With the captain's order, over fifty oars on the Wavebreaker stroked rapidly and in unison, driving the ship through the waves as it surged forward courageously.
Moments later, the silhouettes of the pirate fleet reported by Ivey came into Victar's view.
Especially the three large ships. Standing at the prow, Victar could already see the Jolly Roger flying on the nearest large vessel—a flag featuring a skull with a large beard.
That was the symbol of the Myrmen. Myrmen loved those big beards, and they loved crossbows. Victar went on high alert.
The prow of the Wavebreaker was now crowded with crewmen and swordsmen ready to board.
'Shorty' Weiss was among them, standing beside a boarding ramp raised two meters above the prow. He held a sword in one hand and a round shield made of woven vines in the other.
His short stature was encased in vine armor, and atop his head sat an open-faced helmet, revealing his somewhat wooden face beneath.
Victar scanned the fully armed crew and swordsmen around him. Some were expressionless but their bodies were coiled tight; some looked excited with bloodshot eyes; others muttered prayers to their gods.
Only Weiss remained as plain and wooden as ever. Victar could sense no emotional fluctuation from his face or eyes.
But in a moment like this, that unwavering plainness offered a sense of reassurance. So Victar mimicked Weiss's demeanor, hoping to reassure those looking at him.
Twang—Twang—Twang—
Three volleys of arrows, mixed with fire arrows, shot from the five purple-sailed ships, signaling the start of Victar's surprise attack.
The pirates clearly hadn't expected an attack at this time. Cries of those hit by arrows and the vulgar curses of pirates filled the air.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Fuck, it's Braavosi purple sails!"
"Lookout, I'm going to shove your eyes up your ass! Get down here and put out the fire!"
"Braavosi scum, I'll rip your guts out! Cowards shooting from the dark!"
Amidst the chaos of the pirates and mercenaries, sailors on the Wavebreaker secured the two ships together with grapnels. Some crossed the pre-positioned boarding ramps, while more swarmed up ladders onto the deck of the large pirate ship.
'Shorty' Weiss had already crossed via a ramp. His agile rapier was truly like a black mamba; every strike slit a throat or pierced a belly.
In a short time, Victar saw three men fall at his feet.
Compared to Weiss's clean efficiency, the others were much clumsier. Several crewmen were shot off ladders by crossbow bolts.
One Black Mamba swordsman jumped across a ramp only to be hacked and stabbed to death by three or four pirates working together.
One clumsy crewman even missed a rung on the ladder and fell directly into the churning water, disappearing instantly beneath the waves.
"Archers, cover them! Don't let their crossbowmen interfere with our boarding party!" Victar shouted, raising his shield and climbing the ladder toward the enemy ship.
Watching others climb was one thing; doing it himself was another.
The ships swayed with the waves. Victar had to maintain his balance on the ladder while watching out for bolts from Myrish crossbowmen.
Fortunately, many of his crew had already boarded, attracting most of the attention. Victar made it onto the deck of the large ship successfully.
Stepping onto the deck, Victar exhaled with lingering fear. Wearing chainmail and a full set of iron armor, falling into the sea would have been a death sentence.
Before Victar could gather his thoughts, a pirate with a thick beard and heavy plate armor swung a sword at him.
Victar could only block with his shield. The bearded pirate was strong, his attacks relentless. Victar was forced to retreat continuously until his right foot caught on something.
He lost his balance. Facing a strong enemy, losing balance usually meant death.
Victar instinctively closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, his shield arm moving to protect his torso as he dropped his sword.
He thought: Vickary, you foolish boy, looks like you'll get your wish. I really am old; it's time for a long rest.
Dying in battle... very different from how I imagined going.
Waiting for the bearded man's fatal blow, Victar felt a spray of foul-smelling liquid hit his face.
Confused, he opened his eyes to see the bearded pirate standing frozen. His sword arm hung limp, and a longsword pierced his thick neck from back to front.
"Hrk... cough..."
Blood gushed from his neck, and the pirate's open mouth emitted gurgling sounds of pain.
"Father, are you alright?" Vickary's anxious voice came from behind the pirate.
"I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Keep fighting." Wiping the blood from his face, Victar picked up his sword and stood. Ignoring the weakness and pain in his shield arm, he shouted:
"Coordinate! Don't fight alone! Prioritize the crossbowmen! Find their captain or commander!"
Victar wanted to find Weiss and have him target the ship's commander, but the deck was in chaos. The clash of steel and the screams of men made it impossible to spot Weiss's short figure.
With Vickary's help, Victar cut down a young Myrish mercenary shouting "Long live Myr!" The boy hadn't even grown a beard yet.
Without time for sentiment, Victar looked through the ship's railing and saw several medium galleys flying pirate flags approaching the Wavebreaker.
"Abandon the Wavebreaker! Everyone board the enemy ship, except Ivey!" Victar shouted to his crew.
After shouting twice, his voice was hoarse. He grabbed Vickary's shoulder. "Tell Ivey if he doesn't see White Harbor ships in fifteen minutes, set fire to the Wavebreaker!"
"Father, I don't think he'll ever see the White Harbor ships." Vickary pointed grimly to the mast of the Wavebreaker.
Victar followed his son's finger. Ivey was hanging upside down halfway up the mast, tangled in rigging. An arrow protruded from his right eye, and blood stained the purple sail red as it ran down the mast.
"Finish the pirates on this ship quickly! Watch out for boarders from other ships! Don't let them board!"
No time for grief. Victar threw his bastard sword, skewering a Myrish crossbowman who had just reloaded.
Picking up the dead bearded pirate's longsword, Victar stabbed a mercenary in the throat who was wrestling on the ground with Jick. He tried to pull Jick up, only to find a dagger buried in Jick's belly, blood bubbling from his mouth.
No time to think. Victar scanned for weapons, grabbed a shield with several bolts stuck in it, and saw a pirate trying to sneak up on Amos. He charged and bashed the pirate to the ground with the shield.
Ignoring the man's pleas for mercy, Victar screamed as he smashed the shield into the pirate's head repeatedly until the man stopped speaking forever.