“So, what happens after we get the key?” Rojir asked. The tall boy sure had a lot of questions, Twila thought.

Auntie Charlie nodded. “After you get the lift key, you get the cart and bring it under the catwalk. Then you go to the lift, load up two Long Fives, and lower the lift with them on it. I’ll bring the cart, we’ll load the guns, and push them to the Hourglass, which will be waiting at the end of the dock.”

“Seems high-risk for you,” Twila said. “Better than our plan, though. Tomorrow evening?”

“Yes, if your ship is finished by then,” Charlie said. They’d gathered everyone in Charlie’s room at the Drunken Kraken. The skipper’s cabin aboard Hourglass was too small, and too many workers from the Gibson Company and the skywright’s shop to talk about the…

What was this, anyways? Thought Twila. Was it a robbery? Burglary? Something else? Had Hourglass just taken another step toward piracy?

No. It wasn’t Twila’s choice. The Gibson Company had more cannons than they could use, and Hourglass needed them to stay safe in the skies. The real goal was to figure out the treasure map and find the Silent Skipper’s treasure.

“What do you call what we’re doing?” She asked Auntie Charlie.

“Liberating some cannons,” Auntie Charlie grinned, “from a greedy company. Or, if you’re looking for the crime we’re planning, it’s a heist.”

“Liberating is better,” Twila said. The other children nodded solemnly.

“I don’t understand why you need to go into the administrative building, though,” Rojir said. “What’s in there worth getting caught over?”

“Probably that amazing drink he had,” Twila said, the bitter-and-sweet taste on her tongue again.

“Close. Governor Hart has something of mine, and I intend to get it back before we leave. Your cannon liberation is the perfect time to take it.”

That made sense to Twila. “Okay. We have 30 crowns. What do we need?”

----------------------------------------

The gun mounts looked funny.

A brass track ran in a half circle around the bow. Two wheels sandwiched a brass tongue between them, locking a cannon carriage to the tracks, but sideways. Twila watched as the skywrights pushed the carriage back and forth, demonstrating how to lock it to the deck. A second contraption, identical but mirrored, sat on the quarterdeck behind the wheel.

All that Hourglass needed were the [Long Fives] themselves.

“We’ll be back tomorrow to finish the new hull siding on your bow. She’s a fine ship. You just need to show her some love,” one of the [Skywrights’ Apprentices] said.

Twila nodded. “When you’re done, tell me. We’re on a schedule.” She turned and ducked into Hourglass’s hold. The rest of the crew was there - except for Auntie Charlie. Even the street rats had shown up. Twila didn’t blame them - they needed the most gear of the whole crew.

Becca waved from a mound of scrap metal, broken myst batteries, and a half-dozen leather harnesses. The [Skywright Tinker] was currently fiddling with an ill-maintained pistol. “Alright, Rojir, tell me about your classes.”

“[Street Rat], me and Jamis both. I got a few tools and whatnot for thieving, but nothing special. I also got a club. Well, had one. Been in a few brawls, down near the docks, I have.” Rojir grinned wildly. “Jamis is more sneaky-like. He’s got the sticky fingers.”

“I’m a [Street Mouse], Marianna grinned proudly. “It’s less scary than the boys. People like me more.”

“Okay. Twila, come here. I’ll need a hand with all this.”

“First, [Ship Rat’s Harnesses] for everyone,” Twila said. “No one’s on deck without them. Tie off when you’re on the mast or if the wind’s bad. Part of Hourglass’s uniform.”

Once everyone wore harnesses, Twila sat down criss-cross next to Becca. “What do we have?”

“Three broken myst batteries, two pistols needing mechanism work, three daggers, a busted [Reciprocating Saber], and enough scrap to fix most of it. Rosie has a good eye for cheap junk worth repairing, but it won’t be enough to give everyone a weapon.”

Twila considered for a moment. “Away parties are me, the street rats, and Auntie Charlie, right?”

“Yeah, and Auntie Charlie doesn’t need anything we have here.”

“Okay,” Twila said. “I’ll have [Anton’s Paired Pistols], [Anton’s Pocket Watch], and my other stuff. Give the boys a dagger each. Rojir, you ever handled a sword?”

“No, but it’s probably just like a club, right? Hit people until they stop fighting you?” The big boy asked.

“Probably, yeah. So, Rojir gets the [Reciprocating Saber] if we can get it running. Jamis gets a pistol.”

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“I want a pistol!” Marianna yelled.

“No. Definitely not,” Twila said. "If we can get it working, the other pistol stays on Hourglass.”

Becca got to work on the three [Myst Batteries] first. She glanced at each with her [Myst Lens], then selected the worst and started tearing it apart with her [Tinkering] Skill. “We need the capacitors and chamber from this one to fix the first one and the regulator for the second. If we have leftover parts, we’ll see about getting yours running better, Marianna.”

Before long, she’d prised the chamber and capacitors out. “Twila, take the busted parts off the first battery. Carefully, please.”

Twila got to work with a [Multitool]. It cost myst every time she switched tools, but it seemed like it’d be more precise than the pliers Becca was ripping the extra battery apart with.

She used her own [Tinkering] and twisted the chamber off slowly. Its threaded connector to the tubes squeaked with each turn. “Okay, new chamber.”

As Becca passed each part to Twila and explained how to put them back on, the two [Myst Batteries] took shape. Eventually, Becca nodded, a satisfied expression on her face. “Rojir, Jamis, go try these out. Carter, make sure they don’t kill themselves,” she said.

When the two boys had left, the three girls looked at the [Reciprocating Saber] with trepidation. Its two blades, flush with each other, would be less dangerous than a typical sword - until myst ran through it. Then, each would move up and down opposite the other, quickly slicing through…Twila didn’t want to think about what it would slice through. A lot of things.

At least, that’s what it was supposed to do.

“Twila, take the blades off. You and Marianna go get some vinegar from the Drunken Kraken - they should have some. Soak the blades in it for a while. Skywright Toll had us do that when we were careless with our tools. I’ll be fixing the mechanism and starting the pistol repairs with the boys,” Becca said.

----------------------------------------

Twila stood on the dock, hands on her hips, and gazed at her ship. The hull was patched, and the two cannon carriages locked in place to receive their guns. A few days’ worth of fresh food was aboard, and her crew looked…adequate.

Rosie would be at the helm. Twila hoped she’d taught her enough to get Hourglass to the dock. If not, the ship was in trouble - the only other crew on her would be Will, Becca, and Carter, and none of them could fly Hourglass. They knew how to handle mooring lines, but that was about it - and Will wouldn’t come out unless a crisis happened. Becca would keep the pistol near, and Carter had a dagger.

The street rats she was even less confident about.

Rojir looked intimidating with his [Reciprocating Saber], but the [Repaired Myst Battery] he wore only held seven myst. It was enough to run the saber for a few moments, but not more.

Jamis’s [Repaired Pistol] was, if anything, more suspect. Twila compared it to her [Anton’s Paired Pistols], figuring he had three shots before it stopped working. Its myst lines were too badly-soldered together, and the myst cartridges would foul them fast.

In all, thought Twila, they’d get the cannons. Her [Anton’s Pocket Watch] and Marianna’s [Lady Amy’s Aria] were really powerful. Maybe powerful enough to make up for the terrible weapons, especially if they avoided a fight.

“Crew, we go at six tonight. Rest up, check your gear, and be ready. The [Long Fives] are as good as ours,” she said.

Something didn’t feel right, though.

Where was Auntie Charlie?

[Twila Tighe, Ship Rat Mystgineer, Equipment Level 1.09 (Myst 1/10, Hit Points 1/1)]

[Head - Empty]

[Eyes - Myst Lens (lvl. 1) Myst Sight (passive) See own status block and others’ classes]

[Chest - Ship Rat’s Harness (lvl. 0)]

[Waist - Apprentice Mystgineer’s Bandolier (lvl. 1) Deep Pockets (passive) - Equip an additional Gizmo]

[Legs - Canvas Overalls (lvl. 0)]

[Gizmo #1 - Multitool (lv. 2) - Tool Transform (active, 1 myst/switch) - Change between many common tools; Skill - Tinkering]

[Gizmo #2 - Anton’s Pocket Watch (lvl. 4)] Redo (active, 5 myst/5 seconds) - redo the last five seconds of time, with knowledge of what’s happening (1 minute to reset); Skill - Piloting]

[Gizmo #3 - Empty]

[Gizmo (Belt) - Mystwork Lantern (lvl. 2): Mystlight (active, 25% failure chance, 1 myst/attempt) - start the light; Adjustable Light Aura (sustained, .5-2 myst/tick) - light a variable area; Skill - Perception]

[Myst Battery - Basic Myst Battery (lvl. 1) Small Storage (passive) - 10 myst maximum, requires condenser to refill]

[Weapon/Pair - Anton’s Paired Pistols (lvl. 2) Smoothbore Myst-Shot (active, 1 cartridge/shot) - fire a ray of heated myst; Rapid Shots (active, 2 myst/shot) - fire twice/tick; Skill - Marksman]

[Weapon/Pair - Empty]

[Skill #1 - Tinkering 2]

[Skill #2 - Perception 2]

[Skill #3 - Piloting 4]

[Skill #4 - Marksman 2]

[Skill #5 - Empty]