Sleeper was calling about the case. The case the Guardians had asked him to do. Entropy had carefully kept the Guardians up to date until his departure, but since then no Guardian had done normal paperwork. The Guardians were confused, and asked for a face to face meeting. The Guardians went to Sleeper's Paranormal Detective Agency and met the owner, Sleeper, who looked like an older cousin of Entropy.
Sleeper gave them a report. In connection to Guardian File #1094DG3, they had backtracked the monk. He had stayed at a temple in Potsdam. They had checked the temple to see if there was complicity. There seemed none, but the temple seemed odd to the investigator. After the investigator collapsed in town, the agency had abandoned the case, pending instructions from the Guardians. Entropy had made arrangements to join in the investigation. After some preliminary investigations, all contact had been lost.
The Guardians listened, read the papers provided, and asked questions. Sleeper's backup agents needed to pull out to handle another case. The Guardians decided to investigate. At the backup position in Beaversville, they found out some field details, including the name and appearance of the one agent now in Potsdam, a native American called Thunderbird. The agents were also able to change the appearance of Crocodile and Shadow Knight. Quiasar took some mundane disguise material for his kit.
The Guardians went to the hotel and checked in. Some felt they were being watched, but saw no one. The Guardians easily slipped into Entropy's old room and started investigating. They found his laptop there and were able to access most information while avoiding problem areas. Entropy's report yielded more questions than answers, however. Particularly confusing was his report that several people had been killed, but no one seemed to notice or care. Quiasar went off to gather information, his way. He talked to the lady who ran the hotel (young, single, moderately attractive). They went walking in the evening air. While walking, Quiasar spotted a watcher. It turned out to be Thunderbird, and Quiasar deftly arranged a meeting. He returned to the hotel.
Shadow Knight had been resting in the meantime, but Crocodile had gone shopping. He had found a library and researched what they knew. Crocodile found some information legends that seemed to fit the situation in Potsdam. When Quiasar returned and shared his meeting with the Guardians. Shadow Knight used his darkness to explore the hotel. He noted the occupants and room locations, but received a shock. One the occupants noticed the darkness, and jumped out the window. Shadow Knight looked out, and saw a storm brewing. He skillfully defused the situation, calling out to Thunderbird and sharing his identity. Thunderbird joined them in their room and they made plans.
The next day, the team set out. The town had been thoroughly explored by Entropy and Jack Fleming, the detective. One area that had highlighted was a barn at the edge of town. Thunderbird thought that perhaps captives could be hidden there. Thunderbird went in first, then screamed. The Guardians immediately charged, but saw no one threatening Thunderbird, though Crocodile saw a bound man in the hayloft. Shadow Knight was able to see a figure in the shadow, and shoot him/it down. Thunderbird was a little shocked, but okay. He was vague about the attack that downed him. The Guardians secured the strange creature that Shadow Knight had knocked out, but it suddenly disappeared despite their precautions.
The prisoner in the hayloft proved to be Fleming. He gave information about the temple and the aborted raid with Entropy. They had discovered the temple had been infiltrated by strange lifeforms called the Night Parade. They had been captured virtually without a struggle when one of the Night Parade, called Ghost, had simply usurped Entropy's body. The Guardians debated their options. Since the Night Parade probably now knew of their presence, they decided to openly approach the temple and rally the monks to their side.
The strategy proved to be fairly successful. The monks allowed them entry, and they met the Head Llama of the temple. They told him of their suspicions and fears. He assembled the monks and noticed some missing. He appeared to be somewhat disoriented and confused to the Guardians. Then another monk was escorted into the temple. It turned out that he had been elsewhere during the original takeover, and had returned to find the Night Parade in control. He had been hiding out, and stalking the Night Parade. That explained the bodies that had been appearing. He also explained that he had damaged the strange machine that he had found in the temple. Now that the Guardians had come to help he was willing to reveal himself. He led them to a secret passage after the Guardians promised not to speak about it. The Guardians found the machine and Entropy, as well as the missing monks. The Night Parade, however, appeared to have retreated rather than fight the Guardians and their allies.
CONCLUSIONS: The Guardians reacted perfectly to minimize violence. They avoided conflict and resolved the disappearances. The Night Parade, however, was not beaten but merely driven off. They are apparently from another dimension and came here only to feed. The machine, damaged by the monk and mainly captured by the Guardians, apparently was needed for a massive group feeding that is part of their lifecycle. The legends unearthed by Crocodile support this. It is unknown what the Night Parade will do now.