DAY 6

"All right! That's it!"
If a person completely masked in black could have a murderous expression, the Shadow Mistress did. She was practically yelling at the top of her lungs. "No more England! There's obviously something wrong with this place! We're going to Ireland!"

There were squeals/cheers/any other exclamations you happen to do from Balletandbow's direction. The Shadow Mistress didn't seem to be listening, as she was muttering to herself, "Yeah, Ireland's good. It's right by England, a lot of it is actually part of the UK... yes, we're going to Ireland. It has cool tourist attractions. It can't be cursed. Maybe we'll run into some friendly leprechauns. Yes, we're going to Ireland..." and so on, and so forth.

She sent her guests down to lunch and then went up to the control room. This was actually one of two sentry towers by the gates of the Castle, which flanked the drawbridge. The other tower was for a sentry.

The Shadow Mistress piloted the Castle down to the beach of England and then hit a button. Gently, the spindley legs folded inwards, and a humongous raft inflated below the Castle. Under it, four giant flippers pushed the Castle off of the beach and into the sea.

It wasn't an extremely long trip, as the sea was gentle, but the sun was setting when the Castle landed. The Shadow Mistress put the CBers to sleep, and then hit another button. The raft deflated, and the legs folded out. The Castle walked a little distance, then settled down for the night.

***

"Ireland is just one big island," said the Shadow Mistress. "I thought today we'd take that into account. It's got many rocky, cliffy shores, which provide some pretty spactacular views. Today we'll be doing some walking!"
Puck groaned. "This has been just a whole lot of walking. Can't we do something fun?"

"PLEASE!" said PSXtreme.

"We're walking," said Mei, "and that's that."
They shut up.

The views from the cliffs really were beautiful. The sea pounded relentlessly against them, and you could see the whole ocean stretched out before you going endlessly on and on. It was quite a sight.

"Wish I'd brought my camera," muttered Natalie.

"TaKe pIcTuReS, CaRoLiOn," said Candy KING. Everyone turned to stare.

He blushed slightly. "oH. RiGhT."

There was an awkward silence.

"Why don't we move on?" asked the Shadow Mistress, pointing. "There's a better view over there."

Her finger was directed towards another part of the cliff, which jutted outwards. You could probably see farther. They made their way over.

All except one.

Joan B. of Arc was a bit far from the rest of the group, trying to get nice angles on the sea. So she didn't hear the Shadow Mistress over the pounding of the waves.

The murderer noticed.

"Joan," they said.

"Oh, hey," she replied, turning.

There was a sword at her throat.

Some may have panicked at the sight of this. Some may have begged for mercy. But Joan was not one of these people. 

Her hand tightened around the hilt of her sword.

Her name was Joan B. of Arc, and she would go down fighting.

Unfortunately, her sense of bravery didn't last long. Joan was a good swordswoman, but her opponent was better. She was tired out soon, and they still seemed in full health.

She began to get slower. She parried too late and the sword left a gash on her cheek. She swung too late, overbalanced, and her opponent, taking advantage, kicked her off of the cliff.

She fell.

Silently.

The other guests had seen the battle, but could not see any faces. By the time they arrived at the scene of the crime, the murderer had already slipped back among them.

"When I said in the letter that there would be no pushing people off the cliffs of Ireland, I actually meant it," said the Shadow Mistress sadly, watching Joan's body get flung against the rocks.

And Puck?

Puck was distraught.

*Scans start of post*

GASPGASPGASP

YEEEEEEESSSSSSS!!!!!! IRELAND!!!!! CAN WE STOP BY AND VIST IT WITH TROY, MULLET, AND MORAN BY ANY CHANCE?!?!?!

*Finishes Post*

NNNNNNOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

For reasons that I shall not disclose, I was not able to read this until just now. And now that I have....... OHMYGANDOLF THIS IS AWESOME!!!!!!

I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT IRELAND!!!!! ARTIMIS FOWL LIVES IN IRELAND!!!!!!! AND ARTIMIS FOWL IS AWESOME!!!!!!!!

Also, my dad is an organist. Did you know that organ pipes actually have reeds, sort of like a clarinet or an obo? And that organs have a whole bunch of foot peddles underneath the three-or-four-layers of keyboards? And that there's a whole bunch of stops that you can push and pull to make diferent combinations of noises? And tha-

Luna: *Shut up!!!!*

Tara: Nobody careth!

Saphira: Will you PLEASE just stop talking? You're giving me a headache. 

DAY 7

Let us start with a CAPTCHA who has been almost entirely overlooked.

Yesterday, his sane counterpart died. He is kind, caring, and charming, a good knight. He's also rather handsome, if he does say so himself.

His name is Sir Galahad.

He prides himself on his swordfighting. He thinks it fantastic. He was worried, however, when he found Joan's sword lying unsheathed on the cliffs of Ireland. He'd lost to her in sword duels plenty. If this murderer was so good that they could even beat Joan. . . did Sir Galahad really stand a chance?
He had gone to bed worried last night, Day 6. What if he was next? What if he would have an epic sowrdfighting duel, only to find himself disarmed and killed?

He was restless that night, and had dreams of swords poking him.

But in the morning, he knew why. On the dawn of Day 7, he woke up to find a long cut down his upper right arm. It had been hastily stitched, giving it a Frankenstein-esque look. 

Sir Galahad made sure the cut was securely covered when he went out that day.

***

"The Giant's Causeway!" said the Shadow Mistress brightly. "Boy, does this place have a story to tell!

"Legend goes that a giant named Fionn was challenged by the Scottish giant Angus. He wanted to fight Fionn, and Fionn accepted. He built a path made of stones of all sizes that stretched to Scotland so Angus could get to Ireland easily.

"But Fionn's wife, Una, had done her research, and she found out that Angus was truly much bigger and stronger than Fionn, and he was sure to die. So she put him in baby clothes and he got into a cradle.

"When Angus arrived, Una told him that Fionn was out hunting. When he saw the baby that was really Fionn, he was frightened-- if Fionn's baby was that big, how big would Fionn be? Angus fled, and after a while ripped up the stones in the causeway Fionn had built, so he wouldn't follow.

"It might be a legend. It might be true. According to science, it was really a volcanic eruption that created it, but in the end, who knows? And honestly, who cares? It's here now, and it's a very popular attraction. Who wants to climb some rocks?"

The more insane Alter Egos darted down the causeway, and the others started picking their way through.

***

Russel was falling behind. He was really just an oversized worm, after all, and he couldn't really move very easily on the rough terrain. Luna fell back to help him.

"Psst," hissed a voice from behind a few rocks.

"Huh?" the CAPTCHAs turned.

"Guys, I got stuck in a hole in the rocks! Can you help me get out?"

"Sure!" Luna loped over, Russel making his way behind her. 

They didn't even get a chance to look at the murderer's face, as a rock hit them hard on the foreheads. They fell down, most certainly dead.

The murderer ran to catch up with the others. When they turned back, they would see. . .

NOOOOO!

RUSSELL!

YOU'RE DEAD!

HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Calm down, weirdo worm. It was hos own fault for falling behind.

Shut your mouth, Sandra. It's still soon for me..... 

NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! LUUUUNAAAAAAA!!!!!!

Ghost Luna: *awoooooooooooo*

Tara: I don't really think she cares. 

Friendly reminder that you can guess who I am, or who the murderer is.

I will try to have another post up by tonight. I am sorry I haven't been posting much; I'm not at home right now, and therefore I cannot access my list, which tells me who is to die next.

DAY 8

The night was dark, as nights usually are.

But it was especially dark for Fúdìmó, lying awake in his bed, pondering exactly what he had seen at the Giant's Causeway.

One hair.

One single hair told him everything.

But Fúdìmó was an experienced killer himself. He felt no aggression towards the murderer he now knew-- in fact, he sympathized. He felt a desperate need to not vanquish this killer, but help them.

How?

Simple.

There was the creaking of a door later on in the night, and a sliver of light entered the Green Room. Fúdìmó lay absolutely still, hoping the murderer was not going to kill him in his bed tonight.

But no, the shadow that was the murderer slipped by him and bent over the bed containing Sir Galahad's sleeping form. Sure that he was going to find the CAPTCHA dead by morning, Fúdìmó finally allowed himself to close his eyes and drift slowly off to sleep.

__

When he woke in the morning, Fúdìmó had a plan.

He slipped out of bed and went down to the kitchens, searching for his own shadow. It bustled up to him, grinning with white teeth that sparkled in contrast with the rest of its dark, practically formless body.

Fúdìmó whispered his instructions.

____

Sandra woke everyone in the Purple Room especially early by pounding on her drums until the entire floor shook with the noise. Then she bounded over to the Yellow Room to annoy Bookworm.

A day in the life.

She went to breakfast and wolfed down her meal, before ticking everyone off more. It was a highly frustrated Shadow Mistress that waved her guests into Dublin to do a little independent exploring that day.

Sandra followed Bookworm around for a bit, bellowing in her ear and trying to be as much of a nuisance as possible, before deciding to wander on her own. Bookworm was being a hinderance, of course. It had nothing to do with the fact that she was getting incredibly bored. 

She turned into yet another deserted alley. The Shadow Mistress's Pass to Alternate Reality had its disadvanteges; really, was there no one to jump out at and frighten? Dublin was incredibly boring.

Until--

"Fight me!"
It was so unexpected, Sandra hesitated before screaming,"OKAY!" It was one of the people who had travelled with her; what was their name? She couldn't for the life of her remember.

The fight started off well. Sandra was actually ahead, jabbing and punching and kicking and acting very dirty. She was having a lot of fun, and a few bruises wouldn't hurt too much, right?

She thought it was just a friendly competition until her opponent wrapped their hands around her throat.

Sandra, obviously, tried to scream, but no noise was coming through her windpipe. She choked; her eyes bulged, and then eventually rolled up in her head. The murderer dropped her onto the street and left the scene.

___

Meanwhile, at different points in the city, three different people dropped dead.

Balletandbow, who was examining some of the houses, trying to think if she would ever want to live in one of them; Dolphin, who was swimming in some shallows (overseen by H.A.B.); and Joss, who was looking for a local theatre.

Once it seemed like everyone had returned, the Shadow Mistress had done a headcount. Four people were missing. After spreading out and combing Dublin, Bookworm came back with Sandra's body, Torstyn with Ballet's, Veronica with Joss's, and H.A.B. with Dolphin's memory (he had seen Dolphin die, but felt it was better to have Dolphin wash out at sea, where he belonged). 

A few tears were shed, words were spoken, and the bodies were buried at the edge of Dublin, capital city of Ireland.

___

FÚDÌMÓ'S WHISPERED WORDS TO HIS SHADOW

"Poison three people's food. I don't care which poison it is or who you give it to-- as long as it isn't me or (insert murderer's name here). Just do it."

DAY 9

The Green Room was invaded again the next night. Sir Galahad was lying awake, waiting for the crack of light that the opening of the door would bring.

The murderer's form was covered entirely in shadow; it was simply a silhouette, indistinct and impossible to make out. Sir Galahad, seeing that it would be pointless to try and discover the murderer's identity, shut his eyes tightly and hoped it wouldn't hurt too much.

There was a sharp prick on his shoulder, and then pain. Sir Galahad clenched his teeth and willed himself to not cry out. It seemed to get worse and worse, until he was sure he wouldn't be able to handle it anymore, and then--

It simply stopped.

The murderer pressed a bit of cream onto the cut, applying pressure on Sir Galahad's shoulder. It was quickly being dressed, it seemed, and Sir Galahad had just enough time to wonder why they would go through the bother of fixing a wound of their own infliction when there was a prick in his neck and then nothing.

____

Fúdìmó woke up early, again, and again made his way to the kitchens. There was information to be found, and only one way to get it.

Again, he pulled his shadow aside.

"I need everything you know," he said firmly. "Everything and that is an order. I swear I will know if you lie to me or withhold information."

The shadow smiled again. It seemed like the smile that you would find on a Cheshire cat, mischievious and conspicuous against an otherwise inconspicuous backround. "Why would I lie to you?" it replied, in a silky voice that was only too seductive and manipulating. "I am you; you are me."
"Get to the point," snarled Fúdìmó. "I am a patient man, but I do not tolerate stalling."

"The most important bit of information," said his shadow, none too quickly-- in fact, he seemed to be enunciating each vowel to its fullest extent-- "that you need to know is thus: the Pass is one-way and she does not have another."

Red sparks eminated from Fúdìmó's wand, and it gave off a bang like a gunshot, imitating his frustration. Without bothering to thank his shadow, he turned on his heel and stormed out.

___

"Fairy mounds," said the Shadow Mistress, "or fairy forts if you prefer. Pretty self-explanitory. Fairies lived in them; you weren't to demolish them or build near them, else they would wreak havoc on you."

She sounded tired and obviously stressed. Unlike the beginning of her tour, the Shadow Mistress sounded extremely tired and was very curt and to the point; at the start, she had been very excited and eager to share.

She let her guests out at a fairy fort and watched them wander around. Was there someone missing? She tried to remember-- who was it?

Oh yes-- Fúdì--

"AVADA KEDAVARA!"

She was dead before she hit the ground.

As Fúdìmó looked coldly down at her body, something strange began to happen. It started to disintegrate, forming black smoke. Soon, her corpse was completely gone, and a shadow made its way to the steering wheel.

Even more frustrated that he couldn't even get a proper killing done, Fúdìmó stormed out onto the earth and walked down the mountain that contained the mound a little ways. Then he muttered, "Accio Mei-xue!"

On second thought, he added, "Accio Candy KING!"

The two fell face-forward at his feet: his controlling sane counterpart, and the most insane (in his opinion) of the alter egos. He made quick work of them and then made his way back into the castle.

___

The murderer was not to be overshone. They pulled a carrier from a leather satchel strung across their back. This carrier looked like it would usually contain a cat, but instead of a feline occupant, it carried a snow-white rabbit which happened to be foaming at the mouth.

The murderer undid the latch on the carrier and the rabid bunny hopped out, darting towards the nearest person: PSXtreme. She freaked, obviously, and chucked a pie in its face, but it was not detoured; it lept onto her, the pie still flecked over its face, and--

[this segment had been removed for the convenience of younger readers. ~The Shadow Mistress]

The bunny then darted over to Bookworm, where a similar circumstance ensued.  

___

Later, the remains of their bodies were discovered, as well as Candy KING and Mei-xue's. When the murderer saw the latter, their face contorted into something that could be interpreted as rage.

This was not going to stand. . .

Shadow Mistress, you are St. Owl! (Check the name on Day 7! :p) 

I died! Noo! Actually it's kind of nice here in the afterlife... with Sandra, Russell, Mei, and everyone... BUT I DIED IN SUCH A VIOLENT WAY! That bunny just jumped on me and <I have removed this segment due to its violence and boringness. You're welcome.-Sandra>

And Sandra, why were you stupid enough to pick a fight with a random person! YOU COULD STILL BE ALIVE! YOU <I also removed this segment. You're welcome, America.-Sandra>

Okay, I'm going to post this before I do or say something I'll regret.

Too late for that, don't you think?

And, post.