| 8 | Turtle!

Contrary to what one might expect, each island was like its own world, some might have similarities, but they were never the same.

One thing to note is that islands of the same, or similar, elements would typically group up together. These clusters of islands formed separate seas throughout the Aquerima. These elemental seas would have their own unique, natural phenomenon and hazards that travelers would have to face.

Aston was an island in the Lush sea. However, Aston is relatively far from the center. As such, Aston is what is known as a lesser-island.

The farther an island was from the center of a sea, the lower its elemental-mana concentration was.

A lower mana concentration would result in lower-ranked elementals forming, but that also meant that the mana-stones they dropped would be just as low quality.

Lenna smelled the air and found it to be salty as they got closer to the coast.

The waters around Aston and in the Lush sea had roots that grew throughout it. The roots occasionally protruded from the water's surface and formed arcs similar to sea serpents.

Similar to mana concentration, the quantity of these roots would increase the closer one gets to the sea's center. It led to the core of the sea being as inhospitable as they get from just the environmental hazards alone, let alone the elementals.

These roots might look nice and pretty, but they would attack anything that touched them, making them a dangerous natural labyrinth. Just one touch and a ship would become a seafloor ornament.

Fortunately, they didn't need to worry about that for long, because they would be leaving soon enough.

Ignoring the dangerous roots with a phobia of being touched, the Lush sea was otherwise an incredible sight.

Looking at the ocean resurfaced a painful memory for Lenna.

She didn't have many memories from when she was younger, but one of them held a special place in her heart.

It was from when she was four years old.

***

She was on her brother's shoulders while they faced out towards the ocean.

Lenna's brother, Eric Snow, had shaggy, white hair, blue eyes, and a warm demeanor. Her brother was fifteen at the time and was actually a B-rank contractor.

Her brother had said, "Lenna, you won't understand this now, and I won't blame you if you resent me in the future, but know that some things must be done."

He placed four-year-old Lenna onto the sand, "I need to fight our father and stop him. Otherwise, a lot of good people will die."

She was too young to remember anything other than a face about their father.

Anytime she had asked about him, her brother would dodge the question. However, going by how her brother talked about him, he didn't like their father, and neither should she.

He ruffled her hair, "I'll be back soon."

Small Lenna pouted, "You promise?"

"I promise." He took off a silver necklace from underneath his shirt and handed it to her, "Here. This way, I'll have to come back to get it. Make sure to keep it safe."

He poked her nose and smiled before boarding a small wooden sailboat with a blue snowflake on its sail.

That was the last time she had seen her brother.

Eric had lied.

***

Lenna clutched the necklace through her sweater.

She quickly shook her head to clear it from unnecessary thoughts.

Krom and Lenna arrived at the port and joined the line to be let into the port.

The port, although called one, was nothing more than a stone platform with a few wooden docks extending out. Aston only had a population of about one million and was, more or less, out in the boonies, so what would you expect?

Although Aston was a bit remote, the shipbuilding industry was very prominent in a world dotted with islands that needed traveling between them. It was so apparent, in fact, that if one was a trained shipwright, they were almost guaranteed work.

The ships in the port primarily consisted of medium-sized galleons with the occasional slightly larger merchant ship or the smaller private vessels.

While they were waiting in line, Lenna overheard a conversation between some port-hired contractors on break.

A man said, "Apparently, that notorious bandit group active near Landrow got wiped out last night!"

The woman raised her eyebrow in doubt, "Really? Wasn't their leader a C-rank contractor?"

The man nodded, "Yeah! The guys on site said that their heads were reduced to nothing more than a red mist!"

Another man shrugged, "Well, at least it's one less thing we need to deal with, but you gotta wonder who was strong enough to do that because I'll tell you, it definitely wasn't an elemental. If it were an elemental that strong, then the B-ranks would already be on it."

Lenna glanced back in the direction of Landrow before squinting her eyes at Krom with a scrutinizing gaze.

Krom pretended not to notice.

Eventually, it was their turn.

The receptionist greeted them, "Hello! Are you two traveling together?"

Krom nodded, "Yes."

"And do you have any proof of identity?"

Lenna frowned and whispered to Krom, "Pst. Hey. I don't think I have any travel documents."

Krom smiled, "Just show them your guild card."

He took out a small rectangular card from his storage ring and flashed it to the receptionist.

A guild card only really had the bare minimum: A contractor's name, rank, and mission completion rate. Just having one was proof enough, because active criminals weren't allowed to register.

Seeing Krom do so, Lenna did the same, and a moment later, they were all set.

Krom quickly scanned the port for a ship going to where they needed to go, the Infernal sea.

The reason? To get to the guild headquarters of course!

While the guild headquarters wasn't actually in the Infernal sea, as the location was always changing, the Infernal sea had devices called "warp gates" set up. Put simply, they were teleportation ports. You could just walk into one from one location and appear several thousand kilometers away in another location.

Unfortunately, let alone Aston, the entirety of the Lush sea didn't have any warp gates set up yet. As such, the next closest warp gate was over in the Infernal sea.

The duo was fortunate that the Lush sea and the Infernal sea were neighbors, so the journey wouldn't take too long.

After a minute or two of asking around, the duo finally found a ship going there.

However...

"This is piracy! I'm not paying that much!" Krom exclaimed.

Krom asked for the fee only to find out it was twenty silver per person!

One-hundred copper went into one silver, so twenty silvers was equivalent to two-thousand copper! Two thousand copper could buy more than eighty meals!

Just twenty years ago, the pricing had only been five silver per person!

The boat captain shrugged his shoulders, "Sorry, I'm the cheapest boat around. Prices have inflated due to the elementals being more active for whatever reason. If you don't like it, go find someone else."

Not giving up yet, Krom gestured to Lenna, "My companion and I are both strong contractors. What about an escort job?"

The captain shook his head, "I have no need for more contractors. I already have several hired."

Seeing as they were holding up the line, Lenna dragged Krom away to the side of the port.

Krom leaned against one of the dock railings and gazed out to the sea. He sighed, "Maybe I should contact the guild master."

"You can do that?" Asked Lenna.

Krom affirmed, "Yeah, but I would rather not if I don't have to."

Lenna started munching on a strip of dried meat, "Well then, what should we do?"

A voice answered, "Actually, I can help with that..."

A chocolate-skinned beast-kin with spikey red hair, two fluffy cat-ears, and crimson-red eyes that darted around in interest approached them. The beast-kin's attire was a brown cloak draped around his neck so that it acted like a scarf while covering his back and left arm.

He also dressed in a natural-colored shirt with brown pants and wore a sash across his chest that held many corked vials of different colored liquids.

Krom's expression became one of interest, "And who might you be?"

The beast-kin flashed a toothy smile, showing his canines, "I'm Cray Armak, a C-rank contractor. Sorry for eavesdropping, but I heard you guys were strong contractors who needed a ride."

Krom waved his hand, "Don't worry about it. But yeah, we do need one."

Cray said, "I'm going to the Infernal sea, but I'm not strong enough to make the journey by myself. How about I hire you as my escort if we are going in the same direction."

"That works out. When are we leaving?" Asked Krom.

Cray responded excitedly, "Now! Follow me!"

Unlike what they expected, they left the port and headed to a small cove a small distance away.

In the small cove, there was... Nothing.

Lenna looked at Cray menacingly, "Where is the ship?"

The latter nervously laughed, "Haha, don't be so quick to jump to conclusions! I never said I had a ship."

Cray made a high-pitched whistle with his fingers.

The water in the cove bubbled.

Cray smiled, "I have a storm-chaser turtle!"

The water of the cove burst outwards, sending waves across its surface.

A sea turtle ten meters long with a saddle strapped to its shell emerged from the water in the middle of the cove. The turtle had gray skin with pulsing yellow markings and a shell with dark gray scutes.

Krom and Lenna were both surprised. They had not expected to be riding a storm-chaser turtle in their wildest dreams.

Seeing their surprised expressions, Cray said, "Let's go. We don't have all day."

Cray summoned his relic, "Surtur's Goggles!"

Leather goggles with bronze frames and orange-red lenses appeared around his head.

"Propulsion!"

Orange flames began to shoot out from his feet as he leaped into the air before soaring across the water's surface and landing in the saddle on the turtle's back.

Cray shouted, "Are you guys able to get across?!"

Krom shouted back, "Yeah! We'll be over in a sec!"

Lenna turned to Krom, "You say that, but I have no way to get across—!"

Krom abruptly picked her up and cut her off, "Sure you do!"

Lenna's face turned red as she asked, "Are you perhaps going to carry me?"

Krom smiled mischievously, "Nope! Have a nice flight!"

"Flight?" She panicked, "Flight?! Wait! Wait! Wait—!"

Krom threw Lenna through the air.

"eek! Krom!!!"

She quickly summoned her relic and created a snow orb in her hand before throwing it at the turtle's saddle, "Wolf Cloak!"

Cray quickly leaped to the side as he saw the snow orb approaching.

"Engulf!"

The orb expanded on the turtle right before Lenna landed on it, breaking her fall.

She brushed some snow off her shoulders as she unsummoned her relic and made the snow orb go away.

"Seriously? He had to throw me out of all the ways?"

Krom placed his hands in his pockets before leaping off the ground as he glided across, the wind making the flaps of his trench coat sway.

He safely landed next to Cray, who looked dumbfounded.

"That was incredible!" Exclaimed Cray.

Once everyone was ready, a long fishing pole with a storm cloud in a jar emerged from a ring on Cray's hand, "Alright! To the Infernal sea!"