Chapter 8
Chapter 8
Vazkor frowns deeply at Talen's panicked response, and he turns swiftly to pass the warning onto Raziel, incase he didn't hear... It's then however when the ship goes horribly sideways! And it's only Vazkor's quick, trained reflexes that keep him from going right overboard. One hand snapping out to grab the railing as he stumbles to his near doom... Only to see a familiar shape flash past him! And luckily for that shape, the swordfighter's other hand is just as quick, shooting out to wrap around the flying Moogle's ankle and keep him from plummeting to his death as well.
There's a moment of clear thought, the type of moment when your adrenaline is pumping so fast that you feel as if time has slowed and given you a chance to think clearly. "Hold to something!" The man warns as he braces himself and spins the wheel sharply, the ship banking hard against as it's forced on it's side by the sudden shift. It slows down quickly, but despite his best efforts it begins to slip into the clouds, for a long moment seeming like a ship on the sea with the clouds seeming as if they were water until they begin to float through, drifting into the dangerous Jagd.
Dangling by his ankle Talen kupos and shudders as his pom Pings then flops dead and lifeless, the engines putter and the ship shakes and starts drifting on the wind as it goes dead and poor Vazkor and Raziel would feel their magical essences diminished, no longer sustained. What energy they had in them now was all they had. "Well... ermf Kupo! Lil help pulling me up Vazkor please, least we are not plunging into it at full speed! Well done Raziel! We can survive this yet kuupopo!"
Vazkor was never aware he had any real magical energy to begin with, so he doesn't really notice the change... He's a bit busy anyway with helping poor Talen, as soon as he's able to let go of the railing reaching out to help the Moogle back onto the shop, plopping him on his feet. Glancing at Raziel then, he nods with a slight grin, "Close call."
Raziel shudders as it feels like his skin has closed in on him... The feeling which he would compare to a tight water skin holding water. His senses dull a bit, but more annoying is that sensation of being wrapped up tightly in your own flesh. Despite the visible signs of discomfort, which are exhibited in somewhat short, jerky movements and tense features, the man pushes on and tries to straighten out the ship as best he can with a grunt of acknowledgement sent in Talen's direction.
The aegyl turned human is able to keep the ship upright! And bobbing along in a gentle curve, without the engines he can't steer them out of the fog bank of clouds but he has enough navigational control to keep them flying with the balloon over head offering support. Talen hurries down to help Raziel with the rudder and kupos "We need to aim for the centre, anyone have anyway of telling the direction in this kupo? All the instruments are down kupo-po"
Vazkor stands back some as the two attempt to keep the ship on course the best they can, not wanting to get in the way just yet... At Talen's question though, the man reaches up to rub his chin, looking briefly confused as he looks around at the clouds surrounding them, trying to use his old, slightly dormant skills of a former air captain to figure out which way they're heading... Briefly closes his eyes then, he recalls the situation as it was before they flew into the cloud cover, remembering the way the wind was blowing. And he speaks up after, "We're heading north. So east is there." He points, "Try to head that way."
Raziel nods again to Talen then the man's eyes flash towards Vazkor, waiting while his shoulders twitch a little bit. The man starts to try and guide the ship in the direction that Vazkor motions, not questioning him, with Talen's aid. "Then we go.. and try to get through this as fast as we can. I... do not -like- this place." He grips the wheel firmly, so firm in fact that his knuckles are white.
The moogle nods his head, helping Raziel, the two of them turning the ship.. heading east through the cloud bank. It is dark and drear and rather difficult, after about ten minutes Talen kupos and leans back, pressing a paw to his head "This place is foul and evil... kupo-po! I dislike it greatly.....it feels... draining."
Vazkor notices Raziel's discomfort... And he even starts to feel a tad off himself, slightly befuddled even. But he just shakes it off, and decides to not distract Raziel with words of comfort just yet, letting him focus on flying the ship. Instead, he takes the oppertunity to study their surroundings, walking to a railing and holding onto it, trying to spot anything of interest through the cloud cover, like any land below.
Raziel glances at Talen for a moment, judging how he's handling it then he looks towards Vazkor as the man tries to get their bearings a little better. This makes him ponder for a few mooments before he looks back to Talen. "Have you any charts of the dimensions of this region? Doubtful that there are any actual charts.. but if we can figure out the size of it we might be able to figure out how long it'll take us to get where you suggested.."
Talen shakes his head "I know the trail to the cliffs from the ground kupom, this place is weird it.. .messes with you, I can't hear the spirits here or seek guidance. Nothing works properly or can be replenished kupo-po... but I think if we sail east we'll... hit the oooh look the fog is clearing?" He points ahead... a pathc of fog is parting... the airship sailing through the air crosses a line and the engine coughs back into life.... the sense of magic returns and below a tall mountain thrusts up... its slopes bounded by magically null grey rock... but the airship is now directly over head the peak which gushes with bright bubbling water from a caldera ringed by grass and trees.
Vazkor listens to Talen even as he continues to study their surroundings... But he just happens to be looking the other way when the fog clears ahead, and it's only Talen's call that alerts him. Turning around just in time for them to cross the treshold, he blinks once as that dampened feeling is suddenly lifted from him, feeling all his faculties and his strenght returning to him at their proper levels. He walks ahead then, to get a good view of that mountain, and the grassy area below, before rumbling, "We're here?"
As soon as he hears that the fog is clearing ahead the man makes sure that their course doesn't change. And as the engines shudder to life Raziel starts to sink down and take a knee while relief rushes over him. His shoulders twitch as he wants to spread nonexistant wings.. but he shakes himself and looks around then towards Talen. "We stop here then I assume."
Talen heaves the rudder over, yanks a lever and in about ten minutes the ship is crashing into the water of the lake, a spume of fresh, beautifully clear and pristine water sprays over the deck leaving everyone glistening as Talen nods and leans ont he rudder "I have no idea were this is kupo! But.... its not the Jagd! I mean... how does this place even exist?"
Vazkor blinks as the water splashes over him from the slightly rough landing! And he grumbles briefly as he whips his soaked, shaggy hair back with a hand, and brushes away some of the drops that have collected on his lightly oiled leather armor. Soon though, he walks towards the edge again, briefly giving Raz's shoulder as he passes, and he peers at their surroundings, shrugging at Talen, "Don't ask me... You're supposed to be the expert. What do we do now?"
Raziel shields his eyes from the water, but other then that he lets it be. A glance at his damp hand and a sniff before he tastes a few droplets of the water. He blinks and looks at his hand then over at the water for a few moments as if tempted by... something. Vazkor's squeeze when he passes is what brings the man back to his senses and he shakes his head a little bit. "We.." His voice fades and he looks over at a rock and a figure perched upon it. "I believe we found a spirit's haven.." At which point he bows his head to the harp playing woman.
There is indeed a woman, sat on a rock, playing a large crystal and gold lap harp, her fingers dnacing over the keys, the melody is beautiful and yet somehow melancholy, it seems to twine around the ship and drift it closer toward the lady. Talen stares and gulps "Holy... kupo! Erm... does anyone knw who... erm kupo-po... right I'm the summoner erm..." he thinks and scratches his ears "I dunno..." he admits "I dun do water spirits....."
Vazkor looks confused at the sound of music... And he turns his head towards the source, both his brows going up as soon as he spots the woman. Studying her quietly for a few long moments, he first looks to Talen for an explanation, but as the Moogle sputters about his lack of knowledge, he looks at Raziel next, headtilting, "... What's going on?"
Raziel looks at the moogle for a moment and his brow lifts before he looks towards Vazkor. "We've stumbled onto something important and hidden away.. but.." He looks at the woman for a moment, studying her though he after a few moments he defaults to the politeness one should always pay the spirits, known or unknown, "we should go and greet her rather than sit and stare.." Approaching the side of the ship the man looks down at the water and then upto the lady once more before lifting his voice. "I apologize for our sudden arrival.. it was not planned."
The airship rocks to a halt as her song comes to an end, about fifteen feet from where she is sitting, her lower end you see is all fish tailed and sparkling scales and her smiles is bright but not overly friendly. "This... my children is the Templum Sanus," her voice is crystalline, neutral and watching, "It is... not the domain of the children of Terra.... this caldera, this lake is all that remains of what once was called Hermia, A Kingdom of Bangaa in many years long past. Lost in a cataclysm that killed the very fabric of the realm except for this high point.... who disturbs this quiet grave and memorial beneath my care?"
Vazkor blinks a bit at Raziel, but soon focuses his attention on the spirit again. Walking up to stand next to the Aegyl, he studies the woman for a moment again, before he dips forward in a sweeping bow towards her, speaking up in his Rozarrian accented, perfectly modulated voice as she does so, "As my companion said, we apologize for our intrusion, miss... We experienced some trouble with our ship, and were forced to land here. We certainly did not wish to disturb anyone's rest, living or passed on."
Raziel looks around slowly before he exhales and looks back towards the Lady once more while he quiets and lets Vazkor do his thing. Nodding simply he murmurs, "it is as he says.. though our quest has lead us here. We are seeking out Virgo."
She regards you all silently then frowns at the moogle "A servant of Mog... I see... and... yes... I see why you are here. More thieves... but then... maybe not.... I do not sense the curse of the Zodiac upon you.... could they..." She frowns and strums a cord and Raziel's pockets explode... the Stelazzio coins drifting into the air.... Aries, Taurus, Gemin turning softly, hanging in the air and showing first one side then the other as they rotate. "Speak now... are these coins yours by right?"
Vazkor looks surprised as Raziel's pocket suddenly explodes, and the coins float past him. The man following them with his eyes for a moment, before looking back at the woman, "I ensure you, miss, we are honest folk, on a quest sanctioned by others of the spirit court, to help his people, the Aegyl, lift an age-old curse. I know of only one thief we encountered, and we defeated her in fair combat. We simply want to do good, here."
Raziel starts to shake his head until his the coins are taken from him. The man's hand starts to lift and then stops as he looks beyond to the woman and answers honestly. "My feet were indeed set on this path by the Aegyl who had possesed Aries.. I am one of their number though my wings were taken from me. In an effort to regain them they put it into my keeping and sent me on. In Ramuh's temple on the Cerobbi Steppes we were entrusted with Taurus and sent on to the next point where Lord Mog did entrust us with both Gemini and Cancer."
She sighs and her tune turns melancholy and she regards the trio of you "So you seek Leo... he is not here... he fell into the ocean long eons ago.... when Hermia was destroyed, when Cancer and Leo... no... when... what they should have been fought here against each other... did Hermia die and Leo fell into the ocean... Cancer I thought went with it. Far from here must it have been swept....to surface in Baguba Port.... if Cancer went south you must go north and seek upon the sea-bed...." she looks at the trio, "I can give you no more aid nor may I permit you to remain here... return north.... a gift I give to ye who seeks so nobly and a warning for you... one who walks this path with you will not return to Emberstrand with you... seek north, on the sea bed... seek north beneath the sea for Leo.... but do not go alone..." her voice begins to fade, fog flows in around you all, wrapping about your bodies, squeezing it and then it fades and the airship is in dock in Baguba Port.... everything is the same except for two beautiful crystal Kukhri... the blades shimmering in the morning light pouring through from outside, catching the two familiar feathers embedded deep within the heart of the crystals.... "Seek the Voice of the Dead her guardian beast seeks Leo's resting place as well... seek the Sea Bed... in the North...."
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