Pannuris Squadron, 15 Miles Southwest of Le Brias

Wind rushed through Knight Captain Shalsas’ helmet as his steed darted through the skies at full speed. As one of the Parpaldian Empire’s best combatants, he was one of the select few who could handle the incredible speeds that wyvern lords were capable of. Boasting attributes greater than those of standard wyverns, these beasts exhibited such advantages that wyverns couldn’t hope to beat them, one on one. The Altarans realized this and thinned the Parpaldian aerial forces, hoping to even the playing field. 80 wyvern lords faced off against a force three times their size.

“Sir, we’ve lost track of two groups of wyverns, amounting to eighty contacts each,” One of his subordinates reported.

Shalsas looked up into the dense layer of clouds above. “Likely attempting the exact same strategy that our own units are. Have Vanturus Squadron take position above us. Defensive formation ‘Overseer One’.”

“Your orders have been transmitted, Knight Captain.”

“Good,” he said as he adjusted his helmet’s manacomm. “I truly don’t want to make it seem as if we’re saving the glory of battle for ourselves, but this is a precaution we must take.”

“Knight Captain Gandus won’t be happy with having to take the initial strikes. His unit will receive significant casualties…”

“Such is the nature of war,” Shalsas said, eyeing the Altaran ships with bloodthirsty eyes. “Such shame that war is in our nature.”

——

Altaran Royal Navy

Bordo watched as ballistae were angled upward as the Parpaldian wyvern lords approached. Trying to hit even a standard wyvern with such a weapon was unthinkable. However, new advancements in magical technology, ushered in by American assistance, gave birth to new tactics. Since the new bolts were equipped with magical fuses, an accurately timed volley could devastate the tightly grouped wyvern lords above.

Although the ballista operators were adequately trained by the wealthy Altarans, they lacked technology to help with their aim. Without any fire control systems, they had to rely on their personal skill and wit. They carefully adjusted the angles of the ballistae to compensate for the movement of the wyvern lords above, who were yet to take any evasive action. Slowly and with bated breath, they prepared to fire.

“Fire!” Admiral Bordo commanded.

The air snapped as dozens of bolts were unleashed into the sky, most of them converging onto the wyvern lords. A few seconds passed, then the tactic’s viability was demonstrated. Deadly fireworks erupted below the wyvern lords, like a shotgun blast. Shrapnel tore through the tightly packed force, impacting them with numbers that could be compared to raindrops during a heavy storm.

Admiral Bordo and his men watched wide-eyed as over half of the enemy wyvern lords fell out of the sky and into the ocean. From the initial force of 20, 12 were eliminated and the rest suffered injuries of varying degree. After a short bout of shock and elation from the unexpected success, Bordo directed his men back to work. “Ready the next volley!”

——

Pannuris Squadron

Shalsas watched the Altaran formation closely, feeling like something was off. He realized that the fleet had no wyverns guarding it, which was peculiar. As he was deep in thought, desperately trying to analyze their confusing tactics, balls of fire erupted below his squadron’s formation. The deafening blasts were followed by the screams of dying wyvern lords and their knights. A few unlucky men happened to emerge unscathed, but were thrown off their mounts and fell.

“What the fuck just happened?!” Shalsas sent his mount upward, conducting erratic movements as the rest of his squadron followed suit.

“Sir,” a subordinate responded. “Their ships launched anti-air magic bolts!”

Shalwar was shocked. “From their ballistae?!” He turned around, incredulousness visible even with his helmet on.

“Yes, sir. I’m sure of it. Their bolts exploded just before they reached us!”

Shalsas sighed. “So it seems that the Altarans have developed some new tricks. Relay this information back to the fleet. As for us, we shall coordinate with Vanturus Squadron and strike at the Altaran ships. Spread out and attack from a vertical angle.”

“But sir, what about the ambushing wyverns?”

“We will have to hope our allies deal with them swiftly.”

At Shalsas’ command, Vanturus Squadron swooped down from the sea of clouds, joining the survivors of Pannuris Squadron in their assault. The wyvern lords distanced themselves from each other, taking the necessary precautions against the explosive Altaran weaponry. Once they were in position almost directly above the Altaran fleet, the order to attack was given. Over 30 wyvern lords dove simultaneously, accelerating to immense speeds while preparing their fireballs.

With his unparalleled, hawk-like vision, Shalsas observed the men moving along the decks of the Altaran ships. They hastily worked on their ballistae before slowing down several seconds later. Their movements became more methodical and calculating. Shalsas waited three seconds, assuming that the speed of their calculations was akin to those of cannon operators.

His assumption was correct. As expected, several glints flashed across the Altaran ships, signifying the release of their volley. He broke off from his dive and continued straight, hoping to find a new angle for reentry. As he pulled his steed up and to the left to avoid incoming fire, he warned his squadmates. “Evade! Evade!”

The more skilled wyvern knights within their ranks reacted almost immediately. Before even completing the word ‘evade’, many of the knights initiated evasive maneuvers. Others, however, were not so adept with awareness. Those who reacted too slowly, along with some who commanded injured wyvern lords, were shredded by the rainstorm of metal fragments.

Sparing no more than a second to grieve for their fallen comrades, the remaining Parpaldian knights regrouped to continue their attack. Shalsas sensed blood in the water as he noticed that some of the Altarans were beginning to abandon their posts and instead pick up bows. “Looks like they don’t have enough time to reload another volley…” He deduced. Boldly, he led the charge, gaining speed as he neared the effective range of his wyvern lord’s fireball.

Sharp cracks emanated throughout the small cove as 30 fireballs found their targets, impacting the hulls of the wooden vessels and lighting them ablaze. Just seconds after the Parpaldian forces completed their attack run, several secondary explosions rang out aboard some of the damaged Altaran vessels. A few lucky fireballs managed to hit supply caches of bolts and magic gems, which promptly exploded and caused a chain reaction. Five Altaran ships detonated with incredible explosive power that put the Parpaldians’ capabilities to shame. Entire ships were reduced to ash by their fragile magical cargoes while others were rendered inoperable by flying debris.

While his men circled around for another strike, a transmission from General Cius came through. The other two squadrons had finally discovered the two respective groups of Altaran wyverns that had split up earlier. Already, casualties were mounting due to the sheer numerical advantage exercised by the Altarans. However, the report did not account for the missing 80 wyverns that they anticipated were defending the enemy fleet. Where had they gone?

Shalsas’ gut churned as he realized the Altarans’ strategy: they hid their wyverns while their ships launched an attack on his forces in order to prevent friendly fire. Now that the Parpaldians were within melee range and injured, they were vulnerable to being surrounded and completely wiped out. Shalsas instinctively looked up, catching a glimpse of wyverns pouring down, angling themselves to intercept.

“Break off and engage the enemy fliers! Take this fight to the clouds, so we can take advantage of our wyvern lords and outmaneuver them!”

They ascended to meet the enemy, both sides charging at each other with unwavering tenacity. The wyvern lords, bred for power, outranged the Altaran wyverns and fired first. Nearly a fourth of the Altaran force was wiped out by the accurate Parpaldian volleys. The survivors did not falter; they maintained course and relentlessly pursued their superior Parpaldian counterparts. With three wyverns assigned to each wyvern lord, the lesser skilled Parpaldian riders had great difficulty shaking off their pursuers. Volley after volley chased after the Parpaldians. Although the Altarans were disadvantaged in terms of quality, the sheer amount of firepower brought down upon the Parpaldians resulted in nearly a dozen direct hits.

“Knight Captain Gandus has been hit!” Someone from Vanturus Squadron called out.

Shalsas glanced over his shoulder and saw a wyvern lord tumbling out of the sky, spiraling down as it desperately attempted to maintain altitude. Knight Captain Gandus seemed to be alive, moving in an attempt to save himself. “Damnit,” Shalsas grumbled.

It wasn’t long before the wyvern lords were able to outpace the Altarans, beating them to the clouds. Now obscured by the fog of war, Shalsas ordered his men to engage the core of the Altaran formation, hoping to disrupt their chain of command and send them into chaos. The chasing Altarans were caught off guard by the sudden counterattack from the Parpaldians, who exacted twofold revenge for the dozen fallen wyvern lords.

Shalsas led his men back into the clouds, where they found themselves in a brutal melee with the valiant defenders. Despite the massive casualties his unit suffered, he couldn’t help but feel impressed by the ingenuity and determination of the Altarans. He even felt respect for them — something that could’ve prevented the gross underestimation of their capabilities.

“Shalsas, behind!”

Shalsas turned his mount to the left, narrowly avoiding a fireball. “Close call,” he said, ignoring the scorching heat from the passing projectile. The wyvern that had shot at him was subsequently taken down by one of his comrades. Undeterred by his short embrace with death, Shalsas dove back into combat.

The frenzied battle lasted for nearly half an hour, with reports of similar situations from the other squadrons filtering in. Bloodied, but victorious, the survivors of the Parpaldian wyvern lord squadrons returned to their carriers. Shalsas counted the number of returning wyvern lords with a grim expression. From an initial force of 80, the four squadrons returned with massive casualties averaging 50% losses. Such a devastating loss was heretofore unheard of, and if the other carriers hadn’t been lost, the casualties likely would have been in the low single digits. Having had enough of these thoughts, he turned around, accepting the well-earned rest that General Cius bestowed upon the returning wyvern knights.

——

Altaran Royal Navy

“They’ve broken off their attack run to engage our wyverns…” Bordo muttered as he watched the two approaching forces. They clashed, sending fireballs into sporadic directions. “All vessels, this is our chance to take on the Parpaldian fleet! Advance toward the enemy in standard line formation; keep your distance and have emergency systems in place! We don’t want any more collateral damage from the explosives.”

40 Altaran ships of the line surged forward, sails unfurled and oars deployed as they charged to meet the enemy in glorious battle. Unlike the matchup between their aerial units, the Altaran Navy found themselves hopelessly outmatched. Not only were the Parpaldian warships more numerous, they were also of far higher quality, boasting cannons with double the range and armor with double the effectiveness. The Parpaldian fleet even fielded a few man-o-wars, immense ships of the line with over a hundred cannons. If he had seen this matchup a week ago, he would’ve predicted complete annihilation for the Altaran fleet. However, seeing the new ballistae in action gave him confidence — not for a victory, but confidence that the Altaran Navy could actually pose a threat to the once-invincible Parpaldians.

As fireballs detonated overhead, the two fleets converged. Two lines stared each other down until one side got close enough to fire. Admiral Bordo immediately gave the order to stop and present broadsides once his fleet reached effective range. The Parpaldian ships continued forth undeterred and without conducting any evasive maneuvers, thus presenting themselves as easy targets. Bordo smirked, his eyes glinting with vengeance as he yelled at the top of his lungs, “FIRE!”

——

Parpaldian Imperial Army

General Cius raised an eyebrow at the Altarans’ strange movements. “Why are they presenting broadsides?” He asked aloud.

“They can’t possibly have cannons with that much range,” an officer said. “Could they?”

Cius rubbed his chin. “With the sheer amount of magic gems they have at their disposal, it wouldn’t surprise me if they wasted large amounts of them on brute-force weaponry… I’ve heard that they produce grossly expensive weapons such as ‘Bolts of the Wind God’.”

“Perhaps we’ve underestimated the range of their bolts. Should we react?”

“Maintain course, Commander. Our anti-magic plating should suffice.”

The commander nodded and relayed Cius’ order. The Parpaldians arrogantly followed his will, thinking that Altarans posed little threat. Their arrogance soon proved to be their downfall as the bolts rained down upon Parpaldian ships, embedding themselves onto their hulls.

“Hmph,” Cius crossed his arms. “Their bolts couldn't even penetrate —” His words were cut off by the sound of dozens of simultaneous detonations across his fleet. Cius raised his arms up, shielding his eyes from the luminosity of the explosions. He staggered backward as the ship rocked from the force of the bolt, catching himself on a wall. “What the hell?!”

“Sir! We’re now in range,” an officer called out.

Cius’ shock quickly wore off, replaced with anger and frustration. A quick glance to his sides confirmed his fears: the explosions had already resulted in the sinking of several ships. The bolts must have managed to ignite their ammunition stores. Wasting little time in retaliation, he instantly responded, “Wipe them out! Those damned Altarans; who the hell do they think they are?!”

An enormous wall of smoke suddenly appeared as thousands of cannons fired, letting loose like thunder during a tropical storm. Although not as accurate as the Altaran bolts, the cannonballs made up for this disadvantage with numbers. The area around the Altaran fleet was so saturated with firepower that it was improbable that a single ship could escape unscathed. Indeed, no ships were spared from Cius’ wrath.

Cannonballs tore through the line of Altaran ships, which quickly fell due to their lack of adequate armor. Like the unfortunate Parpaldian ships that had their ammunition stores set ablaze, many of the Altaran vessels went up in flames. They erupted spectacularly, bursting in shows of light as magic gems exploded within their ships. The beautiful carnage annihilated a majority of their fleet, leaving only six ships of the line still floating. Miraculously, these ships were spared from the devastating explosions that their comrades had succumbed to. Taking in water, these survivors decided to charge the Parpaldians.

“Quickly,” Cius said, realizing what they were planning on doing. “Destroy them! Don’t let them get close!” He then turned around, silencing his manacomm. “Captain, begin pulling our vessel back.”

The captain of Cius’ flagship nodded. Meanwhile, Cius walked forward, wishing to see the battle progress. The Altarans reloaded fairly quickly, firing another volley in an arc, which created somewhat of a smokescreen while showering nearby Parpaldian ships with metal shrapnel. Several Parpaldian ships fired in retaliation, but missed on account of poor visibility.

Cius’ heart began to race. Sweat dripped down his neck as he anxiously awaited the next volley from his fleet. To his relief, the next volley found success, sinking five enemy vessels. One surviving ship continued forth, boasting no new scars as if it alone had been blessed by the heavens. His eyes widened as he realized that his ships likely couldn’t reload in time. “Captain, hurry!”

Cius ducked down behind a communications station just as a tremendous blast engulfed a dozen Parpaldian ships from the front of his fleet’s formation. Cius looked up from his cover as a column of smoke rose upward, a testament to the determination of the Altaran defenders. “Those bastards…” he clenched his fist. “I will ensure that they suffer for this transgression!”