I took a deep breath and called my mount to stop. The sun was killing me but that was too be expected from the desert. So far I hadn't found anything of note outside of a strange raptor like creature. Thankfully it was much more interested in eating a dead man than attacking me. I closed my eyes and focused on the pull toward my Place of Power. The sensation hadn't changed but my desire to reach it grew by the hour. I opened my eyes and pressed both heels into the salamander and we were off. The salamander could move nearly straight up cliff walls which took a lot to get used to but it sped up our overland speed. We pushed forward for another hour until we came across a half buried ship. The ship was massive. Less than half of it was revealed but it looked a bit like a helicopter There were two wings each with four broken blades. I changed course and made my way over to it.

There was a large hole in the middle of the ship with a pair of skeletons laying against the harden wood. I pulled my salamander to a stop before undoing the buckle and tassels. When I was free I pulled him over to a sturdy looking rock, removed the stake I had been given and pushed it into the ground. I tied the reigns to the stake and then headed into the ship. Layers of sand and dust decorated the inside but the furniture was in surprisingly good shape. Most of it was made out of dark brown wood while the the supports were metal. I cast sphere of light and then broke it up into its smaller spheres. I took a look around and let out a low whistle. Whoever owned this ship was wealthy. Several old pieces of art sat against the wall. Including the portrait of a dark skinned man with tattoos decorating his head. I focused on the tattoos but my ability didn't trigger which meant either they weren't a language or I couldn't understand it even with my skill. I moved through the ship and found several more corpses. They all wore the same armor. A thick studded leather with the insignia of a horned serpent going from the back and up to where the heart would be. Several of the skeleton had four arms instead of the usual two and two had tail bones.

I stepped forward into a stairwell only to find that the staircase leading down was blocked off with thick wooden chest. I pushed against the chest but there was no moving it. I considered burning or carving into it but the light and noise might draw too much attention. "Alright well the creepy ship is doing its creepy ship thing. That's fine absolutely fine." Instead I made my way up the stairs. I stepped into a hallway with several doors on each side. The wood creaked with each step and it felt like it could give out at any moment. I recast sphere of light and let it float in front of me. I reached the first door pushed it open and found a bedroom. It was large enough to house a single person but it lacked the bells and whistles that he expected the owner would have. The room was empty except for the bed and bits of fabric that I assumed used to be a sheet. I closed the door and moved onto the next one. When I reached the last room on the floor I found it adorned similarly to the others only it had a skeleton laying on the bed. A part of the ceiling had collapsed down and pierced it through the chest. I started to step back when I caught sight of a leather bound journal laying open on the floor.

I slowly stepped forward both hands raised just in case the skeleton moved and grabbed the book. I then stepped out into the hall, closed the door and leaned against the wall. When I was sure that I wasn't going to be attacked by a skeletal undead I turned my focus to the book. I opened the first page and scanned it. The words were closer to symbols than to letters like English. It took my ability a moment to kick in but when it did I could read everything as if it were English. I returned to the start of the page and began to read.

The day is 19th of Ixais, 500AD. I am aboard the Black Majesty as we make our voyage from the Archaeological sight. We have managed to find a genuine Arcane Matrix. This is something that could change the course of the civil war! We have sent word to the King and Queen but they are unable to send additional forces. The crew has been kept in the dark about our cargo but there is little that can be done about the rumors. Hopefully this discovery will convince the crown that my work is just as important as military research. The benefits of a single Arcane Matrix is monumental what if we could find more?

I flipped the page and continued reading.

It is the 22nd of Ixais, Events so strange that I struggle to call them coincidences have been occurring. First we were forced to fly through a sandstorm instead of around it when the navigator was afflicted with a sickness. Second two of the three healers came down with sicknesses that were resistant to healing magic. We won't be able to cure them until we can speak to a professed alchemist. It might even require the Master of Poisons. Those events alone are not enough to stroke my worry but the containment circle for the matrix was breached. It wasn't enough to break the circle and reveal what was in it but someone is poking around where they shouldn't. I have stationed an additional guard near the cargo hold but I worry. I can not be sure who I can trust. I am told that storm will add an extra three nights to our journey.

The next few pages read like a manifest or listing of the people and things on the ship. There had been a total of three people not counting the sick or injured. Three of the names had stars next to them and then a fourth was circled. "Tonita" I spoke the name out loud as if something would change but when nothing happened I turned the book the last page.

It is the 25th of Ixais, Now I know that someone has been messing with the ship. The soul gems powering the four arms have all been tampered with. None of the guards have seen anything but I do not believe them. They are supposed to amongst the finest in the kingdom and none of them have seen anything? No the truth is clear rebel scum have involved themselves in the dig. I will not allow for my greatest discovery to be tainted by rebelio—

The ink smeared before words could be completed. It wasn't hard to peace together that whatever happened was done while he was writing the letter. I closed the book and made my way down the hallway. The rest of the rooms held nothing of interest. When I reached the end of the hall I entered a stair way and made my way down. Thankfully this one wasn't blocked. I cast Sphere of Light again and readied both hands just in case. I reached the bottom and pushed the door open slowly. I had to duck in order to fit through the door. There were several more skeletons down here. They were all humanoid with two arms and no tails. Each of the bodies were the remnants of armor but one cast of my spell told me that nothing was usable.I separated the sphere into three smaller one and spread them throughout the room. It looked like a mess hall without refrigerators. I checked a sign on the wall and headed toward the cargo bay.

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The next hallway was the same as the others. I pulled two of my spheres of light and placed one in front and one behind me. The light wasn’t enough to make me feel better about the situation. I kept checking behind me, expecting one skeleton to stand up and attempt to eat my brain or something. I entered the next room. It was largely about the size of a mechanic’s garage. In the center was a strange device that looked a bit like a hot tub, with a dull sphere the size of a basketball sitting in the middle. The sphere was the color of light blue glass but had the texture of a marble. I made my way over and placed a hand on the device and read the notification.

You have found:Magic Accumulator Details: Your construction skill is too low to understand this item.

Durability: 0/500

Item Quality: Destroyed

Item Rarity: Rare

Weight: 1000lbs

“I am guessing you supply the power to the engines. They then turn the blades and this thing takes to the air.” This machine was strangely “modern” I assumed this world would be medieval but this closer to steam punk. I checked the sphere next, but no prompt came up. I wrapped both arms around it, squat down and tried to pick the thing up. Pain shot through my body and my blood vessels bulged. He released the sphere, stepped back and let out a breath. “That, that isn’t going anywhere.” When I caught my breath, I scanned the room, spotted the doorway out of here, and made my way over. I took another glance over the room before stepping into the next. This room was almost as large as the last one. There was a complex circle drawn in the middle of the room. The circle was filled with many smaller circles and other geometric shapes. It looked like a mixture of art and science, some lines were drawn with accuracy that seemed impossible. The real “jewel” of this room was the thing in the center of the circle. It sat about halfway up in a pillar of azure light. The object was a sphere about the size of a basketball. It was made up of multiple shades of blue energy. The sphere looked almost intangible and impossibly fragile. The sphere was covered in light blue symbols that look a bit like gossamer webbing.

It was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen. I barely resisted the urge to step across the circle and reach my hand into the pillar. Instead, I looked around the room. There was another skeleton laying against the right side wall. It was wearing thicker armor than the other skeletons. I made my way over to it and found it wearing a black band on its finger. The ring was simple but expertly crafted. It was solid black with a black gem stone nestled into the top. There were small geometric designs etched into the metal in crimson. The designs were a bit faded, but it still looked stunning. When I placed a hand on the ring, I got a prompt.

You have found:Dimensional Ring Details: This is dimensional item making it capable of storing many different items. Contents stored within the ring have no weight and time is drastically slowed down. Items are retrieved from the ring with an act of Will. This item can be bound.Bound items can not be stolen or lost. They can only be given away freely and without coercion.

Durability: 15/30

Item Quality: High

Item Rarity: Super Rare

Weight: .5oz

I had found a storage item! It doesn’t mention just how much the ring could store, but it was still a storage item! I gently removed the ring from the skeleton’s hand while saying a mental prayer that I wasn’t committing some taboo act. Later, I wore the ring by slipping it onto my finger.

Notice! You are wearing an unbound item. Would you like to bind this time to yourself?

Yes/No

I selected yes, and the ring tightened. It wasn’t hard enough to hurt, but enough so that it wouldn’t fall off easily. I tried to focus on the ring, but nothing happened. I held the ring upside down and tried to empty it out, but still nothing. Lastly, I tried to will the ring to dump everything inside of it out. When nothing came out, I assumed the ring was empty. Next, I gave my attention to the circle. Despite how complicated it was, it looked to be made out of a white chalk. I didn’t see any other way to get beyond it, so I stood up and rubbed my foot against the chalk. It felt like an electrical current passed through my body. It didn’t hurt exactly. It was more like a numbing sensation that spread from toes and up the rest of my leg. As soon as the circle broke, I pulled my foot back.. The feeling lingered in my leg for a few more minutes. When it passed, I tentatively stepped forward, mentally preparing myself, but nothing happened. I placed both feet over and waited a beat. When nothing happened, I let out a breath and made my way to the Azure pillar. The light was large enough for me to wrap my arms around it. I stepped back across the circle and grabbed a piece of the skeleton’s armor. I tentatively pushed the metal into the light. When nothing happened, I decided to reach for the sphere.

You have found:Arcane Matrix Details: Can be used to build or power any number of creations.

Durability: 5,000/5,000

Item Quality: Exquisite

Item Rarity: Arcane

Weight: 2lbs

“Whoa” My voice came out softer as the gravity of what I was reading fell on my shoulders. Arcane was usually near the top of video game rarities. If that was the case here, then he had somehow lucked into a truly special item. I would need to figure out what to create with it, but it was better to have it and then figure out what to do with than the other way around. I gently reached forward with both hands and pulled the sphere out of the light. Even knowing it weighed two pounds, it surprised me with how easy it was to pull it. “How does this thing have 5,000 durability? Between the two of us, you would survive a lot longer than I would.” I chuckled before concentrating on the sphere and trying to will it into the ring. It took several minutes to get it right. It was a bit like try to “Click and Drag” on a computer, only the computer was my mind and the ring was the destination. It was very strange. Once the sphere was inside, I gently stepped out of the circle. Thankfully, whatever magic had been powering the spell circle was gone now. “I guess now I leave?” I looked around expecting the sand to shift, the ship to fall a part or some giant monster to attack. When nothing happened, I made my way back through the ship. Now that I knew where I was going, the journey went by quickly.I stopped into the mess hall area and grabbed a few things to cook with. One was a small metal thing that reminded me of a pan and a wok together. Once I grabbed everything I could I headed outside.

I was standing outside less than fifteen minutes later. Thankfully, my salamander was waiting for me. Based on the blood and scales decorating the wet sand, he had managed to get something for himself. I pulled the spike out of the ground. “Looks like you had a fun time without me, huh?”The corresponding hand lick and head nod told me she was pleased to see me. I chuckled before mounting up. “Alright, let’s keep going. We still have a journey ahead of us.”