13: Raid on Bloodclaw Island 2

It was now late at night. Under the moonlight, the silhouette of Blood Claw Island loomed indistinctly beneath the thin starlight. The waves tirelessly beat against the reefs, emitting a rhythmic and dull sob; this sound of nature skillfully masked the subtle noise of the ship's hull cutting through the water.

Linn stood at the bow of the "sea wave," his figure blending into the shadows, with only his eyes flashing with a calm light in the darkness. Behind him were soldiers as tense as bowstrings. Clay gently flexed his wrist holding his sword, while Elise performed a final check on her longbow and quiver, her fingertips brushing against the fletching to ensure every arrow would deliver a fatal blow when needed. Angus and Karl hid below deck, staring intently at the approaching island through the gaps in the wooden planks, listening to the heavy breathing of themselves and the soldiers beside them.

Ahead, two pirate skiffs led by Hogan were slowly sailing toward that crescent-shaped, deadly harbor like remoras guiding a shark. Hogan felt the clothes on his back soaked with cold sweat; he was also terrified. But the icy brand deep within his soul was colder than the night sea breeze, constantly reminding him of the consequences of any thought of betrayal.

"Who goes there? State your name!"

Finally, from the watchtower atop the cliff at the harbor entrance—which looked like a giant's cyclopean eye—came the drawling, sleep-deprived shout of a pirate sentry. The brazier atop the tower glowed faintly, illuminating only a small area.

Hogan's heart skipped a beat, but he immediately raised his voice. He was, after all, a minor leader in the Blood Claw Pirate Group. He responded with his habitual arrogance and forced composure: "It's me! Hogan! Open the gate quickly; we're back, and we have great news!" His voice echoed in the silent harbor, sounding exceptionally clear.

"Hogan?" The pirate on the tower clearly recognized the voice, but his vigilance did not relax. "Weren't you out 'hunting' with the Second Chieftain? It's only been a few days. Why are you back so soon?"

"Haha, when luck comes, you can't stop it!" Hogan let out an exaggerated laugh, trying to make his voice carry through the sea breeze. "We ran into two fat sheep, one big and one small! The Second Chieftain took the main force to chase the small, fast one and had us escort this big ship and the 'good stuff' back first!" He turned sideways, pointing emphatically toward the "sea wave," whose large and elegant silhouette was becoming visible in the dim light of dawn.

"Look! That 'sea wave' behind us! This ship alone is worth a fortune! More importantly, there's cargo! There's a mage and an elven broad! She's incredibly succulent! The Second Chieftain feared things might change if we delayed, so he sent us back first. He also wants the First Chieftain to send more men as backup to make sure we swallow the other fat sheep too!"

"A mage? An elf?" The pirate's voice on the tower spiked instantly, filled with unbelievable greed. Another head popped out, and both men strained to look at the "sea wave." In the increasingly clear morning light, they could see flickering figures on the deck. Several "captives" with their hands tied behind their backs—actually Angus, Karl, and their elite subordinates in disguise—were crouching dejectedly, while a few "guards" paced back and forth beside them. The scene was identical to the escort of spoils after a successful maritime raid.

The massive temptation overwhelmed their already limited vigilance. The pirates on the watchtower no longer hesitated and shouted, "Wait there! I'll signal the docks to open the gate! Hogan, you've really earned a major achievement this time!"

"Haha! Of course. Now open the damn gate for me," Hogan shouted arrogantly.

The heavy wooden gate slowly rose upward amid the ear-piercing screech of an old winch, revealing the waterway leading to the inner harbor. The three ships entered in sequence, their hulls breaking the calm harbor water and sending out ripples.

In the dock area, several torches placed on brackets crackled, their jumping flames illuminating five or six pirates who had been roused and gathered together. Most were bleary-eyed and disheveled, watching curiously. However, one man stepped forward. He was tall and thin, like a bamboo pole standing among chickens, with eyes as sinister as a hawk's. His hands were habitually resting on the two daggers at his waist, which gleamed with a faint blue light and were clearly coated in deadly poison—it was the Third Chieftain, "Water Snake" Snake. Known for his cunning and suspicion, his sharp gaze was currently scanning the approaching vessels like a probe, particularly lingering on the "captives" and "guards" on the deck of the slowly docking "sea wave."

The skiff lightly bumped against the dock, and Hogan was the first to jump off, the wooden planks letting out a dull thud under his feet. His face was plastered with the most sincere smile as he almost jogged toward Snake, his tone urgent with the desire to claim credit: "Third Chieftain! Third Chieftain! Look! We've brought back an unprecedentedly big fish!" He stepped aside, his arm gesturing broadly toward the now-stationary "sea wave," attempting to pull Snake's attention entirely toward it.

Snake's gaze was indeed drawn to the merchant ship, a flash of imperceptible greed crossing his eyes, but his suspicious nature did not vanish. His gaze quickly retracted, falling upon the "escort personnel" disembarking behind Hogan. These faces were far too unfamiliar to someone like him who had spent years on the island. Although they wore pirate clothing, that hard-to-conceal aura of rigorous training and the hidden killing intent in their eyes were starkly different from the slackness of ordinary pirates.

His brow furrowed imperceptibly, his voice carrying a cold questioning tone: "Hogan, these brothers... they look very unfamiliar. When did the Second Chieftain get so many new faces under him?" His hand had already quietly gripped the hilt of a dagger at his waist.

In that very instant, the atmosphere shifted abruptly!

Clay, hidden among the group of pirates behind Hogan, suddenly erupted like a leopard that had finally waited out its prey in the shadows! His Silver Elementary battle qi exploded without reservation, a pale silver light instantly enveloping his body! The wooden planks beneath his feet shattered inch by inch from the sudden force as his body turned into a silver arrow released from a string. The long bow in his hand tore through the air, carrying an aura of indomitable determination as it pierced directly toward Snake's throat, which was leaning forward slightly due to his questioning! This strike condensed all his power—fast, accurate, and ruthless!

Simultaneously, from the shadows on the other side of the gunwale, an almost inaudible whistle of air sounded. The first arrow Elise fired was not aimed at Snake himself, but with pinpoint accuracy at the throat of a pirate sentry behind him who was about to shout, stifling the warning in his gullet! Her second arrow followed almost immediately, tracing a tricky arc to seal off any space Snake might use to dodge backward or sideways with his agile movement!

Snake was truly a Silver-tier expert seasoned in battle; his perception of danger was acute to the extreme. The moment Clay's battle qi erupted, the hair all over his body stood on end, and a chill of death rushed from his spine straight to his skull! He gave a strange cry, his body twisting backward at an irrational angle, like a boneless Water Snake, narrowly avoiding his vital throat.

"Slash!"

Clay's longsword grazed the edge of his neck, the cold blade cutting through flesh and bringing a spray of crimson blood, followed by a burning sensation of pain. Snake was horrified; he intended to use the momentum to retreat while opening his mouth to call for reinforcements.

However, Elise's third arrow, hidden in the night, arrived! This arrow seized the perfect moment when Snake's mind was shaken by the neck injury!

"Thud!"

Taking advantage of the fact that Snake had not yet gathered his battle qi to defend against the projectile, the modified arrowhead Elise used accurately pierced through the right wrist he had just raised to draw his dagger! The magical power within the arrowhead exploded, and intense pain instantly swept through his nerves, causing his entire right hand to lose strength and hang limply.

"Argh—!" Snake finally couldn't help but let out a heart-wrenching howl of pain.

This brief stagnation was long enough for an expert like Clay! With a strange flick of his wrist, his forward momentum was instantly converted into the force of a horizontal slash! The sword edge traced a cold semicircle in the air, sweeping across with a sharpness that could tear through anything!

"Splat—!"

The dull sound of a sharp blade severing flesh and bone followed.

A head, wearing an expression of shock, pain, and disbelief, soared into the sky under the impact of a fountain of spraying blood! Snake's headless corpse stood frozen for a moment before collapsing heavily like a falling golden mountain, blood quickly staining the wooden planks of the dock beneath him.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye; from Clay's sudden attack to Snake's decapitation, only two or three breaths of time had passed.

The other pirates on the dock, the sleepiness and curiosity not yet faded from their faces, were stunned by this sudden bloody scene. They watched helplessly as the Third Chieftain, famous for his cunning and agility, was decapitated in a single encounter, their minds going blank.

"The... the Third Chieftain is dead!"

"Enemy attack!! It's the enemy!!"

After a brief silence, terrified screams and roars finally erupted, and the dock instantly fell into chaos.

"Action! Leave none alive!" Linn watched everything that had just happened in a flash from the deck, his voice as cold as iron as he issued the kill order.

The elite soldiers mixed among the pirates, along with those few pirates under Hogan controlled by soul contracts who dared not be negligent, struck simultaneously like a pack of wolves receiving a signal! They fiercely pounced on the dock guards who were panicking and unable to organize an effective resistance due to the instant death of their leader. The clashing of swords, death rattles, and angry roars immediately blended together. The battle was almost a one-sided slaughter; having lost their core command, these ordinary pirates were quickly cleared away by Clay's elite squad like chopping vegetables.

Suppressing his urge to vomit and his inner fear, Hogan followed the pre-arranged plan, quickly picked up a dropped torch, rushed to the edge of the dock, and waved it three times with regular force toward the "sea wave."

The bright firelight pierced the final darkness before dawn; the signal was sent!

"Clang! Clang!"

The hatch covers of the "sea wave" were slammed open from the inside. Angus and Karl, who had been waiting for a long time with bloodshot eyes, let out heaven-shaking roars like tigers long imprisoned: "For the Lord! Kill!!"

They were the first to leap out. Behind them were twelve soldiers, also suppressing their tension and battle intent, along with over twenty armed slaves eager to trade combat for their right to survive. This group of people rushed onto the dock like a bursting flood, their cold weapons reflecting the first golden rays of the rising sun as they charged with unstoppable momentum toward the pirate camp where chaotic alarms were already sounding!

The harbor gate remained wide open. The first stage of the raid, under Linn's precise planning and the perfect execution of Clay and Elise, had achieved success beyond expectations.