Chapter 7

“So that’s the place, huh?”

Koji and Sylvia stood on the deck of a small boat that was floating in a wide canal that opened up into the main bay of Belehan’s docks. Their boat was crewed by four other members of the Order, steering it slowly to the open water.

Their destination was a shipyard that was used for processing cargo ships that had become too old or too damaged to be in commercial use. They would either be stripped down for parts and timber, or refurbished into vessels of a different purpose.

Koji adjusted his attire, still not used to it. He had reported to the High Lords earlier that day to receive his instructions, as per the letter. He and Sylvia had been dispatched to investigate this shipyard out in the Docks District, along with a small squad of soldiers from the Order.

Koji had been issued with some armor as well as a weapon, in case affairs escalated into a fight. It was mostly just a mail-backed shirt, sabatons, and gauntlets, with the latter being fitted with Magicide crystals to prevent any magical threats from getting the better of him. It was a little bit heavy and made turning around feel stiff, but in the end he had agreed that it was better to have it than go in completely unprotected.

Strapped to Koji’s side was a short sword in a wooden sheath. He had no experience in wielding one, but the High Lords had insisted that he take it with him, with Sylvia backing them up on their decision. Koji did have to admit that he did feel a little bit safer with the weapon at his side, but he privately decided that if it came to a fight, he would not be drawing the sword as his first choice.

“Alright, everyone,” Sylvia said, catching all of their attention with her loud voice. “This should be a standard raid, but as always, we have to be careful of anything unexpected. The Magecroft Organization is on the back foot in Behalan, but that just makes them more dangerous. Nothing’s more unpredictable than a cornered rat. Be vigilant, and watch each other’s backs. Koji, you’re with me. We’re taking point. Everyone else, follow close behind.”

The other Order members saluted in response and paired up, getting their weapons ready.

As their boat drew to a stop next to a pier, Sylvia drew her longsword and picked up her shield. Without a word, all six of the team disembarked from their vessel and advanced into the shipyard.

Derelict hulks and partially dismantled barges towered around the group. Here and there, small puddles of seawater had pooled from high tide, and there were crane-like mechanisms with huge metal hooks attached for moving the ships around. The whole place smelled of rusting metal and rotting wood, as well as salt from the ocean.

They stuck to the wooden walkways that the shipyard had built to navigate the maze of dilapidated vessels, many of which were in a state of extreme disrepair.

Koji stayed close to Sylvia, who was at the front of the pack. Her eyes darted about like roulette balls, keeping a close eye out for anything that might prove dangerous to her or the rest of them.

Koji kept his hands up at chest level, ready to strike with his power should anything jump out at them. He still wasn’t totally confident that he was ready for an assignment like this, but he had spent a little time practicing in his house and he was feeling much more ready than he had a day ago.

They kept pressing on through the shipyard, occasionally stopping to peer inside one of the hulks in case there was anything suspect inside them. Thus far, they had found nothing worth investigating.

The only sounds that Koji could hear were their own footsteps, and the creaking of wood as the abandoned ships moved up and down with the tide.

“So how did you know to come here in the first place?” Koji whispered to Sylvia, trying to learn more about their mission.

“We owe that to you, actually,” Sylvia replied quietly, stopping to investigate an overturned rowboat. “The Order got around to questioning the smugglers that you helped apprehend yesterday, and one of them confessed that they had contacts in this shipyard.”

“How many contacts? Did we learn where in the shipyard they are?”

Sylvia shook her head. “The Order is still interrogating the smugglers. We got sent here because the High Lords knew that if we didn’t strike immediately, whoever is here might learn that they’ve been compromised and get away before we have a chance to catch them.”

“That makes sense,” Koji nodded.

“In fact, it only took this long to organize a raiding party because the High Lords had to make sure all of the workers knew about the danger. Hopefully the Magecroft Organization won’t have noticed that all the laborers have suddenly left.”

Koji glanced up ahead. There was a fork in the path, where the wooden walkway split into two. Both ways led deeper into the shipyard, twisting and turning out of sight.

“Alright, we’re going to split up. Koji and I will go left, the rest of you take the right path.”

The other four soldiers saluted as quietly as they could and set off down the walkway to the right.

“Will we be okay on our own?” Koji asked as he watched the others go.

“We are not on our own,” Sylvia said reassuringly. “We have each other. Now, let’s keep on going. If we’re lucky, the paths will cross and we'll be able to meet up with the others sooner rather than later.”

“R-Right,” Koji said, feeling a little better.

“Come on, then,” Sylvia nudged her chin forward and began walking. Koji nodded and picked up his pace, trying not to make any noise.

The next half an hour or so turned out rather uneventful. Other than a family of seagulls nesting inside a broken down yacht, neither Koji nor Sylvia turned up anything interesting.

“Maybe it’s a dead end,” Koji suggested after their sixteenth stop.

Sylvia looked pensive. “Maybe…”

There was then a muffled sound in the near distance, like that of something heavy hitting the ground. Ripples formed in the water under the walkway that Sylvia and Koji were standing on.

“That way,” Sylvia said quietly, following the direction that the ripples had come from.

Koji hurried after her, trying to keep Sylvia in view as she ran along the walkway. Their feet drummed on the wooden planks, running through the maze of abandoned ships and trying not to slip on the wet patches.

Another thumping sound came, this time along with a muffled yell. Sylvia gritted her teeth and ran even faster.

A shadow fell across the space between Sylvia and Koji, and Koji barely had enough time to slide to a stop before a pile of half processed skiffs slid off the top of an old galleon and crashed in between himself and Sylvia, blocking the way and sending shards of damp wood flying everywhere.

Koji was thrown back by the impact and landed heavily on his side. He groaned as a sharp pain introduced itself in his ribs.

“Koji! Koji, are you alright?” Sylvia’s voice called from the other side of the barricade.

“Yes, I’m fine,” Koji called back after he had picked himself back up. He was going to be bruised tomorrow, he just knew it. “What about you?”

“I am unharmed,” Sylvia told him. “But I do not think I can shift all this wreckage on my own. What about you?”

“I…I could try,” Koji held up his palms, gleaming light gathering around his fingers. “But I don’t think it’s safe for you to be on the other side in case I miscalculate what I do.”

There was a small pause, then Sylvia said, “Then I will go on ahead first. Do what you can about this blockage. If you cannot clear it, double back and wait for me at the entrance. Do you understand?”

“Yeah, okay!”

“Then I will see you soon, hopefully. Good luck, Koji!”

The sound of Sylvia’s boots on the wooden planks receded into nothing.

Koji took a deep breath. Whenever he used his power, he had used hand gestures mostly, and used his intent to shape what happened. He fancied he could do something here about these boats in the way.

He stretched his arms out and tried to concentrate. He hooked his fingers slightly, then pushed at the air.

A wave of golden light flew out and hit the wreckage in front of him, shifting it slightly.

“Okay…” Koji breathed. “Let’s try that again.”

He pushed at the air, harder this time, and was able to move the obstruction further away. Parts of the boats crumbled from age and fell to the side. With two or three more pushes, Koji was confident he could clear the path and get back to Sylvia.

He repeated his previous actions, managing to shift the wreckage even more. One more push should do it.

As he drew back his hands to give it that final shove, someone spoke.

“So, it is true.”

Koji froze. It wasn’t Sylvia’s voice, nor did it belong to any of the Order soldiers he had come here with. It was a feminine voice, and if he had to describe it, he would have called it cold and detached, almost disinterested.

Koji looked around. “Who are you? Show yourself!”

A flicker of movement caught Koji’s eye on top of a nearby pile of boats. It was the same cloaked figure from before; the glowing orange eyes were unmistakable.

“It seems as though the heathens have themselves a new toy soldier,” the figure continued. “How marvelous.”

“You!” Koji took a step forward. “What do you want?”

“I want a great many things,” the figure’s orange eyes glowed brighter. “But right now? Nothing from you. Not yet.”

“You tried to kill me back on the road,” Koji scowled upward. “Give me a reason why I shouldn’t bring you in to the Order of the Unbroken Path.”

“The Order of the Unbroken Path?” The figure made a show of raising an arm and touching the void where her face should have been, as if thinking deeply. “Is that what they are calling themselves here? I tend to lose track of all the monikers and noms de guerre. So many of them in so many places…”

“What are you talking about?” Koji asked, raising his hands, gold light spinning around them like orbiting moons.

“Nothing much,” the cloaked figure said with a shrug. She began to retreat behind a pile of debris. “I have many places I need to be, and this old scrapyard is just one of them. In fact, you’re very lucky I’m giving you the time of day at all. Still, we may meet again, especially if you intend on helping this Order. Maybe I will have more time to chit chat another day, but for now, I bid you saraba.”

Koji did a double take at the sound of the Japanese farewell.

”Hey! How do you know that!? Wait!”

But the cloaked figure was gone. Koji stared up at the place where the figure had been standing, feeling very confused and at a loss of what to do next.

Could that person know about Earth and Japan? Could they also be someone who had somehow ended up in this new world like him?

Koji felt a line of sweat run down his face. He wiped it off, still wondering what he should make of his strange encounter.

Then he remembered Sylvia and his current mission. There would be time to think about things like this later. Right now, he had to get back to the rest of his team and help them out. As a member of the Order, he had a duty to fulfill to both the High Lords and to his fellow soldiers.

Koji cleared away the remains of the blockage, then set off at a brisk jog along the wooden platforms. Which direction Sylvia had gone was a mystery to him, but if he kept moving he was bound to find her eventually, and maybe the cloaked stranger too.