The aftermath of the battle left the ship creaking, groaning like an old man getting out of bed. Judge, standing on the deck with his arms crossed, surveyed the damage — or lack thereof. The ship was still in one piece, miraculously, despite the sky itself deciding to throw a tantrum.
Lediya, as if nothing had happened, dusted some blood off her skirt, yes... 'dusted'. "Shall we proceed?"
Judge sighed dramatically. "Yes, yes, let's go to — uh — " He paused, looking at his surroundings. "Where are we going again?"
Lediya blinked. "Young master was the one who decided our destination."
"Ah, right," Judge coughed into his fist. "I did." He turned to his loyal guard beside him. "Where did I say we were going again?"
His guard, who was observing Judge's face that read - 'I've seen things I can't unsee,' cleared his throat and masked his amusement. "Young master, uh, pointed at a map and said, 'That place looks dramatic enough,' and then fell asleep."
Judge nodded, as if this was perfectly reasonable. "Good. Then we proceed to the Dramatic Place."
Lediya pinched the bridge of her nose. "You mean the village east of Veilhorn city?"
"Sounds dramatic to me." Judge clapped his hands together. "Alright, onward we go!"
The ship, being very much a ship and not a person, did not respond. Instead, it continued floating as if unimpressed by its passengers. The wind, now deciding to behave, gave them smooth sailing, which was suspicious. Too smooth.
The sailing continued until they were almost nearing the barrier of terra draconum.
Judge narrowed his eyes. "Something's not right."
Lediya sighed. "What is it this time?"
"Everything's too quiet." Judge squinted at the horizon. "Normally, something tries to kill us at least every fifteen minutes. It's been a full thirty, no fourty."
There were three other gaurds to operate the ship besides the personal guards, whom of course — Judge as a master of observation had failed to notice until now.
One of them, a young one who still had the sparkle of hope in his eyes, hesitantly raised a hand. "Uh… maybe we're just… lucky?"
The silence that followed was loud.
"Why would you say that?" another guard hissed, grabbing him by the collar. "Why would you tempt fate like that?!"
And, as if the universe was waiting for that exact moment, something exploded in the distance. A massive boom shook the air, and a large, ominous cloud of smoke rose from the forest below.
Judge clapped once. "There it is."
Lediya sighed. "Should I handle it?"
"No, no," Judge waved her off. "Let's see what's trying to ruin our day first. Maybe it's friendly."
A shadow loomed over the ship.
Everyone slowly turned their heads upward.
A large, angry-looking beast with wings the size of a small mansion (Not a Draconis-sized) hovered above them. It had too many eyes, none of which looked particularly friendly, and its mouth was doing a thing that suggested it was either about to speak or eat them all.
Judge tilted his head. "See? Maybe it wants to chat."
The beast roared, shaking the ship to its core.
Judge nodded sagely. "That was not a friendly roar."
Lediya was already rolling up her sleeves. "I'll get rid of it."
Judge quickly stepped in front of her. "Wait, wait, wait! Let's try diplomacy first."
Lediya paused, clearly skeptical. "Diplomacy? Young master?"
"I am incredibly charming," Judge said, straightening his top hat. "Watch and learn." He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "HEY! DO YOU WANT TO BE FRIENDS?"
The beast responded by inhaling deeply, preparing what looked like a truly massive attack, and that was definitely not friendly.
Judge turned to Lediya. "Alright, I tried. Go ahead."
Lediya sighed and flexed her fingers. The air around her shimmered. "I'll try to take it as a food source for a few days."
The young guard, now pale, whispered, "Food? That is edible?"
Before anyone could react, the ship suddenly lurched to the side as another explosion erupted from below. Whatever was happening in the forest was getting worse.
Judge grabbed onto the railing. "I swear, if we land in the middle of a war again, I'm filing a complaint against fate itself, it's practically catfishing me at this point."
One of the guards coughed. "Who exactly would you file that complaint to, young master?"
Judge shrugged. "I don't know whoever's responsible for this nonsense. Probably some fate intern that hates me personally."
The ship, as if answering his complaint, suddenly nose-dived toward the forest.
Judge groaned, already bracing for impact. "Sometimes I hate being right."
Then, without warning, Lediya's eyes glowed like twin moons at midnight... full moons. She planted her feet and drew in a breath so deep it sounded like she had a bad nose when she woke up this morning.
"Watch this," she said softly.
The air around her rippled. Ether gathered at her fingertips, coalescing into a sword of pure light. She swung it high above her head as the blade traced an arc through the air, leaving a trail of pale blue fire.
The creature bellowed. Its wings beat the air, stirring up gusts that threatened to tear the sails. But Lediya stood firm. She leapt forward at an incredible speed, ether-sword raised, and struck the beast's side.
The blade cut through the beast without a sound, as if it were passing through a bad dream. A flash of light raced down the beast's flank, and it staggered back, roaring in shock.
Judge raised an eyebrow. "Not bad," he muttered, tipping his hat.
Lediya spun on the deck, her hair fanning out like a banner. With a swift gesture, she summoned a wave of glowing runes beneath the beast's claws. Each rune burned efficiently, holding firm against its weight. The creature thrashed, trying to shake them off, but the runes held fast, binding it in place.
"That's... Mom... Runes?" Judge called out, leaning on the railing.
Lediya didn't smile. She floated in the air and touched one rune. It flared, and the fire from the runes flared and bonded the beast, making it fall through the trees but not touch the ground. Dust and splinters floated around its feet as if gravity itself had forgotten them. The monster writhed, its many eyes flickering in panic.
Lediya looked at the beast like a hunter watching it's prey caught in a trap.
She raised both hands. Above her, a column of soft light descended from the sky, as if a god had reached down a finger. The light gathered around the beast, wrapping it in a cocoon of brilliance. The air hummed like a cathedral choir, low and steady, even the passengers could hear it.
The beast let out one final, shuddering roar—half defiance, half resignation—before the light collapsed inward. In an instant, it vanished. The column winked out, leaving Lediya with a huge steaming monster body, her sword of light fading to a simple sparkle in her hand.
The guards exhaled together, as though they had been holding their breath since the fight began. Judge's personal guard smiled as he looked at the others, "That is Lediya for you."
Lediya gave a small nod as she stepped on the railings, her face calm. "Let's get back to that Dramatic Place before fate decides to send us another surprise."
The wind filled the sails once more, and the ship carried them on, as if proud to bear such heroes into whatever awaited next.