Bleeker's Run by Varden Frias
You, Henry Bleeker, are a lizard anthropomorphic creature living in the slums or what the locals call Johnny's Paradise in the city of Hellhole. The rent was due ages ago, but all you can afford is the illegal booze you swiped from the back of a bootlegger truck that you're swigging tonight.
It's a cold night, the first night on the new job as a dope and booze peddler. Sure, it's illegal but you can't seem to find a job worth its weight in pennies. You needed something substantial and boy, this peddling business will have that rent problem fixed and then some. All you need to do is please the boss tonight.
Two black demons that work for the same mob boss you, Silas MaCallister, just signed up for lead you down an alley at the back of a warehouse. It's on the east side of town where all of the slums meet. The MaCallister mob has worked all over town and the pay outshines a lot of the other mobs, but it's a tough one to get into.
You watch two black demons load wooden crates of Chigaz, a local stimulant drug, onto the bed of the 1920s model A truck. Black demons are like the rest of the demons without the flair, no horns or claws. Not even fingernails, just yellow eyes and skin black as jet.
One of the demons, your Cappo, hands you a slip of paper with two addresses on it. He speaks to you.
"The job's simple, but not easy. If you get this shipment in to the boss before the night's out, you're in the clear."
You say, "Sounds easy enough."
The Cappo scoffs.
"You're going alone, and if you so much as lose an ounce, you can kiss that paycheck goodbye. We don't hire guys that can't handle a rookie run. Same goes if you get caught by the cops. We won't bat an eyelash. But if you can handle all that, you'll be earning more than most of the boys in the factories by the end of the night."
You say, "I'll try not to lose anything."
"There's the place you want to go first. It's the sugar mill just down a few blocks. The map will tell you. After that, the warehouse. Good luck, kid."
[[click here for your list of abilities and to check your weapons.]]
[[get in the car and on the road to the first stop]]You drive down a desert road with the narcotics packed snugly into crates in the back trunk. The radio plays a jazz tune from the local radio station.
The next moment, a Hellhole Police Department patrol cars emerges in the rearview mirror. There is no siren....yet.
[[Keep going. Maybe it's just a routine sweep.]]
[[Speed up. That cop is trailing too close for comfort.]]
[[Maybe the cop thought you were speeding. Slow down.]]
[[Floor the gas and lose the brass!]]The cop car rides along and passes you.
[[Keep driving until the first stop on the list.]]You speed up and so does the cop until he matches your speed and turns on the sirens.
[[Stop the car. He'll suspect you more if you don't stop.]]
[[Floor the gas and lose the brass!]] You slow down to the speed limit. The cop car matches your speed, opens up the window to yell at you to pull over.
[[Pull over. Maybe he won't check the trunk.]]
[[Floor the gas and lose the brass!]] You speed up and the cop car notices, speeding to catch up to you. You floor the motor hard and go off road to get the copper off your tail. He just misses you by a train. You're in the clear....for now.
[[Keep driving until the first stop on the list.]] You arrive at the first stop. It's a sugar mill. You give the password to the demon at the back entrance gate and he lets you in so you can drive to the rear loading docks.
When you reach the loading docks, there's a fight. A demon up front sees you. You ask what's going on.
"Turf war. The Dempsey gang's all over our boys tonight. I keep telling them, why the hell do we keep using this sugar place? But no one listens, I swear."
[[Drive around and come back later to avoid confrontation.]]
[[Drop the shipment off with the greeter demon and hope it gets to the right hands.]]
[[Brave the fight and drop off the crate to a member of your gang to ensure it gets properly delivered.]]You take a drive back through town down Belial, the main street that runs through the business district. It's a quiet night, but the demands of the job keep you uptight so you drive back.
The black demon at the warehouse back entrance recognizes you, a gesture emphasized by a jeering tone and pointed finger.
"Just missed the scrape of a lifetime, buddy."
"I didn't want to have anyone steal my goods while I was fighting."
"Whatever, man. Next time we'll remember the people who stuck around, though when we hand out the compensation, just keep that in mind."
"I'll remember that."
You get out of the truck and hand him the goods in the crate which for the sugar mill, is a crate full of booze and another crate of Chigaz.
He hands you half your pay.
"Hey, what's this all about?" You say.
"We don't like pansies around here, kid. Now, get out of here before I yack to my Cappo about how you weren't there when we needed you."
You decide that you only have so much time to complete your task and don't want to make waves, and get back in the truck.
You've passed the first level. Move on to the next.
[[Drive to the second stop.]]You tell the greeter demon that there's some "goods" in the back.
"Sure, I'll take it off your hands....that is if you're willing to cough up some dough to keep it just between us, know what I mean?"
[[Decline the offer ]]
[[Cough up the money and mark it down as a sale at the sugar depot and move on, you don't have time for games tonight.]]You walk up to the scrap. Your mafia, The MaCallister gang, is the black demon group with some lizard anthropomorphic creatures that you recognize from back at the warehouse.
The other gang is a slew of vampires. One of the MacCallister mobsters rushes up to you. He speaks to you out of breath.
"Are you going to stand around and stare at us or what?"
"Who are these vampires?"
"You don't know these goons? They're the Vatrino gang from the north side of the volcano and own the rich clientele up there. Don't you know if they capture the flag on this joint, we lose this section of town?"
You roll up your sleeves and go for the first vampire you see.
[[Use your claws to beat the vampire in hand to hand combat.]]
[[Use your revolver]]
[[Bite the vampire and release your toxic venom. That'll teach 'em.]]
[[Use your fists. Be careful, vampires can teleport.]]You drive an abandoned road down south towards the ridge of mountains. The radio lost its signal fifteen minutes ago and the only sign of life is your dim headlight on the lone highway.
The engine sputters and coughs. You glance at the tank and find its a quarter full, not enough for the next stop and the trip home.
[[Drive along and keep an eye out for a gas station. You could use a sandwich after that fight.]]
[[Pull over and check the trunk. Maybe you left some gasoline in there.]]
[[The Warehouse isn't much further. Keep going.]]You tell the guy, no can do, and get back in the truck.
[[Drive to the second stop.]][[Drive to the second stop.]]You confront a vampire in close range hand to hand combat.
The vampire teleports behind you and sinks its fangs into your neck and drains you of your blood.
You have failed your drug run.
[[Return to beginning-->The Deliverables]][[You shoot a mafia brother on accident. This is your first night using a gun, after all.]]
One of the members from your gang notices.
[[Drive to the second stop.]]
[[Confess it was an accident and hope that it won't affect your record.]]
You bite the vampire before it bites you and release your venom. The vampire drops to his knees, seizing and frothing at the mouth.
All around you, your mafia family seems to have won this scrap. You drop off your goods with your Sugar Depot hookup and he pays you your compensation. You get back in your car and pull out of the Sugar Depot.
[[Drive to the second stop.]] You have a fist fight with the vampire, landing the first punch which phases into the vampire as it teleports. Your fist goes through its body and you recoil from disgust.
The vampire uses your surprise against you and dives in to bite your neck and drain your blood.
You failed your mission.
[[back to the beginning -->The Deliverables]]You stop the car. The cop comes out of the patrol car and strolls to the window which you roll down after a few sharp taps from the cop's flashlight on your window.
"Good evening sir." the cop says to you. He's a white demon, the classy imps that run half the town that isn't owned by the mobs. His skin is whiter than the beige cop uniform and his gazelle antlers poke out of his police man cap.
You keep a straight face and pray that he doesn't ask to check your trunk.He's armed with claws and packing heat, a good sized Colt 1915, but with the white demon class comes powers beyong physical abilities.
[[Use your wit to distract the cop and get him to leave you alone without searching your truck.]]You strike up a conversation with the cop about the weather, but it's been dry skies for the past six months and he seems to catch on that something is amiss, but doesn't say anything.
He says:
"Hope to get some rain soon. It would be a shame to let that produce in the back of your car go to waste in this environment."
The comment carries much more weight to it than a regular aside. You speak before you have a chance to catch yourself.
"I didn't say I was shipping produce."
He pauses.
"Then I suspect you don't work for Miller's Farms? Says so on the side of your truck."
You laugh, trying not to appear nervous.
"Well, I guess I better get a pair of reading glasses."
The cop doesn't buy it, you lay it on too thick.
"Mind if I check your trunk, sir?"
[[Floor the gas and lose the brass!]]
[[Agree to the inspection. If you don't he'll suspect you more.]]The cop comes over to the window and taps on it.
"Going a little fast tonight, aren't ya?"
[[Apologize and promise never to speed again.]]"I'm sorry officer, I won't speed again."
The cop wears a straight face.
"Yeah, apologies won't cut it. Let me see your license, sir."
You fumble for your information that's kept in your wallet. He gives it a cursory look and nods. You put your things back.
The cop opens up his breast pocket, dabs a pencil on his tongue, and begins to write on the pad. You sit and wait in silence.
He gives you a ticket. You swallow back a retort.
"Have a nice night, officer." You say, but the cop only tips his hat and walks back to his patrol car.
You wait for the officer to drive in the other direction before you rev your own engine again.
[[Keep driving until the first stop on the list.]] The cop opens up the back trunk. He jokes:
"Late night shipment you got here. Working for the milk man?"
[[Laugh off the joke, play along. Maybe he won't open the crates.]]
[[Floor the gas and lose the brass!]] You tell him you work for the milk man, but he doesn't buy it. He opens up one of the crates.
"Hey, what the hell is this? You work for the mob! You're under arrest!"
[[Attack the cop using your claws, revolver, or venom bite.]]
[[Attack the cop with the intent to kill. If the cop survives, he'll throw you in jail.]]
[[Floor the gas and lose the brass!]] Your first move is to wait for the cop to get close enough to you for a good way to spring on him. He comes close enough and you spray your venom on him.
He screams as it erodes his skin. You spray some in his eyes so he doubles back and trips, landing on his back, wailing as he tries to wipe the venom from his eyes.
With no other cops on the road, you're free to go.
Proceed to the next level.
[[Drive to the second stop.]]You attack the cop but he's a white demon and possesses you into driving your car to the Hellhole Police Station. He turns you in and you serve jail time for possession and distribution of narcotics.
You have failed your drug run.
[[Return to beginning-->The Deliverables]]Your mafia brother is down, bleeding profusely, attracting more vampires in your direction. You fire another shot at an oncoming vampire and manage to graze its arm.
The vampire snarls and gets closer to you. In the next moment, the vampire teleports just in front of you and slaps the gun from your grip.
You spit your venom in the vampire's eyes and manage to blind him for a moment, which gives you a few precious seconds to grab your gun and shoot him.
All around you, it seems the fight is over. After the vampires retreat to their repsective vehicles and peel out, leaving your remaining mob family.
You walk up to the loading dock at the back of the sugar factory warehouse loading dock and ask who the first crate is for. The black demon at the docks counts out your compensation for the first stop, but he holds out and says:
"So you like killing for us or is it just a hobby of yours?"
"What do you mean?"
"I saw you kill one of our own."
[[Confess it was an accident and hope that it won't affect your record.]]
[[Take the money and don't say a word. Drop off the shipment and hit the road to the next stop]]
After ten more minutes of driving, a light appears in the distance. It's flickering and dim, but the neon "GAS" sign is unmistakable.
You pull in to the gas station. It's manned by one gremlin attendent who strolls up to your window, which you roll down. He sneers and asks:
"Full service?"
You tell him you want a full tank. Behind him, a couple of other gremlins approach the car with mechanic tools, and they snicker to each other.
In the next moment, several ambush the car and work at lightning speed to dismantle the wheels. You hear the trunk open, another pair of gremlins find the crate of drugs for your last stop.
[[Stop the guys dismantling the car. Without a car, you can't make your delivery.]]
[[Get the gremlins taking away the crate.]]
[[Drive away.]]No gasoline in the trunk.
[[Drive along and keep an eye out for a gas station. You could use a sandwich after that fight.]]
[[The Warehouse isn't much further. Keep going.]]You drive along, everything is going well, but the needle on the gas gauge dips dangerously low. The car sputters and coughs before it slows down to a stop.
You check the back for any signs of a gas tank and there's nothing but the crates. With your lantern, you check for signs of life but you're alone on the road.
To the north, behind you, the gas station's lights still flicker. It is too far to drive back since you are in the middle of your destination. To the south, in front of you, is the final stop on the map.
[[Walk back to the gas station.]]
[[Just walk the rest of the way to the warehouse.]]You get out of the car and spray venom at the first gremlin taking a monkey wrench to your wheels. He screams and shrivels in on himself as you turn and get the next guy.
Meanwhile the two gremlins in the back manage to get the crate out of the trunk and stow away.
You run after them, but the remaining gremlins have the other two wheels off your ride and are on you in a flash.
They maul you to death. Mission failed.
[[Restart game--->The Deliverables]] This passage is unfinished. You floor the gas and leave the gremlins in a cloud of desert dust.
Ten minutes down the road, your truck runs out of gas and lulls to a full stop on the side of the road.
[[Check the back for gasoline.]]You get out and go to the trunk to find that there is no gasoline. In the distance you see a dim light. According to the map given to you, that light should be the warehouse. It's a dark night and all you have is a flashlight, but you head out on foot the last leg of the journey.
Halfway between the car and the light, which is a tad brighter now, you hear a werewolf howl in the distance. Soon, at the edge of your flashlight's beam, you see trace details of werewolf paws, tails, and teeth. You hear snarling and chopping lips.
[[Use your venom.]]
[[Use your Colt revolver.]]
There's too many werewolves and only one of you. They completely demolish you.
[[Return to beginning-->The Deliverables]]You manage to fire a shot and scare the lot of them away as you run like the Dickens towards the warehouse light. The werewolves drop off a quarter of the way left and you arrive, panting and exhausted, at the rear warehouse loading dock.
Like a champ, you hand over the goods to your connection and receive your comepensation.
Mission complete! You begin the long walk to the warehouse in the distance, leaving behind your car and pulling the crates behind you in the sand. The wind whistles in your ears and it is very cold. A sound in the distance startles you. The unmistakable howling rides the wind to your ears. Another howl responds too close for comfort and you stop.
The revolver you packed earlier is loaded but none of the bullets are silver. A quick shot could stall one werewolf, but not for long before she or he regenerates flesh enough to fight back.
Snorts and heavy, padded foot falls get closer. By the sound of it, there is more than one headed your way. In the next few seconds, two long paws appear in the lamp light. You don't dare lift it to see the rest.
Werewolves rarely venture out to the southwest side of the volcano. If these two were hungry, they would have already attacked you.
[[Ask them what they want.]]
[[Run away.]]
You say.
"I hear that the vampires have mistreated you for many years. Is this true?"
The snarling and snapping of jaws slows down. One of the werewolves comes out into the pool of the lantern light. Despite the creature's long, lupine jaws and razor sharp teeth, it begins to speak in broken English with a thick Slavic accent.
"Yes that is true."
Another werewolf speaks from the shadows.
"What does it matter to you?"
"I work for the mob boss rivaling the vampire gang. If you let me go, that's several pounds of product that the vampires won't be able to sell."
There is a long silence as the werewolves consider your words.
"Give us a sampling of your product to show us that you're willing to stay true to your word."
[[Do as they say.]]
[[Fight them on it. You can't risk losing your job.]]
You hesitate, but the night is growing old and you're running out of options. You sigh.
"OK, I'll let you have one sample."
You bend down to unlatch the crate and take out one sample randomly from the assortment. It could mean a dock in pay but the werewolves look much more menacing than you.
You toss them a baggie. One of them catches it and retreats into the shadows.
"Here you go."
The werewolves slink away in silence. For a moment, you wait until you can no longer hear the padding of their long paws on the sand.
[[continue towards the warehouse]]"I'm not going to give up a pack. My product is too valuable." You tell them. They whisper to themselves in a Slavic language that you don't recognize. Most anthropomorphic creatures speak English but the werewolves in Hellhole were a tribe to themselves.
"We can't let you trespass into our territory without offering something else in return."
"I have enough money that's worth one of the packets. Take that. I can't risk losing the products."
There is more whispering. Finally, another one of them speaks.
"You seem honorable enough. Give us the toll and we will leave you alone."
You give them the money's worth for the product. One by one they slink away back into the dark as one of them counts the money and walks away.
You wait until the last one has left and a few more minutes to make sure they're really gone and move on with your mission.
[[proceed to the warehouse]]
There is no answer at first.
[[Negotiate with the werewolves.]]The moment you begin to run, one of them chases after you. Another stays behind to go through the crate and take the drugs. The first werewolf pummels you to the ground and demolishes you.
Your mission failed.
[[back to the beginning -->The Deliverables]]As a lizard anthropomorphic creature, you are able to spit a toxic venom that burns any skin with the severity of Hydrochloric Acid. The victim's skin will effervesce down to the bone if left untouched for several seconds.
You are also able to inject venom into your victim by biting them with your front fangs. Venom is very limited and demands that you get in close range, so chose this wisely.
Your claws can cut through most other anthro flesh as well as all demon and vampire flesh, however you must be in close range to utilize this ability.
Your scales will protect you from claw scratches but not bullets or blades. Your neck, however, is vulnerable.
Your weapon is a Colt 1912 revolver. You arrive at the final destination. The warehouse is abandoned except for a light at the door. You knock.
An anthropomorphic lion with ram horns opens the door. He speaks in a low, grumbling baritone.
"Speak the password."
You tell him the password and he opens the door so you can enter with the crates. Inside, there are more of the black demons from the MaCallister mob. You walk up to one and greet him with the slip of paper that your Cappo gave you earlier that evening.
He reads it and inspects the contents of the package before looking back up at you and says:
"You're short."
"I ran into some trouble with some werewolves. It was a pack or my life."
"Alright, I'm not gonna fire you on account of what you sacrificed. But, you gotta go and do another run for us tonight if you want to make up for that lost item."
You have partially completed your mission. You may try again.
[[Try again -->The Deliverables]]You arrive at the final destination. The warehouse is abandoned except for a light at the door. You knock.
An anthropomorphic lion with ram horns opens the door. He speaks in a low, grumbling baritone.
"Speak the password."
You tell him the password and he opens the door so you can enter with the crates. Inside, there are more of the black demons from the MaCallister mob. You walk up to one and greet him with the slip of paper that your Cappo gave you earlier that evening.
He reads it and inspects the contents of the package before looking back up at you and says:
"Looks like everything is accounted for! Come back tomorrow night for your next assignment."
He gives you your compensation and you head out the door to walk home.
Your mission has been successfully completed![[Drive along and keep an eye out for a gas station. You could use a sandwich after that fight.]]"It was an accident. I've never used a gun before."
The black demon nods and pockets half of your pay before handing it to you.
"I'm taking half if you want me quiet about your little accident. Just don't do that shit again, bud."
You turn away and walk back towards the car.
You've passed the first test. Move on to the next level.
[[Drive to the second stop.]]You grab the money and make a run for it to the car and get in, peeling out and drive away.
[[Drive to the second stop.]]