As commanded by Officer Amber, the pirate-infested outpost was clear before sundown.

  Imperial forces retook the fort and began the arduous process of clean-up. They did not plan to stay for long, but the bodies of fallen comrades deserved a proper funeral. Their corpses were retrieved as respectfully as possible, no matter their tortured conditions, and then burned under alchemical fire until not even bones remained.

  The pirate corpses were tossed into the sea. Supplies from the stolen fort — guns, provisions, even artillery — were recovered. A considerable number of the corsairs had surrendered when the fighting began in earnest, leading to a dilemma.

  As they were about to face Pirate Lord Drake, the prospect of taking prisoners felt like a terrible idea. The last thing they needed was a mutiny in the middle of a battle. As such, Amber delegated the task of handling the captives to Eri.

  Similar to the eventual fates of those captured pirates after the battle of the first logistical outpost, the living corsairs were fed to the biovore corvette, one by one.

  Not even Lieutenant Kain had much to say against the act this time.

  “On the one hand, this feels like a war crime,” Bori idly commented as he watched a screaming, tied-up pirate being tossed into the bowels of the hungry ship. The ‘parrot’ on his shoulder hopped excitedly at the sight. “On the other hand, after seeing what they did to the imperial troops stationed here… It does feel like they deserve it.”

  “This is still wrong. We are executing surrendered captives,” Alvine protested, though it felt half-hearted.

  “Some of those imperial bodies were flayed, Al,” Julie pointed out uncomfortably. “Judging from their expression, it looked like it happened when they were still alive, too.”

  “I know,” Alvine sighed, rubbing her forehead. “It’s just… I feel like we are going down a slippery slope.”

  “Needs must, and all that,” Raharim said. “Eri said this will help upgrade the ship.”

  “Eri says a lot of things. Doesn’t mean we should blindly trust him,” Bori murmured. The parrot squawked in agreement.

  “Why do you have that thing with you?” Alvine scowled, looking at the bird.

  “I’m a superior life form, you lowly human,” the parrot shot back immediately, before coughing. “I mean, sqwack. Dumb human. Sqwack.”

  “You could just talk to us normally, you know,” Julie offered.

  “Eri said it’s not allowed to, lest it starts tempting us with bad bargains,” Bori shrugged. “I’m keeping watch over it.”

  “But… Why you, though?” Raharim asked, confused.

  “Yeah, I want an evil crystal parrot as a pet, too!” Julie complained.

  “Eri said we were the most compatible,” Bori said proudly.

  Alvine rolled her eyes. “That just means you are both arrogant asses who keep getting into trouble all the time.”

  “Hey! I resent that!”

  “You guys are still up here?” Joarris called out from behind. The group turned to face him. “We have a meeting below deck. Come on.”

  “Does it matter if we are there or not? We hold no sway over the expedition’s decisions anyway,” Julie dourly pointed out.

  “Don’t be ridiculous. Eri listens to us, too, even if he doesn’t show it often,” Joarris assured them “Besides, the meeting helps keep you informed, and you definitely want to hear what he has to say this time.”

  “More bad news?” Bori sighed.

  “No, we finally got a big win this time,” Joarris chuckled. “Apparently, Pirate Lord Baroque is dead.”

  ~~~

  “This is the most updated map we have based on our interrogation efforts,” Peythra began once everyone was in the room. “We made sure to thoroughly question all the living corsairs before we reduced them to materials for the ship. The slain higher-ranking corsairs were temporarily resurrected either with our Lifeweaver magic or with Officer Amber’s necromancy.”

  “It’s not necromancy,” Amber automatically muttered, huffing on her pipe.

  “Yes, but also no,” Deyara chuckled. “What you use is technically worse, but best we avoid getting into the specifics for now.”

  Amber shot the half-elf a dirty look, but grunted in agreement.

  Everyone was studying the map with varying degrees of interest. Most didn’t know what to make of it, while others carried worried looks.

  In particular, there was one faction on their side that was facing great peril at the moment.

  “The Church is in big trouble,” Joarris said. “Are you certain their flagship has sunk?”

  “Half-certain. The reports are mixed,” Peythra said apologetically. “We do know their Penitent Knights attempted a risky boarding action against Lord Oleander’s leviathan-corpse dreadnought, but the manoeuvre left their fleet in a precarious position. Many of their ships were lost in the resulting battle, including possibly their flagship.”

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  “No news of Oleander being slain, so not only did the Church just lose all their best Chosens for nothing, they are without a proper fleet, too,” Amber summarised. “Don’t think our allied independents are in a position to help them. Lord Baroque might be dead, but the pirates still outnumber the Kaldreach mercenaries. They are beginning the process of taking over the shipyard capital from Baroque’s corsairs, and it’s a tough fight. They might not even be able to do it, given its size.”

  “If they can, the Coalition's odds of victory will skyrocket,” Kain added. “But given the numbers, it’s best we assume they can’t for the foreseeable future.”

  “They have beaten the long odds once before, however,” Dulcina countered. “They slew Lord Baroque, an Emerald-Core Chosen, in the heart of his own ship.”

  Kain nodded begrudgingly. “True. Still, I would advise us to be realistic rather than rely on cautious optimism. We should move forth under the assumption that the mercenaries and the famed Doomhowlers aren’t coming to help us.”

  “Then the plan remains unchanged,” Eri said. “Reunite the scattered Imperial forces, eliminate Lord Drake, and then rush to the Church’s aid.”

  “A moment, Young Master,” Lauren spoke up. “Given the development in the Inner Seas, would it not be better for us to turn to our original objectives?”

  Joarris hummed. “You want us to prioritise rescuing the Noble Lords of Kaldreach.”

  “Not a bad plan, actually,” Amber said. “Pin between fighting the combined might of Lord Oleander and the reinforcing fleet from Lord Augustus for so long, the Church is kind of screwed already. With how exhausted their strength and numbers must be, rescuing them at this point doesn’t really add to our forces. Besides, with Lord Baroque dead and his massive fleet in disarray, we don’t really need a united navy anymore. The biggest threat in the Slaver Isles has just been neutralised. Finding the surviving Noble Houses might be a better idea.”

  “You would abandon the Church so easily?” Raharim asked, offended.

  “I think you’ll find me quite reluctant to do anything for the Church, especially when it involves fighting a powerful necromancer who pilots an undead monster the size of a city,” Amber replied shamelessly. “I just want to go home. Let’s just get the Nobles and run. The rest of the West can burn for all we care.”

  “What makes you all so certain they’re still alive?” Surprisingly, Cedric was the one who asked that. All eyes turned to him, some hostile, and the greying (young) man winced. “This isn't me being a downer. I'm just trying to catch up here. How do we even know if the Nobles are still kicking?”

  “If they are captured, the Pirate Lords would be using them as hostages — leverage against the Coalition to slow their movements,” Kain explained. “If they were dead and the bodies were in pirate hands, they would have announced it to demoralise us. But they have done neither, which means the Nobles have managed to escape.”

  “Or they have drowned in the middle of the ocean,” Amber said bluntly, causing Kain to wince. “But yeah, my lieutenant here is right. Their fate is unconfirmed, so there’s a chance we can still find them. Might have already regrouped with some of the other Coalition forces in the West, for all we know.”

  “Our objective here goes beyond merely rescuing the Nobles or defeating the pirates as well,” Eri said. “We still need to accomplish the Coalition’s original objective: the eradication of the Duskcrowns.”

  The room went quiet after that. Eri looked up, confused at the stares heading his way. “W-what? Did I say something wrong?”

  “I think you are being a little too optimistic, boy,” Deyara said with a raised eyebrow. “Nobody in their right mind expects to continue with the Coalition’s original objective anymore. This expedition is more of a rescue operation than anything.”

  “It’s not impossible. Once all four Pirate Lords are defeated, we can gather the Coalition forces and push forth with ending the Duskcrowns,” Eri argued. “Besides, the Coalition still needs a win to justify the cost and losses of this invasion.”

  “I think at this point, getting everyone out of this shithole alive is considered a win,” Cedric stated. “Or even just half of everyone, really.”

  “The old man is right,” Amber nodded, ignoring Cedric’s dismay. “We don’t even know if we can defeat the Pirate Lords at this point, let alone rescue everyone. Let’s focus on the short term for now. No point thinking about lofty goals when we might not even live to see the next week.”

  “I… Well, fine,” Eri sighed. “So what’s next, then? Continue with the planned route?”

  “It would be best,” Kain agreed. “We have one last island outpost to check. If Drake does not show herself by then, perhaps it might be best to ignore her and head straight for the Church’s position. We can afford to give up control of the outer seas if it means consolidating our forces.”

  “It’s doubtful she will just let us. She must understand that if we successfully unite everyone, it will be bad for her forces too,” Peythra pointed out.

  “I agree with the elf,” Amber said. “The mean bitch will hit us soon. She must recognise us as a threat by now. If she waits any longer, her chance of defeating us lessens as we gather more ships to us.”

  “Can we defeat her at our current strength?” Joarris asked.

  “We are not sure,” Kain admitted. “We have the data of which fleets she deliberately targeted over the last four years, so we have a rough gauge of what level of threat Drake feels she can comfortably take on. Current estimates place her dreadnought at the equivalent fleet strength of two galleons.”

  “But keep in mind, this is all speculation,” Amber added. “We don’t actually know how strong she is. For all we know, the Flying Hind might be way stronger than our projections.”

  “Can we really fight that?” Bori blurted out. “I mean, those estimates are already way stronger than what ships we have on us, and if she’s even more powerful—”

  “We have tricks up our sleeves as well, Bori. Have faith,” Eri tried to reassure him.

  “More secrets?” Dulcina asked neutrally. Eri winced.

  It was the first time she had addressed him in days.

  “Y-yeah. Something like that,” he murmured, all confidence fading.

  “Don’t worry too much,” Amber cut in. “The pirates on this island left behind a few vessels — two schooners and a corvette. We can tug them along for now. Assuming the next outpost has more than dead imperials in it, we should be able to properly crew and refit them for battle.”

  “That still won’t be enough,” Julie said uncertainly. “We need more ships.”

  “I won’t stress too much. Our Boss got some pretty big surprises stored away in these waters,” Cedric muttered.

  “Listen to the old man. He speaks wisdom,” Amber grinned wryly. “Either we win the coming battle, or Drake mind-fucks us all into unthinking husks, and it won’t be our problem anymore.”

  “Is the option to retreat to the mainland still on the table?” Bori sighed.

  “No,” Dulcina said. “We will either win, or we will die.”

  “We will win,” Eri said, trying to assert as much confidence in his voice as possible. “I won’t fail you all. No matter what, we will all get out alive.”

  To his relief, Dulcina looked over to him and gave him a slight nod.

  “All the same, it’s probably best to get some insurance,” the parrot in the room spoke up. “If anyone wants to safeguard their soul from eternal damnation after death, I am willing to do so for the low, low price of— gah!”

  Eri sighed as he smacked his pet parrot unconscious and took it out of the room. He really should have made a better binding pact to shut Andrealphus’s beak.

  Hopefully, once Marchosias showed up to rejoin them, the crystal avian would learn to better control itself.