The spirit ship flaked and cracked at the seams, an unpaid harlot of a hull that danced to chains bellowing a scraping tune.
Men loosened their grip on the crates on the fracturing deck. They unbuckled the ropes on the parcels and hauled them onto their own backs.
"Fay. This is only the start."
Her face tightened and she gave a small shake of her head. She did not believe him. Her heart clung to the hope that all the shaking had passed.
Then the helmsman's bell tolled again, the sound harsher than before.
"All astern, full!" the captain roared. "Swing her wide!"
The ship began to swing around its own anchor. The chain groaned as it swept in a wide circle, faster and faster, like the tail of some mad twister.
The men on deck felt the ship spiral down. Their hands clutched at anything intact among the splintered wood.
As the wind tore all around them, Radeon took it as his chance.
"Stay put. I'll be quick."
"S-Senior, please… don't leave me alone here."
Radeon shot away before he could catch what she said and drove for the cargo hold, slipping through men and women with heads bowed, lips shaping prayers for it all to end.
The hold was worse. Splintered beams speared up from the floor and down from the deck above, crates and chests torn open by the very ship meant to keep them safe.
As Radeon probed each plank that may come under with his toe, his eyes were met bloodied bodies sprawled all around, their lives intact but their bodies sore all over.
With needles and silk in hand, he shot the steel like a flying sword and broke their pouches free.
"Not bad. Not what I came for."
Radeon immediately looked for the scent he had encountered earlier. Following the faint spice in the air, he spotted the spirited root.
From its elongated skin a faint, steady glow could be seen, yet large piece of wood trapped the treasure deep where his arms could not reach.
'Looks like ginseng. Or ginger. Either way the qi feels right. I need it to cultivate. No point in waiting.'
Radeon sent small needles in its direction. The first five needles acted like knives, cutting the precious root into portions.
The plant started seeping out energy as he did so. Then, without waiting, he launched another batch that skewered through each part.
Not wanting to waste a drop of power, he shoved in each piece despite each being half a fistful in size.
Each chew released an earthy bitterness with a light cool. With renewed energy he sent qi through his legs and jumped out of the hold onto the deck.
As he exited, his eyes darted all around. The needles didn't idle in his pocket, they flew and pierced pouches both lying loose and attached to their owners, too heavy for them to carry in his mind.
Radeon was only gone long enough for a teapot to boil. He grabbed Fay's hand, his other on the rail, a small telltale to her closed eyes.
"Stop engines! Kill the array!" the captain bellowed.
The hum of the flight array died. The ship lost its lift and dropped into a long, sliding fall, the anchor still dragging beneath.
"Qi shields up! Brace for impact!"
The ship hit uneven ground hard. Low hills and ditches made her buck and jump, slamming her belly against the earth again and again.
Loose crates and cheap supplies tore free and flew as if the storm itself were robbing them.
Radeon watched the ship destroy itself as it plowed through dirt. Wood chips tore through the air, thick as hard winter snow.
"Fay. Grab my robe."
Radeon did not wait for her answer. He whipped the cloak up before them, qi surging through the leather until it thickened into a crude shield.
The first chunks of hundred year timber slammed into it, shoving him back and setting his ears ringing.
Her grip held him up, both hands locked at his back.
"S-Senior, are you all right?" she asked, worry tight across her face.
"I'm fine."
Dizziness washed through him as his qi was drawn too deep in a single breath. He fumbled two spirit stones from his belt and drank the heat from them.
When the world steadied he looked to her first. The ship was already slowing, slewing sideways, then finally came to rest on her flank.
Retching echoed along the tilted deck. Both crew and passengers dared to move their arms and legs, unbelieving they had survived such a predicament.
"Spirits damn this sky-barge," the captain rasped. "Get below. Check the hold. I want to know what we've still got."
"I'd sooner wear out my boots than set foot on a sky-ship again."
"Sky-faring will be the death of us, you'll see. Man belongs on stone, not in the clouds."
Her stomach twisted and her gaze rolled white. She convulsed and sprayed half chewed greens and meat across the deck, then fainted.
His fingers brushed dust from her cheek, ruffled her hair, and searched for any place that came away nicked or bloodied.
"For a first-timer, you did fine."
Radeon worked at the knots and freed Fay from the rope seat. She hung limp against him, her consciousness flown with the cargo, all sweat and sickness and slack limbs.
With a spare rug, he wiped the snot and tears from her face, then took out his little box of powders and paints and set to work.
He laid the colors back on her skin, stroke by careful stroke, until the bright beauty underneath was hidden once more.
His qi circulation did not stop. He needed to make a breakthrough now. His hands moved nimbly as he shifted tens of pouches from his cloak to Fay's.
'Spirit stones barely weigh a thing.'
Radeon made sure to seal each pocket, so as not to bring Fay any misfortune by his hands.
Finished with stashing the loot, Radeon felt a pressure press down on everyone aboard. His knees buckled under its weight and his head throbbed at its assault.
"Who stole the lumen ginger?" the big man roared. "Speak up, or I crack skulls till I find the thief."
Radeon lowered his posture the way a mortal spine should bend, his circulation stalled too fast and let his skin take a paler shade.
In his arms Fay roused. His hand covered her lips softly. He would rather let her bite him than let her ask more questions.