abcnovels
Chapter 184
Chapter 184: Rescue 2
TL: Etude
Cierra, unable to keep her secret any longer due to her anxiety, blurted out, “Yes, my daughter… Scholar Derrick, she is my daughter Ladi Sertia Gerard!”
Quik jumped in realization. “The female advisor?”
He then smacked his forehead in frustration.
“I’m such a fool! The green hair, the handsome features, and that familiar figure, isn’t that Miss Advisor?”
However, there was no time to lament his own foolishness. Since the mother of the person in question was seeking help, it was his duty to assist. Escorting them safely back to the Northwest Bay was his mission.
“Mrs. Sertia, where is your daughter now?”
“She should be in the forest north of Fort Ness. This parrot will guide us to her.”
“A parrot?”
Quik only then noticed a parrot perched on Mrs. Sertia’s shoulder.
“Yes, this parrot has a psychic connection with my daughter and can sense that Ladi is in danger.”
Despite his many doubts, Quik didn’t question her further. Miss Ladi was highly trusted by Count Grayman, so her mother’s word was reliable.
And since the location of danger was a forest, it probably wasn’t a conflict with the Horn Bay Alliance government, but more likely an encounter with bandits or wild beasts.
However, if it did involve the Alliance government, Quik knew he would have to seek help from the Foster family.
He immediately sent sailors to wake everyone on the ship, then summoned the first and second mates, along with Ladi’s mother, to the captain’s cabin.
After briefly explaining the situation, Quik made arrangements:
He and the second mate would lead thirty men to follow Mrs. Sertia into the northern forest to search for Miss Ladi, while the first mate and the remaining ten men would guard the Southern.
Everyone agreed without objection and quickly got into action.
The duty sailor, responsible for waking everyone, had already informed his mates about the situation. They were astonished to learn that Scholar Derrick, the elegant and long-time passenger on their ship, was actually the delicate female advisor by Lord’s side. The idea that she was now in danger stirred up their emotions, and they eagerly clamored to play the hero and save the beauty.
Quik skipped a pre-battle rally, immediately selecting thirty men and ordering them to arm themselves and line up on the shore.
Several curious apprentice sailors eagerly volunteered, wanting to see the outside of the city and feeling the thrill of a midnight rescue mission.
They were then locked in the captain’s cabin.
The ship’s hold was a scene of chaos as everyone gathered their personal gear. For the sake of safety on this southern expedition, the navy had made extensive preparations. Apart from cannons and gunpowder, the Southern was also equipped with 40 muskets fitted with socket bayonets, and 10 blunderbusses – short-barreled shotguns.
Cierra was surprised to see the sailors carrying an array of ‘long guns and short cannons’ as they lined up on the shore.
Captain Quik ordered them to prepare their weapons, but they brought out all sorts of strange things.
She saw some of them attaching a spike-like object to one end of a peculiar ‘wooden stick’ – she wasn’t quite sure how to describe it; the stick seemed to have an iron tube embedded in it – resembling a short spear.
But this group was well-trained. In just a few minutes, they formed a neat and tidy formation on the dock, reflecting the hard work Captain Quik must have put into their training.
This made Cierra even more amazed; she had never seen any military force achieve such discipline.
Indeed, a military force. In her heart, she had no doubt now that this was a real army, not just some adventure team.
Quik said to Cierra, “Mrs. Sertia, please… uh, please have your parrot lead the way.”
Cierra nodded.
“Please, Polly.”
The parrot perched on her shoulder immediately took flight, calling out to make its position known while Cierra followed closely behind.
“All hands, orders are to follow Mrs. Sertia closely!”
With the captain’s command, the makeshift rescue team quickly sprang into action.
…
At the North Gate of Fort Ness, several city guard soldiers huddled around a small fire. The autumn and winter seasons in Horn Bay weren’t as cold as the North, but standing outside all night still brought a chill.
Gathered together, they listened to their captain ramble while smoking his pipe.
“You youngsters don’t know many of the old legends about Fort Ness.”
“Chief, you’re a local, right? You must know a lot, huh?”
The captain lifted his head with a hint of pride.
“Of course, I’ve been hearing these stories since I was a kid.”
“Tell us a few!”
Seeing his subordinates’ curiosity piqued, the captain began his tales.
“Before the establishment of the Horn Bay Alliance, Fort Ness was just a small, ordinary coastal town.”
“The people here were unlucky, praying daily to the Lord of Light for their safety. If not for a local spice, they would have abandoned this place. They faced a terrifying threat.”
A horror story? The soldiers swallowed hard, “What… what kind of threat?”
The captain’s face took on a mysterious expression, speaking deliberately.josei
“Wolf plagues!”
“Wolf plagues?”
The soldiers were puzzled. There were many wolves near Fort Ness, but attacks on travelers were rare, as long as one stayed out of the deep forest.
The captain nodded in confirmation. “Yes, wolf plagues!”
“Chief, the wolves around here seem quite tame.”
“Hmph! That’s now, but it wasn’t like that a hundred years ago!”
The captain continued mysteriously.
“Long ago, Fort Ness’s wolves had a taste for — human flesh!”
“Not like now, only preying on those who wander deep into the forest. Instead, they attacked travelers in broad daylight, in groups, with an organization like a human army.”
The soldiers shrank back a bit.
“The largest wolf packs today are only about a dozen or so, but back then, they appeared in hundreds.”
“On nights of the full moon, it was like hell for the people of Fort Ness. The hungry wolves were not content with robbing travelers on the road but would actively attack the town. They burst into yards where doors weren’t locked tight, snatching poultry, livestock, and even human children.”
“The ancestors were in dire straits. They thought of organizing to exterminate the wolf packs, but suffered heavy losses when venturing deep into the forest. Legend has it—”
“What does the legend say?”
“The legend speaks of a Wolf King leading them…”
Just at that moment, a wolf’s howl echoed from afar, clear and distinct to the captain and his soldiers.
“Awooo—”
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