https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showt...86#post1401986
Night Four Summary
Caius Flaminius was moving cautiously – these days, he always did. When the masked stranger popped up from behind the steps of the browstone 25 yards ahead of the portico of the Hotel Abbatoir where Caius was standing, Caius did not hesitate. His Smith and Wesson was up and firing as fast as the masked gunman could close half the distance and squeeze off a burst from his Thompson. Both figures went down, Caius’ revolver flung from his hand by the impact of a round from the Thompson.
Both men struggled to their feet – for both had been wearing bulletproof vests. Caius really was cautious and he had all the extra inserts – hat, vambraces, upper legs and knees as well – so despite absorbing a couple of rounds each, neither man was more than bruised. The gunman once again raised his weapon, this time aiming for Caius’ face…when out of the foggy skies above came a blood-curdling scream!
“Goooodbyyyye…Cruuuuuel …Wor…!”
The last word was cut off by the crash of Copperhaired Berzerker as he smashed the Tommy gun out of the shooter’s hands and crushed the gun – and himself – on the pavement. The gunman was knocked down, but quickly got up and jogged off into the dark.
Caius was dumbfounded, but before he could move to retrieve his gun, before people in the lobby of the hotel had a chance to come forward and see what happened, more figures stepped out from behind cars across the street. Curiously, each was dressed, rather incongruously, as a Gypsy fortune teller…
“We know your past,” the figures chanted, “and it was not Ichigo’s time.”
Cauis began to edge backwards.
“We know your future,” the chanting continued, “and here’s your swan song!”
Each carried a Thompson and all of them had the big drums attached. They walked forward behind a stream of .45 caliber projectiles. It didn’t matter that Caius flung up his vambraced arms to protect his head. It didn’t matter that he was armored as well as – and a lot more stylishly than – Ned Kelly. The shooters each had more than one drum and between them fired nearly 400 rounds at Caius. Almost half of the rounds hit, pinioning him against the façade of the hotel and punching dozens of holes in his arms and legs and shattering most of his ribs, both collar bones, and both arms with the repeated impacts of nearly 200 slugs at less than 30 feet. The assassins faded back into the night. Rapidly bleeding out from his many wounds and internal injuries, Caius simply faded to black.
For Sir Moody, it was his innate sense of chivalry that proved his undoing. Observing one well-dressed fellow in opera hat, white tie and tails fending off a shabbily dressed and club wielding, would-be mugger with his walking stick just outside of the Yebba Road theatre, Moody darted forward to render assistance. As he reached the pair, the scruffy fellow backed away from the opera fancier – while holding onto and removing the ferule of the posh fellow’s walking stick. Ferule removed, the walking stick revealed itself to be a slim but exceedingly sharp Wilkinson blade. The blade proved its quality by transfixing Moody with a neat thrust up and in between the ribs of his left side and out between spine and scapula. Moody stared at his well-dressed killer, not even really feeling any pain, and tried to speak…
“But…you…”
“Don’t worry about it,” said the dandified swordsman. He quickly rotated the blade ninety degrees, watching the light fade in Moody’s eyes. “Don’t trouble yourself about anything.”
He pulled the blade from Moody’s body as Moody crumpled to the ground, cleaning the blade on his left glove. Handing his blade to his partner to sheathe, the swordsman gingerly stripped off the soiled glove to deposit it in a nearby trashcan. The second glove was also removed and dropped gently onto Moody’s body. Both men quietly walked away from the scene.
Sir Boo was enjoying a late dinner in front of his radio. The sky outside was dark and overcast. Boo’s room was lit only by the light from the big radio dial. Boo liked listening in the dark, as he could imagine he was there in the scenes with the characters he so enjoyed. So intently was he listening to the show, a crime drama he enjoyed called The Shadow, that he did not hear the gentle click of the front door as the lock was picked and it swung softly open. Nor did he hear the footsteps approach down the hall.
Then, coming into the room, one of the figures spoke, “Good evening, Mr. Boo.”
Boo froze in fear, then slowly straightened in his chair, squinting and straining to see the several dark figures standing in the entryway, but the light from the big radio dial was between Boo and the figures – he could barely make out their silhouettes in the dark – shadows within shadows.
"Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?” said the figure, mimicking the voice of Boo’s radio hero. “The Shadow knows.”
And with that, the stranger shot him in the head. Another figure placed a white glove on his body, then all exited the house. The light from the dial cast weird shadows over Sir Boo's injured face. On the radio, the Shadow triumphed again.
AndrestheCunning hadn’t gotten all that much sleep during the night, so when his alarm woke him at 5 a.m. and sent him downstairs to begin the day he wasn’t quite at his most cunning and observant. He missed the cup with the first half-ounce of coffee he poured from the percolator; he missed the edge of the rug and nearly stumbled into his own front door while navigating his hallway; he even missed the trigger wires of the two “Bouncing Betties” that some unkind soul or souls had placed under his morning paper. They bounced, he blinked, they blew, and he bled. Riddled by dozens of ball bearings, Andres could barely moan as he rapidly bled out from multiple wounds. As his vision faded, he couldn’t help but notice the headline of the torn front page of his paper lying next to him: Fermanagh Says Things Looking Up! <> Then nothing.
Fermanagh was his usual business-like self at that morning’s briefing.
“AggonyDuck grew up as a criminal and for years had been what the gangsters call a wise guy, but hadn’t done anything really bad since his last stint in jail. As far as we know, he was behaving himself – we even have a few unconfirmed rumors that he was trying to go straight. Maybe that’s what got him killed in so horrible a fashion. These monsters are just plain mean to someone they view as a traitor.”
<> thought Seamus.
“Major Robert Dump, on the other hand, was an even worse character. A few of our snitches have confirmed that he was what the mobsters call a “Made Man” – a confirmed criminal working for one of the crime outfits we’re fighting. It seems he was rubbed out by some of his competitors. They’re all a bunch of rats but this time they got rid of someone this town didn’t need.”
Seamus’ mood was brightening with each passing utterance. The night had been bloody, but so had the days been – for the mafia.
“We’ve discovered the same thing about Beirut. He may have been gen-teel on the surface, but he was clearly conducting recruiting efforts for one of the gangs when you folks stamped paid on his account. He too was a Made Gangster and we’re better off without him.”
Seamus smiled – a small grim smile.
“We’re winning this one folks, you’ll make TosaInu proud. Still, keep a good eye out; we’re reasonably certain we haven’t got them all rounded up yet. Good luck with your voting. I wish you continued success.”
OOC
The Butcher’s Bill to Date:
Attacked: Proletariat (N1), Sasaki Kojiro (N1), Redleg (N2), Moros (N3), theRTWGuru (N3)
Lynched: Kralizec (D2) [mafia don], Beirut (D3) [mafia made], pevergreen (D4)
Murdered: GeneralHankerchief (N1) [mafia luca], Stig (N2) [wise guy], AggonyDuck (N3) [wise guy], Major Robert Dump (N3) [mafia made], Caius Flaminius (N4), Sir Boo (N4), Sir Moody (N4), AndrestheCunning (N4)
Suicided: Ichigo, (D2) [townie], Tribesman (D2) [townie], Copperhaired Berzerker (N4)
WoGged: Nobody, and please keep it that way. Warning: several are close! Get active! Warning PMs have and will be dispatched.
Day 5 Session begins. Vote for Lynchee of choice; Select Director for Days 6 & 7. Votes/Selections will be accepted through 1400 EST 1/26/7.
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