Machina Arcanis: Two Worlds Collided-Chapter 78: Disruptorisation

After a brief discussion with Aurelia and Friederich, Hein finally reached a conclusion.

"Guess we'll cut it open and see what's inside," He said, wiping his face with a handkerchief before motioning for his crew to dismantle the disruptor.

For a solid fifteen minutes, Hein's men used a large grinder to carefully slice through the composite shell of the spherical disruptor. As the outer casing peeled away, the internal components were revealed — a complex web of wiring and circuit boards.

But the most striking feature was at its centre. It was a blanked-out gem that had once been filled with arcane energy.

"An Arcanite Harnesser?" Aurelia gasped, staring at the crystal, which was roughly the size of her palm.

"No doubt about it. This must have been an arc device," Friederich remarked, crossing his arms elegantly. "Only arcane energy can disrupt arcane energy... but how did Dunkelheit manage to advance its magic to this level?" He pondered aloud.

"Could there be a mole within the Osten Empire? A mage with a treacherous heart?" Aurelia mused, bending forward with her hands on her thighs as she inspected the gem.

David's eyes instinctively flickered toward Rhok, who, after all, was the most obvious example of such a possibility.

"I'd say it's very possible—"

Ahem!

Rhok suddenly cleared his throat, making David flinch.

"Sorry... no offence," David muttered, lowering his head as his gaze dropped to the floor.

Rhok simply waved him off in silent submission.

Hein stepped forward, examining the device. "From the looks of it, I'd say it had a single-use application. Once triggered, it not only disrupted arcane energy but likely depleted itself in the process — along with everything around it," He hypothesised, basing his theory on the limited evidence they had so far.

"So, as far as I understand, it drains the mana of anyone caught in its effective range," Jack interjected, his husky voice cutting through the discussion. He glanced at the two Stellius mages in the room for support.

"Hmm? You seem quite knowledgeable about Arcana Magicka. Did your fiancée teach you all that?" Aurelia quipped, leaning in closer with a teasing smirk.

Jack raised an eyebrow, puzzled. What's her problem?

"Yes... in part. But I've also been reading this," He explained, lifting the arcane book strapped to his belt. It was a precious gift from Lupus — one he had kept close ever since.

Aurelia's eyes sparkled with mischief. "Ohhh! A debris collector who wants to use arcane while piloting an Armatus? How adorable. I wonder what role you're really aiming for," She teased, giggling to herself.

Jack almost rolled his eyes but restrained himself, deciding to be the mature one. Instead, he simply cleared his throat.

"Ahem... so, even if the disruptor depletes your mana, you just have to wait for it to regenerate, right? You can simply rest and recover?" Jack rationalised, rubbing his chin.

"Yep! Friederich here could probably conjure a lampos-spatha — I mean, a glowing blade — after about fifteen minutes." Aurelia responded, gesturing toward her guardian, "His mana regeneration is remarkably fast."

"What about you, princess?" Jack asked, glancing to Aurelia.

She visibly tensed, her confidence faltering for a brief moment before she instinctively sought support from her guardian.

"Her regeneration is very low," Friederich answered flatly, eyes closed, entirely unbothered.

"Mmm! Mmm!" She nodded frantically in agreement.

Jack squinted in suspicion. Something doesn't add up...

During the battle, her fighting style didn't indicate any mana conservation techniques. Most of the time, she freely exuded mana for both offence and defence — as if she had a vast reserve to draw from.

He kept his thoughts to himself.

"That's good to know. If we run into another one of these disruptors in the future, mages can simply wait it out," Rhok interjected, arms crossed.

But then, another thought struck Jack, he recalled the use of an Arcanite Harnesser by Wilhelm Mae Arden, a Lunarius mage of Ares, in Southern Germund.

"What about the Arcanite Harnesser itself? After a disruptor goes off, could we get it and deliver it to you? Would you be able to draw mana from it?" Jack suggested, punching his fist into his palm.

Aurelia blinked, processing his words.

Then, realisation dawned on her.

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"Wow! That could actually work!" She exclaimed, a smile tugging at her lips.

"I suppose that could be a practical workaround," Friederich agreed with a nod.

"Apart from that, we'll also try to fix this machine — maybe even reverse engineer it. I might know a guy," Hein added, motioning for his crew to begin their full dissection.

With that, the meeting was adjourned.

***

As Jack stepped outside, he was met with the crisp, stale air of early winter. Rhok followed, rubbing the back of his head.

"By the way, how about tomorrow we take two unpainted Armatus for practice?"

Jack turned, surprised by the suggestion. "Really? You're going to teach me?"

"Yeah... Commander Aurum Specter... I mean, the Armatus Lancer we took down," Rhok replied, adjusting his gloves.

Jack approached the knight, intrigued. "You knew the pilot?"

Rhok nodded solemnly. "It was pure luck we managed to take him down... On top of that, most Gold-ranked pilots can actually control six Armatus at once without sacrificing much efficiency."

Jack mulled over Rhok's words. The four of us could barely take down one... If Aurum had stuck with his standard six Armatus instead of testing his new suit, we would have been completely outmatched. I can't even imagine effectively controlling more than one at a time...

"So, there's that," Rhok continued. "I figured we'll make a Gold out of you. How does that sound?" He extended his hand.

"Yes! Let's do it!" Jack replied, feeling a surge of motivation as they shook on it.

The two pilots spent a while discussing Armatus mechanics: how to manoeuvre better, the differences between piloting a vessel and a humanoid war machine, how to handle the glove controllers, thruster techniques, and even some basics on sword combat.

For the first time, Jack felt like he had found someone who truly spoke his language — a fellow pilot who shared his passion.

Before he knew it, half an hour had passed.

"Well, it's better if I show you tomorrow rather than just telling you," Rhok said, making air quotes with his fingers.

Then, with a casual wave, he departed.

Jack watched as the knight strode toward the site gate, heading back to his quarters. Rhok had mentioned he'd be staying in one of Hein's spare rooms.

The witty Wildren workshop owner was far from short on wealth — he even owned an apartment complex, which he had converted into accommodations for his employees.

---

Final note:

Ladies, Gents!

It's been an awesome ride at WN! But as the exposure and reader counts dwindled to near zero, I've decided to make it worth it with my time and continue the upcoming Chapters on RoyalRoad instead!

Currently, I'm on Rising Stars - Main on Royalroad, and at Chapter 80. Please join me there if you like this story.

This is not a goodbye!

~ I appreciated your love and support ~