( HUNTERS - WEEK 2 )

[abhoth]

For this week, there will be no sudden loss of control for those who have signed their souls away for the greater good. As long as they're in the Curio Shop by 6:05 PM on Monday, nothing out of the ordinary will happen. All they must do is knock on the shop's door, carefully as if to not draw attention towards themselves, and the door will creak open by itself much like the previous week. As per usual, inside this strange room they'll find Craftly seated at a round table. Shelves of antiques line the walls and the smell of peppermint tea wafts through the air. A thin tendril slips across the table from Craftly's sleeve, hooking around his cup of tea. As smug as ever, he smiles to the group. "Come in, Hunters. It's time for us to begin". Welcome, Hunters! As of this week, you'll get the chance to either investigate one other character or arm them with a randomized weapon. If you have any questions, you can shoot us a quick PP or PM as always! ( quick navigation ) ic rulebook | locations | statuses | room assignments private conversations | ic profiles | graveyard | full navigation hunter's handbook

Comments

CRAFTLY

[abhoth]

[Craftly will be here to answer any questions they may have, but won't actively participate in the discussion unless directly addressed.]

[nowyouseeit]

[just]

[points at the pliers like]

[why is this happening]

Sssssso. . .

How are we supposed to hide that kind of injury from everyone else?

[abhoth]

As much as I want to say "be creative", even my snark has its limits.

[ :( ]

Your identities will not be compromised. What happens in this room will not impact the game itself, aside from your choice tonight. The injury will be dealt with in ways that won't raise suspicion.

[ :) ]

[nowyouseeit]

[u m]

Can you. . . be more specific about that?

[why did none of them ask about what the sacrifice entails last week]

[why]

[abhoth]

What specifics do you require?

[ He doesn't get it?? Guys, you'll be fine. Probably. ]

It's my solemn oath that no matter what the sacrifice entails, we have ways of ensuring you are not pinned to this secretive mess. Do you really intend to make me spell it out?

[ninjay]

[ he doubts he'll get a proper answer here but he might as well ask ]

Is this "Mother" the god that's controlling the game?

[abhoth]

[ Jay suddenly sees Craftly sprint forward. One tendril smacks right against his mouth. Whether it's slimy or not, he cares not. His grip is tight, voice cracked and frantic in a hushed whisper. ]

HUSH! Don't ask questions of that nature in this room lest you summon an unwanted guest!

[ Jay sees how Craftly's pupils tremble only slightly. ]

Careful of your words, they can be your undoing if you learn too much too quickly.

[ninjay]

[ EW EW EW????? EW!!!!!!!!!!

he just. taps against crafty's tendril, nodding his head. please uncover his mouth so he can respond. and not have a tentacle over his mouth. ]

[abhoth]

[ Carefully, he pulls his tendril away, papping the boy almost in disbelief. ]

Whatever conclusions you come to, do not bring that evil into my sanctuary. I implore you.

[thawedheart]

Craftly-san?

[IT'S HER TURN FOR SOME QUALITY TIME WITH CRAFTLY.]

Do the Prophets know that they're being referred to when the menu mentions "soulless beasts"?

(slithers through bead curtain) im here

[abhoth]

[ He offers a kind little shot of rum for the girl. It'll help with the aches, honestly. :) ]

I do not believe so. While they believe their motives are for something else... they most certainly fail to see themselves as such a like. I have noticed a panic among the group, but it is only you three who know the truth.

welcomes u with open arms

[thawedheart]

I see...

[Well. That... makes things a little more complicated. But regardless of what the Prophets' motives are, it's a fact that stopping them will allow more people to live.

Yukina looks down at the shot of rum (thanks?? friend??) as she considers her next question.]

Um, another thing. The three of us have to agree on who to investigate or arm... do they have to agree on who to sacrifice?

CHOICE

[abhoth]

[There is a basin set on top of a table near the center of the room. Three (3) metal pliers have been set out next to the basin, as well as a helpful illustration of a man removing one of his incisors and depositing it in the basin. It seems that this is the sacrifice spoken of in the contract.

Please use this thread to vote for whoever you want to check or arm. We ask that you write ARM: CHARACTER NAME or CHECK: CHARACTER NAME in the subject header to cast your vote. Votes must be unanimous to receive the desired effect.]

CHECK: LIGHT YAGAMI

[thawedheart]

[This is... going to hurt. Yukina is aware of that, but there's no way around it. They're going to have to do it.

She reaches out for one of the pliers, glances at the illustration to try and figure out how she's supposed to place it against her incisor, clenches her eyes shut, and... gets to work. She's never done this before, and it's painful, but it's possible. She succeeds after some effort and a lot of pain, and drops the tooth into the basin.

She can taste her own blood in her mouth, and it makes her gag, so the blood comes down after.

But she doesn't shed a tear.]

CHECK: LIGHT YAGAMI

[nowyouseeit]

[well. their decision is made]

[. . . doing this with a left-brain migraine is really going to suck, but Kaito pushes through with only the smallest of flinches. he reaches out to pick up a pair of pliers, fingers brushing against the metal. he toys with them briefly, uncertainty bubbling up into his throat. then, he turns away from the others, sucks in a deep breath, lifts the tool up, and--]






[-- he tastes blood, and its gross and coppery, but also not the first time this has happened. he presses an arm against his mouth (sleeve rolled up, so he doesn't get blood on his clothing), and reaches out a shaky hand to deposit his own sacrifice into the bin]

[he needs a fuckin' nap]

CHECK: LIGHT YAGAMI

[ninjay]

[ there's really no use in delaying this any further. a part of him is annoyed than none of them thought to ask about he sacrifice the previous week, but... even if they did, he doubts any of their answers would have changed. it would have made this less of a surprise though.

jay doesn't use the illustration as a guide. he's pretty mechanical about it, really, as he uses the pliers to grab the chosen tooth and just yanks it out. he had been ready for the pain, but when it actually hits, his hand that isn't holding onto the pliers immediately fly to cover his mouth to make sure he doesn't spit out blood.

it takes him a few seconds to remember to deposit the now freed tooth into the basin after. ]

RESULTS

[abhoth]

[The sacrifice has been made.

Blood and teeth lay on the bottom of the basin, the stench of blood slowly creeping into the air — but it must be nothing compared to the pain they must be feeling. Craftly watches on unaffected, refilling his cup of tea as the Hunters bear it.

And then something happens.

The blood that has been spilled moves on its own, gaining a golden glow as slowly but surely begins to spell out a message. On the edge of the basin, the following three lines will be readable to all three:]

LIGHT YAGAMI
THE TEACHER
- SACRIFICE -

DISCUSSION

[thawedheart]

[Yukina eyes the basin and the pliers uneasily before addressing Kaito and Jay.]

Before we decide, I think... We have a lot to talk about.

[That weekend sure was something else.]

[nowyouseeit]

[oh]

[my]

[god]





Yeah, like. How we're supposed to explain why each of us are bleeding from the mouth now?

[ninjay]

One of us should probably ask Craftly about that. It'll probably be a dead giveaway we're up to something.

[ COULDN'T YOU AT LEAST GIVE THEM CLEAN LOOKING PLIERS UGH ]

... In any case, let's discuss the trial first and then tackle what's in front of us.

[thawedheart]

...the trial...

[In retrospect, it seems so obvious now. If catching the Prophets was that easy - because why would anyone but a Prophet make the first kill? - there would have been no need for this little rebellion.

But she really wanted to believe that they'd succeeded.]

There was... So much going on there. Everyone tried so hard to figure out what happened... It's hard to tell how much of that was genuine and how much was the Prophets, acting.

CONCLUSION

[abhoth]

[ With the newfound information provided to you by blood, the night is not yet over. It is time to begin strategizing. This information is precious and as Craftly eyes you all carefully, he does not interfere unless spoken to. However... things are different, now.

Between the copper and smell of blood, each of the Hunters will begin to feel an immense pressure against their gum. It's painful. So painful but over the course of the next 20 minutes of their time, their tooth will begin to gradually regrow inside of their mouth. It pushes through the gum, crowning until it is as if it was never plucked out. Craftly will provide napkins to those during this process. ]

[nowyouseeit]

[does someone else want to start the rest of this meeting, between the mouth pain and the migraine, Kaito is useless]

[GROANS]

[ninjay]

[ WHY DIDN'T ANY OF THEM READ THE FINE FUCKING PRINT OH MY GOD ]

So... we've discovered that Light's the Teacher...

[ oh my god this is awful ]

[thawedheart]

[this hurts. what the fuck craftly, why do you have to hurt them :c]

And he's... not a Prophet, either. [e v e r y t h i n g h u r t s focusing is hard.] ...Craftly-san said... that "GPA" helps determine someone's chances of survival, so... having Light-san on our side would be a good thing... right?