Private - The Werewolves of Caylus Plains | Page 2

Night time had come and gone not that Megan had noticed as she cozily slept in her wooden hut. Fully refreshed a barely audible whisper awoke her, the owner of who she did not yet know. Despite these unusual circumstances, or perhaps because of them, Megan was filled with terror, forcing her out of her sleeping chambers and into the street where she met the ghastly sight of Verity's death.

It took Megan a surprising amount of time to recover from the sight (not to mention a few trips beside her house to dry heave), but eventually, she managed to regain a cool head. "This..." she said ominously pointing to the large claw markings on the door, "Was clearly done by a werewolf..." She let the statement sit in the air before turning an inquisitive gaze upon the rest of those who had gathered before adding, "Which... is likely one of you...." She then frowned before scratching her head, "I uhm... have no idea who though...my magic isn't really helpful for these circumstances.. if only I had invested in truth magic.... fu fu fu... this mystery would end instantly."

 

She had slunk back to her cabin as the sun had set with the others, only a few had spoken of electing a leader and she'd be struck silent when Harveste and Corvella vouched for her. She'd have argued but... for all that there was a gallows, she could feel the guillotine hanging over all their heads. Hard choices would have to be made. She could shoulder that burden. She could make the tough choice so that others wouldn't have to. So she didn't sleep well? It was necessary. Gwyn wouldn't let others break under the weight that she could carry.

When she woke, it settled in with certainty. Someone was dead and the grasp of the baleful white glow of her eyes was fleeting. The fog and the blood and the swinging of the rope and the not-quite-right of this place pulled her sharpened senses away from her. There was nothing more to learn past the voice of the huntress in her mind. Wolf. Werewolf. A beast, all the same. A monster.

"I agree. Not even my war hounds are capable of this kind of mauling. And the marks from the fangs, the gouges, they seem too deep and too wide for a standard wolf. A dire wolf makes sense. A werewolf makes more sense." That didn't seem right, but it fit like a corner in a puzzle piece. It was correct. She closed her eyes against the bloody mess and stood straight.

"Whoever did this, own up to it if you were of sound enough mind to know it." Her voice wavered some, but her eyes and her posture did not. She longed for her bow. If she glanced toward the Caenis for a moment... well.

 

Normally, Savannah was perfectly okay with mature elements in videogames. They were just pixels and code and the blood was really good graphics and nothing else. She wasn’t sure why the sight of the dead and mauled body upset her the way it did. She could feel the bile rising in her throat, but reflexive swallowing managed to keep it at bay. Silver eyes glanced around at the others in the room before she shook her head. I was sleeping, she explained, trying to clear herself of blame. Who…who has the most to gain with Verity being dead?​

 

Okay.....

A foggy memory, a foggy village, a bunch of people she may or may not know, a....a rope like something out of hangman... but probably not for fun... and now. Okay maybe Wendy should head back to that cabin, close her eyes and wake up back in her bedroom again. Flashbacks of bodies being torn apart in war and horrible aceh in her heart made her grimace. This was beyond mean. It was like they enjoyed it!

Werewolves....

Gee whiz, now she was hearing things in her head too! Wendy was not too into horror stories! Vampires, werewolves... mummies! Her preferred 'monsters' were akin to Pokemon! Gotta catch em all and pet em and feed em! They were nice monsters! Wendy looked to the lady that was picked to be leader. Gwyn would figure it out she was sure. No one was going to be hurt anymore right? They weren't going to actually kill anyone? That would make it worse! She looked at @Ueno Mizuki with a look for fright. She was kind of wolf like with those eyes and ears. Was she the monster? No way! Wendy shook her head and nodded with conviction that everyone here was not at fault! Weird feelings and voices in her head would not dissuade her trust in others!

"We should maybe try to g-g-g-g-get out of here.... You know get a-a-a-away from whatever's doing this. I don't think it's one of us. It can't be! People can't become monsters like that really right? Seriously guys!"

The worst part that really was freaking out Wendy the most? A lingering feeling that things were much more twisted here than she could imagine. That somehow, even she was a lie in this place. She really wanted to wake up...

Now please.

 

Gwyn bit at the inside of her mouth, an old habit she broke and returned to as often as the tides changed. She reached out to offer a steadying hand to Magi, a gentle touch easy to push into or to shrug off on her shoulder. "People are often worse than monsters, but in this case. There's no other option. There's both here with us. All we do know is, well, who we know. Which begs the question..." With that, she looked between the pink archer, the naturamancer, and the tank she did know well enough.

"@Magi Heart do you remember what I found you looking for? @Harveste what mesmerized me in our quest together? And @Corvella which Sister?" She asked each in turn, watching carefully for any oddities. It would make it so much easier if there were doppelgangers or some kind of imposter in their midst. Gwyn already knew they'd answer. They'd be who they were. There was a chance, though, that they weren't, however in vain.

She didn't want to hang those she knew. She certainly didn't want to be eviscerated by any of them either.

 

Waking up Mizuki was somewhat surprised that she had actually slept quite well. She'd thought that in this strange scenario she'd have difficulty falling asleep, since her instincts told her that this place was dangerous, but instead she had fallen asleep quite easily, although she hadn't slept so long because she'd spent some time staying on guard in case she managed to catch someone moving around at night.

However the rested feeling disappeared quite quickly when she followed the others to Verity's house, where the man's body lay in a gruesome manner. Mizuki got the feeling that she should have been disgusted, but considering what she had seen during the war (and done afterwards) blood and gore wasn't affecting her as much as she'd have expected. Well, once you went so far as to hold a tribal ritual to honour a fallen enemy you probably had to get used to messy stuff.

The issue right now wasn't anything like the blood and gore making her queasy. The issue lay with the fact that Verity had clearly been killed by a beast-like creature... And even more unfortunately, Mizuki seemed to be the only one here who had as her main weapons the iron claws that tipped her gloves. She didn't think she could inflict such large wounds with them, but she wouldn't be surprised if this caused everyone to be very suspicious of her. The mention of a werewolf only made matters worse, since Mizuki was the only Caenis here and that, in combination with her choice of weapons, meant she was the most likely suspect... At least, if one looked at the modus operandi. She saw how some of the others were looking at her.

"I only became a Caenis recently but I'd be very surprised if being a Caenis came with turning into a bloodthirsty monster at night and not remembering it." She shook her head, moving closer to the corpse and kneeling next to it. "I don't have a habit of randomly attacking people either, so unless my change of race included some nasty surprises it wasn't me." She stood back up and looked back at the others. "Of course I can't prove it, since even the smell here is foreign. It looks like turning into a werewolf does a pretty good job of hiding your true identity." She frowned, looking at her clawed gloves. "What I will say is that a werewolf would have claws and fangs anyway, so just because those were used for the murder doesn't mean I'm the only option. Anyone who turns into a werewolf would have those weapons... at hand, as it were." Maybe a bit of a tasteless joke but the opportunity was too good to resist.

 

The tall lady placed a hand on Wendy's shoulder. It was so warm... she couldn't be a monster! The tension and suspicion in the group was obvious to the girl though. She immediately felt horrible for even thinking the wolf girl could have been a actual werewolf. This was a game Wendy remembered. Everyone was playing roles.

"I don't know what's going on. I just want everyone to not hurt one another!"

Wendy looked towards the ground for a second in worry but when she was called Magi Heart she immediately remembered! That was her name, right! Why was that so hard? Then came a question that made her have to put a finger to her chin in thought over. She had seen this lady before! Where....?

"I remember falling in a pit and then... I think I was looking for a reason. A sta-... WAIT!'

Magi shuddered and wrapped her arms around the woman with her eyes tearing up. She remembered being stabbed by someone it hurt so bad... it was so hard to keep clear. Her hand went to her chest and she felt a throbbing pain she did not feel before. Wowzers she was in a one heck of a situation here!

"I-I... I can't remember anything else. I don't get it either...."

Magi was pretty unaware of just how suspicious this likely made her in exchange...

 

She wandered out a cabin door with a yawn, her legs a bit wobbly to show she wasn't quite 'awake' by any means. A flower in her hand with a strong odor helped her try to keep her eyes open, teaching her the true power of the olfactory nerves.

"What's everyone so...?"

Something was off. And, when she got to peek into the house of the man she didn't know, seeing the blood on the walls, she felt herself trembling stronger. The fear was eating her alive.

Without hesitation, she hugged onto @Gwyn ap Herne, the one person here she knew well. The captain. The one who could make things make sense.

"You were mesmerized by a will-o-wisp. That's what you're talking about, right?" She looked around in idle confusion. Why was that topic coming up, anyway? "But why are you asking about a will-o-wisp? Do you think someone was controlled by one when this happened...? But this scene... It's not human. If I could, I'd use my possession spell to possess and find out who the wolf is but... I can't possess humans, only animals. Werewolves are a bit... out of range..."

 

"I don't know what there is to gain from killing anyone here. I met him once climbing for a quest, but he doesn- didn't seem the type to make enemies. Plus, this is all still just a game." It was the only answer she had for @Savannah Reed. She nodded to herself as if for a moment she didn't believe her own words before moving on. There was no throb in her hip. This certainly wasn't back home, it had to be the game still. The huntress eyed @Ueno Mizuki as she spoke, took in her claws and her words and balanced them in her mind.

What else was she to believe? That someone as small and delicate as either of the girls now clinging to her sides was the killer over a literal wolf person? It wasn't fair. In fact, it was bordering on racism? Fantasy racism? Like with Falderen and the elves. But at the same time... What else was there for them? Even if Magi's response was odd... she remembered the pit. That was enough for her.

They all heard the quiet voice in the back of their minds. Someone died in the night. Now someone had to die in the day as penance. Hopefully, it'd be the right one.

"No, no, I don't think anyone's controlled by a wisp. I just... want to be sure none of you aren't. Well, aren't yourselves." She leveled calmly back at @Harveste as her own panicked line of talk finally trickled to a halt. "And I don't think your powers will work here anyway. Everything feels off. Distant." She didn't feel the cool gaze of Nathair's burning eyes in the back of her mind. Didn't feel the still new slide of Krait's curiosity under her own. She couldn't feel the hounds and their caution or their bloodlust that warred with one another. Gwyn wished they were here with an ache between her ribs. Her fingers knotted a little tighter in the back of the tiny Faerin's shirt.

"We don't have a choice. We find the killer before nightfall, or they admit to it themselves. This isn't a negotiation. It's a death sentence for a rabid animal."

 

"It isn't your fault you didn't invest in that type of magic. No one expects to be involved in a murder investigation," she commented in response to @Megan Tritor's spoken thoughts. Truthfully, Comet wished she were one to find fun in the mystery or the hunt. However the situation - not being in control - raised her anxieties to new heights. Limbs trembled with obvious sentiment towards the horror. She didn't know Verity, therefore she could care less and felt grateful for being alive herself, but putting on a face of concern seemed most important regarding everyone else's immense worry.

"No one's going to own up to it. They'll keep killing until they're satisfied. That's how things usually work," she let go of Corvella, albeit being hestitant towards the actions, to stand next to @Gwyn ap Herne. The only person to be trusted here happened to be the blonde in shining armor. Otherwise, Comet remained wary behind her persona for the fear ran rapid through her soil. "If Verity was a kind person then it could be out of anger or lust?" she paused, tapping her bottom lip that curled downwards, before sighting deeply. She desired the ability to do something but felt completely hopeless within. Clearly things were luck of the draw around here. "Anyways, we should focus on keeping watch and protecting one another more since there are no more clues. At least ones we're capable of finding out by the looks of it. Especially since finding a killer isn't as easy as pointing fingers and expecting answers. We all woke up here, right? Let's not go and turn against each other so fast. Our kidnapper, or whoever got us here, probably had that in mind. Haven't any of you ever seen movies like this?"

 

Seigi took a few steps back upon the late discovery as she arrived fashionable, like any good hero, late. This was... horrible. Simply... horrible. It had been strange enough that Seigi went to sleep inside a dream but now this person, that she actually knew, butchered like that? Was this... a nightmare? A living Nightmare that the girl had no control over? Or... maybe... did she want this?

She remembered her encounter with Verity. He wanted to be her teacher-person but, for the girl's taste, lacking in spirit. In soul. So maybe his death was deserved? The beast that was responsible for it. The voice that whispered that devil's name. Maybe, deep within herself, the kung-fu girl wanted to see h- No. Never. This had to be a Nightmare.A trial. These people... around here, part of it. Sure, it was lucid as hell, but that didn't mean she had any control over it.

Did it mean she had to play by the dreams rules? Not go full Guts and Effort? Couldn't she just suggest all of them sleeping in a single room? But... why? Under normal circumstances, Seigi would have no problems to screw the rules and do things her way but the same, sinister, presence that made her aware of a werewolf presence was suppressing enough for Seigi to turn docile for now. This was depressing. Very, very depressing.

 

Alkaid wanted to puke. The house. The entire interior covered.

She simply walked away from the group for awhile. No judging. No calls for justice.

Worse was the thought that someone may have recollection of doing such a thing. Already, she thought thoughts that she didn't think she would on her own. And the very concept of remembering such butchery was something she prayed no game designer enforced. She knew of such concepts, such as a patient not able to remember waking up after a surgery. It brought to mind a question she'd once been asked. Where if she could choose whether or not she would endure painful surgery to reconstruct her body into her own image, provided she didn't remember it afterward. For, after all, if she didn't remember it, it wasn't really like it happened to her, did it?

At that time, she'd answered yes. But even not knowing the nature of the event, Alkaid couldn't help but think she'd say no. At one point, this was just a game, up until the game started messing with your head. Really, Alkaid couldn't even rationalize how one technologically did such a thing. Then again, how much of this could be rationalized, anyway?

Regardless, she decided to return once she'd cooled off a bit, quickly grasping where the conversation had gone from @Comet's words alone. She finally remembered the girl from when she drinking, although that relationship was hardly one for Alkaid to trust her, nor vice versa. "I've actually played games with this kind of thing before. But whoever would turn a simple party or web game into one in virtual reality would be sick."

After a deep breath, she then continued. "In most of these games there may be even roles like a serial killer, or someone with invincibility. They were usually a good way to see what kind of people your friends were, even if It did suck when you were killed on the first round." A ghost of a smile formed on her visage, only to quickly fade away. She looked back to the house. "But like everything with this game, I haven't seen any clear indicator of roles. No list. Nothing. Yet even knowing the rules would help a bit..."

 

Corvella could not stare into the house any longer, everything was a mess and she really hoped to get it out from her mind. "Work of... a werewolf?" she muttered. She had never predicted something like this could happen, but everything is so weird here. It does not feel like Terrasphere anymore, it's something more familiar to her. The thought of a werewolf, maybe werewolves among them splits her mind. But judgement must be passed, the personal feelings that she had for the others must be not taken into the account.

Gwyn was verifying if everyone were what they claim to be, to no avail. "The northern sister." Corvella remembered. It wouldn't make sense if this killing was with a personal motive; rather it was more like a short-sighted goal. Someone has the goal to hunt them all. "Either the werewolf or werewolves are not aware at all" she continued "or fully aware that they are hunting us, one by one. It might be alike to that 'game' you mentioned." she agreed with @Alkaid Zexis.

She looked hesitant for a while, before claiming "I wanted to trust all of you, really. But the noose is calling for judgement."

 

"Then we have no choice. Put it to a vote. Staying silent won't save you from someone getting killed and it certainly won't save you from a werewolf killing you. Pick your poison and hope we all survive the choice... or I'll have to do it alone." She hated, with a bone-deep ache, Corvella and Harveste for vouching for her and putting her in such a position. It would be easier this way though. She could be the gavel, the guillotine, should no one else speak up.

If Gwyn could save anyone more suffering than those few seconds before the column of the neck snapped under the weight of the body and the unyielding noose? So be it.