East Verdan Harbor never truly slept.
Even before sunrise, the docks already breathed with life.
Chains rattled.
Workers shouted across loading platforms.
Massive ships groaned against wooden piers like sea monsters waking from deep sleep.
The ocean smelled of:
salt smoke engine oil incoming storms
Dhruv stood near the edge of the harbor with his hands inside his pockets while staring at the endless rows of ships.
Some looked majestic.
Some looked terrifying.
And some looked one strong wave away from exploding.
Deep arrived beside him carrying three cups of coffee and an unreasonable amount of energy for this early in the morning.
“I HAVE A PLAN.”
Dhruv accepted a coffee cautiously.
“That sentence usually ends badly.”
Deep gasped dramatically.
“You wound me emotionally.”
“You almost launched yourself into orbit yesterday.”
“That happened ONCE.”
“Twice.”
Deep ignored this.
He pointed proudly toward the far end of the harbor.
“Cheap ships are over there.”
Dhruv followed his finger.
The “cheap ship” section looked less like a harbor and more like a floating graveyard.
Broken hulls.
Rust-covered decks.
Half-sunken wrecks tied together with questionable engineering.
One ship literally leaned sideways.
Dhruv slowly lowered his coffee.
“…We’re going to die.”
Deep grinned.
“Adventure mindset.”
The Rust Harbor district sat separated from the main docks by massive iron gates.
Most people avoided this area.
Which immediately made Dhruv interested.
Hunters wandered between wrecked ships bargaining aggressively with shady mechanics and smugglers.
Several crews stared suspiciously at newcomers.
A crocodile-man merchant smoked beside stacked crates while yelling:
“THIS SHIP ONLY SANK TWICE.”
“ONLY?!”
Dhruv loved this place instantly.
Deep moved confidently through the chaos.
Clearly familiar with it.
“You come here often?”
“I buy parts here.”
“That explains a lot actually.”
Deep bowed dramatically.
“Thank you.”
They spent nearly two hours inspecting ships.
Results:
one had no engine one smelled aggressively haunted one technically split in half one captain tried charging them extra for “minimal rat activity”
Dhruv finally collapsed against a wooden railing dramatically.
“We’re doomed.”
Deep crossed his arms thoughtfully.
“We need something cheap but durable.”
“Preferably something that floats.”
“That too.”
Suddenly, shouting erupted nearby.
A group of rough hunters argued beside a medium-sized cargo ship painted dark blue.
The vessel looked old but sturdy.
A skull-shaped lantern hung near its entrance.
“This one looks decent.”
Deep’s expression changed immediately.
“…No.”
Dhruv blinked.
“What?”
Deep lowered his voice.
“That ship belongs to the Black Gull crew.”
The atmosphere shifted slightly.
Even nearby merchants avoided looking toward the ship directly.
Dhruv frowned.
“Who are they?”
“Smugglers. Information brokers. Hunters sometimes.”
Deep glanced carefully toward the vessel.
“People say they steal ancient artifacts from ruined continents.”
Dhruv’s curiosity instantly increased by 300%.
“Sounds interesting.”
“Sounds deadly.”
A loud crash interrupted them.
One of the Black Gull hunters shoved another man directly off the dock into the ocean.
Nobody reacted.
Nobody helped.
The hunter simply laughed and lit a cigar.
Dhruv’s expression hardened slightly.
He hated people like that.
Deep noticed immediately.
“Don’t.”
Dhruv looked at him.
“We need a ship. Not enemies.”
Dhruv slowly relaxed again.
“…Right.”
Still.
His eyes lingered toward the Black Gull vessel.
Something about it felt important somehow.
Before he could think further, a small mechanical chirping sound echoed from Deep’s backpack.
Deep froze.
“…That’s not good.”
“What?”
His backpack suddenly started shaking violently.
Dhruv stepped backward immediately.
“DEEP.”
Deep unzipped the bag cautiously.
Inside sat a tiny metal bird glowing bright red.
“It’s overheating.”
“WHY IS THERE A METAL BIRD IN YOUR BAG?!”
“Long story.”
The mechanical bird suddenly blasted upward screaming metallic noises.
FWOOOSH.
Smoke exploded everywhere.
People nearby panicked instantly.
“FIRE!”
“MOVE!”
The metal bird flew wildly around the harbor shooting sparks in every direction.
Dhruv stared in disbelief.
“…Your inventions are trying to assassinate us.”
Deep sprinted after the bird immediately.
“COME BACK YOU BEAUTIFUL FAILURE!”
The mechanical bird crashed directly into stacked barrels.
BOOOOM.
Water exploded across the dock.
Several angry merchants began chasing Deep instantly.
“GET HIM!”
Deep pointed dramatically at Dhruv while running.
“THIS IS A GREAT DISTRACTION.”
“FOR WHO?!”
Dhruv laughed helplessly and sprinted after him anyway.
The two dashed across the harbor while chaos erupted behind them.
At some point, Dhruv turned invisible instinctively while dodging flying crates. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
Deep still somehow tracked him perfectly.
“How are you finding me?!”
“You breathe loudly!”
“I DO NOT.”
“You panic breathe!”
Dhruv reappeared while laughing.
“You’re unbelievable.”
Eventually both boys escaped into a quieter corner of Rust Harbor near abandoned docks.
Deep collapsed against a rusted anchor breathing heavily.
“…Okay.”
He pointed upward weakly.
“Small problem.”
Dhruv followed his gaze.
Dark clouds gathered heavily above the eastern sea.
Storm clouds.
Large ones.
The ocean waves had already begun turning rough.
Deep frowned slightly.
“Storm season’s arriving early.”
Dhruv leaned quietly against the railing overlooking the sea.
“Can ships still travel?”
“Experienced crews maybe.”
Deep’s expression grew thoughtful.
“But beginners?”
Silence.
The wind became colder.
Dhruv stared toward the eastern horizon again.
East Cloud waited somewhere beyond those storm lines.
Somewhere out there:
Grandpa’s secrets the truth about the Seven Stones and probably enough danger to kill them both ten times over
Dhruv smiled slowly.
Perfect.
Deep suddenly spoke again.
“There IS one option.”
Dhruv looked over.
Deep scratched his cheek awkwardly.
“My old mentor owns a small transport ship.”
“Oh?”
“He owes me money.”
“That sounds promising.”
“He also hates me.”
“…Less promising.”
Deep grinned.
“But he hates me slightly less than everybody else.”
Dhruv laughed.
“Good enough.”
The harbor wind blew stronger around them.
Nearby waves crashed against rusted ship hulls.
Then quietly…
Dhruv noticed something strange.
Farther down the abandoned dock sat a girl wearing a dark hooded coat.
She calmly read an old book while sitting atop stacked cargo crates completely alone.
Purple pendant around her neck.
Dhruv blinked slightly.
The same pendant he was from the market stall.
Before he could focus further… the girl closed her book softly and disappeared into the harbor crowd.
Gone.
Dhruv frowned slightly.
“…Weird.”
Deep looked confused.
“What?”
Dhruv glanced toward the empty dock again.
“…Nothing.”
But somehow… it didn’t feel like nothing.
END OF CHAPTER 6