Transfer

With the deal established, there were still a few problems to be dealt with. The biggest issue in any trade like this—and in this case especially—was the exchange itself. There's an enormous risk in the simple process of handing things over, for several reasons.

The most obvious, of course, was that no one involved trusted one another. They didn't like each other, either. Indeed, one might go so far as to say they might wish to see the other die horribly. I didn't have any particularly strong feelings towards Schnee, except in that I hated what his business did to innocent people, but I was pretty sure he was starting to hate me, admittedly with good reason. Given that, it would have been pretty foolish of me not to expect treachery, should I give him the chance. As he had several dozen Hunters backing him up, any number of whom could likely have taken me in a fight, that was more than a bit problematic.

Luckily, I was aware of that and, hopefully, ready for it.

"Very well," Schnee said. "Come down."

"I think this conversation will go more smoothly if you don't assume that I'm an idiot," I said, sounding amused. "I don't think so."

He gestured to the people around him, a stalling motion.

"As you've said, you have us at a disadvantage," He said. "We aren't going to do anything, I swear on my life."

"But I don't care about your life," I replied. "I do, however, care about making it more difficult. No."

If he'd been less experienced, less professional, I'm pretty sure Schnee would have been grinding his teeth. Instead, he simply nodded, looking cool and collected once more.

"Then shall we arrange a location for the trade?" He asked. "We can each release our prisoners into the grasps of a representative, if you wish."

I hummed, smiling as I shook my head.

"Why waste time?" I asked, sending a message to Levant as I braced myself. "We're both busy men, after all. Let's make this quick and simple. You let him go…and I'll let her go."

I released Weiss and she fell with a sudden shriek.

"Weiss!" He shouted, jerking forward a step uselessly. I saw several Hunters tense, preparing for something—but all of a sudden, Weiss fall slowed and began to reverse, rising back up to eye level with me. Weiss stared at me with wide eyes, looking down at the enormous distance between her and the earth. Her scream continued for a moment before she seemed to remember to cut it short, but the sound off pure, honest terror in it made me feel nauseous. She was gasping now, horrified as she danged helplessly in the air, but she didn't say a word, didn't beg.

Despite how I felt, I looked at her with a smile, fingers gently splayed in her direction as I made it look easy. Behind me, hidden by my body and cloak, Levant leaned into me, resting her forehead against my back as she did all the work. Her small hands grasped fistfuls of my cloak at the effort and I sent her a mental apology.

"I'm sorry," I said truthfully, to Weiss and Levant both, and then elaborated on it with a lie. "That was ungentlemanly of me. I just wanted to see how you'd react, Schnee."

I dropped my gaze, scanning his face and status screen, and then lifted my eyes to Weiss' own.

"Your father must love you a great deal," I said, knowing the words would mean something to her. "If you could see his face…but there's still things to do before that, no? Schnee, I'll send your daughter down to you, so keep you end of the bargain and send him on his way."

The white-haired man snarled something unintelligible, gesturing sharply at the gathered Hunters. When Adam began to move, none of them reacted and Levant began to lower Weiss, slowing her descent rather than stopping it. At my mental command, the White Whale began to slowly rise again.

"I'll withdraw somewhat to ease your worries," I told the people down below as I watched Weiss. She shook slightly as she dropped, but remained silent as she grit her teeth. "I'll even allow you to send someone up here to fetch her, though I encourage you not to try anything funny while your daughter's in the sky. No weapons, no Hunters, no Dust."

Without a word, I saw someone break free of the crowd, rushing towards a nearby Bullhead. I checked their level absently and didn't say a word as I went back to carefully watching Weiss.

The truth was, I needed someone to come up and get her. Levant didn't have the power or range to get her all the way to the ground, but I couldn't very well admit that, allow them to see weaknesses, limits—which meant I couldn't force them to do what I wanted. I could, however, make them want what I wanted, and since I wanted Weiss somewhere safe, it wasn't even hard.

It just left me feeling sick. I didn't want to do this—not that that meant anything since I had done it—but the truth was…

I took a step back, into the cover of the ship, and withdrew my scroll again.

'Can you get Adam to safety?' I asked Blake.

'Yes,' She replied simply.

I hesitated for a minute before writing a longer, more personal message.

'I'm sorry,' I said. 'I guess I failed, huh? I was supposed to help you prove that methods like this weren't needed, but…I couldn't let them take one of my friends or stop us now. I guess I really am…"

I sent the message without finishing it and there was a long pause before she replied.

'Where are you going to pick us up?'

'I'm sorry,' I sent again. 'But at the very least, I will save them.'

I closed my scroll and didn't open it even when it started flashing again. I went back to my vigil, looking at Weiss as we moved further and further apart, watching the people far below her to make sure nothing happened, and carefully monitoring the approach of the Bullhead, adjusting my speed accordingly to make sure he'd reach us in time.

The truth was…

I couldn't go down there. It was too dangerous; the moment I was on the ground and Weiss out of my clutches, they'd take action and put me down. That had been the real trap behind his words—they all involved me coming down.

And I just couldn't do that. The entire point of holding Weiss hostage and being up here was that it rendered the Hunter's tremendous offensive power meaningless. They couldn't strike at me from this range, wouldn't. So long as that was true, it didn't matter that half of them could bend me into a pretzel in a fight, but it should go without saying that the benefits of a hostage faded the moment you let that hostage go. Once the girl was safe and I was close enough for them to bring their full power to bear, none of Mr. Schnee's promises would mean anything.

Though, really, I was pretty sure they didn't mean anything to begin with, especially not to him, which was the only reason he'd made them. But the point was, if I landed the White Whale, there wasn't a chance in hell of me getting it back off the ground.

His second suggestion had a bit more merit on the surface, which just meant there were more dangers in it. If I landed on the ground at a place of my choice and met with a representative, I could check that person's level to make sure they were safe to approach, minimizing the danger.

From that one person, at least. The fact remained that I would be on the ground and I felt certain that a bunch of Hunters would be just outside whatever they decided was a safe range, ready to rush me the moment the girl was safe. Perhaps even more dangerously, it would give them time to field plenty of other airships to intercept me even if I did get off the ground—and, more likely, to just bomb the White Whale to keep it from ever getting that far. It would also give them time, which I couldn't allow, because every minute they had gave them more time to plan, to prepare, to call in more reinforcements.

If I dragged this out, if I went along with their plans, it would do nothing but hurt me. And I absolutely, positively could not touch the ground. I couldn't even get near it, really, keeping in mind the powers Hunters had. If I did, I'd probably have a few of them jumping up and carving their way inside my ship and I'd be worse off than before.

Which begged the question; if I couldn't afford go near the ground, how could I get Adam and Blake onboard?

Simple. I couldn't. The same thing that kept any Hunters from reaching me would stop them as well. Levant couldn't lift someone that far, especially someone at the edge of her power instead of the center. The problem with picking them up here were obvious and I couldn't get them somewhere else because I knew that enemy aircraft would be on me to moment I was away from here. If I stopped and gave them time to organize and attack…

Worse, since this ship could fly faster than Blake and Adam could run, if I wanted to pick them up somewhere else, I'd need to slow down or wait—and since the White Whale was so big, there was basically no chance of losing pursuit unless I stuck to the original plan.

I was leaving them behind.

God.

I hadn't been kidding when I said I knew how terrifying it could be to be on your own. It's easiest to exploit fears that you yourself knew well and this was one I was more than familiar with. I thought I'd gotten over it, stopped being the kid waiting at home for mom and dad, but the thought of this, of being by myself while surrounded by enemies, of facing danger with no help or backup or safety net, without my most powerful allies…

It was scary, frightening even from a calm, logical standpoint. I wanted to run away.

But I'd meant the other thing I told Weiss, too—everyone wants to run away at some point. It's those who have the option and refuse to take it that are brave. There were people who needed me and I was going to save them. And…

I watched the Bullhead reach Weiss and closed the doors, turning away. A rush of windows appeared before my eyes, skills improving and being created—Bluff, Intimidate, that type of thing. In the midst of it all appeared a larger window, however, and I focused upon it.

A quest has been created!

Atlesian Skies: Flying Solo.

Fly alone to Mantle in the stolen White Whale to continue your quest! Time Limit: Two days.

Completion Reward: Exp 1000000.

Failure: Death.

"I was wondering when you'd show up," I muttered, accepting the sub-Quest. "Stupid quest, telling me stuff I already know. But you're wrong. I'm not alone."

Levant touched my hand and gave me a reassuring smile, even as a low, almost-inaudible tone rang through the ship. My Elemental spirits were always with me—but it was more than that. Even though I left them behind, I knew Blake and Adam would be waiting for me to return. And I still remembered—would never forget.

The people who had my back, the home I had to come back to, and the things I needed to stay alive to do.

I wouldn't give up any of those things.

"Yeah," I said. "I'm getting sick of this place, too, guys. Let's fly."

XxXXxX