After the traumatic event which only through a great gambit we managed to pull through, we started exploring this floor. What drove them put such a cursed book in the first place as a guard? Whatever it is, this floor must be holding something very worthwhile.

”Mjaa, that cloak do not look on you.”

Nyaya commented as she with a fascinated look watched me hover over the floor.

”Got any better ideas, Nyaya?”

I put my arms together and looked at her as I hovered in the direction of the party.

”Umm, can’t you use magic to tailor it?”

Curious to see her to jump to such a conclusion. I raised my eyebrows and started thinking.

”I will think about it...”

I quietly replied and faced toward where we was going.

We headed right instead of left this time. Before we left Seris made sure that the cursed book was thoroughly destroyed. She had an anger that I never seen before in that timid girl. Do not get between her and the people she love...

After half an hour I ended up hovering on my back as we explored the hallway. This levitation skill is pretty darn convenient. Oddly enough we haven’t seen a single door yet.

”I wonder what is taking so long...”

I impatiently asked. Seems like evolving made me more impatient. A slight personality change. I then looked up at Izumi. He was upside down from my view.

”You are going to become lazy if you keep levitating all the time, Lotus.”

I then gave him an annoyed look. You too would do this if you could levitate!

”Hmmph!”

With a soft landing I started walking instead then. I used my Holy Staff as a walking stick. I think I would look pretty lich like now if it weren’t my flesh. I yawned and we walked for another half hour.

Finally we saw a door. It was lavishly decorated with exotic metals, and the door itself was made out perfectly preserved rare wood. Beside it stood two suits of armor which looked like they had come from a land far away.

Whatever is in that room must be important, I thought. And before we entered into the room, Izumi looked at me affectionally.

”Do not leave us alone, Lotus.”

With the previous incident fresh on our minds he hesitated opening the door. But finally opened it with a sigh.

Unlike the exquisite door the interior of the room was mundane. The room itself was big enough to fit a small house inside and it was completely exposed to the outside. It looked like a aircraft hangar if I would describe it in modern terms. The side exposed to the sky had one meter high railings, and on the sides going out into the distance differently colored magical lights turned on and off in sequence.

The most notable feature of the room was a smaller room inside it. It looked like a office. We explored it and looked for anything of use.

Suddenly the stone on my Holy Staff and my Phylactery started reacting as I got closer to the room. A faint pulsating light and a light vibration occured.

”Master, there is something in this room that makes me feel weird.”

I asked Izumi to check it out. How much of this did his Appraisal skill predict when it made him buy me? First the Holy Staff, then me defeating that cursed book and now this? It is like whenever something dire is about to happen to him, destiny is there to save him.

As he stepped into the room, he gasped.

”...I found it.”

WIth great joy in his voice he said.

”Found what?”

I somewhat cautiously asked him.

”The item my client asked for.”

I started to feel worried, what exactly did his client request? He then came out with a intricate item which resembled a circuit board from Earth. Except now it was made out of metals I have never seen before. And at its core was a golden stone which resembled my Phylactery.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

”...what the hell is this thing?”

I reflexively asked Izumi. This made me feel uneasy to the core of my soul.’

”According to my client it is a piece of a machinery.”

He is not telling the whole truth, I can tell. But if I push too much about it, I think he won’t hesitate to have my slave collar stop me from asking more. What quest did he exactly take us out on? I just let out a long sigh, and then looted the room for books.

Now with our main quest objective done, we need to find a way down. The bandits are probably still down there, furious about our escape. Even with our strength we can’t fight them all. Strength runs out eventually after all. And I bet the bandits after seeing us girls are pretty thirsty, so if we get captured we will have a very dark future.

”Alright girls, we got what we came here for. Now we need to get the hell out of here.”

We all looked at Izumi. Do he have a grand plan to get us out here safely?

”We got two options; Either fight our way down the stairs, or somehow sprout wings and fly!”

Is there no third option I wondered? I remember from one document I briefly read while looting, that this hangar contain experimental vehicles. I looked up in the ceiling of the hangar. I saw there was a bird looking vehicle along with other ruined vehicles. But the propulsion devices attached to it are broken beyond repair. Oh right, now I remember. Gliders was a thing back on Earth. From where a high elevation you could safely glide down.

”I do not think we need to fly...”

I said, and with a strong kick off the ground, I glided up to the vehicle and with my hand I barely grabbed onto it. Levitation sure is handy, it weakens the pull of gravity.

After a minute I got up into its crew space. Izumi and the girls wondered what suddeny got into me, but they let me get it out of my system.

As expected all controls except for the steering are broken. But it does not matter as long as it can glide properly. Whoever designed this must have been from Earth. This world do not make sense. Why are there traces of so many people from Earth? Are they all summoned here by people desiring power?

I then pushed a button which let out the landing gear. And after that I used smite to get the vehicle onto the floor from its hook. It was not discrete but it managed to stay in one piece despite the two meter long fall.

”Master, have you ever done hang gliding?”

I smugly asked Izumi. It seems like he catched on with what I was about to do. The girls still looked like big question marks.

”Girls, you wanna fly?”

He then asked the girls, who tilted their heads as they looked back at him. I then severed the broken propulsion off it in order to save on weight. Also ripped out excessive seats, but took care to keep the vehicle balanced. I guess if I use cleverly use my magic we somehow can make it.

After an hour we made the vehicle glideworthy. Also we planned to give its initial propulsion boost out of here by having Seris fire off a strong fireball behind it. I would beforehand apply a Elemental Shield to it so only the kinetic force is applied to the vehicle. Talk about a proper McGyver solution.

I really hope it will hold long enough for us to crashland somewhere. For being such a rustbucket it is surprisingly sturdy. Oh well, Earth style thinking combined with new world magic should give us the edge we need.

Now the sun had fully set. Darkness quickly began to set in.

”We will have to postpone our escape until tomorrow. Gliding in darkness is suicide.”

Izumi spoke true of that. No matter where we land, we must be ready to defend ourselves. Also if we crashland and hurt ourselves bad then there is no way to know who to priorotize first. With that said we barricaded the door from our side, and setup camp next to the improvised glider vehicle. We all now sat beside the campfire which we made from scraps of wood lying around here. Nyaya and Nino was already napping beside Izumi, and me and Seris was drinking tea before we went to sleep.

”Lotus.”

”Seris?”

Seris asked me as she sipped tea from her cup.

”You think there is a plan for all of us?”

”Plan?”

”As if the gods themselves planned our lives out before we even was born.”

This sounds like a lot of the junk some religions back on Earth pulled in order to recruit followers.

”No, I do not believe so. Even though gods are real I doubt they are that intricate in their plans.”

”Oh? I think so though. Because before I became Izumi’s slave, I somehow always survived even though I should not had to.”

”Like for example?”

”The day before I got sold to master, I was about to die from my wounds, My previous master severely abused me so much I bled inside and I had a broken leg. Yet a miracle happened... A passing by Cleric saw my lifeless eyes as I limped outside in great pain with my old master. And he noticed that I was severely hurt, and healed me without asking him.

My old master then became very angry and was about to punch the Cleric. But then Izumi arrived there and stopped the fight. He then offered to buy me, and he was very insistant on doing it. It was like he was commanded by a higher power.”

Seris looked religious as she told me her story of she met Izumi. What a sad story though for such a sweet girl.

”I see, I got my doubts though.”

Religious theory was never my strongest point in school. I guess I will have more homework here though. Considering how talkative and intervention happy the gods are here, unlike on Earth.

I then took a long look at the capital city in the distance. Despite being so low tech, the lights could be seen all the way over here.

Me and Seris then finished off with a little girl talk before settling ourselves in the pile over at Izumi. Because I got a little bigger since last, it took a little adjusting to get into a comfortable position again.