"One." the speakers finally say after an eternity between the last second. Right up behind me erupts into a firestorm of engine exhaust. My grip locks into place and the airship boosts up along the rail. A barely audible mechanical release and I try to keep low, but my chest is grabbing onto the wind.
I fling almost upright, my head threatening to bend over until my back snaps. A slight turn throws my beak over my shoulder and the one eye that can catch a glance at the city widens. It's shrinking so fast, the sprawling metropolis is so flat and small seeming now. I can't hear anything other than the rush of the wind and everythings been shot.
Each nerve under my shell is blurred and pinned, I can't feel my digits. I can see them holding on for dear life and yet my body is screaming at me. The feeling I am about to let go won't go away. No, I can't do that, I have to ignore it.
A high pitch builds up in the engines.
"HU-HU-HU-HU-HU-HU-HU-HU-HU-HU-HUH!?" I struggle to get out, spotting the build-up of magic in the engines. A prick somewhere drops and this orb of magic explodes. We shoot ahead faster than we were before and my legs slip, flailing about the way we've come. My grip tightens so much it hurts.
I can't move, I can only hold on for as long as I can. This was a bad idea, this was a very bad idea, how could I have been overcome with such stupidity? What force in this mortal life compels a bug to do something as stupid as this!? Certainly not the God of Death, he doesn't want me back until it's my time.
Gravity barely settles in and my body slams against the hull, freeing one of my claws of their duty. My right arm yanks from its socket and it continues to hold on. It breaks under the pressure, snapping apart as I flex myself back up. My left can't find a good grip, I'm too close to all the smooth plating.
The airship runs from under me.
"OH, SHIT!" I go, watching the airship rocket away without me on it, the sky's embrace all about. Orienting myself in an instant I throw my arms back and send forth my magic. It just barely catches up with the airship and latches on as the sky starts to shift colour. The usual blue makes way for pinks and purples, the colour of the rawest kind of magic.
Like hitting a wall, I throttle back and immediately get to reinforcing my spells. Reeling in as close as I can under these conditions, I edge the tip of the almost fire-like spear of magic. Not seeing away under or other this, I let my right rest for a second and swing to the left. Thrusting my fist to my pectoral, I shoot to the airship's wing and slam into it.
Letting it loose for a moment, I slide to its tip and climb back up. Standing on such a thin platform with my magic threatening to buckle, I keep my head steady. Spotting where I need to go, I let the wind snap its attention away and throw out more magic. Like I am digging my claws into rock, I struggle my way back onto the airship's top.
My feet settle into a nice, snug area and my magic once again finds itself on something. Only, this time, I fight back against the reel and lock myself in place. I let my lungs properly open for the first time since this machine came to life. I rear my head back with casual confidence.
This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.
"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" I cry out with all I can as the airship seems to settle into a stable speed while the world just goes on by. Looking where I can, I laugh a little at how I can't see any sign of Thrurstradtur and nearly piss myself looking to my left. I've handled wyverns just fine before but in a distance that doesn't seem so far up here, a titan.
Shimmering in diamond scales with horns that reach perhaps longer than this entire airship, a dragon flies. With each flap of its wings the already turbulent air around me suddenly jolts to the right. Four sets of claws flex eagerly and it seems to spot us. I gulp at the oncoming problem and instead, the great beast makes its smirk well and truly clear.
It barrels over itself, exposing its full wingspan and softer belly in the seemingly slow rotation. The massive beast dives out of view towards the world below, wings tucked tightly in. The wings open. My jaws unhinge as it suddenly shoots back into the sky to go further up than we're going.
The tips of those sky-darkening limbs clap together, their tips ringing like a bell. The sky and all its magic clear up, revealing two things of grandeur. The shielding shell that protects our world, a murky, solid wall of magic that keeps us away from the nothing beyond. And, just barely through it, I can see a great ring orbit.
I almost want to wave.
Laughing in awe, I settle into position and enjoy the rest of the view up here with all the dragons and other great beasts. Creatures without solid form, only the signs of magic. What appears to be living lightning as well arcs past, narrowly avoiding anything it could try and want to hit. Most peculiarly as well, I can see what I swear looks like a city up here, one walled off by some of the brightest wind magic I have ever seen.
I shrug and decide to keep the wonders up here to myself, no matter how much I might enjoy explaining them. There's nothing quite like being able to see it all for myself and being selfish with the details. However, if there is one thing I will no doubt let loose to everyone else, it's how bloody numb and bruised I am feeling! The wall just never runs out of bricks, I am always breaking through more.
Flaps on the airship's wings open up, strong plates that are doing a better job of keeping still than I am. We start to dive, fast. The 'calming' cruise we were at bids farewell and something starts to form at the front. It explodes and deja-vu overcomes me.
The sky screams right into my ears and I adjust my stance to better handle the dive. Once distant mountains start to come into view properly and we break out into the normal sky. I drop dead against the metal surface and hug it tight, my ruined body counterbalanced only by this uncontrolled laughter. It's all calming down now, I can feel it.
Letting my magic stop, I switch to comfortably hugging on for dear life and chuckle away. I am not doing this again, not for a good while, this was enough of that for now. Mechanicals shift about and I hear the ramp open up and the engines die down if only a bit. Crawling about with a magic safety harness, I reach the wingtip.
Inerish waves to me from the ramp, one hand on the pneumatic pole while the other keeps her hair steady. Rearing an arm back, I grab onto the same pole and come right in. I grab her and we go crashing against the bulkhead keeping the ramp area from the lounge-like bit. Though I have my issues with her, I can't help but hug her with all I have while the ramp closes up.
Finally, something soft for me to hold, something squishy for me to press up against!
Hitting my back as I have no more energy within me for the moment, Inerish climbs around a little, her thighs squeezing up on my hips. She smirks and giggles while I laugh away the final bits of adrenaline. She lowers herself down and drags her chest across me. Her mouth settling near my swollen ear.
"I told you to get back inside." she teases and my airless lungs wheeze out one final laugh.