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The Baron was standing in a war-torn room with five corpses and a djinn. He was viewing this from inside his own simulacra. He laughed at the strangeness of all this.
"Djinn Swansorgger are you all right?" said the Baron jovially. If he was alive at all after facing such an opponent, he was all right.
"He was a mighty warrior." said the djinn in a tone of respect.
"But you proved mightier. You were the founda... the acme of our battle." (One must be careful about using earthy terms around a djinn.) "I will tell your deeds to a minstrel and a song will be spread throughout the land."
The djinn laughed and it sounded like a dozen dust devils, "You truly know how to please a djinn, Baron Rostov. Jewels and gold we have aplenty, but a good song is always in demand. And to have a good song of my deeds sung by strange tongues in a strange land... what higher honor could there be?
"I will come to hear this song some time. And if it rousing and widespread, my whole family will be at your disposal! But, this battle was not without cost on my part. If you have no further need of me, my Baron, I will take my leave and return home to heal."
"My home is your home, my windy friend. Don't be a stranger." The baron waved his arms wildly, and blew at the djinn. The djinn laughed at the human's crude imitation of a djinn farewell, but he was touched by it. He disappeared as he made his way back to the Elemental Plane of Air.
"Simulacra, you have outlived your usefulness." the Baron said essentially to himself.
"Way outlived it." agreed the simulacra, "I eagerly await returning to the void."
The Baron walked the simulacra to the chapel fireplace and knelt. He sucked the animation out of the simulacra as he left the body -- it was now a truly lifeless hulk. The body collapsed and turned to dust on the hearth where it was likely to go unnoticed unless someone was diligently seeking signs of simulacra.
The Baron fled the Church of the Slaughtered Virgin, or whatever it was. And, like his foppish associate, he had no desire to return.
The trip back to his body was direct and swift. There were already changes in the Ethereal atmosphere, and they were for the good. But when he got back to his body, trouble was afoot.
The woods were thick with Kalnichov horsemen and peasants. Two of his people were giving all those peasants and horsemen something to chase. Two of his protectors had been rounded up and were kneeling in front of the hut. Jaques-Pierre was talking in an animated fashion to the guards surrounding him, and they were listening intently. The man was doing a hell of a job, only one of the ten guards had gotten bored enough that he was nosing around the hut. With a huge internal sigh, the Baron reentered his body.
"Don't you people have anything better to do?" the Baron came out of the hut using his Voice of Command and a really irritating tone.
"Begging your pardon, M...." started the lead guard, clearly a full recipient of the effect.
"Baron Iglacias Rostov to you, Mr...."
"Albert...."
"Find me an officer, at once, Al-whatever... And stop these people from riding around at a breakneck speed! They are disturbing the tranquility of the moment!" The Baron was slathering on the Foppishness so thick he was afraid he was going to break out laughing at himself.
Within minutes the Baron had thoroughly intimidated the Kalnichov Captain who led this crew, and assembled his own people. They rode out headed for the nearest ford, and the Rostov ancestral holdings.
As soon as they were out of earshot of the Kalnichovs, the Baron asked in total amazement, "How did you do that! There were four of you and a hundred of them. How long did you have to hold them off?"
Gunther laughed at Jaque-Pierre. "I told you he would recognize the good craftwork." He turned to the Baron, "Jaque-Pierre was grumbling that no employer ever recognizes the efforts his security people undergo for them. We held them off for six hours, and not a single slit throat among them. They showed up in the area almost as soon as you left."
"A truly amazing piece of work. Congratulations to both of you."
The party galloped home safely.
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