As they traveled, the sniper insisted that they tell her everything in detail. Red had been hesitant at first. There were pirates all around them. However, the woman didn't seem worried, and eventually he relented. Whatever this woman's powers were, she seemed to have an uncanny ability to notice things they couldn't. Red wasn't sure if that was part of her sea heart or simply from being a sniper.
Despite the dark night, she managed to lead the three of them around every group of pirates. None of them even came close despite their voices occasionally echoing in the distance. Eventually, Red ran out of things to talk about and grew tired. It had been a few very long days, and he wanted actual sleep.
The woman introduced herself as Zara. That was it. She gave no information about the island, when she got here, or the current status. Red was annoyed, but at the same time not surprised. They had just met after all and were currently in the middle of enemy land. He couldn't even get a proper look at the sniper in the gloomy night.
After a while, they began heading uphill; the terrain wasn't steep, but it was noticeable. Noticeable enough for him to smile slightly. They had reached the massive rise with the fort on it. He hoped that was at least what it was. His hopes were quickly dashed as he realized that they were still moving upwards. There seemed to be no end to the shadowy jungle around them.
Just as he was beginning to worry the night would stretch on endlessly, he spotted it. Well, he wasn't sure what he spotted in the shrouded dark, but it was like a faint change in the lighting. Beyond the distant trees, there weren't any more trees. Red hoped that was what he saw.
"It seems the pirates decided to leave us alone for the night. That sure saved the three of you," Zara remarked.
They gave no comment. Too engrossed were they with the fort that was now looming in front of them. Red had imagined this scene countless times, stumbling upon the fort when they had just given up. Seeing the sprawling Valencian military. The feeling of safety.
He was underwhelmed.
It wasn't really his fault. All he could see was a black wall. There was nothing else in sight. Not that there was much in sight to begin with. Zara approached the wall swiftly, then turned and began walking alongside it. Red scratched his head but followed along anyway.
After a few minutes, she stopped at a blank section of the wall and placed her hand on it. Red heard nothing, and yet, the wall pushed inwards. He glanced at Vizim, who gave him a shrug. Neither of them had seen a mechanism like that before. It was a military outpost, so who knew what unique devices would be housed within.
They followed Zara through, and he found himself once again without a reaction. The entirety of the fort was dark. There were no lights to be seen, not even the faintest trickle. Red glanced around and found everything pitch-black. It wasn't the cramped darkness like the jungle but an open darkness as if the night stretched out before them. With a cloudy sky, it all felt empty.
"Uh, you guys just keep the lights off in here?"
"Don't need them. Would be a waste of our limited cores anyway," Zara looked at him and sighed, "I guess you guys could use some light."
She proffered a core from somewhere, and a thin glow of light illuminated them. Red could finally make out the woman's features for the first time. She wore a long coat that hung to mid-thigh. It was the same style as Red's own, only this one was teal and new. Many buttons and clasps lined the outfit, but in the faint light, he could barely make out most of them.
His eyes fell upon her face. She held a tight expression that reminded Red a lot of Derrin. Zara was definitely used to fighting, perhaps even more experienced than Derrin. It was hard to tell her age because of the way she held herself, but she seemed to be around Derrin's age.
However, what really caught him off guard was her hair. It was cut short, hanging barely to her shoulders, and it was blue. A deep navy blue that was so blue it almost became black. It was not dyed like some he had seen. Instead, her hair was naturally that bluish color. He had never seen hair like that before in Wale Port or the Fallen Isles for that matter.
Red took the moment to glance around the fort now that they had light. Most of it was still in the shadows, but it was massive. It felt like it stretched endlessly. The wall encircled the perimeter, and many buildings stood within. Everything was too hard to make out in the endless gloom.
"Where is everyone else?" Derrin asked as he scanned the fort.
Zara didn't speak for a long moment; she seemed to be judging her words. Red glanced over and found her eyeing them carefully. She shook her head as if to clear her thoughts.
"There is no one else. At least, no one else anymore."
None of them spoke for a long time. Red wasn't even sure what he was supposed to say to that. Instead, he was wondering how the fort had managed to stay intact with only one person. If she were alone, why hadn't the pirates simply taken the fort?
Derrin beat him to it, "Then why haven't the pirates attacked the fort? I doubt even you could hold off all of them without being overrun."
"Please, Montrelan. This isn't some simple outpost stuffed on an island. It is very important to Valencia's safety, and as such, this isn't just a fort," Zara sniffed, emphasizing those last words, "Why do you think I brought you in such a disclosed entrance?"
"The pirates once tried throwing bodies at the fort. They lost too many too fast. Their leader pulled them out after. The fort's automatic defenses are way too strong for basic pirates. They'd bomb the place, but that wouldn't do them any good either because they'd lose the fort. So we are now at an impasse. I can't go after them, and they can't come after me."
Derrin seemed skeptical but held his tongue.
"Did the pirates really manage to kill everyone else when they arrived?" Red wasn't going to hold back his own confusion.
"No," Zara turned away, "They're lucky they didn't. A few of the others survived but were captured when we were suddenly attacked. They're leverage. With them, the pirates can ensure I don't start killing them all off unless I want my people to die. I suspect they also have some of the people they captured from sinking ships in the bay."
"Wait, are you saying some of the people from my ship might be alive?" Vizim practically shouted.
Zara turned to him, eyeing the frantic man, "It's possible, yes.
"He might be alive…" Vizim muttered to himself.
Red gave him a sidelong glance before turning back to Zara, "Do you have a place we can sleep and maybe something to eat? I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm about to drop."