Onigokko (IC Thread)

[Mereo Flere]

Merry
Classroom - Time Unknown

These messages were not what you would call... encouraging. The later ones confirmed Merry's suspicions of something being out there - but the descriptions were vague. They could withstand bullet wounds, apparently, and rip people in half. Though it was possible that there were more things like the shadow they had summoned during the ritual, it seemed these things didn't kill as cleanly as that thing. More importantly, none of these messages even mentioned seeing the shadow again, or at all.

"Ms Takeda" sounded like a teacher, and everybody else were likely students; this "Mochizuki Hibari" in particular was someone from an entirely different school than Merry's. It also appeared that there were two groups. The second had slightly more luck than the first, being able to survive encounters with the monsters outside and return. Apparently, none of the messages seemed to give any clues on how to escape - though, then again, if they had found one they probably would've taken it immediately anyway.

Merry wondered where "Souma" had gotten some guns, but if they were still here it would be worth taking them along. Glancing at Ethan, Merry tapped his shoulder before pointing at the message about the storage closet. Then, Merry moved towards the back of the room, hoping that the closet in Souma's message would be there.

Hopefully, there were other weapons as well.

[Bloble]

Sakaki Tetsuro
School Building
Time Unknown

"Aaaa..." Tetsuro groaned and opened his eyes. Blearily, he sat up and got to his feet. He blinked a few times as he looked about the familiar yet completely strange room. "That was..." He frowned. What had happened? He remembered the ritual... and then a shadow rising up from the ground... attacking Haruka... and then...

"Justin..." He looked around the room, identifiying that at least a portion of the people from the ritual were in the room, although several were still missing. The Occult & Horror Club had been fractured. And Justin was not among the people in the classroom. One of his students had been sliced in half by some kind of evil shadow.

He clenched his fists. A burning rage alien to the teacher almost settled over him, but the presence of his students forced the man to control himself. He had to remain calm, as the only adult in the room. He sighed, and brushed the dust off of his clothes, trying to maintain at least a semblance of cleanliness.

"Students." He said. Despite the dusty air he himself felt fine, and hopefully there were no wounded among them. "It looks like Ms.Kuromusi's plan didn't go quite as well as she thought it would." Though his tone was jovial, it was obvious to anyone listening just how tense the teacher was. He looked around the room once more, appraising the situation. "Please don't panic, I'm sure this situation will be... handled properly as long as none of us do anything rash."

His eyes landed on the chalkboard. The writing on it seemed unusual, but he decided not to investigate it quite just yet, as two of his students were already looking into it. His eyes passed over the crude barricades near the entrances, and narrowed. "Those are meant to keep things out, not in." He muttered under his breath.

"Students, for now please refrain from trying to leave this room." He said calmly. "It would be wise for us to stay together as a group. I can't be in two places at once, after all." Saying that, he looked over to the only source of light in the room, the window.

He walked over to the window and looked through it carefully, trying to see if he could notice anything unusual outside.

[Sei]

Then, Merry moved towards the back of the room, hoping that the closet in Souma's message would be there.

Hopefully, there were other weapons as well.

You don't immediately notice it, but you eventually find the storage closet which has been toppled over and buried under wood. It only takes you a minute to dig the closet out and find the handle to open the closet. Luckily, you have no trouble opening the door; however, what you find inside isn't quite what you expected. While you are successful in finding a gun, the magazine is empty and the two boxes of bullets hidden alongside it are the same. There aren't any other weapons stashed in the closet, but you do find two large blankets blankets and a note reading 'Get somewhere safe'. Taking what you can, you thank Souma for what he's left.

Before closing the closet, you notice generous globs of dried blood lining the inside. It's enough to conclude that a person was once in there, but you decide not to question why.

[Obtained a Jericho and two blankets.]

He walked over to the window and looked through it carefully, trying to see if he could notice anything unusual outside.

The mist is surprisingly thick, making it difficult to see a lot of anything beyond the dusty glass. Even though you try to clear the window to increase visibility, you quickly realize that the dust is not only on the inside, but on the outside as well. Still, you're able to make out that you're definitely not on the first floor by examining the vague image of hills and trees on the horizon.

[Mereo Flere]

Merry
Classroom - Time Unknown

Bullets or no bullets, Merry wasn't sure who to give the gun to. A weapon had a psychological effect, even if you couldn't use it after all... and , well, it wasn't like people needed to know there was no ammunition. Still, just to be safe, Merry checked the chamber of the gun to make sure it was empty, before putting it away in an inner jacket pocket. Then, Merry turned back to the note, looking at its message once again.

"Get somewhere safe," it read.

...well, it was safe to assume that this room, despite being the starting point, wasn't "safe." Even though Hibari had managed to stay in this room for nine days, they couldn't assume that whatever was out there wouldn't come in eventually. Still...

Merry's eyes wandered back to the barricade, and then back to the blood lining the closet. There was no doubt that going outside was dangerous. However, there were no bodies in this room at all. Maybe the first few who had died had been moved, but with the way the desks were placed the last person who had been in here couldn't have left through those way. Needless to say, there was another exit somewhere in this room.

Looking up, Merry thought of the vents - perhaps it was possible to get out that way? But, if that was the case, they really would need to wake everybody up first; it wouldn't be easy to move unconscious bodies through there. Still... there was one more thing Merry needed to check on before that.

The desks.

They were used as a barricade, but it wasn't impossible that there were things still left inside of them. With so little to work with at the moment, it would be stupid not to at least look at them. While Merry didn't want to take apart the barricade, taking the few that wouldn't compromise the defense aside to look at couldn't hurt.

...then again, Merry had thought that about the ritual as well.

Still, like the ritual, Merry decided to go along with this new idea anyway.

[Airen]

Akira Kurogane
Misty Park - Time Unknown

Slowly, as if some sort of drug was wearing off, I felt my consciousness return, and with a small groan I pushed myself onto my hands and knees, my head, like the rest of my body, aching from the events I had just seen occur in the Club Room. My memory was a bit foggy for some reason, but I could vividly remember some sort of shadow-like being standing behind the president, and then, moments before my vision faded away, I had seen the thing approach Justin and...

He had been cut in half, killed before anyone could do anything to stop it...

And everyone else was...

Merry! Maiko!

Pushing myself up onto my feet at this thought, suddenly concerned as to the safety of the others, I took a close look at my surroundings, noting that while some of the club had apparently been brought to this place, a good amount of us were still missing, among these missing members was Maiko, who I had promised to protect back in the club room...

A second glance made it undeniably clear that she wasn't here, and I suddenly felt a bit guilty, as I had promised the girl that nothing bad would happen if we went ahead and did the ritual as the president had asked us too.

I'd have to apologize to her later.

“Figures. The most use you will be will be a sacrifice to keep away whatever is toying with us right now.”

And just like that, all of my previous theories, the thoughts I had contemplated while comforting Maiko, were basically proven to be correct, as the young woman completely shattered her 'honor student' image without any signs of remorse, a lit cigarette now held between her pale fingers.

I thought about saying something about her remark, but realized that, with the type of personality she seemed to possess, it would probably just earn me some unneeded verbal abuse from the woman, so I kept my peace for the moment, aware that her remarks weren't really hurting anyone.

Still, even if Rolanda was being needlessly rude, she and everyone else who was here seemed to be okay, so my initial worry for their safety proved to be somewhat pointless, so I turned my attention to searching the fog with my eyes, discovering nothing more than a bridge at the backs of the group, and a large building in the area ahead of us, the finer details of the home hidden in the blankness of the fog.

“Start moving, people. Or did you forget your little grey cells back at home?”

Turning back towards my fellow club members, my gaze focused on Rolanda just as the woman struck Usotsuki with his cane, which, if his expression was anything to go by, had dealt quite a lot of damage to him.

" 'Moving?' where should we even go? We've got a bridge at our backs and some building up ahead. What direction do you think we should head in, 'Ma'am?' "

And so, just like that, the question I had planned on asking was instead stated by Usotsuki, who recovered from the strike to his weak point with a startling speed, although his eyes were still shining with unshed tears.

Still, he was asking the necessary questions, so that gave me time to check up on one of the others, something that I felt was necessary even if I hadn't really talked to these guys that often before today-

"Hey Troph, are you okay?"

Even if we didn't know each other that well, in situations like this, I knew that it was important to make sure that everyone was okay...

And while I was speaking to Troph, I did make sure to keep scanning the surronding fog, not wanting to get caught off guard by whatever might be lurking out there in the dark...

[Bloble]

Sakaki Tetsuro
School Building
Time Unknown

"Tch. So much for going out the window." Tetsuro muttered to himself. While most people were content to speak within their own minds, Tetsuro had a slightly unfortunate habit of voicing his thoughts out loud. The most he could do was keep his words as quiet as possible.

He turned to survey the class room again. Most of his students seemed fine, but Haruka was lying on the floor, not moving. Teturo headed to her first, and knelt down by the club president's side. He felt for a pulse, and let out a relieved breath as he felt the pumping of blood under his fingers. "Good. I'd hate to lose another student so soon..." He frowned. How would she react when she woke up, assuming she ever would? Knowing that one of her closest friends was probably dead or maimed? It was something he didn't want to think of.

Tetsuro stood after taking off his outer jacket, balling it up, and putting it under the unconscious girl's head like a pillow. He sighed and looked around once more.

A slight difference was evident. One of his students had somehow acquired two blankets and was peering curiously at the barricade.

Tetsuro made his way through the classroom towards the barricade, where the student he recognized seemed to be looking through the desks, perhaps for some supplies or clues.

"Well, at least you seem to be doing well, Merry." He greeted the youth with a faux cheerfulness. While he preferred to address most of his students by their last names, this one was... an exception to the rule. "This is quite a mess we've managed to get ourselves into, isn't it?" He absent-mindedly peered into some of the desks making up the barricade, though he didn't really expect to find anything.

"Would you mind if I took one of those?" He gestured to one of the large blankets Merry had somehow located while his back had been turned. "It seems that Ms.Kuromusi has lost consciousness, and the floor is not a very good place for a girl to sleep."

[Mereo Flere]

Merry
School Building - Time Unknown

Merry paused momentarily during the desk search to look at their advisor, who acted cheerful despite the situation they had gotten into... or rather, was it because of it? It would be a stressful situation, and as the adult here Sakaki's burden would be bigger than any of theirs, since he had a responsibility as a teacher. With no intention to unnecessarily add to his burdens, Merry nodded as Sakaki asked his questions.

There was no reason not to, after all. It really was a mess they were in... and as for the blanket, Merry had no immediate use for it. Glancing at Haruka, it seemed that it would best used for her anyway.

Then... after a moment of thought, Merry gestured for the teacher to wait, pulling out the gun from the jacket pocket it was hidden in. If there was anyone here Merry could trust with it at all, it would have to be him, wouldn't it? And so, Merry held it out to Sakaki, expecting him to take it - pointing at the storage closet to make sure that he understood where it had come from. It wouldn't do, after all, to have Sakaki think one of his students had been randomly carrying a gun all this time.

[Bloble]

Sakaki Tetsuro
School Building
Time Unknown

Tetsuro took the blanket and was about to bring it over to Haruka when Merry held up a hand, gesturing for him to stop.

"Huh?" As Merry revealed the hidden object, Tetsuro's eyes widened. "That is..." His sentence went unfinished, but it was obvious what he would have said. A gun. A handgun, to be precise. Tetsuro wasn't sure what model, but that didn't matter. Where had Merry gotten a gun?

Merry pointed to a storage closet near the back of the room. The dust had recently been disturbed, and Tetsuro quickly realized that the gun had come from there. Curious... who would stash a dangerous weapon in a classroom? The teacher examined the weapon, finding it to be empty, even the chamber. Still, while harmless, he slipped it into his pants pocket where it wouldn't be seen.

"...thank you, Merry." He nodded. He smiled once more, and this time it was a bit stronger than his last one. "Good luck with your search."

He returned swiftly to the centre of the room, carrying one of the large blankets. With practised ease he lifted the unconscious Haruka and slipped the blanket underneath her form. It was dusty, but better than the floor.

When he stood once more, his eyes had hardened, and he was prepared to do what needed to be done.

He first decided to look at the chalkboard, and read all of the increasingly more worrisome messages adorning it. "Hm... Sonohara Academy? I've never heard of it, but I'm pretty sure it's a real school. And most definitely nowhere near Homurahara." He continued reading it, and as the messages became more and more mysterious, his frown became more and more pronounced. "...them... so we're not alone here after all." He picked up the nearest piece of chalk he could find. If that failed he would settle for using his motorcycle keys to engrave a message. He held his instrument over the chalkboard, trying to think of something to write.

In the end, he settled for a jumble of what he knew.

Homurahara Occult & Horror Club - Fuyuki Phantom Battles? Ritual? Seven (nine) embodiments of sins? 10 years ago? Extra Player? Sacrifice? Mana?

Failure?

Survive?

"...geeze, I have no idea." He sighed. "Perhaps one of the students more knowledgeable about such things would know more... I'm not exactly into the occult."

He returned his gaze to the rest of the room, and decided to see if he could wrench one of the barricade table legs out, perhaps to use as a makeshift weapon. He didn't want to fight, but it was always better to be safe than sorry.

[Verg Avesta]

Rolanda A. Knox
Misty Park - Time Unknown

Rolanda did not even try to disguise her crooked smile as she saw the tears of Usotsuki, and his attempts to bite down on the pain. Truth to be told, inside, she was even more amused by the boy’s clear desire to verbally attack her right then and there. However, it seemed that he tried to play it off, instead veiling a thin insult in a boring manner.

" 'Moving?' Where should we even go? We've got a bridge at our backs and some building up ahead. What direction do you think we should head in, 'Ma'am?' "

Having already lost her interest at the boy, Rolanda answered in a half-hearted manner. She scanned the mist-filled surroundings with her eyes, trying to spot anything that would have given her a clue where they were, or a shape that would have resembled of anything even vaguely familiar to her. Having done that, she moved to look up to the sky, trying to see if she could see any familiar constellations which she could use to pin-point their location.

“Anywhere but here is where we want to be. Or did you lose your brain as we were transported to wherever we are right now? You saw it. Some black shadow made sashimi out of president’s pet, just like that”, Rolanda snapped her fingers for an added effect, smiling in a way that was not really respectful for the dead. “Who knows how long we have been lying here, on the ground? Thing is, right now anywhere but here is a good change. We are out in the open, we’ve got a water at our backs, which reduces our directions of escape…”

Rolanda, while talking, was checking the grass and the bushes of the park, to see if the plant-life was similar to the one in Fuyuki, or if it resembled more that of Northern Japan or Southern Japan, or some other place completely. She had extensive knowledge when it came to plants, and this was an easy way to give a rough idea of where they were.

“Then again, just look at how ridiculously obviously we’ve been put to a place where we can see that building”, Rolanda nodded towards the shape of the large building on top of the hill. “Logically, idiots would head straight there. Such a transparent invitation to a fire from the frying pan.”

There was no question who Rolanda deemed as the aforementioned “idiots”, as she slowly tapped the ground with her black cane. With half interested Roland filed away the information the distressed movements and facial expressions of her companions told her, for later use. Right now, she was more occupied in pressing the little details of her surroundings to her mind. Like the direction the river was flowing, the taste of the mist which would tell her if it was created due to the weather or some volcanic activity, and such.

And all this time, Rolanda’s free hand rested lazily on top of the thing hidden inside her bag.

“What we want to do is to find a place that offers information on where we are, as well as basic rations in the case it will take us longer than a day to get out of here”, Rolanda said, like she was explaining something to children.

[hero]

Fukuda Masahiro
Occult & Horror Club - Night


Curiosity and excitement.

Fukuda Masahiro thought it would be a fruitful experience. Regardless of whether the improvised ritual worked or not, he would learn from it, and that alone would drive him one step closer to the understanding the nature of his powers. But there was more to it. The burning feeling inside his chest; the hands that trembled without him even realizing it... He was not nervous, he was eager. The boy wished for something incredible to happen.

And that was a wish he would probably regret for the rest of his life.

He had not noticed its presence. In fact, had Justin not yelled the President's name, Masahiro's brain would not have had enough time to register its existence at all. A pitch-dark humanoid had surprised Haruka from behind. At that instant, he knew. He knew that whatever it was, it didn't matter. It was dangerous; its murderous intent making it clear that there was no time for contemplation.

Move.

So his body moved, fueled by sheer force of will and aided by human instinct. Maybe because it was something he was so used to, before he knew it, he was aiming to punch the creature.

Move.

Or that was what he was supposed to be doing. In reality, his body had frozen in place, leaving him powerless and unable to do a thing to change the outcome of what was about to happen.

Why... Why wouldn't his body move?!

"You bastard-!"

He managed to yell, just as a sharp feeling of pain ran through his whole body; shutting it down. The boy could not comprehend what happened after that; however he was able to find a word that could describe it: Unbearable.

"Damn it..."

Everything faded to black.

It was unbearable to see people suffering... To see people dying... and not be able to do a thing about it.

-------

Fukuda Masahiro
Hospital Building - Time Unknown


It was a scene taken straight out of a terror movie.

"No..."

He, who had been the first to wake up, could only think of the worst. Was everyone dead? He gathered the courage to walk up to whoever was closer to him and check for any signs of life. Fukuda Masahiro sighed in relief when he concluded that they were just unconscious. However, many members were missing. That was bad.

The horror atmosphere... He wasn't afraid of it at all. Probably because he had always acted as a big brother figure to others, he was already used to facing his fears. But the same could not be said about the others. The boy could not erase the world around him, but he could surely lessen the mental toll they would have to endure somewhat.

Fukuda knew they would wake up soon. So he made sure to do it fast and without roundabouts. However, as he picked up the first one, Kisaragi Maiko-san, he realized he was too late. Everyone had already begun to recover their senses. As a natural reaction, he apologized to her.

"Ah, sorry. I'll let you down right away."

Thing he did; very carefully, so as to not hurt her clubmate in any way. The moment the boy finished doing so, he inmediately addressed everyone in the room before they would freak out.

"Everyone!" He called, in a clear and loud voice that everyone could hear. "Calm down, please. Right now, we are probably inside a hospital. But we might still be in danger... We have to move. I know it's hard, but if we work together, we should be able to get out and find the other members of the club."

That said, Masahiro took out his cell phone. For a second, he thought of calling 911, but, in the end, he decided against it.

"Listen, I'm calling the pres right now. I'm putting my phone in conference mode so everyone can hear."

The next few seconds were filled with suspense.

[I3uster]

Akira Kurogane
Occult & Horror Club - Night
"Well, um," I really wasn't used to this whole 'comforting' thing, "Rolanda has an... Interesting way of putting things, but she's right when she says that there's nothing to fear." I smiled at Maiko in what I hoped was a comforting manner, "No sea of flames, no being eaten by spirits, it's all just a story."

"I...I guess you are right..."
That feeling of uneasiness still was not going away. And it would only become worse as the President continued with the ritual.
The chant. The chant sounded so utterly horrifying, that for every line Haruka spoke Maiko wanted to scream louder, she wanted the ritual to end, to go home, to leave this classroom behind and not come back.
But why? Stop overreacting Maiko, isn't this just like in your horror stories? Pull yourself together. It's just for fun, remember?
Seemingly, being bad at convincing people even included being bad at convincing herself. Her body started shaking lightly as the president uttered the final line...

Allow me the chance to grasp that which is seeped in blood and sorrow!

And the tension was gone.
It was over.
Finally.
Just the sound of the rain hitting the window filled the classroom as she let out a sigh. A sigh that was interrupted by a shout.

...Haruka!

There was something in the room.
There was something in the room, it was not human.
There was something in the room, it was not human, it had no face.

There was something in the room, it was not human, it had no face and it just cut Justin in half.

Maiko wanted to scream. She wanted to run. But she was unable to move in the slightest.
And to add to the incredible mental strain of seeing one of her friends getting bisected she was feeling excruciating pain like she never felt before in her life.
She couldn't make out what the being said before her conscious mind was drowned out by the pain.

-----

Her waking up was like in a pleasant dream.
Maybe her mind just did not survive the torture from before, since she woke up, in safety, in some kind of building, in the arms of Masahiro.

"Ah, sorry. I'll let you down right away."

This sentence made her realize that she was alive and sane. Presumably at least.
After being able to stand up, still blushing from the unexpected contact with Masahiro, she fixed her slightly crumpled clothes and looked around.
Only Masahiro, Mark, Akira and she were in the building. Did the others make it? She didn't even want to know at this point. She just needed to calm down and...
She noticed that she must have lied in some kind of puddle before Masahiro woke her up.
On the ground there was a pool of blood in which everyone of them lied just a second ago.

Once again panic hit her. And then ralization.
The nightmare was not over.
She was sure of it. She was going to die a gruesome death. Just like Justin did. Just like everyone of them will, eventually. There was no hope.
A whimper escaped her lips.

"Calm down, please. Right now, we are probably inside a hospital. But we might still be in danger... We have to move. I know it's hard, but if we work together, we should be able to get out and find the other members of the club."

Despite the whole situation looking grim, Masahiro seemed to remain calm. His presence made her feel a bit more safe at least. But even he was only a human, and that thing...that thing cut Justin in half as if he was a ripe tomato.
Still, she had to remain calm. This what not a time for useless sobbing when the whole group was in danger just like her. After all, Masahiro didn't do it, so there was no need for her to do it.
Emotional control sadly was not one of her strengths either, especially not in this situation.
Another whimper.

"Listen, I'm calling the pres right now. I'm putting my phone in conference mode so everyone can hear."

A glimmer of hope. Maybe they coulx just walk out of this hospital, meet with the others and forget that this incident ever happened, going on with their peaceful lives.
Pretending that horrible things never happened is the best way to live a normal life after all.
As hard as she tried, she just couldn't forget one fact though. Justin was cut in half.
Justin was cut in half because she didn't speak up. Because she had to be the quiet girl during the one moment in her life where it mattered.
Now she just couldn't hold back. Even if the pres would hear it when she picks up the phone, Maiko did not care.
She just jumped forward and hugged Masahiro, and started bawling like a little kid.
"I-I am sorry"

[RacingeR]

Aki "Crimson" Fumi
School Building
Time Unknown

It had been beautifully amusing. Crimson did not regret participating in the ritual at all. The whole experience had been incredibly entertaining, and even her own pain as her body was "shattered" and the world vanished from sight had provided her of amusement until the very end.

The monster had been within her "reach". She had tried to attack it, out of pure instinct, but she couldn't. Even with her power, the shadow had managed to somehow block her from acting. This by itself was interesting, but now? This was in another scale entirely. What was it? A kind of Boundary Field? A Reality Marble? Crimson's knowledge of magic was spotty at bests, and in any case, it was not of much interest for her. As she got up, the first thing she did was to take stock of the situation.

A dusty classroom, seemingly abandoned since long ago. A chalkboard with disturbing messages. Desks forming a barricade made to keep things out, not in.... the more she understood her surroundings, the more it seemed to be like it was lifted from some kind of horror/suspense game, and the more her good mood grew. She only managed to not burst into giggles thanks to her military training imposing itself and forcing her to remain calm. Well, that and noticing who she had gotten stuck with. Why the hell it had to be the boring people? Except for the Prez, who was in a coma or something... hell, it was even Mister Boring Teacher himself. Rolanda was not even there to provide her usual entertainment.

“Ah, well.” It did not matter. The setting itself seemed ready to provide, and Crimson understood that there was something intending to toy with them, and she fully intended to play the game her own way. Let’s see... just how much entertainment will she derive from this? With that in mind, she approached the chalkboard to read the scribbles.

“Charming.” As always, it was impossible to notice if she was being sarcastic or she, somehow, truly thought that it was charming. There was no difference between the Aki Fumi of now with the Aki Fumi of before. She did not seem tense at all, her attitude had not shifted, and there was no real concern on her face. It was as if the situation did not affect her at all.

She approached the teacher, and took a look at the president. She really seemed to be just sleeping, but that was not why she had approached him on the first place. “I don’t think that staying here is going to be wise, Sensei. At least if the scribbles in the chalkboard are to be trusted.” If she was to play the survival game, then she would need to stick with them. Getting separated in this kind of situation was like asking to die, and she hoped the people in this classroom were smart enough to understand that.

As an afterthought, she buried her hand in the pocket of her skirt, and extracted a phone. Inputting the number of Rolanda’s own phone, she waited patiently to see if it would get through. She needed to determine the limit of their actions.

[Bloble]

Sakaki Tetsuro
School Building
Time Unknown

As Tetsuro was futilely trying to pry one of the sturdy legs from one of the desks, his monotonous work was interrupted by another student, one Aki Fumi.

“I don’t think that staying here is going to be wise, Sensei. At least if the scribbles in the chalkboard are to be trusted.”

Tetsuro straightened, and nodded morosely. "Yes, you have a point." He admitted. "However, while it would probably be best to leave immediately, almost half of us are still incapacitated, including the one who began this ritual in the first place. If we left in this condition, we'd be forced to bring along the other students as they are, and that would make us especially vulnerable, even more so than we already are. Separation from them is not an option. Thus, for now we should at least wait until more of us wake up before leaving the classroom."

As he saw the girl bring out a cell phone and try to use it, Tetsuro berated himself for not having one. Even though Saya had always told him he should get one...

"That's a good idea." He chuckled weakly. "I really need to get a cell phone one of these days."

"I've been thinking." He continued, addressing Aki. He tapped the messages on the chalkboard with one of his knuckles, specifically what he had written. "This entire situation could be said to have caused by the Club President's enactment of the ritual she was describing earlier... I am not very interested in the occult, to be honest, but I was wondering if you, a proper member, would know anything about it? Anything that could help us?" He didn't really think anyone would know, as most of the club seemed to have been caught off guard by the Haruka's explanation, but it never hurt to be careful.

[SeiKeo]

Evgenia Ivanov

Perfect.

Well, this wasn't quite perfect - the teleportation to an unknown place was a bit of a problem. The good kind of problem though: the kind of problem that tells you you're getting somewhere. The kind of problem that only success presents. Not, of course, that I could figure out quite what it did mean without getting out of this god-forsaken forest.

The group's reaction to the same situation was subdued - good. Panic would just be another problem. But, somehow, I wasn't sure that this group was going to work out.

Ah, who was I kidding: I was entirely sure why I thought that. Rolanda, our 'honor student.' What use was hitting him, mm? In the same boat, you would shoot a hole in the side? And your suggestions...

"T'would be a good plan, were any other place to find information to present itself. A trap it may be, but a tiger they may try to trap, and discover that they attack a butterfly. And if anything, the shaded branches pose a greater threat than the haunted doorways.The forest swallows men, especially men without an idea of its true nature. We have to have some kind of anchor to navigate against before we ply its depths."
Her response seemed impulsive to me: establish her position, appear to be unfooled by the 'trap,' and control the situation. Short-term, quick, thinking - good for a reputation like hers, but not the best for survival.

[Sei]

Merry
They were used as a barricade, but it wasn't impossible that there were things still left inside of them. With so little to work with at the moment, it would be stupid not to at least look at them. While Merry didn't want to take apart the barricade, taking the few that wouldn't compromise the defense aside to look at couldn't hurt.

In your search, you find nothing. All that you have to show for your efforts is the thin-layer of dust coating your hands.

Rolanda A. Knox
Having already lost her interest at the boy, Rolanda answered in a half-hearted manner. She scanned the mist-filled surroundings with her eyes, trying to spot anything that would have given her a clue where they were, or a shape that would have resembled of anything even vaguely familiar to her. Having done that, she moved to look up to the sky, trying to see if she could see any familiar constellations which she could use to pin-point their location.

Rolanda, while talking, was checking the grass and the bushes of the park, to see if the plant-life was similar to the one in Fuyuki, or if it resembled more that of Northern Japan or Southern Japan, or some other place completely. She had extensive knowledge when it came to plants, and this was an easy way to give a rough idea of where they were.

Right now, she was more occupied in pressing the little details of her surroundings to her mind. Like the direction the river was flowing, the taste of the mist which would tell her if it was created due to the weather or some volcanic activity, and such.

There isn't a star in the sky. The mist is dense, however that doesn't stop the light from shining through. Judging by the density of the fog and the overall light, you figure it's already in the late afternoon.

The grass on which you stand definitely resembles that which is found in Fuyuki, but you also notice little traces of foreign vegetation as well. That being said, there's too little of it to get an idea of where it is from and the trees are too far away to make out in detail.

The river which is flowing through the small clearing seems to be flowing away from you, into the fog and deeper into the unknown.

The mist which impedes your vision tastes strongly of dew, ash, and iron.

Fukuda Masahiro
That said, Masahiro took out his cell phone. For a second, he thought of calling 911, but, in the end, he decided against it.

"Listen, I'm calling the pres right now. I'm putting my phone in conference mode so everyone can hear."

The next few seconds were filled with suspense.

Haruka's cell phone begins to ring. From the sounds of it, her phone must be in her right coat pocket.

Aki "Crimson" Fumi
As an afterthought, she buried her hand in the pocket of her skirt, and extracted a phone. Inputting the number of Rolanda’s own phone, she waited patiently to see if it would get through. She needed to determine the limit of their actions.

Rolanda's phone starts to ring.

[Bloble]

Sakaki Tetsuro
School Building
Time Unknown

Haruka's cell phone begins to ring. From the sounds of it, her phone must be in her right coat pocket.

Tetsuro blinks. At the same time Aki had pulled out her cell phone, Haruka's had begun to ring. No, if he heard it right, it began just a second before the other girl had entered the last number.

"One moment." He murmured, as he made his way towards the sleeping club president. "To think someone else would have the same idea..."

He hesitantly located the general area the ringing was coming from, and gingerly fished out Haruka's cell phone from the girl's right pocket. While normally going through the personal belongings of one of his students was something he'd never do, Tetsuro recognized that strange circumstances inevitably gave way to strange actions.

It took him a few seconds to figure out just how to open the girl's cell phone due to his lack of experience with such devices, but soon the small device was open in his hand.

He raised the phone to his ear, and cleared his throat.

"Ah, hello?" He said questioningly. "This is Sakaki speaking. Apologies, but Ms.Kuromusi is currently unable to speak."

[Mereo Flere]

Merry
School Building
Time Unknown

The desks were empty - but that wasn't much of a surprise. Even if there had been anything useful at some point, anybody here before would've taken them. Even the gun itself had been left behind only because it had no ammunition, and the fact that bullet wounds weren't enough.

What was surprising, though, was a sudden ringtone breaking the silence. By the time Merry turned around to look at it, it seemed that two people were already on the phone. While "Crimson" was apparently waiting for the other person to answer, Sakaki was already talking with someone. While Merry couldn't be sure who they were contacting, the simple fact that they could communicate at all was amazing. It hadn't been something Merry had considered; talking on the phone wasn't a habit after all, even if it was always on hand. The cellphone had always been something reserved for emergencies -

But then again, if this wasn't an emergency, what was?

Merry thought about who to call - family, maybe. At the same time, Merry wouldn't want them to worry, letting them know that this group was stuck in an unfamiliar school, where monsters apparently roamed...

Frowning, Merry pulled out a smart phone, looking at the battery and time. Then, deciding to leave the lines of communication to the others, Merry walked back to the chalkboard - deciding to take photos of the writing, in case it would come up later. Still, Merry kept an ear open, trying to listen in to what Sakaki and Crimson would say - hoping that there would be some sort of good news.

[hero]

Fukuda Masahiro
Hospital Building - Time Unknown


When people close to you die; you want to die with them.

It is a perfectly natural human reaction to death. So when Kisaragi Maiko hugged him, her eyes filled with tears, he was not as surprised as he should have been. Fukuda Masahiro couldn't blame her. He didn't have anything to say that would make the pain she felt inside, be it caused by loss or guilt, go away. He could only lend her his shoulder.

When people close to you die; you want to die with them.

It was unlikely that anything he said would put an end to his suffering, but he needed her on the world of the living. He needed something to attach her to it, whatever that might be.

Masahiro gave her his necklace.

"When I am depressed, that necklace always helps me." He said, as the phone finally started to show signs of actually sending the call. "Right now you need it more than I do, so take it. However, I'm going to need to ask you to return it to me when this is over. It's very precious to me. Deal?"

His shoulder was still there for her.

-------

The second Fukuda Masahiro heard the sound of someone accepting the call was a second filled with hope. It lasted just that, a mere instant, however, as the one to pick up was not Haruka, but a male individual. The first suspect that came to mind was the humanoid creature they had seen before at the scene of the ritual, if that thing had a gender. Said suspicion was lifted when the speaker introduced himself as Sakaki Tetsuro, one of the teachers at the school who had been present in their last meeting.

"Ah, sensei." Maybe because he was the last person he expected to talk to or maybe because he thought he understood what he meant by the president not being able to speak with him that the boy was left speechless for a noticeable, yet short period of time. Acknowledging himself as the voice of the group, Masahiro quickly regained his composure and began to explain the situation. "It's me, Fukuda. We are in conference mode, so everyone here can hear you. If you can do the same that would be helpful."

He gave the teacher a few moments to do that. Hopefully, he knew how to.

"It's just Kyokushin-san, Kisaragi-san, Walker-san and me over here. We are okay; just a little bit shocked, that's all. We are, uh, inside a creepy hospital morgue. I don't think you can come pick us up by eight?" He scratched his head after saying such a lame joke. He then gave the room another look, somewhat troubled. "This isn't the best place to stay over..."

[Bloble]

Sakaki Tetsuro
School Building
Time Unknown

The sound of a familiar voice on the line was like a breath of fresh air to Tetsuro, and he couldn't stop a smile from coming to his face as he heard Fukuda explain his situation. Though it was unfortunate that more of his students were currently beyond his reach and most likely in danger, the mere fact that they were alive was enough to cheer the teacher up slightly.

"Ah, sensei. It's me, Fukuda. We are in conference mode, so everyone here can hear you. If you can do the same that would be helpful."

"One second..." He removed the phone from his ear and looked over the multitude of buttons that covered it. "Oh dear..." Conference mode, was it? Tetsuro couldn't see any obvious button for such a feature, so he ended up taking a guess and pressing the button he thought would be the best. "Here we go." Luckily for him, there was a beep and the sound of the phone changed, signifying that conference mode had been enabled.

"It's just Kyokushin-san, Kisaragi-san, Walker-san and me over here. We are okay; just a little bit shocked, that's all. We are, uh, inside a creepy hospital morgue. I don't think you can come pick us up by eight? This isn't the best place to stay over..."

And then Tetsuro's frown returned. "So there's four of of you... We have me, Merry, Ms.Fumi, Mr.Kane... as well, Mr.Shizuka, and two more I haven't gotten around to identifying yet, as it's only been a few minutes since I woke up. The latter are unconscious or sleeping, and Ms.Kuromusi hasn't woken up yet either. That's why I'm using her phone." He would check on his students after the phone call, but for now it was important to talk to Fukuda for as long as he could. "Right now we're in a dusty old classroom." He considered saying more, but decided to say the important stuff first.

Fukuda." He dropped the honorific from his student's name as a sign of how serious he was. "Listen. I know this may be tough to hear, but for now you're on your own. Although I promise I'll do my best to get to you as soon as possible, right now you four have been separated from the rest of us. We've still got some missing club members, such as Ms.Ivanov, Mr.Houshou, Ms.Knox, Mr.Lowe..." He paused as he went over Justin's name. He had been sliced in half in front of Tetsuro's very eyes... yet he didn't want to give up hope. Whatever had transported them could easily have prevented a deadly wound. "...anyway, don't give up hope, okay? I'm counting on you guys to stay calm and get through this in one piece. I know my students can handle something of this level, so I won't accept any panicking!"

He paused for a moment to catch his breath. What he had meant to be a simple encouragement had become a full fledged speech. It was weird talking through a phone and not being able to see his students' faces, but he could imagine them, scared and cold in the bottom of a hospital, surrounded by the dead.

"Anyway, I'll see if we can get to you , but in case you manage to escape the hospital before us, try and leave some kind of message. We'll do the same here. If you get to the school, look for a message. If you find one then that means we've already left."

"...and that's pretty much everything I need to tell you." Tetsuro sighed. "Sorry about the rambling, Fukuda. Is there anything you wanted to say, anyone you want to talk to?"

[Satehi]

Akira Kyokushin
Hospital Building - Time Unknown

“Uaahhh… the hell happened here…?”

Waking up third in the hospital room, Akira was definitely not amused. He could still recall what had happened back inside the classroom- that shadowy son of bitch that had appeared after the ritual and how he’d killed Justin- damnit, if he ever got his hands on whatever that thing was…

That thing was probably responsible for throwing them in here and knocking them out earlier- whatever it was, it had succeeded in making him go from calm to angry to really-damn-pissed-off in only a couple seconds. And to him, that was really quite an achievement.

His anger would have to hold, though. From what he could tell in the dimly lit room, it was nowhere in sight. Instead, a couple of the club members were there, although they were clearly missing quite a bit of them.

Standing up, he began to make his way towards the two other standing figures he could make out in the darkness- Masahiro and Maiko, if he remembered their names correctly.

Seeing Masahiro’s cell phone ring, he was reminded of the fact that he didn’t have one. Well, it usually wasn’t much of a problem, since he never needed to contact many people in the first place, it certainly would’ve been quite useful in this kind of situation.

Coughing into his hand to alert the two of his presence, he asked them a question.

“You two seem like you’ve been awake longer than me. Have you two seen anything when or since you woke up?”