Legends Never Die: Endevaors (ch. 61) (Patreon)

Greek Fire, I learned it was called. A secret weapon that had been used by the Romans for nearly a century, and it was a secret that they guarded jealously. For good reason too. A few ships outfitted with the substance could completely change the course of a naval battle -- there were few things more deadly to a ship than fire itself. More than that, it was something that was rarely used to ensure that the Romans enemies never got the chance to steal it or adapt to its use in battle.

The fact that it was brought to this battle told me all that I needed to know. Strategos Tatzates had been prepared to attack us. He had been prepared to burn my fleet in addition to the pirates. For that, I couldn't fault him. In the end, we were not trusted allies. If I had access to the same substance and there was a chance, however slight, that my fleet could end up facing four to one odds if my supposed ally joined with our common enemy? No, bringing the Greek Fire was completely understandable.

What was far more important was Strategos Tatzates' intentions overall. Had he used it as a display of power? A warning to not test his might? Or, if I had given him an opportunity, would he have happily burned us alongside the pirates? Or perhaps he was simply a fool that wanted to see the Greek Fire in action and carelessly revealed what could have been a secret weapon to me?

I didn't know. I would soon learn, but for now, all I had was possibilities.

"Hoffer knows his stuff," Thorkel acknowledged as my flagship reached the docks to the small settlement. The pained cries of the dying and wounded echoed through the air. "Sure the light show helped things along nicely, but he had things in hand before then," he continued as we stepped onto a wooden pier that had been of shoddy construction even before age had worn it down. Every plank squeaked and groaned under my feet, with more than a few planks missing from rot.

Glancing over my shoulder, I saw the mass of ships being untangled. Their bows were slick with blood, with the surviving pirates being put on ships that had their rudder and sails removed. There wasn't a place to hold them in the settlement, so a handful of boats in the harbor would serve as a temporary prison camp. The official tally had yet to come in, but with a passing glance, I would say the pirates numbers had been cut down by a third.

Our own losses had been rather light. With careful organization and positioning, Hoffer and his men took the pirates ship by ship while the archers picked off those that were exposed. Things had been going well, but when the pirates saw the burning ships and heard the screaming… they surrendered in droves.

"It's difficult to call this a true test, but he did well," I admitted, stepping into the settlement. The air was thick with the scent of blood, and I saw clumps of red sand between the ramshackle houses that flanked the roads. The bodies had already been dragged away to where Olek would start burning them after stripping them down. I don't think the battle had even been over before he started clearing the corpses. "The Muslims will be a greater test, but I'm confident that he'll rise to the occasion."

Thorkel hummed, "Alfic is the odd one out now. He hasn't said anything, but I know he's noticed that he hasn't received an official command yet."

An issue I would have to deal with sooner or later, but for now, other matters had my attention. Such as the settlement itself. "I'll think of something for Alfic… but this settlement could work," I ventured as we walked through it. It was lacking defensive terrain, which was a glaring issue. Olek had proven that much. If there had been a simple hill, Olek's approach would have been noticed and the sneak attack would have been foiled.

"The harbor is its main appeal. Don't know anything about farming, so I can't really say anything there," Thorkel replied, offering a shrug as we steadily made our way to one of the more central buildings. The pirates hadn't chosen the location at random. The natural harbor had been noticed by them, and before them, it had been noticed by a Roman ancestor that had decided to put his villa here. It was the lone building that stood made of stone, though it was in an obvious state of disrepair. There were a few smaller buildings dotted around it, but those had long since collapsed or the stone used in them had been cannibalized for repairs or other makeshift housing.

It had been a long time since I used it, but I brought up the Fertility Map. The last time I had used it… I had been using it to plot out my farm. Something that felt like a lifetime ago.

The soil wasn't great, I immediately noticed. It was marked with a dark shade of yellow, closer to red than not. It slowly got better further inland, but overall, I would say that it was better for grazing than crops. What I was looking for was green fertility -- because the settlement would be where we built ourselves up. More than anything else, that meant we needed self-sufficiency. We needed to be able to grow enough food for at least two thousand men. Maybe more, because I imagined we would need thralls or servants to maintain things.

Thorkel was right, I decided, marching up the stone steps to the villa. The natural harbor was the biggest appeal, almost enough to balance out the other issues, but it wasn't enough to make this plot of land our settlement. "I'll have scouts sailing up the coast. Ideally, I'd prefer it if we were further away from the one notable Roman settlement on the island -- Chania. But, we didn't see much in the way of good harbors," I added, pushing the large double doors open, the hinges squealing in protest to reveal further signs of battle.

No loot had been taken. The disciplinary measures I had instilled were still in full effect, even if I was pretty sure the occasional warrior would still pocket something every now and then. Which left what had been an impressive villa mostly intact from our assault, meaning that any desecration came from the pirates rather than us.

"It might be best to give up hope on any substantial farmland. We can fish and we can raise cattle or goats. The latter would fit better," Throkel advised, and I could see his point. I would hold out hope for everything that I was looking for, but defensive terrain was the most important thing on the list. A harbor was a very close second. "And I've just been following you, but… what exactly are we doing here?"

I gave Thorkel a ghost of a smile, "Do you think a known haven of pirates like this could exist without some kind of permission?" I asked him as we stepped up a set of old stained stone stairs. It was a pity, I decided. The villa had fallen into a terrible state of disrepair -- filth and grime gathered, dark spots of old blood had layered until the entire floor was coated with it. The villa was half a tavern now, as far as I could tell.

"I've learned to put nothing past these Romans," Thorkel answered, earning a chuckle from me. I spotted a set of important looking doors on the second floor, and I knew what I was looking good for would be behind them. My reasoning was pretty simple -- in a hierarchy of power, especially one as unstable as could be expected from dozens upon dozens of bands of pirates, leaders would need to project their power in whatever way they could. Such as taking the most important rooms for themselves.

"The battle would have been worse without us, but it would have been manageable for them. They just never bothered. Either they didn't care enough… or enough people benefited that the issue wasn't seen as an issue," I continued, pushing the doors open to see a bedroom. I had no idea who it belonged to, but the odd collection of treasures convinced me that I was in the right place, even if I didn't know exactly what I was looking for.

Thorkel made a sound of acknowledgement, then paused. "Jill?" He ventured with a smile.

"Jill," I agreed. I had just echoed her reasoning. It made sense to me. I figured that it was a similar case with Greece -- that they simply didn't have the strength to spare to enforce their rule, but Jill had put forth another possibility. However, it was my own idea to find something that I could use, even if it had been inspired by Strategos Tatzates himself.

True Vision made the world turn a dull grayish blue color as I inspected the bedroom, my gaze instantly catching the dazzling gold of a desk drawer. Approaching it, I pulled it free, only to see that the bottom of the drawer was now marked gold- ah. The bottom was too shallow, I realized, emptying it out and flipping it over so the false bottom would come out. Inside wasn't any treasure, but there were letters. Grabbing one as True Vision faded out, I saw that they were written in Latin.

'Lord Lucius is expecting a shipment of fine pottery and wine -- a gift for Lord Mayor Silas. The ship will leave the harbor by tomorrow morning, heading to the island of Samos.

Lord Mayor, Mimir'

The text was short and direct, each letter written on a slip of parchment that could be carried by a messenger bird. Some looked old, old enough that the parchment had yellowed. There were dozens of them, more than a hundred even. Not all of them were written in Latin. Some were in Greek and a few were even in an odd squiggly script that I knew to be Arabic. Those I couldn't read. However, I knew what they all were.

Damning evidence that the lord and ruler of Crete had been working with the pirates to pick off ships that were carrying luxurious goods. And not just him. Mimir was one of the few that left his name, but I saw no less than a dozen different hands penning the letters.

"Found something interesting?" Thorkel asked as I flipped through the parchment, sorting them out by handwriting and language.

"Something that could be useful in the near future," I replied. Jill would want to see these first. She would have a much better idea of what to do with them than I would. Stacking them up, I stashed them away before I heard the sound of approaching footsteps. Athrun, the leader of my scouts, appeared in the doorway.

"The Strategos is landing. He means to speak with you," He informed me. I nodded, having expected that much. Now that the attack hadn't ended in a disastrous failure, I was suddenly worth his attention.

"A victory like that is all it takes to impress him?" I muttered under my breath before I caught a look from Thorkel with my expanded vision. "What?"

"You have a pretty warped view of what counts as an easy battle," Thorkel answered easily as we stepped out of the room and I saw that the hall was being cleared with important prisoners being gathered. The former leaders of the settlement, I figured.

I frowned at him, "I do?" I echoed, looking to Athrun for confirmation.

He nodded, "You do." He didn't elaborate and Thorkel let out a bark of laughter at my scowl.

"A battle like that should have been a slugging match for regular forces, Sieg. But we went through them like a knife through butter," Thorkel elaborated as we descended the stairs. "More often than not, we're fighting against twice our number or against monsters like those Paladins. So a bunch of pirates look simple in comparison." I suppose he had a point there. I had been rather… disappointed with what I had been finding when it came to our enemies lately. While I didn't relish the opportunity of fighting an equal foe, it had been some time since I fought in a battle that felt like it was worth the name.

I didn't have a chance to reply because a few seconds later, the Romans announced their arrival. A good dozen guards walked around a single man -- Strategos Tatzates. He was a short man, I noticed now that we stood on equal footing. I was fifteen and I already had a few inches on him. His rich clothing was rounded at his gut, a sword in his belt, while gold rings adorned every finger.

He looked between Thorkel, then Athrun, before his gaze finally settled on me. His expression was passive, almost disinterested before he threw on a warm welcoming smile that almost didn't look fake. "You live up to your reputation, Wolf-Kissed," he flattered in accented Greek. He knew the language, but it was clear that he favored Latin. "A ferocious battle, but a clear victory for us."

Us. He said the word in the same tone that most people would use for I.

"You honor me with your words," I replied, defaulting on being polite. Unlike Chares, Strategos Tatzates was nobility -- more than that, he was high nobility. Much like the Frankish Dukes, but from what I had seen, he was more of a military commander who had civil administrative duties. He wasn't someone I could displease without consequence.

"Now my favorite part begins -- the loot," he began, a cold look in his eye. "Many of the trade goods have been stolen, so they would need to be repossessed by the Empire." He began, and I could see the lie coming a mile away. I wasn't surprised by the blatant greed. If anything, I fully expected it.

If I tried to argue for a portion of the trade goods, he could easily claim that I was trying to steal from the Roman Empire's pocket. Effectively killing any argument that I could try to make for a fair split of the goods.

I was bought a moment to think of a reply, and to swallow my first retort down when one of the prisoners spoke up. He exclaimed something in a language I didn't recognize. I had heard it before, I realized, in the markets of Constantinople. Arabic, I think. The prisoner shouted it at Strategos Tatzates, and he looked over to him. One Roman guard cuffed the prisoner on the back of the head before the Strategos glanced at me.

He knew Arabic. It was just a hunch, but as someone who hid the fact that I could understand Latin, I could see him pretending that he didn't understand. And, frustratingly, I couldn't. I had prioritized learning how to read Greek, and based on what I had heard, only the upper crust of the Abbasids spoke Arabic with most of the population speaking something else… Which made it rather interesting, didn't it?

Why would a random pirate speak Arabic to the Strategos?

"It is only natural to return stolen property," I replied dryly, deciding that it wasn't worth the fuss. Behind the group, I saw a handful of my people approaching, just in case negotiations soured. More importantly, with my expanded vision, I caught a glimpse of Morrigan above. I suppose she must have climbed up the side of the building, but her vantage gave her a good look at Strategos Tatzates. I might not be able to understand Arabic, but Morrigan would be able to see their connection. "For the riches they had plundered… I am willing to wave off my share."

Greed. No… not greed. Gluttony.

Otto gave me a parable, back when he was teaching me about the Bible. About the dangers of the sin of Gluttony. I had considered it to be a good thing -- to eat your fill was normal. Natural even. However, he corrected my thinking and told me that gluttony was one of the most dangerous sins exactly because it seemed reasonable.

To be a glutton was to gorge yourself in excess. It was not eating until you were full or having enough. It was taking food out of other people's mouths and feasting upon it when you were already full to the point of bursting. Similarly, the sin of Greed was not merely valuing money, but valuing it so highly that you refused to part with it and ruthlessly plotted to take whatever wealth you could find from everyone around you.

Strategos Tatzates was a rich man. He was a powerful man. An influential man. Yet, here he was, posturing to spite a rival, haggling over wealth that I doubt he would even notice if it entered or left his coffers. Stealing my glory and valor for the sake of more influence, even if everyone would know the victories were mine.

I had his measure, now. The man was greedy and a glutton.

"In exchange for what?" He asked, making no secret of his suspicion.

"The prisoners and the ships. I will be using them both to build my settlement," I replied evenly. In terms of value, I was asking for the lion’s share. Ships were costly to build. Thralls were costly to purchase. The ships themselves were of little interest to me -- they were far too slow and their hulls ran too deep. But they could be broken down for their wood, which was something that Crete lacked entirely. Supposedly it once had great forests, but the gods of this land took them away from the people that had once lived here, according to the stories.

The prisoners would be good thralls. If I had to build a settlement from scratch, then there would be no shortage of hard labor and it was better to use them than my own men.

Strategos Tatzates stroked his beard, considering the offer for a moment. "I can accept this deal," he decided. I could see him quietly considering if he should push further, but with the arrival of my men at the entrance of the villa, he decided not to.

"I am glad to hear it," I replied. It was annoying to give up my rightful share, but we got the greater value even if I knew the men would be less than pleased. I would have to dip into my coffers to ensure that they felt paid for their work. "I had anticipated greater resistance here, but our losses are light. Would you be amenable to attacking the Muslims now? Before word can reach them."

It was a smart decision tactically. In a day, we could cleanse the island of foreign influence. Well, except for me, of course.

But, I knew the answer as soon as I saw him smile.

"Your eagerness does you credit, but it would be unwise to attack the Muslims. Deniable or not, I'm certain that there are members of the Abbasid Caliphate who believe the settlement to be entirely legitimate. An attack on them would be an attack on the Abbasids as it were, and that could very well provoke a war," he said and I clenched my jaw.

The Romans were the very worst part of Rome, I thought, and it wasn't the first time or the last time.

I knew exactly what he was doing.

"Perhaps a letter to the Caliph would be in order?" I suggested, and Strategos Tatzates laughed as if I made a particularly clever joke. It was frustrating. No, it was more than frustrating-- it was downright maddening. I wanted to grab the man and shake him by his shoulders and scream at him until I was blue in the face.

Crushing the pirates would provoke a reaction from the Muslim 'pirates' and the Abbasids, if Strategos Tatzates was to be believed. They wouldn't welcome increased military build up on the island, or the construction of a fortress. Crushing both of them would give us room to breathe and to prepare, but leaving the Muslim pirates on the island left us vulnerable. And that was the point.

It wasn't breaking the deal between us, but it was going against the spirit of it.

"I shall petition his Imperial Majesty on the matter," Strategos Tatzates said, and I knew that was a bald-faced lie. He was leaving me here after having kicked the hornet's nest. Which wouldn't be a problem, but I knew if I attacked the Muslim pirates openly, then the blame would fall on me. However, if we were attacked -- and we certainly would be -- then the blame would be on the Abbasids.

We were being left here to act as the trigger for the start of a war.

I didn't respond, not trusting myself to say anything, and Strategos Tatzates simply chuckled in place of a farewell before he walked away. I closed my eyes and took a calming breath, "Morrigan. Tell me you found something," I all but demanded as she strutted down the stairs, seemingly pleased with herself. That took the edge off of my frustration.

She turned her golden gaze to the pirates. "Oh, I did indeed."

That's exactly what I wanted to hear.