Part 41: XLI - Out of the Dark

So, last time... ugh. Fuck it, let's just get moving.



We're not quite done with meandering around caverns just yet, since the warrens are even more cavernous than the sewers. However, infinitely more enjoyable to traverse because there's nothing trying to murder you.



Note the red water. While it's red because of some rendering mess, it's a good indicator of what the water is about - it's really fucking hot, and will cause damage if you go into it. Speaking of rendering and similar things, this place is really fucking dark. Seems like it's some sort of thing with the lighting. Screenshots will be very dark during this update.



And... this bridge goes nowhere. What the hell, Gary. You built this shit just to fuck with me, didn't you? "Just you wait, when that new kid comes out of the sewers, beat to shit and pissed the hell off, and then walks across that bridge to nowhere, his reaction will be rich!"



While bopping around the caverns some more, we stumble across some dead vampires. I wonder if these are supposed to be dead Nosferatu that didn't manage to get away from an attack, or if they're would-be intruders.



It takes a bit, but we eventually make it to an area that looks like somebody might actually be living here. Still, no Nosferatu in sight...



Oh, hey, there's one.



Uh... hello?
[Listen] Wha? Oh, yeah, hold on a sec... oh my god. Are you kidding me? What are you using for security down there, a Trash-80? Ugghh! Guys, it's called encryption. This is too easy. I'd let you off the hook, but stupidity always brings out the asshole in me.
Ummm... uh... hey there.



Yeah, I guess you'd have to be a real idiot to open it. *cough*

Maybe I'll just come back later.



So this is Mitnick, and he's a hacker, obviously a play on famous real-life hacker Kevin Mitnick, once the number one wanted computer criminal in the USA. I'd have called the guy Draper, but that's just me. However, this brings up a question - Kevin Mitnick was born and originally operated out of Los Angeles. Are we to assume that this Mitnick is actually supposed to be that Mitnick? Basically every half-way important person in world history was somehow involved with WoD creatures in the WoD storyline, so I wouldn't exactly rule it out.

Me too. Tell me about yourself.
Me? Like I said, I'm- I'm the resident tech-head. Keep this place wired to the outside world. Gary wants me to keep a close on the street, at the same time I'm supposed to be upgrading the Sch- ...uh, the net- network.
Upgrading what? What were you going to say?
Hmmph. No-nothin'. Forget about it. Like I said, just some network stuff.
Yeah, right. So what do you have to do?
I'm trying to add a few more network hubs in the city so we're covered in case of emergency, but Gary doesn't want anyone leaving until this whole thing with LaCroix blows over. Which basically leaves my freakin' cheese hanging in the wind.
Maybe I can help you out.
Ye-yeah? You-you'd do that? Man, that would really help me out. I could hook you up along the way, uh, make it worth your while. I've got access to all kinds of goodies!
I'm in. What do I need to do?
Well, I-I-I need a little time to set things up. Tech-technical details. I'll send an email to your haven and tell you what needs to be done. That's... all you need to know for now.

Alright, we got ourselves a sidequest again! Things are looking up. Now, let's see what else we can get out of this guy.

By the way. How did you end up down here, Mitnick?
Me? Before all this, I was a hacker. Good one, too. There wasn't a system I couldn't crack... telcos, DOD, you name it. One time... I emailed the president all the nuclear missile activation codes. Ha! And the FBI was shitting their pants. Well, one day I ran across this system... totally dark... unbelievable security. I fried three laptops trying to bust it. I worked on it for months. D-didn't sleep much at all. I'd almost given up, but I caught a lucky break one night and finally broke in.
Yeah? What was it?
It was... uh... a... Nosferatu database. Not even a really important one, either. Which was probably the only reason I cracked it. I dug around for a while, got totally freaked out, and I unplugged. Two hours later, guess who shows up at my door. Gary. And voila! Here I am.
How's life, er... unlife since then?
Are you kidding? Ha ha! I love this shit. I mean, yeah... I'm not gonna win any beauty contest, but I wasn't too good looking before anyway. Now I get all the new toys, plus I just happen to get to live forever. Not a bad deal if you ask me.

Perspective really does count for a lot. I wouldn't have figured that a Nosferatu, of all people, would be a guy to go "aw yeah, being a vampire kicks ass!". But then again, yeah, the disfigurement isn't really a problem if you already didn't place that much pride in your personal appearance.

Tell me about this place.
What, the warrens? Not much to tell. Just a bunch of us living down here, trying to stay off the radar. It ain't pretty, but it's home. Gary's the big man on campus... he's runnin' the show.
Place looks pretty empty.
There's more of us than you'd think. They're around. Oh, you won't see too many of the brood down here, but they'll be watching you. Heh!
That's comforting. Anyway... I'm looking for Gary.
Yeah, he knows why you're here. LaCroix must be pissed. But I hope you're not here looking for some payback. LaCroix knows better than to mess with Gary, sheriff or no sheriff.
Gary's got some explaining to do. Where is he?
His room is just down the hall. You'll probably find him down there. Or maybe he'll find you. Ha ha ha.
I'll go find him. See ya.

Down the hall. That's rich. There ain't shit here that qualifies as a hall.



We find this Nosferatu down the hall, but I'm guessing she's not Gary.



Sorry... maybe I came at a bad time.
[Listen] I mean, just look at her! Too fat, big teeth, and her complexion! Does she wash her face with a cheese grater?
Slow down, cowgirl. Who exactly are we talking about here?
I mean, like anyone ever knew who Tawni Sessions was before I left the scene. She'd still be a fluff girl at Vivisexion, making ten bucks a stiffy if I was still around. Arrgggh!
And who exactly are you?
Oh, right. You probably don't recognize me with this whole Texas Chainsaw Massacre thing I've got going on here. My name is... Imalia.

You might remember her from Carson's apartment, where there was a poster of her hanging around.



As a sidenote, you can fuck up this conversation by pissing Imalia off. If you still want her sidequest then, you have to do another sidequest that involves getting an old magazine with her on the cover, which you can then find at the Sin Bin for 500 bucks, 400 with a Haggle check. Let's not do that.

Hey, Imalia. How come you hate Tawni Sessions so much?
Before this neat little makeover, I used to be a model. I was all over the place... TV, magazines, billboards. I mean, I was hot - super hot - and I knew it. Which is why Gary decided to invite me into his freaky little family.
What do you mean, Gary "invited" you?
Nosferatu have a sick sense of humor. Sometimes they feel that their victims - namely moi in this particular case - have an overabundance of vanity and need to be taught an important "life lesson".
I see. So what happened?
Well, I had just won Guy magazine's "The Most Ridiculously Hot Chick In The Known Universe" award, and when I came home after the ceremony, lo and behold Gary was sitting there on my couch with a martini in his hand. You fill in the blanks.

The #1 way to appear menacing: Surprise your victim by breaking into their house while they're gone and sit on their couch. Bonus points if you're doing something mundane when they show up.

So... have you learned your "life lesson"?
Yeah. The lesson is "life is a cold-hearted bitch, so now I get to be one, too." You get that? You need to write it down?



Sometimes, the ways to piss people off are more obvious than usual.

Let's get back to Tawni Sessions. Why not kill her?
I don't wanna kill her. That's too quick and painles. I wanna ruin her name in the business for good. I wanna dig up somethin' on her that smells so bad even the tabloids will think twice about printing it.
Sounds cool. So what's stopping you?
Gary says that everyone has to lay low until this thing with the prince cools down. Until then, I'm stuck here watchin' the whole world kiss Tawni's big, fat ass.
Hmmm. Maybe I could help you out. What would I need to do?
I have some wireless cameras that I need you to set up in her apartment. One in her bedroom, one in her bathroom, and one in her kitchen. I'm sure you'll see good places to hide them once you're there.
What else?
Once the cameras are in place, you'll need to hook them up to the network. Log in to her computer using the password "cleopatra". From there, you'll be able to activate the cameras.
What do you think you're going to see?
Who cares? Sex, drugs, bad hygiene... everyone gets a little dirty when the doors close. Tawni's no different, and probably worse than most.
What's in it for me?
Look, I'll definitely make it worth your while if you do it right. But listen... I don't want her dead, I want her to suffer. Get in and get out without her knowing about it. Understand?
Fine, I'll do it.
You will? Great. Here are the cameras. She lives in Hollywood, an apartment building right across from the Luckee Star motel. I had someone here dig up a spare key to her apartment for me. Take that, too.
Thanks. I'll take care of it. See ya.

Another sidequest! We're getting right back to the more varied things as opposed to just meandering through a place, killing dudes.



You know somebody hates you when they start scribbling over pictures of you.



Now, between Imalia's place and Gary's place, there's this storage room, and according to the walkthrough I'm following, there's supposed to be another occult powerup here. Instead, it's just a blood pack. I'll just ascribe that to WESP and move on.



We follow the path some more, and through a narrow passage, we see a fairly important looking door.



Well, that's an interesting sight. We've got some corpses sitting at a table, all dressed up, they're serving up dead rats, and Für Elise is playing in the background.



And then suddenly we've got a voice in our head!

Show yourself.
Maybe I'm in your head. Uh, oh... you might have picked up one of those psychoses so common to new Kindred.
I need to talk to you.
We are talking. But you aren't listening, boss.
Where are you? Let's talk face to face.
[Listen] I'm over here, boss! Wait, maybe I'm over here! Or maybe I'm behind you, with a hatchet in my hand... or did you ever stop to think that your fear, if given a voice, would sound... like... this.
What do you want?
I want to stick your lovely face in a piranha tank; I want to apply an acid glaze to your sculptured body; I want to throw your pocket mirror under a thresher and watch you fetch it. But I'm no butcher, boss. Are you?

Wait... I thought that was a line specific to a Toreador, what with Nosferatu hating Toreador and vice versa. I mean, I'm sure that Melissa does her part to look good, noblesse oblige and all that, got to look the part when you're going to run shit some day, but it's certainly not going to the point of vanity the way Toreador do it. Probably just the patch mucking about again.

I'm here about the Ankaran Sarcophagus.
You don't say. Wake up, boss! Who do you think you're dealing with? Why else would LaCroix send you on this snipe hunt? Oh, that's right... I know you work for the price.
Just tell me about the sarcophagus so I can get out of here.
You should have got here sooner. That lot's been sold.
Who bought it?
I like to discuss business face to face.
Show yourself.
Are you sure, boss? You don't want my image in your subconscious. It's the stuff nightmares are made of.
The suspense is killing me.
Careful what you wish for, you just... might... get it.
Yeah?
Behind you, boss!



Meet Gary. He's a dick, like most vampires. But unlike most vampires, he kind of seems to be doing a lot of the shit he does just for shits and giggles. When other vampires dick you over, they're looking for profit. If Gary dicks you over, chances are he's just having a laugh at your expense. This makes him one of the more pleasant people to deal with. Also, he's not really that ugly. I mean, fuck, Tung was a lot uglier. That guy looked like I thought all Nosferatu would be - really messed up. Gary just straight-up looks like Count Orlok, which I guess is fitting and still qualifies as "grotesque" compared to the other clans, but still, hardly a face that's going to stay in your nightmares.

Who are you?
What? You don't recognize me from the pictures? Gorgeous Gary Golden? Don't tell me you missed Pirate Town or Tap Hotel. Little before your time, eh, boss? Well, those days are long past. Nowadays, it's just Gary.

An opportunity was missed here to have a Toreador PC gush over finally meeting his idol. If there's film buffs under the Kindred, odds are they'd be Toreador.

Delighted. Now where's the sarcophagus?
Where, where, where did it go? That thing seems to get around more than Mae West. Why, might I ask, should I give you that information?
Because I got rid of that Tzimisce for you.
Oh, my hero. Had it not been for that damn Tzimisce, you'd still be searching under rocks for us. It was hardly a favor. But - I know where your prince's prize is. There's very little that doesn't leak down into this place. Tell me, boss, you ever gone up agant a Kuei-jin?

Indeed, we have, back when Knox had us track down one and we ended up killing him. Surprised that hasn't leaked down, given that we were working for a Nosferatu in that case. No option of telling him that, so let's turn on the snark.

Yeah, I have - hundreds. I'm a Kuei-jin death machine.
That's a good one, boss. You been feeding near the skids again? The Kuei-jin are vampires, but not like Kindred. Sometimes known as the vampires of the East. But they ain't kin, boss... they're just someone else that, if you ain't being careful, might give you the Final Death.
Tell me more.
Even for old Gary, there ain't much more to tell. You see, I sent an agent, Barabus, to snoop around Chinatown... do a little hacking, make a few contacts... but he hasn't been calling lately, and it's breaking my heart.
I see. Go on.
You up for a little trip to Chinatown? You're in no danger there; me - best you don't mention my name there, boss. That's the going rate for info right now... you get our chum back from Chinatown, I'll give you what you need.

Sadly, no option to say "forget it, Gary, it's Chinatown". Though he'd probably punch you in the face if you said that, especially with the smug grin you'd probably have on your face. Though there seems to be a dialogue path that leads to Gary saying it to you.

Deal. Tell me what I need to do.
The Golden Temple in Chinatown - it's a piss poor copy of a real place... looks like it'd be more at home in a theme park. That eyesore's where you'll find the leader of the LA Kuei-jin. They call her Ming-Xiao. Sounds dangerous? No, this ain't a suicide mission, boss. You'll be more of a curiosity than a threat. Talk to Xiao, ask her where my boy is, and get him back. Once he's safe, I'll tell you everything you need to know about the sarcophagus.

Eh, I'm not so sure about this. That Kuei-jin we killed earlier and his laptop notes made it somewhat clear that these guys aren't just here to be friendly neighbors.

Aren't the Kindred at war with the Kuei-jin?
Not that I know of. It's like the eye of the hurricane right now. Don't make those winds blow, boss.

That sounds off. We fucking know the Kuei-jin are planning to take over Los Angeles. How the hell does that not cause widespread panic, or at least show up on the Nosferatu radar as a threat?

Sounds dangerous. Got anything I can use to protect myself?
Let's see what I got... Use your head. And your eyes. Chinatown's more liable to off you than ten Hollywoods. But not if you're smart.
Alright. I'll go. But you better keep your end of the deal.
Of course. What kind of a monster do you take me for? There is a method to my madness, boss. There's a payphone in Chinatown. I'll call you with the info until Barabus is safe... until then, you'll never know where I am.
The Kuei-jin are going to be sorry I ever came to town.
Whatever you say, boss. Remember, boss... that's their kingdom. Start testing them, you won't like the results. Just get our boy back.
I'll remember that. Goodbye.

And then Gary disappears. Because of course he disappears, he's a Nosferatu.



We then make our way through the other door in that room, up a small passageway.



At the end of it, we find a ladder...



...leading to a tiny room...



...which leads to the Hollywood graveyard crypt! This is going to be our easy entrance to the Nosferatu warrens.



Ah, it's good to be seeing the sky again and to be breathing some fresh air, even if it kind of stinks of the dead.

Exciting thread vote time!

So, where to next, boss?

A) Aw man, Chinatown sounds awesome! I bet there's going to be all sorts of mystical shit there...

B) You know, I think I've had enough of the main quest for now. Let's go and help Imalia and Mitnick instead.