One-eyed bandit
Seeing Rock with the child in tow, Julius asked Linus to send the workers away.
"It seems that something came up. Thanks a lot for helping me with the orders. I hope to cooperate with you again on our next venture." Linus bowed, sending off the workers who were likewise grateful for the job.
"My lady, I hope you can come with Gordon next time." Linus told Nina.
"Count me in. I'll help out." Nina replied.
Shortly after the guests left the house, Rock joined the family in the living room.
Lina dashed to the girl, taking her hand. "Poor thing! What happened to you!"
"…" the girl barely opened her mouth, saying something inaudibly as if she had lost her voice.
"The Pirates of the Blacksand Islands came to the coast, pillaging territories around the area. Apparently, the pirates came equipped with new weapons and tactics. This girl is the daughter of Chief Alex of the Stoneaxe Town. She fled the disaster, alerting us." Rock reported.
"The southerners finally revealed their fangs, eh? They were friendly with us until recently." Julius remarked, rubbing his beard.
"Kind? Only but a deception! Once a thief, always a thief. They were always envious of surplus produce and treasures the rich land of the Nozul Islands gifted us, so they couldn't help themselves. Only a mountain and a river separate Stoneaxe and our settlement, so if they weren't satisfied with the bounty, the pirates might come and rob us too." Rock warned.
"That is quite possible. Alert the men to be on guard. Everyone, be they boys or men, will be on call to guard the walls and entrances." Julius ordered.
"I'll relay that to our brothers. Let's call an assembly." Rock replied.
"Please do. By the way how did the girl make it here all alone?" Julius inquired.
"Oh, she wasn't alone until now. She came with a warrior named Eric. It was Eric who told us what happened before he died. He was heavily injured when he reached us. He told us that he was ambushed by mountain dwellers. They demanded him to give the girl as toll for passing their territory, but he fought back. The man braved all the injuries, but prevailed." Rock narrated.
"A brave hero! May Mardock welcome his soul in the afterlife. Bury his body in the grave of heroes and tell the priests to officiate the funeral." Julius ordered.
"Affirmative my chief." Rock replied.
"Another question. What kind of weapons and tactics did they use?" Julius asked.
"The most mystifying thing, my chief. Eric reported that the pirates came armed with bars of shiny material with an edge sharp enough to cut through hide and flesh with ease. He told me that the pirates swung the weapon with impunity because unlike our stone axes, the edges of these weapons didn't shatter or dull with impact." Rock narrated.
"Metal weapons! That's what they are called. They are rare. They must be fortunate enough to be gifted a few by the heavens. What else?" Julius asked.
"Apart from that, the pirates used regular armaments. Their slingers hailed rocks at the townsmen. They too had archers, a few of them, but was only equipped with subpar equipment. But the most puzzling thing I heard from Eric was the pirates' use of fire. He said that the pirates had a magick user with them. He can hurl fireballs from afar. This caught the soldiers off guard, causing a rout. The outcome was disastrous with the pirates running rampant, killing the townsmen, violating their women, and enslaving those who were left." Rock said.
Bang! Julius pounded the table in an outburst. Enraged, he said "Animals! Curse them and their sons to hell! I'll tear them in half with my bare hands should they choose to come here!"
"Only the magick user sounded concerning. But he is just one person. He can be killed. Rock, I want you to look at this baby." Julius took off his bow from the wall and handed it to Rock.
Not expecting the weight, Rock almost dropped the weapon to the ground. "Hefty! What can this thing do?" he asked.
"A lot. Didn't you hear about it? I tested it, and this thing can shoot farther, faster, and harder than its predecessor. If an arrow finds the magick user. He'll surely croak." Julius grinned.
"Heavens! We might stand a chance if we played defensively. I want one too." Rock said.
"My boy came up with the idea. He's a blessed one. I heard how he enlightened a carpenter with just a touch, granting him with the ability to teach men more effectively. You can ask him." Julius directed at Linus.
"Can you make my bow stronger like your Pops'? Please?" Rock pleaded.
"For you Uncle, that's 150 stone coins." Linus replied.
"Linus my boy, can't you give your uncle a discount?" Rock begged.
"145!" Linus stood his ground.
"Look chief, your son is growing as stingy as you!" Rock complained.
"Fine, 130 coins will do." Linus sighed but Lina giggled.
The next day, every man gathered in the town square. They were all armed to the teeth, sporting wooden clubs, stone axes, slings, and bows. Julius stood in the middle of the assembly together with Rock and the Stoneaxe Town Chief's daughter. In his hand he held a massive wooden club with black obsidian shards protruding on its body like barbs.
He raised his club, quelling the noise and drawing the attention to himself. "Brothers! I called for this assembly to inform you of a problem. Blacksand pirates came to our coast the other night. Running rampant, they raided, looted, and violated the townsmen in the area. The few who survived were enslaved, and those who escaped barely managed to get out with their lives."
The crowd cursed the perpetrators and chattered to themselves. The noise grew louder and louder.
"One of their victims came to our town, seeking refuge. Her name is Helena, the daughter of my friend Alex, the Stoneaxe Town Chief. Only she and her warrior escort escaped. But she witnessed pain far more than any one of you knew. Her kinsmen were murdered, townsmen slayed, and women servants dishonored. Even her sisters and friends got desecrated, and the remaining few strongmen, captured and enslaved. She saw how the lowlife pirates burned and tore down Stoneaxe Town to the ground."
"Kill the pirates!" Outraged, one of the men screamed. "Kill! Kill! Kill!" and the crowd started chanting in anger.
BAM! Julius pounded the ground with his club, leaving cracks on hardened earth. "Brothers, I know how your hearts bleed for Stoneaxe Town. But as angry as we are, we have to endure it. Conserve your rage and use it when the right time comes. Stoneaxe Town is only several leagues away from us, and if our suspicions are right, the pirates should already be right in our doorstep." The noise died down.
"Brothers, I urge every man available in our settlement to guard our walls and entrances at all times. I urge you to patrol the areas around and to report any suspicious activity. We will stand our ground in defense of our homeland." Julius spoke.
"For our brothers, wives, sisters, sons, daughters, and our homeland!" Once more, he raised his club in the air, and the crowd cheered fanatically. Following their leader, they also raised their weapons.
Due to the incident, the demand for the new compound bows increased. It was fortunate that Simon, with his new enlightenment, researched on more suitable materials for the limbs of the bow. Now, his crew needn't modify old bows to use them as supplementary parts for the new one.
The increased proficiency of the workers accelerated the pace of production, saving time and effort. It meant that Simon only needed to use less workers, or if there were more of them, the output almost doubled.
"Old Simon, can you lower the price of the new bows? We need to arm more of our brothers." Julius pleaded.
"What does my young partner say about it?" Simon directed at Linus.
"Well, I guess you can reduce the price for the meantime. I'm willing to cut my profits in half." Linus replied.
"This is no time to be selfish. If the town is gone, my crafts go down with it. Alright, let's cut it in half, for now." Simon agreed to the proposal. Their decision allowed for more fighting men to equip the new weapons.
A scout stormed Julius' home. Catching his breath, he reported "Chief! Enemies were spotted marching! They were crossing the river. They will be here by sunset."
"How many of them were there." Julius asked.
"About a thousand men strong." The scout replied.
"I'll get to the wall and check for myself. Lad, come with me." Julius told Linus.
"But Julius, he's too young to see war!" Lina objected.
"He contributed much to the effort. He must see his weapons in action, my dear. Don't worry, we'll be safe." Julius replied.
At the border, the town was surrounded with palisades, walls made of thick and almost unprocessed logs. For every tens of meters of interval stood wooden platforms, allowing defenders to see and exterminate threats outside by using either the bow or the sling. The defenders were nervous, seeing enemies march on the horizon.
"My chief, an enemy on foot is in front of the gate!" a boy ran to Julius, reporting the situation.
"Is that so. Don't shoot, let me see him for myself. Come with me lad." Julius picked up his bow and arrow.
"Julius of Solus! My name is Igor! I live up in the mountains. I do not wish to see any conflict between us!" The bald, one-eyed Igor yelled at the gate.
Julius stood atop the rampart, observing the opponent. His long brown hair fluttered in the wind. Notching an arrow on bowstring, he addressed Igor. "Oh, Igor my friend, what do mountain dwellers wanted from us? I see no conflict between us." The onlookers were likewise confused.
"Ah my friend, you know last week, a fugitive escaped from our territory. He committed crimes in our vicinity and he even refused to pay the toll. I know he ran in this direction. Hand him over to me!" Igor yelled back.
"I don't know where this fugitive went, or if I knew, why would I give him to you? Igor, Igor, you should know better how the world works!" Julius shouted.
"Hand him over, and the girl, or else!" Igor threatened, veins popped out of his bald head.
"Your thousand men for a fugitive? He's dead Igor! Go home!" Julius replied.
"LIES! Either you give me what I want or I'll put your head on a stake for the flies to feast on!" Pretending to be enraged, Igor yelled.
THUNK! An arrow planted itself between Igor's feet, disturbing the soil beneath. Igor lost his footing and fell to his butt. "A friendly advice. I would be careful what to say if I were you. These lands where you and your ilk stand belong to my tribe. GET LOST!" Julius glared at the man, sending him a stern warning.
Cold sweat ran at the back of Igor's head. Pretending to be vicious, he quickly stood up and yelled back with a shaky voice. "YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS, JULIUS!" Humiliated, he went away with his tail tucked between his legs.
"I didn't expect their kind to come. Just why?" Rock expressed his confusion.
"I wonder." Julius scratched his beard.
"It could be the pirates." Linus told them.
"Just what on earth will they gain?" Rock asked.
"That's exactly the motivation." Linus replied.
Cold wind blew over the encampments on a chilly night. Men stood guard over the walls, while fire continued to light their torches, illuminating the dark night. As the flames flickered, so were their conflicting emotions.