It's 2 days later that they leave the pass along the southern shore of the Black Sea and later that afternoon that Henrik wakes, feeling his own self and confused about what happened to him. He is mighty upset that they managed to 'sneak in on him' like that.

Anwen looking at her magic mirror map, "We are at something of a cross road here. From here to Mesopotamia Is roughly a year or more of travel the way we are going. So I put to you this, anyone feel like just skipping the rest of this country and teleporting there ?"

Pretty much everyone, including the horses and the dogs looks at Shule. She looks around and grimaces, "Ok I know I am the only one who has trouble with it. I don't know why my stomach always twist in to knots over it. If I knew a way to not be ill on the other end I would be all for it."

Anwen looks thoughtful, "I may have a way, but we will need everyone to move in closure for me to pull it off. Oh and my target is this lake here, the shore to be precise." Shows everyone the 'map' then pulls if further back so they can see how far they would be covering. Nast whistles, "ok I see why you don't want to cover that range on foot. I do like that about that ability, hundreds of miles covered in a matter of a few clicks." snaps his fingers for 'clicks'. Owen looking at it and working the distance in his head, "If we were able to ride that distance with few to no interruptions it would take us roughly 2 months. With this crew, though and our combined luck, I can see a year or better. I am for just jumping ahead at this point."

Shule sighs, "Ok, but I hope your idea works, otherwise I will make a mess, again."

Everything is secured, moved in to place and then Anwen walks up to Shule, takes her in an embrace and kisses her deeply, letting their heat mix. When the kiss is broken they are on the southern edge of a huge lake. To their immediate east is a large group of soldiers and merchants, resting on the shore of the lake, most now staring at this strange group that just appeared like a desert mirage.

Shule sighs happily then hearing a camel, turns around and see's the group. "I don't recall them in the image."

Nast is looking in the mirror, "Hmm seems her focus drifted, we ended up about 10 miles east of our destination point. Still given the level of distraction it is pretty good aim considering the distance traveled and all."

Anwen looking at Shule, "So how's the tummy ?"

Shule grins, "Fine, anytime you want to kiss me like that is fine."

Over all the majority who saw them appear and then just stand there talking amongst themselves return to their business. Mages did things like that from time to time. The guards are watchful but otherwise don't interfere unless provoked.

Sarah sits up in her saddle, "OH Merchants, wonder if we can get some local foods and supplies." Anwen grins, "Girl does like to shop doesn't she." Even so, the group heads toward the caravans. Nast'al listens then ask in a rough version of the common language, "Pardon, are there any merchants open to trade ?"

A few close by look them over and a couple take the chance and are willing to deal with the obvious foreigners. But in the end, silver is silver and gold is gold and profit is always good. And once word gets round these people have coin to spend more merchants are willing to deal.

A little talking allot of haggling and some good deals later they have some local clothes, good food, and some idea about the best routes to get to Babylon. Which is roughly 3 or 4 days off depending on the route you take.

Around evening there is some excitement as a small dragon flies over. The newer merchants all panic and have the mages and soldiers up in arm, while the old hands light pipes, or gather on the bank to watch the dragon swoop down in to the lake and try and catch it's dinner.

An older merchant tells the group that some dragons nest there about and a couple times a week they fly over and chase some of the larger fish in the lake. Some few come by the shore and sometimes try to trade their catch for something better. Usually cattle or goats. One fellow sold off some excess camels once in exchange for a rather large fish. He had it mounted so he could claim to his brethren back home about how he caught it. Anwen shakes her head and laughs, "Some people will do anything to try and make themselves look better in the eyes of their people." The merchant nodded "True and it is foolish to do so in my humble opinion."

Owen comes back to the group, dragging Sarah with him, "Hey Lady An, your little girl here about got herself taken by some slavers back there. I pulled her out before they could get their hands on her proper."

Anwen looks at Sarah then points at her feet, "Sit there now." Sarah kneels there and awaits orders.

While waiting, "Ooh dragons." she sighs. Anwen nods, "Yes they are fishing."

"Not those, the ones over there." pointing behind everyone. Anwen turns then taps the old merchant on the shoulder, "Pardon sir, but is that normal ?"

He turns and looks and sees dozens of dragons of all sizes dipping and swooping and circling in some kind of dance. "No, I can't say it is. Most unusual behavior to be sure."

There is some kind of commotion coming from further inside the massive camp, a mage with a sharply shaped beard with just a touch of grey rushes over, "Cover you wagons and prepare to move. Something is coming. All the priest of Ishtar have covered their heads and are moaning about the end of the world or some such. Not sure what they mean but it sounds bad."

Nast'al comes next to Anwen on one side and Shule on the other, "Do you feel it ?" He ask, Shule nods, "Something old is coming, older than us even." Anwen seems to be listening to something, "Hey Nast, care to make a bet on our discussion concerning Tiamaat ?"

Nast'al glances at her, "Why what are you .. oh shit. She's coming isn't she ?" Anwen smiles and nods, "Yep, that's why they are dancing, Grandmother is coming." The near merchants hear that and move even faster to get their things packed. The return of Tiamaat is not something anyone thought was possible. More than a few of the merchants and soldiers are muttering things to the effect 'we are gonna die' and then doing everything in their power to try and make it not so. Mostly packing and panicking.

The air grows hush, the lights dim, Anwen walks out toward the edge of the disturbance, smiling. Her friends think she has lost her little mind. Then SHE is there, 5 heads, Red of fire in the middle, Blue of Lightning to the top left, Green of Woods to the top right, White of Clouds to the bottom left, and Black of Night to the bottom right. All the colors blending together along her back and twisting around her length and tail. No wings even so she glides through the center of the circle cast by her children. She comes to a perfect landing not 20ft from where Anwen is standing, staring up at her with a welcome smile while most everything behind her (except her group and animals) are running in blind panic away from them or kneeling on the ground calling on gods who are busy being Elsewhere as this ancient being comes fully In to the mortal world.

She looks around and down and the middle head smiles, "ROB Good to see you child … you look different from last time."

Anwen laughs, "New Body old soul." She laughs and Tiamat, queen of all dragon kind nods, "See you moved a few steps up the deity latter to. Congratulations." Anwen makes a face, "That was not my doing, that was something else I would rather not go in to right now." Tiamat, with 'Robs' blessing, looks through Anwen's memories and nods 3 heads, "Yes I see. Hm, well you have been busy." The bottom two heads move to look around Anwen at her friends, "At least you have some true friends and loves. That is very good. Hmm minor gods to, nice."

Smiling broadly, "I see you have been watching those cartoons I told you about."

Tiamaat nods, "Don't agree with how they portray me but did like the form, though I modified it more to my own true self than what those children thought up. Good colors, bad understanding."

"Well to be fair, that was more like a Hydra version of you and a whole few magnitudes weaker than your true self." Tiamaat nods, "This is true. At any rate, After our last chat in the dream realm and your comment about the rules, I did some digging and found out you were correct … you don't recall those dreams do you ?"

Anwen shrugs, "Bits and pieces I am afraid, I was in pretty deep at that point." The dragon nods, "I understand, your still new to this stuff. Give yourself a few centuries and you will figure it out."

The red head looks over her top, "There is a little person trying to sneak crawl up behind you. She is not doing a very good job at it."

Anwen turns around then sighs, and signs 'come here'. Sarah jumps to her feet and sprints over to Anwen, Stopping to look up in wonder at the huge multi-headed dragon. Anwen puts her arm over the girls shoulder, "This is Sarah, my girlfriend and technically my slave. She was a gift by Ramseys the 2cd. I tried to set her free and she won't let me." Tiamaat giggles in a deep rumbling sound. "Some people are like that. I got a few children like that, still don't know where that impulse comes from."

"Now then 'Anwen' is it, come here" Anwen takes a step closer, "Come now, little closer," two steps, "Anwen, I am not going to bite you." Almost a poof as Anwen runs up and hugs as much of the dragons lower body as she can reach with arms and legs. That deep rumbling laughter is heard again.

Anwen purrs, "Solid, so hard to hug spirit forms" Tiamaat rumbles with laughter and hugs her carefully back with one taloned hand. "Oh my, ok was not expecting that." Sarah calls up, unnecessarily loud, "She's a hugger. Loves to hug." one of the heads makes a wincing kind of face.

Tiamaat, "No need to yell child, I can hear you quite plainly."

Nast'al takes a chance and comes forward, bowing to the great lady, "Pardon the intrusion, but why did you call Anwen 'Rob' to start with ?"

She looks down at him, cocks her head to one side, like trying to decide to talk to him or maybe eat him. Then she smiles, "The one you call Anwen is an old friend. By a few lifetimes. I knew her soul self by the name Rob long before she became Anwen. One of the few Seekers I have met who understands cross world politics and laws better than most gods. Advanced souls are not as common as some people think. Anwen has come a long way since I met her original self and set her up with a spirit guide. And yes I did know her by a completely different name back then."

She looks down at her lower chest where she is being fiercely hugged, "That reminds me, how is he ?" muffled, "have not seen him sense I learned how to reach the center." she says in to the dragons skin.

Tiamaat nods, "Well that is how it should be. Besides he had many students and most were slower than you."

She eventually lets go and drops back to the ground. "Thanks I needed that."

By this time several of the dragons are now coming down around the mostly deserted camp ground. Most are patent, but a few want her attention and don't want to wait on the tiny mortals.

One butts in and actually tries to swat Sarah away, which would have been quite fatal to the small mortal girl. Anwen did not even consider, she just glared and the dragon found itself on its back with a splitting head-ache. Tiamaat just grinned and commented, "Maybe that will teach you patients when dealing with others now ?" The huge brownish black dragon rolls over and spits "What hit me ?"

Sarah is by this time in Anwens arms, shaken by the near miss.

Tiamaat nods to the girl with the flames for hair, "She is small but she is still a god. You would do well to remember that next time you think about tossing your weight about child." Tiamaat admonishes him. He huffs, "We are dragons, we need not " Tiamat tail slaps him down, "QUIET! I came specifically to talk with this woman. You will Not disrespect her or her friends, Understand ?"

That really shut up ALL the dragons and most of the mortals with in hearing range.

Few minutes later, everyone in their respective camps, save Sarah who is too scared to leave Anwens side after the thing with the dragon.

Tiamaat is sitting next to Anwen who is trying to comfort the girl.

T, "So I was listening to some of the gossip in the outer planes concerning how you not only freed the Gnomish creation god, which good show by the way, but how with his help you broke a deal with the Egyptians and ran off with power you stole from them. Now mind you I have read your mind, as you know, and know you never stole anything and that you never agreed to serve them either. You offered to be a free agent in their employ and they decided to make it permanent.

I have also been talking to his Gnomishness, he really does not like his name known and I can't blame him. That's how they trapped him the first time. He has been trying to find someone who will take you in to their pantheon. The problem is he has not thought to ask you about it and he does not understand why your friends with those Immortals, who are minor deities in their own right even if they don't fully know it yet."

Sarah looks up at the entity, "Are you a god, or something more ?" she ask from the shelter of Anwens arms. Tiamaat smiles at her, "Little of both actually. I am a cross dimensional entity that is worshipped in some places, feared in others and others still see me as a symbol of something more."

Sarah looks at Anwen, "She sure talks like you do." Anwen giggles, Tiamaat smiles.

Nast'al comes over, having had a long talk with Shule. "That is because they are both advanced minds." He tells her, one of Tiamaat's head's nods.

Anwen looks up at the dragon of dragons, "Just a few weeks ago Nast'al and I were discussing your supposed destruction, I on the side that you can't actually be destroyed as in the story, he that the story was fact and therefore you were no more. I am happy you proved him wrong."

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She grimaces, "I lose more Avatars in those stories and from people trying to make themselves more powerful than just about anything else." she sighs. "But I know the story, what you mortals don't know is it's all staged. We agreed on the hand over in power long before your people figured out how to stand upright and throw mud at each other. There are variations in the story in each universe we do those things in, shaping them to fit each place and all that. But it's usually pretty close to the same and is sometimes needed to help civilizations evolve and move on. The problem is the last few incarnations have gotten in to ruts and this is making things worse not better. So a group of Entities got together and decided to drop just a touch of Chaos in the mix, shake things up and see how things go from there. This world got Anwen, just her. Sure we made sure she had more than a fair share of power, but not Godlike, gave her some really nice magic items to. Including the Gnomes prison and the Cloak of the Shut In. Yes I know what it's called here, but I also know the nature of the god that's in it. Hermit is the right word for him. He likes you all and has said some nice things about you. Given how hard he is to impress that's pretty good. Then you go and boy do you shake things up, Freeing the trapped immortals. 13 minor gods, granted not all survived their time in prisoned or once out, but 11 survived to make the world that much more interesting. Had the history enforcers been able to stop you they would not have gotten out in another 2000 or so years and all of them would have been completely devoured by the darkness. Which is what the History Enforcers really want. Anwen is right when she pointed out that our biggest enemy is Entropy. It's agents in all kinds of disguises do their best to stop things from happening in ways they can't manipulate or control."

Nast ponders that, "So maybe that was what happened to Henrik. Some spirit using information from Egypt took over his mind after Sarah voiced an interest in becoming like Shule or myself. Wanted us to not let her. Anwen used a spiritual form of her fire to sever the spirits connection to him."

Tiamaat looks down at Anwen impressed, "You figured out Soul fire already ?"

She shrugs, "It was not That hard. Bast told me she bound the lion and fire to my soul, so logically speaking …" shrugs again. Tiamaat nods, "Yes, that little cat did you allot of damage. She was trying to take some of you in to herself, gain some of your powers. Thing is they come from someplace she can't reach. I am surprised that cat has not tried to take you over yet."

Anwen frowns, "It try's, quite allot, it just does not understand as much as it thinks it does. It's also so sadistic that I don't let it out much. Last time it was out it killed a boy, then lied about the reason just to keep Nast calm, cause as he puts it I am the nice one in the group."

Nast shrugs, "I suspected the lie truthfully but am enough of an actor not to show it. One does not make it as far as I have in my business without learning to be an actor of some skill."

Anwen nods, "They want me to create More of those flaming cats to and the more they push it the more I don't want to cause that scares me allot. Something about it really bothers me."

Tiamaat slowly nods and then, "Nast'al please take Sarah back to the others, Anwen and I need to talk in private." Nast does so. Though Sarah looks worried.

Once alone Tiamaat has her strip and send her clothing and gear over to the others. Then she does a Full examination of Anwen, physical, mental, and spiritual.

There was Lots of Fire and other THINGS that showed up in the girl. Tiamat made lots of clicking sounds and then proceeded to pluck things off and toss them in to a swirling void that opened nearby, "I have seen fewer entropy demons in a dark riddled elder vampire than they stuck in you. Sheesh talk about over kill. No wonder you have issues. I mean sheesh, Everyone has Some in them, nature of the universe, but yikes. Sorry not trying to scare you there dear. Hm oh this is interesting, hm wonder what happens if I do this." the lion spirit falls out, rolls over and tries to run away. It did not get far before Tiamaat tail swatted it back, "So that's why I was not able to find him. Looks like Bast mated you to one of her male children, spiritually speaking. Nothing to do with dominance, well it does but not the way you are thinking, more to do with her thinking in time it would take you over then come back to her, under her control." Anwen, in some amount of pain, "Darn. I like being a shifter, who am I kidding I liked the added power. I can't lie to myself on that, I am a bit of a power junkie."

Tiamaat smiles, "Many are child, at least your honest about it. Speaking of which. Choices, augmented human like before, immortal but not god, vampire, shifter or something else."

Anwen looks perplexed, "What is 'something else' cause as you know there are Lots of things that can fit in that category."

Tiamaat grins and flicks out more unneeded darkness, "Well, being a God is one, yes that comes with the immortality but does not mean you have to have a following or priest or that. You were getting that anyway, just because of your powers and ability to out think many people. Another would be a dragon. or a dragon god, there is that to. I hear your thoughts, power levels, good point. Being a god does not mean much if you don't know your levels. And yes because of the rules of This Prime plane you can stay on it even as a full-fledged god. Nothing stopping you from roaming around doing random acts of anything either. Though higher level gods get away with it more than lesser ones really. hm why are you thinking of, oh ah, hm Shule and you and the fire / ice, I wonder." Tiamat pops Shule over to them, Shule grabs her stomach, "Don't Do that, you could have just called me over you know." Tiamaat ignores that, "Yes yes but this is important, I want you to kiss Anwen."

Shule straightens and looks up at the naked floating Anwen, "Really ?" she does not need more provocation than that, she moves up, pulls herself up to Anwens level and kisses her, quite passionately. Tiamaat hums and mutters in draconic and seems quite pleased, she softly pokes the immortal, "That is enough, she needs to breath now." Shule reluctantly lets go and drops to the ground, "I see, fascinating, completely unexpected. You know how you feel her warmth drawing you in. Well for some reason her fire is pulling in the corrupted essence in you in to her. But it does nothing else. It's an incomplete system. Fascinating. It's almost like it was feeding on it but it had no digestive system. You know with a little work I could fix Anwen to be a compatible being for you. See your kind of immortals have no 'waste' to speak of, so you build up a kind of psychic residue that eventually will make it so you have to start feeding on your own kind to keep going. Somehow when Bast was soul raping Anwen she started something but was unable and I suspect unknowingly building. Course it's up to Anwen if she wants to be the mother of a race of beings who can feed on vampires by kissing them to remove that psychic build up."

Shule nods then ask, "Would that be her only food, or just a side perk to something else cause there would have to be allot more of us around if that is the case."

Tiamaat actually stops, and thinks about it, "Ok new plan. Have to rework that idea. Maybe, hmm possible. Ok how is this. Leave her basics much as they are but work out a way she can cleanse your kind by physical contact, say skin to skin. That way she doesn't have to kiss everyone to make it work and has some mental control over it to. She just pointed out that some of you would try and force her to work as a slave if she did not have some control over it. Having a way to Gift it to others, yes that maybe possible, hmm."

Shule, "You know you talk as confusingly as she does. I get you two are talking telepathically, but your side is allowed oh greatest of dragons." Tiamaat looks surprised and her heads all turn and look at the main head then in a sheepish tone. "5 heads, vocal control over 4 of them otherwise I would be speaking in chorus all the time. Bad design on my part. I am partially Chaos after all, design flaws happen." Shule smiles, "Your excited to, something new is happening." Tiamaat nods, "Yes, exactly true. Well not completely new, but certainly unexpected. Anyway she needs a way to get rid of the darkness she absorbs, that is important to. She already has a partial mechanism for the first part, hm yes, use the energy, transform it, good good. Anwen is a smart child, love that in people. Ooo oh no, really, ok won't do that. True that could be bad in the long run. What, oh alright I won't do that either. Was just an idle idea anyway. Ok ok back on track. What ? oh well I don't know if I should … well I suppose it could be seen that way. Ok yes I could do it, that's not the point. No, I am not going to let That happen here, that always in the long run turns out badly. Well mostly from that Pure Blood non sense you know. Yeah purist ruining it for everyone. hehehe yeah I could see that, you pulling a Jedi on them, hehehe, no not going to give you a lightsabre. Cause I know you to well." the black head speaks to Shule, "They are discussing a type of mystic society of law enforcers that use sunswords of a sort. Giving such a weapon to Anwen is just asking for trouble." Shule smiles and nods, "Is that the one that hums when you swing it ? She plays like she has one now with the sword she has." the head nods, "Yep, they do that, and come in different colors and styles to. We are afraid she be playing with it and either cut off one of her limbs or someone else's." Shule nods, "don't give her one." The head goes silent.

After a bit they send Shule back to the others with warnings of big magics soon to take place and not to interfere.

For a little while it's a bit anti-climactic. Some lights, a bit of fire, lots of portals to swirling chaotic voids, a platinum dragon head comes out of one, they talk, it looks at Anwen, nods and leaves.

Tiamaat gets up walks over to the lake for a drink and while she is away a portal opens and a pure gold dragon swoops out and eats Anwen.

The group is screaming at Tiamaat who looks back and sighs, "oh well" then sits and watches to see what happens next.

Nast'al storms up, "Aren't you going to do anything ?"

Tiamaat, "Can't or Anwen will die. It's up to her now."

Shule, bloody tears streaming down her face, puts a hand on his shoulder, "She is right, if she attacks Anwen will die. That dragon was big enough to swallow her in one bite, she may be able to escape from the inside."

Sarah is sitting there quietly and smiling, totally sure that Anwen will be ok cause she is Anwen and is perfect. The dogs move over to her, whimpering and such but she just pets them, "It will be alright, everyone is forgetting she can teleport."

Shule looks over at Sarah in surprise, "Honey she can do that if she was conscious, but she was inside Tiamaat's spell bubble and was in a sleep state."

Sarah shrugs and remains calm. Tiamaat looks at the girl and smiles. That kind of devotion is rare and maybe helpful for what is happening.

A few minutes pass and the dragon looks like it is having cramps, then it spreads itself in flight like it's stretching only to glow very brightly and start shrinking inward till it is gone and Anwen is floating in a halo of fire. She comes back down to the spot she was before and smiles. But her eyes are still closed.

Unnoticed by everyone else, the bag with Anwen's spell book glowed bright gold for a minute then faded back to black.

Tiamaat looks around, finds a dropped bucket and fills it with lake water. Which she takes over and dumps over Anwen, causing a cloud of steam to form. When the steam clears Anwen is standing on her own and staring at her hands then around her body, "I feel weird. Nice but weird."

There is a small sonic boom then Shule is there, messily crying and clinging to her friend, "You were eaten by a dragon. Swoop Chomp, and Tiamaat just sat there and let it happen and and I thought you were dead." Anwen pats her friend, "It's alright, it was not a real dragon but a spirit dragon. And well that was a bit of drama really. See Tiamaat removed the lion, it was not a healthy thing to start with. But because of the damage done to my spirit by Bast I needed something to fill the void. So she called up the Father of All Dragons, that was the Platinum fellow, who is also the Dragon God of Law and Paladins and a bit of a ham to." Tiamaat nods fondly "And she arranged with him to get me a dragon spirit to bond with. The fact that I have some dragon like tendency does not hurt either."

Nast'al calmly walking up with Sarah and the dogs right behind him, "What tendency's ?" He ask.

Sarah answers, "Her horde for one, she is a compulsive collector you know. She is a touch vain, especially about her hair. Dragons tend to have something about them they are vain about to." Tiamaat nods and states, "Having a starter horde is a plus. Anwen, do to your nature, knowledge and skills at present we decided to start you off as an Adolescent using that quaint AD&D system you like so much as your template. Your of the European design not the Oriental as that is also part of your origins."

Anwen nods, "So I am now Half Elf, Half Dragon, all Good." wide smile. Tiamaat, "Well Neutral."

Anwen looks up at her, "I meant physically." Tiamat nods, "Ah, ok. Well you know the rest, share or don't your call. I am going to go terrorize a town or two for the fun of it. See you lata."

She walks off then floats in to the sky and heads north.

Anwen turns to her friends, "Still a god but new perks. I can now make Sarah a minor god to. Dragon as well if she wants. Or you can still go with Shule, that is your call."

Sarah's eyes go wide and she actually looks scared, "You mean I have to make a decision ?"

Everyone laughs.