[Sodium_noir] A saturday in Darktown

[Spikey]

Maurice, Goldie, Panic
Serpent, Whore, Mage
The Chaste Dragon


Maurice had listened to the last bits of information with an astonished
look on his face. Something built up inside him and then he couldn't
hold it back now more. It began with a low chuckle that slowly built up
into a loud and deep laughter. It took a while to subside. "Tituss Khan?
Tituss *Khan*? You make my day, Panic. It iss good newss ssat sse
sspider ssitting in Chinatown 'ass fallen. But ssat sse Family 'ass
taken control of ssat ghetto iss not good. But Tituss Khan?"

His face got serious. "Ssey are not really ssinking, ssat ssomeone like
Tituss, or any osser white'ead iss really able to control sse Tongs, are
ssey? Oh, probably sse chinkss will all bob sseir 'ead when 'e iss
around, but conviently forget 'iss orderss when 'e turnss around. 'e
will be up to 'iss neck trying to get even bassic ssingss done. All sse
while ssome fuck-up will try to wresst control from 'im, and 'e being a
Chinesse, will 'ave sse ssupport ssat Titus *Khan* will never get. I
ssink sse Family will regret sswallowing Chinatown, becausse ssey will
choke on ssat morssel. You should know your limitss. Ssmart ssing would
'ave been to insstall Johnny from Chinatown ass new Khan. You can
control one chink and sse osserss will follow 'im, but insstead
impossing a foreigner ass tyrant..." He shook his head. "Tituss will be
Khan of nossing. Eisser ssey don't obey or 'e 'ass to kill ssem all to
gain real control. Boss 'ave sse ssame outcome. Ssosse mosserfucking
whitess are sstill ssinking like itss sse nineteenss ssentury and ssey
are ssome ssuperior colonial masster rasse. Didn't work ssen, won't work
now."

"White man's burden!" panic replied in agreement.

And it would keep Titus occupied for the time. Could be a good thing. He
hoped that the Family would be so tangled up in their new conquest that
they weren't able to take stock and look at the larger picture. With
Chinatown taken only Darktown would remain outside their direct
control... No, Akril's fall was bad. He had been a vital piece in the
game of balance in the underworld. It is always preferable to be the
third party in such a game instead of being the only opposition.
Something needed to be done about this.

And there it was!

Panic had, of course, been browsing the Vampire's surface thoughts. As well as employing his other magically improved senses. The basic grasp of each sphere of magic was the ability to perceive such forces and elements and Panic could feel the basic thoughts, the trends of Maurice's moods. 

He knew that this was coming, that the balance needed to be restored. He had a hand in Titus rise to power and now he was about to have a hand in his downfall. Or at least, a hand in helping someone who might cause it. It wasn't written fact that Titus would fall, and if Panic were honest, he would rather he didn't. But he was someone elses bitch in this, as in all things, and it was all about keeping the balance. 

The reason he couldn't, even with his wide ranging influences, take down Melcom, or Hannibaal, or the sabbat or Akril, was because evil was neccisary. It had to exist and much as he wanted these powers gone, a world without them in it wasn't a world at all. And so, to keep his bargain with his own sponsor, Panic fiddled with stuff.


"But letss get back to sse... Ahua Can, wass it? Sso all betss are on
ssem sstill 'iding in Darktown? Ssatss not good. What did ssey want
anyway? What were ssey after, ssat alsso got sse attention of late
Akril?"

"What?" Panic asked again, stalling while he thought. 

It wasn't like it was the worlds best kept secret anyway. The Talisman was gone, destroyed by the unlikely alliance, and its powers passed on to another where it would remain safe. 

"It was a Statue, a Rattlesnake made of Volcanic rock. A real ancient statue that was worshipped in South America as far back as the Olmec. Maybe even earlier. Sacrifices to Gods were made in its presence and the statue, so the Ahua Can believed, acted as a conduit for their devotion and as a bank vault for their sacrifice. Sort of like the collection plate over at St Bridget's only not so corrupt!"

He lit another cigarette.

"After a coupla thousand years of precisely carried out sacrifice and adoration, the thing had collected a lot of power. A lot of souls. Akril wanted that power to use as a short cut, to make him a Mage. Sort of like magical spinach. The Ahua can wanted it back. It was a religious item to them, as important as an Icon or a statue of a Loa is to you. It was stolen from them and their worshipers and so they came to Gotham to get it back."

He takes a long draw.

"Not that it matters now, because it's gone. Busted into tiny little pieces and the power all used up. On that you can be sure!"


[TAG to the Black Beast]


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