The darkness around him seemed to be flowing inwards. The farther the sun sank on the horizon, the gloomier it became. That was fine with Derrin; in fact, that was exactly what he was waiting for. Each passing moment brought them one step closer to their attack.
Around him, the Valencian soldiers stirred slightly. They were eager to begin the night's assault. In the distance, Derrin could make out the figure of Silas. The man had finally stopped giving him side glances now that they were actually entering combat. Still, Derrin was not going to rely on the man.
Despite Silas's strength, he was unreliable. There was always the chance the soldier would simply stab him in the back. Derrin doubted he would do that with Zara watching, but he never knew. He was glad to have Zara's support at least. The rest of the soldiers opposed him, but she didn't care as long as he fought for her.
Derrin watched for the group's hand signals. He wasn't Valencian and didn't know any of their military code. However, they weren't that different from Montrel. He just needed to follow them when they made their move. That was coming very soon. The pirate camp had filled up much more than it had a few weeks earlier. They were consolidating their forces to prepare for an assault.
It still wouldn't be enough. The pirates were used to fighting in smaller groups or alone. The Valencians were adept at fighting together. In the past week, three separate pirate camps had been destroyed. They had yet to suffer any casualties, but this night would prove to be their hardest fight yet.
This camp made up nearly 30 pirates by their estimates, while all the previous ones didn't have more than 20. With only ten of them, there was a high likelihood of casualties without Zara present. She had to remain in reserve. If the Pirate King saw that she had left the fort, he would move on it himself. They were the two most powerful players on the island, and as such, they balanced on another out.
Neither was willing to risk a move that would draw the other out. They both had locations that the other wanted after all. Derrin tracked his gaze across the pirate camp from his vantage point. They were all clustered into smaller groups as they went about their evening business. He was surprised that the pirates hadn't congregated back into the caves beneath the island yet.
That would happen eventually, he was certain. The Pirate King couldn't afford to keep sacrificing his men in a pursuit to hold the entire island. It would be more practical to pull everyone back into a centralized location. That would make it nearly impossible for them to attack. Tonight's strike would likely be the one that forced the decision to be made.
A handle signal from his allies signaled the time for attack. He rose smoothly without losing his footing in the tree. His hand rested on his blade, but he had yet to draw it. He needed to move quickly during the upcoming assault. His blade would only be in the way during their approach.
Taking a deep breath, he whispered, "There will be blood tonight."
With that, he dropped silently from his perch. The nearby soldiers gave him ugly looks, but none of them said anything. They were on the same side after all. None of them had summoned their mistblades as of yet. It was best to leave them till the last moment. Instead, all of the soldiers had drawn shockblasters.
They were a typical military design that required cores to be operated. Derrin had been spoiled after seeing Red's guns. These ones would allow more shots than his friend's, but they would not be able to recharge.
Derrin stepped off from the soldiers and disappeared into the jungle. He didn't like following the Valencians too closely in combat. They had their own strategies, and he would just get in the way. Instead, he would wait for their attack to begin. That had been their way for the past few strikes, and it had worked well so far.
Stretching his senses as far as he could, Derrin attempted to search out any of the higher-ranked enemies. He couldn't pick any of them out, but he would keep watch. Eliminating those pirates would cause chaos in the camp, ensuring their victory.
After a quick pause to avoid a patrol, Derrin stepped into the clearing. Night had fully fallen across the jungle island. His enemies were unable to see him against the shadows, not with their eyes adjusted to the firelight. They had chosen their strike point well for that precise purpose.
Heading deeper into the camp, Derrin paused beneath the shadows of one tent. He needed the Valencians to make their move. His hand gripped the hilt of his weapon, preparing to draw at a moment's notice. That moment had yet to come, however. There was still some time before his allies would fully be in position.
Derrin took the opportunity to listen in on some of the pirates' conversations. Most of them were rather dull and uninteresting. They were busy talking about their home lives and what they had for dinner. None of them was aware of their impending doom. His ears picked up on a conversation in particular. Enhancing them with what mist he could, Derrin could just make out the faintest tidbits of conversation.
"...has been rather angry recently."
"Isn't that the truth. He keeps showing up unannounced."
"This was supposed to be a fun mission, not whatever the hell this is. For all we know, the cursed Valencians are stalking us as we speak."
"I'm Valencian, you know…"
"You know what I mean. This is all too much. I'm glad I turned down his offer for power, though. All those that did keep disappearing."
Before the other could respond, a new voice cut across their conversation, "Enough! You know the consequences for speaking ill of our leader, don't you? This will be your one and only warning…that goes for both of you nimwits."
Derrin couldn't see the figures, but the other two pirates fell silent. This new arrival was one of the camp leaders. It was easy to tell from the power emanating from his heart. He didn't even bother trying to hide it. The sound of gunfire suddenly erupted from the opposite side of the camp. The time had come to begin the assault. He also now had a target to aim for.
"The smell of blood is in the air."