trusthell | Taking Responsibility.

Taking Responsibility.

And a while after that strange, dark floor is accessed, after you've had time to look things over and get some idea of what's happening...well. There won't be any sort of official announcement to tell you to get downstairs, nor will there be a personal invitation for you to do so.

Instead, the doors at the end of the corridor (were they there before? You find that you don't remember. It doesn't matter anymore, though-) slide open, as they always do, and the elevator ride to the courtroom is probably the first familiar thing that's happened all day. It's smooth and quick, though it seems to take a bit longer than it usually does.

And when the doors open at the end of the line, the courtroom looks different.

The dark, weirdly cylindrical room is largely the same in and of itself, but the usual twenty-seven podium circle is gone; instead, there's a smaller setup in the center of the room - ten podiums total, and you'll likely find the way your spots have been distributed to be very familiar indeed.

Of further notice is the balcony - there's a structure that wasn't there before in view of the courtroom, situated high above, barred-in by a railing that'd probably be at about waist-height on your average person; there's no one up there just yet, however.

There are so few of you now.

It seems that today there are no speeches to give; maybe the Kingmaker is absent, maybe he just doesn' have anything to say. Either way, however, the implication in the fact that you're here at all is clear.

For one last time, make the guilty take responsibility.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Since a certain someone isn't so happy about us getting off track with perfectly good questions he just doesn't want to answer, let's... bring it back around and put down what we have figured out so far.

[Ahem.]

We're here, but we're also there. [A point to the... coffin things.] As some kind of virtual thing, and more importantly as entertainment for others.

A whole city's worth. Our lives here have been watched by himself and like, a gazillion more, minus the bathrooms and saunas because there's a small amount of decency in the world, I guess.

Glory is an AI that helps the Kingmaker every round with the upkeep of this place and there's been rounds before those. There'll probably be rounds after this, too, unless we put a stop to it ourselves. And there's probably more of these going at the same time.

... I think that's basically all we've learned, in the most pointed way possible? I just don't know where to go from here myself outside of just trying to break the glass and see what happens.

...let's not break those. We might be on life-support. I'd rather not accidentally kill myself.

That would be bad, yes.

Hmm...

Can I see that book? The handwritten one Gabriel found.

[Surely it will get passed over somehow, Cherry, have at it.]

[Yup, Gabriel will gladly pass it on over.]

[Hm. Hmmmmmm.]

If we're in a virtual reality, and evidence points to yes, then Ambitious certainly isn't a ghost. But he's not a survivor in this round like the rest of us - he's a former victor.

And given that this is a show... Hm.

Gracious Kingmaker, are you currently in cooperation with Ambitious?

Absolutely not.

[WELL NOW HE JUST SOUNDS REALLY OFFENDED]

It's a valid question, no need to be hissy about it.

You two really didn't get along, did you. I'd really like to meet this Ambitious guy if he gets your goat so much.

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paging kingmaker!

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