Sorry about the big gap in chapters, I was REALLY busy with vacation and summer school.
Here goes!~

Morning came and went, and soon, it was time to meet Horiato for our mission.

That morning, Lena was already up and about, which saved me some awkward explaining. Lavi, however, was ecstatic, and kept nudging me with his elbow when he thought Lena wasn’t looking.
He had also wolfed down $80 worth of breakfast..

Thankfully, the FSA covered our costs.

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We tromped into Horiato’s dusty study, sunlight filtering in through his glass windows, casting squares of light upon the couches and armchairs. Dust rose up, as we plopped down onto a couch, reflected in the afternoon light.

“Hello, boys and girls” Horiato’s deep voice rang out.

“Ey there Horrie, so whatcha got for us today?” Lavi asked, smiling.

“Well… A little mission in the Omega Sector of Ludibrium.” Said Horiato, acting as if it was nothing.

“WAAAAAH? Omega? But you know that’s off-limits, even to the FSA!” cried Lavi.

“.. We’re in desperate need of a certain object. It’s an orb of sorts, VERY small. Just a bit bigger than a marble. Sources say that there’ve been weird happenings around a certain forest temple down in Omega, and I want you to check it out. It might be an orb.” Horiato replied, his voice grave.

“.. What’s this orb for?” Lena inquired

“Classified.” Came a voice behind us.
Lavi’s jaw dropped open. His eyes went goggly. A sliver of drool came out of his mouth.

A woman had just walked in.
Her blonde hair was in an elegant bun on top of her head. A blue cape was draped over her shoulders, rippling with every step she took. A short black leather dress clung onto her body and defined every inich of it.

“C-cassie!” Lavi stuttered. “What’re you doing here?”
“It’s Cassandra, if you will.” She replied, her voice soothingly low. “I’m coming on this mission of yours.”
She lowered herself gently into an armchair, and crossed her legs.

“So, Ulysses. Are we getting a ride?” She asked, tilting her head to one side, with the hint of a smile on her red lips.

“Yes, yes, of course. A private airship is waiting for you in the courtyard.”

We each stood up, stretching, and paddled toward the door.

“NO! Let me!” Lavi cried out, as he scrambled to open the door.
I gave him an inquiring look, but he just stared blankly.

We followed Horiato through the marble hallways, our footsteps echoing hollowly.
“Here we go” Horiato announced to us.

I gasped. I had never seen an airship like this before. A long, giant balloon floated above it, connected by golden bars. The ship tugged at it’s rope, struggling to break free.

“Step in here, if you will” Cassandra called to us, as she walked into the ship through a door. I gasped in awe at the beautiful dark oak walls and floor, with golden trim.

“This is amazing!” I cried out, running my fingertips along the wall. Lavi had just jumped onto the ship. It fell a couple of feet, weighed down by his hammer.

“Lavi, why MUST you carry that huge weapon around?” said Cassandra, annoyed, but with a touch of amusement.
“But Cassie, it’s my weapon!” he replied, pouting and lugging his hammer through the narrow corridor.

“HELLO, there!” a bright voice rang out at us.
A young man stood there, with fashionably short brown hair, wearing a pilot’s outfit, waving at us.
“I’m your pilot today” he said, shaking hands with everybody, and smiling politely.

“If you’ll just sit down, I’ll have us up in a jiffy, ‘kay?” he said, settling down in the pilot’s seat.

We sat in a row behind him, setting down into the comfy armchairs. A wooden table was in the middle of the cabin, with ice and whisky on the table.

“Make yourselves at home” he said, as I felt a peculiar feeling of weightlessness.
We had taken off, rapidly rising high over the roofs of the FSA Headquarters building, with Horiato waving at us from far, far below.

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We passed the time quickly, chatting amongst ourselves. Lena didn’t drink, so she just drank water. Cassie had picked up a block of ice, and was changing it’s shape in her hands, the ice morphing into different things. Animals, people, once I thought I saw a hammer, but it had changed into a Parakeet before I could look closely.
So Cassie was an Ice mage.

“You’re an ice ma-“ I started to ask, when a deafening explosion came from above. A searing hot yellow beam tore through the cabin, and went straight through the pilot.

“Wha-?” was all he had managed to say, before blood exploded from his mouth. Blood dribbled down his chin, as he collapsed against the controls. Immediately, the plane began to drop, ever faster and faster. Soon, it was falling at a near-75 degree angle. I lost my footing, and had to grab onto the table. The ice and whisky had long since fallen down through the glass. Lena was sliding down to her doom, when I reached out and grabbed her hand. “NO!” I cried, pulling her up. Meanwhile, Cassie had made a platform of ice, cradling an unconscious Lavi in her arms.

“HUNTER!”

“IT’S REI!”

“LOOK, HOLD ON TIGHT, BECAUSE WE’RE GOING TO CRASH, HARD. I’M GOING TO COAT THIS SHIP WITH ICE, TO BREAK OUR FALL, BUT IT’S GOING TO GET VERY COLD INSIDE HERE. BE PREPARED!” Cassie cried, as she drew out a Blue Marine, making a complex pattern in the air. Almost immediately, I felt the air get colder and colder around us. I shivered, as I saw Ice growing over the windows. Thicker and thicker, until I couldn’t see through them anymore.

“BRACE YOURSELVES!!” Cassie roared out, as suddenly, the motion suddenly stopped. I was thrown down against the ice. My back hit the window, hard, and I coughed out blood. Cassandra had kept herself, Lavi, and Lena safe behind walls of ice, but she was too late to help me.

I gasped, wiping the blood from my mouth as Cassandra dropped down nimbly, with Lavi over her shoulder. Lena teleported down, and began healing me. I felt immensely better, getting up onto my knees.

“I’m sorry” I heard Cassie say, before I fell into oblivion.

WOOOT
I’m back, and it feeels good.