Yuel and Nazyr led the way over well-trodden paths of sand and crushed shells between the collection of ramshackle huts.

Even down here, things were lively. Small clusters of people hung around, chatting and drinking, huddled together on mossy rocks or wicker chairs green from algae.

A group of gaunt-looking men bundled up in thick cloaks of woven kelp stared at them as they passed by. Something about their party's appearance was clearly giving away that they didn't belong down there.

Perhaps their clothing was too clean, or their hair and nails too well-groomed. Or perhaps it was the fact that their skin wasn't weathered and pale as only the skin of someone who spent most of their waking hours down in a mine below the driftline could be.

Whatever it was, Rylan drew his cowl a bit tighter around his face and kept his eyes firmly in front of him. This was no time to be getting into any kind of altercation.

Thankfully, no one was brave or stupid enough to stop the small group of clearly well-equipped strangers, and they made their way through the winding alleys unscathed until, eventually, the houses started to thin.

Next to Rylan, Leahna blew out a breath. "Great Spirits," she muttered. "I knew the people down here lived in squalor, but... I had no idea what that would look like. I thought it'd be more like the poorer streets of South Harbour. This is..."

She shook her head.

"Yeah," Rylan agreed quietly. "It's pretty bad, huh? But rough places breed rough people, so keep your wits about you."

Leahna swallowed, and straightened her back.

[Don't worry, Big Sis,] Arphin sent to both of them. [No one will get the drop on you with me and Izzy here!]

She smiled. "Thanks, lil' bro."

This far out from the cliffs, the terrain started to change. The flat downward slope transformed into rolling hills—or dunes, rather. The path Yuel and Nazyr led them on started to wind around large deposits that appeared to consist mainly of broken shells, gravel, and sand, the loose material kept from drifting off on the wind by patches of moss and errant strands of young blue kelp. The buoyant plants swayed in the slowly churning fog, tiny luminescent bulbs spreading an eerie glow across the cloudbed.

The occasional shack was dug and built into the side of such a dune, making use of the natural shelter on one side to keep out the worst of the cold.

Eventually, they arrived at a building unlike any other. Though to be honest, calling it a building was pushing it.

At the very crest of a dune stood a massive spiralling shell with the tip pointing straight up. A hole had been carved into the side facing them, and sealed with a bamboo door.

For some reason, Rylan wasn't all that surprised when Yuel practically skipped up the uneven stone steps to the door and proceeded to knock.

After a moment, there was a noise like clattering on the ground followed by some muted swearing. Footsteps audibly approached the door, which, after some clanking and clicking, swung inward with a hiss, seemingly unaided.

On the other side stood a stocky woman with a round face and frizzy, lightly greying hair, wearing a leather apron and gloves, and wielding a massive, four-limbed harpooncaster with a crank on the side, trained right at them. "Ah, Yuel!" she said, casually lowering the intimidating weapon. "You're here, good, good... What are you waiting for? Come on in!"

"Thanks for the warm welcome, Raya," Yuel replied sarcastically, lowering his raised hands. "Did you forget our reservation?"

"Hmm? No no, of course not," Raya replied, impatiently waving them inside. "Strange happenings are afoot. It pays to be cautious. Next time, pick a more decent hour to meet, will ya?"

"Ah, but you know all the really fun stuff happens after midnight, don't you?" Yuel replied as he led them inside.

"Hah!" Raya barked. "I don't need to know what you get up to, Yuel. I don't ask questions, remember?"

"And that's why we love you."

The moment the last of them had stepped through the doorway, Raya pulled a lever on the wall, causing a hissing sound to erupt from some cylinders connected to the door. With a loud creak, it swung shut, revealing that the back was plated with steel. Next, a wheel at the centre of the door performed a quarter turn, causing steel bolts to lock it into place.

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For a moment, Rylan's heartbeat spiked at the thought of being trapped. However, Raya was no Quinthar, nor were there any around but him and Leahna, so after a moment, he allowed himself to relax and take in his surroundings.

To his surprise, most of the internal walls of the shell had been busted open, turning the interior into a wide-open, roughly circular area, with the spiralling dome above them supported by a central pillar of shell.

The space inside, rather than a home, looked like a garage, full of workbenches, tools, pipes, and gears. It took Rylan a moment to realise there was actually a ladder leading to a second floor, higher up in the shell, where he glimpsed a hammock.

His attention was drawn to the rear of the space, where the original, massive opening of the shell was had been covered by a large metal-plated door of some kind.

And more importantly, in front of it stood a carriage-sized vessel shaped roughly like a bird, except with bloated, bulging wings made of woven kelp stretched over what Rylan suspected was a bamboo frame, a double set of propellers at the front, and curved runners instead of legs.

"What is that?" Leahna asked in wonder.

"I call it a cloudcrank," Raya replied, slapping the side of its tail with her palm. "It's the future of travel: allows you to soar through the fog like a bird with just the power of your legs."

"It's a great way to discreetly transport products from one place to another," Yuel added, his eyes twinkling. "As long as you're not too afraid of flying blind through the fog."

"Seriously, please don't tell me what you're using it for," Raya stressed. "I don't want to know. Just return it to me by morning, and try to keep my prototype at least mostly intact."

"Wait, you're not coming with us?" Rylan asked with a frown. "Who's going to be sailing this thing?"

"Flying," Yuel corrected. "And that'll be me."

Rylan turned to the blonde former pirate. "So you've flown it before?"

"Don't worry; I know how to fly it."

Rylan narrowed his eyes. "That's not an answer. Have you flown it before?"

"Sure. You could say that."

"What does that mean?!"

Yuel winked at him. "Have a little faith, milord."

Leahna put a hand on Rylan's shoulder. "Come on. It doesn't really matter, does it? We're doing this either way."

He let out a sigh. "Fine. Let's not waste time. Tell us what to do."

Raya cleared her throat, holding up her hand. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Another twelve silver florins lighter, Rylan helped push the cloudcrank out through the massive set of double doors. It was surprisingly easy, as the vessel weighed very little within the floaty fog, and the runners slid through the sand smoothly as a result.

Outside, he found himself standing at the top of a smooth downward slope of sand that ended in a ramp.

Yuel and Nazyr climbed up, each taking one of the two seats in the fuselage of the cloudcrank, with Yuel at the front, clutching the steering wheel.

They would be the ones powering the propellers with their legs, using the so-called pedals.

Rylan had been upset to learn that the cloudcrank was, in fact, a two-seater vessel. However, Raya had assured them it could provide plenty of lift and that she had an excellent alternative to the seats.

Glancing down at the straps around his thighs and waist, connected to the cloudcrank via a short length of rope, Rylan had half a mind to ask for a refund.

[Don't worry, Boss and Big Sis; flying is amazing! You're gonna love it!]

Rylan smiled ruefully. 'I'm sure we will, buddy.'

The truth was, Rylan had no right to complain, as with his tier six Mana Shell, he was arguably the safest out of all the people on the craft. So he straightened his spine and got into position in front of the right wing, grabbed the rope attached to his 'safety' harness and pulled it taut. On the other side of the fuselage, Leahna got into position as well.

"Is everybody ready?" Yuel asked.

Everyone else confirmed they were, including Raya, who had taken up position at the tail of the cloudcrank to help push.

"All right, then!" Yuel exclaimed, the pedals creaking as the propellers in front of him started to rotate. "Then let's get moving in three... two... one... go!"

Rylan heaved forward, digging his feet into the sand as he started to drag the lightweight craft forward by his rope.

With Leahna and Raya respectively pulling and pushing as well, and the propellers gaining momentum, they quickly built up speed.

In fact, the runners momentarily left the ground as they went over the edge onto the take-off slope. It wasn't enough speed to really fly with yet, though, and the craft quickly touched back down on the incline.

They raced down, quickly gaining momentum. In fact, within seconds, Rylan was starting to get a little worried about how much longer he'd be able to get his feet back underneath himself fast enough to avoid planting his face in the sand.

"Hop on!" Yuel cried over the whirring of the propellers.

Rylan didn't hesitate, bracing himself slightly before he jumped up and landed his butt on the right wing. His hands quickly found the handles mounted on each side and he grabbed onto them with a white-knuckled grip.

Glancing over the fuselage to his left, he saw Leahna had thankfully also managed the hop, and had a rather exhilarated smile on her face.

Well, it was pretty exciting.

His stomach still dropped as they approached the ramp at the very bottom of the slope.

"Good luck out there!" Raya shouted from behind as she finally let go of the tail. "May Lady Lunis smile down upon you!"

They hit the ramp. Rylan clung to his handles as the runners slid over its edge, and the craft was launched upwards. For a moment, he was convinced it would just drop straight back down, but Yuel pulled on a lever which levelled out some flaps at the back of the wings, and they just kept going up and up and... they were flying!

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