EVENT - Avoid all attacks and damage this turn. You may 
not attack this turn.  (Errata text) 

--------------------------------------------------------- 

Xavier looked up from his coffee at the expected sensation 
of an approaching Immortal. 

St. Cloud was at a cafe he often frequented when in Paris.  
In public, he had little to fear.  For a fleeting moment, 
he remembered being chased from the cafe by Duncan MacLeod 
a year ago, but dismissed the thought. 

The man who sat down opposite him was bald, with a beard 
trimmed almost to stubble.  His dark skin reflected his 
African ancestry.  He wore jeans, a sky-blue shirt, and a 
long leather coat. 

The new arrival raised a hand and a waiter deposited a 
steaming cup of coffee before him.  The Immortal took a 
sip, then set it down. 

"So, St. Cloud," Luther asked, with a lilting accent to 
his words, "What is it you wish to see me about?" 

Xavier frowned.  Luther's eccentricities were well-known 
to him.  The Immortal apparently thought the fake accent 
added to his charm.  However, it was not enough to fool 
St. Cloud's discerning ear. 

"We've both recently fallen foul of Duncan MacLeod." 

"Tis' true.  He kept me from the last piece of the 
Methuselah Stone, the one held by the woman Amanda.  I was 
lucky enough to escape.  I understand you were equally 
lucky, you and those mortals you . . . allied yourself 
with." 

Remembering, Xavier carefully scanned the area around him.  
He had not yet identified his own Watcher.  He noticed one 
man across the street, a tall thin bystander with an egg- 
shaped, balding head.  The man seemed to be reading his 
newspaper rather intently.  His Watcher, or Luther's? 

"True enough, Luther.  And it is the Methuselah Stone I 
wish to speak with you about." 

Luther shrugged.  "Amanda has the last piece of the Stone, 
and MacLeod protects Amanda.  Do you think the two of us 
can handle them?  Not to mention the Ryan child, recently 
entered our ranks." 

St. Cloud nodded.  "What if the odds were even?  Three to 
three?" 

Luther pondered for a moment.  "The Stone has power enough 
for all.  Who is the third you would ask to join us?" 

Xavier smiled.  "A reliable ally - one that I've trained 
myself.  I believe he can give the Ryan brat pause for 
thought, while you and I dispatch of MacLeod and his 
woman." 

"Ah, I know the one you mean.  Do you trust your pupil?" 

Xavier smiled.  "Why, as much as I trust you, old friend." 

The two shared a brief laugh.  "You will contact him, 
then?" asked Luther. 

"I believe that I might be able to convince him to join 
our cause.  Who knows him better than I?" 

Luther nodded.  "He is your creation.  The question is, 
why should I ally with anyone?  I have the rest of the 
pieces.  Why do I need either of you?" 

Shrugging, St. Cloud replied, "You couldn't get the last 
piece when you had the advantage of surprise.  You know of 
my skills - our past associations have been profitable, 
have they not?" 

Luther considered that for a few seconds, then nodded.  
"Very well.  You know how to contact me.  Let me know when 
you and your protege are ready." 

With that, he waved his hand over his cup of coffee.  
There was a flare of steam from the liquid, momentarily 
obscuring Xavier's vision.  At the same moment, there was 
a sudden 'snap' in St. Cloud's head as the sensation of 
Luther's presence vanished without a trace. 

When the steam had cleared, Luther was gone.  Xavier 
frowned.  _How _does_ he do that?_  A power of the almost- 
completed Methuselah Stone, a trick passed on by Rebecca 
Horne, or some other strange magic? 

Whatever the method, it didn't seem to lend itself to 
combat.  Xavier had never seen Luther disappear and then 
reappear to strike with surprise, so the ability had some 
limits.  Still, St. Cloud would have to try to convince 
his sometime-associate to teach him the technique. 

Finishing his own coffee, Xavier rose to depart.  Idly, he 
noted that the bald-headed man had disappeared as well.  
Luther's Watcher, perhaps?  He would have to warn his ally 
about the Watcher organization.  Or perhaps that would be 
a chit in a future bargaining session. 

Meanwhile, Xavier had someone to contact.  Protege versus 
protege . . . the irony appealed to him almost as much as 
the vengeance itself. 

--------------------------------------------------------- 

Disappear appears simple enough at first glance.  Play it, 
and avoid all damage this turn.  Attacks, Events, Head 
Shots, whatever.  Play Disappear and ignore them all. 

The first thing to remember when using Disappear is that 
it avoids attacks _and_ damage.  The opportune moment to 
play it is when you are taking damage from both.  If 
someone is playing both Stalk and Angry Mob, that's the 
time to use Disappear.  If you _suspect_ your opponent may 
do that later, save the Disappear.  Better to take two 
points now than five points later. 

Disappear only works against damage, _not_ Ability loss.  
It has no effect on cards such as Unholy Alliance, Poison 
Gas, Boom Boom, Battle Priest, and Bassett & Hotchkiss. 

Disappear tends to limit your options the turn you use it.  
Since Disappear is an Event, you cannot play any other 
Events when you use it unless you are using the 
promotional Chessex card. 

You can play a legal defense(s) and then play Disappear.  
This can prove useful if you are the target of a Battle 
Rage, Bloodlust, or Berserk.  In this case, defend against 
whichever attacks you can, then use Disappear against the 
attacks you cannot.  This lets you draw more cards if 
necessary. 

Disappear is in many ways a more powerful version of the 
two Holy Grounds.  Holy Ground won't let you avoid damage 
from Event cards, however.  Sometimes you may _want_ to 
gain the benefits of whichever Holy Ground you use.  If 
you want to discard four cards and/or make your opponent 
do so as well, use Holy Ground/Series Edition. 

Disappear is Reserved for Luther.  If you play against a 
Luther Persona, expect to see it.  Since a Luther deck can 
only have two Disappears, it is not difficult for a player 
to obtain and employ both. 

Richie can use one card from each other Persona, and 
Disappear is almost certainly the Luther card he will 
choose. 

A player can use Darius to add Disappears to any deck.  
Unfortunately, you won't have much warning if this occurs. 

So what do you do if you fight someone whom you suspect 
has Disappear?  You don't have many options.  Xavier can 
use Forethought against it.  There are also Situations 
like Wargames West and Honor Bound that, while they're in 
play, inhibit the use of Disappear. 

If those options aren't available to you, your best bet is 
to spread out your damage as much as possible.  Play 
Event-damage cards on those turns when you've played a 
Dodge or Back Away and can't attack anyway.  There's 
nothing worse than someone forced to use Disappear to 
negate a Street Punk. 

Disappear is probably the most powerful card Luther has.  
It is limited, but an excellent emergency card for 
avoiding large amounts of damage that otherwise would be 
unstoppable. 

(This story is part of the continuing chronicle of Xavier 
St. Cloud.  Part 10 occurs between the second and third 
season of the Highlander TV series.  With the advantage of 
hindsight, some of the events of the fourth season episode 
"Methuselah's Gift" are also incorporated herein.)