They continued walking behind the masked man, and this ti nothing worth ntioning happened.
Just a long walk, and quick strikes dropping the creatures that appeared in The path with almost no effort from the masked one.
Not much talking was exchanged, only continuous steps, with the sound of branches being crushed under There feets and tired breaths drifting in the air.
Ten full hours of nonstop walking passed. No stopping and no rest, only steady progress. But this ti, so exhaustion was visible on the masked man, unlike before.
And after a journey that felt longer than an entire lifeti, the masked man finally pushed aside the tree leaves and revealed a wide field of grass.
There, in the middle of that green clearing, stood a massive steam airship so large it looked like a mountain made of tal.
The iron lower section was resting on the ground, while above it, a network of thick chains held up the enormous fabric balloon. The air around it was slightly warm from the heat of the boilers, mixed with the hissing sound coming from the steam engine.
Everyone froze for a mont, and the shock was clear on their faces. Oliver’s eyes widened, and Allen lifted his hand to cover his mouth in disbelief, while the sage narrowed his eyes cautiously. Lemur simply stared without blinking even once.
As for the masked man, he did not stop. He continued walking toward the airship.
Oliver shook his head and rushed to catch up with him. Once he reached his side, he pointed toward the airship.
"What is that thing?"
The masked man did not look at him. His eyes stayed on the airship.
"That is what will get you out of here."
The three of us, Oliver, Lemur, and the masked man, moved closer, while the rest stayed behind, watching the scene with caution and confusion.
Through the large glass window at the front of the airship, the captain stood in the control cabin, leaning on the table and drinking his coffee quietly.
The mont he spotted the masked man approaching, he gasped and spit the coffee right onto his assistant’s face.
Then he coughed violently, rushed out of the cabin, and ran as if he had seen a monster.
He quickly returned, wiping his mouth and hands with his white shirt, then stood in front of the masked man trying to appear composed, but he failed miserably.
"You returned much faster than I expected. Did... did you finish the mission?"
"No. I encountered so circumstances that delayed ."
Then he cast a side glance at Oliver, before turning his head toward the group standing behind him.
The captain opened his mouth slightly as he pointed toward the people standing behind the masked man.
"And who are they? Impossible. Do humans actually live in that place?"
"That is none of your concern. Take them inside the ship and get them out."
The captain froze in place and stepped back slightly.
"But that violates orders. I was told to stay here and not leave unless you were with , and only after the mission was completed."
The masked man lifted his hand a little.
"Tell that person I am asking for a small favor. I want him to create identities for them inside the Republic, and return here in at least a month after delivering them."
He walked closer to the captain until the man had to raise his head to et his eyes.
"And then you will not face any trouble, and you will find that I have finished the mission."
The captain swallowed hard several tis in just a few seconds. The conflict was written all over his face. Fear of disobeying orders, which could cost him not only his job but even his life, and an even greater fear of the masked man himself.
While he struggled to form words, everyone behind us was watching with worry, except Aria who was simply staring at the airship.
...
Inside the airship, Oliver and the others followed one of the crew mbers the captain had personally assigned to escort them.
The hallways were extrely wide, stretching like corridors inside a building rather than a flying vessel. On the walls, rows of steam lamps glowed with a yellow light mixed with the hum of machinery coming from below.
The place slled of tal and hot oil, yet it felt extrely organized.
Oliver and the others looked around in every direction. Their eyes wide open, shifting from the ceiling to the pipes to the tal doors they passed by.
Even Aria, usually calm and barely showing a single expression in a day, stopped every few steps to examine sothing new.
Oliver sped up to catch up with the crew mber leading them. The man looked in his late thirties, his hair long and ssy, with deep dark circles under his eyes that made it obvious sleep had beco a luxury he had not enjoyed in weeks.
His steps were extrely slow, and his shoulders drooped.
Oliver asked as he approached him, "What exactly is this place?"
The man did not look at him.
"It is a steam airship. A large transport vessel."
They continued walking, and whenever they passed a crew mber, the latter froze for a mont before quickly stepping back. He looked terrified of being touched by any of them.
So of them ran away instantly, while others pressed themselves against the walls, staring at them with fear and amazent written on every face they passed.
Oliver noticed all of it.
"Why are they acting like that? We didn’t do anything."
The crew mber responded without looking at him, "You ca from the forest, right?"
He did not wait for Oliver’s answer.
"We only heard rumors and legends... stories about humans who live deep inside Madagascar. Many believed you were just a myth."
Oliver raised his eyebrows.
"What kind of rumors?"
The man shook his head.
"Trust kid, you do not want to know."
...
anwhile, inside the control cabin, the masked man stood in front of the captain and his assistant.
The assistant was wiping the coffee off his glasses while staring at the masked man with obvious fear.
The captain took a long breath, trying to regain his composure. His fingers trembled slightly as he held the coffee cup.
"Why did you ask to et privately?"
The masked man had requested a private eting, but the captain, driven by fear and caution, kept his assistant inside anyway. Maybe to witness, or maybe to scream for help if sothing happened.
The masked man raised his head slightly.
"There are two hybrids now on the ship."
The captain gasped and tightened his grip on the cup until the liquid inside shook.
Then he took a small sip in an attempt to calm down.
But the mont he heard the sentence, he spat the coffee again right into his assistant’s face, the sa assistant who had just put his glasses back on after cleaning them from the previous splash.
The captain lifted his eyes toward the masked man.
"Wait, are you serious?"
"Keep this information secret. Do not tell anyone. Tell that person only, he will know how to handle it."
He paused for a second, adjusted his hat, then turned around and left the cabin, leaving the captain and his assistant staring at the door that closed behind him.
Coffee was still dripping from the assistant’s glasses, and the captain could not even wipe his mouth.
The assistant removed his glasses again, exhaled through his nose in frustration, and began cleaning the lenses.
"Captain, why did you insist I stay with you?"
The captain leaned back in his chair and sighed deeply.
"In case he tries anything, I need at least the weakest level of protection."
The assistant lifted his glasses slightly and stared at him.
"Do you really think I can do anything against that man?"
The captain shrugged.
"You are a magic user after all, right?"
The assistant put his glasses back on.
"And my simple magic would affect him? Are you joking? That man is dozens of layers beyond an ordinary mage. And even if he tried sothing, you are supposed to be a much better magic user than ."
The captain raised his finger.
"Yes, true. But if I die, you die with . The first mate stays with the captain until the very end."
The assistant muttered while adjusting his collar.
"And what about the idea that the captain should care about the safety of his crew, you know?"
The captain gave him a mocking smile while leaning on the table.
"I am granting you the honor of dying beside your captain. Isn’t that a grand honor for any sailor?"
The assistant raised his eyebrow.
"Yes, it is an honor if that ant dying beside a great captain, not you."
The captain placed his hand on his chest.
"That hurts deeply."
Silence fell for a mont before the first mate spoke. "There are half mythical creatures on the airship now."
The captain rested his chin on his hand.
"I know. I heard everything that hunter said."
"And what are we going to do now?"
"We will do exactly what he said. Keep it completely secret until we reach the Republic. After that, I will hand everything over to him and he will take care of the rest."
"I truly hope he knows what he is doing."
...
anwhile, in one of the airship’s rooms, Oliver and Lemur sat in silence after the crew mber brought them here.
The room was small but tidy. Polished tal walls, steam lamps, and two double beds facing each other with clean white sheets.
Oliver stood in front of the bed and touched the corner of the sheet carefully.
Lemur sat on the chair in the room, his short legs dangling over the edge without reaching the floor.
"What exactly is this place?"
Oliver did not respond imdiately. He raised his head and stared at the tal ceiling. He could hear the flow of pipes above and the sound of steam pressure.
In the end, he took a deep breath.
"I am not sure exactly, but it is much better than I expected."
"This place is very big and very strange. Is it normal for human dwellings to be like this?"
"I do not know. Maybe this is normal for humans outside, but for us, I do not think so."
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