The world outside the carriage was a blur of motion, a rush of trees and dirt that gave no hint of the chaos that lay ahead. Inside, the group was quiet, each lost in their own thoughts after Sheut's view shattering information.
A moment of scholarly curiosity on Big John's face was broken by the mischievous glint in Queen Nandi's eyes. "Big John," she said, her voice dripping with mock sweetness, "now that we've had this little diversion, do you think you could warp the carriage forward to make up for the lost time?"
He looked at her, a faint twitch at the corner of his mouth. He knew, with absolute certainty, that she knew the answer. Spatial manipulation on such a large, complex object, and for a sustained duration, was a monumental task, draining his mana reserves to a dangerous degree. It was a joke, a playful jab at his power, and Nandi was enjoying it immensely.
"My Queen," he began, his voice laced with exasperation, "I am a spatial manipulator, not a taxi service. The last time I 'warped' anything with the density and magical complexity of this carriage, I ended up with a week-long headache and a dimensional tear in my left hand."
"Oh, come now, Big John," she said, her eyes twinkling mischievously. "You're the most powerful spatial manipulator in the five kingdoms. I'm sure you can manage a little jump."
"A little jump is a single person, my Queen. This is a carriage full of people, with a power source, and a fragile ecosystem of magical lines." He said, gesturing with one arm. "One miscalculation, and we could end up scattered across a thousand different dimensions, or worse, fused together in a grotesque amalgamation of flesh and wood. Is a little lost time worth that risk?"
A small, knowing smile touched Nandi's lips. "But you can do it, can't you?" she pressed, her voice a conspiratorial whisper. "You are our 'King,' after all. Nothing is beyond your power, is it?"
Big John turned a deeper shade of red, a low growl escaping his throat. "I'll ignore that comment, Your Majesty," he said, his eyes flicking to General Kar, who was struggling to keep his face impassive. "And no, I will not be 'warping' this carriage. We will make up the time the old-fashioned way."
He then looked at Sheut, a silent question in his eyes. Sheut, for his part, gave a slight nod, a silent acknowledgment that he, too, found the situation amusing. The tension of the ambush, the weighty conversation about demons and primordial powers. It all dissipated in the face of Nandi's playful antics.
Queen Nandi's head then turned towards Sheut, another mischievous glint in her eyes. "Sheut," she began, a hint of her earlier playfulness returning, "that movement thingy you used to get to the caravan... is there any way you could pimp my ride and make it faster?"
Sheut pondered the question for a second, his expression unreadable. He could sense her intent. A playful challenge rather than a serious demand. "Well, I cannot modify the carriage without studying the schematics," he replied, a subtle note of professional hesitation in his voice. "However, I believe there is something I can do, but it would require some experimentation. Also, I would advise that General Kar manually take the wheel."
General Kar, who had been listening with a mixture of amusement and exasperation, positioned his hands on the stirring wheel at 9 and 3, ready to take control. Sheut, for his part, knelt down and placed his hands on the floor. The shadows from the trees seemed to deepen and extend, coiling around the carriage like a second skin. He wasn't warping space, not in the way Big John could, but he was creating a field of compressed darkness around the vehicle. This field, he explained, would reduce friction and drag, allowing the carriage to move at an impossible speed.
The carriage began to hum again, but this time, it was a deeper, more profound sound, a low thrum that vibrated through the ground. The vehicle felt lighter, almost weightless. General Kar, with a surprised grunt, barely managed to keep the carriage from lurching forward at an alarming speed. He adjusted his grip on the stirring wheel. His brow furrowed in concentration. The new form of movement was unlike anything he had ever piloted. It was silent, smooth, and breathtakingly fast.
"Well, Sheut," Big John said, a note of impressed awe in his voice, "it seems you've done more than just 'pimp' her ride. However, when you asked General Kar to drive manually, I thought it would go faster."
Sheut simply smiled normally, a rare and genuine expression that reached his dark eyes. "It seems so, King John," he replied, the title now a simple statement of fact, a testament to the respect and newfound camaraderie between them. "Now, when did i say that was the end of it?"
As if the carriage itself could sense what Sheut was about to do, the defensive mode kicked in. Underneath the shadow wrapping the carriage, the golden tree branches encased the vehicle, growing thicker and sturdier. Even the four large crystals had a semi-enclosed golden shell of protection. The only non-obstructed area was the front window, which was made of a magical and ballistic-resistant polycarbonate, making the windows practically invincible to attacks under a low A-rank.
Sheut directed shadows under each large crystal located in the four corners of the carriage. Immediately, the two mana fields, one from his shadows, the other from the carriage's defensive mana, reacted to each other. The first attempt caused the carriage to jump five feet off the ground with a sickening lurch. The second attempt jerked the carriage forward a few times, a stuttering, awkward motion that rattled the occupants.
A devilish grin spread across Sheut's face. "Third time's the charm," he said, the words barely audible over the growing thrum of power. "Hold on to something. Or someone."
Before he could even finish speaking, the carriage took off like a bat out of hell. The speeds at which it reached were approaching three hundred miles per hour. The world outside became a mere blur of color, a streaking line of green and brown. The landscape was no longer a collection of trees and rocks but a fast-moving tapestry of light and shadow.
General Kar was both focused and amused by the speed. As a Beast-Kin, he had a keen eye and agile reflexes, so the velocity didn't dull his reaction time. He was truly having fun, bobbing and weaving through trees, large rocks, and gliding across sand dunes, causing the carriage to go airborne a few times. The ride was exhilarating, a silent, breathtaking streak of motion that left the landscape a blur behind them. The feeling of weightlessness as the carriage momentarily took flight was both terrifying and thrilling for the passengers. Adah, with a gasp and a laugh, clung to Big John, who had to brace himself against the seat to avoid being thrown about. Queen Nandi, ever the dramatist, shrieked with a mixture of terror and delight, her cloak flapping wildly as if trying to keep up with the impossible speed.