Fantasy Steamhaven: Land of the Lost

[ArcticFox]

Lianna relied on her precision and strength, shooting at their knees, so she could topple them and then push them down the stairs. She couldn't think about disposing of them permanently now, there was no time.

 

[Cartoonicat]

The vampires fell forward, one's long nails - a woman with exquisite taste in design - scratching her across the temple. Lianna maneuvered around them easily enough and set into the second story hallway.

The hallway that was teeming with at least ten vampires.

From where she stood she could see Dr. Walker and Clara at the end of the hall. The doctor hid behind a bed mattress pulled from one of the rooms, propping the door open for extra cover, and Clara staked a vampire's chest with her glove before throwing it against two others. She was limping and gunless, but it didn't slow her down much; the woman was a force to be reckoned with, even in heels. Emma was nowhere to be seen, but it was likely she hid with Dr. Walker.

- Shoot the vampires
- Use your sword
- (Optional) Use demon's blood
- (Optional) Activate a landmine
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

The safest option to use here were the mines. They wouldn't affect the humans and would be very efficient with the vampires. She did not want to hit Clara despite their mutual dislike. Taking a couple of the mines from the pack, Lianna smashed them together to press their triggers and then flung them into the mass of vampires. If everything went well, she'd then take out her shotgun and fire very low, at their feet, not risking a shot that could endanger her allies.

 

[Cartoonicat]

The landmine activated, flying through the air and soaking everyone below. It distracted the vampires; most dropped their weapons and scrambled away, clawing at their clothes in attempt to get the soiled fabric away from their skin. The sound of Dr. Walker's rifle drowned out their screams.

Clara went to stake a fallen vampire only to shout in frustration and throw the glove, broken, to the ground. She scrambled for the decorative bag draped across her hips.

"Now, that's quite enough," Samael's voice sounded behind the group at the end of the hall. His face looked swollen as if he'd been beaten, hair tousled, and in his hand he held a pistol. He cocked it, barrel aimed at Dr. Walker. Emma must have been inside the room, otherwise he'd have likely shot her already. "Drop your weapons or he dies." He was too far for Lianna's sword or thrown items, and her shotgun was only accurate at close-range. Still, she could try.

- Drop your weapons
- Attack him
- Bargain with him
- Plead
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"Please, you shoot him and I'm taking out your other tooth." Lianna hissed. "How is that working out for you anyway, you seem malnourished already." She figured if she could rile him up, he could point his gun at her and away from the doctor. Then she would just have to hope that Clara would decide to jump in.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Samael snarled, eyes honing in on her, one tooth glinting. "You-" he moved to aim at her but stopped abruptly, catching sight of Clara now with a stake in her hands. She cursed and he grinned. "Clever human." He stepped closer to Dr. Walker and placed the metal barrel directly against the back of his head. The doctor's eyes widened and he lowered his gun slowly. "Unfortunately for you, I'm much smarter than that. Now drop your weapons."

- Drop your weapons
- Attack him
- Bargain with him
- Plead
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"No, you really aren't." Lianna shook her head. "I captured you once, I will do so again. And you weren't even able to get away from me without the help of another. See, he could be considered smart, you are just weak." She scowled, not dropping her weapon. Protecting innocents, that's what she was here for and she knew she would give up her gun if she saw there was no other way to go through this. But for now she couldn't resist one more insult.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Samael's grin fell. "I warned you." A shot boomed and the silence that followed was deafening. Dr. Walker fell forward, forehead staining the mattress red. Inside the room, Emma let out a wail.

"You bast-" Clara lunged at him, stake raised, only to get shot in the arm. In his haste he'd missed her heart. She tumbled to the ground with a howl, clutching at her wound. His gun, however, remained trained on her.

He stared Lianna right in the eyes. "How about Round Two?"

- Drop your weapons
- Cry
- Plead
- Bargain
- Attack him
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"Screw you." Lianna whispered, barely audible. She felt it again, the rage, the loss of control, the clouding of judgement. Despite her desperate tries to save the innocent, she had already failed. There was no going back now. Everything had gone to hell already. All she could do was send another vampire along too. Lianna gripped her shotgun and rushed forward, just enough to be in optimal range, so she could start shooting.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Samael's eyes widened a fraction and just as he tugged on the trigger, a figure barreled into him from behind. It sent him straight into Lianna's gunfire. His own bullet chipped the tile a mere foot from Clara's hand, making the woman yelp.

Fueled by rage, Lianna's bullets gunned him to the floor. He groaned, attempting to get up, but he hadn't regenerated yet. "Wait, no- how-"

Standing behind him was the wanted vampire, pistol in hand. He did not aim it at Lianna or Clara, however, nor did he make a move to protect Samael like he had in Lianna's home. Simply stood there, watching with his lips drawn into a line. He had been the one to push him.

He had saved Clara.

- Attack Samael
- Attack the wanted vampire
- Stop fighting
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

Lianna pointed her shotgun at the new arrival. He was an odd one. He had been odd for the entire time she was dogging him. Now he was so close, but this whole case had evolved into something much bigger than him. Yet, Lianna would not be a peace until she caught him. She fumbled with her left hand for her perfume, turning it toward Samael, but speaking to her illusive vampire.

"I'm going to melt his face off. Then I'm going to take him into custody and keep doing the same thing over a span of a couple of days. And then I'm going to kill him." She said, voice icy cold. "I don't know what your intentions are, but you are not human and thus I don't like you. I am not letting you close to Emma either. Put down your gun and let me bind you. And then I'll give you a merciful death."

 

[Cartoonicat]

The wanted vampire stayed silent for a moment, despite Samael's pained and loud accusations of "Traitor!" before speaking. When he did, he did not hide his voice. Finally met Lianna's eyes. "I don't care anymore," said Detective Payne, "I'm tired of... this." He gestured to the chaos around them: the writhing vampire bodies and bleeding human ones.

Noise came from inside the room. Scrambling against the floor. The sound of Poppy's voice protesting - she must have met up with them or broke through the wall. Emma nearly fell into the hallway she moved so quick, hands reaching for Dr. Walker, but when she spotted Detective Payne she stopped short.

Their eyes met and her jaw dropped.

"...Sarah?"

- Kill Samael
- Attack Detective Payne
- Ask him something
- Stop
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

Lianna's eyes widened and her trigger finger trembled. "Detective?" She muttered, voice barely a whisper. The muzzle of her gun lowered instinctively, then raised back up. She let out a frustrated sound and sprayed Samael to ease off her frustration. Threw in a kick in the ribs too, before addressing the Payne vampire.

"Explanations, please."

 

[Cartoonicat]

Samael swiped at her but missed, and instead curled over when the spray mottled his skin. Detective Payne only spared him a glance before turning to Lianna. It was Emma who spoke, however. She took a step towards Detective Payne, hand outstretched. "I knew I saw you. I-" He moved away when she got too close, but made no move to harm her. He avoided her gaze. "It is you."

"My name was Sarah Hansen," he told Lianna, "but forty-five years ago I went into hiding. Now my name is Landon Payne." Landon struggled visibly with keeping eye contact - Lianna could see his hands shaking slightly - but he didn't back down this time. "Emma-" just her name broke his courage and his eyes fell downcast to the tile floors, "-tried to find me, but if she did, she'd know who I was. Her knowing anything would put her in danger, so I had her sent here."

Emma lips twisted with emotion. "You- Sar- Y-You ruined my life."

Landon's lips drew into an impossibly tauter line. "I know," he confessed. "At the time, I thought survival was the most important thing... but surviving doesn't mean living," he looked at her. "I'm sorry, Emma."

As touching - or disgusting, it was up to Lianna to decide - as the moment was, it would have to be saved for later or cut short permanently. More questions needed answers and Emma needed closure, but Dan and Clem needed medical attention. On top of that, the vampires would be regenerating very soon and Lianna only had so many landmines.

- Attack Landon Payne
- Ask him to call off the vampires
- Kill Samael
- Retreat from the asylum
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"Call them off." Lianna said. "Take your little army back to whatever coffin you've crawled out of. You are obviously someone important to them, so order them not to return here. Leave Emma alone, you've done enough harm to her." Her voice was steady, but there was fire in her eyes. "Then get out of here. Consider it a temporary truce. But as soon as the dawn breaks I'm going to continue my hunt until ever last one of you godawful creatures is dead." She looked at Samael writhing on the floor and she felt the same as the last time she captured him. Her rage had dissipated already and her desire to torture and kill lessened. "What is his role in all of this?"

 

[Cartoonicat]

The detective opened his mouth to speak, but closed it with nothing to say. Meanwhile, the vampires regenerated slowly and sat up warily. It was Samael who said something: "He can make them leave now," a grunt of pain, "but they won't stay gone unless the old woman retracts her witness statement and lets the cases die."

Emma scowled. "You wretched thing, my brother was killed!"

"So will you, if you stick your nose in places it doesn't belong," Samael said.

The threat only mildly phased Emma; as quick as fear set in, a ferocity replaced it. "I'm-" she jumped at a flash of auburn hair going by. Poppy's fist connected with Samael's temple, knocking him out cold but not dead. The young woman wore the same look of disdain her grandmother did, chest heaving. Emma looked to Landon, then, "I need to know the truth about Conrad. What was so important you had my life stripped away in order to hide it?"

Landon looked conflicted, eyes darting to the vampires around them who had risen to their feet. "Samael was right. I can make them leave, but you will still be a target." He did not answer her question. Stepping forward, he grabbed Samael's collar and pulled him backwards. "He lead this mission, since he encountered you before," he looked to Lianna, "because I was not willing to."

Clara chose that time to speak up: "Save us all you want, but monsters will always be monsters... As Lianna said, we will kill you. Your attempts at humanity mean nothing."

"I know."

The vampires followed Landon's lead and began exiting the building via the open windows, though they kept their eyes on the group. Landon's eyes fell on the body of Dr. Walker. He sighed before tossing Samael over the edge and following him down to the ground. None of the vampires had risked the hallway route, which would have put their backs to the hunters. When they were gone, Emma shook her head and covered her face with her hands. Her shoulders shook with grief.

The threat of an entire vampire coven, the death of Dr. John Walker, the return of Sarah Hansen. Tonight would stick with them all for a long, long time.

- Comfort Emma
- Check on Poppy
- Watch the vampires leave
- Address Dr. Walker's body
- Address Clara's wounds
- Discuss a plan for Emma's safety

 

[ArcticFox]

Somehow that night felt like yet another failure. Yes, they did kill a lot of the creatures and yes both Emma and Poppy were alive, but for how long could they keep this up? Not to mention that they lost a good man that night, an innocent human who was trying to protect an old lady even if he didn't have to.

"Lady Peterson." Lianna turned toward her. "You cannot stay here. I don't care what kind of law has ordered you to be confined to the asylum, if the vampires are allowed to walk freely, so will you. I think it would be safest for both you and Poppy to stay at the Hunter's Hub for the time being. This town has a terrible problem with vampire infestation and no one will be safe until they are dealt with. We just have to kill every last one of them. Not only for your safety, but for the rest of Steamhaven."

And that's only one problem of plenty, but one that warranted immediate attention and the one Lianna will focus on now. No more hesitation. The next time she encountered Samael she would put a stake through his heart. And detective Payne would first need to answer some questions.

"Also, Clara, we need to get you, Clem and Dan to a doctor. Can you walk to the Main Office?" She asked her, showing her the key. "If you are able to, get to them and I will be right with you. I just need to... burn doctor's body first and tell the first attendant that comes in to work to notify his family about it. Then, we are all getting out of here."

 

[Cartoonicat]

At the mention of leaving, Emma looked shocked - but not unhappy. She peered out the window. It had been decades since she'd left the asylum, aside from her little escapade outside the grounds that when she'd reopened the case. The old lady would by no means be free, but she'd no longer be a prisoner of four walls and pills she didn't need. Poppy hesitantly rest a hand on her grandmother's forearm, drawing her attention back. They both nodded at Lianna. "I am more than ready to leave this place," Emma said.

Pulling herself to her feet with her one good arm, Clara put pressure on her leg and winced, but did not complain. Took the keys. "I'd be quick if I were you," she gestured to the doctor's body, "he's been still for too long now."

Poppy frowned deeply. "Don't they turn quick?"

Clara nodded. The doctor's fingers began to twitch. "His death was by no means easy." The hunter's words visibly bothered Emma who, despite potential protests, walked over and placed a hand on Dr. Walker's shoulder. Clara stepped forward protectively.

"He was a good man," Emma said. She swallowed back tears. "I never met them personally, but he has two sisters. Hannah and Holly Walker." Closing her eyes, Emma let Poppy lead her a few steps back, closer to Clara and away from the corpse.

There was a moment of silence, but it did not go unproductive: Clara handed Lianna some rope from her own supplies and helped her tie up the doctor's corpse. Within moments he'd returned to life - rather, undead - and jerked against the restraints with a cloudy-eyed groan. "We have enough stakes left to set him on fire, but the flame will be small," Clara said. Handed over her bag entirely in exchange for the key. "I'll fetch the others." Motioned for Emma and Poppy to follow her.

Poppy stayed behind, however, watching the corpse move with apprehension. "...Can I help?"

- Let Poppy help
- Send Poppy away
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

Lianna looked at Poppy with uncertainty. "Are you sure you want to help?" She asked. They would be carrying out a body of a person they knew, not the a great extend, but have spoken with him just that day. Now he was only a mindless and violent husk. It was not easy for her to see it, despite having fought the undead before, it couldn't have been easy for Poppy. Though she didn't want to keep turning her away.

"If you want to help, take his legs. I'll grab the arms and let's carry him out to the courtyard. Better than leaving him here."

 

[Cartoonicat]

"I see this kind of thing every day," she said solemnly. Stepped forward to drag his legs. Poppy couldn't hide her discomfort with the situation, but she was also very strong-willed: Working in Downtown, the most dangerous and zombie-infested part of Steamhaven, likely shaped her that way.

Together the two dragged him down the stairwell, into the lobby, and out into the lawn. The blood from his head stopped making a blatant trail once they'd passed the second floor. Now, only smeared scarlet drops indicated the path they'd taken. Outside, Poppy took some of the stakes and set up a small fire. Retrieved a match from her pocket and struck it against her boot, lighting it aflame. She dropped it on the fire and let it spread to the doctor. "It'll be a slow burning," she said, "but at least he can't feel pain."

With the doctor's body taken care of and the survivors gathering, they were free to leave. Emma was close to Dr. Walker and had expressed knowledge of his family; Lianna could contact them that way or wait until morning for the shift to change an another doctor to arrive. If she chose the second option, she could be courteous and leave a note of explanation, or leave the burn corpse of Dr. Walker and the several staked zombies to speak for her.

- Wait
- Leave
- (Optional) Leave a note
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

Not wanting to wait any longer, or ever return, to that place, Lianna grabbed a piece of paper from the desk where the receptionist should have been stated and wrote a quick and concise note.

Dr Walker died defending his patients from a vampire coven. He was a brave and honourable man and he will be missed.

She wasn't planning on hiding her involvement in the matter, but she also wasn't going to leave her info on the note, just in case someone other than the asylum staff or the Walker family read it. With that, she went to see if Clem and Dan are able to walk at least a little and then to try hailing a carriage.

 

[Cartoonicat]

It took the group at least twenty minutes to haul the men out and hail enough carriages to hold the entire grouo, and even longer than that to reach the Hunters' Hub. Half of them had fallen asleep on the carriage rides, only waking up when their transports slowed to a stop and the drivers ushered them onto the sidewalk.

What few hunters were in there eyed the group suspiciously at first, only to realize the extent of their wounds and hurry forward to help. Those who had been injured were guided to a separate room for basic bandages and food while Poppy and Emma were given a place to rest.

Despite their greed, the Hunters took care of their own and, even more so, innocent civilians. It was just a good thing Clem's mother was not in the vicinity or she'd be making a worried fuss over the state of her son.

- Eat alone
- Eat with Clem, Clara, or Dan
- Nap
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

Lianna was not up for any conversation at that time. She was only glad that all of them... most of them... managed to get out of that scrap alive. The Hunters seemed willing to help tend the injured as well as feed them, and she really really needed some sleep. She snuck out of the crowded room and into Dan's now empty basement, judging that the most secluded spot in the Hub, and found a relatively clean spot to sleep. Just a little nap, so she gathered enough strength to return home.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Lianna woke two hours later feeling refreshed enough to head home. With the Hub quiet and the others recuperating, there wasn't much to do. Heading home was the optimal choice - especially since she had plans with a certain doctor later that evening.
----
The walk home was quiet enough but it still tired her out. By time Lianna stepped through her front door, she was dragging her feet. She could squeeze in another nap before meeting with Everett, though that would eat up all of her primping time; she wouldn't have time for a proper bath, let alone doing her hair nicely or other means of dressing up.

She'd have to decide: Look darling at the cost of much-needed sleep or leave the house awake but less-than-charming.

- Take a nap
- Get dressed up
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

Lianna would rather risk falling asleep on her plate, than appear so unseemly in public. She might not have been the girlishness of girls, but she appreciated cleanliness above all. And now she just felt filthy. She would never be able to relax knowing she smelled like hell and probably had a dozen tears and holes in her clothing.