[elevator] [sphinx]

[guillotineroom]

[ When you open your eyes again the first thing that you, and your teammates, may notice is that you are confined within an iron cage, rectangle in shape. Further inspection will reveal that outside of the cage is a large structure of sorts, reaching far above you. It kind of looks like an unfinished clock tower, really... there are spots that look finished and bolted tightly, and others that look like they had been left once and the work never thought of again.

Also, it's pretty chilly. You might get to notice that.

It's foggy and windy—the kind of wind that howls and roars, jostling your cage against the tall shaft, and every so often you feel as though you might have had the ghost of a raindrop on you. The tower-like build creaks horribly ominously in the wind, and you can see the rusted metals swaying slightly. But if you decide to look around...

Flapping above you (and not helping with the wind) is a harpy-like creature, iron chains wrapped around their talons. Though, maybe it's more like a lion? The chains are bolted to the top of your cage. There are also little indicators on the structure, the same distance apart, that seem to be declaring different levels or heights. They look horribly unhappy to be here, but they're also impressive at ignoring any call you might have for them.

There's a door to the cage, but it won't open, even if it's just a simple-looking locking mechanism. If you peer out, it's too foggy on the ground to make out very much, but you can make out nine other, tower-like structures with similarly flapping harpies. Each one, including your own, has an emblazoned emblem of every team's patron monster, so that you can see where everyone is—it's just difficult to make out exactly who may be in each one. Even more difficult to try and communicate like this.

Attached to the door is an aged metal panel with a screen and four buttons; two to choose between the team names that appear on the dark green and black screen, and two to choose whether you wish for that team to go up or down.

After a moment, a little speaker in the corner starts playing an incredibly bad quality version of this.]

Comments

[ambiography]

...Well, it isn't my first time on this particular kind of horse. Situations like this, decisions like this-- they're made to hang over your head just as much as the thought of losing is.

What we need to do is get out of here having made the most cohesive decisions we can to help who we wanted to help, along with ourselves. Reasoning it out worked before, voting worked before, but, uh. Those might not fly in this case.

[yatagarasu and phoenix were fine options up until it was clear they were Not Good Options for the group...]

[derailer]

[He nods. Slowly but surely, he feels comfortable reintegrating some of his emotions into himself without immediately crumbling under the weight of them.]

I do not know if I have told you this, or if I only mentioned it in passing, when you could not have known to find it important. But my brother is on Yatagarasu. I don't see him there now, in their cage... but the team is kin to me, as much as Sphinx is. I spend just as much time in their dormitory as my own.

[ambiography]

Situations like this-- they must be hard on you both, being separated that way. I think I'd feel similarly in your position.

[derailer]

Mm... There are benefits and downsides to being on different teams. Any time involving forced separation is not one of the benefits.

[ambiography]

I wouldn't imagine so, no-- nor that the benefits would make it any more tolerable at the time.

[derailer]

[He considers this for a while, going down a mental tangent... and that brings him to a point that he suddenly finds relevant to mention, that comes off as a non sequitur:]

...Do you know what happens, here, when people die?

[ambiography]

-not an 'if', but a 'when', is it. But-- no, I don't believe I've gone over that particular detail yet.

[derailer]

Generally, the monsters possessing us take complete control of our bodies while we wait to find our way back to the world of the living. These possessions are frenzied, aggravated into a violent rage. I have not experienced it myself, but I have spoken to people who have, and I have witnessed it happening to others, including our former teammates.

Is there anything we need to know, about your possession, and what it might do?

[ambiography]

...I see. I'm--

[she pauses, there, for a few moments, and the little ambient points of light under her skin intensify.]

I can't really tell you what it would be like. It's just not generally a violent kind of creature, and-- well. Can't really say it would be able to do much with my body, regardless, I'm not the most physically inclined. It won't be used to this sort of shape, either.

[derailer]

I think... in the case of death, it may be able to fully assume its original form. Having been "freed" of your influence for a time. But I cannot be sure.

[ambiography]

...well, I'm going to hope that we don't need to find out, considering what has to happen first.

[derailer]

By the rules of the game, at least one team is going to have to die.

[narrator voice: but it would happen sooner than expected,]