***SSKKRAAACCK!!***

The monster roared in pain as the barrage of Ball Lightning slammed into the creature immediately halting its aerial advance.

They hit with full force knocking the creature onto its back crushing any of the unfortunate denizens of the city. Two, the attack pinned the creature's wings to the adjacent buildings.

The airship touched down moments later within reach of the party. A sturdy plank was lowered just in time. From the bow, the first mate yelled, "MOVE IT PEOPLE AND LADS!! YOU GOT TWO MINUTES BEFORE THE NET WEARS OFF!"

"That's what I'm talking about!" Roberts exclaimed. "Move it, people. We don't have all day." He ushered the rest of the party on board, then his men. He was insistent that he be the last to board. It was an old tradition that he brought with him - he would always be the first of his men into the fray and the last of his men to leave. He would never lead from the rear.

"Well, I guess this is one way to leave a party," War Scribe ran back towards the others in an attempt to board the airship.

"I hope your vessel can get us out of here before our attacker gets free, Bruno," Willow added as he raced towards the ship, "Unless you have another trick up your sleeve, Half-Orc, in his current form, the Dark Lord will be more than a match for us in the air."

As if on cue, the hybrid roared like a half-mad lion as it struggled to get free of its bonds. It slowly but surely began to pull down on the buildings that restrained it in place.

"You just noticed that?" Bruno scoffed at the swordsman as the elementalist ran up the ramp, followed by Quake, "You gonna be able to stomach being off the ground, elemental?"

Quake gulped and tried not to look over the side of the ship, "...I'll manage."

"Good Lord, he's strong!" Irzen declared as he watch Venger/Nightmare struggle, "Now would be a good time to go!"

"I'll second that!" Neven added nervously, "We can't leave here fast enough as far as I'm concerned."

With everyone on board save for the pirate, the half orc motioned to his first mate to lift off. "Roberts were leaving! You're men are on board, move it!"

Roberts kept a watchful eye on the party ascending the ramp. As the last of everyone else was near the top, he hopped on at a run, giving Bruno's men a signal to lift off. When he got onto the deck, he noticed Quake's visible discomfort. Remembering something he had read once, he reached into his pocket and produced a small, leather sack, about the size of his fist. "Quake! Here, you might find use for this." And with that he handed her the sack.

Quake reached over and grabbed the sack just in time to barf into it. Even being only several feet off the ground did not bold well for the earthen elemental.

"Well, that was a pouch of dirt. I thought it might help to give you a connection to the ground. I GUESS it would work as a barf bag." Roberts had his me take up positions around the deck, watchful for any unexpected approaches.

"Oh!" Quake apologized while still trying to keep her balance.

"Can we go now?" Serna asked no in particular.

"Yes! Now would be a good time to go!" Neven declared in complete agreement with the Shield Maiden.

"Can we go now?" Serna asked again more urgently than before.

Bruno signaled to his first mate and the ship lifted off withdrawing the bridge plank as it rotated ninety degrees to the left heading to shield gate for the few airships that dared to supply Venger's war effort.

Alyson reached in her pocket and produced an herb to help Quake's nausea and keep her stable enough to help out with counter strikes against Venger. "Eat this."

The elemental swallowed it and within thirty seconds she felt a little better, "Lady, I'd rather be drunk than feel like this."

"Well, considering we can't go back the way the rescue party came, our options are slim at best." Alyson reassured Quake, "And about what happened with the Wild magic, I saw it too late and you were too eager to show everyone your new ability."

"Hold on, people!" Bruno shouted as the airship's steam engines roared into overdrive as it sailed to the exit.

Roberts kept his balance, enjoying the rush of acceleration the engines produced.

However Roberts' enjoyment was short-lived for in a last surge of sheer power and might, the Venger/Nightmare creature tore itself free from the buildings which held it in place and fired off a blast of magical energy from deep within its maw that tore through the air narrowly missing the aft portion of the airship. The near miss was so close that everyone on board could smell a nauseous mix of brimstone and ash wafting in the air.

"AH CRAP!" Alyson and Quake said in unison.

Flapping its wings with the force of a hurricane, the monster took flight once more and began to give chase to Bruno's airship.

"TAKE EVASIVE ACTION!" Bruno barked orders to his crew scrambling about the airship command deck. Craining out the left window, "Roberts! You and your men get on those deck guns, asap!"

Roberts had his men relieve Bruno's crew on the deck guns so they could supplement other areas of the ship's function. IT only took two shots for them to employ their battle mage to enchant the shells to explode in proximity to the flying beast. If they couldn't get a direct hit, they would shred him with shrapnel. Anything to buy some time.

Venger/Nightmare swerved in, around and by other buildings as it gave chase to the airship. While the buildings took most of the brunt of the shrapnel fire the crew intended for the Dark Lord, Venger/Nightmare drew closer and closer for a critical strike that would take down the airship and all hands on board.

"If anybody has any good ideas to take that thing down," Neven offered nervously, "Now might be a good time to share them."

Irzen turned towards Bruno, then Quake and then Willow asking each of them a series of rapid fire questions, "Bruno, do you have any kegs or caskets full of black powder? Quake, how good is your throwing arm? And Willow, how good are you at using Kana's Energy Bow?"

"Down the deck to the left" The half orc pointed through the window of the bridge.

"In spite of its magic, it is a bow like any other," The Ranger replied, "Why do you ask?"

"I'm planning to bake a cake," The Swordsman smiled devilishly, "But I have to see if I have all of the ingredients I need before I can put the cake in the oven. Quake, Bruno, what do you say?"

Quake's quesiness disappeared at the mention of baking. "OOOOoo! I love baking! Reminds me of how I got Mount Chasme to wake up!"

The Elementalist not taking her eyes off of the uber enemy boss still pursuing the gang, "Not now, Quake! Focus on the RECIPE! And two, ask Mermidon to aid you in spirit, after all he is our creation!"

Physically Mermidon could not nor would not be able to assist the group in the Black City. On the Spiritual plane, well that was another story. Quake concentrated with all her might, and knowledge from her creation since the Lady came to the Realm all the way up the present. Despite all the chaos happening around them and the perpetual darkness everywhere, Quake's appearance took on a heavenly appearance.

"WOW! COOL!" Quake admired the shiny, radiant look of Mermidon's Armor which would reflect all magical damage back on the one who cast it, including breath attacks, and provided a thirty foot radius of Aura of Protection vs. Evil, Chaos, and Corruption. Since the Quake was not on the ground of her primary element of Earth, she gained the bonuses of Mermidon's primary element of Air, effectively eliminating Quake's quessiness.

Roberts and his men kept up the barrage against Venger. As the range closed, their shots became much more accurate, scoring some direct hits which caused Venger to reel back several times. It may or may not have caused any real damage, but it was enough to stall Venger's approach enough to let the others concoct their plan. He had a pretty good idea what they were up to and would have suggested the same had they not piped up.

The Dark Lord's aerial approach upon the airship was stalled by Roberts and his men. But Venger continued to press onward fully enraged by his fleeing enemies.

"Quake, go downstairs and bring up as many caskets of black powder that you can find," Irzen ordered, "Then, on my mark, I want you to hurl them into Venger's mouth right before he opens up with that breath weapon of his."

"Willow," The Swordsman turned towards The Ranger, "I want you to take Kana's bow and blast those caskets to bits just as they enter Venger's mouth. With any luck, we could take him out altogether or at the very least knock him out of the sky. Any questions? If not, then let's move like we've got a purpose, people!"

"That's a brilliant idea, Lord Irzen," Serna piped up with a smile.

"Only if it works, Serna, only if it works," The Swordsman acknowledged grimly as Willow took Kana's Energy Bow and prepared himself to do his appointed duty.

War Scribe, for her part, was sitting nestled in a corner of the ship quietly observing and writing down all that was transpiring.