I don't want to die...

[Shadowstalker]

I'm in town Ben, when I find you and Bert if he want to tag along and we will go check out that locked door in the Hospital. Gothicfox if you are available you are welcome to but that could draw to much attention, fact is the same could be said for Bert but we will see how things shake out.

[Shang Li]

Anyone got a taser and transportation? I have a couple of years experience in fighting against such entities. The hard part is getting them to face someone able to fight them on thier own terms.

Do not worry about my health, I will be as cautious as I can, but I cannot in good concience sit out when a demon is being fought.

If no one can get me there I'll walk, and probably arrive a week or two too late to do any good, but I will come.

And even though I preach peace do not make the mistake of thinking I will not turn to violence when it is necessary.

[Greydawn]

Mr Li if you need transportation give me a location and i can have it there for you. Car to the air port and a plane to Miss.

[Bert_the_Turtle]

Hey! I don't draw attention to myself that much! Only when I'm lugging a full loadout, or just blew something up.

[Shadowstalker]

I know Bert but the thought was that as strangers in the town we all still Draw attention, so maybe it would not be a good idea to focus it all in one place, particulary when we are trying to do something on the sly.

[Bert_the_Turtle]

Yeah. True. I think I'll see if this town has a real estate office.

[Shang Li]

Curageous and polite if nothing else, although it does seem awefully fond of thinly veiled threats. I wonder if it thinks we can be frightened off by the fact that it has taken the image of your idea of death. I do not think it was pleased by the fact that I bid it welcome and offered it tea. (one must be polite to ones guests invited or not)

I will admit I was startled by it's ability to enter my dwelling uninvited, as well as it's ability to weaken the flow of Chi around it.

I do not know what it is, yet but i know one thing it is not. It is not a demon of the sort that come from my homeland, no blot of negative chi as the core of it's existance.

As it made no threatening gestures I allowed the thing to pass on it's warning and leave, unwilling to violate the peace of my abode myself.

I will serve as a distraction for the townspeople when I arrive, as I doubt the locals have ever seen a man dressed in such a manner. A kimono, pair of sandals, and a silk bundle to carry my blades in, i should be ready.
(one of these days Mr. Holister, Mr. Bert, remind me to show you how much can be tucked away in a properly worn kimono)

[Bert_the_Turtle]

Wow, very interesting encounter.

And I'll look forward to it, but I'll have to try and teach you something in return

[BraveSirRobin]

Everyone with faith, carry an iron, wooden, and silver symbol of your faith, and pray for them to protect you.

Any advice for those of us without?

[Bert_the_Turtle]

Uhhh, hurry up and buy one.

[BraveSirRobin]

and how does one buy faith, exactly?

[Bert_the_Turtle]

Ahh, thought you meant not having a religious symbol.

Sometimes, especially against vampires, you only need to have faith in the symbol not in the religion. Actually, I've only heard of that working for crucifixes and crosses, probably because we believe on a cultural level about the ability for the cross to repel the undead.

[Gothicfox]

Ya know, before you nuts decide to start acting like judge, jury, and possible executioner.

Why not try to find out whats going on first. You don't know if these people are trying to hide something because they're bad or because they are afraid.

Attempts to talk to them aren't exactly yielding much, but I sure as hell know if you start leaning on them your going to get a reaction and I don't think its going to be because demons are making them do it.

I'm going out tonight again on the east side, maybe something'll happen again.

[Bert_the_Turtle]

I agree with ya GothicFox. A little pressure never hurt but we can't try steamrolling them; not yet anyhow.

[KonThaak]

Any advice for those of us without?

Don't go to Miss.?

[BraveSirRobin]

Any advice for those of us without?

Don't go to Miss.?

I like this plan.

[KonThaak]

Alright... The thing did have the smell of freshly dug earth. It is most certainly a western demon, and not an eastern one. It is most certainly dangerous. It left my wards intact; it either phased through them, or it used an alternate means to teleport inside. It does not know that I am currently as harmless as a fly in comparison to it, or either A) it would never have visited me, or B) I would not be typing this message, on account of my being dead.

My wards are mostly self-reliant, using ambient energy to keep themselves going, once initially activated. Claw and Cubrious have the oh-so-enviable job of ward maintenance for the time being, and they've both reported no disturbances. They thought I was joking when I mentioned the demon that was here last night. They were kinda taken aback when they realized I wasn't.

I know it wasn't tied to the Demon Fist, because with my wards in place, they couldn't find my house if you stood them in front of my door and pointed at it. I know this because when the DF's have been in charge of an attack on me, they have sent their ghouls to neighbors, or just into my court in general. This guy was in my house before I had more than a premonition that something was wrong.

And finally, my senses are really, REALLY dull right now, and I sensed his coming. That tells me that whatever this guy is, he's BIG.

That being the case, I think he tracked me through Bert. I cast a number of defensive spells on Bert during the oil rig incident, and there's probably more than enough of a trace of my energies on Bert for something this big to track down.

How it found Li-san is beyond me. Maybe it has a computer?

I get the feeling I'm forgetting something important... I just hope it's not pertaining to y'all's defenses.

[KonThaak]

Whoops, I remembered.

Not allies. Enemies.

They stirred up the past, and are trying to bury it again, regardless of who suffers in the process. The sick fact is that the innocent are the ones to suffer first.

Don't ask me to come there right now... I'll burn the entire city to the ground, the mood I'm in now.

Adama, what, exactly, did you find? What did they stir up?

The demon said to me something about the guilty being made to suffer... If we can figure out what kind of vengeance it's after...I dunno. Maybe we can figure something out.

Part of me wants to say "maybe we could help it/them"... I get the sick feeling there's more than one, and that our Billy J, and a number of other cremated bodies, are now among their ranks. Which means they're growing in number, and therefore in power.

Ladies and gentlemen, proceed with all caution. Keep your holy symbols, your iron, silver, wood, and salt close at hand. If they approach, try to talk to them. Try to talk to them as equals; don't be too belligerent, and don't act like you're afraid of them (even if you are).

I know these things are demons...but I know that a positive energy spirit, if turned down the wrong thought path, can be turned negative...and that a negative energy entity can become a demon, in its own right.

If that's what happened here, then maybe we can help bring them back from the darkness they're in.

No matter what course of action...and this does bear repeating...again...proceed with caution.

[KonThaak]

My wife had wanted to say, when she heard about it this morning, that cancer patients do, somewhat frequently, have sudden, unexpected relapses. A lot of times, it seems, these relapses can be somewhat more serious than the cancer was before treatment...

Keep in mind that most forms of cancer come about because living cells fail to get the message that they're supposed to die and make room for newer, healthier cells. They become malformed, and are basically immortal... Chemotherapy and other methods used to combat cancer are basically our attempts to kill those cells before they become any more of a problem than they already are. Sometimes those cells fight back, and cause relapses. Many people who were on the mend have died from relapses...

Nevertheless, the ash-pile on the floor of his room, the strange drop of blood on his sheets, and the abrupt disappearance of his body all seem to point to that this wasn't the case. At least, not this time.

[Shang Li]

As for how it found me, my signature mysticly is shall we say "unique". here is the warning I recieved.

Stay away from the places of the dead; that is my domain. Stay away from the restless dead; for they are my province; stay away from the dead living; for the guilty must suffer. I have stood vigil by your side Shang Li, more than once my blade touched your flesh. It was not your time then. nor is it your time now. We will meet agin, we always do. "

[Bert_the_Turtle]

Sure, way to make me feel guilty KT. We'll have to come up with a way to keep that from happening in the future.

[Shang Li]

I am here now. I will play good monk and go to speak to the people at the hospital. (I am sure that with the recent rash of work they could use some moral support, and some tea ) My questioning shall be subtle, and my concern for them genuine. (I find that the concern helps almost as much as the tea)

[Bert_the_Turtle]

Well Shang Li, I really do feel for the unfortunately people in hospitals, especially in this town with some phantom killer stalking the halls, and I make an open apology if at some point it seemed or seems that I ever felt otherwise. I get wrapped up in the paranormal threats sometimes and its easy to lose sight of the mundane unfortunates that surround us.

[Holister]

What the Hell are you doing here Master Li. Thats besides the point. Do not go to the hospital. Me and Sahdes just came from there, we found Billys body in the basement wrapped in bed sheets. It looks as though he was suffocated, and from it looked like, by more than one person was involved, like possibly four. So for God's sake stay the hell away from that hospital.

Does anyone else have anything to report?

[Bert_the_Turtle]

The huge fire that razed a lot of the town before it was a town coincided with the town's "Heroes" stopping the plague outbreak. Coincidence? I doubt it. Related to current problems? Quite possible.

[Shang Li]

Never intended to imply that. What I mean is that when I go in to talk to people their individual problems will, for a time, be the most important thing in my world.

I am also going to steer clear of questions about what is happening other than asking permission to say a few prayers for the dead. I have a copy of Billy's post and I have come to help him face his fear. Since I am too late for that I will endeavor to help his nurses and doctors through this tragedy. (it is incredible how much people will let slip when they are made to feel safe and comfortable - that will be my goal - starting with the hospital staff)

[Bert_the_Turtle]

Never intended to imply that. What I mean is that when I go in to talk to people their individual problems will, for a time, be the most important thing in my world.

I know, but much like the parables you relate, your comment made me think upon my actions. Its so easy for me to focus on some things that I neglect other equally important acts of kindness and charity.

[KonThaak]

He came back here tonight.

I asked him what he wanted, and why.

He said that "the restless dead" called him for reasons of vengeance, and again stated that the guilty must suffer.

He's trying very hard to get me to think he's not just an image of the Grim Reaper, but that he is the Reaper himself.

He's temptingly close to succeeding.

My dragons were with me this time, and they were overcome by his presence.

I have a great deal to think on... This could be one of a great number of things. Here're the possibilities, as I see them... A) He's a delusional demon who's trying very hard to play the Reaper, to the point that he's damned near convinced a seasoned druid and his dragons... B) He's the culmination of a large number of people that have died by violent means, and he's taken the form of the Reaper in order to exact revenge... C) He's really the Reaper.

Of all of those, a large part of me really wants to go with B... It would explain a great deal. I'm not discounting either of the other two options, but...

...yeah.

If he is the Reaper, then he's the embodiment of a force of nature, brought on by the suffering of a great number of spirits. He's of an honorable nature, though the honor is, of course, twisted by most of our standards. If you see him, my advice is to steer clear, and you should be fine.

Gothic, Adama, have you guys (or anyone else, for that matter) had any luck finding anything else out about those ghost balls? They could be the "restless dead" he's talking about. Try talking to one of them. Tell them you want to help them find peace.

[Greydawn]

I am here now. I will play good monk and go to speak to the people at the hospital. (I am sure that with the recent rash of work they could use some moral support, and some tea ) My questioning shall be subtle, and my concern for them genuine. (I find that the concern helps almost as much as the tea)

I trust you had a pleasant flight Mr.Li and that your nurse was unhurt in your escape from her care.

I will be joining you shortly once I have delt with another pressing matter closer to where I am at. should be tomorrow morning.

[Bert_the_Turtle]

I'm leaning heavily towards option "B" myself, especially since I'm pretty sure part of the town was burnt down in order to "Cleanse" the land of the Plague. And burning that many people alive has got to stir up some shit.