“...so Zagul is with them, buying time for us to forge the information.”, Donovan explained.
“So they accepted the money but still asked about the information…”, Richardson pondered.
“Yeah, that totally sounds like McTavish.”, Mitt nodded.
Donovan told the story from start to finish, even going to mention Connor's little accident when he paled and vomited thanks to the previous events. Of course they are ommiting and telling half truths, so much so that Donovan needed to be extremely careful while speaking and praying that Connor stayed silent throughout the whole explanation, but thankfully he did. After all, the money Richardson was willing to give could buy an entire village in the outskirts of a country, so embezzling it was quite hard.
“Funny.”, Richardson thought amused, “Last time you were the one enjoying women, Elf.”
“I grew past it.”, Connor stared at the ground.
“Well, that means we can do two things.”, Mitt raised the first finger, “We can forge the information and papers and all or,” He raised the second finger, “we can kill them after or while we fight the Light Heavens.”
Donovan didn't like the idea, but it was indeed safer than just faking papers. After all no one can blackmail you if they are dead. Connor didn't show any discernable emotion, so the Human sighed in relief.
“Donovan, Connor.”, The Foreman called, “Relay the message to the ships. Dock everything necessary in a safe position and grab as many guns as you can. You can't punch but you can use a musket.”
“As you wish.”, Donovan said as he pulled the Wood Elf.
The Foreman and The “Good” Pirate were left to think for themselves.
“Kill them?”, Richardson said with interest.
“Aye. Faster and easier.”
“Mitt, are you sure that you just want to get rid of the competition here on Tenure?”, He said with a smile.
“That helps, not gonna lie.”, The Pirate nodded, “But then again, do you have any other options?”
Richardson clicked his tongue, “I wish I did. With Fynsell watching our every move it's hard to think of something that pleases her, even more so that she's an Elf.”
“Fucking perfectionists.”, Mitt murmured, “Then again, you are the advisor of that Gazelle guy.”
“Gazeff.”
“Aye, that's the one.”
“But it's different with him. He is so delusional and daydreaming that he only pays attention to me when he is getting richer.”, Richardson frowned, not in annoyance, but in anticipation as a sneaky smirk appeared at the side of his lips.
“Well, it's good that I am not on your bad side.”, The Pirate stretched his back, “I wouldn't want to be the target you are after.”
“I am not after someone. I just want to go back to my family, you idiot.”, The Foreman thought.
“I'll be preparing my men for the siege. See ya.”
On the other side of the mountain, Donovan was finally breathing with some ease after making himself as a walking wallet for a good few minutes. He gave some of the hidden bags to Connor who carried them with no stress, which puzzled the Believer but he eventually got used to it. They had about 5 bags of Pecunious, coins made with a high level of gold purity, basically rising the value of the currency by a lot. Sure it's not the most valuable, but it's enough to make a lot of people at least consider negotiations.
They walked silently as they passed the caravan and the small camp that was settled by the end of it. They asked directions to meet Zhivko who is on the ship, and they found out that the ship is an hour of distance to the mountain range. Donovan explained what they needed to do and one of the Pirates grabbed a horse to take the two slaves there, even if annoyed that slaves needed assistance with anything. They shortened the time by just under 10 minutes.
As soon as they set foot on the ground, a voice was heard.
“You guys really took your time with those negotiations, but hey, if you're still breathing, it must've paid off. By the way, where's Zagul?”, Yuri eagerly met his friends, even if he just shouted from the deck.
“Yuri, we will explain things after we meet the Captain.”, Connor was quick to answer back before the Pirate that brought them could have a say, “Where is Zhivko?”
“Oh, the Cap'n? He's at the cargo hold.”, Yuri pointed at the ship.
The two slaves got there as fast as possible, gesturing Yuri to follow them and he followed. They walked down the stairs and instead of going to the cargo hold, they turned to the meeting room they used, closed the door and just dropped the bags of coins on the ground. Yuri just saw the ginormous amount of money that hit the wooden floor and the gears in his head started to work out what happened, adding the absence of Zagul on the scene and the fact that this money doesn't belong to anyone else aside from Richardson…
“Holy shit.”, Was all the Aborigine could say.
Donovan put a hand on Yuri's shoulder, “You need to hide these bags somewhere safe that no one is going to find.”
“Please do.”, Connor said in huffs and puffs.
If Yuri's face was from confusion before, it quickly turned one into focus, “Hide precious bags. Got it.”
He gave a thumbs up for good measure.
“Now… to meet the Captain.”, Connor said as he peeked through the door.
“Yeah, we need to give him the orders Richardson said. Yuri, hide the bags and…”, Donovan looked at Yuri, only to not find the bags there anymore, “...where are the bags?”
“What bags?”
“...”
“...”
“...”
“Let's just go.”, Donovan opened the door.
And sure enough, Zhivko was there checking the stock in case something went missing, after all not all of the cargo was dropped on the Caravan.
“...and make sure to put everything on a list.”, The captain said to a marine.
“Yessir!”
Donovan got closer, “Captain?”
“Yes?”, Zhivko turned to face him.
“Master Richardson requested that you prepare for a battle and put the cargo on a safe place.”, Donovan bowed.
He hummed, “How many guns?”
Connor stepped forward, “Every one.”
Zhivko sighed, he never liked these deals with pirates nor the conflict it usually brought, “The deal was successful, I presume.”, He said as he started walking inside the ship.
“Yes. We managed to convince McTavish to temporarily ally with Richardson and Pirate Mitt.”, Donovan explained, following close.
On the background, Connor explained what happened to Yuri.
“So that's why we need to hide the cargo.”, The Captain groaned. A full fledged conflict will bring attention of unwanted individuals, so hiding the cargo is paramount. Can't risk them being stolen mid-battle, “Richardson will hear a good few words of me.”
They arrived at the weaponry room. Connor immediately felt anxious as he saw the many guns at display. He didn't feel this way before because there wasn't a need to use them, but if Richardson orders him, it will be done. Or will it? The weight of the pistol, the recoil and the blood, guilt, anguish, pain… It came as a flash in his mind, his mind making his already not so great body shake in fear. Yuri noticed that Connor wasn't so hot, but before he could say anything, Donovan commented about the guns.
Donovan whistled, “Some fine weaponry.”
“Alright lads!”, Zhivko called loud so everyone present and on other rooms could hear, “We have a fight on our hands today! Some of you may have thought that we would have a peaceful sailing, but our Quartermaster had other ideas! Even so, I call you all to ask: Do you fear some mere pirates?”
At the question, a load of marines came to the room, already picking up their preferred weapon to use.
“Nay!”
“To all seven hells with some idiot pirates!”
“They can suck my dick for all I care!”
“Enough, enough!”, The Captain ordered, “I see you all are excited at the prospect of a fight. That is good, but we need to ensure our safety. Do grab your guns and prepare the powder and bombs, because we are going to give them one hell of a welcoming party!”
“Let's show them who are the Eldorian Sailors!”
“We will make them regret leaving their mothers wombs!”
“And we will fuck their corpses!”
“Aye! We will— I'm sorry, what?”, Everyone, even Zhivko paused and looked at the marine that said that.
“Uhh… As in blow them up?”
“That doesn't really help. Try not using a innuendo.”
“Beat them?”
“That sounds gay.”
“Then what do you suggest?”
“Something not gay.”
“Are you done?”, The Captain called with a grin and soon the entre crew laughed.
It wasn't meant to sound or even deviate like that, but it was good it did. The tension that usually raised before a battle was greatly diminished, not for Connor who still didn't look so enthusiastically at it.
“Before we go to war, we need to hide all the cargo of the ships and dock them somewhere safely.”, Zhivko continued, “For now, let's prepare!”
“Aye!”, The crew said in unison.
“Fucking hell.”
----------------------------------------
In the middle of the flooded forest, a Captain was gritting his teeth, checking the casualties of his own crew. 17 recruits drowned or suffocated on the mud and water, 20 gunman were killed by the Dragonkin, a few charters and maintenance personnel suffered great injuries, thus greatly reducing the manpower the Pirate has. He'd never guess that they'd blow up the river dam in order to defeat them, making the only way to properly retaliate to be to walk in enemy territory, possibly to even more traps. Although as painful it is to admit, McTavish knew how to battle and he wasn't pulling his punches.
Despite being a pirate, Neuge Schmidt still used the military uniform of The Old Continent. A country that was long forgotten by the rest of the world, but not by him, not the Raven-Looking Captain. Zalaro will still be a part of him and he still will prevail, as the old stories of his country would say. Regardless of all that, he still needs to find a way to fight the Dragonkin, since the Light Heavens never really fought other pirates, especially a pirate with a big history as McTavish who seemed to always seek an even greater fight.
The only thing he could do is plan and hopefully have the upper hand. Judging by their position, they either needed to force them to go to the forest or narrow the paths to the mountain, then they could just unload their guns and weaponry on them from a somewhat safe distance. The problem would be if they also thought on the same strategy, making all of this planning useless. But Neuge knew how to develop a Plan B in case there things might happen, so he was formulating something that could in theory work to force them leave the high ground.
And with that came an idea, as well as an unwanted visitor.
“Cap'n! McTavish and his men are preparing for another battle!”, A crew member said as he entered the room.
“Already?!”, Neuge turned to the man with a shocked face, but quickly calmed down, “Do we have any rifles?”
Stolen story; please report.
“We have only one rifle, sir.”, The lad said, “What do you wish to do with it?”
“Send Sam to the highest place in the forest, use camouflage if needed. We need him at the high ground.”, The Captain ordered.
“What about our own troops?”
“Get every musket and pistol you can and meet me here.”
“Aye aye.”, He left, rushing to fulfill his duty.
The plan was simple for Sam. He'd need to use a rifle, a prototype of the evolved version of the muskets, easier to shoot, quicker and covers way more distance with impeccable precision. Sure, it's going to be loud as a lioness giving birth, but it's better than nothing. Sam is a great shooter and even greater escapist, he is going to hit and run with the rifle, damaging the enemy forces and moving before they can counterattack. Basically, shoot-and-scoot.
For himself, that's what got trickier for Neuge.
The land is scorched, barely maneuverable and tough to defend. The highest points of advantage would be the trees but since not every crew member can climb the trees as effectively as himself or Sam, things are extremely complicated. What they can do is prepare an ambush while using feign retreats to better prepared positions, use traps and other tactics that maybe will give some advantage. But not everyone is so coordinated or has a high morale 100% of the time, making this a difficult, if not impossible task. It is a thing to fight in good and equal conditions, but McTavish wasn't foiling around.
Maybe his constant warfare was what gave him the complete dominance over the situation.
“I can't think of the hypothesis. I need a solution.”
He grabbed his military vest and walked outside his small wooden hut, opening a door with a determined look. With his personal musket and a monocular, he decided to scout the area and plan ahead. Some of his men followed him, checking on what they needed to do and Neuge was more than eager to tell them his plan. They'd dig holes near the trees and put camouflage on them with at least one person inside them, use the huts as decoy for attacks and use the small amount of explosives they have as traps that they'd use in the ambushes he'd prepare. The morale quickly rose as they now had a plan to strike back, but what the Captain didn't tell them is that this will only delay the attack.
He is going to bet on the people that can climbe the trees and on the explosives. A lot of people would die today and since their numbers are about 60 ish people, Neuge needs to ensure their max performance.
Easier said than done.
“Alright Cap'n.”, A Pirate said, “We dug up the holes and prepared the traps.”
“Where is Sam?”, Neuge asked impatiently.
“There.”, He pointed to a tree branch.
Sam was sitting in a not so high branch, caressing his own hair. He appeared nervous, maybe anxious, but Neuge knew that he was anything but. Sam is like a excited dog looking at a kebab store, just waiting for the perfect moment to get a bite and leave. Honestly some people thought he was crazy for getting excited about battles, sieges and everything, but ever since this war thing has been happening he was more than eager to fight under the Light Heavens.
The boy was young, human, seems to be under his late 18s or early 20s, fluffy hair that covered his neck and no beard at all. He had an average size for his age but seemed to be buffer than most despite barely exercising. His mint green eyes were weird and sadistic, as if he was pleased by watching pain, no doubt about the current situation he was witnessing. Neuge only kept him around because his impressive fighting abilities, because no way he is going to be his Quartermaster.
“There you are.”, Neuge frowned, “Why aren't you in your position?”
“No need to rush perfection.”, The boy turned at the Captain with a grin, “After all, they sure aren't in a rush to attack us.”
“So?”, The Pirate said in anger, “Do as I say, cherry boy. Or you will regret it.”
“Alright, first and foremost, I am not a virgin.”, He said with an exasperated and displeased look, “And secondly, are you sure you can order me? The guy that basically allowed you to live up to this day?”
“You are a part of my crew. Do not test me, kid.”, That was his last warning.
Not that Sam cared. He just wanted to see the world bleed. Life was boring without risks, that's why he took most of them. This plan Neuge was doing… it took the fun out of things, but oh well, guess it's the boss's orders.
“Whatever you say, boss.”, He shrugged, climbing up the tree.
Neuge would say something else but opted not to.
----------------------------------------
McTavish looked at the soon to be battlefield with boredom. He wanted to fight personally but thanks to the amount of numbers they have it would be more bothersome than fulfilling. They have the guns, the skills and the tactics to attack the Light Heavens, so this is just a smooth and boring battle with some few casualties, maybe under the double digits. For a man like the ever glory seeking captain, this was just a step towards the information the Lacerta would give him at the end of this fight, hopefully he'd give some actual “impossible” tasks. He needed a change of the mundane once in a while.
Zagul was carefully noting every bit of detail around the Dragonkin, who now glorified the name thanks to the Lacerta being present as a “as close of a dragon as anyone can be”, which made him snort but not complain. Sometimes pirates can be funny, if not stupid. On a more serious note, he looked at their strategy, their logistics, patterns and other things he judged be worth of telling to Richardson when the time came to do something about these guys. It was not easy since McTavish was constantly with him, or the other way around.
The weapons were stolen from other ships, from multiple nations. A lot of muskets, pistons, cannons, mortars and swords were not made from a single continent, a testament of McTavish’s accomplishments and his willingness to achieve his goal. What goal it was? Zagul has no idea, but someone with so much passion for warfare doesn't usually mean great things, unless the person itself that has this passion is morally accept by society. Like a martial artist who likes fighting strong people.
Zagul has a feeling he was referencing something…
Weird.
“What's with the funny face, slave?”, The Captain asked.
“Nothing. Just thinking about the battle.”
“How so? You think we are going to lose?”, McTavish sounded offended, yet curious at the possibility of a loss.
“No, of course not.”, Zagul shook his head, redirecting it towards the enemy's land, “Is that from up here they seem to be… more organized than I thought they would be.”
The human turned to the same spot, with a softened brow, “They are at a disadvantage, they need to think more with less resources and manpower. Of course they need to be more organized.”
“And you are fine with that?”, Zagul raised a brow, not sure if this man was insane or confident. Probably both.
“It's not like we will allow them to use the woods on their favor.”, McTavish said, gesturing with his hands as he explained, “If I was on their side, I'd lure every enemy to a trap, narrowing the passages through the forest. We can't use fire or explosives because the ground is still very wet, meaning that we can't lit the woods to counter this strategy.”
Zagul was impressed that the Pirate thought about a counter way before he even addressed the problem. That made him think who McTavish actually is, to think a few steps ahead while doing the things he does… almost sounds like Connor, someone who continues to surpass expectations even with all evidence telling the opposite. Then again he just met the Pirate, better not overestimate him just yet.
“If that's the case, what are you going to do? They probably have people on the trees and they sure are going to thin our numbers.”, Zagul pointed to the top of the woods.
“They won't start the attack and they will probably cover the most ground so they can spread out forces.”, The pirate was in deep thinking now.
They can use the mortars but that can also cause friendly fire, they can try burning the woods as previously mentioned but that would take too much time and they'd probably relocate to another position. They even can just rush in, constantly changing the Frontline of the enemy, but they don't have enough carriages and wagons to protect them from hostiles, not to mention that they can just shoot the horses, limiting their own mobility. Perhaps, the simple things are the ones that work the best.
“We will use catapults.”, McTavish nodded to himself, satisfied with his idea.
“I fail to see how that helps, sir.”, Zagul tilted his head in confusion.
“Don't worry, you will understand when we start doing it.”
After a few minutes, two catapults were prepared to shoot at the top of the mountain, but not at the edge of it. They lowered the siege weapon and put not a stone, a flaming ball or anything of the sorts, but a gigantic piece of raw meat. The Pirates angled the shots per McTavish's instructions and soon enough…
*WHOOOOSH*
…the pieces of meat were sent flying. A big thud was heard from where they were standing, confused screams, gunshots and then silence. Zagul was about to ask what that accomplished, but then a roar echoed through the woods. That's when he finally understood what had happened.
“A bait.”, The Lacerta said out loud.
----------------------------------------
*THUD*
“An enemy attack?!”
“Be careful! Hold your positions!”
“Someone go look what the fuck happened there!”
“What if it's fire?”
“It won't spread, the ground is moist.”
They checked the catapulted projectile, only to look at it bemusedly. A big ball of raw meat. A few comments like “Are they feeding us?” were said as they theorized why of all things they could throw, it would be raw meat. Until a panther pounced on the closest to it, that is. The creature bit the neck of the Pirate with apex precision, killing the man instantly while the others panicked at the sudden attack, some even shooting their muskets by accident. The panther didn't came alone as a pack of wolves quickly did work on the ones fleeing the scene of the attack, only to fall victim of the patient canines. Those who were on the trees? Attacked by eagles that flew to kill those who tried their luck on the high ground.
In one simple swing of the catapult, a entire squad was killed in a matter of seconds.
McTavish wasn't done as his men, alongside Zhivko’s crew, Richardson and the slaves pushed forward down the mountain as the confusion of the baits continued, but of course they wouldn't enter the forest since the predators are also a threat to them. Neuge who was unaware of this, tried his best to kill the animals before the enemy forces reached their front, ordering his men as best as he could. Sam was finding the whole ordeal to be the happiest moment he lived despite the ensuing chaos not really favoring him, but oh well, better do what he does best.
Pulling the trigger of his rifle, he quickly killed one of the eagles with a precise headshot, the pulled leaving two holes, coming in and out of its skull. Since it's a single bullet on the gun's barrel, he pulled the bolt removing the empty cartridge from the bullet out, swiftly putting another bullet inside it and preparing to shoot another animal from his position. If one person used a rifle instead of a musket, they could shoot up to six or seven times per minute, unlike the two or three times with a musket. A person can even shoot up to ten, maybe twenty times per minute with this gun, and if someone trains to reload it as a second nature, thirty times a minute, a shot every three seconds.
And Sam was one of those people.
“Well, I guess this isn't going to be boring!”, Sam said with a sing-alike happy tone.
“Quit playing around, Sam!”, Neuge screamed, “We need support here!”
Sam lowered his gun and looked at the battlefield, “Alright guys you can do it! Believe in yourselves!”
“I MEAN THE GUN, YOU UNGRATEFUL PIECE OF SHIT!”
The boy sighed and started shooting the more immediate danger, killing three predators in seconds, jumping a few trees and shooting some more. His movement was noticed by an eagle who decided to target him, successfully tackling Sam as he grabbed his sword in order to slash it's feet. The slash was sloppy but enough to the creature drop him, so he quickly grabbed the nearest tree branch and repositioned himself. With a quick draw of his rifle, he shoot the eagle as it got meters from it face, exploding the neck of it, the carcass flying past him and hitting the ground.
Some blood spilled in his face. Sam didn't bother to clean it.
Neuge was having his own share of problems. His musket took way too much time to reload so he needed to use it as a spear, thanks to the bayonet at the edge of it, piercing the predators as he desperately tried to reload his weapon. He could see Sam moving swiftly through the trees, dealing with the threats with an almost unnatural ease, but Neuge couldn't afford to admire his allie's skills right now. Another predator lunged at him, and he barely managed to thrust the bayonet into its throat, pushing it off him with a grunt.
“Shit! Why did these animals get here right now?!”, He shouted in anger.
And with great reason. He was already prepping for a battle, only for this setback to suddenly appear. And a big one at that. Neuge finally had some amount of time to put the powder and the bullet inside it, one of the Pirates successfully killing another animal, buying enough time for him to point his gun and shoot the last eagle in the air. The smell of the powder made him sneeze while he leaned against a small rock he used as cover, barely able to calm himself.
*BANG*
“AAAAHHHH! MY LEG! MY LEEEEEG!”
Neuge just looked at the poor man with his leg destroyed to little pieces as he refocused his attention on the remaining predators. He couldn't let himself get distracted, not even by the gruesome sight of his comrade's injury.
"Hold on, I'll get to you as soon as I can!" Neuge shouted, hoping to reassure the man.
He thrust his bayonet into another predator, feeling the resistance of muscle and bone. The chaos around him was overwhelming, but he forced himself to stay focused, knowing that panic would only make things worse. Neuge immediately ducked behind a fallen tree as he heard gunshots from behind him, which only raised his panic levels. His glance couldn't be more horrifying as another two crewmates were just about to save the Pirate only to be shot in their forehead.
“It's McTavish and his crew! The Dragonkin are here!”, Sam shouted excitedly as he shot the last predator and focused solely on the humane enemies.
Neuge’s hands trembled thanks to the adrenaline, barely able to hold the musket as he couldn't see or hear his men anymore. He tried so hard and got so far, but in the end it looks like it doesn't even matter. He planned, organized and trained, but the threats are so overwhelming that he can't rationalize properly anymore, his mind a constant blur of what he should do right now. He peeked at the tree and saw many many Dragonkin arriving at the forest, Sam fighting to his heart's delight.
“We need a plan, Sam!”, He tried, but the boy wouldn't listen, not even if he could hear it.
Neuge felt something cold touch the back of his head.
“Here is your plan right here, Neuge.”
----------------------------------------
Connor was with a musket in his back, but he just couldn't look at it. The simple sight made him get the creeps in… something even worse than disgust. Fear maybe? He didn't want to think about it, but what he couldn't flee from was the complete pandemonium that was the battlefield. They fired two catapults. Two fucking catapults of raw meat and the slaughter was… so much gratuitous that it was hard to look at, even with a empty stomach. It was a corpse of a big animal here and a few half dozen humans there or other anthropomorphic species. The sight was something that gave Connor reason to have nightmares, maybe for a few weeks.
Yuri looked at all this with only a sad face, but no outright complaints. How he managed to do that is beyond him, but the most affected seemed to be Donovan, who prayed to every corpse they came across. Someone was shooting from the trees but the two forces of McTavish and Richardson were giving him, whoever he is, a challenge. Or maybe the other way around. Connor felt a shiver run down his spine as he struggled to keep his focus on the chaos that unfolded around him. The stench of blood and decay filled the air, mingling with the acrid smoke powder from the almost finished battle. He clenched his jaw, trying to push back the rising tide of horror he was seeing.
But perhaps, that's not even the worst part.
The strategy they used before they arrived at the forest was simple: Shoot the enemies purposefully to wound, not kill, so they could shoot whoever came to help as they provided aid. It was called "Sharpshooter Trap", a clever yet ruthless tactic designed to incapacitate adversaries while luring their allies into a vulnerable position, like unwitting prey drawn to a trap. Combine that with the catapults they used to attract natural predators with magically altered meat to call the most ferocious and powerful animals… and there you have it.
“We need a plan, Sam!”, A Pirate, probably the Captain of the Light Heavens, screamed as he looked at the trees.
McTavish put his pistol behind his head, finger ready to pull the trigger.
“Here is your plan right here, Neuge.”
Zagul was there, near him like a dog waiting for his owner. Not that had much of a choice, but he offered advice nonetheless, “Maybe you can take him as a prisoner instead of killing him.”
“Why?”
“Money.”, The Lacerta did the universal gesture of cash, “He probably has a bounty on his head. Better ensure some positive income, right?”
“No, I'd rather eliminate competition rather than sell it.”, McTavish prepared to shoot, but gave the gun to the person closest to him instead, “However this fight was boring. You shoot him.”
Unbeknownst to McTavish, the closest person to take the gun was Connor.
Connor had a pistol in his hands, and an order to fulfill. An order he didn't want to do.