Devil In The Dark(IC)

[Supercape]

....

 

....

 

 

A couple of screams and gunfire?????

 

Carmen took a deep breath. She only had herself to blame. Tazel's nature was to twist words. There was no use in exploding at him. He was but a tool, a powerful one at that, but it was playing with dynamite. 

 

She strode out of the Monastry brazen as brass. 

 

Thank you for your service. Back in the cage, now! she commanded, legs akimbo with a fierce look on her face and deep frown in her eyes. She opened wide to swallow Tazel back into her bones. 

 

Now fire me up! I feel the hail in my blood, and I want warming. She commanded, as the smoke and wisps of flame once again surrounded her, and the studs of metal and bronze adorned her clothing. 

 

"Lets get moving sailors! Archeron's place is not far!" she called out to the men and women back in the Monastry as she swallowed the bile, and ignored her spinning mind - which conjured up all sorts of horrible images about what might have happened....

[Vahnyu]

GM Post

 

Phlegethon's Villa

9:12

 

The hail continued falling, but other than that, silence ruled over the land. Outside of the group, no signs of life could be found, and that included any sort of demonic pressence. It was as if everything in the island had died and vanished, leaving no trace that it ever existed here. As for the villa itself, it was still standing, but it had definitely seen better days. Scratch marks, scorch marks, broken windows, unbolted doors... All signs clearly indicated that something had rampaged through here. Something had come and gone, almost like a bad dream, a nightmare. But whereas a nightmare is usually burried under memories and forgetten after mere moments, this thing lingered, its existance looming threateningly over the current inhabitants of the Riverrock Island.

 

The sailors felt their courage drain slightly at the sight, but they nevertheless kept their nerves steeled, ready to take action. Inside, the building was in a hardly better codition, the marks of fighting evident throughtout the floor, walls, and ceilings. The way to the dinning room had had it the worst, and coutnless charred marks were sprayed around. Thankfully, neither Carmen nor the S.S.Gadelica crew could spot any dead bodies about.

[Supercape]

No dead people. That's good. 

 

No alive people either. That's not so good. 

 

After Tazels mocking and her feverish fears and nightmares, she would take what solace she could. However, the sheen of death that had coated the island weighed upon her. 

 

She proceeded slowly. For one, she was tired. Her leg had absorbed far too much punishment with the hiking and she new the paralysed skin would be breaking and red sore from the titanium brace. The nerves down there were deadened, but not dead, and she could feel their muted complaints. 

 

But also, she was cautious. No matter the silence and stillness, she was on guard. 

 

She kept replying the murder that had happened in front of her eyes last night. She still couldn't quite accept it, and all she could do was press on, scorching a determination to let no further death blight the island. 

 

"Let's try and look for survivors.." she said in a quiet voice to the crew. 

 

"And if not survivors, then lets try and find out what the hell happened...."

[Vahnyu]

GM Post

 

Everyone felt knots on their stomachs at the mention of the possibility of no survivors to be found. Bob Hobson in particular, the sailor who had tried to offer first aid to Carmen in the warehouse during the night, protested that immediately "Aw, come on! Don't say that! There's bound to be plenty of survivors! In fact, I'd bet that no-one has died at all, thanks to you, miss Canto." he went, unaware of Acheron's death.

 

"Aouch..." A voice inside Carmen went. "Right in the wound, eh Master?"

 

"Well, even if anyone died, I doubt they went down without a fight." Tom Jenkins piped in. "I mean, look at this place! Looks like someone held a small-scale war in here. Maybe they killed all the demonic creatures that were attacking this islandd, and that's why we can't find any." He didn't fail to stiffle a yawn.

 

"... Perhaps... but I'm not exactly thrilled on that prospect. Besides, I wouldn't count us THAT 'lucky' yet. It'd be too random for a bunch of demons to rampage through a small, largely uninhabited island, and then disappear and go down as if they never existed..." Angelica mused.

 

"Oh, quit being such a downer, Angelica... Come on! Let's find some survivors and get the hell out of this island! The sooner, the better, 'fyou ask me."

 

One of the sailors had approached the door leading to the dinning room. He tried listening through it. "Ummm... everyone? Keep your voices down... I think I hear something, but... I can't quite make out what it is..." he cautioned, as he signaled the others to come closer and have a hear.

[Supercape]

Carmen - or rather, smoking away as she was with the bound demon in her veins - Pitch stopped, and listened, but couldn't hear anything but a vague sawing sound. 

 

"This feels like a haunted mansion" she muttered. "All we need is a midnight moon and some vampire bats". For all her confidence in facing down demons, she could still be spooked by other supernatural entities. Ghosts and Ghouls. 

 

She half wished she had her own rifle to cock, but made do with a burning smoulder in her hand, ready to hurl. 

 

"Well, I aim to find out. There is mystery here, and I am to sunder the veil" she said, allowing some Rock Shakespeare to creep in. And why not?

 

She marched forward and flung open the door with all her strength. 

[Vahnyu]

GM Post

 

The door opened violently, revealing inside a sight that was... unexpected. A lot of people were scattered around the floor. There didn't appear to be any blood on most of them, and even the few who had, appeared to be wrapped in gauzes where the wounds would be. The sound everyone heard was now audible enough to comprehend; several of the staff in this room were snoring. The crewmembers of the S.S.Gadelica felt their breaths returning to them in relief. Too bad they hadn't had time to savor it.

 

"HALT! Who's there?!" One of the servants asked, rifle in hand, as he violently rocked from his sleep.

 

"What's going on?" Another servant went, as he woke up.

 

"Woah, woah, WOAH, EASY! We're humans!" One of the crew tried pacifying them

 

Soon the staff were all up, even the heaviest of the sleepers. They all seemed apprehensive, until someone went "Boss? Is that you?! Hey everyone, it's my boss, miss Canto!!"

[Supercape]

"Nice to see you Billy" she answered, a grin splitting her face and hissing smoke between her teeth. 

 

She whispered to him a little more sombre "although technically its Pitch right now". 

 

her desire to maintain her secret Identity had held her back when she was fighting Archeron's murders last night. Perhaps if she had fired up, and gone full throttle, rather than relying on a simple gun...

 

Much as she wanted to retain her secret, that was a heavy price, and would weigh heavy on her. 

 

There must have been two dozen survivors now. Who had seen her flip back and forth. Well, if she helped them survive, hopefully they would keep quiet. No time to contemplate that now...

 

"What's the situation here? what happened last night?" she asked, keen and anxious. "Did...did you lose anyone else?"

[Vahnyu]

GM Post

 

Billy apologized for his goof, but at that point, the proverbial cat had been pretty much dragged out of the bag. Still, the staff had the pressence of mind not to pester her with questions at this point, as more important matters were looming ahead.

 

It took some time until the battle-ready spirits of everyone finally gave way for relief. After a while, they all sat down, and took turns explaining the events that had transpired during the night. The sailors of the boat that had brought Carmen and Billy on the island recounted why they had to turn around; it had been literally physically impossible for the S.S.Gadelica to travel past a certain distance from the island. They had tried a number of different routes, before giving up and returning to the docks.

 

As for the manor servants, they had a tale of their own, involving their frantic attempts to repel the increasingly emboldened demons. A lot of people got hurt in the process, but thankfully, no one died. They also noted that, at around 5:30 to 5:45 in the early morning, the demons appeared to be retreating. After some time, they stopped appearing altogether, and only the hailstorm made noise.

 

"And that, as they say, is that." Alex Movida, the late Acheron's most trusted helper, summarized.

 

"We where weary from the fight, and couldn't stand being awake any longer." Billy added, explaining the condition in which they were found. "Communications with anything outside the island are still down, and while we are all alive, our numbers of able fighters are dwindling. Thankfully, we've got plenty of food here, but that's of little comfort as is. And we still don't know why the demons attacked here, and now, of all times."

[Supercape]

"And we don't know why they went, either" said Carmen, as the smoke and fire died down in her body. Tazel could fire her up (as far as she knew) without fatigue or pause, but she felt more human without that infernal power coursing through her body, even bound and servant as it was. 

 

"Well Billy, we can't hold off here for ever, but at least we have food, water, and everyone is in one place. That's better than last night" she said trying to boost spirit. 

 

"But the mystery is why? what happened here? What did Acheron have to do with this all?"

 

She turned to Alex and addressed him as well as Billy. 

 

"Have you any idea? Did Acheron get in over his head? any interest in the occult which went to far? Perhaps we should search his study - or did he have any other place he went to retreat?"

[Vahnyu]

GM Post

 

Alex kept silent for a long time, as he appeared to consider the implication that Acheron had been tampering with demonic knowledge. "I can honestly assure you, miss Carmen, that master Phlegethon never behaved in a weird secretive manner, for as long as I've known him, and trust me, I've known him for many years. He's always been a bit of a recluse, but that's been mainly the case when he's having inspiration." He replied calmly, but there was also still a lot of sadness evident in his voice.

 

"Perhaps, but we don't have any more leads to look into, do we?" Tom uncharacteristically sensibly interjected. "At the very least, we will have eliminated a slew of reasons for the demons' attack here."

 

"That's... not quite true." Billy said, the slightest hint of uncertainty. "We DO have a lead... sort of... well, remember when we said that the demons started disappeared in the morning? They didn't just poof into thin air, nor did they scatter in random directions; they all seemed to escape to the back of the manor."

 

"I tried following them, keeping a safe distance, to see where they were going. It appeared that they were headed for the back of the island." One servant commented.

 

"The back of the island? That's not much of a help; there's nothing there."

 

"Not quite. There's an entrance to a cave, right on a cliff. You can climb down there, though that's a bit dangerous, or you can follow the coast, which leads to a narrow path that connects to the cliff." Another servant explained.

 

"Had Acheron been known to frequent that place?" Angelica asked.

 

"Not really, no. Master Acheron would usually visit the village, when not in the manor. That's the one that's after the church."

 

"He also frequented the woods in the southwest, on the complete opposite direction of the village, but there's nothing there. Only trees."

 

"So... We've got the Cave in the back of the island were the demons may have gone and hidden, St.Blaise Village, this manor, and some random trees on the southwest... Well, it's a start, I suppose..." the Captain mused.

[Supercape]

"Well we shouldn't split up any more. We need to hold up here, tight and safe" said Carmen. 

 

"Meanwhile, I'm going to check out those places, starting with the nearest, namely, the back of this manor" she said, her mind made up. 

 

"After all, its the closest, and secondly, it poses the most direct threat to everyone here. If there are demons in this manor we need to flush them out, secure this place properly" she reasoned. 

 

"And whilst I do that, please tell me there are some vehicles operational in this island? I would settle for a bicycle..." she implored to Alex. The thought of hiking further on an already complaining leg was far from appealing. 

 

"I'll need a few people and a few guns behind me, to cover the entrance as I go in.,.." she offered, asking for volunteers. 

 

"And then, someone to show me just where the back of this manor is..."

[Vahnyu]

GM Post

 

Alex sighed. "I'm sorry, miss Canto. I'm affraid you won't even find a skateboard here, much less a bicycle." He apologised to the reporter. "As for people..." he motioned at 2 men on the staff "Petro and Dennis here will accompany you. They know the land well enough."

 

"You can count on us, too, miss Canto!" Tom interjected.

 

"I agree with Tom on this one, so count me in as well." Angelica added.

 

However, the Captain of the S.S.Gadelica had other thoughts, and she shook her head in disagreement. "Absolutely out of the question; you two had been pulling lookout shifts through the night. You're barely standing as is, your eyes' bags have bags, and you're at peak fatigue. You'll stay here, and you'll sleep it off."

 

"But Captain?!"

 

"NO! William and I will be accompanying miss Canto. The rest of you stay here and guard this place with the staff." the Captain said, with finality.

[Supercape]

"The Captain is right, guys. You are no good to anybody that tired. Especially with a gun in your hand and with things this creepy. You lose focus, get a trigger finger, and bam bam bam. You are going to be more of a danger to everyone around you than a help. This place has everyone rattled to hell, add in some red eyes and an automatic rifle, that's a recipe for disaster. So sit this one out, huh?" she said, trying to mix firmness with kindness. She meant every word though. The last thing they needed right now was stray bullets and panic. They had enough of their plate without everyone shooting each other in fear. 

 

"So lets go check out the back of the Manor, Captain. At least its not much of a walk. I don't fancy doing any more trekking, although I have a hunch my bones will be weary and my flesh raw before this night is over" she sighed, steeling herself and cracking her knuckles. 

 

With that, she picked up her Cane and walked towards the back of the Manor. 

[Vahnyu]

GM Post

 

With that said, no more protests were raised, leaving the group of Carmen, William, the Captain of the S.S. Gadelica, Pedro, and Dennis, to embark on their quest to reach the back of the island, find the demons, and make sure they posed no more trouble. Before they left, they were outfitted with 5 Handheld Transcievers. "We found these Walkie-Talkies in the cellar, during the night after you left." Alex explained to Carmen. "They seemed to work fine within the perimeter of the estate, although some small garbage noise started to occur near the edges, probably due to the hail. I doubt they'll be of any use during your venture in the cave, but at least, they should help us maintain radio contact while you are in the surface of the island... hopefully, that is." Considering that the cellphones required access to a remote satelite in order to reroute the calls, it was no wonder that the far simpler Walkie-Talkies were at least able to send a direct message back and forth within a small distance, even with this abominable weather.

 

The way to the back of the manor lead Carmen through a number of doors and passages, before revealing the backyard of the estate. Now that it was day, heavy footprints could be spotted through the ground, indicating that a large sized creature, or quite possibly many, had rampaged through the backyard. While everyone steeled themselves in anticipation for the worst, no sound could be heard other than the breaths of the group.

[Supercape]

Carmen examined the footprints, prodding them with her Cane.

 

"This doesn't bode well. But then, the whole island bode's ill" she said, actually smiling for once. The disaster and horror of the island was counterbalanced in her head by the strength of the people who were enduring it. She could only imagine this was what war was like. You never survived war on your own. You survived it with others. Perhaps then the Walkie-Talkies served as a fortitude of some kind. 

 

"I hardly think, at this stage, I need to say be on your guard" she said, voice low and humorous. They needed a bit of black humour, she decided. Well, she did, in any case. 

 

"At least its day. Let's see where these footprints go..."

[Vahnyu]

GM Post

 

The group nodded, and they formed a tight formation, as they walked throught the backyard and towards the forest. Where there were once trees growing and mingling and creating a thick forest, now an open path appeared before them, with uprooted or otherwise destroyed trees laying at the sides of the path. "Well... Whatever the thing that caused this was, it probably came from this direction. Went, too, if I had to guess." Pedro stated the obvious.

 

William looked at miss Carmen and asked with concern. "This is gonna be a long way, ma'am. We can take breaks every few minutes, but still, are you sure you're up to it? Or should we fall back?"

 

The Captain said nothing, as while she had seen Carmen brave through the hail in the dark before, she wasn't too keen on facing the monster that caused this scene any time soon. Still, she knew that Carmen could go toe-to-toe with whatever might come, and she'd be damned if she didn't assist the brave reporter anyway she could.

 

Tazel, for his part, held completely quiet. Carmen could still feel him perfectly well inside her head, but it was obvious to her that he was somberly hiding his thoughts. Finally, he spoke. "I don't like this, master, one bit. When Demons come and make such huge displays, they don't go playing hide afterwards."

[Supercape]

Huh...I don't often agree with you, Tazel...but these are strange days full of strange things. 

 

"I'm sure I'm up to it" she replied to William through gritted teeth, even if her leg ached through red and welted flesh. "Although when I get back to Freedom City I'm booking into a hotel, and blowing my money on a few days being waited on whilst I soak in a warm bath day and night" she said, almost feeling the luxury melt over her skin. 

 

"And I'll have damn well earned it to, in this hell hole. And I mean that literally" she joked. 

 

But as she started to go forward, she stopped, halting a moment. 

 

This felt wrong. She itched to go and fight demons - that was what she did. But that wasn't the way out of this mess. She had to work out what was happening. There were demons everywhere here, and chasing after a big, bad, and presumably ugly one, was not necessarily going to help. On top of that, she was leaving the others. And there was something suspicious about the whole thing anyway. 

 

"But no" she said, drawing herself back. 

 

"This is hunting, but in the wrong direction. We need to find out what Acheron was up to, not fly off on some wild goose chase...." she said, turning back to the mansion. 

 

"Lets stick together. We need to solve the mystery of what Acheron was up to. Where did he frequent? that old village?"

[Vahnyu]

GM Post

 

Dennis and Pedro looked distant and sorrowful, for a few moments. Taking a deep breath, Dennis said "Yes, miss Canto. Master Acheron drew great inspiration from visiting St. Blaise village. Well... at least, that's how it seemed to me."

 

Pedro added "There's also the woods in the southwest, no? Master frequented that place as well, though I'd be damned if I knew why; The place is filled with nothing but trees."

 

"Perhaps. Still, it wouldn't hurt us to start with the village. I mean, technically speaking, it's closer to our location."

 

"... you're not chickening on us, Dennis, are you?"

 

"Well, look! The forest's empty. We'd be combing for a needle in a haystack, while blindfolded. At least, in the village, there're plenty of easily recognizable referrence points. Plus, less creepy than some empty woods."

 

"Yes... the ghost village that got burned to the ground is less creepy than some trees." Pedro snarked, even though it was apparent that he was only putting a brave face.

 

The Captain decided that they shouldn't let the two of them carry on for too long. "Alright, alright, settle down, you two. Let's leave it to the pro." turning towards the journalist, the Captain went "So, the village or the woods, miss Canto?"

[Supercape]

"The Village" replied Carmen, after a moments consideration. It was true, getting lost in the woods was, she reasoned, a recipe for disaster. She could see well enough in the dark, but if darkness fell it would mean complete disorientation for the rest of them. And on this island, with everything twisting and warping, who knew what could happen. 

 

No, they shouldn't get lost. The Village, at least, would have landmarks, not endless trees and the madness of being without direction. 

 

And in terms of understanding Acheron, it was a toss up. 

 

"Its safer, and a smaller area to cover. But safer doesn't mean safe, not by a long shot. We ain't safe till we are off this island. And we ain't off this island till we work out what the hell happened here" she said. 

 

And with that, she turned to take the motley crew towards St. Blaise Village. 

[Vahnyu]

GM Post

 

The Captain took out her Walkie Talkie, and opened it to communicate with the manor. After relaying their new objective, and the staff confirming their situation, the group turned around, and headed towards the village. They kept close to the mansion, and finding the path that connected the mansion, the village, and the port, was an easy task. The trek itself didn't last for more than a quarter of an hour.

 

---

 

St. Blaise Village, Village Entrance

10:40

 

Alex had mentioned the devastation of the village, but the spectacle that welcomed Carmen and her group was still a sight to behold. The few buildings that were still standing were completely wrecked, charred signs hanged on the streets, trees had grown in the middle of the roads. The town had trully been abandoned to the wild.

 

"Well? Where do we start?" The Captain asked the mansion staff.

 

Dennis and Pedro looked unsure at each other. "Beats me. Master Phlegethon usually came here on his own. I don't remember him having an escort here."

 

"Well... that's helpful." She said somberly.

 

William, from the S.S. Gadelica, decided to offer his insight at this point. "Then might as well start with this building there. It's the closest one to us." he said, indicating a building with a sign that read: P*B**C *EC*R*S ARC*I*E ***VICE

[Supercape]

"This is the part in the horror movie where the scooby gang splits up to search the haunted house" said Pitch, sardonically, clearly indicating her contempt for the tactic. It was true, time did not favour them with her luxury, but splitting up seemed a very bad idea. 

 

She could have done with a rest, the walk had nearly killed her. Her blisters had blisters and her brace cut into flesh. She would have dearly loved to take it off, but doing so would disable her. 

 

She studied the building nearest them. She was no genius, and her school grades where only average, except for English. She was pretty good with words. 

 

"What's that?" she asked, studying the letters. "Public? Records? Archive? Service?" she guessed after pondering the puzzle a few moments. She had been to a few of those in her time. True, her Rock Journalist career had flown on the back of being more Rock than Journalist, but she still was a Journalist. 

 

"Lets give it a try, its as good a place to start as any. Maybe some trace of Archeron looking at the records..."

[Vahnyu]

GM Post

 

Everyone nodding at once, they all headed inside the building. While on the outside, it seemed to be relatively in one piece, the inside revealed broken furntiture, collapsed mortar and matching holes in the ceiling, and heaps of burned books and notes, full of musty dust. A set of staircases was situated in the back of the room, leading to a second floor with even more destroyed books. It appeared that the fire had claimed most of the archives ages ago, though how it had managed to wipe everything inside the building and not leave a mark outside was anyone's guess.

 

"Alright then." the Captain said, after having her fill of taking in the scenery. "All things considered, this makes things very simple for us. Since most books are destroyed, we won't have to go through the entire Records. Search the entire building for any books, records, archives, notes, whatever, that have survived the disaster, and gather them here."

 

"Let's just hope that we will find what we're looking for." William noted dourly.

 

"Then that should pose no problem, Smithson, seeing as hope" she glanced at Carmen "is all we have, at this point."

[Supercape]

Carmen pondered briefly. 

 

"An old fire? That is good, in a way, as you say" she said. "Unless our man could read ashes" she said, half joking and then realising when it came to this mystery, reading ashes was still on the menu. 

 

She sat down, exhausted, lay the Cantos cane to one side and massaged her legs. She hurt, she felt hungry, and she was feeling the guilt over Acheron's death, submerged by the veneer of vengeance, beginning to seep into her bones. 

 

Tears were spilling over the rage. 

 

"Captain, I have to find out what happened here. Or it will eat me up. I swear" she said, feeling frail and hollow inside. 

 

"It's not just a matter of getting us all off this island safe and sound. Although I will, damn it. I want to know just how and why Acheron threw himself into this pit" she said, wiping her brow and feeling cold. 

 

Silently, she stood up and started the search with the others. Her determination was hardened. 

[Vahnyu]

GM Post

 

It took less than a quarter for Carmen and her escorts to gather all the readable material. They then all sat and started reading each book, in hopes of spotting anything of interest, perhaps something vaguely arcane or demon-related. Alas, true to the building's alleged name, these were nothing more than public records, birth certificates, marriage licences, records of festivals and events, genealogical trees, and the sort. "... my GOD, this is boring!" the Captain complained, the sheer dullness of having to leaf page after page finally starting to get into her nerves.

 

Pedro and Dennis stiffled their laughs, as William asked the Captain. "What's the matter, Captain? Don't tell me you'd prefer being out in the hail, and fighting hordes of unspeakable monsters?"

 

"Honestly, Smithson? Yes! At least I'd know then that SOME progress was being made. And thinking that we'll have to comb through the rest of the village, as well..."

 

While this happened, a book finally caught Carmen's eye. The cover material was very ornamate and bright-colored, befitting that of an aristocrat, and stood out from all the rest of the records. The title of the book was [The Lamant Family].

[Supercape]

"Jackpot!" said Pitch. She was a restless soul, not one for scrutinising text endlessly. But to a degree, it came with being a Journalist. Her job was not all about going to rock gigs and interviewing people. Admittedly, a lot was, but she did actually have to do a bit of writing now and again. And even some reading. 

 

She dusted down an old table and put the book down, gently - as if the accumulated ash and destruction of the building might infect the book. Paper was a fragile think, after all, and the records were not new. 

 

"The Lamant family. Some geneology, perhaps?" she asked the crew around her. Carefully she turned the pages, devouring and studying the documents, to see if any clue could be extracted.

 

One name caught her eye. Maria Ambrosia Phelegethon. The surname was an invitation to wonder. She was the wife of Jean-Louis Lamant, the last mayor of the deserted village they were in, St. Blaise. Married in 1930, with two sons, Felipe, born in 1932, and Georges, born in 1936. 

 

"A long time ago" she said, carefully closing the book. 

 

"But, relations of our mystery man? and how distant?" she asked the questions. 

 

"I wonder why this village was abandoned? any records on that?" she asked the crew.