556 For Rock and Stone! (1/2)

It was dark and hot inside the wheelhouse with the only source of light and ventilation coming from several tiny slits along the armored hull. The air was humid and stank of sweaty bodies as crew members were stripped down to their waist worked the controls of the fat and ungainly steamship.

The interior was also noisy as the boilers and paddlewheel mechanism cranked loud enough to turn the crew half deaf and words had to yell to be heard over the engine noise. The captain of the leading steamship had to peek through a pair of periscope to see their direction and heading and yelled orders to the sweating helmsman.

The steamship was terribly ungainly in the open sea, capable of making even the most hardened sailor seasick. The paddle wheels of the sharp dagger like shape of the steamship constantly spun and pushed the steamship forward together with two of its sister ship following behind with dirty smoke puffing out of its sole funnel, surrounded by several more sailing ships as escort and support.

Already one of the four steamships had broken down before they even came into contact with the enemy and a small force of sailing ships had to remain behind to provide cover for the floundering ship as it made urgent repairs.

Flying overhead of the First Fleet, was a dozen lightweight dragons that spread out over a great area, acting as pickets and scouts. One of the lightweight dragon and its rider suddenly spotted dark dots in the horizon and he leaned forward in his saddle as his dragon dove downwards to gather speed as they rushed over to investigate the sightings.

Word soon came back to the First Fleet in the form of signal flags and flashing lights from the scouting dragon that a fleet of five flying ships had been sighted in the distance. The First Fleet quickly shook itself into a battle formation as they turned their heading towards the Outsider's flying fleet.

The three operational steamships took up the middle in a single file, while the rest of the sailing ships broke up into two squadrons at each flank. The steamships made a beeline straight for the approaching flying ships and both sides readied themselves for the long wait before the ships come into combat range.

As the grains of the sand in the glass slowly tickled down, both fleets came closer to each other and the superior range offered by height advantage of the Cartel's airships fired first. White balls of clouds appeared around the Cartel's airships as their steam cannons erupted. Seconds later, the shrill of projectiles screamed across the skies and kicked up towering sprays of seawater around the leading Isles' steamship.

Steam mortars fired bursts of shrapnel into the air like massive shotguns, swatting down several dragons with each blast. Yet despite the losses, a portion of the alchemical fire flasks smashed across the decks of the flying ships and the alchemical formula burst into flames. As the smoke cleared, bubbles of shimmering colors covered the flying ships while tickles of flames flowed off the sides of the magic barrier.

The survivors of the dive attack broke off the attack as they returned to land to lick their wounds, having unsuccessfully dealt any damage to the magic protected flying ships. The retreating dragons riders could only rely on the ships of the First Fleet to deal damage to the flying ships instead. Long black barrels poked out from revealed gun ports and tilted up as high as the cannons could elevate. The steamships of the First Fleet turned to present their broadsides to Cartel's flying ships which were mirroring their manoeuvres.

Having weathered the Cartel's steam cannons, the steamships surprisingly held up against their projectiles. Except for a few warped armor plating and snapped wooden structural beams, the steamships suffered no critical damages to its fighting abilities. Sailors wounded by sprung bolts, spalling, or scalding from ruptured steam pipes were left where they had fallen groaning and screaming in their agony as the healers tried to save as many as possible.

The newly forged cannons roared as the crew vented their fear, angry, and blood lust back at the Cartel's flying ships. Streaks of black lines slowed down into visible black dots as the cast iron cannonballs found against gravity and slammed against a rainbow bubble, creating a visible rippled of colourful hues on the magical shields.

Both sides exchanged fire as the distance closed up until they were just several ship lengths away from each other. Three steamships of the Isles fighting against five Cartel flying ships with both sides forming a battle line. The remaining sail rigged Isles ships had sped forward and attempted to encircle the flying ships, their ballistas lofting off long spears filled more alchemical fire.

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Lord Ironmore shook his head as he looked the view ports of the under bridge sited underneath his flagship, Rammer. The pitiful token of resistant made by the local islanders was laughable as none of their weapons had the power to penetrate their protective barriers.

Yet, he could not fault them for their courage as he watched the slow unwieldy black ships that formed a battle line to challenge his airships. He could only imagine how horrible conditions were onboard those fat tubby ships and if whether those ships could even survive rough weather out in the open sea.

”Switch to armor piercing bolts!” He passed on the order to the gunnery officer who transmitted his ordered into a speaking horn. ”Put those poor bastards down!”

The tone of the steam cannons changed as they discharged piercing bolts instead of projectiles in the next volley. The bolts were fired with a sharper crack hiss instead of the duller bark of projectiles and Lord Ironmore tried to trace the trajectory of the bolts in the air.

White pillars of water splashes appeared around the leading steamship and shortly after, the side of the steamship burst into a cloud of dirty smoke and a few heartbeats later, the magical barriers of the airship in front of the Rammer flickered with a rainbow shimmer.

”Their weapon knowledge seemed cruder compared to ours,” Lord Ironmore mused. ”But they are surprisingly accurate!”

”Maybe I should capture a few specimens and let Lord Copperstone take a look?” Lord Ironmore pondered as he stared at the flat ships below him.