| Logs |
2003 June 01
| Idlewild |
| Realms |
Retired
| Reality Fault |
General Info
 |
| Realms: Idlewild Logs |
June 1
Steven peers down into the throne room, shaking his head as he pulls back. "I'm not sure," he whispers. "That might be the mind-control rod. But that's a lot of wolves."
Aiden frowns, whispering, "I only have one shot and then our cover is blown.."
Lotte tells the small group in whispers that she has two spells left... but she thinks she's out of range up here to Daze anybody.
Steven nods to both Aiden and Lotte, fretting slightly.
Sol frowns and says, "We do have rope. We can almost reach the ground with it from up here if we tie it around a ceiling rib-- it would not be too far to jump when we reached rope's end... but that would make us a bit obvious."
Aiden says, "I can probably get more than one shot off, but after the first one, they're going to know there's someone up here. I can take a good long time to aim that first shot, though."
Steven nods slowly to Aiden. "That first shot would have to count, then.... I still would like to get that rod out of his hands...." He considers the rope, wondering if he could swing down on that, go to cat form in mid-leap, and tackle the rod out of the king's hand just before Aiden skewers him....
Aiden looks at Steven and Sol. "Rod or king?"
Sol sighs softly, not sounding happy. "King. It's more sure."
Aiden looks over the arrows, frowning..
Aiden looks between Sol and Steven once more, "Someone grab one for me.. I don't even want to try to pick.."
Steven looks at the arrows. "Try red. It's a hot color, annd he's the King of Winter."
Lotte says, "So... you're just going to shoot him?"
Aiden nods at Lotte. "Well.. yes.."
Steven says, "Well... I'd like to try to grab the rod from his hands first. it looks tricky, but if we can get the wolves out form under his control that will help us a lot, I think, if one shot doesn't do it."
Lotte frowns. "I know he's a bad king, but... we haven't even tried to talk to him."
Aiden nods at Steven.. "Alright." He sighs and turns to look at Lotte.
Steven glances to Lotte, then looks down through the hole, studying the king briefly.
The king-- at least from straight down, 40 feet up-- appears to still have all his long silver hair, and keeps it either matted with leaves or elaborately braided with ornaments. He's wearing long, cumbersome-looking robes, but despite this is visibly gaunt. His thin white-pale fingers clutch a metal rod tipped with jeweled knobs, as he paces around the raised dias on which his throne sits.
Aiden says, "Lotte.. I'm not going down there to talk to him.. not with that rod in his hands."
Lotte looks unhappy, but subsides. "Yeah, I guess. I still don't like that we're just going to kill him... but... he'd kill us, right?"
Steven Purses his lips, then nods, "I'll see if I can do that, then. At the very least i'll give the wolves a hell of a chase through the castle. And if we're lucky that will wake up the wolves.
Aiden looks to Sol for the answer to Lotte's question..
Aiden slips one of the red arrows out of the sheath and sets it down, then strings the bow.. He holds the bow in his right hand and the arrow in his left.. waiting.
Sol nods mutely, looking directly at Lotte. The redheaded bard sighs. "Ok. So when do you want me to Daze them? Have we gotten that far yet?"
Sol watches Aiden for a moment, then turns to Steven. "Steven? May I see the vials you're carrying?"
Steven blinks to Sol. "Oh! I'd almost forgotten I had been carrying them." He slips them from his belt pouch, and passes them to Sol.
The golden elf uncorks a green one, sniffs, then hands back the bright green two and shows the smoky and clear ones to the party. "I believe green heals. Would you like me to sniff these two?"
Aiden says, "Is that safe?"
Sol smiles faintly. "Maybe. We are pressed for time, however... and they could be useful. I would like you all to live."
Aiden nods, "Alright.. "
Steven arches a brow, and watches Sol closely.
The elf says more soberly, "I would not inhale the ones sealed with wax, Aiden. That seems most unwise to break the seal.... good."
Soleil pulls out the cork on the clear vial carefully, just a fraction, then frowns and inhales deeply before putting it back and handing it back to Steven. "This has no scent at all. It's as if nothing is there."
Aiden frowns, "That's odd.."
Steven frowns, accepting it. "That's odd. I wonder what that might mean...."
Sniffing the smoky one less cautiously, Sol releases a thin stream of smoke and hastily closes it again, stifling coughs. "This smells terrible."
Aiden raises an eyebrow, "Smoke.. That could be helpful.."
Steven hmms, and looks throughtfully at that one. "Very much, indeed...."
Lotte says more cheerfully, "Agent Double-Oh-Elf."
Aiden grins at Lotte.
The bard fishes in her pouch and says, "I have green and bright orange, but... oh. Bright orange is sealed with wax." She grins back at Aiden. "I'm ready, I guess. What happens after you shoot, again?"
Steven says, "Hmm.. I'd like to leap for the king's rod. If you could hold your shot until then, Aiden? And if I miss, maybe lobbing that smoky potion down there after you take your shot will confuse them."
Aiden nods, "Lotte, maybe you can huck potions? I'm going to get a good aim on the king.."
Lotte nods. "Sure."
Aiden takes the bow and knocks the arrow.. "Go ahead, Steven.." He draws back and takes careful aim on the King.
Steven nods, and shifts into his cat form, taking a few deep breaths and aiming carefully for the rod. A moment later he leaps down on the king as silently as he can, hoping that nobody will notice the quarter-ton bronze were-cat descending on the King of Winter. At least, right away. Yeah, right.
Steven leaps down through the hole as he shifts fully. The paper cieling rips open loudly as he bursts through, and he suddenly sees all below turning to look at him. Somehow, the descent is as graceful as a cat's, a bronze arc of fur and fangs, extending his claws to rip the rod from the king's hand....
He misses the rod.
A moment later with albatross grace he collides with the throne toppling it over in a crash of stone and feline yowling. He doesn't think he hurt himself more than a few bruises... and of course, his pride.
Aiden winces slightly as Steven tumbles the throne, king and all, to the floor, messing up his careful aim. He takes a moment to shift his aim and lets the arrow fly.. It arcs through the air and strikes the king.
The red-feathered arrow hits the king in the chest with a shower of sparks. He looks distinctly unhappy, but lifts his scepter. Five of the seven wolves in the chamber immediately head toward Steven, fast. The other two look up to track Aiden, and come circle under his position. All of them are completely silent.
Lotte yells "BANZAI!" and throws a smoky potion.
Steven's eyes flicker around, at the incoming wolves. He rights himself, shaking his head, and makes a desperate lunge for the king, leading with his claws for the arm that holds the scepter.
Aiden bends to pull the quiver closer to him.. He draws another arrow and nocks it quickly, looking for a target.
The smoky potion lands off-center and explodes into a smokebomb that conceals the king and Steven.
Aiden swears..
Lotte says frantically, "But you said to do that!"
Aiden says, "It's alright, Lotte.. I just can't shoot.. I don't want to hit Steven. I don't really want to shoot at the others, either."
Sol bites his lip til it bleeds, but silently.
Steven and the King disappear in the acrid cloud of smoke just as Steven is a few fangs'-lengths' from the king. The cloud expands quickly to cover the dias... and a moment later Steven's bronze-furred form bursts from the cloud, finishing the leap he had started but with the King's scepter clutched neatly in his jaws.
Lotte says, "Why not? You're willing to kill the king, why are they different?"
Aiden says, "They are not under their own control, Lotte."
Lotte gasps and cheers Steven. Sol hisses relief.
Aiden winces at something.. He keeps his bow trained on where the king was, waiting for the smoke to clear.. or the king to emerge from it.
Aiden's circling wolves pause, slowing in their circles. The five that had almost reached Steven check, looking confused, but two of them snarl and continue forward, springing.
Aiden shifts the aim on his bow towards one of the wolves, aiming to hit it in the hindquarters with a -- hopefully -- incapacitating but not fatal blow.. He releases the string.
Aiden's arrow, quickly aimed for a tight spot, misses completely, skittering across the floor.
Lotte grits her teeth and yells, "Look out, Steven!" as she throws an orange potion toward the attacking wolves.
The orange potion lands well shy of Steven and his attacking wolves, exploding into a fireball on the floor near Aiden's wolves. One of them gets singed, and turns a very unfriendly look upwards again.
Aiden grabs another arrow, scanning the room..
The king scuttles from the concealing smoke cloud to try for the scepter in Steven's jaws, but misses his grab and stumbles, clumsy.
Steven is utterly stunned by the blast, most of his thoughts right at this moment being taken up by a stunned expletive. He just barely dodges the king's grab, and moves to evade both the king and the wolves.
Aiden draws his arrow and takes aim on the king once again. He pauses for one breath and lets the arrow fly.
Lotte rummages through her pouch of potions. Sol moves quickly to intercept her hand.
Aiden's red arrow bursts into flame beside its predecessor in the king's chest. Its recipient coughs violently, scrabbling at the shaft and sparks, and starts to howl, high-pitched and painful.
The two aggressive wolves near Steven close in.
Sol starts tying a black silk rope hastily around the exposed ceiling strut by the hole Steven made in passing.
Aiden scrambles for another arrow.. this time he grabs one of the ones with grey fletching..
Steven still attempts to keep his distance from the two aggro wolves. THere's no real way he can fight them and keep a hold on the sceptre. And he doesn't know how to use the scepter.
Both wolves lunge for Steven and connect.
Steven tries to stifle his yowl as the wolves bite him, trying to hold on to the sceptre. It hurts! Even the worst brawl he'd been in never hurt like the wolves' teeth.
Soleil says to Aiden, "I'm going down to help. Cover me," and jumps, rope in hand.
Aiden nods and shifts his aim to cover Soleil's decent on the rope..
Lotte grabs a clear potion and throws it directly at Steven.
The potion goes wide and smashes on the stone floor, affecting no one.
Soleil lands badly, stumbling. The angry wolf that Lotte singed starts toward him.
Aiden fires at the wolf that is starting towards Soleil..
The wolf snarls at the ceiling as it's hit in a spray of sparks, looking badly wounded.
The wounded king, still wailing, makes another lunge at Steven and misses again. He hisses, stands still and reaches into his robe pockets.
Steven's pursuing wolves try in sequence after their king, but only one connects, the other defeated by Steven's determination to avoid teeth.
Aiden bends again for another arrow.. He nocks it and takes quick aim at one of the wolves pursuing Steven, picking the one that just hit him.
Steven can't take much more of these attacks from the wolves, and he decides to put distance betwene himself and whatever the wolves and king are going to do next. He bolts for the door, hoping to lead the wolves on a chase through as many corridors as possible, his wounds seeping slightly.
Only one of Steven's attacking wolves follows him. The other one pauses and looks at Soleil.
Recovered from his stumble and sword drawn, Sol stabs the wolf Aiden shot in his defense. It falls and does not rise.
Three woozy and so far nonhostile wolves remain in the room, eyeing the combatants. Sol stands over the body of a still wolf with an arrow in it, watching the howling king. A single hostile wolf remains in the throne room; the other has run after Steven as he retreated, bleeding.
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