With the wall shuddering violently and falling apart while the gate just bent inwards. But, ever so thankfully, it had bent inwards enough that I could just bend it some more. So I did that to both sides and waved my arms in the air.
"FOLLOW ME!" I called out to my fellow as the distant city came alive as alarms suddenly went off. The headlights of vehicles also appearing as the gate by the city also opened up. And what followed was utter panic as those I was trying to save surged past me aimlessly.
"WHAT'RE YOU DOING!? DON'T ABANDON THE SICK!" that same man who refused to answer me earlier demanded of the fleeing crowds as he tried to pick up those he could. But it was clear I would either have to fight off the approaching reinforcements or grab some to save... If I did not stop those vehicles, however, the others wouldn't make it to the airship.
So I found the scent of Mom and then her actually, "Mom. guide them that way, take them towards the left, do you hear me!? The left!" I called out to her before running at the vehicles as fast as I could. Yet, even as I charged forth to save my family and people from the humans, I avoided letting my magic spill. I had a wall to stop it last time, this time I did not, however.
"VADEI, NO!" Mom screeched as she watched me charge the vehicles. Vehicles that seemed to speed up at the sight of me charging them.
"COME ON!" I yelled at the closest one before I yelped out in surprise when the vehicle slammed into me. Yet, even after being sent flying a few dozen metres by that thing. With Mom screaming for me in the background to it all. Despite all of that, I was fine...
My body was strong, I was strong! So, with newfound confidence, I grinned as I got back up to charge them once more. My magic increasingly flared off of me until I got near the vehicle again. And just like that, the area around me was consumed in another arcane fireball. If it was weaker or stronger than the last did not matter.
What mattered is that those who would chase us had now been consumed by magic. They would not be chasing us so long as they were terrified of what had just happened. And, with that done, I went back to my bewildered people with a wide smile. A cart soon in my hands as I began to lead them all out of there.
"FOLLOW ME!" I declared to them once again as I charged ahead of the tired group of escaped slaves. And there was easily a few hundred here and they were just the ones who could walk! So, well... The airship was about to get very full. However, they were not me, and they could not keep going as I could.
"How... Much... Further?" one asked as he violently started coughing before he collapsed into the gravel. His hands keeping away those who might check up on him.
"Vadei! It's alright, we'll try and get them moving a bit more, just bring our salvation to us!" Mom told me as she shoved me ahead after making me relinquish the cart. But I did not charge forth like she just urged me to. Instead, I went up to her to give her a tearful hug.
"I'll be as quick as I can, Mom."
"I know you will, my little Va." Mom told me before she gave me a kiss on the forehead. A shove from her came shortly after we broke the hug. And then off I went after spending the initial moments looking back at her. And once enough distance was made, I leapt into the sky like Nin often liked to do.
My magic propelled faster than I could run and further than I could normally jump. And towards the end, I was feeling ecstatic once again. If this is what it felt like to be Nin most of the time then I can see why he enjoys jumping around so much! To just feel the air blow through my tail like this was an experience alright!
But once I saw the airship again, my intentions returned and my focus hardened. I raced aboard once I was close enough and I bashed into things as I skid about the lifeless halls. Moving to take off my sack before realising it had been destroyed by all the magic... Unlike my leather captain's jacket which stayed intact.
"Don't worry, Mom, Dad, I'm going to show you what your little Va has become since you last saw her." I said as I started getting the airship back online. Letting the vibrations caused by its engines setting off the nearby air rumble through me before I brought her up. And just as quickly afterwards, I brought it down and made it as open as possible.
Running out onto the decking and waving at the cheering slaves who could now see their freedom! We were all so close to being rid of this city once and for all and I just needed them to get on! I just needed them all to get on and get into a safer part of the airship! So I then went back inside and started turning it all off before going back inside.
Chucking lights down to them as they slowed down in confusion, "Get on before I turn the engines back on!" I told them which made it clear to them. I didn't have time to go into a magic lecture but the oldest knew what I was on about. Those who had seen me fight knew why I had done it.
"Is that everyone!?" Mom called out to the others as she made sure everyone got on board.
"Where's the medical stuff!?" someone then cried out to which I made sure their lights guided them. And soon, Dad and that baby were in my arms and I was dashing ahead of everyone. Fully intent on giving my Dad the best spot in the medical bay. A room we hadn't really used since taking this thing as everyone could just sort of heal each other.
And, unfortunately, the facilities within seemed to assume that too... There were beds, but barely anything else. All we really had were respirators connected to the airship's power supply... Wait, of course!
"It's alright, Dad, I know how this all works, I can help you." I told him as I began to hook him up to the respirator. Making sure it was all attached before reluctantly leaving him. And as the final few got inside after climbing the rope-ladders. I turned it all back on.
Closing each door as fast as I could before then bringing us as high as we could go! And from that moment onwards, the airship was full of cheer as they all sang about their freedom. Then, I just sort of cried to myself in relief. A screen appeared before me so I could happily and tearfully start sending magic air into the sick and weak.
"Vadei..." Mom then said as she likely followed my smell to the bridge. And, like me, tears were in her eyes before she charged at me. And soon I was against her chest once again as if I was a little pup. Tears in my eyes as well as we just cried against each other.
"I did it, Mom... I saved you all..." I whimpered out to her as I broke down like the pup she was treating me as.
"Yes, you d-did. Yes, you did..." she told me as she cupped my cheeks and nodded her head up and down. But, soon my eyes went back to the screen I had used to sort out the sick. I believe I could do the same thing with everyone else... Just use the vents to apply a very fine amount of magic into all of them.
"M-Mom, hold on." I then told her as I left her grip and scurried about to sort everything out. Collapsing once more into her arms once it was all done. All that effort had finally paid off and I just couldn't stay upright anymore. And, like what I often dreamed of when I was alone, I was soon on Mom's lap as she coddled me like a pup.
"I'm so proud of you!" she let out before she began to pepper me with kisses and hugs. Embarrassing me heavily once I noticed some of the others had wandered towards the bridge. Which, admittedly, did not come as a surprise given how I was now getting a warning about the occupants... We had far too many according to the data I was getting.
"Thank the gods and goddesses you lot only really need magic at the moment..." I let out with a sigh once I got out of Mom's arms. Prodding her laughing form away whenever she tried to embarrass me some more. Thankfully, our supplies would last for the time being as all we needed was magic for this lot. Something that did concern me given how often I would likely have to turn systems off...
And with Dad hooked up to the respirators...
"Is something wrong, Vadei?" Mom then asked as she cluelessly looked about at all these screens. Screens I only understood because I got my hand stabbed by a machine. And I should probably make sure no one touches that machine as well.
"It's just, Dad, Mom. I have to keep him hooked up to a source of magic and there's just none to take in..."
"Can't you get us to a source?"
"No, Mom, there are no sources of magic, there's barely enough at the maximum altitude of this thing." I told her before throwing my arms up in frustration. My tail soon entered her loving hands shortly afterwards.
"Vadei, it's alright, you held it together getting to us, you can keep it together for a bit longer." she said to me with a soothing voice while stroking my tail delicately.
"But I am the only one who can save Conquei and I am also the only one who can pilot this airship! It's too dangerous to just leave this thing on should I leave it..." I explained to her while hiding the device that could make a new pilot. They had no way to understand why one of them was getting stabbed. They'd all panic no doubt!
"Was there no one else who came with you...? You didn't come on your own, did you, Vadei?"
"There were five others... We... One forced me along with him before he vanished and the other four were left behind." I lied as I didn't want to be shamed by my mother... I didn't want to hear a speech from her about how I abandoned others in order to save them.
"Are you able to find the other four? Get back to them so they can help you?"
"I don't know, we're so high up and we might not even be able to detect them through the storm." I explained before then bringing up a recording for her to look at. A sudden golden tint filled the room as images of the Thunder God's lightning struck about.
"What about avoiding the storm, going under it?"
"The same reason the airship was turned off when I got all of you on board. This machine becomes a flying bomb."
"Are they strong like you, Vadei? They could survive it, no?"
I looked at her and then down, they were strong indeed... And the two that weren't strong would probably get murdered onboard anyway. So yeah, maybe she was right. Maybe I could just land near those lot if I was able to find them.
"And if they don't?" I then asked, just to make sure that Mom was actually certain about this.
"I trust my little Va to get us and them through it safely." she said to me as she put her faith in me.
"So... Those are my options then. Carry on with a timer to save my sister, or go back to the others to get help..." I muttered quietly while looking back at Tobaballe. Either I risked the deaths of those that were left in the city or risked the lives of those on board.
"Vadei, Vadei! Shhh... It's going to be okay, alright? It's going to be alright." Mom said as she started hugging me once more.
"Alright!? I've just broken you lot out by attacking the very city Conquei is in! If I leave now then I might risk Dad's life and the others hooked up in the medical bay!" I cried out as I left her arms so I had the room to move. To express this stress through action as well as words.
"Which is why you should find the others, get their help." Mom said while she gestured for me to calm down. My tail reflexively moved away from her as I was so on edge at the moment. I wanted to get this stress out, I didn't want to make the choice...
"No, I don't want to be responsible for either of their deaths! I WON'T!" I screamed at her before falling to the floor to bawl.
"Vadei, I understand a lot is on your shoulders right now, but you don't need to keep it all to yourself. Go, find your friends, Dad won't just die on you because you have to turn the airship off for a little bit. He's a tough old hound, he has lasted weeks upon weeks before you came." she said to me as if she was singing. A gentle soft hand, went back and forth by my ears until I stopped shuddering and crying.
"Okay..." I said slowly before I got back up and went back to my chair. A slow start to it all before I then finally got us moving again. And with every moment we moved, I also looked at the visual feed I was getting from the medical bay. The airship power input and battery supply were also to my left.
"No, put these away." Mom ordered as she tried to wave the floating screens away. Something she seemed to be taking a while doing even if she was doing nothing. I assume this had something to do with her lack of magic. Her body was desperate for what it could get and she thought she could scoop it up.
"I need them." I contested as I just watched her continue to fail to dismiss the screens.
"I might be weak at the moment, Vadei, but I am not blind. Stop worrying about Dad and focus on getting this airship to where it needs to be. And, if possible, spend some time with me." she explained before she smiled at me. Her brittle claws gently pinching my cheeks as she annoyed me into submission.
"Fine, fine! I'll give you and everyone else a tour!" I complained before making sure all the doors to the outside were firmly locked. I didn't want any issues coming about from one of them getting outside.
"Just me is fine enough." Mom said with a cheerful tune and spring in her step as she wrapped herself around me. A blush came just as quickly and I was soon awkwardly walking about trying to direct her.
"Well, for starters, this room is closed because we got attacked by a salamander and we were never able to get it fixed."
"Alright, and what about all this, then?" Mom asked as we went past the damaged room and moved closer to Einervaene's makeshift workshop. Something she immediately took an interest in when the door opened up. Revealing both Einervaene's myriad of drawings and Nin's clothes.
"This is where one of them spent their free time."
"Well, she's quite talented, then."
I frowned, "How do you know she is, well, a she?"
"Most of these are all designed around a single body, a woman's body." she teased before she then found a design with me on it. Something she shoved in my face while laughing as I grew embarrassed.
"Yes, it's me, get over it..." I mumbled before I pouted at her. Trying to get her to move on to a new room but she just kept finding more and more designs with me on it. And with each one that came, I grew redder as more people started to take notice. I could hear their laughter and their joy and Mom just kept going at it.
"But they're so cute! I mean, look at this one! It's like you're all small again and dressed up for the cold!" she said as she started comparing me to a drawing where I had a fluffy coat on.
"I will murder you, Einervaene..." I muttered under my breath before leaving the room in frustration. Using this moment to see if I could force Mom to move on into a different part of the ship by going elsewhere. Which, thankfully, I was able to, but, I also could not get her to let go of those damn drawings...
"Aw, this one is really cute too! I can't wait to meet this Einervaene and talk to her about making some of these!" Mom squealed out as she tried to make her gathered up pile neater.