When Vampires race it's always neck and neck.

Carmilla Satou, Queen of the Night, SHSL Vampire. Associated with Despair-Quest, currently ALIVE.

[shslbatty-blog]

By a thread || Chapter Five Body Discovery

It’s amazing what you can get used to when it happens for so long. Between exposure, exhaustion, and the repeated hallucinations, Carmilla had started to tune out the discordant song playing until it stopped. She slowly, cautiously pulled herself out of her room, body still aching. The haunting visions of her brothers still plagued her, but they seemed almost....vaguely transparent, somehow, like they were fading. It definitely seemed that the music stopping was returning her senses to normal, if only slowly.....

That being said, it didn’t take long to figure out why the music had stopped. Things in this kingdom only seemed to operate as a matter of changing when people were killed. Whether in an effort to save other people, or get rid of their own fears....Someone was probably dead.

Over time, her body started to ache less, but in the meantime, Carmilla quietly investigated everyone’s rooms, to see who could be accounted for. She was already having a pretty rough time lately, with the constant hallucinations, so when she finally found the body, it took her a minute or two of staring to realize that it was real. So, at least for this one, this was where to start. Above all, though....

Carmilla stepped forward and had a quick drink before going to get anyone else, naturally. 

[despair-quest]

Victims: Anri Takahashi, Kenji Nakajima

Location of the body: Kenji in Kenji’s walk in closet, Anri in an unknown location.

Person who Discovers body: Nakajima Kenji found by Satou Carmilla, Takahashi Anri’s body remains missing.

Evidence: 

ANRI

Unknown; Unable to access body

Has been missing in action for a long period of time, but your watches never reported his death previous to the body drop.

KENJI

Body was found hanging by a noose from the ceiling in his closet

[shslbatty-blog]

Staking a claim on Immortality || Chapter 5 || Motive Reaction

Carmilla was doing....better, at the very least. She hadn't buried her own fangs into her own hand again, if nothing else. A talk with someone she had issues with had fixed that. Well, mostly. She wasn't over it entirely, of course, but she was....well, managing. So, she gathered herself from her bed in the evening, for the first time since the trial. The bizarre music playing through the kingdom was throwing her off, discordant and ugly as it went on. Still, she wasn't planning on letting it distract her from finding a way out of this place. She'd wallowed in her own guilt and negative thoughts enough for that. She stepped out of her room, trying to hum to herself just to distract herself from the terrible music through the place, though she was drowned out fairly easily. As far as she knew, there weren't any new places that had opened, but going through some places she'd been already couldn't--

She froze, between flights of stairs, staring down at two people sitting on a bench on the floor just below her, a few feet away from the next flight of stairs. She recognized them instantly, of course, a mop of red hair on one, the other's neater but still red. One had an x-shaped scar on one cheek as well as freckles along his pale skin. The other had multiple different scars along his jaw and across his nose, highlighted against his darker skin. She couldn't help herself--a smile came to her features. How could she not recognize her blood brothers, after all? She quickly descended down the stairs, hoping beyond hope that this meant that the group had finally been found, and that her brothers had personally come to meet her.

"Corvus! Roulex!" She cried as she nearly flew down the stairs, her eyes starting to fill with happy tears. "I'm so glad to see you! I've been--" She cut herself off, smile starting to drop as she came near. Something wasn't right, her brothers were still staring ahead with the same vacant expression on their features as when she had first seen them. It was then that she noticed the pool of red at their feet, as well as the dark splotches on the front of their clothes. Her hands shot up to her mouth as she shrieked in horror, her hope and happiness instantly crushed at the sight of her family, now dead before her. 

"C-Cor? Rou?" She asked, her voice trembling and breaking into sobs as she took another step forward. A hand reached out towards her brothers, but she couldn't bring herself to touch their bodies, instead sinking to her knees and sobbing loudly. She couldn't even try to drown out the thoughts drifting into her own head again. 

They told you what would happen if you didn't kill, you stupid girl. What else are you willing to lose? How long until someone decides that you're too big of a threat and decides to off you? Maybe then you'd finally be of some use to the people here. You've already failed the people closest to you, might as well try and do something right.

She curled in on herself, continuing to sob as her own thoughts plagued her more and more. Even with her face buried into her hands, the image of her brothers dead wouldn't leave her mind. She had had the chance to save them and she let them down--

She didn't notice someone behind her until it was too late.

A sudden sharp pain to the back of her head sent the vampire pitching down the next flight of stairs, tumbling down the whole way. Dazed, she landed in a heap. She didn't think anything was broken, but her whole body was now aching....She brought a head up to her head and when she pulled it away, fresh blood covered it. In her stunned state, it took her a few seconds to realize she'd just been attacked, and she looked up the stairs, her expression turning to disbelief once more. 

Hotaru, Zeycan, Airi, a few others. The few people here that Carmilla had come to enjoy the company of while she was here. They were all standing there, seemingly fine with the two bodies near them and the now bloody baseball bat currently held in Hotaru's grip. That wasn't what caught Carmilla's attention most, though--each one of them held a wooden stake, sharpened to a point. Her body aching too much to move, Carmilla could only stare in horror as they advanced.

"Sorry, Castlevania-chan--" "It's nothing personal--" "It'll just be easier to get away with murder with you gone, Ca-chan!"

Some part of her mind screamed that it had to be fake, they wouldn't turn on her like this. It was quickly silenced by the screams coming from her mouth as one after another they pinned down her arms and legs and stabbed her with the wooden stakes multiple times. She saw her own blood coat her assailants--the same shade she claimed to enjoy so much from others. Her attackers seemed to be taking their time, practically enjoying their work as they kept stabbing her torso. With each strike, they seemed to lose definition, the blood obscuring their features as Carmilla's screams died down. She felt so weak, she couldn't fight back anymore....

She wasn't sure how long she laid there after the last hit, until she realized that she wasn't dead. Her friends--well, they could hardly be called so now--seemed to have vanished between her moments of consciousness, and she tried to pull herself into a sitting position. The movement caused immense pain, and when she gasped as a result, she could barely breathe. A quick glance down proved that it hadn't quite been a dream, her shirt torn to ribbons and her front absolutely covered in her own blood. The wounds themselves didn't quite seem to be there, strangely, but she definitely still felt the pain. A look up the stairs told her this nightmare wasn't over yet, though, her brother's corpses still on the bench, though now the bench was angled to let them stare blankly down at her still. 

She heard a door on the floor open, and when she looked down the hall, her assailants were back, fresh stakes in their grips and the same dark expressions on their faces. She immediately understood what was to happen, even if not why--was she finally going insane? Whatever the cause, she struggled to her feet and tried to run, each step sending waves of pain through her body, her breath ragged. This was to be her punishment for failing so spectacularly, then. They'd catch up to her eventually, and they'd kill her, over and over.

And she had thought they were her friends.

[despair-quest]

If You’re Happy and You Know It || Chapter 5 || Motive Drop

As the kingdom seemed to get back to it’s feet, sans it’s coveted leaders to do what they were born for, the kids sighed a breath of relief. It was a well deserved break, after the mistrial, the sheer devastation of losing not one, not two, but three to the ruins beneath their very feet.

While all was still, in the distance, a pleasant, soft song played. A tune so soothing that it relaxed those who heard it.

But, as the day went on, the music grew louder, more distorted, as if the speakers were failing at delivering the lovely sounds. Skips, reversals, even demonic static, all of it warping the once beautiful song to an unrecognisable melody straight from hell.

As it continued on, things started appearing before the kids’ very eyes. Things they would never wish for, things that sent shivers down their very spines, disrupting their souls to the very core. Monsters, loved ones dying in front of their eyes, their worst fears, all of it displayed before them as the song drove them insane.

MOTIVE;

A nice, pleasant song has been turned into a weapon against the kids, forcing them to see their worst fears before their very eyes. If they attempt to touch these hallucinations, they will feel absolutely real. Scent, Touch, Noise, all of it will appear hyper realistic to everyone.

[shslbatty-blog]

Tick Tock

Days after the trial, Carmilla sat in her room, staring at her hands. They were trembling. According to the watch on her wrist, she hadn’t moved from her spot on the edge of her bed in the past thirty minutes. She should've gone to bed some time ago, the sun was streaming into her room...But her mind was screaming at her. She had fully realized and processed what had happened at the trial, but it was only now that the full weight of it was hitting her.

They lied to me, they let someone die because they hated her, they would've let a murderer go free, they defended them, they gave them a way out, they lied to me, they tried to kill me, and they lied for them, to me. They lied to me and then didn't show remorse for it, they didn't vote for the killer they voted for who they wanted to get rid of, what happens next time someone pisses them off, can I trust them, no, they lied to me, it was their fault, their fault, their fault. If they hadn't lied then the case would have been over, if they had told the truth we wouldn't be down another person even she didn't deserve those bugs, the killer might've gone free, they said they didn't know but did they even care, no, no sense of right and wrong just revenge, killer punished but someone else taken too, they lied to me, they lied to me. Especially her, after everything, I told her everything and she lied to me and she accused me of not thinking things through and she fought against me without evidence and she lied to me.

Carmilla raised her shaking hands, burying her face in her palms as she fought back both a scream of frustration as well as tears of the same. Her brain usually got her through so much but now it was on overdrive, incapable of focusing as she tried to hold onto thoughts for more than a few seconds. Her normal mask stoical mask completely shattered now, as she fruitlessly tried to crush the feelings down enough for the more logical parts of her brain to take over. For the first time since arriving, she felt utterly lost. She still wanted to escape, certainly, but now she was unsure if she felt comfortable with the notion of bringing others with her. They had just gotten someone killed because they wouldn't listen to her, after all. If they had just listened--

A scream of frustration started bubbling up despite her best efforts, and she moved her right hand to bite down on the side of it to stop the noise from escaping. She didn't really think that through, though, as sharp fangs quickly pierced the skin of her hand, drawing her own blood from the bite wound. The sudden pain was enough to startle her, though, and her frustrations were forgotten momentarily as she carefully pried her hand free. She lowered her hands to her lap, the stinging wound still bleeding onto her other hand and pants.

I'm no better, am I? I could have fought harder for it. I knew what was right and I still let things turn out the way they did. If I had been more adamant, if I had searched for more clues, I could have helped seal the gremlin's fate. There would have been no extra death, it's my fault, my fault, my fault. I should have had all the answers going into it. I was too preoccupied with the possibility of having to defend my own life that I didn't consider that I might have to defend someone else, or that the others might outnumber me. Not outplayed, not outmatched, outnumbered. I saw through the gremlin's ruse but it didn't matter. The bug girl a few weeks ago hid an entire massive bug from me. I'm slipping, I don't know how much longer I can take this. How long until I'm outplayed entirely?

Her thoughts were coming in more clear now, the pain in her hand a nice grounding spot as she moved to peel off some of the bandages on her arm and cover the wound. With a sigh, she laid back against her bed. She had some decisions to make, and they weren't going to be easy. It was time to decide whether or not she should trust people with her secrets again, and time to decide, more importantly, if she was going to try to handle this alone again, or reach out for help. Either way......it'd need some time....Which was not something she had.

[despair-quest]

Where oh where are my Mascots || Chapter 5 || Freetime START

After Chihue’s unceremonious exit post-trial, he had been seen at all. Not even as everyones watches dinged to life alerting them to their new quests, and the beginning of a new chapter. While some could sigh a breath of relief at not ahving the small ball of floof around, others took the ominous disappearance as what it was. Horrifying.

Who knew what Chihue and the dastardly Bibbit could be planning in the shadows.

On the ‘bright side’ despite the Mascots being nowhere, the NPCs have made re-appearances, all being where they should be as if they hadn’t been gone for as long as they had been.

[despair-quest]

Be Gone! || Chapter 4 END

Unlike how he had handled himself during all previous post-trials, Chihue had sped out of the trial room as soon as he had the chance, tripping over hi tiny feet once, but jumping back to his hind legs faster than most could process. He was in a rush, a dire rush, no one would be able to stop him from leaving as he vanished into the shadows.

The remaining kids’ watches all alerted them to the result. Though, it was rather obvious by the way both Nyakuma and Akemi were ripped from their podiums, and forced down to their likely untimely deaths in the prisons below.

The watches buzzed to life, this time with a screen none of them had seen before, signifying they had lost this round, despite the actual culprit being one of the two sent down. With a loss under their belts, no prizes were given out, only the guilt of having sent an innocent to her death raking over the minds of the remaining few.

[despair-quest]

Checkmate || Chapter 4 Execution

UEYAMA AKEMI HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY, COMMENCING ‘EXECUTION’

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[despair-quest]

Heros Last Stand || Chapter 4 Execution

ABE HITOMU HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY, COMMENCING ‘EXECUTION’

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[despair-quest]

Chapter 4 || Love is a Morbid word || Motive Drop

Longer had gone by since the last motive, however no false hope could be found as the kids went about their business in the kingdom. All silent, growing ever eerier with no sign of life amongst the NPCs or Mascots. To think that anything had happened, perhaps they had all grown bored of the murder game, was out of the question as the kingdom yet still functioned as it had before, simply minus it’s original inhabitants.

The fear and anxiety of the remaining humans was rewarded, finally, as their watches buzzed to life. No essence of hesitation giving them a moment to catch their thoughts, before an obviously miffed Chihue began grumbling over the hologram.

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[kcbayashi-blog]

easy does it | closed for carmilla

@shslbatty

The investigation and trial of the so-called chapters continued to leave Airi more than a little drained, and this one so far had been one of the worst. 

Two things had been unable to leave her mind since she and her classmates had tensely dispersed. The fact that the girl had been completely blind to that wretched bug girl being the killer, and the possibility that everyone in the prison beneath them could be subjected to being.. being eaten by her weird bug. Just thinking about that latter made a wave of anxiety course through her, and for the next few couple of days, it’s back to scrounging for coping strategies. 

Thankfully, however, the “reward” for catching Mikka (she supposed) was access to a variety of new places, and proved to be the help Airi was looking for.

There were lots of places she wanted to visit first, but the one that caught her interest the most was the book shop — Velveteen’s Book Shop, to be exact. Although she was a bit of an airhead socially, she was sharp and quite adept academically; there was joy in learning, for her, and it had come easy for her the past several years. So to have an area with pretty much nothing but books for her to read (and perhaps some peace and quiet) was beyond enticing. 

As soon as she’s caught sight of its location on her map, the small girl flicks off her watch and earnestly makes her way across the kingdom — quite speedy for someone her size — and in just a handful of minutes she’s arrived at the entrance, mildly out of breath and a familiar twinkle in her eyes. Just coming near it made her feel better! That had to be a good sign, right?

Without hesitation she steps inside, carefully shutting the door behind her and looking around afterwards in childlike awe. There were.. lots of books, that’s for sure. Enough that it kind of reminded her of a library, what with its colorful variety among the bookshelves and a faintly musty smell to the place. There didn’t seem to be any tables, but it doesn’t seem to particularly matter to this gal! She beelines to the nearest aisle right by the door, looking this way and that for something that catches her eye.

The sound of the shop door opening once more a short bit later causes her to freeze in place, however, just as she’s standing on tip toe (one leg kind of lifted behind her) and a hand outstretched to reach for a book on a shelf quite above her. She gives a startled noise of surprise, wobbling on one foot and looking under her arm to see who it is.

❝ H- hey! Is someone there?! ❞ she squeaks out, just loud enough to hear and refusing to stand up straight like any other normal person would.  ❝ Um, can you help me out? I’m over here! ❞

[shslbatty-blog]

Carmilla..........needed a place to relax, first and foremost. The trial had left her aggravated, and every time she thought about those insects possibly feasting on the ones who wound up in prison, she started seething in anger in her room. The hot springs were considered for a moment--but Carmilla had reason to avoid those when other people were out and about, so when her eyes caught a better distraction on the map, she wasted little time.

While masses of books weren’t her favorite thing in the world ever, she had certainly spent quite a lot of time reading--especially when she was younger. To no one’s surprise, the queen’s favorite genre of books was fantasy, but she had spent a large chunk of her youth reading into non-fiction as well, especially anything on bats she could find. As an added bonus, she could try and find a way out of this place at the same time!

The book shop seemed...wonderful, really. A bit like a library rather than a store, but honestly, she rather liked it that way. Maybe she’d even get lucky and they’d have books on her favorite subjects! If anyone got killed in this store and messed it up she was going to be pissed.

She was, however, surprised to find that she wasn’t the first one here. She’d assume that at least some people might also head this way, but she was rather sure she would’ve been first. Closing down her umbrella as she stepped into the store and out of sunlight, she called out to the smaller girl, who seemed to be in a bit of a bind. 

“It’s Carmilla, Airi-chan....” she responded, staring for a moment. “You seem to be a bit...well, not stuck, but unwilling to move,” she said as she walked over, her initial surprise giving way to amusement. “Do you need help? The last thing we need is for you to fall and hurt yourself again.”

[despair-quest]

Chapter 4 || Sleeping with the Bugs || Freetime Begin

“ Despite everything, you’ve all survived.

I would congratulate you, but really, you don’t get a gold sticker for surviving. You get a gold sticker for killing. And most of you haven’t done that.

Slackers!! You better do better this chapter! I am beginning to become bored with these pleasant games. “

[despair-quest]

May she rest in Pieces || Chapter 3 END

The kids file out, except for Kaede who had unceremoniously fainted, having to be carried out by a silent, but disgruntled Ernest. Chihue and Bibbit await them, with Chihue taking center stage as he had the previous times.

“ Well, well, well! To believe Sakata had been keeping those bugs a secret all this time!

Except it wasn’t a secret. You’re all just dumb babies that need your hands to be held constantly. “

He derides, allowing none of them the satisfaction of getting a congratulations. Instead, their watches ding to life, alerting them all to the next chapter.

[despair-quest]

Not the Bees! || Chapter 3 || Execution

SAKATA MIKKA HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY; BEGINNING ‘EXECUTION’

tw bugs, insects, bees

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[shslbatty-blog]

All for one, and one for... || Chapter 3 || Cecile

[ultimatesabreuse-blog]

shslbatty:

…Ah. So the swordswoman was still caught on that unpleasant little detail. Admittedly, Carmilla supposed, she shouldn’t have let her escapism get that far, but actions taken when one is suffering from shock and mental trauma are highly logical in nature. Still, given that that someone else had murdered Honeya, she really thought that the subject would’ve dropped out of people’s minds by this point. Hopefully Cecile wouldn’t learn that she bit Choju as well. She didn’t really want to find out if a sabre was close enough to a stake to the heart.

“You got me, I have the largest hunger for the ancient dead and forgotten that the world’s ever seen,” Carmilla replied dryly. “I really don’t know why you’re still on about that. It was just a bit of blood, and if memory serves, I was fully willing to cooperate and give the three of you the information I had gained while getting nothing in return–and while we’re on the subject, both crime scenes we’ve seen so far have lost entire limbs–clearly I’m not the only one ‘defiling’ the dead, here,” she said, being very careful to not directly saying Choju’s name.

“As for what I’m actually doing here, I am looking for any clues or avenues we could take to escape. I don’t know about you or the others, but I don’t intend to stay here until our captors get bored, and we’re not going to get any closer to escape just by standing around. So, since this is a new area, this is where I’m looking, for now,” she said, giving Cecile a pointed look. 

“Hmph.” The mention of the missing limbs doesn’t seem to act as the deterrent Carmilla had intended it to, Cecile only bristling more while simultaneously looking perplexed. “I had been assuming you were responsible for that as well. Saving them for a snack in the night or something of the sort.”

After a few more moments of scrutinizing, she loosens her shoulders a minute amount, though. “You are correct, though, you did cooperate. And you did not actually kill them, thus, I have no reason to exact revenge on you. Yet.” Despite these words, it seems that Cecile isn’t quite to the point where she wants to treat Carmilla with anything more than her typical iciness. Still, baby steps.

“Hm. Yes, that is seeming logical. I have found nothing thus far in any location that would indicate a way out, however. I feel they would not be so careless as to leave one. I am supposing it cannot hurt to look, though.” She peers at one of the exhibits for a moment before glancing cautiously over at Carmilla again. “You have not found anything, have you? In other areas.”

[shslbatty-blog]

Carmilla just................stared for a minute. “You realize I was after the blood, yes? Not the meat? Even if I were the person to take the arm, all the blood would’ve spilled from the limb within minutes at the most,” she said after a moment. She didn’t really get why so many people thought she wanted someone’s limbs. First Maya, and now Cecile.

“I’ve.....not found anything of note quite yet, no,” she finally admitted, a frown on her features. “Should I expect you to be as cautious with any information on the subject as you were during the investigation? Or are you willing to cooperate this time? As for the murders themselves, of course I didn’t kill anyone. I’m not so foolish that I would put someone else’s life above my own not only once to kill, but then again to save my own skin. I have far more self control over myself than that. Niji and Maya were fools and cowards besides, and the two they took from this life deserved better,” she said with a frown. 

[despair-quest]

Caution Wet Floor || Chapter 3 || Death

All despite the now six deaths that have happened since the start of such a morbid game, the students seemed to continue on their daily lives in BeroBero Kingdom. With the addition of two water based area’s there was bound to be plenty of fun had held in the kingdom.

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[despair-quest]

Chapter 3 || Freedom!? || Motive Drop

To say the castle’s inhabitants were rowdy was an understatement. After the catastrophe that was Maggie’s 6th Birthday, the Herbivore’s has distanced themselves from the heroes, mostly refusing to speak to all of those who had ruined the youngest Bunny’s big day.

The Park was still an absolute mess, no one bothering to of cleaned it up, cake and food all rotting out in the ‘sun’, tables flipped, and popped balloons littering the grass.

All repercussions of Maggie’s birthday were noted by the Mascots, who decided to call the kids together once again, the watches buzzing to life with a familiar message. Nearly a carbon copy of the last one sent to summon them all.

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