NOVEL WEB Riding the Storm
Some people say “be careful what you wish for.” It's a cautionary idiom—that the thing you want most may have drawbacks you never considered, or the wish itself may be cursed.
Me? I’m blessed to say my wish was turning out just fine.
“Alright! It's time to put this into practice! Bailu, Seiyu, only step in if Ningjing is in danger, okay?” I asked, as I took my place at the wheel. Ningjing had a more modern set up than I had been expecting, a proper wheel instead of just a tiller. Maybe that was some contamination from me, but Bailu and Seiyu hadn't seemed confused about anything, so the bigger boats probably had something similar.
“Aye Aye, Captain!” my Storm Wings called, as we approached a truly apocalyptic-looking storm. The cumulonimbus pierced into the sky like a black lance, punching up into what looked like the bloody stratosphere. It was a wall of darkness, and lightning flashed like a strobe light from its titanic depths. I could feel the Qi coursing though it. It was a great beast that blocked our way north. We could have gone around it, or waited it out…but to hells with it. We could skirt the edge, so thats what we were going to do.
“Big D, You’re on the watch, let me know what you see, and help us with the currents!”
A determined crow answered me from my shoulder.
I took a breath, and let the feeling of serenity wash over me. “You ready, Ningjing?” I asked our final crewmate.
Happy, happy! Determined!
I smiled as Ningjing’s consciousness brushed against mine. She didn't exactly embody her name. Ningjing felt like an excitable puppy with the way she expressed herself; emotion and feeling, rather than any higher concepts.
I had only known her for a week—but a week was enough to fall in love with the little ball of sunshine.
A week. It had been a week since we had left Soaring Heaven’s Isle, and set off over the open ocean.. Or technically speaking an absolutely massive bay that came up from the southern ocean, and split the continent into two southern ‘lobes’. Lobes that were each probably as big as africa, with half the pacific ocean in between them.
It had been a meandering course at first, as we got used to Ningjing and sailing her; practicing on the open skies, and resting anchored to sea stacks, or the occasional wandering Isle that had drifted away from the main Archipelago.
I have to say, the week had been the best time of my life, as we shot along with gale winds and skimmed the ocean waves; the feeling of freedom had been absolutely wondrous, as Ninjing got louder and louder in our heads.
We were headed towards the heartlands of the Empire—a meaning course towards Phoenix Rest Plain, with our ultimate goal being Crimson Crucible City. The place where I had grown up.
The destination had just seemed… right.
After all, I had to pay respects to my birth parents.. And pick up a whole load of the tea I remembered loving. After that? Who the hells knew?
I took another breath as we got closer and closer to the storm. It was a gods damned monster. I could see how fast the wind was thanks to Ningjing—and just skimming along the edge of the storm would have us getting blasted by wind that was sixty-five knots. A hundred and twenty kilometers an hour—hurricane-force winds in a wooden sailing ship… but I knew Ningjing was more than equal to the task with a bit of proper handling.
“You’ve got this, captain.” Seiyu said, her voice carried to me. Her encouragement was simple, and full of faith. Bailu, on the other hand, was just standing on the prow, her arms crossed as she stared down the beast.
I was so glad they had decided to come with me. My girls had been surprisingly chill after the first day, and we had settled into a great routine. They had completed my skyship sailing instruction—how to sail into the wind, how to ride out storms, which we were about to put into practise. They had also been great companions. They had pulled back a bit on the teasing and innuendo, and instead… well, they were fully on board with treating this like the adventure it was, both of them as eager as I was to see what lay beyond the next horizon. Even the single bed wasn’t really an issue. I must confess I spent most nights underneath the stars, laying on a hammock Ningjing had grown for me.
Have I mentioned my baby is awesome yet? Because she's awesome. I checked on things one last time. The sail was reffed and tightened for the beginning here, so the winds wouldn’t rip it off. Everything was lashed down. Seiyu nodded at my diligence.
And then it was time.
I took another breath as the darkness loomed. “Here it comes!”
My grin split my face as we hit the edge of the storm, our keel touching down on clouds dense enough to act more like water than what they were. Rain immediately began to lash us, and the wind screamed. A normal human would have been absolutely wrecked by what we were experiencing as the rain rammed into us faster than most cars could move. Thunder flashed and boomed, and the turbulence shook us like a dog.
But we were cultivators, and made of sterner stuff.
We crested the plume we were on, and I decided to follow the cloud contour instead of trying to bridge the gap. We pitched sixty degrees straight down and plummeted with the natural formation.
My grip was white knuckled on the wheel. Ningjing’s rudder strained. Her sail was taught, and she was reinforcing her ropes with Qi. I kept my eyes on the wind currents—but while I could see them, I had a crewmate that was a lot better at interpreting them.
Big D shifted on my shoulder, his eyes peeled. I followed his movements, dodging patches of turbulence that we could have hit if I had remained completely in control—including a spectacular ripper that would have possibly ripped our sail open.
My heart thundered in my chest. The world contracted into this single moment.
It was beautiful. It was perfect.
We carved along the cloud, rising to the peak of the next plume, where we had but a moment’s respite.
And then it began again.
“Yeeeeaaaaaah!” I howled, as we shifted to avoid a bolt of lightning. Big D crowed; Bailu and Seiyu cheered. It was like we were on the mother of all roller coasters.
For two whole hours, we battled the worst of the storm—but I was once more reminded that this was a world of cultivation. My eyes widened as masses of skyfish burst out of the black clouds beside us but there was something chasing them—my jaw dropped, as their predator followed them.
Manta rays.
Flying manta rays as big as 747s.
They were the colour of the storm, grey tops and white underbellies. They burst out of the clouds, scooping masses of flying fish and soaring shrimp into their vast maws, before falling back into them.
I had gone whale watching once, in the other place. This blew that experience out of the water.
I couldn’t help but laugh in shock and wonder.
And then Bailu shouted.
“Captain! Look!”
I followed where she was pointing. Pointing at the storm far in the distance, the lightning flashing so often it was electric blue instead of black—
I did a double take.
A massive shadow, one with giant horns and a grand mane streaked across the ripping storm.
“A dragon?” I breathed.
“How auspicious.” Seiyu declared, her voice perfectly hearable above the rolling booms of thunder.
The great shadow spiraled and swirled within the cloud, like the great beast was dancing.
And then it was gone, and the cloud turned back to black. A massive gale of wind rocked us, and Ningjing hissed a slight warning.
I tore my eyes away, and redoubled my concentration.
For five hours we battled the storm; and then, we cleared the turbulence, and shot into the open sky. The wind was behind us. South-southeast. Slightly offset… and perfect for heading north, the heavens aiding our way.
“Seiyu! Are we still on course?” I asked. Seiyu glanced at the sky, and then nodded. “Then let fly the sail! We’ll make it to the coast by nightfall!”
I could feel Ninjing’s almost feral glee as we undid the reefs. A continuous gust of a much calmer forty knots.
Ningjing still hit forty five.
We glimpsed the coast as the sun set, mountains rising high into the sky.
I was tired and sore, and so was Ningjing.
But we had a little party anyways, as we anchored to the mountain peak.
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The word is truly vast and wide, Bi De noted, as he stood upon Ningjing’s mast. He could see forever from this location; across the sea of clouds, and to the endless horizon. The wind currents swirled pleasingly around his body, and the sun warmed his feathers—after the storm yesterday, it was nice to be completely dry again. His Great Master had dubbed the top of the mast the “rooster’s nest” in honour of Bi De sitting there so often. It was a wonderful location. The leaves that made up the ship’s sail were fragrant, with a smell that was Ningjing’s own.
The sights and smells soothed him, and allowed him to meditate properly—for he had been disturbed as of late.
Bi De sighed as he once more reflected on the battle against the Great Hen Minyan; though it could hardly be called a fight.
Most of what he could remember was the overwhelming weight of her soul—her Qi suppressing him even while she was holding her might back. Bi De had managed a single step forwards before, to his shame, falling unconscious.
When he awoke again, it was to his Lord having won a war of words with the powerful woman—a feat that was worthy of his Master. To be able to convince Great Hen Minyan was surely no easy feat.
Minyan’s power, and his own Master’s sublime skill had revealed the true vastness of the heavens to Bi De… and he could not help but be humbled.
Well, humbled for a second time. The first had been earlier in the fight.
He glanced down to the spot where they were anchored. Just last night, they had reached the mainland after traveling north over Phoenix Bay. Ningjing’s roots grasped tightly to the mountain peak, and held her fast—while the people he was searching for were performing their own morning meditations.
Bailu and Seiyu sat side by side as they always did, the storm around them slowing to a halt as they finished their meditations. Truly, now they were Bailu and Seiyu, rather than the blue one and the purple one. They had stood before Minyan despite courting death; and they had done so with a smile on their faces; then they had pledged themselves to him, when all of their shackles had been taken off.
To continue to degrade them when they had done that would be truly shameful. They were proud warriors, and deserved his respect.
He gazed at them with soft eyes as they began to discuss their cultivation.
“You gotta push more, Seiyu!” Bailu declared.
“I am going at a reasonable speed; it is you who is throwing us off!”
Bi De’s smile became strained as they slammed their foreheads together, glaring and muttering foul curses at each other.
…They deserved his respect. He thought firmly.
“You two ready to go?” A voice cut through their budding argument, as their Master made himself known, and both women ceased their foolishness.
Only for, as soon as Seiyu was distracted, turning to greet their lord, Bailu reached forwards, and grabbed the tribal woman’s skirts.
Seiyu’s face turned crimson, as her buttocks were exposed to the cold mountain air. Bailu started cackling.
Bi De amended himself. They deserved his respect… sometimes.
Their Master’s hand met his face.
Seiyu’s hand met Bailu’s face, and the Tsunami Wing performed an advanced grappling maneuver. In one motion she spun the dragon woman around until she was pulled over Seiyu’s knee, removed one of her slippers, and hiked Bailu’s dress up.
The sound of slipper meeting rump echoed over the mountain, along with Bailu’s screams.
At least until they caused an avalanche, and then both of them were off fixing their mess..
Bi De stared, taking deep, even breath, and focused on their beautiful charge against the Great Hen.
They… sort of deserved his respect, sometimes, when they were not being fools.
…that was probably the best he was going to get.
Bi De sighed, and shook his head… Even as he felt a brush of amusement from Ningjing.
They finally got moving when it was nearly noon.
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