#Lore24 – Entry #301 – Sentinel City by Night #27 – The Flesh Witch and the Sasquatch
From the Journal of Sheba O’Rourke, Private Investigator
“The driver of the truck got out first, and for a wonder, she looked pretty much normal from what I could tell, aside from those nasty black streaks in her pale aura. She had a darker complexion, dark brown hair in a loose ponytail, dressed kind of like a trucker with that coat and ball cap, on the muscular side, kind of looked like she could handle herself in a brawl. Had some scars on her face; thought they might’ve been natural, but they were too symmetrical, likely more ritualistic. One of those Tzimisce sorcerers, maybe? She spoke tersely to the Pillbilly as she went around to the back of the truck, but I couldn’t get anything out of it since I didn’t comprehend the language. Didn’t even get any names out of it.
The whole truck shifted as she pulled the rear hatch open, the suspension creaking as something huge moved around inside. Then I saw the massive hand grab the door frame, claws maybe a foot long on each finger, covered in bony plates and spikes, and the arm that followed was as thick as something you’d see on a gorilla, maybe thicker. What pulled itself out of the truck was hideous, all muscle and bony exoskeleton, glowing red eyes over a wicked fanged maw. I knew the Fiends could take on a battle form, but why was this one just riding around with it active? Or…was this NOT its battle form? Was this just its normal state?
Even the two war ghouls seemed on edge around this thing, whatever it was, to say nothing of how the more normal-looking ghouls backed away from it. Don’t know why, but the word “Sasquatch” suddenly popped into my head, one of those mythical things you always heard stories about but never saw. Whatever it was, its aura was just as stained as the other Fiend. Well, I got this one on camera at least. I silently thanked my foresight in adopting a mirrorless setup as soon as I could a few years back; the silent photo mode was a real blessing in this profession.
The way the monstrous thing sniffed the air and peered around the drug lab told me it was time to clear out. For all I knew it had sharper senses than a damn lupine, might’ve already had my scent tickling what passed for a nose. I eased out the way I’d come, moving extra carefully to make sure I didn’t make any sounds that shouldn’t have been there. Once I was clear of the building and beyond the outer fence, I took off at a run, and didn’t stop till I was safely in my car. Then I narrowly avoided a speed trap on the way back into the city proper in my haste to get back to the apartment, the lingering scent of the cooked meth still all over me.
Had some work to do when I got back; new faces to add to the wall, but not a whole lot of progress on the mysterious web I had been weaving. There were even some mysterious players that may or may not be related that I’d picked up on around town that seemed just a bit too suspicious for their own good. Course, that could just be me being paranoid. I’d been experiencing a lot of that lately.”