A Learning Curve - Etrian Odyssey 4 - Boyxboy

Chapter 17

AN: Thanks so much Ame_Tasogare for commenting on the previous chapter and for those adorable little pieces of fanart!

My knee is officially an asshole. It locked up yet again. And yet again, I'm on morphine pain killers. I might not be able to update next week. It all depends how quickly I can get my knee back into working order without having to rely on powerful painkillers. We'll have to wait and see, I suppose.

Also, I have a Tumblr now. Won't be much in it, probably. Anyway, if you want to follow me there, it's under the usual name; TheShatteredRose.

Anyhow, looooooooooooong chapter ahead! Enjoy!

-

Chapter 17:

Ciaran had no idea that the terrains of the Windy Plains were so dense and rocky. From high above in an airship, all he could see where green foliage and farming grounds. But being in the middle of it made him appreciate just how diverse everything truly was.

It also made him wonder what more could be done to prevent further airship crashes. So far they had been lucky. Tharsis hadn't experienced the enormous emergency of an airship crashing anywhere in the four lands, but what would they do if they did? Sure, they could ask the Phaedron guild, with the likes of Nitish and Biast at the bow to use their useful skills, but they couldn't expect them to stay in town all the time, waiting just in case. There had to be other ways.

An emergency supply kit on board the airship? Signal flares? Maybe some kind of lodging system at the wharf where they would log in what time they were leaving and what time they were expected to be back?

"It's getting dark," Xander's voice pulled Ciaran from his musings. "We best find a place to sleep for the night. We cannot travel in the dark."

Glancing up toward the sky through the canopy of trees, Ciaran noticed that the blue sky was starting to fade into a mixture of red and orange. "Sure."

They had been walking for hours and Ciaran still hadn't a clue where they could be or how they were going to make it back safely to Tharsis. He couldn't allow himself to dwell on it for every long, though. He had to think about his present, not the future.

They were somewhat lucky that the Imperials seemed to have been in a hurry to get rid of him. If they were really serious about the matter, then they would have stranded him somewhere he was sure not to survive. Like the Sacred Mountains. Spending the night in that cold, frigid place without shelter would be unbearable.

Sitting down upon a large rock to ease the ache in his legs and back, Ciaran watched as Xander started to look for some fire wood, staying within sight at all times. Although he didn't know how they were going to get back to Tharsis, he knew one thing for certain; he'd be completely lost without Xander. There was absolutely no denying that. Without Xander he'd be dead. Several times over.

How could he even begin to thank him for that? Would Xander even know how to take someone's appreciation?

Ciaran was pulled from his musings once again by a faint sound. At first he thought it was nothing more than the blood pumping in his ears due to a headache that was steadily growing. However, he concentrated on it and realised that the sound was becoming louder. It was a slight whirling, chopping sound, like something slicing through the air.

"Wait...that sound," Ciaran muttered as he staggered to his feet, keeping his full attention to the sky above them. "It's an airship...Ah, its Logre's airship!"

"Are you certain?" Xander asked as he, too, turned his attention skywards.

"No doubt about it," Ciaran said as a large grin spread across his face. "I know the sound of that slightly off-centred prop anywhere."