[EV-26] The Ladonian Rebellion

[Lium 1]

Gripping to the side as Celeste rocks the boat... "HOLY HELL" as he sees the down that they were right above, just hovering. A dude in the corner of his eyes falling to his death, "How many more are on this dam vessel," calling out to the woman he vowed to follow. Something about her intrigued him. Something about getting the job done regardless. A grin forms on his face as she asked the question. "Do I look like a damn mechanic to you," as he glanced out at the other players just standing there staring at the aircraft. "Well, don't just stand there, help us get this damn thing working right. I can assure you that we are all after the same thing here. No need to be shy. She don't bite unless your stupid or slow so I suggest you get your asses up here and help." Turning, Lium tries to analyze the ship like he knew what he was doing. Really nothing like this was anything that he had ever seen before. "WE NEED A DAMN PILOT!" he yells out after staring at what looked like buttons next to the wheel...

Any player that chooses to hear Lium's outburst: @Oji @Nian @Alkor @Lilik @Krysta @Plini  

Edited November 12, 2021 by Lium

[Nian 0]

The corners of her lips curled into a cruel smile.

"Fitting last words."

And all of her STR was mustered into the pult with a swing of her body. She launched the man into the air, in a direction upwards if not towards this 'skyport', whatever that was. One dip of her knees, too, and she brought herself skyward -- freefalling wasn't about to excuse her second-in-command from leaving her side, either. As king, she had responsibilities over her subjects.

An arm wrapped around Plini's waist and she ushered them towards a roof-top, albeit one she'd abandoned earlier to get a closer look for her revelers. Landing on her feet, she pulled up her companion to ensure he did the same. A fierce frown, nose wrinkled, and her head thrown backwards slightly. "What's this about a skyport?"

Nian didn't need to look too far to see a vessel fit for a ruler. The shadow passing over head was well enough to shut her up, if not her companion, and the monarch eyed it with voracity, teeth gnashed together. Desire-- and outrage. She wasn't going to be out-done, heavens blocked out that the sun wouldn't shine on her.

After a beat, still kept in the dark, she looked to the other player. "Direct me," she started, before clearing her throat, restoring her voice. "Rather; lead your emperor down towards victory. And..."

Her fingers curled and relaxed in a wave.

"Try to keep up, underling."

@Plini

[Krysta 0]

Even this very area had fallen to chaos. There were more battles being waged here now, and the Airship Krysta was headed for had started to take off, only to be stopped by-

Did someone just fire a Ballista at it!?!??

Krysta stopped suddenly as she was shocked over this surprising development. After standing there perplexed for a good number of seconds, she shook off the shock and continued her way forward. It took longer than expected to reach the chain that kept the Airship tethered to the area, and there was already a player making his way up the chain. Perhaps it was best to wait her turn and let the player board the Airship before trying to reach it herself. Once the man had boarded the Airship, it was Krysta's turn. She started her way up the chain and she overheard a foul-mouthed player asking if anyone knew how the Airship worked. In all honesty, Krysta would have to take a look at it herself to see if she even had a chance.

But better to try than to surrender to what would surely arrive if the players did not take off in time.

As large as the chain was, it was like moving on a tightrope trying to advance to the Airship from it. She simply had to keep her eyes focused on the chain ahead of her, not looking down, just ahead. A Leap of Faith, perhaps, though there were no jumps involved in this. Krysta managed to board the Airship at long last, but that would be as far as she got unless someone trustworthy knew what to do.

The ship was already at an angle, and if someone didn't correct the position soon, everyone would slip off the craft. Krysta needed to reach it to at least attempt to stabilize it, but she wasn't used to moving on an angled transport, and Krysta had no experience steering an aircraft, which would leave her to hope there was at least a simple way to stabilize it.

Things were worse than she'd thought. Much, much worse.

[Oji 0]

Oji's words were met by a woman with a vile tongue, seeming to not care about the people she was throwing off the side. He decided to ignore @Celesteand her actions for now, he needed to focus on other tasks. He sat up and groaned a bit. Even if he was just pixels in this game, he still felt his old joints yelling at him. Maybe it had to do with how the NerveGear was connected to the brain and how he knew his body in the real world acted, it in turn made his body act like his own in the real word. He muttered something incomprehensible as he stood, surveying the airship. It seemed sturdy enough, with quite the stockpile of a multitude of items to sell, eat and trade. Maybe he'd have to see if he could find some gems and ores for his shop to make some nice pocket watches, it wouldn't hurt to try.

"Might have to take inventory for when we la-" Before he could finish his sentence, he felt the ship rumble beneath is feet as it drastically swayed to one side, he screamed and slid, hitting the bottom part of the lopsided deck with a thud, finding his chest against the side and his head hanging below the ground, which from here was a very long ways down.

"Holy- What did you just do?!?!" he screamed, and he heard a younger gentlemen @Lium screaming for someone to figure the ship out and get it upright. Going over to where the red headed girl was standing and sees a crystal, black as night. He looks over to the other side and see's the crystal shining brightly, and he sighed "Jeez, don't just randomly kick things that you don't understand." He shouted over the roaring flames, fiddling with the crystal and giving it a big slam on the top, and the crystal slowly sputtered to life. Soon, the ship reoriented itself and he let out a sigh.

"Okay, so the crystals is what controls the flying capabilities. Any luck on how to steer it?" he looked at the red-headed girl. "And maybe work on de-tethering the ballista you shot, that might make us unable to fly away."

(Okay the ship should be good unless you kick something again @Nian @Alkor @Lilik @Krysta @Plini)

ID: 201759 LD: 20 (WOOO WASTED MAX ROLL POOOOG)

Total: [142/125]

Edited November 12, 2021 by Oji

[Plot Master 0]

 

Ladonian Skyport officer Lakton Crowse could not stop pacing. Back and forth, back and forth, the man's boots carved a metaphorical trench in the metal dock. At each end, just before he turned around, he peered over the side of the walkway. Below, the city seemed to shimmer like a mirage on a hot day. Flashes of firelight permeated the blanket of black smoke, the red and orange hues sending panic lancing through him. Even several stories up, Lakton could hear the shouts and the sirens. Somewhere, amid the chaos and confusion, was a little girl with his brown hair and her mother's smile. Lakton could think of nothing else as he he turned on his heel for the umpteenth time, and executed another pass across the entrance. Beyond him, a handful of airships hovered, tethered by thick ropes. Gangplanks connected the central dock to the decks of the ships as they sat waiting for their crews to return. Said crews, the Skyport Authority had reason to believe, were in the process of smuggling goods illegally in and out of Ladonia. For that reason, Officer Crowse had been assigned watch duty, with the expectation that he would report the return of any potential pirates. Initially, it had seemed like an exciting job. Now, all he wanted to do was check on his family.

Finally, the leash binding him to his post simply snapped. He had been the perfect employee, never missing a day, never asking questions, never saying no. But this time, the word no was the only thing he could think of, pounding in his head to the beat of his heart. No, he would not continue to watch the suspicious ships. No, he would not feel guilty for his decision. No, there was no way that Letty and her mother were in any danger. No, he would absolutely make it on time. He refused to imagine a life without them in it. All obligations to the Ladonian Skyport Authority were forgotten as the man focused on what truly mattered - the only two people in the world that he loved.

As Lakton sprinted for the stairs, a flurry of movement caught his attention. A group of oddly dressed individuals thundered by him, some outfitted in heavy armor, others in robes of flashy colors. Is that what pirates look like? he thought idly as he descended the steps, but he never paused to look back.
 

---

 

Round Three: He's a Pirate
"Borrow" an airship, and fly it toward the Central Tower.
Complete three tasks simultaneously: navigate, power the ship, and search for supplies.
Roll at least 100 LD for each task, and succeed in keeping each within 10 LD of the others.
Double posting is not allowed. Please be mindful of other participants, and give everyone an opportunity to contribute.
The round will end when the requirements are met.

Spoiler

• Players should track the totals for all three tasks in their posts, and make it clear which they are rolling for.
• Players may move freely between the different tasks - just because you navigate in your first post does not mean you must do so in your second, for example.
• Once all tasks have reached 100, and the totals are within 10 of each other, the next round will begin. If they are not, Players can continue rolling.
• The totals only need to be +/- 10 at the end of the challenge, not throughout it.
• Totals extend across all Players, regardless of which airships they are on.
• "Navigate" includes actually steering the ship, checking maps, looking out the window to report potential obstacles, etc.
• "Power the Ship" includes adjusting helium levels to control buoyance, fiddling with levers/knobs, monitoring gauges, haphazardly pushing buttons and banging on consoles, etc.
• "Search for Supplies" includes scavenging the ship, and locating the items stored away by the skypirates. Some are hidden, some are in plain view. 

 

[Krysta 0]

At last, the ship was stabilized, thanks to the man who had boarded the ship before Krysta. Now it was time to get this airship moving. ...Now that Krysta thought about it, it was kind of odd that advancements above the feudal and middle ages were present outside of player dwellings, their shops included.

As for everyone around her, things were moving rather swiftly, so it was difficult to tell what kind of individuals she had now chosen to travel with.

Were they Players?

Pirates?

Both?

Well, there were certainly players involved, but Krysta could only hope she hadn't unintentionally joined a group of ruthless plunderers. For the time being, she needed to take a look around and get a grip on the situation. The man who came before had managed to stabilize the ship, so hopefully she could leave navigation to him. "Perhaps it would be wise to see what the NPCs had left behind..." Krysta thought aloud. Hopefully she wouldn't find any...personal belongings that would leave her disgruntled upon her impromptu allies' actions. Sometimes the acts of war were necessary, especially in a world like this, but hopefully the actions committed by the red haired woman would be the most of her worries, that nothing worse would happen.

ID# 201760 LD: 4[Supplies]

Progress:

Navigation: 0/100

Power: 0/100

Supplies: 4/100

Edited November 14, 2021 by Krysta

[Alkor 0]

The rush to the Skyport was a blur of thoughts. Like a shell-shocked soldier, the Knight waded through the confusion only vaguely aware of what was happening around him. It was the loud sound from behind him that jarred his senses and stole him back to augmented reality. Alkor spun rapidly as someone yelled out to him. His eyes darted to confirm the threat, and when he found it his blade spun in the palm of his hand. In a reversed grip as he took two swift steps toward his vulnerable foe, the sword drove home. With the blade sunken into the guard's armor half of its length, Alkor waited for two heartbeats for the system to dismiss the tragic man. Data bled from the wound as he slowly turned his attention to the woman who had addressed him.

"..." At first, Alkor said nothing. The woman had a crass, almost overtly rude tone to her voice. Her words suggested she had done him a favor, but the way she was saying them did not make him feel thankful at all. How was he supposed to respond to them? "...thanks?" he asked.

The reality was that even if the guard managed to get the drop on him, it would most likely have ended in just as much of a mess. The paralysis from Witchfang had already set in, causing the guard's jaw to slack and spew saliva as his eyes rolled back. Caustic energies from the various debuffs coalesced in a storm of death that roiled inside of the NPC until finally he expired. When the fragments spilled out in every direction, Alkor withdrew his weapon at last. "Remember, they always get back up," he told her, sheathing his sword as he turned his attention toward the goal. "Meet lethal force with lethal force."

If he owed her, giving her valuable advice for survival in Aincrad was equivalent exchange... right?

They continued into the Port as though she had randomly selected him as a member of her group. And who the hell is Blondie? Wasn't that a band in the stone age? he wondered absently as they cleared the first obstacle and were promptly presented with another. There were myriad airships in various levels of disrepair; but the one that stood out was under serious duress. A handful of Players had converged on the skeleton crew and were attempting to commandeer the thing by force. "Looks like the place," he observed. The airship was tethered to the drydocks still, making the attempt to liftoff dead on arrival- not that any of the Players would have known that, unless they understood the mechanics of flight. Alkor severed the line with a quick Sword Art and quickly wrapped an arm around Lilik's waist. "Hold on tight," he commanded as he gripped the chain just before it snapped from being taut. The resulting whiplash propelled the two out into open sky, thrashing in air as the airship was forcefully launched from the dock.

He felt the resulting sensation in his arm in a way that might have been a break if this were the real world. Luckily in Sword Art Online, such things only resulted in damage, but there was no pain. The only limiter that might have caused him to fumble was removed by limiters within the world itself. He silently thanked the powers that be for that respite. 

"Climb up first," he told the woman, "I'll be right behind you."

Now free to soar through the skies, it would be much easier for the Players to navigate to their destination.

[ID: 201763 // LD: 8]

Progress:

Navigation: 8/100

Power: 0/100

Supplies: 4/100

Edited November 12, 2021 by Alkor

[Celeste 1]

The whole vessel lurches, as a pile of player rides the ballista's line in. Scouring and peeling away at the boat finds players completely at their wits ends, Celeste more than others. While most players were going through crates or messing with sails, the red haired woman had found herself below deck. "Ya'll can start figuring this shit out, Im going to go get this thing moving." she wanted none of the bickering or careful thought that the others would provide. She was a woman of action, not of cautious debate or planning.

Following a set of stairs down, into an eerie yellowish green glow. Sounds like steam, hissing and pistons. An engine room? But curiously, everything down here looked more magical than mechanical. Another one of those glowing gemstones, but this one in an emerald shade. "I wonder..." The woman quips, lifting her arm out to the right. A massive cleaver manifests in her hands, the weight taking it with a slam into the metal grate below her feet. Cocking it back and slamming it into the device sees the flames rip out and be sucked into the jewel that vibrates from the impact. It sputters, goes dark before it lights up like a sun.

Hit the problem till it goes away.

The shuttle starts to float, up and out the docks and dangerously close to the built ceiling. One of these other people would need to get it moving straight before they became wreckage against the roof like an insect against a windshield. But she helped. "Power problem dealt, get the lead out and let's move." she speaks with a cascade of red hair and a tap of her hands together as she exits the bow. Right to a crate, that she rips the top off with an impressive show of strength. Nothing in it but flour. Hoisting the damn thing over her head before she yeets it off the side of the ship, less weight meant more float. Look out farmers, we droppin' air packages.

ID:201765 | Battle:2, Craft:11, Loot:15 [Power]

Progress:
Navigation: 8/100
Power: 15/100
Supplies: 4/100

Edited November 12, 2021 by Celeste

[Lium 1]

As Celeste heads downstairs Lium was already digging through crates and barrels littered across this craft. "This is useless," tossing a few clothing, pieces of the edge. This box seemed completely useless. Yeeting it off the side to get rid of the dead weight. Pushing another crate, it seemed heavier than normal. Curiously opening it up, he finds a guy? "What the hell you hiding for," The man quickly hops out of the crate and runs straight for where the people were climbing on the craft. Getting on the ledge, he jumps and catches the docks but barely. "You all are crazy" the man yells out as he lifts himself up and starts running away from this aircraft. Lium just shrugs and continues through, glancing down at this crates bottom. It was full of food and blankets underneath. He would leave this one on board as it might have been of some use. 

Moving on to the next, a barrel this time. Upon opening it, he finds what looks like tools and stuff. Shutting the lid with a turn, picking this one up. "These might help with power or navigation... I don't know how this shit works..." Placing the barrels in plain view of everyone else on this ship. Walking away from it, he continues to look through the crate around the edge. 

ID:201766 | Battle:2, Craft:3, Loot:16 [Supplies]

Progress:
Navigation: 8/100
Power: 15/100
Supplies: 20/100

Edited November 12, 2021 by Lium

[Plini 0]

Plini felt some kind of pit in his stomach as Nian held him and hoisted them both to the skyport. He was indeed afraid of heights and this was probably the most cruel feeling he has as he felt nothing beneath his feet. Fortunately Nian seems more than capable and their dynamics as some kind of lord and retainer is going well for now, it's not even weirding him out to much. 

As they now settle to the docks of the skyport, Plini only needed to do one thing, find more allies. He was already on the winning with Nian but that can also change in a snap if they both stopped there. As Nian told him to direct him or rather pick a path for victory, he held his sling bag and began inspecting the area "the chaos below isn't gonna help us and I figured the skyport would have better things to offer, like let's say to get somewhere faster" Plini pointed at the tower, it seems like people are trying to get there and the guards in return, do their job even if it means using drastic measures like impaling civilians "now the next question is how? I'm guessing we look for some ship that looks like it's headed-" as Plini told @Nian of what they can do, he saw some kind of ballista fire off and hit one of the airship "milord, surely you wouldn't shoot an airship that isn't headed there if you're the commanding officer right? after all these guards or soldiers are doing their best to hinder anyone who tries."

Plini then began running "why the hell am I the one trying to reach that ship? I'm afraid of heights" he muttered under his breath. He keeps his eyes looking forward, hoping Nian is following him.

and then he jumped...
held on to a rope wrapped like a net...

He quickly clambered up, his heart beating as if it was gonna pop out. He saw them, players just like him and Nian, some trying to maneuver a ship, others pushing anything or figuring out what to press "well, this was kinda unexpected" he said. He even hear one guy yell about a "pilot."

"Nian would surely know what to do with this chaos, as for me" he quickly made his way beside the redhead and pulled one lever so hard until it was halfway down "we're gonna need more altitude missy, hitting it won't do that" he told @Celeste as he punches a gauge that seemed stuck on moving. It was then followed by 2 more gauges moving back and forth "tch, not liking this" he said and slammed his forehead on one then used his elbow on the other and soon enough the gauges are now indicating that they're gaining a little bit of power.

ID: 201767 | LD: 4 

Progress:
Navigation: 8/100
Power: 19/100
Supplies: 20/100

[Oji 0]

As the ship balanced out thanks to his quick thinking, he was now able to focus on a few things. A bunch of the players that were around him previously had all left to go try and figure out other things, which left him to figure out how to steer the ship. As he stood at the helm he was a bit confused by all the different levers, buttons and even knobs. Nothing was similar to the multitude of cars he had owned in the real world. But then again, this entire game was based in a more fantasy setting, he should expect things to be a bit.. wonky.

"Damn, this is.. something." He said, experimentally pressing a button. As he did, he got some sort of signals on some sort of indication screen, and it showed a flashing button to the left. As he looked, he saw that one of the front crystals- different from the ones that the red-headed girl had kicked- was flashing on and off, quite brightly. he thought for a moment, then slapped his hands over his eyes

Somehow, he had found the blinkers.

He pressed the same button and it turned on, and he realized he would need to scrounge around to try and look for some clues. He went down to the Captains quarters, and found quite a few things around the room. A large bed with some comfy-looking sheets, a clean desk astray with papers, maps and a multitude of quills, and on the wall was a beautiful painting of a landscape, which on the bottom read "The Ladonian Skies", which must mean it was from this floor. He stared at it for a bit, and went to move it. It came off the wall, and he was given the option to take it himself. He was a bit aghast, stealing a painting? It wasn't something common for him to take it. But then again, this group had just overtaken this entire ship, thrown the NPC's overboard and were trying to break into the castle

Plus, it was a really nice painting.

He pressed "Accept" and he received the painting into his inventory, and then went to look at the desk. After going through the papers and the drawers, he found a hidden compartment on the bottom drawer. Once opened, he found a book called "Damī no tame no unten." He sighed at the name, but he knew that it would be his best bet to steering the whole thing. He went back up to the helm, cracked open the book and began to read and do his best to comprehend this confusing contraption.

ID: 201769 | LD:16

Progress:
Navigation: 24/100
Power: 19/100
Supplies: 20/100

Edited November 14, 2021 by Oji

[Nobody 1]

Life had been going pretty swell, lately.  Nobody’d managed to slink his way up to Ladonia without anyone giving him any serious grief – or at least no more than usual.  Plus, with so many self-important people wandering around the place, it was easy for him to just blend into the crowd.  Be forgotten.  Nobody minded Nobody, and that was just how he liked things.  The vagabond lifestyle had suited him well for years.  Minimum effort.  No expectations.  Make due with whatever you have.  The good life’s personal nutshell for those too devotedly lazy to do anything about it.

And so it was that he’d wandered his way into the capital’s aerial shipyards, taking a wrong turn at digi-Albuquerque and somehow ending up in a cordoned off quarter of the docks where no one would bother him and tons of stuff had been left unattended.  Finishing off a few, fading, half-eaten meals had filled his belly to a greater degree than it had been in weeks.  A rare moment of stuffed satisfaction given thanks by an assortment of belches, but also reminding him that he could really use a nap.  Yes, a nap would be nice.  He’d been walking for, like, fifteen minutes, after all.

Dragging his feet, clad in a pair of ratty brown slippers with what might have once been cloth antlers, nobody stopped Nobody as he dragged his sorry ass up some random gangplank.  A steaming cup of something picked up somewhere, clung firmly in hand.  Saluting a random parakeet, perched on the rigging as he slouched and shuffled aboard.  The man’s tattered brown bathrobe seemed a poor, yet apt, substitute for the uniform that might be worn by proper crew.  He wasn’t proper anything, and was completely fine with that.

Downing the last dregs of his second-hand drink, he reached into his tatters and summoned Matsu – a giant purple sloth-shaped stuffy that could probably take him in a fight just by falling on him.  It was his prized possession: the most comfortable thing he’d ever found in this world.  Nobody didn’t care how threadbare it was, or the fact that its left eye was missing, or about that stain he’d long ago convinced himself was just ketchup.  Nice and warm and cozy.  It was perfect.  And so was that spot behind the stack of conveniently placed crates left on the far side of the deck. No one would bother Nobody there.  Curling up on Matsu, his guts gurgling loudly in thanks, and possibly protest, he closed his eyes longing for the sweet bliss of not having to give a fuck about anything for awhile.

He was almost there when some big shiny screen with lots of words and claxxon-like alarms rudely roused him from the brink.  He did what anyone would do, slapping at it blindly while stuffing his head under the arms of his stuffy to muffle the noise.  He must have pressed the right button, because it stopped, and off he went to…

Lurch.  

Crash.  

Bang.

"You all are crazy!!!"

The crates that had sheltered now crushed him against the gunnels, smooshing him tightly beneath their weight.  Struggling to figure out what was happening, someone stepped on Nobody’s face in their rush to leap over the side, like it was somehow a better option than remaining on board.  Amidst the chaos, some random Nobody popped up from behind the wake of collateral damage unleashed by the players commandeering the ship, a severed case of bedhead marring his carefully crafted five o’clock shadow as he struggled to understand what was happening.

“Err… excuse me, but wasn’t the ship pointing that way, just a minute ago?”

***

ID:201786 | Loot: 4 [Navigation]
Progress:
Navigation: 28/100 (+4)
Power: 19/100
Supplies: 20/100

***

Nobody | HP: 20/20 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 4 | ACC: 2

Spoiler

Nobody,
Level: 1
Paragon Level: 0
HP: 20/20
EN: 20/20

Stats:
Damage: 4
Accuracy: 2

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: (T1 Dagger | ACC 2)
Armor:
Misc:

Custom Skill:


Skills:
Dagger R1

Active Mods:

Inactive Mods:

Addons:

Active Extra Skills:

Inactive Extra Skills:

Battle Ready Inventory:

Housing Buffs:

Guild Hall Buffs:

Scents of the Wild:

Wedding Ring:

 

[Lilik 0]

The NPC's death held a bizarre macabre that Lilik hadn't encountered in Aincrad. Most enemies simply exploded into fragments, their bodies occasionally crisscrossed with crimson gashes. Watching the Knight's body convulse, foamy spit oozing from his slack lips, Lilik could find only disgust. Not because of the gruesome sight, or the violent deed she had just witnessed, but simply because of the wasted time and effort. She might have felt something for the dying man if he were real, but pausing to observe a line of code's final moments felt wholly unnecessary. As it was, they had wasted precious seconds bringing an end to the guy's life. Lilik's one-way trip to treasure was likely seconds from taking off, and if Blondie robbed her of the chance, she might kill him herself. No good deed or some shit, she thought dully, before moving back into a sprint.

The Player followed her - why, she had no idea - but she took the opportunity to weigh in on his sage advice. "Or," she began matter-of-factly, "you could have just run faster." She managed to give a flippant shrug without breaking stride. "They're just dumb NPCs. Be smarter than them, and you won't have to waste time on fighting." Wide words from a level six, but she still believed it. Aincrad already has enough monsters, she thought, cutting the man a sideways glance as he met her stride for stride. There's no time to waste on things like mobs and NPCs. Not that this stranger would understand that. He had never met Dominic.

She looked as though she might say more, but the Player's sudden declaration had her stumbling. "Wha-" she managed, before a strong arm hooked around her waist and dragged her closer. Her hands flew to his chest, ready to shove him back, but the sudden lift had her grabbing fistfuls of his clothes instead. It took only a split-second for the initial shock to wear-off, and once it had, Lilik grinned maniacally, gazing between their dangling feet at the city below. When he invited her to climb fist, she did so without hesitation. Hand over hand, she dragged her long body flush with the airship's railing. Then, with a soft huff, she pulled herself up and over.

Without pausing to check on Blondie, she turned to a collection of barrels lined up beside her. She gave the wooden side a swift kick with the toe of her sneaker, and when something inside sloshed, she tilted her head. Water? Rum? Pickles?

Motioning to a nearby Player, Lilik called, "Give me a hand with opening these. I don't have a sword or anything."

---

ID: 201787 | Loot: 11 [Supplies]
Progress:
Navigation: 28/100
Power: 19/100
Supplies: 31/100

[Nian 0]

With the rate they were progressing towards the skyport, there had been a question lingering in the player's mind. Namely; what was the point of requiring an airship for whatever they were going to do next? Hijacking a vehicle was one thing. It wouldn't be ruled as such under her law, for one, and for another, all creations were due to the one true king (Nian) over Aincrad. So what vessel they would take was hers, by way of her judgement. But her claws were keeping up their work, and they were reaching, reaching out towards the clouds by now.

Plini said it would be faster with a ship of their own. And the monarch huffed, not taking it lightly. It was only when her eyes rested upon the ship that her subject was looking upon that she knew it had to be hers.

An unspoken-of, sleek hull painted black and accented with earthen hues on its interior. A blossoming bladder; white, and only slightly deflated, and powerful propellers that kept it upright at its back. Whirring, noisy. That wasn't the best they could've stolen -- they must've stolen it, the rabble -- but there was a crew ready, first and foremost.

Lost sheep needing their shepherd.

"Milord, surely you wouldn't shoot an airship that isn't headed there if you're the commanding officer right? After all, these guards or soldiers are doing their best to hinder anyone who tries."

The royal snorted, pulling a grin almost-evil. "They stop our advance," she replied, watching the ballista go off as a skirmish took place in the far distance. "One with power must do what they must to progress."

Giant sentinels then let the arbiter out of their grasp, and she watched him take off in a dart towards the voyager, his figure almost scrambling up the ropes. Typical. Scrawny. Nian's appearance would be even more than that.

A slide of her back foot, claws dragged behind her frame. Sharp angles dug into the shining paneled flooring when she lunged forward, throwing her body forward with ferocity and speed. Like a beast towards its prey, she flung herself forward at the edge of the docks, one steeled arm outstretched to the side of the vehicle.

Wood must've crushed under the pressure of her weight and damage. She never felt it, however, and the ship hadn't excruciated an error in her landing when she scrambled up the side of their vehicle. Amongst the crowd, she must've been the shortest player on board. And yet, most likely, the only one who was larger than life.

So she started howling, a weight of black lifted towards the air.

"Everybody listen up! This vessel is under the Emperor's rule now! All hands on deck to get The Hand of Heaven up and running! No slackers will be allowed onboard! Got that?!"

The monarch didn't need to wait for an answer. A quick sweep over her new territory told her just how unfamiliar she was with the properties of an 'airship'. Nothing like she'd ever seen in real life. But her lack of knowledge wasn't going to stop the king from her vigilance over the rule of this ship. With one turn, her short cape flapping behind her by the wind's grace, she stormed down into the ship's hold, red eyes speeding between items to gather as much information as possible.

 

(Oh, and her mere appearance unto the vehicle lends it more Power than it previously had. Obviously, that's how this works.)

---

ID201801 | LD14 | --> power

PROGRESS

Navigation: 28/100
Power: 33/100
Supplies: 31/100

[Alkor 0]

The ship lurched, and jerked round as the Players aboard fought to stabilize her. Where he made sure that the mouthy woman made her way safely aboard ahead of him, Alkor was still at the mercy of the throttling, wildly wailing chain. Thrashing to and fro, he found it difficult to gain purchase at all. The dull static sensation in his elbow warned the First Knight that he was perilously close to losing his grip. Thankfully someone managed to right their trajectory just enough, and he got his other hand on.

"Brutal," he muttered as the ship sputtered, struggling it seemed to stay aloft at all. It was a wonder they made it this far- were they completely winging it? This event seemed to become even more insane as it played out.

Alkor pulled himself slowly up the chain and to the railing, his eyes scanning the deck for the first person he saw. There were too many, and the only one he remotely recognized was the woman he helped board moments before. They were in the throes of running around like beheaded chickens, which seemed to help very little given their situation, but he was just as lost.

With a harsh tug, he pulled the chain over the rail and started to wind it into a pile on the deck. At the very least, one less awkward distribution of weight overboard would help to right them on whatever ill-fated course they deigned to plot.

He glanced toward the helm. That would be his next destination. Time to find out who was flying this damn thing.

[201803] CD: 3 Navigation

Navigation: 31/100

Power: 33/100

Supplies: 31/100

 

Edited November 14, 2021 by Alkor

[Krysta 0]

Krysta was about to investigate a crate she had just found, but then she heard some sort of racket.

The sound of destruction could be heard, and Krysta immediately headed for the source. As she reached the source of the sound, she heard a player claim that the Airship was under "the emperor"'s rule, and then proceed to give orders and head belowdecks.

Krysta's eyes burned over what she had just heard and witnessed.

"What a Tyrant." She thought.

The embers within her eyes would surely become dancing flames if the first impression she received turned out to be true. Krysta hated tyrants, and she was highly unlikely to tolerate the presence of one.

Krysta decided to change her current course of action, and followed after the possible tyrant. Krysta took a second to adjust the levels of Helium, before continuing on to her intended confrontation.

Once a chance was in sight, and she was close enough to the individual, she took it and spoke.

"Quite the scene you made earlier." Krysta began. "Care to tell me who is this 'Emperor' you speak of?"

Thus did the landless noble subtly challenge the conquering tyrant. This player's cursor was green, but that had yet to hinder Krysta. She had yet to confirm to herself if this individual was truly a potential threat or adversary, but there was one way to find out...

@Nian

ID# 201807 LD: 7 [Power]

Progress:

Navigation: 31/100

Power: 40/100

Supplies: 31/100

Edited November 14, 2021 by Krysta

[Plini 0]

"As expected" Plini thought.

Now the party gets wilder with how him and Nian was added into the fray and also someone that looked like a nobody? Plini looked at everyone and then back to the panels before him and Celeste "everything seems to be doing fine, I have only a few background when it comes to mechanical stuff but at least no one is dumb to put a self-destruct button somewhere" he looked around below him. 

They both managed to make it sputter up a good show of power, one guy even found a painting, and another was looking like he knows what he's doing than all of them combined. "I'm not sure if Aincrad powers shit up with oil or coal but-" he looked at @Celeste"ok, try to find something, a little door or a hole. We both managed to get this thing running fine but more power would require it to function properly. Look for something where a crew would pour gasoline or throw coal, it shouldn't be hard and don't burn your beautiful hair" he told her before walking towards @Nian"milord, it would be better if you go up higher and see if this ship is moving nicely" he told her. Nian acted as the captain and he wants her to see how the ship looks like as it tries to fly.

and then a girl approached and asked who the emperor was 

Plini scratched his head, his sling bag now on his back as he looked at her "there's only two ways this could go, Nian sees her as a peasant and ignores her or this will..."

Plini paused and tried to see what would happen, they were already chaotic and a spark of mutiny is the least they need right now.

ID: 201812 | LD: 7 [Power]

Navigation: 31/100
Power: 47/100
Supplies: 31/100

[Celeste 1]

Looking on to @Plini as the dude starts following suite, headbutting a dial and man handling a lever. "Alright, at least you get it, but you gotta put more back into it." The chick quips with a grin, there was still something domineering about it, but it seemed somewhat earnest. The rag tag crew was forming up in the strangest of ways, the complex variability in personalities created this weird image of a total miss matched soup of inconsistancy. That soup tasted terrible. But the boat was moving, and somewhat, not in a way that would end in a rain of splinters.

Good enough

Arm through a barrel, out plucked a large fish that reeked of vinegar. Trapped upon her face, mere feet from @Lilik as she just short circuits. How exactly were they fishing in the air? Did they bring it up here, or was there some sort of cloud ocean? Right over the shoulder, and some poor unsuspecting guard gets orbital struck by the flounder and knocked out cold. "How?" she quips beneath her breath, and the sudden shift of the ship causes a metal cylinder to fall on its side. The woman turns rubbing her smelly hand on @Krysta just out of instinct. The hiss, as if pressure was being released.

A look toward the newly decreed queen of the vessel. Right toward the chick playing captain @Nian. "Yeah, no, it's my boat. Be careful calling yourself queen. The last one I met I cut in half. I stole it fair and square, call it whatever suits your fancy, but we are flying this fucker into the tower. Full stop, and it's happening even if I have to throw you off the side." The words were menacing, but notably her voice was extremely high-pitched. It sounded like a squirrel hopped up on sugar. The canister contained helium, and everyone was feeling its effects.

ID:201813 | Battle:1, Craft:3, Loot:10 [Supply]

Navigation: 31/100
Power: 47/100
Supplies: 41/100

Edited November 14, 2021 by Celeste

[Nobody 1]

Nobody knew nobody, which worked out just fine as none of them seemed to know each other either.  A few looked to have hooked up along the way and all were wreaking havoc on his improvised bedroom.  Hauling himself out of his sandwich of crates and splinters, he plucked few of his nose, and then Matsu's, before dismissing the giant purple stuffy sloth.  Tying up his battered bathrobe, for decency's sake, the scrawny man stood and wavered as he struggled to maintain his balance. 

Lips smacking.  His?  His.  Thirsty.  A glass summoned to hand, borrowed from the Wedding & Tackle tavern back on floor such and such.  He really didn't remember, but the crest on its surface was amusing.   Still half-full of something.  Storage in Elsewhere was useful that way.  But the ice was all gone and flavour would be off.  A quick peace sign to @Alkor@Liumand @Plini matched with thoroughly inappropriate winks aimed at @Lilikand @Krysta.  If they were here for a party, he was always willing, though it looked like things had begun without him.  Waiving his free hand at @Ojistruggling with the instructions at the helm, he twirled his digits while mouthing the words: 'You're holding it upside down!"

Some crazy Edward Scissor-Hands-looking lady in crimson suddenly came crashing down on the deck two feet in front of him, nearly severing the heads off his fuzzy moose slippers in the process, and declaring something about the ship belonging to some emperor.

"Didn't it already belong to an emperor?  Is this some sort of lend-lease deal?  Regardless, could you shave me some ice?  My drink's gone warm."

Without missing a beat, Nobody reached into the same barrel from which the other wild one had wound up with a flounder, wondering why all the crazy ladies were wearing red.  A few hunks of ice flew up in the air, waiting to be ginsu'd by Lady Wolverine and in perfect ballistic trajectory for his still-waiting glass.  

"Fish in a barrel.  It's what the locals call it.  Not enough open bodies of water, and the guards try to spear you if you fish in a fountain, so the designers came up with this instead."  He plucked a pickled olive from the same, spinning a rim shot the plunked delightfully into his beverage 'for the vitamins', while waiting for the ice to finish its fall.  "They also work as open bars, if you use them right."  A flash of eyebrows and gleaming white teeth for style remained undermined by his permanently messy coif.

As if all that wasn't enough, the ridiculous man pulled a random pinion from its housing on the mast by his side, causing the ship's massive sails to unfurl and the entire ship to lurch forward with gusto.

Not a bad entrance, for a Nobody.

***

ID:201814 | LD 16 [Navigation]

Navigation: 47/100
Power: 47/100
Supplies: 41/100

Edited November 15, 2021 by Nobody

[Lium 1]

"A complete take over, heading for a treasure that was promised, do you know how to pilot this thing?" A dude that appeared from a crate near where he was scavenging. Glancing toward some weird words from a lady, she claimed to be in charge. "Are you fucking serious right now," he glances at Celeste for a moment before looking back at this other girl. "You are not the one that found this ship, and if I am being completely honest, no one on this crap of a ride is fit to be captain of it. We are all working together to get this piece of shit to run as a team, and even though it might be pathetic looking right now, you will not come parading yourself acting queen bitch telling us what HAS to be done." Lium right then opens something to contribute again. "Instead of running your mouth you should help us..." This girl was just asking to be thrown off, who does she think she is just claiming to be the top model, she probably doesn't even have a damn clue how to run this shit either. Lium continues to dig through crates and boxes of sorts. @Nian

ID:201816 | LD 3 [Supplies]

Navigation: 47/100
Power: 47/100
Supplies: 44/100

Edited November 14, 2021 by Lium