Nightclaw: Rampage

We last read Chapter 9, in which the serpentine superheroine Hailey a.k.a. The Viper—after having gotten her ally Commissioner Marvin's help with the assistance of a special earpiece and camera—travels to the town of Darkveil, Romania using the Paragon James Markovsky a.k.a. Powerhouse's massive airship—specifically, its autopilot function. Her goal is to start investigating the double murder that took place at Darkveil Manor—which she thinks that fellow Paragon Carla Rosenblood a.k.a. Nightclaw may be behind—and confront Carla if it turns out she really did commit it, hoping to bring her back to the light if at all possible.

Enroute to the manor, The Viper gets bored, and eventually launches into an extravagant and hilariously hammy dance routine to the background music of "Shake It Off" by Taylor Swift.....a dance routine that's rather embarrassingly witnessed in its entirety by Commissioner Marvin because The Viper had left her utility belt's camera on the entire time. After initially reflecting on the oversight, Marvin comforts The Viper by saying that he could only technically see it from her hip's point of view, so it wasn't exactly the best sight. The airship, though, eventually lands near Darkveil Manor, and The Viper—still with Marvin acting as her on-and-off "Mission Control"—lowers the exit ramp before double-checking to see whether or not all her gear is on her. Then, she departs.

Her first act is to visit the backyard.....where she sees the gruesome display of Countess Valeria's wide-eyed body crudely strung up on a stake, as well as the eccentric scientist Esther Albescu having collapsed at the foot of Valeria's stake with a very obvious slit wound at his throat. Both The Viper and Commissioner Marvin agree that Carla might likely be responsible for both of their deaths due to the throat slit wound on Esther and the fact that Valeria literally had her throat ripped out of her chest, a feat that would've likely required enhanced strength. The pair momentarily muse on how lamentable it is that they're both able to stomach such a horrible sight, and The Viper also points out how both of their lines of work—police department director and vigilante superheroine, respectively—unfortunately put them in death's path more often than not. The chapter then ended with The Viper noticing an open door to her left leading into the manor properly, and her informing Marvin that she's going in.....before doing just that and internally preparing herself for whatever she encounters inside.

This time, The Viper—with Commissioner Marvin assisting her from back in Mercury Heights, New York—explores a few key rooms of the now-empty Darkveil Manor as part of her ongoing investigation.....

It's.....an interesting observation, I must say.

When I found out that my fellow Paragon Carla Rosenblood—also known as the werewolf Nightclaw—had possibly fallen off the deep end and gruesomely killed both members of her own adoptive family, I half expected the entirety of the manor's insides to be utterly trashed. Obliterated. Destroyed. Manhandled.

Or.....womanhandled, I guess.

But.....that doesn't appear to be the case.

The first notable room I come to after I start slinking into Darkveil Manor itself is the opulent kitchen, which—like the rest of the mansion—is modeled with architecture that looks decidedly Victorian.

And it still looks completely normal, like it was just any other day and two people hadn't been brutally murdered the night before.

Every cabinet, cupboard, and dresser is closed securely. Every dish and piece of silverware is in its proper place. The two pantries are both closed—as are the dishwasher, refrigerator, microwave oven, and regular oven—and the floors are positively pristine.