[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/250324/b71cf5ab5cebec9b4e857200f7c42a8b.png[/img]

[img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/250324/dc185f5e06aa08f3af9fbb79b4040da5.png[/img]

[color=EBA536][b]Location:[/b][/color] [color=E579FF]Cargo Hold[/color]
[color=E579FF][b]Race:[/b][/color] [color=EBA536]Dark Elf[/color] & [color=E579FF]Human[/color]
[color=E579FF][b]Class:[/b][/color] [color=EBA536]Artificer[/color] & [color=E579FF]Rogue[/color]
[color=EBA536][b]Interactions:[/b][/color] [@Helo] Ezekiel; [@Oso] The Two 他妈的混蛋
[color=E579FF][b]Mentions:[/b][/color] 
[color=EBA536][b]Equipment:[/b][/color]
[hider]
[color=EBA536][b]Scratch[/b][/color]
Medical bag
Tinkerer's kit
Arcane spindlelock (shortened) musket
Spindlelock pistols x2
Hand axes x2
[color=E579FF][b]Val[/b][/color]
First-aid bag
Tinkerer's kit
Spindlelock pistols x2
Steel daggers x2[/hider][color=E579FF][b]Attire:[/b][/color]
[hider]
[color=EBA536][b]Scratch[/b][/color]
Dark brown, knee-length coat
Black waistbelt
Grey button-up shirt
Dark brown trousers
Heavy leather boots
[color=E579FF][b]Val[/b][/color]
Off-white shirt
Red ribbon tied around left arm
Brown hooded coat
Brown trousers
Leather boots
Goggles on her head[/hider][color=EBA536][b]Gold:[/b][/color] 95
[color=E579FF][b]Injuries:[/b][/color]
[hider]
[color=EBA536][b]Scratch[/b][/color]
NA
[color=E579FF][b]Val[/b][/color]
Shallow cut on her right side, just below the ribs[/hider]
[/center]

[color=EBA536][b]Scaerthrynne[/b][/color] never saw what happened. He barely even heard it.

One moment, he’d been preparing for the battle to come—double-checking his turret’s arcs-of-fire, setting it to prioritise aerial targets and targets with high arcane signatures, and laying additional traps along each of the paths leading to the cargo hold’s entrance—whilst trying to ignore the vicious screams, terrible cries, and metallic clangs of a fight that was getting much too close for comfort.

And the next, he was engulfed in chaos, pure and total. 

The sheer force of a violent, deafening explosion threw him forward. His chest slammed into the edge of a crate, knocking the breath from his lungs. Then, just as he managed to steady himself, the airship lurched, and sent him sprawling the other way. He crashed back-first onto the cold, hard floor. His mouth opened in a pained shout, but his ears didn’t hear it. They couldn’t hear [i]anything[/i], not over the endless, shrill ring that filled them. And before long, even that piercing noise vanished; snatched away by rushing winds, replaced by ghastly howls and fearsome roars. 

Grunting, Scaerthrynne pushed himself up onto his elbows, but had to immediately flatten himself against the floor again, to roll out of the way of a crate that had freed itself of its lashings. That great mass of wood and iron rumbled and clattered as it slid and tumbled past him, passing so closely that he thought he might catch a splinter from it. He barely had any time to regain his bearings before he had to scramble out of the way of a laden pallet charging him down. Ropes snapped, its contents spilled, and he dived just in time to avoid getting his head taken off by a flying barrel. 

A growl worked its way up his throat. He didn’t know what had happened, but he was certain that he knew what was happening. And he knew he hadn’t any time to waste. 

Throwing caution to the wind, he grabbed his rifle and hurriedly clambered to his feet. Powerful gusts, and the airship’s list made the mere act of walking an arduous task. But Scaerthrynne fought them both, all the same, his teeth gritted in effort. He ran towards where he thought he’d last seen Vallena, somewhere near the cargo hold’s entrance. Along the way, he caught sight of Ezekiel in the corners of his eyes. 

[color=EBA536]“Eyepatch!”[/color] Even with his voice raised to a scream, Scaerthrynne wasn’t sure if he could be heard over all the din. But he had to try, nevertheless. [color=EBA536]“Get Venn! Make sure she’s secured!”[/color]

He didn’t wait to receive an acknowledgement. He didn’t even stop to check if Ezekiel had even caught his words, to begin with. The most important thing for him now, was to get to Vallena, and make sure that she was alright. Only then would he worry about anything else.

One problem at a time.

[color=EBA536]“Val!”[/color] He shouted as he neared the entrance. [color=EBA536]“Vallena!”[/color]

[color=E579FF]“Over here, Scratch!”[/color]

He turned in the direction of her voice, and saw the girl peeking out from behind a netted pile of crates that was still lashed tightly in place, right by the exposed runic circuit. She looked as if she was about to speak, but then the airship veered hard again. Vallena yelped, and would’ve fallen flat on her face had the dark elf not rushed over to catch her, and push her back behind the safety of the crates. She clutched the sleeves of his jacket tightly, shivering slightly, and didn’t let go until he had sat her on the floor.

[color=EBA536]“Are you injured?”[/color] He asked and knelt in front of her. [color=EBA536]“More than you already are, I mean.”[/color]

Vallena shook her head. [color=E579FF]“I-I’m okay, Scratch,”[/color] she replied. [color=E579FF]“What–”[/color]

[color=EBA536]“Explosive decompression,”[/color] he answered before she could finish her question. [color=EBA536]“Those three f–”[/color] He looked away, coughed into his elbow, and tried again. [color=EBA536]“Those three fools probably caused it, somehow. I’m almost certain of it.”[/color] Leaning in a little closer, he examined her from top to bottom with narrowed eyes. Once, then twice, and then thrice. Vallena squirmed under his gaze. [color=EBA536]“Stop moving,”[/color] he said with hints of irritation in his words. But not long after, he relaxed, and let out a relieved sigh. [color=EBA536]“You look fine, Val–”[/color]

[color=E579FF]“I told you that,”[/color] Vallena whined.

[color=EBA536]“–But we’ll have to take a closer look after all this, just to be safe.”[/color] He kept talking as if she hadn’t spoken.

Gradually, the airship levelled out, but only just. It still listed noticeably to one side, and although the winds weren’t as strong as before, they still rushed and whipped through what remained of the cargo hold. Worst of all, however, was the near-constant shudder Scaerthrynne felt in the floor plates. It was like the frenetic, struggling pulse of the airship itself, telling him that it couldn’t hold itself together for much longer. Judging by the tortured groans of shattered steel, and the high-pitched squeals of engines pushed to their absolute limits, Scaerthrynne had little doubts of that. If nothing was done soon, the airship, and everyone aboard it, would be due for a very, very harsh reunion with the ground. 

“I’m tired of your fucking tricks! Fight me, you cowards!”

He groaned. Of course, the explosive decompression sucked out everything except the ones he needed to disappear the most. He drew in a deep breath. The air was dry in his nostrils, and chilled its way down into his lungs. 

One problem at a time. 

[color=EBA536]“Stay here, Val,”[/color] he said and stood up. 

Just as he turned to leave, the girl grabbed his sleeve. [color=E579FF]“No! I-I can help!”[/color] She placed a hand on one of her pistols. [color=E579FF]“Y-You gave me these for a reason–”[/color]

[color=EBA536]“Yes, to defend yourself, not jump into a fight,”[/color] Scaerthrynne replied quickly. Vallena looked up at him with as much determination as she could muster in her eyes, and refused to let go of his sleeve. [color=EBA536]“Let go of me, Val,”[/color] he said firmly. She shook her head, and he sighed. He knelt again to look her in the eyes. [color=EBA536]“Val, listen to me. Right now, the best thing you can do for me is to stay here, and stay safe. Then there’ll be one less thing for me to worry about, at least. And besides, someone has to keep an eye on the runic circuit. That’ll be your job, Val. Keep an eye on it, and tell me when the runes stop glowing, alright?”[/color]

She loosened her grip, but still didn’t let go. [color=E579FF]“A-Alright, Scratch.”[/color] Her voice was small, and there was worry in her eyes when she met his gaze. [color=E579FF]“Just be safe, okay?”[/color]

[color=EBA536]“Well, I was thinking I’d fight them with my fists,”[/color] Scaerthrynne said with a grin. A small, and very hesitant, smile formed across Vallena’s lips. She finally released his sleeve. [color=EBA536]“I’ll be alright, Val.”[/color] He stood up, ruffled her hair, and hefted his musket. [color=EBA536]“Just be a good girl and wait here for me, and it’ll be over before you know it. Trust me.”[/color]

He breathed in once. Then twice. On the third, he burst from cover.

And for the first time since the blast, he saw the true extent of the damage to the cargo hold. 

There wasn’t much cargo left. There wasn’t much of a hold left, for that matter. One of the walls had all but disintegrated, with a jagged hole in the middle, and several smaller surrounding it where debris, picked up by the earlier gales, had punched through. Those same gales had extinguished the flames. Charred metal littered the area. Twisted steel groaned and creaked from what was left of the ceiling. And in the middle of it all, were two red-hooded strangers. Sparkler and Furnace. Two Swords and the griffon had been sucked out of the airship, it seemed.

The ghost of a smirk graced Scaerthrynne’s face. That was one thing going in his favour, at least.

He dashed for a fallen girder that had, thankfully, missed his turret by mere fractions of an inch. The winds could be thanked for that, he supposed. So strong had they been, that despite his turret’s legs digging into the cargo hold’s floor, they still managed to drag it out of position. Deep, jagged gouges in the floor plates showed the path it had taken. 

[color=EBA536]“Wake up,”[/color] Scaerthrynne said gruffly to the turret as he slid behind the girder. [color=EBA536]“Spellcaster in the distance, keep them suppressed.”[/color]

The turret whirred, sounding almost excited to finally shoot at something. Its rails glowed brighter, and they made a high-pitched noise before launching shard after shard of debris at Furnace. As its target moved, it turned to track it with precision, never once slowing or stopping its fire. A quick glance over the girded told Scaerthrynne that the shots were finding their target, but whether or not they were effective wasn’t clear. 

It didn’t matter, ultimately. As long as Furnace was forced to move, or forced to throw up a shield to protect himself, then he would be unable to cast whatever spells he wanted. That was good enough, for now.

Scaerthrynne [color=EBA536][b]infused[/b][/color] his musket before popping up from cover. Sparkler was sprinting towards Ezekiel at full speed, with a shield on his arm. That simply wouldn’t do. The dark elf took his time to take careful aim at the moving target, then pulled the trigger. Gunpowder ignited. The musket kicked against him, but it was a purple bolt that lanced from his weapon’s muzzle, and not a bullet. Upon striking the shield, it dissipated, and spread across the arcane barrier like a black mold growing on a wall. 

Then, the shield flickered once, and disappeared.

[color=EBA536]“Eyepatch, that one’s yours!”[/color] The words flew from Scaerthrynne’s mouth even as he crouched behind the girder to reload. Then, he stood up again, and searched for Furnace. It wasn’t difficult; he just had to follow his turret’s shots. That thing was relentless, if nothing else, and kept pursuing the spellcaster with its deadly gaze. Scaerthrynne saw sparks where shots glanced off Furnace's armour. [color=EBA536]"I'll focus on the spellcaster,"[/color] he shouted to Ezekiel. [color=EBA536]"You focus on taking the one with the sickle out as quickly as you can!"[/color]