[center][h1]Where, oh Where Did My Little Bard Go? Part 1[/h1] [h3]Starring[/h3] [h2]Damian Gerald, Regan Hiryuu, Ryan Kregor, Stephi "Kracko" Niles, and Lezuro Milan[/h2] [h3]By: Zarkun and Cirus[/h3][/center] Damian had left the hotel after accepting Lucas' offer and headed in the indicated direction, his hands held behind his head to appear as casual as possible. As much as Damian didn't appreciate them attacking the guild hall, he couldn't understand Jarvis' and Master Jamie's distrust of Rider's Blade. What happened in the past doesn't define how they'll act in the future. [color=FireBrick][i]Still, I guess Master Jamie's going to be her own varity of stubborn on this matter. I'll let it go I guess.[/i][/color] The walk took a few minutes and in that time the streets grew less and less crowded, something Damian churned up to the games starting soon. Eventually, he turned the corner onto the street where the guy from Iron Enigma had indicated and stopped, leaning against the wall to watch it. He didn't see anything to give away where she had gone and sighed, he could hear the sound from the Games, loosely, but didn't pay any mind to it, a mistake he found he was going to regret in the near future. Nodding to himself on the coast being clear, he headed into the alley way and looked around, unaware that the game for the day had begun and he was in a part of the city that was in the maze. [color=FireBrick]"Now let's see here..."[/color] Stepping into it, he looked around a bit before spotting a familiar looking bow on the ground. [color=FireBrick]"Oh boy."[/color] He picked it up and examined it, sighing. It was her's alright, and now he had to figure out where they went. Then something occured to him. It was a lot darker than when he'd first walked onto the street. [color=FireBrick]"Odd, where's the sun?"[/color] Reaching into a pouch, he pulled one of the lacrima free and tuned in to the games. And saw himself. Standing in the alleyway.[color=FireBrick]"Ah crap."[/color] "Yes, that makes this a little more complicated." A cloaked figure, female by voice, speaks from a corner of the alleyway, stepping into the alley after Damian. She wore a katana on her hip, and she kept a respectful distance once she approached. "For myself, anyway. Come, let us not tarry here. The young lady Stratos is no longer within the city. We will need to find a way beyond the maze and into the mountains to the South." The woman's attention turns as she hears something entering the alley from the other side. The woman edges toward the entrance they used, glancing at Damian as she spoke, "go, quickly. It would probably be best we not interfere with the games as much as possible. You, in particular, don't you think?" Damian reacted the only way a person who had just been snuck up on could, and that was summon a blade and spin towards the source of the voice, which turned out to be a cloaked figure. Could his team get a penalty for him being in the alley? It's not like he knew that he had wandered into a section of the games, especially when they didn't say anything about what the game was or where it was until it happened. Still, she had a point. [color=FireBrick]"Well, getting out shouldn't be hard, we're not contestants in this event. Hell, didn't even know this was part of the games until I pulled out my lacrima."[/color] He sighs and heads out the other end of the alleyway, the way he'd come in, and starts jogging in an effort to put some space between himself and this maze. [color=FireBrick][i]Mountains south of here...I'll have to thank her for that tip next time I see her.[/i][/color] With a direction to go and a landmark to use, he set off towards the mountains, getting helpful hints after leaving the maze area on how to avoid going back into it. He reached the gates after about a ten minute run and stopped a moment to look back. [color=FireBrick]"Come to think of it...who was she..."[/color] "I'm sure you'd love to know. Perhaps I'll tell you later." The woman had been waiting on the other side of the gate for him, leaning against the wall casually. She pushed herself upright and started walking. "C'mon, then. We don't have much longer." ~~~ Ryan stopped in to the engine room, irate. Kracko had told him they couldn't draw enough power from the engines, so they couldn't take off. Why were the engines in such shoddy condition, suddenly? "It looks like someone cut through some of our piping? I'm almost done replacing the last piece now." Their engineer, a young man wearing suspended slacks and a collared shirt. Gloves, as well, for working with hot pipes. "Just give me five minutes and it'll be all set. We'll need to get more spare pipes, though." The man had just finished adjusting the last bolt on a pipe and, just like he said, the last one had a number of cuts through it. There was a pile of discarded pipe in the corner, and they all had the same problem. Riddled with slashes. "Make it three." He gazed at the pile of pipes. It reminded him of someone and he didn't like it. "I'll wait for your word on the bridge." He glanced at the voice pipe, seemingly undamaged. He'd have to inspect it on the way back to the bridge. ~~~~~ [color=FireBrick]"Right..."[/color] He looked back the way he'd come and then at the woman's back then back the way he'd come again and scratched his head. When had she gotten to the gate and how had she done it before him? Dismissing the thought for the time being, he followed after her, looking back towards the city and the games. He knew they'd do well, but he had this nagging feeling in the back of his mind that he couldn't shake. The woman was devoting her energy to moving quickly through the forest surrounding Corcus. At length, she finally spoke. "We hould be nearing it now. We're coming up on an-" She's cut off by crackle of electricity, followed by engines whirring to life. Her response is to immediately run the rest of the distance to their destination. In the small clearing in front of them, located in a crevice on the foot of a nearby mountain facing somewhat away from the city, an [url=http://i.imgur.com/n1p07Zq.jpg]airship[/url] was coming to life. "We must hurry. If we run into anyone, I leave them to you. I'll find Miss Stratos." The woman dashed into the clearing, avoiding visibility to the bridge as she comes up to the side. She made the large first jump onto the outrigger, before jumping to the left turbine and finally the deck. "This way." The woman crossed the deck to an external door, pausing there for her companion. Following close behind the woman the strange woman, he followed her movement pattern towards the bridge, still trying to fathom how no body had noticed a giant air ship out here. [color=FireBrick][i]Maybe no one comes out this way but these guys.[/i][/color] When he realize the ship taking off would make the bridge pointless, he turned to ask her her plan as she leaped onto the outrigger. [color=FireBrick]"OK then, up we go!"[/color] He jumped as well, though his landing wasn't nearly as smooth, and followed her up the turbine and onto the deck. As they ran across it towards the door, he summoned his Hermes Blades and spins one into a reverse grip to better accomodate the tight space of the upcoming corridors. [color=FireBrick]"I can make a nice big distraction if you tell me which way the important parts of the ship are."[/color] "They're probably guarding their engine room. I already roughed it up, once." She spoke as they descended stairs from the upper deck. "There's the ballast room on the bottom deck. Might not be a bad place to start? The engine room is in the back on that same level. I'll be on the middeck. Meet me... here," she stepped off the stairs, pausing only to see him down the next flight, "and I'll have your guildmember." [color=FireBrick]"Good luck."[/color] With that simple parting, Damian headed down the stairs. The stairs to the bottom deck led to the ballast room, itself, seemed devoted not just to ballasts. There were two tanks on either side of the room, with valves labled "Manual Override". Beyond those tanks, 6 gyroscopic motors were hooked up to the wall, controlling something beyond. There was also a door upon reaching the bottom floor from the stairs, behind and to the right. Upon arrival, he observed the various doodads in the room and smiled. Approaching the motors, he delivered a quick downward slash across each of the motor's timing belts and the a thrust through the coolant lines, making sure they'd over heat in the very near future. He then goes to the manual overrides and turns them both on before heading for the engine room. [color=FireBrick]"Knock knock, Phoenix Wing's come a callin'."[/color] As Damian turned the first ballast tank override, he could hear the sound of rushing water, and the ship began to list to the oppostite side. As he turned the second, something interesting happens. The ship began to lift and move, with a pitched swing to the side before the ship's navigator could even try to correct their course. They managed to, for a moment, but the strain caused the stabalizer oars to overheat and cease function. The door to the engine room swung open and the engineer stumbled out. "What the hell's going on out here?" His eyes land on Damian and he glowers. "Aah. Intruders. I don't know how you guys keep getting in..." He paused, looking to assess the damage Damian had inflicted. He grimaced, glowering at Damian as he growled, "do you realize how much work that's going to be to fix? I aughta clean your clock..." [center]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [h1]Environment Alert![/h1] Be on the lookout for a careening airship, waggling its way through the southern skies! It looks like [url=http://i.imgur.com/n1p07Zq.jpg]this[/url][/center]. Bother it at your own risk, it looks pretty about-to-crash.