Vwoooooooooooossshhhhhhhmmmm!♪

“Try to keep a low altitude Mf, the aurora the stream is disruptive.”

“Noted.”

Jwoooohhh♪

The jukebox now in the form of a circular spaceship zooms over the land of Gaia to it’s next destination

“I’ve really never seen a map like this before,” Mf looks down on the control dashboard at a vaguely detailed image of the area

“This functions like tech, but you say it’s a requiem.”

“Hmm?

Yeah that’s the requiem map,” yawns Pinoki who had been distracting himself with the aerial scenery replies

“Kage and I wanted it not too long ago, I thought he took it with him, but Amelia told me back in Furlheim that she took and left it with Zinnia,

You’re welcome for that by the way,”

“Seems like you didn’t want to stay in Soterra for long at all.” Comments Shiryu 

“A day was enough for me,

I saw some familiar faces, let everyone know I’m not dead, that’s all that needed to be done, 

I’ll probably go back in a years time again, that’s if I survive this next adventure.” Pinoki’s eyes gleam of excitement

“You know for someone who is afraid of danger you seem eager to throw yourself into those situations,”

“I am not afraid of danger, I live for it, I only try to escape and run because I don’t want to die, come on Shiryu that should be given.”

“You don’t want to die then don’t put yourself in the position to be killed,”

“Blehh,” Pinoki makes a face

“What’s the fun in that?

I rather escape any day than confront or fight powerful people or creatures,

I put myself in the position to pull off legendary escapes and survivals,

Trust me it is infinitely more fun to run away than to stand like a like a hero and fight,”

“Nope they are both anxiety inducing if you ask me.” Mf gives his two cents

“On Terra the education system teaches us to always surrender to those stronger than you, so that’s what I would do,” says Shiryu

“Why didn’t you bow to Geedorah then?” inquiries Pinoki 

“Strength isn’t just raw power when we say strength we mean power and intelligence,

I was weaker in power but superior intellect,”

“Damn the first ring sounds so advanced, I mean I always knew it was but hearing it from an actual native puts it in perspective,” Mf murmurs

“We are the pinnacle of all human beings,” Shiryu puffs boastfully subsequently receiving no response from the other two as the scenery abrupt halt shifts from colorful day to black night

“Whooah.” Mf

“That was so seamless how it just changed times.”

“This is what you call the bends?” Pinoki asks equally as awed

“Yeah.” Come a dry response from Shiryu, 

“And it didn’t change time it’s still day, your human eyes just can’t discern the different levels of darkness,”

“There is a spectrum of darkness?” Mf an Pinoki now peer out at the dark sky as if the would see it themselves

“You won’t see it, even if I described it you wouldn’t be able to perceive it, the actual color is something unsaleable to humans so your brain’s default to calling it black,

It’s still really dark here though”

“You’re a treasure trove of information Shiryu,” compliments Mf,

“I love you,” comes a sudden response

“Huh? Pardon bro?”

“Are we friends now Mf?” 

“Ummm, sure…

You’re weird as shit Shiryu, but I guess we can friends.”

“Yoww is that the place?” points Pinoki who hadn’t been paying heed to the others,

Ahead the silhouette of the sky citadel comes into view

“That is the place,

You can fly around the sides to the hangers,”

“There are hangers in that old castle?”

“Mhm, most don’t know this but the beastmen actually access to advanced technology, they have or had a good collection of ships,

But the problem is they don’t work on the mainland, the moment a jet flies into the mainland all the systems fail at instantaneously.”

…

…

...

…

….

…Crcsshk♪

Shiryu jumps down out of the hovering jukebox into the open ship bay atop the citadel, his feet causes an echo throughout the large empty enclosure

“Where are all the ships you said?” Pinoki jumps out after him

“I blew them up,”

“huh?”

“It’s a whole other story, I’ll tell you later…

Mf you keep mobile, fly circling the citadel, and if we don’t come back after a while start shooting.”

“I didn’t sign up for this, but ok.” Mf calls from inside the ufo-like aircraft, before slipping back out the bay beginning it’s first lap

(Home sweet home)

“Come on let’s get on with this quickly, Pinoki”

The two make the way to the back of the dark spacious hanger into the a waiting elevator

Pingk♪

“Yoww~” marvels Pinoki as a shaft begins moving 

For him a bizarre but intriguing experience, for Shiryu a tense, unsettling situation

(No way they don’t know we’re here already) he thinks

(Surely they noticed is flying in)

“I am surprised we have not been spotted yet.” Pinoki says as if hearing Shiryu’s thoughts

“Most of the beasts moved to the mainland when the dragon first appeared, but still there should be a few here to spot us.” Mumbles Shiryu

Pingk♪

The elevator stops 

(This far isn’t the floor I wanted)

“Maybe they……” Pinoki who had started speaking immediately trials off as the door opens to an unfamiliar figure

A figure almost identical to a human woman, her body perfectly proportioned and curved her skin ashen white like a corpse’s behind her two black silky bat-like wings, being the only indicator that this person is indeed not human 

“We were expecting you,” she flashes a perfect smile that almost hypnotizes Pinoki if not for Shiryu snapping his fingers between his eyes

“I… I’m here to know something,” stutters the young man

“From Dracula I mean…”

“You are here because this is your home,” the beast woman smiles again turning around betokening them to follow

“Who is, what is that?” whispers Pinoki

“She can still hear you,

That is Lamia the other half of the two vampires, 

Her and Dracula are the most intelligent of the beasts so the act as delegates,”

“That is correct,” Lamia looks over her shoulder smiling seductively again

“Look away,” warns Shiryu 

“I heard she draws in humans easily like that.” 

“Rest easy, I’m not going to eat your friend,” the vampire turns back around, 

“Just making sure he was human.”

“That felt weird,” blinks Pinoki like he hadn’t heard anything just spoken

“Where is she even taking us to?” 

Stepping out of the elevator took the two into a dim corridor where they met Lamia, who leads them further down the hall which gradually gets darker and darker the deeper they get

Soon the walls becoming practically invisible in the darkness, Pinoki and Shiryu stick close together in silence on their upmost guard, should anything befall them,

…

…

“Everybody is waiting,” Lmaia abruptly stops at the end of the corridor, 

Shiryu squints in the dark to make out where she has stopped seeing nothing but a stone wall,

(A dead end?)

…

As the thoughts pass his mind Lamia suddenly steps into the wall

“Come on don’t be afraid,” she calls,

(What are we getting into)

Vwoop!

A hard breeze slaps across the faces of Pinoki and Shiryu the moment they walk into the wall, completely phasing past it into a room?

“Are we outside?” Pinoki blinks in finally being able to see anything that isn’t darkness again 

They step into a strange enclosure….

A small forest covering the width of the room set directly in front of a tall mountain to the back of the room

“This doesn’t make sense,” Pinoki peers up at the roof,

“How is there a mountain, yet the roof….”

“Don’t think on it too much you’ll just confuse yourself,” Shiryu says while peering around in confusion himself,

…

“Hey, where did that woman go?

She was right in front of us–” Shiryu began to point out when

–graahghh!”

A large carnivorous beast lunges itself into his chest!