The battlefield seemed to quiet and still for a moment as the roar of the cannons faded. Saiyun stared up at the massive ship, almost refusing to believe his ears, but the cloud of smoke rising from the deck proved it. The berthed ship was armed and firing on the Vathlanri ships as they approached. In the distance, white plumes of water sprayed into the air as cannonballs smashed into the sea around the Vathlanri fleet. The sheer amount of splashes meant that it wasn't just some secondary battery. The Treasure Ship was fully armed.

"Why?" was all Saiyun could think to say.

"Hey!" bellowed Bill, shaking Saiyun by the shoulder. "We still have to clear this last ship! Get your turtle going!"

The shouts, screams, and gunshots resumed as Saiyun staggered out from behind cover to the edge of the dock. The last ship on their dock bobbed in the water, towline dangling in the water. At his direction, the turtle swam forward and grabbed the end of the rope, hauling it clear as another volley of cannon fire ripped through the air. "Why is a ship under construction carrying so many guns?!"

"No idea! But it's not good!" shouted Bill, pointing out to sea. The second volley was more accurate than the first. Some ships were smashed to splinters, while others drifted to a half as their sails and masts were torn apart. The careful battle lines were thrown into disarray as the surviving ships swerved left and right to avoid floating wreckage or stopped to pick up survivors floating in the water.

"The summons have stopped!" Yazwa called as she ran down the dock. "I saw the Vathlanri swarm into the pier!"

Saiyun waved the clouds of gunsmoke away from his face and peered further down the docks. Vathlanri were leaning out the windows of the pier, waving their arms and shouting out to their sisters. The Vathlanri left alive scurried out of cover and hurried to pull the ships clear again. "We cleared the docks!" Saiyun said as the cannons thundered again.

"For all the good it will do us!" Bill shouted as Uvenli came running down the dock, a double-barreled shotgun cradled in her arms.

Uvenli spat out some curses as she joined Bill. "Did we lose Aven and the tailed one?"

"If they're still alive, they'll be back any moment," Bill replied. "Get as many guns as you can spare together. I'll lead them up the scaffolding to the deck so we can silence the guns!"

"Can't," said Uvenli, grimacing as the Vathlanri fleet endured another barrage. "We lost too many clearing the pier. If I split off any more, we won't be able to hold the docks if we're counterattacked. You need to do it."

The smoke hanging over the docks rippled as Ji landed softly, carrying Aven in her arms. "The pier is clear," she said, setting him down.

"With her leaps and his summons," Uvenli said, pointing to Ji and Saiyun, "You can get up there a lot faster than any of us. Go!"

Yazwa leapt to her feet. "Let's go!" she cried, only for Aven to grab her shoulder.

Wishing he shared her enthusiasm, Saiyun peered over at the massive berthed ship. Jado could claw their way up the hull, and Ji could probably clear the distance in one leap, but they'd be alone once they got up there. "Listen to all those guns, there's probably more than a hundred men manning them. We can only do so much."

"Just give me thirty, and we can do it," Bill said.

Uvenli scowled. "I told you, I need every gun to hold these docks. You don't have to kill them all, just slow down the fire long enough for the fleet to get to shore."

"Wait!" Saiyun shouted. "I know what we can do. Aven, you said that the berthed ship was up on wooden beams right?"

"Right," replied Aven as Ji cleaned the wound on his back. "It's not floating in the water; it's being supported."

Saiyun reached into his robe and pulled out a Jado doll. "We don't have to climb up and clear the deck. With my summons and Yazwa's staff, we can cut the support out from under it. It won't destroy the ship, but if we tip it over even a little bit, they won't be able to fire."

Bill clapped his hands. "That we can do!"

"Then go!" barked Uvenli.

As one they took off, sprinting down the ravaged dock, careful to avoid the jagged holes ripped through it. The water under the docks was choked with bodies, gently bobbing as small waves hit the shore. As they ran past the pier, they saw Vathlanri carrying their wounded inside and making a barricade in front of the wide open door. Crates and barrels were piled up on the docks as they rushed to make it a fortress.

The berthed treasure ship loomed above it all, creaking as another volley of cannon fire roared from its decks. Saiyun gave the scaffolding up either side of the ship a quick look as they ran up to it. The bamboo poles and planks of wood offered no cover. Anyone who’d been on them when the attack had begun must have run for it. "I don't see anyone on the scaffolding!" he called, struggling to keep up with his swifter companions.

"Good!" Bill cackled, just ahead. "They won't know what's happening until it's too late.”

A chill went up Saiyun's spine as he ran under the behemoth of the ship. The perpetual shade under the ship left the flagstones cold to the touch. The hull rose well above their heads, supported by a forest of wooden beams jammed between the berth and the hull. They were thick as tree trunks, and a few had visibly bent under the weight of the massive ship above.

Yazwa's eye flared gold and she raised her staff. "Let's get started!"

"Wait!" Saiyun shouted. "We can't just start hacking away, it might crush us! Let me take a look at them first."

"Hurry it up," Bill said, crouching behind one of the beams and peering out to shore. "We don't have much time."

As his eyes got used to the darkness, Saiyun searched for a pattern to the supports as he made his way deeper into the drydock. They seemed to be arranged in three rows, one on either side and one supporting the middle. If enough of the supports on one side were removed, the ship would probably topple. The trick would be not being under it when it did. "Yazwa!" he called as he reached the far end of the dry dock and waves lapped at his feet.

Without the bulk of the ship in the way, he could see out into the rest of the bay. His heart sank when he saw clouds of gunsmoke rising from the decks of the two unfinished treasure ships floating in the harbor. Both their batteries roared, but the cannonfire was not aimed at the struggling Vathlanri fleet. Hilt’s first rate ships had moved deeper into the harbor and were trading volleys with the anchored treasure ships.

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"How are we doing- there's more?!" Yazwa gasped as she saw the raging battle out on the water.

"There's nothing we can do about them," Saiyun said, tearing his gaze away and patting the beams. "This is our goal. Head down to the other end and tell the others to take shelter under the right side of the ship. When they're clear, call out to me and start cutting down these beams on the left side. I'll start summoning Jados to clear them out. We keep moving down the line until the ship tips over and then we try to get clear. Understand?"

"Got it," Yazwa said, eyes flaring gold as a wild grin split her face. Without another word she turned around and ran back the way she came. After a few steps she vanished behind the maze of wooden beams.

Pulling out a pair of Jado dolls, Saiyun took a moment to sit on the flagstones. He splashed some cool water onto his face and took a few deep breaths. A thunderous blast rumbled down through the hull of the ship as the ship's cannons roared again. Despite the heavy fire they were taking, the Vathlanri fleet was still pushing on, racing for shore with as much speed as their sails and oars could give them. In the quiet of dry dock Saiyun could just barely make out their war chant as they got closer. Once they silenced the ship, there would be nothing standing in the Vathlanri's way.

"Soldiers!" Yazwa screamed.

Saiyun leapt to his feet as the crackle of musket fire echoed down the drydock. The counterattack had come.

Leaping to his feet, Saiyun pressed one of the dolls against the nearest beam. With a flash a chunk of it vanished, replaced by a Jado. Saiyun moved on, already at the next one before the end of the first had a chance to hit the ground. A second beam vanished and the others began to let out an ominous groan that could be heard over the gunfire at the other end of the ship.

With two Jados in front of him, the urge to rescue of his friends rose, but he forced those thoughts aside as he dismissed one Jado and fished the doll out of the pile of timber. Their mission was to stop the cannons. If his friends could hold off the counterattack long enough for him to destroy the beams, they stood a better chance at winning. He moved down the edge of the dry dock methodically, keeping one Jado active for protection while he used the other to break the beams. A seventh, eighth, and ninth fell to pieces as he moved closer to the sounds of battle. Even if Yazwa hadn't managed to cut any, he could still make it work.

"There!" came a coarse shout, followed by the crack of a pistol.

Saiyun threw himself to the ground, feeling the bullet zip through the air above his head as he tossed the Jado doll at another beam. He willed his other Jado to crouch low over him as another beam disappeared. Pressing his face against the cool flagstone he shut his eyes and willed his senses into the Jado he had just summoned. Through its eyes he saw a squad of soldiers armed with swords and pistols charging through the forest of beams.

Jado rushed forward, slamming into the soldiers and sending them sprawling backwards. Before it could pounce, two pistol bullets tore into its body as another squad of soldiers rushed it from the side. Their swords found their mark before Jado could turn to defend itself

When his senses returned to his body Saiyun wasted no time throwing out another doll. But as he lay on the ground he could see a multitude of boots through the beams. The soldiers were coming for him, and he was alone.

-

Ji darted through the air, leaping from beam to beam as the gunsmoke parted before her. The top of her head scraped the hull as she did her best to stay above the soldiers. Some caught sight of her as she passed overhead, but by the time they raised their weapons, she was gone. They weren't who she was looking for anyway. Over the echoing din of screaming and gunfire, she strained her ears to pick out the once voice that mattered.

The one giving orders.

Through the chaos, she caught one coherent sentence and rushed towards it, bouncing off beams until she reached a man wearing a brightly colored uniform. He was pointing this way and that with a sword, commanding the attention of everyone around him.

Ji landed on the ground, locking eyes with him over the shoulders of his men. She dropped two of them before they realized she was there. The uniformed man pointed his sword at her and everyone spun around, raising their weapons.

Shock slowed their reflexes as Ji charged in. One soldier barely managed to grab the hilt of his sword before she slammed her fist into his face. As he crumpled to the ground Ji slammed her knee into the chest of the man next to him while he tried to cock his pistol. Gathering the wind under her feet, she surged forward, slipping past the one soldier left between her and the officer.

He knew what he was doing.

Ji had to twist away from a lightning-fast thrust with his sword. With a shift of his stance he turned the thrust into a slash, aiming to slice open her arm. It was close, but Ji managed to duck under the blow and close the distance before he could recover, gathering the strength of the wind at her fists. She landed two hard hits on his chest and felt the bones shatter under the force of her blows.

His soldiers drew their pistols and fired as he fell, but Ji was already in the air and away. Without anyone giving orders, the attack might slow down enough for her to find Saiyun. As she raced to the end of the drydock she slammed into the beams holding up the ship as hard as she could, but to no avail. The weight holding them down was too much for her to overcome. The ship would hold its position a little while longer.

A familiar screech caught Ji's attention and she caught sight of a green tail disappearing around a beam. "Saiyun!" she called as she gave chase, leaping over the heads of surprised soldiers. "Saiyun, where are you?!"

"Here!" came a faint cry in the opposite direction the summon was heading. With a grunt she killed her momentum and leapt in the opposite direction until she found Saiyun crouched behind a beam, surrounded by the bodies of soldiers.

"What's happening?" Saiyun asked, climbing to his feet. "I sent the Jados to lead them away, I don't think we have much time."

Ji looked around until she was close enough to be sure no one could hear them. "The soldiers swarmed in from the town, and there were too many for us to hold back. The others retreated up the scaffolding, and Yazwa cut all the ladders up. Do you think you can cut enough beams to tip this ship?"

Saiyun grimaced. "No, there are too many soldiers under here."

"Then Bill says the only way to silence the guns is to blow the powder magazine on the ship," said Ji, tensing as she heard voices getting closer.

"Exactly what we were trying to avoid," Saiyun winced and took out another pair of dolls. "I just lost both Jados. They'll be coming."

Ji frowned, looking up at the web of beams. She could navigate them easily enough on her own, but doubted it would be possible if she were carrying Saiyun. "Keep your summons close. I will try to clear a path for you to the scaffolding. No matter what, keep moving towards them."

Saiyun tossed the pair of dolls into the nearby beams. "Right," he said as his summons flanked him.

Ji nodded and leapt up, ricocheting off the beams until she was over a squad of soldiers. She fell on them like a thunderbolt, fists flying until none were left standing. Someone called out a warning, and she charged towards it, dropping the unfortunate soldier before he had a chance to realize she was upon him. The soldiers found themselves attacked from all directions as she darted and weaved around the beams. Swords whistled through empty air and bullets missed their mark as she scattered anyone standing between Saiyun and the scaffolding.

When she reached her destination she found it crowded with soldiers, aiming up to fire through the wooden boards. They didn't see her coming until she was among them, falling one by one to her fierce attack. As they shouted for reinforcements a shadow passed over her.

"Let's go!" Saiyun shouted, clinging to a Jado's back as it shot up the side of the scaffolding.

Gathering the wind at her feet, she leapt upwards, passing Saiyun and flying up to the second-to-last layer of the scaffolding. There, the others waited, breathing hard and soaked with sweat. "Saiyun is coming," Ji said as she landed. "He couldn’t break enough beams on his own. We'll have to attack the ship."

"That might be harder than we thought," Bill said, face clouded with a dark look as he pointed to the side of the ship.

Ji turned, spotting the ship’s giant nameplate. She blinked, certain she was mistaken. But there it was, written clear as day.

The Golden Colossus.