Salt and Blood [A Pirate LitRPG]

The first casualty of war is innocence. Whether you are the slaughterer or the slaughtered, death and destruction wipe away any pretense at goodness.

-Excerpt from 'The Cost of Power' by Anathiel Harwood

The mood on board the ship was sombre. A few soldiers played cards or chatted amongst themselves, but they had grim faces.

Most of them had experienced battles. They knew that many of the comrades they were laughing and joking with now wouldn't return home.

That was after a normal battle, too. This time there was a great possibility that not a single one of them would still draw breath when the sun rose on the morrow.

Night had fallen an hour before. Silence reigned over the black ocean. Only the gentle lapping of the waves and the soft humming of the tidestone engines broke through the emptiness.

Only the gentle light of the stars lit up the bay. Around the cliff the faint orange glow of the city's lights could be seen.

The moon was nothing more than an ephemeral rift in the sky. It would offer no comfort to the men, women, and children of Easftfel Bay tonight.

Twenty nine people were lined up in the middle of the deck. In front of them stood Rose. The cheeky grin that normally decorated her round face was gone, replaced by an icy glare.

Of those present, she had suffered the most at the hands of Minenblum. Yet each of them were prepared to do their part. For that she was grateful to them all.

Even Second Prince Alyn. After his harsh wake up call on the first day of the voyage he had gradually shed the layers of boyhood that covered the man within.

In truth she expected him to fall tonight, but if he fought with all his might then she would honour his sacrifice to the best of her ability. If he lived, he would be better for it.

The same went for everyone. Steel could only be forged in flames. Those gathered weren't sure what Rose was going to say, so when she pulled out a glass bottle of dark brown liquid, they were shocked.

"If everything goes as planned, we will all live to see tomorrow. Unfortunately, this world is harsh and plans rarely go off without a hitch. So, let us share a drink tonight as if it were our last! Only one though, don't want to go into battle drunk," she added, earning a round of chuckles from the soldiers.

She went round, pouring a cup for each person present. Daniel and Jason were the only two who'd never drunk before, but she gave them one regardless.

No one should die without experiencing the joys of rum, she thought to herself. When we return, I hope to show them the aftermath.

Her second thought was less cheerful. Nonetheless, when they all raised their cups to the stars, Rose believed she would return home.

"For Emerlan!" she softly toasted.

"For Emerlan!" the others echoed, keeping their voices low to not alert the city guards.

***

The ship moved silently through the waters of the bay. As they rounded the cliffs, the towering city walls came into view.

Many of them had never seen such a grand sight in their lives. Greengate was impressive, but even the capital of their little island was a world apart from the cities of Minenblum.

The arrogant, imperious bastards would never expect an attack on their home turf, but that didn't mean they could be careless. Ensuring they weren't spotted until it was too late was of paramount importance.

Luckily the first stage of the plan went off without a hitch. They were able to approach without the alarm being raised. When they were five hundred metres from the walls, Rose gave the order.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"Light them up."

The crackling thrum of gathering arcane power cut through the near silence. The mouth of two cannons lit up the dark night, casting an eerie blue glow over the cliffs.

In the distance, she saw the warning torches of the city flare to life. It was too late for them now.

Within ten seconds the first of the two cannons was charged. Daniel wasted no time. With the press of a button, the maelstrom of power was unleashed.

Like a lightning bolt, a laser beam of pure energy sliced through the air. The walls exploded, showering the cliffs with tumbling stone.

The sound followed a moment later, the thunderous cacophony of screams and a deafening boom that echoed through the metal hull of the ship. There was no reprieve from the destruction.

For those in the city, the first cannon blast had been a horrifying wake up call. The second was the shadow of death.

It screamed through the night. One blast to split the walls apart, two to set the city aflame. Watching with arcane vision, Rose found a disturbing beauty entirely juxtaposed to what mortal eyes would see.

She could find no joy in the sight, however. She knew the cost of their actions. With the second blast of the cannons, the signal to begin had been called.

The ship continued to sail forwards. Soon they were close enough to the cliffs that they could reach out and touch them.

Rose had struggled with how they would ascend the walls, but ironically it was old man Saff's ingenious ship which gave them the answers. With arcane power everything was possible.

A human didn't have the strength to toss a grappling hook a hundred and fifty metres into the air, but a ship powered by a giant tidestone? It was child's play.

A series of soft crackles echoed out, followed by the thudding of the hooks as they buried themselves in what remained of the city walls. The ropes were knotted at intervals to make climbing them a simple affair.

With a roar of battle, Rose was the first up the lines. The soldiers watched with wide eyes as the girl of sixteen years shot up five metres at a time.

She practically threw herself through the air. They were soon broken from their stupor by the shouts of Everyn and the commander.

"For the Emerlan Isle!" cried the prince as he followed.

"Stop standing about you jelly-legged fools. Victory or death!" bellowed Commander Axel.

It took Rose less than twenty seconds to ascend the cliffs. She didn't wait for the others. They would only slow her down.

The walls were a broken mess. Corpses were strewn everywhere. Screams and crying filled the cold night air. She watched as the guards scurried about to put out the fires.

All of the buildings near the walls had been levelled to dust. Those nearby were burning, the stone unable to withstand the ferocity of the magical flames.

Nobody reacted as she approached. The first guard to spot her didn't move at first. Perhaps he assumed she was one of the citizens. Until he noticed her cutlass, that is.

Her posture was too relaxed. Too confident. His eyes went wide and he yelled to his nearby comrades.

That warning was his final act. Rose slit his throat with a single slash. His blood sprayed across her chest, a few drops splashing against her cheeks.

A woman screamed, running away after witnessing the guard's death.

"Enemy attack!" roared one of the guards.

"Kill her!" cried another.

Three of them rushed Rose together. Their steps were clumsy, their weapons too heavy for them.

Each of them were pudgy. The life of a city guard in Minenblum was a cushy job. They weren't used to battle or strenuous exercise.

Rose sliced them apart like a butcher would a carcass. Three strokes of her blade was all it took to reap another three lives.

She charged into the city, gathering the arcane energy from her core into her hands. It barely took any time at all to reach a street of undamaged houses.

As she swung the cutlass, her energy exploded outwards. Where it landed, stone was torn asunder and anything that could burn, did.

From behind her, she heard the stampede of feet as the rest of her crew arrived at the top of the cliff. Leaving the city in their capable hands, she made a beeline for the fortress at the centre of Eastfel Bay.

She knew that there were three commodores stationed here. Possibly even a rear admiral. In order to ensure the rest of the soldiers could do their jobs, she would need to do the job that no one else could do.

As she ran, she sensed two more sets of footsteps settling in beside her. Everyn was panting for breath, having rushed to catch up. With him was Commander Axel.

"What are you doing?" she asked him. "Who will lead the others with you two here?"

"Don't worry, they can handle themselves," the crown prince assured her. "You can't take on three officers alone."

"Are you insane? Remember what happened last time you fought a commodore!?"

"Of course I do," he snarled. "Have you forgotten your own words already? Or did you think you were the only one willing to lay down your life for our nation? Victory or death."

"It's your life," she relented. "Victory or death."

The fortress appeared in the distance, a fearsome bastion of towering black stone. Steeling themselves, the trio drew their weapons and charged ahead.