Chapter 18: Skydiving
Over the next week, Riddick had finished his preparations with the girls. They had a lot of food, and their belongings were ready to be packed. The only one who had been doing things all week was Dream.
The first thing Dream did after that night was analyze the new connection that was made between him and Luna. He could actually break it, but didn't feel like it. Why should he? The connection went straight from his soul to hers and they could now sense each other throughout the day. He could also communicate over this channel totally undetected and speak to her in secret. Not even Riddick could detect what was being said.
Other than the connection though, something else happened when they assimilated mana.
"My mana went down?! Why?! Where did all of it go?"
[You should ask Luna. When I was splitting you guys apart, some of the mana was taken by her. But the connection you guys have allows the transfer of mana. You both should have around F+ Magic now. Next time you shouldn't go assimilating like that if you wanna keep all your mana.]
"Well...It's not all that bad. I can request some and It was also her that got it. I'm fine with that."
Dream didn't mind much, but Luna was very apologetic when he told her. She didn't even realize that her mana had gone up until she looked.
Either way, they could work together now.
After he cleared that up, Dream started summoning things in advance for when they left.
His first summon, was a helicopter.
He debated for a while on what kind to get, but eventually decided to get a civilian one with good cabin space and could fly far, fast.
One thing to note is that Dream didn't need to worry about fuel running out or maintenance. He could refuel by summoning fuel inside the gas tank and he could repair the object with mana. All he had to have was enough mana!
Unfortunately, the model that he wanted to get was too expensive. Well, all of them were too expensive.
He wanted to get a VIP luxury helicopter that could reach speeds of up to 250 miles per hour. Unfortunately, it costed many times his entire mana pool.
So Dream went to Riddick and requested mana. Sophia just had to channel the mana from him into the skill and get it. Which they did.
Dream prepared the landing and take off area and summoned the helicopter there. And when it was summoned, Dream couldn't wait to test it out.
He had summoned it with a full tank and had called everyone to pile inside and see what it did.
But there was a problem.
'Sophia! How do I fly this thing?'
[You actually don't have to. Most of these things have autopilot so I can tap in and fly how you want.]
'Sweet! You're the best.'
So flying was no longer a problem.
"Everyone! Find your seats. This device could be considered the best flying device for civilians in my world. And you guys get to ride it!"
"This thing actually flies? How?" (Iris)
"Science! You want me to talk about it for two hours?" (Dream)
"N-Nevermind..." (Iris)
"Okay then. Just watch!"
With one final shout, Dream had Sophia start everything up.
The rotors started spinning to life. The brush underneath the helicopter started swaying fiercely with the wind.
In a matter of moments, they were lifting off.
"Whoah! This is so cool!" (Luna)
Luna shouted out as they rose above the trees. All the green could be seen for miles around them. The helicopter stopped to allow them to take in the view.
As Dream looked out of the windows, he suddenly got an awesome idea. But he didn't voice it out. He instead gave Sophia a command.
"Sophia! Take us to 10,000 feet."
[Roger!]
Sophia spoke over the speakers of the helicopter. Very quickly, they rose in altitude.
As they were rising and things started getting smaller, Riddick asked Dream,
"How high does this device go, Boy?" (Riddick)
"It can go up to 20,000 feet high. But I'm only going to 10k feet to show you what it looks like from up there. It's really cool!"
"...It really is." (Iris)
Iris responded while totally engrossed. This was a whole new world for all of them, except maybe Riddick. Nobody could fly unless they were very powerful in this world, so practically nobody knew what things looked like from a bird's eye view.
The helicopter rose and very soon reached 10,000 feet. The view from up there was astonishing.
The trees made a sea of green all around them. The slopes of the land could be seen in all their glory. They were even above some clouds. This was when Luna and Iris discovered that clouds were fluffy pillow-like things instead of just a white patch in the sky.
Dream let them take it all in. Although he was doing the same. It's not every day you get to see a view like this.
However, Dream still had his totally wild idea. This time, he finally voiced it out.
"Hey guys! You know, there's a fun activity that some people on my world like to do. It's called skydiving. Can you guess what skydiving is?"
Dream looked at all of them with a wide grin on his face.
After thinking about it for a second, the girls' faces paled and Riddick showed an astonished look.
"Boy, you couldn't mean that they jump out of these devices while all the way up here right?" (Riddick)
"Ding, ding, ding! You are absolutely correct." (Dream)
"Not possible! Your people don't even have mana! How do they fall from this high and still survive? More than that, who would ever be crazy enough to try it?" (Iris)
"Hahahaha! Oh, Iris, there is one thing that you have yet to learn about some of the people of my world." (Dream)
Dream looked at her with a fanatic look on his face. This fact was one that he was most proud of coming from his world.
"W-What is it?"
"There are people called daredevils on my world, and it is these people who pit their lives to attempt the most dangerous and most outrageous acts ever seen. And they do it for the glory that comes with it should they survive. They are the ones who stare death in the face and flip them the bird. Sophia! Get me some parachute gear."
[Coming right up!]
Dream spoke with absolute fervor. His arms were wide as if announcing to the world how amazing some of the people on his world were. It was pride that made him speak of the great feats of strength, bravery, and stupidity that some people accomplished.
After requesting, a parachute pack and goggles appeared in his hands. Dream spoke to the family while putting the pack on.
"Skydiving is actually one of the more safe stunts. Many people do this for fun. There are some though that will jump from heights double or even triple our height. The thing I'm putting on is the thing that will allow me to float in the air. Like a leaf, I will slowly drift down until I hit the ground."
"Dream? You can't be serious about jumping out of this device right? Or have you done this before?" (Iris)
"I've actually only done this once. The first time people try this, they are attached to a person who is experienced. So this will be the first time I'm doing it alone. In fact...Does anyone want to join me?"
Dream looked at them when he was finished putting on the pack and asked. He would be able to strap someone to him if they wanted.
"I will." (Luna)
"Actually, I'm quite interested as well." (Riddick)
Oh? Looks like they both want to go.
"Alright. I can only take one strapped to myself. But I can get you a pack Old Man, and you can go yourself. Unless, Iris also wants to go with you?"
"Me?! I...This is totally crazy! But...I guess I can try?"
"Sweet! let's get strapped up!"
Dream didn't let her think anymore and started getting everyone strapped up. He and Riddick had the parachutes while Luna and Iris were hooked on to them respectively. Everyone put on goggles and were ready to go.
Luna and Iris were actually a bit red after they got strapped up. The harness had to keep them safe and straps were pulled up in between their legs and around their bodies. It wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't Dream doing the pulling though. He had wanted to be gentler, but you can't have slack with the harnesses or it could hurt you when you were yanked.
Dream also explained how things worked to Riddick. All he needed to do was pull a cord when Dream did. Until then, they would stick together while in free fall.
Once everyone was ready, Dream ordered Sophia.
"Alright Sophia, open the hatch!"
[Have fun!]
The side door of the helicopter opened up and the wind started blowing everywhere. The sound of the blades roared in their ears.
"Alright Old Man, just follow my lead! Sit down first and scoot your legs to the edge!"
Dream sat down with Luna in front of him and started scooting until their legs were hanging off. Riddick did the same right next to him.
Now, after seeing how high up they were without the security of the door, a certain someone started getting cold feet.
"No! This is not okay! I wanna stay in the helicopter!" (Iris)
"Hell no! You committed earlier! There's no going back now! Don't worry, you'll love it soon enough! Don't let her quit now Old Man!"
"I won't, Boy!"
"Noooo!!"
Iris screamed out in regret, it seemed Riddick was more of a thrill-seeker than he thought.
"Ok! Push yourself off on my count! Ready Luna?"
"Ready!"
Luna gave her answer, although she was still a little scared. The only reason she was doing this was because she was strapped to Dream.
"Alright! 3! 2! 1! Jump!"
*Scream!!!*
And with the scream of a little girl, they all jumped off.
Dream was actually holding onto Riddick's pack while they jumped. It was so they didn't get separated. He also collected the helicopter into storage.
"WHOOOO!!!! Hahaha!!" (Dream)
They all were in free fall and everyone was as excited as they possibly could be. Luna had a wide smile as she laughed, Iris was still screaming but had a smile on her face. Even Riddick was grinning and laughing from how fun it was.
But they wouldn't be in free-fall forever. Dream pulled Riddick close as he yelled to him.
"We will need to separate when we pull the cords! You won't fall where you want, but it's okay! Just sail without worrying about the landing! I'll be coming to find you guys after we land! Got it?!"
"Alright!"
Riddick gave his acknowledgment. Dream then shoved them away to not run into each other.
When they were far enough apart, Dream nodded to Riddick and pulled the cord. He and Luna got yanked from the force while they caught wind.
And right when Dream pulled, so did Riddick. The same happened to them.
Everything worked perfectly and they were now sailing freely. Everything was much calmer.
Riddick had eventually started sailing off somewhere else as he couldn't guide the chute, but it wasn't an issue.
Meanwhile, Dream just enjoyed the sailing. They weren't free falling anymore so it wasn't loud. He could speak casually now.
"So? How was it?"
He asked Luna what she thought when things finally quieted down. She still had a smile on her face.
"*giggle* It was fun! I've never done anything so exciting! My heart really got going!"
"Haha! I know, right?"
Dream agreed and settled the parachute. He then pointed Luna's eyes to the horizon. When Luna looked, she was speechless.
Dream had timed the skydive for when the sun was setting. He figured that since they were so high up, it would be the best time to watch the sunset.
Sure enough, Luna was stunned by the beautiful pink clouds over the horizon. The colors of red, orange, and violet created waves in the sky.
Neither of them said anything as they didn't need to. Both of them felt entranced by such a beautiful view and couldn't tear their eyes away.
Unfortunately, the parachuting only lasted a short 6 minutes before they reached the trees. Both of them covered up as they ran into the branches.
*Crash* *rustle*
"Ouch! Damn thing poked me!" (Dream)
"Ah! It scratched me!" (Luna)
Both of them voiced complaints as they got tangled in the branches. After tumbling for a bit, they came to a stop and got hung from a branch a couple dozen meters in the air. Dream began working on getting them out.
"Luna, hold my arm."
"Ok"
Luna grabbed Dream's hand tightly. Dream went over to the clip that connected her vest to his.
*Click*
The harness was released from his vest and Luna fell. They tightened their grips on each other and Luna hung over the forest floor by his hand. Dream spoke once more.
"You're agile right?"
"Yup!"
"Alright. I'll swing you to a branch. Hupp!"
Dream started swinging her back and forth until he got her close to a nearby branch to grab.
She grabbed the branch and let go of his arm. After climbing onto it, she looked to him to see how he planned to get down.
"Hang on. Just gotta get the release..."
Dream reached up and grabbed a strap tangled in the tree. He then unclicked his vest to release himself and climbed up the strap until he got to a branch.
Dream climbed over to Luna.
"Alright, we can just go down and start looking for the- mmphh!"
Luna didn't pay any attention to the fact that they were on top of a tree and started kissing Deam. He got surprised but figured that he did a good enough job with the sunset to warrant this.
They enjoyed each other for a bit before beginning their search for the others.