Chapter 83: Flight
With hours passing since the fighting had stopped, Andrew was beginning to worry that the group underground had died. Fortunately, just as the sky was starting to illuminate, heralding the rising sun, a commotion occurred near the front gate as a group of people bound in magic-sealing manacles were paraded under the escort of Imperial soldiers. This included a poor-looking youth with windswept blonde hair and blue eyes, a suave-looking man with short, swept-back brown hair, a tall, brown-skinned bunny girl with white hair and oversized, black-tipped ears, and a young woman with sandy blonde hair, a small build, and slender frame.
Appearing from amid the crowd of Dalmascans gathered outside the gate, Penelo ran out, shouting something that caused a pair of Imperial soldiers to grab and try to manhandle her. She managed to break away from them, but before she could reach the poor-looking youth, Vaan, the suave man, Balthier, stepped in her path, entrusting her a handkerchief before being escorted away and forced to board a small transport airship known as an Atomos.
Fortunately for the Imperials, they didn't attempt to accost Penelo after she received the handkerchief. Instead, they began clearing away the crowd, leaving the pigtailed girl in the middle of the street, clutching the handkerchief tightly. She was eventually instructed to leave as well, but instead of returning to Migelo's, Andrew observed as she walked off to the shade of a building. A few seconds later, he received her message, apologizing for bothering him so early in the morning, informing him of what had transpired, and asking if he could do anything.
'You want me to rescue them from the Dungeon?' asked Andrew.
'Can you?' questioned Penelo.
'Sure, it shouldn't be that difficult,' replied Andrew, adding, 'I just need to know where they're being transported and held. I'm not yet familiar with Dalmasca and its surroundings.'
Though it took her a while, Penelo eventually replied, 'Migelo should have a map. If he doesn't, we can ask Old Dalan. Can you meet me at the shop in an hour or two?'
'If you want, I can teleport to you directly,' answered Andrew, explaining, 'It's one of the abilities associated with the power I gave you.'
'Please come quickly,' replied Penelo, prompting Andrew to respond, "Sure," before appearing next to her, causing her to become statuesque before abruptly running into his arms, burying her face into his chest as she squeezed him with all the strength her thin arms could manage.
Feeling a surge of guilt wash over him, Andrew's expression cramped before softening as he reciprocated Penelo's embrace, holding her head to his chest as he whispered, "Everything is going to be okay..." in a soft, assuring tone. Fortunately, though she trembled quite a bit, Penelo didn't cry. If she did, Andrew would have felt even more like an ass...
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Though maps were restricted goods that were regulated by the military and merchant associations, Migelo, a rare, white-bearded Baanga with blue skin, had an old map from his days as the leader of a large caravan that used to trade as far west as Rozarria and as far east as Archadia. It was a bit dated, but with his ability to fly, Andrew just needed a heading and a compass to get just about anywhere.
"It must feel so freeing to fly like this..." muttered Penelo, curled up in Andrew's arms as they soared through the sky at a relaxed pace of 70km per hour. He could go much faster, but since he wanted to get a feel for his surroundings and prevent Penelo from freezing, Andrew practically glided through the sky as they passed over Dalmasca's rocky Estersand.
"With that power I gave you, you can learn how to fly as well," revealed Andrew, causing Penelo to look up from the ground, staring at him with wide eyes as she asked, "You're serious...?"
"I'm many things, but I make a concerted effort not to be called a liar," replied Andrew, adopting a smile as he touched down atop a banded sandstone outcrop, setting the confused Penelo down.
"Here, try these on," said Andrew, pulling out a pair of stylish, brown, shin-high leather boots with an intricate pattern resembling the wings of a bird wrapping around them.
"They look expensive..." remarked Penelo, causing Andrew to stare at her with raised brows and a slightly incredulous smile.
Seeing the look on Andrew's face, Penelo flustered, waving her hands as she exclaimed, "Oh! Uh, just give me one moment...!" before sitting down, manually undoing the clasps of her knee and shin guards before peeling off her snub-nosed boots, revealing her bare feet.
"You don't wear socks...?" asked Andrew, prompting Penelo to adopt a wry smile as she replied, "Unless you knit them yourself, things like socks are something only rich people can afford multiple pairs of..."
"Mmm..."
Getting down on one knee, Andrew caused Penelo to blush fiercely as he pulled out a wooden pail, a towel, and a pair of neatly folded socks before saying, "Raise your foot..."
Though she wanted to respond that she could do it herself, Penelo leaned back onto her hands and raised her left foot, permitting Andrew to clean it with cool, soapy water before dapping it dry and sheathing it with a white, incredibly expensive-looking lace sock. He then did the same for her right foot, leaving her crimson up to the tips of her ears as he subsequently slid the boots onto her, fastening them snuggly in place.
Catching Andrew a little off guard, Penelo asked, "Why are you so nice to me...?" in a meek tone.
Not sure what else to say, Andrew adopted a cheeky smile and replied, "Because I feel like it. Now, how about you try standing...?"
Rising before Penelo, Andrew extended his hand to help her up. Because of her dazed state, however, Penelo ended up tumbling against him rather than standing properly.
"You can thank me 'after' we save your friend," said Andrew, bringing the captivated blonde back to her senses with a firm smack on her pert and perky ass. Her leather bodysuit protected her well, but she still felt a bit of heat as she adopted a pouty expression and rubbed the spot Andrew had struck, remarking, "You shouldn't hit girls..." in a chiding tone.
"There's a difference between hitting and spanking," contended Andrew, holding up his hand and punctuating his words with a playful wink. Then, before Penelo could respond or retort, he lowered his hand and, rather abruptly, explained, "Those boots are called Feather Boots. If you wear them while defeating monsters, you'll eventually acquire an Ability called Auto-Float. That's one of the components that allows me to fly. The rest is mana manipulation, proprioception, and raw power."
Staring at Andrew with a befuddled look, Penelo asked, "You can learn magic by wearing a pair of boots...?"
"They're called Abilities, and yes," replied Andrew, pulling out an entire sofa from his Item Box, sitting down, and smacking his thigh, prompting Penelo to stare at him strangely before crawling onto his lap. Once she was in place, he placed his hands on her ass, unabashedly massaging it as he explained how Abilities worked and the unique Job System available in her world, excluding the part about 'her world,' of course...
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After several hours of flying, Andrew and Penelo reached the outskirts of a dilapidated-looking but still functional fortress. The environment outside the fortress walls was barren and lifeless, but the interior was green as it had been built atop an underground reservoir. As it was the halfway point between Rabanastre and Nabudis, there was also a thriving market and a small Aerodrome, converting the former fortress to a waystation for those traveling between the northeast and southwest.
Fortunately, as quite a few people came and went from the fortress city, Andrew and Penelo had little trouble entering. They did have to fork over a fee of 500 Gil at the checkpoint outside the city, but that was typical for those traveling without proper identification or a permit. From there, they made their way to the Aerodrome on the west, not to board an airship but because they had the best lodgings in the city.
"I never imagined I'd get to stay in a place like this. Not anytime soon, at least..." muttered Penelo, looking around curiously at the lodging they had been provided. The main structure of the building was stone, as usual, but it had a wooden sub-structure with an elevated region covered in a thick, gold-and-blue carpet. There was a sofa against one wall, flanked by two palm trees, what looked like a dog house, a large cushion for Chocobos in the corner, several cabinets filled with preserved foods and drinks, a large lockbox for keeping important goods, and five fairly large beds covered in blue blankets and silk sheets atop comfortable-looking mattresses, each adorned with two Chocobo down pillows.
"I'm just happy they have a proper bath and toilet..." remarked Andrew, plopping down on one of the beds and kicking off his boots with a thud. To his surprise, Penelo made her way over and sat beside him with one of her legs pulled onto the bed, asking, "What now? I can't imagine sneaking into a fortress will be easy..."
"Mmm...we might not even have to," replied Andrew, preempting Penelo's follow-up question by patting his chest before explaining, "You mentioned they had a Viera with them. If that's the case, she should be able to sniff a way out for them."
Seeing Andrew pet his chest, Penelo hesitated for a moment before climbing on top of him and lying down, resting her head against his chest and allowing him to hold her as he added, "By sneaking into the fortress, I should be able to create a window of opportunity for them to escape. The only question is 'when' to create the distraction."
"You speak as if you've done things like this before..." muttered Penelo, feeling sleepy as she hadn't slept the previous night due to anxiety. She also experienced a considerable rush when flying through the air, so now that she had a moment to relax, she could barely keep her eyes open.
"I just know what I'm capable of," replied Andrew, caressing Penelo's back. Her brass, wing-like accessories got in the way, but not for long as Penelo took the initiative to unequip most of her clothes, leaving her in a peach-colored brassiere, matching panties, the socks he put on her, and the Feather Boots. The bra and panties were also gifts that Andrew had given her, notably with the effect of allowing the wearer to learn Ribbon, Auto-Protect, and Loudmouth, three of the more useful Abilities.
"I'm really tired..." muttered Penelo, her way of letting Andrew know she didn't feel like having sex. She was willing if he wanted to, but she would rather wait until they rescued Vaan. If she later learned that something terrible happened to him while she was fooling around, she would never be able to forgive herself...
Fortunately for Penelo, Andrew could be courteous when he wanted to be. He could tell she was tired and worried, so rather than 'revitalizing' her with curative magic and an ether, he answered, "Then go to sleep..." while gently caressing her back. He wasn't sure how an orphan who lived without easy access to soap, shampoo, and lotion managed to pull it off, but Penelo had satiny smooth skin without a trace of blemish...
"Mmm..." responded Penelo, immediately falling asleep. Once she had, Andrew resigned himself to maintaining his current position as he opened his Correspondence Menu, checked his messages, and passed the time by seeing what everyone else was up to. Garnet had invited most of his women over for a Summer retreat to strengthen their bonds and prevent them from distracting him, so most of them were currently eating together while a few outliers, such as Tifa, Lyse, Paine, and, somewhat surprisingly, Alisaie trained with Beatrix and Claire.
'Good for them...' thought Andrew, unable to keep a smile from his face before shifting the view to see what Lightning was up to. She still sent daily reports, so he wasn't particularly surprised to find her inside what looked like the control room of a giant crystal, standing with her arms crossed as she watched over a short, elderly, Japanese-looking man with a red-and-white frilled collar...
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Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone