Murder Game IX: Right Hand of the Crimson Moon

[Verite]

"Just that there were more of these Murder Game things." Percy said. "This isn't the first. There used to be some sort of demon that ran these, but it's been gone for a while." He was taken aback when Erika ripped the file he was holding out of his hands. He shook his head and grabbed the Reaper Incident file

@Gummi Bunnies @Verite @york

Whatever. Ethel didn't feel like waking her up, so Ethel just wandered around the room.

In the meantime, Karin grabbed the report for the Reaper Incident Report.

@Verite​

The following report seemed to be written by an esteemed "Executor," whatever that meant," named Ciel. One could assume that this was the same woman who had been sleeping on the couch, given the attached photograph. In it was something of a rough summary of the events and what had transpired there:

Reaper Incident Report

Submitted some time after the preceding Monokuma Incident Report.

Identifcation: Executor 7 of the Burial Agency. Codename: Ciel. High-ranking Executor within the Church Burial Agency. Previously involved within the final Roa Incident that concerned the likes of Shiki Tohno, Arcueid Brunestud, and the Dead Apostle Ancestor Nrvnsqr Chaos. Specialize in killing and hunting.

It had all begun shortly after the Monokuma Incident with Executor Kotomine involved in it. He had assigned me this task, believing that I was more fit to the task, given my rank in the Burial Agency. With no reason to decline, I accepted the job. Initially, I had been hitting dead ends everywhere. No traces of any "Murder Game" existed, aside from the rare reported ones from Shiki Tohno, Aoko Aozaki, and Kirei Kotomine before. And then one day, it happened. It wasn't that I stumbled into a lead. A lead stumbled into me. To this day, I still believe that the individual who had sent me into the Murder Game against my own will was the Arch Demon himself, considering he was able to kill me so easily, and even more, to be able to get the jump on me without me knowing until it was too late.

After a small while, I had appeared in what seemed to be some sort of afterlife, headed by someone calling himself The Composer, and overseen by a boy named "Joshua." He had quite the affinity for... well, to put it crudely, backsides. But aside from that, he was surprisingly quite helpful in helping me, alongside the other participants of the so-called Reapers' Game, as it was innocently known at the time, acquire a second chance of life. Little did he and the other Reapers realize that it had turned more deadly than expected. A Murder Game, of course.

The report goes on to detail some minor notes. One would be able to note that Ciel kept especially vague on a particular fellow participant known as Minato Arisato. The name might ring a bell or two for you.

Eventually, we discovered the source of the anomaly to be a man named John White, a man who had been pretending to be a Reaper all this time from my understanding. Having served the Arch Demon, the orchestrater of the Murder Games, from the side, we managed to defeat him before he could do much lasting damage, and with the conclusion of the Reapers' Murder Game, we had managed to return with our lives, thankfully.

The report goes on to indicate that she had taken a small vacation off for a few weeks. Given that this report was old enough to collect some dust, one could assume that her "few weeks" were already up. Why she had decided to take said vacation remained unknown. Maybe it had something to do with that Minato?

@The Silver Paladin @Mari @Study​

 

[Verite]

"Hi..." Ethel said. "Yeah... Ethel thinks we're in a Murder Game..."

@CrunchyCHEEZIT @Verite​

"Ah, yes yes, I see. Well, it's fortunate that you are still alive, though of course, in my experience, people who do get murdered... Well, I guess I shouldn't get your hopes up, but either way, just keep hanging in there," the woman nodded, "Your name is Ethel? What a pretty name. You may call me Ciel," she introduced herself.

"Say... if you're already here, that means you already went ahead and explored the city, I assume? Must have been eerie going through such a ghost town that seemed oddly neat and tidy, eh?"

@Bomb @CrunchyCHEEZIT​

 

[Verite]

"So let me get this straight..." Battler mumbled as he took this in. From the fact that he's experienced all sorts of games due to Beato's influence, he had some idea on where this was going...

"A powerful magician able to jumpstart a Murder Game but needing a magical artifact regardless of his power... That does sound a whole lot of strange." However, he had a strange thought come up to his head...

"We can think of the copy of the Jeweled Sword of Zelretch to be crucial as to how the Fiamma of the Right was able to orchestrate this Murder Game, but if I were to flip the chessboard... it's possible that the taking of the artifact wasn't for that purpose but for something else that we aren't even aware of. It makes no sense for someone to be all mighty and powerful with magic but needing a certain item to accomplish the feat of dimension-traveling."

He soon came to a stop with his words before he would go too far. Not that he was afraid that he was going to say something absolute stupid, but Battler felt like he was taking too much of the spotlight in terms of speaking.

"A-Ah... apologies if I went too long with that. I have that habit of talking on and on... kinda like little miss detective."

@Verite @Thuro The Assassin Potato @Nater Taters @Altar​

"Hmph. Perhaps. I must say, you are warmer than I had expected. But I suppose a friend of young Erika's must be intelligent indeed," Kotomine nodded at Battler's hypothesis, though neither confirming or denying that Battler was right, or if Kotomine knew more than he was letting on, "It is no problem at all. Truth be told, I spend quite a lot of time with simpletons, so a person with intellectual capacity is quite refreshing," he continued, folding his arms behind his back.

"If the situation was that even with all of his power, he is unable to travel through different worlds on his own, would that perhaps change how you perceive anything?"

@Gummi Bunnies @Thuro The Assassin Potato @Nater Taters​

 

[York]

The report detailed what appeared to be a Murder Game from the past, written by Kotomine himself. The way he wrote about this incident implied that this was something of a recurring, almost normal phenomena for him. It spoke of his experiences as an observer as he witnessed a strange amount of things go on in there, even for a Murder Game, including a "spiky-haired young man punching little girls in the face" named Touma Kamijou, a strange man known as Jade Curtiss with intentions that even he did not know much of to this day, an overly uptight soldier named Chris Redfield, an "extremely crude looking machine" called Ultibahara, and how he learned what it was like to fly through materializing holes in the wall through magic.

Perhaps the biggest thing there was some organization called the "Coalition," which Kotomine had claimed to have worked alongside for a brief amount of time against the "Arch Demon" that he had mentioned while providing exposition mere moments before when everyone had arrived in the Church. Who knows where this so-called Coalition was at these days?

Other than that though, you don't seem to learn anything notable here, though from the way he wrote, it seemed like he was bored out of his mind, as though nothing in the long run really happened.

@york @Study​

Cinder Fall
@Verite @Others in Study

"Oh... What a shame..." Cinder said, shrugging a little as she put away the book; it held some... Interesting information, but, it looked like even the writer was a little bored of that particular event, without much of a thought, she picked the Monokuma Incident report, hoping to find some information about Ruby Rose's ventures; maybe it'll shed some light on the new friends she's brought back...
​

 

[Verite]

Erika silently reached over for the classified report of the "Right Hand of the Crimson Moon."

@The Silver Paladin @Verite @Bomb @Mari @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Study​

The report seemed more lengthy than before, being chronicled over a series of days, it seemed. Rather than one report, the structure seemed more akin to that of a journal, seeing as how there were multiple entries, and what was more, there was nothing to indicate that it had even ever been publicly submitted to any organization.

The first entry read as followed:

At last. Now that I have inquired a specimen of the Arch Demon himself, it is time I analyze the sample closely to examine his physiology. I can't say it'll be exactly pleasant. Even when I had first acquired the Arch Demon's Right Hand, I had noticed immediately that it was somewhat... slimy. I initially passed it off as excess fluids because of his death, likely transparent blood or something of the sort. Little did I realize until I had applied some magecraft did I realize that it was... well, to avoid putting it crudely, his "seed." I immediately had to wash my hands thoroughly after realizing this. Hopefully, I didn't get any interdimensional disease or anything of the sort. That would be quite troublesome and embarrassing...

In any case, with further examination, hopefully, I can find the secret to his power.

Go through the next entry

Look deeper in the shelf for something else​

 

[Gummi Bunnies]

"Hmph. Perhaps. I must say, you are warmer than I had expected. But I suppose a friend of young Erika's must be intelligent indeed," Kotomine nodded at Battler's hypothesis, though neither confirming or denying that Battler was right, or if Kotomine knew more than he was letting on, "It is no problem at all. Truth be told, I spend quite a lot of time with simpletons, so a person with intellectual capacity is quite refreshing," he continued, folding his arms behind his back.

"If the situation was that even with all of his power, he is unable to travel through different worlds on his own, would that perhaps change how you perceive anything?"

@Gummi Bunnies @Thuro The Assassin Potato @Nater Taters​

"Heheh... guess she does rally up a ton of attention from that earlier Murder Game she was in, and I'm just some sorcerer thrown into something that she turns out to be recognizable in. I might sound all knowledgeable and shit, but really, I was told back then that I was some incompetent fool in the Red Truth. Not sure if that's still true today, but I still got myself some old traits lingering around," Battler sounded a bit casual when it came to talking on how he was considered more much intelligent than the others that Kotomine would see on a day-to-day basis.

"On the other hand, if things really mattered on perception, I wouldn't wrap my head around it. This situation is practically a Devil's Proof. Just because we don't have enough evidence to specify that the Fiamma of the Right needed the mystic item or not, it also doesn't mean that we have to approach the situation differently or perceive it in a different manner. Think of it that either way, we still have ourselves a troublesome and dangerous threat waiting to make his next move, regardless if he needed to use that Jeweled Sword or not," Battler seemed to go on a logical rant again. At least Erika wasn't present, or else she would be trying to one-up him every time he would try to get some words out.


@Verite @Thuro The Assassin Potato @Nater Taters @Altar​

 

[Gummi Bunnies]

The report seemed more lengthy than before, being chronicled over a series of days, it seemed. Rather than one report, the structure seemed more akin to that of a journal, seeing as how there were multiple entries, and what was more, there was nothing to indicate that it had even ever been publicly submitted to any organization.

The first entry read as followed:

At last. Now that I have inquired a specimen of the Arch Demon himself, it is time I analyze the sample closely to examine his physiology. I can't say it'll be exactly pleasant. Even when I had first acquired the Arch Demon's Right Hand, I had noticed immediately that it was somewhat... slimy. I initially passed it off as excess fluids because of his death, likely transparent blood or something of the sort. Little did I realize until I had applied some magecraft did I realize that it was... well, to avoid putting it crudely, his "seed." I immediately had to wash my hands thoroughly after realizing this. Hopefully, I didn't get any interdimensional disease or anything of the sort. That would be quite troublesome and embarrassing...

In any case, with further examination, hopefully, I can find the secret to his power.

Go through the next entry

Look deeper in the shelf for something else​

"... I remember hearing about the demise of the Arch Demon... why take the Right Hand then? ... that's quite... suspicious," Erika studied the entry thoroughly. This was crucial information, she didn't want to skim through it. Letting it all sink in, the detective flipped to the very next entry on this report.

@Verite @Study​

 

[Bomb]

"Ah, yes yes, I see. Well, it's fortunate that you are still alive, though of course, in my experience, people who do get murdered... Well, I guess I shouldn't get your hopes up, but either way, just keep hanging in there," the woman nodded, "Your name is Ethel? What a pretty name. You may call me Ciel," she introduced herself.

"Say... if you're already here, that means you already went ahead and explored the city, I assume? Must have been eerie going through such a ghost town that seemed oddly neat and tidy, eh?"

@Bomb @CrunchyCHEEZIT​

"Thanks... Yea, Ethel and Karin went through the town a bit." Ethel responded. She didn't seem to be too interested in the town.

@Verite @CrunchyCHEEZIT​

 

[Verite]

Cinder Fall
@Verite @Others in Study

"Oh... What a shame..." Cinder said, shrugging a little as she put away the book; it held some... Interesting information, but, it looked like even the writer was a little bored of that particular event, without much of a thought, she picked the Monokuma Incident report, hoping to find some information about Ruby Rose's ventures; maybe it'll shed some light on the new friends she's brought back...​

The following report was written by Kotomine himself, like the Fuse Incident Report, though evidently, it was written sometime before the events of the Reaper Incident, and by extension, the Fuse Incident.

Monokuma Incident

Kirei Kotomine, high-ranking Executor of the Holy Church. I was brought up by my father, Priest Risei Kotomine, and trained from childhood to be a priest and Executor. I also specialize in spiritual healing, and I was formerly a participant of the Fourth Holy Grail War.

Down to business. It had all started on a night like any other.

I had been making preparations for the upcoming Fifth Holy Grail War with the intention of acting as its overseer. However, in the middle of the night, I had suddenly blacked out due to unknown means, and before I knew it, I had woken up in what appeared to be... a boarding school, alongside a number of other strange individuals. This was my first experience with a Murder Game. An experience that I will not forget.

The report would go on to detail his movements in the first stages of the event. He had said very little about Ruby, though noted that she had befriended a talking Russian dog named Cosmo, and that her half-sister, one Yang Xiao Long, was present as well, though not all went well for her, as Ruby had subsequently been killed when people had suspected her of unjust murder. When it had turned out that her death was a temporary one, and that she had come back to life, she would discover that Yang had just been killed as well. One could note the amusement in Kotomine's words as he wrote this up.

Along the way, I also ran into quite the number of endearing subjects, notably a Robin Tact, Erika Furudo, Dlanor A. Knox, Frank Castle, Bayonetta, and Funny Valentine. They were quite useful in aiding me in my investigations concerning the mysterious Traitors that plagued our journey. Notably Robin and Frank... yes. They were the perfect antitheses. I forsee something grand happening with us soon enough. After all, every hero needs their villain. Every champion of justice needs an enemy to vanquish.

Later notes and annotations would have Kotomine comment that he would meet up with Frank Castle and Bayonetta again during the Ultimate Game Incident Report.

Other than that, there didn't seem to be much else to read of any noteworthy value.

@york @Study​

 

[Gwazi Magnum]

They hadn't been walking that long when suddenly a creature jumped from the shadows and was accusing the group of slaying them. Gilgamesh activated his Gates of Babylon ready to issue the creature a warning, but Saber beat him to it this time and the neko heeded the warning. Once things were relatively calmed Gilgamesh chimed in "Hmph! If that Mongrel desires to come with us than have it stay quiet!".

@Crimson Spartan @TheSpringwoodSlasher​

 

[Crimson Spartan]

Just as Saber and Shirou were preparing to head out, she paused in her stride as she heard Lon'qu call out to turn. Turning to face him and Donny as they approached, she slung Excalibur over her shoulder before nodding with a smile upon her face. It seemed that she had put what had happened on the bridge to the side for now. She just preferred to focus on the task at hand. Which was to explore the courtyard and see just was going on there.

"You and Donny are more than welcome to accompany us! I'm sure Shirou would not mind in the slightest, would you Shirou?" The servant asked to which Shirou turned towards the two and flashed them a small smile of his own. He had seen and heard some of the mutterings between Saber and Lon'qu but just as Saber had respected his privacy by allowing him to have a moment to grief over the fact that children were forced to participate in these terrible games, he'd respect her having a potential suitor. Saber was more than capable of handling herself so he wouldn't say a peep. Not unless this guy went out of his way to hurt Saber, he'd regret it.

"I don't mind you guys tagging along. More the merrier I'm sure the saying goes, right?"

The less said about Gilgamesh accompanying them the better. They'd just have to keep an eye on him was all.

As the started into the courtyard with whoever else decided to come along, they would have heard something in the distance. Almost as if something was watching them, following them.

But surely it was just thier imagination getting the best of them right? There wasn't anything that would have targeted them while they were in here right? Saber didn't like the feeling she was getting but until the threat showed itself, there wasn't much she could really do but wait for it to address them.

With Stubbs tagging along as well because he'd been pretty quiet for most of the time while they'd been here. He was too busy taking in the sights of all this church and stuff. He supposed there wasn't much for him to be creeped out by considering he was a member of the undead. But just that Kirei guy and this church didn't rub him the wrong way.

Just then however, Stubbs paused as he heard a rattling from the flowerpot in the center of the room. The hell was going on here? Breaking off from the group, Stubbs reached inside the pot. "Brains?"

Suddenly, something leaped out from the pot and landed in the shadows of the courtyard! The smell of death wafted off the creature, a familiar smell to Stubbs at least.

"You killed meeeeeeeee nyaaa!"

The heck was this thing? It looked way too small for Stubbs to have even considered snacking down on. Looked like the proper size for a good punt across the courtyard though. Because he had a feeling that 'nya' stuff was gonna get old real quick. "Brains? Brains!"(You got the wrong folks, pussycat. I ain't never killed one of your kind in my life.)

But the creature refused to heed Stubb's words and actually hissed in his direction. It was certain that these guys were responsible for it's death! It totally didn't screw up and pick the wrong group by mistake!

"Nupe! You killed meeeeeeeeeeee! Sure of it nyaaaaaaa!"

Unlike the others who had come to deal with creatures similar to this before, Saber had no paitence for such antics. Nor did she particularly enjoy being singeled out as some kind of murderer? Raising Excalibur, she'd glare at the creature as it began to visibly shake as Saber approached.

"For once I've found some common ground with this undead man. Your antics groe tiresome, creature. If you are dead as you claim to be then we're not the ones responsible. If you'd like we can find the ones who did do so. If not? I suggest you stop with these childish games, now."

The creature lurking within the shadows clearly took Saber's threat to heart as it held up it's hands and stepped out of the shadows. To reveal that it was nothing more than another Neco similar to the ones Robin and the others had encountered.

"Cool it with the threatening gestures, lady! Sheesh, you guys ain't the same ones who did in my pal. But you're sure just as a bunch of no-fun jerks like the rest of em nyaaa!"

(Tho this is better than slowly burnin to death in a fire, I suppose! Dem's the breaks!)

@Crimson Spartan @Gen. Gwazi Senpai​

​

They hadn't been walking that long when suddenly a creature jumped from the shadows and was accusing the group of slaying them. Gilgamesh activated his Gates of Babylon ready to issue the creature a warning, but Saber beat him to it this time and the neko heeded the warning. Once things were relatively calmed Gilgamesh chimed in "Hmph! If that Mongrel desires to come with us than have it stay quiet!".

@Crimson Spartan @TheSpringwoodSlasher​

Needless to say Lon'qu was quite annoyed by this weird thing. That being said it seemed Saber took care of the situation but Lon'qu kept his hand close to his sword in case something else happens.

Donny on the other hand just stayed with Lon'qiu as they had trailed some distance behind Saber and Shirou.

While he seemed like he had also put the bridge situation behind him Lon'qu was still thinking over it all. Mentally kicking himself for rushing it but knowing he could die at any point he had to try it.

@TheSpringwoodSlasher @Gen. Gwazi Senpai ​

 

[Nater Taters]

"Hmph. Perhaps. I must say, you are warmer than I had expected. But I suppose a friend of young Erika's must be intelligent indeed," Kotomine nodded at Battler's hypothesis, though neither confirming or denying that Battler was right, or if Kotomine knew more than he was letting on, "It is no problem at all. Truth be told, I spend quite a lot of time with simpletons, so a person with intellectual capacity is quite refreshing," he continued, folding his arms behind his back.

"If the situation was that even with all of his power, he is unable to travel through different worlds on his own, would that perhaps change how you perceive anything?"

@Gummi Bunnies @Thuro The Assassin Potato @Nater Taters​

Kirby had listened to Battler and Kotomine. Something about a magician or something, wait... magician, a wizard perhaps, was it Nightmare? Kirby decided to focus more on the conversation in order to get more information about this man.

@Thuro
@ Gummi Bunnies

 

[York]

The following report was written by Kotomine himself, like the Fuse Incident Report, though evidently, it was written sometime before the events of the Reaper Incident, and by extension, the Fuse Incident.

Monokuma Incident

Kirei Kotomine, high-ranking Executor of the Holy Church. I was brought up by my father, Priest Risei Kotomine, and trained from childhood to be a priest and Executor. I also specialize in spiritual healing, and I was formerly a participant of the Fourth Holy Grail War.

Down to business. It had all started on a night like any other.

I had been making preparations for the upcoming Fifth Holy Grail War with the intention of acting as its overseer. However, in the middle of the night, I had suddenly blacked out due to unknown means, and before I knew it, I had woken up in what appeared to be... a boarding school, alongside a number of other strange individuals. This was my first experience with a Murder Game. An experience that I will not forget.

The report would go on to detail his movements in the first stages of the event. He had said very little about Ruby, though noted that she had befriended a talking Russian dog named Cosmo, and that her half-sister, one Yang Xiao Long, was present as well, though not all went well for her, as Ruby had subsequently been killed when people had suspected her of unjust murder. When it had turned out that her death was a temporary one, and that she had come back to life, she would discover that Yang had just been killed as well. One could note the amusement in Kotomine's words as he wrote this up.

Along the way, I also ran into quite the number of endearing subjects, notably a Robin Tact, Erika Furudo, Dlanor A. Knox, Frank Castle, Bayonetta, and Funny Valentine. They were quite useful in aiding me in my investigations concerning the mysterious Traitors that plagued our journey. Notably Robin and Frank... yes. They were the perfect antitheses. I forsee something grand happening with us soon enough. After all, every hero needs their villain. Every champion of justice needs an enemy to vanquish.

Later notes and annotations would have Kotomine comment that he would meet up with Frank Castle and Bayonetta again during the Ultimate Game Incident Report.

Other than that, there didn't seem to be much else to read of any noteworthy value.

@york @Study​

Cinder Fall
@Verite @Others In STudy

"Hmph..." Cinder huffed, rubbing her chin a little; so that's why Ruby seemed a bit "weathered" when she returned; dying and coming back to life was probably not the best thing to experience... But, it was an interesting phenomenon in itself... After a while, she turned to the last book that had caught her interest; the Ultimate Game, an feeling told her that she would find a bit more about Ruby in this book... Maybe...​

 

[Verite]

Intermission
"The Gorgon"

As Robin, Minato, and Illya would venture through the tight, strange corridor, reminiscent of a cavern, they would eventually stop at what appeared to be a on the ceiling. Knocking it up would have you all end up outside the house. Specifically outside the front yard to be exact. Well, that was good, right?

The place looked familiar. Was this still Fuyuki City? If so, then maybe it wasn't too late. You could still reunite with the rest of the group if you hurried. Maybe there was still time. Maybe, just maybe, they were still at the Church. Maybe if you hurried, you could--

"Aha. There you are. Some stray Survivors," an unfamiliar people spoke on the side, where an unfamiliar man stood.

"You..."

"Ah, where are my manners? I am Fiamma of the Right, to you two young men. You must be Illyasviel von Einzbern... Fancy meeting you here again. I vividly remember killing you with my bare hands," He spoke coolly, before sticking out his arm to them, "But that's okay. I don't mind killing you again. And your friends."

"I'll be sure to take you someplace else... A taste of my own world's fruits," he said.

And before either of you could get a chance to react, a giant, blinding flash of red would assault your vision. And then when it subsided, there was nothing left but complete black as your perception of everything drifted off into the endless void of darkness and your consciousness had been taken away for the time being.

- - -

CRASH!

With Illya, Robin, and Minato taken care of, Fiamma of the Right knew that he was hot on the tracks of the Survivors. Were they in this house? Only one way to find out. Without any consequence, he had knocked down the front door with no trouble at all. The crash was heard all around the house, enough to wake Shinji up after he had been promptly knocked out from the lone punch to the gut somehow from Minato earlier. Shaken up, he would be greeted with the unpleasant sight of the magician, staggering quickly to his feet.

"W-Who are you?! What are you doing in my house?! Do you realize who I am?! I'm Shinji Ma--!"

Fiamma of the Right punched Shinji in the gut, and he fell down again with barely a whisper.

"How annoying..." The powerful magician murmured, looking around, "I know you are watching me. Show yourself," he said firmly with a demanding tone, his expression remaining apathetic as always.

From the shadows, Rider appeared just like that.

"You have an awful lot of nerve to be breaking and entering. And acting high and mighty at that," Rider spoke. Her body was tense and firm, ready for battle at any given notice.

"A person will always appear to be a god to ants, even if the person does not even concern himself with their existence. Where are the rest of the Survivors?"

"..." Rider paused for a moment, taking in what he said, before responding again. Like a robot, she processed his words like data, but paused when not recognizing the data, "I know not of what you speak. Leave before I force my hand."

"Hoooh. Big words from an ant. Very well. Give me your all."

"..."

Rider did not need any further provocation. If he was looking to pick a fight, then a fight he would get.

Dashing at hypersonic speeds, Rider practically disappeared from sight. In such a closed space, someone as fast as her had the definite advantage. She could hide behind any space she wanted, lurk in any shadow she wanted, hang from any ledge, attack from any angle, the works. Darting all over the place, there was no way he could reach her.

Now, this was her chance to--

"The Strike That Reaches Everything When Swung."

FSSHHT!

How... is that possible?

Rider was hanging from the chandelier in the main room, about to get the drop on Fiamma of the Right and strike him from above, but he... he didn't even know where she was. So how did he hit her? This was... impossible. Unless...

Well, nothing was impossible with his power.

Blam!

Falling headfirst into the hard ground, Rider groaned in pain as blood emerged from her forehead. It was lucky that she was a Heroic Spirit, or else she would have suffered a more human wound like a concussion. But now wasn't the time to worry about that. She needed to get up. She needed to fight. She needed to fight. For Sakura...

"My, what a disappointment. Just like the others. I should have expected as much."

Suddenly, a shine. What was that? What was that light out of nowhere? Slithering away like a serpent, Rider attempted to keep her distance. Whatever that light was... it was likely a dangerous weapon. To be exact, it was a Flame Sword conjured from the magic of Fiamma of the Right. Resistant to magic, it was extremely potent against Servants, little did Fiamma of the Right himself know, for one simple reason.

It was extremely resistant to other magic, magic being the basis of a Servant's entire existence.

"Now... let's try this on you," he said ominously, raising his Flame Sword.

And with that, alongside Berserker, Assassin, and Caster, Rider had fallen.

Saber, Archer, and Lancer were all that remained.

- - -

When Illya, Robin, and Minato would come to again, they would find themselves in a completely unfamiliar place. A completely different kind of city. A technologically advanced city with lights, strange machines, and... windmills everywhere. Completely different from Fuyuki City, which was comparatively far more urban and grounded.

A stray paper read on the ground "Academy City News." Well, at least you knew where you were. But where was where you were anyway? If that made any sense.

Like with Fuyuki, there didn't seem to be any people on the streets, but unlike with before where everyone was just plain gone, here, it seemed that everyone was just indoors. Well, the people that were in the "good" part of town. But from all the garbage in the streets, the black cats, and the shady guys in the alleys, perhaps it was easy to assume you were in the "bad" part of town.

To be precise, you were in the midst of the Dark Side of Academy City.

But perhaps that was the least of your concerns. Before you could get much time to question why you were here, you would see a group of armed soldiers chasing what appeared to be an unarmed teenager.

Well, heroes? Better go do your hero stuff.

@The Tactician​

 

[Khan of the Mardu]

Intermission - The Gorgon

As Robin, Minato, and Illya would venture through the tight, strange corridor, reminiscent of a cavern, they would eventually stop at what appeared to be a on the ceiling. Knocking it up would have you all end up outside the house. Specifically outside the front yard to be exact. Well, that was good, right?

The place looked familiar. Was this still Fuyuki City? If so, then maybe it wasn't too late. You could still reunite with the rest of the group if you hurried. Maybe there was still time. Maybe, just maybe, they were still at the Church. Maybe if you hurried, you could--

"Aha. There you are. Some stray Survivors," an unfamiliar people spoke on the side, where an unfamiliar man stood.

"You..."

"Ah, where are my manners? I am Fiamma of the Right, to you two young men. You must be Illyasviel von Einzbern... Fancy meeting you here again. I vividly remember killing you with my bare hands," He spoke coolly, before sticking out his arm to them, "But that's okay. I don't mind killing you again. And your friends."

"I'll be sure to take you someplace else... A taste of my own world's fruits," he said.

And before either of you could get a chance to react, a giant, blinding flash of red would assault your vision. And then when it subsided, there was nothing left but complete black as your perception of everything drifted off into the endless void of darkness and your consciousness had been taken away for the time being.

- - -

CRASH!

With Illya, Robin, and Minato taken care of, Fiamma of the Right knew that he was hot on the tracks of the Survivors. Were they in this house? Only one way to find out. Without any consequence, he had knocked down the front door with no trouble at all. The crash was heard all around the house, enough to wake Shinji up after he had been promptly knocked out from the lone punch to the gut somehow from Minato earlier. Shaken up, he would be greeted with the unpleasant sight of the magician, staggering quickly to his feet.

"W-Who are you?! What are you doing in my house?! Do you realize who I am?! I'm Shinji Ma--!"

Fiamma of the Right punched Shinji in the gut, and he fell down again with barely a whisper.

"How annoying..." The powerful magician murmured, looking around, "I know you are watching me. Show yourself," he said firmly with a demanding tone, his expression remaining apathetic as always.

From the shadows, Rider appeared just like that.

"You have an awful lot of nerve to be breaking and entering. And acting high and mighty at that," Rider spoke. Her body was tense and firm, ready for battle at any given notice.

"A person will always appear to be a god to ants, even if the person does not even concern himself with their existence. Where are the rest of the Survivors?"

"..." Rider paused for a moment, taking in what he said, before responding again. Like a robot, she processed his words like data, but paused when not recognizing the data, "I know not of what you speak. Leave before I force my hand."

"Hoooh. Big words from an ant. Very well. Give me your all."

"..."

Rider did not need any further provocation. If he was looking to pick a fight, then a fight he would get.

Dashing at hypersonic speeds, Rider practically disappeared from sight. In such a closed space, someone as fast as her had the definite advantage. She could hide behind any space she wanted, lurk in any shadow she wanted, hang from any ledge, attack from any angle, the works. Darting all over the place, there was no way he could reach her.

Now, this was her chance to--

"The Strike That Reaches Everything When Swung."

FSSHHT!

How... is that possible?

Rider was hanging from the chandelier in the main room, about to get the drop on Fiamma of the Right and strike him from above, but he... he didn't even know where she was. So how did he hit her? This was... impossible. Unless...

Well, nothing was impossible with his power.

Blam!

Falling headfirst into the hard ground, Rider groaned in pain as blood emerged from her forehead. It was lucky that she was a Heroic Spirit, or else she would have suffered a more human wound like a concussion. But now wasn't the time to worry about that. She needed to get up. She needed to fight. She needed to fight. For Sakura...

"My, what a disappointment. Just like the others. I should have expected as much."

Suddenly, a shine. What was that? What was that light out of nowhere? Slithering away like a serpent, Rider attempted to keep her distance. Whatever that light was... it was likely a dangerous weapon. To be exact, it was a Flame Sword conjured from the magic of Fiamma of the Right. Resistant to magic, it was extremely potent against Servants, little did Fiamma of the Right himself know, for one simple reason.

It was extremely resistant to other magic, magic being the basis of a Servant's entire existence.

"Now... let's try this on you," he said ominously, raising his Flame Sword.

And with that, alongside Berserker, Assassin, and Caster, Rider had fallen.

Saber, Archer, and Lancer were all that remained.

- - -

When Illya, Robin, and Minato would come to again, they would find themselves in a completely unfamiliar place. A completely different kind of city. A technologically advanced city with lights, strange machines, and... windmills everywhere. Completely different from Fuyuki City, which was comparatively far more urban and grounded.

A stray paper read on the ground "Academy City News." Well, at least you knew where you were. But where was where you were anyway? If that made any sense.

Like with Fuyuki, there didn't seem to be any people on the streets, but unlike with before where everyone was just plain gone, here, it seemed that everyone was just indoors. Well, the people that were in the "good" part of town. But from all the garbage in the streets, the black cats, and the shady guys in the alleys, perhaps it was easy to assume you were in the "bad" part of town.

To be precise, you were in the midst of the Dark Side of Academy City.

But perhaps that was the least of your concerns. Before you could get much time to question why you were here, you would see a group of armed soldiers chasing what appeared to be an unarmed teenager.

Well, heroes? Better go do your hero stuff.

@The Tactician​

The tactician awoke to a strange sight. Bright lights, brighter than anything he had seen in Fuyuki City, assaulted his senses, blinding him for a few moments. Was this a normality for the people of the city? It must have been awful living there.

After a few moments, his vision finally began to clear, and he noticed the stranger sights. Windmills dotted the city, with little apparent rhyme or reason for them. Perhaps they were for power? Could a city even collect power with windmills with all the buildings blocking and redirecting the wind? It seemed so odd to him, and nearly kept him from noticing the child running through the streets.

A child running from soldiers. His eyes widened in shock before his mind caught up with the view. The girl was in trouble.

"Dammit..." Robin knew that they didn't have a chance against the soldiers, especially without any weapons. They also lacked any allies to call on in this world, leaving few options for them. However, they couldn't just allow the teen to be hunted down, could they? No, that's not an option... But... "What should we do?"

While as Robin was busy trying to think, Minato was already moving forward. "We help, duh!" The response came so readily, as if the situation didn't involve a life-and-death crisis. However, the young man felt they could win this. While he still had not found an Evoker or even an unloaded, there was unmistakable heat in his soul, one that he could draw on. Orphesus was always with him, always granting him strength, and if that strength came in the form of Agi... Then he wasn't afraid.

He had more important things to worry about than his own deaths.

"Double dammit," With a second curse, the tactician following after the reckless companion, "Come on, Illya!"

@Verite
​

 

[Verite]

Cinder Fall
@Verite @Others In STudy

"Hmph..." Cinder huffed, rubbing her chin a little; so that's why Ruby seemed a bit "weathered" when she returned; dying and coming back to life was probably not the best thing to experience... But, it was an interesting phenomenon in itself... After a while, she turned to the last book that had caught her interest; the Ultimate Game, an feeling told her that she would find a bit more about Ruby in this book... Maybe...​

This report seemed to detail a Murder Game that was quite significant for a number of reasons, if the phrase "Ultimate Game" was something to go by. As he wasn't that directly involved with it, according to him, having spent most of his time within the headquarters of an organization known as the Coalition, he detailed some of what he did go through there, including fending off an assault from one "Arya Stark," a subordinate of the one who was behind the Murder Game phenomena, referred to as just the Arch Demon, now deceased according to Kotomine mere moments ago.

Other than him going on like an old man about how fun it was to have a killing game alongside "Mr. Castle" to see which one could kill more enemies in what appeared to be the final battle of the event, the most highlighted part about it was something that he described in an extremely vague way. Something that he described only as "The Right Hand of the Crimson Moon," which he had picked up in the aftermath of the battle after the fall of the Arch Demon, when everyone had believed it was all done for good.

As for news on Ruby though, like the Monokuma Incident, it didn't say too much about her, likely because he wasn't that close to her once again, though this time, it was because of him not being an official participant in it. Still, according to testimony given by a "Shiki Tohno," she frequently stayed with another young woman named Sophie. Apparently, in Shiki's own words, Ruby had shared a somewhat "flirtatious relationship with a bothersome person named Soul," though aside from that, and the moment where she had almost been set up to be framed for murder, it didn't seem to say much about Ruby otherwise.

@york @Study​

 

[Verite]

"... I remember hearing about the demise of the Arch Demon... why take the Right Hand then? ... that's quite... suspicious," Erika studied the entry thoroughly. This was crucial information, she didn't want to skim through it. Letting it all sink in, the detective flipped to the very next entry on this report.

@Verite @Study​

The next notable entry read as followed:

The first few days had proved uneventful. Poking around had yielded mild shining at best with no further results.

However.

My perseverance was not in vain, it appeared. It is as they say. Fortune favors the bold. At long last, the Right Hand of the Arch Demon has yielded a use for me yet.

At long last, I have discovered and unlocked the secret of the power of the Arch Demon. Today, I have broken a barrier no man in this world has ever broken before. I have traveled to another world all by myself. The first world I went to was... different. A world somewhat similar to my own. However, in this world, the Holy Grail War has already come to pass, and to my understanding, the bastard son of Kiritsugu Emiya had fallen for my very own Rin. How amusing.

I dared not traverse too far just yet, as I feared that if I traveled too far, I would be unable to find my way back to my home world. I simply observed from the side. In one world, the heir of the Einzbern lived a normal life with Kiritsugu Emiya, who was still alive. In another, Executor Ciel had subsequently fallen in love with the boy from the Crossed Testimony, Shiki Tohno. In another, it turned out that Zelretch had actually given the blueprints of his Jeweled Sword to the Makiri family instead, and as a result, the Tohsaka's reputation suffered without anything to back themselves up with.

I am sure that with further research, I will find more results. Hmph... the "Right Hand" is such a broad term, and if I continuously refer to it as the Right Hand of the Arch Demon, that might be troublesome. From here on out, from now on, this right hand will be known as the Right Hand of the Crimson Moon.

According to legend, supposedly passed down from Zelretch himself, the Crimson Moon, the original Brunestud True Ancestor was capable of great power, verging on the level of Type-Mercury itself. Brunestud of the Crimson Moon, or rather, simply known as the Type-Moon, was said to be capable of traveling through and observing different worlds. Yes... that would be quite fitting.

Read through the next entry

Look for something else

Have some wine...?

Talk to Ciel

@Gummi Bunnies @Study​

 

[Verite]

"Thanks... Yea, Ethel and Karin went through the town a bit." Ethel responded. She didn't seem to be too interested in the town.

@Verite @CrunchyCHEEZIT​

"Yes, it was quite something, wasn't it?" Ciel sighed, stretching her arms, "It was quite a trouble convincing an entire city to evacuate under the guise that a powerful storm would soon be coming. But with my Mystic Eyes of Whisper, it was at least 50% easier than it could have been, thankfully, though it was still quite tiring..."

"They said it shouldn't be any different from me convincing a school that I was always a student at their school. Tch, what do they know though? Jeez, they really do love to overwork me," the young woman murmured, "I take it you've run into Executor Kotomine already?"

@Bomb @CrunchyCHEEZIT​

 

[Mari]

The next notable entry read as followed:

The first few days had proved uneventful. Poking around had yielded mild shining at best with no further results.

However.

My perseverance was not in vain, it appeared. It is as they say. Fortune favors the bold. At long last, the Right Hand of the Arch Demon has yielded a use for me yet.

At long last, I have discovered and unlocked the secret of the power of the Arch Demon. Today, I have broken a barrier no man in this world has ever broken before. I have traveled to another world all by myself. The first world I went to was... different. A world somewhat similar to my own. However, in this world, the Holy Grail War has already come to pass, and to my understanding, the bastard son of Kiritsugu Emiya had fallen for my very own Rin. How amusing.

I dared not traverse too far just yet, as I feared that if I traveled too far, I would be unable to find my way back to my home world. I simply observed from the side. In one world, the heir of the Einzbern lived a normal life with Kiritsugu Emiya, who was still alive. In another, Executor Ciel had subsequently fallen in love with the boy from the Crossed Testimony, Shiki Tohno. In another, it turned out that Zelretch had actually given the blueprints of his Jeweled Sword to the Makiri family instead, and as a result, the Tohsaka's reputation suffered without anything to back themselves up with.

I am sure that with further research, I will find more results. Hmph... the "Right Hand" is such a broad term, and if I continuously refer to it as the Right Hand of the Arch Demon, that might be troublesome. From here on out, from now on, this right hand will be known as the Right Hand of the Crimson Moon.

According to legend, supposedly passed down from Zelretch himself, the Crimson Moon, the original Brunestud True Ancestor was capable of great power, verging on the level of Type-Mercury itself. Brunestud of the Crimson Moon, or rather, simply known as the Type-Moon, was said to be capable of traveling through and observing different worlds. Yes... that would be quite fitting.

Read through the next entry

Look for something else

Have some wine...?

Talk to Ciel

@Gummi Bunnies @Study​

Though the wine was slightly tempting, Mari thought better. She tried to look for something else.

@Verite @Gummi Bunnies @The Silver Paladin @Bomb @CrunchyCHEEZIT @study

 

[OrlandoBloomers]

Celty's reassuring grip remained steadfast throughout Max's response, though the dullahan, of course, did not reply. It was only when the young photographer finished her pensive statement that Celty let the hand slip from her shoulder, taking a small step back and cocking her head to one side, arms folded and right hand clasping where her chin would be as though she were contemplating something. Which she totally was.

Being unable to speak for so long had led to the courier developing a very expressive mode of body language, and this was no exception. After a few moments of this almost-unnerving silence, Celty flicked her wrist to produce her phone with a muted fwish, swiftly typing out another string of characters and hoisting the screen aloft for Max to read.

[ This whole situation's tense. I get it. ]

She flipped the phone back around to face her, erasing the message and typing out another in its place in short order.

[ C'mon. I bet I know just how to get your mind off this mess. ]

She turned, taking a few steps away from the group at large as they slowly dissipated regardless and beckoning for Max to follow. Once there was a suitable distance between her and the others, Celty gave a casual wave of her hand... and the shadows contorted in response, shifting up from the ground to coalesce into a solid, three-dimensional object, the form of a sleek, metallic black motorcycle that glinted beneath the moonlight. She swung a leg up over the vehicle, slipping comfortably into the drivers' seat and gripping the handlebars with one hand; with the other, she gestured vaguely in Max's direction, shadows twirling and gently solidifying around the girl's head in the shape of a tailored helmet.

She hoped her invitation was clear, at this point. This town might've been light on people, but it had plenty of roads... and no traffic cops. Roaring down the street on a motorcycle, the feel of the wind in your hair... it always helped pick up her mood, at least. Celty thought it might do the same for Max.

---

Ghost House
@Jeremi @Atomyk @C.T. @Josh M @Krieg (forcefully conscripted)

Whether Max accepted her offer or not, Celty pulled up next to the eerily decrepit house sometime later, having-- much like the others-- glimpsed its ramshackle roof tilings peeking up over the treeline earlier. Where one would've expected the soft purr of an engine to accompany her bike's movement, there was only silence; and, if one listened closely enough, something that sounded vaguely like the soft whinny of a horse as the dullahan gave its chassis an appreciative pat and disembarked. But that was ridiculous, right?

Her decision to take the scenic route through Fuyuki City had allowed others to arrive before her, she noticed, even despite her use of a supernatural motorcycle. That would've been fine, but when the small crowd of Silk, Kizaru, Misaka and Ryuko caught her eye, she couldn't help but notice exactly what it was they were crowding around-- and what Sans was doing.

In that moment, something inside Celty snapped. Something deep and long-buried, a primal frustration churning her stomach like a tumbledryer as she saw Sans standing there. Selling hot dogs. Hot dogs she, a headless dullahan, could never consume. Mocking her. Oh, she was sure he had his reasons. This economy, a skeleton had to make a living. She understood that. Even so, it was disrespectful. Infuriating. It made her want to do something drastic.

So she did.

This entailed her furiously stomping her feet, typing a message and indignantly waving it towards the hot dog stand, opposite hand pointing frantically in their direction.

[ Wait! Don't eat that! Where'd he get the meat? Did anyone see what happened to that cat thing's body?! ]

I'll make sure he never sells a hot dog in this town again.

---

Well, that was enlightening. All hot dogs aside, none present could shake the unsettling feeling weighing on their shoulders as they loitered outside the crumbling ruin of a mansion, even if they made a point not to look at it. It loomed over them, moss and ivy blanketing the walls in erratic patches, and even the most brave and foolhardy of the group couldn't escape the sensation of dread creeping up their spines when they looked at it... because, for as strange as it sounded, it felt quite abjectly like the mansion was looking back.

It was a sizable building, three stories high and an even greater span wide. Grass and shrubbery that were once well-kept now grew untamed, begging the question what had happened to dampen the tenants' dedication to keeping their garden trimmed. The windows, strangely enough for an abandoned house, were all intact, and every so often those who stared at them long enough could've sworn to seeing glimpses of things moving in the darkness that simply should not have been, pale shapes writhing in the shadows and disturbing the blackness encompassing them. It was a brick house, but every now and then it creaked as though built on a wooden frame; one could've theorized any number of things as the cause, from the groan of weight shifting inside to heat displacement to the house simply settling. For as long as they stayed outside, however, those theories would remain theories.

To find anything out for sure, they'd have to go in.

When Kizaru stepped forward to open the door, he found he hardly even had to touch the knob before the door creaked and slowly edged open. The skeptics among them might've attributed the act to a simple draft of wind, but others probably would've countered that the night was too calm for such an explanation. Regardless, the moment the door opened... the whispers started. A cold chill seeped out from within, and with it came what sounded like a collective of hushed voices, all murmuring out incomprehensibly in unison.

They sounded eager.

Of course, it could've just been the wind. And then Ryuko stepped over the building's threshold, and the whispers stopped.

Within, the only sound to be heard was the steady, perpetual ticking of a grandfather clock from somewhere in the house, though it was difficult to ascertain where. The pale moonlight shining through the windows was the only source of light to be found for the time being, though they were free to devise their own means of lighting if they wished. It was hard to tell where they were going initially, their eyes still adjusting to the darkness as whatever bleak amount of lighting they were able to conjure up did its job, but they could at least ascertain that the building had an upstairs, stairs leading down to the basement, a kitchen and a utility room. For now, it seemed all they could really do was look around; what did they have to lose?

Though if they weren't feeling brave enough, there was always the hot dog stand.​