"Nice work, you two," Emelia praised Adam and Leon.

"Maybe I should try to use my bow against the next ship," Maalia contemplated.

Leon gave Adam a nod. "I didn't realise there was magic like this in the Trials," he said.

"Adam is a bit of an outlier," Emelia commented. "It's a very specific setup he has. But if you'd gone with one of the throwing-based evolutions for Lancer, you could probably have a similar setup capable of taking out airships."

"Do you think I could reflect one of their bolts with my shield?" he asked.

To Adam's surprise, Emelia nodded. "It's possible," she replied.

"That seems pretty reckless," Adam commented.

"What if you don't time it right?" Ruimin agreed.

"I was able to reflect the Tower Crawler's hand in the last Stage," Leon boasted. "We were able to kill it thanks to that."

I didn't realise that was possible. But it does sound like you're always one mistake away from certain death if you try to parry devastating projectiles or magic like that…

They were coasting through the clouds at a leisurely pace now that there were no enemy ships in sight. Maalia had spotted an island, but Emelia insisted they try to locate a settlement first. They could usually find a map of the surrounding area at a settlement, and if they sold a Relic or two, then they'd be able to afford some special ballista bolts among other cool things for their ship.

This Stage and future ones each operated on a unique currency, which meant they couldn't just use Points to buy stuff. In the Floating Sea of Gold, that currency was Doubloons. Selling a Relic inside the Stage would give them some of this currency, though Adam thought it was kind of a waste. It was also possible to buy Stage-specific Relics with Doubloons, but Emelia had said that there weren't a lot of Relics here that would be super useful to him, apart from an Armour Relic to replace his Slothling Fur Coat.

I guess that last Stage was the magic-based one, and then this is the… Actually what theme is this??

Emelia hadn't clarified what the other loot was besides the Legendary Relic, which was a Weapon Relic, similar to the Fiendbarb, except it didn't have any major drawback.

She's probably hoping to get that one for herself, since it didn't sound like I could use it.

The Legendary Relic was called Captain Fallow's Treasure, and on top of imbuing a weapon with a special affliction that they could encounter in Stage Seven called Gold-cursed, it also allowed the wielder to make the weapon fight for them on its own. In a way it was similar to what Alepheria's Mandate allowed Adam to do with his summons, but Emelia said that it had synergy with Second Sheath and basically let the user fight with two weapons at the same time. She apparently had some kind of insane build in mind if she could get it.

While the others talked amongst themselves, Emelia showed Adam her new armour.

< < Relic > >

< Body of Sloth (Epic) — Increases Player Defence by 25% | Increases Movement Speed by 25% | Increases Damage by 1% for every 3% Movement Speed | Taking damage reduces all Movement Speed bonuses to 0% for 1 minute >

That's really strong. But taking a hit with this is pretty devastating.

"And that's from the Secret Boss?" he asked.

Emelia nodded. "I already have quite a lot of Speed, and the interaction between this damage boost and the ones from my weapons are multiplicative, so just putting this on gives me almost 100% extra Damage when I'm up close to a target."

"Holy shit," he muttered.

No wonder Riccardo's head turned into a fine mist… That's actually terrifying.

It's like all of her punches have the same impact as a hit from my triple-fused barrier.

"Does your Damage translate into anything you hit?" he asked. "Like, can you spike a ball to deliver insane damage at long distance?"

Emelia laughed. "I wish. Although there is a weapon like that in Stage Eleven. It's a ball on a chain that can be evolved to deal damage based on how fast it's moving. With the right setup, it should be able to vaporise bosses."

"Didn't you say there was a secret weapon in this Stage that you know about?" Adam recalled.

"It's cursed," Emelia replied. "Wielding it makes you go insane, although it comes with a special skill that is very powerful. I ran into someone who had the sword in my last loop. It took four of us to kill him…"

"And you know how to get it?" Adam asked.

"We're not going there," she replied. "But yes. It's very easy to find and obtain, actually. Which is how you know it's a trap."

Leon came over to where Adam and Emelia stood near the bow as Maalia climbed back up to the crow's nest and Ruimin went to the helm to take the wheel.

Emelia kept an eye on the axe-wielder. She probably didn't trust them implicitly now that things had gone off the rails from the get-go.

"Emelia," Leon started, "is it true you're really from the future?"

She turned to face him. "That's right."

"So you know how we can all complete our Patron Quests?" he asked. There was a hint of desperation in his voice.

Maybe he failed in the last Stage and is worried of failing again? Adam wondered.

"You chose Nharlla, right?" she replied.

Leon looked surprised that she knew, but then nodded.

"That means you have to kill the Half Mimic. I know which ship he navigates, so don't worry about completing the quest," she replied.

He looked quite relieved by the answer. "I couldn't understand the quest at all," he admitted.

Emelia nodded as if that was normal, which it probably was, given the nature of his Patron.

"Who does Ruimin worship?" Adam asked, looking towards the Berserker.

Emelia opened her mouth to reply, but then Leon answered, "She said it's someone called Nwetrou."

Adam frowned and Emelia froze, mouth half-agape.

"Shit," she muttered.

A cluster of three islands were coming up on their right and Adam stood in the crow's nest with Emelia, using his telescope to look for a settlement. They'd passed six islands so far, but they were going until they found somewhere hospitable to anchor and get their bearings, much to the rest of the team's dismay. They clearly wanted to make landfall and explore, but Emelia warned that it was a waste of time and energy until they had a broader picture of their surroundings, something they could only get from finding a settlement.

They were about 2 hours into their 3-day timer so far and making good speed according to Emelia. Although the configuration of the Floating Sea varied every time she'd come here, a settlement could always be found by taking a straight line from the start of the Stage and following it for a few hours.

The others had found the rations in the hold of the ship, down by the broadside ballistae, and they were currently chatting and snacking while each of them took turns on the wheel. Adam kind of wanted to control the ship too, but right now wasn't the time to play around.

"How the hell did I miss that!?" Emelia hissed for the tenth time in the last few minutes, clearly angry with herself. "Riccardo always worships the Flayed Lady, that much is normal, although him switching to the Blood Mage weapon was unusual. But that's my fault, because I wasn't looking for Blood Mages after Stage Five. But Nwetrou… I've been searching for his adherents nonstop. I thought for sure I'd caught them all!"

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

The way she phrased that makes it sound like she hunted them down, one by one…

Adam peeled his eye from the telescope to look down at Ruimin.

"She doesn't look evil," he said.

"No one looks evil just because of who they worship," Emelia replied. "And I don't think she has used the Abyssal Tooth, but I'm not sure. If she used it in Stage Five, then it wouldn't yet make a difference. I guess I won't find out until my next loop…"

"Leon was pretty upset that you told him we wouldn't do her quest," Adam added. "They seem to have bonded quickly."

Emelia sighed. "Normally this is such a great team. Fuck! I must've messed something up! She's supposed to get the Masked Courtesan and have a quest to find a lost airship… Now she's got the fucking Cloud Leviathan quest!"

Cloud Leviathan? That sounds ominous.

"What's that?" Adam asked.

"Like a Slug Dragon on steroids. It's an enormous monster that can't be defeated as far as I know, and it'll fly around the Stage, devouring all the islands and airships. If it appears, we won't survive."

"How do you know about it?"

"Arturo told me," Emelia said. "He was only able to survive because he'd already cleared the main objective and was able to get back to the Godstone before the Leviathan devoured the temple island."

"Did he worship Nwetrou?" Adam asked.

"I don't know. It doesn't matter. We just can't let her do that quest, no matter what."

"We can just explain how bad it is to her," Adam suggested. "They'll understand."

"She might not," Emelia replied. "If she didn't complete the first quest, failing the second will give her a punishment."

Adam frowned. "I didn't know that was a thing," he said.

"Not all of the Absolutes rebuke their adherents for failing repeatedly, but Nharlla and Nwetrou both do. I'm guessing the Flayed Lady too, now that I truly understand what her deal is."

I wonder if the Tome Keeper would also punish me for failing to find Alepheria.

"What is the Flayed Lady's quest for this Stage?" Adam asked.

"I don't know," Emelia replied. "Normally Riccardo refuses to tell me. But I don't think he ever did it. As I recall, he was very upset with picking her. This time was different though…"

"It's probably another Player-killing quest," Adam said.

"I wonder if your Patron is the reason Riccardo changed," Emelia contemplated. "It's a rare one, right?"

Adam nodded. "Yeah. And he and the Flayed Lady clearly don't get along."

"So, maybe she mind-controlled him or something, since she knew you would be in this Stage with Riccardo."

"You think the Absolutes are that petty?" Adam asked sceptically.

"Definitely," she replied.

They continued sailing for maybe 20 more minutes until Adam spotted a strangely-shaped island. It was like a crescent of white rock and chalk deposits with tufts of vibrant green grass running along its top and a huge wood-and-metal monstrosity clinging to it like a barnacle.

"I see what might be a settlement!" Adam yelled down from the crow's nest to Emelia who was back at the helm.

They had been lucky to not run into any pirates other than the first airship, and apparently this was another stroke of luck.

"It's Windtop Cove!" Emelia exclaimed excitedly as she ran to the bow and looked out.

That's the one she said was the biggest of the settlements in this Stage.

Adam used a barrier to float down from the crow's nest to the front where she stood.

"Are we cool to just sail in?" he asked.

She cast him a grin, their earlier misfortune momentarily forgotten. "Do you know how to parallel park?" she asked.

"What?"

"Come on," she said, grabbing his arm and pulling him to the helm.

She then proceeded to instruct him on how to control the ship while shouting orders at the other three Players to rein in the sails. With the boost from the sails gone, the propellers and side fins were the only means of propulsion they had, significantly lowering their speed.

Emelia showed him a lever on the side of the block the wheel was attached to, which if pulled all the way down would turn off the fins and propellers. It could also be pulled up and down incrementally to allow for fine control, something that was necessary when 'parking'.

I feel like I'm back in driver's ed…

After Leon, Maalia, and Ruimin were done trussing the sails, they went over to the edge of the Creaking Madam and watched the large settlement they were approaching. Meanwhile Adam did his best not to crash the ship, since it was completely under his control now. Emelia stood next to him, occasionally touching the wheel or throttling the speed lever when an adjustment was necessary.

The crescent island looked like a large chunk had been bitten out of it centuries before, and in the hollow inside of it a large structure had been built, fastened to the curving walls of the island. Additional metal walls extended out from either side of the island where the rock and sediment couldn't reach, creating a funnel that all ships had to pass through. These metal walls were fastened to the central structure of the settlement with massive chains running up to its peak, where a large balloon kept the place from collapsing under its own weight.

With every second that passed, the bigger the settlement became. Adam hadn't realised just how enormous the place was until he was slowly floating in through its entrance funnel and had enough clearance on either side of him for two more ships to pass by.

At the top of the entrance funnel was a large white banner, which seemed to indicate that the place was peaceful, and just above it was a mechanism for dropping three large chains down in front of the entrance, barring ships from coming and going.

It's weird, even though we're basically flying, I don't think it's possible for our ship to go under the walls. At least I don't see any way to adjust the elevation of the airship.

In effect, the Floating Sea was really just like a normal sea, with an invisible waterline that most ships and islands floated along. Although, Adam had seen some islands higher up and further down than them, but he wasn't sure how they'd get to those without making some modification to their ship or using his barriers as vehicles.

I don't know if I can carry all five of us, but it should work.

Once they were past the entrance, the actual settlement came into view, with the nearest thing being a pier that housed a total of twelve airships, with six slots currently occupied by vessels the same size as theirs, and one holding a ship twice as large.

< < Settlement Discovered > >

< Windtop Cove >

[Across the Floating Sea of Gold there are Safe Havens to be discovered. These places offer opportunities to trade using Stage-specific currencies, places for you to sleep and eat, as well as means by which you may resupply and scout out the surrounding area.]

The three Players at the front of the ship looked back at Emelia.

Adam knew what they were thinking: "This is exactly like she said."

It's one thing to have someone know your name, but knowing about unseen features of the Trials is hard to explain as a lucky guess. Especially when coupled with the certainty and confidence Emelia has.

"Take us over to that spot," Emelia said, pointing them over to the open space next to the large airship.

The vessel had three masts and four large fins on either side of it, though they currently hung down below it as they were switched off. A bank of six round propellers covered the back of the ship, connected to a large rudder, and five holes in its broadside showed it had some serious firepower.

"That's classified as a large airship," Emelia explained. "What we sunk was a small one, which rewards 100 Points. A large gives 300."

"Can we steal it?" Adam immediately asked.

Emelia grinned. "Of course. It would be difficult to control with just five of us, but it's possible."

Adam pulled the throttle all the way down and their wings drooped and ended up hanging below the ship as they slowly coasted into place. He wasn't quite sure how they were going to back out though, since he didn't see a way for them to reverse.

No sooner had they come to a stop next to the pier than three large metal chains with rings attached descended towards the middle of their ship. Emelia hopped down from the helm and ran over to the front where the others stood. Her body moved effortlessly fast, thanks to her tremendous speed.

She reached down next to the floor between the turrets and grabbed a handle, opening up a hatch and pulling out a hook on a thick metal wire. With a casual toss, she threw the hook through one of the rings hanging near the centre of the main deck, catching it in the first try.

"Adam! Get the one on the right side of the stern!" Emelia shouted to him, while running back up to the helm as well.

He found a hatch at the back of the helm's deck and opened it to reveal another hook on a wire. Emelia pulled a third hook out from the left side of the helm and threw it through a ring with ease. She gestured for Adam to try it as well, but he just presented the hook to her.

"Don't you wanna go for the hat-trick?" he asked.

She grinned and took the hook, then threw it through the last ring.

Adam clapped politely.

As soon as the last hook was attached the metal chains slowly started pulling up into the ceiling of the settlement, where large triangular panels sprouted out from the central structure below the enormous balloon like an umbrella. It shaded the place from most of the light coming in from above, but golden sunlight still spilled in from below, giving everything a strange appearance thanks to the shadows pointing up instead of down. Hoists and chains covered the ceiling directly above the port, and this was what all of the airships were tethered to. He saw that the chains connected their ship to a crane-like mechanism on a double-jointed arm that allowed for their ship to be manoeuvred a lot within the pier. It also seemed that it was capable of spinning, truly giving the operators a lot of control over their vessel.

As Adam looked up, he saw large round eyes glinting in the light and staring down at them.

What the hell are those? he wondered, slightly creeped out.

Adam continued looking around. The cove was almost entirely filled with the settlement, the only clear space being the area in front of the entrance where ships were secured. The wooden piers were tied together with chains and bounced up and down gently with the bobbing ships. Metal pylons here-and-there secured everything to the central pillar, above which the balloon kept the place afloat. Bridges and walkways crisscrossed the space, and it was like a strange 3D spiderweb, with buildings seemingly placed at random. At the very top of the settlement was a donut-shaped building below the umbrella roof and balloon, and his immediate guess was that whoever ruled this place lived there.

Around on the metal walls of the entrance funnel were large ballistae with nasty-looking harpoons attached to chains, and he had no doubt they would pin and tear apart any airship that tried to enter or leave without permission.

Emelia had gone back down onto the main deck and was telling the others to stay put until it was done.

Until what is done?

Suddenly a tug pulled on the entire ship, and he stumbled a step. The crane that the three chains were attached to pulled them further down the pier before taking them on a gentle turn, spinning them around and dragging them back up the pier, so that they were facing the other way. All the while, the creatures in the ceiling kept barking orders at each other. It had taken only half a minute at most but solved the issue of backing out from their parking spot.

Since Adam didn't have to steer the ship anymore, he went down to the others as two men covered in large grey chains and white cloth came down the end of their pier. Each of them had harpoon-shaped lances and were bulked out in muscle, making them look pretty intimidating. One of them grabbed something at the end of the pier that Adam hadn't noticed, tossing it across to the side of their ship after attaching it to hooks on the edge of the pier itself. It was a gangplank.

Emelia was the first to go down the plank to where the men awaited them, but the rest of their team quickly followed with Adam bringing up the rear.

"Welcome to Windtop Cove," said one of the guards.

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