Their primary long-range weapon remained the old single-shot muskets they'd been using for years. Fortunately, everyone knew the limitations of these old guns, and for this occasion they were issued rivet pistols.
These pistols were practically toys, but unlike their old muskets, they allowed for five shots before reloading. They were weak, but against unarmored opponents, they were sufficient.
Having caught his breath a little, Pearson "led" the climb up the stairs, followed by another group.
In situations like these, Pearson knew perfectly well that he couldn't be at the forefront, so he used his main skill - pretending to be running at full speed, when in fact he was trying to get behind Frank and Lin.
He didn't want either of them to die, as both were useful soldiers and he treated them well, but for Pearson, survival was paramount. Of course, the thought of escaping crossed his mind, but he couldn't figure out how to do it without ruining his reputation.
This reputation was not more important than life itself, but it opened up opportunities for Pearson that he could only dream of.
And as it turned out, Frank was the first to reach the top of the stairs and was met with half a dozen shots for doing so.
Pearson winced as he saw Frank fall backwards, but caught him with one hand, preventing him from rolling down the stairs, and reached for the grenade with the other.
The Marines next to him saw the grenade and covered their eyes as he threw it. But Pearson simply turned away, and after the flash, he carefully laid Frank down, took his pistol, and continued the assault.
Flashbangs were great, but they lost their effectiveness once the element of surprise wore off, and Pearson knew he had to end the fight quickly before his opponents could organize.
On the second floor of the courthouse, customs offices lined the walls, and poorly dressed men, clutching their faces, staggered down the corridor.
For most of these men, these were the last movements of their lives, because Pearson and his four companions shot down one pirate after another in cold blood.
Stopping at the second-floor room where the failed ambush had been set, he gave his team time to catch their breath as he heard more shots ringing out below.
Realizing he needed to hurry again, Pearson took a deep breath and kicked the door open with the iron toe of his boot. Rushing inside with Frank's pistol at the ready, he saw a long-necked man fiddling with a lighter and dynamite.
The scene before him unfolded in slow motion. Shouting to his men to retreat, Pearson fired at the pirate's stomach, but in his haste to escape, he missed by a hair, and the bullet struck the dynamite.
BOOOOM!
Standing on the deck of the Border, Rance, Fia and the Beetleslayers observed the situation in the city.
Fighting broke out in five different areas, and the explosion sent Rance's adrenaline through the roof.
He knew that at least two additional Marine squads had already been dispatched to the area of the explosion and that they would fire flares if further assistance was needed.
But despite this, although Rance had been in many ship-to-ship battles, he had never led such an operation and couldn't help but be nervous.
And he felt like it was his operation.
Of course, Bill was going to deal with the biggest threat, and Nelson had developed a battle plan, but Rance knew he would have to deal with any unforeseen threats.
Thinking that the lives of these Marines were in his hands, he saw a flare go up near the river that flowed from the top of the extinct volcano through the city, and sent the first Beetle Borers to help.
Rance knew how to present himself well, and like the heroic sheriffs he loved to read about as a child, he didn't want anyone to notice that anything was wrong.
But deep down, he knew that the appearance of the first flare just thirty minutes after the Marines landed was a bad sign.
They positioned the Border as close to the shore as possible so that the Beetle-Borers could reach land in twenty long jumps using their Impulse Boots, but not so close that the ship would be caught in the strong current and carried up the mountain.
A few more minutes passed, and another missile was launched in the middle of the operation zone. Then another, and another.
There were only two Beetlebores left, and Rance was already about to send a couple of fighters to check the side where the first explosion occurred.
It was a government district, and the team there was led by one of the new recruits from Ruluka Island, who had been pardoned in exchange for his service. At the moment, it was the only district from which no requests for assistance had come, and Rance was reluctant to send the last of the Bugbears there simply out of concern.
He waited for what seemed like a long time, though in reality, perhaps only twenty minutes had passed since the first "Zhukobor" missiles had been launched. Then two rockets soared toward the swiftly flowing river.
Turning to Fia, Rance said he would take control of the waterfront areas. Fia agreed and said she would move to the shore with the last team of Bugbears.
The Border would have had a minimal crew, but the fighting was much more intense than expected.
If you want advanced chapters follow me on patreon
50+chapters
patreon.com/Manofathousandskills