08: Justice

Showdown with the killer.

[OOC: Today I realized I have been forgetting to use the 'Endure Stress' and 'Endure Harm' moves!]

Zack and Red Howl ride for a good while into the heart of Santa María, making sure that nobody is following. They ride in silence, each absorbed by their own thoughts.

He needs to find this Cryptid to finish his mission. But she is a Deimos, a member of the Hidden Ones. The ones meant to never be found. This is a problem he has no easy solution for.

They stop by Downtown and Red parks the bike in an empty supermarket lot. It is about 3am. She pushes a lock of hair behind her ear and says:

"It's best if we split here. I'll go check on my mates, make sure we can keep Taylor safe and sound."
"Okay."
"Listen, uh. You risked yourself for her. You backed me up. That was good, and I won't forget it. And she won't either."

Connection: Red Howl, Kerberos biker
[🞻|🞻|🞻|🞻| | | | | | ]
Dangerous [🞻🞻]

Zack smiles, the first time in a while, then says:

"We're friends. And now I can clear her name. Okay?"
"Okay. Imma go. Be well and good hunting."

Zack needs to rest. This has been a lot and dawn will come soon. He will try to get a snack on the streets though, as he's still hungry.

Action Roll: Find a Victim
Intellect 7
10, 1 - Weak: +2 roll, -1F +1F

It takes a while, and he gets frustrated, but at last he finds a lone young man returning late home, perhaps from a one night stand, perhaps some other nameless night story. He wears a dark grey suit, tie and shirt loosened up. Zack closes in from behind amidst deserted streets...

Feed
Dexterity 6, +2 roll
10, 4 - Weak: +2B -1F

He sneaks on him from behind and bites at the same time as he drags him to the alley. The bite ensures no screams, though he struggles some. It's a simple and somewhat ineefficient job. The man groans in mindless satisfaction and is left leaning against the wall in a happy daze. Time to move on and hit the sack at the warehouse.

Tarp over his body and he's out.

Rest
Intellect 7
3, 4 - Strong, +1H +2F

Harm 5 | Stress 2 | Blood 4 | Focus +7

It is night time. Tarp out, check surroundings. Rats are behaving, no signs of intruders. Traffic outside sounds normal. He grabs his phone and checks for messages.

Just one from Penelope Black, his elderly progenitor, saying 'The Wolves are getting restless. Hurry'.

Hrm. Ronan is applying pressure. If he can't get Taylor or Cryptid, he will probably lay down the heat elsewhere. Someone may offer him what he wants before long, just to get rid of a large angry lycanthrope.

But how can Zack prevail? He thinks this as he stands by the broken warehouse window, looking to the streets below and beyond. How can Cryptid be found? The Horrors are meant to not be found. They embody shadows, silence, and fear. Zack has some homework to do.

Gather Information
Intellect 7
10, 9 - Miss

Pay the Price
70: You waste blood, -1B

Oracle
14, 22, 85: Deceive Devious Peace

It is tedious. He has to make calls and take buses, meet in gas station shops and in bathrooms in bars, which means he has to look human, which costs him his precious blood.

Turns out Cryptid, like all those Horrors like her, has layers of deception. Addresses that don't exist, a contact that turns out to be dead since a hundred years ago, websites registered in Romania... the list goes on.

He does however, eventually find a lead. It would seem that his target frequents the Old Town Church. And that is a Problem.

The Church sits in Old Town, and at night there are still some tourists and service workers milling around. And indefatigable taxi and bus drivers. Zack approaches the church on foot and begins studying it from across the street, away from public lights. He unlocks his phone and begins taking pictures and doing some research.

Gather Information
Intellect 7
5, 9 - Weak, +1F

The church has a diocesan office attached to it, open during the day, which means a more discrete rear door. However, there is a night vigil of adoration of the Host -- of the sacred wafer on an altar. Meaning kneeling catholics in quiet prayer all night. Damn!

He walks around briskly and begins pulling out his break-in tools. The office annex is there and has a rear door for service personnel.

Action: Break In
Dexterity 6, +1 Home Invader
9, 9 - Miss w/match!, +1F, -1H

Zack kneels by the rear door in a dirty, mostly unlit alley. The church casts a massive shadow above. He fiddles with the lock confidently. He is about to get it done when black smoke materializes behind him, taking the shape of a cold eyed Deimos vampire.

"At last, Mr. Prince." she says as she rams a camping knife into his lower back, pushing him against the door that now opens suddenly. "I've been expecting you."

Endure Harm
Force 5
6, 9 - Miss, -1F

Harm 4 | Stress 2 | Blood 3 | Focus +7

Zack grits his teeth as even in his undead state, pain is still pain. He'd have passed out if he was still alive. He falls forward and rolls into the dark, empty office with a few desks in islands and along the walls. He looks back with his drawn pistol and points back towards the entrance. But his attacker isn't there anymore, and the door is closed. A red light above the handle indicates an automatic, magnetic lock. He's trapped.

And now he's alone in the dark with one of the Horrors.

Where is she? His aim shifts left and right as he desperately tries to find both her and the closest light switch.

Cryptid, Young Vampire
[ | | | | | | | | | ]
Dangerous [🞻🞻]

Enter the Fray
Intellect 7
2, 8 - Weak, +1F

His instinct kicks in and he realizes she's lunging at him from behind!

Clash
Force 5
10, 4 - Weak, -2H

Endure Harm
Force 5
8, 9 - Miss, -1F

He is able to pistol whip her in the face as hard as he can, cracking something. But her knife finds him again and stabs through his left hand. A second later, she's gone again between the desks and the darkness. He's taking a lot of harm, fast, but so is she.

Cryptid, Young Vampire
[🞻|🞻| | | | | | | | ]
Dangerous [🞻🞻]

Harm 2 | Stress 2 | Blood 3 | Focus +7

At this rate he will be dead in a matter of seconds. He needs to flip the lights on right the hell now.

Action: Turn the Lights on
Dexterity 6
2, 5 - Strong, +1F, +2S

He uses the time that Cryptid needs to position herself for a new strike. He's by the light switch in a blur and suddenly the office is alight. He feels instant, powerful relief.

Cryptid is caught mid-room like a vampiric deer before truck lights. Zack has a moment to aim and shoot.

Gunslinger
Intellect 7, +1 gunslinger
3, 5 - Strong, +2F

He doesn’t care for subtlety anymore. It is do or die. The gun blasts Cryptid backwards and he attacks again, now working more on instinct as the Horror tries to regain the initiative and find cover.

Clash
Dexterity 6
3, 6 - Strong w/focus burn, x2 harm

Cryptid, Young Vampire
[🞻|🞻|🞻|🞻|🞻|🞻|🞻|🞻| | ]
Dangerous [🞻🞻]

He has her. Every time she tries to move he narrows his eyes and blasts her. He shoot her legs, her torso, her cheek, until he approaches, gun at the ready.

He has to hurry up, before the police or a parishioner arrives.

"It's… it’s over, Cryptid. Come with me or I'll smoke you."

End the Fight
8 segments
10, 6 - Weak: -1H

Cryptid raises her hands, eyes burning with fear and hatred.

"Stop. Just stop. I'll go with you"

It is then that Zack realizes the knife's handle is jutting out of his heart. He hasn't even noticed the throw. He’s on his last legs, but he will not give up now. He pulls out his phone, then texts Penelope:
"Car to Old Church ASAP. Got killer."

Find the Lycan killer
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Dangerous [🞻🞻]    

 Harm 1 | Stress 4 | Blood 3 | Focus +2