List of Alive Persons as of Day 17:

Rose bud

Viola?

Allie

MJ

Kate-the-Great

Pooki P.

Cockleburr

Celeste (Shy Peacock's AE)

CBers:7

AEs:1

CAPTCHAs:0 

Day 18

The storms had stopped.

"Finally!" Kate said. "I'm so fed up with sneaking around the building and discovering dead bodies!" 

"Sneaking? What sneaking?" I asked.

"Oh, uh, nothing."

I shrugged it off. "Well, now that the weather is better, the boats can be used again. We have a tube that can accommodate three people and a boat that will accommodate the rest."

Everyone decided that this was a good idea (note: they were wrong) and went to the shore for tubing. I started up the boat with a violent yank and Kate began to steer around the lake.

Viola?, Cockleburr, and Celeste took the first turn. Viola? attempted to switch places with Celeste, which started fine but ended with both of them hanging onto the outside handles for the rest of the trip. Then Allie drove while Kate and Pooki were on the tube. Kate stood up and jumped a few times before accidentally knocking Pooki off.

The third trip was a bit more eventful.

Kate was back at the steering wheel, and Rose bud, MJ, and Allie were on the tube. Allie had almost fallen off when Kate turned sharply, whipping the tube to the side. She had done this several times before with no one falling off, but that didn't happen this time. 

MJ splashed into the water- and didn't come back up.

Kate pulled the boat to a halt. "Where's MJ?"

"She fell off," Allie said. "I'm not sure where she came up."

Everyone scanned the surface. MJ was nowhere to be seen.

"Wasn't she wearing a life jacket?" Cockleburr asked.

"Yeah, but... Oh, no. She should be up by now." 

Everyone swam around (in life vests- no one was taking any chances) until Celeste called to everyone.

"Uh, I think I found her..." 

Kate, Cockleburr, and Allie brought MJ up to the surface. Celeste gasped and pointed to the back of MJ's life jacket.

It was slashed.

Later they found a sword matching the one found next to Aspen in a storage compartment on the boat, but MJ had drowned before anyone could reach her.

~End of day 18. Death Toll: 26

Inkling, Eliana, Hibiki Starlight, Rose Bud's Sam, Wildflower, Leeli and Viri- eaten by dragons

Jwyn- broken neck  

Agent Winter- drowned    

Dream- strangled   

Poison- poisoned   

Blue Moon- eaten

Ann- burned  

Byann- crushed   

Secret- whacked on the head with a stick   

Hotairballoon- fell off a cliff   

Darkfeather and Noon- shot with venemous flying darts   

Claaws- smothered     

Tuxedo Kitten- shot    

Sam- loss of blood  

Spryo- stabbed

Aspen- shoved into an oven

Shy Peacock- poked full of holes

Fireburst- smashed

MJ- sabatoged 

KAAAAAAAAAAAAAATE????????

Goodbye world.

I wonder who murdered me.  

Once again, I am late. A thousand pardons.

Day 19

The weather was reasonably nice again; mostly cloudy but warm. The game room gradually filled up with all seven lucky survivors after breakfast, and Kate-the-Great, Cockleburr, Viola? and Celeste decided to go for another hike.

"While we still can," Allie said grimly. Several guests glanced nervously at Rose Bud. 

"Does that mean you're coming, too?" Celeste asked.  

"I.. okay."

"I'll go," Pooki P decided.

"Well, count me in, then," Rose Bud said.

"Are you sure?" Viola? asked, though she didn't look directly at Rose Bud as she spoke.

Rose Bud laughed awkwardly. "It beats sitting around alone with hosts who might be killers."

"I heard that," I said from behind her. Everyone jumped. I smiled.

The streams lacing the forest were still high from the rains, although lower than they would have been the day before, as evidenced by the patterns of erosion and debris. They provided a welcome distraction from uneasy glances, clumsy sidesteps and a recurring absence of conversation, apart from when Cockleburr noticed a frog on the path and everyone stopped to look.

Everyone returned from the walk alive and unharmed. I watched as they dispersed; Cockleburr and Allie went to the baths and spent an hour steaming, Viola? and Rose Bud idly wandered the gardens, and Kate-the-Great, Celeste and Pooki more argued about than played Monopoly. One of their arguments, in fact, ended with Kate storming away. 

"Should we split her properties?" Pooki asked after she'd gone.

"No," Celeste replied, standing up. "Let's just stop. I'm tired of playing, anyway."

Kate had made her way towards the front of the ryokan, and the passageway under the stairs had been opened. Sukāretto was already there, so I left it to her.

At dinner, Kate-the-Great was noticeably absent. The guests murmured worried speculation.

"She's probably dead."

"Normally I wouldn't believe that, but I think you're right."

"We fought over Monopoly, Pooki, Kate and I..."

"Really?" 

"How bad was it?"

"She walked away before we finished the game, but it wasn't bad enough to--you know."

"Well, if they have to kill someone every day already, maybe."

"Who says they have to?" 

"Where did she go?"

"I don't know...  kind of towards the front?" 

"Let's check later."

"I wonder if we can talk the hosts into letting us go into the secret rooms?" 

"Good luck."

Viola?, Celeste, Pooki P and Cockleburr left early to go on their search. They did not find Kate in her room, in the gardens, in the baths, in any of the empty rooms, on what little stretch of the hiking trails they went over. They retreated to the front room to discuss what to do.

"Look everywhere again?" Celeste suggested.

"Sounds like the definition of madness," Viola? smiled. "Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."

"You could just say you don't want to," Celeste grumbled.

"We should check the secret room, or the passage under the stairs," Cockleburr said.

Pooki P glanced over at the front desk. It was unoccupied. "Good idea!"

Viola? ran over and pulled the lever under the desk. 

"We should split up, to cover the area faster," Celeste proposed.

"No! Never split the party," Viola? said. "Sorry. Not trying to shoot down all your ideas."

"This is just one room," Pooki pointed out. "The thing under the stairs is a whole hallway." 

"And what if one of us is the murderer?" Cockleburr added. 

Celeste sighed. "Fine."

The secret room turned out to be empty, but halfway down the secret hall was a portcullis that hadn't been there before, and under it lay Kate.

"Kate!"

Viola? reached her first, quickly followed by Celeste. The former spun around to address Cockleburr and Pooki.

"She's dead. Her head's on the other side."

Pooki looked horrified. Cockleburr tapped Celeste on the shoulder.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Celeste said shakily.

"Let's go," Viola? said, taking her hand.

"Yes, let's, Pooki agreed.

~End of Day 19. Death toll: 27.

Inkling, Eliana, Hibiki Starlight, Rose Bud's Sam, Wildflower, Leeli and Viri of dragons.

Jwyn of a broken neck. 

Agent Winter and MJ of drowning.

Dream of strangling.

Poison of poisoning.

Blue Moon of a Zeamaizock.

Ann of burning.

Byann of crushing.

Secret of a hit on the head.

Hotairballoon of falling.

Darkfeather and Noon of dart venom.

Claaws of smothering. 

Tuxedo Kitten of an arrow.

Sam of bleeding.

Spyro of stabbing.

Aspen of baking.

Shy Peacock of impaling. 

Fireburst of an anvil.

Kate-the-Great of severing.

Yeah, Cockleburr is suspicious, but I'm sticking with the ALLIum theory

Day 20

By the twentieth day of the vacation, the most beneficial option appeared to be exploring. The valley was so packed with secret areas that every time a group went exploring something new came up. 

Some new clue.

Some new hope.

Some new casualties.

Pooki, Viola? and Cockleburr met in the games room to talk about their plans for the day. 

"So," Pooki said. "Are we exploring the woods or the ryokan?"

"The woods. I don't want to stumble upon Kate again," said Viola?

"Agreed," agreed Cockleburr. "Plus no one's looked around in the woods much yet."

Pooki, Viola? and Cockleburr each packed a small bag and left. Pooki left a note on the inside of the front door as an afterthought.

~~~

At noon, the remaining guests were alarmed to find half of the party absent from lunch.

"Do you think they're all dead?" Celeste whispered.

"No," I said. "Read the note on the front door." 

The group ran over and Rose bud read the note aloud.

"Viola?, Cockleburr, and I are exploring the woods. We packed lunch and we'll be back at around 1:00. ~Pooki P."

The day carried on, but the group did not return at one. Or two. By four, Rose bud, Celeste, and Allie decided to go looking for them.

~~~

"We're lost," said Pooki.

"I don't suppose you know where we are from when you were lost in the woods?" Cockleburr asked Viola?.

Viola shook her head and Pooki sat down frustrated on a rock.

~~~

After gathering up a few things, the search party set out. It wasn't until after they left that I noticed the front closet was unlocked. Someone had taken the master remote.

Back in the woods, Rose bud, Celeste, and Allie split up, Hansel-Gretalling their way through the woods with blue-painted rocks they had found in a tool shed in the gardens.

~~~

The sun began to set. Pooki, Cockleburr, and Viola? were looking for a spot to wait out the night.

"Look," Pooki said. "A clearing. I wonder what- hmm."

Pooki walked over to the clear spot and looked up into the trees. There was a click, a swish, and a trapdoor opened under Pooki's feet. She fell into the pit, and Viola? and Cockleburr heard a final scream before the door snapped shut. There was a faint rustling in the nearby trees.

The trapdoor was now fully visible, as the leaves and sticks covering it had also fallen in. Cockleburr and Viola?, after recovering from the shock, decided the safest place to spend the night would be right next to the trapdoor. They assumed that the traps were spread out. (They were correct, for the most part.)

~~~

The search party arrived back at the ryokan hungry and unsuccessful, and Viola? and Cockleburr spent the night in a stick lean-to next to the pit where Pooki had met her demise.

~End of day 20. Death Toll: 28

Inkling, Eliana, Hibiki Starlight, Rose Bud's Sam, Wildflower, Leeli and Viri- eaten by dragons

Jwyn- broken neck    

Agent Winter and MJ- drowned      

Dream- strangled     

Poison- poisoned     

Blue Moon- eaten  

Ann- burned    

Byann- crushed

Secret- whacked on the head with a stick     

Hotairballoon- fell off a cliff     

Darkfeather and Noon- shot with venemous flying darts     

Claaws- smothered       

Tuxedo Kitten- shot      

Sam- loss of blood    

Spryo- stabbed  

Aspen- shoved into an oven  

Shy Peacock- poked full of holes  

Fireburst- smashed 

Kate-the-Great- severed

Pooki P- fell into a hole with unknown contents

Missing Toll: 2

Viola? 

Cockleburr 

Sorry didn't forget about this. I've been really busy. Anywayzers, I finally caught up! And I died! XD Well I certainly had a satisfyingly gruesome death. Thank you for that! Let's see, who do I suspect... Well I did suspect Pooki for a bit because she named a flower "Pooki's Perennial" but then she died. ALTHOUGH they didn't actually see her body. They just assumed that she was dead. She could be perfectly safe down in a secret tunnel with the master remote and steadily setting off a series of traps! Hmmmm sorry Pooki...

Day 21

Breakfast was a hurried affair, merely a prelude to the search. Lunches were packed, boots donned, fears unspoken. I went along again with Allie and Celeste while Sukāretto prepared for our return. The sky stretched thinly veiled in white, lost to our sight as we entered the woods once more.

"Do you think they're dead?" Allie asked. Celeste merely looked at her, but I replied. 

"Not all."

"I hope so," Celeste said.

We walked mostly in silence, broken by occasional shouts of "Cockleburr!", "Viola?", and "Pooki!". No answers were heard, and as we went, we stopped to check off the path. It was during one of these investigations that Celeste stepped into a pit.

"Oh," she managed, as the grate retreated and the ground caved in.

Allie, on the other hand, was quite vocal. "Aaaaah!" she shouted, lunging wildly for the guest. "Hold on, hold on, hold on! Aah!"

I rushed forward to help as she struggled with Celeste's weight, having just caught her hand as she fell. Celeste took the opportunity to scrabble for a foothold as I reached down and grasped her other arm. Together, we managed to heave her back up. 

"I'm okay," Celeste assured, almost before she was out of the pit. Neither Allie or I let go until she had repeated it a second time and a third and we were more than safely back on solid ground.

"Hisssss," the pit said. Both Allie and Celeste jumped. I walked back and peered cautiously over the edge.

"Snakes."

"Oh, it couldn't have been just any pit," Celeste griped breathlessly. "It had to be a snake pit."

"Hisssss," repeated the pit snakes. 

"They agree!" Allie laughed.  

We took a short rest to recover, and then continued on our way.

"Was there any sign of it?" Allie quizzed, dogging Celeste for clues.  

"No. I don't think so. I wasn't really paying attention."

"No bare patches, or disturbed leaves," Allie prompted. 

"Not that I noticed."

"Pooki!" I shouted. "Cockleburr!"

"Viola!" Celeste joined in. Allie sighed softly and ran a few steps ahead. 

And screamed as she was promptly yanked upwards into the trees.

"Allie!" Celeste cried. 

"Aaaah!"

She was caught in a net, now above our heads and dripping with dead leaves. I looked around and spotted the rope it dangled from. 

"There really was no warning!" Allie exclaimed, having realized she was not in immediate danger of dying. 

"Celeste," I called. "Come hold this."

She hesitated, but ran over to me. I beckoned at the rope.

"Um, okay... Now what?"

In response, I pulled out a knife and started cutting. Strands of hemp snapped and curled, and the rope groaned as Allie tried to spot what Celeste and I were doing. I broke through, and Celeste was jerked up and dragged sideways with a yelp, and Allie fell abruptly downwards with another, halting a few feet above the ground. I made my way back to the path and began sawing through the net.

"Oof!"

She hit the path with a thump in a shower of leaves. A moment later, Celeste came running back. 

"Are you--"

"Yeah, I'm okay," Allie said, waving one hand and using the other to pull leaves out of her hair. I put away my knife.

We took another break, a longer one this time since it was lunch, and then I took a turn walking in the lead. A suspiciously long time passed before I subsequently took my turn in a trap.

It was during another one of our off-path explorations. I simply stepped forward, and suddenly walls were rising up and over my head like a giant Venus flytrap.

"Ah, bugger," I grumbled, and tossed my knife up and out just before the metal teeth closed over me. 

Pounding came from outside. I pounded back, steadily but not frantically. Muffled voices shouted. I couldn't make out what they were saying, so I stood quietly and waited.

And waited.

Just as I was starting to get bored, the walls opened up with a groan and revealed Allie and Celeste's worried faces.

"Are you okay?" they demanded in unison.

"Fine," I said. "May I have my knife back, please?"

Allie held it up and began chattering about how they used it to undo the screws that the trap hinged on. Celeste took it from her and handed it to me. The blade was scratched. I thanked her anyway.

We pressed on until mid-afternoon, but didn't find so much as a shoelace, and so turned around to head back.

That was when the humid air grew suddenly light and the late storm started.

We ran. The rain pelted the ground, muddying the path and reflecting a thousand flickers whenever lightning flashed. I pulled out three tightly folded ponchos and passed two to the guests, putting on the third myself. A pit opened up on the edge of the trail just as we passed it, the hum of angry wasps rising from inside, and Allie was forced to windmill her arms to keep from falling in. 

We slowed our pace soon, now having protection from the rain and extra reason for caution. We were perhaps halfway back when I noticed the hairs on the back of my neck begin to prickle. I looked at Allie and Celeste, but they were both drenched and not paying any attention to me. 

But then Celeste stopped, stepped back a pace, and peered off into the trees.

"I think I saw something move..." she murmured. "Oh! There it is again! Cockleburr? Viola?"

She took off into the woods while Allie and I squinted at the shifting shadows, trying to make out what she had seen. I became faintly aware of a sound like something whirring in the distance.  

Celeste stopped, put her hand on a tree.

Just in time for lightning to strike the rod bound to it. 

Allie cried out. I slammed my eyes shut, too late; the afterimage was burned into my vision. As soon as it began to clear, I stepped carefully forward and found my way to Celeste's crumpled form with Allie behind me. An acrid, burning stench filled the air. She was dead. Singed. A web of veins darkened beneath her skin.

Allie and I made it back to the hotel alive, but without Viola?, Cockleburr, Pooki P or Celeste.

~End of Day 21. Death toll: 29.

Inkling, Eliana, Hibiki Starlight, Rose Bud's Sam, Wildflower, Leeli and Viri of dragons.

Jwyn of a broken neck. 

Agent Winter and MJ of drowning.

Dream of strangling.

Poison of poisoning.

Blue Moon of a Zeamaizock.

Ann of burning.

Byann of crushing.

Secret of hitting.

Hotairballoon of falling.

Darkfeather and Noon of dart venom.

Claaws of smothering. 

Tuxedo Kitten of an arrow.

Sam of bleeding.

Spyro of stabbing.

Aspen of baking.

Shy Peacock of impaling. 

Fireburst of an anvil.

Kate-the-Great of severing.

Pooki P of trapping.

Celeste of electrocuting. 

Honestly, at this point I think it's Summer and/or Sukāretto.

Well, I leave for a week and both me and my AE die. Sigh. However, I wrote a lot of things in my notebook before I died, including a preface warning any CBers or Celeste lucky enough to find my notebook not to let Sukaretto see it.

Alive (or MIA) People List:

Rose bud

Viola?

Allie

Sukaretto

Summer

Cockleburr

All of these people have reason to be suspicious, so right on to the notes:

Breakdown of a suspicious day and massive overall theory:

I've reread day 16. There seems to be a "formatting issue" (unclear if it is purposeful or not) where the first two words of a line don't have a space between them. This phenomenon seems to go on and off, and stop entirely later on. The words Iwill, ThankYou, and isplenty are also without a space on Summer and Sukaretto's note, which is also suspicious, but they don't seem to make any sense. This phenomenon also stops when I tell Viola? and Rose bud that KtG and I are theorizing about the photos. And now, onto the clue at the begginning:

Thetime keep ticking.

Thewind keeps roaring.

Theguests keep dying.

Thekiller keeps hiding. 

Witheach passing second more danger is born- 

Everyrose has a thorn.

This goes back to the clue we recieved earlier, from the photos, "Every rose has a thorn." This phrase is clearly important and we've been assuming that is points to Rose bud, but what if it's more metaphorical than that? What if we're all roses? Guys, I'm beginning to wonder if anybody's innocent.

I just fixed the word spacing.

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