"Alright, Captain, are we there yet?" I asked Vadei as I spun my chair around. Once again breathing a long sigh when I saw her outfit. No thanks to Larishazza's encouragement of course.

"Do not speak unless spoken to." she said back to me with a stern voice and stiff posture. She then stood up and put her arms behind her back, keeping that stiff posture as she did so. A slow methodical walk followed this. One full of flair and theatrics.

"Consider this a mutiny then." I stated as I too stood up. Tightly gripping a piece of metal I had found earlier and holding it like a sword. Waving it about before me as I saw her magic move about.

"You dare rise up against your captain!?" she asked back as she stuck her right arm out, shoulder cape moving out with it. A steady tinting of her sharp nails occurred the longer I mutinied.

"I do!" I told her as I charged her with my pole. Hitting her in the arm just after with a loud bang.

"OW! There wasn't any need for that!" she then initially screamed out at me before she waved her hurt arm about.

"You were actively using magic! A light tap should not have hurt that badly!" I said back to her in disbelief. The idea that actually hurt her sounded comical to me.

"It did! Look at what you did!" she told me as she shoved her wrist in front of me.

"I see the sleeve to your leather jacket." I deadpanned out to her before she then jabbed me with her nails.

"Hah, got you." she said to me with a grin while I just walked away shaking my head.

"So as I was asking, are we there yet?" I spoke once I had put that piece of metal away with a careless toss. A series of high-pitched clangs and bangs came out from under the table I put them under.

"The No-Fly Zone? Yeah, we're getting pretty close. But, technically, we are also already there as this place once was in it." she answered before she elaborated a little. Once again putting up with her antics as she showed off her airship knowledge.

"Alright, I'll be having a look outside, then." I said with a shrug before I left her. Only for her to follow me through the door to the outside.

"What are you hoping to find exactly?" she asked as I rested my wrapped up arms on the closest railing.

"Signs of war."

"Not sure why anyone would want to see that unless they were a psychopath or an anti-war activist."

"Mostly because of Vapooliar. She's or was a soldier and as such we talked about it every now and then. The entire reason you lot left the aelenvari flower was even related to it."

"You want to see the kind of war she fought?"

"Yes, at least to satiate my curiosity about the scale at the very least."

"Does the scale matter, Nin? War is war. You'll find fire and death either way."

"It probably does not matter at all. But, I was often confronted with her being distraught over her failures. And she is just so much stronger than any of us here and likely at the Academy. So I want to see what kind of war leaves her unwilling to fight..."

"It might not just be the war that has her unwilling, Nin." Vadei told me while she stared intently at me.

"I really wish you didn't just use me as a point of reference for where I saved her from." I sighed out before my head went into my palms.

"Sorry... I just felt like it was an easier way of doing it."

"Don't worry about it, Vadei. Don't worry about it." I told her in a calm tone while my face shifted to one of anger. Brief memories of the last time I spoke to Vapooliar going through my head and before my eyes.

"Vadei! Vadei! Have you seen the rest of my sewing supplies..." Einervaene began loudly before she went quiet upon seeing me. I didn't even bother lifting my head up as I already know what she was doing. She was walking away and would just wait for a moment for me to be gone. She had been like this since I stopped wearing the bracelet.

"Okay, this is getting annoying. What happened between you two!? You haven't spoken to each other or done anything together since the festival!" Vadei asked as she likely grabbed Einervaene and tried to bring her here. Only, she wasn't strong enough to move her and just fell down when she was pushed away.

"Don't mind our issues, Vadei. You wouldn't get it."

"I probably wouldn't given how you two both refuse to talk! But, I don't know Nin! Since we left you've started annoying me a whole lot more, bug!" Vadei lashed out with before she walked back into the control room. A snarl left me just as the door closed. If she wanted to refer to my current being with distaste then I would happily show her the way down...

But, now that I acknowledged the ground, I became curious. So I steadily and slowly went over the railing and fell down. Slamming straight into the somewhat rocky earth below with a boom. Another boom followed it as I got out of the hole I dug in that fall.

And after that, I decided to sigh some more before I started walking about. Occasionally looking up so I could see the airship get further and further away from me. At least, until Vadei likely noticed I wasn't on board anymore and slowed it down. But she would need to bring it to a stop at this rate.

There was a lot to be found in the grass and trees now that I got a closer look. Pieces of metal clearly torn off of something. Long, thin cuts were scarred into the nearby trees and some even had missing chunks. Guns, spears, swords and armour was what I was finding.

"No bodies..." I commented as I picked up a three-pointed hat made of thin steel. Using one of my claws to fiddle around with these red lenses it had dangling from it. The rattling of the chain mask it had as well was unavoidable as I messed with it. I even found some brown hair stuck to its inside.

So what had happened here exactly? The tracks I was now seeing seemed to indicate they were travelling forward, if at a slightly left disposition. Or maybe this was a different group that caused these tracks? These leftover weapons and armour pieces were not great enough in quantity...

Perhaps they were just leftovers from some who had just had enough? At least, that was my impression until I fell into a hole. It was a rather peculiar hole in that it was compact at the edges. Like a heavy demolition ball had been dropped into it.

"Huh, more. Was there a battle here then?" I asked no one as I got out of the hole I fell into. Nearly falling into another had I not secured my footing. But once again, I found something I felt like was an oddity. All these holes were carefully positioned like they had been put in through a grid or frame.

Now, however, as I looked about, I finally began to notice bodies. Or, what was left of them at the very least as the very edges of all these holes. Like in the place I was standing now. They all had bloody marks on them and messy pulp filled with metal.

And even though I was familiar with gory ends thanks to my involvements with osibindah. It made me feel a lot more queasy seeing red blood being what stained the remaining grass blades. So, not wanting to be here anymore, I left towards a mountain and climbed it. Digging a claw in so I could get a more distant perspective.

"Yeah, that's a grid alright..." I muttered while looking down at the craterful valley below. But, from here, I caught sight of another site. One that had been built into the mountain and blown apart by something. Not by whatever caused the damage to this valley, though.

Whatever did all of this was precise about it, that distant building was destroyed in a far rougher manner. So, being the suicidally curious individual that I was, I moved towards it. Coming down onto a stone walkway with a thunderous crack that destroyed what was under me. And, had I not instantly stabbed a claw into the mountain, I'd have to climb up again.

Now that I was here, however, I could inspect what this place was. And by the looks of it, it was some kind of bunker or fort. Not being a military architect I could not tell the difference. But its purpose was defensive first and foremost, I gathered that much.

"Grim... Waionr find you lot soon." I said when I looked to my left upon entering the grey building. Mangled corpses were decorating the wall with large pieces of stone stabbing them still. Each one of them dressed in a coat made of metal chains with those same hats. Luckily, depending on how you looked at it, a map was intact.

So, I grabbed it and picked it up along with a few other things that were intact. Weapons, armour, fancy pieces of cloth and the map, of course, were all in my claws. Now I just needed the means to get them back up to the airship. Prickly as she might be right now, Vadei might be able to enlighten me.

Once again, luck was on my side here, as there was a tunnel that led up to a platform of some kind. But, I was going to guess it was not intended for an airship as it seemed to be rather thin. Perhaps it was intended for a Valkinvar like Vapooliar then? She was quite fast so she could just leap down and crash into an attacker from there.

As I got up there, though, having travelled the damp tunnel with its wet, gravel floor. It became clear that wasn't the intended purpose as the entrance had equipment by it. Viewing glasses if I was to say anything about it. Maybe I should grab it too?

Nah, I already had a set of full claws so I would be better off focusing on the airship. That vehicle in question hovering just beside the platform. So, bar the railing, it was not much of an issue to get back on. My newfound load, however, did complicate things.

"What's all this?" Vadei asked me as she came out and snorted at me. Her arms crossed over while her tail stayed stiff.

"I was hoping you'd be able to answer that." I mumbled while I separated everything across the decking. Keeping the map in my claws, however as I would likely pick it up again anyway.

"Weapons, banners and armour..." she said to me as if I was stupid. Something I did not take kindly to but I was more curious about it at the moment. So I let it all slide.

"And the map?" I asked while a digit tapped it.

She approached and inspected it carefully, "A defence layout for a city belonging to the Theocracy."

"What theocracy?"

She rolled her eyes and looked up while mumbling, "The Waionr-Chosen something something Theocracy of Thurn's Forge."

"Vapooliar's home?" I guessed as she was quite closely associated with the War God by her own admission. Even if it distressed her greatly to discuss it.

"Yes, but, I am not sure of how well it fares now. Last I heard the war was still in its eternal stagnation."

"What do you mean?"

"The Theocracy basically attained unbreakable positions after a certain point. The Valkinvar prevent the Union's own witches from breaking that stalemate so the war went nowhere. Two powers just going at it for what I think has been more than two-hundred years. I don't know."

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"Two-hundred?" I repeated in disbelief.

"Don't quote me on it, I am not a specialist in warfare nor the history of this war. I am just reciting what I have heard."

"So if the borders haven't changed then, are we near it?"

"No, we actually passed the old borders a while ago."

"That never surprised you?" I asked her while taking into account her stated information. If the lines of battle in this war had not changed in a couple hundred years at the least. Then why was she not shocked to find out the borders were changing fast?

"I don't care for the war, Nin. I am not a citizen of either nation. My people live south of the Theocracy's old southern border."

"Right, so the map, you said it was a defence layout for a nearby city?"

"Not those exact words, but yes." she said to me, clearly growing tired of me.

"Take us near that city then. I want to see it." I ordered her, much to her unspoken annoyance.

"Fine." she grumbled as she went back inside. Leaving me out here with all this stuff. Stuff I quickly brought in so it would not get lost. Even if I was going to leave it alone anyway once we got near my home.

"Does this airship have a larger map that shows the old borders?" I then asked her as she summoned screen after screen. Going through each one before it was either enlarged or sent away.

"No, only local maps."

"Can you show me the borders then on a drawing or something?"

"No, because I have never seen the whole map of this continent." she told me which left me somewhat disappointed. I was hoping it would be able to contextualise what we did have as a map. How far south were we? Or were we north? Stuff like that is what I wanted to know.

"Is all that red the No-Fly Zone? It just stopped covering that city." I pointed out once I noticed something on the map. A rough layout of some kind of settlement built into the valley and partially on a mountainside.

"Obviously." she snarkily remarked before she suddenly halted the airship.

"Why'd you stop?" I asked her before she just stabbed her arm out towards the windows. And when she did I got an idea as to why she stopped the airship as a far larger one was in front. It was one of those ones too, the kind I saw with Vapooliar when she came back worried. When she was so urgent to run away.

There was, of course, the one in front, but as it moved out the way, we saw dozens more. Some just idly hovered about while others flew away. And then there was one, in particular, that was getting pounded over and over. All by some kind of guns I could not see and likely would never see.

That airship I was watching then unleashed a barrage of its own. Hundreds upon hundreds of what seemed to be whitish-blue orbs that zoomed out of view. And when our airship moved around to see the damage. I saw it again, that same grid formation where the craters were perfectly aligned...

"So that is what it was..." I muttered in disbelief while staring at all the destruction. Freezing up slightly when I saw little dark figures moving about the newly created ruins. Each of them was clearly in pain or disoriented.

"I am getting us out of here." Vadei then sternly said as her face went pale. I did not object to this and we were soon turning away from the city and going the other way. My curiosity had been satiated and we had seen the results. I had seen what had Vapooliar so utterly terrified.

.

.

.

"Is that airship still following us?" I asked pointlessly as I walked along the decking with Larishazza. The airship in question being so blatantly still there made my question irrelevant. But, I suppose having a conversation starter worked.

"As far as both of my eyes can tell, yes! That flying machine built somewhere in this land is following us." she said with a mock professor attitude before then smiling.

"Genius observations, Professor." I said back to her as I stared at the broadside of the airship. It towered over ours to an incomparable degree. And it would probably tower over it more so if we stepped out of line. Because I can't imagine we'd get out of the way of several thousand guns...

I had tried counting them but I always got lost doing so. Either because of a distraction or because the airship was so large. As such, that size made my eyes go funny and I lost track of which had been counted. Splitting it down into segments did not help either as it was just so large...

"I hope it leaves soon, Nin... I don't like having a warship follow us like this." she then told me as she nervously gripped the railings. I nodded in understanding as we had seen how these things worked. Our journey through what should have been the Theocracy was filled with war.

Every valley had some kind of struggle happen in it or have happened in it. It made me wonder why they still fought, these soldiers of the Theocracy. This Union had the overwhelming advantage with those airships yet they kept on going. It made me curious as to what kind of war this was...

What kind of war drove people to such desperate lengths as to fight for every bit of grass? No war recorded within the Civil Mountains back home had ever been so destructive. In fact, one could argue they were largely ceremonial after a certain point. The established cities were so strong you were never going to get them unwedged.

"Vadei is the one most informed here, we should go and ask her." I told Larishazza as my hand gripped her shoulder. A clearly nervous shake was inputted into her in an ironic attempt to reassure her.

"Let's go ask her then!" Larishazza declared as she spun out of my grip. Taking my claw into her hand just after before she pulled me forward. The control room doors made the usual movements and noises and we were then inside.

"Here to ask about that airship?" Vadei guessed while she tapped away.

"Yes...? How'd you know?" Larishazza said with surprise before she giggled.

"Because it's the only thing anyone is really been talking about lately." Vadei said with a disturbed sigh before she let her palms hold her face.

"I can get the other two to take over if you're tired?" I offered to Vadei as I approached her.

"I'm not tired, just stressed out. We have several thousand artillery pieces pointed right at us and a strict flight path. One mistake and every effort we have done up until now is pointless!" she nearly yelled out as she leaned back into her chair.

"I can still get the other two, either way, I'm sure they could do with something to do seen as you have made them useless for the most part." I told her with a slight smile that quickly went away. That lack of a smile on her own face did not help mine last.

"No... I'll stay here... Those two would probably try and work out something with those Jhermonikras across the cloudy sea..." she bitterly mumbled before she glued her eyes to another screen.

"How far do we have left to go anyway?" Larishazza asked Vadei as she moved in closer. Her fingers gently scratched the chin of an otherwise unbothered Vadei.

"Not far, we are nearing the canyon. You know, I am astonished by how quick this thing is." Vadei explained before she revealed her admiration for the machine.

"Care to put it into perspective?" I asked her as I assumed she had the capacity to do that. It wasn't hard to tell we were moving fast but how fast?

"I won't be able to put up a map, but I can show our recorded distance travelled and time and that." she explained before some more screens came up.

"This is how far we have travelled?" I asked after I read the large number.

"It is, but, bear in mind. This is with us in an airship, so the distance is much less than it would be on foot. And even with the issues of the mountains largely gone. It has still taken us a couple of weeks to get here."

"Do those couple of weeks include our various stops and the Salahma incident?" I then asked, just to be sure.

"Yes, they are included. Now, just try to imagine doing just all that by walking, not using an airship." she then let out with a tired voice as her eyes went wide. Mine did too once I figured out what the time to travel might have been.

"It could have taken us years..." I muttered while remembering how long it took us to get from Tryhpeltzweig to Thrurstradtur. And that was just to the bottom of the mountain! It still took Einervaene and that a few days to walk up it!

"I don't think that long, but, yes... Without this airship we would likely still be within viewing distance of Thrurstradtur's mountain." Vadei said to me while Larishazza moved away to think about something.

"What's on your mind?" I asked her as her thumb and index finger cupped her chin.

"Just trying to think about how long my ship ride to this land was." she explained.

"A few years maybe? That is how long Einervaene's trip apparently took."

"But my home is much farther away, so it will be more than that." Larishazza pointed out while her fingers made two different sized gaps. I guess it was to help us picture how different the scale of their travel was.

"Well, the next set of measurement past a year on its own is sets of them, so unless you plan on telling me you were a child before you were told to go to big girl school..." I argued to her just in case she was being serious.

"No, not that long, maybe a year longer? I don't know. We spent a lot of time island hopping in our travels. Me and my sister, that is."

"Well, either way, we know the lands the gods made for us so long ago are big." I said to both of them as it seemed like this topic was coming to a close.

"Wait, hold on you two, I am getting a message." Vadei then said to us as a loud beep began to fill our ears.

"Airship pilot, maintain your current heading. We are in no need to escort you anymore but will still open fire should you deviate." someone emotionlessly explained to us through the message. And, the airship did indeed stop escorting us. So I decided to go outside and watch it. But to do that, I had to climb a little so I could view it without issues.

"I can see how they plan on firing at the very least." I commented as the wind made my cloak flap about. A claw moved to the top of my hat to keep it in place. Otherwise, I did nothing but watch. I watched as it stopped following us and became more like a distant wall.

One so ladened with guns that we had no hope of ever escaping its clutches. It may have looked like it was getting smaller as we put some distance between us. The suddenly stronger wind made it clear Vadei was speeding us away. But, we would not get out of those sights, no...

"Hey, Ninno! Come look at this!" Larishazza called out to me from below. So, seen as it was her asking, I slid on down to meet her. Walking up to her once I had gone down as I slid down at an angle.

"Is that a marching army?" I questioned while staring at the distant flickers of light and gently swaying line of silver. Well, it looked like silver from here but that was likely without a doubt steel. The metal of all serious endeavours.

"No, not that! That!" she told me as her hand moved my beak to move my head as well.

"A giant bridge?" I said as I stared at the truly massive structure in the distance. So large was it that even this distance made it seem like it was so close.

"Yeah! Look how big it is!" she said with wide-eyed amazement as the halo lit it up. Its imposing shadow helped it stand out in an otherwise reddish environment.

"I assume this is the canyon then." I mutter as I turn my gaze down. A dark abyss was what awaited me and I saw no end to it at all. There just was no end to it that I could see. And, thankfully, I lacked the curiosity to test its depth.

"The edge of Jhermonikra..." Larishazza said while I began to look to my left. Somewhat looking at her in the process but I was meaning to look out towards my home. To her, however, it was just an excuse to be herself and smile.

So I smiled back after taking off my mask, "Say, Lari..."

"Lari? You haven't called me that in a while." she said with a grin. And it was true, it had been a short while since I used that nickname for her. But, I felt like I had reason to. She had no love for me beyond being my friend so a nickname felt inappropriate.

But, maybe just here, it would make a distance, "If I can... Would you... Would..." I began to say before I went quiet. A claw gently gripped my hat as I began to move away.

"Would I...?" she asked as she watched me move away.

"No, never mind. I'll leave you to it." I then told her as I walked away from her. In that moment I had wanted to ask her if she wanted to see my home. But, I also remembered that I was going to leave them all behind. Home was getting closer, I could finally have a normal life again to an extent...

Old Nin the Hermit...

That is what I would have to be, much to my displeasure. There was no way I could just go back to being a wall-engraver. Especially not considering what I had to do regarding Iishar. I needed to stop her trades first and foremost...

No one should be forced into being a living experiment, no one! But now came the question of how I was going to go about it... How was I going to get away from everyone? The lands around the Anvil-Peak were flat and featureless for the most part.

"Unless...?" I then asked myself as I gripped the wall of the airship. Perhaps I could get the others to camp outside for a night and abandon them... No, I couldn't do that. I was already cutting them out of my life, such cruelty didn't need to be enhanced...

This indecision angered me, it all just kept playing through my head. And, unfortunately, thanks to our earlier talks. I knew I did not have time to just let it slide and be forgotten. We would be home soon and it would all be over.

Perhaps I should find some private time with Vadei to talk about it then? Her family was involved in this so she deserved to know about my plans. At the very least anyway. But if I could not convince her, what would I do then?

She would know my plan and spread it to the others and nothing would get done! I could not just go home in those circumstances! I would be even more tightly involved with everyone else and that infuriated me! So to let some of it out, I just decided to slam my fist into the wall and dent it.

"HEY! Don't damage my airship!" Vadei called out to me through a speaker. Something that made me snort before I went somewhere where she hopefully would not bother me. I did not know where that place was, to be honest. But, a quiet place was a quiet place.

And once I got into that place, I went against the nearest wall. Letting out a long, tired, frustrated sigh while my claw touched my face. It clamped my jaw shut so I did not have to hear my chittering. Then, I just slowly slid down the wall until I thumped to the floor.

"I would see if prayer might get me the help or answers I need, but..." I began to say as I lifted up my left arm. Anger went across my face as I focused on where the bracelet used to be. I don't care if it was some sacred gift from one of the goddesses who help rule our world. It was the tool of a manipulator I would have no part in it.

If Einervaene and the others start to hate me and find me unbearable without it on. Then fine, I would suffer through that. But I would not and will never ever take part in something so indescribably immoral! If someone wanted to say they loved a bug like me then it can be done through other means...

Yet, if I cared so much about authentic love from another. Why was I so determined to go back to a home where exploration was the norm? Where most friendships ended without a second thought. All because they were founded on the mutual exploitation of the other...

I could not answer that question, admittedly. But, maybe, just maybe, I would figure out the answer soon. Or, maybe I was wrong, friendships didn't break so easily back home. They just had no time to mourn the loss as I did right now.

"Great..." I then found myself muttering as I felt water come to my eyes. It seems it was time for me to be pathetic again. More time for self-loathing than anything else. But, this all did make one thing clear, it made it very clear.

The need for me to just distance myself from these people was great, its time near.