The meager fleet of ships I was now in charge of, rose from the dock and slowly spiraled into the air to get above the mist. The chaotic coloration of the mana storm was visible in the distance even through the mist. That meant the enemy was almost upon the island.

The Retribution was the first ship to breach the thick covering and it was no surprise to see the enemy ships had spread out in a crescent shape to surround the island. Enemy fast attack craft zipped toward our location and I double-checked that everything was working as it should. I had also turned the mana accumulator back on.

I sometimes wished I had been able to fit multiple layers of shielding on the ship. But my experiments in that regard had not gotten anywhere. Shields that close together acted like soap bubbles. Either they popped completely or merged together, but it didn’t increase the strength of the shield when they did. The only way to prevent this was to have separate bubble shields that only covered a certain area. This wasn’t a very effective defense though as that left exposed parts of the ship and cost significantly more mana draw.

The first enemy ships came within range and I fired at all three of the small craft, while Khikall tried to avoid the harpoons again.

I heard the grinding tear of metal as one of the harpoons pierced the side of the Retribution. Khikall spun the ship, yanking the smaller vessel hard enough to tear the entire front of their ship off. The enemy might have these absurd harpoons but we had power enough to make them regret using them.

The other ships with me finally surfaced above the mist layer and turned to engage. I was glad these ships had normal cannons, they had a much greater range than the Retribution’s guns.

A few of the smaller ships managed to break away from the incoming fire but the vast majority of them disappeared below the mist. Muffled explosions could be heard from below as they impacted the uninhabited portion of the island we were currently over.

There would be no fighting aboard ship today. I had ordered Em’ah and Barcos to remain on the ground and help the defenders of the city. If any pirates boarded our vessel, they would be in for the shock of their lives. As for the other two ships, they had enough explosives aboard to make the pirates regret boarding them. These people had nothing to lose so they had taken it upon themselves to protect as many people on the island below as possible before they finally sacrificed their lives.

I knew exactly how they felt and I wasn’t about to let them die for nothing.

Our ships turned toward the outer edge of the encircling formation. The remaining pirate ships were already moving to intercept us, but if we could reduce their numbers a bit we may yet succeed. I didn’t miss the three armored warships or the Forsooth amongst the ships arrayed against us. I had convinced Khikall to ignore his greatest enemy for the sake of survival.

I activated the null beam as we raced at our first target. It was turning to get a broadside on us a moment before the invisible beam of energy sucked away all of its mana.

I had learned from my mistakes in the past and my aim – for the follow-up burst from the weapon – speared through the center of the ship, bursting out the top deck as it started to fall from the sky.

I felt the Retribution jerk as a few incoming rounds impacted our shield. The two enemy ships within range were getting pounded by my fleet though. We hadn’t had much time to come up with a plan, so I just told the other captains to focus fire on one ship until it was knocked from the sky.

It was working… at least while we had the number advantage. Already, the other enemy ships were closing into firing range. We managed to take down two more enemy ships before one of ours took too much damage. I could only watch as the crew went to try and ram into one of their attackers. But the pirates pounded it from range, not letting it get close enough. Then it exploded. The shockwave battered the enemy ships but it didn’t cause any of them to crash.

Khikall took advantage of the confusion though and lined me up for a shot with the null beam. I activated it and the beam of disruptive mana tore through the ship I targeted and the one behind before it dissipated.

Our attack didn’t go unanswered though. Three of the armored warships opened fire on us. I gripped the seat with white knuckles as it shook violently under the barrage. The hull rang like a bell as the last few cannonballs slipped past our downed shield and exploded against the deck.

More shots came as I and the remaining ship with me tried taking down another ship. Our combined firepower tore through the faltering ship’s shield and blasted large holes in the side of its deck but it didn’t fall from the sky. I was still waiting for the null cannon to stabilize so I could fire it again when dozens of incoming cannonballs impacted the front of the Retribution, taking the cannon and a good chunk of the forward section with it.

The Retribution lurched about like a dinghy caught in a storm before settling. There was another explosion that tossed us away. When we stopped cartwheeling across the sky, I saw the wreckage of the last ship we had with us. It had managed to maneuver itself between one of the warships and another pirate ship before detonating its onboard payload. But it wasn’t enough. The enemy still had too many ships and the Retribution was no longer stable in the air.

I made the difficult call. “Take us down, we can’t fight them in our condition.”

Khikall didn’t acknowledge my order but almost immediately we slipped below the mist. As we descended toward the ground, the ship continued to shake as more and more random fire was sent our way. I could see the ground glowing as missed cannonballs impacted the rocky surface below and exploded.

Then the ship lurched sideways, throwing us hard against our harnesses. The entire command room went dark for a moment as the main power conduit was severed by a lucky shot.

Freefall sucks! Even if it didn’t last long, the sensation of being inside an enormous tin can as it falls from the sky unassisted was not pleasant. My backup power conduits kicked in and shunted energy to the damaged flight systems but we were still falling, only a bit slower.

“I- don’t- think- I can- pull it out of this freefall, Captain!” Khikall strained and grunted as he fought the failing controls.

I braced for impact by casting every skill I could on myself and Khikall. I even multicast Second Chance on the Jerboa. Something I hadn’t used on anyone besides myself since I left Saint June.

I had a bad feeling this crash was going to do some real damage.

We passed through the bottom of the mist, which was blasted away by all the enemy fire and falling ships. That was good and bad. At least we now knew how far we had to hit the ground. The bad part was I could see the city in the distance. Already the bunkers were firing into the mist.

I quickly engaged the helmet on my armor as we rapidly approached the ground. I wanted to swear and cuss out these fucking pirates but I didn’t want to bite my tongue off on accident. I estimated the time until impact and Cast Rejuvenate on Khikall, and Regenerating Rain on myself.

The ship impacted the surface with a boom. I saw the shockwave propagate out for a split second before the entire power system just stopped working. We landed belly down and I could feel my spine compress under the titanic force of the impact. But I was far heartier than Khikall.

I heard the Jerboa give a gurgled grunt as his head snapped down, then back up. The impact had snapped his neck. But only moments after the fall killed him, I saw his head snap back into place thanks to my healing. He let out a strangled cry as he flailed around in confusion for a moment before he looked at me. “Captain… I- I died. How, how did you bring me back?”

I stored my helmet away and spit out a mouthful of blood. My lungs had collapsed from the crash and I was having a hard time breathing until my healing completed its job. “A skill,” I wheezed out when I could finally take in enough air to reply.

I tried to release my harness but found both my arms were dislocated. I winced from the pain, my healing would snap them back into their sockets shortly. “We need to get free of the crash site,” I coughed, my lungs almost fully restored.

Khikall nodded as he produced a dagger and sawed through the straps holding him in place. I also saw him guzzle down a healing potion. Probably a good idea, my healing spell wouldn’t have restored him fully. I screamed as I felt my arms pop back into their sockets. I took a few deep breaths as the pain was fading. I popped a health potion as well as a mana potion before Khikall made his way over and cut me free as well.

Besides the collapsed lungs and dislocated arms, I was in remarkably good health. Khikall was healing, but he had taken the crash far worse than I. I activated Healing Touch on him and injected another mana potion into my leg before tossing the used injector across the deck. “We need to get to the city and its defenders before the pirates get to the ground.”

“We can try, Captain but I don’t think we have time.”

“Fuck it, let's try anyway,” I responded, pushing Khikall ahead of me.

It wasn’t to use him as a shield or anything. He was just smaller. If the decks had caved in from the impact, he might be able to get through if I couldn’t. That didn’t turn out to be an issue though. The ship had cracked along the old damage, only this time it left a gaping hole from where the ladder to the top deck hatch used to be. The side of the Retribution now sported a hole large enough to drive a car through.

We waited only a moment, noticing the sounds of impacting cannon fire had ended. We could still hear the bunkers firing into the sky but with the mist covering everything it was impossible to get a bead on the enemy ships. I motioned for Khikall to hurry out the opening. He jumped to the ground in one fluid movement and I was right behind him.

I heard him cough on the haze of dust kicked up by our crash. Thankfully I had my helmet back on so it wasn’t affecting me. I saw him quickly tie a bandana across his face and put on goggles before we both looked around.

“Which way!” he shouted over the noise of distant cannons firing and the roar of wind-blown sand.

I pointed in the direction I thought I spotted the town in and we began to run. I felt the weird tingle before I heard the pulsing magic as ships breached the area of blown-away fog. Then everything really kicked off. Now that the bunkers had a target, dozens of cannons fired at the first ship to appear from the mist.

This is usually a good thing. Unless you are near said ship and trying to flee for your life. Each successive impact sent out a small shockwave that pounded against mine and Khikall’s bodies as we tried to scurry away from the battle zone.

There was a flash of light and we were thrown to the ground. The enemy ship had exploded. I wanted to cheer but I was forced to dodge a spear as a group of pirates teleported near us. I used Time Shudder as I prepared an Overcharged Unstable Mana Vortex. “Run!” I screamed to Khikall a moment before I let the spell rip at our attackers.

I was transfixed for a moment as a ball of multicolor light that looked like oily water grew in front of me. The ball grew to about two feet around in an instant before it shot forward like a drunken bullet.

Tentacles of unstable mana reached out and touched over half of the pirates as the ball zipped across the distance before it exploded in a shower of sparkles. While the spell was horrifically beautiful, what it left in its wake was anything but.

One man had been converted to stone, an unfortunate woman was liquified. One was still screaming as fire consumed him from the inside out. There was ice, dark corruption, acid, you name it. The spell had wrought havoc on anything it touched and only a few of those had survived its rampant onslaught.

But I didn’t stick around to see any more. I had used Blink Step to run away as fast as I could. It wasn't because I was afraid of the survivors of that little clash, no it was because of the other six ships descending through the mist. I kept tossing out the little remote teleportation scramblers that I built when I attacked the Stygian Order base.

It was working for a bit too, until one group of pirates appeared in front of us, cutting us off from the town. Khikall jerked to a halt and hissed.

When I looked up, I saw that the pirates in front of us were all Jerboan. The Captain was plain to see by his height and swagger.

“Running away again, Father?” Captain Grulaine hissed mockingly.

Father! What the fuck Khikall.

Khikall spit on the ground in front of him and already had his bladed whip and dagger out. “My son is dead. The thing standing before me is but a shadow of a real Jerboa.”

Grulaine chittered in amusement before pulling out a saber and a dagger. “You say that like I give a shit about your opinion, old man. Now, come, it's time I laid you to rest along with mother.”

The two rushed at each other in a high-speed clash. I wanted to rush in and help him but the Other Jerboa was circling around the fight with weapons out and I also had the pirates behind me coming up fast.

As soon as the first Jerboa cleared the fight, they rushed me. I blasted the first one with my mana cannon and the second with Energy Lance. Both Jerboas were instantly killed by the magic but I was quickly on the defensive as I ducked a thrown dagger.

I needed to conserve my mana as it hadn’t fully recharged so my staff appeared in my hand and I spun it in a blur of motion that knocked two more daggers and a spear away.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw one of the Jerboa shudder momentarily. I threw myself sideways as he appeared next to me. His glowing sword scraped across the front plates of my armor as I elbowed him in the jaw, continuing my sideways twist.

All of these Jerboas were massive specimens, even bigger than that guy I fought in the market. But they didn’t lack speed like that guy. I was only able to avoid this attack because I recognized it for what it was. It was the same ability Obidiah Kooth had on that ring.

My body was still in pain from the crash so I didn’t want to risk activating the Aura of Rage. I moved behind my attacker and smashed my staff into his back, causing him to stumble forward and fall.

I saw people running from the town to help, I only needed to hold these guys off long enough for that to matter.

Something exploded against my back, tossing me through the air. I rolled with the fall and turned to see what hit me.

There was a floating man, conjuring green balls of what looked like plasma. He wasn’t from either of the first two ships, so he had to be from the newer ships that were hovering above the crash site.

A quick scan over the area showed more and more pirates flying or teleporting down to surround the area and some were moving toward the incoming villagers and who I assumed was leading them. Probably Barcos and Em’ah.

There was no way the former slaves were going to be able to defend against these ships and the pirates. I looked toward the ships, then at the Retribution. A broken wreck below their encirclement.

“Sorry, girl,” I whispered before I produced a small clay disk and snapped it in half. Then I threw myself to the ground.

The world went white and all sound was washed away as my anti-theft runes activated, turning the remains of the Retribution into a massive explosion. Even my new spell Sticky Grip wasn’t enough to keep me attached to the ground as the shockwave from the blast tossed me over a hundred meters across the rocky ground.

I groaned in pain as I levered myself off the ground. When I looked toward the crash site, all that was left was a blasted crater and a group of falling and burning pirate ships. I heard an angry roar from off to my left and spotted the Lionoide Captain Sarvis, the Enforcer, getting to his feet. His eyes immediately locked on me and his blade was halfway out of his sheath before the world seemed to pause.

“Found. You.” The words reverberated like a clarion call across the entire battlefield and chilled me to the bone.