After the Battle

After the Battle

The brutal first battle had come to an end. Albert had already sent a signal to the town's security forces and dispatched Adrian back to town lightly equipped to report the situation. They should be able to reach the scene soon.

The priests were still treating the wounded soldiers. The bandaged Guard soldiers sat silently on the ground, like a mute play.

Chris's body and those of the other fallen soldiers were laid out neatly to one side. Fifteen men had died in battle, most of them killed in the assault that followed the massive wave. The powerful Murloc warriors had caused the most casualties. This was how cruel combat was in the age of cold weapons. The Murloc warriors were no match for Roderick and were killed within a few moves; meanwhile, Chris had panicked and made a fatal misjudgment, losing his head to the Murloc after only two strikes, no different from the farmers who had died before him.

Red was unconscious, Alwyn was severely wounded, and nearly everyone in the infantry formation was injured. The second squad, led by Chris and Alwyn, had suffered the heaviest casualties. Although the first squad under Red and Yug had remained at the front of the line, they had maintained the integrity of the formation. Many had been wounded, but few had died.

The third squad, led by Darezzo and the other knights, remained the most intact. With one side against the wall, they had been able to defend calmly, and their casualties were almost negligible.

The Dwarf warriors Thalmar had brought truly deserved their reputation as Stormpike Guard elites. In the torrential rain, their muskets had become completely useless, so they fought the Murlocs with short-handled warhammers, successfully protecting the church's apprentice priests and severely wounded soldiers while displaying the combat skills of veteran Dwarves.

When the security forces brought by Mayor Heni and Bass the blacksmith arrived, everyone who came afterward was stunned by the bloodiness of the battlefield. Severed limbs and broken arms lay everywhere, along with shattered swords and blades. The bodies of Murloc warriors carpeted the shore and beach all the way to the water's edge.

The blood of both sides had dyed the white sands of the Western Strand red, then been trampled into mud beneath countless feet. The ground was now black-red sand that reeked of blood. Their companions, who had been alive and full of energy before setting out, now lay cold upon the ground, never to rise again.

When Bass the blacksmith saw his youngest son, Alwyn, lying on the ground covered in blood, his heart nearly stopped. Only after a priest indicated that Alwyn was still alive did he slowly let out a breath.

Chris, the poor fellow, had possessed the arrogance common among nobles and had not been particularly well-liked within the group. He was always talking about how glorious his ancestors had been, calling himself a knight who would restore his family's honor, yet he had fallen in the first battle of his life, without warning.

Many of the young men in the group could not help shedding tears. This was the first lesson the cruel battlefield had taught them. Roderick had not followed the Astartes's advice to avoid getting stained with blood. Covered almost head to toe in Murloc blood and assorted organs, Roderick stood there calmly. No one who saw him would doubt that he had endured the most brutal battle imaginable.

Carefully handing the box delivered by the Murlocs to Mayor Heni, Roderick reported loudly, "The Southshore Guard's operation to clear out the Shatterfin Murloc Tribe has, according to the established plan, completely destroyed the enemy tribe and achieved final victory. I hereby report this to you."

Mayor Heni Mareb took the box and merely nodded faintly, his expression as calm as ever. Having experienced countless battles against the Orcs, the sight before him stirred no emotion in the middle-aged man.

Driven by Roderick, the junior officers who could still move began comforting the troops. After the brutal battle, they finally managed to restore some morale to the unit.

The setting sun slanted across the marching group along the shore. Southshore's docks could already be seen in the distance, and everyone understood that this would be another sleepless night.

After properly settling the wounded, Roderick, now cleaned up, sat alone in the empty training camp.

"Are you blaming yourself? This is not the Space Marine I know, Lieutenant." Yet the Astartes received no reply from its master. "On the battlefield, the strong do not necessarily survive, but the cowardly will certainly die. Once someone steps onto the battlefield, no one is innocent. There are only differing degrees of guilt."

"Has the soul of a Space Marine been tainted by Roderick's weak temperament? Your strength could easily let you fight a hundred of these Murloc warriors alone. In fact, you alone could have destroyed this tiny Murloc tribe, but that would have been meaningless."

"They chose to become warriors. One day, they would have to face scenes this cruel. Orcs and the Undead would show no mercy to those without weapons, and civilians would meet an even more miserable end."

"A Space Marine can destroy a nation. An Imperium cruiser can destroy a planet. No one shows any mercy to the innocent among them. Under Exterminatus, there is only destruction!"

After a long silence, Roderick finally spoke. "You misunderstood, Astartes. I just felt a little irritated, that's all. Perhaps it was more anger at my own helplessness."

"This battle also exposed a fatal problem. I..."

"You lack effective long-range attack methods. However, weapons such as High-Energy Bolts cannot possibly be manufactured. Even the Gas Steam Machine Guns and Lasguns used by those low-grade cannon fodder cannot be made."

"What about the muskets used by the Dwarves? I saw the musket Thalmar used. It was finely crafted."

"I can forge better barrels and help you improve the gunpowder composition, but these gunpowder weapons have far too limited a killing power. The muzzle velocity of the projectiles is too low, greatly reducing the Dwarf muskets' effectiveness. As long as those Murloc warriors protected their vital areas that day, it would have been difficult for muskets to inflict serious damage."

"Actually, I suggest you use a more primitive method, the same choice made by ancient humans: throwing weapons."

"Something like the throwing axes used by the Dwarves?"

"More or less. Prioritize javelin-type weapons with greater range and killing power. Throwing axes are better suited for striking heavily armored targets, though for you, there may be little difference."

In the town's council hall, Mayor Heni Mareb, Knight Arnold, Mage Albert, Ranger Adrian, and Guard commander Roderick sat together to discuss the spoils and compensation for the fallen soldiers.

Adrian's arm was wrapped in bandages. With only a minor bone fracture, he was among the luckier ones in this battle. But the most remarkable was Knight Arnold, blessed by fortune. Although he had fought alongside the third squad throughout the battle, he had somehow emerged completely unscathed. That kind of luck could not be explained by a few dice rolls.

Arnold's voice was naturally steady and calm, and he quickly finished his brief report. After tallying everything, the Shatterfin Murloc village had yielded three Gold Pearls, more than ten black pearls, dozens of high-quality ordinary pearls, and quite a few worthless broken pearls. As for that coral box, it contained eleven Gold Pearls and a ring made of fish bones. Its purpose was unknown, and it would likely need to be appraised by a professional magic expert.

The current gains had far exceeded their original estimates. Sure enough, slaughtering an entire people was the fastest way to accumulate wealth. Seeing that the young men before him had fallen silent, Mayor Heni had no choice but to step in personally.

"According to the previous distribution plan, the Town Council is to receive half the spoils. However, the items seized this time are extremely valuable, so the Guard can receive a somewhat larger share."

"This Murloc ring will count as your spoils. The Guard may distribute it independently, and the council will not take part."

"There are fourteen Gold Pearls in total, valued at 1,200 gold coins at market prices. The other miscellaneous items are worth 300 gold coins altogether."

"The Town Council will handle the sale of these items. Given your heavy losses in this operation, the Guard may receive 800 of the 1,500 gold coins. This is already the greatest concession those people are willing to make."

"As for compensation for the dead and wounded soldiers, that will be harder to settle. The final agreement is that the Town Council is willing to contribute a small portion of the funds, while the Guard will have to bear most of the burden." Mayor Heni had worked tirelessly to secure this agreement, finally getting the greedy councilors to place their seals upon it.

Roderick's expression was stern, and he said nothing. Arnold, meanwhile, was visibly delighted and might have laughed aloud if the atmosphere had not been so oppressive. Albert also let out a long breath, relaxing considerably. Adrian, ever straightforward, said bluntly, "The councilors have handled this matter fairly enough."

And that was indeed true. Without even looking at it, one could tell that the ring was extremely valuable. It had been counted separately as Guard property and would not be included in the distribution. The Guard could directly claim more than half of the remaining spoils. It was a very profitable arrangement.

The market price of Gold Pearls might have been higher than what the councilors offered, but how could they turn Gold Pearls into cash in Southshore? They would need to travel to a great city filled with nobles, such as Stormwind City, to sell them at a proper price. The two places were far apart, and ordinary people would not even have the connections needed to sell them.

Although the councilors could earn some profit from the price difference, the Southshore Guard was spared the many hassles of converting the goods into cash. All things considered, they were not being cheated.

In the end, the Town Council was even willing to bear a certain portion of the compensation payments. It was practically the conscience of Azeroth. Mayor Heni had undoubtedly put in considerable effort.

Roderick did not agree immediately. After thinking for a moment, he replied, "The Guard will take only two-fifths of the share, and we will independently bear all compensation for the dead and wounded soldiers. But we need the council's authorization for one matter."

The young men all looked at Roderick strangely, unable to understand what he wanted that would warrant such a great sacrifice. Yet Roderick's prestige among them had steadily grown, and no one voiced any objection.

"Roderick, what authorization do you want from the Town Council?" Mayor Heni could not imagine what the other man intended to do.

"The abandoned watchtower east of Southshore, along with the land stretching to Nethander Stead and the western bank of the Hillsbrad River. I hope the council will authorize me to reclaim it."

The moment Roderick finished speaking, Adrian cried out, "Roderick, are you insane? That place is only one or two days' journey from an Undead stronghold. How could it possibly be developed?"

Albert also spoke. "Roderick, you need to think this through carefully."

Unexpectedly, Arnold, who was usually rather greedy for money, stepped forward to support Roderick's decision.

Heni had not expected the young man to have such a plan. "Have you considered this carefully? It should not be difficult to arrange. As long as the Undead in Tarren Mill have not withdrawn, the Town Council has no ability to develop that land."

"My mind is made up. I hope to receive the approval of all the councilors."

"Fine. There will be news within the next two days. I ran into Bass just now. He said his son has already woken up. Go visit him when you have the time."