"Jesus Christ," Brad said, smoking the cigarette down to its filter. "These fuckers gotta go."

"This explains a lot," Joyce said. "And makes me feel better about my decision to stay and fight."

"Shouldn't we, I dunno, contact the military or something?" Brad asked.

"That air strike last night flew out of Bishop AFB. The Camarilla's reach is longer than you can imagine. Remember, up until ten years ago you had no idea we were here and I'm telling you we've been here all along. That's not a happy accident."

"Yes, before this is over I fully expect the armed forces to be deployed. I'd just like to be damned sure they're fighting for our side when they roll out."

"I'm not personally convinced that the military wouldn't bomb the city to ashes rather than tackle a liberation effort," Joyce added. "We need to make this impossible to sweep under a rug, or that's exactly what they'll do."

"Joyce isn't wrong," Liam said, nodding in her direction. He flicked his cigarette to the ground and crushed it beneath his foot. "I'm sure that's an option they'll table. We need to wake the city up. After that, the whole world will take notice."

"You're going to have to spritz a lot of people in the face," Brad said. "Maybe some super soakers would help?"

"Doing it piecemeal isn't going to cut it," Liam said, shaking his head. "The Camarilla would get wise to it quickly. We need to get it into the water supply. Wake everyone up at once."

"The waterworks isn't too far from where you sprung us," Brad said. "I bet a tough guy like you could shoot his way in."

Liam shook his head. "I wouldn't get within a thousand yards of the waterworks. It may not look like it from afar, but the whole facility has been fortified. You're absolutely right though, that's where we need to get to. We just have to figure out how."

"But that's a bigger question, and one we're not going to solve tonight."

"Well, I'm no general, but I know my way around a rifle," Brad said.

"And I suppose the others will have to learn," added Joyce. "But you're quite right, Liam. That's a conversation for another night. We are all safe for the moment, and we should all take this time to recover."

"I recover best when I'm workin'," Brad said. "And if you feel like getting your hands dirty tonight, you just come to me. There's a lot we could use help doin', and if you're looking to endear yourself to these folks, actions speak louder than words."

“I’d be glad to help,” Liam said, and indeed he meant it. “Are you a hunter, or is that a professional interest?” Brad had still not volunteered whatever it was he did before he was whisked away in the dead of night to be sacrificed on the Camarilla’s already blood stained altar.

"Hunting, camping," Brad said. "And army cadets when I was a kid. 's how I know how to dig a latrine. But nothing I've ever done professionally, no. I've never seen combat. I'm a factory foreman by trade. Something they kept going right up until the lockdown. I spent most of the year at home, then somebody came knocking at my door. That pretty much brings us to last night. I don't think I even saw a vampire until then."

“No, I’m not surprised,” Liam said. “I was a longshoreman in Halifax before I enlisted. Put me to work. I wasn’t planning on going anywhere further than the woods tonight anyway.”

"I'll let you two get to work," Joyce said, taking her leave. "Nice meeting you, Liam."

Brad walked away from the yurt toward a well-manicured garden. Between Robyn, Sunshine and later and Maeve, the property boasted a very healthy selection of organic crops, an impressively organized herb garden containing plants Liam didn't even recognize, a shaded mushroom grove and pot plants the size of Christmas trees. But the tilled bed was not equipped to feed an army. It appeared that they had cordoned off a much larger area for crop planting, but with a small pole-mounted hoe, the tilling would take weeks.

"Robyn suggested that you could help us here," Brad said. "We've got seeds for days, and your lady friend has a hell of a green thumb. But turning over this dirt is a tall order, especially in the heat of the day. Can you help us out here?"

It would be a small matter of growing out his claws. With his impressive strength he'd slice through the earth like warm butter. He'd be running perilously low on blood though.

Liam nodded at Joyce and followed Brad to the garden beds. Standing out in the dark field he tapped his chin, eyeing the job at hand. "Yes. I could do the work in an hour, no problem, but I'd have to feed. Last night took a lot out of me." He eyed the woods around them speculatively. There were always deer around Verdant Falls if nothing else.

"I wish I could help ya there, bud," Brad said. "But I'm straight as an arrow. If you loan me a rifle I can probably bag you something. Will animal blood work or has it gotta be people?"

As luck would have it, Liam caught the scent of blood on the wind. It was light, but it was strong. Something had been wounded without bleeding out. It would be an easy hunt.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:59, Sat 11 July 2020.

"It's not really a sex thing," Liam said, though he wasn't looking at Brad and was only half listening. He sniffed the night air again.

Liam whistled for Caleb and patted his thigh. "Deer have thin blood, but its better than nothing," he said to Brad, nose to the wind. "As luck would have it, I think I can smell one. Its hurt."

"Give me half an hour and there'll be venison for the camp. I'll till the field when I get back. You can dress the kill."

"Uhh, you got it man," Brad said.

Caleb was quick to join his master, and as soon as he caught the scent in the wind, he knew exactly what was up. Fresh meat for dinner, that was what.

It didn't take long for the two of them to zero in on the source of the scent. It was far better than any deer. A large bull moose was limping through the forest. It appeared as though his right back leg was badly broken. The bone was sticking out. The poor thing was in agony, and showed no fear as Liam approached. He knew what was coming, and that his time was up.

[20 BP, at half potency is ten points. You feel very bloated.]

As Liam finished up, Caleb began to growl. Liam heard the baying of coyotes on the trail of his kill. Nothing he couldn't handle, but it was time to get back to camp.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:43, Sat 11 July 2020.

An adult moose held more blood than Liam could handle, thin though it was, and his body reacted immediately by diverting it to those places he could make use of it at once. Fingers grew into claws, his muscles flooded with vitae in order to carry the carcass home, the blood memory of an owl was imprinted in his genes and whatever remained beyond what he could carry in his veins started the process of repairing his bruised body even though it would take another day to realize that potential.

“Come on, Caleb,” he said, hoisting the kill over his back awkward though it was. “Let’s get back to camp.”

Liam has to ‘waste’ 11 BP from the kill to drain it dry at half value. He’ll buff strength 2, protean 2 (claws), protean 4 (owl) just in case he choses to go anywhere this evening, and if possible he’ll pay down his healing costs for the next day with the remaining 3
This message was last edited by the player at 00:54, Sun 12 July 2020.

[Well, it'll make for an easy plow.]

Caleb proudly trotted around the kill as Liam brought it home. He crossed the warding boundaries, and was through the treeline soon after. Brad had gone back to supervising the latrine dig, but whooped as he spied Liam's kill. He bounded over.

"Jesus Christ, boy, you were gone twenty minutes," he gasped incredulously as he approached. He immediately stooped, helping Liam shoulder the kill into the garage. "Did you do this with your bare hands? What a beaut. Check out the rack on him."

“He didn’t put up much of a fight,” Liam said as he set the carcass down. He pointed out the moose’s bad leg. “He was lame when I found him. I think he knew it was the end.”

“I can help you dress it after. Show me what you want done with this field.”

"Well, I dunno if vampires get their prostate checked," Brad chuckled. "You might want to get them to check for a horseshoe. I tell ya, when your lady friend was talking about how we could get all the nutrients we need from plants, a little bit of me died inside. This'll keep us in meat for months."

They stashed the carcass in the garage, and Brad led him to the field. "You see how there's a good half acre of grass roped off here? Put the grass on the bottom and the dirt under it on top. We can take care of the rest when we have light."

It was a trivial matter for Liam in his present state to dig his claws in and till the soil. However, there was a lot of land to till. It would take some time.

"I'll get started on the moose," Brad said. "This should keep you going for a while."

Liam nodded. “Brad? There’s a fridge in the garage. The beer inside hasn’t gone off - its made from blood. Just thought I’d mention that now before you get thirsty.”

Liam turned and brandished his claws. After a night of work he’d be looking for a nightcap too.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:18, Sun 12 July 2020.

Even with his immortal blood and enhanced strength, it was grueling work. The moon was bright, which not only helped him see without enhancement, but also provided an opportunity for him to gather an audience. As he ripped effortlessly through the dry root-tangled soil, a couple villagers watched warily from a distance. Soon more gathered, and then a few of the braver ones drew closer. He could hear them conversing, marvelling at his abilities. When he was finally finished, there was even a smattering of applause.

There was smoke and the smell of grilling meat coming from the area by the house. Brad had helped himself to Robyn's barbecue.

Liam dusted off his hands and headed back towards the camp, pausing to offer his assistance in digging out the latrines if it was still required. He couldn’t move earth as fast as Mik but he was not far off. After that he went to see what was left to do on the moose. Butchering an animal of that size took hours and he was determined to have it out of the garage before Robyn woke up.

Brad was no slouch when it came to butchering. The animal was very courteously drained when it arrived, and he had managed to get the carcass strung up and skinned. He'd sliced off a few prime steaks, and had enlisted the young woman with the buzz cut to handle the grill. Caleb was laying contentedly by the kill, his chops still sticky with viscera.

When she saw Liam she stiffened, and suddenly became very focused on the grill. She was trembling, and couldn't help herself taking a darting look at his dirt-crusted claws. Liam recalled her playing fetch with Caleb earlier in the evening. She was young, in her early twenties, and practically swimming in what Liam could only presume was one of Jack's old t-shirts. If Liam had to guess, he'd say the androgyny was deliberate.

Brad, on the other hand, was up to his elbows in gore and had never looked happier. "Whoa, you done already?" he asked. "Why don't you wash those choppers of yours and lend me a claw. I'll, uh, stretch the hide myself. Delicate work, you know."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:28, Sun 12 July 2020.