Chapter 122 – Choking Fire-point (1)

The sun was covered by gray clouds when Joshua watched Archie performed absurd moves. His moves consisted of him producing a weapon made of dirt blazing with fire. And performing things Joshua didn’t remember he could. By the time he was done with his drills. Archie turned to Joshua who looked like he can answer some questions. “Bloody hell,” Joshua said. “When did you have superpowers?” Archie smiled tiredly. “I got lucky. Found some old bracelet that peddlers were selling. Bought it and before I know it I had these tattoo on my body.” He rolled his sleeves, showing rune-like tattoos on his arms.

Joshua observed his tattoo with a fixed expression. “So what exactly happened?” Archie sat cross-legged while swinging his stiffed right arm. “The runes entered my body and before long I started practicing them,” Joshua nodded. “I see. Is there any drawbacks to your power?” Archie shook his head. “Aside from being exhausted to death. But I think I prefer a gun or a rifle. They are useful but not that useful when bullets fly faster than I could see them. I can turn my skin as hard as a rock. But that’s it really,” He shrugged his shoulders.

After that conversion Joshua watched Archie return down below the deck. There was someone playing on the deck. The little Cattus girl and the little pup were playing tag with each other. Zola was squatting with her hands on her knees, curiously watching the cat-eared girl. She was particularly cold and distant. But the sight of what she calls as a cute cat-girl made her observe keenly.

Joshua joined her. Zola nodded at him. “Cat-eared girls, though I expected them to have normal ears like ours. But I guess that would only mean that they’d have four ear’s,” Joshua said. “Well that’ seem to how they are,” Zola acknowledged. “Though is strange that my Omni-forge seemed to be detecting a strange energy around her and her big sister. It is the same as that abomination I fought,” Joshua raised an eyebrow. “Probably their God’s blessing. I heard that they have that here.”

Zola looked at Joshua as if he was joking at first. But then she reminded herself that this was a foreign world. Her hair whipped like a banner of a waving flag. “So God’s are real here?” she said. Joshua shrugged his shoulders and sat cross-legged on the floor. “Hell if I know? This world’s weird and if their God’s caring then that’s that.”

Zola mouthed twitched. She frowned as if she wanted to complain. “What a nice world it is then,” there was a tinge of jealousness on her tone. “I hope our God back on earth was as caring as they do here.” Joshua pursed his lips and said. “Well, the fact that we are still alive means God’s looking out for us one way or another.” She craned her eyes to Joshua. She seemed like she had something to say but gracefully gave up on articulating it. “That’s good enough for me I guess.”

Then she stared at Kioko who was joyfully playing around. Joshua narrowed his eyes at that scene before turning his head up where he could see the clouds moves, the glaring sun seemed like it would vaporize the clouds. There were various winged creatures that seemed to be flocking above the flying airship. But seeing that they don’t seem to be taking action. Joshua found no reason to fear them. Of course, he listened to his paranoia and still made it easy for him to draw his rifle whenever those things suddenly decide to dive in and poke the flying airship’s balloon.

...

Food wasn’t a problem on the ship. Archie and the other had stocked up on food and water. That was no surprised to Joshua knowing that the lady was evading the Templars. The food was meant for them. Joshua had food and water which Zola carried with her belt that could minimize them to a degree. Still, they accepted the food that was given. Joshua found no reason to refuse them.

Of course, he had one thing to really complain about, it was the food. The taste was not satisfactory. But he just can’t suddenly stand up, and say how badly tasting the food was. To him, it lacked flavor and was rather bland. It probably got hastily made, he thought. So he just had to internally make due.

Luckily, Barbados wanted to check the airship after a few days of flying. He landed it on a forest clearing where Joshua was finally able to cook for himself. He made a pot of meat stew and implored the people he was riding with to eat. They seemed to like it enough to leave the pot empty. Kioko, in particular, was happy about the food. Archie was smiling up to his ear while Barbados complimented Joshua for the food.

Joshua was about to sip on some moonshine he made when the dwarf smelled it. Swaggering about, the dwarf asked enthusiastically and seeing Barbados wanting to try it out. Joshua shared the moonshine, only to despair when Barbados took a liking to it. He owed the dwarf for helping them in the city of storms so he let him drink the moonshine, shedding a tear stealthily.

Under the afternoon sun, Joshua rested. He looked at the horizon and took in the fresh air before hunkering down a few steps away from the airship. Barbados had slept with the moonshine on hand. No way for them to fly without him so Joshua thought he might as well rest, trying to savor the feeling of soil beneath his feet. Flying on an airship was nice but feeling the hard ground curbs his paranoia down.

The others were camping around the fireplace where Joshua cooked. Meanwhile, Zola and Titus were just around the corner of his eyes. He decided to might as well rest for a moment. The sailing has taken them days already and by Barbados's estimate, it would take another three or five days to finally reach the borders of the Holy Midland. Although Mia claims that they could pass the borders by right of neutral nobility. Joshua had this tingling on his palms that made him trust his streak of paranoia.

He expects that it wouldn’t be smooth sailing. And by the time they would’ve gone past the borders. Joshua wished he prepared more than he should have. Though there was nothing that he could do to prepare for what was going to happened.