Episode 36 "And then there were eight"

<Storyteller> After travelling through the city for about three hours you finally reach the Hierarch camp. Everyone seems to be bustling and hurrying to get organized.
* Brianna watches the soldiers scramble about
<Brianna> "What's going on here?"
<Storyteller> One of the soldiers stops, "There's a large spectre force heading towards the Grim Legion Hall!" he says and runs to join his Cohort.
* IronJohn draws his pistol
* Daniel smiles
<IronJohn> "What do you say Lads?"
<Daniel> "Looks like we know where we're going."
* Angelo mutters to himself, "I -really- need to get a gun..."
* Brianna nods
<Angelo> "As if there were a question."
<Storyteller> Remy nods as well
* Angelo grins.
* Paul rushes by you and stops
* Paul turns and walks up to your group.
* IronJohn looks to the horizon as if torn emotionally
* Paul now seems to wear the uniform of an Anaceron.
<Paul> "Welcome back, Ironjohn."
* IronJohn snaps out of it
* Paul nods to the rest of you
<IronJohn> "Ey, thank ye Paul."
<Paul> "I need you gentlemen..and lady, for a special assignment."
* Angelo leans to William. "The Anaceron is a friend of yours?" He looks impressed.
* Daniel bows. "Always, at your command."
<Paul> "Brianna, Hans, I need you to get this message to the Governor. Give it only to him, no one else."
* Paul hands over a sealed message
<Storyteller> Hans takes the message and tucks it into his bag. Brianna and Hans run off to seek the Governor.
<IronJohn> "You spoke of an assignment?" Says John to Paul
* William whispers to Angelo, "He has been a friend of the cohort since before I began traveling with them."
* Angelo nods and listens to Paul.
<Paul> "IronJohn, William, Daniel, and Angelo, I need you to establish a lookout point at this address. There will be someone there waiting for you."
<Paul> "Are any of you skilled in Keening?"
* William shakes his head
<Daniel> "I am...fairly skilled in it, m'lord."
<IronJohn> "I know some of the ways."
<Remy> "Heh. I never could hold a tune."
* Remy smiles broadly
* William looks at each person, including Paul
* Paul nods, "Excellent, when you see the spectral force use Keening to make a sound like this," he begins to make a cacphony of disjointed notes.
* IronJohn memorizes the noise
* Angelo winces slightly.
* Daniel nods as he commits the noise to memory
* Remy winces
<Paul> "That will be our signal that they are near. Once you do that, I suggest you get out of there fast."
<Remy> "Uh huh. We gonna scare them off wit' off key singing?"
<Paul> "Any questions?"
<IronJohn> "Ey sir."
<Paul> "Yes?"
* Daniel looks at Remy
<Daniel> "Yeah, that's EXACTLY what we're going to do. Your genius astounds me, human."
* Daniel looks away.
* IronJohn looks down at the ground, deep in thought
* Remy grins bemusedly at Daniel. "Suppose you ain't human, son?"
<Paul> "No questions, good. Alright, be carefull out there, good luck." he says as he rushes off to join his men.
<Daniel> "I am a Sidhe of House Gwydion, human. You would do well not to incur my wrath."
* IronJohn looks at the address
<Angelo> "We got nothing better to do than stand around and pose? The spectre's aren't gonna sit around and wait while we finish posturing."
* IronJohn looks at Daniel a moment
* Daniel gives Angelo a frosty glare
* William raises an eyebrow at the word Sidhe, but, being behind Daniel, he doesn't see.
<IronJohn> "Lets get going Lads....."
* IronJohn begins to walk
* Remy eyes Daniel, a smrik on his face. "You *looked* like a man to me."
* Angelo shrugs. "Noble or no, we're all in the same boat now. We got a job to do."
<Remy> "Alright, lets move out!"
* William nods
* Daniel sighs and mutters a few choice obscenities under his breath
* Angelo follows.
<Storyteller> {Angelo-What fools the boys are! The necropolis is about to come crumbling down around their necks and they are having a pissing contest! ha!}
* IronJohn folds his wings around him to buffer himself against an unknown chill
<Remy> "Right son. If you were some sort of noble, then I s'pose you follow your command structure? I reckon we'll get along just fine, then."
<Angelo> (Amusing, ain't it? Maybe you got some useful observations after all!)
* Daniel gives Remy a look that could peel paint and continues walking
<William> "Pardon me Remy, but should we not be moving to that address?"
* IronJohn continues to walk, ignoring what the rest of the cohort is doing
* William follows Johnny
<Storyteller> You continue to walk towards the building, you can see most of the Legionnaires are setting up strategic points all over the street. Most however are stationing themselves inside the Legion Hall.
* Angelo breaks into stride with IronJohn, and nudges him. "Hey! Snap out of it, will ya? You've been brooding ever since we found the girl. Something up the rest of us ought to know about?" he mutters.
* IronJohn looks at Angelo
<Remy> {John...don't suffer the fool}
<IronJohn> "I have been one of the restless for hundreds of years, and I have always fought against the spectres."
<IronJohn> "What I say then has changed my mind."
<IronJohn> "I am not sure what I have done was the right thing."
<Storyteller> {Daniel-These mortals can't see nobility in front of their faces! You should lead...you should be the one making the descisions}
<William> "How could it not be right?"
<IronJohn> "What if I put an end to others like the one that helped the fair lass?"
* Angelo nods. "It don't matter how much you know, there's always something that'll surprise you here."
<Storyteller> Shadow walks besides Daniel
<Daniel> (I will display the qualities of a true leader. They will realize my right to rule, eventually)
<Storyteller> You finally reach the address. It is an office building maybe ten doors down from the Legion Hall.
<IronJohn> "Ey, still to one as old as I, things like this can tear us apart and send us to oblivion."
* Angelo blinks. "Don't tell me you're going soft on spectres, though..."
<William> "He could have been following his master's commands."
<Remy> {Of course, John. You misjudge our side. Oblivion is a natural process, but the fight against it has caused all the problems in the underworld. It's part of the eternal cycle...if only you would trust me...}
<Storyteller> As you look at it you can see something looking back at you.
<IronJohn> (Say what you will dark one, you are pissed because in 300 years you have not gotten me to relent)
* IronJohn looks at Angelo and says nothing
* Angelo looks at the building. "Someone there?"
* IronJohn waits behind the rest of the group
<Storyteller> There's no answer
* Daniel looks at the building.
<Remy> {On the contrary, John...I am not angry, only disapointed. I could show you such sights, if only you would let me. I suppose the explorer in you has been deadened by 300 years of stagnation}
<Storyteller> The building is dark, very few lights are still on. You can hear the sound of vacuum cleaners
<IronJohn> (One day I may see those sites, but today is not the day)
<William> "It's in the land of the living."
<Storyteller> Suddenly a head sticks out from the wall and looks at you
* Remy flinches in surprise, and his hand goes to his pistol
* IronJohn looks
* Daniel reaches for Nocturne
<Ash> "Would you morons mind getting in here! It's not much of a secret look out point with you standing outside it!"
* IronJohn smiles and enters
* Daniel scowls at Ash and enters the building
* Angelo smirks and steps through the wall.
* William enters the building
<Storyteller> You walk into the building and work your way to the top floor.
* Remy steps inside
* Ash is a tall looking man with dark hair. He has a chainsaw for a right hand.
<Ash> "I've been waiting for you for an hour now. Where have you been?"
<William> "Walking."
<Ash> "Nevermind that now. Any sightings on you way here?"
<IronJohn> "None."
<Ash> "Good, that means they are heading this way."
<William> "Then we wait for them? Perhaps we should send scouts. We could spot them sooner."
<IronJohn> "Something is heading this way."
<Angelo> "I hear it."
<Daniel> "Me too."
* Angelo reaches for his gladius.
* Remy rolls his dice between his fingers, getting a feel for the threads of fate, and trying to read them for signs of danger
* Daniel runs to a window
* IronJohn gets out his pistol
* Angelo mutters, "I really need to get a gun..."
* Remy draws his pistol as precaution, too
* William draws his broadsword and takes up a position by the closest window to the door so he can watch
* Remy takes out his gladius and holds it in his off hand
<Remy> "Somethin' wicked this way comes. Look sharp, troops. We got trouble."
<Angelo> "Somebody gonna do the Keening thing?"
* Daniel draws Nocturne and tightens his grip on Shadow's leash
<Daniel> "Get ready, Shadow..."
<IronJohn> "I will."
<Storyteller> Now the sound is louder, it sounds like trumpets, and footfalls, and clinking...
* IronJohn takes off and flys through the floors above him to get to the roof
* William touches his crucifix and whispers a prayer
* Angelo crosses himself and whispers something in Italian.
<William> "I can block their passage though this street."
<Ash> "NO."
* William looks puzzled. "It would slow them down."
* William nods to Angelo
<Remy> "Shit. We should get the hell outta here."
<Angelo> "Isn't that what Paul said?"
<Ash> "Yeah, and each and every spectre it didn't affect would know right where we are."
<Remy> "Yeah. I thought it bore repeating."
* Remy smiles grimly
<William> "I will slow them down to give us more time."
<Daniel> "You will come with us, William, either willingly or by force."
<Remy> "Don' be foolish, William. We need to get out of here."
* Ash grabs Willaim and brings him to the window
<Daniel> "We will not leave you to the spectres."
<Ash> "Look damn it!"
<Remy> "I tol' you before, I ain't gonna lose another troop."
<William> "Who said I was staying."
<Storyteller> Out on the street you can see *thousands* of spectres....
<William> "I can block the entire street."
<Daniel> "OK, we go NOW!"
<Remy> "Aww....beautiful.."
* Remy looks at Ash
<Remy> "You got an escape route?"
<Ash> "Let's go, follow me..."
<Angelo> "I look forward to the day we get a chance to stand and fight instead of running from the tide, but I'm all for getting the hell out."
* Daniel follows Ash
* Remy follows
* Angelo follows.
* IronJohn lets rip with a massive blast of Keening in the manner that Paul showed him
<Remy> "I'd rather we all live to fight another day."
* Ash leads you to a strange looking opening in the wall
* William follows, taking up the rear guard position
* IronJohn flys down and joins the others
<Storyteller> Suddenly the spectres begin to dash towards the World Trade Center, Legionnaires come out from hiding to engage
<Ash> "This is a passage way into the Tempest, it's our only way out!"
* Daniel looks sceptical
* Remy hesitates for a moment, torn between wanting to help the Legionnaires, and wanting to escape with his Cohort
<Storyteller> Outside you can hear the clang and shrieks of the battle
* William nods. "The option to flee is quickly fading."
<Daniel> "Damned if I do...damned if I don't."
* Remy rushes through the portal
<William> "We either move or fight now."
<Ash> "I have a boat waiting!"
* Daniel shrugs. "What the hell!" and jumps through.
* IronJohn jumps through
<Ash> "Let's go!" he says waving his arms
<Storyteller> Angelo jumps through
<Ash> "William I can't hold it very long!"
* William waits till everyone is through. As the last one jumps though he looks back toward the battlem then jumps through.
* Ash jumps through
* Angelo grits his teeth. "Better than certain destruction, I suppose."
<Storyteller> Your vision begins to blur, and you can feel each part of your corpea break apart and reattach itself.
<Storyteller> It's cold, and you can hear the howling wind of the Tempest
* IronJohn shudders
* William keeps his sword drawn, but sits in the boat, keeping an eye out for trouble
* Ash shakes his head
<Ash> "No matter how many times I do that, it still makes me wanna puke."
<IronJohn> "Ey."
<Remy> "Little bit difficult in our current state." Remy winks
* IronJohn looks over the boat
<Remy> "'less you want to Embody."
<Storyteller> The boat rises and falls to the ebb and flow of the dark water
<Ash> "Ok, let's head back to the docks."
* Ash begins to steer the small boat home.
* Daniel sheathes Nocturne and tries to relax a little bit
* IronJohn seems calmer now that he is on a boat
<Storyteller> After a few minutes you can hear a shrieking
* Angelo paces a bit.
<Remy> "Assumin' there's anything left of home...."
* Daniel looks in the direction of the shrieking
<Storyteller> Off in the distance you think you saw a tail
<Ash> "Oh man..."
<Daniel> "What the hell?"
* Remy rubs his temples
<Daniel> "Dragons, here?"
<Remy> "Could this go any worse?"
* Ash glares at Remy
<Ash> "Curse us why don't you.."
* Remy smiles at Ash. "I'm gettin' too old for this."
* Angelo clenches and unclenches his fists. "It can always get worse in the Shadowlands."
<IronJohn> "Twas a whale."
<IronJohn> "Settle down lads."
* Ash nods
<Remy> "Don't suppose any of us are Ahab?"
<IronJohn> "As long as we don't piss the bugger off we will be fine."
* Ash looks at IronJohn
<Angelo> "I musta left my harpoon gun in my other pants."
* IronJohn laughs
* Ash points
<Ash> "Look the docks!"
<William> "A whale? Here?"
* IronJohn looks
* Daniel looks at the docks
* Remy strains his eyes to see
* Angelo starts to say something else, but stops to look where Ash points.
* William looks at the dock
<Storyteller> There in the near distance you can see the docks, and as you get closer you can see that there are alot of wraiths there. They seem to be gathering there.
<Ash> "That's not a good sign...."
<Daniel> "Looks like the city's fallen."
<William> "They are driving them into the water."
<IronJohn> "We will find out soon enough."
<Remy> "Dammnit!"

<Storyteller> At the World Trade Center
<Storyteller> Paul runs through the hallways, hacking his way through the spectres that have filled the skyscraper
<Storyteller> And then he hears it, the horse hooves behind him.
<Storyteller> He turns and fires, and the horse falls to the ground knocking Scar on his back.
<Storyteller> Paul aims his weapon again, but a swift kick from Scar knocks the gun from his hand
<Storyteller> "Fire!" screams Scar as several of his spectres fire their weapons into Paul.
<Storyteller> Paul falls backwards, staggering. Scar smiles as he takes off his mask.
<Storyteller> "I'm going to enjoy devouring you..." he says. He begins to shake his head, it become more and more violent and soon his jaw begins to disengage and become larger and larger
<Storyteller> Soon he is upon Paul
<Storyteller> Paul staggers and reaches back behind him, finding his weapon <Storyteller> "Eat this!" and fires straight into Scars mouth, blowing his head nearly off his body
<Storyteller> The other spectres rush Paul and in a desperate moves Paul jumps through the wall and falls to the ground far below.
<Storyteller> This concludes Act Two: For the Love of a Friend