Part 22: XXII - Necromantic

_{This song is unused. It sounds perfect for an ending theme, but I'll just show it off here because of LaCroix being in the title.}

Now to tell LaCroix about what happened.



And the Ankaran Sarcophagus - what did you see?

There was blood all over the floor. Handprints indicate it was opened from within.

Opened?

LaCroix can't hide the shock in his voice, here. But as quickly as it shows, he hides it away:

Let's not jump to conclusions. Give me the manifest and your notes, I'll sort this mess later.

LaCroix knows that he has an appearance to maintain. He may be alarmed on the inside, but he makes an effort never to show it.

*sigh* You might have noticed when you came in, the parade of malingering mollycoddles filing out.

Yeah. Who were they?



The Sabbat's appearance has put the primogen on edge. Grout's mansion is in the Hollywood Hills. I need you to pry Grout out of whatever crack he's crawled into and have him contact us.

If you're playing as a male, LaCroix prefaces those lines by saying: "Each minor problem like a grain of sand, each night I inherit the desert." Why he leaves this out if you're playing as a female is a question that doesn't have an answer.

We can act rebellious, but we're still going to schmooze.

Certainly. Is that all?



Yes, about Grout: as I said, Grout is the Malkavian primogen. His behavior and home are... eccentric, to say the least. He's developed a paranoid bent lately, so you may have to check under every bed in the place for him.

He's Malkavian, so it's bound to be an adventure. Before we go, though, let's probe LaCroix's brain. We've gained some amount of his respect, so why not use it to our advantage by asking for information?

I have a few questions to ask before I go.

I suppose I can spare a few seconds....

Tell me about yourself.



From that time onward, I counted some of the greatest Kindred in Europe as my mentors, and worked toward establishing a Camarilla presence in new territories. In 1930, I came to the Americas and staked power in New York. Soon after, I headed West to claim domain.

And you were given a hell of a city. Way to go! Los Angeles: where there are as many factions vying for power as paintings on your penthouse wall.

What clan are you?

We share the same blood, you and I. Without the Ventrue, the organization of the Camarilla would have dissipated long ago, and the other clans would have turned to each other's throats over petty landgrabs. That... is the burden we must bear.

His nose flew straight up when he said that.

Tell me about Beckett.

You've met Beckett? Yes, he did pay me the courtesy of announcing his presence in my city. He's lionized in Kindred society - by most. Beckett's the definition of renowned scholar, but he's also a lone wolf, and owes allegiance only to his intellectual pursuits.

Tell me about Jack.

Jack... hmm. The man is a scourge - the physical manifestation of chaos. Whenever he makes an appearance in one's city, it is only a matter of time before a calamity is attributed to his latest lark.

Tell me about that guy standing behind you.



Tell me more about the primogen.

They are the representatives of their clans, though more often than not, they represent their own best interests. They stay close to power, but they lack the backbone to lead. Be thankful you don't have to deal with them, at least for now.

This is how we know LaCroix trusts us on some level - he's willing to tell us what he really thinks about the primogen.

Now let's move from people to sects.

Tell me about the Camarilla.

In this age of information, videotape, and weapons of mass destruction, the Camarilla is more necessary than it has ever been. The alternative to thorough secrecy these days... is extinction. As long as we exist, so shall Kindred society.

I've addressed this before. Next.

Tell me about the Sabbat.

Every night you wake up, be thankful you were not sired by one of their kind or you would have woken under the ground - forced to claw your way up from the dirt into a brief, bloody, violent existence. Savages... bloodthirsty, irresponsible heathens!

I'm not so sure that the Sabbat are into one night stands, but I get the point. That's all we can ask of him for now.

I'm ready to go see Grout.

When we hear from Grout, you may come back. Until then.



This is why it's beneficial to suck up to LaCroix, even if you hate his guts. This is the only other haven we're going to get, as a Ventrue. If we were playing as a Tremere, we would instead have to suck up to Strauss to get a haven in his building.

We're going to first check out our new haven. See you at the Skyline Apartments.



Apartment 4 is the one that has the scratched-out mailbox on the ground floor. Heading on in...



Nice. It has the basic look of every apartment here, but it's without a doubt a major improvement over our shitty apartment in Santa Monica. We can always head back there, but we've got no reason to with this place to stay in.



More paintings that I don't know the name of.



There's also a giant aquarium. Who's going to keep the fish alive? Probably Heather, and she should be here.



She's upstairs, next to our fancy computer.



This conversation doesn't feel any less creepy than our last one.

I didn't decorate it.



She doesn't even know what she is. Supposedly LaCroix's goons told her to move in, but they apparently didn't mention what the circumstances are. We should fill her in before she finds out by her own accord.

There's something you should know before we go on.

Oh... are you married? Is that why you don't want me around?

Will she even believe us?

No. You survived because of my blood. I am a vampire. You are bound to me.



We have 3 ways to respond: We can either be nice, act like a super-powerful vampire that would cast her out the moment she no longer becomes helpful, or act like a kind of sadistic vampire master. We're going with the first option.

I'm afraid not. My blood commingles with your own. A term for you is ghoul.



That first option is too creepy for me.

Do you want to leave forever? To love someone else?

No! Please don't leave. I don't care what you are, just don't leave me.

There's no way to not make this sound awful, but I'm choosing the least sadistic/creepy options. If anything, it just demonstrates that the writers can actually write. Instead of us being detached from this relationship, this conversation, it's actually uncomfortable to go through.

That's great. Now, do something to show me you care.



Tell me about yourself.

Me? I'm not so special, you know. I go to college, I'm majoring in fashion design... I think I'm pretty creative. I just started school - a year late, because my... my parents died - um, car crash. I didn't really have anyone special in my life... until you came along.

There's no good way to respond to this.

How sad... Don't worry, I'm here for you, dearest Heather.

Heh....



I feel famished. Share your blood with me.

Please... take me inside of you.



Troika tried to make her into a normal, slightly geeky girl, but then they just *had* to give her a giant pair of breasts with permanently erect nipples. You were doing so well, Troika, why did you have to fuck it up? You don't need to sexualize every female character in the game.



Heather's a little out of it after we sucked on her neck, so let's check our email.



It's a fancy monitor, but the resolution isn't correct.

>email

7 posted:

<Subject> Repaid favors
<From> Mercurio

Stop by my apartment when you get a chance, I'll set you up. - M

We'll head back to see Mercurio eventually...

8 posted:

<Subject> DON'T TOUCH THE BUTTER!
<From> Brock-Fu@SillyLittlePuppy.vtm

DON'T TOUCH THE BUTTER! The new extreme sport that's sweeping the nation is now on a limited edition DVD. Watch superstars Iron Will McMan, Brock "Dry Hands" Heinz, and Margarine Mike Davenport as they use every bit of restraint in their body to NOT TOUCH THE BUTTER! One bowl of butter, two contestants, three judges, and a hell of a lot of willpower! To order, log onto http://www.donttouchthebutter.vtm.

We'll have to take this under advisement.



Further exploring our apartment, we find another occult power-up.



There's also one last painting to show off. Now we're going to leave. We'll see Heather again later. To the streets.





Hmmm... we've passed this area a few times, but never explored it. Is there anything to this vacant lot? What about the door on the left?



It's unlocked. Inside we go.





Is this just an abandoned building?



Wha--





He sounds really scared. I know exactly what to do!

Look out! It's right behind you!

Agh - ah - aaaahhhh! Aaaahhhh!!!

Nah, I'm just screwing with you. What are you talking about?

My crew... my crew, w- we were... we were here shooting for my show. I'm a parapsychologist - Haunted LA? Oh god, it was right behind me. We've got to get out of here!

Haunted LA? Did this guy really buy into his BS show? Then again, this is the world of darkness we're talking about. He could have really seen something.

What's behind you?

Look, I'll level with you. We- we- we usually fake these things, you know? Ghosts... that's all bullshit. We were setting up downstairs and... weird shit started happening, uh... my crew, they all started disappearing. [choked up]I- I don't know what's happening.

Wait here... I'll go see if I can find them.

A-no! No, don't go down there! We've gotta get out. It's coming... it's coming... it's coming...! A-heh - A-HEH-HAH!



He runs five feet away and stands here. He just babbles more if we try to talk to him. Let's get to the bottom of this whole affair.



Yes, let's get to the bottom of this.



Entering into the room on the left, we see this guy running on the monitor.



Suddenly, some invisible force propels him forward! Something is definitely going on here, but what exactly could it be?



To go any further, we have to go back one room, and up into this air-duct.



That eventually leads us to a staircase. Many parts of the hallways in the hospital are blocked off by debris.



We have to head under the staircase.



A woman is screaming, being pulled back against her will. What could be causing this?



Well, at least they had their camera set up. We're heading down.



And even further down, into the ground...



Up the right path...



...we find this goth guy, pounding on the door. He looks behind him, screams, and pounds on the door harder.



Woah! We're getting close. Through a door on the right...



We're lead into what looks to be the morgue of the hospital.



With this woman standing around. She must be the culprit. As we approach...



...she digs the man's heart out of his body with her teeth.



She ate his flesh. She can't be just a regular vampire. And look at her eyes. What could she be?

What are you?

[Listen] Drinking blood to sustain your death, you are damned, yes? What if, besides the blood of the living, you had to eat pounds of their flesh to maintain that thin façade of life - what would you call it? Twice damned?

You have to eat human flesh?



It's probably best not to mess with her. Who can say what's natural and what isn't, anyway?

I don't understand.

I kill or I rot. For every night I go without it, I wilt. All things must consume life to avoid dying. You and I are no exception.

Some single celled organisms don't, no, but we'll play along.

Yeah, I agree with that.

This perspective is uncommon. The multitude see death as tragic. If this were true, so then would be birth.

I think she means because birth would mean the eventual death of the child.

Who are you?



Why are you living in a comdemned building?

My stay in this city is transitory. I seek relics of the occult traced here, and would trade similar artifacts to acquire them... but if you wish to bargain with me, the kine upstairs must be sent down here. He has seen too much.

Jack spoke about the camarilla malkavian living under the abandoned hotel. I'm not sure if that vampire became Pisha or not.

He'll never come down here. He's scared out of his mind.

Tell him this was all a ruse - his friends playing a joke. He will come. He must come down here. If he leaves, the frail disguise we wear for mortals will be seen through.

He could violate the masquerade. I'm sure we can guess what her plans are for him, but let's be sure.

Are you going to eat him?



We'll do it, even if it feels wrong. We'll pretend that Melissa is a consequentialist with the end-goal of upholding the masquerade above all.

If it has to be this way. I'll take care of it right now.

We head back up to the entrance...



...but the guy is gone! There is still something on the floor, however.



How convenient that he dropped this. We'll be heading back to the skyline apartments next time.