It was Toross who was at the door. "I hope you had a good rest. We have a lot of things to do today," he said, with a sense of energy that could never be displayed by someone who was suffering from a hangover.
I didn't ask anything as I stood up. While his words weren't followed by the exact kind of pressure that followed Falael's words, there was no harm in showing my enthusiasm for following their orders — the more obedient I looked, the easier it would be to slip things through them.
Besides, Toross was still radiating a sense of aura that asked for respect and obedience, which was more constant than Falael's occasional flares, and being proactive in questioning him might make me suspicious about my ability to reject the impact of his Charisma.
It was better to be safe.
"Wear something more comfortable," he said as he pointed at the wardrobe.
"Anything in particular?" I asked.
"Just some pants and a loose tunic, maybe some robust boots will do. We will be moving around a bit today," he said, then smirked. "I hope your old bones can handle it."
"Don't worry, I'm already feeling like fifty after receiving that boost of Vitality," I answered, giving him an enthusiastic smile as I moved toward the wardrobe. He closed the door, staying out while I looked for something practical.
Soon, I found some, at least after discounting the blinding colors. A bright, sky blue pants with gold accents was bad enough, and the even brighter green pants didn't make things any easier. The best boots I was able to find were dark red, which would have looked halfway decent if it was paired with dark clothing but clashed horribly when combined with the others.
As if they were trying to make sure I would never blend into the crowd.
"I'm ready," I called from a distance, and he opened the door.
"Follow me," he said. I did, passing several rooms as before. The room they had been drinking in the last night was still open, but this time, there were a few servants putting things in order, but even they were moving with a shocking speed and grace, better than the best dancer back in my world.
Some of the other doors were open, with servants going in and out still, but the library door was already closed.
"Did you get a good night's sleep?" he asked as he walked, though his tone left no doubt that it was more of a habit than actual care.
"It was relaxing … though a bit confusing," I muttered, but that was the extent to which I questioned my presence in the new world. I might have tried to sell the story of a pitiful old man, confused and distressed by the situation he found himself in, but since they didn't show any care about my comfort other than my immediate physical needs.
They didn't care about my mental well-being at all, or they expected these mental explosions to solve everything.
In either case, showing weakness didn't look like the correct strategy, and since I didn't have the luxury of experimenting, I gave up on that route.
I followed him obediently, not making any noise as we approached to the stairs. This time, some signs of sunlight coming from the window, they were softer than I had expected. The reason turned clear as I got closer, only to see nothing but a whiteness outside, the telltale signs of a thick mist.
Either the clouds were higher, or we were descending.
I followed him to the stairs. And, to my surprise, we took a turn upstairs. Toross pulled some kind of glowing sigil from his pocket and pressed against the door, and it parted open. The door closed behind us with an ominous crack, but I didn't let it bother me.
It wasn't like I had actually any way to resist if they wanted to do something to me.
However, unlike what I had expected, the stairs didn't lead to another corridor, but an enormous courtyard, a huge tower at each corner, each easily a hundred meters, maybe taller — and I noticed a fifth one right at the center, though it was only half height of the others. The surroundings were completely bare, enough to trigger a sense of vertigo even without factoring in the castle was floating in the air.
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Not that I thought there was any kind of danger. The mist swirled over the courtyard, only to change direction whenever they got too close, creating the illusion of a great dome blooming from the four towers.
Probably another force field like the balcony. I wondered whether it was something cheap to create or it was just another sign of waste — though if the second was true, it wouldn't be the only way the courtyard was being wasteful.
Other than the five imposing towers, the courtyard didn't feel like it was part of a flying military unit, but a lavish roof garden. The stone surface was disconnected by artificial gardens, each bed housing a huge, imposing tree, surrounded by bright flowers with complicated patterns.
Toward the center, I could even see several pools, glowing softly under the sunlight, the occasional movement of the surface showing that they were not empty.
What a , I shouldn't be surprised too much, as none of the rooms I had stumbled upon earlier gave any sign of being miserly in the first place. Maybe the flying castle was not the equivalent of an aircraft carrier, but a private yacht.
"Beautiful," I said loudly, hiding my true thoughts inside, tryingto look fascinated by the view.
"Yes, it is," Toross chuckled. "Too bad that we're not here to rest but work. We need to understand what you are good at before we arrive at the capital, and we don't have too much."
I ignored the opportunity to ask him about the reason and instead avoided his gaze. "I'm not good at many things," I muttered, trying to look ashamed of that detail.
"Don't worry about that, for someone to be chosen as a Hero, they are clearly destined for great things. I'm confident that we can discover your true potential," he answered. His words were delivered carelessly, but accompanied by a sense of radiance, telling me that I could truly achieve anything I wanted.
Naturally, bouncing against the invisible barrier my Resilience had created, showing that it was just another variant of the same trick. Still, I perked up and pushed a passionate expression on my face. "If you believe so!"
"Don't worry, I'm an expert. I have trained many people, and I can help you to explore your true potential," he followed.
"Really?" I said, trying to sound impressed, although I desperately hoped he was bragging about his level of expertise. The worse he was, the easier I could dupe him.
I was glad for my little gambling session with the soldiers since it gave me a general understanding of how things worked in this new world. And while I wasn't digging a lot about skills and abilities, the brief mention of skill stones, and Falael talking about raising a beast for its abilities when I had been summoned for the first time, suggested that they were being acquired later.
Whether those were the only available paths or there was a method like awakening stats, was still a mystery.
Still, combined with other information, it gave me a sense of direction when Toross led me toward the central tower. Particularly, toward the large opening at the center, with several pieces of equipment already being spread.
At the edge of the opening, another familiar face was waiting for us, but with his hands buried into his palms and his body shaking, he was giving me the more signs of a hangover. I was surprised by the level of his distress, especially with my own experience with Vitality neutralizing the impact of alcohol.
Toross showed some interest in his state as well but for a different reason. "Wake up, sleeping beauty, it's time to work," Toross shouted, far too loudly, and only after getting close to him.
Falael groaned in pain. "Shut your mouth, you moron. My head is killing me, what was in that bottle."
"You're the one who claimed you can handle my special brew, don't blame me," he said, laughing loud enough to hurt my ears. From his pained moans, it was clear that affected Falael even worse. "First, your pet, now our bet, the mission is not exactly shaping out well, is it?"
Their rivalry was welcome for me. The more they were distracted by each other, the easier I could slip something without arousing any suspicion — not to mention the opportunities like the night before.
Falael groaned in pain again. "Silence," he gasped as he grabbed a blade from his waist, and threw it — the motion was smooth and fast, but it was nothing compared to the flight of the dagger itself, fast enough to disappear from my view.
But not for Toross, who didn't even stop laughing as he caught the dagger, the blade between his fingers.
A good reminder for me that, no matter my experience, I was nothing against them in terms of the actual threat.
"Come on, we have work to do, or do you want to explain to them why we don't have a detailed report when we arrive at the capital," Toross said. Falael raised his head, his frustration showing. But I had a feeling that it was more about asking Falael to work while he was suffering from a hangover than anything else.
"Go and start lifting some rocks, ignore our discussion, and let us know if a notification arrives," Falael ordered, once again accompanied by that same weight — even more intense this time. I made a show of stiffening and started walking towards the smooth, polished rocks of various sizes.
"Oh, come on, it's a waste. Do you think an old man like him could even awaken Strength?"
"Maybe, but either way, it'll give me a chance to sleep a bit more. Now, shut your mouth, my head is killing me," he said as he closed his eyes once more.
Making my job of tricking them considerably easier.