[center][b]The Airship[/b][/center]
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The threats were gone, yet, the airship was the opposite of safe. Collateral damage from the explosive jellyfish and the Sload's spell had severely destabilized the vessel. Fabric of the balloon caught fire and was being eaten away. The main structure cracked, split and began disassembling itself. It addition, the golden chains anchoring the airship to [i]Kyne's Tear[/i] placed heavy strain downwards, and when combined with the turbulent winds, made the airship increasingly unstable.

However, the lone surviving sailor was not ready to get out of this death trap. Seeing his fellow crew member and first mate killed, he wanted some loot to make this perilous venture worth the effort. With the Sload (and Sadri) sent back down to Mundus, and the big zombie cut down, the sailor made a run for the Sload's cabin. He also beckoned Sagax, Tsleeixth, Alim and Do'Karth to come with him, for there would be more treasure than he could carry alone. 

And there would be just that beyond the doors of coral and brass. Tmeip'r the Fiftieth-Sent was a Sload obsessed with gold. Everything in his personal quarters dazzled with golden shimmers, so much that it hurt the sailor's eye just to look around. There was a giant circular bed in the middle, made with layers of gold-colored velvet sheets. A tall workbench seemed to be plated entirely with gold, and on it were dreugh limbs and body parts from other organisms. Several large closets sat on the cabin's side, and upon closer examination, they contained golden plate armor like the one Tmeip'r wore. There were also sparkling robes, an assortment of enchanted jewelries and a massive golden crown that was at least three times bigger than those worn by Tamrielic monarchs. What caught the sailor's eyes was a strongbox made of coral, secured with a dwarven lock and just big enough to be cradled with both arms. It sat on a smaller table beside the rear-facing windows, along with several oversized quills and a microscope-like apparatus. 

The sailor called dibs on the strongbox and apparatus. He forwent the jewelries, having heard too many tales of cursed lockets to justify the risk. The strongbox would be carried in his arms, and the apparatus, apparently sturdier than it looked, went into his bag, for it would fetch quite a price with the mage types. Before he left, a tremble rocked the airship, causing the table's drawers to fly open. One of such drawer revealed a concave curved tray, with traces of ash lining its inside. The dip in the tray was just the right size to fit a sheet of paper. What mattered for the sailor though, was that it could top up his bag.

A second tremble came a minute later. The airship was now swinging back and forth rapidly. It was getting difficult for the injured mercenaries to stand on their feet, which meant; time to go. 

Throwing open the cabin doors revealed a whole another world. The rain had mostly subsided, the wind remained strong, and the morning sun was peering out of the horizon. The airship frame was becoming a skeleton of its former glory. Looking down to the [i]Kyne's Tear[/i], it was apparent that two of the four chains have been detached and thrown into the sea. The entire balloon was a giant ball of fire, but for some miracle, whatever exotic material Tmeip'r used contained the fire to the outside. It all changed seconds later, when a third chain was ripped free and nearly flipped the airship onto its side. Some sharp, mast-like object pierced the balloon, uniting flames and gases in a brilliant combustion. The sailor stood there in awe for a brief moment, then quickly decided to run for the last remaining chain. But before he or any mercenary could reach it, a secondary explosion (likely causing by the Sload's arcane cargo) blew its anchoring away.

At that point, further explosions occurred throughout the airship. Whatever was not blown up caught fire. The husk that the sailor and the mercenaries stood on dipped down nose first. The [i]Kyne's Tear[/i], now free to move again, was pulling away to avoid being crushed; it would also be beyond their reach soon.

"Gotta jump now." The sailor concluded, holding onto a railing as the airship husk nearly canted forty-five degrees. The airship was rapid losing attitude, being only three or four storeys above sea level now. He did not specify whether to aim for [i]Kyne's Tear[/i] (which was a leap of faith away), or the sea. Wherever the mercenaries jumped to, the sailor settled on water. It would be the safer choice; no uncertain distance and no hard landing. It would only be a short swim. Plus, he even picked out a soft landing spot; a big fluffy jellyfish.

In his haste, the sailor forgot about how these jellyfishes served as sea mines. He jumped first, landing gracefully with a plop, and was followed by a thunderous explosion, the blast of seawater and the confetti of body parts. Some mercenaries may be glad for the sailor clearing out the only jellyfish in the water below, or they could have have seen his death as a lesson against jumping in unknown waters. Whatever the case, it was now the mercenaries' time to jump.

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[center][i][b]Kyne's Tear[/b][/i][/center]
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Ariane was having a nice nap until the sound of explosion, the heat of fire and the smell of burned meat awoke her. She found her new world to be a wasteland of dead dreugh, dead people and some sort of healing aura. Some big stuff fell; some poor soul was crushed. The rain is dying down, and the formerly chaotic deck was falling quiet. Through the hole created debris, she saw Edith and some sailors have managed rip out three of the four golden chains. The ship immediately started moving, or at least that what Ariane felt, as her entire world was still moving in the aftermath of her headache. Of course, more explosion would be the finale of this unsavory event. It was like the plays of one (in)famous stage director, Mikhail Bey; big booms, flaming set pieces and a dramatic escape. 

The detonation in the water made Ariane felt a lot less embarrassed about her own jellyfish blunder. A strongbox and a bag of loot was sent flying towards the ship. One of these landed beside Ariane on the right, while the other on the left. The content they held was surprisingly intact, though the lock on the strongbox was cracked open (with fish scale-like papers spilling out), and the sailing bag opened itself to present Ariane two late birthday gifts.

"A dreamsleeve transmitter?" She picked up the tray gingerly, and then saw apparatus below it. "And a translation lens?"