Chapter 1 - Summer

Elaine nods silently and follows after Aloys, Issac and Mathias, occasionally helping the latter to move but mostly keeping an eye on their surroundings. There is no telling how long the guards are willing to wait until they realise that they have been duped, and she feels unnerved, ready to hear the song of gunshots resume at every moment.

Issac too assists Mathias when needed, making sure he can keep up with the rest of the group, but hopefully not injuring him further.

He's relieved that Elaine found them, yet nervous about Sans not being with her. No doubt the man can take care of himself, but there are so many guards, even he must have a limit. Knowing the risk, Issac quickly darts his head out of the tall grass to see if he can spot any sign of the Gold Coat.

Sans ~
Scanning the tall grass beside the main road you'd surely notice four familiar forms hustling along.

Elaine, Issac and Aloys ~
Likewise, you'd see the large tinkerer's wagon trundling along the main road. It's had to slow down and is now "stuck" behind the farmers cart, as the road isn't wide enough for passing, 'less the elderly man pulls off the road.

The farmer looks over his shoulder at the tinkerer's wagon and waves patience.
He shouts to the gear pulling the wagon, "A bit faster Fourneau, we've got traffic!"

Yet, no one speeds up.

"Over there! See my fellow Gold Cloaks, in the grass to the left? Time for me to reunite with them!"
He knocks on the bottom of the secret compartment. "Could you open this, Madame Delafose? With this heavy traffic, I can easily jump off your wagon and reach them."

If she complies, he will thank her profusely and add, "where could I find you, should I one day be in need of your astounding engineering talent, Milady?"

Lise pulls the reins, firmly with both hands, half standing from the drivers bench. As she does she kicks a small lever. "Whoa girls!"

With a *whir*, *clank*, *whir* the compartment Sans is laying in opens giving the Gold Coat access to the drivers bench.

"It's been a pleasure Monsieur Visage. I think I'll stop at the Royal Observatory for a bit before heading back to the Academy."

She digs in her satchel and pulls a metal beetle from it, the size of your palm. "If you need to get a message to me just wind it up and let it fly."

"Ah! And actually," she pulls a package out as well, this one about the size of your whole hand--it's wrapped in thin, waxy paper, and a small short string protrudes from it. "Take this with you. It could be good for a distraction in a tight situation."

Sans takes the items from the scholarly lady, and hops off the driver's bench.

He turns to his host, "the Observatory, understood. The privilege was all mine, Madame. I do hope our paths meet again, so I may be able to repay you for your kindness." he says.

Looking at the wrapped parcel with a string, he nods and thanks the Lady once again, before leaving the road for the relative cover of the tall grass.

He moves in haste in the direction of his fellow Gold Cloaks. As he gets closer, he whisper-shouts, "Issac! Elaine! Aloys! It's me, Sans..."

"No time to waste." Issac shout-whispers as he heads toward the large wagon, making sure to keep under the tall grass. His ears perk up as he hears the sound of Sans voice in the foliage. Picking up speed he bursts through the grass, almost knocking into Sans in front of him. He stumbles back a bit, a moments guarded look turning into a broad smile as he sees recognizes their fellow Gold Coat. "Sans!" he exclaims, before realizing the error, placing a finger to his lips in a shhh sound. "I've never been happier to see an uglier bastard." clasping his shoulder in greeting.

Sans returns Issac's greeting, "By the Clockmaker! Glad to see you too, my friend. Looks like we found ourselves in the middle of something big. The royal guards arrested the Baron's driver, and were after Elaine and I. Seems we tread on someone's feet." he whispers in haste.

He points at Madame Delafose's wagon " I found an ingenious ally in the owner of that little wonder. She helped me be the woods unseen, but the royal traitors must not be far back... We need to get out of here. "

The Road Beside the River
As if on cue, hovering over the trees to the South, you'd all clearly notice a haze of dust kicked up--the telltale sign of cavalry riding hard. Surely they will be upon you sooner than later...

Isaac's eyes widen when he sees the plume of dust in the distance, closer than expected. "Well, plan A, we dash across the bridge by foot and make our way towards the ship. Or plan B, we hijack the old man's cart and use it as a means of entry into the airship. Perhaps we can barter with his wheat to get inside, or at least get close enough to sneak in?". Examining the lumbering gear closely, "Is there an accelerator on those contraptions? It's too slow now as is."

Glancing at the wide, gear-pulled cart that is blocking the road, he says "The guards' horses won't be able to pass, that slow wagon might buy us the time we need to get on that airship. I say we leave the wagon as a blockade and rush through the bridge to the ship! It is a H'ridt trading ship, I was told - they should grant us passage, hopefully. "

"Sans! I was worried that we lost you." Aloys says, helping Mathis walk a bit from behind. "They came in looking for Issac, Mathis, and myself. We've certainly stepped on toes." The young man says, nodding with the plan.

"Leave the cart as a blockade and make our way to the airship. We can think of our next move when we're safe." Aloys says, nodding ahead. "Follow my lead, I'll get us through to the ship."

Aloys maintained the confidence in his voice even if he didn't exactly feel it. The four of them were altogether but with Mathis injured and the village swarming with guards, it wouldn't be easy enough. Swallowing his trepidation, Aloys would move through the tall grass and between buildings to try and approach the ship.

Sans gets on the other side of Mathis and helps the injured comrade too. "Here , my friend, lean on me." he whispers.

He follows Aloys, trying to stay in cover.

"Elaine, after you." waving a hand towards Sans and the rest. He takes the rear, giving a final look at the cloud of dust, before following along.

South of the Party | The River Road ~
Urging his mount for more speed, Nathan Donnet runs through tactics in his head. He shouts to his crown, to be heard over their horses' thundering hooves.

"Be Alert! If we let these traitorous scum evade capture we'll be answering to the Captain directly!"

God be merciful, let me prove my worth...

He, and his troop, dig in spurs as they quickly approach the lumbering farmer's cart.

The crown rides hard, the more skilled among them galloping through the tall grass beside the road. In no time they're swarmed the stalled farmers cart.

They look left and right with no sign of the Gold Coats. Yet...



Crossed the River, at the Airship Platform~
You've all made your way to the base of the switchback air-dock. Lines attached to gears lower cask after cask to the small market of tents that's sprung up round the dock. Folks haggle and barter in a cacophony of sound.

It's clear who the captain is.

He stands at the top landing of the air-dock, speaking with a bespectacled fellow writing on parchment clipped to a board.

Sans assesses the situation. They need to talk to the Captain, for sure, but they would be visible for miles at the top of the air dock.
Putting on the hood of his cape, he makes his way to a sheltered area behind a stack of the barrels being unloaded. "Let's stay hidden as long as we can," he tells his companions.

He then signals one of the crew of the ship to approach. "My good man, we have a business proposition for your Captain, nobody wants to take off with an empty cargo if it can be helped, right?" he says. "Only thing is... we are in haste, and cannot be seen leaving. Can you gain us audience with the Captain, in private?" he offers the merchant crewman a generous tip to show he means business.

Amidst the Hustling Trading Platform | Sans ~
The man squints at Sans, trying to get a look under his hood. But the draw of coin outweighs his curiosity... mostlyBreathing hard, Mathis leans on one of the barrels, in the shade of the air-dock. "Can't believe this..."