Brufo didn’t know what it did, either. I excused myself from fishing for the evening. I needed to get a handle on this Night Hunter thing.

  In my cabin I found the moss kitten curled in the center of my bed. It had awakened when I entered and watched me now. I sat down next to it and petted it as it bloomed at me. I fumbled around for a light switch, but there weren’t any. I went to the lamp, hoping at least there was electricity. Yes, in luck there! It flicked on.

  I paged through Tamiro’s perk book, looking for an entry on Night Hunter. I probably should have done that before I picked my Perk. My eyelids were beginning to droop when I finally found it.

  Night Hunter: Receive a 20% bonus to hunting (Combat/Salvage/Skill) at night. Immediately I thought of fishing. I looked at my stats again.

  Name: Daniel

  Class: Driften Waker

  Level: 7

  Skills: Dragoon, Wind Rider, Tech Appraiser

  Perks: Adaptive, Scavenger’s Eye, Night Hunter

  Proficiencies: None

  If I wasn’t proficient in a fishing rod, would any of the fishing perks even matter? I looked through the book sections but found nothing that would in specific cover this. I looked some more. Then I slammed the book shut, turned the lamp off, and went to bed.

  I was even more hungry in the morning. I felt lethargic.

  “Are you always asleep because you’re starving?” I asked the moss kitten, curled in the gold light of dawn at the foot of the bed.

  It could not answer, or probably understand. But there was much I did not know about this world, that was for sure. Val was still asleep and snoring. I went back topdeck to see about some more fishing. I found both our rods there, cast out and flipping around in the wind. But there was no sign of the Black Chef.

  I reeled them in. Flopping at the end of each were the saddest fish--no, eels--I had ever seen. They were pale silver and had big fins. I let out a whoop of joy despite that. We would eat. I hurried around to find Brufo and found him chatting with Lorlux in the Navigation Room.

  A hushed silence fell when I entered with two eels on the line.

  Brufo stood, then fell to his knees and pleaded, “Daniel. Give me those eels to cook. Please. I beg you.”

  As Brufo cooked breakfast a delicious aroma filled the corridors of the Fool’s Errand. Everyone assembled in the dining room as anticipation grew. I brought the moss kitten too. It sat beside me on the table, flowering.

  Lorlux arrived last, head bowed and hands clasped behind his back, and had barely taken his seat at the head of the table when the Black Chef stepped into the doorway. He carried a serving tray laden with five soups--no, 6, I corrected myself. There was a little saucer there too, for the moss kitten! Steam rose from the bowls.

  He served us then stood at the head of the table.

  “This is White Cloud Eel Soup. Normally I’d say more but I think we’re all about to starve. Let’s dig in!”

  A delicious silence fell as we all ate. The soup was creamy and the eel tender.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  [Broth of Mending: quickened healing] notes floated around everyone. My wounds which I’d been ignoring began to feel a lot better. Val let out her breath and settled back. She had been beat up too.

  I pushed the moss kitten’s saucer toward it. “Go ahead, little guy.”

  [Broth of Mending: quickened healing]

  The moss kitten poofed into a peplum of flowers.

  After we finished cleaning our bowls we sat around the long wooden table, chatting.

  “You’re an excellent chef, Brufo,” I said.

  Brufo cleared his throat. “To tell you the truth, Daniel, if I am even half as good of a chef as you are a Driften Waker, I will be happy. I saw what you did on the Grover ship. I also saw you rescue Valietta from the school of fish. That could have been really bad.”

  He turned to Lorlux. “Captain, I propose we offer Daniel a Crew position. We’re down a member anyway what with Tamiro MIA.”

  The captain’s strange slitted pupils scanned the rest of the crew.

  “What say you all?” Lorlux croaked.

  “He saved me,” Val said. “I’ve seen him fight birds, Grovers, and a shark. He’s a brave dude that’s for sure.”

  The captain set aside his bowl.

  “So then Daniel. Would you like to join our crew?”

  I considered it. As I had no prospects in this world, it seemed like an easy decision.

  “I mean yeah. I’d love to, Captain Lorlux. Is there--”

  “Marvellous,” he cut me off. “I’ll have a contract drafted and to your cabin by the evening.”

  Everybody dispersed. Brufo did not join me for fishing, although I stuck by it diligently until midday. I also did not catch any more eels. The sky in the Western Currents began to grow very different. I began to notice floating plants among the cliffs of clouds. The narrow passage we’d been riding opened up into a cloud jungle of floating trees at all altitudes.

  The intercom came on. “Looking like light manoeuvers upcoming. We’ve reached the skyforest. Sleipnir, slow engines to cruising.”

  We slowed to a crawl and entered the sky forest. I went on deck. Seeing as I could fly, I could fish even if the ship needed to do some Lorlux’s precious manoeuvers. The trick here was to not get your hook or line stuck on anything. And there was a lot to get stuck on here. The trees and their accompanying buoyant sacs of air seemed pretty solid.

  I looked over and Valietta was sitting beside me.

  “Hey,” she grinned.

  “Val! Aren’t you supposed to be inside?”

  “Aren’t you?”

  “I’m a Driften Waker, remember? If I get flung off I’ll just fly back.”

  She made a birdlike face. “So, if I get flung off, will you just come save me again? Or do I need to get on my flight suit?”

  I chuckled. “You’re right. Of course I would save you again.”

  “Thanks, by the way.”

  “Just returning the favor I guess. Like I could have fought that big owl. Or the Grovers without you.”

  “You don’t know yourself Daniel. You’re way more powerful than you think.”

  “I’m only level--” I checked my stats again to make sure “--seven.”

  Valietta rolled her eyes. “Level is just a number.”

  I checked my line and found it flopping in the ship’s wake so I reeled in and recast. There were some shiny dark lumps on the side of the airship.

  “Val what are those?”

  “Yeah those aren’t supposed to be there.”

  I used [Wind Rider] to fly out and take a look. They were big glistening dark mounds. Several of them had attached to the metal joints of the airship.

  “They’re kind of like leeches! Really big leeches!”

  Feeling brazen I tried to move one with my boot and I got electrocuted.

  [Power Charged] floated from the leech.

  “Electric leeches,” I corrected, flying back up. “Any idea what to do against those?”

  “I wish Tamiro was here. He knew electricity.”

  “And fishing.”

  In the jungle the winged monkeys were howling. I saw some of them flying from tree to tree following the airship.

  “Let’s go get Sleipnir,” I suggested. “Also maybe we should tell the captain to speed up…”

  I brought Sleipnir up top. The airship began to accelerate.

  “Burn with fire or stab.” Sleipnir proffered a chrome dagger. “Do you need?”

  A massive explosion rocked the ship from beneath. Green smoke roiled up around us as we were flung out by the force of the blast. The ship began to plummet. Val, Sleipnir and I tumbled into the sky jungle.