The water vapor from the heat mixed with the pale black smoke from the charcoal when the flames were extinguished, making the river hazy like a veil, but the blurred vision did not stop the robbers from firing arrows at the longship. Although soaking wet sailors swooped down on the night and blocked the gap with dirt and sandbags, the cracks next to the hole caused more and more water to accumulate in the cabin, and some small items belonging to the robbers even floated on the yellow, turbid water.

The robbers did not act as panicked as the peasants. Although the bilge was indeed a huge gap, and the brown thick hemp rope that held the anchor to it was slowly tightening, dragging the entire wooden ship towards the 'Old Sirger'.

The shocking brute force tugged at the hull, causing the mast that had not picked up the sail to creak and whinish to one side. However, compared to the robbers' ships, the Quaid's cargo ships were slightly more inclined and the cargo in the front and rear compartments was piled up, making it more difficult to move.

The steep tilt of the wooden ship allowed most of the warriors to show more of their bodies, and the sailors and Quaids had been prepared to block the arrows from the opposite side, but the staggering robbers were knocked down in a row by the sudden counterattack of bows and arrows. Even the rest immediately shrank up and blocked their bodies with oak shields and thick boat gangs.

Under the command of the leader, two strong thieves ran out of the cargo hold with a huge square shield. Their massive shields, which were more than seven feet long and three feet wide, allowed them to easily withstand the sailors' arrows, while his companions began to chop through the brown hemp rope that was dragged on the boat's gang. This rope made of good hard hemp strands is tough and thick, and it is even more difficult to destroy after being soaked in special oil.

The sharp sailor's knife forged of steel slashed hard, and the bandit, covered in stubble and blood, did not stop until his arm was sore. But when the leader of the thieves saw that the twine had only been split in two, they immediately gave up the useless work. Because the two longships had been slammed together by the brute force of the Quids.

The gangs, made of fine pine planks staggered together, wailed so violently that even the sailors and robbers who were leaning behind rolled onto the deck. But after less than three breaths, the strong men got up and writhed like maggots.

The warriors jumped onto enemy ships with savage roars, brandishing their weapons to knock out all the opponents they could see. It was extremely rare for the Quaids not to take the initiative, and now the warriors were still suffering from the rocking of the wooden boats, and even the Riga had become dazed in a series of actions. Fortunately, his arms were still straining, even though two longships of the same size and style were already clinging to each other.

The wall of shields at the mast caused many robbers to fall. These poorly trained soldiers are as well suited to sail and rudder as sailors, and when it comes to combat, even the weakest Quaid warriors can find an opportunity to strike the enemy in front of them. Their sheer strength is too much for a sturdy bull to bear.

The Fat Bull was still surrounded by two other robber ships, a longship that had lost its mast and sails as fierce as a gladiatorial bull, and still fought back sporadically with bows and arrows. So when the robber warriors suffered more than a dozen dead and wounded, the robbers on both ships immediately sailed the longship away. They wanted to watch the leader take over another merchant ship, and in this way dissipate the courage of the warriors on the Fat Bull.

But the goddess of fate always likes to joke with mortals. Just when the robber thought he would kiss the god's toes, the goddess put her palm on the sailor's shoulder.

The broadside battle that took place on the 'Old Sir' was tragic and tragic. Nearly a dozen sailors fell on the blood-soaked deck, but the robbers paid a higher price. Nearly twice as many bodies lay on the hold and deck of the longship, and the wounded did not even show up to whisper for help. The Quaids always looked for an opportunity to kill those who were wailing and wounded, as this would save the sailors from the pain of being hanged at the city gates.

The bandit leader then led two dozen soldiers from the bilge to the deck, but before they could step onto the Old Sir Riga pulled the bronze anchor back. There was a crunch in the gap between the dirt and yellow sand pockets, and then a large hole opened in the bilge of the thirty-foot-long wooden ship. The hard metal anchor completely tore the bottom of the pine boat apart, so the robber ship was swallowed up by the rapidly rising river after a jolt. Even the leader of the Old Sir fell into the river, swimming his hands outstretched to the bank.

The sailors, of course, would not miss this opportunity to train their archery, so they quickly raised their wooden bows and began to attack. The fur-clad robbers struggled clumsily in the river like a snowcock, so arrows from the boat could easily stab their bodies. The pain also caused several robbers to convulse and sink into the river, at least the sailors never saw them float again.

Watching the robber ship sink into the river along with the bronze anchor hooked to the gang, Riga finally retched and collapsed on the deck, letting the wet, blood-smelling red blood stink of it.

The other two robber ships tried to continue their attack at first, but the flotilla that loomed in the distance made them slip away in fear. Not even the interest in threatening the Fat Bull, which had lost power.

"It's the fleet! They're coming back for us. The newly chosen lookout climbed the mast and, after the black charcoal rubbed his face and body black, finally screamed with joy and told the only good news. The two old boats stayed behind to rescue the fishermen, so when the convoy had a few hourglasses and had not yet reached the two boats, they immediately turned their bows and headed in the direction they had come.

The river was in shambles, and apart from broken masts, worn-out wood slag, and some personal belongings belonging to the robber sailors, the most that remained was gray smoke wafting in the air from the flames that were extinguished. The tragic situation surprised the convoy that had just arrived, so they sent a longship over first, and only tied the two broken ships to the tail with ropes after confirming the news that their companions were still alive. 'Old Sir' and 'Fat Bull' will be repaired enough in Longinus, so the two longships will be able to work back and forth on the Fabrek River to continue their mission.

PS: Thank you for the monthly pass of the book friends LMXY and Ricardo Muzza. (To be continued.) )