Prince of The Abyss

The boat continued to drift off to sea, yet suddenly a bright light awakened him from his slumber. As he awakened, Aether put his hand in front of him, trying to block the light from getting in his face.

A lighthouse, which was the first thing he saw when he had awakened.

It stood on a stretch of black stone that pushed out into the sea, tall and straight, built from pale blocks that caught the light even under the clouded sky. The top burned with a steady flame; it was strong and constant. Waves crashed against the rocks below it, water breaking high before falling back into the sea, but the tower did not budge; it was unmovable, no wave could take it down... and it was, to say the least, not the same for their little boat.

But, beyond the lighthouse, which was to their left, at a far edge of the island, there was something else that faced them.

...The harbor slowly revealed itself.

At first, it was just shapes along the horizon. Then the shapes became masts. So many masts that they blurred together, rising into the sky like a forest made of wood and rope. He was a bit embarrassed to take their little ship to this place now, with so many big boats that probably cost five times what Kael had given him.

Ships filled the curved bay, packed close but not carelessly. After all, they weren’t driven by people who just learned for the first time, like he had done, but rather by actuall captain who knew what they were doing.

Large merchant vessels with wide hulls sat anchored beside slimmer ships built for speed. Smaller boats weaved between them, carrying cargo or messages from one dock to another.

While the harbor in Veyr had also been quite busy, there was no comparison; Stormfell’s harbor destroyed Veyr’s. It made him wonder what Stormfell was, and how it worked. Was it supposed to be dangerous? Was it like Veyr, an island with rules and stuff? Or a battleground?

As they got closer, he could finally start hearing what was going on.

Wood knocking against wood. Ropes tightening. Sails snapping in the wind. Faint shouting carried across the water, too far to make out words but loud enough to prove how alive the place was. Bells rang somewhere within the harbor, short and sharp.

The harbor stretched wider than expected, truly, he had not seen one as big as this one before... yet he had also not seen that many, so maybe it wasn’t such a big accomplishment.

Stone piers reached deep into the water, built thick and steady, reinforced with darker beams underneath. With them, you could be sure that this place was never going to fall, so it made sense why so many people were here, without a care in the world, because they knew they were safe.

Workers moved along them in steady lines, loading crates, rolling barrels, guiding ships into position. Even from this distance, it was clear that everything moved with purpose. It must... actually be nice working in this place, it could be fun... but maybe that was just because he was used to fighting, so a job like this would be refreshing for him.

The outer edge of the harbor curved naturally with the land, cliffs rising on either side, forming a protective half-circle around the ships. Watchtowers stood along the cliff walls, not massive fortresses, but tall enough to oversee the water.

If he had to say, this place, whatever its name was, had a very big authority over the waters, which was very important, when the only way to get from island to island was through boats. So it was to be expected that the people here would be rich.

Closer to the lighthouse, larger ships were stationed, their hulls darker and more reinforced. Their sails were folded neatly, but even at rest, they looked prepared.

Which probably meant that the lighthouse meant a lot for them, since they wanted to guard it and protect it so much... or maybe it was another thing they wanted to protect, something hidden inside of it...

Smoke rose from somewhere deeper within the harbor, thin trails climbing into the sky. It mixed with the scent of salt carried by the wind.

The water itself changed as they approached. It grew calmer within the harbor’s curve, less violent than the open sea behind them. The swells lowered, turning into steady movement rather than crashing waves. It was almost the opposite of what happened when they left Veyr; the sky became bluer as the clouds left, and the sun blessed them with its gaze.

More small boats began to pass them now. Some barely glanced their way. Others looked longer, measuring.

...

At least they weren’t the only ones going in this place with cheap boats. Still, he was a bit jealous, but he knew they couldn’t have bought the other boat; if they did, they wouldn’t have a place to sleep.

The scale of it settled in slowly.

This was not a fishing town. Not a simple dock. It was a port built for hundreds of ships. Built for trade. Built to last.

And they were heading straight toward it.

...

...

Aether shook Kade awake, who seemed panicked when he was awakened. If he had to say it wasn’t because of a bad dream, but rather all his fault.

”W-what happened, were we attacked?” The boy said, gripping an invisible blade.

Aether let go of him.

”No, we arrived at our destination. I was just waking you up.”

Kade glanced at Aether with an intense gaze, as if asking him if he was serious, but after Aether was unbothered by his stare, he slowly sighed.

”Alright, fine, let’s... just... let’s get this over with.”

Aether smiled happily, climbing onto one of the many piers. The wood felt stable, very stable, maybe even strengthened by steel under it, but one thing was for sure: this thing was not going to fall any time soon.

One thing Aether quickly noticed was just how many guards were in this place.

They were tall, lean, yet he knew that their bodies were muscular; after all, being near the water, they were probably trained to be able to fight in the water, which builds up muscles quite well. He also noticed their stance, unbothered and ready; he knew that if something were to happen, they could react in a fraction of a second.

The material of their armor seemed lightweight, to be expected when, since if they were to use steel, it would be very inefficient. It was a water-resistant material, though it was something he hadn’t seen before, and it was probably a bad idea to try to touch them. So it was better to say it was probably something specific to this world, and maybe to this place specifically.

The color scheme was of dark navy and dark gray, the simplest and most expected color scheme; they must not have been inspired while designing it, huh?

The thing was, that he wasn’t the only one who noticed them; they also noticed him, as one of them approached them.

”I’m going to need your name, your reason for coming to Stormfell, and how long you’re planning to stay in the Great Harbor.”

’Geez, these guys really don’t mess around.’ But he had gained some information; this place was called the Great Harbor... at least he got the name of the place they were in, since their map didn’t say any other name than Stormfell.

He should have stolen a better one.

”My name is Aether.” He pointed at the boy behind him. ”And this is Kade, were in Stormfell for a job somebody gave us. He wanted us to find some things on this island, and we wished to stay here for a little while, so we could rest and get our plan done.”

The guard nodded.

”Alright, the daily fee is ten embers each.”

”Daily fee?! Ten whole embers for what?”

He knew they were going to have to spend some embers for a place to stay, which was why he had decided to buy the cheapest boat; that way, they would have enough for things like this, but he didn’t know there was a fee, plus, since there were two of them, he had to pay double.

He glanced at Kade with an angry face, as if it were his fault.

”For what? For our protection. The Great Harbor is one of the biggest civilizations inside Stormfell, and we have to be paid for protecting you guys from the terrors outside the city. If you want, you can always leave and live for free outside of Stormfell.

But it won’t be that easy to live.”

Aether gritted his teeth, and while he was annoyed, he knew he couldn’t talk anymore. Of course, he could, but he would likely get thrown out.

So he paid the fee.

’This is already going horribly...’