Chương 14: Silent Forest, Deadly Revelry
A crowd of pirates lined the edge of their base, amidst the blossoming sky, and the sun cast bright rays on the arena. Laughter and shouts echoed in the air, filling it with a cruel joy, fueling the heated souls watching with fires of excitement in their eyes.
The arena was hastily created - a circle of compacted sand enclosed by a rough wooden fence. This fence, though withered by the fierce fighting and the raging crowd, still stood firmly in place.
This place was at the edge of the pirate base. On one side, there were dilapidated buildings. On the other side, the trees of the dense forest, silently watched the bloody drama unfolding in front of them.
"Come on, hit him, hit him!" Shouted one of the pirates, who had bet a not insignificant portion of his fortune on one of the fighters.
"What the hell are you doing, put your hands up you asshole" Trying to deliver advice with pleas of wanting to save his money hidden underneath. Because of the alcohol, his mind was more subject to emotion, and seeing the fighter he had bet on barely standing because of the many missed punches that left bloody marks on his face, he was increasingly consumed by anger.
And similar speeches were coming from all directions, creating an extremely noisy and energetic atmosphere around the arena. But there was still intrigue in the arena as both fighters were already on their last breaths. Their punches were already extremely sprawling and could barely be called energetic.
"Captain!" Shouted a male voice from outside the arena. "Captain! The patrol ship is sailing toward us!"
Robert could hear the shout amidst this chaos, and there was not an ounce of concern on his face. On the contrary, he smiled slightly and took a few sips from the bottle filled with his much-loved cider. He stood up from his chair, which was quite high so that he could watch the fight freely.
"Jiro! Go and bring it," Robert called out sharply to one of his subordinates.
"Yes," Jiro responded, heading swiftly toward the warehouse to retrieve the necessary funds.
Robert turned and walked towards the shore. By the time he arrived, the sentries had already docked and disembarked.
Over twenty sentries stood on the shoreline, each appearing rather ordinary in their marine uniforms—unremarkable men at first glance. However, one figure stood out. His uniform differed from the rest, marked by a white coat adorned with intricate gold-thread embroidery on the shoulders. This man was a lieutenant.
As Robert approached, now within ten meters of the group, he put on a welcoming smile, ready to greet the visitors.
The lieutenant stood motionless, his pale eyes staring coldly at the pirate. His face was inexpressive, like a figure carved from stone, and as he looked at Robert he seemed almost detached from what was going on around him.
But Robert paid no attention to this, continuing to smile. This wasn't their first meeting and they already knew each other pretty well, there was a deal made between them, yes not a legal one, but not something unique. The sentinels turned a blind eye to pirates as long as their actions did not go beyond the prearranged limits and as long as they paid them.
But there was no animosity between Robert and Lieutenant, neither were friends, but their relationship was not bad.
"Good to see you, Lieutenant!" - Robert's voice sounded like a melody, full of charm. He stepped forward and held out his hand. "I hope the seas haven't troubled you too much?"
The lieutenant nodded silently, clenching the pirate's hand. "They were merciful."
They stood shoulder to shoulder and walked down the path leading to the pirate base. Behind them, like shadows, several sentries moved like shadows, except for the three remaining on the ship.
"I heard about your recent visit to Broad Island."
Robert didn't flinch, but his smile faded slightly. He watched the lieutenant's face carefully, eager to see how dangerous the subject might become.
"But I managed to keep it quiet," the lieutenant continued to say with a nonchalance as if he were discussing the weather, but a shadow of weariness slipped into his words. "Though, now there are a hundred pirate heads added to the seas... And not just theirs."
Robert felt the heavy relief slowly slipping from his soul like sea fog, giving way to calm. Unnecessary trouble had been avoided.
"So the paperwork pinned this case on the Red Moon Pirates?" - Robert's voice sounded subdued, but wariness did not escape the sentinel's ear.
"Yes," the lieutenant nodded, his eyes glittering with gloom. "But things have not gone smoothly. I was only able to capitalize marginally on such a disastrous situation. We lost many in the battle with them - no one expected them to join forces with the Laughing Pirates. We overestimated our strength..."
He was silent for a moment as if reliving that day again.
"But that's not all. There's been a lot of reshuffling at the top because of this, and while I managed to get my way, your pay will now increase."
Robert tensed but tried to hide his displeasure beneath an icy mask. "By how much?"
"Fifty percent," the sentinel said briefly.
A mixture of anger and irritation bubbled inside Robert, but he suppressed it like a volcano ready to erupt but unable to find an outlet. A clash with the sentinel was not what he desired right now. Not with his plans.
"Understood," he replied in a colder voice.
They walked in silence for several long minutes, the silence between them seeming to press on the air until Robert broke it with a sudden suggestion.
"We're having a holiday today," he grinned. "A big vacation for the whole crew."
The lieutenant glanced over his shoulder, his gaze stern but then softened. "I'm on duty."
"Come on, at least stop by for a little while," Robert's voice became friendlier.
The lieutenant sighed, looking away as if trying to weigh his duties and desires. "I think I'll find a couple hours."
Robert clapped him on the shoulder with a wide grin. "Good! I promise you'll come back to sea in a better mood than before."
It wasn't the first time the lieutenant had stayed for pirate festivities. Despite his sullen appearance, he was known in small circles for his love of alcohol and crazy nights among the pirates.
Ten minutes later they were in the heart of the pirate base. There was loud laughter, shouting, and cursing all around them-this chaos was a familiar environment for those who lived on the edge of the law. Jiro stepped out to meet them, holding a stack of bills in his hands.
His face remained sullen again, and his gaze unhappy. He clearly wasn't thrilled to be sent out again to get the missing money. But he had no choice.
The pirates and sentries, who had met more than once in such situations, quickly dispersed to their various companies. Laughter rang in the air, and the mugs of liquor were filling up faster than they could be drained. The pleasant intoxication slowly consumed everyone, blurring the boundaries between enemy and friend. More than an hour passed like that.
"The feast begins!" Robert, the pirate captain, announced loudly, and the main square, where the long tables were set up, was immediately filled with excitement.
Pirates and sentries, seated side by side, waited eagerly for the feast to begin. On a small dais beside Robert stood Treiton silently watching the crowd.
"Friends!" Robert began his speech, spreading his arms out as if he wanted to embrace everyone present. "Tonight we celebrate as never before! Let this be a night that legends will tell of! "
The crowd roared in response, mugs rattling as they clattered against each other.
"Ah, yes!" the captain continued, interrupting the cheers. "We have a very special gift for all of you. We've gotten something quite exceptional-a drink that even Red Shanks called the best of all the seas!"
The pirates buzzed in anticipation, and when several huge barrels filled with rare alcohol rolled into the square, their faces lit up. The four pirates rolled the barrels over to the tables, and the crowd rushed greedily toward them.
The lieutenant, a man accustomed to drinking, was the first to pick up the mug and fill it to the brim. He brought the drink to his lips and took a big gulp. The whole crowd froze, waiting for his verdict. The lieutenant suddenly put the mug down sharply and frowned as he tasted it. But after a moment his face lit up with a smile:
"This is the best drink I've ever had in these waters! Holy shit! "
There was a roar of approval from the crowd, and the mugs began to fill again and again. But not everyone was in a hurry to share the joy: some remained seated, discreetly refusing the new drink. The rest of the group just grunted - less drinking meant more for them.
In a few minutes, the square was in a whirlwind of merriment: some were telling stories, some were gambling, and some were fighting.
"How the hell did you get that kind of booze? " The lieutenant grinned and winked at Robert, standing beside him at the table.
"On that island, ha-ha! " Robert laughed.
"What?" The lieutenant frowned, but then he realized. "Ah-ah-ah... So that noise was worth it. "
"It was! "
The lieutenant stepped forward, lowering his voice conspiratorially:
"You know I fought the captain of the Laughing Bastards, right? "
"No, I didn't," Robert looked at him with obvious interest.
"It was something," the Lieutenant began, but his speech began to slow, his legs suddenly shaky. "He almost cut my arm off, for crying out loud! We were sailing to intercept the... uh... "
His legs shook again, and he almost fell over.
"Damn it, you can't stand on your feet anymore!" Robert chuckled. "It's like you've been switched! "
"Shut up, it's all right! " The lieutenant waved his hand and continued his story. "So, we were sailing, and then the sentries called me.... And I hear cannonballs, shouting. What the hell? "
But then his voice was cut off. The lieutenant clutched his throat, turned sharply pale and wheezed. His eyes suddenly filled with blood and his skin began to take on a strange bluish hue. He looked at Robert with anger and frustration.
"What's with you? " Robert whispered, feeling panic rise to his throat.
"Bast... bastard... " wheezed the Lieutenant, and his body collapsed to the ground.
Robert stood in shock, unable to move, while all around him the laughter and screaming continued. No one noticed the sentinel collapse. But soon there was another sound - and again someone fell. And then another. Soon everyone began to notice the pirates and sentries falling to the ground one by one, dead.
"What the hell is going on!" Robert shouted, but his words were drowned out by the roar of gunfire.
The surviving sentries, seeing what was happening, opened fire on the pirates. The pirates returned fire. The firefight was short but brutal - dozens of men were killed in twenty seconds. The bodies of all the sentries were on the ground, but the pirates had suffered losses as well.
And then, as if the horror of what was happening was not enough, one of the pirates plunged a dagger into the back of his comrade. That was the signal. Carnage erupted in the air. Blades glittered in the air, blood flooded the ground, and in an instant, the entire pirate camp became an arena where everyone fought for their lives.
— Chương tiếp theo sắp ra mắt — Viết đánh giá
Tình trạng nguồn điện hàng tuần
-- Xếp hạng
Quyền lực 
-- Đá
Quyền lực