" De seal's really down d'here... Dat's why it was so strong.. So clear.." She murmurs, her eyes drifting off and one can almost see her face change as she relived a moment of time. " He can't be dhere..." After a moment, she looked to the Doctor and her eyes were starting to get a touch puffy as if she was going to cry. She was there, he told her, he showed her where it was and she didn't even see it. All she did was focus on her beloved Kahn.

" It won't be that easy... It's an old trickster, a god, ya can't expect you'll merely betray it. What are you thinking, What.. What could you.." She was at a loss for a moment before firming up. " You need to stop this now. There is nothing from it you need. Everyone looks to you as some savior to their ghostly little town,  you can't allow this to go on. You were there when the bird spoke from that tin can automan, if you think it can save us there's a good damn chance your wrong. We need to speak to the indians and be prepared for this."

John blinked, almost as though he didn't quite understand what Master Zhang was saying. "You... you're Dying?" he said shocked, he knew he had been drugged but had held out hope that he'd yet live. A thought snapped into his head as he slipped into Chinese "Gangatsu is here, she told me to tell you, I didn't know you knew her but she should be here as well shouldn't she?" he said as his mind raced, there were so many questions, so many things he still needed to learn from his Master he knew time was precious and he had to make the most of it in some fashion.

In reply to Gangatsu (msg #16):

Ward lets out a short, sharp laugh. "You are referring to the same Indians who, just last night, attempted to murder us, yes? They are not our allies. they are a problem that needs to be dealt with."

He shakes his head. "It's because this town is dying that I must continue with my plans. I've used its power to help keep my herd safe from the many diseases that are ravaging cattle herds throughout Texas. If I stop before the herd is ready to be driven to the railheads, there is a chance that the diseases we've been keeping at bay will return and decimate the stock. That would be the death knell for Blackthorn...that herd is the only thing that brings income into this area. Once I have the profits from selling the stock, I can use them to reopen the mine, which would revive the town's economy and allow it to be self-sufficient again."

"You have to understand that the true wealth of Blackthorn lies in that mine. There's still silver there, and we've discovered Ghost Rock as well. And yes, the Serpent is down there as well. If I am to reopen the mine, the Serpent will have to be dealt with. By drawing on its power, I can weaken it to the point where destroying it is a real possibility. Sealing it back up and just trying to ignore the mine will not solve the town's problems."

In reply to Carl (msg #10):

Gus frowns, and his frown gets deeper and deeper as he thinks on Carl's insinuation.

"Hell. Never thought of it like that." he admits. "Fine. What should we do about it, then, assuming it can listen in?"

"Seems to me," Dave says, uncurling from his position, "That you oughta be taken out of the picture entirely."

The rattle sound kicks up again. "Excuse me?"

"Oh, you heard me, Gus." Dave growls. "You're the one who always crowed about making a deal with some kinda demon. Well, now we gotta deal with that demon, and it seems to me it's got you and your freak brother on its side already. I say it's time you got what's comin' to you for goin' against Jesus in the first place."

There's some dark muttering among the Dust Adders. Some of them seem to be agreeing with Dave...

In reply to John Smith (msg #17):

"Of course I am." Zhang replies. "I was beaten, drugged, and buried. There is no rescue coming for me. My mind has slipped into madness to spare me the horrors of my slow death." He smiles. "Yes...Gangatsu. I would like to see her again. It is only proper that she be here in this delirium as well. I wonder who else will appear to me."

Carl touches the side of his hand to his lip and gestures down. "..." Then he's interrupted by Dave. Carl's skin prickles, over the back of his neck and down, a kind of hollow fear. Who knew how many dead if the Snake worked out they were on to it?

The most observant might notice a certain stillness gathered in Carl at that moment, before he snorts and indicates a priest's collar, nodding back towards the town and fractionally upward.
"..." Carl taps his chest, stepping towards Dave a bit and letting his hand hang in the air a moment before raising it some and biting at the knuckle, flicking out his fingers in a gesture of bigger things. There's no warning.

It's as hard to catch the moment the decision was made as the instant freezing water becomes ice. The next step carries Carl inside Dave's guard and is accompanied by a sharp blow under the arc of the ribs.

[[fightin' 12, red chippit.]]

[[ouchfulness: 5 + 8 + 4 = 17. Init. KC.]]
This message was last edited by the player at 16:21, Sat 18 June 2011.

John blinked, a glimmer of hope, his master was delirious, perhaps he wasn't dying. He looked to see if Abraham was still around if he was "Would it be terribly inconvenient for you to tell Gangatsu that Zhang would like to see her as well?" he asked. If it seemed too much trouble for the wounded man he'd go himself. He hoped he was right, that his master was fine and did not realize he had indeed been rescued and thus thought this all an illusion inspired by madness and poison.

" Ya honestly believe dat's it?" She spoke at last, with a furrow of her brow. " Ya t'ink o' foolin a demon wid ease?.." She looked off for a moment and gave a glance to the door that John had left through.

" Look. We were on de indians land, so dey chased us. Just like your Adder gang playin harsh on the town like dey entitled ta it, I'm sure da Indians got their wily lads too. Only bad dat ol Master Xhang got roughed up, but it's simple as dat. But.. 'll be working on a backup incase your idea ain't fruitful..." Picking up her coolie and her katana. " That is, if ya dun't mind me, John and a few associates, walking through yer lands for a while longer. Won't bother ya none, just the easiest way through.."

Shifting he shoulder a little, glancing off to to the door again. " And then.. I may have ta pardon myself ta talk to Xhang.. If ya don't mind.."

In reply to Carl (msg #21):

((OOC: Round 1, FIGHT!

Dave doesn't seem to react to the blow, aside from a grunt. He turns towards Carl, murder in his eyes, and takes a step forward...

...only to fall flat on his face, gasping for breath. He hits with the floorboards with a dull *THUD*.

((OOC: Carl Allens WINS! Flawless Victory!))
This message was last edited by the player at 06:16, Mon 04 July 2011.

"Not with ease." Ward sighs. "But beleive me when I say that I've made a more thorough study of the creature than you have. I have some measure of its foibles and weaknesses discerned. If you feel you must set up a 'backup plan,' then I won't attempt to stop you, but mind that you don't inadvertently make the situation worse."

---

The servant nods, turns, and heads out the door...only to find Gangatsu on her way up.

"Well. Excellent. My old bones could get used to having all this stuff done for me." he says with a wry smile. "Your friend is asking for you. Seems to be a bit addled from his ordeal, though...keeps thinkin' he's about to die and all of this is some kind of illusion. Go on in. Try to convince him he's as safe as can be. Mister Ward won't let anything happen to those under his protection if he can possibly prevent it."

Carl steps back, looks for a moment at Gus with a flat grey gaze of warning and moves forward again. One boot pins Dave's left hand where it lies, the other acts as a pivot for the knee pressed into the downed man's back. Carl reaches behind him and draws his knife.

There follow a few moments of exceptional violence.


This message was last edited by the GM at 20:58, Mon 04 July 2011.

On her way down stairs, she looks to Abraham for a moment and then to the door with a slight cant of her head. The news that her master thought he was dying was a bit... Well, a hard emotion to place. The click clack of wooden sandals  against the plank floors, her hand grabed the knob and let herself in. John was there, by Master Zhang's side and the old man looked at her as she closed the door.

" I was told your feeling deathly ill, Master Zhang. You serious think your going to die in a comfy bed in some mad man's house? " Proper and formal in her chinese, but still all the more harsh with suspicion. " Cut the crap, you only need rest. Now what do you want? Found out anything about snakes and spirits or the ghost rock?"

Carl straightens up and cleans his knife against his sleeve. The room is quiet, save for the sounds of eager gurgitation from one of the dogs, over in the corner. Carl shifts in front of Dave, bends and yanks the man's head up to meet his stare, gesturing to his chest, then to Dave with the blade. "..."

Carl jerks his head at Tex, then lets Dave go and gestures that Gus should lend the man a kerchief/help him out, miming a sweep of a scythe to the others. Anyone asks why Dave Baines has one less finger than he ought to have: "agricultural accident."

The bunkhouse’s attention safely refocused on what’s important, Carl addresses their current problems: they’ll take the cattle to the railhead as usual, get surety for them and then have one of the coloured boys insist they’re witched, everyone refusing to move them on until they’ve been exorcised - that much Christian blessing’s sure to drive out the Snake’s power. Arrangements can be made with the priest here to be sure the Snake doesn’t turn on the populace when it finds it’s been tricked.
“...”
The Ranger had set a notice to bring the army down and kill Blackthorn if she vanished, and she was going to bring the injun to the ranch, which made things simple: if she was up to duelling Carl would kill her, scalp her - don’t look at him like that, she’ll have eaten Blackthorn meat by now, he’ll have to mess with the corpse anyway or she might turn walker - and they could have the redskin “escape” to his kin on the hills, scalp in his saddlebag. They’d set the army on the Comanche - Ranger had said the pass-word in front of him, they could telegraph - they’d wipe out the injuns, find the scalp and be satisfied: problems solved.
“...”
The bounty hunter could be set to fetch the assassins, the shaved girl kept out of his sight at the ranch if need be, then Carl’d lure him out and they’d take him for trespass, nab his gains. They’d go be real polite to the Mayor’s wife and kids when the Mayor was away, leave him some coyote ears and a nice request not to call in hunters over their heads: said wife would be chattering on about how nice they all were and the Mayor would be real glad they weren’t offended. Grateful, even. He’d rein in whichever Mason paid the assassins and give them leeway so they stayed nice. Now Evans had lit out and Bill had a badge the law wouldn’t give them hassle. Everything’d work out.
“...”


[[summarise summarise summarise...he'll hear any questions/objections out, then try and fix the fact he's phenomenally dehydrated and head off to fetch folk in town. You can adjust timing for all that as you need to.]]
This message was last edited by the player at 08:53, Sat 03 Sept 2011.

Between the pair of John's comforting and Gangatsu's bluntness, Zhang seems to recover a bit. He begins to speak his tale.

"Know that I did not wish to leave you without guidance, my student." he says to John. "I was making inquiries into your past, the better to help you regain some of what you had lost, if you wished to pursue it. When I went into town that day, however, I found that part of that past had caught up with you already. An individual named Tao Jing contacted me, claiming he had news of you. When I went to speak with him, the coward ambushed me, and attempted to inflict indignities on me in order to learn your whereabouts. I gathered that this man bore quite a grudge against the person you used to be. However, I gave him a small lesson in the folly of disresepecting one's elders." A small smile, before he returns to his story.

"After he was properly chastised, I decided that it would be efficacious to lead him astray. I could not chance a message to you directly, as it had been my own questions that had brought this foul man near in the first place. I decided it would be best to leave at once, and then send a message to you when I could be sure no one who knew of your past and also bore you grudges would chance upon it. This would also allow me an opportunity to pursue another matter I had some interest in...the Ghost Rock."

"I regret not telling you this sooner, my student, but my interest in the Rock That Wails is not wholly financial. While the small amount of mining we have done has provided us with the income to meet our needs, it has also allowed me to examine the stone closely and divine its secrets. There is a fell energy about it. When it is burned, this energy is released, which is what provides it with it's fantastic properties. But it also draws evil spirits toward it, spirits which feed on misery and fear. These spirits cause all manner of misfortunes, from small and petty inconveniences to grievous injury. I have heard these spirits referred to by the natives of this land as "manitou". It is these manitou that caused the dead to rise near Shan Fran, an uprising that killed a dear friend of mine." He looks at Gangatsu as he mentions this, then continues. "When I found myself with a need to travel, I resolved to see how deeply the Ghost Rock was connected to these spirits. The easiest way to do this was to follow the railroads that were stretching their way towards the City of Lost Angels. I made my way to Tombstone, the railhead of the Bayou Vermillion company, which had many fell rumors regarding the undead surrounding it."

"By chance, I encountered a man selling elixirs who had a tale of an uprising similar to the one in Shan Fran. He and his partner had come to a small town in Texas to peddle their wares when the denizens of the local graveyard came to life and assaulted the townsfolk. The undead were dispatched, but the man had no stomach for remaining in the town. He told me his partner, a man named Evans, had elected to stay behind and monitor the situation, and that I should seek him out if I had further questions. I resolved to do this, and I chanced a message to you, to ask you to join me."

He sighs. "However, the message must have been intercepted, for though I waited several days you didn't arrive. Instead, I was accosted by Tao Jing again. He had apparently not learned from our last encounter, for he again attempted to force your location from my lips. I administered yet another lesson to him, in the small hope that he might gain wisdom, but...no. I get ahead of myself. It was after this that I boarded a train to travel to this town."

"When I arrived here, I found that I had been preceded by Tao Jing. I do not know how he managed to arrive in town ahead of me, but apparently he had caused quite a nuisance of himself. It was then that I knew that Jing needed to be dealt with once and for all if we were ever to know peace. I paused only to send two messages--one to you, and one to Miss Gangatsu here, whom I had promised information. Since you are both here, it seems that both missives were received, which pleases me. With that task accomplished, I traveled into the surrounding hills to find Tao Jing and put an end to his dishonorable ways."

"I had heard of a small band of Comanche nearby, and I had hoped to find allies among them, or at least assistance in locating my quarry. But these natives were not in the least bit interested in polite discussion. They regarded me as an enemy, sent by the townsfolk to spy on their preparations, despite my protests to the contrary. I regret that I do not know their language well enough to converse with them in their own tongue...I'm certain my negotiations with them would have been more successful if I had not been using the tongue of their enemies. They attacked me, and held me captive for several days while they discussed my eventual fate. They buried me in the creekbed, to die of exposure and dehydration, and it is only by the grace of heaven that you discovered me in time to save me."

John Smith listened silently, a look of mild surprise on his face as he listened to everything his master had to tell him. He was more surprised at the amount of words flowing from the old mans lips than the content. He had always suspected his past wasn't a particularly pleasant one and now he had a foe and a name "Tao Jing" he said as though testing it. "I'm actually kind of working for Evans believe it or not." he said with a small smile. "It's been... interesting. What would you have me do? I think this Tao Jing won't stop unless he confronts me personally and I'm not inclined to deny him."

"That is good...we should contact him and inform him of the dangers the Comanches pose. I had ample opportunity to observe them during my captivity, and I believe they mean the town ill. Their leader has been contacting a powerful serpent made of smoke and fire, calling it forth from the flames and speaking to it at length. I do not know what words they have exchanged, but the presence of the fire-serpent disturbed my meditations."

Since John had seen Zhang meditating in some of the storms that whip through the maze without interruption, this is news.

As John mentions hunting down Tao Jing for a confrontation, Zhang frowns, then looks intently at John. "A young monk was charged with tending the cookfires of his monastery when he became bothered by a small gadfly. He attempted to wave the gadfly away, but it persisted in buzzing around him. He resolved to chase the fly away, so he searched high and low for a parchment. He found a scroll, then swatted the gadfly, and smiled in triumph. he returned to the cookfire to find that, in his absence, it had spread and now the whole monastery itself was ablaze."

This was something Zhang did frequently...told parables and let John try to puzzle out just what he meant.

In reply to Carl (msg #28):

Carl goes about his business, finding some water to try and kill the throbbing headache his drinking after setting his plans, such as they were, in motion.

He was sipping his cool drink and trying hard not to picture his brains leaking through his ears from the ghostly gunshot when Mike trundled up.

"Boss just got done treating Dave," he says tersely. "Now he's asking to see you in his study. Right now."

Carl scrubs a hand down his face and nods to Mike. At least he'd managed to change his blood- and mudstained shirt and get all the coughing over with in private, muffled in the outhouse. Drinking hurt like swallowing knives, left him dizzy and leaning on the bunkhouse wall, but at least that meant the raw red stuff that had come up all across his palm was probably from his throat rather than his lungs.

Carl takes one deep breath in through his nose and walks into the house, hat and coat left by the waterbutt. His approach and appearance in the study has something of the penitent to it, or the slink of a dog that knows it's done something fit to get whipped for, but he's not afraid or going to start in with excuses.

Explanations, maybe, later. For all the low-tailed look he will still meet Ward's eyes.

Ward's octagonal library was comfortably well-appointed, with three plush, velvet-lined hardwood chairs around an ornately carved table, also octagonal. Shelves bursting with ponderous tomes crowded around Carl as he stepped closer, burdened by the words they contained.

Ward sits with his fingers steepled, his attention focused on a silver bowl filled with water. He nods as Carl enters the room.

"Ah. Mr. Allens. Please, have a seat."

He waits for the man to do so before continuing.

"You are no doubt aware of the unfortunate accident that has befallen David Baines, I assume. Terrible business." he says. "Though terrible as it was, as I was tending to him I noticed several irregularities. Along with these irregularities, Mr. Baines himself intimated none-too-subtly that his misfortune may not have been quite so accidental, and that you may have been involved."

He gives Carl a hard stare, letting his words sink in, before he continues.

"I know that you are not given to long speeches. I, too, will be brief. I know that you and the other men have had several severe and troubling shocks. I am mindful that several close friends of yours have passed on, and that you may not have had time to properly mourn them. I have seen what grief can do if unaired. It festers, turns toxic, becomes consumptive. Sometimes that bile turns inward, corroding the soul and turning fine men bitter and angry. Sometimes it is turned outward, like a rabid dog snapping at anything that moves until it is put out of it's misery."

"I would not like to see the men turning on each other in this, our most vulnerable hour. Effective immediately, I am reliving you of your duties for the next three weeks. Think of this as a short vacation, to rest and reflect, to mourn and to heal. And worry not about financial matters...I will provide you with funds equivalent to the pay you would have received during the weeks you are absent."

John furrows his brow in thought. He may not have been much for book learnin' but he took to these parables surprisingly well if reacting to them in a somewhat... blunt manner. "Well, then I'll keep tending the cook fire but if the gadfly returns I won't hesitate to swat it if I can." he said. He'd do what he had promised and wouldn't go looking for Tao Jing, but if the man returned he wouldn't hesitate to teach him a lesson as his master had.

Carl perches on the edge of a chair and shrugs slightly, not about to tell the boss anything Dave didn't volunteer. He freezes at the reprimand, fingers curling a little where they hang, then drops his gaze. He was ashamed, not eating properly in a couple of days, running on nervous energy and alcohol...that was Pa, not him. Carl rasps a hand across his jaw, almost doubting, for a moment. Keep moving.

He tries and fails to swallow, coughing, and looks at the red streak across his palm. Remembers himself, his old dog and death all curled safe under the woodpile, the boy kitten-weak and burning up, afraid to come inside at Pa's request. What if I die, too? A look at his father's face and he'd never done that again. Hell.

He shows Ward the blood, the burn, and nods gulley-ward, ceasing to brace against the shake in his fingers. Carl waits. Then, meeting Ward's eyes and defying pity, traces the coils of a snake, turning his palm up again. Ward knows he was never consumptive. This has been done to him. "?"

In reply to John Smith (msg #35):

The old man nods. "Very well. Now, you mentioned you had already encountered this man Evans, and I can see by your manner that you have gone through some interesting times. Please, share with me what you have encountered."

In reply to Carl (msg #36):

Ward shakes his head. "I was hoping such matters would be handled in a more gentlemanly fashion, with pugilism or perhaps a duel in the morning hours, not with maiming and brutality. However, I am, indeed, very interested in hearing your reasons..."

He trails off as Carl shows him the marks and the blood. "Let me examine those." He says, then, with or without Carl's permission, draws out his silver pentagram pendant and begins muttering in Latin. He studies the marks, then frowns mightily.

"This...this is unsettling. I need you to tell me exactly how you came about this curse...there may be a chance I remove the aetheric disruptions causing the illness, but I need more information."

Carl raises an eyebrow at the first, not sure he wants to learn how to pugle a man, then touches the lower joint of his left little finger as he closes the hand, watching Ward's face. A man missing that much could still grip, still work. There's a very slight headshake at the request for reasons, a generalising gesture ending in a sweep of thumb across throat and a single tap of the chest. Carl gives a nod townward, frowning, then looks at Ward and gives a flat cutting-off gesture.
"..."

The Dust Adder frowns a frown nowhere near as mighty as Ward's and touches his throat. "..."
Then there's an indication of wide hat, law badge, some back and forth - serpent coils, puppeteering, a crescent...then another nod gully-ways as he mimes shooting himself in the head, on the burn. He indicates his eye, flicking his finger down sharp as a slash of pupil, and points to Ward.
"..."

He leans back a bit, gesturing that the badge is coming here, then tries to swallow. He looks up. "..."

John relates his story to his Master, he's not a terribly skilled story teller but he does show more enthusiasm for it than his normally emotionally passive demeanor would have suggested. He describes his coming to town with a fellow traveler he met on the trail, their fight with one of the walking dead. His meeting with Evans, other encounters with the dead. When describing Alouettes encounter in the cross roads of the street he goes off on a tangent trying to describe the 'tin can angel, angel in a tin can, I don't right know which it's supposed to be'. He describes the attack on the town and how he and Gangatsu got separated trying to make it to Doctor Wards house and his asking for help in locating Zhang. He then relates the rescue and even mentions the encounter with the bounty hunter. Through this, the normally stoic and silent John wears his feelings on his sleeve as he expresses deep concern at the words spoken by the natives during the confrontation, the rising tensions that seem to be getting everyone in an uproar, and while it's clear he doesn't know his fellow deputies well he considers them comrades and is concerned for their safety. When he finishes he realizes that that was the most he has spoken in a long time and even seems a bit embarrassed by it.