Rupegia

Chapter 163: A New Quest – Part 3

Our large party crosses through the white veil of the [Eternal Gate], and the fresh air of the High Forest suddenly becomes more humid as we enter Mac Gantus. The guards tense up at the number of heavily armored soldiers that appears before them, and then they become rather meek once they realize that half of our number are Punishers.

It takes a while to write everyone's names in the log, but we're soon allowed to leave, and, once again, we have the opportunity to marvel at the humongous size of the Throne of Ascension.

But first, I pull out the golems, followed by our personal airship, which occupies the whole main street for a short moment before the golems turn it on and have it fly up a few meters. Then they drop a rope ladder for the [Fly] or [Telekinesis]-challenged to use to embark.

We do attract a lot of attention with our little stunt, but nobody is inconvenienced enough to complain. We also make our way to the gate before we fly upwards just so that customs doesn't have any reason to give chase and bother us.

The airship is a bit crowded, with both Punishers and Companions occupying most of the deck, but this should only take an afternoon, I believe, so we'll be fine. The closest Sky Land can be reached in half an hour, but the Carrier is in Kini Kaina, the Chimera capital, which is a few hours to the south.

But what's curious is how little compatibility there is between the two types of soldiers we're transporting. The Punishers are overwhelmingly male and quite rugged (for elves), while the Companions are all female and have an instinctive aversion to the Punishers, both because they don't want to look disloyal to me and also because they prefer my youthful and gentle but mildly wild looks.

"You're cute," Hana bluntly attempts to correct my inner monologue with a rather erroneous adjective.

"You're cute/gih," female voices and chirp echo in my soul space in unison, but I simply ignore them all.

Urmeie also brought four of her bodyguards, but they count as Punishers, considering how stern and stoic they are. Maybe it's just because they're on duty, but they certainly don't contribute to lightening the mood.

Once we're out of the sprawling city, we turn the ship south and then finally start to ascend at full speed, even using the flapping of the wings to speed it up. I also summon eight wind-Alissas to help reduce the drag on the ship, and we get a noticeable speed boost.

Alcander, Kaatohe, and Caterina rest with us in the private tent behind the bridge as we casually chat, and the imperial man struggles to keep his eyes away from the delicious bronze body of my naked cat. Kaatohe definitely doesn't make it easy by taking a "paint me like one of your french girls" pose on the cushions and alluringly tracing her hand over her erogenous zones, threatening to touch herself to stave off boredom.

"We should watch the city as it slowly disappears below us," Ciel takes pity on him and makes a suggestion to distract from the delicious piece of meat.

"Yes, we should…" Caterina rather absentmindedly remarks as she, too, was starting to get distracted.

Kaatohe shoots a subtle glare at the chocolate angel for ruining her fun, but she still joins us on the deck.

It's a soothing sight, and we all stay silent for a while just to savor it better. The sprawling, red, orange, and yellow city gradually becomes smaller and smaller in our sight while the sea very slowly grows in our view as we continue south. The only constant is the Throne of Ascension, too massive to shrink fast enough to be noticeable, but it will, eventually, disappear from our sight.

There are a few airships taking a route similar to ours, coming and going from the nearest Sky Land, and some of them have a curious design. They look like huge kites, very flat and wide, but also very flimsy-looking, with a single, short sail which the air is magically blown into for propulsion.

I think those are light Chimera airships, the equivalent of sailboats for the average merchant due to how simple they are. The "cabin" is basically the same size as a wagon's, while the kite part is made of canvas and many times wider. They're very colorful and pretty, though, as the Chimeras consider color and variety to be symbols of wealth.

"Do you recognize these airships?" I question Kaatohe and point to a kite.

She observes the closest kite for a short moment, then scholarly remarks, "Yes. The Glider-class transport ships are at the bottom in terms of cost, so it isn't a surprise that we'd find them here. Notice how there's little traffic and no other airships similar to ours? This is evidence of how little these 'Sky Lands' have developed." And her cat lips warp in a frown of disappointment.

"Well… remember that we do need their goodwill," I softly remind her of our purpose here. Kaatohe is between Sa'Haa and Yunia in haughtiness, but I know she values pragmatism over reverence.

And she answers positively, "I know; I can hold back my disdain just fine. I'm just disappointed that there's no sign of my great nation ever recovering, even after so long."

Indeed, there's a whole territory big enough to hold an empire just waiting to be conquered again, making me wonder why the Avgi Empire doesn't try to clear it. If I had to guess, it's probably because their airships aren't good enough for it.

But the spirit Chimeras and my airplanes are likely to cause a revolution in airship technology, so I wonder if I'd be able to conquer the Broken Skies for myself…?

While I drown in boyish fantasies, Alissa becomes curious about something else. "Don't you pilot a small airplane like those Gliders?" she tentatively questions.

Kaatohe's answer is sharp and immediate, "Wasp-class airplanes are different from Glider-class airships. One is peak performance, and the other is minimum cost."

"More like peak efficiency," I hum with a smirk, earning an annoyed glance from my naked cat.

Then we fall silent again and continue to enjoy the view. While there's little air traffic, there's actually quite a lot of movement down below, in the Bay of Three Kings. Observing all the different sail ships coming and going, some with impressive speed, is also quite entertaining, so I let my overactive mind wander as I sink into light meditation.

The tense mood between the Companions and Punishers relaxes a bit with Ciel's help. She's the perfect mediator between the two strongly averse groups, and she isn't even doing it on purpose; she's just become an expert at soothing people.

"I've heard that storms in the Broken Skies could topple castles and fling whole islands against each other," one of the Companions speaks out loud, her tone more dreamy than frightened.

And our angel soothingly replies, "They can certainly do that, but to fall into one would be like accidentally stumbling upon a mountain. You can see them coming from so far away that they're easy to avoid."

Then a Punisher curiously chimes in, "But what about the monsters over there? Without anyone clearing the land-… skies, Aberrants can become humongous."

"'The Destroyer' is with us! There's nothing she can't deal with!" a thirsty Companion cheerfully declares and glances at her succubus Queen. Hana takes note of this one's face for the future when she's in the mood for pussy.

But Caterina states matter-of-factly, "We're here as ground support for the Royals, but in anything related to flight, we'll be of little help."

So Ciel expertly soothes them again, "That's fine. One of the dangers of flying in the Broken Skies is being overwhelmed by hordes of flying monsters, so the Punishers will also have their role in this expedition."

"That sounds fun!" Urmeie cheekily shouts with a toothy grin.

Now it's Yunia's turn to temper expectations. "Not really; it's a messy fight. Small groups could be interesting to fight, but swarms are simply too chaotic."

"Sounds like a bloodbath, which is my specialty," the big mama bear brags and glances at her bodyguards, who nod back in support. They even straighten their backs, seemingly proud of being able to follow the Princess into the fray.

"Well, we're not exactly fond of fighting, so we certainly wouldn't stop you if you want to face a horde by yourself," Ciel remarks with a rather wry smile.

"That's why I'm here," Urmeie chuckles and grunts.

Then she starts to boastfully recount her previous adventures. She isn't a mystery solver like I am, so her stories are mostly about her wandering into a group of monsters and killing them in surprisingly novel and inventive ways.

If she has a talent, then it's certainly for killing things.

The storytelling continues for a while, and we eventually pass the clouds as a blue haze starts to slowly cover our view of the ground. Then everyone immediately falls silent when a glowing green light suddenly appears in the distance, far ahead of us. That's the first Sky Land, a trading post between the Empire and the Chimeras.

We're finally within the first cloaking enchantment that hides the Sky Lands from the rest of the world. And now that we're inside it, we see an increase in the number of airships, with nearly all of them being of the Glider-class, but in different sizes. Curiously, there's one imperial battle airship docked on the floating island ahead of us, but we have no idea how significant that might be.

As we approach the green glow of the huge gem under the island, we start to make out the details of the trading post. It's a little settlement occupied mostly by tall warehouses, while the rest is divided between marketplaces and inns. The architecture is peculiar, though, as everything is made of wood and has a rounded or spherical shape, seemingly to resist strong winds. But in true Chimera fashion, the trading post is fucking colorful.

It's actually a cute place, a bit similar to Gnomeria, where they also build their homes in spherical shapes, but over here, everything is neatly organized in grids, unlike the gnomic nightmarishly chaotic urban planning.

Once we get closer, we finally get a glimpse of the Chimeras, and our first impression is that they're surprisingly well-clothed. I mean, they still use very light, semi-transparent, and very colorful clothes that allow you to see their sexy bits if you're close enough, but quite a lot of skin is "covered." I guess they just want protection from the chilly breeze since not many of them have fur covering their whole bodies.

Our second impression is that they prefer a more "smooth blend" style rather than the "patchwork of body parts" that we've become used to from being around the spirit Chimeras. It might be evidence that their [Alteration Magic] is more advanced or is capable of more detailed work, but their sense of fashion is definitely distinct from that of the ancient spirits.

"Aren't you cold?" Roxanne "innocently" asks Kaatohe.

The naked cat turns a suspicious gaze towards the cheeky succubus, but Kaatohe hesitates to answer, and I notice that her skin is starting to show signs of goosebumps. "Not yet," she finally answers, trying not to give Roxanne any opening for teasing.

The air is slowly getting chilly, so she's quite correct, and I think we need to buy some clothes for her before she regrets it.

"Did you bring any clothes?" I kindly ask.

She lightly frowns in concern. "Only uniforms and armor."

And I give her a handsome smirk. "Then I'll carry you into town so we can buy something for you. We don't even need to stop the ship, as I'll just [Gate] us back."

She rewards me with a bright, fanged smile, extremely pleased with my suggestion, and immediately wraps her arms around my neck. "I'm ready to be carried, my King," she purrs seductively.

I put ten points in [Reo Language] so that I can read the signs and spread out my summons across the trading post to find a clothes shop. Then I pull my cat into a princess carry and [Telekinesis] us away.

Her nakedness attracts a bit of attention from the Chimeras, but mostly mere curiosity at the sight of the silly, clothesless Chimera on a chilly day. The one who steals the most glances is me, obviously, as I'm clearly not only a non-Chimera but also a quite dazzling non-Chimera.

The Companions are a bit bothered that I didn't bring any of them along, so I just choose the most wealthy-looking shop and quickly go in. It's a neat and organized place, but I can hear Kaatohe's voice in my mind complaining that it isn't lavish enough for royalty.

Curiously, I've just now realized that I haven't seen a single clothes hanger in Rupegia yet, so I wonder when they were invented back on Earth.

But anyway, the attendants are all female and wearing pretty and detailed dresses, the breezy kind that Ciel would love. They're also too stunned by our arrival to welcome us, and it takes a few seconds for the senior attendant to remember her training and give us a business smile.

"[How may we help you]?" the badger-headed attendant greets in Reo.

"[I wish to quickly buy a few sets of clothes for my concubine]," I calmly reply with a dashing smile, and a pale, young, dolphin-headed attendant in the back visibly blushes.

"[Very well, let me measure her size, first]." Then the attendant turns to the others, who need a second to recover from their stupor and begin doing their jobs.

And Kaatohe gives me an amused look as she softly hums, "That… what do others call it… that 'cheat' of yours seems so convenient. I hated learning Andraste when I was young, but you can do it without any effort, it seems."

The girls go over Kaatohe's whole body with practiced ease, taking every measurement possible without getting in the way of one another. It's even a bit mesmerizing watching them work.

And I casually answer, trying not to say anything too revealing in case the attendants can understand Andraste, "That 'cheat' is actually a necessity for my purpose here. We don't speak Andraste back in my homeland, so imagine how my life would be if I didn't have this convenience."

Kaatohe hums and nods in understanding. "But I'm still envious."

I chuckle softly. "You're allowed to be."

Then she turns to the attendants and calmly requests, "[Pants and shirts, please]." Indeed, she doesn't seem to be the kind that would wear girlish things like frilly dresses. I can even imagine her wearing a killer business suit and very short hair if she was more human-like.

Once the attendants are done, the senior attendant picks out a number of clothes from a pile, and they seem to fit Kaatohe reasonably well, but then the attendant starts gathering her mana and closes her eyes. I feel a strong will coming from the mana leaking out of her, and I can even "taste" the "cloth" flavor in it, too.

Kaatohe knows exactly what's going on, so she remains perfectly still as the attendant uses [Alteration Magic] on her clothes. I'm surprised that the woman can just use this kind of magic on the spot, but this isn't a sensitive surgical operation, so I guess it's fine.

The attendant gently touches the clothes, and the orange pants and shirt glow, then shrink slightly, now fitting much better on Kaatohe's athletic and rather petite form. She actually looks kinda sexy since I can still see the shapes of her nipples and pussy lips, not to mention the novel factor of a nudist wearing fashionable clothes.

Then they repeat the process for two more sets of clothes.

"[Keep the change]," I huskily hum as I hand them two gold coins, and even the senior attendant blushes.

Once we're out of the shop, I [Gate] us back to the ship, and the Companions breathe out in relief again.

"Damn, you look hot," Roxanne immediately praises the bronze cat in an orange suit.

"I look 'acceptable,' but when we reach Kini Kaina, I'll look for a better set," she haughtily replies.

"You look fine enough for a meal," Yunia sultrily states, enjoying the androgynous style of her outfit even more than me. Then I remember that her ex-fiance was a literal trap.

"I like the style," Hana remarks as she stares at Kaatohe's dark nipples through her shirt.

"You can buy something similar as long as you pair it with underwear," I reply and then get a boner when I imagine Hana with a semi-transparent suit that completely exposes her sexy underwear. Yunia would also look quite fine… Roxanne, too… also Mimi… Osaria…

Oh, no… I'm getting too horny.

"The bridge is private enough," Alissa sultrily whispers in my ear.

"Okay, who wants to give me a blowjob or get fingered?" I ask out loud in my soul space.

"Me," Aoi immediately answers. She'd never miss the chance to milk me.

"Me. I want your fingers while I stare at the Punishers," Roxanne purrs as her fetishes start to flare up.

"I could go for both after them," Hana casually states.

"I'd rather be visibly fingered. If you're doing it stealthily, I'll pass," Yunia disinterestedly remarks.

I think that would annoy the Punishers and Caterina since they aren't exactly degenerates like us. Maybe once we've gotten to know them better.

Ciel and Lina wordlessly decline, while Alissa isn't feeling particularly depraved, so the four of us quietly move to the bridge while the rest rejoin Urmeie's boastful conversation.

Hukarere is on duty, so we'd rather not ask her right now, but she's the first of the Companions to get suspicious about what we're doing. Kaatohe also narrows her eyes at the bridge, but I stare at her to fuel my fantasies, and she seems to enjoy the attention.

And so, our airship quickly passes by floating islands of increasing size. The huge gems under them that keep them afloat all glow brightly with green light, acting like beacons that guide us further into the Chimera aerial territory.

The conversation eventually turns to Chimera culture as we sight curious farms and forests. Space and resources are extremely limited in both the Sky Lands and the Broken Skies, so the Chimeras have used [Alteration Magic] to turn everything that grows into something useful, which has resulted in all the plants gaining rather curious or even alien-like shapes.

I still remember the time when we were served bark that tastes like pineapple back in Whakamutu, so once my lust is satisfied, I start to dream about the new foods we'll get to taste.

The air gradually becomes even more chilly, and the world below us disappears in a blue haze that then becomes dark orange as the sun begins to set. But we continue to follow the string of green lights until, suddenly, the sky ahead is lit up with innumerable lights, but less than half of them have the green tint of the gems that keep the islands in the sky.

We've finally reached Kini Kaina, a huge conglomerate of floating islands that have completely abandoned the neat grids of previous settlements. Thankfully, the Carrier is big enough that we can easily spot it, docked in a very prominent location and lit up by a number of spotlights.

The Chimeras of the Sky Lands have been very welcoming of their lost ancient brethren, so we're very optimistic about the upcoming negotiations. But we certainly don't expect that they'll give us anything for free.