Chapter 26: Master of Snake Island
2015-01-24
Author: Floating Tower
Snake Island is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with a natural harbor sheltered from the wind.
This harbor has been artificially developed to accommodate three to five warships and has long been contested by various pirate factions. The Narwhal only recently took control of this place; he was originally an inconspicuous pirate who rose to power after betraying his previous leader. In just a few years, he consolidated and suppressed other pirate forces while robbing merchant fleets to strengthen his own finances. Pirates value profit the most—whoever can lead them to wealth and indulgence can gain their allegiance.
The Narwhal was able to seize Snake Island because he absorbed and incorporated several smaller pirate factions, gradually becoming a renowned pirate leader.
This is somewhat similar to the horse thieves in the desert.
Small groups of horse thieves grow stronger through assimilation until they eventually become significant forces in the desert.
The harbor at Snake Island is rather rudimentary.
Nearby, some pirates are stationed, as pirates typically take turns going to sea, and the home base needs to be manned. Otherwise, if enemies sneak in and set fire to it, the hard-earned stronghold can be burned down. Below the Narwhal are two other pirate leaders, both small factions he has tamed and incorporated, belonging to the second and third in command. Upon seeing the ships approaching in the distance, the stationed pirates immediately signaled, and preparations were made to let them dock at the harbor.
These pirates, of course, do not yet know that the Narwhal has been killed by Soren!
“Carlos! Where’s the captain?”
A fierce pirate with half a pinky missing looked at the ship’s bow and shouted loudly by the harbor, “Why are you back so soon today?”
A young man of not much age stood out from the pirate ship, appearing clever. He walked to the bow and shouted, “The captain is on the ship behind us! Today our luck is good; we just set sail and encountered a bunch of fat sheep. The captain has raided their cargo ship, but it’s filled with goods. We can’t run on the sea as fast as they can.”
The pirate lacking a pinky glanced back and indeed saw another ship approaching.
“Tsk tsk.”
He looked at the ship’s bow and shouted, “Looks like you guys made quite a haul! You must treat me to a drink later!”
The young man smiled, “No problem.”
Soon.
The pirate ship docked at the harbor, and a group of people disembarked, all of them the Narwhal’s subordinates. The stationed pirates also approached. The pinky-less pirate laughed heartily, walking up to the young man and patting his shoulder. “How is it? How are the casualties? Looks like you all came back unscathed? Did you catch any beautiful women? Hehe!”
Most of the pirates who disembarked had no injuries.
Soren now dealt with these people mostly with a single blow to the death, wielding power close to the legendary level, making them qualified to lead a faction.
“Hehe.”
The young man chuckled, moving his palm back slightly. Two more people leaned in nearby, and he said, “As for women! There is one very beautiful one!… but…”
Thud!
A dagger stabbed into the opponent’s waist, directly hitting the kidney. Then the other two pounced, quickly restraining the target, followed by a flurry of knives stabbing into the body. Carlos, the young pirate, revealed a wicked grin as the dagger mercilessly slit the opponent’s throat. He then spoke coldly, “But you’re not qualified to have any designs on her! … The Narwhal is dead! … We now serve a more powerful wizard! … Maybe he will be the new Pirate King! …”
The Pirate King is only a legendary level, after all.
Those who surrendered and capitulated could sense Soren displaying almost legendary level strength.
A flurry of knives and swords!
The pirates who had just disembarked instantly turned on their comrades, unexpectedly ambushing and killing the stationed enemies, who were completely caught off guard. They never imagined that their fellow companions, who had just set sail, would draw their swords against them, and the news of the Narwhal’s death shocked them. They were completely unprepared and suffered a one-sided massacre.
“Very good.”
Soren’s figure walked down from the deck. He glanced at the young man named Carlos and said solemnly, “From now on, you are the first mate of this ship, and you will lead these people. Prepare to take down Snake Island next; those willing to surrender can stay. Kill all those who refuse.”
A hint of joy appeared on the young man’s face as he humbly lowered his head, saying, “I will not let you down.”
He had made the right bet.
Soren’s iron-fisted methods deeply shocked them. This young man also keenly sensed an opportunity: besides the red-haired pirate woman, this incomparably powerful wizard lacked usable manpower. If he could prove his worth, he would gain favor. The recent actions were his suggestions, undoubtedly leading Soren to think highly of him, directly appointing him as the first mate of the pirate ship.
When dealing with these pirates, you need not overestimate their bottom lines.
Another warship began to dock. Adele’s fiery red hair flew in the wind as she jumped directly from the bow, with several skilled pirates, most of whom were near second-tier level, equivalent to city guard strength. Adele was clad in tungsten steel armor; due to her chest being visibly fuller than that of ordinary women, akin to an Amazon woman’s voluptuousness, she had to wrap her ample bosom tightly with cloth strips; otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to wear the armor at all.
Female armor is specially made, leaving space for the breasts, while this armor was designed for men.
Even so.
Adele still felt a bit awkward when wearing it. It looked somewhat strange, but she paid it little mind. In battle, life and death are moments away; who would care if their armor looked good? As long as it could save their life, that was enough. For women like her, with a fuller bust and taller frame, ordinary armor would be uncomfortable unless it were specially customized like that of the Amazon Lord of Storms, which would not cause much issue.
Soren slowly drew his curved blade.
A group of pirates, intimidated by his thunderous methods, also drew their weapons. Many had hesitation in their eyes, but when they noticed Soren’s cold gaze, their expressions gradually became resolute. Their determination stemmed not from anything else but fear; they were certain that if they defied orders, this noble would slaughter them without mercy. Outside the harbor, orcas still swam, and there was nowhere for them to flee. They had witnessed too many deaths but had never seen someone so unflinching in killing—each decapitated head had already terrified them.
“Attack!”
Soren issued the command in a deep voice, and the pirates began to advance. Adele seemed eager to prove her worth, charging to the forefront. It appeared that Soren’s recent promotion of two people made her feel pressured. Though she remained the strongest after Soren, she herself was only at around the fourth tier, with some third-tier subleaders among the pirates. If she couldn’t prove her worth, she felt Soren might replace her.
A group of pirates began to advance quickly.
Inside Snake Island, there was a camp, the old stronghold established by the Narwhal, with over a hundred people stationed there.
Clang!
Soren drew his curved blade.
His figure vanished into thin air, swiftly approaching the camp’s gate. Before him stood a wooden wall two stories high; Soren leapt lightly over it and mercilessly cleaved the guard in front of the door.
Thud, thud, thud.
Soren wielded both blades like a whirlwind, wherever the blades pointed, severed limbs and torsos lay scattered. Six guards at the gate were directly killed by him. Adele’s agile figure also appeared behind, and the pirates yelled as they charged in, with a half-elf named Kasa bringing up the rear. Anyone who dared to retreat would be shot dead by the crossbowmen.
A massacre commenced.
Soren’s gaze was icy and ruthless, quietly counting the number of heads while darting across the rooftop wooden walls, slaughtering the crossbowmen one by one. After the Narwhal was taken down, only two major leaders remained, and many of the remaining pirates were caught off guard, either captured or instantly killed.
“Have you all gone mad? You bunch of scum! Are you staging a rebellion?”
A very robust figure appeared, wielding a heavy axe, shouting angrily as he charged over. “Where’s the Narwhal? Have his subordinates gone crazy? Why attack our own people?!”
—”Hide from sight.”
—”Shadow Travel.”
A cold flash of the blade answered him, Soren’s figure appearing from the twisting shadows, then a single stroke ended this third-tier half-barbarian.
One strike to kill!
Soren silently pulled the curved blade from the opponent’s heart, then glanced around and slowly said, “Surrender, and you will not die.”
“Surrender, and you will not die!”
“Surrender, and you will not die!!!”
Seeing Soren slay the former second-in-command, the faith of the pirates in turning against their former comrades strengthened even more. They fully realized that Snake Island was about to change its leader. Now, whoever could prove themselves first could ascend to a higher position. Carlos’s recent promotion had already sparked their greed.
The battle continued!
Soren quietly harvested heads, but not from those on the battlefield, but from those attempting to flee.
Soon, more and more enemies began to collapse.
Some directly threw down their weapons; others still fought to the death, but their demise was merely a matter of time. It seemed the third-in-command of Snake Island was not here, and those below had no idea where he had gone. These were minor matters; after Soren subdued all the pirates, he immediately ordered the warehouses and the Narwhal’s quarters to be sealed.
Unless something unexpected happens.
The most valuable things on the entire Snake Island are here.
From now on, the entire Snake Island would belong to his territory, and these pirates would become his minions.
Rising from overseas, they are the first trump card.
………………
(PS: Alliance Leader updates at the end of the month. Floating Tower is regaining energy.) (To be continued ~^~)
