It seems our pirate friends are doing pretty well on this island. They are a lot more organized and spread out. During Joy's initial scout of the island, along with Hana, they confirmed about five major outposts: one in each cardinal direction and one more at the heart of the island itself. We came to the conclusion that we would find the big boss of these rapscallions over there. However, we had to plan our next moves skillfully, as it would be better to have this whole mission be as stealthy as possible.
We had a meeting in my office, located on the first floor of the ship right under the steering wheel. I was with your uncle as my first mate, your auntie Zeth as my second mate, Joy and Hana as my scouts, and Jiro to plan out which monsters he could tame.
We talked over a cup of hot chocolate supplied by the empire, and after looking at a rough map of the island for about 10 minutes, your auntie Zeth spoke up, "What if we use the lifeboats on the ship to sneak in east and west of the southernmost point of the island, that being Yenchei Harbor? That way, we can effectively trap the pirates and evenly divide the crew based on power level and strategy."
Your uncle Austria backed her idea, adding a little more specifics into it, "We can also have Joy drop Jiro and Kinny off a little north of the Harbor. That way, Jiro can find a monster to tame that could help turn the tables. Also, based on the map here, the eastern side of the port has what looks like an armory and a storage room. It would be best if you and Zeth are separated so we can use your sibling rage on both sides as an emergency measure. I suggest you go east with me and Hana, Cap; you'll command us, of course. We'll take Lilly also. It would be bad to have both captain and first mate fall. We can use Lilly's healing abilities more if we meet up at the centermost area of the port, that being this long dock over here. Over to the west, you can see what looks like a housing area for the guards stationed in this outpost. If we get Jey, Zeth, and Max to rough up and capture the resting guards, we'd have less trouble dealing with the rest. Jiro can also command our mini slime army to knock out any stragglers, so we have to build a perimeter around the battlefield."
I smiled at their intelligence, and so I praised them, telling them that they're in the positions they are because of said intelligence.
This is when Jiro spoke up, "I've actually been to Yenchei before during a diplomatic mission with the emperor. Though there isn't much of a government left here, but back then, there was, and they had a record of all the monsters on the island. One particular set of monsters caught my pretty eyes, those monsters being golems. You see, for a golem to form, Psyche that's loosely floating in the wind gets collected into a miniature low-pressure area, making a core. And whatever mineral is abundant in the area where the core is, that's what type of golem is formed. Based on where you guys have decided to drop me off, we can expect Rock, Iron, and Gold golems. And if we're really lucky, we could encounter an Elder Golem of any of the 3 minerals I just mentioned. I can tame one easily, but that would drain my Psyche down to the negatives. So if we do find one, we'll lure it to the battlefield first before I take it. Kinny will provide me with covering fire and, if able, get Lilly to replenish my psyche ASAP so I can tame more creatures to aid us in our fight."
I take into consideration the area of our battlefield and approve his part of the plan, "The area of the battlefield is small enough that we could, in theory, make it to the center fast enough for you to tame any high-level creature you want. But we have to consider the amount of men they have guarding this outpost first, which is where Joy and Hana come in. I need you girls to scout the area for a few hours starting at sunrise. You're to make a rough estimate of the size of the enemy force."
Joy proposed another way to do the scouting, and a way that would prove to be effective against the dumb guards of the pirate pricks occupying Yenchei. She explained her suggestion in a short yet understandable manner, "Cap, you know how Hana is a scout? Not to mention an ex-scout for one of the most prestigious parties in the whole Empire. She could dress up as a guard and not only count their men but also sabotage their gear. I'll come pick her up at around 9 pm after the damage is done and the intel is collected."
I've got to admit, I didn't think of that. I bet neither did Zeth or Mil, and I gave that idea the green light. And so it was on the plan to reclaim one of the five outposts from the pirates occupying Yenchei.
Sunrise came, and Joy flew Hana to the edge of the outpost. Hana attracted the attention of one of the guards, and when he got close enough, she knocked him out with just a pinch to his neck. She took his gear and tied him up to a tree close by. She also gagged the poor guy so he couldn't make a sound. The infiltration officially began, and only an hour into her mission, she found a golden opportunity to sabotage the enemy force—the kitchen door was left open. She entered and was met by some locals who seemed to have a mix of fear and shock on their faces. Hana understood that these people weren't our enemies. She took a massive risk here, one that could've jeopardized our entire operation, but she gave the family of cooks a tiny bottle of poison to make some of the soldiers sick during lunch. This way, when we attack them the day after, they'd be too sick to fight. One particular cook caught Hana's attention, so she made a note of the guy she saw and continued her infiltration. She sabotaged almost every little advantage the enemy had on us. I ordered her to keep off the armory, as I want to collect their gear as trophies and treasure. After a long day, she pretended to be on night duty, only to run to the extraction point, taking the prisoner she caught a while ago with her and Joy.
(Story Fact: Austria is the last name of your uncle in the story; his first name is Mil and is in reference to one of my own best mates who exhibits the same intelligence as in the story.)