Thankfully Albatross and Nova arrived soon afterwards and help was offered to Odin. His arm sadly seemed to be far too damaged to be fixed by anything they had on hand but as time passed, things quieted down yet again.

---

Tired from all the chaos that had been transpiring this entire game, Uno sighed and went back to the bar. The look of exhaustion on his eyes was apparent, and even as stoic as he'd been it was clear this game was taking a toll on him. Deciding to take a quick break, Uno sat on one of the barstools. As he did though, a compartment suddenly opened from the bar table. It was... a scanner? The number [4] was clearly displayed on top over it. Uno's eyes widened. Was... this his trial?

Apparently there would be no escape for him. Still, his trial had been overdue for quite some time. Shaking his head and muttering to himself, Uno put his hand on the bracelet scanner, ready to get this over with.

"Mm?" Uno felt a strange sensation on his hand. "The hell?" As he tried to move it away, he suddenly realised something was horribly wrong. There was... a metallic restraint of some sort? It was binded to his wrist, holding his hand against the table, and it felt horribly tight. "Get this... off me..!" Uno tried pulling, but to no avail. The restraint was merciless. As he struggled, a voice sounded off.

"Your trial has begun. Good luck."

"Oh, for god's sake!" Uno tried to wipe off the sweat that was rapidly covering their brow. "Is this my trial?! How do I get this thing off?!"

Hearing him struggle so painfully, the others arrived and noticed the predicament he was in. Realising he was in need of help, they came and tried to get him off. But even with external help, the restraint wouldn't budge. It was ruthlessly fixed to his wrist. And it looked strong enough that nothing in this bar would help break this open. Silver tried hitting it with a nearby bottle of alcohol that looked like it was sturdy enough. However, it was the bottle itself that broke open when it hit the restraint, and Uno shrieked as a few stray shards pierced his arms and his body was soaked with some fine Jameson whisky.

"Nngh... it doesn't seem like we'll be able to make this damn thing budge on its own..." Uno begrudgingly accepted.

"S-sorry..." Silver looked away.

"It's not your fault this thing is ridiculously strong." Uno gave a strong pull, but his hand was still unable to leave the table. "There's nothing I hate more than things which only exist to constrain, to suffocate. And this... well, it's even tighter than my old binder was!"

"Binder?" Ennea blinked. "Uno, are you-"

"In any case, that takes out breaking this thing open as an option", Uno elucidated. "With that crossed out, I..." They grimaced. "I think there might be only one way left for me to get out."

Albatross gulped. "Y-you don't mean..."

"I'm going to have to break my wrist so that I can pull my hand out of here." They looked away. "It's not going to be very pretty, but-"

"Are you serious?!" Odin shouted. "First my arm, now Uno's wrist..! Why are the trials in this place so brutal?!"

"In a way, Nero was lucky to not have made it here himself..." Uno looked to the ground. "In any case though, doing that might be too painful for me alone to accomplish. I need somebody to pour me some alcoholic beverages while I attempt to wrench my hand out of this thing. It'll at least numb the pain somewhat. Some added force to help me out of here would also be appreciated."

Nova nodded hesitantly, going to get some drinks over for this terrible trial. "Hopefully you'll be able to get out without having too much." Silver and Albatross came over to Uno's side to help with forcing the hand out as well.

"Here's hoping... I've managed to build up a steady alcohol tolerance over my days at med school, but it would be preferable if I didn't go overboard as well." Uno nodded.

And thus, the struggle began. Not much else was to be sad. Nova poured out a glass of some Wild Turkey Bourbon and slid it across to Uno, who drank it up with his free hand while attempting to force his other hand out with Silver and Albatross, who were both clearly trying their best to free him without causing him too much pain in the process. This process carried out for a while, with nothing else to be said other than some pained groans from Uno in the process. That being said, in its own way the screams were a sign of progress, that Uno was closer to getting freed. Still, it didn't exactly feel like a pleasant experience for anybody involved.

After some time, several cries of shock were heard in unison. A quick look towards the bar table would reveal Albatross and Silver holding up Uno, who was groaning in pain as he held up his hand proudly. It was twisted in a rather painful looking fashion, but on the bright side, it was no longer attached to that restraint which had tormented them so. He had finally been freed!

"U-Uno! Are you okay? Hang in there, pal!" Albatross cried out nervously.

"I got it! I-I got it!!" Uno cried out. His speech was a bit slurred now and he looked a bit dizzy but in surprisingly good spirits all things considered. Perhaps the dopamine release from freeing himself was having its effect. Trying to pull his broken hand together, he managed to take a good look at his wrist and see that he did, indeed manage to get his code. "Take thaaat! Damned piece of junk!" Was he talking to the restraint?? Alcohol does things to people, I guess.

"How's your hand?" Nova asked, approaching them. "Must've been pretty horrible getting it out of there, huh?"

"On the contrary!" Uno replied in an uncharacteristically cheerful manner. "I can hardly even feel a thing compared to when I started!"

"I... don't think that's an entirely good thing." Silver raised an eyebrow. "I'm glad you're doing alright though. We'll probably need to bandage this up-"

"Lord, though, that alcohol was on point!" Uno said excitedly. "Royal Cartorian Blended, was it? That hits the spot... ah..." He rubbed his stomach contentedly. "I can still feel it... it burns inside me... ah, what a buzz."

"Perhaps you should go take a rest now!" Ennea advised. "That way you can be fully sober for the next voting phase."

"You do have a point..." Uno admitted groggily. "Alright, I'll go now-"

"Do you still need help?!" Odin asked.

"Who? Me? Of course not. I'm doing just fine." He pushed himself away from Silver and Albatross. "Can't you see that I- aah!" Uno got interrupted as he slipped on the alcohol that had poured on the floor from earlier and landed on his BUTT like a CLOWN.

"...Alright, maybe I do need some assistance. For now." He let out a groan.

In any case, it at least appeared that Uno's trial had been successfully managed and a code had been acquired. Huzzah!

---

"Christ, what's with all the arm torture in this area..."

Nova shook her head and walked to the far end of the bar counter to take a seat; she wasn't exactly the best person to help Uno up anyway. She reached for one of the unopened wine bottles and a glass, poured herself a drink, and downed half of it in one gulp. After letting the blush circulate through her system for a half minute or so, she spoke up again. "...So who do you all think the Killers are?" she somberly asked the group.

---

Odin motioned for the wine, hoping to dull some of the pain with some good ol' alcohol. He took the bottle from Nova and took half of what was left.

"...Who knows anymore," Odin grimaced. "The reality is there isn't anyone I can trust. And you can't trust me either. We haven't even caught one killer..."

Odin glanced at his arm. "...What were you thinking when we found out Golf was Prey?" he asked Nova. "Sadness? Disgust?"

"...I don't even know how to answer that," Nova sighed. "I mean, it's shitty for him, of course, but it's like... I already didn't think I had a good chance of getting out of here, but feeling that chance just slip away completely... Call me selfish if you want, whatever, I don't care..."

She swirled what liquid was left in her glass around and stared at it. "...Any idea how it feels to have your arms crushed so bad there's no saving them?" she mused rhetorically. "Or going through physical rehab and therapy for months to come to terms with the fact that you'll never be whole again? How about knowing your family almost went broke just to pay for one arm, and THEN doing more rehab for that? ...I went through all of that, pushed through the pain, and just when I thought life might finally start looking up again... I find out I'm gonna die here in this fucking hole. Twenty years, that's all I get..."

Nova tossed the rest of her wine down her throat and threw the empty glass behind the bar. "What am I SUPPOSED to think about something like that?" she spat bitterly.

---

Odin averted his gaze from Nova.

"...It's not over yet," Odin said. He winced in pain as he adjusted his position, turning to face Nova. "Y-You're talking as if this is over. This is our last chance, and you and Ennea are all we have left. So...I don't know...i-it's not the time to give up just yet..."

Odin faced away. "...Whatever you and Ennea decide, I...I promise I won't resent any of you for it. Even if, you know...a-and I'm sorry about...you know..."

He got up and stumbled a bit -- his arm clearly was debilitating him. "...But for now, you know...anyone want any more wine..? I think...I think I need some more."

The mood was sombre, but the players had to move on. A new area, a new hidden switch; they knew the drill by now. Presumably the Scientists had wanted a way into and out of each area in the Testing Grounds, requiring pathways that bypassed the Oubliette and all the Nonary Game systems. This time a door opened up in the carpark.

[Off-limits area theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBUOqjbe6tY]

It led to a recreation room of some kind. Following a corridor out from there, the players then found something very interesting indeed: the Director’s Office, meaning it was Crow’s office.

It was quite an orderly place. The players quickly set about searching for clues, scanning through the papers and documents about the place while someone checked out her computer. Crow hadn’t even set up any login security, presumably confident no-one other than her fellow Scientists would reach here. Or perhaps her confidence stemmed from knowing that no-one else would ever leave here.

Unlike previous rooms, the players didn’t find extensive notes on any one topic here, at least not regarding any topics they understood or cared for. Instead this central position of authority contained insights into a variety of things – Crow had managed everything about this facility from here, after all. These final puzzles pieces at last made everything clear.

Some details the players already knew, or had at least deduced. The facility belonged to Cartor’s government, and had been set up to develop technologies for the Resistance in order to combat the Cult. Their big project was the Witch: a powerful Esper they hoped to develop into a super soldier they could deploy to wipe out entire swathes of enemy soldiers. All of the Nonary Game experiments were for the ultimate purpose of defeating the cult and ending the terrible civil war, though of course it was a tad difficult for the experiment subjects themselves to appreciate that.

However, some files and emails buried away on Crow’s computer regarding a certain ‘project’ painted a rather different picture of the conflict.


It was an unpleasant find, but admittedly one that mattered little to most of the players, who lived far from Cartor and its war. The players kept searching for other information.



There were other details to be found as well, but ultimately nothing here was going to give them much of an edge. Still, perhaps it was worth spending some more time here just to make sure.

[The off-limits area has now been added to the area you can RP in!]

"Christ..." Uno shook his head. "I suppose it's unsurprising after what we've learnt about the Cartor government, but they seem like quite the authoritarian bunch. As for these other four trial rooms... Given how speedily people have been dying, I doubt we'll be given the chance to even explore more than one of them. Probably for the better, though. Let's eliminate that witch and get out of here for good."

---

"As if I needed more reason to hate these people..." Nova grumbled as she shuffled over to Ennea's side.

"Hey..." she addressed her, lowering her voice slightly, though probably not enough that the others wouldn't be able to hear. She probably didn't care anyway. "You really need to drop this idea that Uno is definitely one of the Scientists. The only thing anyone has to back that idea up is a huge 'what-if' theory. Fact is, Albatross is confirmed to not be a Killer, so between Uno, Odin, and Silver, TWO of them are the Killers...

"...in case I'm not here to say it later, I think you need to vote Odin up," Nova continued. "He and Silver have been pretty set on painting Uno as the Scientist, though it feels like Silver's more going along with what other people say than presenting her own theories, so I see a couple possibilities;

"Odin and Uno are working together but Odin's trying to protect Uno long enough to do what they want to do by making them look like a Scientist, and Silver's just buying into it...

"Or Odin and Silver are working together trying to make Uno look bad and therefore making themselves look good...

"...of course it's possible it's Silver and Uno, but I think the other two teams are more likely by what I've seen."

Nova sighed and popped another piece of gum into her mouth. "Whatever way you look at it, one of us isn't going to be around much longer... so I hope you'll consider what I'm telling you. If I have to die here... I at least want to take as many of these bastards down with me as I can..."

---

At this point it was clear which Trial was left: Nero’s. This of course meant the players needed only to find the device and tap his bracelet against it to gain the last digit of the passcode.

They eventually found it in the bar, just like Uno’s had been. There was a concealed door leading to an alcohol cellar around the back, and inside they could see a bracelet reader with 11 painted on it. Everyone filed inside, not wanting to split up while Killers still roamed about, and someone tapped Nero’s bracelet against the reader.

Alongside the familiar beep, there was a click from behind them.

[Theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4o8zJGNFNo]

The players span around to find they’d been locked in. Some immediately ran up to the door to bang on it, others tried checking the bracelet reader to see what was going on, and some merely panicked as they realised the situation they were now in. The alcohol cellar was kept at a very low temperature to preserve everything within: if they didn’t get out of there soon, they would all freeze to death.

It wasn’t entirely clear what had happened. Perhaps the Trial had malfunctioned in some way and activated despite Nero’s absence, or perhaps someone here had locked them in. Either way, the only way out was the ‘intended’ way: solving more puzzles. The players quickly set to work.

Unfortunately, this new scenario provided the perfect opportunity for the Witch, which was perhaps the intention of whoever or whatever had locked them in. It seemed as though the Witch couldn’t use their powers too frequently, but the added delay as everyone tried to escape the cellar had given them the time they needed. The players were interrupted in their puzzle solving when Ennea, who’d been leading the solving efforts, suddenly started shaking violently. Somehow she still managed to smile disconcertingly through it all, perhaps finding the experience enlightening; it only lasted a few moments however, and then she was dead, never able to philosophise about anything again.

It was still a shock to see it, even now. The players hastened to escape from the freezing cellar, feeling deeply uncomfortable with having to operate in such an enclosed space with a fresh corpse nearby. After finally getting the door open again, some of the players hesitated, wondering what to do with the body; in the end they decided leaving Ennea here to be preserved was a better fate than carrying her outside to rot. In any case, the robot would probably handle things later.

Now free, the players rushed to the door back to the Oubliette, which was thankfully unlocked.

---

---

[Oubliette theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Um39Yj0lT4k]

The robot wasted little time as the players assembled in the Oubliette. “This is a SAD DAY indeed! She was one of the few who recognised how ADORABLE I AM. Let us now pay our respects to dearly departed, highly intelligent Player 1.”


Once again the robot was silent once it had given its report. The players were already turning away from it and ignoring it as it finished speaking. It was time to catch a Killer.

[Discussion theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNlSC5qoZXQ]

[The phase will end in 3 days.]

"Right then." Uno, who had thankfully been given enough time to sober up from his trial, shook his head. "Let us get real here. Silver and Albatross are both the killers."

"I know it's quite tempting to want to vote for me, but I wouldn't particularly say it's worthwhile. There are 2 prey, 1 scientist and 2 killers remaining here. If I am not a killer, then voting for me will guarantee the killer's victory. And there is a very simple reason I cannot be a killer- I stuck by my vote with Nero till the end, two rounds ago. I believe it was Ennea who said it, but a killer would not want to leave the jailer alive in this scenario. Perhaps you could argue they wanted to vote Nero off first anyway since he was also a threat, but the order here does matter. If Crow lived through the vote, she would then be able to potentially capture a killer the next round and catch a new lead if things went wrong. However with Nero, he could die by the killers' own hand anyway and he wouldn't be able to give us a confirmed vanilla prey then anyway. Hence, it was imperative for the killers to pile up on Crow and get her executed. Would somebody like me, who voted for Nero until the end, be capable of being a killer? Of course not! You can argue that the possibility still exists all you want, but you cannot deny the chance of that being the case is extremely unlikely."

"Meanwhile, let us look at the others. I believe the voting results from that round speak for themselves. I mentioned Odin momentarily voting for Nero before switching his vote. However, the fact that he didn't vote for Crow from the beginning makes it seem less probable he is a killer- in my eyes, this makes him a scientist, but more importantly... that leaves the other two as the most suspicious killer candidates. Silver and Albatross!" He pointed. "You may say that Albatross got deconfirmed by TV Head, but that still isn't fully concrete. As I've mentioned, TV Head could have simply been roleblocked, meaning that we still would not know what Albatross' alignment truly is."

"And if this theory is correct... then that makes the first kill interesting to look back on as well." They chuckled. "We had three trials that phase- Cool Cat's, Silver's and Albatross'. The victim was Cool Cat, so if the other two were the killers as well... Of course, this is just conjecture on my part. No need to take it into consideration. Still! Even without that, I've explained why you both are the most suspicious in my eyes. Let's end this here."

---

"...S-So it comes to this," Odin said.

Odin faced Nova. "You're the last remaining confirmed Prey. I overheard your conversation with Ennea...er, Isadora, earlier. Do you...still want to vote me up?"

"H-h-horse shit! " Albatross let out with a furious squawk "Y-y-you cannot be trying to say that because i had a t-trial with someone who died that round?! That is insane!

I think that it's most likely that Uno and Silver are the killers!
You claim that not changing your vote for Nero is the proof but it doesn't mean anything! You conviently forget that the killers have a roleblock role. Very convient that you do not mention this when attempting to make a proof for yourself. And actually your argument that the others can't be killers so we are is pretty bad! This is, ironically, a complete witch hunt! " Albatross said with maybe the most indignance and pride in himself he had ever mustered.

"Hmm." Uno seemed taken aback by Albatross's strong response, but gave a nod. "So you're saying if the roleblocker targeted Crow and the other killer chose her as a target, she would have been killed successfully and the order wouldn't matter again..? A bit of a roundabout way of performing things, but I cannot deny that it works. Still though, you think me and Silver are in cahoots? Strange, since we voted opposite ways. You could say the target didn't matter and both deaths were beneficial, but if we were killers, we would recognise Jailer being a stronger Scientist role than Middleman. Wouldn't it be smoother if we both agreed to vote Crow from the beginning? More people would've gone our way and it would've been easier to blend in."

"I'll throw you another question as well. If I was a Killer, and Crow claimed that she jailed me in the first round, why did I affirm it? Regardless of whether or not that did happen, if I simply said that wasn't the case and that Crow was a liar, more people would distrust her and doubt either her role or an alignment. It would've been a faster way to vote her off without getting suspicion on me- later on I simply could have said she targeted TV Head or her fellow scientist instead of me and people could have agreed. Sure, there was the chance that she was a prey but if I were a killer I would have recognised her role being more advantageous to the Scientists than Nero's. Playing it safe would have only resulted in more suspicion on me, and even then I wouldn't want to vote for her right after corroborating her story- that would simply lead to more suspicion on me. I can only say this- my actions are far too roundabout and silly for a potential killer's. Unless you're saying I'm pulling some strange reverse psychology trick on you, I stand by my innocence."

---

"Hey," Odin said, turning to Uno and Silver. "Ignore each other for a second. Who are you guys voting for, right now? Gut reaction. Don't actually vote, of course...just a question."

"I don't WANT to vote anyone up," Nova hissed through her teeth. "I don't WANT to do any of this... I just want to go home... but I can't unless I find the people who brought me here and the ones that want me dead... so unless you have a really strong argument to pick someone else... I have to go with who seems the most likely to me..."


"No," Nova countered bluntly. "Albatross was already confirmed to not be one of the Killers, and the fact that you still insist otherwise only makes me more sure that I'm right. It's you and Odin."

She pulled the voting app up on her anklet and tapped in a vote for Uno.

---

Silver let out a deep sigh. "Right now? I'm much more worried about being voted off myself..."

"I... Feel like it doesn't exactly matter what I even say anymore. I don't want to die, but I can't think of what I can say to change anyone's mind..."

"Nova..." Silver lets out another deep breath. "If you believe in TV-Head, that makes everyone else but you and Albatross evil. You can't rust anyone else. And I know this sounds stupid.... But that's not the case. I'm the last Prey. And I can't possibly prove this to you... The best I can do is try to convince you."

"With that being said, that puts Albatross on my radar, as I still believe Uno to be the last scientist. Since now, regretfully... I made a mistake in going after Golf and trusting in TV-Head's insanity."

"I... Am not sure what else I can say here, heheh..." Silver nervously laughs and rubs the back of her head, looking down at her feet. "I suppose I've had some time to start to accept that we don't stand much of a chance anymore. We don't really know who the last scientist is, so if I'm wrong in my gut feeling then there's no point to all of this... I just want to go home..."

"I've tried, at least to the best my own brain can manage, to put forward arguments and seeing things from perspectives that benefit the prey. Odin has done similarly, and now I know that also makes a fantastic cover up, since he has to be one of the killers or scientists who brought all of us here..."

"I guess that's all I can say for now... But I believe Uno is the Scientist, and Albatross and Odin are the two killers. It sounds like insanity, based on TV-Head's word, but I know who I am, which means the other three have to be a part of the evil factions. I suppose there's more of a chance that Albatross is the Scientist as well, which would make my gut feeling about Uno wrong. If I consider that possibility, then there's really only one person I can vote for..."

"Oh... Uh... Not really. I was just switching you for me in that Equation. Sorry Silver! Not my intention.... Please don't give me a swirly or kill me "

[/quote]

"Uhm, good question. But not really a huge dunk. Crow did die, she was killed. As part of a pair of killers you would be able to have more insight than any of us prey on the vote even if you just knew who your partner voted for. You could then confirm her role as one that makes sense for a killer and divert suspicion at the same time."




Albatross let out a sniffle at these words before reaponding.
" S-silver, I guess I can understand that we are all suspicious right now, but how could it be Odin and I? If we are being honest, I have been suspicious of you being the scientist for a long time. You just seem to give off the air of someone who could definitely be involved in spectating death games. And if anything that supports that Uno is a killer even more." Albatross was fully standing in a puddle of sweat at this point.

"Oh... Uh... Not really. I was just switching you for me in that Equation. Sorry Silver! Not my intention.... Please don't give me a swirly or kill me "



"Uhm, good question. But not really a huge dunk. Crow did die, she was killed. As part of a pair of killers you would be able to have more insight than any of us prey on the vote even if you just knew who your partner voted for. You could then confirm her role as one that makes sense for a killer and divert suspicion at the same time."




Albatross let out a sniffle at these words before reaponding.
" S-silver, I guess I can understand that we are all suspicious right now, but how could it be Odin and I? If we are being honest, I have been suspicious of you being the scientist for a long time. You just seem to give off the air of someone who could definitely be involved in spectating death games. And if anything that supports that Uno is a killer even more." Albatross was fully standing in a puddle of sweat at this point.

"Well, you're not doing a good job of winning my trust by clinging to this 'Albatross is a Killer' theory..."

Nova massaged her temple. "I already went over this before, but TV-Head could literally tell whether someone was a Killer or not. So give me one good reason why we should doubt her word on Albatross other than 'she was crazy', because that's not an acceptable answer..."

---

"As long as the possibility that TV Head got roleblocked in the first round exists, we cannot completely ignore the possibility that Albatross is a killer", Uno insisted. "Perhaps I cannot completely establish why she said anything about Albatross despite that, but regardless, if she did get roleblocked that round that would mean that Albatross wouldn't be completely guaranteed to be a non-Killer. Therefore, as long as there is a non-zero possibility of Albatross being a Killer, I heavily recommend not overlooking him."



"I've already said my prime targets are Silver and Albatross, so it would have to be one of them... Right now, I lean towards Albatross. The fact that he has the barrier of "deconfirmation" makes him a harder target, but it's not one I choose to overlook. I did imagine it would be difficult persuading everyone, but this is the best I can do at the moment, sadly. I've given my argument on how I am at least less likely to be a killer, though. The fact that people went from suspecting me as a scientist to a killer is quite unfortunate, but I suppose I would be a convenient scapegoat for the killers at this point. I regret making myself look so suspicious in the past, but I stand by what I have said."

"What about you, Odin? Who do you think you'll be voting for? All that's left for me to get a majority is one vote, after all. We're already on the ropes, so every vote remaining matters."

---

Odin turned away. "...Who knows. Everyone thinks you and I are working together."

Odin winced in pain. His arm was acting up again. "I mean, what could I say to convince you guys of my innocence at this point? There's only two Prey left, and one of them is Nova. We all have our own idea of who's innocent, and why."

He took his keypad and voted for Uno. "As long as I stick to what I believe, I know this vote is correct. I'm not a Killer, or a Scientist. So there's only one explanation. Meaning for me, you're the safest vote right now."

"What are you gonna do now?" Odin asked Uno. "Switch your vote to me?"

"So let me get this straight: Your entire argument is based on the idea that TV-Head did something that could only hurt the Prey for reasons that you can't explain at all, and that's why you're voting for the least likely person here to be one of the Killers besides myself." Nova rolled her eyes. "Using that kind of 'logic', who's to say I'm Prey? Just because Nero said it? Maybe he was lying for 'reasons', too. Why not vote me up?

"...You're either a complete idiot, or a horrible liar. Maybe both. Either way, there's absolutely no doubt in my mind that you're one of the Killers, and I'm going to do everything I can to make you pay for what you've done."

---

"I can only use my word. Aside from what Uno has said, I know they were wrong, because I am quite literally the last prey. I understand that my word means nothing, and it would be nearly impossible to convince you or anyone else. TV-Head had also kept pressing Crow, over and over. TV-Head even put some heat on me, for a brief moment. I don't know if a similar comment of "Albatross can't be a killer" is any good when they've shown to be willing to do anything, as we've seen with Crow."

"Albatross is either a killer or a scientist. Uno is either a killer or a scientist. If Albatross does happen to be the last scientist, that's not something we want to vote for... So I can only see one option that makes sense for myself. I'm voting for Odin. Of the three he's the least likely to actually be the last scientist. If we don't vote off a killer now, we all die. I suggest the other scientist votes with me, whoever it is. Your life and victory are also on the line."

"Perhaps all of my words and arguments are falling on deaf ears, but I'm at a loss for what else I can say... Maybe there's a small part of me hoping that I'm in front of my audience, at least one last time. So they can hear from me and know what my thoughts and feelings are in my potential last moments... Even if Nova doesn't believe me here, maybe someone else out there does."

"And like I said, those examples aren't even remotely the same thing," Nova groaned. "TV-Head was one of the Prey. Whatever you think of her methods, there is NO WAY she would intentionally do something that could cause the Prey to lose. Calling people suspicious, not ACCUSING them, just saying they're suspicious, would not cause the Prey to lose. Clearing someone of being a Killer, which she had the power to know, when she wasn't sure, WOULD cause the Prey to lose. I really don't know how I can make this any clearer...

"You know what I think?" she continued irritably. "I don't remember who started this theory about Crow using her power on Uno to give him a cover story because they're working together, but for whatever reason, some of you are clinging to that because you think it's a 'cool' idea or whatever. It's causing you to tunnel vision and ignore the facts; either that, or you're intentionally trying to mislead the group by sticking to that theory.

"It's not POSSIBLE for Albatross to be one of the Killers," Nova repeated as she narrowed her eyes at Silver. "So he either has to be Prey or the Scientist. If you keep insisting on this idea that Uno is the last Scientist, that means Albatross has to be Prey, and therefore, YOU have to be one of the Killers. Are you sure you want to keep pushing that idea?"

---

Silver let out a long deep sigh. "I still think you are taking one small comment too seriously. But it's incredibly apparent that you're not going to change your mind on that. I'm personally not going to ignore the possibility as long as things like the Roleblocker still exist, who could've targeted TV-Head in the first round, or even TV-Head just making a comment on Albatross's character instead, and perhaps she didn't use her power on him at all. I think YOU might be clinging to this idea that TV-Head's one comment about this because it's the only "fact" you can rely and base your choices on, when the only proof you have is "I don't think they'd lie about a comment like that" when it's entirely possible TV-Head had no chance to use their ability at all, or they even used it on someone else entirely!"

"But yes, you're right, it's still possible he's not a killer, but I also know he's not prey. Which would be why I voted for Odin instead, as it seems like he's the least likely between the two to be the Scientist, since if we vote for him, none of us are ever making it out of here."

"It's not like it matters that much anymore, anyways, since even if we do hit a killer here, we're still leaving our fate to what's basically the roll of a dice..."

"...Well put." Uno nodded towards Silver. "At this point, you're making even me doubt whether you're a Killer or not. Regardless, you're quite right. We can interpolate whatever we want towards TV-Head's actions. If she was blocked, then perhaps what she said was her simply projecting her theories on us. Of course, off-handedly denying someone could be a Killer like that, but that could be attributed to a lack of foresight on her part. She may have had a TV for a head, but she was human just like the rest of us. She was always brash and forthright despite her important role. Perhaps she really didn't expect to get killed off next round like she ended up. A foolhardy move on her part, perhaps, but that's the power of human error. Where we seem to disagree is on how implausible this is. I personally don't think it's beyond her, but as long as it remains possible, I cannot overlook Albatross as a suspect. As such, my vote goes to him in this instance."

"There's little else left for me to say. I've made my beliefs clear at this point. Some may doubt me, but I've explained how my actions are just peculiar for that of a Killer's. I'm also just well aware of the fact that I am not a Killer at all and that voting for me will end this game right here. This is all I can do to try and change your minds. I understand we're on the ropes as-is, but it's better to risk the Killers messing up next round and killing the wrong person than it is to just vote for the wrong person here and end it all when we still have a fighting chance. Of course, this will be difficult to do unless we can get all the 3 non-Preys to focus on a correct Killer- which we are nowhere close to achieving at the moment." They sighed. "Still, we have time. I would rather not let the killers win until we at least eliminate one of them correctly. This might be our last chance to fight back, so it's crucial we do not mess up here."

---

"I'd sooner trust what a confirmed Prey who had the power to detect Killers said than baseless 'what-ifs' from a couple unknowns..." Nova popped her gum. "And I haven't heard anything that would convince me to change my mind."

---

"Erm... but, if Albatross is the last Scientist, and TV-Head was right about them not being a killer... then voting for him here also ends the game. Wouldn't it be better to vote for someone else instead?"

"Thinking about it, I also have 2 votes for me already. Albatross could potentially vote for me, and the only way I can get out of this alive at this point is for voting for the only other person whom somebody else for... I change my vote to Odin for the time being", Uno stated begrudgingly. "This had better work... I'm not certain in him being a killer but it is better than nothing."

---

As the timer approached 0 Albatross silently Voted for Uno and let out a delicate sigh. Drenched in just so much sweat, but this decision appeared to finally stem the flow. Of sweat.

The discussion was far tenser than usual, as so much was on the line. Before long it had come to an end, however. The time had come, and Uno was the unlucky sacrifice.

[Execution theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFY2DaiScAQ]

He knew there was no way he could convince enough people now. Accepting his fate, they laid down on the floor in the centre of the room, staring up at the light shining down through the grate. He flinched slightly as the needle in their bracelet injected him with lethal poison, and then the light slowly left his eyes. Uno seemed at peace.

“It seems I’d better not delay, given the circumstances,” the robot said, before launching into the usual eulogy.


[Theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3Hwb3_2XWA]

Nova’s eyes widened in shock, and she backed away from the others in the room, eyeing the remaining captives wildly. The two Killers wasted no time in acting: Odin pulled out a knife from somewhere and threw it at the pleading Silver, killing her instantly, then pulled out a second and turned to Nova. She tried to run, but Albatross moved with deceptive speed to cut her off, and knocked her out with a clean punch to the head. Nova wouldn’t wake again: after waiting for his powers to recharge, Albatross killed her in the same way he had the others.

Once Albatross was satisfied with his ‘meal’, the two Killers turned their attention towards escaping. They gathered up all the bracelets and assembled the code: 333363227867. Odin then revealed that he’d figured out a trick regarding the facility, and the two operated their bracelets at his instructions.

It seemed the game’s original progression had intended the players to unlock the second level of doors at this point. By voting to unlock access, an elevator rose up out of the floor, which would take them down to a similar room with colourful doors spaced around the walls. However, by standing on top of the elevator as it rose up, Odin and Albatross were able to reach the grate above them to enter the passcode. It probably wasn’t an intentional part of the game, but the robot didn’t seem to particularly care; in fact, the robot was now just floating in one spot emptily, no longer having a purpose as the Nonary+ Game was over.

The keypad accepted the code with a cheerful beep, and the grate opened. A rope ladder automatically lowered itself, allowing the Killers to climb up and out into the open air above them.

[Killers end theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nq0t5CXYc6M]

Odin and Albatross found themselves in the ruins of a once-great city. Near the entrance to the facility Albatross saw a long-dead soldier, gun planted into the ground in front of him. He must have died protecting this place from the ‘Cult’, never knowing that his efforts would ultimately be in vain.

The city of New Bosco around them was little more than an old battlefield now. As the capital of Cartor it had seen numerous skirmishes, until at last it had buckled and fallen. Now there was little left to fight over, and the ruins were abandoned. The fight for Cartor’s future was far from finished though, as the government was still resolutely holding out against the rebellion from their stronghold to the north. The Witch held the power to sway the war, and now he was in the hands of the rebellion, a group who’d celebrate his powers instead of abusing them. The future was still uncertain, but Odin felt actual hope for the first time in a long while.

Odin stumbled out into the city with Albatross, a mixture of hope and uncertainty painted across his face. He had successfully "won" the Nonary Game, a task he never thought he'd actually accomplish. Turning behind him to face the way he came from, he remembered all of the faces he killed and betrayed to get to the point he needed to be.

"...I hope you're okay," Odin said to Albatross, still facing towards the facility. "And I hope you were worth the trouble."

His arm was still in disarray -- the pain and reality of that were all too real. He wasn't sure what would come of his future, yet this is a job that needed to be done. He gave an apologetic salute to those who 'lost' the Nonary Games, although the scientists preparing Albatross were certainly against the goals of the 'cult.'

"Honestly...it wasn't easy to establish a connection with you," Odin sighed. "Plus, I'm pretty good with pain myself...after all, there'd be no way I could free myself from those handcuffs. But even I have my limits! My arm has totally gone to shit cause of you."

He didn't wait for Albatross to respond before turning around and walking away.

"So? What's it gonna be? You gonna join this 'cult' of ours?" he asked indignantly. "I mean, for God's sake, you kind of owe me one for what I did back there! I totally freed you from those batshit crazy scientists. Good grief, they were weird. I mean, who carries around a *bird* with them wherever they go? In a death game, on top of that? At least cook that thing for dinner."

He skipped around a bit before halting in front of Albatross, holding up his unburned hand.

"I'll give ya the run-down of our perks and benefits," Odin said, growing more cheerful by the minute. "One! We get to say fuck you to that crazy Cartor government. These people 'leading' our country have got to go. You probably agree."

He held up another finger. "Two! You'll probably get a lot of worship. I mean, with a face like that and that creaky leaky nose, you probably don't have a lot of experience with being popular or anything. I mean, not even I got the friends I deserved with the kind of bank I was making."

Another finger shot up. "Three! A little cash from me, since I couldn't ask you to lead a war without a little salary. We could probably fix those big ass cheeks of yours up and make you real popular with the ladies. Or men. Or everything in-between. I don't give a shit."

Odin was growing a bit tired, his arm certainly wearing him down, so he took a seat right in front of Albatross. "So c'mon, you gonna help us or what?"

Albatross stood taller than they ever had before as they listened to Odin. After he was done a voice came from Albatross that was completly different from what had come before. Albatross had sounded luke a sweaty nerdy dweeby dude before, but now from his mouth came the voice of a self possessed woman.

" Aye, you have not only freed my form, but you have helped me learn what happened to Reginald. You see, those foul scientists thought themselves clever by codenaming Us the Witch when they captured the original owner of this body, Reginald Poindexter. He was simmilar to how you have seen me act, he was a pathetic worm of a man, but a mighty latent esper who i was able to join in his body. You see, I am Gianna D'Arcane, a witch who was burnt and murdered at the stake hundreds of years ago. I blended with Reginald, and together we were happy. I was able to help him gain confidence and power, he helped me feel the sun on skin for the first time in a hundred years.

"When they took us, it was terrible. But at first we had hope because they only knew Reginald was an esper, they had no idea about me. But eventually they began to give Us drugs that annhilated his personality, so it was that after one game where they made us kill everyone, I awoke and Reginald was dead." Albatross- Gianna, was looking up at the sky as she finished speaking.

She was quiet for another long moment until a smile that unequivocally belonged to a witch. "I will, of course be willing to join your cult, i quite naturally have both vendettas against small minded men who spread rumors of cults to gain power, and of course those who killed my friend and made me kill many, many more. I promise you, they will regret this decision until they die, which will not be for a very, long time." And with that, an absolutely evil cackle was unleashed from the throat that once belonged to Albatross. And in the distance, many, many crows and birds seemed to join in.