The following morning, Derrin and Red made their way down to the docks. Ayjax made Derrin promise to stick with Red. That wasn't too hard when all Derrin wanted to do was follow him around. Of course, that meant the dang man had slept on the floor in his room. He said it was to protect from intruders, but Red was starting to wonder if Derrin was simply lonely.
Red's thoughts were somewhat of a jumbled mess. The previous day had been chaotic. They had arrived at a place he had spent years dreaming about, only for him to be leaving again. Surprisingly, he didn't care too much. The brief meeting with Finn Crest had been enough for him. He wanted to be as far away from that man as possible.
The docks looked far emptier than when they had arrived the previous morning. Most of the larger ships had departed along with Ayjax's. Derrin had already spoken with the captain of the ship they were travelling on. All Red knew was that his name was Cairen.
He followed Derrin to a spot at the far end of the docks. As they approached, Red couldn't help but marvel at the scale of the different ships. Most of them were far smaller than Ayjax's, but they were still massive. He spotted a squat balding man directing a group of men around a ship.
"That's Cairen," Derrin pointed to the man, "He's a bit of a grump, but as long as you assume you are in the wrong, you'll be fine."
"Why do you say that?"
Derrin shook his head, "You'll see soon enough."
Red focused his attention on the ship Cairen was working on. It was on the smaller side. However, the smaller side of The Fallen Isles meant that it was still much larger than anything in Wale Port. Red was interested in learning how this ship sailed. Unlike Ayjax's ship, this one actually had a crew. Red wasn't surprised; he knew that ships like Ayjax's were extremely rare. His parents had one of their own before…
Cairen noticed their approach and stopped directing, "You're late. You were supposed to be here at sunrise. You're lucky we didn't leave your asses."
His voice came out long and stiff, sounding like sandpaper. The man was short, even shorter than Red was. This meant that anyone talking to him was forced to stare down at his bald head. The rest of him looked exactly like that of the other sailors. His clothes were white and looked well-worn. However, Red could feel the presence emanating from the short man. Red couldn't be certain, but the man was definitely stronger than he was.
"Apologies. It won't happen again," Derrin replied politely.
"Better not," The man turned back to his crew, "Just stay out of everyone's way. You're deadweight after all."
Red glanced back at the man as they walked the gangplank to the ship, "Seems like a pleasant fellow."
"I don't think that I'd use that as a description," Derrin huffed.
Cairen had said to stay out of the way, so they attempted to do so. Unfortunately, everywhere they went seemed to be in the way. Eventually, they gave up and simply headed below deck. Derrin had already secured them a room, and he led the way. As they walked, they passed multiple groups speaking quietly in the halls. They weren't sailors like those above deck. He wasn't sure about their power levels, but he knew many of them were strong.
"Who are all these people?" Red asked, keeping his voice low.
"They are…actually not quite sure what you'd call them. They aren't quite mercenaries. Their loyalties are only to Valencia, but they also won't do anything without payment."
"So, soldiers?"
Derrin sniffed, "Definitely not!"
He stopped in front of a small door and pushed it open. "Here we are!"
Red just stared at the open doorway. The cabin they were given was tiny. It was practically a cracker box. Red was not sure how anyone managed to survive in a room this minuscule. Especially not with multiple people. Derrin alone seemed to take up half the room because he was so tall. Red grimaced and stepped inside. He had no luggage, and neither did Derrin. They were both essentially broke.
"We're supposed to sleep here tonight?" Red stared, open-mouthed.
Derrin shrugged, "Should work, right?"
"Should work! Are you planning on folding in half to lie down? This is essentially a storage cupboard," he tried not to shout.
"They offered a bigger room, but I turned them down," Derrin remarked.
"WHAT!"
Derrin laughed. That was so unexpected that he almost forgot about the tiny room.
"I was joking. That was sarcasm."
Red rubbed his eyes and muttered, "Bloody hell. Damn. I am so screwed. Do you even know what sarcasm is?"
"Did I do something wrong?" Derrin genuinely seemed confused.
"Yeah. That was not sarcasm in the slightest. It also wasn't funny. We have to sleep here, you know. Like both of us. Not just me."
Derrin frowned, "I guess I'll try better next time."
Red just shook his head, a wave of exasperation washing over him. Storming hell. Was this what it was like around him?
"So, you're the newcomers." A tall blonde-haired man stood in the doorway.
The man may have been taller than Red, but he still had nothing on a Montrelan. Red could feel the slight power flowing outwards like an aura. This was a skilled fighter. Nothing like Ayjax or Derrin, but those two seemed to be outliers.
"We are," Derrin replied.
"You both seem awfully young to be engaged in combat with the rest of us…What exactly are you here for?" The man didn't seem like he was trying to be rude, just curious.
Red shrugged, "Meeting someone, I guess? We weren't told much of anything."
"I'm sure the captain will have something for you to do."
"Are you all here to fight? I didn't really understand why you're all here in the first place," Red asked.
"If you weren't told, then they likely don't want you to know," The man replied simply, "Sorry about that. It's the first trade rule we're taught. Anyways, I'm Craig. I guess we'll be seeing each other around for a while."
"I guess," Red shook his outstretched hand while Derrin gave a curt nod.
Craig's eyes narrowed at the gesture, but he didn't say anything. "Well, I'll be seeing you."
Red grunted as the man turned and left, "That was darn helpful. We still have no idea what is going on. Not to mention, we don't even know who I'm supposed to be meeting. I wish that bloody man had told us more."
"Hmm," Derrin pursed his lips, "They aren't allowed to talk about what they're here for. That's interesting. If I had to guess, they're being sent to reinforce somewhere after the regular soldiers pull out to hunt the Gearborn."
"You said these were mercenaries. Are you telling me we'll be sent into a potential warzone?"
"I doubt it'll be active. Potentially active, maybe."
Bloody flaming hell.