5.7 KiB
| title | created | updated | syndicated | public |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00051 | Sat, 31 Dec 2022 17:08:07 -0700 | Sat, 31 Dec 2022 17:08:07 -0700 | yes | yes |
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