Verlena closely examined the contract she held.

Teres approached her. "So, what's the damn thing say?"

"Rescue the Surge. They reside in the clouds." She read.

"Mm. Real descriptive." Commented Teres.

"They reside in the clouds it says? Well I say that's descriptive enough. I presume that means we just rocket our ship straight through the blobs of fluff, and then we shall encounter who or whatever the Surge are!" Esca said, coming down the ramp of the ship to stand alongside Verlena and Teres. "Well, since the two of you are so insistent on making our career far more difficult than it needs to be, I suppose we'd better head up there straight away, without getting even a single moment of rest. Are you both ready for the journey ahead??"

Verlena folded the contract, and slipped it into a pocket on her attire. "I am. I would have been incapable of getting any rest anyway had I known I'd declined this opportunity. Teres and I have remained awake for days on end in order to successfully complete previous contracts, so we'll be okay Esca. Although I will admit, a shower would have been nice. But at the very least we'll make a change of clothes before heading upward."

Teres responded, "Think you're the only one who'll be doin' that. This coat's one of a kind, don't have a change of clothes like I normally do. But.. don't let that lead ya to think I'm some grimy sicko. Got my armor upgraded to cleanse my attire anytime I'd like. Coulda activated it earlier but, it's easy to get distracted." Tapping a hidden button on his armor, a blast of magic shot out from within, completely erasing all stains covering his clothing.

"I see. Very... practical." Said Verlena. "I imagine it was quite the investment, but one that was worthwhile if it allows you to continue using your special coat in a hygienic manner."

"Mhm. Absolutely."

"I personally think you wasted your funds." Stated Esca. "You imbedded cleansing magic into your armor with unlimited use?? That must've cost you 10K at the very least! Learn to be more responsible with the funds you gain! One day you'll be old and gray, and nobody will want to contract you anymore! You'll be completely screwed if you waste it all on fancy tools used just to clean your coat on the fly!"

"Calm it down. I'm rich, got plenty to blow on stuff like this without makin' a dent in my savings." Teres assured her.

Esca shook her head. "Ah.. the exact quote you'd hear from a man who's destined to go broke. Well, do whatever you want I guess. For now, our focus is discovering and rescuing the Surge people! So let's get going ASAP, I want to get it over with so I can know for certain if this will be the death of us. The longer we wait, the more my nerves consume my thoughts."

The three boarded their ship, retracting the ramp. Esca took a deep breath, preparing to lift the vessel into the sky. "Alright. It's been quite some time since I've had to do this for any of our contracts, so please keep it down and allow me to focus." She said. She then dispersed a substantial amount of mist from her skin, flooding the ship's receptors with the substance and directing them downward to propel the ship upward. Once the receptors were filled with enough mist, the ship was successfully lifted into the sky. "Perfect! There we go!" Esca exclaimed gleefully. "I was a little nervous it'd be tougher to lift due to some rust, but as you can see it couldn't have gone any bett-.."

"Esca pay the hell attention!!" Teres suddenly yelled, dropping some of his candy onto the boat's deck and grabbing her shoulder. After being lifted, the ship had tilted toward the surface of Shimmer, hurtling straight towards it.

"Oh shit-..." Esca expelled a significant burst of mist from her body all at once, overflowing it into the ship's receptors, exerting all her power to lift the ship just enough to narrowly avoid colliding with the ground. Gulping, Esca glanced at Teres. "H-Ha! T-that was simply my way of punishing you for not listening when I ask you to make your journeys quick! Giving you a scare like that! Maybe you'll finally think twice next time before ignoring me, or calling me the ship maid!"

Between catching his breath, Teres replied, "Yeah, I'm sure that was your exact plan from the get go." He picked up one of his candies, ate it, and calmed down. "Wasn't really in the mood for an adrenaline rush right before a potential battle."

"Oh it's fine, the adrenaline will help you become stronger than ever before!"

Verlena sat upon the bench that encircled the ship's interior. "It is best to remain as calm as possible while in dangerous scenarios, otherwise the adrenaline could interfere with your train of thought and decision making. Although despite that, it can at times be impossible to prevent adrenaline from kicking in, especially when encountering beings such as the ones we're likely to get involved with soon."

"Exactly, so all I did was give the two of you a bit of a head start." Esca proudly proclaimed.

"Gee. Really appreciate that, ship maid." Said Teres.

"You're oh so very welcome! The ship 'maid' will be certain to do it again!"

Verlena looked at Esca, asking, "Have you traveled above the clouds before, Esca?  I'm wondering how much of a search it will be to find this 'Surge' species."

Esca crossed her arms. "No I have not. I never really had any reason to, but I don't think it'll be that hard to find them. As weird as that prosthetic freak is, for some reason I don't believe he'd leave us with a contract that deprives us of any crucial info. So in other words, I think the Surge are going to be simple to find and visible immediately upon us crossing the big fluffy clusters!"

"So you believe... that these Surge beings have been living directly above Shimmer?"

"Yes yes! That's right! But we shall find out in just a moment here."

As the trio's ship ascended, they gradually approached the clouds, their anticipation building with each passing moment. The air grew cooler, and the atmosphere thickened with moisture as they neared the boundary between the earthly realm and the potential ethereal domain above. With bated breath, they awaited the breakthrough.

Then, in a moment of exhilaration, their vessel burst through the dense veil of clouds, revealing a breathtaking sight: an expansive kingdom stretching as far as the eye could see, adorned with shimmering palaces and intricate structures that seemed to be woven from wisps of vapor. The sky was alive with activity, as thousands of humanoid cloud beings moved about, each immersed in their own tasks and responsibilities.

As the trio's ship glided gracefully into this celestial realm, it became the focal point of attention for the cloud inhabitants. They turned their gaze towards the newcomers, their expressions a mix of suspicion, wariness, and an unmistakable hint of hostility. For these beings, encounters with outsiders were often fraught with uncertainty.

Despite the initial wariness, there was an undeniable sense of intrigue and wonder in the air as the cloud beings observed the arrival of the unfamiliar vessel. Some paused in their work, while others gathered in small groups, murmuring among themselves in hushed tones.

Esca gazed at the sight. "Well, it looks like I was correct. There they are, the Surge. They honestly just look like a bunch of cloud people. You know, it's not always necessary to come up with some fancy name for everything. Beauty is often found in simplicity."

"Quit complainin' about their name, and focus on not crashin' the ship straight into their castle." Teres warned her.

"I would never make such a disastrous mistake, Teres. Shame on you for assuming I would!"

"Esca, Teres." Verlena said. "Now is not the time to argue. The Surge don't appear to be the most welcoming species, we should focus on informing them why we're here to avoid any disastrous misunderstandings."

Esca leaned forward, her hands gripping the edge of the ship, looking closer at the Surge. "Ah... you appear to be correct, Verlena. Yeah-.. I would prefer not to be killed by the very people we're meant to save, so let's focus on that! I'll land the ship."

Navigating the ship, Esca guided it downward in a controlled descent, the receptors whirring softly as it settled near a gathering of Surge, who quickly formed a perimeter around the ship. Esca prepared to say something to them all, but Verlena put a hand in front of her, signaling that she would handle the communication. She took a deep breath, preparing to address the beings with a soothing yet unwavering tone, her eyes reflecting both caution and determination.

"Hello, Surge. I would like to apologize for entering your kingdom so suddenly and uninvited. My name is Verlena Estelle, and I've come here alongside my close allies, Teres Bright, and Esca Cassius, due to a contract we received from a business partner of ours." Verlena lifted the contract from her shirt pocket, unfolding it and displaying it to the Surge. "As you can see, the contract had requested for us to rescue your kind from an unspecified danger that is expected to arrive shortly. We would very much like to assist with defending this wonderful kingdom of yours from whatever this danger happens to be."

The Surge subtly transitioned to a shade of gray, a silent warning of their growing agitation.

"This is just another group of invaders, don't humor their shitty excuse." One of them said.

Another spoke. "They think we're in need of help? What a joke..."

One Surge entity in particular distinguished itself by stepping forward, its form crackling with lightning bolts that danced around its body in an intimidating display of power. A formidable weapon adorned its back, pulsating with even more electrifying energy, heightening the air of danger surrounding it.

Verlena motioned for Esca to lower the ramp, and though hesitant, Esca complied. The lightning Surge confidently ascended the ramp, closing the distance until it stood face to face with Verlena. It reached out, taking hold of the contract, examining its contents with a careful eye.

After a brief pause, the lightning Surge lowered the contract. "Hm... this here contract. Its intriguing aura... fascinating appearance.. and ominously vague description. No doubt, it appears to be authentic. But, despite this, I am afraid that I am not knowledgeable enough on this subject to confidently be certain." With a firm grip on his lightning blade, he drew it with a powerful flourish, his form shifting to a shade of gray as the bolts around him surged in intensity. "That does not mean this is the end though! Far from it in fact! My dear brother, Gael, Wielder of the Wind Blade!! I shall call upon him right now!! He, should know full well whether or not you're making up some farce!" With a decisive slash from this Surge, a colossal bolt of lightning crackled across the surroundings, his brother then appearing in a matter of moments.

A mighty gust swept through the entire kingdom as Gael materialized seemingly out of thin air, his presence commanding attention as he fixed his gaze upon Verlena, Teres, and Esca.