227 At The Bar

As Lycster tilted his head upwards to look at their surroundings, he quickly noticed that most buildings in Volitar City were made of the same material. Most of them were in the same shade of sandy yellow. 

The citizens of Volitar were mostly made up of a race of beings known as the harpies. They were human hybrid looking creatures with a beak for a mouth, hands at the ends of their wings and feathered legs and talons. 

Volitar was not their home base, but it was one of the many cities in the sky that it loosely governed. Due to its unique location in the Sky trading routes, it has attracted many traders and merchants. 

This made it easy for the siblings to move about as they simply looked like travellers from a distant land. Being in such an unfamiliar surrounding did not really bother Lycster, but it does make him a little skittish. 

There were too many variables around him. Too many things could go wrong. So, he decided to stay near his sister, holding her hand for added safety. Vy did not mind as it was easier for them to stick together. 

"Where are we going exactly?" Lycster asked Vy. 

"We're looking for a restaurant. Do you remember the restaurant we went to in the Alterra Sector? Where we first met the associates of Future Eye?" Vy asked. 

Lycster nodded. 

"As it turns out, they have a Restaurant Nudel Monstre here as well. That is where we will be receiving precious cargo."

Just as they finished their conversation, the familiar aromatic fragrance permeated their senses. They were getting close to the restaurant. Sure enough, they arrived at the doorstep of the restaurant, with its familiar signboard hanging from above. 

"Welcome to Nudel Monstre, are you here to dine with us or take away?" a waiter greeted them at the door. 

"We're here for a takeaway," Vy replied as she flashed the letter card she had received from Zylphy. 

The waiter ushered them into the restaurant and brought them to the bar counter near the end of the restaurant. As it was still quite early on in the day, there were not many customers just yet. 

The bartender greeted Vy and Lycster, and invited them to take a seat. He was a harpy, covered in light grey feathers. 

"Your takeaway is still being transported here. Would you both care for a drink while you wait?" he offered them.

"Sure, what would you recommend?" Vy asked. 

The bartender recommended Vyrena to try a refreshing berry-infused ice tea with a hint of mint and offered Lycster a chocolate milkshake. 

"What's a milkshake?" Lycster asked. 

He knew what chocolate and milk was, but a shake?

"It's made out of chocolate, milk and ice cream," Vy explained. 

"Ice cream?"

"Yeah. Do you remember the parfait dessert we had at Yama Yoma?" she asked him. 

Lycster's face lit up, "Yes! Oh, that's ice cream?"

Vy nodded. 

Vy took a sip of her iced tea. The added mint gave it a refreshing aftertaste while the berries gave the otherwise flavourless tea some sweetness. Both of them enjoyed their drinks as they talked about what they were going to do after their current mission was complete. 

"We would still have to see if the third and final mission comes right after. Plus, we don't even know how long this current mission is going to take," Vy commented. 

"Isn't it just a simple delivery? I'm sure it will be over swiftly."

If only that was true. 

After some time, the bartender returned with another associate who introduced himself as Hamer. He carried with him a sizable trunk case. With the bartender's help, he placed it on the bar counter. 

"Have you been briefed on the delivery?" Hamer asked. 

"I have read the instructions provided. We are to deliver this to Trilantis, where an associate will meet us there," Vy replied.

Hamer nodded but his expression did not look positive. Something must be off. Vy could feel it in her gut that this was not going to be as easy as they hoped. She was right. According to Hamer, 'accidents' had occurred during the trip it took for the trunk case to arrive. 

Hence, additional protection spells have been cast upon the case. These spells protect the case and its contents, but it would also not allow them to use any teleportation devices or spells. 

"So we won't be able to use any keystone portals to get to the destination?" Vy asked to clarify. 

"Yes, that is correct."

Due to this unfortunate development, the route they needed to take changed. They now need to spend more time travelling through terrain to get to their destination. The bartender brought over a map and laid it out on the counter for them to see. 

Hamer showed them where they were on the map and where they needed to get to. It was a lot of road to cover. The good thing is, that Vy and Lycster were able to fly and the trunk could be stored in their spatial storage. 

Based on the distance they needed to travel, it would take them six days to fly to the Triking Sea, where Trilantis was located. As it turns out, it was going to take more than that. 

"More than six days? Do you not trust our flight abilities?" Vy asked as she crossed her arms. 

"Yeah! Do you think we're not able to fly fast enough?" Lycster backed his sister up. 

Hamer shook his head, "Oh no no, that's not it."

"Then what is it?" Vy asked. 

Hamer pointed to the first terrain they would cross, which was known as the Bleak Lands[1]. It was a cold snowy terrain that frequently experienced heavy snow and snowstorms. This meant, flying in that weather would be difficult, even for experienced flyers. 

The second terrain, known as Rihi Desert, is famous for its strong winds and sandstorms. Visibility while travelling would prove to be an obstacle. Not to mention the severe lack of water sources. 

Lastly, the Shrouds Forest, rumoured to be populated with vengeful ghouls and anguished spirits of the dead. The good news was that a team would be hired to escort them through the Shrouds Forest. 

After spending some time to review the information in her mind, Vy asked, "Based on your estimate, how long would it take for us to reach the Triking Sea?"

"The earliest you would arrive there, assuming everything goes well…" Hamer calculated the numbers in his mind and came to the conclusion, "Two weeks, maybe more."

"Two weeks?!" Lycster exclaimed. 

Vy knew it was not going to be easy. Nothing ever was. Aether looked up at her. 

-There's still the possibility of being attacked.- Aether commented. 

-Attacked?- Vy asked. 

Recalling what Hamer had said, Vy realised that Aether was right. If a team was hired to escort them through the Shrouds Forest, it must be a dangerous journey. They would need to be on their guard at all times. 

Vy began to worry. Maybe bringing Lycster along was not the best idea. One look at his sister's face and Lycster knew exactly what she was about to say. 

"I don't care how dangerous it's going to be! We're going to this, together." Lycster declared with a grin. 

[1] Author san is not always great with names and she knows T^T if you have suggestions for location names, I am all ears!