Kristoph headed down to the opposite end of the ship that Emerson disappeared down, his destination was the engine room to figure out how much damage Barley had caused to his ship. He was only grateful that his engine mechanic had been able to keep the ship flying; now the question was what would that cost them in the end?

Entering down into the room adjacent to the engine room Kristoph could feel the temperature steadily increasing and felt a prickle of worry in the back of his mind. While it was normally hot down in the engine room, it was harder to feel it in this room, and since he could definitely feel the heat right now it was worrisome for him. He moved quickly and approached the engine room door pounding on it loudly. "Merk?! How's everything holding up?" Kristoph called loudly to get his engine mechanic's attention; he heard the heavy fall of footsteps approaching him before the door swung open.

Standing in the door frame now was a man who stood towering over Kristoph by a good foot and a half in height. He was a bulky man, well muscled and hefty from his years spent working with the engine of the ship. He had long since taken to shaving his head for two reasons; the first reason being that he was slowly but surely losing his hair anyways, and the other reason being that the engine room was so hot all the time, that a bald head made it a bit more bearable. The man had been a part of the crew for probably longer than even Kristoph had been, and he loved the engine and the ship as if it were his child, which is why Kristoph understood the look of anger on the man’s face at the moment as his watery blue eyes glared down at the captain, his body was covered in a layer of sweat from the sweltering heat of the small engine room which appeared filled with smoke. Kristoph took note of the gash that Merk had received over his left eye, probably from one of the sudden jolts the ship took while he was trying to keep the engine going.

“Kid I swear to the Gray Ghost you are going to be the death of this ship! You’re damn lucky I was able to keep that engine held together to get into the wind tunnel otherwise you, me and the men aboard the ship would be sitting below the clouds right now!” the man in the door frame barked angrily at his captain, frustrated that he would take a chance like that after the engine took a blow from cannon fire.

Kristoph gave a slight grin and nodded his head. “I knew you’d be able to keep her flying, you’ve been in worse situations with my dad before and still managed to keep this ship in the air with your incredible mechanical skills.” He knew Merk had a weakness for flattery, staying on the man’s good side was fairly easy with the right kind of compliments and since he prided himself on his mechanical skills it was a quick way back into his good graces.

The man called Merk flushed slightly at the compliment and ran a gloved hand over his head as he huffed slightly not wanting to admit that the words had caused his anger to ebb away. “Yeah, yeah I know. You’re just lucky you got me on board Kris or this ship wouldn’t be here.” The volume of his voice dropped a bit from furious to his normal loud tone so he could be heard over the engines gears, the man turned around and gestured for Kristoph to follow after him to which the captain obliged. He could see smoke pouring from the engine and filtering out the now opened window of the small room to keep it easy to breath.

“So what’s her condition Merk? Can you limp her to Tiriene once we exit the wind tunnel? It’s the closest port we can get to where we’ll have some decent time to make sure she’s back up and running.” Kristoph asked over the dull roar of the engine beside him as he began to walk around the machine checking some of the small things he knew about that were on it.

Merk frowned slightly as his eye brows knotted together in thought. “It shouldn’t be a problem getting her there, but I’m pretty sure the force of the blast from the cannon fire knocked a few things lose in there, not to mention if you listen you can hear a slight grinding coming from inside. I think one of the gears got bent to hell during the fight. I don’t know if I can straighten it out but the only way I’ll know for sure is by getting in there and pulling the gear to see what she looks like. If there is an issue, you might need to head to Hilarest, there is a metal worker there who should be able to make a gear that will fit.” Merk spoke opening a latch to reveal the inner workings of the machine, showing Kristoph the gear that seemed to be wobbling a bit as it spun. “It also seems like one of the steam engines that runs the gear cranks might have gotten damaged from the blast. If that’s the case then I’ll need you to go to Hilarest anyways. It’s too bad there’s only one damn good metal worker I know who will do work even for pirate ships, but I doubt I would trust this to anyone else anyways. Until I can figure out what’s wrong and what I need to fix her the Silver Arrow might be a bit slower thanks to the lack of engine power, I should be able to at least patch her together to get us where we need to go though.” Merk pointed now down to a rotating gear attached to a metal arm that was powered by a small machine where the smoke seemed to be coming from as it tried to rotate but would wind up stuck part way through the rotation before managing to continue on.

Kristoph ran his hand through his hair which had come loose from his hair tie when he and Emerson had been trying to keep the ship on her path when they entered the tunnel. The man frowned slightly in thought as he took in what Merk was saying and showing him. Metal work wasn’t cheap especially from the man that Merk was talking about. They would have to unload some of the cargo they had picked up in order to make up for the price of repairs if they needed to be done. Based on what he could see, Kristoph was sure that they would be making a stop in Hilarest after leaving Tiriene.

After talking a bit more about potential problems and solutions Kristoph took his leave to return to his quarters to figure out what the next step of action would be. He needed to figure out if they were going to head straight for Hilarest after leaving or if they were going to make a stop along the way to unload some of their goods to the unsuspecting merchants and on the black market.

He was in the midst of this debate when Emerson returned with news of the injuries sustained during their run. The captain winced slightly when Emerson spoke of the man who had to have his foot amputated. Hopefully the stop in Tiriene would keep him alive; Kristoph knew the likelihood of survival after a major amputation was pretty slim. “Damn, I really need to figure out a better way of securing those cannons. That the third man that’s happened to since I took over.” He replied with a slight frown on his features as he stared at the floor in thought, his mind reeling on what he could do to prevent the cannon rolling issues, before responding to Emerson’s question about the engine. “It looks like there might be some important parts that got damaged during the cannon fire. A gear for sure looks like it’s bent to hell, and one of the engines that runs a gear crank is smoking and not running like it should. Since it’s metal work Merk can’t exactly fix it but he should be able to bandage it up and we make a run to Hilarest after stopping in Tiriene. The ship just isn’t going to be at her full speed until we get the parts replaced.” Kristoph spoke in a slightly distracted tone as he drummed his fingers against the wood of his desk that sat in the middle of the quarters. “Thankfully it doesn’t seem like there were any other major injuries, Merk knocked his head around a bit while working on it and wound up with a gash above his left eye, but it didn’t look deep and wasn’t bleeding when I got there. He said he’d go see Doc later once he was sure the engine would be secure without him needing to be there.”

Kristoph gave a slight sigh as he walked over to the captain’s chair behind the desk and sat down, lacing his fingers together behind his head as he closed his eyes in thought. Normally in front of his crew the captain was quick witted and able to spit out orders left and right, but it was in his quarters where he did most of his thinking, figuring, and plotting his next course of action to be taken. That’s why Emerson was the only one allowed to enter without knocking, he liked his men thinking he was quick witted and able to think of stuff on the fly, when really he had been mulling it over for some time before making a decision. “The next question is do we unload the cargo on our way to Hilarest and have the extra gold then, or do we go to Hilarest get the work done and then go off and unload the cargo? While we still have the cargo on board we run the risk of Barley catching up to us again and trying to get it from us since he missed out.” Kristoph said out loud as he mulled over the best course of action, he wasn’t necessarily looking for an answer from Emerson but if he wanted to give his opinion Kristoph would listen.

There wasn’t much more time to mull over what he needed to do however as a sharp series of knocks sounded on the door causing Kristoph to jump quickly and quietly to his feet. “Enter.” He said sharply as one of his crew men opened the door and stuck his head in slightly.

“Sorry Cap’n. Tiriene is coming up quick and Carson ain’t going to try to exit the wind tunnel on ‘is own. We figured you would want to pull the ship out yerself to protect the engine.” The pirate spoke in a low gruff tone as he looked at the two men before ducking out. After appreciating the moment of peace that he had Kristoph moved quickly to return to the deck, the man was right after all, he was the best at getting in and out of the wind tunnel and with the engine part way down it would be best if he took them out of the wind tunnel just to prevent the engine from being stressed even more.

Kristoph took back over steering the ship from Carson as he and the other men quickly took shelter in the bowls of the ship. It wasn’t quite as violent getting out of the tunnel as it was getting in, as long as Kristoph could keep the ship on course to the right, the only real danger coming from the strong wind which would be trying to push the ship left and send the ship into a spinning motion which would effectively tear it apart piece by piece. However there was a little secret Kristoph was aware of, there was a hole in t he wind tunnel and if one punched that area just right, getting out of it was easy enough. His green gaze narrowed slightly as he looked to the right, waiting for the sign that the hole was near. A slender wisp of clouds seemed to be waving at him faintly before being blown down the wind tunnel, and a slight smirk lifted the corner of Kristoph’s mouth when he saw it. It was a sudden and quick motion as the captain braced himself again and directed the ship off to the right feeling the wind trying to turn the ship around and cause him to lose control. This fight was a little bit easier and one he could handle on his own as the ship broke through to the clouds outside of the tunnel and pushed its way back up to altitude. As the ship rose above the clouds the setting sun could be seen now filling the sky with various reds and yellows, while a hint of blue just touched the edges of the sky as the sun fell beneath the clouds. On the horizon just in front of the setting sun the floating continent of Tiriene could just be seen.

Kristoph inhaled deeply now as he looked at the continent far off in the distance, his eyes taking in the mountain like terrain of the continent. The man would admit that he quite liked the tranquil feel the continent had to it and had he not been a pirate and always needing to keep moving it would have been a place he would like to stay at and explore a bit. Tearing his eyes away from the view in front of him, moved over to the left of the wheel towards a mechanism that allowed him contact with Merk, basically it was a flared piece of metal connected to a pipe that traveled down to the engine room to another flared piece of metal. When Kristoph spoke into it his voice could be carried downwards and the same was true for Merk. “Merk, we just broke from the wind tunnel. Tiriene is about one hundred miles north of our position. Keep the engines going as best as you can, at this current pace I estimate we’ll hit land well after night fall.”

“Understood captain; the engine is doing all she can right now, I don’t think we can get any more speed out of her without risking more damage.” Merk’s voice could be heard from the device as he replied. Kristoph stared ahead his eyes on the slowly approaching continent as he continued to mull over what the best course of action would be.

--

As they exited the building through the alley way door, Zeva found herself marveling at the black steed in front of them. The horse was a beautiful creature, and in the back of her mind Zeva itched to know just how fast he could run across the open areas of Tiriene. Forcing herself to stop eyeing the beast with an appreciative gaze the woman made her way into the cart that he pulled so they could go.

“Since it’s on the way… do you two want to stop at your old home?”

The words left Zeva quiet searching for an answer. The woman had never been sure if she wanted to see that house. She had dreams both while asleep and even sometimes while she was awake, of things that she could barely remember, things that didn’t seem real to her. The only real memory that seemed to come to her in dream form was of a lot of voices, all of them clashing together and not really forming any coherent words and then a loud high pitched scream of pain usually causing her to jolt awake from her sleep. While she debated whether or not it was a good idea Zaria answered quickly that she wanted to. Zeva looked over quickly at her sister eyeing her quietly for a moment. “Are you sure?” she asked in a low tone, the nod of her twin’s head was answer enough as Buror directed the horse up to the hills where other people’s homes were as well.

As they approached, Zeva suddenly felt her sister grab her hand for comfort. She looked to Zaria and saw a bit of panic flicker across the woman’s face. Gently she scooted closer and wrapped her free arm around the woman in a gentle hug as she rested her head on her shoulder, trying to be a rock for the two of them, although the butterflies in her stomach made her feel less like a rock and more like a puddle which seemed to intensify as the old, decrepit house came into view. Zeva still wasn’t sure that she wanted to see the inside of the house again, but they had already agreed to at least stop there so there wasn’t a point to telling Buror they had changed their mind. She just had to keep reminding herself that everything would be okay, it was just an old house after all.

As the cart rolled to a stop Zeva looked at the house now feeling her breath catch slightly in her throat as she stared at the building. The slightly yellowed walls seem to loom over them even though it was a single story building, as if trying to intimidate the two people who dare return after being the cause of the house falling into its decrepit state. The lonely windows seemed dark even with the light that filtered into it. Zeva watched as her sister took a hesitant step out of the cart, she then followed after the woman watching as she glanced back at them. “Go on. I’m coming too.” Zeva encouraged as she followed after her sister, trying to cover her own nervousness up as they went.

Zeva went to follow Zaria into the kitchen but came to a sudden stop as she saw the faded but still very real dark brown stain on the floor. A lump caught in her throat as Zeva recalled her most vivid dream and fought to push it away. The woman felt as if she couldn’t walk past the dark stain, her mind and body wouldn’t let her, so rather than follow after her sister Zeva turned and decided to explore another area of the house. Off to the side of the kitchen was a hall way that led to the living room and back to the entrance where they came in, and at the other end was what Zeva could only assume was their parent’s bedroom. Once upon a time the walls would have been a simple off white color that their mother had chosen, now however that off white had aged turning yellow in the years of neglect and the paint had begun to crack and peel in various spots. The floor was carpeted in what appeared to be a caramel colored carpet that was weathered and stained from the elements. The large bed frame had been left, but the mattress their parents had slept on was gone, taken long ago. As Zeva ventured into the room further a familiar scent still seemed to linger in the air. Perhaps the scent had been ground into the carpeting or the walls, regardless a warm calming sensation seemed to consume Zeva as she inhaled the scent. She noticed a few articles of clothing that had managed to survive the years of neglect the house had experienced. Taking note of the large walk in closet sitting across from the bed frame, Zeva looked inside curious if any other articles of clothing had managed to survive the years. Instead she found a small old wooden box that had been pushed into the corner and hidden away. Curiosity got the better of the woman as she crawled into the closet and pulled the box out so that she could look inside.

Zeva sat in the middle of the floor now with the box she had pulled from the closet. Looking at the item carefully, the woman brushed her fingers over it feeling the wood beneath her fingertips as she did. The box was made of a rough type of wood, one she had not seen before, it was also pale in comparison to most of the wood that one would see from Tiriene. Some odd symbols were carved into the cover of the lid, there was a sun symbol that was carved above what looked like crude cloud like symbols and below the clouds was a flat line that had tree like symbols coming out of it. As much as she wanted to look inside Zeva felt like this had something to do with both her and her sister and it was something they needed to see together. Standing to her feet Zeva quickly left the room and made her way down to the kitchen. “Zaria, come with me sister. I’ve found something interesting that I think you should see.” Zeva called out as she stood across the kitchen looking into the nursery for her twin.