<em>Day 14 (in-game)</em>


    <em>Baaturik Town, The Southwestern Londs</em>


    <em>Status: finally, seriously, right now, heading out to Cerkanst</em>


    *


    After Krow''s assistance with the defense of Baaturik, the merast and council were more than willing to ferry him to Cerkanst the day after.


    Like in Karukorm, he was given a room in the First Tower.


    He had some suspicion though, that unlike the council of Karukorm, who gave him the room as an honor to the person who brought their merast''s n member back, the council of Baaturik gave him a room in the administrative tower so they could have the guards keep an eye on him.


    Krow didn''t me them.


    A near-cmity happened, and then a stranger popped up promptly to offer the very solution?


    Hah.


    Luck like that did not fall out of the sky.


    He yawned.


    If he was scheming against the town, he would''ve arrivedter, when they were more desperate. They would''ve been willing to give him a Galedrifter outright, if he''d done that.


    That logic, coupled with his willingness to fight, was likely the reason he hadn''t found armed sentinels posted outside his door.


    Krow stretched his limbs as he followed his guide through the streets brightening by the rising of the warm summer sun.


    It had snowedst night, the first snow of Grandcentral City this winter.


    He was d to feel sun on his skin after waking at two a.m. realworld time to find that it was even colder this morning than all the other mornings he had to wake up for a game-session.


    The galedrifter stables were on arge stone pir at the outer edge of the town.


    "This is Jarchiar," the council clerk Arkhai, who''d osted Krow when he was not five steps out of his room, introduced the draculkar waiting for them at the base of the pir.


    Krow checked his clocks again.


    Sure enough, it was 8 a.m. in-game time.


    Or did draculkar in the londs wake up earlier than those in the hignds?


    "He is the windrider that will take you to where you need to go."


    Krow greeted his assigned pilot politely. Then asked, enthusiastically enough that it amused his two olderpanions, "What can you tell me about Galedrifters? How about your mount? How fast can it fly?"


    The galedrifters were housed in pavilions that had tforms built over open air.


    A galedrifter with wings retracted looked very much like a massive scaly horned slug.


    "This is Zizi," Jarchiar patted the galedrifter lounging on its stable-pavilion in the morning sun. "She''s a beauty, eh?"


    Krow agreed.


    Jarchiar''s galedrifter was one of the smaller ones, five meters from horns to the tailbone, a strong contrast of ck and white in the patterns running along its back and the thick front edge of its wings.


    Zizi had already been readied for flight.


    Krow dubiously eyed the flimsy-looking seat-harness that ran down the stretch of the galedrifter''s back.


    Jarchiarughed. "The safety enchants on the flight-saddles are numerous, as with all flying mounts. Don''t worry; it will be safer and morefortable than riding a jolting carriage."


    Another good reason to prefer a winged mount, Krow thought – there won''t be any bumpy roads.


    A galedrifter, ording to Jarchiar, was docile, ate insects and nts, and was easy to care for, with no excessive requirements.


    "They do need to be exercised," Jarchiar added, "but you can just let them free of the stables and they''ll fly around as much as they want. Windriders who connect well with their mounts need never fear that their ''drifters wouldn''t return."


    Oh, did he need a skill for this?


    And he forgot to factor in the windriding tack and flight training into the purchase Contract.


    Krow kicked himself mentally.


    That''s what he got for being so excited and missing the obvious.


    He couldn''t change the contract now. The head of the Galedrifters Association was reluctant enough to sell him the one.


    But it wasn''t like it was difficult to negotiate for training – the Association would never allow one of their precious mounts to end up in the hands of someone who didn''t know how to care for it.


    He could deal with the oversightter.


    "I heard you were buying one of our ''drifters?" Jarchiar offered him a riding vest, sleeveless, which had also been as enchanted as the saddle.


    There were straps running around the vest, with metal rings and loops for attachment to the saddle. It looked very gothic in fashion, to Krow''s amusement.


    Not only thendscape, even the clothing in Rends had aesthetic.


    "I''ll return for it in some months," Krow admitted, putting on the offered piece of clothing. The bone-white vest actually went very well over the Travelcoat.


    Krow frowned briefly. His fashion wasn''t gothic, was it?


    No way.


    He put it out of his mind. He didn''t have fashion.


    He patted the side of the galedrifter, impressed. They weren''t feathered monsters, so the hide felt rough and leathery, despite the ck and white patterned scales.


    The scales weren''t hard and smooth like keratin and bone. They were instead rugged and flexible, thick and tough, much like Krow imagined rhino-hide would feel like.


    Jarchiar hummed thoughtfully. He didn''t say anymore, but vaulted up to the front-most seat of the saddle. He called down. "Come on, then!"


    Zizi waved its horns at him – they were fleshy and flexible like the cephalic lobes of the manta ray. Unlike the ray, the horizontal slit-pupil eyes of the galedrifter were on the side of the head, not on the lobes.


    Krow more cautiously climbed up the leather strapping that circled the retracted wings.


    The seats behind Jarchiar''s were wider, cushioned leather. From the rigging of the seats, there was enough room for four people behind the front-most harness of the pilot.


    "Take these straps and attach them here, and here…" Jarchiar led him through the semiplicated straps. It was easy enough to memorize in one sitting.


    Despite theplicated straps, they didn''t get in the way.


    And after, Krow realized he could stand on the back of the galedrifter and walk around the saddle-tform freely. If he slipped, the straps would return him to the saddle.


    Jarchiar answered his questions patiently, as he returned to the front seat.


    "Ready?"


    Krow slid into the seat behind Jarchiar, anticipation rising. "Definitely!"


    Jarchiar took out a whistle and blew a long low note. The galedrifter slowly rose, moving so its ws gripped the edge of the pavilion, thenunched itself off the tform.


    They dropped.


    Krow''s eyes widened as they rose off their seats for a moment, suspended in air.


    Then long pale narrow wings unfurled from the galedrifter body, eleven meters of tough cartge covered in flesh and hide from tip to tip, caught the wind and lofted them upward.


    He''d only seen galedrifters from afar before, but he knew that despite the delicate looks of the creature, they were capable of carrying up to seven tonnes of weight.


    Krow waved as they lifted past the tform. "Thank you!"


    The council clerk who undoubtedly had been sent to observe him lifted a hand in response, watched them rise with some of the other windriders.


    The grand vistas of the draculkar nation spread out before them, horizon to horizon, as they ascended on a raft of air.


    The galedrifter tilted as they topped a peak and oriented northward.


    Wind ruffled Krow''s hair as he leaned over to see the spires of Baaturik and the more military-inclined embattled towers of Tegrikan Fort grow small as twigs under them.


    The safety enchants on the windrider rig lessened the sh of the high airstreams on the windriders. This pleased Krow, who had learned the hard way to keep to the leeward side of the ridges he traversed through the hignds if he didn''t want serious windburn.


    Baaturik was not yet out of sight, when the galedrifter jerked, nearly throwing Krow out of his seat.


    He grabbed a leather strap, turning to Jarchiar. The windrider was leaning the other, way frown evident. Then his eyes widened and he cursed virulently.


    Krow followed his re, to see a flock ofrge birds pping to intercept. Above them, one of the smaller ones was swinging around, obviously aggressive.


    The sudden jolt was now apparent to be the galedrifter avoiding therge hawk''s first attack.


    It nosedived, like a red and bro.


    A whistle from Jarchiar and Zizi tilted until her wings were nearly vertical. They curved an arc in the air.


    The hawk sted past them, and Krow saw the figure on the hawk''s back for the first time.


    An ambush.


    Krow drew his revolver, aimed and snapped off a shot at the hawk.


    It went wide, the speed of the hawk and the wind in alliance to thwart Krow''s intentions.


    Tsk.


    Krow aimed again, tracking slowly, the frowning while trying to mentally approximate the wind speed. Darkspears actually consumed the solid material of the bullet as it flies.


    The bullets had a range of effectiveness, that was barely enough for this encounter.


    This was where he''d need a rifle.


    The darkspear was close enough to ruffle the hawk''s feathers this time, but still a massive miss.


    Should he have taken Jori''s uncle''s cousin-inw''s offer of sniper lessons?


    Probably not.


    The gleam in the cousin-inw''s eyes and the massive face-splitting grin he had when he offered said inly, there were wagers in ce.


    But shkav, he regretted not taking the lessons now.


    His third darkspear clipped a flight feather and the hawk pped frantically, nting out of its circling path.


    Zizi pitched again.


    The other birds, eight in all, had caught up to them.


    One of them had a banner on its chest, emzoned with a circr design.


    How many flying mounts were in the draculkar nation, precisely?


    "Jarchiar? That symbol?"


    "House of Kuzhukai," the windrider called back. "Of Urvasid Keep!"


    A dispute between lords then.


    "It''s us or them, right?"


    Jarchiar nced back at him. "I don''t think they''ll stop! Urvasid Keep is our major rival for sky-transport contracts."


    "Aren''t those battle-mounts?"


    Jarchiar shook his head. "Redbreasted Hawks! They''re bred from the Redmaned Eagle, the battle-mount."


    Krow aimed at the nearest hawk.


    He shot two darkspears.


    They missed, but one of them clipped a hawk behind the leader, and it spiraled downward.


    Seven more.


    Zizi banked to evade a charge.


    Krow could see thatpared to the hawks, Zizi was slow, her movements graceful but less maneuverable.


    A galedrifter was more dependent on the wind currents than any bird monster, unable to bank as fast or as tightly.


    But Jarchiar had positioned them against the wind.


    They rose.


    They had more advantages in the higher altitudes, where the hawks shorter wings would struggle to hold them aloft in the less dense air, where the cold would freeze feathers.


    But right now, they were vulnerable.


    Krow moved to the tail end of the seat-harness, where the galedrifter wings, narrow as they were, didn''t obstruct his sightlines as much.


    He aimed.


    If he couldn''t be precise, then he''d just give them more bullets. All the bullets!


    Swap cylinders, then start again.


    Conserving ammunition? <em>Hah!</em> What even was that concept?!


    Reload again!


    More bullets!


    He stopped to refill his cylinders.


    "Jarchiar!"


    "We''re on the high skyroads now!" Jarchiar yelled back. "They won''t be following long!"


    Krow smiled when he saw that the hawks were keeping their distance. Embarrassingly, of the eight, five were still flying.


    Ugh.


    He really needed to work on his uracy.


    Most of his battles had been closer range than this, and didn''t need precision so much.


    Even the wind problem was fine when he was fighting lichenyaks, because they were so close he barely needed to aim.


    The hawks made a charge, rising high to swoop downward in tight formation.


    Krow sent a hail of darkspears at them, and one hawk broke rank to m into a second.


    The rest evaded, and the formation fell back, lower.


    He could almost feel their riders'' frustration.


    There was no chance now of attack. The galedrifter soared too high.


    Krow dropped onto his seat, started refilling the emptied cylinders.


    Jarchiar turned to watch him. After a long moment, he asked, "How long have you had that gun?"


    Krow sighed. He knew already, alright?!


    "How long before we get there?"


    Jarchiar chuckled, but allowed Krow to change the subject. "Couple hours, but you won''t mind if we circle back to Baaturik first?"


    "It''s fine."


    Of course Jarchiar needed to report the attack. And if the attackers were so close, it was imperative to be done sooner.


    At least now the suspicions of Krow orchestrating the Greatgnat attack would be put to rest.


    It was mid-afternoon before they lofted again, joined by three other galedrifters with fullplements of archers.


    There were even two taking up the seats on Zizi''s harness.


    The journey this time was smooth and calm, though two of the galedrifters broke off and started circling the area of the attack.


    A signal went up, a long ribbon of red, and thest of the three joined in.


    Zizi went on alone.


    The archers and Jarchiar were good-natured enough to engage with Krow''s incessant questions, mostly about thendscape they passed by, flying and flying mounts, and asking for stories they knew.


    Before he knew it, Jarchiar was circling in a long slow path across the sky, calling back. "Where''s that map of yours again?"


    Krow handed him the piece of paper, with Cerkanst marked on it.


    "Thought so."


    "What?"


    Jarchiar took out a piece of coal and marked the map. He handed it back to Krow.


    "We''re heading down now. Right there." He tapped the mark on the map. "Nearest ce we cannd."


    "Are you staying the night?"


    Jarchiar shook his head. "Clear night. As long as Enilhadrad shines, it''s no hardship flying at nightfall. We have to get back, in any case. They''ll be needing Zizi there, no doubt."


    Krow nodded.


    Zizinded with a graceful swoop, slowly retracting her wings. Oh, they could actually p.


    The tall pir shended on swayed a little, before settling.


    Krow leaned over to look at the unstable rock formation.


    There was really no other ce nearby?


    He jumped off quickly, before the pir decided that a galedrifter was more than it could bear.


    With shouts goodbye ringing in the air, Ziziunched off again.


    Krow adjusted his weight on the rock pir.


    On a swaying lonely spire of crumbling stone, Krow watched galedrifter wings catch the evening moonlight, looking like a pale crescent shed against the darkening sky.