~***~
Being an archeologist always was a risky job. Unfortunately, there always could be possibility of a landslide during the work underground, explosion of a cave-gas or old thief-trap, the meetings with ancient tomb guardians, dangerous fauna (and flora) or simply that type of peoples who thought that you belongings could serve them better.
So, this wasn’t a first time in his life, when Yuuno Scrya was render unconscious. The familiar feeling of floating through the jelly said that he start to slowly regain conscious. Mustering his remaining strength he forced himself to “swim” upward, toward the chorus of fainting sounds, fighting the nausea and weakness.
The awakening meet him with feeling of dizziness, blunt aching headache and when he tried to move his right side burnt with sharp outburst of pain, telling that his ribs didn’t apprehended his flight toward rack.
Boy slowly and carefully craned his head, moaning lightly and struggling with
increasing headache and dizziness and glanced around. Since, he was surrounded not by rows of item-filled racks but dozens of small airlock doors, that was obviously an escape pods, he instantly recognize this place as evacuation bay.
The room, normally well-illuminated now fight against darkness with just three or four remaining lamps and fading greenish light from below. He start to recognize the sounds, he heard in his haze. It was buzz of damaged electronics, monotone recitative of computer that repeat a message about have damage of the ship and need of evacuation and quite rustle from the direction of entrance in storage, telling that someone move a things there.
Yuuno make a pair of deep inhales and exhales, then, rested his elbows against floor (or, to be specific, a smooth piece of a fabric on which he lay all long, understood young Scrya), and slowly lifted his upper body. His bode make a few prick of disapprove, before he manage to sit and turn around to have a better look. The door in storage was open and in the dusk of room he could see the floating spheres of light spell. The pod on the left wall, which was closest to door was open and, judging by rather bright light, that flow from inside from hiss mushroom-shaped frame, was active.
The rustles stopped and then Yuuno could hear the sound of cautious steps, alternating with sharp rings of broken glass, soft thuds from collision with hard objects and rather loud outbursts of foul swearing, that follow both previous cases.
After a half-minute, emitting a loudest swear, his uncle emerge from devastated (Yuuno didn’t need to go in to image the state of the room, judging from the how bad it was before he was send sprawling against the case) storage room. His normally green sweater now was almost gray from sheer amount of dust, settled on him. His prized bear, which normally flew down on his neck in straight stream, now dangled around as sweat-saturated mess, decorated with dust icicles. Trousers on his left leg were ripped, showing a deep gashes and big graze on his uncle’s knee. Kaien’s bald head also was covered with scratches and bruises, but most notable was nose – a horrible bloody mess (seems that older archaeologist also had a rather bad landing on his face).
He carried a half-dozen of cans under his right arm and Yuuno could see that Kaien stumbled a bit when he leaned on his left leg, indicating, that his knee sustained a even more significant damage. Older archaeologist didn’t immediately noticed changes in his nephew’ state, since he furiously rubbed his eyes, whipping the blood, that flowed from injures on his forehead, hissing in pain. But when he saw awakened Yuuno, who stared at him, with concern, Kaien gasped loudly and then charged toward younger male, dropping his loot, whick crashed on floor with high-pitched rumble.
“Ah, swraag!!” Kaien cursed loudly, but promptly forget about them and concentrated on his relative state. Reaching Yuuno, he crouched beside him, gently putting his burly hand on blond boy shoulder. “Yuuno, thanks Goddess, you’re awake! How are you?!”
He muttered under his breath, striking himself on head, but then continued.
“I know that you can’t be alright. When you rammed into this rack, you get rewarded with a fall a keking heavy drill right on your head!”
So, this was the reason why his head ache, thought Yuuno grimly, he was lucky that heavy piece of equipment not outright smash his head. But again, he always insisted that more heavy things should be place on lower shelves, but who listened. Still, it wasn’t the time and situation to think about order in the storage room. And his uncle was injured too, so he said:
“I’ll recover soon. But how are you? You didn’t look perfectly healthy too, uncle.”
Kaien give him a mirthless smile.
“Well, let’s say, that you wasn’t a sole Scrya, who enjoyed a small fly with a colorful landing, when that keking energy bolt struck our van. But…” Now bald man smile more genuinely. “Unlike you m’boy, my head filled with granite, how you aunt Swerra, like to say, so I manage to perform as rescue operation.”
Yuuno’s expression told archaeologist mage, that he want a more detailed explanation. He sighed, but then sat on floor, stretching his legs and start to tell.
“When I recovered from a quite nasty landing right in my nose, I saw you, lying under fallen rack and heap of various equipment, and the heaviest of them manage to shatter you skull.
So I dashed toward… Well, as much as I can in my state… threw away all heavy shit, that buried you under (Yuuno didn’t doubt that his uncle even manage to send a metal rack into the air, his strength was among the top in the Scrya tribe) and cast most powerful healing spell I know. But situation, as if trying to mock me, become even worse. When I tried to pull you out of the storage, the computer suddenly announced that power field in critical condition and ship’s hull was breached.”
Yuuno’s eyes widened and he felt his veins turning cold; the collapse of power field, with addition violation of integrity of ship’s structure would guaranty the destruction of space craft during fold-storm. His uncle, apparently catch change of his expression and quickly understood his thoughts.
“As you know, in such condition, I was forced to leave you in magical circle and rush into main power room. Thankfully the power plant lay in the center of ship and always well protected, so when I charge in I didn’t notice any damage not to reactor nor to control panel. So I plunged those two cranes into sockets and reinforce or shields.” He even raised his meaty hairy hands into air, giving Yuuno a better view on them. “Thankfully, it’s helped, our electronic friend.” A quick nod toward ceiling. “Stopped moaned like girl on her first night about critical condition of field and blah-blah-blah… So I returned here, fetch one of our Storage Devices and install it into consol, so it’ll support power field. But when I decide to check on you, the destiny kicked me and you in the curb again.”
Yuuno narrowed his eyes, he already learn a lesson to never underestimate a fate’s ability to switch a any situation from bad to utter nightmare, so he instead of destiny-tempting “how it could be worse?” he simply asked:
“And what’s happened?”
Kaien make a deep sigh and then sharply waved his right and in the direction of storage room. Yuuno carefully studied the pointed direction and after a few heartbeats he noticed, that devastated room was illuminated not only by still remaining green spheres of his uncle light spell, but also with mysterious pulsating violet glimmer.
“Wh…?” Started blond boy, but older man calmly interrupted him,
“Jewel Seeds, my boy. Those cute little thingies decided to play with us, when, as I can presume, their containing mechanism was damaged.”
Younger Scrya blood turned into ice by those words. Forceful and uncontrollable activation of powerful Lost Logias inflict a disastrous damage on a continents, the so the forceful and uncontrollable activation of twenty one Jewel Seed will perfectly atomize their ship and every unfortunate being, who didn’t manage to escape.
He pulled his legs to his chest, rested his hands against and then, gritted teethes, gathering strength and bracing himself to increasing nausea, before pushing his body upward with a powerful jolt. His damaged torso response with sharp burst of pain, his headache increased dramatically and room around him started to spun like maddened wheel. Yuuno hissed, biting on his lip, desperately trying to overcome fatigue, fight back urge to vomit and stabilize his body at last. Unfortunately, the headache continues to grow stronger and the panorama of evacuation bay more and more resembled a kaleidoscope. In overwhelming wave of fatigue that flowed from the tips of his hairs to the nails of his toes Yuuno’s legs goes under from his and with a soft groan young mage fall back. Thankfully, pair of strong arms prevent him from, a very possibly painful in his state, contact with floor. Yuuno lifted his pain-hazed gaze to meet his uncle’s worried eyes.
“Whoa there, hotshot! You not in the condition to play a circus monkey!” Panned him Kaien. “Didn’t you hear me – you skull carried a very heavy blow. For a Goddess sake, you easily could die here!”
Bald archaeologist, still nagging, forced Yuuno to sat back on improvised bed… Now he could see that his uncle made an improvised bed for him, using his raincoat as matters and Yuuno’s own raincoat as pillow. Seeing that Yuuno calmed down a bit, older Scrya continued:
“Boy, I also very much know that, if Jewel; Seeds goes at full throttle, there wasn’t even a more that atoms, leave from us. So, as you can see, we both alive and our ship not a cloud of plasma, don’t you think I did something to prevent big boom?”
Yuuno nodded cautiously, still didn’t averting his eye from storage room’s entrance, where ominous glowing of Jewel Seeds could be seen.
“Well, where I left…Ah! So when I come back for ya, those destructive fashion accessories already suck the mana from the surrounding, preparing to go berserk and your healing circle barely glow and in a last step to disappearing. Actually, they’re the reason, why you didn’t recover from the injures. Believe me, m’boy, before striding to power plant; I overcharged the heaving circle with my magic, thanks Goddess, the healing spell managed to heal most dangerous damage, before little buggers start to suck mana from it. Again, I was forced to postpone your treatment…” On this words Kaien lowered his gaze in a shame, but Yuuno reassuringly squeezed his hand. In his uncle’s place he would do the same – older mage wouldn’t save him if he didn’t prevent ship from vaporization first. And not only ship, even if the explosion occurred in hyper-space, the sheep amount of energy would bring a immense destruction, if there was a planet or station nearby. “…And start to seal Lost Logias. Oh Goddess, it was longest minutes in my life: when I started to concentrate on one, the other simply sucks the mana from my seal, not only trashing my previous efforts, but also getting closer and closer to going berserk.”
Bald archaeologist make a pause, sighed deeply and whipping the sweat, which appear, while he told his story, hissing in pain, when he either tough his injures or sweep salty liquid into gashes, again returning in this intense time, when everything was on a stake. Sighing again, he pulled put from his trousers pocket a small flask of water, which he always carries with him. Kaien take a large gulp of water, fading for an instant to enjoy sensation, returning to his senses, Kaien inclined his head on a right side, slightly stirring flask up, offering it’s to a wounded boy.
Yuuno nodded gratefully, only now realizing that his throat is aching in dry; quickly snatching the flask from his uncle’s grip he make a two rapid gulps, almost nearly chocking, and then just sat here, trying ti catch his breath, while Kaien continued his story.
“I would be a liar, if I said that I keep my cool through all of those shit. To be honest, after the five minutes of a pointless struggle I started to panicked. No matter how I struggled, those Seeds of Bang continue to charge, getting close and closer to turning us into smoke. But suddenly, and who do you think, our computer suddenly said something about possibility of lost of course by accidental hyper-drive overcharge with additional magic energy. So, well, I decide to take my chances with being catapulted into another galaxy, rather than be sent into Janak’s ass and so I establish connection between my Intelligence Devise…” He slightly clicked his earring. “And the Storage Device I previously installed into control panel of Power Plant and send all the Jewel Seeds accumulated energy through Main Reactor right into hyper-drive. After the minute and half of quite a heck of a struggle with maintaining a line between Lost Logias and engines, the energy level of Seeds fall to the point where I could… ugh, I still didn’t manage to seal them up properly, but I make sure that their energy level stable now.“
Yuuno, finally smiled since the moment he waked up. Seems, for now at last, they avoid most obvious disaster, so they have some times to thin how to get out of this, still very bad, situation alive. And by “very bed” he meant that they ship seems sustain a severe damage, they were lost in hyper-space, and now can’t even imagine when and were they would enter normal space. Who know how many time would pass before someone receive their distress signal, of course, they could send a signal only if their spacecraft don’t ram in something right after they leave hyper-space, they still could ram into something even if they enter normal space without incident, who know how much navigation system was damaged and how much ship will respond to pilot’s commands…
Yuuno slapped himself on the forehead at sudden thought. The pilot, he didn’t even ask about their condition until this point. Though, he hoped Kerl were in better condition than him, since, judging by their absence, they still piloted the ship. Or… Without wishing to consider the worst possibility, Yuuno swiftly turned his head toward Kaien and asked his uncle, who also raised his gaze at his sudden movement.
“Uncle! How is the mister Kerl? What could he say about the situation?”
Young archeologist’ heart sunk when Kaien’s expression visibly darkened and he slightly avert his gaze.
“He’d dead m’boy.” With a low voice older man confirmed Yuuno’s worst fear. “That energy bolt, that strike our ship and sent us into our respective adventures. It’s pierced already weak field and struck right into the bridge, blasting it apart. I tried to contact Kerl, right after I cast the healing spell on you and receive no answer and when I was in power plant I launch full diagnostic through reserve computer – the bridge is nothing more than a molten slug.” Kaien gritted his teethes, shutting his eyes tight, allowing a few tears to stream down his cheeks. “Kek it, Kerl! You left a pregnant wife an children behind, you stupid bastard!”
Yuuno also lowered his gaze, feeling the same sorrow as his uncle – Kerl was a good friend of Scrya tribe, and more personally, he greatly helped Kaien rising him, never missing an opportunity to give a little Yuuno a present from his voyages, tell a “shocking but true” story, or just play with him. And now he was dead. Killed by cruel joke of fate – Kerl was a very accurate and attentive and prefer to make his own test on systems of the ship, even after forcing a mechanic team to perform a two or three on their own and he never start the hype-space jump without checking the route not only through computer, but also paid additional (and let’s just say a rather big) price to an licensed oracles from his own moneys, saying that lives of passengers is simply priceless. But in the end he was killed by fold-storm, a phenomena, that very hard to predict, leaving his cute and wife Aireya, who was so eager to give birth to so long-waited son, and two adorable four year old twin girls, Viria and Filena.
Yuuno, closed his eyes for a moment, then raised a flask toward barely lighted cellar in wordless salute for a fallen friend and take a deep swallow of water, silently prying to Goddess for Kern Nibbit eternal peace. Then he turned around and stretched his hand toward his uncle, offering him a flask. Kaien quickly understood meaning behind his, nephew gesture and slightly nodded in gratitude. Copying Yuuno’s previous movement he raised flack above the head and declared:
“This is for you, bro. May the Gooddess guide your soul into Happy Gardens and don’t worry, Scrya tribe will make sure, that not Aireya, not Viria and Filena and nor you son wouldn’t be left on their own.”
Ending his speech, he threw back his head and drained the flask with two powerful drinks. Seeing that Yuuno started to stir up again, he sprung up and helped his nephew to stand up. Yuuno still fell a bit dizzy, and lingering pain in his side tell him that his rib still didn’t recover, moreover when his attempt to cast his own healing spell bring a nauseous wave of fatigue, telling him that Jewel Seeds suck a plentiful of mana from his Linker Core too.
“Don’t force yourself m’boy, those little bastard already give you enough of troubles.” Rumbled Kaien still holding him lightly and didn’t let him go at his own.
Yuuno nodded a bit, but hardened his gaze and said. “Thank you uncle, but I don’t want to be useless ballast. Moreover, in such situation, you need as many help as you can get. We need to search through the storage room for necessary equipment for survival and save as many relics as we can, it’s our duty as members of Scrya tribe”
“Well, it’s maybe a true, but in your condition you wouldn’t be much of a help, since I won’t let you crawl over the mountains of rubble in storage room, because of your broken ribs. And, most important, there is no much help I already need. You know, you were out of cold for two hours.”
Yuuno paled – even in normal circumstances the excess of necessary time for hyper-jump by one hour could lead the ship in totally different star sector of Bureau controlled space, excess of necessary time by one hour, while your hyper-drive was overcharged with insane amount of energy from Jewel Seeds could bring them in utterly foreign region of galaxy. Unfortunately, now was too late to worry about that, what was left to them, it’s a work hard for their survival and hope for better. So, he said:
“Uncle, we really can’t have any opinions now, I would be as careful as I can. Or, is you that against it, I can check our escape pod.”
“That’s would be a moot point.” Quickly retorted Kaien, slightly jerking. “I already did that. Geez, boy, you wouldn’t back off aren’t you?”
“No.” Younger mage shook the head sadly. He know that his uncle is right, and he should rest a bit, but not in such situation. “I’m sorry, uncle, I swear that I would try to lift heavy cargo, or try to push the fallen racks.”
Kaien sighed sadly, but high-pitched trill of alarm claxon and a monotone speech of a central computer interrupted everything he wanted to say.
“Attention! To a crew of starship, twenty minutes to entering normal space. I repeat: twenty minutes to entering normal space, all members of crew should take their posts according to regulation!”
“Forget about everything m’boy!” Roared Kaien, promptly forgetting, that he shout right into Yuuno’s ear, increasing his headache. “Hurry up and take you place in escape pod! I’ll fetch what I can and follow you! Now, hurry up!”
Yuuno nodded hastily and went toward open door near entrance into storage room. Right now, they need to be hurry, and his injured torso will prevent him to de fast enough, even more than his uncle’s damaged leg. Said uncle darted from beside him, tossing Yuuno’s raincoat to its owner. Younger Scrya catches it automatically, quickly put on his shoulders, without stopping.
Reaching escape pod, Yuuno carefully slipped in, trying to spare his damaged right side as much as he can. The escape pod, as he recalled, was a small space-craft, capable of short flight in space and atmosphere, overall seven meters long, resembling a mushroom, with a rectangular six meters long stem with a square base with a side of two and half meters long with a two engine gondolas attached on both sides. A cap was a massive slab of heat-resistant metal four meters in diameter and one meter long in length, where main control system and mana-stores resides. Unfortunately, the cabin interior make a very little space for maneuver and poor boy fidget in pain in his ribs all the way from the entrance to the first seat, which also was a pilot seat, by virtue of having pod’s main interface and control switches right before it.
Finally reaching his point of destination, Yuuno slumped into seat and pull restrainers down, allowing himself to catch a breath and cast a quick glance around the pod. There was a five tightly packed rowed seats with installed restrainers and two rows of containers, placed right above the seats on right and left sides, the green indicator burn, if a container was loaded and red if it was empty The containers on right side always was “green”, since they was filled with standard emergency survival kits. He turned his gaze on a left and saw the sole green light, accompanied with four red in the left group of containers. He thought about it, but then shrugged – seems, as always, uncle Kaien simply toss everything he deem necessary into one place, intending to disturb the content between them later. Young mage pushed the button (a purple one, not red) right in the centre of dashboard, activating computer. The screen flickered to life, firstly showing the logo of its manufacturer, the Vandin Corp, black gear wheel in a red winged circle, but then showed a numerous rapidly changing symbols, indicating the start of testing process. It wasn’t take a long for a screen to beep quietly and then show the main menu with a test result in the center, Yuuno smiled when he didn’t find any right red inscriptions, mean the pod ready for take off. Deciding to kill the time before the ship leave hyper-space (mostly because he didn’t wanted to think about what can await them) he started testing of their parent’s ship status.
Yuuno’s throat dried when computer show the results. No, he was perfectly aware that after ship sustained such damage, the computer show the interior of ship colored in red and yellow. And Yuuno wasn’t surprised to find that ship’s main air stocks were heavily damaged and emergency stocks were almost empty. He already know, that bridge and short tunnel, that connect it’s with ship main body will be jet black, indicating its’ destruction. Not even the message that hyper-drive was on a verge of exploding, during the overload, scare him. To be correct, he was scared, but what he read later scare him more. What make his skin crawl was a message which said that external shutters on escape bay was damage and in order to open the patch for escape pod someone need to jettison it, from the main control panel on the bay. The problem was that when the shutter would be blasted out, the computer immediately close the internal airlock, to prevent decompression; and thus leaving the someone, who used main panel, trapped on the dying ship. He only saving grace of this terrible satiation was more or less stable fork of main reactor and gravity emulators. Otherwise, the, normally mundane, braking process could turn into serious ordeal for their already tattered ship and especially for its injured crew. .
Yuuno gritted his teethes, he need to tell this information to uncle Kaien immediately and then… Well, Kaien despite his attitude was a splendid and experienced archeologist and talented mage, who teach Yuuno everything he know and Yuuno couldn’t let his tribe to lose such master. Uncle already done so much for him, so it was Yuuno’s turn to return the offer, with his life if necessary.
The train of his thoughts was interrupted with a low hiss of closing pod’s airlock. Yuuno’s head twirled with threatening speed, but his gaze fell on already close door. Moreover, through little window on the airlock he could see the closing internal shutter. Before he could lift the restrainers the mage circle appear on the right, showing tired and suddenly older face of Kaien Scrya. On the background, blond teen could see already active evacuation bay control panel, which mean that now Yuuno’s ability to affect the situation was strongly restricted to diplomatic ones.
“Seems that you already know that some drastic measures is needed, eh m’boy?”
“Uncle!” Yelped Yuuno, trying to lift the restrainers, but with quick push on few icons his uncle blocked them in place. “What are you doing?
“Hm?” Bald man tapped his forehead with index finger and then said with wry smile. “How about, that I went crazy from an insane amount of outdated apple juice and now hijacking the ship, and drive left crew away?”
“Uncle, quit it!” Interrupted him Yuuno fiercely still struggling with a safety mechanism, which now became his jail. “There is no time for jokes, the ship on a verge of exploding, and even if you manage to prevent hyper-drive from detonation, you will run out of air, before the help will come.”
“I know that all, Yuuno.” Retorted Kaien calmly, his gaze set firmly on his nephew.
“And I know that I wouldn’t get out of this situation alive. But I’ll be damned if I let you to bite the dust here!”
“Uncle Kaien. Please, think rationally…” Pleaded, Yuuno, trying to persuade his relative, now leaving the useless attempts to lift the restrainers with brute force and hoping to hold his uncle long enough for his mana to restore to necessary level to teleport. ”We both know that you much more valuable to Scry tribe...
“Tribe can suck my dick!!!” Roraed Kaien, finally snapping by the pressure of satiation. The veins of his forehead bulged his face red as tomato and foam appear in the edges of his mouth. “Kek, the tribe, kek the elders, kek even this fruggle Jewel Seeds, I WOULDN’T LET YOU DIE HERE, YUUNO!!”
The sheer volume of shout and, even more, the burning gaze, make Yuuno try to
dug into seat bask first. Thought, sharp complains of his broken ribs snap him out of this.
“B-but…” he started, but older Scrya don’t let him to interrupt him. “Yuuno, m’boy I was there when you were born, a little screaming lump of flesh, cradled gently in Dria, your mother’s arms. Glem took me, a 13 year old snot-nosed brat and lead me here; he then took you from his wife’s hand and put you into mine. You still sniffed a bit and fidget a little, but when you open you little green eyes and then sailed, while looking at my and your father, I could almost physically fell the love and affection you addressed to Glem and me. Then big bro sad: “Kaien. It’s Yuuno, I and Dria always wanted you to become his godfather. Will you accept our request?” Oh my…” Kaien, whose expression gradually softened during the talk, lowered his eyes, which started to leak again, and smiled gently. “I remember myself to crying out of joy that time: my precious brother entrusted his treasured baby to such idler like me. I stuttered words of gratitude, while crying like little girls, quivering like leaf swallowing snots and trying not to drop you. I saw how you grown before my eyes, and when Glem and Dria died during that incident, I fight with elders for a right to raise you.”
Yuuno stared at his crying uncle with shock, he always thought that Kaien raised him because he was his father closest living relative, but to think that Kaien Scrya would try this hard just to weight a burden of raising him, a little boy at that time, on his shoulders. Blond mage could feel a lump in his throat.
“Uncle Kai-en…” Whispered Yuuno. Hearing his fading voice, older archaeologist lifted his tear-soaked face and continued with a smile.
“You such incredible boy Yuuno: you just a 15 years old boy, but you already know all of my spells and I think, year after you would be as good as I if not better, despite me having an 13 years long advantage, you a true prodigy m’boy. You respected and loved by many in our tribe, for you hard-working nature and kind, generous and compassionate heart. Admit it my boy, even without ability to read minds I know, that you thought of taking my place and let this old perverted drunktard to escape.” Kaien give him a knowing wink, increasing flow of tears. A older mage face, which steadily loose the color after the outburst, now was pale, ragged mask of a tattered flesh strained on a skull as if together with loud shout his uncle released his own life power. Yuuno eyes start to leak too. He couldn’t believe that this dried up old man was his uncle who just few hours ago were full with energy and life. Young man couldn’t believe that this nightmare was real; that their short but memorable vacation on Mid-Childa was now is a unattainable dream. He still couldn’t accept the death of reliable and friendly Kerl and the immediate loose of so many treasures of old. But most of all, Yuuno didn’t even want to think that was the last time he see his uncle alive.
No! Blond mage gritted his teethes, desperately mustering all crumbs of mana, that his Linker Core managed to restore already. He wouldn’t let its end like that, what he need it’s to regain enough mana to cast a teleport! This time, the nausea didn’t came, but the response from his Linker Core was so insanely weak, that he feel it only after few moments of trying. Seems, that Jewel Seeds really suck a lot from him. He won’t be able to restore enough magic power in time at this rate. But he didn`t give up – he still has options left for him.
Yuuno stretched his left hand, desperately hoping that his arm was long enough to reach a container with a survival kit. The Goddess’ merciful gaze reach him this time and his index finger pushed a button on the plastic surface, forcing a small cream-colored cover to open. His eyes meet the view of capacious light-gray colored backpack with a tent, which was attached to a top. The backpack was filled with numerous necessities to survival: a hald-dozen of storage crystals, charged with healing spells a med kit, if the crystals wasn’t enough, food supply, a lamp and many others. But what Yuuno seek was attached to its right side – a big flask, filled with siral water – a sweet liquid that not only good satisfy a thirst, but also give a significant boost to mana restoration. Without spending a second, archeologist mage pulled flask out, open it and make a two greedy swallows from it. The feeling of water against his throat was agonizingly pleasant, seems that he managed to lose s significant amount of body liquids already, but most wonderful feelings was slight but notable tingle deep inside of his being, a stable reaction of Linker Core, his mana rise to a level when he can cast a simple spells, now he need just another five minutes…
Kaien, who already whipped the tears and carefully studied monitor’s ridings, sighed sadly, while glancing at his nephew.
“I can understand your, and I truly admire, your tenacity in this question but I think you should stop this. Believe me, your plan to teleport on the bay and force me to change plan wouldn’t work, simple because shaft, where pod stay is well protected from teleporting spells and wouldn`t allow you to teleport something out or in. Protected by me, if you want to know”
Yuuno cursed. Uncle Kaien always could show a surprising amount of wits and ingenuity, when he was properly motivated, but why this reason was hi adamant resolution to prevent his own nephew from saving him.
“Damn it, uncle.” Snapped Yuuno. Glaring at pale-faced mage with such intwnsw that older Scrya flinched a bit. “Why, you`re so stubborn?! Why can’t you even consider that there IS a chance to save you? How could you so esily to toss your life away?!! HOW COULD YOU IGNORE MY FEELINGS ABOUT YOUR DEMISE?!!!” The last sentence was shout with such force, that Yuuno for a moment lost his hearing and Kaien even step back under the volume of sound and burning gaze, his nephew give him, ironically switching their roles compared to recent conversation.
“I… I`m sorry m`boy.” Softly whispered bald man, after short pause, lowering his gaze. “I really a disgusting robbar for duing this to you. But please…” His voice cracked. “Please, I simply can’t let you die. Not after…” He shook his head sadly and continued. “Not after I lose my dear brother, not after I promised him to look after you. And still…” He chuckled mirthlessly, finally meeting Yuuno’s gaze with his own. “We need someone to take care of Jewel Seeds. We both know what a disaster could occur if they stay here, when hyper-drive explode, they could sheer the power of explosion to a gargantum proportion and we, Scryas, can’t allow this to happens. I used my last remains of mana to create a spell, that would catapult them out of ship, and while they would scatter, since we don’t need them to restart they misbehaving; and I afraid that my teleporting spell will affect them badly, the still don’t scatter too much. I know it`s not ideal, and it`s to put it mildly, but it`s the best what we have. So, after we leave hyper-space there is a two possible outcome: if there no planet nearby, or they not suitable for our species, you would teleport them in (since outside the ship`s hull my block won’t work), one by one and put them into special containment units, luckily I manage to find enough among the all mountains of things in our storage room. Then, you`ll activate the hyper-space emergency beacon and, if needed, use a storage crystal with a three red lines and yellow square, which contain eternal coffin spell. I know it’s overkill, but it would allow you to survive, until Bureau fetch you.” Not his uncle, nor Yuuno himself don’t even dare to think what would happen. if bureau wouldn’t. Though it was an easy to imagine – one teen mage with a company of twenty ones super-powerful ancient artifacts and other priceless relics would gleefully play in refrigerator and ice cream inside of a certain space pod for an end of times. Kaien cleared his throat and continued, glancing of control panel warily. “Heh, our time is running out boy, we would enter normal space in less than two minutes, so listen…” Kaien suddenly chuckled, shrugging a bit and then continued, while pressing pair of icons. The pod`s engines start to hum softly, but steadily becoming louder and louder. “Well, if we met a plane that more or less can support your live, then you… I think you know what to do even without my useless blabbering. So I just said this: Live, Yuuno!” Older mage’s voice start to rise in volume and even his lifeless eyes start to shine, Kaien Scrya mustered his strength for last time in his life. “Just live! I can`t decide for you, so I leave all choices for ya! You can bring them back to TSAB, you can bury them under kilometers of earth, you can toss them into black hole; I wouldn`t suggest such rubbish like becoming a king with their might, as you would be the first to kick my ass for such crap. What I want from you m`boy is to live. To find I girl, who will bring an ultimate happiness into your book-eating live. Or two, if you want. Or a keking harem. Just your own family! LIVE Yuuno!!” Roared his uncle on top of this lung, putting all of his being in this one word. And then the silence consumed the evacuation bay for a moment.
“Attention to crew. The ship leaving the hyper-space. Activate the shunting engines.” The computer`s monotone voice crack the quite atmosphere like a hammer. “I repeat: ship will leave the hyper-space in 10…9…8…7…6…5.”
“Prepare yourself m`boy!” Hissed through gritted teethes older Scrya, his right arm squeezing the side of consol for a possible incidents and his left, raised slightly above the screen with a little green magic circle rotating a centimeter over his slightly relaxed fingers.
“…4…3…2…1…Entering normal space!”
There was a wave of stinginess washing over body, Yuuno get fairly used to this. But he didn’t get used for a fierce fit of a jerking that started a moment after the ship leave hyper-space.
It was almost as bad as what happen to them during fold-storm: Yuuno was almost grateful to his uncle for pinning him down with restrainers – in his state he again would be thrown around by ship’s erratic movements like rag-doll, his broken ribs answer to this with agonizing flash of pain. On the still working magic circle, teen could see his uncle fall on his knees desperately clothing on a consol; still he complete spell without a mistake and Yuuno, could almost see hoe twenty one green tracers ejected from the ship and flow toward their point of destination.
Kaien managed only lightly raise his head and glance at his nephew.
“We`re lucky m’boy, we exit the hyper-space right into the mesosphere of planet. And seems that atmosphere, judging by scanner reading is acceptable for us!! My shields hold up for now. Thank Goddess, Kerl didn’t like fast rides, otherwise our poor van would kiss his ass goodbye very fast, and we together with him!”
Indeed, the speed of ship in normal space was irrelevant to the speed of hyper-jump, with was mostly veiled on a power of hyper-drive, so, in normal practice, the ships flight with an 40% engine’s output before entering hyper-space. Tom out it bluntly – the difference in flight through normal-space and hyper-space was akin to descent by stairs and descent by escalator. Your own speed would be the same, but since the “space” move with you, you’ll go through your rout much faster. But worrywart Kerl prefer to go at 30# of output, before hyper-jump and now it’s give them additional time. Though the ship was doomed anyway: either uncle’s spell will wear out or friction with air destroy the already tattered vessel, or they just crush into planet and explode.
Pod’s engines roar like hungry razorbear, going at full power. Kaein rammed his fist into console and with loud boom external shutter was blasted out by installed explosion spell mixed with normal explosive.
Kaien turned around with visible strain and one last time looked at his most precious relative. A gentle smile, which so rarely was seen on his normally tricky face, lighted up his expression and he said last words with power, that come from the depth oh his heart.
“I love you my boy. Godspeed, Yuuno!!”
The magic screen disappear before Yuuno could say anything in response, the jolts of the dying ships increased with each moments, the streams of flame erupted from small escape vessel’s engines and with a thunderous roar escape pod darted from the shaft.
Because of his injures, and starting overload, Yuuno was barely able to turn his tearing face and toss last glance at his uncle’s would-to-be graveyard.
He was wrong: ship wasn’t destroyed by friction, neither he crush; the numerous stream of white energy smash into shields drowning the small rear window in binding light, but a moment after tear-ripping roar reverberate through air. Yuuno was forced to shut his eyes tight, but even so, he still “saw” how Scrya tribe small cargo ship disappear in sphere of flame.
The planet wasn’t just acceptable for his species, she already was populated by high-advanced race. And this race didn’t like unexpected guests. Yuuno understand, that now it’s a matter of seconds before he also disappear in the blast.
NO! He gritted his teethes in a mix of sorrow, despair and berserker rage. His uncle die, and he wouldn’t allow his death to be useless. He dived deep into his being, summoning every magic he manage to restore, while plunging his hands into special sockets, which allow his magic to mix with pod’s magic amplifiers. Yuuno push his magic sense to maximum, trying to find a destination of just one of Jewel Seeds. Find it! Without thinking, he inscribe founded coordinated in magic formula Young mage twirl all accumulated mana around him like a rope, ignoring the pain in right side of his torso and with a vicious howl release the energy in the tempest of teleporting spell. Spell first hurled into mage amplifiers, installed into nose sections, and then streamed through mana-conductors, which goes through entire hull.
Two large green circles appear on both sides of escape vessel and it’s disappear from the sky a moment before the another salvo of energy pierced a place in air, where it was.