Unlike aspected crystals, pure mana crystals are more versatile in their uses as mana sources for various artifacts and runecraft. Unfortunately, pure mana crystals do not exist in natural conditions; they have a tendency to draw affinities from the surroundings. However, it is possible to divest the crystal of its affinity and in this Tertherite crystals are most preferred because of their stable lattices. Normally, one would deaspect a crystal using a mana[Mana Drain] enchantment to create a mana gradient. It's more effective to array several crystals at once so that one bleeds into the other. The first crystal in this array is consequently inundated with all the mana bled away while the furthest crystal from the [Mana Drain ] enchantment will give the purest mana crystal. The process is repeated, for each consecutive crystal until the required purity is achieved. An isolation chamber made of null-steel or svartanite steel is preferable to ensure that there is no external interference. For the foci, a pure diamond is required to hold the [Mana Drain] matrix. Mana Crystals for Mana Sources, In Mana Crystallography Volume I, by Dwomdaer Anvilfall

6350 Quints south of the village of Dorn, and a league beneath Oceania Cern'Orbis, off the coast of Alkerd, a ruin lay. An ancient hub slumbered, derelict and untouched for centuries. Sand eddied, over and under the fallen plinths of a gigantic construction of Antician architecture lost to time.

The only inhabitants were the schools of fish undulating as a collective mass as they tried to evade a trio of knifeheads stalking through the predawn ocean. Bottom feeders like a wake of slime urchin slurped dead matter off the seafloor as hermit crabs grazed amongst the sea grasses and salt weathered stone. Shafts of dawn light broke through the water fighting against murk as they struggled to reach the depths.

All seemed as if the pelagic life would go on undisturbed, until the mana in the water suddenly trembled. Runes on a forgotten edifice flared and pulsed as power jumped along the length of a toroid structure half buried in the sand; spurned by a building maelstrom of mana, a water spout sprouted out of the sea floor.

Marine sediment, unsuspecting fishes and even debris from the ancient construct was sucked into the vortex, which spun faster as it picked up momentum. Giant pillars which once stood majestic, shifted with a groan from their precarious graves.

For reasons unknown, as fast as it had formed the column of miscellany suddenly collapsed on itself, but not before something happened to the terrigenous sediment. In a flash of light that banished away the dark and pierced through the turbid waters, a shape burst out of the sand, careening through and trailing bubbles in its wake. At its tail something else followed. First came the bow then, a trio of hulls followed, displacing the sediment in an explosive burst of sand, before the bridge finally emerged.

In a blink, the magic died out. Unable to contain the power unleashed from the leyline beneath, the arcanry destabilized and collapsed on itself. One of the monoliths, lacking the buoyant force from the occurrence, almost lazily leaned too far, almost pinning the larger vessel against the sediment. It had a girth half as wide as the aership but must have weighed twice that. The Stormbreaker got away with a scrape as the several tels of rock stirred the seafloor. They’d made it.

Reentry was a turbulent affair. Transitioning from flying through nothing to slamming against several imperial weights of water was like going from zero to 5 gravities in a breath. Yet the drachenflieger had enough momentum to streak towards the surface.

In spite of that, a sudden change in pressure made him both nauseous and popped his ears as sound returned to the smaller of the vessels. Arthur could hear every creak and groan of the hull as the drachenflieger fought its way to the surface; it was not meant to be an amphibious vessel. Thankfully, all the instruments lit up, as the conduits reestablished connection with the remaining mana source. The canopy was demisted just in time for the drachenflieger to breach.

As Arthur caught his bearings, the slate lit up with a flurry of [Message] spells. Then Nora hailed them through her telecry.

“ [Snow]; Arthur?—“

“We’re okay!” Arthur chuckled as he unbuckled his harnesses. His brain was still rattled from the reentry and the drachenflieger’s bobbing on the water was not helping things. The stoic synth was likewise in a frantic mood as she unbuckled herself and put away the scrying slate.

Numen reached for the front of the instrument panel. Arthur thought she was going to release the canopy― to his shock, she gouged the telepsychic orb that was the memory crystal from the instrument panel and everything went dead. The cockpit’s canopy automatically disengaged from the rest of the craft and fell into the sea with a splash―a failsafe in case the drachenflieger’s ‘brain’ failed. A breeze slapped them with the smell of the sea. Arthur gawked.

“What was that for?!” Arthur blurted as he watched the cockpit’s canopy bobbing on the waves of the aquamarine expanse. Oceania Cern’Orbis was a beauty.

“ Obfuscating our tracks.” the synth said as she drew her hand back―and punted the memory crystal into the distance. “ Even this faraway, the crystal might give away our position”

Afterwards she slumped back in her seat and gave the wide expanse of ocean a once over. The land seemed shrouded in advection. But far away she could spy a spire jutting into the sky. Arthur followed her gaze, squinting―and saw some type of a beacon blinking against the haze. It had to be tall and large to be seen from that far. Then the synth met his eyes. There was fear in her eyes―fear bleeding over from her other persona. Her shoulders were shaking as she cradled her elbows.

“Huh? What’s wrong?” Arthur asked.

“ Wa―water. So, much water,” Numen stuttered through the [Farspeak] connection.

‘You’re doing this now?! Arthur almost let slip.

“It’s not me.” Her eyes suddenly glazed over with a scowl as she turned inwards―Arthur’s Psiphone buzzed again interrupting what he was about to say.

“We see you— we’re on your right!” Nora’s voice was heard over [Farspeak]. Arthur turned around and saw the Stormbreaker on the water. Mud and seaweed sloughed off its hull; one side of it looked like it had a nasty graze. Nora was on the deck waving at them.

“There is something wrong with the Stormbreaker though,” Nora said, using the bound spell to communicate the sound of the waves.

‘Damn. Barely a week of flight and you’re already banged up.’ Arthur sighed. He cast his eyes around the horizon. There were no ships that he could see in the vicinity. He turned to Numen, startling her as she came to.

“ My apologies, I did not predict that her psyche could affect me this way,”

“ Arcis?”

Numen nodded in an affirmative as she relaxed. “She has limited cognition in hibernation—” She said as her eyes darted to the blue green waters.

“It’s fine—Just sit tight; we’ll be out of here in no time.” Arthur said.

“ Uhm Nora, two to Port?”

“ In a moment Arthur…”

“ The aertherite crystal is fractured,” Numen said.

“ Huh? How did you—Ah, your little drones,” Arthur came to a realization. “ We have no spare Aertherite,” he mussed his hair in consternation. “ Also the pytherite is due for replacement soon.

“ Affirmative,” Numen said, turning to regard him. “ I would recommend that we salvage this Seeker vessel to use for the betterment of the Stormbreaker.”

“You’re right,” Arthur said gazing around the small cockpit. The canopy was still floating a few paces away from the drachenflieger. Animus steel must have been less dense than salt water. “ We’ll have to pull this to shore,”

“Hmm.” The synth nodded as she looked towards the Stormbreaker. A wistful expression shadowed the features of her face. “After this, I shall revert.”

“ Oh…”

“ Arcis is the primary persona of this body. I only emerge when the conditions have been met.” She added as she got up from her seat. “ I shall extract the aetherite crystals in a few casions—“ and the synth exited into the back of the drachenflieger to get their replacement crystal. A few pars later, the duo of synth and her adoptive father were back aboard the Stormbreaker, which was kind of crowded at the moment.

Aboard they met the adventurers who’d been part of the mission to rescue the villagers and cull the bandits. Three of them were rather adamant about getting back to their brethren despite the fact. Unfortunately, there was no way to know where they’d ended up; it didn’t seem like a very feasible idea at all. Amidst the backslapping from a very boisterous Brunhilde, Arthur was shocked when he recognized one particular sand mage—

That said, they didn’t seem to remember him. It was awkward seeing the person who’d shot him in the foot

‘Seems like ages ago.’ Arthur thought ruefully.

Nevertheless, he was not one to belabor a misunderstanding and let it go. Besides, it didn't look like they had been cut from the same cloth as the Sand bandits back in the desert; he was rather relieved he didn’t cause their deaths. The necromancer was also someone he’d not expected to see. And he was rather smug, for what reasons Arthur didn’t know—

As they waited for the Stormbreaker’s aertherite crystal to get replaced and of course, purge the water that’d gotten into the engine, the adventurers helped secure the drachenflieger to the Stormbreaker so that they could tug its remains. The rest of the supplies were used up to make food for the crew and eleven other people; hardly a feast when you counted the grimalkin who could eat her own weight in sustenance.

“ Someone must have forgotten to resupply,” Arthur said as they sat above deck. He was enjoying the morning sun while it was still gentle on the skin. It was summer, and the sky above was as blue as the sea below. The horizon seemed like a blur between the two.

“ That was my fault,” Elena cringed. “ I got drunk―”

“ Haha, don’t mind the lass—“ Bruhilde butted in. She sat cross legged with a whole haunch of meat to herself. “ Ya know, you should really go easy on ya crew. Blood might be hot an’ all since yer starting out—”

Elena flushed to the tips of her ears. Brunhilde cast about for the rest of the words to her hanging statement.

“But your wee sylvani here had a lot bottled up. Seems to me like you’ve been through some things,” she added, ripping the seared steak from bone.

Arthur slouched a little, poking his fork around the food on his plate. He hemmed and hawed as he mulled over the woman’s words. Leaning back on his hands, he peered towards the sky in contemplation. It was so tranquil; the waves lapping at the hull, the chatter and laughter of people around him and clinking of utensils for those who ate like cultured sorts. A few gulls soared high above the ship cawing as they caught the thermals. Some peered below as if waiting to swoop down for leftovers.

‘Hmm, must be used to raiding ships for scraps,’ Arthur mused. Turning his head towards the spire with the light which was less conspicuous now that the day was brighter. He noticed some of them break away and fly towards that direction. ‘ Hmm? Must be a port; Ah well, there is nothing to it then.’

As he thought about it, it had been a few hours after a three way engagement. They had been fighting for their lives as fire rained down around them. Placing his hands on his knees, he looked at the people around him—he realized that it would be selfish if he went from the thick of things to another extraneous task.

Taking Bruhilde’s words to heart he decided they were way past the point of a pitstop; or better yet, a break to catch their bearings. The Stormbreaker was due for an overhaul anyway. Also, he felt like sleeping for a few days from the weariness that suddenly assailed his body. He hadn’t realized he was still coming down from the events of yesterday? Or today? Time had gotten wonky traveling through the gate—maybe Numen knew what time it was?

And speaking of the synth in question, up the hatch she came onto the promenade deck with Nora in tow. She looked around the throng of people searching for something—someone and then, her eyes landed on him. There and then, Arthur knew that the synth he’d grown used to was back.

“Papa,” Arcis' face melted with emotion. Arthur looked askance, across the few paces separating father and daughter. The girl bounded into his arms, almost knocking him onto the decksole as she cried her heart out. Arthur was left in a fluster as every gaze fell on him. He hesitantly stroked her back, whispering. “I thought you were a big girl; you’re really embarrassing your father.” Arcis looked up from her bawling, using his shirt to unabashedly wipe the tears off her face—a synth could cry too. “I’ve missed you Pa.” she sniffled.

“You did well Kitten.” Arthur said, patting her head. In the background, the women awhed at the spectacle.

After the meal, there was a brief lull in activity as everyone scattered to their own devices. Most slumped into a food coma on the deck while others went below to avoid the warmth of the summer sun. It was hot and humid, a departure from where they’d been a couple of quarts past. Arcis did indeed confirm a few quarts had passed in their journey through the gate.

“ You were working in tandem?” Arthur asked the synth, who was clearing the remainder of his food. Her silver pigtails caught the breeze and fluttered as she tried to keep them down between her arms. Her hair was long―how busy had he been not to notice the things around him? Besides, sleep was wearing on his mind and he could swear his eyes hurt just because of it like he’d been staring at a screen all night.

“ We had to. Even with her abilities, Numen could not hold several complex spell matrices at once,” Arcis replied, staring somewhere past Arthur’s shoulder.

“ She’s hibernating?”

“ Mmh, I think she left a [Message] though…”

“Your sister?” Arthur arched a brow. As if on cue, Arthur received a [Message] on the Psiphone.

“[Numen]; Dear Father,

It has been worthwhile getting to know you and while I am loathe to admit my social graces are worse than my sister’s, I still have the munificence to tender my gratitude. In that regard, I have left instructions to my drones who by this time must have finished remedying the aertherite crystal. They will continue to dismantle the drachenflieger even as you read this [Message] for a host of improvements to the Stormbreaker.

I have chosen transparency on this matter, and before I forget, you can now access all functionalities of your communication artifact; the Psiphone.

Lest I go into tangents , I shall outline the alterations that will be made over the course of a month to the ship. Most conspicuous will be the installation of defensive and offensive runecraft from the arcanry of the drachenflieger.

The [Aegis Shield] will be available as soon as the ship's main conduits can have been laid; I would recommend that you acquire magillium ingots to lay newer ones. Given the size of the ship, full shielding will have to wait for calibration; at the time it is ready for use however, it shall only be adaptive in nature―That is, it shall be available only in the event it is necessary.

As for the artillery staves, mounting and adapting the ship’s systems will take longer but the Autonomous Retrofit and Construction Hive Net Extension shall be working overtime to make sure they are ready within the month. The drachenflieger's wings shall, in the meantime be incorporated as mana collectors for the ship for its background processes.

As for the tertherite mana sources , I thought of using it as a levitational propulsors as well as a grounding attractor to ensure everything that is meant to be on the deck sole remains grounded.

“Huh? Is that what I think it is?” Arthur asked. Arcis nodded, peering at the [Message] as well.

“ I think we forgot gravity,” the synth hummed.

“ Of course,” Arthur facepalmed, “ How else would they reduce people going overboard if they would just be blown off their feet,”

The two continued reading,

The animus steel shall form the hull plating for the bottom of the vessel. Due to its light weight, I guarantee that engine efficiency shall not be impaired.

Some alterations shall also be made to the bridge, including the addition of two more seats as well as the corresponding navigators and relay mage's station. Again, I would recommend that you acquire a memory crystal post haste as there are more functionalities of runecraft that might need it in future—not excluding the spells I pilfered from the drachenflieger. Some of them are stored within your Psiphone for your browsing.

There are other miscellaneous additions which you shall of course notice as time goes by .While some enhancements are being carried out at the time you receive this [Message], the rest will have to wait until the ship is safely berthed. Estimated time required for overhaul shall be two to three erythrean weeks. I hope these gifts are worth your notice. Further communication shall be made through Arcis or your Psiphone. Lastly yet importantly, the ship is low on pyrtherite; I would recommend sea travel for the moment.

Regards,

Nᚢᛗᛖᚾ

‘Never thought she was so businesslike.’ Arthur thought.

“ I also have something to share,” Arcis piped up.

“ What is it?”

“Elder Volemhir said to find a person called Halgred if we need help…I think he meant it for when we made our way to Kingsfell.”

‘Mmh, might as well take him up on the offer.’ Arthur thought, putting his pride aside for a while.

“ Think the ship is ready?” Arthur asked as he got up from the deck.

“ Mmh,” Arcis nodded, following after him. They entered the hatch from the front, traversing the crew quarters then up the main deck. They passed through the door that had been blown off its hinges by the boarding party. After that, they climbed the ladder steps onto the bridge deck and finally, they were in the cockpit.

“ Well,” Arthur said. “ Care to do the honours?”

Arcis beamed and clambered onto the seat. Then she eased the throttle forwards, making sure the ventral thrusters were closed. The arcane driver sputtered as the water cleared from the main engine chambers before it vented thrust and the Stormbreaker began gliding across the water on its triple hulls. A rent of cheers came from below and outside the deck as every other occupant celebrated the Stormbreaker’s successful repairs. Arcis turned the bow towards the lighthouse in the distance and pushed the throttle further.

It was several quarts before they made it to the lighthouse. Arthur was woken up from a nap on the decksole by his daughter alerting him of their approach. Arthur could attest that there were only two words for it― damn large. It was no wonder they could see it seven quarts away. And no, it was no ordinary tower or lighthouse. It was a ginormous statue, taller still than the Statue of Unity―the tallest back on Earth.

A type of striated marble, weatherproofed despite its location in the sea, was carved out of a pedestal. Flowing robes, so lifelike in their depiction that he would have thought the statue a titan of myth. Even the beard hair and the shining baldness of the old man or as realization came to him―a mage because it was his equally huge stave that held a giant lux crystal shaped into the form of a multifaceted sphere. Not a true sphere mind you; instead of a smooth surface, it had five sided pentagrams for faces. It must have also cost an absurd amount of mana to power the thing.

Gradually slowing their approach as they neared, Arthur saw that the statue’s pedestal towered on a small mount breaching the sea. Words stood out on its barnacle covered facade that he could not make out. They must have been something about the personage whom the statue was made for.

The water around there was still deep but somehow they’d managed to build in the shaft of a subsidiary vent. Hollowing it out had resulted in natural wavebreakers of igneous boulders that looked like dark sponges. Over time, water had worn them down to scree and black silt that surrounded the small isle the size of Liberty Island. Despite frothing surf on the shore, there was a veritable diversity of marine life including the colonies of coral they could see as the sun shone through the clear water.

Shaking themselves out from their collective stupor, it was then that they saw they were not alone at sea. Masted ships, boats and other sea going craft, even barges plied the blue surface with their myriad colors of masts. Above flew aerships of all sizes, some even smaller than the Stormbreaker.

They also saw the spit of old lava joining the back of the island. Built atop it was an arch bridge that ran along the entire length into the distance. Smaller craft could pass underneath the arch, but further across they could see two towers whereupon the bridge could be raised to let larger vessels pass. In the visible horizon loomed the main mountain, a caldera that had collapsed seawards to let out the lava that formed the foundation of the bridge. Arthur was already in awe at the display of fantastical architecture that was so rich and so enrapturingly magical he felt like a giddy boy again.

And neither was he alone in his excitement. Brunhilde and her compatriots also stood on the deck gawking at the bustling port as the Stormbreaker slowly edged closer to the port. From afar they saw towers cresting the arms of the collapsed caldera, light glinting off their observatories. Two harbor houses for the two types of traffic; one was built lower than the other and the taller one had the black spires serving as magical relays.

After what seemed like ages of breathing in the salty breeze and taking in the view they were finally among the seafaring traffic. The Stormbreaker, obviously was dwarfed by some of the ships moving at a snail's pace, beside and above. Arcis deftly navigated their vessel between the behemoths of ships clogging the waters while wary of smaller skiffs and fishing boats that skipped past the open lanes.

More than most, the Stormbreaker still stood out despite a plethora of ship designs. Even their stripped down towage did not garner that type of attention. Dismantled for parts such that only the bottom hull remained, it was no different from a barge―the drones had been very efficient about it.

That might have been a tad optimistic however as it seemed like attention found him—they received a broadcast [Message] from one of the harbor houses. What was more perplexing is that they'd somehow locked onto the scrying slate in their possession; the one they'd salvaged from the drachenflieger

‘Damn, so much for going incognito,' Arthur swore as he read the [Message] spell.

”[Message]; Hail and halt unidentified vessel. This is Port Orizohn ; You have been cited with 3 infractions. Please stand by as a Port Marshal is sent to you for inspection.”

Were it someone who’d attuned their mana signature to their communication artifacts, [Message] would have shown their name outright.

“How'd they even know to send it here?" Arthur thought aloud.

“It's noisy,” Arcis put across, as she scrunched her eyebrows in concentration . “There are several thousand [Message] spells flying around,”

“Wait, did I just see Port Orizohn?” Nevine gawped. He adjusted his glasses to get a good look at the scrying slate. “ It is Port Orizohn!―and that statue was the War Magus himself.”

“You know where we are?” Nora chipped in.

“Yes, Port Orizohn is one of Kingsfell's ports.”

“Did someone say Kingsfell?!” Brunhilde interjected. The cockpit was slowly getting crowded every single occupant came to see what had occurred and why they'd suddenly stopped.

“It seems Oonaris’ yet smiles upon us!” The large woman cackled happily. The celebration of her party was cut short however as a Griffin Marshal made their way to the ship on their majestic mount.

The chimeric eagle and lion hybrid was larger than a horse and had the plumage of a bald eagle on their front half while their main body had a sandy brown coat. Massive wing beats easily breadth of the aership conveyed the beast to the promenade deck where the mount had to land lengthwise. They didn’t even seem fazed by the water.

Knowing that he was a whole month away from where they’d entered the gate was a relief to him; the aerships soaring overhead did not seem threatening in the very least. No cannons pointed at them from their gunports, no dwarves gave them the stink eye. Come to think of it, he’d barely interacted with them in person.

Stepping on the deck, flanked by Nora and Arcis, put on his business smile and said, “ Let’s get to it then, shall we?”. Atop the deck, stood two people, a man and a woman wearing the colours of Kingsfell Port Authorities―the Port Marshals.