"Chett, hold the men back from the town. You would not last a moment in there." Wylis ordered, raising a hand to halt the fifty men behind him as Maidenpool's gates loomed ahead. Smoke curled into the sky. "I'll face the pirates who come ashore. When they're dealt with, you'll take the men inside and restore order."
"And you, my lord? Chett asked.
"Oh, I can't let our friends walk off without leaving me a few parting gifts," Wylis said with a grin as he pulled his visor down and slid his great sword free. "Battles are where I shine best, Chett. And this isn't even an army, only a handful of sea-roving ruffians."
Wylis gave a nod to his understanding page and patted Caliburn's neck. He soon zoomed across the last stretch of the road to join Lord Hoster's men, who had already entered the town. The first thing he noticed after entering was smoke. It appeared the pirates intended to burn the entire town to the ground.
Further, as he galloped through the main road of the town, he noticed some dead bodies belonging to all genders. The only difference was that women were bare.
"Help! No!"
Wylis pulled on the reins and drifted Calliburn to a halt. A woman's scream was continuously echoing from a nearby alley. "Cali, your work's done. Run back to Chett."
Hm?
Somehow, he noticed concern in his big horse's eyes, as if the creature could fully understand him. Sure, he knew Caliburn was much smarter than normal horses, but such emotions?
"This ain't my first battle, boy." He smacked Caliburn's ass. "Now go!"
With a big, cheering neigh, the massive beast galloped back the same way they had entered. That left Wylis standing alone in the middle of the street, with smoke from the fire around him. He raised his sword high with both hands and looked around through his visor.
But he had something better than just eyes. With his boots on the ground, he tried to sense vibrations using Earthbending. He tried to feel the movements, the thumps, even from insects. And before long, he heard the same woman's muffled voice, as if someone had stuffed something in her mouth.
Two? No, three men.
He treated the battle like Earthbending training and used it to the fullest, to sense everything around him. At the moment, he couldn't sense movement beyond fifty meters from him. But he knew it was getting better.
What am I supposed to destroy now? Maidenpool's already ruined.
He rushed towards the location where the woman was likely held hostage. Between a few buildings, he entered a narrow alley where the smoke was less, and sure enough, he noticed two men standing guard in front of a door in the back alley.
"What the fuck is that?"
"Damn beast!"
Wylis heard the men notice him and cower or grumble about his size. But Wylis was focused on the woman's cries coming from inside that door. He walked towards the two men with no care, aware that his massive great sword was useless in that narrow alley.
"Haaaaa!"
One of the pirates charged towards him.
Bam!
Wylis freed one hand and made a slapping gesture. Responding to his will, nearby stones from a wall ripped out and smashed into the charging pirate, crushing the man into a broken, groaning mess.
"W-What… What was that?!"
By the time the second pirate could digest the magic, Wylis had leaped forward, high, holding his greatsword in the only way usable in that alley, a straight-down strike.
Splash!
Bloody, powerful, and tyrannical, Wylis' great blade sliced from the middle of the pirate's head and all the way down, cutting him in two equal halves. Guts, organs, and blood spilled all over.
But he wasted no time and kicked the wooden door, knocking it open with ease. And right there inside, he saw another pirate, slightly larger than those outside, trying to mount a woman. She was screaming, slapping the man, kicking him as the pirate tore her clothes.
What a mess.
Wylis noticed two kids cowering in a corner as well, hugging each other, no older than five or six.
"That's enough!" Wylis boomed. He grabbed the pirate by the hair and pulled him up. He let his greatsword fall and took out a dagger, and stabbed it straight through the pirate's throat, killing him faster than he could scream.
"No! No!"
"Calm yourself," he said, tossing the dead pirate aside. "I'm Lord Wylis Kaiser of Ramsgate. You are safe now. Go, fetch your children, and hide upstairs if you can. Stay hidden until you hear the Sept bells."
"Y-Yes… Thank you, my lord!"
Wylis turned around and left the building, reaching the main street again. He walked while sensing movements around him, seeking to help any more distressed people. He did hear some swords clanking and let them be, likely Hoster's men fighting.
He made his way towards the port instead, as the Quest was to capture ships. He honestly didn't know how he was going to do it.
"Lord Wylis!"
Just as he neared the port, he saw Lord Hoster ride towards him with a few soldiers behind him.
"We make for the castle. The pirates have forced a way past its defenses. Lord Mooton and his boy are already there, standing their ground."
Can't do that.
"I'll cut down the ones by the port. They're stuffing their ships with the plunder, and I won't stand by while they steal what's mine."
"..."
"Hah!" Lord Hoster laughed after a pause and waved. "Some of my men are already there. Give them hell."
Wylis nodded and jogged alone towards the port, lured by the sound of clashing swords. He could already see the pirate ships docked, ready to gather whatever they could. The ships varied in size and build, ranging from large cogs to a few carracks. But they were just eight, and the Quest said there were seventeen. That meant he'd have to sail the waters.
Ugh… I hate swimming.
"Haaa!" With a roar, he rushed straight into the nearest skirmish. The port was mostly empty anyway, as most pirates were at the castle, plundering it, and now fighting. The men at the port were mostly manual labourers, loading the ships.
"No—"
"Ru—"
Whenever Wylis struck, the men froze and tried to scream, only for their screams to cut off as soon as his giant blade landed. He killed them with ease as they barely wore any armor. They were just pirate grunts.
It was a confusing mess. Wylis had no idea who to kill and who to spare. He didn't know who their captain was or who their commander was. There were no knights in armor, no men with crowns.
"Take the ships!" Wylis roared at the Tully men. "Board the damn ships!"
He helped the Tully men wipe out the pirates at the port and then led them to board the ships and kill whatever sailors they could find. Wylis almost decided to slice the sails so the ships wouldn't move, but knowing how costly those sails were, he chose to kill the men instead.
"The other one!"
There weren't that many sailors in the first place. And that begged the question, how did the pirates so easily take the town? Maidenpool didn't have a big naval fleet, but they did have some ships patrolling the waters. They also had guards and men-at-arms.
One by one, he boarded every pirate ship at the port and killed everyone on board. After finishing the last one, he took a glance at the Quest screen.
[Goal - Capture Pirate Ships (8/17)]
How do I get the others now?
From the last ship, he looked towards the Bay of Crabs. Maidenpool didn't sit on the edge of open seas, but rather between two large arms of landmasses. If one wanted to reach open seas, they'd have to pass by Wickenden, Dyre Den, and Gulltown.
They're not even close to one another.
He could see nine more pirate ships. They were floating not far away; some were busy boarding ships of Maidenpool. Swimming to each one of them was possible since the water was gentle, but it'd tire him out fast.
But another thing stood out. All of the nine ships except for one were galleys; they had sails and oars both. That meant they were also highly maneuverable. So, swimming or even rowing to each ship was out of the question. They'd start leaving as soon as they smell a threat.
That meant he had to go for the head, a large galleass warship. He reckoned the pirate group's commander would be there, if not already captured inside the castle. But he had a feeling that the commander wouldn't be so dumb as to leave his flagship.
Fuck this! Let's do it!
Standing on the ship's deck, he started removing his armor one piece at a time. He was gentle with it as he really liked what Tobho Mott had made.
"My lord?"
"I'll swim to that great galleass," Wylis told the Tully knight at his side. "But in daylight, they'll spot me before I'm halfway there. Send a few men to set one of Maidenpool's cogs aflame. Give them something else to look at."
"..."
"My lord… that ship is a mile away… at least."
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