***A few miles off the coast of the Saint's Tree, Cherwoods…***
The 'strange grey ships' never left the waters of the elvish realm after appearing there for several days now. The ships would just circle around, lobbing several rounds of shells against the palace of the Elf Saint occasionally from an 'unearthly' distance. Attempts by the elves to contact the fleet were rebuffed with hostile fire, and the elvish cities along the coast suffered casualties and damages because of those. In response to the situation, the Lady Hinwe herself forbade any independent action from any of the elvish cities until further notice, and she had her guards' retinue force the residents of the coastal cities to evacuate into the interior.
Of course, typical of the elves, not everyone agreed to the measures of the Elf Saint. While they did send their families and subjects into the safety of the ancient forests, some members of the elvish nobility never left their settlements. For them, they wanted to kick those ships away, and together with like-minded allies, they already planned a naval sortie using the steam ships from Chersea and Cherwind.
But, there were still those who opposed to such action.
"We can't be sure that those people attacking us will not take drastic measures should we decide to take the fight to them!" the Lord Ingwer never hid his displeasure when the elvish nobles agreed to an attack. "Let us wait for the reinforcements promised by His Holy Majesty the Lord Kuro!"
"Milord, while His Holy Majesty did promise us help, we can't let those offenders shell us with impunity," another elvish lord replied. "The Lady Hinwe's sacred city is being desecrated as we speak. Our cities are burning, and our families running in terror. The morale is low among the people. And it will take time for the Lord Kuro's aid to come to us. We can, while waiting at least, force that fleet to move away from the range of the Saint Tree. Even if we fail, it's just to show to our subjects that we are doing something to protect them."
"Besides," another elf lord entered the conversation. "Our scout reports show that there is a considerable build-up of enemy ships off the gulf. We're afraid that if they gathered sufficient forces, they will force their way into the Grand Canal. If that happens, these ships will have a free hand to bombard the elvish locations at the coasts and along the waterway."
The Lord Ingwer fell silent. While he was wary of the risks their attempt to sortie posed, his peers also made their points. The Lord Kuro's forces were stretched thin by similar invasions in Chersea and Cherwind, thus, he had to allocate their resources. And he did send for help from the dwarves, whose lands were unscathed by the Seductress' attempt to re-enter the worlds, but it would also take time for their reinforcements to arrive. The elves were uneasy, and their people demanded action.
"It's easy to let our emotions decide at this situation," Lord Ingwer pointed out, "Still, if we make rushed decisions without fully considering the potential consequences of our actions, it'll come back to us with even greater damage. We need to have someone knowledgeable of fighting against these kinds of ships."
"Do not be so anxious, Lord Ingwer. While it's true that we have no great naval leader since the Lord Ninier, we did ask someone from the Kingdom of Cherwind to assist us in this endeavor. May I present…"
The elves' attention then turned towards the only human in their group. The Lord Ingwer also followed them, though he was surprised at the identity of their 'guest.' "You…You are…"
"Greetings, Lord Ingwer," the human lady bowed and acknowledged him. "I guess you can still remember me? I'm the former ambassador of the Kingdom of Cherwind to the Saint's Tree, Lady Margarette Jeanne, former Duchess of Malvette. The Lord Kuro, in his most holy capacity as the overall commander of the armies fighting against the forces that suddenly attacked us, sent me here to help the elves in planning their naval sortie."
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The elvish galley. A considerable upgrade to the oar-propelled warships of the pre-Grand Canal period, it was now designed to sail the seas of Cherwoods with a steam engine, brought into that realm via the Duchess of Malvette. It followed the Lord Kuro's naval ship designs, appearing first during the time of the Elvish Expeditionary forces, which in itself was based on the 'dreadnought'-type battleships of World War 1 in his world, where the rows of cannons place at the ships' sides were replaced by batteries of naval guns mounted on rotating turrets. Still, unlike the true dreadnoughts that fought during the 1916 Battle of Jutland, the elvish galley was hopelessly obsolete compared to the former. For one, elves were not that inclined to work on iron and steel production, as Cherwoods was abundant in forests, so the ships were all made of wood. There was an armor belt made of iron, which wrapped around the entirety of the ship. Nevertheless, as the vessels were considered 'light,' there was a limit on the number of naval guns that could be installed on its decks.
With all those limitations considered, the Duchess of Malvette made her plans. The Lord Kuro did tell her of the potential capabilities of her enemies, based on the initial observations he personally made a few days ago. The enemy fleet was composed of 'all-metal' ships armed with long-range naval guns that could annihilate the wooden elvish galleys even before it sailed. There was a considerable talk of attacking the vessels from the air, but the Lord Kuro was apprehensive of its anti-air armaments. Though it seemed as if those were never used yet, the duke didn't want to goad their enemies to resort to that.
"…" The Duchess of Malvette took one last look at the enemy fleet through her spyglass, before ordering her ships to begin the operation.
From the shore, she could see the Lady Hinwe touch the waters of Cherwoods. Her hands were glowing blue, and the small ripple created by her touch never disappeared. It slowly scattered, passing through the elvish ships and increasingly grew into several powerful waves. Everyone who watched at the ports were awed by the god-power displayed by the Lady Hinwe, as the waves she created repeatedly battered the enemy fleet and sank many of its vessels.
"Woohoo!!!" A chorus of celebrations erupted just as the ships visible on the horizon began to flounder. However, their happiness was short-lived. While the wave salvo finished off the enemy vessels, another group appeared, guns blazing. The opposing fleet shelled the Saint's Tree again, and the Life Guards of the Elf Saint had to move her to safety.
"This won't end without us actually attacking them," the Duchess of Malvette said to her flagship's captain, after observing their foes through the spyglass. "Her Holiness can send wave after wave to destroy that fleet, but just as the Lord Kuro predicted, we're fighting against an enemy that can create at will."
The captain nodded, and sent his orders down the speaker tube. Simultaneous blast of ship horns tore through the skies of Cherwoods, as the elvish galleys sailed towards their enemies. Magic barriers up, and with steam engines at full speed, the lead ships of the wooden fleet fired its first salvo of artillery rounds, meant to draw the attention of the opposing navy. Then, the second fleet of elvish galleys—hearing the cannon fires—sailed from the other nearby ports, converging on both flanks of the enemy, and closing the distance.
The Duchess of Malvette could only utter a silent prayer, as she hoped her strategy to work.
Dividing the elvish fleet into three groups, the Lady Margarette's plan to offset the enemy advantage in artillery type and range, as well as ship construction, was to get close as possible to them, and board the vessels. They were assisted in this by a small contingent of beastmen 'Red Feathers' from Cherwind she brought along, who began dive-bombing the other ships further back. The Lord Kuro warned her about the shadow children piloting those massive steel hulks, whose lack of 'sense of preservation' worked in favor of the Seductress. Since the elvish galleys were considerably 'lightly-armed,' it was impossible to sink even one vessel with their own armaments. As such, she instructed the elves to draw the fire of the other enemy ships on the vessels they boarded, and make their foes destroy their own numbers.
The Lady Hinwe offered her help in this battle, as her god-power of controlling the seas would be an advantage to the elvish fleet. However, her nobles insisted that their holy lady stay ashore, as she was their last 'defense' against the enemy if ever the push came to shove. She gave them her blessings, as well as favorable currents using her god-power, so that their ships would have an easier time sailing to their battle positions.
"…"
Of course, with the god-power of the Elf Saint, the wooden ironclads of the elves were faster and nimbler than the Seductress' fleet, who had to contend with opposing water current. As the enemy peppered them with powerful artillery rounds from afar, the combined elf-human-beastmen fleet skillfully navigated its way near their foes, though there were those unfortunate to get hit once the magicians protecting their ships exhausted their mana and lifted the barriers. Soon, the elves from the flanks were boarding the first targets, and the enemy was firing at those that were 'captured.' A brief skirmish would occur at the decks of the vessels, as the shadow children—in their human disguises—fought back the invading groups.
Nevertheless, the shadow children were quick to die and dissipate into black mists. Once the ships they captured were damaged or began to list, the boarding elves would then dive back to the waters to avoid the cannon fire, and move to the next target. In that way, they destroyed many of the steel ships with only a few casualties of their own. From the air, the Red Feather contingent repeatedly dropped barrel bombs on the ships' decks, further eliminating additional vessels
Of course, the Duchess of Malvette was elated that her plans worked in their favor. However, she never let her guard down. For some reason, she felt that they were having it too easy; with the enemy, though 'technologically-superior' to their forces, would just let themselves be massacred. While the elves conducted their 'ship hopping' operations, she held back many of her ships, intending to release them should something 'unplanned' happened.
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As it turned out, the Duchess of Malvette was correct on her assumptions. While the boarding parties were encountering little resistance on the ships they boarded, soon, they got to know the reason behind it.
"!!!" A loud booming sound echoed, that it even dwarfed the sounds of battle that was raging. It was followed by a powerful shockwave, knocking down every living mortal, and breaking the glasses on every ship. It also caused the shadow children dissipate, at least those caught in the blast. The fighting inadvertently stopped, everyone was shocked at to what just occurred.
"…" And then, there was another sound. As the thick swirling smoke, cast by the magicians to screen their movements, obscured the entire battlefield, an eerie siren came up. It started low, almost impossible to hear. But it gradually grew loud, unnerving even the Lady Margarette. From the smokescreen, a silhouette of a big battleship slowly appeared. The elvish boarding parties were frozen in their spots, unable to comprehend what was coming. And what was even more confusing was that, even though it towered over everything that was floating in that part of Cherwoods, it made no noise. The attackers only felt its dominating power through the water it displaced, and the subsequent waves that hit their wooden ships.
It's as if watching a giant leviathan traverse the seas…
The Duchess of Malvette and her fleet commanders couldn't believe their eyes. It was a ship they didn't see before, not even in Cherwind, and it crushed foes and allies alike, sinking their small vessels by ramming those or just merely by the waves it created that swamped the unfortunate ships.
"Milady," her flagship's terrified captain blurted out. "What are we seeing? Is that even a ship?"
"I don't know," was the Lady Margarette's answer. She wanted to take her flagship closer to confirm the all-metal construction of the ship, but then, the battle was reignited once again when an elvish warship fired a salvo on the hulking monster.
"!!!" Much to everyone's dismay, however, the shells only glanced off the body of the ship. And it continued its silent sail towards the coast of Cherwoods.
The Duchess of Malvette sent the signal to engage the ship, even ordering the diversion of some of the boarding parties to attack it. Their priorities now focused on the destruction of that monster, for like many of those present in that battle, they were all unfamiliar with the shape of the Yamato-class battleships. Its sheer size was enough to cause the flanking elvish ships to scurry away, to avoid fighting the emerging behemoth. And to greet her while it made its entrance, the battleship fired a salvo that hit the vessels on the flanks on the main fleet of the Duchess of Malvette, immediately sending those beneath Cherwoods' waves.
"!!!" the elvish sailors could only watch in horror as the behemoth approached them. The surviving vessel couldn't even rescue their comrades in water, for fear of attracting the attention of the naval monster. The captain of her flagship asked the Lady Margarette, "Your Grace, I believe this is the time to retreat. Please give the order."
The Duchess of Malvette was surprised by the request, though it was not like she couldn't understand the sentiments of the elves. However, she was afraid that if they retreated without destroying that huge warship, it would just steamroll its way up to the entrance of the Grand Canal.
"Milady, please give the order to retreat!" the elf captain pleaded once more.
At that moment, Lady Margarette steeled her resolve and told the captain, "Signal to the other ships to retreat. Leave the engines running and get to the lifeboats."
"Milady, what are you going to do?"
She equipped her naval cutlass and revolver, making it clear to her ship captain that she never intended to retreat herself. "Leave me here; I'll go to that ship alone."
"Milady," the elf tried to plead to her, "we've all seen how that thing over there is way too powerful for our vessels. With all due respect, Your Grace, you're just throwing away your life! No one can board that monster!"
"We'll never know if we don't try," she replied. "Any case, you and your people have fought well. Retreat now, and save your families. That is an order!"
The ship captain fell silent for a few moments. Then, he sat down on his command chair. He turned to one of his subordinates and said, "Tell those who are unwilling to continue fighting to leave this ship, or they will die for sure."
"What are you doing?"
"Milady, I know it's madness," the ship captain took a deep breath. "But what kind of elf I am if I leave an elf-friend like you to die alone? No, I will come with you; I'm sure those who will remain in this ship have the same sentiments."
The Duchess of Malvette said nothing to him. She just went to the speaking tube and transmitted her orders. "This is your admiral speaking. Once those who are unwilling to fight and die left this ship, send the boilers to maximum speed. The rest of the crew, prepare for boarding action."
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Having recovered from their initial shock, the elvish fleet reorganized themselves and converged on the huge battleship, in what seemed to be a suicidal charge. From the shores of Cherwoods, the Elf Saint watched as her warriors tried to take down the huge warship that appeared. Wishing to help in their fight, she caused the seas of Cherwoods to become as calm as water in a glass. As such, the boarding parties, now led by the Lady Margarette Jean of Malvette easily approached the battleship, even under enemy fire.
"Your Holiness," it was the Elf Saint's servant, Meanor. "We need to retreat back to the Grand Canal. It's not safe for you to be here!"
"I'll stay here," the Lady Hinwe insisted. "Those humans and elves are risking their lives for our people; I don't think I should be thinking of my safety, when those brave lords and ladies need my help."
Meanor fell silent. Deep inside, she couldn't help but admire the big change that occurred with her mistress after meeting the Lord Kuro. The 'Hinwe' of the past couldn't be even forced to come out of her room, let alone face an entire fleet of otherworldly enemies out to kill her.
"People change, Mea," the saint chuckled. "But yes, that idiot, Kuro, helped me back to my feet. I owe my current life to him."
"Your Holiness…"
"As such, I'll make sure he'll give me lots of figmas I'll request!" the Lady Hinwe smirked. "Heck, it's not nice to stand here, while being bombarded. Though I'm the saint, I'm still scared of getting hit, you know!"
The maidservant could only shake her head in amusement, but still, it was a big change for her mistress. It just that, she hoped their lives would continue as it was. The battle before them determined the future of this realm, after all.
Meanwhile, using their longbows, the elves shot their climbing ropes on the deck of the Yamato battleship. It took several tries before they were able to determine the correct height and power needed to send their arrows to the railings, as the warship was so big for their normal reach. Once they determined the ropes were secure, the first boarding party scaled the ship.
Nevertheless, the enemy kept on firing the other ships, causing more casualties. Though the currents went against it, the Yamato battleship continued to sail towards the entrance of the Grand Canal, crushing the elf vessels on its way. The Duchess of Malvette, skillfully navigating her ship against the debris field as well as picking up survivors on the way, grabbed one of the climbing ropes and joined the fight on the deck, where her boarding crew were met with shadow children.
"Take the injured and move them away!" she ordered, as the casualties on her side increased. Swinging her cutlass, all the while avoiding the enemies that tried to jump on her, she destroyed several shadow children, who seemed to just blindly rush to her and her group. It was a relatively easy fight, though. Contrary to the high tension earlier when the Yamato battleship made its entrance, the elvish sailors were having a good time shooting and hacking at the Seductress' minions.
However, the Duchess of Malvette didn't like what she was witnessing. While it was true that they were having it easy, her instincts keep telling her that they were just at the tip of an iceberg. The shadow children never relented on their 'suicidal charges,' and though the elves killed them off by droves, exhaustion was starting to set in.
And they haven't done anything to sink the ship yet.
The admiral of the elf fleet was wary of going below decks; she knew that the ship was teeming with their unearthly enemies, waiting for them to come and pick them off. However, it was important that they sink, or at least, disable, the behemoth to defend the Grand Canal.
However, just as they were about to get paralyzed by the stand-off, there was a strange zooming noise that passed overhead the ship's bridge. It was followed by a succession of explosions on the deck of the battleship, and another volley beneath the waterline, near its hull. The Duchess of Malvette and her flagship captain exchanged bewildered looks; the ship quivered and moaned, like a dying leviathan, just as it began to list to its side. Their sailors were looking up the skies; above them were squadrons of planes from the dwarf realm of Cherhom, assisting the Red Feathers in bombing the behemoth. The dwarf pilots waved at their allies below, with some of them unfurling the flag of the Duchy of Maverny, the fief of their god.
Lady Margarette sighed with relief. The Lord Kuro delivered on his promise…
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***Cherflammen***
Another miasma tentacle was severed, and the Seductress' howls were heard throughout the surrounding hills where she was chained.
"Ugh, it's your second time having your forces defeated, and yet, you scream like it's your first time!" Seirna commented from the shadows of her mind. "Can't you get used to it, at least?"
However, the Void monster ignored her. "I shouldn't be defeated! I shouldn't be defeated! I already sent the most powerful ship in that place!"
"By ship, you mean in Cherwoods?"
The silence of the Seductress confirmed Seirna's suspicions. She was happy that the land of the elves held out, considering that earlier, the Lady Hinwe's reign was in doubt. Those long-ears dodged a bullet; if they kept on rebelling against the heaven's authority and the Elf Saint's rule, their defense would be in vain.
"You!" the Void monster turned her anger towards the Overseer Saint, sending awful flashbacks to Seirna. All of her questionable deeds came rushing back to her, as the holy lady struggled to reason with her actions. "You act as if you're morally-superior to me! Yet, this is who you are! You—Seirna Stephanie—are no different! You killed half of Chersea's humanity in an attempt to fight my influence! You annihilated the city of Hemelin to serve your selfish god! You caused pain and suffering to the mortals ever since the time of Cassandra David!"
"Kuh…" The rushing flashbacks was difficult for Seirna to bear, yet, her spell held on. There were moments when she wanted to just retreat to the private confines of her mind, where the Seductress had no reach, but with two of the three miasma tentacles severed, the Overseer Saint grabbed on the hope that her hardships would soon be over.
"Suffer with me!" the Seductress intensified her attacks, going as far as to show her the deaths of her parents. The massacres that led to the end of the kingdom Seirna's family once ruled. And the future of Chersea, according to the vision of the Void monster.
Yet…the Overseer Saint stood her ground. In Seirna's heart, only one thing remained; the worlds she was meant to protect, and the people who supported and helped her, even when she did the most despicable things while doing her duty.
"I know you're more likely to do something because you think that is the right thing to do, even if it is questionable. A true Machiavellian."
For some strange reason, those words of the otherworlder came to her. And much to her bewilderment, it had an encouraging effect on Seirna. Yes, she did those things because no one else would do it. And it had to be done; not all things in this imperfect plane of existence was good and beautiful. Sometimes, to save millions, one must sacrifice a thousand…
And Seirna has the courage to take the dark path that ultimately leads to victory.
"I…I am a Machiavellian!" she blurted out, as she slowly pushed the flashbacks away, to the shock of the Seductress. "I walk the path no one else takes. Many may hate me, but…" Kuro's face suddenly flashed before her vision, which Seirna interpreted as his 'effect' on her. "…I don't care about them! I have people who accept me!"
"!!!" A bright ray of light shot from the Overseer Saint, and destroyed all the flashbacks the Seductress sent against her. The Void monster was flabbergasted; she didn't know that Seirna could still muster enough strength to resist her influence, and 'recharge' the spell that bound her.