"Skim away,  then!" Aelar responds as he helps the last of the guards aboard.  "After we reach the Hearth, the pilot will take you into the Nest and then go back to the gate to get more guards."

((Anyone else going to take any action before the pilot continues?))

((The the little girl and dwarf okay?))

((Yeah if the dwarf/club kid are ok I’m good to move forward))

(I believe the girl is still with the group on the Kite.)

Some of the Watchmen, rather than wait until after the group gets to the Hearth, simply slide down the rope ladders as soon as the kite is on the other side of the fence. Leon and Geoffrey take their moment and follow suit, helping to coordinate efforts to open the gates from the other side. Geoffrey, working quickly, tosses the ropes that the Watchmen unsuccessfully tried to bend the fence bars with over to Leon, who then ties the ropes to the ladders connected to the Kite.
The Kite is strong enough to carry many people, and it takes only a few moments for the Kite to wrench open the bent gate enough for the rest of the Watchmen to finish the job before the rope connected to the gate snaps.
Leon shouts up to the group.
"We'll catch up as soon as we can! I need to do this!" he calls up, and leads the Watchmen pouring through the gates towards Ashwa's estate.

The group still have 10 Watchmen with them, who decide to assist the group at the Hearth.

When the group arrive at the Hearth (If anyone wanted to drop the kid off someplace, we'll just make a side-note of that) they can see that the Labors aren't roaming around in a disorganized, chaotic fashion. They're being tightly controlled into efficient units, all marching together with directed purpose. Not only that, but some defenses have been set up here, improvised barricades meant to stave off the regular militia that would naturally be coming to try and restore order. What's also apparent, from the vantage point of the Kite, is that the defenses were not made with an aerial approach in mind.
It then becomes very clear that the group is the only thing in the air; the stables should have had a number of kites ready for flight, airborne reinforcements that would have gotten around the gates of the Nest without any problem. The stables must have been disabled somehow earlier... the kite that the group is on was commissioned as a favor at the last moment, it must have just slipped out before the Skell launched their attack.

And the Skell are here... the same autonomous suits of armor that kidnapped the citizens of Hon are visible and trying to break the fortifications of the Hearth's inner sanctum where Balgrim and the other survivors are currently holed up. They're actually disassembling themselves and reconfiguring their own bodies to try and make some kind of battering ram to try and break down the heavy doors of the archives.

The group have the advantage of altitude and the Kite's silent flight. They haven't been detected yet by the ground forces waiting for the Watch to arrive.

They have a little time to plan their attack. A cursory glance tells them that there are at least 30 Labors on the ground acting as a forward guard and another 20 Skell living armours that are working on the doors of the archives. None of them seem like they're armed with weapons to deal with an attack from above; if the Skell's forces did enter via the underground passages, that would mean they wouldn't be able to bring anything that uses gunpowder, or it'd be waterlogged and useless.

"It seems like I was wrong..." Hyre mutters as he sees the Skell. He was so sure though. "But more importantly, this is a great opportunity. We must capture one of the Skell in a state that it is still operating so we can study how they work. It will be a great advantage for us later if we can really do it. Kallista, can you do the same thing that you did before? If not, perhaps you can dismember one, without destroying it completely?" This was a chance they could not let slip. If they can study one of them and figure out how they operate so far from their rails, or where their heart stones are, or anything at all - as insignificant as it may seem...

Hyre looks around, making sure none of his hasty friends does anything before they can agree on a plan. If someone nocks an arrow into their bow, Hyre will try to stop them by saying the following: "Stop! I know how you feel, I feel it too, but we cannot let our feelings control our actions. We cannot afford to make mistakes here. Let's make a good plan before we start raining down arrows."

ooc: What are the guards armed with?

Hearing Hyre's instruction- Lazlo readies his new bow and then pauses despite his normally impulsive nature.

((what type of bow are these as far as equipment? Long/short?))

The Watchmen are armed with long rifles and pikes, and were in the process of loading their weapons when they hear Hyre's request.
Kallista's fearful form alone is enough to give the men pause, so despite their age, the Watchmen at least hesitate to see what these youngsters have planned.

Of Grimbuld's bows, the dwarfish mechanical bow is a short bow, as is the crimson bow. The white bow and the unknown wood bow are both full longbows. From the height advantage, they have enough range to hit targets with full damage despite the distance. The Kite is gently hovering about 300 feet (100 meters) above the ground, the height of an average amusement park roller coaster. 

Kallista surveys the scene, trying to see where the closest group of Skell/Laborers are.

((Is there a spot where there are a bunch in the 20ft radius?))

Seeing everyone is waiting, Hyre takes a breath. "The first thing we should discuss is whether we attempt to find and shut down the heart chamber first, fight the Skell and the Labors first, or split up and do both simultaneously. If we go to the heart chamber first, we might alert the Skell once they see the Labors fall and then they might leave. This could have been fine, but we want to capture at least one of them while it is still operational to study it. If we fight them first, there will be... about fifty I'd say... that we must beat. Unless Kallista can do what she did earlier again, I'm not sure we'll be able to take them all out without getting hurt, as well as keeping at least one... ah... 'alive'. If we split, it will be harder on both sides as there will be fewer people for each task. Of course, none of that even matters if we can't get to the heart chamber without passing by the Skell, but I doubt it's where the Dwarves barricaded themselves, or they would have shut it down already. What do you all think?"

Kallista can see that the Labors seem to be marching a set path that overlaps at a crucial point. They've been split into squads of 5, and at one point in their march, two groups of 3 squads overlap into close proximity to each other, on the far right and left of the perimeter that the attackers have created to defend themselves against the infantry that they're expecting. Timed correctly, the entirety of the Labor guards could be taken down in one fell swoop when they're crossing paths with one another.

Raia's brow creases and she curses.
"If I could only change form, even halfway, this would be a simple matter... but I just don't have the strength." she says.
"The Skell's defenses are improvised... they're not planning on staying here long. Moreover... I don't see a single living Skell amongst any of their number. They're all automatons... which means there could be actual Skell soldiers down in the mines and these are just expendable forward guards." Raia thinks aloud.
"The animated armor trying to break into the archives will probably need time to reassemble themselves to attack us before they can do anything. If we can disable the Labors fast enough, they'll be helpless and we can pick them off from a safe distance before they can threaten us."

Kallista looks at Raia and thinks for a moment, before hesitantly putting a hand on the dragon's shoulder. "Um... does that feel better?" She asks

((Casting Greater Restoration)) on Raia.))

Aelar looks at Hyre.  "That sounds good, Hyre.  But I'm thinking we should attack from up here.  It doesn't look like they have any way to deal with attacks from up here.  I also like the idea of capturing one of the skell-things."

As Kallista uses her abilities, Raia perks up significantly and looks with shock at Kallista. She flexes her hands a few times and then backs away from everyone.
"Give me a little room." she says.
As she tenses, her skin visibly changes color to a bronze, then a bright metallic sheen comes over her features. Her face elongates and she bends over, all but going on all fours as her clothes fall away and wings sprout from her back. She can't quite transform to her full dragon state, but she gets close enough, standing instead as an extremely large, winged dragonborn. She stands at about eight feet in height with a wing span of 30 feet, though she keeps crouched and her wings furled against her body so her glistening scales don't give away the group's presence.
"Close enough." she says, smiling over at Kallista.
"I can't quite use all of my abilities, but I certainly have at least one full force breath in me, even in this form." she states.

"I believe you're quite right, Hyre. The heart chamber is beyond these defenses. We'll have to deal with them regardless... but now that I'm at half strength, I can confidently engage the Labors on my own, if you need me to be a distraction while the rest of you engage the living armor... though I'd feel a little better staying close in case you run into trouble, personally... if we all attack together, we may be able to push through the defenses and get to the heart chamber before they can stop us... risky, but direct, and they won't be expecting it."

 Aelar considers for a moment, then, since he doesn't really know what he's talking about, decides might as well make the suggestion.  "How about we have you breath on them...that is so cool, Raia!...then we shower them with arrows and musket balls.  Then, Raia can distract the Labors, defeat them, then we can give the skell-things something to worry about while you get into the Heart Chamber and shut all the Labors down, Hyre.  Maybe Kallista can drop you right at the doors."

That sounds very risky. On the other hand, it's only him that is put at risk, not the others. He can accept that, as he can't think of a better plan. "Just... make sure to capture one of these armours. Knowing our enemy will be our first step towards long-term victory." He takes a deep breath. He doesn't even know where the heart chamber is, or what it looks like, or how to shut it down. He'll have to figure it out on the way, though, as it's not information that he can get from any of those around. "I'm ready when you are."

Raia looks to Kallista.
"We might be able to do something together to decimate their number before any of them have a chance to react... with the living armor needing to shift forms before they can respond, we'll have ample time to pick them off and then retrieve Balgrim from the archives. Once we rescue him, he can guide us the rest of the way... I think I could simply destroy the heart chamber machine... but that would take weeks to restore infrastructure to the city. I'd rather not do that if we can avoid it." she says.
"The only worry I have is that I may use my one major advantage and not have anything really significant to use if there's more resistance inside."

“I don’t have a better plan- let’s try and finish this as quick as we may.” the Satyr sighs. For good or ill they were committed to their course. He hadn’t ever felt so powerless- almost as if his fate was predetermined- before. In fables it all seemed so.. .glamorous and heroic. But here and now he felt as if he were being pulled down a river at the whim of an unforgiving current. 

Kallista watches the Laborers. "If I get closer... at the right moment I might be able to blow up most of them at once." She says to Raia.