Chapter. 5 River Pirates

We packed our gear again in the morning and returned the key to the elder. He had already arranged a boat for us at the dock. After thanking him once more, we boarded the boat. The fishermen paddled us upriver for a while, and then we took over to let them rest. Just like with fishing, after a few tries and some errors, I got the hang of paddling. The fishermen complimented my skill, which only made me paddle even faster.

The river was calm and clear, its surface like smooth glass, reflecting the surrounding trees and the bright morning sky. As we paddled along, I could almost see down to the riverbed, where schools of fish swam lazily through the water. Some were small and silver, darting around in quick bursts, while others were larger, with scales that shimmered in shades of green and gold under the sunlight. Occasionally, a fish would break the surface, sending gentle ripples across the water, only to disappear back into the depths. The tranquility of the scene was soothing, and I soon found a rhythm and paddled comfortably.

"Stop." I raised my head and saw Walda holding up his fist. I stopped paddling, letting the boat drift to a halt. Following his gaze, I spotted a small ship with sails in the distance. On the side of the ship, a smaller boat like ours was docked, with a rope hanging down from the ship’s side to the boat. Even from that distance, I could hear the faint sound of commotion on the ship.

"Pirates," Wulfa said grimly. "Let's get closer; we might be able to help them."

We paddled quickly and caught up to the ship. The commotion grew louder as we neared. Walda and Wulfa were the first to climb the rope, and I followed closely behind. The three of us boarded the ship with speed, moving silently. As my head peeked over the deck, I saw people locked in fierce combat, swords clashing in the dim light. The sound of metal against metal filled the air, and the tension was palpable.

The crew of the ship, dressed in blue uniforms, were locked in battle with pirates clad in tattered clothing. On the far side of the deck, a young woman dressed in blue and gold stood her ground, firing at a pirate charging toward her. The pirate let out a scream and fell backward. The woman was strikingly beautiful, her sharp features framed by loose strands of white hair. She had fiery red eyes Her expression was resolute, her eyes focused and unflinching as she held her position, unwavering in the face of danger. She fired a couple more shots, killing another two pirates.

Wulfa raised his rifle, took careful aim, and fired. A pirate let out a scream, clutching his leg. The sailor he had been fighting seized the opportunity, and with a decisive swing of his sword, opened a large wound across the pirate's chest. The pirate collapsed, dead on the deck.

Nearby, I saw a large pirate swinging his axe wildly, forcing a young sailor into a frantic retreat, struggling to parry the heavy blows. With no weapon of my own, I quickly grabbed a bucket off the deck and charged the pirate. Although he was much taller than me, he was not prepared for my sudden attack. Holding the bucket upside down, I leaped off the floor and slammed it down over his head. The strike didn’t do much damage, but the sudden blindness caused him to drop his axe as he fumbled to remove the bucket.

I held on tight, my body swinging as the pirate twisted and turned in frustration.

"That’s enough, leave him to me!" Wulfa shouted. I jumped off the big pirate just as he yanked the bucket off his head—only to find himself staring straight down the barrel of Wulfa’s rifle -Bang- half of the big guy's head turned into a mess of blood and gore, he stumbled backwards and fell overboard.

With the big pirate defeated, the remaining few panicked and fled, diving into the water and disappearing from sight. A few sailors started to give chase, but the woman raised her hand to stop them.

“Man your posts,” she ordered firmly, holstering her gun as she walked toward us.

Wulfa and Walda quickly followed suit, holstering their weapons and standing side by side. As she approached, they saluted her respectfully in unison. I stood nearby, watching the scene unfold.

The woman saluted back and said, "I'm Sergeant Hilda Malena of the East Kingdom army, currently acting as second-in-command of The Blazing Star due to increasing pirate activity. I'm grateful for your assistance in defending the ship against river pirates." She lowered her hand. Her voice was young and energetic but hardened by combats . She gave me a quick glance, her eyes pausing at my temple for a moment before turning back to Wulfa and Walda.

Wulfa began to introduce us. "I'm Wulfa, and this is my brother Walda. We're both hunters with the Alliance." He placed a hand on Walda's shoulder, then gestured toward me. "This is Harry. He helped us defeat a Tula and saved our lives. He doesn’t remember who he is, though."

Hilda eyed me suspiciously. "How convenient. But since the hunters vouched for you, you're welcome to stay on the ship. Just remember—I’ll be keeping an eye on you," she said, pointing at me.

I gave her a friendly smile and saluted. "Yes, ma'am. Thank you, ma'am." I wasn’t upset by her suspicion; in fact, I was glad she was taking necessary precautions during wartime. "May I ask where we’re headed, ma’am? We were traveling north into the Eastern Kingdom, so it would be great if we could hitch a ride."

“Don’t call me ma’am. You may call me Malena if you wish, but I’m a sergeant, not a major,” she replied with a frown. “Yes, we’re also heading north. This is a cargo ship, and it’s going to pick up war supplies before reaching the capital.”

“The capital? Not the front line?” Walda asked.

“No,” Malena shook her head. “Our water route to the front line has been cut off. All supplies are now shipped by land. The capital is as far as we go.”

“Understood,” Walda nodded.

“Retaking control of the shipping lane is now the kingdom’s top priority.” she added.

“What’s the difficulty?” I asked.

Malena looked at me and sighed. “Last week, they launched a surprise attack at a particularly narrow point on the river and have held that position ever since. With mountains on both sides, our only option was a head-on assault, but all attempts have failed due to their superior weaponry and armor-piercing rounds. Even our heavily armored warships with metal plating couldn’t break through their defenses.”

“Sounds like a pain in the ass—excuse my language,” I said. “Say, could you bring me to the frontline?”

She rolled her eyes. “No civilians are allowed on the frontline, unless you join the army, that is,” she said, a hint of mockery in her tone.

“And how do I join the army?” I replied.

“Oh, you’re serious.” She raised an eyebrow and, after a pause, added, “Once we arrive at the capital, I’ll take you to someone. I’m sure your effort in killing the Tula will work in your favor.”

“Thank you, Malena,” I said honestly.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“No problem. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a crew to manage, gentlemen.” She turned to me before walking away. “Nice move blinding the pirate leader—where did you learn to use a bucket like that?”

I smiled as she walked off. What was I supposed to tell her? That I used to do it in a video game so I can steal cheese wheels from the NPCs?

“I think she likes you,” Wulfa said after she left.

“What? No way!” I laughed.

“Yeah, brother, I don’t know about that. I thought she was pretty mean to him.” Walda scratched his head. “But she was pretty hot, though.”

“And that’s why you don’t have a girlfriend, Walda,” Wulfa replied mockingly. “Couldn’t you tell from her subtle movements when she talked to Harry? It was like she didn’t know where to put her hands.”

“What, brother? You talk like you have one yourself!” Walda retorted.

While the two argued, I shifted my thoughts to the problem at hand. Any war hinges on a steady supply line; without it, even the strongest force collapses. It reminded me of Germany in World War II—how their defeat at Stalingrad was sealed when they couldn’t maintain supplies. An army that’s starving is no better than a band of hungry thugs. Maybe if I thought of another angle of attack, maybe then there will be a chance to take back the river. I mentally noted to come back to this problem later.

The three of us helped clean the deck and transported the casualties down to the medical room, where we met Melena again, standing beside a man whose large frame and sturdy build made her look petite.

“Gentlemen, meet Captain Ru,” Melena said.

“Gentlemen, I’m Captain Ru, first in command of The Blazing Star. I want to thank you for your help. I was defending the armory during the attack, so I apologize for the late introduction.” Ru extended his hand, and the four of us shook hands.

The captain debriefed us on the attack. They had been moving along the river when two harpoons fired from the shore immobilized the ship. While the sailors frantically tried to cut the restraints, pirates boarded from the opposite side. Most sailors had rushed toward the source of the commotion, leaving an opening that allowed the pirates to climb onto the deck without interruption; a few even managed to slip below deck. Fortunately, Captain Ru, who had been working in the armory at the time, was able to fend them off.

According to Captain Ru, river pirates were a common threat. But with constant patrols from the authorities, they typically only attacked small boats and only at night. Now, with most manpower shifting to support the ongoing war, the pirates had become increasingly ruthless. Most cargo ships now had someone from the military, like Melena onboard to protect them.

Captain Ru’s debriefing sparked an idea for me. The pirates had nearly taken over the ship by using clever tactics. A few of them made it look as though the ship was being dragged ashore, drawing the attention of most sailors. Meanwhile, nobody noticed the small pirate boat docking quietly alongside The Blazing Star. Perhaps we could use a similar strategy to launch a surprise attack on the enemy ships of the Northern Kingdom.

I discussed the idea with the others, and they all agreed it was worth a shot. However, it could only be put into action once we arrived at the capital and ran it by the command.

"If there's any work you need help with, we're here to lend a hand. I know you just lost some men, so don’t hesitate to ask us," I offered Captain Ru, with Wulfa and Walda nodding in agreement.

Captain Ru smiled. “I appreciate it. Perhaps Melena can assign you some work on the top deck.”

“Oh, you’ve got to earn your spot on my ship,” Melena chuckled. “You boys can start by cleaning the deck.”

And clean the deck we did—tossing pirate bodies overboard and scrubbing off the blood and gore. By the end, all of us were sweating profusely.

Soon, the ship was clean and ready to depart again. Melena had us replace a few injured sailors, assigning us to different posts. Wulfa mentioned my incredible eyesight, even at night, and she sent me up to the crow's nest.I gripped the thick ropes and began my climb, feeling the ship sway beneath me. The wind grew stronger as I ascended, tugging at my clothes. Reaching the top, I hauled myself into the crow's nest, where a vast view of the river and surrounding forests spread out before me.

The crow's nest on The Blazing Star wasn’t very tall—about four stories high, including the hull—but the tiny platform and thin wooden railing gave me a sense of insecurity. I’ve been to many high places back on Earth, but always behind some type of protection. Here, I felt as though I might fall over at any second.

“Lower the sails!” I heard Captain Ru shout below, his voice loud and clear. Then I felt the ship begin to move slowly. From up high, every small movement was amplified, and I gripped the railing tightly.

Unlike a car, The Blazing Star started with a heavy lurch, the ship swaying back and forth. With a slight side wind, it tilted slightly to one side. For several moments, I thought I might fall off, but as the ship picked up speed, the motion smoothed out. My confidence grew, and soon I was balancing on my feet alone. I took out the spyglass the captain had given me earlier and peered through the scope.Through the glass, I could see the river stretching out ahead, shimmering in the sunlight. Dense forests lined each side, their towering trees casting long shadows over the water. Occasionally, I spotted deer like animals drinking water on the shore, they watched cautiously as the ship sails past. When a sailor climbed up to replace me, I was already much more comfortable with being up there.

"Captain wants you to rest, go take a sleep and you will be back for the night shift." He told me.

I nodded, squeezed past him and climb down to the deck. There I met with Captain Ru, who assigned me a shared room with Wulfa and Walda, they were still top deck so I had the place all to myself. I thanked the captain and fell asleep.

A sailor came and woke me up. I had been sleeping for a couple of hours, and it was dark outside. I dressed quickly and climbed back up to the crow's nest. The night air was chilly. From up high, I was level with most of the trees and could see the forest thinning up ahead. Looking down, I saw the ship below, lit by only a few lanterns. Captain Ru was at the helm, steering the ship, while Melena was nowhere to be seen.

There wasn’t much to do as I looked around; the river was calm, and the night was quiet. My thoughts began to wander. These past two days in this world had exhausted me. Back on Earth, I was a hitchhiker, shifting between walking and catching rides. Here, I had become something else entirely—an adventurer. I killed beasts, fought pirates, and is planning to fight in a war; everything had happened so fast, too suddenly. God hadn’t given me a chance to think, but now, as I stood at the top of the crow's nest, I finally had a moment to reflect. "Am I ready for the challenges ahead, the responsibilities this world demanded?"

I heard the rope ladder behind me stretch under a new weight. Someone was climbing up. A shock of white hair, caught in the wind, appeared over the edge. I reached out a hand to help Melena up.

“Can’t sleep?” I asked as I pulled her onto the platform.

Melena nodded at me, then looked up at the stars. “Yeah, just thinking about the war.”

I leaned back against the railing, giving her space. “You’ll stress yourself out. Let the high command worry about that stuff.”

Melena shook her head, her white hair falling over the right side of her face. “You wouldn’t understand. My parents are in the capital. If the situation worsens, if the supplies get cut off…” She trailed off, leaving me to finish the thought on my own.

The part of me that wanted to comfort her, to hold her, was silenced by logic, it might come off as inappropriate. My heart ached as I spotted the glimmer of tears in her eyes. She turned away, the sergeant in her masking the vulnerability, she gripped the railing with both hands.

“I like looking at the stars,” she said, her voice steady, without a hint of weakness. “They say each star is a sun like ours, and that each one might harbor life. Have you ever wondered what kind of lives they’re living?”

“No,” I lied. The truth was, I knew what kind of life people lived—at least on Earth. I wanted to tell her about it: the joys of our world, how we could talk to someone instantly, no matter the distance, about metal boxes with wings that let us fly, and how, somehow, roasted chicken was cheaper than raw chicken. But I also wanted to tell her about war—about guns that could empty my life savings in a single shot, machines that could crush human bodies like paper, and weapons of mass destruction that could level entire cities in an instant. I wanted her to know she wasn’t suffering alone, people everywhere, suffered.

But more than anything, I realized Glen West had brought that suffering here, and it was now my purpose, my responsibility, to help stop him. In that moment, I understood why I was here, what I was fighting for: to restore balance that had been disrupted by the reincarnated.

“Melena,” I said, placing my hands on her shoulders. She looked startled, but I didn’t let go. “Take me to the highest-ranking officer you know. I might just know the way to defeat their ships.”