Return of the Emblem Chapter Eight: Affairs of the World

[ReformBlade]

"Faatina Katan? That's a pretty name if you don't mind my saying." He smiled, scratching an itch on his cheek for a second. "You left just to fight, huh? Hmmm..." Stranger and stranger. Probably craving adventure? "Truth be told, I don't like fighting. But I do feel an adrenaline rush during a heated fight. But if you don't mind my asking, what makes taking up a spear or a sword or knife... any weapon, big or small, what makes that so appealing compared to the life in Sanctuary? I've heard tales of the place, it sounds like an absolute paradise. Is it the thought of exploring the unknown? Or perhaps a simple matter of taking life into one's own hands... I... I'm sorry, I'm probably delving into something a bit personal" Davod said, shaking his head, "I just get curious sometimes, need to break that habit. Going back to your spear, I noticed you had a mount. Are you good at fighting on horseback or is he just transportation and a friend?"

[Ether]

"Sharif is my partner in battle, I prefer to fight from horseback." Faatina replied, giving a glance to the entrance to the underbelly of the ship, where Sharif was at the moment.

"Sanctuary... a paradise, huh? I suppose it looks that way... streets of gold and gemstone, a desert oasis... my brother was a soldier. I was not allowed any more than simple self-defense training, because I am a woman... he told me he saw a glimmer in my eye whenever I held a spear... that's why he taught me in secret. He died in a raid... after that it just didn't feel like home anymore... my mother and father had already passed from illness a while before... Sanctuary's luxurious walls felt more like a cage than protection... but what could I hope to accomplish on my own? Had I left the city and attempted to brave the desert on my own, I would have surely perished... I didn't even know which direction to travel towards the exit. I slaved away at my meager job working in a stable... my parents hated that job when they were alive... all they wanted of me was to earn them riches, so that they may have the chance to sit with the wealthy, the chance they themselves squandered... when this group entered Sanctuary, I knew it was the only chance I would likely ever get to leave that cage... so I took it." Faatina said with a reflective gaze towards the water, wiping away a single tear.

"I don't regret it. Sanctuary... it isn't home to me anymore."

[Phoenix]

Crane

Raquel nodded to John. "I'll do it as soon as we get the Dauntless on board and return the crane. That'll be one less thing to worry about." Who's laughing up there? Is that Gytha?

"This is dangerous!" a voice came from one of the crane operators. It got Raquel's full attention in a snap.

"There's no storm coming! It's just a light breeze!" another operator protested.

"This is no light breeze, you amateur! I said call it off! If the wind gets any worse, we might have an injury or death out here, and I won't take the blame just because you ignorant jackasses were too careless to follow safety procedures!" the worker shot right back.

"Look at the sky! There aren't any storm clouds anywhere in sight. There are barely any normal clouds. I'm telling you this is just a large gust. It'll pass."

"Maybe it's the desert goddess conjuring up a storm." a different worker chimed in with a shrug. "There's no sand, yet, but the wind is coming from the west. Or maybe it's some other god."

"There is no desert goddess. That's a myth used by those sorceresses to stay in power. Even if there was, that's no excuse to ignore safety right now. A single gust could throw the crane off balance once the wagon's lifted and send the whole thing toppling over." the safety obsessed worker replied. He looked up at the sky and suddenly found something was a bit off about the weather. By now Raquel was just listening and wondering what the operators plans would be. "It doesn't look like a storm's coming but this is really unusual; all the more reason to be cautious."

"So," Raquel finally spoke up. "You aren't going to load the Dauntless onto the Leverager?" The man's face cringed when he realized what his 'safety procedures' would mean for the merchant. He quickly composed himself in preparation to give her the bad news.

"I'm sorry, but we can't risk a loading like this with the weather the way it is. If anything goes wrong, your wagon and our crane could be destroyed and someone might be killed. You should request that the ship captain wait until the weather improves before attempting this."

"We don't have time to delay, though!"

"If your 'business' and selling goods is more important than your own safety, then I'm doing a favor by flat out refusing. Don't underestimate the weather, Miss Valcyn. You'll regret it."

"I paid two thousand gold for this crane out of pocket! You could at least let us try!" Raquel yelled. "I heard you talking. You don't even know what's causing this!"

"Exactly. We don't know why it's so blasted windy all of a sudden. I'm not taking any chances just because a young merchant is feeling a little impatient. I've got company property to look after and safety procedures to follow." he replied, waving a hand at her dismissively. He then sighed as he looked around. "And it figures it would be getting worse."

Leverager

By this point, the crewmen had informed the captain of the issue they were overhearing and he walked over to the port side railing to have a look. There he saw the scene, people gathered around by the Dauntless and near the crane a short distance away. No one was working save for those carrying up the last three crates. He could hear Raquel yelling at one of the dock workers, though. He shook his head impatiently at the scene.

"Captain!"

That tone was filled with panic. What could possibly be added on top of their current situation? "What is it?" Bogdan asked the sailor who'd just run up to him.

"The Dark Utka's just been spotted! She's leaving port, heading northeast! This wind's giving her one hell of a head start, Captain!" he quickly explained. The captain shook his head.

"We knew they were almost certain to set out before we did. We can catch up, but this crane business needs to be dealt with, immediately. Do whatever it takes to get that wagon onto the ship. Get it up here piece by piece if you have to."

"Shouldn't we consider having the merchant leave it behind? This seems like a lot of effort on our part." the sailor asked, feeling that the question had to be asked. The captain seemed almost committed to getting the wagon aboard, even though it would be useless for storage for the duration of the trip.

"That girl won't part with it anymore than I would part with the Leverager. As I said, get that wagon aboard whatever it takes, and do it now."

Dauntless

<"No, I don't think a direct confrontation will do any good, here. You people will be on the Leverager for awhile, so there should be plenty of time to talk things out with Raquel. She may lead a busy life, but on a ship, a little thing like her will have quite a lot of free time. I suggest bringing up the issue then."> the sailor explained. Noticing the blood made him wince a little and he quickly added <"But first thing is first. You should let me treat that."> He took a vulnerary out of a pouch he had on his belt.

[Snowy_One]

"<Huh? This? Tis but a scratch. I've taken worse from bears without complaint.>" said Robin, looking at the wound and licking it softly. "<Don't waste a potion on this sort of thing. Just give it a moment or two and it will clot and heal. You've probably got worse splinters than this.>"

[ReformBlade]

Looking out over the ocean during her description, Davod kept silent for the duration. I guess we shouldn't judge books by cover alone... I know that other woman said these people were atypical, but eh, perhaps depressing was a better word. I know, I know, shutting up. "Well... everyone experiences loss at some point. I'm just glad to see you're at least trying with what you've got. Nothing worse than seeing someone give up when they've got the tools. Anyway." Looking over at Faatina for a moment before returning his gaze to the ocean, "Sorry for digging. If it makes you feel better, I support your decision, despite not knowing the situation in its entirety."

[Acacia Sgt]

Apparently they now had another problem in their hands, this abnormal wind it seems, would not let the crane properly bring the Dauntless on board, and the operators didn't seem to be willing to risk it.

<Well, this is really bad.> John thought, looking over. <Is there are a way to convince them of otherwise?> He wondered. <Probably not, but what else can we do to lift it to...> He stopped, realization hitting him like a swing from Gil's tail, just less deadly. <Lift it. Hey, what if...>

''Raquel,'' he spoke up. ''Why don't we try what we did back at the beach, when it got stuck on the water?'' <On the other hand, this probably has it's risks as well. Back then it was Lilith who brought it down without harm. Then again, last time it did got so high up without someone attempting to bring it down. Maybe if we're quick this time around...?>

Edited April 6, 2012 by Acacia Sgt

[Ether]

"No, it's alright... it feels good to talk about it and have someone listen... get it off my chest, y'know?" Faatina replied, stretching slightly.

"So... what made you decided to ta along, if you don't mind me asking?"

[-Cynthia-]

Of Cranes and Wagons

That wagon's gonna be the death of us someday...we're gonna run into somethin' we can't beat and we'll be too slow to run. Well...they'll be too slow to run, I'll be long gone. Nadya thought to herself, giving Luca an affectionate pat.

"You can't deconstruct the Dauntless! It's an invaluable prototype, not some standard farmer's wagon!" Connor complained to the sailors at the suggestion.

"If the Dark Utka got a boost from this wind, then we should as well...provided we get moving quickly," Veronika pointed out.

[Phoenix]

This Is Dangerous

"Well," Raquel stopped to think back to what happened. Gabbie turned on the deflectors and the Dauntless began a slow ascent into the air. John's wyvern moved it. Lilith brought it down. Taking Lilith out of the equation made it extremely dangerous without careful timing and some way to stabilize the vehicle. "If we can find a way to deal with some of the issues, sure." I still want my money back, though if we don't get to use the cra-wait a second. "The crane! We can stabilize the Dauntless with the crane!"

"What?" the dock worker uttered, confused by what she'd said. He still wasn't sure what she and the wyvern rider were even talking about.

"If we attach the Dauntless to the crane and then use the deflectors to get it airborne, the crane can keep it from flying off in some random direction or crashing into something. Then we can slowly let it down over onto the deck. The wind isn't going to be as big of a problem because the Dauntless won't be pulling down on the crane and making it easier to blow over. I think it can work." she explained, sounding hopeful for a change.

"Wait a blasted minute. What the dunes are you talking about? Flying? Deflectors? Since when does a wagon do that?" the docker interjected.

"Since Gabbie started messing with the deflectors." Raquel said under her breathe.

Sailors from the Leverager were rushing over to investigate and to speed things along. Those were the captain's orders, so that's what their plan was. Connor's outburst about disassembling the wagon seemed to take one of their preferred options off the table. One of the sailors crossed his arms at the boy and asked. "Well what do you suggest, then, hm?"

Filat was still around and just examining everything, the Leverager, the Dauntless, and the crane they'd brought to lift it. Raquel's plan sounded well and good, but he didn't know enough about physics to be sure it would actually work the way she described. With the Dark Utka making its way right out of port, it seemed that they were officially on a time limit. Filat figured they could catch up before they reached another port, but that didn't make this wagon business any less inconvenient. "If only we had a few wind mages around ...." he muttered. "True, the wind will give any eastward bound ship a significant boost, but ideally we want to catch up before they reach Tremere and we're an hour behind already." he replied to Veronika.

It was nice to be receiving attention, but Luca was beginning to worry about the other horses being lowered into the ship. Were they going out over the endless water again? Why did humans like to go out over the endless water? There was no food, this particular water smelled bad, and herd leader forbid someone fell into that mess. Another sailor who was helping out with the animals approached him and Nadya. He knew what this was and glared at the man. "Are you ready to put your horse below decks?" he asked.

[-Cynthia-]

Plans

"Let's go with the deflector idea," Connor said, listening in on the discussion. "It should work- provided the crane is structurally stable. If not, then this isn't going to end well," he said, looking at the crane with a small sense of dread.

"So our plan is to wait for them to dock at a port and attack them once we catch up Or are we just going to use their stops to catch them on the open sea?" Veronika asked Filat. I hope the crew of the Leverager has some sort of battle plan here...we're not used to fighting in this type of environment.

"Yeah I guess," Nadya replied to the sailor before leading Luca below decks where some of the other animals were already located. "Ya gonna be all right down here, or do ya want me to stay a while?" she asked, patting him on the head a bit to calm his nerves.

[Acacia Sgt]

Seems like time was of the essence, but at least the idea of using the deflectors was generally accepted.

''Well, I'm sure with the deflectors activated it would help unburden the crane, at least while being lifted.'' John said regarding Connor's concern. ''If that's not enough, we can use the flying mounts by tying them to the wagon and have them pull too.'' He suggested.

[Mercakete]

Gytha recovered from her fit of laughter, it winding down to a steady stop. Norbert didn't really have anything to do at the moment so he'd just been waiting impatiently for her to calm down. "You finished?" he lightly snapped.

"Aye, aye, sorry about that," Gytha replied with one more light chuckle, "Hoy, thanks fer that. I realla needed a good laugh."

"Yeah, whatever."

"Harr, can't even remember what was botherin' me!" she added lightheartedly before returning her eyes to the sky. After a pause, her brow furrowed. "Hoy, Norbert."

"Yeah?"

"Yer used t' th' sky n' wind, aye?" she asked.

"Yeah, so?"

"Look up. Does th' sky make sense with th' weather?" she asked, sounding more serious than she'd been a moment ago.

The pegasus rider looked up. It was a mostly-clear day but the wind was a bit strong. The clouds were moving at a languid pace. "Looks like low winds. I don't know what the air currents are like around here, though, so I can't tell if it's normal or not. Do you know anything about that sort of thing?" He was a little curious as to why Gytha was asking this.

"It's unusual. Sure strong gusts come off th' water all th' time, but this is...a little strange. Maybe. Never been in a Rexian port b'fore," Gytha replied with a quiet hum as she pondered the wind.

Well, Norbert wasn't really up for sky gazing at the moment, so he began wandering back to see how progress was going with the Dauntless. Rizen had been milling about on the ship, confused as to why the ones without wings were going into the floor. In the end she located Norbert and came up behind him as he walked over to the ramp. He couldn't hear what all was going on until he was nearly all the way down the ramp. Some sort of problem was being fixed or something. Riz nosed Norbert's back, getting his attention, though that quickly shifted to his jerkin, which was still on her back. Idly, he chose to slip it back on before addressing those involved in the discussion. "All the crates should be unloaded by now. What's the problem?"

[Phoenix]

Plans and Backup Plans

"I cannot tell you how much I would like to blow those rebel suckling scum right out of the water while their anchors are down, but we just can't get away with it. We were hoping to set out before them and ambush them out at sea ... as you said, but with time to prepare. There are only a couple of 'efficient' routes back to Neviskotia and this tactic has served us well in the past. In case they got desperate enough to leave before us, we planned to catch up to them as best we could. We can't fight them in a port because the authorities will only get in our way, maybe even see us as aggressors and try to sink us before we even find the cargo. Seems silly to have a big sign on the side of the ship that says 'Rescuers: Please Do Not Disturb', heheh." he explained. After the joke, his face faded back to a bit of seriousness. "If they beat us to Tremere, things are going to become excruciatingly more difficult for us."

The idea of using the mounts seemed a bit odd at first blush, but after actually picturing it, Raquel could see one of them keeping the wagon steady if the winds blew it too hard. They were coming from the west, so if the wagon was hit hard enough, the deflectors would get aimed in the opposite direction causing the wagon to drift westward and then eastward and then back again; the wagon would be swung back and forth since it was attached to the crane and couldn't stay aimed in one direction for very long. Sending the wagon into a series of swings could knock the whole crane down and either land the Dauntless in the water, through the deck of the Leverager(causing a whole lot of damage), or crashing somewhere nearby on the docks, she realized. "I think we're going to need your wyvern, actually." she admitted. "Sir?" she then addressed the dock worker who had refused her.

"Don't tell me you're actually going to try whatever it is you were just-" "Listen," she interrupted. "I'm not going to end up paying fifteen hundred more gold just because you're taking advantage of a little wind!" Raquel snapped. "I paid for this crane and I'm going to use it. We have a plan, so just work with us ... and s-STOP ... STALLING!" She put such a harsh tone and such emphasis behind the last words that the worker leaned back, intimidated. If not for the tone, it might have been cute, but for once the merchant was on the verge of exploding.

"Alright, fine. Ready the crane. We're going to lift up this wagon ... and then hope no one dies." he instructed, saving the last part for Raquel who he immediately glared at. She glared right back at him with crossed arms. When Bert arrived, Raquel glanced over, then her face lightened again. He wasn't a sailor or a stalling dock worker so giving him the same mean look didn't make much sense at the moment. Instead she opted to explain the situation. "Well the wind is just strong enough to give the workers and excuse not to try lifting the Dauntless onto the ship. So we're going to try something similar to what we did on the beach." Gabbie wandered over right around then to listen in. "We're going to hook it up to the crane, turn on the deflectors, use a wyvern to keep the wagon stable, and then carefully set it down on the deck."

"More floight shenanigans, ey? Wonderful~" she spoke up, seeming like she was in a good mood.

Luca couldn't use any words so instead nuzzled his rider a few times. Ships cargo holds weren't exactly his thing, and he welcomed the company, and a treat if she had one.

[Mercakete]

So, he wound up processing all that was said and coming to a simple conclusion. Nothing is normal when you travel with this patchwork cluster of vagabonds. "Well, good luck with that. Do you want me to stick around and help out somehow or should I just wait on the ship?" he asked simply. As it struck him to add something else, he offhandedly tagged on, "Oh and whenever it is you get a moment, I want to talk to you about something." Then it occurred to him that there might be more than just one thing. "Or rather 'things.'"

[Phoenix]

Raquel

"Well ... we do need someone to get under the Dauntless and turn on the deflectors." Raquel noted, unsure whether or not he would want a job like that. It was pretty dangerous. She wasn't keen on hiding that fact, either.

"I'll do it!" Gabbie volunteered in the same second Raquel mentioned it. "I've been down there before and I'm bored as all hell roight now so may as well. Besoides, you don't just need someone to turn'em on; you've got to keep someone down there who can turn'em back off otherwoise you'll never get the thing back down." she explained. That made sense to Raquel, but she was now wondering what Bert wanted to talk about. Probably money related. Either way she figured she would take advantage of the moment.

"I'll come and see you once I'm not busy. Could you make sure that people don't wander off all over the ship once we set sail? I still need to explain the situation to everyone." Her request was almost broken up several times as she tried to get a hold of her hair.

[Mercakete]

Raquel's hair issues were kind of funny, but being only mildly amused by it, Norbert's only expression of his amusement was a small smile. "Sure. If anyone tries to wander off after I tell them not to, I'll just knock them unconscious until you decide to address everyone. If you wind up needing help with the flying wagon, just give me a shout and I'll fly over, too," he responded with a smile, making it somewhat impossible to tell if he was joking or not, "Well, I'd better start bashing heads to prepare for your explanation. Good luck with the Dauntless." That said, Norbert nimbly mounted Rizen, turned her around and rode back up the ramp until he reached the deck, presumably to do as he'd been asked.

[Acacia Sgt]

''Very well, I'm gonna get Gil.'' John said, before heading back up the ramp and into the deck.

It wasn't hard to find the wyvern, as there he was almost right near the ramp entryway. ''Come on Gil, we are needed and... huh.''

It was then that he finally noticed that Sophia was standing next to the wyvern. ''Oh, hello.'' She said. ''The wind was starting to get bothersome, and I was looking for a place to shield myself from it. I'm surprised he didn't mind.''

''Heh, he hardly minds at all.'' John said. Gil grunted. ''Though anyway, the wind has make it harder to get the wagon up here, so we're improvising doing what we did back at the beach. I guess you'll have to search for another cover.''

''Back at the beach?'' Ah, that's right. When it was lifted to the air. ''But won't the wind would still be a problem?''

''Not if we do it right. Well, wish us luck.'' And with that, both man and wyvern went down the ramp. The time of flight wasn't quite yet.

[Phoenix]

Preparations and Stuff

"There were a couple of bars on the bottom around the middle. If I can rig a harness, it'd be a lot easier to get the job done-be roight back." Gabbie said to those present. The Dauntless was empty now(and overwhelmingly spacious) so she knew she wasn't going to have to get what she needed her own supplies or raid one of the supply crates that had been moved. Either option led her up to the ship's main deck, and she decided to check Ringo's saddlebags first.

Raquel wasn't sure what to make of Bert's offer; she couldn't very well explain much to ailing or unconscious people. Figuring he knew that she concluded that he was probably just joking about the violent parts ... maybe ... hopefully. She simply nodded in response and then glanced back over at the crane crew. They seemed ready since the crane was being moved closer to the Dauntless and the ropes were being lowered around its sides.

Gabbie secured herself to some spare saddle parts and held the rest of the equipment in hand as she ran back down the loading ramp and right up to the Dauntless. "Alroight, anyone who's useless here, get the hell back. If you get caught in the air jet, you're history!" Gabbie warned. She then crawled under the vehicle and began tying herself to the two bars running parallel at the forward center. From there she could at least reach the front two deflector pads and turn them back off. The distance to the two in the back was just a little too far, though, and she began trying to figure out how to remedy that instead of asking for a second volunteer. She didn't have much equipment, so she didn't want to bother until it was absolutely necessary.

Meanwhile Raquel figured it was past time to untack Sandrock and Riley and get them away from the Dauntless and onto the Leverager's main deck. Separating the horses from the Dauntless didn't take long, but she had no idea that Gabbie was still trying to figure out the deflector problem. Eventually she just stuck her head out from under the side while Raquel was dealing with the horses and said "I need one more person down here or this isn't gonna work. I can only reach two rings, max, so we need two people."

"Ugh. We need one more person to help with the deflectors!" Raquel called out.

Robin didn't seem to want any treatment, but that only prompted a strange look from the sailor. <"I'm not worried about bears or splinters, I'm worried about an infection. They're all too common when handling goods. The sooner you get that treated the better.">

Edited April 7, 2012 by Phoenix

[Snowy_One]

Robin looked at the man for a moment, as if confused by the degree of care, before extending her hand to let him use the Vulnerary, just as Raquel's call came down.

"I will help Raquel! Just, wait a moment. I hurt myself and one of the sailors is healing me." she called back, not sure what she wanted but always willing to help.

[ReformBlade]

"Well that's always nice I suppose." Davod nodded in agreement, and then Faatina asked him something he had to ponder for but a moment. "Well... money for the most part. Maybe stoke up some memories that I've lost in the process. It's gonna be kinda nice to explore the world again, or at least I think I'm doing it again."

[Mercakete]

Well, it looked like people hadn't wandered out of view, so that was good. Gabbie came onto the Leverager's deck, got some things from her wyvern and left. As he looked around a second time, Norbert noticed there were a couple people missing. A look back to the Dauntless told him where most of them were. I know who is who for the most part... I think I'm forgetting someone, though... He checked a mental list of who all was part of their group and came to the conclusion that Nadya was missing. Figuring she had a horse, he looked down to where the horses were being kept. And there she was.

"When you're done down there, be sure to come back up to the deck and stay up here. Raquel wants everyone ready when she tells us what all's going on," she called down to her, deciding to wait for a reply before paroling again. After all, she was the only one that was out of sight.

[Phoenix]

Healing and Rigging

Three of the Leverager's crewmen took Sandrock and Riley off of Raquel's hands leaving her free to coordinate this giant crane shenanigan. She heard Robin call back over and so did Gabbie, so both figured she would be the volunteer. Raquel was only left wondering how Robin had gotten hurt(though she assumed it involved unloading the Dauntless). Gabbie meanwhile was muttering quietly to herself while the crane operators began lowering the ropes. They knelt down finding Gabbie underneath.

"Hoi fellas." she greeted.

"Hmm ... I don't think it will be secure enough. We'll run a loop." one of them commented.

"A loop?" Gabbie repeated, tilting her head a bit.

"Two or more ropes fastened together like nooses. Attach them to the back of the wagon and to the front, then run a line at the middle to keep it all stable. Probably the safest route."

"Sounds ... conveniently time consuming." Gabbie assessed, giving the worker a smirk. They certainly were taking their sweet time, and over thirty minutes had already gone by.

"We're just doing our jobs, Miss. It takes time to get these things set up and prepared. Anything goes wrong and people and property could be lost." he explained.

"Mmhm, roiiiight. So you two can get to ropin' up the Dauntless and I'll be down here waiting for my partner." Dammit, how could this possibly go right?

The man shook his head at her and stood up from the Dauntless. "How is this thing even so heavy? It's made of wood, not steel."

"Actually it's made of both!" Gabbie called out from underneath.

"... well no wonder we got called out here! I was wondering why ... and deflectors ... they make the thing light enough for those horses to pull. Oh my goddess, it all makes sense now!"

"Yes, yes, now get a move on!"

Meanwhile, the sailor applied the healing salve, and waited the brief moment for them to heal. That was it, all was well, and as long as she hadn't been handling too many things she should be alright, he figured. <"Let me know if you start feeling a little under the weather. I'm not the ship's doctor, but I'll do what I can.">

[Acacia Sgt]

John and Gil came back. Seems things were already underway.

<Looks like we may make it... perhaps.> He thought. <Well, time to be on standby until it's our turn to act.>

[Snowy_One]

"<We're Skotians. We're tough enough to handle a little bit of illness. I come from Ohka, and we're not weaklings up there.>" she said before smiling. "<But thanks, I will.>" she stood up and headed towards Raquel. "What do you need me to do Raquel?" she asked as she neared the woman.

[Phoenix]

What's Needed

"Gabbie can only reach two of the deflector pads. She needs one more person. Basically you two will have to turn them on and off at the right times so we can get the Dauntless onto the main deck without putting too much weight on the crane." Raquel explained. "They seem certain it'll come crashing down if we do it the regular way, so now we're trying this." she added, sounding a bit bitter with the crane team, the director in particular. "Gabbie can explain the specifics. She's already down there."