Chapter 4: Misfortunes

"So, you got caught by a slaver gang as you were investigating their operation near Serepike, isn't that right?… That is eerily similar to my circumstance, Eltaor. You got caught a year after I. My condolences, friend. But at least you know that Elauthin is in safe hands. I believe Liam would take care of him well."

"You're right, Charlie. I still can't believe it myself, even after a year of working as a slave… How about you, Charlie, how come you are the Red Demon? Never in my dream could I come up with that. You are so… kind and friendly, and you are the infamous pirate of the east coasts?"

"Red Demon, Vermillion Vulture, the left hand of Vivani… all the names these murderers and cutthroats called me. Well, our adventuring party back then was having a break from traveling, really. We had just faced a vampire master, almost all died, before retreating to an elven village called Methonaion. But then… after the marriage of my two companions, Elluin and Harrison, do you know them?"

"I do. In fact, the whole village of Serepike knew your party well." Eltaor replied, somewhat happy for the union of the pair, although three years late.

"Yes. They got married, and then we were to stay there for a few weeks to recover, while our contact would utilize the death of the master vampire to lure others out and slay them all. I don't know if they succeeded, for I was snatched soon after. The slaver traveled down the stream of the Smyrciminai river and caught many of the stray inhabitants of the forest. Elves, gnomes, some dwarves… Elluin's brother got caught a week after we got there, so we had to track them down and… track them down we did. We busted three bases that they used to keep the slaves and sent the victims back to Niliphy. We saved Elluin's brother, but… well… on the fifth lair, we met two hill giants. Oh the dread I felt back then. The hill giant just shrugged off our attacks, their hides were thick, and they just… brute forced their way through our formation. We were beaten up badly, they used tree trunks as clubs and stone as hammers, but we managed to slay both of the giants, a feat I never thought we could achieve. But the rest of the slavers got onto their boat and escaped via the river. I was… foolish to think that I could stop them, I jumped onto the boat at the last second. But there were a dozen of them, and one of me. I took two of them down before I got clubbed in the head. The next time I opened my eyes, I was lying in a cage on a slaver vessel, headed straight to the Tacidrian Empire."

"Yes… that crushing, gut wrenching feeling… I know that well…"

Charlie wetted his lips with a sip of dandelion root tea before continuing.

"I spent the next month or so slipping in and out of consciousness from the rowing. You might have experienced this too, did you not? They forced you to sit on a wooden bench with four others and rowed a giant oar. We rowed twelve hours a day, the heat was unforgiving, but the muscle pain, oh the exhaustion… And they fed us moldy bread with dirty water. I rowed, I fainted, they whipped me. So on and so forth. Filth, refuses, blood, sweat… caked on our bodies. Maggots tear the flesh from our whipping wounds…"

Eltaor winced from the image Charlie had just described, for he was familiar, so familiar with such activity as a slave.

"But, I don't know if it was fortunate or unfortunate, but somehow a pirate vessel caught wind of these slavers, and they boarded the ship. The battle was something fierce, Eltaor, it was bloody beyond comprehension. Amidst the chaos, I broke out of the chain with my fellow slaves and snuck to the captain quarters to claim back my weapons before I… embarrassing to admit, fought like a crazed man. I shot and I stabbed and I slashed, cutting down the few slavers that were left. The pirates were impressed, oh their captain was very pleased to take me back here, to the Winchesia islands, to present me as a damn gift to their Master, Vivani Dragonbreath. He took me in as an apprentice cutthroat, but I was not willing to kill those who did not deserve to be killed. I was not willing to treat the slaves as slaves, but I gave them food and showed them respect, or pity, I don't know… Yet, that made the slaves actually work harder, for they were not dying of starvation anymore, and most of them respected me. Vivani sent me out as a pirate for the first time two years ago, and I almost only, exclusively, targeted slavers' vessels. I could not bring myself to rob those who were innocent, but the slavers, or those who transport slaves, I have no hesitation whatsoever to cut them down."

Charlie raised his hand to stop Eltaor, as if the human knew the elf was about to cut in between.

"Yes… yes. I know. I was a coward. I was a hypocrite. I killed many men, my hands are bloodied. Yet, I call the pirates out there murderers and cutthroats. I used slaves on my ships, yet I despised the slavers. I… I realized something about myself, Eltaor. I was a coward. I could not take my own life. I wanted to survive. So I became a pirate captain, raiding slavers, dealing with slaves on the island. Oh the lies I had to spout to the slaves to keep them from escaping. I wanted to save them, but I had to save my hide first. The only redeeming thing I had done while on this island was to convince the pirates to treat slaves better, to provide them housing and better food and clothing. Yes. The slaves on this island worked hard, but no one dared to question my method, for there were no slaves attempting to escape, no slaves taking their own life, and no slave lost due to mistreatment." 

"I won't ask for forgiveness. Eltaor, I'm sorry that you are caught like this."

A long silence befell the dining room. The festive noise now finally penetrated the atmosphere. Ayen the female elf gave a sympathetic and understanding nod to Charlie before refilling his cup of tea.

"... No. I thank you, Charlie." The elf spoke after he breathed deeply "I thank you for saving me. After experiencing what we have gone through, I understand. Many times I thought about sowing myself into the ocean and ending it all, but I couldn't. I… I had always hoped a Niliphy vessel would take over the slavers and save me. I had hoped that I could see my child again, the child that you saved. I…"

"Eltaor… Don't worry. This might be a blessing from the gods." Charlie said, rousing from his chair "I have a plan, Eltaor, I have a plan to escape this place and take the pirates of these isles down forever. But now… we must be patient. Will you be patient with me, Eltaor?"

"Of course! Anything to get back to Serepike. Yes, I would do anything, even if it's stepping into your tracks, Charlie."

"Thank the gods." Charlie smiled "Now, I must sleep. Ayen, please keep Eltaor company, will you? Share what you know, our plans and what to expect on Winchesia to Eltaor. He I can trust."

The once ranger, now pirate, Charlie silently retreated to his private room upstairs. Outside, the feast still raged on as music and yelling and clanking of bottles continued.

"Ayen Averblossom, nice to meet you, Eltaor."

"Eltaor Fenhana. If you don't mind me asking, what are you to Charlie again? He… openly said things of secret to you too, so he must have trusted you."

Ayen's eyes drooped as she recalled the misfortunes that befell her until now.

"I'm not from here, I was originally from a large elven settlement called Abibabastan in the forest of Vazdania. I was a druid, on my way to the kingdom of Aunumia to rejoin a tribe of druids and guide them the way of Xanthufar. But our ship was attacked by a giant deep sea creature, I have never seen something that scary, Eltaor. Oh I have never thought something as ancient as the giant slayer from the tales of Xanthufar would still be in existence! It had eight eyes, bright red eyes that stared into your very soul, its gaping maw filled with sharp teeth, as big as our bodies. But it sank our ship, ate many of the crew and passengers. I was lucky to be left alone, maybe it was full, maybe it found elves to be… unappetizing. But I survived and drifted ashore on the sand of the Winchesia islands. From one monster to another's lair…"

Ayen smiled, but it was more of a lips purse. 

The pirates almost turned me into a plaything… I was terrified… but Charlie saved me. He saved me from the claws of those terrible men, and I live here now, in his house. I grow herbs and berries, I read and write and find ways to get us out of this island."

"Well… you and I, we owe him much more than I could admit… he saved my child once, from goblins. He was still an inexperienced adventurer back then, yet he risked his own life for someone he did not know. I guess… he is more or less still the Charlie I know… saving folks left and right."

"Yes. He is a kind man, pushed to the brink of good and evil. In the end, he chose to survive. I won't blame him, and I hope you wouldn't, either."

"Mmhmm."

"You must be exhausted from the events that transpired today. Come now, I'll show you your room. Rest assured, as Charlie said, you are safe here. The pirates' code forbade anyone from entering his residence without his permission, even the master of the island wouldn't dare to."

"Miss Averblossom… I… Do you think that we could escape? Do you think the plan, whatever plan you and sir Charlie made, would help us out?"

Ayen looked at the delirious elf in her dining room and spoke in the utmost serious manner she could muster.

"I don't know much, mister Eltaor, I never leave this house for I fear the pirates would… you know… But there's one thing I absolutely trust, and that is sir Charlie's words. He said that he would get us out of these misfortunes, he will get us out of this island, I can assure you that much. Come now, the night grows short and you grow tired. Sleep and recover your mind, tomorrow you will see things much clearer."

Chapter 5: A pirate's professional courtesy

No more than two days after Eltaor Fenhana stepped foot into the town of Faramerpor, the slave trader of the South Manch Sea launched a surprise attack on the main island of Winchesia. 

It was a rainy day, dark gray clouds angrily boiled, twisted and curled in the sky, sending heavy raindrops down onto the coast of Winchesia. Strong wind bent tropical trees to their limits and uprooted shallow bushes, curtains after curtains of sand blasted into the housing of the town.

The battle was something fierce, pirates and slavers and their mercenaries scattered the beach of Faramerpor. 

Cannon balls ripped men apart indiscriminately, spewing blood and gore onto the pristine sand making a grotesque painting depicting the evil and horror of men.

Slaves and townsfolk were taken as prizes, the three-galley company of the slave traders quickly retreated after dealing heavy damage to the port, the town, its resource storages and its slave barrack. Fortunately, most of Winchesia's operational vessels were at sea at the time so no damage was dealt to the ships except for a few small fishing vessels.

Vivani was livid.

Even though most of his prized possessions were left untouched from the swift offensive, his pride was blemished.

How dare the lowly filthy slave traders directly raise their hand towards one of if not the most legendary pirate?

How would they expect the Dragon of Winchesia to react?

His people, wary and scared. Children crying over their parents' lifeless bodies, injured people dragging what's left of themselves to safety, and the remains of his servants scattered and blasphemed.

His town, broken and razed. Houses collapsed from cannon balls, stone paved roads left trashed, with patches and patches of craters. In a short period of time, Faramerpor was transformed from a wealthy and content town into a ghost town.

His slaves, stolen and killed. The slave barrack was broken into, all his slaves were led onto ships and transported away. Without slaves, farms would be left unharvested, houses be left unbuilt, roads be unpaved and ships be unmanned.

The anger of the old pirate was unmatched as he summoned all of his servant's vessels at sea via sending magic of his drow assistant. Vivani Dragonbreath himself was going to war. 

Three hours after the attack, an armada with a total of 43 vessels big and small set sail to the Great Raft of Urug'Ken the slave lord of the South Manch Sea. 

It was a sight to behold, that many ships traversed the sea would give most unaware people a fright for their lives, as if they had wandered into a war zone. 

Some scribes have also noted down that the Republic of Manch was put on red alert that day, for they thought an unknown army was attacking via seaway, sending a war fright to its neighboring countries - the Abingman theocracy and the Principality of Stances.

Leading a fleet of 20 ships was the Vermillion Vulture, 24 cannons with plenty more weaponries on board including a trebuchet capable of launching a flaming load hundred of yards, a powerful modified cannon firing sail-breaking grapeshots and plenty of light cannons and naval ballistas. Its red coat of paint has sowed great fear into the enemy of the Winchesia's pirates for years, to the point that no common vessels traversing the Manch-Stances ocean were to be painted crimson in fear of being mistaken and shot down on sight.

But it was not the most imposing vessel at sea that day. That title belonged to the Dragon's Roar, commanded by captain Vivani Dragonbreath himself, a 58 cannons warship that took thousands of workers 10 years of labor to build. 

With three absurdly tall masts and 20 sailing oars each side, the Dragon's Roar was capable of traversing the distance from one continent to the other in mere days. Its hull was made with reinforced elder white oak wood, resistant from decay and rot, light and durable. 

And to give the ship its namesake, a real, taxidermied head of a golden dragon proudly took place at the figurehead, its jaw wide open as if the dragon was roaring its most fierce warcry. 

It has been 5 years since the last sighting of the Dragon's Roar in the open water. And it was safe to say that the slave traders wandering the South Manch Sea immediately turned tail and returned to the Great Raft as they sighted the imposing armada. 

Every fool and their mother would understand that the only way to go against that many vessels was down, down to the bottom of the ocean. The only chance they could survive the onslaught was to band together and hope that their cannonball barrage could take out the attacking vessels before they were decimated themselves. 

The Great Raft of Urug'Ken was an ingenious architectural miracle, thousands of tons of wood and stone floating in the middle of the ocean using only physical buoyancy devices, giant airtight drums submerged underwater, spreaded throughout the entire raft. Cannons and ballistas and even mortars placed tightly on the edge of the raft to repel such naval offenses. 

There will be heavy losses to both sides of the battle.

But bruised ego and hurted pride were terrible casus belli.

As soon as his presence was made to the slavers, Vivani immediately ordered every vessel to rain down cannonball barrage. The Great Raft also shot back in response, causing untold damage to the vessels at sea. 

Hull breached, man overboard, masts broken and fell. Yet, the slavers' raft was stable to the eyes, most of the cannon shots landed in inert wooden structures that caused little to no damage to its buoyancy. 

Yes, many men were killed and maimed beyond saving, but the slavers did not care. Why should they care? They can get more men anytime they want to, as the world has never lacked in mercenaries and marauders. 

The situation was looking bleak for Vivani's armada - they could not get close to board the draft, from heavy and thick firepower. Three ships went down before Vivani's pride gave in and he finally ordered his left hand to infiltrate the enemy. One of his finest henchmen, the terror at sea of any vessel.

"Fel'Kaira! My son!" Vivani Dragonbreath roared "Go fetch me their leader's head!"

Fel'Kaira nodded simply. Vivani's will was his command.

"Quartermaster Trenni! Full sail ahead, we be ramming these bastards! Yarg! Men, as soon as our vessel lodged into the raft, board them and kill any fool in your way!" The young pirate captain barked orders as he stood proud on the bowsprit, his vulture eyes keenly observing the raft in front of him while he came up with attack plans for his crew.

"YARR!" His crew roared in agreement, a crew much more diverse than that of his counterparts in the Winchesia islands. He employed elves and dwarves, gnomes and humans, all hand picked by the captain himself. 

Cannon balls drilled holes into the hull of the Vermillion Vulture vessel, but the galleass was built in such a way that frontal hull damage would never be an issue.

"Issiga, you lead a team of your choice to break through enemy lines to locate the slaves and bring them back to the ship."

"It will be done, Fel'Kaira."

"Von Bane, your team will take out as many defensive weapons as possible. We be talking cannons, ballistas, anything. Kill them, take over the weapons and use it against them, you hear?"

"Yes sir!"

"The rest, follow me! We be opening a blood path towards the fat fucker sitting on his throne!"

"Aye aye, Fel'Kaira!"

It was lighting fast.

As the Vermillion Vulture, visibly damaged from the cannons, rammed into the raft and broke off multiple segments of flooring and float drums. The sudden release of the buoyancy drums caused it to shoot up into the air and crush multiple slavers, forcing them to take a step back, allowing the crew to finally board.

The pirate crew let out a warcry as they charged onto the raft and carried out their orders.

And leading them all, Fel'Kaira, an ornate rapier in one hand and a worn pistol in the other. 

The young pirate captain rushed ahead into the slavers, he slashed and stabbed, he executed full and half pirouettes as he parried off attacks before dealing riposte blows onto his attackers.

He was fast and agile, his attack was fatal, only targeting vital spots that most men would not think to protect: thighs and armpits, his rapier could easily reach the arteries and vital veins, which would bleed out extremely quickly and render his opponent unconscious. 

His rapier, a precious magical weapon gifted to him years ago, was never dirtied of caked fat or blood. It shimmered with enchantment every time Fel'kaira forcibly thrusted the blade through an unfortunate slaver and casted the excrement off to never be dulled.

His pistol, on the other hand, was a defensive tool. It did not have enough firepower to pierce the chainmail the slavers wore, but it could knock the wind out of any men with a well placed shot, priming them for a quick pierce to the throat. 

It was bloody, the pirates, although suffered a few casualties to the magic slingers and destructive weapons, successfully slain most of the slavers defending the east side of the raft with ease. 

They also captured cannons and ballistas, reducing the pressure onto the vessels at sea as well as possessing powerful tools to hold their position. Multiple pirate ships slowly docked next to the Vermillion Vulture to board and take down the defense on the raft itself.

Ignoring the other quarters of the raft, Fel'Kaira and five of his trustworthy pirates kicked down the door leading to the throne room at the center of the wooden manmade isle. The throne room was also the treasury, where piles and piles of gold, jewelry, ornate weaponries and armors were stored. 

They flowed everywhere over the only tiled room on the raft, treasure chests filled to the brim, necklaces and similar trinkets drooped to the sides. 

And on the high pedestal, at the very end of the room, a throne cast of pure solid gold, gems embedded throughout the backrest and the armrests. 

Charlie thought to himself of why greedy individuals seemed to prefer sitting on a throne, as it had been a fairly common occurrence. 

Sitting atop a gaudy golden throne was a humanoid creature, filthy and obese. It almost looked like an ogre or an orc, but shorter and less muscular. It had rows and rows of sharp, long teeth, protruding out of its pale lips. 

Its nose was flat and big, not so different from a meat flap on its meaty face. Its ears were long, pointing away from its head to the side even though it had no connection to the elves or drows beside the same fey ancestry.

Its body was covered in a thin layer of fur, matted and grimy. Bone fragments and blood of its previous meal still lingered on its arm and neck. It donned a metal plate armor, fitted to its oversized body, but both of its arms unprotected. And in its hand, a giant metal cutlass with a blade rusted with dried blood.

The lord of the Great Raft, the leader of the slave trading syndicate of the South Manch Sea, was a bugbear. A race of humanoid, not a bug nor a bear, with ferocious strength and less than desired intelligence, bugbears have always been fit for violence.

"Well well well, look who we have here…" Urug'Ken snickered to himself as he roused from the throne with a deep and breathy voice. Drool and unknown liquid dripped off of its maw. A half eaten head plopped down onto the floor, barely rolled for it landed on the gold pile, its eyes were gouged out and half of its cheek bitten to shreds.

Fel'Kaira felt nauseated and sick.

A barrage of cannons from the armada shook the whole raft.

The slave lord stepped down onto the wooden floor and crushed the dried bones below its feet. It was tall, much taller than Fel'Kaira.

Even though it was extremely fat, Fel'Kaira knew the bugbear had an extremely muscular layer underneath all the excess meat from how it moved. Urug'Ken was no doubt inhumanly strong.

"Cat got your tongue, petty thief? Or have you never seen such riches before?"

"Shut your filthy trap." Fel'Kaira snorted and spat in disgust of the smell emanating from the approaching creature. "I'm here to take your head, per order of the great Vivani Dragonbreath."

"Vivani? That old, retired fool? Hahaha… Nice one, pirate rat! Hahaha!"

As the bugbear laughed out loud, its fat layers shook and jiggled, almost looking like a giant, grotesque jello. 

"And you… a mere human… speaking of taking… my… head. How ridiculous. Do you know how to cast spells? Do you channel the power of gods? Do you have superhuman strength?"

"No. I'm just an ordinary pirate."

The bugbear slave lord laughed again. He was now already at the center of the throne room between piles of gold. But something…someone else laughed with him as two hobgoblins revealed themselves from under the literal mountain of gold, standing guard before the slave lord. They were as tall as the bugbear, yet they wore no armor and only carried a mace and a shield. Their skin blood red, head shaven clean with tattoos and unwittingly scars.

"Very well, ordinary pirate. You and your little friends will be our dinner tonight." Urug'Ken chuckled and snorted as the hobgoblin immediately closed the distance between them and Fel'Kaira. They were quick, much quicker than the pirate crew standing behind their captain.

But Fel'Kaira was quicker.

As the two strong hobgoblins stepped into striking range, Fel'Kaira took a step back before firing two shots at the left bodyguard. The first metal bullet shattered on impact with the shield, yet the second one buried itself into the hobgoblin's torso. Then the pirate captain rushed forward, light on his feet and accurate with his saber, he thrusted the blade with all his might into the clavicle of the creature as it roared and reared in pain.

Using the leftover momentum, he swung himself onto the bulking shoulder of the bugbear and fired the last bullet in the pistol at Urug'Ken, who easily flicked his giant cutlass and blocked the shot.

Sure, hobgoblins were strong creatures. They have plenty of strength and martial advantage over a mere human, but they could never hope to be as fast on the move as the vulture of the Winchesisa islands. And they were much much simpler of the mind.

The second hobgoblin guard swung his mace upward as it attempted to strike the captain but, thanks to gravity and an extensive knowledge of how to disarm opponents, Fel'Kaira sweeped his saber at the creature's thumb, cutting it halfway off and caused the mace to be redirected onto the head of the unfortunate guard he was standing on. A sick cracking noise filled the room as the struck hobgoblin's eyes lost focus from the fainting attack. 

At this point, the pirate crew also joined the struggle as they rushed and overpowered the disarmed hobgoblin, cutlasses and bullet bit into its unarmored yet sturdy body, quickly bringing it down onto the floor, dark blood seeping into the glistering gold beneath.

Fel'Kaira casually stepped down from the hobgoblin, who was still on his knee reeling from the head strike. He reloaded his pistol, grabbed onto the hilt of the saber still stuck on the creature's shoulder blade, and shot it directly in the eye, destroying the brain and killing it immediately. As the hobgoblin slumbed backwards, he pulled and freed his saber.

Fel'Kaira's eyes trained on the mountain of a bugbear in the middle of the throne room. He did not know if the glistening liquid covering the many layers of fat on the slave lord's body was sweat, or if it was the remaining fat of  last night's dinner. Whatever it was did not bother Fel'Kaira much as he slowly walked towards Urug'Ken while simultaneously loading another cartridge into the gun.

"Color me impressed, human. You easily killed off them useless hobs, how nice, how quaint… How about this, I will cut all of you in this room a deal. Protect me and help me kill the old geezer Vivani, and we will dominate the Manch Sea slave trade route! My substantial intelligence and your martial prowess will make us invincible, we can even take over the other slave lords in the west ocean too! We will be rich! Oh yes… So much gold and diamonds you can never imagine! We can snatch slaves from the other continents too! Easy money to be made, human! What do…"

Not letting the bugbear finish his nonsense, Fel'Kaira looked over at his crewmates and smiled before speaking.

"Can you promise me something, fat fuck?"

"Oh yes, anything!" Urug'Ken's eyes gleamed of malicious intent as it thought it had successfully hooked the pirates to do its bidding.

"Promise me you will scream as loud as you can when I cut your head off."

In a blink of an eye, Fel'Kaira from his standing position, at least 10 paces from Urug'Ken, closed the distance and leapt right into the slave lord's face so that their eyes met. The bugbear could not even react as the pirate captain rammed his saber into the middle of its torso where the plate mail failed to cover and retracted it before landing behind the slave lord. He did not draw blood, for its fat and hide was thick, but he sowed fear into its soul.

He was fast and capable of killing it. And he was going to kill it.

Urug'Ken tried to turn around as fast as his body allowed, but a sharp pain accompanied with a loud explosion filled the air as Fel'Kaira shot its knee from behind. The bullet shattered its bone and tore its ligament as the slave lord slumped down on one knee, finally meeting eyes with Fel'Kaira at his standing height. 

But Urug'Ken was not a soft creature, no. He was the slave lord of the South Manch Sea after all. Urug'Ken flung his cutlass for the very first time since the battle and the blade connected with a surprised Fel'Kaira. The attack sent the human pirate flying 20 paces and slamming onto the throne violently. Fel'Kaira's pistol dropped down onto the gold as his whole left arm was crushed completely, barely hanging onto his shoulder by his skin and some muscles. He was in extreme pain and shock, of course, for he was only a human. 

His crew gasped and immediately rushed to the wide back of the slave lord and with all their strength, plunged rapiers and cutlasses into the bugbear. Some lucky strikes got through and deeply embedded the blade into its body, some bare scratched the thick fur. The pirates did not realize that the slave lord was barely damaged by their attacks.

Urug'Ken once again turned on its unharmed foot, a disgusting smile now on its face. Despair appeared on the face of the pirates as the bug bear raised its giant cutlass up high, ready for a cleave. 

As the blade went down, three gunshots echoed through the room as the bugbear roared in pain. The cutlass slipped from its arm, impaled a dwarf pirate and sent him stuck onto the wooden wall like a target on a dart board. 

Urug'Ken's middle and ring finger dangled on his hand, the index finger was cleanly blown away, showing tendon and bone underneath. It screamed in pain and clutched its ruined hand, its long fangs trembled.

The slave lord turned around to a kneeling Fel'Kaira, his arm now severed, placed on the throne, and before the stump tightly tied a rope to stop the bleeding. The pirate captain poured two red healing potions on the wound and grit his teeth from the pain before standing up, wielding his rapier on his remaining hand.

"You will die here, Urug'Ken, and there is nothing you can do about it." He said emotionlessly "You will pay for all the lives you have taken, all the slaves you forced to work to their death. You will die to atone for your sin, foul creature."

"Wait! Wait!" The slave lord yelled out "I can bring back your man! Here! You can have it! Please spare me!" 

Urug'Ken tossed two scrolls onto the gold pile, but Fel'Kaira paid them no attention as he stepped over the scrolls and slowly approached the slave lord. 

Fel'Kaira stood next to the bugbear, the stench from its natural odor and the stench of rotten meat pieces stuck in its fur assaulted his nose. But he paid it no heed. He swung his rapier hilt-side and slammed the slave lord right in the middle of its temple, violently knocking it crashing onto the floor. It whimpered in pain as he casually walked to the unfortunate pirate, impaled on the wall by the cutlass. 

Sheathing his rapier, Fel'Kaira removed the cutlass and respectfully laid the pirate's body down as he held onto the sword. He pushed a strange cube made of solid stone used to display riches with his foot, slowly to the crying bugbear. His men already took their place over the slave lord, waiting for order to end the life of Urug'Ken.

Fel'Kaira placed the cube next to the bugbear's head before brutally kicking it in the rib and ordered it to bite the edge of the stone stool. Urug'Ken complied hastily, unknown of his upcoming brutal execution. 

His men winched in anticipation. 

"Hey, Urug'Ken. Consider this… our professional courtesy, okay? An eye for an eye."

As he finished his sentence, the pirate captain stomped down onto the head of the bugbear, immediately breaking its jaw in the most painful display of torture. The bugbear did not die, it could not die from such an attack. It cried out in pain, its lower jaw dangled disgustingly as blood and drool spilled out onto its plate mail. Urug'Ken whimpered, still begging for his life. Both of his hands scampered, shaken in shock, trying to fix his jaws. 

And down came the cutlass, cleanly severing the slave lord Urug'Ken's head from its grotesque body.

===

As the news of the slave lord's death reached the still fighting slavers, they immediately dropped their weapons and begged for mercy. They feared the slave lord more than the pirates, so they kept on fighting. But the slave lord was now dead, so there was no reason to continue struggling.

But, to Vivani Dragonbreath, it was nothing more than an insult.

They feared a slave lord over him.

And the remaining slavers were executed on spot. At least they had a painless death, unlike Urug'Ken, whose head dangled on the bowsprit of  the Vermillion Vulture vessel. Its gaping maw represented a death scream, instilling fear into anyone who dared cross paths with the pirate of Winchesia once more.

Unfortunately, the fall of the slavers of the South Manch Sea also marked the final expedition of the Vermillion Vulture as a pirate and undermined Vivani Dragonbreath position, ultimately leading to the disbanding of the Winchesia pirates.