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GAME XXIV - DAY ONE: Special K and Corn plz.

I pick up my twin Matebas, and walk out of this reinforced bunker. I do not like leaving. Zombies and vampires are almost everywhere these days. But then again, I owe Johnny Gambino the favour. So, G-Corp has been experimenting with psychoactives and radiation... And the result is some sort of psychic leech... I should head north, and begin my search in the populous city of Durem. Probably take a day to get there...

---

Akai_Uchiha strolled through Durem with her hands full of goodies. She had several t-shirts, a whole host of plushies, and even a set signed manga from the writers of PEROXIDE and Reaper Post. She was walking down an empty street, when she was suddenly overcome with a curious sense of forboding. She was about to shrug it off when, suddenly, reality disintegrated.
Before her stood a lone figure in a white hooded robe. Its shadowed face was a seemingly endless void, and in its apparently infinite depths, shone two pinpricks of light approximating where the eyes would be on a regular human being.

[Feeling like a freak on a leash...
You've been feeling like you have no release...]

The entity stared at her. Those white pinpricks, so mesmerising... And it spoke the truth. They never really appreciated everything she did, did they? Maybe it knew more...



She was found the next day in a pool of blood. There were deep gashes down both her wrists, and she was reported to have been seen in a psychotic rage prior to her death.

---

Sheena Ayame awoke in a stupor. Her vision was blurred, but this mattered little, for her environment consisted of white walls and blinding lights. She was strapped to a table at an angle. Facing her was a mirror showing that she was dressed in a simple white gown.
Slowly, a figure stepped out from behind the mirror. It wore a lab coat and a demented grin.
Sheena became aware at that exact moment that she felt utterly detached from her own body, and a wave of fear washed through her.

"Ah, you're awake. I'm glad. I was afraid the ketamine would keep you like that all evening. You see, I want to play a little game with you."
Sheena, in her incapicated state barely managed to ask: "Wh-what are you talking abou-out?"

The figure grinned even more widely,and raised its right hand to reveal what appeared to be a modified, portable surgical laser.
"It's very simple, miss. I'm going to ask you a few questions. And every time you get one wrong, I'm going to cut something off...
Now, let's begin. What's the capital of Mozambique?"

---

It was all hubbub at the top-secret G-Team headquarters, but today's tip-offs had turned out to be false alarms.

---


Akai_Uchiha has been MindSniped!
Sheena Ayame has been CK'D!

You know the drill folks.
CK and Telepath, send me your kills.
NR, ask for your clue.
G-Team, your protections please.

LET THE VOTING BEGIN.

GAME XXIV - DAY THREE: Lysergic Dragons, Predictable Plot Twists

Another day goes by, and I'm only more aggrivated. From this tower, I can see that the Telepath has moved his or her sights westward. I can't help but wonder if there's a certain range they have to be within or not. If not, I'm in for a very difficult time. If so though...
I should consult someone who knows, really. Dr. 123 perhaps, if he's not dead... Hmm. If I were hiding out, where would I go?
...I need to catch a train to Aekea. But first, I should ask Edmund...

---

Merlin P. Davis struggled against his captors.
"Noooo! I've been working really hard to help, since I'm new in town, and--"
"HE'S NEW IN TOWN, HE ADMITS IT!"
"ALL HIS FAULT!"
"WHY AM I SO BALD!?"

He was tossed into the jail cell. Buzzed Billy looked over with his usual maniacal grin.
"OH MY GOD, A NEW PLAYMATE, LIKE AWEEEESOOOOOME! WANNA PLAY SCRABBLE WITH US!? I JUST SCORED A WHOLE ENTIRE TWENTY-ONE POINTS, WHOOOOOO!"

Roger was banging his fist down on the ground, tears leaking from his mask like the sanity from his head.
"WHY DOES THIS MORON HAVE TO BE HERE!? WHY CAN'T SOMETHING SHUT HIM UP!? I WISH I DIDN'T HAVE TO BE HERE WITH THIS NUTTER!"

Suddenly, the world darkened for just a moment, and a voice rumbled through the minds of the three cellmates:
[As you wish...]

Roger sat bolt upright on his knees for a moment, looking to the ceiling with an expression of indescribable anguish, and then...
He slumped to the ground, motionless. Behind him, unworn, was a tin foil hat.
[Tried to give you warning,
But everyone ignores me,
I told you everything loud and clear,
But nobody's listening.]

Buzzed Billy began to scream.

---

Vlad D. Tepes felt marvelous. He had spent the day being EVIL, and was retiring to his EVIL mansion in the EVIL forest for a nice cup of EVIL tea, before a malevolent bath with his favourite rubber duckie and a review of his impalement techniques.
Well, that was the plan.
Before being leaped at from the shadows, of course.

He awoke slowly a few hours later to the sight of a cave of marble walls. ELEGANT AND EVIL! WHERE'S MY TEA!? His mind was a haze, but he felt utterly calm when a six-foot humanoid dragon wearing a paintball mask walked towards him. It spoke in a highly distorted monotone.
"Pay no heed the hallucinations. They are simply your mind coping to the unique realities of a high dose of LSD-25. I'm afraid I have very little to say to you, other than that you entirely deserved this."
The dragon's mask seemed to quiver, and then...
It breathed flames upon him that roasted him alive in a delightful ecstasy. Ah, this is nice and... no... NO!

Back in objective reality, the Crazy Killer took off their specially designed mask, and admired the handiwork. The beautiful charring of exposed bone, the well-done flesh, was simply exquisite.
"Now... Where is the tobasco sauce... I haven't eaten human flesh in months."

---

Merlin P. Davis has been jailed!
Roger Silverwood has been MindSniped!
Vlad D. Tepes has been CK'd!

TP, CK, NR, G-TEAM, REPORT TO ME ONCE AGAIN BY 2200 HOURS GMT.

PRIIIIIVATES!
ATTTEEEEEENTIIIIIION!
VOTING BEGINS NOW!

GAME XXIV - DAY FIVE: Ripples and Revelations

"Dr. 123... It's been a long time, hasn't it?" I ask.
"Commander Auto, good to see you again!". The doctor replied. "Haven't seen you since the bot wars. What's your trouble?"
I look over him, and deciding to be utterly honest, I demand:
"There's been a procedural breach. I need the data on the Telepath project."

---

"No, no no!"
"Stop being such a child!" came the voice of a blonde-haired youth who was passing through town as ks331084 was hurled spectacularly into the jail cell, landing in a sprawl next to Borderline Billy.
ks began to sweat, let out a little squeak, and jumped away. Billy looked up at her.
"The whites of their eyes... the white... so bright... like pinpoints... I need to feel... need to hurt... Why... what...?"

The newest jailbird sat next to Merlin and Turtle, and caught the end of their conversation.
"And that's why she's obviously the Telepath."
"Huh. And I never would have suspected Rina either. You're obviously a smart guy, Merlin."

ks rolled her eyes.

---

Guccigirl 247 was feeling fabulous. She was decked out in the height of fashion, liberated via copious spending from a nearby store, and was now on her merry way towards Bass'ken Lake. She hummed to herself as she went along, and decided to stop by the water to admire her splendour in the reflection from the water.
She looked down at the water and admired herself for some time. But as she stared, something curious began to happen. The water began to stir and ripple, and her reflection became more and more distorted. Eventually, she was facing a white hooded figure, who mouthed to her from beneath the water:

[There's a brand new dance but I don't know its name,
That people from bad homes do again and again,
It's big and bland, full of tension and fear,
They do it over there... but we don't do it here.]

Later, Old Man Logan would attest that Guccigirl247 suffered something resembling a seizure, before rushing into the water and disappearing beneath its surface. That spot now featured a floating leg and a number of very hungry fish.

---

Today was different.
These walls were not white, but deepest black.
"Well, well. Look what we have here."

'Kashi awoke sharply. Above him, the Crazed Killer gave a wry smile.
"I found the notebook. And the envelopes. You've been a busy bee, haven't you,

Mister Reporter?"



'Kashi, though heavily drowsy and lethargic from the high dose of heroin in his system, spoke up defiantly.
"Kill me if you want... My message will get through..."

The CK stared down at his victim, and whispered to him with an utterly sublime expression.
"Oh, it's not my place to kill you. I'll let the withdrawal do that for you.
Heroin for a hero. I'll check back in a few days. Enjoy your degeneration."

The CK walked slowly to the heavy bolted door, opened it at a leisurely pace, and gave one last glance to the despairing News Reporter, before slamming it shut and locking his woes firmly behind him.

---

ks331084 was jailed!
Guccigirl247 was MindSniped!
'Kashi, your News Reporter, was CK'd!
Well played, Crazy Killer!


TP, G-TEAM, CK, you know what to do!
LET THE VOTING... BEGIN!

GAME XXIV - DAY SEVEN: Two for One and Torture

I arrive in Barton to a frenzy of activity. The activity apparently concerns the death of a Barton citizen, a man named Ardent Fang. Through the crowds and flurries of curious aliens, vampires and Gaians, I see my target walking northward for but an instant before they disappear behind the unwitting citizens.
I prepare to follow.

---

Bluefountain walked into the jail cell, and looked around. Before him lay a scene of carnage.
Borderline Billy was standing over the corpses of ks331084, a fellow cellmate, and Tedie Behr, who had been passing by and tried to intervene at the time.
"YOU ALL SAW! THEY ATTACKED ME! THEIR EYES, SO WHITE!"
After a struggle, Borderline Billy was forcibly ejected to an adjacent cell of his own that was normally not used due to er.. some rather unpleasant hygiene issues.

Blue was already shaken enough by this transpiring, when he turned his attention to the cellmates themselves.

Merlin was dressed in a tuxedo, and surrounded by women.
"He's so clever!"
"You'll be getting freed! Now we'll definitely catch the Telepath!"
"I CAN HAS AUTOGRAPH?"

Merlin gave a wry smile, and lay back on his bunk.
"I love being the new kid in Town. Women find you irresistable! More rum, Turtle!"
A few jugs of ale later, and Merlin was seeing double.
Then triple.
Then black.
Hmm, so I've blacked out, he thought. But wait, if he had blacked out, why could he still th... Oh no.
[Oh yes.]
Hmm. So I can talk to you in thought. That's logical. Suppose you're killing me for being so close to unmasking you. Well, I have no last words. But my work will lead to your capture, so what are yours?
[Mine are yours. This is Merlin, who comes to save us, to bring the people back to the old ways.]

Merlin simply slipped into death feeling little, numbed from the alcohol. Later, a post-mortem would show death was caused by liver failure.

---

Alpha the Magnificent stirred beneath the layers of transparent packaging tape. What was happening? There was a blinding light above him. A pre-recorded message began to play on a radio behind him.
"Mr. Alpha. It has come to my unfortunate attention that you, like much of the Gaian populace, do not fully appreciate the idea of the meek, well-rounded individual. So now, I set you a task. Directly ahead of you is a light of my own design. It uses white phosphorus to illuminate the room. However, the material is highly flammable and unstable. At your feet, though you may not see it, is a candle. And beside you, a chain connects the frame of your operating table to the light. Each time the wheels of the table are rocked, the light will be lowered.
Now. Let's see you escape without burning to a slow and agonising death. I also forgot to mention, I injected you with a moderately high dosage of dextromethorphan. You may find your motor functions a bit... lacking?"
The message ended.

Alpha pushed the sheet of film above his hands cautiously. It would not budge. He pushed harder. The tape moved a fraction of a centimeter. He attempted to punch upwards with the little free room above his wrists. The table rocked sharply, and the light crashed down almost a meter before being stopped by the chain.
"Okay. I need to be subtle about this."
For the next three hours, Alpha focussed on slowly freeing each individual finger from the layers of film and tape. When this was done, he had pushed his palms upwards, which managed to cause sufficient enough vibration to lower the light another twenty-five centimetres or so. But soon, he was free.
He was wary when he set his feet down on the ground. It was slick with something oily, and he became altogether more relieved and appreciative of his newfound freedom.
He staggered robotically to the heavy bolted door, falling into the accelerant multiple times due to the effects of the DXM, and pulled the handle down with force.

KREEEEEEEEEEEEEE.
Alpha's head shot upwards towards the light. It crashed to the table he was on only moments before, and within seconds, the entire room was ablaze.
"AGHHHH!"
He screamed in anguish as the flames melted the very skin from his flesh, the very flesh from his bone. He collapsed to the ground screaming in relentless agony, his form writhing and twisting as every nerve in his body was subjected to this fiery torture. In the moments before his eyeballs were heated sufficiently to make them run wetly out of their sockets, Alpha caught sight of a flaming wire that had been connected to the bolt of the door. Soon, the light of the flames was extinguished from view, as was the man who had viewed them so intimately.


Several hours later when the blaze was all but extinquished from lack of oxygen, the CK entered the room from a hidden door in the wall. Before him, the charred remains of his newest victim lay in all their glory. The bone was blackened, and the only remaining flesh was Alpha's stomach, which was still partly aflame. The remaining air was thick with the smell of burning plastic and dead flesh.

"Too well-done to eat. A shame... At least it'll make a nice decorative piece for the foyer.
Silly man. As if I'd let you free so easily."

---

BlueFountain has been jailed!
Merlin_P._Davis, who would have been freed, has been MindSniped!
Alpha the Magnificent has been CK'd!
ks331084 and Tedie Behr have dropped out of the game!


SWEET JESUS OF NARRATIVE,
WHAT AN UPDATE!

PRRRIIIIIVAAATTTEEESSSS!
VOTING BEGINS AT OH-NOW-HOURS!

GAME XXIV - DAY NINE: Nutjobs and Knife Fights

Hatmaster and Ginji each dashed around the newly built extension cell with glee.
"Oh my gawd! A cell all to ourselves! Bit samey though, everything's in black 'nd woit."
The others in the cell beside rolled their eyes.
"Oi, none of that."

Hatmaster awkwardly poked his sword through a chip in the wall as a sort of warning, then went back to fussing over the Black and White walls.

Ginji himself did not know what to make of it, but he supposed it would do. So long as Hattie keeps that damn sword away from him.

---

Ah, the Port of Gambino. A lovely spot for a murder. I must say, the subject really does have a flare for the abstract and dramatic killing.
But they'll soon see... I do too.

---

Luna Amatista sat beneath the moonlight on the pier, and bathed in the glow of it. The cold, salty sea air assaulted her senses with such crystal clear sensations. This was serenity. Pure, utter, serenity.
But all good things must come to an end.

The tide began to rise. Slowly at first, but soon, the wind whipped the water into a wild frenzy. Luna leaped up as the waves began to crash hard into the beach, uprooting the palm trees and ripping chunks of wood from the edge of the pier. With a colossal rumble, a huge wave sprang up from the ocean and completely enveloped the shoreline, dragging Luna to the depths.
[Daddy's flown across the ocean...
Leaving just a memory...]


The next day, Luna was found lying on the shoreline. She had drowned herself.
Aren't hallucinations fun?

---

Buzzkid stood with no fear before the CK.
"Why did you untie me?"
The CK tossed a knife to Buzz, and gave a sly grin.
"Got bored of just killing sedate prey. Besides... I'm curious to know how well you G-Teamers can fight."
Buzz readied himself, and combat commenced.

The CK rushed forward with an early slash, and managed to seamlessly slice off three of the fingers on Buzz' left hand.
"Agh!"
"You'll have to be quicker than THAT!"
The CK gave another violent slash downwards from above, but Buzz managed to regain his composure and blocked it with his blade with some effort.

The two figures dueled for what seemed like hours, though it couldn't have been more than fifteen minutes, when...
"Hiiyaaaaah!"
Buzz took a wild sideways slash at the CK's throat and...
Missed.

The CK had dodged, and seemingly effortlessly, had thrust the nine inch blade straight through Buzz' left lung. The blade was twisted, and the G-Teamer coughed out blood and choked a little, before collapsing to the ground.


"Pathetic."

---

Hatmaster and Ginji of Thunder have both been jailed!
Luna Amatista has been MindSniped!
Buzzkid24, a G-teamer, has been CK'd!
Additionally:

8. TheUltimateSpare
33. pottersprincess
37. Emo_Pirate
38. inasanemonkey1230
43. Hirun Hikari
52. Chikorin Moonie

Have all went inactive. Again, those damn starsigns.

IT'S REALLY HOTTING UP NOW, FOLKS!

PRRIIIIIVATES!
VOTE!

GAME XXIV - DAY ELEVEN: Comfy Chairs and Coffins

Ah, there's nothing quite like a cruise. So, we sail for the port northwest of Aekea, then take the train back to Barton. The target has disappeared for now, but I can't help but wonder what they're up to... And when we shall meet again.

---

"Nuuuu! I'm honestly not a killer. Really! SEE HOW CUTE I AM?"
Heart Shaped Toastie squirmed a little as she was tossed into the new cell. Inside, a curious scene played out.

Chaotic Lmagination was sat in a comfy leather armchair (y'know, the kind you just SINK into), and was being scolded over a makeshift fence of steel bars by Ginji, the unofficial spokesperson and founder of Ginjiopolis.
Meanwhile Ginjiopolis itself was unchanged, and was still as simple as ever. The exception being of course, a modified surround sound speaker system that had been built into the walls.

After a moment's hesitation, Toastie hopped the fence and joined Ginjiopolis. The music she heard was curious, but soothing:

[A mother sings a lullaby to a child
Sometime in the future the girl goes wild
And all her nerves are feeling some kind of energy...]

The melody was beautiful, and struck Toastie with a poignant grace that seemed to facilitate her own senses. She became very aware of the fact that she was seeing the music, and that even more curiously, she could actually taste each note. Then she /tried/ to taste. She asked for an apple, and was given one. The taste had the opposite effect... it produced sound. Not crunching, but beautiful, flowing and melodious symphonies.
This feeling persisted, even during the one hour of recreation later that day. She wondered what else in the surrounding gardens she could find that was so beautiful...


She was found shortly thereafter lying sprawled dead at the edge of a nearby patch of grass. Believing that the fungi would enable her to hear an even more beautiful melody, she had consumed large quantities of the deadly Gaiamanita Trisporigoras mushroom.
More commonly known in Barton as the Decimating Seraph.

---

Turtle_Devil was afraid. She was in a box. A long steel one in fact, complete with holographic screens. If she had to guess, she would call it... a coffin.
Damp, bruised and feeling intensely weary, she had no doubt as to her eventual fate. Any remaining optimism was drained when the hologram projected a figure standing before her, dressed in a long coat and wearing a featureless mask.

"Turtle_Devil. You were recently freed from Barton Jail, having spent a term there under suspicion for the recent string of disappearances and murders, both apparently unrelated, that has been happening all across the continent.
I am the one responsible for the abductions. In fact, you will now join many of your compatriots in the ranks of my victims. You have been in this chamber for approximately two hours, and in that time have been fed a constant supply of oxygen from an outside source. You are buried around four metres below the surface, and as such, have little chance of being able to escape.
At the conclusion of this message, the oxygen supply will cease.
I would also like to remind you to take short, shallow breaths if you do not wish to suffer.
Thank you, and have a nice day."

Turtle was too stunned to even scream.
But the screams would come.

---

Heart Shaped Toastie has been jailed... then MindSniped!
Turtle_Devil has been CK'd!


JAIL SUB-PLOT: Chaotic has defected to Hatmastown, Hatmastown has gained comfy chairs, and Ginjiopolis has recieved a speaker system!


CK, SEND ME YOUR KILL!
TP, DITTO ON THAT!
TOWN FOUNDERS, PM ME IF YOU WANT AN (meaning one) ADDITION TO YOUR TOWN!



PRIIIIVAAAATTEEESSSS.
VOTE!

GAME XXIV - DAY THIRTEEN: Working Gears and Warp Gates

So few people are left in this town... I am beginning to fear that I may have been called for too late.

---

S H O Y K I N G jumped around the cell with glee, and plopped himself beside Sany, deciding to take no action, as she did. However, upon seeing that Hatmastown was installing a t.v. that towered over the cellmates, reaching from the floor to the ceiling, Shoy quickly made his decision. Despite its impressiveness however, it didn't even have basic cable, and entertainment was therefore provided by the shuffling moans of Ardent Fang, who was now a zombie and was kept in a small caged off section of the cell.
Ginjiopolis on the other hand, in another fit of spontaneousness, had bought a big trampoline. Not that this mattered, as Ginji was still alone.

---

Merriweather sat by a tree in a field just west of Barton, engrossed in the book she was reading.
"The Secret to Success: The Science of Gold Generation", a fine piece of literature by Johnny K. Gambino, with scientific analysis by G-Corp's brightest minds.
She got up, and wondered northwards towards the Great Wall of Gambino, when suddenly, the Warp Portal sprang to life. A luminous membrane of energy exploded outward from a small pinpoint of plasma in the centre of the portal, and from this, a voice seemed to call...

[Don't bother about worrying
Why worry about bothering
If it happens, you know where you stand
If it comes like somebody planned]

So, the rumours that the portal was remotely activated must be true. Merriweather supposed some intrepid explorer must have tripped the power somewhere nearby. She stood transfixed at the sight then, after a moment's hesitation, decided to follow the voice and leapt into the wall of energy.
She was instantly vaporised.

---

Draconissa was regaining consciousness. She became aware of three things as she rapidly recovered her lucidity. That she was gagged, that she was tied down to something, and that she was moving.
"You're a lucky one, you know!"
The CK called down from somewhere above.
"I don't use the machinery down in this cellar often. But I figured I should celebrate my thirteenth kill in thirteen days with something entirely unlucky! Goodbye!"

Draconissa looked up. She was on a conveyor belt, and ahead of her was an opening leading to what looked like the inner workings of a clock. A multitude of gears and cogs, twisting springs and other devices. As she approached, thick jets of steam sprayed from the sides of the opening, blinding her momentarilly and burning her badly.
And then... The gears came. She attempted to cry out as her feet, then her calves were mercilessly crushed by the workings of this monsterous machine. Blood spurted outwards to either side and poured in torrents along the belt as soon her thighs and pelvic regions were similarly made to powder.
Then, mercilessly, as pus, blood, bile and sweat sprayed ever outward from her tortured form, the grinding reached her upper torso, and death came to collect her.

The CK descended moments later. At the other end of the machine, the powdered Draconissa was being collected in several small vials.
"Excellent... Now I have some salt for my meals."

---

S H O Y K I N G has been jailed!
Merriweather has been MindSniped!
Draconissa has been CK'd!
ks, who dropped out, would have been freed!

KILLERS, REPORT.

PRIVATES.
YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO.