SIXTH INVESTIGATION

[bathymetric]

It's Friday again, never a sign of great things in this place. There's a foreboding sense of... something in the air, though you have no idea what it could realistically be. There's nothing immediately off as you leave your rooms, but... it's of note that you do still have your powers. So maybe nothing bad happened after all! Look how small your number is, have you finally gone a week without killing just through the elimination of sheer volume alone? It's easy to hope so! And easy to think so, given the whole of Area A is clear.

So why won't that sinking feeling go away?

Comments

[bolderfell]

[All right. He's not a body-toucher, so what's wrong around here besides, you know. Vincent? Heard it's a mess in here.]

[bathymetric]

[ Well, not to alarm anyone, but the massive structural damage on the walls and ceiling is pretty damning. There's a bunch of chunks of rock around that should really be in the ceiling or the walls... and some of it looks melted? That can't be right. ]

[bolderfell]

[Sure it can. Magic makes everything possible! On closer examination, does it look like the rocks were melted with something physical, like a magical superheated blade, or just hit with that much heat energy?]

[bathymetric]

[ Well, you see. Neither? How familiar are you with acid damage, Therion? On closer inspection, it looks more like that. Corrosion! ]

[bolderfell]

[He. Does actually know what that looks like. Huh. What does the acid damage smell like?]

[bathymetric]

[ That's the thing - it looks just a liiiittle off from regular acid damage, and the smell is definitely different. It's sharp, and a little metallic? ]

[bolderfell]

[That's very weird. Well, he'll carefully wrap his hand in his scarf and pick up a piece or two to put in a Ziploc for the trial. What else?]

[bathymetric]

[ There's some kind of... weird shockwave burst pattern of damage near the door to the weapons exhibit? Mostly to the floor, but the walls nearby sure didn't like it either. ]

[bolderfell]

[Anything to see at what looks like the center of it, where something might have impacted?]

[bathymetric]

[ Nope! If anything impacted here, it's gone now.

Though there is something else on the ground nearby, while you're close to Vincent's body - oh hey, is that a gun? ]

[bolderfell]

[Okay, no imprint of a fist or anything at the center. Cool.

Is that a gun? You tell Therion! He does at least know what a gun is by now. Little miracles, right? What kind of gun?]

[bathymetric]

[ It's a rifle! A big one, looking at it. Good grief. ]

[bolderfell]

[Well, let's dust that sucker for prints.]

[bathymetric]

[ Tragically, there are none to be found. Though that in and of itself is pretty weird, isn't it? ]

[bolderfell]

[Sure is! He's seen Rin the arcade, he knows how you're supposed to work these things. In theory. He doesn't know enough to check for, like, whether the safety's on or how many bullets are left, so he'll take that to the trial room for the experts, too.

Anything else around the lobby?]

[bathymetric]

[ Rest of what you're looking for in here is body evidence, so you're good to get going, Therion! ]