The closer we got to the airship, the better we were able to grasp just how massive it really was. By the time we reached the platform leading to the bridge that connected it to the city of Tankara, its massive balloon was completely hiding the sun.

However, for all of its size and posture, the airship could easily be taken down by a spellcaster. Granted, any spell thrown at it would fizzle out as soon as it got close to it, but a large projectile would be able to pierce the balloon without a problem.

Any kind of bolt would not be stopped by the magic-nullifier but I thought the engineers of Tankara already knew that much. This vehicle was probably only meant for transportation and not for warfare.

We went inside a building that stood between us and the bridge and took our place at the back of a line of people who were most probably waiting to purchase passage. The procedure here was much faster and easier than the one we’d been through when trying to board the train to Tankara.

It turned out that the security was indeed much more lenient, as the only magic-nullifiers were two rather small beacons on the door before entering the building. Our conversation with the person responsible for collecting money and letting people on board was swift and to the point, without her reading out any kind of doctrines on paper.

After all, this ship was traveling toward a nation that used magic items extensively. Perhaps the journey from Snjokomu back here would be monitored much more closely.

We received two pieces of paper serving as proof of our payment and were prompted to walk across the long bridge leading to the airship. The bridge itself was made out of iron but even so, we could not help but worry as we crossed it. The path was narrow, the winds strong, and looking through the grills of the bridge down into the misty abyss below us did not help at all.

With great effort not to show our hesitation or concern, we crossed the bridge and were guided by two guards to an enclosed area at the back of the balloon. There were many tables and benches for people to be seated, while at the hind section of the spacious room was a double staircase leading to a corridor with lots of doors on both sides.

I assumed that these were the rooms people could rent while traveling, as the lady who received our payment had informed us. We decided against renting a room since we did not plan on sleeping during the trip, which was supposed to last around ten hours. Instead, we chose a small table next to a large window that allowed us to look at the view outside, and waited until the airship would leave.

More and more people boarded the gigantic air vessel and pretty soon the large hall was full of people talking to each other. A steady flow of men and women walking up the stairways and down the corridor implied that there was probably another hall like the one we were sitting in at the other end of the ship. I wanted to explore, but kept myself in line so we would not lose our seats.

Not more than an hour later, I heard a loud noise resembling powerful winds from outside of the hall and the airship started moving upward very slowly. The people, the buildings, even the mountains, became smaller as we reached higher and higher before the noise outside stopped.

Our ascent was now much slower and soon I realized we were not gaining height anymore but were rather moving. Moving south.

***

A couple of hours passed with both of us marveling at the view out the window next to us. The scenery was unbelievable and something we had never thought possible.

Even magical flying required a lot of mana and was a concentration spell that was not easy to maintain, much less recast in case of failure in midair. This, however, was peaceful as a dream, though no dream would ever have been able to create such magnificent images because they were so foreign to us.

The soft hues of the green fields intermingled with the darker greens of forests and the crystal blues of lakes mirroring the sky. A sight described in so many tales that I’d only hoped to be able to witness once I was an accomplished spellcaster.

Yet even the most vivid imagination and the best storytellers could not do it justice. And just as I thought I had reached the pinnacle of what a mortal’s eyes could experience, I saw thick white clouds approaching us.

The loud sound we heard when we took off was now even louder and I could tell we were ascending again, faster than before. But the clouds caught up to us and even though they didn’t look as menacing as storm clouds, the feeling of suddenly not being able to see anything out of the window made me feel trapped. Thankfully, the feeling subsided the higher we ascended and the whiter the clouds became.

The sun’s brightness filled the room through the windows once more, much more luminous than before. Once our eyes adjusted to the immense brightness, I looked out through the window again and was left speechless at the sight before me.

Blue sky and white puffy clouds as far as the eye could see. The room fell silent momentarily as everyone moved to the windows to soak in as much of the brilliance as possible. This was something that I’d never even heard described in tales. It was something unique. Something divine.

***

Over the next six hours, the clouds came and went, giving us hints of the weather the people on the surface were experiencing. The dark greens gradually became lighter until we started seeing patches of white here and there. We spent some time exploring the ship in turns, so that someone would always be able keep an eye on our things and seats.

It turned out that there was indeed an identical room on the other end of the corridor. However, not much else was available on the ship itself apart from restrooms. Eventually, we defaulted to talking about Kai’s favorite spellcaster and his adventures—a safe enough conversation for such a public place.