AMEN XLVII: Who's the Leader, Again?

[ThePhantom]

Zefir's Office

On Zefir's desk, E places a folder.

Spoiler: Folder of information

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Councilors:
Charles: a cat, focus on more cat rights. Limited appeal.
Harley: Promises understanding of what the majority of people are experiencing. Little need to meddle with, will aid us willing.
Malicebot: robot, connected to Magtok. Should be simple enough to handle.
Felandria: Demigoddess, giant. Connected to Virgil, but not very good policition, weak speech. Possible trouble, but should be easy enough to embarrass into failure.
Toby Druid: tied to GLoG, one of their most dangerous members. Has lead crusaders before. Experienced leader. One of the most dangerous to us.
Jasper: Somewhat corrupt, more of old-school politician.

Mayor:
Nyarlahotep/ted: demon lord, not connected to our allies, focus on informing the city. Has a number of lesser servants running for other positions, including council. Seems like a good target to me.
Amyria: Current mayor. Position is weakening because of change in policies towards darker. Focus on retaining office
Jezebel: Goddess, leads area of riverside already. Shows great knowledge of her dominion. Promises use experience to aid city. Very high threat, issue about gaining sympathy if try bombing.
Stu: He’s a womanizing flower. What do I need to say?

[5a Violista]

Spoiler: The quote

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Inside the Base

Saa observes Harley's choice of weapon with a vacant expression. "Sabres, scimitars, and so on. Elegant weapons, ideal for combat in motion." A faint smile. "I wonder if you are fast enough for it." One wing flicks playfully at that. The ring reminds her of where she came from, just a little, and a tiny bit of verbal sparring alongside the physical sort wasn't uncommon there. She doesn't perform a full bow as her opponent enters the ring, but she does nod to confirm her readiness before acting.

Or reacting, really. Saa has the decency to actually looks surprised at her foe's aggression, and almost moves to counterattack before her sense of space catches up with her. Given Harley's height and the sword's length, Saa takes a step back outside the range of the lunge rather than performing the parry and riposte she'd originally intended. "Know your space," Saa advises as the strike passes in front of her, "and know theirs.", she continues as she suddenly lunges in the direction that Harley swung from, wings thrown back for an extra burst of acceleration, weapon spinning elegantly to strike at the appropriate shoulder. She holds back the full force of her blow, of course; this is a training exercise, not a real attempt to injure each other, and if Harley were to try a direct block/parry she wouldn't find it any worse than doing so against a strong human.

Inside the Base
(Wow...I haven't posted in too long. Sorry.)

I have tried parrying against normal strong humans; if their sword hits your sword wrong it's still quite difficult to hold onto it unless you've got a very good grip on it.

Harley's lunge was intentionally smaller, so that makes it easier and faster to recover back. She recovers backward, which would normally be enough to evade even someone that much taller than her. However, she wasn't really anticipating the extra speed boost from the wings. "That's pretty clever," she comments. It forces her to parry to stop Saa from hitting her left shoulder.
With her waster, she tries to push Saa's sword just far enough away to cause a miss, as close to Harley's own guard as possible for maximum leverage.

She takes another two steps back, to give herself time to evaluate how to attack. "When I was younger," Harley says as she takes a sidestep and advances towards her opponent, "I would always get too close for them to swing." She makes an attack, towards the exact same direction as before and the same motion and distance

It was a feint though: at the last moment, she adds in an extra forward step and swings from the opposite direction, from the inside. "That was before I got all my scars."

[BladeofObliviom]

Spoiler

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Inside the Base
(Wow...I haven't posted in too long. Sorry.)

I have tried parrying against normal strong humans; if their sword hits your sword wrong it's still quite difficult to hold onto it unless you've got a very good grip on it.

Harley's lunge was intentionally smaller, so that makes it easier and faster to recover back. She recovers backward, which would normally be enough to evade even someone that much taller than her. However, she wasn't really anticipating the extra speed boost from the wings. "That's pretty clever," she comments. It forces her to parry to stop Saa from hitting her left shoulder.
With her waster, she tries to push Saa's sword just far enough away to cause a miss, as close to Harley's own guard as possible for maximum leverage.

She takes another two steps back, to give herself time to evaluate how to attack. "When I was younger," Harley says as she takes a sidestep and advances towards her opponent, "I would always get too close for them to swing." She makes an attack, towards the exact same direction as before and the same motion and distance

It was a feint though: at the last moment, she adds in an extra forward step and swings from the opposite direction, from the inside. "That was before I got all my scars."

Inside the Base
(No worries.)

Sure, but at least it's not the kind of force that's going to shatter the wasters. That'd be unsporting! Not to mention kind of missing the point of a spar.


Saa's wide swing is deflected, not without effort, but as soon as it's clear the parry is made she pulls back into a guard rather than attempting to press through Harley's defense. "Wings are not just for flying.", she muses aloud. One could say the same of tentacles or any other form of extra limb. Though in truth, she doesn't think of it as clever. It's just how she learned to do things, even if someone without wings might not see it coming the first time. If nothing else, Harley will probably see that coming next time she gets jumped by a harpy or something.

It's a learning experience!

The not-dragon lets Harley get a little distance, even using the fool's stance as if to invite attack. But when she's within striking distance, Saa raises her weapon into a guard to block the feint (and just narrowly adjusts it in time for the true strike), before placing her free hand on the flat of her waster and pushes hard in the direction of contact, attempting to shove Harley right over (though she politely waits for Harley to get up and ready herself again if she succeeds). "Feints are good tricks, but getting so close to a foe carries risks."

[Shadowcaller]

AMEN Base

The glove doesn't trap him, in fact, it seems to be perfectly accommodated to his hand, fitting perfectly. "Only you should be able to wear that glove, Zefir. It was made specifically for you, the moment you put it on, it will only obey you. Now, as with all our work, for the glove to function the wearer must embrace a certain attitude towards things. Now, you and I use the same element, Noll, cold, calculating, and most of all, defensive. While it's abilities could be used in a offensive manner, such acts would make it unreliable and abandon you when you most need it. That is the limit this element imposes on you. However, if that is not a problem for you, let me explain what this glove does." He holds out his own hand and then places it on the table which suddenly starts glowing with a dim blue light. "If you'd try to move this table, you'd find it impossible. It is frozen in place. The only way to move it would be to destroy it completely." And true enough to his words, Zefir and the Phantom will find that no matter how hard they try, they can at most just destroy their own table. It won't move an inch.

"Now, that doesn't seem too impressive until you realize it's wider implications. It can also freeze things that are in the air, make them unaffected by even gravity. That table would still be frozen in that position even if the floor underneath it completely collapsed. This could be applied to all sorts of projectiles, not to mention parts of the body, such as an arm." A pause. "Or the heart itself, if the creature you're fighting have such a thing. It can of course only be applied by touch, but it can be applied to any part of the object or creature that you touch, such as this." The blue glow around the table fades with the exception of one of the legs.

"Applying this power to one part of the body is generally smarter, animated beings or objects generally take a greater effort to freeze. So it's best to freeze a arm, or a essential part of their armor or weapon, rather than to freeze the whole thing. Now, this isn't the only thing it can do. It can also steal momentum and energy, essentially rob a process of what maintains it. The momentum that drives a bullet forward, the chemical process that creates a fire, the energy that drives a machine, such as a body, forward. It will simply cease for a moment. A quite unpleasant experience for those who lived to tell the tale." The last of the blue glow around the table fades away.
"It can also be used to create a shield around you and others if so needed. That however is one of it's lesser abilities, considering it's other capabilities." Sargon eyes Zefir. "Just don't forget that it is fueled by a concept, and can thus act on it's own if it see reason to. It is not one of your fickle, moralized "gods", but it will act according to it's concept."

[5a Violista]

[Inside the Base]

But Harpy assassins? Those don't come up very often. And they usually only attack men, anyway.

Harley had just overextended a little too much.
She catches herself on her back knee and free right hand, falling slightly to the side because that's the direction she was pushed. Likewise, her sword arm is pushed away so the blade tip reaches the ground. She stares down at the ground for a bit. "I could live with a few risks," she says.

This wooden sword isn't her sword. It's not the sword she had for decades.

Harley brings her forward foot back towards her hand and knee, then swings her bent leg away and straight so she can push herself up into a stand over it.

Now standing, she raises her sword again, ready. In fact, she says that: "Ready."

[Zefir]

AMEN Base - Letter

Zefir takes the letter. As the current Leader he is the one addressed to in it. Let's assume this happens a bit after the demons visit.
As he reads through it his face shows a very annoyed expression.

"This thing is nothing more then a big insult." he says. Not really to anyone.


AMEN Base - Sargon

Zefir will try to push the table, but stops when it's clear he can't move it .

"I see." he says. "This has quiet some potential with things I use. I can see propper use in the future.
I assume taking the force of a bullet can be dangerouse? I have to get the bullet in touch with the glove, right?"

Zefir eyes Sargaron back. "What concept is fuled into the glove?" he asks. " I rather know all the details befor I have to use them."

[Shadowcaller]

AMEN Base - Sargon

The demon king smiles. "It's only limited by your own strength. As for your question, it is actually a concept of my people. One of two concepts revered as the pillars where our entire culture and civilization rests. It's something you mortals might have trouble understanding without knowledge that I'm forbidden to tell you. However, I can tell you that it is a union of a multitude of concepts such as defense, cold, darkness, water, ice, death... and so on. Some of these concepts was brought into it as to mirror the other, opposing, concept." He shakes his head. "But you probably don't want to hear that, besides, we're discussing the invasion right now aren't we? Like, what do we do now that Eastside is suddenly the center of attention with the election going on? It brings in all these dangerous people who could rally more people to it's defense. Such as Tobias, I've fought him once. A quite dangerous mage, but I hear that his tongue is even more dangerous. He could convince a lot of people to fight for him."

[Zefir]

AMEN Base - Sargon

"I am intressed to hear that out, but your right. Right now we talk about the invasion and I see time as the main resource we leak." Zefir says. "If we were able to find the skeleton in Tobias's basement, we could at least weaken his stand in eastside. It doesn't need much, just something to show that he does not follow his own words."

Zefir's Office

Zefir will look up the list as soon as possible. He will need to think about things.

"E? Do you have plans for those."

[ThePhantom]

Zefir's Office

"I have a bomb in the area, a number of people willing to act as hecklers, and a clown. A clown can be quite useful for making someone appear foolish.

By the way, there was something else I wanted to discuss, a potential issue."

[BladeofObliviom]

Inside the Base

Okay, maybe that was a bad example. Especially since most harpies have wings on their arms rather than wings in addition to arms. The point is, that trick probably won't surprise Harley again anytime soon.

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained.", Saa agrees, drawing a few steps back and returning to a plough guard while Harley recovers. "But they aren't called risks without reason." Almost as soon as the shapeshifter proclaims her readiness, Saa springs forward with her inhuman stride, lifting her weapon and stepping offside to perform a traditional zornhau, an overhead strike to the left shoulder.

There's an opening here, if Harley dares take it; her arms are fully extended and her leg is a little far forward, and the wings are folded rather than splayed at the ready. Saa is used to sparring against weapons similar to her own, and the muscle memory of her offensive defense isn't accounting for a shorter weapon.

[Zefir]

Zefir's Office

"I have a bomb in the area, a number of people willing to act as hecklers, and a clown. A clown can be quite useful for making someone appear foolish.

By the way, there was something else I wanted to discuss, a potential issue."

Zefir's Office

"Sounds good." Zefir says. "The bomb should be outr last resort, maybe to delay the election in general. We should aim our attack befor they got a gouverment. And the clown should stand ready.
Canyou send some people out for informations? we need every piece of dirt about the participants."

Zefir is then silent.

"If the issue is important, then come over. Unless that speak free." he replies.

[ThePhantom]

Zefir's Office

"I have a few people searching, but it takes time. As for the later..."

Mr E appears in the office, cloaking device turned off.

"I'm already here."

[Zefir]

Zefir's Office

Zefir looks up a bit shocked, but keeping himself calm enougth to not draw his weapon.

"Seems like I need a device to detect invisible people in my office." he says. "So what's the matter?"

[ThePhantom]

Zefir's Office

Mr E lessens his tension as Zefir doesn't try to attack him. He then flips up his hat revealing his gas masked face.

"The matter is this, in a few days an embassy, which belongs to Gordon, will be completed in the city of Inside. Yes, my former boss, that Gordon. He knows some of my spy network and enough about most of the henchmen to seriously undermine us if he chooses to do so. I was hoping for some advice on how to deal with this issue."

[Zefir]

Zefir's Office

I'm not sure if the gas mask is a normal item on Mr.E or not. I guess no so Zefir will look around, searching if anything has changed since his last visit (or maybe he can see something cloaked) and he also smells around. Just in case Mr E released some gas to knock him out or kill him.
The news are coming at the worst time.

"I know who Gordon is. I was once a fan of him, even thought I had some issues with him." Zefir says.
"First off I have a question. What would you doo if Gordon steps in here and a fight breaks out. Would you stay on my side or on his? Be aware, you won't be able to see the outcome of the fight at that moment."

[ThePhantom]

Zefir's Office

Its a normal object for Mr E, he just doesn't usually tilt his hat so it can be seen.

"If he can here and started a fight, I would act for you. Mind you, He is too dangerous for me to try fighting directly and my greatest weapon is maybe just enough to hold him off for a short while before he crushes it. Through, I doubt he would attack us, he still owns a favor to our most powerful member and wouldn't want it to act on that.

The trouble for me is the risk to my information network being shared with the entities against us. From what I have gathered, Gordon's realm is a lot farther away than any of the groups we are acting against. It might be possible that he could ignore us, but the risk that he won't is great enough to cause me worry."

[Shadowcaller]

AMEN Base - Sargon

"I am intressed to hear that out, but your right. Right now we talk about the invasion and I see time as the main resource we leak." Zefir says. "If we were able to find the skeleton in Tobias's basement, we could at least weaken his stand in eastside. It doesn't need much, just something to show that he does not follow his own words."

AMEN Base - Sargon

"I just don't want him elected, better have him leave Eastside altogether, or have him killed. No matter how much we try to weaken his position, the instance he starts rallying support against a invasion, people are going to follow him. We'd have to do something major to discredit him to the degree that people don't even want anything to do with him." Sargon argues.

[Zefir]

Zefir's Office

Well Zefir is a bit more calm now.
"Sounds good." he just comments MrE's point about a possible attack. zefir is not aware who this powerful member might be, but right now that member isn't anywhere to be found, he guess.

"Then back to point." Zefir says. "Can you clearly detect all undermined henchman? If so, you could use the undermind henchman to lead him to a false clue. Like laying another rout of breadcrums leading to a false end."

AMEN Base - Sargon

"I don't know much about him to see something." Zefir says. "I belive if we found something that shows the total opposite of what he says to the people, he should get no vote at all. We could even raise something up, if we do it with proper care."

"wasn't he related to that cat boy who brought an apocalypse over the nexus?" he asks.

[Shadowcaller]

AMEN Base - Sargon

"I don't know anything about that, so I'll leave you to ruin his reputation. Ideally we could just kill him, but he might be too powerful to just strike down." The demon king pauses and looks over at Mr E (if he's still in the room?) "But I had another item I promised to give you, a pair of arms, yes?"

[ThePhantom]

Zefir's Office

"I may be able to. I'll be monitoring them closely then."

Outside

El Cuervo and a number of henchmen drive up in five scratched and strained trucks, a pile of raptor-like creatures stacked in the back of the trucks. El Cuervo itself is heavy-like strained purple, rides on the back of a truck, dripping a purple liquid.

(Shadowcaller, to clear things up, Mr E wasn't in the room, he was just broadcasting into the room.)

[Zefir]

Zefir's Office

"It's best we get into controll of what informations they get." Zefir says. "Still keep it low. Even if Gordon will not attack here, I don't want him to get mad."

AMEN Base - Sargon

"Killing is something that barly succeed in the nexus." Zefir says.
"Oh yeah." Zefir says befor touching a devide on his head. "It seems the person for that has just returned. I call him here."
Zefir calls for El Curvo to come at the main room for the arms.

[ThePhantom]

Zefir's Office

"It will be as you wish, if that is within my power. Is that all, sir?"

AMEN Base

El Cuervo hops off the truck, still dripping purple liquid and directs the henchmen to move the bodies off of the trucks, while it makes it way to the main room.

"Is there something...Zefir? Or can...I go and...wash all this...poison off."

[Shadowcaller]

AMEN Base - Sargon

"Truly? You should probably tell that to all the mortals that the guides have 'blessed', they'd be delighted, I'm sure." Sargon replies, without betraying even a hint of sarcasm in his tone. "But, ah, we got our guest of honor. We have a artifact for you, ordered by your master." The big demon glances at Zefir, not sure what sort of titles they used around here.

Sargon's two body guards regards Mr. E cautiously, their hands never straying too far from their weapons.

[Zefir]

AMEN Base - Sargon

"As said, i requested some arms for you as a replacement for the lost once." Zefir says, not sure if getting of the poison would be a better plan.

Zefir's Office

"That's all." he says, turing to his paper. a moment later he looks up again. "Could you get something to detect cloaked people? It's enought if it can detect mechanical cloaking."

[ThePhantom]

Zefir's Office

"I'll look, but its not easy, unless you go with a scent focused creature. That's one of the easiest way to deal with."

Main Room - Sargon

"Ah, new arms...would be useful. ..I only have....one right now."

El Cuervo waves the bluish arm it currently has, slightly spreading droplets of poison around the room. Fortunately these drops are too little a dose to cause harm.

[Shadowcaller]

Main Room - Sargon

Sargon looks El Curvo over for a moment. "Yes..." He places the jar on the table. "We have something more advanced than you have now. I have the equivalent of two arms in this jar." He explains. "They're legion-crafted, which means that they're made up of many tiny different pieces that can connect and disconnect with one another whenever the owner wishes them to. Each one of these little pieces are durable and fast enough to function as projectiles, not to mention that they can combine into more than just arms. We would have to attune you to them first however, but that's quickly done."

[ThePhantom]

Main Room - Sargon

El Cuervo half reaches for the jar, then stops.

"Sound complicated. I...am not sure...if they will...hold while I...use my magic. ...And while they...would be useful. ...I would return...to my arms. ...They work best...with the magic...that gives me...life. I hope...you understand."

[Ashen Lilies]

[Front Approach]

AMEN making deals with demons? Old members awakening after long hibernations? Giant temples of darkness hovering over the base that many evil doers once considered home?

Sounds like a perfect time to return. A certain tiefling strolls down the front approach dressed clothes as pictured, whistling a merry tune. A pair of simple daggers tucked into belts around his thighs serve as his only visible arms as he wanders closer to the base, cheerfully waving at the floating demon temple and any guards who even now might be moving to intercept his approach.

[Zefir]

Main Room - Sargon

"You need to try to find out." Zefir says. He doesn't have anything to add. He barly knows if they can get his normal arms back after all.

[Front Approach]

The henchman watch as the tiefling steps closer. The bets if he will be slayn by a demon get set. (Since there are some demons guarding the front ;-P)

[ThePhantom]

Main Room - Sargon

"Fine sir. But...I do want...my arms back."

El Cuervo then goes and takes the jar.

"So, how does...this attuning work?"