Scion – Petro Campaign – Session 13
This account was originally found on Livejournal, I am not the original author—I am just a fan of the journal and have found reading it on livejournal clunky to navigate and rife with errors/instability (such as having to refresh multiple times due to the page in questions becoming unavailable often requiring multiple refreshes. The original post can be found here, published by DJ-Yomi, and was published on Nov 25th 2007.
Aah! It feels good to be heading home. We finally resolved all that crap in Chicago, so things are more-or-less back to normal. I have to admit, though. I’m still reeling from all that happened: getting rejected by Adam, Bloody Mary, Oiwa’s emergence, Miko the shikome, Mara’s divine lovemaking, befriending some fellow scions, fighting oni and biomechanical demons, killing an errant nupperabo, helping a different nupperabo, defeating Ray’s nemesis…that’s a lot to pack into three days! But, thankfully, it’s all over now.
There are still some things to take care of, of course. For one thing, we need to investigate this Daitakuji Industrial Group. Their biomechanical demon-bots are dangerous, and the company is obviously working with the titans, which is not good. Kinda related to that issue is the disturbingly toxic industrial park we discovered while tracking down Bloody Mary. Aside from the fact that it’s an environmental disaster that’s destroying the kami of the area, it’s also the sort of place that draws titanspawn. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Daitakuji group was already planning to move in and take over the place.
So Keiko’s been working on finding out who currently owns the industrial wasteland, and Adam’s been gathering evidence of the hazardous pollution there. Once we’ve got a little more info on it, I plan to go meet with whoever’s in charge and convince them to clean the place up. It’s too dangerous to leave as it is, and someone has to take responsibility for it. The thought of the poor, diseased kami I saw suffering in that place just breaks my heart. I mean, zombies are wonderful, but zombie kami? That’s just wrong. Anyway, I’ll report again once we’ve made some progress.
Well, enough about that. I think I left off after we questioned the nupperabo driver. We left him in the care of Keiko and Sera, since they’re the best people to help him come to terms with what he’s become. Really, our next step was to meet Goto’s students at the Wendt Street cemetery so that we could track down the mysterious nupperabo hitchhiker, whom we believed was actually Kazumi, a local nupperabo who had gone missing recently. Before she went missing, she was a benevolent youkai who watched over a local family…so like I said in my previous entry, we all assumed that something had happened to force her into doing the horrible things she’d apparently been doing.
Since we had some time to kill, I suggested that we go to the shrine where Kazumi lives and check the place out. Even if she isn’t there anymore, we might’ve been able to find something that could help the investigation. The shrine grounds contained a few little house-shrines, one of which belonged to Kazumi. Getting in was easy enough. The place was a mess! It had been completely ransacked. Things were thrown everywhere, clothes were ripped to shreds, and strands of long, black hair were scattered all over the place! There was also blood splattered everywhere, and signs that someone had vomited outside the window. Adam didn’t think it looked like someone had been looking for something…he said it just looked like someone had gone crazy.
I thought the best way to find out more would be to talk to the shrine’s kami, so I asked the others to help clean the place up while I ran out to the closest grocery store and bought some tangerines and mochi as offerings to the kami. Once everything had been tidied up, I summoned the kami. She was upset over Kazumi’s disappearance, and even though she didn’t know a lot about what had actually happened to Kazumi, she did tell us that Kazumi had come home in agony about a week or two ago. Blood was seeping from her face…or rather, the featureless place where her face would have been if she were human. She couldn’t maintain an illusory face. She muttered something about having been “stuck” by something that burned in her body, and her agony was so great that she tore her clothes to shreds, ripped out locks of her hair, and ransacked her home.
Given what the kami told us, we guessed that Kazumi had been injected with something. But…for her to act the way she was could mean that she’d been injected with something that forced her karma out of balance. Could there really be a drug or a poison that does that? A poison that fills a person with bad karma is a scary thing. Scarier than one that just kills, in my opinion.
The kami also told us about another youkai…a shapechanging mujina named Ko, who lived in the neighboring shrine-house. She was worried about him (and so was I, for that matter), so we agreed to check on him too. I asked the kami to keep an eye on the house and to try and let Goto’s student’s know what she’d told us if they came snooping about, and then we went to check on Ko.
Ko’s shrine was a short walk away. He…if Ko is a he (it was actually hard to tell, since every time we saw him, he looked different and was sometimes a boy, sometimes a girl, being a mujina and all) was frightened, but opened up and spoke to us when we convinced him we were concerned about Kazumi. He didn’t know what had happened to her either. All he knew was that she had come by his shrine while she was in pain, and told him to stay locked up inside his house. He’d been there ever since, so I asked if there was anything we could do for him. I mean, he might need some food or something by now, right? He didn’t really need us to get anything for him, but he was worried about the family he and Kazumi watched over, and wanted to make sure they were okay since he hadn’t been able to do his duty lately. I promised that we’d go and check on them for him.
At this point, Ray decided we’d found out as much as we needed, so he took off to meet with his followers (he met us later at the cemetery). The rest of us stuck around. We needed to scope out Ko’s family, and I’m not that great at surveillance, but I knew someone who was. So, I turned to Adam, gave him this adorable, sultry look, and asked if he wouldn’t mind using his P.I. skills to check on the family while the rest of us did a little more cleaning at Kazumi’s house. He absolutely melted and agreed instantly…though, later he complained to me about how unfair it is to sap his will with my irresistible sex-appeal. ^_^
Of course, Anna also saw what was going on there, and she leveled a murderous gaze at me. But you know, I didn’t really care. So I gave her a look that said, “Yep, he’s wrapped around my finger, bitch, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Of course, there is something she can do about it. It involves her bat. But you know, I’m pretty sure I can talk her down again if necessary. And besides, I get the feeling she doesn’t want to come across as a complete psycho among our little group, even if she is one.
Anyway, Adam did a little professional surveillance of the family, and Elisa backed him up. The family was fine, so if Goto was the one who targeted Kazumi, at least he didn’t mess with the mortals under her care. Of course, without the good fortune Kazumi and Ko provide, the family members were a little down on their luck; Adam said the teenaged boy in the house was complaining about having trouble with girls all the sudden. We updated Ko on the family’s situation, and then left to get a bite to eat before meeting Antoine and the others at the cemetery around dusk.
When we arrived at the cemetery to await Kazumi’s appearance, Antoine and the others were already there…all except for Angela. Antoine was concerned…she was supposed to be there. So I called her. She was…very giddy. She was apparently still at our hotel with Mara, and the two of them had been having a lot of fun (not as much fun as Mara and I had the other night, but still…). After talking to both Angela and Mara for awhile, Antoine and I convinced Angela to get her ass out to the cemetery. Mara was apologetic, and agreed to leave Angela alone so that she could get to the cemetery.
Antoine wasn’t happy, and I don’t blame him. I mean, he’s in love with Angela, and here the woman he loves is making out with another woman (a nymph no less!). The good news is that Mara helped to turn around Angela’s whole perspective on life and her mother. She’s a lot more open to romance now, and she seems to think better of Persephone. I’m really relieved by that. I’ve been worried about Angela and her issues, so I’m glad that Mara was able to help her out. But…I’m a little miffed a Mara. I talked to her about it, so she knows why I’m upset. It’s not that I’m jealous of Angela or anything. For the most part, Mara’s free to sleep with whomever she wishes, as long as she’s open with me about it. But the thing is, Angela was a virgin…until Mara slept with her. That sexual awakening did help Angela overcome a lot of issues, but Angela’s in love with Antoine! And he’s in love with her. I don’t think it was right for Mara to take away Angela’s virginity. Something like that is irreplaceable, and should have been saved for someone Angela really loves. It’s not fair to Antoine.
I talked to Mara about this later, and she seemed to understand why I was upset. She apologized, and admitted that she might not have put herself in that position if she’d know Angela was a virgin going into it. But Angela is hot, and Mara just couldn’t help herself. Still, now that we’ve talked about it, I’m pretty sure that Mara will be more careful in the future. She knows she’s susceptible to this sort of thing, so she’ll try to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Anyway, back to the cemetery (yay, cemeteries!). We started scoping the place out. Keiko came with me on this one since we expected to run into Kazumi. She ended up sticking with T-Bone since he decided to keep an eye on one part of the cemetery while the rest of us investigated another part. Meanwhile, Adam, Elisa, and I talked to Antoine and Hiro so that we could update each other on our findings. Hiro did check out Goto’s house…and found the aftermath of our attack there. And that’s when Ray noticed the shirime snooping around the place. Yeah…the butt-youkai. Great. Anyway, Ray went over to chat with the shirime and find out what he was doing there and what he knew. Ray later informed us that while Hondo had dismissed the shirime, the youkai had decided to stick around and keep investigating. He’d found a cast off piece of trash in the garbage outside Goto’s dojo that listed the cemetary’s address, and that’s how he ended up there.
While we compared notes in the gathering twilight, Pierre got shot. Three times. I was shocked…but Pierre didn’t seem to be particularly bothered by it. He kinda just looked at the bulletholes in his shirt (there wasn’t any blood, since they didn’t actually wound him…he is ridiculously tough!). The shooter was a “retired” CIA agent who knew Pierre from years back. Umm…they’d been on different sides then, and the agent was convinced Pierre was dead, which, of course, he isn’t. Pierre has had a really interesting past, by the way! Anyway, I thought Elisa was going to murder the man, but since Pierre wasn’t actually hurt in any way, we managed to defuse the situation without too much trouble. I kinda took over at that point. I convinced the guy that Pierre was legitimate now and that he had nothing to worry about, and then I sent him on his way.
By the time I got back to where the others were, Ray had found Kazumi. She was hiding out in a mausoleum. We all rushed over to see how she was…and she didn’t look so good. She was still bleeding from her featureless face, and seemed feverish and frantic. She didn’t attack…she seemed more frightened than anything, poor thing. By the time I got there after seeing off Mr. CIA, the others had at least calmed her down a bit…and that’s when Adam noticed a little red dot appear on her forehead. He tackled her, pushing her out of the way just in time to avoid the sniper shot that tried to take her out.
We all turned to see a couple of those Daitakuji demon-bots hovering in midair a few hundred yards away. I immediately dove into the mausoleum and helped Kazumi get further inside so that she’d be safe from their shots. The others turned and ran out to face Goto’s hired assassins…which wasn’t easy since the demon-bots were flying. I didn’t see a lot of the fight, but I know that Elisa shot the hell out of them while Clem and Ray leapt atop the mausoleum and them launched themselves at the demon-bots. Clem tore one up with his chainsaws, and Ray pulled off some incredible maneuver where he grabbed one, swung himself around it for momentum, and threw it down to the ground, where he then landed on it sword-first! Needless to say, that demon-bot didn’t survive.
While that was going in, I held Kazumi and tried to find out what was wrong with her. It didn’t take long. There was something slithering around beneath her skin. I was certain that whatever it was, it was responsible for her condition, so I knew I had to cut it out. I screamed for Adam. Why Adam? Well…because I needed something to cut the thing out with, and he has a really cool knife. ^_^
He was a little exasperated when he arrived in the mausoleum until I explained the situation. He was hesitant to give me his knife, but handed it over when I asked if he had any medical training (which I do). It wasn’t easy, but I managed to cut the thing out. It was this inky black ooze…and it spurted out until it was out of Kazumi’s system. It didn’t do anything afterward…it was just an inert black stain on the ground. Even so, Adam took a sample. Did you know he knows a lot about chemistry? He’s just full of surprises!
One of the demon-bots had a syringe attachment filled with similar black stuff, so that pretty much proved the Goto connection, and Adam salvaged the canister for more samples. I helped Kazumi out of the mausoleum, and we asked if Goto was responsible for the injections. She didn’t recognize the name…but she recognized his hideous laugh. Which we all got to hear about then, because he appeared behind us and attacked.
I don’t know what to think about Goto, or Hondo for that matter. The legends paint dai-tengu as these impressive mystical beings…and while Goto and Hondo are impressive in terms of their actual capabilities, they strike me as a bit comical in their presentation. Oh well. I guess times have changed, huh?
Anyway, comical or not, a guy like Goto has got to have a lot of confidence in his skills to take on a group of 14 people, most of whom have divine blood in their veins. Especially when that group includes people like Elisa, Ray, and Anna. Of course, he had a right to have such confidence. Damn, I’ve never seen someone move that quickly! I have to be honest, after he disarmed both Ray and Adam almost before we were even aware that he was there, I was worried. Then, when almost everyone attacked him and no one even came close to landing a blow (even Ray and Anna!), I was more than worried. So I started shouting out orders like usual. I had more people to coordinate this time and we weren’t wearing our headsets, but I managed. Then that bastard attacked me. He wrapped his kusari around my neck and flung me halfway across the graveyard into a tree. F**king dammit, I hate fighting! And why me? Why do they always attack me!? I’m like the least threatening person on the battlefield!
*Sigh.* Never mind. I know why Goto attacked me. He realized that the only way the others were going to be able to hit him was if someone (me) was helping to coordinate their attacks. But I don’t think he understood what was really going on. I certainly didn’t win that fight for us. Nor did Ray, or Anna, or Adam…it was our teamwork that won the fight. And Goto couldn’t compete against that.
Between our tactics and the sheer number of people attacking Goto, Elisa, Ray, and Anna managed to get in some good solid hits. It was enough to drive Goto away. Yeah, he escaped with his Cowardly Duck belt, or whatever it’s called. But we foiled his plans, and that’s what counts.
Kazumi’s safe, and Goto’s students have seen the light. They’re disappointed, but they’ll be okay. I think they’ll stick together. I know Antoine and Angela will. You should have seen them! Angela was all over Antoine. It was heartwarming. And Hiro is going to see Ray’s mentor, Master Park. Hiro and Ray have a lot in common (you know, like being deceived and betrayed by Goto), so I think Ray will be a good influence on Hiro. Personally, I’m just glad that we were able to save Antoine and the others from becoming the titan’s pawns. They’re good people, and it’s a tragedy that they were deceived for as long as they were.
And right now, I feel pretty content. I’ve been going on and on about a lot of my worries in recent entries, but some of those worries have been put to rest. I mean, the teamwork we demonstrated against Goto shows how well we’ve learned to work together. We were all important in some way, and I know now that I do have a role to play in the group.
So yeah, things are pretty good. I was glad to get back into the club scene. Hanging out with Ray and the others is interesting, but I simply had to get back in touch with my cybergothic roots. And I think my improved attitude had a positive effect on my performances over the past three nights. They’ve all been really good…at least that’s the impression I’ve gotten from the audience (and from Quinn, who’s sassy enough to let me know when I’m not at my best). And I’ve let Mara know that I’m not really mad at her. I still don’t approve of what she did, but it’s just the way she is. She’s been anxious about my feelings, so when we get back to Boston, I’m going to do something really special for her to let her know that I still love her to death! ♥ ^_^ ♥