"The lightning swatted me away, it swatted me away..." I pondered out loud sluggishly. Thinking about what I could do to distract myself from the boredom that was this journey. There was nothing but grey dust all around us and we had exhausted most conversation topics. And, to make it all worse, Larishazza was not in her usually joyful mood.
So I and the other two did not have her antics to help alleviate at least some of the boredom. Instead, in recognition of this problem, I thought about what happened when I tried to chase them. The storm had not only struck out against me as if it was protecting itself. I could also swear that I heard it speak, even if this was something I never picked up on.
I understand that it is the storm of the Thunder God, that this area is his domain. But, was this storm also the one he once befriended? Was that storm the Loyal Lightning the stories spoke of...? The Loyal Lightning that accompanied Ancient Thunder until the Fourteen-Headed Beast broke their bond?
If it was, then I guess that explained why I seem to remember it speaking. Why it swatted me away when I tried to give chase. It might also explain why its magic did not spill out into the world around it. That storm was a living being granted life by the gods in a time long past.
Yet, as I thought on it, my mind went back towards my home and prior thoughts I had. I wanted to see if I could somehow gain the power of that storm, of its thunder-gold. But, if it was a living being then just trying to take it would make me fail. It would not open itself up to me, regardless of what I needed its power for.
"How would I befriend lightning...?" I then asked myself before I came to a stop. My legs had gone straight into the back of Heiya who had herself slammed into Larishazza.
"Something coming." Heiya's father then said as he walked ahead. Gesturing at the distant lights in the sky far above us. Whatever it was, it was clearly magical as those lights were the reactions one got in a land of no magic. Was it the airship? Had we perhaps judged the pair too soon?
"Nin, Vadei...?" Larishazza then croaked out as her eyes looked up at the sky. The object in question rapidly descended towards us as we came to a stop. And then, with a mighty bang, it crashed not too far from us. A storm of dust and gravel blew straight towards us as the magic reactions cleared up.
But, what we saw was not Vadei or Nin calling out to us. Instead, it was many creatures like Vadei who then disappeared inside. Something seemed to scare them all off back inside, however. And, just in case, I looked around and tried to see if anything was coming.
The answer to that was no and it cleared it up. Nothing scared them off, something just told them to go back inside. And, going by how it was not moving, I think it was clear they wanted us on board. So, again, was this our airship?
"That's the..." I soon commented when I saw the large gash in the side of the airship. The spot where the wyvern had snatched Nin from as well as smashed him through.
"IT'S THEM!" Larishazza then let out with desperate joy as she charged at the airship. And, just like that, she was gone as she quickly reached it and climbed up it. Disappearing inside of the airship before we had even crossed half the distance she had. Yet, as we approached, Heiya and her father got extremely cautious.
"H-Hello?" I then greeted as I kept my eye on the two slavers. Looking up once we got into the bridge, nearly smiling at the sight of Vadei before I frowned. A glare quickly came up as I looked at her nervous form. A glare of her own being directed at the two slavers.
"Alright, the others are here, where's Nin?" Larishazza then asked Vadei as her hands rubbed themselves together. First, however, Vadei seemed to make sure all the doors into the bridge were firmly locked. Something I felt like she did to delay the inevitable. But that was the thing with the inevitable, it always came.
And when it did, she couldn't even keep her eyes on us, "Nin is... Nin is not coming back, I don't know..." Vadei admitted. The answer wiped away any joy Larishazza might have regained while my simmering anger just went.
"What... What do you mean he won't be coming back? What happened!?" I asked as I approached the nervous tailed woman. Watching carefully as she kept her eyes focused more so on a screen than us.
"Alright, alright! I'll give you your answer, can I just get the airship back into the air, please?"
Baffled and unaware of why she wanted to do this, I ignored it, "No! I want you to give an explanation and apology!" I demanded of her as I put my foot down. Something that seemed to set her off into an even worse state.
"Please! I promise I will explain everything! I will shame myself to no end before you, just please get out of my way so I can get the airship back into the air!" she said with desperation, her actions being equally desperate. And then, all of a sudden, someone came into the room and she looked oddly familiar. Like an older version of Vadei, a more sickly version as well.
"Please, fair-one, please listen to my Little Va. She will speak to you about what has happened, if not, I will on her behalf." she said, establishing pretty quickly as to what she was while Vadei herself kept trying to get past me. Something I let her do as seeing her own mother hit a soft spot for me. I was then mouthed a 'thank you' before the outside boomed once more.
And at that moment, all this nervousness that seemed to plague Vadei went. Or, at least, most of it, she still seemed worried for something. But, I was likely to hear about what the worrying thing was soon. First, however, I wanted an answer concerning Nin.
"Alright, we're in the air again. Answers, now!" I demanded as I approached the seated woman. Stopping when her mother interfered with my advance.
"Please, give her some space. She's got enough to worry about." her mother asked of me with subtle scolding as her firm but gentle grip kept me still. Something I just obeyed as I longed for that same kind of behaviour from my own mother. Or, well, any kind of behaviour really, I just wanted to see her again...
"Vadei, where's our friend?" Larishazza then asked glumly as she moved directly in front of Vadei.
"He's not coming back, I don't know where he is now."
"But why is he not coming back?" I asked her as I became hurt by the suggestion we weren't important enough to Nin to make him want to stay. Assuming the worst had not happened...
"I don't know why, he never really explained it to me. He just... He just wants to go home is all I can really say." Vadei said before she looked down at the floor. While her fingers dug into her knees in the meantime.
"His home is in Suhurlodst, with us!" Larishazza then declares angrily as she suddenly becomes full of life.
"He would beg to diff-"
"Well, he's wrong! His family all share a dorm in an academy on top of a mountain! Between a great brass city and a ruin that goes right around it all!" Larishazza tells us as she suddenly approaches Vadei. And with her mother holding me back, she is unable to go over and stop her.
"It won't matter anyway! He disappeared! He's flushed all his magic out so we cannot find him! I don't know where he has gone!" Vadei explained defensively, her eyes showing signs of tears. Larishazza, however, just grew increasingly frustrated.
"Then we overturn every rock! We pillage every building until we find him! We'll hunt him down and drag him back with us!"
"No! I'm not wasting time looking for Nin when he has already made it clear he doesn't want to be found!"
"HE'S OUR FRIEND!" Larishazza yelled in rage directly into Vadei's face. Something that made her flinch back into her chair before she started crying.
"It's alright! It's alright!" cooed her mother as she suddenly left me alone and went to her daughter. A tenderly and motherly grip soon enveloped Vadei and I grew envious. I wanted to see and experience that again...
"Family in danger?" Heiya's father then asked as he stared long and hard at Vadei. A rather soft expression on his face before he looked at his own daughter.
Vadei's mother glared daggers at him, but, she nodded an answer, "I'll show it to you two, but I don't want you anywhere near him!" she then spat out at Heiya and her father. Her agitated and angered form soon guided me and Larishazza out of the bridge and into the airship. A horde of their kind awaited us as it was clear they were trying to listen in.
"She has blue-hair." a little child then said as he began to point at Larishazza as we passed by them. This horde spread itself out as if they were never there as we went deeper into the airship. And as we got further in, it started to sound more like a small village, actually. You could hear some kids playing and you could hear others speaking.
"You've been told to stop playing with that!" Vadei's Mother then reminded someone as we passed by them. Her soured mood frightened the young individual who jumped up in fright.
"The medical bay?" I questioned before she opened the door. An assortment of injured and sickly individuals was revealed to us at that moment. And, the crying of a baby drowned out all other noise as well. Yet, soon, we were brought before a bed with an old man hooked up to a machine.
"This is the reason why." Vadei's Mother said as she moved beside the old man. One hand on one of his while the other went to his head. A gentle kiss was applied to his cheek before tears started forming in her eyes.
"Who is this?" I asked, watching as Larishazza moved closer as well. Wet marks from her fingers appeared on the man as she gently caressed him as well. A healthier glow appeared where she touched before it just as quickly vanished.
"It's Vadei's other parent and her husband." Larishazza answered, looking back to the bridge first before looking at Vadei's Mother. Someone who smiled and nodded at Larishazza as she wiped away the tears with her tail.
"This is why she was so desperate to get us back into the air...?" I then questioned as my gut began to hurt. In my anger and the want it gave me to demand things of Vadei. I had potentially caused harm to her father...
"Yes, Vadei has tried to explain it to me, but, as far as I am able to grasp, we need to be up as high as we can be to get a supply of magic for my dear love. And, of course, everyone else here."
"There isn't much magic going into them, is that because there isn't enough?"
And, oddly enough, Vadei's Mother laughed just a bit, "No, thankfully that isn't the case. No, instead, the problem is that we can't give them too much magic. We have all been in a land with none for so long that it is as if we were never from a magical land, to begin with."
"So are you all Vadei's family?" I then asked while looking around. I know Vadei had mentioned at points she has been enslaved by the two we left behind. I believe she also said this was why she was here alongside Nin. Because he could help her save her family.
"Only a few of us are her direct family, some are close cousins or distant and others are from different packs altogether." she said before returning her attention to her husband.
"Did she manage to save all of them? Are we able to leave you be so we can find Nin?" Larishazza then asked in a rather pushy manner. Her movements were as erratic as they were sharp.
Vadei's Mother began to tear up again, "N-No... My other daughter and a few others are still enslaved within the higher portions of the city. Now, I know my daughter might be anxious to ask you this herself." she began to say as she left her husband be and walked away a bit.
"We'd probably help her anyway." I began to say before Vadei's Mother just dropped to her knees. Tail tip pointed directly up at us.
"Please help us! I want to see my daughter again! I don't want to finally hold one of them again just to lose the other!" she begged as she shook her tail about. The few of her kind that were watching suddenly became a lot more stern in their expressions as well.
Larishazza approached her without dropping her current expression, "If it'll make you happy." she then said softly as she began to gently caress the tip of the tail.
A wide but nervous and tearful smile soon appeared, "Thank you! Thank you..." Vadei's Mother said as her chest heaved out stutters.
"So are we going to help Vadei first or look for Nin first?" I then asked Larishazza with Vadei's Mother putting more effort into her plead at that moment. Something Larishazza just could not remove her eyes from when it happened.
"We'll find her daughter first, then... Then we can find Nin and then we can spend a lot of time asking questions." Larishazza said with a nod before she stood back up. Her hand pulled up the mother who then straightened herself out. Primarily focusing on her tail which seemed to make her lightly blush.
"Okay, now that, that is out of the way. I don't believe I have properly introduced myself, my name is Wastla, I am Vadei's mother as I am sure you know." she said, a small grin coming to her face as her eyes closed a bit.
"I'm Einervaene, and this is Larishazza." I then greeted, doing it as well on my friend's behalf as she still seemed to be in a mood. A mood I hoped she would get out of as this wasn't like her at all.
"Oh? You're Einervaene!?" Wastla then asked me in a cheerful and familiar tone. The kind of tone my own mother made when she found someone who could embarrass me. Which, if Nin was ever to meet her, would probably be him. That is if we remained friends or became something more...
"I am, why? Has Vadei mentioned me?"
"She has!" Wastla answered before she opened a cupboard near her husband. And then, all of a sudden, her arms were full of drawings. My drawings, in fact, each one of them being one of Vadei or a body part of hers. A bright, mischievous smile was now on Wastla's face as she held these.
"You like them?" I then asked her as I wasn't quite sure what to do about this. I had a very firm understanding of what might happen. But it was something else to be confronted with it. It was a mixture of awkwardness and the urge to smile.
"I do, especially these ones!" she said as she showed me the ones her more animalistic body parts inspired. Primarily amongst these, a suit of fluffy pyjamas that would make her look more like an animal. Well, if one was able to look past the intentionally made cuteness aspect of it.
"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you then, but, I don't have the material to make most of these." I then awkwardly laughed out. Yet, Wastla did not suddenly become disappointed, she just kept enjoying the drawings.
"That's fine, when we finally get home, I can make them! If I have your permission to keep these, of course." she said as her smile beamed so bright you'd forget she was just tearfully begging for our help.
"S-Sure, they're just sketches I did to pass the time. If you want them, take them." I tell her before I smile at the fact someone liked my designs this much. And, that made me curious about my journey to this land. I had made a few drawings in that period, so had that resulted in others taking them for their own? How many places had been influenced by me!?
"Thank you! I'll be sure to put these to good use." she told me as she put them all back in the cupboard. And then, her smile gave way to a frown which directed me towards Larishazza walking off.
"Hey! Where are you going?" I asked my friend as I suddenly went after her. Catching up with her quickly and following her into the washroom. Frowning myself as we walked into the surprisingly empty room. And then, she began to look at the airship's water supply in the room near the entrance.
"I want to see if I can help them..." Larishazza answered with a quiet mutter before she began to sense for magic.
"You want to see if you can make it so that the water is able to safely heal them as well?"
"I want to try... But I don't know if it is a good idea to do so." she tells me as she cautiously moves away from the water tank.
"Can't Vadei alter the contents of the water more accurately? We can get her input if that helps." I then explain to her. Something she slowly nods at before she suddenly walks off again. And, once again, I would follow her through the airship until we saw Vadei again. Who, had not really changed much in mood since we last saw her.
"O-Oh... Can I ask you guys for something?" she asked nervously from her chair while holding her tail.
"Your mother has already brought up your sister." I tell her quickly so we could get it out of the way. Something that made her smile briefly before she got confused by Larishazza's actions.
"What is she doing...?"
"She's trying to alter the magic contents of the water supply. She thinks she might be able to help make everyone better."
"Th-That's right! You're a water user, aren't you?" Vadei said as she jumped out and rushed over to Larishazza. Interrupting her efforts and refocusing them by bringing up several screens.
"I think I am." our friend would then joke before she stared long and hard at the screens.
"I can't alter the properties of the water beyond heating it up or cooling it down. This airship has nothing in it capable of adding or removing magic from the water. It can collect small portions as we travel in order to refill its tanks, but as this was made by wind-magic users..."
"You'll need me to put compatible magic into it?"
"Y-Yeah, I can put some magic into the vents and that, but I don't think it is having much effect as I have so little magic to work with. So maybe, if we do something with the water we can give everyone a bigger boost to their magic reserves!" Vadei explained with hopeful excitement as she fully got into it. Making it all the clearer how much she was worrying for those around her. Especially given how endangered two of her family members are...
"Alright then, let's go help your family and friends!" Larishazza cheerfully chirped before she began to take Vadei to the washroom.
"What about these two!?" I called out to them while pointing at the slavers. The way the others looked at them made me particularly concerned. Even if neither of them was particularly close to me.
Vadei frowned in annoyance before she suddenly gained a mischievous grin, "Bring them! We can test the water contents on them!"
"Well, you heard her." I then told the short duo who seemed happy to go along with it. As I am sure they are more than aware of their current situation.
"You wait. I handle." Heiya's Father told his daughter as he protectively held on to her. With the father, in turn, seeking my protection as we went past the freed slaves. Various growls were directed in my direction but not at me. Yet, they still bothered me either way as they were all still so close...
"Alright, you two, go in." I said while ushering them in. Closing the door behind us and shivering a little at the experience I had just gone through. It wasn't me getting growled at yet it still bothered me!
"So, yeah, try not to make it go beyond this bar." Vadei then said to Larishazza whose arm was once again in the tank. A screen was also before her face with it being clearly marked with a warning as well. A guide for how much magic Larishazza should try and get into the water. Meanwhile, the two slavers were getting ready, with the elder taking up the centre while the younger hid.
Then, all of a sudden, a loud blare came out from somewhere. At first, I had no clue what it was, but looking at Larishazza made it clear what. She had passed the warning threshold the moment she tried to apply magic to the water. Then, all of a sudden, Vadei shot a showerhead at the father, soaking him partially.
"Lower the magic levels." Vadei ordered as she kept the shower head pointed at the slaver. Who, interestingly enough, seemed to be a bit bemused by what was happening. I guess he was expecting worse seen as he had warned his daughter. And, when said daughter stuck her head out in confusion, she got soaked as well.
"AAAH!" she yelped before hiding her face to the backdrop of a cackling Vadei. And, for a moment, it felt like Nin was still here as that is something he would very much do.
The alarm went off again, "Come on... Go lower..." Larishazza complained as she focused on the screen completely. A soft blue glow came off of her arm as she jiggled it about. Though, I had no idea if that was just her moving it or if it played a meaningful part. And, once again the elder slaver was shot at with shower water by a joyful Vadei.
"How about just extracting the magic? Put some in, then slowly take it out at the same pace." I then offered as advice. Kneeling beside her so I could get a better view of the screen.
"But that will take a while." she complained impatiently while also pouting.
"A while that will save lives, Larishazza." I reminded her with a small smile.
"Okay..." she said quietly and slowly before she supposedly gave it a go. And, as we stared at the measurement, we could see it go down. But, as she said, it was going down slowly. So slow, in fact, that despite offering the potential solution, I wanted to rush it.
"No hurry, no hurry-" I began to mutter over and over. Much to Larishazza's annoyance which she directed at me with a close-proximity stare.
"Shhhhhhhhh." she then let out at me in time with the metre which then made a happy bing.
"PERFECT!" Vadei then cheered before she began to just let the shower shoot out at the two slavers. Something she kept up until she could be sure both were fully soaked. And, she even nearly went for me until she remembered my magic type.
"Careful!" I warned while holding an arm out while Larishazza freed hers. A loud clang filled our ears once the tank was secured again.
"So will I have to do this again?" Larishazza then asked as she looked at the red marks on her arm.
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"Most likely, their bodies are so desperate for it that they are likely to take it all in."
"It better last until we are back then." Larishazza said as she crossed her arms. Her words very clearly referred to a certain friend of ours. One who we would clearly be spending some time trying to find.
"So where was the last time you saw Nin?" I asked after taking note of Larishazza's attitude. It would be nice if we could be done with it as it does scare me. Nin was strong, but she was far stronger and her acting like Nin when he gets angry was not something I wanted to see.
"The last time I saw him was on the airship before he jumped down. The last time I knew where he was, he was going up the mountain, here." Vadei explained as she summoned a recording for us to watch. A large and mighty flare of magic lit the screen up before we then saw a fuzzy outline of Nin.
"So we follow him through that way then?"
"It would get us nowhere, if Nin didn't want to be found, do you think he would linger there?"
"We might get a hint, no? He is making quite a few stops." I comment while gesturing at how often he stopped. If I was to guess anything, his sudden eviction of all that magic had left him drained of energy as well. Something he is likely to never recover given his location... Which, if we weren't quick enough...
And as I pondered my friend, another watched, "He could be in the same state as your dad." Larishazza then said as she spoke what I was thinking.
"So that just means we have to find him quickly while also trying to find..." I began to say before looking over at Vadei.
"If... If I was to guess anything, he won't be able to go out the way he came in. And, I'm not saying this to be selfish! But, going for my sister and the rest before Nin might be what we have to do. Unless one of you wants to go out past the city to get a headstart?"
"I'll do that, then." Larishazza says before she begins to leave for some reason. Why I couldn't really grasp as we hadn't even started heading towards the city Nin is from.
"A-Are you sure? We have no idea what is out there." I said in order to contend with this statement of hers.
"There's no magic out there, nothing will be able to hurt any of us. Especially me seen as you are all so weak in comparison. Besides, I am better with my magic, I can find him and we can drag him back if need be." she explains rather bluntly in an almost demeaning way. And as I frowned at her, she walked off to another part of the airship.
"Moving on to another topic... Uh, as you can see. We are pretty packed right now. So you might not be able to get a bed." Vadei explains while rubbing the back of her head. The two slavers meanwhile started drying themselves off as Vadei had lost interest in soaking them.
"Do we even have enough supplies for this many people?" I asked her while thinking about how many faces I had seen. Sure, the airship was quite well stocked for us prior. But the prior I am on about just involved six of us, not more than a hundred...
"I did get warnings from the airship's systems about that. It is very much an issue, but, so long as we are careful with our supplies and not being wasteful. We should be able to make it last until we can stock up."
"Wouldn't money be an issue at that point? Larishazza might have paid for our time at that festival, but a few friends having fun is hardly comparable to feeding a village."
"Given the state these lot are in, we could just hunt some weak game in the outer continent." Vadei offers up as a solution. Something I could agree with as me and Nin did have some experience with that. Well, more so him as he and Baltanthan did most of the hunting and food-fetching. Me and Rossie-chira usually just handled the camp, more so me that time, however.
"We would be unlikely to need anything else then? We do have a lot of injured so perhaps so bandages or something?"
"I think with these lot..." Vadei began to say before she looked at the showers once more, "Magic is the best thing for them. Granted, I'm not a healer or anything, but, magic did quite well for you and Nin, no?"
I rubbed my arm that was formerly broken, "Yeah, but me and him were able to bounce off of each other." I explain before smiling. Even if I did not feel the same way as I once did about Nin. That memory of me saving him was something that made me smile a lot. The time we spent together afterwards also stuck itself quite firmly in my head, too.
"Well, in the meantime... I beg of you, don't draw anything with me on it, please! Mom has been showing off each one to me at regular intervals. All she can talk about is what kind of event would make me want to dress up like that." Vadei bitterly and joyfully grumbles which is something that gets a few laughs from me.
"You are making a very sound argument for why I should make more." I tell her, giggling at the end as I wanted to see more of Wastla being a mother to Vadei. In fact, I was happy to help her pester Vadei as much as she wanted.
"No!" Vadei moans before she checks the door. Her ears twitched at the slightest sound she heard.
"You haven't seen your mother for so long and you want to avoid spending time with her? Vadei, I'm shocked!" I say while putting a spread-out hand on my chest. Showing off my bemused expression to Vadei as she took offence.
"I have been spending all the time I can with her! It's why she is able to freely travel the airship like you guys!"
"She's even keeping slaves of her own." I say mockingly, possibly going a bit too far by making a slavery joke.
"I just can't trust them to not get themselves blown up outside!" she justifiably points out, fully aware that we all knew about the magic problem.
"Calm down, I'm just teasing." I tell her with a smile before quickly rubbing her hair.
"Don't do that!" she moans as she uses her nails like a comb to smoothen it out again.
But, then, I got all serious once more, "So what is your sister's name?" I then asked her as I never had any siblings. The circumstances of my birth, or rather, my magic, scared my mother away from any more pregnancies. That was one thing I wanted to change about her, actually, to free her mind from the anxiety so I can be a big sister who spoils her siblings!
"Conquei, her name is Conquei. She looks similar to me in terms of the colour of the hair, but her eyes are a darker grey compared to the silver of mine and she also has shorter hair."
"I'll try to remember that when me and you save her then, but, what is she like? I presume you two are quite close?"
She then sighed and looked away, "Given how worried I have been for her, you might be surprised to find out we never were that close. She preferred playing with the boys while I preferred the more girly things."
"Really? I always thought you were quite tomboyish with your behaviour."
Vadei snorted in amusement, "The oxfuinei definition of girly."
"And how does that differ?" I ask as I put on a smile, curious about what that might entail.
"Like, it's hard to explain. Some of it seems to be pretty much the same, you know, motherhood, keeping of the home and all that. But other aspects are quite different. Seen as our noses and ears are a lot better, just competing with them is seen as girly while finding good spots to nap is also girly."
"Having a nap is girly...?" I giggled out while being baffled by such a fact.
"Yeah! It's the process of putting yourself on a pedestal and then having the men try and get your attention."
"No men have come for you then?" I joked as I realise that Vadei does nap a lot when she can.
"Shut up..." she complains while looking away.
"But, I think I understand what you're getting at. Outside of being a mother and keeper of the house, it's mostly a life of relaxation?"
She shrugs, "I guess, relaxing isn't exactly girly or feminine for us, but being active is very much something the men and boys do compared to us."
"That doesn't sound too different to what I have seen in my time at home and on the move. The heavier duty labour is typically considered something for the boys while refinement and magic is considered more girly." I explain to her.
"Isn't magic being more of a girls thing always the case? Like, the term 'witch' is technically a female word despite it always being used on anyone who can cast spells."
"Back home, it was more of the art of casting that was considered feminine. Being able to control magic, however, is masculine, somehow. I'm not too sure how it works. I guess it comes down to where the magic is from. Self being feminine while the land about you is masculine." I try to elaborate for her.
"Ah, alright. But, yeah, to get back to my sister. She was never really one for acting like what she was despite Mom and Dad's nagging related to it."
"She's the kind to do something just to spite someone?"
"I guess, you tell her no and that just encourages her to do it more. The only time we have gotten her to stop anything is when Dad has just gotten sick of it."
"He puts his foot down hard?" I asked, hoping I could at least censor or blunt Vadei's response.
"He will ensure he has terrified her before leaving her alone."
My eyes went wide, "Oh."
"Yet, despite all of that. We still love her as she is family, after all, despite all the problems she has caused me... The reason I ended up meeting Nin was because I stood up for her. She acts tough but she cracks very easily." Vadei admitted as her ears went down alongside her tail which went completely limp.
"Nothing surprising to hear about that, now, let's start our reunion a little better, hm? Let's get your sister and the others and be on our way."
"Sick of the gravel already?" Vadei then joked, something that set me right off given why I was walking in the wastes.
"Don't even start." I told her with a forced smile before we moved on to another part of the airship.
"You two! Stick close if you want to stay alive." Vadei then growled to the slavers who were quick to follow. And very soon, they were huddled up against us as it wasn't long until we found Vadei's new passengers.
"What are we going to do with them exactly?"
"I want to kill them." Vadei answered as she kept her head facing forward.
"But, if it weren't for them, we wouldn't be here as you'd have never had your hand... And, well..."
"I wouldn't even be here at all had these two not enslaved most of the people on this airship?" Vadei questioned with a very straight face.
"Yeah..." I croaked.
"Don't worry, we'll wait for Nin to get back here. As, quite frankly, I don't think he will say no to Larishazza given her..." Vadei began to say until we found her in the cafeteria. Right behind the counter with a smile on her face and a bunch of children around her.
"Yeah, I can see why Nin can't say no to that smile." I joked with a small one of my own as we watched Larishazza play with the kids. Her face was covered in powder and other things while others watched them.
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.
.
How long was my body going to be in this state? It was still locked up and I know that I have been here for some time. But, I had to admit, it was somewhat amusing at first. I was an experiment, one whose shell was impenetrable!
At least, until recently when they started using tools made of gold... That damn thunder-gold from the Anvil-Peak's molten sea of it... With that, they have been able to extract my blood and cut pieces off. For now, though, it was just that, a little test here and there.
They even seemed to have caught on to the fact I was once human. Something that has now led to me constantly getting a faceful of curious scientists. Some proposed foreign species doing this, they were right. Others seemed to think it was just magic that did this, oh, and how I wished they were right.
I was not the only one here, however, there were quite a few other species. Most notably, this creature with a mostly red colour scheme from what I could see. And only really because they were hooked up to all this armour and other bits of heavy metal. They also stood out because she was constantly screaming as shocks were sent through her.
"Oh... That's better..." I groaned in pain as I finally moved my mouth a bit. It seemed that wanting to speak so much has allowed my mouth to move. But, it also seems to have locked up other parts of me a lot more. So I likely just relocated what magic I had left in me.
"Alright, Gladiator-27, let us see how you are doing." one of the scientists mused as he moved about my cell. A bunch of blocky devices in his hand that made all kinds of clicks and ticks.
"That's not my name." I then told him as I tried my best to follow his movements.
"Oh, ho, ho! It does it again." he happily commented before noting it down on paper.
"It will kill you at the rate you are going." I pointlessly threatened with a sigh. Mostly wishing these magic-restraining chains would get taken off. They were not helping my current situation and unfortunately, these people weren't idiots. They had probably figured out my lack of magic and kept them on because of that.
"Assuming you get the chance, Gladiator-27. Gladiator-12 is still reigning supreme and she is likely to tear you apart instead." the scientist told me without any concern. This lack of concern was then emphasised by the fact he stabbed me with various tools. And, as it was getting past my shell, it hurt, it hurt bad.
"Stop that!" I tried to roar before I ended up straining my jaw. And, as I could not shudder or move in discomfort, I found myself relying a lot more on heavy breathing.
"Ask her, instead." was all I got before he walked off. His hand gestured over to Gladiator-12 before he disappeared again. Then, an alarm sounded and the entrance to my cage opened. Even the chains came off just like that... And, as his words would imply, the cage to this other experiment opened up.
We both staggered out of our cages but for different reasons. I was in pain because I was an idiot who vented nearly all their magic. They were stumbling because they had some kind of electrical system hooked up to their chest and crotch. Why there, I would never know.
Yet, given the name I was given, I had a feeling that I would need to fight. So I tried my best to properly position myself. Even if I was seemingly frozen in place, every part of me carved deep into everlasting stone. My legs worked, though, so, as long as I could build up some momentum...
This Gladiator-12 did not charge at me, though. Instead, she collapsed before me and looked up at me with tears in her eyes. And then, she shook her head violently while holding her armoured hands up. She was backing away in fear despite the fact she was nearly as tall as me but also larger.
Maybe it was just the armoured plates she had on her arms and tail, but she was a big one. Large-chested and shapely with the figure but also similar in ways to Salahma. Instead of toes, she had long claws that had been carved into a little and she also had a pair of small horns on her head. Finally, from what I could see in this badly lit arena we were in, I could see her reddish skin and bright green eyes.
"Don't worry, as long as you don't try anything..." I told the scared creature that was panicking more and more. Until, then, all of a sudden she collapsed into a fit of spasms and screaming when something shocked her. Blue lines arced off of her during this and she cried even harder. And then, she got up and said something.
All I heard properly, though, was a single name, that of the Singular God. All I could understand her say was the name of the god I once saved in a church. Did that mean she was one of Iderim-Ovi's people? The red-scaled creatures he supposedly fought on the behalf of before Thurnmourer beat him?
"So this is how it is going to be...?" I slowly asked as she got up once the shocks ended. And just like that, while it was clear she was still reluctant. She was now ready to go at me with both her held weapons and her attached-to-the-tail one. I could not fight like this, however, so I tried to retreat.
She said something again just as she charged me and pinned me. Her large hands pushed down on my head once she brought me to the ground. It was not a steady grip she had at all, she was shivering and whimpering the entire time. Like she did not want to see my face when she killed me.
"Now would be a good time to still have that earth magic." I commented as I tried doing what allowed me to speak to my arms. And, surprisingly, it worked. I was able to move them again and I easily overpowered her applied weight. Then, when I got up again, she just spun her tail right at me and gashed open my gut.
If I hadn't moved my magic to my arms, I would be roaring in pain a lot. But I had moved the magic away, so my mouth was shaking violently while my hands clutched my cracked open belly. And, just like that, my tolerance for this creature vanished. If I wanted to live and get rid of Iishar, I would have to kill this thing.
Now if only I could figure out how to spread what magic I had left more evenly. I could then move somewhat decently and not be stuck in pain and be a statue. Those shocks my opponent was getting, however, did offer me some hope. If I could get them into me, I might be able to get some magic!?
Assuming they were magical sparks, that is... I was mostly assuming that as this creature seemed like one that could use magic. It was too big for it not to be, right? Those armour plates were thicker than a construction vehicle's plates!
Now if only it wasn't whimpering the way it was. This thing was terrified of what I might do and what it had to do. It made me want to kill it a bit less likely as that was a new expression for me. Most things I have killed looked at me with anger and rage...
They genuinely wanted to kill me, this thing? No, it did not want to be anywhere near me. Let alone trying to kill me! Luckily, for the pair of us, a new alarm went off.
Several goldhands came into the arena just then as brighter lights went on. Their hands alight with magic as they steadily moved in closer. I did not resist their grip like my opponent, however. She was struggling bad and ended up decapitating one with her tail.
"This one is calm, handle it." they said before most of them tried to restrain my opponent. And, interestingly enough, they moved me to a new cage near the creature. Possibly because they were bleeding men trying to secure her. And, frankly, I wish she would calm down, the goldhands had a very healthy touch...
I could feel my body taking in all that magic like a man who had been baked alive. Each drop of it relieving some of the dryness the baked man's throat had. Yet, as I was now being moved right next to her cage, perhaps I would be able to speak to her. To plan with her even if my goal was selfish...
"Th... That... Could work." I struggled to get out as my gut continued to bleed. Focusing my magic around the injury seemed to help. But it did nothing beyond clotting the blood. Which, admittedly, was better than nothing.
There were no chains in this cage either! So I could at least sit comfortably this time. Assuming I did not get chained up at a later date. They also just finished with that other creature as well.
Because a loud bang echoed throughout the area as it had just lashed out at the cage. It did not damage it, however, which made me slightly curious. Were these bars actually quite tough or was it something else? A lot of the metal here did have a slight brown shine to it.
"Thunder-gold alloys?" I asked out loud before looking at my neighbour who had broken down crying. Something that made me grimace uncomfortably as the lights had also dimmed. This atmosphere reminded me a little too much of a certain place. So I tried to see if I could do something.
I knocked on the bars between us to try and get her attention. Knocking on them a bit louder every time until she looked over at me. And once I had her attention, I raised my palms at her, hoping it would calm her down. Because she still looked like she wanted to tear apart others.
The blood still stained her weapons well and its coppery smell filled my nostrils alright. My yellow blood was still on her tail blade as well. Mixed slightly with the colour red from when she decapitated one of the goldhands. With that sightseeing out of the way, though, I gestured her over.
She would come over, in time, it took her a while, but she was now here. Just before the double set of bars separating our cages. Then, I gave her a wave to see if she understood it. And she did, but the fact her armour hadn't come off made her bang it on the bars.
"Nin." I then said as I patted my chest. My claws make various sounds depending on if they hit shell or soft bits. I would repeat this until I felt like she understood it.
"Liadanann..." she quietly says once her hidden finger points at her face. Her filthy, filthy, tear-stained face. One that was quick to focus on my gashed open belly. And I assume what followed was an apology, she seemed like she was apologizing as she was wincing at the sight.
"It's fine, do not worry." I say to her as I put a thumb-claw up while trying to make sure my smile was seen.
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"Maybe we should keep these two together?" one of my colleagues asked as he wrote up a report regarding the dead goldhands. A frown developed on my features as I stared at the camera feed. Were these two bonding or something? Were Gladiator-12 and 27 able to speak to each other?
See, if Gladiator-27 had been put in its correct cage, we might be able to research this. But, no, it was hurriedly put in a cage near Gladiator-12 because of her usual behaviour. Which, really should not have happened as they were empty for a reason. That reason was she kept killing her neighbours.
"Unless, it's because those other creatures couldn't speak?" I thought out loud as I leaned past my colleague. Staring deep into the camera as the pair kept at it. Doing whatever it was that they were doing. Our newest one seemed to be drawing something.
"Quite possibly, isn't that the reason we kept Gladiator-27 alive?" he asked as he spun away from the computer.
"There were many reasons, but the fact it spoke the Spire-Lord's name is one reason alright." I tell him before moving on with my life. This wasn't my department at all and its head would likely moan if I kept snooping in it. But, maybe just one more visit down into the main complex... Just to see what was going on.
"Will you need a security escort?" I was then asked as my keying in of the password notified the main computer.
"No, that would probably set them off. Besides, we have lost enough goldhands already." I tell them before the door closed behind me. With my nose taking in sterile air no longer but rather a filthy stench similar to a farm. A very peculiar farm as there were many different smells mixed into all of this. But, I stopped once I reached the walkway.
There was no way I'd be able to sneak near them if my feet were banging and banging. So, perhaps, I might just have to hope I would not interrupt their conversation. Maybe they would carry on with it? Or, they'd stop like two girls gossiping about someone right next to them.
If they did not mind my presence near them, then, all the better. If they did, then, I might as well leave as I would not be able to learn anything from this encounter. Which, if that turned out to be the case. I might just pass by another place before heading back to my facility.
"Can you move closer to the light?" I heard the insect-like one ask the prized captive. Something that it did not seem to understand at first until Gladiator-27 began to explain it. Then, it did move over to that spot. But why, that is what I was about to find out.
From what I could see from my vantage point, it seemed that Gladiator-27 was inspecting 12's armour. The steel-gold alloy we fused onto its arms and tail once it had proven itself a capable warrior. Even if it seemed to go through bursts of reluctance when we did not urge it to with violence. This was a nearly two-point-five-metre tall, naturally armoured creature with dagger-like claws and it was passive?
Yeah, right.
"Come closer." Gladiator-27 then ordered as it slowly moved closer to Gladiator-12. Its own claws reached out for the shock harness on the other. But, Gladiator-12 reacted to that violently and moved away. Smashing the bars near it in order to intimidate Gladiator-27 away.
It was not scared, however, it moved with caution, but it was not scared! Or maybe I just could not tell as this thing was not human. Or, at least, not fully human as the biology department here had found signs of human DNA. But, that might have just been something it ate, a slightly concerning detail.
Now, however, it seemed like Gladiator-27 had broken the trust with Gladiator-12. It was now refusing to go near the other and as such, I had no reason to be here. Maybe this was an orchestrated plan, but, I also had no real want to wait around. We had plenty of time to research them both, after all.
"Alright, have fun you two." I told them casually before I headed back to the entrance. Keying in the passcode once more before waiting this time for someone to open the door. A reason why they say not to go in here undeclared as you could end up locked in. An odd safety measure I never really got.
"Woah, only a brief time and you already stink." the one who opened the door for me joked before I nudged past them.
"Woah, only a brief touch and you already reek you disgusting thing." I said back to him in a harsh tone before I headed on my way. Pulling out a little piece of paper and then a lighter once I was outside. And then, my hand came back out with a pinch of dried out plant stuff. Good old and reliable river weeds, full of nice and intoxicating gasses waiting to be burned.
And once it was all made, I put the freshly made cigarette to my lips and lit it up. Taking a long drawn in breath from it before huffing it all out. Smiling slightly as I tried to decipher steam from smoke as I was now outside. Standing about the wind-swept mountains and their bitter landscape.
"Okay, Project Fire Trail. Which way did I have to go to get to you..." I pondered out loud before I started aimlessly walking. Occupying my mind with useless speech as I followed the large power cables going about the place. Each one boiling to the touch and emitting waves of visible heat distortions. I could even relight my cigarette on them!
Which I did, briefly when I was done with it or rather, forced to be done with it. Despite the place being a mountain-placed sauna. They did not like anything warm, hot or heated really going into Project Fire Trail. Which was a shame, because I liked to be inside a warm building after travelling a cold mountain path.
"Doctor Ea'enk, what do we owe the pleasure?" the Department Head asked as I walked through his door. Shivering more the moment the doors closed than when I was outside. And when I saw the blue faces of those working here, I shivered some more. How anyone is willing to work in a place colder than a freezer baffled me.
"Nothing much, Department Head, just here to have a look around." I tell him as I started walking into his facility. Annoying him both because I had just arrived here to walk around and the fact I don't bother learning anyone's names. I don't even know the name of my boss!
"We've talked about this! You can't just keep coming here unannounced! You aren't a Spire-Lord!"
"No, I'm just your younger senior from the parent facility and as such hold all the rights to do so." I tell him as I headed towards the heart of Fire Trail. Sticking close to the cables like everyone else here does before I reached the main chamber. Having passed a highly guarded room just before I got into it. I really wished we never had to use that room...
It was our failsafe room that was more guarded than the main chamber where the dangerous animal was. A direct link to a magic-based superweapon that, in theory, should completely kill everything in this mountain. How, I did not know, I just know it always had a highly-decorated group of goldhands near it. It would be nice if it was just a killswitch for our easily-angered guest, but it wasn't...
It just had to be a barely tested bomb with a theoretical explosive yield of twenty kilotons... Surprisingly, much weaker than that blast that preceded Gladiator-27's arrival. Which, knowing Spire-Lord Iishar Ho, we'd be seeing a potentially stronger bomb get installed. Once we figure out how it made that much power, of course.
"It's a good thing the security for this thing was provided by Iishar's dealers, no?" I asked the Department Head who had followed me all the way here.
"Maybe we can go to them and get you a lesson in manners." he scoffed out while I kept my attention on the living furnace before me. Even with this machine, us draining it and all the coolers near us, it was still hot enough to cook a man alive. I was only able to avoid so much of the heat because I kept to the edge near the coolers.
"Remind me, if this thing was to break out, why is the failsafe so close to the creature itself?"
"Ask the architect, something that I am not." he told me before he tried to grab me to drag me out.
"Don't touch me." I tell him before his hands go on me. Keeping my attention on what was before me and watching others as they took data samples. Mostly just temperature and how well the machinery was holding up. But, crucial data all the same.
"Well, if you're so worried about the failsafe system we have in place, let me remind you we have a big maintenance overhaul coming up soon." he whispered into my ear which left me shivering in fear. I always hated these events, the issues here always spilt out to the other facilities. And, we always had casualty paperwork to handle. Not because the creature escaped, but because its power was that intense without the safety measures we had in place...
It quite often got to the point that we had to just drag in cheap workers from the lower floors. Just so that we did not lose our actually good ones to the dangers of this place. But, thankfully, with each overhaul, we are seeing subtle reductions in how dangerous it is. Like one or two fewer deaths each time. The Spire-Lords saw that as progress, though.
But, then, I thought of a comeback to his snark, "Well, it's you who will be killed should it get out." I said with an attempt at a shrug. Heading back out once I had, had enough of standing before this creature. Because, oddly enough, despite how powerful and dangerous it was, standing before it seemed to make you just a bit healthier. Perhaps it had something to do with those goldish pills we got?
The workers we called in to be killed off in order to get Fire Trail modified dropped dead in peculiar ways. They always had these blue lines about them not long after they enter. And, if they are especially unlucky, they blow up and set off a chain of them. Which, is very terrifying, especially the first time that happened with our old engineering team.
All of them just gone in but a single moment. How the people beyond the wastes ever learned how to harness this power was truly baffling. To be in a land where this strange terror was everywhere. How could any civilisation develop if everyone kept blowing up!?
"Spire-Lord Iishar Ho!? To what do we owe the pleasure?" I then found myself saying when I nearly ran into our main patron of sorts. With the woman in question immediately baring down on me when she saw me.
"There's been an incident back at Tobaballe. Something magical in nature has attacked the front portion. Stolen all of our workers from the farms there." She quickly explained to me as Fire Trail's Department Head came by. And, like me, he reacted pretty much the same way.
"Spire-Lord Iishar Ho!? To what do we owe the pleasure?" he unintentionally repeated.
"Gather up all your development teams and meet me in the main conference room in the main building. Me and the others want defence solutions and we want them now!" she ordered which sent us all off running to gather up the necessary people.