*comment ñáéç The lair of "Clythenomenes the Thrasher" is somewhere between menacing and pathetic. Pathetic, in that it seems to have emerged half-formed from the cheap sets of one of the nickelodeon's more fanciful productions. But in addition to that, regardless of the inhabitant's derangements, he is a vampire who has lost all touch with his humanity. And so the tenement hunches on the block, windows blown out and scarred from fire, studiously avoided by the mortals unfortunate enough to live within eyeshot. The inhabitants of the adjoining buildings are not friends with their neighbors just down the block, lest something like friendship necessitate crossing in front of the Thrasher's abode. *choice #I nod towards the building. Together, Phineas and I can take Clyde. *goto assault_clyde *selectable_if (charm > 2) #"I would prefer to try and distract Clyde, maybe even show him the error of his ways..." *set compassion %-10 *goto distract_clyde *if compassion > 40 *selectable_if (discretion > 50) #Let a fire finish the job someone started a long time ago. It should be easy enough to find a firebug around here... For a hundred dollars, you find someone from a different neighborhood willing to set the tenement on fire. You wait to make sure Clyde returns before dawn, and then send the firebug to do his work, while you and Phineas seek rest nearby. Nevermind the adjoining tenements and the dozens of men, women and children that lose their lives, trapped in those roach motels. *set clyde_killed true *set compassion %+30 *set blood -1 *goto after_clyde *label assault_clyde Acquiring some gasoline and matches--always a dangerous proposition for a pair of leeches such as yourselves--you head in to Clyde's tenement. You find him on the second floor, staring blankly at a recently deceased man suspended (again!) from the ceiling, the bucket of blood below him slowly cooling. *page_break The fight is brief but intense. He is no match for the two of you combined, and within moments, you are sprinkling his struggling body with gasoline, which Phineas promptly sets ablaze. His screams ricochet through the empty tenement and into the night air beyond. No one will summon the police to this block. Once Clyde is burnt to ash, you and Phineas make sure the fires are extinguished, and then cut down the body of the suspended man. As disgusting as cooled blood is, you see no point in wasting it. When the blood is gone and other overtly vampiric-related items are disposed of, you and Phineas part ways after setting up a time to meet the next night. *if blood < 13 *set blood +3 *set compassion %+10 *goto after_clyde *label distract_clyde Out of the corner of your eye, you notice some movement in the tenement. You grab Phineas, and shoulder deeper into the shadows of the stairway you've been standing in. From your position, you watch as Clyde slinks out of the tenement, and proceeds to head up the block. It seems you have a little time before he'll return. *if (creation > 0) and ((intelligence > 1) and ((charm > 2) and (rationalism < 85))) *if male or (stealth > 3) *goto trick_clyde *else *goto distract_clyde_2 *else *goto distract_clyde_2 *label trick_clyde Maybe Phineas was on to something with the wings? Borrowing some items from the 'trash' that litters the street, you cobble together another set of wings. Or something that will look like wings when backlit appropriately. Relying on every ounce of ingenuity, you construct a suitable stage for your play, and then sit down to wait. *page_break Clyde does not bother to try to disguise his return. He trundles up the stairs, and catches sight of a lamp you have just lit. He walks into the room, and upon seeing you--or your silhouette, anyway--he falls to his knees. "Oh Lord Lucifer! How fortunate I am to welcome you to my home!" "You have displeased me, Clythenomenes!" "My lord! Have the punishments not been enough? Have I not been sending the souls of sinners to you as you requested?" "No, you have done as I have asked, but you have not done as I wished!" "But... but... Lord Lucifer!" "Stop your sniveling!" you exclaim in your most booming, gravelly voice. From the next room, you hear Phineas strike a piece of sheet-metal for good measure. "It is not only mortals that have sinned! So too have the vampires of Chicago committed the most heinous acts! And they, they too need punishment!" "Yes, my lord! I will punish the vampires as well!" "I sent an angel to you, Gabriel... but he reports to me that you attacked him!" "But... my lord!" "SILENCE!" The sheet metal screams angrily from the next room. "Hark! Gabriel is nearby! He will come to you and give you instructions. You are to obey him in everything he commands, and answer all of his questions. He is seeking the heart of evil in this city, and with your aid, he will find it!" "Yes, my lord! For your unholy glory!" "Now, go out into the streets and seek Gabriel. But mind you, he has hidden his wings from you, now that you have disappointed me. He will look like a normal man." "Yes, my lord!" "Now go, and prepare yourself to confront the heart of evil." Another strike on the sheet metal. You should probably wrap up soon here, as Phineas seems to be enjoying himself a little too much. "Yes, oh yes my lord!" With that, Clyde stands and runs from the room and out into the street, seeking 'Gabriel'. Once he is gone, Phineas rounds the corner, sheet metal in one hand, and the other pressed to his stomach. "${given_name}, that was... the cat's pyjamas." You ${bow} in reply. *page_break *set clyde_coopted true "Phineas, do you really believe that there is something worse than Clyde in Chicago?" "Absolutely. And my guess is that it starts with quaestor O'Donnell." What do you think about that? *choice #"I want to help you put an end to this menace," because the source of such depravity should be put down. "Excellent." *set independence %+5 *set compassion %-5 *finish #"I want to help you put an end to this menace," because you like the idea of the new quaestor owing you a huge favor. "Excellent." *set independence %+5 *set discretion %+10 *finish #"Uhm, I was just worried about this vampire who thought he was a demon and was busy stringing up mortals in the middle of alleys..." "You have come this far, and now you want to flee? Someone has convinced Clyde that he is a demon, and commanded him to do things that break the rule of silence. For the benefit of the whole Society, we must put an end to this." *choice #"You're right, I want to see this through." "I'm glad to see you've come around." *set independence %+5 *finish #"You know, I think I'm gonna scram. I just got to this town, and it's not really sitting well with me." "Coward." *page_break Over the next few months you hear rumors about the vampires of Chicago. It seems that O'Donnell went missing and, in his absence, Phineas was made quaestor of the city by the Governor. Such are the ways of the undead. *set discretion %-15 *set independence %-20 *goto_scene timejump2 *label distract_clyde_2 You head into the tenement with Phineas. Finding as good a place as you can, you set up to confront Clyde upon his return. *page_break Clyde does not bother to try to disguise his return. He trundles up the stairs, and catches sight of a lamp you have just lit. He strides into the room where you are sitting and exclaims: "Why have you come here?" "I am here to release you from your duties as a minion of Hell." "Who are you?" *if male "I... I am... Maximilian the Emissary, sent to bring word from below that you are to return there immediately!" "Maximilian the Emissary? Lucifer never mentioned you." *goto distract_clyde_3 *else "I... I am... Meridiana the Emissary, sent to bring word from below that you are to return there immediately!" "Meridiana the Emissary? Lucifer never mentioned you." *goto distract_clyde_3 *label distract_clyde_3 "That's because... uhm... you never needed to know about me before now." "But Lucifer always comes, while the sun is in the sky, giving me my instructions." "And now I am here, to tell you that it is time for your return below." "It has been ages since I've witnessed a good flaying..." "All in good time, Clythenomenes." "Shall I start a fire? How many sinners will we have to burn to open the portal for me to return?" "Sinners...?" "Of course! Lucifer told me I had to offer up one sinner for every year since the Exile... that's why I've been..." ...but apparently Phineas has grown tired of waiting. While passing in front of the doorway that Phineas was hiding, Clyde suddenly stops as a stake appears out of his chest. He falls to his kness... "But stakes don't hurt demons!" and then Phineas draws an ax and hacks off Clyde's head. *page_break It takes less than half an hour for you and Phineas to clean up the mess. "It sounds like Clyde was actually talking to someone," you try to note casually. "It was probably O'Donnell. He is a pretty sick sonofabitch." Looking at the body of Phineas on the floor, you wonder what it means when the pot calls the kettle black. When you are finished, dawn is nearly upon you. Phineas invites you to meet him the next night, again on the Stroll. "There is more that needs doing," he says as he turns to leave. *set clyde_killed true *set compassion %+5 *goto after_clyde *label after_clyde You awake the next evening, and head out to meet Phineas. "This is far from over, ${given_name}. This disease goes all the way to O'Donnell. The whole lot of it needs to be pulled up by the roots. Are you with me?" *choice #"Yes. All the way." *set independence %+5 *finish #"Uhm, I was just worried about this vampire who thought he was a demon and was busy stringing up mortals in the middle of alleys..." "This is bigger than just Clyde Thrasher. He is just the latest symptom of the rot at the heart of O'Donnell and his house." *choice #"You're right. O'Donnell needs to be taken down." "I'm glad to see you've come around." *set independence %+5 *finish #"You know, I think I'm gonna scram. I just got to this town, and it's not really sitting well with me." "Coward." *page_break Over the next few months, you hear rumors about the vampires of Chicago. It seems that O'Donnell went missing and, in his absence, Phineas was made quaestor of the city by the Governor. Such are the ways of the undead. *set discretion %-15 *set independence %-20 *goto_scene timejump2