"Clash of Steel, Hearts of Iron"
Chapter 6
………………………………………Days ago, at sea……………………………………
Excited is normally a term used to denote great joy or anticipation. But what do you refer to it as when someone is more that merely joyful of in anticipation?
This was the question pondered by First Sergeant Cedric "The Grizzly" of the 2nd Comanseti. He was stationed on board the "Trireme" class galley SNS Omega. Omega was a fine vessel, capable of a number of roles. In equivalency to modern naval warfare, this Trireme was the equivalent of a cruiser.
Her proud mast loomed above the water, a plateau in the vast canyon of the ocean. Around her sailed 13 other triremes, 16 biremes, and 7 Quinqueremes. The Quinqueremes were the capital ships of the navy. But the most powerful ship was known solely as the "Blue Whale". The triremes measured roughly 250 feet in length, and the Quinqueremes approximately 425. The "Blue Whale" was nearly 930 feet in length. It was packed to the brim with marines. Some 2000 were deployed on her.
The Summits-Word Naval Forces (SWNF) was comprised of 49 warships total. The great majority of its ships were deployed to pursue and destroy what remained of Captain Rhubarb's fleet and landing party. This was the first real taste of combat the navy got.
So far, word was out of the box that Galanoth and what remained of the invasion force had backed off and were fleeing to land. Rhubarb's fleet got out into deeper and deeper water, though. They had some 21 ships. 9 Sloops, 2 Frigates, 4 Destroyers, a Monitor, and 5 Men of War.
Both sides were using limited cannon fire. The cannons employed by the SWNF were smaller, but employed gun cotton as a propellant. The cannons of Rhubarb's fleet used antiquated magical propellants, but used larger weapons. Rhubarbs fleet also packed an equal number of guns to the SWNF, despite having fewer ships. The fleets were matched in firepower.
The SWNF had a number of tricks up their sleeves. They had acquired 2 Comanseti divisions to act as Marines in the battle, and had a number of other weapons and devices. But Rhubarb was an experienced seaman. He knew what he was doing, and as long as he could hold the SWNF in place, he could blow them out of the water with cannon fire.
Cedric and the Omega were part of the advancing Blue group, deployed on the left flank. To their right was Green group, the center flank, where the "Blue Whale" was deployed and the greatest concentration of vessels lay. To their right was the right flank, Yellow group.
Beneath the main deck stood Cedric. The decks were very small, only 7 feet tall, and barely 4 decks below the main deck. They were a maze of hallways, with square rooms and compartments located every few feet from each other. To the sides stood 2 long parallel hallways. Down these hallways stood lines of Comanseti. They stood in perfect file down the hallway's lengths, facing the outer walls of the hull, shoulders inches apart. They seemed almost identical.
Cedric, a senior NCO (non-commissioned officer) walked up and down the line, eying each man down. A grin formed at the edges of his mouth. He walked past several lieutenants, and then finally saw the Captain. There were 3 companies aboard this ship. One was pulling watch right now, above deck. Below deck, the other two were lined up, awaiting briefing.
The Captain marched up and down the line, and then stopped at the center of the line. He placed his hands on his hips. The 4 lieutenants formed up, 2 on each of his sides. The two 1st Lieutenants formed up, one on each side of him. The 2nd Lieutenants formed up at their sides. Then came the 5 senior NCOs. The two Master Sergeants formed up at the sides of the respective 2nd Lieutenants, and the two First Sergeants lined up next to the Master Sergeants. The Chief Master Sergeant stood in front of the Captain, a few feet in front of the Captain, and about a foot to the Captain's right.
Cedric was a beefy man, of about medium high and a large build for a Valleyman, even a Valleyman in the Comanseti. He was tough and aggressive in the field. But off it, he was a quiet man, who liked to think. Almost too much. And as he stood there, he thought to himself.
"Damn… I spent all this time getting promoted. I came all this way to get the honor of being in the Captain's retinue. And here I am, standing on the very edge of the retinue. Oh well, life's imperfect."
The Chief Master Sergeant spoke, "Sir, all three platoons are ready and waiting, sir! All 90 men who stand before you request their briefing being given, sir!"
The Captain smiled, and replied, "Very well then. Attention!"
All men snapped into full attention. They kept their eyes straight forward, starring at the wall, never moving an eye muscle. Their bodies were totally rigid. But their ears were eternally focused.
"All Comanseti. I will give you a little breakdown of our situation. The enemy is cruising some 2 and a half miles ahead of us. However, conditions aren't too great over in their neck of the woods, and we should reach them within the hour. Our beloved new home at sea, the Omega, is set to target the vessel, the BNS New Mason. The operation is very important. A COIN agent stationed aboard the ship as a spy sent a report several days ago. Apparently, the agent found the Captain Rhubarb is stationed aboard the ship because he feels that the capital ships are too high profile. He wants to have a small fast vessel because he thinks that we will focus all our firepower on the 5 Man of Wars. Well, my dear friends. We are the unit set to storm his boat. We will be getting some assistance from our dear friends, the Assailants. They are members of the Old Guard, and the Captain is fairly new, only a few months on the job. I demand that each and everyone of you impart respect to them."
The line of Comanseti yelled back, "Sir, yes, sir!"
"Now, they are currently aboard the Bireme SNS Cloak and Dagger. Appropriate name. Anyhow, they will cross by performing a rope-guided vault onto the deck. This leaves us open to use the raven for our boarding."
"Ahh, the Raven." Though Cedric.
The Raven was a massive weapon mounted parallel on the mast of the ship. The Raven was a large length of steel with a spike in the shape of a bird's beak at one end. At the other was a bolt that allowed the length to drop and become perpendicular to the mast. The Raven was used in naval combat by moving alongside an enemy ship. As they got close, they removed the restraints on the raven, then letting it drop onto the deck of the warship. The spike broke through the deck and locked in place. The enemy ship was locked in place, and the Raven became a bridge for Marines to cross.
The raven was intentionally left without side rails. Comanseti were taught how to balance upon it. And when the enemy sent troops out on the raven to challenge them, them were taught how to exploit the enemies' lack of balance, and send them to the sea below.
"So, a simple breakdown. We deploy the raven immediately once we are in line with them. Once it hits the deck, we wait for the green light from our bodies, the assailants. When the shit hits the fan, and they give us the go ahead, we cross the raven, and do a classic board and storm. Wind is going to be a little rough, so try to use a spear or a javelin as a stick to help keep your balance as you cross the raven. First man across… Grizzly, you take point this one."
Cedric was happy, and responded accordingly, "Thank you sir, I'm honored."
The Captain spoke once again, "Alright, I want you all on the deck and prepared to kick ass. I want optimal alertness regardless of conditions. Now get up there, and make me proud boys!"
The Chief Master Sergeant screamed, "Move out!"
All the Comanseti turned 90 degrees, and walked single file up to the ladder at the end of the hallway. One by one, they made their way up it, onto the deck.
An hour later
Cedric had watched from the deck the massive fleet of the Battleonian Navy streaked into view. The huge masts of the proud ships towered overhead. By all means, the Biremes, Triremes, etc. were short in terms of height. This was intended merely for the purpose of becoming a smaller, more maneuverable target. Yet this feature also made Cedric somewhat uneasy, the enemy Man of Wars dwarfed their ships.
It didn't matter though. Cedric looked off to the right. He saw the "Blue Whale", the mightiest of all the vessels there. It sailed without a care in the world. 2 of the enemy Man of Wars were firing on it. There were several impacts, but it sailed forward without flinching. As the fire became more intense, the "Blue Whale" returned fire. The "Blue Whale" fired all of its main deck guns at a high trajectory.
After about 15 seconds of silence of the storm of gunfire, the projectiles rained on their target. One of the two Man of Wars, BNS Willow's Creek, was shredded as the weapons rained down on its main deck, crashing through the wood and smashing the decks as gravity tugged the cast iron balls downward. As they plummeted through the decks, they pummeled men, the cast large, deadly splinters every which way. Men died by the hundreds. The rain of iron tore the ship a new asshole. Willow Creek was out of the fight. It was barely afloat as it withdrew. For the time being, all the other ships in the fleet were dissuaded from firing on their biggest target.
Cedric looked forward, toward the bow of the ship. In front of them, he saw 5 warships. 4 of them were in a group, sailing within close proximity. But far off to the right, a single sloop floated on its own. It was the BNS New Mason.
The Omega's captain began to bark orders. "All seamen, on deck. Ready for battle. I want our sails put way, and our rigging secured! Have all rowers report to their stations! Marines, in position! I want more men to the crow's nest! Get a marksman or two up there! All naval archers and artillerymen, to the deck! I want all weapons armed and ready! Get the drummers going! Am I understood?"
"Sir, yes sir!"
Men began to run around, relaying and complying with the Captain's orders. Sailors began to secure the rigging, the sails, and armed the weapons. Archers and artillery crews reported to their stations.
Marksmen from the Comanseti came up to the deck, brandishing their crossbows. The Marksmen merely wore a standard issue tunic, in conjuncture with a leather breastplate. At their right hip sat a short sword, and on their left hip sat a satchel, filled with deadly crossbow bolts, and prepared clips.
Cedric squatted down with a dozen other Comanseti, crouching behind the side rail of the ship, using it as cover. A Comanseti marksman jogged across the deck to their position. He crouched behind the rail with them. It was Willie, one of two Urban Marksman assigned as a support element to the company. They weren't officially a part of the unit, but they helped greatly when the going got rough, and a handful of tough enemies were causing trouble and refuse to go down.
Cedric smile, "Hey, Willie. How you doing?"
Willie smiled back, "Couldn't be better man! Just want to fucking shoot something right now, though."
Cedric opened his mouth and chuckled, but his laughter engulfed in a low noise. He looked to the stern of the ship. There stood three men in mail armor, banging on drums with their drumsticks. The naval drummers, whose goal was to make music to scare the enemy and rally troops around them. They began to play a beat, a repetitive banging sound.
Cedric looked above the side rail. In his ears he heard the loud drumming. The drumming got faster and faster as they closed the distance between the two ships. Eventually, the drumming evolved beyond a beat. The drummers began to form a rhythm, and the drum bangs got more and varied. The drummers began to sway with the song they made. They all hit their drums at the same time, and they swayed the same way as the played. God, it was like watching mirror reflections of the same person.
The drumming was very loud at this point. Archers began to line up along the sides of the New Mason and the Omega. The Omega and New Mason drew aside each other in a parallel formation. The New Mason's deck stood about 4 feet taller than the Omega, which would give the New Mason a slight advantage during an archery standoff. A lone archer aboard the Omega stood up, with his bow strung, an arrow notched in the string. He took aim and fired his arrow at an archer on the deck of the New Mason. He fired, striking the enemy archer in the chest. The enemy leaned forward as he reeled from the blow. As he lean, he accidentally slipped on the deck, and fell forward, into the raging waters below.
At this point, the current of the sea had picked up. The water below was furious, and wanted to swallow the lives of men. The archer had been one of first victims.
Two archers aboard the New Mason retuned fire. The two arrows struck the side rails of the ship, embedding them in the wood. The archer aboard the Omega quickly fired off another arrow, which struck a sailor aboard the New Mason in the chest. The two archers aboard the New Mason fired once more. The first arrow was too high and swept over the head of the archer. The archer threw himself to the deck. The second arrow was too low, but the rail deflected it and flew straight into the archer's left eye.
The archer began to scream and curse. A marine ran over to help him, but was hit in the back with two arrows from the archers.
Cedric screamed, "Those motherfuckers! Goddamn it! Willie, take out the damn archers! You hear me?"
Willie smiled, "You got it Grizzly! Should I shoot them between the eyes or in the throat? Come on, they'll live for a while in the throat!"
Cedric yelled back, "Just goddamn kill them!"
Willie brought himself into a crouch. His crossbow was perched along the rail of the ship. He took aim at one of the archers. They had not noticed him, and he took his time getting aimed.
Willie began to narrate his own marksman ship.
"Willie began to ready his sights, toggling the strong gust of wind into the scope. The bolt was already locked into place on the string. The moment he fired, destiny would come to life. He carefully took aim right between his first target's eyes, so he'd have a great drinking story somewhere down the line. Might get him laid. Anyhow, he took a dramatic pause, to guarantee a kill…"
Private Balbus, who stood to Cedric's left, began to scream. "Willie, shut the fuck up, you fucking douche bag! Just fucking shoot them already you goddamn prick!"
Willie was out of his moment. He quickly snapped off the shot, which met its mark right between the eyes of the archer. He ducked back down to cycle his weapon, smile wiped clean off his face.
"Fuck you, Balbus! You dumbshit, I was in the moment! I was in the goddamn zone. And here you fucking are, telling me I'm a fucking-"
Cedric himself was very aggravated. He let out a furious roar, earning his nickname of Grizzly "Both of you shut the fuck up! I'm sick of this crap! Balbus, as annoying as it is, an around in eyes sounds worse, so shut the hell up and let the man do his work. Willie, if you don't zip your fucking mouth, I'll shove one of those bolts so far up your ass you'll have ballistic-fucking-trauma! Got it?"
Willie had a scared look on his face. He quickly popped back up. The second archer fired an arrow at him. It hit the side rail, snapping the iron head off. The shaft struck Balbus in his back. He screamed a number of profanities as he writhed in the agony. It wasn't fatal, but it was painful.
Willie ignored Balbus' cries in pain as he took a quick moment to aim, and took a potshot at the archer. It was a throat shot. The second archer fell on his back on the deck as he grabbed his throat.
From the stern of the ship, the Omega's Captain watched Willie's sniping escapades. He decided that an engagement was inevitable; eventually a situation like this would escalate. He was better off just starting a coordinated engagement now, before an anarchic battle came to life on its own.
He turned to his first mate.
"I want the raven lowered, now! Have the archers fire 10 salvos of arrows to soften up enemy resistance. Have carronades fire 4, have our ballista and scorpions fire 7, and have flame guns fire 2. After our weapons have launched their salvos, lower the Raven, and await further instructions. We'll wait for the Cloak and Dagger."
The captain looked down to where the marines crouched. His eyes met with Cedric's. He was amazed how deep "The Grizzly's" stare was. He looked into Cedric's eyes for a few moments, then grinned and began to nod his head approvingly. Cedric turned his cold gaze elsewhere.
The gigantic iron beast screeched as it rocked back and forth on its hinge. The slightest movement made noise. As the chains were loosened from it, the screeches grew louder and louder. It longed to sink its fang into the deck of the New Mason. It looked down upon the archers below, firing their first volley. It grew jealous and impatient as it waited for its turn to kill.
On the decks below, the archers lined up. Double straight lines formed. The men in the rear stood while the men in front crouched. They held their bows, arrows drawn. It was time.
The naval archery leader, Lt. Commander Terbor, stood at the end of the line. He watched over the New Mason's crew. Their archers lined up on the side of the ship, drawing their bows. Terbor decided to take the initiative, and launched the first strike.
"Bowmen, open fire!"
Within 4 seconds, the entire line had fired off its arrows. Several hundred projectiles flew through the air, over the sea below, and onto the deck of the New Mason. The enemy soldiers took severe punishment. Dozens of men fell to the deck, dead or wounded. Many plummeted off the deck into the sea below. As the dead and wounded began to bleed and the Omega's archers lined up a second salvo, the decks grew slippery with blood.
The first salvo had merely delayed the attack from the New Mason's archers. They were still more than capable of attacking. As both sides lined their salvo, they let fly simultaneously. The arrows from both ships drifted past each other as they flew. Arrows passing in each direction were mere inches from each other. The salvos collided, and both sides took casualties.
As the Omega's archers lined up their third salvo, there were several loud bangs. The carronades opened fire. (A carronade is a shorter, lighter version of a cannon. It still fires the same projectiles.) Their projectiles ripped into the sides of the New Mason. Splinters flew everywhere, killing and wounding men left and right.
More noises, like at of a bowstring only louder. The scorpions let fly. The massive projectile screamed through the air, impaling men as they traveled along the decks. There was a whooshing sound. Flames licked the deck from the Omega's flame gun. The fire flew through the air, catching on to men on the deck, and setting them ablaze.
The bombardment from the Omega went unsuppressed. As it deployed its weapons, the New Mason's archers were killed off. With each bombardment, there was less resistance. As the bombardments began to cease, there was another matter at hand.
The hinges on the raven began to squeak. The hook began to move slowly move forward. Each inch it moved it got faster. Soon, it began to free-fall. The raven fell in an arc, its beak crashing into the deck of the New Mason. Splinters flew everywhere. Men were impaled by flying debris, and the situation on the deck became pure panic. Sailors rushed below deck to gather weapons or take shelter. Only a handful of marines remained aboard the New Mason. There were about 40 total. They faced off against some 250 Comanseti, who were better trained, equipped, and in better shape.
The Clock and Dagger made its move. The ship began to move alongside the deck of the New Mason. The Assailants stood along the railing of the Cloak and Dagger, anxiously to cross the water and spill blood. From the rigging of the Cloak and Dagger, an Assailant threw a rope with a rock attached through a hole in the rigging of the New Mason. The rope held fast.
One by one, the Assailants jumped into the air, catching on to the rope between their ship and the New Mason, and swinging off it to land on the enemy ship's deck. The distance between Cloak and Dagger the New Mason was too great for a normal jump. By utilizing this rope to help reach the enemy deck, the Assailants were able to make it across without problem. They began to wreak havoc across the New Mason's deck, throwing explosives and slashing through dozens of enemies.
The Marine Captain screamed, "Grizzly's got point. Arc, Caecilli, give him some cover fire. McDonald, Claude, watch his back. Willie, look out for enemy sharpshooters."
Willie called back, "Got it coach! I'll send them all to watery hell!"
Cedric was unafraid as he stepped onto the raven. He had pretty good balance. As he stepped forward and began to make his way across the raven's bridge, he looked to see his opponent. It was a man of about equal size to him. He was a big, muscular man loaded with heavy steel armor. Good way to start up the day.
As Cedric inched forward, he began to call out insults. "Hey, hey! You're pretty big for a small fish! You dumb brute, bet you take a ruler to bed to see how long you've slept! You poor bastard, I'll bet the fish will have lots of sympathy for you!"
Cedric's opponent was not pleased. "You want to go, asshole! Take this!"
The man ran at Cedric. Cedric crouched behind his shield. As the man got closer, Cedric lunged, catching the man's entire chest with his shield. He swept his shield to the left, knocked the enemy over. The man lost his balance, and fell headfirst into the water, screaming the whole way down.
The second man over was nervous. His legs trembled as him moved across the raven. They gave out about a third of the way over the raven's span. He fell over the side, into the icy waters below.
The third man began to cross. Several men began to cross after him. He made his way to Cedric. Cedric had made it halfway across the raven by this point. The third man cautiously approached him. He stopped about 5 feet away from Cedric. Cedric stopped as well.
"Come on, come get me, fishy!"
The man could only reply, "Fuck you, come to me!"
Cedric didn't wait another word. He ran at the man. The man swung his sword in a horizontal strike, attempted to decapitate Cedric. Cedric ducked, and swung his shield hard in a low blow. It upswept both of the Marine's legs, and knocked him off the raven.
From the deck of the Omega, several Comanseti threw their spears at the enemy Marines on the Raven. The spears hit their targets with precision, driving them into the water. They all plummeted except for two.
Two Marines decided to hide behind their shields. The spears could not touch them. Cedric could though. He charged at them, bashing the first Marine's shield with his own. The Marine recoiled, but there was nothing to support him when he stepped back. He slipped and fell, but instinctively grabbed on to the first thing he could. His allies' armor.
He dragged his friend down with him. But the second Marine refused to go down. As he fell, he managed to grab hold of the raven. He dangled from it by his fingers. They grasped the edge of the iron bar. Below him was the extremely angry sea.
Cedric stepped above him and looked down on the man. As the man looked back up, he suddenly realized what Cedric had in mind.
"No, no, please no!" The man began to scream in terror.
Cedric showed him no mercy. He raised his mighty shield above his head, and brought down its edges on the man's fingers. Cedric heard crunching from the broken bones. He brought his shield back up, and the Marine's limp fingers slid of the raven. He screamed the whole way down.
Cedric saw no more opposition along the raven. He made a final sprint toward the end. He saw three sailors holding position at the end of the raven. All three held axes. Cedric continued sprinting, despite the looming threat.
Cedric saw a threat, and decided to neutralize it. He held his shield horizontal, and dove at the sailors. The shield hit all three, knocking them off balance. They fell on their backs on the deck. Cedric kept going, headfirst. At the last second, he brought down his shield, parallel to the deck. It hit the deck, and Cedric rolled over it. He landed on his feet and turned around to the three toppled opponents. All three had sat up.
Cedric thrust his sword into the back of the sailor in the middle, catching him by surprise. The sailor to Cedric's left turned to face him. As he attempted to stand up, the Comanseti who had crossed behind Cedric ran up and stabbed the sailor in the chest. The third sailor, to Cedric's right, was still groggy. Cedric launched a powerful kick, hitting the sailor's temple with his heel. The sailor was knocked out and hit the deck.
Normally, Cedric would finish him off, but he'd let someone else do it. He placed his shield in its normal direction, vertical. He placed it in front of him, and stood still. Other Comanseti began to form up around him. The sailors on the deck began to form a perimeter around the Comanseti.
The entire Comanseti line began to charge, lunging forward with their shields. They body slammed the soldiers in front of them, knocking them to the ground. The Comanseti began to charge their enemies, ripping through them in close combat. The Comanseti were flexible infantry, able to take on a number of roles. But they excelled at CQB (Close Quarters Battle).
Cedric ran headfirst into the fray. He swung to the left, then to the right, taking down 2 sailors. He ran forward, slashing as he went. He saw a sailor in front of him with a short sword. Cedric dove at him. The sailor leaned forward while bringing his body back to dodge the attack to his gut. He slipped and fell flat on his chest and face.
"Bloody fool…" was the last words the man ever heard. Cedric placed a foot on his back to hold him down. As the man squirmed, Cedric raised his shield above his head, and stepped back, bringing its metal rim down on the sailor's neck. It snapped like a twig.
Cedric began to slash more and more. The Comanseti were now all independent, no long moving as a joined unit. They hacked their way through the sailors, who were basically cannon fodder. As Cedric made his way across the deck, he eventually slashed his way to the other side, leaving dead or dying sailors in his wake. He saw one final sailor in his way. He charged at the sailor. He ducked as the sailor swung his ax at him. He hit the sailor in the upper torso as he ducked with the rim of his shield. The sailor fell off his feet. Cedric stood back up, and delivered the killing blow by slashing his throat.
As he reached the other side, he found the Assailants. They were more intimidating now than ever. In combat they were superb. To them, this fight was too easy. They had already killed off the surviving marines without a single casualty. Just for fun, they had put away their weapons and were now butchering the sailors with their bare hands.
As Cedric walked toward the railing, he looked out toward the main battle group. The fighting was intense. The Blue Whale was out of the fight though. The ship had a lot of damage. Not enough to sink her, but enough that she was close. A bunch of enemy ships were no longer fighting. The Blue Whale must've deployed all of her Marines.
The ship on ship engagements were insane. 3 heavily damaged Man of Wars steamed through. The ships were listing, and looked pretty damaged, but they were still going. Christ, would these things ever sink? There were quiet a few SWNF ships that had been totally fucked up by the battle, though. There didn't seem to be a winner.
Cedric came back to focus as he heard screaming behind him. He turned to a sailor running at him. He swung his shield around and held it horizontal. He bashed the sailor in the face with it, and he fell to the deck.
Cedric looked to a sailor riding a rope of the rigging, Tarzan style. He was coming right at Cedric, a kick aimed at his face. Cedric threw himself to the deck as the kick came at him. The sailor overshot, having missed his target, and slipped off the rope. He flew straight over the side and plummeted into the drink.
Cedric looked to see the sailor he had just knocked over. He was groaning. Cedric figured, what the hell? He put down his sword, picked up the sailor's ax, and drove it into the sailor's forehead.
So many dead across the deck. The deck was red with blood. Cedric was almost disgusted by it. He looked to the stern of the ship. There stood Captain Rhubarb. He was looking down on the Comanseti Captain, who was lying on the deck. He had his cutlass, ready to behead him.
Grizzly took off running toward Rhubarb. He watched as Rhubarb readied himself for the killing blow. He ran faster. He watched an Assailant attack Rhubarb by stabbing him left arm. He watched as Rhubarb kicked the Assailant in the chest sending him flying. He watched again as Rhubarb lined up for the kill.
Grizzly let out a war cry as he made his final sprint. He hit Rhubarb with his shield. Rhubarb was toppled. As Grizzly stood above Rhubarb, Rhubarb lashed out with a two-legged kick while on his back. Grizzly stumbled, and Rhubarb got back to his feet while Grizzly regained balance. Grizzly dove with his short sword, slashing Rhubarb's sword arm. Rhubarb dropped the cutlass, his execution foiled.
Grizzly inched toward Rhubarb, ready to launch his own killing blow. Rhubarb wasn't done yet. He launched a roundhouse kick, right to the side of Grizzly's head. Grizzly couldn't believe it. A kick to the head. He was hit so hard he turned around and began to stumble. He dropped his shield and his sword. They clanged on the deck as he stumbled. As he turned around, he felt a second kick. His armor caught the blow, but the energy went clean through it. The kick had hit the area between his ninth and tenth rib. The force had ruptured his liver.
Grizzly fell to the deck. Grizzly looked past his feet to see Balbus' head, and his beheaded corpse. He knew this was Rhubarb's doing. He wanted to get up and jam his dagger through Rhubarb's eye, but the pain was so great. It hurt to move, it hurt to breathe, and it even hurt to blink his eyes. It hurt to be alive.
Rhubarb looked down on the would-be corpse of Grizzly. As he stared at Grizzly's suffering, he felt a jab to the face. It was the Captain. The Captain launched a second kick to Rhubarb's gut. As Rhubarb kneeled over from the second hit, he was it a third time. A punch to the temple. Rhubarb felt groggy from the last hit.
The Captain finally threw two punches at the groggy Rhubarb. He looped his foot behind Rhubarb's legs. As Rhubarb recoiled from the blow, he tripped over the Captain's leg. He crashed against the side rail of the ship. As he leaned up, the Captain dove on top of him, and stabbed him with his dagger. Rhubarb's eyes shot all the way open from the pain.
The Comanseti screamed "You motherfucker! You fucking motherfucker! I'm going to fucking kill you, you stupid fucking asshole!"
He stabbed Rhubarb in the chest several more times. On the final stab, he picked up Rhubarb's cutlass from the deck. Rhubarb watched, with his eyes wide open, as the Captain drove the cutlass into his chest with both hands. The entire blade penetrating, slashing Rhubarb's open heart. The Captain watched Rhubarb exhale his final breathe before expiring…
A day later…
Cedric woke up in a bed on the ship. He looked around. He was in the Medical Ward of the Omega. At the foot of his bed, he saw the Captain, and the unmasked Assailant. The Captain leaned over toward him while the Assailant watched, not speaking a single word.
"How you doing Grizzly? Are you feeling well?"
"No sir. Everything hurts like hell. Am I going to be okay?"
The Captain had a shocked look on his face. The Assailant spoke the only words he would ever speak in the entire conversation.
"Let's be frank. The kick that Rhubarb launched was fatal. He ruptured your liver, and you are dying."
Cedric groaned. "This is it, huh? Well, ain't as bad as I thought it would be."
The Captain bit his lip. "I'm sorry to have to tell you the bad news."
Cedric grinned, "Don't be sorry. I'm glad I got an honest answer, so I know to expect it. I'm just going to have to accept it, and try to ignore the pain. Make the most of the rest of my time."
"That's why they call you Grizzly. Always fighting it out. I'm just sorry, you won't make it through this one."
"Ah, oh well. Just tell them to tell my wife and kids the usual crap. I can't really say much else aside from 'I love you so much and I'll miss you'. Just make sure they get what's in my trunk. I'd rather that the things I leave them with talk for me."
"Will do…"
"And so I know, what happened up there?"
"Well, Balbus was in trouble. Rhubarb caught him off surprise. He executed him while I tried to come to his aid, and he overpowered me. The Assailant fella here came over to try and help but Rhubarb beat him up to. So, when Rhubarb attacked you, I got back to my feet, and I stabbed him to death."
"What happened afterward? I mean, how'd the battle go?"
"Oh, we took this ship. But it's hard to say if there was a real winner."
"Get what you mean."
Cedric just lay back. As his head hit the pillow, he fell asleep. He'd need to rest; he needed a lot of energy to make the most of his last days.
Aftermath
Cedric's life expectancy after that point was 4 days. He fought hard, managing to go 8 days. They were back in port by the third day. After 4 days of travel, he managed to make it home. He spent his last day with his family. He died peacefully in his sleep.
Out of the 300 Comanseti aboard the Omega, 58 were killed, and some 123 wounded. The New Mason was captured and completely cleared. It was brought to the port in Lolosia a few days later, and refurbished to become the SNS Colt.
The full naval battle had no winner. It was considered by many to be a turning point. Neither side had won, and both realized it. The Valleymen sank all the enemy ships on their left flank except for the New Mason, which was captured.
But the center flank was messy. Every ship on the Valleyman side except the Blue Whale was sank or damaged to the point where it had to be scuttled. The Blue Whale had still suffered extensive damage. The sailors and Marines of the Valleyman Navy basically sailed home on captured enemy vessels.
The Battleonian navy had great success on their left flank (The valleymen's right flank). Just 1 ship sunk, no other ships damaged. They'd destroyed every last enemy ship on that flank. They had brought their Monitor there, and used it to bomb the center fleet after they'd wiped out the enemy's force on their flank.
However, as the battle wore on, all their ships in the center were captured, sunk, or critically damaged. They decided to call it a day, and their left flank pulled back.
However, this was not a Battleonian defeat. It was a psychological victory. Up until this point, the Valleymen had been wiping them out in every battle, winning a crushing victory every time. But here is was, a battle where they had not only taken heavy losses, but had been unable to secure victory. This was the beginning of a new phase in the war. One where Valleyman victory was not always assured…