The last leg of their trip was done in silence, as they had to focus on dodging pop-up obstacles or holding on for dear life on the backs of the drake and dragon flying at high speed in an erratic pattern.
As they neared the airfield, Alexander landed in a nearby patch of woods.
With how close they were getting, it wouldn't be surprising if the small airfield control tower had spotted them already. He doubted it was the case, of course, since there wasn't anyone heading in their imdiate direction.
But it was better to be safe than sorry.
Alex had already received the text ssage he was waiting for from Major Schrute, and making their way onto the airfield was the last bump in their path. Once they were on that plane, the rest would be smooth sailing, at least for a while.
Landing in the forest as close as he could to the airport, Alex looked at a map of the area and clicked his tongue.
"They couldn't be just a little more rural, could they?" he complained.
Although they had cut their travels by a lot already, the group would still have to walk almost five miles to their destination.
It might not usually be much of a challenge since they had stamina to spare, but all of them were already tired and on edge. That last bit of walk could very well break their morale.
As the last person jumped off Shegror, she shook herself a little before shrinking abruptly and turning into a sickly pale woman.
Cory looked at her, realizing they had been riding a female dragon, and his mind went blank. It didn't help that the human version of Shegror, even though pale and sickly, was astoundingly gorgeous.
But when her gaze crossed his, he felt the hostility in her eyes, and a shiver ran up his spine, reminding him she was still a predatory beast.
The hostility in her gaze barely lasted as she turned her head to Alexander, sauntering her way toward him, before Kary stepped in between them, clearing her throat.
"You can go back inside him now. You are wasting his mana by staying if you aren't being useful," Kary said in an icy tone.
Shegror looked at her with reciprocated coldness and practically whipped her pitch-black hair at her before trying to go around the red-headed woman.
Only, she hadn't made two steps, that the ground beneath her vanished as Alex de-summoned her to save what little mana he had left.
The flight over the Jeju straight, plus summoning her after the dungeon, which in itself had been a colossal mana drain, had already all been taxing instances. He was running on fus.
Even if he'd let Shegror disappear on her own, it wouldn't have taken long.
Kary snickered at the attitude the dragon had given her, only to be in vain. "That'll teach her," she chuckled before walking over to everyone, ensuring they were all ok. Her headcount at least reassured her that they hadn't lost anyone on the way here. She had kept an eye out, but accidents sotis happen too fast for anyone to react.
Everyone seed fine, however, and she could afford to relax a little now.
"What now?" she asked, walking back to Alexander's side, where David had already walked.
"Now we have to reach the airport without attracting too much attention," Alex said, sending her the map he was looking at.
She inspected it for a mont, a frown finding its way over her face.
"This won't be easy... A group of twelve people, primarily Caucasian, travelling on foot this close to an airport? If we aren't flagged as potential terrorists, people will probably think we are lost tourists. Either way, we'll be reported to the authorities," she explained.
"That was my conclusion, too," David chid in.
"I understand, but we still need to go to the airport. How else are we supposed to get there if we don't walk? Flying in is off the table; that much is certain. I don't know for David, but I'm almost entirely out of mana.
"The mana density in the dungeon was good enough for it to regen on its own, but out here, it's barely enough to sustain my constant drain for just staying aware of our surroundings," Alex retorted.
Kary bit her thumb lightly, working her brain on a solution that wouldn't land them in jail or make them suspicious in the eyes of the locals.
Turning her gaze to Jin-Sil, she thought of sothing. It might not work, but it was the closest she could get to a good idea and worth trying.
"Jin-Sil," she called out, catching the girl's attention.
As Jin-Sil walked over to the three of them, the others started huddling as well in search of their next instructions.
"Yes, Kary?"
Kary looked at her, confirming the plan in her mind.
"I have an idea of how to get us to the airport a few miles out. But I'll need you to lie for us and fool so of your countryn. Is that ok with you?" she asked.
Jin-Sil looked at Kary with a raised eyebrow.
"Is anyone getting hurt?" Jin-Sil asked.
"Not as long as we can help it," Kary replied, looking confident.
"Then I don't care about lying to my countryn. It's not like I know all of them personally," Jin-Sil chuckled.
Kary almost slapped herself in the head, realizing she was asking this as if Jin-Sil was related to all these people. It was a dumb thing to ask.
"I'm sorry. I don't know where my mind went. I guess we are all a little tired," Kary
apologized.
"Don't worry about it," Jin-Sil said, waving her hand dismissively.
"Just tell what you want to do, and let's get out of here. I can't wait to take a nap, he
he," she added, with a chuckle, relating to the 'feeling tired,' tirade.
"Ok. So here's the plan," Kary started explaining.
They all couldn't wait to be on the plane and resting, so there was no ti to lose.
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