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[HmH]

The old gentleman's gaze slithered lazily across Sairi's drawing and kept wandering. There seemed to be nothing mysterious left in the room... nothing at all.

"Nope, not goin' to draw ol' Victoria. Waste a' time, if you ask me. We don't really need to know what her hull looks like, and there's got to be a few good, detailed maps on board should you want to know where everything is.
"Now, are y'all sure none a' you know anythin' else about the ship? 'Cause if that's so, I'm goin' with the description Sairi here offered. Vicky easily could've grown some wings in the past ten years... it was a long ten years, after all."

A rattling noise came from the gentleman's steel leg, and its gears stopped moving. He took a small drill out of his lab coat, plugged it into a slot in the knee and started cranking it:

"Name's Tom, by the way. Tom Anderson. Some people call me Doc. Professor if you want me to bore ya to death."

[Pancaek]

The man at the back of the group spoke, twirling the singed end of his moustache. He was wearing military style boots with a dull grey pants and a worn leather jacket, his satchel hanging lazily at his side.

"I believe Sai here has the right idea. I wouldn't know anyway, I manned the cannons and hauled the ammo, I never did really look what the ships were made up out of."

He was playing with a lighter, flicking it on and off. The thing was old and used, the brass dull and unreflective. The man suddenly looked up, as if snapped out of a trance.

"Oh, right, introductions. The name's Roland, but you can call me whatever you please."

Roland gave a courteous nod toward his teammates, and went right back to staring into his lighter flame.

[Persus13]

(I'm a little confused. So is the narrator describing this in past tense and we are remembering our adventure?)

Slightly apart from the group due to his his smell was a young mechanic, wielding a strange looking wrench. "I learned in school that steamship willy was monstrously well armed against it's enemies. It's stratofortress was a pioneering of the kill em dead style of architecture in those days. Then they had a combination o slade ballasts and a reinforced boiler, to protect it but that made it slower. So they added extra engines to compensate for it, but they sometimes tell storie that have no truth in at school."

Jameson then muttered to himself "Someday I'll have a better ship then that," but no one heard him

[Caellath]

Eunh yawned quietly, eyeing the rest of the group and smirking. "Forgive my lack of pose, prose and poetry, gentlemen." he said, straightening up and starting to play with a coin, which he flicked high before catching it in the air and repeating the process.

"I do believe the name was Victoria and it had a Dragger Boiler, Wyvernskin Hull, Extra Broadsides, a large Warehouse and Wood Finish." Eunh smiles and catches the coin a final time before pocketing it. "Not sure why this matter came into play, but it'd be a bit hard to forget it...But then again I think I got my head bashed against hard surfaces once or twice since the last time I took a look at it, so who knows."

[Wwolin]

Arden looked at the group and smiled, revealing a set of polished white false teeth. "I think I remember the Victoria pretty well. Or at least I remember how you didn't want me putting any of my chemicals in that old Dragger Boiler. Sure it was fast enough to outmaneuver nearly anything in the sky, but I bet I could have made it go faster if you'd have let me experiment on it. And I remember the Wyvernskin Hull too. Everyone called the ship the Sick Vic because the fumes from my chemicals would bleed through the walls. But better to have them out there than inside the ship, am I right? Hell, with all of the bombs and poisons I launched from the Extra Cannons, we probably looked like some sort of ghost ship, come to take away children in the middle of the night. And that sketchy-looking Airborne Warehouse probably didn't help much with that, even though it was perfect for holding my poisons. Still, at least it was nicer on the inside, with that Wood Finish and all."

[HmH]

((Six players (Tiruin, HmH, Persus13, Pancaek, Caellath, Wwolin) have voted thus far.
1 < Reinforced Boiler, Dragger Boiler > 5
1 < Slade Ballasts , Wyvernskin Hull > 5
3 < Extra Broadsides, Extra Engines > 3
5 < Airborne Warehouse, Stratofortress > 1
0 < Red Speed Stripes, Quality Wood Finish > 6
The only thing that is yet unclear is whether we shall have Extra Broadsides (HmH, Caellath, Wwolin) or Extra Engines (Tiruin, Persus13, Pancaek).))

[Tarangini]

Spoiler: notes (click to show/hide)

I encourage you people to repost your character sheet, in spoilers, after every action post. It helps people react to you (since your name is right there!) and it also helps me keep track of you with less effort. Also, bold the crucial part of your post that counts as an action.

The tense... the man is telling a tale, but we will be shifting to present tense. Of course, the narrator will drop a few comments here and there.If you die, you get retconned out of existence! How cheery.

Thanks, HmH, for tallying up all the votes for me.

Well, I guess the ol' steam ship was named Victoria, or Vicky, for short. Whoever Victoria was. I guess she was some fine woman. All evidence points there.
Well, can't blame an old man for forgetting some details down the road, eh?

Now, I remember she had a heart of a Dragger, the Dragger Boiler. Made it a fine ship for doing stuff, but Vicky wasn't a good one for long runs. Got winded easily. Still, it was the best ship in the land, and the sky, for maneuvering around what got in her way. She was a featherweight, but a damn fast featherweight. Vicky had a Warehouse in her large insides amidships, and had only the best wood for her finishing. Now, it seems we all can't remember which one she had, extra broadsides or extra engines. I'll tell you all what I remember of them, and I think we will be able to make our minds up, eh?

Broadsides. While flak cannon is good against wyverns and all, flak cannons ain't gonna do you no good against a Dragger. Course, you don't have a chance against a Dragger, anyways, Draggers ain't the only thing out there. Broadsides are cold, hard steel, the better to punch into the thin shells of other ships, or rip the flanks out of any beast known to man, and a few others beside. You need ammo, of course, but with a Warehouse, Victoria can have stacks of cannon shot and mountains of powder, stacked up high.

Now, for engines... Steam ships ain't the fastest thing around, so wings and engines are what the smart people over at the drydocks thought up of. They stole the idea from the newfangled "aeroplanes" some inventors are all the rage about. See, wings moving through air like to go up. And going up lets Vicky use less steam on staying afloat, and more on moving fast. Moving faster makes her go up more. It's a win-win situation for everyone involved, wings and all. Course, if the wings are shot, Vicky's as good as any old ship without wings. Maybe a bit worse.

Choose one and put it in the curvy what-do-you-call-its... oh, right, parentheses. If we're still evenly split as the apple pies my nanny used to make me, I'll flip a coin.

Now, on to the story. It all started on a fine starry night, perfect for secret operations...


Sirens were crying, and bells rang from every tower, that night.
Sirens cry in the distance.
I remember that was the day a bunch of pirates decided it was a good time to attack Apex.
Dark shapes blot out the sunset and its dying light, large shapes floating across the sky and moving overhead.
Vicky had to set out then, though. Time was of the utmost importance. Can't have your fellow citizens starving for no good reason, see?

The drydocks shake as a ship in the dock next to Victoria's takes a hit from falling debris, perhaps ballast dropped by a pirate ship in an effort to lighten up and run away. The Queen's only Dragger has finally been floated, and the multiple segments of it crawl across the sky, shooting flak and cannon at any targets within reach. Sometimes they actually hit. The Victoria is nearly ready to set out, and all that remains is that the crew has to get on-board. That doesn't seem like a hard task, but the battle raging overhead isn't helping with the odds of not being hit by a largish chunk of wood or stone and die immediately.

It's only a short dash, to the safety of the ship, through a rain of falling wood...

Everyone is huddling in a low building, of unadorned stone and small, glass-less windows. The sound of gunpowder going off, and the sound of cannon shot echoes. A worker, with ripped-off sleeves and a dirty cloth sash growls, "I think ye fine gentlemen are wanna going to run. Fast. Good luck, I ain't going there with you all." He prods the weak fire in the brick fireplace with a wooden poker, while the sun slowly sinks into the haze of reflected light as it reports off duty for the day.

[HmH]

"I suggest we don't wait for the sun to go over the horizon, folks. It's quite hard to sprint in the dark, even for those of us without metal legs to worry about. Just keep your heads down and make sure to hide whenever one of the ships above breaks apart; that sort of thing means a whole lot of debris falling our way."

Look outside. See which of the ships could drop debris on the trail between us and Victoria; take a moment to memorize their current placement in the sky.
Then make a run for it. Stick to buildings and get in cover whenever one of those ships seems to get hit.

Spoiler: Doc Anderson (click to show/hide)

Name: Tom Anderson
Gender: Male
Age: 63

Description: A short, round man with a gray moustache adorning his face and a thin combover on his balding head. He is wearing a lab coat over his brown jumper and a watchmaker's monocle made of aluminum. A steel mechanical leg is attached to his right thigh.
These days, Doc Anderson's trade is building artificial limbs that work every bit as good as the real ones. Doc wasn't always called Doc, though: in his younger days, he was addressed as Professor Anderson, one of the brightest scientists of his era, and like many others of his kind, he spent decades peeking behind the world's scenes for fun, profit and the common good.
Anderson was the one who came up with the technology of neuro-synchronization twenty years ago; he always said that he didn't really come up with it, that he simply copied the machinery that makes living beings tick, but everybody knows that neither people nor animals work the way machines do... right? Either way, Doc decided to ditch the theoretical science and start making money shortly after discovering how to make machines just that little bit closer to living beings, and that was the end of him being called the Professor.

Weapons:
None, if you don't count the scalpels in his toolkit. His leg is heavy enough to be considered a weapon.

Trinkets and tools:
Neuro-synchronized prosthetic right leg. A stainless steel mechanical leg, powered by a wound-up spring. One full wind-up of the spring is enough to last Doc half a day. Removing the leg is possible and can be done by Doc himself, but takes a bit of time to do properly.
Magnifying monocle. An aluminum monocle with a few sets of magnifying lenses for it. Has a leather band keeping it on Doc's head. Allows for examining objects in greater detail. Doc mostly uses it for tinkering, though it doubles as a way to show off his wealth without resorting to such impractical metals as gold and silver.
Mecha-surgeon's toolkit. A leather bundle about eight inches long and three in diameter. Contains everything a surgeon-slash-tinkerer-slash-inventor needs out in the field: a set of screwdrivers, a wire tool, a handheld manual drill, three scalpels of different sizes, tweezers, a number of clamps, a set of needles and threads and a vial of mineral oil.
A flask of 70% alcohol. Used strictly for disinfections. That said, Doc really likes his coffee germ-free.

Stats:
Red Stats
20 HP
Blue Stats
Do Stuff: Neuro-Synchronize Devices With Living Beings
Do Stuff: Automate Mechanical Devices
Do Stuff: Perform Surgery
Do SCIENCE: Reverse-Engineer Advanced Technology
Green Stats
Tinkering: 2
Medicine: 2

((I still say we should get the broadsides. You can't shoot off cannons as easily as you can shoot off wings.))

[TopHat]

"It doesn't look far. We could probably make it sprinting. And the less time we spend out there, the less time we have to get flattened by falling bits of wood..." note to self - steel legs? Aluminium legs?

Peer out of window. If it seems not too suicidal, sprint for the Victoria.

Spoiler: Luther von Schankel (click to show/hide)

Name: Luther von Schankel
Gender: male
Age: 21
Description: Tall for his age, a pioneer of experimentally newfangled gadgetry. After an initial lucky run of successes, He turned up. Things went rapidly downhill from there.
Finally caved and joined the crew when yet another of his 'projects' 'accidentally' detonated (it was obviously Him trying to steal Luther's ideas), leaving him pretty destitute.
Weapon: experimental steam-pistol, which seems to have even more modifications every day. Luther's current pride and joy.
Trinkets and tools: 'Tinkerin' kit', goggles, singed laboratory coat with lots of pockets.
Stats:
RED STATS (20pts)
HP - 20

BLUE STATS: (4)
: Jury-rig fixup,
: Ambidextrous,
: Utilize newfangled gadgetry,
: Improvised design.
 

GREEN STATS (4)
Inventor/tinkerer (2), Paranoia (1), Marksmanship (pistols) (1)

(( I'll Abstain from the vote))

[Persus13]

"It looks like we are going to have to run, no matter ow long we stay here."

Sprint to the Victoria

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Name: Jameson Frazier
Gender: Male
Age:24
Description: Jameson was always a prodigy and loved to fix stuff and create new stuff. His father died when he was 12, but his dad was determined to have his kid be the best mechanic their was. Graduating from college 2 years ago, Jameson's goal is to build a steamship that will outrace, outfight, and beat anything else. He's signing up for this trip because he needs a little money for the ship.
Weapon: Jameson is armed with his father's trusty sword wrench, a tool that can be used to set up machines or just whack people on the head.
Trinkets and tools: Jameson has a couple of lucky bolts which he thinks will increase his luck, some little mechanical odds and ends, and a grease cloth
Stats: Now, I don't know what this is for, but you gotta fill it in. You get twenty red stats and four blue stats, along with four green stats. Choose what you want, and don't mix'm up.
Red Stats (20 to spend)
20: HP
Blue Stats (4 to spend)
Hammering
Fixing robots
Figuring out why something isn't working
Welding
Green Stats (4 to spend)
2 Building
2 Repairing

(I vote for extra cannons. What we don't have in armor we can make up in firepower.)

[Wwolin]

"You heard the man! Head to the ship, I'll cover the rear!"

Follow the rest of the party onto the Victoria, keeping a careful eye out for danger.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Name: Arden Slater
Gender: Male
Age: 31
Description: Arden would be called an alchemist and a bodyguard, if anyone trusted him with their life. While he's incredibly skilled at both combat and alchemy, his reckless use of poisonous gasses tends to cause complications when working with others. He can't make money without clients, so he signed up for the Steamship Willy in order to travel the world and collect ingredients himself, as well as prove to the world that working alongside him isn't death sentence.
Weapon: Elemental Bombardier - A musket with a wide bore built to fire alchemical shells and smokebombs, as well as regular shots.
Trinkets and tools: 5 Toxic Smokebombs, 5 Antidote Pills, and an Alchemy Set.
Stats:
Red Stats (20 to spend)
20 HP
Blue Stats (4 to spend)
Gather Ingredients: Arden searches for anything nearby that might be useful for alchemy. "Never expected this to be growing here..."
Combine Ingredients: Arden mixes various herbs and chemicals together to make useful things. "Some beeswax, a flask of oil, and just a pinch of suzuran..."
Fire Alchemical Shell: Arden fires one of his handcrafted shells or smokebombs from his weapon. "You might want to hold your breath for this one..."
Identify Concoction: Arden examines a substance in an attempt to find out more about it. "You might have fooled a regular bodyguard with that trick. But I'm an alchemist. Now put the cyanide away, or I'll show you some real poison."

Green Stats (4 to spend)
: Alchemy 2, Marksmanship 1, Gathering 1

(And I'll vote for cannons. We have an explosives expert and a poisons expert on board, so we could definitely use that to our advantage.)

[Pancaek]

"they're not even dropping incediary bombs, looks like their intentions aren't to raze this city to the ground...lucky us."

Sprint to Victoria together with the group. If someone of our group falls or get hit, help them get to the Victroria.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Name:Roland Mopsay
Gender:Male
Age:28
Description: Roland is a fairly average guy with dark borwn hair and brown eyes. When he was a child he lived with his father, a huntsman from whom he inherited his marksmanship skills and a nice bushy beard, near the outskirts of civilisation. When he was 18, he went to a nice school. How anxious he was to be the first of his family to graduate a good school. He was, however, a horrible student only good at chemistry and basic biology. His student days came to an abrubt end after he was expelled for, completely accidentally, destroying 5 classrooms in a freak accident involving gunpowder and that wench of a history teacher misses welsch's desk.
At the ripe age of 20 and living on the streets without even a nail to scratch his arse, he eventually found a job working with a fireworks artisan. He and old one-eyed Jim brought colour to the sky and warmth to the hearts of the people of Apex at many festivals. For 3 years he studied under Old one-eyed Jim (who never told him how he lost that eye), and  eventually inherited the artisan's shop when he died. And life was good...
...right up until he was working on his biggest "dragon lance" firework yet, and some dimwitted jackass threw a cigarette trough his window. Bearing a nice burn scar over the length of his left arm and cheek and a shop that is now a black scorch mark. So he did what anyone would do, and joined the royal navy as a gunner. It was here that he excelled at long range bombardements and helped with the development of gunpowder that would work better in bad weather conditions and with alternative cannon munitions, eventually designing a cheap but effective cannonball that would explode upon impact and throw shrapnel everywhere.

Weapons: His trusty hunting knife, given to him by his father. It's actually a family heirloom, a sturdy bayonet that gleams a silvery shine from a war long past and forgotten.

Trinkets and tools: A satchel with everything one needs to make explosives, except for gunpowder of course. He also has a silver medallion roughly the size of a coin in his pocket, awarded for his help in making the navy just a tad bit more efficient.

Stats:
Red Stats (20 to spend)
: HP:20
Blue Stats (4 to spend)
: Do Stuff Ability: make explosives, sneak takedown, lay/make traps, tracking
Green Stats (4 to spend)
: Pyrotechnics(2), swordsmanship (1), stealth (1)

[Caellath]

Eunh tapped the side of his cheek, looking around as he followed the group at a fast pace.
"It's nice to see she's already prepared. Leaving Apex this way isn't proper, but I suppose our mission is more important."

His hand reached for the ornate scabbard of his longsword as he ran, preparing to draw the heavy blade and cut anything that fell from the skies without giving him a chance to dodge.

Make a run for the Victoria, but stay alert for any signs of falling debris and overall danger, moving to cover and diving for safety when necessary.

Spoiler: Eunh Destern (click to show/hide)

Name: Eunh Destern
Gender: Male
Age: 20
Description:  Eunh is a young man, looking fresh out of his teen years and into adulthood. His skin is white and his face is angular, his head sporting light-brown hair with two large white rabbit ears coming from the its top. His eyes are orange and he has a rabbit tail usually hidden under shirts or pants. His mannerisms are characteristic from high-class gamblerrs, always carrying himself with elegance albeit fully capable of becoming as sly as a snake and usually wearing fine clothing with light armor for protection.
Backstory: Eunh isn't very keen on remembering his childhood, but he remembers he was raised by a couple of poor merchants, helping them face strife and assisting them in their everyday struggle, being constantly picked on due to his animal traits. As he grew, the young boy discovered games and tricks and was entranced by their nature. His skills in the area grew, and it did not take long until he got the hang of it...And he did it perfectly.
In the spam of a few years, the young man had already became a professional gambler, becoming able to join the high circles of gaming. Aside from honing his trickery skills, had developed a keen street street sense and a combat style based on speed and deceit as well as accurate strikes of his sword..
Weapon: Long-Hilt Longsword.
Trinkets and tools:
:Fine clothing - A man has to keep his class.
:Gambling Items - Dice, deck of cards, coin, etc.
Stats:
Red Stats
: HP 20
Blue Stats
: Lightning Parry - Sometimes your reflexes are the only thing you have
: Riposte - Because a parry has to include something more
: Lucky Hit - Combat is not only about skill
: Game Face - When no one can tell what you're thinking, your game is on
Green Stats
: [1] Practical Swordsmanship
: [1] Marksmanship
: [2] Gambling

[Tiruin]

((Eep. Busy at the moment, sorry Tarangini!

Also, would've voted for engines, but...yeah, I guess we need the firepower then.))

"They aren't razing the area, they're looting it!" Sairi said as he held onto his cloak, seeing another ball of fire fall from the sky in the shining light of the sun.

"Stay together!"

Take the lead, if it may be, in running towards the Victoria. Try to check for any loose scrap I could obtain along the way that wouldn't cost me any time in keeping up with my fellows.

Try to ascertain that the ship has a pilot.

Spoiler: Sairi Lunaria (click to show/hide)

Gender:
>Female
Age:
>   18
Description:
>   Appearance: Sairi is considered a young adult amongst his folk, but in human years just coming of age. His skin is of a whitened tan, cream in tone and texture and his hair is dark brown- indistinguishably black if viewed in normal light. He constantly wears a grey colored cloak with a silver trim, covering most of his person up until the head, where fox-like ears poke out from the slits made in the hood. His body is lithe and lean in appearance. He has dark-brown eyes.

He usually wears dark colored, layered clothes - usually of earthen hues, contrasting and complementing his cloak, but always simplistic and loose in attire.

>   Bio: Apprentice and novice to a Scholar and a Steward, Sairi was born without knowing his true biological parents - the story was that he was found in the first hours post-birth at an aged and regal shrine dedicated to the deity of rice, smaller and weaker than the average infant. The bare fact that he lives today is a testament to the care given to him by the couple. In his childhood and preceding adulthood, he lived mostly a solitary life, staying with his parents and helping out in the more isolated of labors, like hunting and research. He has had a timid personality since as far as he could remember, said to be kind, gentle and open with other people as well as having the mannerisms of a cautious individual.

Deep inside, he carries a fiery and passionate attitude - willing to return the favor done by his parents through committing the best of himself in any deed or act required, though this also speaks of his self-critical attitude, pushing his limits if he feels he's not doing enough - said to even go so far as to be sacrificial for the team.

>    Ameliorated Recurve Bow

• Organic Extractor - an opalescent orb gifted to Sairi by her his parents, it is an heirloom representing his life, blood and clan. It is also a device used to aid in the extraction of chemical bases and essence of most mundane species of flora, acting as a commensal harvester until willed to stop.
• Bowyer's Baldric - Used as a catcher for knives, flasks of oil and other tools for the maintenance of the bow or related woodwork instruments, this is slung over the shoulder and kept relatively safe from interfering with any movement of the user. It can also be used to attach the quiver, creating a more mobile scenario in cases of hunting or chasing.
• Socketed Quiver - The usual container for arrows, this quiver has been modified to include a hidden compartment for a small, hunting knife. It is coated in a thin, durable weave made to withstand harsh rain and rot, being mostly made out of hardened leather.
• 'Lucky' Pyrite Coin - Kept in the hold of the Quiver, this coin was the first ever thing Sai saw in her his life, other than the figures of his parents. Though it is made of 'fool's gold', the sentimental value makes it worth more than diamonds. It carries no signifying emblem, but a blank slate with a perfect circle in the middle. Sairi believes this brings good luck and fortune.
• Waxwood Flute - Made from material which is naturally coated with a thin, hermetic layer (of wax), this was handmade and carved by one of Sairi's closest friends and gifted to him on his 18th birthday as a parting gift. He makes sure to practice and use it at any available opportunity, both in reminding him of home, and in curing his homesickness.
• Leatherbound Vellum - Clasped to the belt, this vellum contains notes and personal writings done by Sairi in much of his work. Functioning as a diary and a field journal, it has a conveniently placed catcher along the spine which holds two sticks - one of charcoal and one of graphite.

Red Stats [20/20]
>   20/20 Hp

Blue Stats [4/4]
>   Animal Lorekeeper - [More detail gleaned from natural creatures encountered upon examination.]: "Fauna. Wonderful creatures."
>   Fletcher - [Improvisation is key. Sairi is able to utilize basic materials in order to create, customize or even augment the ammunition used - arrows, in this case.]: "No better work than one done by your own hand, I say."
>   Chemical Extractor - [Sai has the ability to extract the essence from plants, and chemical toxins from animals when using this.]: "It won't hurt them...or kill them."
>   Flutist of the East - [Sairi is able to use his skills with the woodwind flute to liven the atmosphere or at least create a harmonic feeling in the air.]: "Music uplifts any heart which can hear."

Green Stats [4/4]
>   Archery
>   Piloting//Navigation
>   Herbalism
>   Acrobatics

[Tarangini]

The smart Doc looks up at the sky, sees nothing but a wounded frigate with a big air sac, limping away from the battle. The rest are flitting around the big'un, the Queen's Dragger, and it's holding its own pretty well.

Doc Anderson [6] looks up. There isn't anything directly overhead right now. The debris must have came from that pirate frigate that's retreating—and his leg whirrs in preparation for the dash. One ship, damaged, smoking slightly, but still mostly functional, within a tick of the Victoria. It might notice her when she takes off. A possible threat.

Frigates are second only to gunboats and Draggers, see, in firepower, but gunboats don't have the staying ability frigates do. The one that he saw had a standard air hull but three sets of sails. Now, while sails ain't the best thing ever, they more than outmatch steam ships in pure speed. Just can't keep it up.

He sets off with a dash [5] straight across the drydock, as there aren't any more piles of materials or buildings that he can hide behind. He hops onto Victoria's deck, swinging over the high railing, and gets into safety under the sun tarp.

Luther [4] sees what Doc saw: one frigate, the rest concentrating on the Queen's navy, which is now being joined by a few more gunships. He gets out and runs as fast as he can. [5] He makes it to safety.

Jameson [5] follows the other two to Victoria.

Arden [5] trails after the others, hoping that nobody is noticing them dashing to Victoria from above.

Roland Mopsay [3] sprints after the others, but trips over something and falls, skidding a few steps on the loose sand. He helps himself up and goes towards the Victoria, thinking of how close that was. Perhaps a tad ironic, too.

Eunh [2] follows the other men, drawing his pristine sword, kept in peak condition. He chances to look up and ...

Everyone makes a mad dash towards the Victoria, 'cause it's not like there's something else to do. But he notes something amiss, and he take a second glance. In the sky, there's a cut-off cloud. It's like something took a big, ship-sized piece off it, leaving perfect marks for the sails, rigging, and cannon. It's like someone painted sky-blue over cloud-white to pretty up the sky. It's like ... a ship that's been treated with shapeshifting scale.

... and sees what looks like a ship in the clouds. They judged their hiding place wrong, though, since they are against a fluffy white cloud, revealing where they are. It's staying as still as a ship in the air can be, but it's clear it's waiting for something.

[6] He runs towards the Victoria, somewhat worried by this happening. He jukes from side to side in case someone's trying to sharpshoot him with a falling rock, but he gets to the relative safety of Victoria without danger.

He thinks, shapeshifting scale's expensive. Not something mere pirates would use. They're from color lizards that only live on surface islands, all the way down in the First Ocean. Ain't cheap, ain't easy to get enough for a whole ship. Apex's in the air between the Second and Third oceans, and it's a long way down. Good news is shapeshifting scale doesn't actually change shape. Bad news is it changes color. Good news, it can only be one color at a time. Bad news, night's only one color, black.

The red of the setting sun starts to tinge the roof of the world, and light fades.

Sairi [1] stumbles on the loosely packed dirt and loses balance, toppling over into a heap of wooden planks covered by a taut tarp. 2 damage is taken, in the form of a few cuts and bruises. He tries to remember if the ship had a pilot...

As the crew run towards the ship, Sairi, the only fox-man of the bunch, trips over nothin' and lands on something. It isn't a dying wound, but it ain't no trifle, either. He thinks hard, and he thinks up the important fact that there ain't a pilot to be seen on Victoria. Very worrying, it is.

Maybe Vicky'll have a manual.