Aqua and Sheira approached the chattering group. The Sun God had made sure to instill the fear of mortality in the humans that were present, despite such a thing not being necessary. Azure turned to the approaching girls with a smile on her face.
"Sheira! Aqua! We are ready to go."
Aqua nodded, her lips curled up into a slight smile as she turned toward the clearing. In her hand, she held the carving, her fingers slowly traced its construction. She stretched her clenched fist forward, and an immense amount of mana poured into the carving, making it glow a subtle blue, much like her Eyes.
I haven't ridden an airship in so long, this will be relaxing, I hope.
Her grip lightened as she let the carving fall to the ground, yet instead of obeying gravity, it floated above the soil, its glow intensified before it became as blinding as the sun itself. The very forest lit up as the carving shattered.
The shards swirled in a whirlpool of Mana and wood; the massive ship constructed itself from nothing. First came the hull, made of unknown dark brown wood. Then came the engines, massive propellers capable of lifting the massive hull. And at the very end came a massive zeppelin balloon.
While Aqua herself would need to fuel the Airship with Mana, it would not be an issue. As long as she knew where the battery was, it was easy to charge with her expertise. Channeling mana through the divine wood was easy; that was the reason the ship was made of such material.
It still looks beautiful.
Aqua cracked a wide smile as she reminisced about the old craftsman who gifted her this ship. He had been killed by the exterminators, yet his mighty legacy continued through his creations. The ship was one of the innumerable creations Aqua had in her possession. No matter what happened, she did not wish for them to crumble and be neglected.
The group gathered behind her as Aqua put her hands on her hips. Her legs spread and chest puffed with pride.
"It's perfect! Just as I remember it." The shadow of the Airship eclipsed them. Everyone stared up in awe, excluding Sun God, who was already aware of such Mystic Engineering Marvels and did not ever find them all that marvelous.
However, for someone like Aqua, the very fact that it was possible to create something like this, even if it was unnecessary, was amazing and worthy of awe. She opened her palm and stretched her hand in front of her. The swirling portal opened before the group.
"Let's go." Aqua waved her hand before she stepped through the portal. Shortly after, the group followed. First, the Princess and Azure, shortly followed by the group of humans that carried their leader. And in the end, even the Sun God passed through, nesting itself onto the deck soon after.
Sheira cracked a smile as she rushed towards the railing and stared down at the ground.
"This is amazing, Elven Kingdom doesn't possess anything similar to this!"
Aqua approached next to Sheira, "This is an Airship made of Divine Wood and Divine Steel. It's made specifically to not accidentally burn down if I unleash my blazing wings."
Aqua's smile truly brightened the surroundings as she talked about the construction of the ship. "The Engines were created by a master engineer that I used to know; they run on Mana." Her hand glided over the railing.
That little dwarf was always so peculiar.
She crossed her arms and lifted her head slightly. Her eyes peered into the blue horizon that they would traverse soon. While flying was not anything new for her, it was rare to be done in company.
While others could relax and enjoy the trip same could never be said for Aqua. She had to protect the ship from the Red Dawn, possible monsters, likely pirate attacks, and even hostile divinity.
"It's so cool! I would love to meet him one day." Sheira grinned.
Aqua shook her head slowly. She could say that the man was no longer in the world of the living; however, she did not wish to extinguish the curiosity that reminded her so much of her own. "Maybe one day, Sheira."
"I will look forward to it." She smiled widely, akin to a proud child. Aqua couldn't help but find her expressions adorable; it reminded her of innocence long lost. While it gnawed at her to be reminded of her dead comrades, it did not mean that she could ruin the excitement of her adopted daughter.
"Get comfortable, Sheira. I will go to the engine room and fill it with mana. The ship is not that fast, but it should be an enjoyable ride." Aqua waved to the elven princess before she walked off towards the engine compartment.
"Thank you, Lady Aqua! I surely will." Sheira smiled before she returned to the skygazing.
Aqua approached the metallic hatch located in the middle of the ship. With a creak, it opened, revealing a rather cramped room. Inside was a large Mana reactor; its gears were bronze in color, and the furnace was replaced by a large crystal.
3 Pipes led into the upper deck, where they split into mana arteries that would supply the entirety of the ship's defenses and powered flight.
"Divine Wood is always such a hassle…" With a sigh, she placed her hand on the crystal. The wood that was called 'Divine' was weaker than even something like birch, but when supplied with mana, it hardened to rival even the Dragon Lord's scale.
Her hand glowed a pale blue; the crystal hummed as it filled with Aqua's bountiful mana. The bronze gears screeched as they were revived after the years of inactivity. The ship's engines roared to life while they produced winds that bent even the old trees below them.
However, Aqua was not done; this battery would require a large quantity of mana if it were to power the ship at any reasonable speed. While at its current capacity, it would reach about half of the sound, it was still unacceptably slow.
The Crystal's pale blue glow changed; it turned purple as it reached 75% Capacity. She pushed even more, and the crystal glowed orange, something that signified its maximum capacity. While at 100% the Airship could surpass the speed of sound by at least twofold.
Aqua exhaled and smiled in satisfaction. She clapped her hands together, at Job well done. "This should handle the fuel." She turned towards the hatch before she crawled out. With a clink, it locked behind her, which secured the room from any hostile actions.
She weaved past the passengers, her gaze focused on a specific target. It was the Navigation room. No matter how much fuel she gave it, the ship would not go anywhere without a captain. Fortunately for her, there was a solution that would free her hands for the duration of the flight.
Ahead of her were two sets of stairs that led up to the ship's helm. Overall, it was not much different from a standard galleon, other than the lack of sails and the massive Mana Engines on its hull.
She inspected the mystic console ahead of her. The ship was not navigated by a wheel like many would be, but instead it was regulated by Mana, much like most artificial constructs.
Excellent, time to start the flight. But first.
She took a step back before going to the main deck to get Azure. She needed help on where to send the ship. One wrong coordinate and they would probably end up above some ocean, or worse, crash into an inhabited area.
She truly did not wish to kill innocents if she could help it. Of course, the passengers would most certainly be safe due to the ship's construction; anyone or anything unfortunate enough to be hit would become a red stain at best.
"Now, where is that girl…" Aqua muttered as her eyes scanned the ship's deck. Soon she landed on the white haired elf she was searching for. She was chatting with Sheira, but unfortunately, Aqua had to cut that short.
"Hey, Azure. I need some help here. Mind giving me a hand?" She smiled warmly as she tapped Azure on the shoulder. Azure jumped back, her face startled. "Oh… hey Aqua! We didn't talk about you!"
Aqua tilted her head slightly, "I need you to help me point us in the direction of your kingdom. Want to help? Of course, Sheira can come too if she wants." Aqua's lips curled into a wide smile.
Both girls looked towards each other before giving each other a nod, "Of course. It would be our pleasure to help our wonderful heroine!"
Aqua blinked in confusion, "Heroine? I had no such noble reasons."
"Hah! Like that matters," Sheira remarked.
"You are a heroine for us, so we are glad to do anything we can to help."
Aqua's cheeks turned slightly red while the trio walked to the console. Aqua waved her hand above it. A small blue glimmer rushed over the panel.
Greetings, Aether Signature recognized, Welcome Aqua. Endurance is ready for the flight. Capacity at 100%.
Two girls took a step back.
I guess they don't know about artificial personalities either?
Aqua turned to the shocked girls; however, only Azure remained shocked. Sheira quickly regained her composure as she rushed to the console.
"THIS IS SO COOL!" Her eyes glistered with excitement.
Aqua couldn't help but find joy in such innocent excitement. Aqua approached behind Sheira.
"Want me to teach you how to navigate?"
"You would do it for me? Thank you! Well, you are my mommy after all!" Sheira grinned as she stared at the console.
Azure approached sheepishly, her voice low enough to be barely audible, "Aqua… I… wanna learn too…"
Aqua clapped her hands together, "Of course! Studying is the spice of life. I will teach you both. And you can navigate to where we need to go."