Wednesday 16 February 2011

Miracle on Malifaux Streets

Well here's my first attempt at writing some fluff for Malifaux.  Inspired by my friend James' story http://elazartheglorified.blogspot.com/2011/02/testing-testing-1.html and by the Aethervox "The Circus is Coming to Town" I thought I'd give it a go.  This is based upon the first game we intend to play at our gaming club on my new 'Streets of Malifaux' terrain.  I'd love to know what you think.

He knew the streets in this part of town were not the place to be at night.  They were a dangerous place, even for a man like him, but his mind was made up.  It was tonight or never.  Seamus kept to the shadows as he skulked through town, his girls in tow.  It wasn’t that they looked out of place; it was more that he didn't want to be seen. 
The seedy underbelly of Malifaux came to life at night and Seamus and his Rotten Belles were no exception.  Even though Seamus was the kind of person you’d cross the road to avoid there were some far more sinister creatures that inhabited the town now.  Since those smaller breaches had popped up the Guild couldn’t control the flow of ‘Immigrants’ into Malifaux.  Hell, they’d even been known to employ them from time to time but even the worst of worst looked both ways before crossing the road round here.  He’d come here to recover what was rightfully his and no Guild Enforcer or  Neverborn scum were going to stop him.
“Why are we hiding ourselves away like this?  These are our streets!” Sybelle moaned.
Seamus stopped, turned, glared at her and then gave her a smack across the face with the back of his hand.  “Don't ever question me!” he growled through gritted teeth.  “We want to take them by surprise not walk in singing Happy bloody Birthday”.  He brushed the side of her cold face where he’d punished her.  If she was alive she’d have bruised like a peach but as it was she hardly felt the impact.
The other girls knew better than to speak to Seamus like this but Sybelle had been used to handling strong men in her living days as a Madame and never worried about the repercussions.
“I was just saying, that was all” she hissed.
“Yeah, well just don’t OK.  You got that Pumpkin?” he smiled.
She hated being called that.  Seamus had found it funny that when he’d dug her up from the grave her wig had fallen back into the wooden casket exposing her large bald head.  She was never what you would call a looker when she was in her prime.  Some would say she’d been ‘tickled with the ugly stick’ others would say she’d been battered round the face with it.   “Bloody Hell!” he’d screamed “She looks just like a Halloween lantern!” and the name Pumpkin had stuck.
“Got it” she muttered under her breath.
As they walked through the streets towards the fountain where Seamus knew his ‘inheritance’ could be found he could feel eyes watching him.  At first he was sure it was just his uneasiness playing tricks on him but the longer it lasted the more he knew something was amiss.  Then he heard the voice.
“Hey Mister!  Have you seen my friends?”
Seamus kept walking.  What was a boy his age doing out this late at night anyway.  The last thing he needed was the Guild sniffing around for missing kids.
“Hey Mister!  I’m talking to you!”
Sybelle wanted to say something but then thought better of it.  The girls dragged themselves along behind not quite managing to keep pace all the time looking at the kid with the blanket.
“Hey you! Yeah you with the hat”
Seamus stopped.  He walked up to the boy, grabbed his blanket and threw it into the gutter.  “Get lost kid!  And keep outta my way if you know what’s good for ya”.
That was when he saw them.  In the shadows.  Behind the boy.  The eyes.  And the teeth.  It was hard to make out exactly what was the proud owner of them but he knew it wasn’t worth his trouble stick around and find out.
“C’mon girls” he said brashly trying to hide the way he was really feeling.  His head said run.  Leave the girls.  Plenty more where they came from.  But he knew he’d need them if he wanted to get the package from the bottom of the fountain.
He turned to walk away and immediately wished he ran when he had the chance.  There on the other side of the street was a little girl.  She couldn't have been more than 6 or 7 years old but there was something much more sinister about her.  Her eyes had a strange shape to them.  Not human looking, although that in itself wasn’t unusual for Malifaux.  It was just that they gave a much older appearance to her.  Whilst he was staring into her eyes he just caught a glint of light shining off something in her hand.  He couldn’t quite make out what it was but he knew it was time to move….. and fast.
“Going somewhere are we Seamus?”
Seamus spun his head so fast his hat fell to the ground.  It was at that very moment, when he saw Pandora standing there blocking his way out that he realised that only a miracle could help him now.

2 comments:

  1. EPIC!

    This sets a game with myself you and Elzazar up perfectly. On the streets you're building up this story will really come to life!

    Absolutely fantastic stuff, really really really, I LOVE this!

    James.

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  2. Thanks James. I really appreciate the encouragment. Gave me the push to write part 2 the same night.

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