118 lines
5.7 KiB
Markdown
118 lines
5.7 KiB
Markdown
|
---
|
||
|
title: 00051
|
||
|
created: Sat, 31 Dec 2022 17:08:07 -0700
|
||
|
updated: Sat, 31 Dec 2022 17:08:07 -0700
|
||
|
syndicated: yes
|
||
|
public: yes
|
||
|
---
|
||
|
### 00051 {#00051}
|
||
|
|
||
|
> As they wait for the balloonship to approach, Inky glances to the
|
||
|
> prone remains of the hotelier on the floor and frowns. There wasn't
|
||
|
> much they could do about that now. It was really inconvenient
|
||
|
> timing — he hadn't received the papers yet. Inky can already
|
||
|
> picture Cio's unspoken but palpable disappointment even as she
|
||
|
> offered reassurances that it was perfectly fine. The gnawing guilt
|
||
|
> she could inflict with a look was worse than a tenacious terrorier
|
||
|
> with a bone biscuit. Then Inky recalls an urban legend from the
|
||
|
> elderly aunts they sometimes pass by during teatimes, which claim
|
||
|
> that it was possible to send messages and items to the deceased by
|
||
|
> burning the articles.
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
> Ducking momentarily behind another bookshelf, Inky removes an
|
||
|
> envelope bearing the seal of a butterfly in red wax, drops it into
|
||
|
> a recently-emptied shortbread tin and holds a lit match to a corner
|
||
|
> of the paper. Before long the entire envelope is consumed by the
|
||
|
> flames and the lid replaced tightly over the tin. If the paperwork
|
||
|
> found its way to the hotelier on the spiritual plane, that would be
|
||
|
> the formalities completed. Or if it was reduced to ashes without
|
||
|
> ever reaching the recipient, no one had to know.
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
> Inky walks back to the window to see a flare light and a zip line
|
||
|
> ending below the windowsill. They look to the other end of the
|
||
|
> line, back to the toques, and around the room. Their gaze lands on
|
||
|
> a few cloth covers draped over several bookshelves near an alcove
|
||
|
> from top to bottom, possibly to protect the manuscripts on the
|
||
|
> shelves from extended exposure to dust and light. They tie a large
|
||
|
> red kerchief to the zip line to indicate they had seen flare
|
||
|
> signal, before turning to Confidence. "There's an airship waiting
|
||
|
> outside with a zip line. We should get Bread patched up by a healer
|
||
|
> in town. It wouldn't do to have them walk around like that, unless
|
||
|
> you want to turn the hotel into a haunted house attraction."
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
> As they finish speaking, Inky pulls off three of the covers, two
|
||
|
> iron spears and one of the two decorative flag poles with flags
|
||
|
> featuring the crest of Runesocesius, and a symbol (of the old town,
|
||
|
> Inky surmises) that stood in a nook between the wall and a
|
||
|
> bookshelf. Crossing over to a wall display of ceremonial chains and
|
||
|
> maces, they remove two of the metal chains that hung on from hooks
|
||
|
> on the wall. Having gathered the items, they retrieve two zip line
|
||
|
> harnesses, some parachute cord and two additional pulley hooks from
|
||
|
> their bag.
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
> They lay the chains on the floor about two feet apart, followed by
|
||
|
> the cloth sheets with their outer surfaces facing down over them,
|
||
|
> and tie the corners at both ends to the flag pole to form the base
|
||
|
> of a makeshift hammock. With Confidence's help, they slide Bread
|
||
|
> onto the sheets, being cautious to avoid further jostling the
|
||
|
> toque's injuries. Inky wraps the ends of the chains around the
|
||
|
> flagpole, tying them and the cloth bundle with loops of parachute
|
||
|
> cord, and sets the pulley hooks to links on the top surface of the
|
||
|
> flag pole.
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
> Inky puts on a zip line harness and throws the spare one to
|
||
|
> Confidence, directing them to do the same. With some difficulty,
|
||
|
> they hoist the bundle of Bread to the window. Inky descends first,
|
||
|
> hooking their harness pulley to the zip line as they brace against
|
||
|
> the tower wall. As the bundle is slowly lowered through the window,
|
||
|
> Inky connects the pulley hooks on the metal chains to the zip line,
|
||
|
> Confidence bringing up the rear while Inky holds the hammock
|
||
|
> steady.
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
> While the zephynos play overhead, the three of them prepare to
|
||
|
> slide down to the deck of the balloonship along the zip line.
|
||
|
|
||
|
Confidence and Inky, framing the Bread basket between them, slide
|
||
|
down the zipline to the balloonship. The zephynos frolic up overhead,
|
||
|
and the hole in the library wall gapes below. And beyond that, the
|
||
|
endless sea of clouds.
|
||
|
|
||
|
Inky, having descended the line first, makes it to the ship ahead of
|
||
|
Bread and Confidence. They clambor up over the side, unhook themself,
|
||
|
and reach for the corner of the hammock.
|
||
|
|
||
|
The 3rd Ginnarak Crystal is now on the deck of the ship.
|
||
|
|
||
|
Looking up, Inky sees that two determined cyberplasms have started
|
||
|
following them out the library tower window. Neither has a harness.
|
||
|
One is hanging upside down on the cable, arms and legs wrapped around
|
||
|
it, and has managed to shimmy a couple feet away from Runesocesius.
|
||
|
The other has just swung out of the window and is holding onto the
|
||
|
line with their hands. They are kicking their legs up over and over,
|
||
|
trying to swing high enough to lock their ankles around the cable.
|
||
|
|
||
|
In the time that it will take you to unhook the hammock and get both
|
||
|
Bread and Confidence onto the ship, the two pirates will have closed
|
||
|
most of the distance between you and might be within striking
|
||
|
distance.
|
||
|
|
||
|
Meanwhile on the deck of the ship, the hemogoblin is deeply entranced
|
||
|
by a private conversation it seems to be having with the ruby-hilt
|
||
|
dagger. It nods and chirps and coos as it continues to strangle the
|
||
|
grip in its tiny bloody hands, singing softly and soothingly. The
|
||
|
ruby flashes and glints, almost strobe-like in the sunlight, as
|
||
|
though in the midst of some kind of struggle. But as the hemogoblin
|
||
|
continues its strange lullaby, the gem eventually fades and grows
|
||
|
dull, until finally it resembles nothing more than a lifeless lump of
|
||
|
stone.
|
||
|
|
||
|
The hemogoblin releases its death grip on the dagger and lowers its
|
||
|
arms to its sides, allowing the dagger to slip to the ground. It
|
||
|
looks up at you happily with ruby-red eyes that seem to flash in the
|
||
|
sunlight, and it chirps merrily.
|
||
|
|
||
|
WHAT DO YOU DO
|
||
|
|
||
|
[www](https://framalistes.org/sympa/arc/tildepals/2023-01/msg00014.html)
|
||
|
|