Leon POV
I saw everyone wipe the sweat from my brow as I stared out over the endless desert of white sand, the sun bearing down on us hard, I was fire and heat-resistant to a certain degree, but this is harsh, even for me. So it would be worse for the others. They were breathing heavily, keeping their eyes out for any signs of danger, but they were clearly unfocused. My mind was racing with possibilities, and none of them seemed good.
I had the power to create constructs...solid, physical shapes made of light. Usually, they were smaller and more compact. Weapons, shields, and tools for a quick fix in battle. But if I could push myself, maybe I could make something bigger. A plane. Something to fly us out of this godforsaken desert, at least for a while. We discussed this before though.
My mana reserves weren't infinite, and summoning something as complex and large as an aircraft would drain me fast. Heck, I don't need to think of complexities, I'm pretty sure I can just create a small aircraft and use mana to elevate in the air. But if we were attacked? I'd be a sitting duck, with no energy left to defend us. Even if the others took turns transferring their mana to me, through a temporary link I could form on my back, they'd also need to keep their own reserves up.
The reality was harsh, we couldn't afford to be empty, not in a place like this. Only Lux had enough mana to help sustain me for any length of time, and even then, it wasn't enough to get us through the long haul. The rest of them, their reserves were smaller. They couldn't afford to go dry since any monster could be spawned out of nowhere. I shook my head, considering the risk.
I then opened up the discussion again, and most agreed just to walk. Based on the pamphlet I still have, apparently, there's going to be a community of released prisoners with about a week's worth of traveling this way, we could half that using magic.
"I can help." Diana suggested, "I'm a goddess, and I have plenty of mana, your sister here does have plenty of mana for a mortal, but if we were to get into a fight, she's going to need it more than I do."
"...is there a catch?"
"...What do you mean?"
"You're helping us with no promise of receiving anything in return."
"Just think of it as me making up for the mistakes I've committed in the past. Don't think too deep into it."
"Just so you know, Viper is constantly keeping an eye on you."
"I find your doubts and mistrust quite hurtful, but I'm going to deal with it."
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The magic flowed out of me, solidifying into the construct, bit by bit. Wings, cockpit, tail. The bright light formed the sleek body of the aircraft, hovering above the ground. I could already feel the strain on my mana reserves, but I pushed through it and it was rough, definitely not the most beautiful thing I'd ever made, but it would fly.
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We boarded quickly, not wanting to waste any more time. Diana took the seat next to me, the others filing in behind. The moment I activated the construct, it hummed to life, lifting off the ground. For a moment, it felt like we were free. The wind whipped past us as the plane sped forward, but I could already feel the drain starting to kick in. Diana then placed her hand on my back and I could feel any of my depleted mana replaced at every second as we flew.
We flew for what felt like hours, but in reality, it was probably much less. Eventually, I saw something in the distance, a settlement, far off on the horizon. A town. Relief washed over me as I guided it down, landing within walking distance of the settlement. Luckily, we had a change of clothes, so it shouldn't raise too many alarms.
"Yo, pick me up, it's hard for me to walk." Viper said as I picked him up and put him on my shoulder.
"You 2 are really cute together if you don't argue." Evelyn commented.
"Of course, I am always cute. As for him, he would be cute if he let me pat or scratch him every now and then."
"I would never let that happen." Viper responded as we started moving toward the settlement.
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As we approached the town, Artemis apparently lowered her aura to not let people know that she was a goddess, and I couldn't help but notice how stark and plain it looked. The buildings were all a bleached white, blending into the vast desert that surrounded them. It wasn't what I'd call inviting, but after what we'd been through, that was enough for me. The sun had dipped low in the sky by the time we reached the gates. People stood around, watching us with a mix of curiosity and cautious welcome. A few of them stepped forward and greeted us.
"Welcome to our town," one of them said, an older man with sun-worn skin and kind eyes., he was a super short elf with a rainbow-colored afro that stood out, "It must be a long way from the prison, come, we'll show you around. We don't get many travelers out this way, but everyone's welcome. Just know that space is tight. You'll have to stay in the community house for now, with the others. If you're planning on sticking around, you'll need to work for your own home. Everyone here builds their own."
He then gestured toward a small crowd of people bustling around a large, rundown building on the edge of town. It looked like it had seen better days, but it was clearly still functional.
"Thanks, but we're just passing through. We'll be moving on soon. Just need a place to rest for the night...or day."
"Suit yourself. We've got more people than space, so I won't complain if you don't stick around." he replied, "This is more of a...what do they call it...a beginner town. You can head further west for a bigger town, more of a city, but it's a mix of us who were in Hades, and those from Duat or whatever the Egyptians call it, but if you head back east, past the underworld, for about 2 months, you can meet an even bigger community, a town created based off of Valhalla, the people there are also a bit crazy though, so...yeah."
We were then given a tour of the town, they get their food from a constant supply team that is sent by the prison every month or so, these guys also get coins by occasionally assigning shifts of sending people to work in the underworld prison to pay for the supplies, and anyone who plans to live here has to agree to that assignment, but they've been sending lesser and lesser people lately since they are planting crops and putting others things and making them self-sufficient.
The town had a barter market and a lot of shops that were basically dead since people didn't have a lot of coins to spend, and the only jobs available were in the underworld itself, We were then led to the community house after the tour and were given a room for ourselves, it got one small bathroom that was somewhat clean and bunk beds, as for the kitchen, we got a community barbeque to eat with everyone else.
I was a bit too tired to eat and I wasn't really hungry either, so I just got on one of the bed and slept. However, the dreams I saw that night were going to change my life forever.