Mid Afternoon - Early Summer : Richmond, Virginia | East Coast United States
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*Pat* *Pat* *Pat* *Puff* Stepping up onto a lowered staircase covered in plush red carpet, I walked up into the airship without much delay, skimming Michael's system panel while nibbling on a bagel.
I was deep in thought, trying my best to come up with ideas on how to take advantage of my deal with Michael. -I should have asked him for compensation for killing The Warden, actually...-
But even if it did, it wouldn't arrive until I received the 'Data Link' request from Michael. -Speaking of which, it should notify me when that comes, right?- *Woop* Lowering Michael's Panel, I finally closed my system before looking up and immediately finding a young man dressed in a suit, bowing to me just inside the airship.
"Welcome aboard, Miss!" He seemed oddly cheery, especially considering the situation outside. "Would you like me to guide you to your room?"
-Guide me to my room?- "I wasn't aware I had one."
He immediately straightened his posture as he confidently looked me in the eyes. "You are Miss Lestir, correct?"
-Oh...- All it took was him saying my name for everything to click. -Michael must have given him a quest...- "I am, my apologies. Please lead the way." Motioning him forward, he immediately whipped around and began guiding me down the hall with a pep in his step.
He was only nineteen according to his system panel, and while level 0 was marked as awakened, meaning he literally awakened just then. -Michael must have awakened him just to give him a quest.-
But it's not like I minded.
As we continued down the short hallway, we eventually came into a huge ballroom, half filled with tables, and half filled with large, clean areas floored with tile, unlike the rest of the carpeted room. -Are those supposed to be places to dance?- "What's this area for?"
The young man hastily turned around with a hop. "This room is the guild dining and meeting area. Currently, it's reserved by the Sparrows Guild, and is typically where they would spend most of their time during the flight. Since the entire room is a skyroom, when we are in the air, the walls will actually disappear and make it look like you aren't even in the ship. It's really cool." He paused as he looked up at the towering ceiling with a breath of awe. "I'd recommend you to come in and check it out when we get in the air, but with the evacuations, it will likely be quite crowded."
-Hm...- Looking at the wall next to the entrance ahead of us, it was indeed clear it wasn't a normal wall, it was almost like there was something layered over it, but compared to the illusion magic I saw at the mana monitoring facility, it seemed digital. -How fascinating... Are the walls covered in holograms?- I tilted my head slightly as I looked up toward the ceiling as well. -I wonder what he means by the walls disappearing though...-
"As for the other side, these tile areas are actually small arenas. Usually, it's surrounded by so many barriers that it's hard to see in, but it lets people practice magic or techniques while they fly. If you wish to use it before others board, you are more than welcome to."
"Hoho," I let out a little chuckle as I lowered my gaze back to him and we finally reached the other side of the room, entering another large hallway. "I appreciate the offer, but I'm afraid I'd blow a hole through the side of the ship if I used it for its intended purpose."
Quickly realizing I wasn't joking, he tensed up before straightening his posture. "I-I see... In any case, if there are any additional accommodations you would like, please just ask. You are our most valuable guest."
Gently nodding, we quickly continued down the hall, idly speaking as if I was receiving a tour before passing through several other gargantuan rooms, from a theater to a tavern, and going up a few flights of stairs to come up to a large, polished wood double door, lined with a marble doorframe, and labeled with a gold plate: 'Suite 1A'
-How gaudy...-
"This will be your room. It's a first-class VIP suite, I hope it is sufficient." The young man bowed deeply, with his head falling below his waist. "Please treat yourself during the flight. If you need help with anything inside, please speak to one of the robots, or call a maid. They will be on standby."
-Maids on standby during an evacuation where they need all hands on deck, huh...- "I see. Thank you." -I guess since there's no real threat, it doesn't really matter...- Finally continuing up to the door as the butler left down the hall, I gently nudged it open, expecting to get flashed with the blinding light of gold, jewels, and gems, only to have a wave of unexpectedly cool air blast over me
*Woosh* It was fresh, reminiscent of the air in the mountains, without the scent of stone and gold I had associated with wealth for centuries. -Woah...- It made my expression lighten in an instant, and as I continued inside, the gleam in my eyes only grew. -Wow, this room is.. quite nice actually...-
Just inside the doors was a small area with walls of old, cleanly polished wooden bookshelves, and just past it, through an open rectangular doorway, was the view of a beautiful lounge, with intricately carved stone statues, and a large, puffy leather sofa in front of a fireplace that exuded the faint smell of trees as if I were standing in a forest.
Although originally, I had planned to just focus on trying to find ways to control my aura during the flight, in a matter of seconds, that had begun changing. -Maybe.. I should actually take some time to relax like I wanted to on the mountain...-
And as if that wasn't enough, as I walked into the lounge to look around the rest of the suite, the warm yellow ceiling lights brightened before the ceiling and wall straight ahead of me vanished behind a wave of pixels revealing the airfield, clouds, and sun as if it had suddenly become one huge window. "Woah..."
It was an array of screens, seemingly using no magic at all to nearly perfectly display the sky outside as if I wasn't encased in a huge metal ship at all. -How fascinating... Is it playing the feed from cameras outside?-
But it was far from that simple. As I continued deeper into the room, toward the 'window', the view shifted seamlessly to play the illusion that I was truly standing on a balcony.
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"Haah..." My sigh was heavy, releasing a bundle of worries that had done nothing but build since I returned to Earth. -It still doesn't feel real... To think I'm actually back...-
However, while I stood in front of the window, looking over the adjacent runways, a female voice filled the room. "It is quite a beautiful day out, isn't it?"
Although it sounded truly human, there was a hint of digital noise to it, causing me to slowly turn around, expecting to see a cleaning robot.
But my gaze only landed on a large black panther sat on the edge of a smaller doorway. -W..What..?-
Seeing my expression, it quickly lowered its head. "I apologize for the late greeting. My name is Bella, the main caretaker of this suite. It is my pleasure to serve you on this flight." Upon pausing, its gaze shifted back up to me. "If there is anything you would like to customize about me, or the room, you may specify at any time."
It was a robot, just like with the dog robot I saw in the cafe, but somehow, this one felt.. sentient. "What do you mean by customize?"
It quickly looked upward before the view of the clouds flickered away to a view of the underside of a rainforest's canopy. "You can change the theme of the room, view through the window, scents, or even arrangement of furniture with just a word." The panther never once pulled its eyes off the ground as it spoke. "If you wish, you can even change my form as well. If you wish for me to look human, elven, or some other creature, all you must do is-"
"Everything was fine as it was." Quickly cutting her off, the lighting and window returned to how it was, and I felt like my brain had short-circuited. -Did I get intoxicated by my mana or something?- I honestly felt like I was in some weird dream.
But.. it certainly wasn't a dream. "As you wish." Finally lifting itself from its bow, it stood up. "Is there anything you would like? Perhaps I could prepare a drink or a warm bath?"
-Ah.. I guess I could use a bath...- Slowly trying to ease my nerves and learn to take in the new experiences without overanalyzing every detail, my tone and posture relaxed. "Prepare a bath as hot as possible, with fix whatever the most popular drink is..."
It looked at me with its cold, mechanical eyes for a moment before opening its mouth. "You wish for the water to be boiling?"
"Yeah, that's fine."
Gently waving her off, she turned away with a gentle, weightless sway in her tail. "As you wish. It will be prepared immediately."
Watching her disappear through the small doorway, my gaze shifted down to my gloves. -I guess.. I should go ahead and take my armor off...-
Starting with just a single glove to make sure the system wouldn't erase all my armor the moment I unequipped everything, I made my way into the hallway Bella went down before finding my way to a colossal bathroom with a huge bath steaming so much I couldn't see the wall behind it.
"Your bath and drink are prepared, Miss." She paused as she walked up and handed me a glass of blue and green liquid with a single ice cube in it. "Is there a name or title you wish for me to refer to you as?"
I gently shook my head as I held the glass up to the light. "Miss Lestir is fine..." Lowering the glass, I quickly opened my system and checked if my glove was still there before promptly unequipping the rest of my armor, revealing my toned, but limitlessly scarred body, recounting each and every injury that likely should have killed me. "If I may ask, what is this drink." Sniffing it as I walked toward the bath, it smelled somewhat fruity with a hint of sour and bitterness.
"Uh..." But Bella seemed to stutter, with her expression showing a mix of shock and concern. "I-It's called a mythril cocktail, infused and iced with mana."
-Infused, huh?- It sounded like an elixir or potion. But without giving it much thought, I took a sip. -Oh...- It was sour like a lemon, with a hint of bitterness similar to weak poisons, and a sweetness akin to fruit. -It makes the tongue tingle a bit...- Putting my finger on the top of the single large ice cube, I threw back the drink before swishing it around and promptly swallowing it. "That was good, but bring me a few other assorted drinks. I'd like to try some new things."
"Y-Yes.. of course..." But instead of immediately leaving to get them, Bella hesitated, watching me climb into the bath as if the boiling water were lukewarm. "A-Are you.. okay?"
-Hm?- Sinking my shoulders beneath the water, I nonchalantly glanced over at her, noticing her expression. "Why wouldn't I be?"
Although I thought her expression was because of how I drank the drink at the time, that wasn't actually the case. "I-I just.. have never-" *Buzz* With a crackle the light behind her eyes flickered before her demeanor shifted back to the way it was before. "I apologize. I have been rude..." Bowing again, she quickly got moving. "I will retrieve your drinks now."
-Huh...- Her sudden change in demeanor reminded me of a wild dog that was disciplined.
But I wasn't given much time to think about it.
As seconds turned into minutes, I eventually learned I could change the scenery in the bathroom as well before picking a mountain with the air and forest ambiance to accompany it.
For the first time in at least a century, I actually managed to relax, shutting off my mind without having to worry about a country-sized monster that could jump up out of the planet's crust to eat me at any moment.
For the first time since I was kidnapped by the system, it felt as if my mind was given a chance to heal. Before I knew it, my cautious thoughts calmed, and my curiosity was lit like a flame. -I.. could get used to this...-
My smile widened as I pressed a thin glass against my lips and took a sip of a spicy but sweet drink, unlike anything I had ever tasted as the sound of wind blowing up a mountainside resonated through my mind. -How.. nice...-
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- Saint Michael ~
Hovering over the wide airfield with my hands clenched behind my back, I looked down through the walls of a massive airship with a tense expression. -Just where did a monster like her come from...- Looking at her body, coated in scars so large they should have sliced her in half, I felt a chill pass down my spine. Even if I hit her as hard as I could, using my divinity to slow time and compound the force of the hit as much as possible, I wasn't confident I could even leave a bruise.
She was a monster far beyond the limit of flesh, exuding an aura equivalent to a lower-rank planet, and touting a body many times stronger than black mythril. I honestly had to wonder... -Just where did the system send her that forced her to grow to this extent...- I felt my chest tighten just thinking about it. -We're lucky I was able to make a deal after that dumbass tried to use his avatar to fight her...-
Looking down at a thin puff of smoke, the remnants of an angel's scattered soul, my expression darkened.
But just a moment later, my system dinged. *Beep* "Request Accepted. Message received."
It was the response to my Data Link request to the Central Server. -It was accepted, but.. there's a message attached?- By the looks of things, it was from an administrator of the Central Server.
Not sure what to expect, I opened it.
But it read: "The request has been sent to them, but don't expect a traditional data link. Because I cannot access their information without errors, they will be able to freely manipulate their displayed data within your server. You will be able to freely send things to them, however, be careful, if you try to access their raw server details without a request, your server will crash."
-H..huh?- My face warped with horror as I read it. -An admin of the Central Server.. can't access her information..?-
As my gaze shifted down to the woman below me, I felt the air around me turn cold. -I need to count my lucky stars tonight...-
In an instant, I had to reconsider the strength difference between us. -If I took the wrong course of action a moment ago.. Earth might have really been destroyed...- And there would have been nothing I could have done to stop her.
Even though it was my initial assumption, the being in front of me wasn't of the same class as what we called destroyers, because she wasn't a being who destroyed societies...
She was a being who destroyed worlds.
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