[PLOT POST HERE. Read it!]

As quickly as it had begun, the Tyrant's rampage down in the City was over. He was last seen disappearing into the alleys around Religion Row, where any pursuers were thrown off in the maze of temples and shrines. It was probably better they leave him alone in any case... seeing what had happened to those who didn't.

It had been a few hours. The City was once again quiet, dotted by small areas of destruction and trails of blood where the Tyrant had brawled with crew members. The injured had been gathered and shipped to the Outsider's hotel until they could be moved to medical proper. And though the situation was not over, it was safe enough to go down, survey the damage and start cleaning up.

...Maybe.



A few blocks from the hotel, something was quietly growing in the darkness of a rubble pile.

The streets of Religion Row were stained with bloody scorch marks, leading in a gruesome trail through the maze of temples and shrines. The stains seemed to lessen the further the trail was followed, and the last splotch of blood led to the steps of the Vatican.

The door of St. Peter's Cathedral had been knocked open and inside, the cavernous chapel seemed empty. This place still showed signs of the last battle here, the struggle against many of Veronica's relatives and the innocent people they had infected.

Deep within the chapel, he lurked.

His heavy footsteps were obvious, but the echo made it impossible to tell where he was. Heavy breathing, edged by growls, was audible from the somewhere in the darkness.

He heard them approaching, and he waited.