The abandoned Miner base loomed like a scar on Stonewick's edge, blackened bricks eaten by moss, windows smashed out by years of neglect. What once had been an outpost of order was now hollow, creaking, and forgotten.
Hunter strolled through the jagged gate as if he owned it, hands behind his head, humming off-key. "Not bad. Needs a coat of paint, maybe a flower pot or two. We could even get a dog."
Behind him, Vince's boots crunched on gravel. He didn't look impressed. "It's a ruin."
"Correction," Hunter said, spinning in a circle, "a free ruin. Prime real estate. Waterfront view. Just look at that sky."
The roof of the courtyard was half-collapsed, offering them a perfect view of gray clouds and circling crows.
"Beautiful," Hunter declared.
Vince didn't bother answering. He scanned the corners with calm suspicion, as if expecting soldiers to crawl out of the rubble.
Inside, the old barracks smelled of dust and iron. Broken bunks lined the walls, splintered chairs littered the floor, and an old Miner banner sagged in the rafters. Hunter plucked it down, let it crumble in his hands, and tossed it aside.
"Now it's officially ours," he said, flopping into a chair with a dramatic sigh. The chair groaned, tilted, then snapped. Hunter tumbled onto his back with a loud crash.
Vince raised an eyebrow. "Home sweet home?"
Hunter popped up grinning, brushing dust from his jacket. "Exactly."
They scavenged for anything useful. Vince unearthed a cracked water jug, a coil of rope, and a stash of flint in a broken locker. Hunter, after proudly overturning three tables, found a half-eaten apple petrified to stone.
"Vintage," Hunter said, biting down. The crunch echoed. He spat it out instantly. "Okay, maybe not."
For a while, silence fell. Vince sharpened one of his Nitrox blades with methodical strokes, the scrape of steel against whetstone steady and patient. Hunter leaned back against a wall, staring at him.
Finally, Hunter spoke. "So. We should talk next steps."
"Next steps?" Vince asked, not looking up.
"Yeah. We're not gonna squat here forever. World's bigger than Stonewick. And the Miners aren't gonna stop chasing us."
Vince kept sharpening. "What are you suggesting?"
Hunter pointed toward the broken window, where the sea glimmered beyond the cliffs. "We set sail."
That made Vince pause. He looked at Hunter flatly. "You're asking me to be a rogue."
Hunter smirked. "You already are one."
Vince tilted his head. "And you trust a man who wiped out some soldiers for no reason, you think because I'm strong that I can be apart of your crew?"
"No," Hunter said, grin softening. "Protecting that kid from them did."
Vince's gaze sharpened. "How do you even know what that was about?"
Hunter leaned forward, voice steady but playful. "You think I'd rescue someone without knowing the kind of person they are first?"
The silence that followed was heavy. Then, finally, Vince smirked—quick, sharp, almost hidden.
"Face it," Hunter said, standing with a sweep of his arm, "you've already joined the Shaders Crew."
"I haven't."
"You will."
---
They left the ruin the next morning, carrying what little they scavenged. At the cliffside harbor, a sorry excuse for a boat bobbed in the waves. Its planks were uneven, its single sail patched from rags, and one oar was tied together with rope.
Hunter's eyes lit up like a child's. "Behold! Our mighty vessel!"
"It's going to sink," Vince said immediately.
"She's got character," Hunter argued.
"She's got holes."
Hunter clapped the side proudly, and a plank fell off with a soft plop into the water.
"…Extra ventilation," Hunter said quickly.
Vince pinched the bridge of his nose. "I've seen fishing rafts sturdier than this."
"Exactly," Hunter said, leaping aboard. The boat rocked dangerously, and he flailed for balance. "But none of those rafts are ours."
Vince sighed but stepped aboard, blades carefully balanced at his side.
Hunter raised his fist toward the horizon. "From Stonewick to the edge of the world—the Shaders Crew sets sail!"
The sail flapped weakly, the boat swaying like it might capsize any second.
Vince crossed his arms. "This is stupid."
Hunter grinned wide, sea wind tugging his hair. "Maybe. But it's ours."
---
They rowed in silence at first, broken only by the creak of wood and the slap of waves. Vince's strokes were steady, practiced. Hunter tried once, then declared himself "Captain" and left the rowing to Vince while he lay on his back staring at the sky.
"You're unbelievable," Vince muttered.
"Correction," Hunter said without moving, "I'm unforgettable."
"More like unbearable."
Hunter cracked a grin, eyes closed. "You're smiling when you say that."
"I'm not."
"You are."
Vince didn't answer, but the small twitch at his lip betrayed him.
And so, on a boat barely fit for fishing, the Shaders Crew left Stonewick behind.
The world was waiting.
---