Duoya

THE OUSAMA GAME | a Short-Term Horror

The situation was dire - but all things considered, it could be a hell of a lot worse. Luckily, Ryan could rely on one major thing, which was the fact that they had time to complete their orders.

"We have about seventy two hours before we die of thirst - probably even less for those already injured, unless we decide to start drinking blood, or unless the King decides to send us some supplies, which I find highly unlikely."

"It might also be true that someone... maybe even another player... is up the stairs, but it would mean sending one smaller person up there to check. If there is someone up there, they are likely to be armed. Let me know if any volunteers are willing to put their neck on the line for a shot in the dark."

Ryan didn't agree with the blond man, Number 7's first statement. How many orders was he expecting? Ryan honestly doubted that the king would give them more than a day to live - the place they found themselves in seemed pretty decrepit, and Ryan felt that by the time 3 days went by, they might be able to find an exit or make one. The King, if he had enough resources to kidnap them without notice, probably wouldn't give them the chance to live long enough to find an escape. A very chilling thought, that Ryan was eager to abandon in favor of the man's second statement.

The possibility of a weapon was there, and honestly, going up the stairs would almost certainly kill them. But the king had to have been up there - why would he be down here where he could be killed by the other participants? The girl that tore out her teeth said as much - they could simply draw ballots to decide who lives and dies, so that was a massive risk to take...

Then again, kidnapping 7 people was also a huge risk. He might just be crazy? Whatever the case, Ryan didn't feel like being paranoid and suspecting the other victims was a wise choice, considering they might just turn on him and kill him. Besides, he'd need them if he wanted any chance of even making it to the top of the stairs, let alone fighting the King if he was up there.

The blond opened a door with a key that he had - where did he get that? One conclusion would be that he was the king, but there was no way he would do something so obvious as opening a door that was locked with a key. No, it was more likely that he saw it in the coffin when he woke up, like the teeth that Ryan could have used to spare the girl with the #1 carved in her hand. The others probably had similar items, but Ryan didn't feel like suggesting something like that - he already seemed suspicious for trying to dissuade the others from killing each other.

A few of the others, notably the girl who tore her fingernail off and the blond who opened the door, entered into what appeared to be a decaying kitchen. Ryan thought of following, but decided against it - the blond seemed a bit too eager to try and dismiss Ryan's idea of waiting before doing orders, and no matter how much Ryan rationalized it, he didn't feel comfortable about the whole key situation. Or the fact that he still held onto the glass shard... Instead, Ryan stayed in the Lobby they awoke in a few minutes ago.

That's when the dumbwaiter started again. Ryan chose to stay away, nervous - so far it had been different people each order, so he was probably going to be within the next 2 orders... and reading out his own fate was a little difficult. The messy haired girl was the one who chose to go for the cards when the dumbwaiter finally arrived - Ryan knew from her reaction that she was a part of it, but moved closer to read the card she held out for them.

He was part of it, but it would be a lie to say that Ryan didn't sigh in relief. He got off easy compared to the girls who self-mutilated themselves, and the messy haired girl might vomit the human parts up. Ryan was slightly envious of the girl who actually introtuced themselves, Riley, since they only had to inflict the harm, but he felt bad for the girl that was about to eat his eyelashes. Ryan would have dealt with that far better, since he was... you know, a cannibal - but still, eating hard parts like nails and teeth was quite unpleasant, and Ryan could only imagine the struggle if the one eating was a normal person.

"Oh how fun, eyelashes aren't that painful to remove. Hell, some people even do that for stylistic purposes. Number Four, Number Four, Number Four~ lets bust this out so we can clear this stage and move on to the next one 'eh?"

Riley walked into the kitchen as they said this, and Ryan found himself quickly appreciating the yeares of exercise he went through. He obviously couldn't handle Riley if she found some kind of weapon in the kitchen, but unarmed, Ryan felt confident he could keep them off of him. Unless Riley grouped up with the others to manhandle him, in which case he would lose instantly.

"J-Jesus Christ, no! We have three hours, right? Why would we rush an order then? W-we could use this time to find a way out, or find the King if he is... one of us. Losing track of time wouldn't even be a problem, right? One of us has a watch! I mean, I only know one person's name here!"

It was suprising that thought had just occured to Ryan. It was expected, considering the cirsumstances - why would they want to make buddies when they were tearing off bodyparts? Still, Ryan felt he was in hot water, so trying to humanize himself to the others might save his skin if they try and lynch someone. And he did mean what he said - there would be no chance of finding the King if they didn't even know each other's names - well, unless they did go through with the plan the girl who ripped out her tooth made.

"My name's Ryan Watts. I, uh, work as a Mortician - like, funerals and stuff. I'm pretty stresed right now so that's all I can really think to say right now, but I'll try and answer questiosn if anyone has any."

Ryan gulped. Losing track, stammering, he was getting nervous because of the situation. He had to keep focused on the Order, and delaying it for a while before these guys forcibly ripped his eyelashes out...

"O-oh, and I'd prefer it if we could cut my eyelashes off instead of pulling them, Riley."

There - hopefully now everyone knew he was going to go through with things, and his appeal for more time wasn't just to prolong his time before being injured. Hopefully, they could find a blade, or the Blond guy would be willing to part with the glass for a few minutes.

DanMachi: Alter Oration [DEAD]

Will probably post Friday, sooner if I finish one of my assignments faster than I think I will.

THE OUSAMA GAME | a Short-Term Horror

Will try getting out a post tomorrow, but if not it will be out by Friday.

Eden(Small-scale Space NRP)

@Sigma
Tough tossup between an AI Buracracy or a Buggy Agricultural people, but considering we have mostly only had Fleshies make up the demographics (except for the Cybe for Raygon), I'll probably go with AI.

Eden(Small-scale Space NRP)

There still room to join? I’m very interested!

THE OUSAMA GAME | a Short-Term Horror

Number 7 turned out to be the blond, which Ryan was somewhat glad for. He felt that the blond was probably the person who could take the cut the easiest. Of course, that was probably expecting too much out of a stranger he hardly knew. Number 2, instead of taking the cut himself, simply grabbed the blade and started checking each of the group for Number 2. When he didn't find them, he elected to throw open the single, unopened coffin that remained in the room with the group. The wound was superficial, but it was certainly far too sudden for Ryan to feel comfortable with it.

Number 2 wasn't comfortable with it either. He looked defensive, as any sane person would be, and began talking to Number 7 in a low tone.

"I don't have any money, but you can tell me what you want, instead of hurting me again. I won't resist."

That was unsettling. If Ryan was suddenly being attacked, he would probably have yelled instead of calmly addressing the situation. It was clear that Number 2 was nervous, but he was very well-kept despite that. The messy-haired Asian girl, who Ryan now knew was Number 6, questioned Number 2 on his choice of staying in his coffin. It was odd, but considering his eyes were initially closed when 7 Opened it, Ryan assumed that he simply hadn't awoken yet. It made sense - some people were just more susceptible to drugs than others, so whatever substance the King used to kidnap them... Well, Number 2 probably didn't agree with it very well.

Another metallic Screech echoed throughout the room. This time, Number 7 answered the dumbwaiter. Ryan's blood ran cold when he saw the cards and rusty pliers. It hurt Ryan a little to realize how much relief he felt when neither of the players designated by the king were him. Number 5 was the first to begin following orders.

She screamed as she pulled her pinky nail off. Ryan wasn't disturbed in the slightest by the gore - although, it was nowhere near as appetizing when the owner of the flesh was still alive. Rather, he was pierced by her screams. They reverberated around he house violently, demanding the attention of everyone involved in this game.

Number 1 seemed to care much less about the ordeal. She picked up the rusty pliers that Number 5 threw at her feet, and began to talk to the others, the first time she had opened her mouth since awakening.

"The easiest way to win a game is not to play, the fastest way out would be to draw lots and just kill from there. One in seven the king ends up winning, one in seven that everyone else survives, five in seven that a few people survive. If I die from it, so be it."

What got Ryan however, was the final thing she said, before reaching the pliers into her mouth and pulling out a canine.

"You wouldn't get arrested for something like that, either. Extenuating circumstances."

Ryan was far from innocent. He ate human flesh regularly, whether recently deceased or buried or frozen a few weeks ago. He even had a freezer in his basement to make the whole process more efficient. But even then, Ryan had only ever thought of killing once - and it was to kill his recent ex, Jennifer. It disturbed him that he found killing these strangers, a group where he only knew the real name of one of them, was a more unnerving thought that killing someone he shared a bed with. Maybe because these people were the same as Ryan - innocent people stuck in trying circumstances.

Even with rationalizing things like that, Ryan still felt horrible that he didn't offer the tooth necklace he had to Number 1. He just couldn't risk contaminating it... If he got out of here alive than the only physical evidence that Ryan was kidnapped at all would be these teeth - especially if they had printed on them, or some were taken from Dennis.

"T-that's... That's Cruel!"

Ryan had to say something - some of these characters already seemed a little strange, especially considering they were so eager to carry out the commands. Didn't they read the rules? The players had three hours to complete an order! Unless 'all orders' meant every order until they were all dead, and not each one...

"L-look... I'm just saying, don't you think that's... a bit much? We don't even know if one of us is the King! The dumbwaiter comes down from above, so wouldn't that mean he's upstairs?"

Ryan turned towards the destroyed staircase. If it was possible to climb up there, it would take an incredible amount of time and effort... If it was possible at all. Ryan decided to continue, doing his best to try and not make himself look more like the King than he already did.

"I mean... We have three hours to complete an Order, right? L-let's say the King is down here - He probably wouldn't target himself, right? We have three hours until we need to do anything drastic, we can think this over calmly..."

He didn't like her suggestion very much, but Ryan had to admit - if he felt any people weren't the King, it would have to be Number 1 or 5. They both sacrificed a body part... Even if it's small, that's no meager feat. Ryan hoped the others weren't as disturbing as he was starting to think they were - would they think killing one another would be okay? Even if it risked an innocent person's life?

THE OUSAMA GAME | a Short-Term Horror

Will post sometime this Tuesday, probably when I get off work.

DanMachi: Alter Oration [DEAD]

The woman was a lot more... talkative, then the children had been. Not that Torran really minded - his mother had always commented on what a good listener he was, and Torran felt people could always vent about their day if it made them feel better. It wasn't like he had much to say anyways - he was simply happy to finally have found a way to enter a Familia! He chose to listen to what the Mother had to say, occasionally offering an 'I see' or an 'Uh-huh' where it felt appropriate. He was especially happy whenever the gossip led towards how fair and just the Athena familia was, which he was being taken to. That was great to hear! After all, what kind of heroic adventurer would be a part of a Familia that was stingy with a hard-working woman's pay?

"Well, here we are. Thank you again for bringing my miscreants home, and even more thanks for carrying all that by yourself. You're a good soul, sir. I'm sure that Lady Athena will be happy to welcome you."

Torran beamed.

"It was no problem, ma'am! I'm just doing what I can to help!"

It was great to hear that the Mother thought Torran had a good chance of getting into the Familia - Torran didn't really have any other clues to go off of, and finding another pair of children to lead him to someone who knew a Familia would probably be a bit trickier the second time around.

"So, uhm... Is there anything I can give you as payment for all you've done? We don't have much but... I can give you some of the pay I'll get here, if you want."

The thought of getting money was pretty nice - the only money Torran ever had was the meager amount he got from his allowance, or from when his father felt bad for getting into one of his 'moods' and wanted to make it up to Torran. Still, Torran managed to make the connection that the woman and her children were far from well off, and it would be impossible to take money from them in clear conscience.

"What are you talking about? This is more than award enough! Getting the chance to join a Familia - and not just any Familia, but one you hold so highly? This is the perfect reward for an Adventurer's first quest!"

Torran fixed his grip slightly on the basket of laundry, leaving one of his hands free. He walked over to the door of Warrior's Rest, and rapped the door a few times, before awkwardly waiting for it to open with a basket of laundry in his hands.

UNFAIR MONSTERS [Spots Open]

Ken Ozawa

Ken Ozawa was not like most teenagers his age - rather than spend his time in his room or hanging out with friends, he was currently sitting outside a convenience store with a cheap ice cream bar he bought. Ken was working on his math homework, which was more advanced than the work at his old school. It also probably felt more advanced because he was seriously trying to work on it for once - at his old school, he was far more focused on working at his job and rarely did his homework, or at most copied it from people he sat near before class started. But now, with no job to take up his time and no hobbies, Ken found himself putting serious effort into his education for once.

He was eager to do something more interesting and took a break as soon as he felt a slight pulling on his sleeve. Nothing was there - at least, nothing Ken could see. He wasn't sure what the force was - it had suddenly started manifesting itself a few days prior. While something like this was a bit concerning at first, you'd be surprised how fast you could get used to such an overtly supernatural effect. Normally it was very weak, to the point that Ken would barely notice it was present. It was the same right now, but Ken allowed himself to turn towards where the force pulled him. He did the same thing over the time he had it, and it had only really ever benefitted him.

A short distance away, in the slowly darkening sky, Ken noticed what appeared to be a light floating high in the air. Ken took a few seconds to realize it wasn't the sun - maybe a drone or some sort of public display? All the same, the force had done as he asked and showed him a method to pass the time more smoothly. Ken began to walk his way towards the light, not even noticing the ever so slight pull of his power directing him towards it.

It didn't take long for Ken to realize how horrible of a mistake he made. When he finally entered the park, where the light seemed to originate from, there was something that Ken had never seen in his entire life. A bipedal creature resembling some kind of Arthropod was bursting out of the ground to attack some guy around Ken's age. Ken quickly turned to leave, assuming he was intruding on the set of some movie. It made sense anyways - there was another girl who had a sword made of fire and another man with what appeared to be an ink brush. It took a second for Ken to realize that the special effects were a little too advanced here - didn't people use computers to add in the environment and the monsters to the movies? And the area looked was being destroyed pretty violently...

What convinced Ken was his powers - the force that he had felt the last few days was far stronger, at least thrice as powerful as it was a few minutes prior. And it was still pulling him directly towards that giant monster.

Normally, Ken would leave a situation like this immediately. However, this was the first time he had noticed his powers acting up like this. If he knew where his powers came from, and more importantly, how they could suddenly get so powerful... Well, Ken had quite a few ideas on how to use his strengthened force far more effectively.

Ken kept his distance from the monster, focusing inside of himself. A small barrier of light appeared near him before flickering away when he lost focus. He had other powers besides that force... Well, he only noticed them now since it was so much easier to use these powers right now for some reason. Ken eventually elected to stay away from the fight and jump in if the other guys needed help, or the monster seemed especially weakened - Ken felt the woman with a sword on fire and the girl with what looked like a gun were far more equipped to deal with the creature than he was.

UNFAIR MONSTERS [Spots Open]

I've also been pretty busy thanks to Midterms - post will be out tomorrow, Sunday at the latest.

Edit: Got about halfway through my post after a pretty hectic day, but it's really late where I'm at right now and I have classes tomorrow. I will probably finish the other half of my post when I get off work tomorrow.