The crew rested for the night, and set sail at around 10 in the morning. The entire day and night they sailed in silence, a stark difference to their 'normal' but it was understandable. Though Cliff's estimation of reaching North-point Island by midnight seemed to have been wrong.
Right now, the only reason the ship was on time and on plan was due the fierce winds currently blowing in their favour.
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…
The sun had set a few hours ago. It was approaching midnight when May's voice called, "Land Ahoy!"
"Finally! I'm getting bored of this! And all this silence didn't help either!" Cliff said.
"You could've just started a conversation yourself, you know?" (Cassy)
Cliff's face went through a myriad of colours before settling on slightly red as he embarrassedly and sheepishly chuckled, "I forgot!"
This seemed to have set off the others as, "Hehehehehehehehehe…/Trarararararararara…/Hahahahehehehahaha…"
'This seemed to have lightened the mood a little' Cliff smiled. 'Anyway, we still have a job to do…'
"Alright enough laughing at him, anchor the ship so we can do what we came here for!" Cassy said, interrupting him. Still chuckling the other 2 went to work.
They anchored the ship of the coast on the south-east part of the island. They took a smaller boat to get to the island's shores which was kept on the shore there itself.
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…
"It's been half an hour! Are you sure you've got the correct trail?" Cliff asked Taiga, who was currently a tiger.
The tiger looked towards Cliff and spoke in a gruff tone which conveyed annoyance perfectly, "For the 100th time yes! There is only one scent trail on this island that was made by humans. It leads inland, so quit annoying me every 5 minutes and keep walking!"
"Fine!" pouted Cliff.
"You know a pout is more effective when used by a child or a girl right?" May asked Cliff.
"He isn't less than a child sometimes, May. Trust me on that. I've been with him since we were 8." (Cassy)
"Speaking of, we never really told each other our ages?" (May)
"I wonder why?" (Cliff)
"Don't side-eye me! I told you to keep mum about our age to strangers. Not your crew!" (Cassy)
"Oh! Well anyway, I'm 19 years old, what about you two?" May asked looking at Cliff and Cassy.
""16""
"That's rather young. But it doesn't really matter." May says after which 3 heads turn towards the tiger padding along alongside them.
Taiga seeing them look at him like waiting for his answer just said, "18"
After this, Cliff and May seemed to fall in an animated conversation while Cassy and Taiga walked alongside quietly ignoring the other two's conversation.
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…
"We're here!" announced Taiga.
All conversation stopped. "There are a total of 140 people in this camp. The other 10 seemed to be on the island somewhere. Can't track them down." Taiga continued.
"Then they are of no importance to us." Came Cliff's voice.
"How should we proceed?" (May)
"We could do it like we did the previous camp, but it would take too long. The sun would rise before we even reach double digits like that." (Cliff)
"The other way?" (May)
"Chaos. Utter pandemonium. We sow such chaos in the camp that they panic and run around like headless chickens. It will be easy to pick them off during this." (Cassy)
"You wouldn't get them all in this way." (Taiga)
"No, we won't. But the panic will bring the captain and the first-mate out. Me and Cassy will take them on. You two can finish the grunts." (Cliff)
"That is good and all but what will be the cause of such panic?" (Taiga)
3 heads turned to look at him. Seeing them looking at him, his right eye twitched. "No…"
"Yes…" "No…" "Yes…"
"C'mon Taiga, I doubt even after all they've seen, they would be scared of a 25 ft tiger growling at them."
"I-I-I-… Fine." Taiga gave in.
"Good, when I give you the signal, turn into the most gigantic tiger you can let out a roar to scare the bejesus out of them. When some come out to check, show yourself. They'll scream terrified, which will bring more of them out. then as we creep around putting fire to their camp, you start killing them." (Cliff)
"Wait… what about the prisoners?" (May)
"There aren't any. That's what the group was for on West-point Island. They didn't get a chance to get them." (Taiga)
"Get ready!"
Taiga sighed before turning into a gigantic tiger standing 25 ft tall. He took a deep breath in before letting loose a terrifying roar.
Cliff nodded as he got in position and started to put a few tents on fire. Cassy and May working similarly.
…
In the camp, the roar seemed to have awoken a lot of the scum sleeping. Plenty came out to check the source of the roar. They came out and looked about finding nothing before one decided to look up. The moment he did, he screamed and fainted. Others turned to follow his line of sight and many froze while others screamed in terror, starting to run.
A second roar made sure even those frozen started to run. They noticed too late, that the camp was on fire and the fire spread in a circle following the line of tents. The fire seemed to have made a circle around the camp trapping them all in with the tiger towering over them all.
Cliff, Cassy and May nodded as the fire seemed to make all those trapped in it to run in circles. The screaming finally brought the captain and the first-mate out of the centremost tent. The only one not on fire.
They came out looking annoyed, but one look at the state of their camp and the foe currently visible had them straightening their backs, their expression turning serious and drawing their weapons, ready to fight.
The moment they drew their weapons, 3 silhouettes became visible near the tiger paw, walking forward. They became clearer and clearer as they came to stand right in front of them leaving no more than 20 ft of distance in between them.
The bearded captain of the Feather Pirates looked towards the one leading the other side. A boy, by the looks of it, got some muscle, light blue shirt with sleeves rolled up and black trousers and shoes. "You attacking us boy?"
Cliff looking at the other man saw nothing more than black, black and more black. Black dishevelled hair, black moustache and beard also dishevelled and covering his chest, black shirt and black pants, and a black coat hanging on his shoulders. "Yeah, I am! But do you mind if I ask you a question first? Why do have only black on? Were the tailors missing other colours or something?"
"First of all, that was 3 questions. Second, I like black."
"You didn't answer my 3rd question." (Cliff)
"Since you have attacked our camp, I shall kill you-"
"Hey don't ignore me! Cassy he's ignoring me?" (Cliff)
"Just ignore his ignoring you!" (Cassy)
"Fine!" (Cliff)
"-in the fastest possible way! Never mind that, I'm gonna torture you!"
Saying so he attacked cliff drawing his cutlass and slashing. Cliff too drew his cutlass and blocked the attack.
…
May had joined Taiga the moment Cliff started to talk with the enemy, and since she was here Taiga reverted to his human form, starting to fight the panicking mob. They had 140 men to kill in between them and they had as long as it took for Cliff and Cassy to finish their fights.
Seemed fair to Taiga as he swung his kanabo around, taking the head of a few and puncturing the skin of a few more letting them bleed.
May seemed to have taken out her dagger and using it to go around cutting throats while fighting. She seemed to look like she was one step away from vomiting but was holding herself back just long enough to finish the fight.
Taiga focused back on his fight. He saw no need to turn into his hybrid form seeing as these pirates weren't even organised like the marines were back in Centaurea and were similarly weak. Even back then he didn't need to transform into his hybrid form. He just did it to see how well he could fight groups in his hybrid form.
…
Just as Cliff started to talk to the captain of feather pirates, she looked at the first-mate. He was bald and wore black attire similar to the captain. Just missing the captains coat.
He didn't talk at all and as the captain started to attack Cliff, he attacked her too. He would attack her bare-handed while she would retaliate with her sword. The double edge of her sword gave her an advantage as her slashes if missed could retrace their paths and leave wounds.
First blood went to her but that did nothing but make him fight fiercer. As he started to accumulate slash wounds and she accumulated bruises all over her body, he brought out a flintlock. He shot at her (she dodged) and then instead of reloading he used it like a club.
It took a few seconds for Cassy to get used to that and in the meantime her opponent had clubbed her a few times. She grit her teeth as the fight went on, bleeding from her nose and now accumulating bruises as well as cuts from the pistol hitting her skin.
…
Cliff and the captain continued to exchange hits. Seemingly even as no one was hit, always blocked and parried. That was until, the captain saw his first-mate draw his pistol. That granted a small reprieve to Cliff as he too saw, Cassy now on the backfoot.
As he turned back to the captain, he was suddenly struck with a punch to his face.
"If my first-mate is taking this fight seriously, then I suppose I can do so as well." Spoke the man.
After finishing his sentence, he started peppering Cliff with punches and kicks, most of which he could barely block or redirect while some got him. He was developing bruises and fast.
He tried to attack the man but all it did was give the man more openings which he made use of immediately. Cliff was back to defending again, having no other choice.
…
Taiga and May were now just a few men shy of completing their goal. May was panting, exhausted from having fought for an hour straight while Taiga looked winded but ready for more combat.
It took no more than a few swings of his kanabo to end the fight as all of the enemy's men fell forever silenced. May fell back on her butt exhausted, Taiga sat down next to her.
As she calmed her breathing down a little, she noticed the blood on her body. It was then that her body stopped feeling numb and started to actually feel the pain. Her right arm ached horribly while she felt a few cuts on her legs and left arm ooze blood. All this was too much for her, as she whimpered in pain and fainted. Whether from blood loss or exhaustion would remain unknown.
Taiga immediately ran back to the clearing in which they planned and found their bags. Taking them all he ran towards May and started to rummage through his own to find bandages.
Once he did, he started to clean her wounds with a torn off piece of bandage before bandaging her wounds.
…
As the screams quietened down in the background, both Cassy and the still unnamed first-mate stopped clashing for a second, giving both the fighters some reprieve.
Cassy was now covered in bruises and was now slowing down. Her opponent had worn her down. She wasn't used to fighting for this long. Her spars with Cliff back on Trickster Island were longer than this, but they always stopped to catch their breath multiple times in between. Her opponent wasn't giving her the time to catch her breath at all.
Her opponent seemed exhausted too, so that was a point in her favour atleast. He was riddled with cuts and bruises too where she had punched or kicked him. His black shirt was in tatters and barely hanging on.
She chanced a look backwards where Taiga and May were fighting the grunts. Her heart sunk seeing May lying down in a pool of blood with Taiga trying to bandage her wounds. She knew Taiga wasn't good with wounds and it was her who actually treated them until they get a doctor in the crew. She knew she had to end her opponent fast.
She turned back to her opponent and found him to have followed her sight and looking at May. What infuriated her was the smirk he now portrayed. He had shown not a single emotion or expression this entire fight, but now he smirked at the plight of her crewmate.
In her anger, she moved faster and was now more focused on ending her enemy. Thus, she was now deadlier than before.
The man was not prepared for this and Cassy's first attack hit him before he could even react. Her sword went through his stomach, out the other side before being retracted.
He grunted before falling into a fighting stance and matched her speed.
Cassy's attacks were now being blocked; her slashes blocked by the others pistol. This went on until Cassy put a lot more strength in her attacks forgoing her precision. Those attacks while still blocked cut into the pistil's body until one cut all the way through and then continuing towards the man's face.
His surprise was plastered on his face as her sword cut into him starting from his left collarbone, going into his left leg before simply running out of blade. She quickly swung her blade so it cut right into his neck at a right angle.
His head was cut off from his body and flew a few feet before bouncing on the ground like a ball for a second. Just as his head stilled, his body fell to its knees before falling forward once again.
Cassy stood there for a second looking at his body before she turned and ran towards May.
…
As the screams ended and the only fights left were that of Cliff and Cassy, the captain of the Feather Pirates stopped to boast.
"Heh! You could never defeat me boy. Plenty have tried and they have failed. You too will fail before my might."
"Your might? I thought you hid behind the marines on your payroll to keep safe." (Cliff)
"Remember this boy, I am the mighty Captain Feather of the feared Feather Pirates. You may have defeated my crew but me and my First-mate are yet to be defeated. Jari will kill that girl just as I will kill you!" Captain Feather exclaimed.
"Oh is that your name?" (Cliff)
"You didn't even know my name before attacking me?" (Capt. Feather)
"Nope! Didn't think it was necessary." (Cliff)
Capt. Feather's face turned red as he attacked Cliff once more. By now Cliff had gotten used to his speed and could react although barely. As they traded attacks, more sound of fighting faded. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Cassy standing as Jari fell.
Capt. Feather saw that too and it enraged him. This ended up with Cliff once again unable to react to his speed and having to defend once again. Hits started to get through his blocks and his bruises seemed to develop bruises of his own.
The constant barrage of hits and his inability to do something was starting to go beyond annoyance and frustration and into anger. His anger was channelled into his attacks making them just a little stronger and a little faster.
Their cutlasses clashed creating sparks and CLANG!'s. Cliff was starting to overpower the other even though he himself was exhausted.
A few more minutes of clashes resulted in Capt. Feather slowing down and the fight seemed to edge towards Cliff's victory. One final clash and Cliff had cut straight through Capt. Feather's cutlass continuing his cut through the other's neck finally killing him as the head flew off.
Cliff stayed in that position for a few seconds only standing back up as the body of his decapitated enemy fell backwards. Cliff too looked back towards where his crew was seated and found May fainted, with Taiga helping Cassy wrap bandages on her.
He started to walk towards them hoping for good news.
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TIME SKIP 4 DAYS~
It had indeed been good news as Cassy told them that May fainted from exhaustion and not blood loss. It took May a day to awaken during which, Cliff and Cassy both had healed their bruises considerably. Of course it was only because these 2 were eating what amounted to the monthly food supply of 200 men within 4 days. Not that Taiga wasn't eating any less or that May ate any less once awoken. She made up for lost time quite… vigorously.
When they were not eating, they were drinking the booze they found in the camp. Speaking of the camp, there was nothing left of the camp other than charred remains of tents with the centremost surprisingly intact without any signs of a fire. The camp had been cleared of bodies all dumped in a different clearing and burned. Only 2 were left as is, those of Captain Feather and of Firt-mate Jari.
They found all of the money and gold they came here for and had already stashed in their ship which had been brought to the proper dock near the camp site towards the north western side of the island.
…
"Why the previous island where we had attacked the 50 men was called West-point Island if it was on the east of the kingdom?"
"We don't make the maps May. We just follow them." (Cliff)
That was all answer she needed as she dropped the matter.
…
They continued to drink and stuff themselves until this campsite was robbed clean of supplies unknowing of the fact that their fights had an audience.
But they wouldn't care even if they knew.
A/N:-
No Cliff hasn't learnt to cut steal... yet!