Booms And Surprises

The base's ships immediately went into a maximum speed charge, and the enemy ship line formation could do nothing as they watched. They also weren’t given the order to directly attack the enemy; yet. But unlike what the enemy's ports and stronghold had seen before, these enemy crews had restraint over their fear, having some kind of almost-religious belief in awaiting their general's command to act.

“Hold…” Lere, the enemy’s general for this battle, said out loud to her own ship. Consequently, some of her crew relayed her words of holding in still to the nearby ships. There wasn’t a need to put too much Power Energy into their yelling as the ships were somewhat close but not enough to be bombarded together like downright stupid idiots.

“FIRE!” But at a particular moment, between the mark of the small ships entering a distance of 150 kilometers in range from their current position, Lere yelled out loud with all of her Power Energy infused into this yell.

Pum pum pum pum pum pum…

There were about 80 enemy ships on the enemy’s line formation, blockading the waters up to the north in more than one single line, with multiple of those behind one another. Immediately, flashes of pure energy exploding from the mouths of cannons on the decks were seen all over the enemy’s line formation of ships. Small gushes of pure energy colored the wood that the enemy ships were made of as they each became tumultuous the moment the firing began.

But compared to before, these enemy ships seemed to have actual and working installed cannons at their decks, not just attached to the deck with some meager and irresponsible method. Though the enemy ships were still visibly affected by the firing of 4 cannons, for each ship to the point even the sailors and captains on the charging small ships could see it, it was to an entirely manageable degree.

And both Ciemnosc and his troops could see that. But as the ships were closing into the enemy, Ciemnosc waited a bit more, even as the flying shells of pure energy came flying with their speed already being incredible enough but still lower than those shells, the distance time between each other was shortened by a lot.

SHANK SHANK SHANK…

Immediately, the sound of dozens of pure energy shells landing on the invisible protective barriers of each small ship sounded, creating an ever so loud mix of pure energy shells hitting at the same time. After being hit a few times by the first round of the enemy’s bombardment, the small ships’ protective barrier lighted up to expose their light green color.

But even with so many enemy ships firing at them, 4 for each enemy ship, and from the first, second, and third line of the enemy line formation, the base’s ships were unstoppable as they didn’t even bother dodging or moving in nosedives towards anywhere the wind was the most favorable for them and the least favorable for the enemy’s cannons.

Tanking them like flies or mosquitoes become flat gum on armored cars driving through nature, the pure energy shells did nothing to stop the ships, which advanced for minutes without end effortlessly under the harassment of the enemy.

“Aim,” Ciemnosc ordered through the communication device on his collar. The captains didn’t take much more than 10 seconds to answer. “Ready, Chief!”

Ciemnosc started walking left and right with large but slow strides, moving with some laziness as well. His face was indifferent as he played with a tool in his left hand and swung his right arm around. “At the distance of 50 kilometers between each other, fire. The assault small ships are to advance, the rest will stay, and the medium ship will be in charge of intercepting as many enemy projectiles as possible.”

“Heard?” Ciemnosc added, in askance, to the ships of the small ships in charge of leading the first assault. All the captains answered to his readying up while the entire crew of those small ships about to go into action loudly clamored. “Heard, Chief!!” - “We have heard you, Chief! We will strike the enemy with all we got!!”

“Then get to it.” Coming to the captain’s deck, the upper floor of the medium ship’s deck. He sat on the edge of the upper floor, saying those words very softly, almost in a whisper.

“HUA HUA HUAAAAH~!!” The sailors about to take matters into their hands and cannons yelled loudly once more, already prepared on their posts and with the sight of dozens of more concentrated fire trying to ‘trip’ them to cause at the very least a small accident among the charging ships.

“...” Ciemnosc’s darkest pool for eyes were looking at the front formation of his ships. The small ships were still much bigger than any other small ship and more than his commanding vehicle. The ship he was on, though, was now beginning to be seen through by the enemy and Ciemnosc was just waiting to see what their response would be to this obviously meaningful medium ship’s appearance while being assaulted by half their small ships.

“... General, what is that ship?!” On the enemy’s side, one of the cultivators near Lere leaned over the helm’s deck as if to try looking better into the distance. The masts of the medium ship were now more than clear and visible. Its ship’s sails were also notoriously thrice as big as the small ships, the height of that medium ship was also chewing her nerves up.

“What are the possibilities of taking down that ship?” Lere asked with her eyes narrowed, the cultivators around her shaking their heads right away. But one of them was capable enough to accumulate enough courage to directly pronounce it, “Their smaller ships are already stronger than ours in terms of defense, both in their array formations and… raw material. But this one… it isn’t just the same but bigger, it must also have more than one array formation of the protective type, not just barriers.”

“...” Lere maintained silence as the cannons kept on firing over and over again. While she had many things seemingly going inside her head, she, at last, spoke while speaking towards the top of the masts of the medium ship. “What do you think those are for? Could they be the explanation for why we don’t have any long-range communication with no one?”

“It… is possible.” Looking at the little, tiny strand of flat, sky blue energy, the rest of Lere’s crew furrowed eyebrows and narrowed eyes while some of them responded.

“Since we cannot take it down… there is no way to get back our communication channels,” Lere spoke and walked around the helm to stand behind it. “Take down all of those ships, as many as possible. Concentrate fire on 2 or 3 enemy ships. The others must not let the enemy’s fire reach us. It’s not certain we can aim at their projectiles like they will be doing… very soon.”

Gesturing to the sky with her head, everyone could see their projectiles intercepted by the largest ship on the base’s side. Even those shots that were fired horizontally were easily tracked and made into futile attempts by the base’s ships’ cannons.

“So aim to those who are the closest by. We should be able to stop some of the incoming shells that way, but be ready to make an open path to let the 4th, 5th, and 6th lines of defense go into direct battle.” Lere added after gesturing with her chin towards the south. One of her people questioned, worried and slightly confused. “But those are the rest of our ships. Would it really be okay? We would be engaging them with all that we have!”

“...” Lere gave that person the side eyes, silencing them before looking back to the front, beginning to create that gap for the rear lines to pass through. But it would take some time without direct communication. “Yes, it will be an all for all. Or… do you think we can endure more than an hour with their firing rate and accuracy? We would be flattened into the lakebed and freeze in it several hours later from now.”

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“...” The person who had just spoken closed their mouth and stepped back, not in shame or fear, but in apology.

“Any more questions?” Lere asked, out loud but softly at the same time. Her crew, however, said nothing and simply waited for her to order them around with clean, bright eyes. Once she felt that it was enough, Lere nodded while slowly blinking her beautiful eyes, rare golden. “Very well, then go relay these orders to the rest. I expect everything to be working in less than an hour. Now, go to work!”

Lere’s cool, indifferent yet encouraging words reached her people, and her people directly rushed to their own jobs to do as the general asked.

“...” Ciemnosc looked from afar still, but close to that 50th kilometer mark along with the rest of the ship formation. He had no thoughts, nor facial reaction, to what he was witnessing in front. With the images of what just happened in the enemy’s ‘center of command’. His face was so indifferent they mimicked perfectly well the lifelessness of his eyes.

Pum pum pum pum pum pum pum pum pum pum, pum pum pum pum…

The ship formation charging, in the end, managed to reach the 50 kilometers distance away from the enemy line formation. The moment it happened, as soon as the first ship arrived at that 50 kilometer away-distance from the enemy, everyone attacked like a mind hive with their cannons shooting directly towards the enemy. Everyone, except the small ships in charge of the first assault, was to make the enemy ships’ protective barriers melt.

The small ships that were left behind and the medium ship suddenly stopped in their tracks once arriving at that distance. Cannons started firing like raging wind crushing down villages and nature to pieces, tearing everything it was directed to, like a tornado advancing at an impossible pace and unleashing fully onto the enemy!

From his medium ship, Ciemnosc could see Lere reacting to the sound of dozens and dozens of small ships firing at them and that of the medium ship beginning to make her ships’ projectiles a mess out of.

The rest of the enemy crews on their ships were just as flabbergasted, with not only the small ships that stopped firing but the slightly-less-than half the rest of the small ships charging at them firing, and with even more precision!

They were, however, only aiming at the enemy ships and bombarding them along the small ships left behind. Though some did intercept some projectiles here and there by their captains suddenly changing their cannons to automatic for only a couple seconds.

But that was enough to deny several enemy pure energy shells from reaching the rest of the still-charging small ships towards the enemy.

“Advance 10 kilometers every 5 minutes.” Ciemnosc suddenly ordered, and the captain behind him nodded and conveyed his orders. And so, 5 minutes went by with the small ships assaulting the enemy ships close by and melee in groups of 3, 1 to board an enemy ship and the other 2 to protect the small ship and the enemy ship. The ships left behind advanced to a distance of over 40 kilometers once those 5 minutes passed.

At first, it wasn’t supposed to be the enemy ship that they would also protect. But the enemy ships nearby and from their own rear began firing at both the enemy ship and the crew of that small ship boarding the enemy ship. Showing such signs of not giving fuck about their comrades’ safety, the other 2 small ships had to go along and protect both ships, firing at as many enemy ships and tanking as much of their firepower as possible until the enemy ship was fully looted and cleaned off of any enemy life in it.

These smaller groups of small ships of 3 were purposely avoiding the center while also ‘hunting’ enemy ships close by. Meanwhile, the teams still on the small ships’ cannons kept firing away at the nearby enemy ships. With their protective barrier resisting wonders, the small ships’ firepower was enough to even gain the upper hand, destroying more enemy ships than the enemy ships could do to take down that protective barrier.

Boarding enemy ship after enemy ship, the sailors easily moved forth, back and forth within the enemy’s first line of defense in their formation. By the time that almost the entire 1st line of defense was destroyed, the 2nd line of defense from the enemy’s line formation began advancing forward. And by then, there were already a couple of small ships that ended up without their protective barrier and began to be heavily bombarded like never before, as if they have had enough of a warm up and were finally firing to destroy!

But, by then, once again, quite a few minutes had gone by, the ship formation had managed to advance by another 20 kilometers, now remaining 20 kilometers away from the enemy’s 1st and 2nd line of defense.

The fire rate of the enemy ships was increasing, while the quickly approaching base’s ships were becoming more and more dangerous the closer they got. Their firepower was the same, but the accuracy wasn’t just about taking the protective barriers of the enemy ships down. They were now aiming at the most vulnerable weaknesses of the enemy ships!

When the ship formation came close to 10 kilometers from the enemy, the 1st assaulting team finally stopped hunting around, looting as many cannons and resources, if there were any. Such as the ammunition for cannons; thousands and thousands of Inferior Powerful Stones. They then retreated as fast as possible while intercepting as many projectiles as they could; which was hella difficult now with the enemy’s 2nd line of defense beginning to take place with the almost destroyed enemy’s 1st line of defense.

When the small ships were returning, another 8 lost their protective barriers protecting each other. In their retreat, the damaged small ships were slightly slower. Their ship’s sails were completely fine; but their overall structure became damaged; at least for those small ships that lost their protective barrier after several focused bombardments.

They were too slow despite the ship’s sails moving them at the same speed as the rest, but they needed a few minutes before being able to really reach the same pace as the rest of the retreating small ships. The other small ships nearby had to go back and tank as much from the bombardment as possible, which was how one after another, some small ships lost their protective barriers but were consistently protected by another few.

While the 1st assault group of small ships was returning, the 2nd group of small ships departed from around Ciemnosc’s medium ship, leaving it with only half a dozen small ships and further protecting the retreating small ships. It didn’t even take a minute before enemy ships were then being boarded and cleaned off of all life and cannons before being brought back.

This time, however, while the 1st assault group of small ships was repairing itself at maximum capabilities, the enemy ships seemed to have received better commands and also gained a bit of experience from being annihilated by the small ships.

Another battle started, and the small ships began making the enemy’s 2nd line of defense into a messed up 2nd line of defense. The enemy’s 1st line of defense was already gone, destroyed, and looted completely by the small ships once they came to relieve the previous 1st assault group. Yet the 2nd assault group began to receive fire that was not a small amount to be called a joke.

In the very first few minutes, one of the small ships directly had its protective barriers taken down as if just to show the incredible change between the enemy from before and now, which was, in turn, going to destroy a few more protective barriers as more time would go on and on.

As for the ship formation under Ciemnosc, they maintained their distance over 10 km away, sometimes advancing 1 or 2 km and then retreating back to the 10th km mark. Never letting the enemy get to understand what they would do next and, quite concerningly, making even their general Lere feel unease with the antics as the small ships never stopped firing at the enemy ships.

The battle seemed to stand at a stalemate some more minutes after the entrance of the 2nd assault group into the enemy ranks, boarding and looting. The speed of that process was slowed down, but the 2nd assault group also began to adapt to better methods to cover each other. The looting had, majorly by the 1st assault group, been achieved with a bunch of cannons being taken away before.

As such, whenever the small ships in the formation behind had a large group of enemy ships without their protective barrier, along with a little bit of a communication change, both a small boarding party of the 2nd assault group and some small ships from the formation behind would shoot all around a select enemy ship. Getting rid of those pesky flies, or at least causing a great distraction that would force them to stay away from their cannons, the small groups of small ships facing the enemy could then smoothly loot and kill enemy cultivators.

… Soon, it was time for the 2nd assault group of small ships to return,. There was a change in the aim for the medium ship while the small ships in the formation took an unfinished rectangle shape with its center having a wide gap for up to 3 small ships to sail into beside one another.

“...” At this moment, Ciemnosc was looking at the panel in his hand but was now looking directly ahead and, more noticeably to the center of the enemy’s defensive line. Their 2nd line of defense was now half destroyed, with the 3rd line of defense seemingly getting ready to take its place. But from it, Ciemnosc could see more movement than just that. He could see that the lines more at the rear were also moving a bit faster. Previously, they were just moving a tad slow to the point that none of his captains noticed, but their speed had now changed.

“Prepare to go melee and alert everyone,” Ciemnosc said after looking at these changes. But his face remained calm, and his voice couldn’t be any more casual. The captain behind nodded and was about to call into his communication device. But Ciemnosc added right as he opened comms. “At my order, first form a line like theirs but narrower, and make as many as possible surrounding this ship.”

…