Danganronpa F6: Beneath the Surface- End

[SaizotheSixth]

Oddly enough, Nail was one of the few in Benjamin's company, for whatever reason. His face became quiet, and he looked down at his hands.

"Chained, without being able to choose my own end. Being held by someone else's will, and being forced to whatever end they wish. That is what I think would be the worst way to die."

[WinterCoat]

"...seriously? That's your icebreaker?" Brandy asked with a raised eyebrow. It seemed she had already finished most of her tea. "I don't really have an answer to that. It's somethin' I really don't wanna think 'bout right now."

She took a sip from her cup and looked at Benjamin. "Do you have an answer to your own question?"

[JesusMonroe]

"I suppose I never liked the idea of death. I admit it's quite silly, given the inevitability."

Benjamin stared at his soup with something close to resignation. He then continued speaking into it, as if it were his conversation partner. “My one fear in life has always been that I would die for nothing. And everyday in prison, I knew that I would die there and my worst fear would be my fate. When I had volunteered to be killed before, I didn't want to die... but I suppose I see this expedition as my chance to die for something. And it’ll be my choice. I can accept that ending.”

[SaizotheSixth]

"It takes a certain kind of strength to knowingly face your own end, Sir Benjamin," Nail told the prisoner. "And to not only face it, but to walk toward it, head held high and unafraid... that takes yet another kind of strength. Some are not quite that strong, even if the situation calls for it."

[JesusMonroe]

"I appreciate that, but I am not strong. I simply have the ability to accept what is and what isn't."

He then tugged at his own chain, dragging his ball slightly closer to him. "Still, given your answer I imagine what happened to your earlier must've been particularly terrifying. I suppose in a way I'm the last person whose shoes you'd want to be in."

[WinterCoat]

"Say, Ben," Brandy said after taking a sip, "I think that that's pretty noble of you. Whether you think so or not, it takes a pretty strong person to want to die for a cause."

[SaizotheSixth]

"I appreciate that, but I am not strong. I simply have the ability to accept what is and what isn't."

He then tugged at his own chain, dragging his ball slightly closer to him. "Still, given your answer I imagine what happened to your earlier must've been particularly terrifying. I suppose in a way I'm the last person whose shoes you'd want to be in."

"In one way, yes," Nail chuckled. "Though you wouldn't be entirely incorrect, your shoes are one that I would be adverse to filling in most cases. But given the option between facing death and being bound in the chains I hate so... I would prefer the chains."

[Lone]

"The worst way to die hm? Being buried alive and dying of suffocation certainly. Imagine being stuck in a cold dark coffin slowly but surely running out of breath, with not enough room to so much as move your shoulders."

Ciro shudders for a bit.

[Cold52]

Matt took a sip of his beer.
"Shit thats an easy one, Starving to death...you dont think about it cause it wont hurt immidiately but it gets worse the closer you get to death, your body starts to eat itself, you slowly lose any energy to even try to do anything, hell cant even eat very well if you find some food too late.

"My thoughts are it aint what kills ya quick that's the most painful, its the shit that takes the longest time to take you down as if its laughing in your face, it wants you to know your gonna die, and it wants to enjoy every moment you suffer doing it."

[KamiPanda]

Thanks to the power of time skips, Seb was also present and looked better than he had after the trial. He didn't, however, seem too happy with the topic.

"I don't really want to go into specifics about the... mechanics of dying," he said, throwing a disturbed look at Ciro, "but right now, for me at least, dying down here would be the worst way to die. I need to make right by too many things up on the surface to die now. Though, maybe that's just my general fear of dying talking."

[Datamatt]

Daniel gulps his tea down in one clean sip, looking just as bad as he did when he got to the dinner before the murder. After hearing everyone else's responses, he nods in agreement with Seb.

"He's right, soldiers. That's not the fear of dying speaking, that's your survival instincts. There's nothing worse than dying down here, in this God forsaken trap shithole. Which is why we can't allow anyone else or ourselves to die."

[KamiPanda]

Seb shook his head, actually looking irritated. "That's all well and good, but people will keep dying. I'm still trying to figure out if it's better for me to be one of them or not. As much as I'd rather live, is it really okay to prioritise my own survival over anyone else's? At this point I can't really tell. For now I'll probably have to evaluate that on a case-by-case basis. For example... I really don't think it would be fair for me to live while Brandy dies," he said, looking over at her. "But on the other hand, I can't imagine dying in place of some others on this expedition."

[Franzise Deauxnim]

Shizune laid in her tent to rest, blissfully unaware of the dreary conversation by the fire. Probably.

[WinterCoat]

"I'd rather not put a value on lives," Brandy said bluntly to Sebastian. "It jus' don't feel right to me. I agree that there's gonna be more killin', for sure, but..."

She sighed. "Sorry, I don't really know how to finish this thought. I think I'm gonna try to get some sleep... G'night, y'all."

She walked back to her tent, which felt a lot emptier without Charlotte. Sometimes, life just sucks like that.

[Doctor Nanjo]

Spoiler: ???

A city of empty buildings. A sea of breathless faces. Darkness on every side.

It felt like home again.

The outcast sat on a couch in a former living room. The wall to the left had split into pieces, spilling rubble onto the deteriorating couch. One cushion was free though, and that was enough.

“You’ve been here for a long time now, haven’t you?”

The outcast sighed and turned toward the window. “Go away…you old fuck.”

The scarred man frowned and continued as if they hadn’t spoken. “It’s not too late, you know. There’s always a chance to turn back. We’re all waiting for you.”

He raised a mug to his lips and took a long sip, reclining in his armchair. The outcast thought it a little strange that they couldn’t smell any fumes.

“You know it’s not gonna work, don’t you?” He continued.

“Wha--?” the outcast stammered, “What makes you think you can say that? Your PhD doesn’t mean shit to me.”

“I don’t need one to know you’re trying to fight forces you don’t understand,” he replied, “You know, normal folks would have moved on by now…And no, I don’t mean deep into a cave on some fanciful dream.”

“Don’t you get it…?” the outcast was angry, but it failed to reach her voice. “I’m not normal. And I don’t need to be.”

The two sat in silence for a while. The outcast closed their eyes and rubbed their fingers against their forehead. They wheezed in pain.

“Hmm? What’s wrong now?”

“Th-They’re back,” they mumbled, “The voices of the damned.”

The scarred man smiled, writing something down. “They’re not real. Just ignore them.”

“Well then why are they…so loud?”

The outcast began to tremble and desperately held their fists against their ears. Choirs of cacaphonic voices were shouting messages to no one. Only a few familiar voices were legible above the rest.

“What is it, sweetie? …What’s wrong?”

“Christ, just shut up! And get all that shit off the wall too. This is the last time I’m gonna ask.”

The outcast collapsed onto the floor. A scream escaped their lips.

“I love you, I really do, but…”

“So I heard in some cultures they let freaks like you die in the wilderness to keep the ‘curse’ away.”

“I-I just can’t stay here anymore. I’m sorry.”

“Heh, interesting, isn’t it? I can kinda understand the sentiment, honestly.”

The outcast gasped as they felt a boot slam into their shin. The pain didn’t last, and the voices were spontaneously silenced.

“Wizen up, child,” the scarred man chuckled amiably, “You deserve better company than corpses.” He shook his head and walked away, his footsteps hanging in the air like a dirge.

The outcast curled up on the floor amidst the other rubble.

The dead boy’s laughter echoed through the cavern.

They crawled after him.

Double doors.

Pretty, dark, hardwood, double doors with big brass handles.

Nobody had any idea how they got there: right in camp, next to all the tents, on a cave wall that they've seen time and time again.

It was like the doors decided now was their time.

Yesterday had been an awful and depressing day. The tribunal had left a deep black mark. Everyone was looking for a light to follow.

The light came to them in the form of those doors.

* * *

The twelve investigate the doors, finding out they lead to a short marble hall. There is an old-style elevator with a metal gate stretched across it.

They pile into the elevator and see it only goes up.

Up?

There's a brief discussion of what that could mean before the button is pressed and the elevator begins moving upwards.

Up and up and up it goes. The elevator moves faster and faster. How deep were they?

Suddenly, light peeks through the gate. They've reached the top and stretched out in front of them is tarmac. Was that the light of the sun or something else?

They exit the little booth the elevator is in. The first thing that sinks in is that huge stone walls stretch over and around them. They are definitely in a cave of some sort. This isn't some sort of exit to the outside world.

But it's not that far away from it.

They look around, it's downtown Rattlewater. The entire thing looks as if it was dug right out of the ground and dropped into this cavern. The cracked streets are there, the faded signs are there, the quaint old buildings are there. The cavern walls abruptly stop the group from leaving the few streets that are there: Main, First, Second, and Third.

The group spends a while shouting for people, but Rattlewater is a ghost town. There's not one single soul in the whole place. There's not even any plants or bugs or anything. Just dust that gets kicked around on the street.

The light is coming from a single bright lamp in the ceiling. It seems like it was designed to mimic the sun's light.

On the bulletin board in the middle of town a message from the mayor is posted about a strange festival that nobody has ever heard of before happening in three days:

THE MIDNIGHT HARVEST FESTIVAL

There's reminders to make the town look as best as possible for all the people who are coming from other places. There are lots of tips to decorate the town with its colors: orange and red.

They look around at buildings, all of which seem to have the elevators and wheelchair-accessible ramps that were put in after Shizune's arrival in Rattlewater a year or so ago.

Spoiler: The Rattlewater Tribune

Print shop where Shizune works. Lots of supplies for typing and big machines for printing out entire papers. Copies of old stories lie in a back room. The place looks a little upswept, with a lot of papers laying about.

Spoiler: Dojo Sushi

Ciro's sushi restaurant, decorated with martial arts equipment. In the front are all the tables and in the back is the kitchen.

Spoiler: Mechanic Shop

A garage with two old cars suspended from the ceiling. There are a lot of mechanical parts here as well as tools. The place is dimly lit with empty bottles lying about. It looks worn from years of use.

Spoiler: Rattlewater Police Station

The Rattlewater Police are a relatively laid back bunch. Sometimes they do their job right, but they can easily get into controversy with how they selectively come down on people. There's a few meeting rooms in here with filing cabinets. The armory is sealed tight. There's a little place in the front where people can come to speak with the police.

Spoiler: Edgar's Pub

A dingy, dirty pub. A long wooden counter sits at the front. Behind it are countless drinks. To the sides are a couple of busted tables as well as pool and a dartboard. The dartboard seems to be missing the numbers.

Spoiler: Rattlewater Hospital of Mercy

A dinky six-patient hospital and urgent care center where Klifford works and has an office. The place has three floors and is pretty easy to navigate. There's a maternity ward, x-ray machines, a CT scanner, and plenty of rooms for surgery. There are a couple patient rooms as well for long term patients. There is a great deal of medicine here.

Spoiler: Historical Society of Rattlewater

A museum where Micah works. The main area contains a bunch of chunks of old things that were found buried beneath Rattlewater under glass cases. Urns, weapons, and all of that nonsense. It looks exceptionally well taken care of.

Spoiler: Star Lanes

Rows and rows of arcade machines sit in the front of this bowling alley. The place has dark, swirling black carpet with stars on it. To the side is a restricted area with gambling machines, which flicker with bright lights and sounds.

Spoiler: Town Hall

A obsidian building sits where town hall should be. Heavy black church doors sit on the front of it. Overhead, steeples tower. A message on the door reads, "WHAT YOU SEEK IS INSIDE. ONLY A GREAT WITCH MAY OPEN THIS DOOR."

Chapter 3 - Welcome Back
Beginning

[CaptainPancakes]

Ivan's face was a mixture of shocked, disturbed, yet comforted. This obviously wasn't the Rattlewater he knew (or so he thought, anyways), yet he couldn't help walk up to all the buildings and sights he loved.

"This is...Rattlewater," he said in disbelief. "...How...is this possible?"

A few moments later, he sprinted to the model police station, perhaps expecting his squadron to be there.

[WinterCoat]

“Midnight Harvest Festival...” Brandy shuddered. “Somethin’ ‘bout that sent a chill my spine. This place is eerie...”

She watched Ivan run off looking like a lost child who was desperately searching for his parents in a grocery store.

“Seems like they got jus’ ‘bout everythin’ here. Well, mostly. Kinda glad they didn’t try to replicate anythin’ to do with me.”

[Collin1002]

"Well," Oliver began, looking around the town. He looked quite perturbed die to seeing a perfect replication of the town, to say the least. "This is certainly most unsettling... And the Midnight Harvest Festival? I wonder what that's all about. Not that I'm particular excited about finding out..."

[JesusMonroe]

"So this is Rattlewater? It's quite lovely. You should all be proud to have an upbringing in a place like this."

Benjamin went to the Tribune first, looking through the old stories. "Anything in particular worth reading?"

[SaizotheSixth]

Nail stood quiet, his eyes darting left and right, as if he were trying to hear something, or someone.

"There's nobody else here," he muttered. "Which makes sense, but... how did this section of the gown get here? And why is the town hall locked this way? I have no knowledge on this. This is simply far too uncanny. I think... I think I need more bedrest..."

He stumbled off, not really walking in a straight line whatsoever. Or with any direction.

[KamiPanda]

"This is... really freaky. I know that, with Belphegor and all, we've been dealing with some strange stuff down here, but..." Seb trailed off, mind elsewhere as he looked around at their all-too-familiar surroundings. Then he snapped out of it and continued, "Those doors we took to get here weren't even there before. Then an underground elevator that couldn't - shouldn't - exist, and it took us here? It's like we're not even on Earth anymore... Like Belphegor constructed this in a realm of hell and took us here, or something." Unlike Ivan, he didn't seem comforted by the familiarity of it all. Quite the opposite, that seemed to be part of what was unsettling him so much. His eyes kept being drawn to the hospital, only to quickly dart away, not wanting to linger.

"Still, we're here now, and there's not much we can do about it. I'm going to go investigate the pub." He finally said, going and doing so.

[Cold52]

"Well...Shit." Matt wasn't sure what to say at the sight of the town before him, clearly it looked like rattlewater but couldnt be at the same time.

"Guess ill get my ass to the shop, been a pain in the ass without my toolbox, shit any tools would be nice...after that though its the damn bar and there aint nothing that will rip my ass away from that damn bar."

Matt began walking away to get started.

[Franzise Deauxnim]

Shizune stared at the Tribune for a few seconds, frowned, then slowly started heading towards the hospital.

[Joker]

Klifford looks around at the 'town' before them, and then pinches himself to check if he's dreaming. "How is this possible...?" He asks no one in particular, after confirming it's not a dream.

"Anyways... I'm going to check out the hospital, if anybody needs me." Without waiting for an answer to his previous question, the doctor walks off in the direction of the hospital.

[Doctor Nanjo]

Benjamin digs through dozens of old stories. Flipping through newspapers. He's gone back six years and there's a familiar face.

Spoiler: Double Gyroscopic Turbine Engine Puts Rattlewater on the Map

Local mechanic Matt Gustily (pictured here) is putting Rattlewater on the map with his new invention. Taking advantage of the notoriously winding rivers in Rattlewater, Gustily designed a new type of power plant, which can produce twice as much power as a nuclear powerplant. Nearby cities are looking to rely on Rattlewater more and more, and a railway will soon be added that goes through Rattlewater. Gustily says that his idea was really quite a simple one, and that he's doing it all for his daughter, whom he adopted from his dearly departed friend nearly half a year ago. Regardless of his modesty, Gustily will be remembered as a local hero for years to come.

Benjamin digs a little further back and finds another one, featuring the same man.

Spoiler: Man Crushed at Local Garage

Rattlewater resident Gregg Daley died at 4:00 AM this morning in an accident at a local mechanic's garage. The man was crushed under a car that he had been helping his friend, Matt Gustily, work on. Gregg Daley was a loving father and great friend, Gustily said, still shaken over the whole thing. You can never expect when things like this will happen. I just hope he didn't feel any pain. I'm gonna miss 'im.

[JesusMonroe]

Benjamin bundled the papers under his arm and walked over to the mechanic shop.

"Hello, Matt. I didn't know you had a daughter." There was genuine surprise in his voice. "I always assumed you were more the 'rogue scoundrel'. I suppose it's true what they say about appearances."

[Datamatt]

Ivan's face was a mixture of shocked, disturbed, yet comforted. This obviously wasn't the Rattlewater he knew (or so he thought, anyways), yet he couldn't help walk up to all the buildings and sights he loved.

"This is...Rattlewater," he said in disbelief. "...How...is this possible?"

A few moments later, he sprinted to the model police station, perhaps expecting his squadron to be there.

Daniel stares dumbfounded at the city. He rubs his eyes in sheer disbelief. "You're right, Ivan.... What kinda satanic work is this?"

He glances around at the buildings. Spotting the pub, he grins to himself. "At least the pub is still intact!"

Daniel begins stepping towards the pub, trying to find any sort of drinks.

[Cold52]

Benjamin bundled the papers under his arm and walked over to the mechanic shop.

"Hello, Matt. I didn't know you had a daughter." There was genuine surprise in his voice. "I always assumed you were more the 'rogue scoundrel'. I suppose it's true what they say about appearances."

"Huh? where'd ya..."
Matt noticed the papers in his hand with a particular picture in it and sighed.

"Yea, wasn't planning to either, I told you bout that friend you reminded me of right? that was the guy. his little girl didnt have anywhere to go so I adopted her, cant say im too great a parent but who is these days, honestly just wish shed stop nagging me to quit drinking...already quit smoking as is, least the candy was a good substitute, hell she likes um too."
Matt grabbed out a candy cigarette.

"want one brat?" Matt held out a candy in benjamin's direction."

[JesusMonroe]

Benjamin didn't particularly want one but he appreciated that Matt didn't end up having a tantrum when he breached the topic, and didn't want to disappoint him. "Sure." He said, taking one and sucking on it.

"It does strike me as odd that your friend was working on a car at 4 AM though. Was he that obsessed with his work? Just seems a little off especially since we know about all the unusual happenings in this town." Benjamin's observation didn't come across as completely serious given the candy cigarette he was sucking on.

[WinterCoat]

Feeling adventurous and seeing everyone off doing their own things, Brandy went over to what should've been town hall. Seeing the building made her feel as though the life was being sucked right out of her.

"Only a witch can open it, huh? Well then...." She stood back from the doors a bit, pointed at them, and shouted, "Open sesame!"

...

...

...

She started to kick the door.

[Cold52]

Benjamin didn't particularly want one but he appreciated that Matt didn't end up having a tantrum when he breached the topic, and didn't want to disappoint him. "Sure." He said, taking one and sucking on it.

"It does strike me as odd that your friend was working on a car at 4 AM though. Was he that obsessed with his work? Just seems a little off especially since we know about all the unusual happenings in this town." Benjamin's observation didn't come across as completely serious given the candy cigarette he was sucking on.

"Anyone ever tell you your nosy brat? Ow wait, already did..." matt laughed slightly.
"He was always brat, probably marry his work if he could, course he always had time for his daughter but he was the type that if you'd get the man talking about something he was interested in and you'd have to twist his arm just to get him to stop."

Matt scratched his head.
"Shame he went out like he did, a pain in my ass sometimes but he was one of the few people who wasn't a moron in this town."

[WinterCoat]

By this point, Brandy had stopped kicking the doors due to the sheer pain of it and proceeded to hop around on one foot while cursing the doors and clutching her other foot in agony.

"I guess I ain't no witch," she said when she calmed down. "Or at least, not a great one."

[CaptainPancakes]

Ivan burst into the police station, combing through each and every inch and noticed almost nothing different. There was one major omission, however, and that was his staff. He looked for what felt like hours to see if there were any potential clues or signs of life, but to no avail.

He stepped out of the police station and stared above him, hoping to see a sky.

"...What a scheme," Ivan grumbled. After a few more tense breaths, he attempted to relax and headed off to the bar with Daniel.

[Southern Corn]

[Hi sorry for being like 3 chapters late but in case anyone's interested you can request additional types of EFLs now!!]

Spoiler:

There are two kind of special EFLs you can initiate, neither of which can be made permanent and which are only ambiguously canon. Your request for either of these will count for your request for the chapter as well:
1. Ouija Boards: FTE dead people! Only usable on people who died in previous chapters.
2. Fantasy Suites: The nerd who makes this request acts out a “fantasy” for the recipient, of the recipient’s choosing. The recipient will often see the requster as someone else, who they can fulfil some fantasy by spending time with. For example, they may see you as their long-dead sibling who they miss and still have to say goodbye to. It's recommended you sort this out with the other person prior to starting the Suite.

[Franzise Deauxnim]

It wasn't long before Shizune found what she was looking for in the hospital: another wheelchair. Coincidentally, Klifford arrived at about the same time. She set her typewriter down on the nearest table and knelt down to start writing.

Code: Select all

Dear Dr. Pratt,

Is it alright if I take this? It's rather difficult for me to carry and use Claudia otherwise. Should someone else be in need of it, I promise I'll turn it over to them.

Sincerely, 
Shizune Takata

[Lone]

“Sweet, my restaurant dojo!” Ciro was gonna go off to it when Matt’s thing came up. “I’m sorry to hear that my friend. Come over to my restaurant and we’ll settle it over some ice cool beer!”

[Datamatt]

Ivan burst into the police station, combing through each and every inch and noticed almost nothing different. There was one major omission, however, and that was his staff. He looked for what felt like hours to see if there were any potential clues or signs of life, but to no avail.

He stepped out of the police station and stared above him, hoping to see a sky.

"...What a scheme," Ivan grumbled. After a few more tense breaths, he attempted to relax and headed off to the bar with Daniel.

Daniel is in the bar, currently scouring it in search for any drinks. Noticing Ivan, he turns his head towards him. "Found anything in the station, Ivan? You sure don't look like you did."

[KamiPanda]

Seb, also in the bar, was looking at the drinks with some evident curiosity. When Matt had offered him a beer after the trial he'd accepted, figuring he had nothing left to lose, but had then promptly spat out his first sip in disgust. Maybe he was wondering now if there was anything tastier, but he promptly looked elsewhere when the police busted the door down.

[Joker]

It wasn't long before Shizune found what she was looking for in the hospital: another wheelchair. Coincidentally, Klifford arrived at about the same time. She set her typewriter down on the nearest table and knelt down to start writing.

Code: Select all

Dear Dr. Pratt,

Is it alright if I take this? It's rather difficult for me to carry and use Claudia otherwise. Should someone else be in need of it, I promise I'll turn it over to them.

Sincerely, 
Shizune Takata

“Of course you can take it, Shizune.” Klifford replied, with a smile. “You didn’t have to ask. Do you need any help getting in?”

[Franzise Deauxnim]

Shizune shook her head.

Code: Select all

Dear Dr. Pratt, 

Thank you, but there's no need to trouble yourself. I feel well enough now to manage that much on my own.

On a related note, I need to get to the Tribune. After my fall, I lost most of my paper and all of my spare ink ribbons, so hopefully there are some there.

Please excuse me.

Sincerely, 
Shizune Takata

She unfolded the chair, sat down, pulled Claudia into her lap, then nodded gratefully at Klifford before starting to wheel herself towards the exit.