guillotineroom | [elevator] [cerberus]

[ 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.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I think that it's entirely possible she's relying on us psyching ourselves out of trying--but I understand. Are you all right with Yatagarasu as an option?

She is asserting herself and punishing us for destroying her plans. She is not likely to reward someone for looking for a way around her authority again.

My preference is for Bugbear, but I do not object to Yatagarasu.

I mean for the raising. If we don't decide to play for the loophole, we still need to decide a group to raise. I'm fine with helping Bugbear.

Yes. I would raise and lower Bugbear.

Ah--so as to cancel the votes out?

They would still be raised two levels. It makes a great assumption that they would rather be attacked than have a stranger hurt for their sake, and I cannot say that of all of them.

...but that is not picking two teams. It is looking for a different loophole by picking one team twice.

It's not a bad one, though. It might even be a safer gamble than most, because at least then we know for sure our downvote is having an impact.

...I don't like any of the choices, but I'd be fine with picking Bugbear for both.

Edited 2022-11-05 23:27 (UTC)

[nods and folds his hands together. meek. he'll bow easily to the majority]

I know it is the only strategy anyone can employ at this point that is not pure violence, but it does not sit well to imagine telling Yatagarasu later that "we attacked you because we thought someone else would soften our blow."

That's the problem with all of our options, though, isn't it? We're betting on the hope that not everyone is going to go after a single team, or at least the damage is widespread. So no matter what, it's going to go badly.

Nobody is getting out safe.

No. They're not.

[ But she tries to be as gentle about that agreement as possible. ]

Even if by some miracle a group gets out completely unscathed... they're going to have to deal with the aftermath. This is a no-win situation.

The aftermath is not only guilt, either. There will be our possessions. They— are not always themselves if their host is killed by a game. They awaken angry.