Orion turned his head to the side and met Fifi's radiant smile, taking in the sight of her broad, muscular shoulders.
As she redirected her attention back to the view below, Fifi continued to gaze at the landscape.
"You know, the last time I came out here to look for you, I never imagined I would find you, let alone fly up this high in the sky without a shape-shifting gift. I sometimes feel like I've gone through one of the most eventful periods of my life ever since I spoke to you. Now, whenever I go to sleep, there's always something that makes me never want to wake up," she said, turning her head to look at Orion.
"Do you want to know what it is?"
Orion silently nodded.
"It's the day you proposed to me. That's the only dream I can never get tired of," Fifi said softly before leaning in and giving Orion a peck on his lips. "I think I want a reward after all the stress that I and the baby have gone through just to save you."
"What do you want as a reward?" Orion responded seriously.
This was the first time Fifi had asked for something; as such, no matter what, he had to make sure that he gave it to her, as she, without a doubt, deserved it.
Fifi smiled warmly and responded, "I want you to propose to me again. I want it to be the most pleasing proposal you've ever done in your life."
Seeing Orion furrowing his brows as he stared at her in deep thought, Fifi let out a small chuckle that rang out in the air, bringing Orion back out of his thoughts.
She stretched her right hand forward and held his chin with it, "Although you might be several times younger than me, it shouldn't be anything too difficult for you given the number of sisters I have."
Letting out a deep exhale, Orion nodded, "Okay, I'll try my best and figure something out."
Just as Fifi withdrew her hand, a loud booming sound echoed in the distance below them.
Fifi frowned and immediately looked into the distance. Within her eyesight, she saw a four-legged, towering mass of Vylkr vines coming their way, for better clarification, heading towards the Village.
"EVERYONE, LOWER THE ORION'S SKIES, AND GET READY TO LAY DOWN THE ROPES AND JUMP DOWN WHEN I GIVE THE SIGNAL!" A deep voice resounded loudly in the air near them, and Orion could see that it had come from Seth, the Village Chief's son.
He and three other warriors were in another Orion's Sky, which was attached to theirs, and a third one, containing about five warriors, was connected by a thick, long rope.
The Oroin's skies had enough room to accommodate about four or five more individuals in each, but that wasn't needed since they were not carrying many people and didn't need to waste an Orion's Sky storing all their fruits.
Also, the last thing Orion would want was to be trapped in a basket with some hefty-built men surrounding him for an extended period.
Orion turned his head to the side and caught the gaze of a toned female warrior, her attention shifting from him and Fifi to some burner system that looked far more impressive than the one he had initially envisioned.
At least he knew there was someone in the Village who could help him bring some of his ideas to life in the future.
In their Orion Sky, there were only four individuals: him, Fifi, and two other female warriors.
Although they didn't possess as much muscle as Fifi, they were just as toned and muscular as the other female warriors he had seen previously.
Nevertheless, at that moment, as one of the female warriors lowered the Orion Sky, the other unfolded a thick piece of cloth tied around a long, curve-bladed spear, preparing for the upcoming battle.
Bending down to pick up the cutlass that had been prepared for him by Fifi, folded within a piece of cloth and stored with the sack she had brought, Orion immediately straightened up as a hand quickly tightened around his.
"Stay here and reserve your energy for when we get to the mountain; we will handle this for now," Fifi said, staring at Orion with a firm resolve.
Orion furrowed his brows.
Even if he couldn't fight a three-star Vylkr vine yet, he still had enough power to prevent the surrounding one-star or two-star Vylkr vines from taking advantage of their battle or distracting them.
He knew they wouldn't go all out, so killing the three-star Vylkr vines would take longer.
"But I can h…"
"No buts, Orion. I promised my sisters that I would keep you safe, so for now, stay here until we arrive at the mountains," Fifi said, staring at Orion seriously, remembering the promises she made to her fellow sisters during the meeting called by Greta.
The meeting occurred after Greta discovered Orion's intentions when he left to meet the Village Chief and the other key figures.
Despite sensing that Greta was hiding something, they also learned that Orion had become a warrior. However, he was still too weak to defend himself in the dead forest.
Meanwhile, witnessing Fifi's determined expression and the plea in her eyes, Orion nodded in understanding. "Alright, I'll stay here for now, at least," he said, releasing a sigh.
Despite realizing his current strength, he didn't feel the need to be stubborn when Fifi was trying to keep him out of harm's way.
"Thank you," Fifi exhaled with relief, letting go of Orion.
A familiar loud voice echoed in the air once more.
"EVERYONE, LOWER YOUR ROPES AND DESCEND," Seth yelled again.
Shortly after, a rope was thrown out from each basket, and all the warriors, leaving only one warrior in each Orion's sky to keep an eye on it, started to descend.
They let go once they had reached a certain distance, free-falling towards the direction of the three-star Vylkr vine.
