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Rangle
He's only a weakling in terms of magical power, he's really the most powerful if you think about it. He could build a bomb and take out the whole kingdom if he wished or beam any of those powerful magical users into space. Or he could use his near-ascended powers to perform feats very similar to those shown by the most powerful of magic users.
Jump Chain Gothic 5 - Merlin
Part 5
Camelot. Albion.
There was a soft beat in the air that came from a drum, and there was something ominous about it Merlin soon realised despite the fact that the drumbeat was at all loud. He decided to find out what was going on, and since he was heading in that direction anyway it shouldn't cost him too much time.
Soon he could see the crowd of people who were gathering here for some reason, and as he got closer he saw that there was a wooden platform in the middle of the crowd. Raised up enough so everyone might have a chance at witnessing whatever it was that was going on here.
When the young man realised what was going on here he gasped in horror. This was an execution, there was an axman, standing before a thick wooden stump. He soon glimpsed the condemned, who was currently being to led to his death by two guards, who didn't need to drag the man to executioner's block.
Clearly the soon to be dead man had accepted his fate and was attempting to leave this world with what little dignity he had left. Which wasn't much given how awful he looked. The man had not been able to bathe or change his clothes for some time, and he looked half starved.
"Let this serve as a lesson to all" a deep and commanding voice, proclaimed to the people.
Merlin froze, and turned his gaze up to the man who was standing above the crowd, on a balcony, from which hung with Pendragon banners. This figure, who had to be the ruler of the land, was dressed finely, and wore chainmail as well as clothes, a vestige of the king's days as a warrior.
He could be considered elegant, but his stern face made him seem arrogant and cold rather than noble in any sense of the word. This was was the man he should fear above all others. However it wasn't himself Merlin was worrying about. His concern was directed at the person who was about to die.
"This man," the king said next "Thomas James Collins, is judged guilty of using enchantments and magic. And pursuant to the laws of Camelot, I, Uther Pendragon, have decreed that such practices are banned. On penalty of death".
Well that explained the axe and the stump.
"I pride myself as a fair and just king" the king went on to say "but for the crime of sorcery, there is but one sentence I can pass".
Uther's hand raised slowly, almost as if he were savouring it, and as his hand fell the axe did as well. A few of the people turned away, but Merlin could not. He kept seeing himself in that man's place.
"When I came to this land, this kingdom was mired in chaos," Uther was now saying to the crowd "But with the people's help, magic was driven from the realm. So I declare a festival to celebrate twenty years since the Great Dragon was captured, and Camelot freed from the evils of sorcery. Let the celebrations begin!".
Uther turned to walk away, his work done, when a terrible scream rose up from the crowd. The noise was almost inhuman despite having come from a person. The source was what seemed to be an old beggar woman, she was a pitiful thing, with unwashed hair and ratty robes. The crowd backed away from her, seeming to be afraid for their own lives. Which made little sense since the frail old woman couldn't possibly be a threat to anyone.
"There is only one evil in this land," she declared, "and it is not magic!".
It was clear to all that she was addressing the king even before she pointed a dirty nail up at the king.
"It is you!" she continued by saying "With your hatred, and your ignorance".
The crowd was now backing even further away from the woman while the guards moved in.
"You took my son," she said next, while gesturing at her son's recently decapitated corpse "I promise you, before these celebrations are over, you will share my tears, An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. A son for a son!".
Uther reacted immediately upon hearing the threat.
"Seize her!" he ordered.
The beggar woman raised her cloak over her face, there were strange sounding words, another inhuman noise, and she disappeared into smoke.
Before long people were leaving now that the drama was over, and Merlin soon wandered off as well. He'd rapidly learned what happened to people who got using magic in this kingdom and was now starting to have seconds thoughts about coming here, but he carried on anyway, asking for directions as he sought out the man his mother had sent him to.
(Line Break)
Chambers. Camelot.
As soon as I'd heard about some poor sod who was getting his head cut off for practicing magic I figured that Merlin would arrive soon, and since I didn't want my presence to interfere with the course of events that would led to the young warlock becoming Prince Arthur's manservant, this seemed like a good time to make my excuses and disappear for a few days. When I returned Merlin should be where he needs to be, and fate should take care of the rest without any help from me.
I'd already given my excuses to the prince, and while I would have liked to left by now he'd insisted that I train with him for an hour or so before leaving on my unspecified family business. Apparently the Perk called 'He Went To The Tavern' didn't mean that I was free to leave whenever I wished, but at least it ensured that no one questioned me as to why I wanted to leave. They just accepted my flimsy excuse of family business.
Since there was going to be a festival over the next couple of days the knights would be off duty, which meant me leaving less bothersome for everyone else. Well not for Cameron as she had to pretend to pack, while also seeing to her other duties. It was a good thing that she didn't need to sleep.
"Hold still" my bodyguard/serving girl instructed.
At times like this I missed the suits of armour my group normally used, the ones that were modified Vanir environment suits, getting in and out of those was pretty simple. Putting on chainmail armour was more time consuming job.
"I've been watching you practice" Cameron mentioned as she adjusted my armour "I think you can beat Prince Arthur, and you should".
While my memories of training weren't real they were close enough to at least allow me to pass as a knight, that combined with my body mods, which boosted both my strength and speed, meant that it would only be a matter of time before I surpassed any human warrior. I might already if I used my magical weapon.
"I agree that I could do it" I said to Cameron "But why should I?".
It wouldn't help with me keeping a low profile. and nor would it do to humiliate my boss, besides it might even led to some accusing me of using magic. which I wasn't.
"He's arrogant" Cameron was now saying "Someone needs to remind him that he isn't the greatest warrior around. And he mistreats the servants. I have solidarity with the working classes now that I'm one of them".
Perhaps he did need taking down a notch, and if needs be I could always lose to him some other day so that he put my success down to luck.
"Besides if you want to win the tournament you'll need to defeat him then, and it will be more believable if you've been seen defeating him in practice".
She had a point. I did want to win an upcoming tournament, not for the prize money, but because the winner got to escort the lady Morgana to a feast and I did want to spend some time with her before she became the big bad.
"Okay" I said to Cameron "But if this gets me kicked out of Camelot I'm going to find some way to punish you".
Which would be tricky since she didn't feel pain, and might enjoy any attempt I made to humiliate her, but damn it I'd find a way.
(Line Break)
Training Yard. Camelot.
Arthur was in a bad mood, but he knew it wouldn't last. Training always alleviated his bad mood. Something about the physical exertion and the thrill of having deadly weaponry swinging close to vital body parts made him feel more alive. And after beating Sir Oldwyn, he did feel a little better. But he was still upset over his recent lose to Sir Gothic. It was the first time in several months he'd actually lost a practice duel. He wasn't sure if it was because his own skills were lagging or if it was because his opponent had simply improved so much.
Either way, he was in a terrible mood. First because of his father and his ranting about the virtues of public executions, and then because Morgana chose him to rant at about his father ranting about the virtues of public executions, and finally because of his subsequent guilt over the whole mess. After all he'd been the one who led the soldiers who'd gone to the man's house and arrested him.
Obviously the sorcerer deserved to die. Some crimes warranted death. But Morgana worried that the more the king punished so extremely those who used magic the more who those who opposed him would turn to magic, and those who could use it. However his father wasn't exactly wrong about the dangers of magic. The prince found the whole subject very frustrating.
"Where's the target?" Arthur asked.
The servant who was suppose to be keeping things in the training yard in some sort of order, motioned to the target that wasn't that far away.
"There, highness" he said.
On some level Arthur knew that he shouldn't bully the lower classes, but sometimes he couldn't help taking out his frustrations on others.
"It's too close" said the prince.
The servant seemed uncomfortable, it was likely that he an inkling of what was to come.
"I'll put the target down the other end, shall I, sire?" asked the servant.
Arthur nodded, and the boy scurried off to move the target to further down the field.
"This'll teach him," Arthur muttered to himself.
Arthur was quite confident in his skill, and the boy was in no danger. Still, he didn't take very long in aiming and it showed when the knife just barely managed to land in the bulls-eye. The servant felt the thunk of the knife as it embedded in the shield.
"Hey, hang on," he protested.
Arthur raised up another knife.
"Don't stop," he ordered.
The servant didn't dare protest any further, and he moved as quickly as he could, which was not very fast since the target was heavy.
"I told you to keep moving!" the prince yelled
He threw another knife and to Arthur's delight it landed perfectly on target.
"Run!" he then encouraged the hapless servant.
He was about to throw another dagger when someone else spoke.
"That's enough!" a stranger's voice called out.
In was more out of shock at this newcomer's audacity than the words that made the prince respond.
"What?" he said.
The dark haired youth who had just spoke moved closer.
"You've had your fun, my friend," he said "Now leave him be".
Arthur walked over to boy, he was more curious than offended by this commoner who dared to try to command a member of the royal family
"Do I know you?" the prince asked.
"I'm Merlin," the boy said, now speaking more cautiously.
"So I don't know you," Arthur said.
"No," Merlin responded,
"Yet you called me friend" pointed out the prince.
Obviously this boy had no idea whom he was talking to.
"That was my mistake" stated the youth.
"Yes, I think so," Arthur agreed, sounding somewhat magnanimous.
The prince's smirk soon faded away.
"I'd never have a friend who could be such an ass," Merlin said cheerfully
The knights who were within ear shot all laughed.
"Or I one who could be so stupid" Arthur stated "I'd be careful if I were you".
This encounter ended very soon. Merlin foolishly went to strike the prince, and ended up spending the night in the cell. Had a certain knight been present he would have been pleased by this as it was a sign that things were progressing exactly as they should be.
(Line Break)
Boat. Atlantic Ocean.
"According to Cortana's estimations we're far enough out to sea that no one will stumble onto the boat" I said to Cameron.
The drive to the ocean hadn't taken long, and thanks to the route I'd been able to carefully plan out with the aid of mapping drones, and we'd not only been able to quickly get to the shore, we'd also been able to avoid the roughest terrain and any settlements.
Which was good because while I'd been able to cloak the MAKO, that hadn't hid the noise it made or the tire marks. If they were discovered no one in this world would know what sense to make of them, and as for the odd noise well if anyone had heard it I could only hope that it would be forgotten about before log.
Sure I could have installed a phase cloak to get around all that, however that would have taken more time, and I didn't like not having my escape route prepared.
Because the little ship was going to serve as my emergency beam point I needed to make sure that no one would accidently find it and start messing around the advanced technology. Which was why it was all the way out here and why I'd hadn't set all this up somewhere in the mountains or deep in some woods.
I could have chosen some remote island to build a base on, and perhaps I would, but that would have taken too long to set up. Now that I had satellite in place, as well as this boat in position, I now had somewhere to escape to should things go badly. Which would give me great peace of mind.
Which freed me up to enjoy myself as I played the role of knight in a romanised version of Camelot, that was in a world of swords and sorcery. Later on I could concern myself with a hidden base on a remote island, and already I was considering sending up a second satellite to scout out suitable locations for such a base. Maybe somewhere in Greenland, or Iceland if they'd not yet been discovered.
For now I ordered Cameron to drop the anchor, and then I moved below deck to turn on the machinery. There wasn't that much onboard as all Cortana needed to do with this stuff was to monitor me and beam out if she thought I needed evac.
There was no Internet, or anything like it, for her to monitor, as such she didn't need much in the way of equipment here. Even if I sent more satellites up it wouldn't require a lot of computing power, well it would but I had very advanced, and therefore very small computers.
"Everything is online" Cortana informed me "I'm linked to the satellite, so I'll be able to keep track of you as planned".
Good now she could beam me back to shore where my MAKO was waiting and I could drive that back to abandoned barn which served as the entrance to the Vehicle Bay. Then I could do some exploring before returning to the Camelot.
So far all was going exactly as I had planned.
(Line Break)
Isle of the Blessed. Albion.
This was not something I'd planned.
"Come. We must talk" the sorceress said "This way".
While I was aware that it was possible for a powerful enough mind to reach out to another mind in their dreams, I'd not understood just how strange it was until someone had done it to me. Also it had been a lot vivid than when portrayed on the Stargate show, but Nimueh only had to reach out across miles rather lightyears, which must make it a lot easier.
The High Priestess led me underground, down a path of stone steps and into some sort of living space, it was nice enough, but as villains secret hideout went it was lacking in something. I wasn't sure what that it was, minions maybe?
I was also pretty sure that this wasn't her main hideout as this wasn't a cave of any sort and there was no scrying thing. I remembered that she used some sort of apparatus for her scrying, a magical of spying on people, in the show.
"Wait outside" I ordered Cameron.
So far the High Priestess hadn't paid any attention to Cameron, which meant that she might not know that my Terminator was anything more than she appeared to be. If that was the case I didn't want Cameron talking to her as she might say something that gave the game away.
"What do you want, Nimueh?" I asked
She was now just standing there, looking imperious, strong and certain of success. I wondered if anyone ever looked at me and saw all that. Nimueh seemed to be better than me at hiding any doubts and concerns she might have. Assuming she had any at all.
"Gothic, it is clear to me that the royal court of Camelot does not know of your gifts" she stated.
So she'd been able to sense that I wasn't what I appeared to be. This wasn't so surprising, but I didn't yet know if she'd sensed that I wasn't of this world, or if she could just detect that I had some magical power.
"That is none of your business" I said.
Her smile told me that she didn't believe this to be so.
"Why are you pretending to be one of Uther Pendragon's puppets?" she asked.
Her words made me angry, which I struggled to control.
"I'm no one's puppet," I replied "I'm a knight".
Nimueh frowned, which detracted from her beauty.
"The knights of Camelot helped Uther Pendragon slaughter my family, my friends, all those who practiced sorcery" she said.
Which had happened twenty years ago. Long before I'd arrived in this dimension, and if she did believe my cover story she must know that my fake identity, the me the people in this world remembered, would have been about four years old during the Great Purge.
"But the past is past" Nimueh said next "Gothic, you must understand that for you, to remain in Camelot is not only dangerous, but a waste of your gifts".
I was smart enough to understand that my magical power level was pretty weak, and that it would never measure up to any of the major players not matter how much I studied. Nimueh must be able to sense this, and since she was clearly trying to recruit me it was because of how close my position would allow me to get to the king. Plus I was a trained knight, and Nimueh knew how useful a knight could be even against magic.
"Sooner or later, Uther Pendragon will discover your secret and you will have to flee the kingdom. And if you are caught…, well you know as well as I do what would happen to you" Nimueh was now saying.
I did, and that was why I'd set up an escape route that no one could block. I didn't want to have to fight my way out of Camelot as that would needlessly endanger civilians. I'd never been one to simply accept collateral damage.
"No one has noticed my magic and I've been at Camelot for years" I said.
Nimueh smirked at me. I knew now that she at least suspected that I wasn't what I appeared to be, but she might not have figured out as much as Great Dragon had.
"And how much longer will it last?" I was asked "Can you take that chance that you'll be discovered?".
She spoke again before I could say anything.
"How long will you be able to hide your powers if you remain untrained? Fumbling in the dark, unable to use magic as it was meant to be used?" she wondered.
Now I understood now why'd she lured me here, she was offering me an apprenticeship, a way to gain knowledge, which I highly prised. Which was something I had considered while on the trip here. In theory it sounded good, but I was genre savvy enough to know that such offers could lead to damnation. Faust, in the legend, traded his soul to the devil in exchange for knowledge. So I knew that to strike a Faustian bargain is to be willing to sacrifice anything in order to satisfy a limitless desire for knowledge or power.
"I can teach you all you need to know about magic" she told me.
My raw potential wasn't that great. I'd not wanted great magical powers because I'd known that would led to me getting bound up in the story which would bind Merlin's fate to that of Arthur's and that of Camelot. I was tired of decided the course of history, and I while I had perks to help deal with fate, it was better just not to get involved unless I really had to.
"What could you possibly teach me that I'd want to know?" I asked "I have no desire to learn dark magic".
There was no harm in at least hearing her out, and I had desire to piss her off.
"Magic is a tool, nothing more" she told me "Your choices determine whether it would be used for good or ill. But first you need to know how to harness it".
That sounded reasonable, but of course deals with the devil often were.
"And the price?" I wished to know.
The thing about Faustian bargains is that they are never worth the price you pay for whatever it is the devil offers. However since Merlin was going to kill this woman I might never have to pay it. But didn't mean I couldn't become corrupted before that happened. She might let me get a taste of power and then ask something that seemed like such a small price, but the price would only go up over time.
Of course she would keep her end of the bargain. Nimueh was lawful evil, assuming such terms could apply to people outside of Dungeons and Dragons. She'd try to twist things, and the knowledge she offered might be corrupting, but she would still give it.
On the other hand if I refused her outright I could end up with a powerful enemy, so it might be best to play along for a little while and then betray her, or at the very least get out of the way when it came time for Merlin to kill her. Not very knightly, but the code didn't really account for stuff like this.
I'd need some sort of safeguard in place as well, so that if she did started to corrupt me I could save myself, also I'd sign nothing in blood, nor would I do anything to place others in harm.
"Give me some time to think about your offer" I requested.
Nimueh gave me a few days, and once she had agreed to that I quickly departed.
(Line Break)
Cosmic Warehouse. Outside of Reality.
Not long after returning to Camelot I headed into my warehouse so that I could discuss matters in private with my Terminator.
"I'm pretty sure that she can't get to me in here" I said to Cameron.
Right now I wasn't even in the same dimension as Nimueh, and I knew from experience that the rules governing this place were different than anywhere else I'd been.
"Cameron I need you do me a favour" I requested of the cyborg.
I explained to my bodyguard that Nimueh might be trying to corrupt me and that if she succeeded that there would be signs, changes to my behaviour, and should I start to act out of character I wanted Cameron to force me into the Cosmic Warehouse so that she could straighten me out. All Terminators had detailed files on human psychology, and she knew me better than anyone so I was fairly confident that she could sort out my head if needs be.
And if she couldn't, well killing Nimueh should deal with the issue. As tough as a High Priestess of the Old Religion could be Cortana could lock onto her life sign, as we knew where she liked to hang out, and beam the evil bitch into space. If a lightning bolt could kill her then she should die if trapped on the surface of the moon. Which was within range of the advanced beaming tech we were using. Normally I didn't use beaming tech at such a range as there was a chance it could go wrong with those sort of distances, but it didn't matter so much when you were beaming hostiles around.
Her actual hideout might not be in the Island of the Blessed, but I'd scanned the area using my satellite, and she was the only life sign on the island. Which meant that she spent a great deal of her time there, and that made it easy to keep track of her.
"You're programmed not just to protect my body, but you're also meant to keep me happy, and I wouldn't be happy as the slave of some dark lady, and the bad guys in this world always end up dead" I was now saying to Cameron "So I know you can help keep me on the straight and narrow, relatively speaking".
The cyborg looked thoughtful, she was definitely more emotionally expressive since her last software update.
"Is there anything that can be done to help you resit any attempts at corruption?" she asked.
In fact there was.
"I think it would help if Nimueh wasn't my only source of knowledge when it came to using magic" I replied "I think there's a spellbook in the Royal Library, it's contained within a secret compartment, that you shouldn't have any trouble finding it since you can walk through walls when out of phase. Within the that hidden room there's a box with a goblin inside it, do not open the box, just bring it to me".
While I had no use for a magical gobin that could possess people, it was some kind of fey creature not a small Orc, it would get lose in a later season and cause no end of trouble. Best to nip that in the bud. I'd place the box which held the goblin inside one of the stasis booths and keep in there until I could find some uninhabited planet to set it lose upon in a future Jump.
"You sound like you've already made your mind" Cameron said.
I hadn't actually I was just trying to be careful.
"Before I make up my mind on what to do I want to sleep on it" I told my Terminator "Making an alliance with her is risky, but it could be worth the risk".
Perhaps I could consult the Great Dragon, he also had is own agenda, but he wasn't as evil, and if he could offer me knowledge then there was sense dealing with Nimueh.
"Let me know what you decide" said Cameron "And I'll plan out ways to kill her in case you decide to say no".
It might be possible to refuse her offer without making her enemy, but I wasn't going to count on it.