Cylus 6, 718
Justice or not, there was a downside to the promise of the gallows for piracy. Those of that "trade" tended to fight with savage abandon, knowing what surrender offered. And it was not just the lives of the crew that were involved in this predicament. The ship itself, and all its ill-gotten cargo, was not something a pirate was willing to give up, even dead.
The temporary upside to this was that as three of the crew went below to dump the pair of oil kegs for this very purpose, that was three less combatants on deck. The advantage yielded swift gains. But by the time the Biqaj turned the tide of battle of there, the battle was being lost below. It simplified things for them though. As much as they'd have liked to gain the cargo from the pirate vessel, the lives of their fellows was more important.
The smell of smoke now added its own spice to the smells of battle, ship and sea, as the bulk of the pirate force was finally cut down. The three crewmen were even more suicidal in their attacks, faced with the choice of a gauntlet of Biqaj above, or burning alive below. All the pirates knew they were going to die, and aimed to take as many Biqaj with them as they could.
But having realized the impending loss of the vessel, the Biqaj made short work of them. The ballista crew stopped loading the weapon, and made ready to assist the fighting on the enemy vessel. It was soon obvious that such would not be necessary. The pirates were all either dead or wounded; the latter being put out of their misery here and now, to spare them a burning death or the bother of a needless trial, which could only end in a hanging.
Rough fellowship and humor was exchanged between the Biqaj as they helped their wounded to the bow, where the chain on the ballista bolt allowed it to be pulled close for the spanning of a ramp from vessel to vessel. Those not hampered by injuries, or tasked with aiding those that HAD injuries, naturally chose to swing back on pre-hooked grappling lines.
Some few went below and grabbed a small measure of loot. Much more was dragged to the stairs, but then abandoned as not worth the risk. There was no retrieving the ballista bolt, and the intent was to spare what length of chain they could and shove the soon-to-be-burning vessel away and watch its slow consumption to the waterline. No one gave much thought to whatever else might still be on board, as one of the girls was sent to fetch the link spreader, essentially the reverse of pliers, with long handles for greater leverage.
The temporary upside to this was that as three of the crew went below to dump the pair of oil kegs for this very purpose, that was three less combatants on deck. The advantage yielded swift gains. But by the time the Biqaj turned the tide of battle of there, the battle was being lost below. It simplified things for them though. As much as they'd have liked to gain the cargo from the pirate vessel, the lives of their fellows was more important.
The smell of smoke now added its own spice to the smells of battle, ship and sea, as the bulk of the pirate force was finally cut down. The three crewmen were even more suicidal in their attacks, faced with the choice of a gauntlet of Biqaj above, or burning alive below. All the pirates knew they were going to die, and aimed to take as many Biqaj with them as they could.
But having realized the impending loss of the vessel, the Biqaj made short work of them. The ballista crew stopped loading the weapon, and made ready to assist the fighting on the enemy vessel. It was soon obvious that such would not be necessary. The pirates were all either dead or wounded; the latter being put out of their misery here and now, to spare them a burning death or the bother of a needless trial, which could only end in a hanging.
Rough fellowship and humor was exchanged between the Biqaj as they helped their wounded to the bow, where the chain on the ballista bolt allowed it to be pulled close for the spanning of a ramp from vessel to vessel. Those not hampered by injuries, or tasked with aiding those that HAD injuries, naturally chose to swing back on pre-hooked grappling lines.
Some few went below and grabbed a small measure of loot. Much more was dragged to the stairs, but then abandoned as not worth the risk. There was no retrieving the ballista bolt, and the intent was to spare what length of chain they could and shove the soon-to-be-burning vessel away and watch its slow consumption to the waterline. No one gave much thought to whatever else might still be on board, as one of the girls was sent to fetch the link spreader, essentially the reverse of pliers, with long handles for greater leverage.