(ROLE) CULT 2.0

[dormheads]

cult.

On Monday at 10 PM, Rupert, Otome, and Byleth receive an encrypted e-mail.

d4rkness@Wiwaldi.edu

Come to classroom 1304; see attached map.

No one is in the halls as they creep to the abandoned classroom circled on the map. The normally locked door opens, revealing the room inside.

There are no windows and the lights are off, leaving the room cast in near darkness. Only a handful of candles, in what's probably a fire hazard, keep it illuminated; the fog being emitted from a personal fog machine doesn't help with visibility. What was once the teacher's desk has been pushed to the center of the room, with chairs seated around it. For some reason, there are cat decorations everywhere, mixed in with various (garish) occult items and patterns.

There is a cat-shaped bulletin board hanging on the wall, which reads:

» This world is trying to assimilate all of you, who started this year, into its setting. If it succeeds, you'll remain trapped in this school, your souls drained until you cease to exist.

» Each week, this place will make active efforts on a few select students. Once the weekend hits, they'll all be beyond saving. However, if any one of them is killed before then, they'll all be freed from the link, at least for the remainder of the week.

» Death isn't necessarily permanent. Those who died can potentially be saved. However, no such option exists for the fully assimilated.

» At the start of the week you'll be informed if you may recruit one person to join the cult. Provide a list of 3-4 people you want to recruit and you'll be told which one of them is approved. If you extend an invitation and they accept, they will join the cult the following week.

» Preventing the assimilation aside, even the original cult was meant to be a secret, so it's important that word doesn't spread. If anyone else learns about your involvement in the cult or your task, whether from your mouth or another's, this world may enact consequences. No guarantee on who they might affect, so it's up to you to decide if risking harm upon another is worth it.

Comments

TALK WITH EACH OTHER

[dormheads]

[heartlands]

[wow! this is a bad list. he hates this list. after a few moments:]

...What do you both think?

[momming]

I hate it.

[ well, yes. ]

[heartlands]

...Me too.

[after a beat:]

I know... You lost a lot of people in your dorm, so maybe it's not fair of me to ask, but - unless everyone's really close with the other two, I'd rather not choose Kon.

[momming]

[ She just looks pained because yeah wow last week was terrible. But... ]

I was going to ask that we spare Sakyou-kun as well... I think he's been through a lot as it is.

Granted, all of them have.

[heartlands]

That’s true, and - he’s my friend, too, but I think he’s also the kind of person who would never want someone else to get hurt in his place.

[...]

What do you think, Byleth?

[divineimpulse]

[...]

If you'd rather spare Kon and Sakyou, then he's who we will release.

Bradley is six hundred years old, a rifle user, and quick with reactions. Be wary of that.

[momming]

... Sometimes I forget you were a mercenary.

[heartlands]

...Do we all want to work together for this one, too? That’s what Otome and I did last week, but I don’t think all three of us need to take part unless we want to.

[momming]

Oh, also... Yamato-kun reached out to me this morning.

Apparently there are other... ah, clubs of sorts like this one. And he's able to check on a person and see if they're a member of one, just no further details.

Also. [ She sighs. ] He can look into whether a person has killed.

[divineimpulse]

[she nods, but looks relatively unperturbed by it.]

I know of one. I can't explain it, but it's not a bad thing.

Why did he mention it?

[momming]

Because he looked into me and saw I was a member of one. He wanted to know if I could talk about it.

[divineimpulse]

[...]

Did he see everything?

[momming]

No. He doesn't know the name or what we do, and I think if he had looked to see if I had killed, I didn't technically deliver the killing blow.

[divineimpulse]

[hmmmmmm]

Is he the only one with that ability?

[momming]

I don't know. It might be like us, where a group has to agree on a person to investigate.

[heartlands]

...What did you tell him?

[momming]

That I couldn't, but that I was trying to get everyone home safely as much as he was. I didn't say anything as to our numbers or anything like that.

[heartlands]

[aaaaaaaaa]

It's up to you, but... Are you sure you should take part this week? If they find any evidence related to you, he's going to be able to start putting pieces together.

PICK ROUND TWO

[momming]

[ hi guys so we're discussing this-- ]

I think it might be a good idea for each of us to have a second option, just in case.

[heartlands]

So... Our original choices were Beau, Dimitri, and Sakyou, right?

[...]

Luxanna.

[divineimpulse]

[oh, good pick. Byleth nods at that one.]

Claude.

[this again.]

[momming]

Taking my pick, I see. [ Gosh, Byleth.

She's quiet for a moment, then sighs. ]

... I'm a little reluctant to suggest this, but Taichi-kun. He's already trying so desperately to understand that I'm worried it's going to place him in danger. If nothing else, he doesn't need to actively participate... but I'd like to give him the opportunity to know the truth. If it even comes to that.

[heartlands]

[chewing on his lip a little]

I... Are you sure? He's even younger than I am.

[divineimpulse]

I think his age might serve as an additional blind, and he is a natural leader, but...

[...]

I don't know if we want to put that on him, Otome.