Urban Dead: The Price of the Oath

Josh · Post by **Josh** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 9:46 pm

"I never forgot you," he said truthfully. He opened his mouth, but it was one of those rare occasions where words failed him.

Caz · Post by **Caz** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 9:52 pm

"Maybe next time things will be different," she said with a wistful twinge to her voice. "I know we only met twice, but..."

But you mattered to me.

She coughed again, clutching her torso as fresh pain bit into her sides. She could survive the wounds, she knew she could... but the infection had gone too long untreated. She hadn't even seen another human being; it wasn't as though she had a choice...

"This isn't fair," she announced.

Josh · Post by **Josh** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 9:55 pm

He leaned down to kiss her forehead. "We won't leave you here to die," he promised.

Caz · Post by **Caz** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 9:56 pm

"But I can't come with you," she said matter-of-factly.

Josh · Post by **Josh** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 9:57 pm

"No," he said simply. She was smart, she'd figure it out.

Caz · Post by **Caz** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 10:00 pm

"Oh," she said with gravity. And then, a few moments later: "... Oh."

Josh · Post by **Josh** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 10:02 pm

"It's the best I can do," he said quietly. "We've got over two hundred people counting on us to pull this mission off. It's more important than any of us."

Caz · Post by **Caz** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 10:06 pm

She nodded. "Of course."

"Do it now?" she asked a few moments later. "So I won't be alone?"

Josh · Post by **Josh** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 10:08 pm

He gritted his teeth. "Can you walk?"

Caz · Post by **Caz** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 10:12 pm

She nodded. "Got my ass up here, didn't ?"

Josh · Post by **Josh** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 10:14 pm

He gently helped her to his feet, then put his ninja sneaking skills to slip into Ace's kit, extracting the morphine. He wasn't familiar with all the arcane tools in there, but he knew the morphine well. The docs would give him hell for wasting it, but it wasn't a waste so far as he was concerned. "Come on," he said, offering his hand. He wouldn't have to wake anybody up- the flat across the hall would do.

He also collected his hatchet. There would be some grim work afterward.

Caz · Post by **Caz** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 10:23 pm

As they walked, she noted him grabbing the hatchet and forced a smile. Good. She didn't want to hurt anyone.

"Your doctor gonna be upset?" she asked. "He patched me up, you know..."

This... So wasn't her thing. It was damned near maddening to watch people throw their lives away to someone like Gwen, who always had to be pushing a hundred and ten percent.

Josh · Post by **Josh** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 10:24 pm

"He'll understand," he said, wrapping an arm around her. "Don't worry about it."

Caz · Post by **Caz** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 10:26 pm

"Okay," she said as they walked through the door. She straightened her back and took a deep breath, ignoring the pain. "So..." She said.

Josh · Post by **Josh** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 10:27 pm

The next place was similarly trashed. He kicked aside some debris, then sat down on the floor, patting his lap. "Here," he said.

Caz · Post by **Caz** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 10:29 pm

She obeyed him wordlessly, sagging against his chest. It seemed like every goddamn step she took made her sicker.

"So... This is it, then?" she said unevenly.

Josh · Post by **Josh** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 10:30 pm

He lifted her head gently and kissed her on the lips. "If things had worked out differently, town hadn't fallen apart and we'd met again..."

All bullshit, given where he was going when things fell apart, but she didn't need to know that.

Caz · Post by **Caz** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 10:34 pm

She remembered the fire as he spoke. She worked at one of her father's banking offices, which was how he'd made his fortune before being elected. The branch had broken out with a fire in the basement of unknown cause, and most of the customers and employees had been evacuated except for those on the upper levels.

The smoke had been impossible to see through... She'd crawled blindly, then finally reached a door to the stairwell only to have the roof cave in around her. Burning debris everywhere...

And then he'd come. Out of the smoke like a demon from the mouth of hell...

"You didn't save me just to kill me," she said.

Josh · Post by **Josh** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 10:36 pm

"This is your choice," he said after a long moment. "If you don't want to, I'll stay here with you as long as I can."

Caz · Post by **Caz** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 10:39 pm

"I want to help," she said, staring up at him. "I want to make sure you guys can do this."

A plan was forming... After a few moments she said:

"Leave the shot and a radio here with me. Flares if you have any. I'll keep a lookout as long as I can."

Josh · Post by **Josh** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 10:40 pm

"If you're still alive when we come back through," he promised. "We'll bring you home with us."

It was times like this that he was proud to be a human being.

Caz · Post by **Caz** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 10:43 pm

She smiled sadly, then shook her head.

"We both know I'm not gonna last that long," she said.

Josh · Post by **Josh** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 10:45 pm

"You're still alive five months after the fall," he said. "Don't write yourself off. We will come back and check."

Caz · Post by **Caz** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 10:50 pm

"I'll try," she said. "And I can raise some hell if I have to. I've got a gun. Only about ten shots left, but it's something, right?"

Josh · Post by **Josh** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 10:52 pm

"That's the spirit," he said encouragingly. "We will come back for you."

LibriumArcana.Games

Urban Dead: The Price of the Oath

#576

#577

#578

#579

#580

#581

#582

#583

#584

#585

#586

#587

#588

#589

#590

#591

#592

#593

#594

#595

#596

#597

#598

#599

#600