Chapter 4, part 2: The Eagershield Job,
Stovundin, Nom Sampai,
April, 86 AG/2915B.C./BCE
As the ship came up to the easternmost town. Bob had heard of the ruined cities that the native Sami now occupy and the Nordics that stay in their lands. Bob and his crew step onto the frosted harbor and the cold wind ran up their spines. Bob was used to Colorado weather in the winter as flashbacks of brisk mountain air welcomed him from heated buildings and hot coco. Reality kicked back in as Bittertooth tapped him on the shoulder to remind him that none of them are used to the cold for being Germen.
Bob started to bundle himself up more as he started to take the lead. As they walked through the ruined streets and the buildings that accompanied the Sami and Nordics that looked at the group with strange looks, Bob had to stop for a bit. He sat against a cracked wall as his eyesight started to get dizzy. Bittertooth tried to hoist him on his shoulder and cursed in German but Bob pointed to a building as the letters started to shift to English in his eyes.
" There's an inn up those stairs."
The other three looked at him with questioning looks but Bittertooth just led the way to the inn. The inn was something that was out of a fantasy book in Bob's eyes. There was a warm fire, warriors and sailors sat around round tables drinking mead, and even a bard sang foreign songs of myth and wonder to the patrons.
The four were welcomed in as weary travelers. Bob translated and told them to sit him down somewhere. As they sat, the bar maid came to them with a smile and wanted to take their order. Bob translated that they'll have mead, water, and two cups of milk. The serving wench was surprised that Bob's Sami was surprisingly good and ask if he was a trader. He gave a nod and said that they usually trade in various baubles.
The others around the table couldn't understand Bob for the life of them. To the Sami, he was speaking Sami but with a Germanic dialect to it. To Bob, it was like he was speaking English and she was speaking English but with a heavy Sami dialect. Bob at least gotten used to the idea that he can understand any language as an Immortal but his friends didn't. It was something that he had to rectify while they were here.
Bob asked the server if there's any spare rooms left. She told them no but there's another place closer to the docks that had rooms but she gave a warning that it was seedy. Bob told everyone and Bittertooth smiled inside as that's where he felt most at home. Bob said that we'll take our chances as they paid for their drinks and left to the streets.
Bob's eyes still strained with the transition of Sami letters and pictures to English but they did find the tavern. The tavern itself was more run down than the other tavern but it was still lively. Walking in Bob felt like he was watching a Spaghetti Western with all eyes were going to be on him but they didn't really care, some gave them passing glances but everyone was conducting their own businesses. The innkeep was just wiping the bar with a dirtied cloth.
The other four sat at a table while Bob asked the keep if they have a room. The keep pierced into the eyes of the thief and he saw the eyes of man who was living a hard life. He said we had a couple of rooms and he said that can work. After hearing that he paid for a couple of weeks and started to walk to one of the rooms.
Bob and his crew were all together and he decided to warm his hands as he started to speak. The crew asked him how long they were going to stay and he said only about a week but paid for two. Bittertooth said that this was where the pirate Eagershield usually has been seen on his longship before making attacks on Foxbeard's smuggling ships trying to cross the North Sea. Bob thought that it would be a good idea to start snooping around and see if there's a way to get any idea for pirates.
It's where Atoli, Katherine's sister, pointed it that they couldn't speak and didn't have the powers of an Immortal. Bob's eyes grew big when she said that but just smiled as he knew that they could at least keep the secret. Bittertooth just confirmed this as he told everyone about what you were able to do but he also knew that if Bob was the demon that the Imperium fears, then the crew didn't see it. Bob was a thief, that was true, but he held himself back in these regards and looks after his friends.
Bob just laughed a bit to think himself a Deceiver as he was still ignorant of the world and didn't even know what year he fell in this timeline. If anything, he told them that if a Immortal was still a human with some powers then they should be fine. He didn't know much about what happened nor won't go against his word that they will have clean lives. This was the sort of loyalty that Bob didn't know about, he could feel the commitment to the other three and can pull strength from it. In a way it made him forget about his workshop in Colorado but he understood what must be done.
Bob had to scout out as Gaslight but he started to add improvements to the costumes. He started to think about Katherine and Atoli as their alter egos of Lynx and Bobcat. The two had good costumes but, like the others, needed better protection if they were going to try and take down a pirate captain. To him, such a thing to prepare by himself was something he didn't want to do alone but it would probably be something he had to get used too in countries that his crew couldn't work.
One of the things he came to understand is that the Imperium had a stranglehold on the steel that was needed for good chainmail but one thing that could be made in some time and be of use was gambesons. Padded armor was just as good as leather, though it would mean that they would have to work around their costumes to a better layer of protection but lien was more common than cows in the Sami Kingdom.
It was hard to find good lien but he found a few layers that could be dyed and evened out for stealth operations. He grabbed a few layers and went back to the rooms to get the crew to get sewing. Katherine and Atoli were used to the idea of making adjustments to clothing and Bob was trying to get Bittertooth to at least dye the padding and hand it to Bob as he was making things evenly. It took a few days as Bob was getting rumors and the women were sewing the padding in the costumes evenly until it was time.
One week had passed and Bob had found a weakness in Eagershield's business. His first mate, a man by the of Olaf, was fed up with his boss and so were quite a number of other pirates that rowed the longship. Bob had decided that this was the time they should strike because the pirate captain was about to leave in a few days to hunt another smuggling ship. The padding was enough to help them to be protected from steel and iron weapons a bit but they wouldn't be able to swim, not that anyone knew how to in the first place.
From the tavern, that don on their costumes and felt a bit heavier than normal but it was better than nothing. They still snuck around in the darkness, masking their presence from the local guards as they hunted their prey. Olaf was captured and he was brought to the outskirts of the city. He awoke to being naked and sitting in the cold. The man was spouting curses in Sami till Bob told him that unless he wants to freeze in the cold. He stopped for a second but then continue with the curses.
Bob just shrugged as he told his crew to go in another language but changed his mind as he the cold shiver started to creep his spine and other important areas. Bob turned around and told him not to be cursing at the people that basically hold his life in their hands. Olaf asked if they were aligned with anyone and started to spout off names that Bob didn't know about until he got to Foxbeard. Bob merely gave a nod as Olaf asked if he was going to be taken down.
" Me and my crew don't kill." Bob said in Sami," though I have a proposition for you."
Olaf raised an eyebrow," what kind of proposition?"
" Heard you and some of your mates don't like the current ruling of your captain. Maybe you need some help and a patron?"
Olaf was very interested now. He asked what he could do with the pirates and Bob said that they weren't just thieves, but looking to start up a business and can make your longship better than it currently is. Olaf asked what he needed from him and Bob just said he needed numbers and his boss is what he wanted. It was then a deal was struck for Bob to have a pirate ship of his own.
Olaf let the thieves to his hideout where they crafted the Eagershield Job. Bob got the weapons and the ability to find a way to get in the Eagershield's pirate den in a large enough cave that had ramshackle infrastructure that was built off the backs of slaves. Such a thing wasn't uncommon for certain clans and pirates to take thralls and help them build bases of power away from the Sami. It seemed that the captain was rich by Sami standards.
When Bob heard of thralls, he clenched his fist tightly. His mind going back to the ideas of black slavery in his timeline but he took a deep breath as he had a job to do. As they found a hidden passage that Olaf introduced them to as they snuck in and took out any warriors and hide them somewhere in the shadows until they found a prison cell.
With in the cell was a man who was held down by iron bindings with three warriors watching him. Bob and Bittertooth split up with Atoli and Katherine as they were told by Bob to ambush them while they get the prisoner out. The prisoner was surprise to see costume women were able to fight trained warriors. The other two came in and wrestle them to the ground and killed them as Bob said that they saw you wanted out. The prisoner asked if his clan hired to save him but he looked down before Bob even said anything.
Bob said he can still let him out and run out because there's going to be a fight soon. The prisoner got close to the cells and said that he could help as a bowyer. That idea was enough for Bob to unlock the makeshift cell and undo the bindings. The Sami prisoner was thankful and offered his services to him. Bob asked if he thought that his clan came to get him. The bowyer said that the pirates raided his clan and took him as a slave as they slaughtered his clan.
Bob was taken aback a bit but he said that if he wanted vengeance then this would be the time. The bowyer got a quiver and a bow from the rack as he tested the strength of the string and said that he'll follow them. Bob asked if he was able to sneak and he said that he had some training but he was not a thief like the four. It was a fair enough point and he told the crew in Imperial that the prisoner will be with us and he's going to kill the pirates and be our range support.
The crew liked the idea as they snuck to Olaf and told him to get his boys ready. The first mate wondered why the prisoner was there and then he said that Bob took out some of his men. Bob mental cursed but as Gaslight he said that it didn't matter because they were knocked out and they were worth more than common pirates. Olaf just gave a sigh as he gave the signal and to start the fight.
It was a surprise to Eagershield as his Frist Mate was leading half of the crew against him. What doubly surprised him was the thief that Foxbeard hired was going after him. He tried to get his most trusted men but they were down as arrows hit through their ruined chainmail, killing them as Bob tackled him to the ground. The pirate was swift and manage to push off his assailant, only to meet the equally large Ironsides and they started to wrestle.
Reinforcements came and the other three were tangled with them but the girls showed surprising agility and dispatched them with the blunt of their steel weapons. Bob had a smile on his face but notice that Bittertooth was down and he had to beat the pirate himself. The pirate was strong. Some slashes could be dodged as he cut through air but there were those that nipped through the costume. Either by luck or skill, Bob managed to anticipate one attack. He sidestepped out of the way and gave a kick to the temple that made him stunned on the ground and another kick to the head to knock him out.
Bittertooth saw that and gave a nod as Bob helped him up. Olaf gave a victorious hoorah as the last of the Eagershield's pirates were either dead or were broken. After the clean-up, Olaf woke up some of his men and told him that they managed to get taken down by women and two men. Olaf was surprised that there were others that they had managed to get the drop on them. Bob had plundered the old bosses' treasure and he mentally checked that off his bucket list of things he wanted to do.
Olaf said that he will be the new captain but it would take some time to get some men up and running at full speed. Bob said that it was fine as he just wanted him to start plundering the enemies of Foxbeard. Olaf said he can do that and started to give him the info of Eagershield's benefactor, an Imperial by the name Tyzanik who is a native of the town of Walnous. He said that it would be best to do it as he has more profits than the Nord.
The Sami bowyer stared at the scene of battle that he participate in. Bob came over and said if he was happy and said gave a sigh,
" Not so much thief."
" Didn't you get your vengeance?" Bob asked
" I wanted them destroyed but I only saw a change in management." The bowyer turned to him.
" I wouldn't worry so much. The pirates need outside support and I already told him no more slavery. Besides there's much better coin than doing slavery. Speaking of which your skills with a bow was pretty good, maybe your looking for work?"
The Sami shook his head," I'm not looking to disgrace my ancestors any more than what I have done."
" A man who has his mind stuck with his ancestors forgot their sacrifice." Bob said.
" What in the Underworld do you know about sacrifice? Or ancestors for that matter?" The Sami said angerly
" I know that your and my ancestors protect us in our lives, they connect us to our gods no matter what religion we belive in. Just because I'm a thief doesn't mean that I have to steal from some innocent person who is just trying to get through this world." Bob retorted.
" Then tell me thief," the Bowyer pointed at him," why are you walking down the road of a criminal?"
" Because I wanted to get back at someone." Bob looked at him as he stared through the Sami's soul," I didn't want to be a thief but it just happened out of vengenace. After that I wanted to pay someone back, bust a freind out of jail, now I've taken over a pirate ship because I'm trying to get their lives back."
The Sami's eyes widened. He didn't expect Bob to actually be like this but he could feel a sense of animosity when he spoke about his profession. In a way, it did reminded him of a memory about his clan and he threw his hands up.
" I guess I will come with you for now thief but under one condition."
Bob gave a nod," what is it?"
" I want you to help me rebuild my clan."
Bob blinked," you want me to do what?"
The Bowyer just looked at him deadpan," you heard me."
Bob started to think about this. While it would be good to have a bowyer on his crew but he wouldn't know where to begin when it came to building a Sami or Nordic clan. Still, it was something he had to try since they may help further down the line.
" I don't know where to begin for politics but I promise to help you rebuild your clan, anyway that I can help."
The Sami in return pledge his loyalty to Gaslight and his crew. His name was Caundil of Clan Elhorn, last of his kind as far as he knew. Apparently he was both a hunter and a guide for Imperials before he was enslaved and that was convient for Bob and his crew. Bob introduce the newest memeber to the Sami and he spoke in some degree of broken, yet comprehensable Common that he the others could understand. Bob said that he will get a costume soon but they needed to get the pirate through one of Foxbeard's agents in Nom Sampai.
As the transfer was made, the captain was gagged because Bob couldn't stand his cursing but a job well done. The agent was delighted to see that the target was captured alive. The agent gave Gaslight a letter that the agent said that Foxbeard has another problem and it would be harder to get into. Bob just shrugged as he left back to the seedy inn and started to read the letter.
Foxbeard wanted to get a man by the name of False-Eye to "disappear" as he was a source of second-rate drugs and weapons that is arming the gangs that threaten the Nord. Bittertooth jumped out his chair at the mention of the name and snatched the letter from his leader. His ears weren't deceiving him as he saw the name. Bob saw him get angry and asked if he knew him. Bittertooth had to calm down but it wasn't helping as the flood of memories of his days as a bandit.
Like him, Bittertooth was a rehabilitated bandit but he went to the frontier that was Brittany and the last letter he got he was serving in the local garrison's somewhere. Bob remembered hearing that Brittany was in full rebellion and trying to infiltrate in a warzone is basically asking for bullets and cannonballs to kill them. Bittertooth argued back saying that Bob and this crew were the best thieves in the Imperium, they managed to take down pirates, fight Lawkeepers, and hideaway for months.
Bob told him that the military was different and it wasn't something that he couldn't do. He also noted that the rebellion was doomed from the start as no doubt the Great Company was marching on them as they spoke. Katherine said that Bittertooth is right, Gaslight and his crew are trying to be spies and did promise the Sami Bowmen that they were going to help rebuild his clan.
It did give Bob a pause and he turned his head away from them as he looked at the wall. He then give a nod, didn't like what he was going to do but a promise was a promise. The rebels are doomed in Bob's eyes but that sort of doom could help the crew to make connections, resources, and a challenge to see if the great Gaslight and crew to steal information from Imperial militaries for the rebels.
Caundil didn't care at all about the politics of the Imperium, only knowing that the Sami didn't like them and some feared their weaponry. It was a chance to see the mighty great war machine up close. He also noted that while Bob had rational fear, he was a skilled thief and his promises and friends did drive him to rise up to the challenge. When approached about this, Bob said that this crew is ran through a democracy of some sort but he makes up the plans and dictates the moves.
The Sami wasn't familiar with it but Bob just simplified it that he has a vote on what the crew should do and Bob will go with it unless there's something bad to it. Caundil understood it as a king with his court and Bob just shrugged claiming that he wasn't a king but he is the Mastermind so the analogy still worked to some extent. The Sami then voted that working for the rebels is probably the best course as well as the connections can help with what he and everyone else needed.
With that decided and the crew rested, he got Olaf and his refreshed crew to set sail to Brest for his next heist. He only hoped that they don't get killed by being in the crossfire.