Game 101 - Trial 2: An Explosive Encounter

[crazynuto]

After about an hour of pure investigation, your group arrives back at the ruins of Cactus Grove. It appears Stuffwell has taken some time setting up the same podiums from before, although this time instead of Princess Shroob sitting at her Throne it's...a hologram. Because holograms are cool.

"Due to a certain...fact, I will be unable to join you all for this Trial. But I can still see and hear everything you do, my guests. So please...do not disappoint me like last time. I won't be so merciful if you get it wrong again."

You all take your assigned places at the circle, a few pictures of Shy Guy, The Dead King, Prince Peasley, and Marisa with crosses over their faces.

Shenhe has small traces of blood on her sleeves.

Richie Pitt has a purple mushroom growing out of his hand. He's also looking sickly, and his skin has a purple tinge to it.

Keziah looks furious.

Yoshi has several purple mushrooms growing on her neck, and looks very very unwell. She growls at anyone who approaches.

E.Moji is rocking a dress, a wig, a crown, and a fancy new cravat. They have purple mushrooms growing out of the back of their neck, although they don't seem to have noticed.

Kokichi has bruised knuckles and traces of gunpowder on his hands. His skin has a slight purple tint to it.

Nagito is bleeding from his mouth and has bruises all around his face.

Byakuya has blood on his soles and walks with a slight limp.

Princess Syalis looks well rested, and has a slight purple tint to her skin.

Frank the Fire Bro looks incredibly grumpy, and has a few mushrooms growing out of the cracks of his shell. They are much bigger than Richie or Yoshi's.

Erika has rope marks around her wrists, and has a purple tint to her skin.

King Boo cackles and adjusts his crown. He doesn't seem to realize he's very purple and has a few mushrooms growing on his tail.

But wait...where's Squeaks??

You all look around for a second where you hear a familiar riiiip above you. A small time-portal opens up above the Cactus Grove and out falls Squeaks. He lands directly in the center of the giant crater, then gets up and looks around and bounces back to his podium. Okay...

Also Squeaks is purple and has mushrooms growing out of him forgot to mention hahaha...

TRIAL START!

You have 48 hours with a possible 24 hour extension. After 24 hours I'll post the thread to write down your results. Feel free to DM me for any questions you may have! Good luck! (Questions will be below)

[crazynuto]

QUESTIONS!

Difficulty: Medium

Threshold: 85%

Q1: What was the cause of Marisa's death?

Q2: When did Marisa die?

Q3: Who killed Marisa?

Q4: What was the purpose of the Shroom Infection?
Q5: What caused the Koopas to become irate?
Q6: How did the shrooms spread?
Q7: Where did the bomb(s) come from?

Q8: Why did Marissa go to Cactus Grove/Koopaseum?

BONUS: What is the true secret of the Endless Staircase? (Will only grant points if exactly correct but isn't counted towards the original 100%)

[Jackie :3 (Bloom/Pollen)]

"LISTEN UP! I KNOW WHAT HAPPENED THE KILLER CAM IN A5 AND DROPPED THE BOMB ONT HE VICTIM KILLIGN EM FOR I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO SAW IT HAPPEN"

[Peregrine]

Keziah, frustrated enough as it is, winces and covers her ears.


"Dagnabbit, keep it down, wouldja? We can hear ya jus' fine!"

"Now turn it down a mite and explain yerself. You say the killer... came in 'n dropped a bomb? Alright, didja see who did it? Who else was there?"

[Vaellin the Bard]

King Boo cackles. "I won't lie, I'm disappointed she died. I won't get to torture her. Prolong her suffering. But I also think she deserved this. Kehehehe. Good job to the killer. You have my support."

[Evie The Bat]

Squeaks sits at his podium calmly for the moment.

“My dear friends it appears that we already have located a…potential device to commit this ghastly murder. In an attempt to prove my innocence I will share my findings, as I am doubly determined to catch this horrendous individual. While our victim may have been a disturbed murderer, the one who commuted this atrocity…”

And with that Squeaks enters total rage mode

“Used one of MY Kumaing! BOMBS. How dare you defile my good name because of my own damn curiosity. To explain to you dimwits better, I appeared here through that portal because, during the night while I was searching for treasure on that blasted staircase, I dropped one of my precious bombs into the void to see where it would go. While I was investigating I jumped into the same void to confirm my suspicion, and this is where I ended up. So it appears my bomb was stolen after I dropped it and used to commit murder?! These bombs are for breaking and entering only!! Kuma!!!! If it helps, my bombs explode when I choose or when hit by fire. Now whoever did this reveal yourself before I level this whole area!”

Angry rat moment.

[Ktoasty]

Richie is feeling very purple tonight, almost as if he might start speaking in purple text at any moment. At Frank's exclamation, he decides to speak up.

Cough noise cough noise "Kokichi, Frank, and I were at the Cactus Grove when it happened. Here's as much as I know about the disaster."

"First, I went to the Gritzy Desert at Action 3. Partly to solve a puzzle, and partly to get food to my Gramps. I tripped when leaving the time portal there and landed my hand in some purple shrooms, which is how I've ended up like this. Then, at the Paratroopa Outpost, I heard an explosion coming from the East."

"I wanted to go to the Cactus Grove to find the miracle cactus for my hand at Action 4. Just when I started walking there, I almost got trampled by a crowd of angry Koopas. They were chasing a figure on a broom, at least that's what it looked like to me at the time. I couldn't who it was yet. I followed the crowd, they ended up at Cactus Grove, and it seemed like they caught their prey because they were all circling in an angry mob formation, though I couldn't get a good look at what was happening within. To add to this, when I arrived at the Cactus Grove, it had already been completely destroyed. If I had to guess, the explosion I heard at Action 3 happened here. Kokichi and Frank arrived after me. Kokichi looked really excited about it all, and Cactus Csteve, who also happened to be here the whole time, was crying because of his ruined cacti."

"Finally, in Action 5, I tried to convince the crowd to back off of whoever they had captured, but they were too enraged to react to anything else. Frank looked like he was flexing his pro bomb passer status, and Kokichi looked like he was trying to cause cranial traumas. It was at this point that I felt a ghost trying to pull me in the direction of Frank and Kokichi."

"Now, we've reached the point that Frank was trying to describe. In the same Action 5, a lit Bob-omb suddenly fell from the sky right into Kokichi's hands. He smiled and readied his arm to toss it. I tried to jump at his arm and stop him, but it was too late. As soon as Kokichi threw the Bob-omb, the crowd of Koopas turned from an angry mob into a ruthless bloodbath. I heard explosions, screams, and other awful sounds from within it. After all that, when the dust settled, all that lied in their remains was a body that was missing limbs and completely charred. That was when we found Alice."

Richie nods, slightly uncomfortable after saying all that, be it from his morbid retelling or his purple coated speech. Maybe both. "That's as much of what happened at the Cactus Grove that I know of. Kokichi and Frank might be able to add their perspective if they noticed anything different. I also passed by Keziah and Yoshi when going through the time portal to the Gritzy Desert, so they may know other events from Actions 1 and 2."

[Peregrine]

For the first time in maybe a while, Keziah pays good attention to what the kid is saying—especially after he mentioned a potential cure for the Shrooberculosis.

Ktoasty said:

"I heard explosions, screams, and other awful sounds from within it."

"Well that's just strange. It sounded like the purple runt was responsible for that last blast, but... did you say you heard explosions, plural at the end of the night? Where d'ya suppose those came from if the guy only threw one bomb?"

[Evie The Bat]

Squeaks calms down again, and clears his throat.

“To aid even further, I shall go in detail about the locations I checked. First off the library, I saw that the victim had visited here during the morning.

At the library, there were a few oddities that caught my eye. The first oddity bring a bloodstain by the Time Portal. I am unsure of it’s origin. Next, several books had been reshelved wrong, very sloppy and unprofessional on the scribe’s part if I do say. Finally some sort of imprint in the flooring. It looked to be of an individual laying down by the bookshelves. I do not know when it was placed there. Oh one other thing, there were a plethora of strange purple mushrooms lying all over the place, primarily on the flooring.

I decided to fix the book situation myself, to add some class and respect to the archives. The misplaced books were labeled as follows:

The Art of Money Making by Inves T. was first. The spine had been damaged and there appears to be a few notes in the margins complaining about to horrid financial advice inside the tome.)

Shy Guy’s Journal was second, which took me by surprise, I must say. I am unsure who placed d the private documents there. I brought it with me as I thought it may be of some relevance, if you would like I could read it aloud for you all, I shall omit any unnecessary details in this journal however.

The Fungus Amungus By our very own Prof. Elvin Gadd was third. It appears to be a practical guide to different mushrooms and their subspecies. It also had a small category on different fungicides and how to make them, the properties of mushrooms, and even about certain “mind controlling shrooms!”, whatever that could mean. Our infected friend may be in need of this one. I did find an interesting quote however. I shall read it now, ahem;

“Oh yes yes my favorite subject! The mind altering properties of mushrooms. For you see dear reader, there are some species of mushrooms that when a Toad touches them (or comes into direct physical contact with someone who has been infected for an hour) they will begin to transform! First their mind starts to go, they will become more irritable and grouchy, then more impulsive as the hours wane on. After around two hours signs will start to become more physical. Their eyes will change color perhaps, or that species of mushroom will begin to sprout on their body. After around 4 hours, their mind will be completely taken over by the Mushroom, and they will become slaves to their new hosts. A rather dreadful concept!

Evidence of non-Toads becoming infected is sparse to say the least. The body’s natural immune system should prevent the infected from becoming a mind-slave, but they are still likely to experience increased aggression and impulsiveness in the same manner a Toad would. I suspect after around 4 hours the body will have fought off the mushrooms enough for the infection to become inert, allowing no more spreading of the fungus.”

And there we have it for our archive investigation. Now onto my second location, the wonderful endless staircase, where I acquired some wonderful treasure.

The Endless Staircase, is a mysterious and wonderful room, my favorite. I can assure you that nobody has climbed more steps than I. After all I was there almost the entire night, haha.

Now onto the important part. What was in the void beneath the stairs? I had dropped a bomb down before during the night, Action 3 to be precise. I took it upon myself to investigate, regardless of the potential danger and death. So I leapt in to the void. Everything went black. It was almost as if I stopped existing. Then I reappeared and my suspicions were correct. The void was a portal and it lead to this exact location. How coincidental.

That my friends is what I discovered for our mystery.”

Squeaks looks proud of himself

[Vaellin the Bard]

"I should also tell my investigation results. The courtyard didn't have much. According to the tracks, no one entered the storage but someone did leave. There was a strange sleeping bag dangling into the time portal. It was.. weird.

"The Toad Bank however is a bit interested. It was filled with cheese bombs--a signature item of my trusty minion Squeaks--and the safety deposit boxes had all been taken from! I would never trust anyone with my items at that bank. Though the vault had been left untouched."

[Evie The Bat]

Squeaks jumps up and glares at Frank.

“You informed me the heist of the century was alleged to take place at A5. However!, none of you had showed up. You three are a disgrace to all thieves, planning a heist and not committing to it. What have you to say for yourself Your Royal Spookiness, Frank and Kokichi?”

[Brush but not signed in lol]

May 6, 2022 23:08:58 GMT -6 Evie The Bat said:

Squeaks jumps up and glares at Frank.

“You informed me the heist of the century was alleged to take place at A5. However!, none of you had showed up. You three are a disgrace to all thieves, planning a heist and not committing to it. What have you to say for yourself Your Royal Spookiness, Frank and Kokichi?”

“Hey Inwas busy dragging the purple haired fool to the vault and then the murder happened, Metter of fact I am pissed the heist got interrupted!!!”

[Vaellin the Bard]

May 6, 2022 23:08:58 GMT -6 Evie The Bat said:

Squeaks jumps up and glares at Frank.

“You informed me the heist of the century was alleged to take place at A5. However!, none of you had showed up. You three are a disgrace to all thieves, planning a heist and not committing to it. What have you to say for yourself Your Royal Spookiness, Frank and Kokichi?”

"I'll have you know my task was simply to find Kokichi and you, my minion, and send them back your way but I didn't end up finding you. Nor Kokichi, though I admit I wasn't looking for him nearly as much." And he may have forgotten you were on the staircase.

[Ktoasty]

Richie takes a moment to reply to Keziah's question. "I have two possible answers to that. For one, the explosions came from the Koopas themselves. When I investigated the Koopaseum tonight to prepare for the trial, I found that nearly the entire Bob-omb stash had been depleted for the Koopas' Bomb Pass game. So, the angry mob of Koopas that went to Cactus Grove could have taken this supply with them and started attacking with their Bob-ombs after Kokichi threw the first one. The second possible answer, is that all the explosives were Bob-ombs stashed on Alice's person, whether she stole them or they just happened to find themselves on her broom. That would make more sense, considering the Koopas were chasing after her for a reason. After the Koopas had cornered the victim and retrieved their Bob-ombs, the same explosive war happened when Kokichi threw the first Bob-omb."

After giving that first theory, Richie shares some other thoughts that have come to him regarding the mystery. "Another thing happened when I investigated the Koopaseum. There was a crowd of Koopas in here, maybe even the same ones from Cactus Grove, but they were purple and covered with purple shrooms. A couple of the purple shrooms I tripped over were on the outside, and there were more inside the Koopaseum. The Koopas who had become covered in shrooms had taken to beating up the smaller Koopas."

"I think the book that Squeaks discovered on mind-controlling shrooms may be what caused the Koopas to lash out in such an enraged way. There are purple shrooms that have infected around half of us by now, so it's natural to conclude the infection had reached the Koopas too. The passage says they can't get mind controlled like a Toad, but they can still experience that aggression and impulsiveness, and that description is really similar to what I saw the crowd of Koopas behaving like at Action 5."

"If that's the case, then the spread of the shrooms had to start somewhere because there weren't any purple shrooms in the Koopaseum at least the night before. There might be a patient zero in our group that planted purple shrooms there to cause the outrage."

"I also think that, while the bomb that exploded the Cactus Grove initially in Action 3 was Squeaks', the Bob-omb that fell out of the sky in Action 5 was not his. It was more than likely taken from the Koopaseum, just like many of the other Bob-ombs in the stash there went missing."

"If the Bob-omb falling from the sky in Action 5 was intentionally meant to cause the outrage in the crowd of Koopas, then there's a good chance that Alice's murderer could known about the time portal in the Endless Stairs that leads to Cactus Grove. Her killer also could have stolen one of the Bob-ombs earlier and been at the Endless Stairs at Action 5 to drop it. Though, I also suspect Kokichi, so it could have been set up in some way to fall down at Action 5, and he'd be there to catch it and start the frenzy."

"One last theory, though this is just a guess, but I think Alice could have been dead before Action 5. I felt a ghost at that Action, before the Bob-omb ever fell, and while there's a chance it could have been someone else's ghost, I think it's most likely to have been Alice's ghost since her body was also in Cactus Grove. If that's the case, then maybe the reason for the explosive fight at Action 5 was to make us assume that was her time of death."

[Peregrine]

May 7, 2022 3:59:49 GMT -6 Ktoasty said:

"One last theory, though this is just a guess, but I think Alice could have been dead before Action 5."

Keziah shakes her head.


"Not likely. I managed to have a good look at the body, and if experience serves, I'd say I'm damn near certain what killed that girl was several consecutive explosions. There was only one real opportunity for that to happen: the end of the night, like you described. Plus, the intact parts of her limbs are bruised and bloodied, which tells me she was still gettin' beat up by that crowd right up 'til she died."

She clears her throat.

"This leaves me with a few questions. Firstly, did any of you who were at the Cactus Cgrove hear a strange sound when that bob-omb fell at the end of the night? After all, when the Rat fell through just then, there was a pretty distinctive sound. I wanna know if that sound always happens when somethin' falls trough that time portal."

"Secondly, regardin' the outbreak of Purple Strain: there are a few places it can come from, and now we have some info on how it presents in its hosts. There are purple mushrooms in the Koopaseum, near the Desert time portal, in the Library, and in the Town Square of Toad Town. Yoshi 'n I never touched any such mushrooms—I reckon he got it from licking that Fire Bro. He must've gotten infected around... Action 2, I'd say, if he was contaminated but had no physical signs yet when we met 'im. That sleeping princess must've gotten infected when Yoshi gave her good morning kisses in Action 4. Richie, you got it directly from the time portal mushroom during Action 3, and that purple runt got it from tusslin' with the infected Koopas at the end of the night."

"However, this doesn't explain where the emoji kid got it from, nor the King Boo, nor Erika. And it doesn't tell us where the Fire Bro's infection came from in the first place."