//SCENARIOS.EXE
PHASE I [ 16 00 ] At 4:00 PM, the lightly falling snow will stop and no sounds will be heard.
What will be heard is faint sound of ‘hohoho’ and ‘sleigh bells’ faintly in the distance distinctly in one direction but when you turn that way it seems to disappear and you can’t pick up a trace of sound. It will keep occurring intermittently no matter where you are and each interval of 15 minutes, it will sound as if it’s gotten closer but the same things will occur.
by 6:00 pm, when it sounds really close (like right behind the character or next to them), when they turn they’ll hear the sound of laughter that comes from someone they greatly admire or care about to one side of them. However, unlike how everything else has disappeared, that person remains and even seems to recognize they are there. At first, it seems well enough as they will ask innocent questions such as “What are you looking around for?” and if told the truth, their important person will kindly brush them off as joking and tell them they are imagining it. If told ‘nothing’, the important person will prod them with curiosity (you can have it be annoying, whiny, friendly--however that character would most likely nag them to let them in, including things said such as “you can tell me”).
Regardless of choice from there, the person will eventually decide to assist in locating this sound, as your character will hear it once more and from the sudden surprise on the other person’s face it seems they may have heard it, too.
At 6:30pm, the person will give up, suggesting you guys go back (go home, go shop, go eat, whatever the character would suggest as something fun and interesting. if they are the type of character who would just simply part ways with the other and say they will meet them back somewhere else, that’s fine, too!) In the end, they will start to walk past the PC if they are in front of them, but as soon as they are behind him the PC will get a hand on the shoulder and pulled to be whispered to by that person in the ear (or any variant of it at the player’s discretion to sound more like said individual): “You always did have a habit of looking for the things you can never find. A trait of only the most worthless.” followed by a strong wind that drowns out laughter of the person when they came, but this time much crueler. The wind is gale force so the character will not in any way be able to turn around fast enough to see whether the person walks off or disappears.
Looking to the ground, there are footprints, though, that suggest that person was there. Unfortunately, the snow is light and not wet, so unless the character looks quickly they may miss the evidence. And with the wind starts the heavy wet snow, increasing until blizzard conditions are reached.
OOC NOTES:
- If doing this prompt, people who tag into other people’s top levels can choose if they also have an important person that’s come to them in the same way or they can simply be alone.
- Both characters can see each other’s important persons (assuming the individual tagging the top level has one), and they will treat the other PC polite enough but would do what they normally do with strangers while around their PC. Players might want to take the opportunity to do some simple ‘npcing’ of their character’s important person in relation to the tags their top levels receive or the tagged into, but it is by no means required. Just one more potential thing you can add to your threads if it helps or will be more fun/interesting ).
- If any player-characters would happen to have the same important person, the player-character entering the thread will have their version start to slow down in their movements until they are behind them and no longer keeping up. When they turn around to look for them, they won’t be there any longer, but they will be fully acknowledged by the spectre and act as if the newly arrived isn’t remembering correctly (they ran ahead to find the player they are with now or etc.)
- The spectre should at least be believable to be able to cause doubt on whether it is real or in their heads or some other type of trick. If directly asked, the NPC will never quite say one way or another, but sort of be sympathetic to their uncertainty or laugh it off or dismiss it… again, however that character’s NPC would react to being doubted.
- It doesn’t have to be their “MOST IMPORTANT” person. Just someone that they are close enough to that their opinions matter/the player character really misses/they would be bothered by them not finding them worth anything/etc.
PHASE II [ 1700 ] Now that blizzard conditions have suddenly come into play, including white outs, all that lighting doesn’t seem to be much help (and that’s before any lighting finally ends up blowing out due to the conditions). You might want to look for that person that was with you, because you swore you saw footprints in the dry snow before it was all erased with the force of the wind.
Traveling outside may be more dangerous than you intend, however, not because of the cold, but because you can’t see who’s (or what) coming at you nor who’s (or what) coming behind you… or from any other direction, either.
Pretty convenient for an accidental murder in the form of a hit and run by a moving vehicle.
...Or a sleigh speeding forward by the work of nine reindeer and equipped with saw-blades used for ice cutting in place of the normal runners. You will want to get out of the streets as fast as you can because, while you will not be consistently chased, increased attempts at various times will be made on your life the longer you stay out.
While your character is welcome to run into the nearest place they can or continue to stay outside despite being an intended murder victim, the combination of the disorienting whiteout along with the sleigh attacks will strategically attempt to push characters towards the large mall that has been now shut down for the evening. They will find the doors unlocked and most likely others there that have be also driven here by the same situation. Somethings not right, though. Because the mall suddenly doesn’t look the way it once did, especially if you were just there earlier in the day. You are about to find out that the lot of you aren’t much safer, inside, either. Be prepared to run or fight your way out.
PHASE III [ xxxx ]
Depending which side of the mall you enter from depends on the layout of the mall and what you’ll be finding. Please note Cerealia’s mall is incredibly large so it would be quite the effort to go from one end to the other. However, it is possible, and if you reach the middle of the mall, the two variations of the mall will collide with one another. Once you step over into the other version, whatever dangers you faced from the other side will cease. However, now you have the other sides dangers to face, as well.
3A: WARM
The mall looks as if it’s been abandoned suddenly—there are no guards or any sign of movement initially. Despite the power being out, you will actually be able to search if your characters want to and get the power to turn back on. Be aware that turning the power back on in the mall will result in a change noted below for both prompt 3A and 3B.**
Regardless of whether you turn the lights on first or stay in the dark, you will find the multi-levels of the mall scattered with various gifts, left for all of you as gratitude for complying with coming to the mall. These may or may not be your definition of a gift, however. Every package is addressed to someone who has shown up at the mall, yourself included. While wandering by a gift that doesn’t have your name on it will do nothing, doing the same for one that does… Merry Christmas to you! Santa’s elves will be busting out of the packages and will solely be focused on you and you alone. They’ll be sporting just about anything and everything you could think of they could use to harm you, but it’ll be in the form of a creepy toy or candy (to try and choke/suffocate you with if they manage to get close enough to you to do it)—basically anything that could be harmless but is now not, but they will avoid any direct death methods. Their intention is incapacitate you to the point they can eat you. Note they are not easy to kill, but they are killable. However, there will always be at least one elf out chasing you. You might want to team up to take these guys out. (think of them as the hardest normal enemy on a map for your level).
Whether you turned the lights on yourself or not, at some point the lights will come on and make your lives more festive: different elves will be appearing on the upper floors with just about and every possible projectile weapon. There is probably even a canon or two, as well, so watch out! But probably nothing bigger than a canon… and no rocket launchers because there would be no fun in that if everyone died too quickly during playtime. These types of elves are more numerous but they are easier to dispatch and do not have a specific target. They also don’t care if they kill you, but they are more likely to try and slow you down so they can watch you become dinner for one of the bigger ones.
3B: COLD
The other side of the mall looks like quite a bit different and in heavy disrepair.
It is also possible (although more difficult) from this side of the mall to turn on lights (even if the lights will be a lot less numerous than on the other side of the mall.) There are no christmas decorations here, just the snow littering the wrecked structure. Even though it is clear there is a hole in the roof, for some reason the blizzard outside is not through it. Instead it’s just a quiet and light snowfall.
But this is side of the mall where there are LESS, but quite a bit more dangerous enemies. The elves that appear are identical to the ones in packages on the other side of the mall, however, they do not sport weapons other than their sharp teeth and claws (despite pictures, these features aren’t super noticeable on the ones on the other side of the mall like this side until they get at your throat). They are also faster and while they also want to eat you, they don’t care if they rip you apart in the process before getting to eat. All-in-all this would be a lot more of a visually gruesome death to experience as well as watch as the victim will end up in pieces. Since these are a little stronger than their counterparts hiding in the presents, there also aren’t as many (probably 1 for every two characters at all times). They would be the strength of a small mini-boss.
But, it won’t be long because you hear some inhuman snorts and growls that don’t sound very animallike, either. looking up you’ll find that it looks like Santa’s let his 9 reindeer out for the hunt and they’re coming in after you.
There’s only 9 of them (you know dasher, dancer…etc. etc..), but they are each the strength of a harder mini-boss. They withstand a lot of damage and the more injury they take, the more aggressive/frenzied they become. They will eat you/tear you apart/trample you/impale you with their antlers, whatever. While you’ll see them come in from the roof, they act like predators and use the shadows and disrepair of the mall to their advantage to try and corner you and otherwise surprise you. Your best chance with them is to stick together as one of you alone won’t be able to kill one of them), but they will make every effort they possibly can to separate all of you to take you each out one by one (and, why yes, the reindeer will gang up on you once they separate you like a little lamb from its heard…).
This side of the mall is definitely a team-effort survival trip. Each reindeer is slightly different in its methods, but who can really tell the difference when things are at this stage? Rudolph IS THE BOSS OF THE PACK… taking him out first will help your characters greatly, although he’s also the most difficult (and your characters would have to icly figure out killing him will actually help them out, too).
***CONCERNING TURNING ON THE LIGHTS (PROMPTS 3A + 3B): If characters on either side end up turning the lights on manually, they will also end up releasing a creature that is unkillable and will stalk your characters until you are too far away from it and it gives chase to another (so you have to run away when it finds you). The trick to encountering it the least amount of times is to constantly keep moving, although this will make any strategic things difficult against other problems being faced. It is possible to stun it/slow it down temporarily to aid in characters escaping when it shows up if the character has the ability to do it (summons, magic weapons, superhuman strength characters, etc).
This monster is also the only one that will not cease its attacks and ignore you should you cross between the center of the mall. So, yes, if it’s chasing you and you run straight through… it’s gonna CHASE YOU STRAIGHT THROUGH into the other version/side of the mall, so don’t stop D: !!
PHASE IV [ xxxx ]
And if you didn’t run to the mall, or didn’t get chased by santa’s killer sleigh, or heck, maybe you stayed inside your apartment all day? Don’t feel too safe for too long. If you aren’t celebrating christmas properly, aka in an area (a building, an office, a bathroom stall, your apartment, your bed etc etc) that is lacking either a Christmas Tree or the proper milk and cookies for Santa to assist him while he is so busy this night, he’s not going to be happy. Which means, he’s going to come punish you for your lack of respect for the hardworking. It doesn’t pay to be impolite to your elders, you know. This is why we can’t have nice things.
The room/area has to have both the Christmas Tree and the milk & cookies in order to be safe. This is literally the only way to keep Santa from coming at you with a machete like a jolly serial-killer. He starts with a machete, but he can pull just about anything out of his toy sac (semi-automatic machine gun, you got it…). Because Santa is magical, he is unkillable and you can’t injure him, either. The best you can do is break his weapons to stall him and hide, but he’ll stalk around looking for you, telling you what a naughty boy/girl you’ve been and now you’re hiding from the consequences! You can hide from him under beds, in lockers, closets, etc, and while he won’t open any of those things unless you make noise to alert him, he will leave. Don’t stay in the hiding spot for too long, though, because he will come back and that time he will find you.
The trick to getting off of Santa’s murder list? While he disappears once he’s lost sight of you (maybe 15-20 minutes is the grace period that he’ll leave you alone), get a christmas tree and get those milk and cookies out. OR run to a place that has both of these things.
While Santa is chasing/stalking you, he will talk to you and give hints on what the characters need to do to be spared (things along the lines of “good little girls and boys always leave Santa milk and cookies for his long journey” and “where is your christmas spirit? not even a christmas tree for old santa to put his gifts under.” etc etc.).
Once you complete this, he will return and be planning to be murderous once more, but once he sees the tree and cookies he will immediately stop and be extremely jolly and forget you in favor of the cookies in milk as well as putting a couple presents under the tree like he didn’t just terrorize the living snot out of you with sharp objects. And then he’ll be heard with his trademark commentary for those familiar with the Santa Claus lore: “MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL GOOD NIGHT…” and disappear without (anymore, or at least, yours) bloodshed.
BONUS [ whyo'clock ]
{ there isn't a bonus this event, apologies! but we will do our best to remedy this for you guys on the upcoming test drive by connecting it to something appropriately traumatizing for mental processing. Please stay with us :D! }
[ Remember to apply proper warnings on threads with trigger-y or inappropriate material and do let a mod know if your thread careens off into maiming or canoodling so we can lock the log. ]
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closed; vietnam and the rat pack
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Okay, that wasn't true. No one ever promised him any sort of cake but he'd heard others talking about it enough at the ramen shop about the delicious cakes they'd had earlier and how others were going to get ones of their own, albeit, belatedly and he was excited to see if he could get one too. Christmas had passed but this would be his first Christmas holiday at least and he wanted to get back to the apartment and tell the other guys (and Haru) what they should totally do.
He'd been so excited, that when he met His Person, he'd happily prattled about his first holiday plans. Without getting into specifics, it had been true Christmas miracle, as brief as it was, until... Ah... Well, you know. He'd even wandered about a bit like Athena had. By the time he noticed the conditions outside, it was too late. He could hardly see and he'd barely been able to hear that coming at him. What an awful holiday.
Fast forward to now. He's already met up with Vietnam and Horikawa, the two (in more or less terms) explained what they were doing outside as well and for now, they'd decided to help each other out. Pursued by Santa-san and his bumper car sled, Mutsu's really had enough of this and after a certain point, his sword already drawn and now used to the sounds outside, he catches the familiar swoosh of the sleigh touching down. )
I got ya this time, ya old man! ( Vietnam, Horikawa, don't mind Mutsu running off ahead. He doesn't even notice Athena right away, sorry. But she might notice (or at least, hear) him as he arrives nearby and yells out into the storm, ) Yeah? Ya think ya can hide now?! Ya better run!
( BRING IT, CHRISTMAS, IT'S ON. )
jumps into this too
He has so much energy, this one. Unlike her right who, who is freezing. Still, they should not split up, not until they catch a break and find somewhere to actually hide. Which is why she chased after him. She's sure he would be able to take him on, but now is not the time!]
Come back! It's dangerous!
[Athena might be able to hear that familiar voice, and she stops just a short distance away from Athena's current position.
Which means she does notice the form of a body. Just wait till she notices it's Athena.]
M-Mutsu! Someone is hurt!
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[ Horikawa isn't far behind. He was delayed due to the number of elves tailing after them, though that's been taken care of for now. It'll only be a matter of time before more of those come. That means that they can't stay here.
He realizes the scene here after witnessing Athena for himself as well, but he curses himself for not having supplies available to help the poor girl. ]
Tch, I only have a repair kit... [ Meant for swords... ] I'll carry her, Vietnam-san. We have to hurry onward!
[ They've already decided to head to the mall together, since it seems to be a decent place to set up a large-scale camp. But the way isn't easy... It'll be more difficult now that they have someone injured to take care of. They have to go right now, so they'll be able to find medical supplies for Athena and secure themselves as well. So he yells from the top of his lungs— ]
MUTSUNOKAMI—!! Return right away!!
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she notices the help she's receiving, though doesn't say anything yet, and just lets herself be carried. had she been alright, she'd have judo flipped horikawa for touching her; nothing personal, she's just not great with physical contact. ]
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What? ( But he doesn't return right away, still armed and ready in case the sleigh returns for a second attack. It isn't until he hears Horikawa that he gives one last, futile look into the storm, and regroups. There's Horikawa picking up a girl that doesn't seem too good so far. ) Are they all right?
Ya sure ya can carry her? ( The height difference doesn't appear too bad. It's hard to tell exactly when she's hunched over like that. ) I can carry her too.
( He's bigger. And Horikawa is the more valuable one in this group, with his ability to see better into the storm. )
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Whoever carries her, be very careful. If she has broken bones, it could make it worse. [After all, she's bleeding. As Mutsu comes back, Vietnam takes a better look at the girl, though it didn't take her long to recognise her. With hair styled like that and a vibrant state of dress, she looks past the blood and--]
It's Athena! [She leans closer, holding her oar behind her.] Athena, if you can hear me, it is Vietnam. We are going to carry you to safety.
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He's extremely careful when passing the girl over to the other sword. It is because that he's a sword that he's fully aware of how fragile humans can be. They can hold out longer and can be repaired at most cases... But humans are completely different.
He looks at her for a while more, then lifts his head again. ]
Thank you. Then, I'll attempt viewing the paths now.
[ Horikawa steps on a broken car's hood, using it as a step ladder in order for him to launch himself to the nearest rooftop. Once at the first building, he keeps raising himself higher and higher, until he's able to properly map out the roads... It's not looking good, of course. But he doesn't let that distract him. He focuses, until he looks back down to them.
He signals a direction, indicating to take a left. ]
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[ The voice doesn't come from Athena's mouth - heck, her mouth doesn't even move. It's slightly robotic; it's a very squeaky voice. Anyone with a good ear may realise that the voice came from her necklace, which looks pretty bulky! It's an A.I., though, and it's currently displaying a >ʌ< purple face.
As for Athena herself, the only response she makes is slowly opening her eyes and making eye contact with whomever is looking at her. Tears slowly fall down her face. They aren't because she's in pain—although the others are free to think so—but because she just feels at a loss.
She moves her arms and fingers to hold onto her own clothes. There's no damage in her central nervous system, so at least she'll still be able to move after all this. Despite the small movements, though, she does wince from the pain. ]
[ Her necklace speaks again, although... what it says isn't exactly the truth. ]
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He tries to get a look, turning his head to see if she (or whatever) has something more to say. It's just enough to catch her eyes opening and he feels a little guilty. Ah, he doesn't really know what to do when people are crying. Anything he would try to do is out of the question right now and so he just adjusts himself some more to support her better. )
Hey, easy, ya're hurt pretty bad it looks like. ( A sword isn't just for fighting! It's there to be relied on and Athena can count on him. And there goes that voice again, this time, he' able to catch on where its coming from. ) We're gonna get ya to a better place.
( Whenever Horikawa finishes scouting, that is. When he gets the signal he calls out, )
Vietnam-san, he wants us to go this way. ( Left! And he'll start to move over in that direction with Athena. If she can walk at all, he'll let her assist but for the most part, he's definitely going to be supporting her. ) We need to get out of this storm so we can check her injuries.
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Vietnam hovers close at first, so that she can gently wipe away Athena's tears.] I am glad to see you are as fine as you can be, Athena. This is Mutsunokami, and just before, you were carried by Horikawa. We're among friends.
[And then she steps back and rolls her shoulders, making sure that she's holding her oar firmly. With Mutsu carrying Athena, and Horikawa using his excellent vision to bring them to safety, she will do her best to protect them all should they be randomly ambushed.] Alright, we're coming!
[And she heads towards the way he urges them to follow. Horikawa, she trusts him to point her to the right direction so she can take out ambushers ahead of time too! But really she just hopes they are close to shelter now.]
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It appears that he's helping them avoid the main road, where Santa and his elves prefer to run through at high speed. Through this narrow path, there will be minimal encounter.
In order to avoid attracting attention, Horikawa doesn't call out to them from that height. He goes ahead first. Throughout, he'll continue to give them directions until they eventually exit the narrow backstreet. But by then, the mall area will be really close. ]
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This has happened before, and Widget would usually black out the same way she would. Thankfully, this horrible incident didn't mentally scar her too much that even her necklace which was connected to her in some way stopped functioning as well. Otherwise... well, it would just make communication difficult.
She really owes all of these guys, big time. ]
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Though his eyes aren't as good as Horikawa, he's able to make out a vague shape up ahead. Is that... a building? Could they be safe there? )
Vietnam-san, do you know where we are?
( She's been here longer so she must be able to recognize some sort of landmark or something, right? )
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Vietnam stays silent when it came to Horikawa now, as it is only safe to speak whenever he moves. And she is sure that he will make sure they go a different direction should they encounter danger. So when Mutsu speaks up, she waits a moment, looks around, and then squints at the silhouette of a building.]
It is difficult to say in such a white-out, [She's never encountered one before in her life.] but I think we are in the shopping district. That might be one of the large shopping malls.
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He's just in time to hear Vietnam's explanation of the large building in front of them... A shopping establishment, is it? That could be a good place to set a refugee area. ]
Then, what do you all think? Should we head there, or should we keep looking around?
[ Horikawa feels it would probably be good. It's a spacious area, and judging from its name, surely they can find supplies in order to equip themselves well. Of course, among them is to find medical items for poor Athena... The hospital is a long way around. The alternative is to find the mall's clinic. ]
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It's not a castle ( which would be ideal, given the tactics they're used to ) but it's big place with walls and that's better than being out here.
( And he gives a quick glance in Athena's direction. If they can get shelter, they can tend to Athena better. If they can find a safe place for her to rest, he can help fight too if anything happens. Right now, they're almost sitting ducks. )
And if we're really in the shopping district, we can find supplies and things to use nearby.
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Yes, I also agree. We will be able to tell once we get in closer, otherwise, as you said, it is a place with walls. It will be easier to manage once we have some shelter.
[Not to mention many walls within it means they can hide should the sleighs try to follow.]
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[ It's just as said, it's the best that they can secure as a fortress for protection and supplies... If others have the same thought, surely more will be wandering in.
They should go while they haven't been spotted by new mobs. ]
I'll see what I can observe on the way...
[ Knowing the road will be good. They wouldn't want to run in front of a horde of bloodthirsty elves or end up in a horrible dead end. So Horikawa steps forward, heading off first so he could signal the others if it's safe to follow.
He does his usual scouting routine, observing the far distance and trying to check how the twists and turns work. When it seemed to be okay, he gestures for them to run over. ]
I thought I saw something at the north-east, so let's avoid that path.
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Weakly, she mouths "what's happening", although it might have been inaudible. So her trusty friend Widget helps out again— ]
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When Horikawa leaves, Mutsu takes the moment to readjust his carry on Athena. He thought he heard something and he freezes but it's so hard to tell with all of the wind. Bless widget and before Mutsu does anything, like follow Horikawa's lead, he'll explain the best he can without making the situation sound too difficult or scary, )
We're gonna get out of this storm. ( Finally. He can handle a more than the average human and the adrenaline has been doing it's job but he's certain once he gets inside, he's going to realize how cold and exhausted he really is from all of this. And just to let her know everything is okay, he raises the pitch of his voice some. He sounds optimistic and confident! ) When we're inside, we'll get ya down and checked out!
We're almost there so just hold on a li'l longer.
( VIETNAM, YOU GOT HIS BACK??? LET'S GO. )
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[She answers Horikawa and prepares to follow him after Mutsu moves on ahead; she'll watch their backs AWW YEEE. It was then she heard Widget's voice, and Mutsu answering Athena.]
We've seen something, Athena! We think it's the mall.
[She's not sure if she should be relieved that they haven't encountered any others yet, though. What if some of the others would be in the same situation as Athena? One can only hope they were inside already.]
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Through the blurry fog, the threatening figure is seen. Rather, figures. As their eyes adjust, the shadows seem to multiply until the sight is made clear. Before them, a herd of reindeer, horribly dragging human remains against the icy floor... It's not a welcoming sight. Despite how the snow continues to fall, the area is remains painted red. A gruesome number of flesh can be made out against the road; those people were likely were run over by their saw blades.
Horikawa falters for a moment, but there's no time to stand and gape. They need to get out of here... and quickly. ]
How can this happen...
[ Whether this is real or an illusion, it doesn't matter right now. What matters is that they need to go through this dark herd before they are able to reach their destination. Turning around isn't an option anymore either, as a joyous chorus of Christmas songs can be heard somewhere in the distance behind them. Their only option is to run forward. ]
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How...? Oh my god...
[ She immediately turns away, only to feel a sharp pain in the back of her head, and she cringes because of it. It doesn't matter if she feels more pain because she moves again. As long as she won't see something so disturbing again, then it's worth it. ]
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Hey, Athena-san, wait a-- huh?! ( She looks away and she seems to be in pain. ) Athena-san! Ya're gonna be okay, just close ya'r eyes.
Horikawa, Vietnam-san!
( He doesn't say anything more but his tone definitely says it, uh, guys, we should probably hurry... )
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