The Skies have no Limit

[BdrLineAzn]

Cathedral

Northern Docks

With the clearance to land in the city, both Yeshan pilots manoeuvre their vessels into two open docks right next to each other. Nearing the platform, the crew on either ship jump off onto the deck where they tie the ships down. With the Pyramidions secured, Ny-Lee and Syá walks off from their respective ships and meet with one another on the dock.

Syá
"Well we are here, so got any plans on finding them. This is a big city."

Ny-Lee
"Should be easy, we just need to find my brother's Goldfish and ask some people around if they seen where they went."

Syá
"Okay, but we are a big group, with both of our crews, the Emperor's Guards and your husband, we might attract a group since we are Yeshan military."

Ny-Lee
"Hmm, that might be a problem. Here, I'll take Roland, you and the Lieutenant over there with me as we find my brother. We can just send the rest to find some place to stay."
Syá
"Sounds good. Here... *shouts towards the Lightning* LAU!!"

Near the stern of the Pyra, a man pokes his head out around the corner near the starboard engine. He pulls the googles that were over his eyes and places them on his forehead.

Lau
"Yes cap!"

Syá
"The Captain and I are going out with a small party to search for the Zhaos. Since you are the only other officer, Ensign you are in charge. Take the crews from both ships and find a place to stay."

Lau
"Aye aye ma'am."

Ny-Lee
"That takes care of that. Roland, 2nd Lieutenant, come on, we are going into the city."

As the two men hops off Ny-Lee's ship and moves to the two females, Chong looks back at the two ships. Ny-Lee sees this and turns to him."

Ny-Lee
"What's the matter Chong."

Chong
"Ma'am, are you sure we should leave the rest of the crew ad my men out on their accord?"

Syá
"Don't worry yourself Lieutenant, Lau is a capable man, plus they're all part of the Yeshan military, it's not like they will go star crazy and get themselves into trouble. Plus We are in Cathedral, you can give them a little rest"

Chong
"If you say so Commander, still if they do get into trouble."

Ny-Lee
"Lieutenant, you worry to much. Almost sounds like my Roland here."

Roland
"I don't worry....that much."

Rolling her eyes with a smile, Ny-Lee pecks her husband on the lips

Ny-Lee
"If you say so dear, so enough with the chit chat, we've got a brother and parents to find."

After a few moments of searching, the four mange to find BdrLine's Goldfish just a bit west from their own ships docks. Talking to a few dock workers, they also manage to find where he is staying as well.

Worker
"The lot from this ship? Well last I saw, two men came by here earlier in the morning and retrieve a few bag."

Ny-Lee
"Know where they headed to?"

Worker
"Somewhere towards the western part of the city. By my guess to the Wild Winds Inn. Popular place in the area."

Roland
"Hmm Wild Winds."

Ny-Lee
"Oh the irony that he is staying there. Thanks for the info."

Worker
"No problem, you lot of Yeshans doesn't seem bad."

Syá
"Thaanks?"

Worker
"Pleasure, well on my way. Work todo, places to be."

The worker then pushes a cart down the docks as he leaves the four to themselves. Knowing the location of where BdrLine is presumably staying at, they make their way to the western part of the city.

Somewhere in Cathedral

Walking back from the warehouse in the southern docks, Charles and Courage makes their way back to the Inn when they spot four individuals, one in Yeshan/Baron style of clothing and three in Yeshan uniforms. Not taking any particular attention to them, the two walks on their way back to the Inn. They only hesitate for a second when they hear a female yelling.

Female Voice
"Hey, you two!"

Charles and Courage stop and looks to each other.

Courage
"Is that towards to us?"

Charles
"There are more people coming out onto the streets , it could be to anyone."

Courage
"But it sounded like it was meant for us."

Charles 
"You are just imagining things."

Female Voice
"Hey you two, Anvalan Guards!"

Courage
"Okay, I think I is directed to us. Come on, who else you know are ex-Anvalan Guardsmen."

Charles
"Okay, but who is yelling at us?"

They two turn around and sees that it was one of the Yeshans in uniforms yelling towards at them. Confused as to why someone in the Yeshan Military is calling out to them, they panic a little as they see that they are walking towards them.

Courage
"Charles what do we do?"

Charles
"Umm I don't know, did we do something wrong? I know Anvala is still on good terms with the Empire and that trading contract as well."

Courage
"So how come they are coming towards us?"

Charles
"umm...yeah....Run!"

Charles then turns around into a sprint leaving a confused Courage looking at him before sprinting after him as well. Catching up, in the run, Courage asks Charles.

Courage
"How come are we running? I mean we handled the Barons and their invasion force, Anglean Raiders, even the Birdmen just now. Why are we running from Yeshans?"

Charles
"If they singled us out from a crowd, then something is up. We may have a unknown bounty on our heads."

Courage
"But we could have taken them."

Charles
"Have you seen what they are wearing? They were three officers, one maybe looked like an Elite soldier. Come on, we are good, but I know to pick my fights. Come on, let's head to the In. And warn Bdr, he can settle this...maybe."

...

As Ny-Lee and her group watch as the two men she was calling out too ran off in another direction.

Syá
"Is that suppose to happen? And who were they?"

Ny-Lee
"Well I recognised them as being Guards with Anvala during my stay there. And no, I think we might have scared them off."

Roland
"Should we follow them, they may know your brother."

Chong
"I concur, may quicken our search for the Zhaos."

Ny-Lee
"Yes come on."

The four then run off following them which leads them to the Inn.

Wild Winds Inn

Shen
"Thank you all, as a fraction whose old guard only know war, peace will benefit us all."

BdrLine
"Alright, I call Zankif when I get to my ship and ask if there is anything unusual going on over there. Oh and Plasma, I heard there was a bit of a reward for Birdmen, when do we receive it?"

Shen
"Oh son, I forgot to tell you, the Emperor is repaying you and your friends again, you may want to give this reward to Plasma over there."

BdrLine
"Hmm.. Alright... Never mind Plasma."

A bit of normalcy returns to the Inn after the standoff. Plasma is off at the bar teaching the new girl, both groups from the standoff goes off into their own area talking to theirselves, when suddenly the doors open where Charles and Courage rushes in towards BdrLine.

BdrLine
"Whoa, the Flak you guys? What happened, looks like you seen a ghost or two."

Charles
"....Ran....Yeshans...called....us....panicked..."

BdrLine
"What? Yeshans called you guys, and you two ran from them? Wait, Yeshan?"

As he finished his sentence, the door opens again and four people walks in. Turning to see who it is, Charles and Courage goes behind their friend and point to the group."

Courage
"Them, they are the ones who wanted us."

Looking at the two behind him with a confused look, BdrLine then turn to see the newcomers and start to grin.

BdrLine
"Dang you two, they aren't just some Yeshans, it's my sister and brother-in-law."

Charles & Courage
"huh?"

One of the female female Yeshans goes up to the BdrLine and gives him a hug, followed by one of the men

Ny-Lee
"Azn, it's good to see you again."

BdrLine
"Ny, Roland, what are you guys doing here?"

Chong
"I can answer that, we have received orders from the Emperor to come to Cathedral and retrieved the rescued Zhaos."

Releasing the hug, BdrLine looks at the other man curiously.

BdrLine
"Who is the new guy?"

Ny-Lee
"Oh this is Second Lieutenant Chong of the Emperor's Personal Elite Guard, and this is my second, Commander Syá."

Syá
"Nice to meet you all."

Getting up from their seats, Shen and Liu goes to their two children.

Shen
"Well I knew Xi was sending a rescue party soon, didn't think this soon. But I'm glad to see you Ny."

Seeing her parents, Ny-Lee goes over and embraces them in a big hug.

Ny-Lee
"Mom, dad, so glad you guys are still alive. Thank goodness that Azn save you guys."

Liu
"We are glad as well. What are we doing, come on let's all sit."

Liu then goes back to their table and motions the Ny-Lee and her group to sit with them. Acknowledging, everyone moves to them and move an extra table to accommodate the rest. As they sit, BdrLine lean towards to Charles and Courage

BdrLine
*chuckles* "Wow, you guys got scared from my sister. How didn't you recognise her?"

Charles
"In our defence, we didn't see their faces from the distance we were at."

BdrLine
"Well she seems to see you two first."

Charles
"Okay it was the uniforms they wore, we freaked out and ran."

Courage
"Wait, who said that we initially freaked out, you were the one who ran off first.

Charles
"I can say you ran with me after that, so you freaked out as well."

Courage
"Well because you ran off leaving me!"

Althea
"Okay settle down you two, I bet we can all agree that you two chicken out."

BdrLine
"Hehe, nice you babe."

Althea
"I do my best."

As the BdrLine and the three goes around talking with each other, Ny-Lee looks around her surroundings and spots a man she recognise from a report before she went on this trip. When sees this and places an hand on her wrist before she can say anything. Syá, Chong and Roland sees this and wonders what is happening.

Ny-Lee
"Dad, what are you doin, don't you know that's..."

Shen
"Zardis, yes, we do. But there is a reason why he is not in cuffs."

Ny-Lee
"What? Didn't you read the reports made about him."

Shen
"Yes I did, those are lies. There is something bigger then the conspiracy they charged him with. I'll tell you later when we do some planning."

Syá
"Well, if he is innocent of the charges made on him, at least the rest of the crew are not here."

The door suddenly opens and Lau, the crews from both ships, and the Imperial Elites walks into the Inn and spots their Captain and Commander.

Lau
"Wow cap, what a coincidence, so you heard that this place is pretty good as well."

Syá
"Lau, what are you doing here?"

Lau
"Well ma'am you did order me to find lodging for the rest of the crew, and people directed us here."

Pinching her nose, Syá rose from her seat and moves towards them.

Syá
"Okay, well if you all are staying here, come outside and let me explain a few things so we don't jump to conclusions."

She then leads Lau and the 12 person group out of the building and explain the situation with Zardis so that they won't cause another scene and standoff like the one earlier today. 

As the group watches Syá leaves with the large party, BdrLine stands up and look to Plasma.

BdrLine
"So umm, still got more room in this place? Looks like we have more company hehe."

[Plasmarobo]

Plasma, watching Lia intently as she struggles with some complex tubing and tapping system under the bar glances up at BdrLine confused.

_Plasma
"What do you... Geeze! What, did you invite your entire extended family!?"

He frowns around at the group of people, glances at the ceiling above him for a moment, then grins back at BdrLine.

_Plasma
"You betcha, Azn, I think we'll be able to fit them all. Going to have to open up a few of the old rooms, but it shouldn't be a problem. I should propose an extension to this place."

A sudden jet of Amber liquid and a shriek from Lia distracts him and he dives below the bar. The girl backs shakily away from the mess of piping Plasma is wrestling into submission. Plasma's voice issues out to BrdLine from under the bar.

_Plasma
"On the subject of the reward: You half is stored in the safe behind the trading counter. I can get it for you anytime you like. Or have it sent somewhere. Leave me a note at the trading counter and I'll send it where ever."

He spends the next few moments correcting the piping and lecturing Lia. If anyone in the bar listens, they are treated to several insights about the custom dynamic reactive pressure pump system that maintains what he calls a 'delicate and beautiful equilibrium' across various kegs. At the end of the lecture a harrowed looking Lia is tentatively serving drinks to customers, looking scared for her life. Plasma notices Reagan further down the bar. He slides over, eyeing her whiskey.

_Plasma
"Good day captain. Good to see you...relaxing."

He shoots a significant glance at her uniform, but plows ahead.

_Plasma
"Look, we've got some crazy political things going on at the moment. Cathedral should be safe for now, but I don't like what is happening in the Empire. These things have a way of being felt far and wide. I suggest you bring these matters to the attention of your superiors. I'll see if I can get a meeting with Councilor Xin to discuss these matters. Hopefully we've got a good long time to prepare. Maybe we won't need to at all if" - he waves his hand at the various groups in the Inn - "everyone is able to put a stop to this somehow..."

He shrugs. And glances at Lia before moving across the room and settling behind the Wild Winds trading counter to deal with some merchants drumming impatiently on the wooden surface.

[Sgt. Spoon]

After rolling around a bit on the floor Spoon got up again, this time a bit more quiet as he searched the table for his gun. Unable to find it he settled for a sizeable knife and shifted position as the pipings at the bar suddenly burst. Still mildly disorianted he took advantage of the distraction and moved closer to where Althea, Charles and Courage where standing. They had their backs turned against him and so he could get quite close, but then he spotted Plasma glancing across the inn. He quickly turned his head down as to grab a fallen cup, to keep out of sight, and it seemed as he managed remain unoticed.

But as he raised his head he found himself staring into a pair of clear eyes, a most unwelcoming sight. Althea had just turned around and was now looking straigth at him. He halted, for a split second, then lunged the knife straight at her. Of course, the throwing arm of an disoriented ex-baronian infanterist didn't put up too much for the reflexes of an Anvalan elite as she dodged to her side. But he'd seemingly catched her off-guard just long enough as the knife missed her head but instead buried itself in her left shoulder.

The next moment proceeded in seconds. Althea swore, Spoon clenched his fist, and Charles and Courage toppled over him as to keep him in control. Then Brdline rushed over to Althea to check the wound.

_{Spoon, from the floor}
"So what, you two are love-birds now? Do you have any idea what she did? To me, and to my family?!

_{Brdline sighed}
"Look, what happened back then doesn't matter, it wasn't meant to. She was just following orders dammit. Yiski issued a warrant for their arrest, but somehow the order got mixed up. And the next thing you know... well..."

_Althea
*Cough* "The next thing you know I got a warrant to kill two people."

_Brdline
"Yes, we never meant for any of this to happen. But what done is done, and we can't change that."

_Spoon
"So what? I'm just supposed to take all of this as just a big misunderstanding and move on, huh?"

_Brdline
"I'm afraid you have no choice."

_{Spoon pondered for a while, then gave up as his captors wearily released him. He got up and dusted himself off.}
"Fine... I guess I have no choice... But remember this Althea. The next time you're about to take a life, you might want to consider the thought, is it worth it? Who's loved one will you take away, what families will you shatter, and which children will you haunt?

He sat down on at a nearby table, sobbing quietly for himself and ready to drown his misery in whatever drinks they had in this place. That was, of course, if he wouldn't get shot.

[Gryphos]

--Wild Winds Inn--

The doors open and a tired messenger bursts in, bearing a slip of paper in his hand. The inn is so packed that he could not see the person he was looking for and had to resort to standing on a stool.

Messenger
"Uhh, Is there a 'Ny-lee' here?"

Ny-lee
"Over here."

The messenger spots her and drops off the stool, before weaving in and around the crowd to get to her.

Messenger
"There's a message from Chang-ning. Apparently, when you return, the Tiger wishes to speak to you personally. And, err, that's it. I'll be off now."

He bowed and then hurried out of the Inn doors.

Meanwhile, Balor and Gareth were sitting at their table chatting, completely oblivious to the recent madman attack on Althea.

Gareth
"So, err, how'd you lose the eye?"

Balor
"I'd rather not talk about it."

Gareth
"That's fine, I imagine it must have been traumatic. So... where you from?"

Balor
"I'd rather not talk about it."

Gareth
"O-kay, I guess that must have been very traumatic. Do you... live in Cathedral?"

Balor
"I'd rath-"

Gareth
"Rather not talk about it. Do you talk about anything?"

Balor
"Anything but me."

Zardis
"And cats."

Balor and Gareth both looked at Zardis with quizzical expressions.

Zardis
"Is that just me then?"

Balor
"Cats are the keepers of the underworld."

Zardis
"No, those are Skywhales."

Balor
"Skywhales are the harbingers of doom."

Gareth
"Have you both been drinking?"

Balor
"No."

Gareth
"Have you guys been... smoking... anything."

Balor
"...Skywhales."

Gareth
How did I end up like this? All I wanted to do was stop by Cathedral and take a few contracts. And now I'm surrounded by a druggy information broker with one eye and a paranoid outlaw. Not to mention the fact that I now have a responsibility to stop a Yeshan plot. Not to mention how Michael got half his face burnt off and Lyre was shot.  Things just keep getting better and better.

[Piemanlives]

--CMS Herald--

Lieutenant Ashikaga
"Gates, How long till we reach Garrow?"

Commodore Gates
"I'd say 2-3 hours, and then an additional 4-5 if we decide to Make for the Oblivion flats and Orrington, by the time we reach Orrington it should be early morning, we could stop at Garrow or we could keep flying for Orrington."

Lieutenant Ashikaga
"We'll make for Orrington, alert the crew to my decision."

Commodore Gates
"Aye sir."

The slightly older man let out a sigh as he called the crew and their passengers forth for a briefing, Hiroshi just walked away, behind him he could hear voices raise in disappointment. It wasn't his duty to satisfy the crew, only to do his best and fulfill the mission.

--Sky Runner--

Something was amiss, he wasn't sure what it was, but Alex could hear drums on the wind.

Alex
"Tell me Preston, do you feel something."

Preston
"Other then being oddly agitated these past few minutes, nothing really."

Alex
"Strange."

He took the helm and sent Phillip off to do something, he took a look around their motley flotilla, a few other vessels followed his lead and looked ready for something, most notably the 1 Pyramidion that had joined them, a few signal lights and orders were passed about the fleet, who knew who could be listening on their radios. Alex looked to the Galleon, officially the vessel was designated fleet command, it was however their escort target, which mean't making sure the enemy got nowhere near it.

--CMS Herald--

Lieutenant Ashikaga
"Commodore, what is the status of the fleet?"

Commodore Gates
"Fleet has closed the locks and are in loose escort formation, the spire has taken position on over watch duty, the Pyramidion is standing by with the Sky Runner, the goldfish flock is Running a ring around us at the moment."

Lieutenant Ashikaga
"Very well then. Keep a close look out on the clouds, I don't want anything sneaking up on us at the last moment."

--The Kings Blade--

The captain didn't know what to expect, lights around the fleet had flickered and apparently that was how orders were given when they didn't use radio, of course he didn't understand what they meant. He had decided that holding here with the other ship would be a good idea, he looked over to his accompanying vessel, he could see it's crew running about it's decks checking things, weapons, pipes, engines, the balloon even, then there was that strange thing hanging below it. He really didn't know what it was, but he no longer had time to think about it as several distant flak cannons opened fire.

--CMS Herald--

Commodore Gates
"What the hell was-"

He didn't get a chance to finish as the pyramidion exploded into a brilliant hell fire.

Commodore Gates
"Shit! Gunnery get moving and open fire!"

--Sky Runner--

Alex
"Reminds me way too much of Firnfield."

He watched from the helm as the pyramidion fell to earth, burning in death as it smashed helplessly into the dunes below. The rest of the fleet reacted, most were surprised, he looked around, searching for the source of the gun fire as the heavy flaks fired once more. This time however the shots flew wildly and by passed the targets they most likely had chosen. Soon however a Galleon sprang free from the clouds, followed soon by several squids. The rest of the fleet opened fire, taking down 2 of the squids, from both Galleons the iconic sound of Hwacha fire echoed about as they fired in the accompanying fleets, Alex jumped their engine to full as they entered the fray.

Alex
"Reynold take the wheel!"

Reynold
"Aye sir!"

He handed off the helm as he made his way to the rocket craft, there he found Richard preparing to fight.

Richard
"Ready?"

Alex
"Ready as I'll ever be, let's go."

They both mounted the craft, Travis jumped on the rear facing chaingun, Richard released the craft from it's berth, for just a moment they were free falling, then the engines roared to life. Propelled forward by a single experimental engine they soared for one of the squids closing in on the Galleon, letting loose on it the telltale signs of engine failure could be seen rising from it as they picked their next target, one of the goldfish in the fleet singled out the disabled squid and fired round after round of carronade fire into the ship’s hull, eventually causing it to fracture and plummet earthward. Alex piloted the little rocket craft about the outskirts of the battle looking for their next target, most of the goldfish were dueling with squids, however that enemy Galleon was moving to engage theirs. Turning the craft, they moved to engage the enemy Galleon.

--CMS Herald--

Commodore Gates
"This reminds me way too much of Firnfield."

Lieutenant Ashikaga
"Excuse me?"

Commodore Gates
"Sorry, just a memory, shit, here they come!"

Just as he said that the enemy Galleon fired several heavy flak shells into their hull as they rocketed past one another. They responded in kind with a broadside of carronade and hwacha fire, shredding the balloon like a knife through butter and disabling its guns, as the Galleon drifted downward a lone hwacha blast slammed into it, intrigued he turned to see a small craft soar past, firing a chaingun into the enemy hull, he saw the Sky Runner move to engage the enemy Galleon, firing mortars and artemis missiles into the enemy vessel.

--Sky Runner--

She awoke to fire and the roar of cannons, she instantly realized she was in the air and that, surprisingly, someone had wrapped a coat around her, another weapon echoed out a report as she saw several rounds slam into a lone goldfish, behind it a pair of squids was slowly sending it plummeting to destruction, she covered her ears as a massive explosion resounded across the dunes, fires raged on a single squid as it made a beeline for a spire off to the side, it simply disabled it and fired round after round until it simply buckled and the shattered pieces fell.

Amelia
"Oh my god, what is happening!?"

Phillip
"Oh hey you’re awake."

He poked his head around the corner.

Phillip
"Took you long enough, we've been fighting for a good half-an-hour."

An explosion rocked the ship.

Phillip
"Anyways I have to get back to work, stay safe!"

He looked around for a second before spotting a pipe, smashing it with his spanner a few times before a voice called out somewhere else.

Dahlia
“That’s got it! Get back up here, we need you on the guns!”

Phillip
“Aye ma’am!”

He gave a smart salute before running off.

--CMS Herald--

Lieutenant Ashikaga
“Gates, what is the status of the fleet?!”

Another explosion rocked them as one of the remaining squids came by for another pass, the enemy Galleon was taken care of, mostly due to its own ineptitude but mostly because it was very un-optimized for close combat, mainly because it’s only close quarter weapon had been on the opposite facing side during their duel. Looking into the battle most of the fleet was heavily damaged, they had lost a few vessels, most notably the pyramidion and a few goldfish, at least 4 of them had gone down during the ensuing battle but yet it still raged, in the distance the spire swatted yet another squid from the skies. Searching about he could see only 3 goldfish still flying, it was a big dent in their numbers but they couldn’t afford to head back yet.

Commodore Gates
“Not well sir, at least half the fleet is down for the count, we should probably pickup survivors if there are any, however with that in mind, there are only 6 ships left including ours, Garrow is just up ahead, it’d be best if we rest there for the night.”

He sighed.

Lieutenant Ashikaga
“Very well, best give the men a breather, we should probably report in once we dock.”

Commodore Gates
“Aye sir.”

--The Wild Winds--

Reagan looked at him for a moment before putting down her glass.

Reagan
“It’s probably for the best, if you need someone in Vyshtorg soon however I have a friend who will be near there in a few days, and by near I mean Landmark, we can probably get them there in a few days, however the Militia vessels with them have to sail home. Anyways, point is we can get them there in a few days, how does that sound?”

Plasma
“Who is this “Friend?””

Reagan
“You should know him, take a look at the regulars, and ask, who is missing?”

Plasma
“What is that supposed to mean?”

He decided that avoiding the question and just doing it anyway was in his best interest, he noticed a few faces missing.

Plasma
“Alright, I’ll bite, who is it?”

Reagan
“Alex and Richard.”

Plasma
“Ahh.”

--The Skies Over Burren--

Alex and Richard had been flying the entire battle, now however, they floated about as they had their balloon deployed, the few pirate vessels remaining began to flee, already the crews of the fleets fallen vessels, or at least those who survived, sat about their wreckage as they awaited pickup.

Richard
“So tell me, how long do we have to wait here?”

Alex
“It should only be a few more minutes, ah, there’s our ship now.”

He pointed out their vessel as it flew towards them.

Travis
“What I’d give for a bath right now.”

Richard
“Ah stuff it.”

Travis
“Hey, it’s the truth.”

Their ship held position over them as it lowered the crane into position, latching onto the craft they deinflated the balloon as they lifted them back into the vessel.

Phillip
“Welcome back, have a good flight?”

Richard
“You kidding?  They had no inflight entertainment at all!”

Phillips
“Sucks to be you.”

[BdrLineAzn]

Cathedral

--Wild Winds Inn--

Grabbing some napkins from the table, BdrLine places them over Althea's bloodied shoulder. She winches a little as a reaction from the touch.

BdrLine
"Think you'll be fine?"

Althea
"Should be, it nothing really. Just bandage it right up, and I'll be alright. Shee, ouch."

BdrLine
"Yeah hold on. Plasma got any bandages? ....Wait what? Extended family....just because we are Yeshans doesn't mean we look the, never mind. Do you have bandages?"

Plasma looks up from his desk as he straightens out some papers.

Plasma
"Should be behind the bar. Lia do you see it?"

At the bar, Lia is crouch down looking through the cabinets looking for the first-aid kit. After five minutes of searching, an "ah-ha" can be heard as she pops up again.

Lia
"Found it, here you go."

Moving towards the bar, BdrLine takes the kit and goes back to Althea. Setting the kit down on the table, he opens it up and rummage around for the necessary materials. Once he finds everything he needs, BdrLine then  removes the napkins and clean the wound. After cauterising it, he sews up the cut and wraps her shoulder with bandages. Finishing tying off the bandage, BdrLine places everything back into the kit and returns to Lia.

BdrLine
"Thanks."

Lia nos to him as she takes back the kit and places under the counter. BdrLine returns to Althea who is slowly rolling her shoulder.

BdrLine
"So how is it?"

Althea
"Feels better, just wished I didn't have stab wound though."

BdrLine
" *sighs* Spoon means well, it wasn't his fault on how he reacted. I mean how would you feel if something happened to someone close to you?"

Althea
"I don't know, maybe the same thing. But I don't want to think about if something were to happen, let's say you."

Ny-Lee
"Well I guess that you would go over and start beating the man senselessly as he almost killed your boyfriend now husband."

BdrLine and Althea then quizzically look over to Ny-Lee and to what she said.

BdrLine
"Ny, want to say something?"

Ny-Lee
"oh just an old memory. I'm just saying, people will do anything for someone close."

She then scoot over to Roland a little more as she still have the image of him bleeding from the gunshot when mercenaries tried to kidnap her and her brother.

"I mean look we all went out to look for mom and dad."

BdrLine
"Yeah I guess you are right. Maybe i should tell him that we did give him a proper burial as for his final wish."

Althea
"Oh yeah, I remember that. That poem."

BdrLine
"Yeah, didn't know his friend had a poetic type in him."

As BdrLine and Althea are discussing with each other, Shen then thinks about what Plasma has said and chuckles to himself.

Liu
"What is it dear?"

Shen
"Honey, do you remember Xin?"

Liu
"Hmmm, wasn't he the one who used to help you when you were a scholar?"

Shen
"Yup, same one. Now he is a councilman here."

Liu
"Well this should help."

Shen
"Yes it will."

Shen then sees the messenger come in and delivers a message to his daughter. He grows suspicious when the messenger said that it came from the Tiger. Curious, Ny-Lee opens the envelope and reads the message.

By the Order of Admiral Fang:

Captain Zhao, after you have completed your rescue mission of recovering Mr. & Mrs. Zhao. You are then report to the Admiral's office inside the Imperial Palace. It is of great urgency for you to go directly to him once you land back in the Capital. He will have detail regarding your next mission.


Shen
"Ny, can I see that note?"

Looking at him, Ny-Lee then passes the note over to her father who quickly skims the majority and flips it over to see the seal. 

Shen
"Hmm, can't be a coincidence."

Ny-Lee
"What is?"

Shen
"Ny let me answer as to why Zardis is here. Recently he has stolen a piece of information from the this Admiral's office given to him by one of the Deer. On it, it states a plot to take over the Guild from the inside and soon the rest of the world."

Ny-Lee
"Wait, what?"

Shen
"Yes I know. Right know, your brother and others in this room are going to plan some sort of way to spy inside the Guild if anything has happened. From what I reckon, this message to meet the Admiral is to plan the attack on the Guild if their scheme succeeds."

Ny-Lee
"So shouldn't we just arrest him? We have the evidence. Should I tell the rest of the crew?"

Shen
"Not yet, when they are ready you can tell them. As for arresting them, they may deny any claims and their plan may already be in motion, so we don't need to trip them off. Just go to this meeting and see where it goes from here."

Ny-Lee
"Alright then, I trust you dad."

Chong
"Sir, if they are planning this, what of the Emperor?"

Shen
"hmm, if they do go along with this, they may dispose of him and place themselves as head. Second Lieutenant is it? Well when we all return, have the entire Emperor's Elites on guard around him."

Chong
"Yes sir." 

Moments later, Syá returns with the rest of the crew. After hearing that Zardis is not the threat that he really is, they seemed a bit relaxed but still tense if something were to happen with him in the room.

[Piemanlives]

--Garrow--

The motley fleet pulled into Garrow, battered and bloody they docked, the remaining ships let loose their crews to find shelter for the night, engineers poured over the Galleon as they checked for damage to important systems, a few bodies were carried from the vessel, and soon they were on their way to places elsewhere for burial, a few passerby's stopped to watch them before going about their business once more. Aboard the Sky Runner Alex and Richard decided to stay aboard as the others went about to look for an inn to turn into for the night, aboard they took a look at the ship as they examined the ship for damage.

Alex
"We might as well get a new ship, take a look at this."

He beckoned Richard over to take a look, together they stared at the frame of the ship, a fairly sizable chunk was taken out of it. It was fairly obvious the ship could still fly but hull integrity would take a massive bite.

Richard
"We could always repair the frame, then again we don't have time, or the materials to do it here."

Alex
"We'll be at a disadvantage till we get back, find a shipwright and have him do the best repair job possible in the time we have, also we should probably go check the crane, just in case."

Richard
"Good idea."

Leaving aside the frame for the moment they took a quick jaunt to the other end of the ship where the craft was housed, the crane seemed undamaged for the most part however there were a few chinks in the arm of the crane here and there. It wasn't much so unless it proved to be otherwise they would leave it be.

Alex
"Go find a shipwright and get working."

Richard
"Alright."

A quick exchange of crowns later and Richard went dockside to find a worthy shipwright, Alex however stumbled upon their sleeping passenger, looking about quickly, he picked her up and went off to catch up with the others.

--Garrow Communication Services--

The women at the desk looked up to see people in uniforms she'd never seen before walk in, obviously they were in hurry but she was conflicted about whether she should help them or not.

Receptionist
"How can I help you?"

Lieutenant Ashikaga
"May we use your radio?"

She looked him up and down, still gauging if she should or not.

Receptionist
"Our... Radio is out, we do have a telegraph you can use."

The man in front of her gave a visible sigh.

Lieutenant Ashikaga
"Very well, take me to it."

Nodding slowly, she got up from her desk and led him down the hall, the other man following just behind them, she reached the telegraph station and unlocked the door.

Receptionist
"There you go."

Commodore Gates
"We'll be a moment, best you head back to your desk."

She just shrugged and walked back to her desk, after a few moments another group walked in, wearing similar uniforms to the men previously.

Cathedral Militia Soldier
"We're looking for two of our officers."

She pointed to the hall, they thanked her and ran down the hallway, she could hear voices though she couldn't make out anything."

A few moments later they walked back out, with the first two in the lead.

Lieutenant Ashikaga
"Thank you."

He flipped a gold crown at her before walking out.

--Cathedral Militia HQ, moments earlier--

Officer
"Ma'am, telegram just arrived from Garrow!"

He saluted smartly before going back to his duties, Reagan read it twice over before calling for an aide.

Reagan
"Call Captain Walker immediately."

That however was unnecessary because Walker had been right outside the door.

Captain Walker
"You rang?"

Reagan
"Fleet reported in just a moment ago, they've taken some heavy damage and are currently residing at Garrow, they'll be ready to continue on in the morning however the forces they reported seemed to indicate an organized bandit party out there."

Walker
"Well we can't have that."

Reagan
"No sir, also about my suggestion..."

Walker
"It affects all of us I know, send a message telling Captain Henley to continue onto Vyshtorg after completion of their mission, though it would be best if you explained why."

Reagan
"Oh you're not saying..."

Walker
"Yes I am, take a ship to Landmark, preferably a fast one meet them there, explain the situation, who knows who could be listening in."

Reagan
"Yes sir..."

[BdrLineAzn]

Narrator

As night approaches and the day beginning to end, rain clouds start once again to roll over Cathedral. The patter of droplets can be heard from the outside as the patrons of the Inn start to head up to their rooms. With the arrival of the many new guests, Plasma heads up to the third floor to open some more rooms to accommodate the extra persons. He gives Lia the opportunity to watch over the bar and bottom floor if any more commotion happens to erupt. The night goes on quietly as people exit the building out into the rain or upstairs for some sleep.

None can say that the fleet at Garrow are having a pleasant evening. With part of the crews on the different vessels, many are going about trying to recover from the earlier ambush as to drinking to calm nerves or the lose of crew mates. As for Alex and his crew, the others have found a decent place to stay for the night, a simple B&B that can hold the entirety of the whole crew. In the middle of the night, the Sky Runner has been moved from her previous hold to the shipyard that Alex found to repair her of the battle damage she took, throughout the workers furiously go about trying to repair the hole.

As for our Captain Walker, after receiving the news that the fleet has landed in Garrow, he goes quickly to the Northern Docks where a ship is being prepared for his arrival. Once there, he sees that it was a modified Squid. With the usually four propeller engines, mounted on either side of the twin pontoons are two rocket engines for increased speed. Accompanied by a specialist engineer for the rocket engines and the crew of his choice, the ship rises above the city and speeds it's way to Landmark.

End Narration

-End of Day 10-

--------------------

La la lala la la,
Sing a happy song.
La la lala la la,
Smurf it all day long.

 

---------------------

Start of Day 11

Narrator

The next morning comes as the streets are wet from the nights rain shower. Everyone stirs awake as to get ready to start the day. Downstairs in the main floor of the Inn, Lia is running the bar while Plasma hands the Trading and Acquisition side of the Inn.

End Narration

[Piemanlives]

--Somewhere over the Middle Plains--

Reagan
"Couldn't have let have a drink could you?"

Captain Walker
"Nope."

The two of them, and their rocket squid, christened CMS The Flying Cloud, sped over the land beneath them, a course set straight for Landmark, the engines have so far remained operational, which was a skyward blessing if any. They had passed a few high towers, whatever they were once for however is long forgotten, they had, more or less, been abandoned, however a few had some rather hefty signs of activity.

Reagan
"I wonder what they're doing in those towers."

Captain Walker
"Another question for another day, though I must admit, I'm rather curious too."

Behind them the navigator called them over to the hull hideaway.

Navigator
"Sir, I must admit I had my doubts about this vessel, anyways, onto the news, according to this map, if we maintain our present course and speed, we'll reach the Storm Islands in a matter of hours, from their we can call into Termini and take on fuel, from there we can fly to Colonia and then over Wreakreef Bay, from their Landmark will only be a few hours away."

Captain Walker
"Thank you for the update, now why do I feel you're going to throw a cog in my face and give me some terrible new?"

Navigator
"Radio just piped in, apparently a storm is rolling in, so if we want to make Termini, we'll have to push it, and fast."

Captain Walker
"I see, how far can we push these engines?"

Navigator
"Don't ask me, I'm no engineer."

The wind buffeted the craft a bit, enough to make it noticeable, looking out they could see a few storm clouds far in the distance. Due to the increased speeds the squid would be flying at, a few wind breakers were fitted about to avert problems high winds would inevitably cause. Of course it didn't prevent the frigid air and the sound generated, most conversations were held in the single below deck area were talking didn't require yelling over forces of nature. climbing out however released them back into the loud sounds that is high winds, the two engineers somehow managed to work based on hand signs though that wasn't really effective in an actual conversation, Walker dragged one of them back to the hull so he could talk.

Captain Walker
"How hard can we push these engines?"

Corporal Peterson
"A fair bit harder, though I'm not convinced that the ship can."

Captain walker
"How so?"

Peterson
"I mean, the craft was made with propeller engines in mind, sure we reinforced it to take the strain that the rockets will produce, but at the end of the day there is only so much that could be done, we could probably push it over 60% with no problems, but any more and the craft could rip its self apart."

Captain Walker
"What are we operating at?"

Peterson
"54% sir."

Captain Walker
"Take it to 60%, we have a storm to outrun."

Peterson
"Aye sir."

He went back above deck to get working, Walker just turned to Reagan who was enjoying a cup of tea warmed by the hull.

Captain Walker
"Think we'll make it?"

Reagan
"Hope so, if not, it's not like they'll get there before us."

Captain Walker
"Fair enough, I think."

[BdrLineAzn]

Cathedral

Wild Winds Inn

The sun shines thought the window of BdrLine and Althea's room. Landing on his face, the ray of light stirs BdrLine as he blink opens his eyes. Groaning as to be waken up by the sun's ray, he removes the blanket and tosses his legs over the side of the bed. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he feels movement from the bed as Althea grabs the extra length of blanket to cozy herself.

"Ugh, do you have to wake up at this time? Come on and get back to bed and sleep in for a bit more." she said sleepily..

Standing up and stretching, BdrLine gives out a yawn as he places a hand over his mouth to cover it.

Chuckles, "Don't blame me for being an early riser, and what about you? You're an Elite, aren't they suppose to wake up earlier then the rest of the Anvalan force?"

Not moving from her position on the bed, Althea grabs a pillow and toss it at BdrLine which hits him squarely on the back of his head. 

"Hey."

With a smug smile on her face she says to him, "Well we are not in Anvala are we now? So I can sleep in a little longer. Also I blame you a bit from the antics you pull from time to time."

"What? I did say I was sorry for all the times I brought back experiments to the Saloon."

Turning over to face him, Althea gives her boyfriend a deadpan look.

"Couldn't you have left them in your warehouse? You and I, and the others know that most of your first prototype experiments end up combusting into flames or exploding one way or another. You are lucky that Yiski is out somewhere. If he sees what you been doing to his Saloon, I bet he'll load you in a Lumberjack and shoot you all the way to the Order."

Putting his hands up in a defensive position, also to avoid the wrath from Althea, BdrLine sits down back onto the bed and puts a hand on her top shoulder.

"Ok, you got me on that. I'll try not to bring them to the Saloon. Besides, it not like it can destroy the building down, the foreman built her to withstand a siege. But, you can go back to sleep if you want to, I'm going to head down and see who else is awake and to figure out where to go with this whole Guild problem."

Tossing the blanket over and rising out of bed, Althea moves towards her back to retrieve clothes and heads to the bathroom. As she shuts the door behind her, Althea calls out,

"I'm coming with you too then. Talking to you got me wide awake and I can't get back to sleep, so I blame you."

Chuckling to himself, BdrLine readies as well for the day. Going over to his bag, he pulls out e clothes for the day and change out of his night garments.

He calls over, " Well I can chalk that one as another reason why you do things because of me."

Behind the bathroom door, "Oh don't flatter yourself, I had a perfectly fine time sleeping comfortable in bed."

Unlocking and opening the bathroom door, Althea comes out fully changed and places the sleep wear back into her bag. 

Closing it, she turns to BdrLine, "Done yet?"

Pulling the shirt over his head and straightening out his outfit, he gives a thumbs up and moves towards the door. Rolling her eyes with a small faint smile, Althea quickly pecks him as the pair heads out of their room into the main hallway.

"Now I can see why you get a little green when I do that with Roland."

Surprised but the sudden outburst of the new voice, the couple turn to see Ny-Lee and Roland coming down the stairs that lead up to the third floor. Going a bit red from being caught, BdrLine and Althea sheepishly look at random objects in the hallway. With Ny-Lee laughing, she and Roland walks towards the two. 

With a small smile, Roland looks to his wife, "Come on Ny, we were like this before."

Grabbing one of his hands, Ny-Lee places her head in the nook of Roland's neck and pulls her closer.

"Yeah I remember, I just can't believe that now its my older brother's turn. Which is about time, no offence Althea."

BdrLine groans as being reminded yet again by his younger sister and Althea chuckles at his predicament.

"None taken," she says.

"So brother, where are you two going."

"Well, Althea and I are going down into the first floor to see who is awake and discuss this whole this with the Deer and Tiger."

"Oh... Thanks for reminding me...," Ny-Lee says as her mood change from upon hearing the information from yesterday, "I hope we can fix this quickly."

Sighing, BdrLine leads the four down to the main floor, "So do I Ny, so do I. Hmm, I still need to radio Zankief," as he mumbles the last part to himself.

As the four enter the main floor, they see that it's not that pack or busy as it is still earlier in the day. At the bar they see Lia who waves to them as the group came down. On the other side, BdrLine sees Plasma shifting through papers as they head to an open table to eat breakfast. Going over to them, Lia writes down their order and heads back to prepare their meal, as they wait, the look around to see if any familiar faces are awake.

"Hmm, where you think the others are at?" say Roland.

"I'm guessing that my mom and dad are still in their rooms sleeping off their ordeal. And that Charles and Courage are maybe hungover and in their rooms, or out and about in the city," answers BdrLine. 

"Syá woke up earlier, she and Chung went with a few of the others out to check out on our ships. Other than that, I bet the rest of the crew are still in their rooms." Said Ny-Lee

Returning back with their food, Lia places the plates in front of the four and returns back to the bar. As they eat, BdrLine looks around and wonders where the Wolf is and the rest of his group to help plan against this conspiracy.

[Gryphos]

--Wild Winds Inn--

Gareth woke up in his rented bed not next to Lyre, as she was already up and standing at the foot of the bed. On the floor lay Michael, Lionel, Kay and Hector, who had apparently decided that the floor was preferable to a sleeping bag back on the ship.

Gareth
"Morning."

Lyre
"Good morning."

Gareth
"Wake the crew up, will you."

Lyre
"Alright, you go get Zardis."

Gareth
"Fine."

After a few minutes of waking up the gang all wander downstairs and sit at their now usual table.

Gareth
"By the way, Zardis, where'd Balor go?"

Zardis
"*shrug* I dunno. He's a mysterious man. You'll probably never even see him again."

Gareth
"Yeah, well, I suppose that's no matter. We have more pressing matters. Morning, BrdLine."

BrdLine
"Morning."

Lyre
"Morning, Althea, was it? Sorry again about the incident."

Althea
"That's fine."

Zardis
"Well if we're finished with pleasantries, there's urgent matters."

From the stairs come swooping in the two eagles, presumably having entered the building through the open window, who then land on the table and stare at the surrounding patrons.

[Piemanlives]

(Time again for more adventures from Captain Walker and Reagan Morgan? I think so.)

--Corunna to Latta--

Captain Walker
"Those storm clouds look rather close."

As their flight continued the clouds continued to grow in size, in more ways than one. Firstly they are growing closer so naturally perspective would increase their size, but also, the storm was still brewing out there, they could feel the change in winds from way out and it was still growing stronger, and stronger.

Reagan
"I could really use a drink."

Walker
"I think not, anyhow we've got to keep moving, storm is still upon us."

Reagan
"It could be worse I guess, though the hull is nice and warm."

The ships course had been locked in place, besides the engineering crew which was switching off every few minutes, everyone had gathered to warm themselves by the hull, Corporal Peterson had rigged a nice hot plate over it to warm some water, though Reagan was still itching for some whiskey, of course per regulation there was no alcohol aboard. A few things were certain however, one was they would most likely be caught in the storm and would most likely have to make port as it passes over, most likely Latta or if they were lucky, Arnno.

Reagan
"Say you guys ever heard of the Green Lady?"

Everyone who heard her cocked their head at the mention of it.

Peterson
"I've heard it mentioned, but never actually figured out what it was."

Reagan
"One of the most devastating storms one would ever face. It's definitely not this, not only is the storm not green, but the storm isn't nearly large enough."

Navigator Willard
"Just how large can this storm get?"

His voice as filled with awe, most likely from small description she had given.

Reagan
"I don't know, it varies from story to story, some say it blankets the entire ocean several times over, others say it can ravage entire coast lines for miles inland and then dissipate without a warning, only thing in common? It's big."

Captain Edwards
"Big alright, piloting in these winds at this speed? Hell, I wonder what it would be like to actually fly this thing in the storm, probably be suicide but you never know, we might have to."

Walker
"You ever thing it was a bad idea to bring three of Cathedral's Militia Captains along for the ride?"

Edwards
"Nah, if anything Cathedral can handle our absence, it's not like we don't have other captains."

Walker
"Fair enough, don't blame me for worrying about the city we're sworn to protect."

Edwards
"For now Yesha presents the biggest threat if all of this is to be believed. We've got to stop them if we're to have a chance at all."

--Garrow, Nightingale Inn--

The crew had gathered in the inn's hall for breakfast, a few of the other mercenary crews could be seen milling about, most of them didn't have a vessel anymore, until they reached Cathedral they'd be riding with the Galleon, a messenger came by during breakfast saying repairs have been completed however more extensive repairs would need a more well equipped dry dock, he sent the runner back with payment for the repairs, a partly sum of several hundred crowns, he'd be sure to see what they could do once they returned to Cathedral. Breakfast ended and they went wandering about the city till it would be time to depart in about an hour or so. Alex and Richard took the market in an instant, snatching up a few small items, most notably another puzzle cube after theirs had been lost over the dunes, whoever made those things was sadistic.

Alex
"Good thing thing I kept these books of mine in the satchel."

Richard
"Yeah well I guess it could be worse, we could have lost the ship."

Alex
"Yeah that would have been bad, really bad."

Richard
"Worst then Firnfield?"

Alex
"Definitely not."

Richard
"That cafe over there is selling shaved ice."

He pointed to a nice looking building tucked away in the corner of the market street, a few patrons sat outside, drinking and snacking away, even though they just had breakfast, something cool and refreshing was in order.

Alex
"I'm in, you?"

Richard
"Definitely."

--Somewhere in Garrow--

Lorena
"To think we were ambushed just outside Cathedral though."

Preston
"I guess it could be worse, we could have died."

Dahlia
"That's an interesting thought right there Preston, how you holding up?"

Preston
"Mostly stiff, the pain has more or less gone away though I should probably exercise it more just in case."

Travis
"Don't push yourself kid."

Reynold
"Oh he'll be fine, hopefully."

Preston
"Hopefully?"

Phillip
"Oh leave off him you guys, at least now he has an interesting story to tell."

Dahlia
"You mean like you?"

Phillip
"Like all of us you mean, you remember that time you got drunk and stumbled into a brothel and-"

Dahlia bopped him on the back of the head, evoking a laugh from everyone. A few passerby's looked at them but decided against drawing attention to them and walked away. They didn't seem to mind some of the attention.

Preston
"-I can understand getting drunk, but a brothel? Really?"

Dahlia
"I was drunk, what can I say."

Phillip
"Reminds me of when we took Preston out drinking for the first time."

Preston
"We are NOT telling that story."

Dahlia
"Oh come one tell us!"

Phillip
"Right so here's what happened-"

--Paritus, 5 Years Ago--

Several men were walking through the unlit streets, unlit you may ask? The power grid was under maintenance, any who, finding their way was a bit difficult however they soon found their way to the Buck and Bronco's bar, a fairly popular rest stop for sailors and travelers alike.

Preston
"Why are we doing this again?"

Travis
"You wanted to go out drinking with us right?"

Preston
"Fine, you've got a point."

Walking in they looked about, they grabbed and empty table around the edge of the bar, everywhere patrons milled about, some playing games, others swapping stories, what was on tap was written on a chalk board. Something called a "Hellfire" was on the menu and Preston was rather curious about it.

Waiter
"Orders anyone?"

Travis
"I'll take a Paritus Special."

Reynold
"I'll just have a Lager."

Alex
"Whiskey, lemon, ice, and a bit of creme."

Richard
"I'll have what he's having."

Lorena
"You guys are going to get so drunk tonight."

Alex
"You ordering or not?"

Lorena
"Yup, I'll take a Bannon's Steak."

Preston
"Umm.... Hellfire?"

Waiter
"Ok then, be back with your orders in a second."

At the mention of Hellfire someone stepped up to their table.

Stranger
"Hellfire eh?"

Preston
"Yes?"

Stranger
"Heh, you'll be in for a night."

He tossed a tip to a waitress before walking out, the waiter soon came back with their orders, Preston eyed his drink, now uncertain if he should drink it or not, taking a sip however and he felt a rather strong burning sensation, finding it not half bad however he took a swig of it...

--Several hours later--

Preston
"Uhg, what, where am I?"

He took a look around and had no idea where he was, he could however here voices in the distance. a few moments later and a sheet of metal shifted from the wall and Richard entered.

Richard
"Boy did you lead us on a merry chase."

Preston
"What happened?"

Richard
"Well wouldn't you like to know? Well anyways, here's what happened-"

--Several Hours earlier--

Drinks had gone around again, Lorena, while not taking part in the drinking still participated heavily in the festivities with her own brand of stories and jokes, Richard noticed that Preston was rather quiet however.

Richard
"Oi, you alright?"

He didn't answer, he did seem asleep however. He gave him a good shake, sitting up with a start however Preston gave him a good look up and down before taking the waitress in hand and giving her the kiss of a lifetime. Spun her around a bit before jumping on the center table and dancing his young heart out.

Richard
"Wait what!?"

Preston
"I AM THE KING OF EVERFALL HERE ME AND OBEY!!"

With that however he took a length of rope, tied several chairs together and lugged them out of the bar laughing heartily. The others just stared after him.

Travis
"We should probably go after him."

They all looked at each other for a few good seconds before completely abandoning the meal, leaving payment and an extra tip for the waitress. They could still here Preston in the distance, mostly due to the chairs but also because the laughter was quite audible. They passed street after street, after a bit of sprinting however they managed to corner him in an alley way.

Alex
"Come on Preston, you're drunk."

Richard
"Come on, don't make us do this again!"

Preston
"You fools! You dare defy me?! You dare defy your king?! I'll have none of it!"

With that he swung the chairs at them, however he missed them completely missed, it did however give him long enough to exit via manhole.

Travis
"Seriously, uhg, I'll go after him."

He slid in and went after him.

Phillip
"Now what?"

Alex
"Alright gang, split up and search for clues."

Richard
"Gotta find the king, no throne without a king."

Lorena
"You guys are so drunk."

Reynold
"I call the Captain's daughter!"

Alex
"NO!"

And with that the resounding sound of a slap filled the alley.

Richard
"Leeeets get moving."

Phillip
"Yup, lets do that."

--Streets of Paritus--

Searching far and wide they found no trace of either Preston nor Travis, however the sounds were definitely a sign they were still down there. What was even worse was that the sun was coming up.

Lorena
"We're not going to find them."

Alex
"Ah hell."

The sound of a nearby manhole opening however caused them to all turn around, with a loud thud the manhole cover hit the ground and Travis climbed out, rather inconspicuously clean.

Richard
"Find him?"

Travis
"Nope, and I've got a really bad head-ache."

Alex
"Remind me not to drink 7 mugs worth of whiskey."

Richard
"Only if I'm drinking."

Reynold
"Probably should keep looking, who knows where he could-"

With a whoop Preston came running out of an alley, pulling behind him a hand cart, filled with bread, and potatoes. Again they all just looked at each other before running after him, emerging from the other side they found themselves in the docks. Looking around however the only thing they could see was the hand cart crashed into a vendors cart. Asking the owner proved difficult as he was more concerned by the destruction of his goods. A friendly passerby however directed them to scrap yard. After a quick jog they soon found themselves searching around wrecks of various size.

Alex
"Find anything?!"

Lorena
"Not one bit!"

Richard however found something.

Richard
"Oi, look at this!"

After a few minutes of walking however they soon reached him. Motioning for them to wait outside he entered, soon he came across a large piece of sheet metal, managing to get a grip on it however, he slid it off to the side.

--Garrow, Present Day--

The story was loud and interesting enough to have gathered a fairly size-able crowd, Dahlia's face was just wide open as she listened to the tale.

Phillip
"Right, I'm done."

[Yiski]

--Crimson Skies Saloon, Chang-ning--

It had been almost a week and a half since Ny-Lee and Roland rushed out of the saloon, and leaving a confused Lauren and Yiski behind. Despite being in Yeshan territory with completely new new people to interact with, Yiski managed to take everything in stride as he always did. After all, who better to leave a saloon to when you're gallivanting off on what Yiski knew to be an adventure.

[Yiski]
"Skies... still wished they would've told me where they was goin'."

[Lauren]
"I know, but don't you think it's time to let them have their own fun?"

Yiski mulled the thought over and shrugged.

[Yiski]
"I guess it does get a bit tirin' shootin' bandits everyday."

[Lauren]
"Plus, you know we could always have our own adventure when we close up."

Lauren gives Yiski a sultry look and a smirk which gets a bit of a rise out of Yiski... and the other patrons who were now giving catcalls and whistles to Lauren. This caused Yiski to turned and face the saloon which then went eerily silent. Lauren laughed and gave Yiski a kiss on the cheek.

[Lauren]
"Now come on. This saloon isn't going to serve itself."

[Piemanlives]

--Garrow Service Yard--

Alex
"It'll take sometime when we return to Cathedral to repair this."

Richard
"Probably a bit expensive too."

Alex
"We'll have the money, hopefully at least."

The two of them had popped into the yard to see how the ship had fared, it would definitely need an overhaul sometime in the near future to fully repair the damage. Of course they still had a ways to go before that would be possible, however the repairs seemed sturdy enough to last them.

Richard
"We should probably grab some supplies before moving on."

Alex
"Yeah, it'll be an interesting voyage from here on out."

Richard
"You got that right."

The two of them began making their way to the market as their ship was transported to the dock.

--Nightingale Inn--

She wasn't exactly sure what to do with her time, she found a letter from the ships captain stating they would be in town for a few hours, however being asleep when she was brought in, she really didn't know where she could go to spend it, for now however she was waiting for lunch to be served.

Amelia
"Why did they just leave me here?!"

She was entirely frustrated by the situation, if she headed out she would likely be lost in the city streets however if she stayed she would remain bored out of her mind. The innkeeper came by with her tray of food, it was a homely affair of soup, some bread, and various vegetables. She ate quickly as she decided what to do with her time. Coming to the end of the meal she had finally decided.

Amelia
"Well, to the market it is, if I can find it that is."

She left a tip on the table as she adjusted her dress before exiting the inn into the city streets.

[BdrLineAzn]

(Finally found some free time.)

Cathedral

Wild Winds Inn

Finishing their meal, BdrLine and his group move the plates away and join their table to Grypho's.

"Yes we do. Later today I'll try to get in touch with my contact and inform him of the situation. And Ny, most likely that you and your group will leave by the end of today?", said BdrLine.

Ny-Lee turns to her brother, "Yeah, I'll give mom and dad the day to explore the city, but we are heading straight back. Also, there is a matter that I have to attend to that may pertain to this as well."

"Alright, just be careful of yourself," BdrLine said in reply.

"Oh, is that a hint of concern in your voice," Ny-Lee said with a smirk, "But yes myself and the others will."

"Ok that cares of our side, what about you guys? I assume that we'll travel together to the Guild?" Asked BdrLine.

Coming down the stairs, BdrLine and Ny-Lee's parents come down the stairs. Changed out of their ragged clothes and into the spares that were brought along, the two doesn't show any sign of their containment they were in dats earlier.

Shen and Liu sees the large group down stairs and walk towards their children.

"Morning all," Shen addresses everyone.

A collections of mornings can be heard while Ny, BdrLine, and their partners greet them personally.

Shen looks around at the lot of them and ask, " So is this about the conspiracy problem?"

"Yes," answer BdrLine.

"Well it looks like it being taken care of. Come on dear, we only have  today before we have to get back," Liu says as she tugs her husband out the door and into the city. 
 
Before the door closes behind them, the group can hear Shen calling out to them saying that they will be at the ships later in the day. As the door closes behind them, Charles and Courage comes down the stairs. 

"Well morning to you two. Looks like you guys got some rest, unlike someone over here who woke up a little early," Althea says after seeing the two.

"Hey, I did say that you can go back to sleep, but you came down with me. So it's not my fault. But where you guys are heading?" ask BdrLine

Courage answers, "We are on our way to check on your ship, if we are going out on another mission, better be prepared."

"Alright, see you two later."

Charles and Courage then head out of the door and towards the Northern Docks.

Northern Docks

Already at the docks before the sun even rose, Syá, Chung, Lau, and three other crew members are looking over between the two Pyramidions.

"Lau, how's the Captain's pyra?" Syá calls over from the main engine of her ship.

Onboard the Comet, Lau is on the top gun deck looking over the guns while two other engineers are checking the steering and engines of the ship. Lau hears the Commander, looks up from the gun and calls back.

"She look like she just came out of the shipyard, but still checking her over"

"Ok, we got until the end of the day to make both ships air worthy, we are leaving then."

"Aye, Commander. Pān, Wèi, how are the engines."

Poking his head out, Pān wipes some grease off his forehead and calls to the Ensign, "Starboard engine looks fine. Wèi is looking at the port one right now."

Suddenly a small poof can be heard and soon smoke come flying from the port side engine. Emerging from the smoke, a coughing Wèi comes out with black soot covering her face.

Coughing, "Sorry about that Sir, their was a problem internally. I tried to fix it, but as you can already see."

Somewhere from the Lighting, "Lau!! What was that!?!"

Sighing, Lau slides down the ladder and approaches the blacken engineer. 

As he walks towards her, he calls to Syá, "Nothing Commander, just a small problem, nothing that we can't fix." to Wèi " Good thing the Captain isn't here, or she'll be pissed. Come on, where is the problem."

After the small explosion, Syá is shaking her head as she and the third engineer that went along with them in the morning, Pai, discuss their ship condition. Behind them looking out into the vastness of the Middle Plains, the 2nd Lieutenant thinks silently to himself about how to informing the Emperor about the conspiracy that is happening in the shadows.