DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING OR ANYONE IN THE SPYRO UNIVERSE. ONLY MY OCS. I AM ALSO THE OWNER OF A 6FTx4FTx3IN SLAB OF ICE THAT BEARS A REMARKABLE RESEMBLANCE TO MY FRONT DOOR. OUTDOOR TEMP IS 7 DEGREES WITH A WINDCHILL OF -15.
ARCTIC COLD FRONTS... IF I WANTED TO PUT UP WITH THEM I'D MOVE TO EITHER RUSSIA OR ANTARCTICA. HAVING THEM IN LOUISIANA IS JUST PLAIN RIDICULOUS.
THEN AGAIN I THINK I STILL HAVE A RELATIVE UP IN NOME, ALASKA. OR WAS IT DUTCH HARBOR?
OH WELL, FAMILY'S FAMILY, RIGHT? NO MATTER THE GEOGRAPHY. STILL THOUGH, IT'S BEEN WHAT, A DECADE SINCE I SAW THEM LAST?
AAAAND I'M RAMBLING AGAIN. SORRY ABOUT THAT, ON WITH THE STORY.
Chapter 57: Bloodlines
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(a few days after the Ancestor's Night Celebration, the Royal Audience Chamber)
"..."
Neal stood alongside the other Guardians as a group of armored dragons of the Elite Guard brought in a chained and muzzled fire dragon. Though his scales were dirty and dingy from being in the dungeon, Neal recognized Magma almost immediately. Yesterday had been a meeting to discuss what would be the course moving forward. With Vesuvius still in the wind, his location unknown, and now a possible threat to the hatcheries scattered across the continent, Neal couldn't explain it but he had a sense that Magma would play a part moving forward and thus had requested he be brought forward today.
Magma no longer had an expression of contempt or disgust on his face as he was led onto the center platform before the Guardians and the Royals. Instead his was downcast and silent. Neal wouldn't had gone so far as to say he was the picture of docility but he was thinking it.
Also present was Infernon, Terra, Ash (who had been restored to his previous rank of Captain and given Magma's former post), and various officers of the Guard. Magma, upon seeing the Captain's bars on Ash's ceremonial armor, heaved a small sigh and hung his head. Neal felt a nudge and looked to see Volteer lowering his head and spoke to him in hushed tones.
"Apparently he finally realized that Vesuvius abandoned him to his fate. He's been so despondant the guards have been taking extra shifts to make sure he doesn't try to take his own life." Neal frowned as he moved his gaze from Volteer back to Magma and back again.
"Would he actually do that?" Volteer shook his head.
"I don't know. Magma's only family was Vesuvius, now that he's gone and all but abandoned him, he's left without any sense of direction or guidance. You've seen it, yes? How some younger siblings look to their older siblings for guidence and support? Magma likely made most of his choices with input from Vesuvius and now he's absolutely clueless as to how to proceed." Neal sighed.
"And of course Vesuvius' choices only benefited himself or raised his status. In a way, Magma's only been guided down certain paths while Vesuvius kept other paths blocked or outright barred them. I wouldn't put it past him if he somehow sabotaged Magma's attempts in years past to do something for himself." Cyril overheard this and nodded.
"Indeed. It was said that when Magma was younger, he was quite the aspiring actor and playwright. However, after a series of failures and mysterious events, he simply stopped acting and writing. Though somewhat limited, the four or five plays he did create were actually rather good." Neal chuckled.
"Magma as an actor? Forgive me but I can't see it." He paused, thought about something, then turned to Cyril curiously.
"What genre?" Cyril gave him a wry smile.
"Comedy." Neal gave the Guardian a flat look.
"... No seriously, what genre?" Terredor chuckled.
"Cyril is speaking the truth. I myself saw one of his plays and I was laughing myself to tears. Magma had quite the mind for comedy, practical jokes, slapstick. If it could make someone laugh, he could do it." Neal looked to Terrador and then to Magma, then to Cyril and Volteer.
"Well, call me a philistine, but I don't see it."
At that moment, the chamber hushed as Altonis and Tianis came forward to look down at the arrested Magma. Under their firm gazes, Magma couldn't help but drop his head and crouch a little lower, closing his eyes as he did so. Altonis breathed a heavy sigh, scanned the room and then returned his gaze to Magma.
"It is our understanding that you no longer wish to contest the charges brought against you previously, Magma?" Magma remained silent but lightly inclined his head. Tianis gave a glance to her mate before speaking.
"You are aware that being found guilty of these crimes will mean a dishonorable discharge from the Guard, your removal from the list of Nobility, if not your outright expulsion from the city. In short, exile." Magma nodded again but this time spoke lowly.
"All things considered, I am grateful I at least have my life, Your Majesties. I am aware that, had the mission to Dante's Freezer been even slightly less successful my life would have been forfeit. The harm I did at my brother's bidding is inexcuseable." Altonis nodded.
"So long that you understand the severity of your crimes. However, I cannot help but feel that your admission is a little... hollow. Since you were already in custody when your brother fled and as we do not know his current whereabouts we cannot bring him to trial it is my opinion that your punishment would only be a fraction of what it should be. The wrongs you committed far outstrip the rights you did as a member of the Guard." At that moment, Altonis glanced to Neal who had been waiting for the moment and nodded. Neal stepped forward.
"Your Majesties, as the agrieved in this matter, I would like to say something." Magma let out a startled snort and his eyes went wide as he saw Neal come forward. Neal glanced at Magma and saw that the fire dragon's expression was all too clear.
(He's going to see me hung, beheaded, or something else too horrible to contemplate!)
Neal glanced to the throne and then looked to the council around him, taking in their expressions, having heard their thoughts before today. Neal took a steadying breath and gave a small smile. The council had been split 50/50 on the issue of Magma's guilt. Half wanted him punished harshly, the other half less so. Up until this morning when he had spoken to Frost, Domino, and Rivet who, bless their souls, had absolutely no feelings of anger or malice towards the older dragon, he had been on the fence.
No longer.
Magma's eyes grew wide as Neal opened his mouth to address the council.
"..."
"..."
"Your Majesties, I ask for leniency for Magma in this matter."
(...What?)
Magma's jaw dropped in utter shock. Nor was he the only one stunned into silence. His eyes went wide as platters as he glanced to Neal. Altonis stroked his chin in thought before glancing to him.
"As the one who was the target of Magma's misdeeds, why do you wish to ask for leniency?"
"As Magma said, the mission to Dante's Freezer was a success. Domino and Rivet, as well as their older brother Frost, whom they thought dead, were rescued. We dealt a severe blow to Malefor's forces by defeating Axian. Now with Vesuvius on the run, naturally Magma is the only one who might have some idea as to where his brother might have fled to avoid prosecution." Neal turned to Magma.
"At this very moment a coalition of humans, dragons, cheetahs, wolves, moles, canines and atlawa is being organized and assigned commanders to investigate any movements by Malefor's forces, secure the hatcheries inside the dragon territories, and defend them if they come under attack. The force that that I will be a part of, however, has a second objective in that after we secure our assigned hatcheries, which by the way are the Earth, Wind, and Fire Hatcheries, we will be heading south into the Forbidden Lands, the former human mainland territories, on a surveyor and mapping mission." Neal opened a scroll and glanced at it and nodded.
"According to your family's tree, your great-grandfather came from the Western Lavalands. However, his arrival in Warfang was under mysterious circumstances. Magma, would you happen to know what events forced your ancestor to seek a new home in Warfang?" Magma coughed in shock but remained silent. Neal continued.
"According to the official statement, he and his family came to Warfang after nearly unleashing a torrent of lava on the Hatchery which was still under construction at the time." Magma frowned and growled lowly.
"Do not assume the scroll tells the whole story..." Neal gave a small ghost of a smile.
After he had learned of Magma's family's ancestry, he figured it would have been a good idea to have a dragon with his abilities on his team. Neal could see that Altonis and Tianis were both interested as to where he was going with this.
"I assume you know the story behind your family's history? Why it appears that you and your family tend to be just a little more proficient with fire than normal fire dragons?" Magma snarled.
"It is a family matter and is meant to be kept private." Neal nodded.
"I understand Magma but the days you and your family feared no longer happen. If my group is heading for the Lavalands, I assume we'll need a dragon with your abilities and, last I checked, you and Vesuvius were the only ones who had this particular skill and you are the only one close enough at the moment." Magma looked at Neal and held his gaze for a good moment before giving a sigh and a small nod.
"There is a little known benefit to being a Lavalands dragon. We are inherently immune to any and all types and forms of fire. A regular fire dragon, if they chose to, could crawl into a blacksmith's forge and remain there unbothered. A Lavalands dragon however, could exist inside a volcano and, in fact, among certain dragons in that land, the height of status and luxury is having a personal lava pool to heat a noble family's eggs without having to place them in the 'common' hatchery. My great-grandfather was lesser nobility, but he had a unique ability, one that all in my family possesses. We can control and move said lava."
There was a murmur of shock and disbelief among those assembled. Even Ash, Infernon, and Furnace were in shock. Magma saw he had everyone's attention and continued.
"My ancestor was, according to the family story, was expanding a lava pool for some other noble when an embankment gave way. It was a freak accident that drained the entire lava pool and sent all the lave downhill towards the hatchery. What they don't mention is that my ancestor got in front of the flow and managed to redirect it at the last moment sending it into a 'moat' that had been dug around hatchery." Magma snarled angrily as he recounted the tale, three generations of retelling the same story seemed to color it with anger.
"Despite this, because he was a lesser noble, they blamed him and forced his entire family into exile. The king during that time in Warfang, took pity on my ancestor and granted him and his family a place in Warfang, under the one condition that none, I repeat NONE, of their family ever take up the practice of manipulating lava again. Apparently the king was afraid we lava dragons could cause a volcano to erupt under the city." Altonis gave him a sideways glance.
"Can you?" Magma shook his head.
"No. Volcanoes are seismic occurances which fall under the abilities of earth dragons. Lava dragons can just manipulate lava. In case you're wondering, yes, I do know how to manipulate the flow of lava but, given the lack of volcanoes here, my chances to use the ability are somewhat limited. In fact, when I was younger, I would take any excuse to go wherever moles or manweersmalls were digging so that I could practice controlling my abilities." Neal nodded.
"In short you need lava to control lava?" Magma nodded.
"Indeed. I can't just open my mouth and spew lava, just flames. I can manipulate lava, dive into the middle of a volcano and emerge unscathed, and in extreme cases swim through a lava tube but I can't just create a pyroclastic element."
As Magma explained this, everyone looked to Neal who had been nodding understandingly. He then turned to the King and Queen.
"Your Majesties, given Magma's abilities, and given the type of terrain that is to be expected as we assist in securing the hatcheries, I would think it prudent that a lava dragon accompany the force. It gives us not only an advantage in offensive power, but it is also a chance for Magma to redeem himself."
Magma opened his mouth to protest but one of the guards next to him stamped down on his foot hard. At the same time, oblivious to Magma's actions, Altonis smiled.
"Done." He then turned to Magma.
"You will be assigned to go with Neal and his force as they secure the hatcheries. Magma, this is your only chance to redeem yourself and make things right. There will be no other chances. Either you return with your honor intact, or you had best not return at all." Neal nodded his thanks to the two monarchs and then returned his attention to Magma.
"You will still be under guard. Lieutenant Terra and Captain Ash will be your guards. Make sure you have everything you need for a long deployment ready in three days. By that time, all the forces we'll be taking shall be assembled and the other strike forces shall be deploying." Magma nodded his understanding and turned to leave the chamber.
After he left, Danny approached Neal with a smile on his face.
"Well, you think you have enough mana stored up to help me with my little project?" Neal sighed but nodded.
"I still think you're crazy to try it, but there's a little nagging part of me that wants to see if we can pull it off." Danny's smile widened and he nodded.
"I'll be heading down to the harbor with the force we'll be taking. It's going to be smaller than yours but we'll most likely have the advantage in firepower." Neal chuckled.
"If you manage to pull off that hairbrained idea of yours then yes you likely will."
Catching the conversation between the brothers, Volteer and Leviathan came to them, their curiousity obvious.
"We've heard you mention this plan of your before. Since you need the harbor it likely involves the sea but nevertheless we are curious. What praytell or you thinking?" Danny gave a full blown grin at the two dragons.
"Let's just say I plan to bring a little bit of Texas to the world." Neal sighed.
"He means he's going to try and Forge the USS Texas, the last dreadnaught-pattern warship left in the world. Part of me wonders if he's crazy because last I checked, that ship was a museum." Danny smiled.
"Not when I get done with her she won't." Neal nodded and sighed.
"Just remember our Grandfather served on her during WWII. You do anything too drastic and, alternate dimension or not, he's going to hunt you down and turn you every which way but loose." Danny chuckled and nodded, having been raised on his Grandfather's stories of serving on the Mighty T during the war.
"Don't worry, I'm thinking of keeping her in her 1925 configuration." Neal thought for a moment and nodded.
"Okay so tripod masts, no hull-fitted torpedo tubes, an additional torpedo bulkhead, triple bottom amidships, strengthened horizontal armor, a steam-powered catapult mounted on C turret, and one exhaust funnel... wait a sec, in '25 the Texas' engines went from coal-fired to oil-fired. As oil's a hydrocarbon we can't technically Forge that." Danny nodded.
"Already thought that through. I'm going to use the same technique you used with the Guardian and use wood-fired furnaces. It'll be more labor intensive but still when compared to the advantages we'll have, a small uptake in labor is acceptable." Neal sighed.
"Yeah well just remember that you'll have crew down below decks actually keeping those boilers burning to produce steam." Danny nodded thoughtfully.
"Already ahead of you little brother. With the Guardian dry-docked, the crew is just sitting around asking if there's any work to be done. Captain Gregory has been all but begging me to finish our preparations so that he can get back to sea." Neal nodded and squared his shoulders.
"No time like the present then. I assume all the preparations have been made?" Danny nodded.
"A few earth dragons led by a massive drake named Tecton have already gone to the port and, quite literally, expanded it to the point that we could, if needed, Forge the Texas, her sister ship New York, and even the entirety of Battleship Row and still have room enough for several other vessels." Neal gave an appreciative whistle at that as he turned and, together with the Guardians, left the castle and started towards Warfang Harbor.
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()
Though Neal knew Danny had been likely exaggerating the effort the earth dragons had put into expanding the harbor. However, once he saw the massive stretch of stone that had been raised along the outer lip of the harbor (as well as the seven earth dragons lying close to shore exhausted but pleased with their work) he didn't doubt there would be enough room for the Texas to be Forged. Looking at the harbor, he could see that there were scores of dragons, cheetahs, moles, wolves, and humans gathering, apparently eager to see two Forgers at work.
Danny was already on the stone dock, handing a bright blue string of ribbon to a wind dragon and motioning him to different points, likely telling him to mark off the area where the Forged ship would appear. As he neared Danny nodded to him and then pointed to the harbor.
"Alright the barrels anchored in the port indicate where I want you to string that ribbon. Complete a lap around the dock and the barrels and then come back here. Thanks for helping." The dragon nodded politely, took the ribbon, and started flying towards the first marker. Danny turned to Neal and smiled.
"According to Eve a Grand Forge of this scale has never been done before. It's going to take the three of us to make sure every single detail is accounted for. Eve will keep an eye on the blueprints, I'll take care of the hull and engines, you'll take care of the superstructure and weapons." Neal nodded.
"Okay, just to confirm it with you and Eve, we are Forging the USS Texas as she was during her 1925-27 modernization update." Danny nodded.
"That's right." Eve appeared and looked at the blueprints in the open book and nodded.
"Okay, if I'm keeping an eye on the plans, I need to know how she appeared originally." Neal nodded and then the quill started moving, drawing the Texas as she originally appeared when constructed in 1914. Eve looked over the blueprints and began nodding to herself.
"So she was originally built with these 'basket' masts, multiple five inch secondary guns, no anti-air armament, coal-fired boilers and reciprocating steam engines. No rangefinders, no catapult for scout planes. Good grief compared to what Danny drew for her 1925 she was barebones here wasn't she?" Neal nodded.
"When she was built most artillery battles were similar to close range slugfests. Tall masts were fitted with speaking tubes with fire control officers directing the cannons for lon g range firing or shore bombardment. It's how a lot of things were back then. Everyone relied on experience, complex mathmatics, training and sometimes sheer dumb luck. It was also before anyone really understood the threat posed to capital ships by aircraft or submarines. By the end of WWI most ships were either going to be scrapped or held over until newer modern ships could be built. Though originally slated to be scrapped, Texas and her sister ship New York, were instead sent to the shipyard for extensive refits." He pointed to the blueprints.
"It goes to show just how quickly combat situations and warfare in general was evolving back then for us. Between 1915 and 1925 she went from a pure 'dreadnaught' battleship to a multipurpose battleship to meet the demands and requirements of the service at that time. She was the first battleship in the Navy to be fitted with anti-air cannons."
Volteer was nearby, glanced over and saw the plans, he nodded in understanding.
"Indeed. It appears that your world is quite the dangerous place. Your shipbuilders and soldiers have obviously anticipated nearly every possible scenario." Neal chuckled.
"You would think that but history has proven to us time and again that no matter what our plans there is always a way to thwart them. Up until the start of the Second World War in 1939 battleships only had a small number of anti-air defences. Though America didn't get involved until 1941, we updated our vessels but not to the extent required. After Pearl Harbor, what battleships we had left and those under construction were immediately refitted until they were bristling with anti-air weapons. Texas is no exception." Danny nodded.
"Yet no matter what defences we placed we still lost ships in war. We can't become complacent. Once Malefor and his forces see the Texas, chances are they'll either come up with countermeasures or try to build something that can challenge it."
"Any fool can make a spear, but a genius can make a cannon." Neal smiled at the electric Guardian.
"A bit of draconic wisdom?" Volteer nodded.
"Back when the war with the apes was still just starting, the apes had little to no means of repelling us as we dived at their settlements loosing our elements. At first their defences were sharpened logs that could be raised or lowered by pulling ropes. In response, we simply flew higher. Then, Gaul figured out how to use gunpowder and he prototyped a large brass cannon. We knew nothing about it until one day we attacked the ape's capital and after a large explosion there was an earth dragon falling from the sky." Danny huffed.
"During the Civil War, the US Navy, under Admiral David Farragut, launched an attack on the port of Mobile, Alabama. Under his command were several wooden hull vessels and four brand new ironclad moniters. As the fleet charged the harbor, one of the ironclads, USS Tecumseh, struck a torpedo mine, a watertight wooden barrel or iron ball packed with dynamite and capsized, sinking in roughly thirty seconds with ninety-four of her crew. A torpedo mine took roughly a day to build while an ironclad, the most advanced and sophisticated ship at the time, took the better part of several months." Neal nodded.
"Didn't stop the Union from capturing Mobile but it proved that ironclads could be sunk, just like any other vessel that floats. Once the Texas makes her debut, there will be those who will seek to match, surpass, or stop her." Neal looked to Danny.
"Well, I see our onlookers are getting antsy. What's say we quit cutting bait and get to fishing?" Danny nodded while Volteer looked puzzled.
"Who said anything about fishing?" Neal's and Danny's laughter echoed around the port as Volteer stopped and then smiled.
"Ah, figure of speech."
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Standing on the stone pier were two Forgers, eight dragons who had volunteered to link their mana with the Forgers, and twelve human mages who were standing by until after the Forge was complete. Balthisere led them and smiled when Neal had asked what he was doing.
"You said this ship will require a crew large than what is possible and then your brother told us that Goro, the ape sage who had accompanied him, had animated several of his ship's functions so that they could sail with a skeleton crew. Animating objects is child's play for a mage. Once we understand the steps, we can animate just about anything."
Following this exchange, Neal and Danny linked their magic with the dragons and then Eve. There was the familiar blinding light as Neal, Danny, and Eve (in dragon form), stood in a void space enveloped in white light.
"Okay, here we are again. Now then, Danny, Neal you both know the drill. I'll be looking out for our material supply and watching the mana of us and our friends. You two list the dimensions and specifications of the ship and they will materialize here before the Forge is complete." Neal nodded.
"Alright Danny, lets get started. First, hull dimensions."
"Five-hundred seventy-two feet, seven inches overall length, one-hundred six feet overall width, thirty-one feet, six inches draught. All steel construction, divided into one-hundred forty compartments divided between nine sections or 'frames'. The frames are sections seven, twenty-one, thirty-five, fifty, eighty-six, one-hundred four, one-hundred seventeen, and one-hundred thirty-four." Neal nodded.
"Check. Engines, twin triple-expansion dual action reciprocating engines connected to two screws with no reduction gear." The plans for the engines seemed to rise from the Book of their own accord, become material and then lower themselves into the hull. Neal nodded and then continued with the design.
"Boilers. Fourteen wood-fired boilers, six standard, eight superheating. water tank volume consistant with five-thousand gallons each." Danny looked to Neal curiously.
"That much?" Neal shrugged.
"Why not? Unless you'd rather take the chance of having to refill the tanks with sea water half way through the voyage. You KNOW what salt water does to steel piping." Danny huffed.
"Yeah, corrosion central. Alright, point taken, what's next?"
"Okay, next is the gun deck. We've got six barbettes, three port and three starboard housing five-inch rapid fire cannons. Next is eight three-inch anti-air cannons surrounding the bridge and foremast." He then pointed to the masts.
"After that is two 'bird bath' platforms on the masts each housing four water cooled fifty-caliber heavy machineguns." Neal grinned and rubbed his hands together.
"Now come the big boys: five turrets, two fore, one amidship, two aft each housing two fourteen-inch main guns." As the turrets and guns materialized Neal thought of something critical and tapped Danny on the shoulder.
"Hey bro, with the boilers, make sure we include an air lock leading into and out of the boiler rooms as apparently when the main guns fired it caused a pressure differential in the compartment that could cause fire to shoot out of the furnace." Danny nodded and made the adjustment.
"Damn, I knew those guns were powerful but jeez. I guess Grandpa's stories weren't all bluster, huh?" Neal shook his head.
"Nope, I never doubted him. Anyway, let's see here... that's the engines, the hull, the weapons... Right, next is the superstructure. Tripod masts fore and aft, one exhaust funnel, one spotter tower midships behind the funnel overlooking the catapult that will be mounted on C turret." As the structure appeared, the woeapons platforms that were just 'hovering' nearby moved to join to their assigned locations. Danny looked over the ship then stopped when he saw the steam catapult on C turret.
"Let's not forget the cranes on either side of the tower that were used for loading cargo and recovering the seaplane when it landed in the water." Neal nodded.
"Or the three-inch cannons that were fitted on top of them for extra AA support." The modifications were made swiftly and the two brothers' discussion turned to another part of the ship.
"Yeah, so then, what aircraft shall we use?" Neal smirked.
"You mean what kind of crate you'll be flinging yourself off the catapult with? Well, one of the first planes Texas used was a Sopwith Camel purchased from the British but since we're going for modernization, and we now have access to 20's and possibly 30's tech, I'd say let's try for the O2U Corsair." Danny nodded.
"Sounds about right, though I'd be more comfortable in a Kingfisher." Neal shrugged.
"Technically that's nineteen-thirties tech but... Hey Eve, can we make that so my brother's less worried?" Eve looked at the design of the O2U Corsair and the OS2U Kingfisher and shrugged.
"I suppose it's possible as the aircraft is similar, just forget about having a radio or any kind of advanced equipment in there." Danny nodded.
"That's alright, besides, who would I talk on the radio to anyhow?" Neal nodded.
"Okay, one Kingfisher, coming right up. Remember Danny, you have to land this thing on the water and let it be recovered by the crane, there's no runway on board." Danny nodded.
"I'm aware. You just make sure the screws are angled the right way. Last thing we need is to try going forward when instead we go backwards." Neal chuckled.
"You are never going to let me live that down are you? That time I put the propellor Grandpa's old fishing boat on backwards after cleaning it." Danny gave him a smile and cuffed him on the shoulder.
"How can I forget? It was the only time I'd ever heard Grandpa swear like a sailor. Heh, Poor Uncle Ray though, he couldn't get his balance fast enough and took a header off the bow and into the lake." Neal gave him a look.
"Didn't he land on a gator?" Danny shook his head.
"No that was Cousin Eustace when he was swinging on that tire swing at Great-Aunt Bea's place." Neal nodded.
"Oh yeah, well, thankfully it was a small one." Danny burst out laughing.
"Yeah and Eustace wasn't exactly skinny back then."
The two brothers joked and reminisced while they put the finishing touches on the ship. Eve stood by silently and inwardly longed for the chance that maybe she could have the type of relationship that the two brothers had.
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The first thing Spyro saw was the brothers standing stock still beside one another, barely moving, barely breathing. In fact, one of the moles who had never seen the brothers Forge an item before was about to reach up and tug on Nea's sleeve when a bright flash of light illuminated the harbor forcing everyone to avert their eyes.
The sound of groaning steel, water slapping the dock, and Neal and Danny's cheers mingled with the sigh of the exhausted dragons who had helped them. They stood there tired and triumphant but then went slack-jawed (as did everyone else) when they beheld what the brothers had Forged.
Sitting at anchor was a monstrous steel behemoth that dwarfed the Guardian that Neal had Forged before. The canines who were to be her crew stood in stunned disbelief as did the humans, dragons, and other soldiers who were to board her as she made her trip around the southern coast. To say that this vessel brought forth both jubilation and dread was an understatement. Spyro saw a mole glance nervously at the size of the cannons and shuddered.
"Just one of those shells could bring the city gate crashing down. What could have possessed a race to create such a beast?" Neal overheard and nodded.
"Texas was a ship created during the age of Imperialism, when all the kingdoms of the world began placing more value on material possessions and military might than on their own people. The old nations of Europe had always tried to outdo one another and at some point wars broke out between them. This ship and others like her were built to be America's stalwart defender in case the wars of Europe threatened to cross the Atlantic." Danny nodded but Spyro could see the exhaustion on his face.
"Instead she went overseas to help Europe end the deadliest war ever fought at that time. Neal, I'm going to take the crew aboard and get them used to their stations, you want to come?" Neal chuckled.
"Hell yes I barely got to see any of the other ship you created before she sank. I'd dearly like a guided tour of the Texas again. Anyone else?"
Needless to say there was an extremely long line of onlookers eager to see what the inside of the massive ship was like.
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Okay guys, got to end this here as the interior isn't quite done yet. Too much wet paint.
Next chapter: Texas.