Chapter 2: Into Faore

The next morning, Kuti and I said goodbye to 999. She only advised us to return before the two weeks were up. The four of us had exchanged phone numbers. I checked my phone and saw a group message from Atmaja, who was already at the harbor.

He sent a photo of the empty harbor. "Which ship is ours? Are we taking a passenger ship or hitching a ride on a merchant ship?"

"Hang on, we're still on our way," Kuti replied.

"I'm already in front of the cathedral, waiting for you guys," Romanova typed, attaching a photo of the cathedral entrance.

Kuti and I left the cathedral and met up with Romanova, the long-haired white-haired mage, waiting for us with her suitcase. The three of us headed to the western part of Ludanes. Kuti didn't forget to pack her favorite sweet red bean bread for snacking during the journey.

When we reached the harbor, we saw Atmaja, who looked bored out of his mind. He glanced at his watch with an annoyed expression. "What time do you call this?"

"Wasn't our agreement to meet here at six in the morning? It's only half-past five," Kuti replied, checking the information board at the harbor. She found a merchant ship heading to Faore. "The ship leaves soon, but I'm not sure where it is."

Romanova left her suitcase with me and went to look for the merchant ship. Not long after Romanova left, we heard her shouting near a docked ship.

I instructed Kuti to watch our belongings while Atmaja and I rushed to check on Romanova. A group of Sagis was fighting with the ship's sailors, and Romanova was caught in the middle. Atmaja quickly grabbed his spear and killed one of the Sagis.

The humanoid creature with fins on its head died. Seeing the arrival of a strong fighter, the creatures fled into the sea. The sailors sheathed their weapons and approached us.

"Thank you! There were so many Sagis this morning. They must have targeted us from Faore Island and attacked us here," said a sailor, shaking Atmaja's hand.

"No problem. Why didn't you ask for help from the Knights Order guarding the watchtower and lighthouse?" Atmaja asked, shouldering his spear.

Two knights appeared behind us. "Ah! We're late! Deputy Grandmaster Atmaja?!"

"You're late. What happened? These sailors needed help. Why did you take so long?" Atmaja scolded his subordinates.

"We were replacing the lighthouse lamp and got attacked by Gisahas. We were delayed," one knight replied.

"Aren't there ten knights guarding the harbor, split into two shifts?" Atmaja began reprimanding his subordinates.

Meanwhile, I spoke to the sailor. "Is this the merchant ship to Faore Island? We have a task to hunt a dragon there."

"Yes, we leave at 8. We're still unloading our cargo," the sailor replied. "You can board after speaking with our captain. He's at the bar, look for a white-haired man who likes drinking rum from a large glass."

"Thanks for the info." I told Romanova to go back with Kuti while I headed to the bar to meet the ship's captain. Atmaja was busy with his subordinates, so I couldn't bother him.

I headed up the slope from the harbor to a building with a five-leaf clover symbol. Entering, I found a bustling scene with sailors and drunkards, even in the morning.

Remembering the sailor's description, I quickly found the captain, drinking a large glass of something. I sat next to him and ordered a grape juice.

"Are you the captain of the merchant ship heading to Faore?" I asked.

"Yesh. Whad do ya wan'?" he replied, slightly drunk. "Whad doesh an envoy of the god want wish a drunk like me?"

"I need your help to get to Faore Island to hunt a dragon," I replied. The bartender brought my drink.

"Huh? Whad an honor for you to shave my home town," he said, shaking his head. He looked at me seriously. "Many adventurers fear dragons."

"Really?" I replied. Indeed, dragons are hard to defeat. The captain introduced himself as Fandlan. He paid for my drink and his and invited me to depart immediately.

I took him to meet my companions first. Kuti, Atmaja, and Romanova were waiting by our belongings. "Everyone, this is our ship's captain, Captain Fandlan. He's agreed to give us a ride."

"Captain Fandlan, nice to meet you," Atmaja said, shaking Fandlan's hand.

"Whoah, we're accompanied by young and beautiful ladies?" Captain Fandlan asked, looking at Romanova and Kuti. He removed his sailor hat and bowed. "I am Fandlan Faore, a merchant ship captain."

"N-nice to meet you," Romanova said.

Kuti didn't reply, looking displeased with the captain's flirtatious behavior. Fandlan quickly separated from us and helped with our luggage. He was quite strong, lifting everything with ease.

"Oh, be careful of the Sirens at sea. Their songs can make you fall into the ocean. The Faore waters aren't as safe as when the Faore Kingdom still stood," he warned us.

The crew members helped him. One reported that the cargo was unloaded, and the ship was cleaned. Fandlan instructed him to prepare four cabins for us.

"Two will do," Kuti said. "I'll share a room with Romanova."

"Okay, two," the sailor replied, heading into the ship.

"Careful, the deck is slippery after being mopped," Fandlan warned us.

CRASH!

Atmaja slipped and slid down because the loading ramp was quite slick. Kuti clung to me to avoid slipping, as did Romanova. "Eh, A-Atmaja, you can hold onto me if you're afraid of slipping."

"No need. I was just enjoying the view of the seagulls," Atmaja said, getting up. He took off his knight shoes and slipped again.

I went down to help him up. Finally, Atmaja made it onto the ship. Fandlan showed us to our cabins. After showing us our rooms, Fandlan headed to the bridge. "The trip can take 12 hours or a day, depending on whether we encounter Sirens or other sea monsters. If not, it'll take 11-12 hours. Look for me on the bridge.