Chapter 152: Journey Preparations
Once Dawn packed herself, she said farewell to her parents and Ariel. Her wolf had to stay unfortunately, because Tauruses were much faster. Of course we'd need another Taurus, but that wasn't an issue. When we left her house, Dawn came up with an idea. "Why don't you go and reserve the fast travel Formation, while I take care of something?", "Something, or someone?", I replied. She didn't extrapolate on that, and simply went her own way.
Sedon's fast travel Formation was recently used, and hence we had to wait a bit, before it charged. The Shades responsible for guarding the place, assured me we'd be next in line. 'I have an hour or two to kill… Maybe I'll bother Ama once again, hehe'. With that thought in mind, I headed straight to her office.
"You seem busy", I pointed out the obvious thing. "Well, that's usual. Anyway, do you need anything from me?", "Nah, I came to bother you. We'll be leaving for a long time soon, so you'll have me off your head", I replied with a grin. She sighed in reply, then returned to her work. "What are you working on currently?", "It's nothing amazing. I have to go through some maintenance reports, proposals and whatnot", she replied while staring at the papers.
"What about your boyfriend?", "He's work… What boyfriend? Can you please stop with that? We already discussed it". She was too focused on her papers and the first part simply slipped from her lips. "Sorry, sorry. I simply don't understand why you guys hide like that". Ama focused her gaze on me, then carefully worded her reply.
"Let's say, theoretically! I have a boyfriend. Why would I hide that?", "I don't know, you tell me", I replied. "See, I wouldn't hide it. There's no reason for that, and so I don't have a boyfriend", she tried to reason with me. "Oh, I see. Then you two are simply lovers. It's like you guys don't go out officially, but have fun from time to time", "What? No, it's not… Why are you bothering me? I have work to do, you know?", she replied, defeated.
"Okay, okay, sorry. No more boyfriend or lover topics. I'm not here to upset you. How about a different subject?... Why don't you take some time off? Aren't there other people who can do these papers?", I asked. "Not really. I'm responsible for them, therefore it's my job. Sedon is quite the busy city after all", "Yea, but breaks are as important. I can talk with aunt Lira, she should understand", I replied.
"Hahaha, good one. She'll give me even more work, once you go complain to her. Don't do that, alright?", "Then retire. You can always go back to Apium", I proposed. "Nah, I like it here. Take a look at this city, I pretty much built it. After the war, the damages were really bad, but now? You can't even see the aftermath". She was proud of her achievement, and she was right to be. Not everyone could build a city, or at least manage the whole project.
I decided not to bother her much longer, and gave her a hug before leaving. 'There's loads of time left before we can use the Formation. I'll go visit aunt Lira then'. To my surprise, aunt Lira wasn't at home. 'She must be busy as well. Waiting next to the Formation it is'.
Dawn really took her time with that boyfriend of hers. "Sorry, sorry, it took me a bit longer than expected", she apologised. "Yea, yea. I don't even want to know what you two did for so long. Anyway, the Formation should be ready", I replied. Indeed, the Formation was fully charged, and we could use it straight away.
A few seconds later, we appeared back in Varia. "Tara and Teri are here as well, so you'll share the room with me… Or you can sleep with the wolves, your choice", I said. She of course chose to sleep with me, but the other option was to simply tease her. "Anyway, when do we leave?", "Once everything's ready. I need to make something for you guys. Don't ask, hehe, you'll see", I replied.
The second skin required some proper Formations that'd mask their appearance completely. My mother knew exactly what to do. She designed the skins to cover the whole body. She also provided me with fake hair, at least for Tara and Teri. Dawn's head was full of hair after all. Fortunately, she didn't choose to shave herself like many others.
My work commerce shortly after our return. The sooner these second skins were completed, the sooner we could leave. These things required a few Formations. First and foremost, a colour changing Formation. Albeit not that difficult, it had to be seamless and match Humans. For Dawn's eyes and mouth, I had to become a bit creative. Shades had... unusual expressions, to say the least.
Moreover, the skins required proper fortifying Formations. They had to be really flexible, but tough and resistant to cuts. I didn't want them to rip and expose anything underneath. Though the skins were quite tough on their own, an additional layer of protection was always welcomed. After all, the whole set was big enough for me to fit a few Formations.
I didn't try to add anything offensive, but instead added Haste Formation. Speed was sometimes really necessary, especially when escaping. Besides, it didn't cost me anything but my energy to add that. Once the skins were ready, it was time for my friends to try them out.
"Are you joking? I'm supposed to wear this?", Tara asked in disbelief. The skins didn't look all the great, but that was the only way for them to travel around peacefully. Dawn and Teri didn't even argue, they grabbed their sets and went to change. Before I got a chance to mock Tara, she grabbed the remaining set and followed the others. 'Good choice', I thought with an evil grin on my face.
When my friends came downstairs, I couldn't help but laugh. The skin-tight light cream second skin only revealed their eyes and mouths. In case of Dawn, her black and grey hair added to the overall stupid look. Their bodies looked so funny, I simply couldn't contain my laughter. "Shut up! This was your idea, don't you dare laugh now!", Tara exclaimed. "Yea, stop laughing! If not for this rare opportunity, I'd never wear something like that! Moreover, how's that gonna help us? You're telling me Humans will accept this?!", Dawn added.
"Pfff… Hahahahaha.. No seriously, the more you gesture and argue like that, the funnier it looks… Wait here, I'll be right back!". I didn't leave to contain my laughter, no, I left to fetch my parents and Dante. They had to see that.
"Ehm... Ehehehemm… They look alright. No guys, you look fufufu fine", even my mother couldn't contain herself. Dante didn't even try, he laughed without any reservations. "Stop it you two, it's not…", my father paused when Teri tried to move around, and did a few squats. "Pffff… Hahaha, I give up! This is hilarious!", he exclaimed. Of course the effects were as such, because they didn't activate the Formations. Or rather, I didn't tell them about the Formations on purpose.
"Ohhhh… I cried from laughter…", "Are you guys done now?", Dawn asked, unimpressed. "Sorry, sorry. You look so weird, because you need to activate the Formations. Once you do, everything will change", I explained. "Why didn't you say so from the start!", Tara exclaimed angrily, then activated the Formations on her set.
Once my friends activated the Formations, their looks changed completely. "See, it's not funny or bad anymore. You don't even need to pour your energy in constantly. These Formations will stay active for as long as you want", I said. The change was huge, they really looked like Humans, albeit Tara and Teri required some hair. "Hmmm, I guess it's not that bad", Tara accepted her look.
"This is very flexible, but also quite tight. We shouldn't have any issues while moving around. This should be alright, once we get used to it", Teri commented. Dawn also accepted her new looks, she didn't even look that badly as a Human. "Huh, you even masked my eyes and mouth? Neat, I was worried they'd stick out", she said. "Anyway, get used to it for today. We'll be leaving tomorrow", I announced, then turned towards my father.
"Hehe, would you like that second skin as well?", he asked. "Really? Your daughter is about to leave, and that's all you got for me?", I replied. "Hmmm, you can have this then", he replied and handed me an old tattered cloak. That wasn't the same cloak he came back in, but the design and colour was similar.
"It's not dirty, so don't look at me like that. This is part of the design… I admit, the cloak is a bit tattered, but the Formations still hold up. I used to wear it many years ago, but if you don't want it…", he was about to hide the cloak, but I snatched it from his hand. He didn't offer me such things very often, especially things he used to wear and use.
He told me to test it out, but refused to say what sort of Formations were placed on it. 'Let's see what this tattered cloak can do then', I figured and activated the Formation. "Zoom… What the? This.. this is Blink Formation, right?", "Heeh, so you know that Formation? Your aunt Alicia did it for me many years ago. Actually, this should be one of the first Formations that incorporated Elements. Neat, eh?", my father replied.
The Blink Formation was one of the toughest Formations to create. I knew about it, and even studied it to a certain extent. After all, the fast travel Formations incorporated some of the principles from that. "This thing is great! This old and tattered looking cloak has its uses after all".
"Since you know about it, there's no need for explanations. Once you get used to it, you can control the distance. Though there's a restriction, not to overload the Formation. Hehe, I actually did that with my first cloak. Anyway, come here, I have another thing to give you", he added.
Father handed me another tattered item, "This glove also has a Formation. It was created at the same time as the cloak, therefore you should know who made it. As for the Formation, hehe, test it out". I did just that, but the Formation wasn't as impressive. A small flame appeared atop my palm, which wasn't that useful to be honest.
"Are you trying to shift all the rubbish from the past onto me?", "You can give it back, if you don't like it. Besides, you think this is rubbish? Then your experience is really shallow. Use creativity, instead of looking at the Formation alone. Moreover, this is the flame you created? Hand me that glove", he said.
When he wore it, the flame was not only bigger, he manipulated the flame into all sorts of forms. He could even split it onto each finger, and manipulate the flames separately. "Creativity and control. This seemingly rubbish Formation can help you improve your control, while creative minds will find many uses and applications for this Formation", he reprimanded me.
I took back the glove, then thanked him. He was right, creativity was crucial. I couldn't simply relay on powerful Formations. "I'll give you some medicine and poison for Dawn. You should be fine with the amount, then there's your safety". I was hoping for another Voltic Orb, but my father had different ideas.
"What, you expected the Voltic Orb, right? You ain't getting one. Besides, this is much more deadly", he took out some sort of shard, but it wasn't the cold type that Frosty liked. "Before you get this, I'd like to warn you and make you promise me something", he added. Once I agreed, he explained what the shard was.
Apparently, there was a race out there who specialised in illusions. My father was privileged enough to learn a bit from them, and the shard he took out came from that place. From his explanation, the shard contained a powerful illusion. Once activated a large area would be affected. The illusion wouldn't play nice though. Anything within its range would die, at least according to my father. Only the bearer of the shard, and selected people could survive.
I had to promise him that I'd only use it, if my life was in real danger. "What if we are next to the city, or village?", "You'll still use it", he replied firmly. "What about the…", "My daughter is more important than any amount of people. If they push you far enough to use it, you will use it. Understood?". He wasn't joking at all, I had to promise, otherwise no trip to the Endrosian Empire.
"I really hope you don't have to use it, and it will return here with you. That would be for the best", "I understand… I'll try my best… By the way, how is this thing called?". "This shard is called Krashker Veratias. Hehe, do you want to hazard a guess what it means?", he asked. The word 'veratias' usually meant 'change'. The way he pronounced the word, that had to be it, but the other word was unknown to me.
"This roughly translates as 'plane change'. The word 'krashker' doesn't really mean 'plane'. The word is usually associated with realms… There's no easy way to translate it, it's kind of unique", he explained while I nodded in understanding. "Good… Come here for a moment", he picked me up and hugged me. "I'm not trying to make you scared, but we have to be realistic. Your mother would kill me ten times if something were to happen there. We don't want that, right?", he added.
'I'm not little anymore…', "Okay, I'll watch out.". Father let me down, but then my mother came over with something in her arms. "This is a new leather set for you. This one's much tougher than the previous one, though the design is similar. You seemed to like it back then", "It's great, mom. I know it will fit me perfectly. Thank you", I thanked her.
Of course what followed was a lecture on my safety. She always worried, but like she told me before, mother's job was to worry. "Alright, I'll give you a break. There are no Formations on this set, but with your skills, hehe, that's not a problem", she said while hugging me. "Go, try them out, even though they'd fit you really well", she added.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone