The next few minutes felt agonisingly slow as I balanced not losing sight of the unit with remaining concealed. The foliage added an extra layer of difficulty due to the sound the leaves made when disturbed, but I moved slowly to dampen the noise. The pirates had placed themselves directly west of the earlier group of pirates they were utilising as bait and continued moving south. Through an opening in the forest, the other group were clear to see blissfully ignorant of the fate awaiting them. Careful not to give my position away, I began to flank the archer unit placing them between myself and the ambush location. Overtaking the archer unit which was possible due them moving slowly, I carefully moved towards the ambush location making sure I would have a clear shot on them when the fighting began. In position, I prepared my bow and arrow ready for the action to start.

The earlier pirate group had finally come to the mouth of the ambush location, the instincts of the leading pirate the only thing that prevented him from immediately entering the clearing. The archer unit lead by the diminutive veiled pirate also had come to a stop and after a quick order from their leader began drawing their bows and taking position behind nearby trees and rocks. The early group leader replicated his cautious head-swivel while staring dubiously at potential hiding spots in the clearing. Hesitating for a longer time than he had earlier, I noticed a slight anger begin to build up in the veiled pirate as if irritated by the other leader’s self-preservation. A grim determination crossed the face of the earlier group leader and he whispered some commands to his unit. The unit rearranged their position placing three of the pirates in front of him and two more behind him, finally stepped out into the clearing.

As soon as the group reached the centre of the clearing, arrows rained down on them from every direction. The leader of that group as if already expecting it, ducked behind his three-man vanguard as arrows were peppered into their bodies. The archery unit had already begun to mobilise, abandoning their precious cover to begin unleashing volleys of arrows at the ambushing party. My reaction time was even quicker though, having already chosen my target long before the battle had begun. A lone pirate furthest from the action hidden behind a fallen tree with no cover at his back. His death felt almost anticlimactic, as my released arrow buried itself deep inside his skull. The ease with which his life was extinguished surprising me for a short moment. With no time to check the general progress of the battle, I moved on to my next target maintaining hope the ambushing party were withstanding the attack. The next target was smarter and had sheltered himself behind a large tree to prevent any potential return fire. Nocking an arrow, I pull back the bow string forcibly and loose a powerful arrow aimed at his head. An involuntary jerk of my finger during release, slightly distorts the arrow trajectory embedding the arrow deeply into the bark of the tree. Remembering my mental training, I promptly disregard my mistake and nock another arrow onto the bow. The pirate initially shocked by the arrow landing so close to his face, took a moment to process the events before shouting out at the top of his lungs.

“Behind Us!”

My preparatory routine complete, I release an arrow with the full force of the draw weight behind it silencing him in perpetuity. This time I chose to aim for the relatively easier position of the chest and the arrow penetrates the pirate’s lungs. A fatal wound the pirate is liable to bleed out in a short period of time, so I switch my focus to the others. The dying pirates shout has just begun to register, as I moved to place an arrow upon the bow. The three remaining pirates had already begun to relocate to new locations while taking my presence into account. Knowing I wouldn’t have very long, I quickly loosed another arrow at a specific escaping pirate. His agile movements made it difficult to aim for the head, so I settled for shooting at his back in the hope that I would at least wound him. The arrow inserted itself firmly into his lower back just before he managed to dive head first into cover.

The final archer having now found cover, a brief respite came over the battlefield marked by an abnormal silence. Taking advantage of the time, I scanned the battlefield to get an idea of the casualties. The ambush party due to the influence of the archers had failed to kill the entire pirate crew. Four bodies lay plastered around the clearing suggesting two of the pirates were able to escape. A conspicuous blood trail led back into the forest north of their location suggesting at least one of the escapees was seriously injured. During a pirate attack, any serious injury is tantamount to a death sentence as the individual would struggle to escape and be easily pursued if they did. My attention was then drawn to the ambushing party where my worst fears were instantly realised. A large puddle of blood was pooled below, face down and immobile in that red sea were two of the sea guard. Dripping from a tree nearby them was more of that precious liquid, indicating more were injured as well.

“How many of the guards are still alive and how bad are the injuries?” I inquired as loudly as possible to make sure my voice could be heard over the distance.

A hesitant voice replied back “six still alive but Jahi is injured, without treatment …”

“Understood, we’ve got as much as five pirates still alive two of them injured. One more push and we can force a retreat. I’m going in, cover me.” I commanded loudly knowing time is of the essence.

Hefting my spear and shield, I alighted gently from the tree making sure to remain in cover for fear of their arrows. Now safely on the floor, I crouched down minimizing my area as much as possible. My shield raised to cover my vitals in the event of a stray arrow. Without a moment’s hesitation, I break into a decisive gallop towards my destination with my head tucked in, stomach tightened, and legs tensed. The sound of heavy thuds falling in the distance making me hopeful the guards listened. Diving in the direction of the tree, I was able to skip the last few feet and arrive safely.

No sooner had I entered cover, I thrusted my spear towards my opposition. The spear finding purchase in the soft rolls of fat that clung to his stomach. A forceful blow to his hand later and the pirate was now disarmed and effectively helpless. Now with more time I studied his face in detail. The look of pure dread upon it, pleasing me in a way I hate to admit. Recognising that his fate was in my hand, the pirate began crying out in that hybrid language of theirs, likely begging for mercy. The quiver of his mouth causing his wiry beard to shake uncontrollably. Gripping my spear tightly, I rotated it viciously while ejecting it from his flesh causing him to release an agonising scream. Remaining completely still, I watched as his scream slowly faded away and silence reigned once again. Revenge was only a small part of my motivation; the effect his screams would have on the other pirates being the true goal. Subconsciously his screams would stick in their minds, playing over and over again. Informing them what would happen if I was to ever grab a hold of them, their fear tempting them to run away. Patiently I waited, not presenting even an inch of myself. Triggering their fears to escalate, their petrified minds conjuring fictional monsters instead of normal warriors.

The deafening silence finally got to one of the pirates and soon they were in a complete rout. I headed directly to the sea guard unit to investigate the damage. The heavy smell of blood threatened to make me nauseous, but I focused on the task. Apart from the two deceased guards lying in the puddle and the injured Jahi, the general health of the guards wasn’t too bad. Two of the guards had been hit with arrows but they had landed on their limbs and wouldn’t be too difficult to heal as long as they didn’t get infected.

“You two are to carry Jahi back to the town for medical treatment, while the other three are to come with me to end the pirates” I declare, indicating towards the two injured guards.

“Yes Prince” the guard unit replied simultaneously, clearly impressed by my performance so far.

Leading from the front, we set off in pursuit of the escaping pirates. Tracking them would take time, so I opt instead to set a direct course for the stretch of coastline they docked their boat at. The injured pirates will likely struggle to reach their boat, so we can return to deal with them later. The main aim is the veiled pirate and the remaining pirate from the ambushed group. The trees begin to thin out, a promising sign that the coastline is getting closer. As soon as we step out from the forest I witness the two aforementioned pirates also breaking out but further north of us. This gives them a shorter distance to cover to their boat, which I can see anchored just off the beach.

The four of us nock an arrow each onto our bows and release before the pirates even realise we are there. The arrows sail across the sky but are impacted by the powerful sea breeze altering their course. Only one arrow lands striking the shoulder of the remaining ambushed pirate and causing him to collapse onto the sand. The veiled pirate seeing this throws away his heavy weapons and begins racing across the beach to the safety of the boat. His composure alarming me, I vow not to let him escape. In concert with my fellow guards, we unloose a barrage of arrows in his direction. The sea breeze at his back defending him like a lioness defends her cubs. The hail of arrows finally finds purchase in the form of a lone arrow through his calf causing him stumble.

Taking this opportunity, I drop all but my spear and give chase on foot. I begin to narrow the gap between us as his newly injured leg helps to check his movements. The moment I was directly behind him, I lunged with my spear intending to impale him through the back. The veiled pirate’s reaction was just as brutal, drawing a small dagger from his waist, he dodged my spear attack by twisting and threw the dagger towards my eyes. Instinctively, I leap to the side while throwing my head backwards. Though my reaction was able to preserve my eye, the dagger has left a painful laceration on my cheek, blood already beginning to stream from the wound. Regaining focus, I return to my quarry.

Only for an arrow to land right at my feet and stop me dead in my tracks. In my frenzied chase, it appears we had come very close to the boat and my earlier prediction of twenty-five pirates had evidently been correct. Covering the remaining distance with two archers focused on me is impossible, so I give up the chase and watch as the small pirate reaches his vessel. Removing his disguise, the pirate unveils the visage of a child no older than me and I instantly regret not killing him. A feral smile decorates his face with none of the innocence that accompanies youth. Those same inky black eyes promise retribution and I know deep down within my heart this won’t be the last time we meet. The remainder of the night passes uneventfully as we clear up any of the remaining injured pirates and return to the guard quarters. Captain Lizwi forces me to get medical treatment, then dismisses me for the remainder of the night, while the others deal with the aftermath of the battle. Fatigue prevents me from overthinking the consequences of the battle and as soon as my head hits the pillow, I drift off to a pleasant sleep.