The borehole's pilot door slid open, the cloud knights seemed unnerved as a Reaver stepped out, then he looked around.
"Welcome to Xianzhou Luofu!" A man stepped forward, extending a hand, "I am Wen Yun, sent by the general to personally escort you to a hotel."
They shook hands, the baryon was strapped behind him and was ready to activate anytime if he felt danger.
"I'm Oli," He said, "Sent by Lord Celenova to discuss some things."
'Yeah, things. I hope that's good enough of a reason to escape when I get the chance.' he thought.
"Ah, so she's willing to communicate through you?"
He nodded, they both walked together as cloud knights formed around them in a box. Wide space and the wall was far from him to run away from these knights. He'll wait, after all patience was what always served him well.
"I don't see any civilians in the port," Oli asked, "Is it because of me?"
"No, no, Xianzhou Luofu is on lockdown." He smiled, "though you shouldn't worry, Ambassador. You're protected by us, so no trouble would arise with the cloud knights here."
'Im no idiot, they're definitely going to hold me up somewhere they can see and monitor me. I don't like that.' he thought.
"Oh? I'm very glad then."
They strode up the stairs as his view was greeted with a vast ocean of clouds, a long platform and starskiffs were hovering nearby as Wen Yun entered the one on the left.
"You're with me, Ambassador." He said, smiling with his probably fake smile.
Not that he cared. At least they tried, and he wouldn't be bothered, yet.
When the starskiff took off, he saw the clouds trailing from the tail of the skiff, looking over the clouds was surreal. Bright and so full of things to stare and possibly contemplate new lies to pull off.
When he turned to Wen Yun, two cloud knights beside him, he looked away. Afraid that he was staring for too long. The silence wasn't comfortable either, but he was good at breaking these things.
"You all have a wonderful home." He said.
Wen Yun visibly winced, his expression instantly relaxed and a smile formed on his lips once again. That was fast, and probably misunderstood what he meant as that was suppose to disarm whatever negative things he thought of him.
'Ah, right. That shouldn't be appropriate for me.'
"Y-yes, it's a beautiful place to be born and enjoy life." Finally, he turned to him, "do you enjoy life, Ambassador?"
"Enjoy? I can't say. Depends on the situation." Other times it was horrible, and sometimes it was the best.
Wen Yun nodded, "The general hasn't received any news from Lord Ravager Celenova. So he's expecting to meet you in person, and hopefully you contact her."
"Will I get to have a small free time? I need to form a connection with her." He said.
The cloud knights looked at each other, Wen Yun seemed confused or rather afraid. Was there something they didn't tell him? And why was he docked in another port when they could've just docked him near the biggest city he'd seen when being being flown down?
'There were no civilians, so what is happening? I need to get more from him.'
"We'll uh, ask the general if he approves." Wen Yun turned away, looking at the clouds beyond the windows.
'of course, they think it's already suspicious enough, but why the lockdown? Surely they can't just do that if it's only one reaver. Hmm. He likes to look at the clouds, yes. That should be my first clue then.'
"I've always wondered what it feels like to soar through these clouds." Oli said, "you ever thought of it, mister yun?"
Wen Yun smiled as Oli could swear the man narrowing his eyes. Reminiscing perhaps a certain childhood, or a dream he used to have when he was still naive and innocent.
"Many times," he yawned, "the star skiffs provide that opportunity, but I barely use them anymore."
"Curious, is it because of your work? Surely you could make more time for it, just from our small conversation you seem to be the type to have a lot of freedom if needed."
Wen Yun chuckled, turning to him and looking him in his 'eyes', though he seemed to be searching for it in his face somewhere. But he settled on just making an imaginary eyes on him.
"You mistake me then," he smiled, goodness it seemed so genuine and warm, "I'm always busy, the Xianzhou makes certain everyone does their job properly. Can't have fugitives and slackers now can we?"
A certain someone popped into Oli's mind, rather vague but it was someone he should know but can't put his finger into. Strange.
'Push him through, I need him to slip up.' he thought.
"So, this lockdown is making it ten times harder for you then?"
"Just a stellaron matter," he said, "we'll eventually seal it soon."
The cloud knights grunted, agreeing to Wen yun when it dawned on Oli that his situation might be more horrible than he realized. He shifted in his chair, looking over at the window as the sight of the next floating island was approaching. Tall structures, and large platform above the sea of clouds. It was magnificent.
Wen Yun looked at his cellphone, then shoved it back into his pocket. Whatever happens now, he needed to get out as fast as possible, they probably seized the Type-V now to study it.
* * *
"Here is your place, Ambassador."
Wen Yun smiled.
Oli did know whether he should be grateful or cry from the sheer bluntness the Luofu offered for a "hotel".
It was a large box, grey design and glistening from the light that reflected from it. There was a single door at the front, sadly no mirrors on either side.
"I'll have to apologize, Ambassador." Wen Yun strode pass him, "I know this isn't exactly what you hoped, but this is for protection. Your... Legion isn't exactly known for being peaceful. Much less with the stellaron currently being present."
Oli craned his head, but the man was already walking away, no longer interested to hear his own remarks. He sighed.
"I lied." Oli blurted.
The cloud knights tensed, their spear pointed at him suddenly. He heard one of them earlier talking about how there were forty of them here, yet. He didn't see forty, he saw vast soldiers ready to impale him with their curved spears.
Even with his mobility, he was outnumbered and everywhere he would go would be greeted with the same violence.
"I knew it!" Yelled one the knights, "he's probably here to cause more damage!"
Wen Yun turned, horrified as he began running back to where they came from. Probably away from any danger or him in that matter.
"Wait! that's not what I meant!" Oli raised his arms, "see? I'm no threat, I surrender just don't kill me please."
The knights in front of him turned to each other, then back at him.
"And how do we know that? Huh? You think raising your hands is surrendering?"
"You're probably just stalling us!"
Slowly, they inched forward. Determined to close the gap on him as Oili stepped back. No, he would not raise his weapon against innocent people, he would never.
"I just meant... Ah darn it." He summoned his blades, his posture defensive as the soldiers around him gathered and moved slowly in a wall of spears.
Running up to the box and shifting his gravity to run up there would be ideal, but just as he was about to do that, he saw four cloud knights from the edge, staring down at him with leveled spears.
'No time for regrets, now. I should've been more careful with my words.' he almost felt regret about that. How could he have just made a simple mistake?
Perhaps his years of talking to himself in the Legion had taken a toll in his mental health, and having to speak out his thoughts sometimes helps it.
Old habits die hard they say.
'Pick one out, I can't get cornered..'.
Oli struck the one in front, his spear deflected the blow down as he reached forward. Oli drew back, the soldiers drew near, one step, they were being cautious for a single man. And all of that for him was utterly ridiculous.
"Look," Oli said, "you guys have the thing that can read people's memories right? Can't you just bring me there to confirm if I'm really a threat?"
"He's trying to get there to break it!" One of them yelled.
"What? Darn it! I'm not a bomb or someone powerful!"
"Advance, crush him into a minced meat!"
Slowly, the soldiers began closing in as his baryon pressed on the wall. He needed to activate it now. He readied himself, the baryon pulsing within.
Suddenly, a pained cry erupted from the back lines, the soldiers all turned to the one guy who had dropped on his knees, his spear clanking on the ground. Even Oli was confused.
Looking at his hands that began to shake frantically, his voice shivering with words he could barely mutter, he looked up.
"H-hes mara strucked!" A soldier called .
Soldiers left and right, burst into mara struck, the wall line crumbling, spears falling and blood soon spilled the ground. Screams resonated after as the mara struck soldiers attacked anyone who wasn't infected.
The cloud knights reformed quickly, forming Into squads as they began fighting back.
'Oh my days!' Oli was mentally rejoicing, 'Bless whoever Aeon saved my poor self!'
Then, one step back, he bolted into the alleyway of the buildings. Sounds of heavy footsteps soon floated to his ears as reinforcement likely arrived to help the surprised cloud knights.
Meanwhile, under their heavy attack, Oli had slipped through and was grinning like an idiot mentally.