Arc 3: Canon Z-2: Traitors Among Us

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

Shizuka kept an eye on her choices. The coins of the left were A, Beatrice, Kazura and Reynard. On the right were her own coin, Vannan, Iian, and Z. Remembering this was important as she considered the possibilities. It was annoyingly impossible, or so it seemed, to make the right decision based on what she knew about everyone. The note didn't help her any, either. Luckily, she just made one move so far. Even if she couldn't feel it in her own hands, these coins had a certain weight to them. She assumed weighing them evenly like this would work, but she had a theory.

After pushing the button and letting the scales do their job, she noted that the left side fell a little bit. That could mean a couple of things. One option is that the left side had a heavy coin, or the right side had a light coin. Not all of them weighed the same, but only one of them was different. They had to be equal weights if they were made of the same material. From what Shizuka could tell, they were. She sighed. She had done the puzzle wrong. Frustrated, she growled at the scales and reconsidered everything she assumed from before.

She was looking for the fake. She was looking for a traitor. She wasn't looking for the heaviest coin, she was looking for the lightest. A counterfeit. Fake coins were always made out of a lighter metal because it's cheaper. She may have wasted one move, but it gave her an idea. She removed every coin from the scale. If she had two more chances, she was going to make the most of them. Thinking her own coin to be suspicious, she left it out along with Beatrice. Aside from them, the left side now contained A, Kazura and Reynard while the right had Vannan, Iian and Z once she placed them all back. Beatrice's coin and her coin remained on the table.

Her theory was that among these six, the lighter side would yield the lighter coin. That way, she'd choose two coins from that group of three and weigh them to see if one was heavier or not. If they balanced, then the unweighed third coin was the lightest one. If not, she knew her answer. If, however, the groups of six showed them to be even, she could weigh the two remaining coins to see which was lighter. Either way, both of these turns would give her results using her final two weighings. Shizuka felt her heart beating quickly and heavily. This was working her up a lot.

[Deleted]

The explosion went off, it was fake, an electronic explosion. Had he dived there would it of even made a difference? He didn't care either way this challenge was starting to annoy him. “Cross what's the point? I know you can see and hear me. So why bother with any of this?” Vannan was starting to get annoyed at the challenges before him. He wondered if Kazura and Shizuka had to deal with such things as well. Either way the door before him opened and he was free to continue.

Descending down the stairs he felt the room get much hotter and the so called flames burnt brighter. He chuckled a bit at it all, he didn't expect Cross to give such heavy handed symbolism to his actions. Had his actions really earned him a place in Hell? All he did was observe. So it was a sin to not react to others? The orange mist grew heavier as well, something was off here, but he couldn't place it. Finally he made his way down the stairs and entered the next room.

Once more there was a hologram it spoke to him this time, mocking him and trying to call him out. He busted out laughing, did Cross really expect him to fall for such words? Cross was trying to get someone who openly mocked people in combat to get them to mess up react to a half ass mocking. Sadly the mocking had the exact opposite effect on Vannan that Cross wanted. For a few moments he continued out to laugh before trying to regain his composure. He shook his head feeling a bit dizzy and light headed from something. Something was off in this place and he wanted to get out. “Cross I know what you want me to do, so I'll humor you.”

Vannan took off his shirt and walked over to where the gun was on the ground behind the hologram of Ian. He wrapped his shirt around his hand and lowered it to touch the gun. He did this because he wasn't sure if the gun sitting here in this hot room would scold him the moment he tried to pick it up with his bare hands. If the gun wasn't hot he would take it and fire. Aiming to hit the hologram of Ian in the back of the head “killing” him. If the gun was too hot to be used he would take a step back and try to figure something else out. The one thing he wasn't going to do was to lash out physically at the hologram.

[Kazura Uzaki]

Kazura regained his composure quickly, realizing that he hadn't killed any one like Cross had tried to make him feel like he had. Even if he had... he had decided on a course of action, and he would defend it if necessary. A, however, didn't say anything but rather just left quickly. What was going through the agent's head? Was she evaluating the fullbringer, or simply doing what was necessary to complete her job and mission? Either way, she left and Kazura was left to follow alone. The two doors system confused him for a moment, and as he tried to follow A through her door it shut on him. That was surprising but it made the inventor understand, so he made his way into his own room.

The room was plain save for the window and the pedestal with the button labeled "Kill Switch". It was... a bit cliche, but not something that the fullbringer would laugh about. Especially since the blaring alarms said that there were five minutes left before one or both of the entrants would die. It would be either A or Kazura that would be incinerated... Immediately, Kazura moved to the pedestal, examining it and trying to find some sort of weakness so that he could pry off the panel and examine the machine's wiring and function. He had to know if it were real, and he also had to know that if the button were pressed, which room it was wired to set fire to... While he did that, he kept an eye on A, seeing what she was doing as well.

[Zeich Yajuu]

Shizuka, realizing her initial error in assumption, was faced with a new crisis: was the coin she was looking for heavy, or light? She would have to target one or the other, and if she chose wrong, well... she was only given three strikes. But nonetheless she continued forward, attempting a new tact; by removing two coins and keeping the rest on the scales, she could effectively eliminate those two coins, or the remaining six. However, her removal did not seem to change anything; it seemed that the fake coin was not her own, nor was it Beatrice's. The left side was still lower than the right; if the fake was a heavy coin, then it was on the left. If the fake was a light coin, it would be on the right. But with only one more weighing, how would she determine which was the right coin among six?

---

Kazura's attempts at opening the pedestal were no better; it was a seamless block of metal, and even attempting to pry at the area around the switch did nothing. It seemed as though he had no choice as to what he could do: he could push the button, thereby incinerating A, or he could sacrifice himself by doing nothing. A, for the most part, didn't seem to be making a move, looking particularly considerate. She was speaking, judging by the movement of her mouth, but Kazura couldn't hear her, the sound sealed to the room on the other side. Was she merely speaking to herself, or was she communicating with someone else? After all, they hadn't checked her outfit for any communicators, and if she was a member of the spiritual Interpol, then it was possible that she had ways to contact someone outside the facility.

Or... perhaps it was something more sinister. Something else hadn't been considered; what if she was communicating with Cross? For all they knew, there were true traitors among their group. A could be such a person, given that they knew nothing about her, and it was very possible that the story she had given to Kazura was one woven to trap him. If that was the case, and she was truly working for Cross, then all that the Fullbringer had to do was pull the switch, and they'd have one less opponent to deal with. Of course, that was assuming that this was the truth. For all Kazura knew, she was talking to herself. Perhaps she was making a decision? If he didn't act, it was possible A would just pull the switch to save herself. What to do?

From the speakers, another warning came. “Warning, termination protocols have been activated. Incineration will begin in three minutes.”

---

Vannan would have no problem handling the gun despite the increasing temperatures in the room; it seemed that the metal didn't hold any heat, so he was able to hold it normally. And then he did the obvious: he turned, and fired a shot cleanly through Iian's head, causing the image to collapse to the ground before disappearing again. Once more the door behind Vannan would open, but this time the room he was in seemed to catch fire, flames licking up from the ground and raising the temperature of the room drastically. Even if he made a direct dash for the exit, the Quincy would find that he could not escape without burns, particularly on his legs due to the proximity to the fire. It didn't hamper his mobility much, but the pain would be there, and likely it would have an affect later in the game.

As he descended, Vannan would notice that the flames were only getting worse; though he could stay ahead of them, the heat was enough to make his vision blur, to make him feel faint. He felt as though he were walking through a desert at high noon, the flames slowly roasting him alive. But there was only one way forward, one way to proceed, and he was forced to take it, unless he wanted to die. So advance he would, into the heart of the building, eventually coming upon one more room at the end of the staircase. As per usual, this one was no different, a square room with a door on the far side. However, there was a thick orange mist filling the room, making it difficult to see, and almost as hard to breathe. Worse, there was something... angry stirring within Vannan. No matter what he felt right now, there was an underlying and slight sense of hatred, anger, and a desire to hurt others. And the longer he stayed in the mist, the stronger it became.

This time, the image testing him was not just one, but all seven of his fellow players. Their expressions were mocking, condescending, as though they were looking on one inferior to them. And as he observed them, Vannan would hear Cross speak over the intercom again. “Well, well, it seems you've made some depraved choices, and fallen all the way to Hell, Vannan. A shame, really, but I suppose a demon's mien is more suited to you anyway. In fact... you deserve a little makeover. Don't worry, a mirror will be provided for you once you arrive. But for now, you have a decision to make.”

“These people have looked down on you. All of them would rather see you die.” Whether or not Vannan agreed, something in his head strongly suggested that it was the truth. There were always those looks of distrust, those hesitations, those actions that were oh-so-subtly turned against him... was it true? Were they really out to get him? Clearly they were jealous of his success in this game so far; after all, not only had he unlocked a stat, but he had the most points, too. “Now look, Vannan, this is a simple game. You have every opportunity to take that out on them. I am giving you the option to drain out up to five points in any combination from any of these people. You can knock someone out of the game, or, if you feel so inclined, you can instead show everyone a bit of vengeance. What do you think? All you have to do is touch an imagine and will points from them, and they will be added to your count immediately. So, go ahead, and have some fun against these traitors.”

The worst part was that Vannan would not be able to resist an urge for vengeance, no matter what. Something about the mist was fogging his mind, drowning his willpower, and making him more hateful. Maybe it would only be one point, maybe it would be all five... but Vannan would steal something, no matter how small. It was only fair, after all.

[Deleted]

The gun in hand, he smiled, shooting Iian in cold blood, it wasn't the real kid, but the fact still stood. He was feeling good about shooting the hologram, much more than he should of, but that wasn't a worry for him right now. What was a worry were the flames and the temperature that was growing. The room was becoming rather hot, almost burning. He could feel himself sweating as the flames grew hotter. The door opened, he ran for it, not wanting to be burn by the flames. He was able to keep most of his body from burning, however the lower half of his legs had been singed. Light burns but they still hurt, Cross would pay for this.

Going down the stairwell wasn't an easy task, the heat was taking it's toll on him and the flames made it worse. He knew that he couldn't stay here for long, nor that he could rush himself less he push his own body too far. As he took each step with care he noticed that his vision blurred from time to time. This was torture, and Cross would play for it. His anger towards Cross was building slowly as he had to deal with these stupid games. Before he screamed out at Cross again he saw it, the doorway to the next challenge, another silly game to play because of Cross.

The room was filled with the same heavy orange mist as before, but this time the mist was more like a heavy fog. Each breath was hard, the orange gas filling his lungs. As he waded through the fog he came upon it, holograms of each of his fellow captives. Then Cross spoke, Vannan was pissed off, Cross was still trying to make him do what he wanted, but there was something of worth to him in what Cross was saying. He had the chance to take points from the others. He smiled and laughed at that offer. Oh he would take it, but not in the way Cross intended.

As his laughter faded he screamed at the top of his lungs at Cross. “Five point's isn't worth IT!, I want more. I want all the points and I want them from YOU!]” He pointed up directing his aim at Cross, yes Vannan was giving into the hate and the need for revenge, but not against his fellow captives. To him they weren't worth the effort, the real person that he should be getting revenge on and the only one who had constantly been a thorn in his side was Cross. “Well Cross? Where is it? Where are your points? I WANT THEM.”

[Kazura Uzaki]

Kazura had exhausted his ability to explore the situation on his own. He was going to try and use the resource that was his partner instead. He started to wave frantically at A to get her attention. If she saw him, then he'd begin to pantomime. He'd play charades since they couldn't hear each other. He started by pointing at himself and her, then miming pushing the button (obviously feet away from the button). He finished his charades by once again pointing at her (with his right hand), pointing at himself (with his left hand), then making the motion of pushing the button with both hands. The message that he was trying to get across was "What if we both push the button at the same time?"

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

The scale remained the same even after she removed the coins. So her own coin and Beatrice's coin weren't the ones she was looking for? Regardless, she really wanted to stick to her original plan. If the coin she was looking for was counterfeit, it would be the lightest one. That coin existed on the right side of the scale. On the other hand, if whatever the paper said was literal, the most densely weighted coin would be on the left. Shizuka stared at the scale for what seemed like forever, weighing both options carefully. She sighed and read the paper again.

“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.”

While it seemed simple enough, it wasn't. All she could hope for was that her guess was right, and she only had one more chance to figure it out. Since the left side was heavier, she continued her plans and removed the coins on the right side, allowing the left side to fall. From there, she took Kazura's coin and moved it over to the right side of the scale. She left A's coin where it was and kept Reynard's coin to herself on the table. If these weighed the same, Reynard's coin was the heaviest. Otherwise, she could analyze it herself.

From what she knew, Kazura was a bit of a big shot. She wasn't sure about who he really was, but the vibe she got from him and the way he acted gave her a pretty good idea. He was important somehow. She knew nothing about A, which is why her coin stayed on the scale. Shizuka didn't believe Reynard had much of a terrible past, so she kept his coin since she was unsure. As for why she removed the coins on the lighter side, she knew Vannan pretty well and he didn't have much of anything that would count as a tremendous weight. Iian was suspicious, she would admit, but not enough for her to worry over him yet. She had no idea who Z was. All she could do was hope her anxiety subsided enough to make this work out for her.

[Zeich Yajuu]

Shizuka once more placed the coins, and made the last weighing that she was permitted to do. Now it was Kazura and A weighed against one another, and in a way, it was an almost ironic prediction of what was happening a few rooms over, though she wouldn't know that. Kazura, A, and Reynard; was there a guilty traitor among them? Or was it someone from the other group of coins, leaving her with less than a fifty percent chance if she was wrong here? Well, she had committed to a course of action, so thereew was little else she could try. She would have to see how things ended up: what would happen when the weighing went through?

The coins were placed, and the scale was set. Once the button was pressed... nothing happened. The two coins balanced out. That eliminated Kazura, Z, Beatrice, and Shizuka as an odd coin out. This meant that there were still four possible coins, and if she was wrong and the coin was light, she had a one in three chance of failing the challenge completely. So the question was this: did she gamble with Reynard's coin, which would go in the door on the right? Or was it one of the light coins, in which case it would go in the door on the left? She had to decide how she wanted to gamble; one of the four remaining coins was the right one, but she only had three chances.

---

Kazura would get a response from A that he would not like; she'd point at both of them, and then draw a finger across her throat; likely, she expected that Cross would be happy to kill them both. It seemed that it was no good; attempting to press both switches had as much risk as pressing either. And what if one person was slightly faster than the other, and ended up frying their ally by mistake? The guilt alone would be terrible. But then again, that guilt was going to be there no matter what, it seemed; if this was a true deathtrap, unlike the last, then someone was going to die. The constantly blaring alarm was making it worse; while the last had simply been a “halt, you cannot go forward until you do this” sort of scenario, this one had a time limit that could mark the end for them.

But what to do? The warning was now down to a single minute, and A did not seem to have any other input. She just stared at the button on her side; was she considering pushing it, to save her own life? They had less than sixty seconds now, and every moment was crucial. Who would live, who would die?

---

Vannan, for all his bluster and shouting, got no response from Cross. It was unlikely that the man was paying any attention, and the Quincy's threat either went unheard, or wasn't worth answering. And to be fair, why would he have expected Cross to do anything? The man enjoyed manipulating them far too much to let himself be taken in by a “challenge.” Instead, he'd be the type to just sit back while Vannan ranted and raved at the walls, to no effect. And so it was; Vannan yelled, and Cross did nothing. That meant that the Quincy's options were limited; he could sit there and scream all day until his throat was hoarse, or he could play into Cross's hands and take points from one or more people, causing the door to open and allow him through. What would he do?

If he chose to take points, how many would he take? He could take between one and five, and the amount he took could be beneficial; he was only three points away from unlocking his Release, after all, and that could be a major advantage in this game. But if he took four or more points to avoid hitting a zero himself, then he'd have to take a large chunk out of someone else's points. Any single person taking a four-point hit would be either eliminated or in the danger zone, but Vannan also had the option to pick and choose from different people as well to avoid putting people at too much of a risk. He had to choose, however, or else be stuck here; so what would he do?

[Deleted]

No answer, nothing came from Cross. Vannan was furious and angry. He screamed out Cross's name at the top of his lungs, yet still nothing. No response from the man. “Fine if you want to play it like that, then I'll play your damn game.” Vannan looked at the holograms before him and there was an overwhelming anger growing in him when he saw Beatrice. He had tried to protect her, he had tried to do the best and even felt horrible the moment he saw her dead. He wanted to save her, yet now she was a monster, something he created. What she was right now was a mistake and he was going to end her.

He placed his hand on her hologram and screamed out. “I want all of her points, knock her out. Give them to me.” It was done, he had made his choice, even in the rage that he was, he picked the best option. Beatrice was something else now, she wasn't alive, she wasn't dead. She was an abomination and he had to end her, for the betterment of her own good. She had five points and he wanted to take them all. The heat of the room was starting to get to him. Staying much longer wouldn't be good for him and right now he wanted to get out.

[Kazura Uzaki]

Kazura could feel the tension rising, his heart pounding, his emotions being tested and abused. On the one hand, he didn't want to die. On the other hand, he didn't want to become a murderer. If I die now... who will continue my work for peace? If I murder now... how can I look my subordinates in the eye and tell them how to live their life? There was just a minute left now. The fullbringer had so much to live for, so much to accomplish in his life, but so did A. How would Kazura be able to look Z in the eye knowing that he had killed the mysterious man's partner? It just... it was just too much. The kind heart inside the fullbringer's chest could not muster the energy to kill A while watching her stand there. Not when he might have already killed a child and a nun. He just couldn't do it, so he let the time run out. If he died... then he died with a clear conscience, at least.

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

Okay. Let's think here. I weighed everyone and Reynard was the odd one out this time. The coins I chose to ignore were Vannan, Iian and Z. Shizuka scratched the back of her head. If she was truly looking for the traitor, she needed to think back to the results on the board. She had chosen TRUST as her option, but the board said BETRAY. Vannan's choice said the same, but she could have sworn she heard him whisper something to Kazura about it. It's possible that his answer was also reversed. In that case, his coin was safe. She knew Vannan the most and he'd never betray someone if he could avoid it.

Reynard, Vannan, Iian and Z had their coins left. She chose to dismiss Vannan's coin as a traitor since the note said to look for that person. Reynard's coin was the heaviest, which kind of made sense since he had all these problems wrong with him. He seemed like a nice enough guy, though. He also chose TRUST and, to her knowledge, that wasn't changed. She could be wrong, but she dragged him along as her partner and he didn't make any kind of fuss about the results. That left Iian and Z who both chose BETRAY during the process. The only one she knew anything about was Iian, and despite his childish and somewhat conniving nature, he wasn't a threat to her yet. Shizuka was hating everything about this game. She wished she'd had one more weighing, but it was wasted.

She looked at all of the coins. She looked at the note. Her own hands and skills weren't enough to determine the weight of the coins on her own despite her being highly analytical, so guesstimating wasn't an option. Shizuka groaned loudly and heard it echo off the walls. Nothing was giving her any hints no matter how many times she looked at it. She didn't know anyone enough to make a proper judgment and she was out of options. She felt herself growing more frustrated with everything and hated how angry she was getting. Knowing she had to make a choice, Shizuka tried to be as logical as possible.

She knew that Reynard was the heaviest coin and he didn't seem to have much of a weight on his shoulders, but maybe that's what the riddle was talking about. Since she could consider that much, then she could assume the lightest coin was either Z or Iian. Those were the only options she saw. If Reynard and Vannan were okay and weren't traitors, she'd have to test her luck and make a choice on the doors. She doubted there was a light coin if she found the heavy one, but it wasn't impossible. Still, of the remaining options, she chose to go with her gut. Shizuka took a deep breath, almost holding it, and slowly made her way towards the doors. She chose the left one.

[Zeich Yajuu]

After much deliberation, Shizuka took Reynard's coin in hand, deciding that this was the odd coin out. Thinking about it, she considered her options before moving over to the door on the left. According to the note, “If they were above such mortal matters,” then the fake coin weadyould go in the left door. She believed that Reynard was above sin and evil? Well, the woman certainly had a high opinion of a person she had only just met! Still, maybe there was something to it; despite the fact that she had pulled a coin that was from the heavier side, she was going with the one that suggested a lighter coin, as a lighter substance would be higher than one “borne to the earth” by the weight of its sin. Had Shizuka discovered some sort of trick that the message had left hidden within it?

Either way, it was time to find out. She placed the coin in the door, and there was a mechanical sound, like a scanner. For a few anxious moments the sound continued, and then it stopped. Nothing happened, and Shizuka would have to wonder if she had made the wrong choice. But then there was a loud click, and a hiss, and the door before her would slide open. It seemed that, perhaps, she had stumbled upon the right answer! Indeed, there was a ping from the watch at her wrist, and looking down, she'd see her score had gone from 6 points to 11. Well, well! The note had stated that those who were perceptive would be awarded, and so it seemed that getting it right on the first try had scored her a cache of points!

The new door led to a room that, at the end of it, had an elevator that would likely take participants back to the next lobby. There was a small sofa set into one wall, likely for someone who was quick to complete their challenge to be able to wait for their partner. Opposite it, however, was a small computer monitor, one with a username and password box on it. However, oddly enough, both were filled in; who would leave such sensitive information about? If she looked closely, Shizuka would see the following:

USERNAME: CROSS
PASSWORD: **********

This was... Cross's login? Why would he have left it here, in the middle of a challenge room? What was this a trick of some kind? It would be up to Shizuka to find out. If she chose to follow up, she'd find that the login would work, and that she'd come to a new screen, one with several folders. The labels varied from titles such as “Layouts” to “Challenges,” almost like this was a database for the game they were stuck in. Attempting to open most of the folders, however, would prompt a password request, and this time it wasn't filled in. Only one folder did not request this, labeled “Video Log,” and within it there were three files, any of which would play upon access. They were labeled with dates, one of which was a month ago, another which was three days ago, and... one that was from today? It was likely there had been more, but if there had been, they had been deleted.

---

As Kazura watched, indecisive, waiting for the end to come, he could hear the sirens in the background. He could hear the announcement announcing only twenty seconds until incineration. On the other side of the window, A was looking more and more agitated, especially when the timer ran to fifteen seconds, then ten. It seemed that she, too, was unwilling to simply sacrifice Kazura for her mission. Yet no matter what, most people could only endure so long before self-preservation kicked in, and as the timer started counting down from five, the woman leapt forward, reaching for her panel. As the number two rang out, she pressed the button, and suddenly the alarms ceased... at least on Kazura's side.

The window suddenly lit up as a wash of flames filled the opposite room, blinding Kazura to everything within it. He would be unable to see A, but that would likely do little to stop his shock; she had pressed the button, so why was her room in flames? The button was supposed to ignite the other side! Could it have been a lie, a trap set to capture the “traitor” between the two of them? A had technically been willing to betray Kazura to save her own life, and now she was paying for it by being burned alive. Worse yet, Kazura's bracelet beeped as he watched, and slowly started counting up. Four, five, six points; three more points that he hadn't possessed before. Were they points earned for surviving this round... or were they A's points, transferred over on her death?

The flames would continue in the far room, but the door leading to the exit would slide open. Kazura could sit and watch as long as he wanted, but the flames would not disappear. Eventually, he would have to move on, knowing what had happened. He'd find himself in the room with an elevator, and a sofa for waiting... but the elevator was already open, despite the presence of only one player. It would probably drive the reality of the situation home for Kazura, after all was said and done, but what more could he do but move forward?

---

Vannan's request would be met quickly, and indeed he'd hear a beep as his watch's points were adjusted. Seven, eight, nine, ten... eleven. He had gained the points he had requested, but at the cost of dropping Beatrice's points to 0. What would happen to her? Would she be “knocked out of the game”? He had no way of knowing until he reunited with her. But of course, if something had happened, well... he would be the one guilty of it. He had already betrayed her more than once, too; what would the others think when they found out? Still, there was nothing to do about it now, as the points were added to Vannan's total. At least he would be able to unlock his Bow Release, giving him access to abilities that may yet allow him to escape this twisted game.

For now though, the door would open, and the mist would clear; Vannan would be given access to the next room, which had a waiting area and an elevator upwards. The elevator would already be open, and would respond the moment Vannan stepped into it; it seemed that Beatrice would not be showing up. Like Kazura, though he would not know it, Vannan was now without a partner to hold him back. The game had lost yet another participant. But what could he say? Vannan had chosen to take away Beatrice's points, and as a result, her loss was his fault. Again. He had betrayed her so many times now, how could it be anyone else's fault?

The elevator door would shut with a quiet finality to it.

---

When the doors opened again, Vannan would find himself in another large warehouse. Iian and Z were already there, while Kazura's elevator had arrived only a moment before, leaving four in the room. But both Kazura and Vannan had emerged from their elevators alone, without partners, leaving them to explain what had happened. And Shizuka and Reynard had not emerged yet either; before, the challenges were timed so that the elevators would all come up at roughly the same time, leaving the participants to all move on together. But now... well, instead of eight participants, there were only four gathered, with four unaccounted for. Two, technically, but only Kazura and Vannan knew the fate of their partners.

A ding rang out, and the others would turn to see Shizuka's elevator open... and only Reynard stepped out, feeling about with one hand cautiously as he emerged. Shizuka was not present—they would not know that she was downstairs, having only just finished her own challenge—so it seemed as though only the blind man had survived his challenge. That was three people missing, three whose fates were unknown to most of those there in the room. How would they react? What would they say? What was there to say...?

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

Hoping her theory was right, Shizuka all but passed out while making her decision. She had chosen the door on the left, but that was because Reynard's coin was the heaviest. Despite it being a heavy weight, she didn't think he was bad, so she took that as him being above such matters. Still, one wrong move and she could be out of the game completely. That wasn't something she wanted, especially because she had no idea what losing the game meant for her. After placing her coin and letting the door make its creepy, machine-like noises, she waited.

And waited. For a while. It wasn't incredibly long, but it was long enough to make her stomach clench. Why hadn't anything happened? Even if she made the wrong choice, shouldn't, like, flames come out of it or something? Why was nothing happening here? But all too soon, the door continued making strange noises and opened right in front of her. The Fullbringer's face only expressed shear surprise as she slowly approached the opened portal, wondering if she should really step through. It didn't seem like she had a choice, though. This was her only way out.

She heard something beep and looked down at her watch, realizing she didn't have any other items on her that could possibly make that noise. It had the number 6 on there before, but it now said 11 on it instead. Wait, so did that mean she got something? She felt relief flood over her as she closed her eyes and smiled. So she wasn't going to die yet, that's good. Having no where else to go, Shizuka made her way through the door and into the adjacent room. Oddly enough, it looked very comfortable. There was a couch and a computer and some kind of relaxing atmosphere, and...

Wait, a computer? And Cross's information was still signed in to it. He wasn't logged in, but maybe she could get him to be. Or was this another trick? Well, logging in couldn't hurt. Before she clicked ENTER and everything loaded, Shizuka copied the password written in the log-in area. She didn't know what the password actually was, but people tend to use the same one, or variations of the same one, as their password for everything. Three folders appeared after the screen finished loading, but she checked and two were password-protected. Raising an eyebrow at them, she made sure she didn't copy anything else by accident.

The third folder was full of video files. Each had a ranged date on it, but one was from today. She looked at each video and contemplated watching them, but she was worried that it would lead her somewhere she didn't want to go. She tried rationalizing, knowing that if anything bad did happen, this was a mental challenge. She was smart enough for this and she knew that. Curiosity killed her though, so she clicked each video in order from oldest to newest and waited for them to play. She was going to figure out what these things meant.

Then there was the issue with the other two folders. Shizuka didn't know if her idea would work or not, but she was suddenly very happy that she copied the password from the log-in screen. The username was just his name so if she needed to type that in, she could. It was the password she didn't know. She clicked both folders and opened them, pasting the password from before into the bar that appeared when she attempted to load the files. Shizuka could only hope that this would work, but if it didn't, she wasn't going to bother herself with it. The elevator was right there, and Reynard wasn't even out yet from what she could tell. So she decided to snoop a little bit.

[Deleted]

The points on his watch slowly ticked up, he was getting her points and he felt great about it. He had killed her, killed her again. Seeing the door open he walked out of the room filled with the orange fog and the hate started to drain from his body. As he made his way to the elevator he felt it. The guilt over killing someone twice. He stopped for a moment, leaning against the wall. He knew what he did was wrong, but he couldn't stop here now. He had to keep going. He had eleven points now, that was a third of what was needed to escape. There was a chance that they could all get out soon. However knowing Cross it wouldn't work like that.

He entered the elevator and remained silent as it moved to the next floor. He really didn't want to think too much about what he had done down there. For now there was only the idea of escaping this place. He was close, so very close. While the number of total points in play didn't change, who had them did. Right now if he teamed up with Kazura and shizuka they should have almost enough to get out. He knew that the other two could try to convince someone else to join in. It was almost over, he just needed to find that door. Even if they didn't find that door he knew something that could help him escape. If needed, he would use his plasma bolts.

While most assumed his plasma bolts were spiritual in nature, the truth is they weren't. They were an aftermath effect of how his arrows fired out. Yes the super heated plasma could affect spiritual beings, but the fact of the matter is Vannan had a way of melting past almost anything. If Cross wasn't going to show the door to them, he would just make his own. As the elevator rose up he silently stepped out and looked around to see where everyone was. The first thing he noticed was the lack of some people. One person in particular that worried him. Shizuka was missing.

[Zeich Yajuu]

((OOC: Skipping Kazura since it's been more than a week of no contact. First strike to Kazura. Also apologies for a seemingly focused post, but seeing as Vannan didn't actually DO much to interact with the others... well. Anyway, this next round is interaction, and as always, no post order. Feel free to talk amongst yourselves, question the NPCs, etc. Totally not buying time for Kyo to get back.))

Attempting to open the videos actually worked, and Shizuka would find that they'd start playing automatically. They looked almost like a v-log entry from a very high-end camera that had no lag, full color, and great definition on the microphone, as she'd discover when the first movie began. It showed two individuals; a man whose head was cut off by the edge of the frame, and a small fox-like creature that rose to his waist, possessing strangely human attributes yet very vulpine in nature, leaving him somewhere between the two. The man had a gentle hand atop the fox's head, stroking the fur gently even as he spoke to the camera.

“Today, I've adopted a new member of my family.” The voice said, an undistorted one that was nevertheless unfamiliar to Shizuka; she'd be unable to recognize it. “He says he's from the Shinigami world, but he was cast out because of his unusual appearance, as most spirits in Soul Society are human-based, not animal. They rejected him, and left him feeling betrayed and homeless. What less could I do but take him in.” The fox-spirit looked fairly positive, though his eyes were still tired from his previous ordeals. “I've decided to name him Kit, since he does not yet have a name he goes by. He's very intelligent, and speaks extremely well. I can't imagine why anyone would throw him out; he's as much a person as I am! I think tomorrow, I will take him to visit the Martyr; I think that Kit will be an excellent addition to our group.”

The video went on for just a short bit, discussing a facility to be made in order to help mankind understand its nature of betrayal and guide them to the right path, one where they could all be united as one family under this Martyr. The man speaking seemed very fervent; he did not believe that mankind was without redemption, and stated that the Martyr was the one who had assigned him this task particularly because of his faith in mankind. He went on to detail a structure that would give participants free reign in their decisions, where they could choose to betray to advantage themselves or trust to work together. This structure, however, would focus on the benefits of trusts as well as the negatives of betrayal, hopefully reversing the common concept of the prisoner's dilemma that favors a society where the greater benefit came from betrayal. The video eventually trailed off, leaving Shizuka to consider it even as the next began to play.

Once more, the same two individuals were present in the video, and the man's face was obscured again. “The power that the Martyr awakened in Kit has been growing stronger, and it has proved entirely beneficial to the system we have set up here at this facility. Illusions to add facsimiles of reality paired with the natural desires and self-interest of humanity have led to some very interesting results. When faced with the consequences of their actions, many people feel guilt and shame at the decision. In many cases, sadly, this would come too late and hurt someone irrevocably. But thanks to Kit's abilities, we can provide a second chance; by creating the impression that a negative result has come to pass, we can not only enforce the consequences of a player's actions, but we can do so without harming another, the best of both worlds. It is my hope that we can use this to benefit mankind further...”

The video ended, and there was a slight pause before the new one, letting Shiuzka think about what had been said. A facility of illusion, where decisions were not permanent? Was it possible that any of the negative consequences that occurred here were just that: illusion? If so, that was valuable information, especially considering Beatrice, and it may help Vannan if he knew that there was a chance that the woman was not truly dead, as he thought. Of course, there was no guarantee that this video was true, but if there was the possibility...

The next one began to play. This time, however, the camera was off, though a voice spoke from off-screen, lower and with a hint of a growl to its words. “I still can't believe... Cross betrayed me. He betrayed me. Why? He knows... he's the only person who wouldn't... but no, he did. He did! He wanted... wanted to dispose of me. I heard him talking to Blood. Heard him speaking about me. He wants to kill me. He doesn't like my work, how I've improved his facility. Well, no. No matter. He wants to betray me? I'll show him the price of betrayal, just as he's shown so many... that's it. That's what I'll do. I'll see how he likes his own game. I'll see how he likes to see the consequences of his betrayal. And I'll do it again, and again, and again... oh, this will be good...”

With that, the video would end. Shizuka had the ability to replay any of them freely, and there would be no prompts or blocks to stop her from doing so. She had as much time as she wanted to consider the context of the videos, as the elevator would stay open, waiting for her to step inside. Whenever she chose to do so, it would close immediately, without waiting for Reynard to show up. Fortunately, when she arrived back in one of the main rooms, the man would already be there, along with Vannan, Kazura, Z, and Iian. However, two of their number would still be missing: A, and Beatrice.