"How the hell are we supposed to do that?!" Lawrence shouted.

"With this fucking thing, how else!" Simon retaliated. "This thing can fly, can't it! We'll fly right through the city, round up as many people as we can, and we'll fly them out of the way of that... whatever that cube is!"

Dianna and Lawrence glanced down at the cube of black water and eyes, which was now slowly inching through the dehydrated docks and towards the city. It seemed that within the cube, the currents of the water were tumultuous and fierce, as it left nothing but splinters of wood in its wake.

Perception Check: 18

Dianna passes.

"I'd say..." Dianna began, "that we've got around thirty minutes before that thing wipes out the entire town. If we start with the lower city first, we might be able to... no, even then it's cutting it close." Diann turned to solemnly face Simon. "If it were up to me, we would cut our losses and escape while we can. We need to prioritize finding someone- if there is anyone- who can repair that hole in our hull."

"But it's not up to you, is it?!" Simon shouted, and gripped the two sticks that steered the cockpit.

"Now hold on just one second," Lawrence defiantly walked towards the cockpit, "who the hell went and made you captain?"

"That would be Cetus," Simon replied confidently as he turned the Zailiens around to face the city. "Remember? About fifteen minutes ago? When he jabbed me in the neck and taught me and only me how to fly this thing?"

"Cetus!" Lawrence shouted. "Can you give me that information too?"

"I am able to," Cetus replied.

"Do not!" Simon shouted at the ship. "Lawrence," he turned to face the Morro, with an earnest look in his eyes, "are you really saying you're fine with letting these people die?"

"I'm... not," Lawrence shook his head. "But that don't mean you can name yourself captain and start making decisions for the rest of us."

"Then what would you have me do instead?"

"We need to start by evacuating everyone in immediate danger first," Lawrence began.

"On it," Simon immediately set the Zailiens to descend.

"Hold your damn seahorses, Simon!" Lawrence shouted. "Let me finish."

"If I keep waiting, people are going to die!"

"You can wait thirty goddamn seconds!"

"I can fucking multitask!"

"Can you? You just learned how to fly this thing today!"

"Watch me!" Simon shouted as he nearly slammed the Zailiens into the ground, before dropping its shields. "Now, let's get a fucking move on!"

"Listen to me god damn it!" Lawrence shouted as Simon stood up from the cockpit. "We need to find notable figures, and deputize them," he continued once Simon paused. "We don't know this town, hell, we don't even know how many people live here. But they do. Find some people who look like they know what they're doing, and let them do the grunt work of rounding up the civvies. We need to stay here and make sure we don't go over capacity- wait, that reminds me... Cetus!"

"Yes?" the ship replied.

"What's the maximum weight this ship can carry."

"Upwards of eighty-four thousand pounds," the ship replied, "you need not worry. Spatial constraints are of a much greater concern."

"That's good to hear," Simon sighed. "How many people do you think we can fit?"

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"I'd give it... a hundred, hundred and fifty tops," Dianna said grimly. "This is a city of nearly five hundred."

"We can let those that live near the edge of town, and those with their own transportation, evacuate on their own," Mina suggested. "That way, we can save room only for those who wouldn't be able to escape normally."

"Good idea," Lawrence nodded. "Now Simon, we need to pick up this ship and move it. Move it closer to the center of town, where everyone can escape to. I'll try and round up the sailors here from the docks, Dianna can get all the cushy rich folk up ahead, and Mina will get everyone in between."

The four nodded.

"And remember!" Lawrence shouted. "Don't do all the leg work yourself. Find people, delegate, move on."

"Evacuate to the center of town! Evacuate to the center of town!" Mina shouted as she sprinted up and down the streets of Ad Limosa. "You've got less than twenty minutes, if you value your lives, please, evacuate!" And on she continued. Up, down, left and right she ran through the winding homes and businesses of the city, ensuring no corner went unchecked. The easy part was convincing all of the citizens that were out on the streets, with a clear view of the encroaching wall of water. The difficult part was passing by numerous homes, unsure of whether they were occupied or not, and having to concede that if a person was present, they would certainly have heard her voice.

At the end of a particularly long neighborhood, Mina doubled over as she caught her breath. Adrenaline could carry a body far, but not far enough it would seem. She heaved and wheezed as she paused, taking time to analyze her surroundings through her exhaustion-induced tunnel vision. She was barely even halfway through the section she'd been assigned. She stood up, and began to turn around and walk slowly, barely able to move her legs, much less run, but she knew she had to keep moving one way or another.

"I still need to find Shamus..." she groaned to herself, "and then the jeweler, the guard captain, the waitress, the owner of that restaurant... plus the chef that taught me to cook those delicious chicken skewers, and that old family that gave me those biscuits, and..." Mina coughed, and then took a deep breath. She worked herself up to a jog, and then back to a run, a run as fast as her feline limbs could carry her. "I've got to keep moving, do everything I can. I need to find someone to help me, as many as possible- I need to find that guard captain."

Mina casts Expedition

A basic spell that continuously breaks down lactic acid in the body, greatly reducing exhaustion and speeding up recovery.

Mina casts Gale

A basic spell that summons a powerful wind. The wind is not capable of damage, but is able to displace objects that can.

Woodcarver: Mina channels Gale

A thin veil of green energy descended upon Mina, wrapping her in a shawl of emerald. One her arm, a falcon appeared, its body the same hue as the azure sky and wrapped in clouds to match. She thrust her arm upwards, and the falcon ascended, and flew nearly twenty feet above her, gazing down on all that was beneath. To her mild surprise, she found the captain of the guard right away- engaging in the exact same evacuation effort as she was, running up and down the streets and guiding citizens away from their homes. She hurried over to him.

"You there!" Mina shouted once she approached him, realizing she never got the man's name. "Can you help us?"

"Help you?" the guard captain laughed. "I already am, aren't I?"

"But you're telling people to leave the city via the gates."

"'Course! What other option is there?"

Mina explained, as quickly as she could, the fact that the four of them were now in possession of a flying machine that was parked in the center of town, and that she was evacuating as many as she could there.

"That's... quite a story," the guard captain mused, "but I do remember seeing that hunk o' metal flyin' overhead a minute back. I'll tell everyone that's where to go. How many more you got working the city?"

"Just me, Lawrence, and Dianna. Simon's in the ship, directing people. I hope the he's doing alright."

"Good. Where are the other two?"

"Lawrence is down by the docks and Dianna's up in the wealthy districts."

"Lawrence is right here actually," Lawrence said from behind Mina. Mina and the guard captain jumped back in shock.

"Lawrence?!" Mina shouted. "What are you doing here?! What about the docks?!"

"Docks're gone." Lawrence said, lighting up a cigarette.

"Gone?" the guard captain gasped.

"Gone. Got as many poor souls outta there as I could- I'm gonna go back up Dianna now. Doubt she has the Charisma to convince those posh rich folk to come out of their caves."

"Actually, the upper city is mostly evacuated," the guard captain said.

"Really?" Lawrence cocked his head in surprise.

"Yeah," the guard captain answered. "They saw the wall coming and split the moment it started moving. It was easy for them, since most of them own horses or carriages and were so close to the gates."

"On that topic," Mina interjected, "where are we planning to go after we evacuate everyone?"

"There's Versal," Lawrence suggested. "It's a good place with a lot of roads out. Give everyone a chance to make their way towards whatever future they want."

"I agree," the guard captain said. "Versal won't be a place we can stay for long, but families can pool together their finances and rent travel to other cities. It'll be tough... but better than drowning."

"Looks to me more like you'll get ripped apart by the waves," Lawrence shuddered. "Saw it happen to some old folks that couldn't outrun the wall."

"And on that note," Mina said fearfully, "let's get a move on."