Evervigilant 17

* Nitrous cleans his gear
* Shiv takes a shower as well.
* Baird cleans and checks his gear making sure it's all in working order.
* Karpath checks over his newly acquired chain sword. "Well we should be heading out soon then right?"
<Vigilant_GM> Now into the second half of the day-cycle, the Sanctionary Gallows begins to fill with patrons.
* Shiv screams "After I put my shirt on." He puts his cloths and gears on afterwards.
<Velam> "I'm not really used to this..." he looks over the new weapons and gear acquired from their little hunting party. "I believe we must continue our hunt."
<Karpath> "You sure your clean enough even with that dirty water Shiv?"
<Shiv> "Still I smell better you."
<Vigilant_GM> Velam, Nitrous, and Shiv spend some time scounting the premises and the wider Gantry locale for ganger activity. It would appear that Red Walk presence has not shifted, even though the location of the crime scene has been discovered and cleared since the acolyte attack.
<Vigilant_GM> The confusing layout of Gantry's many intertwining walkways and levels delays the acolytes. Tracking members of the Red Walk along shadows as the day-cycle begins to give way to the night-cycle, the acolytes are able to spot a party of gangers take up a resting place on the upper floor of one of the hab structures. They appear to be celebrating - the toxic aroma of obscura fills the
<Vigilant_GM> air in and around the structure, and gangers trail in carrying containers of alcohol and other recreational intoxicants.
<Velam> "And we have our prey." The old man takes a moment to think about that. The things he's had to do in the name of the Imperium, still keeps him awake some nights. "Let's regroup and come back, if we're quick enough they'll all be too intoxicated for it to matter."
<Nitrous> "Yes."
<Shiv> "Yep, easy targets."
* Velam leads the way back to their current home to gather the rest of the coterie.
<Vigilant_GM> Returning with the gathered information to the rest of the acolyte cell, Harti gives a summary of the information gathered.
<Velam> "Any suggestions on how we tackle this gentlemen?"
<Baird> "Sounds like a solid pick. Hopefully this will gain his attention. Same plan as before? Or do we want to revise it?"
<Shiv> "Walk in and start stabbing?"
<Nitrous> "Arrows?"
* Baird pitches some ideas and the group refines their plans to take out the partying gangers."
<Velam> "I'll lead you all back to where we found them, that is if everyone is ready?"
<Karpath> "I'm ready as I'll ever be."
<Shiv> "All set and ready for more stabbin'."
<Nitrous> "Arrow loaded."
<Baird> "Let's do it."
<Vigilant_GM> The shadows provide their own cover, but it is the awful "rain" from high above the tangle that most permits the acolytes to move without anyone bothering to linger and stare. Soon, the pulsing booms and flashing lights from the upper floor of the hab structure bounce off the alleyway as the acolytes close in on a side-entrance.
<Vigilant_GM> A man lays just outside it, allowing the rains to soak him while he intermittently heaves.
* Velam face twists in disgust. This really isn't something he was used to.
* Shiv sneaks up and stabs the man outside in the throat.
* Shiv drags the body away.
<Vigilant_GM> The rains carry the man's vomit, and blood in a small current down the alley.
* Shiv removes the red armband off the body and wears it.
* Shiv whispers +Should I try to enter?+
* Nitrous whispers +I don't see why not.+
<Baird> +Just check it out. Signal us if it's clear.+
<Velam> +Aye, be careful Shiv.+
* Shiv walks into the structure.
<Vigilant_GM> As the door is opened, the booming pulses of the ganger music assault your senses.
<Vigilant_GM> You realize that the first floor is largely quiet, however.
<Vigilant_GM> People remain in their habs, doors close. The stairway, however, is lit by the flashing multi-color lights.
* Shiv cautiously heads up the stairway.
<Vigilant_GM> Upon reaching the second floor, a door slams wide open. A woman stumbling out. Shiv is able to jump behind a pillar and observe, unseen, as the woman is followed by a man. The two argue, loudly, speaking a dialect of low-gothic hardly intelligible to Shiv. She slaps the man, and heads down the stairway. The man grunts and returns back inside his hab.
* Shiv whispers +A woman might heading out so... look natural or hide or something.+
<Velam> "To the shadows."
* Velam hides behind the nearest discernable trash heap to hide his form.
* Karpath nods and finds a spot to hid."
* Shiv cautiously heads up the next set of stair.
* Baird moves up against the building and sinks to the ground trying to give the appearance of just another junkie in a daze.
<Vigilant_GM> The door to the alleyway opens, and the young woman exits. She flinches as the rain falls on the exposed skin on her back and shoulders. Startled, she then begins to cry.
* Nitrous hides in a different pile of trash
<Vigilant_GM> Shiv is able to make it to the third and final floor. On the furthest hab on the floor, the door is wide open. Two men chat, leaning against the hallway walls, inaudible to Shiv as the music fills the floor, and the flashing lights bounce across the walls.
<Vigilant_GM> The wide open door reveals by way of shadows projected from within the presence of several people participating in the celebrations.
<Vigilant_GM> Obscura smoke travels all across the floor as a sheet several inches thick lingering on the ceiling.
* Shiv whispers +I see two men at the door to the roof, but also there's quite a lot of people at this party. Not sure if they are all gangers.+
<Vigilant_GM> The young woman suddenly notices Velam and Karpath, and lets out a muted gasp.
<Velam> He curses to himself before approaching, going for the old man routine. "Spare any change? I'm starving miss." He injects a lot of rasp and shakes and limps a little into the light.
<Vigilant_GM> She says something with a shaky voice, it is a dialect hard to discern, but she reaches into the small bag she holds, and produces a single coin.
* Karpath begins digging through the trash he is behind to make it look like he is looking for food.
<Vigilant_GM> She places her palm gently on Velam's cheek, says a good-bye, and walks off.
<Velam> "Thank you! Oh thank you miss! Imperator bless you." He really hams it up, and thankfully doesn't have to try and cry with all the rain.
* Karpath waits for her to disappear and then stops digging, "Nice one."
* Velam clears his throat. "Thanks, but I'm not cut for this cloak and dagger stuff." He still pats himself on the back for a job well done.
<Velam> "Shall we get up there?"
* Shiv heads down the staircase and whispers +Hello? Anyone there?+
<Nitrous> +Trashman here+
<Baird> "Fucking hell Velam, you could be a fuckin holovid actor with all that over-dramatization"
<Velam> "Surely not, I just watch too many of the damn things."
* Shiv whispers +Okay...Cop man? What's the plan?+
<Karpath> "Maybe he was at one time, you think I can get your autograph later?"
<Velam> "Gentlemen please, we have some bad men to kill."
<Nitrous> +Mark targets and then murder?+
<Shiv> +So... head in or wait?+
<Nitrous> +Cowboy any advice?+
<Baird> +Act natural and don't feth this up.+
<Velam> "Shall we head up then?"
<Baird> "Yeah this probably won't end well and this way we'll be nearby for backup."
* Shiv goes back upstairs and walks into the 'party'.
* Baird hops to his feet and begins to head inside the hab.
* Nitrous follows along
* Karpath follow Baird in.
* Velam follows behind at the tail of the group
<Vigilant_GM> The smoke, the lights, the drowning music... they all make for a disorienting experience as soon as Shiv enters the room. The hab is not very big, and the dozen or so occupants seemingly fill its every corner. Some lay immobile, others sit around in a circle smoking and drinking. Others move to and from the small balcony on the opposite end of the hab.
<Vigilant_GM> Occasionally, laughter can be overheard above the music.
* Shiv leans up against the wall and pretends he is chilling.
<Shiv> +All of them are you know whats.+
<Nitrous> +Okay.+
<Velam> +Well, let's get to it.+
<Baird> +Alright let's move up.+
<Shiv> +About a dozen inside. 2 outside the door, in the hallway.+
<Vigilant_GM> As soon as the acolytes arrive on the upper-most floor, the two gangers' faces are lit up by a stricken match.
<Velam> Thinking quickly he has his two servo-skull hover near him so he can give them instructions via his dataslate. The instructions are simple; be really obnoxious at the two guards and start flying away opposite of where the cell is coming from. "I'm going to have my servo-skulls distract the guards, we can then stab them in the back...I hope."
* Nitrous prepares to fire his crossbow
<Velam> "Good luck," he says as he pats them both on their crowns.
* Baird also readies his crossbow
* Karpath readies his shock maul.
* Shiv lights a Iho stick.
<Vigilant_GM> Melli and Nelli, faithful sisters even after death, float around the corner and approach the gangers on the hallway. The two are curious at first, then swat at them to go away. Persisting in their distraction, the twin skulls annoy them to the point of action. They rise, short blades in hand, and close the distance.
<Vigilant_GM> The skulls lead them past the open door, towards the wide window at the end of the hallway.
* Karpath readies to charge the gangers.
<Velam> Once he notes that they have been distracted in the intended way he signals everyone to begin the ambush.
* Baird coordinates with Nitrous so they fire at different targets
* Nitrous agrees
* Velam readies his sword, praying that this doesn't go wrong.
* Nitrous fires a shot at the head
* Baird fires his crossbow from his arm aiming for the gangers head.
* Karpath charges in at the gangster who Nitrous shot at.
* Velam charges after Karpath swinging his sword at the ganger that Baird shot at.
* Nitrous recovers his crossbow bolt and reloads it
* Baird does the same.
<Vigilant_GM> The bolts dig into the neck-flesh of one, and grazes the other. Before they notice what has hit them, they are stabbed in the back by Velam and Karpath, killing them instantly.
<Baird> "Now for the rest."
* Velam pulls his sword from the gangers back before he plunges it back in to make doubly sure the man isn't going to get back up. With that he pulls it out and cleans it off on the dead man's clothes.
<Nitrous> +Prep for extermination criminal+
<Shiv> +What?+
<Baird> +Get ready to shut your eyes Shivvy."
<Velam> +We're about to assault them.+
* Shiv closes eyes.
* Karpath readies by the door.
* Nitrous whisper "breaching positions
* Velam waits to enter the room to begin the...extermination as Nitrous put it.
* Baird readies the photon grenade and walks into the hab where the gangers are partying yelling out to gather everyone's attention and activating the grenade.
<Baird> "Hey you fucks!"
<Vigilant_GM> Before any of the gangers can try to identify the stranger who has just walked in, the light-show is put utterly to shame as the chymistry of the photon grenade's components give their luminous reaction, blasting their retinas in a fraction of a second.
* Nitrous fires a bolt at the nearest ganger
* Karpath charges in after the flash has gone off and finds the first person to attack
* Baird draws the chainaxe and charges the nearest ganger.
* Velam yells as he charges the nearest unengaged ganger, like the many melee battles he's seen in the holo-vids.
* Shiv pulls out his chainsword and charges the nearest person.
* Shiv severs the right arm and kills the ganger.
* Karpath doesn't kill the person he attacks but is able to stun them.
* Baird turns and charges a nearby ganger slamming the chainaxe diagonally into his chest, revving it hard, and cleaving him in two pieces, blood and viscera flying and coating Baird.
* Shiv charges a man on the sofa and cuts his body. The Ganger is still alive.
<Velam> The man he attacked, though not dead, is quite quickly dispatched as Velam swings his sword back up, the blade biting deep into the man's chest and killing him instantly. Probably cut the heart in two or something.
* Karpath tries to swing at the same guy but he misses as they guys snaps out of being stunned.
* Baird swings out the chainaxe at the ganger who attempted to slash him but the ganger parried the slash.
* Shiv swings at his chainsword at the attacker and the saw digs into the skull, killing the ganger.
<Velam> With adrenaline pumping, Velam charges the ganger engaged in melee with Karpath. Alas his blade narrowly misses the man.
<Vigilant_GM> The ganger engaging Baird received a bolt to the shoulder.
* Nitrous fires a bolt into the shoulder of an enemy attacking baird
<Vigilant_GM> Another of the gangers stabs at Karpath, splitting the flesh on his cheeckbone.
* Karpath tries to hit him the the ganger is able to dodge out of the way.
<Vigilant_GM> A roaring war cry is unleashed as a man standing some 8 feet charges at Shiv, wielding a massive sword.
* Shiv dodges out of the way of the swing.
* Shiv tries to swing back and he misses.
* Baird Swings his chainaxe at the ganger in front of him, the strike lands adding to the wound he already suffered from the crossbow bolt.
<Velam> His next attack, misses, yet again.
<Baird> Swinging his chainaxe downward, reminiscent of chopping wood, the chainaxe bites deep into the gangers chest cavity finally felling him.
* Shiv and the ganger with a large sword are swinging and dodging each other attacks.
<Velam> And again he misses
* Nitrous enters a defensive stance
* Karpath get hit again by the sword of the Ganger but it does nothing, but this time his shock maul connects this time killing him.
<Vigilant_GM> The massive ganger swings down once more, striking Shiv on the leg.
* Shiv swings at the attacker's body and kills him.
* Baird charges over to help Shiv against the larger ganger but he parries the swing.
* Nitrous enters a defensive stance
<Velam> With the ganger finally dying in front of him, Velam enters melee yet again, coming to the aid of Nitrous this time.
* Karpath charges in to help Nitrous but his hit misses.
<Baird> After Shiv fells the larger ganger Baird turns to charge to and lend his aid against the final ganger his axe swinging down and tearing open the ganger skull causing him to spasm and fall dead.
* Shiv patches Karpath and himself after the battle.
* Nitrous recovers whatevers bolts he has fired
<Vigilant_GM> The lightshow continues even after the last loaded track fades out. The strobing colored lights play visual games with the blood dripping from your weapons, as if freezing the droplets in the air.
* Karpath takes some time after getting patched up by Shiv to begin looting
* Shiv steals some Obscura doses.
* Velam falls onto his ass as the adrenaline drains from his body.
* Baird cleans off his weapons and equipment using the gangers clothing and such as rags to do so.
<Shiv> "What's the plan?"
<Baird> "Go ahead and do your work Shiv. The more fucked up the better. Hopefully it'll get his attention."
* Shiv starts decapitating the heads and collecting the heads/bodies.
* Baird steps outside the hab to keep an eye on anyone who might come up.
<Nitrous> "What interesting artwork."
<Velam> "Yes, use your imagination Shiv." The old man cleans his weapon off again and leaves the room.
* Shiv arranges the corpses in the circle and makes them hold their heads.
* Shiv takes a severed finger and drips in blood. He writes "HE IS WATCHING" on wall.
* Karpath also stands outside the room with Baird and Nitrous
* Shiv takes a swords and careless throws them in the center of the art piece.
<Shiv> +I'm done.+
<Vigilant_GM> You hear a woman cry out, followed by the slamming of the metal alley door below.
<Shiv> "Time to leave?"
<Nitrous> +Let's go.+
<Karpath> "Now is a good time as any."
<Baird> "Alright lets get going gents."
<Vigilant_GM> A man yells in anger, the dialect indistinct.
* Baird begins heading down the stairwell towards the street
* Nitrous follows Baird
* Shiv follows behind Baird.
* Karpath follows
<Vigilant_GM> As you reach the alley door, you see the man standing above a disfigured woman quietly sobbing. Her garb exposes her back and shoulders, small bag on the floor next to her.
<Vigilant_GM> He glares at you quietly as you descend the stairs.
<Velam> Velam averts his eyes and makes for the exit.
* Baird returns the glare as he exits the building.
<Vigilant_GM> He notices the blood on you, and a smirk forms on his face.
* Shiv continues walking with his chainsword. Both him and the weapon are covered in blood.
<Vigilant_GM> Before you clear the door, he kicks the woman in the ribs. Her cry disappears as the door closes behind you.
* Baird stops for a moment then turns and heads back inside towards the man.
* Shiv stops and waits.
* Karpath stops as well as he see Baird go back inside.
* Nitrous follows suit
* Karpath the goes back in as well.
<Vigilant_GM> You enter, and see the abuser kneeling in front of the young woman, blade drawn. His thick accent unintelligible, yet menacing.
* Baird approaches the man pulling a knife from under his jacket and stabbing it quickly into the mans eye socket.
<Vigilant_GM> The depth of his threatening voice turn into an up-pitched scream as he falls on his back, gripping the wound.
* Shiv peaks his head into the door.
<Baird> As the man falls back Baird pulls another knife and stabs it deep into the other eye.
<Vigilant_GM> Another yell of pain tears out of his throat; an animal-like sound of pain.
<Nitrous> "Good shot."
<Vigilant_GM> Blood pours freely from his wounds.
<Shiv> "The old gouging out the eyes? Classy, Beardman."
* Baird grips both knives and wrenches them free levering them at an angle to pop what's left of the eye's free from the sockets.
<Vigilant_GM> A third attempt at a scream stops short as the pain overwhelms him into unconsciousness.
* Baird shrugs. "He shouldn't have been a shitheel."
* Velam averts his eyes, trying to not to listen to the animalistic noises of pain the man is making.
<Velam> "Gentlemen, can we please leave? We've done enough I think."
<Vigilant_GM> Only the soft sobs of the young women remain now.
<Baird> Cleaning the knives off on the mans shirt Baird sheathes them and once again heads for the door.
<Shiv> "Hahaha, agreed. He should have minded his own business."
<Nitrous> "Yup."
<Vigilant_GM> ===SKIPAROO===
<Vigilant_GM> The following morning, an overwhelming stench of rot fills your room; it rises you all.
<Velam> "What in the-" The old man breathes through his mouth as he arises from slumber. "What is making that stench?"
<Nitrous> "Hrm."
* Baird is roused by Velam's exclamations thankful for the habit of sleeping in his rebreather since coming down into this cesspool.
<Baird> "Surely it's not that bad?"
* Shiv coughs from the smell
<Nitrous> "Well it ain't good."
<Vigilant_GM> The window to the small balcony of your room is open. Two meters away, you spot it. A severed head.
<Nitrous> "Huh."
<Vigilant_GM> But not just any. You recognize it as the severed head of the champion Red Walk warrior you killed the night previous.
<Nitrous> "Neat."
<Velam> "Well, that's certainly quite disturbing."
<Baird> "He looks familiar eh Shivvy? The one who almost made cutlets out of you?"
<Vigilant_GM> His tongue has been removed, and fixed with a spike. A fresh tattoo on its surface - the image of an airship along its length.
* Shiv looks out the window. "Kinda?"
<Karpath>  "I guess he got the message?"
<Baird> "The one with the big fuckin sword."
<Shiv> "Ohhh, right."
<Velam> "Looks like we've been invited."
<Baird> "But it looks like that might be the invite."
<Shiv> "Prick's head might be boobytrapped."
<Velam> "Someone grab the tongue, we might need it..."
* Karpath pulls out his Auspex scanner and begins scanning the head with it.
<Karpath> "Well I can tell you one thing, he has three fake metal teeth."
<Baird> "Well if it isn't boobytrapped Shiv you're on tongue duty.Just incase it has to serve as the physical invitation."
<Velam> "And grab the tongue while you're at it.
<Vigilant_GM> The tongue is now a dry, shrivelled, leathery thing.
* Shiv grabs the head and pulls the tongue.
* Shiv pulls out the spike.
<Velam> "Well, shall we go?"
* Baird finishes getting dressed and straps on his weapons. "Let's. I'd hate to keep him waiting."
* Nitrous get's dressed and ready
<Nitrous> "Lead the way cowboy."
* Velam makes sure everything that needs to be there is there.
<Vigilant_GM> You make your way to the upper levels, Velam attentively sorting through the various yet infrequent sinage along the walkways.
<Velam> He mutters to himself, and records when he can as he leads them up and up.
<Vigilant_GM> In short time, you find yourselves along something of a mercantile quarter, a vast central avenue leading from the Tangle stretches out into the open chasm. Floating, fixed to Gantry, the Red Sky Ship overlooks it all.
<Vigilant_GM> Here, the Red Walk are everywhere. Their presence in every corner, by every stall and business.
<Velam> "Fascinating, simply fascinating."
<Vigilant_GM> Your approach is largely unmolested despite this fact, and the bridge-lines are raised to allow you passage onto the ship, without any signaling.
<Shiv> "You think this is where the big man lives?"
<Velam> "Yes, and the fact they knew what we looked like to raise the bridge....hmmmm."
<Nitrous> "Maybr."
<Baird> "I'd say it's a pretty good fuckin guess Shivvy."
* Baird begins heading across the bridge
<Vigilant_GM> Towering brutes of men with vast blades, other figures hooded crimson with short blades, and even children with blunted weapons pass you by on every deck as you are lead by an androgynous sword apprentice in a hooded robe, silently showing you the way.
* Shiv says under his breath "Spooky..."
<Velam> Velam considers it wise not to bring out his dataslate, he instead takes every thing in, while keeping everything but his head concealed beneath his armored cloak.
* Karpath admires the ship work as they walk along.
<Vigilant_GM> At last, in a chamber with grand curved walls, you are given the audience you have sought. Sitting atop a veritable throne of trophy knives in this gaudy estate room, Vornas Crimson looks down on you with an amused smirk. The man is bound in scarred muscle and rattling with piercings. He wears leathers, adorned with crimson stripes along the sides. A deep blue cape, made out of a
<Vigilant_GM> tattered naval overcoat, wraps around his form, and waves with a draft of wind as he rises.
* Baird ignores most of the ship focusing instead on the crew. Armaments, analyzing potential skill with said weapons, and any possibility of a surprise attack.
<Velam> "Very fascinating." He murmurs to himself.
<Vigilant_GM> "Very artistic, the lot of you," he finally says.
<Baird> "Acclaim for the artistry goes to Shivvy here!" Baird claps Shiv on the back heartily.
* Shiv shocked and looks at Baird.
<Vigilant_GM> "That so?" he looks down at Shiv an amused expression on his face.
<Velam> "Oh yes, quite the imagination he has."
<Baird> "We all helped provide the materials so to speak. But he did the arranging and painting and all that." Baird chuckles at his words.
<Vigilant_GM> "I see, I see."
<Vigilant_GM> "I saw you crossing the Raceway,"
<Vigilant_GM> "Odd little group," he adds.
<Vigilant_GM> "Dull, I thought," he says almost theatrically.
<Vigilant_GM> "Yet here you are!"
<Vigilant_GM> "Here, as you hoped you would be," a wide smile forms on his face.
<Baird> "Well at first we decided for the "polite" route , which is always rather boring and unfun. Imagine our surprise when all we had to do to get here was be ourselves!"
<Vigilant_GM> He sits down once more.
<Vigilant_GM> Nodding, he asks, "Tell me..." he leans forward, "what is your interest in my business?"