"STEAM LONDON" Game Thread

[ShredsnPatches]

A tired, weak mental voice reached into the minds of the singers.

Quick, get out of here!

Jen pushed herself upright. She would sort out Brian while the rest of the crew escaped. Looking around the room she had just stumbled into, she grinned. Lots of clay and metal. She began to sing a spinning song, causing a whirlwind of clay fragments to swirl around and surround Brian. Once they had embedded themselves in his body, she sang heat and flexibility into the sheets of metal that had once formed the roof of the house. With a motion similar to that used in kneading bread she pulled the flying sheets of metal around Brian, and squeezed them in, sealing the blood mage in a huge ball of metal.

[Arabella Granger]

"Elisha!" Ella shouted. Frantically, she groped inside her bag for her shell launcher, but she was too worried about hitting Elisha to fire it. The tentacle that was holding him flailed around wildly. I can't risk hurting him or anyone else, but...

She settled for firing first at the airship and then at the very base of the tentacle itself, ignoring the scream of pain that came from the Cold One. "Hold on!" she shouted desperately.

[Rowland Elmstone]

Many things happened in a very short amount of time. Rowland noticed the crew begin to panic. What, he wasn't sure of yet, but soon realised they were being attacked. He watched Wong drop to the ground and hide in what appeared to be some sort of venthilation shaft. He was then handed a gun by Dreyfuss. He fired off some rounds to attempt to help, but realised the small pistol wouldn't do the trick. He followed what Dreyfuss said dropped the shells into his left pocket. He then followed orders and began running back. He noted that two of the crew members would be trapped, and decided to tell the gas-masked Elisha.

Then he saw it.

Some grotesque thing that grappled the man. He fired some more shots at it, until he heard the call to retreat. All the comotion and confusion. He hoped he would get some answers, especially if he escaped with his life.

[T.Taylor the Third]

"Finaly!...something i can use my favorite against" Trip said pulling his large canon like gun off his back.
He pointed it at the air ship directly above them.

"Wait.!!!" Emma said But trip had pulled the trigger, sending a raging enferno up at the airship

the hull shatered at the impact and enormas pieces of wood and metal came raining down on them,

"You know..." Trip said as he helped emma dodge falling shrapnal. "that may not have been the smatest thing i have ever ddone"

[Nigel Wetherby]

Brian did not become impaled by Jen's spell. He simply wrapped around it, shifting it into something else entirely. The cold laughter of Brian O'Landry became like the scraping of knives as he emerged from the hot ball of clay and steel like a dragon from its egg. The shell of hard sharp things became part of the reforming blood magus. He turned to see his summoned beast sqealing as it dried up into a useless husk. It had served its purpous. Claws of hard steel scraped at the ground as a creature which could only be described as some hellish sharp dragon stood before them. Tendrils of black matter held it together like sinew. Brian O'Landry was an entity second in strength to only the queen. The beast spread gigantic wings and soared into the air, gaining lift on the cries and screams of terror from the villaigers below. The beast of Brian O'Landry had gone, but his prescence would remain in china for years.

[ShredsnPatches]

Jen saw what happened, and a weighty knot of shame lodged in her stomach. She had never failed so badly - and the innocent citizens of Shanghai would pay for it. With a horrified cry, she ran from the house and followed the others.

[Vancouver Air Privateer]

"For Chrissake Trip! Can't you do anything without setting something on fire!?" screamed Elisha as he was flung around. Before, he was being held by a tentacle over a burning airship. Now he was held over a burning airship, by a creature that was going to soon expire from the heat. And drop him.

He saw Ella firing at the base of the tentacle. There was a horrible roar and suddenly the tentacle went limb. Elisha cursed as he was carried with it. While the landing was hard, he was glad he had landed on the not-burning platform.

He dusted himself off. "Thanks Ella"

He turned to the inferno in front of them.

"Alright...we need to get across this row of airships...while the first one is on fire. Let's get across this one first before the rest catch."

"We're going to walk across the deck of a burning airship?" asked Trip.

"Well, who exactly lit the damn thing on fire?" retorted Ella.

Elisha smiled. "Precisely. Lets get moving before this place becomes impossible to get out of."

[Nigel Wetherby]

Cain watched the winged monstrosity that had once been Brian O'Landry. He was immediately reminded of the stories he had read of terrible winged beasts called dragons. The mass of sharp winged implements opened its maw to let a stream of shrapnel shower the streets of china, streaking the skin of many a streetgoer with deep gashes and slitting the throats of several more. The blood that was shed seemed to amuse the terrible beast.
"Bleed for me china!! Slake my thirst for your crimson wine!!" Brian roared. letting the blood of the fallen citizens float into the air, melding together into a titanic crimson orb.


Cain watched the carnage with terror. This was a dragon, and dragons needed to be slain.
"You all go ahead. Keep an eye on Angel, this thing wants me, and I want it." Cain said sternly, the throng of his anxiousness visible in his voice.
He spread his wings like an arc angel, the sun flashing off their perfect surface practically blinded several of the crew as he soared into the sky like a brave metal hawk, both blades extended as he charged like a shell to a ship's hull.

[Stella Gaslight]

Angel used her wings to protect the crew and she ferried them across the flames.  They ran across the second and it looked like they would be home free but then tentacles exploded from the deck of the ship.  Emma was flung backwards in to Dreyfuss hard enough to knock the air out of them.  Angel heard a roar from out side and knew Cain must be fighting the beast.  "I get you to safety then I go stay by my Cain's side." She said helping them up.  The captain thrashed half mad with fear knowing that fire was coming and there was no way for it to escape.

[MWBailey]

Dreyfuss kept up withthe others, not wishing to speak; indeed, wondering what he had become, somewhat the same as he had overheard Jen saying a few days ago. He had asked if they should all band together again to fight the Cold Ones in the airship underhangar, but was glad when Emma threw the firebomb. He had felt inspired, powerful, when He and they fought Brian, but now that it was over (mostly) he was not so sure...

Had he really managed to "turn the corner," so to speak, and fuel the magic with fire, and use the magic to speak mind to mind? did he really have that kind of power? A feeling in his chest and his limbs answered that yes, he did, but he must deveolp that ability in order to keep from blasting himself unconscious every time he used it (or blasting innocents around like rag dolls, maybe). He didnt see how he could do that at the moment, so he just loaded teh Boat gun. After having charged and loaded and capped it once more, he noticed that several of the loose pistol balls still had that runescript on them, and that the Sigils and othe rlines that had been glowing with white fire a while ago were still there, but no longer glowing.

What has this thing become now? He wondered if the runes and such meant it was now a magical or sorcerous weapon.he put forth a searching thought, with intent to search the boat gun, and it sprang to whitefire-lined life wityh a "whoompssh" sound and then stopped when he hastily dropped the search. He hastily followed the others, then saw the exit of Brian O'Landry. Damn.Should have known that wasnt enough to kill him.

Then, Cain had flown up to engage Dragon-Brian, telling the others to go ahead without him. He knew that the group needed to stay together, but he also knew that helping Cain was beyond all of them except maybe for Angel, or George, so he said--"OOF!" his attempt at sugesting action was cutoff as emma was hurled unto him, knocking both of them off their feet and winding him.

[Nigel Wetherby]

Patrick let loose a spray of bullets into one of the tentacles, letting black goo cover the deck and dampen the flames. He did his best to stay behind and assure they would recieve no more unfriendly surprises.

Brian absorbed the collective blood of the hapless civilians. As the blood poured down his terrifying maw, red scales covered the dragon's body, giving it the appearance of a ruby-colored beast. This new brian was a twisted amalgom of every possible dragon illustrated, but was far from an image of power and fear. This beast was truely a creation of the devil. Brian soared through the sky, letting loose a roar that shook the skies as he circled over the city, desreoying any airship with mighty claws or a spray of red blades. He owned the skies of china now.
 
In his flight he saw a massive statue of the bhudda being constructed in the center of Shanghai's buisness district, the workers who had built it had long since fled in terror. The dragon of brian soawred towards it and with a single motion of his mighty claw, reduced the stone enlightened one into thousands of black, shimmering peices. The red beast stood upon the pedestal and called another triumphant roar. Once a symbol of peace housed the polished stone pedestal in the square, but now a diety of blood and carnage stood in its place.

Cain refused to tolerate this. He sang a song of war as best he could. Letting his branches harden and his trunk become flexible.

[Stella Gaslight]

Emma shook her head vigorously dispelling the stars from her vision and readied another erlenmeyer flask fire bomb. The ground shoot benath them and she had a very hard timed keeping on her feet.  "Use this Dreyfuss. I can't seem to stay standing."

Angel fought the captain but she was worried about Cain.  She knew she had to keep Patrick safe because if Cain was hurt he was the only one that could fix them.

[MWBailey]

Use it? How?! With the the fire, dimwit, remember? OK< here goes, he said, calling the fire and concentrating on just lighting the wick, like in Uncle Caractacus's Test so many decades ago. the whole rag on the outside of the bottle threw sparks, and the end of it sprouted flames; he threw the flask at the Captain in the Hold below, watching with satisfaction as the Flames roared up, then trotted after Emma and the others. Whoa, I don't feel exhausted, he realized. Granny Laveaux was probably dead now; too bad she would never see him use the Knack, he thought sadly... "Patrick, let's Go," he shouted, "gotta keep up with the others!"

[Stella Gaslight]

They made it out of the airship hanger and in to the street. Angel could stand the worry no longer and took off like a bolt in to go find Cain.  The streets were empty except for the dead and wounded from Brian's attack.  They took a moment to catch their breath.  "That was amazing Dreyfuss. How did you manage that?"

[Vancouver Air Privateer]

The crew leapt from ship to ship, tentacles emerging as the fires hit them. Elisha was pleased that so many Captains were cooking down here at once...the dumb beasts seemed unwilling to break their firm order not to damage the airships before takeoff, but still tried to reach out of the holds.

But the fire was spreading fast. Elisha stood at the edge.

"Everyone across!" he said, almost literally tossing Rowland across the gap between the last airship and the platform at the end of the room.

"Up the stairs!" he said, pointing to the open door at the other end.

Dreyfuss past him, making the leap, then turning.

Ella was the last to come, covering their retreat from any more captains that were still squirming. She turned and began to run. Then the airship began to collapse under her. She let out as gasp as the planks collapsed below her.

Elisha reached out her hand to grab her, but only managed to get them both pulled into the hull. He could smell burning wood.

"Use the shell launcher" he said, pointing to the far side of the hull. Ella did as instructed at the bow of the ship was blown to splinters. They ran out through the newly made hole. Elisha looked up at the platform. He realized that the staircases up had been burned. However, he saw another door down here that seemed to lead outside. A concerned Dreyfuss looked over the edge.

"Get everyone out that way." said Elisha. "Ella and I will leave by the lower door."

"What then?" said Dreyfuss.

"Hadn't thought that far. Find us if you can. If not, head straight to the mansion. The longer we wait, the worse this is going to get."

Elisha left through the lower door, Ella following behind him, pistol in hand. He looked around and saw they were in a low alley. Keeping low and silent, they began to jog through this seeming maze.

[Nigel Wetherby]

Patrick did his best to lead the way astride Dreyfuss, escorting Jen, Trip, Emma, and the others through the perilous labirynth of chaos that seemed to only worsen as seconds passed. China was after them, brian had essentially gone mad with power and was killing everyone, and the cold ones wanted nothing more than to bash the crew's brains in.
This was all so terribly annoying!

The battle between the two halves was not going well on Cain's part. Brian figured that so long as he put citizens in danger, Cain would rush to their rescue, giving him the opportunity to strike.
Cain stood under the rubble of a demolished house, seperating a woman and her child from a crushing death as a result of a falling support beam. Cain struggled under the weight and urged the woman to leave. The mother nodded and fled, giving Brian the perfect opportunity to smash Cain into the ground with his tail.

[Stella Gaslight]

The tail never reached Cain. Angel flue like a bolt of lightning and stopped it.  "I won't let you hurt my Cain." And the us song flowed out of her giving Cain a rush of strenght and easing his pain.  Her arm was still partially broken but she forced the tail back causing Brian to wobbler on his pillar.

Suddenly cold ones dropped off the roofs like rain surrounding Emma and the others. They were surrounded and vastly out numbered, things looked bleak until gunfire ripped through the gathered monsters.  "Little Seniora Sheehan. We have come to help."  Came a very oddity accented voice from the back of the crowd. 

[MWBailey]

Dreyfuss Whirled around, bringing theboat gun into play, and pulling the Paterson (miraculously, he had found it to be in it's holster, with no memory of replacing it there) andaiming both in thedirectionof the Italianate-sounding voice, going into a crouch in anticipation of an attack. "Who goes there!" he challenged.

When no attack occurred, Dreyfuss straightened and looked at the new arrivals...

[Nigel Wetherby]

"Just a few friends of Seniora Sheehan." A thick italian voice called. Patrick chuckled knowingly.
"You know, one of these days, i'll have to pay ye back for pullin our arses out of tha fire!"\

Cain joined in the song, letting her song give him strength. He dug his fingers into the soft wood of the beam and tossed it with a mighty swing. The beam shot at Brian like a lance, impaling him squarely in the chest before shattering against the creature's chest. It didn't harm him much, but it was enough to knock him from his stony pedestal. Cain took flight and hovered beside Angel, taking her hand and preparing for the worst.
Brian opened his mighty jaws, letting loose a spray of red blades.

[MWBailey]

"Folks, Elisha told me just before he sent me out of the hangar to get everybody up to the mansion;" Dreyfuss said. "It might be a good idea, Miss Jen, if you could get your friends, there, to show us the way." Dreyfuss paused to examuine his rather bent saber, which was stuck in the scabbard. "Presumably Elisha wants us to deal with...Cadens, is it? Together.

[Stella Gaslight]

Angel wrapped them in the soft cocoon of her wings and the blades rained down on the ruined house.  The took to the sky as one flying as high as they could before falling in to a dive aimed directly at Brian's chest. Cain used his wings to shield them wile making sure this harp feathers were ready to punch through the body of their enemy.

"Oh thank goodness." Emma said as the friendly gangsters made a protective line around them. "We had better hurry."  The quicker they were out of the city the better as far as Emma was concerned.  they chared up allies and back streets making goo time until a pair of brutes and an Arbiter burst from a side street infront of them.

[ShredsnPatches]

"Calm down Dreyfuss, and cover our backs. He's a friend. Emma, keep an eye on the rooftops." Jen gave an exhausted grin.

"Papa Gianni! Ciao!" she called out. Through the gunsmoke and falling goo a solidly built Italian walked, an expansive smile on his face. Letting go of Patrick's hand, Jen ran forward and in a gesture that made Patrick's eyebrows twitch, the man kissed her enthusiastically, twice on each cheek. Jen reciprocated and a rapid volley of Italian followed, Jen gesturing wildly and rattling out the melodic words faster than anyone of the crew could follow. Gianni's responses were equally fast, the words tumbling over themselves as the pair conversed.

Finally Jen turned back to the crew.

"Right. We're in luck - Papa's boys worked out that heat does bad things to the Cold Ones, and they've found their nest. If all goes according to plan, we may need to block our ears in" - she broke off and fired off another Italian phrase - "approximately one minute. We have access to their repair station at the dock, free of charge, and Papa is bringing seven ships with us to Russia, loaded with incendiaries."

A ring on the mafioso's left hand flashed bright blue, and Gianni barked out an order to the dozen or so well-dressed men flanking the group. Instantly they crouched and covered their ears.

Jen jumped to attentiveness. "Follow suit, it's going to go!"

The crew covered their ears and hunkered down, almost at the same second that a huge boom laced with screams of rage and terror echoed around the city. A plume of smoke and rain of debris rose from an entire district of Shanghai.

Papa Gianni smiled. Another job well done. One of these days he was going to have to call in the favours little Seniora Sheehan owed him, but for now his focus was on exterminating these Russian monsters.

[Nigel Wetherby]

The plumes of smoke immediately caught the attention of the beast that Brian had become. It would be time to leave China, but he was assured they would remember him. But just to be sure, he let the scales of blood melt away, revealing the hard, sharp skeleton of the beast, wrapped in what might be consider Brian. With a simpe nod, the shards of the dragon skeleton shot out in all directions, evicerating everything  in sight.
Seeing the torrent of razor-edged death approaching a section of the city that had been yet unharmed, Cain soared into the sky and began to sing. He sang a song of the iron trunt of the mighty tree  and how no axe nor storm would bring it down. The shards slowed and stopped outright as they neared him, it was obvious he was straining himself.

"Yes, yes It's nice to see ye, mister Cianno." Patrick reached for Jen's shoulder instinctively.
"Thanks fer tha little gift, we could use any of tha ammo we can get." Patrick smiled, attempting to ignore Jen's kisses.

[Stella Gaslight]

Angel rose to flutter by his side.  "Silly Cain let me help." She said and joined the song easing his strain and causing the shards to rain harmlessly to the ground. By the time the rain had stopped Brian was gone.  Angle was both happy and worried, He was going to keep coming back until one of them was distroyed. Well, Angel thought hugging Cain close to her, it isn't going to be this one. "Let's go find the others they might be in trouble."

And they were but only as much trouble as normally seemed to follow the crew of the Boheme about.   The hill was positively crawling with police and cold ones but with the help of the mob they made short work of those foolish enough to stand in there way.  Soon they stepped on the perfectly green lawn the mansion a blue force field much like the one that stopped the Boheme in Switzerland spread in a perfect dome over the crew and another formed over the house sealing both in. 

They pounded on the walls but they would not give. George tried to phase through but they bounced him back and digging only revealed more of the dome. A sickly sweet smell started to rise up from the ground quickly making Emma dizzy and tired.  "George they are trying to gas us we have to get out of here."  If they succumbed they would be completly at the mercy of their enemies.

[Nigel Wetherby]

"There's no way in hell I'm goin' out like this!!" Patrick roared, flinging himself at the forcefield like a madman over and over, but to no avail. He panted for breath, the gas making him even more tired than normal.
"Damn it all..." He coughed weakly, forcing himself to stand as he leaned himself into the walls of the forcefield.

Cain watched with terror as the distant forcefield engulfing the boheme made itself visible.
"The others need us!" Cain cried out, urgency straining his voice as he dove like a peregrine falcon towards the captive crew. The cold ones and police men watched the Angelic being perch itself upon the pinnacle of the dome. Many of the police men stared in terror at the sight of Cain, though he wasn't sure why. He placed a hand on his face very apprehensively after one man cried
"IT's Hideous!!"