Play@YSDC

You reach the ruins of the old villa about half an hour later. Gonchi parks about two hundred meters away and points to another building, blue and yellow, about fifty meters away from the the ruins. There is light coming out of the windows. "That's where most of Brooks's people live. The Nectar sellers at street level come here every morning to collect the stuff. Instead, we'll head for the ruins. We should dispose of any guard quietly", he says, showing you three long blades, more a machete than a simple knife. "Who is coming with me?"

"I'm not all that sneaky, or good with a blade," says Holly, "but I'm pretty good with a syringe." She takes one out and prepares a sedative. "It's not strong enough to knock out an elephant, but we're not dealing with elephants."

Ian Morin

"I can move quietly and fight a few guards if needed, but wait... how many guards are we expecting?"

Cam growls as he picks up one of the long knives: "We'll know once we get there. Come on... and Ian, don't mess this up", he adds before exiting the car. Gonchi shrugs as he follows the ex-con outside.

Holly is aware of her surroundings.

OOC,Sense Trouble roll: [dice]0[/dice]

Professor Jonathan Cornwall
"I've used a machete many times in the jungles of central Africa..." says the Professor as he grabs a large blade, "but only to fight the vegetation..."
Sense Trouble

You slide from shadow to shadow until you're close to the ruins. Everything's still and dark. You can feel a weird eeriness in the atmosphere, and the echoes of forgotten songs just beyond your conscious understanding, like a fluttering of insect wings too small and fragile to actually produce sound. You shake your heads, trying to clear your thoughts. Your imagination is clearly playing tricks on you.

In fact, there is no trace of threat or danger in the ruins. Just piles of old stones and wood. You think the structure was already a century old when it collapsed. After a few minutes of surveillance, you finally feel confident enough to walk in. As you suspected, there are no guards patrolling the area, no watchman, no trap of any kind. Finally, in the middle of the ruins, you discover a large wooden trapdoor, closed by an heavy iron lock. It doesn't look like it will be an easy task to open it, but it appears to be the only obstacle between you and the underground tunnel network.

"Can anyone pick a lock?" asks Holly. "Or failing that, does anyone have a crowbar?"

Christopher Fontana

"Let me have a look, I might be able to get it open..." Christopher crouches near the trapdoor and inspects the lock. "Hmm, it doesn't look too complicated, I ought to be able to get this open ... some more light would help, unless that would attract attention?" he asks.

OOC:   Christopher has Locksmith - have we had a refresh since visiting the old offices?

Ian Morin

Ian approaches Christopher and the door, talking in a low voice. "Can you open it? If not, I can give it a try."

OOC:   If Christopher have no points left to spend, I have 1 point.

Ian starts to work on the lock, while the others take watch around. It takes a few minutes to open it, during which you expect armed thugs to jump on you at any moment. But everything is calm, and you feel half surprised and half relieved. Finally, the lock clicks and you can open the trapdoor. Below it, a ladder, with metallic rungs fixed on the wall. Your torchlights reveal that it goes down for about five meters before reaching what appears to be a corridor of some sort.

"We're going to need a marching order," says Holly. "That corridor is probably too narrow for us to go side by side. Whoever's in front will need to be able to handle trouble."

Christopher Fontana

Christopher]/b] looks at the ladder and the shaft, it does indeed look rather cramped. "Are you sure where this leads? Have you been down there?" he asks Gonchi.

Gonchi shrugs: "I told you, they don't let anyone in. This is where they prepare their Nectar. It's their most precious place. That's why we've got to strike here", he says, but he doesn't look particularly eager of entering the trapdoor first.

Cam growls and starts climbing down. After a few seconds, you can hear him from below: "Come on, what are you waiting for?"

Holly follows Cam down the hole.

Professor Jonathan Cornwall
The Professor climbs down quietly behind Holly, eager to get to the bottom and pull his handgun out of his coat pocket.

The corridor goes on for at least twenty meters, proceeding slightly downhill. The walls are dark, heavy and gray. Finally, you enter a larger area, some sort of foyer, again made entirely in stone. You estimate that this area is located about six or seven meters below surface level. On your right, you can see an open door, and a room containing electrical equipment and lots of cables. It also appears that this other room has been soundproofed. Right in front of you, another corridor leads out from the foyer in the opposite direction, probably leading back to the surface, inside the house you saw outside.

Architecture,The structure down here is a mix of old colonial stonework - probably a wine cellar or even a dungeon - with modern concrete, recently installed. You estimate that this place has been a work in progress up to about a month ago.

Holly draws her pistol now that they're entering dangerous territory and keeps an eye on the open door to the right.

Ian Morin

Ian grabs the shotgun tighter than ever and follow the group into the large area. He hopes that their visit is really as unexpected as they imagine.

Entering the area, you can now see inside the room with electrical equipment. It appears like some sort of registration studio. There are two other doors inside the studio, closed, leading to two adjacent rooms, one on the left and one on the right. There is no sound coming from inside, but then again, you would not hear anything anyway, with all the soundproofing.

"Shall we search the studio first?" Holly asks softly. "There may be something important in there, and it would not do to possibly leave an enemy at our backs."

Christopher Fontana

"Yes, that makes sense, we don't want anyone behind us but we also need to make sure that no one will come from there and surprise us..." Christopher indicates the corridor that leads out of this chamber, the one that looks like it leads to the hacienda. "I can keep watch, one more pair of eyes would be handy too." Christopher adds as he moves across the chamber looking for a good vantage point to keep a lookout.

Professor Cornwall
Gripping his pistol tightly, the professor enters the registration room and looks around. Seeing no immediate threat he motions for the others to join him.

Holly follows, covering the closed doors.

You walk inside the registration studio, while Christopher keeps watch outside. You are starting to look around when the door on your left opens, revealing a big man, mexican, holding a gun. Behind him, you can see at least half a dozen more armed men.

Holly takes cover, only shooting if someone else shoots first or is about to shoot. "This must be what's known as a Mexican standoff," she says.

Ian Morin

"Eh... Gonchi?" Ian starts thinking they embraced Gonchi's idea too eagerly.

OOC:   Just to be sure... the big Mexican and his friends are aware of our presence, right? I mean... they opened the door like "hello there".

Cam curses and jumps to cover, readying his gun. Just as you think that he's about to fire, a voice comes from inside the registration room. A man, speaking in English, with a strong russian accent. "This is Konovalov. Drop your weapons and nobody will die. Brooks wants to talk to you".

Gonchi lowers his voice and hisses: "Don't listen to him. He'll kill us all anyway. We have to fight!".

Christopher,There is nothing where you are to create a barricade or anything of the sort. There are some desks in the studio, but considering there are more enemies there, you don't expect they would allow you to take them without shooting.

Ian,Indeed the enemies seemed aware, at least to some extent, of your presence.

Map,[img]https://i.postimg.cc/FRF5KFvq/MAP.jpg[/img]

"How about we talk to Brooks but keep our weapons?" says Holly. "We don't want a fight any more than you do, and if you want to kill us, I'm sure you're good enough at it that you can do it even if we still have our weapons."

OOC,I'd like to use Flattery and Reassurance (and also Assess Honesty about his statement), but I see I'm down to 0 Stability. Does that keep me from using investigative skills? If so, can I spend Psychoanalysis on myself to get my Stability back up to 1?

Jonathan Cornwall
The Professor calls out: "Where is Huang? What did you guys do with the Chinaman?"

Christopher Fontana

Christoper curses, it seems that they were expected and it seems that Gonchi had been too convincing in getting the investigators to Brooks' and presumably the cult's lair. Desperately he looked around for something that could be used to stop or slow down the men that were coming along the other tunnel. Things looked bad he could hear multiple voices from the other room, this place was trap and they'd walked right into it.

Thinking fast Christopher rushed back the way that they had come, if he could get outside then perhaps he could get to the Police, it sounded desperate but he couldn't think of any other action.

You hear Konovalov suppress a laugh, before saying: "You're right, little lady. I'm tough. But Brooks, well, not as tough as me, and he won't like seeing you with weapons. No, no. If you want to stay alive, and see your friend from China, you'll drop your weapons and follow me as little peaceful sheeps, yes?"

Meanwhile, Christopher tries to run away before being noticed, as the thugs approach the hall.

Christopher,Roll Athletics or Fleeing against a difficulty of 4.

Holly,You sense that Konovalov is honest: if you drop the weapons, he won't kill you. Not right away, at least. He also doesn't appear to hold [b]Brooks[/b] in high regard, but still seems to recognize him as the one in charge. [ooc]You can normally use investigative abilities even with a Stability of 0 or lower, but you can't make spends. Apart from that, you can't in any case use Psychoanalysis on yourself.[/ooc]

"Who says he has to see them?" says Holly. "Mine's easily concealed. We can still keep them on us without alarming him, and if we try to go for them, you can just kill us then."

Ian Morin

With the shotgun still triggered, Ian tries to reason with the enemy. "C'mon Konovalov. The lady is right. We're completely outnumbered. We're not crazy. Let's all low our weapons and talk like civilized people, alright? "

Christopher runs as fast as he can, faster than he's run in years, and when all sounds fade behind him, he realizes he's run fast enough. He leaves the underground tunnel behind, taking a deep breath of fresh air. He needs to find help, and fast.

Meanwhile down below, another half a dozen thugs charge in from the corridor, surrounding the group and cutting off any way of retreat. You hear Konovalov again: "Last chance, people. Drop your weapons or die".

Christopher,We'll continue later in private message.

Reluctantly, Holly lets the pistol slip from her hand after making sure that the safety is on. She can only hope that Christopher has managed to elude them.

Professor Cornwall
Jonathan looks at Gonchi to see if he's going to shoot or surrender. Taking Holly's lead, he reluctantly drops his pistol.

Ian Morin

"Ok, Ok... Let's all calm down. We're dropping it." Ian slowly puts his shotgun on the floor.

Gonchi looks around desperately, swearing under his breath: "Shit shit shit!", then after seeing you dropping your weapons, seems to lose any will to fight and puts away his gun. He shoots you a disappointed glance, then focuses his attention on a big man that just entered the room. He's big, very big, built like a block. He has short blonde hair, blue eyes and an unkept beard. He could be quite a charmer, you reckon, if he cared to dress properly - and if he hadn't those ugly yellow teeth.
"Konovalov, my friend", to your surprise, is Gonchi speaking. "Told you I would deliver, didn't I?".
You can see Konovalov eyeing him, his expression unreadable. "Gonchi... you little squealing rat... we'll talk later. Take him away", he gestures two of the closest thugs. They grab him and starts dragging him away, towards the exit leading to the house.
Gonchi screams until he disappears: "Please Konovalov, I did what you ask... I brought you Victor, didn't I? And now all of them... Konovalov, please!", and then his voice fades away.
Only then Konovalov turns to you: "Very well, what do we have here? Who do you work for, I wonder". He seems to stop to think, then cracks his neck before saying: "No matter. Brooks will deal with you. Follow me"

2-point Assess Honesty spend,Gonchi was sweating a lot, so you reckon he was trying to bluff his way out of the situation. But there surely was some truth to his story. He certainly seems the kind of man who'd do anything to side with the winners. Regarding Konovalov, he seems somewhat uninterested, just a man doing his job, you think. A mercenary, not a cultist.

Holly follows, not really having any other choice at this point.

OOC,I have the points and wish I could spend them, but I'm out of Stability.

Konovalov leads you through a hidden door in one of the registration studios and down some stairs, going deeper and deeper into what appears to be some sort of millennia-old underground dungeon. Finally you reach a large chamber, about twenty per ten meters, with two more corridors leading out to your left and right. In the middle of the room, comfortably seated on what appears to be a terribly out-of-place armchair, you can see an elegantly dressed man. He has black hair and, brown eyes and a charming, but cold, smile. He is smoking a cigarette as you enter the chamber. Konovalov pushes you forward, with half a dozen of his men taking position around the chamber, weapons ready.

After few seconds of silence, Brooks finally speaks: "Welcome to Mexico City! I'm happy to finally being able to greet you in person", he says, with an ironic smirk on his face. "I'm sure your stay will be comfortable. But before that... we know you've been sticking your nose in our business since Savannah. I want to know why."

"We didn't know it was your business then," says Holly. "We didn't even hear about you before Mexico City."

Brooks's face flashes with anger: "Ah! So you didn't know me, but you knew that fucking windbag of Trammel, eh? He thinks he knows all, but he knows nothing!", his voice raises until he's practically screaming, as he stands from the armchair. The thugs around flinch, except for Konovalov, that seems busy removing dirt from under his nails. "But I'm going to show him! I am! Him and Savitree and even that old fart Donovan, I will show them all the true nature of our faith! Oh yes I will!".

He then seems to realize his loss of control, and stops screaming. He looks around himself, almost surprised, coughs and then sits again. "But that doesn't answer my question. Who do you work for? I'm giving you this opportunity to talk without things getting rough".

Assess Honesty,Brooks is clearly stressed, but it's not just that. You recognize fear, and a hint of desperation.

"There is no need for that," says Holly. "We'll cooperate with you. Trammel is as much our enemy as he is yours. If you've been following our activities, you'll know that we turned the tables on the private investigator Pizner that Trammel's minion Captain Walker sent to tail us in Los Angeles. We made him right away, and it was easy to get the drop on him. We've never met Trammel ourselves, but we know of him by reputation. You ask who we work for, and I'll tell you: it's the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Bureau is concerned about the spread of Nectar in the United States. It can be a powerful ally, or a powerful enemy. It's entirely up to you. Most at the Bureau don't care about your faith, though I have more of an open mind."

OOC,Using Flattery and Reassurance.

Cam rapidly assesses the room looking for any sign of Huang Yan or Elena. He can see the situation is not looking good for any of them, unarmed and surrounded. His heart start to quicken in his chest, this is an unfamiliar feeling, his thoughts are tugged back to the apartment, the fingers, the birds...the birds..he doesn't want to end up as just another meal.

"Focus" he mutters under his breath.

He knows their only chance is going to be pursuading Brooks they might still have some value alive. This was not his particular skillset, he hoped Holly's gamble would pay off - "risky" - but they hadn't been killed yet after all - did Brooks just want to gloat or does he want something, what's he scared of? His eyes flick to Ian, force of habit, is he going to screw things up again, any sign he knows Brooks, has some prior connection they could leverage?

OOC,I'd like to use Assess Honesty to see if Ian recognises Brooks, also can I use Streetwise to get a sense of Brooks and the gang, are they just toying with us before killing us or do they want something specific?

Brooks starts laughing. It's a broken laugh, heavy with madness, and scary - possibly, the scariest thing you've faced since the start of this investigation. Even the thugs take a nervous step back, while Konovalov stares at his boss for a few long seconds, before returning to his nails. "Fools! Fools! You think the FBI can stop this? Do you even know what you're dealing with? It's too late now! It's too late for her, and then it's too late for me. But I don't expect you to understand...". He lets out a long sigh and seems suddenly devoid of energy. "But you will. You will, after you hear Leticia. Konovalov, take them to the pit". He then walks away, towards the exit on your left.

"Well then, you heard him. Sorry, folks", Konovalov points a gun at you and gestures towards the other exit, on the right.

Cam,You don't think any of the thugs or even Brooks knew Ian. It doesn't seem like they want to kill you, at least not right away.

Holly complies, figuring that whatever is in the pit probably isn't worse than getting shot...probably. She's downright terrified, but she tries not to show it.

This guy is clearly completely mad. Cam starts to shuffle behind Holly towards the exit, looking around him in case the opportunity and necessity for desperate (and likely futile) resistance occurs.

Then he turns and addresses Brooks: " We know Trammel is just a poseur, but you're the real deal, you figured out what Echavarria was hiding, about Gol-Goroth and Golxumal, help us to understand, help us appreciate what you've done here." Perhaps they can harness this guy's madness, at least find out what the hell is going on. Hopefully before having to listen to more of Leticia's "music".

Ian Morin

Being taken to "the pit" can't be a good thing. That's the only thing Ian can think of. Then Cam's desperate attempt to avoid their destiny wakes him up.
"My friend is right! We can understand! I've tried nectar several times... and what you achieved here is so much more. I can see that. And soon they'll all see." And something Brooks said earlier comes to his attention. "Who's Donovan? One of Trammel's short-sighted minions, I'm sure."

Brooks stops right before leaving the room, and again turns towards you. His attention seems focused on Ian: "You have been in communion with our god, then? With nectar from Trammel's mouth, I imagine... such a low class product, only focused on physical stimulation. With Leticia's songs, you see, we have been able to go beyond that. Get even your mind vibrating on the same frequency...". He is getting closer: "The beauty! The marvel! But Trammel wouldn't understand, he only cares about the money, the fucking heretic. But here, let me show you... Hold him!". Two of the thugs grab Ian, as Brooks gets a little vial out of a pocket.

OOC:   Konovalov and four thugs still have their guns pointed at you. Any kind of resistance would probably end up in a violent confrontation. Any of you can make a 1-point Bargain spend and take the Nectar dose in place of Ian - if you think this can in any way help.

Ian,If you make a 3-point Scuffle spend, you can free yourself AND grab a gun from one of the cultists. This would surely result in the others taking a shot at you.

Cam,You can make a 2-point Athletics spend to close the gap on the closest cultist and try to win a Scuffle contest - if you do, you can disarm him by surprise.

Cam tenses up, with everyone focused on Brooks and Ian this could be his chance.

OOC,Can you tell me the relative positions of everyone, in particular where the nearest thug is in relation to Cam and where Brooks and Ian and Konavalov are compared to that? Also, is Cam's drive still follower? That seems a bit incongruous with how he's been played. There was a suggestion of duty instead previously. I think if we stick with follower it might modify how I play him/decisions I make

Holly watches carefully, looking for an opportunity to do something, though she isn't sure what yet. She doesn't want Ian to be exposed to nectar again, especially if it will have a stronger effect, but she cannot get Brooks to let her take the dose instead.

Mephistophilis wrote:Cam tenses up, with everyone focused on Brooks and Ian this could be his chance.

OOC,Can you tell me the relative positions of everyone, in particular where the nearest thug is in relation to Cam and where Brooks and Ian and Konavalov are compared to that? Also, is Cam's drive still follower? That seems a bit incongruous with how he's been played. There was a suggestion of duty instead previously. I think if we stick with follower it might modify how I play him/decisions I make

OOC:   I was about to ask the same thing. Maybe we can have a rough sketch of everybody's position? Damn, this is going to be bad...

Ian Morin

The idea of taking Nectar again terrifies Ian but to fight it right now would probably get everybody killed. He tries to talk his way out of the situation, but it's more like the last resort of a desperate man. "No, no, no, no... please, wait. I haven't take a dose in a long time! I'm not ready for it! I'm not worthy!" He puts his head back as a reflex action. "C'mon, don't do that. Konovalov you can stop this madness! Help us! Money is not a problem! We will say that you helped us to the authorities!"

Cam looks on helplessly as the thugs restrain Ian. He struggles with taught muscle and sinew against the overwhelming urge to tackle the nearest guard and wrestle him for his firearm. But he knows it would just end in a bloodbath. Ian's just going to have to take his medicine one more time. But Cam is more worried about the music, perhaps...he starts looking around him for anything that might serve to block his ears.

Brooks smiles as he sees Ian trying to resist: "Don't be afraid... her voice is sweet. So sweet... It could make a man fall in love...". He chuckles before adding: "It certainly did make me fall in love. Back when things were simpler, you see...". He stops for a second, as if lost in remembrance. For a moment, he just looks like an innocent man in love. Then his expression hardens again: "Enjoy the trip, my friend". He then pours the vial into Ian's ear. "Now, to the pit, we've wasted enough time", he gestures Konovalov.

Ian,You feel the Nectar flow into your ear and prepare for the usual rush of pleasure... but it doesn't come. You're surprised at first, then relieved. Perhaps [b]Brooks[/b]'s Nectar is actually weaker than the one produced by [b]Trammel[/b]? Then, as soon as you start walking, you hear your footsteps as loud as gunshots. The sound reverberates through your bones and you feel them vibrate at impossibly high frequencies. Then you realize you can also hear your friends's breaths, as clear as a strong wind. Sounds you were never aware of now hit with absolute clarity: the chitinous clicking of insect's legs on rock, your hairs as they move and slide over each other, the subtle crunch of dirt under your shoes. Your attention is suddenly pulled into a thousand different directions, as you can only stare into the void, stupefied. [ooc]Roll Stability.[/ooc]

Cam,You see nothing that you can use to cover your ear. You could try to torn your clothes and obtain some scraps that could be used for the purpose, but you'll have to wait for now.

Konovalov gestures you to follow him, and the thugs menacingly threaten you with their guns to reinforce the message. Reluctantly, you follow the russian in the corridor. Ian is staring blindly into the void, and one of the thugs is pushing him forward as he shows no sign of reaction. After walking for about thirty meters, you reach another room, with a large hole in the middle. This is clearly a very old room, and the walls are humid and partly covered with a disgusting brownish moss. The hole has a diameter of about 5 meters, and is between 7 and 8 meters deep. Down below, you recognize the familiar shapes of Elena and Huang Yan Liu. Konovalov grabs Holly's wrist and launches her forward, straight into the pit. "Ladies first", you hear him says, and his laugh follows Holly as he falls to the bottom and braces for impact. Immediately after, Ian is roughly pushed down the hole by one of the thugs. Then Konovalov gestures the remaining two men: "Come on boys. Your turn".

Holly,[ooc]You luckily land on a particularly soft patch of moss and take only 1 damage.[/ooc]

Ian,[ooc]You fall without being able in any way to protect yourself, and take 6 damage.[/ooc]

Holly and Ian,You smell Nectar in the air, disturbingly sweet. And also other smells, more human smells... piss, blood, and the like.

Elena rushes towards you, screaming: "Are you okay? Holly? Ian? Ian?". She looks scared, and as if she had aged a few years in a few hours, but apart from that admirably in control. She looks more worried about you - and Ian in particular - than herself.

Ian,[ooc]You can act more or less normally,except that you are constantly distracted by hundreds of small, irrelevant sounds. Plus, any loud sound is painful to you - as Elena's screams right now, for example.[/ooc]

"I'm okay, Elena," says Holly, regaining her feet. "If I'm going to die down here, it won't be these minor bruises that kill me. It's Ian I'm worried about." She examines him as best she can in the pit while taking cotton balls out of her doctor's bag. She sticks a pair in Ian's ears, then her own, and if there are any left she hands them out to Elena and Huang. "Put them in your ears. We don't want to hear the music."

OOC,I'll use Preparedness if necessary to have cotton balls. I'll use Medicine and Psychoanalysis to help [b]Ian[/b], as well as First Aid to treat his injuries if there's time.

Cam steps to the edge of the pit. In a low voice pitched so that only Konovalov can hear he whispers: "this is not over" and jumps in, trying to land as best he can without injuring himself or hitting the others. He then sets about trying to find something to block his ears, tearing strips of cloth from his clothes and wetting them with saliva if necessary.

"Based on our previous experiences I suggest the ladies keep their distance from Mr Liu. Gentlemen, let us agree to help preserve the modesty of those of us who might get a little...carried away."

Stability,[b]3[/b] http://orokos.com/roll/763160

Ian's body is aching everywhere. And the sounds! "Elena?? P-Please, can you low your voice? Can everybody low their voices? So-Sorry... Are you OK?" His attention drifts away for a second, focusing on a thousand sounds, before continue. "I... I'm not so good. This nectar... It's different. It's not like Trammel's. I can control myself, but the sounds... Jesus. I can hear everything. Your breathing, you heartbeats, flies... everything! I can't concentrate...."

Elena seems confused at first, but lowers her voice as she adds: "What... what music are you talking about? I don't know about that... but there are other... things down here. In the walls, somehow... and Huang Yan Liu...", she gestures towards the Chinese, then you see her shaking for the first time. You realize now that he hasn't moved since you descended, and he is not even looking towards you. He is just staring into the void, and drooling. At that moment, Jonathan lands on the bottom of the pit, near Huang Yan Liu. He takes an involuntary step back before saying: "Jesus... what happened to him?".

"They took him, as soon as we got here, and carried him away. He didn't stay away for long, but when he came back... he was like that... and I don't know what to- WATCH OUT!", she suddenly screams at Cam, who reacts just in time as something bites where his right ear was just a moment earlier. It's a mouth, more or less the size of a human mouth, coming out of the wall. No... the mouth is the wall, it's the same material, it's a mouth of stone and moss, it has teeth and lips and a tongue and everything, and it was trying to bit Cam.

OOC:   Everyone except Ian roll Stability.

Cam,[ooc]You get 2 damage from the fall.[/ooc]

Holly,[ooc]In the current situation you can't help [b]Ian[/b] recover any Stability, but you heal him of 2 Health in the little time you had available.[/ooc]

Ian,You start hearing a new sound. It's very subtle, even for your now enhanced hearing. It's like the sound of fallen leaves moving slightly in the ground, just... eerie somehow. Unsettling. You try to understand what's going on. There are no leaves here. You scratch your skin, thinking, and the sound gets suddenly stronger. Then it hits you: you are hearing the sound of your cells die. The death of the smallest components of your human body, and a glimpse of your eventual end. [ooc]You lose 3 Stability. I have had you recover 2 from your Drive since you asked Brooks questions even at the cost of taking the Nectar. So, you are still only at -4. Plus, your attention is focused on what's happening to your body and you miss the mouth, so you don't have to roll Stability for that.[/ooc]

Holly tries not to scream, knowing how much it would hurt Ian. In a panic, she retreats to the center of the pit, away from the walls.

OOC,Stability roll: [dice]0[/dice]

Cam whips his head back as the mouth snaps at the air. "What the hell is that?" he shouts: "shit, shit, shit...

Stability,[dice]0[/dice]

"Elena, talk quickly, what's been going on here, what's happened since we last saw you?"

Cam scans the top of the pit to see if Konovalov and the other guards have left them alone. He presses his saliva soaked strips of cloth further into his ears.

"This is not good...this is not good...this is not good. We need to get out of here now."

OOC,If the guards are out of sight Cam wants to try and climb back out. Also, the next mouth he sees he is going to try and punch it in the lips as hard as he can and say "why couldn't it have been the sexy ones?"

Professor Jonathan Cornwall
"Jesus, what the hell was that?!?" the Professor yells hoarsely as he backs away from the walls.
He then quickly takes a pair of pistol bullets out of his coat pocket and shoves one in each ear.
"Damn, I wish I had my gun"
Stability roll
[dice]0[/dice]

"I... I don't know much. These things... whatever they are... they already were inside the walls when they put us in here. They took me by surprise and bit me once...", she moves her dress to show a bleeding wound on her right leg. "Then I stayed on the moss and they didn't get close anymore. I think .. climbing the pit would be difficult. I have no idea if they can be hurt at all..."

Meanwhile, you hear a metallic sound from above. Some of the thugs must be moving something... and you can't think of anything good. After less than a minute, you see a metal grill pushed over the pit, an old thing reddish with rust. It looks heavy, and definitely doesn't make exiting the pit any easier. Then, you hear footsteps leaving. Some of the thugs, or possibly all of them, have left the room.

Cam,[ooc]You lose 5 Stability and are now Shaken. Plus, since you were Shaken by a Mythos shock, your Sanity rating is permanently reduced by 1. You can try to climb out if you want by making an Athletics roll.[/ooc]

Holly,[ooc]You lose 4 Stability.[/ooc]

Ian Morin

Ian covers his ears in desperation. "Oh God, oh God, oh God... I'm dying! I am! I can hear it. I can't stop it! What have they done to me?!?!" After realizing the uselessness of covering his ears, he tries to put himself together. "Cam's right. We have to get out of here right now. Why are you hurt? Is this a bite?"

OOC:   Ian takes a look around, looking for possibilities. Passages, holes, sticks, stones, etc.

Cam starts panting - "Oh no, oh no, we're gonna die here...no, I'm getting out, I'm getting out now".

Frantically Cam starts jumping up at the wall grabbing at any handhold he can see: "gotta get out, gotta get out, gotta get out".

OOC,Cam will spend 3 athletics to climb out of the pit up to the grille: [dice]0[/dice]

Holly quietly treats Elena's leg wound, and she makes any surplus cotton balls available to anyone who needs something to put in their ears. Truthfully, she is shaken to the core, but at least falling back on her medical skills gives her something to do so that she can take her mind off of their plight.

Cam starts climbing. It's not exactly an easy task, but it's definitely not impossible. The wall is not regular, and there are footholds to be found between one stone and another. The only problem is... the mouths. One opens up near Cam's leg and bites off some flesh. The pain is terrible, but the ex-con clenches his teeth and stays on the wall.

Cam,[ooc]You lose 3 Health. You can try to kick the mouth (roll Scuffling) or you can keep climbing (no other roll needed in this case).[/ooc]

Elena screams at Cam: "Wait... oh God, they'll eat you... oh God...", as she seems to be losing her composure under the stress of the situation.

Ian,[ooc]You are still too focused on your situation to worry about what's happening around, so no need to roll Stability for the mouth. But all this screaming it's really starting to hurt your ears. You lose 1 Health.[/ooc]

"Jesus Christ, that hurts!" gasps Cam as he aims a kick at the bloody maw.

OOC,Spend 2 Scuffling, [dice]0[/dice]

Holly winces and hugs Elena, as much to comfort herself as to comfort her. She can only hope Cam makes it out of the pit and can find a way to help the rest of them escape.

Cam kicks the mouth, that lets out a shrieking scream of rage before closing and disappearing - possibly dead, but who could tell with such a monstrosity. But at least for now it's gone. You don't have time to celebrate, though, since just that moment, the singing starts. You can hear Huang Yan screaming, and convulsing as he loses control of his body. He starts scratching his skin in a mad frenzy, and he starts to bleed. Elena covers her ears with her hands, bending over as she moans in pain. "This song... it's like at the club... she sang... but worse...", she says, then collapses on her knees and throws up on the floor.

Cam and Holly,Your improvised earplugs seem to work well enough. You hear the singing more as a vibration than an actual sequence of words. Whatever little reaches you makes you deeply uncomfortable, but not enough to cause you any harm.

Jonathan,The bullets don't seem to block the noise - or at least not enough. You can hear a woman's voice singing - but not just that. It's like there's someone else singing along with the woman, producing sounds at a frequency no human could produce. You can sense these vibrations reverberating through your body, entering in resonance with the woman's voice, and threatening to overwhelm you. [ooc]Roll Stability.[/ooc]

Ian,The singing hits you like a truck. Every sound is amplified, and it melts your brain. While any other sound of this intensity would probably kill you, this song doesn't. It just feels... right, in the most terrifying way. It flows through your veins just as you breathe it in through your lungs. The song is everywhere and you are the song. In a moment, you are gone. The pit disappears and there is only sky around you. Flying is exhilarating, especially as you feel yourself moving at an impossible speed. For a time that could stretch to eternity, there is only you, flying in the blue. Then a mountain appears. It's huge, more so than any other mountain you have seen in your life. The peak is covered in snow and ice, but it's not that whiteness that captures your attention. It's a huge hole on one side of the mountain. No, it's not an hole, you realize with horror. It's a mouth. A gigantic mouth, surely larger than a baseball stadium, much larger. And it has teeth, and a tongue, and it's spouting out a white liquid that you immediately recognize as Nectar. You feel a tide of excitement surging inside you as you imagine how good it would feel bathing in that quantity of Nectar. You would surely lose your mind, never to recover it again. And the mountain is getting closer. You realize you cannot steer your flight - you're heading straight for the mouth. Horror grows inside you as you stare into the mouth. There is darkness there, an infinite void and the promise of annihilation. [ooc]Roll Stability.[/ooc]

Seeing that the cotton balls work well enough, Holly sticks a pair in Huang Yan's ears and then Elena's, and then the ears of anyone else who remains in the pit who doesn't already have them.

OOC,If everyone else already has cotton balls, or if I'm out of them, I'll try to help the others, then climb out of the pit carrying one of them if possible.

Professor Jonathan Cornwall

Smiling grimly at the effect of his kick Cam looks behind him at the chaos unfolding in the pit. "I'm not going to be able to help the others until I can get out of this hole and silence De La Luz or whatever is playing her song" he thinks. Through the muffling of his improvised ear plugs the dull hum pulls at the edges of his sanity. Turning from his comrades he resumes climbing, repeating out loud to himself "gotta get out, gotta get out, gotta get out" like some kind of mantra, trying to focus his mind on the task at hand and suppress the bubbling fears beneath the surface.

Ian Morin

"..."

Stability,[b]3[/b] http://orokos.com/roll/767862

Holly stuffs some cotton balls into the ears of her friends, and things seem to get better. Huang Yan still appears to be completely lost, but at least he's not hurting himself anymore. Elena's breath steadies, even though she still looks shaken. "That song...", she says, "It was Leticia singing, I recognize her... but how can she... I don't understand..."

Meanwhile, Cam has reached the metal grill on top of the pit, and is trying to push it open. It's heavy, but it doesn't look like an impossible task... until a guard appears on the other side. He holds a long stick and with a sadistic smile starts hitting Cam until he loses his grip and falls down. He impacts the ground kn his back, air leaving his lungs as pain flares on his mind. You can see the guard laughing, before he disappears from sight again.

Ian's eyes are still out of focus. You don't know what he's seeing, but judging from the expression on his face, nothing good.

Ian,You fall towards the huge mouth and it's then you realize what exactly is in front of you: a God. Suddenly, all [b]Trammel[/b]'s and [b]Brooks[/b]'s nonsense doesn't look like nonsense anymore. Somewhere, on this planet, a God is sitting at the core of a huge mountain, and its tendrils can reach everywhere. What can you do against such a thing? Fight it? Worship it? Your mind cannot focus right now. You keep falling and falling. [ooc]You lose 4 additional Stability point and are Blasted. You also lose 4 Sanity point, and your Sanity rating is permanently reduced by 2. You have 2 choices: you can Faint, therefore avoiding the Sanity loss (but not the reduction of the Saniy rating, plus you won't be active for the rest of the scene), or you can remain awake. In that case, you'll gain 1 point of Cthulhu Mythis and will remain somewhat active, even though mostly in terms of gibbering and drooling. In addition, you may choose to have one of your Pillars of Sanity collapse, which may protect you later on and give you some roleplaying possibility right now. Let me know.[/ooc]

Cam,[ooc]You lose 6 Health.[/ooc]

Cam gasps rapid shallow breaths: "Jesus Christ, that hurts, Holly, can you take a look at me? We need to get out of here. There's a goon up top. I'm pretty beaten up but I don't think he could stop us all if we rush him together. Who thinks they can make the climb?" Despite the pain Cam's panic is receding as he finally sees a way out of the situation.

Holly nods and goes over to Cam, helping to patch him up as well as she can. "I'm a good climber," she says, "and I can even fight a little, now that you've taught me the basics."

Elena takes a step forward: "If I can help, I will. I don't want to die in a place like this. I still have to visit Paris, after all", she says trying to show a brave smile.

Looking at the wall, you can now spot a couple of the mouths. When they're closed, they look like cracks in the wall, except they're slowly moving. There might be more hidden, though. The thought makes you uneasy, but you can at least identify some sections of the wall that should be safer.

"That's the spirit!" says Holly, who can't help grinning herself. "I've never been to Paris either. Maybe we can go together." She picks out the safer sections of the wall and indicates them to the others. "Anyone else need patching up? If not, I'm ready when you are."

Cam looks at his companions, a grim look of determination on his face. 'Okay, Holly, Elena, anyone else who thinks they can make the climb, get ready. If we're going to have any chance of surviving this we need to get out the pit, then maybe we can help the others. There's at least one guard up there, maybe more, I don't know. We're going to need to rush the grille so they can't stop all of us, get out, overpower the guard, if he has ear defenders on maybe pull them off and that might slow him down. We have to go up the wall in different directions, so he can't stop all of us. Then we can stop this noise'

OOC,Could I roll Sense Trouble to avoid the mouths and Stealth to get up without the guard noticing?

Holly is able to spot the mouths.

OOC,Sense Trouble roll (spending one point) to spot the mouths: [dice]0[/dice]

Starting to climb the walls of the pit Cam's eyes dart back and forth between the malignant cracks and the grille above searching for signs of attack.

OOC,Spend 2 points Sense Trouble [dice]0[/dice]

He identifies a clear path away from the route Holly is taking and begins to ascend.

Overlord,OK, I think I got it. According to the rules, if I choose to lose one of my pillars I will avoid the shock of Sanity loss and have to role-play this loss. Is that right? Correct me if I'm wrong. I'll lose "Human equal worth".

Ian Morin

Slowly Ian starts to react. He looks at his friends struggling to climb the walls of the pit and decides he should do that too. He mumbles, probably just for himself. "These people... why... I mean... they're evil. Brooks, Letícia... all of them. They are not even human. Somebody have to put them down. Have to stop this... hehehe... We should... k-kill them. Hehe. They should be dead. Yes, yes... They should."

He then approaches the wall, looks up and starts climbing. "Coming up, hehehe... right away! There was a farmer... who had a dog... and Bingo was his name-o... B-I-N-G-O...B-I-N-G-O."

Everyone starts climbing together, trying to rush to the top and remove the metal grid before the thug can push them down. The climb is not difficult as much as it is unnerving, with the thought of a mouth opening at any moment to bite one of your hands or feet. In fact, you hear Elena let out a shriek of pain, behind you, and you can only hope she's pushing forward. Ian and Holly are no luckier, though, as a mouth opens up near their hands and bites off some flesh. Luckily (so to speak), Ian's mind is well beyond any concern for pain, and he keeps pushing forward as if nothing happened. For Holly is much harder to ignore the pain, but after pausing for a second, she realizes she can't stop and keeps pushing forward, clenching her teeth. What's sure is that there are more mouths in the wall than you anticipated, and better hidden.

Still, you finally reach the top, ready to apply pressure on the grid and remove it. Holly can see the guard above herself, getting ready to hit her with his wooden stick. She closes her eyes and prepares for the shock, and the fall, hoping that the time she gains will be enough for the others to exit the pit and overpower the thug. But the blow never comes. Looking up, she sees the thug on the ground, and Konovalov standing on top of him. He has his gun out - and that's probably what he used to render the thug unconscious. He then aims the gun towards Holly and fires a bullet - hitting a mouth right next to her feet, ready to bite! The mouth shrieks and closes, disappearing.

"Hello there, pretty lady. We can talk business now, yes? I say we might help each other, before the mouths eat you all alive. For one thousand dollars, you can buy the services of old Konovalov here. Fair deal, yes? What do you say?", he grins, gun aimed at Holly.

Cam,[ooc]You take 2 points of damage.[/ooc]

Holly,[ooc]You take 1 point of damage.[/ooc]

"Mr Konovalov, I see you understand that Mr Brooks is beyond being of any use to you. I can assure you that our employer will be willing and able to meet your terms." hisses Cam through gritted teeth.

"Thank you," says Holly with a forced smile. "From my position, that looks like a good deal. I'm sure we can come to an arrangement." She doesn't completely trust Konovalov, at least not in the long term. He has already shown his willingness to sell out one employer. What was to stop him from doing it again if the price were right?

OOC,I'd also like to use Assess Honesty.

"Well then, here we go", he says, helping to push the grid out of the way. He then grabs Holly's arm and lifts her up - quickly grabbing her butt with the excuse of pulling her over the edge. Konovalov has also brought some rope, which is very helpful in lifting up Huang Yan. In a matter of minutes, everyone is safe out of the pit.

"Now, important things first. We kill Brooks and his bitch. No hesitation. Earplugs won't help when we are close to Leticia. So we rush in and gun her down, yes?", Konovalov says.

Assess Honesty,[b]Konovalov[/b] is not about to become a good person, that's for sure, but he seems ready to jump out of [b]Brooks[/b]'s sinking ship. At least for now, you have the same objective.

Professor Jonathan Cornwall
The Professor awakes in a daze as he is shaken awake by friendly hands.
Trying to clear the cobwebs from his mind, he climbs out of the pit using the rope provided.
After hearing the conversation with Konovalov, Jonathan whispers,
"Count me in for killing these maniacs, but we need to get our weapons back..."

"Right," says Holly. "I'll need my gun back, then."

'Perhaps we can shut Leticia up without killing her, but I'll do what needs to be done. Let's go...and give me my gun' says Cam.

"Your guns are in the house, and I don't think I can recover them right now. But I have taken a couple of my own guns, so you can use them, yes? Who will take them?", Konovalov says, showing a couple of revolvers.

While you decide, Elena says: "I think I can help, too. Remember at the club, I told you about the old songs from my abuela? They are supposed to protect from evil spirits, and I know it sounds like nonsense, but I would always remember these songs when I heard Leticia singing, so maybe they can protect us... what do you think?"

Konovalov looks skeptical: "Look, kid, you might want to let the adults take care of this stuff. Perhaps you can stay back with your friend, here", he points at Ian, "He doesn't seem to be doing all that well, too".

Elena shoots a furious glance at him and snaps: "Don't treat me like a child, you goddamn psycho".

You fear for a moment that things will spiral out of control, but Konovalov seems to like Elena's spirit and bursts out laughing, before rising his hands: "You do as you want, girl. If you wanna sing, sing. But I'm not gonna shield you from bullets coming your way".

OOC:   Konovalov will make sure that Ian doesn't get a gun. Anyone with at least 1 point in Art can learn and sing Elena's song. Blasted characters (-6 Stability or lower) can't, though.

Cam takes a revolver, cracks open the cylinder, and checks the chamber. 'Hell, sing if you think that will help Elena, I'm gonna put my faith in something a bit more solid' he says, cocking the hammer of the gun with his thumb. 'Just keep behind me, OK?'

"I'll learn the song," says Holly. "I'm a good singer. It couldn't hurt, and it may help. I've seen enough not to discount the supernatural. Since there's only two guns, I'll leave them to those who are better shots than I am."

Konovalov gives the last gun to Jonathan, then says: "The song will be louder in Leticia's chamber. The earplugs won't work. That's why we take her down first, yes? Now, another important thing. There's another exit from Leticia's room, a corridor that goes downward. You don't go there. You stay away, yes? It's too dangerous there".

Meanwhile, Elena is teaching Holly her song. It's just a few words, and some handclapping at the right rhythm, but it still take some time to memorize everything - especially since it's an unknown language. After about 15 minutes, you feel like you're ready to go.

"Okay, I think I've got it," says Holly. "Thank you, Elena. I guess it's showtime, huh?"

Jonathan Cornwall
Revolver in hand, Jonathan says, "Let's get on with it, Konovolov. You lead the way."

Ian Morin

Yes. Let's go. Ian declares, his face unreadable, almost zombie-like, apparently unaware of the bites he took and his lack of weaponry.

You walk back along the corridor to the room you first met Brooks in. It's empty now, and you run across it until you reach the corridor on the other side. The song is getting stronger now, and even with your earplugs in, it's getting discomforting and it's making you clench your teeth as you force one step after the other. Elena nods at Holly and the two starts singing. It's quite hard at first to match your voices, especially against the jarring background of Leticia's song, but after a little while you finally get the song going. And quite surprisingly - you do start to get better. Maybe it's just your brain focusing on Elena's song. Maybe it's really a song that wards against evil. Who knows, at this point. You have seen stranger things.

The corridor goes on for about thirty meters, then opens up in another room - a big room. It measures about ten per twenty meters, and you just entered from one of the short sides. About fifteen meters away from you there's a sort of stone altar, massive, covered in moss. On top of that, a woman is singing. And as soon as you focus your attention on her, you realize that, in fact, you have not yet seen the worst of this place.
She must be Leticia, since she's the one singing. But she's not human anymore. Not entirely, at least. Her mouth is distorted, with no lips and sharp teeth, and drool coming out with every word of her cursed song. But it's not just that - her nose... is gone. It seems to have fallen off, and in its place, another mouth, cutting her face vertically, joining with the other one. Her entire face appears out of place, distorted, even though she must have been beautiful, once. Now she stands here, still, her limbs moving spastically as she sings.

And just below, at the base of the altar, there's Brooks. He's looking at her, and in his eyes... and this is perhaps the worst thing of all... in his eyes, there's love. When you enter, he turns towards you, surprise turning into anger in an instant at the sight of Konovalov. He pulls out a gun from behind his back.

OOC:   Everybody roll Stability at the sight of Leticia. Then you can act normally.

Holly,[ooc]Every round that you can keep singing protects your friends from the effects of [b]Leticia[/b]'s song. You must pass a Stability roll each turn to keep singing. In case of failure, there's no direct loss of Stability, but you stop singing and cannot restart (from that point on, though, you may move and take combat actions as normal). If both you and Elena stop singing, everybody will be under the threat of Leticia's song again.[/ooc]

OOC,Cam spends one stability and rolls [dice]0[/dice]

OOC:   oh dear

Holly,[ooc]As noted by Mephistophilis, by falling down to -6 you become Blasted. I would only add that if you fall to -6 by failing the test, it counts as a Mythos shock, so you actually lose 2 points of Sanity rating. On the other hand, if you fall down to -6 by investing points, you are still Blasted but assuming you pass the test, you will only lose 1 point from your Sanity rating. In general, getting a Mythos shock it's also nastier in terms of the mental disorders you can possibly develop. In any case, it's ok if you take only one Stability roll against the loss AND to continue singing.[/ooc]

Cam,[ooc]You lose 4 points of Stability and 2 points of Sanity rating. You are now blasted, but can take your action and roleplay any kind of reaction you want.[/ooc]

Cam recoils in horror at the twisted visage of Leticia. 'What is wrong with her face? Her nose, it's...it's...a mouth...how, what?' Cam stammers, the blood draining from his face and his hands trembling. 'That's not possible, no...no, it's wrong...un...unnatural...evil!' His face flushes red and he takes on a fevered look as his hand tightens around the grip of his revolver and he stumbles forward. 'Kill it...kill it...kill it...' he starts to chant as he runs towards Leticia firing, oblivious to anyone else around him.

OOC,Cam spends 3 points of firearms and shoots at Leticia with his revolver [dice]0[/dice]

Holly is shocked by the sight, but she steels herself and sings for all she's worth, no matter what it costs her psyche.

OOC,In that case, I'll spend 3 points of Stability to guarantee I can keep singing. Stability roll (3 points spent): [dice]0[/dice]

A monster she may be - but still a human being. As Cam, Konovalov and Jonathan advance, they unleash a barrage of bullets on the creature that once was known as Leticia de la Luz. And she falls. Hit by one, two, three bullets, she takes one, two, three steps back and stops singing. There's only blood coming out of her mouth now, no more words, no more songs. She falls from the altar to the ground below, and lies still. The sudden silence makes you almost want to weep for joy.

Brooks, on the other hand, only manages to fire a single shoot at you, missing the target, before witnessing Leticia's death. He lets the gun fall and run towards her, screaming like a wounded animal. He falls on his kness next to her, crying and screaming: "No, Leticia, no! My love, open your eyes! We've come this far... no... what do I have without you? Leticia...". He seems to have completely lost interest in you.

Seemingly unaware of Brooks, Cam stands over Leticia's body firing into the corpse screaming "kill it...kill it" his eyes burning with hatred and his face contorted into a maniacal grin.

Something snaps inside Brooks when Cam starts shooting at Leticia's body. He screams and jumps at Cam, trying to stop him and take his gun.

Cam,[ooc]Roll Scuffling.[/ooc]

Elena is also shocked at Cam's behavior, and covers her ears, closing her eyes, crouching as if to protect herself from what's happening in front of her. Konovalov is clearly angry as he reverts to his mothertongue: "Mudak... gavno...", he is trying to take aim, but the risk of hitting Cam is high and he doesn't take the shot yet.

Ian,With your enhanced hearing you hear strange sounds coming from the other exit of the room, the downward corridor on the other side of the altar. Wet sounds. You wonder what might be the source.

Holly gasps in shock. "Nonononono..." she mumbles to herself.

Cam pushes back Brooks, then kicks him to the ground. As soon as they are apart, Konovalov fires at his former boss. The bullet hits Brooks and pierces his belly. He screams, then tries to get back on his feet.

Cam,[ooc]You can act and fire at him if you want.[/ooc]

Cam turns back to Leticia, panting and muttering to himself, he lifts the gun again and looks down at her distorted face. Slowly his blurred vision starts to resolve, the scene comes into focus and he sees her body, bleeding and riddled with bullet holes - Leticia is well and truly dead.

His breathing starting to slow down he turns back to Brooks who lies sprawled on the floor, blood oozing from his abdominal wound. Cam cocks the hammer on the revolver and points it at Brooks. The man looks pathetic, his desperate eyes darting round the room, like some kind of cornered animal.

Cam throws the revolver to Holly, crouches down into a fighting stance, and moves towards Brooks: "You're going to answer some questions for us before you die".

OOC,I'd like Cam to try and restrain Brooks. Would that be a scuffling roll?

Holly catches the revolver and keeps it trained on Brooks, trying not to let her hands tremble.

Brooks slowly crawls towards Leticia's body: "Fuck you... monster... look what you did to her... Leticia...", he says, tears forming on the corner of his eyes.

Holly maintains her aim, waiting for Cam to ask his questions.

Pitilessly Cam stares down at Brooks's wretched state. "Tell me about the dig in Yucatan. What is at Chichén Xoxul? What did you hope to achieve there?"

Ian Morin

Completely unmoved by the blood bath he just witnessed, Ian seems to focus his attention elsewhere. Somewhere beyond the other exit from this room. He looks at the door with and inquisitive, childish face. "Hmm...Can you hear that?" He asks to nobody in particular. "Funny noises coming from that exit. Watery sounds... Can you hear it? What is it?"

Brooks starts laughing. It's a creepy sound, the cold laugh of a man who doesn't feel anything anymore. He looks towards Ian and says: "Do you want to see, friend? Do you want to see a God? But you already have, haven't you? You have seen the mountain. The devouring mountain. Kailash. There it exists..." He turns towards Cam, screaming now: "Don't you see, fool? You should be thanking me. All the lies... Trammel sits on a throne of lies. But even he doesn't know the truth. The name of our god. Gol-Goroth. It has to be... And how can we survive, if we don't even know its unholy name. How can... I... fix her...", he stops then, and starts crying. "That is the truth... I wanted to find... but it's too late now, isn't it? Leticia..."

Meanwhile, Konovalov says, with some urgency in his voice: "Don't go there. Keep your crazy friend away from that corridor. And let's get out of here". He sounds scared, and you wonder just what would make a man like Konovalov scared.

Elena then runs towards Ian, grabbing his arm: "Ian, that man is saying this place is dangerous. Can you escort me to safety? Like a true gentleman would? Please?"

'So Chichén Xoxul is the Devouring Mountain Kailash where we'll find your god - Gol-Goroth - Golxumal - and where you hoped to perform your ritual like Echevarria before you - to go through the Mouth to the Land of the Chosen People.' Cam looks down at Brooks with a sneer on his face.

'But Trammel and Ayers didn't believe in your god, they thought it was just a mask for something else. And now you will never know. She will never know. I think we're done with you Brooks.' spits Cam with evident scorn.

He turns to Konovalov, 'I suppose through there is where they make the nectar? It comes out of those disgusting little mouths we've been told, is that right? I've got no desire to tangle with those again but we need to put this place out of action permanently - if we can't do it now we're going to have to come back and finish things.'

OOC,Does anyone understand how the mouths work? Are they part of something bigger? Could we kill it by poisoning the mouths? I'm not sure we can leave a great big nectar farm sitting here but I'm not keen to tangle with that pit of mouths again - could have done with some explosives in true CoC style. Is there a banishing ritual, what did we learn from that occult book?

"I don't suppose you happen to have any explosives available?" Holly asks Konovalov.

OOC,The thought had come to me even before I opened the spoiler button.

"No, you don't understand... the little mouths, they don't produce Nectar. Down there ..", Konovalov gestures towards the descending corridor, "Down there... there's a big one. How do you say it... agromnii... huge, that's the word. A huge mouth. I've only seen it one time, and one time it's enough for me. I don't know if explosives can kill it, but I'm not getting close enough to try. But we can demolish the ceiling, yes? Does not solve the problem, but I say it's good enough for now. Yes?"

You can hear Brooks laughing weakly, coughing, then laughing again. "It's a god, you fools. What do you think you can do? Idiots... losing my love... and my life... to a bunch of idiots... ah, the irony...", his voice trails off and he falls silent again. His breathing is now getting ragged.

Explosives,It's hard to imagine there's something that can't be blown up with enough explosives, but to decide any kind of plan, you will need to look at the thing first.

"The little ones were bad enough," says Holly with a shiver. "I'd rather not look at the big one myself. Does anyone else still need medical attention?" She looks around in her doctor's bag. "That reminds me, I still have some of the truth serum from Los Angeles. It worked so well there."

'I'm pretty beaten up' says Cam, 'but we should go and...go and...go and destroy that mouth...come on, let's...let's...'. Cam crumples onto the ground, his head in his hands, 'I can't, I just can't do it, I can't...I can't'.

OOC:   Cam's basically all out of stability, he's not going to be able to face anything else now

Holly sits on the floor next to Cameron and puts a hand on his shoulder. "I know exactly what you mean," she says. "I can mend the soul as well as the body. I understand your fears because I share them myself. Such a thing should not exist in the world, and that's why it must be destroyed. I'm not strong enough to do it, but you might be."

OOC,I'll use First Aid to treat [b]Cam[/b]'s injuries as well as Psychoanalysis to restore Stability to him. Unfortunately, I can't use it to restore my own Stability.

Jonathan looks at the corridor without actually looking into the corridor: "I can make the ceiling cave in, and shut down the corridor. Don't know if it will kill the... thing... inside. If we can get some explosives... and then somehow have the mouth ingest them... that might do the trick. Hard to tell, honestly.".

"We should really leave and don't look back", Konovalov says. "Let someone else take care of this shit. Like police. that is their job, yes? Fuck. Ok. I can get those explosives for you. Some dynamite. But I'm not getting anywhere near that mouth, ok?"

Cam and Holly,[ooc]I have restored Cam's Stability to -1, spending most of [b]Holly[/b]'s reserve. He can now suffer another shock, in case, but keep in mind that if he falls down to -6 he'll lose points of his Sanity rating - again (not likely he'll be blasted again, but you never know). Health cannot be recovered, since he didn't lose it in the last encounter.[/ooc]

Listening to Holly's reassuring voice Cam begins to gather himself. He nods towards her with a pained smile. 'Get the dynamite Konovalov. Let's do this.' He turns to Jonathan, 'Do the best you can, we need to prevent anyone else stumbling across this...abomination.'

"The police aren't equipped or trained to deal with something like this," says Holly. "I can't go in there and face that thing myself, but I can watch your backs."

Konovalov grumbles some words in Russian that you can imagine are insults of some kind, but he returns with half a dozen sticks of dynamite. Jonathan binds them together before saying: "Here... once the fuse is lit, they will detonate in twenty seconds" , then he hands the explosives to Cam.

"Good luck," Holly says. "I'll make sure no stray guards come up behind you."

Cam takes the bundle of dynamite, he fishes around in his pocket for a cigarette lighter and flicks it on and off a few times to ensure it is working. He smiles weakly, 'anyone else want to come?'

Konovalov shakes his head: "Not everyone here is crazy...". Elena is still taking care of Ian, and she offers a weak smile as she says: "Good luck, Cam". In the end, it's Jonathan to offer some help: "I'll be right behind you, if something goes wrong...", his voice trails off. "Right behind you", he says again, then waits for Cam to move.

Cam takes back the gun from Holly and gestures towards Brooks, 'keep him covered Konovalov'. He tentatively starts down the descending corridor.

Holly stays behind Konovalov, both for protection and so that she can keep an eye on him, and stays alert to her surroundings. Now that Leticia is dead, she removes the cotton balls from her ears and advises the others to do the same in order to hear better.

Professor Jonathan Cornwall
"Wait, Cam. Why don't you let me take that, old chap....you've been through quite a lot just now."
The professor takes the lighter and gently takes the pack of dynamite sticks from Cam before he can protest.
"Just stay close behind me in case I can't finish the job?"
Jonathan takes a weary glance at the faces in the room and strides purposefully down the corridor...

[dice]1[/dice]
[dice]0[/dice]

[Spoiler-Button][dice]0[/dice][/Spoiler-Button]

Jonathan sees the horrible creature and is momentarily stunned.
Time seems to slow to a crawl as he sees the spittle drip from the monster's tongue...."Can this be real?" he mouths too quietly for anyone to actually hear.
Suddenly, the Professor snaps back to reality and hurls the lit pack of dynamite sticks towards the gaping maw before him.
Turning he screams at Cam to "RUN!" as he does the same...

Cam and Jonathan,The dynamite flies towards the mouth and lands inside. Your relief is short-lived, though, as the tongue grabs [b]Jonathan[/b] and wraps around him. The smell is disgusting, sweet to the point that it makes you want to puke. You can feel your clothes getting drenched in that horrible mix of saliva and Nectar. But worst of all, the tongue is now trying to pull [b]Jonathan[/b] in. [b]Cam[/b] manages to grab him, but the huge tongue is showing an incredible amount of strength. [ooc]You both take no Stability loss. Jonathan takes 3 damage from the tongue. [b]Cam[/b] must roll Athletics to keep [b]Jonathan[/b] from being dragged into the corridor and possibly swallowed.[/ooc]

Everybody else,You see [b]Jonathan[/b] throwing the dynamite and turning to run. Then, suddenly, a huge, swollen red tongue appears to coil around him, trying to drag him back down. [b]Cam[/b] manages to hold him and grab him, and you can see his muscles strained as he exerts his maximum strength to resist the tongue.

Digging his heels into the floor Cam tightens his grip on Jonathan's arms, he can feel cloth and skin tear under his grasp as he straightens his legs to try and haul Jonathan back from the foul stinking tongue that envelopes him.

OOC,Cam spends 3 Athletics, [dice]0[/dice]

Holly stands ready to help if she's needed.

Cam,You have held him for now, but the tongue is still pulling him in and you don't know how much longer you can resist.

Everyone else,[ooc]Helping Cam requires an Athletics roll. You can spend as many points as you like in the roll[/ooc]

Holly grabs hold of Cam and helps him to pull Jonathan free.

OOC,Athletics roll (spending 4 points): [dice]0[/dice]

'I can't hold him much longer' shouts Cam. He continues to brace himself against the monster, both hands gripping Jonathan's arms. With Holly's help he heaves Jonathan back, straining against the slick, writhing appendage.

Elena rushes to help as well, and even Konovalov: "Shit... you people are crazy... goddamn you", he swears, while also trying to pull Jonathan back. Yet the tongue is strong, and doesn't seem to tire. You fear you might not last any longer, when the explosion comes. There's the sound, and the shockwave, and an otherwordly scream of horror that reverberates through the room, the subterraneans, possibly the whole city for all you know. The tongue is cut and suddenly there's no resistance. You stumble back and fall to the ground, drenched in horrific fluids you can't even begin to understand. The corridor has collapsed, sealing whatever was inside - hopefully forever.

Ian,The scream of the mouth resonates amplified in your head. You feel nauseated, you only want to crawl in some corner and die. But worst of all, for a brief moment when the mouth eploded and died, you are sure it caught the attention of [i]something[/i]. [i]Something[/i] far, and utterly alien. [i]Something[/i] that, for a moment, set its eyes on you.

Holly checks Jonathan for injuries, ready to provide medical care if needed.

Ian Morin

The moment the mouth explodes Ian's legs falter and he falls to the ground, covering his ears in a useless attempt to block the horrors that do not come from outside, but resonates inside his head. "AAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGHHHH... Oh God... It sees us... no no no... It sees me. It sees me. What... no... We're doomed..." His face is pure terror.

Professor Jonathan Cornwall
Jonathan slumps to the ground, injured, wide-eyed and stunned. The Professor's blasted mind cannot parse the images in his head; his sanity is more broken than his body.

Cam stumbles back into the wall. His eyes wide and his breath coming in shallow pants. He stares at his hands dripping in ichor, rubbing them together over and over trying to remove the foul smelling liquid.

OOC,Cam is on -5 stability, he does have some first aid if anyone needs it

Elena tries to cheer up Ian, despite looking shocked and utterly exhausted herself: "Don't worry, Ian, it's over... the thing is dead... we blew it up, all right?", while Holly tries to help the others as well as she can.

"Come on, time to leave... there's still a bunch of crazy cultists just a couple dozen meters above our heads... and I'm not sure about you at this point, but I want to live to see my money", says Konovalov, urging you to leave.

Cam and Holly,You can heal the little damage taken by [b]Jonathan[/b] and restore some Stability. I'll use tour points.

Cam straightens up and grits his teeth. 'You're right Elena, it's time to go. We need to find out what's happened to Christopher all this time. I think we should drop Brooks at the police station then get in contact with our employer to pay off Mr Konovalov. Can anyone think of a good cover story for what's just happened here? I'm thinking drug lab explosion'.

"Sounds good to me," says Holly. "Let's just get out of here. Our expense account will cover your payment once we get back to town, Mr. Konovalov."

Jonathan Cornwall
"Agreed, let's get out of here. Anyone see any signs of Huang?"

As you check Brooks' conditions, you realize that he died during your fight with the huge mouth. The blood loss was probably too much for him to survive. Realizing there's nothing left to do here, you walk back to the surface, keeping your weapons ready. You emerge from the dungeon among the ruins of the old villa. It's still dark outside, and it's hard to believe that less than a couple of hours you walked in there, thinking you were dealing only with a crazy bunch of cultists.

Then there are suddenly lights flashing. You see men in uniform, apparently the local police, surrounding you, aiming their weapons at you and screaming in spanish. Konovalov drops his gun and raises his hands. Then you see Christopher among the agents.

Cam drops his gun and holds his hands up in the air. He glances over to Konovalov, 'We owe you Konovalov but Christopher might not see it that way so let us do the talking. Everyone stick to the same story, Brooks kidnapped our friends and we were looking for them when he captured us, we managed to escape and in the commotion Brooks got shot and the lab exploded'. He shakes his head, 'I'm not sure I buy it either'.

Holly also raises her hands, though she no longer has a gun to drop. "I can't think of anything better," she says.

The police surrounds you, pointing their guns. Christopher says, with urgency: "Stop, stop! They're my friends! Can't you see they're wounded? Detective Cortez, please!" , he seems to now be talking to a man next to him, dressed in a long coat and wearing a brown hat. The man nods and speaks for a few seconds with one of the policemen, then heads for the entrance to the dungeon, followed by a dozen agents. Another agent walks towards Holly and the others and says, in an uncertain english: "Please, follow me. Hospital.". Meanwhile, Christopher joins you, looking at Konovalov with a mix of surprise and distrust: "You have a long story to share, I guess".

"He's on our payroll now," explains Holly to Christopher, following along to the hospital. "He realized just how far gone Brooks was."