A Place to Dock

"The map is really well drawn. It's already very close to reality."

Inside the Leviathan's command room, Ato praised the map on the wall.

In an age without artificial satellites, maps had to be measured out on foot. It was no easy feat to draw one this accurately.

"So that's what the other continents look like... Mr. Ato, have you seen a map that's completely accurate?" Sarah spotted the problem.

"Ahem." Ato realized he'd been laying it on a little thick. "I once flew up to stand shoulder to shoulder with the sun. When you're high up, you can see everything..."

"Oh..." Sarah seemed to understand, more or less. She knew very little about the rest of Runeterra and had spent nearly all her time in Bilgewater.

If Aatrox could still make facial expressions, he would have found this incredibly strange.

The little thing knew all sorts of secrets from history. Was knowing how the continents were laid out really so strange?

"As for where the Leviathan should dock, I recommend this region. In fact, it's the only option."

Sarah followed Ato's pointing finger and looked puzzled. "Is there something special about this place?"

Ato was pointing to Shurima, the continent covered in yellow sand west of the Bilgewater Isles.

The exact spot was in the continent's northeastern corner, one of the few areas of Shurima with oases, not far from Bilgewater's western shores.

Ato explained, "Look at the countries around us. Ionia and Freljord have one problem in common: they're practically cut off from the rest of the world, and their technology is primitive."

"If you go to either place, the most you can trade for is some food—though, of course, the people of Freljord won't give you any."

"Without fuel, the Leviathan will have no choice but to drift across the sea with the wind."

"There's no need to say much about Noxus. Gangplank stole this warship from the Noxians. If you dock at a Noxian port and they recognize it, you'll be in trouble."

"Northeastern Shurima hasn't had an established state ruling it for over a thousand years. There are only a few scattered settlements, and Noxus can't reach them."

"Besides, it trades with three relatively developed places—Piltover, Zaun, and Noxus—so fuel should be easy to find. If you're lucky, you might even find a secluded harbor."

Even Sarah, who knew nothing about geography, agreed after following Ato's explanation across the map that this was the best choice for now. Maintaining the Leviathan really was a headache.

"What if—I mean, what if," Sarah said, still worried, "we reach that region and can't find any fuel, or they refuse to supply us? By the time we get here from Freljord, both ships will have nearly run out."

"If it comes to that... you'll have two choices." Ato looked into Sarah's eyes.

"First, abandon ship. Give up the Leviathan and keep the Siren as your only vessel."

"What's the second?" Sarah pressed her lips together. She had struggled to gain the strength to stand against Gangplank and didn't want to give it up easily.

"Second, find an open stretch of the Sea of Watchers and anchor the Leviathan there. The Siren can make regular trips back to Bilgewater to bring it fuel."

"But that would make you easier to find, and there could be dangers out in the middle of the sea that we know nothing about."

"The second option is still better than abandoning the ship..." Sarah mused.

"Then why not just sail west to Piltover? Bilgewater's pirates dream of it. There isn't a pirate who doesn't know its name."

"That's why I said northeastern Shurima is the only option," Ato replied gravely.

"Whatever you do, don't take the warship to Piltover. Its ties with Noxus are closer than you think. There may already be Noxians among its leaders."

"The Leviathan's design is unmistakably Noxian. Anyone familiar with it would recognize it at a glance. Going to Piltover is too risky."

"...I understand." Sarah let out a long breath.

The Leviathan really was a hot potato. She didn't have much strength of her own, and without Ato, even if she'd managed to seize it, she wouldn't have known what to do with it.

"How are your crew progressing with their training?" Ato asked casually.

He knew that Raven, the First Mate, and Sanchez, the Chief Engineer, were learning to operate the Leviathan. Counting the day they'd been intercepted, they'd been standing still for three days already.

Other ships had passed by in that time, but they'd kept their distance. No one wanted to provoke such an imposing warship.

"These past two days have been so hectic." Sarah patted her forehead.

"I haven't asked since we took Andrew over there. I'll go check on their progress now. I'm sorry my affairs have delayed the journey..."

"Life at sea isn't so bad," Ato said with a wave of his hand.

After Sarah left, only Ato and Aatrox remained in the Captain's Cabin.

Ato found a seat and sat down, sighing. "When will I find another opponent like Hecarim? There are plenty of ordinary people, but they have no experience!"

Aatrox thought it over. "That won't be easy. In the thousand years I've been around, the only one I've met who came close to the centaur's strength was one of the Angel Sisters."

"But I can't figure it out. He still had the strength to fight, so why retreat early? In the end, he only exchanged a few moves with you. It was barely a skirmish."

"Who knows?" Ato shrugged. "Maybe some force on the Shadow Isles was calling him back?"

"No. There's another one—the mage named Ryze. Even without the World Rune, I believe he's already stronger than the Angel Sisters."

"Oh? You think that highly of him? I thought there was no one in the world you'd take seriously," Ato teased.

"Fight him, little thing." Aatrox sounded entirely serious.

"Pfft!" Ato had just taken a sip of water from the cup on the table. "Go take out Ryze? Me?"

"Powerful opponents are hard to find. If there's one right in front of us, why go to all the trouble of searching?"

"You need a reason to fight him," Ato said, wiping his mouth and then the water he'd sprayed onto Sarah's desk.

"Think about it. If you were gathering runes, eating hotpot and singing along, and then suddenly got chopped by a giant sword, wouldn't you be angry?"

"Learning from experience is reason enough." Aatrox grew more and more excited. It was only natural for one powerful warrior to react this way upon meeting another.

"I want to know the limits of his strength!"

"Give it a rest," Ato said, pouring cold water on his enthusiasm. "You couldn't even beat the Angel Sisters. They destroyed your body, and you still want to see the limits of Ryze's strength?"

Aatrox wisely fell silent.