003: The enemy cloudship approaches

The enemy cloudship approached fast. Trails of qi rippling in their wake as they burned their ship's cores without any care. The invisible vortex pulling on their ship in just as it had their own. The emblem displayed promptly and proudly on their sails was a bittersweet sight.

For thousand of years, their two sects had been at peace. Today it would all end. The white flag of peace would be bloodred at the end of the day.

Sān Chājǐ swore to make it their blood.

"Fire!" Elder Fubei Fan ordered to the roar of explosions. Dozens of cannons hurling death into the approaching cloudship.

Providence favored them today. The enemy cloudship was heading straight towards them. Their return fire was pitiful as they ate a full broadside.

The Lake Grass Sect's cloudship´s defensive array shuddered underneath the wrath of the Sapphire Tear. Arrays blazed into existence as the enemy cloudship alighted in a dazzling display of colour under the strain. The golden script burst apart in sections while elsewhere their luminous luster dulled.

Elder Fubei Fan screamed - and Sān Chājǐ felt a torrent of qi pour out of the Elder and slam into their own cloudship. Wood groaned and creaked in response as the entire cloudship turned around promptly displaying the other broadside towards the enemy.

"Fire!"

Elder Fubei Fan spat out blood as the cloudship reversed again. This time noticeably more sluggishly.

"The currents of the vortex have us firmly grasped now." He said coughing up blood.

"It is enough. It has to be." Elder Song Yui replied, "Recover below deck. Mask your presence. We will need you later."

Elder Fubei Fan bowed to the Shipmaster.

"Cannons reloaded, Shipmaster." An inner disciple replied.

"Fire!"

The enemy cloudship's defensive array exploded in a shower of light. The sound of thunder echoing out for miles at the backlash as the array finally buckled underneath the pressure..

"Fire at will. Make them pay with blood for every li."

Feng Cao stood by his side. A few strides before him. Sword gently resting against the wooden deck. "Prepare yourself, Junior brother."

Lake Grass Sect's cloudship turned slowly presenting their own broadside. Even as they turned massive explosions occurred as their hull got torn apart as their arrays overloaded and failed catastrophically. Splinters of wood flew like rain around the enemy cloudship.

"What are they doing? They have no shields." Sān Chājǐ questioned.

His heart thundered. They were killing themselves. Sān Chājǐ cast his eyes skyward at the rift at the zenith of the vortex.

It was theirs.

"Helmsman, alter the shield array - shield for enemy cultivators!" Feng Chao roared.

Sān Chājǐ looked over uncomprehending before his vision enlightened him. The enemy was abandoning ship and evacuating. By jumping into the cannons and shooting themselves towards the Sapphire Tear. It was madness. It was suicide. Before his unbelieving eyes, he saw cultivators explode into a bloody mist as their lacking cultivation failed them underneath the stress. Others he saw managed to shield themselves from the blast of the cannons and were flying towards them like cannonballs.

The helmsman relayed the order, quickly catching on. It wasn't nearly fast enough.

In an explosion of smoke another broadside full of cultivators shot forth. In moments the first wave would land.

Sān Chājǐ tracked their trajectory and cursed. They would be landing at the stern of the cloudship. Where the controls for the arrays were. The opposite end from where they stood presently.

Elder Song Yui leapt across the ship, voice bellowing like thunder. "Reinforce the stern."

"With me, Junior brother." Feng Chao spoke as he gracefully jumped across the railing and down onto the deck.