"Who's that?"
Savannah Rensaire peeked out amongst the fern bushes concealing her location. Fortunate for her, because if the people she was spying on caught so much as a glimpse of her, she'd be fighting for her life.
Although, the way things were going, she might be doing that soon anyway.
Captain Bennis was crouched next to her. Her Captain. He was looking out on the same scene that she was. They were on a scouting quest.
"Who?" he asked, "Oh, him. That's Baird Dungar." They were spying on Sunspears. A large group of them had been making their way towards Chahbek Village for some time now. This wasn't good. Not good at all. The Sunspears must know something was up. That meant they had somehow got the intel.
On the other hand, Captain Bennis had known about the leak before they'd even set eyes on a single piece of shining white paragon armour. He'd specifically taken Savannah to this point, which meant he also knew the exact route the Sunspears were taking. It seemed there was also a leak amongst the shining knights of Elona.
"He looks formidable." Baird Dungar certainly did look formidable. He was as tall as 6'5, mid twenties. The sweep of brown hair on his head was the pale brown colour of caramels. His figure was powerfully built. He was bound by his own veins, which circled his body in thick ropes and cords. Some people said that the paragon uniform was too feminine. But with Baird's muscular calves and rock hard thighs, he wore it like the Scottish kilt. No one would ever question his masculinity.
"Yes," said Bennis, "He is."
The muscles bulging around Dungar's chest plate were enough to make women swoon. Women probably did. Fortunately, Savannah was not your usual woman. Spend enough time with the Corsair and these things tended to get drilled out of you.
After enough men had leered in your direction whilst clutching their crotch, you eventually learned that all men were smelly, sweaty pigs.
The fact that Dungar looked like he would be tough to take down wasn't their only problem however. He was also in command, and he looked like he knew what he was doing. Mixing smarts with physical strength was a rare and great combination, unless that mix happened to be on the other side.
"Are you sure we should go through with this?" Savannah questioned her mentor, "He might just be formidable enough to defeat us. Maybe we should rethink our attack."
"Not a chance," Bennis replied, "We've got more than double their numbers. Besides, I know Commander Dungar's history. Enough to… use against him."
Savannah studied Bennis' face. He had that sly smirk that suggested he always had the upper hand.
"Is knowing his history enough?" she asked.
"Savannah! Think about what I've taught you," Captain Bennis fancied himself not only Savannah's tutor but also her father figure, "Baird Dungar is a Corsair hunter. Why? Because he hates us. Hates us more than anything in the world."
"Sounds like a reason to leave to me."
"I'm not finished." Savannah sat herself in for the long haul. Another one of Bennis' lessons. She hated them because of the patronizing tone he used. But she enjoyed them because unfortunately, every now and again, she really did actually learn something. "He hates the Corsair because they murdered this father and his two sisters. Five years ago, whilst he was away on his first Sunspear mission."
Who could blame him? That was a good enough reason if any to hate pirates. Savannah picked up on some missing information, "What about his mother?"
Bennis dismissed it, "She was dead already. The plague."
"So what you're saying is this guy not only has a grudge against the Corsair, but he also has nothing and no one left to live for. Sounds like just the guy I want to go up against." Right now, the more Bennis divulged the worse it was sounding.
"Maybe not. But think about it. That man's rage must be so immense that even his own unique stature could not hold it for long." Unique stature indeed. The guy was enormous. The last thing Savannah wanted to do was find herself on the wrong end of his spear. Still, at least she'd cottoned on to Bennis' game plan.
"You want to provoke him until he gives into his anger. That's his weakness. Rage. You're going to manipulate it." It was a smart plan. But would it work?
"Exactly my dear. You're learning. We'll make a Corsair of you yet." Captain Bennis gave his adopted daughter a wink before scuttling off amongst the foliage. He moved with the grace of a cat. So did Savannah now. One of the few good things she had learned from her mentor.
"I already am a pirate," she muttered stubbornly into the shrubs. She took one last glance at the rather attractive backside of Sunspear Commander Baird Dungar. Almost as if he could sense he was being watched, he glanced backwards, searching the vividly green scenery for anything out of place.
Savannah drew back behind the foliage. No sense getting caught now.
"Nothing for you Baird Dungar," she muttered to herself as she stole away.
It was almost sad, in a way. If everything went according to her plan, tomorrow Baird Dungar would be eating dirt.