[1.24] Heisty Type (Part 2)

“Ehhh?” Angelica wasn’t sure she’d heard properly. “Steal what from where-now?”

“The Quilllaced Tiara from the Migrore Museum,” Lustre repeated herself. “My parents are hosting a gala there tonight with the tiara as the pristine new addition to the museum’s collection. I want you to steal it so that I can see the absolutely flummoxed expressions on their faces when they come home and tell me about it, never knowing it was me behind the theft, of course.”

“Ahh, I see, I see.” So Lustre was just a spoiled rich girl who feels like she’s not getting enough attention from her parents. “Alright, I refuse.”

“You refuse?!” The Apprentice Summoner rose from her chair to look more commanding. “I only asked to be polite. What problem do you have with it?”

“Uhm, all of it? Yeah, all of it.” The Imp struggled to articulate her issues, but felt it was pretty self explanatory. “You said simple jobs for Essence. That is not simple.” Really it had more to do with the complete illegality of the idea rather than how hard it would be—still thinking it would be rather difficult. But Angelica doubted Demons would care much about human laws or societal codes, having no problem with stealing, so she didn’t bring it up.

“It couldn’t be more simple!” the older woman refuted. “You just walk in, grab the tiara, and walk out. The museum is closed right now because of the gala setup, and all the staff would be in the event hall, which is in a completely detached building from the galleries. At best, there’d be a security guard or two, and they wouldn’t be able to see you. So, like I said, what’s the problem?”

“Still no.” Gelic stuck to her guns.

“Then I command you!” The air in the room shifted as Lustre held out her hand toward the Demon, Ordering with a staggering pose and presence, as if magical power was protruding from her body. “Steal the Quilllaced Tiara from the Migrore Museum and bring it back to me!”

[Order forcibly accepted | Current Contract: Steal the Quilllaced Tiara | Reward: 50 Essence]

Well, the first thing to notice was that all the faff about remaining Orders was gone because the Summoner was down to the last one. Second, at least she would still get paid, despite the forced Order. And third, this sucked! So masters really could just force their will whenever they wanted. Angelica had been doing it to herself constantly, but now that someone else was doing it, the whole deal felt wholly unfair. At least she had a way to try to combat it.

[Would you like to reject the Order? Chance: 81% | Cost: 13 MP]

Good odds and not too bad of a cost. It was honestly surprising. Were more complex orders easier to break? That’d make sense, because it should be harder for the Summoner to impose their will. Maybe since she’d initially refused and the Order was forced, that also made it easier. That would require some testing in the future, but it sounded plausible.

[Order Rejection failed. Difficulty increased.]

Gah, really?! Bad luck. Okay, again!

[Chance: 67% | Cost: 22 MP]

[Order Rejection failed. Difficulty increased.]

Seriously?! She was heaving a terrible time with percentage chances today. Once more!

[Chance: 55% | Cost: 34 MP]

[Order Rejection failed. Difficulty increased.]

Rigged! Rigged, I tell you!

[Chance: 40% | Cost: 50 MP]

She was just under the required amount, having recovered most of her MP while making and eating lunch. Maybe the food had replenished it somewhat, as well? It felt like she was recovering it too fast, otherwise. Either way, if Gelic could stall for a little bit, maybe resist Order Obligation for a while, she could try again. That was still a decent percentage and worth trying.

“Geez, will you quit trying to reject the Order?!” Lustre lost a lot of her bluster, going from an intimidating Summoner to a spoiled girl, whining that she wasn’t getting what she wanted. “What if I give you a hundred Essence? Is that better?”

“Hmm… fine.” Angelica still had no real intention of taking on this grand heist, but it would be better to go along with it for now. Stall for time to recover MP. She could at least scope it out, and then when she inevitably decided the job was a big “hell, naw!” maybe she could attempt two rejections in a row. Much more than that, and she’d hit the limit of what her max MP could allow her to try, and the percentage would likely be too low, then, anyway. And if she did decide to go through with it, then it was probably a good idea to have some MP on hand, just in case things went to scuff.