Part 1: When the real terrorists come to town, it is nice to have some Authorities to turn to for help.
He arrived, and used his Inquisitorial credentials to gather a group of Paladins and ride out to the old Tarisi Manor lands. In the shadow of a dusty hillock was a small tent and when they surrounded it, the tent flap opened revealing and old man with a bald head, and a long flowing white beard. His brown robes were stained by road mud and spilled drink, and he hobbled forward on a wrapped cross-like walking staff.
Mortis recognized the old man, though he knew at this point in their shared history, the old man would not know him. He motioned for the paladins to keep back, and he approached with hands open.
“Saul the Wanderer, I know you,” Mortis whispered, “And I know you are caring for a sick K’iorn boy in that tent. What do you think these fine knights would do to that young man if they were to know he is there?”
Saul’s hands clenched under the brown robe, but Mortis was quicker and held the old man’s hand, “No need for those pistols. I know more than you currently do, for example that you are really the Pope that went into hiding after that awefull business with the public execution of the Alien ambassadors. But relax, relax IF I planned on outing you I would have already done so. I just seek to speak to the child.”
“Speak to him? But the heir of S’vana…I am going to help his father smuggle him out of here…back to his family,” said Saul.
“But they can’t heal him can they? They never could,” said Mortis his smile growing thin, as Saul’s eyes went wide, “So you took it on yourself to offer him to sup from the Blood Cup.”
“That’s why you came here,” snarled Saul pushing Mortis away, “You just want the immortality granted by the Blood Cup.”
Mortis yelled to his paladins as he backed away rapidly, “This is a heretic my knights who is hiding a fiendling and wishes to feed your families to it. Take him into custody so I might interrogate him back at the Cathedral.”
The knights dismounted, drew their swords and approached cautiously. They had seen enough heretics hurl fire and acid and lightning when cornered, so no demonic attack was unexpected.
Saul said in a firm voice, “Stand down Paladin Knights. One step forward and the wrath of god shall fall upon you. For I am Pope Paul Tarisi, and I command it.”
One of the paladins laughed saying, “Oy this blasphemer just has mush for brains don’t he.”
He hefted a throwing axe and hurled it towards Saul. The old man drew a pair of gleaming artificed pistols. He fired rapidly. However no bullets or projectiles sped towards his target. Instead it seemed an invisible wave passed through the air. When the wave struck the axe, the axe disappeared as if it was never there. The wave didn’t stop there, it kept flowing through the air and struck the closest Paladins. They fell back as sections of flesh, bone and spirit just disappeared from reality. Two fell to the ground mission a good chunk of their face, their shoulders and legs. Another was unfortunate enough to have his heart exposed to the air for a few moments before it too disappeared and the paladin fell backwards nearly instantly dead.
Mortis knew it wasn’t a fair fight, but he watched Saul gun down each Paladin in turn using those dreaded annihilation pistols. He waited until the former pope’s mind was firmly distracted, and then sent a pair of neural blasts out using the Leyas that laid the old man out cold.
Mortis barely noticed the old man had killed every single of the paladin knights he had tricked into following him out there. And when he noticed that fact he silently thanked the old man for saving him the work of doing so.
Mortis Leonin raised up a powerful military grade plasma cannon and pointed it at the tent. He knew all it would take would be for him to pull the trigger and history would be forever changed. Then a hand touched his shoulder and Leonin roared in pain as every nerve was alight with it. The cannon fired wildly off into the sky and was free from his grip. Leonin stumbled backwards seeing Sir Resugent, of all people, standing over him.
He tried to grab for the weapon, but from his own shadow he saw two different forms rising. From the shadow of his cloaks on a nearby rock, rose up Black Lorne Harlas his blade diving between the plates in Leonin’s armored boot.
Leonin felt a burning sensation rise up his handstring and he was falling. From the shadow cast by his now falling wide brimmed hat, rose Lalon of Auf Lal’al, his blade Eversharp passed cleanly through Leonin’s nanite forcefield and nearly severing the man’s left arm.
The remaining leg was struck with a well placed shot from a sniper’s rifle, and Leonin hit the ground hard. He fumbled with his remaining hand for his time shredder a grapple gun whipped out a clamp that stole it from him. He was so livid, he was full of immense burning rage.
Khalid Phoenixkiller quickly pocketed the amulet. And raised his flamethrower to put some death into this temporal war criminal. At his side was Heikeriki, who they had taken with them when they realized how quickly the local inquisitors would kill the Olgog maiden.
They all watched as Leonin crushed a small blue gland in his hand and there was an implosion sound and a flash of blue light and Leonin was gone.
There was another succession of flashes of blue light and a set of huge eight foot tall reptiloid aliens in battle armor carrying huge guns appeared.
They pointed their weapons at Khalid, Resugent, Hekericki, Black Lorne and Lalon. Another of the Da’uhnb stepped out holding Rhug’ab in one hand, and his sniper rifle in the other.
There was a flash of blue light and the allies found themselves in a distant future at a space station used by the TEA for booking temporal criminals. They were politely herded into a room, offered food and drink, and then asked a simple question by a big blue alien with a badge.
“Would they be willing to assist an investigation and capture of known temporal criminal Mortis Leonin?” and as the blue alien asked that question, they watched twenty holographic displays show Leonin’s continuing attempts to kill the heir of S’vana in various timelines.