Fantasy Steamhaven: Land of the Lost

[Cartoonicat]

Clara looked unamused and ended up splitting the gadgets into two piles. "Try not to blow us up, hm?" She gave Lianna a pointed look before fiddling with the gloves.

The gloves had metal devices attached to the palm and when pressed against a flat surface, a button would release a wooden stake. While the gloves were by no means glamorous, they would make staking a vampire much easier. There were enough gloves for everyone, even Poppy.

After a lot of fiddling with the tie, they'd find a rosary sewn inside the fabric. Clara snorted: "This might be good for a man's reconnaissance mission, but I am not sure how we can use this tonight. Maybe kill them with a Holy Headache?" Like garlic, rosaries and other holy items affected vampires, except instead of an allergic reaction it usually gave them splitting headaches.

The umbrella turned out to need assembly, and when put together it made a rather charming shotgun disguised as an umbrella. Clara seemed to take a liking to it.

The last gadget, two metal devices with drilled holes, were alarms. Each one had a thin string that would unroll through the hole and attach to something several feet away. When Clara broke the string or simply detached it, the device let out a shrill whistle as the string rolled back inside.

Clara hummed thoughtfully. "I'll admit, your mentor is quite creative." She loaded up the umbrella shotgun with ammo shells. "Let's just hope they last past the first use..." A known problem with Dan's inventions; many were One Time Wonders.

- Finish preparing with Clara
- Go find Poppy, Emma, and Dr. Walker
- Distribute gadgets
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"Let's hope." Lianna agreed. While she appreciated Dan's creativeness, she did not have much confidence in the durability of his gadgets. Still, they needed every help they could get. "I'm going to bring the gloves to Poppy and the doctor. Could you place the alarms by the entrance, please?" She said, after also taking a pair for herself.

 

[Cartoonicat]

"Do hurry," she said, pointing to the window, "night has fallen." Sure enough, the sky was now dark. Clem and Dan hadn't returned yet but no sounds of commotion had come from outside. Hopefully they managed to finish planting the landmines.

Upstairs Poppy stood in the hallway outside her grandmother's room. Dr. Walker wasn't with, indicating he was inside with Emma. Poppy looked... troubled.

- Talk to Poppy
- Give her a glove
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"Hey, Poppy." Lianna said, dropping the politeness in favour of friendly comfort. "How are you?" She asked, handing her the gloves. "I know that you've been through so much in such a little time, but please know that you are not going through it alone. Perhaps we are a bit rough around the edges but there's nothing that we want more but to protect you and your grandmother. So take these gloves, please, they will offer a close combat weapon, should you by any chance find in an unpleasant situation. Though I will be close to you at all times."

 

[Cartoonicat]

She looked up and accepted the gloves. "Thanks. How does-" Poppy bumped the palm button and out lunged the stake, like a small protruding dagger. Her brows lifted and she grinned. "I like this thing already."

As she pushed the stake back into its holster she leaned back against the wall. "Yesterday I thought my Gram a madwoman; today I realize she was just too brave for her own good." She frowned. "Ma always told me she was crazy, but she knew the truth. Dr. Walker told her years ago. She just... didn't listen, I guess."

Despite the weight of her situation, Poppy shed no tears. She simply looked resigned with hurt and a head full of thoughts.

- Comfort her
- Distract her
- Tell her to get over it
- Go see Dr. Walker
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"I knew you would like them." Lianna smiled at the young woman. When Poppy confided in her she placed a hand on her shoulder gently. "It was a difficult situation for everyone, both your mum and your grandmother, but now you have a chance to make it right. And I know that your grandmother would love it if you could visit her occasionally." She squeezed her shoulder and then moved her hand, turning to find the resident doctor.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Poppy nodded, gaze downcast to the glove she now wore. "Yeah," she said, "you're right." While she didn't sound super enthusiastic, she did offer Lianna a parting, thankful smile.

Inside the room Emma sat on her bed, speaking with Dr. Walker. He stood against the wall, listening to one of her stories. When Lianna stepped inside, he looked up. "Is everything in place?"

"A glove?" Emma was the one to notice the gadget in Lianna's hand.

- Give the glove to Dr. Walker
- Give the glove to Emma Peterson
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"Oh, yes, it actually shoots out a stake." Lianna said, then demonstrated. She wasn't sure if the doctor would allow her to give sharp and potentially deadly objects to a patient, no matter how sane lady Peterson was, so she gave him an uneasy look. "I wanted to give you this to protect yourself tonight, but perhaps it would be better with lady Peterson? You looked like you could take care of yourself just fine last night."

 

[Cartoonicat]

Dr. Walker appeared conflicted. He glanced between Emma and the glove, eyes wary. "I would prefer she not-"

"Nonsense," Emma reached for the glove. "I'm not going to play damsel, sitting in this room without my own means of defense."

"But-"

The door swung open, nearly hitting Lianna, to reveal Clara with wide eyes. "Lianna," it may have been the first time she used her real name, "How many vampires were you expecting tonight?"

- Answer her
- (Optional) Give the glove to someone

 

[ArcticFox]

"Three, but by your sudden entrance I'm going to guess that we are dealing with many more." Her tone might have calm, but she was frankly alarmed. "Here." She quickly gave the glove to Emma, at least she didn't have to get into another argument and then turned toward Clara. "Are they here already?"

 

[Cartoonicat]

They Are Here

​

Without warning, Clara grabbed Lianna's arm and pulled her into the hallway. Almost immediately, she dropped into a crouch. Poppy had done the same, making sure to stay under the window. "Dan must have set lights around the perimeter," Clara said, peeking through the glass to point. "Do you see them? The eyes?"

Looking closely at the wrought iron fence, Lianna could see many pairs of eyes reflecting off the dim light of the lamps sticking out of the ground. They glowed almost like a cat's.

Exactly like a vampire's.

"There has to be at least twenty of them," Clara said, grip tightening on Lianna's arm. "I've never seen so many in one place before."

It was true the group was vastly outnumbered, but they had made up for it by recruiting Dan's inventions. Without the firepower, they very likely would have had to flee. It would not be an easy fight, however; the vampires were there, yet Clem and Dan had not returned. On top of that, the vampires likely knew where Emma was being held. Moving her would be a smart decision but it would require bringing her out of the closed off room until they reached a more discreet hiding place. She would be vulnerable to attack.

- Move Emma
- Keep Emma there
- (Optional) Split up the group

 

[ArcticFox]

Okay, let's not panic, Lianna firstly had to calm her own rapidly breathing heart which was a feat in itself. She had to admit that only a part of her agitation was fear. The other part was just her being terribly excited at the prospect of sending a couple of vampires to their long promised graves.

"Take lady Peterson, Poppy and the doctor and find a different room for them. One with windows, or close to the exit, if they should need to run." She said to Clara, no time for snide remarks now. Hopefully the other woman felt the same. "I'll keep an eye on the windows and the hallway." Let's hope that the guys have finished their preparations in the yard.

 

[Cartoonicat]

"I'm staying here," Poppy said before Clara could react. When the woman shot her a look of incredulity, she explained: "I can lure them away from Gram while she escapes. If they see me, they'll think she's nearby." The auburn-haired girl was tough, that much Lianna knew, but it may not be tough enough to take on a vampire - much less several. She would, however, be better able to escape than her grandmother should things get out of hand.

Clara scrunched her brows. "She has a fair point. Carrot Top?"

- Send Poppy with Emma
- Let Poppy stay

 

[ArcticFox]

"Alright, Poppy, you have just been promoted to my right hand woman." Lianna nodded. "Help me keep an eye on the perimeter while your grandmother is relocated somewhere safe. Stay by the window and shout if you see anything moving. I'll patrol the corridor."

 

[Cartoonicat]

Poppy nodded and Clara set off to collect Dr. Walker and Emma Peterson. The auburn-haired girl watched the group like a hawk as they crawled out of the room, staying below the window glass, and headed down the hallway with Dr. Walker leading the way. Lianna didn't see if she said anything to her grandmother or not, for she turned the corner too soon to overhear anything.

The adjoining corridor was empty and partially lit by the few remaining gas lamps on the wall. Most looked to be out of fuel, hence the darkness, while others burned on and offered just enough light for her to see to the other side. The way the asylum was structured made for many nooks and crannies to hide in, however, so creatures could be lurking.

"Lianna!" Poppy whispered loudly from her position at the window. "A landmine just went- Two landmines- Oh my gods."

- Look out the window
- Hurry to Poppy's side
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

Lianna heard Poppy's scream and looked out the window. "Stay down!" She warned her just in case, as she peeked through to see if she could see anything.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Outside the window, several landmines exploded, showering figures running towards the asylum in a storm of garlic-infused holy water. Lianna watched as bodies dropped to the ground clutching at their clothes and skin. Several made it through, however, and disappeared under the overhang as they headed inside. All was quiet for a moment, save for the sound of wailing vampires outside, until:

SCREEEEEEEEEEEEECH!

One of the devices rang from downstairs. They'd breached the asylum lobby.

"What do we do?" Poppy asked. "I haven't seen Clem or the other guy."

Lianna could suggest they stay in the hallway - one that the vampires seemed eager to reach - and fight what enemies made it into the building or she could suggest they move elsewhere, opposite of the direction Clara's group had gone.

- Stay put
- Move to another hallway
- Move to another floor
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"You are now going to find a room to hide." She said to the woman. "No arguing, I don't want you to get hurt. Find a broom closet or something inconspicuous. I will attract their attention." With that Lianna looked around for a place that would be convenient enough for her to set her ambush. She was not hiding this time, she was there to hunt some vampires.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Poppy looked about to protest, but shut her mouth with a glower when Lianna insisted she not. "Fine," she said, "but don't get killed 'cause I'm busy hidin' with the brooms." With that, Poppy turned and headed down the hallway. At the tail end, she entered an unlocked room with a door different than that of a patient's room.

There, in the corner between the two hallways, was an old gurney with a torn bedsheet draping over the side. It wouldn't cover her feet, but it was something. On the other hand, Lianna could try hiding in one of the patient rooms off to the side. She couldn't tell from the outside which ones were vacant and which ones were occupied.

- Hide under the gurney
- Hide in a patient room

 

[ArcticFox]

Better to risk and go into the first room on the opposite side, then to hide under the gurney and look stupid with her feet sticking out. She just hoped that if anyone was in that room, they were docile enough. She really didn't want to have to knock out a human being that night.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Inside the room, Lianna heard scratching against the wall. One scratch, two scratch, pause, three scratch, repeat. The sound was rhythmic, repetitive, and did not deviate into another pattern. Despite the lamp light overhead, she could not see the patient's face: They were hunched in the corner, dressed in a bright green robe less worn than Emma's. The hood covered their face.

"Go away." It was the voice of...

- A man
- A woman
- A child

 

[ArcticFox]

She heard a male voice and immediately turned around, though she kept her shotgun pointed down.

"I'm not going to disturb you. Just keep silent for a moment." She said quickly and doing her best to whisper.

 

[Cartoonicat]

The patient moved slightly, revealing long blonde hair, pale skin, and bloodshot eyes. He grinned. "You look afraid." The man had features so sharp he must have been malnourished; a quick glance at his exposed chest would prove the theory correct. His collarbones and ribs pulled gauntly against his skin. Several feet away from him were three meals, likely from that day, all untouched.

He was refusing to eat.

A man intent on starving himself would probably welcome death, should he be given the opportunity. Lianna could use him to distract the vampires or simply let him rot in his cell - something he was doing already. All she'd have to do is set him free.

- Talk to him
- Ignore him
- Set him free

 

[ArcticFox]

While she could see the benefits of using this man as a distractions, it would just leave her feeling like a monster. And she was a monster hunter, for god's sake. She decided to ignore the man for the time being, pressing her ear against the door to try to hear if the vampires had reached the hallway.

 

[Cartoonicat]

The man kept his eyes on her - a sensation Lianna could practically physically feel - for a long minute. Eventually the feel of being watched disappeared. The sound of rhythmic scratching picked up again, same pattern as before.

Outside, the hallway remained silent. Vampires were known to be light on their feet, yet the garlic-infused holy water would have slowed them, made them less coordinated.

- Peek into the hallway
- Remain still