Realistic or Modern Bastard's Tale

[TheAdept]

All feeling in Santos lower body went numb and he dropped to the ground entirely like a bag of bricks. Things which could be used as weapons lay all around him but Jesse moved these things away. Santos could be no true threat to him now that he was crippled so much, but Jesse didn't want Santos ending his own life either. Jesse had his own idea of how this bastard (or not so much) should die.

First thing was first though, he had to get the others free. Their ankles were all bound to the chairs, but their hands were literally nailed to the armrests. Jesse sighed, knowing some were more reactive than himself. Only one way they were getting out of this though. Jesse picked up a hammer, slid the back end under a nail in Aurora's hand, and pulled it up.

"Sorry." Is all he knew to say.

 

[ScalpelsNSaws]

After Shaun hurriedly explains to the Noble prisoners the situation, he cut their bindings and covered them as they pass the hall back to guard the hole in the wall, helping Ethan suppress the man shooting from the stairs.

He then turned his attention to the man in the fetal position, from what Aurora had described this man was most likely Mos. Shaun helped him up, he seemed to be delirious. Once again he directed him across the hall to the hole. Again shooting at the men on the stairs.

There was one cell left, if the others were captured, thed be in the room with the screaming.

 

[Obsidian]

Ethan was somewhat amused that Shaun would send people through to escape in the middle of the gunfight, seeing one of William's men getting shot dead in the attempt, not that Ethan cared to say anything. If they were so desperate to escape that they would walk through hails of bullets from both directions to do so, well, that was their business. As the fight went on, the nobles would be shot dead, one by one, until none remained standing.

"Hurry." Ethan said to Shaun, keeping his eyes on the stairs down the corridor, "Find out if Jesse and the others are in that cell. I'll cover the stairs."

 

[TheAdept]

Jesse proceeded ripping nails out ad untying everyone. Even the commander. Santos had stopped screaming and was trying to drag himself with arms alone to a scalpel.

"Not so fast old buddy." Jesse said "Let me get that for you." He picked up the scalpel, then stomped his foot down on Santos' upper back to pin him down.

From this position Jesse crouched and slit Santos' back all the way down his spine. He the finished cutting the skin of his back into two flaps which he then folded out. And the entire time Santos was yelling and sobbing and trying to thrash his arms but his movement was limited with how the bear trap had been closed over him. Jesse then began his attempt at something he had read about. With his knife and scalpel he cut into Santos and began pulling his ribs out to look like wings. Jesse's hands, and the ground, were now soaking with blood more and more.

 

[ScalpelsNSaws]

"Dont get shot kid." Shaun says to him, parting his shoulder as he passes him and prepares to open the last door. As he opens it the screaming stops and he is met by a rather violent sight. Jesse seemed to be skinning Santos alive.

"Jesse, we came back for you." Shaun says to the man, noticing Aurora and the others nailed to chairs as well as the holes in his arms too.

"First things first let's get you lot to stop bleeding..." Shaun says as another volley came from the hallway.

Shaun directed Jesse how to bandage the victims arms to minimize bleeding. He then made sure everyone was capable of walking, which they are. He then fires a few glass shells down the hall at the stairs, between each shot another prisoner moves to the cell with the hole.

 

[Corvid15]

Santos was dead? It looked that way, thank the heavens. No, he was barely alive, writhing on the floor. Huh.

Shisa watched as Jesse began torturing Santos, seeves him right. SHAUN. HE CAME. Once Shaun untied her, she gave him a small kiss, grabbing her mask and her stuff. Putting on a new pair of gloves, and her stuff back on.

"Jesse, may be of assistance?"

Shisa grabbed her bag of nettles, ready to sprinkle some into his open wounds. But, we can start small. She took dried chili pepper, rubbing it into his exposed flesh. She also began helping Jesse pull back ribs, ignorning her own pain. She wanted the skull and bones after.

 

[TheAdept]

"Just don't mess it up." Jesse said, continuing to pull the bones through but messing it up himself and even breaking the ribs a couple times. It was his first attempt at a blood eagle, but he was still disappointed in himself. Santos started fainting part way through the process. Jesse tried to beat him back awake at first but the bear trap was in his way and so he couldn't be bothered to try keeping him awake and suffering. He only cared about getting the blood eagle right. Eventually, Santos passed out or died, Jesse wasn't sure which, but if Santos wasn't dead he soon would be. Blood pooled all around Santos and Jesse was now spattered with it.

Jesse listened to Shaun about bandaging people up. He remembered reading some first aid shit but didn't really think about it usually, hence why he ripped everyone's nails out so violently. There was a large back by the door with all the shit that was stripped off of them, masks and weapons and all. There were even carefully packed bags of Shisa's herbs. Jesse took all his own stuff minus the mask.

He then turned to Shaun "Whats going on outside this room? Are there other prisoners?" He had no idea he was underground, only that he was in some kind of enclosed and probably fortified spot inside of the bank.

 

[ScalpelsNSaws]

"Two other cells, there are other survivours." Shaun answered, sending the Commander of Willaims men to the hole. "A woman I think I know from somewhere, some of William's men and Mos I think... they're waiting on the rest of us to get out."

Shaun was almost finished bandaging everyone after Santos decided to shuffle his mortal coil, Shisa was bleeding from the mouth, he knew that because he had blood on his cheek and he could also taste it. They were ready to leave.

"Ethan and myself tunnels into a different cell from next door."

 

[Corvid15]

Shisa ripped Santos' heart out, stepping on it violently. The worst insult one could give to a corpse, that they cannot be remembered. She squished it under her boot, before wiping her shoe off on Santos' clothes.

"Гний в ада." (Gniĭ v ada. Meaning: Rot in hell)

Shisa gave Shaun a hug, wheezing a little from her re broken ribs. She just wanted to leave. Everything hurt. But Morrigan was here.

"Thanks for my stuff, Shaun."

Morrigan perched on Shisa's horn, Shisa using her staff to steady herself.

 

[TheAdept]

The commander let out a scream that sounded like he was trying to say something. He then ran out into the hall.

"If anyone is injured, we should carry them back to the Cistern. Lets get to this tunnel." Jesse said, stepping away from the bag of stuff so others could get there things. From above, Jesse could hear gunfire and yelling. He figured it was the Noble prisoners trying to escape, and he was keen on letting them try. He didn't want any Nobles to see the Cistern.

 

[ScalpelsNSaws]

Shaun let Shisa use him and her staff for support as he moved her to the hole in the wall, and then ran Aurora and Jesse through as well. Eventually Shaun took cover in the doorway with his shotgun pointed at the stairs while Ethan moved behind him into the hole cell, Shaun followed suit soon after.

Once everyone was top side and hiding in the alley Shaun turned to address everyone, his voice hushed in tone. "I only have two hazmat suits and since I am the only one who can be sure one is on properly I will lead each of you one by one through the sewer to outside the compound."

"The rest would have to hide and keep the nobility at bay until everyone was on the other side. I will move the incapacitated first, this lady and Mos. Then the wounded. Then the healthiest last."

 

[Corvid15]

Shisa quickly hacked up Santos' body, putting the pieces she needs in a spare bag Normally, she would take everything. Harvest the bones, sacrifice the skull, waste not, want not. But because of her injured state, she simply cut off the head and hands, and took a few better ribs. And some chunks of arm meat, as a treat for Morrigan.

Back topside, Shisa was glad to be out of there. She had her stuff back, and had snagged some plants from the torture room (nothing that she didn't have, mostly chilies). Morrigan was on her staff, munching on a piece of Santos. The others were too tired to protest her behavior, besides she wasnt eating Santos. Morrigan was. Morrigan was a good girl.

Shisa nodded (talking hurt too much), still bleeding from the mouth. She needed a good nap. She could sacrifice the head once they were back. Well, that could simply be done by leaving the head here. As long as the spirits knew it was there.

 

[ScalpelsNSaws]

One by one, Shaun shuttled the freed prisoners through the tunnels. He dressed the unconscious woman in the Hazmat suit first and picked her up, placing her over his back like a panda and its cub. He scaled the sewer ladder and disappeared for 5 or so minutes before reappearing again and did the same with Mos.

"Shisa your turn." He said on his second arrival, helping her into the gas msak without letting people see her face. He lowered her into the sewer and once again vanished, their footsteps echoes fading rapidly. On the outside he hid Shisa in an empty building with the others and returned to the group. Then it was Aurora, then Jesse and finally Ethan. Soldiers were fighting escaped prisoners in the alley, and it was getting very messy to say the least.

Blood was flowing like water into the manhole... all over his white cleanroom-suit.

 

[Obsidian]

Santos' screams would travel far, so loud and desperate that they would almost shake the walls, the screams growing more dire and despairing with every passing moment. Even before Santos fell silent, his screams would be a cry out for mercy that he knows would never be given to him, cries of a man that once believed himself invincible now surprised to taste utter defeat at the hands of a remorseless enemy. Even for Ethan, the cries were starting to grow uncomfortable, and for Santos to finally become silent was a relief. Despite that, Ethan hoped Jesse got what he needed from Santos, that his revenge was as sweet as he wanted it to be. Right now, however, they needed to get out of Boulder, and so Ethan followed Jesse along with the others out of the Bank.

While Ethan waited for the others to get through the tunnels with Shaun, he would help out the escaping prisoners with a few courtesy shots at enemy nobles, allowing their allies to slash throats and beat Santos' men to death. The body count on Santos' side was high, it would be a wonder at all if his house survives after today. Once Jesse was through, Ethan would be the last one and without cover, so he was damn fast pulling on the hazmat suit and practically throwing himself down the manhole, not stopping for a moment until he was back out on the surface with the rest of the gang.

"Right, let's get the fuck out of here." Ethan urged, pulling off the hazmat suit and giving it back to Shaun before gathering his things, readying himself for the treck back to the Cistern.

 

[Corvid15]

Shisa turned to Shaun as they were walking back, smiling through the mask of the suit. So she would be okay, Morrigan was swaddled in a papoose on Shisa's chest, underneath the Hazmat suit. Morrigan wasn't the happiest with this, but Morrigan liked cuddles.

"I can fix everyone up once we're back in the Cistern. Are you alright, did you get injured?"

Shisa swallowed her own spit and blood, as she couldn't spit it out in the hazmat suit. She decided to stop talking, to minimize the drool and pain.

Getting out of the suit was a hassle, due to the broken ribs. Shisa let Morrigan out of the papoose, putting her mask back on so no one saw her face. She really needed to check everyone over, but she could barely use her hands.

 

[ScalpelsNSaws]

"Nothing serious." Shaun lied, he had taken a pistol round above the kidney during the fighting with Santos' men near the guardhouse. He would rather wait til everyone else was sleeping and then treat his own injuries figuring they had enough to worry about.

He was walking with the unknown woman on his back, he really thought he knew her from somewhere and it was infuriating that Santos' men had bled her out, she was far to weak to even speak, same as Mos. He was being supported by Aurora, kind of anyway. Those too could use a long rest and recuperation same as everyone else. Shisa needed weeks they did not have to heal her ribs again, on top of the newly made holes in most of the group's arms.

Those would be Bastards to treat if they got infected, especially if the infection is tetanus.

 

[TheAdept]

Jesse continued to fire upon the Nobles chasing them through the allyways, scoring headshots most of the time. Blood sprayed on all over the walls of the old ruined buildings. There had been so much blood that day, even the most squeamish of people would be getting used to it by now. So used to it, they would feel uncomfortable in any setting where blood was not being spilled.

The team made their way through the alleys and were prepared to fight off more of Marcello's men when they saw Nobles in purple charging the city again. This time the mortars were silent and the Nobles in red were caught off guard. At Jesse's order they continued their flight until the sounds of gunshots and murderous yelling were replaced with silence and perhaps those of their own breathes as they traverses the fields outside Boulder and eventually the alleys of Superior.

When things calmed down and they weren't in any immediate danger, Jesse looked back over at who Shaun and Aurora were carrying. So now there would be two others. He admittedly hoped none of them were going to be ripping hearts out of corpses for lunch, though Jesse wasn't one to talk. He had just flayed a man and ripped his ribs to resemble wings! It wasn't guilt that made Jesse consider this; he planned the same fate for all of the betrayers. He was wondering where the line now was between eating a corpse in front of the others and achieving such a gory and merciless revenge in front of the others.

It wasn't until they reached the Cistern that Jesse looked down at his hands, then worried about the others. He knew very little about medicine and diseases, but he knew something, and that was more than the common waster. He hoped if the others were at risk to develop some kind of sickness Shaun would either be able to treat them or point them in the direction of treatment.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About a week later
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William's men had won the battle the night Jesse killed Santos. Unwittingly to most of William's men, it was in large part to a group of so called mercenaries who destroyed a brutal weapon, freed researchers and Nobles being kept prisoner, and killed Marcello's lieutenant who was notorious for his brutal interrogation methods. When Marcello's men were certain they had won and were starting up mass fires for captured men of William, reinforcements came and finished off the weakened defenders of the city of Boulder. Forces in Lafayette surrendered immediately after, knowing they were hopeless to put up any resistance. Days after Marcello himself was beheaded. It took the executioner three painful chops to get through the Lords neck, as Marcello coughed and spat blood. The masses cheered when his head finally rolled away from his neck. Nobles still ruled Boulder and the surrounding territories, but it was William's forces in charge. Thanks to the migration that resulted, Superior became a bustling town and Jesse's new gang would need to avoid surfacing.

On the subject of Jesse's gang, the injuries suffered at the hands of Santos and the Nobles there were greater than they seemed at the time. It was nothing short of a miracle not only that nobody was crippled by the nails, but especially that Jesse had not bled out considering the rough method of escape he took. Still, he had been having odd spasms and tremors at seemingly random times since. He had forgotten all about the nails that impaled his hands only two days after it happened, and thought the spasms were just some weird thing that would pass. Now, he was in the mood for some venison again.

"So how is everyone feeling?" He called out, but didn't yell. He had toned down his treatment of his gang, figuring it would promote better results than he had before.

 

[ScalpelsNSaws]

Shaun was re-dressing one of Shisa's wounds when Jesse spoke. He had noticed in pretty much everyone who was nailed, they were giving off early warning signs for tetanus. He couldnt treat tetanus without penicillin or muscle relaxant, and aspirin wasn't suitable for pain from being impaled.

"Rough to put it lightly." Shaun grumbled. "We got lucky last week but we are in trouble now, I fear disease may still set into these wounds...everybody's wounds. This place isn't exactly sanitary." He stood up and moved over to his research table, picking up a pencil and a small leatherbound book.

He sat by the water's edge and began to write, he seemed happy, albeit somewhat anxious for everyone else.

 

[Corvid15]

Shisa only groaned. She was one of the worse for wear out of the group. The onset of tetanus combined with the pulled tooth meant she had lockjaw. The muscle spasms were awful, given the broken bones. Right now, she was useless as a healer. Her assortment of leaves and plants was the most help she could provide at the moment.

Slowly, Shisa grabbed her journal, writing in chicken scratch to communicate. Once she was done she ripped out the page, which Morrigan gave to Shaun. Over the past week, Shaun had gotten used to reading Shisa's handwriting. Normally, it was quite good for a waster. But the shaking hands complicated things. It read:

"Just keep our wounds clean. I have coca leaves in my bag for pain, or the mute plant. My Grimoire has a way to make penicillin. It takes a week or so, though."

A crudely drawn heart filled the rest of the page. Shisa settled back down, trying to fall asleep.

 

[ScalpelsNSaws]

Shaun flitted through the books pages, looking for the folk medicine equivalent of penicillin. He had made lab quality stuff before, but from pure ingredients and definitely not from rotting peanut shells and some stale flatbread they'd made a few days ago.

He cut off the moulded over bits, placing them into an old pint glass and filled it with cool water from the cistern pool. He had to grow th culture before extracting the useable stuff. He left the glass to sit on his desk, with a note saying "DO NOT DRINK, BAD MEDICINE." leant to the side.

He moved over to Shisa's tent where she was splinted up to stop her breaking her own bones when convulsing. He tapped on the metal frame before entering and going into her bag for the leaves and additional herbs and her mortar and pestle. "I'll sort this soon, I promise." he said to Shisa, putting a hand to her cheek before leaving the tent. He took the coca yes, but also some cannabis. He would have to hot box the cistern to make sure those with tetanus didn't tense up too hard. He ground the coca into a paste in the pestle before mixing with wildgrain flour they had and some water, then shaping them into bitesize pieces. "This'll have to do." He thought to himself, handing out the makeshift painkillers.

"Jesse, light up will ya?" Shaun said to him, throwing him a blunt. "It'll help with those tremors." He continued to light them like incense sticks in each of the afflicted's tents.

 

[Corvid15]

Shisa nodded, mumbling. It wasn't that good of an idea for Morrigan to be in here if they were hot-boxing. Her body was much smaller than a human body, so only a little could be harmful.

"Bird.. safe.. smoke."

It was barely words, but it was understandable if you listened closely. Morrigan flew to a safe alcove deeper in the Cistern, but not in the toxic sewers. Low to the ground, since smoke rose. It was almost a pothole in the ground, but it was far enough away to keep her safe.

Shisa took as deep a breath as she could, relaxing a bit. It had been a while since she had lit up, but this time it was necessary. She fell asleep, relaxing.

 

[ScalpelsNSaws]

Shaun moved across the Cistern through the smoke, it didnt really effect him as he seemed to have an iron constitution. He approached Ethan, and offers him one.

"Hey Ethan, how are you holding up?" He asked the young man, slumping down by the pool with his book and a glass of hooch from Shisa's stash. She probably wouldn't mind. The smoke was staring to thicken in there a little, making it almost visible If you waft your hand.

 

[Lexico]

Dreams if not treated tend to become big. It affects your heart slowly creeping into your brain. It dictates your action. Aurora does not remember when exactly she started dreaming about her and Mos living in a jungle. It was a jungle that she had never seen before. Green as thick as it can get. Pure water in the wild river. Beautiful birds. It had become an recurring dream and her motivation. Now her plans have to take a pause. She had got Mos with her. True, the impossible achievement has happened. Thanks to her new friends. Now it is her payback time. She will help them with her life. Dream of jungle have to wait.

Mos had lost his mind. He did not recognize Aurora or remember anything of past. He was like a baby. A quiet and humble baby. She took good care of him. Her immediate concern was her wounds. It was a hell a lot of pain. And she was hoping everything will be healed soon and she will damn ready with her weapon to fight another battle.

 

[TheAdept]

Jesse had heard of people going crazy over the leaf shreds handed to him by Shaun. Jesse had tried various random mushrooms and herbs before. But Jesse figured this was cannabis. He himself was never much of a fan. It didn't seem to do much for him.

"Alright." He simply said, as he grabbed the blunt and lit it up. He wasn't sure of the specifics, but he knew this had something to do with the medicine Shaun knew.

"Hey we can't surface in Superior anymore. Too much risk!" Jesse called to Shaun as tremors shook in his cheek which he ignored "We gotta do something about that."

 

[Corvid15]

Lying in her own tent, Shisa realized something after Shaun hot boxed her tent and gave her the coca cube. Which felt great on her mouth. Coca is a stimulant, cannabis a depressant. She knew not to mix them, she was told you could die from it(not from these specific ones in these amounts), but not any specifics. Just not to do it

Shisa didn't have much time to think about it now, before she started to see her old friends. She grabbed a small doll, clutching it to her chest. Unbeknownst to the group, Shisa had made small voodoo dolls of each of them. She would apologize to mini-Aurora, stick pins into mini-Ethan, mini-Ryder she had buried, mini-Jesse she sweared at sometimes. Mini-Shaun, well. She used that like a teddy bear, which she now held as her vision began to change.

The three Lords: Orcus, The Wendigo, and Moloch stood above her as she laid flat on her back. Orcus smiled, a wretched grin on his demonic face.

"Your gift was well received Speaker. But.."

The other two Lords lorded over Shisa, the Wendigo hissing and growling. It let out a sickening howl, before leaping out of the tent. It came back with Shaun in it's grasp. Shaun struggled, but its long arms wrapped tight around Shaun, holding him in place. It hissed.

"Eat.... eat. .. devour. No love, Speaker. Devour.."

Moloch took Shaun from the Wendigo, holding him in place. The Wendigo began tearing into Shaun, his screams filling the cavern. Shisa wanted to scream, but she couldn't. Orcus had his hand around her throat, forcing her to watch.

Shisa(back in reality) was freaking out. Her entire body spasmed, locking up for a moment. Back arched, she wanted even more to scream due to the pain in her ribs. Slowly, the spasms stopped, but her lockjaw was still there.

Shisa was forced to watch as The Wendigo tore apart Shaun, feeding parts of him to her. Eyes, teeth, limbs. She couldn't stop or look away. She tried to scream again, but Shaun was already gone. Dead. As she thought