Macabre Memoir of Morbid Mermaids

Macabre Memoir of Morbid Mermaids is one of the playable mystery that can be carried out in order to bring the player closer to defeating the Old God of their playthrough.

## Introduction

*"The janitor was obsessed with mermaids.*

*He's collected every scrap of the legend about them in the school basement.*

*Now, his mind has snapped.*

*He's decided it's time to make his own, using the upper bodies of students as materials."*

## Side Quest: Mermaid Sighting

Side Quest: Investigate the seaside 2 times.

Completing this side quest will award you with the "[THOROUGH INVESTIGATION]" reward, which will give you 15 EXP at the end of the mystery. However, besides this post-mystery reward, there seems to be no other benefit or change to the story from completing this side quest.

*"You may be going crazy, but you can swear something is watching you from the sea."*

(-1 REASON)

## Progression

* *"There's one thing everyone at the school is talking about. Another girl from your area has gone missing. Could there be anything connecting all the missing people? I should investigate DOWNTOWN next "*(Investigate *DOWNTOWN*)

* "Asking around neighborhood got you /some/ results. It seems they all attended the same school."(Investigate SCHOOL)

* "All missing girls were members of the swimming team. Maybe someone saw the kidnapper stalking them ?"(Investigate SCHOOL)
* You find a notebook containing handwritten and detailed notes about the swimming club itself and... mermaids ?(Investigate MORBID SCHOOL, a special location only show event FISH HEADS.)

### Fish heads

*"A nauseating stench stops you. Someone has scattered rotting fish guts everywhere and hung up countless fish heads.*

*You cover your mouth as you slowly retreat. A vast flock of seagulls outside viciously attack the windows."*

(-1 STAMINA/ -1 REASON)

Available option:

\_\_**resolve this event\_\_**

* "Whoever the kidnapper may be, they seem to be really obsessed about mermaids. Inside the science lab, you find a plan of the town's sewer system. Someone has marked a path leading from the sea, directly to the school building."(Investigate *DOWNTOWN*)
* "There's something wrong here. A weird apathy has seem to infect every adult you ask for help. You will have to deal with it alone"(Investigate *DOWNTOWN*)
* "You compare the sewer plan with school map and it suddenly dawns on you. School basement ! That must be the place the kidnapper is keeping missing swimmers !"(Investigate SCHOOL)
* There is no turning back now. God, let's hope she is alright(Investigate Target Location:MORBID SCHOOL)

### School Basement

*"You bust through the door to the janitorial closet but it's already too late."*

*"The latest missing girl is lying on a dirty mattress, The upper part at least"*

*"A tail of a fish has been crudely sewed in place of her legs"*

*"‘She was too weak and died’ you hear the mad janitor say, He looks you up and down. '...maybe you'll do.’*"'

Available options:

### PREPARE YOURSELF

The player character will fight the Mad Janitor. Upon his defeat, the "Morbid Discovery" event will play. Additionally, there are two STORY ACTIONs during the battle **(TOPPLE A LAMP or FORCE MANHOLE OPEN)**, the screen will enter either the **"FIRE AND WATER"** or **"MERMAID IN A MANHOLE"** event.

STORY ACTION **"FORCE MANHOLE OPEN(with no tool)"** requires up to 6 rounds to finish it, while **"FORCE MANHOLE OPEN(with tool)"** requires up to 3 rounds to finish it. Having the Crowbar or Monkey Wrench equipped in Slot A allows for the "FORCE MANHOLE OPEN (with tool)" to be used.

### DISTRACT HIM

Available if the player character is afflicted by the Insmasu Look, selecting this option will show the "Insmasu Look" event.

### NOTICE HIS FACE (Available in Timeline B)

*"'I... I'm sso lonely...' he stammers, taking a step forward. 'For yearss... I've dealt with thiss... void inside me...' (another step forward) 'Each night I dream about a city underwater... I realissed... that's where I truly belong...' (and another) 'Let me take you there...'*

*(ALLY) takes a step back. 'Don't even look at me like that! I'm not going anywhere'*

* AGREE
* SEND AN ALLY INSTEAD (Proceed to IN TOO DEEP (II))

### Morbid Discovery

*"MAD JANITORS* body slumps *to the floor."*

*"You pick up his axe and using it as crutch, you try to leave the room.*

*Injured and weakened, you slowly lose consciousness on school corridor..."*

Available option:

* CONTINUE

You will be shown the Ending A.

### MERMAID IN A MANHOLE

*"To your horror , a scaly hand reaches from the opened manhole and pulls the screaming janitor inside. Silence.*

*After a few seconds that feel like eternity, a grotesque half-human,half-fish thing slowly emerges takes a long look at the mutilated corpse and sighs.*

*’He had a good idea about the two halves...' it croaks.*

*’but the fish should be on top.’ "*

Available option:

* CONTINUE

You will be shown the Ending B.

### FIRE AND WATER

*"Suddenly, the mutilated girl moans quietly and twitches. The fishtail causes the lamp to fall and break, getting the chemicals.*

*MAD JANITOR catches fire and starts screaming terribly. You try to avoid him thrashing around the room, setting everything on fire.*

*Thick smoke and the smell of burning flesh makes you feel weak."*

Available option:

* CONTINUE

Ending C.

### Insmasu Look

*"MAD JANITOR is stepping over the body when he suddenly stops , noticing your mutation"*

*"'t-the gills... you are the one I've been looking through all my life...'"*

*"He falls on his knees and raises hand, not noticing movement behind him..."*

Available option:

* CONTINUE

The "Insmasu Curse" event will play.

### Insmasu Curse

*"The girl suddenly springs to life! With a deafening shriek, she jumps on the hypnotized JANITOR and start choking him!"*

*"His last words chill you to your bone..."*

*"'THE*

*SEA*

*WILL*

*CLAIM*

*YOU*

*BACK'"*

You will be shown Ending D

#### IN TOO DEEP (II)

*You push your surprised ally right into the embracing arms of the janitor. Before they can say anything, the fishman open his mouth revealing two rows of sharp shark-like teeth. He bites your follower in the neck, almost decapitating them in the process.*

*You're too shocked to do anything! 'This will do...' he says, smiling and opening up the manhole.*

*'...for now.'*

* PASS OUT (You will be shown Ending E)

## Endings

### Ending A: MORBID DISCOVERY

*"Police officers find you a few hours later. No trace of the mad janitor is found, but you will sleep a little bit better tonight knowing that the other students are safe."*

This ending gives the player the Mad Janitor's Fire axe.

When the player character is Aiko, you will also get the Achievement "**THIS IS FOR MY FRIENDS"**.

### Ending B: MERMAID IN A MANHOLE

*"Police officers find you a few hours later. No trace of the mad janitor is found, but you will sleep a little bit better tonight knowing that the other students are safe."*

This bonus ending is achieved by selecting combat action "**FORCE MANHOLE OPEN**" in Mad Janitor Combat.

### Ending C: FIRE AND WATER

*"You are rescued by the firemen, trying to contain the fire.*

*No trace of the mad janitor is found, and no one believes your story, but you will sleep a little bit better tonight knowing that the other students are safe"*

This ending is achieved by selecting the **"TOPPLE A LAMP"** option in combat with the Mad Janitor. This will instantly end the combat, but will also give the player the Burn injury. Additionally, this ending gives the school the unique "SCHOOL BURNED DOWN" status; you will no longer be able to recruit student allies during this playthrough, and the Scissor Woman takes on her Burned appearance during the Spine-Chilling Story of School Scissors mystery.

Getting this ending will give you the **"NEED NO EDUCATION"** Achievement.

### Ending D: INSMASU CURSE

*"Police officers find you a few hours later. No trace of the mad janitor is found, but you will sleep a little bit better tonight knowing that the other students are safe.*

*"Words of the janitor echo in your head. Now, you can‘t help but shudder hearing the sound of waves crashing on the beach.. and the sounds of something coming out of the water..."*

This bonus ending is achieved by selecting "DISTRACT HIM" from School Basement.

### Ending E: LONELY FISHMAN

*"Was the talk about the underwater city just an excuse of a crazed serial killer or did the janitor really believe in the mermaid city located somewhere deep under the waves?*

*Whatever's the case, you really should see a dermatologist about your skin allergy. With each day, it starts to look more and more like... fish scales..."*

This ending is only available in Timeline B.

## Trivia

* This scenario is inspired by the Japanese horror film *Mermaid in a Manhole* (1988), which is part of controversial film series *Guinea Pig* . In the film, an obsessed artist encounters a mermaid that he had met as a child, and takes her to live in his bathtub at home. However, the mermaid is suffering from an infection of parasitic worms, and as her condition worsens her skin starts to rot. She begs the artist to put her out of her misery, and he obliges, stabbing her to death before using the blood and pus from the wounds to paint her portrait. The artist is later convicted of murder; it is implied the mermaid was a hallucination, and the woman he killed was his wife as she laid dying of stomach cancer.
	+ The inspiration has been confirmed by the developer on twitter.

## References

1. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinea\_Pig\_(film\_series)#CITEREFHarper2009
2. ↑ https://twitter.com/panstasz/status/1210605202765692929?lang=en