As we approached, the sound of two guards complaining got clearer. They didn't know if they still needed to be standing there, now that the caravan had passed.

  I looked to Audo, he was breathing heavily through his nose, jaw clenched. He felt my gaze and turned. I pointed at him then to the man closest. I drew my large knife, lifted three fingers off the handle and stopped. A moment passed. Audovald nodded. I flicked my hand down, lowering a finger before raising it again. Flicking two down before readying myself. The beat after one, we pounced.

  Audo got a stealth attack, striking the closest man's neck with his axe.

  Unfortunately, the way the men were angled, the second guard saw me coming. He didn't have the time to lower his spear. I got my left arm hooked onto his right, his spear getting pressed between my shoulder and his. I stabbed over and over, leaning into him as he tried to back away. He dropped dead. The spear remained hooked in my arm, so I took hold of its haft and figured I'd keep it for now, possibly as a javelin.

  Audo looked about to collapse, his breath rattling as he wavered, staring down at the man he had just ended.

  I clapped his shoulder and pushed down, we both squatted. The guards above the cove, about 30m away, hadn't reacted.

  Wheeeee!

  My whistle was the signal for the next stage to proceed. I hated that I hadn't even considered Isabelle's feelings. I had used her in the most strategic way. Now she too would have to kill. I saw both guards take one arrow each to the back, then another, they both dropped dead. Leif must have told Isabelle to fire two, to make sure the job was done.

  "Come on!"

  I started running for the top of the cove.

  PEeeeEEW-POW!

  The sorceress had started firing at the sails. A magic missile was fired soon after from the pink witch. Both had failed.

  I saw Leif stop Isabelle from firing, he had just fired an arrow that had magically burst into flame as it cleared his bow. He shouted something and they both started running.

  The ship's magic forcefield shimmered, completely intact.

  I looked down, took a mental snapshot of the ship in the cove before redirecting to the main group. They were clambering away from the edge.

  The air filled with the sound of whizzing and small bangs as the ship's response reached us. A hail of magic missiles.

  "AAH!"

  Leif was caught by Isabelle and dragged toward everyone else. I went to grab his other side and Isabelle let go. I pulled him along much faster.

  We all entered the tree line. I laid Leif down, having applied just enough heal while running, he was coming round. I turned and looked at the ship.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  I was a former assassin, not a one-man army. There were likely those that aided in the siege onboard, no doubt high level. Tight spaces within a ship, too many crew men.

  Even I couldn't have done this alone.

  A seagull that had taken off when the attack started, circled and landed back down onto the fore sail's lift beam. Birds can enter the forcefield... magic items carried by those in the caravan must have entered... I needed to test something.

  "Paige I need you to fly a magic construct, nothing offensive, through the ship, can you do that?"

  "What?" She was knelt by Leif, wasting healing magic making his boo-boos completely go away.

  "They are loading the women and girls as we speak. Can you make a magic construct and fly it between the ships sails, not touching anything and no offensive magic— Yes or No?"

  "O-OK." She got up, then approached the edge of the treeline.

  The glowing starling fleeted through the ship and circled back. Perfect.

  "Thank you." I said, the bird vanished in response.

  "The shield is focussed on defence. I have a plan... We need to make explosive potions, good enough to take down masts if placed at the base. Do we have mana potions? Sorcerer, can you convert them? Hey, pink witch, help her—"

  "I don't have a mana potion." Said the pink witch.

  "I have one one and can make it into an explosive" Stated the sorceress.

  "Here, I have one, get to work— No fire! Just a burst of magic force ok?

  Layla how real can your summoned animal's look? Do they have to glow?" Didn't want the ship to burn down.

  "No Mr Harvey, it takes more, but they can look real." Layla said, her jerky nod telling me of her fear.

  "How far can you control one small, realistic looking spirit? A housecat maybe?"

  "Couple dozen metres perhaps."

  "Hmmm, that limits going to be tested. I'll boost you as best I can. They can carry things right?"

  "Yes—"

  "Good! Then Layla, I need you to listen, and be brave." I knelt down in front of her, looked her straight in the eyes.

  "We don't know how far the royal guards are, we need this ship stalled. Only you can do this."

  . . .

  Leif had insisted on leading Layla. Isabelle and I followed. The ship was focused on leaving. They hadn't sent anyone after us. But four men did appear at the top of the path to the cove.

  Leif and Isabelle moved ahead, we were now in line with the four men, hidden in the trees.

  The archer and ranger prepared arrows to be in easy reach.

  "Fire." Commanded Leif.

  They didn't look to see the first arrow hitting, readying the next. They fired again, and again. Leif fired one more. All men had fallen. From their side, Audo, the rogue, and the spear girl sprang into action.

  They had all stripped off anything flashy. The sailors all seemed lightly dressed. Quickly our comrades took up the dead men's positions. Audo had the spear I had taken, the spear girl had her own, and the rogue quickly picked one up. From below, it should hopefully have seemed like nothing happened, even if one guard was missing.

  There was no volley of magic missiles, no shouting. It seemed to have worked.

  We passed our newly posted guards and started sneaking down the path, sticking to the edges. There were thankfully bushes and shrubs.

  Two of three large carriages had been loaded. The horses were being separated, the loads organized, before the third could enter. Smaller horse-drawn vehicles were being partially disassembled.

  The ship was huge, larger than a clipper, I think such a ship was called a carrack.

  Taking down two of its four masts would hopefully stall it long enough. The slaves were likely placed on a lower deck, and the tall ship had four levels by the looks of it. They likely wouldn't be hurt by the falling masts. A ship this big, still moored, shouldn't pitch or sink either.