On the Firefly, Sage nodded at Tharr's words. "There is not need for apology; I too think them mad. In this ship, we were only visitors there. One day I hope to return to the sky. As a shankling, I am sure you too understand that desire to see all around." A sigh. "But my heart is torn, for the beasts below are much fiercer and common than in the skies. So much so that every port collects tales of the leviathans they encounter into codices. We've seen a fair few of them; for a monster hunter, there is nothing like the depths."
Tharr and Sage talked for some time longer. The mothryn learned a fair bit about the beasts of the depths, and the people who were mad enough to dwell there. There were, apparently many more than he had thought. He also learned the name of the "central" lowportA term for ports in the tangle or drown, below the upper layers of the trees. in the Sepulcher: Pride's Folly. A fitting and poetic name for a port built below the waves. According to Sage, it was located near the borders of Lythea, Karaxes Range, and Blossomfall, in the upper Drown.
It took Atus longer than expected to load all of Park's work onto Biff, bit he did so, leaving hardly anything behind on the rustling leaves, and then headed back to the feast, which was beginning to wind down by the time Atus got back. The Tempest left Park sleeping on the rough deck of Biff, and walked back onto the Firefly as everyone began to head off to their beds for the night.
The feast began to break up as dawn approached, and as Atus arrived back. The Firefly's hacker headed off to finish unclogging the vessel's bite, and Atus and Tolliver were able to draft a pair of sleepy deckhands to help transfer Biff's culinary load onto the Argos itself, and parked the ship some distance from the Firefly, all of them having said farewell to their companions, and with a promise of friendship should they meet again. That done, Atus eased Biff back into its next between the two pontoons, and sent a sleepy Park to bed. Tharr and Tolliver soon followed suit, leaving Atus, who did not need sleep, alone to watch the dawn.
The tempest let his companions sleep in, and actually got the ship underway while they slept off the feast (or in Park's case, the butchery). He had noticed Park had done a stellar job of rendering the 'cuda down, and was very interested in experimenting with the beast's venom. As he mused, the Firefly slowly receded in the distance as he struck a course for Angler's Spire.
[X]-[ ]-[ ]
Journey to Angler's Spire
Atus – At the Helm (Cut a Path or Forge Ahead)
Tharr – ??? (not watch)
Tolliver – ???
Park – ???
The others woke up, one by one, and fell back into their usual routines around the ship as Atus kept the Argos steady. They had achieved a victory, acquired some valuable resources, and made friends.