TEN OF THEM
What the hell.
Why is all this happening? Just where did everything go wrong?
This is absolutely ridiculous. My laughter just does not stop, even though I can no longer feel my body, thanks to the frigidly cold sea air around me. I forgot the usually warm winter-jacket of my uniform somewhere, and now, I’m paying the prize. But I couldn’t help it. I just wanted to get out of that place. I just wanted to live.
But it was no use. I’m dying right now. I know it. I’m not sure of the reason, and to be honest, when I’m dying, I don’t care why. I’m too hung up on the fact that I’m dying. I’ll let the police find out what I was killed with.
“Eh-“
Finally, my legs give out. I crash down to the ice, and it creaks beneath me. The sharp edges of the transparent “ground” beneath me cut my skin, but seeing that miniscule amount of blood they draw only makes me laugh. I’ve seen so much worse during these few days.
As the cold, uncaring snow keeps falling on top of me, I reach out one last time towards the sky, which refused to give answers. I can no longer hear the spirits. I guess they are dying with me. Or perhaps they’ve moved on, who knows? Maybe…just maybe…I’ll join amongst them now that I’m dead, and when people return to this island, I’ll be the one speaking to some poor student’s head. Perhaps I could then tell this person about what happened here, on this cursed, wretched island.
A growling sound, almost like a rumble, freezes my heart. It is here. My death is here. In shape of a huge, black dog, it has prowled around the island for these past few days, announcing the deaths of us all, the unfortunate ones who were trapped on this island.
Whatever, mutt. Just come to claim me already. I’m dying, so it’s all the same whether you eat me, or if I just fade away on this ice.
There is only one thing that makes me feel regret. Just one thing. And one question that outshines all the others that I have at this point.
“…......I, didn’t…”
Yes. I didn’t find out the truth.
“……....W-who…?”
Yes. Out of the ten of them, who was it?
Who was it that killed us all?
Ten of Them
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Ten of Them is a forum-game working on a very simple basic principle. The forumites will take the role of the myriad of spirits inhabiting the head of the protagonist, and will be able to give him advice and suggest him to take certain actions in order to affect how the story unfolds. Anyone can take part in this game, and it does not require “dedication” of staying till the end.
While the spirits (players) can’t directly affect the world and what happens, their existence becomes critically important when the peaceful days that the protagonist lives end abruptly and brutally, and he becomes trapped in a whirlpool of madness, despair and gruesome murders. It is only through these spirits, and a certain helper, that the protagonist can unravel just what is happening, and save himself and those he loves from the mysterious “Black Death” who kills off the, one-by-one, the people trapped on the Tudor Island. The advice, the theories, and the memories these spirits, who transcend the time, retain are the only weapons our protagonist has against what seems like impossible murders and a killer, who cannot be caught.
So, please, enter the Tudor Island, and the esteemed Tudor Boarding School which lies there. It is the most magical day of the year, 25th of December, and our protagonist, one Bedwyr Sheen, prepares to spend his Christmas with his closest friend, Ian Watson, knowing nothing about the tragedy that is about to happen…
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TEN OF THEM
The first cycle
“Too much love will kill you, if you can't make up your mind. Torn between the lover, and the love you leave behind…!”
I am awakened by my radio-clock, and the voice of Mr. Mercury. As I open my eyes, I see the bright red numbers telling me that it is already 8am, and if I don’t get up now, I will most likely miss the breakfast. I grumble under my breath, as I had been experiencing a quite pleasant dream for a change, and waking up from it and realizing you were in harsh reality again was something of a letdown. Even though my surroundings were quite grand, at least compared to the school that I went last year, it was not enough to lift my mood. After all, it was Christmas Day, and here I was, spending it in my school.
“Damn you, dad……why did you have to leave to India for Christmas? Now I’m stuck here with only a handful of students and few teachers…” I groaned as I put on my pants and shirt, and finished the whole deal with the necktie. A quick glance to the mirror, and I was on my way outside. My room-mate had had the luck of getting out of here, and so, I inhabited the room alone, currently.
Since I had awakened, the spirits that came and went from my head also started talking amongst each other. Since I were little, I had been able to hear the all kinds of spirits, and it seemed that my head was some kind of place where they all could talk easily with each other, as a lot of them tended to gather there. I’m not sure what the reason was that I was able to converse with them like this, but my dad suggested it had something to do with my ancestors. Apparently, some of them had been druids back in the days, and it was possible that some of their power coursed through my veins. Nevertheless, these spirits were something I was already comfortable with, and sometimes I even talked with them in my mind. They were good company in the times of loneliness, and sometimes gave out great advice.
As I opened the wooden door, I was greeted by the fragrance of fresh porridge in the corridor. This really got the spirits going, as most of them blabbed with each other about the fond memories they had about Christmas. I decided not to concentrate on them, and instead, drew in the refreshing morning. The morning sun shone peacefully through the windows, illuminating both the red carpet inside, and the untouched snow outside. It looked like a good, cold, crispy day, perfect for snow-fights or building a snowman. I guess we might have to have a match later tonight with Ian.
Speaking of the man…
“Oh! Bedwyr! Going down to eat some breakfast?”
A brown-haired youth walked up to me, dressed in the Tudor Boarding School’s uniform. His somewhat sly features and deep, chocolate-colored eyes were somewhat popular amongst the girls of the school, but his personality sure wasn’t. In other words, he was something of a pervert. Ian himself blamed it on the time he spent in Japan. However, Ian Watson was the best friend I had in this school, and one of the reasons I was able to trudge through these days.
“Yeah. I was about to. Can’t miss the porridge, eh?” I chuckled, answering Ian’s question. The boy looked at me with somewhat mischievous expression, and leaned in closer.
“You might want to, actually. You see, I found this super-hot babe as I looked out of my window today, and she’s still there. Wanna go take a look?” he asked, sounding excited. I couldn’t help but to sigh.
“Again…?”
“Hey, hey! I’m just trying to help you!” Ian protested. “Or, wait, don’t tell me. Did you forget our bet already?”
At this point, I tried to wrack my brains about the bet he mentioned, but came up with nothing.
“Bet?” I asked. “What are you talking about?”
Ian pointed at me with his index finger, like an emperor would have pointed at his disloyal subordinate.
“The bet, of course! Or rather, our divine competition!” he said with a strangely grandiose voice. “The one to see which one of us can score a date with a girl on the Christmas Day!”
I don’t think my palm has ever met my face faster. Yes, now I remembered. After emptying the bottle of whiskey Ian had smuggled to the island, we had been on a bit wild mood, and decided to make a bet about getting a girl for Christmas. I thought he had forgotten it already…….or rather, hoped he had forgotten it…….but it looked like I had no such luck.
“But even so……how is spying on a girl going to help me ask her out?” I asked. “Wouldn’t that make her see me just as a pervert of sorts? If I really wanted to start a “girl-hunt”, I’d buy some information from that one maid, you know? But really, right now, what I want is to enjoy some Christmas food…”
“C’mon, man! You can’t just back out of a bet like that!” Ian half-begged, half-accused me. “Were in a perfect situations with so little people here, you know? You don’t even have to do it in public and get all embarrassed!”
He really is serious about this bet, huh? Well…I guess it wouldn’t hurt. I mean, having a girlfriend, or at least being on a date on Christmas, wouldn’t be that bad, right?
“Fine, fine…….I’m in”, I finally spoke up, and Ian made a small victory pose. “But I don’t need your help. I’m going to do this on my own terms, you know?”
“Got it. Otherwise it wouldn’t be much of a challenge, now, would it?” Ian chuckled, and gave me thumbs up.
So, score a date, huh? In one day, it’s going to be a bit tough. I don’t even know that well the people that stayed in here, in any case. However, I know that most of them were girls, so I’m lucky in a way. Now all I have to do is to choose the best course of action.
……..Still, I’m a bit hungry. Breakfast sounds rather tempting…….
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Originally Posted by Bird of Hermes
