Chapter 15: Further Exploration
7:50 A.M. Day Six
First Floor
Dining Hall
The group sat around the table, breakfast all but finished (for those who even could or did eat, anyway). Now, they waited anxiously for the promised events of the day.
"You really think they'll keep their word? Let us upstairs, I mean?" Brooke asked, hands fidgeting.
"They kept their word about opening the front door, for all the good that did." Victoria pointed out. "On this, at least, they might be trustworthy."
"Would that even do us much good though?" Clarisse questioned from across the table. "It's unlikely they left a 'teleport off the island' object anywhere we could find it." She scoffed lightly. "I'd be surprised if such a thing even existed, honestly."
"Well, if nothing else it means a change of scenery." Alexis commented, turning her gaze to the ceiling. "I think we could all use some extended leg room."
"Extra leg room doesn't exactly mean much at the end of the day though, does it? We're still stuck here." Brooke argued, annoyed at the other girl's seeming flippancy.
"Well, I suppose that's your opinion, querida." The Brazilian responded, a condescending lilt to her voice. "Pardon me, however, if I decide to ignore it."
The Floridian felt her annoyance rising. "Well, maybe I don't care what you do with my opinion, Miss Gold."
"Well maybe você é uma pulga chata, Senhorita Douglas."
"Look, how abou-"
"O-kay, that's quite enough." Victoria interrupted. "We have other things to do then fight each other right now, no one forget that."
The girls calmed down from that, though a few surreptitious glares were sent.
Elle kept silent, not really caring enough about the current topic to throw her cents in.
"WELL, Well, well!" Kinsei called out as he entered the room, getting everyone's attention. He was flanked by Sebastian on his left and Kuuma on his right. "Hope you all had fun yesterday, cuz it's time to see the second floor! You'll love it, really." He insisted, before shrugging. "Well, probably. You dusted, right Jeeves?"
Sebastian sighed. "Yes sir, I made sure everything was presentable for today." He addressed the group. "You'll find your journals have updated to include the layout of the second floor. Feel free to peruse it at your leisure."
Everyone pulled out their journals (some more sluggishly than others) to inspect the new additions. The floor plan seemed easy enough to understand, though one bit seemed to stick out.
"Why does it say that one of the rooms is locked up?" Victoria asked. "This, 'Despair Chamber'?"
"Oh, that's currently out of bounds." The Alchemist explained simply. "Locked up tight, Mastermind's orders, no further questions."
"Still seems like a waste to me, but whatever." Kuuma murmured with a shrug. His creator ignored him.
Kinsei abruptly turned around and started towards the door. "Well, if any of you have need of me, I'll be keeping an eye on the Trophy Room. It's best to have someone monitoring that place." He stopped at the door, looking back in the homunculus' direction. "Kuuma, can you stand guard outside the Chamber, make sure no one tries any funny business behind our backs? Thanks, goodbye." He left without getting an answer.
"... Seems I'll be watching the Despair Chamber, I guess." The dual-toned boy grumbled before marching out of the room himself.
The participants looked around the table at each other. "Okay, so how are we going to go about this?" Gary asked of the group.
"Well, I don't know about the rest of you," Alexis announced, uncrossing her legs and standing, "but I think I shall explore the second floor on my own." Without waiting for anyone to respond, she strode out of the Dining Hall.
"Funny, I was about to say the same as her." Teresa commented, standing as well. "No offense to present company, but I think I'll leave group exploration to the rest of you." Wings waving slightly, The Sphinx made her leave.
"... Ok, what about everyone else, then?" Eric asked, somewhat sardonically.
"Should anyone desire it, I have elected to serve as a guide for the second floor." The Butler offered.
"We'd be happy t'go wit' that, sir." Kelley responded. She looked around. "Righ' ev'ryone?"
"a-Actually Kels," Brooke answered with mild reluctance, "I was thinking that, since there's only a few available rooms, I might check out the second floor on my own."
"Honestly, I'd felt the same." Victoria concurred, standing (somewhat hesitantly) from her chair. "Maybe we'll intersect along the way, but..." she shrugged.
"Oh. 'Kay." Kelley looked a bit downcast at that, arms folding slightly over her torso.
Seeing the Irish girl's response, Gary decided to intervene. "Hey Kelley," she looked up in his direction, "what if Elle and I went to look around with you and Sebastian?" The Egyptologist offered, before looking the Paleontologist's way. "Any problems with that, Elle?"
Elle looked up from her journal. "Hm? Uh, sure, I guess. Yeah, whatevs." She went back to the book.
Kelley hadn't gotten to interact with either of them much before now, but she was grateful for the offer all the same (and more than a little concerned for the Paleontologist). "Uh, sounds good, that."
"Well," Clarisse announced, standing up, "if no one has any other plans for solo exploration, I guess we should all take the Butler's tour."
"If that is your desire." The Butler stated, starting to turn away. "If those of you seeking to 'explore' the floor above would please come with me, we shall get this matter done quickly."
"Well, shall we then?" Victoria asked before clapping her hands together (at this point, it would be weird if she didn't).
Splitting apart, the group made for the doors, and from there the Foyer's stairs.
8:10 A.M. Day Six
Second Floor
West Hallway
The door leading to the 'Despair Chamber' was solid black, and seemed to be made of metal. As had been stated previously, the door was locked tight, and no one was strong enough to break through it or the surrounding walls (not that any of them really wanted to, but the point still stood).
"I mean really, why even lock this place? Why mention it on the magic map, if we ain't gonna do a damn thing with the area? That make sense to you schmucks?"
Clarisse and a less-than-willing Shawn had quickly split from the 'tour group' to look over this area themselves, and were already starting to regret it.
"So, why not just open the room yourself then?" Clarisse asked the homunculus.
"I probably would if I could, but they didn't give me the key." The dual-toned boy complained, running a hand over his face. "That 'honor' goes to The Mastermind's son for now."
"You mean your creator?" The Markswoman clarified.
"Don't call him that." Kuuma warned, an angry expression upon his face.
"Why not?" The New York girl questioned. "Dr. Momota said at the beginning that Kinsei was the one that created you."
"And should that actually mean anything?" The Mastermind's assistant asked rhetorically. "He's still an ass and I'd much rather be seen as Dr. Momota's creation, or a product of Ultimate Despair, than him." He hurumphed, straightening out his jacket. "Besides, all he did was make the fleshy body, my mind came from something far more digital."
The two participants took a moment to digest that statement, surprised at the homunculus' emotions regarding his (body's) creator.
"So, what is in there?" Shawn (somewhat surprisingly, even to himself) asked.
"Oh, I'm sure you'd like to know, wouldn't ya?" Kuuma replied, back to his usual smarminess.
The human and scarecrow looked at each other for a second. "... Yeah. That's why we asked." The Scarecrow pointed out.
"Sorry, not telling." He folded his arms, looking away from them as though they weren't worth his notice. "I may not care for the standing orders, but I'll still follow them. For now, anyway." The last was murmured under his breath.
It was quickly becoming apparent to the two that this might be a waste of time. Deciding to quit while they were ahead, the Scarecrow and Markswoman moved onwards.
9:27 A.M. Day Six
Second Floor
North Hallway
Kelley, Gary, and Elle (the only people left on the so-called tour group, everyone else having split of solo or in pairs) followed Sebastian down the north hallway, in the direction of the currently-unoccupied guest suite. Much like the first floor, the halls of the second floor were filled with copious amounts of priceless rugs, vases, and various other assortments of one-of-a-kind décor.
"So, is there anyting o'much int'rest in this part o' th'floor, Mr. Sebastian?" The Banshee asked curiously, breaking the silence.
"Admittedly, not so much, Miss Devlyn," The Butler answered, "though in all honesty I wouldn't necessarily call many things in this mansion 'interesting', though I understand your meaning all the same."
"Fair enough." Kelley acknowledged, fiddling with her brooch.
"So why's the guest suite in this area locked?" Gary questioned.
"Orders from Dr. Momota, it seems." Sebastian responded. "I'm not kept abreast of everything he plans, but it seems important to him."
"Should we, look into that?" Elle questioned from the back of the group. "It might be important."
"It probably wouldn't help." The Novoselician admitted. "There's nothing you could learn, I fear, and nothing I could discover for you. I'm on the staff, not any inner circle."
"Oh. Right then." The Paleontologist looked away, adjusting her helmet.
They continued onwards, thankfully uneventfully.
10:05 A.M. Day Six
Second Floor
Trophy Room
The colossal Trophy Room served more as a gallery of the macabre. Along the walls of the Trophy Room rested dozens of archaic swords, spears, and other weapons. In one corner sat a large sarcophagus, wrapped in chains and sealed shut. Glass cases lined the room with various oddities, though there were several empty cases still remaining. There was also a pair of strange-looking dolls, each of which sat behind reinforced cases.
Lining the room were dozens of fearsome stuffed animals such as lions, tigers, and bears (and a sticky note saying 'oh my' stuck on the nose of one of them). However, those were far from the only stuffed beings that resided in the room. Behind several glass cases rested what appeared to be stuffed humans. These particular cases had placards that not only named the individual, but their ultimate talent as well. While their skin had been pumped with preservatives, it was their eyes that proved to be the most unsettling aspect. It seemed as if their real eyes had been plucked out, only to be replaced by glass eyes that gave their stuffed forms an even more eerie presence.
The entire room was bathed in a red glow from the fire that burned in the hearth.
"Well, this place seems ... cozy." Alexis noted dryly, walking in front of the stuffed Ultimates (specifically two near the front; Emma Blair, Ultimate Corvuskinetic, and Sharena Aves, Ultimate Harpy). "I'm sure many a happy night was spent in comfort near the fire."
"Oh yes, indeed." Teresa concurred, staring at the dolls. "Why would anyone want to avoid this place?"
"Hey, don't knock it," Kinsei spoke up from his place near the door. "It can provide plenty of inspiration to horror writers, and some people actually like looking over the corpses of successful hunts. Also," he directed his attention to the Sphinx, "don't touch those dolls, they will probably kill you."
Teresa quickly pulled back, wings fluttering. "Good to know." She moved over to stare at a large golden spear mounted upon a nearby wall. "Where did all of this even come from, anyway?"
"Eh, here and there mostly." The Alchemist explained. "Apparently, grandad and great-granddad did a lot of traveling in their days. Great-Great-Grandad Ryusuke first built the mansion back in the 1890s, so the family's had plenty of time to collect odd stuff. At least some of it - like those fancy weapons you're admiring right now - belonged to Ryusuke's ancestor, got mounted here when the room was finished."
"Sounds like quite the extensive history." Alexis commented, moving from the Ultimates and approaching the staffer. "Still doesn't explain the supernatural matters."
"Eh." He shrugged. "There's been plenty of dark practices on this island, long before any Momotas came to it. You should've seen the shit the Englishman who built the castle got up to. I'm still kinda nervous to go there sometimes."
"I'm sorry, did you say there's a castle on this island?!" Teresa asked, bewildered by this new information (though why she was considering everything else that had happened or been learned was unclear).
"Indeed," Alexis interrupted, returning focus to herself as she stopped in front of the man, "you neglected to mention some of this in your explanation when we were first allowed outside."
"Well, it wasn't exactly necessary information at the time," Kinsei defended, "and it's not like you'll ever end up going near there, so..."
"A fair point, I suppose," Alexis acquiesced, "but I still would've preferred such information be available." She shrugged, leaning a hip on a case stand. "Though, perhaps that is just me."
"Well, you do seem quite a bit different from the rest of the participants here," The Alchemist acknowledged, "so that's probably a factor."
"Oh, you think so?" The Brazilian asked, running a hand though her hair.
"Hmph. Believe me, I know so." Kinsei answered, quirking an eyebrow.
"Adulador." Alexis commented, smirking.
Teresa kept quiet, walking amongst the trophies.
And the gears of the mind turned onward.
11:22 A.M. Day Six
Second Floor
Study
The Study primarily consisted of a dozen or so bookshelves. All of the shelves were marked in alphabetical order, but instead of normal letters, names were listed (starting with Aiko). Aside from the shelves, there was a large round table that sat in the middle of the room, with several chairs neatly pushed in front of it. There were two long leather sofas a few feet away from the table, and beyond that were two lifelike statues, whose eyes seemed to follow the people in the room.
"Well, those aren't creepy at all." Brooke commented, eyeing the statues warily (she did not put it past these things to come to life on them).
"We'll try not to stay to long, if it helps." Victoria reassured, pacing around the table. She ran a finger across the surface, the white glove coming away clean. "And I guess Sebastian really did come through here already. Not a speck of dust in sight."
"Well, he doesn't seem the type to not be thorough about cleaning." Brooke agreed, trying to pry her eyes from the decorations.
Victoria turned to her. "So, out of curiosity, why the confrontation with Alexis earlier?"
"I ... I don't know." Brooke admitted, looking down at her boots, "It's just, there's something about her that just, really rubs me the wrong way. i-It feels like there's something off about her, I can't explain it." She sighed, scuffing a sole on the floor. "Maybe just a side-effect of whatever Momota did to me."
The Mummy considered this, before shrugging slightly. "Well, to be honest, I can't say I disagree. It's still not much to take issue over, though."
"It's enough of a reason for me to try and avoid being alone with her." The Floridian stated, returning to watch the statues. She would not be caught off guard by some unexpected ability of something that seemed helpless and nonthreatening.
Victoria, having nothing to add to that, approached the shelves, looking over the unmarked tomes. "Back to the matter at hand, I have to wonder what's so important about these books." Pulling the first one in the line off the shelf, she turned to the first page.
She could safely say she wasn't expecting the contents.
"Aiko Umesawa." she read, getting Brooke's attention. "Entered Hope's Peak Academy in September 2013 as the Ultimate Pilot of Class 76. Brainwashed into Ultimate Despair during the Tragedy of Hope's Peak in early 2016, a few months before her class's graduation that same year. Involved in the precursor riots of Japan in late 2016, and instigating Despair terror attacks in Constantinople, Athens, and Belgrade throughout 2017. Current status unknown, last seen flying away from Towa City with fellow Despair agents following Future Foundation's liberation of the island."
She turned to another page, reading quickly. "Alice Bailey, scouted as Ultimate Veterinarian, considered for a time as potential Ultimate Combat Medic, artificially made Ultimate Lucky Student and Child Caretaker. Was selected to join Hope's Peak Class 80 starting September 2017. Entrance disrupted by closure of HPA following the Tragedy erupting in November 2016. Survived Horizon Station and Tranquility Base Killing Games, currently living in Japan in employ of the Future Foundation."
She looked up at the Floridian. "th-These are files on Hope's Peak students." She quickly scanned over the plethora of books in the room. "Very detailed files, from the look of things."
Brooke quickly grabbed a book and flipped through it rapidly. "Blake Shokyaku, Ultimate Pyro. Scouted by Hope's Peak after an accident at his illegal lab caused the- the Great Melbourne Fire and led to the rediscovery of greek fire. Graduated as part of Class 75 in 2015. Currently location -, it's just black-taped over for some reason." Turning to another page, she stopped suddenly, eyes growing wider. "b-Brooke Douglas, accepted into the Artificial Ultimates Program post-Tragedy. Made into the 'Ultimate Gillanoid' and placed into the Second Hora Island Killing Game."
"So, there's information on us as well then." The Mummy noted grimly. "If only I could say I was surprised."
"Why the heck is no one guarding these?" Brooke asked incredulously. "They leave Kuuma watching a locked door but leave the files on everyone out in the open?!"
"I think I can see why, honestly." Victoria answered, looking concerned. "With these files, with the dirty laundry that might be on them, it might be enough to make us suspicious of each other. That can only help the game 'progress'."
"Seems a bit late to do that though." Brooke countered. "We've been here for close to a week now."
"And how well can we say we know everyone here?" Victoria insisted. "We've covered how Alexis seems 'off', and to be quite honest Shawn and Teresa seem a bit on the sketchy side to me as well; that's all with no files required. With whatever might be in these ..." She trailed off, letting the point make itself.
"Okay, so what should we do with these files?" The Floridian questioned. "Should we give them to everyone, should we read them behind everyone's back right here and now, what?"
"I ... I'm honestly not sure." The English New Yorker admitted. "People would obviously be angry if they found out we just perused these without telling anyone, but all the same, as I said, there's some people I just don't get a positive vibe from. If we don't check these, while we have a chance, then-"
She was interrupted as the 'tour group' (which had been taking it's time going over everything on the floor) arrived, once again including the Markswoman and the Scarecrow.
"Oh, hello, girls!" Kelley called, waving at her friends. "How's it goin'?"
Victoria looked at Brooke, who shrugged helplessly. Turning back to the group, she explained, "We've found files on assorted Ultimates in here. It seems that there might be files on us as well."
"What?! There's files on us?!" Clarisse questioned, looking around the room in surprise.
"I can confirm the authenticity of all the files in this room, yes." Sebastian provided ahead of the obvious question.
"We were trying to determine exactly what should be done about this." Victoria explained, holding up the book she'd been going through.
"Oh, I'll tell you what to do." Shawn announced, stalking forward. "Hand over my file, pronto." He thrust his hand out, expectantly.
"Now hold on," Victoria tried to calm him down, "we don't-"
"I said hand it over, damnit!" The Scarecrow angrily demanded, "You don't get to read my shit, ya here?!"
Were his eyes glowing yellow a bit?
"Calm down, everyone!" Clarisse yelled, getting everyone's attention. "I say, what we should do is decide on if we even want anyone reading our files." She stalked over to the shelves. "And I would like to actually see what this file even says about me before anyone tries something." Pulling a book at random, she quickly perused through the pages. "This one seems to be Ks ... Kelley!" She called, startling the Irish girl a little. "Here's yours, not peeking, you do you." She handed the book to the Banshee, who started looking over what information was presented. The Markswoman repeated the initial process with another book.
"Hey! Don't just keep pulling books at random!" Shawn complained (no doubt annoyed she'd find his file before he could).
"Might I suggest we all adjourn from here for a time?" The Butler suggested, calling everyone to attention. "This way everyone can be informed of the files and speak on their own behalf."
Actually agreeing to this, everyone left the room, Kelley bringing her book with her.
11:58 A.M. Day Six
Second Floor
Ballroom
The Ballroom mainly consisted of a dance floor with a huge pipe organ that rested at the front. Stained glass windows caused the sunlight to cast a myriad of colors across the oak floor; an adjacent stairwell and railing overlooked the lower floor, and grand tapestries hung from the walls along with various sigils. A currently-empty banquet table lay on the east side of the room, surrounded by chairs, while a series of changing rooms lay to the west.
"Wow." Sabishī exclaimed, twirling around as she gazed at the myriad of decorations. "This room looks amazing. How'd they even fit this place in here?"
"I'm honestly not sure." Eric responded, looking around as well. "Though, if I had to guess, someone had some cash to burn when they made this mansion."
They walked out onto the dance floor, taking in their surroundings. "I'm not seeing anything noteworthy as far as discovering secrets goes." Eric confessed.
"Same, I'll admit." Sabishī agreed. She looked back at him. "So, should we just, go now?"
"Eh, I was thinking we could take a break." He suggested, looking down at her. "You know how to dance, by any chance?" He smirked slightly.
She blushed a little at the suggestion. "n-No," she stammered out, "I never had much experience with such things, actually. Or rhyming on a dime-ing." Her blush grew more from embarrassment at the failed attempt at cleverness.
He chuckled. "Honestly, neither have I. Let's try the dancing anyway, shall we?" He held a hand out to her.
Seeing no other choices, she took his hand, blushing even further.
Stepping into the center of the dance floor, they spun around each other in a mock dance. Forgetting the circumstances, just focusing on the now.
After a few minutes, they stopped, standing very close to each other.
"w-We should probably get back to the others." Eric decided.
"y-Yeah. g-Good idea." Sabishī agreed.
Unconscious of the fact that they were still holding hands, they left the ballroom.
12:27 P.M. Day Six
Basement
Experiment Room
The Experiment room consisted of a single operating table and a strange-looking treadmill. There was also a large cabinet filled with various types of drugs and reagents, plus was a small bed with shackles connected at the base. Finally, a small toilet and gym-like shower head lay in the corner of the room above a small drain.
"Ok, why are we meeting this time?" Syd asked, annoyed. "And why in here, of all places?"
"Well the latter, because it was a change of scenery from where we keep the next game's guinea pigs." Kinsei explained, arms folded behind his back. "For the former, I just wanted to make sure we had a few days until the motive gets dropped."
"We do, yes. Why do you ask?" Jibo questioned.
"I just had an idea in mind for a little something to use as the motive after this. I just want to make sure it's prepped and ready before we get the ball rolling, make sure everything's in place for whatever might result." The Alchemist shrugged. "Who knows, maybe someone will get axed off before we even need a motive. It's worked so far."
"Seriously, you want more delays on actually advancing the experiment?" Syd started complaining.
"His previous request bore fruit, did it not?" Jibo interrupted, defending his son's decision. "Very well Kinsei, you have three days before the first motive shall be released."
"Excellent!" Kinsei beamed.
He had the time. Now all that was left was the implementation.
And he knew just how to go about it.
[11 participants remain]