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The Vampire With No Name 1.12 - Euchered · Dubious Creatures Presents

0:28
The. A highway wanders through the
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desert. A tumbleweed drifts past a dusty
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dive bar. A coyote shrieks out to no one
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in particular. Someone's bleeding out in a
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bathroom stall. The stars tonight are bright,
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but not nearly bright enough. This place does not exist, and
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yet here you are. Welcome to San Arroyo Kindred.
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We here at Dubious Creatures present to you the vampire with
1:52
no name. Ash, Jeremy.
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Yeah. For the second time tonight, you
2:01
are treated to the wonderful experience of having
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disorienting explosive detonate mere inches from your faces.
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I hate it here. Good news is my face bulls can't
2:14
get any lower. I'm going to bite the guy again.
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You don't know where the guy is at the moment.
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Your whole world is just a blinding flash of light.
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Both wheel around trying to get your bearings.
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You hear the sound of a gurgle and the sound of the slide being
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racked on a gun, and you get a brief impression ash, of the guy
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that you very nearly shot put the jaw off of.
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He's not dead. He's hurt very badly, but he's
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not dead and he's just stubborn enough to take it out.
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On you. Fucking hell, can't you just
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fucking die like a normal asshole?
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He opens. Fire.
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Before he does that, may I pop toughness.
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Give me wits plus survival. Yeah, OK, two successes.
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All right, that's enough to activate it.
3:19
OK, so go ahead and give me the Rouse check.
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However, I am gonna need decks or stamina plus Athletics.
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Though you were caught flat footed without cover so you are
3:31
down to dice. OK, we're going to rouse this.
3:36
We're going to rouse this too. What's your current hunger at?
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It is now 4. Well, this seems.
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Familiar. I hate it here. 5 successes.
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Good news and bad news. Good news is that with your
3:56
toughness you only take a single point of superficial damage.
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The bad news is that he still hits you.
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It would be impossible for him not to at this range.
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Oh yeah, yeah. But normally when you unload
4:11
several dozen shells from an automatic weapon into someone's
4:14
chest, they don't wince a bit, stumble back a step, and then
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fix you with an utterly murderous expression.
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I'm going to eat this bitch. Please roll to eat this bitch.
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Two successes. I am going to pop willpower for
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this. 1-2 successes still. Two successes.
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OK, well he's taken quite a bit of aggravated damage from
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mortals, so his physical pools are not what they once were.
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All the same though, he got exactly 2 successes, but the tie
4:50
always goes to the active participant.
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Excellent. Yeah, I'm going to bite him.
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I don't care how bad he tastes. So Jeremy, as you finally get
5:03
your vision back, you look around.
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You see in a similar situation to you were in a moment ago.
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Ash is wrestling this biker to the ground.
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He's sinking his fangs into his throat.
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You don't quite see, but you hear the voice of Gabe calling
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out. They're back there.
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They're back. There in the fucking corridor.
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Is he in the like? So is that coming from deeper in
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or from like out the other way? From deeper in, unfortunately
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the smoke cloud makes it very difficult to judge distance.
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Actually, Jeremy's just gonna cloak his shadows where he's
5:47
standing because nobody can see me clearly, so fuck it.
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Yeah, that does seem like a wise decision Rally.
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Yes. Give me one more strength plus
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brawl Brawl, please. I and these guys are really
6:04
getting on my nerves, so we're going to we're going to rouse
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again. That's fine.
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We're back up to hunger. Three Devin's successes with a
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messy critical It's time to see how much of a monster I can be.
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Ouch. Describe how you take these two
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down and please spare no detail. I think one of them, I deliver a
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incredibly solid kick to his chest and I'm sending him over
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the railing, and then the other one, I twist his arm and it
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snaps and I don't even blink. He fries out and you just keep
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levering it and levering it until you can see the bone and
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then pull him go full on judo throw, angling it just so he
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falls directly on his head, which snaps an ugly crack
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against the floor and becomes just a pile of meat.
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And for a moment you pause. You he's dead.
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He just killed someone. Look, no time to deal with it
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right now, time for it later. I have to just figure I have to
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check on everyone else. I have to find everyone else to
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make sure they're OK and then we can freak out later.
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Speaking of freaking out later, I asked her.
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Smoke is clearing a bit. You can see some stuff.
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What's going on? You can see, well you don't know
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him as Gabe, but is this just the drugs or is that the
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bartender guy? The bleeding wound in his throat
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and one arm dangling by his side tearing off in One Direction as
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you see two more of these biker guys head in the direction of
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where you can now see Ash struggling with a third heading
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him to the ground trying to bite him.
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Either he doesn't realize or doesn't care that he's got two
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people about to lay out another burst of fire directly into him.
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But then, as if the situation couldn't get strange enough, you
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see there's someone approaching where Ash is currently fighting
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from the opposite side. A.
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Small, impeccably styled woman in a expertly tailored pantsuit,
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long coat drifting off the shoulders, clacking down towards
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Ash in heels with an expression that could best be described as
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mildly peeved Ash. As you just barely managed to
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get your first mouthful of biker, you hear a voice say
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Wait. Ash freezes.
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You look up, you see Mary, but she's not looking at you, She's
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looking past you. And you look in that direction
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and you see the two assailants who look just as confused as you
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do. One of them even says the the
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fuck? Wait for what bitch?
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I said wait. Wait for shot rings out.
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You hear another sound. Sounds like a gunshot.
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It isn't. It's what happens when a human
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head is wrenched aside so violently that the spine snaps
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out of the neck. 2 figures who are not standing there before
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are standing there now. Over 2 corpses for that.
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Wait for that Ash. Ash licks their lips, looking up
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them. Mary.
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Ash, go ahead, give me a resolve plus stamina check to try and
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keep down what you just drank. OK, OK, 2 successes.
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You vomit blood all over your sire shoes.
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Oh no. You can't help it, whatever was
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in this guy does not agree with your palette.
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Aster. You see all this happen, and so
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do you, Jeremy. Hidden though you are, you see
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two figures just appear out of thin air.
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One of them younger, almost baby faced, very casually dressed in
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jeans of band print T-shirt, His otherwise rather casual facade
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somewhat interrupted by the large shoulder holster from
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which he's withdrawn A frankly comically large pistol and shot
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one of the bikers through the back of the head.
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The other one is you're having a hard time looking at him because
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his face is just it's not deformed per SE, but it's
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scarred layers and layers of scar tissue carving through a
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hairless Gray fleshed face. The.
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Moment the. Moment these two figures appear,
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you hear Hygea whisper in your ear.
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Langford and Kilpatrick. Bad fucking news.
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We need to get out of here now. Lead.
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The way. I think there's a service
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entrance nearby. Ready uses them all the time.
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Just stay low you. Got it.
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Made decks plus stealth rule. Nope, 2 successes is what I got.
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All right, we'll get back to that.
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Ash. These two figures of you have
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never seen before close ranks the grotesquely scarred one size
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out of shredded lips. You can actually see his fangs
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through a hole in his top lip. This is a shambles deal with
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your spawn. I need to sew up the rest of
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this mess before it makes the news.
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And with that announcement, he just disappears again, right in
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front of your eyes. It's really fucking annoying.
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Ash is going to slowly pull themselves up to their feet,
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instinctively looking around for Jeremy and like, repeating
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those. This is so fucking annoying.
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Oh God. Ash then remembers that Mary is
13:23
right next to them and Excelsis. I'm sorry, it's been a night.
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I take it negotiations with the Grims broke down.
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Yes, a number of things went down wrong out of control.
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She sighs very heavily, looks past you.
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Mr. Kilpatrick, if you would be so kind as to retrieve one of
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these bikers alive for me, it's not that I don't trust that
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Sheriff Langford won't tie up loose ends, but I'd like to give
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us some plausible deniability. This guy, Mr. Kilpatrick, just
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kind of looks around at the chaos.
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Yeah, I'll see what I can do. Looks at you, Ash.
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Gives you a bit of a non committal shrug.
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And then he doesn't vanish, but he does move very quickly.
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Ash exhales again. Well, they take it.
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That is some of our esteemed law enforcement, Langford.
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Is a recent promotion. Oh, I've met the person who had
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the job last already. Yes, we'll get to that.
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You're a mess. Yes, that's it's been the past
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three nights have been eventful. Let's find some place to clean
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you up. Ash nods and follows Mary like
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looking from side to side to see if there's any trace of Jeremy
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had just shrugging and it's like giving up.
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Jeremy, can you give me a resolve plus obfuscate rule?
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That's 66 successes. Yes, you remain hidden, Astor.
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Yeah. I can't say the same for you,
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unfortunately. Stealth doesn't mind you.
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No, as you and Hygeia are making your way to one of those service
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entrances, but suddenly, almost in a Road Runner ask fashion,
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somebody is standing directly in front of you.
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Hate that, who is it? Do I know this person?
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You do not know him, but he doesn't seem immediately
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dangerous, apart from again the very large gun in the shoulder
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holster. Hey.
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I. Hey, kids doing.
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Hiding, leaving. Great.
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We're doing great. His eyes slide over to you and
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to Hygiia, who suddenly has this very mortified expression on her
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face. You can see her go pale.
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The newcomer squints and says, oh, you're 1 of Tabulas, aren't
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you? Who wants to know, Ape?
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Ah, that's that's original. OK, turn around please.
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We need to unfuck this situation and you 2 are going to help.
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Oh Powell, I'll explain on the way.
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Please don't make me shoot you. Enough people gunshot for one
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night, I think. Astor doesn't put up a fight,
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OK? IGA Astor, go ahead and give me
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a Wits Plus awareness or Wits loss investigation.
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You're successive. Not my night.
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Yeah, well, it's enough to see Hygea before this guy threatened
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to shoot you. Her hand was reaching towards
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something in the back pocket of her jeans.
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It looks almost like one of those insulin pens.
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You're not really sure how that's supposed to help with
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this situation, but the ampule that's visible to the plastic
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casing, it's not full of the usual clear fluid.
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It's full of something Crimson. She.
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Looks suspicion. And she looks at you and just
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says out loud, ask her, ask her. Listen to me.
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If we go with them, there is no guarantee that we come out.
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They hate us. Oh.
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This is a. Her situations.
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Like this? Her eyes flick down.
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Just just get behind me, OK? Leap of faith.
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I'm going to trust her. Nick, although you don't know
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him, as Nick says, way to make me feel like the bad guy after
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Yes, you got to trust me. OK, that's.
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Mm hmm. Grab it now.
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Several things happen at once. She makes some kind of motion
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with her hand. You're not really sure what.
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It's almost like she's trying to swat a family.
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But something else happens. There's some kind of shimmer in
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the air and the gun flies out of Nick's hands, much to his own
19:14
surprise. Much to my surprise, what just
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happened? You don't know, but it gives you
19:20
just enough time to grab that ampule and well, well, what else
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do you do with an ampule? Is it?
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I don't. My brain's not working very well
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right now. Break it.
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Do the thing. Well, it is an injector.
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Use it at least knows how to do that.
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You stab it into your flesh, hitting down on the plunger the
19:50
contents of whatever was in that insulin pen blood into your
19:56
veins. For a moment, you feel every
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single vein and artery in your body stand up at once.
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Something bloods into you. It's not a bad sensation, but it
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is a strange one. Could you go ahead and give me a
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Rouse check? Hunger had changed.
20:21
You breathe in, breathe out, and suddenly you're exhaling smoke.
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Mist, a vaguely Crimson color. Fog is spilling out of you, out
20:36
of your lungs, out of your pores, out of you, and expanding
20:42
like a fog bank. But you can see fine.
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Oh. My God, what the fuck.
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Oh my God. Hey, hey, hey.
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Calm, calm. It's alchemy.
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It's alchemy. Just chill.
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We got to go. Hey, where are we going?
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Away from fucking here. I'm following.
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You hear Nick. You hear him swearing, yelling.
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You're not sure, but he sounds curiously muffled.
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You can see his silhouettes in the fog, but he seemingly can't
21:17
see you, even though a moment ago he was maybe a foot away
21:19
from you. Ambella and Crow up.
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Yeah. Seemingly don't have any more
21:31
pursuers. You make it to the parking lot,
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Darren's already in the driver's seat, keys are already in the
21:39
ignition, and Quill, reliable as ever, melts back out of the
21:44
darkness. Although he looks a little worse
21:46
for wear, too. There's fresh blood staining the
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backs of his knuckles and part of his face, although that
21:53
really just makes him, well, even more gothic looking, to be
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fair. I think Aunt Bella is going to
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look to Jesse and also look around the parking lot.
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Do we see the bikes at this point?
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Give me what's plus awareness. OK, that's 2.
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Successes. No, it's not that hard.
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It's a wide flat expanse. You see them kind of parked
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right out dead center in a sort of slightly semi circular
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formation. OK.
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And is there are is it only bikes or are there bikers
22:37
waiting there as well? It appears to be just bikes.
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The whole crew, well, let's just say I don't think they quite got
22:46
what they bargained for in this whole ordeal.
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Fair Ambella is going to look to Jessie and say she's got 2
23:00
minutes. I got it, I got it.
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He heads back in. Well, looks in his direction,
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says this is certainly eventful. What are we doing with her
23:18
gestures of crow? She's got the book, or at least
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knows where to get it right? That is correct, and I'm not
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going to lie, having a moment to talk, not around everybody
23:33
else's helpful. Well then I suggest we depart.
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One thing before we go, I'm going to whistle for Poe to see
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if he's around. He's never far, especially when
23:50
you're outdoors. Yeah.
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And. When he flies up, she's going to
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take the keys to the to the the car, her car out of her like
24:03
jacket and say here, take these back in there, give them to any
24:12
one of the people you've seen me with so that they can get out of
24:17
here later. OK.
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Thanks, bud. Cause and affirmation takes the
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keys at his beak, flutters off well just looks at the entire
24:26
exchange. Well, way to make a lick
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jealous, I'll. Give you directions back to my
24:34
place, get you the book. Yes, as charming as this has all
24:40
been, we should go. 90 more seconds.
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As you say, forgive me if I don't stick around and wait for
24:54
the Constabulary. Once again he performs his
24:58
vanishing act. I'm going to make this pretty
25:03
clear, I am no friend of the Tower, but my allegiance is to
25:13
me and my sire. That's it.
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Suppose I can understand that, but like what if you and your
25:27
sire had a place in the world of chaos?
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We already do. An honored 1.
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What are you offering? Oh, all that the ministry has to
25:44
offer. Worship community.
25:49
A little bit of fun. I'll talk it over with him.
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Excellent deal is a deal even without a blood bond, so long as
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you don't try to fuck me over on the way.
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You didn't have anything to do with this, right?
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And she points at the bikers. Hell no.
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Listen, this whole thing, this whole situation is just because
26:18
I was at that rave on New Year's.
26:22
I nothing to do with the rest of them.
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I basically just got tied up in this and my boyfriend wants me
26:31
to basically hang around and keep an eye on them, see what we
26:36
can figure out about what the tower's doing in San Royo.
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It's the only reason I'm even here.
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And what business does your boyfriend sire have with the
26:48
tower? Why so curious?
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Why this place? It's bum fuck nowhere.
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Unless you're kindred, I guess. I don't know why he's here.
27:04
I guess he's been here for a while, but I came here to just
27:10
get the fuck out of San Diego. Well, you sure did that.
27:17
Even still, it's an improvement. I'll trust you on that one.
27:24
There's a sound like breaking glass.
27:30
Your heads will snap back to the parking lot entrance way that
27:37
you originally came through that Jesse just dashed through.
27:40
You realize the sound is him coming back out through the
27:45
doors, having been tossed with some force and leaving a trail
27:51
of debris in his wake as you see stepping through the now
27:56
shattered aperture. Sheriff Langford.
28:03
Shit. Nope, we go.
28:06
That's. Ambella Castillo.
28:11
Yeah, let's fucking go. You are in violation of the
28:15
traditions. Darren fucking drive.
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Darren fucking drives. Let's see how good he is at
28:28
driving. Surprisingly good.
28:32
You watch as Sheriff is strong and he's not fast.
28:38
He manages to get to the car before Darren floors it and you
28:45
hear the sound of his claws raking into the back of the car
28:52
and the tearing as the car race is free but the back Fender is
28:59
physically torn off. Meanwhile, back inside the mall,
29:11
Raleigh, Yes, you're still a little shell shocked.
29:20
Yeah, I'd say that describes what I'm feeling pretty well.
29:25
Now, technically, mechanically, what you did doesn't violate any
29:31
of your convictions chronological tenets, but you
29:34
still took a life. Yeah.
29:40
So what's going through Raleigh's head right now, in
29:42
this moment of just cognitive dissonance?
29:46
I have put my back to something solid and I've kind of moved to
29:55
sit. I have my head in my hands and
29:59
I'm I can't even it. It's sure these people were
30:05
attacking us, but I didn't have to go that far.
30:11
I didn't I could have just knocked them out.
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I didn't have to kill them. My hands are shaking and and
30:22
clenching them to try to get them to stop shaking and feeling
30:27
like this is feeling exactly how I did when I would crash out
30:35
after a Bender. I am shaking and looking back at
30:39
everything I did with horror and wishing I could take it all
30:45
back. Raleigh.
30:48
A familiar voice snaps you out of it.
30:52
You see, Nick? Nick.
30:56
He looks at you, looks at the body.
31:01
I didn't mean to go that far. Yeah, it's it's OK, kid.
31:08
I get it. What do I do now?
31:15
About this or in general? A little bit of column A, little
31:21
bit of column B. Yeah, OK, listen, I've still got
31:28
shit to do, so I'm going to give you a minute.
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But after that minute's up, game face needs to be on.
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Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Of course.
31:39
Of course. You know, I don't need to.
31:43
I take a deep breath and like, try and study myself, try to put
31:48
myself, put it, put it away. All of these feelings, put them
31:52
in a little box and I will deal with them later.
31:56
Maybe it'll hurt slightly less for the time being.
32:02
I'm probably going to have a breakdown later.
32:07
Eventually the chaos dies down, although for you Ash, it feels
32:14
more like your mom just called you out on the playground for
32:18
being too rough with the other kids as she pretty much just
32:23
drags you into one of the, well, not open clothing stores, but
32:33
gunfire shattered enough windows that might as well be open.
32:38
Selects something your size off of 1 of the discount racks,
32:43
tosses it to you. I think it's got to be a Striver
32:48
University shirt, which they are going to hate putting on go.
32:52
Pronghorns. Go bears she.
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Just points towards the changing rooms at the back.
32:58
Says clean yourself up. Yes, Mary Ash is like maybe the
33:06
most cowed that they've been in the past couple days.
33:12
Heads into the changing room, looking at themselves in the
33:16
mirror. The vest is ruined.
33:19
Like tatted to shreds they are. They pull it off and the shirt,
33:26
replacing it with the discount T-shirt.
33:29
It's a little big. So they taught they they do the
33:31
thing of like tying off a knot at a little bit, shows off just
33:35
a little bit of midriff because they need to at least put some
33:38
stamp of identity on this before walking out and brushing back
33:46
their hair and facing the music. Before all this, the worst you
33:52
ever got into it was a couple of busted lips and black eyes.
33:56
Now you're pretty sure you've killed like 3 people in as many
34:00
days. Yeah.
34:06
And maybe part of you is a little horrified, but.
34:12
Part of you also isn't Ash internally rationalized in a way
34:22
that the biker at the rave that was just that just happened to
34:28
be that that that was heat of the moment, the one that and and
34:36
it was like it was out of a window.
34:38
And that was just that was an accident.
34:42
The biker was the one they drained was the beast got
34:46
control there. But but it was, it was a fight.
34:50
And this one, well, there was a fight too.
34:55
And they, at least, are rationalizing it for themselves
35:00
as they come out and figure out what they're even going to tell
35:06
Mary about the last few days. Jeremy, have you moved?
35:13
No, just staying perfectly still.
35:18
Paranoid, Scared that someone's going to see him.
35:21
A justifiable fear. Worst part is you look over in
35:26
the direction of the now thoroughly ruined play place and
35:32
you can see no no no, you really don't want to look.
35:37
Yeah. No, no I don't.
35:43
They were sitting ducks, Astor. You're in some kind of
35:52
industrial corridor, you want to guess?
35:55
Maybe some sort of maintenance tunnel, probably used by mole
35:59
staff to Plumb about in the guts facility all the various
36:05
machinery, AC units, light fixtures that keep the whole
36:08
place running with a thoroughly harried looking but still
36:15
weirdly excited Hygia not far behind you.
36:21
Oh wow. OK, OK, just let me.
36:26
Well, that was a clusterfuck. Oh yeah, what the shit?
36:32
My thoughts exactly, sister. Just OK.
36:37
Did your coderie just bail out on you like that all the time
36:40
when things get bad? No, they look between bikers and
36:48
what I'm pretty sure was the sheriff and his actual policy.
36:54
Let's just say we don't think we're that dangerous.
37:01
They'll be fine. I just need to.
37:05
I don't actually need to breathe, but sometimes I think
37:07
my body forgets. No, I understand that.
37:12
As a still nightly yoga practicer, I get it.
37:17
Yeah, that's. But look, you did.
37:20
I know it doesn't feel like it, but you did the right thing.
37:23
They. You're right, it doesn't feel
37:26
like it. My friends are back there.
37:30
The people who have fucking cared for me have taken.
37:33
The full bloods. Yeah, and they've still treated
37:37
me decently. I know, but listen, listen.
37:43
She actually puts her hand on her shoulders.
37:46
We're not like them. I don't mean that in, like, a
37:50
metaphorical way. I mean that quite literally.
37:53
We are. Gosh, I know.
37:56
Abortions run off. I've heard all the slurs at this
38:00
point. I'd heard them in my first
38:03
night. But The thing is, the real
38:07
reason why it would never work out in the long run is because
38:11
they're fucking scared of us. What you did back there, that's
38:15
just a little taste of what we can do on the regular if we get
38:19
the time in preparation. They can't do that.
38:24
None of them can it. Does seem like they're bound
38:27
within their own bloodline clan I think was the word.
38:33
Yeah, and it look, I don't know you're friends, but maybe
38:39
they're not assholes. Maybe there's still enough
38:43
person left in them, but the people that they're never really
38:48
going to answer to, they're not going to treat you well, OK?
38:54
Trust me. I've already experienced that I
38:57
I actually get it. Quite completely.
39:02
I realize you get 1,000,001 questions and I would love to
39:05
answer them. Let's just get the fuck out of
39:09
here first. OK, where are we going?
39:14
How are we getting there? Well, going to get somewhere
39:18
where I can get cell reception and then I'm going to call a
39:21
friend and hopefully we can get somewhere to hunker down and
39:27
maybe, just maybe have the opportunity for the bats and the
39:32
bees conversation. Yeah, I know that.
39:39
It's how I cope. All right.
39:41
I love it and also really don't. Don't tell my sister that you
39:44
know me. I feel like that, so why?
39:48
The fuck was she here? Hold on.
39:50
I need to know. I have so many questions.
39:52
And now like Esther is like I, I actually have questions like why
39:57
was she here? Did she rap me out to the cops?
40:00
Like what the fuck? I I thought she was working for
40:03
Tabula. I don't know what that is.
40:06
He's. You're talking about my sister,
40:11
like Rachel. I, I, I feel like we're both
40:14
missing information. Look, like I said, why don't we
40:17
get out of the way of the murderous Nosferatu and his
40:21
death squad and then we'll talk. OK.
40:27
Cool, I think it's this way. Casually follows.
40:36
Raleigh Ash. Eventually, you're assembled in
40:44
the remnants of the playplace. The scarred creature turns as
40:54
well, and he's dragging a body behind him, taking a moment to
40:58
realize it's Jesse. He he looks unconscious.
41:06
You're not really sure. He looks like a truck hit him.
41:10
I realize I requested Mary speaks up a survivor, but what
41:17
exactly am I supposed to do with some itinerant caitiff?
41:22
There aren't any survivors. Anything living is either Meat
41:27
long fled. Well, that's just excellent.
41:36
I am taking this one into custody.
41:40
He will be questioned. The creature doesn't elaborate,
41:45
just starts dragging Jesse's body in a different direction.
41:49
Lovely speaking to you as always.
41:52
Sheriff Mary calls after him. Well, this is a fucking mess.
42:00
I'm just going to nod. I'm not going to say anything.
42:04
Where's? She looks around.
42:07
Please tell me we did not also lose the Melkavian.
42:11
No, he I saw him a few moments before you found me.
42:18
I am going to assume that if we if we don't find his body, he is
42:26
hiding somewhere and he Spooks pretty easily.
42:32
Yeah, just a little shy. Good instincts but and tends to
42:39
hide a bed. She calls out, a little loudly.
42:44
Mr. Reed, you are still in the vicinity.
42:47
I understand that the last few minutes have been harrowing, but
42:51
I promise no one here means you any harm.
42:56
She waits for a moment. Do you believe her, Jeremy?
43:02
OK, I don't know. Does she seem like she's being
43:06
truthful? Give me a Wits plus insight
43:08
check. OK, Fate has said no.
43:14
The dice wants what the dice want all.
43:19
Right. No, fuck it.
43:20
OK, I can't tell you from the result about insight check.
43:23
She is being sincere in the sense that she's being matter of
43:31
fact at this exact moment in time, this exact circumstance,
43:34
in this exact space. No one here wants to do you any
43:38
harm. However there's a messy
43:41
critical. So in an interesting scenario
43:45
here where you are already under your clan's bane, you can't
43:51
really get more into the weeds. So instead I will leave it up to
43:57
you. And Jeremy reacts.
44:01
But I, I, he, I think he will kind of stick his head out and
44:08
his eyes aren't quite focused on anyone when he does, but he'll
44:12
say in the exact moment maybe. Hmm, touché.
44:19
Nevertheless, I have some information you are probably
44:22
going to want to be in earshot for.
44:26
He's still there, he hasn't left, so he just kind of stands
44:29
there, kind of eye is a little unfocused.
44:35
He looks back at the two of you. He's like, is he loosened?
44:40
Ash gives a little like like that that that like hand
44:44
waggling motion of we can relate the information if necessary or
44:50
repeat it that's. I suppose that we'll have to do,
44:55
Mr. Kilpatrick, if you would be so kind as to do one more sweep
45:00
of the area. It's not that I don't trust our
45:03
sheriff. I would just prefer that the
45:05
evening's festivities come to a close.
45:08
Yeah. Than four.
45:12
Sorry, kid. He starts to walk off, leaving 3
45:18
of you for a moment just with Mary.
45:21
Well, I have some good news for you.
45:24
The police aren't on their way. Scott.
45:28
I wish I could claim credit for that, mind you, but the fact of
45:32
the matter is a Mr. Frederick Worth has, let's just say, a
45:39
considerable pull when it comes to the local security apparatus.
45:42
And this is hardly the most looks around.
45:48
Well I'm sure there have been more violent incidents but I'm
45:53
struggling to come up with others at the moment.
45:59
Nevertheless, for the moment we are secure and this will be
46:04
dealt with, although the ramifications of your little
46:09
meeting might be more far reaching.
46:14
I got the feeling that we have stumbled into something larger
46:20
than just a white hunt. Yeah.
46:26
Hanselm has done you a complete disservice.
46:31
If he took his duties as your shadow seriously then he
46:34
wouldn't have sent you out like babes in the woods.
46:40
I would not take it personally. He is old and jaded and
46:46
personally compromised by this whole affair.
46:49
However, the bikers this what exactly incentivized this sort
46:56
of retaliation. Gosh, doesn't even going to try
47:03
to lie. The meeting at the rave there
47:12
things went S there was a fight. There was a ash, Ash, Ash looks
47:22
down at Ashley, literally looks down at the ground and says, oh,
47:26
we fell out of a window. I see she looks around at a
47:34
couple other bodies that have very obviously been thrown off
47:37
of high precipices. Those weren't mine.
47:42
Raleigh looks away. All the same, your luck seems to
47:46
be catching. We.
47:49
Haven't been formally introduced.
47:52
Miss Asher, Mr. Reed, Mary Gillen of Clan Ventru, child of
47:59
the eminent primogen Cleopatra. Drummond A.
48:04
Pleasure to meet you. Yes, I'm sure it is fortunate
48:09
that Nick was able to track you, otherwise we might have not have
48:14
arrived in such a timely fashion.
48:17
To which we are grateful for the rescue.
48:22
Let's see here the bikers can be explained the college students
48:27
less so problem for another evening.
48:33
What has Ansel told you exactly about Masaf?
48:40
About your situation? Need to find Masaf, deal with
48:48
him before a certain time or else you know we're all forfeit.
49:00
Right, so that was a blatant life.
49:04
Oh, lovely. I'm sorry.
49:07
Like I said, he is personally compromised.
49:09
Well, I can't speak to his motivation.
49:15
I suspect he felt that a group of roving fledglings mucking
49:21
about would cause just enough pandemonium to distract the
49:25
tower from his, I don't know what to call it, his ill-fated
49:32
rescue attempt of his former friend.
49:34
The rescue attempt? What's up?
49:41
But he is old and he is not in favor, you could say.
49:50
So we're just running interference for him.
49:54
You've been manipulated by a kindred older and far more
49:57
cannier in the ways of the internal struggle.
49:59
Congratulations. At least you survived to realize
50:03
you've been duped. Are we actually under a the
50:11
threat of death number dose? If you want my legal opinion,
50:19
the three of you are legitimate embraces well, with some
50:23
extenuated circumstances. In the case of Miss Asher,
50:28
you're not necessarily under threat, but at the same time,
50:31
your closeness to this particular debacle has soured
50:38
the mood. We're on thin ice.
50:42
Indeed. And not to put to find a point
50:52
on it, but for Astor, my ex sister-in-law, she is one of us
51:03
5. Your sister-in-law is Kindred.
51:12
Yes, and she is thin blooded. That's unfortunate indeed, and I
51:22
recognize that this is not exactly the best circumstances
51:28
to Ash. Ash looks down at the ground
51:32
again. And I wanted to see if there was
51:36
any way we could I could try to arrange or bargain for her
51:41
safety. You picked a fine time to start
51:47
negotiating. This hasn't been a very good
51:50
week, and I legitimately think this might be the actually the
51:54
best. This might be the best time in
51:56
the past 72 hours that it's been.
51:59
Technically you are under my accounting still, therefore what
52:02
you do reflects directly on me. Are your are your people the
52:08
people who've been following us? A lot of people have been
52:12
following you. But like humans, not us, but not
52:18
fools like Masab's was, keep showing up and they keep
52:23
steering people into our path. Could you?
52:26
Describe any of these individuals?
52:30
Yeah, he's going to describe the lady at the bar and then the
52:35
bartender. She very patiently waits for you
52:39
to finish your account. I cannot say I'm familiar,
52:44
however, given the presence of a white.
52:49
One of them was at one of them was at the rave before it went
52:53
bad. Yeah.
52:56
And I interacted with her and the other one a little bit and.
53:00
The guy is the one who steered the bikers here.
53:04
Yeah, I I don't think works for Kindred.
53:10
They reported our encounter with Masaf to the police from the
53:17
other night and fingered me specifically.
53:22
Well, I cannot say I recognize either of the individuals you
53:26
describe. However, as I previously
53:29
mentioned, given that there has been a white rampaging through
53:32
the city for some time, it would not surprise me if the
53:36
Masquerade has been stretched to the point where groups of
53:40
hunters, I suppose you might call them, have begun to form
53:46
kind. Excuse me humans, There's a
53:51
reason why we keep ourselves secret when we are to, well,
53:59
this about proceedings. She gestures around.
54:04
They tend to grab their torches and pitchforks when.
54:09
I cannot speak to these individuals motivations either,
54:12
but I can hazard a guess that they suspect that you are not
54:20
what you visually appear to be, which is a problem.
54:27
Now as to the aftermath of this situation, it won't be terribly
54:34
difficult to spin this given recent events down to the
54:38
Mexican border. Likely some form of cartel
54:41
related violence. The unfortunate civilians, some
54:47
children snuck away to engage in recreational drugs, got caught
54:53
in the crossfire of a violent turf war between two factions of
54:57
organized crime. Public hell uproar, police
55:01
scrutiny, a few tear jerking segments on Public TV.
55:07
That's manageable, but that's only the surface level.
55:17
Did you mention the White to the Anarchs?
55:23
I wasn't here. Rally.
55:26
Rally doesn't remember because rally was very high at the time.
55:30
Ash bites their bottom lip and like after a moment, says yes.
55:43
Her expression doesn't change, but you have this very
55:48
uncomfortable feeling that she's not mad, she's just
55:51
disappointed. The they were under the belief
55:59
that with Masaf gone, we came here for Masaf's cult.
56:06
And they were. Pistol.
56:11
Yes, the God I really need something to take the edge off,
56:18
but fuck they we were originally we were on a wild goose chase to
56:24
go find some items that belonged to Masaf so that we could like
56:27
do some magic to try to weaken his defenses.
56:33
Dude, some magic. We went out to the airfield and
56:39
met with Reef padden. You met the Regent, I see.
56:44
Yes. And the Regent did not design to
56:47
inform the rest of the court. That is interesting.
56:52
I would more concerned about the the white and its danger than he
56:58
was with anything else. He has his priorities straight,
57:01
nothing else but his clan. They are consummate meddlers.
57:08
I, you know, I wouldn't put it past.
57:10
I mean Hansel and him just I know it's.
57:15
Supposition, but. Ash shrugs and says anyways, the
57:21
the Anarchs thought that they were going to use the gun for
57:25
some sort of summoning A Ambila Castillo.
57:32
Yes, she. Is a known quantity.
57:37
She is troublesome to. Say the least, yeah.
57:42
It was really giving. Mean Girls mixed with the craft.
57:48
And that was a wild. Toss up and yeah, talking like
57:53
about like an ancient city that's got swallowed up into
57:55
hell. Well, her clan also has.
57:59
A certain reputation, regardless of whatever.
58:03
Miss Castillo's. Ramblings may or may not have
58:06
been. There's no point in theory
58:08
crafting at this stage. I'll be blunt with all of you.
58:12
The only way out at this point is through.
58:15
You need to do something that. Proves.
58:18
The rest of the Camarilla that you are worthy of existence.
58:22
Otherwise, there's no amount of accounting that will spare you
58:26
and those that you are close to from the potential fall back.
58:32
You. Met Sheriff Langford.
58:35
He does not do things by half. I don't know the.
58:40
Specifics. Of what Patton may have put you
58:44
up to, but if it is a viable path towards taking down Masaf,
58:54
I suggest you continue to pursue it, if for no other reason than
58:58
because now you are not the only ones likely pursuing this
59:02
creature there is not a lot of. Lost love?
59:07
Between the Anarchs and the former sheriff, and if they see
59:10
an opportunity, they will take it.
59:14
And there are. Kindred who belong to that
59:17
particular faction that are much scarier and more effective than
59:21
Miss Castillo Ash's. Eyebrows in.
59:26
Together. But if they kill Masaf, that's
59:33
good for all of us, isn't it? No, because the point is.
59:38
To prove that we deserve to live.
59:39
Not that he actually is a danger.
59:42
That's just an excuse. I Yeah.
59:45
No, I mean I, I, I. But.
59:49
Beyond. It's.
59:52
Perhaps I'm inferring something, but it seems like that there is
59:54
some inherent danger in the Anarchs getting their first
59:57
beyond our necks. Not wrong.
1:00:05
I wish there was time to sit you all down and explain the nuances
1:00:12
of the society that you find yourself in.
1:00:14
For right now, we simply don't. Have time?
1:00:20
So I will be very brief. There is something.
1:00:27
That our kind can. Do to one another that is
1:00:29
considered taboo even amongst the undead it is only sanctioned
1:00:37
in. Incredibly.
1:00:39
Rare and incredibly controlled circumstances it is the act for.
1:00:45
Lack of a better term. Of consuming the soul of another
1:00:49
vampire by drinking them entirely?
1:00:52
What the fuck? Indeed.
1:01:00
This act is known as diablary. It's imparts.
1:01:07
The strength of the One. So diablerized into the person
1:01:14
fortune. Enough to sink their fangs.
1:01:16
Into their quarry. You've met Mesaf.
1:01:21
Do you really want? Ambella Castillo or someone?
1:01:24
Like her running around with that kind of PowerPoint taken?
1:01:30
Not particularly. So then you.
1:01:34
Understand the urgency. Yes, certainly.
1:01:40
Good. Then we are all finally.
1:01:43
On the same page I know must ask you to vacate the premises.
1:01:53
Yeah, you. Don't have to tell me twice.
1:01:57
Ash makes the leap, but then turns around and.
1:02:03
Says Mary about Astor. The only conceivable way I can
1:02:10
see. That working in your favor if
1:02:15
not this. Hunt then.
1:02:18
Something equally important. Thin bloods are not supposed to
1:02:22
exist, Ash. The elders of our kind.
1:02:26
See them as an existential threat.
1:02:28
To our very way of life, Ash. No audiences, I'll.
1:02:35
Keep that in mind and when we have the time, I.
1:02:40
Have a. Few questions that this
1:02:44
adventure has raised, I suspect. I will be very busy.
1:02:51
In the next few nights, given everything, that when there is a
1:03:00
calm moment, you know how to contact me Ash.
1:03:06
Like. Nods.
1:03:09
Thank you. I won't save you.
1:03:13
I certainly hope not. Now, Miss Asher, Mr. Reed, I do
1:03:20
earnestly wish you luck. You will definitely.
1:03:25
Need it. Thank you.
1:03:30
Thanks now if. You will excuse me, I have.
1:03:35
Several phone calls to make, of course.
1:03:41
I'm going to start walking. Off and then halfway while
1:03:43
walking off, realize that none of us have a car.
1:03:47
Oh no, Ash still has theirs. Oh yeah, you do.
1:03:51
OK, then I'll be. Hitching a ride with you once
1:03:56
they've walked away a little bit.
1:03:58
Jeremy kind of looks at you guys with that same kind of like
1:04:00
slightly dazed expression. So you guys really should check
1:04:03
your phones. Oh, you were a little busy.
1:04:07
At the time and you. Did kind of wander off without
1:04:10
telling us anything 1st and then I found the the big group of
1:04:15
bikers. Coming in.
1:04:16
To attack you and sent the only message I could a a no offense.
1:04:22
Or anything, but you kind of made a habit of walking off
1:04:26
randomly, so you just wandering off.
1:04:30
Doesn't mean shit. To me.
1:04:35
Aster was texting me. Where's Aster?
1:04:38
Fuck if I know. OK, I.
1:04:43
I told her why I was. Leaving.
1:04:46
Did she not tell you? We were a little busy.
1:04:49
At the time. And some some of you were.
1:04:53
Well, like, no judgement, but there was some altered mental
1:04:57
states. Yeah.
1:04:59
Yeah, well, I was hungry. Yeah, I got.
1:05:05
A really bad feeling when I walked in and the shadow.
1:05:10
Guy. He was like, you guys saw that,
1:05:13
right where he was like covered in liquid shadows and they're
1:05:15
like molding that wasn't hallucinating, right?
1:05:17
That was real. He he tried to threaten me.
1:05:23
When I was leaving. And and as.
1:05:28
Soon as I got walked, that was. Before.
1:05:30
You. Guys started doing whatever you
1:05:32
were doing and then I telling asked her why I was leaving and
1:05:38
I guess you guys decided to. Yeah, yeah, because we needed
1:05:42
the gun. It's not like.
1:05:47
We. We have.
1:05:48
Time, Jeremy. We have even less time now.
1:05:53
And had we walked off? Then like maybe sure this shit
1:05:56
wouldn't have happened, but if we had walked off then what
1:05:59
would have? Happened is the bikers that
1:06:01
wandered in would have shot them up and then we could have taken
1:06:04
it from the bikers. Do you think they would have
1:06:09
the? The couple people who.
1:06:11
Were here were going to live through that.
1:06:13
Look how many people are dead. And I'll bet.
1:06:16
You shot up. You guys are.
1:06:19
Actually not in bad. Shape.
1:06:21
All. Together the the white fucked me
1:06:23
up more than these guys did. Ash like reaches under their.
1:06:29
Shirt and like pokes at one of the gun holes.
1:06:32
It's like, yeah, I'd prefer not to do it again, but frankly, we
1:06:37
didn't have much of A choice and I don't like playing what ifs
1:06:44
and recursing this. Yeah, look.
1:06:50
No offense but I'm doing all this shit so I can get the fuck
1:06:55
out of here. I've literally.
1:06:59
I. Don't want to do.
1:07:00
Anything. They're they're not going.
1:07:03
To let us leave. Do you do?
1:07:04
You not know what like. She was saying you're attached
1:07:08
to someone. I don't know who it is, but
1:07:10
you're going to be attached to some I know until they decide
1:07:13
they're done. Yeah.
1:07:15
And anything I can do? To win.
1:07:19
Myself, any kind of fucking. Brownie points.
1:07:22
I'm going to do it because I'm not spending all of my fucking
1:07:28
life here. I have a fucking.
1:07:32
Home. I have a boyfriend.
1:07:36
I have a life outside of this goddamn town, and I didn't ask
1:07:40
to be a goddamn vampire. None of us asked for any of us.
1:07:46
And we don't, we're dealing with this night by night.
1:07:52
We're going to get out of this massage business.
1:07:56
We are going. To get out of this.
1:07:59
Accounting, we're going to just take it step, step by step,
1:08:04
night by night. And you need to stop killing
1:08:08
people because that's. What's causing all?
1:08:09
These issues, bikers are after us because they're the first
1:08:12
people who died. Now the guy out the window, that
1:08:14
wasn't our fault mostly. That was mostly massage.
1:08:18
But like the. Biker behind the bar.
1:08:20
That's why. He was they're here they were
1:08:22
tracking you Ash and they were getting help from whoever they
1:08:26
could That guy was a master of worms, I think is what he said
1:08:32
he there's more of them. How many more bikers are there
1:08:37
and if you get off your. High goddamn.
1:08:40
Horse for a second. I'm I'm saying that they're
1:08:42
still going to be coming after. Us so we need to figure out how
1:08:44
to stop it because they're going to keep showing up.
1:08:48
We show them that we're not to be.
1:08:50
Fucked with. That's one strategy.
1:08:54
Sitting on the hood of your car is 1 Nick Kilbatrick, A A You
1:09:07
got room for one more. I'm basically done here so Ash
1:09:15
offers. A little smile and so.
1:09:18
That face card definitely though, looks between you're
1:09:25
going to have to ride on the back.
1:09:27
Yeah, it's fine. Feel like we all need?
1:09:31
To sit down and. Have a conversation.
1:09:34
Anyhow, don't really think I'm think I've been slacking a
1:09:38
little bit in my accounting. I would have reached out to you
1:09:43
sooner, but I don't know a. Good way to.
1:09:45
Get in touch with you if they don't let us use phones when
1:09:49
we're on the. Job.
1:09:50
It's a thing. It's terrible.
1:09:52
I don't know. Telegraph dead drop.
1:09:55
Box should figure. It out radio actually, they're
1:09:59
big fans of. Analog.
1:10:02
Yeah, that makes sense. Good to know.
1:10:06
But yeah. Let's talk before you all.
1:10:12
Either beat the. Shit out of each other and make
1:10:13
out furiously. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
1:10:19
Where? Did he did.
1:10:21
You see how many people died? Or who?
1:10:22
Died. You really don't want to know.
1:10:26
That I want to know. About one one person, I'm going.
1:10:29
To give him the description of, I think it's Gabe, was somebody
1:10:33
like that in there, Didn't see anybody match that description.
1:10:38
He saw everything that happened, led the attack and.
1:10:41
Then he got away. OK.
1:10:44
Yeah, all the more. Reason to have a bit of a
1:10:46
powwow. He was on the phone with someone
1:10:49
before they went in. Wish talk.
1:10:52
Yeah, you guys. Have a place to bunk?
1:10:55
Down for the night. We can use my apartment.
1:11:00
Should be enough light tight spaces.
1:11:02
That. Can fit everybody.
1:11:05
Someone remind me to. Call my boyfriend so he.
1:11:10
Doesn't. Worry I'm not there again.
1:11:15
I heard you long. Night.
1:11:17
I don't know, but it's not always this.
1:11:21
Bad, believe it or not. That's all I say is my pool of
1:11:25
experience has not been. Great.
1:11:27
But I will trust you that, you know, it gets better.
1:11:32
Yeah, we'll take up. Any of your hospitality for too?
1:11:35
Long but. We should talk, no, I guess back
1:11:40
to your place all. Right, let's go.
1:12:35
None.