Chapter 21

Thank goodness those knights arrived. According to Noel, the raiding party had more reinforcements in the forest, which the knights took out quickly. If the reinforcements came in, it would have overwhelmed the defenders. There were so many injured after the battle. Thankfully, with the Choco's and Aki's healing along with the medicines prepared the previous day, the majority of the injured were in pretty good health.

The elder was quite grateful for our help, mentioning how he was glad for the alliance between them and the nearby city. Flare and Noel looked quite happy with that. The elder then invited us to choose our rewards. I'll admit, I had been waiting eagerly for it. I immediately went to trade out my armor and shield for better ones, as did Choco and Matsuri. Aki refused any reward as she preferred to travel light, not to mention she wanted to stay here a bit longer before heading off her own way. Rushia, after some thought, took the gold reward instead. I wonder why though...

"Subaru, can we go back to the city?" asked Rushia.

They were back at Flare's house after taking their rewards. The others were busy packing their things, except Aki, while Flare and Noel sat silently at the dining table. One by one they came out and waited in the living room. It was then the young necromancer asked her question.

"Why? Do you need to buy anything?" asked the fighter.

She nodded, "I need more ink. More spells to learn."

"Oh, I guess we should then. It may take some time, but we can reach the capital-"

"Port Viridis is near here," interjected Noel suddenly, "It is large enough to rival Huan Tuo. I'm sure you can find the kind of ink you need for your learning needs."

"If it's nearer… I guess..." trailed off Subaru.

"Yes!" agreed Rushia immediately, her eyes shining with eagerness.

Choco chuckled, "I suppose the choice is made."

"Ha, ha, cute," quipped Matsuri.

Flare and Aki chuckled along, the former saying, "Ah, our time is short. I had hoped you would stay longer, salen aestar."

"Maybe tomorrow, I shall," said the knight as she squeezed the half-elf's hand before getting up, "For now, duty calls… I'll be going now."

"Stay safe," replied the former, letting go of her hand.

"Alright, follow me," Noel told the party as she led the way out of the house, "We need to send the other knights back to Fort Valia before I escort you to the port town. Not to worry. It is not too far from the fort."

True to her word, as soon as they left the forest, they headed straight for the fort. It took a while and they reached there at dusk.

"You four, follow me," Noel ordered as they neared a crossroads, one leading to the town and the other to the fort, "Sergeant Daro, take the rest of the men back to the fort."

"Yes, captain!"

With that, the formation split off and the knight and her four men rode straight for the city. The guards at the city gate saluted as soon as they arrived.

"Here we are. Port Viridis," she declared to the party as they dismounted from the horses, "Safe journey, Miss Subaru."

"Yes, captain," replied the fighter, giving a salute of her own. This got a smile out of the knight. She gave them a brief way of goodbye before riding off with her men.

"Well, let's find an inn for the night. I'm sure we could use a good rest," stated Choco.

"I want to share a room with Rushia," quipped Matsuri.

"No," the young necromancer said immediately.

"Aww, please?" pleaded the scout.

"...No."

We got directions from the guards to the nearest inn. It was a modest building with a friendly innkeeper. I shared a room with Rushia while Matsuri went with Choco. Matsuri looked quite disappointed. Well, she shouldn't have teased Rushia so much. We settled in for the night and slept soundly until the next morning light.

By the time I woke up, it was mid-morning. I missed breakfast… I don't think I've ever missed breakfast. I must have been really tired. Then again… fighting trolls… urgh. Now I really want a fire weapon. But… I bet it's gonna be very, very, very expensive. Unless we come by a windfall… not much of a chance to buy one here, much less commissioning one. Looking over to the side, I see Rushia busy looking through her stepfather's spellbook again. At least I'll know where she'll be for the rest of the day, barring meals. Getting ready for the day, I decided to explore the city.

"Aww, why do you need to drag me along..." complained Matsuri.

"I don't want you disturbing Rushia," Subaru replied simply, "She's busy with spellcasting things."

"Hng, fine. Dragging me around here better be worth it," muttered the swamp guide dejectedly as she accepted the explanation.

True to Noel's description, it was similar to Huan Tuo. Only, the market was a bit smaller. The city has less of a reliance on trading for food as there are farming communities in relative distance. Trade focussed mostly on mined ores and spices, the more valuable items. But because of the more lucrative trade, the ships heading to this city are more vulnerable to pirate attacks. Thus, they could see several large cannons facing the sea as well as a small fleet of naval ships.

"Interesting place, isn't it?" asked the fighter.

The other only made tired noises.

"I know the place is mostly full of spice shops but you have to admit the-" she continued but she was grabbed by the shoulders by a lady in red clothes and an eyepatch over her right eye. "Erm, yes? Do I know you?" she asked in confusion.

She stared at her for a while and finally said, "Help me!" Then, a very loud growl came from her stomach. She then curled up into a ball and pleaded, "Please… help me..."

The two party members looked at each other for a moment. Shrugging, Subaru decided to bring her to the nearest tavern to eat. According to her, she hadn't been eating for a day. Thus, the wolfing down of the food in front of her.

"My name is Marine," she explained in between bites, "I used to be a captain on a ship. A few days ago, my ship was attacked by pirates. The Red Sash Corsairs. Damned pirates took all my stuff and scuttled the ship. I want your help to get back at them."

"Hmm," sounded the fighter, feeling something was slightly off but decidedly brushed it off, "I guess we could..."

Marine gave them a great, big grin and exclaimed eagerly, "Nice! I know where they are. We can hit them now."

"Er… we should ask the others first..." said Subaru hesitantly.

"There are others?" the 'captain' repeated excitedly, "Yes, please ask them. I shall be waiting at the docks tonight. Don't be late!"

"Hey, wait..." started the fighter but she ran out of the tavern.

"So... are we helping her?" Matsuri finally spoke up.

"I guess... so?" she replied with a questioning tone, "We'll have to ask Rushia and Choco about this. Let's go."

After informing the others, they agreed to help the 'captain', even if Subaru felt a little suspicious. So, they agreed to be cautious due to that, even though they will help.

"Ahoy!" greeted Marine with the utmost gratefulness, "Thank you for coming to help. Please, follow me!"

She led them to a rather… big boat. With a single sail. And four oars.

"What..." asked the whole party in their heads.

"Ah, yes… this is all I could afford," she admitted with a smile, "But! We need to be rather sneaky. We just need to ride this along the coast. Then, we rest a bit before we get into their base."

"Will this... really work..." asked Subaru in disbelief, pointing at the boat while looking at her.

"Of course it would!" she assured them, "As long as we hug the coast, we would be there in no time. Trust me!"

It happened just as she said it would. Marine guided the boat down the coast. Rushia had never paddled before so she had to take over. Still, they eventually saw the pirate base, its perimeter lit by lanterns. Subaru's suspicions rose a little, wondering how she knew where the base was. After dragging the boat up the beach and hiding it in the tall grass, they slept the rest of the night away. They woke up at the rising sun, ready for whatever the pirates would throw at them.

"So, they are using an abandoned fort," she informed them, "So, that means a big gate entrance and crumbling walls." Glancing over to the party, she mused aloud, "Hmm, not much on sneaking but… it's enough. Anyway, their captain would likely be on their ship in his quarters, planning their next attack. Everyone else would be lazing about doing one thing or another."

"Just how do you know so much about this?" questioned Subaru with a frown.

Marine just smiled and replied, "I scouted out their lair before going to town to look for help. I'm not one of those scallywags, you know. Now, I found a secret tunnel inside. It used to be an escape route in case the fort got overrun. It leads up to the underground cellar, so it's only a flight of stairs up. A door leads to the courtyard of the fort, where they laze about, of course. Since they have the back of the fort to the sea, they have a stone and wood pier that leads to a wooden harbor where a ship could dock."

"Again, you know a bit too much for just a captain," repeated the fighter.

"Ha, ha, I know you like me, but now is not the time to lure me in," the 'captain' teased, causing her to sputter for a reply, "Right, you lot can go through the cellar. I am going to the ship."

"Wait, why are you going for the ship?" asked Matsuri in surprise.

"When you lot start attacking them, I'm going for the pirate captain," she declared as she thumbed towards herself, "That scallywag won't see it coming."

"Hmm, with everyone's attention drawn, you mean," mused Choco with narrowed eyes, "Are you using us as a distraction?"

"Well, I'm taking on the pirate captain. On his pirate ship. That has cannons. With cannonballs. Do you see where I'm sailing here?" questioned Marine with a smug undertone.

"I guess that makes sense..." muttered Subaru as she scratched the back of her head, "Having cannonballs raining on us while we fight the pirates doesn't sound good."

"See? Not to worry! When I take care of the captain, we can use the cannons on them," the 'captain' declared with a grin.

"...Alright, we'll follow your plan then," the fighter finally agreed, "Lead the way Captain Marine." Turning to the party, she said, "Let's go."

They had very little problem finding the tunnel and making their way to the fort cellar. They had some difficulty pushing up the trapdoor but with Subaru and Choco pushing against it, they forced it open. Thankfully, it was just a piece of rubble as they soon found out, the pirates stored a few barrels of gunpowder here.

"This is dangerous," warned Choco, "This is used to fire the cannons on their ship."

"Can we use this against them?" asked Subaru as she looked over one of the barrels.

"I don't see how we can drag this all the way up there," said Matsuri.

"That's too bad… alright let's go up and look around," the fighter decided.

Quietly they walked up the stone steps and slowly opened the cellar door. The room looked like a kitchen. It seemed to have been used recently, as evident from the food stains. Creeping to the door and opening it to peek outside. Four pirates were sitting around a table, playing cards in the courtyard. A few more were either loitering around or sleeping on crates.

"There aren't that many here," whispered Subaru.

"The fort is mostly intact, so there might be more in other rooms," reminded Choco.

"Maybe we try and sneak around to another room and-" the fighter started to reply when the door was suddenly pulled open. A pirate in a very dirty apron stared at them for a moment before turning around to run, shouting, "Intruders! Wake up you lazy lot! Intruders!"

"So much for surprising them," the tiefling grumbled as they drew their weapons.

After Marine led them to the tunnel, she immediately headed to the sea. Oh, the sea. The salty embrace of this wonderful goddess. She held her rapier in her mouth and dived in. She swam with ease up to the ship as the sea was calm on that sunny day. The pirates seemed to be getting careless as someone left the rope ladder out. She climbed up with ease and familiarity. Stepping on the deck, she sighed a little as she re-tied her rapier to her belt.

Then, a pirate ran up the gangplank, shouting, "Captain! Intruders! Captain- eh? Captain?"

"Just what are yer shouting about- you!" muttered the pirate captain as he came out of his quarters and caught sight of her.

"Ahoy, Sourpuss. You don't look so good," taunted Marine as she drew her weapon, "How's the ship treatin' ya?"

"I should 'ave tied ya to a cannonball and dropped ya," he roared angrily as he fumbled to draw his scimitar and dagger.

"You there," she said as she pointed at the other pirate, "You sit back and watch as I kick this guy's ass. Then, you're gonna help me, alright? I'll make ya my First Mate."

"Shaddap!" shouted the pirate captain, as he lunged forward, "Yer ain't pickin' my crew and yer sure ain't takin' back this here ship!"

"Ha!" she retorted as she parried both blades with ease, "This is MY SHIP! Scallywag like you is gonna see the bottom of the sea soon enough! Have at it!"

Choco and Rushia took the chance to cast a spell, quickly taking out one of the pirates. Then, everyone ran to take cover behind the pillars. Just in time too, as the shouting pirates quickly unloaded their crossbows on them in retaliation. A few clinked against Subaru's armor but she paid no mind to them. However, since the cook sounded the alarm, several more pirates came out of the rooms around the fort.

"Get them!" shouted the chef as he ran at them with another pirate.

"Eh!" exclaimed Matsuri as she shouldered her longbow and drew her rapier.

"I got you," shouted Subaru as she ran over to assist her. She slashed the pirate in the leg and stabbed the chef in the side when his scimitar slammed into the guide's armor, pushing her out of cover temporarily. Three bolts immediately slammed into her side, leg, and shoulder.

Matsuri was able to power through and much to the fighter's awe, lunged forward, slashing the pirate in the throat and in one smooth motion impaled her point in the cook's throat. "Woah,' she sounded.

"I'll take my admiration later," the former replied with a grin as she hooked the rapier on her belt as to not dirty her sheath and unshouldered her bow.

"Right!" the fighter shouted in appreciation as she decided to advance on the group of pirates on the far side of the fort. However, a large explosion drew her attention. "Choco!? Rushia!?" she called out and she held off the bolts with her shield.

"Gah, we're still fine," she heard Choco yell back, "They have a damned mage!" Glancing over in their direction, she noticed some splintered crates burning and the two hiding behind their own pillars.

"Damn you first," one of the pirates shouted back, presumably the mage.

Subaru ignored him. She reached another group of crates and took cover for a moment to assess the situation. She grimaced when the mage suddenly appeared from a sudden appearance of mist and threw a fireball at the pillars the two took cover behind. It dropped exactly between the pillars, the resulting eruption bathing them in flames.

She growled angrily. She wanted so bad to run across the courtyard and run that mage through. Suddenly, a barrel bounced over and slammed into a rectangular crate on the pier. It split and burst open, revealing a dripping pirate captain sputtering in disbelief. Everyone looked to the ship docked there. The gangplank was pulled up and at the starboard entrance stood Marine with an ear-splitting grin.

"Ahoy, traitors! I'm back! Who wants some cannonballs!?"

AN: Hello, readers. Today, our captain Noel escorts our adventuring party to a new port city. Where they have some time away from adventuring. Unfortunately, they do not have long before an adventure seeks them out. They don't know this person... but we do.

Here is the lewdness of the day. Marine.

Marine Houshou

Human Rogue/Fighter dip

Swashbuckler with Mariner (of course)

So, she successfully tricked our party into helping her get her ship back. I am pretty sure she enjoyed the water dripping off her... (͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Alright, this is it for this chapter. Next chapter, we have cannonballs galore. Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.