Chapter 169: Chapter 238 – Back to the Surface

“I don’t think there would be any issue with that. Except for the fact that Master should be the one to accompany you to assure the most comfortable experience,” Bryn replied to the Queen’s request and the girls nodded as she took a glance at them.

“Should I bring back the dome?” Selene asked.

The Queen shook her head. “No. Thank you for your consideration. I would hate for our potential benefactors to be feared so it should be alright to let your master in. I shall resolve any issues his sighting could cause.”

A deep shadow swirled next to the girls shortly after she finished and formed a humanoid shape. Without any surprises, Asterios was revealed to everyone as it receded back into the ground. He nodded at his mates and turned to the Queen.

“Greetings. I believe we haven’t yet had the chance to introduce ourselves properly. I’m Asterios and the women you recently guided inside your colony are my companions.” He made a respectful bow. “Considering that it’s an early night outside, I think right now is the best moment to fulfill your wish, Your Majesty. Your eyesight won’t be impaired as much as during the day.”

The mature winged lady made a polite nod. “It’s my pleasure to speak with you, Asterios. I apologize for the reactions and behavior of my subordinates. I hope you can forgive us for mistakenly identifying you as some unique variant of the Scourge.”

“It’s alright. You are not the first and most likely won’t be the last.” He chuckled softly, which brought a tinge of rosiness onto Bryn’s cheeks. “Should we test if you can bear the travel or are you busy with some affairs?”

“I would like to proceed.” She stepped closer to them. “Is there anything I need to do or prepare?”

“No. Everything is on me and my familiar.” Asterios shook his head. “Let’s first try moving a few meters. If you hold my hand, it should be much easier.”

A trace of hesitation surfaced in the Queen’s eyes as he extended his hand to her but she pushed through it and joined their palms together. Asterios nodded at her and Umbra’s shadows swallowed them both. She gasped in shock at the sudden, eternal darkness and void surrounding them, stepping closer to him, but she didn’t look too disturbed.

They soon resurfaced at the other end of the medical chamber and the Queen confirmed that while the transfer wasn’t the most pleasant, she found no issues with it. Therefore, Umbra took them away once more. For a slightly longer trip this time.

“Close your eyes for now,” Asterios instructed her while they were still on the move.

“Why?” The Queen glanced at him.

“We will land at the edge of the city. I haven’t yet seen it during the night but I have a feeling that it’s going to be really bright,” he explained. “I’ll let you know when it’s safe.”

She nodded and followed his instructions. Soon, they stepped out of the shadows in the docks and Asterios picked the Queen into his arms since her wings were clearly weak after rarely being used for who knew how long. He brought his own wings out and soared into the night sky, putting some distance between them and the ARK.

“It should be fine now. Do it slowly,” he said as they stopped.

The Queen unhurriedly raised her eyelids and her mouth fell open the moment her eyes were fully uncovered. Just as Asterios had predicted, the entire floating fortress was illuminated in strong, bright colors he and the others had seen all around the city not that long ago. The metal buildings glimmered in the rainbowy radiance emitted by various sources of light. It looked like something powerful shone right at the crystal tower too and it reflected that glow everywhere around.

“That’s… inconceivable…” the Queen whispered under her breath. “We truly are high in the sky, so far from the ground, and there really is a city floating right in front of us…”

“And it certainly isn’t empty.” Asterios smiled at her warmly. “Watch your eyes. I’ll get a little bit closer.”

After she nodded, he flew close enough for them to peer into a few outer streets without getting right into all the light. Not as many as during the day, but plenty of valkyrjas still traversed Odin either by land or air. The Queen’s eyes jumped from one person to another as she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

“They all look so healthy, unbothered, comfortable, and happy… It’s like a dream…” She sighed heavily.

“Considering how your daily lives look, yeah.” Asterios followed her gaze. “So, would you like to ask the Supervisors for help?”

“We can meet the leaders this easily?” The Queen raised her brows at him.

“I asked one of my companions who stayed behind in this city to request an audience for us. We were supposed to report our findings regarding that group of scouts anyway. There shouldn’t be an issue bringing you with me and explaining everything.”

“If you say so then I will be indebted to you even more than I already am.” She showed a gentle smile.

“Let’s go, then. Unfortunately, I’m afraid that you might need to wear a blindfold. I can already tell that the inside of the tower can give a headache even to people accustomed to the brightness levels of the surface.” Asterios chuckled wryly.

He brought a piece of cloth out of his spatial ring and she obediently tied it over her eyes. Without further ado, Asterios flew to the entrance and the sentries let them in, clearly informed about the purpose of his visit. Already familiar with the floating disc, he enabled the elevator by himself and transported them to the highest floor.

After knocking on the gates leading into the meeting chamber, it was Grea who opened the sizable doors from the other side, inviting them in with a big grin. Whispers broke out instantly amongst the gathered valkyrjas as their eyes landed on the extremely sick-looking individual of their race, additionally wearing a blindfold.

“What is the meaning of this? She isn’t one of our scouts, is she?” Sidr frowned at Asterios as they reached the table.

“That’s correct. While we found all of the scouts alive and decently well, our expedition stumbled on a quite unexpected discovery,” he replied and gestured at the pale lady next to him. “This is the Queen and she is the leader of a lost tribe living deep in the mountain since the very Cataclysm.”

Almost everyone gasped at the revelation. They all looked at each other and talked about how it was impossible and that everything had already been destroyed on the surface. Asterios smirked to himself, finding their words quite familiar.

“Is that true?” Sidr silenced her sisters-in-arms with a gesture.

“He speaks the truth, leader of the flying city,” the Queen replied for herself. “We too believed that no one but us had survived the Cataclysm. No one doubted that belief until your people showed up at our doorstep, pursued and wounded. And then the search party that was looking for them a few days later. We are not a big colony, counting up to a few dozen. Our mortality rate is high and our living space is extremely limited.”

“It’s still unbelievably impressive that you managed to survive there on your own for so long,” one of the other Supervisors praised her.

“You took our scouts in, is that right?” Sidr asked.

The Queen nodded respectfully. “Yes. They reached one of the entrances to our hidden colony and the sentries decided to pull them in before the monsters finished them off. We treated who we could as much as we could. I dare to say that if the rescue party hadn’t shown up, one of your scouts wouldn’t be with us anymore. It’s only thanks to Asterios and a valkyrja with the name Bryn that the mentioned person made a full recovery from losing a leg and suffering from a critical level of Scourge poisoning.”

The golden Supervisor met Ast’s gaze and lowered her head gratefully before looking back at the other woman. “You have done us a great favor, then. We will never forget your kindness. If there’s anything you would like to request in return, please let us know.”

“I do have one very serious request.” The Queen shuffled her hands nervously. “I would like to request asylum for my people. Even the worst districts of your city would be like heaven and earth when compared to our underground colony. But, I’m aware that this might be a difficult request to fulfill since we would require a lot of help to adapt back to life outside. Our bodies and minds are currently accustomed to heavy darkness.”

“Do you understand that to accept you we will need everyone under your rule to assimilate into our community and follow our laws and regulations?” Sidr asked calmly. “While you might retain the position of a leader amongst your people, you would become a normal citizen like everyone else. Are you prepared to step off your throne?”

“I will do anything that’s necessary to create a better future for my people. The Queen was elected to introduce and keep proper order in the colony. That role will become obsolete with actual administration present. As long as they are being cared for, who rules over people won’t matter to them. I will convince any remaining opposition myself,” the Queen responded with a tone full of determination.

“Very well.” Sidr smiled softly. “It is our duty to reach out to any possible survivors of this broken world. You have our word that we will do whatever we can to reintroduce your people into the proper valkyrja community with kindness and respect.”

“Nothing I say or do will convey the gratitude I feel.” The Queen bowed deeply, tears starting to stain her blindfold.

The Supervisors walked up to her and comforted the Queen with words of encouragement and praise for her tenacity. After she calmed down a bit, they discussed the details regarding her tribe with Asterios chiming in where he could. They agreed to let him test his means of travel and wait for the report on how many valkyrjas were unable to use it so that they could pick an appropriate transporter. The smaller it was, the faster it would reach the destination.

They also talked about the entire operation and its safety. Since the location was still swarming with the Scourge, the Supervisors were worried that it might be close to impossible to bring people safely onto the deck of the transporter. But, Asterios and Grea convinced them that they would take care of the tunnels as long as some valkyrjas covered the landing zone.

In the end, everyone came to a proper agreement and Asterios returned with the Queen to the mountain after sharing a brief kiss with the lascivious demon lady. Grea had an impish smirk on her delicious lips and he was already starting to get worried about what she had been cooking up during their absence.

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Back in the colony, Asterios relayed everything to the scouts and the Queen rushed out of the chamber to start the preparations, and most importantly, convince everybody that he wasn’t one of the Scourge but their benefactor. While they had been out, the maimed healer had woken up and the healed valkyrja expressed her deepest gratitude to him after Bryn had obviously shoved all the credit onto Asterios.

He and the girls spent the night in a stone chamber appointed by the Queen, letting the scouts rest until morning before transferring them to Odin, and giving the Queen enough time to talk with everyone important and most stubborn. The stone bed covered in feathers wasn’t too comfy but they snuggled into each other and still enjoyed their sleep.

In the morning, Asterios jumped to Grea through a gate and bought some take-outs for the girls and the scouts. They shared a nutritious breakfast away from the locals so as not to accidentally lure anyone in. As much as Miria wanted to share the good food with the starved, malnourished women, the other girls forbade her from doing so because they weren’t sure if the valkyrjas’ bodies could handle it.

After they ran the tests with the members of the scouting party, they found out that no one had any issues with the shadows so Asterios brought them back to Odin right away. When he returned, the Queen invited him and his mates to the throne hall and introduced them to everyone, explaining what she had seen last night.

As expected, there were at least a few disbelievers. They were picked as the witnesses, and even though they didn’t want to, the Queen ordered them to travel with Asterios. Unfortunately, it was a clear day outside so they could only look through the material of their blindfolds. Thankfully, that much was enough and they joined the believers shortly after experiencing the warmth of the sun and voices of the surface valkyrjas.

The Queen lined everyone up into rows and Asterios tested every single person by moving them around the chamber. Out of forty-seven people, over half had a clear aversion to the darkness, going into panic attacks just after a few seconds inside the shadows. Selene blamed it on their weak, tormented minds. Living in fear and darkness for generations certainly couldn’t have been easy.

Having the exact numbers, Asterios shared the information with the Supervisors, and Sidr immediately sent out an expedition to pick them up. In the meanwhile, they started preparing living quarters for the rescued. Things like covering the windows with thick curtains, adding shutters, making arrangements for food and necessities to be available close to the temporary refugee district, and so on. A small segment of the ARK was turning into a literal dark zone as the Supervisors discussed how to even block the sun from shining onto the quadrant.

On the other side, back in the mountain, Asterios and the girls surveyed the tunnels surrounding the hidden colony to find the fastest and safest route back to the surface. Umbra aided them greatly by scouting the most routes, which wasn’t really a surprise. They discussed the operation amongst themselves and decided to create their own corridor of life.

Sketching a map of their selected route, they made copies for everyone and split up. Miria paired up with Selene, Tina with Silvia, and Bryn with Asterios. Each team went their own way and was tasked with collapsing the tunnels they wouldn’t be making use of when bringing people out of the mines. The fewer holes for the Scourge to crawl out of, the less danger to the valkyrjas.

A week later, the transporter was closing onto their location so Asterios brought his mates to sweep the ledge by the entrance to the mine clean. They got rid of all the monsters without breaking a sweat thanks to the location being an open space with nothing to worry about and pushed their bodies off the mountain. A few hours later, the small floating castle finally arrived and winged warriors secured the surrounding area with a double-layered encirclement.

Asterios wasted no time and returned to the colony, where the first group of refugees was already waiting for him and the girls. They had agreed to guide people in small groups rather than let them out in a constant stream just in case some monster snuck past the collapsed tunnels. They didn’t want to risk the lives of any single person. Assuming a formation around the five people in the group, they jogged through the prepared path.

Everything went fine on their end and the first batch of survivors reached the entrance. They had to put on blindfolds and it fell onto Odin’s valkyrjas to guide them into the transporter by hand. At least the Queen’s people couldn’t see the carnage happening all around them as the proud warriors defended the landing zone from the incoming monsters climbing up and down the mountain. They could still hear the battle and it definitely frightened them greatly.

One by one, Asterios and the girls led groups of weakened women to the transporter. Near the end, it looked like one of the paths was being excavated by the Scourge, but Tina and Selene worked together to seal it even tighter. The former cut more rocks with a jet of pressurized water while the latter made a solid wall out of them using her spiritual energy. Silvia joined in and used her staff as a medium to heat up the stone without a spark and melted everything together. They shared a smile and high-fived each other before continuing their escort mission.

The transporter departed the moment all of the passengers were in. The Queen remained inside the colony with those who could move through the shadows. They insisted on staying until their friends and families reached Odin and she wasn’t able to convince them otherwise. Therefore, Asterios had to stay one more week in the mountain since neither he nor the girls felt like leaving the poor valkyrjas alone.

When Grea reported the arrival of the transporter, Asterios finally transferred the last of the tribe right into their new district and they regrouped with everyone. The sudden darkness surprised him and the girls at first but nothing other than amazement filled them after they understood its source. A huge sheet of the blackest cloth hung over the entire segment of the city, creating a deep shade underneath. It was the perfect place for the rescued survivors. The buildings themselves had been painted dark gray or even black so as not to reflect the light that snuck through the openings.

The Queen took it upon herself to represent her people in front of the Supervisors, who came to greet their long-lost sisters. In front of everyone, she relinquished her position and returned to her real name, Skaginleif. The girls could easily tell how much tension and stress had that action taken off the woman’s shoulders. She’d put something very heavy behind herself, leaving it in the past. The responsibility was real.

While both residents of Odin and the survivors from the colony celebrated lightly not to upset their bodies, Sidr approached Asterios and his team, inviting them to a small diner they had opened in this newly prepared district. They sat down by one table and ordered some refreshments.

“So, you succeeded. And with what result, at that.” The golden-clad valkyrja smiled at them while taking a sip of beer from a metal tankard.

“I don’t think any of us expected to stumble on a lost tribe, to be perfectly honest.” Asterios chuckled and the girls nodded. “We are certainly glad that we did, though.”

“Yeah. They had to live in such terrible conditions.” Miria’s ears flopped down a little when she recalled the caverns. “It must have been so tough…”

Silvia placed a hand on her hair and lovingly brushed through it. “I can’t even imagine myself in their place. I would've probably gone insane.”

Tina then placed her hand on Silvia’s shoulder. “I’m sure you would do anything to survive too. You are a strong person, just like Asterios. But, anyway, we should be happy that they are now safe.”

“I wonder how many more shelters and colonies exist around the realm.” Bryn sighed heavily.

“I wish we had the means to search for them but I’m afraid that there’s nothing we can do besides just looking around for any signs of life,” Sidr said. “But, just as you stated, we should focus on the positives. You saved many lives, including those of our soldiers. It’s certainly a reason to celebrate. We didn’t have much hope of finding them alive.”

“Does that mean that you will help us?” Grea asked, downing her own drink in one go.

“It depends on the decision of the entire Council of Supervisors but I will personally do whatever I can to aid you. If you can create such a miracle while sidetracked from your main objective, I can only wonder what you can achieve while pursuing your original goal.” Sidr chuckled softly.

“Every day is a surprise with Master.” Selene smirked and Miria giggled.

“For now, you should rest. You all deserve it. It’s of no surprise that the Council of Tyr gave their token away.” Sidr nodded at Bryn with respect. “I promise to bring you good news in a day, two at most. Until then, enjoy the ARK. Your names will surely spread through the streets like wildfire so be prepared to be met with some lively adoration and worship.”

“Just as it should be.” Grea grinned impishly and jabbed Asterios in the side with her elbow.

He rolled his eyes. “Thank you, Sidr. We shall take our leave, then. I hope we will get to reclaim the Spire together soon.”

“Great. Now, come with me. I’ll show you the house we got from the hot, winged chicks.” The demon lady dragged Asterios up and away, very eager to leave the diner.

He could only wave goodbye to their Supervisor friend and the girls followed the duo with some quiet chuckles. After they were on the streets, Asterios wormed his way out of being pulled by his scarlet-skinned lover and joined Grea by her side, wrapping his arm around her waist. She flashed him a dazzling grin and coiled her tail around his hips as she led him and the others to their new residence.

Unsurprisingly, the place they had gotten was even more magnificent than the one back in Tyr. The big yet charming house had four entire floors and looked no short of a palace. They toured their temporary home together and decided to jump into the bath after finding out that they had one completely for themselves.

After relaxing in the hot water for half an hour, Miria suggested going out to look around the ARK a little bit more since they had departed to save the scouts almost immediately after coming to Odin. Everyone quickly agreed and they jumped out of the steamy bath to dress up for some sightseeing.

Just as Asterios was preparing himself to follow the girls who had already walked into the streets in front of their house, Grea suddenly grabbed his wrist with a wide smile.

“I have a surprise for you, handsome.” She grinned devilishly.

Before he could react, he was dragged away again as Grea sped through the hallways up to the highest floor. She stopped in front of one of the rooms and pushed the door open, shoving Asterios inside before closing it behind them. What greeted him was the sight of a small bedroom covered in an uncountable number of patterns over every single surface and a gigantic schematic of a summoning circle drawn on the floor, covering its entirety.

“I think this should be enough to summon something with a bang.” Grea snickered while prowling towards him with a sultry step.

“It looks like you didn’t slack off while we were busy either.” He smiled at her and took Grea into his arms. “What about the others?”

“They can entertain themselves on their own. Trust me.” She nibbled on her bottom lip while playing with his collar. “Besides, you owe me one for the last stunt the three of you pulled, don’t you?”

He chuckled openly and brushed her cheek. “Fine. I certainly would hate to miss summoning done by the greatest mind in the academy.”

 

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