[Fin] Murder in the Mountains (End)

[KungFuCutbug]

[The Soul also nods shakily in Amy's direction. Seems the writer is scaring them already...]

[TenOfSwords13]

I think that most denizens of this abode would be willing to do things to catch killers in the act. The killers would never dare break cover while we wake, so they shall wait until nightfall. I cannot specify how my abilites would be used, as I would be targeted. But have faith.., there should be no bodies at daybreak, should all be in our favour.

[wingedcatgirl]

"I wish I could help more directly, but all I can tell you is that the killers weren't alone. There are three - no, four servants of Death in this building, and they will strike each night as long as they live. ... I hate this comparison, but if you've ever played a 'social deduction game', those skills will transfer well here."

"Heeheehee... I love it. Pick the most likely culprit and sacrifice them~ Maybe you'll get out alive, maybe you won't. And if you opt out, you're handing yourselves to me on a silver platter! It's so exciting, I should do this on purpose next time!"

"... hate you so much"

[Kennifer]

"Or you're just bullshitting in the hopes that the killers don't target you... or so we don't get suspicious of you."

[artsyGeek]

“. .Uh-huh.”

[Kondraki's internally pressing X to doubt. Actually he's probably spamming it by now. Brandishing his sword, he looks back at Red.]

“I'll see about that, then.”

[Zanreo]

"Four of them, huh? If true, I'll take them all on when I find them!"

[KungFuCutbug]

[Even more voices? Oh for fuck's sake, Tainted Soul's positively going insane now.]

[Caret]

Nellie takes off his own blanket and wraps it around the Soul, making a effort to conceal his wings in the process. "There you go. Try your best to stay warm, alright?" The angel smiles at the soul, before noticing the second voice speaking.

"Who are you and what is your intention?"

[wingedcatgirl]

"Me? I want to get the innocents out of here alive."

[Kennifer]

"Well hey, there's a thing we agree on, strange disembodied voice from nowhere."

[KungFuCutbug]

[The Soul takes the blanket and immediately cocoons themself inside of it.

...At least they feel safe now.]

[Caret]

"If you're really trying to let us escape, then why aren't you trying to open the door out of here with your magical powers that you presumably have?"

[Florien]

Malakhiri bursts into the room, to confront the voices, their cloak billowing overly dramatically, as it is wont to do.

YOU ARE NOT THE OLD GODS! YOU SPEAK THE A CORRUPT LANGUAGE OF THE FALSE GODS! THE SEVEN CIRCLES OPPOSE YOUR FOOLISH ENDEVOR TO SHAKE MY FAITH IN THE RETURN OF THE OLD GODS!

[Dramabutton Dot Wav]

MY CURSE FALLS UPON YOU TOO! SO SUBTLE IT IS THAT YOU WON'T REALIZE UNTIL IT'S FAR TOO LATE! Though yes, why aren't you dispelling the blizzard and opening the door to set the Herald of the Much Better Old Gods free if you're so great? You're invoking the wrath of the Seven Circles by doing that, and that's rarely a good proposition.

[Kennifer]

"Huh, I don't feel very cursed. How long does it take to kick in?"

...yeah, death priest was still funny.

[MadameButterflyKnife]

If I had to guess, while they may be magical, they may be constrained somehow. Maybe they've been trapped by outside forces, unable to act upon their full power. Or maybe they're just fighting a force more powerful than them, and are just waiting for our assistance to find a way out.

[KungFuCutbug]

[The Soul looks up from where they're laying at the others and decides to prop themselves back up, still cocooned in the blanket Nellie gave them.] "why do the good voices want help from us to fight the bad voices? if they can't fight them alone, asking weaker people for help won't do much good. ...if anything, i'm just dead weight. both literally and metaphorically..." [They pat the skull of their skeleton. ...Surprisingly, they're unbothered by the melting candle wax on it. Perks of being a ghost, I guess.]

[TenOfSwords13]

Perhaps they speak falsehoods. We can only trust who is here, and only to an extent.

[Florien]

TO TELL YOU HOW LONG IT TAKES FOR THE POWERFUL AND DEADLY CURSE TO SET IN WOULD RUIN THE HORROR AS YOU FIND OUT HOW TOO LATE IT IS WHEN IT DOES SET IN FULLY!

Malakhiri lets out an EEEEVIL laugh at Amy.

THE VOICES OUTSIDE AND INSIDE DISRESPECT THE OLD GODS, SO YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR CRIMES AGAINST THEM! SOME DAY, YOU WILL SUFFER THEIR WRATH!

Malakhiri fumbles with some candles and manages to light them and dramatically wave them around in a vaguely ritualistic fashion before one of them goes out because they moved it too fast.

[Kennifer]

Amy just... laughs back at Malakhiri. Except not evilly, since she's finding the "overdramatic death cult priest" thing still pretty amusing.

[wingedcatgirl]

"... Well, strictly speaking there's nothing stopping me from stopping the blizzard. The problem is..."

"Nothing stopping me from starting it right back up afterward!"

"Yes. That."

[KungFuCutbug]

[The Soul just pulls its hood further down their face, specifically trying to cover... where their ears would be if they had visible ones.]

[PointMaid]

...This has to be a trick, right? Somebody's playing a trick on us?

I hope so, dear, but that body looks pretty real, doesn't it? That's... that's beyond a trick. Even if they were already dead nobody would just use a dead body for a trick like that. Would they?

Either way, though, maybe we should get to, um, know the people we're stuck with better. I think we already said that I'm Chip, she's Ada, we're on our honeymoon. She codes, I do graphics, we both write, we're doing project work for a game currently. It should be a lot of fun, it's called Call of the Werewolf. Look for it when it comes out.

[Florien]

OR MAYBE YOU'RE BOTH POWERLESS DECIEVERS, HERE TO DECIEVE US TO MAKE ME GO AGAINST THE WILL OF THE OLD GODS!

[Dramabutton Dot Wav]

MOST DEARLY WILL YOU PAY FOR THAT! YOU AND YOUR THIRD COMPATRIOT IN THE WAYS OF DECEPTION, LIES, AND OTHER SUCH THINGS!

On hearing that Chip and Ada are working on a video game...

AAAA! VIDEO GAMES! THEY BETRAY THE WAYS OF THE OLD GODS! UNLESS THEY'RE CERTAIN ONES, CERTAIN ONES ARE ACTUALLY VERY SACRED! I HOPE YOURS WILL BE SUFFICIENTLY SACRED, ELSE THE OLD GODS HAVE VILE TORTURES IN STORE FOR YOU!

[wingedcatgirl]

"Believe what you want, I don't care. Just, y'know, I'd prefer if you didn't all get yourselves killed."

[PointMaid]

They're both now visibly confused at both these responses.

...Ah, yeah. Thanks. We would prefer not to *get* killed.