"Codex: Floating Fortress
The concept of the Floating Fortresses could be considered as the pinnacle of the Orbal Technology and Magical Engineering on the current Azeroth. However, one must admit that, even before the creation of Orbal Technology, this concept already existed and was successfully realized in the form of the Magic City of Dalaran.
Yet, only with the introduction of the Orbal Technology could this concept be made practical once again. Even though the Magic City of Dalaran was very well done, it didn't change anything in the situation, as it was too costly to manufacture and was highly impractical.
After the First Dark Portal War, the concept was proposed by Pathaleon the Calculator, one of the High Evlen Arcanists / Magisters / Engineers, who actually migrated to the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom so he could have a free hand at researching what he wanted.
He came up with the idea of constructing another Dalaran, but much smaller, armed with all kinds of Orbal Weapons, Magic Arrays, and Magics that could be used as siege weapons against the Orcs, as the number of the Greenskins was too overwhelming and heavy firepower was desperately needed.
Thus, Sacred Phoenix Kingdom, Dalaran, and Quel'Thalas worked tirelessly in creating the new weapons of war that would be unleashed against the nemesis that threatened Azeroth, and with the concept of Manaforges that the Fire Nation delved into, the first Floating Fortress was created in Year 6 ADP during the Battle of Hillsbrand Foothills.
After that, the Floating Fortresses became something that every nation wanted to obtain, but only a very few had the resources to build one. Among the current existing nations in Azeroth, only the singular nations that possess the strength to build and maintain the Floating Fortress are the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom and Quel'Thalas. However, the Grand Alliance of Azeroth also maintains several Floating Fortresses."
- Marvel of Orbal: Floating Fortress by Pathaleon the Calculator
***
Sacred Phoenix Kingdom, Homeland Central Province, Fire Islands, Royal Capital Wei-Jin
The training grounds of the Sardaukar were located on the island of Salusa Secundus, where the Sardaukar were undergoing their training. Salusa Secundus was a Special Administrative Region under the direct control of the Royal Family.
Even entering this place without the explicit permission of the Royal Family meant death.
Security around the Salusa Secundus was extremely tight as it was under the constant watch of the Sardaukar, and there were tons of protection around the island. This place was the training ground for the King's Swords, who served only the King on the Ruby Throne.
Aenarion stood on the deck of the Airship that would carry them to Salusa Secundus.
His daughter was already bouncing with excitement because she wanted to learn the Sardaukar Swordstyle. Among the various styles of swordsmanship, the Sardau Sword Styles was considered the deadliest one.
It was created for one sole purpose.
To kill.
Most effectively, fastest, and in great numbers.
The entire sword style centered around speed and targeting the opponent's vital spots in quick succession. There were no unnecessary movements in the Swordstyle, and the katas were aimed at killing the opponent as fast as possible.
The Sardaukar Swordstyle was created just to kill opponents as soon as possible and in the greatest numbers possible. It incorporated not only the native swordsmanship styles of the Fire Nation and Earth, but also the styles of Azeroth collected over the years.
The Sacred Phoenix Kingdom even paid an exorbitant price ot the High Elven Kingdom Quel'Thalas to lend them books on the Spellbreakers and their creation. The Spellbreakers were one of the elite troops of the High Elven nation, and they were experts at dealing with Mages and Spellcasters.
Everything that was combined together to create the Sardaukar.
"Now, when we arrive at the training compound, you cannot disrupt the training or anything, are we clear?"
Aenarion asked as he took a look at his daughter, who just nodded as Erza was just happy to be brought here. It was the second time that her father or anyone, for that matter, had taken her to the training ground of the Sardaukar.
Mostly because everyone disagreed with her observing the training of the Sardaukar. The training of the Sardaukar was rather a dangerous place for her, like really dangerous, and it also tended to be pretty bloody and gory.
Not really the most suitable place for a child.
Even when considering the traditions of the family.
***
Salusa Secundus was a really hostile island, and there were only a few facilities on the entire island, as the remaining landmass served as the living place for the beasts that called this place home and for the flora that grew here.
Commander of the Sardaukar was a man named Sanyo.
He was waiting for the Phoenix King together with the escort of the Sardukar officers in their full armor at the landing zone for the Airships. Everyone was on full alert, because the Phoenix King was coming without any warning.
Loyalty toward the Aenarion Septim was absolute for the members of the Sardaukar.
They were taught and conditioned to have absolute and unwavering loyalty toward the Aenarion Septim and the Septim Dynasty. For the Sardaukar, there was nothing more important than their loyalty to the Septim Dynasty.
Soon enough, the Airship of the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom landed on the landing platform, and several members of the Order of the Phoenix Crownsguard exited the Airship and secured it on the landing ground.
"Salute to the Phoenix King!"
Bashar Sanyo shouted as every Sardukar at the landing zone drew out their sword and saluted the Phoenix King.
"Hail to the King!"
When Aenarion exited the Airship, Erza was already bouncing with happiness as she was finally taken to the training grounds of the Sardaukar. Their sword style was rather fascinating to the little princess of the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom.
"Your Royal Majesty."
Everyone among the Sardaukar knelt on the ground as they stabbed their swords into the ground and greeted their King.
"You can stand up."
At Aenarion's command, everyone stood up as they awaited the next command of the Phoenix King.
"We await your command, Your Royal Majesty."
Bashar Sanyo said, looking at the King of the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom.
"Bring us to the training ground of troops."
Aenarion said as the Sardaukar troopers were leading them to the training yard of the Sardaukar.
The training yard of the Sardaukar was a rather large zone where several hundred armored Sardaukar were training side by side as they were sparring using only swordsmanship and nothing more.
This wasn't the first time that Aenarion was observing the training of the Sardaukar, but he never really learned the Sardau Swordsmanship. However, he managed to learn some basics and incorporate them into his spearmanship, especially by reducing the number of moves and increasing efficiency.
So he wasn't particularly interested in the Sardau Swordsmanship like Erza was, who was practically glued to the training yard. It was clear that she was over the moon because of this, and Aenarion was satisfied with the result.
His daughter's happiness was a priority for him.
Even though he was aware that he was busy most of the time and couldn't spend as much time with his daughter as he wished, he always made time for her when needed. Erza, meanwhile, was just happily smiling that her dad took her to the training grounds of the Sarduakar as she observed their training routine.
"They are shooo fast..."
Her eyes sparkled as she watched two officers clashing in a demonstration of the pinnacle of the Sardaukar Swordsmanship.
"Both of them are Levenbrechs, Princess. Their sword and Chi have been honed to the maximum, and they were taught how to incorporate their Elements into their swords to boost their main attributes."
Supreme Bashar Sanyo stated neutrally as the two men who were fighting were holding Rank Levenbrech. It was a relatively high rank within the Sardukar, as there were not many ranks above that one, and Levenbrechs were already considered as Officers.
"Wauu..."
Aenarion patted his daughter's hand, who was glued to the spar between the two officers.
Both of them were Firebenders and Chi Masters, as they were using Lightning Bending, which was a sub-bending of Firebending. The Lightning Bending was very powerful and could be used to achieve overhelming speed or really frightening offense.
Aenarion himself was one of the best, if not the best and most powerful, Firebender in the entire world, and his Lightning Bending could be matched only by Azula. Lightning Bending was extremely powerful, and over time, it became Azula's specialization as she focused more time and effort on perfecting her Lightning Bending capabilities.
And like he had evolved to the Lion-Turtle Bloodline and Phoenix Blood toward the Nine-Headed Phoenix God Bloodline, Azula was replicating the same thing, but leaning more toward the Lightning Element.
If she succeeds, then perhaps in a few years and some development, the Lightning Bending would be a separate discipline of Bending and not a sub-category of Firebending.
But that was for the future, right now.
"Daddy, I want to be thaaaat strong!"
Seeing that his daughter was so happy filled Aenarion with unspoken delight as he was sure that she would be very powerful in the future. As offspring of two Legendary Level beings, a half-dragon bearing his Nine-Headed Phoenix God Bloodline.
In many regards, Erza was unique.
She was a perfect blend of Chi and Magic.
Which was almost impossible, because most people couldn't achieve the balance between the Chi and Mana. Being able to use both Systems of Power was something that was exceptionally rare, as one would need to achieve perfect balance between Chi and Mana.
If one had more of the other, then it would overpower the other, and the person could use only one Energy Source. Aenarion himself was a rather special case because he was able to sense and use Mana, but he wasn't able to consciously use Magic.
This was because of the nature of his Chi, which was so overwhelming in its nature with the Divine Attributes due to the Nine-Headed Phoenix God Bloodline; he couldn't cast Magic actively, as his Chi would come into conflict with the Magic.
Still, over the years, he had figured out how to use Mana to his benefit, either to increase the Chi Reserves through the conversion to the Chi or to use Mana to rapidly recover his Chi Reserves during the fight.
Irene was able to use both Systems of Power due to her being well... Dragon. She had an enormous amount of Life Force within her body, so it was very easy for her to grasp the usage of the Chi.
Aside from learning the balance, there was also another way to learn the usage of both Chi and Magic.
Being born with it.
Like Erza was born in that state.
Aenarion and Irene were both confident that she would reach the Legendary Level in the future with all the advantages that she had... With the unique Magics inherited from Irene and the perks and Chi affinities inherited from him, she would easily rank among the most powerful experts.
Not to mention how versatile she would be in the combat...
Even right now, she had started learning Innate Magic from her mother. Obviously, the first Magic that Erza was learning was Requip. It is a Caster Magic and a type of Spatial Magic related to the summoning of various types of equipment.
This Magic allows the users to store items in a pocket dimension so they can easily summon them at any time, even during battle, which gives them a high level of flexibility in combat.
His daughter learned the basics of the Requip: Knight, which allowed her to store weapons and armors in pocket dimensions and summon them during battle.
This gave her a high level of offense, defense, flexibility, and variety in combat, regarding the type of armor and/or weapon they Requip. This type of Requip also gives the user the ability to use and gain resistance to natural elements through the use of certain armors.
From General Magic, her mother was teaching her basically everything, because Irene didn't accept or expect anything less than excellence from her daughter. Thus, she would need to have fundamental knowledge of every single type of Magic, starting with the Divine Magic and ending with the Spirit Arts.
Obviously, as her mother, Irene knew that Erza wasn't that talented in Magic, yet she would become the second Queen of Magic, but she still needed at least theoretical knowledge of their Lore, basic usage, and countermeasures against various types of Magics.
From the General Magic, their daughter had the strongest affinity for the Arcane Magic, Fire Magic, and Holy Magic. She was also tested for the strong affinity for the Enchant Innate Magic and General Enchanting...
If mastered properly, his little pumpkin would be overpowered.
And that was good.
"Dad! Dad! I wanna try it!"
She waved her small hands at the training grounds as she wanted to try a few katas of the Sardaukar Sword Style. Aenarion, meanwhile, looked very conflicted, because he didn't want Erza to do it, as she could possibly injure herself in this kind of enviroment.
He still sometimes needed to remember that she was just eight years old, despite everything.
On the other hand, he couldn't really bring himself to say no to her, because he was pretty soft on her. Something that everyone agreed on, so the role of the stricter parent always fell to Irene or to one of Erza's aunts.
"Please!"
Seeing her making those kinds of sad eyes on him, he sighed in defeat before he agreed to her request.
"You can! But only basic katas and only with a training sword."
Her father agreed, making her jump for joy as she gave him a kiss on the cheek, and they went with Supreme Bashar Sanyo to pick up some training gear. Fortunately, because the youngest recruits of the Sardaukar started their training at an age that was close to Erza's, they had some really basic training gear.
Then Supreme Bashar Sanyo took it on himself to teach the Princess of the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom the basic katas of the Sardauakar Sword Style. Well, overall, there wasn't a better teacher of the Sarduaukar Sword Style than the man who created most of it himself.
Much of the katas of the Sarduakar Sword Style were created by the Supreme Bashar Sanyo personally, as the man was a prodigy in the sword arts, and he was also the only Champion Level Swordsman in the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom.
And one of the few across the Eastern Kingdoms, as not many had polished their sword to his level. Obviously, he was still some good distance from the people like Anduin Lothar, but Supreme Bashar Sanyo was far more dangerous on the battlefield.
The purpose of the Sardau Sword was to kill as fast as possible.
Well, it is even thanks to Lothar's contribution that the Sardau Sword was created, as the swordsmanship style was a literal amalgamation of the various styles collected through Earth from Fire Nation, Earth Kingdom, Water Tribes, and across Azeroth, incorporating Spellsword Styles of Quel'Thalas or Military Storm Swordmanship of Stormwind.
Yet, in its beauty, Sanyo managed to merge it wonderfully to create something unique and very powerful.
***
Artaeum, Fire Island Archipelago, Sacred Phoenix Kingdom, Around the Same Time
The island of Artaeum was something that was created by Irene Belserion herself through the usage of the Innate Magic Universe One the World Reconstruction Magic. It was a Caster Magic and a high-level Enchant that allowed one to completely reorganize geography.
The creation of the Artaeum was a collective effort of the strongest powers of the entire Kingdom, who all supplied Irene with the necessary energy from either Magic or Chi, so she could create this place.
Under the collective might of several Legendary Level experts and a bunch of Champions, along with the Orbal Technology that was also providing enormous amounts of Magic for Irene, they created the Ataeum.
The Isle of Artaeum has idyllic orchards and clear pastures, still and silent lagoons, misty woodlands, and the unique architecture that seems to be as natural as its surroundings. The nature of the isle was beautiful and tranquil, giving the Mages of the Psijic Order the peace that they needed to do their work.
Uncover the mysteries of the Arcane.
The entire island was protected by an extremely powerful Ward that was even stronger than the ones around the Valflame Palace in the Royal Capital Wei-Jin. The security in this Isle of Aetaeum was insane, and it was also the place where some of the strongest powerhouses of the entire Sacred Phoenix Kingdom gathered.
In the middle of the Isle was the White-Gold Brass Tower.
The White-Gold Brass Tower was the center of the Isle and the center of the Psijic Order. Around the tower itself, were several separated districts that served for various purposes, but generally they were:
Arboteum District, which consisted of the botanical gardens for various plants that were needed for the Alchemy and Potioneering. This district also served as the place where various beasts and magical creatures were being bred and kept.
Arena District, which consisted of a gladiatorial arena and served as the training grounds for the Mages of the Psijic Order and Battle-Mages, as all Mages of the Psijic Order also needed to be skilled in combat.
Housing District, which served as a place where the Mages and students of the Psijic Order actually lived together with their families. Obviously, not everything lived in the Housing District, as some of the most prominent Mages lived directly in the White-Gold Brass Tower.
Market District was a place where most of the magical materials in the entire Kingdom and this part of Azeroth were sold.
Temple District served as the primary place for the Imperial Cult and Temples for the Gods of the Aeldari Pantheon that were worshipped across the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom.
Warden District was the home for the Battle-Mages, who were responsible for the security of the entire Isle. The Temple District also housed Sacred Phoenix Kingdom's supermax prison, where some of the most dangerous criminals and enemies were being locked up.
Beneath the city is an extensive underground system whose sewers connect to various substructures, which in turn break into the many natural caverns of the island. Everything on the isle was guarded by the Wardens and observed by the Grand Patriarch's Magic.
Another security measure on the Isle of Arteum was the Magic Knight Mechanical Automaton Arcane Golems, or in short, Magic Knight Golems. They were created from the designs of the Arcane Golems used by Quel'Thalas, but with Orbal Technology, and they were far more oriented toward warfare than their High Elven counterparts.
As everything produced by the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom, even their Magic Knight Golems were created to be fearsome engines of war. Right now, they were in the testing phase, but it wouldn't be long before mass production could start en masse.
"And this is the latest model that we created. We call it Isra-Zeriel."
Currently, the Grand Patriarch of the Psijic Order was on routine check-ups on the projects that the Psijic Order was currently developing. The one related to the Magic Knight Mechanical Automaton Arcane Golems was being developed in cooperation with the Department of Mechanicus and Magic Engineering.
The man who spoke to the Grand Patriarch Irene Belserion Septim was Pathaleon the Calculator. He was one of the High Elves Magisters who arrived on the Fire Islands many years ago, but contrary to the others, he chose to stay in the Fire Nation and became a citizen of the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom.
Mainly because the King was elated at his ideas and was willing to finance everything that he was doing.
"Specifications?"
Irene asked as she looked at the Magic Knight Golem, which looked pretty similar to the most basic Ortheim Model. It was tall, around five meters, looked like a piece of walking heavy armor, and had four arms.
"Made from the advanced Magi Steel Alloy in a mixture with Mithril and Orichalcum. Every unit has a Double Orbal Generator, one Secondary Orbal Generator, and is armed with several sets of Lighting Orbment. The overall estimated combat prowess of these units should be around the higher ends of the Elite Level."
Pathaleon the Calculator explained with zealous conviction and delight, because since he arrived in the Fire Nation, he had actually been given free rein. Back home in the Quel'Thalas, most of the traditional Magisters and Mages laughed at his efforts to combine Magic and Technology.
Here, he was one of the most revered people in the entire Sacred Phoenix Kingdom for his contributions to the collective development of Orbal Technology.
"Hmm... is mass production possible for his Model?"
Even though Irene wasn't the most adept at the Orbal Technology, she understood its value to the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom and how they were using the Orbal Technology to shorten the gap between them and the Quel'Thalas and Dalaran.
"Yes. We just need some resources, but it should be doable. Though if we want to produce Golems on the Hero Level, those cannot be mass-produced due to limitations on the materials needed for their construction."
Mass production was of paramount importance to the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom, as they currently had many hundreds of Ortheim, Direwolf, and Heavy Ruby Golems across the Kingdom.
The Isra Series of the Magic Knight Mechanical Automaton Arcane Golems was supposed to be the next threshold of the Arcane Golems that would push them to higher levels. Though, on the other hand, one had to admit that while most of the Ortheim, Direwolf, and Heavy Ruby Golems were technically at the Mortal Level Output of Magic, they were still pretty tough opponents.
Usually, it would require a large, well-trained, and coordinated squad of soldiers to destroy one of them, or two or three Elite Level soldiers. Magic Knight Mechanical Automaton Arcane Golems don't require sleep or need to rest; they could fight indefinitely and, due to the Orbal Cores and Generators in them, they had acess to a lot of Magic.
"That's good enough... when the first models of the Isra Series could be put into service? Aenarion is eager to put them to the Back Morass in the Azeroth Continent against the trolls and local wildlife as a test as soon as possible."
Irene knew that her husband was very optimistic about the Orbal Technology. Right now, the current Sacred Phoenix Kingdom has two Legendary Level experts, her and Aenarion, with several Champions.
Most notable Champions of the Fire Nation were obviously Azula and Esdeath, who reached that Level some years ago. Then, other people who reached the Level were Grandmaster Anton Griffin, Lord Commander Solar Bai Qi, or Supreme Commander of Onmitsukidō Shihōin Yoruichi, with whom her husband has been spending a lot of nights.
While it sounded like an impressive setup compared to Quel'Thalas, it was nothing compared to Dalaran; it was still behind, and they were matching only Lordaeron and Stormwind under certain circumstances.
Of course, Stormwind had Guardian Medivh, who was a living Demigod...
Well, for a nation that, seventeen years ago, barely had one Pseudo Champion, it was tremendous growth that would astonish many. The general population of Azeroth wasn't aware of the true strength of the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom. The only ones who are aware are members of the Tirisfal Council.
As she was about to proceed to ask the next question, she suddenly frowned when she received a 'notification' from the ODIN System.
ODIN was an acronym for Omniscient Dimensional Interface Nexus.
ODIN was created by Irene and Aenarion together, as the idea was based on her Eye Magic, but taken to the extreme, merged with the Orbal Technology, Artifacts and Aenarion's various ideas.
The existence of the ODIN System was something that was known only to the highest echelons of the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom.
It allowed the observation of the entire Eastern Kingdoms in real time, including those of the hidden and adjacent Dimensions to Azeroth, depending on the Mode that was activated.
In the basic Mode, ODIN was observing only the territory of the Eastern Kingdom in the General Basis. This was mainly because some powerful Mages and beings could detect the observation of the ODIN System.
"Prepare a plan for the mass production of the Isra Series that could be submitted to the Elder Council at the end of this month."
Irene said to High Elf Pathaleon as she left the undiscovered location on the Artaeum's White-Gold Brass Tower. She then tapped her staff as she opened the portal to a certain destination in a hurry, with a pretty angry expression on her face.
***
Salusa Secundus, Fire Islands Archipelago
Aenarion looked panicked as his daughter was crying on the training grounds that were emptied promptly. He knew that this was a rather bad idea to let her train this early, but when she started making puppy eyes and threatened to cry, he couldn't just say no to her.
Which led to the current incident.
She wrongly guessed the balance of the training sword and managed to smack herself with the training wooden sword. Even though she was alright, it hurt, and what hurt more physically was the embarrassment.
If there was something that Erza inherited from her mother, then it was an excessive amount of pride in excellence and herself. Now, she believed that she had embarrassed herself in front of several tens of master swordsmen, and she felt that her world was crumbling.
For little Erza, who wanted to reach the pinnacle of the sword arts, this was an extremely humiliating moment, as she cried harder when she thought over it. Aenarion tried to calm her down as he hugged his daughter and cooed to her gently.
"It's nothing, Erza... you just wrongly predicted the angle. There is nothing embarrassing about that. It happens all the time, and you are even without injuries..."
Aenarion said to his daughter as he looked at Supreme Bashar Sanyo to say something.
"It's exactly as His Majesty says. The injury rate among the new recruits is very high, Your Highness, and accidents like this one happen from time to time."
It took a few minutes, but soon enough, Erza stopped crying, which was a good thing, but Aenarion noticed that Supreme Bashar suddenly straightened up and saluted as he felt that at the same time, someone had teleported here.
"Fuck."
He muttered as his words were not unnoticed by Erza, who decided that this was the best time to mimic him.
"Fuuuuck!"
As he turned around, he saw Irene... holding her staff and looking at him with an absolutely engaging expression. Now it was the time that he regretted proposing to create the ODIN System, because it was due to that Irene knew where they were and what they were doing.
In the end, she was the main administrator of the entire System and Architect. Irene was thus constantly connected to the ODIN and monitoring everything that was happening across the observed regions that were within the ODIN's range.
"You can excuse yourself, Supreme Bashar."
Irene stated as the leader of the Sardaukar did as she commanded and disappeared from the training grounds. For the first few moments, she didn't say anything as she just glared and appeared to be calm.
This wasn't a good sign.
Aenarion knew that if Irene appeared outwardly calm, then she was pretty engaged inside, because she was calming down with the use of Magic.
"Erza, what did we say about using that foul language? It's not befitting you as the Princess of this nation or as a person in general.... but that now aside, come here, my little dragon."
Hearing her mother soften caused her to bolt out from her father, as she ran to Irene, who immediately caught her and cast several spells on her to check if she was alright. Irene needed to know that her precious daughter was alright, and, seeing that there were no injuries, her anger began to quell a bit.
Yet, when she looked at her husband, she was still very pissed off at him because she could clearly imagine what had happened here. She knew that Erza must have once again slipped away from her tutors and went to find Aenarion and coaxed him into bringing her to the training grounds of the Sardaukar.
"Why did you bring her here? You know that it's completely impossible for Erza to be constantly skipping classes, and as a reward, you bring her here just so she could injure herself on whim?"
Erza, who was the topic of the discussion, just hung her head down and let her mother hug her, as their parents spoke. Or rather, her mother spoke and father just listened... She always found her mommy scarier than her father when she was angry.
If anyone in the entire Azeroth heard that, they would faint on the spot or die from a heart attack, hearing something so absurd.
Irene was actually pretty angry at Aenarion, not because he allowed Erza to skip her tutoring classes, but mainly because he brought Erza to Salusa Secundus and even let her train in the Sardau Sword Style.
She knew that her husband couldn't say no to their daughter.
But sometimes it was too extreme.
It was then the time to be the stricter parent.
"We will talk about this later. Come, we are returning to the palace and returning Erza to where she should be... her class."
Irene said with no room for further discussion, as Aenarion nodded and went along with his wife as they teleported to the Valflame Place. Erza was a bit disappointed with the outcome of her trip, as they left Salusa Secundus.