Semaj waved to them slowly as the duo walked deeper into the marketplace, back towards the shipwrights.
Red and Moody walked up to the airship vendor. A group of shipwrights now stood behind the exceptionally large stall. Behind the stall, on a sprawling area of sand sat a few large wooden airships. For the most part, these airships resembled normal ships with only one major difference. On these ships, there were no sails and there was no mast, replaced by a singular large metallic drum where the mast would be. Completely devoid of color, the drum was wrapped in numerous layers of floating runes, so complex that Red struggled to understand them.
The same vendor from Red's first visit walked up from the side and greeted them, "My friend! You've come to purchase the -"
Red put the bulging sack of coins on the counter of the stall, "Yes I'm back to purchase one of your airships. I know you were telling me I could get one for ten thousand before, but what can I get for…there should be at least one hundred thousand in this bag."
The vendor smiled widely and shook the sack, "There is well over one hundred thousand in this bag! We can give you whatever you please for this amount, are you more concerned with strength, speed or durability?"
Red shook his head, "I need the fastest ship you have, with a good amount of durability. Strength is a non-factor."
The vendor turned to the shipwrights and shouted out, "Open the door so I can show this customer the inventory!"
The two shipwrights closest to him began to chant and runes ran up and down their arms. They put their arms together, then slowly pulled them apart, revealing a thin doorway.
The vendor motioned to Red and Moody as he stepped in to an entirely blue ethereal space where numerous flashy airships floated.
Moody carefully stared at the ground before following Red and the vendor in.
Red put his hand onto his chin and examined the area as they walked past several ships, "This is nice…is it spacetime magic?"
The vendor turned back to him, impressed, "You know your magic! This is one of the many benefits of having true mages in your employ."
The trio finally reached the back, and the vendor walked over to a small metal airship and smacked it, "The most important thing is to not think of this as a ship, but more like an an extension of the pilot. You'll notice there is no mast, no sails, and no ship wheel. Everything is controlled by the drum in the middle of the deck."
The vendor backed up far away from the ship and pointed at the towering drum, causing it to glow slightly.
"Our family has been making these beautiful pieces of art for generations, so it has nearly been perfected. Anything you would normally have to take into account when piloting a ship for the most part is handled by our families time tested layers and combinations of runes. If you want a greater level of control, I invite you to modify them, although if it breaks or stops working we cannot offer a refund."
Moody stood frozen in awe staring at the ship while Red only approached it shaking his head.
Red questioned, "How are we supposed to know this will really fly just like that? I'm not exactly doubting, I mean these rune combinations are extremely impressive, but in practice combining this many runes is risky. If one singular rune fails, all of the layers and combinations fall apart, and that'll leave us hurtling into the ground."
The vendor frowned, "I understand your skepticism, but what would you have me do? If you'd like, I'd be happy to explain in detail what each and every rune does and what function each layer of runes corresponds to. Or would like for me to test it in front of you and fly around this area? Although I'm sure if I only demonstrate for a few minutes, it won't stop your anxiety about this falling apart in the long run."
Red shook his head, "We don't really have time for all of that. We'll just take the ship, and if something happens," Red brought his face close to the vendor's, causing the vendor to close his eyes and turn his head, "I'll be sure to bring your ship back in pieces and let you know."
The vendor regained his composure and motioned for the duo to follow him. They approached one of the smaller ships with a drum that was much skinner than the others. On its figurehead, the ship had a simple bust of a man wearing a strange crown and a large ornate pole on his left side.
Moody pointed to the figurehead and the vendor laughed, saying, "Oh, are you interested in that my young friend? I don't want to bore you with a history lesson, but here in La Des, we believe there are twenty two major forces that control the direction of the world, the Major Arcana. Some of the Major Arcana are deities, holy men and heroes and others are simply natural forces in the world."
"So which one does the figurehead refer to?" Red asked.
"Ah, that is the Hierophant, the holy man who connected the magical and non-magical worlds centuries ago," The vendor pointed to the pole, "Do you see the pole on his left side? I'm not sure why that is there, according to our teachings the wand should be on the right. But don't allow me to continue to bore you, let's get you aboard."
Red and Moody boarded the ship, while the vendor stayed on the ground. The vendor snapped his fingers, and they teleported out of the blue space and out into a field a short distance away from the marketplace. The vendor shouted out to them, "For someone on your level, it should be quite simple. Just pour your mana into it and think of what you want to happen. Fly upward, turn to the right, and accelerate. Welcome aboard the AS Hierophant!"