Nu Jeruxalim ¬ Holy Mekka. [destroyed]

[|°ὺ₯₳ↄĸJONES]

Detail
Composed of stone, faith, and independant businesses-- Nu Jeruxalim thrives on through times rendered post-apocalyptic. However, with the restoration process, a makeover had overwhelmed all of Rosinder. Painting a fresh layer of newness upon old edifices and cities alike. In the very center of every newly detailed megacity was a black marble block that stood ten meters tall. It was an object that the people used so that their prayers could be sent to the goddess Tellus Mater.

Entire Western Region.
Religion: Main - Tellus Mater

• Secondary - Rosinder beliefs

Security: Varies throughout the land. (of Rosinder & Renovatio guards)

Helpful Information

The basic outline of the Holy Mekka is simple. Think Dark Ages infused with mana for tecnological adavances. Knights, bards, and many other classes are common here in the Mekka.

Transportation: There are two forms, by land or by air. There are several airship carriers that site 10 per unit. They only bring you to certain parts of a megacity and or to neighboring towns.

Business: With gold, diamond mines, wheat fields, seafood, and the collection of mana from the planet as natural resources; those of the market have much to sell, and traders with interesting items.

Canon

1. Nu Jeruxalim Falls

[Inception]

O, for a Thousand Tongues to Scream I

Their destination starkly ascends from blocky schorl roots without the nuisance of urban sprawl, and each towering edifice after the next twists darkly skyward, but fails, perhaps necessarily, to grasp the luminance so readily at hand. Not even the loftiest of the jaggy pinnacles reflects the vibrant noon sky. Instead, the building tops scowl a furious scarlet; like a deep, enduring sunburn, unquenchable by rain or a cool midsummer breeze. True to their defiance, not even a one possesses a portal permitting the inhabitants the luxury of acknowledging the outside, the Nature that the City holds as an aberration, boasting novelties, distant in memory and in meaning, such as flowers, streams, or trees.

Having seen its silhouette countless times, the Dove adjusts his scenery to glower irritably and impotently at his own feet. Mud almost entirely coats his aeshan boots, making them even more difficult to discern through the high meadow grass swaying temperamentally against his thighs. Within hours, all the lushness will diminish to a field of mud, blood rags, and excrement. All for the sake of furthering himself to the skyport. In the end, it will be as horrific as the city.

Donning the armaments of the White Dove, he towered over most within the market and gave off the imminent feeling of underlying bellicose tendencies. The transition from a pristine field to a senseless winepress of humanity, dense to the degree that the uninitiated cannot act without accidentally fondling a passerby or blushing at some meaningless intersection of moving flesh, awakens Dove’s claustrophobia. He shuts his ears to the din of shouting voices, ignores the rude bludgeoning of strange shoulders, and trudges obediently towards the skyport where an even more crowded market awaits.

The intelligent side of the true Masashi thought deeply. In a vague sense, he aware of the business around him, including pairs and sometimes trios of laughing young men stumbling along in their loincloths, bound at their biceps, hips, and ankles, with their cheeks red from the hot, eager embarrassment of youth and their shoulders red from the blaze of day. Soon, the oppression manifests as a comfort, an enemy with which he is familiar and need not fight; an abuse to gratefully accept. The merchant-clatter of tins and clank of jewelers’ beads reminds him that this is more than a crude attempt to revitalize the Savage’s philosophy of freedom through the destruction of reason and elevation of base emotions, but a unquenchable thirst for tribalism, kinship, and openness. How odd that such values die unexpectedly in the face of civility.

The discerned plan was simple. Behind him and following ten meters from behind was his partner, Waru-Taru. Someone who would be vital in the plan to take what they needed and to escape without being caught, and with as little casualty as possible. With this, a translucent pool consumed his body. Invisible to any eye unaware of his resolve of power, it consumed him and he bathed in purity and trustworthy power. Preparing for what would follow, his right hand clasped around the protruding haft of Ookami along his back, and the piercing ruby eyes embedded in both shoulders prepared for awakening as well. They drew closer and closer to the crowded port, and soon things were to begin

[Ragna the Bloodedge]

Waru was right behind his bestest buddy Masashi. His robe wrapped around him, covering his figure and not revealing anything beneath the shroud. His rings were active, keeping him from sight, and his steps and movements were that of the legendary shinobi. Only those with insane abilities or powers would be able to notice him. Unless of course he made himself visible or made a sound on his own accord.

Waru knew what they were here for. And they had to get in, and take care of it quickly. He had come with Masashi to ensure his friend-stayed safe and out of harms way. Seeing as Waru was one of the most powerful creatures able to stride around the realm freely. Certainly he was no god, or omnipresent being. But, none-the-less, he knew how to destroy or kill almost anything encountered. And he had done so many times before.

For some reason Masashi felt they would encounter resistance here. A kind most tumultuous for certain. Otherwise he would’ve went alone. Waru was hoping the opposite. He didn’t usually like unnecessary confrontations. Yet he did crave a challenge. If nothing happened, and they got away scott free and without a scratch, so be it. If not, then he’d handle whatever came their way without mercy, and without hesitation.

Already upset and frustrated from Masashi not always letting Aisha come out to play, he’d immediately take out all his pent up angst on the first person that stepped in their way. Then he’d proceed to rip their intestines out and intravenously feed it to them while he laughed manically. Well, at least that was the small daydream he was having under his hidden turban. A wicked smile crossed his features. Yet he’d make sure to let Masashi handle the basics. Waru wasn’t here to draw his sword on petty guards that he could swat away as if they were nothing but a swarm of gnats.

He was in place because if one of the big boys showed up, there’d be trouble. And when they did, he was going to show them just where he’d sheath Ryurai-Zettens blade. Oh you can’t guess? Really? You’re serious?

…

[Anathema]

~New Place!

“Stop hitting on her, Muhrdur! She is not your call girl!”

The yell carried through most of the market as Payne was arguing with her sword. Whether or not Aisha could hear her, since she wasn't too sure how it worked. Her gaze was glaring towards her main weapon – Muhr. The blade was taken from her back and carried by the sheath in her right hand. The weapon was trying to infuse auras with the other sentient sword. This was much more than she had bargained for. A hiss escaped her lips as the weapon released another husky wave of male amusement.

“I am going to drop your ass into the sea if you do that one more time. I swear it, Muhr. Don't make me kick my beloved sword to hell.” She was trying everything she could to be serious, but deep down she was laughing aloud.

She was finding this to be very fun, it's been awhile she had gone out with other people. Now this was a whole new group that she can explore. Lifting her sights to the sky, her form walked silently through the area. She had originally gone X on her back with the weapons, but when she noticed the male aura, she had to cut that shit out. Though it was drawing attention that she was carrying the weapon.

A sigh escaped her lips when she knew this may have been their plan. Go on ahead... leave the poor defenseless girl with two sentient weapons that would talk her head off. Payne grumbled beneath her breath, and began to walk faster. Searching for Masashi.

As she picked up the pace, starting to run slightly, the loose white skirt flowed backwards as she tried to dodge in coming people. She wore a headband on her head, mainly like an elven princess would. A tight tank top clung to her chest, exposing her mid-drift, her belly button pierced. It was a neat little design she got while wandering through the town, had hurt for a whole thirty minutes. She stopped when she couldn't find them, and glanced around... There were too many people for her sensories to work, and if Masashi had kept Aisha, then she could have used the sentience as a way to locate. Though now she was in a crowd, and lowered her head. Why did she have to be so short?

Continuing her path through the market, she often stop to glance at things. Shiny trinkets caught her eye, and she would wander to the shop and lean over. Often spending some of her gold on little items, and pocketing them. Turning her gaze forward, and she frowned... lost again.

Wasn't she supposed to be with someone? Lifting her hand to her head, “Uhhm...”

“He's behind you still, don't think he will lose you that easy.” Muhr whispered into her mind. Oh yeah, she stopped and waited.

Waving her hands some towards Arden, “H-Hey! Uhm.. Do you remember the way? I am lost...” She laughed softly... unable to find the skyport.

[Arden]

“May the good spirits watch over us.”

He stepped deftly and hastily through the crowded streets of Nu Jerusalem’s market district, following her. The girl was just old enough to be his daughter with raven hair and azure eyes to match. He could easily pass Payne off as his child and pay in silver for fair to a nearby town. Once in the air he could just highjack the vessel. He would have less resistance to deal with and there would be less casualties, none if he could manage it.

The sunlight streamed down between cloth shades and building overhangs, caressing the ivory mantle and short cloak that sat upon his shoulders. She was talking to her sword again. Nearby people would glance at her as she went by. Apparently she was crazy but Dyew knew better. “Look.” He pointed up through the wind torn flaps and sheets draped above the street to shade the merchants. “This street runs a straight shot to what I guess would be a large central hub or secondary hub that sits around the sky port. If we keep moving forward we will hit it.” He followed her more closely now.

“Watch your pockets.“ The congestion on the street started to become much worse. Once or twice he felt a tug at his belt, a pick pocket trying to steal off the wrong mark. A quick jab with his thumb into their side or a limb and they thought better of it.

[Aisha]

The first time Muhrdur’s conciseness touched her she ignored it. He then got more bold and she snapped her jaws around his proverbial head, shaving off some of his preternatural insulation as he struggled to break free. The pain Muhrdur would experience was not unlike getting his genitals stuck in a bear trap. After her sword stopped whining and screaming Payne would hear her warning reverberate throughout her mind. “Do that again and I shall not release you.” It may be a surprise to Payne to hear Muhrdur scream but it was no surprise to Aisha. It was, after all, her design and an integral part of her purpose.

“Masashi is not very far.” She was paying close attention to the man that followed behind them, not sure they should trust him.

[Faustus]

An earnest attempt at thievery and lechery nipped hotly on the heels of Dyew's warning. The crowd surged around them. People merged together and broke apart as carts, beasts of burden, and the stolidly build citizen bade that others move before they did.

He was young, but not too young. Tall and fit, but not a fighter. Maybe he knew his way around a blade, and that's certainly the impression that one got from the dirt around his face and the apathy brimming from his eyes, but he couldn't stand up in a barroom brawl. Not without fighting dirty. But he knew dirty too. He knew these streets better than any of them did.

He timed it for when the crowd pressed against them on all sides and his two targets were close enough to each other that simultaneity was not an issue. Made just a big enough show of shoving shoulder to shoulder against his targets that it hid his hands but didn't bring attention to the jar. He picked with his index and middle finger, and so the obtrusive thumb brought no attention to itself.

With one hand, he grabbed for Dyew's pouch. A simple little thumb jab wouldn't be enough to dissuade this man. It was easy enough to tell the lot didn't know they were around, and he was pretty quick on his feet. If he took it and ran, he could probably lose Dyew and his crew before the issue evolved.

He ran his other hand from one side of Payne's stomach, across her exposed hips, and to the small of her back. As he began his departure, he let his hand slide down her back for a rather firm grasp of her rather firm buttocks. With one hand warm from a handful of ass and the other cold from a handful of gold, he was on his way.

[Inception]

O, for a Thousand Tongues to Scream II

The sky port is flooded with nuisances and several aristocrats of various origin, but the Dove pays no mind. Instead he walks amongst them, enervrated by his clasterphobia. Approaching the very edge of the city, he observes the airships that traffic through the area and looks for the one he has heard of. One of particular artisan craftsmanship, it is one of truly noble stature that he plans to make his. Approaching from behind is Waru-Taru, and soon his other comrades whom are coming to regroup with himself shortly, hopefully.

Then it emerges from the horizon, emblazoned in crimson spleandor its tip pierced the effervescent clouds and revealed its large body. It was highly advanced and seemed to be one of the many prototypes that Renovatio had been experimenting with recently. The smile along the Dove's face dissolved at the sight, but not out of disappointment. However the hassel that would come of stealing the ship would be priceful.

Then the sudden ringing of alarms throughout the entire station. The body of whipping mana suddenly took a step back and gloved fingers whipped the nodachi from his back. It only took a few seconds for him to notice that rather than coming towards them, all of the guards and people were fleeing the port. It wasn't because of them however, they seemed to be attracting to another location. Men were screaming of those that walked along the horizon, and it was at that moment that the Dove knew what to do.

The armor that encased his entire embodiment dispersed into feathers of angelic appearance, while Masashi screamed backwards towards his group. The voice was commanding but clearly cheerful and happy that things were seeming to look up for them The guards were too focused on running as fast as they could from the scene to have any real resistence in stealing the ship. Fists immediately clenched into tight wrecking balls, one of them already colliding against the face of a guard that soon flew outward and slammed into one of the ships around.

Only three handfulls of guards turned around, while the rest fled the scene for more important matters. Masashi smirked and he knew he didn't have to say anything to the crew for them to do what nature provided. Defend themselves and defeat the opposition. Whipping his right hand to his side, he watched the crimson ship dock to the side, its mouth pouring more royal appearant guards to the docking floor where most of them stood.

"Aisha, let's kick some ass!"

[Ragna the Bloodedge]

Waru heard the alarms ringing off. People were panicking. Legs flew about him from all around. Knees trying to pummel him from every angle. But, this is the paragon of ninja excellence here… Every time a strike would come forth, his palm retched up and redirected it away. Keeping others from tripping, and being ran down by the rushing crowd. Waru was by no means evil, and if he could keep these people from harm he would do his best. His stride picked up as he pushed through them, nothing but a ghost. Well, more like an invisible object you were still trying to get by.

The hatch to the airship was open. Royal Guard standing by… Perhaps there was more t this mission then Masashi had let on? Either that or there was someone very damn important on board. The ship even looked like a prototype. Nothing Waru had ever seen in the skies. His pace quickened as he sped past the guard, and through the entryway. His eyes scanned about, trying to figure out where the bridge was. After all, that would be the most direct way to take control of the ship. And he would be the best man… Err, best taru for the job. Invisibility and the silent footfalls of a masterful ninja were all he needed thus far.

Following directions scrawled on various makeshift maps, and of course the arrows saying “BRIDGE”. Waru had no trouble getting there. Skipping past the guards, even while they were most alert. They were never aware, even while staring directly at him at times. A sliding door lay ahead, and Waru pushed into it, revealing himself for just a moment. Then realized a code was needed…

“Hey! What the hell are you!?” shouted one of the guards in disbelief as Waru tried to open the door manually. He dashed over, but did not draw his weapon, only interested in apprehending the intruder. After all, it was a tiny never before seen entity! Perhaps this would get him the promo-… The guard knew only darkness as the small-cloaked figure gave him a flying hand chop to the back of the neck. He slumped to the ground as the little figure stole away his keycard, and then pushed it into the slot fitted for it. A chime sounded and the gateway parted before the taru.

People were busy here, the captain sitting in his chair barking commands. If Waru could disable them all quickly without killing them he would. They didn’t look heavily armed, and they hadn’t even noticed him yet standing in full view in the entryway. Well Waru had just the thing. His index and middle fingers came up close to his face as he raised his wrist up.

“Jubaku: Ichi!” he proclaimed as the technique fired off simultaneously. Warus hand slashing forwards at an angle firing off the magic. A strange yellow gaseous cloud flowed throughout the room, and all that touched it except Waru were paralyzed and left immobile. It would hold them for quite a bit. At least an hour or two. And since it was gaseous in nature it would continue through the sealed environment entering the vents and flowing through them as well. Probably taking out an even greater number of the crew.

Waru walked up to what appeared to be the control panel, and pushed the stilled transient out of the seat. He took a seat. Then, without much thought, he began touching buttons. Of course they were also the brightest non-red ones available. After all, everyone knew to stay the hell away from the big round red buttons. They were always bad news!

[Anathema]

~Conscious Effort

She stood there in the middle of the market, feeling lost as usual. Her sky blue eyes glanced around the area, trying to find a way to any place. This had to be one of her worst events of traveling – she was horrific at finding her own way. Looking back towards the male named 'Dyew', a brief smile formed upon her lips when he seemed to be giving some advice. Of course she'd take this into consideration as he may know the routes through this area. Immediately ignoring both sentient weapons, she focused on trying to get a good read on where to go.

Staring up in wonder towards the sky, and smiling towards Dyew, “Thanks, no—huh?!” Her face turned a beet read as soon as she felt an unfamiliar hand sliding on her stomach, and she jerked herself aside to avoid the rest of the grope. Her body litertally broke apart and reformed back together a few yards away. She wasn't able to see who did it, but she felt humiliated all the same.

Glancing around nervously, she figured people were already weirded out by her dematerialization act. She stepped away from everything, trying to make herself small in the shadows. She averted her gaze from Dyew and continued forward to where they needed to go. The sounds of battle was up ahead and that seemed the perfect place. Glancing down to Aisha she smiled lightly, “Go to Masashi.” Hugging the weapon, she traced her sentience to Masashi and released the weapon into the portal which would open right next to Masashi.

She felt the low pulse from her hand, glancing to the second sentient weapon. A smile formed upon her lips, “All you, Mr.” She let go of the weapon.

–

The weapon dropped onto the ground and melded away into the planet, disappearing from sight. She began to rush forward again, heading towards the combat.

[Faustus]

If Payne's disappearing act surprised our overly friendly vagabond, he didn't show it. He just kept barreling forward, bobbing in and out of sight as he worked his way towards a darkened corner. He did not manage to lift Dyew's gold pouch. Disappointing . . . if it had been his aim to begin with. Even what he attempted to distract attention from was a distraction itself. He needed only a single coin.

Payne . . . what he lifted from her was a bit more delicate and only urgency would do when it came to its handling. The thief reached inside one of his pockets and shook lose a clear plastic bag. One which he immediate wrapped around his left hand, still warm from the heat coming off Payne's body. He turned the hand upside down and flicked his own wrist. Like snow shaken from a Christmas tree, skin flakes markedly not belonging to our little thief collected at the bottom of the bag.

He put this in a pocket and procured the coin he'd pilfered from Dyew's pouch. Held it up to the waning light of the dark alley and studied it, scrutinized it, until he spotted the partial fingerprint against an extreme edge that was not his own. He marked it in his mind, deposited it into a smaller plastic bag, and pocketed this as well.

The man whistled as he ventured further into the alley, further into the shadows and the drifter's underground. With one hand he reached up into the thick knot of brown hair and shook the color from it; it, too, fell like dust. A mane of dark hair remained.

[Silver]

The first few couple of buttson Waru messed around with yielded little effect. The ship's rudders tilted this way and that, some of its internal mechanisms whirred to life, but very little palpable effect could be counted from the pilot's seat. Somewhere deep in the belly of the mechanical monster, however, sat a high-profile target. And the most interesting thing happened . . .

Silver didn't know quite what had happened to him. Memory had always been a hard game for him, when it didn't come to booze, women or treasure that is, and it is Silver's unfortunate luck that he was stone-faced smashed on the day of his abduction. He paced back and forth in his little cell, lips turned downward in the most adorable little moue one could image crossing the face of a scalawag, recounting the events to himself by way of muttering.

"Lesse. Started off the day with Irish coffee, cause t'aint nothing wake you up as good as the bean and a dose of whiskey. Played some cards, made some bets, lost some money, made some money, met a woman . . . lost some money.

"Got dressed, went to the bar, lost some more money but gained me some good friends. Can't remember their names for the life of me, but the one on my right seemed like a bit of a puff to be honest wit' meself. Lil umbrellas in his drink . . .

"But then what happened? A few o' dem boys tried tah get real rowdee-like and I weren't having none of it no I weren't. Popped a few suckers off right on the mouth and gave that big one a real busted up lip. But . . ."

Silver gingerly touched his chest and winced.

"Dat boy punch like an ornery mule kicks. Musta been the spirits what a-fueled his fervor. And then I wind up 'ere. Hmm . . ."

Silver eventually came to the roundabout conclusion that the fight attracted the local guard and somewhere along the line he ended up here. He hoped and prayed on the sails of his ship that he didn't give away too much when the drink had loosened his tongue, and hoped even stronger that he wasn't on a special transport vessel.

Right smack dab in the middle of his concerns over being traded like a commodity, the bars to his cage slid open. Now Silver wasn't a fan of getting caught in a trap, and this seemed like a trap if ever there was one. But he knew too well that the fear of a thing was often times more inhibiting than the thing itself. In the middle of adjusting his eye-patch, to throw off the timing of any nearby watches, Silver leapt bodily out of the cell and landed, stumbling, as a free man.

"Excellent."

Next thing you know, Bob's your uncle and Silver is stampeding into the control room while appropriating cutlass and revolver onto his person.

"Hey! Kids shouldn't be driving ships! Why don't you scooch on over back to yer ma?"

[Aleksei]

"You know, you could never go wrong with staying out of trouble Captain."

Ausra's voice manifested from the speakers surrounding the vessel's control room. Overriding the controls had taken some time, especially when her actions were being recorded in the ship's 'brain'. In order to gain full control she had to add a bit of persuasion into her take over. Obviously there had been a bit of a problem as there was a heavy halt and shift in direction that caused some havoc as surely a machine of grandeur should run smoothly.

The voice now carried a body. A holographic body placed itself between the Captain and the button pushing stranger. Apparently someone has taken advantage of the situation - oh well.

"Sorry it took me so long. I didn't expect there to be much trouble, but you were still in your dreams and I didn't want to disrupt them, and the vessel is a little more advanced."

An apathetic smile painted itself across her face.

[Inception]

Now Masashi had to recollect all of the events that had occurred. First, he has grasped Aisha firmly and whipped her around across his body so unimaginably fast that he did something he didn't do quite often. The point between both his aura and the aura of the enemies around him were struck, and a flowing geyser of energy was released, consuming the area in a maelstrom of fire and molten rock. Among the billowing smoke, he darted from the cloud and towards the ship while clashing blades with yet another master of the blade, and slamming his own blade into theirs a total of twenty six times before a strike was landed. All in a matter of well-placed seconds.

"Go to sleep!"

The phrase was shouted when his blade slipped across the male's neck, and disconnected his head from his shoulders as a result. The man was kicked back against the ship, and Masashi shuttled past him and through the gates of the ship that was shaking with the remainder of the ship. Masashi had briefly observed the skies being illuminated in fires not to unsimiliar from his own attack previously, and ships were falling, the sky crying. They were in quite a predicment, and already he could see comrades of his disappearing into the smoke and their life forces fading.

"Payne? Dyew? Come on guys!"

Screaming, he still couldn't see them, and his smile faded from his face accordingly. A moment was taken, and Aisha was dragging against the plate of the ship's floor upon entering the control room, making it in just in time to hear the man's scream. He froze, confused for a moment, but didn't argue verbally atleast. Instead he chipped in on the pirate's help and what he felt about it.

"I don't know you, but I also don't give a damn. Betray me, and I'll rip your heart out. Cool?"

He wasn't expecting a response. The blood from his forehead began to leak into his eye, and he couldn't imagine who had damaged him and when. But rather than dwelling too long, he whistled to Waru-Taru, and called him to follow him to the top of the ship where they would both defend from the oncoming forces while also breaking through the soldiers still within. Even turning around he was clashing blades with an imperial who was of formidable strength, enough to stall Masashi for a moment before he clicked his blade and ended the man's life before he could sufficiently comprehend his death.

"Hurry up super midget! We don't get to the roof in time, we're toast. And we still have to see if Payne and that hooded guy is okay."

[Silver]

Off topic:
Hah! I didn't know this was happening as the same time as Nu Jeruxalim Falls. Nice.

Silver smiled wide when he heard Ausra's voice streaming through the ship's native communication system. It immediately put the man at ease, knowing that he had an 'inside man' at the controls. The ship had gone from strange, alien planet to home-sweet-home in the time it took someone to flip a light switch. He swiveled around in the chair and slapped hands against kneecaps, hollering out at the top of his voice. He paid the midget no more mind.

"Der blows me sweet maiden! Oh me fair lass Ausra. Here I thot I'd have to get outta dis flyin' blind."

An explosion yammered overhead. The air screamed as explosion after explosion split it at the seam; thunder rocked the ship even as it stayed stationary in its landing pad. A flare of red light up Silver's face, brought contrast to the pockmarks and scars and highlighter other gruesome reminders that life was not always kind.

That crooked smile of his made him seem a devil in that light. A lunatic, barely holding on to sanity by a thread.

"Hah! Not to mention ya straightened out mah dizziness and brought the night back in a flood. Now I rememberrr why I was in a filthy cell! I got captured on perpose, so I could steal this ship right out from under der noses! Ooops!" Silver giggled maniacally. "Make that us, right lass?"

He winked at Ausra. Or rather, considering he had an eyepatch over one eye, it seemed more like he closed his eyes but the message carried through fine.

Just laying hands down on the steering console and the ignition switch, a strange swordsman decided that now might be his time to die. He came barging in, eyes alight with a fire that only youth and inexperience of what it felt like getting a cutlass through your gut could provide, barking demands. Making threats, assuredly idle.

Silver spun in the chair slowly, bandana half cocked and draped over his face exotically and his good eye staring at the fool through the dim lighting of the control room.

"Don't ride too smooth with me chief. I got a problem with that. See,"

Alas, poor Silver didn't get as much chance to air out his grievances as he would have liked. An explosion too near to the ship rocked it off its landing support, and the behemoth of a ship began to tilt on its side.

"Later."

He put hands on the steering console and flipped the ignition switch. The ship's roar to life sounding as if a den of giants stirred from sleep, their lumbering yawns into waking life causing their mountain to tremble. With a sudden pull that jerked those on their feet to the floor or against the wall, the ship started forward.

"Ausra. Need a path that routes me through the zones least likely to take fire. Dun wanna get between these two. Just want to ride off real smooth and let them off themselves."

Then their forward thrust lessened considerably, and for a dangerous second they hung mid-air. Exposed.

Silver turned his head and looked towards Masashi.

"Wait. You said you had a friend on some rooftops?"