Touch of Fate

Chapter 223: A Little Bit Harder

Chapter 223: A Little Bit Harder

Mike watched the surprisingly energetic crew as they went about their business. Apparently, there was more to it than simply raising the anchor and unfurling the sails. He'd been briefly introduced to Captain Xander, and had only barely caught his name, when the man started firing off a barrage of of orders that got the sailors moving quickly.

"Sera," He said gently, getting the attention of the sheepish young woman as she tried to shy past him. "A word, if you please?"

While it was difficult to find a quiet place on the now crowded deck, they moved off towards the forecastle, where they could both get a little privacy, and watch the approaching Tenundian boarding craft. Judging from the movement of their oars and the speed with which their sleek prows cut through the water, it wouldn't be long before things got hectic.

Mike looked over at Sera, noting the blush on her cheeks and her inability to look him in the eye. "Care to explain?"

She started fidgeting with her hands. "Well, we couldn't find the prince, and the crew wasn't cooperating. They were too scared of the what the Tenundians would do once they arrived, you see. So, I thought that the best way to make sure we got him out, was to take the whole ship with us."

He sighed. "You could have waited for me. I have the Aerosense skill, which would let me pick up on his breathing, assuming he was still alive. Had I known that finding him was proving difficult, I could have swept the ship in a relatively short period of time and either located him or determined that he was no longer on board. In either case, we could have evacuated quickly, with little danger."

"But what about the rest of the crew? Were you really just going to abandon them to their fate?" She asked seriously, starting to sound a bit defensive.

"They probably wouldn't be any worse off than before we arrived."

"Huh?"

Mike turned to watch a crew member clamber up into the rigging confidently, but with no safety gear. "I'm not completely sure, since the circumstances are a bit complicated, but I'm fairly certain that sailing is a skilled profession. As such, I can't see them wasting and entire shipload of competent sailors simply because they happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Sera frowned in thought, then grimaced. "I suppose..."

"All we would have to do is make a show of our departure, ensuring that they knew who was responsible for killing their soldiers, and it shouldn't have been a problem."

"...Yeah, that makes sense." She finally responded, looking despondent.

He sighed again, laying a hand on her shoulder. "That said, your plan is risky, but the rewards are higher too. If we succeed, not only would it add to the city's war potential, but it could be good for morale."

One of the longboats from the closest ship had just about reached them. In fact, he could already hear the sounds of muted commands spoken by the boat's leadership. Judging from the way the crew of the Huntsman was still moving in a frenzy of energy, they needed more time.

As he summoned his will for a little delaying Water Magic, he shot a glance back at Sera. "Look, I don't want you to think that I am blaming you for this. Chances are, if I was down there instead of you, I'm fairly certain I would end up doing the same thing. I would have a hard time saying no to all those desperate people. But then again, I'm a hapless idiot who muddles through difficult situations relying purely on luck."

A few panicked cries filled the night, as the Tenundian longboat turned over, dumping its occupants into the ocean.

Turning to face her fully, he gave a half smile. "I know you can do better."

"Full speed ahead! Let's make her run for all she's worth!" Captain Xander yelled from the rear of the ship. He was answered by a chorus of hearty cheers from the crew, and the whisper of canvas sliding against itself as the sails unrolled to their full spread, snapping taut as the wind caught them and causing the vessel to lurch forward in sudden acceleration.

"Anyway, just keep all the options in mind the next time this sort of situation arises. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go make a distraction." He said while hopping over the side of the ship and landing on Red's back as the dragon surfaced.

Apparently, whatever magical effect that allowed him to fly in the first place, could easily overcome the difficulties inherent inherent in raising such a large body into the air without any outside help. So, it wasn't long before they were airborne and the Tenundians started taking notice. Mike could hear the shouts of alarm and the yelled commands as the enemy began maneuvering to attack.

"Okay, buddy. All we need to do is keep the enemy focused on us until the ship can get far enough away. Shouldn't be too hard, right?"

He received a derisive snort in response.

Mike chuckled. "Alright, since you're so confident, why don't you show me what you got?"

The dragon turned back to look at him, and Mike could swear he saw a gleam in his reptilian eye. He had just enough time to regret his taunt as Red rolled into a steep dive, heading directly for the surface of the ocean at blistering speeds.

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Sera felt a sympathetic pang as she watched Mike and Red begin their maneuvers. It looked like the dragon was moving at a blistering pace in a vomit inducing manner that would drag his rider through all kinds of dangerous situations.

[I wonder what he meant by that.] She thought to herself. [Did he really agree with my choice, or was he just trying to make me feel better about it? Does he really have that kind of faith in me?]

The more she thought about it, the more confusing his actions seemed to be. [Gah! That man never fails to drive me crazy!]

She shook her head to clear her thoughts as she moved to stand with Tal and Lily in their designated stations. Since they lacked the skills to helps with the ship itself, they were instead responsible for dealing with any enemy forces that got past Mike and Red, not that it looked like that would be an issue. As soon as Red had made his appearance, the entire fleet began to focus on him to the exclusion of all else.

"He looks like he's having fun." Lily commented absently as she followed the pair with her eyes, a small smile on her face.

"Mike?" Tal asked in monotone, although her body posture seemed to indicate that she was interested in the spectacle.

"No, the dragon." Came the succinct reply. "Pretty Eyes is probably miserable."

In spite of herself, Sera had to chuckle. For all that she disliked the pushy woman who had somehow insinuated herself into the group, she had to admit that the Dovistani noble was amusing in her own way.

Turning her attention back to the ongoing firefight, she found herself slightly awestruck by the display. Clearly, the Tenundians had been preparing for this kind of fight, since their ships calmly maneuvered into a loose formation that minimized the amount of damage that could be done by a single wave of dragon fire. At the same time, they unveiled several specially designed cannons, which began filling the air with short fused shells that exploded into clouds of lethal shrapnel.

Ordinarily this would have been a deathtrap for any kind of aerial forces. Red, however, was moving far too quickly to be effectively targeted. His graceful spins, dives, rolls, and the like made it nearly impossible for the Tenundian gunners to draw a bead on the dragon. So while the enemy fire made for an impressive fireworks display, it accomplished little else.

Sera also noted that the acrobatics kept both Mike and Red from doing much more than occasionally performing a quick hit and run attack.

[They're in a battle of attrition now. We'll just have to see which lasts longer, the Tenundians' ammunition or Red's stamina.]

Her eyes slid down to the waterline once more. She noticed a trio of ships had broken off from the rest of the fleet, and were angling to intercept the Huntsman. It was hard to tell with how slowly the sailing vessels appeared to move, but she thought there would be a period of time when the enemies would have a chance to attack.

[Seems like we'll be doing some fighting after all.]

The Oracle was in the process of searching for a good vantage point when she began to feel a strange tingling in the back of head, the place where her vision headaches usually started. Typically, this would signal the beginning of one of her episodes of foresight, but it felt different this time, easy and more fluid. As if her body was no longer fighting the process.

[This is strange.] She had time to think before sinking into the throes of the vision.

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Tal watched the ship carefully, waiting for the telltale puffs of smoke before releasing her spell. As soon as the enemy vessel unleashed its broadside, she let go of the pent up mana, creating a powerful downdraft in the space between the two ships, and driving the fired projectiles into the ocean. She sighed in relief as a veritable wall of water burst into the air a few meters from the Huntsman.

Fortunately, the enemy was still aiming to recapture the vessel, and had been primarily using chain shot in an effort to damage their rigging and sails. The complex ammunition was more susceptible to strong wind currents, giving her a chance to deflect them with her magic.

So far, she'd succeeded in protecting the ship from all three enemies, thanks in large part to their need to draw close to accurately shoot with the chain shot. However, she knew that it shouldn't be too much longer before they resort to simply sinking the Huntsman, something she couldn't easily prevent. She simply lacked the raw power necessary to defend against the more traditional cannonballs.

[Perhaps its time to make use of my new spirit...]

She took a moment to sink into her spirit realm, turning her senses towards her most recent acquisition, and felt a bit disheartened by what she saw. The wraith was still resisting the compulsion of the contract, and lashing out at the bindings that held it in place within Tal's soul. So long as it remained uncooperative, unleashing it on the enemy could very well prove disastrous. Perhaps if she could soothe it somehow...

"Tal! I need to talk to Mike!" Sera's panicked cry broke her out of her ruminations.

The Oracle had spent most of the battle staring blankly at the sky, in the throes of what could only be another vision. Since there was nothing to do but wait for it to pass, Tal had left her friend in a sheltered area near the aft of the ship. She'd hoped that Sera would recover soon enough, but dreaded whatever information she'd awaken with. The things she saw never seemed to be anything good.

Judging from her demeanor, Tal was right to worry. "What's wrong?"

"I need to talk to Mike!" Sera spoke fearfully, hands tightening on Tal's shoulders. "Do you still have the pendant?"

Tal pulled the item out in response, holding it out to the distraught woman, who grabbed it and activated it as quickly as she could. As soon as that was done, she turned her attention to the sky, waiting for Mike's response.

"What's happening?" Tal asked, torn between wanting an explanation, and her need to keep an eye on the enemy ships, who were beginning to maneuver closer for some reason.

Although the panic was still there, taking action seemed to have calmed the Oracle a little. She answered huskily, "The city is in danger. The Tenundian Duke has made a deal with forces he couldn't hope to comprehend, let alone control. Together, they awakened a...creature. One that will overwhelm the Almiran defenders and slaughter the city's inhabitants before turning on its erstwhile creators. If we don't act soon, the resulting destruction would be horrific to contemplate."

A chill of fear crept up Tal's spine. Something that could destroy an entire city and its powerful defenders should be well within the realm of a Tier 4. An uncontrollable beast with that kind of power at its disposal was a nightmare given form.

[Would Mike be enough to make a difference? Could he even survive against that kind of thing?]

Tal felt compelled to ask even though she already knew the answer, "Be alright?"

Sera looked at her, face twisted with fear and guilt. In a pained voice, almost a moan, she whispered. "I don't know."