The horde numbered hundreds of thousands.

From the size of the Undersea Tribes it was clear that the sea-kin’s main forces had appeared.

The fleet immediately guarded against this threat. Every personnel was on alert. The crew members, the soldiers hastily retreated back to defensive positions. It didn’t take long for the whole fleet to move past the city and enter this great lake that was connected to the Greater Seas.

The Great Seas was a part of the Greater Seas. The Great Seas was nothing more than the connecting ocean that would lead them to the Greater Seas.

The fleet moved immediately. The smoke signals and the flaglets were seen once more as the fleet readied for the storm approaching them.

*****

In the clinic, Gabrio pushed his shoulder against the shelves while Wiles tied a knot on the shelves to keep it still.

“Looks good,” Gabrio commented. He left the shelf alone and turned his attention to the ceiling of the cabin.

“Must be the commotion.”

The quick departure was rather worrisome. But seeing that everyone was jumpy. Gabrio decided to keep his wits about. He wanted to trust the people of the fleet to do their jobs. It was certainly hard to keep still when they reported massive hordes of enemies. He had seen the Undersea tribes during their arrival here. He had thought it would be their last appearance.

Gabrio guessed wrong.

*****

Above the deck.

Robert leaned on the railing of the Milostiv while keeping an eye on the city. It has been long since he had seen non-humans appear.

“Keep the sails steady! You boys make sure that we are in formation. Don’t blame me when you are disciplined for messing up the formation!”

The plan was immediately put into action. Aon had a history of sea battles despite being landlocked. The deadly battles and destruction of supply ships had been carved in the bones of these sailors.

He was on standby on the hatch to make sure that he could call for the doctor if there was any accident that would happen.

It was dim and the cold yet sunny weather made it clear that beyond the walls of the cities were the forces of the Undersea.

“Keep the lines strong! You there! Don’t stand around and pull on the rope boy! We must maintain the pace! There are enemies out there and we are not in line then we’ll be off the formation! Keep it up! Come on, have your bones gone soft from all the rest! Move you fools!”

The officer said to the crew. If this was a regular ship then the quartermaster would have been shouting hard at the sailors who were not fast enough. The officer was eager to have all of these people assist the skipper in sailing the Grand-Galleon. On the poop deck, tactician, navigator, strategist, trimmers, mastman, pitman, bowman were running around to keep the Grand-Galleon in the right direction. They surrounded the Captain who watched the signals with his telescope while the skipper watched and waited for orders.

Robert kept himself steady. As much as he’d like to do something. The role must not cross and he had no inkling of sailing a large ship. What can he do other than watch? Besides, he wasn’t the only one who was anxious. The Grand-Galleon had already prepared for departure but this development was unprecedented.

Other than those who have keen ears. The tacticians and officers of the Galleon had already predicted two scenarios that may happen during their time. Either the West of the Icean Spine would attack or the Undersea tribes they clashed would meet them head-on. There was a race to the Great Sea and once they reached the end of the Great Seas. The Great Seas await them and yet it seems like there wasn’t only good things for them.

On the arrowhead of the formation was Arkshelled Island swimming. It was like a moving fortress made of cement and concrete. Compared to the old appearance of the Arkshelled. The Island was like a vegetation filled fortress. The battlements were reinforced with concrete and the mixtures that they got from the City. The Vitae took over the construction and hastily made it.

The newly cast iron carronades that poked out of the battlements and the mortars were imposing to the eyes. If those cannons were pointed at anyone he would have feared them. The thing about the island was that it was not the cannons at all. It was the defenses used when there were hostels closing in.

But a giant floating object with a tree growing on it had many uses as well. On the shoulders of the giant were mortars that were ready to be fired. It could be said that the mortars and artillery on the giant were rather numerous. The shoulder artillery were multi-directional and with the elven-kin acting as the eyes in the sky. The effectiveness of the mortars placed on the back of the island was going to be tested.

“Poor fuckers,” Robert said. He had climbed the Island far too much these days that he had gotten a long look at how much was there to the point that he wondered if this was overly cautious of the elven-kin who were protecting the island. It reminded him of the cautious nature of the fleet and he somewhat guessed that the reason why they didn’t forward immediately was because of this.

“And people told me that we are so in love with gunpowder.”

Heavily-armed could not describe the Island anymore. And in a way it was the strongest ‘vessel’ that they have. The heart of the Fleet and the source of their food in the future. It was rather reasonable to them to have it loaded with weapons. And from the looks of it was also acting as a place where they could get a greater view of the area of the fleet. The forward ships made sure that the fleet could pass through while one by one the ships of the company went out of the gigantic lake and entered the Great Seas.

*****

Captain Malfor stood on the railing. His hands on his back. His steely eyes in the direction of where the monsters were.

“Baud, how many years have you been steering my ships?”

“Far too long, Captain. I was hoping to take a rest one of these days...alas the world seems to have it funny to end during the time I would be retiring.”

“Hah! The world doesn’t dare to end when we are sailing brother. Look at them… in our age who’d known that we’d be able to see more of the world. Unfortunately, we still have many juniors to care for, eh?”

“That’s right brother,” Baud said. “Nonetheless, the Greater Seas. Aye, a challenge worthy of our skills hopefully.”

“The Great Seas… then the Greater Seas. Looks like the newcomers are doing their best to follow us well.”

On the right of the Grand Galleon of Milostiv was the nobles who had decided to join them in their journey. Although their ships are sailed and steered by their men. The flaglets and signalmen were handled by the crew they borrowed from the other ships. They were ill-trained to the ways that the fleet communicated so they had to train them until they were ready. Until then they needed to understand that the fleet must remain steady and on pace with the fleet.

“Captain, do you think it's wise?”

“Aye, there isn’t much choice. Our campaign has taken time. And although the Blinder had done well in securing the Gates of Brampi. We must not forget that we have spent too much time trying to conquer the continent. Our campaigns were brutal and effective. I haven’t led such an assault ever since the founding of the Chancellor’s Army. We lost a lot of good men but those lives are nothing to the people we snuffed out.”

Pity was not in the heart of Captain Malfor. He had believed that it was the right choice. The right option to choose when facing natives. It was sickening to go back on their older ways, but when it comes to campaigns such as these. Captain Malfor knew that hesitation would lead to problems, and although carefulness was advised. It was best to quickly assess the situation and take care of the problem.

The refugees and the discussions among the Captains made Malfor sickened. Nonetheless, there was no choice but to keep their heads straight when facing such a hostile environment. They were not the masters of the land and the seas. They were simply foreigners who were reliant on their supplies and the ones they pillaged from the continent.

Captain could tell that the morale of the fleet was high. But even their continuous victories in the Fleet didn’t give Captain Malfor this sense of invulnerability. They were not undefeatable and such naive thoughts were something he’d rather avoid. He hasn't fought in the seas for most of his career for nothing.

Baud and him had spent far too much time in the seas.

The old times had passed. And an era that will lead to light or the snuffing of it comes. Who said it was a good idea to keep them so away? Oh, how tiresome all of this, but how can we not fight?

Baud had a family. Captain Malfor had families he wanted to protect. None of them came with him on this journey. Despite his warnings they would rather stay at Aon than journey with Captain Malfor to a thousand islands. He could not blame them knowing that once they boarded the ships, they would have no way back home. The thought of sailing to dangerous waters was enough to scare them.

But Captain Malfor was glad that they weren’t around. He believed that Baud also saw this as a chance to act without minding too much about their family. Of course, they knew that even if they do somewhat reach the thousand islands, and make it back home. The years that would passed would turn them into senile old men who could no longer wipe their own asses. It was best if they died peacefully and on their beds, but he was sure that it was impossible.

Even now they were facing hordes of sea-kin that they had thought would not appear before them.

Whether it was the Western-side Families of the Icean Spine or the Undersea tribe. The tacticians and the officers had made contingency plans just in case. He was briefed by the admiral on what their course of action once an enemy appears. Of course, everyone was hoping that they could leave the Icean Spine peacefully after their campaign.

Unfortunately, the monsters were rather eager to die.

“Baud, how are our sails?”

The sailor informed Baud. “Not bad, Captain. The winds favor us. Not even a help from the Lady.”

The Lady was in the castle of the crow’s nest, watching the waters as well. She was their Lady and their wind blower if the winds suddenly chose to betray them.

The Lady of the Galleon was rather quiet and she looked at the horde of monsters warily. Nonetheless, the distance between them was hundreds of miles. But the strange vessels that they were riding on gave him concern. After all, the Undersea tribe was somewhat using these ‘vessels’ to transport them. They were like ship-sized lobsters that have many barnacles and the sea grasses as their sails.

“Exiting the Icen Spine gates, Captain!”

Captain Malfor nodded. He watched as the Grand-Galleon passed by the giant walls of the area.

It was then that he heard the first sounds of battle.

Like thunderclaps the line of ships that were facing the portside of fleet formation open fired at the vessels approaching them. They couldn’t fire with multiple ships on their way and seeing that they had finally exited the congested lake.

The fleet began to spread and assemble a formation with the Arkshelled Island as the center of the formation!