[The video clicks on, showing a clearly worn out Jade Strider, with a small handful of bleeding scratches and some burn marks on her face, and for once completely lacking her "cool kid" composure. She's breathing heavily and obviously panicked, but compared to John Lalonde it looks like she got off easy-- in the background he can be seen leaning over some pile of debris near two chairs, his face reduced to a bloody and battered mess from an explosion. Both of them seem to have an extra collar on under their colored collars, linked by chains to a strange box on the ceiling of the Library.
When she started talking, it was hurried and rushed, and she sounded like she was about to cry.]

H-Hey-- the fucking bomb just-- blew the fuck up in John's f-face and there's metal and shit in his face and it's all fucked up and we ne--!

[Her sentence was cut short with the sound of a "snap," the chain suddenly retracting on both ends, violently pulling John away from the bomb's remains and Jade away from the computer terminal.

Given the way both of their bodies were now hanging limply from the ceiling, that "snap" wasn't just the sound of the mechanisms.

After a minute or so of that image, someone enters the screen. She looks similar to a popular movie icon, if anyone into horror movies are watching, but just a little more terrifying. She smiles, waving a wooden hand at the camera, before switching the feed off.]

i see the network is working properly again!
good, good. that makes this easier.
i want to play a game, my fellow tower mates.
do you think you can survive any better than these two?
it's a shame they couldn't follow the rules, isn't it?
hee hee hee.
i hope you all are ready.
oh, before i go, if anyone needs candy there's plenty to be found in the library!
i'm sure they won't be needing it.
:)

Hello everyone! In love with a girl, but don't know how to ask her out? Need to pick the right type of flowers for her? Having some relationship troubles?

Don't worry! Rei and I, Tohko Amano, have set up relationship advice mailboxes on floor three, sixteen, two, one, nineteen, and the dorm floors! Toss us a letter, and we'll help solve your problem!

If anyone wishes to help us with the mailboxes, please contact both Rei and me.

Find love today! Drop us a letter!

Has anyone else noticed that monsters aren't dropping candy?

[Any reply will have a delayed response. It's not just monsters that stalk the floors now after all.]

[The video feed flicks on to a visibly unnerved Gilbert, eyes wide and breathing heavily.]

M-man, I just wanted to figure out how to work this network thing, and what's the first thing I see? There's this girl in front of the monitor and she looks really banged up... then suddenly BAM! Something pulls her back and she's hanging from the ceiling! And I mean hanging in the executed sense, not just dangling there! Then this other girl shows up and is talking all freaky about playing a game and- and-

WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST WATCH?! No, it was an execution. That's what I watched. [It's not like he hasn't seen those before, but this was just... something else. He'd never seen kids kill each other like that, even with all the killing he's seen over the centuries.]

God damn. This place is messed up. And there's no way out, is there? Or some of you would have taken it already, right? Dammit!

[He looks from side to side, as if someone might be watching.] Y'know what? I'm going to do something weird. If you think you're in danger, let me know and I'll protect you. I've got a sword, after all.

[Suddenly, shuffling footsteps can be heard from offscreen...] Wait... oh god, there's something here! Shit! [An Imp as described in the bestiary appears from the side just as Gilbert turns the feed off...]

[It's a very unsure and uneasy Luke that appears on the network today, keeping a firm grip on his stupid helmet so people could see his face. He squirmed uncomfortably, not used to this sort of thing.]

H-hey... guys? I wanna say something.

[He swallowed hard, trying to think. C'mon, Luke, you're supposed to be an ambassador of Kimlasca. It's about time you started acting like it. Just... what would Natalia say in a situation like this? She'd probably be really honest about what's happening... and try to be encouraging. It was hard to be encouraging when the situation was so overwhelming, but...]

The monsters aren't dropping candy anymore, and I haven't been able to find any around the Tower either. I think Ruana changed the rules again... I think the only candy that's in the Tower is what's in our buckets, which means she wants us to fight against each other to survive.

[He paused for a breath, before trying to look as determined as he could.]

But that doesn't mean we have to give in to what she wants! If we work together, we should be able to find a way to survive.

Those of us that are still alive... we need to get together, pool our resources as best we can. The ones that were lucky enough not to end up in a costume should help too; I know you might feel that you don't need to, but we all need to work together to survive in this place.

[He held up a fist, trying to look pumped despite how much his stomach was doing flip-flops.]

I'm confident we can get through this if we can all work together. We should all meet up... the cafeteria would be a good place. Let's get together and brainstorm how we're going to get through this, together.

[Luke let out a breath, before cutting the video. Did that sound like something a leader would say? He wasn't sure... he hoped so.]