Chapter 33: Sunrise over the Silverhills
After the fight, our heroes looked around the deck of the airship. Next to the puddles of slain Water Elementals laid some lifeless bodies of the Elves that had taken part in the battle. Elven healers ran across the deck, healing everybody that needed it. While everybody around him got some time to recover, Creeree 'Hawk' arc Qrirruawk kept up his concentration to make sure the Archon stayed in where he belonged. Luckily, after a minute, he too got a chance to catch his breath.
The group huddled together at the bow of the ship. While Sisyphus picked up where he'd left off with his whale hunt, the rest of the group evaluated what had just happened. They noted how the Lord didn't join the fight, something they had expected from him, as he seemed to be a very powerful mage. This storm also seemed to be extremely strong, seeing how it had broken the barrier. They talked about the storm, and how it was connected to the Elementals that had been freed during the Convergence of the Elements. That's when Dante Lucero made a mean comment about Water Elementals and Sèhreia. At this point Sisyphus started getting annoyed.
When Dante Lucero once again opened her mouth, he decided he had enough of the chatter and teleported to the stern, just outside of Lord Starspeakers room. There he heard the sound of boiling water coming from inside the room. It sounded like the Lord was using an alchemy lab.
After Sisyphus had left them, Creeree 'Hawk' arc Qrirruawk went up to the captain to ask him about the storm, and the possible connection between the storm, and the red moon. Captain Windrunner noted that this had definitely been the strongest storm so far, but that the red storms had been happening since the Convergence of the Elements. When Dante Lucero asked him bout the moon, he told them that Ruidus was indeed a natural phenomenon, but that he'd never heard of Ekyril turning red. He advised them to go to House Ov'Saja, and ask them about it. Because it might be a spiritual thing.
As the group started wrapping up their conversation with the Captain, he turned towards them once again: "You know, the Lord might know more about the moon. If you'd like, you could ask him about it tonight?" They nodded, and thanked him for his offer. When he'd walked away, they started preparing for their conversation.
That night they were led towards the Lords chambers. When he stepped outside, they noticed how he made sure they couldn't look into his room. After they greeted eachother, Creeree 'Hawk' arc Qrirruawk offered to have a drink, and Lord Starspeaker happily agreed. He even said that he would have the perfect drink, and turned around to get it from his room. After he left Creeree 'Hawk' arc Qrirruawk told the rest of the group about the bottle of Krakens Demise he carried with him, and they discussed swapping out the bottles. In the end they decided not to.
Minutes later Lord Starspeaker came out holding an ornate Jade bottle and a set of beautiful looking wine glasses. When they took a sip the taste was sweet like lemonade. "It's a common wine" the Lord told them. While sipping on their wine they chatted. When Creeree 'Hawk' arc Qrirruawk asked the Lord why they mostly saw him t night, he seemed to not want to answer his question. This alarmed Dante Lucero, as the Lord seemed to be hiding something. Immediately she began connecting him to the Lord she had met before: Lord Paletouch. She looked at him. He most definitely didn't have an undead smell, but he seemed to use some magic on his appearance. Out of curiosity she asked: "Do all Lords have connections with eachother?" Lord Starspeaker told her that indeed they had contact with each other, but he also didn't seem to be happy about the events that had unfolded after the Convergence of the Elements.
After answering Dante Lucero's questions, he told the group about the upcoming arrival of a very important individual. General Khatar, the most trusted General of House Akira would arrive on the ship tomorrow. He needed them to meet up with him, because he would most definitely play an important role in their mission.
While they were chatting, Dante Lucero noticed something in the sky. It seemed like something fell towards them from the moons, flames dragging behind it. Dante Lucero quickly pointed it out to the rest of her party and the Lord. Livi immediately asked for a spyglass, and took a look at the object. She saw how the object had a white, tube-like shape, and somewhat resembled an airship. When she wanted to hand the spyglass to Lord Starspeaker, he called over Aranis to look for him, and make sure the crew would take care of it.
The group ended the night with a very special drink: Krakens Demise. Surprisingly, the Lord accepted the drink, but didn't seem to be affected by it. While drinking the Krakens Demise, Livi asked a last question: "Sir, do we carry pigs on board? I thought I heard one a couple nights ago?" After the Lord told her there weren't any on board, he wished them a good night, and walked away.
When the Lord had left them, Dante Lucero turned towards the group. "So..." she said, "I was wondering if someone could help me with something in my room tonight." Immediately some Elves came walking their way, only to turn around when Creeree 'Hawk' arc Qrirruawk said: "I'll help you. What do you need?" She told him that she would explain it when they were there. Not much later, they went to her room.
"I don't trust this situation" Dante Lucero said, "I feel like Lord Starspeaker was hiding something when we asked him why he only came out at night. What if he's some kind of vampire just like Lord Paletouch? That's why I need your help, I want to look inside his room. You know, I can summon a familiar and look through his eyes. Maybe a spider? But I need you to watch my body and notify me if I have to come back." Creeree 'Hawk' arc Qrirruawk looked at her, and thought for a bit. "I don't think you should do that. I agree, somethings off about the Lord, but what if he finds out? And what if there's something wrong with him? We can't do anything while we're on the ship. Just hold off for now." Dante Lucero nodded, and thanked him for listening. Afterwards, they both went to sleep.
On the fourth day of their trip, the General arrived. As the rest group met up with him on the deck, Dante Lucero stayed downstairs to avoid the rain that poured from the sky. General Khatar wore one of the most impressive sets of armor they had ever seen. In the center of his chest plate sat a large red crystal, and the metal around it was decorated with ornate looking filigree. He spoke to them with his gravelly voice and asked them about their strengths.
Later that day, Livi walked past the cargo hold, and flicked a nail inside. Using her nail she took her chance to look inside, only to be horrified by what she saw. There were two large cages filled with humanoids, that looked like they'd been tortured. Behind the cages were shelves with many bottles filled with a thick scarlet substance, that was probably blood. As she looked further, she found what had made the noise she'd heard before: a cage filled with pigs. Although she was most definitely shocked by what she had learned, she decided to keep the information to herself.
The rest of the days went uneventful. Creeree 'Hawk' arc Qrirruawk, Sisyphus, and Livi continued doing the things they had done at the beginning of their trip. Only Dante Lucero had found a new project: to find out more about the Lord. The fact that he only went out at night, and used magic on his appearance made her think of Lord Paletouch. Might he be a vampire too? This however, didn't seem to be true as he had a reflection.
On the last day of their trip, Livi decided to say goodbye to the Lord, and thank him for having them on his ship. While she went to his quarters, Sisyphus had different plans.
When they had just landed, Sisyphus made his way towards the cargo hold. While everyone was running around doing their own thing, he had a little chat with the guards guarding the hold. Using his echo, and some quick tricks, he teleported inside the hold.
There he saw the cages filled with slaves. He noticed how he wasn't able to make any sounds while inside. He decided to free the slaves. With one swing, he broke the first lock. Then, he quickly hid when one of the guards walked inside. After the guard was gone, he broke the other lock. To rally up the slaves, he hit one of them. He let the slave overpower him. Soon after, the slaves stepped out of their cages.
The slaves stormed outside, and started attacking the guards. To make sure he wouldn't be caught, Sisyphus teleported to one of the rooms upstairs. When he ran out from the room he saw the gunner firing at the slaves. Some of them laid lifeless on the ground. "What happened?" he asked the guards. Seconds later, Lord Starspeaker appeared.
When the Lord walked up to him, Sisyphus' memories faded as they were modified. There were only boxes in the cargo hold. There was no fight. Everything was okay...
The group huddled together at the bow of the ship. While Sisyphus picked up where he'd left off with his whale hunt, the rest of the group evaluated what had just happened. They noted how the Lord didn't join the fight, something they had expected from him, as he seemed to be a very powerful mage. This storm also seemed to be extremely strong, seeing how it had broken the barrier. They talked about the storm, and how it was connected to the Elementals that had been freed during the Convergence of the Elements. That's when Dante Lucero made a mean comment about Water Elementals and Sèhreia. At this point Sisyphus started getting annoyed.
When Dante Lucero once again opened her mouth, he decided he had enough of the chatter and teleported to the stern, just outside of Lord Starspeakers room. There he heard the sound of boiling water coming from inside the room. It sounded like the Lord was using an alchemy lab.
After Sisyphus had left them, Creeree 'Hawk' arc Qrirruawk went up to the captain to ask him about the storm, and the possible connection between the storm, and the red moon. Captain Windrunner noted that this had definitely been the strongest storm so far, but that the red storms had been happening since the Convergence of the Elements. When Dante Lucero asked him bout the moon, he told them that Ruidus was indeed a natural phenomenon, but that he'd never heard of Ekyril turning red. He advised them to go to House Ov'Saja, and ask them about it. Because it might be a spiritual thing.
As the group started wrapping up their conversation with the Captain, he turned towards them once again: "You know, the Lord might know more about the moon. If you'd like, you could ask him about it tonight?" They nodded, and thanked him for his offer. When he'd walked away, they started preparing for their conversation.
That night they were led towards the Lords chambers. When he stepped outside, they noticed how he made sure they couldn't look into his room. After they greeted eachother, Creeree 'Hawk' arc Qrirruawk offered to have a drink, and Lord Starspeaker happily agreed. He even said that he would have the perfect drink, and turned around to get it from his room. After he left Creeree 'Hawk' arc Qrirruawk told the rest of the group about the bottle of Krakens Demise he carried with him, and they discussed swapping out the bottles. In the end they decided not to.
Minutes later Lord Starspeaker came out holding an ornate Jade bottle and a set of beautiful looking wine glasses. When they took a sip the taste was sweet like lemonade. "It's a common wine" the Lord told them. While sipping on their wine they chatted. When Creeree 'Hawk' arc Qrirruawk asked the Lord why they mostly saw him t night, he seemed to not want to answer his question. This alarmed Dante Lucero, as the Lord seemed to be hiding something. Immediately she began connecting him to the Lord she had met before: Lord Paletouch. She looked at him. He most definitely didn't have an undead smell, but he seemed to use some magic on his appearance. Out of curiosity she asked: "Do all Lords have connections with eachother?" Lord Starspeaker told her that indeed they had contact with each other, but he also didn't seem to be happy about the events that had unfolded after the Convergence of the Elements.
After answering Dante Lucero's questions, he told the group about the upcoming arrival of a very important individual. General Khatar, the most trusted General of House Akira would arrive on the ship tomorrow. He needed them to meet up with him, because he would most definitely play an important role in their mission.
While they were chatting, Dante Lucero noticed something in the sky. It seemed like something fell towards them from the moons, flames dragging behind it. Dante Lucero quickly pointed it out to the rest of her party and the Lord. Livi immediately asked for a spyglass, and took a look at the object. She saw how the object had a white, tube-like shape, and somewhat resembled an airship. When she wanted to hand the spyglass to Lord Starspeaker, he called over Aranis to look for him, and make sure the crew would take care of it.
The group ended the night with a very special drink: Krakens Demise. Surprisingly, the Lord accepted the drink, but didn't seem to be affected by it. While drinking the Krakens Demise, Livi asked a last question: "Sir, do we carry pigs on board? I thought I heard one a couple nights ago?" After the Lord told her there weren't any on board, he wished them a good night, and walked away.
When the Lord had left them, Dante Lucero turned towards the group. "So..." she said, "I was wondering if someone could help me with something in my room tonight." Immediately some Elves came walking their way, only to turn around when Creeree 'Hawk' arc Qrirruawk said: "I'll help you. What do you need?" She told him that she would explain it when they were there. Not much later, they went to her room.
"I don't trust this situation" Dante Lucero said, "I feel like Lord Starspeaker was hiding something when we asked him why he only came out at night. What if he's some kind of vampire just like Lord Paletouch? That's why I need your help, I want to look inside his room. You know, I can summon a familiar and look through his eyes. Maybe a spider? But I need you to watch my body and notify me if I have to come back." Creeree 'Hawk' arc Qrirruawk looked at her, and thought for a bit. "I don't think you should do that. I agree, somethings off about the Lord, but what if he finds out? And what if there's something wrong with him? We can't do anything while we're on the ship. Just hold off for now." Dante Lucero nodded, and thanked him for listening. Afterwards, they both went to sleep.
On the fourth day of their trip, the General arrived. As the rest group met up with him on the deck, Dante Lucero stayed downstairs to avoid the rain that poured from the sky. General Khatar wore one of the most impressive sets of armor they had ever seen. In the center of his chest plate sat a large red crystal, and the metal around it was decorated with ornate looking filigree. He spoke to them with his gravelly voice and asked them about their strengths.
Later that day, Livi walked past the cargo hold, and flicked a nail inside. Using her nail she took her chance to look inside, only to be horrified by what she saw. There were two large cages filled with humanoids, that looked like they'd been tortured. Behind the cages were shelves with many bottles filled with a thick scarlet substance, that was probably blood. As she looked further, she found what had made the noise she'd heard before: a cage filled with pigs. Although she was most definitely shocked by what she had learned, she decided to keep the information to herself.
The rest of the days went uneventful. Creeree 'Hawk' arc Qrirruawk, Sisyphus, and Livi continued doing the things they had done at the beginning of their trip. Only Dante Lucero had found a new project: to find out more about the Lord. The fact that he only went out at night, and used magic on his appearance made her think of Lord Paletouch. Might he be a vampire too? This however, didn't seem to be true as he had a reflection.
On the last day of their trip, Livi decided to say goodbye to the Lord, and thank him for having them on his ship. While she went to his quarters, Sisyphus had different plans.
When they had just landed, Sisyphus made his way towards the cargo hold. While everyone was running around doing their own thing, he had a little chat with the guards guarding the hold. Using his echo, and some quick tricks, he teleported inside the hold.
There he saw the cages filled with slaves. He noticed how he wasn't able to make any sounds while inside. He decided to free the slaves. With one swing, he broke the first lock. Then, he quickly hid when one of the guards walked inside. After the guard was gone, he broke the other lock. To rally up the slaves, he hit one of them. He let the slave overpower him. Soon after, the slaves stepped out of their cages.
The slaves stormed outside, and started attacking the guards. To make sure he wouldn't be caught, Sisyphus teleported to one of the rooms upstairs. When he ran out from the room he saw the gunner firing at the slaves. Some of them laid lifeless on the ground. "What happened?" he asked the guards. Seconds later, Lord Starspeaker appeared.
When the Lord walked up to him, Sisyphus' memories faded as they were modified. There were only boxes in the cargo hold. There was no fight. Everything was okay...
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