Thankfully Shaun responded well to the poet's directness and the two soon joined forces to find the elusive Caora. Before they set off on the search though, the web designer handed Daimyon another book, his apparent personal ‘gift’ that the sneaky little trap was supposed to give him. ‘Untethered’, the book was titled—an exciting choice as far as titles went; and it was not given without reason as Daimyon soon found out. The text contained within was an interesting mix of prose and poetry: longer sections of each interspersed by almost line-by-line switches of style and form. The brave experimenter he claimed himself to be, he was thoroughly intrigued by the premise and vowed that this would be the first thing he red as soon as they found Caora. In the latter's temporary absence he thanked Shaun profusely for the gift and engaged in some discussion with him as they went, mostly about their respective Infinite talents. He also told the out-of-the-loop Shaun that there would be a meeting held this evening, something he himself needed a reminder of and could only remember thanks to his diligent note-taking from earlier today.

After an elongated back-and-forth in all three areas—for there was a third, an actual hospital wing Daimyon has not visited before—and with the help of multiple...eyewitness accounts from fellow Infinites, they ultimately found Caora. He had some initial confusion about the whereabouts of the book he was supposed to carry with him, but once Daimyon assured him he had it—and thanked him for it—, everything was relatively normal once again. The poet found that Shaun and Caora had an amusing dynamic between them already, which surely were the first steps towards friendship. He only broke away from the two once he noticed the time and realised that he wanted to sink his teeth into Untethered before there was time for meeting.

Back at his room, he did just that. He put the other book he picked up from the library, the amateur autobiography on the table so that he would remember to look into it later. He lay down on the bed and reflected a bit before getting to reading. This day, everything considered, has been great so far. He spent productive hours with his wonderful fellows, getting to know both them and the place they were confined in. Not to mention the variety of...surprising but pleasant experiences he got to be part of. From the Isaiah-carrying task force in the morning with Felix and Rika and the wordplays with Krista to the search in the study-themed library with Shona and Mondatta. Finding a piece written by the latter, only to be promptly called in a public announcement by Caora...

It was a lot and he enjoyed all of it in one way or another. A small frown ran over his face, but only for a moment. He put his notebook back into the suit pocket where it belonged, then opened up Untethered.

---

The time for the meeting came all too soon. Daimyon looked up from the book at an inopportune time and found that he was running a few minutes late already. He made sure that his pen and e-handbook were both at the ready as he headed back to where he started the day: to the break room.

He was not the last to arrive, thankfully, even though their numbers never actually filled up: two people, Quill Kennedy and Mason Brady, decided not to attend. Daimyon was yet to meet either of them, and hoped that their withdrawal from the group's very first official-ish gathering did not sign apathy or worse, distrust. The poet himself was quite eager to hear what the others have found. Before he could have settled down though, suddenly a wild Caora rushed right past him, followed by Shaun. Somewhat behind them came someone else...Mary, the streamer. He saw her bouncing around in the break room, but did not get to talk to her there. Now was the chance to remedy that.

“Hello there!” he addressed Mary, who tried to look over his shoulder even now to see where Caora went. The trap told Daimyon a bit about her—it was nothing positive. “I don't think I've had the pleasure yet. I'm Daimyon, the resident rhyme-wrangler,” he introduced himself, stressing the Rs a bit for effect. “How was your day?”

Once all was said and done, the meeting kicked off. There was no official order to it, people spoke up when they felt like it and shared what they learned about the place today. Mondatta covered the library well, Daimyon only added details every now and then. His main task here was to look at the bigger picture and note down the findings and what they meant for the group.

KRISTA, CYRUS: cave
Sidenote: ‘mustard the strength to ketchup’ - best one of the bunch

“You are...very creative,” was what he said to the violinist when most others were staring daggers at her.

FELIX: music room
Sidenote: check for lute!

“You're ought to show me the place sometimes.” He smiled at Felix.

CALVIN, KARA, DAVIS: Neurology, ER
Sidenote: pictures of a red-haired girl?

“Was she...a patient here, perhaps?”

SHONA: info on Ultimate Despair --TBW--

He paused to listen to the knight present her findings on the group that was apparently behind their capture. It turned out that the ‘killing game’ concept, no matter how absurd and barbaric it sounded, was not something new either. A very similar situation once played out in America, for example. Its participants, though little was known about them, managed to beat the crazy game and defeat its mastermind. If they could do it, surely a group of Infinites would also manage...?
He realised he should try to find out more on the topic and wrote down the following: ‘Sidenote: ask Shona for despair magazine!’.

With that done, he scrolled back a page to find the notes he made earlier today when he tried to summarise the facts they had and the questions they were all asking. As it was to be expected, the list of the latter only grew larger while there were precious few answers to sate the flow.

————

FACT: There is some sort of larger force behind all this
OBSERVATIONS: This group could be Ultimate Despair, but also the Infinity Initiative; the killing game format has been done before; previous masterminds include Junko Enoshima and Neo Alexander, both supposedly dead
QUESTIONS: Who are the true culprits? How have they managed to stay hidden for so long?

FACT: The higher floors are locked down by metallic bars
OBSERVATIONS: No visible way to open them, but there are stairs leading up—there has to be a way
QUESTIONS: How can we open them? Can we find what we seek up there?

————

Whew. This was one hell of an information flow. Daimyon was prepared for short bursts of fast and readable writing when inspiration struck, but he was unsure if he could keep this up at every meeting. Already things were starting to look muddy again, the mystery was getting deeper. Could he stay on top of everything...?

Soon it turned out that his personal worries would have to take a backseat as Davis was about to reveal something big. Or he would have, were it not for...

...the Carnage Sisters appearing? Daimyon completely forgot about them. This time though, he was almost thankful: the atmosphere has grown tense these past few minutes and these four childlike robots yelling at them actually alleviated it slightly. The poet found the whole...kerfuffle more amusing than scary, mainly because the Sisters were not actually present and pointing weapons at him.

It ended quickly and relatively painlessly. Daimyon was about to look back at his notebook when the group's attention collectively turned towards an opening gap on the floor. Springing out of it with impossible agility was...Monokuma.

“We are but caged birds,” he said when the bear went on about ‘equipping them with everything they needed to get out of here’. “Eyes on the possibility, yet kept from it with steel bars. Perhaps if you allowed us to...flutter our wings a bit?”

His plea, unsurprisingly, fell on deaf plush ears. Monokuma explained the next stage of his plan—if it was even a plan, and not a sudden development following the group's initial unity and determination to find their salvation. He announced that if no one wandered out of their room during the soon upcoming Night of Carnage, he himself would kill someone.

Before Daimyon could have reacted, the bear was already gone through the same gap he came from. Everyone stood in stunned silence. Shona was the first to speak up:
“It's important that we don't panic.”
None of this seemed to have much of an effect on Davis who hurried out of the break room after a haphazard apology to Rika. Damn, just when he was going to talk...

Daimyon shook off the wave of despair that suddenly came to burden him. Indeed, it was important not to panic. There were a lot of unknowns still—because when has Monokuma ever given a concrete explanation?—, and he decided to turn to the one who seemed to have the most composure now: Shona.
“What do you think about this whole ordeal?” he asked the knight. “Will Monokuma actually...kill if we don't give him what he wants? And what does he want anyway?”

Calvin felt a lump in his throat, looking about warily as Monokuma wrapped up his speech. He needed time to process, and mostly stood there, quietly thinking. Things were going too fast.

Shona kept her hand on the hilt of her wooden blade. "The bear doctor has yet to kill anyone, so it is impossible to gauge the seriousness of the threat." She told Damiyon. "At this time, all we can do is play it as safely as we can. I encourage everyone to remain in their rooms during the night of carnage. He is a stickler for his rules, and if he can't catch us off guard, there's no one for him to take hostage. Unless, we're not everyone..." She would not panic, but that didn't mean that the situation carried some urgency with it. She made quick steps towards Calvin. “Sir, I wanted to speak with you earlier...” the knight looked at her surroundings. “Come to my room.” Shona didn't wait for a response. She took Calvin's hand in her gauntlet and started to walk towards her room. Her other hand was already on her E-handbook, prepared to swipe as soon as she got to her room.

"Shona just wait- Jesus!" Calvin was surprised by Shona's sudden change of manner. Too much information was being thrown at him in too short a time. This Shona was not like the one he had shared drinks a few short hours ago.

The knight released her "captive" and spun around to look at him. "Time is of the essence, sir." Shona was someone who seemed to let most anything just slide right off of her, but she looked really irritated right now. "Do you have anything to say that can't wait?" She was already sliding her handbook through the card reader.

"I mean, what the fuck is going on?" He planted his feet, but something about her manner gave him pause. "What about the others? Shouldn't we talking about this shit?"

The knight took hold of Calvin's shoulders, not seeming to care who saw her like this. “Calvin, there's something I need you to do, and if we don't meet now, you might not get the chance to do it later.”

Davis hadn't entered his room yet. He was standing in front of it, totally godsmacked, with his handbook in hand. “What the hell Calvin!? We talked about this!” Calvin, suitably incensed, flipped Davis the bird as he was pulled into the room.

Shona shut the door behind herself. When the door shut, she started to take large breaths. “I'm sorry.” She pulled off a gauntlet and pushed her hair out of her eyes. “I just don't feel comfortable talking in front of the others about this. But I'm a knight, and you're a blacksmith. Possibly the best in the world. I know this sounds desperate, but I need you to make me a weapon for tonight. Possibly armor too.” Shona looked at the ground. “I'm not asking for miracles, I'll take anything over this costume and my wooden sword.”

Calvin winced. What did she know? "I don't know Shona. That's- I couldn't even make anything if I..." Calvin looked down to the ground, biting his lip and clenching his fists. The leather was soft, and conformed easily to his tics. He had wanted to keep the crematorium secret, at least for a while longer. But with the night of carnage coming, and the threats made by Monokuma, Calvin wasn't sure he had much of a choice. He looked up, staring Shona directly in the eyes. "I could - I could maybe make something. Won't be pretty, though."

The knight smiled. “Good.” She leaned her sword up against the door, scabbard and all. “I don't need a pretty sword. So long as it's balanced correctly, I should have no problem holding it. It does not need to be sharp, not for my enemies anyway.”

Calvin nodded, raising a finger. "It'll be plenty sharp. Just won't last long."

Shona continued to unstrap and remove the rest of her upper armor. “I'm sure I don't need to tell you how useless this armor will be in a real fight. I'm not expecting plate mail, and a weapon is your primary responsibility.” When Shona got her breast plate off, she was left wearing a sweat-drenched tank top. It was saturated to the point where you could see her bra. The armored “costume” must not have been very well ventilated. “Alright, I guess you need to take my measurements now for the armor.”

Calvin's swallowed, but the lump in his throat didn't seem to dissapear. He had rarely met with actual knights to create armour, and when he had, they usually brought along someone who knew all of the specifics of measurements. The few odd times he had to make something, one of his forgehands had figured out measurements. Calvin nodded trying to slow down the blush that had crept across his cheeks. "I don't think I'll have anything ready for tonight. I'll be lucky to patch together a sword in so little time."He turned his head to the side, scratching the back of his neck.

The knight sighed. "I was afraid of that, but while you're here I'd still apriciate it if you helped measure me out." She reached into her nightstand and pulled out a string and some scissors. "For some reason there was a sewing kit in my room. It's not quite a tape measure, but I think we can cut the string to my measurements. what do you think?"

Calvin blushed a deep crimson, similar to that of a dying fire. "I- Alright." The string was unconventional, but would have to do. "I'll focus on the br- the breastplate? Should be able to figure out greaves and the like from there." He took the sewing kit from her hand, and took a step closer. "Pardon my uh- Just, lift your arms, and hold it there." Shona did as she was asked without fuss. She was looking straight ahead, unaffected by how close they were to each other. Calvin placed the edge of a line of string just below her arm, and pulled it lightly across her chest. He snipped the line, and laid it carefully on her bedside table. "I gotta ask, what do you think you're gonna be able to do with a poor sword? I- I'm not in doubt of your abilities, I've seen videos of you, and I know you're not going after one of us, but. That doesn't leave many options." He continued to measure as they spoke.

“Calvin, this world is filled with dualities. Men and woman, black and white, hard and soft, sharp and dull, hope and despair, there simply is no end to it. Some would tell you that each duality is a coin with two sides, and so both sides are united... But I don't believe that.” Shona turned her head to look at Calvin. “The duality that I have always been most interested in is that of creator and destroyer. One who spreads creation and one who spreads carnage. I have yet to meet anyone who has been both.” Shona lowered her arms so that the blacksmith could measure her shoulders. “I mean look at us. We're both relics of a by gone era. But our function in it is different. You create weapons, but I'm the one who uses them. Who else is going to protect us during the night of carnage if not me?”

Calvin bit his lip, snipping another piece of thread and mentally making a note of what colour lined up with what part of her body. By now, there was over a dozen pieces, all laid purposefully on the table. "Jesus, Shona." Calvin had expected many things of the Infinite Knight, but certainly not this. "We're not relics, alright? Whatever is happening is proof of that, okay?" Calvin's voice raised. "Everyone is going to question that, but the moment we're through is when we start doing the same." He was talking just as much to himself as to the Infinite Knight. "Those... things are bad news. Don't know much about all of their circuits and shit, but they're made of good metal." He let this comment hang. "I'm going to just get a quick idea of a helmet. Only doing a half helm, I think- a full visor would just get in the way." Despite their situation, it felt good to be thinking about armor and weapons and his forge, rather than whatever was coming tonight.

Shona curled her lips into her mouth. She waited for Calvin to make eye contact with her again before speaking. “You know I've killed before, right?” The knight's breathing changed. “Not just once, lots of people. I'm probably the only person here with that kind of experience. Only a destroyer can make decisive blows against their opponent.”

Calvin's breath caught. It wasn't the fact she had killed, Calvin could accept that. It was the way she spoke of it. Like that was all she was. A 'destroyer', to use her own terminology. Still, Calvin didn't know here well enough to put any sort of defence that wouldn't sound artifical. He merely nodded, wiping his brow of the sweat that had collected there. "Look. All I'm saying is, you won't last long if you hold yourself accountable for everyone's safety. We're all going to have to help each other out." He snipped the last piece of thread, laying it on the table. There were several dozen all laid out, a framework made of string for a suit of armour made of steel.

“I'm not suicidal, Calvin.” She sighed. “But we need to be ready for everything. And for that, we need to use our talents to the best of our abilities. For you, that's making weapons. For me, it's using them.” She smiled. “Besides, aren't we kind of helping each other out now?” With another sigh, her smile faded. “Thanks for not asking me about the people I killed. In turn, I won't ask how you how you plan on making all of this for me.” The knight gathered all the string and draped it over Calvin's arm. “Some things should remain a secret, shouldn't they?” Shona opened the door and gently pushed Calvin out of it. “Return when you are ready.” was all she said before shutting the door behind him.

“Not ready, huh?” Davis looked especially deranged, eyes locked with the startled blacksmith. “Guess she's looking for a man with a few more years on him, you CUNT!” Perfection opened his room up with an aggressive swipe of his handbook before walking inside.

"Fuck you, Davis!" Calvin was on edge, and almost charged the man before he entered his room. He sighed, turning back to Shona's door. What was she thinking? He could see her preparing mentally, much like he did when he was working on something that needed to be perfect. Unfortunately, he had no time for that. Muttering a few words, he ducked into his room, grabbed his set of poor smithy tools, and immediately popped out, headed to his forge.

@BrokenPromise @Mateotis

Caora found himself discovered by the two males - Daimyon and Shaun - at the Intercom where he had made his message. At first, he was apologetic at the fact he had managed to lose the book he had intended to give him as a gift (almost brought the the verge of tears), he was pleased and slightly annoyed at the fact Shaun had, since meeting him, gifted it without him. Sure, it was good the book had found its way to its rightful owner. Now book should be without its family, just the same as people! But, he wanted to be there when the two were brought together once again.

The three - Fang included - bade the Poet farewell as he departed, wishing to read his newly acquired book, and Shaun imparted upon Caora the time and place of the meeting which would be taking place. Not that he really needed to know, since the deadline was up and coming and the boy would drag the Trap along himself.

---

Soon, it came time to attend the meeting. Caora and Shaun had each returned to their respective rooms, Fang in tow, and agreed to meet outside upon their needed departure. It took a bit while for them to walk from their room to the Break Room where the meeting was being held, since it was located on the other side of the Patients Quarters to them, however they shortly arrived. On tbeir way, they made notes of other Infinites heading to their very same destination.

Upon their arrival, Caora was, unsurprisingly, horrified to see the great Tit Mountain. Shaun had insisted that they go, and there was no where for the boy to run if she made her advances. Hiding behind Mr Spider was his only option, which he took upon himself to do at a moments notice - much to the surprise of his Infinite friend.

---

"Wait, there's a salad bar?! Do they do bread sticks?! A-and lettuce?! Caora questioningly exclaimed at the comments Krista had made. He was really hungry, and so was Fang... He took a step out from behind Shaun, approaching the group with him in tow. The booby lady was still there, but he attempted to keep as much distance between them as he could...

Shaun could only sigh at the oblivious nature of his Trap friend, and instead simply listened to what the other had to say. He himself didn't have much to add, since he had spent his time reading and talking with Caora. Not that it wasn't an enjoyable experience. The smaller boy was a bundle of energy, and rather fun to be around.

The two made mental notes on the lunacy of the "Ultimate Despairs", as they were called; Shaun comparing the title of Ultimate to that of their "Infinite". At least, Shaun was doing that. Caora was off daydreaming, barely focusing on the topic which evidently bored him somewhat.

However, he was quickly snapped out of his trance by the crackle of the screen. Those girls were back again! Their quarrel and subsequent "message" made Caora giggle. Then, as quickly as they came, they vanished again... A frown creased his lips, with a look of disappointment...

...Before the teddy came back!
"Hi, hi Teddy!" he called out as he appeared; shrinking back to Shaun as he noticed the looks he got from the some of the others. He looked up, seeing the intentness on Shaun's face as he looked upon Dr Killgood. The other Adventurers weren't the nicest bunch... But that was okay! They probably just didn't want to be on the adventure! Caora couldn't quite understand why that we be, but if that was the case, they might have been justifiably agitated.

Watching closely, barely noticing Caora as he stepped back towards him, he absorbed every word the bear spoke. Every word he spoke dripped with... Something... It had malice to it, some kind of despair inducing aura. Their situation withstanding, there was a way each word was chosen by the Dr that would've made Shaun believe how dire a situation they were in... Someone was, without a shadow of a doubt, going to die that night...

Unless somebody went out..? Caora couldn't quite understand that. Who would go out during the night, unless they had to pee? But they had bathrooms! Why would they need to leave their rooms during this "Night of Carnage"? He didn't even know how to drive..! The confusion was obvious, painted across his face, as he attempted to work out what the Teddy had meant.

Shaun traced a line with his eyes as Monokuma made his way off stage, and so did Davis; turning to focus on Caora.
"Y-you look distressed... Wh-whats wrong?"
"I don't understand... Why would we leave our rooms at night when we have bathrooms..?

The look of... Confusion, crossed his face, before he realised what the Trap was saying.
"N-no, h-he meant..." he wasn't entirely sure how to say it... "S-someone's going to d-die unless someone s-saves them..."

Shock and distress took the place of confusion as Caora realised what was being said. What if somebody targeted Fang?! Or him!?
"W-well we have to stop it! Nobodies supposed to die on an adventure..!" by the looks of things, the revalation had put tears in his eyes. Though, Shaun was confused at his remark of "Adventure".

"B-but that's the problem..." he turned to address everybody who was left in the room, ignoring Shona and Calvin as they left, "U-um, wh-what if... H-he is trying to g-get is to l-leave our rooms... S-so someone c-can kill us..? I-I mean... Th-the rules say th-they cant e-enter our rooms... S-so if no one leaves..." He wasn't entirely sure where he was going, nor if anyone had suggested that prior to him, since he was too engaged in his conversation with Caora to notice...

As Mondatta was finishing up on searching through the section of the study he took to investigating, he sighed, and put books back in the shelf. "It seems our captor has removed any other tomes that would enlighten us in our current path." His eyelights then blinked when Daimyon came to him and showed him the book.

“Looks like your fame reached far and wide, my friend,” he said. “Well-deserved, I say!”

Mondatta simply stared at the book he held in his hands. He slowly opened it, and then closed it again. "Oh, this is...Yes...Thank you, Mr. Londe. This brought back memories of a happier time. And perhaps the wisdom I once wrote into these pages may help a certain someone. I will be heading back now to report on our findings." With that said, the metallic man once again walked away with heavy steps.

---

@Mateotis
Mary had a blast talking with Aleecia, even if she didn't actually know much of the topic, Lizards and Labyrinths; she told the blind woman she only played the tabletop game once at a convention alongside other internet personalities. Still, she managed to make her chuckle with her stories of bungling through the game. Mary smiled; she was happy making people laugh and be entertained by her, as she was good at it, and felt she could only truly be happy if she continued bringing smiles to people. In that regard, she was a bit sad that Aleecia couldn't see her own smile, so she compensated for it with her laughter.

When it was time for the afternoon report, Mary had to control herself from leaping out and glomping Caora, who reluctantly appeared, partly due to the people he was accompanied with, and partly because she didn't want to cause a scene like the bandaged fellow Ice did. That, and she did want to at least listen in on any new findings the explorers found.

“Hello there!” he addressed Mary, who tried to look over his shoulder even now to see where Caora went. The trap told Daimyon a bit about her—it was nothing positive. “I don't think I've had the pleasure yet. I'm Daimyon, the resident rhyme-wrangler,” he introduced himself, stressing the Rs a bit for effect. “How was your day?”

"Oh hiii! Daimy-doo, right? Oh, nothing special, just having a bit of girl talk with Allie here, tee hee~!" She giggled, and gave a quick handshake to him. "So you're the Infinite Poet? Oh, poems are so romantic! You know, I've had love letters sent to me, but never one with a poem, can you believe it? To pour your heart into your words like a lyrical cupid...Aaahh..." She said as she sighed and leaned on her arm, gazing into the distance, fantasizing of a Caora-written love poem.

Then her eyes shone like stars. "Hey, could you help me with something? I kinda...need a love letter. I mean, I want to write one, the most romantic, lovey-dovey letter ever! And you're just the man I need! Can you help me, please? I'll make it up to you, I promise~," she pleaded, winking her eyelashes in an attempt at endearment.

---

When it came time for the afternoon roundup, Mondatta explained his own part, but unfortunately it didn't add much to their situation, and he could only bow his head. "Forgive me for my lack of contribution, but there was little we could find. That aside, the metal bars are mysterious. I could only wonder if we may explore any other floors, and if so, when? There are still untold mysteries surrounding this former shrine of restoration..."

Mondatta only stared at the message their captors sent, not responding to it in any way; whether it was due to his choice of ignoring the morbidly wacky Carnage Sisters and the Doctor, or if he was simply unable to comprehend their insanity, no one could tell. When it was over, Mary gave an expression of disgusted horror. "Is the bear serious? What does that have to do with hope? Sounds like he's just gonna slaughter us if we go outside anyway!"

“What do you think about this whole ordeal?” he asked the knight. “Will Monokuma actually...kill if we don't give him what he wants? And what does he want anyway?”

Mondatta responded: "I believe the doctor intends to test our faith in ourselves, and did so by asking for someone to step out on the Night of Carnage." Mary's face turned pale. "But that would mean-!"
The robotic-looking monk nodded. "Yes...Someone has to give up their life as a sacrifice in order to save another." Mondatta turned silent for a moment, and then spoke again. "In that case...I will do it." Mary's jaw opened. "EEEEHHH! But you can't, Robo-Miyagi! Don't you remember the rules? They can kill you during the Night of Carnage!"
Mondatta lifted his palm. "My frail and sickly life was already granted a second chance, it is unnecessary for another." His eye-lights turned into a happy smile. "Besides, it is only fitting that I end it the same way I lived it: entrusting hope of the future into the hearts of others."

Calvin's back glistened with sweat. He had abandoned most of his clothing, the crematorium proving to be more than adept at keeping the room warm. He still wore pants, and an apron to avoid any errant sparks. And his gauntlets, of course. More tools had been left behind for Calvin, and although he was anxious as to how much Killgood knew, he spared little time questioning it. There was little time left, and Shona's sword was almost complete.

The blade was serviceable. The weighting was adequate, but the steel had come from melted down hospital tables, combined with some stronger metals he had scavenged from the Emergency Room. To most, the blade would have appeared to be a masterpiece. It was an eloquent hand and a half, with long reach but the flexibility necessary to maneuver it in tighter spaces. He had seen Shona fight with one before, and she had done quite well. Plus the blade offered enough weight to really swing it hard. It'd have to do. He had placed the string on one end of the room, laid across the ground in careful order, but had yet to start on the armor.

Calvin was so absorbed in his work that he almost didn't notice it. A gray fog blew out of a vent between two furnaces. It was so thick you couldn't see through it. But it faded quickly, revealing Alexandria. She was dressed in yellow pajamas and held a Monokuma plush.

“Hi hi!” The furnaces on either side of her belched fire.

"Fucking hell!" Calvin turned quick, almost hugging the sword.

“Man Ibbs, that sword looks like a real piece of work! Is it for Geina?” She raised an eyebrow. “Because I'm pretty sure she wanted an ax. Though she told me she'd be fine with a halberd or a sabre.” She hugged her plush. “It IS for one of us though, right?”

He took a moment to compose himself, strangely self-conscious in his current state. "It's a test run. I'm figuring out this set-up before I make anything serious." He was about to turn back, but something stopped him. He turned to look at the ridiculous bed. "Holy shit. Is this your room?" He was breathing heavy, and suddenly far less satisfied with the arrangements.

“Of course silly! Who else's room would be locked up with my handbook?” With a giggle, the life sized doll stepped closer to Calvin. “Do you like it? I didn't expect you to be out here so late. It's kind of quiet in here usually...” Her attention turned to the string. “Oh oh! Do you make dresses too? Are you making one of us a dress too?” She hopped up and down with excitement.

"They're for later. Had a friend measure me. Not walking around without protection." He was terse, and didn't want to waste time. The night of carnage was fast approaching, and he turned back to examine the sword on his anvil, checking for any defects.

“You're so mean Ibbs! Such a tease!” She hid the lower half of her face behind her plush. “I have feelings too, you know?” She stood beside the blacksmith. “You do know right?” Her massive eyelids slid part way over the glass globes in her head. "Or do you think that I'm some soulless android?"

"I don't know what you are, but you're working with that fucking bear." He didn't honestly believe that any sort of robot could feel anything, but he was trying to find a way out of this. "If you felt anything, what are you doing? Why are we here?"

“I was here to take a nap. You're in here presumably because you're making yourself a suit of armor, and a prototype weapon for one of us. Which, honestly? Sounds kind of fishy. If you're that scared of me, why make us weapons at all? You'd be arming us with toothbrushes or something.” Alexandria lowered her arms and dropped her teddy bear. “I'm serious though Ibbs. This body is made of metal, porcelain, and polymer. We don't need to question that. But do you think I'm being controlled by a person, or a program?”

Calvin was glad that the conversation moved ahead, past any questions about his work. "I don't know that shit. My guess though? I doubt there's five people running this shit." He paused, giving the sword an experimental swing, gently testing it's balance. "Why are you working with Killgood?"

The doll shook her head with a wistful smile. “You think I'm an AI, yet you also want to know why I'm working with dad? That's funny...” Her eyes flicked open with a click. “Super-tootin'-rainbow-shootin' funny!” She giggled. “I'm sorry for being such a downer, that's my other sister's job. I really just dropped by to look at the rules again.” She reached into the pile of Calvin's removed clothes and pulled out Her e-handbook. She tapped through the regulations screen. Only this one looked... different.



Calvin took care to read the rules on Alexandria's notebook, trying his best to commit them to memory. He wasn't sure any of the others would get the chance.

“Okie dokie!” she said with a wink. “I just had to make sure I was in the right spot.”

"The right spot?" Calvin pulled his own e-handbook out from his pocket, and took a look at the time. "Fuck. Me." It was 11:59. He had forgotten the time while doing what he loved. The night of Carnage was about to start. He grabbed the sword, and his clothes, and made for the exit. But Alexandria stepped in front of him.

“Relax scaredy cat. I know you've been talking about the rules with the others at your evening meeting.” She lifted up the handbook for Calvin to look at the rules again. “It doesn't say anywhere that we explicitly need to harm a patient. Only that there's nothing stopping us. It's another one of those loop-hole things. If we want you to live, we don't have to hunt you.” Alexandria's eyes started to glow a a faint red. “Oh, you flinched? I guess my eyes are doing that thing aren't they? Guess it's officially carnage hour.” Her horse entered the room, or perhaps it was always there? Alexandria's spear was strapped to its side. “Anyway, you're probably safer here. Dad or one of my sisters will catch you, even if you run for it. But they can't come in here without my permission. Isn't that great?” The doll took Calvin's hand in her own. It wasn't anything like a human. Alexandria's hand was cold and hard.

Calvin had to resist the urge to shove her arm away. She had far more power over him than he would have liked. "Well, I appreciate it. Genuinely." He still had the sword in his other hand, and imagined taking a swing at the red-eyed robot. He wasn't sure about the craftsmanship, but was even less sure about his own ability. He took a deep breath. "I'll stick around here, then. Leave the others alone, please." He hated that he had to plead with her. But he had little recourse.

The doll tipped his chin up with her free hand. “Tee Hee! You're so cute when you're filled with despair!” Her eyes closed out of joy, but the glow was so intense it shined right through her eye lids. “I can't keep an eye on you if I leave here silly. So of course I'm staying here.” she shook her finger at him. “But I want you to remember this in the future. Your BFF Alexandria didn't do you in!”

“Hey!” Called the voice of a certain stuffed bear. “Get your hands off my daughter you mongrel!”

“Eeeep!” Alexandria hugged Calvin. While still holding him twith one arm, she took her spear and turned to face the door. “You can't come in daddy!” Calvin, for his part, had turned completely white. It didn't matter that the room was full of fire and as hot as an oven, in this moment he felt cold as death.

“What did I tell you about having boys in your room this late at night?” The door the the crematorium opened just wide enough for Monokuma to look inside. However, he didn't take one step towards the blacksmith or the doll that was holding him, much to Calvin's relief.

“I like this one! This one makes me things!”

“He's lying to you sweetie!” Monokuma's eye was glowing an especially bright shade of red. “He's got other woman lined up.” Calvin shook his head furiously, unable to say anything.

“You're lying, you're lying!” Alexandria's voice was cracking.

"I- Uh." Calvin didn't know what to say. He hated seeing the bear, and being involved in whatever piece of drama was currently occurring. He merely held the sword behind himself, trying his best to remain calm and not have a complete meltdown.

"Fine, I see how it is." Monokuma tapped his foot. "I need to call in a specialist." The doctor stepped off to the side. Then with a sweep of his arms, the bear bowed and said "All yours."

Heavy metallic footsteps approached the door that didn't exactly sound like any of the carnage sisters. The figure stopped in the doorway. The light of the furnace showed that it was clearly a humanoid figure, but it was as metalic as any of the sisters themselves. The metal was darker, but the figure itself was rather featureless, save for a pair of scales on either shoulder. Besides that, the figure had a holstered handgun and blade in its scabbard, one on either side of its hips. It barely acknowledged Calvin's presence and looked straight at Alexandria. "Requesting permissions, bear." It said in a hazy voice.

“Permissions?” Monokuma pouted. “I don't know anymore! I'm not sure my daughter can be saved. But I think we can still redeem that little boy that wandered into her clutches.” Dr. Killgood lifted his head up. “Capture him if possible, but if he dies it's no big loss.”

"What the fuck?" Calvin said, his grip on the sword tightening. The figure who had just entered was unlike any of Monokuma's henchman, and that realization scared Calvin to the core.

Alexandria tossed Calvin behind herself. “Wait right there Ibbs!” With a snap of her fingers, her horse walked between the doll and the blacksmith. “Alright you big meanie! What's your game?”

"Stand down, child." The figure said as it undid a large handgun from its holster. It aimed the weapon straight at Calvin, even though the carnage sister was directly in the line of fire. "Any opposition will put your precious Ibbs in more danger than you'd be willing to bargain for." The figure said smugly. "You hand him over, or he dies. Those are your only options."

Alexandria growled. “Oh no fair!” her grip on her spear tightened. “You're not gunna fight me fair and square?”

Dr killgood leaned around the newly arrived's leg. His cheeks were glowing as red as his eye was. “Come on now sweetie, you know better to oppose your dear old dad. I say and do a lot of mean things, but I do it all because I love you!”

With a sigh, Alexandria lowered her spear. “I think we lost this one Ibbs. I'll come back if they destroy me, but you...” She lowered her head. "They just want a damsel, so your chances of living are super high if you just go with them."

"Just go with them?" Calvin eyes were on fire. He was angry at the world, at Shona for sending him here, at the stupid doll who had kept him here, and more importantly, at himself. All he wanted to do was charge the imposing figure, but he knew he had no chance. "Who the fuck are you?" He said, pointing to the metallic figure that currently had a gun pointed at him.

The fighter just took a step forward, crossing the breech between the hospital and the crematorium. “Justice.” was all the figure said before cocking the pistol.

“Alexandria, I know you don't want to but...” Monokuma drew his paw across his tiny neck. “I don't have time to play around. Well, not like this anyway.”

The doll turned to face Calvin and waved him on. Her horse stepped around the blacksmith so that it was behind him. “Please don't be mad Ibbs.”

Calvin deflated. There seemed to be no escape, and he felt a dull sort of ache in his chest. Still, he put his chin up, and looked ahead. Gripping the sword tightly, he joined the remarkable procession as they made their way out of the crematorium.

---

Most everyone was in their rooms. If they weren't trying to get some sleep, they were wide awake in anticipation of something dreadful. The latter was even the case for Quill and Mason. They were different people for sure. Mason had spent most of his time avoiding everyone after Mondatta shot his plan down, and Quill had been doing her best to get friendly with someone, anyone, who would pay attention to her. Mason found that kind of behavior dangerous, but perhaps that was what drew him to her when she headed for her room earlier.

“Well honey?” Quill was sitting on the corner of her bed, hugging her knees. “You've spent a lot of time listening to me, care to share your thoughts?” her flirty way of speaking sounded a bit forced compared to earlier.

“Firstly, I'd appreciate it if you didn't call me honey. That's bear food.” The barista was able to say this without smiling. “I'm sure you know I'm not a trustworthy person. I'm especially not trusting of a guy like Davis. He seems very petty.”

Quill hugged her legs tighter. “So we should be careful around him.”

“We should be careful around everyone, we can't trust anyone.” Mason adjusted his glasses. “But I don't know now. I can... almost respect Davis now.”

“What?” Quill drove her fists into her bed. “That man is the reason why we're here, all because of his pride! I have no problems with the others but he rubs me the wrong way.”

Mason raised an eyebrow. “Can you honestly say you've never felt pride or made mistakes based on that pride?”

The model looked away from the bartender. “You're taking his side?”

“No, Davis fucked up big time.” Mason looked away from Quill. “You need to be big to tell someone something like that though.” He sighed and looked straight into Quill's eyes “I poisoned my sister.”

Quill's head snapped back sharply. “E-excuse me!?”

“It wasn't intentional! I undercooked some meat and she...” His hands were shaking. “The doctors said she died of complications. The family doesn't speak about her, and it's like she doesn't exist. But she did exist, and her blood is on my hands.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

Mason fidgeted with his glasses, more out of nervousness. “Because you needed to hear it. I've never confessed to a mistake my entire life. It takes a certain amount of humility and courage to do that.”

“Yea but...” Quill slid her hands onto her hips. “It's not like you wanted to kill your sister, right?”

“I guess not...” Before their conversation could carry on, the TV in their room sparked to life. As best as they could tell, it was showing the large open area in the patient's quarters just before the hospital. Everyone's 'favorite' black-and-white bear was front and center.

“Testing, testing, one-two-three testing...” Monokuma looked at the screen in silence for several seconds. “I can't see the camera feed during the night of carnage, so I'll assume it's working and is being displayed all over the hospital. Now then.” The bear proceeded to pick up a football helmet and placed it over his head. “I was a little late with the announcement, but the night of carnage has been active for a while. Since this is everyone's first time, I'm going to issue a rule that will only be effective for THIS night of carnage. I know how you kids like to break into things slowly...”



The bear cleared his throat with a cough. “And as an added bonus, I'll even show you where everyone is hanging out.”

The screen showed the mono stand, where Willow was standing. “Oh!” She said and looked at the camera. “I just saw the light turn on. I guess that means you peasants are gazing upon the emasculate form of your very greatest queen of-”

The screen changed again, this time showing Nariko in the hospital. She appeared to be standing in the intersection closest to the patient's quarters. “This...” She stopped to sigh. “Is a major violation of privacy.”

The screen then flipped to the doors of the crematorium. She couldn't be seen, but Alexandria shouted “Leave me alone!” from behind its metallic doors.

The last screen change took the view back into the patient's quarters where Monokuma was still standing. Only this time, Geina was leaning over Calvin, who was tied to a chair with bandages. One of the doll's hands was resting on his head, hovering the Gatling gun on her arm just a few inches away from his ear. Monokuma crept back into view, hiding Calvin and Geina behind himself. “There you go!” The bear said with a wave of his hand. “If you want to save this poor, defenseless damsel, you're going to have to come out of your cages and play a game. But hey, if you want to watch from the comfort of your bed, the video feed will be rolling until the end of carnage night. So you don't have to worry about feeling left out when everyone's gossiping about it the next day.” Dr Killgood removed his helmet. “I look forward to meeting you, heroes.”

Mason immediately moved to leave Quill's room.

“W-what do you think you're doing?”

The barista turned to look at Quill. “When they were operating on my sister, I was forced to sit in my room while she slowly died.” He opened the door. “I'm not going to do that to Calvin too.”

The model stood up and sighed. “You're insane, you know that?”

---

The live feed was playing in Davis's room, but he wasn't paying it much mind. He knew Monokuma was going to catch someone. Far more pressing was what her heard the mechanical monk say after he left the break room.


"Besides, it is only fitting that I end it the same way I lived it: entrusting hope of the future into the hearts of others."

“How can anyone be that selfless?” Davis didn't take his eyes off the wooden chest in his room. He was looking at it when the monk first spoke with him, and he was looking at it now when he was thinking about his words. No mater how much thought he gave it, he couldn't figure Mondatta out. “How did a coward like you get caught anyway?” Perfection gnashed his teeth. Yelling at the broken smith through the TV screen proved to be less satisfying than he thought it would be. Watching someone who betrayed him suffer humiliation wasn't all that satisfying either. “Son of a bitch!” Davis cracked open the wooden chest and rummaged around with his hand. After a few seconds, he pulled a military K-bar out of the chest and shut it. There wasn't anything special about it, except for the name engraved in the handle and the sentimental value it carried. Davis turned the knife over in his hand like he was examining a lost treasure. It was a pretty crappy choice of weapon, but it was the only thing that was readily available that he could use. “Seriously though Calvin, you really are a piece of shit.” Davis would talk to himself no longer. He made his way for the door.

---

Shona just shook her head. The knight suspected her sword might take too long to make, though she hadn't anticipated that the hospital staff would have been so ready to pounce on Calvin for it. So the worst case scenario happened. They really did have a hostage, and Shona was still without a blade. She feared her wooden sword was too light and brittle for a fight with metal opponents. Still, if it was all she had...

Shona was startled by what sounded like her door exploding into splinters. There poking through her door was the blade of a longsword. The knight was cautious in her approach, gently sliding the door open in case someone was still on the other side. Sure enough, it was the sword Calvin made. Someone had stabbed it through a note, and then directly into her door. The note read “Save him if you can.”

It looked like tonight wasn't all bad news.

The brief conversation with Shona—and a passing-by Mondatta—proved to be less than fruitful. The knight told him to stay in his room if possible, which was what he planned to do anyway, lacking a better option. Shaun of all people also spoke up to support the idea. Some things just did not need to be given too much thought: ‘Night of Carnage’ was as sinister of a name as they came, and the poet did not want anything to do with it. Still, he feared for his peers, the Infinites he got to know and grow fond of already in such short period of time. Losing even one of them would have been nothing short of a personal tragedy, but perhaps if someone had to die, then—

Ah, no no. These were the kind of thoughts to avoid.

Daimyon walked out of the break room shortly after. Business awaited him in his room: he left Untethered at a point he would not have left it were it not for this important meeting. Also, Mary asked him to help her compose a poem—a love letter, specifically, for the love of her heart...Caora. He was, admittedly, thoroughly amused by the two's complicated and very one-sided relationship, so he accepted the offer. They did not agree to a specific time of meeting yet, but he made a mental note to visit her as soon as possible; tomorrow perchance. For now he had more pressing matters: though the prose-poem hybrid was quite engaging, he also had the strange autobiography from the library he had promised the others to read through. While he was there, he also wished to refresh his memory on the rules, or lack thereof, of the upcoming Night of Carnage. Just to be safe.

As it is said: a busy mind is a worriless mind.

---

He allowed himself two more chapters of Untethered before tearing himself away from it.
“All right...” he sighed and took the other book from the table. “Let's see what world will you take me to.”

Right after opening up the cover he ran into his first surprise: the first page was torn out. Somehow he did not notice this when he skimmed over it in the library... His disappointment rose into curiosity as he read the first words of the second, thankfully completely intact, page:

‘Okay! With the introduction out of the way, I guess I should make some notes about...’

This could not be misunderstood: the identity of the main character was detailed on that torn-out page. Daimyon's mind soared thinking about the possibilities. Sure, the book was not in the best condition: the letters on the cover have all but disintegrated over time and its pages were also slightly yellowed and frail to the touch despite the protection. Still! It could not have been older than, say, twenty years. If it was an ancient tome, he would have understood the missing content. But like this? Especially that it was the very first, often the most important page of the book... He could not just enjoy it like this! There had to be some outsider influence in this. A previous careless reader? Most probably.

But that was not nearly exciting enough!
So he kept on reading.

‘Some people might say I'm dumb. I'm not! I just look at the world in a different way. That's just who I am!’

Comments like this and many others filled the pages which described the day-to-day life of who Daimyon deduced to be a high-school girl. Books of this genre—diary-style with a relatable protagonist and lots of zany everyday situations—have been consistently popular among young readers. He was not a personal fan—and no, not because of his age!—, and even had a satiric poem about how...dime a dozen most of these works were. This one seemed even more disorganised than the standard. It also had numerous entries for every single day, which the poet found counter-productive to whatever plot the author was aiming for. At least the main character was relatable enough: carefree, imaginative, sometimes ditzy. She reminded Daimyon of himself in the good old days...

He found that it would take entirely too long to read through every single one of these random comments, so he skipped a good chunk. Soon enough he discovered that after a while, the text abruptly ended. What followed was only blank page after blank page, waiting to be filled ink...

...until there was text again. Or more precisely, the next page started with a large title in decorated capital letters.

‘PLACES’

In stark contrast to the previous style, the writing here was organised into neat blocks, taking up about half a page each. Some entries had a sketch to accompany them and all of them were about, as the title said, the places the protagonist spent most of their time at. They were nothing out of the ordinary: there was a dormitory room, some classrooms, a doctor's office, public venues...
And yet, Daimyon could not get his eyes off the text. The descriptions! They were so richly detailed, down to the minutest, most mundane things... He could very well imagine himself being there, just from reading. Now, he could not figure out why there was the need for such—

—wait a minute.

In that crucial moment, his train of thought was cut off by the monitor in his room suddenly lighting up.

---

The Night of Carnage was on and the group was already in deep trouble. One of them, Calvin the metalsmith, was somehow captured by Monokuma and his posse. The man was shown tied up with weapons pointed at him. The bear made ominous threats, showing that he very much intended to keep what he had said earlier, about killing someone if a hero did not show themselves tonight...

Daimyon left the book on his bed and sprung up right away. His burst of decisiveness ran out with that though, and he paced up and down in his room for the next couple of minutes. The gears in his mind ground persistently as he pondered about what he should do. He had to admit, he still barely knew Calvin and he has not talked with him personally before—but he was one of his fellow Infinites regardless! To force him into such a sorry state... This could not continue! He could not just...die there!

And yet, what was he going to do? Head out there and confront the manic robotic bear all on his own? Ah yes, a great many poets and bards have sung about brave heroes...but he was not made from that material. He was easy-going, but not foolish. He had a rich imagination, but was not delusional. The most difference he could have made was by ‘volunteering’ himself...but it was already too late for that.

Staying in his room was the safest approach. Even with the removal of the break-in prohibition, he was the most protected here. If anyone came, he could prepare. Not like he could put up a worthy fight against some of the stronger Infinites here...but at least he would have his swan song, as was worth for an artist. But he did not even need to think about that. He had plenty to occupy himself with here: Untethered, the diary, his own poems... He needed not to care one bit about the carnage that went down outside.

Ah, what cowardice! Could he ever forgive himself if Calvin died tonight and he did not at least try to intervene? He lived his life always trying to be on the best of terms with everyone he met, and he was going to change that now? What if there were others also in danger? He could not simply sit idly when his friends were threatened!

Mustering what determination he could, he slowly walked up to the entrance of his room.
“To face despair I go... To save a friend I go...” he hummed to himself as he opened the door, even slower. “To fight the evils of tonight...and hopefully come back alive!”

Cyrus made mental notes of everything that the others had gathered in their exploration. It sufficed to say that his own exploration of the cave had come up rather short, but that in itself was an important enough discovery. Nobody liked surprises in a killing game. The politician grabbed his pen and notebook and started jotting down several points of interest.

• A few rooms in the hospital have not been explored yet. Make it a priority to finish complete exploration of accessible areas tomorrow. (In accordance: try to find out how we could access locked off areas)
• Go to the study tomorrow. The others have much more limited knowledge on the past killing games, so they might have overlooked important reading materials.
• Why are the carnage robots styled after Junko, while the killing game itself and the technology seems more styled after Neo Alexander’s? What elements of other killing games does this game contain and can we use that to predict future events?
• Did Neo Alexander’s killing robots have any kind of functional personalities? Or is this an element the mastermind added to make them resemble (different traits of) Junko more? Or is this something else entirely?
• The bear said that it hadn’t trapped us here, and that the “script” wasn’t in his hands. Was this a lie or is there someone working together with whoever controls monokuma (and/or the carnage sisters)? Would monokuma have a reason to lie about this?

A shiver ran down Cyrus’ spine as the bear appeared on the screen once again. The stakes for the carnage hour of the killing game seemed to be raised by a lot. But Cyrus had to wonder: How was he planning on killing anyone if everyone just stayed in their rooms during carnage hour? Of course, there was always the possibility that someone was going to leave their room, but the bear had no way of knowing whether or not it would actually happen. Or did he? Or were even their rooms actually not safe from the robots?

Cyrus shook his head after the announcements. ”I’m going to take a nap until the carnage hour starts. Should one of us really be endangered, I want to be well-rested.” The politician said before leaving that room, and retreating to his own.

---

Cyrus woke up five minutes before twelve – just as he had intended to. He had some sense of relief as the carnage hour hit without any announcements, but it seemed the bear had just been a tad late to his great disappointment. ”How the fuck did you get captured, Calvin?” Cyrus said out loud as he wondered. Part of him still suspected this was a trap, since the bear had seemed very certain about being able to secure a damsel for tonight. Had Calvin really gotten himself captured, or was this a set-up?

Nevertheless, Cyrus felt compelled to test his luck anyway.

He grabbed the royal sceptre. He wasn’t sure if it was going to be of any use, but in the worst case he could whack someone on the head with it. Robots weren’t the only potential dangers this hour, no matter how much they’d like to think otherwise. It was time to be a hero.

The sword slid out of Shona's door easily enough, which was good. Even better was that it fit inside her scabbard. It was a little loose, but the knight was just happy she could conceal it. Less to hide it from the robots, and more because people tended to behave strangely in the presence of weapons. Shona looked down the hall and could see a few people leaving their rooms. Mason came out of Quill's room, with the actor holding onto his hand. While Mason had a look of strong determination, Quill was holding onto the barista like a small child would their parent. They were strolling into the main room. She could hear Damiyon whipping up a poem about his actions around the corner. This really irritated the knight. She didn't like being placed in positions of leadership, yet the poet asked her what he should do and he appeared to be going directly against her advice. But now was not the time to lose focus. To her far left she could see Cyrus emerge from his room with... a scepter? The knight could hardly blame the politician for bringing a weapon, but she questioned his fighting ability to fight with what was essentially a decoration. Though it was still a better choice than Davis's k-bar. It was an actual weapon, but against robots? Wait, DAVIS was going to save Calvin?

“Davis?”

Perfection tossed the knife into the air and caught it as it came down. “Yes?”

“You're out of your room.”

Davis looked at Mason and Quill as they walked by. “So are they?”

“Yes, but I got the impression you didn't care about Calvin enough to save his life. I just think it's a little suspicious.”

“Like having a hole in the door to your room suspicious?” Shona looked back at her door. It was very evident someone had stabbed something through it. “Doesn't really look like something you could do with a wooden sword.”

“Davis-”

“Tell you what? I'm not going to ask a million questions about your really mysterious door hole or why your sword hilt looks different. But then you can't interrogate me about shit, alright?” Davis strode past the knight. He instinctively placed a hand on her sword. This was not what she wanted to happen.

Isiah came out of his room. This was someone else Shona was pretty sure didn't get along great with Davis. However, she also saw him giving candy to Kara a while back. So maybe his appearance here was more to do with making sure she was safe than specifically Calvin's safety? Or maybe Ice's hatred for Calvin wasn't so deep that he would let him die?

“E-excuse me.” Nariko was dragging her feet down the hall. “I-I need to assist someone.” No one was pleased to see the carnage sister, but the way the rules were currently set up, it was in everyone's best interest to just not interfere with them. The depressed android knocked on a door. “H-hey, Aleecia?” Nariko made a swallowing sound. “With your disability, I think your going to need my help if you want to participate in tonight's... event.” Her eyes shut with a click. “B-but I'm only going to help you if you don't molest me like last time. Y-you should really keep your hands to yourself!” The droid sighed. “But I guess we can hold hands. I won't like it though. And remember, you don't have to come-” The door slowly opened and Aleecia reached out to take Nariko's hand. “I-I knew it, the worst possible outcome happened. The worst possible outcome ALWAYS happens!” The robot sniffed. “Right this way.” Isiah didn't look too pleased with Aleecia's choice to come out, but followed the driod and blind woman down the hall. Shona didn't have much reason to stay idle, and followed everyone into the central room.

The camera feed was no lie. Geina was keeping guard over Calvin. Monokuma stood in front of them both with his arms crossed. It would appear Mondatta had left his room well before everyone to confront the bear, and was standing just ahead of the other infinites. “Phu phu phu!” the bear giggled. “It looks like tonight is going to have quite the turn out! I hope you all brought your E-handbooks, you're going to need them.”

Shona noticed Nariko assisting Aleecia with her E handbook. “Why do we need them?” the knight inquired.

“I don't like explaining things multiple times. If I did, I wouldn't have rounded up such talented individuals.” The bear patted its stomach like it just had a big meal. “Let's just wait a bit longer and make sure we don't have a few late comers. I personally can't believe that a few of you would choose not to show up.”

At the end of the meeting, Caora and Shaun had both followed the rest out of the room and back to their quarters. Bidding each other goodnight, they entered their respective rooms, and prepared for the up and coming "Night of Carnage"; who's name boded only despair. Shaun didn't sleep at all, instead busying himself with reading and other such nonsense to pass the time. A part of him didn't want to miss what would come soon enough. However, Caora selpt like a log; seemingly unphased at the present danger of the event that would dawn in the coming hours.



As the TV crackled to life, Caora begrudgingly awoke from his most dear slumber.
"Faaaaang, I'm tryna sleep..." his light, drowsy voice moaned; eyes adjusting to the darkness of his room. But... Fang was asleep, he realised. In a slight panic, his eyes flicked to the television that had just brought itself online.
"M-Mr Bear! Y-y-you cant creep up on people like that!" his sudden outburst had awoken Fang, much to his dismay, who promptly reminded him that they couldn't communicate through the television; much like Daimyon couldn't with the Intercom.

The boy sat watching with his friend as the Teddy started and continued his little speech. He watched as the cameras flicked from location to location, showing off the different Carnage Sisters and their repsective locations. At the shwoing of Willow, he called out.
"Oh, Hiya Willow!" ...It took all his restraint not to call out for the others; his pout almost comically expressive.

However, as the camera switched back to Dr Killgood, his restraint broke. He lept to his feet at the sign of Calvin, tied to the chair with that threatening machine pointed to it.
"Hammer Guy!" was his only excalmation as he quickly jumped out of bed; his choice of pink butterfly patterned PJ's barely illuminated by the television.

"Fang! We have to save him! No one dies on an adventure!" Caora chirruped at the small sheep which he had picked up as he lept from his covers. There was no way he could sit by and let that poor blacksmith get hurt in any way! They needed weapons and armour for their adventure, after all! Especially the knight!

Forgetting his clothing, he hopped down off his bed and to the door; flinging the thing open with a detirmined look plastered across his face. With a long step - or at least as long as his short frame could manage - he exited. Immediately, he turned to his right. he just HAD to bring Mr Spider along!

At the door, he knocked multiple times.
"Mr Spider! We have to go save Hammer guy!" his tenacity was... Infuriating, to say the least.



Shaun was still awake once the broadcast started. So, he was right not to sleep in case something happened. He watched in bated breath as the camera's showed off the robots, and then Calvin in his precarious situation. As much as saving him sounded like a perfectly noble thing for him to do... He wasn't stupid. He wasn't going to risk his own future and life for a boy he had only recently met, and had very little knowledge of.

At least... That was his thought process. But the high pitched voice of Satan incarnate calling from his door brought the temptation of leaving to the front of his already settled mind. He wasn't an idiot... He wasn't going to get himself killed for some blacksmith who got hismelf caught behind enemy lines... He wasn't..!

"I-I cant let you g-go alone..." What the fuck were you thinking?! I don't know, I just cant stand by while Caora goes out on his lonesome and faces danger without backup! You FOOL! You've killed us all! I'M SORRY, OKAY?! I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO!

At that, the boys face lit up. He was coming?! Yay! In a flash, he reached out and grabbed hold of the boys hand; leading him down the hallway towards...
"MR POET!" Immediately, Caora released the boy once again; taking off in a sprint with the web designer in tow towards Daimyon. His eyes lit up in surprise as the trap LEPT at the man; wrapping his arms around his waist at the point of contact, and forced all of his weight upon him. Not that there was much to force upon him in the first place.

"C-Caora! Wh-what are you d-doing?!" the exasperation in Shaun's voice was clearly evident. A look of... Shock, was painted across his face as he looked at the scene in front of him; Caora clinging to the Poet with a big grin on his face, Fang in his right hand as always. It was... Probably the most stupid scene he had seen since his awakening... And that was saying something, given where they had awoken.

"Mr Poet! Are you going on the quest too?! You'll be a great help!" the way he spoke in the situation was borderline infuriating, to say the least...

Having not expected the situation to turn worse than it did, Mary sat in a dark corner of the room, clutching a pillow, terrified out of her mind. She didn't think Calvin out of all people would venture outside during what was obviously a time of death, as she thought he would fortify the forge room with traps and fend off the unnerving but fabulous robots. Well, it only cemented the fact that no amount of weapons will help against the two-faced Freddy. "Oh god, poor Calvin..."

She didn't want to leave her room, she didn't want to die. She cried, feeling bad about letting an innocent man die. But then, she saw something else move in the corner of the camera; it was Mondatta, who was the first to arrive at the scene, keeping to a silent prayer, even as he was standing before Geina. Soon, he was joined by others as well, and Mary gasped in shock. "COOKIE, NO! YOU CAN'T!" With her feelings of love kicking any fear in her heart to the curb, she slammed the door to her room open and sprinted as fast as her dainty legs could take her. She skid to a stop right behind the main group, puffing up her chest in defiance. "Cookie! I'll protect you from the bad guys! It's a Marypie promise!"

@Ariamis@AimeChambers@Aewin@addamas@Pudding@Melo@Mateotis@Vocab@Spriggs27@ThatCharacter

As the night went on, more and more people started to arrive behind Mondatta. With the appearance of Krista, the bear started to laugh.

“Phu phu phu phu! Look at all the heroes who showed up!” The bear stretched out it's tiny arm and placed it over his chest. “You have no idea how fuzzy this makes my heart feel. Seeing you all united, risking life and limb to save little Ibbs. Our summer child who knows no evil...” Dr. Killgood looked over his shoulder. “...Except for lust maybe.” he looked back ahead, and started to walk towards the infinites. “Well, I'm not going to wait until the night of carnage ends people! Aren't the rest of you going to show me how strong your hope is?”

Felix's eyes were glued to the screen in his room. The lighthearted young man wasn't expressing any strong emotions, that included his usual smile. Instead he was looking for a possibility. Something that told him he needed to be out there. So far he hadn't seen it.

Kara remained in her room with a pillow pulled over her head. She had a weak heart, and knew actively stepping into a life or death situation wasn't going to help anyone. Yet staying in here was torture, having to listen to the bear drone on. With quivering hands, she waited for the monitor to turn off again.

Rika hugged her knees against her chest. She was confident, but not stupid. That, and few of the other infinites had shown her much kindness. She would not risk her life for Calvin.

“Welp.” The bearplaced his hands on his hips. “I guess this is a good enough turn out.” Monokuma reached behind his head and pulled out a giant walkie talkie. “Hey Willow, round up those sidekicks in the hallway for me, will you?”

In no time at all, Willow entered from the resort, threatening to poke anyone who didn't move into the main group. “Come now, bottom feeders. Surely the filth at that end of the room is just as tasty. Ah ha ha ha!” Before long, everyone who chose to come outside was together.

“Now then...” With a snap, spikes jetted out of the floor. This created a sort of cage around all of the infinites and Nariko. It was difficult not to jump in suprise. The spikes were packed together so tightly that even Caora would have difficulty slipping through them.

“Oh god.” Nariko shuttered. “I'm trapped with all the heroes. It's a bad day to be a villain.”

“Silence!” Dr. Killgood sighed. “Mondatta, man I love the way that sounds. Doesn't it just slip off the tongue like red velvet? Mondatta, Mondatta, Mondatta...” Monokuma locked eyes with the metal monk. “Mondatta, you were correct. All that is required to save poor Calvin's life is a sacrifice. And I can tell by the glint off your perfectly polished metal suit you would like that sacrifice to be you. But guess what?” Monokuma tossed his paws up in rage. “THIS IS AMERICA! WE HAVE DEMOCRACY HERE!” Monokuma gnashed his teeth, but spoke a touch quieter. “We don't have our leaders make all the choices, we take that responsibility and split it up among the uneducated, TV manipulated masses!” The bear coughed. “So here's what's going to happen. Shortly, your nifty E-handbooks are all going to display a list of names. At which point, you will have to select the name of the person you want to be the sacrifice. Aleecia, my condolences. Nariko will help you lock in your vote. As for tallying up your votes it's beary simple...

Felix, Kara, and Rika are barred from voting or being voted as the sacrifice.

Calvin is allowed to vote, and can be voted on.

The person with the most votes against them becomes the sacrifice.

If you do not vote in time, your vote will go against Calvin.

If there is a tie, I, Dr Killgood, will cast the deciding vote. I will pick the one who has the most to live for.

Do not try to vote on a handbook that's not yours. There are plenty more spikes and I'm pretty accurate with them.

And you have thirty seconds to place a vote. Good luck!”

Davis shrugged and lifted up his handbook. In no time at all, he locked in a vote and slid it back into his vest.

Shona approached him. “Did you just vote?”

“Do we have any other choice?” Davis avoided making eye contact with the knight. He sounded... defeated. “Look, it doesn't really matter. There isn't much we can do at this point.” Shona looked at her own handbook, unsure of exactly what to do.

(anouncement)

Mondatta took one look behind him to see how many would be present, and sighed; he wished he was the only one who appeared, as he fully expected the homicidal maniac posing as an awardee of a doctoral degree to have another nefarious plan. The metallic man didn't flinch even as the spikes flew right before him, causing his robes to slightly flutter. Mary on the other hand barely kept herself from chewing on her fingernails out of the anxiety. She made a classical, if ear-damaging, response to the trap's activation, causing her to jump quite far into the air, giving the bear a sight that would be censored by television networks if this happened to be a TV show.

However, no TV show would be so gruesome as the one hosted by Monokuma, as the participants soon learned. Mary didn't take it well.
"Wait, no, this is bad! Oh crap, this is super bad!" She quickly went behind Caora and lifted the poor crossdresser with a hug, obviously trying to calm down.
"Oh crap crap crap crap crap-Wait, I think I..." Mary's eyebrows furrowed, and she dropped Caora; she had a feeling she might have seen something similar somewhere else, but she had trouble remembering it.
"There was, like...a movie? No, game? No, that was puzzles...OH! Now I remember! Guys, vote for-" She managed to say before she heard the sound of someone voting and screamed in pure shock.

"NO, DAVIS!" Mary went right up to him and slapped the guy hard in the cheek. "You idiot!" The others were probably shocked, and Shona did ask her what she was so worked up about. Her fist still shaking, she responded: "I remembered how we could do this. See, I was doing a stream where fans sent me stuff and-Anyway, point is, there was a comic book where this exact stuff happened, and they solved it by voting themselves!" After seeing that the people weren't convinced, Mary continued: "That way nobody had a majority vote and died!"

Mary yelped when something cold suddenly touched her, and she realized it was Mondatta, who placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Miss Hanson, even if Mister Gallo didn't vote, any ties would be broken by Monokuma." Mary's lower lip trembled, and she put her hands to her chest.
"W-Well, I know that, but still! It's better than voting for someone else, right? I mean, what choice do we have!" She clutched Mondatta's robes while burying her face in his cold chest, seemingly trying to hide the tears that were now coming out. Mondatta sighed.
"So you would rather leave our lives in the hands of a malicious ursine?" The polished practitioner of Buddhism shook his head. "No, don't you see? This is what he wants."

Mondatta first looked at his own handbook to see if the two-toned creature was right, and then took a look at the others; he only saw faces of fear, distrust, and something worse.
"He wants us to feel like all hope is lost, that there is only despair. But I won't let him have this power over us."
Mondatta lifted his handbook for everyone to see, and lifted a metallic finger towards the screen. It trembled a bit, but after a deep breath, he clicked his own name.
"Vote for me, and believe in hope," he spoke. Mary on the other hand realized time was about to run out, and secretly voted, afterwards sliding down on the floor with her ankles apart, where her gaze was locked, her spirit drained out of her.
"Hope, huh..."

Davis didn't react very much to being smacked. He just let Mary's hand push his head wherever it wanted to go.

“If it makes you feel any better...” Davis sighed. “I voted for myself as well. So I guess we need someone to break the tie. If you all want to save Calvin that is.”

Monokuma let out a horse laugh. “Oh this is too much! I've never seen people so willing to become sacrifices. But remember.” Monokuma pointed into the makeshift cage. “You all get to choose who the sacrifice is! Are you really going to sacrifice Mondatta, or is it going to be our self-depreciating-pentacle-of-perfection? There's even enough time to stack the votes against an infinite that might actually deserve it. But watch out, you only have about fifteen seconds left.”

Shona groaned in frustration. She could see Mason and Quill were already locking in their votes as well.

Cyrus gritted his teeth as they were caught in the trap. Surprisingly, more people had decided to leave their rooms than he had initially thought. Perhaps this lot was more reliable than he had given them credit for. At the same time, it was easier to point out who he couldn’t trust in a pinch. He didn’t fault those who had decided not to come. If anything, it was the ones gathered here that were going against human nature.

Cyrus himself hadn’t given up hope yet either. Why was the bear doing this? If he wanted a sacrifice, he could’ve just killed Calvin and be done with it. No, the bear wanted to make them lose hope, to feel the hopelessness. The bear didn’t even need to kill anybody for that.

The real question was whether or not the bear actually was going to kill anyone. And perhaps it was time to take a gamble.

”I believe in hope, but I can’t agree with that plan just yet.” He grinned at Mondatta, then tapped his own name on the e-handbook. ”Last time I checked, democracy was my speciality. As a leader of the people, you live for the people.” The politician then glanced at Willow for a bit and twirled his sceptre. ”The most important thing about a democracy… is voting and following the rules.” He said, hoping maybe someone else would catch on to its meaning.

Daimyon barely made three steps forward before stopping. It was not out of fear—though one could argue it was much worse. Hearing his name, or rather title, he instinctively turned, only to see, for a split second, a flash of terror ramming straight into him with all the might that 157 centimetres and 45 kilograms could muster. If he was a bit taller or heavier, he would have surely toppled over the poet, but in this case there was fortunately no falling down for the man. Only his notebook hit the ground, which he picked back up right away.

“...ah, Caora!” He eventually blurted out. Though he did not come to physical harm, the shock to his already worrying and racing mind took a few seconds to recover from. “Shouldn't you be staying at—”
He wanted to give some cautionary advice, but the trap's enthusiasm knew no limits. He was on a quest and Daimyon would be his companion, whether he liked it or not. At least he was not the only to...enjoy the distinction, as Shaun also turned up behind them. He felt a mix of fear and relief upon seeing the two: he was certainly not the only one whose...survival instincts were trumped by their morality. He was always sure that the Infinites were good people through and through, and this only cemented his belief. Yet...this also meant that more of his friends were exposed to danger. Greater chance to save Calvin, greater chance for someone else to be sacrificed. More hope...and more despair. Unholy equilibrium, this was.

“It's good that you are all here.” On the surface however, he tried to express nothing of what plagued him, and even cracked a small smile. “The camaraderie! How inspiring!”
And off they went to face the evil of the night.

---

SNAP

...an evil which had many surprises the heroes did not adequately prepare for. Shortly after Daimyon made it to the scene with the others, Monokuma summoned a wall of spikes from the ground, which effectively trapped everyone—all thirteen of them plus Calvin, who was indeed there on the middle, strapped to the chair—in the area. Daimyon's heart skipped a beat, again: he needed to get away from these shenanigans as soon as possible if he wanted to live a long life. Or if he wanted to live at all.

The situation was an instant classic though. Being surrounded by sharp spikes ready to pierce the heart itself was an apt metaphor for anxiety. The distressed expressions on everyone's faces gave the already tense atmosphere an amplification. The Carnage Sister circling the bound Calvin with two huge guns was a grotesque addition, representing the overwhelming odds that these troubled people were up against. And Monokuma...he was the manifestation of everything wrong with this world. He created a scene worth for any poem.

...what the hell?

Daimyon shook his head. What was happening to his carefree, collected mind? Was this some sort of new coping mechanism, analysing sudden bizarre situations with a poet's eye? Or did he take his own ‘always look for silver linings’ mindset too far? Either way, now was not the time. Monokuma dropped his final announcement on the unsuspecting Infinites: that they themselves would have to vote for the sacrifice.
This truly was the worst possible outcome. The thought of someone dying tonight was hard to swallow in itself, but the fact that each and every present person would have a hand in bringing them to death? So this was despair...

...and where there was despair there was also hope. Mondatta was the group's shining beacon now, bravely stepping up and asking everyone to vote for him to be the sacrifice. The Infinites however would not readily allow anyone of them to give up their life so easily. Daimyon was with them. The robotic monk had done nothing but good for the group, aiding the beginnings with everything from spiritual leadership to searching for ways to escape. If there was anyone to lead them out of this cursed facility, chances were it would be him.

And Davis? He had a vote to his name as well, his own. Daimyon admittedly had a slightly less favourable view on him, but still nearly not enough to consider putting him up as an offering to the mad bear god.

There was no other way out of this. Everyone who gathered here had more to live for than him, he was sure of it. He had already made his mark on this world, something he would hopefully be remembered by. He was not very convincing to himself and his soul protested, but with the timer counting down, this was more than enough to push him over the edge and make his decision.

“Life is a well of infinite joy, each setback but a momentary ploy,” he spoke, hand quivering on the e-handbook. “But if it takes one life to save another...then I am ready to go.”

Calvin was sweating. Unable to move, he looked around as people slowly entered the room. He was impressed and surprised by the number of people who came to support him, but the noble actions of his fellow infinites brought him little comfort in such a situation. He couldn’t speak without his throat catching, and so he sat, watching people react to Monokuma’s announcement.

The game was a terrible one, and for a few brief moments, Calvin felt his blood boil as a bitter retort rose to his lips. It died away just as fast as it came, as he realized just how close he was to death.

He watched as Mondatta voted himself, and as others locked in their votes. Looking across at his fellow infinites, he wasn’t sure who to go after. He knew nothing about these people. While he watched his fellow infinites make displays of voting themselves, Calvin chewed his lip. He couldn’t risk it. He was restrained, but turned to Geina, speaking to her in a low voice and stating his vote to her. Nodding, she pulled out his e-handbook and entered it for him, never lowering her gun. His sister was waiting for him back home.

“Everyone, please.” His voice was hoarse, and his eyes were red. “Vote.”

The trap looked up at the man, excitedly.
"So you are coming?! Yay! Isn't that great, Fang? Mr Spider?" he called out and back, his partner in despair looking on at them seemingly worried. Caora was... Way, way too energetic for a such a serious event. There wasn't a chance in hell that he could keep his cool, not after the stunt he had just pulled.

The three had made their way to the group of others, and had mixed in with them. Each and every one of their fellow Infinites seemed on edge, more or less. It was a worrisome situation, dont get Shaun wrong, and he too had a worried look plastered across his face as they looked upon Monokuma, the Carnage Sister, and their comrade Calvin tied up under threat of death. It was a... Fictitious sight, and one that, if under different circumstances, the more creatively inclined might have gotten a kick out of.

Caora and Shaun listened on as Monokuma started his little speech; laying down the rules for his game, and what it entailed. Shaun knew exactly what the implications, or rather bare faced truths, were,but Caora seemed a little more... Ignorant to the fact. He looked as though he understood some parts to it, mainly those about killing Calvin if they didn't comply, but the rest seemed like it went over his head. Or, rather, he was having a difficult time wrapping his head around the fact that, no matter what, someone would die.

His train of thought shattered as, from behind, a voice called out.
"Wait, no, this is bad! Oh crap, this is super bad!" the woman called out, and he immediately recognised it. Shaun hadn't a chance to react as Mary stepped up and grabbed his friend from before him. Caora cried out as his feet were lifted from the ground by the Titty Tackler, as his body was crushed between the soft flesh of her assets, and her grip.
"G-g-get off..! C-can't breathe..!" He looked like he might have been on the edge of tears, until Shaun stepped up to push her away. She let him down, losing focus of her traumatised fantasy, and wandered off to somewhere else.

Caora hid behind Shaun keeping her eyes on the woman as she made her way off. He still looked scared, but appeared to be recovering from the attack.
"I-is it true..?" his voice was quiet, very much unlike the energy filled Caora he had come to be acquainted with, "I-is... S-someone going to die.. No m-matter what..?"

A part of him didn't want to tell the truth. Lying wouldn't do any good, but instead prolong the upset, but for some reason that was all he could think about doing.
"I... Yes... I-it is..." the boy's body drooped. That wasn't the answer he was looking for, confirming his fears. For a second, Shaun felt bad. He knew lying was a bad idea, but for some reason he regretted telling him the truth given the outcome.

But his regret didn't last long. The trap turned on an dime, much to Shaun's surprise, and faced Nariko. He could only see the side of his face, but across it was an expression he hadn't seen the boy wear up until then. It was Anger.
"You stupid, dumb, MEANIES!" he yelled, and immediately Shaun took a step back. The sudden out burst was certainly not was he had expected, and it seemed much worse than the upset boy he had seen just moments before.

"Nobodies meant to die on and adventure! NO ONE! You IDIOTS! Stupid dumb idiots!" he reached into the pocket of his pyjamas and removed his handbook. For some reason he had brought it with him, but he wasn't entirely sure why. He raised it, and went to throw; beginning to propel his arm forwards. However, it stopped midway; Shaun grabbing him by the fore-arm to prevent him from lobbing it.
"Don't! D-don't you remember the r-rules..?" he seemed frightened, but also somewhat determined. "Th-they'll kill you i-if you interfere..."

Caora lowered his arm in defeat, and Shaun backed off. He was marginally satisfied that he wouldn't throw it at the Carnage Sister. Instead, he let out a cry and raised his arm again, this time throwing it before Shaun could react. Except, it was thrown at the spikes. It flew threw the air and bounced off, landing on the floor with a a dull metallic thud seemingly undamaged.

As soon as it left his hand, the boy started crying. The tears had been in his eyes ever since Mary had picked him up, but suddenly they were streaming down his face like someone had detonated the Hoover Dam. Shaun hugged him close, suddenly feeling the urge to comfort him, and he cried with his head burried into his chest. His eyes scanned the other Infinites, especially Mary, with his face displaying a warning not to come closer. They wouldn't help. Not here.

With Caora in his arms, wetting his shirt and scarf with tears, he reached into his pocket. He removed the handbook he kept stored there ever since they were given them, and he looked over each of the names. Then, he took a glance down at the boy sobbing in his arms. Without a second look, Shaun placed his thumb over one of the names, and placed it back in his pocket - without letting anyone see who he had voted for.

Monokuma tapped his foot while looking at a wrist watch. The tension was building. It seemed to already be too much for Caora, who had started crying before the results were announced. Dr killgood looked up from his watch and raised an eyebrow. “I... I didn't even do anything yet.” A few more seconds ticked by before the bear wiped its paw across its head. “Phew! I don't know about you, but that was the longest thirty seconds of my life! We'll have the results up in just a few seconds.”

Shona looked up from her E-handbook. “No.”

“No?” The bear tipped its head. “That's not a very informative statement. No we won't display the results? No I actually did do something? No it wasn't the longest thirty seconds of my life?”

Meanwhile, everyone turned to the sound of someone running down the hall. There approaching the wall of spikes was Felix. “Hey guys!” he greeted with his usual, overly cheery personality. But he didn't stand still. Felix immediately took to the spikes and ran up them like a ninja. When he started to lose momentum, Felix reached out and grabbed a hold of the massive nails before him. Even without any climbing equipment, he was able to climb the slick surfaces with relative ease. Such an inhuman feet of athletics would have been impossible for anyone but the infinite free-runner. In seconds Felix was already at the top of the spikes.

Nariko looked up. “I-Is that an honest to goodness practical use for parkour?”

Geina chuckled. “I dunno, but he's interfering with our game, which is interfering with us by extension.” She lifted one of her arms to aim at the free runner. But the doll would never get the chance to fire. In the blink of an eye, her bicep erupted into a mess of hydraulic fluid, and the rest of her arm fell on the ground. In that short span of time, the infinite knight managed to close the distance and attack her. Geina barely had time to acknowledge what had happened before Shona's second swing cleaved into the doll's chest. A splash of fluid soaked the side of Calvin's face as Geina lost the ability to stand. “Mother fuckEEERRRrrrrrrrrrzzzzz-” The infinite knight wrenched her sword out of the manikin and let it collapse into a pool of its own hydraulic fluid.

“...Oh my creator!” Monokuma was quick to erect more spikes, this time making cells for the cooperating infinites. He had walled off most of them, but he also wanted to trap the free runner. Felix's agility was proving difficult to contend with. “Don't get any funny ideas!” the bear growled. But the free runner didn't stop advancing towards Calvin, always able to anticipate where the next spikes would show up.

Meanwhile, Nariko prepared to avenge her sister. She gently folded Aleecia's hand over the E-handbook before stepping forward and drawing her sword. “Tennōheika Banzai... Kamakazi!” With her katana over her head, she charged the knight. Shona only needed to back-step and allow a cannonball to blow the samurai's body apart.

“Sister!” Willow shrieked. “She may not have been a princess, but she was still part of our royal family.” The queenly doll lowered her lance and prepared to charge. The knight made a mad dash for the hospital while the doll on horseback pursued.

Dr. Killgood finally had all of the other infinites walled off except for Calvin and Felix. The free runner was still proving to be quite difficult. “I'll tell you why his first and last names are that of cats...” The bear grumbled. “Because he's as agile as two kittens!”

Felix dove on top of Calvin and his chair, knocking them over. “You'll break the rules if you try to attack me through Calvin.” he said to the deranged bear before unwraping Calvin's restraints.

“True.” Monokuma nodded. “It certainly wouldn't be very nice if I hurt Calvin when you're the one screwing everything up.” A spike came out of the ground at an angle and stabbed through Felix's shoulder. “Thankfully, I can angle these puppies a little bit and go in from the side.” when the spike retracted, Felix groaned in pain and sunk down on top of Calvin. “Only being able to go straight up and down would have been a pretty big flaw.” The bear sighed. “You adult types are a handful. This would have been a lot easier if I stuck with my rule of keeping with highschoolers! Anyway, I'll finish up with you later, Willow is going to screw this up somehow.” Dr. Killgood turned around just in time to see Shona ram Willow's lance into her horse. It let out a whinny before falling onto willow, who had been dethroned from her horse. Willow's death cry was muffled by the sound of her horse spewing hydraulic fluid everywhere. “Okay, scratch that. She ALREADY screwed up! Damn I wish I had the camera feed. I'll need to look through the archives later.”

Shona's armor, face, and blade were aptly smeared with the carnage sister's “blood.” The infinite knight was clearly living up to her name, dispatching three carnage sisters in the span of seconds. “Come fight me, bear.” she swung her sword, splattering the wall with hydraulic fluid.

“Uh-uhu!” Monokuma shook his head. “You come at me, bro!”

“Your spike traps are only in the intersection.” Shona tapped her foot on the ground. “I noticed the markings in the floor after you used them the first time.” Shona dragged Willow's cannon across the floor and aimed it at Monokuma.

The bear froze in place. “Well, it's not like you have anything to fire at me with.” Shona wrenched Willow's head off of her dismantled body. After briefly gazing into the robot's lifeless eyes, she stuffed it down the cannon's muzzle. “Okay, okay.” Monokuma waved his hands. “I'm not going to lie, this is starting to scare me a little bit. But um, what say we stop playing around with the cannon and address the real problem.”

“You are the real problem.”

“No, behind you.”

Shona turned around just in time to see something charging out of the hospital. Its silhouette looked like a carnage sister on horseback, but that changed as its body was cast in light. There was no rider. Or rather the rider and horse were one. Its body was pure white with black vein-like seams running all over its chassis. Instead of hair, it had two giant horns that obscured the sides of it's face. It didn't have a mouth or a nose, but massive black eyes with red irises rested in its scull. It carried a spear under its arm, and it was headed straight for Shona. The knight didn't have much time to react. She lifted her sword up to deflect the spear, but the creature's weapon didn't budge and inch. It drove the spear through her chest, and continued running until it slammed into the wall, pinning her in place. The infinite knight was suspended above the floor. She coughed up some blood, but her new opponent stood there, unmoving. Shona's body was trembling as she bled out, her body growing colder with each passing second. Despite the pain in her chest, the knight was able to smile. A stream of blood ran out of the corner of her mouth.“At least I die... a true knight.” The centaur yanked the spear out of the wall and let Shona's body slump to the ground. She had passed on with a smile on her face. The spike cages around everyone started to lower. Davis simply stared at the fallen knight, shocked and totally wide-eyed. Mason had a like expression, and Quill hugged the barista for comfort.

“W-what just happened?!” Davis's voice cracked.

Monokuma approached the centaur. “I'm sorry, I know you'd like to think the carnage sisters are 'real,' but they are all controlled wirelessly. During the night of carnage, one lucky gal is allowed to take out her special carnage class model for a spin. Infinites, meet Alexandria, Alexandria, infinites.” The bear coughed. “Now as exiting as this all is, we do have a vote to get to. So without further ado, the results!” The screen went from a live feed to displaying the results of the voting.

THE SACRIFICE WILL BE MONDATTA, DAVIS, OR CALVIN

“WHAT?” Davis pointed. “Why didn't more people vote for me? I-I brought this down on everyone! We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for me!”

“Please relax Davis.” Mason was the one who spoke now.

Perfection turned to look at mason.“Bastard! I don't think you understand-”

“Quill told me everything. I respect what you did.”

Davis just groaned.

“So anyway.” Monokuma managed to grab everyone's attention. “It looks like I need to make a selection, and I choose...” His claw moved over to Calvin. “I choose...” His claw then moved onto Davis. “I chose...” His claw finally settled on Mondatta. “...You know, what's the point?” Dr. Killgood folded his arms. “I can't kill any of you with the temp rule in place anyway. A shame my little game wasn't worked into the regulations, then I could have taken advantage of it. But because it's not, I'll just have to let the rest of you live.” The bear sighed.

The centaur rolled Felix off of Calvin and set his chair back up. With two swings of it's spear, Calvin was cut free.

“So that was it...” Davis growled like a lion. “The whole point of this was to kill Shona wasn't it?”

“Ding ding ding, BINGO!” Monokuma jumped. “I knew she couldn't resist the chance to jump in and save her friends. It's practically her dream to go out like that. You could almost say she was born to die.” Dr. Killgood's face tensed up with fear. “But holy cow is she scary with a sword! You might have actually stood a chance with her on your side. Things are stacked in my favor again.”

The three carnage sisters returned on horseback, their old bodies still laying in shambles. It would appear they had backups. Nariko held Kara in her arms, who was clutching her chest with her hands.

“S-she's having a heart attack!” The samurai whimpered.

“Hmph. Guess our show was too intense for some audiences.” Monokuma made a sound similar to one clicking their tongue. “You know what to do. Get her to medical.” With a nod, Nariko rode towards the medical ward and disappeared behind a veil of smoke. “You too Alexandria! You might as well Felix to get checked out.” The centaur only nodded in response before scooping up the free runner and taking off after her sister. A few seconds later, ANOTHER back up of Nariko returned, along with a regular looking Alexandria.

Mason's hands balled into fists. “So you killed one of us, so what? You think you can scare us into killing each other by murdering us?”

“No, sweet prince.” Dr. Killgood chirped. “I think I can scare you into killing each other by replacing you!” There was a moment of silence as everyone tried to figure out exactly what that statement was implying. “Oh, really?” Monokuma looked shocked. “With all the killing games that failed in the past, you think that we would overlook something like a finite number of contestants?” he started to growl again. “Do you think this is some video game? With a finite number of puzzles to solve? With a finite number of enemies to vanquish? With a finite number of ways to experience despair?” More silence. Monokuma turned to Rika, who quietly arrived. “Oh, perfect timing. You, Quill and Mason are needed elsewhere.” A set of elevator doors opened up. “We're rotating you out now.”

Quill gripped Mason's arm tighter. “R-rotating?”

“Just fuckin' go already!” Geina's gun clicked when she aimed the chaingun at Quill. “Ain't like you've got a choice anyway!”

As the carnage sister commanded, the three infinites went into the elevator. As soon as they turned around to look at the remaining infinites, the doors slammed shut. Everyone could hear the elevator hum as it was pulled away.

“Now...” Monokuma folded his arms behind his back. “How about we have a nice little welcome party for our newest recruit, Bliss Buckly!”

The doors to the elevator opened up again, revealing a woman dressed in a red gown and a broad hat decorated with flowers. She looked surprised when she saw Shona's lifeless body, but not as surprised as someone who never saw a body. “Oh gosh!” She lifted a gloved hand to her mouth. “Was someone murdered in here to!?” She quickly opened up her E-handbook. “The rules, they changed!”

“Okay, first off, this is 'this' game's first night of carnage.” Monokuma shrugged. “We don't reveal 'those' rules until after the first legitimate murderer. But since you've already seen them, I guess I might as well show everyone. Don't want anyone to think I've got a soft spot for the infinite nanny.”



Davis eyed monokuma. “Other killing game?”

“Yes, this isn't the only one going on. Axis Mundi is practically a sky scraper after all. You have all kinds of room. Some would even say an infinite amount of room!” Dr. Killgood tipped his head. “An infinite amount of space, for an infinite number of infinites, and an infinite amount of despair and carnage.” All of a sudden, the other elevators started to hum with life. They were going to get even more guests very shortly. “Welcome, to the infinite killing game!”