Private - The Werewolves of Caylus Plains | Page 5

It had taken her a long time to fall asleep, staring at the ceiling with dry eyes and a drier throat, choked up with a guilt that shouldn't have bothered being there. It was a game in a game and they'd all be fine, those dead by teeth and those dead by rope. It shouldn't be a weight on her chest and she shouldn't fear for those she knew. She should've been afraid for the others too, but...

Sleep had eventually claimed her. Either her emotional exhaustion claimed her or the foul game that had them trapped in the village demanded it so. If she were awake, after all, she could fight. Likewise, she didn't wake before the sunrise like normal. No early rising here. Give monsters their time to slink back or whatever function to work its magic on poor, poor Magi.

She left the cabin and had stood a step past the threshold, eyes on the empty rope, before the sounds of conversation finally forced her hand.

"We're here because they are- or it is. I don't know if this... place will make it obvious when we catch a werewolf or not. Either Magi was one and more wolves remain. Or-" she paused and waved a hand sharply. It didn't need saying. Or Magi wasn't one and one or more remained hidden there with them. It should be clear enough to all.

"Which means we have a choice. Hang another or try what others suggested the first day before someone decided it was a fool's errand to bother with." The huntress was tired of picking poisons.

Thrown die:

67

+30 Mastered Hunting​

 

"I don't think it's a special selection. Werewolves kill to kill when they're hungry or feel like it, right? We're a huge buffet for now until some clues are revealed." she frowned and decided to move next to @Magdalyn for comfort of a familiar and trustworthy face.

"Second option?" Comet suggested while turning her body towards @Gwyn ap Herne. "We've got nothing else to do around here but point fingers, anyways. Anyone with the skills should take a look around - and I know I have them." her blue eyes sharpened and scanned the surroundings. What little they did the first day was unsettling. But, at least things weren't hurting her. However they weren't helping either. Without much to do but argue who to lynch next Comet found herself both bored and that meant being stuck with intrusive, hurtful thoughts whereas she usually could escape these by being occupied. This gave her a chance to take action that didn't involve plotting who to kill next or how to save her own ass in the meantime if things went south.

Thrown die:

62

+15 Proficient Hunting​

 

Two of the others had scanned the clearing just the same, looking for whatever clues they'd seek for whatever questions they had to ask. It should be surprising 'who is a werewolf?' wasn't necessarily the only one nagging at their heels. She caught the gleam of glass and moved to it. The others must have seen it too, surely? It wasn't particularly well hidden save by a bit of dirt and fog. Then again, Mastered Hunting did wonders for the senses. She whistled a sharp note to catch their attentions.

Gwyn had the impulse to snatch up the little vial or lean closer for a better look, but she imagined others might throw a fit if she went a disturbed 'evidence' at the scene of surprisingly few crimes so far. She'd wait for the rest who cared to follow suit. All she could tell was that were was no trace of whatever potion it had contained or marks or tracks to say who it belonged to. Useless. There wasn't anything else that could have been in it though... and the matter of the potion would remain a mystery like everything else present anyway. It was simply too small for a bottle for a drink, too small a bottle for ingredients of any sort. But it meant some people had their items? Or that the game had given them things?

"Looks like the wolf isn't the only one playing with an advantage," she said flatly. "Anyone want to share with the class?" Her sharp eyes cut across the group. "All our lives are in fucking danger and people are off keeping secrets. Grand. Feels like being back in Astorea already." She faked a gag, but didn't have the energy to keep up the complaining. It didn't soothe her enough to be worth it. The blonde sighed and forced herself to relax, dragging a slow hand through her hair. She was already so tired, so exhausted, almost ready to throw her neck into teeth.

This game had a gift for taking and taking and taking and taking.

 

It felt strange to rise as the sun would in the east of the cabin she'd slept in. Not one to normally spend days on end in the game- actually, had she? Her mind was a bit blurred. Sighing, she shrugged it off and wandered outside instead of letting herself continue the contemplation.

Somehow or another, it looked like no one else had died that night. She was just glad, herself, to be alive.

As people began to wander towards the lynching site, it was the sight of familiar faces and the familiar place that finally left her gut wrenching lightly. "Why... are we still here? Normally when you finish, you'd be done here, wouldn't you...? Are we really not done...?"

It made her wonder, really. Had they killed a villager like themselves? Actually, were they villagers at all? Harveste, unsure, felt her lips tug downward.

"For all we know she was the jester, if this plays by Salem rules..." It wasn't really certain if they were winning or losing, she realized. "What do we do...? We're still stuck here. Does that mean more people have to die...? Or... Is this going to be a conclusion story from sheer luck...?"

It was then that she noticed the whistle. It harmed her ears, reminding her she hadn't taken her medicine due to not logging off. Damn! My actual senses are blending in too much again. She cursed under her breath, wandering closer to @Gwyn ap Herne with a grimace. "What... is that? It smells... Actually I can't say what it smells like. It's nothing like any alchemy I've seen people do, and it doesn't quite smell like any flowers I've grown yet... But somehow, I feel scared from it... I-Is it dangerous? Is it something bad?"

 

"Fu~ Fu~ Fu~" Megan cackled as she rolled back and forth on the balls of her feet clearly enjoying the investigation. "What's the matter, Gwyn? You look like a meal has slipped between your teeth." Megan laughed into her hand once more, turning her gaze on the archer, "It's truly tragic, I can't tell if you really are the killer anymore, or if you're just -really- bad at this killing game." With a sudden shift of emotions, she dropped the playful tone, and switched to a more serious one, "Of course, that could be your play all along, no? Pretend to be out of your depth, and kill us while we sleep?"

Megan waited a long moment tapping a finger against her lip before turning to Comet "That could be actually true, that the werewolf isn't even aware of its actions at night....except... if that were the case, it'd be slaughtering at random, then the likelihood of last nights events having occurred like they did would be low." With a shrug, she held her hand up, "Due to -gwyn's- request that we reveal any potential 'extra' abilities we have, I suggest we take a vote. Either A, we all reveal our true roles or B, we keep them secret. Naturally, I will vote against revealing the special abilities. Afterall....someone will probably just lie."

Votes participants not to reveal abilities

 

The night had lasted far longer than was possible. Tossing and turning, Magdalyn had found herself constantly checking the door, the windows, the dark corners of the room. Anxiety had remained a heavy weight on her chest, keeping the slow, steady rhythm of sleep from finding her. The few moments she had managed to secure had been haunted with shadowy dreams. Though the specifics had fled within seconds of regaining consciousness, the sense of unease that came from the dreams only added to her heightened senses. A few more nights like this, and Mags worried that she would not be able to function at all.

Recognizing that sleep would continue to evade her, Mags had slipped from her cabin in the early hours of morning, just as dawn painted the horizon a pastel pink. It was ironic, somehow, that such a beautiful site could be the setting for such horror. However, as she approached the growing collection of other players, and did a quick headcount, relief blossomed within her. The sensation was a as warm as the rising sun, and she nearly surrendered to the smile that tugged at her lips. Then why did the conversation continue as if further choices had to be made?

It was Harveste's words that shattered Magdalyn's budding relief. True, she thought to herself, with no shortage of disappointment. If they had won, why did they remain trapped within the game? Were there more killers to be dealt with? More rules to this game? Or had they failed in their mission, and the werewolf had merely taken the evening off?

As Comet stood nearest to her, and the woman was among the few she knew and trusted, Mags directed the query toward her. "Do you think maybe the werewolf didn't kill last night to make us think we've won?" Shaking her head, she spread her hands helplessly. "I've never played any games like this, so I don't know what strategy goes into it. Is revealing our abilities a good idea? I mean, couldn't people lie about it? The werewolf isn't going to admit who they are."

@Harveste @Comet

 

Mizuki raised a hand to massage her forehead as she tried to think of the next step. Since they were still trapped here it either meant that this place did NOT function like the werewolf game (not too surprising since while there were strong similarities it could also just be coincidence) and the whole system required another way to get out (or there wasn't one and they were just doomed to kill each other until they'd all escaped the situation through dying) or there were still killers on the loose. She was inclined to think the latter, if only because Magi's corpse had disappeared which meant that someone had been awake and active during the night. Well, that or Terrasphere itself had removed the corpse as Magi respawned outside of the game. Actually, that was very likely... Why did she still feel uneasy about it?

"It feels like my mind is clouded..." She growled, her fur bristling in irritation as her ears went flat against her skull and her tail rose up to signal her displeased disposition. As she glanced around she noticed a disturbed patch of ground, but before she could speak up two others already beat her to the punch. That's what she got for wasting time trying to think about questions she couldn't answer anyway with what limited information she had. She moved closer to @Gwyn ap Herne, studying the empty bottle and then crouching to sniff at it. "Some kind of bottle... and there was something in it, but I don't know what." She looked back up at Gwyn. "Whatever was in there it doesn't smell like anything I've smelled before, and more importantly it doesn't smell like anyone who's here." The conversation yesterday had given Mizuki plenty of opportunity to get a sniff of everyone's scent. "I'd guess that some of them are hiding things because they don't want to attract attention. As for the idea that werewolves eat when they're hungry and that there's no pattern to it..." She frowned as she tried to find a way to phrase her thoughts. "Do we know enough about werewolves to be certain about that?" She didn't want to sound accusing but it was her foremost thought on the subject.

"Personally if I was given any powers or items I've yet to be informed." She stood up and looked back at the Faerin with the purple hair... and promptly groaned as @Harveste mentioned the possibility of a Jester. "Oh for the love of... I really hope that's not part of this." She hated the Jester. more accurately, she hated the role of Jester. The fact that there was a role which actually sought to be hanged immediately threw the entire game into chaos, as you could no longer trust anyone no matter what they said, unless backed by evidence.

 

"That small bottle... Uh, maybe it's the reason why the werewolf did not attack? Some kind of wolf repellent? Werewolf cure?" Corvella named the things that's on the top of her head after looking closer at the bottle held by @Gwyn ap Herne. "Wait, you can differentiate our smells?" she asked @Ueno Mizuki. Still, it's strange that they can still find the bottle with investigation senses, while this game does not it abide to Terrasphere rules at all. Does everybody else have something up their sleeves like this?

She wanted to know, but as Megan pointed out, some of them will outright lie. It's no use. "We can't rule the possibility of someone else moving alongside with the werewolves or even against them in the night, though." If only this was like crime drama where the culprit always leave clues with their complicated plan, but this one was a quick and efficient.

 

@Megan Tritor's point caught her off guard and her expression fell into a scowl as the girl spoke. They could help each other if they knew, team up and double check one another, but... they'd paint a target on their backs. Whether they lied or not. "No, that's a good idea. Unless someone has the ability to outright win this and send us home, don't bother. People could lie and others call them out for it by being the same- role was it? But it's not worth the risk to people... even if we're already all in danger in the first place. We'd just be a bunch of confusing targets for killing." She dragged both hands over her face. "Headache and a half, I swear."

She considered defending herself further, but it wasn't worth it. Letting Megan egg her on was falling into a pointless trap of derailment and petty attempts to incite- what exactly? Violence? Already enough of that to go around. She let it go and refused to spare the girl the attention she craved. The witchling could find her spotlight elsewhere.

Gwyn perked up as @Corvella spoke and managed a wry smile. "If the Felis have feline reflexes then it stands to reason that Caenis to have canine senses." She shrugged idly with a casual glance towards @Ueno Mizuki. "Not to mention those of us with well-trained Hunting have sharper senses too. Pro tip, avoid confined places with people prone to sweating if you do. God awful." She screwed up her nose at the memory of one too many quests in close company with another person. It didn't take much to cover lighter smells or anything incredibly keen at hiding itself, but the musky scent- alright, she'd faked a gag earlier but now she really was getting queasy.

"As for the wolf, wolves, and other assorted bad guys... uh, is that a thing? More dangers than just B movie monsters? And the absolute fuck is a Jester? Well, not an actual jester. I know the king's fool thing- Nevermind. Ignorance is bliss." She spared a momentary thought for Kyupin and was immeasurably glad she wasn't present. Not only would the Felis be in danger, but Gwyn would be in even more danger. Which was scarier? Werewolves or Kyupin hearing her cuss more? Small mercies. With that, she moved to a nearby cottage and sat on the stairs to watch the circus progress.

 

"I said I don't recognize the scent, so I can't tell you what might have been inside. For all I know it caused the mist or something." Mist in a bottle sounded like something you'd encounter in a world with magic. "Werewolf cure sounds unlikely though. Even if such a thing existed it'd be strange for it to be used last night and the bottle hidden here. The werewolf suddenly feels remorse? That'd be a surprise."

When her sense of smell was questioned Mizuki opened her mouth, but @Gwyn ap Herne forestalled her. The Caenis nodded in affirmation. "Humans focus a lot on their eyes, but the Hunting mastery enhances the senses you're using to try to find something, so as a Hunting Caenis I've got a very good nose." She nodded again as Gwyn gave a warning regarding being too close to smelly people. It was one of the more noticeable downsides of her newfound enhanced senses, although Mizuki hadn't been a Caenis for long enough yet to have had too many opportunities to have to endure that.

"I know a little about the game, but I think that usually the only real dangers are the werewolves... There's a version of the game where there's a mafia but that's more instead of werewolves rather than in addition to." Mizuki mostly knew about the game from reading up on it, having had only few opportunities to play it herself. "Jester is one of the worst things in the game. Whoever made up the rules decided it would be a good idea to add a role which has the very specific condition that they want to get voted to the noose. The Jester is a wild card who wins if they get lynched, and everyone else loses by default if that happens." Mizuki grimaced. "They ONLY win if they get lynched, so Jesters can pull a lot of stunts to try and get themselves hanged. Worst, the fact that there's a role that WANTS to get lynched means you can't even catch one of the killers by a slip of the tongue because it could just as easily be a Jester 'accidentally' saying something that incriminates them. And killers can act like Jesters to avoid being lynched. I haven't played the game often but the very idea is headache inducing."

 

"No one has acted like a Jester yet maybe other than Megan but she's just more blunt than we are, I'm assuming," Comet mentally rolled her eyes in reaction to all this game analysis and trying to guess roles. They weren't getting anywhere discussing things that they couldn't find out alone so she'd mostly kept quiet unless prompted. She nodded towards @Gwyn ap Herne with a hint of a smile forming on her face. "Duly noted," she imagined the sharp senses face with more unpleasant smells and nearly cringed. Being a Hunter had it's own thrills and satisfactions - clearly coming with drawbacks like so.

"I think they didn't kill but it makes us more nervous. And we start questioning and over-thinking - get a little more scared than we admit, even. The risk factor as we begin to realize what's going on could be a problem for the killer as well. Who knows and who cares. They obviously aren't done or we'd be going home with golden medals," she replied to @Magdalyn with a tone far more gentle than she'd use with anyone else. It felt an obligation to do so with a good friend during such an uncomfortable situation. "Reveal your "special abilities" or don't. I'd believe you, Mags, but not anyone else around here."

 

Seigi had been blind. The voices, this place, had messed with her mind. Successfully. Thinking that killing someone and following the rules was the way to go.

Her punishment? The life of a friend. It only made sense, no? Wendy was Raina's best friend. It wasn't hard to connect the dots considering one of Wendy's favourite drawings of her Magical self looked exactly like Magi Heart.

Now, it was simply too late. All Seigi could do was stand in complete silence and stare a hole in the dangling body. At least, until it became evening, at which the girl parted ways from Wendy's body with a hug, getting onto the same height with the provided stool.

Yes, Raina was aware that this was just her dream. But losing her closest friend just like that hurt nonetheless.

On the dawn of the next morning, Seigi expected more blood. Instead, everything seemed alright? Or should have been, except, the corpse was gone! But... no, it was probably for the best. Besties or not. Seigi had betrayed her ideals already once, she wouldn't do it twice. Seigi had to continue moving forward, for the living, or she'd just be a walking corpse herself.

Curiously eyeing the potion that the others discovered, Seigi listened in. "You're all Fools!" Was all, she added "Don't just go ahead and think alongside some sort of silly game rules or whatever! Living comfortably with your self-established boundaries you set up? Caged, like a bird that lost its ability to fly? For being supposed to be all-smarty-pants you're doing a hell of a bad job in not thinking outside the box!" Seigi was actually legitimately mad.

"We're talking about lives here! You may just be my imaginary dream-buddies and ultimately, this isn't real anyway. But even so, it's the thought that counts. Being okay with killing someone? Well, now my best friend is dead, see where that brought us?! Nowhere." It was true that nobody had died last night but surely Wendy wasn't a werewolf! She was pure, innocent and awesome!

There was something Seigi needed to correct, however. Getting closer to @Megan Tritor, the girl made sure to get her attention. "Witchy Girl! I won't apologize for what I said, or did, yesterday. As that would mean I'd regret my decisions..." And Seigi swore to never regret anything she'd do. "But I believe you are innocent. Why? Because I know. I AM the protagonist, after all." Didn't they just talk about having special abilities or something anyways? But, it was her dream! Clearly, if anyone had to have a special power, it had to be Seigi! "THAT said. Yesterday you mentioned Harveste being a potential baddie, right? That was my other, other, reason for being suspicious. Because Harveste is innocent for the same reason you are." Gwyn on the other hand, though? ... But Seigi was done voting to kill someone. If a Werewolf were to come at her, she'd just punch it to death!

 

"I'm grateful for that," Magdalyn replied, and meant it. "I just wish I knew a few more people. I've only met you and Harveste, and I feel like I'm falling behind because of it."

As she glanced at the faces of those still gathered, something rolled in the pit of her stomach. It was a game, sure, but she did not know the rules. That mere fact alone made her feel vulnerable, and it put her at a disadvantage. On the other hand, perhaps being in the dark was a benefit. There was no telling what spin Terrasphere might have put on the event. Maybe those who played the game as they had before, by rules they merely assumed were true, were walking right into some sort of trap.

Mags closed her eyes for a moment, blowing a long, settling breath through her pursed lips. She would drive herself mad guessing at the mechanics of this little side-game, and what exactly would that accomplish? She loved puzzles, and any task that required critical thinking, but this was just too macabre for her. The sooner she could leave, the better, and thinking herself in circles would not speed up the process.

When she opened her eyes again, she turned her attention back to the conversation at hand. If the witch took first place for most dramatic, the short blonde took second, nudged out by only a nose. Both flung accusations with a flair that would have made Cain Darlite proud. Was this how the game was meant to be played. "What sort of rationale is 'I'm the protagonist?'" she muttered out the side of her mouth, casting a look toward Comet.

@Comet

 

The faerin listened cautiously to the people in the group that spoke, some to her and some to others. In some cases, the girl wasn't sure if she was being addressed at all- but she still jumped in, wanting to be part of the group at least a bit more than she'd been yesterday.

This was a game, but it was a chance to become a better person too, wasn't it?

@Magdalyn was the first to catch the girl's attention. "It's true, the wolf could be a smart one. Whether they have full control over themselves or not, werewolves do have human halves as well... Well, I think human? Normally were means human, but...Not all of us are human... Wait, could that be a clue!?"

She shook her head not long after her sudden excitement. No, there was no way that was a clue. That was like saying were meaning man meant girls were free from the issue. Weren't most of them girls anyway?

"Actually... It's kind of weird how it's almost all females here isn't it? I almost find it suspicious. The first killed was a man...As if the werewolf purposely chose him for that reason alone..." Grasping at straws was her strong suit, it seemed. She sighed once more. This was getting hopeless to her.

Her mention of the jester had caught @Ueno Mizuki off guard, it seemed soon enough. "I hope not too, but I mean... There's all sorts of possibilities, you know? We can't quite rule things out... And that's half the problem... Oh, and..." She turned to @Gwyn ap Herne, who'd asked what the jester was all about. Mizuki and @Comet seemed more than capable of explaining, luckily.

"What exactly is a jester supposed to act like? I just understand they generally want to die. But I mean... That doesn't mean they act suicidal, right? It's more... They try to seem more suspicious." In a way, that did sound a lot like Megan- but Comet was right. It was possible she was just blunt as well. "This whole thing is giving me a headache too early in the morning... Anyone have a snack? We shouldn't be dealing with this on empty stomachs... I'm surprised my needs haven't gone down much since we started this weird charade..."

 

Megan looked excitedly at the others as each in turn began to speak their piece, notably ignoring Megan's request for a vote. Of course rather than do that the group seemed to discuss things further. Megan let out a loud sigh as she sunk into the ground spearing her arms and legs apart in an attempt to form 'grass angels'. A part of her wanted to simply scream at the others, but they had made it clear that for the most part they were done listening to her. Instead she waited for them to talk turn by turn, before standing up and brushing herself off.

"Right guys good talk. Where are we? Exactly where we started? Can we get down to business now then? Who, if any, are we hanging tonight? Obviously I'd still vote for Gwyn, but since Im apparently in the minority, I'll wait to hear what you guys are planning this go around."

Megan waited half a moment or two before shrugging and adding, "Oh, I should mention the werewolves previous attack was clearly thwarted by whomever has those vials. My guess is they are some sort of barrier or resurrection magic. My guess is people think that's Mags, but I honestly think she just misspoke. And do I really need to say I'm not a Jester? Just because I'm the only one willing to call out my suspect list doesn't mean I'm suicidal. I'm just very certain Gwyn is the werewolf."