the story so far

[gamehead]

the story so far LAST EDITED: 17/06/2013. The game is now over. Fifty-five travellers- some who know each other, some who do not- all arrive to a mysterious, snow-capped town nestled in between impassible mountains. Each has their own unique reason for being here- whether it's simply passing through, or something they're looking for, they've all found themselves drawn to Prayer's Pass. The first day of the visitors introduces them to the basic layout of the town. It's a pleasant little place, if not empty; there doesn't seem to be a single townsperson there. The travellers meet up with both strangers and friends alike; both potential friendships and rivalries are formed. Above all, they all learn one thing: there are cabin keys inscribed with their names waiting for them, even if they hadn't intended to spend the night. Some of the travellers encounter a young child that seems eager to show them around, but while the town itself is a little unsettling, all seems to be fine. The museum, however, seems to revel in the town's seemingly morbid history. At 4:00 PM, the cabins are prepared and ready. It looks like a snowstorm is arriving, so the travellers quickly begin to settle in. By 6:00 PM, the blizzard is at full force. The blizzard continues to rage, making it impossible for anyone to venture outside. An 8:00 PM announcement made by a child-like voice encourages everyone to get to sleep. But not everyone winds up sleeping. The first night begins... On the morning of the second day, an announcement is made, encouraging the travellers to check their journals. In them, they find a set of rules individualized for each player of the game that's about to begin. During the day, a few new pages of the diary displayed in the museum are uncovered. At the town hall, a notice is discovered. At 3:00 PM, all travellers are called to the town hall, where the creature known as Critter awaits. It explains the trials and shows a video of the execution of Bonnie Hood. The trophy room displays a rabbit head with her name on it, and blank plaques with the names of the rest of the travellers. At 5:00 PM, the trophy room becomes a voting room. Seeing Critter as an option, the majority of travellers vote for it, and the trial concludes as a practice round, with Critter letting them know that the 'real fun' starts tomorrow. After that, the travellers are left to their own devices, although they are encouraged to hurry back to their cabins before the blizzard hits again shortly before 8:00 PM. Thus, the second night begins. The morning of the third day, a shocking amount of travellers turn up dead and missing. Among the dead are Sanae Hanekoma, Mayu (whose head and body have been separated), and Sam Winchester. Examination of the cabins reveals that three more travellers- Hiyoko Saionji, Sansa Stark, and Stephanie Brown have gone missing. In the town hall's trophy room, Sanae Hanekoma's plaque displays a wolf head, Mayu's a vulture head, and Sam Winchester's a rabbit head, indicating their alignments. The plaques for the other three travellers have disappeared. Death videos are shown for Sam and Mayu, but not for Sanae. The trial for that day, the first the travellers have experienced, quickly turns to chaos. Many attempt to justify their private conversations for the day, while others tried to puzzle out who seemed the most suspicious. England made a claim for a protective role, which caused some controversy between the travellers. Eventually, Kanaya Maryam presented a list organized into three categories: people who did not vote for Critter or themselves yesterday, people who had private conversations, and people who had not yet spoken at the present trial. Eventually, a majority of the travellers decide to vote for someone in the last category. Elliot Nightray loses the vote, and is executed almost immediately afterward. The travellers chose wrong: Elliot Nightray is not one of the hunters, but prey- prey with a special role. Stating that it would have killed him anyway for his inactivity, Critter generously explains that it will redistribute his role later that night. The travellers' moods collectively drop, and tension is high as anger, accusations, guilt, and blame fly everywhere. Still, they have no choice but to return to their cabins, and so the third night falls. Day four then dawns. Early in the day, the bodies of Poland and James Sunderland are discovered. Their tapes describe the nature of their deaths, and the plaques in the trophy room reveal Poland as a hunter and James as prey. Later that day, Critter advises everyone to join it at the Citizens' Advice Bureau for a show. There, it lights Xion, Hermione Granger, and Gendry on fire for their failure to participate in its game. The other travellers are suitably horrified, and Critter's point is driven home: If they refuse to play, they'll die anyway. The trial starts at its usual time, 3:00 PM. Critter relents at Ciel's question about the missing players, informing her and the others that one of the six people who disappeared or were executed by itself was a hunter, and that none of them were scavengers. The trial soon becomes nearly as chaotic as the previous day's, with suspicion flung in all directions. The topic of who might be able to wield a sword is also brought up under the concern of the blade-using shadow in the videos. Coming to more than one dead end, the travellers make a collective decision to vote for someone who they deduce by logic will be eliminated by Critter anyway: Babydoll. The votes are cast, and Babydoll is then executed, trapped in a block of ice and identified as prey. Feeling uneasy and running out of options, the travellers return to their cabins for another sleepless night. The morning of the fifth day brings the bodies of Edward Nigma and Kanaya Maryam, with the former identified as a hunter and the latter as prey. The videos present the mysterious sword-wielding murderer again as the culprit of Edward's murder, while Kanaya seems to have been killed by a single person in a fairly humane manner- it is noted by the travellers that she appears to recognize her assailant. Also of interest is the sudden unlocking of the jail; for some reason, a picture of James Sunderland's wife is inside it. The trial instantly explodes with accusations, with most people focusing on the matter of Kanaya's murder, attempting to figure out who exactly was responsible. One of the hounds, Ema Skye, announces herself, and the revelation that of the two hounds, hers is the role with unreliable results. Kanaya's journal is presented as evidence for the travellers to identify, and soon it comes down to Joshua Kiryu and Bruce Wayne as main subjects. Cases are made for and against both sides, with opinions dissenting wildly. After the vote is held, Bruce Wayne is executed. His body designates him as a hunter, while the newly minted plaque also names him as 'Stalker'. While the travellers finally managed to execute a hunter, the so-called victory is bittersweet; Bruce Wayne leaves behind a mourning son and an enduring feeling of uneasiness in the air as the travellers wonder if they are truly doing the right thing. With those thoughts in mind, the fifth night falls. Day six begins rather disastrously, with not one, not two, not three, but four corpses found. Robin is found in her bed, shot in the head and identified as a wolf. A strange piece of paper is found within her clothing. Damian Wayne's body is a mess, decapitated and abandoned; he is identified as prey. Sayaka Miki and Arya Stark are found together, beaten and strung up in the jail. They are not identified as anything. Three videos are provided at the town hall; Damian appears to be a victim of the sword-wielder while Sayaka and Arya have been executed together. There is no video for Robin. The trophy room winds up exposing Sayaka and Arya as the 'rabid' and 'accomplice'- making Sayaka the sword-wielding assailant from previous nights. A new building, the Supply Shop, is unlocked; some travellers recognize that the stuffed rabbit there used to belong to Mayu. Later, Critter insists on an announcement at noon, where it informs the travellers that the two remaining hunters with special roles both decided to act the night before. It explains that one of the hunters is a werewolf, with the ability to convert a prey to a hunter, and that the other is a surprise. It also mentions Sanae Hanekoma briefly but does not complete its train of thought. Later, the man himself is seemingly brought back to life, his memories missing. Meanwhile, Akane Kurashiki has fallen gravely ill; it is explained that she can be saved if a healing role visits her during the upcoming night, elsewise she will die. At the trial, the travellers struggle to come to terms with the reappearance of Sanae Hanekoma, the death of Sayaka Miki, and Akane Kurashiki's apparent poisoning- the work of the final special-ability hunter. Ema Skye is pointed out as a likely candidate for werewolf conversion, given the large amount of information at her disposal, while Akane Kurashiki and Lithuania are also proposed as suspects. But the trial is loud and disorganized, and voting is conducted very poorly. Ema and Akane receive three votes each; after randomization, Ema dies in a vat of acid. She is revealed to be prey, and the travellers curse their fatal mistake. After this emotionally draining day, the sixth night falls. Day seven comes, and with it the news that the protective role chose not to save Akane's life. She is found dead of sickness, identified as prey, along with Rapunzel, also marked as prey. In the town hall, Akane's video is blank, labelled POISON, while Rapunzel's shows her being dropped into a boiling cauldron. Most shocking of all, she is labelled as the bloodhound in the trophy room, causing a great deal of distress among the travellers, who question why she had not come forward sooner. Meanwhile, the church has become unlocked; within it, a historical Polish painting is inside, unsettling the nations. The trial begins with a few revelations: first, that there is no use in prey helping hunters, secondly, that Touko Fukawa/Genocider Syo is the day's poisoning victim, claiming the role of 'Blinder', and is holding Holden hostage in her demands for a cure, and the revelation that Luke Triton has access to Rapunzel's investigations. He exposes Tony Stark as a hunter and promises more names. Tony does not deny his role; he passively allows the suspicion directed towards him. Before voting, an upset Critter scolds the travellers, telling them that some of the prey are cheating and helping the hunters. It informs them that once the hunters outnumber the prey, all remaining prey will die- making helping them pointless. It tells them that if it continues to notice prey cheating, it will set them on fire. The vote concludes predictably, with almost everyone voting for Tony Stark. Luke's message rings true, and Tony is blown to pieces and revealed as a hunter. Genocider Syo gives up her bid for survival and announces her intentions to kill herself before poison gets to her; meanwhile, the travellers seem to find it hard to celebrate their turnaround in luck. They warily return to their cabins as the seventh night falls. Day eight delivers two deaths: that of Ukyo Kuonji and Luke Triton. Ukyo is found dead in her bed of a gunshot wound to the head, identified as a wolf. Luke, meanwhile is found in the dairy aisle of the general store, identified as prey. There is no tape for Ukyo, but there's a tape for Luke, showing him dying from being fed poisoned milk. Another video sitting on top of a blue sleeve and white glove shows a bizarre sequence that makes little sense to the travellers who watch it. In the trophy room, Luke is identified as the 'dove' while Ukyo is identified as the 'werewolf'. Touko Fukawa also finds herself completely cured of poisoning, sparing at least one more death for the day. The trial starts, and England is quickly identified as the day's suspect, despite America's dogged insistence that he isn't guilty. England's confession seals his fate; once the votes are cast, England is executed via an arrow to the head, exposed as a hunter. Critter, delighted with the amount of votes for the day, announces cake for everyone, even though the mood couldn't possibly be less celebratory. Demoralized but tentatively hopeful, the travellers hold their breath as the eighth night comes. Day nine dawns, with one dead body: Ukraine's. She is found in the hospital, covered in blood, having died a very gory death, as detailed by her tape. The trophy room labels her as the 'lookout', but that's not all: at noon, Critter lets the travellers know that she had the ability to pass her role on. In the jail, an eerie message accompanied by a book of old poems appears. The trial begins with a flashy show courtesy Critter: it immediately starts things off by lighting Aoi Asahina and Bucky Barnes on fire. After the shock of this wears off, the travellers find themselves lucky again with a hunter immediately identified for the vote: Makoto Naegi. Lithuania's case for Naegi's guilt is regarded as suspicious by many, but then Naegi's confession clinches it as he explains that he was the werewolf's target for conversion. The trial ends solidly, with a great majority vote. Naegi is executed, his status as a hunter confirmed. The ninth night then comes. Day ten in Prayer's Pass begins with Critter's sad proclamation that there have been no deaths during the night. In the supply shop, two scraps of paper accompanied by a prop gun show up, and a celebratory America seems thrilled that he has managed to save Lithuania's life. All is not entirely well, though; something disturbing shows up in the park- a magic circle accompanied by a message in blood. The travellers can't seem to figure out what it means. The trial begins with an announcement by Critter; it informs them it's so pleased with their progress that it's brought Mayu back to life. At the same time, it chooses to execute Byakuya Togami, setting him aflame. Ada Vessalius, having previously contradicted Rapunzel's claim of 'bloodhound', becomes the target for the day's execution. She seems to be taking it gracefully... but all is not well. Shortly before voting concludes, she pulls out a gun and shoots America in the chest. Chaos erupts. The travellers attempt to save a rapidly dying America, but it's no use. Ada explains her actions and vaguely describes stealing the gun from an infuriated Kyouko Kirigiri. America dies at roughly the same time as when the vote ends; Ada is then executed. An atmosphere of fear settles over Prayer's Pass; with their healer gone, poisonings and night kills are all but guaranteed to go through. Night ten then arrives. Day eleven presents only one body: that of Joshua Kiryu, who is labelled as prey. His tape displays an incredibly lengthy death by crucifixion. The travellers decide to push their gambit forward; for once, there are deaths before the trial, with Prussia shot down by Charles (who is the day's poisoning victim) and Spain and Kirigiri taken down by Ciel; the latter is shot in retaliation, and the two die at nearly the same time. New plaques appear for the three gun deaths. In them, Prussia is identified as a wolf, with Kirigiri confirmed as the convert. Ciel is labelled as prey. Spain and Sayaka discover a trap door in Kirigiri's room which confirms her prior role as the prey's protector. The day's trial is quite possibly the most dramatic of them all so far. Things start off with a literal bang as a distraught Lithuania, having pieced together much of the clues, shoots Sanae Hanekoma in the head. This infuriates Critter, who has a relative meltdown, telling them that it can't stand rule-breaking, and inadvertently revealing just how much it hates humans. It lights Lithuania on fire as punishment while the others watch helplessly. Soon after, Holden Caulfield, the trial's main suspect, makes a final stand, shooting Spain shortly before his execution and bringing a very bloody day to a close. The voting result is obvious: Holden is executed, identified as a wolf (specifically the 'lone wolf'); Spain and Hanekoma are both labelled as prey. The former turns out to be the lookout Ukraine designated before her death; the latter turns out to have been a scavenger who became the bloodhound. Day eleven ends on a sombre note as night falls once more. Day twelve dawns with two bodies: Charles Fei-Ong's and Sayaka Maizono's. The former has passed away from the sickness that America was no longer around to cure; the latter was the hunters' chosen victim. There is no tape for Charles, but Sayaka's shows her singing to her death. Their rabbit plaques give them each an additional title: sacrifice for Charles and defender for Sayaka. A new building is opened: the gallery, a strange place featuring eerie portraits of thirty-five masked people. The trial for the day is much calmer than that of day eleven; things start off with a plea by Touko Fukawa for everyone to abstain, as the travellers grow more convinced that the clues are becoming more important than ever. Despite this plea, Mayu is fingered as a suspect. Despite her oncoming execution, she makes an attempt to help the others. The trial then ends with Mayu selected for execution by a very small vote. She is decapitated; shortly after she is identified as a wolf. Immediately after her execution, Critter grows annoyed at Peggy Carter for abstaining from the vote: it executes her, too. Day twelve then comes to a close. The thirteenth day opens with the death of Mondo Oowada. The death surprises no one, as he was the only one to vote for Mayu yesterday when everyone else had self-voted. His tape shows a short and brutal death. His body is found in the school, a building unlocked that very morning. Inside of it are a number of clues, which the travellers immediately set upon. The gallery also displays some new clues, leaving the travellers to wonder about the collective meaning of them all. Meanwhile, the rest of the rooms in the town hall are unlocked, exposing a horrifying truth: that Critter has played this game before with endless groups of people of all numbers. The current travellers are only one of many in its seemingly long life of tormenting humans. At the trial, despite some attempts at self-sacrifice and the fact that there is only one hunter left to find, the travellers all unanimously agree to self-vote completely, hoping that they can find a loophole and a way out of the game. They proceed with self-voting, but it backfires completely: Critter merely chooses randomly, which gets Rikku- one of the prey- executed. Critter mocks them for their foolishness, warning them that it's getting tired of the way they're attempting to prolong the game. To show that it means what it says, it lights Steve Rogers on fire, killing him. Night thirteen comes; the travellers all feel that the game is very close to ending. The fourteenth day begins, with one victim. Beat is found in horrific condition, black with bruises. His tape shows that he has been run over by a car; his plaque is that of a rabbit. The day is otherwise uneventful: no new clues appear. The trial starts off with everyone demanding answers from Critter. With only six travellers left- one of them a hunter- they are all weary, wondering what to do with the clues and just why Critter is playing with them. Despite a push by Sharon Carter to get the players to abstain again, she is voted for and soon after executed in a truly gruesome way. She is identified as the final wolf and the poisoner. In her hand, she clutches a key; Critter is seemingly nowhere to be found. The prey have won- or so it seems. The five survivors- Gundam Tanaka, Touko Fukawa, Madoka Kaname, the Eleventh Doctor, and Clara Oswald- venture towards the graveyard, where the tombstone of Abigail Haas displays a staircase. A final twist in the game is presented: following the clues distributed to them, Critter offers the survivors a chance to resurrect the hunters as long as they offer it a sacrifice for each one- but only the hunters. It cheerfully informs them that it does not expect any of them to take it up on the offer, and actually discourages them from doing so, saying that none of the hunters deserve to be forgiven for all the murders they committed. But Critter is wrong: every single one of the survivors unanimously agree to revive the ones that terrorized them for the past two weeks. They quickly set about deciding and dividing up who they'll be sacrificing for. Giving up body parts, memories, precious possessions, and abilities, they each name three hunters to bring back. Critter is, for once, utter shock. It can't believe what it's hearing, and finds it incomprehensible that the survivors are ready to forgive those who hurt them and killed their friends. And then a miracle occurs. Critter's demeanour changes entirely. It explains thoughtfully why it's played the game in the past, telling them about the other groups of humans (and humanoids) it's played with, none of whom ever managed to do what the present five have done: learn to forgive. As a result, it grew to hate humans and their selfish and vengeful ways, and it is stunned now to have found a group of humans who are finally different, evoking its memories of the long-ago lost Abigail Haas. It wasn't a game, it explains: it was a test. And they've passed. In an instant, it's morning again: the fifteenth day brings back not just the hunters, but everyone. All fifty-five travellers are alive and well. The only thing missing is Critter itself, who is nowhere to be found. Abigail's spirit seems to be present, though: she leaves a thank you note for everyone. As the travellers joyfully celebrate their miracle and freedom, they're allowed to review all the details of the game they may not have been aware of before. The hunters' rules are posted, revealing that their true motivation all along was to fight for everyone's survival; in the town hall, the tapes of all night kills have been unobscured, and in the graveyard, all private conversations and meetings have been exposed, enabling everyone to receive the closure they seek. When all is said and done, the mountain pass seems to finally be clear, providing a way home for everyone. The travellers gather, each saying goodbye in their own way, before parting ways. They take with them a multitude of sad memories- but they also have the knowledge that they've finally brought the Hunter's Game to a permanent end. The End