Prince Aladdin Quest (Disney Villains *Almost* Victorious)

The journey east along the Mediterranean coast went well. With a firm goal in mind, the four men took care to avoid any distractions that might slow them down; knowing that they would have to pass through the domains of several powerful magical beings lent both speed and caution to their steps.

The ocean seemed to be in an agitated state of being; on one occasion, Garth swore he saw a skinny octopus woman swimming in the water far from shore. Indy's response was to smack him on the back of the head and tell him to stop drinking so much palm wine. "But I haven't had any!" Garth protested. Nonetheless, nobody was inclined to try swimming during their rest stops and camping.

Their progress was accelerated by a nice trick Indy and Ned remembered from their time traveling around Egypt. As the day was the hottest time, they decided to pitch their tents at night and start riding a couple of hours after sundown. With the cool of the night keeping them from overheating, they made excellent time; and with the dark of the night, they managed to avoid unfriendly eyes.

Egypt was a shock for Indy, Garth and Hub; despite Ned's stories about his own experiences in the land, seeing what appeared to be a cross-section of Egyptian history and mythology walking about was shocking to the three. Even while making a bee-line across the country, they couldn't help but hear about Nefir the Imp, Chaos and Mirage; the latter two hadn't been seen in quite some time, but their names were still on everyone's lips. Usually accompanied by "I'm so glad they're gone!". Indy found that slightly odd, given the half-built temples to Mirage and a few of her more fanatic followers who raved something about 'their great savior who drove away the sea-witch!' Hub took it as evidence that the heart of man was a fickle one, while Garth pondered just what could have made them disappear if they were so powerful. Given that they were last seen in the vicinity of Dagger Rock, he made a half-hearted plea to go examine it, but Ned insisted that they remain as far away from any magical entities as they could manage.

So they did. Once they crossed the Nile, they took the North Road up across the Sinai and into what the four knew as British Palestine, but here was a rather nondescript mixture of rock and sand where Greek, Hebrew, Latin, and Aramaic could be heard in equal measure. Ned took point here, as he knew the route well and spoke Arabic and Syriac equally well.

Speaking of which, during rides and stops, Indy and Ned took it upon themselves to teach Garth and Hub how to speak and read Arabic, to say nothing of understanding and writing the language. While their writing utensils were at a premium and therefore little progress could be made on their writing, both men were able to learn some basic vocabulary and pick up on the trick of reading from right to left. Garth, being the more intellectual of the brothers, naturally picked it up easier, and soon was giving their orders when they would stop at tea shops and cafes for lunch on the rare occasion they found themselves resting in a settlement. And if anyone asks, the incident when he ordered camel instead of chicken never happened.

At last, they reached Damascus, the world's oldest continuously settled city. And beyond it - the Land of the Black Sand.

It was here that Ned felt what he had feared the most out of this trip, it was Mozenrath's realm, and with it came...his allies. "We have to get out of this place quickly."

Indy for his part seemed to look at Ned's sullen look with worry. "How bad could it be? Beyond what you say?"

"I think he's a Necromancer," he said.

"OOH...shit, how do you know that?" Indy asked.

Ned looked at his friend. "Because nothing sane would live this deep in the desert."

"That would be a new experience for us," Garth said. "But hey, at least they aren't leopard-men!" The change in topic was almost painfully obvious, but Ned went with it.

"How does that even work, anyway?" he asked.

Garth shrugged. "I don't know, and I'm the one who did the autopsies!"

"I blame magic," Hub interjected. "When in doubt, blame magic." He glanced to his right. "Like right now, pretty sure those shamblers over there are the fault of magic."

The other three followed his line of sight, and Ned's face in particular paled as he saw a dozen corpses moving towards them at a fast pace. At least, he judged they were based on their varying states of decomposition.

"I suggest we run," he said in as calm a tone as he could manage. The shrill tone belied his fear.

"Agreed. RUN!" Hub bellowed. A quick volley of rifle-fire to slow them down, and they spurred their horses as fast as they could carry them across the black sand.

"We should have taken a damned boat!" Ned shouted as he scrabbled at the scabbard on his saddle for his rifle, as he was using his pistol.

"And leave our fate to whatever controls the Sea?!" Hub retorted.

"Point!! These are Mamluk Janissaries, we'd be hacked to pieces faster than we can kill them!" Ned said.

"They're DEAD!" Garth shouted in disbelief.

"And do you think that matters!" Ned almost screamed.

"One of them's running away," Indy observed.

"GAHH…" Ned shouted, finally getting his rifle out. "I HATE THIS DESERT...AND I HATE THE DEAD!"

He loaded and fired at the runner, and all watched the head of what was once a man explode into dust.

"Good shot!" Indy yelled, firing a few rounds of his own back at their pursuers. One careful shot from Hub kneecapped one Mamluk, sending it toppling to the ground and causing a few chasers to fall over it.

Between the faster horses and their harrying counter-fire, the four men were quickly able to outpace the pursuing undead until they finally reached the edge of the Black Sand. There, they slowed, although they still kept a decent pace.

"I think we lost them," Garth panted. "Think Mozenrath won't realize we slipped under his nose?"

"One can only hope so," Ned replied as he re-sheathed his rifle.

~~~

He prided himself as a man of self control and a man of simple needs. He didn't need that vase anyway...nor that urn or even that plate.

No, what he wanted to do was find that indecent fool... and wring the life out of him.

Carter and Carnarvon cowered in the face of Mozenrath's rage. Carter, for his part, could barely believe that Ned was somehow alive. He'd seen the sorcerer strike him down with a bolt of magic! How was he not just another corpse in the Valley of Kings?

Still, he liked the lad, and he was glad that he hadn't been slain by Mozenrath.

Not that he'd ever voice that opinion where Mozenrath could hear him. He valued his soul where it was, thank you very much.

"Ha...well, this is an intriguing and surprising turn of events," Mozenrath noted with a calmness that belied his prior manic rage. "I may need to find a man capable of truly killing him."

~~~

With the excellent time they had made, and with the fear of Mozenrath still hot in their breasts, the four travellers made tracks to Agrabah. Now that they were in the nation's territory, the roads were among the best they had ever seen in the new world, with wells and oases at every day's journey apart - or so they determined based on their rate of speed. With water, food and forage to be easily found, they made remarkable time towards Agrabah.

And so it was that, two months after leaving Algeria, the four finally found themselves in sight of the fabled city of Agrabah, well ahead of schedule. They were covered in sand and dust, and their horses were on the verge of exhaustion, but they had made it, and without getting caught by Mozenrath either!

The Guards saw the travellers slowly approaching the gates, seeing the sun-beaten men with a quiet awe that they had made it this far in such a state.

Lawrence for his part...fell off his horse and tried to drag himself along the ground. Indy looked down at him as Garth and Hub rummaged in their pockets for the gate fee.

"Sanctuary, good men of Agrabah?" Lawrence asked. "Sanctuary?"

The Captain glanced at Indy with a quiet look of questioning. "What happened?"

Indy shrugged. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you. But my friends and I need a bit of help and a bath."

"He seems to have been in the desert too long, we've heard terrible things from travelers." The Captain said sympathetically.

"Whatever you've heard - it's worse," Indy muttered darkly.

The Captain nodded. "Hmm, indeed. The inn and bathhouse should be available with what you have."

Ned pulled himself to his feet, wobbling as he did so. "Thank you, my good man. Thank you." He looked up at the towering defensive wall.

"Safety at last."

Results: Against all odds, Ned, Indy, Garth and Hub have made it to Agrabah! They will remain there for one turn while they recover and resupply, as well as make use of the local library.

Mozenrath has learned that Lawrence of Arabia survived his apparent death in the Valley of Kings! Mozenrath's trait "Nemesis: T.E. Lawrence" has reactivated! Action unlocked: recruit a man of martial might!

Thanks to their successful passage across thousands of miles of harsh terrain, the four men have gained the trait "Desert-Borne" - +5 to all rolls while in the desert! They have also received the malus "Wind-Blown"; -10 to all rolls until they take a personal action to recover from their frantic journey.