10 CHAPTER 9 - SKY-BALLOON
Myself with Brother Xu Guangtou of the Crimson Fist and Mecanicus Huo as well as a contingent of agents take flight on several Sky-Ballons.
Our flotilla rises high above Celestial City, high above our heavenly temples and pagodas, risen up in to the outer limits of Theia, way above our Jin Dynasty that's hidden deep in the Black mountains.
Only red lighting is seen below from the heavens, red blurs that cover narrow passages, stone ways and city structures.
Our journey is partially safer and definitely faster, well depending on the numerous storms which include electro, hail and white wall storms, all of which could tear, blind, freeze and knock us off course by micro-zones, ending us on in any number of the unforgiven lands.
The storms are one thing, the flying beasts are another, reigning terror from the heavens, yet by our calculations, the sky is safer than the ground and has become one of our major advantages of the other kingdoms. An advantage that grants us insight into our enemies movement and plans. We always believe, knowledge is power, that's not to say power is power too, a belief strongly embedded in the Sugelan Clans DNA.
Our Sky-Ballons are small fortresses, able to house fifty comrades and fitted with numerous rooms and weaponry such as; Fire-Bombs and Orange Water, weapons that explode, burn and ignite orange death, we can send down to earth.
We exited Celestial city lands and started to cross one of our boarders, the tempest seas, an ocean that takes days to cross but cuts our time by weeks instead of going around landfall.
We reach the point of no return, halfway between land ahead and safe lands behind, then swoosh, harpoons from nowhere, rattles through the sky, upwards them come and piercing through our flying fortresses.
Puncture, puncture, and another, dozens of harpoons cut through us, our balloons start to rupture as more and more air compartments burst. Too many punctures per fortress, not enough to keep us airborne.
The balloons start to drop, but not at speed, we manage to raise our balloon defence in-time, specially knitted fibres that cover the damaged balloons. Defensive measures we don't normally use during flight due to manoeuvrability among other reasons.
We drop out of the clouds and see the sea far below, weathers fine, clam waters by the looks, daylight too, then I see it, a flotilla of enemy ships, pirate ships.
It is the Red Fleet, a breakaway clan of the Jin Dynasty, Chinese pirates lead by a horrid and vicious commander, Admiral Tong Xue. This female pirate commands a fleet of 90,000 hardened pirates and 3000 battle barges. They are a sworn enemy to the Jin crown, rebel scum, traitors and cut-throats.
As we drop further and further to the seas, the enemies massive red flags come in to view. Te symbol of their black venomous blade is printed across their red flags.
"Action station, action stations." Our small cadre prepares for battle, readying orange water and firebombs, plus our fortress bolt weaponry (the bees nest and falcon strikers).
Five ships against our five flying fortresses. Enemy ships hosing up to 100 crew each, armed with harpoons and ignitus cannons, fire technology they stole when rebelling.
We prepare to counter-attack from the skies, knowing eventually the fight will be sea-based as we will crash upon water. We can remain afloat but our speed and agility will be nowhere near as precise as the red fleet.
The enemy lunch thunder-kites, a flying mine field of kites that detonate once we approach, set by enemy crew members igniting the long kite fuse.
Heavily outnumbered, no problem, we are ninsha, even in daylight, we are shadows and death will be handed to the traitors, their hearts on a pike.
