Damnation, ruination
and starvation: a threefold death-grip on Old Foulnest, and a time of
testing for the truly faithful. The Middenmans welcomed the bitter
hardship: their creed dictates that the greater the suffering in
life, the greater the reward after death. The Miscreants were
likewise exultant: never had circumstances been more favourable to
make sacrifice to the Lord of Skin and Sinew.
Suffering and sacrifice
were enjoyed in abundance when the two gangs met in Foulnest core,
screaming their opposed litanies of hatred and bloodshed.
The Middenmans had laid
a crude ambush for the Eschers, who were few in number after recent
losses. Torment-Unending-For-The-Unworthy made his followers –
particularly those who were close to madness from starvation –
spread out, intending to encircle the Miscreants. Realising they they
were outnumbered, Beretta, the sly leader of the Eschers, saw fit to
misdirect the Cawdors, sending the fresh juve Noob and khimerix
Fuckfuckfuck on a decoy run down one flank while she and the other
four members of the gang made ready to carve their way though their
foes on the opposite side, dodging through a maze of containers.
Torment did his best to
direct his followers accordingly, but
Salvation-Shall-Verily-Be-Paid-For-In-Blood,
Scourge-Thyself-For-Thine-Sins and Shriven-Are-The-Rancorous found
themselves were laid low by Stone Cold's hand flamer. Salvation was scorched out of action, the green-tinted fire cooking his flesh but the others rolled the flames off, and Shriven
charged Stone Cold and took her down.
Meanwhile,
Inexorable-Is-His-Judgement cackled with glee as he hunted down the
hapless Noob, but failed to realise he was being hunted himself.
Fuckfuckfuck pounced, and Inexorable was badly mauled by the
khimerix's razor claws. Unstinting-Is-His-Vengeance rushed to avenge
his fallen brother, and tore at the gene-brewed felid's flesh with
his chainglaive, but the cat struck back, and Unstinting was out of
the fight.
Middenman
reinforcements flushed Beretta's crew out of their refuge: with
Terror-Bringeth-Deliverance and Pity-Not-The-Recidivist respectively
bringing hand-flamer and incendiary bombs to sow havoc among the
Eschers. The Miscreants fought back and advanced: Beretta dodged
Scourge's longrifle shots and took him down with her plasma gun,
Juanita took her blade to Terror, and arch-malcontent Sui Ti Py
brought up the rear, singing the praises of the Butcher Lord.
Down the corridor,
Fuckfuckfuck claimed another victim as Redeemed-Are-The-Abased's
polearms proved too short to keep the khimerix at bay. But the
ganger's sacrifice bought Torment enough time to advance and level
his flamer at the beast. Engulfed in flames, Fuckfuckfuck flailed
away down the tunnels and out of the fight.
Shriven-Are-The-Rancorous's
burgeoning career as a lethal juve was cut brutally short as Beretta
knifed him savagely before darting out of the battlezone. By now,
both gangs were at their nerves' end, ready to flee. Torment realised
that his crew were sustaining heavy losses and hardly carving off
enough meat to make it worthwhile. He ordered the Middenmans'
retreat. Only Pity-Not-The-Recidivist lingered on, hunting for Noob
in the darkness- but he searched in vain, and the skirmish was over.
Back at the Middenkirk,
the Cawdors took stock. Redeemed was absent – it turned out he had
been captured by the Miscreants, and would have to be rescued before
his blood was spilled in the name of the Lord of Skin and Sinew. For
Shriven, Inexorable and Torment, there was nothing to be done: the
sawbones's fee was more meant than the gang had to feed itself. And
so Torment decreed that Shriven and Inexorable be butchered and added
to the gang's larder, while Torment, whose wound was festering most
disturbingly, would simply be immolated to ashes.
But the lamentations
were perfunctory, and each Cawdor cove – including those three
doomed wretches – was glad in his heart, for the greater the
suffering in life, the greater the reward after death. What suffering
could be greater than this?
The Middenmans would
find out soon enough, as the Cannibal Wars drove Foulnest deeper into
darkness.