ShadowRock!, Chapter 15 (Patreon)

Chapter 14: Ghouls

Things were going well. Once the ‘actors’ understood that, if they behaved, we would be letting them continue on with their activities, and if they misbehaved, we would be putting them in the ground, they became positively docile. Which was good. Much better than the alternative.

See, when people without any kind of training are held at gunpoint, there are really only three main responses, once the initial rush has worn off, and they have time to actually think. The first response is panic. They start getting up in their heads, worrying about what could happen, and that makes them scared, which makes them stupid, which usually leads to people getting hurt. No one liked that type, but they were manageable, if you kept a clear head, or had nonlethal rounds you could use to silence them.

The second response was… not quite service or subservience, but rather just trying to do whatever it took to make it out the other side alive. These types did as they were told, and generally worked to make sure the gunmen didn’t keep their eyes on them. They were only interested in survival, which meant they were the best kind of untrained civvie to hold hostage. No heroes in this group, just survivors.

Then, you had the most troublesome of the responses, the ones who watched too many action trids, and fully believed it when they said, “I could do that!” Idiots. They were the kind of people who would try and break free of bonds, look for ways to take down the gunman, and try to rally more of the prisoners to their side. They were the ones who usually ended up causing people to get killed.

Thankfully, this group looked to be the second type. Which made sense, considering their jobs. Sure, porn acting might not exactly be highbrow, but they were used to following directions while in various states of undress, and any set, whether it is porn, stage, or screen, has a lot of time spent sitting around and waiting. Without a firebrand to whip them up, these people were not about to engage in any heroics. Which suited me just fine.

TechKat: I’m into their systems. Midrange setup, low-level IC. Didn’t set off alarms, so it isn’t an issue.

Pussycat: How long to find the files we need?

TechKat: There’s a LOT of information here. They shoot, edit, and put out videos about once a week. I’ve got all kinds of fetish material here, if you want it. Finding the paydata from their malware is going to take a moment.

Cougar: I’ll take a copy of their trids, the clean version.

Tigress: Really, Cougar?

Cougar: Being a ghoul doesn’t exactly leave many chances for romance. Especially since I’m high profile, and disguised. If I can get some free ‘inspirational materials’, then…

Tigress: Fair enough.

TechKat: You might be interested to know that there are a couple ghoul trids, here. Range from this one ghoul playing with their food before eating, to ghoul-on-ghoul loving, to a deliberate infection.

Lioness: What the hell?

TechKat: Yeah, female elf. Basically, boils down to rape and forced impregnation. From the notes, it sounds like the unfortunate woman tried to blow the whistle on the operation. So, she got to star in a film for fetish enthusiasts after being pumped full of ovulation inducers and aphrodisiacs.

Cougar: Don’t send me that one. But I will definitely take copies of the Ghoul-on-Ghoul ones.

Pussycat: I’m suddenly far less concerned about the director’s wellbeing.

TechKat: Yeah, the whole operation caters to unusual or taboo fetishes. The ‘schoolgirl and the centaur teacher in detention’ scene we walked in on was one of their tamer ones. Lot of dubious consent or nonconsent, some light to hard BDSM, and even the ghoul playing with their food before eating them. Also, this centaur isn’t the only metasapient on the payroll. There are a couple pixies in this database, too.

Pussycat: Focus on the paydata we need.

TechKat: Yeah, I’m multitasking. I’m searching for our paydata as my agents search the trids.

Pussycat: Progress?

TechKat: Think I’ve found it. Hidden partition with what looks like a lot of data.

TechKat: Yeah, looks like what we’re here for. Looks like they are using dataworms, getting user IDs, credit info, passwords, commcodes, and everything you need to impersonate someone online. Great for some scams or planting false trails. Doesn’t really work like a fake ID, since a proper fake ID inserts a bogus ID into the system, and this just copies an existing one, so some anti-fraud systems will register if the same ID is being used in two different areas of a sprawl, much less two different sprawls simultaneously.

Lioness: And you have all the data we’re here for?

TechKat: Yes, why?

Lioness: Because I see six bikes coming up the access road on my blimp’s cameras. Have them on thermometric.

Pussycat: Bring the vehicles and ground drones around to the back of the building. No sense advertising that we’re here. What about our two guards?

Lioness: Both are inside the building, stable, but unconscious.

Lioness: Vehicles are in the back, stacked up by the fire exit. Drones just around the corner, keeping ready.

TechKat: I’m out of the system. Paydata and full trid library downloaded.

Pussycat: Everyone regroup on the first floor. And switch to good ammo. If these are Fleshtearers, they’ll be tougher than normal gangers, and they are known to run around wearing armored jackets like they expect someone to shoot at them. Because they do.

Cougar: Well, given their normal actions when they show up, that’s only fair.

With TechKat finished raiding the servers, she and Tigress made their way up to the catwalk. I looked down at the actors, and said, “Well, we’re going to be leaving, now. You lot will probably want to stay down here, though, since it looks like there may be some Fleshtearers incoming. Of course, if you act out, I’m sure they’d love to have some of you over for dinner.”

For some reason, the actors and crew decided they very much did want to stay down in the basement, preferably with a locked door between them and the ghouls. Couldn’t say as I blamed them, really, but there wasn’t much we could do about that. We still needed to get out of the warehouse.

Lioness: Bikes are parking in the front lot. Six, human-sized, armored jackets, helmets. Four of them have maces, two have swords. Also looks like some kind of SMGs on slings. Maybe more weapons.

Tigress: Fire exit is alarmed separately from the security system. No on-site access. According to the notes on the guard’s commlink, if that goes off, they have to call in to the fire department and give a passcode if there isn’t an actual fire. If they don’t, the cost of sending the fire department on a false call comes out of their paychecks. We go out that way, the ghouls WILL hear it, and we’ll be on the clock to see if we can all load up in the vehicles before they get close enough to be a threat.

Pussycat: Tigress, does that commlink you picked up have any information about ‘security arrangements’ with the local gangs?

Tigress: Let me check… yeah. Looks like Fleshtearers have been trying to get ‘protection money’ from Ghostronics, and the security company’s advice is to lock the doors and call APD.

KittyKat: We definitely don’t want to be around when APD shows up.

Pussycat: Then we go through them. Cougar, you are going to open the door. They’ll see a ghoul with a fuck-off magic sword, which should distract them. At that point, Lioness uses the sniper rifle on the blimp to take a couple shots, and KittyKat introduces the ghouls to a Stunball. Then, we all pile on.

Tigress: Bold, but smart. I like it.

KittyKat: Ready to unleash the spell when I see targets.

Lioness: Jumped into the blimp, targets lined up. Ghouls are five meters from the door.

Cougar: All right. Opening in three, two, one.

Lioness’s Gunnery attack (Ghoul 6): 13d6 = 4 Hits, 2 Miss

Ghoul 6’s Defense: Unaware (4 Net Hits)

Semi-Auto: 13P, -4 AP

Ghoul 6’s Damage Resistance: 12d6 = 2 Hits, 1 Miss (12P Damage)

Ghoul 6: 12/11 Physical Monitor (Dying)

Lioness’s Gunnery attack (Ghoul 5): 11d6 = 5 Hits, 0 Miss

Ghoul 5’s Defense: Unaware (5 Net Hits)

Semi-Auto: 14P, -4 AP

Ghoul 5’s Damage Resistance: 12d6 = 3 Hits, 3 Miss (11P Damage)

Ghoul 5: 11/11 Physical Monitor (Unconscious)

KittyKat’s Spellcasting Test: 15d6 = 7 Hits, 0 Miss (5 effective hits)

Stunball, Force 5: 10S damage (3S Drain)

KittyKat’s Drain Resistance: 13d6 = 5 Hits, 3 Miss (No Drain)

Ghoul 1’s Will: 4d6 = 2 Hits, 2 Miss (8S damage)

Ghoul 1: 8/10 Stun Monitor (-2 Mod)

Ghoul 2’s Will: 4d6 = 4 Hits, 0 Miss (6S damage)

Ghoul 2: 6/10 Stun Monitor (-2 Mod)

Ghoul 3’s Will: 4d6 = 1 Hits, 1 Miss (9S damage)

Ghoul 3: 9/10 Stun Monitor (-2 Mod)

Ghoul 4’s Will: 4d6 = 3 Hits, 0 Miss (7S damage)

Ghoul 4: 7/10 Stun Monitor (-2 Mod)

Cougar opened the door, sword unsheathed, causing the ghouls to pull up short. Not surprising, considering that they had been expecting a normal security guard, not a ghoul adept with a weapon focus. Their confusion meant they weren’t ready for what happened next, however.

Two shots fired from the blimp up above, hitting the two rearmost ghouls in the back, and causing large portions of their lungs and other important organs to be ventilated on their chests. Explosive rounds were nasty like that when they got inside someone.

At the same time, KittyKat looked out from behind Cougar, and pointed at the remaining ghouls. A pulse of power slammed into them. Not taking any of them down, but they were all clearly worse off, staggered by the stunning spell.

Initiatives:

Pussycat’s Initiative: 10d6 = 1 Hit, 1 Miss (Init 11, 3 Passes)

TechKat’s Initiative: 10d6 = 5 Hits, 3 Miss (Init 15, 3 Passes)

Tigress’s Initiative: 9d6 = 2 Hits, 1 Miss (Init 11, 3 Passes)

Cougar’s Initiative: 9d6 = 6 Hits, 3 Miss (Init 16, 3 Passes)

KittyKat’s Initiative: 9d6 = 3 Hits, 1 Miss (Init 12, 3 Passes)

Lioness’s Matrix Initiative: 10d6 = 5 Hits, 1 Miss (Init 15, 5 Passes)

Ghouls’ Initiative: 7d6 = 3 Hits, 1 Miss (Init 10, 2 Passes)

Pass 1:

Cougar’s Attack Roll (Ghoul 1): 6 Hits, 4 Miss

Ghoul 1’s Parry: 9d6 = 3 hits, 3 Miss (3 Net Hits)

Monofilament Sword: 10P, -1 AP

Ghoul 1’s Damage Resistance: 16d6 = 5 Hits, 3 Miss

Ghoul 1: 5/11 Physical Monitor (-3 total mod)

TechKat’s Attack Roll (Ghoul 2): 13d6 = 5 Hits, 0 Miss

Ghoul 2’s Defense: 4d6 = 1 Hit, 2 Miss (4 Net Hits)

Semi-Auto: 10P, -2 AP

Ghoul 2’s Damage Resistance: 14d6 = 4 Hits, 0 Miss (6P Damage)

TechKat’s Attack Roll (Ghoul 2): 13d6 = 4 Hits, 1 Miss

Ghoul 2’s Defense: 2d6 = 1 Hit, 0 Miss (3 Net Hits)

Semi-Auto: 9P, -2 AP

Ghoul 2’s Damage Resistance: 14d6 = 6 Hits, 2 Miss (3P Damage)

Ghoul 2: 9/11 Physical Monitor (-5 total mod)

Lioness’s Gunnery attack (Ghoul 4): 13d6 = 8 Hits, 3 Miss

Ghoul 4’s Defense: 4d6 = 1 Hit, 2 Miss (7 Net Hits)

Semi-Auto: 16P, -4 AP

Ghoul 4’s Damage Resistance: 12d6 = 2 Hits, 0 Miss (16P Damage)

Ghoul 4: 16/11 Physical Monitor (Dying)

Lioness’s Gunnery attack (Ghoul 3): 11d6 = 4 Hits, 1 Miss

Ghoul 3’s Defense: 4d6 = 2 Hits, 0 Miss (2 Net Hits)

Semi-Auto: 11P, -4 AP

Ghoul 3’s Damage Resistance: 12d6 = 5 Hits, 0 Miss (6P Damage)

Ghoul 3: 6/11 Physical Monitor (-4 total mod)

KittyKat’s Spellcasting Test (Ghoul 3): 15d6 = 6 Hits, 5 Miss (5 Effective Hits)

Manabolt, Force 5: 10P damage, 2S Drain

KittyKat’s Drain Resistance: 13d6 = 5 Hits, 1 Miss (No Drain)

Ghoul 3’s modified Will: (Reduced to 0) (10P damage)

Ghoul 3: 16/11 Physical Monitor (Dying)

Pussycat’s Attack Roll (Ghoul 2): 16d6 = 4 Hits, 2 Miss

Ghoul 2’s Defense: 1d6 = 0 Hits, 0 Miss (4 Net Hits)

Semi-Auto: 9P, -5 AP

Ghoul 2’s Damage Resistance: 11d6 = 3 Hits, 2 Miss (6P Damage)

Ghoul 2: 15/11 Physical Monitor (Dying)

Pussycat’s Attack Roll (Ghoul 1): 12d6 = 5 Hits, 1 Miss

Ghoul 1’s Defense: 3d6 = 0 Hits, 0 Miss (5 Net Hits)

Semi-Auto: 10P, -5 AP

Ghoul 1’s Damage Resistance: 11d6 = 3 Hits, 1 Miss (7P Damage)

Ghoul 1: 12/11 Physical Monitor (Dying)

Cougar was first off the jump. Her blade slashed out before the closest ghoul could even turn to check on his fallen friends. The blade cut deep, spraying blood, but the ghoul remained upright, for now.

TechKat was right there, waiting, with two shots to the second ghoul in line. She’d traded the normal SnS ammo for the EX-Ex, and the exploding rounds did a good job of putting holes in the ghoul. The ghoul, the only female in the group, I noticed, was still standing, and looking pissed as hell.

That’s when two more shots rang out from on high, courtesy of Lioness and her drone. One ghoul collapsed to the ground, maybe dying, but definitely out of the fight. The second took the shot to the plates in his jacket, but was clearly the worse for wear after that hit.

KittyKat put the ghoul out of his misery as she snapped a second spell into his face. This one, though was more of a killing shot than a stunning one, and the ghoul fell to the ground with his brains leaking out his ears. That was always a sign that the wound probably wasn’t survivable. But there were still two left.

I brought up my Remington Roomsweeper, because nothing said ‘fuck you’ to armor like a shotgun pistol loaded with APDS ammo. One shot hit the ghoul TechKat tagged, removing the bottom half of her face, and sending her to the ground. The second I had to work to aim around Cougar, but I tagged the last one in the chest, and sent them to the ground.

Pussycat: Six up, six down. Any injuries?

Cougar: None, boss-lady. But watch your step getting out of here. These ‘fine people’ went and left blood all over the place.

Lioness: Retrieving drones and sending the vehicles back up front. Time to get out of here, ladies.