Serenity's calm, almost too-cheerful voice cut across the hush of the Nightshatter's bridge. "Enemy fleet approaching from the northeast, approximately five hours out."
Roy leaned in over the navigation console, his gaze fixed on the digital display. A wide cluster of targets shimmered on the radar, far too many for any conventional force, just as Warrex and Lutrian had warned.
"Confirmed," Serenity added, tonal inflection as even as ever. "Significant distortion in sensor readings indicates illusions are active."
Roy fought the subtle chill crawling up his neck. "We'll open with a precision volley at their lead vessel's manastone," he said quietly, tamping down the nerves in his voice. "That should disrupt the illusions according to Lutrian? Once we see how many ships are actually there, we move to systematically sink or capture. Everyone clear?"
From his post near the hatch, Warrex bared his teeth in a predatory grin. "Let them try to board us. I'll show them a real fight." Eryndra stood just behind him stretching her fingers. She said nothing, but the glint in her eyes made her feelings obvious.
Roy shifted his focus to the wide window at the front of the bridge. "Serenity," he murmured, "take us in."
A half hour later, the Nightshatter knifed through dark waters under a mottled evening sky, her engines humming a steady bass note. Thunderous booms of distant drums started to echo across the waves, a sign that the enemy flee, or illusions of it, was rallying. Through the reinforced glass, Roy could see a veritable wall of shadowy silhouettes stretching across the horizon. Some loomed high as grand war galleons, others appeared to be smaller, spiked canoes. In total, it seemed like an unending horde.
Presidroids manned every station, calmly relaying data to Serenity. The battleship's weapon turrets swiveled in coordinated arcs, scanning for a clear line of fire. On the main deck, more Presidroids patrolled with mechanical precision, ensuring every missile launcher and cannon was primed.
"Lead vessel located," one of the units stated from the gunnery console. "Target locked."
Roy stepped forward, resting one hand on the console to steady himself. "Fire."
Two thunderous blasts erupted from the battleship's forward artillery, each shell howling into the sky before dipping toward the manastone. Every eye on the bridge watched for the impact. A heartbeat passed and then a brilliant flash flared over the waves. The shock rippled outward in a swirl of multicolored light, like shattering glass. In an instant, whole swaths of phantom ships flickered and winked out, leaving behind a fraction of the once-colossal force.
Across the comm feed, Lutrian let out a low breath. "It's still huge, but nowhere near ten thousand. Probably two or three thousand actual boats and canoes, maybe a few mid-sized brigs in the mix. That's more manageable than an endless swarm."
Takara, eyes on the display, swallowed. "Manageable is a strong word. That's still an army."
"Better than ten thousand," Lutrian muttered, shaking his head. He traced a quick path on the map, highlighting real vessels clustering at the center.
Roy glanced over the new data. Serenity's console spit out readouts of rowboat-style craft powered by rune-assisted paddles, each presumably housing a handful of mages or archers. Others were larger, likely troop transports or supply barges.
A quick beep from the overhead speakers signaled an update. "Enemy formation accelerating," Serenity announced. "They are preparing projectile spells and grappling lines. Recommend close-in weapons activation."
Roy lifted his chin, posture stiffening. "Do it. CIWS on my mark. Shred everything that tries to close in."
"Understood."
On the hull, rotational turrets whirred into position. High above the deck, Warrex stood near a side hatch, scanning the horizon with bloodthirsty anticipation. Farther aft, Eryndra watched for signs of boarding attempts, ready to meet them with fists and raw power.
"Mages are charging up," Lutrian warned. "They'll fire en masse."
Roy's gaze flicked to the bridging cameras. Faint glows erupted across the sea as hundreds of magical projectiles streaked toward the Nightshatter—ice lances, fireballs, spears of crackling lightning.
"Mark!" Roy barked.
The instant the word left his mouth, the CIWS roared to life. Streams of tracer rounds lit the evening sky, colliding with and obliterating the incoming spells in mid-flight. Only a few managed to slip through, and those struck the hull in bursts of harmless sparks or hissed across the deck plating. On the next volley, the guns opened fire with renewed intensity, pulverizing entire clusters of the smaller canoes. Shouts and cries echoed faintly over the water as the illusions that had lingered around them began to dissolve.
Within minutes, the first wave was within arrow range. Rudimentary grappling hooks soared up, only to clang uselessly off the battleship's plating or get shredded by the turrets. The water boiled with panic as the smaller vessels realized how hopeless a direct assault would be. Yet they kept surging forward, propelled by adrenaline or fanatic loyalty.
Warrex's laughter crackled over the comm feed. "They just keep paddling to their deaths!"
A second wave struck from below, using submersible canoes that relied on water sorcerers. Serenity pinpointed their arrival on sonar, prompting an automated response of depth charges from the Nightshatter's undercarriage.
Serenity did something akin to a laugh. "Looks like this tactic is common among the Abyssforged Alliance. Too bad for them we learned from our mistakes."
Explosions rolled beneath the waves, geysers of churning foam erupting in the darkness. Several battered canoes and half-conscious swimmers popped to the surface, illusions flickering around them.
Torpedoes streaked next, locked onto large clusters trying to flank the ship. They detonated in dull, resonant booms, scattering drifting planks and stunned survivors across the sea. Roy noticed flickers of illusions overlapping real vessels, a final attempt by the enemy to confuse targeting, yet the Nightshatter's sensors cut through most false signals.
Standing at an exterior walkway near the bridge, Roy kept watch through a reinforced window panel. He insisted on maintaining a line of sight, despite the risk of stray arrows or spells. Takara stood just behind him, posture rigid.
A speeding bolt of fire streaked in, barely giving Roy time to register the threat. Takara lunged from behind him, her gauntlet flaring with crackling energy as she swatted the firebolt off course, sending it hissing into the ocean. The impact left her gauntlet sizzling, a faint wisp of smoke coiling upward.
"Get back inside," she hissed, bracing herself for the next barrage. "They'll pick you off!"
Roy offered a crooked, apologetic smile. His pulse still thundered from the near-miss, but something in his gut told him to stay put a moment longer. "Just a bit longer," he said, voice low.
A volley of swirling Earth Spires arced overhead, launched by three canoes in a wedge formation. Roy's breath caught. "Lutrian? Eryndra? Warrex?" he shouted. "A little backup?"
Before those spells could slam down, the Nightshatter's guns thundered again, flipping the canoes end over end and just barely shattering the conjured stones. Relief washed over Roy briefly. Then he spotted a cluster of smaller, homing spells streaking high above, about to descend in lethal arcs.
"Takara," he whispered urgently. "Let me try my barrier."
She nodded once, stepping beside him. "Yes, Captain."
Roy took a shaky breath, centering himself on the spark of mana inside. "On three. If I fail, you shield."
"Okay."
"One… two… three…"
A pale dome of light shimmered into being around them. An ice spear struck first, shattering into shards that pattered across the deck. Another blast followed, jarring Roy's mind like a hammer on glass. The dome flickered under the strain, and he felt his focus tearing at the edges.
His breath caught in his throat, mental exhaustion roaring in. In that instant, Takara extended her own ward, overlapping his barrier just before it failed. Together, the combined shield withstood two more powerful blasts, sparks ricocheting in every direction.
Finally, Roy's strength gave out. He dropped to his knees, head pounding with a sharp ache. "Gah," he groaned, pressing a palm to his temple. "That hurts my head so much, but I finally managed to do it."
Takara hooked an arm under his shoulder, pulling him upright as more spells whizzed overhead. "Come on, let's get you inside the bridge," she said in a firm but gentle tone. "Too many spells out here."
Roy nodded, swallowing back the dizziness. He leaned on her for support and together they retreated, leaving the rest of the battle momentarily in the crew's capable hands.
Another barrage of illusions took shape across the water, shimmering silhouettes that tried to hide what looked like two genuine longboats. The illusions drifted aside just in time to shield them from a direct missile strike. Curses set by strange looking mages flashed from the decks of those hidden vessels, swirling black clouds that spread like ink over the ocean surface. Several of those inky blasts slammed against the Nightshatter's plating, leaving faint scorch marks.
On the starboard deck, Warrex roared in annoyance. "Filthy bastards!" He launched himself over the rail, slamming his axes into the canoes that had managed to grapple onto the hull. Broken planks scattered. A few would-be boarders were forced back into the water by the savage onslaught.
On the port side, Eryndra moved like a living weapon. If any grappling hook latched onto the railing, she tore it free, sometimes pulling entire canoes up halfway before sending them crashing back down in splinters. A cluster of mages attempted to swarm her with crackling lightning spells. The spells washed over her harmlessly and retaliated with air splitting strikes. Each blow sent shockwaves through the hull and flung enemies into the sea if they weren't torn to pieces.
At the central console inside the bridge, Roy watched it all unfold, occasionally lifting a shaky hand to point out new targets. He noticed the entire environment was saturated with gunpowder stench and thick black smoke. His chest clenched with each new wave, but he bit down the tension, forcing his mind to remain clear enough to call out instructions.
"Focus on that wedge pushing our front," he muttered, eyes flicking to the overhead screens. "Washington, line up the next volley. Full power. We're done letting them scuff our paint."
Multiple turrets pivoted, volley after volley slamming into the mass of boats that still insisted on approaching. Water churned in bloody spirals around the wreckage. The illusions, once an endless curtain, had now dwindled to random flickers across the wave crests, as if the enemy's magical reserves were running dry.
Over the course of what felt like hours, that swarm eroded to a fraction of its original might. Eventually, those illusions that remained gave out entirely, unveiling a smaller group of real ships, a handful of battered vessels plus one large flagship near the center. Its ornate hull plating gleamed with an unsettling brilliance, runes carved along the sides. The figurehead was shaped like an enormous crocodile, jaws wide in silent threat.
Takara caught sight of it through the window and let out a shaky exhale. "That's definitely not some tiny canoe."
Lutrian's voice crackled over the comm. "They're regrouping behind that big one. Four mid-sized sister ships forming a ring. They look armed to the... Wait, what did that guy in the movie say? Armed to the tats?"
At the mention of "armed," Warrex rejoined the fray on deck, scanning the horizon with blood still pumping in his veins. "No illusions left," he crowed. "Now it's just wood, runes, and guts."
Back in the bridge, Roy splayed his hands on the main console. "Report, Serenity?"
"Approximately ninety-nine point nine-five percent of the initial force is neutralized," came the AI's tranquil answer. "Five ships remain fully operational, including the flagship."
Takara sank to one knee, wincing at the strain on her gauntlets she suddenly started feeling. She'd deflected dozens of magical blasts for Roy's sake alone, and it showed in her shallow breathing. Lutrian, hunched over a a display in the bridge, massaged his temples as he tried to keep track of the last pockets of hostiles bobbing among the debris.
Roy pressed his mic button. "All hands, hold position. They're making a stand behind that flagship. Once we neutralize it, go aboard and capture Sekhem Sorrowclaw, Considering all the scratches, I'd say she has a lot of painting to do."
Smoke drifted across the battlefield. Shattered hulks, floating bodies, and dying illusions dotted the sea between the Nightshatter and the enemy formation. For a tense moment, everything seemed to freeze in place, the only sounds being the labored churn of engines and scattered cries across the water.
Then Roy turned, offering a quick nod of thanks to Takara, who was still crouched near his feet. "You okay?" he asked softly.
She looked up, sweat glistening on her brow. "I'll live." Despite her exhaustion, there was an edge of determination in her tone.
He extended a hand, helping her up. "We can't—"
Without warning, a high-pitched whine reverberated through the hull. Lights on several consoles flickered. Serenity's voice stuttered once, then resumed, though slightly distorted. "Anomaly detected… wave patterns… adjusting…"
Roy's eyes widened, a knot forming in his gut. "What anomaly?" he demanded. "What's happening—"
Before he could finish, a strange ripple passed beneath the Nightshatter. Everyone staggered. Alarms blared across the deck. For a split second, Roy felt weightless, and the entire battleship gave a violent lurch.
And then, in the blink of an eye, the Nightshatter vanished below the crew's feet, and they began to fall to the ocean below.