• 1-Preface
• 2-A Solemn Oath
• 3-Under Solemn Skies
• 4-Nature Revealed
• 5-In Earnest
• 6-Capture
• 7-Unspeakables
• 8-Magic Gathers

Warning: From here on out, things get ugly. Proceed at your own risk.

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Day 3: The black moon is cresting.

Once again, the nature of the game had changed. What had happened was never a secret. Now, when the combantants exited their respective domiciles, even just to have a look around, they were escorted by their own troops. It was a balancing act: you couldn't go with too little protection, but the more troops that left the relative safety of your sanctum, the more risk you stood. One didn't need to be a rocket scientist to figure out that losing your whole brigade was going to bring unfriendly visitors.

The logical first step was obvious. Find out what had happened to Yuffie's fort. Most people were simply interested in the admittedly useful information - after all, the game didn't here. Certain others also had a specific interest in seeing whether the slaughter of Yuffie's remaining troops, still estimated at over six hundred, would be ripe for picking off. By now, more than one heroine had noticed a certain relationship between the seventh floor glow and prowess in combat.

The short answer as to what had happened was 'nothing'. Though this wouldn't be strictly accurate. Albel, the most ambitious in examination, simply bumped up against an invisible barrier surrounding the complex. "Lame." Similar conclusions were reached by most of the other visitors.

Cid awoke with a pounding headache. The last one he remembered this bad was when he sold that maxed-out All materia in Costa del Sol and woke up four days later with 8 gil left. It was at about this point where he realized that he couldn't see anything. Initial panic soon faded as he realized it was simply a blindfold, and that his vision wasn't gone.

Somewhat more panic when he realized that he couldn't move any of his limbs, however. Metal restraints tend to do that to a person. Cid made a conscious decision not to yell. He was by no means ready for attention.

He couldn't have known it, but his comrade-in-arms, Yuffie, was less than two meters away, in the same position. A viewer - such as Rikku, Auron, and Yuna were currently - could have seen that both of them were restrained, with a certain degree of skill, though in separate ways. Cid was simply bound to a wall, while Yuffie received a more deluxe treatment on the conveniently provided wooden horse, complete with the season's accessories of ball gag and handcuffs.

Yuna grimaced at Yuffie's slumped-over, unconscious figure. "I'm leaving." Rikku giggled. "Suit yourself. You're caught up in this web just as much as I am. I would've thought you'd have wanted to be in on the show!" "Look, be merciful about it. Just kill them now. That's where they'll end up anyhow."

Rikku sidled over to her former best friend, former lover, former partner. That was a different world. This was now reality. There was now turning back. Draping her lithe, flexible form over Yuna's back, she whispered softly: "But that's just no fun, Yunie. More practically, there are hundreds of troops still locked up in there...if she breaks to my will...are those mine? I just don't have a choice, you see?"

A shudder ran through Yuna's body, and she fled from the room. Rikku chuckled again. "Some people...if on the path to greatness, one must break a few eggs, on the path to divinity, a few souls are mere trifles." Turning her attention back to the matter at hand, she gestured at Auron. "Wake her up. It's time."

Yuffie shook her head as life slowly returned to her enfeebled senses. Seconds later, there was an attempt at a muffled scream as she realized that she couldn't move her hands nor legs, the latter which were bent uncomfortably wide around the wooden horse, which was pushing up into her crotch, providing a nonstop tingling sensation. Vision suddenly crystallized into two figures standing in front of her. "Ugh."

"More respect, please." Rikku continued: "Now, this can be easy. Or it can be incredibly, agonizingly difficult. Your choice. Hand over your remaining troops now and I'll take you to the 'final two' with me, as it were." The prisoner was silent. "Why not? Do you think there's a rescue coming? Even if I'm offed - which isn't going to happen - you'll still be in the same position, just with someone else in front of you."

Yuffie remained silent. She knew she had to hold out. Cid would be counting on that.

Rikku giggled again. "Ah well. I didn't think it would be that easy. Well, I'm not complaining!" Jumping into the air with her trademark twirl, Rikku's eyes gleamed in the depth of the torch-lit dungeon.

Day 3: The black moon is fading.

Etna surveyed the battlefield from her tower above. Hers had been the only military move of the day. Dagger had ventured from her sanctum to visit Yuffie's now-isloated keep with fifty of her miniature Alexanders. She and Laharl had taken thrice that in demons and attempted an ambush, but those white protectors stood their ground and fought fiercely, inflicting 34 casualties on Etna's forces while losing 32 of their own number, despite being outnumbered 3-1. Although on the verge of eliminating the remaining guards, Etna had hurriedly withdrawn the field when she saw the veritable flood of reinforcements pouring out, Zidane at their head. It was too early to take such a risk, and a fight of such nature would've left both their forces in shambles.

The wait for the white moon was on. Had Etna been in the right place, perhaps even her demon-blood may have run cold.

Rikku, a sadistic grin across her formerly cute features, stood before the wooden horse, still proudly bearing its load. The walls had long since been imprinted with screams. She flicked some spatters of blood from her face. It had almost cooled - it had been more than an hour since the barbed whip had been used. She'd also had to sedate Cid, heavily: Rikku had been honestly worried that he'd manage to tear himself out of his restraints.

She looked down at Yuffie, passed out. Now fully naked, her small, pert breasts flopped lifelessly, scored by vicious, bleeding whip marks that extended almost all the way up to her neck. Her short black hair was ragged at the back, where it had been temporarily lit on fire. Twice. Four of her toenails had been forcibly pulled off. Rikku paused for a second, thinking. How many times has she passed out? She shrugged. She'd lost count a while back.

She tapped her foot impatiently. She'd asked for water. Prisoners didn't wake themselves up. And it was no good to torture an unconscious person...well, except for the fun of it, of course. She'd asked Auron if he'd like some time with her - in her role, sexually, or otherwise - but he'd coldly turned her down. "I wonder why...", she mused out loud. The sound of sloshing water interrupted her as an invisible servant set a bucket of icy water on the blood-spattered stone.

Rikku picked up the bucket, chuckling. "Plenty of salt, right?" Without waiting for a reply that could never be delivered, she rudely poured the mixture over the helpless ninja, with specific attention paid to those whip marks. She didn't know much chemistry, but she was pretty sure that there was an old proverb about 'salt in wounds'.

Only the horrified walls bore witness to a new succession of unearthly screams.

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Statistics: Troops/Kills

Dagger: 968/34

Etna: 946/47

Femme: 912/98

Maria: 958/74

Monica: 925/44

Nel: 974/60

Rikku: 830/350

Rinoa: 938/26

Yuffie: 636/206

Yuna: 956/18