Gabrio leans on the railing of the Grand-Galleon as the Arkshelled Island has its roots extend to the lowest part of the cliff where this constricting vines are made.

“A new land. Isn’t it great?”

He looks at the voice. Mana smiles sweetly as she approaches Gabrio, holding the mechanical mask that he usually carries. “I have gotten permission from the Elders.”

Gabrio takes the mask. “Thank you, it’s strange that you wanted this mask.”

“For good reasons. You seem attached to that and you already carry it around so might as well make it the source of your Vitae.”

While a Treant might be stronger and more durable. The living armor of the Elven-kin, the Vitae, naturally strengthens the body. Though from what Gabrio can tell, it seems to be made with the same principle as the husked sprites used to heat up the air, though customized by Mana herself.

“You did a lot of work for this.”

She smiles. “Of course, how can I not do this when we finally found land for the first time in ages? Not that we are fond of land, no?”

Gabrio shrugs and puts on the mask. He feels the edges of the mask wrapping neatly, roots going down his neck, shoulder, until all his limbs are wrapped in this bark-like cover.

“A bit itchy… especially in the private areas.”

“You’ll get used to it. It looks like it's working as intended.”

Gabrio pulled off the mask and the roots were retracted back. He didn’t understand the principle. How it could do that other than what it was. It seems like the methods of the Elven-kin are forever a mystery to him.

“Thank you. Really.”

Mana maintains her smile. Then she walks to the railing where she can see the Arkshelled wrapping its vines on the island. “The sprites have told us that there is an active volcano on the island. The sprites here are quite curious since it has been years since anything visited.”

“Do they tell tales?”

She shook her head. “Conversation with the sprites is like talking to children. It’s hard to discern them and these ones in particular are not used to our ways. But we have a gist.”

Gabrio catches a glance of the crew looking at the land oddly. They haven’t seen an island as large as this. Larger than Arkshelled. Some even question if this was the thousand islands, which the Elders of the Kin denies vehemently.

Sitting on the rail with an arm on Gabrio. Mana glances at the island once more, examining its jagged peaks. “How many years do you think we’ll be here?”

“Lots of resources. And I’ve been hearing talks of a floating city that they want to make.”

“I’m starting to think we are builders more than sailors.”

“True,” Gabrio chuckles.

Mana stares him down. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you smile.”

“Really I recall smiling a lot.”

“No, but a genuine one. Not the doctor’s smile, but Gabrio’s smile. I prefer this smile more than anyone else.”

“Is that so?” Gabrio finds himself smiling, truly. He turned his eyes back to the island and saw a group of soldiers and builders with Treants carrying supplies and provisions.

“Going to explore?” Mana asked.

“Maybe. Are you?”

“Well, I’d wished to explore. It’s best to be on the island. The expeditions are going to take months and they’d need someone to identify the creatures and plants they might encounter.”

“It will take a while,” Gabrio said

“We have enough time.”

Gabrio looks down. “That we do.”

***

The first order of business when meeting land is to explore it. The expedition forces, commonly exploring shattered pieces of land, have been deployed while the fleet itself remains on standby near the waters of the island.

With the Arkshelled Island crushing an entrance, allowing entry through the broken part of the cliff. It was like opening a new world for themselves. Not the promised land that was promised by the end of this voyage, but nonetheless land.

The expedition, supported by the Elven-kin were able to find tundras and grassland upon entering the interior of the island. To get to this interior they had to cross a fjord that span miles. The skyships, who discovered this island were used to examine it from above and balloons were deployed to signal the expedition troops and find a navigable way to the interior.

The interior was wide and with the troops eager. It took them about two weeks to set up in a place they called Bluepur where the elven-kin had crafted a building to connect immediately to the interior of the island. Inside the interior was also this large still lake that occupies the middle of the island. To cross this gigantic lake, the elven-kin had deployed their treants to create this floating bridge and a pulley system that will allow the crew to carry supplies through the lake.

The logistics needed gave the Scholars a headache and the buildsmen of the fleet. But nonetheless a promising start as the island seems to be full of trees and wild vegetables that were consumable. There were so many floras and faunas that one of the Scholars had started recording information about the flowers and collecting the seeds. The resource forces of the crew however, seem to be more interested with the caves and particularly interesting sediments where the sprites have discovered evidence to suggest that there could be a lot of metal to be found in this island. With an active volcano and an interesting geography. It was voted out that further inspection was needed to explore every inch of the island.

Weeks turned to months and as more people began to explore the island. Mapping it out, and traveling the grounds with the use of the four-legged treants that have been molded to carry people and luggage. The more were eager to explore by groups.

The lumbering four-legged giants were piloted by an elven-kin and on its back were the troops with their rifles and hand-operated rotary guns that could unleash multiple rounds and a swivel gun packed with enough firepower to break through the hardest shell.

Folk started calling the eastern side as a Gukhar’s Biome because of the name of the captain who discovered the underground biome. A separate place that seems to have an internal ecosystem. The elven-kin seems fond of the place and took it for themselves while the rest of the island scattered across the tundra and grassland to explore land.

With his duties a bit lessened. He took his luggage and took a firm step on the land. Grabbing dirt and washing his hands with it. Mana raises her brow and squats next to him.

“Is that some sort of tradition?”

“An old Aon one. If you want to traverse the lands then you must prepare for it.”

Mana nodded and washes her hands with the dirt as well. “Guess that’s a tradition we’ll keep between the two of us,” she grins.

“You’ve grown cheeky over these years.”

“Thanks to you. I think it’s the influence of sharing your heart with a human.”

“I guess.”

He wipes the dirt off his hands and crosses the Galiford bridge. And enter Bluepur where most of the yurts were placed temporarily. Holding his leather hat and passing the yurts. Gabrio finds the place where he’s told to stay and settles down for a moment. A table was placed on the yurt where he could examine patients if needed to be.

Bluepur’s full of enthusiasm. You feel the excitement of the fleet-kin as they proudly exchange what they saw and heard. Like children experience a new world before them. He also noticed that there were creatures that are being pulled by the ten-feet tall treants and some of the largest treants are making sure that the largest beasts are kept in place. He saw a creature with pillar-like legs and was held by a group of treants. The small head of this creature and its gigantic size made it quite interesting. Though he could tell from the look of the crew that they wanted to test the damn thing.

“Do you think it’ll taste good, friend?” Gabrio asked the fleet-kin who was looking at while drooling.

He looked behind him and grinned. “Doctor! You have joined us. Are you looking forward to the meal?”

“A big creature isn’t it?”

“It is! Have you seen such a thing, Doctor?”

“I have. Though mostly creatures from the seas, this one is interesting as well. Imagine the amount of people we can feed from just one.”

“Hear me out Doctor! This isn’t even the biggest one! We think it’s just an infant! The largest one we saw is on the plains!”

“Oh, the grassland they are calling Rokata now?”

“Yes! See, this scholar told me that this one is as big as a tower! He thinks it is 70 feet tall!”

“That’s… big!”

“Imagine how much meat it contains! That's a hundred thousand pieces of meat! We’d have a feast!”

Mana takes a look at the creature as it falls asleep. “It’s… quite the creature. It’d do us good if we take them and turn them into cattle. It’ll fix our meat demand, at least?”

There were more creatures being taken to Bluepur. The larger creatures were kept on the other side. Mana had interest in the creatures and many of the learned men and women of the fleet gathered to dissect the creature with the help of the butchers who carried their giant saws to cut some pieces of the meat.

While Gabrio sawed the meat alongside them. Mana recorded every organ that was found and took time to warn the crew about the intestines. Some of the beasts had great meat, but the forearm-sized parasites living in the creature made Mana advise them from eating some of the creatures.

Gabrio and Mana spent time in Bluepur, dissecting and recording every animal they encountered and making a list of what to eat and what not to eat. Educating the rest of the crew before they start eating whatever they find in the wild.

The fleet itself is disciplined and many of the now-grown kids of the fleet have been instilled with a discipline that allows them to act on orders. Although the fleet have become a close-knitted tribe, the old ways, the effectives ways of the military remained on the people of the fleet. The pragmatism never left and even the way the fleet scoured this island were methodological.

Records were kept and scholars reported what they found as the rest of the learned men and women inked them on books. It was only after two months since entering Bluepur that Gabrio went out with Mana on the back of a mounted treant to scour the other side of the lake. As they climbed this small hill, Gabrio paused and froze at the sight of the flowers surrounding the hill.

Not far from the hill. Standing about 60 feet tall and 35 meters long. The long-necked creature almost blocked out the sun. Standing in awe at this magnificent creature who seems to be more interested with the trees it's eating.

It has been long since he found himself excited. Though he somewhat wished that some of the old friends were able to see the sight. As his mood dampened, he felt a strong grip. Smiling and pointing at the colossal creature. Gabrio sighs softly and holds Mana’s hand as they observe the long-necked creature and observe its behavior.

After investigating the creature. Gabrio returned to Bluepur and reported what he and Mana saw to the Captain of the expedition, leading the whole thing.

“That’s all I have to report, Commander Strongarm.”

Kole Strongarm, looked at Gabrio and shrugged. “Please, I’m your student Doctor. This is weird!”

“No, it’s better this way so you don’t have to worry about insubordination.”

Leaving the tree-yurt the Commander is staying. Gabrio went back to his and Mana’s yurt and opened up his journal. It had been years since he had opened his journal and started recording:

On the 10th day of the First Cycle of the Year 1851, of the Arkshelled calendar.

The fleet found an island surrounded by jagged peaks where inside you can find beautiful fjords, tundra, and beasts. For the first time, two generations after the passing of the old one.

The Reconnoiter Company found a new land that we might be able to rest for a while.