[X] Prince Jackson hates Nash. Bringing Paul Sterry to him could give him a pretext for turning Nash into ash.
Walter Nash is a monster - even more so than most Kindred. However, despite his position on the fringes of the Chicago court, Nash still enjoys the protections offered by the Traditions. That said, all it would take for Nash to lose even those safeguards would be evidence of the risk he poses to the Masquerade. If you can bring Paul Sterry to the Prince alive, he'll have enough reason to call a Blood Hunt on Nash, giving you and the rest of the domain free reign to destroy him once and for all.
First things first, though - you still have a brother to rescue. Deep in your unmoving heart, you know Nick is close by, as is the man holding him hostage. However, there's nothing in this room that indicates their location. It isn't until you stop in front of the bookcase along the wall opposite the door that you realize the master bedroom is smaller than it should be, given the distance between it and Paul Jr.'s room. In other words, Sterry must have a secret room on the other side of the wall.
Given what you know of the man, Sterry would almost certainly have hidden the door behind the bookcase. All you need to do is find the book that opens the way forward. At this point, you have little patience to try and deduce which book is the correct one, so you start tugging on tomes, hoping to brute-force your way inside. After dozens of tries, the bookcase swings open on well-oiled hinges, allowing you to creep up behind Sterry as he raises his fist to strike another blow against your captive brother.
Fortunately for Sterry, he still has enough situational awareness to realize something is up. Unfortunately for him, he only has enough time to turn around and see that the hidden door behind him is open before you land a right hook on his jaw. Sterry's glasses tumble to the floor as he lands in a sprawl. His cry of pain comes out as more of a groan - his jaw hangs from the rest of his head at a painful-looking angle, but you have precious little sympathy for the man who kidnapped and tortured your brother.
While Sterry remains dazed from being hit with all the monstrous strength you can call upon as a member of Clan Nosferatu, you hurry to your brother's side and remove the burlap sack covering his face. "Oh my god, Nick, your face!"
Nick makes a noise halfway between an amused chuckle and a grunt of pain. Dark bruises mar his olive complexion, and his glasses are missing. At least he still has all his teeth. "Damn, I must look truly awful if
you, of all people, are saying that. Is Sterry still alive?"
"Oh, he'll live. I'm more worried about the guards outside." Slinging your SCAR behind your back, you quickly untie the thick rope binding Nick to the chair. "Do you think you can walk on your own?"
You watch on in worry as Nick gets up from the chair. He winces as his weight settles onto his feet, but he doesn't appear to be in danger of falling. "I think so, but I'm afraid I can't go very fast."
You frown as your attention then turns to Sterry, who's beginning to get up from the floor. You dissuade him from moving by kicking him hard in the soft part of his stomach. To emphasize your point, you unsling your assault rifle and disengage the safety as you aim it at his head. "Stay down if you know what's good for you."
Sterry jerks his head in grudging agreement before lying on the floor again. It doesn't take long for you to secure his hands and feet with the rope he used to bind your brother. You also find a roll of duct tape, which you put to good use in shutting Sterry up. Once you're satisfied that Sterry can't move, you return to the door of the master bedroom. At this angle, you've got a clear shot of the Night's Cross hunters still waiting amid the rafters. Their attention is focused entirely on Valerie and Courage's positions on the floor below. However, from this angle, they're sitting ducks.
The report of your assault rifle shatters the tense silence in the Sterry house. One of the Night's Cross hunters falls dead from his perch in the rafters, blood splattering all over the polished wood. Valerie then seizes her chance to rush the other hunter while he's caught off guard. Her shotgun roars and the other hunter screams in pain as he lands on the floor with a sickening crunch. However, the Night's Cross hunter is still alive, if barely - a problem Courage swiftly corrects by stabbing her teeth into his throat.
While Courage busies herself with wringing the neck of her new chew toy, Valerie rushes over to support a still-limping Nick. As for you, you focus on untying Paul Sterry's feet so he can walk on his own. "Val, can you take Nick to a doctor who won't ask too many questions?"
"Yeah, I know someone who can keep things quiet. What about you, though?"
"Me?" You reply as you shove Sterry forward none too gently. "I'm going to introduce Mr. Sterry to some of my
friends."
You have earned five XP.
- You have dealt with the threat posed by Paul Sterry.
- You discovered Paul Sterry's connection to the hunters of Night's Cross.
- You rescued your big brother.
- You freed your Touchstone from the clutches of a vengeful father-turned-hunter of the supernatural.
- You survived a hunter's house full of dangers.
Available Experience: 9 14
-
Prince Jackson looks distinctly unimpressed by the hunter you've brought before him. "So
this is the hunter Nash had so much trouble dealing with?"
"Yes, sir. I know he's not the most intimidating of specimens, but we all know how much damage mortal hackers can do with a keyboard these nights."
Sterry, for his part, does his best to appear unafraid and defiant in the face of the most powerful Kindred in Chicago as he kneels before the Prince with his wrists zip-tied together behind his back. However, his facade breaks with every sideways glance at the quartet of ghouls who serve Prince Jackson as armed guards. "I'd forget about trying to make a break for it if I were you, Mr. Sterry."
Prince Jackson then turns to you. "Good work cleaning up after Nash, Delacruz. It looks like I owe you one for your good service in protecting the city."
You nod, not trusting yourself to speak. Fortunately for your continued existence, the Prince doesn't seem to know that you were also one of Sterry's blackmail victims. "However, before we talk about payment, we have to tie up some loose ends. First, we have to deal with our guest, Mr. Sterry. Then, we must ensure his family can't seek revenge later. My people can handle the other Sterrys, but I want you to be the one who finishes the family man over here."
You nod as Sterry starts writhing in a hopeless attempt to free himself. It doesn't take a genius to know that Prince Jackson intends to kill not only Paul Sterry but his entire family. The smart choice would be to keep your mouth shut and accept whatever favor the Prince owes you. Neonates who speak up against their Princes tend not to enjoy long unlives. However, staying silent would mean condemning an entire family for the actions of its patriarch.
Fortunately, the Prince isn't the kind of man to destroy a potential asset if he thinks he can acquire it. Word on the Nosferatu grapevine is that the Sabbat has been active near Milwaukee. Sterry's technical skills could be advantageous in the fight against the Sword of Caine. However, it'll take some doing to convince the Prince that Sterry's usefulness outweighs the threat he and his family pose to the Masquerade. Any favor the Prince might owe you would likely be forfeited if you choose to argue for clemency.
However, there's a third option to consider as well. As Prince of Chicago, Kevin Jackson's resources are vast, even without the wealth and power of Clan Ventrue behind him. However, it's not
limitless. The hired killers Prince Jackson would need to send after Michelle and Paul Jr. would likely be put to better use elsewhere. Proving yourself to the Prince by extinguishing the entire Sterry line could pay dividends in the long run. All it would require is the deaths of two innocents and a piece of your soul.
Prince Jackson wordlessly hands you a pistol drawn from the inside of his jacket. It's time to make a decision.
[] I'll try to convince the Prince to spare the Sterry family, even if it causes him to change his mind about rewarding me.
-[] I'll rouse the Blood to add two dice to my roll.
-[] I'll spend a point of Willpower to reroll up to three regular dice.
Manipulation + Persuasion (Difficulty: 5)
[] I'll remain silent, execute Paul Sterry, and humbly accept the promise of a minor boon to be paid later.
[] I can do more good if I rise higher in the Ivory Tower. If I have to play the Camarilla's games to get there, so be it.
Choosing this option will necessitate a Remorse test for which Artie has a 50% chance of keeping his current Humanity of 8. However, Artie will also gain Prince Jackson as a five-dot Mawla with connections to Chicago's criminal underworld.
