The wind blew wistfully past Nar’s shocked expression, and below him, blocked by a single, skinny looking handrail, the ship's hull curved down and out of sight. Beyond that, the clouds and vastness of the Labyrinth tunnel stretched endlessly, with the massive cubes that made its walls just vague outlines in the distance.

  “Crystal…” Kur whispered at his side. “I don’t like this.”

  “No,” Gad said. “Me neither.”

  “Kur’s party?” a gravelly voice asked from behind.

  “Yes, sir! That’s us!” Kur said, snapping to attention.

  They turned around and a large man chuckled raggedly at them. “No need for that. The name’s Mynap, undead for 11 years, and a storm glider for 18. I’ll be your squad leader and you can just call me Mynap. Like my mother always said, the name was too expensive not to use, you know?”

  “Ah, yes…” Kur said, nodding awkwardly at the man’s self-made joke.

  Another undead, Nar thought. If the man’s flaking and decaying skin wasn’t enough of a telltale sign, his large trio of bright glowing, green eyes were. But I wonder what race he is…

  “Alright, gather up,” Mynap called, beckoning for two other parties to join them. “This is Lil’s party, that’s Kur’s party, and these guys are Hoz’s party. So, say hi! You’re going to be keeping each other alive!”

  The apprentices waved awkwardly at one another, sizing up the parties that would be fighting alongside them in the wild confluence to come. Lil was an altei like Kur, except her hair was a pale gray instead of pale blond, and Hoz was a lengos, her eyes a bright neon orange.

  “Alright, pay attention now, this stuff is simple, but important!” Mynap told them. “And if you have questions, just raise your hand, okay? Good, come on over here then.”

  They followed the tall, large man to a thick railing that was stuck to the hull of the ship at about Nar’s stomach height. It reflected the light in a faded gray, pearlescent like effect, reminding Nar of his own sword's chromatic purple, and Mynap rapped his knuckles against it.

  “This thing is made from true steelium. That means it's made from pure aether infused metals, mostly ireium and carbonium. Steelium is a metalium, and the other two are mineralium. It's what you get when aether consolidates into and changes an ore vein… But to put it into a term you’ll all understand, this is aetherium.”

  As one, the apprentices gasped and stepped back from the metal bar as their worker instincts kicked into overdrive.

  “Don’t worry, this sort of stuff is inert. It’s not dangerous, unlike some of the other stuff you guys handle down in the cubeplants,” Mynap said, motioning them forward once again with a grimace. “That nasty stuff is what’s used for active aetherium use, like circuits, wires, reactors, engines and so on… You won’t see any of that stuff out in the open, so no need to be so afraid of aetherium, alright?”

  Eh… Nar thought, keeping his expression neutral. We got a pile filled with that active stuff just sitting there in the middle of the cubeplant.

  However, just like nobody else said anything, Nar too kept his thoughts to himself. It was pretty bizarre though to be standing right next to a functional piece of aetherium, after all those years of thinking of it as trash.

  “Now, why am I telling you all of this stuff?” Mynap asked them. “It's so you know that this thing is not going to break. You’ll be dead long before this thing even cracks! It’s so tough, it’s one of the things that’s almost always found intact after a ship crashes. And why’s that matter to you, you might ask?”

  He pulled out something from his inventory, and Nar frowned at it.

  Is that a…

  “This thing’s got a complicated name, and an acronym to go with it, but for us, it’s a safety jump belt,” Mynap said. As he spoke, he pulled on a large ring stuck to the belt, and it came away from it, reminding Nar of his old crystalight, and when the undead pressed a button, the wire was sucked right back into the belt.

  “You’ve got to be fucking with me…” Mul said. “What do you mean jump?”

  Mynap chuckled raspily. “Why speak when I can just show you?”

  Still grinning, he slipped his legs into the belt straps, and tied the belt around his waist. Then, he secured the metal ring, which Nar noticed with a sinking sensation that it did not look like steelium. With that done, and after a few tentative tugs on the thin light gray wire connecting him to the railing, the undead lunged forward at a sudden run.

  Their jaws dropped as the man vaulted over the hull and jumped into the nothingness.

  “No, no, no, no!” Mul shouted, as all three parties rushed to the railing.

  Out of the corner of his eyes, Nar caught the other four squad leaders in their promenade jumping off as well.

  Crystal damn it! Why can’t anything be normal out here? Nar asked himself, as he rushed to the handrail. Then again, what was normal? He was aboard a massive, giant flying ship, and about to ride an aether storm, which seemed pretty normal to these storm gliders.

  “First!” Mynap shouted, bumping his fist up as he dangled horizontally from the ship, his feet planted firmly against the hull. “Woooohooooo!”

  Nar watched him and the other squad leaders jump up and down and sideways, and run across the ship's hull as though gravity had suddenly ceased to exist for them.

  “Are those things magnetic?” Nar heard Hoz ask Kur.

  “I don’t think so… We can’t use aether gear,” Kur said. “And I doubt they have two thousand anti-gravity aura boots on-board.”

  But suddenly, Mynap blazed upwards, and Nar had to pull Tuk out of the way as the large man came barreling up towards them. Mynap expertly grabbed hold of the railing as he came up, and somersaulted onto the promenade with a smoothness that spoke of a life time spend dangling from ships.

  “Jumping down is easy!” Mynap said, winking at them. “Problem’s coming back up!”

  “Why…” Tuk whispered, still holding onto Nar in pale fright.

  “If you’re a tank or ranged, the belt is just for safety,” Mynap explained, undeterred by the shock in his audience. “If you’re melee though… You got to jump.”

  Nar gulped and looked over the edge.

  “Why do we need to jump?” a buff morsvar asked for all of them.

  “Two reasons usually,” the undead said, lifting up to discolored dark red fingers. “Either someone got dragged down, and you need to go grab them before they die, like with raimels. Or something has latched onto the ship and is sucking us dry, as it's easier to suck out our concentrated aether than ambient one, even in a confluence.”

  “Does that happen a lot?” Kur asked.

  “Enough that we're talking about it,” Mynap said. “We should be clear of anything attacking the actual ship, but those raimels are nasty. Anyone gets dragged down and it’s a matter of saving a life, and rushing someone straight to the healers before it's too late. Those things don’t mess around.”

  “Can’t the belts just prevent us from being taken down?” Lil asked.

  “Better to go with it if you get wrapped up by one,” Mynap said, shaking his head. “Raimels will shred your spine to bloody bits trying to drag you down. Honestly, raimels are bad, bad. You see one, you deal with it before it becomes a bigger problem for everyone.”

  Mynap spread out his arms and a number of belts appeared in his hands, arms and around his feet.

  “Right, then. Everyone’s grabbing one, and everyone’s learning to jump,” the man said. “Even if you’re not melee, you never know what’s gonna happen, and if you stay with us for the two year delve, this won’t be your last time on the promenades. So come and grab one!”

  Nar picked up one of the belts, examining its straps, and considering the two buttons on its mechanism, one red, and one blue. The red one looked like any normal button he had ever seen, but on a closer look, the blue button turned out to be some kind of dial instead.

  “It’s like a crystalight belt…” Jul said, her green hair blowing in the wind as she felt the soft, yet durable black material with her fingers.

  “Except we are the crystalight,” Nar said, pulling gently on the large ring attached to it. The ring slid away from the belt without so much as a gentle tug, and it didn’t take Nar much to find that the red button pulled the ring back in.

  Tchak!

  “Ouch!” he muttered, shaking his hand.

  “You okay?” Jul asked.

  “Yeah... Watch your fingers,” he warned her.

  “Alright, let’s get those belts on, everyone,” he said, his S’s morphed to Z’s, just like Jarl and the other Undeadz of the gun decks. “Legs through first, then clasp the ring in front of you, and it has to be in front of you, or you won’t be able to use the buttons… Yeah, that’s it. Looking good, isn’t it?”

  He beamed at the gathering of apprentices before him, all staring either dubiously at him, or at their jump safety belts, the man’s enthusiasm clearly lost on them.

  “Right, first things first. Let’z give you guys a taste of that return kick before we have anyone going over the railing,” he said. “Any volunteers?”

  Jul’s hand shot up in the hair, shivering and shaking, and Nar’s eyes went wide with shocked surprise.

  “Jul?” he whispered.

  “I-I want to volunteer!” she stammered.

  “Ah! We got a brave one over there!” Mynap boomed. “Come on, apprentice, over here.”

  Jul stepped closer to the steelium railing and Mynap grabbed onto her ring.

  “Look, you see this protrusion here?” he asked her, leaning down to get closer to her height. “It means you can push in through there… Like this!”

  He pushed the ring against the steelium railing and a section of the ring slid backwards to allow the railing through. Once in, that section clicked back into place, and Mynap pushed and tugged on the ring in various directions to demonstrate that the section wouldn’t open again, and that the quam was now safely secured.

  “You’re safe now, yeah?” he asked Jul, smiling at the trembling quam. “If you want to open it again, you need to use your hands, twist it to the side, and push that bit back in, like this… You got it?”

  “Yes,” she said, gulping.

  “Good, now you try,” Mynap said. “Yes, that’s it… Push in… Then twist and pull it back. You got it!”

  He laughed and Jul managed to rally a tentative smile for the much bigger man.

  “Now, for the next part,” he said, shooing them away to open a clear path to the railings in the opposite direction. “Let's just walk to those railings there, and never, ever, clasp onto those! They’re nowhere as strong as the steelium, you hear?”

  They all mumbled affirmatively, and Nar watched as Jul took a few hesitant steps towards the railing, the wire stretching out at her side and behind her.

  “It's easier to do it facing the railing if you need to, for this bit,” Mynap said, for her, and for the rest of them. “But once you’re swinging, it’s best that you hold onto the string with one hand, and keep yourself balanced sideways so that your back is never to the hull. You can go horizontally, and up and down, but always keep sideways, or facing the hull. Or the wire can get twisted or you can lose your footing… Okay, yeah, that’s good enough.”

  He rubbed his hands, grinning, as Jul looked down to her clasp, and the big red button that would pull her back to the steelium railing.

  “Okay. So, the way that button works is that you either press it all the way down, and it will pull you all the way up, unless you press on it again, or you just press gently on it, holding your finger there, and then release the button when you’re where you want to be,” Mynap explained, demonstrating the different sounds his own button made. “Sounds complicated, but basically, just press down hard if you need to get back up to the promenade in a hurry. Better a broken face than dead, I always say! But for the most part, it’s better to control your ascend… So, whenever you’re ready, press the red button. But be careful to release it before you smash against the hull!”

  Jul nodded and licked her lips, taking quick and shallow breaths.

  I know you’re trying to be braver, Nar thought, considering all the eyes on the quam. But damn, Jul… This can’t be easy for you.

  Suddenly, Jul dashed forward with a strangled yelp, and came to a careening stop a mere half an inch from the railing. She leaned her head against the hull, and heaved with quick breaths, her shoulders shaking.

  “Wooohooo!” Mynap celebrated. “That's another one in the bag.”

  What’s he talking about? Nar wondered.

  “That was really good!” Mynap said, beaming at Jul. “Usually, apprentices always slam into the hull on their first try, so well done! Okay, everyone! Let’s all strap in now, yeah?”

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  Under his watchful eyes, they got strapped in and closed their rings on the steelium railing.

  “Okay, let's keep some distance between everyone… Nice! Alright! Go ahead. Knock yourselves out!” he said, and laughed at his own joke.

  Great… Nar thought, stepping away from the steelium railing, the wire stretching out behind him.

  “You alright?” Nar asked Kur, who looked somewhat green.

  Kur forced a smile onto his face. “This kind of stuff is not really for me, you know…”

  “You can do it,” Nar said, as they reached the external railing. “You want me to go first?”

  “Please.”

  Nar nodded and looked down at his jump safety belt, searching for the red button.

  “Alright… Here goes nothing.”

  He pressed the button and immediately jolted forward, his head snapping back against his neck with a sore recoil. His [Instinct] warned him, but he had already let go of the button, and

  like Jul, he found himself half a breath’s distance from slamming into the metal wall of the ship. His breath came up running, and his heartbeat thundered in his chest.

  Holy shit… What in the Pile? He thought.

  To be perfectly honest with himself, he wasn’t sure whether he had hated it or loved it, but before he had made his mind however, a shadow slammed dully against the hull next to him, followed by another loud thump, and Nar winced.

  “Ow…” Kur groaned, falling to his knees and holding onto his stomach.

  At his side, Gad did the same, except she had her hands to her face.

  “You-You guys okay?” Nar asked.

  On Gad’s other side, Jul repeated the same question.

  “No…” Kur muttered. “I think I broke something…”

  Around them, more choruses of startled pain followed after loud thuds, and Mynap walked down the line of downed, moaning apprentices, pointing a long, curved device at all of them as he passed by.

  “You’re fine!” he told Kur. “Nothing’s broken. Nothing serious damaged. Back on your feet and try again! You don’t want to still be figuring this stuff out by tomorrow morning!”

  Then he grunted at Jul and Nar. “Melee, I’m guessing? And with a lot of [Agility] and [Reflex]?”

  Nar nodded.

  “You’ll have it easy enough then,” he said, then he looked at Kur with a half-smile, half grimace. “Party leader’s not so much, I’m afraid… Come on kid, on your feet. We’ve got the whole day and night for this, but you want it done quick to have a proper rest tonight.”

  Nar pulled Kur up to his feet. “I’m alright! I’m alright! I’ll try again.”

  At his side, Gad grunted as well, a line of dark running down her nose, which, to Nar’s grimace, looked slightly skewed to the side. But, the tank had healed from worse…

  “That's the spirit,” Mynap said, nodding. “Keep trying kids! And I want you all stopping at least a foot away from the railing!”

  Nar and Kur walked back to the external railing, the party leader still holding onto his stomach, and looking even greener now.

  “Do you… Want to go first this time?” Nar asked his party leader.

  Kur sighed and shrugged. “Sure. Pain now, or pain in a few seconds…”

  He squared himself, facing the wall with his feet slightly bent and spaced apart, then pressed the button. Again, Kur was whisked forward, and Nar couldn’t help looking away.

  THUMP! THUMP!

  Kur dropped down again, groaning and holding onto his stomach once more, and at his side, Gad had seemed to manage to protect her face the second time around, but had hit the railing instead, and was in a better but similar state to Kur, her [Constitution] and [Toughness] shielding her a lot better.

  Nar shared a grimace with Jul. “This is going to take a while.”

  “Yeah…” she said with a pained expression.

  *********

  “Alright! Now, this is where the fun begins!” Mynap shouted, standing with his feet atop the external railing, his long, frazzled orange hair dancing in the gentle breeze. “You see the blue button on the side here? For this one, you move it up or down, and it tightens or loosens the wire. It only triggers when there’s weight on it, and you tighten it to slow your way down, or to fully stop in the air. When you press the red button, the dial snaps back down and up you go, you get it?”

  Nar shook his head, feeling the little dial at his waist with a confused finger.

  I can’t believe I’m about to do this, he thought, staring at the external railing, beyond which there was nothing but open air and shimmering clouds with hints of pearlescent rainbow colors.

  “Alright, who’s…”

  A loud clanking sounded from above them, rhythmically, and Nar snapped his head upwards. Gun spheres were coming down from their resting slots, zipping down towards them, and inside each of them, crammed up Undeadz waved, laughed, and pointed at them, each gun stopping at different levels to stare at a different promenade.

  “We got an audience!” Mynap shouted, waving back with a big grin. “Alright kids, let’s do this proper, or you’ll end up in this year's Dumb Apprentices Face Planting the Hull video!”

  “Seriously?” Mul muttered, staring up at the closest sphere.

  Two squished undeads, a man and woman of a race Nar had never seen, waved and hollered at them, giving them their thumbs and some kind of claw up. And a slight buzzing drew Nar’s attention again, and this time, he found several small black dots zipping across the air on translucent, fast wings. They could only be one thing, as Nar had come to learn.

  “Just what I needed…” Kur said, passing a hand over his short pale hair. “I’m definitely getting in that video.”

  Tuk chuckled at him, looping a double elbowed arm around him. “Don’t worry. We can all laugh at you later!”

  “Sounds fucking great, Tuk,” Kur said, throwing him a glare.

  “Alright, who wants to go first?” Mynap asked. “And preferably someone with some good movement attributes! And no, you can’t go again, Jul! I want a new volunteer!”

  Nar looked up at the undeads and their flying cameras, and sighed inwardly.

  Fine… I’ll just get it done, he thought.

  He didn't want to, but at the same time, it was hard to simply hide back and fear being picked. His master had explained to him that his earlier fears had been unfounded, in part at least. No matter what kind of thoughts someone harbored, it was their actions that counted towards “you are what you do”. So, it was okay to be scared, but not so okay to let fear impact his actions, and a few times of fear driven hesitation was alright, but multiple times, a clear trend, was not, and would reflect poorly on his path eventually. So he might as well just do it, rather than risk it, so he raised his hand.

  “Nice! Two volunteers!” Mynap said, clapping his hands.

  Eh?

  Nar looked around him and found Viy staring at him, her hand also raised above her head, her fingers curling in uncertainty. She looked shocked at him, then slowly, a smile spread over her lips, and Nar shook his head at her, making her smile grow into a fully-fledged grin.

  Guess we’re thinking the same… Nar thought. Or maybe Viy had just been selfless and wanted to spare someone else in their party from being picked.

  “Right! Up on the railing, you two! You can jump at the same time and we can see who does it best!” Mynap shouted, beckoning them forward with both hands.

  He’s having a blast, isn't he? Nar thought bitterly. With a deep breath, he climbed up the indents built onto the railing, and the wind ruffled his hair, welcoming him to the great, wide, open sky.

  Crystal! He thought, looking down at the long wall of the hull and the clouds drifting beneath them.

  “Right, so, I don’t want to see a scaredy descent!” Mynap said, placing a hand each on their shoulders. “I want a proper jump!”

  Nar grimaced but nodded, doing his best not to frown at the undead’s unbalancing hand on his shoulder. On the man’s other side, Viy simply stared at the void with a dazed smile on her lips.

  “When I tell you to, you’re going to jump down, and immediately start counting to five!” Mynap continued. “When you reach five, you slowly turn the dial until you stop! Now be careful! I don’t want you guys smashing into the promenade below us!”

  Nar leaned further forward, and indeed, below them, a good several hundred feet or so, there was another promenade directly below them. Now that he was looking, there were several promenades, distanced across the side of the ship, and it looked as though they had been built to allow delvers to jump down without needing to worry too much about turning to bloody goo upon another promenade.

  Still, the fact that it was a possibility added another knot to his stomach.

  “Alright, that's it! I told you it was simple!” Mynap said. “Once you stop, count to ten, then come back up, and let’s see if you can stick the landing! Ready? One leg on the top of the railing then!”

  Nar nodded, and took a deep breath, readying himself for the countdown. His heart beat at a steady, heavy drum that pushed against his temples, and his stomach somersaulted inside him, the hull below coming in and out of focus.

  “3!” Mynap said. “2…”

  Nar gulped. Who would’ve thought I’d be…

  Mynap pushed him.

  For a split second, his brain failed to register what had just happened.

  His view tilted downwards, tipping as thought time itself had slowed down, as he inevitably fell forwards.

  That fucking piece of shit! Nar thought, as gravity shifted and reached to embrace him, and at his side, Viy screamed in mad delight!

  Nar shouted too, but there was no delight coming out of him.

  “Count!” Mynap’s receding voice shouted behind them.

  5! Nar thought.

  The wind whistled past his ears as he gained speed.

  4!

  Viy’s scream faded into the background, and he soon felt weightless. Free. Hurtling down and picking up speed.

  3…

  His heart slowed to a steady beat, and Nar’s eyes went wide, and everything went sharper. The clouds shone in a vibrant white with its many hues of ambient aether, and at his side, Viy’s hair was a long dark coil that had unraveled, and now snapped behind her, her eyes opened wide with what seemed to be true, and unadulterated joy.

  2.

  Thought fell behind, unable to keep up with his speed, and worries were forgotten, a blank, clear sharpness taking his mind. Below him, even the dull metal of the ship’s hull seemed to gleam in the light of the Labyrinth, even as the other promenade reached up to him.

  1… It’s beautiful…

  What was, he didn’t know. The ship? The clouds? Being alive?

  He didn’t know, but he was filled with a sudden sorrow as he reached for the blue dial, flailing in the air as the promenade below him rushed up to receive him. In a state of sudden panic, he flipped it too hard, and he grunted as his descent was suddenly stopped, and he was crushed against the side of the ship.

  Viy zipped past him, her belt and wire shrieking, and she came to a much smoother halt as he scrambled to get his feet under him and stand horizontally, just as he’d seen Mynap do.

  “Are you okay?” she asked him, looking up. She still had a massive grin plastered on her face, and she radiated energy, her features glowing as her long, dark ponytail swung in the wind.

  “Y-Yeah…” Nar said.

  Damn it, that hurt! He thought, trying to keep his face composed. There was a camera right in front of him! Did they get that?

  He sighed. Ugh… Whatever.

  “Yes!” Viy shouted, lifting both her arms and dangling from the side of the ship. “That. Was. Awesome! Again!”

  Nar shook his head, but laughter bubbled out of him.

  It was awesome, he realized, and going again wouldn’t be so bad…

  His heart thundered in his chest now, not with fright or fear, but with joy and raw excitement, and adrenaline coursing through his veins. That moment of freedom, of letting go and accepting the fall… Of enjoying the jump. He only ever got that sometimes while fighting, when he fully let go, and as he laughed alongside Viy, he realized that he very much enjoyed that feeling.

  “Come back up!” Mynap shouted from above them, just as apprentices from other squads all leaped into their first jump.

  “Ready?” Viy asked him, winking. “This is the hard part!”

  Nar grinned and nodded. “Let’s do this!”

  The two of them hit their buttons and the mechanism holding them in place released. Nar shot upwards, but the feeling wasn’t as liberating as falling had been. Not to mention, this time he needed to worry about the railing rushing down to meet him.

  Wait! He didn’t tell us how to…

  It was too late however. With barely seconds before he crashed onto the railing and then got dragged, tumbling, onto the promenade and the hull in front of everyone and cameras, he raised his hands, his [Sight] zooming in on that fast-approaching metal railing.

  Near the very top, he kicked the hull, propelling himself outwards, like he’d seen the undead do, and at the same time, he let go of the red button. However, he was only half successful, and his left hand fumbled the grab onto the railing, flipping him into an uncontrolled spin. But instead of the hard promenade floor, he landed against something soft instead.

  “Oof!” Mynap grunted, as the two of them crumbled down on the promenade, the undead taking the brunt of it.

  Nar quickly rolled off of him.

  “Shit! I’m sorry!” he said. “Are you okay?”

  Mynap burst out laughing, and Nar sighed in relief.

  “You alright?” Jul asked, rushing to him with Mul.

  “I’m fine,” he said, panting. “Viy?”

  Jul smiled and pointed with her thumb. Viy was gracefully perched atop the railing, beaming a glorious smile for all to see, and the rest of their squad was gathered around her, all of them talking very excitedly and at the same time.

  “Tough luck,” Mul said, slapping Nar’s back. “You’ve got better [Reflex], but your [Dexterity] sucks.”

  “Yeah…” Nar said, leaning back.

  Nothing he could say to that. He had 5 points in [Dexterity] and Viy had 25. Due to her fast, and often insane looking spear moves and twirls, she was a lot better with her hands than he could ever hope to be, and it had shown. When the spear wilder caught him staring at her, she grinned, giving him a thumbs down, and Nar shook his head, gracefully accepting his defeat.

  “Alright!” Mynap said, rising to his full height again. “You guys did exactly what I thought you would do!”

  Nar frowned up at him. “What do you mean? We did what you said!”

  Mynap chuckled. “Nobody said you had to do it all at once, though!”

  Nar froze mid protest, his brain catching up to the big man’s words.

  “Oh, for fucks sakes…” he muttered.

  Their squad burst out laughing.

  “You looked pretty cool, though,” Tuk said, leaning next to Nar, and clasping his shoulder. “Until you didn’t!”

  “Thanks, man. I appreciate it,” Nar grumbled at him. “I really do.”

  “That’s definitely going in that video,” Mul said. “Hey, Mynap. Do we get to see that video, too?”

  “Of course! Everyone does!” Mynap said, grinning. “Alright! Everyone over the railing! You’re going to jump down, and slowly stop! Then, on my say so, you’re going to slowly come back up! Slowly! I don't want anyone dashing back up unless you’re sure you’re gonna stick the landing. I’m not catching anyone else!”

  Nar grumbled inwardly as he picked himself back up.

  Whatever… he said, holding his head up to hide his wounded pride. I still did it!

  Kur clapped his back as he took position on the railings again.

  “Thanks, man. No, I mean it!” he said. “You covered for us, and you showed us to be careful. That was nice of you.”

  “Bah! I just didn’t want to skew my path by being scared,” Nar told him honestly. “Sorry.”

  Kur shrugged, still smiling. “Eh, the result’s the same. And don’t worry, I don’t think you’re going to be the last apprentice to screw up today, nor make it into that video!”

  “Yeah…” Nar said, grinning predatorily at Kur.

  “Hey! Not like that, man!” Kur said. “Not cool!”

  Nar laughed. “Shut up and get up there!”

  The party leader clenched his jaw and slowly climbed to the top of the railing with trembling arms.

  “Crystal…” he breathed, staring down.

  “Woooo! Watch out!” Mul shouted, holding onto Kur’s back and tilting him forward, and Kur screamed and latched onto the railings.

  “Hey! Don’t do that!” Mynap shouted. “No messing around on the railing!”

  Nar stifled his laughter asKur stared balefully at the brawler.

  “I’m going to remember this!” he hissed. “Not like you’re not scared of heights or anything!”

  “What are you talking about? I just lost my balance there!” Mul said, feigning innocence. “Besides, I’m not scared! I just like my feet on the floor! What’s wrong with that?”

  “Alright, no messing around now! On the count of three, everyone jumps down,” Mynap said. “If you don’t, I’m pushing you!”

  Nar smiled at Kur. “It’s fine. Feels kinda nice actually.”

  “You’re insane…” Kur muttered.

  “Three. Two. One… Jump!” Mynap shouted.

  This time under his own power, Nar leaped forward, embracing the free fall once again.

  It really isn’t that bad… He thought, with a large grin plastered over his face.

  He cast a quick glance around him, to check on the others, and saw that He and Viy had been the first ones down, with Viy actually below him by a few feet.

  Tuk had his eyes wide open, his mouth frozen in a silent scream he couldn’t tell if it came from a place of joy or absolute, sheer terror, while Jul had a very comical frown on her face, staring very seriously below her as though she couldn’t quite decide if she was enjoying herself or not. And at her side, Gad's eyes and mouth were firmly shut.

  On his other side, Kur had his eyes wide open, his face frozen on a mask of clear, and obvious horror, while Mul just looked grumpy, and rather than down, he was staring up at his sister, who must have hesitated, and was still high above them. The caster was screaming at the top of her small lungs, while beyond and a few feet below Cen, Rel was falling downwards with an uncertain smile on her lips.

  Nar glanced back down, keeping track of his mental countdown, and this time, as he reached one, instead of flipping hard on the blue dial, he eased it up gently. As a result, he came to a much smoother halt, and sound rushed back to him, bringing with it Viy’s laughter.

  “So? So?” she asked Tuk and Jul.

  They were both above her, though Tuk was by far the highest one, his face contorted in a mask of pain.

  “Ugh… I hurt something,” he mumbled, dangling face up and bumping against the hull in the gentle breeze.

  Jul just looked down in a daze, though her feet were firmly planted on the ship’s hull, and Viy laughed at the two of them.

  “Are you guys alright?” Nar asked both Gad and Kur, who had unfortunately also yanked hard on their blue dials.

  “Yeah…” Gad muttered, slowly spinning round, trying to get her feet to stay on the ship.

  “No!” came Kur’s reply. “There was nothing enjoyable about this, man!”

  Nar chuckled.

  As for the other three, Mul and Rel were hovering close by to Cen, who seemed to be hyperventilating. Mul wore a very unhappy expression, but other than that, he seemed to be taking it well enough, his concern for his sister trumping his discomfort for heights.

  It must be rough, if you don’t have the physical attributes for it, Nar thought, looking from the caster, to Kur and to Tuk, who seemed to be the worst hit in the party. Hopefully, they won’t need to jump down. None of us will.

  It was all good fun and cheer to jump off the side of the ship into clear skies and gentle, warm breezes, but he was sure it was going to be a completely different story inside an aether storm filled with ravenous, frenzied beasts.

  “Good job, kids!” Mynap’s voice trailed from above. “Now come back up! Slowly! We’re going to keep doing this until everyone's got the hang of it!”

  “Fucking great,” Kur muttered.

  Nar smiled and shook his head. It was barely 10:30AM. Some people were about to have a really, really, long day.