Boarding

Around the battle the sea was choppy and anyone could have looked into the water to see the timbers of the fire ships that floated while the rest of the ship had sunk. However the warships carrying boarding parties were the current problem.

As the first ship got near enough Shirou stepped forward. The soldiers swung grappling hooks and tossed them toward the ship and Shirou ran forward to cut at the lines. He only managed to cut through a few ropes before the rest were used by the boarders to move across to their ship. Luckily this ship still had it's defenders. The soldiers of this ship jumped into action and fought the boarders as they arrived. The dragon-bloods were finding ways to help too, Nereth stood back and yelled orders with an impressive set of lungs while Roseblack and Rai joined the battles, they too yelled orders but only to the squads of soldiers near them.

Shirou wasn't good at ordering around soldiers but he did his part. He ran from one fight to another and helped turn the tide, giving the soldiers help with each fight. While he couldn't be everywhere the fact that the army's dragon-bloods were fighting made less work for him.

As his first major battle since his reality marble repaired itself he was noticing odd effects. In the past when he traced a blade he got the skill of the people who used that weapon in the past but now it seemed that his own skill was required. It wasn't that the blade had forgotten Nero but it wasn't able to draw everything from them.

Suddenly new ropes shot from the enemy ship. Instead of being thrown by soldiers these ones seem to have been summoned by sorcerers. He tried to cut one and the Aestus Estus Reficio was still able to cut it but with much more resistance than before, Shirou doubted if normal blades could even damage them. With new ropes came new soldiers. Shirou danced from one group to another before his blade was stopped by another.

Before him was what looked to be a noble, likely a dragon-blood, with a large curved sword made of black jade. His knowledge of blades told him it was a Wavecleaver Daiklave.

Their blades pressed against one another and the dragon-blood spoke "Who are you to stop me, you are no dragon-blood I know of."

Shirou traced a short sword he had created in the camp and using his other hand he stabbed it towards the man. The man dodged away. As he did so Shirou answered simply "A mercenary, of a sort."

"Bah, no simple mercenary would be this good." The man spoke as he went low, his sword curved up but Shirou parried it followed by a swing at the dragon-blood's neck. The man dropped low before asking "Would you be interested in switching sides? I don't know what you are being paid in but my family can certainly pay better. After all it's my great grandmother who will next sit on the scarlet throne."

Shirou tried an overhead swing followed by two more normal slashes. The man parried each of those so Shirou shook his head "No, my deal with this army stands for now. I have some honour."

The man tried to cut his legs out from under him but Shirou jumped and kicked before following up with a cut for the face and another for the sword arm.

The man parried the first and dodged the second before laughing "Honour? I guess that is a good enough reason for anything. I didn't think mortals had any true honour. I guess all it really takes is strength though."

The man slashed and Shirou's blade was thrown from his grip, it flew through the air before landing point first into the deck of the ship. Shirou stepped away as the man started slashing wildly. Instead he focused on the power he had gained when he had become a solar. He reached for his fallen sword and spoke quietly even as he retreated "Call the blade."

Aestus Estus Reficio shifted slightly in the deck before pulling itself free and flying towards him. He grabbed it out of the air and cut the Dragon-blood's arm as he swung without care. The man opened his eyes wide "So you are not a mere mortal, so what are you? God-blood? Or are you possessed by an Anathema?"

Shirou didn't bother answering so he dodged the next swing that was aimed for his head and stabbed his sword forward. The man parried it easily and Shirou recognised a new strength in the man. He laughed "What? Did you think I was giving a fight with a mortal my all? Don't make me laugh. However now that you have shown your strength I have no need to hold back."

Shirou tried to swing again but just as before the man blocked easily. He reached out with his own sword and Shirou raised his own to block it. Shirou failed to follow the next move he made however and he felt a sudden pain in his sword arm as the sword left a light scratch across his arm.

Shirou couldn't understand it, his fighting style was based around the fact that his enemies were better than him and yet it seemed to not be working at all.

He realised it suddenly, not only was he wielding the wrong weapons but his ability to trace to make surprise attacks was limited by not having many weapons that he could safely trace. Was this it then? His power and skill fails him in a situation that he should win? This man wasn't even as strong as a servant and he was still losing clearly.

Just as the man swung again there was a clang as another blade blocked it. Shirou looked to the side where Rai stood and grinned at him "Oh really? This guy can beat you? So if I beat him I can beat you?"

Shirou could tell he was joking, he stood by Shirou and the two of them charged together at Mnemon's dragon-blood.

End of chapter.

And so Shirou realises he has a lot of forging to do.

Also he realises he should invest more in melee charms.