Forty-five minutes later, they set off to Staten Island. In order not to attract attention, Hope and two of her men were dressed in civilian attire. David still wore his Assassin's robes, but left his sword at his apartment. To compensate for the lack of his sword, Hope gave David a second Queen Anne's pistol, which David holstered at his waist, under his navy blue robes.
"We'll have to head to New Utrecht, which is in Brooklyn. There, we'll see. If it's not too late, we can travel the remaining distance to Staten Island. If not, we'll rest there for the night and travel the next day," David told Hope as the four exited the hideout. Hope led David into the alleyway next to the hideout. Four horses were tethered to a pole. "This is our ride."
The horses cantered for an hour and a half before the group reached a small dock in Lower Manhattan. It did not take long before they found a boat that would take them to another dock that was near New Utrecht. David negotiated with the Captain of the schooner on the price. They eventually settled on six sterling pounds.
Forty-five minutes later, the schooner arrived at the dock on Brooklyn. David paid the Captain the six pounds and the group left the schooner. After another ten minutes of horse-riding, the four reached New Utrecht. It was mid-afternoon when they reached New Utrecht, but David knew that they would not be able to reach Richmond Town by nightfall.
"We'll rest for the day," David told Hope and the two gang members. They nodded in reply. Hope said, "Well then, I suppose we have to look for a place to stay tonight, unless we're planning to sleep on the streets." Thus, the four walked around New Utrecht, looking for an inn or a tavern to stay.
As they walked around New Utrecht, five local thugs approached David and Hope. The two gang members were watching the scene from a distance, waiting for the correct time to strike. "You got a hot lass with you, eh?" one of the thugs questioned. "She's going to be mine tonight. I hope her looks are as good as her skills in bed!"
David raised an eyebrow as the five thugs pulled out daggers. "Go away now, and you'll be unharmed," David warned. The thugs laughed as they attacked. David kicked the first thug in the genitals and as the thug paced backwards, he balled his fists and punched the thug hard in his right cheek. The first thug tried to land a strike on David, but David grabbed his wrist and twisted his arm.
The first thug retreated swiftly and the other thugs distracted David as he did so. David ducked from an incoming dagger and gave an uppercut punch to the third thug's jaw, who was also the one who had tried to stab him. The third thug fell into unconsciousness the moment his brain hit his skull. The second thug dragged his partner's unconscious body away while the fourth thug went to support the fifth thug, who was battling Hope. At that moment, the two gang members entered the battle.
Five seconds after the two gang members intervened, the fourth thug was unconscious and the fifth thug was dead. David turned to the second thug, who was still busy dragging the third thug's body away. David pulled a Queen Anne pistol out and aimed it at the second thug. Upon seeing David's pistol, the second thug dropped his partner's body and fled.
A few minutes later, they found a tavern to stay and fortunately, there were rooms available for them to stay in. The group settled in the three rooms they had booked – the two gang members in the first room, Hope in the second room and David in the third room.
The next morning, they set off from New Utrecht to Richmond Town. They reached Richmond Town in the late afternoon, just around an hour before sunset. David led the group to Joseph's mercenary hideout. A mercenary answered the door, saw David and allowed them into the building. Joseph Caysee was delighted to see them, especially David.
"My friend! I have good things to tell you! Good and bad news, actually. And who are the people you've brought along with you?"
David introduced Hope and the two gang members to Joseph. Joseph bowed at Hope. "It is pleased to meet you, Miss Jensen." Hope nodded as an acknowledgement and told Joseph, "Stop with the formalities. It is making me uncomfortable. And just call me Hope."
Joseph nodded and gestured for them to take a seat. "Okay, good news first. Our numbers have increased to fifty, and that is including our people in New Dorp. I know it is small, compared to Miss Je- Hope's gang, but it is something for a new mercenary leader."
"Now to the bad news. We need training. Our weapons shortage has been satisfied by you, David, but now we need to properly train the mercenaries. The mercenaries are skilled enough to hold back the local thugs and all, but they will be beaten soundly by the Warriors of New York. And also, I've got intel that the Warriors of New York has heard about John Caesar's death. The top dog's going to send people over to investigate."
David swore. "This is a problem." Hope offered, "I can send people to train you all, but only if you form a partnership with my organisation." Joseph agreed immediately. "Who wouldn't want to form a partnership with you, Hope? You're one of the most powerful people in New York!"
Hope nodded as a thank you to Joseph and asked, "What about the Warriors that are coming over? I don't think the mercenaries can be properly trained before the Warriors come over."
"Well then, I guess I'll just have to fight them. Hope, Joseph, you two, will you all help me fight them?" They all nodded. One of the gang members said, "After all, our enemies are the same. Why shouldn't we help?"