FINAL TRIAL

[foundationmods]

...Finally, it was time to begin.

The unlit pyre rose before them, tall and massive.
The smell of smoke wafted around them, as the Witch stood before them - flanked by all her demons and her servants.
The Pieces she had taken.🗈

There was no audience, no trial.

It was just them...and the Witch.

The Witch who stood before the pyre, as if accepting her fate.


In this, this final hour... Music could be heard by both the pieces and those that looked on from another plane.

Their forms were changed again, for the final time - to those of the trial.

A trial that could easily turn into an execution...or a redemption.

But it still had to happen.
If something heals improperly, you must cause pain and reopen the wounds to make it heal correctly.
But.
There was always the risk of infection...

....Would this end....in a happy ending...?

...Nothing was certain.

Nothing, except the knowledge in their own hearts and minds.

Comments

THE WITCH

[lutea]

[....She seems to take a final breath, as everything gets into place.

In that instant, her cracks disappear - showing emotions flitting across her face as she gets herself ready for this, their final confrontation-

And then, she throws out her hands, and cackles, showing them only the cruel Witch.]

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeelllllcoooooooooooome, Pieces! Welcome to your final pyre, and our final battle!!

For this, you must disprove all of my tales, one by one!! And my Demons will be the ones to do iiiiiit!! Hyahahaha, can you overcome theeeeeeeeeeeeeem?! I don't think you can, I don't think you can even reaaaaaaaach meeeeeeeeeee!!!

Go aheaaaaaaaaad!!! struggle with all your might, and I'll enjoooooy watching you faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaallll!!!

YOU HAVE 6 HOURS, OR I WIN THIS GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAME!!

So come! Try and destroy meeee! Tell me, quickly -

Was this game a Mystery, or a Fantasy?!

[foundationmods]

Code for blue truth:

<font color=#000099><b>TEXTHERE</b></font>

TRIAL ONE - DEATH OF THE GREAT DETECTIVE

[foundationmods]

[youkaiwatch]

[ Amy is at Peak Hotness today, in the most literal sense. ]

It's not really fair making the new girl start, is it?

[ She sighs and gives her hair a flip -- so anyone who hasn't seen that black hole of a right eye can sure see it there for a second -- and starts her retelling, notably switching out each "Yuuko" from before for Nirrti's name. ]

There's no point in fighting this truth.

TRIAL THREE - NO HONOR AMONG THIEVES

[foundationmods]

Re: TRIAL THREE - NO HONOR AMONG THIEVES

[kiddatheart]

[ Groundskeeper Willie is here and he's got a shit eating grin on his face as he takes his place. There's something not entirely right here as he starts to speak ]

Alright, lads and lasses and everyone that doesn't count as one. I got a tale for ya that's straight from our noble Lady of the House.

[ and with that, he starts retelling the story of Akira and Ryuji's murder at the hands of the Lady ]

Think your smart enough to prove that what she said isn't true? Then bring it!

TRIAL FOUR - DEATH IN RED

[foundationmods]

[anonnomnomnom]

[Well, guess who got switched in for Natsuno, and guess who's now handling this particular trial -- it's... some dude all in white, with long, long hair about the same as "Frasier" but also all in bone-white. His eyes are piercing yellow with black sclera, and he has a distinct sword on his hip. He's sprawled in a lazy sit in the courtroom here, chin in his hand and watching the assembled Pieces with a wide, hungry grin. The hounds gather around him, all of their coloring matching his and looking considerably more menacing than they did a couple of days ago. Why is this guy like this, honestly.] Oh, is this how we're doing this? Looks like we've got all the Queen's horses and all the Queen's men out here. [There's a brief cackle before he reels out a rendition of the Witch's fantasy in a lazy, drawling tone, never moving from his perch.] Who wants to face me first?

TRIAL FIVE - THE PART WHERE HE KILLS TWO

[foundationmods]

[cryosurgeon]

[And because he's the reason Sherlock is standing on the side of the living, Buer steps up now, clad in the same clothing as he's worn all week, save for the blood-red Inverness coat to contrast the other man's blue. His sonorous voice rings through the trial hall with the gravity of a funeral bell. His red eyes remain fixed at a point somewhere far beyond the trial hall, unblinking as he recites the Witch's retelling of the untimely demise of the wise man and the foolish robot.]

This is our Lady's Truth. Face me, and dispute it if you believe you can.

[literalidiotball]

[Pendleton the goat is here too, but he's letting Buer tell the story for two reasons.

Firstly, Buer is a much higher ranking demon than him.

Secondly, he's really sure he doesn't belong in a battlefield.

But the lady wants him to help so here he is. Helping.]

TRIAL SIX - THIS TANGLED WEB WE WEAVE

[foundationmods]

[byanyother_name]

[And all at once, Shass' lighthearted, playful demeanor changes. Fierce protectiveness darkens his red eyes as he stares at them in challenge. First things first, he repeats the witch's tale.]

I will not allow harm to come to my Lady so long as I remain.

[improbablenotimpossible]

[Sherlock materializes, his clothing forms - his Inverness coat had blue, glowing lines all over the sides, matching the now glowing hue of his unbound straps. Sakura may recognize the marks as mystic codes.

A different cane appears in hand, his fingers turning the prayer wheels, his eyes closing for a moment - before opening, his green eyes glowing like a piece of jade held up to the sun]

This is it - do not let your guard down even for a moment. If we want to have the optimal end to this tale, think carefully.

[rikuchi]

[ Riku looks just ... about the same? There's only a spot of darkness at his feet if anyone cares to look but hey. ]

I'm sure we'll do fine.

[ Having to solve every case again to it's fullest is probably going to be a pain. ]

[excavated]

[ Syaoran is here, looking more like his true age - or rather, looking very much like his father. He even is taller like this as well, practically reaching Holmes' height. He takes a breath and then sighs. ] I guess we have to do it like this, won't we? I'll assist in the case that I dealt with. It's only right for me to face my sins.

[goldenmaniac]

....

W-whoa...

(Evidence Review)

[keydomhearts]

[ Here's Sora! ]

We have all the pieces. I know we can do this!

[ Here is the Evidence list from before. ]

Let's figure each one one at a time!

[rikuchi]

[ Looking good as always, bae. Quiet appreciation here for sure. ]

[aleph_armed]

[Once again, Gebura seems to have taken the form of the last three trials, with one main exception: The helmet has fully opened, revealing a black head with red lines running through it, all leading to the single eye in the center. The seven stakes stand behind her, each in their own uniform suit and wearing an armband emblazoned with a large G on it.]

So, it's time to go over everything again. I trust most everyone remembers the parts that caught us? It's time to do things right this time.

[improbablenotimpossible]

Right. I will what case that will not be claimed for personal reasons.

[His eyes seem to have a luminous quality to them]

[respring]

[ Sakura is....different. The only thing that's still the same is her face and voice, because her hair is now paper white, her eyes are bright red, and there's a spiked halo of light around her. Her limbs are dissolving into stardust, and she's floating a good foot off the ground.

But she's got a cute dress on top of it because let's not kill her right at endgame. Excuse my shoddy photoshop skills. ]

[keydomhearts]

[ huh... ]

Sakura?!

[goldenmaniac]

[Takumi's form has changed once again, looking more like the classic ideal of a detective in a long coat- only colored in his and Alphamon's colors: black with gold.]

Alright, if I'm hearing this right we have to prove once and for all how each murder went down. No guessing, no being 'close enough'. Thankfully with the notes and the puzzles we should have enough to work with.

[He takes out his notebook where he copied all the letters and the puzzles for everyone to see]

I have notes to go with Sora's list, so if anyone needs to go over what she said about each case, it's here.

[keydomhearts]

Thanks Takumi! I think we should probably go in order!

[fullbodied]

[Panther is back in action. She's going to defend her thieves as much as possible.]

Dibs on Valefar.

[she unfurls her whip, and behind her is Hecate, casting an imposing figure. Even if this Akira ended with social link broken, there's one out there... just for her.]

[improbablenotimpossible]

You'll have no arguments from me.

[He half-bows to her]

[oceanicbutterfly]

[Karen is Cure Aqua again, though this time around she's a little different--back in the outfit familiar to the few who've seen her before, with the jacket and the roses. There is, however, one noticeable new element: big blue glowing butterfly wings. After all, this is the final battle.]

If it's all the same to the rest of you, I'd like to avenge myself.

[aleph_armed]

I think that's fine. Tear the first case open, Karen.

[incrediblystressedout]

[When Joey arrives, it's in a shower of sparkles and...frilly golden pajamas?]

[Byers, meanwhile, is the same bird he's always been, just with neater, cleaner feathers, looking more like a show dove and less like a working aerial pest.]

...you know what? I'll take it. Let's finish this.

[oceanicbutterfly]

[...Karen likes those a lot actually.]

Trial Five Catherd

[keydomhearts]

So, we know what the retelling is. We know it follows the timeline.

I found out from Sherlock that Anon picked Wheatley's head and bashed him in the forehead with it. The gas canister was also taped to Wheatley's head.

[ That mystery is finally solved. ]

Anon wound up confessing. He took out Wheatley in self defense because he was targeting him.

[ here is the accusation as well ]

What else are we missing?

[goldenmaniac]

I think the main issue we had then was the gas and the order of events- so that helps a lot honestly.

We never confirmed if the demons and/or Nirrti brought the head back afterward. In the note she said she was hoping nothing would wash back up- we know the knife did so we can assume the head did too.

Something is happening

[foundationmods]

[With the defeat of one case, the air seems to get a little lighter. It seems your efforts are working. ]

[goldenmaniac]

Well, that's a good sign!

Trial Six Catherd

[keydomhearts]

Takumi did get confirmation that the retelling follows a similar timeline. Kurama also did break it all down for us all when confessed.

Is there anything else we're missing?

[respring]

What was going on with the multiple masks, anyways...?

THE FINAL BATTLE

[lutea]

[All the demons and servants fall - and as the dead return to their living bodies, everyone is happy.

....Everyone, save the Witch, who now stands totally and utterly alone, cracks appearing on her form again.

For a moment, she bites her lip - looks down, then up, then away - before taking in a deep, deep breath...

and stilling everyone with harsh, forced laughter.]

V-Veeeeeeeeerrry goood, pieces!! You've done better than I thought you wooooooooould!! Much better! Nooooow then, now then, shall we finally dance for the laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaast tiiiiiiiiiiiime?!

[She flings her arms out, and black glowing magical gates appear behind her, each one letting a black truth come through, shaped like horrible, terrible swords...!]

COME AND FACE MY TRUUUUUUUUUUTH WITH EVERYTHING YOU HAVE! Face this misfortunate truth with everything you think, and let me crush iiiiiiiiiiiiiit!!

[lutea]

I caused a girl's house to burn down, and her family to burn inside of it!!

[And then -

One of the swords fires straight for them, the energy given off by it horrifying and terrible - like it had been steeped in curses for hundreds of hundreds of years, seeped in hatred itself...!]