The storm came out of nowhere, as if summoned by some unseen force. One moment, the airship was gliding smoothly over the Sand Sea, and the next, a swirling vortex of dark clouds materialized on the horizon, stretching up into the heavens. Lightning crackled within it, illuminating the clouds in unnatural shades of green and purple. A bolt of purple lightning arced down and struck the bow of the ship, the energy streaming down into the siphon plate wiring. With several pops dark smoke began to billow up from underneath the airship.

“All hands! Prepare for an emergency landing!” Spring Jack shouted over the roaring storm.

Krypdyr was the first to respond, his instincts honed from years of training under Stormchasers. His shadowstep ability allowed him to dart to each corner of the airship, checking for weaknesses in the rigging and siphon plates that might snap under the intense winds. After a brief scan, he reappeared beside Nate, his expression grim.

“Structural integrity’s weakening, especially on the port side! If we can reinforce it, we stand a better chance.”

Without a word, Ellie sprang into action. Her elemental manipulation of metal allowed her to create temporary reinforcements, strengthening the weak points Krypdyr had identified. She focused hard, sending waves of energy through her hands and into the metal supports, warping them into makeshift brackets that bolstered the plates. Her face was tense, beads of sweat forming as she held the metal in place.

Zeff immediately saw an opportunity to use his Technology Sigil Stone skills. “Ellie, hold that position just a little longer! I’ve got something that can stabilize us!”

Rushing to his toolkit, Zeff pulled out a bundle of insulated wires and a small magitech device he had been working on: a shock disperser. It wasn’t fully tested, but now was the time to try. Zeff quickly wired it into the ship’s systems and connected it to the main lightning rod.

“I’m re-routing the lightning rods! It should disperse any strikes across all of the siphon plates, spreading the load and keeping us from taking a direct hit to the core,” he explained as he worked, his hands steady despite the ship’s rocking.

Suddenly, the ship jerked sideways, throwing Fuzzball off balance as he ran. He agilely dodged between the thrashing lines and ropes. A chunk of Storm Ore crashed down onto the deck like a meteor, spraying splinters as it smashed through. Fuzzball extended his hands and focused, urging plants to grow around the cracked wood, filling in the gaps with green tendrils. The vines snaked along the damaged beams, weaving themselves into a dense, flexible mesh. With each wave of his hands, the vines thickened, reinforcing the structure in ways only nature could.

“Hold on, everyone!” Fuzzball roared, pouring all his energy into his plant manipulation to keep the structure strong.

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Spring Jack, seeing his chance, climbed up to the wheel, gripping it tightly. “Someone needs to keep her steady! Don’t worry, I’ve helmed worse vessels than this.” Despite his usual cavalier attitude, he was all business now, keeping the ship pointed as best as possible toward Aezrith. His uncanny balance and reflexes allowed him to counteract the force of the winds with quick adjustments, reading the storm’s chaotic rhythm and anticipating its lulls and gusts.

A fierce gust of wind slammed into the ship’s side, and a fraying line snapped with a sharp crack, whipping toward Nate. He dodged, narrowly missing the lashing rope, and then leapt to action, using his Grappler Whip to secure the loose line before it caused more damage.

“This is getting bad! We need to bring her down soon, or there won’t be much of her left to land!” Nate shouted to the crew as he mended the line.

Krypdyr shadowstepped to Ellie’s side, assessing the situation. “Make us an anchor! I’ll try to hook us as close to the Floating City as possible.” Nate ran over as Ellie was forming the long chain and massive hooked anchor.

A coil of lightning arced toward them, thicker and slower than normal lightning, aimed squarely at the anchor. At that instant, Terry leapt out from Nate, mouth agape as he leapt from the airship. The lightning lanced into his mouth, disappearing within. Terry spun and opened his own portal to land back on the deck, now a few inches taller from consuming the magical energy.

“We’re almost in range!” Krypdyr shouted, his eyes locked on the looming silhouette of Aezrith’s lower decks through the fog of the storm. He used his increased strength to hoist the anchor onto one of his shoulders.

“Now’s as good a time as any, Terry,” Nate said as he drew the Transmuter Die from his inventory, tossing it next to Terry. With a trickle of his luck ability, the die landed with the flexed arm on top. Terry’s muscles bulged out and he let out a tremendous roar that cut through the crashing thunder.

“Brace for landing!” Spring Jack called, using every ounce of his skill to bring them in at just the right angle.

Terry burst forward, grabbing Krypdyr with the anchor and throwing him out into the open air. Krypdyr shifted the anchor in line with the dock mooring. The chain pulled taught and the airship swung precariously around, Spring Jack carefully guiding them down, his sharp eyes focused on the rough platform. Fuzzball’s vines shot out, attaching to the Floating City’s mooring lines next to the anchor and holding fast, helping the crew pull the ship toward safety.

The airship crashed down with a heavy thud, and the front, previously held together by the vines Fuzzball had redirected to guide the landing, broke apart. Debris scattered across the landing bay. Slowly, the rocking settled, and they let out a collective sigh of relief.

Ellie staggered to her feet, giving the now twisted beams she’d formed a wary look. “Not exactly graceful,” she muttered with a weary grin.

Spring Jack tipped his hat, smirking. “Graceful enough. We’re here, aren’t we?”

Zeff checked the shock disperser, breathing a sigh of relief that it hadn’t overloaded. “Guess it did the job after all.”

Nate looked around at his team and the ruined airship, a grin breaking across his face. “Alright, everyone… welcome to Aezrith!”