Chapter 75 - Confrontation

On the first night they got into the village, Marcus sneaked into the storage to see for anything he could find to capture a harpy. He checked all of the nooks and creases in the storage and found nothing but provisions and arrows and bolts.He met Ralph on his exit from the storage. Ralph threatened to report him to the Captain and they came up with a plan.Ralph confirmed to Marcus that the provision and the food stock indeed wouldn't be enough for the winter."So much mouth to feed so little to eat," Ralph spoke blatantly. "We had to leave them.""What about your wife?" asked Victor."It's very unfortunate for her," Ralph answered with a smirk as he held Agnes's golden comb in his hand.Victor was not a stupid man, he was able to put the two and two together.Ralph was a man who was willing to leave his wife to die. More than that, Ralph would file a deceased report of his wife after the village was destroyed and the villagers were killed by the harpies.The Aione court would grant him all of her assets and unclaimed assets. especially that he is a chedaim. The court wouldn't ask. Between women and a chedaim, with all the power the New Way gave to women, they would still favor a chedaim.All they would see is a man of God's chosen people who lost his wife in a tragic wildlings incident, not a man who left his wife to die for his own safety and to get her assets.He was nothing but a male black widow in human flesh. He might be God's chosen people, the original people of the Ark, the true sons of Adam, the superior race, the blood of God, but for Victor, he was the lowest of the low in human society.If only Ralph was not their ticket out of this situation he would push him down a cliff, kill him right here and there. No one would be a witness in this desolate mountain.Victor clenched his grip on the wooden pole carrying the harpy. He was too deep in thought to realize that Oliver was not behind him.The kid stopped walking. He just stood there on the road.Victor noticed and told Marcus, that both smugglers also stopped walking. Ralph kept on treading the road.Marcus put down the harpy on the ground. Marcus loosened up his shoulder. Carrying the harpy down the mountain path was really tiring for him and Victor.The senior smuggler turned to Oliver. He stepped closer to the uncertain boy."Look, it always us first. remember? that's how we survive until this day," explained Marcus, "There is no such thing as no man left behind or whatever horseshit they spit in the soldier's barrack.""But you left Ethan."Oliver whimpered."I know, it can't be helped. Ethan would be against our plan. He always be a holier than thou fellow. He wants his old life back but he can't see the bigger picture."Oliver made a curious face with mixed feelings of sadness."What picture?" the boy asked."The picture of that village and the people in it, dying either from starving or by the harpies' claws.""It's unfortunate for them, but we shouldn't sink along with them.""Forget the Valuel Piece smoke dream," Marcus blurted.Marcus nudged the harpy gently with his foot, "With this harpy, we can leave our smuggling day behind and open up a legitimate business, our own winery. This harpy is our ticket. We would be lords in our own estate. Just like we always talk about in the alehouse. We can pay for Victor's daughter's dance and acting class, we can pay for your knightship tuition. All of us would live a comfortable life.""We can't realize our dream if we are starving and frozen to death on this God-forsaken mountain.""Hey, don't leave alone!" Ralph screamed with a pale face as he ran back to the smugglers.⁕⁕⁕The urgency of their mission propelled them forward, their footsteps echoing through the stillness of the night as Aden, Ethan, Corporal Knightly, Ser Percival, and Maeda descended swiftly toward the Monterei port. The hour was nearing midnight, and time was of the essence.Ser Percival was a local lad. He led the way, his familiarity with the area providing them with a crucial advantage as they navigated the shortcuts to the port. The smugglers, encumbered by their captive harpy, would be forced to move at a slower pace. If Ser Percival's calculations were correct, they would intercept the smugglers at the docks before they could set sail with their stolen provisions.As they neared the seaport, the western horizon began to hint at the impending dawn. Their pace quickened, driven by the knowledge that they were rapidly closing in on their quarry.However, upon their approach, a grisly sight greeted them – a skewered hobgoblin, its decaying form impaled upon a pole by the docks. The stench was overpowering, causing them to recoil in revulsion."Is that—?" Ethan's voice trembled, his eyes widening at the horrific tableau before them."That's a hobgoblin," Corporal Knightly confirmed, his voice tinged with unease."What the hell could've done such a thing?" Aden demanded, his hand instinctively covering his nose in a futile attempt to block the putrid odor that seemed to seep into their very souls."More like who caused that," Ethan corrected, his gaze fixed upon the gruesome sight.Ser Percival's eyes swept the area, his scrutiny lingering on the skewered corpse before he delivered his terse assessment. "Harpy."Aden's brow furrowed in disbelief. "A harpy could do that?""No, a mere harpy couldn't, but..." Ser Percival's voice trailed off, his expression grave."But what, Percy? Spit it out," Corporal Knightly pressed, impatience edging his words.Ser Percival's reply sent a chill down their spines. "But the queen harpy could.""Queen Harpy?" Aden and Ethan exchanged uneasy glances, the weight of those words settling upon them like a shroud."Is that the muscular harpy that Hjalmar fought in the Wailing Widow pass?" Aden ventured, his mind racing to recall the details of that fateful encounter.Ser Percival shook his head. "No, that's not the queen. Every queen harpy has tiara-shaped feathers on her head. That muscular harpy would be like the champion of the harpies."Aden thought that the muscular harpy who almost killed them all in the mountain pass was the queen. If that muscular harpy was not the queen then the queen would be very disastrous.Ser Percival proceeded with his insight, "I never see their queen but from the hunters' and lumbermen's testimonies, the queen was an elegant creature with ivory wings and yellowstreaks. She was taller and stronger than the common harpy. it was said that she could lift a cow to the sky."They didn't have the guts to talk about the worst thing that could happen in this seaport if they linger around, the queen harpy would appear. They didn't want to jinx it.Corporal Knightly looked up to the sky. The sky started to turn into amber."I don't like this. We must make haste," said the Corporal. he was reluctant to add his thoughts. he didn't want to jinx it. It was almost dawn and in the morning the place would be swarmed by the harpies. All it needed was just one harpy scout to spot them from above.They arrived at the dock and rushed to the pier which still has available sailboats. They heard a rustle on one of the sailboats."There, they are!" Ser Percival pointed at the small ship with one mast enough to accommodate a dozen men but small enough to be operated by minimum crew. It was docked at the corner of the pier.The smugglers were sound in a hurry. The smugglers might've seen the skewered hobgoblin too. It was a normal reaction for them to not linger around any longer in this seaport.The harpies could've come at any time.Aden gazed forward, following the knights. if only they could reason with the harpies they could come up with something, even if it's only something, but something is always better than losing someone's life.The fact that the smugglers were able to find a harpy trap and capture a harpy with it raises some questions.Where did they find the harpy trap? Was the harpy trap used to deter the harpies from the village or it was used to capture the harpy and sell it in the market?Aden could only wonder.Aden believed Captain Willem would've thought the same. He intended to address this with the captain if he got a chance to return to the village after this task.At the end of the day, the harpies are wildlings—uncultured sentients— just like Corporal Knightly said.or maybe.there was more than meets the eye.⁕⁕⁕When they arrived at the dock, the smugglers found a small sailing ship with a cargo hold with a barrel of fresh water in it. The sailship could be managed by a minimum crew. perfect for their small numbers.Marcus and Victor prepared the ship while Oliver moved the food supplies and their stuff to the cargo hold. Ralph was just there waiting anxiously on the deck. The harpy couldn't fit into the cargo hold because there was no more space for it so they had to restrain her into the main mast with a rope.she would suffocate to death if they locked her inside the cargo hold. The latch door has no ventilation or gaps for the harpy to breathe. It was not designed to carry living cargo.Marcus kept the keys to the harpy's shackles."Marcus!" a loud voice came from where the smuggler was.The smugglers were startled. They were caught off guard when they preparing their boat to sail. It was Corporal Knightly with Aden Maeda, Ethan, and Ser Percival who came with torches and minimum arms.They caught up with the smugglers on the dock, and just in time the smugglers about to sail off.Maedaready his bow, arrow tucked in. Aden and Ser Percival put their torches on the nearby poles, they unsheathed their longsword. Only Corporal Knightly and Ethan didn't."Tsk, they found us," Ralph murmured. They already loaded the provisions into the boat cargo hold. The harpy was still on the wooden pier ready to be loaded into the cargo hold."I was wrong about you." The corporal spoke directly to Marcus. His eyes fixed on the senior smuggler. "I looked up to you in the recruitment barrack when you refused to be oppressed by the pale faces. I expected you to be better than this."Marcus stepped forward while Ralph, Victor, and Oliver stepped aside. The two tall dark-skinned men were on a standoff. The senior smuggler face to face with the Reconnaissance Knight's corporal. The tension was heavy with confrontation."What do you want Knightly?" asked Marcus."If you want to leave, then leave. You can take the harpy but don't take all the food supplies along with you.""How do you find us?" Marcus asked an unrelated question."You don't need to know," Ser Knightly replied."It was me." a small voice from behind Marcus said. Marcus turned his head toward the voice."Oliver?" Marcus curious. the boy lowered his gaze, he was timid and anxious."I left them a hint," said Oliver in a hushed voice."Oliver.. I never thought you would do such a thing." Marcus dissappointed. He felt betrayed by the boy he saw as his own little brother."And I also never thought you would do such a thing, Marcus." Ethan opened up, he also felt disappointed in his smuggler friend. Marcus was a man of many things but the word betrayal was never written on his page."Why do you keep up with these people? they are doomed and you know it.""Because it is the right thing to do, Marcus.""You can say that because you don't have someone waiting for you back home," said Marcus. He looked at Victor. "Victor and I have family depend on us. We can't die in vain here.""Then fight with us. Survive together." Ethan persuaded his friend."They ran out of food, how do you fight with empty bellies, huh?" Marcus gave Ethan a reality check."The Crown's Pardon won't get us out of this life, this thing will." Marcus lashed out and pointed his finger at the harpy lying on the wooden pier.Ethan couldn't say a word. His smuggler friend had a point. The Crown's office might welcome him back. And yet, even with Crown's Pardon, Marcus still wouldn't have a life in the empire. Marcus found a better reward than the Crown's Pardon in this peril to get out of his smuggling life—the captured harpy.a moment of silence. Suffocating each and every one's throats. The words were pulled out of them by the unforgiving crashes of waves.The amber hues of dawn began to streak across the sky, heralding the imminent arrival of the sun from behind the distant mountains. With the new day's light would come the harpies, their haunting cries echoing through the air."Just give us back the food supplies, Marcus," Corporal Knightly's stern voice broke the tense silence, his words carrying a weight of authority.Marcus met Knightly's demand with a proposition of his own. "Or, you squires can leave with us. There is plenty of room in this boat. We need all the hands we can get. We can stretch thin the food until we reach our destination."Knightly's response was resolute. "You know I can't do that.""Why?" Marcus challenged, his tone edged with contempt. "Because the pale faces gave you a smoke dream about honor and glory? About loyalty? About equality? Even today, our people still get marginalized in their lands."Knightly countered, "But you and I got into the recruit barracks."Marcus scoffed, his words laced with bitter recollection. "That's just one of their lip services for the New Way. You see how they treat us in the barracks, right?" He paused, allowing the weight of his words to sink in, a reminder of the empire's treatment of their former enslaved people."They treat us like shit. Like we've never been free. Like we've never been a people."Knightly's response was measured, refusing to be drawn into Marcus's rhetoric. "That's nothing to do with all of this."Yet, Marcus grew weary of the fruitless back-and-forth, his impatience fueled by the ever-brightening sky. Time was rapidly running out, and the urgency of their situation could no longer be ignored."It seemed like this matter couldn't be settled with words." Marcus brandished his blades on both hands. Victor also unsheathed his longsword."Last warning, Marcus," said Corporal Knightly, he stepped back and unsheathed his longsword.Oliver was in a dilemma, the boy didn't want to fight both sides. He just wanted to go back to the village and fight the harpy instead. Ralph was hiding behind the deck.They refused as the voyage to the free city up north required 5 days or more, especially in the arriving winter time and they can stretch thin the food supplies if there is only few of them not a dozens of them.The fight was about to go down at the dock.Marcus lowered his stance, ready to charge at the Corporal. Victor held his longsword with his hands shaking couldn't be more obvious he never swung a sword against a man.Aden was Victor's opponent ready with his longsword over his head. a standard Median warrior stance for using shamshir."May the eyes of the cowards never sleep," Aden uttered the famous words of the Median duelist to Victor. He already got into Victor's guts. Victor seemed scared to fight Aden.Ser Percival, Ethan, and Maeda were ready to join the fray."Hyah!" Marcus lunged forward with a quick dash aiming for Knightly's neck. The corporal side-stepped and swung his sword at Marcus, almost hitting the smuggler's head. Marcus launched a series of stabs and slashes while Knightly parried some of them and let some hit their marks on his armor.⁕⁕⁕