Chapter 75: Hoverbike

Kothar had been hard at work for the past few days, once he had put the finishing touches onto his rudimentary safe haven, he had constructed a very basic forge, this had been followed by Silane immediately taking him to craft a metal plate with a series of holes within it that gradually decreased in size.

Fortunately for Kothar, the silt deposited along the banks of the stream was packed with what would be fragments of pure metals and minerals, but at the vast scale of this plane, were massive chunks of pure material that he could use.

Thanks to his newfound ability to manipulate his Plasma Blade with his own electrical mana, he had made short work of crafting the plate that Silane required.

Now, Kothar groaned as he realized what Silane meant for him to do with the plate.

[Yes, you're going to be making wire.] Silane confirmed Kothar's suspicions, she had been looking forward to this moment for a long time, Kothar could finally craft what she had long since realized were essential tools for him.

[Why don't you tell me what all this wire is going to be for?] Kothar grumbled as he drew the length of still pliable steel rod through the largest hole, which narrowed it as he pulled it through.

[We're going to be making a sort of ultra sensitive electric field sensor.] Silane began to explain, as Kothar sweated over drawing the steel though the progressively smaller holes.

[We've become far too dependent on your mana sensing eye, and as evidenced by what happened on Idwa and in the event we come across an invisible enemy that doesn't use mana at all, we'll be in hot water. Additionally, it's entirely restricted to your field of view.] Silane continued, showing Kothar her proposed design.

[In essence, this sensor is going to be a belt of sorts, so it can take in information from all directions, additionally, it'll relay information back to you in the form of slight vibrations whenever it detects a fluctuation in an electric field.] Silane showed Kothar how the belt would have tiny motors at short intervals, allowing him to, in a sense, feel the electric fields all around him.

[So, it's a sort of non-invasive augmentation. Almost like an electric field implant sensor, except I wear it on the outside.] Realization dawned over Kothar and a soft smile crossed his face as he realized what Silane had done for him.

[After our conversation about the Titanite, I really want to keep any augmentations to a minimum, unless we know that they're of a sufficient quality.] Silane said in a gentle tone.

[Of course, but don't be too worried about me, Silane. If I'm to have any chance against the Devourer, I need to surpass myself as I was before and become far more powerful.] Kothar's tone turned serious and his grip on the tongs holding the wire tightened visibly, his knuckles turning white.

[Of course Kothar, I know what we're fighting for.] Silane replied, just as serious.

A few days later, Kothar stood amid a mess of wires, a pair of bladed rotors, a large motor for each rotor, and a bundle of roughly woven cloth made from plant fibers.

[How about we put this together?] Silane commented.

[It's high time we did, and I'd like to see more of this plane besides the surroundings of this willow tree, and I don't really fancy hitching a ride on another animal.] Kothar laughed as he remembered the wild ride that the deer had taken him on.

Before long, the shape of the vehicle he had been working on appeared before him. It was similar in shape to a motorbike, with a spherical housing for the rotating rotors that would allow the bike to essentially fly.

While raw resources were in abundance on this plane, Kothar currently lacked the time or infrastructure to create a comfortable seat, so for the time being he would have to make do with the rough fiber off the plant based cloth he had woven himself.

Rather than a pair of handles, Kothar's hands were shrouded in a pair of large gauntlets, which would facilitate the transfer of his lightning mana to the Hoverbike, allowing him to power the motors and control the intensity of mana within, which would allow him to control the speed of the rotors.

[Well, what are you waiting for? Let's give it a try.] Silane said as Kothar stood back and marvelled at their handiwork.

[Just asking for a minute to appreciate my masterpiece.] Kothar said half sarcastically, the machine looked brutish, and by Alliance standards would have been dismissed as an odd piece of junk at worst and a curious looking art installation at best.

But what he had decided to call the Hoverbike had an almost rough and raw beauty to it. The plasma cut plates that made most of the bike gave it an aggressive yet sleek appearance, and the whole machine seemed to hide a sort of raw power.

By now Kothar's curly black locks were up to his shoulders, and he had grown substantially in the short time he had been here, thanks to the dense mana on the plane.

Now almost 16, Kothar had the wispy beginnings of a beard, and along with his piercing eyes, was beginning to resemble Tam, with only hints of Ophil's features on his face.

His clothing was torn and ragged, with only his cloak being mostly intact, thanks to the tough material it had been woven from.

Kothar leapt astride the hover bike, and sent a surge of electricity via the device in his shoulder into the machine, which immediately began to hum and slowly rose into the air.

Kothar gave a whoop of joy, and leaning forward, sped out in the vast open spaces of Atla.

Unbeknownst to Kothar, a void had opened on Atla, letting a short stocky Freeman onto the plane, who immediately procured an oddly shaped leaf with many fronds from his back and began waving it about through the air.