Our plan took a lot longer than either of us had thought. The Memory Crystal took over two hours of work from us both, her creating it and me keeping it supported as it grew.
The crystal was twelve feet tall when it was all done, but it was very fragile to the point that the first one broke. We had started it lying down on the floor, but it collapsed as it grew, so I was forced to support it from all of its points.
"Wow!" Anya exclaimed after wiping sweat from her brow. "That was a lot harder than I assumed it would be, and I feel exhausted!"
I was naked and covered in sweat as I finished up with the supports that touched every point I could find. Then I ran smaller roots from them to connect all the other roots, creating a net over it.
I let go of a breath I had been holding for ten mins now and sucked in another one, letting it back out. The last ten minutes had been the worst, and I had to have Mr. Trees help, but I was still stretched thin.
"I need a bath; god, that was ridiculous," I said as a trunk grew around the big red Memory Crystal; I was not taking any chances with that damn thing.
"Yes! A soak is a good idea, but can we go back to the main house? I miss the girls, and it would be nice to see what they are up to. I could also talk to Amy about some new dresses," Anya said, and I nodded and heated my body, sweat steaming off, but it was a pretty fresh smell.
Anya backed up from me with a disgusted look, and I laughed.
"Either this or I pick you up covered in sweat," I smiled, but Anya shook her head as fairy wings burst from her back.
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"I can carry myself!" Anya declared.
I shrugged as a massive hand emerged from the floor to grab me.
"Suit yourself; I am done. Mr. Tree, I need maximum effect on this one; I don't even know if my roots will stop me right now," I groaned as the roof and tree spread open, and I was lifted into the air.
Anya took off, and Mr. Tree started to line me but threw me straight into the air with more force than ever. A mask instantly formed on my face, but I wasn't stopping, and my feet became boosters, for lack of a better word.
Wood started to cover my body, but something flickered on the inside of my mask, and then a full screen appeared. Sofia, Gaia, Firaga, and Brad Pitt were on the other side.
"Sorry! I know you just finished a tough run, but you will have to tough this one out. We just found the Hiveship by a complete fluke the first time we turned on the scanner we just created," Sofia explained.
"I mean, I get it, but I am gassed. I don't even know how you can make me do what I am doing right now," I groaned as I tried to focus on flying.
"You are like superman, kind of. The ultraviolet rays will give you a bit of a recharge, but not like the pool. Still, we can't pass this chance up," Sofia explained, and I sighed.
I was starting to heat up, and I was starting to lose layers from the heat, but the skin grew from the inside out and kept up with the damage.
"I know. Brad, I mean Orphus! What is in there? What should I expect?" I asked as I started to head up, but then clothing went over my body, stopping the burn, and then I broke past the Karman Line.
My body started to get lighter, and it became easier to fly, but my body was pumping out heat to keep me warm in my suit.
"Be prepared. There is an AI in there designed just to defend. Head straight at the ship, but you will have to hit it hard. I will show you where a weak point is and load you up a map, but we will be cut off once you are inside," Orphus explained as information came up on my screen.
My target was still four hundred kilometers away, but now that I could see the sun, I was starting to feel better. This was completely unexpected, but we couldn't pass up this opportunity.
"If you can bring them down here, then they can't leave. They will know that you are coming, and the AI on the ground down south are starting to converge on us. We have twenty hours before they show up in full force," Orphus explained, and I swore.
"Dammit!" I growled.
"It was inevitable, so we will hold them off for as long as we can, but you need to take control of that ship. This is their last hope, and you need to take that away from them. Everyone is getting ready, and the people are all going to safety, but they will be using the Elf Clones. I will use the special clone you created with the swords and chains, but we will hold," Gaia said, and other screens started to pop up.
"You can do this! We got the ground; you take the air!" Marley called, standing with Katie.
"Yeah, you can trust us to hold them off!" Katie said with a grin.
"I was confused when you got tossed up, and I am sorry I tired you out so much," Anya apologized.
"We are all supporting you in this, Daniel. Some of us might have just met you like Chelsea and me, but we believe in you!" Amy said.
"Yup, Ladyzilla is going to wreck them all! You can trust that I am going to cut loose on them! Melody is coming to get me soon to go practice with my new gear!" Chelsea cheered.
"You all need to make sure that you stay safe. DO NOT DIE! That is an order!" I shouted, and all the girls giggled.