Building a Kingdom and Conquering the World - Chapter 142

Chapter 142: Muddy Waters – The Pirates on the Bay (V)
Henry sat relaxed, lazily crossing his legs as a wide smile adorned his lips – “A ship?” he asked, intently observing the man holding the two daggers – “It seems like you guys have quite a number of ships, huh? However, it’s quite strange; the soldiers I have stationed here and all the shipbuilders said that all the ships built over the last three decades are in the harbor, with the only one missing being the one used to bring you here.”

The chief said nothing and began to walk towards the king, his shadow growing as the flickering firelight shone upon him, reflecting the cold glint of the daggers. However, Henry remained carefree, smiling as he looked at the man standing across the table, awaiting the answer that never came.

“Are you going with your own two feet, or will I have to cut a few fingers before that?” – The chief coldly asked, pointing one of the daggers at the king, his tone drenched in killing intent – “It’s not my desire to damage the goods. I prefer if you use your own two feet, since I can guarantee a hefty rescue money if you are complete.”

Henry lifted both hands in a gesture that suggested innocence and said – “Sorry, but I still have a few tasks to do here and I can’t entertain nor accompany you. However, I would love your company and to talk more about the sea. Won’t you accompany me for dinner?” – The king maintained his gaze fixed on the man, his words extremely welcoming as if he didn’t mind the threats.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” – the chief said through gritted teeth. He took one of the daggers and forcefully lodged it into the wooden table – “It seems like I will have to take at least a finger… no, let’s make it two.” – He turned his eyes to his people, who were still at the door, and said – “Spread out and search for anything valuable, and if you find anyone, eliminate the threat immediately. I will take care of everything down here, meet me here in five minutes.”

His companions exchanged glances before they hurriedly set out to search for riches, their steps anxious and smiles spreading across their lips. They held their weapons dangerously, ready to kill anyone they came across and pillage the king’s riches. They hit the jackpot! A king!

Henry briefly took his eyes away from the chief and followed the other intruders, shaking his head with a sigh – “You should bring them back…I don’t wish to lose all of them.” – he said, thinking about his trained and heavily armed troops in the next room.

However, his warning and advice was met by a sharp projective hurtling towards him at full speed. It was a dagger that grazed his hair and left a shallow cut on his cheek.

“Well…I hope my guys won’t hit too hard” – Henry muttered as he used the back of his hand to clean the blood streaming down his cheeks. His eyes settled on the chief again, the smile disappearing from his lips, giving way to a angry frown – “It seems like I will also need a toe.”

When those challenging words left Henry’s lips, the chief grabbed the dagger lodged in the wooden desk and prepared to jump over and capture the king. However, suddenly, the room, no the whole house, went into complete darkness. The crackling fireplace was extinguished, and the hurried sounds of his companion’ steps around the house also ceased.

“What—” – the chief’s confused voice sounded as the world turned pitch black before him. And before he had time to adjust to the lack of light, he felt something slash the back of his knees, tearing the ligaments apart and causing him to stumble and fall to his knees. But before he could react, another attack followed, tearing his Achilles tendon.

“Ahhh!” – He screamed in pain as his whole body dropped to the ground, headfirst. However, before he could continue screaming, a smelly, foul-tasting fabric covered his mouth, making it impossible to scream. A force slowly pulled him upwards, making him sit on top of his legs and face what he thought was the direction where the king was previously sitting.

Suddenly, two beautiful, small purple orbs flickered in front of him, resembling the eyes of a dangerous wolf ready to tear him apart. Those eyes flickered like flames, sometimes bright and intense, other times soft and pale purple.

“The people of the village are sleeping. We shouldn’t disturb their peace, right?” – The king’s voice reached his ears – “Leier, sit him here on the table while the soldiers deal with the others.”

A woman’s voice whispered near the chief’s ears, making him shudder – Yes, my liege!”- He was a Second Stage Warrior, but he hadn’t even felt the presence of this woman when he entered. It was as if she was a shadow, hiding itself from the view while following the owner’s movements.

-x-

A few minutes later, the chief sat helplessly at the table as the king savored the traditional seafood of Frostwave Bay, with Leier guarding right behind him. The chief could only move the top of his body, as a pool of blood formed under the chair. His legs were useless at this moment; if he tried to stand, he would fall instantly.

Henry stopped eating and cleaned his mouth with a white fabric – “You seem to know this area well, so who are you?” – he asked. The chief remained silent, his defiant eyes fixed on the king without fear, silently begging him to kill him already.

“You don’t want to eat or talk. It’s quite a bothersome dinner, isn’t it?” – Henry commented, observing the silence. Seeing no response, Henry rose to his feet and walked towards the chief – “I really don’t like torture or other things like that, but I need you to talk. If not, there’s no problem. I can just ask the others, but it would be such a pity since you seem to be really knowledgeable in some areas.”

Henry stretched his hand towards Leier, motioning for her to give him his sword. Leier handed it to him, watching as the king slowly unsheathed the silver sword and analyzed it without much care, as if he was looking at a great piece of art, his fingers running along the blade.

“I will give you a last chance to live” – Henry said, placing the blade of the sword on the man’s shoulder – “Give me the answers that I seek, and I might let you live.”

The chief swallowed hard, seeing the terrifying pale purple flames appearing in the king’s eyes again. He wanted to live, of course. At first, he held some hope that his companions would come back, but he couldn’t even hear their sounds anymore. No, he could only hear their painful breaths and shouts. They had been captured, most of them were probably dead. He still had a plan to get help, there were a ship stationed in the bay. He only had to warn them.

“The previous bandit chief asked us to take a boat and explore the sea area around here in search of other harbors away from the bay” – he began, trying not to stutter. He had to get away and buy time.