[Nexus] AMEN XLIII: REVOLUTION!

[Zefir]

Ilpholin's Office - Zefir

"Actually the fact landing here was an accident. I took out a spellcaster who twiddle with time trying to go to the past preventing some events. Mainly such I was involved. That guy gut some experiments going on as well and after ai killed him some of his ward went of revealing a one way portal. I landed here then unable to create a portal or having any knowledge how to reach it I was stranded here."

He seems to be more open right now, maybe just to scare her, maybe just to make her belive all he saids is true until now?

"The order came from the organisation I worked for."

[Hattish Thing]

Ilpholin's Office - Zefir
[Valente - Entrance]

Ilpholin returns here, escorting Valente out seeing him off. Sure, it'll slow down her return to Rot, but that just gives Valente time to get way out of sight.

Especially as she goes to deal with Marciano.
"Sorry for the wait. Now. What brings you to AMEN?"

No problem a' all. 'Owever I believe you shoul' keep control of giant robotic cats in th' nea' future. As i' is I am still interested in purchasing one 'o' th' buggers. Marciano continues smoking his second cigar. My did he have a nasal, annoying, accent. Well. One 'o' th' reasons I'm 'ere is t' buy meself a clone. As ya know, I am a thief. Er...was. Now I 'ave enough gol' t' retire. Which is why I want me clone. It does my work fo' me. 'Ere's me second reason. I want one 'o' those cat thingies. Marvelous piece of work there. Excellent really. An' three. I wish to join AMEN. It appears I am paying a ratha' large amount 'o' gol' on this place. So it seems to me tha' I migh' as well join if I'm going to be supporting thi' place. Marciano nods a little and shuffles his hat around. His little pencil mustache makes him look rather foolish. Not something you would expect from a millionaire kleptomaniac mastermind. Also. Thi' is between you an' me. I'm going t' make a factory. It will keep me gettin' a fair amoun' 'o' gold coming a' me. It wil' be a "Toy factory." 'Owever I have different plans fo' i'. If ya wan' we can talk abou' i' in a more private area. I think ya migh' be interested in wha' I 'ave t' say. The halfling smiles that disgusting grin.

[VampireRot]

[Out of Sight Room]

"They can do that too, so I doubt it would've helped. It wasn't those wimpy vampires who caught me, it was their vampire hunter."

Rot rolls his eyes. Gaseous form doesn't help against trained professionals!

"I wasn't prepared for him. Or his harpoon gun. I can't change shape after I've been staked."

Rot's plan was flawless, they just cheated!

[The Alexandrian]

[Formerly Gordon's Office]

If the desk is bolted to the floor, that means that it must be fairly sturdy, else the adherence resulting in attachment would all be for naught, as it would easily be destroyed by a swift kinetic blow.

If the desk is bolted to the floor extremely well, Clarissa will opt to press herself flat against it instead of lifting it any significant distance.

As for the distinct lack of heavy items to throw, Clarissa shall attempt to remedy this situation. She won't attempt to distribute anything to chuck around the room. Clarissa's tails will instead attempt to spritz the machine gun with jets of highly corrosive acid after blindly flailing about in a fruitless attempt to grasp something to throw. They're also acting as efficient diversions because their heat signatures may throw off the targeting system of the machine guns, if it goes after thermal signatures primarily.

[Mindfreak]

Main Room -> BioLab
Speak of the devil, the panther bots stalk into the BioLab for some of their daily tune-ups.

For the record, the panther bots look like this:

Spoiler

Show

[Shadowcaller]

[Out of Sight Room]

"Yes, very unfortunate." Cybil replies, truly a flawless plan there Rot.

"Vampire hunters in our world tend to use flame spheres, harpoon are more seldom used I admit though. Then there are the light towers..." She shudders. "Let's just say people around here aren't as specialized against vampires as others."

[Earl of Purple]

Layer 845

She might be if she saw that succubi's natural form. Blech.

"Demons tend to lack imagination in realms beyond torture and their sovereign's domain. That usually includes coming up with titles, too." Nephrim will enter through the main door. It's not far to the throne room- along a narrow corridor with a right-angle bend in the middle, arrowslits from neighbouring rooms and murder holes in the ceiling. There's a portcullis ready to drop down at the right-angle. Pazuzu takes His defence personally, and this fortress is designed to whittle down the numbers of any attackers sufficiently that when it's captured there's not enough to keep it from the Pazuzite counter attack.

Regardless, the throne room itself is large, dominated with a massive throne upon which sits a thirty-foot-tall falcon-headed humanoid with two pairs of massive brown-feathered wings and taloned feet like an eagle's. His hands rest upon the throne's armrests, and His massive yellow sparrowhawk eyes stare at Ilpholin. Mounted on the walls are countless trophies- captured banners, mounted heads of defeated foes, weapons prized from the hands of the fallen and the pelts of vast monsters. Nephrim stops and briefly stares and smiles at one banner, depicting a sunburst over a massive, horned, bestial head. Judging by the blood depicted beneath the head, it's been severed.

"So. You are the new leader of AMEN, hmm? Well, well, well. I don't pay too much attention to the Nexus, at the moment anyway. Congratulations, and I offer you my support." Pazuzu's voice is echoey, vast, and rumbling. It sounds like distant thunder when the listener is in a cave, the rumbles endlessly echoing over and over.

[Reinholdt]

Ilpholin's Office - Zefir

"I see. And you plan on returning there someday?" Ilpholin asks Zefir.

Main Room - Marciano

Ilpholin has to take a few moments to process all that.
"...... Yeah. K. Umm... Magtok is to set you up with that cloning thing. Turns out the panthers aren't for sale normally. Otherwise, follow me to my office." Ilpholin says, going to lead the halfling there.

Layer 845

Ilpholin is probably a lot less impressive in terms of height and voice volume, though she can certainly talk loudly when needed. She sweeps into a bow as she approaches, though not too low.

"Thank you. I certainly appreciate the offer. What were you considering offering?" Morale support is nice, but not really what she's looking for!

[Hattish Thing]

Marciano blares out. It's obvious he's not leaving without one of the bots...even if it means he must never leave AMEN headquarters. Oy! I can afford i'! No' like I woul' do anything stupi' with i'. I need somethin' to guard me factory. "ow much is i'. Name me a price. I can afford i'. At least send me the blueprints. I'll have me team 'o' eggheads remake it. OK. I'll follow ya. Fearless leader... Marciano sarcastically adds as he follows Ilpholin.

[ThePhantom]

[Formerly Gordon's Office]

And so the machine guns are destroyed. They weren't designed to be acid proof. However, the desk is still standed, locked up tight.

[Reinholdt]

[Ilpholin's Office - Marciano]

"I'm pretty sure you can't afford it." Ilpholin says, not understanding any of the rest. "It's just takes so much rare materials and programming. It's really too rich for you. So... you wanted to talk about something else?" Ilpholin says, taking a seat behind her desk and motioning for Marciano to take a seat.

[Hattish Thing]

Ilpholin Office-Marciano

Well. I am certain I coul'. Anyways, Yes. I'm planning somethin'. Somethin' big. This factory. Well...I plan on starting somethin' called "Louv're Laboratories". It's a machine factory. I'm going to hire a team of scientists. I'm going to try and create meself somethin'. I'm going to see if I can create life. Using machines. Then, If my work succeeds, I'll be able t' create the ultimate thief. Then, I shall release it on Inside! I'll be able t' rob banks, private collectors, rich people. And I'll never ge' caugh'. Plus...I'll be able to make money. Much, much money. See. I can create things. I ask of you Ilpholin Xar'cha. Will ya 'elp me, to 'elp you? See. If I make this creature the way I want i' designed, I'll be able to support AMEN completely. Any amount 'o' gol'. I'll be rich. Bu' t' be able to design i'. I'll need a team. They need to find an artifact. A set of crystals that allow you to design...anything! To create whateva' ya want! Not destroy...to create! I'll make the master thief. And then I'll be rich. Bu' I need some men. (Or women.) I need them to start a mine. I'll pay for i'. I just need some people to go down the mine and get the crystals. It's easy. And will allow me to pay you a very, very large fortune. It would raise AMEN. Think, we coul' upgrade defenses, build anything! We coul' raise the budget 'ere up billions of gol'! Marciano explains. He rants. However, he seems to be serious. 'Ere. This is the blueprints for my factory/Louv're Laboratories. The halfling hands her blueprints. Louv're Laboraties would be underground and hidden.

[Reinholdt]

Ilpholin Office-Marciano

Ilpholin takes the blueprints to look over them.

"You sure promise a lot mister Louv're." Ilpholin says as she reviews.

"Now what I can tell you is that we're not a labor company. We're not for hire to build your factory or mine your minerals. Though I understand that's not just what you need and that we may still be able to help you. I do have to ask though, if you're as rich as you claim, why make a thief to take more?" It seems excessive. But that's to be expected at AMEN.

[Hattish Thing]

Ilpholin's Office-Marciano

Bwahahaha! The halfling starts laughing loudly. It would seem that Ilpholin must have said...something...Ms. Xar'cha...Wow...One, I am jus' abou' the greediest li'l bugger this side 'o' th' Nexus. Two. How am I supposed to support me ratha' expensive habits if I don't ge' a constant stream 'o' gol'?! Eh? I can keep my gol' coming t' ya. Bu', I still need a team to get those crystals...that's all I ask. (Plus maybe that panther) If I get what I want, I'll help you. Think of my fortune at your disposal. AMEN could enter a new era, richer, better, and bigger. Think of th' possibilities... Marciano grins that rotted grin. Smoke fills the room from his large cigar.

[Mindfreak]

Ilpholin's Office - Marciano
Oh, it seems that a panther bot has walked in.
...
With a price tag on it.
Of 100,000 gold.
And an envelope addressed to Ilpholin.

The note inside reading:
'Sell this to the ugly little bugger. If nothing more then getting an inner look into what he's up to.
-Megan Zero'

[Reinholdt]

Ilpholin's Office-Marciano

Ugh. Ilpholin chooses to stop breathing just to not have to deal with that smoke more than she has to.

"I'm sure you can see an issue with that. You see... you want a master thief, admitted to being greedy as midas, and I'm to expect that you're going to provide a steady stream of income to AMEN?"

"But you know, we probably can still work something out for a lump sum up front. However, AMEN has just had to deal with a large group infecting this organization. Inviting a new corporation to become highly affiliated and for us to become dependent on those revenue streams is not something I want to lead AMEN into. I give you credit for coming up with a deal of the century that would endebt us to you entirely in time."

"Now, with all that out there, I think we can arrange a hunt to crystals for a large amount up front. Most of the members are heading on missions already, so it'll be a little while."

Ilpholin scowls at the Panther Bot. It apparently hasn't heard of knocking.

She takes the envelope and moves to close AND lock the door this time.

[Hattish Thing]

Ilpholin's (Smoky ) Office

Marciano laughs. I'm certain we can make a deal m'fren'. Alrigh'. We can easily establish a certain amoun' 'o' gol' t' be delivered per week. Greedy as Midas. Yup. Tha's me. And yes, you're supposed to believe that. Can you really just say no? You could upgrade the whole base with me gol'. Name a price to be delivered per week and I'll pay it. As soon as I get the crystals. Tha's me deal. I am ratha good at this. This fabulous waltz. So, you gonna help me? To help you? See, I need me back scratched, so in turn I'll scratch AMEN's, but that's an awful lot 'o' back t' scratch...I'll wait for ya. Oy! That's th' bot I wan'!

[Reinholdt]

Ilpholin's Office-Marciano

"No deal. I'll accept payment upfront to get these crystals and nothing else." She is certainly not going to trust weekly payments from this guy. Or this guy at all.

She sits down and opens the letter and scans it over.

"Well you're in luck. The panther bot is for sale after all. The owner changed their mind."

[Mindfreak]

Ilpholin's Office - Marciano
He has no appendages with which he could have knocked.
The panther bot shakes off its tag and walks out the door before Ilpholin closes it, where it'll wait.

[Hattish Thing]

Ilpholin's Office-Marciano

Hehe. Fine. What's your "Lump sum"? Name a price fo' me, and I'll pay. Get me the crystals. My clone will accompany you. And now, get a two for one deal, my clone will help, and ya get me fren Grantaire t' 'elp too. Alrigh? Good. Excellent! A new guard fo' me. Alrigh'. 'Ow much. I go' a' least half a million 'ere in me sack. Bu' it's in gems...so. The owner will 'ave to accept that.

[Reinholdt]

Ilpholin's Office-Marciano

"That'll be fine. She wants 250 thousand for it." Ilpholin explains.

"As for the clone, that'll cost you 750 thousand."

"The actual crystal run, considering what you want them for and what you promised for them, will be 2 million."
...
"If you can afford all that."

Marciano is free to be outraged out those prices.

[Hattish Thing]

Ilpholin's Office- Marciano

Marciano nods at the first price, and then the second. Those were...OK. He would have to skip this weeks normal splurge of wasting gold on whatever he wanted. He whined in his mind. Awww....Now I have to think up a budget for myself! Then he hears the rather large two million dollar price. Eh...That's twenty thousand right? No' "two hundred million. Righ'? Because that's inconceivable. All you're little wannabe villains 'ere who are assigned to this "crystal run" will just have to go down a cavern and help me miners ge' there. It's no' too much. And definitely not worth a bloody to hundred million! I'm rich! But I'm not made of platinum woman.

[Reinholdt]

Ilpholin's Office- Marciano

"Well isn't that full of mixed messages. 2 million is twice the sum of the costs you're paying for the panther and the clone. It's not two hundred million. It's two million. Hardly anything to someone who will get a master thief out of it." She's not sure how 200,000,000 equals 2,000,000.

"Granted, by all means you can continue insulting us and we don't have to make any deals at all."

[Hattish Thing]

Ilpholin's Office-Marciano

Hmph...Grrhmph...grumph....Grr......Fine. 'Ere. Math hurt poor Marciano's head!

Fine...this is wha' you ge'. I'll pay you one and a half million. There...see. I can afford tha'. But come on...Don't ya think that tha's a bit much? I don't have it now...I'll have to get it in tonigh'...'Ere. I take the bot back to my laboratories, get the gol' and come back. Then do the clone business.

[Reinholdt]

Ilpholin's Office-Marciano

Ilpholin frowns.

Mulls it over.

Hmmmmmmmmmm....

"Alright then. That much for your crystals. Leave the money for the robot and I'll see you later tonight then. Pleasure doing business with you." Ilpholin says, standing.

[Hattish Thing]

Ilpholin's Offfice-Marciano

Um...I'm taking th' robot with me righ'? I need a bodyguard better than meat shield over there if I'm t' through meslf in with your lot.

[Reinholdt]

Ilpholin's Offfice-Marciano

"Yes, that's correct. You've bought the bot." Ilpholin confirms, stepping over to open the door and explain that to the bot too.

[Hattish Thing]

Ilpholin's Office

Excellent! Oy...Uh...how do you...uh...get it to do stuff? Will it just follow me around? Does it have an off button?

[Reinholdt]

Just Outside Ilpholin's Office

"You talk to it like you would any person. It does not have an off button that I know of. You can always ask it." Ilpholin says. But that'll have to wait for Mindfreak to post.

[Zefir]

Ilpholin's Office - Zefir

"Not really. There is no point in returning to a world bader then this one."