The hangars rose from the dock like iron cathedrals.

Ryn slowed despite himself, eyes lifting as they approached. Brass-framed arches stretched overhead, each fitted with reinforced steel and runes that pulsed faintly as airships passed beneath them.

Chains thicker than tree trunks rattled overhead as crews hauled cargo into open bellies of each team's airships.

So other teams had the same idea.

The Gremory airship waited three hangars in. Its hull was layered wood and steel, reinforced with heavy iron plates. Above it, a massive gas envelope strained against its bindings.

Even if he'd seen it in the 'future' before, the sight of such engineering always surprised him.

Fritz let out a quiet breath.

"…That's ours?"

Taylor nodded, confirming the question.

Amelia's gaze was sharper, she was already scanning the perimeter—guards, dock officials, church observers standing a little too far back to be incidental.

Ryn barely noticed any of that.

Something was wrong.

He stopped walking.

He tilted his head slightly, listening past the shouts and the clang of metal.

Engines.

There should've been engines.

The low, steady thrum of turbines. A subtle vibration through the wood underfoot. Every ship on the dock sang in its own way, like power waiting to be unleashed.

Their ship was silent.

Ryn raised a hand.

"Hold."

Fritz took one more step before realizing he was alone, then turned back.

"What is it?" he asked.

Ryn didn't answer, heading straight to the maintenance room.

He crouched, fingers brushing along the edge of the engine housing.

Sticky.

Black residue clung to the metal like oil that didn't want to drip.

Ryn's eyes narrowed.

"…That's not grease."

The black substance shifted.

Just slightly. Like a muscle tightening under skin.

Ryn straightened slowly, Snow already in his hand.

The moment the black mass tensed, he moved. Snow slid free with a whisper of steel as the thing tore itself loose from the engine housing, snapping like tar stretched too far.

It squirmed, but dodged his attack—fleeing upward through the maintenance shaft in a burst of motion.

"—Above!" Ryn barked.

He was already running.

Boots pounded against iron steps as he took the steps back two at a time. The creature hit the open deck in a wet slap, spreading briefly before coalescing again, now skittering toward the centerline of the ship.

Amelia saw it first.

Her Blessing flared instinctively, heat rushing to her palms as sigils ignited in the air.

"Amelia—don't!"

Ryn vaulted over the railing, landing hard between her and the creature.

She froze a fraction too late, flames licking dangerously close to the deck plating.

"It'll burn through the hull!" Ryn snapped, already moving again. "It's bait—!"

The creature surged, aiming not for them…but for the exposed blimp, aiming to tear a hole through it.

Ryn lunged—

—and stopped.

Not because he couldn't reach it.

Because Fritz was already there.

Wind Essence flared as he dashed toward the monster through the air. With a single precise arc, he bisected the creature perfectly.

No splash or recoil.

The black mass convulsed once, then collapsed inward, dissolving into inert sludge that steamed faintly against the deck before going still.

Silence followed.

The engines caught.

A low, resonant hum rolled through the ship, vibrations settling into place as runes reignited along the hull. Steam vented from the stacks in controlled bursts, pressure equalizing as if nothing had ever gone wrong.

Fritz exhaled slowly, blade lowering.

"…It was trying to cripple the ship," he said, eyes still on the remains.

"Yeah," Ryn replied.

Amelia glanced between them, then down at the scorched mark where her spell would have landed. She swallowed, letting the flames fade.

Jay crouched near the residue, careful not to touch it.

"…That wasn't meant to kill anyone."

"No," Fritz said quietly. "Just slow us down."

Ryn watched the deck crews begin to move again, orders resuming, panic already smoothing itself into routine.

He sheathed Snow.

For once, he hadn't been the one to end it.

Ryn stepped back, letting the space around Fritz widen naturally as eyes began to turn his way.

The Hero Candidate stood at the center of the deck, light still clinging faintly to his blade.

Some have already started to recognize him.

After a few minutes, things were moving like clockwork.

Taylor immediately moved into a commanding role, telling the crew Maria hired what to do and where to store things.

Amelia worked beside her, calculating fuel margins and crew rotations for the most optimal efficiency.

Outside the narrow windows, dock traffic continued to flow. Other airships prepared for launch, banners unfurled, entourages gathering.

The Hero's Path assembled itself in plain sight.

No one noticed the Gremory ship's silence.

Below deck, in a smaller circular chamber just off the main spine of the ship, Ryn stood over a spread map.

This room wasn't meant for ceremony. Just a central table bolted into the floor and reinforced to muffle the noise of the docks beyond.

Jay was already there, leaning over the parchment with a stylus in hand, marking routes and distances out of habit more than instruction.

Fritz leaned against the wall opposite, arms crossed, watching the Captain instead of the parchment.

Ryn didn't waste time.

"Dheam doesn't resolve conflict cleanly," he said. "It never has."

Jay glanced up. "Because it's Beast territory?"

"Because it's lawless," Ryn replied. "Due to the weather, it's a place where raiders, shortages, and overlapping claims happen constantly."

He tapped a region on the map.

"In places like that, stability only comes one way."

Fritz's brow furrowed. "Dominance."

"Yes."

Ryn's finger slid to a single marked area.

"Bloodmane."

Jay paused. "The wolf tribe."

"Kharvos' tribe," Ryn confirmed. "They're organized and control more ground than anyone else in the region."

Fritz straightened slightly. "You're saying they're the problem."

"No," Ryn said immediately. "I'm saying they're the constant."

He met Fritz's eyes.

"In chaotic regions, power like that doesn't appear by accident. Whatever methods they're using, good or bad, they work."

Jay frowned. "And the other tribes?"

"Fragmented," Ryn said.

"Focused more on survival than revolution."

He shifted the map again.

"The Hero's Path changes incentives. Most Heroes will return home first to accomplish 3 things: gather supporters, secure legitimacy, and control the narrative."

Fritz nodded slowly.

"Kharvos is no exception," Ryn continued. "Dheam is his base. We're likely to encounter him there."

The engines thrummed louder now, pressure nearing release.

Jay spoke carefully. "So if we're heading there…"

"We're not arriving at the start of a conflict," Ryn said. "We're arriving in the middle of one that hasn't decided its outcome yet."

Fritz exhaled through his nose, thoughtful rather than alarmed.

"And Bloodmane?"

Ryn's answer was measured.

"They're the axis everything else is already rotating around."

Before discussion could go any further, both Amelia and Taylor arrived at the planning room.

"Ship's ready to sail, Captain." Amelia joked, accompanied with a full salute and all.

A small grin formed on his face.

He stood up straight, looking at the entire Gremory Hero Party.

This was the start of an adventure, filled with both hardship and obstacles.

Yet, it was one that would change the course of the world as they knew it.

Ryn nodded, and everyone followed the same gesture.

"It's time to depart."

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