Board Thread:Roleplaying/@comment-25828117-20160101233053/@comment-5583506-20160102033303

The warmth of Tanner's hug seemed to linger. She could barely remember the last time someone had embraced her and told her that everything would be alright. She needed that more in her life. Her mother had done so when she and her father had left Salem to withdraw to the headquarters in the ruins of Northhampton. That had been back when she still hadn't received her synthetic implants. It had been a farewell without sight as Overseer Ridgemont had rolled her out in her wheelchair while her mother and father hugged her. She hadn't seen them since. She hoped that they were well and that one day they would be re-assigned to Salem so that she could meet them again... and see them again with her new sight.

Ever since then, she had been in the care of Minerva Ridgemont, the Overseer. She had provided for her, trained her. Even though Evangeline believed that the Overseer's trust and belief in that she was some sort of prophesised child prodigy was misplaced, she appreciated all the affection she received from the old woman. It was the only thing that had kept her going. That and the frequent visits from her cousin Philip.

Back then she had had people around her all the time. People who cared for her. But out here... everything seemed so... indifferent. Sure, Tanner and Kayleigh might have wished her farewell, but in truth she was nothing but a stranger to them. If she was to die out there, no one would grieve for her. But then again no one would ever be the wiser of the fact that she had died out there, so it was impossible to say.

''"Hello darkness, my old friend..." ''she hummed quietly to herself as she slipped away into the everchanging night and out into the fair. For but a brief moment it felt as if nothing evil in the world was happening. There was no cult of sacrificing maniacs roaming about with the intention to bring ruin to the world. There was no power-hungry AI set on killing the people he had trapped inside of its domains. There was no mass-murdering Raider armed and loose together with the other half of the group.

Her wandering through the dark eventually brought her to some sort of faded sign stating: CORONA. As her eyes adjusted when she peered out into the shrouded night behind the sign she became aware of ruins on the skyline. Ruins of tall buildings and the like; the sort of place followers of Ug-Qualtoth would undeniably find to be appealing. Judging by her knowledge the ruins were located to the west; deeper into the city itself. Chances were that if the cultists she had lost track off had ever come through the fair, they would most likely have gone through here. Either for but a brief stop, or to set up a permanent residence...

She loaded her sniper and headed down further into the ruined quarters and kept to the shadows to avoid potential confrontations with Raiders or mutated beasts. She also knew that Super Mutants happened to find a particular liking to tall, ruined, pre-war structures... for whatever purpose. Maybe something in their past, human sub-consciousness' that wanted them to come back to society?

She froze up as she suddenly became aware of hoarse voices up ahead by a small bonfire of tires. "You heard anything else from that group down in Forest Hill?"

"Yeah, some strange shit. Said that it looked like someone had cleaned that place out alright. Marty said that Boss Jake was pinned to a billboard with darts all over his body, including his dick."

''Raiders... ''she remarked as she saw three men gathered around the bonfire dressed up in cage armors and heavily armed.

"Someone threw a dart into his dick?!" chuckled one of the men. "Sounds like someone finally had it with ol' Jake and his constant fapping, eh? Sure would like to know what happened to his stash of chems and caps. Not to mention that huge porno magazine collection that he had!"

A thought came to Evangeline's mind as she glanced back down at the satchel she was carrying; containing caps, chems and... porno magazines... It couldn't be?

She rolled her eyes and grimaced when she slowly understood the ending of the Raiders' story. "Kriegz", she muttered under her breath and shook her head, continuing to observe the men under silence from behind a container.

"Want to hear about something even more weird?" asked a bearded Raider and stroke his moustache. "You know that... that... Oh, shit. Uhm... Whatcha call it? That tall building? Contains all sorts of books and magazines in long shelves?"

"A library?" suggested another.

"Hey, look at this fucking smart-ass", snorted the bearded Raider. "Yeah, a library! Anyway, you want to know something freaky?"

"What?" asked a slim Raider who spat in his hands and then rubbed it off on his behind.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"Well, uhm... I think it was... last night maybe? Two nights ago? Anywho, let's say it was last night, because I am too tired to remember. Was hooked up on Jet this afternoon."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">The other two nodded in understanding.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"So", continued the bearded Raider. "You know how we have kind of steered clear off that place since it's fucking infested with ghouls and shit, right? Well, problem is I don't think it's infested anymore..."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"Why would that be a problem?" shrugged the slim Raider. "Let's get in there and grab the loot."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"Let me finish, dumbass", growled the bearded man. "It looks like there is some new folks who have taken up residence there now."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"In our fucking town? Oh, hell no!"

<p style="font-weight:normal;">It seemed to amuse the bearded man. "My point exactly first, so that's why I snuck over there last night to pay some late night toll visit. Despite having seen plenty of people inside of there... almost... 7? 9 of them? I couldn't see a single soul in there. It was as if they had disappeared into nothingness."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"So? Big deal. They left. Simple as that."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"Listen, shitface, and stop fucking interrupt me", growled the bearded Raider. "I haven't gotten to the weird part. Because I saw clear as I see you assholes now that a large group of people entered that building. What's even more weird is the fact that I heard... well... singing? I heard them singing."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"Was it It's a Man?" asked one of the Raiders vaguely. "I love that song."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"Quiet. They... they sang. At least I think they were. It sounded more like... like some sort of chanting. You know, like old preaching or some weird shit like that, look I don't know. It just made me feel uncomfortable is all. It was this gathering of people, taking up residence in that old library, and they were singing in this really strange sort of language. Made me want to cover my ears sometimes because it felt so fucking creepy. Not to mention the fact that when I looked in there, it was completely empty!"

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"Alright, I get ya", said the slim Raider. "So, what do you want to do about it? Huh?"

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"I don't want any squads to patrol that area by day anymore. Keep it under strict surveillance by night and do not let any of the boys and girls take action without my saying. I want to know what freaks we are dealing with here..."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"Gotcha."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">These news had come as stroke of good fortune, though Evangeline. Here she had been following a cold trail, until suddenly it had become a lot warmer thanks to the most common enemies the order had to face everyday.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">In return, I will not kill you today, Raider, she reflected and waited patiently until the Raiders finally headed off and back into the streets of district, returning to whatever camp they belonged to. Then she scurried past the burning tires and into the streets. She read up on the ancient bus schedules to locate any libraries nearby until she located one nearby under the name of Queens Library. Following the directions and keeping a low profile while travelling through the quiet and dark ruins, she eventually made her way to the library.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">It stood out a little from the other buildings in a way she couldn't explain. Maybe it was the old witches' blood inside of her veins that could tell that something was definitely a bit... off with the place, almost as if she could sense whatever evil had taken up residence in there. She definitely wasn't wrong though. A closer look revealed a lone candle aglow in one of the windows of the third floor.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">She swallowed hard and made her way to the doors. The red-brown colours had faded and crisped due to the amount of radiation they had been exposed to when the aftermath of the Great War had hit them. She gently felt the handle, making sure that they weren't booby-trapped before she entered. It was dark inside... very dark... and quiet. The only sound that could be heard was the creaking of her footsteps on the old wooden floor. It had collapsed on certain parts, revealing gaps and a view into the underground archives of the place. What interests there was in an old library that the Cult of Ug-Qualtoth might have found she did not know, and neither did she care. She had no intention to find out. The cult would be dealt with and that would be it.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">She felt at unease traversing through the shroud of blackness, watching through her lenses as small clouds of dust rose up from her every footstep and slowly fell and settled onto the floor again. This place could be considered a tomb of human knowledge, and she wouldn't let the cult defile it no matter what purpose had brought them here originally. Though what made her feel uncomfortable with this place was the fact that she felt... as if she was not completely alone... It felt as if someone was... watching her... The feeling occasionally made her cast a glance over her shoulder as if to make sure that no one was sneaking up behind her. She peered around every corner and doorway, revealing long rooms meant for studying and reading, shelves full of burned and scorched books, and old rusted terminals. She continued her way up spiraling staircases of cracked marble before she finally made it to the third floor, still feeling like someone was breathing down her neck all the time.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">It actually made her feel really alone, frightened and fragile, for the first time in a long time. I wish the others were here with me now... She continued passing through some hallways, seeing the faint glow in the faraway distance. This was indeed the place the cultists had come. She could feel it. What question remained now was the same that made her constantly look over her shoulder: Where had they all gone?

<p style="font-weight:normal;">She approached the candle carefully, almost as if it was a Raider holding her at gunpoint. The room was empty, but the darkness that dwelt within unveiled the unholy activities that had taken place there. On the floor before the candle there was a Raider. His stomach had been cut open and someone had pulled his intestines out in a fashion that almost reminded of some sort of procession. His blood had been spilled by the side of the entrails and painted on the floor in the shape of the same signs and symbols she had witnessed those years back. She even recognised some of the symbols from the books owned by Minerva. They were supposedly magical in nature. These in particular were meant to foresee the future. His removed entrails spoke lengths of that fact as well, since she knew that ancient magic practioneers ages before the Great War had used animal entrails and intestines to read what was written in the stars.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">''Wonder what these maniacs foresaw in the entrails of a Raider? ''she couldn't help but wonder.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">She flinched as she heard a loud creak behind her. She spun around and witnessed as a man in tattered robes observed her with a maddened grin on his face.

<p style="font-weight:normal;"> "The foretelling was true", he chuckled. "You have come! You have come to ensure his arrival!"

<p style="font-weight:normal;"> "On your knees, sinner!" she growled sternly as an order. "On your knees now!"

<p style="font-weight:normal;">The cultist obeyed her, much to her confusion. There didn't even seem to be a trace of fear of her threatening him with a rifle. He obeyed her because he was told to do so. "Can you feel his breath upon you, o Chosen One?" he asked. "He is drawing closer everyday. From the depths of the black waters will he cometh! From the womb of the red mark will he be born! Be afraid, worms! Be very afraid!"

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"Silence!" commanded Evangeline and marched up to the man who was still smiling at her. She pulled her revolver and held it to his forehead, yet he was still unwavering. Either he was so completely out of his mind that he couldn't recognise the threat she posed to his life, or he was utterly devoted to her every whim. "Where are the rest of your followers?"

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"My brothers and sisters have left already", he informed her honestly, still smiling. "They left me to bear the words of the great one and to pass them onto you, so that you might one day find us and fulfill your destiny... and the destiny of the world. Then the worms will fear..."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"Shut up about your damned worms!" hissed Evangeline. She cocked the revolver. "I will only ask you one more time, sinner. Where are THEY?"

<p style="font-weight:normal;">He spoke softly as a priest in prayer. "My brothers and sisters have continued their pilgrimage. They are heading for his holy and ancient shrine under the Dunwich building located in the Capital Wasteland."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"The... Dunwich building?" She knew of the place. It had been mentioned several times in the old archives. It had been a built before the Great War by Richard Dunwich, a wealthy man with too much interest in things considered taboo and not so much interest in interests concerning his fellow man.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">He nodded to her. "Don't worry", he said. "They won't be going anywhere. In fact..." A strange darkness fell over his face, almost as if it brought him inner pleasure just to tell her. "... they will be waiting for you."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Evangeline had little else to ask of this madman. She didn't really care what these people saw in her. All she knew was that she wanted everyone of them dead and gone. She had however seen that he had spoken the truth, and if he was just as devoted as she expected the other cultists to be, then there was no reason for him to be lying to her. And besides, he had done his part and she had a job to carry out. She pulled the trigger at point-blank range and blew a wide hole through his face, sending shrapnels, blood and bone chips flying across the room, coating the dusty wall before the body collapsed to the ground with low thump.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">She left the building in the middle of the night, deciding to head back to the others in the cover of darkness before the gunshot brought the Raiders' attention to the old library. She would be lying to herself if this whole ordeal didn't intrigue her the least. Why her? What made her so special to this cult? What did they want with her? They had already taken her eyesight? Wasn't that enough?

<p style="font-weight:normal;">She sighed heavile and breathed out in relief as she felt the familiar mix of grassland and dust beneath her feet instead of the uneven and rough asphalt that only the terrain of the ruined cities could bring...