Dire-eater Fascination; part 2

Chapter 1 ┼ Dire-eater Fascination (part 2)

“Sir!” Said an oncoming student from the stairs leading below. “Up on the Festoon, sir!” He pointed at one Festoon that flew farther from the barracks.

There, up on the front of the small ship, stood Yphemu. Her long her tied in a tight ponytail, with the side strands loosely braided. The ends of her yellow-teal hair swayed with the breeze of the air. Above her are the greying skies of the night as thick dark grey clouds covered Slitark, with the fading far visage of Kneada’s disappearing against the greying darkness.

Prime Magician Yphemu wore her vest and battle garments, donning her sheathed saber on the right holster of her belt, tightly snug on her waist with an empty holster on the left. Her right hand held her crystal wand, the tip brightly emitting a soft bluish light.

The wand is a marvel to behold, as long and thin-like as her saber, it serves as her second sword to dual wield in battles. Raising it another time, she swung to the air and formed five different symbols before five pillars of swirling light entered the field and poised themselves on five points of the barracks like defenders. The wind from the force of its tornado harmed the incoming Dire-eaters, of every size, and prevented them from getting nearer to their barracks.

Her face shone stern with her lips pursued, biting it till the skin broke. Some droplets shed from the side, but she licked them before they fell. “Epiro,” she said over her shoulder, “Make sure that every troop diminishes each Dire-eater Sprout* to retreat or death.”

After saying her orders, she jumped feet first to the air as she eyed a group of Dire-eater Fathers. Waving her wand to an arc from left diagonal to right, she poised her body to a stance as sharp icicles from the air formed. She sent them flying to the Dire-eater Father’s, piercing their scales.

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Over the fog from the mountain top hid the airship Sunflora, disguising its presence to the field below, it flew above it in all its’ chipped red fading paint glory. The mast that held through the storm and magical hail swayed at the coming wind that dangled ropes secure from its binding, though it did not hold any sail several strands of what looked like chains. They all clump from the top and spread down towards the end of the ship, almost forming a shroud.

The rope weaving of the shroud is fiber fused with something akin to Slitark crystals meant for alchemy and serves as a form of energy collecting panels from the winds. This is one of the many advancements the engineers of the Sunflora airship maintained.

Several furled sails on the side of the ship, like legs with ball joints, served as wings to glide through the breeze of the sky and quivered as the Sunflora shifted its course near the fog. The keel plunged into the blanket sky carving through to enter the lower near the mountains where what welcomed them was a shriek of a Dire-eater Mother.

The window from the captain’s quarters slightly opened as a small child peered down, curious dark eyes lighting through the brightness of the Dire-eater’s scales. His tiny hands held onto the latch that he grabbed on while his other hand steady him on the sill with curiosity oozing at how he observed the creature’s movements. There was a pull of fascination he could not resist that he did not notice he was slowly pushing his body farther outward.

Before he could plunge into the skies, which he most likely will never notice even if the strong winds slapped his chubby face, a dark-gloved hand covered the tiny ones that held the latch. Its pair patted his head as the child felt his body be pulled from the window. He heard a soft voice speak behind him, saying. “What is it, Ame? Do you see your favorite Moth-Rays*?”

Ame, the chubby child, looked away from the window and gazed at the man he knew as his father. Known to him as a dad, but to others as Captain Uran. Rifeus to those close to him. The sound of the winds from the outside stopped as his father closed the window. Fondly carrying him from the cushy window seat and then settling him on the sofa bed just beside it, he was laid there while the other children sat around, peacefully settled with their closed eyes and wriggly bodies.

Uran’s sleeping quarters within the captain’s cabin of the Sunflora are divided into two rooms, a type of guest lounge and his private quarters. Quite not so cozy on the scale, his work desk can be seen in a small corner of his room while the rest is a combination of accommodating and working area.

Though the ship is functional and self-sustained through its long run being used by the crew, it did not skimp on luxury for most residents that would live inside. This vessel serves as a home for a few people that’s lived their lives in what constitutes mercenary work.

That is not their main job though, to be mercenaries, what Uran and the previous captain of the Sunflroa crew envisioned for them, is to establish the engineering quality of airships infused with Slitark crystals. He is not the designer of this alchemic beauty, but the concept began and succeeded with his help in the long run.

However, money and labor go hand in hand, so off they are to do more miscellaneous work. Under no circumstance do they do pirate work, at least as legal pirate work as they can. For most of their “legal pirate work,” being able to hunt for unclaimed crystals instead of stealing them or escort missions, and transport requests is better than none.

The captain’s cabin guest lounge turned half day care for the remainder of the night due to the repairs of the crew’s quarters, adding more space for the families within the crew. Residential rooms are what most would dub it, like people renting in apartments with only one floor fit for all besides the kitchen and dining.

Tonight is no different than anything for Uran and the Sunflora crew. Part of their job is to hunt for Dire-eater and siphon where they are heading, and where the creature goes is surely a pot of Slitark crystals unclaimed. Uran left the cabin to see outside and watch the skies.

He’s currently at the empty quarter-deck, a level under the top deck where most of the crew spent their time. It’s covered by the sparkling shroud, feeling the breeze, and listening to the direction of the Dire-eater’s flight. He guessed from the distinguishable Kneada he can see, that they were heading to southern forest land, away from the central city. Knowing this, he knew that the odds of landing in the ceremonial barracks of the Ocular were more likely than he hoped for.

The place is well guarded during this season of the Oculars end, and because of that, they don’t ever get to enter the land, much less reach the part of the mountains. Not that he knew where the barracks specifically are since the place has a ton of pocket valleys filled with either body of water or forests. The land the barracks belong to cannot be entered without traveling through the mountains or over it, riding an airship. Added the aspect of the magical barrier it is covered by.

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