#APTDF

[freezing-kaiju]

A Party To Die For: Part 1

A Fire Emblem Fates horror AU fic

Rating: Possibly Mature? (Violence that will happen later)

Ships: Charlotte/Peri, Beruka/Camilla, Mozu/Nyx, Leo/Niles

written with help from @pupmon1

Greetings, my honored guests. My name is Xander Sumrak. I’m a billionaire by trade. I’ve decided to organize a party. The location? A supposedly haunted manor owned by myself. The guests? My family, of course, and a few others. Only a few of note: An assassin...a detective...and a mistress of the occult. Now...let’s see what fun these can get into.

Nine cars pulled into the driveway of a palatial but somewhat deserted-looking estate. It looked like it had been once impressive in its grandeur, but now, fallen into disrepair and especially in a night as dark as this, it was impressive in a more sinister sense. It looked almost like...well, a haunted house.

The ten guests exited their vehicles and lingered outside, waiting to be escorted inside. The private detective was the first one to open conversation.

“Well, I suppose we should all get acquainted with each other while we wait for the drinks- I mean the host. I’m Niles Edgeworth, P.I. Not sure why I was invited but I’m not complaining.”

A tall, square-jawed man stuck out his hand and shook Niles’s. “Pleased to meet you! I’m Inspector Arthur Pentagast. I’m...not entirely sure why I was invited, either.”

“You’re here because Xander invited you,” a woman with purple hair spoke up, a teal haired woman shadowing behind her.

“Ah! Miss Camilla.” Arthur smiled and saluted with a tip of his had. “So this arrangement was set by your brother?”

Camilla nodded and smiled, though was interrupted by a question by another. “Do you know what he wants?”

Behind Camilla and her bodyguard stood a blonde haired woman in a revealing dress. “No, Charlotte. I don’t know why he’s asked us all here...least of all you.”

Charlotte scoffed. “Well of course we’re both here. I’m a talented actress...and you’re, well, his sister. But that’s not a surprise...that’s what’s gotten you everywhere, isn’t it?”

Camilla growled and her bodyguard stepped forward. “Watch your tongue,” she said simply, staring at Charlotte.

“Beruka. How pleasant to see you here too,” Charlotte said with a smirk, backing away all the same. “Why exactly are you here? A date, perhaps?”

Beruka tensed. “I-I am just her bodyguard.”

Charlotte smirked. “Are you sure? I saw something last month...you were looking pretty comfortable between that redhead and C-” She was silenced by Beruka clamping her hand over her mouth. Charlotte growled and glared at the tealette.

A somewhat childish-looking woman with multichromatic hair entered the fray, smiling, and said, “Ooo, is there a fight happening? Can I join?”

Before a proper fight could truly break out, the doors to the mansion flew open with a bang, a silver haired man in a suit standing in the doorway. A silence fell over the guests as he walked down the steps and bowed towards them.

“Welcome to our manor! Lord Xander awaits you all inside,” he said with a grin.

A young blonde woman with her hair in drills laughed and smiled. “Hey there Jacob. Did Xander tell you to do that?”

Jacob chuckled and stood up straight. “Indeed, lady Elise, he did.” He nodded to Leo and Camilla, then walked over to the door and held it open. Everyone filed in.

“...we shouldn’t be here…” a small dark haired woman muttered as she entered the door, accompanied by a chubby, shy-looking brunette. “There are spirits here...angry ones…”

Leo paused and glanced back at the woman, sneering a little. “Oh...you must be the ...specialist Xander mentioned. I assure you there are no spirits here. Spirits don’t exist.”

Nyx gritted her teeth. “...that’s what everyone says...but oh, you’ll believe...”

Leo chuckled condescendingly. “Oh, I look forward to it.”

A few minutes later, the party arrived at a spacious dining room, with several dishes set out, an open bar, and a large set of ornate double doors in the back of the room. Jakob and two maids, one with pink hair and the other with blue, directed every guest to their assigned seats but warned everyone not to start eating until the host arrived. Outside, a thunderstorm had begun to gather as the sky darkened.

Three, five, ten minutes passed of absolutely nothing. One of the maids, Flora, appeared to be counting the flashes of lightning.

Suddenly, as a huge thunderclap sounded and Nyx jumped like a scared cat, the double doors crashed open, and Xander strode dramatically into the room. He had a well-kept handlebar moustache and a very finely-tailored black suit, with gold and burgundy around the linings.

“Greetings, my honored guests!” Xander announced with a deep bow. “I am your humble host, Xander Sumrak. And this..well, it isn’t my humble abode, but I do own this place. Make yourselves comfortable...but be cautious. For there are other, more permanent residents of this manor...which I have invited Nyx and her friend to explain.” He inclined his head towards her, and Nyx stood up on her chair, giving herself the appropriate dramatic height.

“I advise that everybody either leave immediately or try your hardest to maintain a pleasant aura,” she began. “There are several spirits here...and they’re dangerous. If we get angry, they will pick up on that...and you do not under any circumstances want to make the spirits angry.”

An uncomfortable silence fell over the dining room, broken slightly by Leo scoffing under his breath.

Then Xander clapped his hands together. “An excellent warning. I suggest you all heed it if you want to earn your money.”

“Money?” Charlotte interjected. “There’s money in this?”

“But of course. Ten thousand dollars, for each of you...if you stay in the house until 8 o'clock AM. If any of you should die, their take will be split amongst the rest. If I should die, the money will be paid by my estate. So try to survive.” He chuckled. “Now, i’m sure we’re all hungry, so let’s have dinner before we get ghost-hunting.”

Quite soon, the dishes were out and the liquor was flowing. Charlotte, leaning on the bar and finishing up her fourth Manhattan, felt ready for some conversation and began surveying the room.

On the far end of the table, Arthur and Niles were discussing prior cases of theirs. Dangerous subject, best to avoid it. Camilla was busy persuading her “bodyguard” to have a drink or two; Charlotte had never seen her drunk, this could be very fun.  Leo and Nyx were arguing about the possibility of ghosts, as expected from a man of science and a woman of superstition. Nyx was being backed up by the small woman that shyly introduced herself as Mozu, a friend of Nyx’s. They had just gotten onto the subject of whether ectoplasm was a legitimate thing or a hoax. An interesting topic, but Charlotte wasn’t here to make enemies, so she moved on. Elise and Xander were just exchanging random small talk, nothing interesting.

Then she noticed that girl with the weird multicolored hair...Peri, her name was Peri. She had a kinda lonely look in her eyes...and she was playing with a knife. No, not playing with it, not really, more...practicing. She was making subtle cuts in midair, and Charlotte could almost see the locations. Artery on the right arm. Wrist tendon. Small of the back. This girl had some experience...and excellent muscle memory.

She sat down in the chair next to Peri, making sure to lean away from the whirling knife.

“‘scuse meh?”

Peri turned and paused her practice. “Huh?”

“Yer very good wit’ dat knife.”

Peri grinned. “Aw, thanks! I use it a lot. It’s pretty good for stabbing people.”

Charlotte usually would pretend to be horrified by such a statement, but in her inebriated state she was merely intrigued. “Ah yeah, I don’t re’ly use knives meh’self. Guns ’re cleaner n’ axes ’re mer fun, but I keep un’ ‘round. ‘S a swiss army knife, good fer breakin’ inta...inta... s’uff.”

“Ooo, I like axes too! One big slice and WHAM!” She giggled. “So much blood...it’s wonderful!”

“Yeah...s’good. Ya do guns? Er mer o’ a melee ‘irl?”

“Oh, I hate guns. Never enough blood.”

“Yeah, I getcha on dat un’...kinda pai’ fer na’ a loda blood doh, too bad. Ya get pai’ fer it er da ya just kill fer fun?”

“For fun, silly! If it was my job, I’d have to follow rules, and that’s no fun! Plus, I’ve got enough money already.”

“Ya rish?’

Peri shrugged. “I guess so.”

“Das cool...’splains why yer here...I dunno why i’m here, prob’ly jus’ this rish fuck picked some names outta th’ phone book...”

“Dunno. My daddy said he’s a family friend so I gotta come. I’ve got better things to do but I guess this is fun!”

“Yeah...” Charlotte looked at Peri’s glass and frowned. “How come yer not drinkin’ anythin’? Das jus’...soda?”

“Yup. I don’t drink. It tastes weird.”

“Suit yerself,” Charlotte said, sipping another Manhattan. She was vaguely aware of several of the other partygoers giving her and Peri weird looks and backing away a bit, but she didn’t really give a shit. However, she noticed a certain set of prying eyes missing...

“...where da fuck is Xander?”

The conversation in the room all stopped. Everyone looked to the head of the table. The ornate chair that the host occupied was...empty.

“Lord Xander? Sir? Where are you?”

“Big brother! Where’d you go?”

Jakob and Xander’s siblings were instantly on high alert. They all stood up and started looking around.

“It’s possible he just went to the bathroom or out to get some fresh air...” Leo pointed out.

Camilla chuckled weakly. “Xander? Not without telling us. He’d announce it to the room if he so much as got up to use the bathroom.”

Jakob picked up a candelabra. “It is my duty to ensure his safety. This mansion is a maze, even if he just wandered off he could get lost, or worse. Anyone willing to assist me?”

The siblings immediately stood up, Beruka doing the same, although she was swaying slightly and clinging to Camilla. “He’s family,” Leo said simply.

Niles got to his feet as well. “A case, eh? Might be fun...not doing this pro bono but hey, i suppose that 10k could count as my fee...”

Arthur jumped to his feet as well and boomed, “As a duly appointed officer of the law, it is my sworn duty to protect and serve...so of course I’ll help!”

“...none of you can help him...” Nyx hissed softly. “...they have him now...and soon they’ll have you...”

“Thanks, Morticia...” Charlotte mumbled.

About an hour later, everyone was gathered in the foyer after searching the house. Jakob, the siblings, and Beruka were somewhat out of breath, though Niles and Arthur seemed to still have plenty of energy. Charlotte, Peri, and Mozu were just sort of chatting and lounging, and Nyx appeared to be preparing some sort of ritual, muttering under her breath.

“Well, we couldn’t find sir anywhere.” Jakob announced, hanging his head. “I don’t know where he possibly could have gone...”

Everyone stood around, contemplating the situation.Then Elise had an idea. Jumping up and down with excitement, she exclaimed, “Oh! Oh! I know! What if this spooky place has secret passages? Y’know, like on those Scooby-Doo cartoons we used to watch when we were kids?”

Leo dismissed this with a wave of his hand. “Couldn’t work. That’s a cartoon, Elise. This is real life. Real people don’t build secret passageways unless they’re smuggling narcotics.”

“Aww...” Elise said, dejected.

“The ghosts took him...” Nyx muttered, turning away from the candles she was setting up and toppling one over.

“Yeah, yeah,” Leo responded, “Believe whatever crazy shit you want...”

“It’s real though...the ghosts...I can feel them...like a swarm of wasps...and that’s what I’m trying to do. Placate them before one of us pushes the hive too hard and they all come swarming out...” Nyx gestured to the candles and incenses she was arranging.

“Tch...whatever, I’m going to the library,” Leo said simply before stepping into the next room.

Nyx shook her head and grabbed a circular rug from a corner, carefully straightening it out. “This will do for a marker. Mozu.” Mozu looked up when Nyx pointed at her. “Come help me. Place these four candles at the tip of the cardinal directions, starting at north and moving clockwise.”

Mozu grabbed two of the candles and blinked in confusion. “Ah...what direction are those?”

Nyx sighed and pointed in front of her. “That’s north. Move from there.”

Mozu carefully nodded and put the candles down, making sure everything was straight as Nyx lightly sets the incense alight. She then crossed her legs and started chanting. She started rocking back and forth as she chanted...and the lights even started flickering as she chanted. Charlotte was amazed by what was going on...maybe there was something to what Nyx was saying...or maybe not. Nyx shifted positions, the rug moved from under her...and the couch caught on fire when one of the candles was knocked over.

Mozu and Arthur rushed forward to put out the flames, and Nyx sunk to the ground, expression miserable and hopeless.

“It didn’t work...” she groaned. “Something went wrong...we’re all going to die in here.”

“Now that’s just nonsense,” Niles scoffed, “Right, doc?” He expected Leo to agree and launch into some diatribe about science and chemistry...but there was no reply. He turned around. “Doc? Leo?”

“I saw him go inta th’ library,” Mozu pointed out as she helped Nyx to her feet. To Nyx, she whispered, “It’s okay. Y’all did yer best, right? C’mon. Nobody’s gon’ die here.”

Niles got up and strode over to the library door, Camilla and Elise following him.

The library was a grand, if somewhat gloomy room. The high ceiling let many tall bookshelves be stored here, packed with undoubtedly interesting tomes. But there was one key element missing. Leo. He was nowhere to be seen. And there was no other way out of the great library.

“Doc? Are you in here? ...Leo? LEOOOO!” Niles called out as he searched the library...fruitlessly. Leo, like Xander, had simply...vanished.

“I...think Nyx might be correct.”