160: Attack of pirates!

Attack of pirates!

"ATTACK BY THE PIRATES! PIRATE SHIP HAS BEEN SIGHTED; THEY ARE HEADING TO THE VILLAGE!" bellowed one of the tower watchmen at the top of his lungs, his voice rising over the resounding clang of the bell. 

"Run!" 

Anastasia watched as the villagers hastily scrambled and fled, heading straight to their houses for refuge. The sound of doors and windows being securely closed and firmly banging shut echoed through the air. 

"Damn these pirates again!" The village elder's voice was laced with anger as he cursed them, exclaiming, "Always coming here and stealing our possessions and tearing apart our families. We tried to oppose them, but it was futile and resulted in the loss of many lives. You both should take shelter."

"Jacinthia!" A woman's distressed cry pierced the air as her eyes darted left and right, searching for her young daughter. "Carlos, Jacinthia isn't here!"

"Where did you last see her?!" The village elder became worried. At the same time, Mr. Flores joined them where they were as the village gradually descended into an eerie silence, broken only by the continuous toll of the bell, which eventually ceased. 

"S—she was probably in the meadow. It is near the bay," said the woman. 

"I will go look for Jacinthia," Anastasia volunteered, causing the nearby men who were still lingering outside and yet to seek shelter in their houses to raise their eyebrows. She turned to look at Dante, and he said, 

"I will go see the pirates, then." 

One of the village men looked flabbergasted at the willingness of these young individuals to stand up against the pirates. He said, "You have no idea how ruthless these pirates are! Do you intend to get caught and used by others again?" 

"Benson, be careful with your words; that's my daughter you are talking about," Mr. Flores warned the man, who was slightly older than him. 

Benson's expression darkened as he said, "Just because no one said anything about it doesn't mean it hasn't happened. Girls and women are the ones who get abducted, surely not with the intent of making them their daughters, but—"

"Looks like you have little regard for your own life," Dante remarked, shooting a piercing glare at the man. "For your own sake, it would be wise for you not to finish that sentence. Anastasia is purer than the spring water found in the mountains." 

Mr. Flores was taken aback by Dante's words, noticing how he staunchly stood up for his daughter without care for whom he was crossing. 

But Benson didn't heed Dante's words, his ego wounded by the fact that a young man like Dante was attempting to lecture him, and he retorted, "You think I will be scared of you just because you have some muscles? I am telling you for your own good that it is better that you don't get involved and think you can take on the pirates."

The village elder agreed with Benson, saying, "Dante, they are wicked and vicious. And there are far too many for you or any of us to face them alone. These are the same pirates who took Stella, Anna, and Mary from here."

"Then it is all the more reason to meet them," Dante said in a nonchalant tone. 

"Shit, they are here!" Benson commented as the pirates appeared in their view. At first, five figures emerged, and then their numbers grew to ten, twenty, and beyond. 

Dante turned to look at Anastasia and said, "Be careful." 

Anastasia smiled, glad to know that he trusted her decision. Sensing her father's eyes on her, she turned to meet his gaze and reassured him, "Please stay here, Papa. I will be fine."

Mr. Flores hesitated, not wanting to leave his daughter's side, worried she would be taken away from him once more. However, her earnest 'please' had conveyed her insistence that he stay, almost as if she wanted him to be where Dante was, and it made him frown. 

Before long, she set out to find the little girl and get to her before she could be caught by one of the pirates, who spread out around the village like swarming insects. 

Dante walked towards the pirates, positioning himself between them and the village men. His eyes settled on the leader, whose beard was intricately braided from his chin downwards and whose rugged face bore many scars. Amusement flickered across the face of the pirate leader, and he asked with a gruff tone, 

"Carlos, have you decided to sacrifice this man due to your own desperation or because you think we are in need of men?" His words drew laughter from those behind him.

The village elder discreetly instructed his own men, "Fetch the weapons quickly!"

"Hugh, what kind of trouble have you been brewing in your house to keep a man like this? He could be the reason we all get killed today," Benson demanded in a voice brimming with anger, striding away to the shed to fetch the axes and sickles. 

Mr. Flores quietly watched Dante's back. He knew his daughter was safe due to her abilities, and she wasn't one to be overconfident, but if she had left the young man here, it meant he possessed at least some basic experience in fighting. 

"They must have placed him here to scare us, Boss," one of the pirates snickered. 

"And a pretty one at that!" A collective chuckle rippled through the ranks of the pirates. 

"These young brats don't know when to quit!" One of the village men cursed their luck, including Dante, who stood not far from them. "He's going to get all of us killed." 

"Gather the men to fight. I don't think the pirates will be leaving without a fight anymore," the village elder expressed with dread. Most of the young men had either left the village for work or were out trying to retrieve the missing. 

The pirate leader stared at Dante, spitting disdainfully on the ground, before he questioned, "Why does it feel like I have seen you before, hm?" 

Unlike the people from Hawkshead, Dante looked calm and unruffled. He stood at ease, prompting the pirate leader's eyes to narrow. He began to roll up his sleeves and replied, "Maybe you have, and if you were aware of who I was, you would be hightailing and running from this place by now." 

"Empty threats don't work on us," one of the pirates retorted, charging towards Dante with the intention of causing him damage. 

Dante possessed the ability to finish every single one of them in less than ten seconds, and despite having only recently fought Magnus and the Elder ministers, his thirst for combat remained unquenched. The moment the pirate swung his fist at him, he swiftly caught hold of the assailant's hand and deftly twisted it behind the man's back. 

"AHH! LET GO OF MY HAND!" the pirate yelped, struggling to free himself. But Dante had him in tight grip, and the merest shift from the pirate threatened to dislocate his arm from his shoulder. 

"I am thankful for the one good thing you did many years ago." Dante expressed his appreciation to the pirate leader. As twisted as it was, that event had brought Anastasia to him, but he harboured no fondness for the exploitation of the weak and vulnerable. "I will hasten the passage to Hell for all of you." With those words, he raised his own hand and struck the juncture between the pirate's neck and shoulder. 

Dante threw the pirate to the ground, whose life fled from him in an instant, and he cracked his knuckles. 

Annoyed by this young man's audacity, the pirate leader turned to his men and commanded, "Get him! I want him crippled!" 

"Did the pirate die or fall unconscious?!" Benson asked, his eyes wide with astonishment. "Is Dante an assassin?" 

"Who cares?" Mr. Flores replied, picking up one of the metal rods before advancing to fight with the pirates who continued to invade their village. 

Gradually, the other village men found a little courage and began joining the fray one by one. Having battled demons not long before, this skirmish was a walk in the meadow for Dante, and he killed every opponent without using his demonic abilities. The more he fought, the more the villagers' admiration for him grew. The pirates launched brutal attacks, showing little concern for who got hurt in the process. 

As the centre of the village bustled with activity, Anastasia continued her search for the little girl. She called the girl's name, "Jacinthia! Jacinthia, where are you?" 

"Sister Anna! Hel—" The little girl's voice was abruptly stifled. 

Anastasia frowned, and without hesitation, she veered to her right in the direction of where the voice had come from. She caught sight of a pirate carrying the girl over his shoulder, triggering a momentary flashback to the day when she and her sister had been carried away from the village in the same manner. 

From where Anastasia stood, something slithered beneath the ground, moving quickly and catching the pirate off guard when the vines emerged from the earth and wrapped themselves around his feet. 

"What the fuck is this?!" the pirate demanded, pulling out his dagger in an attempt to free himself. However, another vine snaked around his wrist, thwarting his efforts. In the end, he had no choice but to drop the girl to the ground. 

However, it wasn't just a lone pirate present; three more appeared, converging to grab the little girl. Before they could execute their intentions, the vines intervened, tripping them and suspending them upside down from a tree, which startled the girl. 

"Get us down! What are these damn things?!" one of them shouted as they struggled to regain their footing, while shocked. 

Anastasia quickly reached the girl and asked, "Are you alright, Jacinthia?" 

Frightened, the girl nodded and hesitantly questioned, "What are those things?"

"That…" Anastasia gave it a thought before replying. "Vines that can move and sometimes get hungry," she explained with a smile, feeling the girl hug her for protection. 

"Hungry?" The little girl turned to Anastasia before looking in the direction where the three pirates hung from the tree.

"This one is for the past," Anastasia whispered. Soon, three chompers appeared right below the suspended pirates. 

"Fucking shit! What the hell is that?!" one of them exclaimed, and this time, instead of trying to free themselves, they attempted to scramble up the vine and climb onto the tree. 

"Stealing young girls from their homes, and yet you don't seem to think it is wrong for the mere gain of a handful of coins and temporary pleasure," Anastasia addressed them, her voice steady and composed. "My pets are hungry, having not had anything to eat for a few days." 

The chomper snapped its teeth, read to shred and consume the humans. One of the pirates quickly interjected, "We won't do it again! No more piracy!"

"Yes! Yes!" chorused the other two pirates, while the fourth one finally managed to free himself, flinging a dagger at Anastasia. 

Anastasia moved aside to dodge the blade, locking her gaze on the man who scowled back at her. The man charged towards her, skillfully evading the vines by jumping and hopping around them. However, he missed his step when a bee suddenly appeared directly before his face. 

Two more bees materialised, swiftly followed by an entire swarm. The sight of the approaching insects prompted the pirate to pivot and run as fast as he could. Anastasia shielded the girl's face so that she wouldn't witness what was about to unfold, and soon after, the bees descended upon the man, causing him to scream his lungs out until he collapsed onto the ground. 

"I am not with these people! I am a recently recruited member!" shouted one of the hanging pirates, desperate to avoid sharing the same fate as the one who just died.  0

"I have no guarantee whether you will or will not continue with this line of work," Anastasia replied to the pirate.

"Give me a chance to prove it! Just one chance! I beg you, spare my life!" the individual pleaded earnestly. 

Anastasia observed them closely, her attention drawn to the scars marring their skin, which didn't look fresh. As the chompers closed their jaws, a wave of relief washed over the pirates. She turned around and heard another pirate ask, "Are you not going to let us down? I mean, after these—" 

When the vines loosened their hold around their legs, the men felt their hearts leap into their throats, while at the same time, the chompers receded back into the ground. 

"From now on, you will safeguard this village, and if you so much as think of committing another crime, you will meet the same fate as your comrade," Anastasia warned the men, who remained seated on the ground. "Do you understand?" 

"Yes!" The men, their faces etched with wariness, responded out of fear of being eaten alive by a plant or attacked by this formidable woman. 

Anastasia began to walk back, holding the little girl's hand, and when she noticed the men still sitting there looking stumped, she asked, "Why aren't you following me? We must return to the village."

Meanwhile, at the centre of the village, a fierce battle raged on between the pirates and the villagers.

Dante drove his elbow right into a pirate's stomach before clocking the man's face. From the corner of his eyes, he detected a shift in the pirate leader's expression, and he realised this earthling had demon blood coursing through his veins. 

The pirate leader's fingers transformed into claws, and he grabbed the village elder's throat, ready to choke him to death. His stance and appearance sent a shiver through the villagers, causing them to stumble backwards. A hush fell over the scene again, and the villagers exchanged anxious glances amongst themselves while the remaining pirates erupted into laughter. 

"We don't take more than what's due, but you dumb people wanted to fight. Acting so tough when you are nothing but weaklings!" The pirate leader derided the timid villagers, his laughter ringing at their expense. "Watch what I do next, because all of you will be dying this way today."

Concern etched across Mr. Flores's features as he watched the village elder, who was his dear friend, and he couldn't bear the thought of standing idly by and doing nothing as he witnessed him lose his life. Just when the pirate leader tightened his grip on Carlos's neck, Mr. Flores heard someone snap their fingers beside him. The very next moment, the pirate leader exploded into a violent spray of blood, which stained the ground crimson and splattered onto the village elder, eliciting gasps of horror from Carlos and those nearby. 

Shock filled the faces of everyone present, none comprehending what had just happened or whether the pirate leader's trick had catastrophically backfired on him. Hastily, the pirates fell back, bolting towards their ship as quickly as their feet could carry them. 

"W—what…?"

Mr. Flores's neck stiffened, and he slowly swivelled to his right to catch sight of Dante standing in close proximity. His eyebrows furrowed, and when the young man turned to meet his suspicious gaze, he noticed the red hue of his eyes. It was him. 

"Mama!" The little girl ran towards her mother, who enveloped her in a hug. The men redirected their attention towards the approaching pirates following behind Anastasia, and Dante watched her with curiosity before making his way towards them alongside the others. 

"Catch those pirates!" one of the villagers cried. 

Anastasia raised her hands and said, "It seems these men were forced into joining the crew and doing the pirates' bidding." She paused for a second, ensuring she had everyone's attention before continuing, "We had a little talk, and they are willing to guard the village from now on. They are ready to turn over a new leaf and become men who will protect rather than inflict harm."

It was obvious from the expression on the three pirates' faces that they looked terrified of something that the villagers couldn't fathom. 

"Pirates don't change their skin! Treachery and thievery are embedded deeply within their very souls," someone from the rear called. The proclamation prompted those who had been hiding inside their houses to emerge. 

Anastasia said, "They have acknowledged their wrongdoing, and everyone deserves a second chance. If they attempt to cause harm, they are aware that mercy won't be granted again. Everyone deserves a chance if they are willing to change for the better and prove themselves."

"What about all those times they've stolen our daughters from this village? How will you rectify that? Have you no feelings for your own sister who died?" Benson challenged her. "You are a fool to think—"

Dante seized Benson by his collar, his gaze intense as he glared down at him. "Clearly, you didn't understand me the first time when I told you not to disrespect her." He didn't take it too kindly when someone demeaned those he loved and held dear. 

Benson cowered in fear as Dante loomed above him, and something in the way he looked at him scared the life out of him. He stuttered, "H—Hugh, do something!"

Mr. Flores seemed lost in contemplation before he addressed Dante, "Let the man go, son." Benson hastily adjusted his collar, and when he opened his mouth to speak again, he was abruptly interrupted. "If you think I am going to stand here and listen to you belittling my daughter, you have something else coming for you, Benson."

The village elder noticed something dangerous emitting from the young man who had recently arrived in the village. He was in awe after watching him fight the pirates with so much ease. He instructed, "Keep a watch on these three, and we will decide on what to do with them. Our priority is to get the remaining pirates before they escape and return with a greater problem in the future."

"Allow me to track them down, Carlos." Dante's tone shifted from threatening to polite. And although he sounded like he was asking permission, he promptly began to move in the direction the pirates had fled. 

Anastasia said, "I will go with him in case he gets injured," and she ran after him. 

"Wait! Did she forget she's a woman?!" one of the villagers asked. "Felipe, go with them if they need—"

"They will be fine by themselves. We should tend to everyone's wounds," Mr. Flores suggested before waving his hand and looking in the direction where his daughter and the young man had disappeared.

By the time the sun had set in Hawkshead, Dante and Anastasia had returned untouched and unscathed. Despite the pirate ship being anchored in the bay, the pirates were unable to get close enough to board it. 

At the sight of Dante, the villagers erupted into cheers. "Dante, where did you learn to fight like that?" a young man asked with curiosity. 

Anastasia knew this topic would come up, and a barrage of questions would soon pour in, and all they could do was take things one step at a time. She heard Dante answer, 

"I took part in a few battles." 

"No wonder!" someone else remarked. 

Upon reaching the Flores's house, Anastasia heard her father say, "Dante Blackthorn. It appears we need to have a conversation. Follow me." 

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