The Log of the HMAS Marigold: The Serpent and Cross (Part Six)

[Alexis Voltaire]

Felix struggled to get the horses slowed and headed in the right direction to enter the narrow alley. They fought to keep running down the open street and away from the beasts snarling and yelping just behind them. At a snarl from the left side, the leftmost horse of the pair made up its mind to follow the direction of the reigns, and the one to the right stumbled and nearly went down as it the other shoved it and forced it to follow the change of direction.

When the cab swerved one of the helldogs following seconds behind found itself seconds away from running into the cab at full speed. Instead it jumped with a roar at Felix.

Felix saw the beast leap and his hand went instinctively to his saber, he lost hold of one of the reigns but drew the blade just in time to slash out the helldog's throat.

The momentum of the turn and the added weight of the helldog started the cab tipping suddenly onto two wheels. The helldog found itself slipping and missed Felix's throat by an inch, just as Felix turned the saber and stabbed it inward between the beast's ribs.

The cab was only saved from toppling over then and there by slamming into the wall on one side of the alley. The momentum as the cart righted itself with a jolt threw both Felix and the helldog, dying but still snarling and spitting blood and sparks, over the side of the cab...

[Stella Gaslight]

They were tossed about like rag dolls but managed to get up rite as the cab slammed in to the wall again.  There was the sound of wood splintering and the horses pulling themselves free from the cab then everything slowed to a stop.  "Blast Felix is out there with those things. Help me get this door open the last crash jammed it up pretty bad."

[Cpt Wallace]

He arrive at his home in short order paid the cab driver and staggered into the front of the building and up to the third floor, he owned the whole of the floor so only one door presented itself to guests he rested his left hand on the heavy oak door his right arm having gone limp from his use of magic and the damage he'd caused, he some effort he unlocked the door not using the key he'd given Morgan but with his mind wincing as he worked the lock and gasping as the door swung inwards and he fell forwards catching himself before he tumbled to the floor, he dropped the cane into the rack of swords and dumped his coat in a heap and pushed the door closed, he staggered through the apartment to his study and the crystal ball resting his hand on it he noted the smear of blood he left.

"I need help."

He didn't wait for a response instead he turned and headed back into his home, he made for the kitchen and collected up several herbs and roots before going into the sitting room and collecting up a roll of bandages his next stop was the dinning room which had been transformed since his arrival into what would seem a makeshift lab, vials and bottles of strange coloured liquids odd plants and vines, weird creatures in jars littered the three tables and a strange array of glass pipes and chemists bottles dominated the main table, more books were piled in here too and then the gun cases on every wall each filled with a collection of weapons from old model rifles to a modern repeater rifle and a mass array of pistols he took a pair of Winchester pistols out and a double barrelled shotgun and then pulled open a drawer under the cabinets taking out two single bore rounds for the shotgun he loaded them and laid the gun on the table and loaded the Winchesters with silver rounds an laid them next to the shotgun before sliding into the seat he put them by, pulling a mortar and pestle to him he dumped the herbs in an started to grind them with his left hand then chopped the roots and added them along with a yellow liquid from one of the bottles, he mashed it all into a paste before pulling his shirt off and looking at the wounds on his side, the cuts were deep and he gasped as he pushed the paste into the cuts struggling to get is on his left side as his right arm refused to respond, the pain relief was almost instant and he wrapped the roll of bandage round his body tucking it into the roll in an untidy mess, he shrugged his shirt back on and sat waiting his left hand resting on the shotgun.

[walkthebassline]

The silver bullets gone, Morgan was left with his mundane pistols. Both his LeMats had been emptied; eighteen shots plus two shotgun shells, and still the helldogs pursued them. He was running out of rounds in his Vulcan when they hit the alley wall. Putting his gun away, he moved towards Starling, trying to work the door.

[Stella Gaslight]

Starling threw herself agant the door but it refused to open.  Looking out the windows she saw. That the fancy metal on the sides had crumpled.  "I don't think we are opening that.  Let's squeese through the windows insted."

[walkthebassline]

Morgan went first, twisting as he did so to ensure that his sword didn't catch on anything. With a glance at the helldog lying on the ground, he reached up to assist Starling.

"Careful now, my dear. Don't hurt that leg any further."

[Alexis Voltaire]

The helldog had been stunned by hitting the ground, giving Felix just enough time to scramble away before it could sink its claws into him. The helldog gave a rattling growl and snapped at him a few times with sparks and red cinders in its jaws, before it went silent and still.

As Felix got to his feet, another of the pursuing beasts turned the corner into the alley and started toward them at a run. Felix pulled out his silvered dagger, and pausing half a second to aim threw it at the beast. It stuck to the hilt in the helldog's shoulder and caused the beast to stumble and yelp, slowing it as it tried to bite at the dagger hilt.

"Go on, I can distract this one." He said, glancing to Redburn and Dr. Scott, and moving to pull his saber free of the fallen helldog with a scattering of sparks.

[Stella Gaslight]

"I wish I had my wing pack."  Starling said as she shuffled as fast as she could.  Her leg had not bothered her much and she had adapted well but times like this when she needed spped it bothered her badly.  She nearly fell getting up the stairs and her right leg was shakeing with the effort.  "If we can get out to the window we could shoot the the blasted wolves."  She fell through the door of the bulding.  This was the most running she had done since the time in the toomb.

[MWBailey]

THUDD...

Rourke impacted the top of the carriage, and caught himself just before he slid off. He recovered in time to see Starling and Redbuirn make it through the door, and turned about to find Felix facing another of the helldogs. "This a proivate party, or can anybody jump in?" he said as he hopped to the pavement, nunchaku at the ready.hbe had an idea, and reached back, pulling the removable rear lamp from the cab. "I just killed six o' these things," he said, "no ammo left, the bigger part o' me saber's stuck in one's corpse, and all I 'ave left is me chucks. You kin kill 'em by smashin' their 'eads, but I ain't tried fire yet..."

Mina flapped around above, squeeking to high heaven. "I delivered you to the carriage, and what do you do, you slide off and pick another FIGHT? Humans are INSANE I tell you..."

[Alexis Voltaire]

The helldog pulled Felix's dagger free of its shoulder with its teeth, and began stalking towards the two. Its shoulder was bleeding and it was visibly limping, and for a second it seemed wary of confrontation. But then several snarling barks came from behind it as more of pack caught up, and suddenly leaped at Rourke and Felix with a growl...

[MWBailey]

Rourke sidestepped and again summoned his main strength; he brought the nunchaku up, then brought it down on the huge beast's skull as it leapt into midair. it came down with a grunt and a whining yelp , and lay on the cobbles, twitching, severely stunned, but obviously not quite dead. Rourke then squeezed the lamp's reservoioir with a strength born as much out of fear and desperation as from other sources, and then flung the burning light at the nearest of those beasts that had just caught up to the carriage. One more went down in a fiery heap, and two others rolled on the street to put out the flames that suddenly blossomed across their backs.

"Well, so much fer burnin' th' lot of 'em," Rourke said, a wildness in his eyes and manner as his fangs finally grew and his nails elongated into claws, preparing for what  he thought might turn out to be his final stand...

[Alexis Voltaire]

Felix spared a glance up to the stairs where Dr. Scott and Redburn had gone, and was glad to see they had made it through the door at the top.

"I'll take one, you take the other." He said to Rourke, just as the helldogs sprang for them, seeming to have the same idea about killing the two men that stood in their way. Felix had only a moment to react, he sidestepped as the beast jumped, holding his saber so that the thing's own leap would carry it into the blade.

The saber slashed open the helldog's side from just under its chin all the way to its hindquarters. Its snarl turned into a yelp of pain as it landed and stumbled, falling to one side. But just as quickly it was on its feet and turning back at Felix with an enraged snarl. Felix couldn't react quick enough to use the same trick twice, but he managed to aim the saberpoint straight into the beast's jaws. The blade went down its throat and down into its lungs, but the beast knocked Felix off his feet before he could let go of the hilt.

The helldog ignored Felix for a moment as it stood choking and snapping at the saber hilt stuck between its jaws, giving him enough time to reach his pistol and shoot for its head. The first shot hit low in its jaw, and twisted around reflexively and slashed at him with one paw, but the next two rounds went through its skull behind one eye, and it finally fell and stayed down...

[MWBailey]

Rourke snarled at the approaching helldogs. "As you wish," he said, with a half bow to the side, and sprang forward. It was an instantaneous sort of movement; one moment he was stationary, the other, he was in motion, almost too fast for the eye to follow. He leaped up and was astride the animal, but this time he did notintend to gio for a ride, though the thing whirled around and then tried to take off running. Rourke had other plans, however. Plans that originated not only in his head, but at least partly in the instinctive core of his vanpiric side. in a surprisingly deft manipulation of centers of gravity and balance (or perhaps imbalance), he had managed to pull the animal over onto its side, and crouched atop it, fangs bared, in a classic attack/feeding position -- and feed he did.

One instant he sat, head rared back, the next his fangs were in the beast's throat. Curls of either smoke or seemingly venomous steam escaped from under his lips as he drank the essence of the hellbeast. With the horrific, snarling roar of something not human and much larger than Rourke could ever be, he then spang back -- but the beast was upon him again just as quickly, and bared its own massive dentition as it darted its head forward, jaws snapping barely an inch from the Lieutenant's throat.

Rourke twisted away at the last second, and thrust the claw into the thing's face, slashing downward as it made contact, ripping through one eye and slashing open the right jowl such that the thing's fangs stuck out through the gap. The helldog lowered it's head as if stunned, but it was only a ruse; it charged forward suddenly, like a bighorn sheep in a headbutting fight, and butted Rourke through a nearby garden wall of ashlar blocks. The masonry shattered under the heavy impact, and the beast leaped after Rourke, who had disappeared into the darkness beyond the hole. The sounds of snapping jaws, pummeling impacts, demonic cries of rage and pain, and the bestial screams of a stronger-than-normal fledgling vampire in a fight to the death echoed from the darkness beyond...

[Stella Gaslight]

Starling half fell through the door of Talbot's flat breathing hard.  "Rourke and Felix are still out there fighting the hounds. Do you have a window were I can provide some cover fire for them?"

[Cpt Wallace]

He was aiming the shotgun at her, slowly he lowered it.

"Through into the first guest room, pull the drapes you should get an angle from there, take this."

He pushed the shotgun across the table, and slowly pushed himself to his feet scooping up one of the pistols and making to follow, blood had soaked through the roughly bound bandages he staggered a little but followed Starling.

[Stella Gaslight]

Starling nodded and went as quickly as she could to to the window.  She drew back the heavy curtains and saw Felix spotted with blood and looking tired.  Starling opened the window and called to him.  "I have you covered.  Get in before more show up."  She did not see Rourke and hoped it was because Mina had taken him somewhere safe.  Her back pack mewed letting her know Thomas was glad to be finally stopped somewhere.

[MWBailey]

Mina flew in through the opening, squeaking verbosely.
"Humans! Picking fights with helldogs! insane, I tell you."
Down in the garden, Rourke threw the carcass of the beast to one side and clambered out of the pile of rubble from the garden wall, and made his way to door and staggered in. Once he made it to Talbot's flat, hi stransformation reverted, and he became a dissheveled lieutenant in a seriously stained and torn uniform. though he was dirty and looked as if he were wounded severely (the blood spots on his clothig and skin bein especially prominent), but on close examination thre wounds that they supposedly did not exist. Rourke dropped into a couch near the door, completely exhausted. His eyes were their normal color, his ears were now neither pointed nor tufted, and his canines, though pointier than normal, were again their normal size.

"We know summat how and by whom, but sombody tell me, why the bloody HELL they're doin' it?" He said, looking absently at this right hand, where the claw had been earlier. it  was now simply a normal hand,

[walkthebassline]

After making sure Starling was alright inside, Morgan returned to where Felix stood outside. His sword drawn, he scanned the street for any more helldogs.

[Alexis Voltaire]

Felix tugged at the saber hilt stuck between the helldog's smoking jaws. To his surprise it came free easily, though it scattered sparks as if it was drawn from hot metal and the blade was tarnished black.

He scanned the alley quickly, looking and listening for any further signs of pursuit. From the sounds of it the city was in chaos where the beasts had been sighted, and that probably wasn't helped by several of the images Dr. Scott had projected still swooping overhead.

Thunder grumbled from the dark clouds in the west, and the dripping rain began to fall faster and harder.

"Come on, we should get out of sight." Felix said to Redburn, starting up the stairs to Talbot's flat. The rain stung at his side but he ignored it for the moment. As he climbed the last few steps and pushed the door open he heard most of what Rourke said.

"Judging by the mark on those thing's heads, that was either the Brotherhood of the Serpent or the Order of the Serpent and Cross." He said. "Probably the Brotherhood since they're based here in London... Both organizations believe Dr. Scott's being here heralds the end of days, according to some obscure prophesy. Both believe she need to die before the next lunar eclipse to avert the end days..."

He shifted to look at what was causing the pain in his side, and muttered something in Russian when he saw four reddening tears in his coat. "Talbot, would you have anything for this?"

[Cpt Wallace]

He turned looking week himself.

"Dinning room table, there is a paste rub it on the wound and bind it, it will sting like hell but the pain will go away."

He right arm was starting to recover he realised as he pointed in the direction of the dinning room.

"Morgan lock the door if you would, once the door is locked the true wards of this place will be active."

[MWBailey]

"Finally! Now Sir Rourke won't have to pick any more fights!" Mina said as Redburn turned the lock, her words echoing strangely in the room.

Rourke turned his head to face the bizarre visage of the vampire she-bat, which regarded him with a warm, loving crimson gaze. "What are you staring at, Sir Rourke?" she said quizzically, her words again clearly audible.

"Bloody hell, Mina!" he said, incredulously. The strange thing was that, contrary to the usual way of things, Mina could now be perfectly understood by everyone to be speaking in the warm, dulcet tones of a beautiful young woman; very similar to, though indescribably different from, the voice of a certain Dark Queen.

"Wh-What?!" she said, suddenly alarmed. "My voice! What's happened to my voice?!"

[Cpt Wallace]

He strolled through the apartment collecting up a bottle of crimson liquid.

"It's the wards my dear they seem to be having an odd effect on you, it will undo once you're outside again."

He tossed the bottle to Rourke.

"That will make you feel better Rourke old boy, your friend Marmite said I ought to keep some of the stuff around in case you needed it."

There was strange crackle in the air and he turned towards to the second of the guest rooms.

"Ah my guest is arriving, if you'll excuse me I need to open the doorway for him."

He headed off into the room, inside was a single bed and a large standing mirror a cage over the reflective layer of the glass he unlocked a padlock in the centre and swung the gates open watching as a small figure strode from the glass, the man was short only coming up to the bottom of his ribs he wore an odd collection of clothing from the past four hundred years a pair of split legged hose covered his legs in a bright and garish checked pattern and he wore a tartan smoking jacket that trailed on the floor behind him, he turned his face up towards him exposing a face of deep wrinkles and a hooked nose a wide grin opened showing a row of gold teeth, he carried a large doctors bag in one hand and a short walking stick in the other.

"Well now, you do need help don't you."

He stepped closer and sniffed.

"You got the mix wrong, close but not right, come on and I'll do it right."

He shuffled off past him into the house sniffing the air and lifting his voice.

"Right you bloody lot,"

He chuckled to himself.

"Get in line and I'll see to you one at a time, you there the big hybrid fellow you're first."

He pointed his stick at Rourke and shuffled off into the dinning room, shouting at Felix as he entered.

"Don't use that swill lad, get yourself out and I'll see to you in a second."

He closed the gate and returned to join the others.

"They had to send one of them..."

[MWBailey]

Rourke stood slowly, sipping the liquid. He nearly spat it back out, but it actually tasted good in a very weird, very disturbing way. 'Newfie Cocktail,' the more coarse of the paladins called it. Basically about four parts blood to one-half part water and one-half part malt whiskey, it was 'formula,' so to speak, usually intended for finicky fledglings who didn't want or refused blood, but needed to feed and were unruly because of it. The blood satisfied the misunderstood craving, the water took care of thirst from sweating profusely, and the alcohol usually served to quiet them. Unless they drank quite a lot, of course, or like Rourke were intent on staying alert for danger.

Reluctantly he followed the stranger into the next room, intrigued by his manner and his words.

"So, wha's all this, then?" Rourke said, as he and the visitor turned to face one another. Rourke instinctively kept one hand near the nunchaku, which he had thrust into the back of his belt. "I dunno about 'ybrid, though..."

[Stella Gaslight]

Starling flopped in to a chair.  Now that the excitement of the chase was gone she was bone tired.  She opened her pack and Thomas came out mewing hello and smelling everything.  Starling blinked at the little man confused and a little worried at his sudden appearance.  "You have control over that portal right?  I am not up for another fight right now,"

[Cpt Wallace]

"Don't worry it links to one other place, and nothing that wishes you harm is coming through that."

--

The visitor set his bag on the dinning table and hopped up onto a chair, opening it his hands dug into it's internals deeper that the bag itself an he pulled out a metal frame carrying ointments and medical tools, he looked at Rourke over his nose as he worked.

"You are well on your way to being a creature of dark my young fellow, you're not at injured as I though are you."

He pulled a dark powder from the rack and mixed it with some white liquid from a bottle.

"Drink, it will reinvigorate you better than that Newlife you vampires call it."

He placed the drink down on the table with a dismissive thud.

"I'll have a look at the doctor next, send her in."

He turned his full attention to the mortar and pestle Talbot had mixed the paste into picking it up he sniffed it and spat tossing it aside.

"Humans, you never can get the mix right."

He appeared at the door frame.

"I was in a bit of a rush Goldtooth, I may have got the measures wrong."

He walked through the dinning room pausing when he saw Rourke's drink.

"No tricks Goldtooth, you are here at my invite."

"Well you are no fun at all."

He shot Goldtooth a blistering look of equal parts fury and warning full of the promise of what he would do if Goldtooth tried anything the little man held up his hands in defence.

"Ok I solemnly promise no trickery on my part."