Mirisk shook his head. "No, this plan is sensible. If you are up on the wall, you can jump down after your throw to help eliminate the rest, while we come up from below. Let's get into position. We will attack the moment you strike."
With their plan set, Mirisk and Nuulanth slowly crept into the first floor of the building, over to the ladder the mercenaries had set up to reach the second floor. As planned, Nuulanth climbed partially up the ladder, completely silently thanks to her spell of muffle, while Mirisk took a position just beside the ladder where he could see the ledge above him. He readied a spell of silence in his left hand, as well as a certain telekinetic spell in his right. While he wasn't as skilled with it as his Masters, it would suffice to get him to where he needed to go.
The main group waited as long as they could to allow the others to get into position, but eventually had to start their walk into town. Vinaremo and his group took the lead, while Meesei, Lorag, Janius, and Kaleeth guided the disguised skeletons just behind him. As they neared the courtyard, their angle did not allow them to see if the others had yet succeeded, but since the rest of the mercenaries had not yet revealed themselves, they might have a few minutes yet.
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I'll make a post today when I can.
Not that anyone else should delay theirs if they want to post. It might be a bit.
Not that anyone else should delay theirs if they want to post. It might be a bit.
Alright. I don't technically have to go bed, but I'm tired anyway.
Ahnasha dispelled the daggers in her hands and quickly moved the bodies away from any windows that might be visible to the building next door. Keeping low, she moved over to Fendros as she took stock of their surroundings. "If I didn't need to stay hidden, I might have tried to trap those two." She commented. Ahnasha remembered learning soul trap when she first started studying conjuration...though it had been many years since she attempted to cast it. Regardless, they would have time to take souls. For now, they needed to make sure they were ready for the ambush.
Ahnasha pointed out of the building to the courtyard below. "That is where the meeting is going to take place. We have a good angle from here, but we have to make sure to shoot down the archers on the next building over first. They are hiding out on the roof, or I would suggest taking them now. You can take a look at them through the window to make sure you know where they are, but be careful not to be spotted.
"Now, that sounds a bit better." Nuulanth responded. She turned to the other cultist and gave a nod. "Mirisk?"
The vampiric male, Mirisk-Kei, held out his hand and produced a faint green glow. "I believe a spell of silence might work here. It does more than just block magic, and I doubt these mercenaries are magically inclined enough to resist it. Still, we need to be quick. Nuulanth can take the ladder, and I can get another way up. Can you climb up the side after you take out the one on the wall?" He asked. As he spoke, he reached down to a pouch on his belt and produced what looked like the hilt of a blade. It was obviously dwemer in origin and appeared to be quite old, like something one would find in a museum. With the press of a button, a blade sprang out of it, turning it into a decently sized dagger.
Ahnasha pointed out of the building to the courtyard below. "That is where the meeting is going to take place. We have a good angle from here, but we have to make sure to shoot down the archers on the next building over first. They are hiding out on the roof, or I would suggest taking them now. You can take a look at them through the window to make sure you know where they are, but be careful not to be spotted.
"Now, that sounds a bit better." Nuulanth responded. She turned to the other cultist and gave a nod. "Mirisk?"
The vampiric male, Mirisk-Kei, held out his hand and produced a faint green glow. "I believe a spell of silence might work here. It does more than just block magic, and I doubt these mercenaries are magically inclined enough to resist it. Still, we need to be quick. Nuulanth can take the ladder, and I can get another way up. Can you climb up the side after you take out the one on the wall?" He asked. As he spoke, he reached down to a pouch on his belt and produced what looked like the hilt of a blade. It was obviously dwemer in origin and appeared to be quite old, like something one would find in a museum. With the press of a button, a blade sprang out of it, turning it into a decently sized dagger.
While Fendros crept up the stairs, Ahnasha took another path. Just as she had a moment ago, she quietly and carefully climbed up the side of the building, then shimmied along a narrow ledge around the building, taking care not to come within view of the neighboring building, which also contained archers. A large section of the wall facing the courtyard on the second floor had collapsed so she was able to, under the cover of invisibility, climb inside.
Ahnasha's footsteps were near completely silent as she walked straight up on the pair of archers in their makeshift chairs in the corner. One of them leaned forward and squinted his eyes at the shimmering in the air in front of him, but by the time he realized what it was, it was too late. In a single motion, Ahnasha conjured up a bound dagger in each hand and thrust them into the throats of the two Argonians seated before her. The blades severed their vocal cords, eliminating their screams before they could escape their mouths. Her invisibility had dissipated as soon as the daggers formed in her hands, so the last mercenary in the room could no doubt see her, but that was where Fendros came in.
As soon as Sabine mentioned the noise, both cultists cast muffle on themselves, which made each step completely and utterly silent, regardless of how clumsy they might be. The concept of taking orders from an outsider, let alone a little girl, was offensive to them, but she was at the least agile enough to scout out the second floor without being seen. Once Sabine returned and explained her plan, the Argonian female, Nuulanth, did not seem entirely convinced. She gave her response in as low of a whisper as she could muster. "Yes, but how do you plan to lure them out without raising the alarm? If you are spotted, they will no doubt shout out about intruders as they chase after you. You heard what Vinaremo said about losing our element of surprise."
Ahnasha's footsteps were near completely silent as she walked straight up on the pair of archers in their makeshift chairs in the corner. One of them leaned forward and squinted his eyes at the shimmering in the air in front of him, but by the time he realized what it was, it was too late. In a single motion, Ahnasha conjured up a bound dagger in each hand and thrust them into the throats of the two Argonians seated before her. The blades severed their vocal cords, eliminating their screams before they could escape their mouths. Her invisibility had dissipated as soon as the daggers formed in her hands, so the last mercenary in the room could no doubt see her, but that was where Fendros came in.
As soon as Sabine mentioned the noise, both cultists cast muffle on themselves, which made each step completely and utterly silent, regardless of how clumsy they might be. The concept of taking orders from an outsider, let alone a little girl, was offensive to them, but she was at the least agile enough to scout out the second floor without being seen. Once Sabine returned and explained her plan, the Argonian female, Nuulanth, did not seem entirely convinced. She gave her response in as low of a whisper as she could muster. "Yes, but how do you plan to lure them out without raising the alarm? If you are spotted, they will no doubt shout out about intruders as they chase after you. You heard what Vinaremo said about losing our element of surprise."
Though Ssarak of course had more in-depth knowledge of the background of this situation than the others, he knew no more than they did. He did not believe it was a misunderstanding, but it seemed like either Meirin or Annabeth's solutions might work...if it were even possible for anything to work. His head hung low as he listened to them, his expression despondent, but he was deep in thought. Other than her reputation, he simply did not know much about Dirssi. She was important enough to clan Xhoth that she could be trusted to collect him, even if it was strange to send an important member of the clan such as her on such a simple task. There were aspects of the situation that did not add up to Ssarak. After all, it wasn't as if he ran away from his clan under the cover of night; they knew he was going into exile. It was possible that clan Xhoth had called for his return, but he simply did not know. Information was something they lacked, so perhaps, he reasoned, that should be what they try to gain.
"I do not know what action is best. Indeed, we lack a great deal of vital information here. Perhaps we should try to learn, try to explore every option? I do not wish for Dirssi to know we are investigating her, as it would make her more cautious, but we could attempt to be subtle. I cannot talk to her, but she doesn't know who my friends are. It just has to not be suspicious, which may be difficult, as she may not be social with members of the college. I do not know her schedule, but...she is a warrior, much like me. She would have to take some time to train. I do not know when, but if you can get in the gym at the same time as her, it might seem natural to talk or spar with her. And she also has her guards. I believe three of them survived the attack. I do not know if they have any information, but it might be worth trying." Ssarak suggested. As he looked across his group of friends, his eyes stopped on Coco. He had thought on how she might be helpful before, and it seemed like he was correct.
"Coco, you tend to ask quite a lot of questions; it is part of who you are. You have sort of a...reputation for it. If you were to speak to one of them, you could ask essentially anything without causing any real suspicion. Do you think you could question one of them, perhaps Dirssi herself?" Thinking objectively, Coco seemed like the best fit to be the one to talk to Dirssi. The others could attempt to learn from the guards. Of course, there was always the option to try and sneak into their rooms, but that was an option Ssarak would prefer to save as a last resort.
"I do not know what action is best. Indeed, we lack a great deal of vital information here. Perhaps we should try to learn, try to explore every option? I do not wish for Dirssi to know we are investigating her, as it would make her more cautious, but we could attempt to be subtle. I cannot talk to her, but she doesn't know who my friends are. It just has to not be suspicious, which may be difficult, as she may not be social with members of the college. I do not know her schedule, but...she is a warrior, much like me. She would have to take some time to train. I do not know when, but if you can get in the gym at the same time as her, it might seem natural to talk or spar with her. And she also has her guards. I believe three of them survived the attack. I do not know if they have any information, but it might be worth trying." Ssarak suggested. As he looked across his group of friends, his eyes stopped on Coco. He had thought on how she might be helpful before, and it seemed like he was correct.
"Coco, you tend to ask quite a lot of questions; it is part of who you are. You have sort of a...reputation for it. If you were to speak to one of them, you could ask essentially anything without causing any real suspicion. Do you think you could question one of them, perhaps Dirssi herself?" Thinking objectively, Coco seemed like the best fit to be the one to talk to Dirssi. The others could attempt to learn from the guards. Of course, there was always the option to try and sneak into their rooms, but that was an option Ssarak would prefer to save as a last resort.
Seeing as they now had a plan, Rareth pried open the elevator doors as quietly as she could, then stepped out and hid behind the large crate blocking the line of sight to the guards. She looked up at the scaffolding above her, then teleported just the right distance to end up on top of it. There was a small risk in doing so, as it put her within the line of sigh of the guards for a moment, but she was able to cloak herself in invisibility immediately afterwards to avoid detection.
Now that she was up on the scaffolding herself, she could get a better look at their purpose. Glancing up at the ceiling just above her, she could see the clamps hanging down just alongside the scaffolding's pathways. She had seen similar setups aboard human warships, so she recognized them as clamps to hold drones and other machines in compact storage, with the scaffolding making it easier to access them for repairs. In this case, they were probably meant to hold maintenance drones, but all of them seemed to be empty. Whether the rebels had managed to activate them, or they had simply never had any to begin with was unknown.
Fortunately for Rareth, the scaffolding was not transparent, so once she got into position above the group of four on the opposite side of the room, she was able to deactivate her invisibility and still remain hidden. She was not currently equipped with any nonlethal explosives, so she grabbed a fusion grenade from her belt. Instead of a traditional explosion, the fusion grenade produced a high-intensity sphere of energy contained within a magnetic field, the size of which could be set before being thrown. It could melt or vaporize most materials caught in the blast radius, and the group beneath Rareth was tight enough to all be caught within it. In her other hand, she held her pistol, just in case it became necessary for her to fire down from her vantage point.
"Bit, Opus, see if you can take out at least one of the lone patrolling guards quietly before getting into position to take out the other two. Once everyone is in position, I will call for everyone to strike at once. Be aware, I am going to use my suit's radio transmitters to scan for any hostile communications. If any of them manage to access their radios before we can kill them, it will automatically activate the program to force the station to block communications. As I said before, that will put us on a time limit. It cannot differentiate between their signals and ours, so once I initiate the attack, I am calling for complete radio silence until I give the all-clear. Now, sound off once you are in position." Rareth explained.
Now that she was up on the scaffolding herself, she could get a better look at their purpose. Glancing up at the ceiling just above her, she could see the clamps hanging down just alongside the scaffolding's pathways. She had seen similar setups aboard human warships, so she recognized them as clamps to hold drones and other machines in compact storage, with the scaffolding making it easier to access them for repairs. In this case, they were probably meant to hold maintenance drones, but all of them seemed to be empty. Whether the rebels had managed to activate them, or they had simply never had any to begin with was unknown.
Fortunately for Rareth, the scaffolding was not transparent, so once she got into position above the group of four on the opposite side of the room, she was able to deactivate her invisibility and still remain hidden. She was not currently equipped with any nonlethal explosives, so she grabbed a fusion grenade from her belt. Instead of a traditional explosion, the fusion grenade produced a high-intensity sphere of energy contained within a magnetic field, the size of which could be set before being thrown. It could melt or vaporize most materials caught in the blast radius, and the group beneath Rareth was tight enough to all be caught within it. In her other hand, she held her pistol, just in case it became necessary for her to fire down from her vantage point.
"Bit, Opus, see if you can take out at least one of the lone patrolling guards quietly before getting into position to take out the other two. Once everyone is in position, I will call for everyone to strike at once. Be aware, I am going to use my suit's radio transmitters to scan for any hostile communications. If any of them manage to access their radios before we can kill them, it will automatically activate the program to force the station to block communications. As I said before, that will put us on a time limit. It cannot differentiate between their signals and ours, so once I initiate the attack, I am calling for complete radio silence until I give the all-clear. Now, sound off once you are in position." Rareth explained.
I'll let you describe the situation Sabine is going into. I can write for the two cultists if needed.
Vinaremo shook his head. "No, we require the rest of you to join us for the fight in the courtyard, else we will be too greatly outnumbered. With the others eliminating our opponents' ambush points, we should have the advantage. Now, let us move."
For Meesei, being that she was unarmored, getting prepared was as simple as putting on the robe over what she was already wearing, though she was not very fond of it. Not only did it make her look like one of the cultists, but it felt cumbersome to wear. She would certainly discard it as soon as the fight began. Lorag took the largest cloak they had and wore it over his armor, which made him appear absolutely massive, but given the stereotypes against Orcs, it was actually believable. Kaleeth was small enough that one of the larger cloaks could fit over her rather easily, and since Ahnasha, Fendros, and Sabine were taking part in the ambush, it was not necessary for them to dawn the robes.
It was not long before the group was in sight of village, so they paused to give time for the two ambush groups to get into position. After a few minutes, Meesei, Lorag, Janius, Kaleeth, and the remainder of the cultists would head into the ruins of the town leading the skeletons disguised as prisoners. Ahnasha took the lead to guide Fendros to their target building. Much of the town was ruined, and even the building they were going to seemed to barely be standing. Once they were at its base, she signaled for Fendros to stop, then climbed up the side to peer into the second floor through the cracks in the rotting planks. After a few moments, she climbed back down to explain the situation to Fendros in a barely audible voice. "There are three upstairs. Two are sitting near each other talking, and the third is sitting near the top of the stairs to the second floor. I can take out the two on one side of the room, and you should be able to get most of the way up the stairs without being seen. Once I strike, you quickly, and quietly, take out the one near the stairs. Alright?"
For Meesei, being that she was unarmored, getting prepared was as simple as putting on the robe over what she was already wearing, though she was not very fond of it. Not only did it make her look like one of the cultists, but it felt cumbersome to wear. She would certainly discard it as soon as the fight began. Lorag took the largest cloak they had and wore it over his armor, which made him appear absolutely massive, but given the stereotypes against Orcs, it was actually believable. Kaleeth was small enough that one of the larger cloaks could fit over her rather easily, and since Ahnasha, Fendros, and Sabine were taking part in the ambush, it was not necessary for them to dawn the robes.
It was not long before the group was in sight of village, so they paused to give time for the two ambush groups to get into position. After a few minutes, Meesei, Lorag, Janius, Kaleeth, and the remainder of the cultists would head into the ruins of the town leading the skeletons disguised as prisoners. Ahnasha took the lead to guide Fendros to their target building. Much of the town was ruined, and even the building they were going to seemed to barely be standing. Once they were at its base, she signaled for Fendros to stop, then climbed up the side to peer into the second floor through the cracks in the rotting planks. After a few moments, she climbed back down to explain the situation to Fendros in a barely audible voice. "There are three upstairs. Two are sitting near each other talking, and the third is sitting near the top of the stairs to the second floor. I can take out the two on one side of the room, and you should be able to get most of the way up the stairs without being seen. Once I strike, you quickly, and quietly, take out the one near the stairs. Alright?"
I was hoping for some more discussion on the plan of attack, but I can get us started. I just have some assignments to do first. With Leon back, I think I'll need to have some things happen to make us go loud.
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