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<blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 6954987" data-attributes="member: 8530"><p><em>Readership is picking up, we're now at over 150 views between posts. Reader's comments are always welcome. </em> </p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Chapter 111, "Coronation of the Pharaoh", September 12, 1882, 9:15 AM. </strong></p><p></p><p>As the dirigible descends towards the city of Helioplis, Lawrence and Callum see three men standing on one of the docks but it is too soon to make out exactly who they are. Lawrence says, "Looks like the welcome wagon is here. Stay on guard. They could be expecting trouble." The balloon lowers, and lines are dropped from the gondola. The trio of young French wizards grab the lines and tie them to the dock as the balloon descends until the gondola rests along the edge of the dock. One of the men comes forward and asks in French "Where is Chevruel? He said that he would be retrieving us!" </p><p></p><p>Lawrence replies in fluent French, "Chevruel sent us. He had to deal with the princess and her allies. We'll take you to him." The three men board. Two men stay towards the back of the small gondola, keeping to themselves. The other is more outgoing and says, "Chevruel indicated that we need to remove Meissonier's body without being seen as soon as we get to Gizah. That will be a lot harder to do without him and Daguerre. Are you men prepared to assist us?" </p><p></p><p>Lawrence shrugs and says, "Chevruel said to help you, so that's what we're going to do. N'est-ce pas?" He gives a sideways glance to Callum. The man says, "Excellent." He gestures to Callum, who is piloting the craft, and says, "Our arrival on this airship will be quite visible, so we'll leave him at the controls and I will do the talking. We'll need the other three of you to consume an Elixir of Invisibility before our arrival and sneak off this vessel. Once you locate Meissonier's body, one of my colleagues has an Elixir of Destruction that will totally dissolve all organic matter. Just make sure the body is on top of either sand or stone rather than wood when you use it." </p><p></p><p>Lawrence nods. He says, "Where is the elixir? Just in case I need to use it." He gestures to one of the other Frenchmen and says, "Charles Richet has it." "Merci." Lawrence goes over to Richet. "Monsieur Richet. Can you show me this potion of destruction? I have never heard of such a thing before." Richet draws the bottle from a pocket of his robe. "Ah, such power from a little bottle." Lawrence nods and returns to the wheel as the dirigible returns in the direction of Gizah. </p><p></p><p>Back in Gizah, as the Chariot of the Wind descends to the rooftop, Ruby chuckles, "I think we ALL deserve a nice, long vacation after this! Hang in there, it will be over soon." The carpet lands and those atop exit. Several of the royal family's servants roll up the carpet and place it into a protective case. George runs over and grabs Ruby in a giant hug, pulling her off her feet.</p><p></p><p>Nefeka walks defiantly up to Barrister Sefu and exclaims, "I was informed that you wished to interrogate me as to my possible involvement in the death of my father!" As George hears Neferka's defiant proclamation he walks over with Ruby still in his arms with a quizzical look on his face. "What is this Sefu, you want to interrogate the Pharaoh?" Sefu looks at George then back to Neferka, and in response to both his and Neferka's comments, gestures towards Sabah/Bast and replies, "This is no longer necessary your majesty. The Goddess has proclaimed you worthy to ascend to the throne. We can begin the ceremony at your earliest convenience."</p><p></p><p>Freya lands and deposits the unconscious bodies of the French wizards. Neferka says, "Place them under heavy guard and away from where the coronation will take place. I want no French present at the ceremony. We will deal with them afterward." All of the French are taken into custody and brought down to the basement of the temple. George gives Bast a quick wink. He kisses Ruby thoroughly and sets her down. "Go my dear, you need to get Neferka ready for her coronation." Ruby hesitated for a moment, "Yes, you are right. I will go help the Princess. You make sure there isn't any other weird stuff happening." </p><p></p><p>She then asks, "Neferka, ready?" Ruby stood near to the Princess, watching for trouble, waiting for instruction. It was easier knowing a Goddess was in their midst in case things went wrong. Before leaving the roof Sahah/Bast says, "Just as a bride should be the center of attention at a wedding, the Pharoah should be the center of attention at her coronation. Many do not know of my presence here yet, we should keep it that way." Her face transforms back from Feline to Human. She says in the same unearthly voice as before, "I will pretend to me the rightful owner of this body until the ceremony is completed." </p><p></p><p>They all move down to the main cathedral room of the temple which has been arranged for the ceremony. Several dozen people arrive, mostly Egyptian sheiks and officials. Barrister Sefu takes charge of the ceremony and announces that the doors to the temple are to be shut and sealed until the new Pharaoh has ascended to the throne. Neferka steps forward, with her sister and Ruby behind and slightly behind her. Musicians begin to play a slow tune on traditional Egyptian instruments. </p><p></p><p>George should be watching the ceremony he knew, but he was jittery. he caught Sabina/Bast's eye as he carefully surveyed the gathered crowd. The last time he was in a pyramid things didn't go well. He was on his guard. Once secession was secured he could relax, a little at least. </p><p></p><p>The ceremony begins. Sefu speaks in the ancient Egyptian language while translators behind him repeat the works in both Arabic and English. He asks if she will love and protect Egypt above all else. She agrees. He asks if she understands the duties and responsibilities of the Pharaoh and she says she does. He asks if she will sacrifice her own life for those of her land. She agrees to that as well. Abby stands at the back with Mina, paying far more attention to their surroundings than the ceremony.</p><p></p><p>The barrister waves his hands above his head and says and incantation. She is levitated slightly above the floor and her sister gestures to Ruby to help remove the dress and robe that Neferka is currently wearing. Ruby's eyes left the crowd and she concentrated on her duties. She followed the Princesses sister, helping to remove the new pharaoh's clothes. Attendants bring forward a finely made tunic with gold and silver threads with ancient Egyptian symbols on it which the two women drape over her. A skirt-like cloth is then wrapped around her and fastened with a gold belt. Sefu gestures and she is levitated downward as a wide gold necklace is placed over her shoulders. He then hands her a long and thin metal wand with a bright blue stone atop it. As she touches the wand the stone begins to glow.</p><p></p><p>Ruby stepped back and gave the new Pharaoh some space. She looked on with interest, especially at the glowing, as Neferka holds the wand aloft and recites a short speech in the ancient Egyptian language. A beam of light shoots forth from the wand heading upward. As it nears the ceiling the roof of the building parts, temporarily opening up a ten-foot diameter hole. The beam continues skyward for what looks to be two or three miles. It then explodes into a massive blue firework that temporarily lights up the entire sky over Gizah, Cairo and the surrounding lands. Barrister Sefu speaks saying "It is done and Egypt now knows that a new Pharaoh reigns." </p><p></p><p>George hadn't realized he had been holding his breath, but he lets it out with relief. Several large Ogres bring in from a side door the same ornate throne that the group had seen previously back in the throne room in Cairo. It is brought to Neferka to seat herself in, handing to Sefu the blue staff. George is first to step forward and kneel before the Pharaoh, "All hail The Pharaoh Neferka, Queen of the Nile, supreme ruler of Egypt" Ruby also steps forward, "Congratulations, Pharaoh! May you rule Egypt in peace." The musicians break into faster-paced music as the various dignitaries line up, and then walk one at a time before the throne and bow to the new Pharaoh. </p><p></p><p>Meanwhile, the dirigible with Lawrence, Callum and the three French wizards soon reach Gizah. As they near Bast's Temple, two of the passengers and Lawrence drink their invisibility potions as the dirigible lands. The ropes holding the dirigible are grabbed by those on the ground just as the large blue fireworks goes off above. Richet says, "Quickly, while the ground crew is distracted by that light and with tying us off." Callum and the visible wizard head over to talk to soldier in charge. </p><p></p><p>Back inside, after George steps back Lt. Col. Hassan approaches him. He tells George, "While the ceremony was taking place the dirigible returned. There are a pair of Frenchmen outside with it. Should we arrest them? They claim to know information about a German group known as the Asgardians as being responsible for the former King's demise." "Bring a few soldiers and let's go investigate their claims. And put a sniper up on the roof." says George heading out with Hassan </p><p></p><p>The invisible Lawrence and the two French wizards climb over the sides are head off in search of Meissonier. Lawrence grasps the sap he carried in his pocket. He'll have to strike quickly. The three invisible men move carefully through the temple, passing many guards. They see one basement room with several of the Frenchmen who are tied, gagged and bound. They continue onward. </p><p></p><p>Above, soldiers are gathered up as Hassan and George head outside to where the dirigible is tethered. There is a rather young handsome man in a suit standing who George has not met. Standing alongside him is a man in a French Foreign Legion uniform who George recognizes as Callum Stuart. George approaches the two. "I understand the two of you have information for us." asks George in French.</p><p></p><p>The young man steps forward and says, "Oui. My name is Rene Bellocq and I am here to prevent a gross injustice from taking place. You would be Mr. George Eastman, the American industrialist, yes?" George replies, "Oui. What injustice would this be Messier Bellocq?" He says, "Sir, I must speak to Barrister Sefu, Princess Neferka and Egyptian General Awala. I fear that my colleagues are being framed for crimes in which they are innocent. And you sir, have been taken in by the German woman known as Astrid." </p><p></p><p>George replies, "I am willing to hear you out sir, but what evidence do you have to validate your claims?" Bellocq replies, "You are willing? What authority do you hold here sir? You are a tourist! I need to speak to at least one of the three people who I have named." George says, "Insults will get you no where Rene. I am no mere tourist, I stand here with Lt. Col. Hassan of the Egyptian Army, and if you wish to speak to anyone else you will provide for me some justification." </p><p></p><p>Ruby had watched George leave the room. She stayed behind to watch the crowd, nodding to the pharaoh to reassure her. She meandered over to Abby and Mina. "Is it me or is this going too smoothly?" Abby answers, "It's not just you. I'm cuddled up close with my paranoia. There are still a few Frenchmen loose out there, and they'll be desperate." Ruby says, "That was my thought too. We just have to keep alert a little longer... It helps there is a goddess in our presence, I doubt she'd let anything crazy happen." Abby answers, "Probably not, but why make her do all the work?" </p><p></p><p>Abby stepped over to the door George had exited from, followed by Ruby and Mina. They went up to the roof and looked out. Abby exclaims, "Bellocq, that piece of s@%$." Only the sight of Cal there kept her from grabbing the nearest handy club. "And here they are," she told Ruby. Ruby smirked, "Well then, let's go help." She nodded to Mina that they she was headed outside and told Abby and Mina to wait before they went out. </p><p></p><p>Lt. Col Hassan says to Bellocq, "General Awala is in Tel-el Kabir, as an official observer with our British allies in their battle against the Rebels. I am the highest ranking Egyptian military official currently present at this temple. Please answer the question that Mr. Eastman has asked." Bellocq sighs and says, "I only know part of the story. We would need my colleague Mr. Dagurerre to explain the full story. But the short version of it is that this German and Scandinavian team known as the Asgardians is here in Egypt and have been the ones behind the various attacks that they have tried to implicate my team for. If the one known as Astrid is inside now then the Princess is in great danger." </p><p></p><p>While George has not met Mr. Bellocq before, his voice has sounded familiar. He now places it. While they were in the palace in Cairo and the Dreadnaught dirigible had sailed in above it, it was Bellocq's amplified voice calling out from the rooftop above in Arabic. He had yelled "We followers of Adbullah will never surrender. Death to the King! And death to you vile Frenchmen." That was the justification the French used to start attacking the building. </p><p></p><p>George says, "Well, you have at least provides your suspicions, but have not provided any evidence, merely shifting the responsibility to Messier Dagurerre. Again I ask what evidence do you have to cause either of us to believe you?" George notices Ruby coming outside, "pardon me for a moment." George heads over to Ruby and gives her a quick kiss before whispering to her "Bellocq says that Astrid is the real culprit behind all these attacks. While I don't believe him, have Mina keep an eye on Freya and you keep a closer eye on Neferka, ok?" </p><p></p><p>George has an epiphany as he turns back. George smiles as he comes back to the dirigible. "Renee, we will give you an audience with Barrister Sefu to plead your case. It seems only fair to hear your complaint." replies George gesturing Lt. Hassan to lead Bellocq back to the temple. Hassan gestures for guards to surround both Bellocq and Legionairre Stuart. Ruby relays George's message to Mina and Abby and they begin to head back downstairs. Abby pauses, she didn't like trusting the new Pharaoh's safety to others. Finally, she stepped turned around and walked back out onto the rooftop and locked eyes with Bellocq, staring silently. The other two women follow. Bellocq smiles back at her as he moves forward to enter the building surrounded by the Egyptian guards. </p><p></p><p>Hassan leads the procession back into the temple and they move in the direction of the throneroom. As they head back inside Ruby had noticed the tension when Abby and the Frenchmen locked stares. "Whew, I never thought I'd feel that chill here in Egypt," she chuckled as headed over and whispered to her friend. "Have you had previous experience with this guy?" Abby replies, "He's the one who was involved in the plot to poison the Royal Family. He's the liar who got us locked up at the Palace." </p><p></p><p>As Bellocq moves forward, almost reaching the door to the throneroom, George takes out his pistol and strikes Bellocq at the base of his skull. As the man crumples to the floor. Abby exclaims, "Damn, I wanted to do that." George turns to Hassan "Lieutenant Colonel, please place this man under arrest for sedition, promotion of regicide and war crimes. For now. He was responsible for setting up the bombing of the royal palace in Cairo. I did not want him to be aware or have any opportunity to respond in a magical way. Please keep him unconscious and in a separate room from the other prisoners." </p><p></p><p>Ruby's eyes narrowed and looked at the unconscious Bellocq. She says, "I wonder why he thought anyone here would believe him now. I'd like to spend some time with him myself..." Hassan has the guards take him away, but to a side room on this level rather than to the basement with the others. Guards also move in to arrest Callum. George says, "A moment, while I have personally witnessed Bellocq's crimes, I have no evidence that this man has done anything wrong. It may be he is merely a low-level serviceman serving aboard the dirigible. So my friend, who are you and what were you doing with Messier Bellocq? "</p><p></p><p>Callum switches into his natural Scottish accent and says, "I am not French, I am with Britain and an ally of the Egyptian Royal Family. That man Bellocq was forcing me to be his pilot." Turning towards Hassan Callum says, "There are currently two other French wizards inside this building and invisible. I do not believe they wish Princess Neferka any immediate harm. They are looking for the body of one of their associates, a Mr. Jean-Louis Meissonier. Mr. Eastman's friend Mr. Cantrell is with them, also dressed as I am." Ruby comments to Abby, "We'll, it seems our friends the French are all gathering themselves together for us. Convenient."</p><p></p><p>George curses in twelve languages. "You were supposed to incapacitate those wizards Callum, not turn them loose, what in the name of Bast happened? No wait, tell me later. Hassan, go tell Sefu about this, we need some magical help, and guard all the entrances to stop them. I want the rest of your men inside the dirigible to wait if case the slip past us. Callum, go back outside the dirigible in character in case they come back. Everyone else inside." Abby asks who the Frenchmen are. Callum says, "Two young alchemists, Charles Richet and Henri Moissan. They are Chevruel's apprentices." </p><p></p><p>Sefu is given the message and immediately sets guards surrounding the new Pharaoh. He asks that the Egyptian dignitaries all be escorted to the building exits and depart. He then turns to George and says, "I have not met this Messonier. The two Frenchmen killed back by the pyramids were Dominique Larrey and Eugene Violet-le-Duc. Their bodies are both still back at the small pyramid, not here in this building." </p><p></p><p>Lawrence and the two aforementioned wizards have continued to search the dungeon level. They move on to another room where two Egyptian military guards are watching over the body of Ahmed Orabi, who had been slain eleven hours earlier. Richet says softly to Lawrence, "We found him, and it is above a stone floor." Before the body can be dissolved Lawrence uses his skill with the sap to knock the two French wizards into unconsciousness. Lawrence stashes Meissonier's body in a different room and hides it under some rugs. He continues on, being careful to hide from the guards.</p><p></p><p>As they returned to the throne room Ruby approached Sabah/the goddess. She gave her a little nod. "Would you happen to know where the two invisible Frenchmen are hiding? We'd like to go take care of them before they try to harm the Pharaoh." She pauses for a moment and concentrates. She then states "I have found them. They are in a room in the basement and your ally Lawrence has just rendered them unconscious. They did not succeed in their mission, which was to remove the body of the deceased impersonator of the new Pharaoh's husband." </p><p></p><p>Callum interjects, "Yes, they wanted to destroy his body. Apparently Daguerre and Chevruel ordered them to do so, it was very important for whatever their next step was." After having heard the exchange between Ruby and Sabah/Bast Callum turns back to George and says, "Perhaps we should allow this Bellocq, and his masters Chevruel and Daguerre, to believe they were successful in removing the body. What is the expression? Giving somebody enough rope to hang themselves." </p><p></p><p>"Perhaps there is some magical residue on the body that will implicate the French wizards. I am leary of allowing them to escape. I do not think either Freya or Neferka would allow them to leave the building. So if we were to try that we would need to first get a body, second make it look like the real body and then stop them after they have done their job but before they leave? Tough call. I say we take them down where and as they are. They have more than enough rope around their necks already." replies George. </p><p></p><p>Callum laughs and says, "You over-think things George, Bellocq knows that Lawrence is with the other two. We just treat him like a prisoner and toss him in with Bellocq, where he tells the Frenchmen that they destroyed the body but that he got caught afterwards. Bellocq then informs the others of that." Ruby scrunched her nose. "I'm not exactly sure what you are saying... Lawrence tells Bellocq that the body was destroyed and who does Bellocq tell? I'm afraid plotting isn't usually my expertise." Callum replies, "He tells Dagurerre, the man who ordered him to destroy it. Then we find out exactly why." </p><p></p><p>George laughs, "It's my job to over think things. That helps me run a large company. Anyway, yes, let us see if Lawrence can ferret out some motive for this." Ruby says, "Oh yeah, that makes sense. Hey, it's been a long bunch of days! Good idea."</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Silver Moon, post: 6954987, member: 8530"] [I]Readership is picking up, we're now at over 150 views between posts. Reader's comments are always welcome. [/I] [B]Chapter 111, "Coronation of the Pharaoh", September 12, 1882, 9:15 AM. [/B] As the dirigible descends towards the city of Helioplis, Lawrence and Callum see three men standing on one of the docks but it is too soon to make out exactly who they are. Lawrence says, "Looks like the welcome wagon is here. Stay on guard. They could be expecting trouble." The balloon lowers, and lines are dropped from the gondola. The trio of young French wizards grab the lines and tie them to the dock as the balloon descends until the gondola rests along the edge of the dock. One of the men comes forward and asks in French "Where is Chevruel? He said that he would be retrieving us!" Lawrence replies in fluent French, "Chevruel sent us. He had to deal with the princess and her allies. We'll take you to him." The three men board. Two men stay towards the back of the small gondola, keeping to themselves. The other is more outgoing and says, "Chevruel indicated that we need to remove Meissonier's body without being seen as soon as we get to Gizah. That will be a lot harder to do without him and Daguerre. Are you men prepared to assist us?" Lawrence shrugs and says, "Chevruel said to help you, so that's what we're going to do. N'est-ce pas?" He gives a sideways glance to Callum. The man says, "Excellent." He gestures to Callum, who is piloting the craft, and says, "Our arrival on this airship will be quite visible, so we'll leave him at the controls and I will do the talking. We'll need the other three of you to consume an Elixir of Invisibility before our arrival and sneak off this vessel. Once you locate Meissonier's body, one of my colleagues has an Elixir of Destruction that will totally dissolve all organic matter. Just make sure the body is on top of either sand or stone rather than wood when you use it." Lawrence nods. He says, "Where is the elixir? Just in case I need to use it." He gestures to one of the other Frenchmen and says, "Charles Richet has it." "Merci." Lawrence goes over to Richet. "Monsieur Richet. Can you show me this potion of destruction? I have never heard of such a thing before." Richet draws the bottle from a pocket of his robe. "Ah, such power from a little bottle." Lawrence nods and returns to the wheel as the dirigible returns in the direction of Gizah. Back in Gizah, as the Chariot of the Wind descends to the rooftop, Ruby chuckles, "I think we ALL deserve a nice, long vacation after this! Hang in there, it will be over soon." The carpet lands and those atop exit. Several of the royal family's servants roll up the carpet and place it into a protective case. George runs over and grabs Ruby in a giant hug, pulling her off her feet. Nefeka walks defiantly up to Barrister Sefu and exclaims, "I was informed that you wished to interrogate me as to my possible involvement in the death of my father!" As George hears Neferka's defiant proclamation he walks over with Ruby still in his arms with a quizzical look on his face. "What is this Sefu, you want to interrogate the Pharaoh?" Sefu looks at George then back to Neferka, and in response to both his and Neferka's comments, gestures towards Sabah/Bast and replies, "This is no longer necessary your majesty. The Goddess has proclaimed you worthy to ascend to the throne. We can begin the ceremony at your earliest convenience." Freya lands and deposits the unconscious bodies of the French wizards. Neferka says, "Place them under heavy guard and away from where the coronation will take place. I want no French present at the ceremony. We will deal with them afterward." All of the French are taken into custody and brought down to the basement of the temple. George gives Bast a quick wink. He kisses Ruby thoroughly and sets her down. "Go my dear, you need to get Neferka ready for her coronation." Ruby hesitated for a moment, "Yes, you are right. I will go help the Princess. You make sure there isn't any other weird stuff happening." She then asks, "Neferka, ready?" Ruby stood near to the Princess, watching for trouble, waiting for instruction. It was easier knowing a Goddess was in their midst in case things went wrong. Before leaving the roof Sahah/Bast says, "Just as a bride should be the center of attention at a wedding, the Pharoah should be the center of attention at her coronation. Many do not know of my presence here yet, we should keep it that way." Her face transforms back from Feline to Human. She says in the same unearthly voice as before, "I will pretend to me the rightful owner of this body until the ceremony is completed." They all move down to the main cathedral room of the temple which has been arranged for the ceremony. Several dozen people arrive, mostly Egyptian sheiks and officials. Barrister Sefu takes charge of the ceremony and announces that the doors to the temple are to be shut and sealed until the new Pharaoh has ascended to the throne. Neferka steps forward, with her sister and Ruby behind and slightly behind her. Musicians begin to play a slow tune on traditional Egyptian instruments. George should be watching the ceremony he knew, but he was jittery. he caught Sabina/Bast's eye as he carefully surveyed the gathered crowd. The last time he was in a pyramid things didn't go well. He was on his guard. Once secession was secured he could relax, a little at least. The ceremony begins. Sefu speaks in the ancient Egyptian language while translators behind him repeat the works in both Arabic and English. He asks if she will love and protect Egypt above all else. She agrees. He asks if she understands the duties and responsibilities of the Pharaoh and she says she does. He asks if she will sacrifice her own life for those of her land. She agrees to that as well. Abby stands at the back with Mina, paying far more attention to their surroundings than the ceremony. The barrister waves his hands above his head and says and incantation. She is levitated slightly above the floor and her sister gestures to Ruby to help remove the dress and robe that Neferka is currently wearing. Ruby's eyes left the crowd and she concentrated on her duties. She followed the Princesses sister, helping to remove the new pharaoh's clothes. Attendants bring forward a finely made tunic with gold and silver threads with ancient Egyptian symbols on it which the two women drape over her. A skirt-like cloth is then wrapped around her and fastened with a gold belt. Sefu gestures and she is levitated downward as a wide gold necklace is placed over her shoulders. He then hands her a long and thin metal wand with a bright blue stone atop it. As she touches the wand the stone begins to glow. Ruby stepped back and gave the new Pharaoh some space. She looked on with interest, especially at the glowing, as Neferka holds the wand aloft and recites a short speech in the ancient Egyptian language. A beam of light shoots forth from the wand heading upward. As it nears the ceiling the roof of the building parts, temporarily opening up a ten-foot diameter hole. The beam continues skyward for what looks to be two or three miles. It then explodes into a massive blue firework that temporarily lights up the entire sky over Gizah, Cairo and the surrounding lands. Barrister Sefu speaks saying "It is done and Egypt now knows that a new Pharaoh reigns." George hadn't realized he had been holding his breath, but he lets it out with relief. Several large Ogres bring in from a side door the same ornate throne that the group had seen previously back in the throne room in Cairo. It is brought to Neferka to seat herself in, handing to Sefu the blue staff. George is first to step forward and kneel before the Pharaoh, "All hail The Pharaoh Neferka, Queen of the Nile, supreme ruler of Egypt" Ruby also steps forward, "Congratulations, Pharaoh! May you rule Egypt in peace." The musicians break into faster-paced music as the various dignitaries line up, and then walk one at a time before the throne and bow to the new Pharaoh. Meanwhile, the dirigible with Lawrence, Callum and the three French wizards soon reach Gizah. As they near Bast's Temple, two of the passengers and Lawrence drink their invisibility potions as the dirigible lands. The ropes holding the dirigible are grabbed by those on the ground just as the large blue fireworks goes off above. Richet says, "Quickly, while the ground crew is distracted by that light and with tying us off." Callum and the visible wizard head over to talk to soldier in charge. Back inside, after George steps back Lt. Col. Hassan approaches him. He tells George, "While the ceremony was taking place the dirigible returned. There are a pair of Frenchmen outside with it. Should we arrest them? They claim to know information about a German group known as the Asgardians as being responsible for the former King's demise." "Bring a few soldiers and let's go investigate their claims. And put a sniper up on the roof." says George heading out with Hassan The invisible Lawrence and the two French wizards climb over the sides are head off in search of Meissonier. Lawrence grasps the sap he carried in his pocket. He'll have to strike quickly. The three invisible men move carefully through the temple, passing many guards. They see one basement room with several of the Frenchmen who are tied, gagged and bound. They continue onward. Above, soldiers are gathered up as Hassan and George head outside to where the dirigible is tethered. There is a rather young handsome man in a suit standing who George has not met. Standing alongside him is a man in a French Foreign Legion uniform who George recognizes as Callum Stuart. George approaches the two. "I understand the two of you have information for us." asks George in French. The young man steps forward and says, "Oui. My name is Rene Bellocq and I am here to prevent a gross injustice from taking place. You would be Mr. George Eastman, the American industrialist, yes?" George replies, "Oui. What injustice would this be Messier Bellocq?" He says, "Sir, I must speak to Barrister Sefu, Princess Neferka and Egyptian General Awala. I fear that my colleagues are being framed for crimes in which they are innocent. And you sir, have been taken in by the German woman known as Astrid." George replies, "I am willing to hear you out sir, but what evidence do you have to validate your claims?" Bellocq replies, "You are willing? What authority do you hold here sir? You are a tourist! I need to speak to at least one of the three people who I have named." George says, "Insults will get you no where Rene. I am no mere tourist, I stand here with Lt. Col. Hassan of the Egyptian Army, and if you wish to speak to anyone else you will provide for me some justification." Ruby had watched George leave the room. She stayed behind to watch the crowd, nodding to the pharaoh to reassure her. She meandered over to Abby and Mina. "Is it me or is this going too smoothly?" Abby answers, "It's not just you. I'm cuddled up close with my paranoia. There are still a few Frenchmen loose out there, and they'll be desperate." Ruby says, "That was my thought too. We just have to keep alert a little longer... It helps there is a goddess in our presence, I doubt she'd let anything crazy happen." Abby answers, "Probably not, but why make her do all the work?" Abby stepped over to the door George had exited from, followed by Ruby and Mina. They went up to the roof and looked out. Abby exclaims, "Bellocq, that piece of s@%$." Only the sight of Cal there kept her from grabbing the nearest handy club. "And here they are," she told Ruby. Ruby smirked, "Well then, let's go help." She nodded to Mina that they she was headed outside and told Abby and Mina to wait before they went out. Lt. Col Hassan says to Bellocq, "General Awala is in Tel-el Kabir, as an official observer with our British allies in their battle against the Rebels. I am the highest ranking Egyptian military official currently present at this temple. Please answer the question that Mr. Eastman has asked." Bellocq sighs and says, "I only know part of the story. We would need my colleague Mr. Dagurerre to explain the full story. But the short version of it is that this German and Scandinavian team known as the Asgardians is here in Egypt and have been the ones behind the various attacks that they have tried to implicate my team for. If the one known as Astrid is inside now then the Princess is in great danger." While George has not met Mr. Bellocq before, his voice has sounded familiar. He now places it. While they were in the palace in Cairo and the Dreadnaught dirigible had sailed in above it, it was Bellocq's amplified voice calling out from the rooftop above in Arabic. He had yelled "We followers of Adbullah will never surrender. Death to the King! And death to you vile Frenchmen." That was the justification the French used to start attacking the building. George says, "Well, you have at least provides your suspicions, but have not provided any evidence, merely shifting the responsibility to Messier Dagurerre. Again I ask what evidence do you have to cause either of us to believe you?" George notices Ruby coming outside, "pardon me for a moment." George heads over to Ruby and gives her a quick kiss before whispering to her "Bellocq says that Astrid is the real culprit behind all these attacks. While I don't believe him, have Mina keep an eye on Freya and you keep a closer eye on Neferka, ok?" George has an epiphany as he turns back. George smiles as he comes back to the dirigible. "Renee, we will give you an audience with Barrister Sefu to plead your case. It seems only fair to hear your complaint." replies George gesturing Lt. Hassan to lead Bellocq back to the temple. Hassan gestures for guards to surround both Bellocq and Legionairre Stuart. Ruby relays George's message to Mina and Abby and they begin to head back downstairs. Abby pauses, she didn't like trusting the new Pharaoh's safety to others. Finally, she stepped turned around and walked back out onto the rooftop and locked eyes with Bellocq, staring silently. The other two women follow. Bellocq smiles back at her as he moves forward to enter the building surrounded by the Egyptian guards. Hassan leads the procession back into the temple and they move in the direction of the throneroom. As they head back inside Ruby had noticed the tension when Abby and the Frenchmen locked stares. "Whew, I never thought I'd feel that chill here in Egypt," she chuckled as headed over and whispered to her friend. "Have you had previous experience with this guy?" Abby replies, "He's the one who was involved in the plot to poison the Royal Family. He's the liar who got us locked up at the Palace." As Bellocq moves forward, almost reaching the door to the throneroom, George takes out his pistol and strikes Bellocq at the base of his skull. As the man crumples to the floor. Abby exclaims, "Damn, I wanted to do that." George turns to Hassan "Lieutenant Colonel, please place this man under arrest for sedition, promotion of regicide and war crimes. For now. He was responsible for setting up the bombing of the royal palace in Cairo. I did not want him to be aware or have any opportunity to respond in a magical way. Please keep him unconscious and in a separate room from the other prisoners." Ruby's eyes narrowed and looked at the unconscious Bellocq. She says, "I wonder why he thought anyone here would believe him now. I'd like to spend some time with him myself..." Hassan has the guards take him away, but to a side room on this level rather than to the basement with the others. Guards also move in to arrest Callum. George says, "A moment, while I have personally witnessed Bellocq's crimes, I have no evidence that this man has done anything wrong. It may be he is merely a low-level serviceman serving aboard the dirigible. So my friend, who are you and what were you doing with Messier Bellocq? " Callum switches into his natural Scottish accent and says, "I am not French, I am with Britain and an ally of the Egyptian Royal Family. That man Bellocq was forcing me to be his pilot." Turning towards Hassan Callum says, "There are currently two other French wizards inside this building and invisible. I do not believe they wish Princess Neferka any immediate harm. They are looking for the body of one of their associates, a Mr. Jean-Louis Meissonier. Mr. Eastman's friend Mr. Cantrell is with them, also dressed as I am." Ruby comments to Abby, "We'll, it seems our friends the French are all gathering themselves together for us. Convenient." George curses in twelve languages. "You were supposed to incapacitate those wizards Callum, not turn them loose, what in the name of Bast happened? No wait, tell me later. Hassan, go tell Sefu about this, we need some magical help, and guard all the entrances to stop them. I want the rest of your men inside the dirigible to wait if case the slip past us. Callum, go back outside the dirigible in character in case they come back. Everyone else inside." Abby asks who the Frenchmen are. Callum says, "Two young alchemists, Charles Richet and Henri Moissan. They are Chevruel's apprentices." Sefu is given the message and immediately sets guards surrounding the new Pharaoh. He asks that the Egyptian dignitaries all be escorted to the building exits and depart. He then turns to George and says, "I have not met this Messonier. The two Frenchmen killed back by the pyramids were Dominique Larrey and Eugene Violet-le-Duc. Their bodies are both still back at the small pyramid, not here in this building." Lawrence and the two aforementioned wizards have continued to search the dungeon level. They move on to another room where two Egyptian military guards are watching over the body of Ahmed Orabi, who had been slain eleven hours earlier. Richet says softly to Lawrence, "We found him, and it is above a stone floor." Before the body can be dissolved Lawrence uses his skill with the sap to knock the two French wizards into unconsciousness. Lawrence stashes Meissonier's body in a different room and hides it under some rugs. He continues on, being careful to hide from the guards. As they returned to the throne room Ruby approached Sabah/the goddess. She gave her a little nod. "Would you happen to know where the two invisible Frenchmen are hiding? We'd like to go take care of them before they try to harm the Pharaoh." She pauses for a moment and concentrates. She then states "I have found them. They are in a room in the basement and your ally Lawrence has just rendered them unconscious. They did not succeed in their mission, which was to remove the body of the deceased impersonator of the new Pharaoh's husband." Callum interjects, "Yes, they wanted to destroy his body. Apparently Daguerre and Chevruel ordered them to do so, it was very important for whatever their next step was." After having heard the exchange between Ruby and Sabah/Bast Callum turns back to George and says, "Perhaps we should allow this Bellocq, and his masters Chevruel and Daguerre, to believe they were successful in removing the body. What is the expression? Giving somebody enough rope to hang themselves." "Perhaps there is some magical residue on the body that will implicate the French wizards. I am leary of allowing them to escape. I do not think either Freya or Neferka would allow them to leave the building. So if we were to try that we would need to first get a body, second make it look like the real body and then stop them after they have done their job but before they leave? Tough call. I say we take them down where and as they are. They have more than enough rope around their necks already." replies George. Callum laughs and says, "You over-think things George, Bellocq knows that Lawrence is with the other two. We just treat him like a prisoner and toss him in with Bellocq, where he tells the Frenchmen that they destroyed the body but that he got caught afterwards. Bellocq then informs the others of that." Ruby scrunched her nose. "I'm not exactly sure what you are saying... Lawrence tells Bellocq that the body was destroyed and who does Bellocq tell? I'm afraid plotting isn't usually my expertise." Callum replies, "He tells Dagurerre, the man who ordered him to destroy it. Then we find out exactly why." George laughs, "It's my job to over think things. That helps me run a large company. Anyway, yes, let us see if Lawrence can ferret out some motive for this." Ruby says, "Oh yeah, that makes sense. Hey, it's been a long bunch of days! Good idea." [/QUOTE]
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AGELESS Campaign Episode 2 - Temple of the Cat-Goddess
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