(Twin Fang Planet, The Departure Bay)
Leo arrived at the hangar bay last of all team members.
The transport craft was already stationed at the center of the launch zone by the time he arrived, and it was an aircraft unlike anything he had ever seen before.
It was a gray craft with its surface plated with tiles containing runic engravings and light-absorbing paint that screamed discretion and lethality.
It was apparently a fighter type craft, that was usually used to deploy guild members into highly volatile war zones, however, was being used as a simple transport ship today.
The insignia of the Black Serpents Guild gleamed near the tail of the craft, as Leo gave it a twice over before looking towards the team.
The rest of them had already assembled near the boarding ramp.
Raiden stood near the center of the craft with his arms folded and stylish sunglasses covering his eyes.
Cipher stood to his left with a data slate in his hands, while Patricia chewing gum loaded a weapons rack onto the craft.
Karl stood nervously over a large backpack almost half his size, as he double-checked his supplies with trembling fingers, and Bob leaned casually against the aircraft, chewing his toothpick with the same blank indifference he seemed to wear for all occasions.
"You're just on time," Raiden said as he spotted Leo, as he walked over and handed him a small spatial pouch.
"Your share of the supplies. Food, rations, spare clothes, two emergency mana flares, and a backup transmitter to locate the entrance." Raiden explained, as Leo flipped it open, to briefly scan the contents, before clipping it to his utility belt with a subtle nod.
No further words were exchanged as the team made their way into the aircraft.
Once seated inside, the interior sealed shut with a hiss and the engines activated with a soft, low hum.
The craft soon lifted off the ground, rising smoothly through the vertical shaft before accelerating into the atmosphere, as the team officially found themselves en-route to the Time-Stilled World
Then—
Once a few minutes had passed, Cipher rose from his seat, holding a slim black tablet.
"Alright, listen up. We've got some intel to run through," he said, as he projected a three-dimensional map into the center of the aircraft using a mana projector embedded into the floor panel.
A vaguely sketched diagram of warped terrain, uneven landmasses, floating islands, and unsure dark regions appeared midair.
"This map was drawn by Monarch Dupravel Nuna during his last expedition into the Time-Stilled World. The guild's archivists have since worked on his crude drawing skills a bit and have turned it into something resembling a functional topographical guide."
He pointed at a central point.
"This here is our insertion zone. The terrain surrounding it is unpredictable and shifts fast, but can be considered semi-stable compared to the rest of the world, as our real problem starts from here," he said as he gestured towards a forest type region full of trees.
"The forest of death is where things start to get really spooky, as everything in there wants to kill you whether it's the plant life or the beasts….."
"We have to basically find a way to survive it, then move on to the floating islands region, then the dark pockets, then through some sort of a mountain range, and finally reach our destination, which is some sort of an ancient castle…. Or at least we hope it is?" Cipher said, sounding unsure, as he shook his head and tried to move on quickly from the uncertainty.
"The castle is where we are supposed to find a rare and indestructible metal alloy, and the goal of this entire mission is to enter that castle and retrieve that alloy—" Cipher said slowly, making sure that everyone heard the words coming out of his mouth clearly.
"According to the briefing that the guild gave me before the mission began, we are supposed to retrieve about 2 kilograms worth of that alloy, or as much as we find, and our rewards will apparently be increased if we manage to bring back more than 2 kgs," Cipher said, as Patricia whistled low at his words.
"All this trouble for a shiny little rock. If only a man went to such lengths to make me a wedding ring…. Because if he did, I might just say yes and settle down…. Even if for just a few days," She said, before giving Karl a wink, as the poor boy blushed to his ears.
"Indestructible metal means you could probably just use it to forge a sword that never dulls, right? Surely worth a fortune." Karl muttered, trying to hide his embarrassment, however, nobody responded to his words, making him feel even more embarrassed.
"The guild doesn't care what it becomes. They just want it retrieved. And so that's all we should care about as well," Raiden declared after a while, as nobody asked any more stupid questions.
What happened with the retrieved loot was a discussion better suited for their return trip, as for now, they first needed to focus on how to survive Time-Stilled world first.
—--------
Although the rest of the trip passed by in relative silence, alarm bells began to blare in Leo's head based on a small line that Cipher mentioned while showing the map.
Cipher said, that 'Dupravel himself had drawn a map of that world'
Which meant that Dupravel had been inside that world!
However, what Leo did not understand was why if Dupravel attempted this mission himself did the guild still need weaklings like him to retrieve the metal for?
Afterall, if Dupravel had already been there then the mission should have already been completed.
And if not, then how could the guild even expect that any other member could do it when Dupravel himself failed?
'Something about this doesn't add up… I've suddenly got a bad feeling about this mission,' Leo thought as his instincts began churning uneasily beneath his calm exterior.
However, despite the discomfort, he managed to keep his cool and somehow appear indifferent, as he knew better than to show his nerves now.
It was already too late for him to turn back and chicken out, and hence he decided to hold strong and put on his bravest face.
Even if it was just a facade.