The doll that had attacked Arinne and been slowed in place fell in two halves. Disturbingly, it appeared that it was no simple automaton: rather, its body was somehow filled with red, flowing blood. It wasn't only that, however. Saturday's scythe had sliced not only metal and other inorganic materials, but what appeared to be a human lung positioned roughly where it would be on a living human.

Arinne's eyes narrowed slightly. The other doll that had been attacked fell to pieces to reveal a mess of blood and what appeared to be a violently deconstructed internal organ of some sort, Paul's attack having rendered it unrecognizable.

As if all of this wasn't enough to indicate what was going on, the flowers that Lillia had used to track the organs were now slowly shifting to follow each of the dolls, though others were still pointing off in other directions.

"... I see. It's not simply alchemy, but necromancy as well. How disgusting," commented Arinne, brushing her hair to the side as she did. Using the internal organs of murdered girls to power some sort of automated familiar... it was vile. And it was poor resource management as well. Killing people for such a minor reason? That couldn't be it. There had to be more to it. "Destroy the rest. They're quite abominable."

The remaining three dolls seemed to react to the swift destruction of two of their number by drawing back. But they weren't retreating. With a strange clanking sound, their limbs seemed to shift before suddenly launching themselves from their body, mounted on chains that swung towards Arinne's investigators!

[@Rin][@Raineh Daze][@TheFake]

[hr]

The doll that Grain attacked fell backwards into a heap. While its interior was impossible to see, what was clear was it was now gushing red blood onto the cobblestones, seeping between the cracks. Undeniably, there was something inside of the doll that was allowing it to operate in such a manner. Something organic. Given the circumstances, it was quite likely it would not be difficult to discern what.

The two dolls caught in the floor thrashed for a few moments, but it immediately became clear that they were not out of options. Their arms clanked as they suddenly swung outwards, mounted on chains, aiming for Grain in particular in this case. Meanwhile, the other two remaining dolls immediately sprang towards the other investigators!

[@KoL][@Anza][@Bartimaeus]

[hr]

The moment that magical energy was detected being activated in the alleyway, it suddenly seemed to extend in both ways and darken, as if the sun had set. But that wasn't all. From the shadows emerged a set of strange, feminine automatons, blank faces resembling masks. As they encircled the investigator's position, they swayed slightly from side to side, robotic limbs clanking as they spun in their sockets. While they had yet to attack, it was clear it was only a matter of time.

[@Aviaire][@Rabidporcupine]