Chapter 255: Dying Aemos(2)

Though the ship was now set down on the ocean floor, it was by no means stable where it sat, the ship had been kept aloft by the remaining dregs of power that had been pulsing through it.

But now, as the heart gave out, and the blood stopped pumping, it was over.

Kothar felt the floor tilt beneath him, and he was sent sliding toward the wall of the maintenance tunnel.

[What's going on, Silane?] Kothar called out, bracing himself against the wall with one arm, the other out towards his other side in case the ship rolled the other way.

[The ship is dying, Kothar. It can't stay standing up how it was without any power, it's far too top heavy, and the waves battering it can't be helping.] Silane responded, even as the floor tilted further, and Kothar almost tumbled, head over heels.

Kothar got back to his feet, now half standing/half squatting on the wall of the maintenance tunnel, the ship was falling onto its side.

The groaning noise continued to resonate through the ship, and the warmth that had radiated all throughout from the pipes was fading away.

[Do you think it's going to stay watertight, Silane?] Kothar asked,anxiously. As brave as he was, the thought of being trapped in what was essentially becoming an undersea coffin while it filled with water didn't appeal to him in the slightest.

[I think so, but I can't be certain. The ship's made to withstand all kinds of odd environments, since it's supposed to be an interplanar vessel, but who knows what'll happen when the whole structure loses power.] Silane said, while Kothar struggled to balance on the constantly shifting wall.

[I guess we can't rule out some of the soldiers getting desperate and trying to break through the hull, and who knows, the guards up above might even open the hatches and doors all over the ship.] Kothar replied, a frown on his face as he imagined all the possible scenarios.

[Let's hope that the ship has lost enough power that the doors stop functioning.] Silane said, even as the strange groaning noise continued in the background.

The yellow tubes that lit the ship had yet to fade, even the tunnel Kothar was in was still lit by the dim yellow light, it seemed that whatever powered the lights wasn't connected to the heart of the ship.

Kothar was sent slamming into the roof, as the ship rolled even further, almost tipping over within the ocean completely. All over the ship, the Aemos were screaming and crying out, even within the maintenance tunnels, Kothar could hear their screams.

Kothar had mixed feelings about the potential death of at the very least, thousands of lives.

The ship was so enormous, it could house at least hundreds of thousands, if not more.

The Aemos had invaded his home, and had kidnapped countless citizens, and who knew what they intended to do with them.

BUt was Kothar justified in stranding them all in an enormous coffin at the bottom of the ocean? 

As he waited, Kothar was wrapped up in these dark thoughts. Silane could feel his unease, but she remained silent, for she was even more unfamiliar than Kothar when it came to things like guilt or regret.

In the dark corner of the dying ship, Kothar's mind whirled back to missions for the Alliance, where he had eradicated entire rebel planets, commanding battleships to completely bombard them from every possible angle.

In a few moments, a vibrant planet full of life would turn into a charred husk of its former self. But at least then, he had been so mechanical and emotionless that he hadn't had to think twice about his actions afterwards. 

It had been the mission, and he had completed it, it had been as simple as that.

If only things were still so simple, of course, a random soldier of the Aemos army wasn't personally responsible for the invasion. But Kothar had seen their determination, and as he thought, he became more and more sure that he had made the right choice.

The spatial fluctuations that had continued in the distance now faded to nothing, and Kothar was crouched there, arms spread out to either side, wedging himself in the corner.

All of a sudden, he felt a cool sensation against his neck, and a  sudden resonance with his Spatial Core.

The weight of the necklace settled around his neck, and Kothar knew that the artifact had returned.

[So its back.] Silane said with a sour tone, as she felt Kothar's elation at the return of the artifact.

[It's back.] Kothar unclipped his breastplate, letting it fall away, and pulled down the stretchy material of the neck of his Multiplanar Equipment, and reached behind his neck, unclasping the necklace. 

He wanted to take a look at it, after it had caused such a massive disturbance, and absorbed so much spatial energy.

Kothar summoned a ball of lighting, since the tunnel was so dim, the bluish white light of the lighting mixed with that of the yellow from the tubes, and lit the necklace in a strange glow.

Kothar peered at it, it was hard to tell in the light, but it seems the surface of the artifact was no longer black, rather it seemed to be an extremely dark purple color.

Apart from that, the artifact itself was as unassuming as ever, and remained set within the Titanite Alloy that Kothar had made for it. Even after absorbing an enormous amount of Spatial Energy from the enormous crystal at heart of the ship, it didn't give off any kind of strong fluctuations. 

[Time to go?] Silane asked Kothar, as he clasped the necklace back around his neck, picking up his breastplate and clasping the font and back halves together.

[Time to go.] Kothar replied, and focused in on the artifact, looking for the threads of Spatial Mana that tunneled into the air, the tell-tale sign of a 'thin' area of space, where Kothar could open a portal to another plane..

Kothar channeled his Spatial Mana, preparing to open a portal.