Chapter 39

As the anchors of the pirate fleet plummet into the depths, the restless sea becomes a mere backdrop to the unfolding drama. Three sleek galleys, their dark sails billowing like the wings of predatory birds, flank the larger flagship that bears the indomitable Shan Xi. Black flags ripple above. The pirates, a fierce band of women under the command of "The Blood Lotus," ready their weapons with practiced ease, their movements sharp and sure, eager for the night's escapades.

The anticipation of an easy plunder fills the air, thick as the salt spray, but an unexpected challenge cuts through the excitement. From high in the hills, not from the predictable warning of a lighthouse or the city walls, the sound of horns shatters the quiet of the night. The blasts are urgent, piercing, a clear signal that their approach has not gone unnoticed.

High above the deck, a sailor stationed at the watch mast catches the first note of the alarm. Her eyes scanning the dark silhouette of the land, she quickly descends to inform her captain. "Horns from the hills, Captain!" she calls out, her voice carrying a mix of surprise and urgency.

On the deck, Shan Xi, standing tall and unflinching, receives the news with a scoff. A laugh, rich and confident, escapes her lips as she surveys the dark horizon. "Land monkeys," she muses aloud, her disdain palpable, "thinking their little noises will scare us off."

The alert does little to dampen her spirits or shake her resolve. If anything, it adds a spark to her fiery demeanor. "They think they can prepare against us with such trifles," Shan Xi declares to her crew, her voice booming over the sound of the waves and the distant warning. "Let them try. Tonight, we show them what it means to face the storm!"

Her confidence is infectious, spreading among her crew like wildfire. They rally around her, their shouts and cheers a testament to their unwavering faith in their leader and their own prowess.

On the hill, the discovery of the black flags has set off a flurry of activity. The two soldiers who first spotted the ominous insignia move quickly; their urgency palpable as they sound the alarm.

Jinlü Feng's previously calm evening is disrupted. He scrambles to don his uniform, his movements rushed and uncharacteristically clumsy in his haste. Naci observes him intently, a slight smirk playing at the corners of her mouth as she watches the usually composed commander succumb to the pressures of the impending threat. His distress, so stark against his usual facade of control, provides her with a grim satisfaction.

As he snaps orders to one of his soldiers to alert the garrison in the nearby barracks, Jinlü Feng's voice carries the strain of the situation. He then turns to the Tepr group, his face set in a stern mask. "We must move. We cannot stay here any longer," he states, the directive leaving no room for debate.

Naci, unflinching and bold, steps forward. "Are you running away from danger?"

Jinlü Feng's response is quick, his voice a blend of irritation and pragmatism. "I will not risk failing my mission for some pirates. It is the garrison's job to protect the city."

Naci's retort is sharp, her disdain evident. "So, on top of having no ethics, you don't have a sense of camaraderie either. Who between you and us are truly human?"

Jinlü Feng's face tightens as he snaps back at Naci, his voice a mix of defiance and conviction. "Moukopl camaraderie extends to trusting each other's abilities," he argues vehemently, "and some random pirates cannot hope to defeat trained soldiers."

Naci, undeterred by his retort, lets out a laugh that slices through the tension like a sharp blade. With a flourish, she unsheathes her sword, the steel glinting menacingly under the moonlight. She gestures towards Temej, Kalez, Lanau, and Fol, each of whom brandishes their weapons with equal confidence.

With a shrug and a smirk that broadens across her face, Naci's eyes lock with Jinlü Feng's as she crafts her proposal. "I've been pondering what kind of tribute to offer His Majesty," she begins, her voice steady and sure. "Ridding His lands of these lowly pirates that harass His people would be an honor that I humbly ask permission to undertake." Her words are carefully chosen, offering a solution that serves both their interests while subtly challenging Jinlü Feng's initial dismissal.

Jinlü Feng pauses, the weight of Naci's offer hanging in the air. His mind races as he considers the implications. The idea of allowing the Tepr to handle the pirates while potentially reaping the rewards for their success is enticing. It would not only cement his reputation but also keep his men at lesser risk. The possibility of presenting himself as a strategic facilitator in this unexpected crisis could indeed enhance his standing with his superiors.

Intrigued by the potential benefits, Jinlü Feng's expression shifts from skepticism to calculated interest. He turns to his soldiers who await his command. "Prepare to fight," he orders, his voice now carrying a new determination. "We will assist the barbarians in clearing these pirates from our shores."

As the night deepens, the pirate fleet swings into action. The shadowy silhouettes of the pirates descend upon Zenyu with a swift and menacing grace. Their ships serve as the launch points for small, nimble boats that cut through the water towards the unsuspecting city.

The pirates land on the docks with a barely contained ferocity, their movements fluid yet explosive. The clatter of boots on the wooden planks of the pier echoes like a drumbeat of impending doom. They fan out quickly, a practiced choreography of chaos, each member of the crew knowing exactly their role in the dark ballet of plunder.

Torches flare to life, casting flickering shadows that dance across the buildings lining the waterfront. The pirates, their faces illuminated by the erratic light, reveal a tapestry of hardened resolve and eager anticipation. They smash through doors, shatter windows, and overpower the few, scattered guards who are too slow to react to the sudden onslaught.

Shouts and cries fill the air, a discordant symphony of panic and command as the residents of Zenyu are caught off guard. The pirates move with a ruthless efficiency, grabbing anything of value—silks, spices, coin, and artifacts—loading their spoils into the boats with a precision that speaks of countless such raids.

Shan Xi herself strides through the chaos, her presence commanding and lethal. Her laughter, when it cuts through the noise, is a sound of triumphant revelry, her joy in the conquest as palpable as the fear she instills in the hearts of those who witness her wrath.

In the midst of the raid, a group of pirates corral a group of townspeople, herding them like livestock, their intentions clear—ransom or slavery, whatever proves more profitable. The terror in the eyes of the captured, their futures uncertain, starkly contrasts with the gleeful cruelty of their captors.

The city, so vibrant and alive mere hours ago, now reeks of smoke and the metallic tang of spilled blood. Zenyu, under the night sky, transforms from a bustling port of trade to a playground of predators, the pirates dominating the landscape as they carve their way through the heart of the city.

The alarms that had been ringing across Zenyu finally mobilize the garrison. The soldiers, previously caught unawares and scattered, now gather their forces for a counterattack. Clad in armor that clinks with the urgency of their movements, they pour out of the barracks, swords and shields at the ready, faces set in determined lines.

The garrison captain, a seasoned strategist known for his calm in the face of chaos, commands a group of his men to execute the "anti-pirate stratagem" he had devised for such unforeseen assaults. With orders barked sharply, the soldiers split into tactical groups, each with their own designated roles in the unfolding defense of the city.

One crucial group, tasked with a pivotal role in the captain's plan, makes a desperate dash for the lighthouse that overlooks the port. However, their approach is abruptly intercepted by a band of pirates who, having anticipated potential resistance movements, lay in ambush.

The clash is fierce and brutal. Steel meets steel under the flickering light of the lighthouse, the sounds of battle echoing off the stone. The pirates, ruthless and experienced in close combat, overwhelm the soldiers with their ferocious tenacity. One by one, the soldiers fall, their attempts to reach the lighthouse thwarted by the relentless onslaught.

Amid the melee, one soldier, his determination a burning force, manages to break away despite suffering a grievous wound that severs his arm. Adrenaline coursing through his veins, he stumbles towards the lighthouse, his remaining hand gripping his bloodied side. With each painful step, he leaves a trail of blood on the stone steps, his vision blurring and breath coming in ragged gasps.

Reaching the lighthouse's mechanism, he leans heavily against the big lever, his body on the brink of collapse. With a final surge of will, he pulls the lever down, activating the captain's stratagem.

Exhausted and losing blood, the soldier slumps to the ground, his mission accomplished but his fate uncertain. As he loses consciousness, the sounds of the renewed battle fill the air, his last thoughts clinging to the hope that his sacrifice would not be in vain.

As the lever thuds into place, a series of unseen gears and pulleys deep within the lighthouse groan into motion. Above, within the tower's apex, an array of meticulously aligned mirrors begins to pivot. As they adjust, they catch the intense firelight from the lighthouse's beacon and redirect it outward in a concentrated beam. This sudden blaze of light streaks across the darkened sky, aiming directly at the pirate ships moored in the bay.

The effect is immediate and disorienting. The pirates on deck are momentarily blinded, their night-adjusted eyes shocked by the intense light. Confusion spreads rapidly as they shield their faces, stumbling and disoriented by the sudden inversion of their environment from shadow to glaring brightness.

Simultaneously, a massive fisher's net, previously unseen, begins its silent deployment from one end of the shore to the other. Anchored securely and designed to be nearly invisible in the dark, the net spans across the entrance of the port, creating an effective barrier just beneath the water's surface. The pirates, disoriented by the light and unaware of this second layer of defense, find themselves in a precarious position.

On land, the chaos among the pirates grows as they scramble to understand the unfolding situation. Near Shan Xi, a sailor, squinting against the harsh glare that illuminates them like actors on a stage, turns to her captain with a mixture of confusion and urgency. "Captain, what are they planning?"

Shan Xi, her eyes narrowing as she assesses the scene, understands immediately the tactical nature of their foes' response. "They're trying to trap us," she states calmly, the confidence in her voice belying the uncertainty of the specifics. "But I can't tell yet how exactly." Her mind races through possibilities, each scenario playing out with the strategic acumen for which she is famed.

As the scene at the port descends into disarray, the combined forces of the Tepr warriors and the Moukopl soldiers arrive, their timing impeccable. They surge into the fray with a fierce determination that cuts through the pirates' strategy of chaos like a blade. The pirates, caught off guard by this well-coordinated assault, find themselves being pushed back from the city's center, their advance halted by the disciplined and relentless counterattack.

The Tepr warriors, moving through the city with a lethal grace, manage to channel the pirates into less populated areas, reducing the threat to the innocent civilians caught in the crossfire. As they engage the pirate forces, they notice, with a hint of amusement, the all-female composition of their adversaries. The realization prompts an exchange of wry glances among them.

A thought strikes Naci, a theory forming from the pieces of the night's events. She considers Jinlü Feng's earlier urgency to move their group away from the impending conflict, his insistence laced with an uncharacteristic edge of panic. It dawns on her that perhaps Jinlü Feng's haste was not just about safeguarding his mission or fearing a confrontation with the pirates but about avoiding an embarrassing revelation.

The idea that the vaunted Great Moukopl might struggle against a band of women pirates seems to strike a particular chord with Naci. She muses silently that Jinlü Feng might have feared the impact such a sight would have on the Tepr's perception of Moukopl strength and competence.

Shan Xi, assessing the increasing resistance and escalating challenges within the deeper parts of the city, makes a calculated decision. The pirate queen recognizes the necessity of regrouping and recalibrating their approach amidst the unexpected tenacity of the city's defenders.

With decisive action, she directs her crew's attention to a grand, opulent house near the port—a structure they had ransacked just moments before in their initial sweep through the city. "We'll gather here," she commands, pointing to the lavish residence that stands as a testament to its owner's wealth. "This will be our fortress against the blinding light and a base to consider our next moves," she explains, her voice carrying the weight of command and the urgency of their situation.

As the pirates move swiftly towards the sanctuary of the grand house, they breach its doors once more, this time to fortify rather than to loot. The rich aristocratic family inside, who had momentarily thought themselves safe after the initial pillage, are met again with the harsh reality of their situation. The sight of the pirates re-entering their home sends them into a fresh wave of despair. Their faces crumple in fear, tears streaming down as they clutch each other, dreading what comes next.

Shan Xi, with a stern glare that quells the immediate chaos, asserts control over the trembling homeowners. "Be quiet, if you don't want to die," she orders sharply, her voice cutting through the thick air of fear. The stark warning silences the family, their sobs stifled as they realize the gravity of their position.

Within the walls of their commandeered stronghold, Shan Xi quickly sets about organizing her forces. The grand rooms of the house, once symbols of affluence and comfort, are transformed into strategic points of defense and planning. Pirates barricade windows and doors, turning the luxurious home into a makeshift fort, ready to withstand a siege if necessary.

As she surveys her surroundings, Shan Xi considers the hostages—an unintended asset in their precarious position. She plans to use the aristocratic family as leverage should the need arise, a tactical advantage in negotiations or as a deterrent against a full assault by the city's garrison.

Under the eerie glow of the still active lighthouse beam, the city plaza takes on a somber tone as a makeshift war council convenes. Gathered amid the deserted market stalls are Naci, Temej, Kalez, and Fol, along with Jinlü Feng, the garrison captain, and a selection of soldiers from both the Tepr warriors and the Moukopl garrison. The air, tinged with the scent of spent fire and distant sea salt, carries a palpable tension as each group shares the details of their fraught engagements with the pirates.

The garrison captain, a man whose face is etched with the pride of military service, stands tall amidst the gathered warriors. He is visibly buoyed by the success of his earlier strategy, which had turned the tide against the pirates with its unexpected ingenuity. "Flawless strategy," he boasts, his chest puffing out slightly as he turns to Jinlü Feng. "Take notes," he commands, his voice resonating with the confidence of one who believes he has orchestrated a masterstroke.

Jinlü Feng, however, stands with a posture less certain than before. The quick and effective halting of The Blood Lotus had not been within his predictions. The pirate queen's notorious resilience and cunning had seemed insurmountable, and yet here they were, momentarily stalled by a stupid mechanism. A flicker of regret passes through Jinlü Feng's expression as he acknowledges his earlier haste to judge and his failure to anticipate such an outcome.

Amidst this exchange, Naci's demeanor is markedly different. She leans into the conversation with a tactician's curiosity, her eyes sparkling with a mix of amusement and genuine interest. "A fascinating device indeed, Captain," she remarks, her voice carrying a tone of respect and intrigue. "How exactly does your mechanism work?"

The captain, eager to explain and basking in the attention, launches into a detailed description of the lighthouse's modified function. He speaks of the mirrors, the positioning, the timing—each element designed with meticulous care to maximize both the light's reach and the surprise factor against naval threats. Naci listens intently, her laughter mingling with his in a shared moment of camaraderie that transcends their earlier reservations about each other.

As Jinlü Feng directs his soldiers to assemble on the hilltop for a strategic vantage, he cautiously eyes the gathering in the plaza. The respectful discourse between Naci and the captain has captured the attention of many, making any interruption not only tactically unwise but socially unacceptable. Determined not to breach decorum, Jinlü Feng holds his command for the Tepr warriors, instead letting his gaze sweep over the group.

Counting the figures before him—Naci, Temej, Kalez, Fol—he suddenly pauses, realizing a discrepancy. His brow furrows, a moment of confusion giving way to concern. "Wait, weren't there five of you? Where is the last girl?" he asks, his voice tinged with a rising panic.

Before any of the warriors can respond, Naci, whose laughter had been mingling seamlessly with the captain's, suddenly sharpens her tone. "I've learned everything I needed to know," she declares with a chilling smile. Without a hint of hesitation, her hand moves with lethal precision, her sword flashing through the air. The captain's laughter cuts off as abruptly as his head falls from his shoulders, landing with a dull thud on the cobblestones, his expression frozen in a grotesque mask of mirth.

As the plaza erupts into chaos, Kalez acts with equal swiftness. She delivers a brutal kick to Jinlü Feng's groin, catching him as he doubles over in pain. With a swift movement, she grabs his helmet, steadying him only to bring him closer to danger. Her blade slides easily under his throat, the cold steel a stark contrast to the warmth of his skin, now slick with fear.

"Make one move, and he loses his head like that guy over there," Kalez announces, her voice carrying clearly over the din of shocked murmurs and the clattering of armor as soldiers instinctively reach for their weapons, only to hesitate under her threatening gaze.

The soldiers, now leaderless and uncertain, freeze, their discipline holding them back from immediate retaliation but their loyalty to Jinlü Feng urging them to act. The standoff in the plaza, under the watchful eyes of the Tepr warriors, becomes a tense tableau, each side measuring the other, weighing the potential costs of every possible move.

Naci stands resolute, her actions not just a brutal necessity but a statement of strategic dominance, demonstrating to all that underestimation of her and her companions comes at the highest cost. Her control over the situation, juxtaposed with the shock and sudden vulnerability of Jinlü Feng, shifts the balance of power dramatically as the night continues to unfold in uncertainty and tension.

Inside the commandeered mansion, Shan Xi moves with a decisive air, mapping out potential escape routes and defenses. The murmur of her crew's voices fills the background, a constant hum of activity as they fortify their temporary stronghold. Suddenly, the relative calm is pierced by distant shouts, the urgency in the voices unmistakable even through the thick walls of the opulent house.

"Captain! Captain! Where are you? It's us! Lizi and Na'er!" The familiar voices of her crew members cut through the tension; their tone triumphant.

Quickly, Shan Xi gestures to one of her nearby pirates. "Open the door," she commands, her voice low but firm. The pirate obeys, pulling open the heavy door just enough to peer outside, cautious of potential threats lurking in the shadows of the night.

As the door creaks open, revealing a sliver of the outside world, Shan Xi positions herself where she can see the gap without being directly in view from outside. Her eyes narrow, taking in the scene as Lizi steps into the light, a broad grin splitting her face.

"Look! We've brought a nice chick too!" Lizi exclaims, gesturing behind her. The tone is light, but the implication is clear—this wasn't just a routine return; they had encountered something, or someone, significant.