HMS Turbulent vs Pilamo: An Infamous Duel (1) Lakis' Flight

The moon cast a silver glow upon the restless sea, its surface stirred by the clash of two formidable forces. Out there, amidst the vast expanse, men carved from the same salted winds were engaged in a deadly dance. One faction, the proud masters of steel fortresses that sailed with an undeterred aura of might, and the other, a shadowy assassin lurking beneath the dark blue waves, waiting to strike with deadly precision.

Linton, a man driven by a burning desire to desecrate a title that had haunted the Veridoran Navy for three long decades, stood at the helm of the submarine. The night air was thick with tension as he peered into the darkness, eyes trained on the abyss that held both mystery and danger.

The art of submarine warfare eluded Linton, a fact that weighed heavy on his shoulders. His adversary, renowned for the infamous title of never losing a ship in countless battles, possessed a mastery that seemed insurmountable. Yet, the night was young, the world vast, and the sea, an unpredictable canvas where destinies unfolded.

Task Force "Darting Devils"

"How long till reinforcements?" Renard Storne, a man with a flawless record of not losing a single ship, awaited news of reinforcements with a sinking feeling in his gut, ashamed and defeat hung over his decorated shoulders, the gold and azure medals he wore on his chest seemed to worsen his mental state, lives were lost, ships were sunk and money was burnt, he hung his head low in ashamed of his losses as the beeping from the mana communications array echoed in this solemn night of fire and death. 

The communications officer, hands poised for an answer, hesitated before delivering the response. 

"We...We've received confirmation from Medina as well as Task Force "Rompus" that they are en route, with.." The officer stopped abruptly.

Then the beeps continued in the background that sounded off in a pattern, these were codes used by the Alliance to safely communicate information between each other, outsiders who did not know what these random and fast beeps would be confused for sudden mana fluctuations within the space, but for the people who did know, the ones literate in this code also known as the Parsus Code or the Parsusnigram, this was actually their most powerful weapon.

These beeps made up a series of letters, then when decoded by the Communications Officer were translated into words, this ensures secrecy by further complicating or obscuring the message through codes or pass phrases in the decoders handbook.

With this in mind, the Communications Officer leaned in a bit, attempting to focus by adjusting his posture, he has already relayed his response message, a simple 'repeat' was encoded and then sent.

A short pause took place, until the confirmation code was given, five sudden and continuous beeps to ready the other side of the Mana Communications Array.

Three continuous beeps for their language code was in our language a G.

Then a slight pause to disconnect that letter to create another letter then three beeps with three one second dashes then an up tone beep, this was the letter E.

A short pause again, then once more the communicator sounded off a one second dash plus two low beeps then another dash, this time it was the letter R

Four two second dashes, one beep then another one second dash created the letter M.

It was at this point that the Admiral knew who was coming, he didn't want to believe it, but this was the Medinians confirming it, so it had to be true.

Three one second dashes then a pause made the letter A.

The admiral prayed for it to be misspelt, for this to just be a sick joke, for he knew the cruelty the Germans would commit in this battle, the Veridorans didn't deserve the attrocities that were coming this way, the stories the men, the women and children who sailed to their country, uttering the name of 'that' country.

Three two second dashes then a beep created the lette-

"The Germans are coming with" The communications officer removed his headset, his hand was off the encoder as he looked at the admiral with dead eyes, he uttered the sentence those who have been disillusioned by the propaganda the Medinians spouted and boasted about this so-called 'Thousand Year Reich'.

"Why would the Germans assist us? And with what?" Admiral Renard questioned, skepticism marking his words. The bridge was enveloped in a heavy silence, the crew exchanging uncertain glances.

"I'm sorry, sir. I have to confirm again," the communications officer said, his hands trembling as he returned to the headset. The air on the bridge was thick with tension, a palpable sense of uncertainty about the nature of this newfound alliance.

The seconds stretched, each one more laden with expectation. When the communications officer looked back at the Admiral, his expression had darkened further. "They are here to conduct an observation for their government"

The answer Renard was given, didn't seem all that bad, they just wanted information by observing the battle which was understandable, but.. this was an embarrassing battle, to lose two out of the three carriers is a massive, MASSIVE, loss that would've warranted a retreat, but there were troops on those beaches, many within Naval High Command and the Supreme Wyvern Command has high expectations of the old admiral, his reputation has been tarnished but he wasn't going to let his pride get hurt by ending this on a lost, but with a large majority of the volunteer forces sent by Japan were on those carriers alone, as well as another large force of troops from the other nations within their continent that was at war with Veridora it was going to be difficult to find success.

And this was all because of a sea monster, where the majority of the world has learned to conquer these beasts, he has not managed to conquer this one, and in the process, lost another.

But news wouldn't break out until much later, for now they have to focus, for that they mus-

"The Germans have a floating island with them." Renard, who has been thinking so much in his own little world, was struck, as heavy as a truck, or a dragon it mattered not, because this world has had traumas, those that floated above the skies millions upon millions of years ago, the age of the creation of this world, THOSE LORDS! They who have dominated the skies and the stars were to interfere in this battle.

'To meet with a Lord, I do not know how I would fare against such an overwhelming power' The man known as Renard said.

Usual aloofness was gone, this was serious business.

The revelation sent shockwaves through the Admiral and his crew as the atmosphere on the bridge was charged with uncertainty and fear.

Admiral Renard gulped the lump in his mouth.

Darting Devils Battlecruiser Jean D'Arc Class "Francious" 

Echoing through the bridge were the urgent commands of Captain Loik. The crew, faces etched with a mix of determination and fear, hurried to their stations. The mysterious sea monster of the Veridoran Empire, the bane of their existence, NAY! The existence of the entire Pilamoan Navy, lurked beneath the waves, and a sense of impending doom hung heavy in the salty air.

"STATIONS, MEN! ALL BATTERIES, TARGET LEFT SIDE, BEARING 50 NORTHEAST! FULL SPEED AHEAD! FIRE ON MY SAY!" Captain Loik's voice cut through the turmoil, his eyes were reflecting both fierceness and uncertainty. The crew, armed with the knowledge of the lurking danger, braced themselves for their imminent clash.

The mana signature reader glowed ominously, signaling the presence of the hidden threat. Captain Loik stood besides seated mana sig finder's operator, his eyes fixed on the readings, knew that the enemy beneath the waves could cripple their mighty vessel.

The crew awaited the creature's next move.

Once they saw that green blip, all guns were aimed at that patch in the open seas, Loik ordered.

"FIRE!"

The ship, suddenly and ferociously opened fire, its magnificent, beautiful and powerful visage shone brightly against the burnt gunpowder and mana particles that helped accelerate the deadly munitions from their 2 10 inch double barreled heavy cruiser batteries, their 3 secondary batteries that boasted 5 inches of barrel width, both armaments capable of delivering death at 2.5 leagues or 15,000 yards away (14 kilometers) thanks to mana assisted fire control methods.

But that wasn't enough, if it was they would've dealt with the monster a long time ago, hell, the Admiral would've defeated this thing back when the assault started.

Loik waited for the blip to appear again on the mana sig finder, his head aching and heart pounding. 

bubump-bubump-bubump-bubump. It was like listening to the ticking of a clock, like hours passed by in those short seconds until he heard it.

Ping

He was furious, slamming his fist down as hard as he can on the table, hurling a few curses until he was finally calmed down by his assistant.

He yelled "WHY WON'T IT DIE! WHY WON'T IT DIE! WHY. WON'T. IT. DIE!" He looks at his bruised hand, it was shaking, quivering as if it was being hunted and toyed with.

A situation he was fairly acquainted with on the other side of those cannons.

"It's too smart, it's too damn smart for it to be a creature of the Ancient Gods or the Ancient Empires of the Five Continents, it must have been made by the Veridorans, or.. or.." He pauses, realization has struck him, what if those stories of the refugees, what if they somehow landed in Veridora as well? Imparting their knowledge to their sworn rival just like how the refugees gave their knowledge to them in exchange of refuge and protection from the Reich?

"What're your orders Captain?" Everyone on the bridge looked at Captain, his head bursting from the amount of 'guesses' he has on the origins of this enemy.

"Wait.. Before I jump to any conclusions, do you guys have any idea what that thing is capable of?" Loik looked around, hoping to find opinions different from his, thoughts and theories would take them so far, but it was still moving forward nonetheless.

An officer from the Maintenance Corps, sensing the urgency of the situation, raised a trembling hand. The eyes of the bridge turned towards him, curiosity and desperation etched on their faces.

"That thing, probably, just probably, wasn't made to be as evasive," the officer suggested, offering a glimmer of hope in the darkness.

Captain Loik, scratching his bushy beard in contemplation, absorbed the information. "Explain."

The officer elaborated, dissecting the potential vulnerabilities of the hidden adversary based on mana pings. The bridge buzzed with a mixture of fear and determination as they sought to understand and strategize against the unseen menace.

As the crew grappled with the unfolding crisis, Petty Officer Newmin was tasked with relaying the situation to Admiral Renard. The fate of the Task Force rested on their ability to formulate countermeasures and adapt to the ever-shifting battlefield.

HMS Turbulent

The HMS Turbulent, under the command of Linton, found itself on the brink of a terrifying revelation. The radar operator's voice trembled as he reported a large object rapidly approaching—a few kilometers out but closing in with ominous speed.

Linton rushed to the radar station, his eyes narrowing as he examined the readings. The Veridoran Observer joined him, both men trying to make sense of the looming threat. The possibility of an Ausmerzer crossed the crews minds, to the Observer, it was something else as the shape and size indicated something more ominous.

"Wha-What.. is.. WHAT IS THAT THING? Do-Do-Don't tell me.. A... floating.... Island? Here?" Yupton asked but he already knew the answer, panicking, his face contorted to that of frustration, confusion and despair.

"To you guys, yes that's similar to a floating island, but we call it by it's german name, an Ausmerzer, just from its shape, the size of that bow and the multiple other dots that's accompanying it, is all the confirmation we need" Linton muttered, a sense of dread settling in the pit of his stomach.

This strange man named Yupton, usually composed and unyielding, showed signs of unease. The men aboard the HMS Turbulent, their faces reflecting the fear within, gazed upon the approaching menace.

"An Ausmerzer" Yupton whispered the words that carried the weight of dread and despair. The crew, having witnessed the destructive force of this god-forsaken floating station, felt the air grow heavier. The Ausmerzer, a floating island of death and chaos, was a force that left none in its wake, none in Britain would dare face such a thing.

"What is that... there's no way anyone other than a person corrupted by unlimited power can control a floating island," Yupton's panic echoed the sentiments of those around him. If the reports were to be believed, the terror that haunted the seas had just escalated to a level beyond imagination.

The tension aboard the HMS Turbulent intensified as the Ausmerzer unleashed its deadly assault. Linton, a captain faced with an adversary of mythical proportions, knew that survival depended on outsmarting the enemy, navigating the treacherous waters with cunning and precision.

"Prepare for evasive maneuvers! Helm, change course, full speed ahead!" Linton's voice, a mix of authority and urgency, reverberated through the submarine. The crew, their movements a synchronized ballet of survival, executed the commands with practiced efficiency.

Yupton, still grappling with the shock of the situation, managed to voice the disbelief that hung in the air. "How in the world can anyone control a Floating Island? It's madness!"

'But reality doesn't conform to our expectations, it can be upturned at any possible moment.

Many have died in the pursuit against the sea monsters, to swim alongside them deep underwater was nightmarish to some, but daring to others, this submarine is far too advanced, but they use similar materials, they didn't need to fight the entire task force, no. no.'

"We... We should retreat" Yupton said.

"I agree with the Veridoran bloke, we've done most of our work, our munitions are running dry and we can't be replaced" Another crewman said.

Soon others followed, this was now the job of the Veridoran Navy, they've done their part, albeit incomplete due to a lack of spare torpedoes, if they run out in pursuit, be it gas or ammo, they will be good as useless unless the Veridorans can come up with designs of their advanced torpedo technology on their own with minimal reference.

But others were dissatisfied, Linton was one of them.

"We still have a job to do, if we go now without permission.." Linton pauses for a moment, recollecting himself, were these men really this scared to get this last carrier? What happened to all the fire in their eyes earlier? He ponders but decides to continue his sentence.

"We can't guarantee the lives of all we've managed to bring over the wall of sea monsters, we're all that's left of Britain, of North Ireland, of Wallonia, of Wales, of Scotland..

Of the United Kingdom." Linton opens his locket, a picture of Princess Margaret and him was displayed, it was captured during one of the many outings Captain Linton and Princess Margaret had out the streets.

"We need to see this through, follow me once more into the jaws of death, fellas" He took his cap off, revealing his soft brown hair, and lowered it to his chest, a sincere act to ask for help, a sign of respect he wishes his men would return the favor, as veterans, and as his friends in all these trials and tribulations.

"Sir Linton" Yupton called.

"I detect magic use, I think we are under a psychosis attack, I advise we end the battle b-"

Everyone suddenly collapsed, holding their heads they screamed, some tried to dampen this noise with cloths but it did none to weaken it.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH" A man, a young man was getting violent, smashing his head against the metal walls, against the tables, against any surface imaginable.

"IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS" Men screamed, wailed, every time they tried to get up, they would fall under the pain, as if the noise was inside of their skulls.

Navigations Officer Portman held both hands to his ears, trying to block it as pressure kept building within his skull and outside of the submarine, which meant one thing only.

"THE SUBMARINE! PULL UP!" Portman yells as loud as he can, and struggled as much as he could trying to control the submarine, but he was stopped by Yupton, who immediately grabbed his hands and wrestled, trying to get Portman to let go.

"THAT'S WHAT THEY WANT! GO AWAY! AWAY FROM THE SOURCE!" But Portman kept pulling the control for Main Ballast Tanks, the some what cramped interior made the struggle even more difficult as none were willing to let go.

"PORTMAN! LET GO!" Linton yelled as he suddenly tackled the struggling Portman who was trying to get the submarine to emerge, Linton, who had just came back from controlling the rudder and direction of the submarine away from the fleet.

Minutes of fighting would occur between the three men, but it was only after a painful 3 minutes would the pain dissipate, the pain was gone immediately after about another 3 minutes.

Linton and his men were confused, what was that exactly? It felt.. familiar, just like how they were transported into this strange world, that same noise that would make anyone beg for death, light so bright you thought you were staring at the sun itself, but without the blinding light, noone doubted it, it was simply.

"A magic attack" Yupton said to the silently contemplating crew of this British turned Veridoran Submarine.

"Well to be more specific, that was a tier 5 Psychosis spell, Lux Clangorum Eclatens, Lux meaning Light or Bright and Blinding, Clangorum meaning Sound or in this case, was to Deafen and Eclatens, meaning to burst forth. It's a terrifying spell used commonly by Sappers and Special Forces within the Veridoran Mage Force and Special Imperial Mage Service, its effective range differs from how much mana is in the air and within the caster"

"You guys use Latin for spell-casting?" A crewman asked

"You mean, Lingua Romana? And yes, it's been taught in this world for thousands of years now, we'll talk about that later though, for now we have to find a way to deal with that caster"

"Agreed, sorry for going off-topic" scratching his head, the crewman apologized and motioned for Yupton to continue.

Yupton coughed once before opening his mouth to speak "Anyways, as I was saying, the usual tactics against this were artillery bombardment or large-scale bombing runs, both tactics, sadly, can't be done, luckily however, the wyvern patrols haven't caught us y-"

Another crew member cut off Yupton.

"Wait, how're they able to shoot at us even though we dove down quite a bit?"

Yupton sighed and rubbed the temples of his forehead, visibly frustrated the second time he was cut off mid-explanation.

"Well" Yupton began, snarkishly, "I was going to go there, but you cut me off, ANYWAYS!" He yelled suddenly, then clapped his hands once to get the attention of the rest of the crew who were busy with maintaining the submarine.

"Because I used my magic, I sent off a pulse, this is due to the nature of mana flow, different types of activities that require mana send off invisible waves, these are called pings" Yupton began demonstrating on a piece of fine paper and placed it on top of the radar-sonar hybrid computer "There are two types of collecting mana pulses or pings, either you shoot out pings of mana to pierce inactive mana, making it lively by sending a positive mana input via the invisible wave, or by receiving that wave, mana sig finders or MSF as we call henceforth, are apparatuses that ease detecting those pings"

The crew were obviously surprised by this, this was because.

"It works similarly to Sonar"

"Sonar?" Yupton asked, he decided to let this intrusion slide this time, he was rather curious as to what Sonar was.

"Well Sonar works similar to MSF, we send out noise pulses, if it collides with let's say, metal used to build ships, it would bounce back to us, the sender from the receiver, notifying us that there was something in the distance, that's what's called Active Sonar, Passive is basically the opposite, but this time you are able to find out where that noise pulse came from" The Sonar Operator explained.

"Interesting.. MSF sadly can't trace back the origin, but I've heard that other nations, most likely the United States, is capable of what that 'Sonar' thing does" The crew looked at each other, there was a nation here called the United States? As in the United States of America? Or was it a nation that just so happened to have the United States in its name?

"United Sta- Actually no, let's put that asside, so how do we stop that mage then?"

"We can request for high altitude strafing or bombing from Admiral Smythe"

"Lieutenant, request that support"

"Right away, Captain"

....

Imperial 1st Fleet

Sat on his fine and modest chair was a powerful man, a man who has befriended a rather strange fellow, one who claimed he and his people were transported here from another world, the crazy things the man would tell him, was absurd, yet he spoke with much fervor, with fear and anxiety, that he could hardly not question if what he was being told was truthful or not, the stories he would hear about their enemy, the 'Axis' was concerning for the member nations of that intercontinental alliance was comprised of of three powerful nations, or so the media says.

But enough about that, they need not to worry, for why would they interfere with the now? They don't have a reason at all.

Elric bites his fingernail, not knowing if he should dismiss this looming threat or not.

'I wonder what Linton is up to.'

Elric's eyes wander towards the British navy man who was with him, he operated that strange contraption tuck away to the side of his bridge, it took a few weeks to make the necessary 'adjustments' that Linton claims would 'help ease communication efforts between him and us' thanks to that there was a strange wire protruding at the highest point of the Battleship, of the Leonidas, it worked similarly, actually it worked better, than the mana communicator, it uses some sort of version of the Parsus Code, though they claim the name is actually Morse, it worked the same way, it doesn't use dense mana waves to send messages instead it uses that box as its power source and send out radio waves to communicate.

"It still confuses me" Elric couldn't help but let his mouth slip, causing one of the crewmen to turn his head to the Admiral.

"Excuse me Sir?"

"It was nothing, go back to your duties" The crewman saluted before going back to monitoring the mana sig finder.

"Admiral Sir! Captain Linton is requesting wyvern support, they deployed a.. Psy..Psychosis Spell?" The Britishman reported, Elric looked at him making absolute sure of the message, when confirmation was received.

"Contact the Carriers, Sortie at least 20 or 30 wyverns as support"

"Petty Officer Nomes, ask Captain Linton for target clarification and commence Phase 2 once I've given the signal"

"Aye Admiral!"

Carrier Force "Lum" Nelson-Class CV "Horatio Nelson" A few kilometers away from HMS Turbulent's Battle Area

On the deck of the carrier, as the wyverns prepared for takeoff, the air was charged with tension. The roar of the sea mingled with the urgent commands of the wyvern operators and the bustling activity of the carrier crew.

"SECURE THOSE HARNESSES! WE DON'T WANT A STAMPEDE!" A crewman yelled out before getting flung off the Carrier by the large and struggling wyvern.

"MAN OVERBOARD! I NEED A RAFT!" Several men tried to send out the raft, using light magic to illuminate the area to where the man could possibly be, but to no avail, The urgency in the air was palpable as men desperately tried to locate their comrade but the waves were too harsh on this cold.. cold night.

A senior crewman rushes towards the crowd, he too was worried for his fellow human, but to delay for just one man would risk the operation too much, he had no choice but to get shit together.

"FUCK!" He cursed as he stomped his foot on the wooden deck.

"FOCUS ON THE WYVERNS FIRST! WE CAN WORRY BOUT HIM LATER!"

"CLEAR THE DECK! WYVERN 1 AND 3 ARE READY!" The men did as much as they could to calm the panicking wyverns down, a mixture of psychedelic or 'dumb' drugs was forcefully fed, and a series of injections was made to the wyverns, only resulting in 2 wyverns ready for take-off.

"CLEAR FOR TAKE OFF! WYVERN 1 AND 3 ARE CLEAR FOR TAKE OFF!" The voice from the loud speaker ordered, with those wyverns slowly flapping its wings, generating lift by compressing air downwards, propelling themselves upward, leaning forward to go forward, they rapidly left the carrier.

This was the routine.

Wyvern knights were heralded as the bravest of the armed forces, to handle such disruptive and deadly animals, forcing them to your will and desperately trying to hold onto them as they flew at speeds unbelievable to the people of the past, they were properly respected, sending out flowers and other charms, giving them a farewell salute on their mission, for any mission could be their last.

The wyverns soared into the night sky, their majestic forms silhouetted against the moonlit clouds. Elric mind raced with strategic considerations, and he issued orders to coordinate the approaching wyverns with the naval forces, from the windows alone he saw them, the wyverns suddenly conducted low flybys, startled some of the newer operators in the bridge, their free spirit always made Elric chuckle, their wyvern naval wing was always filled with brats.

"Relay to them, they are to bomb their last carrier, anything else is a secondary target, May the Emperor's blessing be with thee, always"

The wyverns, flying in formation, made a formidable sight. Their imposing presence alone could make any enemy waver. The carriers watched as the wyverns disappeared into the night, their mission clear – to face the Darting Devils.

'Let's just hope Renard's will breaks this time' Elric saluted those brave men.

Wyvern Rider Lakis

On the wyverns' side, the riders prepared for combat, their camaraderie evident in banter and laughter over the mana communicators.

"Man.. I really fucking hate flying at night! HAHA!" Lakis spoke through his mana communicator, using his hand to shield the microphone from the wind to reduce the wind noise, his wingmen only nodding in agreement.

"I know right? Barely able to see shit, if we use Lumis we will instantly be targeted by golem turrets" One of the wingmen replies.

"I feel you, hate to be that unfortunate bastard though, those things aren't a joke"

"Yeah! I me-"

"Enough! Keep comms clear, shut up while on duty we are still facing the 'Darting Devils'" A female's voice cuts through the conversation, her voice as sharp as a sword it silenced the men.

"That's mo-"

"Including you, Colonel Leeuwey"

"PFAH!" Lakis couldn't help but burst out a laugh, a laugh that was audible even in the unshielded radio.

"That's what happens when you're a stuck-up Col. Leeue," Lakis teased.

"Oh shut up! I wasn't the only one rejected by Major Chaffe!"

The crowd laughs at the men bickering, with a seductive sigh coming from Chaffe.

"Keep this up and I'll report you both for misconduct and disobedience, the Wyvern Naval Wing can only tolerate so much"

Both men apologize profusely.

Lakis puffed, there was nothing else to do, they've been riding the clouds for a while now, any more and they'll feel light-headed due to the lack of oxygen up here.

The major's voice crackled through the mana communicator, cutting through the momentary silence. "Go below the clouds now. Carrier detects the Darting Devils 20 leagues away. Prepare for Wyvern combat."

Descending through the clouds, the wyvern squadron witnessed the patrol of Darting Devils gliding through the night sky. In an instant, the command to engage was given.

"Engage! Fire Flammis! Marksmen prepare High-Explosive Enchantment"

The clouds erupted with flames as the wyverns unleashed their fiery breath, creating a cascade of meteor-like fireballs descending towards the dark waters. The Darting Devils Wyvern Riders narrowly dodged the lethal display.

"Fire HE!"

Supersonic sniper rounds streaked through the air, finding their mark as they collided with the tail of one of the enemy wyverns. The explosion fragmented the scales, turning them into deadly shrapnel.

But even in the face of death, one of the Darting Devils' Wyvern Rider refused to yield. The wyvern knight skillfully maneuvered, flying above or below the firing lines of the wyvern squadron. The disciplined firing line attempted to unleash a barrage of High-Explosive Enchantments, but the wyvern knight deftly avoided their shots

Men stacked in three lines, firing relentlessly, but the evasive maneuvers of the Darting Devil made the shots miss their target. The wyvern knight, determined not to die a shameful death, continued its daring flight.

"FIRE!" They fired, but miss, still though the wyvern knight refused to pull up, actually, its wyvern looks a bit.. off.

It was probably what Lakis thought.

"Continue to the operation site, Wyvern must've overdosed on the dumb drug." 

"Common mistake huh?"

"Yeah, well it can happen to any wyvern, which is why you should care for your partner, tend to its needs always before your own" Major Chaffe finished, the blowing of the salty winds did irritate the young Lakis, who decided to put up his face mask and helmet now.

A sudden splash was heard behind them who were now a few meters above the water, the splash must've been huge for it to be heard all the way here.

Minutes have passed, the moon was nearing its end cycle, they will lose the night advantage if they delayed even further than before, the engagement from earlier costed them at least ten minutes.

"All units, be advised, I'm detecting a large concentration of mana signatures, prepare for combat" Chaffe radioed, gaining affirmatives from the 30-man group of Wyverns and their riders.

"climb to four thousand dracons then dive down on my go!" 

The Wyvern riders responded promptly, adjusting their altitude to reach the designated height of four thousand Dracons. The moonlight danced on their wyverns' scales as they ascended, creating an eerie spectacle against the night sky.

As they reached the prescribed altitude, Major Chaffe's voice crackled through the mana communicator once more. "Hold steady... Three... Two... One... Dive now!"

With that command, the Wyvern riders plunged, breaking through the cloud cover. The rush of wind, the sound of wyvern wings slicing through the air, and the adrenaline-fueled descent created a chaotic symphony. The 30-man formation moved with precision, each rider and wyvern trusting the other in the synchronized descent.

Their target, illuminated by the moonlight, lay below—a concentration of enemy mana signatures. The element of surprise was their ally, and they aimed to strike with swift and overwhelming force.

"RELEASE! FIRE EVERYTHING WE HAVE AT THAT CARRIER!" Major Chaffe's voice exploded through the mana communicator, like a bloodthirsty wolf, would seek to shed blood whenever possible, splattering against wood and metal, burnt to crisps and ash, she cared not for as long as the enemy was here, she would commit awesome massacre.

Fireballs collide with metal and wood, the lone carrier in a backdrop of sinking vessels, was a sight to see for all, golem turrets came to life immediately, trying to fend off the attack, locking on the swift wyverns and delivering a deadly payload of lead and explosives, working similarly as flak, this was an unmatched piece of magic technology that resulted in many wyvern fails during the Elric vs Renard Campaigns, but it was weakened because they could only power three of these per carrier.

"MAN DOWN! I SEE ROPERS GOING DOWN! AAAGH!" Voices of men and women fighting for dear life, they attacked and attacked, the turrets slowly but surely making minced meat off of their wyverns.

"BLOODY HELL, SHOOT AT IT!" A small squad, no less than 3, rushed towards a golem turret, with its imposing structure and intricate wires that connected the gun and the golem core, shielded by metal and a new type of shield spell, it would tank those hits, but could its attacker tank its hits?

"MARKIS!" One couldn't pull up in time, causing a wyvern and its rider to collide with the shield spell, the bodies were compressed into the shield, a gory display floated just above the golem turret, blood and shit dripping down its blue hue.

"MAKE IT CATCH ON FIRE! FOR FUCKS SAKE FIRE AT THE WOOD!" Major Chaffe was fuming through the communicator, because it wouldn't, for the life of them, it wouldn't catch on fire.

"BARRAGE! TELL THE CARRIER TO SORTIE MORE WYVERNS! WE NEED HELP!" Chaffe screamed, but there was no affirmation, Lakis could only watch at the horror happening down below, they managed to destroy some of the Carrier, but the golem turrets kept them at bay, terrifyingly effectively, they had to try another approach.

"LAKIS! TAKE YOIR AND LOIK AND ATTACK FROM ITS SIDE, THE TURRETS SHOULD BE PLENTY DISTRACTED WITH THE FIGHTING ABOVE!"

"YES MAJOR!" Lakis yelled.

Lakis maneuvered his wyvern, with swift precision, descending from the chaos above to approach the golem turret from the side. The moonlit clouds served as both cover and a dramatic backdrop for the impending clash.

"Lt Lakis! Whenever you're ready Sir!" Yoir, the young noble woman from the group saluted to Lakis and Loik.

Lakis only nodded, Loik would follow soon enough, he was the twin brother of Yoir.

"We'll approach from the side, take care not to copy Markis, shoot dead center with piercing enchantments and fire flammis inside those holes, understood?"

""Yes, Sir!""

As Lakis led Yoir and Loik in a precise descent towards the golem turret, the moonlight played on their wyvern scales, creating an ethereal glow. The chaos of battle raged above, but in this moment, their focus was on the imminent encounter with the formidable enemy below.

"Approaching target zone. Prepare for coordinated attack," Lakis commanded over the mana communicators.

The trio aligned themselves perfectly, each adjusting their position to optimize their assault. As they closed in, the golem turret's attention remained fixated on the ongoing aerial battle, oblivious to the impending threat from the side.

"Now, Yoir, Loik! Piercing enchantments, then fire flammis! On my mark!" Lakis ordered.

The twins nodded in acknowledgment, their concentration evident. As the trio neared the turret, they unleashed a barrage of piercing enchantments. Shots rang out, as they fired their rifles, laced with mana and their rounds, dipped in magical enchantments, these lead rounds streaked through the air with deadly accuracy, puncturing the metal hull, it produced a sizeable hole, perfect for a small child to go in through.

"FLAMMIS!" Lakis chanted and soon enough, his wand was pointed at the hole, the mana around the air and inside of his body, it was all absorbed by his wand, it then glowed red, as red as fire, as red as blood to some.

'Please let this work!' But something caught his attention, the shadow of something high above the air, and down below the dark waters, the shining of the trio's wands and the wyverns preparing to spit lit up the waters.

"What th-"

"FLAMMIS INFERNAE!" The twins shot out two balls of fire, then their wyverns spat out pure light, everyone except Lakis did their part, for Lakis could only shake his head at the thing in utter confusion.

Suddenly, the submerged entity leaped from the water. Lakis swore he glimpsed something swimming beneath the surface. Then, like the Fourth of July, the carrier detonated, resembling the blinding intensity of the sun, searing his eyes.

Then like the fourth of July, the carrier erupted, it was like looking at the sun, it burnt his eyes.

Loik abruptly turned toward Lakis, shaking him for some reason. Lakis's ears rang, and his head felt light. What was that deafening sound echoing in the air?

"Lt! Lt!" Lakis could barely hear his rank being called by the handsome wyvern knight.

"LT!" A slap on his helmet finally broke through the disorientation.

"WE HAVE TO GO LT! SOMETHING IS APPROACHING, MAJOR SAID TO EVAC!" Lakis could finally hear the urgent plea of the young lad, but evacuation?

"E-evac? Why? A-" Lakis asked, confused and disoriented, his ears still ringing from the dreadful noise. When he saw, to his wonder and amazement.

Then, to his shock and bewilderment.

Then fear.

"FLOATING ISLAND!"