Chapter Forty Two : Storming the Gates of the Stolen Eye Wizard or Passion Before Duty

While I will be moving forward in a moment with latest entry of my tale I will let you know in advance that I had a few things to get off my beautiful chest first. But before that a brief summary of our most recent sightseeing trip on the world called Emerald.

On to the business at hand this had most recently involved the base of the Stolen Eye Wizard. My compatriots known as Dragonfirre well with the exception of Mickey the Torch and Clean Eugene who had once again faded stood with me as we had stood within the parking lot in front of the University Park Science Building Two. It seemed an arcane eye had spotted us and within moments summoned creatures Servitors, Flying Polyps and Dimensional Hounds who had suddenly arrived to make our day a little more interesting. While I of course remained calm the battle that was to come was not without its excitement with Vadania and Symerria almost dying several times each. Not to worry of course as always I had a plan and Dragonfirre did not disappoint. It took us less than a minute but we with a moderate amount of effort beat back the Stolen Eye Wizards guardians breach his stronghold and liberate the bodies of our slain Organization comrades. Of course there was a message from the Stolen Eye Wizard who wanted to meet us and while it seemed could have done worse to our companions he had held off. It seemed the Starlords were already trying to make use of their newly gained intelligence and had tried to make the Stolen Eye Wizard our enemy. In the end we had decided to withdraw to our temporary base and allow Vadania the time to bring our lost Agents back to life. Don’t get me wrong it might have looked simple but as I shall reveal things are not always how they seem as after all Glamour Is Free try not to forget it.

Alright I will admit that perhaps during my last entry I may have come off as a hopeless romantic when in reality nothing could be further than the truth. All I can say is that I must have been suffering from a light case of Fey Dementia. Now you might have been wondering as to the cause and you might have heard of the tales of the Fey abducting mortals from time to time to use as plaything. Trust me those captives losing their minds from the joy and the pleasure of the experience is real. Well if not it’s not really just a myth it really happens from time to time and let me just say while I was not still swooning after my sexual encounter with Symerria it had been really two long since I had been able to experience the love of the Fey. Let’s just say it was like a drug that I had never even knew that I had missed. It had suddenly made sense to me now why my Mother in the past had always surrounded be with compatible Fey lovers. For I realized with the fix I had been receiving on a constant basis I had never really realized that it was something that I missed. I had always just believed that my urges were a natural part of being Fey and while that may still be true I now realized that when someone truly understood how to sexually work all of my Fey pleasure centers it produced a chemical similar to dopamine that lulled me into a somewhat submissive and relaxed state.

Now of course once adrenalin had started to flow into my system I suddenly shook off the pleasurable feelings and my mind slowed the world around me down and I suddenly realized what had happened to me. Alright I will still admit that I have become close with my Dragonfirre companions and perhaps even closer with a number of them. For the most part in my mind not a bad thing after all a little pleasure here and there is good for the soul and a worthwhile reward after a task well done or even an abysmal failure take your pick. But let’s be honest was I really in love with every member of Dragonfirre not really so did I really need to become all obsessed for no apparent reason of course not. I guess did that mean that I planned to go on a blood thirsty massacre of the Starlord’s the first chance I got well of course I did. If figured at the time perhaps even sooner than later depending on if I could manage to get my hands on enough explosives to blow up both of their spaceports and any ships that might be in the hangers to Hades.

Well Mickey the Torch who had conveniently vanished had moments before walked into the Science Center Two and no doubt set off an alert for I had noticed an arcane eye watching us from a nearby tree. Thankfully Slick Rick and Lucky Ron had noticed it as well not that we had much time to think about it. We had been in the midst of a discussion on how we could either lure out the guards who I expected to be inside to a place of our choosing or just move on in a face the minions of the Stolen Eye Wizard head on. While I will admit I had been feeling different ever since my sexual encounter with Symerria which perhaps might have caused me to be thinking a little more cautiously. The fact that Symerria and Vadania seemed to favor leading them away had caused me to reject the frontal assault while Slick Rick and Lucky Ron favored the direct route oddly that choice was taken out of my hands.

I had hoped to use a magical means to summon the Organization Agents but it turned out that the Stolen Eye Wizard had other plans and had instead sent a strike force to deal with us. Before you could say Holy Zeus we were being surrounded by alien minded Servitors, Flying Polyps and Dimensional Hounds intent on ripping us limb from limb quite literally. I had sensed their approach mentally but they had formed right in our midst with the Flying Polyps opening up with hurricane force winds that literally ripped the flesh from Lucky Ron, Professor Moonshower and the attractive but stoic Vadania. I knew from the telepathic link that I was maintaining that she had been planning on using a spell to strengthen Lucky Ron but I knew her energies would be needed to ensure her own survival. Meanwhile I had projected to Symerria whoever could cast a haste spell first to do it. I was able to focus and unleashed the haste spell and then being energized and quickened by my magic raised Widow Maker and fired at a Flying Polyp. I noticed that Symerria had been wounded as well and for the most part I realized that the two weak links in our equation were Vadania and myself for the others could become almost untouchable such were the blessing bestowed upon them by skill, nature or the divine forces. This was why I had called upon my own many hidden talents and allowed the shadows to conceal me within plain sight. I could see a storm brewing and I could tell by the look on Slick Rick’s face that the fury of nature was about to be unleashed.


I realized pretty quick with over twelve of minions and more appearing every second that things were going to get even more interesting. Which meant it would soon be time to summon my Unicorns from the Feywild for everyone including myself would soon be in the need of healing. Lucky Ron had started his intricate dance moving like a dervish daring our foes to strike him while engaging a Servitor. Meanwhile Slick Rick had transformed into a Dire Wolf and savagely attacked a nearby Flying Polyp while simultaneously he called upon the power of the coming storm to call down lightning. Symerria while wounded was holding her own with her magics directing them against our foes. Even Professor Moonshower had pulled twin modified guns from his wrist and began firing. I fired Widow Maker once again upon the Flying Polyp and unleashed a mass whelm spell to attempt to shatter the minds of our foes. Only one fell from my assault but they were weakened which was the point after all.

My Unicorns answered my call for Vadania who had looked on the verge of death yet still stood her ground and had healed herself had been struck down seconds later . So I sent my summoned friends to Lucky Ron another to Vadania to bolster her own healing abilities and finally to myself. Just for the record I knew Lucky Ron would never retreat unless we started to die. Meanwhile I knew that Slick Rick had the ability as did I to depart at anytime but from the looks of him he was ready to cry havoc and bring war to our enemies. So I had anticipated staying put and holding my ground but I had communicated to my last Unicorn to make sure I was teleported away and healed if the worse were to occur. With the aid of Widow Maker I continued to weaken the Flying Polyp that I knew was one of our greatest threats. Of course the number of Stolen Eye Wizard’s minions now numbered sixteen and many of them had appeared at the doors of the Science Center I could see they were getting ready to break and attack at a moment’s notice.

The Stolen Eye Wizard’s minions attack was vicious and Symerria went down hard for she had been struck by another of the hellish whirlwinds of a Flying Polyp which had struck me as well. We had been surrounded I thought to regroup us which I had hoped would give Symerria the chance once she had recovered to unleash her more destructive magics. Of course I knew she would recover never did I have a doubt so telepathically telling everyone we were moving I first used the power of my dimension boots to travel sixty feet away and I had then cast my shadow regroup spell. The shadows enveloped us and I had pulled Symerria, Professor Moonshower, and my Unicorns sadly Lucky Ron, Slick Rick and therefore Vadania had stayed behind. My Unicorns focused on Symerria and as her eyes opened I could not fail to notice that all of her cloths had been destroyed and even near death she was a vision. My own non magical garments had been ripped to shreds as well leaving me only standing in my feycraft mithral and ass kicking dimension stride boots. Of course my Hat of Mystery still maintained their glamour but I realized that the Flying Polyps must use a sense similar to my Mindsight for they seemed able to target me with ease. As Symerria’s awareness had returned I had helping her to her feet while filling in the details and that the others had stayed back and I could sense her drawing on her tie to the Arch’s to unleash a unholy smite upon the summoned evil creatures. I had felt a connection of light flash through me that reminded me of the Seelie Court my Mother had been born of that Court but I had never found it appealing until that moment. The divine power of the holy smite had weakened all of the summoned creatures that had surrounded our friends and while Vadania stood unscathed both Lucky Ron and Slick Rick I could tell had been mildly affected as well.

Soon we had been surrounded by the remaining of the Stolen Eye Wizard’s forces and I will admit I was thankful that they only the Flying Polyps could see me. The same could not be said for Symerria for yet another Flying Polyp flew to us and unleashed it fury of wind. It seemed that Vadania had been noticed and by combined attacks fell to the ground unconscious near death. There were so many of them and I felt like I was playing chess with the Stolen Eye Wizard and if so then so be it. I had already done my own version of a Queen sided castle breaking us up and saving Symerria. It was then time to perform a King sided castle for I needed Slick Rick for in the wind blast I had lost my Unicorns. I knew I still had to means to revive Symerria but I would have nothing left for Vadania so as I prepared another regroup spell I had called for Slick Rick’s help and once again asked Lucky Ron to join us. I knew he might not accept for I realized if he could still see us then he was within his element the field of battle. My spell was unleashed and Slick Rick who had been still calling down lightning strikes healed Vadania while I had used the full power of my healing belt to revive Symerria. Slick Rick then resumed his battle rage and started to unleash his fury once again on those that surrounded us. Professor Moonshower had pulled out two rods and I had heard him say something about anti-matter and I realized that if the other Organization Agents were the mold then he was the finished product. Professor Moonshower had managed to withstand assaults and attacks that would have outright killed any of our former Organization Agents. I of course had healed Symerria and once again pulled her to her feet and once again she unleashed a holy smith upon the creatures surrounding Lucky Ron.

I had considered a last ditch gambit for Symerria had asked if I could perhaps magically perform a dismissal upon the summoned evil creatures. I had thought it over and I had even confided in Slick Rick my plan and I had to thank him for his wisdom for while the chances would have been slim I had been counting on Lucky Ron’s lucky streak who I could still see dancing and making the creatures look foolish to work for me. Slick Rick had said “Really you don’t have anything else.” “Save that for a last ditch effort.” I had thought back of course I have something else and unleashed a perfectly placed shadow fireball directly upon the Stolen Eyed Wizard’s creatures. Only one of the creatures still stood and I had raised Widow Maker to finish it and I had asked Lucky Ron “Do you want me to take it down or do you want it.” His response had been instant “Deal with the ones still surrounding you.” So be it Symerria who had not been idle unleashing magical sonic blasts and even her reserve fire blasts had weakened on and I had chosen her target and fired but it still it stood or actually flew as I had expected.

It was a quick clean up after that with Slick Rick’s lightning and fangs, Lucky Ron with his flashing Katana, even Professor Moonshower who finally managed to make his anti-matter rods work. I have to admit I liked the look of that explosion and while the Professor had been thrown to his feet It had looked spectacular. One Flying Polyp had tried to withdraw and had started to swell. One of the teleporting hounds had teleported from the battle to the top of the Science Center where he seemed to be waiting for something. Another had tried to fly away managing to survive a mighty combined assault by Slick Rick and even Professor Moonshower. Symerria destroyed the Flying Polyp that had been looking like it was trying to build up to something while with the aid of Widow Maker I had shot the last Flying Polyp from the sky. The last Dimensional Hound teleported away what a coward I thought.

Then again I had realized that the Stolen Eye Wizard must have thought we would give up or run. Too bad he had realized too late that he had been dealing with Dragonfirre the scourge of Emerald. I am not ashamed to admit that I prefer a clean victory and I absolutely love when my enemy concedes victory it’s almost orgasmic. On the other had I was soon to find out that the Stolen Eyed Wizard had conceded and tried to set himself up for a future game which might even be friendly instead of deadly. Finally I would think later we were dealing with a civilized egotistical Emerald power monger. I had cast an arcane sight spell and I had scanned around with my Mindsight but as far as I could determine we were alone. Well with the exception of the yelling and screaming college students did I forget to mention those students running around. Not to mention the Stolen Eye Wizard’s creatures had not vanished when they had been defeated instead their rotting bodies were still lying around and I thought bad form Mister Stolen Eye Wizard bad form indeed.

Not being one to waste time I had realized that as our Organization Agents were truly dead I would not be able to summon them after all with a regroup spell. So be it I would have to do it the old fashioned way and as I instructed the others to move forward I had cast a locate object spell to locate their bodies which would now be considered objects. I followed up by summoning a Shadow Air Elemental and dispatched it to be my eyes and ears to locate them and deal with anything unpleasant before we encountered it. Lucky Ron spends a moment with the doorman or security officer while I had gleamed from his mind that he had called police. It also had seemed that he had no idea what had happened and therefore I let him live perhaps Symerria was having an effect on me. With a little guidance my Shadow Air Elemental had found the Agents bodies surrounding a glowing sphere in the center of an expansive room. I had instructed it to move their bodies away and outside the doorway as we arrived I could see something else their bodies were in plastic bags with strange rip cords attached.

Would you believe they had been prepped to become Zombies in a bag. I know I have said in the past that I know a bit about everything well it is true of course but I try to not be a show off. So I had confirmed with Slick Rick and Vadania what I had deduced and after a few moments that had concurred. While we had walked up to third floor to join my Elemental I had been using my Wand of Curing to restore myself so I was at full health and ready to go. No reason to deal with a possible magical trap if you don’t have to and my Shadow Air Elemental had already started dumping their bodies out of the bags and I had cast a greater floating disk to hold their weight. We had a discussion about what to do with the Zombie bags and alright being a little greedy I wanted to keep them because well you never know. In the end with everyone except me wanting to destroy the bags we decided to throw them in a nearby furnace as we left. Which left me with the glowing magic in the room and as I looked at it with my arcane sight I realized it was a message for me from my chess opponent the Stolen Eye Wizard.

I had conferred with the other that I would be approaching the spell and to be at the ready. I love the confidence they have in me well most of the time anyway. As I had came closer the spell enacted as I had anticipated and a very interesting message was left for my from the Stolen Eye Wizard which could be heard by all. His message was interesting. “I would have preferred to have met you in person. I apologize the former so called owners of your companions had informed me to be on the lookout for a group that would come here that were a threat to my life. I realized my error to late and as you will see I did not pull the cord and transform you allies into Zombies. If you still wish to meet come to the Diagonal Club and we can have a meal and chat.” . So far so good I had thought and I had thought to Moonshower what is a Diagonal Club? He had told me a nightclub I had thought the name had sounded familiar but that a story for another time. I told the others we were moving out to our safe house and I followed my statement by telling everyone that I was going to turn us invisible and we were going to walk right out of there.

With my Mindsight and being invisible it was easy to evade everyone of import at the University and we were soon at our temporary base of loft three blocks away and it was time for Vadania to get to work. Once again I notice that she had started to heal everyone and as I was now once again visible to all she had even asked me if I was wounded. She had said “I am the Healer and is anyone one wounded.” The firmness and absolute conviction with which she had made that statement had bordered on callous even arrogant. Really I had though she is the healer when in reality she was just the strongest healer. For that matter had she really just forgotten not minutes before both Slick Rick and I had saved her life by healing her. I had let it go for the moment and when she had next asked who do I raise first I of course had told her Swami Donnie. For a moment Lucky Ron had considered just leaving and perhaps we might but first things first I thought. Which of course meant Gizmo Dent, Mac Daddy and Starving Marvin were next up on the list to be raised. It only took her four minutes to bring them back to us while I had once again pulled my Wand of Curing and healed our proud Healer.

While Vadania had been busy raising our companions I had conferred with Slick Rick and personally thanked him for saving Vadania. He had told me “You pulled me away from nature’s wrath to heal someone who seems to have no respect for my abilities.”. “You need to watch Vadania her arrogance and her actions insult me as she continues to imply that she is the only Healer and therefore she insults you as well .” I had told him “I know she is has never had a family and I with the aid of Symerria teach her how to respect and love others.” . Speaking of Symerria she had been wearing Professor Moonshower’s trench coat and I had walked over to her and removed it and provided her with a new hooded trench coat and of course a set simple set of black cotton cloths that I had fashioned for her. It had absolutely pained me to do it as it had been ages since I had had to shall we say slum it but Slick Rick had said it best. When speaking of nature “What is staying out in nature to good for you!”. So I had made her sets of simple cloths which then of course resided in my backpack since she could not own them herself.

Vadania had been exhausted and suddenly Symerria had started waiting on her hand and foot as she had prepared a bed for her to lie on. I have to admit I thought she was putting it on a little thick but perhaps she was tiring of her pet dog Vadania who worshipped the very ground she walked on. What I would not have done for a few docile Gnomes to give me a backrub but then again I had Gizmo Dent and Mac Daddy back once again at my beck and call things were looking up. Business first of course I had conferred with Swami Donnie about their ordeal and he had been truly thankful and amazed that we had come back for them. I had apologized to him for leaving them behind and he conferred that he had never felt that had happened and had not lost faith. I found out that he had revealed a great deal to the Starlords who had indeed drugged tortured and finally killed them. I could almost feel the cold sense of doom that had overshadowed them as they had been told him that there were going to be drugged, tortured until they gave up every piece of useful information they could offer and then they were going to be executed. Well if my mind had not already been made up before then it was now genocide was the way to go for the vile Starlords with perhaps a few left behind for experimentation or breeding a new servitor race I would have wait and see.

I had told Vadania to rest fast for we were on Emerald where danger never sleeps and let her know that when she was refreshed we had to talk. Alright I did not really like Vadania that much either but at least she was honest about her feelings and I could understand what it was like to be friendless. For while I had never been a loner my loneliness had taken another form since I had been taught since childhood to hid my real self in plain sight and to never reveal you true intentions or motives as they could be used against you. On the other hand Vadania had been an outcast and it would be up to Symerria and me to bring her out of her darkness and into the light and if we were lucky even find her someone worthy of her. Well a woman can dream at least and I was willing to give her a chance to be my friend.


Something was wrong for suddenly Scrounger was gone and as I looked back so was Symerria. Well it seemed that wonders never ceased I had followed my passions and so far all had turned out well. If Symerria had vanished I could be content with the fact that wherever she might be she was safe. We would have to wait for Vadania to gain the strength to raise our other Organization Agents and the Stolen Eye Wizard still had an item we sought the Great Race Status Cube. For that matter it had seemed that like the Red Menace had been doing attempting to gather his own set of items for his own grand scheme. Wow the Dreaming God really had this world of Emerald wrapped around his tentacles. Well it was high time for Dragonfirre to light the fires and burn our way to the truth and if my plans worked out perhaps gain a few more allies to boot. I figured if I played my cards right we could ally all of the worlds factions against the Starlords while we took out the Dreaming God himself. For as the mighty Titans once fell before the Olympians with Dragonfirre at my side this was a game whose stakes while high were worth the risk and in this case my passion was my duty.

Chapter Forty One : The Return Of Dragonfirre or Passion Unleashed

We were somehow at least for the moment been blessed with the return of every member of Dragonfirre. Believe it or not for a brief moment Lucky Ron, Slick Rick, Symerria, Vadania, Mickey the Torch, Clean Eugene and yours truly Beauty the Brain had been reunited long enough for them to learn how dire our situation had become. I worked to keep up my spirits as my thoughts of aid from our Hyborian Spirit, and after the moment that my hopes for the Great Race of Yith were crushed. I received additional bad news from my Starlord Thrall the all of our Organization Agents had been interrogated and killed. So even while we gained a new comrade in arms from Maximo Doodah the Boss of Bosses or Sovereign Lord as he is called on Berker Island named Professor Moonshower. Who ironically was related to both Starving Marvin, Mongo and Gizmo Dent and had wished to join us in gaining revenge or the rescue of the brave men who had died for the cause. Maximo Doodah seemed to have a well organized network and was willing to continue to aid us and only asked one favor to watch over Professor Moonshower who he appointed as our Concierge was it seemed related to him as well. While I was unable to present Symerria with a proper Fey celebration I did devote time to learning her story and giving her a proper Fey welcome. It seemed that we each had similar needs as I had expected and while I could have summoned magical lovers I am thankful that there had been no such need. For while I will not say I was in love as with my beloved Nialla or my dear Associate I will not deny that it was indeed pleasure and love in another way which I shall describe at a more appropriate time. We had other matter to attend to of course but I had realized that while duty called I would not let myself succumb to the darkness. So we had decided to liberate the bodies of the Organization Agents which lead us to Trip College in University Park. Which of course just happened to be near the location of the Stolen Eye Wizard? Now while my plan might have been quick and magical I had held off well of course due to the fact that well you know Wizard. So it was no surprise when I noticed an Eye open on a nearby tree and while I will fill you on the missing details I am pretty sure you can guess that it would soon be time for Dragonfirre to light it up.

Well yes it is I Beauty the Brain and I had been sitting in the large suite on the fifth floor of the Welcome Center thinking about our future and our so called Hunted status. Don’t get me wrong I had come up with a long list of ideas to cover possible ways to lead the heat away from us but I had yet to gleam on clear path. Truth be told I figured once the Starlord Commander reported to her superiors what had happened and finished interrogating our allies I realized that we might very well need to start finding entirely new allies sooner than later. Slick Rick had alerted us that he felt that his mind had been scanned which of course had lead me to wake everyone and let them know that I was going downstairs to work on connecting with Fluky Luke to make arrangements to change our location. What I didn’t say was that I had concerns that our welcome mat might soon be infiltrated and we had best act quickly and better to make use of our allies while we still had access to them. I of course also needed to work on my first two options which meant I needed to talk to Fluky Luke to not only assist us in finding a more secure location to rest but to also find out the status of Mongo and Sneaky Pete who respectively might still be possessed. I had figured our best chance might very well be the Hyborian Spirit that had resided within Sneaky Pete and perhaps even as a fall back making contact with the Great Race of Yith via Mongo. Now of course the fact that we had not seen them since they disappeared I had hoped that they would return to Berker Island and I had figured either way Fluky Luke would know. Before I had been able to step out Lucky Ron made note that perhaps they might be able to track the belt he wore. Slick Rick had doubted it but to be honest after bearing witness to their dimensional scooping technology I was not in the mood to put it to the test. He had asked if I had the ability to get rid of it and since my magical energies were still depleted I informed him currently it was not within my power. I had deferred to Slick Rick in the hope that he might have the ability to summon an animal perhaps an Emerald Duck to fly the belt away but he seemed perturbed that I was unable to deal with the problem. Lucky Ron seeing that we were at an impasse realized he would get rid of it the old fashioned way and headed downstairs as well. As it seemed that we were going to be busy for a little while I had noticed Symerria come out of her room and a moment of sadness had fell upon me for the foul Starlord’s had ruined my chance to truly celebrate her return to the living after ages of imprisonment. She looked so elegant and I could tell that she was exhausted and while I had been speaking up until then via telepathy I remembered she could not her me and therefore she was still out of the loop. I decided to let her go back to bed and rest and I made a vow to rectify the contact situation as well as to help her deal with the isolation she no doubt was still feeling after being denied physical contact or comfort for so long. While I will admit my familiar Angelica being in reality an Item Familiar and also a Ring of Sustenance enabled me to keep my passions at bay I had acquired a new appetite recently and sexual contact allowed me to expand my mind to exceed my limits. Let us just say since it had seemed that while the rest of Dragonfirre had no doubt noticed her sexually none of them had as of yet approached her or even had physical contact with her. Well with the exception of course Vadania but she had only touched her on the shoulder when she healed her. Which really struck me since she continued to follow her around like a dog yet was not even giving her the affection that good pets were known for. By Aphrodite even my former lowly Gnome servants had showed me more affection each morning as they had bathed and then dressed me each morning in my youth. But enough on those fond memories and back to the present I managed to make it downstairs before Lucky Ron and made my way to the phone after gleaming from the minds of the Gangster desk clerks the number and called the Police Station. I spoke with a charming young man who informed me that Fluky Luke was indeed at the station and I dropped my name Beauty the Brain of course and asked if he could leave a message that I was waiting for Fluky Luke in the lobby of the Welcome Center. Meanwhile I had noticed that Lucky Ron had spoken with the doorman and they had arranged for a car to pick him up to take him to the docks. After a few minutes he returned and informed us via my telepathy that he had arranged for the Starlord belt to be transported off the island and had even arranged for us a duck or water car to offer us transportation. It seemed that he had also found out that Starving Marvin seemed to be related to the Island Boss who seemed to go by the name Maxwell Doodah. He also shared that if we needed assistance he felt it best to confer with him to which I had to agree and I informed him that I was only waiting for Fluky Luke to arrive as he could serve as our contact person. I of course then filled in Dragonfirre of my desire to contact Mongo and Sneaky Pete and why in addition to gaining Fluky Luke’s aid in finding either another secure locale perhaps even the Pleadies as it seemed that Lucky Ron had found out or hopefully a more secure location on Berker Island where we could rest. Fluky Luke arrived shortly as I had expected and it was time to fill him in on the bad news and I will admit as Fluky Luke had been one of the shall we say more darker of Organization Gang I was thankful it was him.
Fluky Luke arrived and while I filled him in on our current situation I found out that he had almost expected as much and had actually almost given us all up for dead. So I was of course glad to disappoint and I even informed him of our plan to attempt a rescue of our former comrades living or deceased. Let’s just say I was thinking ahead for I realized as part of one of my grander schemes involved turning the world against the Starlord’s and perhaps even the Ves Church being a group known to have raised those who aided them from the dead would be a powerful and persuasive tool to have in our arsenal. I will admit I hoped that they might be alive but I had my doubts but first we had needed a secure place to rest. I had conferred with Fluky Luke looking for a place he might know that might be lead and mithral lined and to my delight he had informed me that the Keep next door was the perfect location. The fact that moments later I found out that it also was the stronghold of Maxwell Doodah and the current location of Mongo and Sneaky Pete who had reappeared barely alive a few days ago was icing on the cake. So after a few questions from Slick Rick who was rightfully curious as to why we were leaving I had my shadow servants wake Symerria who had gone back to sleep. I have to admit I had taken great pleasure in helping her put on the plain black hooded trench coat with an attached hood that I had fashioned a for her which she could use to conceal herself from casual observation. Perhaps I should make note of an event that had occurred already just for the record. Clean Eugene and Vadania had both reappeared and of course almost once again got into another argument but it seemed that the presence of Symerria kept Vadania’s temper at bay at least for the time being. During which time I the chance course to fill them in on what had transpired since each of their departures. I even made special not to inform Clean Eugene of a fact I the time that time had not shared with the others about Symerria. I informed him that Symerria was my cousin and that her soul had been trapped in the evil soul gem and recently due to his actions had been liberated after ages of imprisonment while Nialla had been cast down to Stygia the Fifth Plane of Hell. So alright I was technically decades older than her and by her subsequent imprisonment eons older than me it was of course complicated. Clean Eugene took it all stride even commenting that good looks must run in my family which about what I would have expected from a Paladin of Hercules and while I still held a small amount of resentment which had caused this situation I had already agreed to put those thoughts behind me and embrace the gift we had received in the form of Symerria. Since the rest of Dragonfirre were already ready we were off and on our way to the Keep which was a former prison but had since been turned into a supposedly impenetrable fortress which supposedly possessed magical wards so with Fluky Luke as our guide I was feeling confident.

We had walked across the street and approached the quite at least externally formidable Keep and at the entrance we passed and interesting individual a young well build man around five foot two who wore goggles and a facemask who turned out to be Professor Moonshower who was Starving Marvin’s son and Gizmo Dent’s nephew which I had gleamed from Fluky Luke’s mind. As we entered we were met by a well groomed by Emerald standards doorman named Sol who inquired about our business. I informed him as I indicated our associate Fluky Luke that we sought sanctuary and an audience with Maximo Doodah. Sol was able to handle the request and in travelling through the Keep we an area in the center which had been manned by science types who seemed to be monitoring various feeds from around the world. Clean Eugene had decided for awhile to make himself a pest with them but soon he tired of the endeavor. I had taken the time to telepathically speak with Fluky Luke who had asked me politely to not use that method of communication and I had switch to a coded verbal form. I basically had asked him if he trusted the men in the room and he had informed me that he did and even confirmed my suspicion that Gizmo Dent had worked her before. Fluky Luke had even seemed a little uneasy and asked me to inform the other to please be on their best behavior since his ass could very well be on the line and I had assured him I would keep an eye on everyone. Fluky Luke had also included that he knew a few of the men and trusted them which was for the moment good enough for me. Sol meanwhile led us to an expansive suite area where he informed us that dinner would be served and we could rest until the morrow by which time he would have arranged a meeting Maximo Doodah. During the dinner hour since I needed only time to pass in order to be able to regain my magical energies and so I had made time to speak with Symerria. During our conversation as I had noticed that she did not seemed like myself to eat or drink came to her passing her ever watchful dog sorry I mean Vadania and kneeled near her sleeping area and started a long overdue conversation. Symerria thanked me for the long hooded coat which resembled a holocaust cloak. She had been preparing for sleep and she had looked lonely and sad. The first thing on my agenda was to see if she was able to lower her shields to allow us to speak mind to mind since it had been bothering me that I had been leaving her out. So with a little difficulty we managed to establish a rapport as I had knelt next to her and taken her hands for added support and we were finally able to speak mind to mind. With respect for our host I then continued verbally and basically related to her that I was sorry that she had been captured but that I was elated and filled with joy now that she had been freed and released from her imprisonment. I had continued to speak to her about being sorry that my stubborn brain had at first caused me to seem angered by her appearance but that with time I had been able to reason that sometimes these things happen for a reason. I even confided in her that they were cousins and that our Mothers had been Sisters. In addition I had told her that while it still wore on her heart I had come to terms with the loss of my oldest friend known as the Associate and my beloved Nialla. Symerria had then confided to me that both she and even from Nialla’s memories which it seemed she had shared that they both had been worried about my apparent darker desires and moods as of late. Symerria told me that she and Nialla had both hoped that I had been only grieving and that my outlook would change. Symerria even shared that it was important for me to change as my nature would be the main anchor that Nialla might need in the future to escape the evil of the Hell that had laid claim to her body and soul. I had even confided in her that while that the lure of darkness and power was strong and truly only by the power of love and my faith in Aphrodite had I kept it at bay. Symerria had continued and told me that for Nialla’s sake if I loved her I would have to try harder. Symerria must have been able to see the longing in my eyes which soon lead to a passionate lovemaking session between us. While it was true I could have drugged myself to give myself the energy to summon a shadow lover I really would have preferred to have not had to. Let me just say that it had been indeed to long since I had been with a lover male or female as skilled and filled with as much of a desire to both give and receive pleasure and for the first time in many years my inner passion was unleashed and I cried like a child. I truly felt sorry for the other members of Dragonfirre who were being denied the pleasure of our company but with the exception of Clean Eugene seemed either to intimidated, scared or perhaps to proud to even approach us. After freeing myself sexually with Symerria I felt truly physically, emotional, and spiritually renewed and as she had went to sleep I told her I would be watching over her as her Vadania kept a close eye on her. After around eight hours I was thankful that I could finally feel my magical energies restored so I had restored my magical tattoos which would soon be fading. Lucky Ron had been still resting and I would have to see to restoring his tattoos the next day. A few hours later Sol had entered our chamber followed by a breakfast cart and no sooner than those that needed to ate he informed us that Maximo Doodah was awaiting our arrival to his chamber. Well being fully rested and restored I figured now was as good a time as any to met the Boss of Bosses and to be honest I was looking forward to it.

Sol had not been kidding for after a short elevator ride where we had been joined my Professor Moonshower we entered into a large chamber resembling a court room that I had seen in pictures for the books on Emerald that I had studied. Of course sitting up above us was the Big Boss Maximo who was introduced by Sol as the Sovran Lord Maximo Doodah of Berker Island and the Surrounding Territories. I had to admit quite a title for a descendent of Hyboria and while I could tell he was upset over the loss of men who he considered citizens of Berker Island he seemed to be able to take everything in stride. He of course had a few guards present who Sol showed the door as he left us alone the Maximo Doodah and Professor Moonshower. I was still feeling him out and I had asked Lucky Ron if he wished to make the first move and he seemed to be still doing a similar study of his own so we moved forward together. I had started by telling him how fortunate we had been to have had the aid of Swami Donnie and his Organization but that we had in the end ran into trouble with the Starlords. He seemed while not entirely aware quite well informed of the issues going on in world and the menace posed by the Red Menace, Starlords and the worshippers of Cthulhu. I was glad to see that he had not personal love for either of groups I had mentioned. I let him know that our plans eventually would lead to the followers of Cthulhu being put down and that if possible we intended to rescue the Organization Agents. I had asked if he had heard any news of his associates and he had informed us that he had been offered information from the Stolen Eye Wizard if he had been willing to pay the price which it seemed had been quite steep. Such was the price as a matter of fact he might very well betrayed their importance if he had paid it. In the end he seemed more than willing to assist us and even offered the aid of his nephew Professor Moonshower who it seemed was indeed Starving Marvin’s son as well as former apprentice to Gizmo Dent his Uncle. He offered Professor Moonshower as our new Concierge to his Organization and only asked that while he wanted to go the we do him a personal favor and look after him. As I am sure he already knew Dragonfirre did not make a habit of leaving our allies behind just ask the Red Menace after what they did to Mongo at their home base. I know knew a lot of additional information about their organization now and I looked forward to our next encounter. Maximo Doodah had inquired as well as the others if we knew if I was aware of their whereabouts I informed not at the moment but I could as soon as I had the chance to check on my Starlord Thrall would if all went well would be mine for another eleven days. I also of course had inquired about the status of Mongo and Sneaky Pete and found out quite a few interesting things. It seemed that Maximo Doodah had a sort of alliance with the Great Race of Yith and a number of his operatives were shall we say possessed. When it had came to Sneaky Pete it seemed that he had been separated from the Hyborian Silverbrow Barbarian Cleric Spirit Olga. As a matter of fact he informed us she was downstairs being contained even as we spoke. I realized it was a long show but I needed to speak with her to see if we could convince her to join us and I had hoped that Slick Rick would have assisted and at the time he seemed eager enough so I was in good spirits. So with the addition of Professor Moonshower we bid Maximo Doodah adieu and departed for our meeting with Olga the bound spirit who it seemed now had a new body which had somehow been found. Yeah I know it might not sound so bad when I say it that way but you have to remember that the Maximo Doodah and his people were for the most part evil and I knew basically saw us as an opportunity to gain them more power in the long run so they were helping us. So I really doubt that the whole transference and the new body they had acquired for Olga would have really put her in a good mood.

Let me just say when we arrived at the containment cell where they were keeping Olga it looked bad from the very start. To begin with she was chained and gagged to a wall even bound up in a straight jacket and on top of that the room was being constantly filled with a mind numbing gas. It seemed she had been busy hurling spells around and overall making herself a menace. I might have overlooked the fact that Maximo Doodah had shared about her being trouble and I would soon find out why. For after Professor Moonshower shut down the gas and Slick Rick had cast a spell to remove its effects and restore her hosts mind we had a talk with Olga. So on the bright side it seemed she was willing to once again aid and help us but of course there was a catch. It seemed her catch was that in order to aid us once again as she had in the past we needed to help her clean house on her way out. Which to make a long story short meant she intended to kill as many of the evil scum who she felt inhabited the Keep as she could on her way out. To be fair I could see her point and if I were not in truth a greedy egotistical hedonist I might have gone along with it. But I had bigger concerns to deal with for the gangsters were descendents of Hyboria and had been driven to their current state by the world of Emerald and only once the back of Cthulhu been broken did I ever see them having an open door to redemption. Olga would not open her eyes and see it and even the others realized it. Slick Rick basically told me that he had given her a chance to share his body but she now had one. While the ever watchful Lucky Ron had indicated telepathically to me that we needed to hit the gas. I sadly agreed with him and I could see that Olga had chosen a path and perhaps only as an ultimate resort could we ever release her. She told us not to worry for soon she would be free and did not wish us harm and I wished her well and telepathically told Professor Moonshower to hit the gas. We withdrew from the room much to my sorrow at the loss of a valuable ally.

As we were leaving I felt a familiar presence Mickey the Torch was returning to us and as I turned to look at him I could see that he still bore the dark almost Ulithrid like slimy appearance. Don’t get me wrong one of my former lovers used to do all kind of amazing things to me with a similar form but then again he had been a Fey Changling which allowed me to have my taste of darkness without the danger and only bliss of pleasure. So yeah shall we just say good times and leave it at that it’s just a shame that my cousin Symerria had never had the chance to meet him. While I took the time to fill him he informed me sadly that he did not feel he would be with us long and thankfully Lucky Ron let him borrow his Hat of Disguise so that could at least for the time being resume the handsome form that had once been his. He had of course asked for more details about the Starlords in space as well as how he had died so I had created an illusion to show both him and Clean Eugene graphically just what had happened so in the future there would be no doubt of my translation. After my little show we had departed for our floor at the Welcome Center for it was time to check in with my Starlord Thrall. Once we had arrived Slick Rick had performed a divination that confirmed what I had hoped might not be true Swami Donnie was dead. I realized we were to late but I could still focus and receive full sensory and mental information from my Thralls and while I could not direct him without additional magical assistance since he was beyond my telepathic range. So with the aid of a few well crafted sending spells which allowed me to both send and receive messages as well as mirror sending spells I was able to gleam a great deal of insight into the status of or Organization Agents. The spells are as simple as they sound but he mirror sending spell is of course a little more interesting and of a longer duration. It allows me to set up the spell and enter a trance and wait until my Thrall is near a reflective surface and then deliver my message while they deliver whatever message I desire. To begin my Thrall had as far as I could tell not been discovered and second the ship had landed at the second spaceport in Central City of which I now new all of the intimate details known to my Thrall as I had already focused my will to give me insight into his senses and perceptions. Sadly all of our Agents had already been thoroughly interrogated then put to death sold and already being sent to their new owners. Well so much for ransom and so I had set my Thrall on a secret mission to find out the details of the sale and where they were headed. I have to admit he was a good Thrall and in the end if possible I might just keep him and a female of his species around so that they do not all perish. For he was able without being detected find out the they had been sold to the Stolen Eye Wizard and were due to arrive within a few hours at one of his bases of operations presumably located at Trip College in University Park. As an added bonus I had even been able to gleam from his mind that his Starlord Commander had already reported the entire incident to her superior. I had then left him with the command to act normal and not to reveal to anyone that anything had happened to him in any way shape or form and await my next contact. We had discussed shadow walking and while I had a plan to avoid detection by their scanners even if they were looking Lucky Ron did bring up a point that if they were now actively scanning with all of their ships they might be waiting for us. I will admit I had considered it but I was itching for a rematch but he had reminded me to not let my ego get the better of me. Perhaps there is more to Lucky Ron than just a lucky streak and at that moment I was glad to be able to call him a friend. In the end we had discussed with Professor Moonshower and decided to take standard transportation. Slower I knew but more secure and at least I would have a little longer to enjoy the company of friends who by the grace of Aphrodite I had been blessed.

We had headed to our Duck water car and were on our way we had traveled from Berker Island to the Pleadies from there to Apex Two with a short pass through Mills Transfer into Lake Town and finally into University Park. While we had been travelling for only around two and a half hours it had given me time to think. To begin with I was thankful that I had been careful to not share with Swami Donnie all of the details of our plans but I had to also consider that by now they would know that his Organization was helping us. To be honest they now had more information than I would have ever wanted them to know. Which meant since I had no intention of underestimating the Starlords ever again I had to realize we might have allies but that every bit of information that Swami Donnie or any of his men had was in their hands. I had tried to not think of my two favorites Gizmo Dent and Mac Daddy and I could only thank Symerria for being such a worthwhile distraction for while I might not admit it I had grown slightly attached to them and I eager for more than any of the reasons I could present to see them alive once again. I could be thankful the Gods had chosen to bring us Vadania who had within her power to raise them from the dead. Which was why I had ended up fading into the shadows in plain sight as Professor Moonshower had separated from Dragonfirre and made a call to one of his girlfriends who attended the Trip College to see if she had a access to a room we could rent. Basically the College I had found was basically a College for the rich and not really the smart. Of course the reason for the phone call was that it had occurred to me that any safe house that Professor Moonshower knew about and of course they had one in University Park would no doubt be know the Starlords as well and therefore not safe at all. I had gone with him of course for a few reasons to make sure his girlfriend was not a trap, to keep an eye on the nephew of Gizmo Dent, because I had told his Uncle I would keep an eye on him and to observe him in action with a member of the opposite sex. I will admit I got a kick out of the look on Professor Moonshower’s face when I had vanished as he told me that my gift must really come in handy and I had told him telepathically if only you knew.

It was a short wait while Dragonfirre had waited a few blocks away with the Duck within my telepathic range so I could keep them all within the loop. His girlfriends name was Nancy and it seemed she had a gambling problem. He gave her cover story that a few of his high roller associates had come into town suddenly and were looking for a place to stay while the attended a high risk poker game. He told her we were looking for a place for about a week and had asked her if she of a loft that might be available. She seemed eager for the opportunity to help him and in reality I figured just hungry for money or sex but it turned out sadly to be just money. Moonshower changed his appearance and lost the goggles and facemask and cleaned up a little and suddenly seemed a little more at ease and laid back and he was ready for his close up. Nancy arrived and her mind was an open book and it was odd but she had even had a dream that she would see Moonshower today and had been waiting for his call. I had said a silent prayer of thanks to Aphrodite for it seemed even while hunted we still had allies. Sadly Nancy did not really like him and she was just using him for money so while her attempt to haggle failed since I was clueing Moonshower in on her thought as well we were soon ready to depart at any time for the loft. I had of course gleamed the location of the loft from her mind since it never hurts to be prepared and while Mickey the Torch had walked up from the car and almost startled poor Nancy we were soon on our way. I felt a little sorry for Moonshower but of course I realized he was young and those were the breaks. So we had then headed to the loft to set up and begin our investigation of the area and I of course only remember our last two encounters at places of higher learning on Emerald and each time we had ended up in a fight for our lives and I figured you have to love Emerald never a dull moment.

With the aid of Scrounger and Mickey the Torch’s keen senses we had been able to narrow down the location of or departed friends. Which lead us to three sizeable science buildings and of course the one in the center was the one where the remains of our friends were no doubt located. I had on considered just getting close using magic to summon their bodies and depart with Symerria’s help of course but the others were a little concerned that with a name like the Stolen Eye Wizard he would have magical wards. Which might be true but then again magic was supposed to be rare on this world and we would not really know unless we tried. While we were discussing the situation Mickey the Torch decided to turn up the temperature a notch. He had stepped away from us and walked to the Science Building and went inside and asked a few questions and found out they had receive a recent delivery. Well one can never accuse Mickey the Torch of not being brave and by Ares he had been all for just storming the place and taking names. I will admit the only thing that had held me back was the evil was upon him that Clean Eugene had not even attempted to remove when he had detected it back at the Keep and the fact that I had a feeling that at any moment we might lose either or both of them and be left to deal with a situation that they might start but not be around to finish. Don’t get me wrong my ego knows few bounds but I prefer to chose my battlegrounds instead of having it chosen for me. It seemed that Symerria, and Vadania were of the same mind and only after Mickey the Torch had returned did Lucky Ron agree with us. Of course by then it was too late for Slick Rick, Lucky Ron and I had noticed that an eye had opened on a nearby tree where it did not belong and it seemed to be looking at us. I knew from its arrival that battle was imminent the only question was going to be if we were going to stand and fight or withdraw to let them bring the fight to us. That you see with Dragonfirre at my side was the question?

Well there would be a lot I could say about our Dragonfirre reunion it had been pleasant and peaceful but of course I remembered where we were and I was not going to let myself be lured into a false sense of security. Having arrived in University Park we were quite close to the Ajax Miltren Press in Central City and Nick Carter and his Oracle friend named Olga who I figured were our best bet to find out how to become the hunters once again. I had many ideas that I needed to share with Dragonfirre and I had already started drafting the letter for them to commit to memory but it was not yet finished for I had to keep breaking it down to a format that they would grasp. If all went well I might not even need it but I always like to plan ahead after all I may have an ego problem but I also an attractive super genius. On another note did I love Symerria or for that matter Lucky Ron well of course I did but I was not in love with either of them. In a way I almost felt safer with my Item Familiar Angelica and Widow Maker within my grasp for I knew they would never let me down. Perhaps I was being shallow or it might be just the opposite perhaps I was already in love with them both but was not ready to admit it. For regardless of how I play mind games on others I had vowed to Aphrodite to never do so with friends or those I loved but what if I was playing a mind game on myself. Had I spent so much of my life becoming so skilled lying and concealing my thought and emotions that I had become capable of fooling even myself. While on Hyboria Island I had a few surprising moments of honest clarity which had shocked me and looking back on those moments had it really been wrong. It just might be time to face the cold eye of reality and it might very well be time to reveal to my friends of Dragonfirre all I really knew about our situation and hope that they could indeed handle the truth. I knew I would seek the guidance of Aphrodite and meditate on the next actions I would take for I had faced reality. Dragonfirre I loved them all and it was time that they knew it.

Chapter Forty : The Plan or The Great Escape Part 2

So you might wonder how I Princess Ali’Ama Er’Odar of the Feywild Summer Court ever ended up on a Starlord spacecraft facing down aliens and their aberration leader or Commander if you will. To be honest I sometimes asked myself the same question. I know from my Mothers past that she had been instrumental in the preservation of those we perceive as Gods before my birth on the world of Hyboria. I had even become aware as of late she had even used her knowledge and persuasiveness to even instrument the fall of the Seelie and Unseelie Courts and in turn become the Queen of the Summer Court. It even seemed according to her that it was my turn to take up the mantle of savior of the Gods and the descendents of worshippers they loved from destruction on this Plane of Existence. Which of course was where the real issue finally chose to reveal itself for the Quasi-Deity Cthulhu known to many as the Dreaming God had finally decided to show us how our greatest had fallen. For it was revealed to us in the form of a Psion Aberration Starlord and her minions who with her nearly godlike mental powers of domination almost utter laid waste to Dragonfirre and our Organization Agents believe it or not. Even I was dominated and helpless before her power as all of our Organization Agents were either slain or captured. Only Slick Rick who I only barely managed to save before it was too late was able to call upon a Dark Drudical ally who whisked Dragonfirre away before the Starlord Commander could finish what her minions had started. I had never in my life felt such failure and defeat as I had at that moment. We had arrived safely yet still hunted and chased on Berker Island needing to recover from the battle in space. Vadania had been whisked away from us during the battle and not yet returned as I began writing this entry and as I will reveal this was the last straw and perhaps it was time to lay claim to what had been lost and declare myself the Princess of Air and Darkness and rebirth the Unseelie Sidhe and unleash all of the horrors of the Abyss and the Hells on this world and if need be destroy it before Cthulhu has a chance to lay waste to it. Alright I will admit perhaps a bit grandiose but the gauntlet had been thrown down and I was going to make sure Dragonfirre’s answer would be worthy of legend.

To believe all that happened so quickly looking back it is almost hard to believe. One moment we had been in the middle of a fight being surrounded on all sides by Starlord’s when suddenly Vadania had vanished. Suddenly our healer was gone whisked away to wherever our other Dragonfirre members went when they vanished. I could draw on the narrative of how Slick Rick had faced the Starlord Commander and aberration that possessed vast psionic powers even by their standards that was cut down by one of her minions. Or even how Symerria had nearly exhausted all of her magical powers even unleashing her mighty Nymph Daze to only in the end be put unconscious by the Starlord Commander. Lucky Ron had fought valiantly and even with the aid of one of the force field belts had almost been slain himself. The last I had seen of Swami Donnie his mind had been crushed by the Starlord Commander and he was either slain or captured. While all of the other Organization Agents had either been slain or rendered unconscious. I had been busy of course I had summoned Unicorns to heal my companions. Even used my Amulet of the Mage to prevent other fallen Organization Agents from dying including my favorites Gizmo Dent and Mac Daddy who like we all had been in grave danger but ultimately I was unable to save them or any of the other Agents. For while I had even dominated one of the Starlords and gained knowledge of how I might have disabled their weapons and shields even managed with my trusty Amulet to acquire one for Lucky Ron it was to no avail. I of course had made it to the Control Room with the aid of the my Thrall with whose aid I had even managed to save the life of Gizmo Dent but at the time I write this entry I wonder if I really did him a favor considering his fate. Once in Control Room I had harnessed all of brain power to attempt to grasp the workings of control and given just a little more time I know I would have succeeded. Alas that was time I would not have for while I had tried to dominate the Starlord Commander I had failed and gained her attention and with an ease I would have never believed possible she warped my mind. For I know now from Angelica my item familiar even thought I still find it hard to believe for such was her power that I had not as I believed somehow opened windows in the control room sending freezing cold and bleeding all of the air for the chamber forcing me to withdraw from the room. During that withdrawal I had lost valuable time during which Slick Rick and Symerria had fallen. To even describe the many options I might had devised to turn the tide would truly be a waste for while we might have prevailed with all us able to command arcane or divine forces either weakened, unconscious, being dominated the odds would not have been in our favor. That does not mean by any means I had give up on the contrary and while one of my Unicorns had been dismissed after taking heavy fire from the Starlords the two remaining had via dimension door saved Slick Ricky when one the Starlords had made an unbelievable shot to his eye almost slaying him on the spot. He had come too and called to a force I know now to be a Dark Druidical Godlike Force that has been helping us from the shadows which whisked him away to Berker Island on the surface of Emerald. I had sensed it and communicated with it and had been given a choice stay and continue the fight or be taken away to Berker Island where I would have the task of finding my fellow Dragonfirre members. My plan had been to regroup all of my allies and continue the battle and I will never know what might have happened for Slick Rick had already made his choice and was already leaving I had no choice. I had even made a desperate plea to the Drudical Force to give me the chance to gather my allies so that we might all be saved hoping that my Fey nature would have give me just another moment which would have been all I would have needed to save our Organization Agents. Of course my plea fell on deaf or uncaring ears either way I could only watch as I began to fade as the last thing I was aware of was Swami Donnie’s mind being crushed in a psychic battle with the Starlord Commander and I knew while in the past victory had been ours we had been defeated and force to turn tail and flee for our lives.

As I had appeared within the Berker Island Welcome center within the day room I was alone but thankfully I could see Slick Rick in a garbage bin some one hundred feet down and my heart had leapt for at least I had not lost him which I doubt I would have at the moment been able to bear. I was in pain and anguish and I had no choice but to withdraw to lessons I had learned from the Unseelie Sidhe. I had to embrace “Change is Good” and while I had just lost associated who had become dear to me perhaps forever who had been Hyborian decedents I had to believe we had survived. So I stayed focused and remembered “Glamour is Free” as I let the shadows shroud me as I descended to the lower levels of the Welcome Center to fill in Slick Rick on what had happened. I had a feeling it might only be a matter of time before the Moonbeast Commander might chose to come after us but I felt confident that for at least a little while we were as safe as we were likely to get. For while I knew “Honor is a Lie” I told Slick Rick the truth that I still had the power to contact the others and would secure a room and wait the others being I told him would only be Symerria and Lucky Ron. I had with ease acquired and entire floor one within one hundred feet of the ground and Slick Rick had retired to heal while I had contacted Slick Rick and Symerria. I no difficulty with my next actions for while my passions fought to overwhelm me for I had really had only wanted to find a way back to that ship and ram Widow Maker down that Starlord Commanders throat. “Passion before Duty” I had reminded myself for Symerria and Lucky Ron were my friends and my passions they came first and when the time was right that Starlord Commander I swore would be mine. Wait let me correct that when I was finally done with the Starlords they and every planet or world that had ever known of them for that matter ever even touched would know of the Princess of Air and Darkness as the one who had destroyed them.

I had cast sending spells to both Symerria and Lucky Ron informing them of where to find us and they had replied and were soon to be on their way. The Welcome Center floor had been still fairly free of other occupants and the three gangsters who had been looking over the place had been easy enough to work with and as my friends had arrived I directed them upstairs. Lucky Ron had arrived first and while I knew he was severely wounded with his Hat of Disguise he had looked both dapper and fit. Symerria had arrived last and we had retired to our on the eighth floor. I had summoned new shadow servants having lost my others in the transit setting them to guard the entrances, elevators, and windows and set Item Familiar Angelica the task of watching them and while I had wanted to talk with the others my mind could only keep working on ways to bring down the Starlords. I also knew it was time we acquired some new allies but I knew I needed to rest so the others could rest in safety while I kept watch over them. I had entered trance with Widow Maker in my hand which of course I had hid with Glamour which is of course free and had thought of the loss of Gizmo Dent too whom I owed the many upgrades to my Desert Eagle and I realized I would indeed miss him and the other Organization Agents. As I had been awoken right on time by Angelica I rose and set my servants to prepare me a bath for which I was grateful. I had let my servants undress me and remove my outer garments and my Feycraft Mithral shirt which truly was more like a bikini and eased into the warm water and submerged myself beneath the surface to enjoy the warmth like I would a lovers caress which I realized for now might very well be limited to my shadow servant lovers unless I could bring any of Dragonfirre around one could only hope. Knowing that we had limited time at best I focused my intellect on finding some advantage we could exploit in order to reclaim our title as the Hunters. I had doubted a four hundred mile sea voyage would have been possible without one of the high tech sea craft of Emerald which was why I had chosen the Plane of Shadow. I had of course underestimated the Starlords and it started to make more sense why the Red Menace Red Kings had been setting up their own contingency plans against them. I had gained a great deal of knowledge of the Red Menace operations which I knew I would need to relate to my companions and I also knew with the loss of Swami Donnie I would need to find a way to pierce the shield of my stunningly beautiful and sexy cousin Symerria if we were to maintain one of our few advantages. I had a feeling that or new Starlord Commander would soon be able to with the aid of her captives had a good idea of where they might begin searching for us. It all depended on just how powerful her psychic abilities proved to be and if the display she had already shown us was any indication they were formidable indeed. I had considered a short jump to the Plane of Shadow and to be honest there was another way to travel that plane that they would be unable to detect it would just involve multiple castings of the spell for looking back their scanners must have been somehow able to detect the shadow path created by the spell. Now of course if I just used the spell to enter the plane and then dropped the spell I could being as much a native of the Plane of Shadow as the Prime Material still navigate the plane and then just be forced to cast the spell again to enter the Prime Material. More expensive in energy but it seemed a small price to pay in order to avoid being scooped by one of their sensing devices again which was an experience I did not care to repeat any time soon. The Starlord Commander of course made the first move Slick Rick awoke some three hours later alarmed and distraught. I had long since cleared my bath and had already redressed in a shall we say female gangster hit woman garb over my Feycraft Mithral Chain and I of course looked Lethal even stunning actually. I had even taken the time to create some boring low class cloths for Symerria per her request as well as a few outfits for Vadania to wear over her Mithral Chain armor. I had planned to work on their disguises once they woke up anyway which I looked forward to in addition to helping them change into their new cloths. Which I figured might very well be the most excitement I might get that day but as I said there was a disturbance and Slick Rick had awoke. He looked slightly alarmed a state I had never seen him in before and it almost gave me a chill which I assure it not an easy thing to do and then he told me he felt like someone had been fishing around inside his head and devouring his memories. Well so much for a relaxing day I thought as the others were awakened by my servants and I brought them up to speed. I informed them it had seemed that the hunt had already begun and I would be heading downstairs to consult with the gangsters downstairs and find the location of Fluky Luke who along with Smiling Ed who had mysteriously vanished and therefore been spared the fate of his friends might very well be our best chance to equip ourselves before the Starlords turned up the heat.

Dealing with and befriending the three gangsters along with my ability to read their minds made it a simple task indeed to acquire for them the best place to find Fluky Luke. It seemed on Berker Island he was sort of like their Chief of Police or something like that. I informed the others that our next stop might very well need to be the local Police Station since it was the best place to begin looking for Fluky Luke. I also had to find us a place where we would be shielded from the mental powers of the Starlord Commander at least until we had a chance to regroup and recharge our energy. I knew that the Mithral buildings which was an element that was in great supply on emerald seemed to block their ability to detect magical aura’s and the like but I knew of only one way to block psionic energy and that was lead. So as I headed back upstairs to confer with the others I realized that we might also have yet another possible ally for looking back Symerria had said when I first contacted her that she had been helped by a Moonbeast and if so perhaps he might have insight that might very well prove to be helpful since I knew the two races were enemies. After all “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” A quote from an obscure text my Mother used to read to me as a child. So of course we had options but time was not our friend and changes were on the way which after all was a good thing indeed.

Things were about to get really exciting on Emerald for Dragonfirre pretty soon not that they had been boring before but I was looking forward to it. We were closer to our goal of achieving the items needed to construct the Lightning Gun. We even had the Horn of Nodens as a fall back and it seemed even in dire emergencies the possible aid of a Divine Dark Drudical ally so we had options. When my dearly departed lover Nialla had been with us as well as Clean Eugene I had been trying to remain pure in my actions and thoughts. Well I had already seen that our enemies were under no such compulsion and I had a feeling it might take every Unseelie Sidhe trick I had ever seen or learned to stay ahead of the of the Starlords. I had a feeling I would soon be acquiring a lot more thrall to aid us in our mission. I also realized it was time that we perhaps reached out to possible allies that I had avoided before but now seemed the most logical choices. There were of course the Moonbeasts which I had a feeling would try and betray us at the first chance they had but they were no friends of the Starlords. Which would more than likely lead to the Mind Emperor supposedly a former Moonbeast who was rumored to rule over an army of ghouls or in reality cloned Hyborians. Now that leads to of course Garbage a group of supposedly powerful ghouls who were already if rumor was to be believed working towards the same goals Dragonfirre already sought. Which in turn I rationalized would lead to Queen B a possible Avatar of Bast and Hecate who it seemed was not on the side of the Dreaming God as well but perhaps seeking to pit each side against each other so in the end only those who served her would be on top. Not a bad idea really and of course that led back to the well informed reporter Nick Carter who worked for the Ajax Miltren press and had set us on this mission to begin with. Nick it seemed could be reached by his editor which might very well be our next stop for we need a Seer on our side. Which finally lead to the Seer I really wanted to see named Olga who it seemed was Nick Carter’s mysterious source. But first there would be Fluky Luke who if things had worked our well would be able to put us in contact with female Hyborian Spirit who had joined with Sneaky Pete who even if still decease I had hope that Vadania would soon return and we could raise him and perhaps bring her back into our sphere of influence once again. Lastly there was our ace in the hole the Great Race of Yith who were enemies of not only the Dreaming God but the Starlords, Red Menace and even the Mind Emperor who most recently had taken up residence inside Mongo. Either way Swami Donnie had said they had worked our an arrangement and I had a feeling once we found him they would be eager to give us access to their network for the small price of giving them a chance gain vengeance on the Dreaming God as well as the those who held members of their race captive. This was as a rule was why I had always believed that you should treat your Thralls with love and respect and if so they will love and respect you as opposed to be ready to rise up against you and the slightest provocation. After all it the best Thrall was one that served you and worshipped you of their own free will, well with the exception of those pesky Gnomes of course who were born to serve.

Of course the hardest task was not putting together my plan but making sure every member of Dragonfirre understood the plan and were prepared to do whatever it took to carry it out. Lucky Ron had said it best when he saw how the loss of Nialla and the Associate were affecting me in a moment of weakness. He had said “Before this mission is over I expect a lot of things to change even perhaps members of our team.” He had been right of course and had been reminding me of an Unseelie lesson without even realizing it. I had expected to be working much closer with him in the coming days for he had shown a devotion to the cause that had never wavered. Slick Rick I never doubted of course for I knew he was prepared to lay waste to his whole world if necessary to achieve our mission. He was my rock my foundation perhaps the last Druid and whole heartedly believed if not logically then emotional that he might very well find a way back to save Hyboria and rewrite history itself. I needed that kind of faith life and speaking of faith there was Vadania and she only had to continue to do her duty and continue to keep us alive and if she came around and loosened up a little so much the better. I also realized for yet another reason while I had believed Athena had blessed her with the knowledge and wisdom to aid us it seemed there were limits on what she had been able to foresee. We needed to bring her up to speed and fast before her attitude and worship of my cousin Symerria got her killed. So my awesome and provocative cousin Symerria and by the grace of Aphrodite was she blessed and sure my Mother as well as a few my Sisters were more beautiful if you could even use that word to describe such beauty which almost brought tears to one’s eyes was going to be I could tell a slight problem. I had seen it before I had liberated the Dust of Hermes she had been worried about the loss of life and even voted against it. Don’t even let me get started on her Vow of Poverty but the there was a bright side the Arch’s had indeed blessed and continued to bless her and we would need every advantage we could muster before we faced the Dreaming God as we dealt with its minions so I was willing to put up with her issues. Of course I could not worry about the moralistic Clean Eugene and Mickey the Torch and actually of felt it perhaps best if they were otherwise occupied since I felt they would have had issues with the direction we would soon be embarking on. I had always told Dragonfirre I always have a Plan well it looks like it’s become time to reveal that Plan and work the Plan. It was our time and by my divine patrons Aphrodite, Loki, Dionysus, Pan, and even Malcanthet under whom I had learned and studied it was time to open the Beguiler Black Book and let the show really begin. Before I was done Dragonfirre would turn Emerald inside out and all about and reveal to them what the Dreaming God is all about.

Chapter Thirty Nine : The Plan or The Great Escape

So how does one begin to plan a celebration for a long lost family member who had been presumed dead for over several millennia well that was my dilemma. Now of course was there anyone more deserving than Symerria the Half-Nymph daughter of the Nymph Aretusa sister of my Mother the Queen of the Summer Court Fey. Now perhaps there were a few temporal glitches that needed to be worked out since she somehow had received a secret coded message from my Mother informing me to still my emotions and think about my actions before I acted. It’s a good thing actually for otherwise I might not have been planning a celebration and perhaps more like a funeral. One might imagine how could I consider such an action against someone who was graced with such beauty, charm and grace that many supernatural beings like Succubi or Angels would be jealous well perhaps because I am biased. Since while I will not say I am not a Beauty mine has always been physical as well as mental on which had in the past set me ahead of my equally beautiful, charming and graceful seven sisters of which I rarely speak or for that much write. So perhaps having to always work harder to charm or beguile those that my sisters enthralled before they even opened their mouths or even took a seductive step was often annoying. I of course have course had long gotten over it but from an early age I learned that just because you were not the most beautiful did not mean you could not come home with the prize. Did that not mean I could not wait to throw Symerria down and pleasure her until I became the only woman she would ever truly desire well of course I did. Not that I would ever become jealous and I would expect her to have other lovers both male and female as I myself was accustomed but she would know who really desired and loved her. It might be an Aphrodite thing or any of my various bloodlines of which I shall not go into but Symerria after coming back to us into battle and death deserved as much fun, excitement, and pleasure as she could handle and if I had anything to say about it even more.

Speaking of a girl who is wound just way to tight would be no other then our Favored Soul Vadania favored of Athena. Which of course begged an important question the fate of our Gods which I knew were tied to us in more ways than one was the resurrection truly in our hands? Perhaps so I knew the Arch’s and the Duke’s of Hell were concerned about our success we even had a few champions of the Gods themselves among our number. While I served Aphrodite who had come before them all not Gaia of course but one born of her in a roundabout sense being birthed fully grown with mastery of all her abilities when Uranus was castrated by Cronus when he had overthrown his Father before he himself was overthrown in a similar fashion by Zeus. So yeah Aphrodite had been around far longer than the current Deities that Vadania served and somehow she chose the youngest Athena to identify with the most go figure. Either way she was in reality a natural conduit that could eventually be channeled to bring about the full restoration of their power. Don’t get me wrong the whole selfless sacrifice that Vadania constantly displays has actually endeared her to my heart but seriously with Nialla gone off to the Hells taking the scrolls of life with her I needed to find a way to transfer Vadania’s power over life and death into a form that could be used to resurrect her when the day came that her actions brought her injuries beyond my ability to heal and she was gone perhaps forever. She seemed so sheltered and alone and I could tell the path of the Favored Soul had been hard on her no doubt leading her to a solitary existence away from Elven or even Fey influence. Truly sad for that meant she had never known love or ever felt free to express her desires and held on to an ideal of love that might be impossible for any man or woman ever live up to. Not that I ever doubted my ability to seduce her if the need ever arose but I was not looking for another thrall but instead a friend and perhaps even a lover which were of course the best kind.

So where did that leave my deluded and highly moral Mickey the Torch or in reality Erik who had been mutated by the foulness of the Mythos Lair. Well it left him invisible and beyond my ability to reach for where once he had been not only charismatic and handsome his appearance was not by the standard of many hideous. Don’t get me wrong a lover of mine in the past had often assumed the form of a Mind Flayer whose tentacles had brought me such joy that even to this day thinking about brings flutters through my entire body. This was different his skin his face even entire body was now strange and alien.

So alright enough fluff and time to get on with the situation that we really needed to resolve on what we call perhaps Hyboria Island. I know with my cousin Symerria around I may not be the greatest beauty but my brain and intellect which far outshines every member of Dragonfirre seemed once again to come into question. I will try not to blame my companions and friends because the truth is they really can’t keep up with every variable that I have calculated and deduced long before they have even come up with it. In the end my belief that one of the valuable items we had needed to complete our quest was indeed the anchor that was holding Hyboria Island within its interdimensional space turned out to be correct. It would seem that the drastic change which had already been foreseen was indeed to come to pass. What I had thought would start off quick enough after an unnecessary debate and delay I had liberate two vials of Baneful Dust of Hermes. This of course was the catalyst that lead to Hyboria Island instantly dimensionally shifting to Emerald. There was of course some drama before we had shadow walked to pick up our Organization Agents and after which eventually lead to a dimensional shifting conflict in space aboard a Starlord Space Vessel in orbit of Emerald. Of course it did not help that I already expended a great deal of magical energy and somehow our actions according to some prophecy had turned us into the Chased as opposed to the Hunters. The bright side we had arrived at one of the places I had wanted to be in space aboard Starlord spacecraft things could only look up as you shall see.

I had thought our acquisition of the final pieces on our list to be obtained with the former Red King mansion which turned out to be two vials of the Baneful Dust of Hermes would be acquired without so much debate and anguish from Dragonfirre. Wow was I wrong for in front of us once we had transverse to the end of the twisting dark cavern lay a earthen five feet by five cube that was floating in the air which of course emanated artifact level magic. I of course had already deduced that what we sought was inside and that its removal from the cube might very well lead to a dimensional shift which might very well hurl Hyboria Island into the dimension of Emerald. Now some might have said how I could have put such a thought together of how could I have deduced that there was a plan in place to cover it well there were many subtle clues. I had even informed the Duke of Winter that it might very well happen and to be prepared just in case. Of course where the Island had arrived on the world had been a mystery and of course the global geological effects that were to occur had been more far reaching that I would have expected but then again my Mother always said you can’t have your omelet unless the servants break a few eggs so there you had it. So ok while I will have to admit the confidence that Lucky Ron showed in me will always be appreciated the downright hostility displayed by Symerria and the utter dismay of Vadania were just on the verge of being overdone. Even Slick Rick while he agreed that we needed to proceed had seemed to have a moment of doubt. It had all started because I did not just recover the two vials within the earthen seal and let the others think about it for a moment or two actually like fifteen minutes but who was counting. Symerria had used her Incantrix ability to perceive into the Ethereal Plane and from there she was able to observe two vials that seemed to be sustaining or powering a magical matrix. Meanwhile since Vadania was helpless with divination Slick Rick had performed a natural right that spoke of earthquakes and floods if we were to disrupt the magical balance within the cube. Vadania and I had both deduced that we were dealing with vials of the Baneful Dust of Hermes which of course set off Vadania who it seemed was more in the dark about our mission then I had realized. Even Slick Rick held onto the belief that we might be able to go back in time and restore Hyboria a belief I did not share but then again his faith was stronger than mine and I would support him if he believed he was being guided in a direction that would make his dream a reality. Vadania had started to rant and rave about disturbing the resting place Hermes and while Slick Rick and Lucky Ron had tried to calm her their pleas fell on deaf ears. I on the other had just ignored her for she was only once again showing her lack of awareness and intelligence of which I knew she possessed but it seemed her sheltered life had stunted her emotional and intellectual growth a pity really. Symerria in her own rant while not saying she would try and stop me had continued to make a case to leave the cube alone as removing the jars could disrupt the order of this plane and endanger the lives of the inhabitants of Hyboria Island when perhaps another way could be found. She had even called me foolish which even coming from a mouth as beautiful as hers had stung me I mean really who she that she thought she could to speak to me that way. She had apologized but had told me she had needed to say what she said in order to make sure she was getting my attention. I relented slightly and even had cast a divination spell to allow me to pierce the Ethereal Plane and what I had seen was miraculous for what I had perceived first was of course absolute proof of the Baneful Dust of Hermes but also a magical matrix that stretched away in every possible direction that resembled and anchor of sorts so entranced was I for a moment that I had started to move back upstairs to see if it did indeed reach to the sky. As I had arrived and looked out the window it did indeed and of course the front door was open yet again and since I was unable to feel the minds of the Count’s made men I had withdrawn back downstairs. I let the others know about my deduction and about the open door and Lucky Ron stepped away to investigate. Vadania had stepped over the cube as if to try and move it physically and Slick Rick had given it a better look and informed us that it was a cube composed of almost every natural element. In the end I even pulled the Lamp which had taken on a darker look and the answers it gave I felt were indeed warped by our environment which caused me to not consider it advice to of course claim the two vials within the cube. I guess there was never really ever a doubt what was going to happen for in the end I summoned a Shadow Earth Elemental which charmed with my Fey gifts just as an extra measure and had it step through the earthen cube and bring me the two vials and instantly just like that things changed. Of course there was the sudden quake but then my Elemental suddenly appeared normal and Slick Rick had said we were back on Emerald and that we needed to exit the cave for soon it might collapse or flood.

We made our way upstairs and it was daylight and we could seem a great deal of commotion outside as it had just went from being almost sundown to at least midday which I am sure had thrown the Counts made men for a loop or two. As they ran around in dismay and chaos I informed the others that it was time to enter the Plane of Shadow and travel to Winter to recover our companions. I had summoned a force cage to surround the two vials of Baneful Dust which actually had names on each jar one being the Horse of Apollo and the other being the Eye of Medusa and mentally sealed it with the command word dolphin and passed the vials to Lucky Ron to keep in his magical haversack. The vials would be protected for twelve days which I knew was the best I could do for the moment as I had then told everyone to prepare themselves for the Plane of Shadow. This was to be my first return to my third home in what had in reality been decades since my last trip with my Mother when she had spent months teaching me how to navigate and understand my shadow abilities which of course paled in comparison to her own but still I had felt at home and for the brief few minutes we had spent travelling to Winter to reclaim our missing Organization Associates my already flaring temper had due to the influence of the Plane of Shadow cooled. We arrived and of course we were around three hundred feet off course for even with my gifts the transition back to the Prime Material Plane sporadic. I had begun scanning around looking for a telepathic Brownie as had Lucky Ron and soon we were able to not only pick up our men but see to it that the Duke and his Gold Dragon Sherriff would receive the message that what we had discussed had indeed come to pass. The others had felt the need for me to instill a greater sense of urgency when I truly felt as I had tried to explain before but which I was sure had fell on deaf ears the seers and prophets of this Island had to be expected this one day. Of course they were but at the time I did not yet have proof on my deductions and my own belief so I suppose I could understand their stress and dismay. We had not delayed long and moments after we had arrived I made sure Swami Donnie had brought his men up to speed about what they were to witness and that they would remain calm and then cast the shadow walk spell to allow us to once again enter the Plane of Shadow were every minute we spent travelling we could transverse just a little less than a mile or actually point eighty three percent of a mile ever sixty seconds to be exact. I had intended to spend some quality time with my Red King thrall or even take him with us with us but sadly twelve was my limit and I had already reached it. We had been discussing travelling to the Elder Thing shop and acquiring a few crystals but I felt our priority needed to be to check with the High Priest of Nodens who I was sure could fill us in on their plan to deal with the coming disaster and perhaps a few clues for our future.

Minutes later after another comforting well at least for me for I could tell the all consuming twilight of the Plane of Shadow was taking its toll on Slick Rick the most and the others to a lesser extent we arrived in Ringtown around three hundred feet from the main Nodens temple complex. As we had approached it seemed the day was indeed a good day for the faith for the complex was surrounded. We used our natural charisma to make our way to our contact at the front of the complex and within moments stood before the High Priest. She had been surrounded of course but upon seeing we had ushered those attending her aside and with her leave I placed her into my telepathic link. I had informed her quickly of what had happened and she was able to deal with it as I expected a High Priest should and I was able to find out that she had indeed been expecting this day and that a plan to save Hyboria Island was already in place. Perhaps I might have forgotten to mention that Slick Rich had actually said that the entire Island might sink over four inches into the ocean well in reality it was more like six miles but who was counting. Slick Rick had wanted more details and I had informed him that as I had anticipated a plan was in place. At which point he had told me to shut up and while I had looked at him with awe I had merely said “Really” and he had replied “Really”. At which point I had shut up for Slick Rick I had appointed to be my spiritual guide and while I will admit I was furious for it only made me realize just for my intellect exceeded my companions I had relented and faded from view allowing the shadows to claim me but I kept the telepathic link active. The High Priest had off course answered Slick Ricks inquiry into their plan and told them that they had for as far back as she could remember had a plan to save the island and the Islands powers that be would in effect raise the entire Island above sea level. Now she had of course included they had no warning about being sent to another reality and I had of course informed her of the factions and powers that be so she could inform the others. I had realized a few important things at that moment our clock had just accelerated for now there was an entire new Island of Hyborians ripe for the plucking and history had already shown that they would not fare well. I had also concluded that raising the Island while it would preserve the Island which it seemed as Swami Donnie and Slick Rick were able to confirm now rested four hundred miles north of the lands we had already explored and come to know it would also cause a natural disaster the likes of which the world had never seen before. Last but not least and I was glad to see that Lucky Ron was thinking along the same lines if no one else noticed the arrival of a new Island then the Starlords in space were bound to notice when a giant blip just appeared on their screens. So when I had asked her for it seemed as we had now been more successful than any of our previous temporal incarnations in the past if the prophecies offered her any advice she could bequeath upon us. I had not really been surprised but of course it’s always good to hear when you deduction prove to be correct for she basically told us that while in the past we could have been considered the Hunters we could now until we found a way to change it due to our actions be considered the Chased.

We had not delayed much after that since staying put only raised the chances of us being caught and the Elder Thing Crystals would just have to wait. I realized what would come next would be just a little complicated for we would need to travel four hundred miles of mostly ocean to arrive at the northern tip of Phaedra Farms at the very least. I took a moment to consider the eight hour travel time as well as how we would cross the Shadow Ocean when we came to it and realized we would need a barge. I had explained to the others what I had meant for the Shadow Plane while quite variable mimicked the terrain of the surrounding environment to a great degree. So while I had no doubt that Slick Rick and I could have made the swim I had my doubts about the others hence the need to acquire a boat or a barge. Of course the city was in a complete upheaval but after a few moments we located a young man who could rent us a barge which I of course chose to buy as we would not be returning it. After working on haggling which I soon realized was useless since the price from his own mind was one hundred and fifty gold. I found he was willing to settle for one hundred and forty five at best, for he would have been responsible for the remaining cost either way. The others had seemed concerned over how he had wanted to know what we offered and while I had opened with an offer of one hundred gold which had been turned down due to the cost difference of our currency it actually ended up being exactly what I had expected to pay and after summoning my shadow servants fifteen to be exact who then picked up the barge we were almost ready to go. We had travelled outside of town as everyone who was anyone seemed to be intent on heading into town since after all around ninety percent of the Islands population lived there it did not take long to find a secluded shadowy forest locale for me to cast my third shadow walk spell and our journey could begin. One might ask if I felt bad for the servants who I had tasked to carry the barge and who would later be manning the oars well of course not for I am royalty after all and that’s what servants are for after all at least I did not have the Organization Agents doing the work.

I had believed that at the most during our extended journey we would at best encounter a resident of the Plane of Shadow with whom I would have been able to negotiate what actually happened surprised me. Don’t get me wrong we had traveled over a third of the way which equated to around one hundred and fifty miles and were making our way on the ocean with my servants manning the oars. During that time I could tell the darkness had stilled the others my mind had wandered back to conversations that while of little import at the time led me to believe could pose a problem in the near future. First off had been Symerria and her Vow of Poverty which would cause issues with almost all of the cloths I had already made for her the day before. Of course if she wore nothing at all that would have been fine with me and in the darkness where only I could see I had spent a great deal of time staring at her beautiful body while none of the others could witness my state of lust. I had even offered to allow her to use my Hat of Mystery which she of course she had turned down due to the constraints of her Vow and I realized I would have to settle for an illusion once we arrived on the continent for it seemed she could only wear what a commoner could wear and I figured I would set her up with Ves acolyte gear. Meanwhile Vadania was able to alter her armor as Lucky Ron had show her with the aid of a Hat of Disguise to resemble the gangster garb we had all changed into and she only needed tie her weapons and place them within her haversack and her transformation had been complete. She had even gone on to explain to Swami Donnie in detail the limitations on her ability to raise his fallen comrades. Worth nothing of course but it made me even more aware of the need and the sacrifice we might all need to make to help her create a Scroll or two with the raise dead miracle inscribed upon it you know just in case. I will admit I also found that I had been wise while I will admit it had been hard to bit my tongue and not explode at Slick Rick he had confided to me thru the private mindlink I maintain with him something that truly even on the Plane of Shadow warmed my heart. He had apologized to me for snapping at me and informed me with his wisdom as a guide that I needed to remember that sometimes my intellect put be far ahead of them and that I would help if I remembered that often they needed time to catch up. I had of course thanked him and I informed him that I would do my best to keep him and the others better informed so that they could keep up with me. For a while there I actually thought we might be in the clear but of course during the third hour something unexpected happened one moment we were on the Plane of Shadow and the next were in a white sealed prison and don’t let me forget to mention there was not air inside.

Alright I was just a little upset for what had just happened should have been impossible perhaps only within the powers of a God. I mean really were in an entirely different dimension and somehow something had not only locked on to us but had also transported us to who knew where. Now of course sadly I still have one major weakness I still need to breath and so I summoned a Shadow Air elemental that could sacrifice itself to give us air to breath until I could work our current situation. I of course first tried the most direct route and cast another shadow walk spell for I figured wherever we were I could get us back to the Plane of Shadow and work things out from there. Of course it was blocked and it had the distinctive feel of Mythos Magic which of course then caused me to ask Vadania for my spellstaff back or I did not plan to cast my last sixth circle spell unless I absolutely had to and I had placed that very spell within my staff. I could increase my spells more in a pinch but I really would prefer not to have to drug myself and deal with the massive side effects afterward. Now before I could enter into a state of concentration to release the magic within the spellstaff I expanded my senses and found outside the chamber which imprisoned us three minds but not just any minds Starlord minds and I realized they were also telepathic. I informed the others and simply telepathically let them know that we were inside and if they could let us out so we could talk. I know pretty smooth and soon as I let my mind register the other minds around us I found at least twenty one of which one seemed to be some kind of aberration. I began to concoct a tale to tell them as the first thing once they had lowered the walls was how we had ended up in the rift from which they had just scooped us. The three Starlords wore silver metallic outfits and wore belts similar to the one I had seen before an impressive Psion who had run an Apex Science Center and I derived that they would have some kind of personal shields. I scanned their minds and I was able to determine from their surface thoughts that they were not able to read my mind in turn so I will admit I got a little cocky. Perhaps I should have stuck with the tale of finding my spellstaff and that it had led us to the rift from where they had detected us and scooped us. But no Miss know it all Beauty the Brain had to have it all for while I had a feeling that we were now in space and I needed to prove it. I had taken the high road and informed them that I knew we were in space and were actually undercover agents sent to investigate their actions. Of course I had trusted my eloquent persuasive skills to cover almost anything I said and make it believable but it seemed that the Starlords were actually up to no good and I had in reality instead of building confidence I had instead instilled fear which caused them to attack in order to silence us and protect their mission.

Well Lucky Ron was expecting them to attack at any moment and seemed ready for them and while I was also ready I was upset that of course they had to be part of some sinister plot against their own kind. Of course the Starlord pulled wrist blasters and called for backup. Did I forget to mention that their scooping station was location in the middle of their ship in the center which placed four entrances from which they could call those said reinforcements to surround us. A fierce melee soon began with many of our Organization Agents taking the brunt of the onslaught. There were of course a few hectic moments where Hawkeye Allen’s misfire took down Diamond Jim and even Gizmo Dent fumbled a grenade which dropped and detonated at our feet which caught me as well. Lucky Ron had advanced into their ranks and with his sword and the arcane force magic of Symerria one of the Starlords went down. I had faded from view, cast a haste and was busy using my blessed bandages to stabilize or Organization Agents as they began to succumb to the increasing blaster fire. I had even summoned my Fey Knight to attempt to hold them back but their shields made their attacks almost useless and since they had no minds which caused them to ignore them. Slick Rick had transformed and was holding one entrance and I had no choice but the cast a shadow wall of ice to block another entrance which left of course two entrances clear. I could sense an odd sensation from Vadania and I had a feeling we might be losing her to whatever realm our Dragonfirre members went when they were called away. Swami Donnie had been busy at my instruction scanning our surroundings trying to get a handle on how he might take control of the ship while I was considering how we might escape back to the Plane of Shadow just in case. To be honest the concept of capturing one of the Starlord spacecraft really turned me on but not if it meant the loss of life of members of Dragonfirre or the Organization. I was not worried for I knew I had a few more moves to play but I was not liking my options but I had no choice but to play the cards I had been dealt and with Lucky Ron still standing I figured might as well go for broke.


I will not attempt to deduce the powers of the Starlord Tech and only say the most important part when am I going to get my hands on some of it. It’s no wonder that Hyboria fell after a prolonged battle for if their technology can bridge the Planes of Existence then not matter what happens to the Dreaming God the Starlords are still going to be a problem. For while I had already been formulating a plan to sneak into their spaceport and perhaps commandeer a spacecraft since I have know of the technology since my first encounter with the Moonbeast I had placed those thoughts in the back of my mind in the belief that for the most part we had little to be concerned regarding the Starlords. Perhaps exactly what many Hyborians who perished might have also believed but I could see the silver lining in our transport aboard one of their vessels. We were in a position to seize one of their ships or at the very least we had gained confirmation of their ships in orbit. Of course I would much have much preferred to be sharing a little quality time with Symerria, Lucky Ron and a few of the Organization Agents but alas it seemed that once again Emerald had other plans for us. Well alright I was still a little upset with the outbursts of Symerria and Vadania but I have always found a little pleasure goes really far in my book to heal all wounds. I of course had a number options left either to flood the entire ship with water, perhaps breech the hull and see how well the Starlords did without an air supply or perhaps my favorite and of course the most dangerous find the leader of the ship charm him and have him call off the entire attack. Every option I knew was bold and I even had a few more dangerous options it had thought up but each of them would have called for me sacrificing either members of Dragonfirre or Organization Agents so I shall not even place those ideas in this record. Suffice to say Dragonfirre the Organization Agents and I were in the thick of it again and would I really want it any other way for without peril can one really ever appreciate pleasure by the savage Ares or for the love of Aphrodite I really doubt it.