In the morning, take my silver to the jeweler (All told, I have 15 1/2 pounds) I'd like to turn 5 pounds into gems, and 5 pounds into gold. I believe you said it was 2 ounces silver to an ounce of gold. Actually, I'll negotiate how much I want to turn into what when I find out what the jeweler's rates are. Maybe I might turn more into gems and less into gold, I don't know yet. Also, show the jeweler my 5 diamond rings. I would be willing to bet that these diamonds are of far better quality than anything he has here. Might the jeweler be willing to buy/trade any of my diamond rings? I might consider a trade of my high-quality diamonds for several lower quality. We will see what the jeweler says.
Diamond ring, gold setting, $195 original price (B Monster Movie World), fanny pack
Diamond ring, gold setting, $200 original price (B Monster Movie World), fanny pack
Diamond ring, gold setting, $210 original price (B Monster Movie World), fanny pack
Diamond ring, gold setting, $225 original price (B Monster Movie World), fanny pack
Diamond ring, gold setting, $235 original price (B Monster Movie World), fanny pack
I believe your memory is correct on the gold versus silver rate, and the jeweler is willing to buy your gold from you at that rate. However, he does not sell gold--he buys it for use in his craft. If you wish to buy gold jewelry, he will be pleased to show you what he has; it's worth more than its weight in gold, of course, because the craft of crafting it is part of the value.
He will sell you gemstones, cut or uncut. Are you looking for decoratives (marble, quartz), semi-precious (tigereye, bloodstone), or precious (topaz, diamond, emerald)?
Your diamonds are of superb quality, but very small--the sort of thing that someone would buy because he wanted to say he owned a diamond, when he couldn't afford such a thing. He could use them as decorative chips around a larger stone, and melt down the metal for something else. He offers you thirty pounds sterling for each of them.
--M. J. Young
Ask the jeweler if there is anywhere nearby where I could exchange silver for gold at the 2 ounce to 1 ounce rate. A bank or whatever. If so, and ONLY if so, I will sell him one ring for 30 pounds sterling, then take that to the bank and change it out for 15 pounds in gold. Metal, not paper. Again, I will only do that if there is a place to change the silver into gold. Or if the jeweler would give me 15 pounds in gold for them himself. Or perhaps he would be willing to trade me gold jewelery for a ring. It's negotiable. The best value for me would be to get the 30 pounds silver and change it for 15 pounds gold, so that's the first option.
What kind/how many cut, precious stones would he offer me for the other 4 rings? I'm not picky. I'll take rubies, emeralds, whatever he has. As long as they're cut and precious. Make me an offer, and we will go from there.
Gold is not actually used for money in this kingdom (the jeweler has heard of foreign lands where it is), so it doesn't really make sense to speak of "exchanging" silver for gold at a "rate". What you mean, the jeweler tells you, is that you wish to buy gold from a trader. There is a guy in town, who is leaving today, who does sell gold. You can buy a ten pound brick from him for twenty pounds silver, if you have it. He deals mostly with jewelers, but the jeweler says to use his name by way of introduction.
He has a few rubies, emeralds, diamonds, sapphires, and topaz, all clear stones (of varying colors) and all precious. He thinks that each of your rings is probably worth one of those stones in roughly a centimeter in diameter, which he says is a three-carat stone. It does not matter to him which stone type you prefer. Remember, your rings might be worth more to you as rings, but to him they are diamond chips and metal, so the craftsmanship in them will be lost.
That's his offer.
--M. J. Young
Sell the jeweler one of my rings for 30 pounds silver, and two others for one ruby and one emerald. (The diamonds I have are probably an 1/8th carat, they must be of exceptional quality if they are worth a 3 carat stone)
After that, take the 30 pounds silver and find the gold dealer. Buy a 10 pound gold brick for 20 pounds silver. Would the gold dealer consider cutting a gold brick in half, or does he have any smaller blocks, and giving me a 5 pound brick for the other 10 pounds silver? If Pedro questions me, tell him "To you, gold and silver are meaningless, but where I'm going, I'm going to need it." A 10 pound gold brick would be a 10 pound brick of soft metal, which fits into my blacksmithing work. Not right now, but eventually, melt that down and mold it into coins.
These are the rings I'm selling
Diamond ring, gold setting, $195 original price (B Monster Movie World), fanny pack
Diamond ring, gold setting, $200 original price (B Monster Movie World), fanny pack
Diamond ring, gold setting, $210 original price (B Monster Movie World), fanny pack
I'm not marking it on my sheet just yet, until you tell me how the deal goes down.
MJ Two Posts
Now I see how The Architect got all of the gems that he was selling. That ring cost me $200, I'm trading it for a 10 pound gold brick, in a roundabout kind of way. In B Movie Monster World, where I got the ring for $200, the 10 pound gold brick would be worth about $70,000, if my memory serves as to the gold exchange rates in that universe. If I got back to B Movie Monster World, that would be 350 times what the ring was worth. That's not even counting the other 10 pounds of silver. Man, now I really feel like an ass for spazzing out about the eighty thousand imaginary dollars. Live and learn, as they say.
EDIT: Note to self: Magic can cure psionic botches. You found that out with Ruth (In move ways than one, dude) Can father Pedro cure me in the event of a psionic botch?
The gold dealer will not sell part of a brick; he sells his bricks wholesale to jewelers who use them to make gold jewelry, gold leaf, and other gold articles.
This means you have parted with three rings and now have a 3-carat ruby, a 3-carat emerald, ten pounds in silver coins (crowns) and one ten pound gold block.
Pedro shows no interest in your financial transactions.
--M. J. Young
Not that I'm complaining, but as I pointed out, I just traded a $200 ring for 10 pounds in gold and 10 pounds in silver. Is that diamond worth THAT much? I mean how is that possible? Again, not complaining, just curious. Is it pure gold?
I also have 4 one ounce gold pieces. Might the jeweler be interested in a trade of some sort? Perhaps trade the raw gold for some finished jewelery?
Could the jeweler direct me to the nearest blacksmith shop? Like I was saying, that gold brick is just a soft metal, that fits into my blacksmithing skill. If I could find a fellow blacksmith, I would be willing to pay him to let me use his tools for a few hours to melt that gold brick down into smaller pieces. I'd like to make it into 10 one pound blocks, if not smaller.
Your small diamonds are exceptionally clear; his larger stones are not so valuable to him. I suppose the explanation is that the difference between a bit of gold and a gem stone is not so great in this world as in the other.
The jeweler might be interested in a trade of some sort, but it's clear that he expects to make a profit on his jewelry. It would not be in your best financial interest to make the trade.
Finding a blacksmith is not that difficult. It would occur to you, however, that melting and molding the gold will probably result in a bit of loss of the total weight, as also will cutting it by most means. You probably want to wait until either you are going to be using tools of your own or within your control (so you can pick the gold out of them when they cool) or you have better equipment (to which the gold won't cling so readily).
It would also take time, and Pedro is getting a bit impatient.
--M. J. Young
Thank the jeweler, and forget the trade. If I survive this, I'll melt and mold the gold block back in Mr. Smith's shop. Either I'll get back there, or I won't, ya know? I fully intend to go back and see Mr. Smith again.
I've been meaning to ask, what condition are my own clothes in? I have 3 sets of peasant clothes, 4 jumpsuits from Pearl Harbor, and of course, my own clothes. I would have been wearing the Pearl Harbor jumpsuits doing the blacksmithing work, so they're probably filthy and stained. Not a good impression. Peasant clothes make me look like a peasant, (obviously) Is there anywhere I can get the equivalent of a nice suit and tie around here? I want to look like a nobleman. Probably need a bath, a haircut, need to shave, etc. Tell Pedro that we need to look like nobles if we are going to do this. It's my treat, and money is no object. I've got 102 crowns, that should be more than enough. Ask the jeweler where we can go to do this. "Also, how much for a gold chain with a large precious stone pendant?" (The kind Mr. T would wear) Something visually impressive. I want to look the part. I'll offer up those other two rings in trade if he has something like that.
I was thinking tell the royal guard that I heard of the offer of the sleepwalking princesses, and it just took me a while to get here from my kingdom (True, more or less) Perhaps they are still admitting people for that purpose. If Pedro questions me, "Maybe it's an unmolested way into the castle. Once we are inside, the guards won't be a problem for us" (gesturing to the MAK 90.)
Speaking of my 4 gold pieces, and my 10 remaining silver pieces, now that I think about it. It is normal for those to have some kind of design or imprint on them. It could be anything. I'd like them to say something like "America the Beautiful" perhaps with a picture of an eagle or a flag or something. Those are the coins of my kingdom, if asked.
What kind of horse does Pedro have? Is it at least a halfway decent looking animal? Not broken down and swaybacked? The plan that I have in mind, which I would propose to Pedro is we show up at the castle. Me riding his horse, him walking beside pulling my Radio Flier wagon full of weapons. I'm John, from the land of America (at least, that's what I'm hoping the silver and gold pieces say) and my servant Pedro and I would like admittance to the castle, because of the offer of the sleepwalking princesses. Hey, it could work.
I'll buy that. The jumpsuits are still in decent condition, but they haven't been truly clean for quite a while. The peasant outfits are fine.I've been meaning to ask, what condition are my own clothes in? I have 3 sets of peasant clothes, 4 jumpsuits from Pearl Harbor, and of course, my own clothes. I would have been wearing the Pearl Harbor jumpsuits doing the blacksmithing work, so they're probably filthy and stained.
You probably need a bath only because you do particularly dirty work. Even nobles don't bathe more than a few times a year in this sort of world.Is there anywhere I can get the equivalent of a nice suit and tie around here? I want to look like a nobleman. Probably need a bath, a haircut, need to shave, etc.
As to the suit, there's no such thing as "off the rack". You go to a tailor, get measured, choose fabric, go back for several fittings over the course of several weeks, and in the end you have a suit. You can get multiple suits at the same time, but you can't really speed the time.
Pedro does not wish to look like a nobleman; the clergy are given equivalent respect and more trust, so he will stick with that.
Define "large" in connection with precious stones.
The gold coins say "United We Stand" with a picture of the American flag on one side, and on the reverse the words,
- We must all hang together, or surely we will all hang separately.--Benjamin Franklin
The silver coins say "E Pluribus Unum" under a picture of the United States Capitol building, and on the reverse "United States of America" over the image of George Washington.
Pedro has a peasant's horse, more suited for a pack animal than a riding beast, although he rides it.
Your plan might work, although getting the clothes will be problematic.
--M. J. Young
Ya know, that's an even better idea. Does Pedro have an extra set of clergy robes? We both go there dressed as priests. Father Pedro, and his assistant. Are the robes loose-fitting enough to allow me to hide my rifles underneath? No one would know what they were, but I'd rather not have to explain it to them. We both carry several boom stick spears, I imagine priests carried staffs, or at least walking sticks. What does Pedro think? I can go with either idea, which does he think will work?
MJ Two Posts
I'm sure it's going to come into play, so I thought I would mention this. The MAK 90 I can reload in about 15-30 seconds, the 9 mm I can reload in 5-10 seconds. Just changing the magazine. The Marlin 22 would take a good minute to reload. You have to drop the bullets in one at a time. The Marlin would probably be my last-resort weapon. If I'm using that in combat, I'm out of ammo for everything else.
Reload times noted.
Pedro has his good robes and his travel robes. However, he does not feel comfortable lying about your identity by claiming you are a priest. He suggests that you might be his servant or guide, or that he could ordain you as an initiate if he takes a day or two to instruct you in the faith--but that involves your promise to pursue the life of the cleric, and he is not certain you would be able to make that promise and keep it, given who you are. He wonders whether he might introduce you as a prophet or something, but he's not quite sure what you are, so he's not quite sure what would be true.
--M. J. Young
"Pedro, I think you misunderstood me. I never said tell them that I was a priest, I said we both dress as priests when we go to the castle. We tell them that we are 'Father Pedro and his assistant.' You wouldn't be lying at all. You are a priest, and I am assisting you. That's 100% true. We wouldn't be lying, just maybe getting a little creative with the truth, that's all."
Does Pedro know who Jesus Christ is?
"Jesus Christ himself did this in the Bible. When he raised Lazarus from the dead. The people were crying because Lazarus was dead. Jesus said 'He is not dead, he is asleep' From Jesus' point of view, Lazarus was just sleeping and not dead. Jesus didn't lie to them, he just got creative with the truth."
Pedro stops walking for a moment, pondering your suggestion.
"Father Pedro and his assistant?" he asks, turning the words over in his mouth.
He continues walking.
"Yes, we can do that. I will wear my dress robes; you will wear my traveling cloak. We can each carry one of your boom sticks, but we will have to find a place to store the others."
--M. J. Young
"OK Pedro, can we bless the boom sticks to not be destroyed, and therefore reusable? (Like only a GE roll of 29 or 30 would make it happen) Can we do that? Also, I want to show you how to use my 9 mm. It's very simple. You have 15 shots to a clip, and you can drop a man dead from 30 feet away. It will almost certainly penetrate even pressed-plate armor. (I put a 9 mm through a steel ammo can. Military issue, designed to store ammunition. It went in one side and out the other, like the can wasn't there.) I know that the Bible teaches against murder, but is it murder if done in self-defense? Besides, that angel told me that the demons themselves would be vulnerable to my weapons. I also asked God to bless them. I take a kind of liberal view on the Turn the Other Cheek issue. The Bible says "Turn the other cheek." It does NOT say what to do after you get slapped the second time. I'll even disown it to you. If I die first, I will verse. You will be left alone. You'll need it. If I don't disown it, it would leave when I versed. If you get killed first though, I'm taking it back. (I never disowned the rings or the gold and silver that I brought with me. If it verses with me, it verses with me. I guess it's kind of up to God. If He thinks I will need it more than the people here, ya know?) Anyway, think about it."
(OOC)Here's one I bet you never heard. Botches are possible in a flatline world. Can you purposefully botch? Can you pray to purposefully botch? If you can throw psionic shock waves in a flatline world, then that is psionically possible. Could you botch purposefully? A level 30 psionic shockwave would make a formidable suicide weapon.
Pedro does not want your gun. He will fight with the power he has, the power he knows, the power of God, and let you fight with the powers God has given you, the guns and the boomsticks.
He has no idea what you are asking about the boom sticks. Arrows break when they are fired, and so, too, it is with this weapon. He does not understand what you want to do, but it's certainly not something he has ever done or imagined doing. He does understand blessing weapons so they will be more effective, but not so that there will be more of them.
--M. J. Young
Did MJ misunderstand me, or are you just playing Pedro that way? What I meant was bless the boom sticks so that the metal cage doesn't get destroyed by the blast of the shotgun shell. So that it will be certain to be reusable. I don't want to have to carry 19 boom sticks, just one each, and a pocket full of ammunition.
EDIT: After reading Behind the Screens, I realize that you didn't misunderstand me. You said "So there would be more of them" I guess you made an error there. Well, next chance I get, I want to pray over the boom sticks. "God, bless these weapons so that they will automatically repair any and all damage when used in combat." Pray over them for 10 minutes. Explain my intentions to Pedro, and ask him to do the same.
You are praying for ten minutes, using appropriate words to the effect that the spear frames that hold the shotgun shells will not be damaged by the exploding shotgun shells, so that you can insert other shells and reuse the spears. Is that part correct, and is there more to this than that which I should consider in calculating success?
Once you've prayed this (since I don't think you would be able to tell whether or not it worked until you use one), what is your next step?
--M. J. Young
Is that part correct, and is there more to this than that which I should consider in calculating success?
Well, I would be kneeling and hands folded. Full-body involvement.
Once you've prayed this (since I don't think you would be able to tell whether or not it worked until you use one), what is your next step?
My next step would be to ask for confirmation of whether or not it worked. Just ask God to tell me whether or not it worked.
You pray for ten minutes over the first spear you are taking.
You then do the same over the second spear.
You have a skill for communicating with God that you cannot use under this circumstance:
1@1 Communicate with Deity M+7@7 10:00 TF kneeling with hands folded by bed in home base, appropriate words asking questions, 5:00 worth of answers concurrent with second half of prayer, +40SM
Presumably you want to use this as an example to build another skill that will permit you to communicate with God somewhere other than your home base next to your bed, so you can ask this question. Would you care to design this skill?
--M. J. Young
Would you care to design this skill?
Yeah, take out the established home base, which I believe was +10 and that's what I'm doing. Also, if you could have the angel inform my character about that penalty for not asking in faith, so he doesn't do it again, that would be cool.
I'm a bit unclear on something.
The skill I cited above is
1@1 Communicate with Deity M+7@7 10:00 TF kneeling with hands folded by bed in home base, appropriate words asking questions, 5:00 worth of answers concurrent with second half of prayer, +40SMI know you used it, but can't remember exactly what happened. You also have another pair of skills,
1@1 Call Angelic Messenger M+11@7 20:00TF kneeling in established base camp with appropriate words, calls specific angel messenger to answer questions +57SMYour comment about having the angel give you specific information suggests that you actually mean to use one of these skills rather than the one where you ask God directly.
1@1 Call Angelic Messenger M+11@7 5:00TF kneeling with appropriate words, calls specific angel messenger to answer questions; others present see the angel as a faint image and hear a distant echoing voice +27SM
It could be that I'm remembering things poorly.
Are we designing a new skill, or using one of these? Are we specifically expecting the angel to come, or simply asking God to answer the question by some means?
--M. J. Young
Simply asking God to answer the question by whatever means. I just assumed that it would be calling the angel. However God chooses to answer is fine with me.
MJ Two Posts
I have mental familiarity with Mr. Smith and William right? I'd like to try to read their minds. I would have been mind reading several times a day, everyday for about a year and a half. How much familiarity do I have? Is that a new use? I'd kind of like to find out what's going on back home. See if I can send anything back. Even just make them think of me for a moment. That could only be useful. Telepathy is curved out, I know, but that's not exactly what I am trying. If I can send him a mental picture of where I am, maybe I could get messages to him. Send him a mental image of a word. A poster of a word. He probably can't read, can he? Try to make him think of me for a moment, that's first.
You pray for five minutes, and begin to ask your questions. You first ask whether the skill worked, and the answer is yes, your first spear has been strengthened such that it might withstand the explosive blasts of your weapons, but that two such weapons are a great deal to ask, particularly when you are not trusting God to do the work for the one. "Walk by faith, John, not by sight. Blessed are those who believe without having seen."
What else did you wish to ask?
*****
You do manage to read William's mind. He is completely unaware of your presence in his head, and is focused on trying to get a difficult bit of ironwork correct.
--M. J. Young
"Thanks for the advice about trusting God. I'll keep that in mind."
Dismiss the angel.
"Pedro, what is the plan for getting to the castle?"
If Pedro wants to carry a boom stick, I will give him the unbreakable one. If he doesn't want to carry one, I'll carry it.
No angel appeared this time. Your answers came as some sort of internal voice--a bit like telepathy. Also, you do this for ten minutes, of which five minutes is devoted to questions and answers. If you do not complete the ten minutes, you will forget all the answers, so you might as well ask whatever else you want to know while you've got God on the line.
Pedro has no particular interest in the boom sticks one way or another. He is willing to carry one for you to use, but not to use one himself.
"In the morning, we approach the castle, I announce who I am and that I have come from my monastery to give our regards to the new prince. If they admit us, we are inside. If they do not, we must consider our alternatives."
--M. J. Young
Well, the obvious question that I would ask God would be "Are we going to defeat these demons?" but since God knows that, but MJ Young doesn't, I can't exactly ask that, now can I? I guess I would ask how Mr. Smith and William are doing.
"Sounds like a plan Pedro. I'll have that MAK 90 at the ready should the guards become hostile. I could drop 30 of the palace guards before they even figured out what was happening to them."
You have the power to defeat the demons; you must use it well.
Your friends are fine, and will continue to be fine if you succeed in your mission.
*****
"I do not think that we should kill palace guards unless it is to save our own lives. However, I recognize that you, too, are called to this, and I should not interfere with your use of your gifts."
--M. J. Young
On Behind the Screens, you mentioned that you wanted to move me forward to the attack on the castle. That sounds like a plan to me. Go back to wherever we are staying and get some rest, and pray for strength and success tomorrow. I imagine Pedro would want to pray about this, so how and how long is kind of up to him. I imagine he would want to pray for quite a while though.
I'm taking with me the MAK 90, the 9 mm pistol, the blessed, unbreakable boom stick, and all of the ammunition. Also, my 14 inch hunting knife and Kabar. I'm not taking the crossbow. The guns would be unknown as weapons to these people, but they would know what the crossbow was. You mentioned that the priest robes are loose fitting and open in the front, so I would have the MAK 90 underneath the robe. The 9 mm would be on my belt, and the boom stick loaded and in hand. Leave the rest of my equipment in the room where we are staying. Make a mental note of its location relative to the castle, in case I have to find it in the next world. OK, let's go kill some demons.
MJ Two Posts
"Pedro, I want you to know, I am no killer. However, after what happened to me at Pearl Harbor, I'm not going down without a fight ever again. If that means I have to kill palace guards, so be it."
Pedro has already been praying when you awaken. It is still early, but daytime, and he asks if you are ready.
Together you reach the gate of the castle. He introduces himself as Father Pedro of the Tertullian Order, come to give his respects and blessings to the royal family in the wake of the recent wedding. He does not even mention you.
You are kept waiting at the gate for about twenty minutes before a senior soldier comes down, apologizes for the delay, and invites you to join the royal family for lunch. Pedro graciously accepts and tells you to come along. He asks where he should wait until then, and is directed to the dining room.
The room is spacious. There are a few people milling about, apparently other important persons planning to lunch with the King and family. Some are armed knights. Pedro smiles and makes a gesture at them which you take to be some sort of blessing; they, too, take it so, and bow slightly in response.
There is seating in this room for about forty or fifty people. He walks to the foot of the table and suggests that the two of you make yourselves comfortable there. "Better", he says, "for the king to encourage us to move closer than to be asked to make room for one of these important persons."
--M. J. Young
"Yeah, that's from the Bible where I'm from." I whisper to Pedro.
Sit down and try to look inconspicuous. Is there room in the robe for the MAK 90? There might be, depending on how I sat in the chair. Just sit quietly and see what happens. Keep my hand on the 9 mm and be ready to use it at a moment's notice.
MJ Two Posts
Thinking to myself: How to show the demons for what they really are? The boom stick. "This magic staff (God blessed staff dummy!!!!) can detect demons. If you are a demon, and I touch you with it, it will kill you dead in a blast of sulfur." (Sulphuric is spelled with a PH, but sulfur is spelled with an F? At least that's what my spell check is saying) There would be a blast of sulfur, as gunpowder does have a sulfur smell. Their choices are either decline, and show themselves as demons, accept, and take a shotgun blast to the chest, giving us a head start, or change in front of God and everyone into their true forms. Either way, the advantage would be mine.
In fact, while I am sitting, pray that the shotgun shells only detonate when they impact a demon. Ask in faith, and God will grant your request. I would be praying while seating, silently, and I admit, I would be worried. However, if Pedro accepts this plan, I would offer myself as the first test-subject. Maybe Pedro could still finish. I would be scared out of my mind, and in a way, begging God to make it work. I want to see this thing through.
God, please, bless the shotgun shells so that they will only detonate when striking a demon, or any other servant of Satan. I offer myself as the first test of this. I won't stay dead, Pedro will. However, I pray in faith that you will grant this to me. I will admit I am nervous about it. Perhaps my faith isn't as strong as it should be. But I ask in faith that you grant what I am asking. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray, Amen.
The staff and shotgun shells are already blessed to be more effective against demons. I had the indestructibility of the staff confirmed to me. That would be a faith boost. Are there bonuses for that?
Pray from the moment I sit down, until I am asked to speak, or take some other kind of action.
MJ, do me a favor. Do not show me this roll on Behind the Screens. Make note of whether or not it worked, but do not show me until I step up to take the test. I want to do this in faith, for real.
EDIT: It occurs to me that I may need to demonstrate the power of this weapon. Make the blessing "Only detonate on contact with demons, or inanimate objects." Perhaps blow a chair away with one, to show what they are capable of.
MJ Three posts
"God, could you also communicate this plan to Pedro? However you choose to do it would be fine with me. I ask in faith, Amen."
The guns remain hidden as you sit. You keep your right hand on the pistol.
Are you charming the shell currently in the spear, all of the shells, or the spear itself such that the charm will affect whatever shell is inserted into it?
Are you muttering these words quietly aloud, moving your lips, or merely thinking them?
--M. J. Young
Are you charming the shell currently in the spear, all of the shells, or the spear itself such that the charm will affect whatever shell is inserted into it?
All of the above.
Are you muttering these words quietly aloud, moving your lips, or merely thinking them?
Probably muttering to myself, unless I get a strange look from someone, then I would just think it to myself.
Remember, don't show me the roll.
I wrote that I was keeping my hand on the pistol and my attention on the room before it occurred to me to do this prayer. I would be sitting, head bowed, and hands folded whilst I was praying. Full body involvement. Strike the hand on the gun and attention focused on the room. I am devoting everything I have to the prayer that the shotgun shells not detonate unless they strike a demon or inanimate object.
How many shells did you bring with you?
--M. J. Young