Chapter 319: The Enemy Has XX Seconds Until They Arrive
Before dawn, a sudden blaze of torches and lanterns lit up the quiet port. Nilfgaardian soldiers in black armor poured onto the docks, boarding dozens of ships that were usually guarded by town militia and kept off-limits.
Count Tullius walked at the very end, his retinue of shield-bearers surrounding him. Charimier followed at his side, though the Duchy knight now wore a suit of dark Imperial armor, making him almost unrecognizable even to those who knew him well.
Count Tullius boarded the flagship, stood on the deck, and raised his arm in a triumphant gesture. "Men, the fate of the Empire rests on this battle! Depart!"
A thunderous roar of cheers erupted from the ships, waking the people who lived near the harbor and leaving them in a state of unease. Dozens of ships, now flying the Nilfgaardian Sun, left the port and set a course for the Isles.
A few days later, Count Tullius stood on the deck, the silhouette of Spikeroog visible in the distance. The Duchy of the Arcane Coast was to the east of the Skellige Isles, so the Nilfgaardian sub-fleet naturally arrived at the eastern side of Spikeroog first.
To his surprise, there were signs of fortifications on the eastern side of the island, along with Skellige warriors guarding the beach and the fences. Although they were just simple wooden walls and ditches, and the Skellige force looked to be only around 500 men, it was clear that the islanders had been warned.
Who had leaked the information? Count Tullius immediately thought of Charimier. He looked over, and the knight, who had also been looking at the Count, met his gaze. Charimier instantly understood the Count's meaning and shuddered.
"My Lord, it wasn't me. It truly wasn't me." Even though Count Tullius hadn't said a word, Charimier instinctively began to defend himself.
The guards nearby, despite having received no orders from their lord, moved in menacingly, their eyes fixed on Charimier. At a single word from the Count, or if Charimier made so much as a move, they would instantly impale him with their spears.
Charimier's hair stood on end. His body tensed, but he forced himself to restrain his fear and remain standing. It wasn't that he didn't want to run; it was that he couldn't. He was already soaked in a cold sweat. Even if the gods took pity on him and he somehow managed to jump ship before the guards got him, where could he go in the middle of the vast ocean? The distance between the Skellige Isles and the Continent might not look far on a map, but swimming it was unrealistic. Besides, his armor would drag him straight to the bottom of the sea.
And even if he somehow managed to escape back to the Duchy of the Arcane Coast, he had already botched the mission Duchess Helena had given him, and he would definitely get no reward. Even in other Northern Kingdoms, he'd be hard-pressed to make a comeback.
So, Charimier's only hope for survival was to beg for Count Tullius's mercy and trust.
After a moment's consideration, Count Tullius was willing to believe him. Continentals had always looked down on islanders. Not only was the land on the Skellige Isles barren, but the islands were also far from the Continent. Even though the Isles had moved past their tribal roots and into a more advanced feudal system, Continentals (both North and South) still saw the islanders as uncultured and uncivilized. Charimier, though not Nilfgaardian, was still a Continental from the Duchy of the Arcane Coast. Count Tullius was willing to believe that Charimier would not lower his noble head and grovel to the islanders.
Besides, if he had truly betrayed them, why would he come back here? What could Charimier possibly gain? He was already a knight of the Duchy of the Arcane Coast. What could he possibly gain from siding with the Skellige Isles?
And based on Count Tullius's years of fighting the islanders, he knew they hated traitors. They believed that a traitor who would betray his own lord would eventually betray them, too. (In a way, they weren't wrong). So, Charimier would get nothing from defecting to the Isles. The "traitor" who leaked the information had to be someone else.
But to be safe, Count Tullius said, "Sir Charimier, it's not that I don't believe you. But since this situation is unexpected, I hope you can understand."
Without waiting for Charimier to object, Count Tullius gave a cold order: "Guards, Sir Charimier is tired. Escort him to a private cabin to rest."
Charimier's face turned ashen. He had been prepared to fight alongside the Nilfgaardians and prove his loyalty. But who would have thought that the Skelligers would be prepared? To make matters worse, the Nilfgaardians were now suspicious of him. Even if he was lucky and they eventually released him, his plan to join the Nilfgaardian army and start over in the South was definitely dead. After all, without battlefield achievements, how could he become a captain in Nilfgaard? It was even possible that the Nilfgaardians wouldn't take him back to the South at all.
His carefully laid plans were in tatters. Charimier dared not raise a single objection. At the very least, the Nilfgaardians weren't planning to kill him on the spot. But if he angered these men in black, all bets were off.
Watching the guards "escort" Charimier off the deck, Count Tullius's gaze returned to the beach on Spikeroog. "Sound the horns. Prepare to land."
Even though the islanders were prepared, Count Tullius decided to land here. The reason was simple: he had 1,500 men at his disposal. And they weren't 1,500 conscripts; they were 1,500 professional soldiers. The Count believed that wiping out the few hundred islanders before them would be no problem.
The sub-fleet could certainly bypass this area and look for another landing spot. But they were in a race against time. Although the main Skellige fleet was busy raiding Nilfgaard's coast, the clans still had some forces on the islands. If the other clans were to respond and send reinforcements, the numbers might even out, which would put them at a disadvantage. It was better to end this quickly.
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