Read Novel Full Chapter 2334 In-Flight Recovery
Chapter 2334 In-Flight Recovery
--- Kat ---
Things were... not ideal. They were still in the clouds, just a good deal lower down. Though that did imply worrying things about just how thick the cloud layer had become. It made Kat and Lily wonder how anything actually had light below them. Then again, nothing here made all that much sense and the giant pillar of lightning theoretically shouldn’t be there either, so a bit of sunlight was nothing in comparison.
Appoline had also been healed up. Lily had kept the wound pressed down with her shadows as best she could. There was some contemplation about using her paper as makeshift bandages but it was a big cut and the chance for some to remain inside the wound afterwards was too high.
Appoline didn’t take too long to get her mind back, managing to down a healing potion as well as spread a second across the wound. Appoline had to give Kat a few instructions on positioning to ensure that the cut would close properly without too much scarring. There was still some, and that particular outfit was wrecked, but it wasn’t anything major. "Hmmm... going to have to remove that later..." grumbled Appoline.
"Why didn’t it heal all the way?" asked Kat. "I don’t think I’ve seen healing potions leave scars before when they were taken so quickly..."
"Tanisha took them quite quickly," countered Appoline. "At least, I suspect she did. Regardless, please remember that healing potions are all about speeding up the bodies natural healing ability while filling in a bit as fake skin. Sort of. It’s a lot more complicated then that but the point is, they help a lot but that was still a big wound. It didn’t scar too much, and I can use one of the heavier duty potions for it unlike the stuff around my neck."
"Why is that?" asked Kat.
"Because the heavy duty stuff basically involves burning away the scar tissue and then reforming a new patch of skin over it. Hurts pretty badly, and it’s not really safe to use on something like your neck. You’ll have issues breathing while it’s active. It doesn’t let blood escape so as nobody bleeds out taking them... but does nothing to keep the oxygen in. At least, not the version I’m talking about," explained Appoline.
"Alright, that’s... well it makes sense," agreed Kat after a bit.
[So... what’s the plan now?]
*We use the map to find our way back?*
[Question then... HOW are we meant to use the map for that? I’ll need to transform, grab the map, and then transform back before falling too far... but how am I meant to hold the map in that case? I don’t know if I can keep my shadows up while I’m transforming. I’ve not really tried. The chance that I rip it is higher than I like...]
*Shit and you can’t just pass it to me... well, no hang on. While I can’t lift two people I should be able to at least slow our descent right?*
[I... don’t see why not? You managed to do that weird switching then with the horn or whatever it was back during the dragon mission. So... yes I think so?]
*Alright, in that case, plan is that we go up a good ways just in case we’re at risk of leaving the clouds, but not TOO close because I don’t want to deal with another bird. Then, you and Appoline hold onto opposite arms, you transform, trade the paper to Appoline as swiftly as possible, and then transform back.*
[Should work... we’ll just need to be a bit careful the wind doesn’t steal it but this does seem to be the safest way to go about it and the wind is... calmer then it should be. Probably due to some of the other madness I guess.]
It didn’t take long to outline the plan for Appoline and execute it. Though the problems came back when they then had to look at the map. It... didn’t handle 3D travelling all that well. Oh it could do it sure, the makers of the map were clearly aware that delving into places with multiple levels, or even just houses and stuff required the use of multiple levels.
The problem was, you had to manually, slowly, move through the various levels... and it didn’t really give them any information they didn’t already have. It was clouds in all directions with some minor debris, and trying to read the map by slowing move upwards wasn’t really doing them much good. Oh sure, maybe they could eventually tune the map to the correct level where it would show the spot they’d been sitting in...
But notably they’d been HOVERING in that spot. There wasn’t a nice ring to show off all the stuff they’d seen on that level, or at least, Kat and Lily couldn’t spot it. It was also quite difficult to even tell where they had been. Clouds didn’t show up properly on the map, and you could only vaguely make out their passage based on some slight shading queues and debris getting cut off on the edges of what the map registered.
*Are we... even going to be able to find our way back with this?*
[I want to say yes. In truth? I’m far less certain of it then I was a few minutes ago.] Lily grumbled as they climbed back to the spot they’d been in before dropping downwards to open the map. Probably. Hopefully. Ok they were mostly just guessing at this point and were still just as lost. Hence the issues.
*Can you sense anything noteworthy nearby? Mostly portals?*
[Not as far as I can tell? It’s hard to work out exactly how far I can sense that sort of thing in all the clouds, or know if anything is interfering with it. I’d guess... I have about the same range the map does? So maybe a hundred metres all around me? Still can’t sense any nearby portals though.]
*Is our best bet to head back up you think?*
[I... hmm... I’m not certain. At the very least I’ll be able to hear the birds as we get closer so there will be at least some sort of reference... but the bird didn’t take us straight down, or just diagonally or whatever. So I’m not sure exactly where we are relative to everything else. Can your memories tell us?]
*Probably not. I mean I have them sure but... it was pretty disorientated and yeah, with all the clouds it makes it hard. I could approximate sure... but I’m not certain that would even be particularly useful.*
[Well... what if we head downwards then? Sit at the edge of the clouds and fall down to the nearest major chunk of earth?]
*I... worry we’d get attacked along the way. Still, it certain IS an option. Not one I love... but I see why you’d consider it. Better than being lost forever. I just worry that if we so much as poke our heads out that’s when we’ll get zapped.*
[You don’t think the fact we haven’t been yet means that we’re actually safe to fly around?]
Kat shook her head firmly. *No way. I refuse to believe Thyme didn’t put in at least one major obstacle to prevent me from just flying to the top, because if Thyme didn’t do it, I’m sure someone else would have. It’s not ideal... but I just can’t see any other way for it to be. My best guess is that this cloudy area is a sort of safe zone where we can fly, and likely requires either a lot of power or the ability to fly to get to the next lot of portals.*
[So... what, if we headed down we might just be portaled back up to somewhere else in the clouds?]
*That’s what I’d guess. I’m sure we both thought the cloud cover was just the usual thickness without too much of note involved except perhaps a few ’islands’... but we’ve already been proven quite wrong at that front. It didn’t look quite so thick in the centre where the lightning breaks through it, but it’s not like we had a great angle to confirm that. It could also be that the lightning tore away more than just a hole there. I... don’t really know how magic semi-permanent magic is going to effect cloud cover after all.*
[A ridiculous sentence but... I don’t really know what to think about it either. I suppose my question would be... does Appoline have any ideas?]
"Appoline, we’re... quite lost. Lily and I have been mentally debating if we go up, or we go down... and there’s risks to both of course but the main concern is the fact that we’re lost. Plus if we take a lower portal, chances are we end up back in the clouds. Though we’re also worried about getting attacked as soon as we leave the clouds... so ideas?" asked Kat.
"Hmm... well... it might be awkward without a spot to place my cauldron but I COULD make something that lets us see through the clouds? If you think that’s a safe compromise?" offered Appoline.