A solitary figure stood at the prow of the ship, contemplatively looking at the shore in front of them. A sky blue cloak was draped around his shoulders, obscuring much of his body. His hair and beard were still a honeyed brown, though grey streaks were starting to rebelliously appear. Absentmindedly he smacked a wooden rod repetitively against his palm. The rod was short, not even a forearms length long, carved with symbols declaring that the owner held the rank of general in the Karthaginian army. Footsteps from behind him interrupted him.
You think we can take them General Carthalo? The newcomer asked with a nod towards the shore.
Carthalo studied the man in front of him without replying. The newcomer was Captain Achololim. Short, stocky, and rugged, he represented the epitome of the Karthaginian navy. Born in squalor, he took the one of the few options available to escape the hell-hole he grew up in, the navy. Years of fighting pirates earned him the interests of several powerful people who made sure he was eventually promoted to command of his own ship. When Carthalo was selecting the men to make up his force, he had tapped Achololim to act as his second-in-command and acting admiral for the fleet he had assembled.
Carthalo himself had traveled a much different path to get where he was at today. Born into one of the powerful twelve houses that ruled Karthage, it sometimes seemed that the gods themselves bent over backwards to ensure his path to greatness. Eventually he received governorship of Hegesta, which was one of the key cities in Karthages continual struggle against the pirates that plagued their shipping and impeded their expansion. As governor he had tirelessly worked to destroy the pirates. Tirelessly he had campaigned among the other nobles to give him enough men and galleys to take the pirate stronghold of Sardinia. The other nobles, suspicious of his constant cry for more men and ships, had been reluctant to give him either. Finally through his incessant begging, he was finally given the rank of general and the use of Karthages navy if he himself paid for the raising and training of the infantry out of his own pocket. This he had agreed to do. He certainly had the money, and what good was money if you couldnt spend it? Besides, a successful military invasion of Sardinia would enrich not only Karthages coffers, but his own as well.
Finding recruits had been the easy part. Once it became known that any veteran of his campaign would receive free land on Sardinia, he was flooded with recruits who only had their name and their pride to call their own. An experienced officer cadre was formed as retired army officers were lured in to serve one more time by the promise of wealth, land, and honor. With the help of these men, Carthalo turned his raw recruits into a formidable fighting force.
A polite cough brought him back into the present. Achololim was still standing by his side, politely waiting for an answer to his question. Giving a small smile, Carthalo motioned towards the shore. In the early night, fires winked like so many giant fireflies. Indistinct shadows could be seen flirting about them, moving in and out of the darkness like so many wraiths.
Aye, we can take them. We may be outnumbered, but theres more to land war than numbers. They arent used to fighting on land, we are, were better armed, better armored, better trained, we have a better battle plan, and most importantly, our women are prettier. Men fight harder when they have a pretty woman to brag to about their battle exploits.
Achololim laughed. You wont hear me disagreeing about any of that. Still
theres a lot of pirates. Im worried that our mens sword arms might get tired before they can kill them all.
Carthalo clapped his shoulder. No worries. If half the stories the boys tell each other about their exploits are true, they have enough stamina to take on the pirates and still have the energy left over to keep the temple whores awake all night.
Achololim smiled. Well, I guess thats the reason youre the general. As he walked away Carthalos own smile faded away. Turning back towards the shore, he stared at the pirates encampment. Shaking his head, he left his post, retiring for the night. One way or the other, all those questions would be answered tomorrow
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The sun struggled as it tried to lift itself from the grip of the land. Slowly, it started to rise, bathing the sky in rosy hues. The Karthaginian ships, which had been slowly drifting towards shore all night long, suddenly erupted in activity. Rhythmic booms echoed across the water as drums signaled the beat for the rowers timing. Giant oars lifted out of the water, hanging for a second in midair, water droplets cascading from them, before hurtling towards the water again. Under their power, the galleys shot forth like racehorses finally given free reign. As they grounded with a jolt against the beach, they disgorged their cargo of infantry.
Carthalo leapt from his galley, splashing in ankle high water as he began to wade ashore. Ahead of him, the pirates camp was stirring to life. As he ran towards the shore, the man beside him threw up his arms, giving a scream before falling to the water. Around him the water began to turn red, the mans blood beginning to die the water. Slingers! Slingers! To me! To me! Form a shield wall! Carthalo shouted. Around him the Karthaginians rallied around him, interlocking their shields to provide a barrier against the deadly missiles. From a crack in the shield wall, Carthalo saw the pirates massing for an attack. Prepare to receive attack!
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On the right flank of the pirates, hidden and unnoticed, Salicar waited with his men. Last night, the galleys that had been carrying him and his men had left the main fleet and deposited him and his men on the coast some distance from the pirate army. The galleys had then returned back to the main fleet, leaving the pirates unaware that they had ever left. Salicar and his men had spent most of the night marching along the coast to reach this point. Now he watched as a wave of pirates swept over the Karthaginian force that had just landed. Alright boys, lets see how these pirates like having a hot poker shoved up their rear. For Karthage! As his men let out an approving roar, he leapt up from his position, followed quickly by the rest of his men. Slowly at first, but increasing in speed with each step, they charged the enemies flank. The two lines quickly met. A jolt ran down Salicars arm as his spear hit into the unprotected chest of a man before him. His momentum kept him moving, pushing the spear clean through the pirate and pinning a second one that was close behind the first. Giving a shove, he pushed the two impaled men back on their lines, causing another one behind them to fall. Drawing his sword he went forward. He could feel rather than see his men draw up beside him, the man on his left seeking cover behind his shield while the man on the right sought to cover Salicar with his own shield. With measured steps, the moved forward, Salicar feeling the men behind him adding their weight to his own push, causing the lines in front of him to collapse behind their weight. Mechanically his sword snuck out in rapid thrusts, hitting flesh. Blood sprayed around him, covering him in warm redness. "Foreward! Foreward by Baal's thunderbolt, Foreward you lazy whoresons!"
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Achololim quickly popped up and threw a javelin. Not waiting to see if he had hit anything he quickly ducked down again. The wisdom of this was quickly evident as he heard several thuds around him, the sound of small stone balls hitting the side of the ship. All around him, the rest of his crew were likewise throwing javelins at the pirates in an attempt to help their comrades fighting on shore. Moving away from his last position, he looked over the side of the ship at the battle before him. Before him, the battle was not going good for the Karthaginians. The pirates counter-attack on the landing force had, by sheer weight of numbers, forced them back. The rear ranks were almost back at the ships. The flanking force had caused one side of the pirates flank to collapse inward in a bulge. However, instead of panicking and running, the pirates were using their superior numbers to encircle the flanking force, forcing them to stop to defend their own flanks. With both attacks stalled, it appeared as if the pirates would be able to use their superior numbers to overwhelm the two separate forces. That was what it appeared. Appearances, however, are often misleading and few things is this more true of than war.
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A river anchored one flank of the pirates army. When the Karthaginian navy had first appeared on the shores, their aquamancers and caused this river to swell, making it both deeper and wider. At first this had alarmed the pirates, seeing as they did not know why the Karthaginians had done this, but after some time when nothing sinister seemed to come out of it, they forgot about it. In fact, during the battle, having more immediate and important things to think about, this fact had slipped almost everyones mind. This was about to change very quickly.
If anyone had actually been paying attention to the river, they would have been puzzled at its activity. What had been a calm river, was suddenly become agitated, the once clear waters becoming murky with sand and silt. Suddenly in an eruption of spray, giant creatures surfaced from the river. Water cascaded down their backs in miniature waterfalls. Throwing back their reptilian heads, they noise erupted from their mouths that was half roar, half scream. They came in, hitting the pirates flank in a run, moving deceptively fast for something so large. They did not even bother stopping to bite or claw the pirates, instead using their bulk to knock the pirates down and then trample them under their stampede. At their approach, the pirates lines wavered, then broke. Flesh and blood they could fight against, but these were monsters, apparitions never seen by mortal men. They were sea-dragons, leviathans, the horrors of seafarers everywhere enfleshed. They moved with single-minded purpose, rolling up the pirates flank, an unstoppable avalanche of flesh. In conjunction with their attack the Karthaginian infantry renewed their assault, pushing the demoralized pirates before them. Soon the pirate army was disappearing like the morning dew, massive numbers fleeing the battle, throwing down their weapons to help their speed. The Karthaginians, weighed down by their armor, exhausted by the battle, and unable to match their speed let them flee.
In the morning they would start sweeping the island. Any pirate survivors would be caught, chained together, and branded, sold into slavery to help pay for the cost of the campaign. Settlers from Karthage would eventually come, founding a city. The navy would patrol the waters, ensuring forcing the pirates back even further while the infantry protected the land. Thus, little by little the tides of civilization would continue to advance. One small victory at a time.
[ten char. before edit] along with some ozzer stuff
