Between the Darkness/Session 20

Separated: Mercution

tylorva: After you capture, you are dragged away into a make-shift cell and chained to the wall, cold shackles digging into your wrists. You are left to simmer for a good long while before the door is suddenly kicked open and Horatio storms in. "Traitor!" he says right into your face, covering your cheek with spittle.

Mercution: "Likewise, scum." Mercution returns the sentiment - and the spit.

tylorva: "You left us! You ran away, whilst the rest of us remained below, trying to survive however we could. You have no say!"

Mercution: "And only I disappeared, you sold everyone of our people - body and soul - to the cult and their leaders. " He lowers his eyes, not before the man standing before him, but in contemplation of what this man did. "Betrayed the gang"? You betrayed the Emperor himself, madman."

tylorva: "The Emperor never cared about us!"

Mercution: "You are not even pretending, do you, heretic? There was never a cause for you, never a fight! You are just a filthy dreg, crawling through the sludge and trash... So yeah, I guess, Emperor never cared about you anymore, than you cared about him!"

tylorva: "We're all just filfthy dregs! The bottom of society! No one cares about us! No one wants us! Most people don't even know we are here, and those that do prefer us to be hidden away never to be seen! Why should I care about the Emperor?"

Mercution: "Parasite, that what you are!" He continues. "What did he did you you, that's the only you care about, only thing you are asking! What, maybe you think those feathered fanatics care about you? That they are here just to welcome you with open arms and relieve of suffering?! While people like Intios, Custorla, Passon - we were out there, fighting, so no twist or brute or cannibal could hunt innocent people out there, brutalize our families. You never did care, do you? The first thing you did, was invite them and shelter their like - and you never thought of the price you will have to pay. The Emperor was there for us, traitor. It seems you never knew him and abandoned all pretence - and you will suffer the consequences."

tylorva: Your speech just seems to enrage Horatio and he lashes out at you with a punch to the stomach. The blow knocks all the air out of you for a moment. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you now!"

Mercution coughs and falls silent for a moment, then snaps back. "Eh, sorry. Tried to get into your mindset to come up with one... *cough* but can't think - *cough* it's just... too... stupid. "

tylorva: He pummels you with more punches - the man is as strong as ever. "Why did you come here?" he says eventually.

Mercution: "To trade wits. But, crap, there is no market for it." It may be of use to drag time, but not in revealing anything. He prepared for more punches.

tylorva: The punches come, with Horatio bellowing questions into your ear - why you are here, how you joined the inquisition, what you came here for - but his interrogation skills are rubbish.

Mercution: "Wait...*cough* you didn't even figure out that?!" Mercution manages between the shouts and the punches. The moron wouldn't guess what a hungry scaly wants even with the mutants stuffing him into his mouth, but still, he was going for a gamble, on a risk of slipping important information. Something might be acquired in return.

tylorva: "Why are you here?"

Mercution: "I thought... heh... You agreed on those Spiral's offer, 'cause you knew, who they work for and what they did. Maybe, thought it's ironic or something."

tylorva: "We made an alliance to stand against Reinhardt and the Inquisition." He stares at you. "They say you work for the Inquisition now. you're one of them."

Mercution: "An alliance". Sure, they needed some agents, I guess - considering it is them... Well, not exactly them, they are just lackeys... *cough* who brought the Inquisition here. Although, give me one piece, I'll give you the rest - where is Kirian?"

tylorva: "Reinhardt took him. Or rather, one of his friends did."

Mercution: "Hah, sure." Now, what this supposed to mean? He continues, subtly mocking. "You saw that yourself? Were they shouting "Inquisition", or, maybe, were clad in carapace? The friends of your friends are influential enough to get hose."

tylorva: He shrugs.

Mercution: "Listen here. Kirian was a witch, sure, but a special one - kept chained, like a dog, doing some blasphemous tricks for a large-scale heretic cult, whole clique. They let him slip. Then, tried to track him down - not just him, there was a big escape. A lot of dust rose, mud was splashed around, Inquisition got wind. " Mercution was not finished. "Now, they are here. And they never got their quarry. But guess who was all this time trying to return their rogue psykers, sent their agents and filthy little branch cults to find them and get them, use all this commotion, all this suffering and your sorry state - all to recruit some new fledgling little cultists?"

tylorva: He turns red as he enrages. "You know nothing!" he yells. "You weren't even here! This is my gang now, got it? MINE!" He jabs you in the chest and then turns to stalk off, perhaps to start a fight elsewhere.

Mercution waits several moments, catching his breath, enduring the bruises, resentment and disgust and cold rage coiling inside - and vague hope, that his bluff would provoke Horation to some rash actions. Then, alone and in silence, he assesses his situation again.

tylorva: After a lot of effort, you manage to squeeze your hand through the shackles, practically dislocating your thumbs in the process and leaving huge slithers of skin behind. But you are free. You can hear commotion from the main room beyond.

Mercution rubs his wrists, then winces, when his callous hands rub on raw flesh. Nursing his hand, swearing silently, he approaches the door and presses ear to the surface, listening.

tylorva: You notiuce straight away that Atella has some kind of mark on her cheek- blackened and opainful looking, it seems that a symbol has been carved right into her.