Chapter 243: The Saboteur

Normally, in this situation, surrounded by enemies, in a disadvantageous position, Kothar would have opened a portal to escape. But with the twisting and curving of space caused by the Artifact and crystal, Kothar was sure any portal he opened would go completely off course.

He didn't have the luxury to calibrate his aim like he had previously, and even so far from the Artifact and crystal, his Spatial Mana was still roiling and surging uncontrollably, right now, Kothar was struggling to keep his Spatial Core stable, and with the increased size and loss of control over his mana, he could feel his insides being twisted and pulled uncomfortably.

The guards all wore the same armor, a gray color mixed with the slightest metallic shine, as well as staffs with a hexagonal lump at either end.

But even as the guards all around Kothar swung their staffs at him, everyone, Kothar included, was suddenly sent flying up into the ceiling, slamming their heads or helmets against the gray material of the roof.

"The intruder! He has sabotaged the Aemos!"

"He had doomed us all!"

"Mother!"

The guards all cried out as they realized that the ship was falling, whatever was happening within the heart had caused the technology that kept the enormous ship aloft to fail.

But it was only a momentary plunge, the ship stabilized and Kothar and the guards surrounding him fell back to the floor.

Kothar's reflexes had served him well, and he had braced an arm against the ceiling, taking the brunt of the impact with his arm rather than his skull, allowing him to recover faster than the guards who were now scattered around him.

[****. Silane, we've really done it now. If whatever is keeping this ship aloft fails, all of Eclat is done for.] Kothar said, scrambling to his feet as fast as he could, the wailing and complaining guards still kneeling on the ground, some covering their heads with their arms, others clutching on to one another.

[From my calculations, the heart of this ship is far larger proportionally than it should be, even if a good portion fails, it should be able to hold everything aloft even if a large portion of it is damaged.] Silane reassured Kothar, she was certain that the Artifact and crystal's transfer of energy wouldn't damage the heart to the point of failure.

Kothar's Plasma Blade blazed into action as the guards were scrambling back to their feet, looking around for Kothar, since they all had been tossed around when the ship had plunged down.

Kothar swung his Plasma Blade at a pair of guards who were still had their arms wrapped around each other's shoulders, having helped one another to their feet.

While his Plasma Blade blazed out of the base of his left palm, he had his Skysteel sword drawn in his left hand.

The other guards, still a few meters away, Kothar pointed the Skysteel sword at them, shooting bolt after bolt from the point of the blade, the lightning crackling through their armor and shocking the guards all over, further disorienting them after their heads' colliding with the ceiling.

[Alright, but let's try and find the control center anyway. If the worse comes to worst, we still should be able to steer the ship away from the land below.] Kothar said, even as lightning began to crackle all around him, as he cast his Lightning Aura, moving fast enough to surprise the still disoriented guards, swinging his blades one after the other.

Screams filled the air, Kothar's  Plasma Blade leaving the guards with missing limbs and burnt flesh at their wounds, while his Skysteel sword would cleanly slice at the gaps in their armor, sending gushing torrents of blood from their wounds all around Kothar.

The guards who should have posed a real challenge to Kothar, thanks to the disorientation caused by the falling of the ship, were now laying all around him, either gravely injured, or dead.

[That was lucky, wasn't it. I think the control center will be at the top of the ship, from the structures that I've seen so far, and the information that I've managed to gather from their inscriptions, commands and directions are being issued from above.] Silane said, as Kothar walked over the bodies of fallen guards, without giving them even a second glance.

Kothar picked one of the tunnels that lead away from the circular tunnel at random; he knew his best bet for reaching the control center would be along the maintenance tunnels. 

Hopefully the invaders hadn't discovered the dead maintenance worker, and were unaware the Kothar was able to access the maintenance tunnels, he didn't want to come up against such a large number of guards again, especially if they were fighting at full readiness, rather than disorientated after a blow to the head.

[You seeing any of those maintenance doors yet?] Kothar asked, as he ran down the sloping tunnel, knowing he was getting further from the control center as he went further down the slope.

[Not just yet, keep going, there should be one soon enough.] Silane responded, her voice distant, as she processed all the new inscriptions that Kothar saw, trying to better understand it, so she could pinpoint the control center.

Kothar ran on, along the featureless gray corridor, lit by a dim yellow glow, the walls and the floor and ceiling all covered with the ever present inscriptions. 

[Right here.] Silane instructed, giving Kothar an overlay of where to push down.

Kothar immediately pushed his hand onto the wall, pushing down. A satisfying click came from the wall, and it swung open, and Kothar stepping into the even darker maintenance corridor behind the wall. 

He looked around, but unfortunately luck wasn't on his side, there were no vertical tunnels nearby. The pipes that had radiated a powerful heat now only gave off the slightest warmth, likely due to the damage to the heart of the ship.

Kothar ran down the tunnel, heading away from the heart, glancing upward at regular intervals, desperately hoping for a vertical tunnel.