Warning!: This is based upon a game that's rated M for Blood, Drug References, Strong Language, Suggestive (read 'Sexual') themes, and Violence. If any of these things offend you, don't click on the link.
'Junpei saw another person out of the corner of his eye. He stopped short, nearly tripping over the next stair, and looked. It wasn't just 1 person he'd seen...On the landing to the left of the stairs, there were 4 people staring at him...And on the right side, 3 more. All told, there were 7 of them. It looked as though they had been on their way down the stairs. They'd stopped short when they saw Junpei, their eyes wide.' (Even if we assume they got abducted as well, there's no need to be surprised that other human beings exist. Idiots...)
'He'd done the same of course, and now they stood there staring at one another.' Staring contest! (*Ji...*)
'Junpei didn't move, one foot placed awkwardly on the next step, in the middle of a stride. Who were these people? This entire interaction lasted only a matter of seconds. The woman spoke to Junpei, and time began to move again.'
???: I guess there's another one of us now.
'The woman was dressed, Junpei thought, rather like a [dancer]. Her clothes covered very little, and her prodigious jewelry little more.' ("Dancer", huh? Is that what they're calling them now?) I think Companion or Seamstress sounds cooler.
Dancer: Hey! You! Come on! Hurry!
'With no further ceremony, she ran, straight past Junpei and toward the doors behind him. The sudden proximity of a woman with such striking assets left Junpei momentarily stunned...' Well, she is rather hot...
'...But the others wasted no time, and quickly followed the strange woman. The first to pass Junpei was a young man with [silver hair]. He threw a quick glance in Junpei's direction as he ran, muttering...'
Silver: Hmph. One of us, huh...?
'Following him was an older man, his face calm and without fear. Soft wrinkles sprouted from his eyes, and he came close enough as he passed for Junpei to see wisps of grey in his hair. His composure and shock of hair struck Junpei as rather like that of an elderly [lion].'
Lion: Going up won't do you any good! There are 2 doors, but neither of them will open!
'The next to speak was a girl with [pink hair] and a high voice.'
Pink hair: Come on! Aren't you coming? You gotta hurry!
'Her small hand was wrapped around the wrist of another man...His eyes were closed, almost as though he were sleeping. His features were graceful, almost serene...And he was dressed rather elegantly for someone his age. Something about his posture seemed very refined, and Junpei couldn't help feeling he noble and dignified, somehow. He'd certainly never seen one, but this man seemed like what Junpei had always imagined a [prince] would be like.
Prince: That's 9 of us, then. All of the cards are in hand.
'What does "All of the cards are in hand" mean, he wondered. Junpei opened his mouth to ask what the other man had meant, but the girl with pink hair rushed past him, and they were gone.' (That guys eyes were closed, he can't be up to any good.)
'He turned just in time to see 2 more people running toward him. One of them had hair like a [bird's nest], and looked as though a stiff breeze might topple him...' (...or an internal explosion.) What was that? (Nothing... *smirk*)
'...And the other was a veritable [mountain] of a man. The scrawny one said nothing, and scuttled past Junpei as though he were running from something...' (...) Let's see...Junpei, Dancer, Loin, Silver, Pink hair, Prince, Bird's nest, Mountain...that's 8 persons, where's the ninth?
Mountain: Hey! What the hell're you just standing there for!? Didn't you hear him?!
Junpei: ...
Mountain: The doors on A Deck are no good! We gotta check the doors on B Deck! Got it!? Now go!
'Before he had a chance to respond, the man laid a massive hand on Junpei's shoulder. With no more effort than Junpei would have used to brush aside a fly, the man shoved him out of the way.'
Junpei: Whoa...!
'Thrown off-balance by the man and recent events, it took Junpei a few steps to get his bearings. He finally regained his balance and looked up, at what the other 7 had been running toward. There were 2 pairs of large iron doors set into the wall in front of him. They looked quite sturdy, and each had handles jutting from them. Written across the surface of each door in red pain was a number.' (More doors, more bores.)
'The door on the right had a [4]. And the door on the left had a [5].'
Silver: They're the same...
'The guy Junpei had decided to call Silver was mumbling to himself.' No relation to the hedgehog of the same name.
Silver: The room I woke up in had a number on the door, just like that.
Lion: You too, eh.
'With an arched eyebrow, the lion looked over at Silver.'
Lion: My cell was the same. a number upon the door. I opened it, ran down the hallway outside, and found myself in the rather grand room full of stairs, as, I suspect, did the rest of you.
'It was as though the floodgates had been opened-' (Did you have to mention 'flood' gates?!)
'-they all began to talk at once.'
"Me too." "I did too." "Yeah, a door with a number on it."
'It soon became clear that each of them had awoken in a room with a locked door, and solved a puzzle to escape. They'd all ended up in the same room...Almost as though they'd been guided there...'
Dancer: Yes, we all saw the same thing! That's not important! We need to hurry!
Silver: Ya think I don't know that, lady!?
'Before the dancer had time to finish--Silver was already running. He grabbed hold of the door labeled [5] and pulled. However...
Silver: Fuck! It's not opening! This damn thing won't even budge!
Mountain: Move. You're in the way.
'The mountain grabbed Silver's shoulder and tossed him aside. His path cleared, he took a few steps back, then thew himself at the door. Once...Twice...3 times...4 times...The door shook as his body slammed into it, but showed no signs of breaking or opening. The mountain threw himself at the door again.'
'Junpei turned toward door [4]. Next to the door, on the wall, was a small box. It looked just like the one that he'd seen in his room, next to that door.' Nope, first of all the octopi on the device in that cabin were silver colored... (That's the first detail you decide to focus on!?) ...also the device in the cabin was square-shaped, silver-colored, and had a card reader. This thing is mostly red-colored, and has this strange circle-shaped input and... (As far as I can tell) ...No card reader what-so-ever. This device and the one in the cabin are in no way alike!
'If it was the same, then...' No it's not, I just explained that a few seconds ago! '...this door was likely locked as well...' OK, you have a point there, but ONLY there.
'Still, he had to check. Junpei grabbed a handle and threw all of his weight onto it.' Mountain tried something like that earlier... (And that did diddly squat.) ...exactly.
Junpei: RRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHH! Gah...!
'It was locked as tight as the door next to it, as he'd suspected.'
Junpei: Damnit!
'Junpei punched the door. It did not respond.' [sarcasm] Hey, how about you try something just as effective next time: Talking to a brick wall? [/sarcasm]
'Were these the only doors, he wondered. He'd barely finished the thought when the C Deck plate he'd passed on his way up sprang, unbidden, to his mind. His body moved before he had time to think. Junpei turned, and ran back toward the stairs. He had scarcely taken a step, when--At the top of the stairs, next to an ornate clock embedded in the wall, he saw a person.' Is that the missing ninth person?
'It was a girl. She looked to be the same age as Junpei. He froze, unable to look away from her face. He wasn't confounded by her beauty, or something equally silly...' (I'll be the judge of that!)
'No, there was another reason he couldn't take his eyes off the girl. Junpei had seen her somewhere before. He couldn't quite remember where, but he knew...' Déjà Vu?
'He knew he'd met her before.' (From a memory, deep down in his...core!) (Stop this singing! The readers can't even tell that's what you're doing with out me hanging a lampshade on it!)
'The girl, too, stared at Junpei, similarly stunned. Her response suggested she'd seen him before as well.'
???: ...
Junpei: ...
'Without saying a word, Junpei walked slowly toward her. She didn't move. It was almost as though she was held in place by some sort of magic spell.' (That's because you keep letting the game stall just to type out not only the text in the game but this nonsense as well.)
'As Junpei stepped onto her landing, the spell broke. No sooner had he set his foot down, than the whole ship shook a second time.'
???: Aah!
'The quake caught the girl unprepared, and she fell--Moving on instinct, Junpei leapt to catch her... Or so he thought. Her face was far closer than it should have been; mere inches from his own. He was flat on his back, and she had landed squarely on top of him. The girl seemed as confused as he did, and her face suggested she still hadn't fully recovered from seeing him.'
'For a moment that seemed to stretch for a very long time, they stared at one another. The ship stopped shaking. Everything was quiet. Water could be heard from the bottom of the ship, lapping faintly at walls and ceilings, but eventually that faded as well. The silence was complete, a thick, muffling blanket...At last, the girl opened her mouth.'
???: Oh my gosh...Is that you, Jumpy!?
'Jumpy...Jumpy...Her words echoed through Junpei's head, and suddenly, his memory returned.
Junpei: A-Akane!?
'Why hadn't he realized it before?! The girl was [Akane Kurashiki]. She and Junpei had been friends in childhood--they'd gone to elementary school together for 6 years.' Let's see...Akane = 12155... 1 + 2 + 1 + 5 + 5 = 14. 1 + 4 = 5? Maybe Akane should have Junpei's bracelet. (Again with this numerology crap!?) But it is related...fine, I'll just put any more of this in a separate post.
'But...what was she doing on the ship?! Her soft eyes were only inches away from his own...He could feel the warmth of her face...Feeling he'd thought long-forgotten began to work their way to the surface...' I see we have met the love interest.
'He could feel his face heating up. At that moment...A speaker crackled to life, and a cold, eerie voice filled the room.'
???: Welcome aboard. I welcome you all, from the bottom of my heart, to this, my vessel.
'With the voice's invasion, the spell between Junpei and Akane was broken, and all hints of burgeoning romance instantly forgotten. (Cock blocker...)
'They hurriedly untangled themselves from one another, and struggled to their feet. Their 7 companions had heard the voice as well, and many of their faces had gone pale. They looked around frantically, desperate to locate the source of the voice. At last the found it...A speaker set in the ceiling.
???: I am [Zero]...The captain of this ship.
Zero: I am also the person who invited you here.
More like "Drugged, abducted, and dumped you here"...Oh wait, that's the joke. Silly me.
'The voice was harsh, obscured occasionally by the crackle of static...But Junpei recognized it. How could he have forgotten it? It was the same voice he had heard from the man in the gas mask.' Still insisting that this 'Zero' is a dude; of course the Zero in charge of the Black Knights is a dude, but that's someone completely different!
Silver: Hey Asshole! What the hell is this?! C'mon out here! I wanna get a look at you!
Lion: What do you mean to do to us?!
Zero: I mean to have you participate in a game. Some of you, I know, are familiar with this game. The [Nonary Game]. It is a game...where you will put your life on the line.
Dancer: Nonary Game...?
Mountain: What the hell's that?!
'The voice continued, implacable.'
Zero: The rules of the [Nonary Game] can be found upon your persons. They are simple rules. Read them.
Dancer: Nonary Game...?
Silver: Hey...There's something in my pocket...Check this out.
'Silver reached into his pocket, and pulled out a small slip of paper. The rest of them reached into their own pockets, and pulled out similar slips of paper. Junpei followed suit, and dug into the pocket of his pants. He felt the tell-tale crumple of paper, slightly damp from his earlier ordeal.'
Junpei: Hey, I got one too!
Lion: Then it would seem Zero has seen fit to grace us each with a letter. Would you mind terribly reading it to us, young man?
'His request had been delivered to Junpei who, after a short moment of surprise, did as he'd been asked.
Junpei: On this ship, you will find a handful of doors emblazoned with numbers. We will call them the [numbered doors]. The doors in front of you are a pair of the same. The key to opening these numbered doors are the [numbered bracelets] that each of you possess. Should you total the numbers on your [numbered bracelets]...and find that the [digital root] of that number is equal to the number of that door, the door will open. Only those who have opened the door may pass through. There are, however, limits. Only [3-5] people can pass through one numbered door. All those who enter must leave, and all who enter must contribute.
'[Bracelet], Junpei figured, had to mean the bulky thing on his wrist. He glanced around. It looked like everyone else had one as well, and had come to much the same conclusion.'
Junpei: The purpose of the game is simple. Leave this ship alive. It is hidden, but an exit can be found. Seek a way out...Seek a door that carries a [9].
'Junpei had reached the end of the letter. There was a long moment of silence, and then the speaker crackled to life once more.'
Zero: There is one last thing I must tell you. As you have no doubt surmised, this ship has begun to sink. On April 14th, 1912...the famous ocean liner Titanic crashed into an iceberg.After remaining afloat for 2 hours and 40 minutes, it sank beneath the waters of the North Atlantic. I will give you more time. [9 hours]. That is the time you will be given to make your escape.
Damn it, I was (close to) right, they're on (a replica) of the Titanic! And like the infamous cruise liner, it's sinking!
'The voice finished, and the speaker went silent. The sound of a bell tolling echoed through the hall. It came from the dance hall adjacent to the stairwell. It took those assembled on the stairs mere moments to trace the sound to an antique clock embedded in the wall.'
'7...8...9...The sound of the 9th bell faded away. The 10th never came. That meant the time was 9 o'clock. Most likely 9 o'clock in the evening. When Junpei had peered out the window of his cell, he'd seen nothing but blackness. It had to be nighttime. If that was the case, then they would need to escape by [6 AM] the following day...
Zero: Now, it is time. Let our game begin. I wish you all the best of luck.
'The speaker went silent, and did not speak again. Silver yelled at the speaker with language coarse enough to embarrass a sailor, but the rest of Junpei's companions were silent, deep in thought. Junpei, too, was consumed by his thoughts. There was a great deal he didn't understand.'
'Who was Zero...? What was the Nonary Game? Why had he chosen to make them part of it? Was he a criminal who took delight in playing with his victims? Or did he have some other purpose? And why had Junpei been chosen as part of this insane game? Why had any of them been chosen? But one question was foremost on his mind...Akane. They hadn't seen one another since elementary school. Why had she appeared now? Coincidence...? No. That seemed impossible. There had to be a reason. He didn't know what it might be, but...There had to be a reason.' (There's a term for that, it's called "Magical Thinking"...)
Lion: Very well!
'The lion's voice seemed oddly loud in the silence.' I know, that's happened to me.
Lion: Standing around here won't do us any good. Best we get moving, don't you think?
Junpei: ...Get moving?
Akane: Are you planning to open the numbered doors?
Dancer: H-Hey! Wait! Don't tell me you're actually going to do what this...this Zero says?!
Lion: No, no, that's not what I mean.
'The lion shook his head, mildly annoyed.'
Lion: I'm saying, let's find another way. After all, we haven't really examined this place yet.
Dancer: We...what...?
'... ...Their separate investigations finished, all 9 people returned to where they'd left one another. The result of all their work was...nothing. They were completely sealed in.' (I know this is a visual novel, but I'm still calling Zero out for railroading!)
'Their hard work had not gone completely to waste, however. They had learned a number of things as they'd scoured the parts of the ship they could reach.' Yep, most definitely railroading here.
'It seemed that they were confined to decks A through C. C Deck was as far down as they would be able to go, however. The reason being...That D Deck was completely submerged. Strangely, however, the water had risen no higher than D Deck. The flow seemed to have been stopped somehow, as evidenced by the surface of the water on D Deck, which was as smooth as glass.' (That doesn't sound right, are you SURE we're on a sinking ship?) As far as we know, aside from that odd thing you noticed, yeah. (Are you basing this theory off of what you saw in the movie Titanic?) (Maybe...) (You're hopeless...)
'The prince knelt down and gently drew his hand across it.'
Prince: Perhaps this Zero fellow has used some sort of remote control to seal a watertight door lower down...He said that our time limit was 9 hours. In other words, this water won't rise for 9 hours.
Mountain: Then you're sayin' we won't sink 'til then?
Prince: Well, that may be a little too optimistic. No point to wishful thinking.
Well, at least it keeps people from not doing anything due to depression.
'There were 3 metal doors on C Deck. A single door stood off to the side, with 2 more on the wall facing the central staircase. None of them had numbers or verification devices. They were, however, locked like the other doors. No matter how much they pushed and shoved, the doors refused to move. The mountain and the lion threw themselves against them a few times, but to no avail. The door in the back had a keyhole. Just above it was a strange mark in the shape of a circle surrounding a dot.' That would be the astrological symbol for the Sun.
'There were 2 other doors on C Deck as well, but it was clear they were elevators, as each had a button next to it with an upside-down triangle. They tried pushing the button. No response. Apparently there was no power running to the elevators. To the left of the elevator doors was a card reader. The card reader also had a strange mark on it. It looked like a lower-case "h" with a dash across the upper stem of the "h".' I know I've seen that somewhere let me check something... *goes off to find a certain book* ...right, that's the astrological symbol for Saturn.
'Junpei stared at it for a while.'
Akane: This is the symbol of [Saturn]. It's an astrological symbol.
Our heroine knows her stuff, fuck yeah!
Junpei: Then...the mark on the other door...
Akane: I think that was the [Sun symbol].
(OMG! Akane, you're so awesome! Marry me!)(Monster, she's a 2D cartoon.) *twitch*
'They had seen the same symbols on A Deck. There was a door on either side of the stairs. The one on the left had a keyhole with a similar symbol engraved on it.'
Akane: This is an [Earth symbol]. The horizontal line symbolizes the equator and the vertical one represents the Prime Meridian.
Wow, now I want to marry Akane as well. (Not you too, at least the Monster was just as fictional as Akane was. Even if she was real, it's illegal for the two of you to get married.)
'Junpei looked up at the ceiling. There was a great circle cut in it, perhaps for a skylight or a glass dome, but it had been filled with a gargantuan metal plate. The metal looked very solid. Anything short of an explosive charge was unlikely to damage it. There were several windows along both sides of the ship--or at least there had been. They, too, were covered with metal plates. In other words...' (You're completely screwed.)
Junpei: We're trapped. All the exits go nowhere...
'Junpei was not happy.' No... (duh...) (game.)
'The girl with pink hair spoke up.'
Pink hair: Well, I'm sure they go somewhere. We just can't open them.
(Need we repeat ourselves.)
'Then the mountain spoke.'
Mountain: You don't know that. For all we know, they just open into walls, or take us in circles.
'The prince did not agree.'
Prince: No, I'm sure they go somewhere. Otherwise, what point would there be? And we can open them. Well, 2 of them at least.
(Gezze, taking the pink-haired girls side; what are you? Her brother or her lover?) (Ew, Monster! That's going too far!) Are you trying to spoil the readers about something? Besides one of those are going to give people the wrong idea.
Junpei: You mean the numbered doors...
'All eyes turned toward the doors with numbers on them. The atmosphere in the room grew tense.'
Dancer: H-Hey... Wait a minute. I think I said this earlier, but I don't think we should do that.
'The dancer moved in front of the doors, as if to block them.
Dancer: We'd have to be crazy to open these doors. If we do that, we're doing exactly what Zero wants us to do.
'Suddenly, everyone began to speak at once.'
"I agree!" "I don't! That's a terrible idea!" "We should keep going." "We should stay here!" "We don't have any other way to open any of these doors." "We should just wait. Someone's bound to come find us!" "We don't have time for that!" "In 8 and a half hours, this ship is going to sink!"
'The clamor of voices made it next to impossible to determine who was saying what. Their arguments grew more and more intense, until people were shouting and screaming at one another. Junpei had remained silent, but at last he could take no more.'
Junpei: Hey! Shut up!
(Finally, some fucking progress!)
'They fell silent, and all eyes turned to Junpei. He felt each stare burning into him, but he refused to flinch.'
Junpei: Before we try and decide where we're going to go, there's something else we oughta do.
Pink hair: What's that?
Junpei: We need to exchange information. We don't know anything about each other. I want to know who you guys are...Who you are, where you came from, why you ended up here...Don't tell me you aren't curious too...?
'They were silent. Some of them looked the other way, or bit their lip, or crossed their arms and stared at the ceiling.' (Junpei KY.) (Monster! Why you...) Get your brain out of the gutter, it's short for "kuuki yomenai" which literally means "can't read the atmosphere" that had nothing to do with lubricant of any kind.
'But one of them spoke up. It was Akane.'
Akane: I agree. I think Jumpy is right.
Mountain: Jumpy...?
Akane: Oh! I'm sorry. I'm talking about him...I just call him Jumpy. His name is Junpei...
'She pointed toward Junpei.'
Akane: We're childhood friends. We went to the same elementary school...
Mountain: Wait! Stop! Don't tell us stuff we didn't ask you about! Zero's probably watchin' us right now. What're you gonna do if he's listenin' in?!
Akane: Would...that be bad...?
Mountain: Hell yeah it would! We don't know how much that bastard knows about us. Maybe he just picked a bunch'a random people to kidnap. If that is the case, then it'd be dangerous for us to let him know too much. If Zero know who we are, he could go after our families. Maybe he'd tell us he had 'em to get us to do stuff, you know?
Akane: But..we still need to know what our names are...It's going to be hard to talk to each other if we don't have names.
(Yeah, We can't just use Junpei's stupid line-of-sight nicknames forever.)
Mountain: All right, then why don't we have code names?
KND? (Why must you always shoehorn in these stupid references!?)
'To him, apparently, it seemed like the obvious solution.'
Akane: Code names?
Mountain: Yeah, we'll each pick somethin'. Like... I'll be [Seven].
Junpei: Seven? Why are you Seven?
'It seemed a fair question. The mountain stuck out his left arm.'
Mountain: 'Cause this bracelet number says (7).
(You must be really scraping the bottom of the barrel to get something like that, Seven Mountain.)
Silver: Oh, I get it. Yeah, that's a good idea.
'He smirked.
Silver: All right, I'm gonna be [Santa]. Any of you chumps know Japanese?
I do, "san" is the Japanese word for "3".
Silver: No? Well, "san" means "3". So I'll be Santa. You know like Santa Claus. Fits don'tcha think?
(Well, that's about as creative as your cats name.) Hey! Don't diss my cat!
Lion: Then your bracelet number...
Silver: Yeah, it's got a (3) on it. Good job, grandpa.
'Just like the mountain had done. Silver thrust out his left hand. Sure enough, the face of his bracelet read (3).
Lion: Very well then. I'll go next, shall I? My bracelet number is (1). Given that, I think [Ace] seems appropriate.
Dancer: I'll be [Lotus], then. As I'm sure you all know, it has 8 petals. Which means, of course, that my bracelet number is...(8).
Prince: I would appreciate it if you would call me [Snake].
(Sort of like what you usually say if you fail a spot check.) Not in front of the readers!
Prince: My bracelet number is (2). Since Ace has chosen cards, then I choose dice--"snake-eyes", clearly. Which is particularly relevant, given that I am blind.
'Blind? Really? He'd kept his eyes closed during their entire ordeal, which had suggested something strange, but to hear it said so casually...It was something of a surprise. Everyone seemed a little nervous at the prince's proclamation, but no one seemed to know how to react to it. There was one person, however, who didn't seem to be surprised in the least. The girl with the pink hair.'
Pink hair: I want to be [Clover]. You know, like a 4-leaf clover...Good luck, right?
(Girl, giving the situation and what I think is going to happen, you're bad luck! Also, four is death.) Can you please at least not spoil one of the possible endings.
'Looking almost bored, she held out her left hand. The face of her bracelet showed the number (4). They'd come around to Junpei. He held out his bracelet.
Junpei: All right, my number's (5), so my code name is gonna be--
Pentagram? (Nope!) (It's just not going to happen.) (No, I meant that it's stupid and evil at the same time.)
Dancer: Why have one? It's not like there's any point to it now.
'The dancer cut him off in mid-sentence.'
Dancer: I mean...We all know your name already. You're Junpei.
Junpei: O-Oh...
(Told ya.)
'They all nodded. Akane stepped forward, nervously.'
Akane: Then you should all call me by my name too. Because...I mean...It doesn't seem...
Mountain: It doesn't seem fair to "Jumpy"?
Silver: You're thinking it's not cool for you to hide your name after you told us his?
Akane: ...
'Akane fidgeted awkwardly. Junpei decided he had to do something.'
Junpei: What's your bracelet number?
Akane: It's (6).
'She hesitated for a moment, then held out her left hand. As she'd claimed, the bracelet's face showed a (6).' (You do know that could just be an upside-down 9, right?) ...*ji*
'Junpei looked at it for a moment and thought.'
(Who knows, maybe this human has a brain.)
Junpei: All right then... Why don't we call you [June]?
(That's what I get for giving the human race any credit.)
Lion: June?
Junpei: Yeah, you know...It's the 6th month of the year. So you're [June].
Akane: Jumpy...
'Akane kneaded her hands and looked up at Junpei, uncertain. He smiled back at her, reassuringly.'
Junpei: Are you good with that?
'She thought about it for a few more minutes, then seemed to come to a decision and gave Junpei a small nod. Their names decided, Junpei ran over them quickly in his head.'
'(1) was [Ace]. (2) was [Snake]. (3) was [Santa]. (4) was [Clover]. (5) was [Junpei's] number. Akane was (6), and Junpei had given her the code name of [June]. (7) was [Seven]. And (8) was [Lotus].'
We're still going to use Junpei's nicknames as substitutes for last names.
'That meant that 8 of them, including Junpei, had revealed their bracelet numbers. But there was still 1 person left...He was the man with glasses and hair like a bird's nest. He hadn't said anything since they'd met on the stairs, and he didn't look like the sort of person who was inclined to conversation. His skin was pale, his breathing was heavy, and he was soaked with nervous sweat.'
'His behavior seemed very suspicious, or perhaps simply emotionally unstable. It was difficult to tell. Whatever the case, it seemed clear that he had only a fingertip's-worth of a grip on his sanity. The girl with pink hair, [Clover], walked up to him, slowly.'
(That's not a good idea, little human. Not that I care or anything.)
'She put her hands on her hips hand eyed him suspiciously.'
Clover: What number are you?
'He didn't answer. His bloodshot eyes twitched from person to person, and his breath came in hot pants.' Seriously Clover, get away from him ASAP! (That's going to be as effective as the last time.)
Clover: Hey, I'm talking to you...
'The man licked his dry lips with a shaking tongue and spoke with a voice like old paper.'
???: I-I-Isn't it o-obvious? There are 9 people here. A-A-A-And you know who numbers 1 through 8 are. I'm th-the only one left.
Clover: So you're (9)?
???: Y-Y-Y-Yeah.
'He extended a trembling arm. The bracelet did indeed say (9). Clover looked at it contemptuously.'
Clover: What's your code name?
(That's not going to happen as well. Remember the chunky salsa rule!)
???: C-C-C-Code...n-name?
Clover: What do you want us to call you? We all made up names. You should too.
Actually, Junpei doesn't have a code name.
???: I-I-I-I-I d-don't need one.
Clover: Why not?
(You'll see why, in the meantime, bring out the nachos.) (If you're implying what I think you're implying, you've every bit the monster I say you are!) (Why thank you very much.)
???: B-B-B-Because I'm n-n-not going to stay here. ...With y-you.
'He took a shuddering breath and exhaled. Clover looked at him with something very like disgust.'
Clover: You've got some sorta plan?
???: I-I do.
Clover: Yeah? What's that?
???: Y-Y-Y-You sure you w-want to know?
This is wrong on so many levels. (Now YOU should get your brain out of the gutter.)
Clover: Yeah...?
???: A-All right. Let me sh-show you. I-I-I-I'm going to do this!
Clover: Aaaaiiiii!
'By the time the realized what he was doing, it was too late to stop him. The man's body moved like a snake's. In the blink of an eye, he had slid around behind her, and wrapped his arm around her waist.'
(Shimohi can't make a comment right now; still looking for that brain in the gutter.)
Santa: Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing!?
Ah-ha! Found it! *Reads above text from when searching for brain* What Santa said, you bastard!
'Silver--[Santa] leapt forward, toward Clover and the 9th Man. He was halfway there, when--'
???: S-Stay back!
'Suddenly the man's hand dove into his pocket.'
And I'll be right back, again. (Hopefully Shimohi just lost that brain in the gutter again...) (...rather than going to Shimohi's bunk, if you know what I mean. And where's those nachos?)
???: S-Stay back!
'It came back out with a knife. A pocketknife. He held it to Clover's pale, quivering neck.'
(Didn't know the 9th Man was into stab wound...) (Don't even say it! And what's with all the depravity-based jokes!?)
???: I-I-If you g-get any closer--!
(Somebody pass the popcorn! I don't want to miss a potential necro...) (Don't even go there!)
???: I-I'll cut her open!
(And then he'll...) (NNNOOOO! Shut up, Monster!)
'Santa skidded to a halt. He snarled at the scrawny man with the knife and gritted his teeth.'
???: Y-Yes, that's right...
'The man's smile was neither friendly nor reassuring. Sweat poured down his neck, soaking the collar of his shirt.'
More like creepy and disturbing. (Hurray! You're back! Maybe you could...) Nope, she's going to use any and all forms of dead baby comedy she can get out of this.
Snake: Clover...are you all right?
'The prince--[Snake's] voice sounded oddly concerned.' Remember, blind; can't see.
Clover: Y-Yeah...I'm fine...
'Her voice shook, making her words even less convincing.'
Junpei: What the hell are you trying to do?!
???: I-I told you...This is my plan...
Seven: What're you gonna do to her, you sick son of a bitch?
(See, I'm not the only one who came to this conclusion! Now who's the asshole that's depriving me of my nachos!? that chunky salsa dips going to be here any minute now!)
???: D-Don't worry...I-I'm not going to d-do anything to her...
(Aw man! That's boring! I'm seriously going to need those nachos soon.)
???: If she just does what I t-tell her to, I'll let her go.
(Maybe there's hope for this scenario after all. *eats popcorn*) When will this game get on with it, even I'm getting tired of Akurei's ra... (...ncid horrible jokes?) Yeah, we'll just go with that.
'He started to move backward, slowly, keeping his grip on Clover. Keeping their distance, Junpei and the others followed. Eventually, the man reached the wall. He gave a start as his back touched it, then glanced around quickly and spoke.'
???: V-V-Verify...
Clover: Huh?
???: The left. Look on your left. D-Do you see the device on the wall? P-Place your hand on the scanner panel, the round part.
Clover: What if I don't?
'The man's nostrils flared and he looked like he was about to choke.'
???: A-A-A-Are you an idiot?! W-W-What do you think?! I c-c-could slit your throat right now! I'll kill you if I have to.
(And then...) Come on, Clover! Get this over with so Akurei can get her chunky salsa dip and be done with it...huh...you 'are' also ordering the chunky salsa dip...right? (Nope, this is going to be a freshly-made delicacy of the demon world.)
???: A-All I need is your bracelet.
Clover: ...
???: Just do it! D-Do it now!
'He pressed the knife against Clover's neck, hard. Slowly, she stretched her left hand out toward the device. Her back was to it, and she had to feel around for a moment before she found the circular panel. It made a cold, electronic noise, and on the display above her hand, an asterisk appeared. So that's how it works, Junpei thought to himself. By placing one's palm on what the 9th Man had called the "scanner panel", the user's bracelet number would be entered into the device.' Hey, Akurei! Your nachos have arrived. (Cool! Now I just have to wait for the chunky salsa dip to be made, yum...)
Zero: "Should you total the numbers on your [numbered bracelets]...and find that the [digital root] of that number is equal to the number of that door, the door will open."
'Junpei shifted his eyes to the door itself. The number on it was [5]. The 9th Man seemed to know a little more about the device's operation than he should. How had he known exactly what to do?'
???: Good... Good, you're done. N-N-Next...
'His blood-shot eyes crept from person to person until finally...They stopped on the lion--[Ace].'
???: You, right? You're the one with the number (1) bracelet, right?
Ace: Yes. I am. So?
???: Th-Then y-you're next...Just verify your number like this little b-brat did.
Ace: ...
???: What are you doing?! D-Do it! D-Don't you care what h-happens to her?!
Ace: O-Okay, okay. Just calm down...
'Ace held up his hands, palms out. The 9th Man jerked his chin toward the device. Slowly, cautiously, Ace moved toward the device. After what seemed like an agonizing eternity, he reached it.'
???: Now...Verify.
'Ace nodded and placed his hand on the scanner panel. The device beeped again, and a 2nd asterisk appeared. Now the device had Clover and Ace's numbers. (4) and (1). 4 + 1 = 5 The same as the number written on the door. But it wouldn't open just yet...'
Zero: "Only [3-5] people can pass though one numbered door."
'The door needed at least 1 more person. Who would that be?'
???: G-G-G-Get back...
'His voice shook, but the knife he held to Clover's throat made his words a command. Ace took 2, then 3, steps back.'
???: No! Farther! More than that! Go all the way back!
(Aw come on, 9th Man of the Bird's nest! Make some chunky salsa...*illegible*...yourself for me!)
'Slowly, Ace did what he was told. The 9th Man's lips curled into a cruel, twisted smile. That was when Junpei understood his plan. Clover's (4) and Ace's (1)...Added to the 9th Man's (9)...4 + 1 + 9 = 14 [insert arrow here] 1 + 4 = [5] In other words...'
???: Hehe...Hehehe...Ehehehehehehehehe! Th-Th-Thank God you were all so c-cooperative! Now I can get out of this n-nightmare!
'He pressed his own hand against the scanner panel. A 3rd astrick appeared on the screen. He dropped his hand to the lever on the side of the device and pulled. The door opened with a heavy, metallic groan. He let go of Clover.'
Junpei: Wait!
'Junpei leapt toward the 9th Man, but he wasn't fast enough. The man shoved Clover...'
Clover: Aaah!
'...And hopped though the door.'
???: O-O-Okay, have a good one, guys. I'm going off ahead now. Well then...Goodbye...
(And that beeping means that the chunky salsa is finally being cooked, sort of.)
'He raised his hand and waved, a twisted smirk on his face. Then he was gone. The door ground shut with a dull clang of metal on metal.'
Snake: Clover! Are you all right!?
'Snake ran to Clover's side as she lay on the floor.'
Clover: Y-Yeah, I'm fine.
'She climbed unsteadily to her feet, and once there, leaned heavily on Snake's shoulder for support. Junpei ran to the door. The others followed him. Several pairs of hands grabbed hold of the handles and pulled. They grunted and strained, but...'
Junpei: Shit! It won't budge!
'That was when [Lotus], the dancer, spoke. Her voice was quiet.'
Lotus: Do you hear something...?
Junpei: Like...what?
Lotus: Like some sort of...beeping...
'Junpei pressed his ear against the cold metal of the door. The others did the same.'
June: You're right... I can hear it too. What is it?
'Then they heard something else. It was the 9th Man.'
???: Shit! Why isn't it stopping?!
(Because I want my chunky salsa and I want it now!)
???: Goddamnit! Y-Y-You l-lied!
'Lied...?'
???: Th-Th-This wasn't supposed to happen! This is wrong! This is wrong!
'His voice shook with fear. Safe on the outside, they stepped back from the door and looked at one another.'
Ace: What is happening in there...?
???: O-O-O-Open the door! Please! I'm begging you! Help me! Please, get me out of here! Get me out of here!
'Junpei graped hold of the device. He slammed his hand on the scanner panel. Nothing happened. Why didn't it register him?! He looked at the display where the asterisks had shown up. It said "ENGAGED".'
???: A-Ah...Oh my God, oh my God, there's no time left...!
(That salsa's going to be done soon! *Licks lips*)
???: Listen! I was lied to! He lied to me! He put me in here! It was him! He killed me! It was him! A...Aahh...Aaahhhh...Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaght--!
'... ...The explosion rocked the room.' And made me jump while I was typing the 9th Man's last scream..
'Instinctively, they ducked, then stood up slowly when they realized there was no danger. No one spoke. Silence filled the room. In that silence, the electronic tone that echoed across the room sounded as loud as a gunshot.' Might as well been considering what I think had happened.
'All eyes turned toward it. It had come from the device mounted next to the door. The display changed from [ENGAGED] to [VACANT].
Seven: Let's see if we can open it...
'[Seven]--the mountain--swallowed hard. Junpei nodded and placed his hand on the scanner panel. A red asterisk appeared on the LCD panel. The device had registered Junpei's bracelet number: (5). His was not enough, however. At least 2 more people were needed. Junpei asked...'
<<Which pair?>>
-Ace and Lotus (1 + 8)-
-Snake and Seven (2 + 7)-
-Santa and June (3 + 6)-
I'm going with...
Junpei: Santa and...uh...June... You think you could give me a hand here?
'The pun was a little too on-the-nose, but the mood was still grim. Both Santa and June lifted their left hands silently. He verified, and she followed suit.'
'5 + 3 + 6 = 14 [insert arrow here] 1 + 4 = [5]'
'They'd fulfilled the conditions. If they were to pull the lever on the side...'
Junpei: Are you guys ready? I'm gonna open it.
'Junpei grabbed the lever and looked back over his shoulder. They stiffened and nodded. Junpei nodded back, and set his mouth in a grim line. Then he slowly...lowered...the lever...There was a metallic groan, and the door slid open. A breath of air drifted out of it, carrying a stench that nearly made them gag. Junpei grimaced and put a hand over his mouth.'
Lotus: Oh my God...
Ace: Good God...
'Lotus and Ace shuddered. Seven grunted.
Seven: Whoa... That's...pretty bad...
(You mean "pretty bad...ass chunky salsa?! I know right! Make way coming through...)
'Even Santa's voice shook.'
Santa: He...he blew up...
Quite literally.
'It appeared that Santa was right. The hallway on the other side of the door was splattered with chunks of torn flesh and dark, red blood.'
June: Aaaaaiiiiii!
'The shriek echoed across the room. It had come from June. Then her strength left her and she dropped--As Junpei turned to catch her, the door groaned shut. She crumpled to the floor.
Junpei: June! You okay?!
'Junpei dropped to his knees and put his arm around her shoulders. That was when he noticed...Her whole body was feverish. She was radiating intense heat...'
(*Snaking on nachos covered in that "chunky salsa" from earlier* That's a...bad sign...right there.) Please don't talk to us while eating nachos covered in bits of human corpse. *gags*
Junpei: What the hell?! Where'd this fever come from?
June: ...
'June didn't answer. Her face looked like wax, and her whole body began to shake.'
(*Still snaking on those nachos* Wow, she's really "burning up" there.)
Junpei: All right, let's just rest for a minute, okay?
------------------------------------
Good idea, Junpei. Wow, it's still the prolouge and we already have a character death. So here's the roster so far...
1) Ace Lion
2) Snake Prince
3) Santa Silver
4) Clover Pink hair
5) Junpei
6) June (Akane Kurashiki)
7) Seven Mountain
8) Lotus Dancer
Let's see who survives next time... (And for God's sake, Monster, stop eating those unholy nachos!)
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