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Cam is out flying. There's a decent cloud of atmosphere around the gold plane, now, millenia of demons making air around themselves for comfort and not sealing it up because why would you bother. There's a small forest, here - the effect is kind of ruined by the lamps it has to grow under, but it's still pretty.
He feels an open summons and lets it grab him -
the Connecticut Yankee summons Demon Cam
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from_scratch
from_scratch
"I think we should bring her along. I didn't break out all the mover-blinding tricks and I think I can confuse her long enough to get him killed if I need to. If we leave her here, she could teach someone else to summon her."
from_scratch
"Right." Cam sets the paper summoning circle on fire. "You want to unpeel yourself or get some minor chemical burns?"
"I'll take the chemical burns," mutters the fairy. The glue hisses as it dissolves. The fairy floats into the air. "You could replace the bit of my cloak," she tells Cam reproachfully.
The burned-away bits of her cloak are replaced. "Thisaway," he tells the fairy, and to Hank, "Leave your armor on for now."
"I'll take the chemical burns," mutters the fairy. The glue hisses as it dissolves. The fairy floats into the air. "You could replace the bit of my cloak," she tells Cam reproachfully.
The burned-away bits of her cloak are replaced. "Thisaway," he tells the fairy, and to Hank, "Leave your armor on for now."
connecticut_yankee
"Oh, definitely. We're not out yet, and anonymity is most of the point of it, after all."
He goes to pick up King Muirchertach, thinks better of it, and asks the mover, "Actually, would you mind bringing him? You can probably make it more comfortable than I can anyway."
He goes to pick up King Muirchertach, thinks better of it, and asks the mover, "Actually, would you mind bringing him? You can probably make it more comfortable than I can anyway."
from_scratch
The mover grits her teeth, but the king floats in what does look like a comfortable sort of posture.
connecticut_yankee
People will be staring, since there's a hovering king accompanied by some odd-looking people. But that's permissible.
They soon arrive back at Cam's spaceship. "Shall we just hover over the sea somewhere? Then there's sure to be no collateral damage possible even in the worst case."
They soon arrive back at Cam's spaceship. "Shall we just hover over the sea somewhere? Then there's sure to be no collateral damage possible even in the worst case."
from_scratch
"She can move very fast if she's of a mind to," Cam says. "Faster than this ship, in fact. What exactly is your plan?"
connecticut_yankee
"Same as before. We convince this man that we have his kingdom thoroughly outgunned and he is to keep his vassals' men from raiding anyone else. As long as both they and she are taking orders from him, he's the one we need to convince. If he's a summoner he's capable of being a threat, but that doesn't mean he wants to be. It's extremely obvious that we have every upper hand there is.
And if he categorically refuses to listen, we do have the last-ditch option of killing him."
And if he categorically refuses to listen, we do have the last-ditch option of killing him."
from_scratch
Cam beckons the fairy into the spaceship. She and King Floatingguy go in. Cam fogs up the area and takes off and drives out over the Atlantic. "I'll make us an island so I don't need to pilot this thing while trying to conduct negotiations," he mutters.
He goes out until he thinks they've gone far enough, then makes and lands on a pleasant little island.
"Aaand he'll wake up in five minutes, give or take."
He goes out until he thinks they've gone far enough, then makes and lands on a pleasant little island.
"Aaand he'll wake up in five minutes, give or take."
connecticut_yankee
"Perfect."
To the mover, "You're not bound to obey any orders, are you? If he wakes up and says to kill us, I don't need to tell you how badly that would end."
To the mover, "You're not bound to obey any orders, are you? If he wakes up and says to kill us, I don't need to tell you how badly that would end."
from_scratch
"Bindings don't work like that. Even staying near one's summoner is kind of an edge case," says Cam.
"I'm not going to kill you. He'd die," glowers the fairy.
"I'm not going to kill you. He'd die," glowers the fairy.
connecticut_yankee
"Oh, good. To both things. I know you don't want to, but if you were to be forced into it I would care very little about the difference."
from_scratch
The fairy arranges the king's head in her lap.
Eventually, he wakes up.
Eventually, he wakes up.
connecticut_yankee
"Good morning. Sorry to take you prisoner, nothing personal. This maker and I have been kidnapping kings all day." He takes off his helmet.
"I am King Eoppa of Bernicia, and that"—he gestures toward the unconscious crowned man in the back seat—"is Arthur of Britain.
I do plan to release you unharmed, but only after you agree to stop attacking your neighbors. Don't worry, they're getting the same deal. I'm not even going to make you swear fealty to me, but do remember that the thing about not fighting is backed up with overwhelming force."
King Muirchertach isn't paying attention. He's clinging to the fairy.
"I am King Eoppa of Bernicia, and that"—he gestures toward the unconscious crowned man in the back seat—"is Arthur of Britain.
I do plan to release you unharmed, but only after you agree to stop attacking your neighbors. Don't worry, they're getting the same deal. I'm not even going to make you swear fealty to me, but do remember that the thing about not fighting is backed up with overwhelming force."
King Muirchertach isn't paying attention. He's clinging to the fairy.
from_scratch
The fairy pets him. "I'm so sorry - he has a demon - if I kill the summoner you'll be poisoned," she murmurs.
Cam glances at "King Eoppa", but doesn't verbally comment on the deception.
Cam glances at "King Eoppa", but doesn't verbally comment on the deception.
connecticut_yankee
He reciprocates the petting. After a few awkward seconds by international diplomacy standards, Hank interjects "Um, hello? Trying to end wars here."
"I heard you the first time. Why do you care if I raid the Britons?"
"I happen to think it's better for all England if kingdoms rise and fall for reasons other than who's best at throwing rocks at each other. To that end, you will accept the allegiance of any provinces that want to join your empire, and allow any of yours to join someone else's. Or else: Daeva. Got that?"
Muirchertach has got that, but doesn't accept yet. He's still petting.
"I heard you the first time. Why do you care if I raid the Britons?"
"I happen to think it's better for all England if kingdoms rise and fall for reasons other than who's best at throwing rocks at each other. To that end, you will accept the allegiance of any provinces that want to join your empire, and allow any of yours to join someone else's. Or else: Daeva. Got that?"
Muirchertach has got that, but doesn't accept yet. He's still petting.
from_scratch
Cam murmurs very quietly in Hank's ear: "He doesn't trust her unbound yet. That doesn't mean he couldn't decide later to go ahead and try summoning a maker or a changer, just as loose as I am and probably not as nice."
connecticut_yankee
"Doesn't it? He doesn't trust her unbound yet, let alone someone who's both a stranger and even more dangerous. I'm not going to say there's no risk, but this has been going on for decades at least, apocalypse-free."
from_scratch
"He likes the status quo. If all his vassals leave and even unbinding his fairy doesn't fix it to his liking?"
connecticut_yankee
"OK, so it could conceivably happen. But if we need that level of certainty, wouldn't we have to kill him? The only other option would be imprisoning or re-binding the mover, and if anything that would only make him more likely to get desperate."
from_scratch
"I'm thinking bug him. Although given how he's acting with that girl it might be awkward to have someone staff the surveillance feed."
connecticut_yankee
"Ideally we'd have some way to listen only to summoning-related conversations, but it's still better than the alternatives. I vote do it."
from_scratch
"Voice recog could theoretically do it but I don't think I have any software that knows this era's Gaelic. Just listening won't cut it, though, he can draw without saying a word."
connecticut_yankee
"You mean a camera? That sounds extremely distasteful." He glances at the pair. "Is there something that can keep track of whether he's drawing?"
from_scratch
"Nnnnot really. Even if I set something up attached to his hand nothing says he has to draw with his hands."