THIRD TRIAL

[bathymetric]

[ Two bodies this week. As a result, it's a little longer before Mayor Fontaine's voice calls out over the loudspeakers. ]

All right, that'll do, all of you. Get to the bathyspheres. Trial time.

[ There's fewer bathyspheres this week, aren't there? It's starting to get really noticeable. One by one, alone or in pairs, you descend into the depths. The bottom of the seafloor, a place no human life was meant to travel to unassisted. It's dark, until it isn't, the same bio-luminescent slugs as before lighting up the area and revealing the great glass dome in which the trial takes place.

Within, three more podiums have gone dark. They remain empty as you all gather around into the circle.

The projector clicks on, and you see the silhouette of Mayor Fontaine above you. ]

We all know why we're here. Florida Man and Cryptobro got themselves got. Up to you to figure out who did it, or... well, you know by now.

[ Welcome to your third trial. ]

Comments

[howveryglib]

It seems to be the most likely explanation for the evidence we have seen, yes.

…I am thinking about the “shrapnel” wounds, admittedly. It seems odd that it would all simply disappear rather than being stuck in the wounds. Did any of the abilities produce solid projectiles of any sort?

[bootyhunter]

Was wonderin' about this, too.

That was pretty wild.

[allatonce]

............. Ice. There was one that made ice, but you can use ice crystals like shrapnel and they'll melt, leaving nothing behind.

[bootyhunter]

Shit.

That'd make a hell of a lotta sense. The shards that'd hit him would've been small, the marks were real tiny.

[howveryglib]

So they would have had fire and ice, perhaps? I suppose that is a fairly standard combination.

[allatonce]

It also explains the different marks we found in the church—two different kinds of fire, two different kinds of scorch mark left afterward.

[bootyhunter]

...Huh.

[sorry for this pointless reaction bs he is just an anime protagonist!!! feel free to ignore lmfao]

Soooo, this was a battle of Hot versus Cold? Is that what you're gettin' at?

[allatonce]

[She nods.]

Like a year without Santa Claus.

[You know. Snow Miser and Heat Miser.]

[howveryglib]

I would not put it that way, given I get the impression the culprit would have been able to make use of both. I could simply be letting my perceptions of my homeland color my perceptions as I often see those trained in thaumaturgy shift between fire and ice magic, but the evidence does seem to support it…

[bootyhunter]

That makes sense to me, baby.