Lora comes to ask has Eva has been doing, just in time to see a very interested party still slightly hesitant. She gives the person a slight push "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."
Eva's inquiries lead her to a couple of married half-elves, Brem and Finn Gallan. Her assets don't seem to be as much aid as she had hoped, though, as both men seem to be occupied constantly arguing with one another. Fortunately, the couple seems to be prone to impulsive travel decisions, and with Lora's aid, Eva is able to convince them to purchase passage on the Second Kiss, at least as far as Cloudreaver Keep.
Phera Wyndslow is impressed that you were able to find a full complement of passengers in just a short time. "Alright, looks like we're in business! We'll take off tomorrow morning at dawn. I'll see you then!"
The next morning, you return to the Final Prospect as you prepare to board the Second Kiss. Ungainly, slow, and highly susceptible to winds and inclement weather, the Second Kiss has one distinct advantage: it can travel 24 hours per day as long as a pilot is available. Airships like the Second Kiss can make the trip from Alkenstar to the Gunworks or to Cloudreaver Keep in a day’s travel in relative comfort. Assuming an uneventful journey and a steady speed, it should take the Second Kiss 3 days to reach the Cradle of Quartz.
Captain Wyndslow has a skeleton crew of four to operate the Second Kiss on its various charters. Each of her crewmates has flown with Wyndslow for years, although recent lack of work (and pay) has taken a toll on the crew’s morale and loyalty. Her second-in-command is a half-elf named Dezzin Drakes. He handles most of the logistics required to keep a dirigible airborne. A pair of goblins named Nulbee and Gebbin make up the technical team that keeps the Second Kiss airworthy. The half-siblings bicker constantly over the best approach to keeping the airship’s clockwork engines running smoothly. The final member of the crew is a halfling named "Lucky" Lanks, a porter who sees to the comfort of passengers, handles cargo manifests, and supervises loading and unloading.
At the appointed time, the airship is winched down to make the main cabin accessible from the tall wooden stairs on the roof of the Final Prospect pub. Lanks greets you and ensures your luggage is taken to your cabins. Each passenger group boards the vessel and mingles in the main cabin, introducing themselves to each other.
When all is ready, the airship drops ballast, and its two powerful clockwork propellers roar to life. The ship rises slowly into the sky, turning into the wind to gain altitude. Most of the passengers remain inside and watch the flight over the city through the slanted windows along the sides of the main cabin. Decorated with dated artwork and scuffed hardwood, this broad cabin looks like a fine dining room at an upscale inn, albeit one that hasn’t seen much use lately. Tables with high-backed bench seating line both sides of the cabin against wide windows.
"I will never get over how lovely our city is from the sky." Lora sighs, leaning into the window as if to memorize every detail.
The secret broker has dressed in as much finery as she still possesses (which is really not that much since her assets were seized when she went dark). An emerald and ebony dress, tight in the right places, flowing the rest, accompanied by a lovely feathered hat.
The hat was not functional for window viewing so had been abandoned on one of the tables, but the rest worked well enough. Her newly enchanted long coat blended well with the coloration. Her pistol on her hip looked to be a dangerous accent piece, Topped off with the ever-present curve of her bemused smile.
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Hadi hops onto Lora's shoulder and gazes at the city below. This convinces Bleach to come on over and have a look as well. He reaches for the wall with a scar-riddled hand to help his brain realize he isn't about to fall down and is in actuality very much in a safe place. From above, the chaos that is a mortal city almost starts making sense. Heh, mortal.
"It's no Mechitar," Bleach states wistfully. "Ebon pyramids made of precious stone and glass dot its skyline, inhabited by what was once alive, filled with terrifying opulence and splendor. Sometimes, I almost miss it ..."
Almost, if only the city and its denizens wouldn't insist on Bleach exchanging his life for unlife.
Lora rubs Hadi's chin, having decided the cat likes it there, at least at the moment, all cats have the given right to change their likes at any moment. "Sounds exquisite, Bly'gha." she has been practicing the name, since names are important, but she still isn't perfect on the inflections. "Someday you might make it back, maybe take a young lady with you to show her the sights." she smiles becomingly at him, a slight tease but just a slight one
"Anyway, until then, you are exactly where you need to be. Your magic has turned the tide on many of our recent battles, so I for one am happy you joined us. You too, Hadi-kins." the redhead snuggled her face into the cat.
And risk a Blood Lord's eye falling on her? Good Gods Above, being turned into a vampire would be the kindest of fates if that were ever to happen!
He flashes her a bleak smile in answer to the kind words and then, as Hadi grants him a moment of distraction, nervously rubs his forearm to get rid of an itch that simply won't go. "I thank you for the kind words. At least the Ebon Mausoleum readied me for this." The last few words were accompanied by the roar of laughter. The idea that that accursed place was the foundation for anything good is too absurd for Bleach.
"I am sure Hadi wouldn't want to go back. The cat food there is a crime against common cat decency." On that, he refuses to elaborate. "I'd like to think that if I make enough coin here, perhaps I'll move further north. To Absalom, perhaps even Andoran. Almas and Augustana are reportedly kind to good-hearted outsiders, especially those with talent."
"Leave?" Lora ponders the option "Not me. I made Alkenstar my home before all this, and I plan on making it so again." her eyes look out into the city, remembering all that Loveless has taken from her.
The sight from above was indeed breathtaking, but it held Eva's attention for no more than a couple minutes before she started to follow the goblins all around the vessel, making as much questions and observations as they would endure and then continuing to do so even past that point!
The moment she saw the Harpy's Kiss, Eva decided she'd eventually make it fly again, even if she'd not mention that to Phera for now.
As the ship flies over Alkenstar, Lanks come through the main cabin, offering refreshments and giving an impromptu aerial tour of Alkenstar. The airship heads north over Alkenstar Castle, providing a dramatic view of Hellside, Alken Falls, the Screw, and the wealthy districts of Skyside beyond.
Beyond Alkenstar’s walls, the Second Kiss turns slightly east and heads toward Cloudreaver Keep, the first stop on its route to the Cradle of Quartz. The rugged hills and inhospitable terrain of the Spellscar Desert sprawl before the ship: rocky cliffs, deep canyons, and fields of hoodoos, often obscured by blowing sand and dust. Other weather phenomena appear and disappear with uncanny speed, including thunderstorms, fog, and snow, all dissipating as quickly as they form and occurring in a surprising variety of colors. A sparkling shower of perfectly formed ice crystals that smells faintly of lilacs is proceeded by dark purple thunderheads that reek of sulfur. None of the precipitation ever reaches the ground, keeping the Spellscar Desert true to its name. The unpredictable winds typical of the Mana Wastes keep Captain Wyndslow and Copilot Dezzin Drakes busy holding the ungainly airship on course.
Eva follows the goblins Nulbee and Gebbin to the long walkway that runs along the length of airship's dark interior. The smell of grease and the echo of the engines fill the air. Through the metal mesh of the walkway, the ceiling of the upper deck is visible about 15 feet below. Nulbee and Gebbin walk the keelway nearly every hour, day or night, regularly inspecting the fabric gasbags about 5 feet distant from the walkway and the dozen large metal rings that give the dirigible its shape.
An open walkway leads outside the airship and through a small opening in the side of the engine housing. The massive clockwork engine block occupies the center of the space, surrounded by a mesh walkway squeezed between the whirring gears and the nacelle’s aerodynamic outer casing. At the back of the engine block, a large metal key slowly turns as the propeller spins.
The goblins are happy to answer as many questions as Eva has about the ship's operations.
Royken turns a little green as the airship proceeds. He's been seemingly extra surly ever since he realized he was going to have to travel this way, saying even less than usual for what's felt like days. Though that does mean he's swearing less.
"F%&+ing A!" he finally growls, from the centermost point he can find in the craft, as far from each edge as possible. "If we were meant to be all the way up here, we probably wouldn't have goblins so excited about doing it."
"Eva's pretty excited too, maybe more than the goblins." Lora says, bringing the dwarf some tea and some crackers.
A few hours pass as you soar above the Spellscar Desert. Those of you with a clear view aft notice a trio dark silhouettes against the bright sky. They quickly move out of your line of sight as they spread out around the airship...
"Droskar's dick, there's something in the sky!" Royken curses, pulling out his gun as he looks around to try to see what the shapes are, and if they mean any harm.
Eva, distracted the whole time as she takes some practical lessons about aircraft mechanics, looks confused at Royken's words. "Aside from clouds and magical and chaotic weather?"
The dwarf's words fill Bleach with panic and he hastily looks around him to see where the sky ship's captain is at. Maybe she knows what's up? Nonetheless, the wizard is getting more and more nervous by the second. "I got a bad feeling about this one."
For a moment he considers his options if the ship were to go down: could he survive the crash by shapeshifting into an ooze?
"Our nice easy ride in the sky ruined." Lora sighed, checking her pistol, readying for another fight.
As you gather on the deck of the airship, you can see the three creatures flying closer now. They appear to be amalgams of horror, merging the features of a stag, wolf, and hawk. The monsters howl as they swoop towards you!
Nearby, the goblins Nulbee and Gebbin are arguing over who should stay in the engine room and who gets to use the ballista. They both want to be the one to bring down a “flying deer-wolf-thing,” but neither fully grasp the dangers of such a proposition. Gebbin turns to you. "One of you come with me! We need two people to operate the ballista. Let's shoot down a monster together!"
Before you can react, the monsters are upon you! The first one flies over Bleach, and its shadow changes to match the wizard's, leaving him shaken! It swoops down and gores him with its antlers, scoring a critical hit!
The other two creatures fly down to attack Lora and Royken. Lora takes a horrific blow, the monster's antlers gouging deep holes in her chest and belly! Royken narrowly avoids a critical hit, taking only a glancing blow.
Eva quickly follows Gebbin, aiming at the monster who hurt Lora, and then launching the bolt at it! "Hold on love!"
She then fidgets with her arm just in case.
Lora screams in pain, stumbling, as she tries to hold on her guts. "I never... knew... my insides were so gross " she manages to laugh before she pours her own magic into herself.
HP 72/80
AC 22
Fort +12, Ref +12, Will +10 (bravery)
Hero points: 3
Ammo: 7 rounds
Effects: inspired
"Right then!" Royken yells, firing a blast from his gun toward the monstrosity that attacked Lora.
He then charges toward the one that nearly eviscerated Bleach, and slams it with the butt of his gun, shoving it back.
"What the f!*& are these things?"
"Something that is the product of too much inbreeding" Lora tries to answer Roykin's question.
Knowing there's no room for retreat, Bleach holds his ground and weaves protective and necromantic magics to keep him in the fight. He can only pray that it buys him enough time for his companions to deal with the wicked creatures.
Lora soothes her nasty wounds as she inspires the rest of the team. Resisting his foe's shadow trick, Bleach reaches out with a vampiric touch. The monster yelps in pain as it critically fails to resist the magic, Bleach siphoning a large part of its life force!
Royken fires at one of the flying foes, but it dodges his blast. He then rushes at Bleach's attacker, smacking it with his gun and shoving it away from the wizard!
Eva fires the ballista, the bolt impaling one of the other monsters!
The peryton Royken shoved turns to face him, goring the dwarf and snapping at him with its fangs.
The other two perytons swoop to attack Eva, trying to take down the ballista-firing beauty! She takes one hits as the monsters gore and then fly away, turning around for another pass.
Bleach waits for the right moment and then unleashes a gust of wind upon two of the terrible perytons.
Her wound just a minor one, Eva helps Gebbin to reload the ballista and fires again, aiming for the wounded one.
HP 47/80
AC 22
Fort +12, Ref +12, Will +10 (bravery)
Hero points: 2
Ammo: 5 rounds
Effects: inspired
Royken grunts with pain as the monster attacks him and lashes out again with his gun, slamming it and shoving it away from him. With a moment to breath, he quickly reloads his gun and tries to scare one of the other beasts away with a blast from his gun -- or at least attract its attention to himself.
"Get away from her, you b!+&%!"
Lora fires her pistol at the most wounded of the horrible creatures gutting Eva, while announcing "Is this crap normal? I'm beginning to agree with your thoughts on flying, Roykin"
Royken delivers a crushing blow that finishes off his opponent. He reloads his gun and fires, but misses his mark. Lora fires at the wounded peryton, her bullet lodging into the wounded peryton's flank. Then Eva launches a ballista bolt that impales the beast and sends it careening down towards the desert sands far below!
As the final peryton swoops in for another attack, Bleach blasts it with a gust of wind! The wind fouls its wings, and it yelps as it tumbles end over end before plummeting from the sky! You peer over the edge of the ship to see it slam into the ground, where it lies unmoving.
"Ha! We did it!" Gebbin exclaims, doing a goblin victory dance!
Lora's eyes widen at the Thing called a Goblin Victory Dance, all the jerks and whirls and what in the hells would one even... well it boggles her keen mind way too much.
"Like I asked before, is it normal for things like that to attack?" she asks the goblin as she begins her healing words to all her companions.
"Yeah, the Spellscar's a dangerous place! That's probably why Captain Wyndslow was the only one crazy enough to agree to take you out here!" he laughs.
Bleach exhales and then swallows, only to find out his mouth is parched and his heart is about to pound a way out of his chest. "Point taken, Gebbin. Point taken."
"Bloody Abyss," Royken curses, as he glances over the railing to see the creature fall, then retreats back to the tenuous safety of the middle of the boat. "Let's just hurry up and get to our destination!"
"I don't think these things 'hurry'" Lora says as she looks over the dwarf for more wounds. "Okay? Or do you need another bawdy tale?"
Captain Wyndslow gives you a nod of thanks as you return to the main cabin, and the passengers cheer your combat prowess! The Second Kiss resumes its journey, and the rest of the day passes without incident.
After dinner, the airship continues its course for Cloudreaver Keep. Wyndslow heads to her stateroom to rest while Copilot Dezzin Drakes takes the controls. The sun sets, and the other passengers retire to their quarters to rest.
It's around 10 p.m. when a sudden peel of thunder presages foul weather, though it isn’t rain or hail that starts falling on the Second Kiss, but rather hissing desert snakes. Anywhere else, this phenomenon would seem apocalyptic. Flying over the Mana Wastes? "Don't worry. This isn't my first snake storm," Dezzin says reassuringly.
The sound of thick, coiled snakes bouncing off the airship's envelope makes it difficult to get some rest. Worse, several vipers slither into the lounge deck, hissing as they form into a swarm! Two giant vipers follow in their wake!
"One cannot say your flight's are boring." Lora exclaims as she peers past Eva at the mess of snakes slithering toward them. She raises her hand at them "So far from civilation, these creatures haven't learned the proper Fear of two legged creatures such as us."
Eva looks a bit flustered as they are assaulted by snakes. Her face is confused and it is clear they were in the middle of something, as her heart is racing and her middle finger is vibrating. "Oh, come on!"
She pops her finger to return it to its original function before hurrying towards the snakes, her arm already crackling with electricity!
HP 80/80
AC 22
Fort +12, Ref +12, Will +10 (bravery)
Hero points: 3
Ammo: 4 rounds
Effects:
"A f*$%ing snake storm? You've got to be kidding me!" Royken growls as he unlimbers his gun and fires a blast toward the nearest swarm, then quickly reloads it.
The swarm of snakes just manages to dodge some of Eva's lightning blast, though they prove vulnerable to the area effect. Lora successfully frightens both giant vipers. Royken's blast misses the viper swarm.
The myriad snakes swarm over Eva, biting her with their fangs, while the giant snakes move closer to attack her as well, though their fear hampers their attacks. Still, they manage a few lucky strikes!
Bleach drags a Draugr from Urgathoa's closet and instructs it to attack the two oversized vipers with its axe. The vile undead, reeking of brine and decay, does as it is told.
Seeing the rotting bastard reminds Bleach of his dislike for ships: with draugrs being common on Gebbite ships, their family boat outings were anything but pleasant and enjoyable. For Bleach, anyway.
"Something new, Nice" Lora commends their necromancer, inspiring any who want it from a simple but fitting compliment. While she lines up her pistol toward one of the big snakes and fires.
Then she will start reloading.
Against all odds, Evalina dodges an absurd amount of snakes, as well as their poison. She then punches the floor, chocking all the snakes and finally punches one of the giant vipers as hard as she can!
Bleach's draugr rips into one of the giant vipers, then Lora hits it with a bullet. Eva's explosions takes out the wounded oversized snake and injures the other, then the inventor clobbers the second giant snake and shatters its skull! Royken opens fire on the remaining snakes in the swarm, and while his first blast misses its mark, the second one blasts many snakes to bits! The few survivors slither out of the lounge.
"Snakes..." Lora shakes her head as she looks around the cabin for wounds and still thrashing snakes. If nothing is apparent she comes over and hooks Eva with her finger "If you all don't mind, we were in the middle of something, that I need finished. Call if more bad things happen! " she tells the others as she practically drags the inventor back into their cabin.
Both Bleach and the Draugr give Lora a puzzled look, but then the Draugr poofs out of this layer of existence, leaving Bleach alone to his musings. "Alright. Guess I'll be the one to get a mop and help the dwarf clean this mess up ..."
Fortunately, the rest of the night passes without incident. As the cold light of dawn creeps into the sky, the Second Kiss arrives at Cloudreaver Keep, the fortress marking the eastern end of what are commonly thought of as Alkenstar’s holdings. This is the final destination for some of the passengers, who are extremely happy to depart the unlucky airship. Captain Wyndslow insists the Second Kiss continue its voyage as swiftly as possible; she gives you but 1 hour to resupply and purchase common equipment at the keep.
Before leaving Cloudreaver Keep, Wyndslow checks with the fortress’s forecasters, who predict bad mana storms over the next few days. She warns you to prepare for a bumpy ride. Despite the forecast, the hours after the Second Kiss’s stop at Cloudreaver Keep are surprisingly uneventful, and you enjoy a brief reprieve from flying monsters...
The wizard stocks up on ink and paper so that he can extensively document the forecasted mana storms. That, and some herbs and concoctions that help one fall asleep. Just in case the ride becomes 'that' bumpy.
Lora finds the nearest bathhouse and spends her time getting properly clean (magic never takes the place of a nice bath) and then bowl of something brothy before coming back to the ship.
As Lora drags her, Eva laughs and fakes some injuries. "Ow... I was bitten pretty badly... is it true that thing about sucking the poison?"
---
Eva spends her time in the keep following the goblins as they work.
At dawn on the third day of travel, a mana storm envelops the airship. Strange transmutation magic ripples through the air, swirling and focusing around Eva!
Amid the storm, three mutated creatures take the Second Kiss by surprise! A trio of sphinx-like humanoids land on the observation deck with scimitars drawn. Their skin is covered with necrotic boils that bubble and pulse grotesquely!