Turbulence
As it turned out, Valor had been correct in his prediction.
It was indeed a torturous five days for them all aboard the airskiff.
The constant watch that had to be kept over the dials quickly became the height of tedium, and that was just within the first few hours of the Brazen Bell taking off.
Gantz was constantly sicking-up for the first half hour, and then he seemed spent, slumped against the starboard railing looking utterly miserable
Sana's enthusiasm for her first ride on an airship kept her in good spirits for about the first day, and she had cast several helpful spells, which alleviated Gantz's airsickness to the point that he could actually take up a stint at Sana's dial for some time. She had even cast several Cures on Valor himself to alleviate his fatigue, but as the trip approached noon of its second day, it was clear that exhaustion had shut white mage's enthusiasm down completely.
She even had trouble conjuring their food the second day. Valor wished he could do more for her, but she had finally managed sleep after fortifying Gantz with healing magic.
With the noise of the prop above and the working engine below, not to mention the winds shrieking over the deck at times, Valor would have had trouble sleeping, but with her watches over the starboard dial combined with the strain of casting spells, the white mage had seemed to have little trouble drifting off to sleep on the deck just afore the mast, wrapping her white cloak about her like a blanket.
Valor had to wake her after only several hours, however, calling her name sharply as Gantz's sickness came back and the thief was forced toward the starboard railing again.
She awoke groggily, but managed to crawl over toward the opposite dial, quickly hidden from Valor's view on his side of the propeller's base.
During the third day, everything was worse. Valor hadn't slept all this time, and fatigue was starting to batter at him. He figured the Earth Crystal's blessing combined with his own endurance training would grant him more stamina than the others, but going days without sleep and having eaten little had really started to tell on him as the evening sun sank into twilight during the third day.
He awoke sometime later after having fallen asleep, his armor clattering upon the deck as he jolted upright. To his surprise, he had found Robin Magus watching his dial.
She had given him a glare, but said nothing, and Valor had noticed that her glowing gaze had been rather faint, instead of its usual intensity. That and her slumped shoulders told him of her own fatigue, but once Valor awoke, she quickly turned away and went back below decks, never offering an ounce of explanation as to how she could leave the boiler unattended.
No one had spoken much after the second day, and the fourth day was utterly absent of all speech. Gantz had finally collapsed into sleep then, sliding across the deck as the ship shuddered and swayed during bouts of turbulence that actually had Valor's own stomach protesting.
The winds had picked up due to a storm approaching from the east, and the Chosen of Earth was actually glad that Gantz had fallen asleep, because the Brazen Bell began to buck and sway something awful. The last thing he would have needed to see was the thief vomiting all over the main deck.
During the fifth day the winds had finally died down, but it had rained continuously, which had soaked everyone above decks to the bone.
Valor barely remembered how he and the others had been prodded off the skiff hours later back onto solid ground, being led into the fortified town of Truce by a rather grim-looking Cid. The old engineer had led them to an inn not far inside the high city walls.
Once before a row of four beds in a modest room, Valor had gone to the side of his and collapsed forward, sinking immediately into deepest slumber.