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Post by cael on Aug 30, 2007 14:33:18 GMT -5
Cael stood up, wobbling. He beamed with such force that it seemed his eyes could burn a hole in someone. "I've made... The ultimate means of teleportation. I call it portal-in-a-bottle. One drop allows you to teleport anywhere. Anywhere at all! I was just in space! I almost died, but still! Unfortunately... It is extremely expensive to make... And it covers whatever is around you when you teleport with a thick purple dust which..." He sniffed the dust and began sneezing. "I am apparently very allergic to." Regaining his composure, he placed the vial in a metal box that smelled faintly of magic and locked it. "Don't try getting into that box. You'll regret it." With that, he walked downstairs. "Okay Valter, I now know how to solve the problem of getting to the Emporer." He repeated all the information he told Rabbit.
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Post by valter on Aug 30, 2007 17:09:26 GMT -5
"Amazing. Apparently, all that banging and exploding you do is actually worth something." Valter said dryly. "Of course, if we teleported directly into the Emperor's throne room, we'd just be asking to be surrounded. We'll need some more finesse than that. Oh, and for future reference, 'almost dying' is never good."
Valter unsheathed his broadsword and procured his own whet stone from a pocket, running the rock across the metal in smooth sweeps. "As for what else I know... the Emperor has a taste for fancy shows and festivals. He's appears to be a very honest man, in fact, the people love him." Valter spat out the words 'people' and 'love' with venom, and his sword briefly ignited, before his voice dropped back to the cool, bored tone. "He's married and has a son, although both of them are in Marmosia for vacation. That's all I've been able to gather so far."
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Post by cael on Aug 30, 2007 17:26:58 GMT -5
"Well you could just teleport in, grab him, and teleport out, couldn't you? It allows whatever you're holding to come with you, otherwise you'd arrive at your destination naked, and magic tends to not be picky when it comes to Evocation Spells. It uses as much discretion when targeting as a meteor swarm." Cael was almost overflowing with happiness. Though he did not reveal it, this had been a life ambition, and he was about to be rewarded for it. "Now if you gentlemen excuse me, I'm going to receive a little... Payment for my former services." He left the tower before anyone could respond, then ran back in quickly, grabbing the box and leaving again. Half an hour later, he appeared back in the tower with a loud bang, along with twelve huge sacks of gold that nearly touched the ceiling. "My last payment from the Paladin's Guild. They want me to make them tons of Portal-in-a-Bottle, but unfortunately for them, I won't be around long enough do that. At any rate I told them it takes a year to make, which means I have as much time as necessary to get out of here, though I suggest you make your assassination rather soon."
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Post by wilson on Aug 30, 2007 22:35:05 GMT -5
Rabbit fell absolutely silent, carefully sharpening, cleaning, and studying every light, slender weapon at his command as he considered. Finally, just as Cael poofed back in with his prizes, Rabbit broke his silence, sliding the last weapon back into it's sheath.
"Before we choose to go about this in an elaborate way, can I suggest something simple? The next large festival the emporer will be attending in a crowded city would be the place to strike. No one will be watching the rooftops, and if the emporer has guards up there, it wouldn't necessarily be hard to take one out and replace it. A simple knife or bolt to heart of throat, or through the eye if I can get close enough to throw a heavy enough knife for a killing blow, would take him out easily. And escape route would be nothing. In the mass chaos after the assasination, it wouldn't be hard to get at least close to the city wall, and then it's simply a matter of getting over it."
He never looked at either of them, carefully packing his weapons back away in the backs, returning the weapons he had been wearing to their appropriate places.
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Post by valter on Sept 1, 2007 11:08:01 GMT -5
"Good plan, but the assassination has to be direct. There is no point in killing the emperor if we're unable to retrieve the Umbra stone around his neck. I don't know if any of us can take out the emperor at point-blank, ransack his body, and still make a getaway in time." Valter said, slicing the air a few times with his newly sharpened sword. Satisfied, he resheathed the weapon.
"We could change the plan, perhaps, and position ourselves at a rooftop behind the emperor, but even then, there's a question of the speed of the assassination. Believe it or not, unfortunately, I think Cael's plan is better. We need to catch the emperor alone." Valter concluded.
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Post by wilson on Sept 1, 2007 11:30:23 GMT -5
Rabbit eyed him. "I don't recall you mentioning that we had to retrieve something. You're paying me to kill him, no?" Then he gave a vague shrug.
"Besides, didn't you say that he always had an elite bodyguard with him? They probablly even accompany him to the toilet. If he'd loved and respected, his safety will be taken very seriously, unless one of us can figure out a damn good story while looking terribly unthreatening." He slid the last weapon home, flicing a few strands of white hair back from his face. "And we could always have an assassin kill him from a distance, and have someone in position close enough to snatch the stone and run like hell."
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Post by cael on Sept 1, 2007 13:10:02 GMT -5
"Well, I'm still on the good side of the kingdom. I'm sure I can convince the emporer to come with me for a short while. Then, while we're away from the others, you two pop up and do your thing. If the bodyguard decides to follow, then kill him too. We can all teleport back here and go through my portal to Avalas." Cael smiled at the thought of his actions.
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Post by valter on Sept 2, 2007 21:21:38 GMT -5
"We discussed it back in the tavern." (Reply #41, I think.) Valter said. "Cael, a worm like you probably wouldn't be able to have an audience with the emperor. You play research dog for Paladins remember?" muttered the half-demon, crossing over to the tranparent wall and glancing outside, knocking over one of Cael's cash bags with a wing.
He glanced away from the city, towards the moonlight forest, and glimpsed a stag through the trees. "I just remembered something. There is one time, and only one time, when the Emperor is alone. He takes an all day hunting trip in the woods once every week, and he insists that no one follows him. I think an ambush is in order."
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Post by wilson on Sept 2, 2007 21:33:14 GMT -5
Rabbit sighed. Right. Selective memory. "I'm not a thief." He complained, standing up and whistling for Horse. The piebald creature flicked an ear at him, the ignored him. Figures. "If you complicate simle matters, then you're more likely to get caught, injured, or killed." He shifted impatiently, face set in a focused look as he toed his packs, mulling their contents over in his mind.
"Not a bad idea, but any guard worht his salt would follow the emporer, and stay hidden. If it's a perfect place for an ambush, they know it is and will have taken precautions."
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Post by cael on Sept 2, 2007 21:36:58 GMT -5
"Sounds good, but when is this hunting trip, And why should we assume that he would have no back up? Most likely he'll have something to protect him with. Oh, and let me get these out of the way." He flicked his wrist. All twelve bags simultaneously ripped open, and before their contents could spill out, the gold flew up and spiralled down into a pocket that Cael had just opened. "Now if you want, we can use these bags to make a net. It'd be quite effective with a few enchantments, and even now it could cover a large area. Imagine it after an Enlargement spell." He smiled at the thought. "And then I'll shoot some spells, you can crush him with your sword, and Rabbit can toss some knives."
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Post by valter on Sept 3, 2007 9:51:08 GMT -5
"Well, that's an interesting take on combat." Valter muttered, twirling a finger through his discolored hair as he thought. "A guard would follow. But the emperor will know. It's very likely that the Emperor will try to elude his own guards. We've got to something... How about setting up magical barriers? The guards won't be right next to his side if he's in the woods. If the barrier's strong enough, even the most elite guards won't break through. Then, it's a three against one match against the Emperor." He cracked his knuckles; this planning was starting to become a real pain.
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Post by wilson on Sept 3, 2007 10:15:42 GMT -5
Rabbit sighed. He didn't like it. Not one bit. It sounded too much like it could backfire, and easily. "Acceptable, so long as there's a way for us to get out if Mr. Magic over there gets knocked out or some usch." Rabbit really didn't like having to rely on Cael for anything, especially something as important as a hunt. For in Rabbit's mind this was a hunt. He ignored Cael's rather naive assumption about their positions (Rabbit could throw a lot more than knives, and in this case preffered a crossbow, thank your very much.).
Rabbit mentally settled himself, seeking the quiet place in his mind where he spent much of his time. He visibly stopped fidgetting, going still as he went over the plan in his head. It should work, tohuh Rabbit rarely relied on a plan to work exactly right. The faster they got this over with, the faster he could leave.
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Post by cael on Sept 3, 2007 12:39:14 GMT -5
"Hey. I'd like a little more credit here. I've invented more spells, potions, and enchanted items than you are years old, and that's a given regardless of whether you're a humanoid, or demon." Cael looked at Rabbit angrily at these words. "Speaking of which..." He walked over to a cabinet and removed a sack of tinkling metal objects. He walked back over to Rabbit, opened it up, and showed the contents to him. Inside were multicolored, needle-like knives. "I made these myself. The blue ones can't be removed from the target except by the thrower, the green ones transform into a spear after they're thrown, and the red ones home in on their targets." He walked up a large glass case and pulled out a menacing bastard sword. "Valter, you may prefer this over your current sword. It can slice someone from up to 50 feet away as if they were right next to you." He pulled out four scrolls from a third cabinet. "And these scrolls are for casting Wall of Force. It will prevent anyone from getting in. Unfortunately, the spell is not suited for forming circular areas, so I'll make a square with four. Unless the guard knows Disintegrate, which I doubt, he won't be able to get in. At the same time though, we'll all need to be in the area when I cast the spells, and it'll take exactly 24 seconds to cast all four, so if you need to stun the guard briefly, do it before I start casting. Once the spells are done, we'll toss down the net. I'll make it transparent to our side, and from there, it'll be as easy as being wet while underwater." He walked over once again, to a map on the wall. It was completely blank, untill he tapped it. It turned into a map of the forest. "And this map will show us where he is. Once he appears on the map, we'll teleport in there and excecute the mission... Or whatever you want to call it."
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Post by valter on Sept 6, 2007 17:31:46 GMT -5
"I can personally think of several ways how this can go wrong. You might want to use 6 of them and make a cube." Valter muttered. He'd glanced disdainfully at the prooffered sword and flicked it carelessly to the side, sending it scattering against the invisible wall. "Whoops. I guess I don't know my own strength." Valter said harshly. "Either way, we don't really have much of a choice, now do we? This'll have to do. Anyway, if you don't mind..." muttered the bat-demon as he leaned against a tree and wrapped a wing over his head. "...I'd rather not battle with a vicious earth-slinging regent while I'm dirt tired."
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Post by wilson on Sept 6, 2007 17:59:04 GMT -5
"And how old do you think I am?" He snapped, not overly thrilled with the guess. Rabbit had a rather similar reaction to the offer of knives. Partially because he really didn't want to accept help from Cael, and partially because it was an insult to his skill. He pointed to the red one "I can find my target on my own." Then the green ones "If I wanted to throw a spear, I'd throw a spear." He didn't even bother with the blue ones, just gave a vague snort and reached for his pack, giving another piercing whistle. This time, Horse trotted over, listening intently as Rabbit spoke in a near silent murmur to him, back to the mage and demon.
"I agree with Valter. Nothing we can do while we're tired." He yawned, moving farther away from the other two until he found what looked like a comfortable spot. He dropped to the grass (illusion or not, outside was his favorite place to sleep), and shoved at his pack until he had it in the right position to use as a pillow. If anyone noticed his hand resting almost inside the part where he kept his weapons well...he owed his life to paranoia sometimes.
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