Marcus let out a deep exhale, swinging his blade to clear the blood off it. His eyes looked out into the foggy sea. Burning ships set alight in a suicidal attempt to kill the enemy, bodies floating in the sea, their blood dyeing it red. A peaceful silence was all that remained at the end of the battle.

"What shall we do with the hostages?" Sasha came over to Marcus and asked quietly. Turning he watched as his men carefully pulled them off the wooden boards they had been tied to. All of them had gone silent long ago, unable to cry or scream anymore.

"Let them rest in the crew quarters. But keep a guard on them. We can’t trust them until we leave." Sasha nodded and walked off, Marcus only staring into the distance. The Pirate Island. A place slathered in infamy.

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Oberon watched the distance. Through the fog, he could see the approaching fleet coming into view. His men waited on the beachhead. It was a small force but he didn’t care. "Brother. Is everything in place now?" Gage walked over silently and gave a small nod, causing Oberon to smile cruelly.

Turning he grabbed the man’s arm and pulled him. "Spare no-one. Kill all the imperial dogs." Gage nodded once more as Oberon left. Walking through the small fortress he had spent so long building he could hear the anguished screams of his prisoners crying out for help.

He had spent so many years perfecting it just for it to be destroyed. Yet he didn’t let it affect him, his eyes holding a deep chill as he moved to prepare the final parting gift.

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The sea was calm as Marcus and hundreds of others rode on the small boats and approached the island. Many waited for them on the beach head but Marcus could only look at the dreaded fort behind them, built into the walls.

The screams inside created a terrifying backdrop for them and he could tell his men were nervous approaching it. They were soldiers; used to war, brutality, and death. But the noises that came from the place ahead of them were enough to shake the core of the most hardened men.

Marcus looked at the Unyeilding soldiers with him. Even they weren’t completely unaffected. Trained as children to know nothing other than war, it still couldn’t remove the small bits of humanity in them. They were still human, only damaged, but the screams from the island told of the unimaginable cruelty that took place within.

"MEN!" Marcus’s voice echoed across the water, overshadowing everything else. "YOU ALL HEAR WHAT I HEAR! THE PAIN, TORMENT AND SUFFERING COMING FROM INSIDE THOSE WALLS!" His voice was a bolt through his people, their hands tightening around the hilts of their weapons.

"WE ARE THE SAVIOURS THEY NEED! THE PROTECTION THEY DESERVE! OUR EMPORER HAS SENT US HERE TO DELIVER IT! TO END THE PATHETIC PIRATE LORDS AND CLEAN THE WORLD EVER SO SLIGHTLY!" Marcus slammed his sword on his chest plate, it banging and sending waves around the water.

Those on his boat followed and soon after every man approaching the island followed. Those on the shore could hear the drums of war approaching and madly looked out. The boats inched closer and closer until finally, they reached the shore.

Marcus was the first to jump off, walking casually forward. The banging stopped as everyone looked at his back, waiting. Lifting his sword into the sky he took a deep breath. "SPARE NO-ONE!! Lowering his sword he charged forward, his men quickly disbarking and following behind.

Hundreds ran at the small defense on the beach, but Marcus paid them no mind. His eyes scanned the area seeing pirates run toward him. From the side he swung his sword up, slicing across one’s chest. An attack came from his left but Marcus didn’t react to it, as a soldier came to his side blocking the attack for him. It all happened in a second and with his sword still in the air, he brought it down stabbing into the second’s neck, killing him.

A third ran at him but didn’t get far, a javelin flying through the air, impaling him to the ground. Marcus didn’t stop moving forward. He had trust in his men. They had trained with each other for years and learned the ins and outs of each other’s every move. They all moved as one organism, and he was the core of it. His every action and every desire was clear to those who followed him.

Marcus dodged to the side avoiding an attack. With a backhand, he hit the pirate in the jaw with the hilt of his sword, throwing him to the ground. A second soldier came from behind and stabbed into the man’s chest whilst Marcus killed another who tried to kill him.

Nothing mattered right now. Marcus had one mission. Stabbing forward, he plunged his blade into the stomach of another, before throwing the pirate off. He only had to destroy this place. It served no purpose in the world he wished for nor the one Alfred wished to create. He had to destroy it and prove he was still useful and not a failure. He had to make up for Nakhla, make up for letting Raven die.

Two ran at Marcus. Dodging the attack of one, he blocked the other. Pushing up against the sword of the one he blocked, he swung to the right, slicing the neck of the pirate. The other quickly gathered themselves and charged at Marcus. Using his weight he pushed the commander, knocking his sword out of hand, and raised his blade.

Marcus acted quickly, grabbing the collar of the pirate and headbutting him. Throwing him off, he pulled the small dagger from his waist and stabbed it into the man’s eye. Throwing himself up a third charged at him, and before he could dodge two soldiers blocked the attack, and killed the man.

He was breathing heavily but didn’t stop, picking his sword up once more. He couldn’t. Despite the sound of the battle, the screams from inside the fort continued. He had to end things. He needed to get in. They had almost reached the doors, a trail of bodies being left behind.

Walking forward again he cut down another, then another. They were all weak and untrained. Only used to attack civilians and guardsmen. They were nothing to him. Insignificant in the face of his men. Marcus grabbed the body of one he had just impaled and spun his corpse around, blocking an attack. Throwing it forward, he stabbed through both bodies.

It felt like it took hours to move up the beach with only minutes actually having passed. His hand finally rested on the wooden door a smile breaking out. "DESTROY EVERY TRACE OPF THIS PLACE! SECURE THE CIVILIANS! LEAVE NOTHING!"

He called out before pushing the doors. The air was thick inside, an awful smell assaulting everyone. It took all the power of the men not to throw up.

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Oberon carefully dropped the top into the last glass jar filled with liquid. He stood up and looked back. All down the halls the same. Hundreds of glass jars lined every inch of the place.

"Let’s go." Calling out to those with him he rushed down the hall to the back to his brother. One of his men held the robe, tracing it up the stairs, to the highest section of the fort. The cries for help behind them made them all smile. It was the perfect bait.