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1079 Words
Liz was jostled into him as the turbulence of them cutting through the atmosphere vanished all at once, and things settled down. Someone bumped into Matt, and Aster growled at them, earning him a modicum of personal space back.
Almost ten minutes later, when they were nearing the larger ship, Matt was finally able to sense the ship itself and was able to get a feeling just how big it was.
Even as they approached, it felt like they were a fly trying to land on a building. At least, that was the feeling Matt had as they slowed down and entered the ship through a hangar bay covered in a layer of what he suspected was mana. It was supported by various enchantments to keep the air inside the ship.
As their shuttle landed and the doors opened, everyone quickly filed out and into the loading bay, where they were immediately directed to the side. There, a man wearing a uniform that Matt’s AI identified as belonging to the shipping company that owned this ship addressed them.
“Welcome to the FTS Lydia. We, as our designation implies, are generally a food transport ship. That frankly doesn’t mean too much to you all, but there is one thing you need to understand as individuals below Tier 15.”
Pausing, he flared his cultivation, showing he was a Tier 19 to gather everyone’s attention. While Matt, Liz, Aster, and a large portion of the others were unbothered by the display, some less than lucky others had a variety of reactions, not limited to slinking back or even shuddering.
“Parts of the ship are not filled with air. If you see a hatch with a red trim, do not go inside. If the door has a blue trimming, it is safe. Please stay in your respective areas. There is a map available to download to assist you, but if you find yourself in a vacuum area even with all those precautions in place, you can contact the ship’s AI, which will notify a rescue team. I warn you now, do not wander around the Lydia. She is a large ship and is easy to get lost in. Our voyage will take a little more than three months, so settle in for a short trip.”
As he finished his speech, a woman entered through a door and stood just behind him.
“Please follow my associate as we direct you to your lodging. If you purchased the single room accommodation or bunking area, please go with my compatriots. If you are in the general berthing, please follow me.”
About a tenth of the crowd went alongside Matt and Liz to the private rooms, and the woman taking them led them out of the main bay. They found themselves in a long, flat hall that Matt suspected usually had automated transports running along its length. There were no signs of those now, though, just the levitation runework that they usually ran along.
An incoming message pinged at his AI, and Matt let it through.
“Your lodgings are in one of the cleared holds that has been pressurized and retrofitted for temporary habitation. There you will find both a chow hall and lavatories. Please note that our supplies are limited, so don’t expect anything luxurious.”
They walked through the halls for close to ten minutes before they reached a door that closed the hall off.
Their guide took that opportunity to speak once more. “This is a lock. It does as you might expect and prevents air from escaping in the case of a hull breach or if someone opens the wrong door. Note the blue trimming that signifies the other side of this door is also pressurized.”
After a winding path through the ship, they eventually stopped in a tiny hallway barely large enough for two people to walk past each other but stretched hundreds of feet up with doors placed in a regular grid across the wall.
“Find your room and settle in for the trip.”
With that, the woman flew over their heads and back to the airlock they had just entered through before vanishing.
Matt grabbed Liz with his Concept and pulled them up to just two rows from the top, where their accommodations were.
The three of them stepped through the door, after checking to ensure it was the right one, to reveal an incredibly cramped room. Matt’s hair was nearly brushing against the ceiling, yet the bunks on either side of the door each contained three mesh cots jammed together. They, as people with Concepts, had been put near the top so those without were actually able to get into their rooms without difficulty.
What was more interesting were the two people who had made it into the room before them, a man and a woman currently setting out sleeping bags on two of the cots. Both were either Tier 15 or disguised as such, with dark brown skin and blue hair. With how rare higher Tiers were, Matt assumed the shipping company had put similar Tiered people together, which made sense.
They exchanged nods, then Matt and Liz got to work setting up their own cots, taking the top and middle bunks opposite the other couple.
Looking at the tiny space, Matt groused, “I won’t even be able to roll over in there.”
Aster laughed at him and started to make a joke about his size, but before they could do more than set their things out, their door opened once more.
A burly man walked through the door and immediately narrowed in on Matt, Liz, and Aster. A quick inspection told Matt he was Tier 15, but if Matt was correct, the man had only recently gotten his Concept. Possibly even from Minkalla, from just how…vague it felt.
Matt was content to ignore him, but the man grinned when he noted their apparent relative weakness. As he sauntered forward, he grinned and said, “It seems like you two are in need of some protection. For a small fee, I c—”
Liz was closest and didn’t even let him finish before she spun around and punched the man in the chest, sending him staggering back and wheezing as the air was forcibly removed from his lungs. Matt didn’t even bother stopping himself from smiling, and ensured the newcomer could see it.
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