Chapter 7 Part 6 of 7 (Patreon)

Erik and Rugrat walked up to the windows with two of their security detail.

“Impressive,” Rugrat said.

“Big.” Erik said.

“All about how you use it.”

One of the security detail coughed, hiding her grin.

“You know I don’t get that, or the bridge though,” Erik said.

“Why?”

“Cause think about it, you can get hit at from everywhere, above, below left right backwards forwards, wouldn’t a submarine form work better?”

Marshal moved closer.

“The manor will drop down into the heart of the warship when we are fighting and the bridge collapses to be closer to the deck too. What’s this submarine?”

“Morning Marshal-Edmond,” Erik grinned at his glare. “Submarines are vessels on earth that fight underwater instead of ontop of it.

“Interesting, like fish?”

“Yeah,”

“How do they not sink?”

“Uhh,” Erik looked at Rugrat.

“I dunno, I didn’t want to go in those propellor missiles.”

“Technology I guess?” Erik grinned.

“Sir,” Adamus moved closer.

“Ah sorry.”

“Do what you gotta.” Erik said.

Marshal moved to his command chair, opulent to the extreme, he thought it too much, but he could not deny the artisians.

He activated the formations within the chair that resonated through the formations in the ship.

“Attention all ships, readiness report.”

“The Aquilion stands ready,” Captain Louis Gerard reported

“The Méduse stands ready,” Captain Fredrick Gerard reported

“The Amazone stands ready,” Captain Kline Adamus reported

“The Tourville stands ready,” Captain Danielle Boudet reported

“Launch all ships.”

The crew standing ready by their stations sat down and started going through launch procedures. The manor and gardens dropped below the upper deck.

Metal barscreated a lattice as wooden beams grew into place.

Plating spread out over the top of the still descending home covering it as casting platforms and gunnery mounts dotted where the manor had once been as the surrounding mana density increased.

Le Glaive creaked and rumbled as it freed its bulk from the ground and rose up into the sky.

Around the Sha’s Purkesh compound the four other ships that would make up their formation rose also. Aerial forces patrolled the limit of the compound as secondary warships, Corvettes and Frigates moved around in the sky in a display of military might.

“With entry to the Violet Sky Realm, we can only bring five ships with us, anymore and they will not be able to enter the sub-realm.”

“How will we exit?” A sect leader asked.

“There are transition points inside the sub-realm much like how we can use the totems to transfer across the realms, we can use these transition points with our systems to return to the seventh realm. While only a certain amount of ships are allowed to enter per rune card. As long as one reaches a transition point before the two weeks of the realm are up, you can leave. Raise the sails.”

The ships formed up, the four Destroyers arrayed in a diamond formation off of the Cruiser Le Glaive

Sail masts pushed out around the ship, tilting into the wind the sails opened as one.

It was a magnificent sight as they snapped outward catching the wind.

Le Glaive surged forward suddenly and then settled from the force of the wind.

The formation moved out and away from Purkesh, cannon-fire rumbled from their fellow ships, saluting them as they turned back to Purkesh and their berths.

Edmond took in a breath, leaving the shackles of marshal-ship behind as he became a commander leading his forces on a trip into foreign skies.

“We will sail to the transition point, there will be a small gathering of forces that have gained a rune card, then we will transition to the Violet Sky Realm. When we do we will be all split up, we’ll simply regroup and traverse the Realm to see what gains we can make, after two weeks we’ll transition back to the seventh realm with our holds stuffed with gains.”

Travel passed quickly as they bypassed different controlled territories and elemental storms the fleet was left unmolested as they entered the mountain range the transition point was located within. Marshal held a telescope to his eye as he checked the markings of other warships visible in the distance, heading in the same direction.

He closed the telescope, a sound cancelling formation covering, Kameela, Adamus and himself.

“Keep an eye out for the Black Phoenix Clan, they were able to bring out an additional Cruiser. They’re in a precarious situation, if they can hurt us they will.”

“Are we still going to carry out the Treasure Hall plan?” Kameela asked.

“I know you want to use this as an opportunity to gain information and then come back later to loot the place. We need the resources to sway the other clans and bring the Sha together again. You know how they have started causing in-fighting again.”

“More resources will not always help them. We have carved out a place in the seventh realm and still they desire more,” Kameela said.

Adamus had a sour look, but nodded in agreement.

“This is my duty, this is what I must do. So many gave their lives for this, to dedicate my life to protecting this, isn’t that right?”

“Is it your burden alone?” She said in a sharp voice, she turned and left as Edmond grimaced.

Adamus bowed and moved away, leaving Edmond.

Kameela. His chin dropped as he released his hands. However much he wanted to cross that final wall, to ask her the questions he had held inside for so long, he walked a lonely and daring path. Any that are connected tome are under threat. His memories turned to the day a man he called his brother and was to name as his successor died in his arms. Killed with a Sha weapon. How could I bring children or a lover into this vipers nest?

He stiffened feeling the breeze, looking into the distance, seeing the first group of airships that had gathered at the transition point.

***

Stassov looked out of her windows as the Black Phoenix Clan formation came to a halt. The Three Destroyers created an inverted arrow behind the two Cruisers leading the formation.

Ranko was staring out of the windows, glaring at the Sha formation.

If wishes could cast spells he would have destroyed their formation several times over.

Stassov moved from her chair to the map table, studying the different formations, there were only three more groups that had been able to find rune cards for this opening of the sub-realm. The Black Phoenix Clan and Sha had been the weaker of the two.

A group of Sha attacked Black Phoenix Clan miners and it had escalated into a war. Stassov didn’t know if that story was correct, but she knew it gave the two groups the excuse to attack one another in an attempt to weaken the other force and steal their rune cards.

A meeting of giants we’re but a footnote.

There were clans and sects here that had several rune cards to access the sub-realm. Forces that had lasted for hundreds of years and had used to enter the sub-realm on foot before the era of dungeon core-ships.

Cruisers, the larger Battleships and Dreadnaught mana hogs were on display.

“Three Dreadnaughts,” Goran shook his head.

“They boast powerful weapons and armor, but their weakness is in their fuel. Each minute they are in the air they burn through countless mana stones. Each shot from their cannons evaporates Sky grade mana stones. They really are only weapons of war, to take them out they must be assured that the benefits outweigh the costs.”

“Most of the time they rest in claimed territories of those clans, clearing out elemental storms, creating high grade mana stones. They just can’t be supported in the Sky realms with our lack of mana density. They would have to go to the celestial or divine realms to support them.” Natalya added from her other side.

“They are groups that we cannot draw ire from.”

“One hour from transition!” An officer called out on the bridge.

Stassov turned and walked over to where Ranko stood, her sound cancelling formation surrounding them.

“Once we make it into the sub-realm, you have one mission, you and your people are to find the Sha forces and follow them.” Ranko’s head snapped over. “If there is an opportunity, you will inform me and I will pass it on to the commander.”

“The Alvans?”

“It would be best if they fell with the Sha also.”

***