Me, My Spirit, And I [Book 1 Complete]

With the trip to the Eastern Imperial Academy looming in Luca's future, Shada was busy working to build their personal skyship. Kariss handled most of the business side of the Shadow Company while Shada focused on enchanting and various ways of optimizing production, but the skyship design was taking up most of his time currently. He was working with various employees to teach them his techniques, but he would still be needed to check on things at the Shadow Company Compound on a regular basis. Shada was the main bottleneck to the Company's expansion. The skyship and training lectures were both attempts to change the equation.

Shada wanted to create a hybrid ship that mixed Earth airship designs, Sierralla's skyship designs, and his latest EssTech motors. Unfortunately, time constraints meant that the personal skyship Shada and Luca would be taking to the Academy would be more traditional than he preferred. For example, there just wasn't the space, raw materials, and expertise needed to incorporate a lifting envelope. However, more modern alloys, refinements to the Dwarven Enchantments, and EssTech motors were all workable solutions.

"So you plan to completely eliminate the sails, like with the Shadow Skiff?" Alister asked curiously while looking over designs with Shada.

"Yes, they are unnecessary and actually limit the skyship's top speed by creating excess drag. Two properly sized Essence Resonance Motors should be more than enough to provide sufficient thrust," Shada replied as he pulled a modified ERM design meant for larger skyships.

"What about lift?" Alister had looked at some of the stranger designs involving lighter than air gas Shada had drawn up, but those were far too massive for their current facilities.

Shada grimaced. "You know how I feel about the levitation enchantments. They are great, especially after I refined them, but they are very Essence hungry. Considering they work off creating a repulsive Essence resonance with the air, I am surprised no one decided to use them for thrust. They are just inefficient and require some exotic materials found in the Ice Fang Peaks to get past the issue." Shada glared at Alister. "Learning that your people's skyships depend on rare materials that I can't source locally was another cleverly hidden surprise by the Shipmasters."

"I had no part in that, as I have told you." Alister pointed at the modified runic sequences Shada had created. "What have you done here? These look similar to the air repulsion runes, but the air runes are missing and I don't recognize several of these runes at all."

"Hmmm, that is difficult to explain. There are numerous ways that people use Essence to create levitation. Some are more direct than others while some are more obscure. These runes push against the Essence of the planet instead of the Essence of air."

"Why does that make a difference?" Alister asked as he stroked his long white beard in thought while peering at the runic sequences more closely. "Also, wouldn't that only work close to the ground?"

"It is complex. It took a Mentalist Mathematician to figure out the exact formulas, but the less specific planetary Ambient Essence is denser than the more specific air Ambient Essence. The best analogy I can think of is like trying to walk on sand instead of stone. You can do it, but you will work harder at each step."

Shada pulled the sheet with the mathematical proofs on it and showed it to Alister who squinted, huffed, and turned back to the other diagrams. "That looks like nonsense."

"I imagine it does. They are actually working on an entirely new mathematical framework for Essence Metaphysics. It is actually very exciting, but for the sake of our discussion, assume the math is right," Shada said while gesturing at the runes in question. "The efficiency is improved by a factor of roughly five times the air runes used in Dwarven skyships."

Alister looked at Shada in disbelief. "Five times? That is…" Alister was temporarily at a loss for words.

"A lot, I know, but that isn't the only trick I have added. While I said two ERMs could provide enough thrust, four with the ability to pivot at specific angles can provide lift and thrust, which can reduce the strain on the levitation enchantments." This time, Shada pulled up a skyship design with four nacelles. "The levitation enchantments can be further improved by having them simply cancel out most, but not all, of the skyships weight while the ERM powered propellers provide the real lift."

"I can see that, but what happens if one of the ERMs fails?" Alister asked. "They are still a bit finicky." The next set of drawings left the Dwarf baffled. "Ok, what is that?"

Shada smiled. "A gyroscope attached to some enchantments to ensure that the skyship always remains level. No titling or swaying decks."

Alister rubbed his temples in frustration. "I can see the use, but what by the forge fires does that have to do with the motors failing?"

"Between the levitation enchantment, the auto leveling enchantment, and the several other safeguards besides, all that a motor failure would do is reduce speed and altitude. Even if all four failed, the skyship will just float lazily to the ground." Shada enjoyed frustrating the old Dwarf; it had become a hobby of his to try and surprise or confuse him.

"Fine; so you have plans for all the major bits, but have you decided on materials yet?" Alister asked.

"Originally, I had planned to use aluminum or an aluminum alloyed with titanium, but I had a couple of ideas after watching some Shapers using their binding abilities. You know how Earth Shapers can fuse two pieces of stone together?"

"You are really asking a Dwarf if they know about Earth Binding?"

Shada did his best to ensure that his manifestation didn't show his internal cringing. "Let's not think about that. Shapers do all kinds of things that are absolutely crazy when you really consider the implications, but traditionally they are all specialized, so never consider what happens when you combine two materials to create a composite material with the properties of both," Shada said excitedly, which was telling, considering their muted emotions in spirit form.

"Ok, I'll swing my pickaxe at it. What strange thing have you cooked up?" Alister asked glumly.

"Woven carbon fiber mesh embedded in an aluminum titanium alloy, mixed with diamond dust. I created a spell to bind the different materials together to form a strong, lightweight, and heat resistant material. The carbon fiber adds tensile strength, the diamond dust adds compression strength, while the metal alloy acts as a binder," Shada's excitement waned somewhat before he continued. "Sadly, it is nearly unworkable without magic and the joints are much weaker than the material as a whole."

"How strong are we talking?"

"Strong enough to take a hit from a forge hammer wielded by a high-level blacksmith without breaking or deforming. The poor smith nearly knocked his own brains out when the hammer rebounded after the first hit." Shada shook his head as he remembered the excited, but skittish smith he had working on testing that material. "It isn't perfect; nothing is after all, but it takes a lot of strikes and/or a lot of heat to make it deform. I don't know what to call it yet, as a carbon fiber aluminum titanium diamond composite is a bit of a mouthful."

"If the joints are a weak point, how do you plan to mitigate that?

Shada laughed loudly, but added an echoing reverb that gave his laugh a haunting quality. "By nothing having any joints."

Alister looked at Shada in confusion.

—

Several months after finalizing the design, Shada and Alister were gathered in the underground hangar of the Shadow Company Compound. The center of the hangar was covered in intricate rune work and nested ritual circles. In addition to the ritual catalysts and reagents, there were pallets of aluminum titanium ingots, buckets of diamond dust, and spools of carbon fiber. Each was carefully placed in a different section of the ritual.

"You really plan to make the entire hull in one go via ritual?" Alister asked Shada in clear disbelief.

"Of course; I did it with smaller versions. I just scaled up the ritual." Shada's explanation was bare bones and glossed over the sheer complexity of the ritual circles involved.

"You know, this reminds me of a Duplication ritual, but that makes no sense. You would need to destroy a hull to get the thing to work and for that you would need to have already created the hull." Alister mused as he studied the circle from the sound proofed observation deck above the hangar.

"I knew I should have used more obscuring runes," Shada said with a sigh of frustration. "You aren't wrong, but you are far from right." He pointed at the ritual. "It is heavily based off of Duplication magic, but the thing is, if you can describe something precisely and clearly enough in the Lingua Arcana you can get a spell to make something without destroying an example."

Alister turned to fully face the floating spirit. "Explain," he demanded.

"I have spent years decoding and modifying Duplication spells, rituals, and enchantments. The limitations of Duplication magic are, in part, arbitrary. The designer didn't want people to use them for economy breaking purposes. They only wanted to reduce the tedium of mass production." Shada turned to a nearby desk where he had a hidden safe with copies of important documents. "You can use this form of magic to make anything. You just need to feed it the right raw materials and sufficient instructions." He handed Alister a series of papers on Duplication magic that he had applied below.

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"Notice the large book in the ritual circle down below," Shada said as he turned back to the viewing window. "It precisely describes how each part is to be arranged, the exact dimensions, and material proportions. It is extremely detailed and written completely in the Lingua Arcana."

"So what you are saying is this ritual will use the instructions in that book to build an entire ship's hull out of the materials you have provided. One giant piece of Alticadia composite?" Alister asked as he skimmed the papers Shada handed him.

[AL(uminum)TI(tanium)CA(rbon fiber)DIA(mond]

"It will also carve the primary enchantments." Shada pointed to a vat in one of the circles. "That contains an improved form of enchanter's ink that will harden and crystallize into something far more durable than normal enchantments use." He smiled proudly. "It should be decades before the runes need maintenance, and they will all be hidden inside Alticadia composite."

"That is…how have you managed to design all this?" Alister was once more at a loss for words. The ritual Shada was describing would be doing the work of dozens of mages, enchanters, and craftsmen. It was mind boggling.

"I don't need to sleep, eat, or even really rest. I have mastered the Lingua Arcana as well as if it were my native tongue. Few things are impossible with enough time, knowledge, and skill." Shada left out the parts that came from his past life. Like how similar spells were to programming languages or how much people missed when using rote learning instead of taking a scientific approach to studying magic.

Alister didn't know what to say to that.

—

The hangar had been cleared except for a few people. Shada, Alexandrous, Vanestra, Shinobin, and Luca stood at five different points of the ritual circle. Westlin, Mina, Vestra, Vreen, and Brumo stood outside the ritual area in a protected area. The first five would be involved in completing the ritual while the remaining five would be there to provide support for the exhausted casters afterwards.

Shada enhanced his voice so that he could be heard clearly by everyone involved. "We have practiced small scale versions of this ritual and created small models of the skyship hull. Each of our roles in this are clear, but let's go over it one more time. A mistake now wouldn't be cheap."

Everyone nodded along. There was a mix of boredom and excited anticipation filling the air. "Alexandrous, you and Vanestra will begin acting as the primary Essence conduits and regulate the power draw from the Essence Crystals. Shinobin, you will be acting as Essence controller and ensuring everything flows smoothly between ingredients, catalysts, and reagents. Luca and I will be the conductors and give meaning and purpose to the flows." Shada mimicked a deep breath. "Vanestra and I will be creating a Spirit Speech communication network between all five of us to help with coordination. Shinobin will be responsible for watching out for signs of excess Essence strain…" Shada continued to describe the steps everyone had to take and ensured that everyone was on the same page.

Essence flowed from each of the participants. It merged into a sphere above the circle before Shinobin spun filaments off to connect to the ritual. Slowly, the circle began to fill with Essence supplied by five people and numerous Essence Crystals. The circle had been inscribed with a special ink that glowed when filled with Essence to act as an extra visual clue to where the Essence was moving. The entire hangar was lit with a strange purple blue glow coming from the ritual circle.

Luca and Shada began to half chant and half sing as the lyrical tones of the Lingua Arcana caused the Ambient Essence to vibrate. If the Ambient vibrated, the ritual circle itself hummed in deep counter point. Runes along the walls dampened the vibrations and helped focus the energies towards the center of the room. Without those, everyone one in the merchant district of the Shelves would be feeling the Etheric disturbance.

Ingredients, catalysts, regents, and Essence Crystals all began to levitate above the circle carried on etheric currents. The aluminum and titanium alloy ingots seemed to melt and expand into mist, the diamond dust spread through the metallic mist like stars in the night sky, the carbon fiber wove a tapestry through the mist; finally the enchanter's ink flowed like a crimson river. The mist reflected the purple blue light of the ritual while the glowing red enchanter's ink gave off its own light. The effect was like looking at an old 3d image without the special glasses that made it come into focus properly.

As power thrummed through the room the misty hull began to take on a more distinct shape, the ink became runes, and the fibers fused together. Like an explosion in reverse, the hull came together in slow motion before solidifying with a distinct snap that echoed throughout the hangar.

The hull hung suspended in the air. The enchantments embedded in it were more than enough to keep it floating while drawing on the Ambient Essence. There was still a lot of work to do, but the bulk of the skyship was completed.

Everyone involved in casting the ritual slumped to the ground, except Alexzandrous who was looking at the skyship hull with a critical eye. He wasn't called an Archmage for nothing, after all. Shada switched off his Skills and merged with Luca to recover. The support team waiting nearby rushed to help the downed mages and provide revitalizing tonics.

"I wasn't expecting the iridescent color." Alexzandrous turned to Lusha who was being propped up by Westlin. "Any idea what caused it?" He asked curiously.

Lusha blinked at their grandfather owlishly for a few moments before focusing on the hull floating in the middle of the hangar. "Hmmm, I can't be sure, but it looks like the hull developed an anodized oxide coating that has created an iridescent finish. It looks pretty, but may be hard to maintain."

"You slipped into that Ingles language of yours from Earth. I have no idea what you just said." Alexzandrous sighed and turned back to admitting the skyship hull. "But you are right, it is pretty. A bit flashy for my tastes, but…" Alexzandrous shrugged and walked away to find a snack.

Lusha lay in Westlin's arms while admiring the hull. It had a smooth, sleek, torpedo shape and vaguely resembled a metal fish with its stabilizing fins and tapered body. The iridescent effect added to the illusion. Once finished, it would be a sight to see in the sky, and they couldn't wait to see people's expressions.

—

With the hull completed, the tricky work of installing functional bits like the four Essence Resonance Motors, doors, windows, decorations, and other comfort items began. In addition, various controls and defenses had to be added. It was a complex piece of EssTech engineering, but the plan called for it to also be a comfortable one.

At more than one hundred feet in length and over thirty wide and tall the skyship was not small. The engineering section was located in the belly of the beast, as some of the engineers had taken to calling it. It contained a hidden Ambient Essence Accumulator that supplied Essence Crystals for the four Essence Resonance Motors. Above the engineering deck was a series of public spaces and cargo holds. The third deck at the top of the fish included living spaces and the ship's bridge, which was located in the fish's head.

With some people already referring to it as the beast, Shada had decided to stick with his normal naming convention and call the skyship the Shadow Beast.

—

The maiden voyage of the Shadow Beast began on a cold, foggy morning. The hangar doors had been opened, and the skyship had been tugged into the central courtyards where a host of Shadow Company staff had gathered for the spectacle.

The Shadow Beast emerged from the hangar slowly, like a monster emerging from its dark lair. The fog gave everything a chill and eerie quality. The low morning light of fall cast the iridescent skyship in shadow.

"I didn't realize it was so big!" one of the bystanders commented.

"Look, they are using a couple of the new Shadow Skiffs to tow it out," another pointed out.

"Look at how it catches the light! I bet it will be stunning when the sky clears."

"I imagine so, I am just glad I am not part of the crew. Being inside the belly of the beast is always creepy somehow."

"Of course it is, you enter through the beast's mouth, after all!"

There was nodding among those who had walked the mouth-like ramp to enter the main areas of the skyship.

"I wish I could go for a ride, but my job has nothing to do with the skyship."

"Actually, you will likely get your wish. Mr. Shadow plans to give everyone that works for the Company rides as part of the early testing flights."

"Really? He will let us mere mortals on his shiny new ship?"

"So I have heard. Top performers will even be invited to the bridge and get to talk to Mr. Shadow himself!"

There were murmurs of appreciation, and no little awe, as the Shadow beast floated lazily into the center of the courtyard. A bell chimed to get everyone's attention, and a voice that sounded like it was echoing from the bottom of a well began to speak. "Welcome one and all to the maiden flight of the Shadow Company Skyship, Shadow Beast!" There was applause and cheering from the crowd before the voice continued. "This is Mr. Shadow speaking, and I want to thank each and every one of you for being here today. For those not currently on the ship, there will be food and drinks in the Company dining hall, free for everyone!" There were louder cheers from the crowd. "Finally, I would like to thank each of you for making this possible!" The enthusiasm and anticipation seemed electric as the SCSS Shadow Beast's fins tilted so that the propellers faced the ground. There was a hum that filled the courtyard as the ERMs engaged and the propellers whirred to life.

The pilots were only sending a trickle of energy to the ERMs, so the ship rose slowly, but gracefully into the air. The wind from the propellers caused the fog to swirl and cleared a large space in the center of the courtyard. Once the ship was high above the watching crowd, the fins tilted and the ship's vertical ascent became a diagonal glide forward. With a few minor adjustments, the SCSS Shadow Beast did three laps above the Shadow Company Compound before setting off towards the forested lands to the south.

—

Luca sat in the captain's seat of the bridge with Shada looming behind him. He was dressed in a fancy black uniform with silver embossment and hand carved buttons. His wavy hair was styled to perfection, and he looked like a noble scion sitting on a throne. Around him, a variety of arcane instruments showed things like speed, altitude, and other important information for the crew to track. The crew were dressed in similar black and silver outfits that were simpler versions of Luca's.

Alister was down in engineering, keeping a direct eye on everything. Luca's family was standing around the captain's chair while the actual official captain stood near the pilots. The view as the ship cleared the morning fog was magnificent. The bright sunlight lit up the fog and shimmered off the skyship's iridescent hull.

"Take us over the forest, then let's see how fast we can go," Shada instructed to a chorus of aye-ayes from the captain and crew. He had specifically required them to use a few nautical terms from Earth, just for the fun of it all.

The increase in speed was gradual, but grew the further from the city they got. "Engines are at full power, Mr. Shadow!" one of the overeager young crew announced.

Shada floated over to an instrument he had designed to measure the Shadow Beast's speed. He already had an idea of how fast they could go. He had people do the math after all, but he was still surprised when they hit a cruising speed in excess of 300 mph per hour. They were flying low, at under a thousand feet, so everything below them had to be feeling the wind from their passage. The ship was flying at what Shada thought of as commercial airline speeds, but the ride was as smooth as if they were standing still.

"How are the ERMs holding out down there, Alister?" Shada asked via a Spirit Speech connection.

"Everything looks good. No excess vibrations, Essence flows are steady, and it looks like we can maintain this speed for sometime. What's our speed like?" Alister asked curiously. Due to the slow acceleration he had no idea how fast the ship was going.

"We appear to be cruising along at a mere 300 miles per hour." Shada said with a smirk appearing on the face of his manifestation.

"What!?" Alister's shout was loud enough that the crew on the bridge twitched as the sound of the old Dwarfs' deep voice reverberated throughout the ship.

Shada floated back to his place behind Luca, whose face was split in a massive grin of excitement. He wasn't big on commuting back on Earth, but here on Sierrallas he was going to do it with style.