Chapter 641 (1/2)

“There it is,” The Captain announced proudly from the edge of the skyship. “Come take a look.”

Drake considered not doing that. But ultimately, he had a mission. He was supposed to be Sydney’s sword. Part of that meant dealing with the… unpleasantness of the venue of this mission. It was, after all, perfectly safe.

None of the other sailors had died yet, and they had been doing this for a while, hadn’t they?

With measured steps, Drake reached the edge of the skyship. He firmly secured his grip on the wooden railing. Only then did he look over.

The World Crater was not, as Drake had expected, really a crater. Instead, it appeared to be a plateau rising above the nearby sea with a large lake in the middle. In the middle of that lake, there was a huge stone. From this height, the stone seemed as big as a house, which meant that it was undoubtedly much, much larger than that.

Several rivers flowed out of the central lake and formed beautiful falls that cascaded off the edge of the plateau into the sea below. In the surrounding waters in the sea, numerous small islands were covered with a patchwork of small buildings with colorful roofs. There were so many, so tightly packed together that it was difficult to pick out the individual colors. But they flashed brightly in the sun’s rays.

Of course, each house looked to be naught but an ant from here. Drake looked at the large stone in the center of the World Crater.

What was also interesting were that there were dozens of Skyships floating above the World Crater. There seemed to be a skydock on each side of it. Drake’s eyes were especially caught by a few sleek ships with golden sails.

“Is there a meaning to the different ship colors?” Drake asked.

The Captain nodded, his face turning solemn. “You have sharp eyes, to spot the Golden Wave from here. They are the main army of the Zone, although they are primarily used to keep the air clear of monsters. We were lucky enough to follow a sweep here, so we didn’t need to fight at all on the way here. That’s a blessing. Most of those who die on board do so due to a monster attack.”

Drake nodded grimly. This was something about the world he understood.

With the view absorbed, Drake stepped sharply away from the edge and returned to his perch in the middle of the deck, earning a laugh from the Captain and the Aviator. Drake didn’t care. He closed his eyes and did the best he could to clear his mind. His elemental porcupine Ryx rubbed his nose against Drake’s cheek, doing his best to comfort him.

They landed without incident, and Drake disembarked with great relish. There was a small cluster of buildings at the edge of the plateau, but beyond that stretched the sluggish rivers and vast wetlands that led to the central lake and the stone that set atop it.

Drake had talked with the crew at length for what they knew about the World Crater, and it boiled down to these four things: it was a Danger Zone; the monster Level here was 60; no one had ever touched the stone and returned to tell the tale; it was rumored that the giant stone was a seal covering the fountain of youth.

How anyone would know the fourth thing if the third was true was a detail that Drake didn’t bother with. After all, he had done some asking around before he departed for this location and had learned the name of the ship that had carried Roy, the Undying Hero. After a cursory search, he found the Thunderclap docked demurely a few vessels down.

The crew gathered to see him off once all was tied to keep the boat here during their stay. The Slipstream had brought goods to trade and would wait a week for him. Based on the size of the World Crater, it should only take two days to cross and reach the stone. Drake had no assurance that he would find Roy easily, but starting at the goal seemed the best bet.

“Are you sure you wish to go through with this?” Moniky asked anxiously. Although she had always laughed at his discomfort, she seemed to be the one who worried most about him. The monsters here are strong. Stronger than you’d think. Even members of the Golden Wave dare not come here.”

“People go in and out of the World Crater all the time,” The Captain said airly, not meeting Drake’s eye as he spoke. “Sir Drake will likely-”

“Those are scavengers that stick to the outer crater!” Moniky blurted out. “They mostly scavenge monster parts from bodies killed by other monster’s! Drake means to-”

“I’ll be fine,” Drake said. And standing on the ground, he truly felt that way. He was itching to walk out and condense his bone armor. It had been too long since he had felt the powerful form wrapped around him. But he walked over and squeezed Moniky into a quick hug. “I’m a soldier, miss. This is my job. And I’m damn good at it.”

She seemed unconvinced, but Drake wasn’t willing to spare more time to attend to her feelings. He did stop by some nearby traders and question them a bit, but none remembered seeing Roy. That was fine, Drake hadn’t expected this to be easy.