IC-Ep 4-And the Law Won(Elliot Webb only)

[BenTheRat]

Elliot physically shudders at the thought of going back into those tunnels, but keeps his silence in front of mother. He reaches out and takes Victoria's hand for support.

[Mr. Handy]

Victoria squeezed Elliot's hand again to reassure him. A minute later, the servant returned carrying a a white T-shirt and handed it to her. She put it into the oilskin sack and sealed it up again. "All right, we're ready," she said.

"Good, let's go," said Y'Hali. She opened the front doors, revealing darkness outside. Sheets of rain fell down from above, spattering the stairs. A loud boom sounded, followed shortly by a flash of lightning that briefly illuminated the mansion's grounds.

[BenTheRat]

"Well we're going to get wet anyway. The storm your mother or the priests doing?" Elliot whispers over to Victoria.

[Mr. Handy]

"It wasn't us," said Victoria. "Sometimes storms just happen in Dunwich."

"Or it could be that Soames," said Y'Hali. "He is reputed to have some power over the weather. That might account for the unusual fog last night too."

"Perhaps it was a mistake to let him live," said Bertie. "His brother killed my father, and he is no different."

"Killing Virgil Soames would have cost more of my people their lives. His brother killed quite a few, and if he is even half the wizard Edward was, our losses still would have been heavy. When you can live forever, it gives you a better perspective. Death is something best avoided. As long as the truce holds, he may coninue breathing. He'll be dead in fifty years anyway."

"But he has broken the truce!"

"How? A little fog, a little rain? Even if he is responsible for that, it is hardly a hostile act."

"He may aid our enemies when they attack! We should kill him tonight!"

"I'll take that under consideration." Y'Hali embraced her son. "Father Stewart should be along shortly with your protector. Do not do anything rash while we are away."

"Yes, Mother." Bertie lowered his head.

"Come, let's go. The rain is getting in." Y'Hali released Bertie and led Victoria and Elliot outside, closing the doors behind them. They went down the drive to the gate, which the guard raised for them, letting them out onto Monastery Hill. They hiked northeast for a short distance. Elliot could see the Priory Cottage ahead to the left, and the ruins were on the right, just across the road from it.

"That's Priory Cottage, where Virgil Soames lives," said Victoria, pointing it out. "I see a light on in one of the windows."

"It is dark, and the clouds cover the sky," said Y'Hali. "He will not see us."

[BenTheRat]

"We have a saying, 'God loves the infantry', if this is natural, I think it will be to your benefit today if a battle does come. Or it may delay it." Hearing what they said about Soames, Elliot felt an oblication to try and make this right. "He didn't aid me so much as just wanted me out of his house. He knew I wasn't going to leave, but after he put up the fog it gave me the chance to go. Yea, it helped me, but his intent was to just get me out of there so he wouldn't have to have a confrontation with the family. I hope you understand the difference mother."

After hearing it out loud, he isn't sure if it helped or hurt the old man's cause. And Bert was getting a body guard? Was that the Shaggoth mentioned? Things were getting crazy, but if he didn't play along for now he'd lose Victoria forever. Maybe if he could get the shotgun out of the bag and force her to come with him, but he would never hurt her and she knows it. But once he goes into the ruins, he may never come out again.
"Here let me carry that for you," Elliot offers to carry the waterproof bag, trying to keep it casual as a gentlemanly thing to do.

[Mr. Handy]

"Thank you, dear," said Victoria, letting Elliot take the oilskin sack.

"You know Soames's intentions?" said Y'Hali with a skeptical look. "Can you read his mind? Or did he perhaps tell you why he raised the fog? A man can lie, you know. You have confirmed that it was he that did it, and that he has that sort of power, at least. It is not a violation of the truce, technically, though it does dance about the edges. There is no need to worry, in any case. We will not be the first to break the truce. I only told Bertie that I would consider it to keep him from taking matters into his own hands. Soames shall be watched, however. And you're right, the storm will help us. Come, let us go down to the sea." She led the way past the gate and into the ruins.

[BenTheRat]

Elliot took the bag. This made him feel a little better, but he was no better with a shotgun than a knife. But at least it was something. After listening to mother he was afraid he had made the situation worse for Soames who had only helped him. "He told me I had to leave, and then the fog rolled in, and he said he made it. Whether he did or not, I have no idea. It seemed convenient is all I can say." He left it at that, hoping that would explain his other ramblings.

As they approached the ruins, Elliot had thoughts of making a sprint for Soames place. With the shotgun he could probably make it, but he looked back at Victoria and knew he couldn't be without her. Somewhere in the back of his mind a small piece was screaming, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!!" But that was quickly pushed aside for more rational thoughts...

[Mr. Handy]

The three of them approached the stone covering the entrance to the caves. If Elliot hadn't known what to look for, he wouldn't have noticed it. Y'Hali pried up the stone with a minimum of effort and held it open."There's an electric torch in the sack," Victoria said.

[BenTheRat]

"Thanks," Elliot uses his body to shield the contents of the bag. He unzips it only enough to get his arm into the bag. He feels around to make sure the shotgun is there as well as some shells. Then finds the flashlight/torch and pulls it out, zipping up the bag and heading into the tunnels.

[Mr. Handy]

The trio descended the stairs, their way illuminated by the torch. Y'Hali brought up the rear and replaced the stone behind them. Soon they reached the bottom of the stairs and entered a chamber with passages to the left and right, as well as the downward-sloping tunnel ahead. An orange glow came from the tunnel on the right. Three Deep Ones stood guard here with spears and nets, but they stood aside to let them pass. They looked like the same ones that had been here when Elliot had escaped the night before.

"Stay alert," Y'Hali told them. "We may be attacked tonight. Be ready for anything. At the first hint of trouble, release Rover."

"Yes, High Priestess," said the fishman in the middle of the group.

[BenTheRat]

Elliot walked past the guards like he belonged there thinking to himself, 'do these guys ever get a break?' He continues to follow.

[Mr. Handy]

Y'Hali led the way down the sloping tunnel with Elliot behind her and Victoria bringing up the rear. They emerged into the cavern with the altar in the middle. Passages sloped down ahead and to the left and right. The right tunnel led to where Elliot had been chained up the night before. From the tunnel ahead, faint light was visible. After a short distance, its roof met the water, after which it was fully submerged. Three more Deep Ones stood guard here, watching that tunnel.

"We're going out to sea," Y'Hali told the guards. "If any trouble comes, call for Emilia. We'll also call the sharks to back you up."

"Yes, High Priestess," burbled one of them.

"Turn off the torch and put it back in the sack," said Victoria. "We'll swim out that tunnel and then to the shore on the left, by Horsham's shack. There we'll pick up what we need. Don't worry, I'll be holding onto you the whole time."

OOC,[b]Elliot[/b], when you're ready to enter the tunnel, please roll Swim at double your skill.

[BenTheRat]

Elliot puts the torch away and zips the bag, securing it. He looked at the unending water and started to have a panic attack. "Maybe its a bad time to tell you, I'm not a very strong swimmer. Couldn't we have driven to the shack?" Noticing the disapproving looks, he stepped into the water. "How far is it?" he asks as he goes in up to his waist. He starts taking deep breaths. This probably went on for too long, until he calmed his nerves. He had a methodoly about things, and had learned to do this early on while doing dangerous break-ins. "Ready" he says finally and takes a deep breath, grabs Victoria's hand in a death grip and dives in.

He swims with all his might, trying to follow's Victoria's lead. He quickly becomes disoriented in the tunnels and realizes he would have died had he tried to swim out of here without help. Elliot tries to see where he is going but its too murkey, how Victoria knew the way was beyond him. He could feel the burning in his lungs, how much further could it be. He tried to just let out a few bubbles at a time, enough to relieve the pain, but keep his precious air. The pain became worse and worse....

Swim,target = 25 * 2 = 50%. [dice]0[/dice]

OOC,I'll let you finish this. Did I come up by the beach or is there a secondary stage?

[Mr. Handy]

Elliot had worried over nothing. He took to the water like...well, like a Deep One. Before he knew it, he and Victoria surfaced. Almost no moonlight made it through the thick cloud cover, and the rain was still pouring down in sheets. "I knew you'd do fine, silly," said Victoria, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. Y'Hali was already ahead of them and wading towards the beach, where the shack was visible, upturned boats in front of it. The three of them came ashore and approached the shack.

Victoria knocked on the door, and a light came on within. Footsteps approached. "Who's there?" growled Horsham.

"Victoria Lake," she replied. "We need a few things."

"For you, anything." Horsham opened the door.

"This is my betrothed, Elliot. We need to borrow a pair of flippers and a snorkel for him, and one of your boats. We're going out to sea. Also, give Randall a call and tell him to come join us. We may have need of his talents later."

"Is something wrong?"

"The Royal Navy may be paying us a visit," said Y'Hali. "If they do, they're in for a nasty surprise."

"Right. Take what you need."

Victoria found a pair of flippers in Elliot's size and a snorkel, which she gave to Elliot. "We'll be in the boat," she said, "but we may have to go overboard at a moment's notice."

[BenTheRat]

Elliot takes the flippers with a quick nod and checks them against his feet to make sure they are the right size, then grabs the snorkel. "Well a bit of panic there, but it wasn't as bad as I'd feared. I much prefer to be in the boat." he goes over to it and picks the most seaworthy, to get ready to go. "Not sure how stable she will be in this storm."

[Mr. Handy]

The flippers fit Elliot well.

"That's okay," said Victoria, helping drag one of the larger boats to the shoreline. Two pairs of oars came with it. "If we go over the side, I'll hold onto you. The waves aren't too bad right now - though we can make them bad if we have to." She grinned.

When they reached the water's edge, they placed it upright in the surf and got aboard. Y'Hali strode into the water and swam, not far from the boat. "We need to row that way," said Victoria, pointing to the northeast and taking up a pair of oars. "Just follow Mother."

[BenTheRat]

Elliot helps with the boat, and jumps in when its in the water. He ties the flippers to the bag and ties it to the boat, with a quick release knot, so he could remove it in a hurry if need be, but won't lose them if the boat flips. "All set." He gets into position and begins to row trying to keep up with mother.

[Mr. Handy]

Elliot and Victoria rowed out to sea. Eventually, Victoria stopped and pulled up her oars. "We're directly over Old Dunwich," she said. "That's where the Deep Ones live. Some of the old buildings are still intact down there. Mother is organizing them down there."

[BenTheRat]

"So what are we supposed to do here?" Elliot asks.

[Mr. Handy]

"We wait for Mother to return," said Victoria. "She'll bring some company with her, and Randall will be swimming out from the beach to join us too. Together, we can pool our powers to command the sea and the creatures in it."

Rainwater begin to accumulate in the boat, so they had to bail it out every so often. After some time, Y'Hali resurfaced beside the boat. Another Deep One came up beside her. It bore some resemblance to her as far as Elliot could tell, but one of these creatures looked much the same as another to him.

OOC,[b]Elliot[/b], please roll Sanity. Sanity loss is 0/1, as you've already lost 5 Sanity for seeing a Deep One and can only lose one more.