Castle Caper Part 3

As soon as the girls all regrouped in the main room of the castle, Emeri filled Serika and Madoka in on the plan.

“Seriously? That’s the plan?” Serika asked.

“Time is of the essence. We aren’t here for fun anyway. Besides, that bitch merely tasked us with finding a key, so I assume she’s got more in store for us,” Emeri growled.

“But it feels wrong to do this to the staff,” Madoka pouted.

“We have no choice. I get how you feel, but we’re not here to enjoy the murder mystery,” Yuni sighed.

...

All the staff and guests gathered in the main room as the lead detective called the girls to the front.

“I will now reveal who murdered the count’s daughter. It was the count himself,” Emeri stated as she pointed towards the count.

“ME!?”

“Yes, we found the murder weapon along with your bloody cloak,” Emeri stated as Serika walked up and displayed the dagger and cloak.

The count’s face went pale as the staff began whispering amongst themselves.

“That isn’t-“

“You decided to murder your daughter after finding out she had fallen in love with a young tailor. You had already promised her hand in marriage to the duke of a foreign land for your own personal gain. Therefore, murdering her would solve all your problems in one fell swoop.”

The detective then examined the cloak and dagger before whispering into Emeri’s ear. “Um, where exactly did you find these?” he asked breaking character.

“The murderer hid these in a hidden tower with the hopes that no-“

“I confess! I killed her!” the count cried.

“It seems these fine ladies have done it. Thank you all for your help. Please make your way outside while Scotland yard cleans up. Oh, and a word with the fine ladies, you deserve a prize for your brilliant sleuthing,” the detective said.

Once everyone else had left, the detective and count broke character.

“These aren’t the murder weapons made for the game, but you claim to have found them in a tower?” the count asked.

“Yes, it was in the highest tower that could only be reached via an elevator from the underground dock. There was also a hidden room along with some staff members dressed as ghouls trying to kill us,” Emeri stated.

“What are you talking about? There is no elevator down in the dock. Plus these ghosts, was one a bloody girl and one a man?”

“Yes.”

The count and detective went pale.

“Those are said to be the ghosts of Jack the ripper and the original woman that was murdered here.”

“Nah, they had a taser and I beat em up,” Serika smirked.

“I- I see.”

“Say, do you guys know about a key?”

“No, though two maintenance workers that arrived this morning said that they found this small lock box,” the count said as he pulled out a small lock box from a cabinet.

Emeri then entered the numbers on the back of the knife, unlocking the box. Inside, was a small modern key.

“I guess this is your prize, feel free to keep it along with the lock box, cloak, and dagger. They aren’t part of the game,” the detective said.

The girls left with their prizes and stood outside the castle gates.

“Looks like the bitch is nowhere in sight. I guess we have to figure out where to go next on our own,” Serika groaned.

"It still feels a bit cheap that we looked up the answer for the mystery online," Madoka pouted.

"We didn't have a choice. Though, hopefully this bought us some time," Emeri stated.

“Hold up, There’s some freshly torn areas on the cloak. Though, the tears look odd. Hey Emeri, do you have an app that can identify rips and tears?” Yuni asked.

“Not really, but I’ll try whipping something up.”

Within a few short minutes, Emeri successfully contstucted an app that was able to reveal that the cloak was likely torn by a gear. And the one place in London known to have massive gears, was Big Ben.

...

As the girls made their way to Big Ben, they ran into Tetsuka.

“Doka! There you guys are! Bad news! Those shitty twins have taken Ka-san,” Tetsuka panted.

“Tetsuka nee-san? But-“

“No time!” Tetsuka shouted as she scooped up Emeri and ran off with Madoka in tow.

“That was weird. She looked like she was physically straining herself,” Serika scowled.

“What do you mean?” asked Yuni

“Back in Venice, she didn’t look like she broke a sweat both during the carnival and when she saved us from the pizza place. Plus she’s strong. Why would she grab someone like Emeri to help her save her mother?”

“Maybe she needs a hacker?”

“She’d probably just eat through it. Besides, she called out for Madoka.”

“You sure you got time to be standing around?” a male voice rang out.

The girls turned to see the ghouls from the castle. Their makeup had washed off and they were covered in bandages and limping.

“At midnight, your friend will die. That’s the message Madam Melinda. told us to tell you,” the woman stated.

“Oh good, you two were with her. Thanks for making things clear. Serika, finish the job,” Yuni smirked.

“Don’t order me around!” Serika growled as she kicked the two goons, sending them crashing into a wall.

“Not a bad kick, though Madoka’s is stronger.”

“I’ve been exercising.”

...

After gaining some distance, Tetsuka suddenly hurled Emeri into a truck.

“I knew you weren’t Tetsuka-nee san,” Madoka glared.

"Tetsuka" grinned and ripped off her disguise, revealing herself to be an Illumous goon. “Damn that bitch for making me play this role,” she huffed as the truck drove away.

“Tetsuka nee-chan too strong for you to mimic?”

“Yes, I’m going past my limits just to mimic her. Even then, it still doesn’t feel right.”

“Probably because you'll never be able to mimic her perfectly,” Madoka smirked as she kicked the goon in the face at full force, sending her flying into a building before chasing after the truck.

Meanwhile, Yuni and Serika made their way to Big Ben.

“Knowing that bitch, Eriza’s probably imprisoned at the top,” Yuni theorized.

"Assuming she's arrived here before us. Now let’s move,” Serika grumbled as she busted down the door.

“We have a key."

“I doubt it’s for this door, and why are you still carrying all that stuff from the castle?” Serika asked.

“It might come in handy. You never know what we might be able to do with them.

The two quickly made their way up the stairs, eventually reaching the top of Big Ben. They went towards a window and looked down to see Eriza bound and gagged to the minute hand.

“I bet the ropes holding her will break when the hands overlap at midnight,” Serika stated.

Yuni then noticed a scaffold used to access the clock face. Serika hopped on the scaffold and lowered herself towards Eriza. It was a little windy, but she managed to free Eriza and get back up safely with her.

“Looks like she’s fine, though I’m a little cold,” Yuni shivered as she wrapped herself in the cloak.

"Guess the cardigan isn't enough. Well, we are high up too. Guess I'll warm you up," Serika grumbled as she embraced Yuni in a hug.

Yuni smiled, but suddenly felt a sharp pain in her back. She slowly turned to see Eriza twisting a knife into her back. She fell to the ground instantly as Serika stood in horror as her heart began beating faster.

"YOU FAILED! LOSERS!" "Eriza" sneered as she ripped off her mask, revealing herself to be Melinda.

“BULLSHIT! WHY IS IT YOU!?” Serika screamed.

“Did the hints NOT tell you? The key to saving Eriza was where the key was found. It was found in a metal box, yes? I imagine Madoka Ginkawa witnessed Emeri Ginkawa being thrown into a large metal truck. Those guess to be fair, you got lucky. Poor Madoka and Emeri are gonna be slaughtered by Eriza. And as for you, Grampy, or should I say, Daddy, is comin to get ya."

“THE HELL!?”

“Akuma Ookuma will be arriving here shortly. As for this idiot, I think I’ll toss her down.”

Rage consumed Serika as she charged at Melinda at top speed and tackled her. However, Melinda pulled out a small dart and stabbed Serika with it, causing Serika to go limp and allow Melinda to throw her off her.

"Don't worry. That shit works instantly, so you'll be stuck watching your little sister's corpse go splitty splat," Melinda sneered as she stumbled over towards Yuni. "Hmm? Did you move a bit? Well, I guess you’re still grasping for life,” Melinda sneered as she grabbed the cloak.

...

In the truck, Madoka glared as she stood face to face with an emotionless Eriza, holding a bloodied Emeri up in the air. "P- Per orders... She die."

Time began to slow for Emeri as Eriza pulled back her fist.