Disclaimer: Any deviation from the gameplay of the referenced media is deliberate for the sake of narrative.
It's absolutely not because I realized during my proofreading that I messed up and was too tired to rewrite it, no sir…
"Yeaaaah…I don't think I understood it the first time. You have to explain me again. But with words that make sense."
Mephisto sighed. As a teacher, she thoroughly enjoyed sharing her knowledge during interminable lessons for its own sake. She had no problems spending hours and even days doing this work whether her auditory was made of children learning the basics of magic and history, politicians interested in the wisdom she had acquired over centuries, or even people having difficulties in their life simply looking for a direction and a sense.
However, after so much time, she discovered that even this desire that had driven her for centuries had a limit. And this limit had taken the form of Morrigan. An alarming number of days had been fruitlessly spent dealing with the succubus. From trying to teach her basic manners to helping her integrate, a solid ninety percent of her interactions could best be classed as lost time. The ten remaining percent were surprisingly reasonable bouts of wisdom that acted as reminders that Morrigan had indeed walked the earth for more than millennia, making the youngest of the Lilith Sisters tens of times older than the yoma. Older, but certainly not more mature. And intelligence comparisons were out of question.
Mephisto swallowed back her pride, her venom and pointed at the gathering of pink beds centered around a large purple crystal connected to a makina. The makina itself had a screen displaying a prompt waiting for a command.
"Est, Daji and Promestein collaborated on this little project for a reason that is probably best not expanded on. Everyone lying on these beds will be connected to the same dream, where they'll be free to interact with each other in an environment no longer restrained by physics or logic, but simply either by an outside directive controlled from here, or, by default, by their own willpower. That environment is held in a boundary field preventing a feedback. In simpler terms, if they harm each other or get attacked by an outside force, the worst that can occur is their connection to the common dream being cut and getting waken up.
"Yeah, I understand that, it's pretty simple! I remember doing the same with my sisters to keep on having fun with some guys and make them come fifty-plus times in a row! They sometimes died out from the stress though… Hence the boundary field here, correct?"
Mephisto nodded. "So you did understand that after all."
"Of course! It's what you said next that I didn't understand!"
"Well, we had a little discussion recently following the few skirmishes between members of the castle. They recreated a game that was apparently quite popular in Myusca and Kazuya's worlds. Ten players have to accomplish a number of simple tasks, but amongst them are two traitors that have to kill the eight other ones without being noticed, lest they be eliminated by popular vote during trials. People can only talk to each other during that time, and only that time. This game pretty much conciliates our concurrent goals of having people work as a team barring their origins and possible feuds and learn to be stealthy or cautious of their fellow, all in a safe and fun environment."
"Yeah, this is what I don't understand! You have the opportunity to create a place for a fuckfinity orgy, and instead you use it for…"
"Educational and entertainment purposes."
"Yeah, that's so much wasted potential."
"In that case, I don't suppose you will sign in and remain on the side?"
"Nope! I'm joining the first batch if only to see how hard your dumb idea fails."
"Suit yourself." Mephisto shrugged. "I should also point out that I wasn't the one with the idea. It came from Luka and Alice when they discussed with Kazuya. Our young hero in particular looked quite enthusiastic at the perspective to have an occasion to test the bonds between various people."
"Okay, you snake-tongued witch, how much do you want to NOT tell Luka and Alice that I completely shat on their idea?!"
"I only want you to play the game normally instead of trying to ruin it for everyone." Mephisto pulled out a list. "We're doing a five games run as a test with these volunteers, starting in ten minutes."
Morrigan took the list and quickly checked it. She then stared at Mephisto.
"Wait, they all know who else is going to be involved?"
"Yes."
"Wow. And they all accepted. You really wanted to make that interesting, don't you?"
"Yes."
Players connecting:
Alicetroemeria
Morrigan
Mephisto
Lilith & Lilim
Alice
Heinrich
Eden
Lucifina-chan
Micaela-chan
Sonya
Lobby Start
Morrigan: Huuuuh, that wasn't quite I imagined… It's a bit weird to see myself from above. And I look like a drawing too!
Sonya: For once I agree… Hey, nobody's going to do anything weird with our bodies while we're like that, right?
Mephisto: Measures have been taken to make sure that all possible negative influence is currently away. And by that, I mean the worst lots of them are busy in Grandeur until tonight.
Alice: Good for us... I wouldn't want to wake up with the vision of a purple-haired whore trying to wrap herself around me.
Sonya: Are you talking about Est or Daji?
Alice: Both of them. And I include Alma Elma as well.
Mephisto: Do you really have such a poor vision of your subordinate? It's no wonder she never obeys you.
Lilith & Lilim: Ufufu… it looks like the Monster Lord in this era can't rein in her subordinates.
Heinrich: I'm keeping my eyes on you two… I don't know what Black Alice plans by sending you here, but I will make sure you can't carry out her orders.
Alicetroemeria: Oh, don't worry Heinrich… I'm sure those two little scamps only want to have some fun, don't they?
Eden: Mph! So many succubi exposing their flesh is unsightly! You should cover yourself! Also, those two have an unfair advantage thanks to their direct link! This is unfair for all of us!
Mephisto: First, they're so close they count and act as one, and second, for the umpteenth time, speck, plank.
Morrigan: Agreed
Alice: Agreed.
Alicetroemeria: Agreed.
Sonya: Agreed.
Micaela-chan: Agreed.
Lucifina-chan: Can I be the killer?
Mephisto: It's randomly chosen. If you're lucky, you'll be one several time, but it's very unlikely.
Lucifina-chan: Muuuuhhh…
Mephisto: Also, when you die, you'll reappear as a ghost unable to talk, but you'll still have to accomplish your tasks to make the team win. Good luck and… try having fun.
Alice: This is going to be interesting.
Game start
Map: Pocket Castle 1F/B1F
Round 1
Shhhhh…
[...]
[Morrigan reported Sonya's body!]
Morrigan: Huuuh, Micaela-chan? I think pretty much everybody saw that one.
Alice, Mephisto, Alicetroemeria, Heinrich, Lilith & Lilim: Yup.
[Alice, Mephisto, Alicetroemeria, Heinrich, Morrigan, Lilith & Lilim, Lucifina-chan voted against Micaela-chan]
[Eden voted against Morrigan]
Eden: Nonsense! My sister is free of crimes!
Micaela-chan: Sorry everyone. I'm not much for subtlety and actions in the dark…
Heinrich: Ahah, it's okay… I wouldn't have done any better myself after all, don't worry about it.
Alice: I second that. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get the hang of it quickly.
Lucifina-chan: Yeah! Next time you will kill everyone, you see!
Mephisto: That will be only if she's the imposter role again.
Eden: Is nobody listening to me?!
[Micaela-chan has been executed.]
[Eight players remain]
[…]
[Morrigan reported Lilith & Lilim's body!]
Morrigan: They were dead in the corner of the barracks. I was coming from the hallway and saw Mephisto in the beach room.
Lucifina-chan: It's not me! I was in the chapel with big sis Eden!
Eden: I will suffer no accusation!
Mephisto: I was doing a seashell task in the Beach Room when I saw Morrigan pass by. Also I remind you that we only have two minutes to make a call and vote.
Heinrich: We were in the courtyard with Alicetroemeria, just passing by.
Alicetroemeria: Fufufu….
Mephisto: …Alice?
Alice: I was just listening to everyone before pointing fingers.
Morrigan: Weeell, since nobody vouched for you, that make you pretty suspicious, don't you think? You could have run underground after having accomplished the deed.
[Morrigan voted against Alice]
[Eden voted against Alice]
Alice: First, I was in the shops doing some tidying up, and second, can you report someone you just killed yourself?
Mephisto: Yes, why?
[Alice voted against Morrigan]
Morrigan: HEY! WHY ME?!
Alice: Because you're so quick to accuse me that it's obvious you're deflecting you're doing it to deflect suspicion.
Morrigan: Oh, come on! I'm just naturally impulsive! This is how I always act! You remember what happened the first time we met?
[Lucifina-chan, Mephisto, Alicetroemeria, Heinrich voted against Morrigan]
Morrigan: …Fuck.
[Morrigan has been executed]
[…]
[Lucifina-chan reported Mephisto's body!]
Lucifina-chan: Pop went the witch in the inn!
Alice: I was going to ask if the game's over when we removed all the imposters or if we have to finish the tasks first, but I guess I have my answer… I was still in the shops by the way, that cleaning up task takes surprisingly long.
Heinrich: I was with Eden and in the chapel.
Alicetroemeria: And I saw Lucifina-chan just before she reported the body!
Alice: Crap, so it's either a self report, or someone's lying… and I got distracted with my task. Sorry everyone. If I had kept an eye out, we'd gotten them.
Eden: As always, monsters are useless. What tells us that you're not the one responsible for her demise?
[Eden voted against Alice]
Heinrich: It's okay Alice, we were all busy.
[Heinrich, Alicetroemeria, Lucifina-chan, Alice abstained from voting]
Eden: Do not ler her go free! She has to be punished!
[…]
[Emergency meeting demanded by Lucifina-chan!]
Heinrich: I can't see who died.
Alicetroemeria: That's because nobody did, silly! There's an emergency button on the table of the middle of the courtyard!
Alice: Ah… So this is what it was for… on an unrelated note, were you stalking me?
Alicetroemeria: I'm only following everyone to make sure they're doing their work correctly after I finished mine!
Alice: Ok… so why was the button pushed?
Lucifina-chan: Because I finished my tasks as well!
Alicetroemeria: Awww, that's great! But you don't need to push that button! It's for emergencies! So it's useless if you don't know who the killer is!
Lucifina-chan: Awww…
Alice: Don't worry, the task bar is almost filled, which means only me, Eden and Heinrich have some tasks to finish.
Heinrich: I finished mines too…
Alice: So it's only me and Eden then…
Eden: Don't you dare put a holy angel on your level!
Alicetroemeria: I have an idea! How about me and Heinrich watch over Alice while Lucifina-chan and Eden stay together? That way, if someone dies, we'll either directly see the killer in the act or a lone angel patrolling…
Alice: …It's fine I guess.
Heinrich: I agree with Alicetroemeria's plan.
Eden: Mph! I only accept because I'll be able to keep Lucifina far from your noxious influence!
Lucifina-chan: Wow, big sis Eden reacted funny!
[Nobody was executed]
[…]
[Lucifina-chan reported Eden's body!]
[Lucifina-chan, Alicetroemeria and Heinrich voted against Alice]
Alicetroemeria: Don't you have anything to say?
Alice: It's been fifteen minutes. I challenge everyone here to say they wouldn't have done the same.
Heinrich: I'm not sure I would have…
Lucifina-chan: I would have!
[Alice was executed]
[CREW VICTORY!]
Back to Lobby:
Morrigan: Here's one magnum-sized dose of CALLED IT available for everyone!
Eden: I had found out as well you foolish skank!
Micaela-chan: Sorry Alice, I had made a mistake early.
Alice: It's okay. Even if you had survived, I'm not sure we could have won that with Alicetroemeria on my back.
Alicetroemeria: Fufufu…
Mephisto: Also, I can tell that it's definitively Daji who did the killing animation… that lady needs some help.
Alice: What killing animation are you talking about? I didn't see anything.
Mephisto: They only show up when you're a victim for the sake of letting the keeper leave rapidly.
Lilith & Lilim: They were pretty cute, ufufu… cute gluttonous snake.
Sonya: Speak for yourself… So. Many. Pieces.
Heinrich: This game is quite enjoyable, but the end took surprisingly long.
Sonya: Yeah, what happened with that?! I could see Eden get back and forth in the chapel for Ilias-knows-long before Alice snapped and exposed herself by killing her.
Eden: Mph! I don't have to justify myself!
Lucifina-chan: I know why! I had the same task! That's because big sis Eden had to make a salad but had no idea what a bell pepper is!
Alice: How? There's a ton of them in the kitchen stock!? Wait, does it mean you never stepped in the kitchen to make yourself a meal?
Eden: I do not answer to you!
Micaela-chan: the angel soldiers cook for her since the day she burned a house making ice cream.
Everyone:…
Mephisto: Let's ignore that, round two is going to start.
Round 2
Shhhhh…
[…]
[Emergency meeting demanded by Alice!]
Alice: I didn't see anything weird, and I feel it might be overkill to use an emergency meeting for that, but I think it's pretty important… What are those grates in the corner of certain rooms?
Mephisto: My apologies, it seems I might have forgotten to talk about vents. Imposters can use them to quickly move around the map to get an advantage, or even look around. There's one in the shop, another in the beach room, a third smack dab in the middle of the underground, and a last one in the dining room.
Alice: That would have been good to know last time. Wait, you said that only the impostor can use them?
Mephisto: Yes, why?
[Alice, Alicetroemeria, Heinrich, Micaela-chan, Morrigan voted against Sonya]
Sonya: Damn it Mephisto! Couldn't you just do your usual lying?
Mephisto: I never lie. I have no problem forgetting details or giving out half-truths, but I'll be damned before I deliberately give wrong information.
[Mephisto, Eden, Lilith & Lilim, Lucifina-chan voted against Sonya]
Sonya: Grrr…
Alice: Speaking of details, did you miss any other rule about the game? I don't want to accuse you of anything, but that's second time you forgot key information about its workings.
Alicetroemeria: Oh, my, are you accusing her of trying to stack the deck in her favor?
Alice: I don't accuse her of anything. I'm only pointing at the facts.
Mephisto: Once again, I sincerely apologize. And I can assure you that I no longer missed on any rule. At least, none that would be relevant this session.
Alice: Good.
Eden: Cheating monsters… You know nothing of fighting fair.
[Sonya was executed]
[…]
[Lilith & Lilim reported Alicetroemeria's body!]
Lilith & Lilim: No…Whoever killed our lord will pay!
Mephisto: She'll be back by the end of the round, don't you worry… now where did she die?
Lilith & Lilim: This hideous murder happened in the basement. We saw Micaela-chan in the small side rooms as we made our way in from the barracks.
Eden: I was at the inn when I saw Heinrich enter the courtyard from the lobby while that damn whore left.
Heinrich: I did see Eden when I exited the courtyard with Morrigan.
Lucifina-chan: I was with sis Micaela at the smitty, and I was busy.
Micaela-chan: I was actually in the shop right under, but… yes, we were both occupied in the easternmost part of the lobby.
Alice: I was in the beach room, although nobody can confirm it.
Mephisto: Yes, it's a bit suspicious, and as I said people can be imposters more than once, even if it's unlikely to happen in a row, but I saw you when I passed by right before the end anyway.
Morrigan: Wait, I did see you at the shops in the lobby when I passed by… how did you go there that fast?! Those locations are at the opposite end of each other!
Mephisto: Are you sure you didn't make a mistake?
Morrigan: Nope! Fully black witches aren't exactly dime a dozen! There's definitively something fishy around you!
Alice: And there's a grate in the beach room, although I wonder how it works with the sand... Anyway, I was too busy to notice activity around it. It feels weird to not have my full senses…
[Morrigan voted against Mephisto]
Mephisto: it's true they might fill a bit restrictive when you're used to rely on them. That makes for a good exercise.
Lilith & Lilim: Don't try changing the subject! Did you kill our lord, yes or no?!
Mephisto: No, I didn't.
Micaela-chan: Bl- Alicetroemeria is not dead and will be back in ten minutes. She simply stopped your lord from further participating in the current main game, nothing more. Also, by her own word, there are vents in the shop.
[Micaela-chan voted against Mephisto]
Alice: Do you have any argument to refute what has just been said?
Mephisto: It's just a coincidence.
[Lucifina-chan, Alice, Lilith & Lilim, Heinrich, Eden voted against Mephisto]
Mephisto: Damn it.
[Mephisto was executed]
[CREW VICTORY!]
Back to Lobby:
Lilith & Lilim squeal at the sight of Alicetroemeria.
Alice: You're right Mephisto. You can't lie.
Mephisto: I guess remaining silent and skimming on your presence would have been the better option. A seemingly unrelated detail has been my downfall. It's the proof that simply talking too much can be dangerous.
Sonya: No shit?!
Mephisto: Language, young lady.
Sonya: Argh! Come on, that was a pathetic performance! We only killed one person! Alice had killed three on her own!
Lucifina-chan: When I'll be the killer, I'll beat everyone!
Eden: I will support you and will make my best then, no matter which side I'm on.
Mephisto: This is the opposite of what I wanted…
Round 3
Shhhhh…
[…]
[Emergency meeting called by Eden!]
Eden: Morrigan is an imposter.
Morrigan: Eden is an imposter.
Alice: The game just started! On what basis do you accuse each other?!
Eden: Shameless, impulsive whore.
Morrigan: Obsequious streaker.
Alice: Oh. I got it.
[Alice voted against Eden]
Sonya: I was wondering why I survived so far…
Eden: Goat romper.
Morrigan: Hypocritical gunk drain.
Mephisto: This is definitively the opposite of what I wanted.
[Heinrich, Eden, Sonya, Lucifina-chan, Micaela-chan voted against Morrigan]
[Alicetroemeria, Lilith & Lilim, Morrigan voted against Eden]
Alice: Crap, this is going to end in a tie, isn't it?
Morrigan: Oyster smegma face.
Eden: Toddler diddler.
Mephisto: No, it won't.
[Mephisto voted against Morrigan]
Eden: Subhuman waste.
Morrigan: Cloud urine.
Alice: They didn't even notice what happened, did they?
Lucifina-chan: They're using funny words!
Sonya: Please forget them, they'll rot your brain.
Alicetroemeria: Fufufu…
[Morrigan was executed]
[Emergency meeting demanded by Alice!]
[Alicetroemeria, Alice, Mephisto, Lilith & Lilim voted against Eden]
Eden: Ah! We have the superior numbers, guaranteeing us victory!
[Heinrich, Sonya voted against Eden]
Eden: What?! Did those that pretended to be loyal to the Goddess actually turned on her representative?!
Sonya: Sorry, but it's fine, it's just a game!
Eden: Then maybe-
[Lucifina-chan, Micaela-chan voted against Eden]
Eden: …Why?
Lucifina-chan: Because it's all in good fun!
[Eden has been executed]
[CREW VICTORY]
Back to Lobby:
Mephisto: Look at the bright side, young lady. We're no longer the worst imposters.
Sonya: I can't say I'm happy about that…
Morrigan: Say the two who voted against me! Not cool Mephisto! You should have voted for her!
Mephisto: And have all ten of us stuck in a stalemate for eternity? If I had done so, I think we would have discovered any limit that dream system has and all died before you were done. Breaking the status quo was a duty I abhorred, but one necessary.
Alice: Please stop with the flourished sentences. You only made a vote in a dream game to break a tie. Thank you, and move on.
Sonya: I hope Eden won't be mad once we wake up… she didn't say anything since we came back.
Lucifina-chan: Big sis Eden?
Eden:…
Heinrich: I'm sure she will be fine next game… shall we get started?
Round 4
Shhhhh…
[…]
[Micaela-chan reported Sonya's body!]
Micaela-chan: I found her dead in the courtyard at the top of the pyramid. I was coming from the lobby and cut through the courtyard to get to the chapel. I saw Eden and Morrigan before entering.
Alice: It's the third time she's the first to die… If we didn't get different killers each time, I'd think someone has a grudge against her. Also, I was in the dining room.
Alicetroemeria: I was already at the chapel with Lucifina-chan.
Lucifina-chan: Yup!
Morrigan: I was doing that shop quest tidying up. Also Eden hasn't moved from her starting point. Is she actually still moping?
Lilith & Lilim: We were at the barracks with Heinrich.
Heinrich: I had a training task to complete and was busy.
Mephisto: And I was in the basement, although nobody would be able to vouch for me.
Alicetroemeria: Oh, I thought I saw you leave the courtyard earlier…
Mephisto: Yes, I cut across way earlier. I didn't do anything to Sonya this game though.
Alice: Mmh… very well. I have no idea who the killer is.
Morrigan: Soooo… nobody votes?
Heinrich: I don't want to accuse someone without the smallest hint of evidence, that would just be rude.
Micaela-chan: Our information is too vague to take a decision.
Mephisto: I agree. Given that only extremely vague circumstantial evidence can be used at best, judging and removing someone from play would be an unwise move.
Morrigan: You could both have just said skip…
[Nobody was executed]
[…]
[Eden's body was reported by Heinrich!]
Heinrich: She was still in the entrance… I don't think she recovered from last game.
Lucifina-chan: D'aww, big sis Eden is dead…
Morrigan: Yeah, it's not me, I was in the Snow Room with lil' psycho seraph.
Mephisto: Still in the barracks… and why do you need to innocent yourself? We didn't accuse you.
Alice: Or at least, not yet.
Alicetroemeria: Is it because you have a grudge against her?
Micaela-chan: And you have one against Sonya too… it's suspicious…
Morrigan: Hey! I was the only one to say where I was! And seriously, I'm at the other end. Besides, if I wanted to off people, I wouldn't start with the usual victim and a brain dead idiot!
Heinrich: That's harsh…
Alice: …But fair. Very well, I guess we can let you the benefit of the doubt. I didn't see anyone while I was in the chapel anyway.
Mephisto: Same for the Beach.
Alicetroemeria: Me neither. Skip.
[Nobody was executed]
[…]
[Emergency meeting demanded by Micaela-chan]
Alice: What happ- aaaand Lucifina-chan's dead.
Micaela-chan: I have been getting stalked by Morrigan for a long time… We did a full loop through the castle without stopping, and she's still following me.
Morrigan: My bad, that was just a joke. On the plus side, you know I'm not the one who killed Lucy.
Mephisto: Still, this is very suspicious of you. And we still have two imposters out there.
Alice: I agree. You still remain under suspicion.
Heinrich: Alice and Alicetroemeria can vouch for me.
Lilith & Lilim: And we can vouch for our lord…
Morrigan: Oh come on, I got it! Having a bit of fun is allowed, isn't it? Also, there's still the case of Lucifina-chan to solve! And it couldn't have been me…
Alicetroemeria: Now that I think of it, weren't you the one who flaunted that you would target the more dangerous people, like, say, the most thoughtful and down to earth seraph?
[Alice voted against Morrigan]
Alice: Sorry, but between that round and the last, we better be safe than sorry.
Heinrich: I don't want to baselessly accuse a partner, but you just acted too dubiously this own game. Sorry, Morrigan.
[Heinrich voted against Morrigan]
[Mephisto voted against Morrigan]
Mephisto: I don't have those restraints and I am not sorry.
[Micaela-chan, Alicetroemeria voted against Morrigan]
[Morrigan voted against Micaela-chan]
Morrigan: Fuck.
[Morrigan was executed]
[…]
[Heinrich reported Alice's body!]
Heinrich: I found her in the kitchen when I was going up from the smiths.
Mephisto: And I was right behind you.
Lilith & Lilim: We were in the beach room.
Alicetroemeria: And I was underground!
Micaela-chan: I was in the Snow Room.
Mephisto: That's a problem. Besides Heinrich and me, nobody was in sight of anyone else… We don't know he's been dead for how long, and if the killer used the vent in the dining room, they could have gone anywhere.
Micaela-chan: There was no dead body when I was going up a minute ago.
Alicetroemeria: Is it because you created it? Ufufu…
Mephisto: That's unlikely if the last trial is anything to go by. Morrigan wouldn't have played it off as a prank if she had been suspicious of Micaela-chan.
Micaela-chan: I'm not an imposter.
Mephisto: And angels are a bit bad at lying as well… So we have two suspects remaining.
Heinrich: Are you the imposter, Alicetroemeria?
Alicetroemeria: Maybe… Ufufu…
Lilith & Lilim: She's only joking. We can confirm that our lord is innocent, or she would have killed us as we were travelling from the shop.
[Heinrich voted against Lilith & Lilim]
Heinrich: You somehow reached the beach room from the shop so quickly while seeing her? We're not that fast in this game.
Lilith & Lilim: We simply saw our lord before she entered underground as we prepared to make our way through the courtyard.
Heinrich: Or you saw where she was when you used the vent, which would both explain how you traveled so fast and saw her underground on your way.
[Micaela-chan, Mephisto voted against Lilith & Lilim]
Alicetroemeria: I'm sorry, I didn't want to point you out.
Mephisto: It's just a game! You'll see them back in five minutes top!
[Lilith & Lilim were executed]
[…]
[Micaela-chan reported Mephisto's body]
Micaela-chan: Alicetroemeria is the imposter. She killed Mephisto in the chapel.
Alicetroemeria: Micaela-chan is the killer. She killed Mephisto in the chapel.
[Alicetroemeria voted against Micaela-chan]
[Micaela-chan voted against Alicetroemeria]
Heinrich: So if I take the wrong decision, I guess we lose? Heh, it's pretty funny it all falls to me.
Alicetroemeria: It's a fun game, isn't it? Ufufu… of course, I'm sure you will make the correct choice.
Micaela-chan: Don't lose focus. She's already been suspicious in the past while I've been chased by her partner in crime.
Alicetroemeria: Oh? Didn't I help you against her? Why wouldn't I have supported her if I was an imposter as well?
Micaela-chan: Because like all monsters you would discard anyone you consider weaker than your fellow at the first opportunity.
Heinrich: Please, please… there's no need to argue for something as trivial as this.
[Heinrich voted against Alicetroemeria]
Heinrich: And besides, I had already made my choice. Sorry Alicetroemeria, I actually hesitated a bit last round, but now it's obvious you're the second imposter.
Alicetroemeria: Awww… You make me sad Heinrich.
Heinrich: Don't worry, I'll make it up once we're done.
[Alicetroemeria was executed]
[CREW VICTORY]
Back to Lobby:
Alicetroemeria: I was joking of course.
Alice: Phew… that was a close game. For a moment I was thinking Heinrich would still believe Alicetroemeria.
Heinrich: Why would I? She was so suspicious at the end, she was obviously the imposter.
Alice: It's because… Nevermind. I'm more surprised by the fact that Alicetroemeria actually turned on Morrigan.
Alicetroemeria: Fufufu… I guess it's what she got for acting so suspicious… Thank you dear succubus for providing me the best cover I would dream off! How would anyone suspect me after I supported them when accusing the most likely imposter?
Morrigan: Still, I can't believe you threw me under the bus like that. Seriously, fuck you.
Alicetroemeria: What was thaaaaat?
Morrigan: Nothing! Good job, you almost got them!
Sonya: I wonder if the imposters can actually win in this game. I mean Alicetroemeria came pretty close, but if Lilith & Lilim hadn't supported them, less than half the crew would have died.
Lilith & Lilim: Ah, but whatever the circumstance, we'll always be loyal to our lord.
Mephisto: It's a bit depressing… I wonder how you would have reacted if you were the imposter?
Lilith & Lilim: We would have given up in the end for her. Her victory can come at any cost.
Mephisto: And now it's really depressing.
Sonya: I agree.
Alice: We only have one last round to go anyway… It's almost over.
Round 5
Shhhhh…
[Alice reported Mephisto's body!]
Alice: She-
Morrigan: Oh hay, Sonya wasn't the first one to die! And it took so long we're already halfway done with our tasks, and I've just finished the ones in the barracks! It's going to be an easy game!
Heinrich: You might want to take a look again Morrigan.
Morrigan: HOLY CRAP! THREE PEOPLE ACTUALLY DIED?! SONYA AND ALICETROEMERIA BOTH DIED AS WELL?! WHAT THE FUUUUCK?!
Alice: If you had let me finish, I would have told you that I was in the beach room, saw both Sonya and Mephisto's body, and reported the latter because she was closer. And before accusations start flying again, I want to point out that both Heinrich and Lilith & Lilim saw me make my way from the dining room.
Heinrich: Yes, I was just doing that meal task.
Lilith & Lilim: And we were coming from this disgusting chapel… We will make those who killed our lord pay once more!
Alice: Because that went so well the first time.
Micaela-chan: I'm at the shops, and Eden would testify… if she wasn't still away.
Lucifina-chan: I saw her before having fun in the inn… Muuuh, why is Eden away? This is no longer funny…
Alice: Damn it… the only ones that are suspicious are Micaela-chan and Heinrich because of the vents connecting their places with the beach room… do we even know where Alicetroemeria died?
Morrigan: It wasn't underground, unless they killed her right after I passed by… Except there's a long delay between each kills, which means they couldn't have just vented from there after killing her to the beach room before doing a double kill.
Heinrich: I had seen Micaela come from the beach room earlier, but there was no body then...
Lucifina-chan: I didn't see anything in the courtyard either.
Alice: And nobody had gone through the courtyard for a while either… Damn it, even barring the possibility of someone lying, we still have at least one major blind spot. Mephisto's probably ecstatic at the collaboration between the two imposters.
Morrigan: That's really helpful to know.
Alice: We made a lot of progress anyway. If we focus on the tasks, maybe we'll be able to finish them before they do more kills.
Heinrich: I don't have any better ideas… anyone?
Micaela-chan: For once, no.
Lucifina-chan: Nope!
[Nobody was executed]
[…]
[Morrigan reported Alice's body!]
Morrigan: Well that went well! And yeah, Lilith & Lilim died as well, they're right on their side.
Heinrich: Well… it looks like we either discover one of the killers now or we fail because it's too late.
Morrigan: Yeah, and Eden is still sulking… HOLY CRAP! I JUST REALIZED IT?!
Lucifina-chan: Aaah?
[Morrigan voted against Lucifina-chan]
Morrigan: You and Micaela-chan are the imposters! You're more used to work together and found out that you can make kills at the same time, reducing the chance to deal with a witness! And you even used Eden being away as a cover-up because nobody would have pushed her on, and even if she answered, she would have supported you! Lucifina-chan, you weren't even in the inn when you said it, were you? I bet you hid in the vent after your double kill and popped underground to kill Alicetroemeria right afterward!
Micaela-chan: …
Lucifina-chan: …
Heinrich: …
Morrigan: What? Was I wrong?
Lucifina-chan: Noooope! Not at all! There's just a small issue with your plan…
Micaela-chan: Who will help you now?
[Morrigan voted against Lucifina-chan]
[Micaela-chan, Lucifina-chan voted against Morrigan]
Morrigan: Oh crap…
Heinrich: Eden is still away, and I'm not even sure she would have voted against her sisters…
[Heinrich voted against Lucifina-chan]
[Nobody was executed]
[…]
[Emergency Meeting requested by Micaela-chan]
Morrigan: Ok, that's just fucked up… You spent the last five minutes chasing me after killing everyone else and even let me progress to nearly the finish line, juuuust to push the button at the last second. That's really, really fucked up, and I know a lot about fucked up things.
Micaela-chan:…
Lucifina-chan:…
Morrigan: And now you're waiting for the laaaast second before voting against me, aren't you? You'd give that fox a run for her money in term of sadistic play. We all stay away from her for a reason. Okay, there was that one time where I gave her a hand because she wanted to paint her tails white and decided to ask for my help to motivate some guys, but I overdid it and one of them got too excited and he started shooting stuff everywhere like those minigun makinas, even in his own mouth as he was screaming and it was bubbling up… that was weird.
[Micaela-chan and Lucifina-chan voted against Morrigan]
Lucifina-chan: Eww, eww, eww! Gross!
Micaela-chan: Too much information…
Morrigan: Aaand I just saved everyone forty seconds. You're all welcome. Also for the record I was talking about her attempt to use some human-controlled precision makinas. One of the guys was a klutz with the tool and somehow ended up spraying himself. You're the hypocritical degenerates who thought I was talking about THAT.
[Morrigan was executed]
Back to Lobby:
Morrigan: Aaand the last joke was on me I guess.
Alice: In case you forgot, dead people still hear what the livings are talking about.
Sonya: I'm going to have the wrong mental image in mind for months… and that's after spending an hour watching everyone have fun after killing me. I need a freaking drink.
Morrigan: Second! I'll try hitting it off with one of those heroes afterward…
Lilith & Lilim: What a great idea… Maybe we should get more properly acquainted with that cute monk boy. We never had the opportunity to discuss with him after all this time.
Heinrich: As long as he's fine with it… Is Eden still catatonic?
Lucifina-chan: Yup!
Alice: You don't have to sound so enthusiastic about your big sister being in pain.
Lucifina-chan: But it's funny!
Alicetroemeria: She's right.
Alice: Whatever… we're back in our world in a few seconds. I hope I won't have a bad surprise as soon as I open my eyes.
Disconnecting…
To everyone's relief, there wasn't any sign of unusual or dubious activities. People quickly scattered left and right with Eden being carried by her two little sisters. Heinrich and Alicetroemeria were happily discussing the game, probably being the only two that had completely enjoyed the experience as is. Alice noticed a troubled Mephisto staying behind, her head down with her hat in her hands.
"It wasn't quite you wanted, was it?"
Mephisto slowly breathed in and out before putting back her hat on.
"It wasn't quite the worst case scenario I imagined, but… I wanted to see some cooperation between people from those two radically different groups. Instead the only ones that showed abilities to work together were the two little angels. We didn't need that experience to know it."
"I understand what you mean. I think I could have made it work with Micaela-chan, but mistakes were made as we were still learning the ropes. It was the same with you and Sonya."
"On the other hand, we had Eden showing an alarming single-minded loyalty to her sisters only beaten by her hatred for Morrigan. We had the same with Lilith & Lilim with Alicetroemeria… In spite of all the time spent together, we're still split as ever, and an army that threaten to fall apart so much isn't one you'd want to rely on to defend the world."
Alice sighed. "I admit, I'm still a bit concerned about our recruits from the incident of the Land of Night… If they retry their ploy when we're so divided, they can end up actually successful. And I'm not even talking about the bigger threats at large. How can we fight against those when we risk to fight amongst ourselves?"
Mephisto answered with a sad smirk. "We can still make it work… We just don't need to be all together, all the time, do we?"
"No, we don't. And we're more numerous than them. As long as we keep the most extreme elements apart, it could be fine." Alice smiled back. The small Monster Lord noticed a change on the station's display. A quick fiddling informed her of the nature of her discovery.
"Mephisto… Did you know our session was recorded?"
Mephisto sighed. "No, but given the involvement of Daji, I'm not surprised she would have installed a tool to see what people did with that little station. You could easily get some impressive blackmail or questionable material, and our obscene fox is interested in both… Anyway, if you can save the data and transfer it, I'll take a moment to analyze the full games later on."
"Do you want both recordings?"
"There are several recordings?"
Alice nodded. "I'd understand if there was only one or five with one for each round, but… somehow, there are two."
Mephisto took interest in the station. There were indeed two apparently identical recordings showing up. After closing the door and making sure they were alone, Mephisto fully took her turn with the station. She spent several minutes fumbling around, growing more frustrated by the second.
"Damn those young'uns and their makinas… Couldn't they have just used the good old light-ward interface?"
"Daji is older than you, the question is still open for Promestein, and people stopped using those years ago because they were impractical."
"I know, I just miss those… Ah. I found how to reach the information related to the files. Johannes 1455/9/3 15:28 is our little session… and the other is Johannes 1455/9/3 00:15… it's a session using the same game. Did Promestein actually test it herself before handing down this new toy?"
"That would be a first... let's check. There were indeed ten people connected for a game." Alice grinned. "It looked like someone beat you to your training idea… or did you steal it from someone else?"
"I promise I didn't. Now let's see… Daji, Ogretooth, Bell, Mysteltainn, Executioner, Lyla, Vinum, Nemea, Myusca, Musette. This is too weird. I can't imagine them playing that game without some sort of nefarious intent behind."
"I agree… let's see the recording. We'll have our answer."
Mephisto and Alice observed the screen with great interest. Somehow, those people who only had either world domination, training and sucking people dry had decided to play a mundane game between them.
The shortest second after the recording started, Alice and Mephisto found themselves thrown back by a sonic attack. Only their extremely powerful senses able to filter the different voices in this cacophony informed them that it wasn't a trap. It was simply the result of ten strong personalities all trying to talk over each other and trying to take an advantage by talking even louder.
Then the attack stopped just as quickly as it started. Alice and Mephisto carefully approached the display to see the first round happening. Save for a minor anomaly, it went roughly the same as their own. Both Mephisto and Alice followed the game with only one eye as they busied themselves with placing protective wards and healing their nearly ruptured eardrums.
Then a body got reported.
Just as they expected, a second cacophony started. It was a mess of argument thrown on top of each other with only the loudest one being hearable. Votes were tossed around without sense or reason. Mephisto shut off the station without ceremony or warning, letting a welcome silence and tranquility fill the room once more. A few minutes passed as the duo took in what they just saw.
"…I don't feel so bad anymore. At least this threat is definitively dealt with."
"Good grief… all things considered, I'd say my little experiment went pretty well."