In reply to John-Marc Falcon (msg # 242):

Mungo didn't aruge with John-Marc and rushed down stairs.  "You sure downstairs is safe enough?  Should we be outside?  Don't be too much of a hero tonight Mr. Falcon....otherwise you might not see my nurse disguise."

"Mr Falcon we are too close, please come down so we can reassess the situation."

The Count surmised that poor Mr Singh was probably the only other person to have seen the effect of these grenades on structures and the house was very old.

JM recognized the better part of valor and retreated down the stairs. "We'll need to find some way to use these.  Otherwise only the machine gun is going to be enough to even scratch them outside of a lucky shot."

Cynthia hands over the meat and pauses, "We aren't ... wrapping these?"

In reply to Cynthia Jane Holloway (msg # 246):

"Yes Miss Holloway, here you are."

The Count removed two of the grenades from the bundle for the meat to be applied. Once the task was complete he hands one to Mr Falcon.

"Hopefully it is enough to grab their attention."

If he spots the monster at the attic door he will toss up the grenade, otherwise he begins to climb up.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:42, Wed 24 Apr 2013.

Blech. Cynthia wraps the grenades in meat, using belts, ropes, or tearing off her own clothing if necessary.

JM smiled down at the messy handful.  "They certainly seem hungry enough.  Let's hope this works."  He went to an upstairs window to see if one of the creatures was about.  "Let's throw a bundle of the meat outside, attract the creature and then arm and throw one of the grenades.  Perhaps we can get them both."

"Yes sounds good. See if you are able to get in the attic gives us a bit of room to manoeuvre as it were.

The Count follow behind Mr Falcon up the ladder.

Using the meat and torn bedsheets, Cynthia was able to fashion three "meat bombs" from the steaks she'd found. The Count took one and started climbing up. JM, meanwhile, checked out the windows, but could't see any of the beasts.

However, he did hear the motor of a vehicle approaching the bridge to the small island that the mansion sat upon. From the sound, it could be a lorry like the one that Major Storm had been driving.

Downstairs, Darlington threw open one of the ground-floor shutters, peering out through the bars. All he had was a revolver, so he grabbed the rifle that Rashid held.

"Thanks, mate. Lor' luv a duck! who da devil what is coming 'ere? E'll get kilt!"

JM calls out; "Nothing out in the courtyard.  Can you see anything more in the attic Count?  The damn thing was hiding."

The Count moves to the top of the stairs to the attic, stops and scans the interior from a crouch. He has his rifle at his shoulder and his torch against the fore wood of the weapon held by his left hand.

He does not respond to Mr Falcons call at the moment but knows he should still be visible from the bottom of the stairs.

In reply to Count Sigismund Bathony (msg # 254):

As Bathony mounted the fold-down stairs to the attic, the noises inside continued. The beast was around elephant-sized, but it was a large if cluttered attic, large enough to fit it if it hunched down. Shadows danced as he swept the torch back and forth.

He saw movement over where he thought the hole in the ceiling was located. There were many intervening obstacles: boxes, crates, old paintings, broken furniture. Suddenly it screeched. And that screech was answered by something outside. They were reminded, there were two of the monsters...

Below, the lorry came into view in front of the house. It was indeed Maj. Storm and the men who were attacking the gate. Apparently they'd either killed or driven off their opponents, and had carried on to the main house to see if they could be of assistance.

The Count waited unsure whether to proceed or not. To move away from his only avenue of escape could be suicide, yet the problem would not solve itself sitting where he was.

He did move off, turning the torch upward to give a more subdued all around light as he walked through the maze in the attic. He tried to keep quiet.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:01, Sun 28 Apr 2013.

JM leaned out the window and called out to the men below in the truck.  "Watch out!  There are flying monsters above you!  Get the machine gun ready!"

In reply to Count Sigismund Bathony (msg # 256):

There was an astounding amount of wreckage and debris cluttering the attic. Probably due to the rampages of an elephant-sized winged beast that had first penetrated through the slate ceiling! Unfortunately, it was impossible to keep quiet among the litter of broken wood beams, slate shingles, damaged crates and boxes. Stumbling a little he knocked over a mould-spotted painting, which fell over with a clatter.

He must have been alone as nothing reacted to the sudden noise. Above him he could see a hole large enough to admit an omnibus had been torn in the roof. Were there any stars he could have easily seen them up in the sky but alas, black clouds still shroouded the heavens.

Stepping out with Winchester at hand he looked at JM, then peered up at the dark skies.

"Wait, what? Monsters, what the hell are you... Faruk, Haji, bring out the gun! Set for air target!"
This message was last edited by the player at 21:26, Tue 30 Apr 2013.

In reply to Major Charles Storm (msg # 259):

As Storm scanned the sky, rifle in hand, the two Egyptians that had helped him with attacking the gate climbed out of the back of the lorry. One carried the Lewis gun, the other carrying 2 spare ammo drums in hip ammo pouches on cross-shoulder straps.

"AAAIIIEEEEEE!!!!!" Two immense nightmare shapes dropped down on the Major, swooping out of the black skies to land on either side. One creature stretched is sinuous neck and grasped his head in it's maw, biting down. The other grasped one of his legs. They pulled in opposite directions in a ghastly tug-of-war and Maj. Storm was ripped apart in a spray of blood and gore that spattered to the ground and splashed the hood and wind screen of the lorry!

The two men by the rear of the lorry stared in shock, then dropped their weapons and ammunition, running like hell off into the darkness.

Keeper's Note: SAN check for JM.

In reply to The Keeper (msg # 260):

Looking out the ground floor window at the carnage, Darlington yelled, "FUCKIN' 'ELL! Oops, beg pardon, Miss Fuller."

Thrusting his revolver out the bars of the window, he squeezed off a quick shot, to no visible effect.

Unfazed by the gristly death of the Major or perhaps numb to the horrors of the night, JM vows vengeance and throws his bundle of four grenades at a beast.  "Die filthy monsters!"
This message was last edited by the player at 21:39, Wed 01 May 2013.

In reply to Albert Darlington (msg # 261):

Molly wasn't really aware of the swearing for she was hoping that she wasn't seeing what she thought she saw.  She heard JM mutter something, or she only heard a mutter, it was hard to tell and then saw him throw a grenade.

The Count had not managed to get far into the cluttered attic before the gunfire caught his attention. He continued on determined to render aid to Mr Perkins brother if the poor man was still alive.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:34, Thu 02 May 2013.

The greatest horror Cynthia is struggling with is uncooked steak as, following the directions of the gentlemen, she wraps them around the stick grenades and holds them to be tossed.

As JM threw the grenade bundle, CSM Jones and the surviving Perkins brother were starting up the stairwell after the Count, to rescue poor Bill Perkins.

Inside, Darlington took cover, urging those with him in the main hall to do the same.

Below, the bundle of stick grenades hit the ground near the two feasting horrors and bounced. Due to the unbalanced nature of the projectile, JM was unable to land it exactly on target and it rolled past them. The explosion was immense, lifting the lorry off the ground and dropping it on its roof! The shuttered windows of the ancient house rattled. Some pictures fell off the walls, in the kitchen crockery crashed to the tile floor as a shelf collapsed and metal cookware was scattered around with a horrid clang.

One beast collapsed, riddled by shrapnel or simply succumbed to the shock wave. The other stumbled and spat out the gobbet of flesh in its mouth, but otherwise seemed unharmed. It took off, disappearing into the dark skies above.

JM ducked out of the way as the explosion rattled the house.  Seeing the effects of the explosion he was happy he had not used the even larger bundle upstairs.  Seeing the one creature bound off into the darkness and the other slump to the ground he darted outside to make sure the first creature was truly dead.  If there was any sign of life he resolved to but a bullet in the brain through the eye at point blank range.