Visit Dr. Carlos Calderon

From Create Your Own Story

You decide to visit Dr. Calderon at the museum. Though the exhibits look fascinating, you know you are pressed for time. You head straight for the curator's office, but just outside his door, his secretary, a short, muscular woman, stops you, grabbing your arm. "And just where do you think you're going, Senora?" she demands.

"Senorita," you correct her. "And I need to see Dr. Calderon. It's extremely important."

The secretary crosses her muscular brown arms in front of her. "No one sees Dr. Calderon without an appointment. And he's booked fully for the next two weeks."

"Tell him I have information about the missing tourists," you say in a low voice.

The secretary looks startled. Before she can say anything, however, Dr. Calderon suddenly appears. "It's okay, Patricia. I heard. Let her in."

"Yes, Doctor." Patricia motions for you to enter the curator's office. He closes the door behind you. Dr. Calderon is a tall, middle-aged man with a black beard, and he looks curiously at you.

"Now, Mrs..." he begins.

"Miss," you correct him. "Miss Katarina Hart, or Senorita Katarina Hart, whichever you prefer. Anyway, I think I know what happened to those missing tourists." You quickly tell your story (leaving out the part about agreeing to become the demon's servant), expecting Calderon to react with disbelief to the existence of demons. But instead, his face remains expressionless.

"It is something I have suspected...and feared...for a long time," he finally says quietly. He tells you the same story Eduardo did about the ancient Inca demon, but with more details. "No one was ever able to stop it. It was a miracle that the priests of old were able to trap the monster and entomb it...until now."

"Does the demon have any weaknesses? Anything at all?" you ask.

"I cannot say for sure. But it grows stronger by taking souls and making people fearful and obedient to it. So logically, acts of defiance and resistance in its presence should weaken it. Perhaps if a thousand people faced it down and all refused to show fear, the demon would be weakened enough that human weapons could kill it. But realistically, that will never happen. Even finding one human not afraid of the demon would be close to impossible."

"Well, thank you for your help, Dr. Calderon," you say, trying hard and failing to hide the disappointment in your voice.

"De nada, Senorita Katarina."

After leaving the curator's office, you decide to look over the exhibits in the museum. Among all of them, one in particular catches your eye. It is a small silver pendant, carved in the shape of a female figure. According to the display, it is called a Pendant of the Moon Goddess, and according to ancient Inca legend it had the power to protect people from demonic magic. Only a few were ever made, and this one is supposedly the only one still in existence. Only the highest ranking and most important priests were permitted to wear them.

Wondering why Dr. Calderon didn't tell you about this artifact, you go back to his office. Calderon, a guilty look on his face, undoes the top button on his shirt, revealing an identical silver pendant around his neck. "This is the real Pendant of the Moon Goddess. The one in the exhibit is a replica from our gift shop. When those tourists started disappearing, I became worried that the demon was on the loose, and wanted something to protect myself."

You tell him about your desire to confront the demon and ask to borrow the pendant. He shakes his head. "I cannot give this up. Besides, the pendant, assuming it even works, only protects the wearer from magic. It does not protect one from a demon's claws or muscles. Demons do not need magic to kill."

Status
Health {{{Health}}} Equipment:

Backpack, pistol

MP {{{MP}}}
Level {{{Level}}}
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