with Kazura's low mental reaction time, he could tell that she was considering her answer. How she was doing so, however, was a mystery; did she plan to lie, or tell only part of the truth? Was she cautious about revealing herself to him, or was she deciding on the best means by which to deceive him? Either way, there would be a significant pause before A finally responded, and though her tone was clear and her voice was level, there was a notable hesitation as she spoke, occasionally pausing to consider her words. “My friend... please understand that I cannot tell you everything I know. Were I sure of anything in this... 'game', then perhaps I would be able to be more forthcoming. But for now, I can tell you a bit about myself.”

“I am a member of an organization that a normal human would see as comparable to Interpol, handling crimes that occur internationally. My unit, however, focuses on the spiritual side of these acts, and deals with them as necessary. I don't know if you've seen the news of late, but if you haven't, several major leaders around the world have started to take up an unusual sort of... spiritualism, I suppose you could call it.” As she spoke, A's voice was cool, detached, as though she were reading from a report for the majority of it. “Even without knowledge of the spiritual world, there are those who have begun presenting a new 'pitch' of sorts. A new message that has been spreading from the higher-ups and down to the general populace: 'The Spirit King must fall, so that the true King may rise to the throne.'”

There was a moment for Kazura to take in the statement, and then she continued. “Many do not know the meaning of the message, yet somehow it has taken hold like a pestilence, spreading from person to person almost infectiously. As of our last measuring, roughly twenty-one percent of our world's population is currently following their message in their hearts, if not out loud.” Twenty-one percent of the world's population? That was over one and a half billion individuals that were all following this message. That many people... and that was not the worst of it. “And that number is not just including humans. Increase your initial estimates by about thirty percent; spiritual beings, including Shinigami, have been observed following this message.”

“Out of the billions infected, we have only found one thread to follow on, and that investigation led me to this region on the northern border of Japan. However, my partner and I were both captured, and thus we are here now. We know nothing about this game, but I suspect that this has something to do with the indoctrination effect we've seen of late. And since we are cut off, all we can do is attempt to win this game, and fight our way free, until we find our own solution. To that end, Uzaki...” A was suddenly deadly quiet, a serious tone to her voice. “You must make the decision on who is to die quickly. If you do not, then I will.”

–

The moment that Vannan stepped over and past the gun, the image changed, moving in real time. Beatrice's smile would become darker, more sinister, and in a moment she simply pulled the trigger, firing a bullet into “Shizuka's” head. Blood sprayed out as the woman's head snapped back, and she collapsed to the ground. Within moments she stopped moving, clearly dead, and Beatrice would look up with a sinister grin on her face. Then the image would be engulfed in flames, and burn away, leaving an open passageway before Vannan. It seemed that his first choice had been made, and the result of his decision would be seen in the time to come. This was certainly odd for a “spiritual” room, however; how was saving Shizuka from Beatrice a matter of spirituality? Certainly this room didn't seem to make sense.

Proceeding, Vannan would find that he could not take the gun with him; it would be unable to pass through the far doorway, requiring him to leave it behind. That was no matter, though; it didn't seem as though the game presented any challenges that a laser pointer would save him from anyway. Passing through the door, the Quincy would find himself on a stairway that led downwards, with holographic flames flickering along the banister. Touching them had no effect; they were just images without the heat. However, as he descended the room did get noticeably warmer, not too bad, but enough to become uncomfortable. Was this a result of his decision, or was it part of a challenge coming up ahead? He had no choice but to proceed if he wanted to find the answer, however.

The next room he came upon was a large square; in the center was a small crowd of about fifteen holographic individuals. Oddly enough, they were all bound, yet that strangeness was quickly rectified as Vannan noticed a small metal device in the middle of them with a timer ticking down from fifteen seconds. A bomb, perhaps? If he let it go, it would detonate in the middle of the crowd, likely killing them all. Yet with only fifteen seconds, there was no time to disarm it, and without any weapons or tools he couldn't destroy it. So what, then, could he do? Throw himself in front of it and hope his exploding remains didn't kill those around him? That seemed like a foolish sacrifice, and it wouldn't help anyone if he died here.

He would have to make a decision quickly, however, as he only had fifteen seconds and counting.

[Deleted]

It was strange, he watched as the image moved in real time and saw Beatrice kill Shizuka, yet he felt nothing. He knew that it was just an image and nothing had really happened. Still it seemed that this challenge was over....or was it? Once the image bursted into flames he had a strange feeling that his challenge wasn't over. Silently he walked towards the new doorway and down the stairs. Not wanting to linger in the same room for long and wondering what Cross had planned for all of them. He hoped that Shizuka and Kazura were doing ok in their own respective challenges.

As soon as the next room was in view he saw it, holographic images of people bound and blindfolded. Again with the holographic images then in the center he saw what looked like a mine and it was counting down. He hesitated for a moment to do anything, he didn't have to help anyone here, he didn't know any of these people and yet it looked like it was up to him to save them, just like how he was to save Shizuka in the challenge. However he didn't even bother to react to these people being held. He wasn't a hero, he wasn't a savior, no he was an older brother and his job was to save his sister not some strangers. He stood there waiting for the bomb to count down.

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

Tremendous guilt flowed over Shizuka as she saw that she and Reynard were separated. She felt her chest tighten as she stood, uncomfortably, inside her own room after coming out of the elevator. This game was becoming more and more obnoxious as time went on, and she felt herself missing her young friend and partner, not knowing if he truly was a friend or not. Still, he was all she had aside from Vannan, and she didn't know if he was bad or not at this point, either. That guy, Kazura, seemed more of a traitor than anyone else.

She sighed. Getting through this was the first step. Everything up until this point seemed to flow together somehow in the game master's sadistic way of playing. Although, Shizuka couldn't help but notice how incredibly fabulous the entire building was! Everything was so fancy and she just couldn't hold that in anymore. This young lady had quite the taste for expensive architecture and whoever owned this place either had a serious talent with theft or a ton of money. Regardless, Shizuka sought out the wall of the room and slid her hand over it in appreciation for the effort it took to make this place what it was, despite the fact that her life was on the line every second.

Composing herself, she lightly slapped the cheeks of her face just a couple of times. She always saw people on TV do this to calm down or get their minds back to reality, so she decided it was worth a shot. She realized soon enough that it just helped you focus on the fact that you needed to be back to the real world instead of actually slapping you back, but it was funny either way. As her eyes focused on the room and she took in what was around her, Shizuka quickly noticed the balance scale that accompanied her. Approaching it, she read the note that was tucked underneath the beautiful chest adjacent to the scale. Upon reading it, she recognized the puzzle.

"He's really trying to trick an engineer with something like this? You'd just split the coins up evenly over and over to figure out which one was the heaviest."

Or so she assumed. Truth was, she knew the standard way to solve this. Aside from that, the words she read on the paper confused her. Tremendous weight, huh? So that means the heaviest. But it also said she could pass if they were "above such matters" or something, whatever that meant. So Shizuka did what anyone would do at first. She looked over each of the coins, examining them with extreme detail. Despite not having her powers, they could not make her too ordinary. She kept her skills as an assassin. Each coin held a secret and she needed to find which one.

They were pretty little things. Pretty, yet unfortunate. Each coin had someone's face on it and only hers had two faces. She recognized the second one to be Zack's face. But why would his face be opposite of mine? she wondered, placing her right hand against the back of her head while her left held the coin within it. She briefly recalled Iian saying something about his previous partner being called 'Mr. Assassin' or something, so she knew he was male, but did that mean Zack played this game before? Where was he?

She took four of the coins and placed them on the left scale. They included A, Beatrice, Kazura and Reynard. On the right, she placed her own coin, Vannan, Iian, and Z. Who was Z, anyway? She'd never heard of him, but she didn't know the majority of the people in the game with her. It was probably safe to assume that he was a stranger to everyone just as they were to each other, aside from Shizuka and Vannan. Their familiarity with each other was only enough for the blonde to hope that Vannan wouldn't stab her in the back later, but even if he did, she'd be reassured that something was going on here.

[Kazura Uzaki]

"Fine... I'll decide..." Kazura stood up and walked over to Beatrice's button. He pushed that without hesitation. She was a tortured soul, and he felt as if he was doing her a favor by pushing it. Hopefully her soul would be put at rest and would be able to find its way into the Soul Society, for a more peaceful life hopefully. But then he paused. Who would be the player of this game that he murdered? When he truly thought about it, there was no way that he could end the life of Reynard. The man was a friend and ally to him, one that he needed to keep on his side. A and Z were part of Spiritual Interpol, of sorts, so he needed them alive too.

While he really wanted to push Shizuka's button for the rude behavior that she displayed to him, Vannan seemed to trust her and he trusted Vannan, regardless of the rocky relationship that Uzaki Enterprises and the Vandenreich had. So, as much as it pained him to do this, he had only one choice left. The Fullbringer walked over and murdered Iian. It would potentially be for the best of the group as a whole, due to the boy's insistence on betraying everyone. Kazura felt ashamed at himself, and he knew that the boy's life would be something that he punished himself for later, but what was done was done. Iian and Beatrice's buttons had been pushed, and as far as he knew he had just killed those two living people.

And he hated himself for it.

[Zeich Yajuu]

Shizuka made the obvious choice in her progression, putting four coins on the end of each scale. They would sit there for a moment, doing nothing until she noticed the button in the center that said “weigh.” This would activate the electronic scale, and the left side fell slightly. This indicated that the false coin was on the left side, right? But then she'd have to think on the note again; it had presented two options, not just one. If one was “borne to earth by their sin,” then the coin was heavy, but what about “if they were above such mortal matters?” Perhaps one of the coins was not actually heavy, and conversely, it was actually light. If so, did that mean that the fake coin was lighter than the others? Suddenly, her first weighing seemed far less useful than it had initially seemed.

So which was it? Was the coin light, or was it heavy? There would be a big difference, as the coin would determine the way forward. If she picked the wrong coin, then she would be penalized, and if she made three wrong answers, well... she wouldn't want to think about that. Shizuka had a new puzzle on her hands, however; how could she tell if the fake coin was light or heavy?

---

Kazura's situation wasn't much better. Instead of weighing coins, he was weighing lives. Who was he willing to sacrifice in order to move on? What bodies would he tread over in his path forward, towards life? At first, he had desired mercy for those who had suffered; Beatrice, who was the next closest thing to dead, and Reynard, who was tormented and seemingly locked into this game, had been the first candidates. But could Kazura really kill the friend and ally that he had made in this game? No, he quickly reconsidered, and in less than a moment made his decision, pressing the button that would kill both Beatrice and Iian. Their lives were forfeit, if the game's rules were honest, and the two standing within the room would receive a total of seven points, advancing them closer to the end of this twisted “game.”

But watching his watch, Kazura would see no change; had the game been nothing but a lie, determined to twist their emotions? If so, it had been successful, at least for him. Guilt and shame had filled the man's heart, yet in the end, he had decided on sacrifices. Could he live with that? Could Kazura bear the fact that he had chosen to kill so that he may live? It was a difficult burden to bear, yet it was his now. He'd have plenty of time to think about it as he progressed, however; the door ahead had opened, allowing the two companions to proceed. A would make her way forward without hesitation, and would be out of the room in moments. Kazura could follow in whatever time he needed to gather his confidence again.

The new room would actually be a hallway with two doors at the end of it, and in a system that was new for Kazura, the two of them could only go through a set doorway. Kazura was given the door on the left, which would slam shut the moment A approached it, while the woman would only be able to enter the door on the right, which refused to let the entrepreneur pass. It seemed that they would be separated; for how long was anyone's guess, but it seemed the next challenge was individual. A just simply gave a nod to Kazura before heading through her doorway, saying nothing as she departed. That would leave the man to enter his own door if he chose to continue.

The new room was similar in shape to the last, an enormous square that seemed mostly empty. At the far end of the room was a door that had a lit indicator stating “Locked” above it. To his right was a window in the wall, and looking through it was another room identical to Kazura's, albeit with A inside of it. She seemed to be examining the room, in particular something below the window. Looking down, Kazura would see a button on a pedestal below the window with a simple label: “Kill Switch.” Another life-or-death choice? If it was anything like the last, it was probably bogus... but Kazura couldn't put it past Cross to fake them out and then surprise them with a real death a moment later, either.

As they considered the button, an alarm went off, the rooms filling with red light. A speaker blared above them as a mechanical voice spoke. “Warning, termination protocols have been activated. Incineration will begin in five minutes. Activate heating vents to bypass termination. Be advised that activating vents will incinerate the specimen in that room, but spare the other. You have five minutes before termination occurs in both rooms. Warning...” The process went on to repeat itself. The objective was clear, however; one of them was supposedly going to die by incineration, or they both would. The “Kill Switch” for each individual was literal as well; it would kill the one who pressed it, activating the vents in their room and causing them to be burned to death.

So, who would be the sacrifice this time? Last time, they had been forced to sacrifice someone else, and now, they had a choice between themselves. Who would die?

---

Vannan's callous decision was made, and he stood by as the timer ticked down. An explosion, virtual in nature, went off, and each of the “captives” stationed around the bomb was blown apart, with blood, bone, and flesh sent in every direction. It was gruesomely realistic, down to the splash of holographic blood that splattered against Vannan's face, dripping down his cheek without any sensation of touch. As it was, the Quincy was proving more and more that he couldn't be trusted as an ally; he was unwilling to sacrifice for others, choosing instead to focus on his own goals. He had been a traitor twice now as well; could anyone trust him after this? Truly, it seemed as though Vannan was working to damn himself further with every choice he made.

The images faded, and the far door opened, accompanied by a thin orange mist and a wash of heat that would immediately raise the temperature of the room by several degrees. Another staircase going downwards was revealed, and this time, the flames licking along the sides of it were far more intense. Worse, these ones weren't holographic; Vannan could feel the heat flooding away from them, and without a doubt he'd be sweating heavily by now, feeling it starting to become more intense. Touching the flames would lead him to getting burned, so that was not a good decision either. As he descended, the heat only grew further, and the orange mist continued to intensify. Where was he going, and what was with the heat?

The next room for him was laid out like the last two, only the image in this room was simply Iian, standing there and waiting for him to approach. When the door shut, the image addressed him with the boy's cocky smile. “Welcome, traitor. So, how's it feel, proving my point that humanity can't be trusted? Feel free to continue what you're doing, of course; you may help indoctrinate the rest yet. It doesn't matter, after all; you're just a traitor to the rest of them.” The boy just grinned, waiting to see Vannan's reaction. On the far side of the room, behind Iian and seemingly blocked by him, was another gun similar to the first room's. How would Vannan react to this taunting?

Worse, yet, he was feeling light-headed. Likely an effect of the mist, the Quincy was feeling dizzied, his thoughts somewhat disorganized. Further, there was a strange sensation creeping up on him, something akin to fear but not quite there. A paranoia, the sense of being watched, of eyes in the shadows; that was more what Vannan was feeling. It was as though there were others waiting to pounce, waiting for the moment that he let his guard down, and at that point, they would devour him. No amount of mental calmness or resistance to fear would allow him to fight back, so he'd have to just deal with the sensation as it slowly grew.