Chapter 33: Lord Jon Has Long Prophesied Today's Events
Narrow Sea, The Stepstones, Cutthroat Isle
"Kill! Hahaha..."
"Kill them..."
...At this moment, the pirates were like mandrills in the jungle, letting out all sorts of indistinct, terrifying shrieks, hoping to intimidate the enemies who were still resisting them.
Unfortunately, after the first wave of pirates discovered the intentions of The Chainbreakers, they also grew somewhat afraid.
Many pirates tried to run back, but the pirates behind them, unaware of the situation, pushed forward blindly. For a moment, the pirates could neither move up nor down.
"Release!..."
With the powerful echo of the word "Release," bursts of rumbling suddenly appeared above the pirates' heads.
The pirates, who were still pushing and shouting, simultaneously shut their mouths upon sensing the approaching danger.
Rumble... Crack...
"Run!..."
"Get out of the way!..."
The massive spiked logs, like a terrifying man-eating beast, moved and rolled down at a steady pace.
Sometimes they would get stuck halfway due to crude craftsmanship, but under the lubrication of grease, they would soon slide for a distance again.
It was precisely this unhurried scene that made the pirates even more terrified. Many, unable to escape, even drew their weapons and hacked at their own people.
Rumble... Squish...
Although the spiked logs seemed slow, they ultimately made "intimate contact" with the pirates according to their design.
The first pirate crushed by a spiked log didn't even have time to cry out in pain before several spikes pierced his head. Due to the obstruction of the pirate's corpse...
...the spiked log seemed to pause for a moment, but soon, under the influence of grease and the struggles of the dying pirate, the massive spiked log slid down once more.
"I don't want to die..."
"My hand!..."
Cough... Squish...
Heh heh heh...
...This scene, like a living hell, left the pirates who escaped with their lives speechless. Although these fellows were usually fearless, few could face such a terrifying scene calmly.
The pirates finally understood why the stairs were designed in a "7" shape; such a design allowed the spiked logs to firmly block the passage.
"B-Boss Kamos! D-Do we still attack?"
Just as Kamos's brain stalled, a stuttering voice suddenly broke into his ears.
"We..."
"G-Gods have mercy... please, someone come and kill me! The pain is killing me!"
Just as Kamos was about to speak, a sharp cry of pain interrupted him.
The pirates looked toward the sound and saw a comrade whose body was twisted and deformed. His thigh and stomach had been pierced through by spikes, and bright red blood slowly flowed out. The sight of tangled flesh and blood was truly horrific.
"Just kill me!..."
Such a shocking image was highly stimulating to the surviving pirates, and the psychological pressure on Kamos, the commander, was also immense.
"I hope the brothers climbing up the sides can get up there quickly!"
"Aaaaah..."
Just as Kamos was thinking of using the pirates climbing the sides as a reason for encouragement, waves of screams burst into his ears.
Then, Kamos saw several comrades, shot full of arrows like hedgehogs, sliding down the slopes on both sides of the passage.
"Damn it! Since these bastards want to defend this place to the death, we'll make sure they have nothing left to defend!"
Looking at the Pirate Fortress, which was as impenetrable as a hedgehog, Kamos was completely enraged. As a pirate who lived by looting, he would rather destroy what he couldn't have than leave it to the enemy.
"It's no use, Boss Kamos! The houses here are filled with sand and seawater. These guys must have expected us to set fires; they haven't even left us a single straw!"
After glancing at the situation inside the fortress through a myrish tube, Kamos completely abandoned the idea of continuing the attack.
Because the people above had already brought out another massive spiked log, and Kamos didn't want to experience that terrifying scene again.
But just then, bad news came in one after another, as the pirates who went to set fires returned to report that most of the buildings in the harbor market were soaked with seawater.
Narrow Sea, The Stepstones, Cutthroat Isle
"Kill! Hahaha..."
"Kill them..."
...At this moment, the pirates were like mandrills in the jungle, letting out all sorts of indistinct, terrifying shrieks, hoping to intimidate the enemies who were still resisting them.
Unfortunately, after the first wave of pirates discovered the intentions of The Chainbreakers, they also grew somewhat afraid.
Many pirates tried to run back, but the pirates behind them, unaware of the situation, pushed forward blindly. For a moment, the pirates could neither move up nor down.
"Release!..."
With the powerful echo of the word "Release," bursts of rumbling suddenly appeared above the pirates' heads.
The pirates, who were still pushing and shouting, simultaneously shut their mouths upon sensing the approaching danger.
Rumble... Crack...
"Run!..."
"Get out of the way!..."
The massive spiked logs, like a terrifying man-eating beast, moved and rolled down at a steady pace.
Sometimes they would get stuck halfway due to crude craftsmanship, but under the lubrication of grease, they would soon slide for a distance again.
It was precisely this unhurried scene that made the pirates even more terrified. Many, unable to escape, even drew their weapons and hacked at their own people.
Rumble... Squish...
Although the spiked logs seemed slow, they ultimately made "intimate contact" with the pirates according to their design.
The first pirate crushed by a spiked log didn't even have time to cry out in pain before several spikes pierced his head. Due to the obstruction of the pirate's corpse...
...the spiked log seemed to pause for a moment, but soon, under the influence of grease and the struggles of the dying pirate, the massive spiked log slid down once more.
"I don't want to die..."
"My hand!..."
Cough... Squish...
Heh heh heh...
...This scene, like a living hell, left the pirates who escaped with their lives speechless. Although these fellows were usually fearless, few could face such a terrifying scene calmly.
The pirates finally understood why the stairs were designed in a "7" shape; such a design allowed the spiked logs to firmly block the passage.
"B-Boss Kamos! D-Do we still attack?"
Just as Kamos's brain stalled, a stuttering voice suddenly broke into his ears.
"We..."
"G-Gods have mercy... please, someone come and kill me! The pain is killing me!"
Just as Kamos was about to speak, a sharp cry of pain interrupted him.
The pirates looked toward the sound and saw a comrade whose body was twisted and deformed. His thigh and stomach had been pierced through by spikes, and bright red blood slowly flowed out. The sight of tangled flesh and blood was truly horrific.
"Just kill me!..."
Such a shocking image was highly stimulating to the surviving pirates, and the psychological pressure on Kamos, the commander, was also immense.
"I hope the brothers climbing up the sides can get up there quickly!"
"Aaaaah..."
Just as Kamos was thinking of using the pirates climbing the sides as a reason for encouragement, waves of screams burst into his ears.
Then, Kamos saw several comrades, shot full of arrows like hedgehogs, sliding down the slopes on both sides of the passage.
"Damn it! Since these bastards want to defend this place to the death, we'll make sure they have nothing left to defend!"
Looking at the Pirate Fortress, which was as impenetrable as a hedgehog, Kamos was completely enraged. As a pirate who lived by looting, he would rather destroy what he couldn't have than leave it to the enemy.
"It's no use, Boss Kamos! The houses here are filled with sand and seawater. These guys must have expected us to set fires; they haven't even left us a single straw!"
After glancing at the situation inside the fortress through a myrish tube, Kamos completely abandoned the idea of continuing the attack.
Because the people above had already brought out another massive spiked log, and Kamos didn't want to experience that terrifying scene again.
But just then, bad news came in one after another, as the pirates who went to set fires returned to report that most of the buildings in the harbor market were soaked with seawater.
Many flammable items had been moved away, and many water vats were filled with seawater. So even if a fire were started, the water vapor and damp environment would quickly extinguish the flames.
"Damn it!"
Boom... Crack...
Kamos, his face flushed with rage, was like a rampaging bull. With a fierce swing of the wrist blade on his right hand, he smashed a water vat beside him.
Turbid seawater flowed across the ground, and in a short while, the area was filled with a heavy, fishy smell of the sea.
"Let's go! We're going to burn that forest down. I don't believe they've watered the trees in the forest too."
"Yes, Boss Kamos!"
"Let those bastards eat shit!"
...Upon receiving Kamos's order, the pirates, who had been suppressing their rage, instantly erupted. They raised their weapons high, shouting dialects and curses from all over the world, as if that forest were their mortal enemy.
---
"Lord Narsas! Those guys seem to be running toward the Godswood. What should we do? Will Lord Jon be alright?"
Watching the pirates running toward the Godswood, a Chainbreaker warrior holding a myrish tube beside Narsas quickly asked.
Although Jon had said before leaving that he didn't need anyone to guard him in the Godswood, The Chainbreakers couldn't help but worry for him upon seeing a large group of pirates charging that way.
Upon hearing the report, Narsas's pupils constricted, and his heart felt as if it were being squeezed by some force.
To be honest, he didn't know what to do either. He was, after all, just a somewhat clever thief from White Harbor. Faced with something so far beyond his control, Narsas felt a sense of powerlessness.
"Nothing will happen. Don't worry, Lord Jon actually predicted all of this long ago!"
Just as everyone was still worrying about Jon, a confident voice suddenly reached their ears.
"You might have forgotten what Lord Jon said when he left that day, but I remember every single word!"
Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, Kapo, looking quite thuggish, stepped out from the group. He held a hand axe in each hand, the one in his right hand spinning and dancing like a toy.
Although two knuckles on his right hand were missing, no one there would think he couldn't handle an axe.
On the contrary, many former pirates from the Iron Islands looked at him with admiration. In the Iron Islands, such a peculiar way of using hand axes was only practiced by Ironborn who were masters of the finger dance.
"What do you mean?"
After hearing Kapo's words, Narsas also grew interested. He had been present when Jon left that day, and although he hadn't memorized all of Jon's words like Kapo claimed...
...Narsas still remembered that Jon had offered three opinions in total. However, he truly couldn't recall exactly what was said on those three occasions.
"First, when Lord Jon answered Garo's question about the storm, he once said that heart trees never fear lightning."
Seeing the curious looks from those around him, Kapo's tone took on a hint of pride.
"And this explains that the enemy is likely to attack from the northwest. Because the Stormlands are to the northwest, and'storm' can mean both an enemy attack and the direction from which it comes!"
"Uh... what about the others?"
Under Kapo's description, Narsas seemed to recall some events from that day, so he quickly asked about the other two sentences.
"In the second sentence, Lord Jon said that news of 'The Chainbreakers' would spread throughout The Stepstones and told us to hurry our training. What does that mean?"
"What does it mean?"
Through Kapo's retelling, Narsas recalled many details from that day. Thinking carefully, those things were indeed in Jon's words, so he hurriedly questioned Kapo.
"Jon obviously knew that enemies would likely attack us, which is why he told us to hurry our training and patrols, and he specifically stated the enemies would come from The Stepstones."
Kapo's words caused a stir among the people guarding the Pirate Fortress, and many were convinced by his explanation.
Especially Narsas and a few of his subordinates, as they had all been present to see Jon off that day.
"So, was it also something Jon predicted long ago that those pirates would go to the Godswood?"
Thinking of Kapo's previous words, Narsas quickly asked the question in his heart.
"Naturally. Lord Jon's last sentence was 'Ghost will protect me,' which means that massive white Direwolf will protect Lord Jon!"
"Is... is that really so?"
After hearing Kapo's explanation, much of the worry in Narsas's heart subsided, but he still felt a faint concern. After all, there were over a hundred pirates.
"Lord Jon might have been silently watching how we handle problems all along. If we can't handle it, then it will be time for him to appear!"
Kapo sounded a bit dejected as he said this, because in his view, they, as subordinates, had not done a good job completing the tasks Jon arranged, nor had they truly understood the meaning behind those "prophecies."
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