Not by Any Stretch of the Imagination

"Who's Zerm?" I ask Sigin, "Some kind of fellow 'Dragonmage' friend of yours like you?"

"Oh good GRIEF no," he says emphatically after giving off a short, barking kind of laugh (the kind that one uses when "laughing" at something not really funny).

For a second, I could have sworn he was going to use....stronger language than he just used there. For what little time I've been with this guy, this must be a rare thing. From what little time I've spent with this "Dragonmage" named Sigin, this "Zerm" must have really rattled him to have slipped like that!

What kind of person is Zerm? Have to wonder about that, now. I guess that he's skilled indeed, whoever Zerm is, but something about this other magic user has him spooked!

That's kind of getting me spooked here....

Pull yourself together Ace and snap out of it! That's not your style, cringing at the unknown and danger.

There just is so much these new friends of mine have not told me about themselves and I am seeing one facet of that right now. Better pay attention, or I'll miss out.

"Zerm is an Atlantian mage," he explains, "This particular one I speak of is not like the others from that foul, defunct land. He actually aided friends of mine, but...."

I listen as he quickly explain how an ancient human kingdom called Atlantis (on his and other worlds like his world) had attempted to conquer his people. Atlantis had a track record with conquered non-humans that.....left much to be desired. Those conquered tended to become magical playthings and such, you see. His ancestors had felt so threatened by this dire threat that they had united together (something unheard of) for the very first time under a group called the Council of Wyrms (Betty and Ragan mutter something about echoes of AD&D) and did terrible things in the course of preparing for this upcoming war....only to see those of Atlantis fall upon each other over a powerful magic artifact called the Crystallic (the very artifact that was said to be the thing needed to fix Fred the fairy) like a pack of rabid wolves.

The Professor, meanwhile, looked to have wanted to interrupt a few times when Atlantis was mentioned. It's almost like he was going to correct Sigin about Atlantis! But that is stupid! Atlantis in my......

Wait. That's what I would have said about meeting aliens and time travel....

I am going to have a long talk with the Professor here soon.

"This lead to all sorts of stupidity on what dragon thought of all humans that lasted.....too long and did much harm," Sigin said softly, drawing back my attention to the here and now.

Nice to know that humanity isn't the only one infected with the stain of prejudice, his face seemed to say sadly.

"Know a little bit about that stuff," I say softly under my breath, also a bit sad.

At least I gather that not all dragons were like that if Sigin is any example.

"The Dragons of Terra Prime paid a price for that.....but that is another tale for later and besides the point," he continues, "This empire was populated by many evil magic users, including a mage named Zerm. Like many Atlantian mages, the Zerms of most realities were evil men....evil and powerful."

"Enough to scare dragons?" I ask....not really asking. I have already figured out the answer.

"Very much so I fear," he says, "This particular Zerm is not like his evil counterparts, however. But the problem is.....I fear he could be a bit off. That is not something one blithely waltzes into, especially if the wizard in question is more powerful than you."

He explains that while Zerm might, like any human being, be able to summon as much magic as a dragon or any other normal (what a twist that term has taken today) being, it's a matter of magical knowledge. His analog back on Terra Prime had faced his brother and friends, armed with mutiple Crystalics, and was able to parry it with his magical know how. It was more finesse than power, in that case. He only lost due to Inquirer's father using a "science based attack". Basically, Zerm hadn't expected the laser that cut him down, so did not have anything up to defend against it. Okay, that said, it means that this Zerm, who is armed with his own Crystallic.....is dangerous indeed.

"He has ethics and a sense of deceny," Sigin explains, "That is good and that is why he was able to aid my friends. However, the problem here is that if he feels you are threatening him or those griffins he's sworn to protect.

"He has a tendency to transform trespassers who are out to 'harvest' gryphon bodies for mage ingrediants into other things," Sigin finishes up, "Usually he would transform the trespasser into gryphons, siphon out the old spirit and replace the void with a spirit of a recently slain gryphon, and thus creating a means to bolster that race."

"You must be joking," the Professor says from the side, aghast.

Guess I would have said something like that, but the Professor beat me there.

"Indeed I am very serious," Sigin says, looking stares with the Professor. After a few moments, one finally looks away.

Never thought I'd see the day that the Professor would lose a stare down. Then again, Sigin isn't exactly the normal opponent, is he?

"You are serious!" the Professor finally concedes, a bit shaken at....whatever he saw, "But how shall you get back to that world if all records are lost?"

Sigin just looks at him a few seconds, sighs, and then answers.

I try not to laugh when I remember it, but...it's not every day you see the Professor get topped like that....

It is rare, but it can happen to anybody. Think it has to do with sometimes the Professor making things overly complicated at times....and will overlook a simpler solution? Wvwn if the solution is to a problem that will be faced (not necessarily by us all...I somehow get the feeling) AFTER we take care of this problem with the Daleks and the Hand...which is now only just recovering from it's ordeal....

1. "It's called a TARDIS," the Dragonmage says simply.

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