Rise of Yahunyens: Origin

Episode 23: Afternoon Sunlight

Griswa settled into the right seat of the flying ship and motioned for Malaes to sit in the left one. Yesdar stood nearby, watching intently. "Alright, let's see what we can do here," Griswa said, examining the controls.

Malaes took her seat and asked, "So, what do we do first?"

Griswa noticed a lever on his right side. "This might make the ship hover," he said. Without much hesitation, he moved the lever from 0 to 1 in one swift motion.

The ship lurched upwards suddenly, kicking up a cloud of dust and sand. Yesdar stumbled, almost losing his balance, while Malaes gripped her seat tightly, her heart racing. "What the—?!"

"Whoa, easy there!" Yesdar exclaimed, trying to steady himself. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

Griswa, remaining calm, observed the ship now floating in the air. "Hmm, okay. So that's how it starts floating. Not too hard."

Malaes shot him a look. "Don't startle us like that! You did it again!"

"Yeah, seriously," Yesdar agreed, wiping sweat from his brow. "A little warning next time."

Griswa closed his eyes and smiled. "Sorry, sorry. I didn't know it had to be done slowly."

Malaes took a deep breath and asked, "So, what next?"

Griswa pointed towards the right. "We need to go in that direction. We'll have to turn the ship a bit."

"How do we do that?" Malaes asked, puzzled.

Griswa pointed at a steering wheel-like control. "I think that's the one. You'll have to rotate it. But do it slowly."

Malaes smirked. "I know. I'm not like you." She carefully began to turn the steering wheel to the right. The ship rotated in the direction she steered.

Yesdar, struggling to keep his balance, said, "Whoa, this is making me dizzy."

"Stop when it's pointing that way," Griswa instructed, keeping an eye on their new heading.

Once they were aligned, Malaes stopped turning. "Okay, I think we're good."

"Now what?" Malaes asked.

Griswa pointed at the steering wheel again. "Pull that same steering now. Think of it like riding a dragon or something. Just concentrate."

Malaes took a long breath. "Alright, here goes." Her hands were steady on the steering wheel, but she hesitated.

Yesdar, trying to lighten the mood, joked, "Don't kill us, okay?"

Malaes shot him a nervous smile. "I'll try not to."

With a deep breath, she pulled the steering wheel fully at once. The ship suddenly accelerated, with violet energy bursting from the jets at the back. They shot forward at high speed.

The ship's sudden burst of speed caught everyone off guard. Yesdar yelled, "AHHHHH!" He clung to the back of Malaes's seat with his hands, while the broken windshield allowed hot wind and sand to whip through the cabin.

Griswa, his eyes wide, shouted, "Malaes, what are you doing?! It's too fast!"

Malaes was struggling to maintain control. "I'm trying, but it's like riding a dragon without gravity belts!"

Griswa's mind raced. "We might reach the destination soon at this rate, but what about you two?! If we crash, I won't be the one dying. Slow down, slow down!"

"I'm trying!" Malaes cried out, her voice panicked.

In her panic, Malaes began turning the steering wheel instead of slowing down. The ship spun and swerved, narrowly avoiding mesas and buttes. The altitude shifted erratically, adding to the chaos.