Several days of celebration and building followed Valen’s return to Astera, as the Fifth Fleet hunters were happy to finally be out of their ships, and the rest of the Research Commission always made sure that their new arrivals felt welcome to their outpost.

  Beer flowed out merrily, and a stream of large meaty dishes streamed out of the kitchen, the Meowscular Chef a flurry of activity with his Felyne crew, pulling out all the stops to satisfy his current customers: the whole of Astera with the newly arrived Fifth Fleet.

  Valen enjoyed himself, simply content to be with peers, and that most of those peers respected him, given how the situation deteriorated at Dundorma in the last months before his departure. So he had found a spot outside the main party and simply enjoyed the festive ambiance, though at one point Jake found him and sat next to him. Though he didn’t carry a beer with him, which internally made Valen chuckle, it seemed the legendary hunter was one of those that never revealed his face to people. He didn’t doubt that the number of people that knew it was a very limited number, but he wouldn’t pry.

  They chatted together, the Huntsman told him the hunts that he experienced in the Old World, and the few that he had to participate in in the New World. Though, the one that amazed Valen the most was the tale of how the Huntsman felled a Lunastra. It was a hunt that took the man several days of tracking, exhausting the Elder and finally felling it in an arduous fight where neither side refused to back off. At the end of it Valen nodded his head in respect. He knew that the deeds the Huntsman was known for were ones that proved his skills.

  He however followed up with the story of the fight that he had with a Teostra which was undoubtedly the mate of the Lunastra he felled. This fight ended without victor in the end, because Jake managed to escape, but not without injuring the Elder severely, and it seemed that it had realized it found its match and fled to survive. It was where the large gash on his helmet came from, as he had not quite dodged a claw swipe from the Teostra.

  They would have chatted more, undoubtedly would have been followed by Valen retelling his adventures if the Commander didn’t interrupt the both of them.

  “Jake, Valen, I need the both of you at the Conference table, we have to discuss the specifics of the role you’ll take on, Valen.”

  “Lead the way then, we’re following.” Jake answered.

  Arcos nodded and they walked towards the conference table, which was where the important decisions of the outpost were discussed and taken.

  They spread around the table and the Commander unrolled a map, which was visibly very incomplete, the area surrounding Astera being very detailed, but beyond that, only landmarks visible in the horizon and the general climate were described. Arcos said. “This is what we have managed to survey of the New World so far. As you can see… It’s very bare bones. The Third Fleet would have been the one tasked to fill it up with their airship, but we lost contact with their airship not long after it sailed off. We believe they have either gone down or found themselves in a spot where they’re unable to contact us, given that we hadn’t tamed wingdrakes then, and we have no idea where they are. And the Fourth Fleet, being mostly traders and people of artisan backgrounds, didn’t allow us to send our few hunters exploring.”

  “And I guess with the Fifth Fleet’s arrival and me having proven my skill, you now are able to have at least a few people you can spare?” Valen guessed.

  “Exactly. I’ll at least ask you to spar with Jake so he can better ascertain your skill and get a Slinger crafted before you go, but then you should head out towards there at least.” He tapped a spot on the map, simply named ‘Wildspire Wastes’. “Hunters of the Fifth will mostly be assigned to the Ancient Forest at first, but I want to map out the Wastes as soon as we can so we can better understand the ecosystem. Further hunting grounds will necessitate us to breach the Great Ravine.

  “I understand. When should I leave, ideally?”

  “Tomorrow. That should give you enough time to get your Slinger crafted. I know it’s short notice, but I want this done as soon as we can. We have been confined to the Ancient Forest for too long, and even I can tell that Jake is growing tired of it.” He looked at the Huntsman with a less serious face.

  “You know me well, Arcos. The Ancient Forest is nice, but we haven’t moved from there in the past forty years… Though you also know we do have some explorers roaming around.”

  “We do have them… But they all came from the First, and one should have been here in Astera.”

  “You know the Admiral can take care of himself. Besides, even I admit he is more than qualified enough to search for clues about the Crossing, and I’ll be the first to say that you have done a great job taking over his role. About the Seeker and Tracker… They both know how to conceal themselves. I’m sure we’ll find them eventually and we’ll have detailed maps of the grounds they have explored.” The Huntsman argued.

  The Commander looked at Jake for a moment before nodding. “You are right. I don’t doubt their skills, all of the first fleet were the best of the time in their roles. I am just worried for them.” He shook his head. “This aside, do you have any questions Valen?”

  Valen frowned for a moment before snapping his fingers. “I have a couple, what about my Handler, Ikari?”

  “Good point, he would normally accompany you, but he’ll need to stay here for the first week, all Handlers need to, so they are filled in with the state of the affairs and the few discoveries we have made, as well as learn our way of doing paperwork. But after that he would be able to accompany you should he desire to.”

  “I see… Also I’m not that great at drawing, but I know that Adem is at least better than me, will that be okay?”

  “Do you at least know the basics of how to draw a map?” Valen nodded. “That’ll be all I require, we have nothing of our surrounding, having the basics, even if they’re crude, would help better than you imagine. All the better if you find spots where we can set up camps.”

  Valen nodded. “I’ll do what I can.” He turned towards the Blue Flare. “Jake, do you mind if we do our spar now?”

  “Give me half an hour to prepare and I’ll join you on the training grounds. You know where they are at least?”

  “I do, I’ll warm up and wait for you there then.”

  The Huntsman then took his leave and headed out towards his personal room so he could prepare. Valen turned towards the Commander. “I’ll wait at the grounds, enjoy the rest of the festivities.”

  “They should come to a close tomorrow, then the real work can begin. Good luck in your endeavours. I don’t think we’ll see each other until you return, though I’d ask that it’s in less than a month.”

  “Do not worry, I’ll not be gone that long.”

  “Then may the Sapphire Star light your way.”

  “And may the Red Comet keep your skies clear.”

  The Commander was taken aback for a moment before he smirked and laughed. “Of course you would. I cannot wait to see what wonders you will uncover for us Valen. I have a good feeling about you.”

  “I’ll do what I can to solve this mystery.”

  “That I do not doubt. Now go, you are dismissed.”

  Valen nodded and headed towards the training grounds so that he could warm up for the incoming spar with the Huntsman, though he did a ‘detour’ to grab Adem and explain the situation to the Felyne, who immediately became excited as well for their first real assignment in the New World, and dashed towards their room so the cat could suit up. Valen chuckled at the excited Felyne, but at least he already was armored up and thus didn’t need to put on his armor and pick up his weapon. His armor was what made him recognizable, as there was no peer to it. The materials it was made of, as well as the unique additions of the thrusters were also completely unique. But he knew that Nikki was the one that made sure he had the best protections possible, so he kept it on as much as he was able.

  Valen reached the training grounds, which were surprisingly empty, but he guessed that since everybody was at the feast it shouldn’t surprise him. Still, he appreciated the privacy, no doubt that the field would be swarmed with onlookers if news of the spar spread.

  He sat up at one of the benches and pulled out his weapon and a whetstone, before frowning and shaking his head and putting back the whetstone in the pouch. It wouldn’t do to sharpen his weapon right before a friendly spar, he didn’t want to murder his training partner after all, so instead he checked the internal mechanisms, so he could be sure they worked correctly and not jam during the spar. It had happened a couple times and so he took precautions so that the risk of it happening was as low as it could get. So he removed the axe head and started inspecting the internals…

  It was only a tap on his shoulder that jolted Valen out of the cleaning he was making, and his hand had half traveled towards his carving knife before realizing it was simply Jake that had surprised him.

  “Kinda scared me for a bit there.”

  Jake chuckled. “You were engrossed deeply into that… Which I can understand, I haven’t seen Switch Axe internals often, but I’m sure these are different from what the norm is.”

  Valen nodded. “Indeed, due to the nature of Valstrax wings, we were able to experiment with a couple more additions. The benefits I gained are definitely worth the extra cleaning I have to do after and before a hunt.”

  “I see. Eh, this is too complicated for me anyways. I’m a simple Longsword user, though I was a Greatsword master in my prime, but as you can see age caught up to me and I had to trade weapons.” He looked in the distance, remembering some memories fondly Valen supposed. “How long do you need to be ready?”

  “Give me a couple of minutes, I am almost done anyways.” He replied, starting to put the Switch Axe together, deftly slotting every part together with an ease demonstrating practice, and it was only a short after that his weapon was whole once more. He made the mechanism work a couple times to make sure of the correct working, then satisfied, he put back his cleaning equipment into his pouch and looked at Jake. “How do you want to handle this? Given how sharp our weapons are, we will have to be careful not to cut ourselves to ribbons.”

  Jake nodded and threw something to Valen, who caught it expertly. Looking at it, it was pieces of rubber, adapted for a Switch Axe. “These won’t hold for long, but enough for a couple hits. They shouldn’t hinder the mechanisms of your weapon, but it’s all we can use at our level.”

  “Understood.” Valen nodded and carefully covered the edges of his weapon with the material, and as promised it didn’t hinder the working of his weapon in the slightest, after Valen tested with a couple swings. He looked at the Huntsman who had put himself into position at the opposite side of the training ground, then asked. “What are the rules?”

  “First touch loses the bout, best of five. Are you ready?” He asked, one hand wrapped around the hilt of his weapon.

  Valen sheathed his own weapon on his back and did the same. “I am.” He entered a combat stance, bending forwards slightly, increasing the distance between his feet and looking at his opponent intensely across the few dozen feet separating them.

  Neither of them moved for a moment that seemed to last an eternity, both seemingly waiting for some sort of unknown signal to start. This signal could be anything, a twitch in the other’s posture, a sound, a movement.

  Suddenly a fruit fell from one of the trees surrounding the training area, the quiet thump normally barely noticeable now seemingly filling the whole area, a disturbance in the trance that had overtaken the two fighters.

  Both hunters exploded into action, Valen drawing his weapon into Axe mode and holding it to the side as he began running towards his opponent, who had also drawn his weapon and was starting to do a lateral slash on Valen. Instead of avoiding the wide slash, Valen countered it by striking with the Axe head from above, producing a quiet thump sound instead of the expected clang of metal against metal. He then would have pivoted his weapon and attempted to rip the Longsword out of his opponent’s grip, if Jake hadn’t managed to back-step and free his weapon that way.

  Valen pressed his advantage, rotating his Axe so that the sharp Axe head pointed upwards and attempted to strike Jake from below.

  Jake, however, countered with a thrust which would have hit his shoulder, had he not countered the move by releasing one hand from his weapon and slapping aside the attack with the back of his gauntlet, making it miss the intended target. The continued momentum of his own weapon made it impact Jake’s Longsword. Noticing it was placed into the hook of the Axe, Valen immediately exploited the opportunity that was given to him and pulled.

  A quiet tching was heard as Valen witnessed the longsword flying free from Jake’s grip towards him. Valen caught the weapon by the blunt edge and threw it behind him, then immediately morphed his weapon into Sword mode and pointed it at his opponent. “Do you yield?”

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  Jake seemed to stare intensely at Valen, seemingly looking at him in a new light. He nodded at Valen and said. “I do, first bout goes to you.”

  Valen smiled behind his helmet and morphed his weapon back.

  Jake picked up his weapon and went in stance closer to Valen this time. He barely had time to assume his stance when Jake shouted “Begin!” and immediately jumped at his opponent, aiming for the head.

  Valen was caught by surprise, but his reflexes immediately took over and he barely managed to duck below the swing. He immediately tried to thrust, hoping to destabilize his opponent with the tip of his weapon.

  It wasn’t to be as Jake sidestepped the clumsy thrust and swung at Valen in the same motion, his blade seemingly alight with an aura of bloodlust. Valen’s eyes widened, but then he immediately pulled the trigger controlling the thrusters of his weapon, which immediately made them ignite with explosive force, creating distance between him and his opponent and making the dangerous swing miss its mark.

  The unexpected capability of his weapon seemed to have taken his opponent by surprise. Valen decided to not let the opening be wasted, so as soon as he killed his momentum, he dashed forwards and attempted a downswing on Jake.

  It seemed that the Huntsman either recovered from his surprise faster than expected or he faked it, as he dodged the incoming swing as soon as Valen had fully committed. Valen immediately realized it was a trap, but it was too late to escape as Jake executed a rising diagonal slash with lightning speed, striking him on the side.

  Both of them stayed in their positions, not even winded as they stared at each other’s helmets. Then Valen nodded. “You got me.”

  “You committed too early. But I suppose that with a weapon as massive as yours, it’s hard to deal with the nimbler weapons.”

  “This is true… but it is a good thing my task is to fight with monsters and not fellow humans, is it not?”

  “Correct, but it's still a skill you should practice nonetheless. You never know when you may have to fight a renegade hunter or poachers.”

  “Good point… Next one?”

  “Next one indeed.”

  And so they resumed their positions once more.

  Valen was currently heading towards the large workshop of Astera, being the only building made of metal so it could withstand the high temperatures produced inside.

  He reminisced about the spar that had just happened, Jake having won it, the advantages of a nimbler and almost equal reach weapon too great for Valen to overcome. At least Dual Blades or Sword and Shield users had poor reach which allowed him to maintain his distance. But he had also expected the result, and he believed he had made a good enough showing of his skills to satisfy Jake.

  He was going into the Smithy, as he had one thing that he needed made here in the New World: a Slinger.

  The contraption was an invention from the resident smith, and from what Valen had seen during the fight with the Anjanath, the abilities it provided outweighed the bulk of the tool that occupied the left hand. However Valen also knew that he couldn’t simply pick up one from the armory and attach it to his left gauntlet. No, he needed one custom-made with the rest of the materials he had from the Valstrax he had slain, which explained the large box containing said materials that he was carrying in his hands.

  Loud noises came from the Smithy, most of it being the strikes of metal against metal The multiple smithies seemed to be in intense activity, probably forging new weapons for the newcomers in preparation for the few that would inevitably break during a hunt.

  However, after he entered and placed the box on the counter with a loud slam, all activity immediately ceased as all heads turned to the newcomer.

  One of the workers placed down his hammer and walked up to the counter. He had dark skin, seemingly almost browned by the intense heat of the forge he was working in, an eye-patch that demonstrated the loss of one of his eyes, and dense, bulging muscles that could only be acquired by a life into the forge. He seemed to examine Valen critically, noting every detail of his armor and the bits of the weapon he could see on his back. A quiet hum of approval reverberated from the man, who seemed to appreciate the work.

  “Now, that is a Masterpiece if I have ever seen one…” The man said with a loud booming voice. “This is incredible quality of smithing, and I can feel the power contained in it. A couple of kinks, but I believe that they do not matter at this quality of forging. Should your smith have been here, I would definitely have taken them as my apprentice. And it demonstrates your own talent as well, as you undoubtedly had a hand in this creation!”

  Valen smiled behind his helmet. “I’ll tell Aki of the compliments you had then, she asked that I get your opinion on it.”

  “She has talent I can see. And as long as it is not completely wrecked, I should be able to repair it without many issues as well. There is only one piece missing on it, but I also suppose this is why you are here?” Valen was about to answer, but the man overrode him. “Before we get to it, let me examine this in its entirety. I already see something that I’ve never seen before and I’m curious as to how it functions. You won’t need to remove it, seeing it on you is easier even.”

  “Alright.” Valen answered. The Smith walked around the counter, and started circling the Hunter, tapping some pieces with the back of his knuckles, to gauge the quality Valen mused.

  The Smith was paying even more attention to the thrusters adorning the armor’s back, seemingly impressed by the craftsmanship that they made. Then the hunter drew his weapon to the smith’s prompt so he could get a clear view of the back, to which he quickly gasped. “This is an impressive Gem… I’m guessing it is the power source of the thrusters?”

  “It is, else it would require so many Switch Axe phials to fuel that it would be impractical. I can get away with the thruster system I put on the weapon since I can only use it in short bursts, but to hover, you need way more sustained power. I decided to call it the Ruby Dragon Mindstone if you are curious”

  “Good name, more innovative than simply using the name of the monster at least. I now know what to do for your slinger, and we can get it done by this evening. Are you ready to forge?”

  Valen nodded. “I am ready to follow your instructions, Second Fleet Master.”

  The Smith chuckled. “Then let’s get ready to go!”

  The other Smith cheered in the forge and Valen followed the Master, so he could finally complete his armor to the standards of the New World. They selected the right materials from the box, and Valen treated them while the Master molded them. It was a tedious and delicate task, as the internals of the slingers were precise, but they were all motivated to see it to completion, to make a Masterpiece.

  Valen fiddled with his Slinger, which was exploiting some of the properties of the Valstrax wing membranes so its stopping power was increased, thus boosting the range at which Valen could sling stuff with it. The extra weight on his left hand was noticeable but he was sure he could get used to it and include the tool in his fighting style. Just the ability to load a flash bomb in it and throw it at a moment’s notice would be a lifesaver. So he adjusted it so that it was properly aligned and fitted, then made sure that it wouldn’t bother him while swinging his weapon around.

  Satisfied with the tool, he had already made his thanks to the Second Fleet Master for the work. Valen was already seeing why he was so respected back in the Old World, that man was able to craft such a delicate and complicated piece in only an afternoon, and he could see no faults in it.

  Adem was sitting next to him, making a tongue bath on the few parts of his body he could reach while covered in his armor. Valen smiled at the Felyne’s habits. He tended to do this right before they departed for a hunt. He supposed it was the way the Felyne had to deal with his nervousness, so he wouldn’t comment on it.

  He however saw the Commander approaching him, accompanied by, surprisingly, Aiden. Valen was surprised at the presence of the Ace Cadet, but he supposed that given his reputation and his proven skill, it would make sense he had a leading role in the Fifth Fleet.

  “Sky Piercer.” The Commander began. “Good, you haven’t departed yet, I needed to give you something before you went.” And then he opened his right hand, revealed a circular item that looked like a small cage, where some tiny green insects were fluttering inside. “This is your Scoutfly cage, it is what we need to track monsters here in the world. You simply need to give them a couple samples from footprints or discarded shedding and they will lead you to your target. We give one to every hunter here, so you should have your own as well.”

  “Thank you Commander. I know how to track myself, but I can already see how this would help.” He nodded his head in thanks, and attached the cage at his waist, where he noticed the Commander was wearing his own. Once done, he looked again at the Commander. “Any other information before I leave?”

  “Simply that you do not take that long. We already got a sample of your clothes, and we will train a Wingdrake to respond to you, but it’ll take time, so you’ll have to come yourself to transmit any information.”

  “I understand. I’ll inform you of any unusual monster should I meet one… What about you Aiden? I’m sure you are not here for no reason.”

  “Don’t I have the right to say goodbye to the buddy that I spent a lot of time with on the ship?” Grinning, he turned to Valen. “If I didn’t say goodbye, I’d miz-u-soon-e!”

  Valen groaned while the Commander and other onlookers chuckled. “I should have known… Thank you anyway, Aiden. I’ll be sure to tell you what I discover once I’m back.”

  “Good luck Sky Piercer, and may the Sapphire Star light your way.”

  Valen didn’t answer with his own response this time, simply nodding and turning around, leaving through the gate of Astera that led towards the desert surrounding one side. While the Ancient Forest was explored, the Wildspire Wastes were not, due to the more dangerous monsters that roamed it, and the lack of cover that would have allowed a Hunter to hide. This didn’t deter Valen though, as after roaming the Sandy Plains and their harsh heat, this was simply a walk in the park. He had been through worse, and he also had a personal goal to reach… That he hoped would go without issues. And thus it was with that mindset he ventured into the unknown.

  It had been more than a week since Valen had left Astera. Already he knew that he was far from any civilization, and it would take the same time at least for him to come back. He had more and less walked into a straight line from the outpost, only circling around natural obstacles like valleys or rivers, all of which were now detailed in the crude map he was carrying and filling. The Wildspire Wastes were named appropriately, as not much life survived the harsh and rocky environment. But it also made the life that thrived there all the more dangerous, especially the Monsters. Valen even spotted what he believed was some red fur that was familiar, though it was an especially old sample. But the signs were clear: this was a dangerous environment, and he was alone, far from any help.

  At least that's what most would think. Valen had spotted something recently, something that warmed his heart. Because laying into the sand, partially covered, was a burned scale. The silver color had faded with some strange heat and the environment, but he knew more than anybody else what it meant.

  He nodded to Adem, a determined expression set in his face, and the Felyne nodded in return. They both knew what Valen needed and hoped. Now that he had no need to hide it in his backpack, Valen carried a custom flare gun clipped to his hip, one that Aki had crafted for him as a gift. It was much bulkier than a regular one, and had an elongated barrel. Loaded into it was a special kind of ammunition. Part flare, part something else, this ammunition was one Valen needed to craft himself. Even though it was complicated, he realized the need for something like this and strove to learn the recipe.

  Now that he was far from Astera, he decided that it was time to fire it, he unclipped the flare gun, unlatched the safety, and, while aiming straight up with both hands, he fired it.

  The recoil from the custom-made weapon and ammunition was comparable to a Heavy Bowgun firing heavy-duty ammunition. Even when bracing with both hands, Valen barely controlled the kickback from the shot. He then followed the bright shot with his eyes, glowing blue.

  The propellant that was contained in the projectile catapulted it to height far beyond what any normal flare gun would achieve. It climbed higher, and higher, and higher, still burning, until Valen could barely see it, but he was certain that it was higher than the few clouds drifting around. And just as anybody would expect the projectile to simply burn out with a whisper, it blossomed.

  A gigantic firework expanded high above, blue and yellow lights expanding from each other, burning bright in the morning sky. They burned for a dozen seconds, clearly visible from far away on the ground, but from even further beyond for anything flying. Valen knew that should Nikki be flying even remotely close to his location, she would see it, and instantly know what it meant. It was why Aki crafted this gift for him after all, so she could know his location no matter where he was, as long as they were not absurdly far away from each other. He had fired it only once before, so Nikki knew what it looked like. They had agreed that should he fire it, no matter what, that meant he needed her, even if it was close enough to a city for her to be seen.

  Valen lowered his weapon as he saw the last remnants of the firework flare burning out. Now he only had to wait, if she saw it, she would be rushing towards his position as fast as she could manage.

  So he and Valen waited. He wasn’t sure how long he would have to wait, but he at least knew that Nikki was fast.

  But it was only a bit more than five minutes later that he could spot a red dot that appeared over the horizon. He smiled, it meant that Nikki pushed herself as much as she could to reach him that much faster. He did notice the red comet slow down quickly though, he pulled out a regular blue flare and scratched it on a rough part of his armor, loaded it into his Slinger, raised his left arm up, and fired it.

  Immediately the red comet almost disappeared, leaving only a silver glint in the sky, which made Valen realize that she was effectively slowing down. He rarely saw her executing this maneuver, which spoke of the speed at which she was traveling.

  It was only a couple more minutes before Valen could see her clearly, and she was heading directly towards them. Anybody else would have dove to the side for cover, but Valen did not, he had a huge smile on his face and was staring at her unflinchingly. And not long after, when it looked like she would inevitably collide with them, she reared up and pointed her wings straight down and immediately shed the remainder of her speed, bringing her to a halt.

  She hovered down lightly before dropping to the ground with grace only an Elder could muster. Valen then dropped all pretenses and ran towards her, embracing her head wholly whispering, “I missed you.” Even though she didn’t learn his spoken language, his intention was clear enough for her, and she rumbled in response, leaning into him.

  Valen felt like they stayed like this forever, as they needed this in the several months where they weren’t able to see each other. But eventually he reluctantly separated from her and repeated, “I missed you,” in their sign language.

  Nikki did the same, repeating his words as Valen removed his helmet, smiling at her.

  They looked at each other in the eye before they simply nodded and Valen signed, “No problem Journey?”

  “No, see you boat. You me?”

  “Yes. Thank you… You help.”

  Nikki then tilted her head questionably. So Valen explained. “Bad dreams return. Stopp after.”

  To that she simply rumbled in worry and leaned into him. Valen smiled, He wasn’t surprised she would worry about him.

  “Where Nest?” He finally said, pulling out the map he was drawing. He had instructed her on how to read a map, and it had been a lifesaver for the both of them, allowing them to meet when normally it would be hard to set it up. She examined it for a couple minutes before placing a claw outside the drawn area, about twice as far from Astera as they currently were.

  Valen nodded. It was about what he had expected, and would allow her to fly around without many issues.

  Finally Nikki looked at him and signed. “I stay you… Then you leave.”

  The hunter smiledHe would be able to catch up with her for a while, until he had to come back to Astera, and he was glad of that fact as he finally reunited with someone he so dearly missed.

  Yes, I did some rough calculations for the ETA of Nikki taking the time to arrive.

  First I wondered what was the maximum distance you could see an object that was at such a high altitude, while you were at about the same altitude. Given that AWACs (the literal flying radar planes of the armies) can detect planes up to 400 km away, I took this as a good first number.

  Second was then how fast could a Valstrax go. We know that they can go supersonic at the drop of a hat when they do their famed divebomb attack. But is it their top speed? I did not think so. If you analyse the cutscene in GU, you would find an absurd number, so I settled on Mach 3 as a good reasonable number. Which is around 3000 km/h.

  How long would an object flying at Mach 3 take to reach a position that was 300 kilometers away (a number I chose as a good middle ground) Six minutes, aka 1/10th of an hour.

  Now you realize how fast Valstrax can go if they can cross 1/3rd of an European country in six minutes.

  Now that the Math segment is over, I wanna ask a question to all of you readers: I revealed at chapter 17 of Sky Piercer the reason for the book title… I now want to know what are your theories about the title Sky Render that we have now. Of course I won’t confirm or deny guesses, but I’m curious about your own theories about it. Come on, don’t be shy, suggest even if you don’t think it’s right!