Thunder was rumbling and the winds were moaning. At dusk, the biggest snowstorm came to Hyoite. Villagers and merchants took shelter inside houses and inns. But one man was still out... or at least one very small man.
Warren stared at the clouds, on verge of insanity. No storm he ever saw looked that powerful before. "... A maelstrom!" he whispered, his eyes shaking under his immense excitation.
Running through the village, tripping and falling in the snow, he jumped about his flying caravel, The Cloud Chaser IV. Tonight was THE night, the night were his whole life would be tested; the night where his theories would become true.
The Cloud Chaser IV was a magnificent caravel, its sails replaced by a hot air balloon. The crest of his family was printed on the balloon, lightning coming out of a cloud.
Ashtal's ship sailed easily through the harsh weather, the onyx bow of his ship cutting through rouge waves as if they were butter. "Ship hoe cap'n!" A skeleton yelled from the crow's nest. "Wha' the hell you talkin' bout mate?" Ashtal asked.
"There!" the skeleton yelled pointing to the skies. Ashtal's eyes widened at the sight.
"Full sails!" Ashtal yelled running to the steering wheel of his ship, The JabberJaw, he pushed away the specter that was piloting his ship. "Come now lads it's just three leagues more!" He shouted as the rest of his crew roared with excitement.
Warren was was alone aboard his own ship, setting sail towards the storm. Using his affinity with the wind, he kept his boat steady inside the clouds. "So many... So beautiful..." he was shouting at the wheel as lightning streaked the night sky.
He locked the wheel and jumped on the lower deck, readying his apparatus for the dangerous operation he was about to pull out. The machine looked like a giant butterfly net made of electromagnetic treads of Warren invention.
The hull opened, letting Warren and his lightning catcher apparatus extend in front of it. A loud laugh could be heard miles around in the winds. Warren was on verge of losing the last bit of sanity he had, like every time he was hunting.
Ashtal got The JabberJaw to come to a halt under The Cloud Chaser IV Ashtal yelled an order and 12 grappling hooks shot upwards, burying themselves in the hull of the Cloud Chaser. AShtal yelled another order and the Caravel lurched And the Jabberaw slowly lifted upwards.
Warren heard the voice over the rage of the nature. Turning around, his eyes projecting a insane look at whatever he was looking at.
"This is MY storm, be gone!" he yelled, pressing a button on his armrest.
A canon appear under the ship, slowly taking aim at the JabberJaw. The gnome wasn't quite fond of unwanted guest on his hull.
As Ashtal reached the hulled of the ship and climbed aboard he yelled a few commands and the JabberJaw unhooked itself from the hull of The Cloud Chaser and fell back into the ocean. As Ashtal wandered about the lower brig when he spotted a Dwarven man. He quickly pressed himself against the wall to avoid sight.
"And don't come back!" yelled Warren, waving his tiny fist above his head. He fired a warning shot, to the right of the JabberJaw.
He returned his full attention at the clouds, waiting a sign.
Ashtal drew his flintlocks and aimed them at the Dwarve's head as he came from around the corner. "Right now lad, jus' point me to tha' loot and I'll be on ma merry way."
The gnome turned around, locking his eyes on the flintlock. The fire of madness seemed to call down as he snapped out of it.
"There is no bounty on this ship good sir, I'm only a lightning catcher." he said, gulping on his saliva. "the only treasure I have aboard are my precious captures."
"Precious you say?" Kriv said as he relaxed slightly, still keeping aim. "Is that what keeps this ship floatin'?" He asked.
"No actually, that would be me."He answered nervously. "Lightnings are only for my science, I try to make energy out of them that could change the world... If my theories are right."
He tried to hide his fear under his passion for thunder, making the fire in his eyes grow more and more intense as he spoke.
"How much would these lightnings sell for?" Ashtal asked placing his free hand on his rapier.
Warren took a few minutes to think about his next answer. The strange creature was right, he could sell them to powerful wizards. This could turn in favor for him if he played his cards well. But the question was how much could he get for one.
"There is no such market in the world, my good sir." he answered, trying to be pleasing. "I could do some research though. But if you want to sell them you need the right equipment to pack them. Dead could result if you handle them to roughly."
Marking another pause, he thought about a plan quickly.
"You know..." he said with a nervous chuckle, hesitating. His hands were joined and rubbing each other, "You know, we could think about a partnership. I have the knowledge and the equipment and you have a network ready to buy anything."
"This sounds quite interesting.." Ashtal said. "Go get me one of these lightning." He ordered motioning with his flintlock.
Warren went on the lower bridge, where the collected matter was stored in canisters. They were also Warren's invention.
He came back quickly, holding one of them.
"Here's a piece of advice, never open it unless you know how to manipulate lightning."
"Yeah yeah.." Ashtal said as he snatched the canister and examined it. "I'll take this down to the black markets, see what it's worth, but when I come back, and you're gone, I will hunt you down." Ashtal said as he walked to the upper deck.
"As i said before, mister the pirate, there is no demand for this new matter because, as its inventor, I never revealed this dangerous thing to the world without knowing its full potential. The only thing you will find on the black market is a cadaver, as your buyer opens this canister and fry himself to dead." said Warren with confidence and honesty.
He took the canister back, offering to store it back before accidents could happen.
Yeah, whatever mate" Ashtal said before jumping back onto his ship.
"Wait, we could create something with all of this!... Become nobles... Or Maybe KINGS!" he said, press ion on the words to get his attention, "And all of this with the power of gods! Everything we could ever need for us, at the flick of a switch."
Warren looked at Ashtal with a crazy look on his face, his eyes burning with passion and intelligence.
"And everything could be OURS if we cooperate! You could show to everyone that even a necromencer pirate can become anything."
"Wha' is that supposed to mean?" AShtal said as he turned around drawing his flintlock one more, putting it directly to the dwarf's temple. "I happen to take some pride in ma' work mate." He said, as he tapped his index finger on the barrel of his gun.
Warren laughed, exploded loudly in a laugh that the wind carried in every house that fright everyone in the village down bellow.
"The pride you take in your work is untouched, I didn't meant to insult a powerful mage and mighty pirate." He pushed aside the flintlock, his hand going behind his back.
He pulled out a smaller canister plugged at a a bulb of glass, a switch at the other hand. Flicking the switched on and off repeatedly. "See? At the flick of a switch. This light is generated by... blabla bla..." he started explaining everything with passion.
Ashtal produced a sigh of boredom wondering weather or he should have turned the flintlock to himself rather that the dwarf. "Can we jus' go then mate?" He asked.
Twitching when he hear about leaving, his eyes winked in confusion. "B-... b-b-but the storm-... The lightning collecting... Why are we leaving now?" He wriggled his head, understanding that he wasn't the holding the gun. He sighed. "Fine... but where? I'll follow you with The Cloud Chaser, ok?"
"We can't go by land or sea where we're headed." Ashtal said, grabbing Warren by the scruff of his collar and jumping off the ship and plummeting to the water.
Stunned, Warren didn't even tried to do anything.
He didn't knew how to swim! were was he taking him? In a moment of lucidity, he focus his mind on creating a bubble of air around his head, preventing him to drown.
"Where the hell are you taking me?" He yelled inside his helmet.
"To the underworld of Hyoite." Kriv said as they sunk deeper until they reached the ocean floor. "Kriv tapped his foot three times and a portal opened beneath them and they sunk deeper.
The underworld? What?
"Wait? What? The underworld is only a myth! How could we reach it?" He said, scared to dead.
"Not that underworld ya dope." Ashtal said. "That underworld." Ashtal explained pointing to the underground city that was now before them.
"There is an under-Hyoite? Well I guess that, living in the sky, I wouldn't know about it!" He said with a little smile. "But... Why are we here, I you don't mind my asking?"
"You are here to sell your device, I am here for a little bit 'o fun." He said, jus' follow that crowd over there to find a buyer!" He shouted as he walked into a brothel.
"Oh ok!... Wait what?" whimpered Warren already pushed to walk with the flow.
A few hours passed...
Finally, Warren found his way back the brothel were the dragonman was 'playing' with hookers. He walked in, trying to not see what was happening around him. He didn't liked this place, like the whole market-thing. His invention wasn't for selling, but he wanted to try to bluff his way out of here. He asked to a unoccupied lady where was Ashtal.
"Yeah! Tall guy, scales... Yes him! Oh ok... I won't disturb him. Can you get a message to him for me? Thank you! Ok hear it is:...
(OoC: it would be funny to get Ashtal to com back there)
(OOC: Come back where?)
(OoC: I just skip time to go back to Rp with him)
Ashtal washed up and headed back downstairs to meet his Dwarven companion. "So, how'd it go?" He asked as he approached Warren.
Warren sat on a couch, rubbing his hands on his face. He was about to lie to a dangerous man.
"I kinda found someone but... It didn't worked out..." he said out on a sigh.
He had a little stain on his shirt...
"What do ya mean?" He asked.
"He wanted to rip me off... I sneezed, triggering my powers by accident. They flew across the room, crashing on the walls... They look like a red mud splat on the walls.." explain Warren, a small grin on his face, "I took the money though!" He said dropping a purse of gold on the table.
"Your half! Thanks for the idea of selling my engine."
Ashtal narrowed his eyes, attempting to have a peek into Warren's mind. "Are you sure that's wha' happened mate?" The whole brothel went silent customers and harlots alike, all staring at Warren.
The crazy fire that was burning into Warren turned into a firestorm.
"He might have pulled his knife on me though..." he said chuckling, "He wanted to take it and the money, I wasn't going to let him go like this... Right?"
Ashtal broke his stare with a chuckle. "There's a good lad!" He said giving Warren a hard slap to the back. "We'll, we best find an inn, gotta be up early to meet the real buyer tomorrow."
Warren looked at Ashtal, worried. "I don't feel like we will find someone really interested..."
"Nah mate, I found one a while ago, that other guy was just some petty thief I hired." Ashtal admitted.
"What? Why?" asked Warren. "What is wrong with you? Get me out of here or you're the next pudge lying on the floor!"
He was angry, confused and claustrophobic.
"Try that and your ancestors will tear you apart limb from limb." Ashtal said lowering his voice so that only Warren could hear. "Now, les' get goin' before the turn out the lights." Ashtal advised, nudging Warren towards the door.
That man was rude...
"Fine..." he said walking towards the door. "show me the way."