Outside the mountains

The Village

Staring at the peculiar contraption before him, which bore a striking resemblance to the small flying devices Orion had crafted to deliver babies and fruits from the sky to the village, the Village Chief turned to the burly, muscular man at his side and asked, hesitantly, "Are you certain this will actually fly?"

Hanan, the warrior from the leftwing stronghold tasked with constructing the flying contraptions for Orion's potential search and rescue, could sense the Village Chief's scepticism about their functionality.

"Chief, don't worry. I've made them exactly according to the design the boy used," Hanan reassured him, eyeing the three large hot air balloons before them.

"I can guarantee they'll fly without a hitch. Our main concern now should be finding someone who knows how to navigate this thing," he added, flashing a somewhat sheepish smile, acknowledging that despite building them, he remained clueless about their operation.

Though he still harboured some doubts, the Village Chief reluctantly nodded in understanding.

Hanan was undeniably one of the village's most skilled craftsmen, and with his gift, the Village Chief could only hope that his assurances held true and that the contraptions would indeed fly, carrying them to their destination.

Originally, they had planned to wait a week for all six of Orion's flying devices to be prepared for the expedition to find Orion and Saria.

However, as the days passed and he considered the situation more rationally, he realized that without Stronghold Leader Drakar to safeguard the village, it would be imprudent to divert a significant portion of their warriors, who were essential for protecting the village from the encroaching Vylkr vines, to search for Orion.

He had, therefore, taken it upon himself to be the voice of reason and discuss this matter with the tree nymphs.

To his astonishment, the tree nymphs suggested that they join the warriors in battling the Vylkr vines. Their proposition initially caught him off guard because anyone familiar with the nature of tree nymphs would know that their bodies were teeming with an extraordinary amount of life force.

This made them prime targets for the Vylkr vines, as the vines were naturally drawn to the tree nymphs. If the tree nymphs were to fight alongside the warriors in repelling the Vylkr vines, it was highly likely that the vines would prioritize them over the warriors.

However, the mere thought of a tree nymph falling victim to a Vylkr vine sent shivers down the Village Chief's spine. Despite his best efforts to dissuade the tree nymphs from this dangerous outcome, they remained resolute. Their determination stemmed from their desire to increase the chances of finding Saria's body and finding Orion's whereabouts.

The Village Chief breathed a sigh of relief.

His only option now was to calm the mounting tension in the village and ensure the safe return of those two.

He turned to the warriors behind him and asked, "Are you all prepared?" His gaze first fell upon Fiona, who had requested to be called Fifi. He then looked at his son, recently returned from an expedition and was eager to join them, before assessing the dozens of warriors who stood alongside them, ensuring they were ready to embark on their mission.

"I am ready," Fifi replied, her voice now carrying an icy, determined edge that contrasted starkly with her previous tone.

She bore the weight of Celeste, Greta, and her other sisters' hopes. They had all pleaded with her, urging her to do everything in her power to find Orion and return him to the village.

To them, Orion's survival still held a glimmer of possibility, even though the odds dwindled with each passing day. Fifi shared their belief and was committed to ensuring Orion's safe return, down to the last limb.

"We're prepared," Seth, the Village Chief's son, replied with a serious expression.

After returning to the village from his expedition, he was shocked by the extent of the changes. He hadn't anticipated that the situation would become so dire, with tree nymphs on the brink of rebellion unless they retrieved the body of one of their own and the entire village in turmoil over the disappearance of a single young man.

'Haaa! This is too much,' Seth mused to himself.

Seth pondered the duration of his absence from the village. Had it been a month? Perhaps a month and a half, or maybe even two.

The exact time frame eluded him because, upon his return, he had promptly volunteered for a secret mission involving flying contraptions of uncertain origin, construction, and history.

His decision to join this mission had been influenced by the dramatic change he observed in his father since their last meeting. Seeing the mixture of relief, satisfaction, and yet deep concern etched across his father's face, Seth felt compelled to carry out his plan: to bring Orion back to the village, by any means necessary, whether alive or dead.

As the future Village Chief, Seth understood that it was his duty to gradually ease the burdens weighing upon his father's shoulders, ultimately preparing himself for the role he would one day inherit.

"Alright then," the Village Chief began, addressing the assembled group. "You can start by loading the basket with your supplies. I truly hope that you will successfully complete this mission and return to the village with some good news." He observed the warriors, their expressions grave and determined, nodding in acknowledgement.

They set to work filling the basket with sacks of kalna fruits that had been gathered in advance for this very purpose. Once they finished, they secured a rope around all three of Orion's skies, ensuring a tight connection, before boarding the flying contraptions one by one.

As instructed, they released the hot stones into the metal-caged pots, allowing the intense heat from the hot stones to pass through the envelope. They held the envelope firmly over it until it was filled with enough hot air to gently lift them off the ground.