Chapter 51: RESCUE
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"Jon, how far would Emperor pirates travel to… you know… steal children?"
"That''s the point," Jon replied. "They snatch children from the furthest reaches to stay discreet. ''Never hunt in your own backyard,'' as my family used to say. Their vile plan is executed without drawing suspicion toward Overlord Edric. Even the rest of our faction likely remains unaware of his schemes."
Jon settled himself at our makeshift table, a sorry excuse for furniture—nothing more than a wooden slab precariously balanced on two half-broken pots. The setup threatened to collapse at any moment. My stomach grumbled as I tore into one of our dwindling ration packs. The fish from my inventory had run out, so we''d need to find a sustainable food source soon. But we had far more urgent matters.
"Like a remote island in the middle of nowhere," I said. "The ideal hunting grounds where the Amazons would assume their daughters disappeared for... other reasons."
"Indeed."
"What about the Samurai Jingozi training villages?"
"I abhor the thought, but yes, they would be ideal, as you say."
A chill ran down my spine as I thought about Yukiko, Hiro, and the rest of the young Samurai.
"But what I don''t understand is, why? I thought the Amazon and Emperor factions were allies because of... you know... the whole baby arrangement."
"Of all the factions that appear aligned, I dare say we despise each other the most. Our alliance is transactional alone, not for mutual benefit. Necromagic is generational. The more generational hatred between enemies, the more potent the sacrifice of innocent blood."
"That is seriously messed up." I swallowed my last bite of ration and stood up. "Let''s go." Calling for Kitty, she popped up from the brush and squeaked.
"And where are we going, praytell?"
"To kill three birds with one stone, but first, we rescue the kids."
NEW MISSION: AMAZONIAN CHILDREN RESCUE
Free the Amazon faction children from the Emperor faction mercenaries.
"I do hope you know what you''re doing," Jon said as he donned his jacket.
* * *
My first objective was to free the Amazon children and send a clear message to Overlord Edric. That would create my second opportunity—find Kyra and do something about that mess. And finally, I''d finish the tournament and gain enough power to do something about the Emperor faction once and for all.
Overly optimistic? Probably. For me, it represented closure before I attempted to win the Jingozi tournament and get home. It was a long shot, but the only shot I had.
Usain carried me through the thick undergrowth, as I blinked in and out of the Jingozi arena to navigate the safest path. Jon also rode a mount of his own—a horned antelope-like creature with silver fur.
Nearing the pirate camp, we halted and returned our mounts to our rings. I did the same with Kitty, knowing her aggro for dark elves might compromise any attempt for stealth.
The voices of pirates told us we were close.
“Why do we always get stuck with the day shift? I swear, if I get bit by another one of these jungle leeches, I’m throwing the whole crate into the sea.”
“Careful what you wish for, mate. Captain might just throw you in the crate and let the worms finish the job.”
From our vantage point, the camp was a mess of crates and supplies scattered haphazardly around a cluster of tents. The acrid smell of smoke and unwashed bodies wafted up to our position, making my nose wrinkle in disgust. On the perimeter, I counted ten cages on the beach. My heart clenched as I saw nine of them holding children, their small arms reaching through the bars, grasping at empty air. I could hear their occasional muffled cries in the breeze.
The tenth cage stood empty—Seyri''s, no doubt. Its open door swung lazily in the wind.
“Oi! Who packed this? Feels like rocks. We smuggling rocks now?”
“Nah, just the souls of your lost dreams.”
"What in the bloody hell is that supposed to mean? This is heavy!"
“You two shut it! We ain’t gettin’ paid to moan. We get this lot shipped out, we’re in the clear. ‘Less you want to end up in one of them cages.”This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
I blinked into the Jingozi arena to scout the camp thoroughly. A dozen dark elf pirates bustled about, loading supplies and preparing to depart. One of them kicked a cage, causing the Amazon girl to cower.
“Can’t say the little brats are gonna miss the view, eh? All that water and nowhere to swim.”
"Well, if I was staring at your ugly mug all day, I''d brave the seas."
"Oh, shut it! I know you been fancying me since we landed."
I blinked back to Jon.
"I count twelve pirates," I whispered.
"I''ll take out the pirates," Jon offered. "You free the kids."
"I''ve got a better idea," I shook my head. "Stay here and keep watch. I need you as an anchor point to blink back to."
Before Jon could protest, I activated my Ninja Armor''s invisibility. A new tingle of Zii coursed through me as I faded from view.
I blinked to the edge of the camp and loaded my Jingozi cards, my eyes locked on the nearest pirate. With silent steps, I approached from behind and struck him in the base of the skull with a card to knock him unconscious. The dark elf crumpled without a sound, his body hitting the sand with a soft thud.
One by one, I moved through the camp like a ghost. Blink, strike, blink again. The pirates fell like dominoes, never knowing what hit them. My invisibility flickered with each hit, a brief shimmer in the air, but I remained undetected. Despite my headache from blinking over a dozen times, I couldn''t help but feel a twinge of satisfaction.
I emerged from invisibility and stood at the edge of the camp, surveying the unconscious pirates scattered around me. Then, a piercing scream shattered the silence.
Two more pirates appeared, dragging Seyri in a net, thrashing and hissing like a cornered wildcat. The pirates'' eyes widened as they entered the scene, their gazes locking onto me.
One grabbed Seyri by her hair, lifting her off the ground. The net tangled around her tiny body as she continued to struggle. The other pirate pressed a dagger against her throat.
"One move, and the runt tastes my blade," he snarled.
I raised my hands slowly, showing them empty palms.
"Sick''em, girl," I whispered.
Activating my familiar ring, Kitty materialized in a blur of silver, streaking through the air like a missile. She slammed into the pirate holding the dagger, her claws and tail lashing out in a frenzy. Blood sprayed as Kitty tore into him, and he collapsed with a gurgling cry.
Before the second pirate could react, a spiked wand whistled through the air, striking him directly in the temple. He toppled backward, dead before he hit the ground.
Jon stepped out from the tree line and approached Seyri cautiously, his hands outstretched in a calming gesture.
"It''s okay, you''re safe now," he said softly.
Jon tried to free her from the net, but she continued thrashing wildly, her eyes wide with fear and distrust.
"Forget it," Jon muttered. He turned away from Seyri, retrieved his wand, and moved towards the other cages. "I''ll start freeing the rest."
As Jon worked on releasing the other children, I dealt with the unconscious pirates. Grabbing the first dark elf by his ankles, I dragged him across the sand towards an empty cage. One by one, I hauled the pirates into the cages they had used to imprison innocent children.
Using rope from my inventory, I bound their hands and feet. For good measure, I looped a rope around their mouths, gagging and securing them to the cage bars.
Jon freed the last child as I continued securing pirates. He gathered the frightened Amazon children and led them to where Seyri lay tangled in the net.
"Your choice," Jon said to her, his tone firm but not unkind. "Join your friends or stay in the net."
Seyri''s struggles subsided after seeing the faces of her fellow Amazons. With a reluctant nod, she relented, allowing Jon to free her. Kitty scurried to Seyri on her hind legs and nuzzled the girl for comfort. The other Amazons giggled, surprisingly unphased by the recent ordeal.
"What now?" Jon asked, turning to me.
I glanced towards the horizon, seeing two more pirate ships anchored offshore just beyond the largest one.
"Take the kids back to Katorro''s home," I replied. "Kitty, you go with them. I''ll wait until dark to deal with those ships."
Jon paused and then nodded. He walked over to a nearby crate and pried it open, revealing stacks of rations and waterskins.
"Grab as much as you can carry," he instructed the children. "We''ve got a bit of a walk ahead of us."
Jon and Kitty led the Amazon children into the jungle. I settled into a Zii-Kata routine until nightfall.
MISSION COMPLETE: AMAZONIAN CHILDREN RESCUE
Free the Amazon faction children from the Emperor faction mercenaries.
NEW MISSION: PIRATE SABOTAGE
Sabotage the pirate child smuggling operation.
NEW MISSION: RETURN THE CHILDREN
Return the Amazon children safely to their faction.
* * *
As night settled over the horizon, I surveyed the pirate camp one last time. The unconscious pirates remained securely bound in cages, and the only sound was the rhythmic lapping of the waves against the shore. It was time to deal with the ships.
Scouring the camp for anything flammable, I gathered whatever I could find—oil lanterns, barrels, coils of rope. I loaded two rowboats with the haphazard mix of supplies, confident they''d catch fire easily. As I worked, my mind wandered to the chunk of octranite crystal from the mines. Something tugged at my instincts, a certainty forming without explanation. Carefully, I chipped off a few shards with my ninjato and scattered them into each boat. The crystal was quiet now, no longer whispering as it had deep within the caves.
With the boats loaded and tied securely, I stepped onto the water. The familiar surge of my water walker ability rippled through me, allowing the surface to solidify beneath my feet like solid ground. Gripping the ropes tightly, I began to pull, marveling at how effortlessly the boats glided behind me.
The night was peaceful, bathed in moonlight, as I sprinted toward the anchored ships. Each step felt light and silent.
Reaching the first ship, I scanned the deck for signs of life. Before setting the charges, I had to ensure no other children were trapped aboard. Activating my invisibility, I climbed the hull, careful not to make a sound. Moving swiftly through the lower decks, I checked every corner, every dark nook. No cages. No children. Just supplies and a sleeping crew.
I repeated this on each vessel, slipping into the shadows, my senses on high alert. After each sweep, I confirmed that the decks were clear and returned to my task.
With the rowboats tied securely to the smaller ships, I pried off a plank from each hull. I placed octranite shards into the gaps, nestling them into the wood.
Unsheathing my sword, I loaded a max-charged Jingozi card and infused the blade. With a swift motion, I brought the sword down on the thick anchor chains. The metal gave way, like slicing through nothing more than cloth.
Satisfied, I turned and sprinted back toward the shore. The distance between me and the ships grew, and I loaded my hand when I was far enough.
I fired two flaming cards. One struck each rowboat, the flames igniting instantly. As I ran, the silence of the night was shattered by the distant, sharp pops of the crystal shards detonating behind me.
MISSION COMPLETE: PIRATE SABOTAGE
Sabotage the pirate child smuggling operation.