Rainbow colored feather were scattered across the bloodstained deck, the swallowtail lay in a pool of blood beak pressed into the wooden deck as two catenarii stood above with weapons bare.
"You know I was thinking about you… specifically how I would tear you to pieces. Perhaps seal your core in a hex prison, let your soul experience eternal torment for a couple of decades… Maybe that would put my mind at ease, assuage the anger over the loss of my servants and the failure of my mission!" Rhododendrun spoke softly, but his eyes were ablaze with ghostly flames, owl mask darkening and curling up at the edges. He placed his boot upon the bird's soft skull, applying light pressure and threatening to smash Rafflesia's last remaining vessel to pieces.
Yet as angry as he might have been, Rhododendrun was not a creature of impulse, understanding that sometimes opportunities could arrive from the unlikeliest of places. "Alright trash! What do you offer? Give me a reason why I shouldn't end your miserable existence right here and now?"
"Kill me and you lose out on the only chance you have to catch that damnable Scholar before he escapes back into his hole. Throw in something for me… perhaps a host body and some nutrients… it's been a tough journey and I really am quite famished. Give me that and not only will I tell you what I witnessed, but I will also help you lay an ambush to catch them." The bird greedily eyed the corpses of the crew lying on deck, its cargo being hauled off to the biremes on either side of the merchant ship. A wisp of dark magic connecting too the two, allowing the currently voiceless Rafflesia to converse.
The hate and disgust were clear in even Rhoden's empty eyes, yet a creature of emotion he was not, once again allowing his pragmatic side to maintain control and calling off both catenarii. "Speak worm, where are they, and how can I trust your words? Was it not you who impeded my work, keeping me from my mission!" Rhoden spoke through gritted teeth, the blackened owl mask covering his face creaking with each audible clench.
"Now, now, no need to get so impatient. We still have a few days to prepare for their arrival. As for how I know… I have my ways, weakened though I may be, I did not rise to my position through good looks alone after all." It was strange seeing a bird strutting around like a noblewoman seeking to show off a new dress. Less so when the creature began to peck at the corpse pile, partaking in the plentiful bounty laid out in front.
"Listen Rhododendrun, you don't like me… true I inhibited your work. But you and I have a common enemy, and I believe that the Chalybs, your knight commander specifically may be interested in a possible leadership change within my own Order… Orchid, have you ever seen her face? How long has she lived? I have only ever experienced her many shadows and false bodies, yet she has existed for as long as you commander, growing in power. Help me and the Chalybs will become the most powerful faction within the cult!" As Rafflesia spoke, she plucked out an eye from a smugglers corpse and swallowed the creamy white globe with glee.
"Why would you go so far as to betray your own faction, have you no loyalty towards your brothers and sisters? How can you so casually work with your enemies to betray your lord? And if so, how could I ever trust you to hold up your end of the bargain?" Rhoden could see the benefit to this deal, yet the creature before him was as untrustworthy and self-centered as they came. Her word was no bond, she could cast it aside almost as quickly as she had her pride.
"We creatures of the Wodh, born from the roots of the god tree have no concept of brothers and sisters. We exist as extensions of decay and death; we act in accordance with the goddesses' word in seeking our desires. I desire Orchid's power, her vitality and supposed immortality… you are my ticket to that. You do not need to trust my words, just my purpose and motivations, I follow desire as I always have. Whether you believe it or not is up to you, but don't waste my time." Rhoden glared at the gluttonous Rafflesia, as much as he wanted to deny her request, he knew that her offer was a sound strategy. Not only would it help in achieving the strategic goals of eliminating a future threat to the cult but would also remove the threat posed by the hidden Orchid.
"So be it, we will see what happens after we deal with the Scholar and his retinue. Once the task at hand is complete, we will discuss our future cooperation. As for the host that you desired, I am aware that our targets possess warriors of immense strength, perhaps you could acquire one of them during our assault. Until then, a temporary body could be provided, we have ample captives aboard our flagship, all bound for the well… I am sure one or two missing units would not be too much of a loss." The knee-high bird began to cry with delight, strutting around in relief, as it would need numerous life essences to regain its previous glory.
"Well, my friend, I am glad that we could come to a mutually beneficial agreement, it is a pleasure to be working alongside the notorious Pirate Lord Rhoden, scourge of the Adrite sea! You have put quite the fear in the humans, with many cowering on land afraid to risk the endless tides… but enough about that, why don't we take a seat, there is much to discuss… Especially when it comes to that supposed Scholar, he is far more than he appears, and it would be best that you do not take him lightly!" With that the two had begun to hatch their plot. Their focus upon the Narrows, the stretch of sea where the Rustikan Peninsula and the Island of Syroneika were closest, an easy location to blockade the sea lanes and spring an ambush at sea.
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Three days after this meeting between inhuman creatures, the crew of the Sawtooth found themselves cornered by a small flotilla of pirate vessels. These ships ranged from a handful of scout craft such as the penteconter, to the more numerous triremes and biremes, while off in the distance pondered the flagship of the pirate king of the Adrite Sea, a blood red Quinquereme. The black flag emblazoned with the pale crimson eyed owl was well known across the region, their attacks on coastal towns and villages a source of many horrific tales.
The Scholar and his retinue had been ambushed, caught in the trap, a total of around eight vessels closing in and cutting off any chance at escape. It was not only the pirate vessels, but the terrain as well, the Straits of Merlab, specifically the Narrows which had to be crossed on the way to Hegesistra. This stretch of ocean was easy to blockade, attributed to its location between both landmasses, and was a common area for pirate groups to operate small ambush fleets.
Yet Caedyrn and his crew found themselves in the midst of a fully prepared combat force, as if the enemy knew exactly where they were and where they would be. The crew had hoped to avoid battle, sparing the civilians on board from the risks involved in such an endeavor, yet the reality was that they no longer had the choice. It was now fight or die!
"Weapons into position now!" Vexariz yelled over the others, rushing the preparation of the bow and stern mounted Ballistae, the source of Sabina's crossbow design. With additional crewmembers setting down the ammunition and supplies for the weapons, while others still prepared bow and arrow, ready to release a hail of death upon their unfortunate foes.
Sabina took charge of the leading the teams and preparing the mounted weapons, taking special care when attaching the net launcher add on and loading the rounded, sealed clay pots. The contents of which contained a volatile liquid accelerant, Salamander's Breath, also known as Liquid fire to those familiar only with the effect it has upon its enemies. The ingredients of which were native to the Jormani forest, originating within its inner depths, an area almost completely cutoff from the rest of the world.
In this moment, when the enemies were closing in from all sides, the winds direction changed, significantly hampering the Sawtooth's forward momentum. An untimely change that allowed two pirate vessels to rapidly close in from both the starboard and port quarter, with a third larger trireme closing in from the starboard side, its front mounted bronze ram seeking to split the Sawtooth in two. Their numerous oars striking the surface of the sea in unison, propelling them ever closer, intent on either boarding the solitary vessel or smashing it to pieces.
"Tritus! Tack the vessel to port, lets try to circle around the chasers. Put some distance between us and that Trireme! Sabina, unload the Salamander's Breath, use the stones instead… Let's draw in these bastards, we don't have liquid fire to waste. Make every shot count!" Vexariz roared out his orders and got the crew moving to their designated points. Each was well aware of their role and position, rapidly preparing their weapons to repel the foe.
"Teacher, look what we have built! We took the pulley design and incorporated it into the new mobile siege weapons." Sabina excitedly called over Caedyrn to look over her work, like a child would their father upon winning a medal at the competitive games. However, it was true that the young woman had done some fine work, the sailors working in tandem as a pair would crank one wooden lever followed by their partner doing the same. This back-and-forth motion would in turn pull back the tightly corded Leafhead reeds, named after the fortress, where they were harvested in abundance.
Leafhead fortress was located north of the city of Temrenos, slightly upriver and on the other side of the Basianne, directly on the outer edges of the Jormani forest. It acted as the final line of defense of the city, a hill fortress fashioned in the shape of a leafhead spear tip, its purpose being to pierce through any invading force. These reeds grew in abundance within their port, considered as weeds to the local populace, mainly because they could bog down incoming ships and often hid amphibious predators like the Perlaxi who populated the Basianne river system.
The prevailing logic from the studies done to eliminate the invasive freshwater plant was that the seawalls constructed to lessen the strength of the river flow in port attributed to their growth. With an abundance of natural detritus in and around the port, plus the calm water flow, Leafhead reed stems found the shallow waters of the fortresses' port a prime location to spread. Yet these studies also revealed that these weeds possessed excellent tensile strength, compared to the previous bull tendons, or hemp rope, the Leafhead reed grew exceptionally quick, was easy to harvest and provided a cheap reliable source of material for the new torsion weapons. In this case as the cord providing propulsion to the ballistae ammunition.
It took around one minute for the sailors to use the levers to pull back the thick twisted cord, after which they locked it in place. Once complete the men and women loaded a twenty- or thirty-pound rounded stone into the firing mechanism, before Sabina twisted the weapon into position and looking down the sight towards the nearest enemy bireme which was now around three hundred yards away. Once the target closed in to around two hundred yards, the girl pulled the metal pin holding the locking clamp in place, allowing the cord to release its contained force, and propelling the stone ball toward the enemy ship.
Seconds later the crew observed the enemy vessel begin to list, water rushing into the ship and immediately causing it to lose all momentum. Men could be seen scrambling above deck, tossing away their armor and diving into the sea to escape the sinking ship. Those that were unable to escape in time were dragged into the depths.
If the survivors thought that they would be able to escape to their allied vessel, or would be picked up later, they were sorely mistaken. Almost immediately following the opening salvo by Sabina, Vexariz fired his own aft mounted ballista, missing the initial shot. However, before the enemy bireme had the chance to close the gap, he was ready to fire again, and this time they were close enough that Vexariz could even see the men aboard the deck, the fear in their eyes and worry toward the new and terrifying weapon.
With the twist of his hand, he sent the thirty-pound projectile soaring, smashing the vessel's main mast and penetrating the topmost deck. The loss of the main mast was not that important as the pirates still had their oars, but unluckily for them the mast fell to the side, the sail becoming tangled in the oars on the starboard side of the ship. As only the port side oars could move, the ship ended up turning away from the Sawtooth, exposing its entire starboard side to the Sawtooth's crew.
Not one's to look a gift horse in the mouth, the crew of the Sawtooth unleashed a hail of arrows onto the enemy deck, decimating almost the entire deck crew. Those below deck could only cower in fear as the screams of their comrades could be heard alongside the heavy thunk of iron tipped arrowheads. Without a main sail or navigation crew, the vessel was essentially dead in the water, a prize to be reaped later. For now, the crew of the Sawtooth turned their attention to the incoming trireme, its captain still dead set on crashing head on into its target.
"Tritus keep us steady, prepare to tack when I give the signal. Sabina, prepare to launch the Salamander's breath, let's show these fools why every pirate vessel in the north fears our banner!" Vexariz raised his battle axe high into the air, roaring towards the sky while his soldiers followed suit. Their spirits were as high as they could be, blood pumping and ready for the slaughter to come.
For many of the men and women serving aboard the Sawtooth were those who detested the pirates with every fiber of their being. Former slaves and captives, having once been subjected to the whims of such lowlifes, these men and women were more than ready for the battle. They would revel in it, to enact upon these criminals a portion of the pain they had endured.