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[5e IC] Sunt Venatores Venationem

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rednblack

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« Reply #90 on: <04-03-15/1913:26> »
With the low-light flashlight held steady on her, the team can see tears brimming in the young girl's eyes.  Slowly, she leans forward, place her right hand on the floor, and adjusts her feet so that she can stand.  When she does so, the team can see blood on her pants, as if she has been eating from her lap in the sitting position. 

"If it is truly forgiveness you desire, then come forward and receive it. There may still be room left in the kingdom of heaven for you in these brief moments before the end."

"Will it hurt?" she asks, but shakes her head before Sister Rebecca can answer.  She steps forward uncertainly, and approaches an interior wall, before kneeling, and pulling her long dark hair across her right shoulder, exposing her neck to Sister Rebecca's blade.

"I just want to look at it for a second," she says.  "Don't tell me when you're going to do it.  I've died once already.  Knowing is the worst part."

A quick sweep of the flashlight, shows what the girl wants her last sight to be.  It's a painting, and from the frame it was obviously brought here. 

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Poindexter

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« Reply #91 on: <04-05-15/0033:58> »
Without a moment's hesitation, Sister Rebecca quickly gecko grips the MGL to her back and steps forward into striking range of her foe. Sword held high above her and even higher above the trembling, blood soaked child at her feet, the demon hunter pauses briefly. She tightly grips the handle with both gloved hands and speaks a short phrase. Her voice is strong, even, and compassionate. "And he shall wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Then, with one swift motion, she brings the razor sharp Blade of Gabriel down in a perfect arc, crossing in front of her and cleanly separating the girl's head from her body. As the decapitated corpse slumps to the ground, Rebecca bows her head briefly and crosses herself. She's pleased. She was certain that many demons would be slain this night, but she did not expect any of them to repent and seek forgiveness before the end. Beneath the intimidating and featureless battlehelmet on her head, she wears an expression of content.

One day, we shall meet again in the kingdom of heaven, and we shall meet as sisters.

After mentally stealing herself against the flood of negative emotion that will pour into her once she does, she opens herself up to the spirit world once again. Looking to see Leliel hovering nearby, she speaks. "Thank you for your help tonight, Noble Leliel. Please return to the great chorus and add tonight's deeds into a verse if you would wish me glory."

Finally, she sends a short message on her comm.

<<@Team [Sister Rebecca] Contact 3 down. Mission successful. Orders for evac?>>
« Last Edit: <04-05-15/0138:41> by Poindexter »
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Tecumseh

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« Reply #92 on: <04-05-15/0305:03> »
Achak steps forward once the deed is done. He grabs the head of the departed one, then tilts it so that Sister Rebecca may trim the ears. Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come.

Once claimed, he stands. Overall, he feels... fine. A regrettable tragedy that one so young would fall to such an evil disease, but the resolution was as good as could have been hoped. None were beyond the Lord's reach, be it His reaping scythe or His benevolent Grace.

"Intel said we could count on two, possibly three Zekes. That makes three. Perhaps we should conduct a quick audit to confirm." He is about to suggest that Leliel conduct a sweep of the remaining floors, but his magic sense detects that Leliel has departed.

<<@Team [Achak] Elijah, any inbound sirens? It's Redmond, I know, but Touristville sees a patrol every now and then. And that was a lot of screaming clubgoers pouring out into the street all at once.>>

He sweeps his flashlight back over the painting that the girl had wanted to see. He knows about music, but not much about art.

"Surprised to see something like that in a place like this. I can hardly imagine that it's real, but there's only one way to find out. Let's pack this lady up for Mr. Abbey. Let's get some clothes on her, just in case she's a watercolor. I presume it's still raining outside." He glances down at his gloves, which are red from the Lord's work. "Someone with cleaner hands, perhaps." He turns and looks for other spoils of war.

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« Reply #93 on: <04-05-15/1200:55> »
"Surprised to see something like that in a place like this. I can hardly imagine that it's real, but there's only one way to find out. Let's pack this lady up for Mr. Abbey. Let's get some clothes on her, just in case she's a watercolor. I presume it's still raining outside."

She briefly shakes her head. "It isn't ours and we've done what we came for. I'd feel better if we left it behind." She does snap a picture of it on her comm though. Something about that image keeps drawing her interest and she'd like to take some time later and figure out what, exactly. Then she adds, "Treasures of wickedness profit nothing, but righteousness delivereth from death."
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Tecumseh

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« Reply #94 on: <04-06-15/0134:23> »
Achak turns to Sister Rebecca, somewhat surprised at the objection. How deeply does the reservation go?

"Sister, it is entirely possible - even probable - that the painting itself was stolen and it is by our actions that it will be returned to its rightful owners.

"But let us say, for the sake of discussion, that this painting was lawfully owned by these vampires. Is it not His will that led us here, to purge them? Is it possible to steal from those He would have us kill? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Here is our just reward.

"Samson struck down thirty Philistines and stripped them of everything. So may we, in the service of the Lord."

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« Reply #95 on: <04-06-15/2215:24> »
"Sister, it is entirely possible - even probable - that the painting itself was stolen and it is by our actions that it will be returned to its rightful owners.

"But let us say, for the sake of discussion, that this painting was lawfully owned by these vampires. Is it not His will that led us here, to purge them? Is it possible to steal from those He would have us kill? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Here is our just reward.

"Samson struck down thirty Philistines and stripped them of everything. So may we, in the service of the Lord."


Her facemask hides a slightly disappointed smirk. She never ceases to be amazed at the mental gymnastics people will do to justify their actions. Cleaning the blood from her blade, she says to him, "Is that your plan? To return it to it's rightful owners?. Either way, take it if you must. I suppose this one got all the use from it she ever will." Just then, a thought enters her head. I wonder if this girl had a commlink.

<<@Team [Sister Rebecca] Eli, any sign this girl had an active link?>>
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« Reply #96 on: <04-07-15/1301:20> »
Stake smiles behind his mask. He knew that the Sister had it in her. Kind of strange that the girl just gave herself up though.

As the others talk about whether to take the painting, Stake walks up close to it. He quickly checks for traps. Finding none, he shrugs. Ever the pragmatist and unburdened by religion, he lifts the painting off the wall. It's a little large, but Stake manages to hold onto it. He glances at the blood soaked room again. Lots of red. Must be the kamikaze; sometimes it made you really emotional, other times it distanced you from the real world.

"I'm not very knowledgeable about art, but somehow I don't think this," he says as he holds up the painting, "belongs here. We should probably get moving, we've finished what we came here for."

<<@Team [Sister Rebecca] Eli, any sign this girl had an active link?>>

That's a good idea. Why didn't I think of that?

<<@Team [Stake] Once you're done 3L1, let's get out of here. We've outstayed our welcome.>>

rednblack

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« Reply #97 on: <04-07-15/1403:28> »
<<@Team [3L1] I've got two outbound from the backdoor.  Engage?>>
<<Attachment: Rotoshot1.png>>


While Sister Rebecca and Stake recognize one of the men as the yakuza wielding a shotgun from the hallway, Stake also recognizes his companion as the one who stayed on his feet despite some good shooting.  The man looks worse for the wear, though, and is leaning heavily on his companion as they make their way out into the alleyway.

A moment later, Eli sends another comm.

<<@Team [3L1] Negative on any commlinks up there.  Pretty dead.  I've got you cleared for evac.>>
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« Reply #98 on: <04-07-15/1420:53> »
<<@Team [3L1] I've got two outbound from the backdoor.  Engage?>>
<<Attachment: Rotoshot1.png>>


<<@Team [Stake] Negative. Those two are part of building security. We came to an understanding, of sorts.>>

<<@Team [3L1] Negative on any commlinks up there.  Pretty dead.  I've got you cleared for evac.>>

<<@Team [Stake] Understood. We're on our way.>>

Looking to his companions, he asks, "Ready?"

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« Reply #99 on: <04-07-15/1500:45> »
Getting confirmation, Stake sends another message.

<<@Team [Stake] 3L1, meet us at the back entrance. We're also bringing down a painting that was in the vampires' possession.>>

"All right folks. Let's go. Our ride is waiting." Stake heads for the door, motioning them to follow.

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« Reply #100 on: <04-07-15/1705:56> »
<<@Team [3L1] Negative on any commlinks up there.  Pretty dead.  I've got you cleared for evac.>>

Maybe it's turned off or something.

Looking to his companions, he asks, "Ready?"

"Give me ninety seconds." Becca begins tearing through the room, searching for the commlink that may very well, not exist.
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rednblack

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« Reply #101 on: <04-08-15/1319:48> »
Achak leads a quick but thorough search for survivors on the fourth floor, while Becca tears up the main suite.  Apparently the little girl didn't have a commlink of her own, or if she has she has been separated from it. The gore of the feeding area has Sister Rebecca careful of where to place her hands.  All it would take is one errant sofa spring to prick her finger, and then she'd have to submit herself to a mercy killing, like the girl who came before.  Luckily, no such spring reaches out to grab her, and she is careful to pick only at the cleanest corners of cushions she can find to flip them over, before turning over the couch itself.  She does come across one certified credstick, showing a balance of ¥43, tucked into a built-in along the wall, but nothing else of value appears to be in the room.  She also notes a lack of clothes.  It seems these vampires, didn't have much more than what they were found with.  Strange.

Achak's search is no less disheartening, though a bit more profitable.  There are no survivors.  He counts no less than 22 bodies, including the half dozen in the suite, in various states of decay.  They've all been bled dry, and some look to have been bled out into buckets like hogs.  He even comes across one Asian man in a suit, bearing yakuza styled tattoos, tucked away a corner of the "body room."  Most have been decapitated, though a few have nails hammered into the base of their skulls.  Similarly, most appear to be Barrens residents, though the odd mid-level corper is present also, judging from the clothes. 

Near the door of the "body room" Achak finds a five gallon food-grade bucket filled with valuables: commlinks, credsticks, the occasional taser, and two full mags for an Ares Predator.  It seems that most of those killed were killed in the suite, and then brought here to be picked over and dismembered.  Not particularly sophisticated, but effective.

Convinced he's found all there is to find, Achak signals Stake that he's ready to move.
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Tecumseh

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« Reply #102 on: <04-08-15/1813:04> »
Achak grits his teeth while his stomach rolls. The fourth floor looks like a slaughterhouse, a proverbial bloodbath that's not proverbial at all.

He examines the bodies (the ones with heads, at least) that have nails hammerd into the base of their skulls. Were they pithed? he wonders to himself, thinking back to his rudimentary biology. Academics were never his strong suit though. Immobilized to prevent them from escaping so that they could be consumed "fresh" another day? It's a terrifying thought, but perhaps there is humanity in it too: better to be knocked out first than to be eaten alive and screaming.

He examines the headless corpses. What's the point of decapitating them? Do they need the heads for something? Or does taking the head off make it easier to bleed them dry? He glances distastefully at the buckets full of blood.

His eyes fall on the 19-liter bucket full of personal possessions. He sighs. It's one thing to profit from a vampire when their assets have been anonymized with time, but it's another when their victims are staring you lifelessly in the face. He debates whether to leave the bucket behind for the authorities, wondering if any of the possessions would make it to the next-of-kin. Sighing again, he grabs the bucket to take with him. There's something about the mix of victims which seems suspicious. Maybe it's just a cross-section of people who might be found in the club downstairs on any given night, or maybe some of these victims were intentionally targeted. If so, that would suggest a level of higher level of organization than newborns could be expected to provide. If so, that ladder would need to be climbed. But there was no way to know for sure without sorting through the bucket.

<<@Team [Achak] Fourth floor clear. Ready to evac. I suggest Sister in the front, then Stake with the painting, then I can take the rear.>>

He grabs the bucket with his left hand, keeps his hand on his Ares Crusader with his right, then goes to join Sister Rebecca and Stake.

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« Reply #103 on: <04-08-15/1827:25> »
It's only now that the danger is more or less over, Rebecca starts to realize how strange this whole thing is. Why don't they have any possessions? Why did they have this painting? Why are we being paid so much for so little resistance? She shakes her head and decides that now isn't the time for such ambiguities. Filing all those thoughts away for later, she falls back to business. She pockets the credstick, hoping it will provide some hint to an answer maybe, then announces she's ready to go. "I'm all done here. Ready for Evac."

<<@Team [Achak] Fourth floor clear. Ready to evac. I suggest Sister in the front, then Stake with the painting, then I can take the rear.>>

<<@Team [Sister Rebecca] Acknowledged. Moving to position.>>

Quickly and efficiently, the demon hunter falls into the requested formation, sword held low and at the ready.
« Last Edit: <04-08-15/1829:28> by Poindexter »
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« Reply #104 on: <04-14-15/1237:31> »
With a bucket and painting in tow, the team is not nearly as stealthy or ready for combat on their way out, as on their way up.  Luckily, with every turn down the stairwell, their flashlights, and Sister Rebecca's eyes on the astral, fail to reveal any new threats.  When the team hits the first floor, they can hear the steady rain again, as no one decided to close the rear doors on their way out.  Eli pulled the rear of the Bulldog right up to the exit, and the team is able to load up quickly and efficiently.

No sooner has Stake stepped inside and closed the doors than Eli begins rolling forward, giving the team only a few moments to buckle up before he really puts on the gas.

<<Well, that wan't so bad, was it, chummers?  Whatcha got their Stake?>> the driver asks motioning toward the painting with a cock of his head.  In a matter of minutes, the van has exited Touristville and is back across the border into Bellevue. 

<<Where to now?>>
« Last Edit: <04-15-15/1234:19> by rednblack »
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