Life aboard the Skyfang settled into a surprisingly pleasant rhythm. While the Valkyries ran their ship with smooth efficiency, they welcomed us into their routines with an easy warmth that reminded me of being part of something larger.
For me, most mornings were spent training. Mae and Lira insisted that I start with the basics of explosion magic before trying anything too ambitious. The first spell in my new book was laughably titled [Baby Boom], but it was no joke once I saw what it could do.
With Mae coaching and Lira observing critically, I stood on the deck and raised my pistol. I channeled mana through the barrel, letting it hum and vibrate in my hand before pulling the trigger.
Bang!
The straw target set up at the far end of the deck erupted, its head bursting into a puff of flying hay.
Alenya, the Valkyrie archer, let out a low whistle. "That's… the baby version?"
"For most people no, but Master has a huge mana pool." Mae grinned smugly. "Imagine the adult version."
Kaelen, the wolf-kin warrior, barked a laugh. "Remind me never to be on the wrong end of that."
Lira crossed her arms, eyes glinting with pride. "He's a quick learner. And unlike most mages, he doesn't waste time flailing around with theory."
I holstered my pistol with a satisfied smile. "Simple, effective, and it works. That's good enough for me."
During our breaks, the Valkyries peppered us with questions. They already knew Mae from her casino escapade on Sale, and news of Dwargon's downfall had clearly spread.
"So," Veyra, the demon sorceress, said one evening, leaning against the railing with a smirk, "is it true? Did you actually shoot Dwargon and then, what was it?, drop coins into his chest?"
Mae clapped gleefully before I could answer. "Oh, it's true. Every single coin owed to him, one by one. Master here has a flair for the dramatic."
The Valkyries burst into laughter. Alenya nearly doubled over, and even the usually stern Kaelen wiped tears from her eyes.
"That's dark," Serana, their captain, said once she caught her breath, "but I have to admit, it's hilarious. A fitting end for a scumbag like him."
I shrugged. "He gave me a choice. He didn't like the one I picked."
Mae leaned close, her grin devilish. "See? Isn't my master delightfully ruthless?"
Lira groaned. "Stop calling him that in front of everyone."
"Oh, but it suits him." Mae flicked her eyes toward the Valkyries. "Don't you girls agree? He has the aura of a proper master, doesn't he?"
Alenya smirked. "Careful. Keep talking like that and you'll have us wondering if we should devote ourselves too."
"Tempting," Miri, the cat-kin pilot, added with a giggle, "but I'm married to the sky. Ships and stars, that's enough love for me."
Their banter left Lira hiding her face behind her hands while Mae preened like she'd won a grand contest.
The days drifted by with a mix of work, training, and simple pleasures. In the evenings, Lira and I would sit together on the deck, a pair of cigars glowing between us as we watched the sky shift from gold to violet. She'd lean against me, her golden eyes soft, smoke curling around her like a halo.
"Don't get used to this," she'd tease, exhaling a slow stream of smoke. "When we're back at the Academy, it's going to be work, work, work."
"Then I'll enjoy it while it lasts," I always replied.
Mae often joined us, dragging a small crate of bourbon samples she seemed determined to "educate" me with. She'd swirl the amber liquid in her glass and launch into lectures on notes of oak, vanilla, or spice.
"See, Master, this one pairs beautifully with cigars like yours," she'd say, sliding me another glass. "Take a sip, then a puff, then notice how the flavors mix. This is culture."
Lira would roll her eyes. "You just want an excuse to drink."
"And you just want an excuse to hog him all to yourself," Mae shot back.
The Valkyries sometimes joined our little circle, adding their own stories of skyfaring: ambushes by sky devils, runs through storm belts. The laughter came easy, and for once, I felt like I belonged in their world rather than intruding on it.
On the fourth day, the easy atmosphere shifted.
It began with a shout from the lookout perched high above. "Sails on the horizon! Bearing north-east, closing fast!"
Serana strode to the deck, spyglass in hand. Her jaw tightened. "Damn it. Pirates."
A chill swept through me as I followed her gaze. Sure enough, against the endless blue of the sky loomed a vessel flying the skull-and-bones. Its black sails billowed ominously, the painted symbol grinning as if daring us to resist.
The Valkyries snapped into action, their relaxed camaraderie vanishing into crisp, disciplined efficiency. Kaelen began sharpening her blade; Alenya checked the tension of her bowstring. Veyra's hands glowed faintly as she murmured spells under her breath.
Serana turned to us. "You wanted a real taste of skyfaring? Here it is. Stay sharp."
I rested my hand on my pistol grip, the hum of mana already rising in my chest. Lira moved beside me, eyes hard as steel. Mae clapped her hands once, the glint of excitement in her gaze unmistakable.
"Oh, this is going to be fun," she whispered.
The friendly voyage had just become something else entirely.