From then on out, I was just running as fast as I could without copying Nin. I ran until the night came and I skidded to a halt before the simple wall that once trapped me here. Compared to what I had seen since returning back to my home continent, this was nothing. It might as well have been nothing as well.
Just pressing against it made cracks appear as well as magic reactions. So, with that in mind, I moved away from the wall and sort of just stared at it. Did I climb up the wall itself or did I use the mountain as an aid? If I was to be careful with my magic, then the mountain might be preferable.
"But neither side is really suited to magicless climbing." I point out to no one as I tried to think of climbing methods. I was a good climber, I knew that, compared to a human anyway. But climbing under these conditions was something else. Such a natural part of my life had to be suppressed and ignored for this to work.
Yet, I still nodded to myself and also urged this body of mine onwards. I still went up to that wall and placed my hands upon it. Carefully testing how much strength I could apply before the signs of magic appeared. Which, so long as I didn't go through a sudden panic, would be easy to handle.
Just stop and remember what I had to do. That is how I would deal with these potential magic blasts. So, with it all in mind, I began to climb up the mountain and the wall at the same time. Even if it was a bit awkward as the edge of the wall was carved straight from the mountain.
As such, I sort of had to split my legs wide just so I could touch the gaps between the large stones. And, apart from the occasional tug as my toeclaws got stuck in the gaps. It all went fine, I even managed to get right onto the wall's top so I could pull myself up. Now if only I did not come on to a spot with a sleeping guard...
"I hope your dreams are pleasant." I then whispered to the guard once I had calmed myself. Punching my sharp claws straight through his collar and neck and letting him die. Yet, even as the warm blood washed over my fingers and hand, I kept it there. There was a strange satisfaction about having done this, but I still felt sick either way.
I know I have killed before, but, there was something a little different about doing it to a human. Their faces were so alike those of my kind and I guess that just disturbed me. All their expression were alike what I could make and I was friends with several humans... Yet, either way, I tried to focus on the satisfaction of the kill.
These people were holding my family hostage and I would not stand for it! And now with this one guard out the way, I tried to hide him. He was on the edge of a likely quiet post so maybe they wouldn't find him. But, just to be safe given the circumstances as to why I just killed him.
"Dammit... Which one was the one I was locked away in...?" I asked myself as I had failed to remember the layout of this place. I remembered how it was all positioned, but I could not tell warehouse from ramshackle house. It was all just sort of blending together, especially in the dark... Yet, I would be having to thank someone as just then I heard a baby cry.
I didn't even have to use magic, my ears were just that suited for this moment! I could direct them towards the sound and then sneak into where they were! As such, this had me smiling as now I knew where to go. But now I just needed to get there through the fields of crops I once would've sown.
"Don't mind me, I ain't here for harvest, in fact, I don't think you ever will be..." I sniggered out with a whisper as I got down from the wall and snuck through the crops. Lowering my body as far as it would go so I could just prowl about unnoticed. My ears guide my movements through what is about to be the old food of my family. Yet, I did not arrive at a house, first, instead, I found a warehouse.
"Eugh, I hate having to do it, but, it will help me blend in..." I complain as I put on the baggy sacks I used to wear after pillaging the warehouse. Of course, I did not take off my actual clothes as I had no intention of leaving these behind. It would ruin my entire aesthetic of being the airship's captain, something I wanted to show off to my family!
But, then, someone banged on the door and and I assume demanded to know who was in there? I did not speak Tobaballian and what I likely did know was long since forgotten. So I quickly snatched up a blanket or something and answered the door. Messing up my face first with dirt, though so I would not be suspected.
"Sorry, I was cold..." I said to the guard in apology. Something he did not understand at all and I did not understand his response either. I was willing to assume it amounted to something similar to 'Get back to your hut!' or at least something like that. Yet, his sudden grabbing of my shoulder suggested otherwise.
As such, I was prepared to kill him if I had to, even if I was likely to kill him later. In fact, why not kill him now? It would save me the trouble of doing it later. And, he was even kind enough to give me a reason!
Because instead of doing what I thought he might do, he decided to whack my tail with a stick! So I just shoved my claws straight into his face and into his brain. Shivering initially at the gore before growling at his corpse. A foul mood was displayed on my face until I got to where my family might have been.
"W-Who's there?" someone unfamiliar to me asked in a worry as I heard large amounts of shuffling about. Humans might not have been able to hear or smell me as I snuck about, but these weren't human. They were oxfuinei, my people!
"Relax, okay, relax!" I said to them as I held up my palms at them once I got in. Spooking them all with the blood on my hand until they all calmed down.
"What have you done?" a tired-looking woman then asked me as her weak body lept at me. Her hysterical gaze locked entirely on my bloody fingers.
"I killed some guards, I'm here to get you out of here! I just need some information first!" I tried to explain to them before offering up a display. A very brief show of how I had magic. Not that it might have been needed as they all looked like skeletons! I could feel barely any magic in the lot of them!
"What kind of information?" the largest amongst them asked as his hand moved others behind him. His tail along with his ears all raised up in an aggressive and protective posture.
"My name is Vadei, I am of the Agaudi pack. I was one a slave here, just like you lot! I just need to know where the others from the Agaudi are." I practically pleaded with them as I tried to restrain myself from panicking. I was so close to finding them again and I just couldn't keep it together.
"The Aga-" a young woman began to say before her mouth was covered.
"Quiet, we can't just give information to this woman! If we're caught helping her they'll kill us!" he rightfully warned the others as he reminded them of their valued lives. But, I just could not take it anymore, I wanted to see my family! So I just could not stop myself from suddenly crying and falling to my knees. Tail shoved out before me as I went up to this man.
"Please tell me..." I just barely managed to get out as I hold my tail out towards him. This sudden gesture shocked all of them as I had just submitted completely before them. In fact, it shocked them so much they all moved away just so they did not touch my tail.
"They're in that direction! Look for the shack with an elderly man holding a baby!" that same woman from before told me as she ecstatically pointed me in the right direction. I direction I suddenly sped off in until I found what I was looking for. Yet, it left me heartbroken when I found it for that elderly man was my dad...
"Dad?" I asked in disbelief as I dropped down to the weak-looking man in front of me. My hands carefully cupped his face as my sudden noise woke the others up.
"V-Vadei...?" someone then asked slowly as their nose sniffed and sniffed as they rapidly became awake.
"Mom, what's wrong with dad?" I asked without even looking at the woman who said my name. How could I ever forget that voice? There was no way I could forget that voice! Yet, despite the joy of knowing she was alive even if she was not fine... I just couldn't take my eyes off of Dad...
"W-Why are you here, Vadei? How did you get back here?" my mother asked me rather than answering my question. All the while her hands began to hug my tail as I was keeping her off my main body.
"Mom! Answer me!" I tell her with frustration as one of my fingers tried to find a pulse. A weak one ever so thankfully being found when I did so.
"One of the people here died in childbirth because there isn't enough magic here. Your dad has been trying to keep the baby alive with his own magic supply since and he has taken a turn for the worse." she explained as my dad finally responded to my presence and that of the crying child. He said nothing, however, he just stared at me before crying. The most impossible to see smile soon coming to his face as I started crying.
"Dad, hold on!" I begged of him as I tried to carefully drip feed him some of my own magic. But I wasn't skilled enough to get it to him. Nor was it actually safe enough here to do so... I couldn't even heal my own family in this damn city!
"Vadei?" was then suddenly repeated throughout the building as everyone else finally got up. But, not one of those that did was my sister...
"Mom, where's Conquei?" I then asked as thoughts of that bastard came to the forefront. It must have been him, it had to be! He took her while I was gone and learning magic in that stupid academy!
"The humans took her along with others to be personal assistants..." Mom told me with her voice shuddering towards the end. And I was willing to bet that shudder came from her disgust, not her frail form.
"Okay... Okay..." I say back to her while nodding over and over. I then quickly return my attention to Dad while trying to think of something. He was clearly too weak to move on his own and this likely extended to several others...
"Vadei, how did you get back here!?" Mom then asked again as she tried to get my attention once more.
"I got here on an airship..." I told her before being relieved by the fact I had the foresight to let the main ramp down.
"Where is it then? Why didn't you bring it here!?" Mom then asked me, a confusion I would have to settle now. I did not want to get into an argument like this so close to meeting up with her again.
"For the same reason I can't heal Dad, okay?" I told her with a notable firmness in my words before I nearly fell backwards. I wasn't even tired and I was already exhausted right now...
"How far away is it, then?" I was then asked by someone else as they made their way to the head of the group.
"Not close, but it is not far either, are there any carts around here? Something we can use to carry the sick and wounded and anything else like that?" I told them all before asking them. Looking about rapidly whenever I heard a sound. Hoping at least one of these noises was someone about to speak.
"We have hay carts." someone then finally said as they gave me a rough size of them with their hands. And, unfortunately, they were not particularly big. So, if we had too many sick, then I would not be able to save them all... And I don't think I could make the choices required if we could not...
"Alright, how many guards are there? Are there still not many? I don't remember there being much last time." I then asked them after briefly looking at my blood-covered fingers.
"A few dozen maybe?" I was then told with my body shooting up in that moment.
"Vadei, wait!" Mom called out as I left the hut they were in. A determined glare coming to my face as I began to sniff the air and block out noises. Using what magic I could to see what guards were near the way out and the path to it. And they were right, there wasn't all that many, I don't think there were even more than twenty!
And just like that, I was off, back into the fields and around the buildings, I would go. Slicing open necks with my claws or crushing throats when there wasn't enough room to swing. And as I killed more and more of the guards, the remaining ones grew suspicious as a lot of those I killed had lights. Lights that were suddenly not moving at all and their calls and hollers made one thing clear.
Time was not on my side right now and I needed to be quicker about it. So I started getting reckless and just charged them rather than sneaking around to kill them. And very soon, I was done, with the exception of a single armed guard. Thankfully, when these walls were designed it seemed...
They never took into account the possibility of a sudden massacre on this side of the wall. So this one guard had no alarm to sound. However, that didn't stop him from firing his gun wildly into the air, much to my anger. Yet, despite this sudden build-up of frustration, I did not waste time mauling his corpse.
Instead, I went out of the gate control and looked down at the waking up slaves, "GATHER WHO YOU CAN! PUT THE SICK INTO CARTS! I AM GOING TO OPEN THE GATES!" I yelled down to them before I went back in to try and open them. But, it needed a key and passcode of some kind and I knew neither. So, with a frustrated huff and paranoid twitch, I vaulted down the wall I once climbed.
"Please don't be too damaging, please..." I begged of my body before I went up against the gate itself. Right in its centre where it seemed to be the weakest as that is where it joined together. I had one more concern, though, was I strong enough? I was not showing any grand strength back in Jherikra even with my stronger magic...
So how would I know if I am strong enough to open this gate? Why couldn't have Nin been more sensible and rational before!? If he was here then I'd... No, he wasn't here, it was just me and I needed to be the one to do this!
"I've met paper bags stronger than you." I then taunted the gate with before I tried to pry it open. But, without using my magic, I could not make it budge. So I tried to let as much of it out as possible just to get it to move. Yet, even as the air around me ignited violently with magic, I did not move it at all.
And as much as I did not want to do it, it became very clear as to what I had to do... I had to just let it all out and cause the air around me to detonate. Even if it risked killing my fellow oxfuinei... Either I saved them all, or only a random assortment of some.
I would not leave them here, however! I would not!
"OPEN!" I then screamed as the air around me blew up in an arcane fireball.