“What’s the worst thing about flying?” The pilot let go of the helm as he leaned back in his seat. They looked through the one-way glass walls of their quarters out onto the deck of the Swallow. As they lifted the infused goggles from their eyes, the forest of clouds that enveloped the airship snapped back into view. “It used to be dragons, but now, I’d have to say the food.”

“Oh, I could never be a pilot,” Cili said. “I love food way too much.”

“Wait.” Kai’s eyes focused on a small pin on the pilot’s jacket, with the name Zarell engraved on it. “Captain Zarell, what do you mean it used to be dragons? What changed?”

“Aethereon made a deal with some dragons to protect their ships,” Zarell explained. “Before they were super territorial whenever they were in the area, so we had shut down all air traffic. Now we just cruise on by.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot we did that,” Cili said.

“Huh?” Kai turned to Cili, his eyes wide.

“My tribe was the one that made the deal with Aethereon,” Cili said.

“HUH?!” Kai exclaimed.

“Did you not hear me?” Cili asked.

“No, no, I heard you.”

“So what’s the problem?”

Kai’s head rocked back with shock. “What do you mean ‘what’s the problem?’ You never told us your tribe had dragons.”

“They ride dragons,” Cili clarified.

“THEY RIDE DRAGONS!” Kai shouted.

“Can you not scream?” Zarell requested. “The captain’s quarters aren't that big.”

“Sorry,” Kai said.

“Yeah, there are like multiple dragons,” Cili said. “Didn’t I already tell you guys this?”

“I thought you meant everybody in your tribe was a dragon hybrid. Not that there were actually dragons. Holy fuck, I got to tell everybody else.”

“So your people are the ones Aethereon made a deal with?” Zarell asked.

“Yeah. I was super young when it happened though,” Cili said. “I wonder if they’re there now?”

“No, sorry you missed them,” Zarell said.

“How did we miss them?” Kai asked. “Don’t they guard your ships? Shouldn’t they be here year-round?”

“They only come like twice a year,” Zarell said.

“Yeah we’re a nomadic tribe,” Cili explained. “We just stop by Aethereon whenever we pass by. It sucks that they’re not here though.”

“So then does the ship’s barrier protect it?” Kai asked.

“No. Not for this one at least,” Zarell said. ”Most skyships can’t afford to have a tangible barrier for each trip. Even if you could, keeping it fueled with essence would be difficult without a dedicated infuser on board.

“The barrier on this ship is mainly for travel. It remains invisible and just blocks the air to stop windchill. That’s all the barriers on most skyships do.”

“So if the dragons aren’t always there, and the barrier doesn’t protect the ship, what protects it if a, say a roc comes to attack it?” Kai asked.

Zarell looked over her shoulder at Kai. “I was told that would be your party for this trip.”

“Oh, OH, that totally makes sense,” Kai said. “That’s how Draxl got us on this ship.”

“Wait, did an adventurer’s guild offer us this job?” Cili asked nervously.

“No, I think this was a direct offer,” Zarell replied.

Cili breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh thank the gods. No offense, but I want my first adventuring job to be something fucking awesome, and protecting a ship, like there’s nothing wrong with it, it’s just so basic, you know?”

“Yes, I do know,” Zarell said. “No offense taken.”

“Okay Cili, you got your tour of the captain’s quarter, have you changed your mind?” Kai asked.

“I still want to be a captain. But I don’t think I could get over the bad food.”

“Well, there is a way to get around that,” Zarell said, reaching into their pocket. They pulled out a small packet with a horned bright red humanoid on the cover and the words “the devil’s finger” above them. “Certain skyships can get sponsored.”

“Sponsored?” Cili asked. “What does that mean?”

“Basically people give you stuff to give out to all the people on board,” Zarell said. “A lot of times it's food.”

“The devil’s finger, is food?” Kai asked.

“It’s a spicy lollipop.” Zarell opened the packet to reveal a bright red semi-translucent candy finger at the end of a stick; they popped it into their mouth. They pulled out another packet from their pocket. “You want one?”

“Who would ever want a spicy lollipop?” Kai asked.

Before Kai finished speaking, Cili snatched the packet out of Zarell’s hands. Kai rolled his eyes at Cili as she opened the package.

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“Uhhhh,” Cili stammered, looking inside the package.

“What is it?” Kai asked.

“Is this like a different flavor or something?” Cili peeled off the packet, revealing a porcelain white finger, skewered onto a small white stick; dried cracked blood formed at the base of the finger.

“What the fuck?!” Kai exclaimed.

Cili stuck out her tongue, but before she could get a lick in, Kai grabbed the finger and threw it across the room.

“Hey!” Cili exclaimed. “That was mine!”

“You are not eating that!” Kai fired back.

“Keep it down!” Zarell shouted, maintaining focus on the path ahead.

“But he stole my--”

Cili cut herself off when she heard a footstep just behind her. Everybody turned to the sound.

On the other end of the captain’s quarters, a humanoid with porcelain white skin dressed in a full-body black cloak that covered their entire body; the hood draped over the face cast a shadow over their hollow eyes.

Kai immediately pulled the revolver from his hip and pointed it at the figure. “Who are you?”

The figure was silent. They stepped closer.

Kai pulled the revolver’s hammer back. “Listen bud, I have no qualms about killing people. Answer the fucking question. Who are you?”

The figure took another step forward. They flicked their wrist; a crude white dagger, hidden in the cloak, dropped into their hand. They hunched down, leaned forward, then rushed toward Zarell.

Before the figure could get close, Kai pulled the trigger. The bullet pierced straight through their head. The figure dropped to the floor with a heavy thud; their blood splattered across the ground.

Kai holstered his revolver. “I warned him.”

“Good shot,” Zarell said. They knelt next to the body to examine it closer. “I don’t recall anybody of this complexion boarding the ship.”

Cili cocked her head as she stared at the dagger. “I think … that’s a bone dagger.”

Zarell looked back at Cili. “Do you want it? It’s not like they’ll be using it.”

“Yes, I will.” The porcelain humanoid surged to life. Their fingers wrapped around the bone dagger. “[Quickdraw].”

Zarell jumped back, but he was too slow. The figure leaped to his feet, plunging their dagger into Zarell’s eye. Just as Zarell tried to grab the dagger, the figure snapped it in two, leaving the blade in Zarell’s eye.

Zarell screamed out in agony as they stumbled backward clutching their bloody eye. The figure lunged toward Zarell, grasped their face, and slammed their head into the wooden table the helm was attached, littered with different runes and infusions.

A thunderous boom of Zarell’s head crashing against the ship’s helm echoed through the captain’s quarters accompanied by the sound of all the muscles in the figure’s arms tearing and their bones crunching. Pools of red sprouted all along the pale skin on the figure’s arm.

Cili extended her arm out toward the figure. “Fly back, [Wind’s Grace]!” A galeforce tore through the room, sending the figure flying off Zarell, and into one of the glass walls.

As the figure’s back slammed into the wall. They managed to steady themselves.

Kai pulled out his rifle and trained the barrel directly on the figure. Cili did the same with her bow.

The figure looked down at their wrecked arm--the bones were shattered and muscles were torn. They pressed their palm against their chin and pushed. Their head twisted as far as any human’s head could safely go, then went further.

Crack!

The figure snapped their own neck. The pools of blood underneath the skin on their arm were drained dry; the arm twisted and cracked back into place. Their limp body repaired itself. The bone dagger’s blade reformed. They clenched their loose jaw shut.

“[Dash].”

Before either Kai or Cili could fire, the figure transformed into a black blur.

Kai raised his rifle just in time to intercept the figure’s dagger.

“You asked who I am.” The figure pushed their dagger against Kai’s rifle, driving him backward, and up against the wall. “We are Revenant.”

Cili leaped backward, nocking an arrow in her bow. As Kai and the figure wrestled back and forth, Cili tried to find a clean shot, but there wasn’t a single opening.

Kai stumbled to the door, still clutching his rifle, as the figure’s dagger crept over the edge toward his throat.

“Kai! Open the door!” Cili shouted.

Without hesitation Kai reached behind his back; his hand flailed around for a second before finding the door’s handle. The instant the door clicked, Kai kicked it open.

“Fly back, [Wind’s Grace]!” From the tips of Cili’s fingers, a rush of wind surged forward. The figure’s cloak fluttered violently just as they were ripped out of the room into the sky.

The wind forced Kai out of the room, but he managed to twist his rifle and catch it on the doorway; the gun was longer than the doorway was wide. As Kai clung to his rifle, he felt something wrap around his leg. He looked over his shoulder at the figure; their porcelain white fingers dug into Kai’s ankle.

Cili raised her bow, breathed in, and breathed out. “[Gutshot].” Her arrow spiraled through the air, grazing past Kai’s face, and bore itself into the figure’s skull.

All tension in the figure’s body faded. They were ripped out of the captain’s quarters into the open sky and tumbled into the clouds.

With Cili’s help, Kai pulled himself back into the room, shutting the door behind him.

“You good?” Cili asked.

“I’ll live,” Kai said between heavy breaths. “Good idea with the door.”

“Thanks. Oh, fuck, the captain!” Cili sprinted toward Zarell. She placed her fingers on their wrist, then breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, they’re alive.” Cili shook their shoulders “Wake up. Wake up! WAKE UP!”

“That’s not good,” Kai said.

“I should pull out the dagger.” Cili reached toward the blade embedded in Zarell’s eye.

“Leave it in!” Kai exclaimed. “Taking it out will increase the bleeding. Odds are they’ll live. It was the blow to the head that’s the real problem. I don’t think they’re waking up any time soon.”

“Who even was that?” Cili asked.

“They called themself--” Kai froze, his brain five seconds ahead of his mouth.

Wait, we are Revenant, he thought. We?

Kai recalled Zarell’s earlier statement; each passenger aboard the ship was provided with the sponsored snack.

Kai rushed to the helm. Peering out onto the deck, he saw the rest of The Hangmen, surrounded by cloaked figures with porcelain white skin brandishing weapons carved out of bone.

Kai turned to Cili, who was looking over his shoulder. “You need to go help the others. Tell them killing won’t work. Our best bet is to throw them off the ship.”

“Got it.” Cili nodded her head and cracked open the door. Before she leaped, she turned to Kai. “What are you going to do?”

Kai looked down at the unconscious Zarell. He knew how close they were to Aethereon, and how long it would take for the captain to wake up.

Kai reached down and pulled off the infused goggles on Zarell’s forehead. As he placed them over his own all the clouds in the sky vanished. Off in the distance, he could see a black spot, no bigger than a pebble, rapidly expanding in size. “I’m going to live out my childhood dream.”

“What’s your childhood dream?” Cili asked.

Kai grasped the helm, a grin forming at the corner of his lips. “Flying a skyship.”