Quick, quiet death by dagger

[Steerpike]

Apparently, a good place to kill someone is by going into the brain through the nose. It shuts down the part of the brain that would react.

If he's a professional, he's not going to risk having them wake up. He's going to do something like hold chloroform over their mouths while he does it.

That's an interesting approach. Maybe there is some archaeological tool laying around he can use.

He's not a professional killer, and there's no chloroform or similar material around. It's sort of a spur of the moment event out at a dig site.

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

Maybe the character can even mull this over during the scene.

That would make for a very interesting scene.

Another wrinkle I should have mentioned, because I now realize it will affect things, is that the character doesn't really want to kill these students. He has to. He's somewhat fond of them both, and it's a rather sudden thing, so there is no poison on hand or anything like that. Even without the change of waking one of the two, I don't see him bashing in heads. He'll try to think of the most effective, and also least painful way to do it, to the extent that is possible.

So the need for efficiency isn't cruelty but rather mercy. I'd have the character mull this over as well, deciding the best method. It could be very powerful, trying to detach himself from the conflicting emotions of the moment in order to be as merciful as possible.

Does the professor have to use something in the room or does he have some time to prepare? Also, he's a professor of what exactly? His exact expertise should play a major role in his choice of method and weapon.

 

[Steerpike]

Does the professor have to use something in the room or does he have some time to prepare? Also, he's a professor of what exactly? His exact expertise should play a major role in his choice of method and weapon.

He'd be able to prepare throughout the day, but options are somewhat limited. They're at a dig site far from the nearest town or village. He's a professor of archaeology, and these are students of his helping with the dig. So he'd have to resort to items you might reasonably find around a dig site. He has a dagger, but apart from that it would be limited to archaeological tools, or something crude like a heavy stone or a piece of wood used as a club. The idea of bashing the students to death with a heavy object won't appeal to him at all.

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

As a professor of archaeology, where does his knowledge of anatomy stem from?

 

[Steerpike]

As a professor of archaeology, where does his knowledge of anatomy stem from?

He doesn't have extensive knowledge, but in this particular world a professor in one discipline would be expected to have a decent level of knowledge of the state of knowledge in general, and so an archaeology professor would know the basics of what is going on in the field of biology and vice versa. But he wouldn't be an expert in it by any means.

 

[Butterfly]

He'd be able to prepare throughout the day, but options are somewhat limited. They're at a dig site far from the nearest town or village. He's a professor of archaeology, and these are students of his helping with the dig. So he'd have to resort to items you might reasonably find around a dig site. He has a dagger, but apart from that it would be limited to archaeological tools, or something crude like a heavy stone or a piece of wood used as a club. The idea of bashing the students to death with a heavy object won't appeal to him at all.

A machete perhaps. Used to cut roots and undergrowth and overgrown areas on digs. A decent thwack to the neck area or spinal area might do it...

Archtools : Archaeology Excavation and Digging Tools For all your archaeological tool kit needs. You might find a few things surprising.

 

[SeverinR]

Club, baton, brick to head note;
If laying on a pillow or mattress, the softness might absorb enough of the blow to be painful not fatal in one shot.
A loud scream will be heard if not killed in first blow.
Claw part of hammer might do the job, but still has to be a good clean blow and enough damage to prevent the scream.
Basically none of us are as good at driving a nail or hitting a baseball as we think, it might not be a perfect hit but 10-15% of the time, even more if a pillow or other obstacle could influence the strike.
Devor is right, you want to cover all the bases. If their drunk simply knock them out with more drugs.
If just sleeping, the hand over the mouth would trigger the fight/flight reflex of a sober person.
I would clarify Devor though, he would use chloroform prior to the kill to ensure silence not at the same time. Maybe even use it on both prior to kiling the first.

Also if there is a chance of someone finding the bodies, the least amount of visible damage would be best, to allow the person to think they are simply passed out or asleep. Gray matter where the head use to be doesn't leave one to think the victims are in a blissfull slumber.

 

[Asura Levi]

You could add some poison, very deadly poison to the blade. You know, just in case...

 

[Filk]

Stuff a thick rag in the mouth and make sure to cut both sides of the throat - the victim will bleed out much faster that way. In terms of the person crying out to wake up the other or cause alarm, you can tell that tale however you wish. It would be believable to have these students deep in sleep due to the physical toil of a dig and traveling that they are unaccustomed to.

 

[Nobby]

I am really quite worried now...

Then again, British commandos in the second world war were trained to cover the mouth and stab under the ribs to the heart with the fairburn dagger. This site is frankly terrifying Fairbairn - USE OF THE KNIFE.