I know this is back tracking but I decided the explosion of the fort needed one more POV
Rimlus, Black Seas Raiders
I hated it here. The swamp stank of rot mixed with crap. My leather boots were soaked. I highly doubted we would get much plunder, and the women here probably were horrid to look at. Not to mention if it had been rough seas the whole way here. The captain promised us we would be able to make as much off this raid as we would in four raids closer to home. I was starting to wonder if it was even worth it.
It was dark by the time I got done scouting the small fort they had built further down the trail. Unlike the fort at the cove, it looked like the fort in the marsh had been built to withstand a raid. It didn't make sense. Why build a fort in the middle of the swamp that we could easily bypass? The only use I could see for it is either to lure us into a trap or to make small raids from. It was a weak plan, but it was the only one I could figure out a reason for.
Everything felt wrong, though. With all the effort they put into building that other fort, wouldn't it be better to have built a stronger fort along the cove? And why waste all that time building beds for three hundred people and a luxury home for their leaders?
One thing that this new fort had led me to conclude is that they were much more prepared for us than they wanted us to think. If they had time to build this fort, then their villages must also be well fortified. That meant that we would have to fight for any people we wanted to take. The most we could do without casualties was destroy their fields and possibly some pastures. Would the leadership try a siege?
And how to get through the marsh without risk of disease and foot rot? My suggestion for the captains would be to work our way around the swamp. Maybe find a way up into the foothills of the mountain and travel along the higher ground.
I saw the fort near the cove as I exited the trees. I was looking forward to a nice meal and putting my feet near a fire.
A flash of light so bright that it seemed to have suddenly become day pierced my eyes. Before I could even ask myself what had happened, a noise so loud it sounded as if lightning struck my ears, and I screamed as a pain so sharp it felt like hot pokers were being shoved into them. The world went silent as a wave of force and heat knocked me off my feet at the same time as a thousand sharp arrows pierced my skin. My now silent world faded as pain wracked my entire body.