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AGELESS Campaign Episode 2 - Temple of the Cat-Goddess
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<blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 6863624" data-attributes="member: 8530"><p><strong>Chapter 84, “Dragon Lady”, September 11, 1882, 2:00 P.M.</strong></p><p></p><p>At this point only four enemies remain alive and moving, three of whom are wounded. They are the Sheik, the first man who Abby had knocked down who has regained consciousness and is assisting the man with the leg wound from the richocheted bullet, and lastly an armed rebel beside the sheik. That rebel's cloak hood has fallen down to reveal a female identity beneath the bulky robes. She is the only one actively firing at the party, killing the soldier seated on the same horse as George. The quartet is now within fifteen feet of the broken windows.</p><p></p><p>George signals and sends a half dozen of the soldiers along with himself galloping faster along a more oblique angle and ride between the rebel's and the windows. Meanwhile the main body of soldiers continues to rush into combat firing their guns at the rebels even as their horses slam their bodies into them. The horses are successful in closing the gap, cutting the quartet off from the windows. The woman orders the two wounded men, speaking in Arabic but clearly with a German accent, to get in front of the Sheik and fire their guns at the animals. The men begin to move and raise their weapons, the man with the leg wound kneeling.</p><p></p><p>The Shiek pulls out another of the Fireball Wands and tosses a fireball into the squadron of soldiers moving closest to the quartet. It manages to kill or wound over a dozen, causing the other soldiers to slow.</p><p></p><p>As George's mount cuts off the retreat, the added reach of being mounted allows him to stab his sabre right at the Sheik's face. With blinding speed, considerably faster than a person should be able to, the woman beside the Sheik draws and swings a glowing longsword that had been sheathed inside her robes. The arc of this swing has it striking the George's sabre, shattering his weapon where it strikes.</p><p></p><p>"Doesn't the King have any personal guards? Where's the King's personal army when you need them??" Ruby calls out. "Nana, blast her!" Mina sticks her head up from behind the horse and shoots off another round of magic missiles, this time at the girl. Abby circled her horse to get clear on the man who'd just fallen off and give herself more room for a run up. Then, planning on using the horse for her weapon, she headed full-tilt for the woman George was engaged with, planning to flat-out run her down.</p><p></p><p>George reels his horse up to strike the woman with it's hooves. The hooves from George's horse strike the woman, but she amazingly manages to keep on her feet. She then gets hit by Mina's Magic Missiles. The woman remains standing, and now sheds her hooded robe. She is attired from head-to-toe in a glossy-black scale mail suit of armor, with a coif covering her neck and head, her only exposed areas being her hands and face. Ornate Norse runes show on the arms and chest of the armor.</p><p></p><p>The woman turns as Abby's horse charges at her, whipping her blade up at a frenzied pace and cleanly decapitating the animal. Abby threw herself from the dying horse to keep herself from being trapped beneath it. She let her sword go, instead keeping a grip on the rifle she'd taken from her last opponent. She does not land cleanly, falling in the process and using the rifle to help break her fall.</p><p></p><p>As he sees the woman take down Abby's horse George leaps without hesitation at the woman grasping at her sword to wrench it from her hands, or at the least challenge her for control of the sword so that she cannot wield it against the now downed Abby. George concludes that the woman has some sort of magic that speeds up her movement, as she sidesteps his leap, keeping the sword from his grasp.</p><p></p><p>"This just got out of control," Ruby exclaims and shakes her head as she reaches up underneath her skirts. "Nana, stick with me and keep an eye on that... lady." She hands her grandmother the Swiss rifle while her other hand, once clear of the skirt, reveals a tiny derringer. Ruby actually gave a quick chuckle at the thought of going from the very large rifle to the teeny tiny derringer.</p><p></p><p>While the party are all centered on the woman the Sheik and his two wounded comrades begin to move away, not towards the western wall but to the closest doors along the north wall, still some twenty-feet away from them. Ruby speedily dodges though the battle to follow the Sheik with her grandmother on her heels. It doesn't take long to get close enough to be within range, where Ruby sends a tiny magical bullet speeding towards the Sheik.</p><p></p><p>Unlike the prior bullets, this one does not deflect off his robe but penetrates, however one problem with a derringer is that the small weapons are notoriously inaccurate at any distance other than point blank, the bullet hitting his shoulder rather than the intended heart that she was aiming for. He lets out a call of pain, which then catches the attention of the armored woman with the sword.</p><p></p><p>When the armored woman was distracted, the fallen Abby stands, lifts her rifle and swings it at the armored woman's head. The rifle misses, going through empty air, as the woman has already begun to swiftly move in the direction of the sheik. Abby snapped the rifle up, and after making sure that George is not in the line of fire, turns it to fire at the woman's head. The bullet deflects off of the armored coif on the woman's head. Once she has physically placed herself between the Sheik and the party the woman turns and yells out a word in a language that none present know. Mina sends another magic missile blazing towards the woman. The woman is hit by the missiles and a bright flash then follows from the woman.</p><p></p><p>George casts Light directly on the woman's nose even as he charges forward to try to grab the sword away from her again. Praying to Bast and anyone else who would listen, Abby hoped there was another round in the rifle and that at least this woman's face was vulnerable and took another shot. Abby’s shot strikes were the face had been a moment before, but the woman has now started to grow, so the bullet deflects off of the armored neck. She continues to grow as her face protrudes out and into a reptilian form as she falls forward, her hands now before her on the floor. A dark tail beings to grow from behind her and a pair of wings emerge out from her back. She continues to get larger.</p><p></p><p>George’s spell works but has no detrimental effect on her, as the woman continues to transform into a black dragon, the scales identical to that of the suit of armor she had worn in human form. The Norse runes remain where they had been. The woman's sword and belt meld into the dragon's body.</p><p></p><p>Abby's eyes went wide and she fought the urge to step back. Instead her eyes sought out Cal, then Mina, then the others, looking to see where they were and what their options might be. Magically she was close to spent and she had no more ammunition for the rifle. The real question was what in seven hells was this thing doing here? "Oh holy Hades," Ruby exclaims. "Either we run or I blast this thing. Any preference?"</p><p></p><p>The transformation ends, the head a good fifteen feet above the floor in the high-ceiling room. From head to the end of the tail the creature has to be a total of sixty-feet in length. Most of the remaining horses in the room panic and run in the opposite direction. The creature's head turns towards the party as it opens its mouth.</p><p></p><p>Without hesitation Abby ran in the opposite direction from the direction that the creature has turned its head. Whatever was going to happen there wasn't something she wanted to be there for. Vaguely, she hopes for one more shot in this rifle and to be able to get a shot off at the creatures eye.</p><p></p><p>Ruby says, "Okay, run." Ruby grabs her grandmothers hand and they begin running to the cover of the hallway. "GEORGE, ABBY, GET OUT!!!!!" George's run at the woman take a quick oblique angle as he changes direction, instead now running straight at Ruby, grabbing his finace and hustling her out of danger. Abby spots Maurice some thirty feet away, casting a spell.</p><p></p><p>Before they can get very far a strong flow of liquid emits from the dragon's mouth, not unlike water from a fire hose, but of a thick greenish texture. Rather than hitting the party, it strikes a solid but invisible wall that has now been erected between them and the creature, the liquid splashing back and down. When it hits the floor and furnishings they begin to smoke and burn, the liquid apparently being acidic in nature.</p><p></p><p>"What the heck?? Nana, did you cast that?" Ruby asks while pulling out a long metal rod from her bag. "If that wall comes down, I don't care if I have to blow up this whole building if that thing comes after us!!! What is going on here?? Where is the King anyway?? Arrgghh!!!!!!" Mina takes a good look over at the two-dozen or so people cowering beneath the other barrier. She says, "None of the Royal family are present, those are all the King's retainers and advisors."</p><p></p><p>"Fighting retreat Constance" says George over his shoulder. George is now standing in front of Ruby, shielding her with his body. He is slowly backing up as Ruby points the rod past him. "Keep that thing pointed at the dragon as we back it up." advises George.</p><p></p><p>Abby switched to French and shouted to Maurice, "Go, go, get out of here!" She began to follow her own advice, and didn't stop moving, but still looked to see if the trapped servants were able to get out of the room. "No, I think I can fix this," Maurice replies in French. He changes forward towards the Dragon, while remaining on this side of the barrier.</p><p></p><p>Maurice says in German "Astrid, stop, we mean you no harm. These people are not a threat to you and your Asgardians." The dragon replies in German, speaking loudly in a feminine voice, "Astrid was killed two years ago by your King and Ace of Spades, you French bastard! I am Freya! And while I remain here your group will not rule over this innocent nation."</p><p></p><p>George calls back in German. "Greetings Vanir. Hail to Freya Njordsdottir. I fear you have been deceived goddess. No Frenchmen are we here. We have come to prevent the faction of French who wish to subvert the rule of this innocent nation. It is indeed the faction of French wizards headed by the Ace of Spades who has fomented this ill-fated rebellion. We are here not on behalf of any government, nor are we French, with the possible exception of the gentleman there" says George inclining his head towards Maurice. Maurice interjects in an American accent, "Not me, my parents were from France but I'm from Boston."</p><p></p><p>George continues, "Do not cast blame so widely. I would not judge all Asgardians by the actions of Loki, neither should you judge all French by the actions of a few extremists. But the fact remains we are working against the machinations of the French Wizards. We are trying to preserve the independence of the Egyptian people. Come let us have a dialogue, calmly and openly, peacefully. You will see that I speak the truth and our goals are just." He calmly and open-handedly walks back towards the dragon.</p><p></p><p>Abby kept running, put pulled out and drank some more of Alsoomse's language potion as she did. "Maurice, what is going on?" she yelled. Callum exclaims, "The Asgardians? Abby, she's a member of a team of German and Scandinavian heroes. They are the mortal enemies of the French Weekly Wizards group."</p><p></p><p>Ruby knew some French, what her friend Katherine had time to teach her back in Promise City. What she was hearing however was really confusing her. "WHAT is going on?" Seeing her fiancé moving in the opposite direction, back towards the dragon, Ruby cries out. "GEORGE! What are you doing?!?!?"</p><p></p><p>The black dragon looks confused, then glances from side to side and states, "You French are such skilled liars, why should I believe anything you say? You just want me to relax my guard, you'll then outnumber and kill me." Ruby yells out, "I don't understand. How are we to believe YOU? You were here with one of the Sheiks with the boys with the fireball wands who our information has led us to believe were breaking into to castle to kill the King! What were you doing here then??"</p><p></p><p>She replies, "The King is but a puppet of your French masters! He is no longer fit to rule. General Orabi's rebellion will bring a true Egyptian to the throne, one who will rule Egypt for the Egyptians, not for you wealthy Europeans that feel the whole world is yours to manipulate. I will not let you do to Egypt what you did to the German lands."</p><p></p><p>George swears in several languages. "By Hel's frozen teats woman. I. AM. NOT. FRENCH. Nor I am I European. I am George Eastman of New York of the United States of America. We did not despoil your lands, nor have we sought dominions in Europe. And upon whose information do you judge the King? Upon what standards have you weighed the motives and trustworthiness of Orabi?</p><p></p><p>The princess is about the only person upon whom I can count on around here. If you want a TRUE Egyptian to rule Egypt, set her upon the throne. Orabi AND the King can rot. Orabi is supported by the French, of that we know, and have evidence of. So dear Freya you have been deceived as much as Hildesvini deceives those around him upon your behalf. What offer of truce would you have of us? We have the same goals, the same enemies, which if you would but allow us to show you will damn those who have sought to use you to actually aid the French wizards. And such a heinous act against you cannot be allowed to stand."</p><p></p><p>Abby interjects, "We are mostly Americans. My father was English, I am from the city of New Orleans. We came here out of concern for the historical sites here but soon discovered the plot of the French wizards. Ruby has made a friend of the Princess and General Orabi. We are here to protect the Royal Family. Some of us were even jailed because of the lies of the French Wizards here. Lady, we seek only to preserve an independent Egypt."</p><p></p><p>The dragon replies, "More French lies! New Orleans, a French city is it not?" Callum moves forward and says in his Scottish accent (and intentionally emphasizing it even more than when he regularly speaks) "Miss Freya, I am Callum Stuart, of the House of Stuart. We despise the French as much as you do, I would not be working with them. I am affiliated with her Majesty's 'League of Extraordinary Gentlemen', and I have personally worked before with your teammates Thorvald and Svein."</p><p></p><p>She stares intently at him and says, "More lies, you French are skilled with impersonations." Gesturing towards the sheik she says, "Ali stated that your Ace of Clubs was busy making powerful potions of polymorph. You may indeed have taken the identity of Mr. Stuart, but I sincerely doubt that you are him." The sheik turns and says "Freya, the newspaper had photographs of and by the American photographer Eastman in the newspaper. He was at the wedding of the Princess to the General."</p><p></p><p>She replies to the Sheik "Yes Ali, as were the French. And they were married in the exact same place as where the Ace of Clubs was making those potions! No doubt they have assumed Eastman's identity as well. As a weak businessman he would have been powerless against their use of real magic." George shakes his head ruefully and says, "You are the one who is weak Freya for you do not recognize true strength, nor can you recognize friend from foe. Especially not as a viper feeds poison into your ear. I shall not waste my breath on you if you are not willing to listen to the truth." George turns and walks back to Ruby.</p><p></p><p>Ruby says, "And we have no reason to believe you either. You could very well stand here and kill some of us but you'd better well believe none of us would just stand here and let you do it without a fight. I am from the West, of the United States and I am a friend of the princess, I was at her wedding only two days ago. I only seek to help make sure magics here stay free along with the innocent people who live here. We've had proof of French trying to influence many people here and doing very bad things along with that and we aim to stop that. That doesn't mean all French people are jerks, just that some of them are. I've never heard of Ass-guards or whatever you are but either you chose to believe us or not."</p><p></p><p>Loud voices bellow from outside the palace, clearly magically enhanced to increase the volume. The words are in Arabic and easily heard through the broken windows, although the volume is such that they would probably be heard even through solid wall. "Attention Rebels. We have the Castle surrounded by soldiers, there is no escape. Our allies now circle the air above the building and have many guns pointed downward at you. We know that the Royal Family is no longer inside, they are not your prisoners or hostages. You have ten minutes to exit the building and surrender or face destruction."</p><p></p><p>The Dragon turns back and says, "Ah, you were just trying to delay me until your French friends arrived in their flying warship!" Ruby exclaims, "Those are our friends, yes, and they are trying to end this war! George adds, "No, only a coward would confuse an earnest attempt at diplomacy for a ruse. Fly away with the Sheik Freya. Fly away into your deception. I only hope you learn the truth before it consumes you" calls George over his shoulder as he continues to walk away.</p><p></p><p>Abby interjects, "No, Lady. They will try to kill us as surely as they may try to kill you. Together may be the only way we can survive this. But if I am to die, I will do it with a prayer to Bast on my lips and fighting for Egypt to remain free of the French and the British. To an American, the fight for freedom is the most important. No one should rule without consent or from the shadows. My life is well given if it helps keep a threatened people free."</p><p></p><p>Ruby turns and asks Maurice, “What do you think of this Sheik and this Freya? Are they friends or foes?" Maurice replies, "This Freya is clearly of the Asgardians. The French could not have been able to duplicate her magical transformational armor, nor would they be able to use it if they had stolen it. It is made from the body of an Earth Spirit who watched over Europe and befriended the Vikings many centuries ago. It is only usable by those of Viking descent. We know that Abdullah was being manipulated by the French, but did even Abdullah know of this? How would those who supported him, including Sheik Ali? Are they friends or foes? I would say neither, but we all have a common enemy and a common goal, whether they realize it or not."</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Silver Moon, post: 6863624, member: 8530"] [B]Chapter 84, “Dragon Lady”, September 11, 1882, 2:00 P.M.[/B] At this point only four enemies remain alive and moving, three of whom are wounded. They are the Sheik, the first man who Abby had knocked down who has regained consciousness and is assisting the man with the leg wound from the richocheted bullet, and lastly an armed rebel beside the sheik. That rebel's cloak hood has fallen down to reveal a female identity beneath the bulky robes. She is the only one actively firing at the party, killing the soldier seated on the same horse as George. The quartet is now within fifteen feet of the broken windows. George signals and sends a half dozen of the soldiers along with himself galloping faster along a more oblique angle and ride between the rebel's and the windows. Meanwhile the main body of soldiers continues to rush into combat firing their guns at the rebels even as their horses slam their bodies into them. The horses are successful in closing the gap, cutting the quartet off from the windows. The woman orders the two wounded men, speaking in Arabic but clearly with a German accent, to get in front of the Sheik and fire their guns at the animals. The men begin to move and raise their weapons, the man with the leg wound kneeling. The Shiek pulls out another of the Fireball Wands and tosses a fireball into the squadron of soldiers moving closest to the quartet. It manages to kill or wound over a dozen, causing the other soldiers to slow. As George's mount cuts off the retreat, the added reach of being mounted allows him to stab his sabre right at the Sheik's face. With blinding speed, considerably faster than a person should be able to, the woman beside the Sheik draws and swings a glowing longsword that had been sheathed inside her robes. The arc of this swing has it striking the George's sabre, shattering his weapon where it strikes. "Doesn't the King have any personal guards? Where's the King's personal army when you need them??" Ruby calls out. "Nana, blast her!" Mina sticks her head up from behind the horse and shoots off another round of magic missiles, this time at the girl. Abby circled her horse to get clear on the man who'd just fallen off and give herself more room for a run up. Then, planning on using the horse for her weapon, she headed full-tilt for the woman George was engaged with, planning to flat-out run her down. George reels his horse up to strike the woman with it's hooves. The hooves from George's horse strike the woman, but she amazingly manages to keep on her feet. She then gets hit by Mina's Magic Missiles. The woman remains standing, and now sheds her hooded robe. She is attired from head-to-toe in a glossy-black scale mail suit of armor, with a coif covering her neck and head, her only exposed areas being her hands and face. Ornate Norse runes show on the arms and chest of the armor. The woman turns as Abby's horse charges at her, whipping her blade up at a frenzied pace and cleanly decapitating the animal. Abby threw herself from the dying horse to keep herself from being trapped beneath it. She let her sword go, instead keeping a grip on the rifle she'd taken from her last opponent. She does not land cleanly, falling in the process and using the rifle to help break her fall. As he sees the woman take down Abby's horse George leaps without hesitation at the woman grasping at her sword to wrench it from her hands, or at the least challenge her for control of the sword so that she cannot wield it against the now downed Abby. George concludes that the woman has some sort of magic that speeds up her movement, as she sidesteps his leap, keeping the sword from his grasp. "This just got out of control," Ruby exclaims and shakes her head as she reaches up underneath her skirts. "Nana, stick with me and keep an eye on that... lady." She hands her grandmother the Swiss rifle while her other hand, once clear of the skirt, reveals a tiny derringer. Ruby actually gave a quick chuckle at the thought of going from the very large rifle to the teeny tiny derringer. While the party are all centered on the woman the Sheik and his two wounded comrades begin to move away, not towards the western wall but to the closest doors along the north wall, still some twenty-feet away from them. Ruby speedily dodges though the battle to follow the Sheik with her grandmother on her heels. It doesn't take long to get close enough to be within range, where Ruby sends a tiny magical bullet speeding towards the Sheik. Unlike the prior bullets, this one does not deflect off his robe but penetrates, however one problem with a derringer is that the small weapons are notoriously inaccurate at any distance other than point blank, the bullet hitting his shoulder rather than the intended heart that she was aiming for. He lets out a call of pain, which then catches the attention of the armored woman with the sword. When the armored woman was distracted, the fallen Abby stands, lifts her rifle and swings it at the armored woman's head. The rifle misses, going through empty air, as the woman has already begun to swiftly move in the direction of the sheik. Abby snapped the rifle up, and after making sure that George is not in the line of fire, turns it to fire at the woman's head. The bullet deflects off of the armored coif on the woman's head. Once she has physically placed herself between the Sheik and the party the woman turns and yells out a word in a language that none present know. Mina sends another magic missile blazing towards the woman. The woman is hit by the missiles and a bright flash then follows from the woman. George casts Light directly on the woman's nose even as he charges forward to try to grab the sword away from her again. Praying to Bast and anyone else who would listen, Abby hoped there was another round in the rifle and that at least this woman's face was vulnerable and took another shot. Abby’s shot strikes were the face had been a moment before, but the woman has now started to grow, so the bullet deflects off of the armored neck. She continues to grow as her face protrudes out and into a reptilian form as she falls forward, her hands now before her on the floor. A dark tail beings to grow from behind her and a pair of wings emerge out from her back. She continues to get larger. George’s spell works but has no detrimental effect on her, as the woman continues to transform into a black dragon, the scales identical to that of the suit of armor she had worn in human form. The Norse runes remain where they had been. The woman's sword and belt meld into the dragon's body. Abby's eyes went wide and she fought the urge to step back. Instead her eyes sought out Cal, then Mina, then the others, looking to see where they were and what their options might be. Magically she was close to spent and she had no more ammunition for the rifle. The real question was what in seven hells was this thing doing here? "Oh holy Hades," Ruby exclaims. "Either we run or I blast this thing. Any preference?" The transformation ends, the head a good fifteen feet above the floor in the high-ceiling room. From head to the end of the tail the creature has to be a total of sixty-feet in length. Most of the remaining horses in the room panic and run in the opposite direction. The creature's head turns towards the party as it opens its mouth. Without hesitation Abby ran in the opposite direction from the direction that the creature has turned its head. Whatever was going to happen there wasn't something she wanted to be there for. Vaguely, she hopes for one more shot in this rifle and to be able to get a shot off at the creatures eye. Ruby says, "Okay, run." Ruby grabs her grandmothers hand and they begin running to the cover of the hallway. "GEORGE, ABBY, GET OUT!!!!!" George's run at the woman take a quick oblique angle as he changes direction, instead now running straight at Ruby, grabbing his finace and hustling her out of danger. Abby spots Maurice some thirty feet away, casting a spell. Before they can get very far a strong flow of liquid emits from the dragon's mouth, not unlike water from a fire hose, but of a thick greenish texture. Rather than hitting the party, it strikes a solid but invisible wall that has now been erected between them and the creature, the liquid splashing back and down. When it hits the floor and furnishings they begin to smoke and burn, the liquid apparently being acidic in nature. "What the heck?? Nana, did you cast that?" Ruby asks while pulling out a long metal rod from her bag. "If that wall comes down, I don't care if I have to blow up this whole building if that thing comes after us!!! What is going on here?? Where is the King anyway?? Arrgghh!!!!!!" Mina takes a good look over at the two-dozen or so people cowering beneath the other barrier. She says, "None of the Royal family are present, those are all the King's retainers and advisors." "Fighting retreat Constance" says George over his shoulder. George is now standing in front of Ruby, shielding her with his body. He is slowly backing up as Ruby points the rod past him. "Keep that thing pointed at the dragon as we back it up." advises George. Abby switched to French and shouted to Maurice, "Go, go, get out of here!" She began to follow her own advice, and didn't stop moving, but still looked to see if the trapped servants were able to get out of the room. "No, I think I can fix this," Maurice replies in French. He changes forward towards the Dragon, while remaining on this side of the barrier. Maurice says in German "Astrid, stop, we mean you no harm. These people are not a threat to you and your Asgardians." The dragon replies in German, speaking loudly in a feminine voice, "Astrid was killed two years ago by your King and Ace of Spades, you French bastard! I am Freya! And while I remain here your group will not rule over this innocent nation." George calls back in German. "Greetings Vanir. Hail to Freya Njordsdottir. I fear you have been deceived goddess. No Frenchmen are we here. We have come to prevent the faction of French who wish to subvert the rule of this innocent nation. It is indeed the faction of French wizards headed by the Ace of Spades who has fomented this ill-fated rebellion. We are here not on behalf of any government, nor are we French, with the possible exception of the gentleman there" says George inclining his head towards Maurice. Maurice interjects in an American accent, "Not me, my parents were from France but I'm from Boston." George continues, "Do not cast blame so widely. I would not judge all Asgardians by the actions of Loki, neither should you judge all French by the actions of a few extremists. But the fact remains we are working against the machinations of the French Wizards. We are trying to preserve the independence of the Egyptian people. Come let us have a dialogue, calmly and openly, peacefully. You will see that I speak the truth and our goals are just." He calmly and open-handedly walks back towards the dragon. Abby kept running, put pulled out and drank some more of Alsoomse's language potion as she did. "Maurice, what is going on?" she yelled. Callum exclaims, "The Asgardians? Abby, she's a member of a team of German and Scandinavian heroes. They are the mortal enemies of the French Weekly Wizards group." Ruby knew some French, what her friend Katherine had time to teach her back in Promise City. What she was hearing however was really confusing her. "WHAT is going on?" Seeing her fiancé moving in the opposite direction, back towards the dragon, Ruby cries out. "GEORGE! What are you doing?!?!?" The black dragon looks confused, then glances from side to side and states, "You French are such skilled liars, why should I believe anything you say? You just want me to relax my guard, you'll then outnumber and kill me." Ruby yells out, "I don't understand. How are we to believe YOU? You were here with one of the Sheiks with the boys with the fireball wands who our information has led us to believe were breaking into to castle to kill the King! What were you doing here then??" She replies, "The King is but a puppet of your French masters! He is no longer fit to rule. General Orabi's rebellion will bring a true Egyptian to the throne, one who will rule Egypt for the Egyptians, not for you wealthy Europeans that feel the whole world is yours to manipulate. I will not let you do to Egypt what you did to the German lands." George swears in several languages. "By Hel's frozen teats woman. I. AM. NOT. FRENCH. Nor I am I European. I am George Eastman of New York of the United States of America. We did not despoil your lands, nor have we sought dominions in Europe. And upon whose information do you judge the King? Upon what standards have you weighed the motives and trustworthiness of Orabi? The princess is about the only person upon whom I can count on around here. If you want a TRUE Egyptian to rule Egypt, set her upon the throne. Orabi AND the King can rot. Orabi is supported by the French, of that we know, and have evidence of. So dear Freya you have been deceived as much as Hildesvini deceives those around him upon your behalf. What offer of truce would you have of us? We have the same goals, the same enemies, which if you would but allow us to show you will damn those who have sought to use you to actually aid the French wizards. And such a heinous act against you cannot be allowed to stand." Abby interjects, "We are mostly Americans. My father was English, I am from the city of New Orleans. We came here out of concern for the historical sites here but soon discovered the plot of the French wizards. Ruby has made a friend of the Princess and General Orabi. We are here to protect the Royal Family. Some of us were even jailed because of the lies of the French Wizards here. Lady, we seek only to preserve an independent Egypt." The dragon replies, "More French lies! New Orleans, a French city is it not?" Callum moves forward and says in his Scottish accent (and intentionally emphasizing it even more than when he regularly speaks) "Miss Freya, I am Callum Stuart, of the House of Stuart. We despise the French as much as you do, I would not be working with them. I am affiliated with her Majesty's 'League of Extraordinary Gentlemen', and I have personally worked before with your teammates Thorvald and Svein." She stares intently at him and says, "More lies, you French are skilled with impersonations." Gesturing towards the sheik she says, "Ali stated that your Ace of Clubs was busy making powerful potions of polymorph. You may indeed have taken the identity of Mr. Stuart, but I sincerely doubt that you are him." The sheik turns and says "Freya, the newspaper had photographs of and by the American photographer Eastman in the newspaper. He was at the wedding of the Princess to the General." She replies to the Sheik "Yes Ali, as were the French. And they were married in the exact same place as where the Ace of Clubs was making those potions! No doubt they have assumed Eastman's identity as well. As a weak businessman he would have been powerless against their use of real magic." George shakes his head ruefully and says, "You are the one who is weak Freya for you do not recognize true strength, nor can you recognize friend from foe. Especially not as a viper feeds poison into your ear. I shall not waste my breath on you if you are not willing to listen to the truth." George turns and walks back to Ruby. Ruby says, "And we have no reason to believe you either. You could very well stand here and kill some of us but you'd better well believe none of us would just stand here and let you do it without a fight. I am from the West, of the United States and I am a friend of the princess, I was at her wedding only two days ago. I only seek to help make sure magics here stay free along with the innocent people who live here. We've had proof of French trying to influence many people here and doing very bad things along with that and we aim to stop that. That doesn't mean all French people are jerks, just that some of them are. I've never heard of Ass-guards or whatever you are but either you chose to believe us or not." Loud voices bellow from outside the palace, clearly magically enhanced to increase the volume. The words are in Arabic and easily heard through the broken windows, although the volume is such that they would probably be heard even through solid wall. "Attention Rebels. We have the Castle surrounded by soldiers, there is no escape. Our allies now circle the air above the building and have many guns pointed downward at you. We know that the Royal Family is no longer inside, they are not your prisoners or hostages. You have ten minutes to exit the building and surrender or face destruction." The Dragon turns back and says, "Ah, you were just trying to delay me until your French friends arrived in their flying warship!" Ruby exclaims, "Those are our friends, yes, and they are trying to end this war! George adds, "No, only a coward would confuse an earnest attempt at diplomacy for a ruse. Fly away with the Sheik Freya. Fly away into your deception. I only hope you learn the truth before it consumes you" calls George over his shoulder as he continues to walk away. Abby interjects, "No, Lady. They will try to kill us as surely as they may try to kill you. Together may be the only way we can survive this. But if I am to die, I will do it with a prayer to Bast on my lips and fighting for Egypt to remain free of the French and the British. To an American, the fight for freedom is the most important. No one should rule without consent or from the shadows. My life is well given if it helps keep a threatened people free." Ruby turns and asks Maurice, “What do you think of this Sheik and this Freya? Are they friends or foes?" Maurice replies, "This Freya is clearly of the Asgardians. The French could not have been able to duplicate her magical transformational armor, nor would they be able to use it if they had stolen it. It is made from the body of an Earth Spirit who watched over Europe and befriended the Vikings many centuries ago. It is only usable by those of Viking descent. We know that Abdullah was being manipulated by the French, but did even Abdullah know of this? How would those who supported him, including Sheik Ali? Are they friends or foes? I would say neither, but we all have a common enemy and a common goal, whether they realize it or not." [/QUOTE]
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