Nearly everyone was present by the time they arrived. All the sailors, including Sonja, along with all of the soldiers, including Zara. They were all standing around the section of the wall that overlooked the sea. At the moment, Zara and Silas stood looking across the teal expanse. Neither of them spoke, but a quiet murmuring filled the crowd.
Silas was utilizing a telescope to get a better view at the distant horizon. What he saw, Red could not say. The object that had appeared in the distance was nearly invisible to the naked eye. It was just a small splurge of color on the otherwise teal water. Even after enhancing his eyes, all he could do was make out a black smudge.
However, while many of the sailors were hopeful, Red guessed otherwise. The gearborn were coming, that much was certain. Assuming it was a Valencian ship approaching, the chances of it being enough to take on the gearborn were slim. Red didn't have much hope.
"What is it?" One of the sailors called.
Zara didn't respond for a moment. She hesitated, and that was not a good sign. When she finally turned, there was a dark look on her face. She surveyed the crowd slowly, her eyes taking everyone in at a glance. It was not the look of someone about to deliver good news.
"It is not what you are all hoping for."
Silence.
No one moved or spoke. What was there to say? The sailors had got their hopes up for nothing. Red was glad he already knew what was coming because to the rest of the people here, it would be like a punch to the gut.
"The ship that is approaching is an enemy vessel, that you can all be certain of," Despite the danger of the situation, Zara spoke calmly, "Things are about to get a lot more difficult than they were before. It is likely that all of you present will be forced to engage in combat to some extent."
"Combat?" Sonja murmured, "We don't know how to fight? What do you expect us to do?"
"Yeah, none of us are trained soldiers. Our aid is practically worthless. We're just going to be getting ourselves killed," Shaun called.
Zara's soldiers shifted uncomfortably. They had been fighting for all of the people present. They had lost friends to keep everyone safe. Obviously, there was more to it than that, but that didn't matter.
Silas turned from his post and growled, "This has nothing to do with you fighting to save this fort or the island, you cowards. It has to do with saving your own skin. Do you have any idea what is about to take place!"
Zara raised her hand, "That's enough. Silas is correct. I am not asking you to fight because I want you in the line of fire. I am telling you that you might be forced to fight if you want a chance to survive what is coming."
"What's coming?" Kalin asked, his knuckles clenched at his sides.
Red eyed all of them in turn. He had expected this sort of reaction to happen, and they hadn't even been told the biggest part of the news yet. When that happened…well…
"The ship that is approaching our island is not of human make."
Silence.
No one moved. Everyone present knew what that proclamation meant. Not of human make. There was only one other possibility, only one possibility that they would all come to.
"You're not saying… It's the gearborn," Vizim whispered.
Zara nodded, "Yes. That is a Gearborn ship that you all spotted."
It didn't take a genius to sense the fear fall across the sailors then. A few stumbled backward out of sheer terror. It was no wonder. The gearborn had ravaged the sea for years, and when they were defeated, they were supposed to be gone for good. None of the sailors had asked to be brought into a warzone, but now they were to be thrown against the enemies of all of humanity.
For his part, Red wasn't scared. He was just irritated. They had the handle on the situation for the time being, and now those blasted tin cans were showing up. When they did, whatever lives they had made for themselves in the fort would be shattered. He knew they would all be in the thick of it when that happened.
Ever since he had first heard of their potential arrival, he had dedicated himself to preparing. There was obviously Aegis that he had been completing, but more than that. He had begun throwing together as many gadgets as he could in his spare time. The more items he had at his disposal, the better set he would be when he was inevitably forced to face robots in combat.
The sailors, though…Red could only shake his head as he watched panic overtake them. Even Vizim was mortified. To them, the gearborn were mythical enemies. Enemies out of legend, terrible and cruel. Now those enemies were on that docks. Red couldn't blame them.
He turned and wandered away before the true chaos could start. That was Zara's job to handle. She had been keeping information about the gearborn for a reason, and she should have warned them earlier. Now, everyone would be in a panic when they arrived. Everyone, but him.
With the robots on the horizon and Aegis done, it was time to begin preparing himself. He hadn't been involved in the fighting for a while, but now… Entering the workroom that he and Vizim had made, Red moved to the back corner where he had been storing his various trinkets.
His hands moved on their own as he began to line his pockets with the necessary items. There were flashbombs and noisebombs, explosives and other trinkets. Each item fit neatly in the slots he had prepared in his coat.
Along with them, he had crafted a few extra rechargeable cores to use for his guns just in case. He had had enough of them not firing when he needed them.
"Red, what do we do?" Vizim's panicked voice filled the room as his friend staggered inside.
"What do you mean? We'll fight them like any other enemy. It's pretty simple."
"Have you seen their weapons, Red? They could level this fort in minutes. There could be thousands of them on that ship, all bent on killing us. We're dead…we're so dead!"
"Calm down," Red turned to him as he slotted the rest of his items in his pockets, "I've already seen them fight before. It is nowhere near as impossible as you're making it sound. Derrin is an expert on the Gearborn, and that isn't even counting Zara. We'll be fine. You really shouldn't be so worked up over a bunch of tin cans."
"Tin cans!" Vizim frantically paced the room, "Okay. But that doesn't change anything…"
"Vizim! We've been preparing for this, haven't we? Aegis is ready to go, and this fort has a shield of its own. Assuming we actually need to face the Gearborn in combat, we have very strong allies. With Zara, Derrin, and Silas working together, none of the gearborn stand a chance."
Red hesitated for a moment. That wasn't necessarily true. If the herald had come…they were already dead. He had seen Ayjax go all out and be unable to kill the monster. If it were on that ship, even the combined efforts of everyone on the island wouldn't be enough.
"Fine…say you're right. What happens when they arrive, and why are they coming in the first place?"
"They've made a deal with the pirates."
"What! Oh, we're so screwed now!"
Red facepalmed. He definitely shouldn't have said that.