I'm flyin' high, baby!

The constant rush of air betrayed the serenity of the surrounding skies, a veritable ocean of blue intermingled with the fluffy whiteness of clouds. Only birds shared the air with the ship, and they gave the noisy behemoth –with its constantly droning rotor- a wide berth. Roughly twenty feet long and almost just as wide through nearly twice as tall, it was a very impressive vessel. The deck was shaped much like conventional water-based ships, carved out of a rich mahogany wood and sporting all the classic strappings such as a below deck cargo bay and poop deck. Unlike her aquatic cousins, however, she was a beast of the sky; held aloft amongst the clouds through the combination of a massive balloon like construct and a supporting rotor.

Lest had no idea what the balloon could possibly be filled with in order to keep the heavy vessel air-worthy, but he didn't much care either way. Oh sure, he could admit that the whole thing was rather impressive, but he'd never been much of one for the sky anyways; his feet were best suited on the earth itself. Nevertheless, it was highly important that he utilize this construct, for his destination required him to arrive in all possible haste.

This ship is heading to the town of Selphia, a town famous for its 'God'. I am now trying to deliver this gift to her. He thought quietly to himself as he stood to the lef-no… Port side of the vessel, his gaze lingering on a few interesting clouds here and there as he willed the mechanical marvel to move just a little faster. I don't have much time…

He stared down for a moment longer, settling his inquisitive violet eyes down on the gently roving hills far below him, occasionally broken by small towns here and there. Far, far below a massive tree stood proudly in monolithic proportions unlike any of its brethren. His mouth gaped slightly, the incredible sight overwhelming his impatience for a moment as he marvelled at the fact that he was even able to see the tree at this height. Was that the famous Sharence tree? Purportedly an incredible giant renowned across the land for the gorgeous flowers that bloomed amongst its branches and an incredible farm nestled in its roots. Ridiculous amounts of produce were shipped from the place on a weekly basis, and even more amazing was the fact that the entireties of the crops in the area were tended by a single individual.

Slowly they passed over the tree, and even its magnificence could only curb his growing eagerness for a short time. He turned smartly on his heel, alighting his eyes upon a boisterous and joyful captain who stood at an elevated position above him, gently turning a great wooden wheel as he whistled a merry song. "Excuse me," Lest' found himself having to shout in order to keep the wind from carrying away his words, "how close are we to Selphia?"

The man's cheerful whistling died on his lips, and he moved his gaze downwards to regard his charge with a friendly grin. "Oh, we're almost there," he cried back, "Are you settin' out to do a bit o' sightseein?" He seemed more amused by Lest's interruption than miffed, which was definitely a good sign; it was a shame he had only the time to drop of his Cargo and move on again; Lest would have very much enjoyed inviting him to a meal once they arrived at their destination – Selphia was rumoured to have a most excellent chef in its midst, and Lest would not have minded the company of such a cheerful individual.

"Y-yes… Something like that," he replied enigmatically to the man's question, dancing away from having to reveal his true mission. Thankfully, the Captain didn't seem to notice the wordplay, instead choosing to blissfully continue along his original train of thought.

"It's a real nice town," he admitted, a euphorically happy look sneaking into as face as though he had his own memories of the Town. "Beautiful air and scenery, an' got a great atmosphere." He refocused back on Lest with a playful wink, almost as though he were letting him in on a great secret, "You can feel the protection o' the God when you're standin' on them roads. You'll enjoy your stay for sure."

There was a moment of silence, or as silent as the ship could get with the constant screaming of wind in their ears. "I hope so…" Lest replied, seemingly choosing his words carefully as he gazed thoughtfully at the smoothly polished planks below his feet. Seemingly done with the conversation, he once again turned out to survey the great expanse of sky around him, leaving the Captain to once again take up his joyous whistling. Neither of them, nor the first mate that stood absently nearby checking on a few crates of goods, heard the whispered –or near whispered- conversation from the barrels just to the left of Lest.

"Psst…" The voice that emanated from the rightmost barrel was deep and baritone, exactly the sort of tone one would expect of a grizzled veteran. Barely suppressed annoyance laced the voice, the occupant of the barrel obviously fed up with sitting in the cramped confines of his hiding spot. "Can you hear me…?"

"Yes, Sir." The voice that emanated from the left barrel, by stark contrast, sounded incredibly young and naïve, and unlike his more professional partner was constantly shifting in a vain attempt to get comfortable. The was some hesitation from the barrel's occupant, who once again shifting uncomfortably as he considered how to phrase his next words in a way that wouldn't make his Leader angry. "By the way," he asked sheepishly, "what are we doing?"

His partner's outburst was immediate and severe, barely low enough to avoid being detected by the distracted Lest's ears. "What kind of idiot are you?!" His commander hissed, "You don't even know why we're here?!"

"Well, you always get mad when I ask…" Came the pitiful response, the man sounding like a small child who'd gotten reprimanded for something that wasn't his fault, and in his opinion it wasn't.

"What?!" The outrage in the Veterans's voice was tangible, and loud enough that Lest looked up and cast his eyes about with confusion. For a minute there was silence, the Captain happening to have a small hole in his barrel that had given him the perfect vantage point; realizing that he'd been a bit too loud, he sat silently as he waited for his target to settle back down into contemplative thought. The younger soldier, mercifully, remained silent as well; though most likely out of fear for the Captain rather than fear of discovery.

"…We're here to see that person," The Soldier Captain continued as Lest's tense posture sagged. "Over there," he shifted back carefully, leaning the barrel ever so slightly out of the way so that his associate could get a good view, "see?"

"Err, it's completely dark in here."

"Look through the hole, dumbass!" He was far too old to have to deal with this idiot for such an extended period of time. An enthusiastic "oh yeah!" signified that his partner had fired of enough of his limited neurons to actually use his brain and peek through the hole, causing the Vet to shake his head and look up at the lid o'ertop his barrel.

Silently he prayed to the heavens to just kill him. A deep sigh emanated as soon as he realized that whatever cruel God that was up there had decided to keep him among the living, and he refocused his attention back to the matters at hand.

"We're going to make our move, are you ready?"