So I wrote the beginnings of a Sonic murder mystery a few years ago. And promptly forgot about it because I didn't know who to kill next. Well, with a new year comes a new fandom, a new batch of victims... and a new way to select said victims.
Chapter 1: The Pryce of Survival
A cold whisper flowed through the night. Not cold as in, "low temperature," though. Cold as in, "an uneasy atmosphere.
Suddenly, a loud cry jostled me awake. I quickly threw on the closest thing that I could wear and raced downstairs. Somebody was in SERIOUS trouble. I grabbed my bag on the way out, since, of course, a huntress always needs to be prepared.
I rushed out to the courtyard, my weapon drawn. What I found was nothing short of terrifying- another huntsman in training, half-dressed, in a feral state. But what was more notable was that the guy was caked in blood- either human or faunus, could have been either- and he was sporting claws and fangs. His eyes were glowing a sinister red color. And then he noticed me.
A scream rung out, but I'm still not sure if it was mine or the creature's. It began charging at breakneck speed, but before it could sink its fangs into my flesh, something whizzed by my face. It struck my former classmate in the chest, and he collapsed, dead.
"That was a close call, young lady," spoke the voice of Beacon's resident hyperactive teacher. "Although not all students can stare down a creature of that sort without soiling their pants in terror. You've certainly already got the fortitude of a huntress, that much is true."
I turned to face Doctor Oobleck. "What... was that?"
He stared at the monster, who now had a stake in his heart. "From the looks of it, " he said, "it used to be Liam Pryce."
My name is Weiss Schnee, huntress-in-training, and it is with a heavy heart that I recall these events. Honestly, this still hurts to think of, as more huntsmen and huntresses- more accurately, including some dear friends- would perish to the same menace that turned Liam Pryce into a monster in the coming weeks.
Liam, as I would soon find out, was a member of team YELO, a team of second-years here at Beacon. His team didn't take too kindly to his death. Yin Kasumi, the team's leader, was taking it best. He managed to look composed, but I knew it was a facade. He was definitely in grief. He was handling it better, though, than Orson Drew, who spent most of the next twenty-four hours in tears, or Emmi Wynn, who swore that she would find Liam's killer and get some payback.
The truth of what actually happened would be revealed, though, in Oobleck's class the next day, as he was describing an incredibly rare variety of Grimm.
"There exists in this world," he said, "a species of Grimm that holds power unfathomable to the human mind. These Grimm, better known as the Nosferatu, are essentially the vampires of folklore but worse. By day they look just like any other human or faunus on Remnant, but at night, they prowl the lands, seeking for blood. Their claws tear off meat from their prey easily. The most startling aspect of the Nosferatu, though, is their ability to transform a victim into one of their own. Their fangs are coated in a mysterious substance with the power to transform their unlucky victims into one of their own, turning you directly into a Grimm, do not pass GO, do not possess the ability to heal yourself with your aura. The creatures only have one weakness, scarily enough- wooden stakes through their hearts."
He looked me in the eye. "But I feel that the knowledge I shared just now would have been most beneficial just last night. Am I not wrong, Miss Schnee?"
This lesson revealed a great much to us. But more importantly, it implied something horrible. It was highly unlikely that Liam Pryce had been a Nosferatu the previous day.
Which could only mean one thing- there was still one in the school.
"That has to have been the most interesting class this year," Blake mused as she sat on her bed. "Vampires? I knew Dr. Oobleck was a little off, but I'd have to see it to believe it."
"Actually," I said, "truth be told, I wouldn't be questioning him right now. You know how Liam Pryce 'fell in battle against the Grimm' last night? Yeah, uh... that's only partially true."
Yang looked up from her scroll. "Keep talking."
"Last night, I was awoken by a loud screech. When I investigated, I found Liam... But he wasn't himself." I thought about the events of the last twenty-four hours. "If Dr. Oobleck hadn't found me... I'd likely be either dead... or one of THEM by now. "
"Whoa," the blonde said. "You getting PTSD just thinking about it?"
"No, but I am concerned," I replied. "The Nosferatu that turned Liam into that thing... It was never killed. They're still on campus."
As I said it, thoughts of who it could be flashed across my mind. The vampire could be anyone else at Beacon. It obviously couldn't be me, but every other student at the academy was fair game, as well as the whole faculty- even Oobleck could be a Nosferatu, for all I knew.
"Somebody should get it under control," Ruby said. "I wanna kill a vampire, too!"
Yang's face flashed with horror. "Ruby, no. You may
be a huntress-in-training, but you're also my half-sister. And if anything happens to you on MY watch-"
"Dad's gonna kill you?"
"I'd just as soon kill myself."
The air in the room became tense. The fact that Yang would go as far as to commit suicide if Ruby died under her watch spoke volumes of her personality.
"Also?" she added, on a lighter note, "I'm freaking starving. When's that lunch bell gonna ring?"
The rest of the day was kind of a blur. I remember Emmi shouting to the world that she would slay the creature responsible for the death of her teammate if it was the last thing she did. I also remember various students each announcing that they would make sure this Nosferatu would be brought to justice. Most of us were pretty calm, though.
Which is because most of the other students had no idea that there was a murderous vampire on campus. This group encompassed the majority of students- no idea that any of us were in danger. Jaune, Neptune, Scarlet, Dove, Yatsuhashi, Ren, and quite a few others fell into that category.
The second group was made up of people who were made uneasy by Oobleck's lecture, but thought it wasn't their problem, or just didn't think they could do much about it. Velvet, Blake, Sky, Sage, Orson, Russel, Pyrrha, Mercury, Yin and Yang, among others, fell into that category.
The last group included myself, Nora, Fox, Sun, Coco, Penny, Cardin, Emerald, Ruby (much to Yang's chagrin), and most notably Emmi- sounds big, but that's because the other two groups were packed with people of little import. Our group was mostly just the ten of us, plus a couple of other students. We were the ones who wanted to make sure that the Nosferatu didn't take another student.
Unfortunately for us, we couldn't have been more wrong. Because the next morning, a second victim would be found... one who didn't even get the saving grace of conversion.
A.N.: So there we have it: first chapter. As time goes on, I'll list every major character and their status. To be blunt, these "major characters" translate to teams RWBY, JNPR, CRDL, CFVY, SSSN, and YELO (OC's), as well as Mercury, Emerald, and Penny, and Dr. Oobleck. In addition, as more characters appear in the story (read, Ozpin, Qrow, etc.), I'll add them to the list.
Bartholomew Oobleck - Living
Blake Belladonna - Living
Cardin Winchester - Living
Coco Adel - Living
Dove Bronzewing - Living
Emerald Sustrai - Living
Emmi Wynn - Living
Fox Alistair - Living
Jaune Arc - Living
Liam Pryce - Converted, Slain
Lie Ren - Living
Mercury Black - Living
Neptune Vasalias - Living
Nora Valkyrie - Living
Orson Drew - Living
Penny Polendina - Living
Pyrrha Nikos - Living
Ruby Rose - Living
Russel Thrush - Living
Sage Ayano - Living
Scarlet David - Living
Sky Lark - Living
Sun Wukong - Living
Velvet Scarlatina - Living
Weiss Schnee - Living
Yang Xiao Long - Living
Yatsuhashi Daichi - Living
Yin Kasumi - Living
So first kill of the story. Naturally it's an OC. But I planned that. With each chapter from here on, I'll let the RNG determine who dies\is converted. Not even I will know who lives and dies. With the exception of Weiss and our mysterious vampire, every character who has appeared in this tale is at risk. And while I've decided the next round will be a kill, I'll also decide whether the creature steals their blood or their soul with each chapter. Everything that has happened thus far was planned. The next chapter won't be so lucky, as a completely random character is GOING to die and I can't do anything about it. No favoritism from Glitch, if Yang or Penny is rolled up that's game for them. Weiss is the only confirmed-to-be immune character, and she's the protagonist.
One more thing: I imagine the "Nosferatu's Curse" is carried through Aura, not blood. So if I roll "Corrupt Penny", I won't have to burn time trying to figure out how one goes about turning an android into a vampire.
Anyway, what do you guys think of this idea? Let me know, and I'll see you next time.