Page 16 of Roverpowered 6

Using his excellent sense of smell, Wumble was able to easily track down the room filled with bears running as fast as they could sustain. Thankfully, the last wizard through hadn’t sealed the door shut, so Wumble managed to nose his way in. There he saw six bears running so hard that nine of the treadmills were turning. The largest of the lot was moving his own treadmill, the one next to him, and a third at a reduced speed. An efficient system that ensured not one bit of power being generated was wasted.

But given there were fourteen unoccupied treadmills, only three of which were moving at all, there was clearly ample room for improvement.

Stepping slowly onto the nearest treadmill, Wumble began to trot, then jog, getting a feel for the strange belt that shifted under the pressure of his paws. As he grew more comfortable, his pace accelerated, until the next treadmill over also started to spin. Then another joined in, and another.

And… that was it. Four treadmills, going full speed. Incredible for any familiar who was only in their imbuement phase, and even more amazing given the size of Wumble’s legs. Yet it still felt like failure. Was this the limit of what he could do? Another barrier Wumble wouldn’t be able to break past? How was he going to protect Wanda if he wasn’t even powerful enough to make all of the treadmills run?

No… this wasn’t a new problem. It was the same issue he’d faced while floating in the trap that Kurlain laid: there was a limit to what a body could accomplish on its own. Even that stone Wanda had been talking about punching noted one of the colors as a “mortal limit” or some such strangeness. That was why wizards and familiars grew their magic, not just their bodies.

Using his imbuement was the obvious solution, except the ground seemed to sort of… slip by when Wumble was using Scoot. If the treadmill wasn’t registering every step, he’d likely end up generating less energy while using his imbuement, not more.

There was a solution though, one he’d seen used by his own wizard. If she could do it, he should be able to as well. They were bonded, after all. Their power was shared, allowing the duo to learn from another as they grew.

Golden light crackled along Wumble’s body as he directed the river of mana coursing through him into his bones, muscles, blood, and everything else that constituted a physical body. It wasn’t nearly as steady as what Wanda managed when facing down the older alchemist, but Wumble didn’t need perfect control.

What he needed was power.

In seconds, a fifth treadmill was whirring, then a sixth and seventh in virtual unison as Wumble adjusted to his new pace. On they went, until every treadmill in the room was running at full speed. Wumble felt no weariness setting in, he could maintain the pace for as long as the ship needed.

Now it was on Wanda to provide the mana. Once The Ursender was properly fueled, Wumble expected their chances of survival to rise considerably.

Wanda didn’t return to the Main Deck as much as she was carried there by the current of passengers making the pilgrimage. Stepping back out into the open, her eyes naturally drifted past the stern, where the flock of occorites had grown considerably larger. They were gaining fast, perhaps moving more swiftly now that they sensed easy prey.

“Wizards, please make your way to one of the masts. Each has a mana gathering enchantment that draws stray energy from the air. In emergencies, they will allow for mana to be channeled directly into our bearship’s reserves. Everybody else, please clear the way for our wizards. Right now, our best hope is collecting enough mana to use The Ursender’s defenses.”

Initially, Wanda thought she’d stepped onto the Main Deck at a perfect time, just as Captain Sharshaw was doling out orders. As it turned out, the good captain was making the same speech on repeat as the masses flowed onto the deck, ensuring everyone aboard knew where to go.

She and Lenar were both freed from the current of people, though they continued with a large group of wizards heading toward a mast neat the bow. She spotted Yorian and Parriel already with their hands pressed to another of the masts, this one near the ship’s center. Despite each mast being tremendous, there was still only so much room to fit people around it.

By the time Wanda arrived at the third mast, room was already becoming scarce, though Lenar let out a very tiger-like growl that bought them a small amount of breathing room. Wanda’s hand kept reaching for Wumble, forgetting he was safe down with the other familiars. As badly as she wanted him at her side, knowing Wumble was as protected as possible gave her a sense of peace.

Together, she and Lenar pushed their hands against the mast at the same time. It was a strange sensation, Wanda could feel a sort of flow moving through the wooden pillar, energy running downward to an unseen gathering point. For a split-second, Wanda wondered if it was safe to share her mana. It had always been odd, after all, and occasionally had unpredictable effects like making her spells too bright.

One look at the occorite flock silenced those worries. Right now, The Ursender needed every drop of mana it could get, odd or otherwise.

Channeling her mana had become much easier with practice, so Wanda had no trouble opening the metaphorical floodgates. She, along with every other wizard present, poured their power into the bearship fleeing a flock of occorites, hoping against hope it would somehow be enough.

TWENTY-TWO

Captain Sharshaw had taken refuge in the Main Deck’s control room, where most of the bearship’s instrumentation was laid out. The wheel outside was functional, but more performative than necessary. People on a bearship expected to see the captain directing their passage, it was part of the package they paid for.

But the complex circuity of their system panels required protection from the elements, hence the control room. When she’d first been starting out as a deckhand, a young Madigrange Sharshaw made the mistake of asking why everything wasn’t powered by mana alone. In return for that seemingly innocent question, she’d been subjected to a multi-hour lecture on the importance of keeping control over a bearship, even one with failing engines.

A lecture that essentially boiled down to the simple fact that a bearship which ran out of mana would slowly float to the ground, whereas one that couldn’t be controlled was a flying projectile that could crash down anywhere. They could lose the weapons, the shields, even the engines, but if their controls ever went out, The Ursender was truly doomed.

Within the small space, only Captain Sharshaw and Arhart, the pilot serving as this journey’s navigator, were able to fit inside. Both were tense as they watched the wizards gathering around the masts, the mana with the ship’s batteries ticking up in barely discernable increments. At the same time, the occorites were closing in sooner than they’d hoped.

Based on the rate they were gathering mana, the bearship would have enough for a single boost or blast. Captain Sharshaw dismissed any hope of using the shields entirely. At most, they’d delay the inevitable. What she needed was something with a chance of actually getting them⁠—

“Umm, Captain?” Arhart was motioning to the readouts, though Captain Sharshaw kept her focus on the approaching occorites.

There had to be a weakness in their formation, a crack to exploit that they could fly through to⁠—

“Captain Sharshaw, you really need to see this.”

A jolt of fear shot through the captain as she wondered if the mana gathering rate had dropped off. Turning her eyes down to Arhart’s hand, she checked the gauge he was gesturing to and… stood there, staring in mute shock at the impossible readout before her.

The Ursender’s primary mana battery was full.