20,000 Leagues In the Sky

[Gearwire_Sprocketfeather]

"Gearwire Sprocketfeather," I say, studying the newcomer. The captain, I realize. "Freelance investigator and adventurer."

The captain raises an eyebrow. "I see. And why exactly are you on my ship?"

"Just doing my job," I reply, my hand straying to the handle of my dueling cane. "I was hired by a man in a red cloak to make sure this.....artifact reaches its destination. I thought I'd have a better chance of doing that here than on board the Baron's Ego."

The captain studies me for a second, and I grip the handle of my weapon tighter. Finally, she nods and turns to her crewmember. I feel the tension drain out of me, and I release the cane. Now I just have to determine if this is where the box was supposed to go.

[caleb_Larkmagnet1]

Captain Aetherfox motions for me to open the box with the relic inside. I pull out the relic and hold it up to my face. "See anything interesting?" I ask.
"Yeah," Gearwire replies, "It's a golden alpaca."
Eerie looks at him and smirks.
"Other than that of course, I don't see a thing."

I hand the golden relic to the captain and she takes it gently, then she begins to examine it.
"It looks solid to me... Get a magnifying glass from the desk, caleb."
I open a drawer on the desk and saw a magnifying glass. First try! I thought to myself. I picked it up and held it out to the captain. Before she grabbed it, I noticed something.
"Hold up. That alpaca has a collar," I say and I take the relic into my left hand. "I hope this works," I say nervously. Then I grab the head of the alpaca with my right hand and I twist it to the left.

CLICK

Gearwire and Eerie look at the relic excitedly, and I grin with satisfaction.

I pull the head slowly off the alpaca and a piece of rolled up paper begins to reveal itself. I continue to pull the head off until it became completely separated from the paper, still lodged inside the body. I set the alpaca's head on the desk and hold my hand with the body out to the captain.

"Will you do the honors, Captain Aetherfox?"

[Eerie_Coppernight]

I took up the folded paper carefully. It was old, so old that it was tissue thin and the color of pale honey. I unfolded it gently and laid it on the desk. The boys crowded around as I read the writing aloud.

Oftentimes below I roam
But high above's where I call home
Colors dancing through the sky
To a paradise on high

Head for the highest point below
A reverent head of ice and snow
From there, the sailor's first love seek
If at my secrets you would peek

The golden way you now should find
And by it's shining guidance wind
Your way to walls of diamond cold
Beware, seeker, but be bold

From this place, you must ascend
To come at last to journey's end
Feast your eyes on purest art
Never found on any chart

We three stared at one another in dumbfounded silence as I set the parchment down. We then scrambled for the door as if set off with gunpowder. I reached it first and threw it open.

"Ladies and gentlerogues, you're not going to believe what we've got!"

[Titan_Candleburst]

"Ladies and gentlerouges, you're not going to believe what we've got!"

I grin, knowing the sound of an excited, riddle-ready Eerie.

I spread my wings, now with claws added to the sides. I'm gonna end up with a full-blown dragon mech soon.
wait... that's a good idea!
I make a mental note and nod at Eerie.

"Let's hear what we got then!" I say with a grin.

"We have ourselves an adventure. Caleb, retrieved an artifact from the ship we just boarded. Inside was a note, which seems to be a clue for something incredible, and old."

My wings had settled back behind me but now they explode out, startling the people next to me, as I fly out of the belowdecks, and upwards. The initial shock over, Captain Aetherfox is flooded with questions on what it was about. I grin and do a loop in the air. If this is old, it might have technology around it. I can learn. I whoop and fly up further, before shooting down the hallway, above everyone, so I don't hit them, and fly into my workshop. I pull out my ancient snowglobe and teleport in, to grab the materials nessicary for a dragon mech. Who knows, it might come in handy.

[Beckendorf_Direscope]

@Jayhawk_Greencape rushed ondeck, despairing at the news he had just received over the radio. “No one is safe from these pirates! They are ruthless, cold, and glutenous.”

I stepped down from the wheel deck and leaned against a rail. “What happened?” I asked, groaning inwardly at the forthcoming news.

“They took down the Baron’s Ego. The hoard ran off with the whole cargo of chocolate, of all things!”

I almost laughed out loud, but kept my face somewhat stoic. “I can’t imagine why they would want anything to do with a ship full of cholesterol and sugar!”

“They must have been searching for something,” mused @micah_wellpride. “Where did it take place?”

Jayhawk thought back to the broadcast, “About a quarter of the distance between the End-of-the-Earth-Falls and the mainland, off of the point north of No Man’s Landing.”

Dela emerged from her cabin. “We must head toward the wreck, to retrieve corpses and maybe salvage some equipment. The empire shall not be beaten by a simple hit-and-run gang of breakfast-loving vagabonds!”

We all hopped to and rigged the airship to veer farther out to sea.

[Elizabeth_Newroad]

I walked out of my room and appeared on the deck just as we took off. Beckendorf was steering the airship and I headed in his direction.

"Hey, Beckendorf," I said when I was a bit closer, "Where are we headed?" A sheepish smile crossed my face, "I was a little busy, so sorry if I missed you saying the location before."

_{@Beckendorf_Direscope}

[Beckendorf_Direscope]

"Ah, yes. We're going to check out the wreck of the Ego, which has been struck down by vicious pirates! It's time for us to earn our keep as the Pirate-Hunters. We're just making reconnaissance to assess the damage and recover anything useful, as well as any bodies or survivors."

[Elizabeth_Newroad]

I nod thoughtfully, "Do you know if there was anything of value on the Ego?"

[Beckendorf_Direscope]

I look back at my navigation papers and notes.
"Well, um, chocolate. I remember a briefing that hinted that the ship was being used to transport more... sensitive goods. Never got any specifics though, I was just a flight instructor."

[Elizabeth_Newroad]

I snicker, "Any chance the pirates will be so full of chocolate that they'll weigh their airship down? I'll talk to Dela and see if she knows where I can find a list of the sensitive goods."

[Beckendorf_Direscope]

"Hopefully." I snear. "We should arrive near the ship in a few hours. We were actually surprisingly close when attack took place."

[Elizabeth_Newroad]

"Okay, thanks." I see Dela standing a bit away and walk over to her.

"Your Highness, I have a few questions for you."

_{@Lilliana_Umbrellascope}

[Lilliana_Umbrellascope]

~Adeline~

I look over the railing longing to set foot on the ground... Newroad would probably throw my cat off before long...

"Your Highness," Speak of the devil... In a high pitched mocking voice, "I have a few questions for you."

"What do you want, Newroad?" I scoff. "And drop the nicknames."

[Elizabeth_Newroad]

I smirk, "Sorry, your Highness. Do you know what exactly was on the Baron's Ego?"

[Lilliana_Umbrellascope]

~Adeline~

I ponder for a moment.

"Chocolate, last I heard? Being sent to a factory to be infused. And while those pirates are completely absurd, they wouldn't go on just for the sweets. The Baron's Ego is known to occasionally take on high profile passengers or special cargo as to not be compromised. That failed..." I roll my eyes. "When they do have special cargo, they keep the list on a need to know basis, so I wouldn't be able to get a hold of it. How close are we to our destination?"

@Elizabeth_Newroad

[Elizabeth_Newroad]

“A few hours.” I say, “Hopefully we can get there before the trail’s gone cold.”

[Lilliana_Umbrellascope]

"Good. I'm going to retire to my room for a while, let me know when we get there," I order her.

I walk back to my room, my fluffy cat sitting on the bed. I kneel next to her and scratch behind her ears, my pet begins to purr.

[Beckendorf_Direscope]

It was nearly evening when we approached the ship. The mostly-intact hull of the Baron’s Ego was slowly drifting lower towards the sickly-green water below. The massive ship’s air-balloons were obviously leaking.

Elizabeth was leaning on the rail near the wheel. She nodded to me and went below to alert the rest of the crew. I moved from the controls and brought my eye to the scope used for both targeting and navigation.

I could see a faint outline of bound figures collected on the main deck, with some piles of rubble, possibly empty storage containers. I stepped back to the wheel and lowered our elevation, setting the course to float just off to the east of the deck, anchored to the rail.

Dela, Elizabeth, Jayhawk, and Micah came onboard. The rookies were eager to catch a glimpse of our first real lead towards taking down the pirates. The Lieutenant followed behind, a mask of cool confidence and pride probably hid a mix of relieved emotions… maybe.

“Prepare to drop an anchor,” I called to Micah as we coasted near. We began to hear the cries of the shackled crew and officers from the ship. Some were joyous, but most were of annoyance.

“Some welcome we get,” Jayhawk scoffed.

Micah swung a rusty grappling hook lasso-style and launched it forward. It grasped the battered hull railing and held fast. Everyone began checking their weapons. After a moment, Newroad dove headfirst off of the Skysnipers Fury and came up in a roll on the cargo ship’s deck. The two Autofficers followed with less graceful entrances.

Ms. Bowcog lept as well and I was left on the ship, not intending to dismount until I was sure the tether was secure.

[Elizabeth_Newroad]

Beckendorf joins us on the airship and we start forward, only to be halted by a loud shattering sound.

"I can go check on the airship." I say to Beckendorf, "It'll be fine."

"I'll go with her." Dela says, "You guys take care of the survivors and check out the cargo for anything suspicious."

I walk over to the ship, Dela close behind, and see what had caused the noise. It was her little monster of a cat, and it had been in my cheesecake. I walked over to where I had stored it and looked inside. Everything was gone. Everything!

I felt my sanity slipping away even as I took a deep breath and turned around. "Why is your cat in my stuff. Why can't it just stay out of my belongings and leave me alone!"

"Calm down, Newroad, it's not the end of the world," Dela says, her tone patronizing.

And in that moment I knew I wouldn't be able to do it. I physically could not survive on this airship without throwing either Dela or her monster overboard.

So I went for the cat.

I grab at it, only to be scratched on the hand. Dela, who quickly figures out what I'm about to do, slams me against the wall.

"I won't let you do it." She hisses. "You're not touching my-"

I slam my elbow into her nose and watch as she staggers back, blood now flowing from her nose. After a moment's hesitation, I run to the edge of the Skysnipers' Fury and look down at the vast blue sea below, the cat still fighting in my hand.

Another moment's hesitation, which was a big mistake. In that moment, I gave Dela time to give a game-changing blow.

She barreled into me and I fell off the airship.

At the last second I reach out and grab at thin air, miraculously managing to take hold of the railing.

"You realize I still have your cat." I say, a faint smile on my face.

Dela looks down at me, her eyes glittering with something I probably had in my eyes too. Insanity.

"If you hand me my cat. I might spare your life." She says, her voice dangerously low.

I chuckle, "Might. The key word. No, Dela. I have nothing to lose. Absolutely nothing."

I release the cat and watch it fall until it becomes no more than a dot against the blue sea. Dela screams in rage and glares at me, venom in her eyes. "You will pay, Newroad. I swear you will pay."

I feel my grasp slipping, even as she reaches out to pry my fingers off the railing. In one final, stupid act I gather all my strength and grab Dela's wrist, pulling her over the side with me.

We are now dangling together, and I had the sudden urge to make some cheesy pun about it.

"Do it." Dela says, her eyes pleading with mine.

"What? The pun?" I ask, glancing down at her.

"No." She whispers angrily and I smile. Typical Dela, annoyed with me till the end.

I nod, and we share a rare, understanding glance. I look up to the others who are now crowded above us and wink.

Then I let go.

[Iliara_Mustardtop]

My unfolding hoverboard with four-person seating has been working exceptionally well ever since I finally got Irving to replace the ball bearings. It’s nice to finally be out on the water, I muse, leaning back in my seat and scanning the water lazily.
“MRRRAOAOWWWWW!!!”
I jump several feet into the air and snap back to look up into the sky. I have just enough time to duck as a cat comes hurtling down and splashes into the water beside the boat.
I yank on the controls and bring the boat to a screeching halt. Scooping up the floundering cat with one hand, I pull a blanket out from my bag with the other. The poor thing is shivering. I look back up into the sky and can make out the outline of an airship.
“People just be tossing pets nowadays.” I shake my head and hit the steam.

---

knock kn-kn-knock knock knock-knock
The door to Lukas’ workshop swings open with a click. I cough as pink smoke filters up the stairs.
“Hey Lukas!”
“Aye!”
“Want a cat?”