Chapter 3: The Path of the Righteous Man

[greyarea]

Emile says, Well, if the back door lead downstairs, there's at least three more of these bloodsuckers waiting for us. And if that power source if anything like we saw under the farmhouse, we have to have a strategy for that too.

And I'm concerned about being forced to use my guns on a friend again. Ain't been shooting as straight since... he concludes, his hand visibly trembling.

Yeah, that will explain the crappy dice rolls.

[Marullus]

Do you need a roll for this?

Nope.

[cybersavant]

Báleygr Gangleri "If we're taking a few moments now, i can send drones down to scout below. Do we need the third on still out at the back? I do have enough energy to one more heal today, but that's it then."

[Marullus]

If you finish talking and decide on action, I'll adjudicate. Giving you time to talk out your plans for now.

[redwarrior]

Hansel looking around at the party, Hansel realizes that everyone is pretty banged up. Maybe we should hold off on your ability for now Baleygr. It looks like one bad hit could put any of us down now. Maybe we need to save that for a real emergency. Hansel still thinks we should press on, as the bad guys we know of are at least as banged up as us.

[cybersavant]

you know there's at least 4 more in the basement because still have comms, jut not telepathic link

[Enoch]

Shadrach nods. "We should probably send the drones first. We can't really plan without intel." He grimaces and adjusts a bandage around his midsection.

[cybersavant]

Báleygr Gangleri recalls the drone from outside and sends the other two downstairs. When the third arrives, he positions it so as to spotlight anyone coming from the other room, not the marshals.

[Marullus]

The group spends ten minutes getting patched up and collecting themselves, huddled around the flatbed hovertruck, where it idles in the hole in the wall. Emile expresses concern about being forced to shoot his allies again. Shadrach offers to scout intangibly, but recommends the drones first.

The third drone arrives, hovering over the truck bed and shining its spotlight into the dark interior of the bar. Some moonlight comes through where the ceiling has collapsed, dust still hanging in the air near the rubble like a haze. The metallic smell of too much spilled blood can't be ignored.

The other two drones approach the stairwells - one in the kitchen, one on the stage behind the curtain. Both stairs are spirals of metal, splotches of rust where the protective coating has chipped away.

The first drone goes down the kitchen steps, the spotlight illuminating the way ahead as the cameras automatically sync with Balygyr's optic nerves through the control unit he wears on his head. At the bottom of the steps is a crowded storeroom. It is a large room with two doors, both closed. Nothing moves. The area is piled with crates, boxes, bags... nothing matches, indicating they are from many sources, collected at different times. Those that are open or labeled (as the drone is just looking) show a chaotic assortment of preserved foodstuffs, liquor bottles, dry goods, clothing, ammo...

The second drone goes down the stairs behind the curtain on the stage. It's floodlight illuminates a narrow stairwell with an open doorway into a larger garage bay area. It senses movement there, but there is the sound of a shotgun blast - also clearly audible from where you stand - and the feed blanks out.

Revised hit points:

Báleygr Gangleri (AC 13) 6 / 6
Shadrach (AC 16, 17 Shadows) 7 / 15 (+3)
Hansel Shatner (AC 15) 14 / 26 (+2)
Emile (AC 15) 8 / 10 (+3)
Taavi Perttu (AC 14) 9 / 14 (+6)
Nora (AC 13) 9 / 16
Oliver (AC 10) 3 / 3
Kimberly Brown (AC 14) 3 / 3

[cybersavant]

Báleygr Gangleri "I just lost one drone - the stage area seems to go to the garage where Emile was. The kitchen has more doors, closed - but it looks like collections on past victims in the storage area - we could collect those."

Báleygr Gangleri activates one of the spare drones.

[jemmus]

Taavi puts the pistols and old laser pistol in the truck's cab. He's close to obsessed with finding out the monster Peytr's fate and current state. He holsters his laser pistol and shoulders his rifle and approaches the place Peytr was last seen.

Sorry if I missed something and this was already covered. Not sure if Taavi can re- establish telepathic link after being unconscious. He's down to 0 Psionics for today./ooc]

[Marullus]

OOC:

He's close to obsessed with finding out the monster Peytr's fate and current state.

I'm allowing you to torch to use your Telekinesis 1 due to your mental state and I'm not charging you or making you roll for consequence, because I'm establishing the narrative effect without asking you. (If you initiate doing this in the future, you need to roll normally. ) It just seems more fitting the the narrative than Taavi struggling to lift the concrete slabs with his lawerly hands.

Your Telekinetic Manipulation requires a commitment of effort for the scene for each use within a scene; you then get it back when the scene ends. You can lift 200kg as if with two hands.

Sorry if I missed something and this was already covered. Not sure if Taavi can re- establish telepathic link after being unconscious. He's down to 0 Psionics for today.

Your Telepathic Contact is more costly - it requires committing the effort for the Day, but the effect only lasts for the scene. So, you spent all your effort for the day and got the mental comms for the scene; the scene would now be over either way.

The shotgun blast sounds from downstairs and Balygyr announces he lost a drone... the future remains hazardous and uncertain. Taavi drops the reclaimed handguns in the cab of the truck, barely containing his emotional state behind the mask expected of him as a lawyer of Kumekhna. He moves with deliberate purpose across the ruined bar, stepping over the corpse of a thickly-muscled man in pumpjack coveralls and several dead strippers to reach the ruins of the VIP lounge. The explosive blast left the area in ruins, chunks of concrete and rebar fallen from what is now a hole in the roof above.

Taavi pauses, looking at the ruin, the thin haze of dust hanging above the rubble. The body of Petyr lies beneath. He can't let him rise, not again. He has to know he's dead. He reaches down to lift the rubble, the concrete slabs barely budging at his touch. Just because Petyr is buried doesn't mean he's dead.

"Gaaah!" Taavi yells in frustration, flinging his hand to the side. As if bidden by his anger and emotion, the concrete slab flips itself backwards, falling in front of the doorway to the adjacent hallway, crushing the pole and tattered remnants of the VIP curtain. His face grim, he gestures with his other hand, a second slab of concrete beneath flipping and skidding to a stop next to the shattered pool table which still has a metal spike through its slate top.

Taavi looks down at the remains of the leatherette sofa. At the two gutted corpses of the girls on the floor in front of it, reminding him of Nora's own exquisite capacity for violence. On the couch lie the scorched and torn tatters of Petyr's black suit, the fine cloth having taken the full brunt of the explosive device. Within them are the white bones of a skeleton, the remaining flesh still slowly liquifying into black ooze and dripping down, slowly spreading into a sticky pool on the tattered couch cushion. While he stands, watching, the ligaments holding the left shoulder together give way, the skull lolling to that side as the arm drops off with sickly, wet splorp.

[Enoch]

Shadrach bends his head to his hound, now sitting in the shadows under the bar, panting, its eyes blank and hungry. In the dim light he seems nearly incorporeal; certainly his full bulk couldn't fit in the angle of the bar in which he's crouched.

"Grim, hraniti." The creature slouches out of the angle, the shadows seeming to stretch with him, and pads over to one of the downed creatures and begins to feed. As the shadows gather, it's hard to tell if it feeds as a hound, ripping off chunks of flesh, or in some less corporeal way.

[redwarrior]

Hansel moves over to the truck and grabs his laser rifle, and looks expectantly to the others Where they are or where they probably are? he asks as he points toward the two stairwells.

[cybersavant]

Báleygr Gangleri "The stairs behind the stage go to the garage where they are. I'm not sure how large it is inside, or where they can hide in there. There's at least four of them. I think gathering the supplies form their victims in the other staircase should be a priority - we could use those."

[jemmus]

Taavi takes a photo of Peytr's disintegrating skeleton for his dreaded someday report. And for Nora.

While the marshals regroup and plan, he looks around the wrecked bar for items or supplies that may be of use to the group later. He takes a full bottle of better quality vodka. Better quality for this rural dive, at least. For a little refreshment for everyone, when today's work is finally done.

[Marullus]

So.... are you going down a stairwell?

[greyarea]

Emile does some of the deep breathing of his order and then nods, Let's go down then, shall we? Let's gather supplies first and then go down the other set by the stage...

[redwarrior]

Hansel takes a swig from his drink that is somehow still intact on the bar, readies his rifle and gets ready to head down the stairs. He'll go first, unless someone else wants to. Assuming kitchen stairs, not the one that's got someone obviously posted on it. As he moves, he probes ahead with his rifle, senses on alert for anything that might indicate trouble or an ambush.


Notice [3d6c1+2]=10+2=12

[jemmus]

Taavi, blown up, gutshot, and unconscious for most of the time since the encounter with Peytr and the strippers in the VIP room, looks around the room. What's the situation with Nora and Oliver? That fanged fellow... probably an innocent whiskey-sipper, transmogrified into something terrible along with the strippers by Petr's foul... but admittedly very strong... sorcery. Extreme power from control of the energies of the realm of the unknown.

He looks around the room again, listens to the vocal comms messages. Shakes his head, tries to vaguelty tries to think like a lawyer. No, like a frontier marshal. Who's here? Hansel-- Steady and urbane gunslinger. Gambler? Good with a gun, cool and steady in a fight. What could he possibly be doing out here? Don't question or pry. Three firefights later, it doesn't matter. We're all "Marshals."

Emile-- Gunslinger ranger. Veteran of a 1,000 fights. Indomitable. Right?

Shadrach-- Knower of the mysteries of the Depths. Seems he and Nora are a little sweet on each other. Well, trusted friends at least. An invaluable friend and ally. Along with the dog Grim.

While waiting for further information and guidance, he remembers that back in some forgotten town he had been elected decision-maker of the marshals and driver of the now-crashed truck. He goes to the top of the stairs to the basement and whispers into his wristset, loudly and honestly enough for Nora and the greasy-haired pool shooter woman to hear:

Marshals, well done. Gather at the truck, reload, set safeties to red, and gather at the stairs to the basement. Please prepare to be blown again. Safeties off. You know how to get ready. Ms. Nora, Ms Kimberly, please prepare to come down with all available weaponry. Marshal Baleyger's drones to proceed and scout. Please await Marshal Balyegr's go-ahead instructions. Or just go free for all running and gunning, like so far!

I'm late posting, two posts came in before.