Chapter Sixteen : Assault On The Red Menace Part 1

So yeah my name is Elysia Breena Beguiler/Mindbender and by now should be clear we are at War with the Red Menace. Now what does that mean exactly well it means that I was getting downright sick and tired and tired and sick of the constant interruptions by the forces of the Red Menace in our affairs. I mean really it’s really sad that the Red Menace Labor Union with thousands of Mythos magic wielding members and absolute control of organized labor and desires to become HFIC or the High Faction in Charge were a bunch of power hungry lunatics. Since it seemed since the Great War had ended due to the development of atomic missiles that gave almost every faction the ability to destroy the planet of Emerald several times over they now resorted to find magical means to divine and control the minds of others. I will admit the idea of taking the battle to the Starlord’s and high jacking one of their spaceships after triggering an all out atomic war which while it might leave a lot of collateral damage it did seem to have the potential to devastate the Dreaming God or at the very least eliminate the pawns he was using to wage his little War which in turn might save Hyboria had already crossed my mind. Sorry I almost digressed into the vastness of my mind and while it is true my intellect reaches beyond what would classify as genius it is actually my flawless killer body which really drives men and women alike wild with desire. To get back on track everywhere we seemed to go on this god forsaken world the Red Menace was sure to follow so it started me to thinking why not set a trap for them. Or better yet lure them into a conflict with another Emerald Faction that would enable us to pick up the pieces. So while I realized we had a number of other things to manage which I was sure between Shiron, Buerick and Nialla speaking of which is another story in and of itself we were in a position to start making our presence felt. First on my list a certain Magician who would soon be within my thrall and be key in leading me to the Wish Projector.

So to say the previous night had not been but exciting and entertaining would have been an understatement. While sure I had dipped out the night before to lay an intricate dove tattoo on the back of Erik Normash our Dragon Shaman which would strengthen him in battle. So yeah I had been able to straddle his back as I had used my artist’s paints and brushes to complete the process and it’s a good thing I am such a great actress otherwise I am sure he would have known how much I would have wanted him to turn over. Alas we are both playing hard to get so our little game of playing hard to get continues. As I had returned to Nialla for our night of orgasmic bliss I had thought her first nightmare had been bad and well it was and little bearing on what had happened next for a physical manifestation as well as a dark passenger had arrived in the morning after yet another nightmare which I realized had indeed been much more. She had of course screamed and when she awoke and saw that she now had fangs, talons and a new tattoo on her forehead. So alright thank Aphrodite the fangs and talons were retractable and might prove to be a little fun actually but the sulfur or as some might call it brimstone tattoo on her forehead had to go. I mean really who puts their mark on someone’s forehead much less a phallic one with the infinity symbol at the bottom and two lines through the top, well I guess whoever was trying to draw he further to the side of darkness. And regarding her dark passenger which turned out to be a black necklace with a dark gem at the center which Nialla told me held a soul was I knew going to be yet another problem I would need to deal with. I suppose the dark force which she claimed was her Father must have become jealous of the dolphin and dove tattoo’s which I had placed on her back to enhance her natural resistance and ability in combat for while my tattoo’s were magical and identical to the ones I had place on my own stomach her tattoo seemed permanent. Nialla was crying as I held her and I could tell she must have thought since I did not seem horrified by her condition that I was looking upon her with pity when in reality I was seeing what could have happened to me. For while I had within me the ability to turn to my fiendish demonic or sylvan fey heritage and I had fought and won the battle and embraced my fey heritage I could tell that Nialla did not seem to have the same advantage or opportunity that I had possessed. I realized that the battle for her soul had just begun and she would need all the help she could get. She looked at me with eyes that I knew were asking the unspoken question and I replied “Yes beloved it’s there. The symbol of brimstone.” I then spoke to her mind as I had summoned my unseen servants to attend us. We of course both freshened up and afterward I worked on her makeup to make sure her tattoo was concealed and I advised her that it might be wise to ease the news of her transformation to the others since we not had to contend with Yussuf the Paladin. I was also growing hungry and while my unseen lover had been busy keeping my morning libido at bay I knew it was time to once again face Emerald.

As Nialla and I returned to Emerald and the safe house I made sure to bring along our Magician captive with us for today was the day when I would be bending his will to mine and making him my thrall. So yeah I know a very potentially either neutral or even evil thing to do but I had long ago become a Mindbender but that was yet another of the many secrets that I kept to myself. So while I never intended to continue along that path the philosophy remained for the faith of Loki could count many a Mindbender amongst it inner circle. I had long ago joined the secret order of Mindbenders which had granted me the gift of telepathy which enabled me to telepathically contact the mind of anyone I wished within one hundred feet. True there were some limitations but truly if someone possessed a language of any kind then I can communicate with them. I will admit it was not uncommon for other Mindbenders to assert control over others and while I had sworn to keep my abilities secret that limitation only held until the time where I could bind others to my will by either spell or natural Mindbender ability and finally that day had arrived. So while to the others while with the aid of my unseen servants I started to cook and prepare breakfast as well as prepare the table for our meal while my unseen lover continued to pleasure me. I also arranged for four of my servants to carry our Magician to the bedroom which Erik had vacated since Morgan seemed to still be in preparations to join us. Breakfast was being served and I could tell the others were quite surprised by how efficiently the servants were attending to their task and Sneaky Pete and Gizmo Dent ate with such enthusiasm one would have thought they had never had a cooked meal before. Once I had finished and while the others were still eating I had risen to begin my preparations to gain control of the mind of our captive Magician. I had started my preparations by first casting a mind fog into the room which would create a field that would weaken the mental resistance of anyone within and I followed up with perhaps one of the feared spells within the Beguiler arsenal dominate person which once it took hold would give me almost complete control of someone for ten days. I felt the spell lock into place and I could feel his mind begin to flow into my own as the telepathic bond was formed and I knew he was mine. I therefore asked Buerick if he would be so kind as to wake our Magician for me since he now fallen within my magical control and would be ready to answer our questions. I should have known what I had thought should have been starting off to be fair day as soon going turn into a darker one. What I had missed while I was preparing my Magician was that somehow Yussuf had noticed Nialla’s new necklace and for some reason must have detected for evil and found it to be an object of evil. What had been going on while looked to be an argument while I had been setting mental telepathic blocks to not try and escape and to ask me before he did anything other than eat or relieve himself and who I found out was named Jake Dulla. Nialla and Yussuf and to even a lesser extent were discussing the presence of the necklace which seemed to be the evil object that Yussuf was objecting to. There were concerns by Buerick as to where the necklace had even come from and of course the straight forward it had to be destroyed by Yussuf. It also seemed that Nialla was unable to take the necklace off and I was mentally cursing myself for not having thought to cast an undetectable alignment spell which would have concealed the necklaces aura from detection of any kind but I had not thought her Father would have been so careless. It seemed to me that they were going to be able to work it out and so I asked Buerick to come with me so that we could question Jake and while he moved to join me in the bedroom I directed a few of my servants to bring breakfast for Jake who I was sure would be hungry. Morgan had also finally decided to make an appearance and I could only think I had only seen my Mother take longer to get themselves together in the morning. I had dispatched a servant to bring him a vegetarian meal that I had prepared special for him whom he turned down and while I tried to convince him to join the others and eat and perhaps even keep an eye on Nialla he would not have it. I had even spoken with him telepathically and failed to make a compromise with him after walking out and relieving himself went instead back into the bedroom and closed the door behind him asking me to leave his meal at the table. With Buerick at my side I commenced with the debriefing of my thrall Jake the Magician. I had Jake speak out loud as we discussed first the purpose of the original mission which he had been sent on by his superior Mastron. He informed us he was told to wait at the building at a moment’s notice and to await the arrival of the Central City Police and receive the package. When I had asked Jake about another group of Magicians in Montrose he had informed me that they were a different group working for Witch Boy who no doubt were working on an operation of their own. I had then delved into the nature of the leader of the Lich leader of the Magicians who I found out was named Madego and I was also able to confirm that he was an Ancient Emeraldian of the Age of Magic. It seemed that he had realized that the age was coming to an end and had placed himself into a state of hibernation until such a time that he could restore himself and begin a takeover of the world. It seems that Jake was aware that while most Ancient One’s had awoken with a similar philosophy Madego’s time spent in contemplation brought him to the realization that all he wanted from the rest of his existence or at least what his servants knew was to be able to amass magic, wealth and power. It seemed he had formed the Magicians and granted them their power to enable them to gain wealth, women and to make sure whatever Madego needed they could acquire. We would also find out the secret location of their base in Central City on a mountain top that resembled nothing more than tall skyscraper. Of course within the base was located the Hoard as Jake called it which was a repository of magic gained from but the past and the present where if not on loan the Wish Projector which it seemed Madego was fond of doing would be found. Jake of course seemed to be aware of the Wish Projector and it reputed abilities to alter reality and actually was quite wary of it. Buerick seemed curious as to where exactly we could begin to look and I was determined to find out more but I was concerned about how Nialla was doing out in the dining room. I therefore had instructed Jake to relax in the bedroom and enjoy his breakfast. As I exited I could see that Nialla and Yussuf were still in the middle of a heated discussion and now Buerick was beginning to become curious as to how the item had appeared within the Realm within the Stone. It seemed that Nialla was unable to remove the necklace from her neck for it seemed every time she tried to take it off it would vanish and reappear around her neck. I mentally spoke to Nialla and said to her perhaps I might be able to intervene for her for she seemed to be unsure as to how to explain her Father possible being a Devil I mean I did not really have a problem with it but I really doubted our comrades could really understand the possible scope of her situation. I tried to intervene and before I could even get the words out of my mouth the Paladin Yussuf had cast a spell and commenced to strike my beloved in the chest with his great club with such force he literally imbedded necklace in her chest. Well alright that about did it and within moments Buerick had created a maelstrom around Yussuf with the intent of blowing him out the door. So of course it’s ironic that Buerick had before cautioned me about using magic and I had informed him that so far I was not that worried and I anticipated being underway soon. And to be honest I could not blame but with the power of Hercules at his beck and call Yussuf stood there unfazed as the wind blew open the door. I realized to be honest there was very little I could do to stop a Paladin but then the power rose within me the knowledge of the Mindbender and I did what in the past would have been unthinkable I cast dominate person upon Yussuf and just like that he was mine. I felt his will weaken as the power of my spell bound his will to mine and I mentally told him to put his hands down and not to move but feel free to speak. Well he spoke alright while with quite the litany of fluid metaphors which basically translated to release me and he was completely inconsolable. So in that time Nialla I could tell shattered into a million pieces and I realized she had turned invisible and I asked her what she was doing. She had responded that she was going to go outside and wait for the situation to calm down. I reaffirmed to her that the situation was under control and that I had bound Yussuf. Of course I did not mention of course that baring me sending him to kill small children or something like that which would give him a chance to resist my control he was helpless and my thrall for the next ten days unless I chose to release him. I will admit the power was completely exhilarating and almost overwhelming as well as seductive truly I did not want to ever let him go. I noticed Alth following Nialla to the door and as she left the building he seemed to be distracted by something he must have seen outside. Yussuf was continuing to scream obscenities while Shiron, Buerick, Erik and I tried to discuss our next move Shiron asked me what I had done to Yussuf and I told him I had bound his will to my own. He then had asked me if I could cause him to stop speaking and I told him I could and I mentally ordered him to be silent and of course he was. Erik thinking quickly asked me if I could hold him and I told him yes and I saw that he had the drug he had acquired from Doctor Mason and with it I realized the solution to our little problem had been found. I told Yussuf to lay down and rest and after he had laid down Erik pricked him with the drug which once I woke him would cause him to forget everything that had happened the last day. Meanwhile outside Alth had informed us that he had noticed some shady figures outside that seemed to be planning something and I mentally called for Nialla to return to us and informed her that Yussuf had been handled. I will admit I felt more than a little upset over what I had done but I owed Erik and I was going to be make sure he received a reward worthy of his moral sacrifice. I seemed that suddenly Alth was saying that we were in trouble for he said he heard something about a strike team or something but with moments we all vanished and reappeared in safe house or farm in Phaedra Farms where we had began our little trek to investigate the Magicians the day before.

The transition was instantaneous and actually quite jarring for while it seemed that everyone had been able to deal Sneaky Pete was not so lucky for he was soon to be a visitor of the facilities. Well before Yussuf started to wake I mentally gave him a command which basically gave him free will or at least until I chose to enforce my will upon him. Truly I hoped it would not be and I had to remember to remind myself to not focus on maintaining the domination which would release him by the next day. Before I woke Yussuf I conferred with everyone and they were all on board with letting the Paladin believe we had just exited the Stone and that a day had not passed. I also made sure to cast an undetectable alignment spell on Nialla’s new necklace which seemed to trying to actually bond with her chest. Erik had tried to heal her but seemed unable to manage it without seeming to embed in farther into her chest so I instructed him to stop until we could come up with a better plan. Nialla meanwhile seemed worried about the spell I had just cast and I let her know I would also cast a nystul’s magic aura upon her amulet so when all was said and done it would be immune detection by magic or the ability to sense alignment auras. She seemed to relax when I told her everything would be alright as long as I cast the undetectable alignment each day while the nystul’s magic aura would last for ten days. She seemed relaxed and everything seemed to be falling back into a more relaxed pace. Nialla and I spent some time with Jake and basically found out that he knew nothing of the spells that we sought and in truth knew only the magic of our world just all of it from both the zero and first circle which he seemed to be able to cast at will. While Shiron had left with Fluky Luke who it seemed had returned by train and while Morgan had tried to follow he had been rebuked. I could tell it was going to continue to be one of those days and in reality I knew one of two things were bound to happen in the end. Either we were going to attempt to rescue Mongo and walk right into a Red Menace trap or we were going to need to negotiate with the leader of the Magicians and perhaps make a deal to acquire the Wish Projector. Morgan and Alth had decided to go out the barn and work out and while as I looked out and saw Morgan remove his shirt and I will admit the thought to join him did more than just cross my mind it was only the presence of Alth that really spoiled my mood. Sorry to say but while it’s true I am not shy in any sense of the word I just don’t feel comfortable around gnomes and dwarves I keep having this feeling that Alth is going to stab me in the back at any moment. I am trying to like him but every gnome I have ever meet or had serve me in the past has always been up to nothing good. Alth had come out from the barn for awhile to ask me if I knew what our next move was likely to be and I shared with him no doubt it would be either to locate Mongo and spring the Red Menace trap or head to Central City and investigate the base of the Magicians or arrange a meeting with their leader Madego. Shiron had returned minus Fluky Luke with a new member of Swami Donnie’s gang in tow who was a mountain of a man named Ace. Ace was a tall dark skinned six foot three stern looking gangster who looked quite dapper in his purple suit who seemed the strong and silent type who carried a viola case which no doubt held his weapon of choice. Shiron had asked me once he returned for a moment of my time and I let him know I could communicate to his mind if he preferred and then I found out something that was bothering Shiron. Mainly he had wanted to know if I knew how Morgan’s short sword had been returned to him. Which for what is was worth confirmed for me that Morgan’s sword had not been lost or picked up by Erik and in reality it had been Shiron who had laid claim to Morgan’s weapon. I will admit a certain amount of anger was ready to boil to the surface but in truth I had to admit I shared a common belief with Shiron that Morgan was perhaps more effective without his sword the with it. For in truth I did not really want him risking his life racing to face our enemies when we had Shiron, Erik and now even my thrall Yussuf I mean the Paladin to deal with face to face encounters. So when Shiron had asked me if I knew how the return of his sword had been managed I had informed that I was not really sure but I had a theory if he wanted to hear it. I was surprised that he did and I related to him how I had become aware of an ally that seemed to be helping us. I had continued to present him my evidence of said assistance starting with the teleportation of him and Erik in the sewers to the return of Morgan’s short sword and ending with our transportation back to the hideout in Phaedra Farms. I informed him based on observations I believed the entity that was helping us was either watching over Erik, Buerick or even himself. He seemed to dwell on the concept and after a short while retired to the Realm within the Stone. I in turn decided to take the time to get to know our new gangster Ace a little better for while he might have seemed aloof and stern to most he was a man after all and to most while one would never guess by the company I kept my skills of persuasion were such that even the most hostile of beings could be swayed to become my friends. Not to mention I had a body that was so hot most men would kill their best friends to have a chance with me so it was that I learned a great deal about Ace as well as Mongo. To begin with Ace was actually one of Mongo’s operatives and it even seemed that as far as the Mob was concerned also a made man. From what I had read as well as from confirmation by Ace to kill a made man was something that even the Red Menace would have to consider before the run the risk of uniting all the gangs against them. I also found out why Ace was called Ace for it seemed he was a pilot which was yet another skill I needed to pick up and I just had to once again silently thank the Gods that I had been born with a photographic memory. It seemed he could fly planes, gyrocopters, helicopters basically anything that this world had to offer well with the exception of the Starlord spacecraft no doubt but I realized one step at a time. He even seemed to have a gyrocopter in the warehouse which I just had to take a look at. I mean one never knows when the skill will come in handy so we took a little time to wander out to the warehouse and Ace showed me the fundamental of flight. With the skill to which I picked up what he was teaching me I am sure he must have believed that I had flown before and I figured I would let him think what he might. As we returned to the farmhouse I realized there were a few more pieces in the Mongo Red Menace trap that I wanted to find out about. So it came to pass that I inquired and Sneaky Pete who had now recovered told us all why the trade had failed and what were they looking to trade and how exactly did negotiations break down. Shiron had returned as Sneaky Pete related as to how they did not actually attempt the trade but in reality had failed in the attempt to liberate him which ironically was something that had already been deduced by Shiron. As to the type of trade they claimed to be looking for was a chemical explosive they called Red. I looked back to one of my new favorites Gizmo Dent for if it involved chemicals and science I knew he would be the one to fill in the gaps. He informed us that what they called Red was an explosive that was reputed to be unbelievably effective against animated creatures. He continued to relate how the gang had found a large amount of it and had even sold quite a deal of it for a very high profit but that they had held on the a substantial amount but had never revealed how much. Shiron had recommended not making the trade and communicating to them that another way needed to be arranged. He then asked me to head into the Realm within the Stone and have a talk with our captive Red Menace operative. While I was not exactly sure what he was looking for me to find I figured I could persuade or probe his mind to find out what information I sought. In had informed the other before I left the think about laying low for two day for if we chose to I could conceal our magic from detection which would give us and option if we wanted to truly vanish from the Red Menace detections devices. I had conferred with Buerick about how long the Stone of Tongues would take to power down and he believed one entire day and I asked him to please confirm if the Stone could be awoken instantly or if it took another day to recharge. He told me he would look into in and let me know and with that I focused my mind and transitioned into the Realm within the Stone willing myself to our Priest Null. I found our captive actually walking around for it seemed that Null was treating him fairly well. As I approached I cast a detect thoughts spell and I was surprised when I noticed that my spell had been resisted. He seemed simple enough that if figured with my charms I could confirm the information I sought. He informed me that he was enjoying captivity so much that he would be happy to stay and that he had counted at least sixty different varieties of trees and was fascinated. He shared how he was bonded to his Mythos magic device and taught basic commands and informed that once he bound with the device his life would never again be the same and he shared that it never had been since. He explained how at first they were just investigating what had happened on Defender Island and were not really sure who or what we were. He informed me the while most of the time since the Red Menace were the big dogs as he put it with only the Ves Church to oppose them everyone came to them and basically paid homage to them. Which was what he had told me we might have been able to do if we were not exactly what they were looking for. It seemed he was not really aware of the Starlord’s and their market for space mead but it seemed that the Red Menace were in the market to enhance their magic item reserve and when he mentioned melt down not doubt ran their own market dealing with space mead. He seemed genuinely sorry about our situation and since I realized in order to find out more I would either need to expend more magic or use other arts I asked him if he missed anything and he said only a woman as he looked at me. I looked at him and told him perhaps we will talk more in the future but for now regarding your need for a woman I shall leave you a gift and with that I cast a shadow conjured a unseen female lover for him and instructed it to show him a good time all day and night. I could see the amazement in his eyes and I knew there was perhaps more knowledge to be gained I would wait until I had spoken with the others to see if we were going to relax or act before I expended magic without the need to.

I emerged from the Realm to find the others waiting for me and Shiron and I spoke and he had inquired if I had gained any knowledge from our captives mind. I informed him and the others of what I had found out and that if we were resolved to my plan to conceal our magic the tonight before I turned in I would break his resistance but otherwise I did not believe it wise to expend my magic until I knew our plan. I had asked Sneaky Pete about the area that the trade was to take place and he told me in the coast city of North Swamp Town a region controlled by the Hub faction or at least in theory. I knew I had told the other on many occasions that this was not doubt a trap but sometimes I have learned that eventually you have to stop running and face you enemies to either destroy them or find a way to join them. I figured my chances were good either way since while I could not speak for the others I knew I was too valuable to the Red Menace to be melted down to space mead. In addition we had our invisible protector who might at any time chose to assist us and I had to admit part of me really wanted to see just how impressive the Red Menace trap really was. So as the conversations drew away from the Magicians and finding a way to search North Swamp Town for Mongo while three plans had come to fore which might have involved splitting up since Scrounger, Erik and Buerick could use the scent abilities to pick up Mongo’s trail and once found I could find him telepathically I realized we had a plan. I had originally thought to use perhaps a sending spell to send and receive a message from Mongo but in truth as was pointed out by Alth it they had him completely locked down he would have no useful information for us to use. I was finally Buerick who after passing the Stone of Tongues to Shiron cast a spell that I missed that he said would grant him the powers to track by scent and transformed into a Emerald Duck and flew out the window. I mentally called to him and he told me he would try locate Mongo’s scent and return during which time he expected us to have our act together. I had of course responded that we would be ready which of course made the plan come together nicely for while I had already with the aid of Sneaky Pete, Ace and Gizmo Dent gained through knowledge of North Swamp Town since I had anticipated the need to perhaps drive I also wanted to know every which way in or out of the town by land, sea or air just in case the Red Menace truly brought the heat as my Father was often fond of saying.

When Buerick returned I had already seen to the two cars which would lead us to North Swamp Town. Much to Erik’s delight they were both made of mithral. The others asked if we wanted any of them to come with us and we told them no not this time. I had taken the moment to telepathically relate to Sneaky Pete our plan and to keep an eye out just in case the trap was sprung as I expected it would be and I also assured him we would do our best to liberate Mongo and concluded with letting him know that the Magician Jake would follow wherever he told him. As Buerick took to the air Nialla, Morgan and I rode in one car which I drove while Eric drove the cleaner car along with Shiron, Yussuf and Alth. I of course issued a command to my thrall Jake to continue with his previous orders but to follow Sneaky Pete wherever he told him to go. Finally I checked to see who might like an armor spell cast for them and once that was complete we were on our way. We arrived after a few hours in the coastal town of North Swamp town and according to my mental map we were heading to a retirement district where older workers retired. As we pulled up to the buildings Scrounger, Erik and Buerick all confirmed that his scent went right up to the doorway and vanished. Which led me to believe that we were perhaps dealing with at least a magic level of the twelfth circle since if some kind of veil spell had been cast even the sense of smell could be fooled. A thought which I kept to myself for in truth what good would it have done the others. Buerick was perched on a building about eighty feet away and Shiron still had the Stone of Tongues which I was beginning to think might have been a mistake but either way I felt confident. So when Erik had volunteered to approach the building I agreed to accompany him and of course that was when things started to get really interesting. As we approached the building we could see a number of retirees lounging in the front of the building and as we came upon the area where Mongo’s scent vanished we both could hear and enchanting song trying to draw us in. We could also make out something was wrong with the retirees as they did not seem to be moving in quite the manner that they should since none of them even seemed to notice us. So alright enchantment and illusion now in was getting really interested but first I realized while I might have quite the resistance to enchantments I was not going to risk being held here against my will. I messaged to everyone that we needed to fall back and be ready for anything since we were dealing with an illusions and enchantments. I also figured now was a good a time as ever to find out if the Red Menace were as impressive as they have been rumored to be so once Erik and I had returned to the cars. I cast out telepathically with my mind seeking Mongo and I found him and he seemed to be being held within a symbol and he was of course surrounded by Red Menace as expected one of them grabbed Mongo’s head and seemed to be looking right at me and said “We Have You.”. I messaged to the others with that as I severed the telepathic link and thought to Mongo “Good Luck With That!”. It seemed that for a moment they were indeed true to their word for a magical solid porous sphere suddenly grabbed the cars and held them fast. Shiron had of course called for everyone to exit the cars but it was to no avail we were for the moment held fast. Nialla tried her new dispelling evocation against the sphere and it failed and before anyone else could react there was a blinding flash and suddenly both Nialla and Morgan were blind. Both Shiron and Yussuf tried to use weapons to pierce the sphere but failed and I knew while I could dimension door out of there if I needed to we were not there yet. So I focused and cast a dispel magic against the field and it broke. I telepathically spoke to Nialla and Morgan to hold on to me and whatever happens to not let go. My mind was racing with possibilities and while I knew Buerick might be able to swoop to our rescue unless we turned the tables on the Red Menace fast we ran the risk them summoning reinforcements or even if we tried to withdraw they would be able to track the Stone of Tongues with their Mythos magic devices if we gave them time enough to react. So the time was at hand to finally face the Red Menace who believed they were masters of all they surveyed and I could tell ready or not they were about to find out it felt like to face true Hyborians.