SECOND TRIAL

[bathymetric]

Time's up, boys and girls. Please gather up your evidence and make your way to the vault door.

[ The process of heading to the elevator and crowding in remains the same as last week - Angel leads you all to the elevator car, then stays behind as you make your slow descent to the dome below. You might not even notice if you aren't paying attention, but... the cart is already less crowded than it was last week. You certainly won't be able to avoid noticing it if your numbers dwindle too much further than this.

When the doors open on the trial room, it's just as bleak a place as last week. ]

Take your places, won't you? And this time, you all know what's at stake. No more... funny business.

[The number of podiums displaying that red light is higher now - Damien, Lif, and Piers are all represented by blank spots now, no tasteful covers or anything normal to mark their passing, just a red glow and a gap in your number.

Cheery!

The screens raise up to the ceiling to give you all room to see, and the Professor's final words before the trial begins ring out: ]

Find the killer, leave alive. And killer? Try a little harder to stop them from doing that than the last one in your shoes. Call out for me if you require anything.

[ Welcome to your second trial. ]

Comments

[archboxer]

No. Like Ema said, he looked like he lost blood. A wound to the neck would bleed quite a lot... yet there were no signs of it.

[bolderfell]

...So someone took it.

[Really, y'all just. Not gonna say it?]

[blackmass]

'Took' is certainly a word one could use.

[bolderfell]

...Drained?

[Your blood-harvesting monsters are not his blood-harvesting monsters, and that's okay.]

[blackmass]

A bit closer to the mark, by my estimate.

[bolderfell]

You're hinting at something. If you have something to say, say it. Our lives are on the line, here.

[blackmass]

[A sigh, Kirei looking mostly just somewhat inconvenienced by this whole thing.]

I don't suppose the term 'Dead Apostles' means anything to anyone here?

[bolderfell]

Not me.

[nothingcanstop]

Can't say I've heard of them.

[lovelikeyou]

Aren't they a band?

[to be fair, in steven universe they may as well be]

[blackmass]

[to be fair, sick hype band name]

[snackooed]

What, like the disciples? I didn't go to a Catholic school growing up...

[blackmass]

The correct word, but used in a different application.

It's a term used among those of the Holy Church to refer to that which is regarded as their enemy. Though there are numerous forms of existence which drink blood, a Dead Apostle is a specific form of existence that requires blood to maintain their bodies.

'Vampire' is the more common word used to describe the concept.

[snackooed]

[ Goodness gracious-- ]

Are they like they are in the Halloween stories, then? Turn into bats, afraid of crosses, can't stand garlic? That sort of stuff?

[blackmass]

It varies, depending on the nature of the vampire itself. Specifically, Dead Apostles are those who were once human but turned to vampirism through magic or the actions of another such vampire. Most such creatures can be killed through conventional weaponry, but are weak to holy sacraments made weaponry. Garlic is generally mere superstition, and sunlight varies depending on the vampire's strength. For those powerful enough to be of human intelligence, to move in daylight should be little issue.

[archboxer]

Drinking blood?

[She sounds quite angry at that.]

Yes. I suppose if someone drank the blood from that wound it would fit...

[lovelikeyou]

Humans used to think we were vampires sometimes. Because we didn't age, I think. I thought they had to drink blood every night?

[reallyhatesharks]

Are you telling me someone here is a fucking vampire?

[snackooed]

I suppose they wouldn't have to worry about sunlight, but no one here has been nocturnal, right? At least, not as far as I can tell...

[lovelikeyou]

I've been spending more time in my room at night lately, but I never noticed anyone else being out that much at night. No one that didn't seem to sleep eventually, at least...

[Well, there's Jasper, but we can dismiss that one out of hand.]

Would it still matter if there wasn't sunlight?

[ladygeryon]

Their weaknesses are garlic, crosses, and stakes, right? Though that's all hearsay...

[reallyhatesharks]

There's vampires that go around acting like humans. I used to watch this show where they had fancy sunlight rings that they wore to go out.

[Vampire Diaries. She used to watch Vampire Diaries.]

[blackmass]

That is exactly what I am implying. I didn't take you for one to recognize the term.

[nothingcanstop]

Oh. Well, why didn't you just say that in the first place?

[ Kirei be straightforward challenge ]

[reallyhatesharks]

I don't, exactly, but it was between vampires and zombies with a name like that and zombies are obviously real.

[gestures at the zombie standing next to her]