D.E.M.O.N.S: Getting Summoned Weekly isn't so Bad

--- Nixilei ---

Approaching the trees allowed Nixilei and Asteodia to relax. Even if they'd been packed together avoiding them had never been on the table. The bird caused them both to feel a sort of existential terror, one time didn't dull much if at all. Sure it hadn't attacked them so far, but now they were closer it was clear the scale of thing was a step up from what they were worried about. It sat, watching the forest like some sort of watchdog. Guarding it's territory more like the owner of a slaughterhouse then a farmer. 

Still, within those leaves was the safest place right now. The fact that the largest trees crowded out competition up near the top, giving plenty of space for the plane to slide between the branches was a godsend neither were willing to overlook. Sure there were animals they could already make out, but after seeing the bird, both were more than willing to fight whatever came. Smaller creatures just didn't have the same fear right now, even if intellectually they knew that a Rank 3 or 4 creature of such a size would be just as, if not more deadly then the bird… it was hard to properly keep that in mind right now. 

In addition, such things were ridiculously rare, and they were both nearly certain that a titanic creature like that bird would brook no competitors of similar strength in the area. Of course it was possible the bird was actually the pet, and not the owner… but that was a terrifying thought that was dismissed by both women before either would give voice to them. 

In the trees the first and most obvious of the monsters was a moderately sized ape with seven limbs. The standard arms, legs, and tail, plus an additional set of arms that came up out of the shoulders. It seemed as if they used the upper arms primarily to get around as well as for defence of the face. Nixilei could see two of them fighting, or perhaps, posturing, would be a better description. The pair were a few branches below the spot they were aiming for, and one was using their upper hands to guard while the other held a large rock in one of their upper hands. 

Then there were the bugs. Some were probably normal sized, but Nixilei could make out at least one giant caterpillar that was as large as the plane, if not bigger. It was a somewhat plane green with little brown splotches around the legs alongside razer sharp but tiny teeth, especially for its size. 

*I really hope this doesn't mean we're going to run into a giant butterfly. Not that I don't think we could deal with it if that's what it came too… but I'm so done with oversized monsters right now that I'd really just rather avoid the whole thing.*

Nixilei glanced around, wondering if she'd find any other giant birds, if smaller then the one above… only to spot the opposite. Teeny tiny birds that she could only just barely see as the plane started to fly over one of the branches. They looked a bit like hummingbirds, but they were barely the size of Nixilei's thumb. The colours on them were breathtaking, and Nixilei almost wanted to stop and take a look just for that. 

The only reason she didn't was that she could feel something working at the edges of her mind as she stared at the swarm of birds. It wasn't strong at all, and Nixilei was having a hard time telling what it was even supposed to do, but looking away from the birds removed the feeling entirely so Nixilei was willing to be they were responsible. 

They continued on like this for a while. Everything in the forest was moving, but moving quietly. There was the occasional rustle of leaves but the plane was, for the moment, the loudest thing in the area by far and it was putting Nixilei and Asteodia slightly on edge. Sure it was probably the bird that had scared everything… but it had been nearly ten minutes since then, and things were still on the quieter side. 

Nixilei swallowed, wanting to ask a question just to alleviate some of the tension. A quiet conversation wouldn't be overheard over the gears on the plane, but perhaps now wasn't the time. Instead the silence continued for another minute, then five. Asteodia was the one to break this silence, as she asked, "So what's the plan here. If we get attacked that is. How quickly can you get the suit on?" 

"Not long… just a few seconds probably? I can get myself into the sleeves in one or two seconds maximum but if we really want to be fast I'd need you to do up the zipper for me, and if you're doing that… might need to 'freeze' the plane when you take your hands of the controller just in case. Seeing as we're talking again, how are your legs doing? Are you fine to keep pedalling?"  said Nixilei. 

"Ah… yes sorry about the silence but… it felt wrong to break it. Like we'd be attacked instantly. Obviously that hasn't happened… yet, but I'm still a bit worried so I needed a reason to talk. We can keep talking now the silence has been broken without us getting mauled… but as for my legs. Hmm… 

"They're not burning or anything I can probably keep going for another twenty minutes at least, and my mana will last that long without issue. My only concern is, would it be better to take a short break now while things are calm, at least, calmer. Perhaps swap into the suit? I probably still have more mana then you even with the time you've taken to regenerate more.

"Then again, maybe it's better for you to drive for a while and keep the suit? No you need more mana before we consider that… but it might be for the best we swap out before I get exhausted just in case you need to jump out and defend us. If you use all your mana and I don't have enough of my own to keep the plane in the air until you wake up we'll both be in trouble. 

"It's even worse because I'm still not confident I could use the wingsuit properly. So it's probably best to keep me above say… twenty percent mana? Maybe thirty? Though I don't want you to use up all of your mana either. If you're out of it, defending us will be much harder… but you probably need a bigger 'safe reserve' closer to forty or maybe even fifty percent. Hmm… I'm really not sure what to do for now," rambled Asteodia, the words spilling from her mouth like a waterfall. 

"Asteodia, it's ok, we'll work through it. Fleeing, and using the plane's weapons should take priority, and then the next step will be for me to climb towards the section the plane being attack while keeping hold of it if I can. Sure the weapon systems are costly, but what really burns mana is flying, especially catching up. So as long as I'm defending from the plane things won't be too bad for me. Still, it would be better to avoid fights when possible. As long as we're not taking too much damage fleeing we can save on mana just by fleeing which seems ideal," said Nixilei soothingly.

Asteodia gulped and nodded, looking over at the trees that surrounded them. They were… kind of boring outside of their size. Thick branches, thicker trunks. Dense green leaves around the branches but plenty of space to move around between them. Clearly the tree expected the layers of giant leaves to take up most of the sunlight… and it did. Here in between the branches it looked more like late evening then just before mid-day like it was in truth. 

Asteodia shuddered before whispering, "Should I provide us some light? I can summon up a bit of flame for barely any mana. It wouldn't do any damage, just… make it not so dark," 

"Is that something we need?" asked Nixilei. "It's bright enough, for now anyway and using up mana for anything that isn't driving the plane seems like a bit of a waste," 

"No, you're right," said Asteodia with a sigh. "I don't even know why I suggested it. I suppose the atmosphere is getting to me or something. Sure it wouldn't be much mana… but it'd probably halve the amount of time I've got left driving the plane, just because of how these things add up over time," 

Nixilei glanced around Asteodia hadn't seemed to notice but she was now gripping the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles were right. That suggestion for light didn't just come from nowhere, it came from some deep fear. Something was scaring the woman, and Nixilei couldn't tell what it was. So instead, she kept her eyes peeled for anything that could be causing it. Nothing was jumping out… but that didn't mean good things.