NARES - Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7 – Detective Authority

[10:22 – Raka’s Room]
The situation in Raka’s room was awkward. Everybody, either secretly or not, looked at each other with fear and suspicion – as if considering which one of them was the killer. Except for XIII, who had begun humping Raka’s desk with an orgasmic expression on his face. Few moments had passed when Machete decided to talk.

Machete: Let’s not panic, guys.

Milk: T-That’s right! We should cool off our heads!

Machete: …please, I was not speaking to you. I was talking to XIII_rocks and GenesisSaga. You can panic all you want. And that applies to you too.

Machete pointed at Resistance. His voice and gesture were showing his distrust. Resistance looked surprised, but he didn’t rebut Machete’s statement.

Machete: So, like I said, Genny and XIII, we shouldn’t panic. I believe none of us is a murderer. Maybe it was a trap. Or most likely, one of them was the killer.

Machete turned to face muddersmilk and resistance_pro.

Milk: That’s absurd! You know that was impossible for me!

Resistance: …Resistance just arrived here.

Genesis: Well, I’d also like to believe that none of us killed Sluggg…however, it’s wiser to account that anybody here could have killed him. So let’s start with what happened. After we tried to open the door to the security room, Pirateking barged in. I think he knew that he was outnumbered and ran away. He switched off the lights – the switches are by the door – and everything went black—

Machete: Yeah, and then something – a blunt object, probably – hit Sluggg’s head.

Milk: After that I went to the door and opened it, but he had also turned off the lights there. Then I stumbled on Jdizzy’s body and fell.

Machete: Riiiiiiiiight, whatever you say.

Milk: I’m telling the truth, yo!

Milk was angry because of Machete’s utter disbelief. He dangerously swung the broom around, trying to vent his anger.

Genesis: But the door was definitely opened, there’s no mistaking it. And then there was another strike –

Machete: Yep. Right after that, something hit me. It must’ve been this katana.

Machete lifted metalsluggg’s katana.

Machete: Then…the culprit slashed Sluggg’s neck…

Genesis: I was surprised and ran to turn on the lights. As I ran, I bumped into someone – not face on, though. We just barely touched. Also, XIII yelled something like ‘he got me’. Is that right? And are you okay?

XIII, while still humping Raka’s desk with ecstasy, nodded.

XIII: Got hit. Head hurt. I’m okay.

Genesis: Finally, I switched on the lights. Afterwards, Milk and Resistance walked in. Does that sound right?

Milk: Wow, it sure is convenient that you tell a recap of what happened. It’s not like nearly a week has passed since it happened.

Machete: Oh, shut up. Let’s move on. My weapon is a kitchen knife. There’s no way I can bash someone using this.

Milk: But the chair fell. Maybe you used it. Or you could be hiding another weapon.

Machete: If that’s what you think, you can search me. Or not. Maybe you’ll just take advantage of the chance and kill me.

Milk: You little…!

Genesis: Enough, guys! Well, my weapon’s a bottle full of ceramic cleaner liquid. It is pretty heavy, and it can be used as a strike weapon, but…I didn’t do it!

XIII: Repeat it in red!

Genesis: …what? Anyway, if I was the killer, I’d just keep on slaughtering you guys while it’s dark.

Resistance: …that makes sense. Or maybe XIII was retaliating so you had to cast away suspicion.

Genesis: H-How impudent! That makes no sense!

Milk: If it was a blunt weapon, then it couldn’t have been me. I’m only carrying a mop.

Machete: You could have used your thick head to attack him. There’s also the possibility that you’re concealing a weapon.

Milk: F*** you!

Genesis: Would you give it a rest, guys! Moving on, XIII’s weapon is a saucepan. It does look pretty heavy. But he said he was attacked too.

XIII: Attacked, attacked.

Genesis: Well, I suppose there’s nothing we can do to check whether or not the killer had attacked him.

At this point, everybody was looking at resistance_pro. He noticed this and began to speak in a defensive tone.

Resistance: Resistance doesn’t carry weapons.

He was indeed empty-handed. But as had been said, the culprit might carry a blunt weapon he concealed somewhere in his clothes.

Machete: Why are you here anyway?

Resistance: Resistance was going to try to go to the security room. But in the hallway, a man came out from this room, threw the body onto the door, dashed away and turned off the lights.

Milk: So you heard me right?

Resistance: True, Resistance did hear someone coming out from the room, fell, and tried to look for the switch. When Resistance turned the lights back on, there was Mr. Milk.

Milk: See? That’s what happened!

Machete: That might be true…if he’s not your accomplice.

Before Milk could rebut, Genesis butted in first.

Genesis: I think that about wraps it up. Let’s search Sluggg’s body.

Machete: Yeah, good idea. I was about to do it anyway.

Milk: Because you want to erase the evidence?!

Machete gave Milk the finger. Genesis and Machete proceeded to examine the body, while Milk and Resistance watched closely to make sure none of them do anything suspicious. A few minutes went by. Genesis collected Sluggg’s nametag, thinking that she could use it to open the door to the security room later. Otherwise, there was nothing noteworthy, except for the fact that Sluggg’s wallet only contained yens and no dollars.

Genesis: Right…the cut wound seems pretty deep, but it looks like he had lost consciousness before his neck was cut.

Machete: Oh, let’s not forget his katana…

Milk: You mean this?

Milk was holding Sluggg’s katana, his fingers tracing the smooth blade. He threw that to Machete, who caught it easily.

Milk: It’s a replica.

Genesis: Really?!

Machete carefully placed his finger along the edge.

Machete: …Yes. Oh well, so much for a good weapon.

Genesis: May I have it, then? My bottle sucks.

Machete: …alright, I guess. At least it still looks intimidating. There’s also the butcher knife…do you want it, XIII?

XIII: Butch! Nerd! Preppy! Punk!

XIII stopped humping Raka’s desk and approached the little group, he dropped his sauce pan and picked up the butcher knife, swinging it around rather dangerously.

Genesis: Easy, boy.

Machete: So, what’s next?

Genesis: I think we should try to open the security door. There’s no use playing detectives any longer.

Machete: Works for me.

Machete faced Milk and Resistance.

Machete: This doesn’t mean I believe you guys. XIII, keep watch over them, okay?

XIII raised his thumbs up and grinned.

XIII: Glory!

Genesis: So, uhh…Resistance, you wanted to go to the security room, right? May I have your nametag for a second?

Resistance: …

Resistance took off the nametag from his shirt and handed it to Genesis. Genesis began to scan their name tags one by one. Sluggg’s number was [17], raising the total to [81], exceeding the needed number of [65]. The device beeped, and the door clicked.

Genesis: It’s open!

Machete: Be careful.

Genesis: I know. Here goes nothing…
===
[10:29 – Waiters’ quarters]

Edward cursed his bad luck. Three people had tried to attack him. Granted, only one of them really succeeded, responsible for the deep wound on his stomach. Regardless, it seemed like this was an unlucky day for him.

He changed his clothes, wet from the rain, with clean shirts he found inside a dresser on the waiters’ room. He had even made himself a hot cup of tea – after tasting it a bit for poison – and was currently sitting on the middle room.

He pondered a bit – should he take an offensive approach? Or should he continue hiding here?

Then a plan formed in his mind…he looked at the framed map of the mansion. To get to his destination, it would be closer to go to through the grand foyer rather than the library. Therefore, he took off to the Grand Foyer and went upstairs.

The storm outside grew stronger…
===
[10:26 – Gallery]

Pirateking2000 had been looking through the gallery for more weapons. One of the wax figures was carrying a wooden club, not unlike a weapon usually carried by giants or goblins in folklores. He swung it at the wax figure and its head flew across the gallery, hitting the wall and scattering pieces of wax.

He decided to use the club as his main weapon and concealed the ritual dagger in his jeans’ pocket. That way, he was much more prepared than before. However, he knew that he wouldn’t do well against 5 people at once.

Pirate sighed. He hadn’t forgotten his desire for revenge, but he had calmed down considerably. While smashing things, making the gallery even more of a wreck than it had been, he planned his next course of action. It would be best to find a new team, especially after Kazbar ran off.

He looked at his watch. It was about half past ten. The group was probably still in Raka’s room; he should go the other way, perhaps to the first floor.

The door clicked open behind him. He turned around. A guy with many bandages on him and a sword on his hand was standing there. He looked afraid of Pirate.

Pirate: Oh, hello. It’s okay, I’m not looking for a fight right now.

Edward: …really?

Edward didn’t look very convinced, but he walked closer to Pirate, while still holding his sword.

Pirate: Yeah, I’m actually looking for someone to form a team with. What do you think? It looks like you’ve been wounded, so it would be better for you to team up, right?

Edward: Hmm, I suppose I can do that.

Pirate: Great!

They exchanged information – Pirate explained to Edward about his quest for revenge and how there was a corpse with a gun wound. Edward, in exchange, told the story of how he had to fend off B.B. and Mana (and ran away from Nio). He also mentioned that there was a tiger in the inner court. However, he left out the parts where he killed B.B. and Mana. Instead, B.B. the teddy bear accidentally fell onto B.B. and Mana was caught by the tiger. He fabricated them in effort to sound harmless and innocent. Edward wasn’t sure whether or not Pirate believed him, but to his relief, Pirate didn’t ask anything.

Pirate: Yeah, people here are dangerous! But the worst has to be that old guy, without him, none of this would happen.

Edward: I suppose so…Well, I happen to have an idea to lure him out. So here’s my plan…
===
[10:30 – Unused room]

Nio had been looking around the hall and along the hallway, but there was no sign of Edward. She decided to try looking for him in the unused room.

Nio: (It looks like Edward’s not here either…oh Edward, where could you be?)

The unused room was a poorly-lit room with broken down set of furniture. Dust and spider webs covered nearly every inch of the room. Nio sneezed.

Nio: (Time to look downstairs. Wait, did the bed just move?)

The old bed, covered with a dirty bedsheet and a thick layer of dust, rattled. Nio curiously moved closer. She poked the bed with her hairdryer.

Nio: (Poke, poke~)

Suddenly, from under the bed, hundreds of arthropods crept out. Spiders, centipedes, cockroaches, and many more of critters Nio couldn’t name. She wanted to shriek but the sound that came out was more of a whiz. She ran outside, leaving the door open.
===
[10:28 – The chapel]
The four people inside the chapel weren’t moving, making them blend in with the wax figures. Bigwig_rah, Kirbydamasta and cody11533 all kept their eyes on Natwaf_akidna. Likewise, the waiter set his sight on Bigwig – the butler was the only one directly facing him, with a candelabrum on his hand.

Natwaf, while keeping his hold on the broken wine bottle, took off the nametag from his silken waiter jacket with his other hand and began to break it on his hand. He threw it at Bigwig. He probably hoped that it would distract them, but broken nametags were neither excellent throwing material nor obstructive. It did, however, succeeded in surprising the people surrounding him due to its uselessness. All three of them considered the possibility that Natwaf had finally gone insane. But Bigwig didn’t lower his defense.

Natwaf’s next act was even less understandable. He turned to face the wall, avoiding everyone’s gazes. He seemed as if he was taking something from his pocket…it was a syringe.

Seeing his chance, Bigwig jumped and swung the wine bottle to Natwaf’s head. It squarely hit his temple and made a loud crack. The impact made Natwaf fell to the floor. He dropped the items he was holding – along with his broken wine bottle, there were a brioche and a syringe filled with some liquid. It looked like he was trying to inject the snack with poison discreetly, but it hadn’t gone too well in a closed room with three opponents.

Bigwig went in for another strike, but Natwaf moved his head just in time. The candelabrum hit the stone floor. Natwaf swept his feet onto Bigwig’s, knocking him down. Natwaf quickly grabbed his bottle and stabbed it to Bigwig’s back. Bigwig grunted. Natwaf rapidly stabbed Bigwig’s back, not giving him a chance to retaliate.
Then Natwaf aimed for Bigwig’s neck…

Cody: Natwaf, watch out for that Heffalump behind you!

Natwaf reflect made him turn around to look for the confuzzling creatures while still lying on the floor. Bigwig didn’t want to waste this opportunity and swung his candelabrum wildly. The improvised weapon stroke Natwaf’s hand, sending the broken bottle through the air.

Natwaf turned around once again to face Bigwig. The metal candelabrum hit the side of his head, and because of the protrusion on the side of the weapon, blood came out. Knowing that he had no chance to get away, Natwaf…smiled.

Natwaf: …I know this will be the end of me. Would you please consider doing me a favor?

Bigwig stood up and looked at the pathetic figure of the waiter. He figured that Natwaf could have been planning something, but on the other hand, looking after the household staff was one of a butler’s responsibilities.

Bigwig: Very well. What is it?

Kirby: No! It could very well be a trap!

Cody: I have to agree with Kirby here.

Bigwig: Kirby, Cody, and this goes for you too, Natwaf. Even though we had been comrades for only a while, a household staff is put together for the sake of their master. Although our task might have ended prematurely, the bond we had was truly magnificent, wasn’t it? At least, I would be glad to let our waiter have his last wish. I shall take the responsibility if anything happens.

Kirby and Cody turned silent after Bigwig’s little speech.

Kirby: …well, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to hear what he has to say.

Cody: Just be really careful, Bigwig.

Natwaf got up on his feet and slowly walked around the altar. Three sets of eyes watched his every move.

Natwaf: …Thank you, everyone. Now, this is the story of how my life turned upside-down. When I was little, I thought I would be…

Kirby: What?

Natwaf: A big musical artist on a Broadway stage!

Cody: Oh.

Natwaf: But I’m twenty-two and as you can see…I’m not.

Bigwig: Nope.

Natwaf: Oh well. It sucks to be me. But I learnt to give up.

[Intro to ‘Give Up’ plays]

Natwaf: It's not bad to have goals per se when your
teacher, coach, and counselor ask.
Cold hard reality can get in your way
when you're really not up to the task.
Well you've been singing and dancing and screaming and crying,
but you know there's still something that you're still not trying.

Bigwig, Kirby, Cody: Give Up!

Natwaf: You've been trying to do this so long
Even though there's no one out there watching.

Bigwig, Kirby, Cody: Give Up!

Natwaf: I know, you're tired of the same old song,
But it's not really failing if you're not even trying.

Bigwig, Kirby, Cody: Give Up!
Everyone: Doo-Doo-Doo-Doo-Doot-Doo-Doo
Natwaf: It's like you're banging your head against the same old wall,
baby all you got to show is a bruise,
(All you got show is a bruise)
Well it's a crazy thing to do to just keep on repeating,
all these actions that will only lead to cranial bleeding. *giggles*
Bigwig, Kirby, Cody: Give Up!
Natwaf: It's time for you to throw in the towel, capitulate and raise the white flag.
Bigwig, Kirby, Cody: Give Up!
Natwaf: And don't be bitter just because you're a quitter, you can even hold up your head up and brag.
That's right, I gave up.
I gave up! I gave up!
Chorus: I Gave Up!

Natwaf: That’s right, I never even suited up, folks.

Chorus: I Gave Up

Natwaf: I don’t bring the forms for auditions!

Chorus: I Gave Up!

Natwaf: I forgot Tony Award!

Chorus: I Gave Up!

Natwaf: I’m not even going for the bronze.

Chorus: I Gave Up!

Natwaf: I’m staying right here, man.

Chorus: I Gave Up!

Natwaf: In this mansion, I like it. Aw, it’s beautiful, man.

Natwaf: Ah, wasn’t that fun? My dream, as silly as it may sound, was to make a musical from tonight’s event. It was just so perfect, it almost felt like a dream. Can’t you imagine the extravagant stage, with spotlights of various colors? Can’t you hear the crowd, laughing and cheering to every spectacle? Can’t you feel it, our rhythmical steps joining together into one big glam performance? Ah, isn’t it wonderful? Alas, it was not meant to be.

While he was saying his speech, with perfect intonation as if he had rehearsed his dialogue, he was walking cheerfully around the altar, making wide but elegant gestures. And for a moment, everyone there could picture the grandeur of their musical.

Natwaf finished his little play with a smooth bow. He then walked down from his little stage, sat down on one of the pews, and assumed a praying position. His face looked serene.

Natwaf: Thank you for your attention. Now, all my dialogues have been said and my role is done. It’s all up to you now.

Bigwig: It is such a waste to rob this world of a performer like yourself, Natwaf. You have been a great waiter, and an even better artist. Truly a shame it has to come to this…

Bigwig wavered for a bit. Cody caught on and stepped forward.

Cody: If you can’t do it, please, let me.

Cody picked up the broken wine bottle from the floor and stood in front of Natwaf. Bigwig, however, had made up his mind.

Bigwig: Thank you for your concern, but I’ll do this.

Cody shrugged and moved back.

Natwaf: …I’ll be waiting for you guys in the backstage.
[10:28 – Computer Room]

The three guys in that room had been reading the files containing the lives of the guests and staffs, written to excruciating details. Most of the time, this was unnecessary and therefore, they only skimmed through the files unless they found something noteworthy.

Unfortunately, none of the files they had read contained any dark history they could use to blackmail. Bigwig had been born from a normal English family, studied under a prestigious butler school, and passed with flying colors. Kirby ‘accidentally’ cooked hats into his dishes and was fired from two different restaurants, but that was more silly than anything. B.B. apparently was caught for drunk driving and possession of weed – still, that was nothing to write home about.
Jeffrey: *sigh* Well, I hoped that they turn out to be crazed murderers on the run or something, but that was really stupid in hindsight.

Plum: Yeah, not everyone has a colorful past. Still, I can’t help but wonder about your eyepatch, Kazbar.

Kazbar: Oh? Well, I and my sugar go a long way. And not everybody can understand the deep and true love between us. But if you insist…

Plum: I…see. I suppose we should save it for later.

Plum moved away from Kazbar a bit and directed his focus on the computer screen. They were halfway through Mega Mana’s highschool life, at the part where Mana tried to cheat on his Biology test, but he failed to do so.

Jeffrey: Still nothing…

They read the rest of Mana’s article, yet there didn’t seem to be anything of particular interest to them.

Plum: *yawn* This isn’t going so well.

Jeffrey: Yep. So whose file should we read ne—

Out of nowhere, a very loud noise blasted through the room. They instinctively put their hands against their ears to block it, with little success. Jeffrey was the first one to unplug the headphone from the PC he was using and wear it. Its noise-cancellation technology worked pretty well, but he could still hear the noise pretty clearly. The two others followed suit and took the headphones from nearby computers.

Jeff typed his question on the computer, as there was no way they could speak and hope to hear anything.

Jeff: [What’s that noise?]

Plum: [I have no idea. Should we go check it?]

Kazbar: [It’s probably a trap!]

The trio left wondering about the source of the noise…they could try forcing themselves to read more, but it was rather distracting. Besides, they hadn’t been able to get worthwhile information….
!Dead!:
21st: Catastrophy – Blown up from a bomb-book while being drunk.
20th: jdizzy – Shot in the forehead by a samurai
19th: bbbtime – Couldn’t bear being suffocated with a giant teddy bear
18th: Orochimaru_Fan – Got caught in a trap that flung him into a coffin and covered him in hot wax.
17th: metalsluggg – Bashed in the head with a blunt weapon, then had his neck slashed
16th: Mega Mana – Stabbed through the chest with Edward’s sword, then eaten alive by a tiger.
15th: Natwaf_akidna – Bashed in the head with a candelabrum

Status:
Niorapth – Recovering from poison, but lost her voice due to the poison burning her throat.
Edwardsdv – Abdominal hemorrhage from B.B.’s sword, cold and wet from the rain.
Pirateking – Is in a somewhat murderous mood.
Bigwig_rah – Bleeding from the back

Healthy:
Everybody else.

Whereabouts:
Edwardsdv, Pirateking2000: Theater Room, 2F
Kirbydamasta, Bigwig_rah, codynumbers: The Chapel, B1
GenesisSaga, ImTheMacheteGuy, XII_rocks, muddersmilk, resistance_pro: Raka’s Room, 2F
Emporer_Kazbar , Jeffrey Raze, masterplum: Computer Room, 2F
Niorapth: Dining Room,1F