113 Vol. 2 pt. 50 Patch 9.0: Confrontations and Revelations (1/2)
The Steel Tiger's crew knows that it cannot catch up to The Shoebill, so unless Fenrir and his crew decide to close the distance, Alexander has no choice but to order his men to focus on a ranged battle.
Cannons erupt exchanging deadly shots. Both ships are trying to take out the other without regard for their crew – no, if anything, there is a regard. They want each other dead.
While The Shoebill's cannons prove ineffective against The Steel Tiger's hull, the shots that come from The Steel Tiger are able to smash apart and pierce The Shoebill's hull.
But, that is only for the initial shots.
Thanks to the tree of a mast stolen from the longship in the first round, The Shoebill's hull regrows its wooden structure and no holes last for more than a minute before being replaced by pristine, new wood. More importantly, the next time that a cannonball tries to blast into one of the recently-regrown spots, it bounces off just like they have been against The Steel Tiger.
”It's workin'!” Tabitha announces with a proud smile.
”So, all the new wood is going to be steel oak?” Fenrir asks.
”Right! Maybe not exactly steel oak, but it'll be as strong as it!”
”Great job salvaging some of it, Olly, Corwin.”
Oleander wants to take a break from steering to go and hug Corwin, but another cannonball flying by the stern of the ship keeps his attention on steering the ship.
”Now our girl is as durable as them and she can repair on her own. We don't have to worry about sinking, so now we just have to try and sink them,” Fenrir says before looking at Serra. ”You ready to play with your new bolts?”
Serra straightens out her hat and gives a thumbs-up. ”Ready,” she says.
”Aim for patched up parts of their hull. I don't know if those shots will be able to do much to the rest of it, but if we aim for the parts that were damaged during the second round, I've got a good feeling about it.”
Serra nods and gets to aiming to the ballista. With her hands on the levers and a single eye staring through the scope, she positions the ballista and keeps it aimed at the obviously-patched-up section of The Steel Tiger's hull.
They have no idea whether they patched it up with more steel oak or just whatever wood they could get their hands on, but either way, it is clearly a quick repair job.
”Fire after we give them another volley of cannons. Let's not give them any rest!” Fenrir shouts.
Cassiel, Corwin, and Bonekraka fire and send a volley of cannonballs at The Steel Tiger. One of the shots misses, but the other two cause its crewmembers to take cover and protect themselves.
Then, just as they think they have a moment to safely reload their own cannons, Serra fires the first of her explosive bolts.
The bolt soars through the air and rips right through the patched-up hull of The Steel Tiger, its explosive tip embedded directly underneath the floorboards. Just seconds later and an explosion rocks The Steel Tiger! Its deck blasts upward sending fragments of its floorboards into the air and taking out the wood underneath its portside cannons. The cannons that crash down only cause more damage to the ship's hull by cracking a section of it underwater, allowing water to begin seeping into the ship's hull.
More importantly than taking on some water and losing half of their deck is that they are lit aflame.
Flames with toxic fumes spread across the ship's sails and hull.
”Should we get in and finish 'em off while they're busy dealin' with the fire?” Tabitha asks.
”No. There's no guarantee we'd win a close-quarters fight, and that prick doesn't deserve a good death. I want him to burn or drown,” Fenrir answers.
His answer sends shivers down Tabitha's, Corwin's, and Cassiel's spines. While Serra finds it awesome, the rest are reminded of just whom Fenrir used to be. It is moments like this where they are reminded that there is truth in him once leading gaming's most notorious group of raiders. Even if they did rely on dumb plans and luck plenty of times, there were just as many times where they employed serious strategies and had the personalities to strike fear and respect into those they dominated.
The wolfen ears and tail, while they may be as white as fresh snow, may as well be dyed black to match his tone and personality in this moment. The stern eyes that stare at the enemy ship, the sadistic smile he wears as he watches its crew try to put out the fire and survive, the way he stands tall and proud – he's the one who looks like the bad guy in this situation.
It may be nothing new to Bonekraka and Oleander, but even Serra finds herself surprised from just how serious and cruel Fenrir seems right now. Both Serra and Cassiel find themselves excited by this dominant, dark personality of his.
”He's going to be so mad,” Fenrir says with a chuckle, turning to look at the rest of his crew with a smile. ”Great job so far, everybody. Let's keep it up.”
Just like what Fenrir told Nell before, it is better to know when to pretend to be a cruel and dominant villain than it is to actually be one. As intimidating as his sheer presence was just moments ago, he now looks at his crew with a gentle smile and honest pride in all of them.