The opportunities we may take (Sinbad x OC)

Ruins

Authors Note

This chapter has cost me an incredible amount of strength. It was really difficult for me to keep the flow of the story and to get to the point at the same time. But now it's finally done and it mutated into a monster without me wanting it. No matter, I am pleased to present the next chapter and to announce that we can finally get started with the interesting stuff :D

Have fun

Ruins

---At the shore of Dalmasca---

The island of Dalmasca was surrounded by sand-colored, steep cliffs, that could only be reached by boat from one point, the former haven. The dark clouds hung deep over the sky, while the waves of the restless sea hit relentlessly against the bare stones. After examining the ruins of the harbor, Sinbad gave the signal to anchor the ship further away from the shore. From his position, he could see that much of it had been destroyed and were now sunken into the depths of the sea. Some old shipwrecks half jutted out of the water, making it too dangerous to sail closer to the island with the sindrian vessel. There was no human soul to be seen at the destroyed port, everything looked deserted at first glance and overgrown with plants.

"Oh my... Are you sure you want to go there, Sin?", muttered Yamraiha, who looked over the railing not standing far away from her king. With his jaw clenched tightly, he nodded before turning to Ja'far, who stood to his right:"Make sure they let a boat into the water. You, Yam and Masrur come with me. Sharrkan stays on the ship to guard it with the crew."

"Oh man. I want to go, too, why do I have to stay?", the heliohaptian protested. When Ja'far dutifully turned away to do his job, Sinbad turned to his sword master and put a hand on his shoulder. "I count on you, Sharrkan. We don't know if and who lives on this island. We have to be prepared for everything." "Man, that sucks!"

The heliohaptian sulkily crossed his arms behind his head, as he turned away from Sinbad. "I could finally have some fun and now I have to play babysitter for those dimwits.", Sharrkan complained as he moved away from the others, pouting. Amused, Sinbad looked after his white-haired general before turning his gaze back to the ruins. His smile crumbled and a serious expression spread across his face as he mentally prepared himself for the coming adventure. Lost in his thoughts, a few moments passed before Masrur came up to him and cleared his throat for a moment: "The boat is ready.", announced the Fanalis, after Sinbad turned attentively to him. Nodding, the king detached himself from the railing and followed Yamraiha and Masrur to the main deck, where the boat was lowered into the water.

As they had already observed from the ship, the harbor looked pretty deserted. Rubble lay on the paths, parts of the jetties had completely broken away and the former warehouses had collapsed and were no longer accessible. "How horrible... This place is a mess! If the harbor looks like this, what does the rest look like?", murmured the only woman in the group, nervously pressing her staff against her chest. The others left her statement uncommented as they looked around. Now that they were ashore and the shipwrecks and other ruins were no longer obstructing their view, they could see some small fishing boats that were fenced on lower piers.