As the clouds drift white and lazy through the air, and the sun shines bright above, the palace-city of Flint soars across the endless skies. Named after Corrin Flint, the King who ordered the Ark's creation, the name is now rather outdated. Flint disappeared shortly after the Great Ascent, in the chaotic years that followed, and the city has since been ruled by his court wizard, a powerful human mage by the name of Thelonius Reach. Reach's Flint is a prosperous place, trading frequently and lucratively with nearby Arks. It makes its money primarily off of precious metals, mined from the great floating bits of land and rock found hovering in the skies. The Ark's large fleet of mining-balloons, as well as a team of skilled diviners, allows it to trump any nearby competition. Today, however, the rock in question contains no minerals of value. Instead, its contents are a bit more... arcane.
It was less than a month ago when Flint's diviner-pilots detected a particularly large mass floating through the skies. Immediately, Flint was directed to drift toward it. Within a week, word got out that there was something unusual out there. As it grew closer, it became clear that it wasn't just any rock. It was intelligently crafted. Right angles, hewn of stone, silhouetted in the clouds. Then, only a few days ago, it came into full view. It wasn't at all like the Arks. Those were built from the ground up as floating cities. However, this place looked almost as if it was hewn out of a floating rock. If that was the case... there was no telling just how long it had been up there. Arrangements were made to scout it out immediately, though the proper teams had to be assembled, the equipment gathered. Unfortunately for the higher-ups of Flint, someone else was a little faster.
Venwaris was a child of the skies. One of the many children orphaned in the chaos after the Great Ascent, his parents were never in the picture. Perhaps he had been ripped away from them, and they were still out there, somewhere. Perhaps they had purposefully left him, as he was some sort of noble bastard, and couldn't be a part of the picture. Of course, about half of the street kids here are noble bastards, so it's not exactly a claim to fame. Maybe they were just dead. Either way, Venwaris fell in pretty quickly with a gang of other prepubescent miscreants like himself. It was that, or let the lightless underbelly of the Ark chew him up and spit him out, like it had so many others. As he and his fellow urchins grew, so did their schemes, and occasionally Venwaris would find himself dipping into some actual crime. Nothing super serious, but real crimes nonetheless, more than just petty pickpocketing and thievery.
In time, Venwaris found himself a job as a courier, though at times 'mule' might be a more accurate descriptor, depending on the licitude of the job at any given time. He wasn't all that high on the totem pole, but he wasn't schlepping about in the muck either. Still, he had his dreams. Survival was great and all, but with the right score... well, one day he could be up there at the central palace, sipping wine and chortling with the rest. One day. If he got the opportunity.
Then, opportunity came a-knockin' at his door. He was midway through a job when he heard a mighty squeak, and looked down to see a small white rat, tugging at his pant leg. Now, Venwaris recognized this rat as Splits, the pet rat of his old pal, Jaz. Or, as the gang called her, 'Stumbles.' The two of them were friends back in the day, though since then have grown a little distant. The rat climbs up onto Venwaris' shoulder, and begins speaking in Jaz's voice. Probably some sort of spell.
"Hey, Ven the N, long time no see!" ('Ven the N' was a nickname forced upon him by his fellow urchins, referring to his lack of magical ability.) "Look, I'll cut straight to the case, pal. We gotta job, an' it calls for someone what can get in and outta places all quiet-like. Someone like you. It's gotta do with that big temple-rock thing what's been hangin' over the Ark these past days. There could be a whole lotta money in this! If you're interested, head down to the lower docks, by Rooney's Saloon. I've got Pinch with me here, he'll find you. Also, bring the rat with ya, I haven't figured out how to make him come back yet."
With that, the little beast goes silent, and once again becomes a regular, if rather old and fat, rat.
Flint:
The Weird Temple Thing:
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
Ven had finally gotten his hand on the package to deliver just as Splits arrived. He had hurried as quickly as he could to get it, taking many of the hidden byways that made him more than fit to do his job. At the moment, he was dressed in his slightly torn up leather tunic, its padding holding multiple pockets that he used for carrying around various messages and documents of importance for his clients. His more emerald eyes held a slight amount of frustration as he saw the rat, knowing something was up. He would remain silent as he heard the full message, letting out a groan at first. He was already on a job, and yet Stumbles wanted him to run off and do another one? However, when he heard the comments on it being quite a big score, he was singing quite a different tune. "If that is the case, I might as well give it a shot," he said to the rat, knowing full and well it couldn't respond. He gently opened up one of his pockets, pulling out what remained of a cracker he had been nibbling on earlier for the rat. "Come on, now. The drop off should be on the way to the docks," he said, picking the rat up and putting it into his pocket with the cracker as he broke off into a sprint. As he made his way through the streets, he silently groaned as he thought, 'Looks like I'll be taking the sewer route this time. Wonderful. I just got the muck cleaned from this...'
Ven progresses down, down, down, into the bowels of the Ark. At the very top, everything is immaculate spiral staircases and magically empowered lifts. However, the further down he goes, the more and more treacherous things get. Staircases turn from marble to rough-hewn stone and wood, and the lifts turn from elegant, magical things to simple rope-and-pulley systems. It's still very posh, just nothing compared to what it is above. Ven progresses deeper and deeper, and eventually reaches the place he dreads most: the sewers. Now, they're certainly fast. No matter what else you can say about them, it can't be denied that they get you where you need to go. However, they're also disgusting. All of Flint's sewage is directed through these things, purified to retain water in the system, with the rest being jettisoned down into the clouds below. However, the pipes full of the purified water can't be accessed by the public. Which is reasonable, given that you can't have people swimming about in your pure water, but it also leaves Ven with nothing but the muck.
He only slips twice, and manages to plot his route in such a way that he avoids the dreaded Pit. The Pit being that one point in the sewers where the flows from all the pipes line up in just the right way to cause a constantly swirling vortex, in which ancient muck can get caught for years and years. A prime spot for those who make their money off of retrieving trinkets from the slime, but not of any interest to Ven. Eventually, a pipe deposits him only a floor above the low docks, and it's quick work to slide down a ladder, climb down some scaffolding, and hop the remaining seven or so feet to the ground. Here at the lower dock, primarily mining ballons and large passenger balloons pass through, bearing loads of valuable stones and people. At the moment, however, most balloons are anchored. Ven makes his way over to Rooney's Saloon: a bar positioned right at the edge of the dock, with a view directly into the endless expanse of the sky. It's generally considered a seedy establishment, but since this is by Flint standards, that just means it serves a bit more ale than it does wine.
Ven looks around a second, before a tap on his shoulder interrupts him. Turning, he comes face to midriff with a hulking figure wearing a garish green leather jacket with a shiny scale pattern. Panning up, Ven comes face to face with the smiling face of a bugbear. Instantly, he recognizes him as his old friend Pinch. Named so because he was the best damn pickpocket in the gang, despite his massive size. Also because he couldn't really help grabbing any shiny thing that caught his eye. Like that awful jacket. He bears his teeth in a massive, terrifying grin, the rest of his face creasing and wrinkling, pressed up by the force of his mirth.
"VEN! Old buddy, old pal, how are ya? It's been a damn age, huh? Well, we can catch up later, Stumbles wants to talks to youse. Come on!"
With that, Pinch waves Ven on and progresses down an alley behind Rooney's.
Pinch:
Some visual vibes for what the lower city and the docks look like: (wanted to find lower tech images, but had a hard time. Imagine these, but less industrial)
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
Ven smirks a bit as he sees Pinch, double checking his pockets quickly to make sure nothing had already been taken from them. He had thankfully already delivered the small package from before, something in a small leather case that had a hidden note within the lid of the holder. "Same old, same old. Barely scrapping by, getting into the mess of everything. Did I hear correctly that you picked off one of those jewelers that was smuggling in fake gems for spell stuff?" he asked, opening up the pocket where he had let Splits ride with him over. He started wiping at the parts of his gear that had gotten in the middle of the muck, giving a soft groan as he wiped the contents aside and threw them off. 'This had better be worth it Stumbles...' He thought to himself, as he already knew that he wasn't getting any nicer jobs for a while after this last one. The recipient of the drop off had only given Ven a few copper for the run, one that would normally give him at least a silver or two. Not to mention that he had nearly lost one of his few defense tools on him within the muck itself.
"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. What little birdy told ya that?" Pinch grins as he slides through a narrow gap behind the building, which expands into a much larger space. This little area, tucked away from the rest of the dock, seems to be completely forgotten, accessible only through that tiny gap. There isn't much here, save for some tools scattered about, some papers, a few stools and a table that seems to be made from a few nailed-together boards. The thing that catches Ven's eye most, however, is what isn't there. Namely, the wall. A large chunk of the wall seems to have been chiseled out, exposing this area to the outside. By that chunk, a large pile of canvas sits, all stitched together.
Sitting on one of the stools is Stumbles, massaging her bad leg and looking over a couple of the papers. She looks up, and grins at Ven. "Ven the N, what's up, pal? How've you been?"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
"Cold," Ven replied, raising an eyebrow for a moment as he wandered in. "Ever thought about closing a window or something in here? You've got quite a draft going on," he added, undoing the clasp on his pocket as he pulled out Splits. He wandered over and placed the puff ball onto her shoulder, as he looked down for a moment to massage her leg. "Now then, are we going to go through the old song and dance or should I just go to working on that leg of yours again while you tell me the score?" Ven remembered when Stubles got her injury, as he was the one to help nurse her at least to a state where she could walk on it again. He knelt down next to her, waiting for her hands to move off so he could get to work in the right spots, digging into the areas above and below the knee to try and relax any swollen muscles there.
"No need to- well, alright, then." Stumbles lets Ven get to work, letting out a satisfied sigh. "Shit, kid, you oughta be a masseuse up in them high towers, not schlepping it in the pits with the rest of us sorry suckers. Anyways, the draft here's part of the plan. Surely, you know about the big temple thing what's been bumping shoulders with Flint lately. Well, I gotta tip they're sending out a balloon tomorrow morning. Now, I'm all for some good old investigating in the name of science, but rumor has it that they ain't bringing no scout vessel. They're bringing a mining ship. They're expecting to bring something back, and a lot of something. Big, ancient temple, you'd be a damn fool to think that there was anything other than heaps of treasure buried in that thing. Me and Pinch here, we gots to thinking, and we came to the conclusion that we wouldn't be half upset to get some of that treasure for ourselves. I called up Specs, told 'em we wanted us an aerostat stat, and they delivered, bless their soul. Couldn't be here today, what with their "job," but that don't matter.
"Anyways, you've probably guessed by now, but the plan's to fire up the balloon, float outta that hole over there, and claim us some treasure under the dead of night. We needs us someone real sneaky-like, and you were always the best of us. Pinch'll be coming along, but only as additional muscle in case things goes wrong. If we do this right, we won't need to work a day for the rest of our damn lives. Whaddya say, old chum, care to take a chance and learn some archaeology?"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
Ven stayed quiet as he heard the plan, his fingers digging around the muscles as he felt old scarring spots still within the areas. As Stumbles finished, he gave a bit of a sigh. "Why do you have to always think of so many complicated ideas, Stumbles? Couldn't have you just 'magiked' your way over there?" He gave a bit of a heavy sigh, pinching his brow for a moment as he thought out the plan. Sure, it was crazy, but half of everything else he did was. There wasn't any guarantee, but the money sounded reasonable enough. If he could at least get him enough money to cover the year's worth of food, that would at least give him some time to get on his feet. The more he thought about it, the more it sounded like too good of an opportunity to pass up. At the same time, that was what he worried of most.
"Fine, fine. Just tell me the whens and wheres that this is all happening," Ven said as he gave into the plan, digging in deeper for a moment as Stumbles would feel a slight pop. It would relax the tension on one of the nerves in her legs, giving it some more mobility without it lashing out in a muscle spasm or anything like that.
"Shit, kid, I know you don't have much of a head for this stuff, but it ain't that simple. I can send Splits here on errands, send messages and whatnot, and do a coupla illusions, distractions, whatnot, but I'm no master mage. That's some Reach-level magic you're talking about." Stumbles flinches slightly at the pop, then relaxes. She stands up, walks over to the canvas, and starts shuffling it about, revealing the edge of a small air-carriage. Another shove, and it all falls off, revealing the thing. It looks like it's been cobbled together from five different sources, but Ven knows to trust Specs' craftsmanship, however ugly it may be.
"Tomorrow morning, Reach's men set out. Tonight, on the other hand, is when you'll be heading out. Gives you pretty much the rest of the day to prepare. I assume you know how to work one of these things. 'S not too hard. Hotter flame means you go up, cooler means down, crank the crank to go forward, turn the wheel to steer. I sunk a pretty penny into getting the resources for this thing, so you better not crash it. Also, that'd probably mean your death, so... yeah."
Picture something like this, but made out of wood and looking like it could fall apart any second:
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
"And how big is that thing going to get? Like how will it be that no one is going to see me?" Ven asked, standing up and brushing the dust off his knees. He wandered over to it as he followed Stumbles, taking a closer look over it. "Specs is sure that this can get me over there, right? Do we have something here in case I can't get back? A rope, an anchor, something that you could pull me back with if everything goes wrong?" Ven's look of concern was back, as the last thing he wanted to do was go falling down however many hundreds of feet below to his own demise.
"Cloud cover, darkness, and staying out of view are all you've got going for you. And the temple's way too far for any form of anchor. Trust in Specs. Their stuff's saved me more times than I can count."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
"Fine, fine, fine. Then, let's finish getting everything else ready then," Ven said with a bit of frustration and annoyance in his voice, looking over one of the drawings of their destination. He let out a heavy sigh as he started studying it, searching for anywhere that would work as a good entrance or a safe landing space that they can stay hidden in and not be detected through the night.
Looking over the papers, Ven obviously notices the large frontal entrance, where there is a relatively flat space where he could land. Other than that, maybe he could anchor the balloon on one of the windows, or land atop of the mostly flat roof.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
“I think we should try to keep away from the more visible entrances. Keep us hidden and out of sight so we can ensure there is zero chance we could be seen,” Ven comments, taking a close look over the plans. “Anything else you need me to prepare on besides studying over these?”
Stumbles shrugs. "I put this all together, got you your balloon, my job here's done. From here on, it's your area of expertise. You're in charge, whatever you think you need to be ready, you gotta get. Make sure it's done by the end of today, though."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
Ven nodded, giving himself a moment to run through all of his effects. He quickly went through each of his pockets, pulling out all the different gear pieces he had on him. He was starting to run a little bit low with a few things, but overall he was pretty well stocked. "Is there anything you'd recommend for this beyond the usual? Like should I be getting some climbing gear or something like that?" He didn't have much coin on him, but he probably could find a few items here or there if it was needed. Otherwise, it might be better for him to just sleep in prep for this crazy idea.
As the clouds drift white and lazy through the air, and the sun shines bright above, the palace-city of Flint soars across the endless skies. Named after Corrin Flint, the King who ordered the Ark's creation, the name is now rather outdated. Flint disappeared shortly after the Great Ascent, in the chaotic years that followed, and the city has since been ruled by his court wizard, a powerful human mage by the name of Thelonius Reach. Reach's Flint is a prosperous place, trading frequently and lucratively with nearby Arks. It makes its money primarily off of precious metals, mined from the great floating bits of land and rock found hovering in the skies. The Ark's large fleet of mining-balloons, as well as a team of skilled diviners, allows it to trump any nearby competition. Today, however, the rock in question contains no minerals of value. Instead, its contents are a bit more... arcane.
It was less than a month ago when Flint's diviner-pilots detected a particularly large mass floating through the skies. Immediately, Flint was directed to drift toward it. Within a week, word got out that there was something unusual out there. As it grew closer, it became clear that it wasn't just any rock. It was intelligently crafted. Right angles, hewn of stone, silhouetted in the clouds. Then, only a few days ago, it came into full view. It wasn't at all like the Arks. Those were built from the ground up as floating cities. However, this place looked almost as if it was hewn out of a floating rock. If that was the case... there was no telling just how long it had been up there. Arrangements were made to scout it out immediately, though the proper teams had to be assembled, the equipment gathered. Unfortunately for the higher-ups of Flint, someone else was a little faster.
Venwaris was a child of the skies. One of the many children orphaned in the chaos after the Great Ascent, his parents were never in the picture. Perhaps he had been ripped away from them, and they were still out there, somewhere. Perhaps they had purposefully left him, as he was some sort of noble bastard, and couldn't be a part of the picture. Of course, about half of the street kids here are noble bastards, so it's not exactly a claim to fame. Maybe they were just dead. Either way, Venwaris fell in pretty quickly with a gang of other prepubescent miscreants like himself. It was that, or let the lightless underbelly of the Ark chew him up and spit him out, like it had so many others. As he and his fellow urchins grew, so did their schemes, and occasionally Venwaris would find himself dipping into some actual crime. Nothing super serious, but real crimes nonetheless, more than just petty pickpocketing and thievery.
In time, Venwaris found himself a job as a courier, though at times 'mule' might be a more accurate descriptor, depending on the licitude of the job at any given time. He wasn't all that high on the totem pole, but he wasn't schlepping about in the muck either. Still, he had his dreams. Survival was great and all, but with the right score... well, one day he could be up there at the central palace, sipping wine and chortling with the rest. One day. If he got the opportunity.
Then, opportunity came a-knockin' at his door. He was midway through a job when he heard a mighty squeak, and looked down to see a small white rat, tugging at his pant leg. Now, Venwaris recognized this rat as Splits, the pet rat of his old pal, Jaz. Or, as the gang called her, 'Stumbles.' The two of them were friends back in the day, though since then have grown a little distant. The rat climbs up onto Venwaris' shoulder, and begins speaking in Jaz's voice. Probably some sort of spell.
"Hey, Ven the N, long time no see!" ('Ven the N' was a nickname forced upon him by his fellow urchins, referring to his lack of magical ability.) "Look, I'll cut straight to the case, pal. We gotta job, an' it calls for someone what can get in and outta places all quiet-like. Someone like you. It's gotta do with that big temple-rock thing what's been hangin' over the Ark these past days. There could be a whole lotta money in this! If you're interested, head down to the lower docks, by Rooney's Saloon. I've got Pinch with me here, he'll find you. Also, bring the rat with ya, I haven't figured out how to make him come back yet."
With that, the little beast goes silent, and once again becomes a regular, if rather old and fat, rat.
Flint:
The Weird Temple Thing:
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
Ven had finally gotten his hand on the package to deliver just as Splits arrived. He had hurried as quickly as he could to get it, taking many of the hidden byways that made him more than fit to do his job. At the moment, he was dressed in his slightly torn up leather tunic, its padding holding multiple pockets that he used for carrying around various messages and documents of importance for his clients. His more emerald eyes held a slight amount of frustration as he saw the rat, knowing something was up. He would remain silent as he heard the full message, letting out a groan at first. He was already on a job, and yet Stumbles wanted him to run off and do another one? However, when he heard the comments on it being quite a big score, he was singing quite a different tune. "If that is the case, I might as well give it a shot," he said to the rat, knowing full and well it couldn't respond. He gently opened up one of his pockets, pulling out what remained of a cracker he had been nibbling on earlier for the rat. "Come on, now. The drop off should be on the way to the docks," he said, picking the rat up and putting it into his pocket with the cracker as he broke off into a sprint. As he made his way through the streets, he silently groaned as he thought, 'Looks like I'll be taking the sewer route this time. Wonderful. I just got the muck cleaned from this...'
Ven progresses down, down, down, into the bowels of the Ark. At the very top, everything is immaculate spiral staircases and magically empowered lifts. However, the further down he goes, the more and more treacherous things get. Staircases turn from marble to rough-hewn stone and wood, and the lifts turn from elegant, magical things to simple rope-and-pulley systems. It's still very posh, just nothing compared to what it is above. Ven progresses deeper and deeper, and eventually reaches the place he dreads most: the sewers. Now, they're certainly fast. No matter what else you can say about them, it can't be denied that they get you where you need to go. However, they're also disgusting. All of Flint's sewage is directed through these things, purified to retain water in the system, with the rest being jettisoned down into the clouds below. However, the pipes full of the purified water can't be accessed by the public. Which is reasonable, given that you can't have people swimming about in your pure water, but it also leaves Ven with nothing but the muck.
He only slips twice, and manages to plot his route in such a way that he avoids the dreaded Pit. The Pit being that one point in the sewers where the flows from all the pipes line up in just the right way to cause a constantly swirling vortex, in which ancient muck can get caught for years and years. A prime spot for those who make their money off of retrieving trinkets from the slime, but not of any interest to Ven. Eventually, a pipe deposits him only a floor above the low docks, and it's quick work to slide down a ladder, climb down some scaffolding, and hop the remaining seven or so feet to the ground. Here at the lower dock, primarily mining ballons and large passenger balloons pass through, bearing loads of valuable stones and people. At the moment, however, most balloons are anchored. Ven makes his way over to Rooney's Saloon: a bar positioned right at the edge of the dock, with a view directly into the endless expanse of the sky. It's generally considered a seedy establishment, but since this is by Flint standards, that just means it serves a bit more ale than it does wine.
Ven looks around a second, before a tap on his shoulder interrupts him. Turning, he comes face to midriff with a hulking figure wearing a garish green leather jacket with a shiny scale pattern. Panning up, Ven comes face to face with the smiling face of a bugbear. Instantly, he recognizes him as his old friend Pinch. Named so because he was the best damn pickpocket in the gang, despite his massive size. Also because he couldn't really help grabbing any shiny thing that caught his eye. Like that awful jacket. He bears his teeth in a massive, terrifying grin, the rest of his face creasing and wrinkling, pressed up by the force of his mirth.
"VEN! Old buddy, old pal, how are ya? It's been a damn age, huh? Well, we can catch up later, Stumbles wants to talks to youse. Come on!"
With that, Pinch waves Ven on and progresses down an alley behind Rooney's.
Pinch:
Some visual vibes for what the lower city and the docks look like: (wanted to find lower tech images, but had a hard time. Imagine these, but less industrial)
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
Ven smirks a bit as he sees Pinch, double checking his pockets quickly to make sure nothing had already been taken from them. He had thankfully already delivered the small package from before, something in a small leather case that had a hidden note within the lid of the holder. "Same old, same old. Barely scrapping by, getting into the mess of everything. Did I hear correctly that you picked off one of those jewelers that was smuggling in fake gems for spell stuff?" he asked, opening up the pocket where he had let Splits ride with him over. He started wiping at the parts of his gear that had gotten in the middle of the muck, giving a soft groan as he wiped the contents aside and threw them off. 'This had better be worth it Stumbles...' He thought to himself, as he already knew that he wasn't getting any nicer jobs for a while after this last one. The recipient of the drop off had only given Ven a few copper for the run, one that would normally give him at least a silver or two. Not to mention that he had nearly lost one of his few defense tools on him within the muck itself.
"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. What little birdy told ya that?" Pinch grins as he slides through a narrow gap behind the building, which expands into a much larger space. This little area, tucked away from the rest of the dock, seems to be completely forgotten, accessible only through that tiny gap. There isn't much here, save for some tools scattered about, some papers, a few stools and a table that seems to be made from a few nailed-together boards. The thing that catches Ven's eye most, however, is what isn't there. Namely, the wall. A large chunk of the wall seems to have been chiseled out, exposing this area to the outside. By that chunk, a large pile of canvas sits, all stitched together.
Sitting on one of the stools is Stumbles, massaging her bad leg and looking over a couple of the papers. She looks up, and grins at Ven. "Ven the N, what's up, pal? How've you been?"
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
Stumbles:
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
"Cold," Ven replied, raising an eyebrow for a moment as he wandered in. "Ever thought about closing a window or something in here? You've got quite a draft going on," he added, undoing the clasp on his pocket as he pulled out Splits. He wandered over and placed the puff ball onto her shoulder, as he looked down for a moment to massage her leg. "Now then, are we going to go through the old song and dance or should I just go to working on that leg of yours again while you tell me the score?" Ven remembered when Stubles got her injury, as he was the one to help nurse her at least to a state where she could walk on it again. He knelt down next to her, waiting for her hands to move off so he could get to work in the right spots, digging into the areas above and below the knee to try and relax any swollen muscles there.
"No need to- well, alright, then." Stumbles lets Ven get to work, letting out a satisfied sigh. "Shit, kid, you oughta be a masseuse up in them high towers, not schlepping it in the pits with the rest of us sorry suckers. Anyways, the draft here's part of the plan. Surely, you know about the big temple thing what's been bumping shoulders with Flint lately. Well, I gotta tip they're sending out a balloon tomorrow morning. Now, I'm all for some good old investigating in the name of science, but rumor has it that they ain't bringing no scout vessel. They're bringing a mining ship. They're expecting to bring something back, and a lot of something. Big, ancient temple, you'd be a damn fool to think that there was anything other than heaps of treasure buried in that thing. Me and Pinch here, we gots to thinking, and we came to the conclusion that we wouldn't be half upset to get some of that treasure for ourselves. I called up Specs, told 'em we wanted us an aerostat stat, and they delivered, bless their soul. Couldn't be here today, what with their "job," but that don't matter.
"Anyways, you've probably guessed by now, but the plan's to fire up the balloon, float outta that hole over there, and claim us some treasure under the dead of night. We needs us someone real sneaky-like, and you were always the best of us. Pinch'll be coming along, but only as additional muscle in case things goes wrong. If we do this right, we won't need to work a day for the rest of our damn lives. Whaddya say, old chum, care to take a chance and learn some archaeology?"
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
Ven stayed quiet as he heard the plan, his fingers digging around the muscles as he felt old scarring spots still within the areas. As Stumbles finished, he gave a bit of a sigh. "Why do you have to always think of so many complicated ideas, Stumbles? Couldn't have you just 'magiked' your way over there?" He gave a bit of a heavy sigh, pinching his brow for a moment as he thought out the plan. Sure, it was crazy, but half of everything else he did was. There wasn't any guarantee, but the money sounded reasonable enough. If he could at least get him enough money to cover the year's worth of food, that would at least give him some time to get on his feet. The more he thought about it, the more it sounded like too good of an opportunity to pass up. At the same time, that was what he worried of most.
"Fine, fine. Just tell me the whens and wheres that this is all happening," Ven said as he gave into the plan, digging in deeper for a moment as Stumbles would feel a slight pop. It would relax the tension on one of the nerves in her legs, giving it some more mobility without it lashing out in a muscle spasm or anything like that.
"Shit, kid, I know you don't have much of a head for this stuff, but it ain't that simple. I can send Splits here on errands, send messages and whatnot, and do a coupla illusions, distractions, whatnot, but I'm no master mage. That's some Reach-level magic you're talking about." Stumbles flinches slightly at the pop, then relaxes. She stands up, walks over to the canvas, and starts shuffling it about, revealing the edge of a small air-carriage. Another shove, and it all falls off, revealing the thing. It looks like it's been cobbled together from five different sources, but Ven knows to trust Specs' craftsmanship, however ugly it may be.
"Tomorrow morning, Reach's men set out. Tonight, on the other hand, is when you'll be heading out. Gives you pretty much the rest of the day to prepare. I assume you know how to work one of these things. 'S not too hard. Hotter flame means you go up, cooler means down, crank the crank to go forward, turn the wheel to steer. I sunk a pretty penny into getting the resources for this thing, so you better not crash it. Also, that'd probably mean your death, so... yeah."
Picture something like this, but made out of wood and looking like it could fall apart any second:
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
"And how big is that thing going to get? Like how will it be that no one is going to see me?" Ven asked, standing up and brushing the dust off his knees. He wandered over to it as he followed Stumbles, taking a closer look over it. "Specs is sure that this can get me over there, right? Do we have something here in case I can't get back? A rope, an anchor, something that you could pull me back with if everything goes wrong?" Ven's look of concern was back, as the last thing he wanted to do was go falling down however many hundreds of feet below to his own demise.
"Cloud cover, darkness, and staying out of view are all you've got going for you. And the temple's way too far for any form of anchor. Trust in Specs. Their stuff's saved me more times than I can count."
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
"Fine, fine, fine. Then, let's finish getting everything else ready then," Ven said with a bit of frustration and annoyance in his voice, looking over one of the drawings of their destination. He let out a heavy sigh as he started studying it, searching for anywhere that would work as a good entrance or a safe landing space that they can stay hidden in and not be detected through the night.
(Investigation)
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
19
(Sorry, had a real busy day.)
Looking over the papers, Ven obviously notices the large frontal entrance, where there is a relatively flat space where he could land. Other than that, maybe he could anchor the balloon on one of the windows, or land atop of the mostly flat roof.
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
“I think we should try to keep away from the more visible entrances. Keep us hidden and out of sight so we can ensure there is zero chance we could be seen,” Ven comments, taking a close look over the plans. “Anything else you need me to prepare on besides studying over these?”
Stumbles shrugs. "I put this all together, got you your balloon, my job here's done. From here on, it's your area of expertise. You're in charge, whatever you think you need to be ready, you gotta get. Make sure it's done by the end of today, though."
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
Ven nodded, giving himself a moment to run through all of his effects. He quickly went through each of his pockets, pulling out all the different gear pieces he had on him. He was starting to run a little bit low with a few things, but overall he was pretty well stocked. "Is there anything you'd recommend for this beyond the usual? Like should I be getting some climbing gear or something like that?" He didn't have much coin on him, but he probably could find a few items here or there if it was needed. Otherwise, it might be better for him to just sleep in prep for this crazy idea.
"If you're planning on scaling down the side, that'd probably be welcome. All depends on your plan of attack, bud."
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."