The structure wasn’t that tall, but for a moment, Mari was convinced that the fall was going to be catastrophic. Still, she bent her knees and leaned forward as she approached the ground, trying to roll to minimise the impact, and being that she was rather lightweight, it worked out surprisingly well for something she thought of on the spot.
Though her roll did not turn out perfect, she ended up losing her footing as she tried to immediately get up and run, falling to the ground.
She did not stay down for long, crawling on all fours as she tried to rise.
Soon, Mari heard her pursuer drop down as well–Only that the hunter was not as clumsy as she was. Going from jumping, to rolling, to running in a most fluid chain of events. Mari did not know it, but if her stalker were as fast as usual, she would already have a dagger stabbed deep through her back right now.
Thankfully, this trial turned out far less difficult and punishing than those that had come before. Mari, thanks to what little advance she had, was able to keep running. Rushing as quickly as he had ever done in her entire life.
Her mind blocked out the sound of footsteps behind her. Both lungs burned as she breathed incorrectly in a panic. Nonetheless, adrenaline kept pushing her forward–Still, there did not seem to be a way out of this situation.
The moment she tried to clear her mind to assess the situation, Mari was clearly able to hear how strangely rhythmic the steps following her were. It was like she was being pursued by some sort of athlete… It didn’t make sense that someone like this wouldn’t have caught up, but Mari didn’t have time to get caught up on the details.
She just kept running until… The floor gave way beneath her, and she fell into a pit of darkness.
“Shi-”
Everything was engulfed by dark. Mari felt like she fell for a long time. She was certain that the moment she hit the ground, she would be turned into a blast of bone shrapnel and crimson mist–A brutal way to die, but at least one that would promise a quick end, she thought to herself…
Mari did not die. She hit the ground hard, but without actually hurting herself beyond what would probably end up becoming deep-shaded bruises eventually.
“What the… Ah!”
She tried to express herself aloud, but light suddenly blinded her, the buzzing of a soft electrical current hummed to life all around her as she took several seconds to recover the semblance of a vision.
She was inside a hallway. The ground was from colourful ceramic tiles, and the walls were plastered with drawings–Or directly drawn upon. The style was clearly childlike, and it didn’t take long for Mari to figure out that she had once again found herself inside a place seeking to replicate the appearance of the popular family dinners.
She looked up only to see the ceiling and harsh light that was hard to look directly at. Somehow, she had fallen here without there being any hole whatsoever… It wasn’t that weird considering that this place was a nightmare. However, until now, the nightmares had always been eerily ‘realistic’ and consistent across the board.
So for this to suddenly happen was definitely off-putting.
Find the last three pieces of evidence. Your pursuer is here.
Just as the system panel appeared, an old melody began to play. The sound was coming from all over the place and nowhere at the same time. No matter where she looked, the music always seemed to be coming from somewhere else entirely.
It might not seem like much, but it meant that she wouldn’t be able to hear her hunter’s footsteps clearly anymore… Had they even put their boots back on? Mari had no idea.
The caretaker had no time to waste thinking about meaningless things. However, she went on the move swiftly, passing by several rooms that were seemingly intended to hold parties, as well as playrooms.
Including one featuring a full, perfectly well-kept automaton. She never understood why these things were made to look like nicer versions of beastfolks. It was probably quite weird to be a beastfolk and see something that looked like you, but as a lifeless machine.
She looked all over the place as quickly as she could, but the moment she got close to the bird-like automaton, it stirred awake.
“Hey, Kids! Do you want to hear another story?”
Mari blinked.
“...Yes?”
“Let me tell ya about the story of–”
The automaton’s lower jaw fell to the ground with a loud clang, its chest opened as smoke came out, revealing a piece of paper stuck within.
The fifth one.
[THE TWO SUSPECT THEORY DROPPED:
Due to several eyewitness accounts mentioning both Glown, The Clown Girl, and the unnamed automaton, both authorities and the public had theorised about the possibility that the murders had been committed by a duo.
This idea has been officially discarded by the authorities. Reports from knowledgeable experts regarding automatons–Including the very one who created the unnamed character–Say that it did not move in a very long time.
Its joints are stuck in place, indicating that it couldn’t have been used as a suit at all.
This contradicts what several witnesses independently claimed from one another. It is especially bizarre since this automaton was supposedly never used at Harvey’s Diner, so for several children to describe it as though they had really seen it is nothing short of suspicious.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
For now, investigations focus on determining who was wearing the costume of Glown, The Clown Girl.]
You have found: 5/7 pieces of evidence
Mari read through quickly before leaving the area, fearful that the falling piece could have caught the attention of her pursuer.
The long hallways and many doorless rooms made her anxious. Danger could come from anywhere at any time, and with the music blaring, someone could sneak up from behind her with ease.
Mari did find time to question the content of what she had just read, though. She couldn’t help but be invested and hope that the heinous killer had been caught and given proper punishment for their crime.
This ‘Two Killer Theory’ was one that made sense, considering what she had read prior. From the looks of things, however, it had been a fluke, and the witnesses had hallucinated about something that did exist, yet that they shouldn’t have known the existence of.
She was well aware that children would often lie for attention, or even for no tangible reason, but it did not sound like this was an elaborate prank. It did not make sense for them to lie about something like this–It didn’t make sense for them to even be able to come up with this lie.
Mari arrived in a wide dining room. There was a stage on the other end of the entrance she got in from, but it was devoid of robotic entertainers at the moment. Everything was eerily empty despite the many balloons all over the place.
It was like a party had been prepared, but only to a certain point, before everything stopped, and the place was left like this.
Here, the piece of evidence was not hidden at all. It was hanging from a piece of paper on the stage, clearly in view of everyone with eyes.
Mari made her way up there.
[THE CLOWN DILEMMA:
Investigations were slow, if not at a standstill. The costume of Glown, The Clown Girl, is an advanced one made from special, expensive materials and bears several enchantments.
The result? Anyone who wears it will end up looking basically the exact same, and even one’s voice is adapted to suit the character. Although the authorities first focused on the employee who played the character nearly all the time, it had ended up nowhere.
The suspected woman was not even present on the day of the incident. Nobody saw her inside or even near the diner at all at any point of the day.
However, this costume was still the key—key—key—key—TRUTH—Key—KEy—KEY.
Xmyg py zn bz rfo... B dbcf tsprsl shmy rvn.]
Mari was confused about the content, but not for long. She glanced to her left, catching sight of a dark silhouette that immediately began running the instant it was noticed.
You have found: 6/7 pieces of evidence
Mari wanted to curse. Her first instinct was to run into one of the corridors, but the stage was high, and the hunter was not stupid. They weren’t coming up. They knew that if Mari tried to jump, there would be a short window during which she would basically be a sitting duck for ample time to catch her.
Thus, for a moment, the two simply stood in place where they were.
Only then did Mari look away from the large, shadowy bird that was her pursuer’s self, and instead look directly at the person seeking to slay her…
“H-Hello…”
“Hello. Would you mind coming down? I would like to speak with you”
Mari’s stalker was a beautiful, tall young woman. She had never seen someone who looked so… Attractive. The caretaker stumbled on her own words.
“Can we… Can we discuss the whole murder thing? I… I don’t want to die, and I wouldn’t help but notice that you are a real person, so… You know… I figure that we could be civil about this?”
“I don’t know what this place is, and why you're trying to kill me, but I swear that I won’t say anything if you let me go!”
“You’re not going anywhere, Miss… But I do concede that you’ve done very well. I’ve actually been having fun in this trial. Well, I would have totally slaughtered you back then if I wasn’t imposed a speed limit, but I guess the rules actually made this whole thing entertaining”
Mari wiped sweat off her forehead. She did not understand why, but for some reason, even though that woman was talking about having fun while chasing down another person like prey–She couldn’t help but feel… Weird. Strangely warm.
There was something about this tall, well-built woman that made Mari’s brain work abnormally.
She had never felt like this before.
“Hum… What is your name? I am Mari…”
“...What kind of question is that? I would rather not tell my name. If you actually get away, I can’t have you actually name me directly”
“Oh… Well then, I…”
Mari looked around, spotting a door that probably led to the backstage area. Without hesitation, she rushed for it, shutting the door behind her before pulling an entire shelf down in front of it.
Only then did Mari realise that the backstage wasn’t normal at all. It was a long, winding corridor full of sharp turns that went all over the place without logic or reason. It was a maze.
The thing to do would be to follow the wall to her right, but considering that she was being pursued, if she ended up in a dead end and had to backtrack, she would just be going straight into the wolf’s mouth.
Instead, she decided to trust luck and took turns according to raw instinct.
The music was getting louder and louder, more and more distorted, as it sounded as though steps were constantly getting closer and closer behind her.
Mari was tiring. She was running far too much.
Her lungs felt like they were on fire.
The caretaker thought she was going to collapse when she was met with a door. She reached for the doorknob and almost fell to the ground as she let herself be pulled as she pushed it open.
The room was dark. The only thing lit up was a small pedestal of sorts upon which rested the final piece of evidence. The seventh one.
Mari pulled herself up to her feet and once again found herself attracted to what was written, unable to grab it without reading first.
[HARVEY’S DINER SHUT DOWN. OWNER FOUND DEAD:
Investigation unsuccessful. Killer at large. Owner chooses to escape consequences. Five girls brutally murdered.
Mask of Glown discovered. No evidence.
Experts say: High concentration of negative energy renders any attempt from mages to discover the truth impossible.
Crimes buried. Vile killer free.
The killer clown is the key.
Zssnr cpfa gcz.]
Mari reached for the piece of evidence, glancing behind her at the same time.
There she was, a distance away. Her pursuer was here.
Mari’s eyes went wide as she grabbed the piece of evidence.
Soaring through the air, the dagger stabbed right through the caretaker’s back, reaching deep.
Mari fell to the ground, pinkish foam emerging from her mouth as she coughed.
“You little-”
You have found: 7/7 pieces of evidence. Congratulations on being the first to achieve victory in a final trial!
Note: All injuries sustained will not be healed.
The nightmare fell apart.
