Day Three
You have the body carried to the yard to be kept for the night until you can take him to the Undertaker [a man who tends the graveyard as well as a detective] the next morning. You tell Alexander to show off his new skills at night, but to work normally in the morning. You ask Hercules to start to warm the soup from now on, but he says that he'll have to use $0.5 a day to buy the extra heat crystals he'll need. You also ask if he could cook the pork, which would be another $1 a day.
You all go to bed and wake up early the next day. You and Hercules bring the corpse to the Undertaker, far from town and below Hoo's rolling hills. The graveyard there is relatively big for such a small town, but you assume that they made space for the Heroes. You call out for him, and you notice the area getting darker and soon a cold hand grasps you on the shoulder. You give a small scream as you turn to face a tall, slender man with a white mask, painted with a cooked smile but lacking eyes. He towers over you and Hercules, and he'd be even taller if he weren't hunching over. His legs bend awkwardly, which you guess is because of the tight black pants he wears. His arms are outstretched and bent, his fingers bending resembling a claw.
"Um, we found a body in the middle of the night. We want you to take a look."
The Undertaker suddenly melts into a shadow and slithers towards the body, enveloping it in black water and soon the body rises in the air, the Undertaker suddenly materializing over the body. It picks it up by the neck, observing it as if it were a child looking at a dead rat. You struggle to look away, but the frightening man strangely compels you to watch. He disappears once more with the body and slithers to an empty hole in the ground, and a tombstone rises above it without anyone moving it. The shadow emerges from the hole again and materializes in front of you. He hands you a note:
CAUSE OF DEATH:
STABBED
CHOKED
CULPRIT:
UNKNOWN MURDER GUILD MEMBERYou look at the Undertaker. "Murder Guild? Here?"
He twists his head to the side and nods. It makes sense now. The note was a Dead Spread: a note given to a random person in which new Murder Guild members must track and kill. After a victim is killed, they wait for a new victim to pick up the note and continue their disgusting hunt. Now you've picked it up. Now you've got three days.
"I need help! Please, call someone. Do something!"
The Undertaker shivers as a form materializes from his side, which turns out to be a shovel. He walks away and begins digging a new hole in the ground.
"Optimistic fellow, isn't he?" Hercules jokes.
"This isn't the time to be making jokes! I've got three days to get help!"
"Alright, alright. We'll head back and talk this over."
You hurry back to the inn, but the door has been broken and the tables overturned. You smell the reek of blood and you burst inside. You find the dead body of Ulysses impaled on the table leg, and Artemis breathing heavily against the wall. You rush to her, and she looks at you with frightened eyes. She tries to speak, but you can barely hear her. You manage to make out the words: "Fa- ki- he", but then she faints. You order Hercules to take Artemis to the healer, while you continue to search the inn for Minerva and Alexander.
"MINERVA! ALEX!"
You rush up the staircase, greeted by a man clad in black holding a curved knife. He grins wickedly, nodding his hat in mock-politeness. You rush after him, but he trips you and slices your hand. You scream as blood pours out, and you hear the man laughing as he rushes to the window. The last thing you see before blacking out is a bullet passing through the murderers head, and he falls to the ground with blood pouring.
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You wake up. The Guards are in the inn, checking the bodies and putting them under wraps. You are fulled with relief that you are alive, but you find yourself handcuffed to a table. You shake it and start calling for help.
"Um, help! I'm handcuffed!"
"Quiet down, murderer. You're under arrest for the murder of Alexander, Minerva, and Ulysses."
"What? I didn't do it! It was the man in black!"
"That won't work. You're the only one alive. You've been testified against by your brother Hercules. He came to us after he and Artemis escaped from your rampage."
"What's going on? Let me see them! Why is this happening?"
"You will be sent to the Undertaker for punishment. Till then, you will be placed under arrest and kept in the Prison."
"What? Please, someone tell me what's happening!" You look frantically around as the Guards drag you outside into the cart and drive you off. You briefly see the Captain look at you and smile as you head off for jail.
Workers:-Minerva [Informant]
[Conversationalist] [Wage: $0] [DEAD]
-Artemis [Scout] [Waitress]
[Scouting] [? Skills] [Wage: $0] [WOUNDED]
-Ulysses [Shopkeeper] [DEAD]
[? Skills] [Wage: $0]
-Hercules [Chef]
[? Skills] [Wage: $0]
-Alexander [Waiter]
[Bardic Skills] [Wage: $0] [DEAD]
Inn:-x5 Dusty Rooms
[$10/Night]
-x10 Uneven Clean Tables
-x1 Dusty Bar
-x1 Dry Well [x2 Water/Day]
-x1 Slime [x1 Slime/Week]
Supplies:-x2 Potatoes
-x1 Carrots
-x5 Pork
-x7 Water
-x5 Ale
-x10 Wood
-x1 Map
-x0 Bread
Shop:-x2 Shoddy Sword
-x2 Rotted Wood Buckler
-x10 Wood Arrows
Earnings:$41
I know this seemed utterly random, but this was honestly part of the plot I've had since the start. It just seemed so sudden because the game was running a little slow. It'll make sense later on, I promise.