? It had been nearly six years for Milton in the Marines. He had reenlisted and stayed on in Vietnam with Project Delta for the additional two years. Milton had His reasons, One was because of his friends in Project Delta, Dick/Milton never had many friends, the other and more important reason was to gain more knowledge of The Brotherhood of The Ram. Hermes (Yes, THAT Hermes) told Him there would be a war of Gods? coming many years in the future and Milton needed all the knowledge He could gather. He met many influential Brothers over that time and could keep all their information and conversation stored in his mind for the future.
? In those two years He was also able to finally complete and Empower His Magical Bracers of Defense. Yes Milton well actually Dick was a big D&D Gamer so some of His spell names were not? exactly original but Milton had quite a bit on His mind back then. A Child who he never met, a Mother and Father He had finally learned the Truth about and a Future/Past as well as a Present in question.
? Milton was summoned to Major Buffet's office for a new mission. He noticed His reenlistment papers on The Majors desk but said nothing. It seems reconnaissance photos had captured pictures of three American soldiers being held by the Vietcong in a camp surrounding and Ancient Buddhist Temple several miles up the river. Milton would lead Delta Team on a rescue mission to extract them. The pictures proved that at least twenty Vietcong Soldiers were in the camp so there could be more. Milton did not like the odds but knew his job and what He had signed up for. No man left behind.
? The Team was prepared as they always were and no time was lost. The Helicopter dropped the small boat in the River and Milton along with Rude Boy, Dallas and Wichita crept up the delta. They pulled the small boat in about a mile south of the camp and prepped it for a quick and easy departure. The walk up to the camp would be slow going and dangerous.
? Milton took point with Dallas to His right and Wichita and Rude Boy taking up the rear. He was just putting on His Crystal Lensed Glasses and prepping a spell of Seeing when a Cong Scout Patrol opened fire right in front of them. Milton was too slow and the Cong ripped into the four of them. Milton was protected by his Bracers and Protection Spells but Dallas and Wichita were both hit and Rude Boy in a moment of panic bolted back towards the boat. Milton returned fire, not something he liked to do, and tore into the first Vietcong. It was then as he moved to fire on the next that his gun jammed. As they Say "It Sucks To Be Dick Dante"
? The three Vietcong took this opportunity to send another barrage of fire back at Milton, luckily His comrades had already hit the floor with injuries and Rude Boy had bolted. Milton took the hits against his shield spells and was safe. It was then that Milton ran forward and clobbered both Cong with the butt of his rifle putting an end to the struggle. He them turned his attention to His fallen team mates. Both Dallas and Wichita were hit and badly wounded. Milton cast Healing Spells on both to stop the bleeding and stabilize them. He activated His Aura Spells to monitor them and turned to the three fallen Vietcong Soldiers. Their Auras were fading and Milton being who and what He is went forward to heal them as well. Unfortunately magic is a Fickle Mistress and His Spells caused them all to suffer Wounds instead. Milton realized this Spell would no longer function as He looed at His charred fingers. As he turned back to Dallas and Wichita He could see Wichita's Aura fading. Milton has missed a bullet still lodged in him and with no Healing Spells available He had to rely on good old fashioned Medicine. He was in fact a Dr. you know.
? Milton cast and Obfuscation Spell around all three of them and set to work. It was exhausting as the amount of energy needed to be ignored on three individuals was incredible. Another Vietcong patrol emerged from the jungle. One sped back towards the camp and the remaining two searched the area. They walked right past and over Milton and Dallas' leg due to the Spell and moved on in search of Rude Boy who had escaped. A short time later Milton heard fire from the North and he could tell by the sound it was multiple types of weapons. The Cong had found Rude Boy or he had found them.
? Milton continued to hide and a third Patrol emerged as well as one from the second Patrol. Three soldiers removed the bodies of the fallen Cong and the fourth took off in Rude Bots direction. It was obvious now to Milton that they worked always in groups of three. Once the patrols had gone Milton was near full exhaustion. He shut down all His spells and rested for twenty minutes. It was all the time He could take a chance with. Milton stripped Dallas and Wichita of their gear as well as much of his own. He used some camoflauge to hide their weapons and lifted the two of them onto His shoulders. Milton walked as quickly and quietly back to where the small boat was supposed to be and He was exhausted and dejected when he arrived. The boat had been untied and was floating in the middle of the River about fifty feet from the shore. Milton guessed Rude Boy had just gotten it untied when the Vietcong found him. There were shell casings all around the small shoreline where they had pulled the boat up.
? Milton had no choice but to leave Dallas and Wichita as He dove into the water. He struggled against the currents but made it to the boat. Milton returned with the boat to the shore and retrieved the two Soldiers. Their vitals were weak but steady and he knew they would survive. He then activated his Sight Spell and headed back up river. He located two Vietcong Soldiers and neither had active Auras, Rude Boy had killed them. As He continued on He saw the final Cong Soldier and Milton took him out with two well placed Curse Bolt Spells. Eventually He caught up to Rude Boy near the shoreline and pulled the boat under a low hanging cliff face and Rude Boy joined him.
? Milton ordered Rude Boy back to their base camp to tend to Dallas and Wichita, Milton would complete the mission alone. Rude Boy protested and was feeling a heavy sense of guilt for abandoning the Team but Milton pushed him to make sure to return, leave the radio on but silent and make sure he made it obvious they were leaving. This would help to convince the Vietcong the mission was a failure and hopefully relax their guard if even just a small amount. Milton dove back into the water and Rude Boy circled once and headed back up river towards the American Camp.
? Once Milton reached the shore He rested for another thirty minutes. He needed to re energize Himself as well as give more time for the enemy to convince themselves the current threat was over. He slowly made His way back to where the initial ambush had taken place and gathered some of His items. Radio, Pistol, Folding Staff and Medical Kit as well as his vest. He had to move quietly and as unencumbered as possible in order to save the three Americans being held. Milton crept towards? the camp and finally dropped to His belly when he reached the clearing. He had already activated His Sight Spell and now gathered leaves, mud and hard earth to activate an Obfuscation spell around Himself. Just as He finished casting a camp Dog came close to Him, Milton froze. The Dog sniffed around, looked in His direction, urinated and inch from Milton's head and moved on. The Spells were working, if a Dog could not notice Him with it's heighted sense of smell Milton felt more if just slightly at ease.?
? He steeled Himself, stood and strode softly into the Vietcong camp. Milton passed goats and chickens both in pens and walking freely. He noticed there were women and children as well as the soldiers though neither the women nor children were armed. Milton moved towards the overgrown Buddhist Temple to locate and entrance. The first side had none He could find and as He rounded the corner he came across Soldiers surrounding a set of three makeshift bamboo tables. The three Cong Soldiers Milton had attempted to heal were there prone on each table top. One had the top of his skull removed and Milton could see his brain had been removed as well. One of the Soldiers was in the process of tapping a heavy blade across the skull of a second obviously prepping to dislodge another brain. Milton was confused by this and at that moment the Soldier with the knife stopped, grabbed his weapon and stared in Miltons direction. He was obviously alerted but stared right past Milton. Once again this made no sense. He could not see Milton yet was somehow acting as if he was aware of His presence. Something was terribly wrong.
? Milton had no time left and he backed away and turned to find the entrance to the Buddhist Temple. As He entered the candle lit hallway he walked forward and emerged into a just slightly more lit rounded room. In the center of the room was pit maybe twenty five feet across. The walls of the pit clearly had some type of makeshift stairs built into the sides but only of heavy sticks you could climb up or down very carefully. Milton made His way down slowly and stepped into another room covered in mud and excrement. The room was filled with slow moving humans and two guards. There were maybe a dozen American Soldiers instead of the three He had come to liberate. Each of them looked to be in a trance like state and all had damage to their noses and accompanying black eyes. Milton thought they were drugged and beaten but the wounds were consistent with something being jammed up their nasal cavities. Milton being both a Dr. and Mage cast a Detect Life Spell as He was concerned they were perhaps Zombified or Mummified. They were all alive. He then activated His Sight Spell and looked around the room to better understand what may be happening.
? With His Aura Sight He could now see everything more clearly. In the center of the room he could see a wicker basket hanging from a rope over a brackish small river inside the pit. As He watched there was movement in the water and four tentacles reached up and opened the basket. Out came the Human Brain that was missing from the Vietcong Soldier on the table upstairs. Two of the tentacles quite dexterously took hold of the brain and easily placed it into an viscous looking beak that now appeared from the murky river. As stated before, Milton/Dick was an old avid D&D player and knew what he was looking at and how much trouble he and everyone else was truly in. A Mind Flayer!! That explained why the Guards were alerted but still could not see Him. It was then that the tentacles paused, changed to appear as part of the brackish river and disappeared.
? Milton knew He was in for the fight of His life and that was when it attacked. Milton was struck stone cold. He dropped His pistol and staff and stood motionless. It was all He could do to use His Magically Enhanced Will from His Ring of Iron Will to break the control. Milton immediately bent and pivoted and created a Magic Circle against Meta Beings around himself. It was not a powerful one as Magic Circles made out of mud and shit really cannot be. He saw as he stood from making the circle that the two Cong Guards eyes glazed over. They both turned their weapons towards Milton and fired. Luckily Milton had all His defenses active and the two Guards were facing each other. They both took the other out with automatic weapons fire. Milton could now see The Mind Flayer was up out of the water and inches from his face. The Magic Circle though weaker than normal still held and protected Milton. In desperation Milton summoned a Curse Bolt that struck the foul creature squarely in the chest. It flew backwards and slammed against a far wall dropping to all fours next to the river. With Milton's Sight He could see it was possibly triple or even quadruple jointed? It was a truly horrific sight to behold. The Mind Flayer paused and dove back into the water and disappeared.
? Milton had a moment if just that to use His magically enhanced sight now on the rest of the beings in the room. There were maybe twenty in total with as many as twelve American soldiers and eight Vietnamese, some of the Vietnamese being Women. With His Aura Sight he could see each were still alive but also that each had another small Aura in their brains. The Humans were carrying what Milton could only say were infant Parasitic Flayers slowly eating their brains. It was too much for Him on so many different levels and he was suddenly reminded of the incident of the Nursery in Arcadia. That was when he heard it, felt it, and smelled it. A dozen Vietcong Soldiers had appeared above at the rim of the pit and were pouring gasoline down on all of them.
? Without hesitation Milton ran the circumference of the bottom of the pit and created a Protection from Fire Circle just as the soldiers began to drop candles into the pit. The flames extinguished as they touched Milton's Magical Wards. With no other recourse the dozen Vietcong Soldiers simply began to fire their automatic rifles into those still in the pit.
? Milton/Dick for only the second time in His Five Hundred plus years of existence flew into a Rage. Milton Levitated above the soldiers who were slaughtering those at the bottom of the pit and cast Shower of Sparks. Giant Sparks and Flames flew from His hands and engulfed the soldiers. The cans of gasoline made it even worse and the sounds of screaming and the stench or burning flesh emanated through the Temple. Milton tuned it out.
? After the atrocity was done Milton lowered Himself back to the bottom of the pit. All but one of the Humans were dead but the majority of the Parasitic Mind Flayers still lived, only those who took bullets to the brain no longer pulsed with an Aura. Milton Levitated Himself and one remaining American Soldier out of the Pit. As he was Magically carrying him out of the Temple Milton saw a man running towards him, it was Rude Boy. Seems He had disobeyed a direct order and not left.
? Rude Boy, his real name is Percival, questioned Milton on what had happened. Milton began to fabricate a story about test mind control drugs and incendiary grenades but stopped himself after a moment. Percival was the closest friend he ever had and He just could not keep up the charade any longer, especially after meeting Percival's Grand Mother who Herself had a touch of the power. He broke down and told the Truth of what had happened. Rude Boy listened and nodded. "Yeah Dice. I know about the Magic. All of us in Delta kind of know but it was up to you to share it with us. We saw things that couldn't be explained sometimes? when you thought we didn't. We're your Brothers and none of us liked you holding back secrets but they were your secrets so we figured you would tell us when you were good and ready"
? It took Milton and Rude Boy nearly thirty six hours to haul up all the bodies from the Pit. No Man left behind was what Rude Boy said. During that time Milton cast Cure Illness Spells on all the bodies with the Mind Flayer Parasites effectively destroying them. He still did not do it in front of Rude Boy but He did tell him what he was doing. By the time they were done a larger boat came to return them to base camp as well as the bodies. Milton spent days in debriefing and told Major Buffet what he had seen. Surprisingly the Major was well informed about them though not this specific case. "Illithids" he said " They seem to crop up in any communist controlled country. They would have taken over the Kremlin if it wasn't for Johnny West intervening. West has been fighting them for years now."
? After the debriefing Milton advised Major Buffet He would not be reenlisting. Milton could do more good for The Brotherhood as well as others if He was less limited in His scope. The Major did not show any emotion but Milton was pretty darn sure he was not pleased. As Milton walked to the airfield where he would catch a plane back to the states and visit Whistler in Levenworth Prison a thought crossed His mind.
? Milton's closest friend was Rude Boy. Rude Boys real name was Percival. Milton was a direct descendant of Arthur Pendragon and Morgan Lefey. That seemed to be Quite a coincidence. Milton did not believe in coincidences however. Only time will tell where this may lead.
The papers were signed. Salutes given, handshakes taken. It was official, Master Sargent Milton Paradise was honorably discharged from the US Military.
It was a good, yet scary sensation. Milton was on his own.
He arrived in LA and was met by Dicky Danders. Dicky was older, heavier, and more lost. Their reunion was bittersweet. Of course war stories were told. Milton told Dicky he saw Mason Lodge, AKA Archibald Rosenblatt, over there.
They drank to old times, to lost friends, and to the future. It was then that Milton saw that Dicky looked lost.
Dicky had been, and always would be, stuck in World War 2.
Milton bought a motorcycle. A nice used Indian. He drove off to see America. For three months he had no home. Some nights he slept under the stars. He wasn't particularly happy, but neither was he sad. It was calm, and that was welcome.
A bar fight here, chased out by cops there, no place felt like home. He was avoided cities. He wanted to stay out of history, at least for now. He stumbled across it, not really sure what he was looking for, but it was it.
Milton put a down payment on a plot of land with a small house and a roadside workshop in Stull, Kansas. The workshop was the last house on main street just by the cemetery. It was roomy, quiet, and off the beaten path. Perfect.
Dicky Danders came out to help Milton set up. He rented a small truck with all the things Milton put in storage back in California. The two spent a few weeks painting and repairing rooves. It was a good time.
Dicky's vaction was over and had to go back to LA to his job. Dicky was sad to go. But then, when is Dicky not sad?
The final thing Milton did was put a sign out in front of the shop. "FIX IT" was all it said. Milton didn't really want customers, he wanted an excuse.
The shop gave him that, an excuse. He could hammer away at all sorts of things and no one would bat an eye. One day he was sharping blades for a local farmer's carbine, the next he was hammering metals for a magic circle. No one bothered him.
For a year, he was content. He dreamt of Adele, and that comforted him. He knew she was ok. And so was his son, Christopher. It hurt to be away, but he knew he couldn't go to her.
He became the crazy cat man. All the local feral cats could be counted on to stop by his shop at least once a day. He would talk to them, and the kids of Stull would say they talked back. Of course, being cats and all, all they would say was; more food, pet me, and I am scared of the cemetery.
That was odd. Why were cats afraid of the cemetery? Milton went to investigate.
While Stull was a nice, but dull town to live, it did have a reputation. Sometime in the past, a rumor began that Stull had a gateway to hell, and the devil himself could be found there. This ticked the locals off plenty, and they were downright unfriendly to pesky university students coming through town asking stupid questions. This only fueled the rumors.
So Milton walked the cemetery. The only odd thing he found were footprints in the wet October soil leading away from an undisturbed grave. He didn't see where they ended, but he was sure they began at the grave.
It was time to use magic. Oh yes, Milton is a wizard. Didn't I tell you that? He used his magic glasses to see things that are hidden.
He found out two things. One, that this was the oldest grave in the graveyard. In fact it was over a hundred years older than the town of Stull. Second, that it was a portal to somewhere.
Could the rumors be true?
Dick was thinking. Should he use the portal, see where it leads? Should he try to bind it closed?
It was then he heard a crash. It was the sounds of metal on metal. A car crash. He wasn't too far from the road and off he went.
It was one of the local farmers, Mr. O'Brien and his wife. They hit a biker. There was broken metal and a twisted motorcycle next to a contorted body. The O'Brien's were understandably upset.
They recognized Milton and were thankful he was there. They knew he was a medic in the service. Milton's glasses told him that this was not as it seemed. The body was covered in an illusion. The young biker was a lie, and instead, what lay on the ground was an ancient corpse. Milton didn't want to scare the nice couple and told them to go to town and get the cops, that he would take care of the victim.
They took off. Milton figured he had under 7 minutes before the police came. What to do?
Well the question was solved when the corpse tried to grab him. It stood up and hissed. Milton fired a hexbolt at it, knocking it down.
The corpse then grabbed the motorcycle and slammed Milton with it, then ran. Milton followed but was too slow.
It made it to the old grave and just sank in gone. When Milton got there, the grave was undisturbed as if nothing happened.
When the police arrived, the saw Milton walking out of the wooded cemetery.
What could he do? He thought quick. He lied. He told them that the biker must have been on LSD and ran off. He said he tried to chase him and he was too fast. The officer said that these drugged up hippies can run real fast when on drugs. They searched for a while then gave up. They hauled the motorcycle off to Milton's shop.
The next day Milton went to the grave. His magic said it was normal. No magic, no portal. He figured it probably only worked at night.
He spoked to the police officer who pulled up. He wanted to photograph the motorcycle, and look for personal items in the side bags. He wanted to see if he could identify the biker who was hit.
He gathered the items, but them in a bag and walked to the car. He spoke on his radio, and turned on the lights and raced off. Milton, intrigued, followed on his motorcycle.
Just west of the town limits, a body was found. It was the biker, dead from leprosy. His wallet ID'd him as a California resident, and former Army. They called the local doctor, who ordered everyone not to touch the body. Milton and the doctor turned the body over using a crow bar, to get it on the stretcher so they could transport it to the morgue.
All in all the police were satisfied that the biker died from wounds sustained by the car crash, and he was driving erratically due to the leprosy. Milton didn't correct anyone.
He went home and decided to stake out the grave again. It was just after dark when he was about to leave, and there he was. The Biker.
He looked fine. Milton used his glasses and saw through the illusion. It was the corpse again. He said he came for the bike. He said fix it and you will never see me again. Milton said no.
The biker grabbed the crowbar from the foundry. Milton was burning it clean as it touched the leper's body, and hit Milton with it. It burned and smashed his ribs. Milton took off his ring and tossed it.
The ring expanded and fell on the ground. The Biker Corpse hissed. He was trapped in a magic circle, and a particularly strong one at that.
The Biker Corpse tried to break out, but he couldn't. Then he did what the trapped always do, plead.
When pleading didn't work he tried to bargain. He had nothing Milton wanted, so the last resort. He threatened.
This scared Milton. He said he was the Devil and his legions would rise from the grave on the next sundown after he didn't return and defile every last citizen of Stull. He said all he wanted was his bike repaired and his freedom.
Milton agreed. He didn't want to risk the life of the people who welcomed him so warmly.
It took four hours, so just before midnight Milton called back his ring. The thing thanked him and rode east.
Milton wasn't sure he did the right thing.
The following evening he packed a picnic basket. He was going to stake out the grave, this night, and every night from now on, until he learned something. Anything.
He sat on his stool and poured coffee from his thermos. While drinking the grave vanished. It became a stairway down. Two robed figures emerged. They looked like embalmed corpses. He knew them, from the future. They, however, didn't know him. Yet.
They recognized him as a wizard and struck a deal. A favor for a favor. Standard deal in the magical world. Milton agreed. They asked him to find their errant citizen and return him to their city of the dead. Milton didn't name what he wanted, nor did they ask. They seemed desperate.
Milton had his suspicions and this confirmed it. He had learned long ago, that the oldest grave in each cemetery is a way to the Necropolis, the City of the Dead. One of the Seven Occult Cities. Today he found that to be true.
Milton went home, and prepared for a trip. The Death Biker had a day's ride ahead of him. And he was worried about the cats.
He was packing his bags when the car arrived. Milton was upset. He had enough on his plate now and didn't want any customers at the moment.
He recognized the two men right away. One was Mr Clean, leader of the Secret Seven, the other was Col Marshal Strong. Both were men out of time, just like Milton. This was not going to be good.
They spoke quick, and Milton stood rapt. They were both very commanding men.
"Milton, your country needs you. Pack your bags, your flight to Moscow leaves in the morning. Its a matter of national security."
All Milton could say was damn...
Dead Rider
Rhyanion
The Exorcist
Gods Blade ( Out of Order)
Camp Hell
Alternate Realities
Clean and Strong set Milton up with a cover identity.? He was a Canadian Archeologist.? He was set to Moscow for a party.
At the party he rubbed elbows with Soviet Academics.? He met Agata. She was the leader of the dig.? She was a tall, thin blue eyed blond beauty.? She had everyone in the room at her command.?
Milton spoke scarcely and strategically.? He used subtle magic to scan the room.? He picked up strong enchantments, but elsewhere.? ?He excused himself to investigate.
Pretending to need to use the washroom, he wandered the Catherine Palace trying to find that magic.
He turned to a familiar face.?
Rasputin said hello in English.? He invited Milton to a room.? Milton was confused, as he didn't see the door to the room until Rasputin mentioned it.?
Inside was the fabled lost Amber Room Peter the Great.? It was filled with foods, luxurious furniture, books and various beautiful woman and a young beautiful girl.
Rasputin wanted to know who cast the spell.? ?Milton couldn't deny it as it was still active.?
After a short talk, Milton asked to leave, the young girl asked to go while him.? Rasputin took a defensive stance, and Milton left.
It wasn't until he saw the photographs on the wall that she was the missing princess, Anastasia.?
Milton saw that Rasputin cast the room off into a limbo.? Each day started over, with fresh food, and the ladies all had no memories time spent. For them, it has only been a day since they sequestered themselves with the mad monk.? ?It seems only Rasputin was aware of the passage of time.
Disturbed by what he saw, Milton knew he had to make a plan for later.
He was aproached by Agata, who showed him a series of tablets. They appeared ancient, yet to percise to old. A paradox. Milton secretly cast a spell and read. What he learned astonished him. It was a chronicle of the Illithid race! From their humble beginings on Koth, to their destruction. And worse, how they wish to restore lost Koth.
The last secret gave Milton the chills. Koth was earth! They wish to return Earth to a more ancient time, before the moon, when Earth was covered with shallow seas!
The next few days, Agata and Milton prepped for the dig.
When they got to the site, significant progress was already made.
It was routine, and if this was not all a deception, this would have been enjoyable for Mr. Paradise.
The only oddity was that Milton did not dream. He is usually a very vivid dreamer. And since his relocation to his own past, he has been trying to reconnect with the lovely Lucid. So, after three days of dreamless sleep, he decided to stay awake.
He laid in bed. He saw Agata come in and light a Hand of Glory. This primitive spell is used to keep sleepers asleep. It can be very helpful in that if affects a wonderful, refreshing, healing sleep, but one who is asleep cannot awaken until the candles are extinguished.
Milton saw Agata sneak off.? ?He followed quietly.? ?
She met up with a T'cho t'cho.? These interdimensional merchants were always up to no good.? ?She traded some mithril for information about her missing brother.?
She turned out to be Milton's contact and gave him the coordinates of the hidden military camp. He, and his two traveling companions and fellow CHESS agents, Homer Grimsby and Alexandria Huntington, armed up.
The next night, under cover of darkness, Milton took a jeep and drove to a military installation that "did not exist."? All it cost was a promise to help Agata rescue her missing brother.
Great first the Princess, now Agata's brother...
Milton was stopped by a guard.? He had to fight his way in. Alexandria proved to be a real threat with a reloading crossbow, while Homer, less flashy, took out several guards with his handguns.? The entire base went on alert.? ?He used stealth, and extreme violence to make his way to a huge tarp tent.?
Inside the tent was a primitive hospital and a huge pit.? ?He was then attacked by a misshapen meta human.? ?The fight should have ended in Miton's demise, but Miton was a wizard.?
Milton found what he was sent for, Mr. Visitor!? The alien who landed in Roswell went missing.? He was last seen in Laos and was captured.? He spent years in captivity.? ?Milton brought him back to CHESS HQ.? ?
Unfortunately, the Soviets learned of alien activity on Earth, and it was never found out, what was in the pit.
Bumping for a story
Black Axis
