Private Tales The Wrong Kind of Ship

[Ivar]

"Wouldn't dream of it." Ivar said with a wave of his hand as he slowly made his way back towards the cabin.

He still couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that they were in the fucking sky. He doubted that it was something he'd ever actually be 'used' to, but at the very least it would get them across the world fast. That was amazing in it of itself

The ship was quite an impressive construct.

He could think of a dozen names who would have paid Finn an entire nations worth of gold for the plans. Perhaps that was why they had been after her.

The Warrior mused for a few moments as he gathered his tea, taking a sip and enjoying the bitter beverage as well as the heat that came with it.

 

[Finn]

Finishing her tea, she put it down into the safety of a cupholder. The inventor didn't understand why wagons didn't have these already. Why no one she'd met had invented something like this already was beyond her. Kept all her mugs from breaking with any sudden shifts of the wind or air.

After a few hours, she stretched and left the helm, peaking over the side of the airship. The tips of the spine were visible just above the clouds. It made it look as though the tall mountains sat within a lake of misty-white. She knew there was far more volume beyond what they could see. And beneath that? The dwarven realm somewhere.

 

[Ivar]

It was an amazing way to travel.

Ivar had no idea how fast they were going, or even really where they were going. He trusted Finn to take care of that. Instead he simply watched the ground pass by. A few times he saw things moving, specks of people that looked like ants. Behemoths that would have towered over him looking like ordinary folk.

It was a strange experience, but one that he was glad for. "I once met a woman with wings."

He told Finn with a slight smile.

"This is what she must feel like while flying." The Barbarian was leaning over one of the railings, his fingers tapping slightly on the wood as he peered at the mountains.

 

[Finn]

“I always dreamt about this. Even growing up on the streets of Elbion. I preferred heights. Climbing trees. A way to get above the layer of dirt and grime on the streets.”

A wistful smile on her face as she spoke and leaned against the rail. The wind ruffled blonde feathered hair. A deep breath of the crisp air and her smile widened.

“When we get to Alliria will you just travel on your own? Do you have friends you’re trying to find, like that woman with wings?”

 

[Ivar]

"I'm not trying to find anyone or anything." Ivar said quietly.

He had never particularly fit in anywhere. His father had been the Exile, but that had carried on to him. Most had always preferred not to speak with him back in Kjos. He had hated them at first, but overtime Ivar had learned.

Fingers wrung against the railing of the airship for a moment, and then he shrugged. "It's a big world."

The Barbarian said with a smile.

"There's lots of things to see." Eventually he would return to the Tundra, but not until he was ready. "Maybe I'll head into the forest after Alliria."

A shrug rolled over his shoulders.

 

[Finn]

"There is a lot to see," her smile widened. She loved flying as much as she loved exploring. "I've been skybound for nearly a year and I still haven't seen as much as I want to."

Face turned curious as she scratched at her chin, putting her finished tea down.

"Why the forest?" She paused, check out their supply. They'd likely have to set down in a day or so to resupply up. She was still trying to figure out a way where she could do that less and less. Everytime she touched the ground it was risky.

 

[Ivar]

His shoulders rolled. "I've never been to a proper Forest."

Ivar had decided to avoid the Ixchel Wilds on his trip down south from the Tundra. He had been told that the lands were dangerous and without a true guide you were essentially sentencing yourself to death. It was a fate he had, and did not want.

Thus the Falwood seemed a good alternative.

"It seems a good opportunity." He explained further. "The Tundra has some Pine woods, but nothing like the Falwood."

At least from what he had heard.

 

[Finn]

"I'm sure you'll run across some elves as well," she commented and smiled. "I've heard there are some hidden tribes deeper in the Falwood. Perhaps not too keen on most humans but I don't blame 'em. I'm not too keen on most humans."

Finn leaned against the wheel, taking out a small metallic box and popping the lid open, looking inside, before closing it and then adjusting the wheel.

"We'll have to find a spot to set down soon. Looks like we might be in for a big storm tonight." She'd learned to read the signs of bad weather. And with the way the clouds were building in the distance, there might be a big blizzard to come. One she wouldn't be able to rise above.

 

[Ivar]

He glanced back at her for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders as he peered back towards the clear skies. "If you say so."

At this point Ivar wouldn't doubt a single word she said about the sky.

The Barbarian wasn't a simpleton by any means, but this was...well this was her field of expertise. If Finn said there would be a storm then there would be a storm. For him it was as simple as that, no need to argue or say otherwise.

"How about there." He said as he pointed to a clearing by a large river.

"Seems solid enough." And defensible. "Fresh water, and we might find some game in that forest."

 

[Finn]

She pushed on her tiptoes so she could see and gave a nod.

“Looks good,” she agreed quietly, scanning the surrounding area for any marauding orc army tracks. She’d never forget how she’d found Talus. Slowly cutting the fire’s fuel, they began a gentle descent.

“That rope there,” she pointed to the side. When we get close to the ground, can you slip out and find a good anchor point to tie it off?”

She’d watch their speed as they came upon that clearing. One wrong move and they’d be in the river. Luckily, the wind was for them.

“Okay now,” she called as they were about two or three feet off the ground. She was already leaving the wheel for the rope on the other side.

 

[Ivar]

Ivar had worked on ships before, on raid during the south.

Tying off a boat wasn't hard, and in perspective this wasn't all that different. He hopped off the edge of the ship with the rope that Finn had point out. Fingers looped quickly around, his steps rushing over the clearing as he found one of the largest oaks on the edge of the clearing.

Quickly he lashed the airship to the trunk, tying it around two or three times before he tied a quick knot.

"That good enough?" Ivar called as he tugged on the rope.

The Barbarian was still unsure of exactly what was needed for the airship. In that moment he was a simpleton following directions. A role that for him surprisingly well. He waited for her next instruction, only briefly glancing around to see if anything was around them.

 

[Finn]

She scrambled over the other side and found a formidable pine, circling and tying off the rope much the same way as Ivar. The airship hovered for a moment, before settling down completely. She’d cut the fire before she’d jumped.

“Looks good,” she called quietly. Giving her own rope one last check. The balloon would deflate and fold back down.

“I’ll check the deck to make sure everything else is battened down.” Retracing her steps, she scrambled back on board. The wind was already shifting.

Colder.

“Should probably start a fire. Set some noise traps around the perimeter of camp.”

 

[Ivar]

"That I can do." Finally something he actually had capability for.

Though these lands might have been foreign to him, Ivar was still a man of the wilderness. He had spent decades surviving and thriving within the Tundra. He could take his skills most anywhere in the world, and already had.

Even in the Blight, that desolate wasteland of a world he'd managed to carry himself through. Despite everything that had happened, even half limping Ivar had made it out alright. Compared to that this place was practically a paradise.

With a quick gesture Ivar headed off in the forest. "Don't get kidnapped."

The Barbarian called to her as he headed off to set traps and gather the firewood they would need. The forest around them was sprawling, and he was confident he'd find plenty of what they would need.

 

[Finn]

Finn looked over as she started to strap down the rest of the balloon as it began to sink down.

"No promises! Don't kill too many things out there!"

She wanted to protest that his warning had been insulting but well...she seemed to be the size that was easy to nab. Pulling dirty blonde hair back into a loose braid, she took out her set of tools and focused on the task at hand. Tightening screws. Strengthening up the fabric.

That was her problem.

She always became too focused in her work that she usually forgot about the rest of her surroundings.

 

[Ivar]

It was a little more than an hour or so later when Ivar returned. Two rabbits hung off his shoulder and a load of wood had been moved to the other side of the Clearing. He didn't want to start the fire so near the balloon, in case something happened.

The traps had been set too, though they were hard to see.

As he returned Ivar set the rabbits down and began to set a fire. Within just a few moments the flames were coaxed into life, and then he set about quickly skinning the rabbits and creating a spit so that they could have some actual meat.

"Ready!" He finally called out to Finn.

 

[Finn]

"Almost done too," she grunted, getting the last of the sails tied down. Blonde-haired head popped up. "That was fast," she commented as she climbed down, boots hitting the ground. Looking up, there was a thick layer of clouds blocking out the setting sun.

"It's going to get really cold tonight. Might get a lot of snow," a quiet comment. She was used to the cold and he was too. She wasn't worried about that, as long as they weren't grounded for too long. The snow might keep them that way for a bit, depending how big the storm was.

"You must be used to this type of weather, where you're from?"

 

[Ivar]

Ivar nodded. "Colder, actually."

He had never seen the Tundra without snow, even near the sea ice was everywhere. One could travel south enough that it began to disappear, but that was mostly unusual. His home was as snow covered as the highest peaks of the spine.

It was said that the day it wasn't would be the end of all men. "It's not so bad."

He told her.

"Fire, shelter." Shoulders shrugged. "And a bit of food."

All one needed, really.

 

[Finn]

"I'm not adverse to cold but that doesn't sound fun to me," she smiled. She went by the fire. She'd have to get her coat from the cabin before true nightfall. She could already feel it. The trees around their clearing began to sway as the wind picked up.

Getting a stick, she began threading the skinned rabbits on it, setting up a roasting sticks over the fire. Crossing her legs, she took a seat.

"Are you warning me against traveling to the north?"

 

[Ivar]

He smiled. "Only if you hate the cold."

Ivar said with a shrug of his shoulders. He had never minded it himself, but he'd also been born in the worst storm that the north had seen in decades. At least that was what his father had always told him during those days.

Lips thinned for a moment.

"The South isn't so bad anyway." The Barbarian said finally. "People tend to be more friendly, open."

Something he'd noticed almost immediately. "We can be a bit...closed off back home."

 

[Finn]

“Well, considering you nearly plowed me over,” she pointed out with a grin, rotating the roasting rabbits. “Running into you was like running into a rock wall.” She rubbed at her nose as if he could still feel a bruise there.

There wasn’t.

With the food done, she handed one to him and took one for herself. “Suppose it was lucky I ran into you that day.” She took a bite of meat. Who knew where the hell she’d be? A prisoner of the naga crime lord for sure.

 

[Ivar]

Ivar began to chew on the rabbit, shrugging his shoulders. "Luck or fate, either one."

Most folk back home believed in fate, at least a version of it. There was a path of life, and everyone walked upon that path. That was simply how it was.

"The Great Wolf has a plan for us all." Ivar said with a smile.

No matter what that plan might have been.

"What is next for you?" Ivar asked. "Going to create a flying city?"

Now that was preposterous.

 

[Finn]

"The great wolf? Never heard of that one," she said, quietly munching on her own rabbit. Drinking from one of her chipped mugs.

A small, timid smile over the rim of her mug at his suggestion.

A secretive look.

"I don't have to create one if one already exists," her voice was barely heard above the crackling flames between them. "Legend says it was created long ago and floats above the clouds, drifting across the world's skies. Winged species live there among others that descended from others that created it long ago. Somehow all living in harmony among the clouds."

She'd seen it, actually. Lived there. Been elected its leader.

She was just...sworn to secrecy at this time.

 

[Ivar]

Ivar shrugged. "Sure, if you say so."

The Barbarian didn't at all sound like he was trying to placate or humor her. At this point he wasn't one to argue with what wasn't and was possible. There was much in this world he didn't know. What was a floating city next to some of what he'd already seen.

If Finn believed that something like that existed...well then she probably had a good enough reason to do so.

"I'll stick to being mostly on the ground." He mused. "I like the earth too much."

His hand gently scraped through the dirt, a smile on his face.

"The Great Wolf is a god, or goddess." Ivar frowned, not really sure.

"A guiding spirit for my people." The Barbarian shrugged. "Appears within the mists and mornings."

At least that was the story.

 

[Finn]

"That would certainly scare me if I ever saw that in the mists," she grinned and took another bite of rabbit. A swallow of some water from her mug. Gradually at first, flurries began falling from the darkened sky. Another gust of wind blew through their camp and Finn shivered.

"And here comes the snow," she said quietly, holding out her hand to catch the small flurries. She knew they would get larger and more furious. Perhaps even within the hour.

She stood, taking her mug with her.

"I think I'm going to go retreat inside." A tilt of her chin to the small cabin on the ship. "Where will you be sleeping tonight?" He'd been mostly relegated to the hammock in the deck except for that one time he'd managed to fit into that small cot she had in the cabin. She doubted he'd want to try that again. Half his body had hung off last time when she'd dragged his injured self back along those docks.

 

[Ivar]

She had been right about the storm, though that wasn't too surprising for him.

Finn knew her craft. He supposed a fact which was rather important given the fact that if she didn't her ship would end up plastered against the side of a mountain. "I'll make myself a tent."

He told her.

It would be comfortable enough. The Hammock on the ship wasn't bad, not by any means, but he wanted to sleep on something more familiar. A smile touched his lips for a brief moment as he leaned back, letting his hands sprawl.

"Go get some rest." He said. "I'm sure tomorrow will be exciting."

Ivar let out a yawn as he scooched a bit closer to the flame.