"RAMMING SPEED" the emperor screams and the ship obeys, over the crests and into the frey.
Smashing into the wall of a heavily defended city the colossal class ship dwarfed its companions and was taller than parts of the wall, its prow protruding deep into the pier district allowed pirate Players to swarm around the defenders as the dreadnaughts kept a steady barrage of metal and explosions all along the wall.
Surveying the bey Slom could see a few of the defending ships were still fighting, concentrating on the Odacious he got the fields of fire for her devastating weapons array, picking an enemy heavy cruiser he blasted it to tinder with a single salvo of his starboard aft battery, nine decks of doom let him have hundreds of cannons in each broadside, the colossal class was on a league of its own from the moment of conception.
Even the dreadnaughts with their five decks couldn't compare to the sheer avalanche of flaming metal blasting forth from Odacious in a single salvo.
Taking thousands of men to operate all the different parts that allowed a ship of that size to move anywhere that wasn't easily comparable to drifting the emperor had both the menpower and the knowlege of how to bypass a few of the more annoying parts of an operation this big, like spreadin disease and providing food and comfort for everyone involved.
Surrounded from inside and out the enemy Players started logging off and despawning, still annoyed for losing a full dreadnaught to friendly fire taking down a nameless pisspot town who'se only importance was to deny Players from the guild alliance to respawn there.
What his Players didn't get was that if you tortured NPCs it could really bite you in the ass when they got assigned to your side, which usually happened in campaigns like these where NPCs kept dying and respawning on both sides.
The sailor with a naked sword behind you could be the farmgirl you raped last week and she would gladly pay a few credits to stab your sorry ass and despawn you, so he didn't allow that kind of stuff happening in his armada, they all signed the accords to live by the rule of the waves, NPCs were off limits and if you were caught red handed in a torture scene you better wish it was only one of Slom's lieutenants that got you a whooping and not the emperor himself that struck you off from the accords.
This city was big enough to boast two guildhouses and a real keep, so they mobilised the ground siege cannons to get the riches inside.
Something, or someone was ploughing through his men like they were snow before an icebreaker, knowing that particular fighting style and seeing him make a straight line to him Slom sighed and jumped to the street below landing on his knee, hearing his lieutenants landing at his sides he signalled for them to stay back, "what do you want Red?", hoping it wasn't them out of town as he was unprepared to face the maniac yet.
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"Just g't me a choppin l'st I'mma need ye to fill some blanks", the man could speak perfectly fine, he just chose to annoy everyone he ever met.
Taking the rumpled piece of paper popped the list in his display, "what are you building Red?", some of the ingredients were so rare he doubted they were obtainable outside one of the three mythical dungeons, but if Red wanted them then one or all three were about to be conquered and if needed farmed until the heavens dropped whatever it was the piece maker wanted.
"None o' yer b'sns sonny", waving his hat, "ye just point where t'go an' st'p aside", sound advice from the living typhoon.
"I have some of these things", he checked the list again, "but a few of them are out of my reach", signalling for one of his lieutenants to approach, "gargant beard is only found in the dark forests of fairytale which I never bothered to explore", handing the list to his subordinate and sending him to bring the ingrediants they had, "prowler seagrass stalks are an uncommon drop from the prowler seagrass that is practically immortal unless you lure it to dry land which takes weeks of tedius ploughing on the bottom of the sea to get it where its caught by sudden down tides which is your favorite pastime but no one else is crazy enough to bother", passing most of the items to the man, "this last one would be difficult even for you old man", looking at the simpleton scratching his head he couldn't believe they actually shared the same face, "armageddon pyre Red?", examining him, "whatever you're building keep it away from my armada or I won't take it kindly 'brother' you don't want to upset me with that crap"
"T'is a desert t'ng an'way 'broda' ain't none t'do w'th your boots", knowing that if Red decided to make new deserts for his pr'jct he will dry the oceans didn't reasure the emperor but to fight this being he needed to be prepared, which meant starting last year but now was soon enough.
"A' tank'ye knd'ly broda", lifting his hat, "see ya in a hun'rd years" and he turned and left.
"Why the fuck did you give some wierdo over a million gold and literaly priceless treasures?" At least the moron had the decency to wait until he turned after Red was gone
Keeping calm, "do you know who that 'weirdo' is?", obviously not or he wouldn't speak so loud.
"Your brother or whatever", looking pissed, "why are we working our asses off so your bum brother and bimbo girlfriend can just walk away with the greatest treasure?"
"Did you ever hear of mirage the great city of wonders?", it was the easiest way to explain Red.
"It's a myth where life once was now nothing grows, where all were blessed brings none but waste", adding, "its a children's song"
"He made it a myth", looking to where the man went and shivering, "the grand vizier challenged him to sprout the damned tree", pause, "that is the tree's name", seeing the men unimpressed, "he turned the earth so unbearing that you couldn't grow weeds in a pot of magical soil", still unimpressed by his passionate apeach the emperor sighed, "you can try and rob him as long as you let him take some distance away from the city" looking at the wall and contemplating.