Salt and Blood [A Pirate LitRPG]

Anything that can go wrong, will

-Common Knowledge

To Rose's surprise, the gates of the fortress were undefended. Not a single soldier manned the walls. She assumed they had rushed off to fight the fires.

With a single kick, the iron bars were split and bent. Rose rushed through the opening she'd created, followed swiftly by Everyn and Commander Axel.

"This feels wrong," the commander said when they found the training yard just as empty as the walls.

"Like a trap," Rose concurred.

"How could they lay a trap?" Everyn protested. "They didn't know we were coming."

"They might have done. Be on your guard. Even if it's a trap, we can still win," Rose said, drawing her cutlass and advancing towards the doors of the fortress itself.

The other two followed suit, eyes darting over the walls and buttresses in search of any defenders. They found none.

Rose kicked open the doors in similar fashion as she had the gates. They snapped off the hinges and exploded into splinters as they crashed into the walls behind them.

The moment she took a step inside, Rose cursed. The blade of an axe fell from above. In the instant between her entry and the blade's descent she was able to send a single strand of energy into her cutlass.

The axe shattered against the empowered edge of her blade. The face of the man wielding it was frozen in shock forever as she thrust the cutlass into his heart.

His death was the starting gun for the soldiers hidden inside the fortress. Within moments a tidal wave of enemies was drowning the trio. There were only two ways out; victory or death.

***

"Do you think we should have gone with Rose?" Jason asked Daniel as they worked together to blow up one house after another.

Daniel had cobbled together makeshift explosives using the arcane engines as inspiration. Rose provided him with tiny tidestone shards to power them after he explained the idea to her.

They were devastatingly effective. Every soldier had a few and each one levelled half a street's worth of buildings at a time. It only took them twenty minutes to destroy a third of Eastfel Bay.

Everything from the cliffs to the merchant quarter was a pile of burning rubble. Rose had told them she would be fine against the enemy officers, but they were worried something would go wrong.

"I'm sure she'll be fine. Have we encountered a single enemy who made her scared or even left a scratch on her? That girl is a monster," Daniel replied as he set another charge.

After retreating far enough, he sent a spark of energy from his core into the explosive. A shockwave buffeted the two boys as another row of houses was decimated.

"I know, but we aren't responding to attacks where we know what to expect. Anything can happen. We're in Minenblum, for Sylack's sake!"

Daniel stopped and stared at Jason. It was the first time he'd seen the boy show so much emotion since the day they'd had their reunion.

"Even if we go, what can you or I do? We only just awakened our cores. I still suck at wielding a cutlass. Why do you think I made these babies?" Daniel said, waving another charge in the air.

"Speak for yourself," Jason retorted. "I may have been powerless the last time we faced a commodore, but I'm stronger now! Faster! You don't understand the feeling. It's like the world is at my fingertips and all I have to do is give the command."

"Arrogance gets you killed, Jason! I know Rose said victory or death, but that doesn't mean you have to go out of your way to die."

Jason clenched his jaw. He wanted to retort but it was pointless arguing further. A woman ran past, carrying a charred bundle in her arms.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Was that baby…" Daniel began to mutter, the colour draining from his face.

"Yes," Jason finished for him. "You knew what we were doing when we set sail. How many babies died at home when Minenblum attacked? At least we aren't killing the citizens on purpose."

"Still… I don't-" Daniel interrupted himself by bending over to throw up.

Jason patted him on the back. "The fact you can feel that way means you're still a good person, Daniel. Chin up and finish the job."

"I don't feel good right now," the other boy replied.

"And you probably won't for a while. But if we're successful, you'll have plenty of time to feel like crap."

At that moment, there was a deafening bang. The sky lit up in a mix of blue and orange as a pillar of flames and lances of crackling arcane energy exploded outwards from the fortress in the centre of the city.

"Still think she'll be fine?" Jason asked, raising an eyebrow as he helped Daniel upright.

Wiping his mouth on his sleeve, Daniel sighed and replied. "Hopefully. Please tell me we aren't going."

"Stop whining and get the job done, mate," Jason replied with a smirk. "You're a big boy now."

***

Rose felt every breath travelling down her windpipe, into her lungs, filling her with power. Her arms were a blur. Two stolen cutlasses carved apart the enemy with every swing, but no matter how many she killed it wasn't enough.

They kept coming in an endless wave. More bodies for the meat grinder. She had her back against Commander Axel and Prince Everyn, both of them giving their utmost as she was.

It couldn't last forever.

She had plenty of energy left. However, the same could not be said for her comrades. Everyn was an accomplished warrior, as was the commander, yet neither of them had advanced much beyond awakening their core.

Physical strength had long since failed the trio, the only thing fueling their fight was arcane energy. Rose felt it burning through her circuits, empowering her muscles with every blow.

The only reason she hadn't unleashed a more powerful attack was because she knew there were more powerful opponents hiding in the shadows. The moment she revealed her hand and left herself exposed, they would strike.

Of course she could use that moment to bait them in, but that would be a gamble that might not pay off. Even so, with her comrades fast flagging, she had to try.

A stream of energy erupted from her core, splitting in two and travelling down her arms towards the cutlass handles. The borrowed blades would not be able to channel the energy as well as Sunsplitter used to, but they would suffice.

The nearby soldiers tried to shout a warning when the tips of her blades flashed blue. It was too late.

Two flat beams of sparkling energy erupted outwards, extending her cutlasses into lethal garottes. A hundred soldiers fell before the energy sputtered and faded, leaving an ocean of blood in their wake.

Skill up!
Arcane Attunement 27 > 28

All of the soldiers who had survived the strike backed off, throwing fearful glances her way. She heard Everyn and Axel panting heavily, making the most of the brief respite.

Rose wanted to recover herself, but a flash of movement in the corner of the room caught her attention. A flash of metal preceded a dagger zooming through the air towards her.

It was so fast it left ripples in the air. If not for her spotting it in time, it would have pierced her heart. Her arm jolted from the force of the throw as she deflected the dagger.

It fell towards the ground, but suddenly flew away from her. Slender fingers wrapped around the handle, plucking it from the air mid-flight.

"Not as terrifying as I expected, given the fuss the higher ups were making about you," a tall woman with waist length black hair said as she walked out of the shadows. "Quick reactions, though."

The woman's creepy smile sent a shiver down her spine. Rose had to hold back her disgust when the officer then licked her dagger, continuing to make eye contact.

Rose didn't recognise the uniform the woman wore. It was similar to a commodore's, but there was an extra patch on her breast. Rear Admiral, she inwardly cursed.

It was the only explanation that made sense. Rose had expected that Minenblum might have powerful protectors in its cities, but the woman's words made her nervous.

From what it sounded like, the Minenblum Navy Command was aware of Rose's existence and had prepared countermeasures. Had they even foreseen this attack?

No, that would be impossible. They likely just briefed their officers about us after we repelled the last few invasions. Damn it, Eastfel Bay is their smallest city, why is it so well guarded? Rose couldn't help her frustration.

On one hand, she was worried. She couldn't protect her allies while fighting such a powerful opponent. But there was a small part of her that trembled with excitement.

When was the last time she was able to test herself against a fighter of this calibre? Despite the woman's… odd behaviour, this was perfect.

"Helloo, are you deaf?" the woman suddenly said in a sing-song voice. "I'm talking to you, girl. Did you cut your way into the city just to stand there in a daze?"

"What are you nattering on about, crazy woman," Rose retorted. "Are you here to talk or fight?"

At her declaration, the woman's smile turned sinister and a second dagger appeared in her off hand. Narrowing her eyes, her figure flashed and disappeared from view.

"I. Am. Not. CRAZY!" the voice echoed all around Rose in a distorted screech. A gentle gust of air hitting her ear was all the warning she had before a dagger raced towards her head.