4 Days earlier

  He could see the ship drawing nearer as he exited his house. Wale Port was such a small island that you could practically see the sea from anywhere. Red watched the massive ship draw near and couldn’t stop his heart from racing a little. Ships this size were so rare that he could count the number of times they stopped here on one hand. Actually, it was more like 2 fingers.

  Whoever was sailing this ship was most certainly powerful.

  “I wonder if they’re from the Fallen Isles,” He remarked to himself.

  That would truly be something. Actually, if they weren’t from the Fallen Isles, it would probably be even more interesting. That would mean they either came from the massive Academy city in the far north of Valencia or… Or they were from another sea. Red hoped for the last one. It wasn’t every day that you met someone from a totally different sea. Well, for Wale Port, that was more like never.

  Red could finally make out the mast of the ship, which hung a massive black sail. A black sail? That definitely wasn’t Valencian then. All major Valencia ships used teal sails to match the sea heart. If it was black, then it definitely wasn’t Valencian, but what was it? He ran through the list of what he knew about the other seas. Perhaps it was from Bloodwood. He didn’t know much about that sea, but black didn’t really fit anywhere else.

  As he approached the docks, he suddenly found himself facing a mass of people trying to retreat further into the island. He tried to ask what was going on, but everyone was so packed together that he was immediately separated from anyone he started speaking with. Red cursed silently and moved to an alleyway. There was no getting through that crowd.

  “What a load of crap,” he complained

  Getting through the throng of people was impossible, and climbing to the dock by a backway would make someone mad. Instead, Red just climbed right on top of the roof of the shop in front of him. It wasn’t like anyone would notice with all the commotion. Once there, he could finally get a good look at the thing that had caused all the upheaval.

  “Is that…A Gearborn ship?” He muttered to himself.

  “Yup.”

  Red practically tumbled off the side of the roof.

  “Where the hell did you come from?” He stared at the little kid beside him.

  “My mommy says that hell is a bad word.”

  “That’s nice, but where…the…hell…did you come from?”

  “Oh, I was here the whole time,” He said cheerfully.

  “Well, shut up then. I’m looking at this ship,” Red grunted.

  “You are the one who was talking to me first.”

  Red growled under his breath and glanced over the side of the building. It wasn’t that far. He glanced back at the kid. If he just gave him a little nudge… he’d survive the fall. Surely.

  Shaking his head in annoyance, Red focused his attention back on the ship that had now docked in the harbor. It was most definitely a Gearborn ship. Not that he knew what they looked like. However, it was obvious from the clearly inhuman figures on board. Still, he couldn’t help but gape at the massive ship. It was beautiful. It could probably slaughter the entire island in a matter of seconds.

  The whole side of the ship was lined with dozens of cannons. The massive sail did not look anything like those from normal ships. It was more of a massive elongated triangle that stretched from the rear of the boat all the way to the front. It was almost like one enormous fishing boat. Red was pretty sure the Gearborn wouldn’t appreciate the comparison, but it wasn’t like he had much else to compare it to. After all, the only other thing in the harbor was a collection of fishing boats.

  Red was certain they weren’t here to slaughter everyone. There would be no need to do that with a tiny island anyway. Nothing they had here could even damage the boat. Well, Red was fairly certain nothing anyone else had could damage the boat. He already had quite a few ideas if push came to shove.

  However, he needed more information. The robots clearly wanted something from the island. What that was, he had no idea. They wouldn’t have much time here, though. Red was fairly certain someone would have fast contact with the Fallen Isles. When they heard about Gearborn in Valencia, every battleship would converge on the area. Red pushed himself to his feet. He wanted more information, and the fastest way to do that would be to head to the docks themselves.

  “Alright, kid, I’m…” Red turned, but the little kid had vanished.

  Bloody hell. With a shake of his head, Red hopped off the roof and began making his way through the now-empty streets. It was like a ghost town until he drew closer to the harbor. There was a small group of people gathered at the docks eyeing the Gearborn warily.

  He watched a group of figures climb down from the massive ship. Red recognized a few of the figures in the crowd. They were the important people of the island. He spotted the mayor waiting anxiously. Red pursed his lips. He didn’t think the people would take kindly to him wandering over to investigate. That could potentially lead to a whole lot of issues he didn’t want.

  Red could feel himself growing anxious until a group broke off from the crowd and made their way back up to the town.

  Finally.

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Red watched them approach and could see worry painted on their faces.

  He spoke quickly as they approached, “What’s going on?”

  One of the men glanced at him, “Kid. I suggest staying as far from the docks as you can get.”

  “So, what’s going on?”

  “Those blasted robots are offering to trade for supplies,” One of the women replied, “But we all know how that will end up going.”

  The Gearborn wanted to trade, huh? Red nodded, and his mind quickly began to race. He knew they would have much higher-quality materials, materials he could definitely use for his project.

  Gearborn would not need coins, not that he had any left if they did. There was also nothing else that he could trade with. He didn't even know what they wanted to trade. Red suddenly had an idea. It was a great idea. Possibly one of the best ideas he had ever had. If he couldn’t trade for the materials, he was just going to take them.

  So, ignoring all the warnings, Red plopped down on an overturned barrel and waited. He eyed the docks suspiciously. After a while, people began to make their way back and forth between the docks and the town, carrying things. Red still hadn’t gotten a concrete answer on what the Gearborn actually wanted, but that was fine. He had gone down there after a while and seen exactly what he had expected.

  Gearborn didn’t have any currency that was worth anything in Valencia. So instead, they were trading cores. Gearborn cores to be specific. Red couldn’t help but gape when he saw the massive crate they had unloaded. Gearborn cores were vastly superior to the sea hearts in Valencia. Red wasn’t sure how they did it, but they had managed to create a core the same size while holding over double the energy.

  One of these cores alone would be enough to finish his entire contraption. If he could get his hands on more, though… NO. He was not going to let greed take him, or at least not by much. The cores were definitely valuable, but he also couldn’t risk taking more than one.

  Red had a feeling that once word got out that Gearborn cores were on the island…all of Valencia would come crashing down to get their hands on them. Whether that was forceful or not, it didn’t really matter. Once that happened, he would have plenty of chances to get off the island. Where he would go…that was an entirely different issue.

  It was already nearing noon, and he would have to go to work soon. That meant he was in a bit of a time crunch. But he had been busy since the Gearborn first arrived. He should be able to cause his distraction at the right time. He just hoped the Gearborn didn’t think they were under attack or anything. That would be bad. His distraction would be expensive, but hopefully worth it.

  He checked his watch briefly and hopped off the barrel to join the crowd headed down to the beach. If he had timed it correctly, everything would have gone down in a few minutes. Red forced himself to keep his breathing level and his expression blank. That was probably not the best expression, considering nearly everyone else was scared, but it would be fine.

  After a few minutes, he reached the front of the line. Ever so slowly, he inched his way forward, drawing nearer and nearer the Gearborn. The robots were all focused on the crowd. That was bad news for him, but that would change in just a…

  The sound of an explosion rippled across the crowd from down the beach. Immediately, every head turned on a swivel. Fear fell upon the crowd. Of course, they thought they were being attacked. The Gearborn didn’t have as harsh a reaction, but they, too, whirled towards the noise.

  “Aren’t I wonderful?” Red repressed a smirk as he inched forward until he was practically on top of the crate of cores.

  In one quick motion, he had his hand on a core, and the core was in his pocket. The crowd was still focused on the explosion, giving him just enough time to back into the line. He heard loud grinding noises between the Gearborn on the ground and those still on the ship. Everything had gone perfectly. Now all he had to do was…

  Something shook the entire dock. Red twisted his head, trying to see what happened. A new Gearborn strolled outwards from a cloud of dust. Red felt a vague pressure flowing out from this new figure. He didn’t know what it was, but it was definitely different from the rest of the Gearborn.

  His face looked far more human in comparison. It still had the same Gearborn similarities, but it didn’t look like a figure wearing a mask anymore. The Gearborn wore a long black coat and looked oddly human.

  Well, the explosion wasn’t that big. Red hoped that this new Gearborn wasn’t going to cause that much trouble. It could potentially throw a wrench in his plans. Everyone was already backing away from this new Gearborn. Red decided to join them as well. It definitely wouldn’t help if he were the only one left standing nearby. If they decided to search him, then he’d most certainly be doomed.

  “All of you stay where you are!” The Gearborn’s voice echoed out like a command, his voice eerily human-like despite coming from a robotic creation.

  Red felt himself stiffen along with the rest of his crowd. It wasn’t just a natural reaction of those in fear. Red sensed some sort of strange change in the mist as well. He tried to remember what he knew about the Gearborn. One thing was certain: this was definitely not a run-of-the-mill soldier. This Gearborn could use mist, and those were always the higher-up elites in their army. Red knew that much with certainty.

  “So one of you decided to play a funny game despite the warnings. That is most unpleasant for both of us. This is your only warning. Anyone else decides to try something, and we will take everything,” His voice caused tremors to run through the crowd.

  Red felt goosebumps rising from the robot’s voice. It was as if his very aura was causing fear to permeate the crowd. He shook himself and let his mist flow through his body as if he were healing it. Whatever this Gearborn was trying, it was simply a mental illusion.

  He felt the chills he had been feeling vanish. He wasn’t scared of the Gearborn, not like everyone else, but without the strange pressure on him…he felt totally unaffected by the robot’s presence.

  The Gearborn’s head swiveled, and his eyes landed on him. Red felt them boring into him like a drill, and he took an involuntary step back that had nothing to do with the robot’s aura. He quickly glanced at the ground, trying to hide his presence in the crowd. It was too late.

  Before he could even register what had happened, a strong metal hand had wrapped around his shirt collar. The crowd parted in fear, everyone trying to get as far away from the Gearborn as they could. That left Red facing the blasted thing alone. Red refused to go down looking like a coward and looked up into the creature’s eyes. It cocked its head slightly as if thinking.

  “Interesting…very interesting,” He muttered in a ragged, not quite human voice.

  Red considered for a moment whether he could shoot the robot. He was probably fast enough to get a shot off before the Gearborn could react. That would, unfortunately, still leave an entire battleship facing the island. So he couldn’t fight back. Not unless he wanted everyone else to pay for his stupidity as well.

  “You are different,” The Gearborn finally looked at him, “My mistress would most certainly enjoy you.”

  Red coughed awkwardly, “Uh, dude. That is a very weird thing to say to a stranger.”

  To his utter surprise, the Gearborn laughed. Actually, laughed. It sounded more like tumbling metal, but he was certain it was a laugh.

  “She is most certainly going to like you. A fearless one you are.”

  “I’m busy at the moment. I’ve got work in an hour, you know how it is. So could you, like… come back later. I’m sure I could fit you in a time slot then.”

  “Unfortunately, you don’t have a choice.”