Chapter 222: No Pressure (2/2)
Sighing, he left the room, heading in the direction Lily went. He didn't think she would need the help, but she was probably the only one still fighting by this point. If they moved quickly, they could hopefully extract the prince and be on their way before the rest of the fleet shows up, assuming there weren't any further delays.
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”So you aren't here to save us? What in the hells do you expect us to do, then?! Won't the Tenundians just take revenge on us once you leave?” The agitated sailor demanded while grabbing Sera's shoulders.
Trying to keep herself calm, she replied levelly, ”I understand your concerns, but I can't help you. We don't have the means of taking everyone here with us.”
”But you could take some of us, right?” Another sailor broke in, obviously desperate.
Tal interposed herself in front of Sera, and answered in her usual fashion. ”Will slow escape. Can't take risk.”
”Surely, just a few more couldn't hurt.” The woman replied, ”Please, I have two children at home!”
”Yeah, well I have three kids who need me to support them.” Yet another sailor yelled, this time an older man. ”Take me with you!”
By this point, the crowd of terrified men and women were crowding close, each attempting to argue their case in increasingly convoluted ways. Sera was sure she even heard something about one of them needing to fulfill his life dream of trying every kind of liquor in the world, so he couldn't die here.
”Alright! That's enough!” She yelled, finally getting fed up. ”This all can wait. Our first priority should be to ensure that the prince is taken care of. Does anyone know where he is?”
The crowd quieted for a moment as its members looked around. One of the sailors commented, ”He was one of the last ones still working up on deck. Did anyone see him come back?”
Another round of mutters confirmed that no one knew exactly where he'd had gotten off to.
[Damn, of course it can't be that easy.] Sera thought to herself, feeling a sudden sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach at the idea of failing in the one task she'd been assigned since forcing herself onto this mission.
”What do we do now?” She hissed at Tal, not fully unable to keep the uncertainty out of her voice.
The elf shrugged. ”Take ship?”
”That's not...” She trailed off as she considered the possibility. If they took into account the massive war potential that Mike and Red represented, as well as the mobile nature of their current location, it might very well be their best option now that they couldn't locate the prince himself.
Summoning up all of her reserves of confidence, Sera gently pushed past Tal and addressed the crew. ”Alright, change of plans. We're taking everyone back, but to do that we'll need your help. We need to get this ship moving back towards the Almirn harbor.”
A grey-haired sailor, dressed a bit better than the others, laughed. ”That's a good one, missy. Do you really think we can outrun the entire Tenundian fleet? Especially since it seems like they've already been alerted. No, we won't get more than a few meters before they take down our sails and mob us with marines. The only reason they haven't started firing on us already is because they are worried about their own soldiers. Start moving, and it will be clear that we've taken over.”
Sera frowned at the naysayer, demanding, ”Do you have any better idea? Who are you anyway?”
The man grinned at her attitude. ”The name's Xander Carthan, once captain of this very vessel. Now, nothing more than a mere captive like the rest. As to your other question, I'm afraid I don't have an answer. From the sounds of it, you have access to a limited means of transportation. I would suggest you take whoever you can, and make your escape. Just leave the rest of us.”
The assembled sailors protested feebly, but Sera could tell that their heart wasn't exactly in it. The captain evidently still commanded the crew's respect, despite their circumstances. She would need to convince him if they wanted any chance of getting the ship moving.
”You make a good point, Captain, but their is one thing you didn't take into account. The leader of our rescue team is none other than the greatest fighting force the city of Almirn has to offer. With him and his companion on our side, we could take on the entire Tenundian fleet and still come out victorious.”
A hush fell over the sailors as they contemplated the implications. The desperate man, who had been the first to voice his fears about their fate, spoke up. ”You don't mean...”
”Indeed, I do.” Sera proclaimed confidently. ”The Dragonknight is here with his mount, and I promise that, together, we will rescue all of you.”
As the crowd murmured, suddenly filled with hope, she turned to the captain. ”Still feel like its impossible?”
The man chuckled. ”Ah, whatever. Let's give it a shot. Our lot can't get any worse.”
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”That seems to be the last of them.” Mike told Lily while pulling his spear free from the Tenundian corpse. ”Now if we can just...”
He trailed off as a sudden chill ran down his spine.
[Why do I feel like the difficulty of the mission just increased?]