SIXTH TRIAL

[bathymetric]

Alright, same as every week before this - gather at the Vault Door so my Assistant can let you in. And I can start hoping to salvage at least the aquarium.

[ The Assistant, nee Failsafe, stands in her armor at the ready when you arrive, not saying a word and simply unlocking the door and elevator for you to head on down to the trial room. Second verse, same as the first five verses, but a whole lot quieter and a whole lot meaner.

The elevator is a lot emptier now, isn't it? Your number has fallen yet again since the last time you were here. Feels like yesterday, or maybe forever ago? Time's feeling pretty weird right about now, but trial days are for getting locked into the moment. You're here, you're present.

You're running out of allies.

The screens are the same as ever, though, and lower as you enter. ]

I see you haven't decided to continue to increase the number of bodies this week. Perhaps something to be thankful for, in all of this. Hotshot is dead, and the responsibility of finding his killer falls to you. Hopefully this is all old hat to you by now, no?

[The screens rise.

Welcome to your sixth trial. ]

Comments

[mouflon]

So, like the Professor said, the aquarium was a mess. Several tanks smashed open, and one with bullet holes. Based on the spread, we're looking at an auto or semi-auto weapon, and... I can't be as sure about this, but given the caliber of the bullets, I'm going to guess it's a rifle over a pistol.

There was also a lot of other damage that I'm... less sure about. Claw marks gouged into the walls, and spots that looked... melted?

[ Alas, she knows less about acid damage than she does guns. ]

[blackmass]

Corrosive damage, most likely. There was some in the hallway, along with several bullet holes as well.

[mouflon]

Out of curiosity, how did the bullet spray look in the hallway? I'm assuming it's all from the same gun, but... I mean, does it look like the person firing was doing it in controlled bursts, or just hosing down everything in sight?

mods?

[blackmass]

[That's a good question. How crazy was the bullet spread?]

[bathymetric]

[ Not completely out of control, but "controlled bursts" don't seem to have been the name of the game. ]

[blackmass]

I wouldn't say there was considerable thought put into the aim, at the very least.

[mouflon]

It was the same in the aquarium. Not totally unhinged, but not what I would expect to see from someone comfortable with the weapon, at the very least.

[ladygeryon]

There were claw marks on the wall of the weapon room in the museum as well. The weapon case was also smashed open, with one of the swords being missing.

[bolderfell]

[...Well, someone's gotta ask.]

The claw marks. Think they could've come from Vincent's arm?

[You know. The metal one that made his Therion Check difficult.]

[ladygeryon]

They were spaced about the right length for that, it's true. And they didn't look too high up either.

[bolderfell]

He smashed something weird I got out of the machine with it, so he could probably use it to fight or attack someone. What I mean is that battling with it seemed to come naturally to him.

[ladygeryon]

Hmm...though with all the damage to the walls, either his opponent was good at dodging or he was flailing wildly during the fight.

[nothingcanstop]

Everywhere got a little messed up, huh...? I was going to ask you about the bullets. [ Della places a few on her podium. ] Found these in the garden. They were in the pond, but that's not the only place. There were bullet holes on the walls, as well as claw marks and scorch marks.

...The rest of the garden didn't get off well either, since there was kicked up dirt just...all over the place. And the plants--most of them got hit by something. Except, it was weird...there was a lot less damage to the poison plants.

[mouflon]

There was also dirt tracked into the aquarium. I assume that means the chase moved from the garden to there.

It sounds like whoever was firing the gun was either inexperienced, or not in a controlled state of mind. Whether you're chasing someone or being chased, your fire should be more controlled than what we're hearing about, and being chased alone shouldn't be enough to make someone with combat experience lose their cool.

[bolderfell]

Vincent, at least, was used to combat. Someone wanted to destroy the world he's from. He was part of a group fighting back.

[mouflon]

Doesn't that mean something here doesn't add up, then? His cause of death was a stab wound, and it seems like the weapon that was used was probably improvised. So, who had the gun?

[ladygeryon]

Hmm...Poison resists itself, maybe the plants got hit with acid and their interactions had similar properties.

[nothingcanstop]

But there were a lot of things happening in there. The gun, the...whatever made the fire, the claws... Plus, I didn't...see any of the weird acid-ish stuff you guys were talking about.

[bolderfell]

Maybe we need to map this out. In the garden, we have bullet holes, claw marks, and scorch marks. In the hall, bullets and corrosion. Aquarium's got bullets, claws, and corrosion. Weapons display... just had the claw marks and the smashed case? And around where Vincent died, there was the shockwave and more of that corrosive damage. And the stab wound, obviously.

[nothingcanstop]

Aquarium also has dirt from the garden...so could we assume they went through there first? Er- I mean- first after the garden? There'd be dirt everywhere if there was a lot of it, right?

[bolderfell]

...Is a "rifle" a big gun.

[mouflon]

That's right. Mind if I take a look at that, Therion?

[bolderfell]

Be my guest.

[He brings it over to her. No one should have ever let him have one of Vincent's guns, let alone two.]

mods!

[mouflon]

[ Rin is going to check if there's any ammunition left in the chamber, and if so, if it matches the bullets she and Della retrieved from the other rooms. ]

[bathymetric]

[ There are in fact a couple bullets left in there! And yeah, they look about right. ]