"Can we not go there? Please?" Leo begged as he followed Haruo. "We can survive a few more days! Let's not do it, please!"
His cries were useless, as each tantrum only entered Haruo's ear and exited from the other. He scratched the back of his head, as his mood continued to sour with each passing second.
***
Two weeks ago, after they concluded their meticulous introduction, they decided to familiarize themselves with their new environment over the coming days.
All except for Theodor, as he fell asleep in the compartment right after.
They were quite surprised.
The overall size of the ship was rather larger than they had originally anticipated. Apart from the compartments they had just entered, the interior held three rooms, each with its own restroom.
That wasn't all.
The airship provided the division with a kitchen not far from the bedrooms, and a dining room just across from it.
And finally, for the overall interior, there was the plaza where they could lounge.
But that's if you didn't count the control room as an interior—the place Ren had occupied since the travel.
Speaking of their captain, they realized Ren was quite the introvert, for he had never left the control room. Not once.
How did they know he was still alive? Every morning at exactly 7:30, a wake-up call would alarm the entire division. This was the foundation that allowed them, at least, to calm themselves, knowing their captain still had a few breaths in him.
But what did he do inside?
The only answer was present only in their imagination.
"How does he even eat?" Isaac asked, as he stared at one of the speakers.
No one could tell.
As they continued to explore the airship, they stumbled upon the exit towards the exterior of the boat.
Ena, the impatient lady she was, pushed the door immediately and felt a calm breeze massaging her face.
Bright blue skies, with waves of clouds only a hundred meters away from the division. There, they saw a large flat deck the size of a full court with railings for added safety.
At the far end of the ship was another cabin, but it was rather smaller than their living space.
"I wonder what model this is," Leo said, as he gazed upon the beauty of the sky. "Balloonless airships are quite expensive, you know, especially for private ones."
He smirked as he gestured with his fingers to imply a pricey payment.
"And this is all for us, too. We can probably even do a remat—"
"No," Haruo cut him off.
Leo sighed, "I guess next time then."
After appreciating the scenery, Haruo decided to explore the neighboring cabin. What he saw were four new compartments. Although they all bore the same resemblance, one door stood out from the rest.
A metallic door.
Haruo was the first to step forward to open the door.
As he did, chilling smoke began to leak from the room and into their bodies. Haruo was the only one unaffected.
"… a cold storage?" Tatiana muttered.
Ena stared at Tatiana blankly. "Too heavy, huh…"
"Sorry, I guess," Tatiana said.
At the back, both Leo and Isaac opened the other doors and realized the entire cabin was meant for storage and appliances.
There was one last door to be checked. Yet as they tried to open it, the knob refused to turn.
It was only after they realized the door was locked that they saw a sign camouflaged in heavy dust. With one swipe, text appeared.
"DO NOT ENTER!" - Captain's orders.
"… What do I do?" Isaac asked.
Haruo turned to look at the door, but as he saw the sign, he merely shrugged. "It's better to leave that alone."
Without a word, Leo entered the cold storage and began pouring their preserved rations into the room. He hummed silently as he quickly retrieved an entire bluefin fish from his mana storage and hung it onto one of the hooks.
Leo turned his head towards the entrance and saw the stares of his fellow members. "What, are you guys not going to help?"
Ena saw the mess produced by the raw fish and quickly turned away back to the main cabin.
Only as she got further away did she remember to speak. "I'm going to my and Haruo's room! You guys can take care of that!"
"Did you even agree to be her roommate?" Tatiana asked.
Haruo sighed, "What do you think?"
Since then, they all worked themselves to the bone and finished unloading all their cargo from their mana storages.
Amidst their work, they decided to make the bedroom arrangements clearer, so that no problems might arise in the following days.
Ena and Tatiana.
Theodor and Leo.
Isaac and Haruo.
Leo quickly wiped his hands with a towel and washed them before dusting off the remaining residue. Looking into the compartment, rows of canned foods and ingredients were visible throughout.
With all these rations, the aroma nearly reached Theodor's nose.
"All these rations are enough to at least last us for a month or so. If we ate moderately, it could even reach another two weeks." Haruo spoke.
"A month and two weeks… I think we bought a little too much. Our trip wouldn't be that long," Leo said, scratching his neck.
"Our trip is four months long," Haruo said calmly. "All the way to March."
"WHAT?!?" Leo exclaimed.
However, he wasn't the only one with that same reaction. As he gazed at his members, one would think that they were imitating one another.
"Where exactly are we going??" Tatiana couldn't help but speak.
"Mhmm… we could probably extend for another two weeks if we limit our intake…" Haruo muttered.
"STOP IGNORING US!!" Leo held onto Haruo's shoulders, forcing him to look him in the eye. "Just imagine if Ena hears about this… she'll destroy the whole ship!"
"But even worse than that… if our rations were to ever diminish, that would mean…"
Seemingly knowing Leo's words, every single member present shuddered at the thought.
"We would need to…"
***
"… Please, anything but sky fishing, I beg!" Leo was tightly squeezing the hem of Haruo's coat.
"I'd rather not starve. Besides, it's not like you're the only one reluctant to sky fish." Haruo said, pulling his coat away.
Two weeks after their departure from Marion Kingdom, the storage they had meticulously filled with rations was empty—except for a can or two.
"We wouldn't do this so early if someone knew how to control their mouth."
At the far corner of the room, Theodor was being scolded by his own sister, while he remained completely unfazed. He even had the audacity to eat a piece of bread amidst the likes of it.
"All we need to do is get at least one Skavilen per month, and we're set for the entire trip," Haruo said.
"Actually, I would prefer Leo's suggestion to wait it out for a few more days…" Isaac looked away with a sour face.
"God, what is it with you guys and sky fishing?! It can't be that bad," Ena roared. "Is it that dangerous??"
Each of the members looked at one another before meeting Ena's gaze once more. Another pitiful soul who didn't understand the hardships of the real world.
Leo blinked at her cluelessness. Instinctively, he smirked before saying, "Actually, it's a fun experience! You'll be surprised at how exciting it is…"
"Do you think I'm stupid? Say one more word, and I swear you won't be able to talk for the next month."
Hearing her words, Leo immediately shut his mouth.
Haruo pinched the bridge of his nose. "Isaac, go get the necessary materials for sky fishing in the utility storage."
Isaac nodded and strode away.
"For the six of us in total, sky fishing isn't particularly dangerous to an extreme extent, but it's rather… tedious," Haruo explained to the troublemaker.
"Stop cutting off your sentences! Say it properly!" Ena grew irritated by his reluctance.
"Don't be like that; someone like you would never understand what it means to sky fish," Leo remarked. "And let me tell you, my first time was pure hell. Tsk, tsk, how naive."
Not even five minutes after he was ordered to gather materials, Isaac returned with a sack and a strange device in his hands.
The sack particularly reeked of a powerful aroma.
So powerful was the scent that it could most likely reach the other side of the ship.
"Uhm—uh, there's a slight problem," Isaac said before presenting two large hunks of metal the size of an entire arm.
"I think I broke the string on the Velo."
CLAAAANG!!
Isaac dropped the two weapons. Seeing as the connecting stick had been severed, he couldn't help but place his hand on the back of his head to scratch it.
"I guess we'll worry about that later. Just tie them up with a rope; that should be enough, I think. Also, go tell Ren that we will start sky fishing soon."
Feeling his disappointment in his tone, Isaac lowered his glasses and stared at the ground.
"So, are you going to explain or not?" Ena said impatiently.
Haruo gave her a quick side-eye before gesturing for Leo to explain it to her.
Leo's eyes twitched slightly, but he nevertheless gave in to his command. "Alright, sky fishing 101... look up."
Ena blinked before doing as she was told. Above were bright layers of clouds stacked upon one another, and no gap was to be found.
"These clouds swam across the sky in large portions each time, either connecting to another one or disconnecting…"
"So?"
"Hayst, let me finish," Leo dismissed. "But what's important about them is what is inside. An annoying place of horror known as the Ether zone."
"Stop exaggerating," Ena said, growing ever so irritated.
"Do you want me to explain or not?!" Leo tried to continue, but also became irritated. "Anyway, inside there are things called Skavilens, creatures the size of this entire dock, which makes it perfect for us.
"However, the only problem is that the moment we enter, all known verbal communication is impossible. The fog inside is so thick that it not only muffles frequencies but limits our visual perception to silhouettes. Now imagine trying to hunt a creature like that?
"Not only is it tedious, but also extremely frustrating…"
Click! Skrr!
A familiar sound sprouted throughout the airship. It was the use of the speaker, like how Ren would use it as their wake-up call.
"Ascension to the Ether zone will begin in 20 minutes."
"I guess we took too much time…" Leo muttered. "Looks like we have to start preparing. Haruo will fill you in as we go."
***
After full preparation, the chaos finally paid off as they all took their positions in their respective areas.
CRICCCCCKK!
Steadily, the ship turned to point at the, causing all six of them to grasp tightly to the railing.
As they waited, each of them stared at one another. A huge amount of space separated them: three on one side of the dock, while the other were across from them. On their waists was a leather connector that tied them to the boat with a string.
Isaac cautiously tugged his string, making sure the material was enough to support him if the worst ever came.
The division gathered on the dock at the back of the ship. The storm loomed just beyond the horizon.
None of them could see it yet—it was still too far—but Haruo could. He watched the swirling clouds and distant flashes of lightning creeping closer to their ship.
This might be their only chance to sky fish before the storm approaches.
"Alright, just to make sure, we have everything we need, right?" Haruo asked, glancing around at the division.
They nodded and held out what they had. One of them presented a large, tied-up bag. Haruo stepped closer and loosened the knot, revealing a collection of herbs and bottled liquids. He examined each item carefully, checking its condition, then closed the bag again with a nod.
Thud…
The ship was slowly moving.
Finally, there was the Velo. The most important item when it came to sky fishing.
The Velo was a large, dual-bladed weapon. Its blades were massive—each one about the size of a person's head—long, sharp, and perfectly symmetrical.
Its sides were slightly thicker than the rest, housing two small hidden blades, ready to spring out when triggered.
The handle had two key features: a button on the side and a metal loop at the bottom where the rope connected the two blades together.
"Everyone, put on your mask!" Haruo exclaimed as the turbulence intensified with each passing second.
Not wanting to waste more time, each member took out a gas-tight mask and secured it on their faces.
"Wear your belts. Unless you wanna fall off, of course—be my guest," Ren warned through the speakers. "We are now ascending…"
The division clung to the railing for support, their surroundings slowly blurring. Haruo, in particular, closed his eyes, unable to bear the rising pressure of the wind.
Then, that pressure immediately spread through his whole body.
He opened his eyes to see thick fog all around.
They had entered the Ether zone.