Hello again! Oh, what fun this day has been!

Everyday you start with an invasion is a good day! As the sun crested over the peaks of Fukai, we swept in, guns blazing! Dozens of innocent little merchants and fishing boats got in our way, but not for very long. Then we came face to face with the Shoto forces Fukai defense fleet.

These were the best ships, crewed by the best sailors, and captained by the best officers in the entire Shoto navy. Lena set the mood for the battle. By skewering their flagship on a pillar of ice, that then exploded. There were no survivors! Probably. I certainly hope not, anyway.

With the opening shot well and truly fired the battle commenced. We had thirty ships, a mix of Shoto and Iceni, and nothing larger than a 32 gunner. They had two whole fleets of 25 ships apiece, 50 total. The flagship Lena had just wrecked was a 108 gunner, but they had another two like it. We formed battle lines, which if you know nothing of naval combat like I do, means we lined up and got ready to sail past one another, dumping broadsides into each other.

Very civilized, very dangerous, and very much not what we did.

Seeing as how we could fly and all, Julius, Fen, and I all took off for the leading ship of their battle line. Ardiea and Lena had a plan, and we were going to follow that plan. Julius and I pulled ahead of Fen, and started setting masts and sails on fire. Behind us, Fen whipped up a windblast and rode it into the blaze.

The fire on their masts exploded outwards in the wind. The sails being rapidly devoured as flames swept over the decks. Sailors ran about screaming and on fire. The burst of wind caught their sails, slowing them and carrying them backwards and out of alignment until the sails were completely burnt away.

Ship after ship we went. Leaving behind us a burning mess of ships crashing into each other, and all bunched up in a clump instead of their pretty and useful lines. Then our ships sailed past that mess. Broadside after broadside hammered the poor bastards as our line of ships swept past them. Lenas flagship, the aptly named Mistress of the Tides came last. Hammering its cannon into the crippled Shoto fleets.

After that, Lena shifted the currents under them. Creating a whirlpool in the middle of their clump. Then, because there is no kill like overkill, Lena sent a herd of icebergs crashing amongst the poor defenseless defense fleet.

We left them to play with their new toys, and sailed to the peaks that were just peeking out of the ocean.

The peaks of Fukai are both a natural fortress, and the only way down into the city proper.

Massive docks and marketplaces drift in the ocean nearby. Providing plenty of room for our fleet to land on. We landed in the berths normally reserved for the Fukai defense fleet. They won't be needing it anymore.

There is a contingent of marines on each ship in a fleet. Typically they act as boarders, or anti boarders in ship to ship combat. While the rest of the sailors load aim and fire the cannons. As well as all the stuff that's needed for a ship to sail. There are roughly ten marines per ship of our fleet, and we brought them all out for the assault.

300 and some marines, Julius, Lena, Onica, Fen, myself, and Ardeia were the assault team. We had to penetrate the steel doors of the mountain, designed to keep out the ocean during high tide. Then work our way down through the mountain. A fortress full of choke points, murder holes, and an angry Shoto soldier garrison. Once we finished that, we'd have to fight through the city of Fukai itself, and the Civil Guard. Which is what they call their citizen militia. Once they got out of our way we would have to breach the Imperial Palace, which was guarded by the elite Dragon Guard. And loot the place after we beat down the Emperor of Shoto. Pu Long, or something like that.

Easy peasy!

The assault started on a high note. Ardeia and the marines took off to loot the docked ships and markets. The rest of us approached the entrance into the mountain. Julius and I melted a massive hole through the ten foot thick steel doors that were supposed to keep water and ornery sea critters out of the city. We melted them back into a solid piece on our way back. We may not like the Shoto Emperor, but thats no reason to drown all the citizens. Once the doors were open we started getting shot at.

Lena whipped up some ice for cover, and Julius and I filled the area with fire. There were some more gunshots, but I think it was just their ammo exploding. With that we were inside the fortress. They tried to ambush us several times as we walked through choke points. Little holes in the ceilings and walls are probably really good at protecting people from bullets and stuff like that. Not so much protection from people who can fill the whole room behind the hole with fire. Or lightning. Or ice. 

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What I'm trying to say is, they had no protection from us. So we swept through the fortress. Roughly halfway through Ardiea and the marines caught up with us. They seemed impressed. Shortly after that the remainder of the fortress garrison retreated from our path and locked themselves inside the armoury and the messhall.

Typically, you never, ever, want to leave a cowed hostile force behind you. If they feel brave or tricky they could pop back out of hiding, and trap you between two hostile forces. We were kind of in a hurry though, so we sealed up their hiding places with melted steel and ice. And just in case that wasn't enough, we left fifty marines sitting in the murderholes outside. We let them out on our way back.

Finally, we reached the exit. Which led into a walled courtyard where the Civil Guard was waiting for us.

Just for fun, Julius, Lena, Fen, and I all decided to try our best to scare the crap out of them. After some discussion behind a bit of wall so they couldn't shoot us. We decided to create a single thing out of all our Tingles.

We started with Lena making a massive scaly tail out of clear ice. A long elegant length of gleaming coils. It stretched nearly sixty feet, before ending in an abrupt flat surface.

Upon that surface I created a torso, roughly a third the size of the tail. Vibrant red flame launched forward and upward. Forming a towering figure. I built a long snout full of vicious looking fangs. Flames dripped  upwards from the snarling maw of my creation in a bizarre parody of drool. Duller reds and blacks faded into being along the creatures flanks and back. Forming sizzling scales.

The Julius joined in. Six arms erupted from the sides of the creature. Three on a side. All were vibrantly yellow-red, and at times they almost seemed like gold. The top pair formed a set of long blades, the next two sets formed as sturdy arms, tipped with long blazing white claws. 

Fen created wings. The delicate framework of them crafted from lightning, and the spaces between the violently restrained bolts was filled with a bizzare shimmer. The wings stretched out. The bolts of lightning searing the stone of the mountain, and a unfortunate statue happened to be in the path of their first exploratory flap. As the shimmer between the struts passed over the statue, it was ground to dust by the thousands of rapidly circulating wind blades within.

With a roar, our fearsome creature swept out of cover and into the middle of the Civil Guard encirclement. It stretched as high as it could, spread its wings, and roared fire and challenge at our foe.

They ran away. Can't say I blame them.

Fukai truly was a beautiful place. The distant blue glow of the mystical walls that kept the ocean from crashing into Fukai illuminated giant schools of fish, and just plain giant fish. Many tiered towers climbed towards the shimmering 'sky'. And massive green fields rolled through the hills under the mountains.

We burnt some of it, but it's a big place, so I think they'll be fine. We'd specifically chosen the mountain closest to the Imperial Palace. So once we broke out of the initial courtyard we only had a short ways to go. The tall black walls of the palace were rather intimidating. Until our new buddy blew a big hole in them.

The Dragon Guard were waiting for us. They tried to ambushed us as we stepped through the hole we made, and ran right into the loving arms of our monstrosity. Thats were most of them died. Frozen, burnt, shocked, turned to red mist, or crushed.

The fight was brutal. The Dragon Guard didn't break and run like the previous two forces had. They fought to the last man. Thank goodness we had superior firepower.

That's just a bad pun. Even for me. I'll do better next time.

With the palace secured, we went looking for the Emperor. As we searched we looted the treasury. Lena and Julius found all of their tinglewood. Seriously, every last splinter was piled up, front and center. How there was none of mine and all of theirs is a mystery to me. I guess that's just the way it goes?

We found some other neat stuff. Julius lead me around the place, pointing out things to add to his steadily growing hoard. Ardeia found a old dirty cracked mirror, and made a huge show out of presenting it to Lena. Kind of a weird present to give a friends, but whatever. To each their own. I found a collection of colorful bottles marked with neat skulls, which Onica immediately confiscated from me. Julius snagged most of the precious metals and fabrics. Lena turned her reclaimed tinglewood into a fair sized boat with legs, and filled it with precious stones and gems. And I took a neat black bladed sword with a cool stylized fire hilt, and a ruby the size of a chicken egg in the pommel. 

All in all, a very nice haul for a couple hours work.

Then we found the Emperor. For whatever reason he was cowering in the kitchen pantry. Hiding among the potatoes. Lena kicked him square in the groin and he dropped like a sack of shit, good for her. Then Onica and Ardeia requested some time alone with him, and I saw Ardeia pull those bottles Onica had given her a few days back out of her pack.

I don't have much of a stomach for torture. It just makes me uncomfortable, so Lena, Julius, Fen and I settled down a few rooms over and played some cards until the ladies were satisfied. Which took about the same amount of time as the rest of our invasion altogether. Poor, poor, Emperor. I guess you shouldn't have messed with Lena. Or done whatever you did to piss off Ardeia.

When they reappeared they were looked a bloody mess, and while Onica gave of a feeling of satisfaction. Ardeia seemed, almost lost. I guess she needs some time to get over stuff, which is good. Onica is kinda scarily relaxed now.

We headed back to the ships, unloaded our loot, and threw a 'successful invasion' party. Its a fun party to throw, because you use the losers stuff intead of your own. We had so much food and drink I'm pretty sure most of the fleet will be unable to move tomorrow.

Speaking of, I'd best get back to the party, if I'm gone too long , uh, well nothing much happens really. But I miss out on a bit of celebration. And that'd be a waste!

Goodnight.