Our excitement fades, and the cheering stops, but then we start to chuckle, and allow ourselves to relax.
I spread a few birds around the ship as scouts. Then I set the boat to continue moving slowly forward and upwards while we meet up inside the tent.
"Excellent piloting, Wolf," Yunia says sarcastically.
"As gentle as when you raped my ass," Hana says and grins.
"No bullying," Alissa says and gives a dangerous look to Roxanne before she can pile on.
I smile awkwardly and say, "Considering the situation we were in, I just didn't want to be slow."
"I'd have done worse if I was at the bridge," Lina defends me.
"We get it, it was just a joke," Hana says and pulls me into a hug. If only she wasn't wearing armor I'd be motorboating her right now.
Then Ciel asks the question that everyone's thinking, "Okay, but now what?"
We are quite literally lost in a sea of mist. The only direction that has any meaning for us is down. There's no reason to go in any other direction.
"This is a Chimeric airship, so why don't we keep going up? That's where their sky lands would be," Lina suggests.
"The scouting bird that I sent upwards hasn't found anything," I say.
"But we only found the lighthouse when we got near it."
"Well, at least we knew that there was something interesting in that area."
She shrugs. "We don't really have any other hints, so we might as well try."
I rub my chin in thought. "True… In any case, we can still try to recharge the crystal with our mana to increase how long we can keep flying."
"Well, this could take a while, so I'll go rest and recharge my MP," Roxanne says.
"Same," Ciel says and sighs, then lays down on the bed, armor and all.
--
The girls spread around the boat, and I return to the bridge with Alissa.
Hana opens a crate and finds salted meat inside. She nibbles on it, and the meat doesn't shift into sludge or dust, no matter how long she waits.
"Oh, shit, this is real meat!" She exclaims and eats the whole slice.
Aoi suddenly appears beside her and stares at the crates as if they were my seed.
"Don't eat everything, we have to share," I tell her through [Bind].
"O-ka~y!"
"I'll sort and store all these crates and pots. That should make the ship lighter," I say, and Alissa nods, then I hop off the bridge and get to work.
This is the dream of many adventurers: finding loot. Dried and salted meats that none of us recognize; lots of alcoholic drinks that make Hana salivate; tapestries with all kinds of patterns, just like how the elves like them; a variety of strong and aromatic spices; incenses, oils, and possibly medicinal herbs, though their smell reminds me of our elven scented candles for sexy times; dozens of rolls of textiles; super fluffy feather pillows; assorted colorful feathers; and assorted dried fruits.
Among the fruits, I find four full crates of dried cocoa fruit.
Cocoa.
Actual cocoa.
"Oh… oh, Gods… oh, yes. Hm-hmm, hm-hmm! Yes, yes, yes!" I mumble as I hug the crate and rub it tenderly.
"Are you going to fuck that fruit?" Hana asks.
"I wish I could," I answer, and she laughs.
The rolls of textiles aren't anything special, but Lina showed a bit of interest in them since they'll probably be useful for the cosplay costumes that I wanted her to create.
"Hm… how odd that there aren't any valuables," Hana says.
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"Most caravans always carry a small amount of gold or other highly valuable goods. It might be risky because they're a prime target for theft, but the payoff from trading these goods makes it worth it."
"I think that the gold would probably be at the end of the dungeon, no?" Yunia asks.
"I guess." Hana shrugs.
Then I go to the bridge and get Alissa to identify the herbs. She quickly learned that she has to keep her hands on the flight stick or the ship will quickly drift off course. Good thing that we have the gyroscope to know the ship's attitude, otherwise it would be much more awkward to control it.
"Oh, those are Tonique leaves," she says and points to the crate with the most pungent smell. "I don't recognize the others."
"What do you do with Tonique?" I ask.
"A very strong tea. It helps you wake up in the morning," she answers with a warm smile.
The smell reminds me of mint and lemon, then I remember Ciel's feet.
Oh… this smells like Ciel's foot lotion…
"Smells delicious, actually," I say and grin.
Alissa raises an eyebrow, and a small prod into my thoughts is enough for her to catch my meaning.
"We'll all need a good [Massage] after today," she says and grins while her feet fidget anxiously.
I kiss her lips and climb down the ladder.
Ciel was convinced to brush Roxanne's hair during their break. Her slightly annoyed pout quickly melts away and turns into a smile as I walk towards them.
"I heard from Hana that the cargo was a good haul," Ciel comments, a little excited.
"Indeed, it was. I'll give you girls the full list later, but for right now, I'd like you to identify these goods," I respond and pull out the crates with the possible medicinal herbs.
"Well, this crate is useless," Ciel immediately says and grabs a bag full of dried leaves. "This plant is an aphrodisiac. We really don't need any of this."
"Maybe I don't, but what about you girls?" I ask with a shit-eating grin.
Ciel raises an eyebrow and pouts. "Isn't it your job to get us aroused?" She asks.
I scoff. "How sexist. Why do I have to do all the work?"
"Because you have every sexual skill known to civilization. Also, you'll always have your spirit touch."
"Don't stop brushing, please," Roxanne asks, and Ciel obeys.
I chuckle and raise my hands in defeat. "Alright, I'll make it my reason for existence to satisfy all of you."
"Ohohoh, you better," Roxanne says as she smiles.
"Right, next crate," I say and open it.
"Penis hardener," Ciel answers and looks away.
I raise an eyebrow and say, "Like… something you give to old men who can't… get it up?"
"Exactly."
"O-kay… next."
"Fertility enhancer."
"Next."
"Contraceptive."
"How does that work?"
"The 'life' inside of the semen dies, and it becomes clear."
"Right, next."
"I don't recognize that one."
"Smells really good, though," Roxanne says, and she starts to breathe heavily.
I stare at Roxanne's perfect, unnaturally pale skin, then I focus on her thin, red lips. She licks them with that cheeky tongue of hers, and I swallow heavily.
The mast tries to stand at the ready on its own, and I get a pretty good idea about what this herb does.
"Another aphrodisiac, the kind that you make into incense," Ciel says.
"We have a crate full of a variety of incenses with different names, I bet one of them uses this herb," I say.
"Don't worry, we'll find out which one it is, eventually," Roxanne says and leans on Ciel's chest, who stops brushing and switches to caressing Roxanne's head.
"Alright, there's only a few crates left," I say and continue pulling them out.
"Oh, now that one is actual medicine," Ciel says, and Roxanne nods.
So, it seems that we got some rare medicinal components. The Chimeras aren't the most pious of the races, so they rely a lot more on potions and other things to heal themselves.
"Are we done?" Roxanne asks, impatient.
"Yep. I'll show you our booty, if you want," I say.
"No need," Roxanne replies and covers Ciel's lips with her own.
The aromatic aphrodisiac is strongly affecting her, possibly due to her race.
I sit on a cushion beside the low table and watch Roxanne molest Ciel. Slowly, Ciel's armor is removed as she melts in Roxanne's grabby arms.
Then I start to notice a change outside: the mist is clearing.
I walk out onto the deck to see things with my own eyes just as Yunia comes to warn us of the change.
"Oh, right, summons. You're always watching," she comments, and I only smile in response.
We move up to the bow and look around.
Blue, there's only the color blue around us. We don't see any clouds, or the sun, or even the ground. If it weren't for the wind, it would be very hard to notice if we were moving at all.
Now that we're out of the mist, I summon some Hollys to help scout.
Suddenly, a strong gust of wind hits us and tilts the boat to the side.
"The next challenge has started?" I question out loud.
"Looks like it," Yunia says and holds on to the balustrade just as another gust hits us.
Roxanne groans as her sexy time is interrupted and helps Ciel armor herself up again.
"I'll go to the bridge and help Alissa," I say, and she nods.
Lina inspects one of the many lasso-like ropes around the deck, then she gets an idea just as she almost loses her footing again.
"Wolfy! I think that we should tie these ropes to our waists so that we don't fall off the ship!" She shouts.
"Good idea!" I shout back and relay that information to the other girls.
On the bridge, there are precisely two of these ropes for us. They may as well be "proto-seat-belts."
I take control of the flight stick and try to counteract the wind gusts. Alissa and I calm our hearts and hold onto the [Bind], sharing control of our bodies with each other. I work the flight stick and the power lever while she works the rest.
The wind is hitting us mostly from behind, so I get an idea. I unfurl the sail and lower the power, then I tilt the wings down so that the gusts hit the flat part and help push us forward.
The ship creaks and protests, but I've pulled the power lever back by 30%, so I think that it increased our efficiency. It also becomes harder to control the ship, so we strain ourselves trying to improve our skill as fast as we can.
I take a look through the system and find the [Piloting] skill, so I take out the five points I had in [Acrobatics] and put it in that instead.
Our reactive piloting immediately becomes proactive. I focus all of my senses on feeling the wind, which is quite easy to do on this open bridge. Any small shift in direction or speed gets an equal and gradual response to counteract it. The bumpy ride quickly becomes much smoother, though the ship is now constantly swaying.
"Hey, I'm getting the hang of this," I say, and Roxanne's mind immediately screams "cheater" in Ciel's voice as she chuckles.
The chaotic gusts become a current that snakes through the air and brings us… somewhere.
The current slowly starts to point downwards, then it becomes stronger and stronger. The ship creaks louder as the turns become tighter.
"I don't like this!" Hana yells as she sees how hard the wings are shaking. "Too much turbulence!"
Dust starts to appear within the current, allowing us to see it: a massive tube that descends towards the infinite blue, slowly becoming a chaotic spiral that I'm certain would rip the ship apart.
"Time to escape this current," I say, and Alissa nods.
The current pushes us back to the middle, trying to keep us from escaping it, so we start to gently sway from side to side, gaining momentum.
We drive up the side of the torrent, almost rolling the ship sideways, then we dive downwards and gain significant momentum. We straighten the wings and fold them upwards until they're vertical.
Like an arrow, we shoot out of the current and rapidly start to lose speed. We increase the power and straighten the wings again before we stall. Then we see a tornado forming.
Dozens of other tubes of dust start to grow out of the infinite blue into a spiral. All together, they create a massive tornado of dust. Even though we're now out of the current, we are still being slowly dragged towards the tornado.
"Okay, now that looks bad," Hana says.
"It's dinner time already… let me rest!" I complain, then one of the Hollys spots something at the "base" of the tornado. "Bad news, girls, our target is at the bottom of the tornado!" I yell.
"That's fine, I can fly!" Hana yells.
"I DON'T!" Lina screams, almost panicking.
Hana opens her arms wide and says, "Come to me, then!" Lina immediately jumps into her arms, shaking in fear.
"Your tits are too fat, I won't be able to carry you," Roxanne says to Ciel.
"I-I'll go with Aoi, then," Ciel responds, unsure of how to take that, and walks towards my large armored dragon.
"But you're mine!" Roxanne says and winks to Yunia.
"Okay…" Yunia responds, a little concerned about the frustrated sexual predator coming towards her.
Then I call the golems to the bridge and store them.
With our preparations for the worst case completed, I partially fold the wings and let the ship start to fall downwards. Folding them seems to reduce our susceptibility to the air currents, so it's the best way to descend without being dragged into the tornado.
The building at the base of the tornado gradually becomes more visible. It's a large dome-like metal structure. Four arms ending in smaller domes stick out from the bigger dome and spin at high speeds. It doesn't take a genius to understand that the spinning domes have something to do with the tornado.
The Hollys start to have problems resisting the pull of the vortex and get sucked into it one-by-one, so I unsummon them. Then I resummon some birds and post them around the ship, looking out in every direction.
Aoi notices something odd about the wind, then she and Ciel yell at the same time, "The winds are changing!"
"How so?!" I question.
I get my answer when we all watch a current of dust unroll itself from the storm and start to swing in our direction.
I spread the wings again, giving us some forward momentum, and avoid the torrent. The wind starts to have more of an effect on the ship, making us drift so much faster towards the tornado that I'm forced to maneuver away to maintain our distance.
Then two more wind currents detach from the tornado and start to swing at us. They all miss, but then their "heads" turn towards us and give chase. Three angry giant worms of dust and wind chasing after a widdle boat with wings.
"They are going to catch us," Aoi says through [Bind].
"I can see that."
"We need to do a stall maneuver."
"Alright."
We keep flying downwards until the wind worms are just ten meters behind us. Then I suddenly pull the "up" and the "backward" lever while tilting the wings, increasing our drag and slowing us down.
The boat creaks again and threatens to break apart, then the worms fly past us and immediately start to turn around to give chase again. I straighten the wings and accelerate forward with full power.
We fly past the worms and they make a full loop, struggling to catch up with us. Then they split up in three directions.
Two of the currents still part of the tornado dissipate into nothing, and the three worms chasing us gain speed. They start to catch up with us again, and I hesitate from pushing the boat any harder, fearing that I'm going to break something.
We start to get close to the metal domes. The lack of a point of reference makes it difficult to guess its size, but I know that it's huge.
One of the birds spots a floating pier-like structure attached to the bottom of the main dome. That's our true destination. Then the dust tornado fully wraps itself around the dome, blocking both our view and our passage.
Shit.
"Ciel, can you make a hole in the tornado for us to pass through?" I ask her through Aoi.
Her face pales, and she looks at Aoi with a frightened expression. "That's asking a lot! I'm not sure!" She answers.
I summon four wind elementals.
"What about now?" I ask again.
She holds her forehead in anxiety. "W-we might!"
I smile, and Aoi copies it, though hers is much more threatening. "I believe in you."
"I love you…" She mumbles.
"Odd time to say that, totally not ominous. But yeah, I love you, too."
Then I breathe deeply and relax. Alissa glances at me with a gentle smile. The other girls aren't as happy as she is, though.
"HOLD ONTO YOUR BUTTS!" I yell and grin. "Now, do a barrel roll!" Then we pull the levers. I use a bit of [Telekinesis] to keep Alissa and myself at the controls, while the girls hold onto the boat for dear life.
One after the other, the three dust worms miss us and loop around repeatedly, trying to catch us.
With the boat upside-down, I pull the flight stick down and we nosedive. The ship creaks, but we manage to make the turn, then I start a corkscrew descent.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Aoi and Hana laugh out loud together.
Yunia is frozen, stuck to one of the ship's beams while hugging Roxanne with all her strength. Lina is like a statue in Hana's arms, so immobile that it doesn't look like she's even breathing.
O~~H FUCK! WE'RE GONNA DI~E!
I laugh out loud with the girls, and Alissa chuckles, too.
When we're close to the bottom of the tornado, I pull the wings back and aim the airship forward, then I push the "forward" lever to full power.
We gain lots of forward momentum, but we're still falling, so I slowly pull the wings open again, and the drag reduces our falling speed.
"CIEL! NOW!" I yell.
Aoi carries her to the prow, and the wind elementals follow. Then Ciel starts to chant.
"What happens if she fails?" Alissa asks.
"The ship gets wrecked, but we'll survive," I respond.
"Unless we get dragged into the spinning domes."
"I'll [Gate] us out the moment it all goes to shit."
"Alright."
I show a fearless grin. We've made it through worse; we aren't even in real danger of dying here. I also won't let a stupid dungeon best us so easily.
As we get closer, the tornado in front of us becomes frighteningly enormous. Our boat is a mere ant in comparison to it. It's a huge, angry storm of dust that wants to wreck us.
I'm on a boat, motherfucker, outta my way!
"[WINDSTORM]!" Ciel casts. A hole as tight as Lina's opens up in the tornado, one that the boat should just barely fit through.
Oh, boy.
Big, long objects ramming into small holes: boat edition.
I pull up a little, giving us some altitude, then I pull the lever to tie up the sail. We lose a quarter of our speed, and the worms start to catch up.
Fuuuck…
I unsummon all birds, then I summon another wind elemental.
My mana…
"STOP THE WORMS! USE ALL YOUR MANA!" I order, and the wind-Alissa obeys.
The worms slow down, giving us enough time to get to the hole, then I fold the wings.
All of my focus is on that tight, virgin hole. Mine and Alissa's hands are as stiff as rocks; any wrong movement would ruin it all. I'm gonna pound that entrance right in the center.
I hold my breath in, and we cross into the hole. The top of the wings clip against the tornado and break with a loud crack. The sudden force of it makes us spin. I immediately turn off all translatory motion and focus on counteracting the spin.
This is fine, we are fine, I can deal with this.
I chuckle nervously as I look at the gyroscope and see that it's going fucking crazy, but the spin is stable. It's mostly pitch, plus a little bit of roll, with some faint yaw mixed in.
I stop the roll first, then the yaw, then when we're pointing upwards, I activate the "forward" lever again.
There, done!
The left wing is snapped a third of the way from the ship, with the rest hanging loose, while the right is just a little bent and cracked. We can still fly perfectly fine, though.
The girls are also fine; it would take a much stronger spin to make them lose their grip.
"AHAHAHAHAHA! WE DID IT!" I scream. Aoi, Hana, and Gify are the only ones who laugh. Everyone else is sweating cold, but Alissa does chuckle nervously.
The domes are above us, and I can see that none of the dust worms are following us anymore. We awkwardly make our way to the dock, and I slow down. The wings are only necessary to improve the mana efficiency of flying, so we can approach the landing zone without any rush.
With some help from the girls, I maneuver the airship sideways onto a metal platform to avoid snapping off the broken wing. Then we land successfully.
With a sigh, I turn off the power completely, and we assess the damage.
The wing is large but it's also light, so we can lift it back into place and fix the broken beams with [Grow]. There's some internal enchantment inside the wood, but Lina is confident that she can repair it. The enchantment lines are simple to repair; there would only be a problem if the crystal was cracked.
Repairs will have to wait, though. My watch says that it's 9 PM, so now we'll rest.
--
--
Hall of Fame of Patrons
The patrons who support Rupegia shall have their names sung by the bards for they deserve the glory and honor. Their names are:
Oracle Maximillian Hübner.
Prince PreownedFIN.
Lord Andrew Meyers.
Lord Hope.
Lord Samuel Lim.
Lord Bill.
Lord Novgarod.
Lord DJ.
Lord Cidant.
Lord Ashadun.
Lord Michale Erwin.
Lord Enrique Peña Gomez.
Lord Braidborn.
Lord Bakerdea.
Lord Yeeteris Dedmeem.
Lord D4rk Sheep.
Lord Nathan Vanbrunt.
Lord Andrew Heffelbower.
Lord Markus.
Lord Maurice.
Lord Badger.
Lord Krawn.
Noble Salty Panda.
Noble Evil.
Noble Yamibomb112.
Noble Mild Fracas.
Noble Geminus.
Noble EESDESESESRDT.
Noble Aclys.