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

[hotpaprika]

[Jonathan is quiet, in thought. He had not really thought about the motive outside of the plasmids, but he suddenly remembers what the motive was for.]

... A thought just occurred to me.

Who the devil would want to kill over such a motive? The last two I could understand, and I suppose we all could use a holiday, but who would think killing twenty people for one and some temporary powers would be worth it?

[pairtner]

Most likely someone who at home doesn't have powers like these ones. If they had powers originally, they wouldn't need the Mayor's help.

[That would help narrow things down, perhaps?]

[hotpaprika]

But for fire powers? For the ability to lift things with your mind? They're fascinating, but we all know by this point that you need to kill everyone else here for it to be pulled off.

[pairtner]

They might have a situation at home where having powers would tip the balance on their favor.

[And said situation may be bad enough to warrant the mass murder of twenty something people, apparently.

That is, supposing it wasn't just to go back, or to have fun with powers. Could be just having fun with those, you never know!]

[hotpaprika]

But... the only way we could supposedly go home is to kill everyone else. It feels as though it is just murder for murder's sake.

[fuckingguy]

Not everyone here sees the sacrifice of twenty as an unthinkable evil, Jonathan. Penelope certainly did not last week.

[inaclearing]

Someone who was in a dangerous situation and needed protection? It was supposed to be a lifetime supply - they could've used it against whatever they needed back home. Even given them to other people.

Or they just wanted to get out of here. There's always that, too.

[buriedstar]

It was offered as a "lifetime supply", not that it makes it anymore appealing, really.

[bootyhunter]

Well, it wouldn't be.

[Dandy seems to have made an absent connection.]

Not if you weren't alive.

[buriedstar]

Hm?

[bootyhunter]

[Dandy makes eye contact, a few wheels beginning to turn.

He shakes his head to either side, the gesture startlingly polite.]

Nothin'.

[daimakaicho]

[ squints at the wheels turning in his brain. ]

I don't think that meant you have to be technically alive to redeem it if they succeeded.

[ glances at nandor for a second. ]

[fuckingguy]

[ BLISSFULLY IGNORANT AND MISSING THIS ENTIRELY... ]

[bootyhunter]

[Dandy has a few theories, but he won't get into them here.

So instead, he'll merely nod to acknowledge Hild's words, a breath escaping him softly.]

Yeah, sure.

[dullshooter]

If you're in a desperate enough situation, going anywhere you can with a means of protecting yourself can look pretty appealing.

[He shrugs.]

[sastruga]

Well, I could offer several possibilities. It could be someone shortsighted [she means stupid but y'know] or someone particularly power hungry.

...Or it could just be someone who decided they wanted to win this week.

[fuckingguy]

[ JONATHAN............ PAL... ]

Fontaine specified a lifetime supply. [ this is what he retains?? ] But that aside... I think we are looking for a warrior.

[bootyhunter]

We're definitely lookin' for someone who would go down swingin'- The type of person who wouldn't stop to think or fix-up either corpse.

[Dandy's nose wrinkles once more, for the umpteenth time! He does not like having to remember his most recent fling the way he last saw him, oh no, not one bit.]

It was messy, though.

They were either freaked out, sloppy, or not a trained professional. None of those cold-hearted-killer, proud of their work types... I'm pretty sure. Could also be that whoever it was just didn't give a rat's scraggly ass!

[He sighs.]

...Also, Jasey-baby and-

[He struggles to say the name.]

Hiro, they weren't... Throw-down types. Not brawlers or killers for hire.

Didn't do those kinds of things for a living.

[Meaning- He thinks they could have been thwarted easily.]

[fuckingguy]

But there were also two of them, and they had powers. If you are expecting to seek out and slay just one victim, and then you have to subdue multiple ones... would that not make you desperate and sloppy?

[bootyhunter]

Oh yeah! You're right.

[Dandy raises an eyebrow.]

You fight good, don'tcha? I've gotten into a couple of fistfights over the years-

[Read: Many, several. So many.]

And I know some judo, but I'm no hired hand. I mostly catch 'em n' trap 'em-

[Aliens, he means! He's also pretty fucking bad at it.]

You got any questions for me regarding the examination? Maybe that'll help.

[howveryglib]

I believe it is more about opportunity, in this case. There are fairly significant disparities in combat ability between all of us, particularly given that some of us relied on magic or powers that are now lost to us. We also know someone attempted murder last week via poison and failed.

[sastruga]

Mm, I agree that it's very likely. The killer may or may not be interested in the "lifetime supply" at all. But if you're handed a weapon, it might seem like the time to go for it.

Penelope-san would've appreciated being able to use something a little closer to magic.

[buriedstar]

I'm pretty sure she would have been as insulted as I was.

[ It's a Mage thing. ]

[sastruga]

It would be foolish of her, considering her chances of getting away with it would have increased drastically.

[fuckingguy]

I think she wanted to get out of hell more than she would have given a shit, honestly.