"Si..." Navaja looked aroud at everything, pondering. "Since we stumbled onto this. Perhaps we hide the dinnerware away, and keep the profits all for ourselves?" ~~~~~~ "I think we should settle our differences by jousting."
Rain looked at him curiously. "You've never worked with a team, have you?" ************************************************ Nightshade laughed. "I hope you aren't thinking of using that."
"Not very much. Why do you ask?" ~~~~~~ Azrael raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with this? It's held together."
Rain sighed. "Because in order for ponies to work together, they have to trust each other. This job is dangerous. When you're part of a squad, you watch each other's backs no matter what. These ponies trust me with their lives, Navaja. I won't betray that trust." ************************************************* Nightshade answered by picking up a similar lance, lifting it to eye level, and letting it fall to the floor. The wooden shaft crumbled at the impact. "Dry rot. The metal stuff is still fine, but anything wood or leather is gonna be beyond repair, unless it was enchanted."
"And I have magic to hold the metal," Azrael said blandly. ~~~~~~ Navaja sighed. "Fine. I was planning to deliver my profits to the Assassins' Guild, but..." Navaja very clearly already had his loyalty set long before the start of this adventure. His guild was his family, the closest thing to a team he'd ever needed.
"And I have spears... GOOD spears... back on the ship." She shrugged. "I really don't want to duel with valuable artifacts." ********************************************* Rain nodded. "And you can, once everything is settled and we all get our shares. But we don't hold out on the others. It's just not how it's done."
Azrael shrugged. "Suit yourself. Full honesty, I was just bored." ~~~~~~ Navaja sighed. "Fine. I'll refrain from holding out on the present family. But know. My family means more to me than this one."
Nightshade nodded. "Alright then. Let's move the story forward a bit faster." Between the two of them, Nightshade and Azrael filled two crates with the most valuable antique weapons they could find. They left the armor behind, as it was less valuable and would take up too much space in the hold. One large crate, sealed with shock-absorbing spell, was enough to hold the dishes discovered by Rain and Navaja. The silverware was all tossed into a burlap sack to be sorted later. The griffon brothers returned with a stack of ancient books. Apparent, they had found the library, and salvaged what was still salvageable. Flair and Rose came back with a variety of small bottles and jars that had once been in an apothecary. The contents had long since dried up and turned to dust, but the bottles themselves were valuable to the right collector. Finally, as they had expected, Nova and Cannonball had found the Orb, a fantastic piece of ancient pegasus magitechnology that kept the clouds solid enough to build on. As soon as the other cargo was loaded, and everypony aboard the ship, Nightshade headed into the central building alone to detach the Orb. ************************************************************************************************************* Back on the ship, Rain stood with Navaja waiting for Nightshade to finish her task. "So, you mentioned a family. What are they like?"
Navaja shrugged. "The sort of ponies that slit the necks of worse bad guys for money. So... a nice family."
She nodded. "I suppose you can't really tell me too much. You assassins are a mysterious bunch." ********************************************************************** There was a loud crack as the magic that had held the city aloft for a millennium was suddenly and violently torn away. Instantly, buildings disappeared below the clouds as they plummeted to the ground far below. It took nearly two minutes before the crew began hearing the distant sounds of them crashing to ground far below. A few moments after the first one hit, Nightshade appeared back above the clouds, bleeding heavily from a deep gash to her forehead and triumphantly holding the Orb. "The damn building started falling apart as soon as I pulled it loose. I almost didn't get out in time."
Navaja shrugged. "Not quite the way we once were." ~~~~~~ Azrael nodded. "But you did. I do believe you've earned a rest."
Rain shrugged. "Nothing lasts forever. But it's not all bad, is it? If you guys were still like you were in the old stories, you wouldn't be on this trip at all." ********************************************************* Nightshade dropped the Orb into a secure chest that Flair brought out, then slumped to the deck. "Yeah. I'm gonna just lay here for bit. Flair, be a good kid and bring me an aspirin. And grab a healing potion from Rose. I don't need another scar."
Navaja nodded. "Indeed. We went from low profile assassination to loud murder, and thanks to it, I get to come on a winter cruise." ~~~~~~ Azrael shook his head. "Should have sent Skydust along."
"No," Nightshade said after downing the potion, "We shouldn't have. He has Maya and the foal to think about." ********************************************************************* Galahad walked up from the hold carrying a clipboard. "I've taken a look at everything, and I'm impressed. This haul alone has paid our expenses five times over." Cannonball grinned. "Great! What's everything worth?" The griffon clear his throat and read aloud. "Eighty-seven assorted pre-Equestrian apothecary bottles, excellent condition. Worth approximately fifteen hundred bits apiece. Total value: one hundred thirty thousand, five hundred bits." "Fifty-six pre-Equestrian books. Various conditions and values. Total value: approximately four hundred thousand bits." "Pre-Equestrian pottery and silverware. Thirty plates, thirty bowls, thirty cups, five pitchers, and ten platters, all good condition. One hundred fifty pieces silverware, assorted. Total value, nine hundred eighty thousand bits." "Pre-Equestrian Pegasus Empire weaponry. Twenty swords, forty-two daggers, two hundred five arrowheads, sixty-six spearheads, five axe heads, nine halberd heads, and one warhammer." He grinned. "Total value: one point six million bits. Shady and Azrael win!" Nightshade swore. "Dammit! I was sure those plates were worth more!" ****************************************************************************** Cannonball smacked the ship's bell. "Alright, let's call it a night. Azrael, you and Shady are stuck on first watch. Everypony else, try to get some sleep."
Rain brushed the tip of her tail against Navaja's cheek before heading to her bunk below, a signal so blatantly obvious it was visible from space. **************************************************** Nightshade yawned, popping the top of a stimulant potion. "Sleep is for the living, you mean."
Navaja blushed very slightly, but kept his cool, following her to the bunks. ~~~~~~ Azrael nodded. "Yes, that is what I said."
Nightshade snorted. "You know, I'm starting to think you're too overconfident. Tell me about that time a couple of elderly stoners kicked your ass?" ***************************************************** Rain, as the ship's doctor, had a private bunk in the sickbay. When Navaja entered, she turned and gave him a smile. "Sooo..."
Azrael huffed. "Yes, two elderly stoners, one an alicorn, and the other a master alchemist with the strength of a cannon, both ancient geniuses, along with Asmodeus and Stuffy McPatch, horrid monsters beyond what you see in Tartarus. I'm not ashamed of that one in the slightest." ~~~~~~ Navaja smiled back, moving forward and lightly caressing her cheek with his hoof. "So."
