Choosing the obvious course, Shalluk pulled the cord.
Zelani nodded as Shalluk pulled the cord, relieved that it seemed normal for there not to be someone here near the door.
Glancing over to the paladin - and the readied weapon, she nodded "It is possible, it does seem a lot has gotten mixed up in this, hopefully they're just busy...be careful not to scare the not-evil ones with that..." the assimar said with a gentle smile.
The paladin agreed and stepped behind. He kept the weapon drawn, but adopted a background position to avoid startling anyone. His trained eyes kept flying around the room, and he was curious about the results of the cord pulling.
"Apologies, sir, but it cannot." Shalluk bowed his head respectfully. "The Sherrif of Sandpoint has engaged our services in the investigation of several crimes. We believe one of the gentleman admitted to your care is potentially the only physical witness. We understand his need for care, but unfortunately, lives may hinge on a delay. We must insist on speaking with him."
Zelani nodded to the busy man as he arrived, her smile warming slightly as she listened to the other Varisian person. Glancing around as she considered what he and Shalluk said. "I am Zelani, sir. We will be as quick as we can...but...unfortunately this really shouldn't wait." the aasimar added, quiet but firm.
Andulian keeps his silence, at the moment, and sheathes the weapon again slowly. He approaches Shalluk, from behind, and touches his shoulder while looking at the Varisian man and shaking his head in agreement to support the fetchling's words.
Zelani nodded, "Yes, the gentleman brought in by the Sheriff, unfortunately we really need to do this now, hopefully before any more can happen. Thank you for your time, sir." she said as began to turn and head to the southern door motioned to by the man, glancing to the other two as she did so.
Shalluk raised an eyeborw beneath his hood. He wasn't used to being touched. But it seemed to work.
"That matches the description we received, yes. I understand he was a bodyguard, so it does seem the orderlies may needed, but we have some access to divine healing. Would any of those spells be likely to assist him?" The more coherent he was, the better.
Very well, my friend. - says Andulian, giving the best of his smiles as he agrees to wait on the workroom - We're here to help.
The paladin now tries to pass a feeling of tranquility towards the man. Invariably, his instincts to analyze him kick.
Shalluk tilted his head. No point in asking if his eyes had been like that before since there was no record of him. Or rather, no clear identity. The eyes would have made his job difficult and marked him out enough that he would have like as not been identified, although he heard some of the God-Touched had such eyes too.
"Sir," the Tiefling said in as soothing a voice as he could manage, "We are here to help, to prevent whatever harmed you doing so again. To do that we need to hear your tale. Can you speak of what happened?" And can he do it so we understand his babble? the cynical part of his mind added.
Still, one name was already useful...Skinsaw Man.
And perhaps they could help, a little
Zelani watched as Habe left before taking the seat. She looked around for a few moments until the man arrived.
Zelani didn't add anything to what Shalluk said yet, the poor man's mind seemed busy enough as it is without too many voices or questions at once. She waited to see if the man could respond and, with his words as they were, tried to get a feel for lines between them.
Andulian greeted the man with a smile, despite the incoherent babbling of his words. The paladin, too, seemed particularly interested on the words about a Skinsaw Man, but the whole thing about razors and teeth sounded as if he was describing something not exactly human.
As the other tiefling asks his questions, Andulian concentrates on the men and the others around. Irori doesn't throw his guiding light with no reason, he thought, considering that meditation could help clear the most troubled of minds if he was capable of it.
Despite that, he just approached Shalluk and shook his head, agreeing and trying to pass a sense of friendship. He kept his weapons sheathed and out of view.
Shalluk's eyes widened beneath his hood as realized what was happening to the man. Worse, he began to understand what did it. "Back!" he called as the man staggered, rising to his feet. "He has Ghoul Fever." Drawing the crossbow, in case the man had turned into such a creature, he looked at Zelani and Andulian. "My spells cannot cure this, I cannot heal a disease such as this. Can either of you?"
A Ghoul...an undead creature. They have claws, yes, and those that suffer there touch are infected with Ghoul Fever. Carrion eaters...that explain the scent from the footprints, and the undeath. Shalluk shook his head, trying to focus on the present.
...Misgivings? The way he said it sounded like a place...
Stay behind me, all of you. - said the paladin, taking the front - Diseases can't affect a Herald of Perfection.
Andulian didn't know much at all about ghouls, but bravely put himself at its line in case the dead man was raised as one of them.
I fear the mercies granted to me by the Master of Masters aren't so advanced yet either, my friend. - he finally completed towards Shalluk. The paladin had his hand by the hilt of his sword, but was more worried, at the moment, to pray for this man's soul.
Zelani shuffled a few steps back, wide eyed in fear as the man directed their attention to her. The words chilled the aasimar and she stood frozen until the others' talking snapped her out of it.
"I...I..can...will try..." she said in a small, shaken but determined voice. Her tattoos lit up as her voice rang out in soothing tone. No matter anything else, this is what she should do, so she moved past the gentlemen and reached out a hand...
Shalluk grunted, and stared at the creature. His eyes had changed, and he could no longer sense the living - but the dear were plane to him when he concentrated, and the undead more so.
Zelani tried to jump back from the sudden attacks, resisting the urge to respond in violent kind to the man.
"Sh..Should I try to put him behind a barrier or...?" she asked the other two, obviously less sure of herself though her voice tinged with fear concern, and rising anger as she stood in a defensive stance, hands raised to protect herself as she considered what to cast...
"His soul has passed on to the Boneyard, what remains is undead." Too slow, too slow by half to identify the problem...
Shalluk moved to the side, preparing to line up a shot.
Andulian shakes his head, disappointed, but the paladin doesn't waste much time - he tries to side step into a flank position, if possible. His weapon cracks with arcane energies and he attacks the undead to put him out of his misery.
Irori shall receive you and guide your soul to perfection.
Andulian's attack goes out imprecise, heavily tampered by the paladin's sadness about the man's destiny.
Shalluk bowed his head for a moment...and then fired at the creature with a bolt. Then a second. Shalluk had been practising. The Crossbow's mecanism whirled perfectly, loading and firing the second shot with speed. As for accuracy...
A flurry of mixed emotions crossed Zelani's face as she tried to steady her raised hand. Her tattoos lit again for a moment as a sad tune pushed past her lips and a blast from her hand.
Andulian's weapon stays shining on arcane power as he tries to hit once again.
Shalluk knelt next to the body, arranging it as best he could, and careful not to touch it more than needed. "How did the doctor miss he was in such a state?" the Crossbowman wondered out loud. He looked at the others. "Misgivings seems like it shall be our only lead, but I would like to chat with the doctor, both to see how he missed this and to see if his posessions will shed any further light."
As the man dropped to the floor, Zelani's dropped tiredly to her side. She shrugged slightly, unsure and eyes far away, in response to Shalluk's first question before looking towards the north. "I...I think the staff took him that way." the aasimar said softly, with a nod to the north door. Clearing her throat, she looked back towards the other two, "We will need to tell them what happened..."
The paladin sheathes his weapon and looks grim towards the now fully dead man. Andulian didn't know much about the onset of such diseases, but cursed the fact they were so late for the victim. He kneels near the man, adjusting his arms and closing the eyes, trying to give him the bare minimal respect.
We did the work of the gods. - he finally says - Irori shines upon us, and Pharasma shall now bless his soul. We freed the world from evil.
Eyes close, then reopen, as he stands up again.
Agreed. We need to communicate the staff of the happenings, and we should seek his primary care. I don't think they missed his disease was that advanced... To be sincere, maybe that's why the shackled him to such point.
"One assumes that he caught it from the creature that attacked him," Shalluk agreed. "Perhaps we should check both any items or clothing on his person and any other guests of the facility he has come in contact with, to check if he mentioned more or if they are infected."
Zelani listened, watching the poor shaken doctor as she tried pushing her out racing thoughts and mixed feelings that made her want to race out of here aside. "It would be good to... check quickly to ensure everyone's safety." she said in agreement with Shalluk.
Andulian limited himself to agree with Shalluk and Zelani, at that point. He became thoughtful with the words from the doctor, but struggled to control his own rage - it would be pointless to keep making the man nervous or uncomfortable. Trying to not sound threatening, the paladin/bard finally spoke.
May we see his belongings? Who else got in contact with him while he was here? - asked, thinking about the nurses and doctors as well as patients.
"I would hope so," Shalluk murmured softly. In a stronger voice he added, "But if we could see any items in his possession when he was admitted to your care...?"
Zelani nodded in agreement with Shalluk, "A quick check, just to be safe, before we get out of your way, if he came with anything..." she said with a soft smile.
Shalluk nodded and glanced over at Zelani. He couldn't think of any further business here...although he intended to suggest the Sherrif look into the quality of care this place provided with a proper healer in tow. He didn't think it likely that Ghoul Fever would fail to go noticed by anything less than gross negligence.
Zelani looked to Shalluk with a small shrug and a glance to the door. She looked forward to getting far from there after what had happened. She had little more to say the staff here beyond the usual pleasantries to thank them for their help and to take care.
The newcomer walks over. She's wearing a shining silver breastplate, and has a massive sword strapped to her back. She has light blue hair, the color of the sky, and eyes a dark purple color, like the sky just after sunset, "Hello," the newcomer's voice is quite musical, and she's wearing a beaming smile that fades as she looks at the figure on the floor, "My name is Rixa. I heard through a friend of mine that there would be a horrible tragedy tonight... I had hoped I could make it here before then, but it looks like I'm too late. Any idea what happened to him?"
The blue-haired girl kneels over, and studies the body to try and determine what happened.
"I, uh...greetings?" Shalluk watched Adulian stride off, and down at the stranger. He tried to fill her in. "The Gentleman was the sole survivor of an attack by a murderer plaguing Sandpoint. Unfortunately, he was infected by Ghoul Fever. The gentleman here are to take care of the body." The former Tiefling looked at them, truly hoping they would do as they were meant to.
"Thankfully, before the Fever took him, he gave us a clue. He said to go to his Misgivings. We think it may be a place. I will fill you in on the rest as we return to town." Glancing over at Zelani, he added, "I am Shalluk."
Zelani shared the glance with Shalluk with a small unsure smile, clearly too distracted and confused to give much of a response to Andulian as he left and undecided of how to process what was going on.
After a few moments, Zelani nodded and added, "I'm Zelani, the Sheriff will likely want to hear of this soon, so telling the rest as we travel back sounds like a good plan..." shifting towards the door, voice tired and anxious.