"Are we there? Great!"
"This time we really travelled for quite a while."
"So what does the famous danger zone look like?"
After Quickstep's announcement everyone's eyes lit up. They dropped what they were doing and gathered at the front of the ship, observing the scenery ahead.
There was a chain of small islands spreading over a large distance. The islands were not as untouched as one might think. There were all kinds of huts, camps, even small villages constructed on the islands. On one of them a dense forest could be seen with wooden huts between the trees. Elsewhere overly luxurious white towers reached towards the sky, clearly following the style of high elves. Obviously, many different forces had constructed small camps here. A few ships sailed further towards the west carrying fearless adventurers ready to risk their lives for treasures.
"Someone is flying there…"
Watchful Eye's voice was not loud, but it attracted everyone's attention. They looked towards a certain direction and saw two people floating in the sky, sitting cross-legged in the air. They were a handsome elf and an old human woman. Judging from their attire both were accomplished mages. They didn't interact with each other as their eyes were fixated on a scene towards the front.
There was an area of chaotic mana. The magical energy gathered, particles colliding, dancing in mysterious rhythms. The movement of mana spontaneously unleashed spells. Lightning bolts flashed, storms rose, flames fell from the sky.
"It is said that the first mages learned how to produce spells by observing magical anomalies like this one."
Upon hearing Liam's explanation, Cyclone's eyes lit up. She quickly asked:
"Can we learn spells by observing this anomaly as well?"
"Haha, no, not to my knowledge."
Cyclone pouted slightly. She had the idea of devising her own spell, creating super lightning stronger than any other skill. Wouldn't she be invincible then? Unfortunately, players could only honestly learn their skills from skillbooks and classes.
Thus, the magic anomaly wasn't very interesting to the players. Rather, it was the NPCs floating in the sky who amazed them. A quick check revealed their names, but their levels remained hidden.
"That female mage, Irene Hill? Really, names can be deceiving. Who would associate such a name with a powerful mage?", said Balm. In front of her Silver Blade had wrinkles on her forehead, murmuring:
"It's simple but exactly that is the reason why I feel like I heard it before… Right! Isn't she the guardian of the Great Banmer Kingdom?"
Silver Blade looked at her friends with a grin but was only met with blank faces. She rolled her eyes and turned towards Liam, finally receiving a nod.
"Ok guys, we don't really have time to sightsee."
Silent Acacia suddenly reminded his friends. He had just taken a glance at the event overview and was immediately shocked. The points were closing in on ten million. If they delayed any longer, they might not be able to complete the quest.
Reminded by the hunter the others also felt a sense of urgency. Although they would like to explore this peculiar area a bit, there was not enough time. Thus, Quickstep studied Ruxor's map again and steered the ship according to the path. They passed through the chain of islands and approached the Domain of the End.
A special sight unfolded. The ocean seemed to be perfectly silent at one moment before plunging into chaos the next. Strange mirages appeared from time to time. Majestic mountains, dreadful dragons, violent wars, all kinds of scenes could be seen. Fierce storms or arcane explosions could spontaneously erupt. And yet this was still the edge of the Domain of the End which was considered rather safe. There were known paths one could follow to avoid the danger. One could only imagine what the scene further in looked like.
The friends slowed down and Quickstep carefully steered the ship along the safe path indicated by Ruxor. The others stood close to the railing, observing the spectacular and frightening side.
"Careful!"
Suddenly Balm let out a shout, her eyes showing terror. Everyone looked towards the spot she pointed at and realized that a towering wave easily reaching one hundred meters rolled towards them with unstoppable might. Everyone felt their blood freeze. However, just as the wave came within a certain distance of the ship it suddenly disappeared as if everything had just been a dream.
"Damn! Frightened me to death!", exclaimed Cyclone, pressing one hand on her heart while half leaning outside of the boat and supressing her churning stomach.
"This felt so real I thought we were done for. But at least we now know that this path should be safe.", said Silver Blade. Quickstep agreed, her expression quite solemn.
"I also thought this wave was real. Perhaps it wasn't an illusion…"
The friends quickly recovered from the shock. The wave wasn't the only danger seemingly coming for them before suddenly vanishing. As they continued, they felt like walking on thin ice. What if just a single of these visions turned out to be real and reached them? Their flimsy ship wouldn't protect them.
"Really, it's surprising that there are treasure seekers willingly diving into this danger zone…"
"Everyone dreams of suddenly getting rich. One successful adventure and they might be settled for life."
"One failed adventure and they might not have a life anymore…"
The friends conversed in low voices, their nerves taut. Quickstep slowly followed the path. From time to time, they would even find islands where people gathered. They were mostly NPCs but even a few players had found their way here. The area around those islands were usually free of dangers but the party didn't stay. After fifteen minutes which felt like hours, they finally neared their target. The world around regained some tranquillity. A few smaller islands and protruding rocks could be seen in the distance, separated from the ship by stretches of azure ocean.
However, the friends couldn't help but frown. Now that they were nearing their target, why couldn't they see Zelgor? With the titan's height he was nearly impossible to miss. Mulling over these doubts in their minds the friends continued to advance in a straight line. Another two minutes passed before Watchful Eye was the first to realize something:
"We aren't moving…"
"What? What do you mean? We are clearly advancing, look.", said Cyclone as she stared at the water below their ship.
"Yes. But we aren't actually going anywhere. We are moving on the spot or maybe within a limited space."
"Really?"
The others hadn't noticed anything yet, but they knew Watchful Eye wouldn't make a joke. Thus, they carefully observed their surroundings, especially the distance towards some of the rocks around them. Slowly their stomachs sank.
"Watchful Eye is right. We are moving on the spot…"
"Oh no, did we enter a danger are? What should we do now?", asked Balm incredulously.
"What does the map say?"
"Did we make a mistake?"
"Should we turn around?"
The friends were quite shocked, discussing chaotically. Quickstep carefully checked the map again. She was certain that they were on the correct path. However, since they clearly didn't move forward something must have gone wrong. After a short while the friends came to a decision. For now, they would return the way they came from. After getting out of danger they could study the map again and if worst comes to worst they could ask around on the last island they passed.
The ship drove a large turn. The sight in front changed. A larger island could be seen not too far away. But five seconds later something shocking happened. The island disappeared and, in their vision, only a few distant islands and protruding rocks could be seen. If was the same scene again!
"We can't return?"
"Are we really stuck here?"
"So, no matter where we go, we will be teleported back? Is that it?"
Balm took a deep breath but there was a sparkle in her eyes. She realized that they had entered some mysterious area. It was like some kind of space mace. Perhaps there was a certain path they had to take in order to advance?
Just as everyone was throwing around ideas and Balm was sinking into thoughts the world unexpectedly changed. The two bright suns vanished as night fell on the players. A starry sky unfolded. The stars were reflected in the ocean, creating an incredible sight. Small lights were twinkling in the air. A serene atmosphere engulfed the world. The friends fell silent and only the whooshing of the ocean could be heard.
"So beautiful…"
Cyclone whispered, her voice expressing deep awe. This was the first time that the players saw the night in Crunaboul. Although this was most likely an illusion as well, it did not take away anything from the incredible mysterious beauty.
It took the friends a few seconds until they gathered their bearings. Although they were amazed by the scene, they unfortunately couldn't admire it forever. They still needed to find a way out of their predicament.