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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 1643139" data-attributes="member: 8530">Chapter 63, “Your Mission, If you Choose to Accept it”, January 16th, 1882:Morgana asks, “And what can we do for you Mr. Bond.”   He replies, “Actually, I believe that we might be of mutual assistance to each other.  May I come in?”   She gestures for him to enter and the door is then shut.  He has a satchel hung over his shoulder from which he extracts a large envelope sealed with wax and hands it to her, stating, “Here is a letter of introduction.”      She very carefully breaks the seal, then removes a piece of parched paper from inside and starts to read:  “To whom it may concern.”   “What,” Arcade exclaims, “It’s not even addressed to us?  Just some general form letter!”    Morgana gives her husband a look that silences him and she resumes reading.  “Please allow this letter to serve as an introduction to Mr. Campion Bond and for me to request that you afford him every courtesy.   Mr. Bond is a civilian in the employ of Her Majesty’s military.   Your assistance in helping him would be greatly appreciated.”  She then adds, “It’s signed Willaim Ewart Gladstone, Prime Minister of Great Britain, and is marked with his official seal.”   Arcade casually tells him, “If you’re expecting us to be impressed you’ve found the wrong people.”Bond says, “Actually, I came here to offer you some assistance and to see if you might also do something for me in return for some monetary compensation.”   “What can you do for us?” Sam asks.  Bond states, “It has come to my attention that you’ve recently run up against one Allistar Crowley.”   Arcade exclaims, “What do you know about Crowley?”  Bond replies, “Quite a bit actually.  My operatives have been watching him for quite some time.”  Morgana says, “Ah, I get it.  You’re a spy.”  He replies, “My associates and I gather information that is important to protect the British Empire.”   She says, “Right, a spy.  So since Crowley uses wizard magics that automatically makes him an evil person in the eyes of your government.”   Bond says, “Actually, I personally take a far more enlightened view towards magic than many of my associates.  I see it not as good or evil, but rather an instrument that could be used by both.   In Crowley’s case, he uses magic in such a way that potentially causes further harm.”Arcade interrupts, “Yeah, but back to her original question.  What do you know about Crowley?”   Bond replies, “He is an ambitious man who craves power and has manipulated the Hellfire Club to be the primary base for his power.   Rumors have it that he is in league with demons and devils and that he spent most of his youth residing on an evil dimension.   I tend to believe those rumors, as he now has the appearance of a man in his early to mid twenties and yet it is documented that he was actually born on October 12th, 1875, a mere six years ago.”“And you think he’s after us?” Arcade comments.   Bond replies, “I know it for a fact.  Two of his operatives followed you to Edinburgh.  And they are waiting for you there now for when you to return to it.   I, however, have the means to transport you away from this village undetected and return you safely to your family estate in Southern England.”     Louie says, “These guys waiting for us?  They’re wizards?”  Bond replies, “Yes, but at very low power levels.  It is safe to assume that Crowley is unaware that you are also the group of American vigilantes known as Arcade’s Gang, otherwise he would have sent a more formidable group to deal with you.”   “So we could easily take these guys?” Arcade comments.   Bond answers, “Yes, but that would also draw attention to yourselves and raise Crowley’s suspicions.   You’ve done a fine job of keeping a low profile during your British journey until this point.  In fact, I would not have been aware of who you really are if my people hadn’t also been trailing the lawyer that first sought you out in America.”Louie says, “So, if you get us out of here what do we have to do in return.”   Bond replies, “I have an associate who is currently in a prison on an island off the coast of France.  I would like for your group to rescue him.”    “Why is he in prison?” Morgana asks.    Bond replies, “My associate is a physician named Dr. Henry Jeckel.    He is also an alchemist, but since the majority of magical-based plants in Britain have been outlawed and destroyed he needs to go to the Continent to gather components for his various magical potions.   He was on one of these gathering expeditions in France last month when he was captured and imprisoned, accused of being a British spy.”  Morgana says, “Well, they’re right.  He works for you, so he is a spy.”  Bond replies, “No, he is not in the employ of my Government at all.   I have secretly been sponsoring his work without the direct knowledge of any of my superiors.”  “Why?” Sam asks.  Bond replies “I expect to have need of him in the future.  I have a vision of one-day gathering together a group of gentlemen who can put wizard magic and magical abilities to work for the protection of the Empire.”  Arcade exclaims, “Extraordinary!”   “Indeed,” Bond states, “But until magic is more readily accepted I must do these activities in secret.  My superiors do allow me a wide degree of latitude as my results warrant it and it still maintains a level of plausible deniability for them.”    Arcade says, “Well look, I have no problem with killing Frenchmen for you, in fact it sounds like fun, but what’s in it for the rest of the gang?”   Bond states, “I am prepared to remunerate you a thousand pounds.”   Sam says “A thousand pounds of what?”   Morgana says, “British money Sam.”   Louie inquires “How much is that in real money?”   Bond replies, “The current exchange rate is two-point-one American dollars to the pound, so that would be approximately $ 2,100.”    Louie is very interested in the sound of that but Morgana shakes her head no and says, “That’s all?  It hardly seems worth the risk.  A prison will be very well guarded.”  Bond replies, “This one has primarily political prisoners and is rather lightly guarded.”  She responds, “I still don’t feel motivated to do this.”Bond smiles and says, “Ah, but there’s something else in this for you.  Dr. Jeckel isn’t the only prisoner being held at this prison.  Have you ever heard of a woman named Louise Michel?”   Morgana says, “The name sounds familiar, but I can’t place it.”   Bond says, “She is a French author, poet, revolutionary and anarchist.  She was born in 1830 and has had a very colorful life.   She was a French patriot who helped fight in the wars against Germany.  When Paris surrendered to the Prussian Army in 1871 she helped to lead the insurgency against the occupying army.   After the war she was a founder of the French Commune, which strongly opposed the Versailles Government that then took power.   Most of the leaders of the Commune were executed and she was sent into exile.  However, she recently returned to France and was captured.   She is now being held prisoner and you can free her at the same time that you rescue Jeckel.”Morgana says, “Why would I care about rescuing her?”     Bond replies, “Because she is also a high-level druid, in fact, she is one of the most powerful druids in all of Europe.   You’ve made an enemy of a powerful wizard.  Having a powerful druid as your friend can only be of help.”    “Why come to us?” Sam asks.   Bond replies, “My using the British military for this mission could not only spark another war, but would also bring Dr. Jeckel’s work to the attention of my superiors.   Using your group will not, plus at least two of your group apparently know druidic spells.   If some witnesses are left alive at the prison that see you tossing druidic spells and speaking phrases in French they will just assume that you are all French followers of Louise Michel.”  Louie says, “Okay, so Arcade gets to kill some Frenchmen, Morgana gets to free a druid and I’m in it for the money, but what does Sam get out of it?”   “I’ll take money too!” Sam exclaims.  “We all will,” Morgana adds.    “Where exactly is this prison?” Arcade asks.    Bond replies, “It is called the Chateau d’If, and is located a mile off the coast of Marseilles, France’s second largest city.”   Arcade exclaims, “That’s not on the Atlantic!  It’s on the Mediterranean Sea!”   Bond replies, “Yes, but I have the means to get you there both quickly and stealthily.  You could be there in a matter of days”   “That must be some fast ship,” Arcade comments.  Bond smiles and replies, “Indeed it is.”    The gang briefly discuss the situation and agree to undertake the mission.    Bond says, “Splendid.  I will speak to your host about getting you to a rendezvous point tonight while I will go make the arrangements for your passage.   Expect to see me again around midnight.”   He exits, speaks briefly to Donald MacDuff and then hands the dwarf what appears to be a pouch of coins.   Bond then mounts his horse and rides out of town. The Gang spends the next several hours packing up provisions.    As night falls they climb into the back of the MacDuff’s wagon, and are driven by Donald and Angus several miles from town, to a quiet spot along the coast at a long deep inlet.   They stop where a good-sized rowboat is sitting along the shore.   They put the provisions into the boat and all climb in.  The two dwarves handle the rowing out into the bay.    A nearly full moon lights the sky, and they row until they are a far distance from shore.   The MacDuffs then stop rowing, letting the boat drift softly in the waves.    Sam comments, “Why did you stop?  There’s nothing around here.”    Donald replies, “The big man told us to wait here.   He paid me enough to keep my family fed for a year, so I’m doing exactly what he told me to.”     Ten minutes later Morgana says, “Wait, something’s wrong.  I’m not sure exactly what.”   Louie points a short distance off of the bow and says, “Over there.”   They notice a disturbance in the water, as hundreds of air bubbles now break as they reach the surface.  A faint red glow is then seen rising up from the deep.   The boat shakes as a crimson-colored hundred-foot-long giant squid brakes the surface of the water, its tentacles stretching towards them and its large glowing eye clearly visible.</blockquote>

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