Evervigilant 10

<Vigilant_GM> IT IS THE 41ST MILLENNIUM...
<Vigilant_GM> With a hellish apparition now roaming about Port Gyre, the Acolytes have made their way to Interrogator Kurst for guidance, and perhaps an escalation of Inquisitorial assets to address the crisis. Upon arrival, however, the Interrogator is anything but welcoming. It is, he explains, the responsibility of the Acolyte cell to track and contain the threat of whatever they have found  -
<Vigilant_GM> before any further resources can be gathered and deployed, the Inquisition must not lose eyes on the threat. The safehouse's armory is made available to the Acolytes, however, before they are dispatched to the tunnels beneath Gyre.
<Vigilant_GM> "The comm-beads will permit me to reach you if and when it becomes necessary."
<Vigilant_GM> "The shuttle will not stick around. Once you have entered the tunnels, presume you are alone."
<Nitrous> "Time to hunt the red thing."
<Shiv> "Heh, new shiny." He looks at his Handflamer.
<Karpath> "Anything else we should know about these tunnels?"
<Shiv> "Aside from the big scary thing in there?"
<Vigilant_GM> "Do not separate."
<Nitrous> "Aye."
* Karpath nods, as he checks over his new Lasgun and Longlas.
<Velam> "O-Of course. We wouldn't dare go after this thing split up." He tries to not let his voice crack from the sheer terror he is feeling. He was a savant! Not some fething daemon-hunter!
<Vigilant_GM> A rune panel lights up, and vox transmissions become audible on a headset on the Interrogator's desk.
<Vigilant_GM> He puts it on, and points you to the door.
* Nitrous nods and goes
* Karpath makes his way out.
* Velam follows after the group, to their doom the savant figures.
* Shiv follows behind the lawman
<Vigilant_GM> Transport is arranged as promised, and as soon as the shuttle lands atop a warehouse with access to the tunnels below, the ramp is opened - engines remaining on and idle.
<Vigilant_GM> ++Everyone out!++ the pilot exclaims from his cabin.
* Karpath makes his way out of the transport and onto the top of the warehouse.
* Shiv exits out of the vehicle.
* Nitrous goes out
<Shiv> "This better be worth it. Killing whatever the lawman saw and made him barf."
<Nitrous> "It was a good long while too."
<Vigilant_GM> The descent into the warehouse proper, and its Underport access is uneventful - the warehouse workers are gone, likely the result of the Arbite Precinct's quarantine.
<Velam> Works his way down with the others, his servo-skulls flitting about him as he nervously ponders on what they're going to find down there.
<Nitrous> "Time to hunt."
<Karpath> "Yep, time to do your work Nitrous."
<Vigilant_GM> The tunnels are serviceable, with working lighting and servitorized monitoring stations you pass along the way - until you reach a fork. The left option descends further, and flickering lumen globes give you an idea of what the rarely-used lower tunnel networks will be like.
<Velam> "I'm glad some of you are so confident about this."
<Shiv> "I'm dead either way."
<Shiv> "Can't run away at this point. Should have just gone to jail."
<Karpath> "Well we survived and xeno, almost got killed by a servitor, was able to survive a explosion, I think the odds are somewhat ok."
* Karpath pulls out his auspex and begins scanning for anything that could lead the group to finding the creature.
<Vigilant_GM> It takes the acolytes the better part of an hour roaming about the extensive tunnel networks before the auspex picks up an unusual heat signature at a juncture ahead.
<Karpath> "Got something up ahead."
<Vigilant_GM> The scanner shows a large section of the tunnels as being abnormally warmer than the surrounding area.
<Nitrous> "Is it bog red?"
* Shiv starts shaking nervously.
<Vigilant_GM> Then, as you are closing the distance, it hits you all. The smell of burnt flesh.
<Nitrous> "I think it's here."
* Karpath almost gags as the smell hit.
<Shiv> "Maybe we should run away. Hop on a merchant ship that will take use FAR away from this sector."
<Nitrous> "Boss man will find us."
<Velam> "Yech," he recoils physically at the smell. "God-Emperor's teeth."
<Vigilant_GM> The dim lighting makes it difficult to see what's around you, but Velam steps on something that gives way with a dry crunch...
* Velam freezes and slowly tilts his head downwards, afraid at what he's about to see.
* Shiv pulls out his hand flamer with his left hand and autopistol with his right.
* Nitrous pulls out his long las
<Shiv> "Fecking feck feck."
<Vigilant_GM> Velam has stepped on the charred remains of a small human.
<Vigilant_GM> As your eyes adjust, you realize you are surrounded by at least a dozen more corpses of those who have come to a similar fate.
* Karpath begins scanning the room with the auspex.
<Velam> The savant yelps in surprise, ripping his feet free of the remains and nearly falling on his arse. "B-B-By the Emperor!"
<Nitrous> "First time?"
<Velam> With trembling hands the adept arms himself with one of his las-pistols, making sure the charge pack is armed and fully loaded. "S-shit."
<Nitrous> "You get used to it."
* Shiv gulps.
<Vigilant_GM> The auspex scanner reveals no other anomalies, though the trail of heat does continue further down a corner before dissipating.
<Velam> Meanwhile the Augur type of his two servo-skulls is scanning each individual corpse.
<Karpath> "Lets take this cautiously, no telling if the thing knows we are here or not."
<Nitrous> +Anomaly foward+
<Nitrous> +Tracking now+
<Velam> The words buzz in his ear, the savant not yet used to the micro-beads given to them. +Y-Yes following after you all.+
* Karpath begins moving forward cautiously, as he continues to use the auspex to scan the area.
<Vigilant_GM> You can't be certain, but for a moment you think you hear screams... inhuman, and grotesque.
* Shiv follows behind the group and is trying not to scream.
<Velam> "I seem to recall certain things, we may...may have just seen the remains of a ritual most unholy. Guard your souls tight, my friends."
<Vigilant_GM> The echoes of the tunnels make it indistinct. Perhaps it was just steam rising out of the vents with pressure? Only venturing forwards, towards the noise could possibly reveal any truth to you.
<Velam> His hand twitches to record these things in his data-slate, alas his utmost need to defend himself overrides that for now. And for now he commits it to memory.
<Karpath> "Guess we are on the right path down this way."
* Shiv whispers "Less talking, it might find us."
* Shiv whispers "Let's try to sneak up on this monster."
<Vigilant_GM> The deeper you go, the darker the tunnels become, yet far ahead you think you see movement.
<Vigilant_GM> No, you certainly do.
<Vigilant_GM> Loud metallic clanging follows.
<Vigilant_GM> On a corner, just beyond a small vent, you see a figure, low to the ground.
<Vigilant_GM> A whisper echoes from it. Indistinct.
* Karpath puts his hand up to gesture the group to stop moving and get low.
<Velam> +There.+ He whispers into his micro-bead, pointing his laspistol towards the figure.
<Vigilant_GM> A passing shuttle far above provides a brief glimpse as light filthers through for a moment.
<Vigilant_GM> Once again, you see dead... two dozen, or more.
<Vigilant_GM> A caravan of trading men and their beasts.
<Vigilant_GM> And for that split second, you see the figure with more clairty... a man, holding a hammer. He swings it down striking the railing on which he holds his weight, trying to get your attention.
<Vigilant_GM> His lips move too, but his feeble and weakened voice does little.
<Velam> +Should we approach him?+
<Nitrous> "Hello."
* Shiv stumbles and falls
<Shiv> "oww..."
<Vigilant_GM> Suddenly, the man collapses.
* Shiv gets up and approaches the man.
<Nitrous> "You dead?"
<Nitrous> "Start shooting?"
<Vigilant_GM> His breathing is forced. And he has hideous wounds on his limbs and torso.
<Karpath> "Not yet." he continues to scan the area.
* Shiv injects the man with Tranq.
<Nitrous> "What did you see?"
<Vigilant_GM> The man's eyes lock with Shiv's, and he reaches feebly with his less-mangled arm.
<Vigilant_GM> "The... beast."
<Nitrous> "Fire?"
<Shiv> "Where did it goes?"
<Nitrous> "Fire beast?"
<Vigilant_GM> "Our sins... this Hive spawned the beast!" he hisses.
<Nitrous> "We come to kill it."
<Vigilant_GM> "It knew... it knows..." his eyes now wander to the darkness.
<Shiv> "Shit, he's not gonna make it."
<Nitrous> "Point where it went."
* Karpath looks at the man, he kneels down by him.
<Vigilant_GM> "It was... unstoppable. Reality shifted at its will..."
<Karpath> "What can you tell us about it, and where it flew off to?"
<Vigilant_GM> He lifts a finger, his hand shaking.
* Velam follows the point of the finger, to wherever he is pointing.
* Karpath looks in the direction the man is pointing and begins scanning with the auspex.
<Vigilant_GM> As he does so, the temperature all around you drops dramatically.
<Vigilant_GM> Your breath becomes visible in front of you.
* Shiv gets up.
* Nitrous finds cover
* Karpath finds a near cover.
<Vigilant_GM> The man finally expires in front of you, as a hundred bloodthirsty cries echo from further inside the tunnel complex.
<Vigilant_GM> Karpath, who leans against the walls of the tunnel, suddenly comes to the realization that blood has begin to drip down from the surface of the tunnel walls.
* Karpath looks up the wall. +Guys are you seeing what I'm seeing?+
<Vigilant_GM> Bursting seemingly from within one of the caracasses of the beasts of burden killed when the merchant caravan was destroyed, a human-like form rises... its limbs twiching unnaturally, fighting broken shackles.
<Velam> "What in the Emperor's name..." He breathes, his eyes going wide in shock and terror.
* Nitrous dives for cover
<Vigilant_GM> With a will-bending cry, the abomination generates an unholy bolt of energy, which slaps Nitrous in a plit second.
<Vigilant_GM> The bolt hits the acolyte in the chest, and the unholy energy sets him alight.
* Karpath takes aim with his lasgun and opens a semi-auto burst onto the creature.
* Nitrous rolls around trying to put out the fire, until he succeeds.
* Baird raises both his plasma and bolt pistol firing a shot from each into the abomination, both making it past it's protection.
<Velam> The scholarly savant tries to shoot at the abomination, though his hands must be shaking badly, as both his shots go wide.
<Vigilant_GM> With another hideous twitch in its form, the abomination begins to glow, and the screams of a thousand suffering voices fill the tunnels.
* Baird is frozen in shock from the scream that filled his senses.
* Shiv fires into the direction of the beast with no success.
<Karpath> Though stunned by the fear for a moment, he is able to come to his senses, he then aims and fires his Lasgun at the creature this time hitting it with 3 shots on the highest settings.
* Nitrous pulls out his shotgun and his weapon immidieatly jams
<Velam> Velam starts to pray, oh does he pray. He utters every catechism, every oath, every...well every thing he can remember from his younger years before he became an adept of the administratum. He aims and squeezes the trigger. And manages to hit it with one of two bolts of energy...square in the head.
<Vigilant_GM> As soon as the las bolt strikes the creature, an impenetrable, and unnatural darkness engulfs the area.
<Velam> +It's dark! Why is it dark!?+
<Nitrous> +Need help+
<Vigilant_GM> Out of the engulfing dark, another bolt of daemonic energy reaches out to strike Baird in the leg.
* Shiv switches to his chainsword and tries to take a guarded stance.
<Vigilant_GM> A metallic voice then echoes through the tunnels.
<Vigilant_GM> ++The machine spirit does not lie! There it is!++
<Vigilant_GM> The darkness fades, and the abomination turns away from you.
* Velam starts to breathe normally again, as if the choking darkness had limited the amount Velam could breathe.
* Karpath is able to see again.
<Vigilant_GM> Three combat servitors, several Cult Mechanicus Adepts, and a red-robed priest holding an exotic scanner arrive.
<Nitrous> "Get it."
<Vigilant_GM> Instantly, they begin taking position and laying fire on the unholy creature.
<Velam> +Mechanicus?+
* Karpath opens fire again with all three shots hitting the creature.
* Nitrous takes a shot at the beast and succeeds
<Velam> Amazingly, Velam hits it again. Twice even! Two bolts from his laspistol impact the things body.
<Baird> Finally snapping free from the shocked state Baird swears under his breath raising his pistols again and loosing to more shots that impact on the creature.
<Vigilant_GM> After being surprised by the mechanicus attack, the creature shrieks as it charges unnaturally towards the grouping, instantly tearing two of the Mechanicus Adepts to shreds as it manifests claws from its mangled hands.
* Shiv switches to his las pistol. He fires at the creature and misses.
<Vigilant_GM> The combat servitors focus fire, exotic weaponry blasting blue-green rays of energy at the abonimable creature, which shrieks in pain.
* Karpath continues to open fire with his lasgun at max settings, hitting it 3 more times.
<Vigilant_GM> Holding in front of him a heavy tome, the red-robed priest begins reciting from a passage.
<Vigilant_GM> He recites louder as the creature seems to be held in place by the fire it is being subjected to.
* Nitrous fires a good shot
<Vigilant_GM> For the first time, the creature visibly flinches in pain at receiving a shot from the Acolytes.
<Vigilant_GM> Something is having an effect.
* Goat has quit (Client exited)
<Baird> Ejecting the spent clip from his Bolt Pistol Baird reloads a fresh mag and racks the slide chambering a fresh round.
<Vigilant_GM> The creature spits in the direction of the priest in mechanicus robes, and a deep daemonic roar is followed by unintelligible words.
<Velam> Seeing that the thing is being dealt with by erstwhile comrades, Velam continues to add his own pitiful fire into the mix. Managing to hit yet again!
<Vigilant_GM> The creature drops to its knees and elbows, a low heavy breathing disturbing the air as air currents hot and cold blow in every direction.
<Vigilant_GM> "Hold him there!"
<Vigilant_GM> The priest then looks in your direction.
<Nitrous> "It dies."
<Vigilant_GM> "No witnesses."
<Vigilant_GM> The servants not currently holding down the daemonic creature with the thick streams of energy begin to move in your direction.
<Shiv> "WE ARE THE INQUISTION, YOU FUCKS."
<Velam> "Don't shoot at us! We're on your side!" He practically shrieks in a shrill tone, his nerves at their very end.
<Vigilant_GM> The priest looks down at the tome to turn a page, and continues reciting.
* Shiv unleashes a suppressive spray at the acolytes.
* Karpath takes aim at one of the servants with the lasgun, changing the setting back to the normal setting, two shots hit him in the leg and one in the body, killing it.
* Nitrous misses a shot
<Velam> Looking to support his friends, he aims at one of the remaining adepts, he takes aim and fires...instead of a bright lasbolt exiting the barrel of his weapon, however, a slight spark is emitted and his laspistol starts beeping at him. "Emperor dammit!"
<Baird> Seeing the abomination incapacitated Baird moves his aim towards the advancing Cult Adepts. The shot from the Bolt Pistol shears the first Adepts arm clean off killing him instantly. The other shot, coming from the Plasma Pistol, flares out taking the second Adept in the side dropping him to the ground dead.
<Vigilant_GM> Attempting to break free, and with a roar that sends chills down your spines, the daemonic creature swipes at one of the servitors, slamming it against the far wall of the tunnel with its power.
* Shiv continues his suppressive fire with his las pistol.
* Karpath opens fire but his shots miss this time.
* Nitrous fires a shot
* Nitrous injures an adept
<Baird> Baird fires out two more shots in quick sucession the bolt round taking down the injured Adept and the searing bolt of plasma disintegrating the others arm who dropped to the ground smoking and dead.
<Vigilant_GM> The incantation now reaches a peak, with forbidden words echoing through the tunnels.
<Vigilant_GM> Rebelling against this ritual, however, the daemonic form replies, its voice that of thousands of corrupt beings whispering heresies into your ears...
<Vigilant_GM> The tech priest drops the tome, and the daemonic being is once again freed.
* Karpath pain through his body, as he feels weaker now.
<Vigilant_GM> ++Acolyte Cell Valerius-Sigma. What is happening? The Port is engulfed in an unholy darkness!++
<Vigilant_GM> It is Interrogator Kurst.
<Nitrous> +Killing the creature+
* Shiv switches his las pistol to the highest setting and shoots the daemon.
<Vigilant_GM> For a moment it is as though a beast is manifesting from within the humanoid form, trying to burst out.
<Vigilant_GM> The skin and bone twisting and stretching to accommodate the emerging form.
<Baird> +There is a potential rogue Mechanicus sect making things much worse Interrogator! We are working to contain the situation.+
<Nitrous> +Admech here also+
<Velam> +Baird is correct. We are in battle with both the thing, and this element of the Mechanicus that is trying to contain it!+
<Vigilant_GM> ++This is worse than we thought. I am contacting Inquisitor Mortem.++
<Nitrous> +We got metal things?+
<Velam> "Get to ground everyone!" Seeing the Tech-Priest drop cannisters around himself makes Velam go prone into cover.
<Vigilant_GM> Blinding light, and deafening sound assault your senses.
<Nitrous> "Fuck"
<Nitrous> "I can't see shit."
<Velam> Once the light and smoke clears, the savant peaks his head up to see the aftermath.
<Vigilant_GM> Those who come to can see that the daemonic creature is in the process of destroying the remaining servitors. The tech-priest, however, is nowhere to be seen.
<Velam> +Interrogator, the Tech-Priest has absconded, his party are all dead, and the thing is still alive. Please advise.+ His voice quakes at the last bit. Surely they're all doomed now.
<Vigilant_GM> A servitor's limb is torn out with such force that it flies across the tunnel, striking Shiv dead in the chest, dropping him on his ass.
<Shiv> "COCK SUCKING COGSBOY!"
<Vigilant_GM> ++It is imperative you provide testimony on these events. New orders...++ there is a pause several seconds long.
<Vigilant_GM> ++Survive. Return to the safehouse.++
<Velam> +Thank you Interrogator.+ He looks at his comrades before stumbling over to Nitrous, trying to get him on his feet. "We need to go, while that thing is distracted! We need to go now!"
<Nitrous> +Can't see need help+
<Nitrous> "Aye
<Nitrous> "Lead the way."
* Shiv runs away, stumbling and cursing loudly along the way.
<Baird> +Let's get the fuck out everyone! Back to the safehouse, go!+
<Velam> +Stick together you idiot!+ He hisses over the micro-bead to Shiv.
<Shiv> +FINE!+
<Vigilant_GM> With a head start the Acolytes rush to find a way out of the tunnels before the beast can find and catch them, horrifying sounds and unnatural phenomena haunting them all along the way - a reminder of the danger from which they run. Utilizing their skills, they lose the daemonic creature along the way, and manage to find their way to safety back to the loading platforms above.
<Velam> Sweat beads and drips from the savant's face as he hunches over and breathes in ragged gasps. He was way too old for this kind of shit.
<Shiv> "We were completely underprepared."
<Vigilant_GM> "YOU THERE, ARE YOU DAFT?! DISPERSE IMMEDIATELY! THIS AREA IS UNDER CURFEW!", a sanctionary trooper calls out through a laud-hailer as he encounters you.
<Baird> "I did say this was above our fething pay-grade."
<Baird> "STAND THE FUCK DOWN!" Baird holds up his Rosette in the direction of the Sanctionary. "You will also provide us with transportation. Now!"
<Vigilant_GM> There is a pause.
<Vigilant_GM> Then the lights on the urban troop transport are turned off, and the trooper emerges from the vehicle.
<Vigilant_GM> "The inquisition..." you hear him say. "So it's true... Gyre is damned."
<Baird> "We're trying to make sure it isn't. Now are you going to assist..or get in our way Sanctionary?"
<Vigilant_GM> "I... where do you need to be, Inquisitor?"
<Baird> "Accommodations so we can regroup. We are lodged near the Arbites Precinct."
<Vigilant_GM> "At once," he says, re-entering the vehicle.
<Baird> "Approaching the vehicle Baird enters the front passenger seat of the vehicle beckoning the others to mount up.
<Baird> "Let's go people, no time to waste."
<Shiv> "Right..."
<Vigilant_GM> The Sanctionary knows the streets and thoroughways well, even able to avoid Arbites checkpoints at places to avoid slowing you down.
<Vigilant_GM> You soon arrive back at the safehouse.
<Vigilant_GM> Kurst is awaiting you when you enter.
<Vigilant_GM> "Explain."