Chapter the Second, or 'I Beat Up a Bunch of Pirates With the Help of Ex-Pirates'
I leaned against the railing of the boat, smiling slightly as I allowed the wind and salty spray to blow through my hair, luxuriating in the feel of open freedom that only came with being out on the ocean.
Of course, when I say 'hair', I meant my beard.
It's technically hair, it still counts.
Behind me I could hear Lissa playing with an excited Archer, the old dog still behaving like a puppy, over the top of the regular sounds of the sailors working the rigging and the marines training. In the distance, I could see the form of the Asuna cresting waves, the smaller, converted escort craft dotting the ocean between us. The Arturia cut a smooth path through the sea, the larger, heavier vessel hardly troubled by the waves.
I found myself thinking that maybe this could have been my calling, instead. Sailing the seas, braving storms and pirates to discover uncharted lands… I didn't get seasick, and I didn't usually get cabin fever being cooped up with people I was comfortable with, so I figured I'd have made a good sailor. Unfortunately, that fickle bitch Fate had other plans, and I'd ended up…
Well, you all know that part of the story.
Behind me I could hear the distinctive thunk-thunk-thunk of Cean's peg leg approaching me for a moment, before the former pirate hesitated and started cursing.
"Off'a me, you mangy mutt! Off! That's not a fuckin' fetchin' stick!"
"Archer, no!" Lissa giggled.
I smiled out at the water at the commotion behind me, content to just let it play out. Eventually, Cean limped past me, grumbling about 'throwing that damned mutt into the sea', and I finally let a chuckle escape.
"Why, General, sir, I believe that's the first time I've ever heard you laugh. The sound suits you."
I turned at the mellifluous voice, the ship's captain and Ylisse's Admiral smiling from where he was leaning on the railing next to me. Viuso Diusepar Yemuel was the very picture of a gentleman sailor, his dark blue uniform as immaculate as his neatly combed black hair and oiled, curled moustache. He smiled, the old lines of a lifetime spent grinning and grimacing in gambling halls and at sea crinkling the corners of his eyes, the only outward sign that he was actually nearly ten years older than me. He stood head and shoulders taller than me, his thin form covered in whipcord muscle, the hilt of the saber at his side well-worn from use.
Compared to me, he looked like the one that should have been Duke. At least he looked the part.
Yemuel leaned back against the railing next to me, smiling down towards me as I went back to watching the waves.
"How are our passengers?" I asked conversationally.
"The Exalt and the Princess?" Yemuel practically purred. "They're an absolute treat. I never thought I would meet them myself, you know."
"You're the Admiral of their entire navy," I deadpanned, glancing up at him.
"A navy of ten ships," Yemuel reminded me with an elegant shrug. "Hardly worth the attention of the ruling caste. I honestly thought you gave me the rank as a formality."
"Yem. Please. You've known me for nearly a year now, you should know I don't do 'formalities'," I reminded him, before frowning and adding "At least not willingly, anyway…"
Yemuel just chuckled, the older man laying a slender hand on my shoulder. I glanced back at the appendage as it rested on me for a moment before he pulled back, remembering that I didn't like to be touched. I always thought that his hands looked like the hands of a musician, not a sailor, and certainly not a pirate. Long, nimble fingers that would be more suited for a violin or piano than a ship's rigging or wheel, festooned with bejeweled rings clenched my shoulder for a moment before releasing me.
"And it's one of the things I adore about you, Duke Baham," Yemuel chuckled. "But as to our VIPs, the Princess seems to be faring far better than the Exalt. The open sea doesn't agree with him, I fear."
I glanced back, watching as Lissa laughed with Cean, kneeling down next to Archer and spoiling the dog as the sailor kept a wary eye on them both.
The trio were an island of stillness in the sea of well-dressed and presented sailors moving about the deck, their uniforms cleaner and tidier than one would expect from a crew composed mostly of former pirates and corsairs. Which, look it up, isn't quite the same thing. It wasn't just for the royals' benefit, though; Yemuel prided himself on being a 'gentleman thief'. Appearance was apparently an important part of that. He took pride in his presentation, and that presentation also extended to his ship and his crew. He had told me once, when we were still organizing the opening stages of Operation Splish Splash, that "People deserve to be robbed properly. By well-mannered thieves, not sloppy scoundrels. There's a right way of doing things, and a fast way. I pride myself on doing things right, even if they're not particularly nice things." It had stuck with me, mostly because it was very similar to what I'd been telling my own soldiers.
"Has Chrom even left his cabin today?" I asked.
"Alas, no," Yemuel sighed. "I was hoping to spend more time with our monarch, too. Is it true that he led the charge that broke Gangrel's lines at the Harga Fields himself?"
"Only because my flanking team distracted the Plegian forces," I scoffed.
"Oh my," Yemuel snickered. "I find myself all aquiver, in the presence of such a daring hero."
"Damn straight," I said, standing and stretching my neck.
Yemuel watched me a moment before speaking again, his tone softer, wary of being overheard.
"Do you truly think this is her?" he asked.
"I hope so," I smirked. "Chrom threatened to kill me if I was wrong."
"They would not both be here if they thought you were wrong," Yemuel pointed out.
"I trust To'shi, and he trusts his people," I shrugged. "He knows that if we fuck this up his refugees will lose a lot of their backing. So… yeah. I'm fairly confident this is really her."
"Good. I'm very glad," Yemuel said with a small sigh.
We both leaned in companionable silence for a time, the Admiral watching his sailors work with hawk-like eyes as I simply watched the waves drifting by. After a little while he glanced back at me, frowning.
"Have you been taking breaks?" he asked me seriously.
"This is my break," I told him.
"You're no good to anyone half-dead from over-working yourself," he chided me.
I had to resist the urge to run a hand down my face. I hadn't been sleeping well in… well, more than a year, and it was starting to show.
"I am aware," I said instead. "As I know you are aware that we need more men for what's coming."
"Oh, I am probably more aware than most," the former pirate chuckled darkly. "I'm looking forward to sailing against the Valmese Navy with those new toys of yours. I know I should be above such things, but I will admit to feeling eager for some good old-fashioned revenge."
I nodded. It was no secret why most of the Arturia and Asuna's crews were made up of former Valmese pirates. The majority had only signed up for the chance at revenge.
"But do keep in mind what you told me," Yemuel said, his tone lighter again as he stood from the railing. "All work and no play…"
"Makes Ben a dull boy, I know," I said, a small grin appearing on my face.
"There now," Yemuel chuckled. "You are much more handsome when you smile."
And with that, the Admiral turned away and began to stride across the deck, the very picture of gentlemanly perfection with his head high, faultless posture and hands clasped loosely behind his back.
"Cean, a moment, please?" he called as he walked. "We need to discuss the galley rotation. I'm terribly sorry, dearest Princess Lissa, but may I steal your playmate for a time?"
"I'm not a… 'playmate'…" Cean grumbled, limping after the Admiral.
Lissa giggled, practically skipping over to me with Archer in tow. The big dog, his fur beginning to get a little stiff from all the salt in the air, placed his rear right on the toe of my boot, as he always did, and I smiled as I rubbed the top of his head.
"Having fun?" I asked, not looking up from the dog.
"Of course!" Lissa beamed. "I barely ever get out of the palace these days… it's almost worse than before…"
She trailed off with a frown, and I gave her a little nudge with my elbow.
"Enjoy it, because once we hit the shore it's time to work," I warned.
"I know," Lissa nodded, her face hardening.
I looked the girl up and down, frowning at her yellow blouse. She shrunk under my scrutiny, frowning back up at me.
"What?" she finally asked.
"We'll need to see if Yemuel has anything darker for you to wear," I told her. "If the reports are accurate, then that yellow's gonna stick out like dogs balls in the rainforest."
Lissa blinked a few times at my odd analogy, before looking down at Archer.
"Camouflage, Princess," I said, rolling my eyes. "We need you to be not so easy to see."
"But I like this blouse…" Lissa grumbled.
It took another six days to reach the chain of islands in the south. It was faster than Yemuel had expected; apparently, the winds had unseasonably shifted to speed our journey. Not that I was complaining, of course. I was eager to get this done and get back. If Valm invaded while we were gone…
Well. Then Robin and Lucina would handle it. I'd left very specific notes, after all.
But I still wanted to be there.
We'd actually sailed right on past Plegia, the coastline a distant smudge on the horizon. Lissa had come to stand with me on the railing as I watched the distant land, a complex expression on her face. Archer had sat between us, and the big dog had looked at me for a moment, as if checking to see I was alright before he began to pester Lissa for attention the same way he always did me.
The plan, once we reached the main island of Caleah, was simple: Yemuel would make anchor, send a few boats ashore for supplies, check out the vessels and the like. You know, do the basic admiral stuff an admiral would do on his fleet's shakedown voyage. He was a little unhappy about being mostly sidelined for this mission, but understood the necessity. The rest was up to us, To'shi's scouts, and Cean's marines.
So it was that, under cover of night, we made our silent landfall. To'shi's men had gone ahead during the day, actually swimming all the way to shore, to secure the beach. The rest of us were split up in two boats, myself, Su'ko and Cean in the first with half the marines, while Chrom and Lissa followed in the second with the rest. Amusingly enough, Su'ko had looked a little green in the lamplight as we'd boarded the vessels. I think, like Chrom, she wasn't too good with the sea.
There was no moon, and the night was dark. The marines worked the oars of the rowboat silently, though, as we cut through the water towards the inky darkness of Caleah's shore.
The island was tropical, and I was actually surprised at how excited I was to be heading back to the tropics. It had been a long time, and as much as I professed to hate the tropical clime, I had to admit I missed it a little.
Eventually, still in almost total silence, we hit the shore. I was out of the boat and onto the sandy beach in an instant, the majority of the Marines following. Three from each rowboat would go back to the Arturia, partially so there wouldn't be boats on the beach, but also so that the ships weren't totally undefended if the locals proved hostile.
I stood aside as Marines began to unload a few bags of supplies, motioning for Chrom and Lissa to join me.
Archer sat at my side, looking around curiously. I was no houndmaster like Flari, but I'd learned enough to effectively command Archer in the field. He was a good dog, too, and followed my instructions without complaint.
Lissa slipped from her boat without a sound, but Chrom stumbled in the dark and splashed into the water. As one, every Marine stopped to look at the Exalt, who blushed in the darkness and hurried over to where Lissa and I were waiting.
"Graceful," Lissa whispered.
"Shut up…" Chrom muttered.
"Word of advice: next time, aim for the water," I snickered. "Maybe you'll hit the sand."
"I hate you both," Chrom groaned.
Cean limped his way over behind Chrom, wearing the same dark uniform as the Marines and carrying a well-worn cutlass at his hip, he also had a fairly large axe resting over his shoulder. He nodded once to the royals out of respect, before turning to me.
"Ready to go, General," he reported. "Scouts reported in, too. Infiltration successful. We're unnoticed."
I nodded, not even needing to ask how the scouts had 'reported in'. I'd somehow spotted the ninja sneaking across the beach to speak to Cean, although I'm sure that Chrom and Lissa hadn't noticed. Probably came from all the time I'd been spending around those damn ninjas.
We moved into the forest, Cean's men carrying the supplies with them. We were immediately met by some of To'shi's men, who led us to our hidden staging point. Calling it a 'staging point' was a little generous. It was really more of a forest clearing, with a small fire in it. The thick rainforest canopy did a good job at hiding and dispersing the smoke from the fire, although I'd noticed two distinct lines of scouts on guard duty as we'd approached the camp. The Marines had dropped the supplies in a small pile, the Scouts not pulling guard duty gratefully crowding around for a decent meal and resupplying.
As soon as we'd set foot beneath the canopy, I'd been almost overwhelmed by feelings of nostalgia. The close, humid air, smelling of loam and rotting vegetation, buzzing with insects, the ground squelching wetly beneath my feet. As soon as we were beneath the trees it became almost pitch black, the thick upper canopy blocking what little light the waxing moon gave. You didn't so much breathe the air as drink it, it was so humid. It was a physical thing, multiplying the heat and making every movement heavy, every step a chore, every breath hard. I've heard humidity like this compared to being licked by a yak's tongue, and I could believe it. The sticky closeness of the air had my tunic clinging to my back beneath my mail in moments, and I was immediately glad that I'd left my coat aboard the Arturia. The familiar trilling of frogs and cries of nocturnal birds and animals was a cacophony compared to our attempts at stealth. It was like coming home, much as I hate to admit it.
This was the kind of environment I'd grown up in, and I couldn't fight the feeling. Well, this and mangroves, which are basically shallow swamps, but I was hoping we wouldn't have to deal with mangroves.
I was also a little worried about malaria and dengue, but hopefully we'd be long gone by the time either of those became an issue.
And in case you were wondering, no, this wasn't a 'jungle'. Jungle is a descriptive term, not a scientific one like rainforest. Although, if you really want, the difference is the rainforest's thick upper canopy that blocks sunlight from the forest floor. Less vegetation ground-level. Makes going a lot smoother.
I pulled Chrom and Lissa aside as To'shi approached, both of them looking distinctly uncomfortable and out of place, Lissa fanning herself with her hand as Chrom swatted irritably at the mosquitos hovering around him. To'shi, ignoring the environmental aspects like I was, bowed low to the royals before reporting.
"The surveillance team has tracked the target to a small village on the opposite side of the island," he reported. "We can rest until morning, then make our way there by late afternoon if we travel at half-march."
"We should just go now!" Chrom exclaimed.
The Exalt gave a small gasp, clamping his hand over his mouth as he realized just how loud he'd spoken. Once again, everyone had turned to glare at him.
"Sorry," the Exalt muttered sheepishly.
The scouts and marines went back to their business, and I had to resist the urge to smirk.
"Chrom, I swear, you don't have a stealthy bone in your body…" I sighed, shaking my head.
"My point stands," he said, much quieter. "We should move now, while we have the element of surprise."
"Chrom, we went through all this trouble so that we would have the element of surprise anyway," I explained slowly. "As for why we're not travelling by night, To'shi, would you like to explain or shall I?"
"Please, General, go ahead," the scout-master said, bowing his head deferentially.
"The rainforest, Chrom, is dangerous," I warned him. "I grew up in lands like this, and the first thing we learn is 'don't wander around at night'. The rainforest isn't like the temperate, deciduous forests in Ylisse. It's why To'shi's team isn't further into the forest, and it's why we're staying put until daylight. Also, don't touch anything. That goes for both of you. If it's brightly colored and pretty, it's very, very poisonous. Do not, under any circumstances, drink any water that isn't running. And if you get caught on a tree, don't try to tear yourself free."
"That last one sounds… silly," Lissa said slowly.
"I still have scars from trying when I was a kid," I told her gravely. "Hold still, and the tree will let you go. Otherwise it'll hurt. A lot."
Lissa paled, but swallowed and nodded.
"The… rain-forest can't be that bad," Chrom said with a frown.
"Where I'm from, it is," I warned him. "I'm hoping it's not as bad here, but I'm not holding my breath. Besides, it's already dumb to travel at night in terrain you're already familiar with, doing so in unfamiliar terrain is a recipe for disaster. I miss anything, To'shi?"
"I believe you covered everything, sir," the scout said evenly.
"Good. Try and get some rest. We'll move out at first light," I nodded. "Bed down in the middle, near the fire. The ground should be driest there. Oh, and make sure your boots are properly tied before we move out. There's probably gonna be mud."
"Yay…" Lissa groaned.
I left the royals to their rest, allowing To'shi to lead me over to the edge of the campsite. A quiet rustle made me think Archer was following me, and it wasn't until I glanced back and spotted the dog snuggling up to Lissa that I realized Su'ko was up to her old tricks again.
"They seem… unprepared, sir," To'shi said softly, following my gaze.
"They are unprepared," I muttered back. "But the quickest way to convince the target to come back will be with them. Have a few of your men keep an eye on them. Subtly. I don't want them to know how much they're slowing us down."
"Of course, sir," To'shi nodded.
The smaller man led me to where three dirty Chon'sinians in ragged local clothes were huddled at the edge of the camp. The way they moved when we approached left no doubt in my mind that these were some of the scouts we'd sent out, and were going to be our guides.
"I take it you gentlemen are from the local squad?" I asked.
The three men bowed low at the waist, keeping their heads lowered as they spoke to me.
"Yes sir," one, a man with a patchy grey beard covering his face, said. "We've tracked the target to one of the villages on the far side of the island. The rest of the squad is watching her."
"How many?" I asked.
"Four more men," the bearded man said.
"Good work, all of you," I said, clasping my hands behind my back. "Get something to eat and take some rest. We'll need you to lead us there at first light."
"Of course, General, sir," the lead man said again.
I waved them away, and the trio hurried over to the fire where some of the Marines were doling out a thin, nutritious gruel to the troops. Chrom and Lissa were already cradling their own bowls, the Princess scowling at hers as Chrom noisily slurped up his own. To'shi came alongside me, glancing up at me with concern.
"They'll be fine," I told him.
"It is not them that concerns me, sir," he said, somewhat hesitantly in Chon'sinian. "Are you sure you should be in the field, sir?"
"Never give an order you wouldn't follow yourself," I told him, speaking Chon'sinian, too. "Besides, I can't let the Exalt take the field and stay behind, can I?"
"I am not happy about having him in the field, either," To'shi admitted.
"Yeah, try telling him that," I scoffed. "I lost track of the times I told him 'you're too important to lead from the front' during Plegia."
"Sir, if something should happen to either of you-" he began.
"Then Sumia takes over as Queen-Regent until Lucina comes of age, and Virion takes over as General," I cut him off. "There are very specific instructions in my will for the continued care and treatment of the refugees in both Baham and Ylisstol. Your concern is noted, but stop worrying. That's an order."
"With respect, milord, I cannot follow that order," To'shi bristled.
"Then worry quieter," I smirked. "We do our jobs right, and it won't matter anyway. Besides, this is a total milk run. We go in, grab the target and get out. What's the worst that could happen?"
To'shi sighed, and I moved to get in line for my own bowl of gruel. If only I'd known then what was to come, I would have kept my mouth firmly shut and not tempted fate…
We spent most of the day hiking through the forest with the local team of scouts as our guides. The Marines, Scouts and I were all hauling the standard kit, but Chrom and Lissa went unencumbered. Still, though, they struggled to keep up at even a half-speed march, so going was slow.
It was hard to tell who really fared better in the close, sweaty confines of the rainforest. Chrom's sleeveless jerkin allowed him to keep cooler, but unlike Lissa's long-sleeved black tunic, courtesy of Yemuel, he had no protection from the flying, biting insects.
At one point we found very large bird tracks, and evidence that something had been foraging in the layer of dead leaves that coated the ground. It made me very, very nervous about the possibility of the Awakening world having cassowaries, but we managed to avoid even spotting anything.
If you're wondering what a cassowary is, think a big, pissed-off emu with claws capable of disemboweling a person. Yeah. Nightmare fuel, those fuckers are.
The overhead canopy of trees did a good job at blocking out the sun, and we travelled in near-twilight all day. Despite the shade, though, once the sun came up fully, the heat became stifling. A far-cry from the winter we'd left behind in Ylisse. Of course, if this world had magnetic poles, and Ylisse was mostly northern-hemisphere, then this island chain would be somewhere near the equator, or its local equivalent. Kind of made me curious what you'd find if you kept sailing south. I'd have to ask Yemuel about that when I found the time.
Eventually, the canopy began to thin and we started getting a little more of the afternoon sunlight. The air gradually became a little less cloying, a little saltier as we neared the coast again. The trees began to thin out, and ground-level foliage began to become thicker, forcing the local scouts to cut us a path. I was a little worried about leaving such an obvious trail, but, really, this whole mission was just practice. There were no hostile forces on this island, just a couple small fishing villages. Still, though, I didn't want to linger. If Walhart's navy did have a presence in the area, I didn't want to know until I was very far away.
Unfortunately, thanks to the very nature of the rainforest, we didn't smell the smoke until we were pretty much on top of the town.
We had passed a number of old stumps, evidence of human presence, when To'shi called a stop. He tilted his head back and sniffed, Archer doing much the same, before looking at me gravely.
"Smoke, sir," he said.
"Cooking smoke?" I said hopefully.
"I doubt it," he shook his head.
"Let's not jump to conclusions," I said, crossing my arms. "This island chain isn't supposed to have anything but a few scattered fishing villages. Maybe they're smoking the fish and the wind changed."
To'shi just gave me a look, and I sighed.
"I'm not saying we're not going to proceed cautiously," I said, rolling my eyes. "But let's not start jumping to conclusions. Scouts, fan out. Five meter spread, no sound."
Dear lord, I cannot lie, I'd always wanted to use that line from Predator in real life. Inside I was squealing in delight, but outside I was all business.
"Marines, we follow after them," I went on. "Chrom, you're on Lissa. Keep the healer safe. Su'ko, you too."
The young ninja girl all but materialized behind Lissa, making the cleric jump, but Chrom grunted obstinately and stepped forward.
"Ben, I am a frontline-" he started.
"You agreed to follow my orders on this mission, Exalt Chrom," I snapped. "The Marines and scouts are trained as a unit, one you aren't a part of. Watch the squishy and stick close. Hopefully this is nothing, but if it is hostile action, I don't need you in the front cocking things up. Clear?"
Chrom clenched his hands into fists, but nodded. I felt bad about being so blunt, but while we were talking, the Marines were already spread out in a rough arrow formation. Weapons were drawn, a few of the men actually kneeling down to coat the blades in the loamy dirt to stop any light reflecting off the metal. I drew my own sword, Archer looking up at me curiously. I gave the dog a few pats on the head as I passed him, moving to my position near the front of the arrow with Cean.
"Forward march," I said. "No sound."
We began to move again, cautiously now, almost silently. I found myself wondering if, by coming here early, we had tripped the flag for Emmeryn's paralogue ahead of schedule. I had to admit, it felt odd thinking of things in terms of the game again after so long, but I couldn't think of any other reason for pirates to be attacking. I tried racking my brains, but couldn't for the life of me remember what Emmeryn's Paralogue map looked like. I'd only ever done it once, and I hadn't written it into my own fanfiction, so I couldn't remember. All I remembered was that this was supposed to be Grimleal, not pirates, and that the lady herself would be in the thick of things and we'd have to protect her.
Although, the map in question wasn't unlocked until just before the endgame, and while I recall it being one of the easier Paralogues, it was still endgame level difficulty. If that carried over here, this would be a literal snatch and grab; Chrom would just have to carry her and haul ass while we covered him.
Fuck the villagers, I was only here for Emmeryn. We could send more troops later or something.
I also guessed we were a touch too early for the Grimleal.
We came to the edge of the forest and crouched down in the thin scrub, the scouts already gone into the village. To my great irritation, Chrom crawled forward to my side.
From where we were situated, it did indeed look like the village had been attacked recently. How recently, I couldn't rightly say. Sometime in the last twenty-four hours, at least. Nothing was still on fire, anyway. There were a few people milling about, and I spotted one of the local scouts speaking to some natives…
"What do you see?" Chrom whispered loudly.
"Everything," I muttered back to him.
He looked at me askance, and I sighed and rolled my eyes.
"No immediate threat, but I'd rather not move until the scouts get back," I told him. "If there's still hostiles in the area-"
"Then the villagers will need help!" Chrom declared, rising to his feet.
Cean and I yanked the Exalt back down into the relative camouflage of the bushes, and I glared at him.
"If there are still hostiles in the area I want to know before we go charging in!" I hissed in his face.
"I've had just about enough of your cowardice!" Chrom growled.
"It's called 'tactics', your worship," I snarled back. "And if you break cover and endanger my squads one more time I'll happily hog-tie you and carry you back to Ylisse!"
Chrom grit his teeth and looked around. He found no support from the Marines, who were watching with neutral, if curious, expressions. When he looked back to Lissa she very slightly shook her head, and Chrom made a very unpleasant face as he backed down.
"If villagers die, their blood is on your hands," he growled.
"If it means one more of my soldiers gets home safe, I'll let the whole village burn," I shot back heatedly as I turned away.
Admittedly, I could have handled that better. But just being around Chrom keyed me up, and I didn't need someone second-guessing me in the field, in front of my men no less. I mean, I couldn't blame Chrom; he was used to being the guy giving orders, not taking them. But I needed him to fall in line now or people's lives would be in danger, especially if this bullshit repeated in Valm. Plus, in the long run, the soldiers' lives were easily worth an entire village of non-coms, if I broke it down to ruthless calculus.
Didn't mean I had to like it, but that's the reality of command.
The mood was tense, but fortunately we didn't have to wait long for To'shi and his men to return. They all but materialized at the edge of the village, silently making their way towards the edge of the forest. I noticed that the three local men were absent.
"Report," I said.
"Pirates, sir," To'shi said bluntly. "Attacked during the night. Apparently spotted our ships and decided to launch a pre-emptive attack."
"Shit, I was hoping to avoid this…" I muttered.
To Chrom's credit, I didn't hear any 'I told you so'. If we had done as he said, we might even have headed this off…
"They stole provisions and abducted the village's womenfolk," the scout went on. "Few casualties among the villagers, mostly burns and contusions. The only dead are the ones that tried to stop the pirates taking the women."
I could practically hear Chrom's teeth grinding beside me, and the Marines all shifted uncomfortably around us. Among the ex-pirates I'd hired, I'd been careful to select the more moderately-tempered ones; no doubt something like taking all the women in a village just for funzies didn't sit well with them, either.
"And the target?" I asked, a ball of dread in the pit of my stomach.
"I'm sorry, sir," To'shi said, lowering his head. "They took her, as well. We lost two of the surveillance team when they tried to protect her."
"Well. Shit," I sighed. "Okay, we can still make this work. Any idea where the pirates went?"
"From what very little recon we've done, I'd say they stayed local," To'shi said quickly. "A number of stragglers went north along the coast on foot."
"Then we can track them," I said. "Okay. Okay, I have a plan."
"That was fast," Cean commented.
"I planned for this eventuality, it's what I do," I shrugged. "I also had a plan for if the island were being attacked by a giant sea monster, though. Ask about that one later. Pray we don't need it. To'shi, take half your scouts back to the coast, signal Yemuel. I want the entire damned fleet coming down on these bastards so they don't get away. Travel light, don't stop. I want our ships in position before dark. Go."
"Yes sir," To'shi said.
Without another word, the scouts all shed their heavy kit bags, leaving them neatly concealed in the undergrowth before darting back into the rainforest the way we had come. They were gone in seconds.
"Cean, take your Marines and secure the town," I went on. "Stay in visual range at all times, and make sure the locals know we're here to help. Take the Princess, see to their wounded. Lissa? You're up."
"Right, boss," Cean nodded.
"I'll do what I can to help," Lissa declared.
"Chrom, you and me are gonna go meet the locals, see what more info we can get," I said. "The more we know about these assholes, the better. Let's get it done, people. Move out."
Cean led the Marines and Lissa towards the village at a steady limp that was a brisk trot for everyone else, leaving Chrom and I in the bushes. I gladly shed my own pack, rotating my shoulders with a sigh. Archer looked up at me, his tail flopping back and forth lazily a few times as Chrom glared at me.
"I need you in my corner on this, Chrom," I said as I started walking.
He only hesitated a moment before falling in at my shoulder, Archer following behind with his tail wagging and tongue lolling.
"I understand that you're used to giving the orders, but there's a certain way the men have been trained," I went on. "Certain rules of engagement that make their survivability higher, and I need you backing me up on this. Whatever bullshit is between us needs to stay out of the way. I can't have it affecting the mission."
"You really think that this is about us?" Chrom asked hotly. "These people needed help-"
"Which we are better equipped to provide when you aren't leading the men I have gone to great lengths to train into a potential ambush," I cut him off. "We have scouts for a reason."
"I am not the kind of man that just sits back and lets people suffer," Chrom seethed.
"Then abdicate the throne and let someone with some common fucking sense rule!" I snapped, stopping and rounding on Chrom. "You need to stop being so damned near-sighted and start thinking about the bigger picture! You'd be a damned fine ruler if you could just see past your nose!"
Chrom's expression darkened for a moment, before he sighed and seemed to sag under an immense weight.
"You know, you almost sound like Frederick right now," he admitted.
"Oh, now you're just trying to start a fight," I said lightly.
Chrom chuckled a little, shaking his head.
"I never expected Emmeryn to be… gone," he said, looking away. "I never thought I would have to take the throne. And now we may be able to bring her back…"
"Chrom, no," I said quickly. "No way. You cannot even be thinking what I hope you're not thinking."
He blinked at me a few times, before I sighed.
"Chrom, Emmeryn cannot, cannot take the throne again," I said in a hushed whisper. "The international ramifications would be disastrous and-"
"I know, I know," he said, a small, sad grin rising to his features. "Now you really sound like Frederick."
"I swear, I'm one more 'Frederick' away from punching you…"
"I know Emm's sacrifice is was broke Plegian morale and let us win the war," Chrom said with a small chuckle. "But… just having her back… to advise, to guide me…"
"You need to be your own man," I told him. "Your own ruler. Make your own decisions and live with them, not second-guess yourself. And I swear, if you tell me I sound like you-know-who one more time…"
Chrom laughed at this, and we started walking for the village again. Lissa and the Marines had drawn quite the crowd in the small village square, the young cleric tending the wounded from the attack under their watchful gazes. Surprisingly, a lot of the crowd was visibly Plegian; refugees, no doubt they were more keen on taking a chance with the unknown than with the known quality Ylisse presented them with. I spotted a man that looked sufficiently old enough to be the elder, but not too old to be of use in the position, and began to drift towards him.
"I will not tell you, then," Chrom laughed. "I know I cannot live in my sister's shadow. But just… having her back…"
"If this is her, we'll get her back," I promised him. "But first, we need some details. I think that's the Elder over there."
I stopped, turning to Chrom seriously.
"I need to know you've got my back, Chrom," I told him. "Can you follow my orders?"
"I can," he nodded gravely.
"I'll get you some primers and field guides on the tactics that the troops use when we get back to Ylisse," I promised. "That way this won't happen again."
"Good," Chrom said, clapping me on the shoulder. "I'll hold you to that."
I had to grit my teeth not to jump at the sudden contact, but managed to hold it in. Barely.
As we approached the Elder, I tried to subtly put some distance between myself and Chrom, trying to urge Archer between us to act as a buffer. The Elder looked over as we approached, and he instantly began to sing our praises.
"I can't believe you've come to our aid! Oh, gods be good! Thank you, sirs!" he began blathering.
I rolled my eyes as I held up a hand to stop him ranting, Chrom snickering a little as I took the lead.
"I hear pirates attacked your village," I said. "Made off with your women-folk."
"A-all true, I fear..." the Elder nodded. "They have been raiding the coastal villages for some time, taking whatever and whoever they please. Our own village lost three last night. Please, you must see that no more are allowed to suffer this cruel fate!"
"The pirates have stolen their last victim, I swear it," Chrom promised him.
I had to roll my eyes again at that.
"Okay, but was there an Ylissean girl here?" I asked. "Looks kind of like the cleric there, but older and more womanly?"
"I heard that!" Lissa shouted.
I blew her a raspberry as I flipped her the bird, and the young Princess huffed as she went back to her healing.
"I… yes, she was," the Elder said slowly.
"The pirates have a local base, yes?" I pressed. "Where?"
The Elder swallowed before pointing up the coast.
"There is an old lighthouse a few hours walk up the coast," he said. "It isn't a normal lighthouse, though. More like a fortress. An old ruin, from before Grima's Sundering."
"How many?" I pressed. "Approximately."
"Ben, this isn't an interrogation," Chrom muttered to me.
"At least twenty," the Elder scowled. "Maybe more. They are the worst kind of-"
"Thank you," I said, cutting him off and stepping around him. "Alright Marines, listen up! We have our target! This is gonna be a standard snatch and grab scenario, so drop your non-essential gear and get ready for a fight! Lissa, see to the absolute worst injuries that won't last until we get back!"
There was a sudden flurry of activity as the Marines began shedding their own packs and readying weapons, while Lissa loudly complained about being rushed. The scouts that hadn't gone on messenger duty with To'shi automatically began heading in the direction of the old lighthouse, and I turned back to the Elder as the rest of the men made ready, quirking a brow.
"Lot of refugees around here?" I asked conversationally.
"Ah… yes," he nodded. "Men and women, families, trying to escape all the fighting on the continent."
"Any problems?" I asked.
"Only in finding them decent places to live," he said honestly. "They've had to spread out through most of the fishing villages so they don't overpopulate any. Aside from that they've been nothing but kind and helpful."
"Good to know," I nodded, looking to Chrom. "Anything else?"
"Ah, no, uh, I think, that is, we, um…" the Exalt stammered, clearly caught wrong-footed.
"I'll take that as a no," I deadpanned, turning back to the Elder. "Hold tight. We'll be back with your girls by morning. Help yourselves to whatever supplies you need from the packs."
"Again, bless you, sirs," he said, bowing his head.
I led Chrom away from the group, Archer sitting down and looking up at the Elder with his tail wagging as I spoke to the Exalt.
"Thoughts?" I asked.
"We need to save those girls," he said firmly.
"Yes, Chrom, I know," I sighed. "I mean, any thoughts on 'how'?"
"You… want my opinion now?" he asked. "I thought you were giving orders?"
"A good commander knows how to listen," I said. "You know this w… region better than I do. What do you think?"
I'd almost slipped up there and outed myself as an interdimensional traveler…
"We rush them," Chrom said. "Hit them hard, cut off their escape route, pin them between us. If this building is a lighthouse it will be near a cliff, which means their escape paths will be limited. Er… right?"
"Yes, Chrom, I was thinking basically the same thing," I smirked. "Feels good to be working together again like this, huh?"
"Now that all of the arguing is out of the way, yes," he grinned back.
"Wanna see something cool?" I asked.
"I… guess?" Chrom said slowly.
"Archer!" I called.
The dog looked up from where he was busy pestering Lissa, his tail wagging as he came darting over to me. Where he promptly parked his arse on my foot.
"Archer, sit," I said.
Archer twitched, almost as if physically switching his brain back into 'work mode'. He shuffled off my foot, looking up at me expectantly.
"Archer," I said, grinning at Chrom. "Seek."
The dog shot up, sticking his ass in the air and his snout to the ground as he sniffed around a little. After barely a minute of sniffing he looked up, his nose twitching a few times before he gave a single loud bark and took off towards the forest. I just grinned at Chrom, and followed after the dog.
I mean, Archer was kinda going in the same direction as the scouts, anyway…
As I stared up at the ancient lighthouse structure I had to admit, the Elder had been somewhat off about the scale of the place. It was, indeed, a lighthouse; a huge stone tower extended up into the sky, broken off near the top and leaving somewhat jagged edges casting shadows over us in the late afternoon sun. That much was… accurate, at least.
What he had failed to mention, though, that the 'old ruin' was the ruin of an old goddamned fortress with a lighthouse sticking out of it.
The rest of the building was a keep, easily the size of my own back in Baham. The ruins of several outbuildings looked to be abandoned, but if the noise was any indication, the pirates had made their base in the main keep. Tall walls surrounded the place, unmanned but for a single guard leaning lazily against the stones above the gate. The gate itself had long ago been smashed open, no remnant of the original gate structure remaining except for the stone archway, left to yawn open like an old wound. To the west, where the cliff-face was closer to the lighthouse, a rough jetty had been constructed, three ships of decent size moored against it.
Another thing that the old man had clearly been off about was the population of the pirates.
There were easily dozens, and that's just what we'd seen. There could have been even more inside.
"Shit, okay, this isn't… ideal…" I'd muttered.
"We cannot delay!" Chrom insisted. "Those women-"
"I know, I know!" I hushed him. "I'm thinking!"
Chrom, Lissa, Cean and I were crowded around in a small huddle some way back from the keep in the forest. Between the trees I could just make out the stone walls, just hear the laughs and shouts of the pirates within.
No screams yet, but lord only knew how long that'd last.
"Rushing that many isn't going to work," Cean pointed out. "My boys are good, but we're only wearing light armor. We didn't come kitted up for heavy fighting, sirs and ma'am."
"What about a distraction?" Lissa suggested. "Draw them out, sneak in, make a daring rescue!"
Oh god, you sound just like your son will, I thought with a snort.
"Not enough men," I said instead. "We need to do this quiet and fast. And mean. This isn't going to be pretty."
"What are you thinking?" Chrom asked.
I turned back to the lighthouse keep, frowning as I thought. Unfortunately, I didn't think that hiding in the forest and doing the Hakka until they all got scared and ran away was a viable tactic here.
"I really want to wait for Yemuel and the rest of the Marines," I growled. "But we don't have time for that. Cean? Thoughts?"
"They probably think that they don't need guards during the day," I said. "But once it gets later, they may post sentries. I think the Princess was on the right track with the sneaking in part."
"So, we sneak in, kill as many as we can, as quiet as we can, until they notice us, and then fight our way out?" I asked. "Is that what you're thinking?"
"Aye, General, sir," Cean nodded.
"And the men on the boats?" I asked.
"If we do this right, they'll never even know," he said confidently.
"Can we do this right?" I asked. "We've only got nine scouts, and your Marines aren't exactly the stealthiest."
"We can be quiet when we need to," he promised. "Wouldn't have made good pirates an' thieves other… wise…"
Cean trailed off, glancing at Chrom and chuckling awkwardly.
"Go spread the word," I sighed. "We'll go with this plan. Scouts spotted four entry points. Split into four infiltration teams. There's at least three targets. You get one, you get out and get back to the village. Don't wait for the other teams, just go. In fifteen minutes, if they don't find a target, squads are to withdraw. Clear?"
"Crystal, sir," Cean nodded.
He shuffled away awkwardly into the forest, damn near silently even with his peg leg. As soon as he was gone Chrom and Lissa rounded on me, whispering furiously.
"Ohmygosh is Cean really a pirate!?" Lissa whispered loudly. "Is Yemuel!? Is the Arturia a pirate ship!?"
"Did you actually populate my navy with pirates!?" Chrom hissed.
"Ex-pirates, yes," I said, a tad defensively. "To be fair, you signed off on the plan."
"You know I never read my paperwork!" Chrom whisper-shouted.
"Get pissy later, we have a job to do now," I huffed. "We're going non-verbal now, okay? No sounds, not even warnings. If you really need to tell me something, whisper it in my ear, otherwise keep quiet."
By the time the three of us, plus my dog, had rejoined the Marines and scouts, the men had already split into the four teams. Cean ushered us over to his group, to even out the numbers. Each team had two scouts, except ours with three. The Marines had managed a pretty even split, too, with six men in each team. I nodded, making a fist and holding it up near my head. I looked around, every man, scout and marine, meeting my eyes. I opened my palm and waved towards the lighthouse.
They took off silently, the scouts leading the way as the marines followed just behind. We all moved just to the edge of the forest, still hiding in the shifting shadows of the trees. I held up my fist again, and the teams stopped. I pointed to the extra scout in my team, before pointing with one finger to the single pirate lounging on top of the gate. The scout gave the finger-thumb-circle symbol for 'understood'.
The scout I'd singled out went prone and slithered out towards the wall. I held my breath as he moved over open ground for a few painful minutes, but his progress went unnoticed by the guard. Once safely pressed up against the stone wall he paused, rummaging around his pockets for a moment before scaling the wall with the ease a normal man might scale a ladder with. He was over the edge and on the wall in moments, and had silenced the lone guard with a hidden dagger and a hand over his mouth.
And just like that, we were in.
I urged the teams forward again, and we raced towards the wall. I waved teams two and three off, before waving my own and the fourth team forward again. The three other teams peeled off at the open gate, two going back along the wall for broken sections as the third entered the courtyard ahead of us. The scout that had silenced the guard casually dropped down alongside us, dusting himself off with a cocky little smirk.
I rolled my eyes and gave him a little shove, and he fell in with the rest of the scouts. My team, Chrom and Lissa at the rear, approached the main entrance to the keep. The scouts disappeared inside, and the rest of us moved flush to the closest wall. After only a moment one of the scouts leaned out and waved us forward.
The interior of the keep was dim and damp, more a tunnel than a hallway. Mold and lichens grew along rough stone walls, the floor worn smooth from centuries of heavy feet. We advanced quickly down the corridor, the scouts leading us with near wraith-level silence. If you didn't know where to look, they just kind of melted into the shadows. It was creepy, and made me very happy they were on our side.
We stopped at a staircase leading down, across from another leading up. These had probably once been servant corridors, given how utilitarian they seemed; it made sense that they would want easy access to all floors. Not from a defense standpoint, but for the servants it would have made sense.
I looked back and forth between them for a moment, and gestured up.
If I were a pirate, I'd want to keep my 'loot' closer at hand, not in some cellar.
Plus, it would be easier to get out if things went pear-shaped if we weren't underground. The cellar would be a death-trap.
Chrom gave me a look as the scouts and marines started up the stairs, and I shook my head. Just because nobility kept prisoners in the basement didn't mean everyone else did. If we really needed to, we could come back. But I wasn't going down there unless I had to.
The team came out onto an open gallery floor at the top of the stairs, just in time to see one of the other teams breeze through a small group of the pirates below us. One of the marines chopped with two hand-axes, one in each hand, at a pirate, chopping his throat as the other axe almost severed his arm. A scout leapt on the back of another pirate to cover his face with a piece of filthy sack-cloth he'd obviously picked up in here, one of the marines cutting the pirate almost in half. Over and over, the scenes repeated themselves. A few muffled grunts, a few thuds, that was it. Eight pirate corpses were all that remained.
The scouts and marines worked in perfect unison, much to my great relief. I'd been a little worried, considering the scouts had only trained with the regular army before. Fortunately, it appeared the training regimes were similar enough that the men could make it up on the fly. Chrom seemed impressed, too. In only a few seconds, the room was empty save for the dead.
As we neared the end of the gallery, and another set of stairs, one of the teams that had entered from outside the wall came down from the floor on the opposite side of the gallery. They looked startled for a moment, but fortunately none of the marines threw any axes at us.
The marine in the lead shook his head, pointing back up the way they'd come from. I pointed down, then circled my hand in the rough direction we'd come from. Then, I indicated down again. The marine made the thumb-finger 'understood' sign, and his team were off again.
Good. Now I wouldn't have to check the cellar.
We came out from the stairs into what would have once been a grand entrance hall, now spoiled by time and the carelessness of pirates. Unfortunately, there was a group of pirates that were clearly intent on going down the stairs we'd just come up.
Both groups froze for a moment, the pirates surprise almost comically plain on their faces. There were five of them, all big, muscle-bound brutes with skin like leather from too much sun at sea. They blinked as I stepped forward, a small grin on my face.
"Uh… hi there. Have you guys seen some ladies around here?" I asked.
Then, without waiting for an answer, I drove my sword into the chest of the closest pirate.
"Never mind, I'm sure we'll find them," I shrugged.
Even as I was speaking the others were moving around me. The four scouts mobbed one of the pirates, their knives flashing in the gloom as Cean silently charged another. The Marine captain buried the axe in the pirate's chest, bearing down on him and driving him to his knees. The rest of the marines tore into the pirates, and Chrom actually rushed past me to try and get a piece of the action. I just stood there and watched, and Lissa came up beside me with Archer.
I glanced up in time to see another pirate at the end of the hall, falling over himself in his haste to get away, mouth already opened to shout a warning.
"Archer! Sic 'em!" I snapped.
The dog took off like a shot, but it was too little, too late.
"Help! Help! Attack! We're- aieee!"
The man's voice rose into a shriek as Archer snapped at the vulnerable tendons on the back of his legs. Blood spurted as the pirate fell on his face, Archer actually managing to drag him back towards us. The pirate's muffled cursing was cut short when Chrom ran him through.
We stood in silence for a moment, all perfectly still and listening.
Then, from beneath us, I began to hear the stirrings of men realizing they were under attack.
"Well, shit," I sighed. "Was it too much to hope we'd get a little more time?"
"What now?" Chrom asked urgently.
"We find the target faster," I said, looking around. "This area looks lived in. Check the side rooms, quick! We need to get out, fast."
The marines spread out, the scouts piling the bodies in the middle of the floor over top of what appeared to be a recently-used fire pit. Archer came trotting up, tongue lolling and dripping crimson, happy as a clam. I gave him a good pat on the head, even as Lissa groaned and looked away.
"Good boy," I said.
"We're going to need a way out of here," Chrom said.
"We can worry about that after we find the girls," I said.
The three of us, plus one dog, began to walk the length of the hall. True to my earlier observation, this area seemed to be heavily lived in. The tall windows along one wall that overlooked the sea had all been broken, either by time or by the pirates I couldn't say. Piles of loot and general trash were strewn about randomly. No weapons or armor, but I doubted that they would leave things that important lying around.
"Ugh! Found the latrine!" Cean groaned, slamming shut the door he'd just opened.
"Savages, the lot of them," I smirked.
"Sirs! I think I found them!" one of the other marines called up the hall.
We hurried towards the man, because of course our team would be the ones to find the girls, and all grouped around what was essentially a glorified broom closet. A single, filthy bed was pushed up against the wall in the dark space, three forms trembling in the corner atop it. One of the women slowly looked up, her arms protectively wrapped around the other girls, lank strands of dirty blonde hair sticking to her face. My eyes met hers, still a vivid green color, and I noticed the twisted knot of scar tissue on her forehead where the Mark of the Exalt had once been.
"Paydirt," I muttered to myself.
AN: I had a lot of fun on this chapter. Introducing the naval elements that I've had in the back of my head for more than a year now, getting the ball rolling there, was a lot of fun. The character of Cean is a creation by the greatly talented artist XcelltasticX, who actually did quite a lot of artwork for me over the last few years. Yemuel is all me, though. Also, yes, I know, dick move putting a cliffhanger right there, but the chapter was running long with the whole 'we found emm!' schtick, so I had to cut it for the next chapter, which should be out November (October for Patrons).
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