The following morning, Red arose to find a large landmass on the horizon. Throughout the nights, Torrent had continued their journey. That had sped their progress up by leaps and bounds. Unfortunately, despite the island's proximity, Ayjax still forced him to practice.
Red slumped against the side of the ship. Exhaustion had taken over his muscles from all the times he had attacked the damn sandbags. He still wasn't very confident in using the ability in combat, but it was a good way to practice. One of the biggest problems he had in his progression was not knowing what to practice.
During the last few days, he had barely seen Ayjax. Except for meals and a few words at the start of training, Ayjax didn't give him any more instructions. He was definitely not a teacher, that was for sure. Instead, Red found himself spending a lot more time with Derrin. He seemed to know far more about teaching others than Ayjax. Red had learned a lot of things he didn't know were possible.
However, the most interesting part of the time they spent together was when Red watched Derrin train. Most of his time was spent performing sword movements across the deck. Red hadn't been able to notice during the fight, but now he could sense the changes in Derrin's mist. His mist perfectly flowed with his sword swings, allowing him to make the most of his lack of abilities.
Red rose from his spot and wiped sweat from his forehead. He could finally see the rising mountains of the Fallen Isles. He hoped it was the Fallen Isles at least, because if it was some other random island, he might just break. There was some level of enjoyment to travelling across the open seas…when you weren't stuck in a prison cell. However, Red was much too eager to arrive at an actual city and not just any city at that.
The capital of Valencia. The Fallen Isles.
Over the next hour, Red continued training, but his attention kept shifting to the landmass that was rising out of the water in the distance. Eventually Ayjax joined him on deck.
"Is that it?" Red asked as he watched the horizon.
Ayjax glanced across the expanse of sea, "It is. We should be arriving within the hour. It probably seems closer than what it actually is. The Fallen Isles is nothing like Wale Port…"
That was definitely a relief. Red nodded briefly before turning back to the damn sandbag. He wasn't sure if it was his third or fourth one. There was a guarantee he wasn't getting any more out of this training session.
Instead, he headed back into the ship to retrieve his designs. The preliminary ideas were done, but he was still missing one key thing. A cooling system. That was one thing Red didn't trust himself with. He hoped to get some inspiration once they arrived.
Red checked his shockblasters as well. It had taken him multiple days to fully recharge them with all the training Ayjax was forcing him to undergo. He wasn't expecting trouble, but after what had happened in Wale Port, he wasn't taking any chances. His guns were going to be loaded and ready to go. It felt good knowing he'd actually be able to do something in a fight.
By the time he returned to the deck, the mountainous islands were towering before them. There were also other ships dotting the seas now. Most of them were small in comparison to Ayjax's own. Still, they all would have been massive in Wale Port. Derrin had arrived on the deck during his absence and was staring at the mountains absently.Red wondered if he'd been here before or if they both were arriving for the first time.
Ayjax had taken control of the ship's steering. He maneuvered them around the outside of the first island, allowing Red to get a good view of the archipelago in front of them.
"Why is it called the Fallen Isles? Is that the name of the city or the whole set of islands?"
That was something he had wondered for a while, but no one on Wale Port had known.
"Both actually. The Fallen Isles is this region of the sea, but it is also the name of the capital city. It's a bit weird, but if someone is referring to the Fallen Isles, they are usually talking about the city proper and not the surrounding islands," he remained, focusing on guiding the ship.
Red could understand why the region was so well known. As they rounded the outermost island, he saw the entire series of islands that curled in a semicircle. They were entering from the westernmost island and sailing inwards.
Despite the distance, Red could still see the massive city that was situated between the three central islands. Each of the individual islands was enough to dwarf the tiny town of Wale Port. Together, it created a truly massive city.
This wasn't what truly caught his attention. It was the change in sea color. The center of the bay seemed to deepen in color, making the normally faint teal color far more prominent. The effect only increased the closer to the center he looked.
"Why does the water do that?" Red asked.
"You don't know? I guess you wouldn't," Ayjax cocked his head, "That Red…is the heart of the sea."
"That," Red raised an eyebrow, "There's nothing there."
Ayjax snorted, "Of course not. That's because it is deep beneath the bay. The center of the bay might be one of the deepest parts of the surrounding sea. At the very bottom is the heart of Valencia."
Red stared at that spot for a long moment. The heart of Valencia. Right beneath the waves, was one of the most powerful things…beings…Red wasn't even sure what the right word was. He just knew that the very essence of his power and so many others came from that very point.
He knew very little about that source other than that it was responsible for the sea color. Supposedly, the color was different in the other seas. Red didn't know how there could be a sea that wasn't teal, but people could have their own ideas.
"You're saying that right in the middle is one of the most powerful things in Valencia. Isn't that not really safe?"
Ayjax shrugged, "Perhaps. But compared to the other seas, our city is built around it. It allows us to keep a close watch on who goes in and out. The other seas try to do the same, but it isn't nearly as practical or even possible for some."
"People go down there!" Red asked in shock, "That seems like a really dumb idea."
He snorted, "Sometimes I forget how little you actually know about Valencia. I'm sure you know about the different possible core layers. Those are only obtainable by visiting the cores in each sea. So…yes, it might be a dumb idea, but having power is very valuable in our world."
"You went down there?"
"Yes, I did…however, don't keep asking questions about it. I can't tell you the answers."
"It's a secret, is what you're saying."
"No," Ayjax scratched his head, "It's a bit hard to explain. The heart of the sea prevents anyone who hasn't completed its challenge from learning about the challenge. It's a safety mechanism that prevents too many people from completing the heart's challenge."
"You're right, that doesn't make sense. How would that work anyway?"
Ayjax grunted, "Well, about like this. ** *** **** ** *** *** * *** ** ***** * *** ****."
Everything sounded normal to him until Ayjax spoke the last sentence. His words seemed to vibrate as he spoke them. While Red was certain he heard the words and understood…it was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. The words were there, he knew they were…and yet, he couldn't recall them. He knew that he knew what it was, but just couldn't recall.
Red blinked in surprise, "What? That was the weirdest thing ever."
"Indeed. It is like that for every core's challenge. In the old days, you couldn't even talk about that much without it being cut out. However, enough people have completed the challenges, so more can be talked about. That luckily means far fewer people die in the attempt," Ayjax said.
"I know you're strong, but have you completed a lot of the challenges?"
"That is one thing you are also going to need to learn. Asking that question is oftentimes considered rude. Especially to those more powerful than you. But I've completed a number of them. I mean, just look at me," He flexed his massive biceps.
Red gave him a flat stare. As they drew closer, he finally began to pick out details of the city and landscape behind it. Massive towers dotted throughout the city. Stone arches and walkways trailed between buildings and covered every inch of the central islands. All of it was emphasized by what appeared to be a massive set of rib bones hanging across the mountains that stood as a backdrop to the city.
The island he grew up on had similar architecture to the central island. However, the sheer scope of this construction made the tiny island appear like a children's toy. Red couldn't help but gape. He had spent over a decade on the insignificant island of Wale Port, always wanting to find some way to get off the island. Places like this were why he wanted to explore.
Ayjax's ship sailed up into the dock. There were over a hundred walkways connected to the actual city, and that didn't count all the smaller docks that were separate from the main one. Red could tell almost immediately that people here knew Ayjax. His ship's arrival turned every eye in the crowded area. Actually, that might simply have been because his ship dwarfed most of the other docked ships.
Red stared at the expanse of city laid out in front of him. The Fallen Isles stretched up into the mountains all around them. It was hard to believe that he had finally arrived in the capital.
"What exactly is going to happen now?" Red asked.
He couldn't help but want to explore the city. There were probably hundreds of shops here selling materials for his engineering. Not to mention that they carried everything he could want as opposed to Alan's old rundown shop on Wale Port. He'd also be able to get access to more cores.
Ayjax glanced over at him from where he was rummaging around in a chest, "I have some urgent things I need to take care of right away. Once that's done, I can get you to meet with my old friend and figure things out from there. Until then, do whatever you want."
Do whatever you want…Red wasn't sure how he felt about that. After all, there was this huge city in front of him to explore. However, Ayjax's mention of the future gave him pause. That was something he always pushed off into the future, and now here it was. There was no more pushing it back; he needed to make a choice. He shook his head. Not yet, he didn't, he'd push it back some more.
"What exactly should I do?" Red asked, "And how do you expect to find me in this…"
Ayjax pulled something out of the chest and stuck it into his pocket. "Are you really asking me what you should do?"
"I figured you'd know the city far better than me. Besides, there isn't much I could do anyway…I don't have any money."
"Do you really think the only thing you can do here is shop!" Ayjax muttered with bewilderment.
"I mean. That's about the only thing I did on Wale Port. What else do you expect me to do? Stare at random people?"
Ayjax let out a grunt, "I don't care what you do, but I'm not giving you money. One of the issues with not having a strong government is that there aren't a lot of regulations. The end result is that there are a lot of people who will scam unwary tourists like yourself."
This guy was no help at all. Red grumbled under his breath. If only he had some coins left over from before. Not only had he lost all of them but also all of his mechanical parts. It was truly a shame.
"Anyways. It's going to be noon in a couple of hours. Around that time, you can make your way to the central capital building. It's not really a capital building because it only consists of one office, but anyone you ask can point you in the right direction."
Ayjax pointed to a distant spot in the mountainous city, "That is the building I'll meet you at."
Red nodded and squinted to get a better view of the distant structure. He was fairly certain that Ayjax had gained some sort of eye enhancement because all he saw was trees. There was a thin smudge of white behind, but there was no way he'd recognize it in person.
He walked down to the main deck and found Derrin there sharpening his sword. He didn't even consider that the man might stay behind. After spending a few days with him, he knew for a fact that he'd follow his bloody honored ideal to the grave. It was a waste of time to try to convince him otherwise.
"I'm going to explore," Red said, "You can stay here if you want."
He was going to try anyway.
"I will come," he replied simply, quickly putting away his items.
It was worth a try.
Red turned as a massive thunk collided with the walkway below. Glancing over, he realized that Ayjax had simply leapt over the side and was now casually strolling up towards the city. Growling, Red looked around for another method of getting down from the deck. There was simply no way they could make that fall. After attaching the rope ladder to the side of the ship, he clambered down.
As his feet hit the wooden boards, he couldn't help but sigh with relief. It had been days since he last felt the familiar feeling of ground. While he had no problems being on a ship, land simply felt so much better. Derrin joined a moment later, and together the two of them headed upwards to explore the Fallen Isles.