Mazatl understands the tone of the conversation, and gives the werehawk a dismissive look. "I'm sure Athena won't have any trouble managing. Cheney's form is rather ideal for slipping through the city streets unnoticed... Aifric of course, along with you, have little need of streets if we use our forms. That leaves myself... And Svog. I have stamina and speed with my were form, but you're a fish out of water." She had moved her speech to the bard. "Perhaps if I can give you a ride to the sea, you can give me a ride to the docks? If we all manage different directions, we will be harder to follow."
Mazatl understands the tone of the conversation, and gives the werehawk a dismissive look. "I'm sure Athena won't have any trouble managing. Cheney's form is rather ideal for slipping through the city streets unnoticed... Aifric of course, along with you, have little need of streets if we use our forms. That leaves myself... And Svog. I have stamina and speed with my were form, but you're a fish out of water." She had moved her speech to the bard. "Perhaps if I can give you a ride to the sea, you can give me a ride to the docks? If we all manage different directions, we will be harder to follow."
'An excellent plan. I wonder if the king anticipated it.'
The wizard takes few moments to assess the situation.
Chaney, you stare at Guisarme contemplatively for a moment. Your stare seems to slightly ruffle Guisarme's feathers, and he breaks eye contact with you to look over at Svog Kos, seemingly wondering how to fix the problem. You can tell that Guisarme, though he's attempting to appear confident, is barely restraining fear that borders on panic; you can smell it with your nose, which retains certain wolfish sensitivities even in human form. The werehawk is certainly putting up a facade of knowing exactly what to do next, but you can tell he didn't expect to face this particular problem. He didn't expect to be recognized in the Gilded Hook, or to have guards appear so fast.
"Damn my luck!" Svog complains, "I accept your idea of going into the sea, Mazatl, but how? You are not going to have a elemental wandering out there carrying us, right?" Svog feels some panic inside him, he wonder what would happen to him, he had some lucky rides but now he is facing thing involving the king and punishment will be hard...
"C'mon, be brave! it you let the fear gain control, you are going to have a bad time." He talks with himself,
"Maybe I could distract them somehow and give you time to run...might catch you later?" He suggests.
"Svog." she says in a serious tone, trying to catch the shark's attention, and once it was secured, she motioned to her antlers. "These are not simply for looks. Think of me as a horse with a dozen spears sticking out of my head, in my animal form. If you are captured, your form will afford you little maneuverability here. The same as mine will offer little maneuverability at sea... especially if we dive beneath the surface for any length of time. I am -literally- offering you a ride."
looking at Guisarme, speaking to everyone.
"Time to move."
"Mazatl, you and Svog run for the water. Rude to ask but would you be faster on all fours? Even with a passenger? You will be drawing most of the attention so move fast."
"Afric, take to the rooftops. You might have company up there but I doubt guards or ex-pirates can pin you down."
"Athena, I won't presume to tell you your job. Just vanish."
"Guisarme, you take the high road. They might have archers but I am sure you have dealt with the like before. Perhaps you and Afric can support each other."
"We all go at once and we all go in different directions. We know where to meet. Now go!"
Mazatl shifted into her deer form (which was actually a caribou, which explained the antlers despite being female!), then waited patiently for Svog to climb aboard, before taking off out of the alleyway and running -towards- the guard, before taking a swift turn into another alley-way, well before reaching the group. She was putting herself into some degree of danger, but in theory, she and Svog had the best mixture of skills to get out of danger. Once they hit the water, any land-based pursuers would be lost... and if he could keep them both below water for long enough, there was no way for the aerial pursuers to follow. With any luck, they wouldn't expect the group to have a chance to reach the water, and wouldn't have prepared for it.
Go, go, bonobo power! Aifric was made for climbing! And for throwing spears from the rooftop if necessary to help out his friends taking the streets.
"Then, I will you give a ride at sea." Svog gets on Mazatl, "I'm not sure if you know this song, but it's called Overture made by William Tell, some know it as the Lone Ranger song. It may helps on our ride..." Svog begins singing softly while he holds on Mazatl, charging her with his arcane magic...
TADA DA TADA DA TADA DA TATA
TADADA TADADA TADADA TATA
TADADA TADADA TADADA TATA
TADA DAAA TADA DA TATA
On that note Chaney fades away.
Guisarme nods at Aifric, "We take to the rooftops then." to the rest of you, "I'll meet you at Dock 13." Without another word, the swarthy man shifts to hawk form and takes wing, flapping up to the rooftop of the Gilded Hook. Aifric follows, his bonobo form making scaling the rough-hewn wall trivial. When the two of you reach the top fo the building, you are spotted by no-one, and the two of you leap or fly from rooftop to rooftop unmolested.
Chaney fades completely from view, twisting arcane threads about himself until he is free to act invisibly. The wizard can take a leisurely stroll down the waterfront until he reaches Dock 13.
Svog Kos hops aboard Mazatl in deer form, who leaps forth out of the alleyway. Svog, Mazatl didn't need help with her roll since she already beat a 10, but your good roll counts too, because your path to the pier is the most dangerous. You have to flee very close to the guards standing outside when you pass them by, and although they fail to react quickly enough to grab Mazatl, you do have to fend off an attack with your short-sword. Waving it wildly like a cavalier on his mount and singing the William Tell Overture all the while, you bat away with the poleaxes of the guards on your rapid career through the Waterfront district. The few people walking the Waterfront this time of night turn and gasp as you charge past. Mazatl's speed is such that she quickly loses sight of the guards behind her.
------Some time later-------
In your own ways, you're all successful at evading the guards' attention and reach Dock 13. It's a quiet time of night for the Waterfront, all things considered; the hustle and bustle of this area of the city starts with the dawn. Mazatl and Svog Kos reach the dock first. There's no boat of any description here, just a few ropes tied to the wooden posts that drag in the water below.
Chaney, you're not far behind them, and Aifric and Guisarme arrive last. None of you appear to have been followed.
Mazatl, waterlogged as she is, pulls herself up out of the water, coughing and sputtering a little. Her constitution meant she could hold her breath for a while on a good day, but she was no match for the shark. Despite that, her eyes were glowing (not in the usual sense) and she had a smile on her face. Her horns were slightly elongated. "That was amazing! The rush of prey fleeing predator is so..." She shudders slightly, before trying to smooth herself down, the fight or flight adrenaline still pumping. "I'm unsure of anything more exciting. We should leave it at that."
"That was fun, Mazatl. Let's do it again some other time without guards on our backs..and thank you for the ride." Svogs gets down and bows to Mazatl while he thanks her.
Chaney takes the time to stop off at an unfamiliar bank in a different part of town to change the money orders. At least his own, but the others as well if the bank will let him.
Arriving at the doc and walking into view from behind a stack of crates.
"Greetings"
"Of course, that sounds delightful, I could work on.." She stopped short when Chaney stepped clear of the boxes.
Chaney always had a way of making an entrance. "Ah, good! You don't even look tired, we must have done a good job making distractions of ourselves." she gave Chaney a friendly smile, still panting to catch her breath.
Athena would try to make her way in her fox form unnoticed by the guards.
Athena, sneaking past the guards in fox form - especially after Mazatl and Svog Kos' wild ride as a distraction - is child's play to a thief like yourself. You arrive just after Mazatl and Svog themselves.
Chaney: you're able to cash all of the bank notes - I hate how few hours banks are open IRL so in my world, they're open much later - but you arrive last. You're able to make good time though, so it doesn't take you so long that others start to question where you are.
And yes, I should've mentioned, thanks for reminding me - Aifric, Chaney, both of you feel magic coming from beneath the surface of the water right under Dock 13, very distinctly.
Aifric swings down from the roof of Warehouse 13. He didn't have to stay on the rooftops the entire way to the dock, but it was more fun that way.
Guisarme's demeanor is brisk as he takes long strides down the moonlit docks. Aifric and Chaney can both feel the telltale signature of magic in the water below. The tall were-hawk man stoops to his knees and gives a mighty heave on the rope.
The surface of the water begins to churn as bubbles rise from below. A fantastic metallic vehicle rises from beneath, tethered to the docks by the rope. It's made of a burnished bronze-colored metal, with a long fin along the backside of the machine, and a small hole to climb into on top. Reference pic
Guisarme turns to all of you. "Tremblay has reached out to the merfolk, but they have gone missing, and there's evidence to suggest that Ultimus is behind it. I've been assigned to find out why and to protect you from capture by the King. The best way to...kill two birds with one stone...is to bring you along."
He leans over and unscrews the top, opening the hatch into the submersible. He pauses, addressing you again without turning to face you. "It's dangerous, but it's no more dangerous than staying in Magna Gracia."
"Well... sure. But what about breathing? What happens if it's ripped apart? What happens if the sea isn't done with its anger against me and decides that the ship and me are two birds..?" She lofts a brow. "And how does one converse with merfolk from within a box?"
"To answer those in order. One, magic. Two, we die. Three, we die horribly and four, Mr. Blue. Or magic, take your pick."
Chaney hops lightly onto the craft.
"Coming along for the ride?"
"That depends. How well-tested is this 'magic'?" She looked over to Guisarme, before mumbling to herself, "Sometimes I wish I summoned air..."
"Well I don't have problems in water, I'll help you guys if something happens...Is this thing fast? If I can keep up with it I could go outside it and swim beside you." Svog seems excited and directs the question to Guisarme.
At the mention of Mr. Blue, Aifric realizes Feustus hasn't joined them. "Where is Mr. Blue?" he asks as he looks around in the sky.
Not seeing Feustus anywhere, he steps onto the magic, metal fish. He might as well; he trusted Mazatl's water-plant/boat thingie, and it all worked out. Mostly. Plus he decides he's sticking close to Chaney until he finds out what Chaney meant about the two of them dying.
He continues, "And how can a bird help us talk to the merfolk?"
It is clear from Athena's face she hates every part of this plan, she had returned to her elf form by now if able but quietly watched the group and the sub as if hoping another options presented itself.
Guisarme answers Mazatl's question by gesturing at the windows. "That pane looks like it's made of glass, and glass is one of the components of its design, but magic allows air to pass through the glass without letting water through. It's on a constant filtration system."
He turns to Svog Kos. "You'll be able to keep up with us by swimming alongside. I've been investigated by curious sharks in these waters before."
"As for communication..." Guisarme holds up one hand. The palms are starkly whiter than the rest of his dark skin. "I speak Mermish hand-signal language. Svog may also be able to assist us."
"And... what would occur if a tree were to suddenly sprout within the interior?" Speaking of which... Mazatl takes a moment to channel her armor. Certainly, it will not aid her in hiding within the submersible, by any means, but being prepared was better than -not-.
+1 Armor to Mazatl.
Aquatic vegetation springs to life, curling and sweeping around the outside of the vessel, adding an extra layer of protection to the device. Now that she's had her effect on the portion of the trip regarding 'not dying', Mazatl seems a little more at ease about going twenty thousand leagues under the sea. She'd still rather not. But the alternative was stay here...
Aifric eyes Mazatl. Her actions may have made her feel better, but Aifric is suddenly not so certain about all this magic.
Accustomed to people ignoring his comments, he jabbers away: "Sometimes magic clashes with magic. All I have to do to remember that is look at my palm. Yes, sirree!" He holds up his palm and looks at it. "Chaney says it's going to kill us eventually. Maybe this magic fish will kill us first."
As Aifric waits for whatever is going to happen next, he realizes he's been humming and maybe even singing under his breath:
"Oh, oobee doo. I wanna be like you. I wanna walk like you. Talk like you, too. You'll see it's true. An ape like me can learn to be human too."
He doesn't even know where he's heard that song before. Embarrassed and hoping no one heard him, he changes his song and sings it a little louder: That's more like it!
With varying degrees of reluctance, Guisarme leads the party into his submersible. It's spacious inside, with room enough for 9 people comfortably. If you listen closely, you can hear a faint susurrus of air as the magic of the viewing panels filters air out of the water around you.
When you all are inside, Guisarme yanks the hatch closed on top and takes the driver's seat. He looks back at all of you after he pulls a lever and the compartment seals itself. "We're going to the last known site where the mermaids could be found. Tremblay thinks we should start there."
Aifric and Chaney can feel magic pulsing all around you in the very skin of the vessel you're riding in. With a quiet whirring sound coming aft, you sink into the waters of the harbor of Magna Gracia.
Svog Kos, I assume you follow alongside in shark form?
"That seems reasonable." Mazatl nods, as she takes her seat towards the middle of the sub. That way the others can take the dark corners that, as adventurers, they likely prefer. Plus, staying out of the window so that any passing water elemental's have a harder time seeing them is another bonus.
"If a water elemental passes through the port, will it become an air elemental?
Chaney seems glued to a view-port. His long nose not quite touching the glass.
"If a water elemental passes through the port, will it become an air elemental?
"No it will smash through this enchanted glass like it was cheap crockery and leisurely tear us apart. Not that we would notice of course, the water hitting us like a hundred hammers all at once would see to that." The wizard says cheerfully.
"I'm going to just pretend that, yes, it will become an air elemental. I'll also try to refrain from asking questions aloud." Mazatl said, pursing her lips, turning her attention to a viewport that did not include Chaney.
The submersible descends into Magna Gracia's harbor rapidly, leaving behind a thin trail of bubbles as it goes. Svog Kos, from the outside perspective you can see that the submersible has two claws in front that gradually shift back and forth in the clear, dark water. Looking inside the viewports from outside you can see faint greenish light illuminating your friends' faces as they look all around.
You also recognize the area that Guisarme is directing the sub towards. You recall investigating this area of the harbor yourself almost a week ago, when you saw the mermaids before. None are present now, not even any fish. In place of the two mermaids conversing you see a great rent in the sea floor, large, almost 50 meters across. That definitely wasn't there before.
Inside the sub, Guisarme is talking. The were-hawk pilot points through the front viewport in front of him. "Not long after the...incident with the crash of the Monarch, some members of the governor's navy reported a major disturbance in the water, roughly corresponding to that spot. Divers with aquatic were-forms have already performed a preliminary investigation, and your singing shark friend should see it himself as we get closer. A rift has been opened in the floor of the harbor, and it appears to lead to a mostly dry network of underwater tunnels. Tremblay has reason to believe that Ultimus is behind the opening of this rift, and we wish to find and ask the mer-folk about what has happened. Because their disappearance roughly coincided with the opening of the rift, it is logical to begin the search for them there."
Outside the sub, in the pleasantly warm waters of the harbor, Svog, you can't hear what Guisarme is saying. Instead, you hear a low, persistent thrumming sound coming from the rift. There's no current running down into the hole, implying that the water levels are stabilized.
"I was made for climbing not for speclunking."
After Chaney's words Athena would turn into her fox form and try to find someplace she could hide for now.
"There is a weird sound comming from the rift!"
"I'll keep that in mind when I have gentlemen and lady callers, Aifric." Mazatl said as she watched the fox disappear into a crevice, with a slight frown.
"I suppose our goals are to seek an alliance, then? There are some issues, here. If we must navigate dry tunnels... how would the mer leave? How did they even fall deep into the chasm? And what does it say of Ultimus's power that he can do such a thing?"