The white light faded around Sebastian and he found himself back in the observation room above “the pit.”
“What was that?” He asked himself. “It felt different than the others. More real… Like something changed… I feel...good.” he looked down to see that it wasn't his handgun in his hand, but his revolver. “Huh. My trusty revolver. Haven't seen you in a long time…” He put it in one of the many holsters he was wearing and grabbed the projector slide that was on the desk in front of him.
Sebastian made his way back down the hall lined with bodies and trashbags(still very ominous). He was greeted with the moans and groans of one of the tall lost like creatures. Or whatever it was. Not that it mattered, it'd be dead soon. The door he had gone through was partially closed, so he could see it, but it couldn't see him. He shot it a couple times and it went down for the count. Sebastian crawled under the gate and made his way to the exit he had seen Hoffman go through.
“Scanning for Unity Cerebral Chip. Please wait…” The automated voice told him. “Unity Cerebral Chip detected. Entry authorized.” The huge door swung open.
“About time. Hope I can still catch up with Hoffman and O'Neal…” Sebastian whispered as he walked through. He hopped over some gurneys that blocked his path and went on through the next door. The next room was large and dark. Divided by various curtains and shelves. Part of it obviously functioned some sort of science lab, with the “experiments” still on the tables. He could hear talking. “Huh. Voices…” Was that them? Sebastian found a door with lit candles outside of it. That was never a good sign. He went to open it.
“No!” Sebastian paused. Hoffman? He leaned in close to the door to hear better. “... Please stop! Don't let him control you!” Sebastian pulled away. What was happening?
“Just listen…” It was a deep voice. Unfamiliar, but familiar at the same time. “Listen… His voice will tell you…” Sebastian stood to the side of the door. Quickly he pulled the handle and aimed his gun into the room as the door opened.
“You’ve got to resist him!” Hoffman yelled. She was yelling at one of Theodore's men with the gas mask melded to his face.
“Hoffman!” Sebastian yelled, she turned to look at him. “Stand back!” Sebastian aimed his gun and Hoffman jumped between him and Theodore's henchman.
“No!” She cried. “He doesn't know what he's doing!” The man grabbed her by the shoulder and shoved her back, knocking her to the ground behind him. He ran forward and Sebastian fired. The man was unphased by the bullet and kept going. Sebastian ducked out of the way as the man tried to burn him with his flamethrower. He aimed again and the man did the same. Hoffman ran out and grabbed on to the man’s arm.
“Liam! Don't!” She yelled.
“What do you mean, 'Liam’?” Sebastian lowered his gun a little.
“Stay back!” The man pushed Hoffman back into the side room and set a barrier of flames between them. He looked towards Sebastian. He paused and grasped his mask, pulling it off of his face along with what looked to be some skin. Sebastian's eyes widened as he lowered his gun.
“Stay out of my way, Sebastian!” The voice had gone back to its normal tone. It was O’Neal. His face and head were horribly burned, one eye was damaged, and his glasses were gone. But it was him.
“O’Neal… What happened?” Sebastian aimed his gun again.
“Theodore showed me the way. I am His now.” He smiled. “I helped Him hide. And in exchange, He gave me a new life.” O’Neal began to walk forward. With every step he advanced, Sebastian stepped back.
“A life as a slave…” Sebastian told him. O’Neal raised and lowered his eyebrows, almost as if he was amused.
“You’ll never understand… For that, you’ll burn!” He turned on his flamethrower, and Sebastian was just barely able to jump out of the way. He quickly stomped out a small flame on his pant leg and ran around one of the shelves. “You’ll never escape me!” Sebastian ran until he found the nearest fire extinguisher.
“Getting too hot in here…Gotta put the flames out.” he pulled the lever and the sprinklers started up.
“You won't get out of here.” O’Neal told him from around the corner. “He demands I take care of you… You can either die… or change, like me…”
It was becoming obvious that Sebastian wouldn't be able to save him. Theodore's influence was too strong. Dammit. He ducked around another corner so that he could see O’Neal and shot him. Once again he seemed almost completely unphased.
“Argh! Damn you, Sebastian!” O’Neal shot a fireball at him and Sebastian jumped out of the way. O’Neal ran forward and swiped at Sebastian with the sword-like spout of the flamethrower. “You must be cleansed!” Sebastian aimed and fired again, getting O’Neal in the chest. He quickly ran behind some more shelves.
“Yes, Father Theodore, I told him…” When O’Neal started to get close again Sebastian ran behind another shelf. “Stop running! I’m sorry, Master. I won’t let him get away. I promise.” Sebastian jumped out from behind the shelf and fired again, getting O’Neal a couple of times in the chest. He was slowing down, but not by much. O’Neal pulled off his mask.
“That’s it. I’m done playing with you!” He burned all of the surrounding area and charged at Sebastian, who ducked out of the way and fired again. He ran and found cover. “You think you’re too good to fight me? I’m not weak anymore. I won't go down easy.” Sebastian ran and found another fire extinguisher and pulled the lever, turning the sprinklers back on.
“Shit. Is he ever going down?” He found O’Neal and fired again. He stumbled, but didn’t fall. Sebastian fired a couple more times. O’Neal finally fell back.
“Ahhh….” He made his way over to a wall and sat so he was leaning against it, coughing. Sebastian put out the flames blocking Hoffman’s path and they both went over to O’Neal, crouching beside him. “T-Thank you, S-Sebastian…” His every breath was a challenge. “F-Finally….Free. From his voice.” Hoffman was holding back her tears and Sebastian sat in silence taking in each one of O’Neal’s words. “From my fears…” O’Neal sighed. “I was so scared. You gotta stop him.”
“I can’t stop him if I can’t find him, O’Neal.” Sebastian told him.
“He phase-shifted… He’s not here. Not anywhere…” O’Neal whispered. He looked towards the door Hoffman had come from. “The machine in the room next door… You’ve got to destroy it…” Sebastian could tell it was taking his every breath to say this.
“What machine?” Sebastian leaned in. O’Neal looked down, ashamed.
“He made me build it. To hide him. Destroy it…” He took a breath. “So that you can destroy him…” O’Neal took one last deep breath and fell forward.
He was gone.
Hoffman wiped off her cheeks as the tears kept coming. Come on. She was used to this. She had to get over it. Sebastian closed O’Neal’s eyes and the two stood. They were silent for a couple minutes, the only sound in the room being the quiet sniffling of Hoffman. She may have used to people getting killed, but it hurt so much more this time.
“What happened?” Sebastian asked. “How did O’Neal get turned into that thing?”
“I don’t know.” Hoffman shook her head, wiping her face. She was done crying for now. “I’ve been locked in the Safe House with Y/N and Stefano since you left. When Liam called and asked me to meet him I was so relieved to hear his voice… But he wasn’t Liam.” She shook her head again, her voice shaking a little. “He was that… thing.” She sighed. “I tried to get through to him, but… You heard him. Theodore Wallace did something to him.”
“Poor guy.” Sebastian shook his head. “I didn’t want to have to kill him…”
“You didn’t have a choice. Theodore wasn’t going to give him up…” Hoffman looked up at Sebastian after glancing back at Liam. “So what now?”
“Let’s take a look at this machine O’Neal was talking about…”
“I think it’s on the other side of the room where you found us. Let’s go…”
~*~*~*~
“You can't escape me.” Stefano grabbed his knife as his head started to ache. It was the Father. He looked back at Y/N, sitting peacefully watching their daughter. She couldn't hear him. “You can't protect them.” Theodore told him.
“I can.” Stefano whispered. He didn't want to alert her.
“You have nothing. You are weak. You cannot hide anymore.” Theodore continued. “Your betrayal will be your downfall, Stefano. All you had to do was bring me the girl. And you failed.” Stefano tightened his grip on his knife. “And you will be punished.” He looked over at Y/N as she grabbed her head, as if she were getting a headache.
“Leave her be.” Stefano whispered. “She is not the one who-”
“Kill Sebastian.” Theodore told him. “And I will leave her. I will grant to you your old ability. You can create your art. You can live out your life here with Y/N and your daughter. Safe, in your own domain.” Stefano was silent, watching Y/N relax again as her headache faded. “All you have to do, is kill Sebastian Castellanos.”
“Does Sebastian have the Core?” He whispered.
“No. But once you have killed him, I will gift you with the strength needed to find her.” Theodore explained. “But once you have located her, I will get her myself. You are very fortunate I am being so gracious.”
“Yes, Father Theodore.” Stefano whispered, looking down, tightening the grip on his knife again.
“Should you even think of betraying me,” Rozalia started to stir in her sleep, and Y/N picked her up as she started to cry. Stefano was losing feeling in his hand from holding his knife so tightly. “You know I can be a wrathful god.”
“Yes, Father.” The small pain in his head was gone. Theodore had left him. Stefano could feel the surge of energy as some of his power was given back to him. Dammit.
Stefano threw his knife at the door as hard as he could. You jumped.
“What was that for!?” You turned and asked him, rocking the crying Rozi in your arms.
“Target practice.” He told you as he pulled the knife out of the door. “I must practice in order to keep my skills the way they are.”
“A little warning would be nice.” You glared at him. Rozi had calmed down at least, whatever was bothering her was gone. Maybe she had gotten a headache like yours? Which was weird though. But you didn't think too much of it, random headaches weren't that weird. You looked back at Stefano. “Did you get a headache a second ago?”
“Yes.” He threw his knife again. “That's common here, is it not?” He pulled the knife from the door.
“Yeah. I guess.” You felt like there was more to it, but maybe you were just overthinking it. You watched Stefano practice knife throwing for a bit. “Sebastian came by when you were gone earlier.” He paused for a second then continued his practicing.
“Oh?”
“He told me to ask you about Theodore. He left right before you came back.” You explained, laying Rozalia back down on the blanket you had turned into a bed for her.
“Where did he go?” Stefano pulled the knife from the door.
“Back into the Marrow. To look for Hoffman and O’Neal.”
“Maybe I should look for him?” Stefano suggested. You were surprised. Him? Caring about Sebastian?
“Hey, come here.” You told him. He looked at you funny, but complied. You gestured for him to come closer and he leaned towards you. You placed your hand on his forehead. “You feeling okay?” He pushed your hand away.
“I know what you're thinking. But due to unfortunate circumstances, we have become allies.” He sounded like he was going to be sick saying that word. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend, si?”
“I guess. But it still doesn't seem like you.”
“There is a lot you do not know about me, darling.” Stefano gave you a small smile, but something about it didn’t feel quite right.
Had my first night running Exalted 3e in person. Everyone portrayed their character perfectly and I think this is going to be a great and long lasting campaign.
