Game 96 - Trial 3 Results

[Peregrine]

The discussion becoming exhausting, the apprentices could no longer go on. No one wanted to believe any of them were capable of murder. The silence hangs heavy and bitter, when the piping voice of the guildmaster cuts through:




"Well golly, is everyone okay? I'm sad our friend is gone too, but we have to make a decision!"


Heavy, tired heads turn to face Monotuff.




"C'mon, big smiles, everyone! It's time for the all-important question... who's the Meanie?"


No hands or voices are immediately raised. Instead, eyes filled with fear, confusion, or innocence dart around the room. Several pairs of eyes unconsciously converge on a single spot, telling Monotuff everything he needs to know.




"For those of you just tuning in, we do things the old-fashioned way: a show of hands! So, without further ado, paws up if you really, really think the Meanie is... Eevee!"


Hands, paws, and claws rise slowly. With each, Eevee's eyes widen in increasing horror.



When all is said and done, 6 hands and paws are raised to condemn her.



His face an unflinching veil of cheeriness, Monotuff speaks once more through the thick, oppressive silence:




"Well, then. I guess it's decided! If that's how you really feel, it's time for the reveal... 🎵Results! Results! 🎵"


"Eevee, the Super Duper Witch, is..."

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}

The Meanie!



Shock and frustration passes through the group as all eyes turn to the young witch.





"I didn't want to believe it, I didn't! But... it's true. True as can be!"


Monotuff visibly deflates somewhat, sliding off his chair and onto the floor with a thwap. He lets out a deep, dejected sigh.




"All these meanies... all these terrible things... I wish it could just be over..."

---

The Punishment will begin shortly.

Good luck!

[Tetsu]

Ark looks at Eevee

“Why..?”

[Vaellin the Bard]

Cheerfully Nincada looks over. "See? See? I was right about the gift!" He claps his claws, clearly proud of himself for feeling smart for once.

[Nerdy Barista]

Snowberry looks over at the Evee, haven't been exposed to this situation he was shocked.

"You better have a really good explanation for this, murderer..."

[Evie The Bat]

Evie removes her hat, showing her full face to everyone. She looks really sad with tears in her eyes

"To tell you the truth...I wasn't originally going to kill Spiritomb. Originally, the victim was gonna be me. Then I met Nincada and felt a reason to keep going. A new friend like Mel. I saw Spiritomb and knew he was a danger to everyone, he would've killed someone so I felt like I had to.

If you're wondering how heres what happened. I didn't lie every about my location, but I did omit details. I made a third potion called Damnation Water, it said it was deadly. I did this during A0. The ominous wind helped me a lot since i needed the spring water from the cave to complete the potion. I gave it as a gift to Spiritomb, drinking a little to show him it was safe. Burned my mouth before I spit it out. I stashed the jar in a tree on a cliff. Then I went about as normal. I wasnt sure when he'd die, if at all. I'm...sorry to everyone for doing this. Especially to you Nincada"

[Tetsu]

Ark stares at Eevee

“Meleotta wouldn’t have wanted this...s-she would have wanted you to live! Remember her by the things she did before her death! You...yes Spiritomb was dangerous! But we would have come to a solution to keep an eye out for him!”

[Ktoasty]

Sandshrew droops his head. This is unfortunate.

[Vaellin the Bard]

Dec 8, 2020 20:53:45 GMT -6 Evie The Bat said:

Evie removes her hat, showing her full face to everyone. She looks really sad with tears in her eyes

"I'm...sorry to everyone for doing this. Especially to you Nincada"

"Don't cry Miss Witch. It's okay, I forgive you!" Nincada tilts his head and buzzes. He doesn't quite know what's going on but doesn't like her being sad.

[Evie The Bat]

Evie cries even more and smiles a bit. She approaches Nincada and gently removes her hat and places it on him. Its rather big for him

"Nincada hun...keep my hat safe ok? I have to go somewhere for a while you'll probably see and...well I trust you"

[Vaellin the Bard]

Still confused, he puts it on his back like a little shell. Still, he can read the mood and he nods, reaching up high to pat her on the head. Some dirt trails on her fur. "I promise. You stay safe too, Miss Witch. I'll use the incense well while you are gone."

[Evie The Bat]

She hugs her friend and says goodbye. She then goes over to monotuff and chatot

"I...I'm sorry I did something so mean to a guildmate. I know I don't deserve it but I beg for your forgiveness. I...would also like a hug"

[Evie The Bat]

Evie also adds

"I wont resist the..punishment. I know I did wrong and I'm ready. Thank you both for this wonderful opportunity...I'm sorry I squandered it so."

She still looks incredibly sad

[Peregrine]

"That was a very spirited apology, Eevee. I'm sure we can all find it in our hearts to forgive you!"


Monotuff waddles over and takes the teary-eyed Eevee in a hug. After a few meaningful moments he pulls away, resting his stubby arms on her shoulders. For a third time, a rumbling shakes the ground beneath the apprentices' feet.




"...Unfortunately, you won't be staying with us. Our Code of Conduct states that as of now, Eevee's apprenticeship with our guild is done and dusted. And so it must be!"


The rumbling increases in strength, as Monotuff removes his grip on Eevee's shoulder and takes a few steps back as he speaks.




"You were kind-hearted, courageous, and clever. You had everything you needed to be a great explorer... but I'm sorry to say you are no longer welcome in our guild!"


The tremors reach a startling magnitude, when suddenly—


*Boom*


The back wall explodes once more in a shower of clay dust and wooden splinters. Beyond the dust, a long, dark tunnel stretches far, far away into nothingness...

Though she struggles to resist, Eevee finds herself lifted into the air, her expression one of fear and effort.




"As Guildmaster of this guild, I declare the apprenticeship of Eevee, the Super Duper Witch... over! Yoom... TAH!!!"


Still struggling, Eevee is suddenly propelled backwards into the tunnel, her cries of resistance soon a dim echo in the darkness.

The apprentices look back at Monotuff as he begins nonchalantly waddling back over to the stairs to the surface.




"Come along, everyone!"


Their options limited, the apprentices hesitantly follow the guildmaster back up the stairs.

Images of the last pair of "expulsions" flitter through most of the apprentices' minds. Some are unsure of what to expect. Among the congregation of apprentices, their feelings range from pale-faced dread to a dissonant whimsy.

Almost automatically, the group finds themselves once more in the dojo, staring up at the massive, iron-clad door. Without hesitation, Monotuff swings the heavy door open with a thud. Morbid curiosity takes hold of some of the apprentices as what lies beyond the door is revealed: the cold, damp scent of underground, shelves of strange glass vials and tubes, bubbling liquids and cruel-looking implements of wood and iron. The underground passage leads on like a tunnel for nearly a hundred feet—at the end, an open gateway. Eevee remains trapped in mid-air, a pair of manacles around her hind legs. From the manacles extends a pair of thick iron chains, attached at the other end to a large iron ball taller than Eevee herself, its rough black lustre shining against the light.




"You know what I think? It feels unfair to send her off without giving her a chance to really prove herself! That's why this time around, I welcome you one and all to..."

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}
The Expulsion of Eevee: Escape From the Confession Chamber!


Eevee is released from her unseen bindings, landing hard on the cold stone floor. Wobbling slightly, she makes to take a few steps forward towards the open gate, before the chains at her feet pull taught and she's knocked onto her front with a pained gasp. Gritting her teeth, she pulls once more against the iron ball; a terrible grinding noise of metal against stone echoes through the long chamber. One arduous step at a time, Eevee lurches forward, dragging the massive weight behind her.

Although she herself does not seem to notice it, her former guildmates, watching uncomfortably from their stone parapet, feel a strange shifting in the ground. Eevee begins to struggle to drag her payload ever slightly more, then even more. It's moments later when she finally notices what's happening: the very ground beneath her feet tilting back ever so slowly. Within moments, she feels the weighty iron ball begin to pull back against her and she digs her small claws as deep into the stone as she can to continue moving forward.

A terrible noise of rusty hinges and axels is heard from up ahead.

Eevee forces her head upward in time to see a wheeled wooden table equipped with leather straps and bindings picking up speed as it glides across the floor down towards her. She gasps and cries out as the flimsy table crashes into her, toppling over topside and splitting in half against the iron ball, the force pushing her and the ball back several feet before she recovers her grip on the floor. As the ground beneath her continues to tilt backwards with almost imperceptible slowness, Eevee steels herself and begins clawing her way forward anew. The chamber's contents continue to slide down and strike the almost immobile Pokémon; glass vials crash against the floor and her body, cruel implements of torture bounce down the ever-increasing incline and strike her, stinging and foul-smelling liquids rain down on her, as she tries desperately to find footholds in the few pieces of furniture bolted to the floor.

Eventually, she leaves a bloody footprint with every step, and she struggles to see through a bruised eye. Her breath ragged and her muscles screaming in pain, she forces herself to endure the onslaught and drag her burdensome cargo just one more step, just one more step, just one more step. A suit of armour lurches forward from its pedestal, its rusty sword swinging right at her—she panics and dodges, stopped partly by the iron ball. However, the sword strikes one of her manacles, shattering it and freeing her left leg. Her hip, however, sends shocks of pain through her as the burden in her right leg doubles. She can hardly muster the strength to cry out in pain, but drags herself to an outcrop of stone to rest, if only briefly. She can no longer fight against the iron ball, as the tilt of the floor continues to increase. She spies a thick piece of metal lodged in the stone next to her. She came this far—there's no giving up now.

The apprentices, horrified witnesses to Eevee's excruciating journey thus far, avert their eyes as Eevee brings down the heavy metal bar onto her ankle, letting out a pained squeal as the bone shatters with a sickening crack. She pushes savagely against the manacle, before... it slips off.

The iron ball tumbles down the chamber, Eevee finally free of it. She drags herself inch by inch, begging for respite, for escape, for aid. In her shock and stupor, she feels a length of rope ahead of her. She takes it in her teeth, using it to drag herself forward. Instead, it pulls back with little resistance. She looks ahead at the gate, mere feet ahead of her, then upwards, to the shelf above the promised exit, from which a large, black cauldron now plummets, filled with bubbling liquid. With a clank and a splash, Eevee disappears, hidden underneath the overturned iron vessel from which the smouldering liquid drains. The cauldron slides down the floor slowly, as the slope begins to right itself, returning the chamber to its level position. When all movement stops, all that can be seen of Eevee...

...is the red smear trailed by the iron cauldron.

Content warning: descriptions of struggle, mutilation, and death.

[Vaellin the Bard]

Nincada looks confused. That looked rough. Painful even. Then... she disappeared. Oh! Creepy Cat said something about the cauldron and pouch being portals, right? Miss Witch will be going to the pouch! His claws hold the hat. Yes. The hat would've gotten hurt in that scene. It look painful. He will have to bring that healing orb to help her later!

[Peregrine]

"Golly, I don't know about you, but I'm pooped! Let's all get some sleep, recruits!"


At his beckoning, the apprentices all exit the cold chamber, the large iron-clad door slamming shut soon after. They meander back towards the crossroads, all huddled together as Monotuff pulls the bell and warps them back to Sublevel 1. Monotuff and Chatot rush off ahead, but most of the remaining recruits take a moment to sit and contemplate. Eventually, they disperse, making their way to their respective bedrooms one by one. Sandshrew and Arcanine find their beds missing, only scraps of straw and a blanket remaining, though something new has appeared in their place. Ditto finds their room—now theirs alone—to be occupied by a massive iron safe and a putrid smell.

As the apprentices begin settling in, they hear Monotuff's voice echo through the halls to deliver his final call:




"Good work today, everyone! It's time to get some rest. Good night! 🎵 Sleep tight! 🎵 And don't forget your bedtime bite! 🎵"