THIRD TRIAL

[bathymetric]

If you have time for a grisly operation like that, I think you've had all the time you need to gather evidence. Please proceed to the door to the trial room elevator as quickly as possible.

[ Once you arrive, it's the same song and dance as the last two weeks. Angel helps you all get through the vault door and into the elevator, and watches as you all make the slow descent to the dome below. Standing in the elevator is more than a comfortable fit now, even for the largest among you. A few more of you lost and there'll be room enough to pace in here.

But maybe you don't want to think about that.

The dome of the trial room is the same as it's been, the only change the dull red glow coming from the two newly-unoccupied podiums. The screens above flick on, and lower down to make an address. ]

You know the score by now. Find Seteth's killer and you can all go free. Fool them all, killer, and you'll have your life and your reward. Other than that, whatever happens here is between all of you. Call for me if you need anything.

[ The screens rise again, leaving you here.

Welcome to your third trial. ]

Comments

[snackooed]

And better yet, if he was carrying a shield on him the whole time, wouldn't the killer have seen it? They must have known he would be prepared to defend himself, so...why go after him?

[bolderfell]

...Might've been location? That wing's furthest away from everyone else. We don't even know when this happened, so people might still have been up and about.

[snackooed]

That's true. Not knowing the time of death does make it hard to narrow it down. But if people had the chance to be up and about, then I wonder why they chose Seteth, in particular...

[blackmass]

...Unlikely, but what if it were mere accident? A sparring match gone wrong.

[snackooed]

If that's the case, I wonder if he needed to be so gung-ho about it that he wound up giving himself splinters from holding his broken spear...to me, that seems more like necessity.

[blackmass]

I did say it was unlikely. I only fail to understand what manner of desperation would see someone foolish enough to attack a person holding a shield as it is.

[snackooed]

I'm with you on that one. They must have felt like their back was to the wall...

[blackmass]

I wonder, then, if it actually could tie back to the Professor's absurd motive.

[nothingcanstop]

You're calling it absurd now.

[bolderfell]

If you're fast enough, you can get past a shield. Go for critical, vulnerable points. But again. You have to be good.

[blackmass]

Quite so, but it would be far easier to kill someone less visibly combat trained. What I am saying is, why Seteth who was apparently armed at the time and not any of our number who would appear to be capable of less of a fight?

[archboxer]

[...Wait. There's something that doesn't make sense here.]

...

Do we have any evidence there was anyone else at the scene? I did not go into the arcade, myself, but...

[philoxenia]

He was the only one out and about so late, maybe... And whoever attacked him felt they were running out of time?

[fivestagegod]

Why are you assuming there were options?

[He's been quiet this trial, but just saying.]

You make it sound like those of us with less combat training just mill around the building on Thursday nights; if anything, I'd think we would avoid that.

[reallyhatesharks]

Since the controller was busted, gonna go with strong possibility it wasn't but good point. Has he been sparring with anyone this week?

[archboxer]

That might explain why the fighting was so spread out. Seteth might have hidden the shield somewhere.

[snackooed]

Would he do something like that, do you think? I feel like you would know better than anyone, Rhea...

[archboxer]

I know I would but he had more scruples than I... It might be simply a case of they did not believe he could use it well.

[She's trying... but heart hurts, head empty.]

[hardnosed]

What — just in case he was ambushed?

[archboxer]

Yes. It is a possibility.

[emberserker]

Precisely. After all, we are in a deathtrap, and constantly reminded of it, too.

[philoxenia]

It might have given him some sense of control... that he could try to stop something if it happened.

[ or maybe she's just projecting, who knows ]

[hardnosed]

Maybe they were looking for a challenge.

[snackooed]

I would hope that the situation poses enough of one...after all, there's a lot on the line, should they fail.

[mouflon]

Could've been desperation. They waited until the last minute, and whatever they were killing for was important enough to them that they had to take whoever they could find.