Help is not so easy to wait for. In addition, the enemy is also analyzing the situation...

Day after day, brutal and bloody battles took place on the streets of New Rotterdam...

Smoke and flames engulf many buildings in the city, which was recently shaken by mass riots.

Many neighborhoods are captured by pirates...

Bloody corpses on the streets...

The screams of local inhabitants, who are seized with horror.

The defense of the royal troops in the city blocks near the Azure Palace is held only due to heavy losses.

From the river side, many pirate ships continue to block the city port...

And on one of these ships there is a person who is clearly pleased with the ongoing bloody chaos...

The deck of a large yacht, on which there are several small cannons, shooting in the direction of the rich neighborhoods of New Rotterdam. On this deck is someone who carefully watches the destruction in the city.

A stocky and muscular man (dressed in a loose black shirt and worn leather pants), whose body was covered with many scars and burns, looked through a telescope at the landscape of a city engulfed in flames.

The ugly face of this man was almost similar to the face of a ghoul.

It is hard to believe that a human can be so terrifyingly ugly.

But, alas, it is so.

Nasty scars and burns on the forehead and cheeks...

The absence of a nose...

A dark and merciless look of dark green eyes...

A certain "aura" of fear and submission of others surrounds this man.

This man is clearly the one who has power here.

Dozens of pirates are moving along the deck of the ship, reloading cannons, taking up arms, preparing to land on the streets of the plundered and destroyed city...

"Noseless Pete, these bastards have barricaded themselves in the quarters close to the Azure Palace! Our guys have already took a lot of valuables and carried them aboard our ships... Maybe now we should just sail away with the loot?" - says one of the pirates, timidly approaching the noseless man.

Noseless Pete throws away the choir pipe with a sharp movement of his hand. He turns towards the speaker.

"I hate these insignificant vile hypocritical scums! I want to not just plunder this shitty city - I want to destroy as much as possible what is here! Let only ashes remain! Let the crown of their pathetic king lie among the shit next to the burnt corpses of his children!" - Noseless Pete's words, filled with furious anger, sound as if he is barely holding back the desire to draw his falchion from its sheath.

"But our guys are suffering significant losses... We are unlikely to be able to break through the defense of the royal troops and capture the palace... And also - reinforcements from other settlements may approach the enemy..." - the pirate says.

Noseless Pete looks gloomily at his subordinate, clenching his fists...

However, this pirate captain still curbs his anger and realizes that controlling his emotions will be a more effective strategy.

Noseless Pete says thoughtfully, "Well... I wish we could take over the entire city and take the entire royal family captive... I'd make them all feel what they did to my niece... But it looks like we'll have to sail south soon after all... I have an idea for a little "fun" for King James II, though... Our ships won't hold enough slaves to sell anyway. Most of the plebs living on the outskirts of the city are just hiding in fear. But we can use their miserable position serfs, we can use their hatred for nobles… Give primitive weapons to the local paupers-plebs… Give weapons to the local ghouls… Tell them all – that everything we did not take on the ships – belongs to them… Let these crowds of local inhabitants-paupers, wanting to loot, distract the king's forces… Let New Rotterdam plunge into chaos and be destroyed even after we sail south…" Then he gives orders to his most trusted commanders to minimize the losses among the pirates and prepares to sail south with the rich booty that was plundered in this city…

"I will need time to prepare the next "round" of ****… But, sooner or later, all my enemies will suffer painfully and for a long time and beg me for ****…" - thinks this pirate captain, whose face is disfigured in the most terrible way.

At the same time, in a secluded room in one of the towers of the Azure Palace, a tall elderly man is leaning over a table with maps and reports.

His face has clearly become more wrinkled over the past month.

Gray hair is visible in his light brown beard.

His blue eyes look tired.

James II of the House of Orange-Nassau is clearly focused on finding some solution to the crisis that threatens fatal consequences.

"This all looks like the machinations of Satan! First, the escape of criminals from prison and the rebellion of nefarious plebs ... Now a large-scale attack on the city by these vile pirates ..." - the monarch's thoughts are filled with anger and bitterness.

The king reads the reports of secret agents of his Secret Service. Among these agents are representatives of the clergy.

“Information about a conspiracy… Even in New Hague there were some secret meetings of conspirators… There is little concrete information, but Pastor Ambrose reports that among the intriguing conspirators there may be representatives of the League of Merchants and even members of the royal family! Could it be that the revolt of the plebs was somehow connected with this conspiracy?! A month ago I would not have believed it! But against the backdrop of the unholy nightmare that is happening, I already admit even the worst… It’s good that three days ago I sent urgent messages to the garrisons of my troops in Axeman-City and Port Williams. I gave them orders to send two thirds of the troops to New Rotterdam. Of course, this will weaken the position of the kingdom in the recently annexed territories… But now it is critically important for me to receive the help of loyal nobles and combat-ready military units! I need strength… Despondency is a sin… I must remember that everything I do is in the name of the Lord God! I am obliged to follow the Divine Will and protect the Blessed Monarchy even at the cost of my own life!” the king thinks.

Then James II writes something on a piece of paper...

The text on the paper: "I, blessed by God's Grace, the King of the Kingdom of Utrecht, command my loyal subjects..."

It seems that the king has become embittered by the events that are taking place.

However, in a critical situation, he clearly did not panic and chose to stubbornly defend what he believes in.

And James II will probably try to use his influence on the conservative representatives of the nobility and clergy.

From the window of this room, you can see the glow of fires over the city...

And there is every chance that in the coming days, things will get even worse...