#2 Ain’t No Engagement
As the alarm starts the blare throughout the compound, three Vanderbilts rush into the main hall and engage the party. These poor sods are Kram, Lepp, and Jiff whose family names I was not able to procure in my research. Terrible way to go though. Lemme take y’all through the details though, I’m sure y’all would enjoy the action.
Now the combat starts when one of the three Vanderbilts takes a couple of shots at The Judge and almost hits him. Bullets go grazing by, it’s mighty dangerous. Then The Judge does the weirdest thing, which all but confirms your suspicion that the Rush ain’t ebbing no more. The flow is here. More stuff happen later this night that further confirm everything. He creates a… copy of himself, something like an echo. The echo stands right in front of Kram who shoots it in the chest. And the echo just disappears.
The other thing is that the two… well I ain’t like saying the word “non-human” because it is mighty offensive, but I feel like calling them lizards is even worse. Grimiss rushes one of them Vanderbilts with all his might and just yells and rages. Again, like The Judge, this guy’s scream is accompanied by a darn lightning bolt that shoots out of his chest. He then whacks the guy with his axe and tries to bite his darn face off.
Trying to assuage The Judge and heal any wounds he might have, Samuel moves towards him and lands a holy kiss on the big guy’s cheek. It’s at this moment that Lissal joins Grimiss in on the screaming and intimidates the Vanderbilts to submission. And then sets them on fire via… something. I ain’t sure what it is, but it sure as hell ain’t gunpowder I’ll tell ya what. The Judge executes one of them and Grimiss stomps the dead burning bodies to mush. It ain’t nice.
Then, the group progress towards the smaller shipping hall where The Judge uses one of his echoes to spring a trap, laid there by Shamir (formerly affiliated with a different gang, now known to have been disbanded). The echo gets shot in the head instantly and Shamir tries to make the group leave by asking them to vacate the premises.
That does not happen. On Bill’s command, The Judge and Grimiss rush into the room and start fighting. More raging, more lightning, more echoes, more “vicious mockery.” Eventually, Lissal attempts to intimidate the Vanderbilts yet again, but this time Shamir decides to stand her ground and try conversation.
Shamir insists that there has been a misunderstanding. Ain’t nobody in this compound has been kidnapped and everybody has entered the premises out of their own volition. The gang find that hard to believe, but what is even further surprising (to me at least) is that Mathilda ain’t just any old girl. She is Mathilda Vanderbilt, the daughter of Boss Vanderbilt. (Meaning that Glaad is somehow related to the Vanderbilts too!)
Turns out, when Shamir heard the group enter the compound, she asked Mathilda and the other highest ranking officer there, a Tiefling named Harmony, to get into the basement. Once back out in the open, Harmony takes over the conversation. She lets the group know that Mathilda is here on her own accord and Mathilda confirms this. (She also happens to be the girl that was in the photo that they found earlier in the wilds.)
Bill then asks her of proof that they could take back to Mrs. Vanderbilt. In response, Mathilda rips out a chain from around her neck upon which hangs an engagement ring.
Later back in the wilds, the group discusses a course of action as to what they might do. Bring the ring back to Mrs. Vanderbilt and take 100 pounds o’ gold… Or perhaps sell the ring?
In any case, it’s bright that night as the twin crescents in the sky stare down upon them and colorful nightlights dance amidst the stars. The breeze smells spicy and sweet.