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Post by Torin DeInnes on May 8, 2008 5:23:40 GMT -5
"Sevy, he's not going to kill me. He's not crazy," Torin said, nearly chuckling as he spoke. He had to admit, the situation probably looked pretty bad, but Torin was never one to panic anyway. Panic lead to bad choices.
Sevestra, on the other hand...
Torin could only look to Nicholas now for his reaction; he knew that Sevestra wouldn't move until the gun was lowered or her heart stopped beating. Even though Torin was a little put off by her behaviour, he knew at heart that he was very lucky to have such a loyal follower. Well actually, not just her; if the Chancellor was shot, it would cause an uproar that would likely lead to Nicholas' death and continue even after that. Torin could still remember the hassle it had been trying to calm things down when Damian Fidelis was murdered.
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Post by Nicholas J. Traptory on May 8, 2008 9:23:16 GMT -5
Nicholas shrugged and tossed the gun onto a side chair, shrugging. "I was hoping to get you to cast a spell at me so I could test it out." he said, showing Torin the device in his opposite hand. "But your more reserved then I imagined. Ah well, the field test will have to wait a bit I suppose then. It's coming along nicely, but it's effectiveness depends on the strength of the spell it is stopping. Also they are variable sizes, this one is personal, but I could probably make em bigger with a little bit of time. I was curious if it could stand up to one of the chancellors spells, which I was pretty sure they couldn't.
He pocketed the small disk again and look to Torin. "You can tell the bureaucrats that I'll have their little working prototype in two months time. I don't let anything through these doors that I have not perfected myself. Which is why I can't give you this prototype to show them. Besides, if after all this time they need proof of my ability, then we have some bigger problems."
He walked to the side door, and looked over his shoulder at Torin. "Any other bureaucratic duties?"
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Post by Torin DeInnes on May 8, 2008 18:49:24 GMT -5
Torin nodded as Nicholas spoke.
"He was just hoping to get me to cast a spell so he could test the thingy. But I'm more reserved than most imagine," he explained to Sevy, as if she wasn't able to hear the words from Nicholas himself. His chest swelled a barely noticeable amount when Nicholas said that it probably wouldn't have stood up to one of his spells, but he couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if he had cast a spell and the prototype hadn't blocked it.
He gained more respect for this non-magical man in a magical world every time he saw him.
"You know, technically, I am one of those bureaucrats," he pointed out. "Though I'm fine with not being grouped in with them. They can be a pretty stuffy bunch."
He nodded some more as Nicholas explained the prototype further and shook his head when asked if he had any other duties.
"No way, let's get to the fun stuff!" he said, trailing behind Nick. He assumed that he was meant to follow him.
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Post by Nicholas J. Traptory on May 11, 2008 12:58:32 GMT -5
"You? A bureaucrat? Hah! You are far too loose and relaxed to be grouped in with that bunch. In any event, why don't we go to see the 'Top Secret' Lab." Nicholas said opening the door, which led to another elevator.
The door closed behind him, after Torin had entered. "So tell me, why did you decide you wanted such an insane item? I mean, you aren't the only one who has been seeking my expertise on matters of weird forms of transportation."
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Post by Torin DeInnes on May 12, 2008 5:20:35 GMT -5
Torin gave simple nod when Nick asked about his request; it was a fair question. Most magical beings wouldn't even consider such an item.
"Well, as I'm sure you're aware, this is not the first of this type of machine I have owned; I have countless non-magical varieties. But they are moreso for pleasure than for any actual use. Non-magical technology has plenty of limitations that prevent them from actually being practical. But this," he said, waving the file around, "could actually prove to be more useful, in some aspects, than the T-Grid or personal teleportation."
He shifted his jacket a little and his face reddened a barely noticeable amount.
"You see, it doesn't matter how powerful a magician I am, bringing someone along with me while I am teleporting is just beyond me. I don't know whether it's just not possible or if I simply need to figure it out. I lean toward the latter, though, because if I can bring my clothes with me, you would think I'd be able to bring a person. Or at least their clothes..." he mused with a grin. "And of course, the T-Grid is limited in its range. So this option seems to be the most functional one. Not to mention its dazzling good looks, and weapon and... I'm not sure if I requested this, but..." he looked distractedly through the file, "stealth capabilities?"
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Post by Nicholas J. Traptory on May 16, 2008 13:32:04 GMT -5
"You people and your stealth capabilities. It's like the whole d**n council is a bunch of insurgents. Did you watch too much 'James Bond' when you were a kid?." He smiled. "Oh wait, scratch kid, keep forgetting about how old you are, anyway so I guess I get to be the crazy inventor, I fit that bill quite nicely." He then walked over to a tarp over a very car-like object, and turned with a smile. "This model is equipped with several unique weapons and other capabilities. For one, we integrated the Rain Ward spell, you know, just for style. Of course the engine has been hasted for maximum output and the headlights are equipped with an optional Laser Beam spell, activate them by turning on your brights. They do drain the magical battery pretty quickly though, it's a dial on the dashboard, so be careful with your usage of them. Also, it is equipped with a completly optional Anti-Gravity system for emergencies. It runs on it's own private battery, but can only sustain 30 seconds of controlled flight. The vehicle is perfectly capable of moving in all dimensions while under the effect of anti gravity, simply use your gear shift to increase or decrease altitude. And as for stealth, when the car exceeds 60 MPH, the specially treated door panels with activate a blur effect, quite effective for getaways. Unfortunately it's not made to function while stationary." He waited for a moment for the dramatic flair. "And now! Behold!" He said as the tarp flew from the machine and hit the floor. |
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Post by Torin DeInnes on May 16, 2008 22:53:29 GMT -5
I think... maybe...
Yes, definitely.
Torin drooled a little.
Eyes wide with excitement and a huge, silly grin on his face, he circled around the car, tracing a finger lightly along its exterior.
"You know, with this killer body, I wouldn't even care about her other specs," he said appreciatively. "But she's got them anyway. Bonus."
He finished his slow circle of the vehicle with a low, appreciative whistle, and stood by Nick's side once more. The vehicle was all he had imagined and more, and definitely worth the wait. He couldn't wait to try it out. Speaking of which...! No, he would wait. He should probably get all the info now, before he crashed the thing into a wall... Wouldn't be the first time.
"So I know I've got my folder here," he said, waving the aforementioned item, "but could you tell me a couple things, just to make my life easier? For one, how long does the battery usually last? And then when it's low, how do I charge it? Can I do that myself?"
He skimmed through the file as he spoke anyway, half to see if he could find the answer before Nick spoke, but mainly just for something to do other than stare at the car. After all, it was rude to stare at a pretty lady, especially before you even got to know her. But he suddenly remembered something that threw his train of thought right off. He kicked himself mentally for not catching it sooner, but attributed it to excitement over the car.
"Wait a moment. I'm not the first to ask about transportation? Other council members were asking about stealth capabilities?"
He thought of the other council members, and didn't exactly see any of them doing such a thing. Except...
"You're not giving Cylo one too, are you?!" he asked, quite indignantly. He knew these would probably go into production eventually, but right now he still considered the car his baby, and Cylo soooo did not deserve one. It was blasphemy to even think about giving him one after what he'd done to so many of Torin's other vehicles, but it was just the sort of things the demon would do. His eyes demanded and answer from Nick.
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Post by Nicholas J. Traptory on May 17, 2008 10:53:52 GMT -5
"No no, the baOhttery self recharges. The car can drive for over 48 hours straight on it's engine, but the headlight laser beams really drain it. If you intend to use it for casual driving, it shouldn't be an issue. And before you ask, this model is definitely not cost effective. If we wanted to give this kind of engine to the masses, they'd never be able to afford it. Gotta work on that."
At Torin's questions about the other client Nick smirked. She had told him to keep it quiet, but her boss was asking him, so perhaps he could sate his curiosity.
"Oh, sorry, I misspoke. Not a council member, one of the chapter heads. This client came to me and asked for a custom vehicle as well, nothing like this one, I'm currently working on their order. Normally I would tell you of course, but they asked me not to. And I was never one to refuse a request from a pretty lady." He said adding emphasis on the last two words.
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Post by Torin DeInnes on May 18, 2008 15:17:45 GMT -5
Torin was pleased to hear that the battery recharged itself; that saved him a world of trouble. And he was also secretly pleased that the vehicle wouldn't be on the market for a while, so the car was pretty much still his. But he still had other questions.
"Say, hypothetically, I drove the car for 48 hours, or decided to laser the car in front of me; how long would it take the battery to recharge?" He figured that was a pretty important point. And the previous thoughts of Cylo brought another question to mind. "Er, how's the armour on this baby? I have a... reckless friend." He was of course referring to Cylo's dirty and expensive habit of wrecking Torin's cars, which was made less of a big deal only by the fact that they could usually be repaired and Torin could easily pay for it. But it was still a pain. Torin wouldn't be surprised if Nicholas knew exactly what he was referring to though, because the prank war was far from secret, and the press liked to comment on it frequently, usually trying to give Torin a bad name. Not that he really minded.
At the revelation that the client was not a council member and hence not Cylo, Torin brightened, but the rest of the comment brought a slight frown to his features. He wasn't familiar with the Japan chapter head, so he assumed she could be a pretty lady as well, but the person that first came to mind was Kyana Galatea. Why on earth would Kyana be asking for a custom vehicle, one with stealth capabilities, and to be kept completely secret? Torin was not secretive at all about his car; in fact, he'd brag about it whenever he got the chance. It wasn't like he'd go around handing out the schematics and telling everyone about the more dangerous special features, but still... It was a curious thought, and definitely one worth keeping in mind, but he did not voice any of his concerns.
It was then that he remembered one more thing. A VERY important thing.
"How's the sound system?"
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Post by Nicholas J. Traptory on May 21, 2008 15:54:37 GMT -5
"If you run the battery dry, it'll take about four hours to recharge completly. Mind you that is only if it is off, and completly shut down. And as far as armor goes..." He pulled out a second magi-tech gun from his coat and shot at the car, the burst of magic hit the side and dissipated almost immediately.
"It is highly resistant to low to middle grade magical attacks, though high powered ones will still break it pretty bad, mundane hits like car accidents or physical projectiles will bounce off, within reason of course. If you hit a brick wall, well, not much I can do there but damage control. It'll prolly still run, but it won't be happy."
He heard Torin's question about sound and smiled.
"Did you know? One hundred and fifty eight decibels is powerful enough to stop the human heart. That said, don't set the radio to max. We've experimented and had no distortion up to 87% output. We didn't test it past that, because it becomes a danger to the cars structural integrity, and my workers."
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Post by Torin DeInnes on May 22, 2008 23:56:15 GMT -5
"Four hours is not bad at all," mused Torin as he watch Nick fire a pistol at the car, impressed with the results. That should at least keep Cylo busy until Torin could find the bugger. If he wrecked this beautiful machine, there would be hell to pay. Heh, hell. Demon. He let out a small laugh at his own wit, which happened to happily coincide with Nick's comment about the car not being happy, thus giving him an excuse. Not that he really cared.
He did care about that sound system, however. Enough to stop the heart? Wicked. With a remote control, that could even act as an anti-theft device. He briefly wondered if his tolerance was any higher than a regular humans, but decided testing that theory was probably a bad idea. For him, and any glass surfaces in the area.
"One last question Nick, and I can read over the file for any more."
He paused for a little dramatic flair of his own.
"When do I get to drive it?" he asked with a devious grin.
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Post by Nicholas J. Traptory on May 26, 2008 2:41:38 GMT -5
Torin wasn't the only one with devious grins.
"Hey!" He shouted to one of the many many catwalks in the underground production room. "Prep launch tunnel number 3!"
The affirmative response came down from the rafters, as a square tunnel on the side wall opened up, and a small ramp came down from it into the ground.
"That tunnel will take you about 15 miles to the coast, where it will empty out of a cliff face. The temporary flight on the car will let you make an amphibious landing. As long as you keep moving it'll be invisible."
He stopped for a second and snapped his fingers. "Oh yeah! Little button on the right side of the steering column turns the car to a water skimmer. It isn't equipped to dive though, so watch your landing. The on-board navigation computer can give you directions to anywhere you need to go, even to the island should you wish to show this little baby off."
Nicholas adjusted his glasses with his finger, and said as a final thing.
"Oh yeah, when you get back to the office there is something in the glove compartment. Take a look at it when you have the time."
He then shouted to the room. "Clear the path!" And left a clear path for Torin's exit.
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Post by Torin DeInnes on May 28, 2008 19:42:18 GMT -5
Torin gave a short laugh that communicated perfectly his pure glee and threw his arm over Nick's shoulder, giving him a squeeze. It was his totally manly equivalent of hugging the man for giving him such a beautiful toy to play with.
He did not linger long, however. He made his was swiftly to the car, and, using the key-less entry afforded to him by way of fingerprint recognition (which I totally just added to the car's features), entered the vehicle. A sharp intake of breath was to be had when he saw the cool blue interior of the car. LEDs galore! It was like a spaceship. Or a rave.
He started the engine up with a sigh of delight and revved it a couple times before making his way out to the tunnel.
15 miles ought to be more than enough to really open her up...
He shifted gears and gunned it, silently thanking Nicholas for the optional automatic/manual transmission. Sure, auto was practical, but nothing beat the feeling of a perfect shift.
By the time he hit the end of the tunnel, the car was already blurring. He shot out of the cliff and his car began to nosedive toward the water. He panicked for half a second before he remembered the anti-grav. He activated it and pulled back on the steering wheel, leveling the car out as it hit the surface of the water. He quickly turned on the skimmer option and took off across the ocean.
* * *
Torin pulled up to TIHQ with a perma-smile stuck on his face after the single most enjoyable driving experience of his life. He reluctantly turned off the engine and sat for a while in the seat, just enjoying being in the driver's seat of such a beautiful machine. But he had a meeting to get to; the Council would want to hear of the Anti-Magic field. With a sad sigh he opened the door of the car and put a foot to the ground.
It was then that he remembered Nicholas' words about the glove compartment. Curious now, he leaned over and opened it...
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Post by Nicholas J. Traptory on May 29, 2008 15:30:41 GMT -5
Inside Torin would find a few pieces of paper in a small paper clipped file. The first page was an explanation.
Torin-
I'm working on a new and fairly large scale project. I figured I should let one member of the council know so they didn't freak out when large amounts of adamantine and mythril crossed the borders. I'll keep you up to date on it as it happens, but hopefully these schematics should be good enough for the time being.
PS: I'll give you a tour when it is done, but no I am not making you a personal one.
Attached after that was a list of materials and a basice blueprint.
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Post by Torin DeInnes on May 29, 2008 16:17:37 GMT -5
Torin read over the note curiously, wondering what exactly it could be that Nick was referring to. He smiled at the post script; Nick knew him too well. Torin would have one of everything, if he had the space to store it all. Possessions didn't mean the world to him, but they sure filled it up.
Upon looking over the blueprints, however, he truly understood the comment, and it was made blatantly aware that he would not have room for this 'project'. He wondered briefly what it was that Nicholas planned on doing with such a monster of a machine, but he trusted and respected the man so he let the thought die.
He tossed the schematics back into the glove compartment with a shrug and left for his office.
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