女神归来的夏天

Chapter 173: Flying to Bellvia III

Sally gets up and stretches her body. I remain crisscrossed on the ground and look at the firepit with no fire. We are traveling the rest of the distance today, and Bellvia is a place we\'ll be for more than just a few days. The heist is what\'s going to take forever. I stand up myself and stretch some. "I take it we are heading out now. I need to use the bathroom before I go." I nod my head at Sally\'s words, and she walks into the treeline and behind a tree. I toggle my wings on and stretch them out too. I roll them around and move them in different directions. It feels really good to do so. They are extra limbs, after all. In a way, they are my best defense and offense. Nothing aside from legendary weapons and higher can damage them.

I look up to the sky, and there are many white puffy clouds today. Being able to fly would be a privilege players would murder for. I walk over to the tent, pack it up, and put it in my inventory. I hear the rustling of leaves and grass behind me. I already know who it is. "How long do you think the flight would be from here? As much as I love flying, I\'m getting tired of it." My best guess is around 12 to 13 hours from here. Usually, it\'d take weeks to travel around like this, another reason to be grateful for my wings. I kneel on the ground and wait for Sally to climb on. She does, and I launch off the ground. We burst through the white puffy clouds and level out above them. I look on my map and head in the direction the marker is taking me.

Sally slides up to the usual spot and rests her head. She is still waiting for an answer regarding how long the journey will take. "It\'s going to be around 12 hours. At the most, maybe 13." I hear her groan very quietly. If she weren\'t right next to my ear, I wouldn\'t have heard it. "We can walk if you prefer. Using my legs to travel sounds like a nice change of pace." She gentle tugs on my ear in protest. "I\'ll take that as a no then. Once we get there, it\'ll be late evening, and we can find an inn to stay for the night. Get some food before we sleep too." The last time I had a hot meal was a couple of hours before Sally, and I started our journey together. As we fly in silence, a world announcement goes off, and it puts a smile on my face.

[World-wide Announcement: A player has discovered the legendary magical fire class: Phoenix! The class has been permanently removed from the possible class choices!]

[World Mission: The coven of fire is offering rewards for any information regarding his player]

It looks like Marcus is the first of the three to get his class. I knew that he like fire magic, so I knew of a very powerful legendary fire mage class. I\'m sure that he\'ll love it. The only ones left in my family to get their classes are mom and dad. They are definitely going for their next, typical of them to take care of their kid before themselves. "A lot of powerful people are popping up these days... A legendary fire mage class is once in a millennium... I think that statement is wrong no days..." Sally must have received the announcement from the church just now. Marcus will be in the top 5 strongest players, maybe even top 3. I\'m currently number one, and I\'m sure StubbedToe is number two. The third spot is up for grabs. No one has definitely claimed the spot.

Marcus can once he gets higher levels and more power. "I know who that person is." Sally goes ridge in anticipation of the story. "He\'s my little brother. He is a mage that prefers fire attacks. I suppose he finally went after it." This is sure to cause more questions about my and new people\'s origins. Sally might ask about it or might not. I can\'t really say for certain. As Cera and Sally fly to Bellvia, there is a meeting in The Holy City. It\'s between all the leaders in the fight against the monsters. The one leading this meeting is always The Pope.

The news about Zern has shocked the world. He was right in front of me a few days ago, and I couldn\'t see it. I\'m a failure of a Pope. I look around the room and notice many faces that are curious about what we will do about this. Now that his identity and features are known, the elves are pushing us to bring him in. It\'s never going to be that simple, though. A being of such power and authority can be called on a whim, can\'t be forced to do anything. We have to lure him in with something. Anything that might be valuable to him. "I know that the developments in the last 30 hours have made many question the church\'s goals. Rest assured, our focus at this moment in time is the war." As I say those words, many give doubtful expressions.

The only face that isn\'t doubtful is Syndra. As the queen of the elves, I know she will start to start to question when we send out search parties for him. "The Son of Arch-Angel Michael... This Zern... Do we know where he currently is?" The first out of the group of leaders to speak is Gregory, of course. "His help in this war is sorely needed. We have begun to push and attack the monsters on all fronts, but the war has come to a stalemate. Not to mention the return of these... Old God\'s. The need for him grows by the day." Playing devil\'s advocate, it seems. We have only information on where he has been. It\'s recently come to our attention that King Jackson knew of his identity and didn\'t tell us either.

I look at the king that knows, and he stays stoic. Many follow my gazes and stare at Jackson too. He stands up in hologram form and sighs. "He is a personal friend. If not for him, we wouldn\'t have found The Horn of The Forest in The Ancient Ruins of The Dryads. Once I learned of his identity, I figured I should keep my mouth shut. If he wanted to be found, he would have been. While we never got to use the item, we have finally found someone strong enough to use it. It\'s going to help in this war." Many nod their heads in agreement. I and along with every church official, have come to resent Jackson. He knew all this time and never said anything. "I understand condemning me, but I chose to be on his side. In the end, that is the right choice." He sits down, and many whisper to each other.

I\'ll admit my blood boils at his words, but they are true. "YOU\'RE A BASTARD FOR KEEPING THAT FROM US!! YOU ARE LUCKY YOU ARE A PART OF THE COALITION, OR I\'D KILL YOU MYSELF!!" I hear Lucy scream at Jackson. If anyone was searching the hardest, it was Lucy. Put that on top of her normal responsibilities, and she wasted a lot of time. Jackson doesn\'t react to her threat at all. Lucy stands up from her seat and takes center stage in the large meeting. "I want to say this warning only once. If any kingdom chooses to hide the truth regarding Zern again, you will be made an enemy of the church. After this war is over, there will be repercussions, Jackson." I rub my head in frustration at Lucy\'s words. I can\'t really stop her. She is in charge of our armies and battles.

Many look at each other with weariness at Lucy\'s words. The next to stand is Syndra. "Don\'t forget. Zern belongs to the elven people and royal family. Hold up to your end of the bargain. If you don\'t, there will be war." Her hologram turns off before Lucy can yell at her too. This causes her to be even angrier. She storms out of the meeting hall, hurling curses unfit for a beautiful woman. "I want to offer a bounty. Anyone who comes into contact and convinces Zern to come to us will be given anything they want. Even a Genesis Drop." Many perk their heads and mute their holograms. Such a thing to promise, many will consider me mad. I have no other options, though. The only way to get something from greedy people is to tempt them with what they want.

No one is going to resist the chance at a Genesis Drop. A powerful potion, one that grants eternal life. Only one person has ever drunk a Genesis Drop, and Flint wants nothing to do with people anymore. Being a mage allows many abilities. Put that on top of a Genesis Drop, and you get a man like Flint. A being that can destroy a country all on his own. This is war, and change to Gaia will be the death of me.