The days passed efficiently, with lists double-checked and preparations made for a final send-off. The two spoke little during this time - Tilo was so scatter-brained (a result of his lack of preparation) that he could scarcely focus on what needed to be done, much less have any sort of meaningful conversation other than ‘good night’ and ‘good morning.’ Only two suitcases would accompany the pair on their journey, Nemo’s prepacked and Tilo’s eternally in progress. Rather, most of the preparations regarded the care of the various plants and creatures that made their home in Tilo’s manor. The atrium was self-sufficient, for the most part, but there were collections of ants, grasshoppers, and other creatures that still required care. The majority of time was spent labeling and sorting the variety of orders that came in for months worth of animal feed. 

And so it was that Tilo delegated the actual task of taking care of the mansion’s creatures to the mansion’s only other resident, who, for now, would be absent only until an hour or so after the pair were supposed to leave.

It wasn’t until they stood on the deck of a skyship that the reality of the situation dawned on Nemo, but he had already decided not to let himself regret his decision regardless of what happened next. 

Tilo leaned hazardously over the ship’s edge, wind whipping his dark hair, letting the sensation flow over him. In turn, Nemo pulled on Tilo’s coat, the only harness saving the young man from falling to his death. 

The skygalleon Maryland was a marvel of magical engineering, held aloft by a combination of runes and magic circles. The bow bore crimson paint, with bold, glimmering, golden magic circles etched throughout. If one were to stand beneath it, the full extent of the complex magic required to keep the ship aloft would be visible. Brilliant white sails emblazoned with the kingdom’s crest rippled with the wind, acting as the propulsion that would bring them to their destination. 

Neither Nemo nor Tilo could deny their admiration of the craftsmanship. Even the simple guard rail over which Tilo leaned wasn’t lacking in quality.

It was no wonder the tickets to travel by skyship were costly. Every skygalleon commissioned for public use was made with the same standards, especially the Maryland. 

If it were possible, Tilo would purchase a smaller skyship of his own, one not quite skygalleon size, but the price was steep enough to convince him to turn his attention to other outlets of transportation. Personal levitation devices were commonplace; the small skiffs in the sky were evidence of that, but they didn’t have the ability to travel the distances skyships could. And Tilo only wanted to travel the greatest distances.

He leaned back towards the deck, letting his feet touch the lacquered planks to the tune of Nemo’s relieved sigh. 

Tilo gave Nemo a sideways glance, a friendly smile playing on his lips.“So… have you ever been to Stonehall Academy?”

“Once, right when I was first beginning to deliver - it was my first off-island delivery, actually.”

“Ah, is that so?”

“It was different from what I’m used to, to say the very least. My eldest brother attended one of the well known academies - not Stonehall - but I wasn’t able to visit him, so I can’t do a comparison based on that. But I did manage to attend one of the classes at Stonehall, if only accidentally. It’s a funny story. Well, not funny per se-”

“Oh?”

Nemo shuffled uncomfortably. “Well, I was delivering a package to the artifacts department - my mom does a lot of enchantment restoration work - and I was standing outside of the classroom of the person I was supposed to deliver it to. I must have looked like I was too nervous to enter, because before I knew it one of the students dragged me inside. They sat me down, right next to them, at the back of the class. I was nervous - I’m not saying I wasn’t - and I couldn’t bring myself to look them in the eye and say that I wasn’t a student. So I just sat there. I don’t think I saw their face once during the entire class. And I sat through all of it, right until the end.”

He looked down, slightly wistful. “I didn’t understand a word. But, heh, I don’t know. There was something about the guy who dragged me inside that made me feel like this was the most important subject ever taught. I don’t think he looked away from the professor once. But, then again, as foolish as it sounds, I never actually saw his face.”

Tilo’s eyebrows crinkled with contemplation. “What class do you think it was?”

“I’m not sure. Not artifact related, that’s for certain, which is what I thought a professor of artifacts should be teaching.”

“I see. Do you-”

The ship lurched as a whistle resounded from the quarterdeck. The pair strained their ears to hear the boisterous voice of the Maryland’s captain.

“THIS IS STONEHALL ACADEMY! ALL DISEMBARK FOR STONEHALL ACADEMY!”

…………………………………….

It must be said that the majesty of Stonehall Academy cannot be done justice with  words alone. And so it shall be that few words shall be used. We must give it at least that much reverence. It looms over the small town whose only job seems to be making the academy itself all the more glorious, the brilliant white towers of limestone acting as lighthouses, guiding all with desperation to learn. Rather than receiving its name from the town that preceded it, it was the Stonehall academy that gave the town of Stonehall its name.

Being nestled between mountains, the best access was by skyship, and so it was that the Maryland had moored at a dock which, instead of hovering over water, hovered over air. Though not an ocean was in sight, it was impossible not to regard the little city as a harbor town. From side to side of the waterless port were no less than a dozen docks and enough skiffs and sailboats to build an armada.

The smell of rain tinged the air, only deepening the illusion that Stonehall was a seaside town.

Nemo glanced off the dock’s edge, taking note of the sheer cliffside that it hung precariously from. He shivered.

“Can we please get going? I’d rather not spend more time on this platform than we need to.”

From behind him, Tilo grunted, doing his best to dislodge his suitcase from a rather large wooden splinter. “We will, just give me a second.”

“Let me try.” Nemo yanked on the suitcase handle. To his surprise, the splinter didn’t even bend as it had been for Tilo. “What is this wood?”

He pulled back, only to find that the Maryland’s captain, Captain Haywirth, to be more specific, had appeared by his side. Nemo jumped. “

That’s Rhylo. One of the toughest woods there is. They use it to make armor, it’s that tough. I wouldn’t try to break it, ya won’t do much,” the Captain laughed.

A resonating crack echoed across the port. Both Nemo and Captain Haywirth turned to find Tilo, now holding a freed suitcase. The giant splinter was still stuck in its side, the shards of where it had previously been evident in the dock. Tilo had an innocent grin plastered across his face; he hadn’t heard the captain speak. “Ah, it’s free. Are you ready, Nemo?” 

Nemo glanced towards the captain. The older man’s mouth was wide, opening and closing like a fish. The young man looked back at the dock, briefly acknowledging the wood shards. Then, at last, he looked back at Tilo. Nemo couldn’t help but sigh.

“I think so.”