The ride from the helipad to Mrs. Snow's private runway only lasted five minutes. The helicopter landed right next to the plane before one of the pilots stepped out of his seat to assist with the doors. Edward wasn't able to see the pilot very well, as he wore a headset that covered the upper half of his face and a jumpsuit that almost camouflaged him against the rest of the helicopter's interior, so he quickly disregarded the pilot's presence.
As the doors opened, Edward was the one to plant his ground on the tarmac first. Mrs. Snow soon followed, assisted by the pilot. Her hair was kept in a bun, so it ended up carried by the wind less than Edward's hair. As she and Edward made their way to the plane, the helicopter soon rose into the air before turning back to the helipad located behind Desert Industries HQ.
"So, do you often take private planes?" Edward asked as he turned to the plane in question. Unlike normal commercial planes, this plane was half the size and didn't have any labels on the side. The staff waited for them near the plane's staircase. There were two pilots and five stewards/stewardesses.
"Not usually, no. Work doesn't require me to leave my office that often," Mrs. Snow answered as they made their way closer to the plane, "The last time I had to fly was nearly three years ago, so this entire crew is unfamiliar to me."
"Don't they work for you?"
"No, they're private flyers. I'm just hiring them for the day," Mrs. Snow laughed. By this point, they had reached the staircase. One of the pilots, the elder in age, stepped forward and put his hand against his chest before he gave a small bow.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Snow. I am the captain, Jakob," The man spoke.
"Yes, we spoke on the phone," Mrs. Snow said. She pulled out a folded piece of paper, the same one she put Leila's address on, "We're going here. Figure out the necessities with the nearby airport yourself."
"Yes, Ma'am," The captain smiled, though his face was filled with annoyance. Perhaps it was difficult to gain clearance to land without a scheduled flight, possibly. Either that or the captain didn't like being treated like a servant. Edward followed Mrs. Snow into the plane.
When he arrived at the top of the stairs, he looked into the plane's interior and gasped in awe. Much like he had seen in movies, the plane was meant entirely for them. In the movies, the interior would usually be beige all around, but this plane was styled much differently. The walls and floors were all painted white, though there were blue trims along the windows and the pathway below. The seats were all made out of the finest white leather Edward had ever seen and the tables between them were sleek and clean. In the back of the plane, a few rooms dedicated as bedrooms were waiting with open doors.
"How old are you, again?" Mrs. Snow asked as she turned to Edward.
"Twenty-three," He replied as he continued to stare at the plane's interior. His eyes fell upon a bucket of bottled alcohol on one of the tables. He instantly turned his eyes away, uninterested. His first experience with alcohol was so bad it ruined all continued drinks for him, so he didn't plan on drinking.
As if she had read his mind, Mrs. Snow asked, "You drink?"
"The first time I drank, I woke up naked alongside a dumpster," Edward smiled, "So, no thank you."
"I'm not even going to question how that happened," Mrs. Snow laughed. She gestured to one of the seats and smiled, "Sit! We'll be here awhile."
Edward nodded and sat down. Mrs. Snow sat on a chair on the other end of the plane. She was still close enough to hold a conversation with, but she wasn't entrenching into Edward's personal space.
"Tell me about Leila. How long have you known her?" Mrs. Snow asked.
"I met her about a week ago, back when she first had her Amnesiac Origin," Edward answered, "She was in the middle of a duel with one of the other players, but I intervened when he threatened to loot her body after killing her."
"That's when she copied your Origin?"
"Yes. It was a surprise to me— I was expecting a grander affair," Edward chuckled, "Afterward, I made sure she was safe and explained the whole process of ascension. She joined my party afterward."
"I see. Where are you two now? In the game, I mean?" Mrs. Snow asked, "I tried to check your stats earlier today, but I got an error. Have you found yourself in a special location?"
"We're exploring a dungeon, at the moment," Edward answered, "That may be why you can't see us. Why don't you tell me about the other Blood Origin players? I haven't heard a word about them anywhere, in the forum or otherwise."
"Ah, I can talk for hours about them. You have yet to meet the other thirteen, but you probably won't meet them in the game for a while. You've all managed to create a wide distance between each other," Mrs. Snow laughed, "Would you like to know their titles?"
Edward nodded.
"Alright, here goes," Mrs. Snow said, "Ranked from least powerful to most powerful, in terms of abilities, are: The Mind Mender, The Prodigy of the Forge, The Column of Stone, Alice of Fallen Flowers, Saint of the Dead, Man on the Moon, Marionettist, The Empress of the Sea, Glitch, and Clockwork. Among them, only Clockwork would be capable of defeating you. Glitch might stand a chance, but she'd have to put her all into the fight. As time passes, and the more dragons you acquire, the larger that difference in strength is going to grow. Well, except for Clockwork. That boy has a terrifying ability. You'll never be able to defeat him."
"You sound very sure of that," Edward said, "What can he do?"
"What do you think?" Mrs. Snow laughed, "The titles given to Origin Bloods are always decided through the most likely destiny their abilities will lead them to. The Prodigy of the Forge, for example, is going to be a great smith, one day. Perhaps she'll be the best. Glitch acquired her title when she acquired an Origin that allowed her to directly edit the system."
"Then…"
"Clockwork is a man capable of bending time. We don't know exactly what his destiny will be, but he's already capable of great feats. As far as I can tell, he's been playing the game for three months already, despite the game only having come out two weeks ago," Mrs. Snow smiled. Edward gasped, shaken to his core. What sort of ability was that? To bend time itself?
"He can time travel?"
"Not yet, but perhaps eventually. He can freeze time for a maximum of one minute, but the MP usage is high. He spent the first two months learning a multitude of knowledge skills. He fought his first monster only two days ago, yet it was a month ago for him," Mrs. Snow smiled. She leaned forward, "If you ever meet him, stay on his good side. I don't think anybody will ever surpass him, not in a thousand years."