[Plot] [Open] Week 93: Pragmatism and Prominence

[MoonlitRain014]

It was no good, she just couldn't walk away. Aeria had made it about ten paces before she turned around. In spite of everything, in spite of the rising tide of bitter nihilism she felt, she couldn't abandon people to their fates without at least trying to help. The delicate spurii let the flow of the crowd carry her back and she slipped back up the stairs to the rooftop next to Furi. She squatted down next to the sniper and spoke in a low voice.

"Look I'm going to give them cover down there with a spell. I think you need to quietly take out the guards you can hit with whatever you're planning to use. I'll wait in the crowd until you've fired your shots and then I'll fill the place with mist. It might not be much but I figure it'll disorient the guards and give our people cover. It's the best I can do."

She waited long enough to hear Furi's reply but she felt the anxious energy rising inside of her chest. If she was going to make this move, she just wanted to do it and get it out of the way. It was bad enough that she had come back but she wasn't going to be hanging around any longer than she had to.

[1881]

 

[Dysney]

Harper glanced nervously at the door Nera had run through earlier, and then back at the guards. He quickly moved his hands through the motions to make two more horse shoes so that he held three. "I sure hope you have more of those needles," he said to Sarkis.

"Too late," He muttered under his breath after the first guard's shout and ran forward. The spurii chucked a sealing ring at each guard, hoping to bind their arms to their sides.

Harper honestly hoped that this would not be a fair fight; he knew he could not win in a physical confrontation with these men. A second later, he winced, hesitating a moment instead of closing in. They were in a room with precious artifacts. Why hadn't he thought of holding them hostage earlier?

Smooth, he thought to himself sourly.

[1526]

 

[FogOverLondon]

[roll0]

The ruckus outside was getting louder. They were bound to be discovered soon if they didn't leave, like, now.

It was particularly frustrating that the artifacts and documents were basically strewn about. Bookshelves that contained dusty books, tightly packed into their relatively unused spaces. Stone-carved talismans and tiny statues lay casually on the shelves. And scrolls, both rolled and unrolled, covered several tables around the room.

The stone chamber was long, yet still somehow confining, and was separated at its middle by an open, doorless doorway.

As the Velen began disturbing things more violently, aggressively searching for their prize, she noticed a cylindrical metal tube, a scroll, to be precise. Thus far, every rolled scroll looked official, and was sealed by the wax seals of various important people. But this, this was literally the only metal tube in the basement room.

She had to be sure, even if it meant stealing precious moments. She popped open the top and slid the document out.

Aselia Astra was fond of writing and literature far more so than the arithmetic, and at the bottom of the document she could see several names scrawled underneath the perfectly scripted words,

We who are present this day, acknowledge the aforementioned and discussed Accords. We pledge binding allegiance to these agreements, of which are in the best interest of our respective countries and kingdoms. We, the keepers of the freedoms and governance of our people, seal our devotion to peace, and declare our intentions by our signatures below.

"That's enough for me!" she said, bursting while she tucked the resealed tube into her cloak.

Hurrying, she pivoted and ran straight for the door, rounding the corner to see two soldiers fall before Sarkis and Harper.

"Time to go!" she announced.

 

[Vincent Valen]

When Aeria came back, the huntress was tempted to draw on her. She’d heard the departing footsteps and seriously wondered why the hell the spurii would try to leave a mission before it was over. Evidently the girl either had a change of heart, or realized she’d probably get shot for ditching them.

Furi stayed silent and listened to Aeria’s plan. It sounded clear enough, cause some havoc with the initial shots and then the mist would make it even more chaotic. Hopefully that would give the inside team the opportunity to get out of there.

“Fine by me. You got thirty seconds, get down to the street,” she responded.

The seconds ticked down in her head as the rifle moved from group to group, deciding which would go first. Eventually she decided the ones nearest the entrance the others had entered in was the best choice.

Taking a quick glance at the street to make sure Aeria was there, she initially took aim at the head of one of the guards. She then moved the scope lower, instead aiming for the right leg instead.

“Time to liven up the night,” the huntress said, pulling the trigger a moment later.

[200/1190]

 

[Dysney]

Harper sighed in relief, shoulders visibly relaxing for a brief moment. "Thank Castus," he breathed the words out with a bit of a laugh. The spurii danced away from the guards and snatched up a particularly fancy looking vase.

"You try anything and I'll smash this thing to pieces! It's an ancient piece of velen pottery from before the Cataclysm and worth more than your lives!" he declared with all the confidence of an erudite archaeologist, never mind the fact that he was lying through his teeth. "Grab something," he shouted to Sarkis as he darted towards the stairs, horseshoe in one hand, vase in the other.

As an afterthought, Harper shoved the vase under one of his arms and shoved a hand into his jacket. He withdrew the hand, now coated with a silvery powder and snapped his fingers. He traced a triangle in the air and snapped once more before brandishing the stolen artifact once more. Anyone who got in his way would surely regret it.

spells and things

Prepped atlas, also threatening to break valuable objects if attacked. Remaining vigor:4697

IMPORTANT

I double checked my stats. I don't have dahlilitium pulveris, but I do have bigatium pulveris. I edited notes in earlier turns to reflect this. Please excuse the mistake.

[1554]

 

[MoonlitRain014]

As soon as Aeria saw the guard crumple, she quickly made the necessary gestures to activate the fog spell that she’d learned and exhaled a thick misty blanket that began to quickly fill the air around her. She was shielded by the crowds that milled around and moved when they began to panic. Yanking her hood up, she turned and let the flow of the crowd begin to move her along. She hoped that Furi would also get out under this blanket and that it would provide safe cover for those members of the team who were trying to escape the building.

She decided that she’d let herself get moved along before anyone took any notice of where the fog had come from. It would linger for some time and make it difficult for anyone to do much of anything. If the little band inside were already on their way out, the distraction would be ideal. If not, she just hoped they could get away. This mission was not going to land her ass in jail again, no matter what.

[2061]

Magic

Aeria cast Fog

 

[K3]

Harper heard Nera's cry, and swiftly abandoned the tunnel he'd turned into an impromptu chokepoint. Waving the priceless vase like a lifeline; he turned on his heel and sprinted up the stairs with the velen; their compatriot Sarkis eerily absent.

Outside, events spiraled out of control rapidly. The gunshot rang long and loud in the relative peace of the plaza, a moment punctuated by the scream of a guard and the whoosh of smoke filling empty air.

The spell quickly flooded the East entryway, and a moment later Aeria was clear and away from it, slipping into the now-frightened crowd. In a few minutes, nobody would even think she had ever been in the district.

Furi was treated to the sight of her scope obscured by the spell Aeria had created. Shouldering her rifle once more, there was a long moment of conflict. Then, almost hesitantly, she turned her shoulder and retreated behind the edge of the building. The guards would surely have their hands full with an injury and an unconfirmed shooter, right?

Inside, Nera and Harper slammed into the door at the top of the staircase at full-tilt. Scarcely calming their breathing, the pair opened the door to a haunting sight. Of the dozens of guards calming the situation indoors while others streamed outside, they were not a sight that went amiss.

No amount of spells would silence every voice, and a loud cry went up as fingers pointed and the clamor of armor sounded in the museum. Valiantly, the pair of would-be thieves shoved their way past the still-panicked crowds into the main exhibit display room. Shoving Nera towards the nearest exit, Harper turned to face his fate with dignity.

More smoke and fog filled the area, and Nera stumbled and hurried her way towards the door as Harper conjured as much as he could to give her a chance. The doors within reach, she could only cry out in panic as a pair of hands locked around her arms. The guard was wide-eyed for a moment, the tube under her arm firmly out of sight and a moment later his hand released her, asking her to stay put. Then, he disappeared into the fog.

Backing ever-closer towards the door, Nera finally turned and ran, breaking through the doors and ducking into the nearest alleyway. More shouts of alarm, and guards fast on her heels as she pounded helter-skelter through the streets; around as many corners as she could between her and her pursuers.

Legs aching and chest heaving with exertion, the voices behind her eventually lessened, then dimmed, then silenced. When she finally stopped, Nera could scarcely find the energy to breathe in long, gasping gulps.

Pulling the tube from under her arm, she undid one end and let the paper slide out. To her shock, it was not the document she was expecting.

Printed in a neat scrawl, it was impossible to tell if the words were apologetic, or mocking:

'In matters of business, there is only total victory or absolute defeat. Consider yourself the runner-up. Sarkis.'

Back in the Archivo, Harper mulled sullenly with his hands bound behind him and a thick bruise forming over his left eye. Apparently, the Conexus had its own supply of counter-mages, and had deployed a number of them to the building. Brushing down the back of his pants from where he had been sat down, his eyes widened suddenly. Through the outline of the small pouch that had been emptied of terra regia when he was arrested, he could feel the distinct outline of a key.

Eyes suddenly glued to the nearby door, he waited for his moment. A few hours later, he would find a similar note in the pouch as Nera's, on the now-darkened streets of the furthest district he could get to.

Sarkis walked down the streets at a leisurely stroll, making his way to the Southern gates where a caravan would be waiting for him as their last client. One hand held onto a suitcase, now infinitely more valuable than it had been, and the other was shoved into a pocket of his dress pants. A small smile was on his face, and he absently smoothed his hand through his hair.

In the world of thieves, honor came first. Of course, it wouldn't be his fault if they held it against him, would it?

Final [ 730 / 2264 ]​