The Sky Grimoire buzzed softly in the air. A low vibration that resonated through Spark Nighthawk's boots. As he stood on the deck.
Grandpoint City shrank far behind. The towers of the sprawling metropolis were fading into the morning haze. Far below, the blue sea stretched. A never-ending canvas of painted in the shades of blue.
Their course was set for Kranecurry. The Sky Island of Culinary Delight.
The air that morning was crisp. Carrying the salty fragrance of the open ocean. Spark's women were already at their stations. A seamless, efficient unit.
None of them handled the helm though. It was no longer needed. A featureless humanoid golem handled their navigation now. Spark's fourth technomind gear. Arrow, the Sky Navigator.
Lilith stood near the bow. Her keen eyes were scanning the horizons. A Tri-Element Handgun was holstered at her hip. Instead of being kept in technomind space.
Ivy was near the ster. Hunching over a small, portable alchemy station. Meticulously checked batches of newly created grenades.
Melody and Serenade were resting against their chairs on the observation deck. Discussing and composing new songs. Sometimes trying some tunes with their magical lutes.
Scarlett was nearby. Using her [Mystic Gu Crafting Jar]. Trying to develop more complex gu insects for specific purposes.
Spark felt a familiar ease settle over him. This was his crew. People who were completely loyal to him.
Their journey had resumed for less than a day when the first reports came in. Lilith brought the news. He carried the newsplate, a tablet like device that constantly updated worthy news.
Her expression was grim. Despite her usual composure. An urgent news from Avianest Information Pavilion.
"The Dragons have declared war..." Lilith stated a heavy news. His voice was dry. Devoid of her usual playful undertones. "... on the Avianest Kingdom."
Spark's brow furrowed. "Already? That was fast." He leaned against the railing. His bulk showed a formidable presence. "Give me the details. All of it."
Lilith nodded. Summarizing the reports. "It seems that the dragons had learned what had happened. While we were on the Ancient Island of Glory, they struck Canarine Island again. This time, it was a full-scale assault, a direct act of vengeance for the dragons and eggs killed by Mayor Hilldove. They hit just recovered town."
"And Mayor Hilldove?" Spark grunted. He remembered the mayor. A man obsessed with his vengeance toward the dragons.
"Mayor Hilldove..." Lilith continued. "...was more than ready. He deployed the same arsenals he used before. Dragonbane Bombs. And Dragonblight Chains. Five adult dragons, including a notable Elder Wyrm, were brought down. Killed."
Spark whistled low. "He escalated it. But it was self defense, right?" Mayor Hilldove's actions didn't really surprise him. The man had a particular brand of ruthless pragmatism.
"It gets worse." Lilith said. "Mayor Hilldove, in a further act of retaliation, launched a series of raids on nearby Dragon Lairs. Destroyed countless young dragons and unhatched eggs. A massacre."
Spark clenched a fist. That was a declaration alright. Not just a defense. But an active, aggressive hunt. The dragons wouldn't let that stand.
"Dragon Emissaries attempted to reach the capital city of Avianest Kingdom, Eagledome." Lilith went on. Her gaze met Spark's in bafflement.
"They intended to demand Mayor Hilldove's life as reparation. The King of Avianest, however, found their demands offensive. He met their arrival with Dragonbane Bombs. The emissaries were eradicated."
A chilling silence settled over the Sky Grimoire's deck. Spark stared out at the endless sky. But his mind was replaying the sequence of events.
The timing. The swiftness of the Dragonbane Bombs' deployment. The King's brutal response. It was too clean. Too precise.
"Suspicious." Spark said. The word was a gravelly sound in his mouth. "Very suspicious."
Melody and Serenade had approached. Their faces were mirroring Lilith's concern. Ivy had stopped her work. Grenades were lying forgotten on her table. Scarlett was a silent, watchful presence. Her eyes narrowed. They all understood the implications.
"The Avianest Kingdom..." Spark mused aloud. Mostly to himself. "... had so many Dragonbane Bombs. Such powerful, deadly weapons. Ready. Waiting."
He recalled the deaths of so many nobles in the capital. The political intrigues he had been dragged into. Was this another one? A grander, deadlier plot by the King and the higher-ups?
He ground his teeth. "But for what purpose? A manufactured war? To consolidate power? To expand territory? Or was it to test new weapons on a large scale?"
The answers were shrouded in mystery. He didn't have enough information to make an educated guess. But Spark had seen enough political schemes to distrust any seemingly straightforward narrative.
This grand war, ignited by an enraged mayor and accelerated by a callous king, felt designed. A setup. He felt the cold touch of his inherent trust issues. Confirming his gut feeling. No one could be truly trusted. Especially those in power.
He considered the possibility of interfering. Of investigating. But the thought was fleeting. He wasn't strong enough. Not yet. He had become powerful, yes.
But battling an entire kingdom and a furious dragon horde simultaneously was beyond his current capabilities. His priority, as always, was getting stronger. Which meant more Labyrinths to explore. More treasures to acquire. More power to absorb.
"Forget it." Spark ultimately declared. His voice was firm. Cutting through the heavy atmosphere. "It's not our fight. Not now. We stay out. They want to tear each other apart for whatever twisted reasons they have, let them. We have our own objectives."
His women nodded. Their loyalty was unwavering. Their focus shifted back to his command. They knew his priorities. They understood his cold, calculating logic. If he said a brewing war was irrelevant to their mission, then it was.
"Course correction?" Lilith asked, about to move to the helm.
"No." Spark said. A faint, almost imperceptible smirk touched his lips. "We hold our course. Kranecurry Sky Island. And the Palace Ruins of Gluttony there. That's still our next target."
The Sky Grimoire cut through the clouds. Leaving the distant rumblings of war behind. For two days, the journey was uneventful. The sea of clouds remained calm. The air was serene.
The women fell back into their routines. Honing their skills. Preparing for the next Labyrinth. Spark meditated, cultivated, and occasionally sparred with Lilith. He studied the rune archive in his mind. And designed some rough projects.
On the morning of the third day, the tranquility shattered.
A shrill, piercing cry ripped through the sky. Echoing above the gentle hum of the sloop. Lilith was the first to react. She pointed towards the thick clouds in the horizon. "Incoming!"
From the north, breaking through the white cloud, a dark one appeared. Growing rapidly. It was not a weather phenomenon. But a living, screeching storm. A flock of Thunder Rocs.
Their wings were vast and dark. Beating with incredible power. Generating crackling arcs of lightning that danced across their feathers. Their beaks were like jagged daggers. Their talons were as thick as a man's arm.
And they were heading straight for the Sky Grimoire.
Dozens of them. More than thirty. They weren't just passing. They were on a direct attack vector. Their cries escalated. A cacophony of predatory rage.
"Battle stations!" Spark roared to the women. His voice was cutting through the wind and the Rocs' cries. "Arrow! Activate the energy shield! Lower the sails! Reduce the movement speed!" He barked command to his golem navigator.
His seemingly friendly demeanor vanished. Replaced by the grim ferocity of a dominant predator. "They want a fight, we give them one!"
The women moved without hesitation. Lilith's Shadow Armor shimmered into existence. Her Tri-Element Handgun was already drawn, aimed. Her Flight Belt glowed. Ready to take her into the sky.
Ivy snatched her grenade launcher. A gleam of manic excitement was in her eyes as she loaded a cluster of frost grenades.
Melody and Serenade took their defensive positions on the observation deck. Their lutes were ready.
Scarlett moved in front of them. She deployed her Forcefield Buckler. Her other hand was drifting towards the eldritch handgun at her hip. A swarm of ferocious insects were already buzzing around her.
The first Thunder Roc dove toward their sky ship. It was a behemoth with wingspans easily matching a small skiff. Lightning arced from its body. Striking the sky sloop's protective mana shields with concussive force. The shield buckled. But held.
"Hold the line!" Spark bellowed.
His own body was already shifting into his Draconic Werelion. Muscles bulged, sinews tightened. He didn't bother to summon his Hellfire Rifle. He decided to indulge in a stupid decision this time. Fighting in melee. Against a flock of gigantic flying birds.
He instantly activated his crestmagic spell [Dragon Wings]. A pair of huge draconic wings sprouted from his back.
Another Thunder Roc charged the sky-ship.
Lilith fired. Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three shots. Each was imbued with a different element. A scorching flame bolt. A freezing shard of ice. And a crackling lightning strike. All coated the bullets aimed at the charging Roc.
The flame seared one wing. The ice encrusted another wing. But the lightning, amplified by the Roc's own inherent electricity, actually overloaded it. The creature shrieked. Spasmed. And plummeted into a smoking, crackling mess.
Lilith, and the others, were dumbfounded. Lightning was the weakness of Thunder Rocs? How the hell did that happen?
They could not ponder about it for long. Dozens more Thunder Rocs had charged. Undeterred by their fallen comrade. They were like living bolts of lightning. Fast and dangerous.
Ivy cackled. A wild, uncharacteristic sound. "Incoming!" She fired her grenade launcher. Three grenades arced through the air. Blossoming into clouds of super-chilled mist on impact with two of the diving Rocs.
Their wings, frozen stiff with cold, shattered as they tried to flap. Sending them spiraling downwards.
Melody and Serenade began to play their harmonious new song. The Sky of Miracles. Their lutes played a powerful, melodic chord.
Serenade's voice and music wove through the Rocs. A debilitating hum that caused their movements to become sluggish. Their lightning discharges began to flicker erratically.
Melody's part of the song, meanwhile, surged through the Sky Grimoire and its defenders. An invigorating melody that bolstered their power and sharpened their senses.
Scarlett stepped forward. Her eldritch handgun was tracking a target. She fired. A dark, deadly projectile struck a Roc's eye accurately. The creature shrieked.
But more terrifyingly, a swarm of tiny, buzzing specks erupted from its wound. Burrowing deeper. It was her newly crafted gu-bullet. Her gu-insects would devour the creature from the inside out.
The battle had just begun.