Chapter 506: Might of the Ocean (Patreon)

Shortly before the battle between the Imperial Navy of the Great Chu and Argrave’s own forces began, Argrave had word sent off to the delegates of the Blackgard Union—more specifically, to the newly established Merovin. Once word reached the deities, they would be heading to this location. Argrave wanted to deal with the first wave of mortal participants long before they could ever arrive, if only so he could potentially curb the damage the gods might inflict on both sides of the conflict.

Then, when the towering fleet came into sight for these further down, subtle signals spread out across the coastline indicating people in hiding that it was their time to get in position. It was evident that the Great Chu navy had scouted some locations that were prime for landing, and so their route was somewhat predictable. Argrave himself descended from the high cliffs and joined up with the towering white dragon, Crystal Wind, and his retinue.

The Great Chu’s Sea Dragon was large enough to accommodate uncountable forces, and among them would be the elite of the elites. They were protecting the life of an emperor reigning over an empire at least a thousand years old. Argrave would ostensibly be assaulting a fortress, and was bringing the people to match.

Argrave and Anneliese were the leaders for this operation. They brought six S-rank spellcasters with them: Rowe the Righteous, Vasilisa of Quadreign, Castro, Onychinusa, and the newly anointed Duchess and Duke of Dirracha, Vera and Hegazar. Alongside their ground troops—elite Veidimen warriors with officers like Grimalt, armed with divine weapons and enchanted gear—it was an incredibly potent force. Argrave wished for Orion and Melanie to come, but he didn’t dare divert them from the protection of Vysenn and Sandelabara. That was just as important as this operation, he felt. Galamon was here, too, and would be taking command of the Veidimen navy at Dras’ request.

Argrave walked up to the group of six spellcasters. “Thank you for coming on such short notice.”

“You promised to repair the ruined city,” Vera shook her head, gray hair swaying with the cold northern winds. She fixed her orange eyes on him and continued somewhat accusingly, “I still wonder if you’ve played us. But it’s a weight that was on our shoulders larger than this battle, certainly.”

“And it helps your kingdom as much as it does our economy, I suspect,” Hegazar noted. “But we are but humble servants of the king and kingdom.”

Argrave was glad that this greedy couple were cooperative—it was likely because they saw the benefits of being on the king’s good side rather than any genuine altruism, but it had paid out in Argrave’s favor for this battle. With six of the best spellcasters in the kingdom at their side, Argrave felt they could easily match any foreign mages that the Emperor Ji Meng had brought. Importantly, these six were adaptable, and could react to the new styles of their foes well.

“I wasn’t aware that ships that large could even float,” Rowe the Righteous noted, staring out across the ocean past the craggy rocks concealing the naval base. “But my dragon can take us there. And I can help with the rest.”

“I’m glad of that,” Argrave nodded. “Anneliese—everyone is caught up on what to do?”

“Yes.” Her confirmation was confident.

“Alright.” He no longer felt the need to add anything when he saw her confidence, but people looked at him expectantly, perhaps expecting some of his words as a leader. He obliged, continuing, “In the Great Chu, people view their emperor as a literal son of heaven. This battle is to be the most vicious—and most important—part of this confrontation. If you follow everything Anneliese said, I’m confident we can pull this off. Only a few more minutes, and we’ll begin.”

With that said, Argrave walked over to Galamon. With a word, the two walked away from the crowd. Once they had some distance, he said quietly, “Let’s talk removed from our roles, you and me. You’ll be commanding the Veidimen forces once again… as Veid’s champion, this time.”

Galamon put his fist against his chest. “Our victory will be complete. You need not worry about anything outside of your battle, Your Maj—no, Argrave,” he corrected, remembering Argrave’s request to speak removed from their roles.

Argrave gave his oldest friend a decisive nod. “I know. As for what happens after, and what Dras plans…”

“You know my thoughts,” Galamon said. “I believe that this is my people’s destiny. But I am still your servant.”

Argrave stopped walking and looked at him squarely. “If Dras will allow it, and this expedition to the Great Chu truly does come to pass, I’d like you to lead the invasion.”

Galamon raised his brow. “You’ve disapproved in the past.”

“I still disapprove, I just can’t risk alienating an ally,” Argrave said flatly. “No matter how much Rowe, Dras, or even you say that they do this to establish a unified and peaceful world, can you honestly say every man below you holds that ideal? No. They want to take, to conquer, to satisfy their baser desires. That’s their motive—Anneliese has confirmed as much with her personal experience. And those rapacious people will cause problems for her even if Dras and Veid both name her as his successor. They won’t stomach the idea of accepting her as ruler of Veiden, causing yet more war. Am I wrong?”

Galamon looked off to the side for a moment, then looked back. “You’re right. It won’t be perfect. Yet I believe we harvest those people toward a better end. The following generations will benefit.”

Argrave wasn’t swayed, but he kept his thoughts under control. “Of everyone, I trust you to control that beast in your people. With you at the helm, victory will be decisive. Soldiers will die, not civilians. And if need be… frankly, I can make requests of you to do things, should they need doing. That’s why I’m uncertain Dras will even accept your aid beyond this defensive battle.”

Galamon crossed his arms and nodded. “He may refuse. I cannot say.”

Argrave was prepared to wrap this up, but something tore at him. He respected Galamon more than just about anyone, and yet they didn’t see eye to eye on this.

“You’ve seen war. You’ve told me, personally, that you’ve seen people cry for their mother as they die. You’ve seen the violent rape of innocent populaces by people you had breakfast with the same day. You say it haunts you to this day. Still, you insist on this. Help me understand why,” Argrave asked seriously.

Galamon looked at him squarely, then at the ships coming ever closer. “Dras and I… our first war was not one that we began. Nor the second, nor the third. We saw what you described, yes.” He tapped his breastplate. “It was our people suffering it. Our tribe. That did not last forever. When we became the victors, our people sought to inflict the same upon our enemies as revenge. It was seeing that cycle of war that gave Dras and I our endless conviction. It was because we saw it that we hoped to end it forevermore. He wished to ensure there was no more ‘our people’ and ‘their people.’ We were all merely ‘Veidimen.’” He put his hand on Argrave’s shoulder. “I have respect for your hesitation. No good man can meekly stand aside while wars erupt. But in the end, I know you’ll see we were right.”

His words did resonate somewhat, but Argrave did not have time to address that fully. “Be safe, Galamon.”

“You as well, Argrave.”

Walking away from Galamon, Argrave looked to the large white dragon. Once everyone got on, this battle would begin. Nervousness brewed within him, but he pushed it down and walked toward the dragon. He grabbed the horn on its head and lifted himself up, then walked down to take position on its broad back. With a command, everyone followed him up onto its back.

Argrave clung to the dragon’s protruding spine, Anneliese joining him shortly. The Veidimen were the first to join, lining up in organized ranks where they’d long ago been designated. Shortly after the spellcasters came, taking position just behind Argrave and Anneliese. Rowe took his place on the dragon’s head, and it slowly turned its huge body toward the ocean as it prepared to fly. As Argrave gave one last nod to Galamon, Crystal Wind began to beat its giant draconic wings, and they took to the sky. Argrave saw the Great Chu fleet at the edge of the coast, just where the rocks began.

When the giant white dragon Crystal Wind broke above the rocks concealing its form, eight loud horns echoed across the coast. As soon as it was high enough to let the winds carry it, Rowe’s dragon cut through the air, heading toward the Sea Dragon as quickly as its huge frame could manage. Argrave looked side-to-side as Durran and his wyverns burst up into the air, heading to the east and west as though making to avoid the ships. In reality, they were flanking, where they might shepherd the ships into treacherous waters.

As the dragon passed above the ocean, Argrave looked around. Longships cut out of hidden crevices in the rocks, jamming their way into strategic areas that they might board their foes easily. Already spellcasters took to battle, where the fastest among them sent fire and wind to create openings for the troops. The battle had begun, and the ambush seemed successful. But Argrave turned his head away, reminding himself that he ought to be focused on only one thing.

Oars pushed out the side of the turtle ships as they turned from relying on sails to relying on the strength of the men within. As the dragon neared, spells rushed at the dragon from subtle compartments. Sheer cold erupted from its maw as it passed, stopping lesser spells in their track. Onychinusa, meanwhile, split apart into magic and reformed below the dragon, casting wards to shield from the lesser spells.

Anneliese called out over the wind, “You were right, Argrave! They’re employing shamanic magic!”

From the beginning Anneliese had been assigned to scout with her [Truesight] to confirm the presence of shamanic magic, and so Argrave accepted her words calmly. If their foes were using magic of this nature, likely at Erlebnis’ warning, they possessed ways to counter their strongest spells. [Requite] would be countered.

As they neared the Sea Dragon, ballistae mounted on the floating fortress zipped through the air at Crystal Wind. Rowe’s deft manuevering avoided the least threatening, while Onychinusa in her impermeable form dealt with all others. As Argrave watched, he saw eight mana ripples spread out from different corners of the ship. It was time for their pivotal role to be acted out in this coup de main.

“Here it is!” Argrave called out, signaling to all others.

Rowe slowed his dragon, suspending it just before the flagship of the Imperial Navy. As Argrave clung to Crystal Wind’s back, the enormity of the fortress dawned at him. This vessel was large enough to be a city. The eight spells completed, finally unleashing their wrath and the signature move of the Sea Dragon.

Spells from the Great Chu had some unique aspects to them—one of the largest was their use of what occurred naturally to achieve greater power. And this spell called upon the great ocean beneath the Sea Dragon. From the eight corners where the spells were cast, the vast and turbulent ocean coalesced into eight great eastern dragons. They writhed through the air like the tentacles of a kraken, then pressed in on Crystal Wind. Each spell was as large as Crystal Wind itself. It was almost instinct for Argrave to call upon [Requite] and returns those massive dragons back at their foes. But the enemy possessed shamanic magic, and they couldn’t guarantee such a counter would not fail.

All of the spellcasters who’d agreed to come on this assault rushed up the dragon’s back, near its shoulders. It tilted backward and beat its wing to stay in place, and the Veidimen retinue clung to the dragon’s spikes as it tilted dangerously. Atop its head and neck, everyone prepared the most powerful ice magic that they could possibly muster.

As the water dragons neared, a wave of unimaginably powerful ice rocketed forth toward each and every spell. The dragon spewed its breath of sheer cold. Argrave sent the A-rank [Ice Maul] from both hands, imbuing both attacks with blood magic thanks to his perfected [Blood Infusion]. Anneliese, Vera, Vasilisa, Rowe, Castro, and Onychinusa all combatted the seemingly-unstoppable wave of magic. The two forces met, and the sheer pandemonium made it unclear which attack had won out.

Hegazar, meanwhile, master of illusions, conjured an S-rank illusion spell to shield all of them from the sight of the world. Once it had taken hold, Castro conjured a great burst of wind beneath them, sending crystals of ice scattering everywhere as Crystal Wind ascended into the air. To all observers, the ice crystals and fast winds would make this spot appear like nothing more than his namesake. But all the while, they soared above the Sea Dragon, heading for the back while spurred by a tailwind. As they flew, Argrave called upon his blood echoes to make a single [Bloodfeud Bow] as it passed over the fortress.

By the time they reached the back, Argrave’s [Bloodfeud Bow] was completed. With a pointed finger, the maroon bolt spread toward the back deck of the floating fortress. When it neared, a gigantic and awe-inspiring ward shielded the fortress. The bolt hit and pierced, yet even as it fragmented new magic already came to repair the hole. Indeed—the whole of the Sea Dragon was protected by a magic ward.

Crystal Wind swooped down, bunching its wings together to fit through the hole. They fell toward the wooden deck below. Moments before impact its wing spread to stop its descent, and the shift of momentum was enough to force Argrave to his knees. The dragon landed, looking out across the vast deck.

“Get off!” shouted Rowe, looking around frantically. “It’s my duty to stop the ships’ retreat!”

Argrave looked back to his struggling retinue, then shouted, “Come on! It’s time to go!”

Argrave and his whole retinue—save Rowe—dismounted Crystal Wind. When their feet were on the deck of the Sea Dragon, his dragon lifted up into the air once more. Above, Rowe called upon [Winter’s Awl] to break the ward once again, and left.

Back on the deck, meanwhile, forces already emerged, running up from stairs below deck and taking disciplined positions. Bells and horns echoed out. Argrave didn’t know the layout of this ship, and it was so giant that working it out might take time. For now, though, they were on a flat deck at the back of the ship. A towering square building awaited them ahead, undoubtedly containing the elite troops of the Great Chu.

And its emperor, of course.