[Plot] [Open] Week 093: A Perilous and Felonious Infiltration

swaswj · Mar 6, 2016

A Perilous and Felonious Infiltration
The Extraction of Pax Solis - A Cascade of Change

This Thread

Still shrouded in the darkness of early morning, the city of Terminus was not quite asleep. This day would bring with it Nocte Nils, the Night of the End. All of the celebrations of the past month had been leading up to this one special day, and the momentous night that followed. It was the first of Umbra, five hundred one years after the world had nearly met its end. They celebrated the anniversary of the night when those who had fled to this forgotten bastion, so far in the north, realized that they had indeed survived. Around the city, people were waking early to make the most of this final, most important day. Some of them had never actually slept, carrying on their parties and celebration through the night.

For some, their celebration was tempered by anxiety. The previous Nocte Nils had brought terror instead of joy, with the attempted assassination of the beloved Magister and attacks on students at the Sapientia. In the weeks leading up to Nocte Nils, many expected further attacks from the remnants of the terrorist group, Astra non Obligant, and rumors held that they had already acted.

High above the streets, tucked into the northeast corner of the city limits, was the prison Arx Correctio. A soaring keep of one hundred twenty-stories, filled with guards, surrounded by expansive open fields, the Arx had a spotless record. In three hundred years, no inmate had escaped. The very highest floor held only one prisoner, the face of the Astra non Obligant, known only as the Orator. The prisoner was never watched by fewer than a dozen guards, but this morning, the highest floor of the Arx was host to six more bodies.

Hoping to use the celebrations to their advantage, the ragtag crew sought the release of the Astra non Obligant enforcer, Pax Solis, as well as the Orator himself. After a poorly executed infiltration of the roof, they had retreated to lick their wounds, but there was no more time for second-guessing. By this point, the only options were to surrender or succeed.

The hallways within the massive Arx were long and mostly bare. Sturdy, light grey stone made up the walls and floors. No cell openings were visible in the hallway directly ahead of the roof access, but four more corridors branched off to left and right before the main hallway ended against a blank wall. Emitting from tiny globes in the ceilings every five meters, artificial light chased away the shadows, leaving the infiltrators uncomfortably exposed. Everything was unnervingly silent, as well. The sturdy construction of the prison seemed to absorb sounds -- a boon to them before, for preventing the sounds of their rooftop scuffle from reaching the guards inside, but now a detriment, making it harder to tell just how far away any guards were patrolling.

The Orator was known to be the only prisoner on the floor, but every floor of the Arx held hundreds of cells, even this one.

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Map

Valero · Mar 9, 2016

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Deni's blue eyes stared down the blank corridor from the edge of the stairwell. The first sensation that came to him was relief at the fact that there weren't any guards stationed at the stairs. It was clear that the guards of the Arx hadn't expected an aerial assault. As far as they were aware, none of the other guards had heard their scuffle on the roof either. That was a bonus, though that was the limit of their positivity. They had to be more organised if they wanted to complete the mission and leave to see daylight again. After the roof invasion, however, the conversations they all had weren't particularly productive. Hopefully the realisation of how tough the guards were was enough to force them all to work together as a tight group.

The velen's left arm throbbed with his pulse. While he created those silencers, he had something to focus on. Without that, the lingering pain was more prominent, though likely nothing compared to Reilly's injuries. That man was lucky to be alive.

Deni looked down to the pistol in his hand. His left hand gripped the non-lethal pistol tightly, his palm sweating into the grip. He grasped the silencer attached to the end of it and twisted to ensure it was in place correctly, then placed it back into its holster. He drew the serpent's kiss, the auritium pistol with a basilisk's head designed around the barrel. It too had a silencer placed on it.

The rogue hadn't originally intended on using his most powerful weapon since they were supposed to be keeping the guards alive, but if he aimed carefully enough, he could incapacitate someone without killing them.

Deni turned to the rest of the group.

"There's two lefts and two rights before the corridor reaches a dead end," he muttered to them. "Let me know where you want me, Soldier."

Fighting the urge to make one of his jokes was difficult, especially considering what was at stake. It might well have been his last chance for a long time.

He gestured to Aelflead and Ignis, unable to conceal the smirk on his face.

"If either of you are virgins, now would be a good time to say. This might be the last chance you have, y'know."

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Stats

Dysney · Mar 9, 2016

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Ignis lingered behind the invisible members of the party. Given his magical skills, the engineer decided that Tailor was most definitely a sorcerer. Sailor could be the mage. Brushing these thoughts to the back of her mind, she peered past --or through-- her allies at the tiny globes lighting the hallway before them.

She hadn't built anything like those artificial lights before and wondered if she could take them apart to figure out what made them work. Then again, they were likely the product of both engineering and enchanting. Perhaps breaking them and bathing a hall in darkness would be useful at some point. The casual stream of observation helped Ignis distract herself from the tension tightening in the pit of her stomach. She couldn't definitively decide if she was excited or nervous.

Shaking her head a bit to refocus, the engineer turned her mind to the task at hand. She was supposed to be Tinker right now and Tinker was supposed to help disable the elevators, wherever they were. She wondered what kind of technology they used for that. These thoughts were derailed as soon as Thief opened his mouth.

Ignis flushed red and glared at the velen. “There isn’t much you can do to help that now, is there?” she grumbled quietly. Afterward, she inwardly groaned and reminded herself to be professional, shooting Deni another dirty look.

Get yourself together.

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Stats & Items

Tenchra · Mar 11, 2016

“Shh.” Reilly whispered out ordering the team to keep their voices down. He was not sure how much would carry and he did not to risk it. Everything from this point on was going to be a mystery. No one knew the floor plan properly so while they knew guards were every where they needed to try and get to Orator before alerting them. Once alerted the whole mission becomes a race for time.

Looking both left and right everything looked a little barren. Cells lined each wall, and each hallway was a literal death trap if they were caught in one. Several members were invisible and that was going to have to be their saving grace should combat erupt. In a hushed tone he planned out some orders.

“Two cloaked in the front twenty out, two in the back ten out. First line and back line. First to engage both. Signal back if guards.” His plan was simple. He wanted two people to watch the front and signal back if there was trouble then to issue a new plan to eliminate them silently. The guards were in the back in case they were spotted from there to get the jump. If they could take two guards out without breaking every person from cloaking then they were in good shape.

“Tailor with me at the head, right.” He turned and slowly began to walk right down the hall where he thinks he sees something.

HAPPY KYLE?

Apeiron · Mar 11, 2016

Kincaid’s voice rose up from ahead of the group, barely heard, “Here.”

Taking what Soldier had said back in the storage room, about needing to scout, the thief had gone ahead. He was close to the first intersection, hugging the wall on the right side. His already light footsteps were further masked by the stone. How far could he get, alone, into the prison?

If not for his loose promise to Reilly about sticking with the group, the short laicar would have happily tested the Arx’s security.

Distantly, the thief wondered if other skilled casters had ever attempted breaking into the Arx with concealing magic, and how the guards would even combat it. He concluded that the spells limited time, as well as the strain it placed on the caster, were enough to stop anyone who wasn’t a master disciple of Occultus.

“Waiting on you,” he called back.

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swaswj · Mar 12, 2016

The first hallway to the right was almost three times as long as the one in front of them. It would be like running the full length of a kinchaa field. Cells were spaced evenly, with the first two mere meters away. Recessed into the thick stone walls, the cells each had thick bars in front, fully revealing the rooms inside to ensure that the inmates had no freedom to put together any plots to escape. The span of the hallway had eight such cells on each side, sixteen total. Behind them, a nearly identical hallway stretched in the other direction, also with sixteen cells of its own. However, though the halls were lit, all of the cells in sight were dark.

Down near the end of the hallway on the right, however, there were two Arx security guards. They were walking away from the intruders, but a bow of some kind could be seen attached to the back of one of the pair. The other had no visible weapon on him. Like those on the roof, both appeared to be wearing armor, with blue tabards over top. Thankfully, the hallway behind them was clear, but that left two hallways unchecked.

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Dysney · Mar 15, 2016

"Sure." Ignis mumbled her quiet agreement to Soldier's instructions with a slight dip of the head. "Signal when you start moving forwards? It wouldn't really do for us to trip over each other."

Itching to get started, the engineer barely restrained the urge to tap her foot. She glanced at Deni once more, as if searching for something to give herself confidence, before redirecting her attention to the lights. Behind her, Cora floated quietly. She could send her drone to retrieve one of those lights... where could she put it though? Ignis made a mental note to take one on the way out if she didn't get a chance during their mission; she had to know how they managed this.

Focus! Val snapped irritably. If you insist on getting distracted you could at least drivel about something useful, like taking one of the lights in order to hinder or distract guards.

Ignis blinked, furrowed her brows, then wrinkled her nose a bit while she puzzled this out. Perhaps she could be a bard. Bards supported their allies and distracted or harassed opponents. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that at times, bards turned to manipulation and sleight of hand rather than outright fighting. Perhaps once they neared the Orator's cell she could put this to use by taking one of those tempting orbs of light from a nearby hall. The sudden darkness would draw the guards away from the Orator and she would get one of those neat little globes.

Satisfied with herself, the engineer looked down to hide the grin tugging at the corners of her mouth. Val groaned, but retreated.

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Mystydjinn · Mar 15, 2016

Hikaru was bobbing his head silently to an unheard tune as their group moved, glancing around the hallway occasionally while his hand traced symbols quietly beside him. He caught sight of Aelflead rolling her eyes from beneath her purple persona on one of his glances, just glad to see the woman had calmed herself a bit since nearly tackling Soldier in the storage closet they had left a moment ago.

He remembered wanting to punch the terran himself after he had told Aelf to shut up. You didn't tell people's little sisters to shut up like that, not while family was around. Now that he thought about it though, Aelf wasn't exactly his sister, and she certainly wasn't little. He glanced at the woman with scrutiny as if trying to stare through the thick cloak she always wore, remembering watching her work with Moona to gather firewood from the small thicket outside terminus when they were younger.

Even then, the redhead had been bigger and stockier than him. Now even though the woman was slightly shorter than he, the sky sailor was pretty the woman's arms were thicker considerably thicker around than his own. He paused for a minute to consider the rest of the team, making a little strong man contest in his head. The songen glanced down at the velen with the guns first, he looked athletic, but not like he'd had to fight much with his fists outside of bar fights, and judging from the time he'd spent around him the fish probably had lots of experience. He guessed he might be able to lift a couple chopped tree sections alone.

Then he glanced at the guy who called himself a tailor, and the enlil Tinker. Neither of them looked like they had much on their bones, and guessed they might be able to carry a full cauldron or something, maybe some big buckets of water without difficulty.

Then the horse-tailed man glanced at Soldier, big and sorta top-heavy lookin', he thought. The songenite couldn't see much of a difference in size between him and Aelflead, or Beggar as Tailor had decided to dub her, besides their difference in shapes. Aelf was stockier than he was, the man was sure, but she was somewhat curvy too, making Soldier and his... Lack of curves? Non-curvaceous, inurvy, scurvy, he’d caught that once. uncurvy? The pirate shook his head, he would figure out the word later, right now all that was important was that the man, looked, bigger than she was, especially with the spare five inches or so the man had on her.

Hikaru deeply furrowed his brow. Damn, this is a tougher decision than I thought. I'll have to ponder this thoroughly before I decide.

While the fool pondered his imaginary strength competition in his head; Aelflead looked up and down the corridor, trying to guess at their first target's location. She fingered the smoke bombs and the resigno's case in her cloak pocket slowly as she watched the guards move, keeping herself calm by focusing on the task at hand. She had nearly jumped on their self-chosen leader in the storeroom, and it was only the fact that eventually they would leave that was keeping her from jumping on him now in the hall. She'd gone through several scenarios already in her mind's eye, pushing him from the ship as they left, locking him in a cell by 'mistake' while just before they left the Arx, were both doable, though obvious, and not very satisfying. No, she wanted to break the terran with her own two and a blade, making it personal was always more satisfying.

More importantly, she had to be focused or she'd wind up dead. The warrior's pride still stung from taking the hit she'd endured earlier, and not to say she'd had room for mistakes earlier, she truly had none now. They were inside the building, and getting back to the store room if she or someone else went down was not an option, it was all or nothing at this point.

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notes

Tenchra · Mar 16, 2016

New plans were forming in Reilly’s mind. Each idea had to be thought out with pros and cons. His team was betting on his plans to see them through, and their lives depended on it. His curiosity was getting the better of him as there was a section of the area they stood in that was unchecked. Walking across the hall he peered down both hallways to check for guards or anything else.

In his mind he hoped for no guards, that would give them some room to maneuver easier. His hopes were dashed when down the hallway to his left two guards had appeared and were coming down to them. Time was running short.

“Shit, just our luck. New plan time. Tailor, bad news you’re going to have to expend a little more strength. We need the rest of us cloaked, so if someone has the powder lend it to him. Also, if you can do it at the same strength...”, he turned to Tinker, “...you’re going to have to leave one of your companions behind for now. I am sorry there is no other option. We need to move fast and head down the hallway to the right here.” He had pointed to the hall he had just peered down, the one without guards. If they could remain unseen and keep moving at a nice pace they might be able to find orator before breaking their cover.

Apeiron · Mar 17, 2016

Ignis frowned at Soldier, but didn't protest. With a sigh she muttered, “Amicus is staying with me, Cora will just have to follow at a distance. I can't just leave her here for the guards to find.” She gestured to the drone hovering behind her when she spoke of Cora, indicating which minion was to be left unveiled.

She thought for a moment more before adding, “Once we get there, at the very least Cora could distract the guards and lead them away from us.”

Kincaid let out a soft tch sound, saying softly, “I can’t keep being this liberal with the spell!”

But he didn’t protest any further. Instead, he heeded his brother’s directions, and hurried back towards Tinker and Thief. When he was close enough, he began to worry. He didn’t want to open another vial. Getting everything ready for the spell, and he didn’t know how much time he had.

Rather than take the time to fish out a vial of ink and pour it’s contents onto the ground to write in, Kincaid did something else.

He had never attempted casting Occultus spells without a medium, but he had heard tell of others doing it. Could he, though?

The components were crucial, as far as he’d been taught, easing the call to the agents of the Vis for their aide.

Taking a deep breath, reaching out into the air, for a second nothing happened.

Then, the air around Kincaid shimmered, and his own invisibility wore out. He stood in the center of the hallway, between Tinker and Thief, in his plain-white tunic with its long sleeves, his right arm outstretched and a single finger extended with a curious glow at the tip.

Auritium pulveris, the golden terra regia dust, slipped free from the confines of the thief’s bag and swam through the air uninhibited, surrounding the small group.

The engineer watched the display with a measure of curiosity followed by a hint of wonder as Tailor’s finger took on an ethereal glow. Her frown softened a bit as her attention wandered from the displeasure at having to leave Cora behind.

Roused by his contractor's interest, Amicus poked his head out of the front of Ignis’ robes to watch the spectacle for himself.

Gold dust shimmered in the air around Thief, Tailor and Ignis. It clung to the three of them in a glittery haze. The sharp, crystalline glitter blended together into a fog before fading, Tailor and Thief’s outlines disappearing with it.

Ignis could vaguely see herself disappearing from view as well through Amicus’ eyes, prompting the engineer to look down and almost gasp at the state of her hands and robe. They were dim and transparent, just barely visible if the enlil stared hard and squinted. Her jaw dropped; luckily no one could see it.

In the hopes of catching the guards coming just around the corner, Kincaid had added his usual flair.

Nine impossible strokes were painted into the air, created by nothing more than the thief’s own willpower and skill, manifested as trails of light which hung in the air just long enough for Kincaid to complete his spell.

With each swipe of his finger through auritium-filled air, came a creeping darkness that highlighted the terra regia’s golden properties. A hooded figure emerged from darkened corners, carrying a large clothe between skeletal hands. It hovered over the group, out of sight of Tinker and Thief, waiting for the laicar to complete his ritual.

And as the spell finished, this grim apparition draped its mantle across all but the poor drone, giving the appearance of fog rolling over them. To add to the horrific specter’s display, the cowl did not remain covering its whole face. Instead it slipped just enough to reveal naked bone the full length of the creature’s jaw.

With any luck, the guards -- if they stumbled upon the group -- would have their attention fixated upon the horrific sight, only realizing there might have been someone there too late.

Or, maybe, the guards here would think all manner of ghosts roamed the halls tonight.

“Keep to the walls,” Kincaid cautioned, “and don’t be too hasty.”

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swaswj · Mar 17, 2016

Far down the hallway on the right, the guard with the bow paused, head cocking to one side. The unarmed man next to him gave him a curious look, and then suddenly turned around, looking back the way they had come. The bowman spun with him, pulling his bow from his back in an instant, though he did not reach for the arrows hanging from his waist. Sharp eyes scrutinized the hallway, hunting anything out of place. Even small irregularities were treated with extreme caution, and rigorous training had drilled lightning-fast responses into the Arx's guards.

But... after a brief, tense moment, the two men relaxed. The hallway was empty.

For another few moments, they continued watching and listening, but once finally satisfied, the pair nodded to each other and continued on. Turning to the left and heading down the next hallway around the corner, the pair soon disappeared from sight.

From the hallway on the far left, the second pair of guards emerged into the room. Both stopped in the center of the room, along the back wall, and turned to face the stairwell. Behind their visors, both guards had stern expressions. They stood there rigidly, saying nothing. At least for the moment, neither of them noticed a certain machine whirring near the ceiling.

Despite the hour, both guards looked well awake and alert. Their vigil seemed like it would last for a few moments, at least, though it was surely only a temporary break of their constant patrols.

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Apeiron · Mar 20, 2016

Fresh eyes, the thief noted. So they rotate guards, but how often?

Long strides and careful steps carried the thief back across the hallway where he’d been seconds ago, then beyond and around the corner.

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Tenchra · Mar 20, 2016

The guards were right in front of them, but there was room to maneuver. Closing his eyes and relaxing, he opened them slowly and carefully placed his steps trying to make as little noise as possible as he worked his way skirting past them down the hallway they were to go.

His eyes were locked on them watching for any indication they heard something, prepared to break stealth and attack if need be, but all prays were on them noticing nothing.

Tenchra · Mar 20, 2016

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Dysney · Mar 20, 2016

Nodding at Tailor's advice, Ignis crept forward. She strained to hear her companion's footsteps to avoid running into them as she carefully set one foot down in front of the other, making sure to let her weight settle slowly and quietly with each step. She glanced back at Cora a few times, but the drone stayed put, hovering high and out of anyone's usual line of sight. Once she couldn't catch the faint hum of her beloved contraption any more, she ordered the drone to follow the group. If she couldn't hear Cora, neither could the guards, the engineer assumed.

Her stomach tightened and a feeling of nausea swelled at the back of her throat. Ignis was not happy about being separated from her minion at all, much less the imminent danger. Pressing her lips together, she sunk a sharp incisor into the soft flesh of her lower lip. It stung sharply, but she clenched her jaw harder, light shivers washing over her frame.

Why are you so scared? Val demanded, annoyed with the engineer's anxiety. You're always scared, yet you never bother to keep out of trouble or learn how to take care of yourself. Move!

Ignis willingly retreated further into the depths of her mind, eager to cling to a daydream and ignore her surroundings. Meanwhile, her body relaxed as Val's confidence relieved tension. Val wrinkled her nose, licking away the coppery taste from her lower lip. Pitiful.

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Mystydjinn · Mar 21, 2016

Aelflead found herself captivated despite herself by the twig's magical prowess for a moment, but the guard's change brought her attention back to the task at hand, and she rested her hand against the pommel of her sword again.

She glanced around the room as they walked; and listened to the team’s soft foot falls as they made progress, and began busied herself by studying their surroundings. The walls were the first thing she noticed. Expertly done, probably by grandmaster stonemasons and carved in such a way that they would make sure sound travelled for a long ways down the prison walls, though as she'd observed at the 'crossroads' they'd passed the walls changed subtly after every other hall or so, like cones laid side by side to form a line.

Probably to keep other possible prisoners from noticing a problem and trying to capitalize on it, she mused, and let the calloused pads of her fingers slide across the smoothened stone. Clever little shits, they've thought of everything.

Hikaru pointedly 'ignored' the thief’s spectacle, irritated that the casting of one spell had garnered so much attention, while the most he'd received was from a half interested tree stump. However he knew sulking wouldn't do much good for his legend. After all; who wanted to read a story about a sulking pirate?

Not I, thought the swashbuckling mage, and clenched his fist in determination, turning his pointless negative into a positive for himself.
This man must be my rival, all good stories need one, he reasoned and pumped his clenched fist decisively as he solidified his resolve. This grinning lamppost of a man would be his rival, and he would defeat him, for the sake of his legend! Even if it took the fool’s dying breath.
After making said decision, he went back to his imagined strength competition, where the tiny Ignis had somehow taken the lead, and turned the whole thing into an outright brawl. Talons, fins, teeth, nails, and even hooves flew everywhere in his mindscape, until the enlil and her tiny shrub were the only two left.

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Valero · Mar 21, 2016

Deni had grown silent as the others planned how to slip past the guards ahead of them. Sure, his input would likely have been useful, but he knew that he had a naturally loud voice that carried itself a long way. It wouldn't have been beneficial for him to start asking questions while they were concealed and shuffling down the hallway.

Thief followed the line of infiltrators warily. He halted for a moment as the others turned the corner. It wouldn't do well for him to fall over Ignis and land right in front of those two guards.

Deni's eyes fixed on them while he waited. His heart began to race and heat trickled down his spine. He could see them, but they couldn't see him. It was a strange, uncomfortable feeling, though it seemed to affect the rogue less when he turned away from them and continued to shuffle along the wall, following the others down the corridor.

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Mystydjinn · Mar 21, 2016

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Valero · Mar 21, 2016

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Dysney · Mar 21, 2016

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[Plot] [Open] Week 093: A Perilous and Felonious Infiltration

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