If there was one thing Valthor enjoyed about sailing with pirates, it was their flexibility. Naval ships and merchantmen had very strict rules, procedures, and loyalties. Pirates, on the other hand, would cheerfully flee an engagement if it seemed to be going badly. Alternatively, if they were overmatched and knew it in advance, they felt free to set up ambushes, deploy dirty tricks, or wait for reinforcements rather than risking their ships. It was a perspective that he legitimately understood.
Which was, in a way, how he found himself fighting his way up through the decks of a Seravandrian sloop, the same one that had tried to hunt them down a few weeks earlier. It wasn't just that the Captain wanted to warn the wood elves away from the ring of islands and the lands beyond them; he wanted to take the ship for the pirates, and Valthor was entirely in favor of that as well. On top of that, his lover Kiela was part of the group that would be clearing the top decks and possibly fighting their way down, and if it got past them the warship was likely to take its frustrations out on Sneaksail Bay. Valthor needed both of them intact.
Sure, there was fire and chaos and a certain danger of gunpowder kegs spontaneously exploding, but that was what kept the job interesting. The cannoneers were easy prey, but the guards on the upper decks were more formidable. And the challenge was to take the ship while still keeping it intact, which was considerably harder than just sinking it.
If they succeeded, there would be a new warship available to the pirates -- along with the cannons, powder, and shot. There would be Elvish officers that they could ransom. And Sneaksail Bay would hopefully be grateful enough to help them get to their next goal: mermaids tears.
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