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Cam is out flying. There's a decent cloud of atmosphere around the gold plane, now, millenia of demons making air around themselves for comfort and not sealing it up because why would you bother. There's a small forest, here - the effect is kind of ruined by the lamps it has to grow under, but it's still pretty.
He feels an open summons and lets it grab him -
the Connecticut Yankee summons Demon Cam
from_scratch
connecticut_yankee
Hank Morgan, known to many as the king's minister and the sorcerer called "the Boss," has lost. Decisively.
After almost ten years of singlehandedly running an industrial revolution, and trying to destroy superstition like he did chivalry, slavery, and smallpox, superstition has begun to fight back. He paces around the room in an empty Camelot, reading and re-reading the note from Clarence.
Only fifty-three Englishmen who didn't drop everything and go back to their sixth-century lives, and them besieged. The entirety of the nation in arms against them because the Church decreed it. And Arthur—the one nobleman who might truly be called noble—dead.
He paces around the room, trying to think of a rescue plan, or any plan at all with a chance of working. After for once in his life repeatedly failing to think of anything, he sees his footprints in the dust forming a circle on the oak floor.
After almost ten years of singlehandedly running an industrial revolution, and trying to destroy superstition like he did chivalry, slavery, and smallpox, superstition has begun to fight back. He paces around the room in an empty Camelot, reading and re-reading the note from Clarence.
Only fifty-three Englishmen who didn't drop everything and go back to their sixth-century lives, and them besieged. The entirety of the nation in arms against them because the Church decreed it. And Arthur—the one nobleman who might truly be called noble—dead.
He paces around the room, trying to think of a rescue plan, or any plan at all with a chance of working. After for once in his life repeatedly failing to think of anything, he sees his footprints in the dust forming a circle on the oak floor.
from_scratch
And as another step falls, a man in tight-fitting woven blue trousers and nothing else - except, notably, bat wings and a barbed tail of a similar blue - appears in the middle of the circle.
He looks at the footprints. He looks at Hank.
"Well, this looks hilariously accidental," he says.
He looks at the footprints. He looks at Hank.
"Well, this looks hilariously accidental," he says.
connecticut_yankee
Hank looks at the man. Partial nudity was fairly common among non-nobles up until a few years ago, but he doesn't look obviously malnourished. Also, wings.
"Who are you, and how did you get in here?" The door wasn't locked, but it is noticeably across the room from the newcomer.
"Who are you, and how did you get in here?" The door wasn't locked, but it is noticeably across the room from the newcomer.
from_scratch
"My name is Cam, and you summoned me. Hilariously accidentally, it would seem. Do you need a demon for anything, as long as I'm here?"
connecticut_yankee
"A demon? I should warn you," Hank's demeanor changes, "I am the most powerful magician in existence at the moment. The charlatan Merlin will admit I once removed a demon that he pronounced impossible."
from_scratch
"...I would be very impressed with this feat of hocus-pocus if I didn't know how summoning worked. If you just want to get rid of me, go ahead, I'll go home and catch up on my reading and try not to be too mopey about how not even accidental non-binding summoners appreciate my commitment to nonviolence."
connecticut_yankee
"A commitment to what? You're the first person I've met in years who didn't take violence as a divinely ordained fact of life. Until I told them otherwise, anyway. Are you sure you're a demon?"
from_scratch
"Are the wings not a dead giveaway? And the tail? Where is this, anyway?"
connecticut_yankee
"You are in Camelot, in what used to be the castle of King Arthur until last week or so. As for the wings, well, I try not to judge on appearances.
If you are, though, I'm quite prepared to, uh, smite you with thunder from on high."
If you are, though, I'm quite prepared to, uh, smite you with thunder from on high."
from_scratch
"And, just to clarify, are you a historical reenactor such that actually if I hop out the window and fly for a while I will find skyscrapers and spaceports and such?"
connecticut_yankee
"Skyscrapers? No, not yet I'm afraid; I haven't got that far. How do know about those, anyway? And what's a spaceport?"
connecticut_yankee
"Twenty-one..." Hank is briefly flabbergasted, then starts laughing.
"And of course you happen to end up in a room with me. Unless everyone here is secretly a time-traveler?"
That probably needed some explanation.
"I'm from 1895."
"And of course you happen to end up in a room with me. Unless everyone here is secretly a time-traveler?"
That probably needed some explanation.
"I'm from 1895."
from_scratch
"Grand. And now you have time-travel summoning powers, aren't you proud of yourself. How did you get to 536 or thereabouts?"
connecticut_yankee
"Took a crusher to the head in a union dispute, and woke up in 528.
Far as I know there's no way back, unless 'waking up' is an option, which it might be. I've just been trying to do the best I can with this place as I've found it."
Far as I know there's no way back, unless 'waking up' is an option, which it might be. I've just been trying to do the best I can with this place as I've found it."
from_scratch
"Okay. Seems likely to be an improvement, considering, I think they had the rudiments of germ theory and so on by 1895, etcetera. So do you need a demon for anything? ...You don't know what demons are for, do you. Demons make stuff. Arbitrary stuff. Including stuff from 2159."
from_scratch
Cam smiles. And conjures up a tortilla chip loaded with guacamole, which he eats. "No factories required."
connecticut_yankee
Hank has never seen this bizarre food from 2159, but that's not the surprising part of the demonstration. He breaks into a grin.
"I think we've got a rescue mission to go on."
"I think we've got a rescue mission to go on."
connecticut_yankee
"The Republic of England. All fifty-three of its members. They can probably defend themselves indefinitely, but they're under siege and could use a miracle or two."
from_scratch
"...Okay, I'm less confident in 'time travel' and beginning to suspect 'alternate universe', because I think I probably would have noticed if there was a Republic in England in the five hundreds. But that's relatively immaterial. Should I replace my wings and be rid of the tail, pretend I'm an angel? Not like anyone will know the difference magically speaking unless you've got a cagey summoner."
connecticut_yankee
"Definitely don't be a demon. I thought I had cured the superstition from these people, but the church has its tentacles on them tight, or else the lot of them are cowards. Anything that even makes them think the word 'demon' and they'll break out the torches and pitchforks."