Chapter 20 - Alea Iacta Est

We lifted some of the cargos that the job listed to us to the ship. By we, I mean mainly Marion. I swear that strength of hers is something that is too useful for her own good, I mainly just pick up some of the smaller boxes that is littering around.

And mostly slack off.

Well, most of the sailor of the twin dragon also does so. They're so enthralled seeing a little girl pick up a bunch of huge cargo containing heavy weaponry that they forgot about their own duties. And this is the team that the old man has assembled. What a joke. Well, it's not like I'm not a joke either only Marion is the real heavy hitter on this team.

I looked outside the portside window and saw the cloud thundering. We're flying so close to the atmospherical storm that I can feel the shakiness from the thunder rattling the ship. Marion as always is too carefree to care about the storm. She's currently napping on my cabin's bed with no care whatsoever. Man, I wish I have that sense of calmness before the battle. I then left the cabin and walked towards the bridge. Along the way I met with some of the crew and I greeted them. They seemed friendly enough that they returned my greet.

For people who are walking close to their death they seemed friendly. What is it with these carefree people? I for one are having my heart close to bursting out of my chest in anticipation of the battle. After traversing the messy hallway I arrived at the bridge. Normally I think that this place would be swamped with activities. Communication officer manning the radio, navigation officer calculating the ship's angle, and the skipper manning the ship wheel, and many others.

But now there's only two people in the bridge that is manning their station. Some guy handling the wheel. And the old man, Robert sitting in what I assume some sort of console. I waved at the guy handling the wheel and he nodded at me. I then walked towards the old man, he noticed me and gave me a warm friendly smile.

"Ah! If it isn't our man of the hour! Kain the devastator! The slayer of dragon! The one who knocks! The one wh—"

"Ok that's enough old man, that kind of stuff don't work on me."

"Hey you want to move from being a newbie hunter right? The you got to have a title to your name!"

"Eh? really?"

"Yeah every big shot one have a title to their name."

"Oh yeah? You know the hunter that's known as Johnny?"

"Of course! The red hero!"

"You know pathfinder?"

"Yes, one of the well known ruins mapper right?"

Having a title to your name… That's sounds both embarrassing and cool at the same time. I thought about what kind of title that's going to be attached to my name. Something like Kain the whiner… god that would be embarrassing.

"How's is it going anyway? Are we close to the rendezvous point yet?"

"Yes. We'll arrive in 6 to 7 hours."

"That Long?"

"You know that we just took off right?"

"I know that but I thought that since we're in a airship it'll be faster than I thought."

"Normally that would be the case but this skiff is a bit feisty, and the atmospherical storm didn't really help, we need to navigate carefully between the thunder." 

"So it's because we're riding a junk huh."

"Hey, don't call it junk. Call it vintage."

"Right…"

I now started to worry, how can we fight something like Ex-Machina with this junk. I know that it's going to be a combined fleet formation but can we even contribute to something like that in this skiff? I assume that the rest of the fleet is going to be some sort of a high class battle ready ship, but we? We probably just going to go and take pot shots at the creature until the rest of the fleet are able to shoot the creature with their high grade military weaponry.

"Why are you so adamant in chasing the creature anyway? I sense that there's something that is more to this story than just some goodwill in chasing a dangerous creature."

"It's a long story." He waved his hand at me attempting to shoo the conversation away it seems. "But the simple story is like many others. A kid that is a deckhand at some ship had their ship crew massacred by the mechanical dragon." He continued explaining his background.

If that were the case then it is natural for Robert to want to take revenge on Ex-Machina. But I sense that there is more to the story. If that were the case then you can also leave the combined fleet to annihilate the mechanical dragon on their own considering the ship that we are in, it would be a disaster. 

But Living for revenge huh… I can't imagine a life like that, a feeling of hatred for an object is it the same as my drive to find panacea? It probably is except more edgy.

"There has to be more to that story." I said to the older captain.

"Yeah, maybe. But I'm not in the mood to say more."

"Fair enough."

"Anything else that you want to know?"

"No. I think that's enough."

I think that's enough for now. Guess I'll return back to the cabin. I then waved good bye towards the captain and the helmsman. There has to be more to the story that the captain didn't tell me. But even so it doesn't really matter at this point. If were still at the port then maybe it will but we're already half way to the gathering point. Alea Iacta Est, the die already been cast. I just hope that the reward that we'll get is something that is worth it, and I can find panacea inside the dragon's hoard.