"Truth, Truth, Lie, Truth, Truth, Truth, Hope Truth, Truth, Evasion and more than you'd like me to know, but certainly less than I wish you had, and Truth." The woman releases the grip of the psionic power. "Sorry about the threats, thought you might be some Stalmorta scum mercenaries here to kill the girls."
The safety is reattached on the oversized weapon, and the big Stalmorta in the room sighs. "Damn, didn't get to go shoot any bird brains, and didn't get to splatter them on the walls. This is not a fun day." He complains as he lumbers the weapon on a shoulder and shoots up on a powerful wing beat. He stands between the group and the hole as women and a couple of kids being to fly up out of the bolt hole. Most of them move to the rooms opposite the group.
The woman turns to Aldan. "No work right now, hon. We got kids here. Come back after the mess is cleared up though, and we'll gladly take your money."
She then eyes the big Stalmorta male. "Look at the bright side, the shelling's stopped, that means old Iron T~*% blew those a$#&@@!s to pieces. All the gunfire is just mop up details. I wish I knew how many ships the Stalmorta sent, so I'd know how many jigs to dance on their graves."
The woman cocks her head.
Elara lowers her hands. "We're good? Good." She turns, walks back and grabs her polearm. "Ready to fly, boss; maybe someone take a peek outside 'fore we leap out?" She turns her head back and studies the Stalmora eager to kill other Stalmora, noting his face. "Hey, what're your names?"
"Callistia. That's Mort." The blonde replies, hooking a thumb at the Stalmorta.
The Stalmorta gives a deep bow. "Mortagnian Kelvarian Sandraesta Ne'Stalmorta, to be precise." His voice goes all cultured and deep. Then it returns to his former loud and boistrous voice. "Hah, not that I use the damn thing anymore."
"Moving on..." Connor muttered, his attention on the view outside. "I've had enough for today. Let's try to get back to the skyship."
"Unless the stalmorta showed up in the last few seconds its all clear, but I will go take a look."
"Alright lets be off."
The group takes to wing again, and heads back toward the ship.
When they arrive, they find that the ship took some shrapnel from bombardments aimed at the cannon they saw earlier. That cannon seems to have been heavily damaged, based on the pile of rubble the barrel is sticking out of. Bodies are littered on the pile, in the distance, both Stalmorta and local.
The ship, while damaged, doesn't look to have been broken, just marred and scuffed up. Some railing is smashed, a couple of hull planks will need to be repaired. One of the engines housings has a giant dent in it (somewhat worrying).
It looks as though someone smashed open the door to the interior and ransacked the place, looking for valuables (I assume stuff got left behind, assume some of it's stolen, anything portable and salable).
As the crew lands on the deck and begins to assess damage and loss, a white haired woman comes fluttering up. Aniisa lands, this time wearing armor and carrying a bracer of revolvers and two rapiers, one on each hip. There's blood stains on her armor, but they appear to not be hers, or she's had some healing. "Well now, glad to see you survived, although your lovely antique seems to have been mistreated. Shame that. On the other hand, I assume you'll need more crew for repairing, so that's always nice." She dimples with a smile.
...Aniisa seems to have noted the runed chest...
"I.. I just stopped by to check on you. Got called up by the Militia, as you can see. Been a busy girl today. On the bright side, got to kill a bunch of Stalmorta and loot their bodies." She grins. "Stalmorta assault troops always have good weapons and armor, can make a nice penny off them."
Connor rearranged the astral constructs to fly the hammock of supplies and the big chest back to the Elephant. When they arrived at the docked skyship, Connor started a litany of expletives. "@()$ looters! Good thing I've learned to pack light." he said out loud, half joking. "First thing is to inspect for damage, missing items, and sabotage, right, Captain?" he asked Rory. "No use in putting anything back until we can get an account of what's not here!"
---------------------
When the female job-spotter landed, Connor was at first pleased to see her. Then his eyes followed Aniisa's.
He sent a mental command to the bigger construct to shift inbetween the people on the deck and the chest at its' feet. The smaller constructs were on their last legs, not lasting as long as the eight-hour manifestation. "We ran into a couple of soldiers ourselves," Connor said, trying to distract the woman, "but we were fighting too much and dodging a few exploding shells to stop and inspect their armor." The Medium-sized construct coiled rope as it cleaned its' area of the ship's deck. Connor ran a hand through his hair. "Are we still on for you to send us some hands looking for hire?" he asked. "Or should we be expecting a second wave of Stalmorta during the night or tomorrow?"
"Stalmorta assault troops always have good weapons and armor, can make a nice penny off them."
Rory shrugs and tries to be civil about the ladies faux paus about boarding the ship without permission. "Furniture can be replaced madame! Better to fight in the streets than in the middle of a pissing contest with cannon! There wasn't much here for the looters to carry off and good for them too! Can't fault a man looking for opportunity in the middle carnage! But I'd sure as dragon's fire hang their bloodied corpses off the prow!"
Turning he roars. "Roderick! Let the others worry about the mess for now! Secure your things and attend to the engine! And find me a bloody pair of pliers these bullet wounds are starting to itch!"
Mildly reeling from a full-on assault being dispelled like fog before a quick wind, Elara nods and runs through an inspection of the ship. "Boss... eh, nothing else. Just, her, careful, whatever."
Having followed along distractedly, thinking through the fight, Roderick jumped as Rory turned and yelled at him. He scowled, irritated by the order, "I'll see what I can do, but my area of expertise is certainly not in stitching together the broken corpses of yesterday's ships. As for the bullet, I'm surprised you can't simply keep yelling and blow the infernal thing back out of the hole it came in through." Directing one of the constructs to return his equipment to his bunk belowdecks, Roderick finds his way below decks and evaluates the damage done to the ships engine.
Adran actually gets sad for a moment and isn't so bouncy with all the talk of looting.
"Damned missed opportunity it was. I could of been up to my ears in gold and things." You think a tear rolls down his cheak as he thinks on his missed wealth.
"I will be up in the nest if you need me. Keepen an eye out for any other people looking to make some quick coin."
Adran takes to the crows nest and keeps watch.
"Hold your anchor, Captain. There's plenty of time to get you seated and for me to get out my surgeon's tools later ." Connor called back. "You might want some rum before I start, though." The small constructs obeyed Roderick while the larger one kept piling loose equipment on top of the locked box, acting as if it was tying up. Connor continued being near Aniisa on the deck.
"Oh, I'll be sending some people by, but it'll probably be a couple of days before I can get them in. There's a bounty on Stalmorta soldiers right now, so people will be hunting them for probably a week or so. Plus there'll be a large demand for crew, what with people having lost crew. I'm afraid you missed your opportunity to pick up cheap labor. But I'll get you good ones, not the cut your own throat ones." She dimples. "Well, I should get going."
She takes wing, and flies off, keeping an eye on the group over her shoulder until she's at least two blocks away.
The engines have sustained some minor damage. The ship will be unable to go at full speed until repairs are done, which will require tearing the starboard engine apart and rebuilding part of it. That's a good 2 or 3 week job. Until then, it's only going to be able to handle 80 to 90% of it's normal speed.
Connor waited until Aniisa was out of sight, then walked over to Rory. "Aniisa's with the militia now, and she saw our box and beat a hasty retreat." he said in hushed tones. "We need to get rid of that thing in the next 24 hours."
Hearing the cursing coming from below deck Rory shrugs as he digs around in his leg with a pair of pliers pulling out a lead ball with a sickening pop.
"Sounds like you'll have all the time you need! MR. -eh, forgot your name it seems. Even so I'm plenty concerned of how we'll pay this woman for this crew! We can easily pay for the crew at possibly whatever fee she demands. However, this little trip of ours had better turn something akin to a profit or your ill mannered elvavian friend will have to retrieve this boat out of a bloody pawnshop!"
Puzzled at the man's response, Connor started looking Rory over.
Connor grabbed the pliers. "Rory, give me that!" he demanded. "You. Rum. Start now. Enough to take the edge off and sleep. I'm going to get my surgeon's tools and dig anything not you out of you. Or else I'm going to wrap you up in bandages like a mummy and double-wrap you in a hammock until morning." The Medium-sized astral construct came over with the kit.
[dice=Heal with healer's kit and surgeon's tools]1d20+6[/dice]
Scowling as he emerges covered in engine gunk and -what he hopes to be- oil, Roderick says, "The engines will run but we'll be limited to roughly eighty to ninety percent of our normal speed. If we seek to be operating this bucket of bolts as per normal, then we'll need to rip apart the starboard engine and rebuild it. I can't imagine such extensive work taking less then two to three weeks. How are things topside?"
Letting the rest take care of the engines and their wounds, Elara heads up on deck and rests against the rails, watching the woman fly away. There'll be trouble... nothin' we shouldn't be able to handle, 'lest we f++* up too much. She turns and examines the city, its damage and the remains of the Stalmora. But, really... How the hell? That was hundreds of men, guns, magic... gone. What is this place?
Alys leans over to Connor "Once you're done plucking bullets, we might want to talk about our captain. I noticed something... concerning... before getting perforated..." she says in a lowered voice.
While laying out his tools Connor heard Roderick's report. He called up to the crow's nest. "Adran! How's it looking up there? Any more Stalmorta ships, soldiers, or looters? And keep an eye out for Kyzin!"
-----------------
"Could be a side effect of their, uh, 'cosmetic change' - remember my antlers and tail?" Connor hypothesized to Alys as he lifted his surgeon's tools. They had to stay touching his skin, or else they would disappear. Wrapping the inside-out bundle around his bare forearm seemed the easiest way of keeping the astrally-vibrating leather and metal from escaping his grasp. "Unless they start growing magic auras under detect psionics, I'm not going to worry yet. And we can detect daily, if needed."
"Perhaps it's that. Let's just make sure that, if one day his, or anyone else's head explodes or something, I'm not in the radius. I've had enough magic explosions going off in my face to know I don't need another."
"Pretty clear. Just watching other ships get looted or people killed when they try. Same with buildings and shops. Place seems to be calming down a bit but mostly in a panic still. I will keep watch."
Adran contiues to look out and report in.
Adraniel reports on what he see's. The city is still in a mix of panic and loot mode, although most of the looting seems to be of corpses, not ships as much.
Connor get's Rory's wounds fixed up as best he can, and the ship slowly gets cleaned up by the crew and summons.
As darkness descends, the city still shows up in flashes, gunfire, or even psionic element discharges.
Nothing major happens throughout the night, the ship seems capably inhabited, and there's easier targets for looting than a ship with a crew.
Overnight, some of the debris from the destroyed ships comes in on the wind, fortunately nothing overly large hits the ship. One of the nearby warehouses is not so lucky, about a half-mile away, in the dark of the night, the sound of something massive smashing into something else massive floods the night.
At dawn, Adran's eagle eyes spot the source of the noise first. A section of military vessel with enough enhanced wooden frame to hold up the metal hull was blown into the warehouse, smashing the wooden warehouse and it's contents under a ton of wood and metal.
Already people swarm over the wreckage, salvaging.
Roderick wakes and makes his way into the galley groggily. After some muttered curses and some digging around, he manages to emerge with a warm, if inky and rancid, cup of coffee. He drinks, seemingly unperturbed by the horrid quality, as he emerges on deck and looks about the ship. Finish Connor, he asks, "As I was coming to the deck, I heard some mention of a concern of yours with our box. What was it? So far, we've been unsuccessful in identifying an underground market, but with the influx of goods it's surely swollen now. Perhaps our time to strike is now. Should we return and speak with the merchant we dealt with before? He may have some contact and would likely refer us if we're friendly with our coin."
After fixing up Rory's wounds, Connor spent the rest of the night belowdecks, counting on the others to maintain their watches.
Instead, Connor concentrated on making another set of Gladiator's gauze . When completed, Connor cleaned up and passed out in his hammock.
-------------------------
Yawning, Connor joined the others abovedecks. Replying to Roderick, he said "The sooner that box is gone, the better. But our assignment was to find the magic smugglers on this island. This battle had a lot of suspicious firepower in it. I'd rather not go back and say 'everyone' just yet. So yes, we need to find a contact to sell the magic box to. We could even say it fell off a Stamorta ship at this point. Use that angle."
Finding Rory, Connor gave him the replacement Gladiator's gauze. He also manifested his Sustenance for the day.
HAving been ganged up on tied to a table, drugged, and having the bullets forcibly (though arguably far gentler than a pair of pliers and a will made of iron would do) Rory emerges from below decks looking sour, but altogether in better shape.
"I'm less then thrilled at the prospect of carting a volatile box around a still violent city. I'd suggest that we start by finding our merchant or contact first and then bringing along the goods. There is a certain danger, as you mentioned, with your white haired paramour. If she's in the militia and suspects us, then things may well get ugly. Could we distract her from our less savory work?" Roderick takes another sip of his rancid coffee, though he grimaces. "I also suggest we pick up some coffee that doesn't taste as though it has been filtered through a Stalmortan shift."
"Well," Connor drawled, "it sounds like you, Rory, and the usual crowd need to do the shopping trip and asking around about selling 'unusual pieces', and I and one more person stay back again. If Kyzin never comes back." the young Humavian finished with a wince, remembering the lost adventurer. "Aniisa expects to see me, and your contact expects to see you and the 'Captain'."
Connor handed Roderick his psicrystal attached to a thin necklace. "With our usual telepathic relay, of course." Right, Hero?
Elara walks back in. "Whatever you say, boss." She shifts her pack a little along her shoulders. "I'll stay back if you like, help keep the boat safe from any idiot opportunists."
Roderick takes the psicrystal with a small frown and nods. "That sounds reasonable. I'll also keep an eye out for Kyzin. I feel I must point out it is possible he slipped away in the confusion of his own accord. I'm not saying that is what happened with any certainty, merely pointing out the possibility."
Adran will fly down to the deck.
"So the lady seemed to take note of the crate. Not sure if now is the time to try and move it or not, but also don't know a safe place to keep it. I think we should be out there looting like the otheres. Now would be the time to hit some of the othere damaged ships. We need guns and ship defenses, we also could get some spare parts for the engine. Opportunity like this is rare. Watcha you guys think?"
He stands rocking back and forth on his heals eager to get out there and fill his pockets.
"W-w-e-e-l-l-l." Connor said slowly, considering the prospect of skyship loot. He shook his head after a few seconds. "We're not looters." Connor said definitively. "Picking up a lost coin on the dungeon floor is one thing. Salvage of an abandoned ship is one thing. Actively looting is another, even with the, uh, 'freeport' rules here in this town. You heard Aniisa - the city's already rolled out the militia. I'd rather not get into philosophical discussions with armed city guards while trying to lift cannon brass from another skyship. Nobody could fault us from looting the Stalmorta soldiers, if they hadn't fallen in the drink. There is a bounty on any Stalmorta soldiers left behind, however. That's perfectly legal - as is any loot the enemy might be carrying."
Connor looked at Adran and Roderick. "So after you exchange the magic box for coin and a name that's deeper into the organization here, a 'side trip' of Stalmorta hunting on the way back is more than warranted. As is any crashed skyship pieces you might, ah, 'appropriate'. The sooner we finish our mission, the sooner we can freelance on the way back."
Rory seems to brighten up and is about to say something when Connor speaks and Rory visibly sours again.
"I suppose we should get going then before Mr. Whatshiscodename craps all over anymore fun!"
Alys nods in agreement.
"I'm inclined to agree with Connor, I don't care for the idea of simply looting. Any abandoned Stalmorta weaponry we can find I should think is fair game, but I don't want to invite disaster by looting from anyone else in this city." Roderick returns Connor's look levelly, "That sounds acceptable, though I'm not enthralled with the idea of carrying a box capable of massive destruction around in my pack."
The group goes about getting the ship righted, piling up things that are destroyed for disposal, that which can be repaired. The 'special box' get's put under a pile of detritus while Connor's constructs work on that.
Once Rory and the others are ready to head out, the constructs dig it back out...
As the constructs are digging out the special box, a half-dozen pairs of wings appear about three-quarter miles away, winging toward the ship in a tight group.
Elara does her share working to right and fix the ship, unheeding of anything dangerous that might possibly be heading towards the ship.
Roderick watches as the constructs carefully begin digging into the detritus to find the magical box. Looking up for a moment, he seems to notice some vague outlines on the horizon. He watches a moment longer, eyes widening, before he starts waving to the constructs and his companions, "We're going to have about a half dozen visitors very soon. Quit digging the dang thing out. I'm guessing, by their formation, that this is your white-haired friend in the militia, boss."
Post later at work now.
"And we're screwed." Connor swore. He didn't need to look; their luck had all been bad, lately. "Options, everyone! Throw the box over the side, hide it downstairs, hide it in an engine here, or play pass-the-rose? We can always claim we found it fallen off a Stalmora ship!"
Connor started making astral constructs on the deck. Not to fight, but to make more confusion in the cleanup and to be ready to move the box while disguising their work at the same time. Small ones that wouldn't be threatening to trigger-happy guards.
How do airships handle their s*$$?
Is it stored?
If so where?
Have we emptied it recently?
Is there anywhere on the sip that's particularly repulsive/disgusting?