Chương 50: Chapter 48 – Flying Transport

"Have your job picked out?" Adriane asked, barely hiding her amusement.

"Yeah." Chelsea held up the request page.

"But it calls for two people, so I enlisted the aid of Ivy here." She gestured toward her proudly.

"She's a mage who can use fire." She wiggled her fingers dramatically.

"She was the second-fastest one during the assessment."

"Uh huh." Adriane looked at Ivy.

"Can you use The Eyes?" Ivy immediately looked disappointed by the question.

"No, Miss."

"That's fine. You two go inform the clerks you're taking the job."

"Got it," Chelsea said. The pair headed toward the long desk. Halfway there, Chelsea's confidence evaporated. Only one clerk station was free. Henry. Her stomach dropped instantly. Ivy looked between the two of them.

"Oh no," she whispered under her breath.

"Shut up," Chelsea hissed back. Henry looked up as they approached, and whatever professional composure he'd been holding together visibly collapsed the moment he saw Chelsea heading his way.

"Hi Henry," Chelsea said in the friendliest tone she could manage.

"Hey Miss Chelsea!" Henry answered immediately. His face turned bright red so fast it almost looked painful.

"How have you been?"

"I've been really good. Yourself?" she asked politely.

"I've been good too." The conversation died instantly. Chelsea smiled awkwardly. Henry smiled awkwardly. Ivy looked back and forth between them like she was watching two people try to defuse a bomb without instructions.

"Right," she finally cut in, "Chelsea and I are going to take this job." Henry's eyes slowly drifted toward Ivy as though he had only just realized another human being existed nearby.

"You two?" he asked carefully.

"The job recommends a party of two," Chelsea explained.

"We'll split the eighty silver. Forty and forty." She paused.

"Assuming neither of us dies horribly." Ivy looked concerned.

"You keep saying things like that."

"It's called optimism." Henry swallowed nervously before holding out his hand.

"May I see your tokens?" They handed over their guild coins. Henry dabbed one side with ink before pressing the request form against them, leaving behind clean impressions of their guild emblems. He focused on the task with intense concentration, clearly trying not to panic in front of Chelsea. As he worked, he awkwardly attempted conversation again.

"So, Miss Chelsea," he began cautiously, "have, uh... you eaten anyone good lately?" Ivy looked horrified. Chelsea, meanwhile, nodded along naturally.

"Yeah. Humans taste good in general. Haven't come across a gross one yet." Henry froze. The color slowly drained from his face. He inhaled deeply through his nose once, then out through his mouth. He did it again.

"OK," he whispered faintly.

"Good." Ivy looked horrified by how casually the exchange had happened. Henry slid over a pair of cards along with a smooth marble about the size of a walnut.

"Here are the voice replicator and teleportation cards. Good luck." Chelsea had absolutely no idea what a voice replicator was, but she assumed either Adriane or Ivy would explain it eventually. So she scooped up the items, smiled politely, and headed back toward the table with Ivy trailing behind her.

"All set?" Adriane asked.

"Yeah." Chelsea held up the marble.

"But what's a voice replicator?"

"Oh, don't use it in here," Adriane replied immediately.

"Wait until after we teleport." She snatched the teleportation card from Chelsea's fingers.

"Actually, let me go grab one too." She walked off toward the clerks. Ivy watched her leave before leaning closer to Chelsea.

"You really weren't kidding. That poor guy has it bad for you."

"I know!" Chelsea groaned quietly.

"But I am so beyond not interested."

"Yeah, that part seemed less mutual." Chelsea sighed and crossed her arms.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do. He's nice. I just..." She waved vaguely.

"Don't feel that way." Ivy studied her for a moment before asking the question that had clearly been bothering her most.

"So you really eat people?" Chelsea reached into her pouch without hesitation. Ivy immediately regretted asking. She pulled out a heart and held it toward her casually.

"You can have some if you get hungry." Ivy recoiled so quickly she nearly stumbled backward into another table.

"You seriously do!" she whisper-yelled. Chelsea smiled brightly.

"Still a demon," she reminded her.

"Of course I do."

"I thought that was just some sort of funny joke between you and your family," Ivy admitted. She rubbed the back of her neck while thinking it through.

"So you really are afraid of taking a bite out of someone. It actually makes sense now." Chelsea tucked the heart back into her pouch.

"Yup." Ivy stared at her for another second.

"You actually eat people. But you're so..."

"Nice?" Adriane finished as she approached the two again.

"Hard to wrap your mind around, we know."

"Yeah," Ivy admitted, deflating slightly.

"So nice."

"Apparently it's my eyes," Chelsea said with a helpless shrug.

"The guy I bit the throat out of probably didn't think I was nice." Ivy immediately looked toward Adriane to see if Chelsea was joking.

"He was a bandit," Adriane confirmed calmly.

"Ah." Chelsea pointed at her.

"Important distinction though. I only eat bad people. Not good ones. Bandits, evil necromancer cultists, that sort." Ivy visibly relaxed. Not fully. But enough that she no longer looked convinced she was about to become lunch halfway through the quest. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"Let's get going," Chelsea announced, snatching her teleportation card back out of Adriane's hand.

"Chelsea," Adriane said. Chelsea paused.

"Forgetting something?" Chelsea followed Adriane's gaze toward the table. The foot-long broken stick was still sitting there.

"Oh my gods," Chelsea groaned.

"Good catch." She hurried back over and grabbed it. The instant her hand closed around the stick, the spear snapped back into existence at full length. A couple nearby adventurers jumped at the sudden transformation. Chelsea quickly released the spear above the pouch, letting it fall in before anyone could ask questions. A few minutes later, the three of them stood beside the teleportation pedestal in the middle of generic farmland. Chelsea blinked slowly while looking around. A dirt road. Fields.

A few distant forests. Nothing else.

"It really just dropped us in the middle of nowhere, huh?" she asked.

"That's usually where monsters are," Adriane replied.

"A fair point." Adriane nodded toward the marble in Chelsea's hand.

"A voice replicator is physical magic. Crush it in your fingers and you'll hear the person who posted the job as if they were standing right beside you. They'll explain where to go and what you're killing."

"Oh. That's actually really useful."

"Listen carefully," Adriane warned.

"You only get to hear it once. Most failed jobs happen because adventurers miss a detail and end up hunting the wrong thing or going the wrong direction." Chelsea straightened slightly at the seriousness in her sister's tone.

"Got it." She looked over at Ivy.

"You ready?" Ivy nodded once. Her hair immediately bounced back down into her eyes again. Chelsea fought the urge to brush it out of her face for her. Somehow, she got the feeling Ivy would lose her cool if she did. Without any fanfare, she crushed the marble between her fingers. {"I just talk? Hel-hello? I hope this is working right. Ok. My name is Mayor Cartright. I am in charge of a very small village on the outskirts of the Junstruce territory. We have had a problem with some plant monsters. They are not big but they get into our fields and soak up all of the water. The guild representative is telling me they are called saprols. They are coming from a nearby forest. From the teleportation stone, you can see the forest. If you follow the road toward it, you will come to a small patch of forest that has grown past the road. From there, turn toward the forest, and it is about three hundred meters in. You will find a... I guess you would call it a nest. We need it destroyed. We have a few strong men in the village but the nest is swarming with the things. Oh, I need to hurry? Oh uh, we need it eliminated along with as many of the creatures as…"} The voice abruptly cut off. Chelsea blinked a few times while still holding the crushed remains of the marble in her hand.

"Obviously his first time submitting a job to the guild," Adriane remarked dryly. Chelsea turned toward her sister and pointed accusingly.

"Shh. You're not supposed to be here. This is an E-rank job. No helping." Adriane raised both hands innocently, though the smile on her face ruined the act.

"Fine, fine." Ivy looked toward the distant forest.

"So we just follow the road down there, right?" She pointed toward the enormous patch of green stretching across the horizon.

"Yup," Chelsea answered. At the same time, she mentally assigned the rest of her titles. Everything except Mayhem's Chosen. She still was not touching that one without more planning.

"So," Chelsea said suddenly, looking toward Ivy with a grin, "want to try flying there?" Ivy stared at her for a second.

"Can you carry both of us?"

"My flight skill is at thirteen, and I'm decked out in strength equipment now." She shrugged confidently.

"I'm willing to try."

"I'm absolutely willing to try," Ivy replied immediately. The two of them turned toward Adriane.

"I've ridden a dragon before but never a demon," Adriane announced excitedly. Chelsea burst out laughing.

"No, no. You are not riding me." She pulled her spear from her pouch and let it reform in her hands.

"You two grab onto here and here," she instructed, pointing to spots near each end outside her grip. Adriane nodded approvingly.

"Smart." Chelsea unfurled her wings fully and stretched them wide. Gods, that felt good. The muscles along her back loosened immediately. Ever since evolving, her wings constantly felt like they wanted to move. Keeping them folded all the time was starting to feel unnatural. She gave a few slow test flaps. The air rushed through her tiny wing hairs and membranes with a heavy whoosh.

"Alright," she said.

"Let's try this." She flapped harder. Then harder again. Her feet slowly lifted from the dirt road while she kept herself upright, both hands locked tightly around the spear shaft. Adriane and Ivy rose with her. Chelsea's eyes widened slightly. It was actually working. She continued flapping, stronger and faster this time, and the three of them steadily climbed higher into the air. More importantly, they did not feel nearly as heavy as she expected. Strength really was ridiculous.

"You two okay?" Chelsea called.

"A bit high!" Ivy answered tightly. Chelsea glanced downward. They were already around ten meters off the ground. She laughed. Then she angled her wings slightly and pushed forward. The world lurched as they shot ahead over the dirt road.

"Oh, this is awesome," Chelsea said immediately. The wind tore through her hair as they flew low over the farmland. Ivy made a noise somewhere between panic and excitement while Adriane laughed openly. Chelsea adjusted instinctively as they moved, correcting tiny shifts in weight through the spear. Flying in her adult body still felt unbelievably more natural compared to before. Stronger wings, stronger muscles, better balance. Everything clicked together in a way it never had while she was smaller.

Then another message appeared in front of her vision. New title acquired: The Flying Transport. Chelsea pulled up The Eyes and assigned her new title without hesitation. She had no clue what The Flying Transport actually did beyond the obvious implication, but the moment it settled into place, she felt the difference. The weight on the spear nearly vanished. Adriane and Ivy suddenly felt lighter, as if she were carrying little more than empty packs instead of two full-grown adults.

Chelsea's eyes widened as she adjusted midair with ease.

"Oh, this is a really good title," she muttered to herself with growing excitement. She pushed forward even faster, and the scenery blurred beneath them. The road cut through the farmland like a brown ribbon while patches of trees whipped past below. Chelsea adjusted her wings instinctively as the extra speed pulled at her balance. The air pressure against her tiny hairs felt incredible. Every flap sent them gliding farther than she expected.

In less than a minute, they reached the section of forest described by the mayor. Chelsea angled downward carefully and slowed their momentum with a series of heavy flaps. The dirt road beneath them exploded into loose dust as she landed the group near the overgrown patch of trees. Adriane released the spear first. Her dark hair was completely windblown now, the natural waves even messier than usual. She looked genuinely delighted.

"Chelsea," Adriane said breathlessly, "you are absolutely my new steed for S-rank missions." Chelsea barked out a laugh.

"I am not your mount."

"You lost the right to complain when you made flying this fun." Ivy stumbled away from the spear and planted both hands on her knees. She was pale. Not excited pale either. Chelsea waved at her.

"You okay?" Ivy slowly raised a shaky thumb.

"I hated that," she admitted weakly. Adriane laughed harder. Chelsea landed beside them and folded her wings behind her back.

"That got me a new flying title," she announced proudly, then deepened her voice dramatically.

"Chelsea, the Flying Transport." Adriane completely lost composure at that and laughed even harder, struggling to stay on her feet.

"It is not called that," she wheezed.

"I swear it is."

"That might be the worst title I've ever heard."

"I know!" Chelsea exclaimed.

"It sounds like I should be hauling grain between villages." Ivy was still trying to recover. Her hair, once carefully styled, now looked like she had survived a tornado. Chelsea stared at her for a moment. Then realization hit.

"Ivy," Chelsea said suddenly, "do you have a sister?" She blinked.

"No?"

"Is your mom still around?"

"No?" she answered slowly.

"She died when I was really young. Why are you asking?" Chelsea snapped her fingers.

"That explains it." She immediately removed one of her black flats from her pouch. Ivy looked alarmed.

"What's that for?" Chelsea pulled the ribbon free from the top of it.

"Turn around."

"What? Why?"

"Just trust me," she grumbled. Ivy gave Adriane a deeply uncertain look. Adriane shrugged.

"Honestly? Better to just let her do whatever weird thing she's planning." Reluctantly, Ivy turned around. Chelsea gathered up as much of her loose hair as she could with one hand. The second her fingers brushed near her ear, she froze. Her eyes widened.

"You're an elf!" she gasped. Ivy immediately started turning back toward her.

"Nope." Chelsea grabbed her hair before she could move fully.

"Head stays straight." Chelsea carefully pulled all of Ivy's hair together and tied it back with the ribbon into a low ponytail. She took an extra second fixing the bow until it looked acceptable. Finally, she released her.

"How's that?" she asked proudly. Ivy turned back toward them and cautiously touched the back of her hair.

"Aww," she said softly, sounding genuinely touched.

"Chelsea, you really are a nice demon."

"So you're an elf," Chelsea continued immediately.

"What's that like?" Ivy stared at her.

"How did you not know that from the moment we met?" Chelsea immediately looked at Adriane for help.

"You said no helping," Adriane replied smugly.

"What was I supposed to look for besides ears?"

"My name," Ivy said slowly, still trying to determine whether Chelsea was joking.

"Wood-elves' names are usually based on plant life," Adriane explained.

"How the hell was I supposed to know that!?" Chelsea exclaimed. Ivy blinked at her.

"Oh wow, you really didn't know."

"The guildmaster…" Chelsea paused as realization struck.

"Willow. That makes so much more sense now." Her eyes widened suddenly.

"Wait. You could eat heart and it wouldn't even count as cannibalism!" Ivy's brows pulled together in confusion as she slowly looked toward Adriane for help.

"I'm an elf, Chelsea," she said carefully.

"We don't eat meat."

"Oh." Chelsea visibly deflated.

"That sucks." Ivy reached into her pouch and pulled out an apple.

"Want to try mine?" Chelsea stared at the fruit suspiciously. Maybe the apple from the other kingdom had just been bad. Against her better judgment, she took a bite. The second the texture hit her tongue, her stomach revolted. Chelsea gagged violently. Then gagged again. Her wings twitched in distress.

"Gods," she coughed.

"Why is it gritty!?"

"Geez, it's just an apple," Ivy mumbled around her own bite before casually tossing it back into her pouch. Chelsea immediately reached into her own bag and pulled out a heart. She bit into it without hesitation. Savory. Perfect texture. The awful apple taste vanished almost instantly. Relief washed over her so strongly she took a second bite before finally putting it away again. Then she looked back up at Ivy. The elf was completely motionless.

"You okay?" Chelsea asked.

"That," Ivy said slowly, "was the most horrifying thing I think I've ever seen."

"You get used to it," Chelsea assured her cheerfully.

"Right, Adriane?"

"Nope," Adriane replied immediately.

"Still horrifying."