Nimue flew upward until she reached the massive spacecraft.
By spacecraft, she meant that one flying in the sky that very much look like an alien mothership.
She landed on its surface. Up close, it felt less like a warship above and more like a colossal cruise liner or a mothership meant to house the crew instead for war—nothing like what she had expected after seeing the devastated field below.
As her mana-powered vision traced the world in outlines, a familiar sense of nostalgia stirred within her, drawing her thoughts back to her previous life.
"This is even more massive than those images…"
Back when she could only admire images of luxury yachts on a screen—using them as references for her art in her past life. She had never imagined standing before something like this. Even those fantasies fell short because this felt far more magical than any cruise across the sea.
—But how was this thing flying? —
Brushing that question aside, if she were given the choice of which world to live in, she would choose the one with the most advanced technology. Convenience mattered because life was simply easier in a highly developed world. Perhaps it was the comfort she missed… or maybe it was the games she wanted to return to.
Even if it meant losing the powers she now wielded, she would still return—if it were possible.
Lost in that thought, she failed to notice the movement nearby.
A bird of an unfamiliar species landed at the edge of the ship.
Its gaze was fixed on her.
Why?
And what exactly were these birds?
It resembled a crow, but it was nearly twice the size. Four legs supported its body as it rested on its haunches like a dog, and two pairs of wings folded along its sides.
As she traced the creature's strange physique by the outlines, more of the same kind began to appear.
One after another, they landed, gathering at an alarming speed until the surface of the vessel was nearly swallowed by them.
All of them seemed to focus their attention on the largest among them, which was her.
She was being watched—
like the way a predator watches its prey.
Yet Nimue, having never experienced true combat or life-threatening danger, remained oblivious.
But she was naturally cautious, akin to a man wary of a stray dog.
—Where were these birds coming from? —
Even as she questioned this, she couldn't help but marvel at the peculiar shapes of the creatures.
"If only I weren't blind... Perhaps there's more than just their forms that I would perceive."
Her vision could only grasp outlines, how she perceives the world is like a black Canva's and all was there was 3-dimensional white outline of the moving world in.
Curiously, she reached out toward one of the birds, approaching it as cautiously as one might a cat.
Before her finger could touch its head, the creature lunged forward, pecking her outstretched finger with surprising aggression.
It's sharp beak quickly sinking and came along a piece of her flesh.
"Ouch!" she hissed in pain, feeling the sting as crimson droplets began to drip.
In an instant, the entire flock of birds launched an attack.
They swirled around her like a massive tornado, making cawing sounds that mostly drowned in the noise of the flying flock.
Gradually, stains of red began to mix into the swirling chaos. And in a fit of panic, Nimue invoked her magic, unleashing an explosion of flames that engulfed the tornado of birds.
Charring the once white angel like creatures into black.
The strong smell of burning flesh filled the air as Nimue stood at the center, breathing heavily and shaken by the sudden ambush.
She sustained cut wounds covering her body, and her uniform were almost shredded into rags.
After this experience. She thought of what would have happened if the birds found her still unconscious form earlier.
She anxiously thought of possibilities.
Various IF scenario played in her head.
—were the creatures in this world just as violent as those birds? — Hopefully not.
And then again, —Just what is this world? — because so far. Everything she had felt screams nothing like of the two world she knew.
It may share the fantasy shape creatures from the fantasy world but what lacks is the absence of mana.
Still trembling by her recent ordeal, her legs gave out, and she collapsed to her knees, her blood-stained body still trembling.
Taking a moment to steady her breathing, she gathered her mana and began to mend her wounds.
The open scratches along her skin gradually closed as magic mended the open gaps of her skin, healing her scarred flesh as if the injuries had never existed, then washing away the blood that clung to her body.
After a short while, she pushed herself back to her feet and carefully scanned the area, searching for any signs of the birds or other threats.
Seeing nothing but the shattered remnants of sharp objects and scattered humanoid skeletons, she let out a quiet sigh of relief.
The sky, however, still felt like a danger zone.
As she moved to explore the ship, she remained vigilant, ready for any sign of incoming creatures.
When she reached one of the doors, it refused to budge despite her efforts to pry it open.
The same happened to the other doors.
In the end, she had to force her way in using magic to bust the stubborn doors down.
Inside as she walks in, the interior was filled with more human skeletons, and the corridors halls stretched ahead. It was thick with smell of dust and cobwebs brushed against her skin in nearly every corner.
Just in case anything was lurking beyond, she called out, "Hello?"
Repeating a few more calls "Hello?"
"Anyone there?"
Her voice echoed through the hall, and it was the only noise aside from the wind blowing outside. Hearing no sound or reaction from inside, she strode forward. Reaching few intersections and going at random direction.
The place clearly looked abandoned, yet despite its age and filth, it's still just as sturdy or probably sturdier than she thought.
The interior of the vessel stood in stark contrast to the heavily corroded exterior, which was coated in rust—she could tell from the crusty sensation when she was searching for an open door.
As she ventured deeper, she came across a strange sphere, attached to massive iron rods or...
Beside her, were shapes of strange machinery with tons of buttons and switch.
The set of outlines made her smile at the sight. Suddenly somehow it felt like she is inside the cockpit of an airplane.
But what exactly was this thing?
—What are these buttons for? —
—should i press them? — the smart choice would be —No —
But still, there was this strange urge wanting to press at least half of the sets if not everything.
Not wanting to risk any accidents or mishaps, she exited the button-laden room before accidentally pressing something bad.
Before leaving, she glanced back at the sphere, trying to imagine its purpose. Maybe it was like those power cores in sci-fi stories? That seemed like a plausible guess, given its size and the fact that it was the only giant sphere inside. And it kind of emit intense heat from its surface even if it's not felt from a distance.
And then, she continued to explore the other rooms, discovering various objects along the way—especially more charred spiders that she was certain she hadn't burned, thanks to her arachnophobia.
She only burned those that tried to pounce on her, leaving the smaller ones that posed no threat.
Her reaction was almost immediate when she recognized the outline of these creatures. What's more terrifying was their size, nearly as big as her head.
"what's this?"
As Nimue continued her small tour inside, a man in black suit armor drove a hover-car across the wasteland below, his gaze fixed on the ship above, with a glint of greed in his eyes.
* * * * * * * * * *
"There's my money!"
A transparent screen hovered before him, displaying a classified file marked [Dangerous Object]
Item: Star Core
Description: An accidental creation in an attempt to harness the energy of a dying star, [Redacted]
Then the rest of the 2-pages of information was hidden.
Danger Level 7
Value: 10 billion Credits
No matter how many times he reviewed the file, the conclusion remained the same. Whatever danger the so-called Flying Grave posed, the reward was worth risking his life for.
just lie that, a thin smile crept across his face.
"Time to enact the plan."
It was time to get rich.
Inside his car, leaving the vehicle on autopilot, he moved to the back to check his gadgets and weapons. It almost looked like he was overpreparing for a simple heist (though nothing was ever simple in a heist). He was simply wary of the creatures of this planet.
—No room for mistake —
Then he spoke with a faint smirk, as though addressing an unseen audience.
"And so, begins the story of a legendary treasure hunter."