The Moloch: a setting sourcebook for KULT
Chapter 13: Into the Citadel
Zarenar soon returns, bleeding from eyes, ears, nose and mouth, and orders the PCs onward. The noise of von Habsburg and a mob following them urges them on even more. The hall ends at a door which Zarenar pushes open - an even larger hall, big enough to store airplanes in, waits on the other side. All pass through, and before von Habsburg and his followers reach the door it crashes closed apparently of its own volition and will not be opened anymore. The pursuers bang against it fruitlessly while the PCs may catch their breath for a moment.
The PCs find that their pursuers cannot open the door. They are in a vast hallway lighted only dimly by incongruous neon tubes. The walls have an organic look, and in vaults to both sides statues of world leaders both bygone and current (even future!) are visible. Near the doorway there is a vehicle which can best be described as a steam engine wagon. There is a passenger cabin; searching the vehicle Kurt finds a weird sword with lenghts of pipe running along both flat sides and an elaborate handle. He quickly finds out that these fire a single shot (nobody is hurt). He spares the other one for a later occasion. He also finds out how to handle the vehicle and it can be started and drones down the hallway with Kurt at the steering gear.
They catch up with Zarenar just as he opens another double-winged door. It leads into a relatively small room compared to the hallway outside, and the only furniture is a stone idol on a throne. There is something else in there however, a pile of human corpses in a state of dry decomposition. And there are two creatures who now attack the group.
They look like skeletal humans but with bones and sinews intertwined under a black and partly translucent armour. They wear weapons much like gnarled, mummified arms with claws. One attacks Zarenar, the other attacks the PCs. Kurt, having lugged the heavy sword along, fights an inspired battle with the creature (who rolls spectacularly badly) and almost wins - Zarenar, who meanwhile took apart the other one, finishes it off. Then he walks off through the only other exit into a vast staircase.
The staircase spirals around a central shaft with a number of paternosters hurtling up and down it. Inside those elevators there are either meek and dirty humans who avert their eyes or creatures like those the PCs fought just now - and these scrutinize the PCs and the angel closely. But while the PCs lag behind, climbing up flight after flight, they reach no platform where the elevators stop - until the very last flight Zarenar climbs up (there are still more) and walks off into a narrow hallway. Peter tries to keep Zarenar in sight while Kurt and Natalie all but carry the moaning Susanne up the stairs.
In the maze of narrow hallways they now enter they encounter lines of slavish workers who squeeze themselves along the walls like streets of ants. The PCs feel the strong urge to join those lines and forget their worries, but only Natalie succumbs - but she is forced back by Peter and Kurt who now have a struggling and an unconscious woman to handle. They reach a wider area where a voice bleats from broken and noisy loudspeakers - they cannot understand a word but there is an authority in that voice which they almost succumb to. They still manage to follow Zarenar who happens to come into view a couple of times until they reach a wide golden staircase which they climb up again. At the top the find Zarenar almost at the end of yet another hall, striding towards a huge and wide open doorway. Nothing can be seen behind those doors, but glaring lights falls into the hall from there, painting Zarenar's silhouette with fingers of light. But before the angel reaches the door it falls shut.
Zarenar hurries up to the door, trying fruitlessly to open it. The PCs, as far as possible, join him, but it's pointless. The door stays closed. Zarenar, in his anger, strikes at Peter and wounds him, but before he can rip him apart (which is clearly what he intends to do) an authoritative voice orders them to stop.
The speaker is one of the same type of creature as von Habsburg, Ernest or Dr. Strohm - but this one is clad in a black leather and rubber costume with baroque brocade applications. It is accompanied by two bulky humans with armour and swords like the one Kurt has discarded on the way. Both Zarenar and the PCs have but one wish: to follow and serve this creature. But it is only interested in the angel who it orders to come along. Then the three of them and the angel walk away and the PCs are left behind.
And with an almost inaudible click the doors behind them open and brilliant light falls into the hall. The PCs turn around and immediately seize their chance to walk through.