[b]The Road to Knowledge[/b]


The speeches given by the war maidens had the desired effect, the crew and Cuinte's hired hands quickly surged back into battle with renewed vigor. However, the battle quickly became less than that, it had become pure chaos. Pirates and crewmen alike screamed in horror as lions, boars, and some great reptilian beast began to tear men apart. Such a sight was more than enough to break merchant sailors and simple thugs. One poor soul was pounced upon by a great cat, his throat torn out by its mighty jaws, while another man was rammed into the edge of the ship, gored on the tusk of a boar. The latter of these two was however quick and still strong enough to thrust his dagger deep into the swine's eye, a hateful blow to assure mutual destruction. Indeed, the confusion caused by the savage beasts had stirred their own 'allies' to attack them, fear of life and limb clouding judgement. A great cat fell to many blows to its head by the clubs of the ship's oarsmen as the beast maimed one of the raiders. Soon both oarsmen and pirates were attempting to slay the beasts just as eagerly as they were trying to slay one another, survival driving them to fight in the face of no escape. Throats were slit, bodies maimed, one poor boar was impaled by a spear and pinned to the ship on its side. As it struggled to free itself, the would only grew and grew, the hog's intestines beginning to slip and pour from the gigantic gash. It eventually stopped struggling. 

In the presence of the great lizard, many from both sides deemed it worth the risk to jump ship, jumping either to the mercy of the sea or attackers. Both seem preferable to being ripped apart by the reptile's claws and teeth. Those of greater will and confidence circled the beast, what few spearmen the enemy had keeping the beast at bay.

The second ship had forgone ramming their target, and simply pulled along side the merchant ship to contribute to the boarding action. Though these raiders were met by a fierce wall of roman legionaries, the trained soldiers easily dispatching the pirates that dared to charge their formation. Wiser assailants used their more brash allies as a distraction to sidestep the bodyguards and join in the main melee, while others attempted to strike at them from the rear. One soldier fell in defense of his others, dragged down by three assailants and a knife thrust into this throat. The three attackers were quickly dispatched by a group of oarsmen, heads cracked open and ran through by long knives.

All the while, Cuinte sat below deck, whispering to himself as he read through his book again for the countless time, his bodyguard quickly strapping on his armor and ever vigilant for intruders.