Sorcerer… Cyborg???

Chapter 258: Another Portal(2)

Moments before Xurha had returned to Eclat from the void, within the walls of the Aemos, hidden in a maintenance tunnel, a portal was opened. 

Kothar opened an interplanar portal, just wide enough for him to step through, and walked into it, the portal shutting behind him.

A red glow suffused all of Eclat as the portal closed, looking for the culprit who had destroyed the enormous ship, but Xurha was too late.

Kothar was now floating within an endless sea, around him, there were silvery silhouettes flashing, as the fish fled from the object that had suddenly appeared within their shoal.

[Looks like this is the right 'direction'.] Kothar said to Silane, as he started to sink downward, weighed down by the Ursten armor that he wore. 

Kothar swam upwards, struggling a little against the weight of his armor, but his strengthened body propelled him easily through the water.

If he wanted to make sure his next portal would be in the open air, rather than within rock, he would need to travel higher.

As far as he knew, and from his experience, the myriad planes were roughly in the same location, with slight variations in elevation, and sometimes water in place of air.

But Kothar's choice of the ocean plane had been correct, if he had travelled elsewhere, while aboard the sinking Aemos, his destination portal might have opened inside dense rock, rather than water.

And as curious as Kothar was about Spatial Magic, he didn't want to risk his life in testing a portal into solid rock.

[So we're heading back to Atla?] Silane asked, as a brightly colored eel swam up to Kothar's face inquisitive, curious if the sinking object was a dead carcass, but upon the slightest twitch from Kothar's head, it fled.

[I would much rather traverse that plane, then try and make my way across the unknown ocean of Eclat. In my lessons with Simon, he did mention that the earliest explorers had refused to travel too far from the coast thanks to the beasts that populated the deep oceans. 

Seeing as I cannot fly, I'd probably lose my life trying to swim back to the Isle.] Kothar's decision had been clear, and additionally, travelling to another plane was the best way for him to escape the sinking ship. 

[You'll be stuck using portals to travel, the ship is back on Eclat, and the Hoverbike is hidden in the base.] Silane said, her tone a little concerned. Kothar ahd constantly been using Spatial Magic for the past few hours, even after its enlargement from its contact with the Spatial Crystal, Kothar would surely be depleted.

[I can always rest on the safer planes, and once we arrive on Atla. Besides, I have the Artifact again, and from what I can tell so far, its able to nourish my Spatial Core now.] Kothar said with a hint of pleased surprise, as he diverted his attention to his Spatial Mana Core.

[You know, travelling by portal is risky, and while I can run fast enough on foot, I think some changes are in order.] Kothar said, thinking abc to some of the designs that Silane had shown him.

[Really? We can utilize the hideout on Atla then, it's perfect for gathering raw materials, and I'll be able to use the helmet and construct everything we need.[ Silane was clearly excited, and Kothar smiled. He didn't mind an implant or two that would help him move faster and wouldn't impact his senses in any way.

{Alright, Silane. Is this high enough?] Kothar asked, ready to open the next portal. The last time he had traversed planes, Kothar had need to wait far longer between opening portals.

The reason for that was due t two key aspects, first, he had been opening comparatively enormous portals, large enough for his ship to pass through. Second, Kothar was far more experienced with Spatial Magic now, and had grown in the time that had passed on Eclat.

[Swim up a few more meters, better to fall a little, than be stuck within rock or whatever happens when a portal is opened inside a solid.] Silane replied, and Kothar nodded, swimming up higher, before channelling his Spatial Mana.

Kothar opened a portal, and swam through, tumbling down as he fell out of the portal, onto the soft sand below.

Kothar squeezed his eyes almost completely shut, he was familiar with this plane, it was blindingly bright, with the enormous red sun that dominated the sky.

Kothar looked around quickly, ensuring there were no clear threats, other than a few oddly shaped cacti, Kothar noticed nothing alarming.

Before settling down, Kothar spread the weak electromagnetic yield that would allow him to sense any disturbances as wide as he could, and then he sat down right here, on the hot sand, and closed his eyes. 

Kothar was gathering ambient Spatial Mana as fast as he possibly could, drawing it in like a starving man gulping down food.

His Spatial Mana Core grew brighter as he sat there, the mana twisting through his body as he pulled it in.

A few kilometers away from Kothar, a large winged creature had been asking atop a cliff, warming itself in the extreme heat, it had batlike wings, and a large beak. And though its wings were more luke extensions of its hands, it was covered in colorful feathers.

The creature's ebay eyes fixed on to the glint of light that shone off of Kothar's breastplate, and the creature ran awkwardly toward the cliff it had been basking on, flapping its wings desperately.

As it ran off the cliff and into the empty air, it plummeted for a few meters, before its ungainly wings caught the air, and it started to fly.

It flew through the air, half gliding on the currents of hot air that rose from the desert.

Its target was clear, the odd shining thing that had appeared within its territory.

Meanwhile, Kothar was totally focused, sweat beading his brow, not from the heat, for the Multiplanar Equipment took care of that, but rather from the intense concentration, as he pulled in more mana than he was used to, feeling it twisting and pulling at his insides.