85 Vol 2. pt. 22 Patch 4.0: The First Round (2/2)
”Looks like we'll see whether the wolf foolishly fights against those stronger than him, or if he tries saving the lives of those struggling. As it is, it looks like it will be the former,” Ull says. ”He's turning out to be quite the entertaining man. I do wonder…”
…
”Three, two, one… shoot!” Fenrir orders Serra.
Leaning over the ballista and staring through the scope, Serra expertly lines the ballista up to the longship's mast and fires!
The hooked shot flies through the air at incredible speed and tears right through the longship's sails. Pulling back the lever on the right side of the seat begins reeling it in while it's still mid-air, causing the shot to jerk to a stop as it gets yanked back right toward the sail it just tore through.
While this plan wouldn't work against a normal ship's sails, the longship's regenerative ability combined with the fact that the mast is a tree trunk with the sails being leaves and branches makes it work.
The shot gets hooked into the mast and some of the branches supporting the ”sails.”
”Perfect shot! Alright, stop reeling it in. We're already hooked. Now, cannons, get ready!” Fenrir orders the three manning the cannons.
The longship may not have any visible weapons, but it does have warriors with advanced skills. One such warrior throws a spear at The Shoebill, and he really throws it.
It flies past Fenrir's head with just as much speed as the ballista's shot had.
He's intimidated. He's intimidated by the brutality of his enemy, and he is intimidated by just how much stronger than he is they are.
But this isn't the time to be intimidated.
”Fire!” Fenrir shouts.
Bonekraka lights his cannon. A few seconds later and Corwin lights his, and then Cassiel follows suit.
The Shoebill has the longship crossed.
The three cannons fire in order with only several seconds between each shot and each of their shots tear right through the ship thanks to Fenrir's timing.
Several of the warriors already got back onboard their longship, and without much space to move, the three cannonballs tear straight through the ship from the stern to the bow and take out anybody in-between.
”Reload!” Fenrir orders.
A spear from the longship pierces through the starboard side of The Shoebill, splintering the wood between two of the cannons. ”Hurry!” Fenrir shouts when he sees Corwin and Cassiel hesitating.
”Olly, hard right! Everybody, brace!”
Following Fenrir's orders, Oleander turns the ship's wheel to bring The Shoebill into a hard enough turn that Rock has to curl herself around the mast and dig her claws into it to not get flung off during the turn!
”Get ready to fire all at once!” Fenrir commands. The starboard's cannons are reloaded and ready to fire already. ”Now!”
With The Shoebill now parallel to the longship's port side, the cannons erupt once more and send three more shots tearing straight through its hull! They don't do as much damage this time since they penetrate straight through the sides of the longship rather than tear throughout its entire length, but Fenrir catches sight of one of its warriors getting a cannonball to the chest.
”Tabs!”
”On it!” Tabitha shouts, loading the carcass shots into the back two cannons.
”Bone, reload your cannon. The other two will get the carcass shots. Corwin and Cass, get the port side cannons ready. Serra, stay put,” Fenrir gives out the next orders. As for himself, he grabs that tarp which has been snagged on the mast and ties a long length of rope to it.
”Cannons ready!” Tabitha announces.
”Alright, I'm going to need your help tossing this out there after the turn,” Fenrir says.
”Are we going to drift this?” Oleander shouts from the ship's wheel.
”Yeah!” Fenrir shouts back.
”Drift? Ya don't plan on tryin' to drift this baby after the stress you've already put her under, do ya?” Tabitha asks.
Fenrir looks down at Tabitha with a smile. ”We're driftin' her.”
”Drifting?” Corwin asks. ”Does drifting not mean going slowly and letting the current guide the ship? What is wrong with that?”
”You haven't played enough street racing games, Corwin,” Fenrir answers before looking back at Tabitha.
She has her head lowered and her hands balled into fists. Her entire body is visibly shaking as if seething with rage, but instead of being angry, she looks up Fenrir with the widest smile he's seen from her yet. Her eyes are lit with the flames of stubborn determination.
”Ya hear that, girl?” Tabitha smacks the side of The Shoebill. ”It's our time to go.”