Sunday, Bloody Sunday - 05

[TheUdjat]

Jeremy, Jackhammer-

[As before, I was hoping for some input from TTC. However, it’s been over 3 weeks since he last posted in this game, so I have to assume at this point that he’s no longer interested. As stated in my opening post, I will be removing him from the game. This is regrettable, but I can’t keep waiting for posts that aren’t coming.

If he jumps in before this combat is over, he’s welcome to stay in the game.]

Jeremy bolts for the end of the alley, hoping to push past the two burly cultists blocking his way. [This will be opposed Dex checks on the resistance table – Jeremy must beat both men to get out without being caught. First man: 78, not good enough.] But the lead cultist easily grabs Jeremy – he struggles against the man’s grip. [Second chance, a Str vs. Str check on the resistance table: 99, even worse.] But it’s useless. The cultist holds him fast.

With Jeremy in his grasp, the dark man tries to clunk him over the head and knock him out. [Fist: 65, succeeds. No chance to dodge, as he’s held. Martial Arts: 88, fails. Damage: 7.] The big man clubs a heavy hand down on Jeremy’s skull, making him see stars. He will not be able to take much more. [5 HP left.]

The other cultists focus on Jackhammer, looking to take the big prizefighter out of the equation. [First attack: 16, hits. Dodge: 48, attack dodged. Second attack: 4, a crit. Damage: 10.] The first cultist plunges a knife at Jackhammer’s chest, and he twists out of the way. Unfortunately, the second catches him cleanly across the back, dangerously close to his spine. Joe feels the clean burn of the wound, and the sticky feeling of his blood gushing down his back. This fight may already be over. [5 HP left.]

Still, Jackhammer does his best to fight back, slipping on his brass knuckles and trying to smash in the face of the man that sliced him open. [Attack White Cultist with brass knucks: 8, hits. Dodge attempt: 26, attack dodged.] But the cultist ducks Jackhammer's punch, and he gets nothing but air.

[Jeremy’s turn]

New Initiatives: Jeremy (17), Lead Cultist (13), Homeless Cultist (13), White Cultist (10), Jackhammer (10).

---

Sam, Thurman, Rebecca, Tommy-

[I’ll keep you guys on hold until the combat situation is resolved – which should be soon. You’re welcome to continue discussing options until then.]

[VemuKhaham]

Ouch, this is looking far worse than a second ago. Also, I'm not sure what's up with TTC, he's also gone from Rinascimento for about the same time, which was since he posted he'd be busy with a paper, but that was only for one week or so, I believe. Anyway, I pm'd him yesterday, but I can't speak for him of course.

Jeremy shouts out as the man grabs him, clearly partly a result of his great phobia of being touched by such filthy strangers, but also because he knows what may happen to him if he will be caught. The hit further panicked him, but right now he just struggled, quite like a madman, swinging his arms wildly around him, hoping to push away the arms of the man that was holding him. "HEEELPPP!!!!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. Surely, someone would hear it? "HEEEELLLLPPPPP!!!"

Another attempt to escape, and then to run away if I succeed. Also, for the sake of not holding things up unnecesarily, consider Jeremy repeating that action for as long as it does not succeed and he is still conscious.

[TheUdjat]

[Yeah, I noticed he was absent for Rinascimento, but I thought that was ‘cause you guys were waiting on the monastery plot. I’ve seen him posting pretty regularly with other games, which is why his absence here seemed conspicuous.

With your stated actions, I’ll run this combat out to its conclusion and get things underway.]

---

Jeremy, Jackhammer-

Jeremy continues trying to struggle and escape, yelling at the top of his lungs. It’s possible someone might hear him, though the streets were empty, and the alley is fairly remote. The real question is whether someone will make it in time. [Opposed Str to escape: 28, not enough.] But the man’s strength is monstrous, and Jeremy cannot get free.

He pounds at Jeremy again, clearly trying to knock the young man unconscious. [Fist: 19, succeeds. Martial arts: 90, fails. 3 more damage.] The big African cracks Jeremy across the face again, making blood freely flow over his jaw. His perception reels, but he is still conscious – for the moment. He will not be able to withstand another blow. [2 HP left.]

The other cultists continue to gang up on Jackhammer, trying to carve him up before Jeremy’s eyes. [First knife attack: 25, succeeds. Dodge attempt: 78, fails to dodge. 4 damage. Second attack: 6, succeeds. Joe will sacrifice his action to try and dodge: 74, fails again. 5 more damage.] The big boxer tries desperately to evade his attackers, but it is no good. One cultist stabs his pranga knife deep into Joe’s gut, making him almost fall – then the other man delivers the killing blow, pulling back Jackhammer’s head and slicing the blade across his throat. [-4 HP, and quite dead. RIP. TTC, as ever, you are welcome to continue the game with a new character.]

[Whether this is worth a sanity roll or not for Jeremy is entirely up to you, Vemu. How able is he to handle gory death in front of his eyes?]

With even more motivation than ever, Jeremy tries to break free. [Another Str vs. Str: 76, no good.] But he remains held. If anything, he only grows weaker, his strength beginning to ebb.

The big man tries to end this bloody conflict. [Fist: 37, succeeds. His minimum damage will put Jeremy out.] With one more pummeling blow, the big African ends Jeremy’s screams for help, and he slumps motionless in his arms.

The world goes dark, perhaps for the last time.

---

Sam, Thurman, Rebecca, Tommy-

Having discussed plans to death, and ultimately deciding to pursue the books and leave New York with all due expedience, there is one thing that remains before you can get underway: the other members of your team. The day stretches on, deeper and deeper into the cold winter afternoon, the sun sinking low in the sky. But still, no sign of Jackhammer Joe, nor of the peculiar Jeremy, even after the appointed time they would be finished.

Something is certainly wrong. But what can be done? You all remember that Jeremy was insistent on going to the poorhouse to meet with some woman named ‘Susan’, but beyond that you know nothing. Perhaps going to the area will reveal something – or perhaps it is better not to go poking around at all. Surely if something has happened, there is only one culprit...

---

Jeremy-

You awaken in the frigid, damp cold. You can see nothing at all, cannot even hear anything, but the smell is one of mold and grime. Immediately you move, trying to escape, and you are rewarded by bumping your heads and limbs on something hard. At first you imagine you have been buried deeply in the earth and you panic, but then you realize that you are somewhere else – the walls are wooden, not earthen. You are in a box.

A packing crate. Just like Samuel was in, before he was sacrificed. [This may also warrant a Sanity Check, at your discretion.]

For several minutes you wrestle with your new place, panicking or retreating into yourself, left in confusion and fear – and then the box moves, shifting violently, and the lid is pried open.

A dark-skinned man stares down at you, his face grim and menacing. The whites of his eyes gleam frightfully in the dim light of the room, like some monster of your nightmares. You recognize him immediately, even though he is no longer dressed in the colorful robes, and even though he no longer wears the claws on his hands. It’s the priest he saw just the night before—the priest he shot.

The man doesn’t seem injured now.

“Good.” He says in a thick African accent. “You are awake.” With no sign of remorse, the priest grabs you with oversized hands, yanking you violently out of the crate and tossing you to the cold, unforgiving floor – concrete, you realize. Taking stock of your surroundings, you discover that you are in some kind of warehouse – much darker and grimmer than Emerson Imports, by far. Several other Africans surround you, more cultists from Ju-Ju House, but there are dressed in normal clothes – as is the Priest. They eye you hatefully, eagerly, snarling and glaring at you, waiting for the slightest word to rip you apart.

The priest lets you absorb your situation before he speaks again, pacing around your comparatively frail body. “You have trespassed against us,” he says, his words powerful, commanding, the anger in them evident. “You have come into our holy place, and you shot me.” He grunts. “These things I could forgive, but then you call your police on us – and now I am not feeling forgiving.”

“Our time is short. The police we killed will attract others, and we will no longer be free to work in that place. It is... inconvenient.” He scowls. “And it is your fault. You, and the one we killed, and the other one.”

He paces again, like some great cat, eyeing you like prey. “Your life is over,” he says. “There is no changing that. But what I ask you, boy, is how do you want to die? If you tell me what I want to know, I will make it quick – the slash of a blade, nothing more.”

“But if you resist me, I will feed your soul to the Chakota, and your screams will join its other voices for eternity. It will be pain and torture, and there will be no end to it. Ever.”

“Choose carefully.”

[Japic]

Feeling concerned indeed Thurman hopes that someone knows enough about Jeremy to know where thei poorhouse is. Assuming they do not (since they met him at the same time I did) Thurman wishes to find out where some poorhouses are; perhaps close enough to the first place they met Jeremy to be considered his home base. If they can manage some names he'll either phone them (if an option) or take a cab around to such locations asking after a worker named Susan. He carries his gun still, as he has since that first night. Though he is willing to go alone, he'll gladly accept company to seek out the missing pair.

(It's the best I've got.)

[Yakumo]

Tommy finishes his cigarette and quickly lights another, "Listen, I don't want to sound cold or anything, but we really don't know that kid too well, I mean I got his first name and everything but frankly, he's a little jumbled up in the head. Would it even be right for us to drag him across the country with us? I mean trying to help him find his friend is one thing, but now? What's the point?" He lets out a puff of smoke and thinks for a moment before speaking again. "We don't really have a lot of time here anyway, I mean, it's not like we pissed off some Quakers or something, they are obviously not afraid to follow us and find us, so I would prefer to be out of here asap. Joe can take care of the kid for now, I'm sure his vacation from the fights isn't going to last too long, we can leave some cash and a note explaining the situation to them, and a means to contact us, that way they can catch up if they really want to be sticking their necks out like this."

He looks at the group a little bit desperately, turns out that the whole encounter with the cultists shook him up for than it seemed. "Let's just buy those books from Carlyle and hit the road to London or something, what do you say?"

[MaestroXC]

[Can I cast Summon Batman yet? What's the SAN cost for that?]

"Erica Carlyle may be able to refer us to one of Dr. Huston's colleagues, but it may be a waste of time. Hmm." Sam rocks his head from side to side as if literally weighing the options. "If you think it might work, Thurman, I'd be glad to try it, but it may be that if we take the time to examine the books Miss Carlyle offered and proceed from there to London, things will become a bit more clear."

[Aegea]

"I wish I could just leave town and assume that Jeremy and Joe are doing all right, but it does worry me that they've been gone so long, " Rebecca says, eyes flicking to the darkness outside the window. "I, for one, am willing to go out and look for them, even if nothing pans out. Based on what happened to you all a little while ago at Ju-Ju house, how do we know those men haven't been looking for Jeremy and Joe? In the off chance that something happened to them, do we really want to just assume they're fine if they're not?" She inhales, a bit shakily.

"Thurman, I'll go with you. I think the least we can do is go to the places Jeremy had mentioned before. If we don't find them, then at least we'll know we tried and we can figure out what to do afterwards." She looks at Tommy. "I understand why you wouldn't want to come, though, based on what happened to you, so if you like while we're looking you can try to get those books from Carlyle.."

[VemuKhaham]

I think both Sanity checks ought to apply, even to Jeremy. No, he's not yet used to people getting taken apart, and neither does he like to be in a box that will lead him to his death. Check is vs. 58.
Sanity 1: [dice=100]
Sanity 2: [dice=100]
I'll leave the damage up to you.

---

"NOO!! NOOO!!!" Jeremy screamed, pulled and pushed and tried to leap and bend as he saw how the two men were tearing apart the big man, Joe, but it was all to no avail. The man was too strong, and Jeremy was really no longer able to fight in a coördinated fashion, like Joe did, though he was outnumbered two knives to one fist. Jeremy kicked against the shins of his enemy, slapped him in his face, ellbowed him in his chest and sides many times but it was all powerless, more a result of panic than an actual effort to hurt him. Then he felt a hit and all was over.

And now he was in a box. The realization of that fact simply was overwhelming him, a feeling of sickness taking over and tears welled up in his eyes. He for a moment desperately hit his fists against the wooden sides of the box, but after a while he stopped, exausted. The darkness was the worst, and he could not see where they were taking him. That thought tortured him until he mentally collapsed. In the end, the box was pried open and the men found him muttering to himself, totally unaware of his surroundings.

Only when he was pulled out of the box did Jeremy come alive again, and he resisted like a fish being pulled out of the water. But he was helpless, and was thrown on the concrete floor, where he crawled away a bit, only to turn around when the man spoke to him. He looked at the man with a fear that was beyond words. It paralyzed him, from his toes to his tongue, and he could not utter a word. When the man asked him his final question, Jeremy turned his face away from him and stared to the ground. "I... I don't... know. Don't, know..."

Surely, that was all the sense these men would get out of him at this time and in this place. If they would ask on, he would say he was sorry, he didn't know, etc.[rand=17259895244462736007761703960728616423561524316804345810048650133002]