256 256: From the sky [pt1]
“Is something wrong? You have been looking toward the ceiling of this floor for some time now. Do you need to stop and rest?”
Ava’s eyes narrowed as she looked toward the surface. She was not sure why but she could feel a disturbance in the abyssal force.
Something was coming down with an incredible force and it would be impossible for any normal person to stop.
“It’s nothing. It’s just that something is falling down the abyss floors at an incredible speed but it will end up crashing on this floor. Floor 15 is made up of solid mass so whatever is falling will end up crashing flat on it.”
“Ohhh, it’s coming down within seconds. What should we do now? It looks like it would crash into youuuuu….”
Aurora reached out and caught the falling body out of instinct. There was no need for her to try that hard but she still cushioned the fall with the help of air magic.
It was so lucky for the person that she managed to use magic in time. Because otherwise, he would have ended up being flattened as a result.
“Quince. How the hell did he get here?”
Aurora’s surprise was evident in her voice. And it was for a good reason. Quince’s presence in the abyss was a total shock to her.
But the real question was, how the hell did he manage to fall these many floors down? He had never managed to reach this deep before.
“The only thing I can guess is that he got extremely lucky or that someone powerful managed to alter his course while falling to protect him. Hey, don’t look at me like that. I can’t read minds but your thoughts were evident on your face.”
Aurora sighed at Ava’s words, not caring if she was serious or just playing around. It did not matter right now.
For now, Aurora needed to provide Quince with medical attention and know what was going on out at the surface.
“Let’s go back for now. Rita must be waiting for us back at the base. I don’t want to stay out in the open longer than we have to.”
They were in the middle of a scenario right now. But since it was a fairly easy one, Aurora was a lot more relaxed than usual.
She had made all the preparations for the play and her team for this round was ready as well. The boss from floor 11 had made good on his words and helped Aurora out whenever he could.
That manpower helped out a lot and Aurora had an easy time handling the abyss.
“Hey, are you sure you want to take the kid with us? Once we take him we won’t be able to abandon him outside again. It is prime time to get rid of this responsibility…”
Ava’s words caused Aurora’s temper to rise and she unconsciously glared at her. Ava quietened down as soon as she faced a furious Aurora.
Quite frankly, Aurora had every intention of not getting involved with Quince. But reality and intentions often took different routes and Aurora did end up getting involved.
Everything inside her was telling her not to bother with the tower business but the kid that had grown up with Quince was different.
“Let’s treat him first and then see what is happening. I do want to know more news about outside but I don’t think Rex or anyone else would tell us truthfully what is happening.”
Aurora trusted Rex as much as she trusted a concerned brother. He would always care for her but he would also conceal information from her because he did not want to worry her.
Aurora hated that about Rex and also loved him for the same. Astoria was also an option to get information from but he would not have as much as Rex.
As for Alexander? Who knew where he was? The last time Aurora had contacted him, he had been about to set out on a journey into the abyss. But he had ended up losing contact with them all.
He liked to do his own thing and Aurora did not want to be a shackle to him.
“If you want to save him then we should hurry up and move. I can see the beasts heading this way.”
Aurora raised her hand and let out a powerful wave of magic. It blasted away the small number of beasts heading their way but it was only the beginning.
More and more beasts would come now that the first wave had been annihilated. And soon their boss would come as well.
The battle would not be tough but it will be tedious.
“Ava, can you handle the battle alone? I want to take Quince back to our base. Rita, are you coming as well?”
Rita jolted as she was addressed. She looked between the kid and Aurora before her eyes moved over to the horizon.
“Nah. I will stay here and help for now and help clean things out. You want some alone time with him to clear the air out, right?”
Aurora felt awkward at having Rita beam at her with a happy expression.
She did want some time to talk with Quince but not at the expense of sacrificing her other relationships.
But it seemed that Rita even guessed that because her next words were nothing but reassuring to Aurora.
“Don’t think too much. It won’t take us long to finish and come back. And we are just being efficient here. If the kid stays here then we will be worried about his safety and nothing would ever get done.”
Aurora had no other choice after Rita had presented her logic. Not that she had wanted to in the first place.
And this was not even the reason Aurora was worried. She was just worried for Rita and her condition. Would the younger even be able to handle the beasts alone? Floor 15 was not easy.
“Hurry up and go. Do you need to worry about me here?”
Ava asked and Aurora finally gave in. her whistle called Ur to her and she mounted the dragon carefully.
Ur held back obediently as Aurora did that. He did not make any sudden move to cause harm to Quince, nor did he throw the kid off his back.
Ur had matured a little down in the abyss as well and he now understood some concepts far better than before.
“Sorry to make you do so much Ur. I will give you a treat tonight.”
Ur’s eyes were filled with delight at getting a treat tonight and his wings took off. It was a surreal experience to fly beneath the city grounds and see the building foundations from her height.
People were like ants here but the lack of buildings was a little weird.
This was another thing Aurora discovered later on. Ur could take someone to fly below the city if he wanted to. His anti-magic worked for that as well.
“Alright. You can drop me here Ur.”
The dragon drove near the hole and helped Aurora get back into the city. Their temporary accommodation was nearby to the hole and Aurora picked Quince up.
Ur also transformed into his dog form which made it easier for him to enter the city. This was the only way to allow the city’s magic to affect him.
“No extra guests. If you bring someone else with you, you pay for an extra room.”
The inn owner they were staying at made a face at Quinces’ appearance. He likely did not realize that Quince was a kid and thought of him as a young-looking adult.
It was a fairly common mistake to make since kids were rare in the abyss and not often present on the lower floors.
Aurora did not correct his misunderstanding about Quince. There was no need for her to do so since the innkeeper’s cooperation was all but secured as long as he got payment.
Aurora spared some of her magic as payment and gave it to the inn owner. It was a generous amount by the abyssal standards and the inn owner suddenly looked shocked but happy.
There was a suspicious look in his eyes as he looked at the kid in Aurora’s arms. Whatever he was thinking about, Aurora did not want to know.
“Like them, a little young, don’t you? Well anyway, none of my business what you do or do not like. Remember, if you need something then you gotta pay for it.”
The innkeeper yelled as Aurora went inside. He was a pain in her side but she knew she needed to tolerate him for now.
They were all but done with this floor anyway and Aurora would not need to interact with this man any longer once they were out of this floor.
“Hey missy, if you are not busy then why don’t you have dinner with me? They say I am quite handsome and big–”
“No need to. After all, I like them young and fresh.”
The inn owner went red in the face and did not say anything after that.