Chapter Nine : Mercy Is Not Only For the Weak

Well it would seem that I may have misjudged Shiron for while I had let myself believe that he was merciless as it turned out he was full of mercy or so it might seem. So while our journey had many spills and chills and even an appearance by our Priest of the Pantheon Null. During which time we managed to travel from our newly constructed base to several exotic locales which of course lead to Shiron showing mercy and myself being glad for it. Since finally I was able to find two native gangster thugs with which to work off a little of the anxiety that enabled me to relax and focus more on the task at hand as well as help open future areas of opportunity. In addition to gaining some solid leads on the artifacts needed to construct the Lightning Gun as well as making plans to destroy a Glaaki which turned out to be a fancy name for a spawn of Cthulhu so far the day was turning out to quite exciting but I get ahead of myself so I will cover the specifics for prosperity as well as accuracy.

So there we were at our current residence care of Victor known as Big Vic the Gangster Boss still and I was still recovering from the departure of the Moonbeast Commander when all of a sudden Null our Priest of the Pantheon was suddenly standing before us in his gleaming full plate armor. Well of course it seemed that he had lost his memory it seemed that the Realm within the Stone was not agreeing with him. It was strange for while we talked Smiling Ed had knocked on the door and said that he had returned and was ready to depart. I told him we were changing and would be out in a moment. Meanwhile Null was being difficult about losing the full plate and trying to figure out what was going on and Nialla decided to leave us behind and exit our residence and join Smiling Ed in the waiting car outside. Which left me a little sad that she had left me as well as a little mad at Null our Pantheon Priest who was keeping me from Nialla. So since I do consider myself well mannered I concealed my contempt for Null and assisted him with the cloths I had already picked out for him while Buerick showed him how to return his full plate armor to the Realm within the Stone. So it was that ended up sitting with the others in the back of the car while Erik had squeezed into the front with Nialla and Smiling Ed just my luck to be stuck in back with the stick in the mud crew. I did notice that we did indeed head out of the Hub controlled area and moved into the Ves controlled area and I could see the biggest structure I have seen on this world today the Ves Beach Government Center. Which was no doubt soon to be area where we were to be making our next residence since if the Moonbeast Commander was correct then in anytime now the Scientist that Big Vic thought was loyal to him would betray him and right after that his right and left hand men within the week. These thought occupied my mind as we pulled right into what I found out was a warehouse where cloths were delivered before they were shipped out to local shops. It seemed that Smiling Ed had an arrangement with the operators of the warehouse and he felt he could trust them to not reveal that we had arrived in Hub attire. Which was fine by me and after a short facilities break I had cast a detect thoughts spell and I was able to read the minds of the male and female attendants who were assisting us with our clothing needs and I was able to discern that there were actually a number of different styles. I had needed to do this for while there were plenty of cloths there were no models around to show me how they were expected to fit together. So I ended up with ten new sets of cloths three Central City style including one religious, two Hub style one being religious, three Ves style one of course being religious and two neutral just in case and yes one religious. I made sure everyone else was equally prepared if they wished and I was impressed that Shiron had once again proved to me the while not the most attractive or debonair he did not seem the little things which I had to admit was starting to earn him points in my book. Morgan on the other had had chosen colors that would make sure he would stand out and Nialla allowed me to assist her in choosing matching attire to my own I would have to say about half as much actually. I noticed that Smiling Ed had returned it seemed that he had slipped away while we were shopping and told us that he needed to make a stop on the way back or he could drop us off first. As I suspected Big Vic had called him and told him to stop by a nearby building and consult with the Scientist he had on retainer concerning the frozen Hyborian woman. Right on time as I had expected and as everyone seemed to be on the same page after I reminded them about the situation we were heading into meaning the Scientist planning to pull a fast one on Big Vic and we were heading right into it. I figured I might as well help get everyone prepared to be honest I had in my mind a plan to enable us to take out our adversaries which would have lead to if all went well a few deaths none on our side of course and perhaps a few useful pawns acquired from those who were planning the ambush. I also figured I would be able to gain information on the Fascists who could set us on the path to the parts needed to assemble the Lightning Gun. So while in the car I asked my friends after casting mage armor upon myself if they wished to be shielded before the coming battle. I had spoken to Nialla first and she seemed to not understand me at first but I told her my spell would help protect her and I cast mage armor on her as well. I followed up with Morgan and everyone else with the exception of Erik since if he decided to not tell me what he was capable of then he was on his own as it seemed he preferred. Looking back perhaps in the future I will need to inform my friends of how the mixed gang members we were soon to face were in reality putty in our hands but I will have to give it some thought I guess.

We arrived in our slow moving vehicle at the location where we were to meet the Scientist and as I expected we entered thru a rear entrance off what I have learned was called an alley. Once we arrived we entered an elevator large enough to fit our entire car and Nialla was able to figure out the controls and soon we were rising and soon we were pulling out into a large darkened space. I will admit was a little surprised when both Morgan and Shiron tumbled out of either side of Smiling Ed’s care Morgan nimble as ever and Shiron did not embarrass himself by any means. As Smiling Ed stopped the car and seemed to be concerned that the place seemed deserted Morgan took the shadows as I had expected I had hoped to use the time to regroup and relate to everyone my plan but Null chose that moment to exit the car and cast the daylight prayer which caused the darkened room to light up as if we were standing outside in the well daylight. We could now see some distance from the car two doors about twenty feet apart and Morgan as well now since there were no longer any shadows within which to conceal himself. Erik chose the nearest closed door to approach and attempted to kick it in which while I had noticed the door opened the other way and would have been quite impressive failed and I figured had now if the light had not then the attack on the door had no doubt warned our ambush on the other side. Morgan being as bold as he is nimble walked toward the door and opened it inward towards us and moments later threw himself to the ground and yelled “Everyone Down Now!” and what proceeded was a melee that ended almost before it even had a chance to begin. For while I cast improved invisibility upon myself and vanished and moved back since really did anyone really think I was going to get myself caught in a combat before I was ready I did not care what Null, Erik or ever Morgan had to say but I was going to make sure that either they were going down either because they had hopefully surrendered or had all been laid to rest. While I could describe what happened perhaps in more detail the fact that when we seemed to have gained the advantage Shiron decided to become diplomatic instead of merciless which actually surprised me to silence. Now it should be noticed by this time I had already cast a haste spell which had doubled my ally’s abilities while Null had even summoned a Fire Elemental and Erik had breathed a cone of fire which somehow had caught Morgan but that is another matter I will be taking up with Erik in the future. Nialla on the other hand had decided to use the gas grenade she had found instead of resorting to her eldritch blasts. For what it was worth there were sixteen of them each one armed to the teeth and seemed more than willing to shoot first and ask questions later well right up until the point that the fire had showed up and they had threatened to start using grenades. Well as I was not going to reveal myself Shiron took the lead and negotiated a cease fire during which time I had failed to charm their leader named Max twice but I had succeeded in charming two quite attractive gang members named Al and Jeff. I of course was busy doing all of this while Shiron managed to find out that the group we were dealing with had already gotten rid of the Scientist and planned to deliver the Hyborian in the ice to a Fascist who went by the name Fearless Leader or Heinrich. I decided to not reveal too much and used my time to move back to the car where I found Smiling Ed under the car and seeming scared out of his mind. I appeared near him in the shadows and I told him not to worry and that we had everything in hand or soon would but to stay here for now unless I called him and he nodded and I rose from the under the car to join my companions. As Shiron and Max were coming to terms with how we would be escorting them to their drop off location and then leaving them do what the wished afterward since it seemed they had three trucks downstairs. While I walked toward the others using my most seductive approach which I knew would be driving the other men wild even if they were not charmed I motioned to my two charmed pawns to approach me and of course they left their friends to join me since for while it lasted I was now their best friend. I had learned long ago that the key to a good charm or con was using my beguiling talents and to treat those you charm as the friends they believe themselves to be. So while for now they would take any risk to protect me if the need arose even when my charm wore off in several hours our bond would still remain one of friendship and I would still be able to count on limited help and assistance which was exactly how I wanted to work. So while my two men were eating of the palm of my hand I used the time to pump them for information and it seemed that they were all Mob as they were called but part of four different gangs. It seemed they were each on loan from different gangs to Max and his boss who they seemed not to know for another week or so. They also gave me a card and a contact to a woman named Trish who seemed to run a fem gang called the Party Girls who seemed to be always being on the look for talent they were sure would find me interesting. I also asked them for their numbers since I told them I was only freelancing myself and on loan to this band of rebels for a short time since I was in debt to Nialla as I pointed to her who I told them was the real brains behind the operation and soon I would be on my own again and I would definitely want to look them both up. They of course each gave me cards with numbers on them and I told then each when I called I would use the name Faith. I looked back and I could seem that the arrangements were almost set and we were pairing off into groups. So I checked with my two boys about what had happened to the Scientist and his notes they told me that he thought he had made a good deal but they told me with him out of the picture the everyone’s cut was improved. They also shared that Max’s second in command Dave had the notes and had been busy making copies. I pointed to one of the trucks and told Al and Jeff to secure the middle truck with two of their friends in the front whom my associate Morgan would ride with while my mistress Nialla would join us in the back and asked them how long of a ride were we in for and they told me forty five minutes. Part of me was pained that we would have to wait so long to reach our destination but another part of me hungered for something that all of my friends seemed to be able to do perfectly without. So as I left Jeff and Al to make the arrangements as I finally joined Shiron and Max to finish business and too of course fill in Nialla. I made a long story short and after speaking with Max and then Dave I acquired a copy of the Scientists notes and I escorted Nialla back to the truck that was waiting for us. I told her I had acquired two pawns and I would no doubt be having a little fun and she was more than welcome to join or watch and while she allowed me to drag her along and by all of the gods was he skin smooth I was almost ecstatic that I was soon going to finally get some relief and within ten feet of two of the people that I loved. I took another moment to motion to Smiling Ed to come to me and I quickly brought him up to speed and I asked him if he would be able to follow up and he said if they towed him and I told him no. I looked to him could you find another vehicle with which you could tail us and get a message back to Big Vic as well and he looked to me with a smile understanding what I meant and said “It will be child’s play” and was off. So while Morgan rode in the front of the truck and Nialla watched and I could tell she more than a little excited and of course after inserting my masterwork Diaphragm and applying a dose from my Pessary vial within my shall I call it my nether region I was about as safe as I could be from accidental pregnancy. While I was sure I could count on my Priest of the Pantheon since he had to have a little Pan and Dionysus in there somewhere and could perform and abort prayer if necessary I am if nothing else always careful. My performance was of course memorable and while I will admit my skill is nowhere near a match for my Mothers prowess Jeff and Al will be remembering me in their dreams for the rest of their lives. While for myself they were able to keep up with me and the thirty minutes we shared I had to admit that Jeffery was great while Allan was routine but between the two of them and having Nialla and Morgan so close the added thrill brought me to the release and satisfaction that I had been looking for since I first arrived on Emerald and had touched the Stone of Tongues. I spent the rest of my time cuddling with them and getting myself and them cleaned up so that while they would be free to tell others of their exploits they would not be obvious to any who had not seen us inside. So as we arrived it was as if we had spend a pleasant trip inside the truck talking and learning more about the world which in truth we had.

We had arrived at an expansive mansion and Max’s crew had unloaded the cargo which was our fellow Hyborian and departed. We had been led to Fearless Leader and had begun our discourse with him regarding why he had gone to so much trouble to acquire the woman within the block of ice. He wore an exotic hat and seemed to have a magical staff that he seemed to be carrying. I will have to jump ahead for what I was soon to learn both from his thoughts and from his words and once I put together everything I had already learned from the Moonbeasts and bits and pieces gleamed from the others I began to come to a conclusion that almost broke even my calm but I endeavor to relay my revelation in a fashion that will reveal just how we seem to have been used by our very own Gods to save them. So back to why Fearless Leader who it seemed was hunting a creature and planned to use the Hyborian in the ice as a lure and planned to fill her body with poison and explosives to get his point across. To be honest he seemed to be one of those types who has a lot of influence but actually very little personal power and I decided to put it the test so while he had began to discuss how he might be willing to trade us the women in the ice if we captured some creature for him. I realized it was time to use the facilities to not only finish cleaning up but to also cast another detect thoughts to find out if his body and mind were weak enough for me to probe. As it turned out when I returned I found out that his mind was mine and while he talked and even eventually showed us a picture of the creature he aimed to send us against it turned out to be a Glaaki the very creature the Moonbeast Commander had warned us about. I asked Scrounger what he thought of the creature which seemed to possess long tentacles and the ability to animate the dead and Scrounger made a point to let us know that they were dangerous and in no uncertain terms did he willingly want to be anywhere near one. I was also able to gleam that Leader seemed to have a little alien zoo of sorts and he had all kinds of captured specimens including Migo, Gith, an Ancient One and even one strange race that did not seem to want to translate from within his mind. He also went into detail on how he doubted that the women in the ice was real since she had been found before and even cataloged and as far as their science could tell she found at least three different times and she looked like a Cleric of the Fates. To top it off there seemed to be two hundred and eighty eight cataloged (#288) and they been showing up for the last several years and they all seemed to be thousands (#1000’s) of years old. So it was about then that my mind which I was aware had already expanded was working on something else to prevent me from drawing together the pieces of the puzzle that were being revealed to me. For back to Leader it seemed that the item he was looking for was the Lamp of Al-Hazred which seemed to be in the clutches of the Glaaki which in turn was the item that the Moonbeast Commander said would help lead us to the other items that we were seeking. From his mind and prodding I was able to determine that someone else another Fascist like himself actually an entire group had some plan to use the Lamp along with a number of other items they seemed to have already collected to use the Lightning Gun to blast the Dreaming God off his throne beyond the shelf and rule from it. Leader then went on to elaborate that when he found out the throne was underwater he had figured it was doomed since how were they to get down there kill the Dreaming God and then somehow rule from its underwater throne. It actually made kind of sense to me for if it was underwater the question that everyone seemed to not be asking was if it could rise to the surface but I figured I would put that thought to the back of my mind for now and focus on the now instead. He had said that they had a list of things they were looking for but he had never really paid much attention to it and I was able to pull form his mind the location of their former base which seemed to be a very nice office building in where else but the location that the Moonbeast Commander had said we would need to go to remain ahead of those trying to catch up to us Ves Beach. I had inquired how he had know they were all dead and he in both word and by reading his mind I was able to gather that Captain Gar had rented them a boat and when they failed to return he went looking them since it was quite the valuable boat and all he found after tracking their course which they had logged was wreckage. Well while all of this was going on Leader had continued to explain the difficulties he been having in the past dealing with the Glaaki and Null decided to perform a prayer right in his presence which caused him to try to activate his staff and he was quickly halted and that in turn lead to me using a cover story for Null. Since I had little to work with I went with the whole he was Rebel Hub and Shiron had found him after he had lost his memory and since then he had been serving him. Now this lead to another topic which was of course also related for I could tell while he bought my story since I could of course read his mind he believed we were crazy to tempt the Hub in the fashion that we were. For he then related the Hub mottos to us “We Leave No One Behind” and “No One Escapes The Red Menace” and he continued to relate how a Red Menace operative had fallen or been dropped into the sewers of Summit you take your pick and had been snatched by the Glaaki and using their magic they were able to repel it and rescue their man. So while he was unaware of what magic had proved to be so effective the fact that it had been repelled by magic was an important piece of information to possess. So while I could tell since he wanted us to succeed he was not likely to report us to the Hub but after our business was concluded I could tell all bets might be off. I was glad when I looked back to the street and I was able to spot Smiling Ed in a flash new vehicle and I had to admit even if the Moonbeast had told us so the kid was starting to grow on me. So after giving Leader a password to give to his contact in Summit of Dove we took possession of the Hyborian Priestess as she was know and I was amazed just how fascinated Erik was over her Amulet he had even went so far as to knock the statue over once and Nialla almost burned it open before I could stop her which even Leader was opposed to since he told us the stench would ruin the entire area. I knew what would happen next I would be heading out to the street to contact Smiling Ed for while I had bluffed Leader in to believing we knew our way around Summit which we knew was Hub territory I had no real intention of actually going there we had other leads to follow.

Now speaking of conclusions my genius mind was now ready to allow me to face a very possible reality. I had just learned that several identical versions of the Hyborians had been found which made sense if there was some kind of multiple time ripple thing going on. I had also just found out that the other Hyborians had been dated and each seemed to be thousands of years old (#1000’s). I had been told by many of my friends who had it seemed paid attention that this was a one way trip. I also remember on the journey here hearing about and while I had only seen one body I now believe there were many bodies in the water two hundred and eighty eight to be exact (#288). I also believe instead of perhaps traveling thru a portal we were actually travelling thru time and perhaps also dimension and that only the space mead saved us from suffering the fate of the other Hyborians frozen in ice. So perhaps the only way to send us to this world to save it was the way I just surmised and perhaps as Morgan the Iron Willed believes we may be able to find the device they are using to travel back in time and use it to return if our world unless of course without another dose of space we might very well crumble to dust. Well putting the morbid aside I was otherwise still feeling great and while to some my revelation might seem morbid I had to admit I was getting used to this world now I just needed to find some history books and find out if my theory had more basis in fact and until then there was plenty to keep me busy what with the Lightning Gun, the Lamp of Al-Hazred, and my friends both old and new I was sure they would keep this mission interesting while at the same time staying one step ahead of the Psions, Hub, Ves and whoever else decided they might want a piece of me I mean who can blame them by Aphrodite I am irresistible after all so how can I really blame any of them.