In reply to Cynthia Jane Holloway (msg # 292):

"Of course Dear.  Let's go and join up with the others shall we?"  Molly felt sorry for Cynthia but could understand it.  Perhaps Mr. singh was just hiding or going to get transportation.  She hoped that it was true but she wasn't going to hold her breath on it.  In the meantime she would watch out for Cynthia for the poor dear seemed to be out of sorts and in denial.

Cynthia reloads her shotgun and joins the group, staying by the doorway until needed.

JM shakes his head with a disgusted look on his face.  "It's foul business for sure Sergeant.  It's all foul business here."  He checked and reloaded his pistol and readied his rifle.  "Everyone ready?  Ok, one... two... three... heave!"  He move a few paces out side, heave the body and dart back inside.

The Count worked on something with the grenade cluster;

"Just a minute Mr Falcon...yes this should work."

He came over and tucked the bundle into the man belt, unravelling the ball of twine he had attached to the end of the stick and the striker cord.

"All right we may want place the bodies, everyone when I shout GRENADE please take cover behind the stone walls of the house interior, no heads or limbs in windows or doors."
This message was last edited by the player at 05:54, Wed 15 May 2013.

JM watched the Count work and nodded in approval.  "Excellent idea count, excellent."

In reply to John-Marc Falcon (msg # 297):

Molly nodded to the Count and quickly made sure that her gun was all loaded up in case she needed it.  She looked for Cynthia to make sure that she heard and would take cover also.  "Will do.  Looks like a smashing idea you have cooked up Count.  Cynthia, shall you join me over here?  It looks like a good place and not by the windows.  I would imagine it meets the Counts criteria for cover."

Molly went to the selected section and got ready to duck down when she received the word.

Cynthia is distracted for a moment, then nods. "Yes, good idea."

She joins Molly and waits for the signal, keeping an eye out for any movement visible through the windows.

In reply to Cynthia Jane Holloway (msg # 299):

Revolver in hand, Darlington crouched behind a chesterfield on the far of the grand hall, away from the windows.

"Blimey! Ladies, if you'd be so kind, please join me 'ere. We can rush forward when da grenades are done their work. Nuff said, yeah?

The two men, JM and the Count, scrambled a few paces out the door and heaved the body as far as they could.

CSM Jones and Perkins decided not to ready their own grenades, if this gambit failed they would need something to fall back on! CSM Jones said, "everyone get back from the bloody wall if you can, preferably in another room. When that charge goes off it might still collapse the wall, solid stone or not!"

By the sheerest luck, the bundle remained secure. The Count was confident that pulling on the string attached to the arming cord hard enough to arm the explosives would not dislodge it.

Outside, there was a pregnant pause. Then the nighmare creature landed astride the sprawled body with a scream. The head darted down to start ripping chunks of flesh out of the corpse.

JM darted back in cover and prepared to fire.  "Hold your fire lads until the Count pulls the cord."

The Count saw his chance as the beast landed.

"GRENADE"

He pulled on the twine as he himself hid behind the stone wall his arms over his head. He had tucked the bundle in the mans belt with the handle pointing back towards the house as secure as he could hope for..
This message was last edited by the player at 21:06, Sat 18 May 2013.

Cynthia won't wait for Darlington to ask twice. She hides with him, and ducks down when she hears the noise of the monster outside.

Hearing the word Grenade, Molly joined the others in hiding and covered her ears against the noise of the explosion.

With a sharp tug, the arming cord of the grenade came free, activating the fuse. Beside him, Bathony's men sought cover as well, covering their ears.

After an endless pause there was a tremendous explosion outside! Although the remains of the door and the shutters blew inside with a shower of splinters and sparks, the wall didn't cave in and no one was hurt.

Grey smoke billowed into the grand hall, filling it with the hot smell of cordite and gunpowder. Debris like dirt and stones rained down outside.

Peering through the smoke they could see the second beast lying inert on the gravel drive, next to the small crater left by the explosion.

JM shuddered as the blast went off, thanking the sturdy enough construction fo the place to save them once again.  He rose, his ears still ringing and peered through the smoke. "That's the last one.  Let's finish it off and get out of here with our relics and loot.  We have to kill it from short range to be sure."  He headed out warily, pistol drawn and out of the line of fire from the house to finish it off if it were still alive.

The Count hazarded a look at the area where the beast had been through the doorway. Seeing its carcass he rolls back into a sitting position his head in his hands. The cost had been great, to great.

At Mr Falcons call the Count follows him out, rifle in hand.

In reply to Count Sigismund Bathony (msg # 309):

Darlington drew his revolver and bolted from behind the couch. Outside he peered instead at the sky, searching for additional and unknown threats!

Cynthia peers over the window ledge, looking to identify both the first and the second beast. She'll watch the boys go out and do their work, and once everyone is satisfied the beasties are gone, she'll move back to the basement for a more thorough search and seizure.

Outside was a scene of carnage. The truck still burned, sending oily smoke up into the night sky. Parts of Major Storm's savaged and mutilated corpse lay scattered among the other bodies that had been used as bait.

Amazingly, the creature seemed to still be alive, although it appeared to be unconscious. It was noisome and foul-smelling, a thick lizard-like hide spotted with what appeared to be nitre deposits, perhaps as if it had been underground or adapted to living in a location with geothermal activity?

Keeper's Note: anyone who hasn't taken a SAN check for seeing Storm's death must do so now!

Already hardened to the death of the brave Major, JM puts a round through each eye.  "Nasty buggers.  We should get pictures of these before we go."

"Of Course Mr Falcon but lets send this thing to the black hole it came from."

He raises his rifle and then asks.

"Let us see if we can find the Lewis gun."

In reply to The Keeper (msg # 312):

Mungo had been doing fine.  She had ignored most of the gore.  She had helped to guard people.  She had done fine....until...she saw Storm's body.  She looked at it and, unfortunately, it was Molly who looked back.  She screamed and went into the corner for a bit, hugging her self and refusing to move.  She kept shaking her head and muttering.  "Eyes...the eyes.....They will see us.  They stare at us.  We can't get rid of them. Don't.. don't look."

JM looked back at the sobbing Molly and shook his head sympathetically.  The sight was certainly not for the faint of heart and he did not hold her reaction against her.  Still, they had work to do and she must be comforted while the dealt with the remaining situation. "Miss Holloway, can you comfort Miss Mungo?"

He looked over at the Count and nodded.  "Put several more rounds in the head if you like Count.  It is better to be safe with these creatures than sorry.  As for the Lewis gun, yes, it should be about."  JM started searching the area for the machine gun.  "It may have been scattered or damaged in the explosion of the truck."

The final rounds served to put the beast out of its misery.

While Bathony found the Lewis gun where the late Maj. Storm dropped it, JM believed the ammunition was somewhere under the flaming wreckage of the truck.

Inside the house, Ai'Yesha comforted the seemingly-stricken Molly, speaking to her softly and holding her. Her cousin Rashid went to the kitchen and put some water on to boil for tea, bringing the pot back in a few minutes.

"There there, miss. Have a spot of tea, it'll do you a world of good!"

Downstairs, Cynthia found a wealth of jewellery and mystic symbols that matched the ones once worn by the dead cultists who lay upstairs, as well as spare robes.