Alexia
Once the people from The Retreat arrive with Astrid, they immediately get to work packing up the corpse. In pieces. In giant airships.
Not sure when they had the time to build those, but they’re not half bad.
The things look like they’re being lifted by a mixture of wind, fire, and gravity magic, with an additional boost from a hot air balloon above it that I doubt is necessary but probably helps. They have relatively large structures beneath the air balloons with weapons on the sides of the ships.
If I remember correctly, Varsac’s kingdom was currently developing these. So I guess they finished them, and The Retreat bought some?
Would make sense.
Although…
I turn to glance at Astrid, who is standing next to me while we watch them carry the pieces with magic into the dozens of ships, and ask, “So where was The Retreat storing these things?”
“On our secondary island,” she answers without looking away from the ships. “It’s on the other side of the Block from The Retreat, so we’ll be bringing the corpse back there if you don’t mind.”
Oh. Interesting.
Looks like they want to keep these ships a relative secret that they own them.
Does that mean they didn’t purchase them?
“Whatever you’re thinking is likely correct,” she says as if reading my thoughts. “We made them ourselves. Or at least, that dwarf of yours created the blueprints and we worked off of those.”
Ah, good ol’ Dravik.
Come to think of it, I didn’t see the elder dwarf while I was at The Retreat earlier. Or rather, I didn’t sense his energy source. So I guess he must’ve been at this secondary base of theirs.
Astrid and I watch in silence as the others pack away the corpse, only for that process to take hours in and of itself. And I have to step in multiple times just to dissect the creature.
That said, in the end, we manage to bring it with us as we head towards their secondary base. With me just hanging out on the bridge of the flagship. The biggest ship of the lot.
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During the trip, I make sure to ask Astrid about the enchanter. But unfortunately, she says we don’t have one in our Dimensional Block good enough to help me with what I want.
Not even one good enough to make a storage ring large enough to fit a single part of the corpse we’re carrying.
Not really the news I wanted to hear but also not unexpected either.
So in the end, I say a quick goodbye to Astrid, mentioning where I’m going and asking if she had something to say to Lucas, only for her to not have anything to say and for me to leave soon after. Just teleporting through the islands until I make it to the Dimensional Wall separating our Block from Dimensional Block #106. And without a care for the war I’m leaving behind, I enter the Wall and pass through to the other side.
Unsurprisingly – seeing as I already knew what the Block was like – I find trees for as far as the eye can see once I make it through the Wall. And I’m sure the Dimensional Leader and Champion are probably freaking out about my arrival.
After all, they should know who the Dimensional Champion of Dimensional Block #108 is.
Then again, considering that the Dimensional Champion of this Block is a Class S species, I don’t think the Champion is panicking. Likely just hoarding itself inside its territory.
Right, I should go ahead and check where its territory is. I wouldn’t want to trespass and end up stuck in a fight with the naga.
I quickly close my eyes and search around the area for energy signatures. But the only ones I find are weak ones most likely belonging to monsters nearby.
Meaning I probably didn’t enter near any sort of settlement.
So I open my eyes again and begin teleporting up into the air before landing on a giant tree to look around.
The entire Dimensional Block looks to be one massive wildfire hazard, if I’m being completely honest. Just one massive forest stretching for as far as the eye can see with enormous trees. Meanwhile I see quite a few flying monsters going through the air above the forest. Mostly eagle-like creatures or hawk-like ones. But also a few bugs like bees that are buzzing around under the treetops, in hives on the trees themselves hanging from branches.
Nothing particularly dangerous.
I begin teleporting while making sure to keep an eye out on things, searching for any signs of civilization. And after several minutes, I find what I’m looking for.
A large village in the trees, high above the ground.
Looks like it’s a village of elves. A Class B species. Just like humans.
Although I do see a few high elves amongst the bunch.
But why are they living in tree houses?
I frown as I look out over them from the top of a tree. Only to notice that most of them have spotted me by now.
Damn, I really need to figure out what’s up with that aura thing of mine. Apparently it’s almost as bad as Isabella’s but in a different way.
Makes stealth harder nowadays.
All of the elves and high elves immediately go on high alert and an alarm even blares through the settlement. But I just tilt my head and watch them run around for a moment, trying to find their leader.
After finding them, I teleport down right in front of them, startling him into falling onto his rear. Meanwhile everyone around me begins preparing attacks and raising their weapons, identifying me in the process.
Then they freeze in place after seeing the result.
I kneel down in front of their leader as I ask, “Any chance you know where the naga’s territory is? And where the Cataclysm Class monster is while we’re at it?”