★202
"Razor Veil known as the visibility layer. It contains mana frost crystals and mana fog that result in optical and arcane failure. Wú Jí kun, take my cloak. You need it."
"What do you mean?"
I turned and she pointed at my palm. I looked down only to find my palm completely darkened.
'Deep frostbite. That explains the numbness. Something so strong to shut my senses? This is serious even for Dragons in their Draconic forms. This was meant for them after all.'
"I'm good. Let's move quickly."
I replied.
Due to the mana fog and crystal, the visibility was really poor and we ended up flying slowly. Gravity hasn't been disrupted but it's only a matter of time before something that tests our flight ability pops up.
Prolonged exposure scars my eyes but doesn't kill them immediately. It's giving me a chance to make it. Varnok is almost mechanical, testing us in various ways while keeping us alive.
It got to a point where my eyes weren't working and I had to rely on my senses and Entares's guide even though I didn't need it. I need to reserve my senses for the future so I resort to external help.
"Scarf."
My scarf blindfolded me, warming my eyes while giving me a view of the outside world.
"Are you alright back there?"
"Yes."
They replied. That's good, I just need to... with my eyes staring kilometres away, I noticed the change of visibility, signalling the end of the Razor Veil.
"Hang on, we're almost there."
I put more into gravity manipulation and flew us out immediately. My body healed unconsciously even though I needed a mortal body to beat Varnok. It seems that'll still be the case with a mortal vessel. We flew out of the Razor Veil and the next layer was already waiting for us.
The first thing I noticed was the spike in pressure. Pressure is so strong, flying is impossible.
"Maelstrom Coil. Localised whirlpools of pressure and velocity in here are so strong it toss dragons with ease. Survival is likely, but there's a high chance we'll be separated."
"You heard that cloak? You have to keep them real close to me."
I didn't need a response but I already got one.
Sudden pressure drops are to be expected in this environment. Air rushing from high- to low-pressure zones produces violent updrafts and downdrafts. Dragon wings rely on relatively smooth pressure differences to create lift; sharp drops can collapse part of a wing's airflow, stealing lift on one side and causing an abrupt roll.
Extreme wind shear of adjacent whirlpools spinning in different directions. Crossing from one to another means the relative wind may shift by tens of degrees in a heartbeat. This can twist wing joints, and can flip even a massive dragon upside-down. I'm thinking of crossing the Maelstrom Coil in one move so yeah, it's suicide.
Repeated gust-loads make the wing bones and flight muscles vibrate. Over time, this causes micro-fractures or sudden structural failure, think of metal fatigue in aircraft, but for living tissue.
If (air velocity over the wing) and local pressure change wildly every second, spikes and crashes, making stable flight impossible. Even a powerful Dragon may exhaust itself long before leaving the Maelstrom.
'These are the cons that a Dragon faces in the presence of this Maelstrom. I'm doing this on an average and younger human-sized being. What could go wrong?'
My smile was quickly replaced by the sight in front of us. Up ahead was an aisle being tossed around like a piece of paper moved by the wind.
"Looks like there's no stepping ground for us."
We can follow the isle and hide, but that'll just waste time.
"Yeah… how are we supposed to get past this mess?" Vera asked.
'If flight is disrupted… how about ballistic flight?'
"Slingshot."
I answered loudly with a smile. Vera's face went pale.
"What… you can't be..."
Before she could finish, the cloak launched her into the storm.
I glanced upward, calculating the next opening. Luckily, there it was. My smirk widened as I turned to face Tik.
"Wú Jí-kun, wait! There has to be another..."
Pow. Tik followed, the cloak sending her in the same direction as Vera.
"This is the only way."
'Here's why I think slingshot can make it.'
(Skip.)
Naturally, a giant mechanical or magical slingshot provides:
Initial velocity, a sudden burst of speed that can exceed what a dragon or airship can generate on its own,
Short exposure, you spend less time inside the worst turbulence if you can cross the danger zone fast enough,
Pre-set trajectory, you launch on a calculated path instead of trying to steer through chaos.
These are exactly the advantages spacecraft use when they "gravity-slingshot" around planets: maximum speed, minimum fuel, minimum exposure. So why not?
But this is just the first step and the Maelstrom won't just sit and wait for us to pass.
Each vortex deflects a projectile differently. The path I aimed for can bend, stall, or be flung. Entering a low-pressure core at extreme speed can tear membranes, rupture lungs, or implode a lightly built craft but the cloak will take care of that. But still, I need perfect timing. The faster the launch, the worse the aerodynamic heating and shock loads as those chaotic currents strike.
Precise timing to shoot through a momentary gap when the vortices align.
"This is why I think slingshot could but only under very specific conditions, and the risks would be extreme. But, what's life without risk?"
I readied myself for takeoff. I stood on my marks, piling energy for lift off.
"I just have to..."
I took off without control, flying too early before the next gap. This unconscious movement. There's only one person who can dare do this to me.
'You Evil Child.'
I cursed, ignoring the darkness made wings sending me into the Maelstrom.
'If worse comes to worst, I'll simply release void clearing the path.'
'That won't be necessary. Sit tight and watch.>>
He said. I'm the Curious Dwarf, so why not? I simply watch the wings pilot me around, adapting to each vortex and pressure, escaping the Maelstrom with ease.
Vera and Tik lay face down on the isle.
"It wasn't that bad, was it?"
I asked, landing beside them, my dark wings already vanished.
"Don't ever try something like that without telling us about it."
"You won't take part so I skipped and went to experiment."
"Luckily, we made it out."
"Yeah. Luckily. I wasn't 100% sure it'll work but it did."
"We could've died for nothing."
"Or survive for something. Tik what's next?"
"Mana Conduit, also known as the killer layer. A dense, chemically/energetically concentrated mixture of raw Mana, volatile ions and corrosive particulates."
"So that's where it's all coming from."
I looked up at the multicoloured churning storm of Mana.
"Dragons die up there?"
"Yeah. Some bodies were retrieved. They were broken down and sucked clean of all energy."
"I guess this place is where Dragons are given the choice to make."
"Yeah."
"Anything else we need to know about the killer layer?"
To be continued...