022

The engine was at the back of the airship. It glowed at all times with cyan anti-magical energy. Near the back of the airship, there was also a ladder which led to the cargo holds. Forward from the engine, there was a narrow blackiron hallway with several rooms for storage and sleeping. The hallway ended at the bridge, which was spacious, all things considered, and was where everyone aboard now sat around a large, blackiron table except for Jori, who was manning the helm nearby, keeping the airship on track. The bridge, like the rest of the airship, was dim, with only small, greasy windows to look out of. Noah could see the growing golgotha Tower of Babel, already taller than the Rainbow Mountains, passing by on their left as they flew.

“It’s a long journey to Hoomtree,” said Sven, “so we should assign roles and choose our rooms-“

“Where are we going?” interrupted Kirsa. “What tree?”

“Hoomtree. It’s the Elven capital city.”

“What? Elfs?” Kirsa’s sharp eyes darted to Noah. “Isn’t your ex-girlfriend or whatever an elf?”

Noah went to speak, but Sven responded. “We are going to the Elven nations to deliver to them the cure for their blight and ask them for aid in return.”

“But what about that girl? Charity? Was that her name?” asked Kirsa.

“She will probably be there,” said Noah, evading her inquiry.

Kirsa was steaming, but Sven pressed on. “Jori is the only one who knows how to fly this thing, so we will land whenever he needs to rest, until he teaches me how to fly it too. Jori and I will share one room-“

“I’m sharing a room with Noah!” shouted Kirsa.

“Kirsa-“ Noah protested.

“We are sharing a room!” she insisted. Noah relented. They’d have separate beds, right?

“Cardi and Berenice are together, then. And that’s all the rooms. Good.”

“How fun!” said Cardi. She kissed Berenice on the cheek, who seemed confused by the gesture.

Sven said, “Alright, we also should probably have people on lookout at all times whenever we’re on the ground. We’ll rotate through everyone. Besides that, it’s a long journey, so let’s try not to kill each other, eh?” He smiled, flashing his fangs.

“Will do,” said Noah.

“Yeah, I’m not gonna kill anyone, as long as they don’t come between me and Noah,” said Kirsa.

“Methought the two of you were not together?” asked Berenice.

“We’re definitely not,” said Noah.

“Are too!” said Kirsa. She left her seat and draped herself over Noah. “He’s just joking.” Noah rolled his eyes. This was going to be a long flight, for sure.

“There are two more matters of business. Firstly, we don’t really know where we’re going. We’re going south, but we don’t exactly know where Hoomtree is, or exactly how long it will take to get there. If anyone knows exactly where we need to go, then let me know. Otherwise…” Sven looked around, but nobody said anything. “Okay, we’ll just keep an eye out for a city made of wood, I guess. Next, Noah and I grabbed some artifacts from Annatto, and I thought we could try to figure out what they do.”

“Sure,” said Noah, digging in his pockets. He pulled out two rings and a bracelet. That was all he managed to keep after most of his artifacts fell out of his pockets while he fell during their mission. He placed them on the table. One ring was made of strange white metal and had three large diamonds arranged in a triangle, the front of which was glowing softly. The other was a gold ring with a ruby. The last artifact was a bracelet, which Noah was glad he didn’t lose. It was a sci-fi-looking white and black bracelet with a bunch of small holes in the top. Noah had no idea what it did, but it had looked out of place with all the fantasy stuff. It looked like something a Star Wars stormtrooper might wear.

Sven poured a bigger pile of artifacts from a pouch onto the table. There was a necklace made of orange and red gems that seemed to flicker slightly like flames. There were four rings. The first was silver, and had a large, square orange gem of some kind. The second was half silver and half blackiron. The third was silver and had an engraving in a language Noah didn’t understand. Actually, when Noah squinted, he could tell that it was just English written in cursive, but he couldn’t make it out from where he was. The fourth ring was a thick gold ring with rectangular onyxes set all around it. Sven also set down a knurled, white, wooden wand with a thick steel handle that glowed blue, a glass orb, and what looked like a hard candy wrapped in colourful plastic.

Sven also set down a potion, which was obviously some kind of health potion, as it was red and had the glossy image of a heart on it.

“Some of this, I can guess what it does. This is obviously a healing potion. I have seen this one before,” Sven said, pointing to the silver ring with the engraving. “This is a mana discount ring. I’ll be keeping that one for myself.” He slipped it onto his finger and started examining the other items. “I’m sure we didn’t get the best artifacts, since we were stuffing our pockets at random, but who knows. If you all help me figure out what they do, I’ll share them with you. It’s up to Noah whether he wants to share his, of course.”

Noah shrugged. “Yeah, that’s fine.”

“I also know what this is,” said Sven, holding up the candy. “Extremely rare. Whoever eats this will gain a level straight away, assuming they are humanborn.”

“Wondrous,” said Berenice. “I would fain use it for mine own self, but methinks Noah should eat it. He’s the most important amongst our group.”

“He is the Lady’s chosen one,” said Cardi.

“Yeah, I was thinking that,” said Sven, looking disappointedly at the candy. Jori shouted something from the front of the ship, but Noah couldn’t hear what he said. Sven smiled. “Here, Noah.” He tossed the candy to Noah.

Noah caught the candy and started unwrapping it. It was wrapped in crinkly plastic, which was striped in bright blue, pink, white, and indigo, with gold swirls. The candy itself was translucent brown. “Well, here goes nothing.” He popped it in his mouth. It tasted like cola. And cough syrup. He gagged. The bitter candy melted in his mouth, and after swallowing, he levelled up. He closed his eyes, and verified the message.

[Level up! You have reached level 7! You have gained 4 stat points!]

Wow! It worked! He was excited to choose his new ability and allocate his stat points, but for now, he turned to the group, who were staring expectantly at him. “It worked,” he said. “I’m level 7.”

“Incredible!” said Berenice. The rest of the group expressed their congratulations. Everyone seemed happy for him except for Kirsa, who was quietly fuming.

“Okay, let’s go through the rest of the artifacts. Any ideas what this one does?” Sven said, holding up the red and orange gem necklace. Nobody replied. “Anyone wanna try it? Some consider it risky to try unknown artifacts, but these were in Antimogne’s vault, so they shouldn’t be cursed, at least.”

“I shall try it!” said Berenice, reaching out for the necklace. It was hard for her to get it on over her white afro, but she managed it.

“Feel any different?” asked Sven.

“Hmm… Nay.”

“Maybe try to reach out with your mind and activate it?”

Berenice closed her eyes for a second and then shook her head.

“Well, keep wearing it for a bit. Maybe its function will become clear over time. Hopefully, it doesn’t require a command word. Next, what about… this ring? Silver with an orange gem?”

“I want to try one,” said Cardi.

“Sure, here.”

She slipped it onto her slender, pink finger. It was a bit big for her. “Hmm.”

“Nothing? Try activating it, maybe?”

Clang!

“Ow!” screamed Kirsa. “Watch it!”

A steel warhammer had appeared in Cardi’s hand, hitting Kirsa lightly on her arm.

“Oh, no! I am so sorry, Kirsa!”

“Whatever, just be more careful.”

Cardi swung the warhammer around gently. “It’s so light! Like a… A…”

“A feather?” asked Sven.

“A what?” asked Cardi.

Sven squinted at her. “You don’t know what a feather is?”

Cardi sighed. “I don’t know what many things are. I don’t even know what this thing is for,” she said, gesturing with the warhammer.

“I see. Well, we know what that one does now. It’s a weapon. A warhammer ring. Cool. Anyone want to use that?”

Cardi took it off. “I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

“I’ll take it,” said Kirsa. Cardi slid the ring to Kirsa, who put it on her thumb.

Sven was already testing the next ring. The ring was half-black and half-white. Sven closed his eyes and then opened them. “Hmm. It gives a -2 to Intelligence, but a +2 to Luck. I don’t think anyone should wear that one. Maybe we can sell it. I’d rather the opposite, of course. Next…” Sven put on the thick gold ring encrusted with onyxes. He immediately became substantially taller. Up from his normal height of around 4 feet, he was now closer to 6 feet and wider in proportion. “Oh, my. I’m big!”

“Now your body… as your head…” Jori said from the front of the ship, but Noah couldn’t make it all out.

“Ring of Enlarge. I think this must go to our Mauler, no?”

Berenice’s eyes widened with gratitude. “Aye! I did want that one!” Berenice took the ring, holding it in her palm. “I’ll not don it now. ‘Twould not be ladylike to wander around like some gargantuan behemoth. I need to look mine best for Noah.” She winked at Noah.

Noah’s jaw dropped, and Kirsa shouted. “What?”

Berenice seemed shocked at her own statement. “I- I know not why I said that!”

Kirsa’s new warhammer popped out. “Take that back!”

“Kirsa!” shouted Noah.

“Enough!” yelled Sven, using blood magic to amplify his voice. Kirsa dropped the warhammer in surprise when she saw his red eyes. It vanished when it touched the floor. “Wow, that didn’t take nearly as much mana as usual,” mused Sven, looking at his new mana discount ring. “Please, everyone, do not tear each other apart. We are here as friends, okay?”

“Yay!” said Cardi. “I love that I have friends now!”

Kirsa scowled but sat down.

“Next is a wand. It’s been a while since my last wand broke, and I’ve been itching to acquire another. It seems larger than most wands I’ve dealt with in the past, and rather stiff. It seems to have quite a large mana battery. Slow charge, but high capacity. It won’t be much use to the rest of you, anyway, and I’m quite skilled in the use of wands, so I’ll take it.”

Berenice leaned over to Noah, whispering to him. “I’m skilled in the use of thy wand, Noah.” She kissed his neck, and he tensed in surprise. “And thy wand, too, is larger than most wands I’ve dealt with before.”

Noah swallowed. He looked at Berenice. She was biting her lower lip, looking at him with innocent eyes. Her pose was erotic. What had gotten into her? He appreciated the attention, but he was surprised by it, and she didn’t feel the same way about her. Ultimately, he still wanted Chastity, or Kirsa, or something. But not Berenice. He was glad Kirsa hadn’t noticed the kiss. Berenice was beautiful, and being wanted by her did turn him on, but… His eyes wandered to her breasts, above which dangled the fiery necklace. Oh.

“Berenice,” said Noah.

“Aye? Is there anything I can do for thee?” asked Berenice.

“That necklace you’re wearing. Take it off, please.”

“Of course. I would shave my wool bare for thee, Noah,” she asked, taking off the necklace and slipping it into Noah’s hand.

Noah eyed the necklace and put it on. If he was right, he would become hornier now, or more attracted to the people around him, or something like that. He looked at Berenice, expecting to be hopelessly attracted to her or something, but he just felt normal. She was attractive, but she was just his friend Berenice. Nothing out of the ordinary. He looked around the room at the others, who were looking curiously back at him. Sven: normal. No surprise there. Kirsa: he felt annoyed rather than aroused. Cardi: she was cute, but not in a sexy way. Even though she was the only person in the group whose naked breasts he could see right now, he wasn’t particularly attracted to her.

“Hmm, maybe it only works on women.” Noah took off the necklace. “Anyone else wanna try it?”

“I will!” said Kirsa, snatching the necklace before Cardi could volunteer. She slipped it on. “I don’t feel any different, but it compliments my breasts nicely, don’t you think, Noah?”

Noah begrudgingly looked at her. The necklace looked fine on her. She was pushing her boobs together with her arms to make them more attractive. “Sure, Kirsa.”

“You think they’re nice?”

Of course they were. They hadn’t changed since he had slept with her before. But to admit it out loud would be giving her the wrong idea. “They’re fine, Kirsa.” She just winked at him and smiled to herself. She seemed happy that she had managed to fluster him a bit.

“Okay, well, I’m not sure what that’s about, but let me know if you figure it out,” said Sven. Next, we have this glass orb artifact. I know it lights up, glowing from the inside when someone holds it, but I don’t know what it does. Anyone?”

Everyone passed it around, watching it glow in their hands, but nobody could figure out what it did.

“Very well. That’s it for the artifacts I brought. Noah, should we go over yours?”

“Sure.” Noah’s artifacts were just two rings and the cool sci-fi bracelet, so he was sure it wouldn’t take long, and like Sven, he was happy to share the artifacts with whoever they suited most.

“Great. Let’s start with this one, then.” Sven held up the white ring with three triangle-cut diamonds arranged in a larger triangle, one of which was glowing softly. “Anyone want to try it?”

Nobody volunteered right away, so Noah reached out and took it. He put it on his finger. He didn’t feel any different. He tried Sven’s advice of closing his eyes and reaching out toward the ring with his mind and trying to activate it, but nothing happened. He opened his eyes and shrugged.

“Okay, well, keep it on, and we’ll see if anything happens. The other ring I recognize. It’s a Ring of Strength. I imagine we’re giving that to our Mauler as well? Jori won’t take it.”

“What? How come she’s getting all the artifacts!” said Kirsa.

“It suits her best,” said Sven, sliding the ring to Berenice. She took it and put it on without saying a word.

“Last is that bracelet,” said Sven. Noah was strapping it to his wrist, inspecting it closely. There was a button on the side of it. What would happen if he pressed it? He went for it.

LAUNCHING MICRO-MISSILES

“What!” shouted Noah.

ERROR: NO MICRO-MISSILES REMAINING

Noah and the rest of the group sighed in relief. Micro-missiles, huh? Now, the small holes on the top of the bracelet made sense. But where would he get micro-missiles from?

Sven spoke. “Huh. Perhaps it was unwise of us to try that one inside the airship. Ancient artifacts like that one tend to be unpredictable.”

“You almost blew us up!” said Kirsa.

“Sorry,” said Noah.

“Aww, it’s okay, Noah! We forgive you,” smiled Cardi. “Wait, so what happened?”

“His artifact tried to launch missiles at us! It would have killed us!”

“Oh, my!” said Cardi. “Noah!”

“Well, crisis averted. If you all don’t mind, I will go to my room for a while and practice channelling mana with the wand. Good meeting, everyone.”

Kirsa spoke to Noah. “Maybe we should go to our room, too? I’d like to get some practice with your wand.” She winked.

They definitely weren’t doing that, but Noah did want to talk to her privately. “Fine, let’s go.”

“Really?” she said, excitedly.

“Just to talk,” he said.

“Oh. Okay.”

They walked back to their room. And, yep, there was only one bed. Oh, well. They could sleep with their heads in opposite directions. Or at different times. The room was cramped and dim, with a small amount of sky light spilling in through the small, round window. They could barely stand in it without touching each other. They closed the door behind them.

“We’re all alone,” said Kirsa. “It’s been a while since we’ve been together like this. Honestly, it makes my heart flutter.”

“Okay… We need to talk about you being here, and the baby. You’re not going to like this, but I was planning on trying to be with Chastity again when we get to Hoomtree. I wasn’t expecting you to come with us. But if you’re pregnant…”

“I am!” She said. “Look, you can feel him.” Her slender, orange hand took his and held it to her belly. He wasn’t really sure if he could feel anything. Maybe there was a bit of a bump. It would be pretty early in the pregnancy still.

“Him?”

“I think it’s a boy. I’m sure he’ll be as handsome as his father,” she smiled.

“But, Kirsa, are you sure you’re pregnant? I know you said you missed your period and everything, but…”

“Yeah, I’m totally sure. I even went to a life mage and got it verified and everything!”

Noah sighed. This was not how he wanted his trip to Hoomtree to go. He wanted to reunite with Chastity, apologize to her profusely for everything, and give her the cure for the elven disease. Maybe he would even marry her. The elves didn’t really have a dating phase, apparently. But now, if he was really the father of Kirsa’s child, he should probably be there for that child, right? He should marry Kirsa instead. The only problem was, Kirsa was annoying. Despite being on the heavier side, he still found himself attracted to her. And he did like her, when she wasn’t being crazy. He liked how friendly and bubbly she could be. He liked her enthusiasm. But she was a handful.

“I’m sorry, Noah. I’m sorry I’m not Chastity.”

“No, don’t say that. You’re great; it’s just…”

“I’m not her. I’m not some mysterious, humanborn elf girl. I can’t compete with someone you only knew for like a day. Because I’m just a regular old carrot girl, and she can be, like, anything you can imagine.”

Her words stung. It was true. Chastity had become more of a symbol to him than an actual person. She had been kind and strong when he knew her, true, but most of his time in this world had been spent apart from her. He didn’t really know her that well. She was a symbol of his past failure and his desire to become better. She was the prize he wanted to claim to prove he wasn’t bad anymore. But he didn’t really know her.

“I know it’s probably hard to imagine being with someone like me. You’re hot, and you’re a noble, and I’m just a dirty carrot girl.” She looked up at him with soft eyes, resting her hand on his chest. “But, I have one thing Chastity doesn’t have. I’d never leave you. Ever. I know you, Noah. I know your flaws, just like you know mine. We can, like, accept each other for who we are. We’re not perfect, but we’re soulmates. And we’re having a baby.”

Noah’s heart beat quickly. This was too much. He pushed her hand away. “Kirsa…”

Her eyes welled with tears. “Noah, why can’t you see yourself being with me? We were together before, right? I know things went bad, but I’ve gotten better. Really, I have. And so have you. I see that. You’ve become a better man.” She traced her finger down his chest. “A stronger man. I just want to make you happy, my Lord. Can’t you just let me do that?”

In any other circumstance, Noah would turn and run out the door. But she was pregnant with his child. It would be better if he loved her instead of Chastity. The only problem was – he didn’t. His heart still ached for Chastity. When he looked at Kirsa, yes, she was a woman, and not ugly or anything, though a bit plain looking. But she just wasn’t Chastity. He was conflicted, and he froze.

“We have to try, right?” she said. “For the baby? We have to try to be together. It wouldn’t be so bad, I promise. Okay?” Noah didn’t reply. “If you choose me over her, I promise it will be worth it. I can make you happy, Noah, I swear. Okay?”

Kirsa got on her knees. “Let me make you happy, my Lord.” Noah swallowed. Her hands started untying his pants.

“Kirsa, we can’t…” He was conflicted and embarrassed. He didn’t know what he should think or who he should be with. He didn’t want her to see that he was responding to her. He was already getting hard underneath his pants. It had been a while since he had been with a real woman. If she pulled his pants down, she would know he was aroused. He shifted his hips to hide his erection as she undid his fly.

Noah’s heart pounded. She slowly pulled his cock from his pants. It was hard, and the tip glistened with precum. She smiled up at him. “I love you, baby,” she said.

“We can’t…” Noah whispered, too quietly for her to hear. His aching balls tingled as her cold fingers stroked them. She looked longingly at him as she took the head of his dick into her mouth. Noah moaned. He thought of Chastity, but it seemed like that dream was over anyway. He looked down at the woman who was actually here and actually wanted him. The woman who had his cock in her mouth and his baby in her womb. He made eye contact and blushed. She smiled slightly, then took him deeper into her mouth.

She wasn’t as skilled as Berenice had been, but what she lacked in skill, she made up for in enthusiasm. She bobbed her head desperately up and down on his cock, touching his balls softly with her hand at the same time. Noah leaned his head back against the door and closed his eyes. He was tempted to imagine it was Chastity instead, but it didn’t feel right. He opened his eyes again, watching Kirsa gag herself on his dick. Her legs were spread open, and she had one hand down her pants, touching herself.

Noah could feel her moan on his dick as she sucked him. It hadn’t been long, but he wasn’t going to last much longer. She sucked his cock, moaning more loudly than him. He hoped nobody could hear her. He would be mortified if everyone on board knew this was happening. Nobody could know. His heart raced.

He started to moan more loudly and felt himself about to cum. She pulled his dick out of her mouth and stroked it with her hand. He painted her face with his cum. It spilled out in several large bursts as his knees went weak. Kirsa stuck out her tongue and smiled as Noah covered her. Her eyelids drooped slightly, and she didn’t flinch. She was happy to be the target of Noah’s ejaculation. Noah watched as she milked the last few drops of semen onto her tongue. He sighed in relief, and sat down on the bed next to them.

Kirsa licked her fingers, and looked around for something to clean her face with. She found a small, unused pillowcase, and wiped her face. “Okay, that was a lot.” She smiled. She crawled next to Noah in bed. She smiled at him, and hugged him. His mind was empty for a while, and he was relaxed, cuddling with her. But soon, thoughts started to return to his mind, and they weren’t all positive.

He looked at Kirsa, and longed for Chastity. He felt guilt, confusion, and embarrassment. Even if she was going to be the mother of his child, shouldn’t he have verified that fact before he gave in to her? But she was so convincing. He was horny, and she knew how to play him.

He stood up, and before Kirsa could say anything, he left the room and closed the door behind him. He closed his eyes and breathed.

[Level up! You have reached level 7! You have gained 4 stat points!]

Right, he still needed to level up. Maybe later, when Kirsa wasn’t in the room. He opened his eyes and noticed Sven at the end of the hall, standing by the massive blackiron engine, which glowed with cyan magical energy.

“Ah, Noah. Could you help me for a moment?”

Noah took a deep breath, and walked toward him. “Yeah?”

Sven tilted his head. “You look pale. And that’s coming from me.” He smiled, showing his fangs. “Are you alright?”

“Y- Yeah, I’m fine,” said Noah.

“Good. Well, I found a bit of a problem back here. It’s the anti-magic battery. It’s almost empty.”

“What?” asked Noah, perking up.

“Yeah. Not good. It’s what’s powering this engine. Without anti-mana, the airship will fall out of the air. We have maybe a few days of mana left. Not enough to get to Hoomtree.”

“Shit.”

“I have an idea. I’m a mage, so I can charge it with mana. But, in order to do that, I’ll need… Some blood.”

“Blood?”

“Yes. Sorry. I need to consume some of your blood. With my blood magic combined with my natural ability to strip blood of its mana, I should be able to get enough mana from your blood to get us to Hoomtree.”

“Okay. I guess I have no choice, right?”

“Not if you want to get to Hoomtree. I mean, you can say no, but someone on board has to say yes, and I’m betting your blood is the sweetest since you’re a true human. Humanborns have sweeter blood than others. Animal blood is the blandest.” Sven made a face of disgust.

“Alright, do you want it now?”

“Yes, if possible.”

Everyone was trying to drain him of his fluids today. Fine. Noah nodded. “Do you need to, like, bite my neck?”

“No, I’ll just prick your wrist. You may want to sit.”

Sven took Noah’s wrist and pierced it with his fang. Blood trickled from the wound and floated through the air toward Sven’s palm, where it was absorbed into his body. Noah looked away. Looking at it made him a bit nauseous. It reminded him of giving blood. He was never good with needles. Fangs, actually, seemed a bit better, but still.

“Sorry,” said Sven. Noah was expecting Sven’s eyes to glow red, and his voice to take on an echoey quality, but he seemed normal.

“How come… Your voice…? Your eyes aren’t glowing?”

“Oh, that’s life magic. Self-enhancement. I’m just using blood magic right now.”

“Okay.”

It was several minutes before the trickle of blood started to slow. Noah felt lightheaded, but it was probably more from the anxiety than having lost any substantial amount of blood. While he was being drained, Noah thought about Kirsa. About the blowjob he had just received. It was incredible. He thought of how Kirsa had smiled while he came on her face. The thought put a smile on his face. But his smile faded when he thought about her pregnancy, and their mission, and Chasity.

“Sven?”

“Yes?”

“You said you’re a life mage, right?”

“Yes. I’m not a healer, though, so if you have some injury or sickness, you’ll have to find a life mage in a city. Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, it’s just… Could you tell if someone was pregnant? Kirsa says she is, and I believe her, and that’s why we brought her and everything, but I would like to know for sure.”

“Oh. Yeah, I could tell. I would be able to sense the mana in the child’s body. I’d need her to let me touch her, though.”

“Okay. You would do that?”

“Sure. I don’t see why not.”

“Okay, good.” At least he wouldn’t have to guess anymore. That was the worst part. Once he knew for sure, then he could make up his mind about what to do. The uncertainty was killing him.

“I was hoping to give the cure to Chastity, the elf I am in love with. But…”

“But if you got the carrot girl pregnant, that changes things, right?”

Noah nodded. “I still can’t believe it. I mean, I knew that was a risk, but… I just wish we never had unprotected sex.”

Neither Noah nor Sven noticed it, but at that moment, the softly glowing light of one of the three triangular diamonds on Noah’s new ring went out. Now, all three diamonds were dim.

Noah suddenly felt nauseous. It was like a wave of pressure passed through his body. He grabbed his arm, stemming the slow flow of blood. “Is that enough blood?”

“Yes, sorry, that should be enough.”

Noah nodded. “Hmm… You know, I’m not sure why I even said that before. Now that I think about it, Kirsa and I never did have unprotected sex. We had some kind of condoms, I think.”

“Oh? Well, then, maybe the baby’s not yours. Or she isn’t pregnant, and she’s just lying. It did get her aboard the ship, eh?”

“Yeah, true. Maybe we should go see her now? I am starting to doubt she could be pregnant.”

“Okay, just help me reset the engine after I fill it with mana.”

Sven opened a compartment and placed his wand against the battery, filling it with mana. The battery began to glow red. “This will damage the battery over time. It has to work twice as hard to convert the mana to anti-mana. But hopefully, it will survive our journey.” He closed the compartment. “Okay, now help me flip this lever,” he said, gesturing to a large, blackiron lever.

Noah realized Sven was too small to flip the lever on his own. Noah pulled it down. Sven made a show of trying to help, but Noah could tell he didn’t really make a difference.

“Thanks,” said Sven. “Let’s go.”

They walked to Noah and Kirsa’s room and knocked on the door.

“Noah, baby? Come in!”

Sven opened the door. Noah was worried Sven would notice some evidence of the blowjob Kirsa had given Noah, but Noah remembered they had stashed the condom under a pillowcase, so it should be fine. Noah thought about the blowjob fondly. Even with the condom, it had been amazing.

“Oh, Sven?” asked Kirsa. She was sitting on the bed.

Noah spoke. “Sven is a life mage. He just wants to check to see if you’re pregnant, okay?”

Kirsa yelled back, “What, you don’t believe me?”

“No, it’s not like that. It’s just, I don’t know how I could have gotten you pregnant, so it’s best we double-check, right?”

“Fine, whatever! You don’t trust me? Fine! Come check!” She pouted.

Sven bent down, put his hand over her uterus, and paused. He then stood and shook his head at Noah. “No pregnancy. You’re off the hook, my friend.” He stepped past Noah and out into the hallway, leaving Noah and Kirsa alone.

“What? But I had a life mage check me before! He’s lying, Noah!”

“I don’t think so, Kirsa. How could I have even gotten you pregnant? We never even had unprotected sex! Remember? Even with blowjobs, I insisted we use protection.” The memory confused Noah. He remembered insisting on protection, but he wasn’t sure why he was so strict about it with Kirsa, when he’d been happy to have unprotected sex with Berenice. Did he view Kirsa as dirty or something?

Kirsa paused, looking confused. “Yeah, but still! Condoms can break! I’m pregnant!”

“No, Kirsa.”

“I am!”

“No, you’re not. I shouldn’t have let you give me a blowjob before, Kirsa. I wanted to stay faithful to Chastity. I thought you were pregnant, so I was going to have to give up being with her anyway, but… I don’t want to be with you, Kirsa. You’re not pregnant, and you lied about it.”

“I did not! I swear on the Eye, I’m not lying! I went to a life mage!” Kirsa screamed. Everyone on the ship could easily hear the commotion, and Noah started to turn red.

“We didn’t even have unprotected sex, Kirsa.”

“So? Condoms break all the time!” She took the lambskin condom they had stashed under a pillow and used her fingernails to tear a hole in it. “See?”

“Yeah, when you rip it like that on purpose! God, I can’t believe you tricked me into taking you on this trip.”

“Noah!” Tears streamed down her face. “I want to be with you! So what if I’m not pregnant? You can still get me pregnant, so how is that different? Come on, just be with me! If you don’t, I’m gonna tell Chastity you had sex with me anyway!”

“Kirsa, you’re not coming with us. We’re just passing the Rainbow Mountains now. We’re probably close to your village. I’m gonna ask Jori if we can drop you off.”

“Noah!” Kirsa fell to her knees, clinging to Noah’s pants.

“This whole thing was a mistake,” said Noah. “I can’t believe, after everything I said to myself about being faithful to Chastity, you managed to get me to…” He noticed the necklace she was wearing hanging down in front of her breasts. “Kirsa, give me that necklace.”

“Fine! Take your fucking necklace and leave me alone, you bastard!” She threw it at him. He put it in his pocket and walked to the bridge with it in hand. Berenice and Sven were both sitting at the table in the bridge.

“Everything okay?” asked Sven.

“I think we should drop Kirsa off. Her village is near here.”

Sven nodded. “Just show Jori where to stop. We’ll need to stop for the night later, but we can make a quick stop to drop her off now, no problem. Sorry, Noah.”

“Yeah.”

“What hath happened?” asked Berenice.

“I’ll tell you later.”

Noah helped Jori find where to stop. It took them a while of searching for the right spot, but they found it, and they lowered the airship just outside the village. From above, they could look right into the dirt, roofless homes of the veggiefolk. The village was a lot less colourful now without all the festival decorations.

Sensing that they had landed, Kirsa exited her room, her few belongings in hand. She had clearly been crying. Noah hid at the helm where Jori was. He didn’t really want to say goodbye to her. It would be awkward. He just tried to listen from the helm. He could mostly make out what was being said.

Sven spoke to her. “Alright, I can escort you out.”

“Okay,” said Kirsa meekly. “But, umm, I still have that gift I wanted to give to Berenice. To say sorry for everything before, in the Rainbow Mountains.”

“Oh? That is so sweet,” said Berenice.

“Very well. But then you have to go,” said Sven.

Noah couldn’t see what was happening from the helm, but the next thing he heard was screaming, and he came running around the corner to see Kirsa standing next to Berenice, stabbing at her with a knife.

“What the fuck? Why won’t you die, you fucking bitch?”

Kirsa’s knife rebounded harmlessly off Berenice’s skin. Because of her Mirage Necklace, Berenice looked normal, but her metalskin ring ensured she was made of solid metal. Kirsa’s knife did nothing.

Berenice scowled, and picked Kirsa up by the waist. It looked easy, like Kirsa was a feather. Kirsa kept stabbing at Berenice’s chest. Sven grabbed Kirsa’s wrist and took the knife from her as Berenice carried her to the back of the ship. Noah just watched from a distance.

“You fucking bitch, put me down! You stole my man, and now he doesn’t love me anymore, and he never will again, thanks to you! Fuck you! Fucking fuck you!” Kirsa’s voice trailed off as Berenice carried her to the back of the airship. Noah heard some metal groaning as a metal door on the side of the airship opened. Then, he heard Kirsa screaming and a thud as she hit the ground.

“Ow! Fucking bitch, that hurt! Fuck you! Fuck-“ The door closed again, and Noah couldn’t hear Kirsa anymore.

Berenice walked back to the bridge. She just looked confused. “I do hope thou mendest thy relationship with Chastity, Noah. Anything is better than Kirsa.”

Berenice sat at the table where Sven was now seated. Noah hoped so, too.

Sven turned the dagger in his hands. “This is an artifact I don’t have to guess about. A heartseeker dagger. You’re lucky for your metal skin, Berenice, because otherwise this would have stabbed unerringly into your heart.”

“Jesus…” muttered Noah. She really was crazy. He was so relieved she wasn’t pregnant. And that Berenice was okay. The worst thing that had happened was he got his dick sucked. Not bad, compared to what could have happened. Especially if Chastity never found out. He didn’t see how she could. Too bad it had to be with a condom.

Berenice went back to reading a book she had brought, and Sven went back to his room while Jori took off again. The engine hummed as the ship pulled into the air.

Bored, Noah examined the necklace of orange and red gems. When Berenice had worn it, she had been flirting with him like crazy. He thought maybe it was making her horny or something. But maybe it just made the user more flirtatious? Or even made the user better at flirting? Maybe that was why Kirsa knew exactly what to say to get him to consent to a blowjob, despite how conflicted he was about it. If so, maybe he could wear the necklace when he saw Chastity. He would have to try it out soon.

He was about to put it into his pocket, but he jumped when he noticed that the ring with the three diamonds on his finger had changed. Before, one of the diamonds had been glowing, but now all three were dim. What changed?

Noah’s mind raced as he considered everything that had happened since he last looked at the ring. Kirsa convinced him to let her suck his dick. He had an orgasm. It probably didn’t have anything to do with that. Then he regretted it and talked to Sven. Sven drained his blood. Maybe it had to do with Noah being hurt by Sven? While Noah talked to Sven about Kirsa, something a bit unusual did happen. He said he wished he had never had unprotected sex with Kirsa, even though he never had… Oh. Fuck. FUCK!

“Fuck!” yelled Noah.

“What? Eye above, art thou well?”

Sven came from his room. “Is everything okay?”

Noah buried his face in his hands. “Fuuuuuuuuuuck!” he yelled.

Cardi came to the bridge. Her eyelids were heavy, like she’d been sleeping. “What’s wrong?”

Everyone looked to Noah, waiting for him to explain. He sighed, taking off the ring. “See this? Earlier, when I was talking to you, Sven, I said something to you. I said I wished Kirsa and I had never had unprotected sex.”

“I remember,” said Sven. “And then you said you were confused why you would say that, because you had never had unprotected sex with her.”

“Aye,” said Berenice, “I do recall thou didst mention once that thou hadst always used protection with Kirsa. Yet, thou did it naturally with me. I was flattered by that, I will confess.”

“Right. Well, what if when I said that to you, Sven, it was true?”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“How could it be true this day, if it wasn’t true in weeks past?” asked Berenice.

“I mean, what if it was true when I said it. What if I had unprotected sex with Kirsa at some point. But then I said I wished I hadn’t…”

“Oh no,” said Sven. “Fuck, indeed!”

“What? I’m confused!” said Cardi.

“It’s a ring of wishes!” said Sven. “And Noah wasted the only wish by wishing he hadn’t had unprotected sex with Kirsa.”

“Oh… Well, thou couldst not have known. Still, fancy what thou could have wrought with a wish!”

“Yeah, exactly. I could have done anything. I could have become level 1000, or cured every disease, or something.”

“Or made the Heart the prime god, instead of the Eye,” Cardi chipped in.

“I think the Eye would not allow any of those wishes,” said Sven. “Still, you’re right. It was a powerful opportunity. We could have eliminated the Emperor, at the least. I wonder what Antimogne used the first two wishes for, if the ring was fully charged when it came into his possession.”

“I can’t believe I wasted a wish on Kirsa,” said Noah. Although, if he hadn’t, Kirsa might actually be pregnant, right? Did he kill her unborn fetus with a wish? If so, he should be somewhat relieved. It’s not the best use of a wish, but at least he would now still have a chance with Chastity.

“So now ‘tis drained of wishes? There’s no means to restore them?”

“No,” said Sven. “Schematics for such powerful artifacts are lost to the ages. Artifacts such as these predate even the gods.”

“Wondrous,” said Berenice. “I cannot fathom anything older than the Eye.”

“Besides me?” asked Noah. If he was from the past like he thought he was, he was probably older than the Eye.

“Ah. I suppose so.”

“How old are you, Noah?” asked Cardi earnestly. “I’m zero.”

“18. Or maybe 19, depending what day it is. I guess my birthday would be around now.”

“Wowie, happy birthday Noah!” smiled Cardi. “So that means the Eye is less than 18?” Sven laughed at her. “What?” she asked.

“Never mind,” said Sven. “Yes, that ring must be ancient, as many artifacts are. That bracelet is likely even older,” he said, pointing to Noah’s micro-missile launcher bracelet.

Noah wondered why there weren’t new, more powerful artifacts. In the 21st century, it felt like every year, technology got better than the previous year. But apparently, now, the instructions for making all the best stuff were lost to history. It was probably for the best. Wish rings were probably a bad thing to have floating around.

“Did I tell thee of mine new surname, Noah?” asked Berenice. Noah shook his head no. “Now that I am humanborn, I have decided I should bear a last name. I have decided that I am now Berenice Steelwool. Dost thou fancy it?”

“Uhh, yeah, it sounds good. Makes sense,” said Noah.

“Congratulations, Bee!” said Cardi. “Everyone should have a cool last name. It’s just another thing to be happy about!”

“Of course, if I meet a comely swain with a different surname, I would be willing to give up mine for his, of course.”

“I never understood that tradition,” said Sven.

Berenice smiled at Noah. He wondered if she was thinking about him when she said that. She didn’t have feelings for him, did she? But, if Noah was right about the flame-coloured necklace, it would make a person more flirtatious, but not necessarily attracted to anyone they weren’t already attracted to. If so… He shook his head. He couldn’t be certain. It was probably just his imagination. If she did take his last name, though, she would be Berenice Turner, which wasn’t as cool as Steelwool. He was at least certain of that.