[WFRP2e] The Power of One - Part 2 - "Transire Benefaciendo"

[BananaPhone]

Taalia Giovanni

Taalia wore an extra layer of clothes on her torso as they took to the skies once more and left behind beautiful Tilea, the land that had given her so much. She had quickly learned during the testing phases of this machine that traveling at a particular speed and at a certain elevation resulted in a rather cold climate. And so, when they departed the beautiful, sometimes violent, but self-determining land of Tilea, the shepardess looked over her shoulder, smiled at her lovely friend, and fixed her hetero-chromia eyes on the verdant fields one more time before offering a small, heartfelt wave.

Thus began the flight over the mountains.

From their position up high, the snowcapped peaks and their green, foliage-filled valley's possessed a unique allure. It was easy to imagine how some adventure-hungry youth could look upon these mysterious rivers of tree's moving through the towering crags and think that excitement lurked within. They were often right, but as the mercenary camp ahead and below denoted, exciting didn't always mean safe. Indeed the cliffs, ridges and ravines were home to a host of the mysterious, the dangerous and astonishing. Taalia knew all too well. It had been the light end of the mountains into which she had emerged, the natural sun greeting her grimy face and the greenery of the forest to meet her. The sounds of the birds. The fresh air on her features and kissing her skin. The injured ratman beside her, Ragabash, now gone to whatever afterlife awaited the 'kinder' breed of Skaven, if such a thing were populous enough to warrant it. Taalia peered down from her flying machine as it all sailed below her, each square kilometer a veritable world to its inhabitants, but, when viewed from her station, just one region of many.

When Cestie offered the history lessons around the night-time fire, Taalia listened with wide-eyed interest. The only other exposure about Bretonnia she had received was from the woman in the market to whom she had sold her telescope, which had, in turn, been the basis for her farmland expansion. Unfortunately, she had forgotten all of the language that lady had offered, as it had been so long ago and she had used the phrases to infrequently they had slipped from her memory.

But something Taalia had asked about: "Don't the Bretonnians use firearms?"

It was a simple question that only an ignoramus on the land could ask. Of course they didn't use firearms! Their whole way of life, nay their whole society was centred around the knight, the professional warrior. What that knight represented went beyond just swinging a sword, it was the basis for the entire culture in more ways than Taalia could even predict with her naivety, but she would eventually learn.

When the trio banked their flying machine about to land near that mercenary camp down below, it was Bella that spotted...it first. However, her excitement was contagious.

Hearing her friends excitement, Taalia whipped her head about in search for its genesis - and she quickly found it. The shepardess' eyes widened as she saw a...flying horse? A man riding a flying horse?! The beautiful, chocolate-collored steed had broad, angelic-like wings drawing out from both sides of its body, powerful enough to grant it and the armored man upon its back the full elevation of flight. Transfixed at the sight, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape, Taalia didn't feel any fear, but rather just excitement. Sure, she could draw up her firearm from its storage and try to blow the thing out of the sky - but why would she? The golden and black heraldry worn by the armored knight clearly denoted some type of respect to establishment, and so it was highly unlikely he would mark them as hostiles.

Besides, he was probably just as amazed by their own contraption as they were with his beautiful steed!

"Cestie! What is that?!" Taalia joined her bestie like a pair of excited, astonished daughters staring out a window at some new sight and demanding answers from the more knowledgeable father figure.