95 Vol 2. pt. 32 Patch 6.0: The Second Round (1/2)
With the crews on their ships and the owls circling above the city once more, the announcer from the first round announces the rules for this second one.
There are two large differences this time around. One, the twenty participating ships are all in the water next to one another rather than docked at the piers. Two, there is no dome over the water this time.
”Hello! I hope everybody is excited for the second round of the tournament! You spectators won't be getting to watch everything directly today, but we'll have games, stalls, and a display of the tournament for you to entertain yourselves with!” the feminine announcer explains. Right after she stops talking, a large screen drops down from the tower at the entrance to the city and unfurls itself. A magic user then summons what appears to be a group of orbs that fly down toward the ships, and each one projects what they are seeing onto the massive screen. There is one orb for each ship.
Serra and Cassiel both try to subtly hide behind Fenrir when they see themselves on the screen for thousands upon thousands of players and NPCs alike to watch.
”Now, when the race starts, you'll be racing to the far end of Razorfang Isle where you will catch a Razorfang eel, and after catching one, it is a race back to here! The first three crews to return here with a Razorfang eel will proceed to the final round of the tournament! You may only engage with other crews and their ships beyond the tower. Any on this side of the tower are not to be engaged, and if any of you try it, then you will be disqualified from the final round of the tournament as well as face banishment from the city.”
”Why isn't fighting allowed here this time?” Serra asks, tugging on the back of Fenrir's vest.
”Guessing it's because they're not putting that barrier up, so there's nothing to keep cannonballs from shooting into the city,” Fenrir answers.
”Boring.”
”You're a sadist.”
”Only sometimes.”
”You know what those eels look like, Corwin?” Fenrir asks.
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Because the eels only live on the far end of the isle, and their waters have been blocked off from fishing in preparation for the tournament, Fenrir was never allowed the chance to sail out there and get some practice with them.
”A-ah, yes. They are very… vicious. One could consider them a warmup to the juvenile serpent of the final round,” Corwin explains. ”They tend to swarm around their prey and move very quickly, have teeth that can easily tear through flesh, and work in groups.”
”So basically, eel piranhas,” Fenrir says.
”If piranhas were as big as your arm, yes.”
”Oh. Yeah, those sound pretty scary.”
”You don't sound that scared, Fen,” Cassiel says.
”Well, as long as one of us doesn't fall overboard, what're they going to do? They can't hurt us on the ship. Well, the one we catch could probably hurt us.”
The announcer speaks up again. ”And now, let the second round begin!”
”Olly! Build us up to full speed and get us out there!” Fenrir orders.
”On it!” Oleander shouts back, unfurling The Shoebill's sails and turning on the engine.
The longship gets the lead at the start thanks to the combined rowing efforts of its crew. The Shoebill is right behind it and catching up. The rest of the participating ships are lagging behind.
”Just don't overdo it!” Tabitha shouts from below deck. ”I just finished repairs on my baby this morning, so don't stress her out too much!”
”We'll take it easy after we get a good lead. Wait, we didn't tell you the plan, did we?”
”What plan?” Cassiel asks.
Fenrir remembers that he had no time to tell any of the girls, nor Corwin, about the plan he came up with from his meeting with the other crews.
”What plan?!” Tabitha shouts.
”Uhh, don't worry about it. Just hope that everything keeps working properly,” Fenrir shouts down to her.
Fenrir looks off the side of the ship and sees the longship in sight as they pass it.
Of the crews participating in the plan, three of their ships are following directly behind The Shoebill while the other four follow behind the longship. The rest of the ships are just racing toward the objective for the tournament.
Sinking the longship without overwhelming it with fire seems to be impossible. So, rather than try and sink it, they are just going to kill everybody aboard it.
”Get us halfway there and then cut the engine!” Fenrir orders Oleander.
”So, what's this plan you're talking about?” Cassiel asks.
”That meeting with the other captains – we're going to,” Fenrir looks up at the magical orb following their ship. It's far enough away that he doubts it could hear, and he doesn't know if it can hear anything at all in the first place. ”We're going to try baiting the longship and then grapple its mast again. Then, we're going to stop them in the water while seven friendly ships surround it and start blasting it.”
”What about friendly fire? If they're circled around it and all shooting at it, won't they hit each other?”