Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king - Chapter 413

Chapter 413: Sea lions(1) Chapter 413: Sea lions(1) The hour of reckoning had arrived.

The sea, vast and unyielding, would bear witness to a battle that would shape its dominion for decades to come.

Two mighty fleets, bound by rivalry and ambition, converged upon the open waters-one sailing beneath the banner of the Confederation of the Free Isles, the other under the proud standard of the League of the Southern Romelian Houses.

A hundred and fifty-six warships, advanced toward one another, their prows cutting through the waves like blades poised for the kill.

The prize was no mere island or fleeting victory-it was control of Harmway, the keystone of the trade routes, and with it, supremacy over the boundless sea, between the two continents  For the victors, glory and dominion; for the vanquished, ruin and exile upon the tides.

And so, as the sun cast its golden glare upon the restless waters, war came to the sea.

Both fleets surged forward, like two great beasts baring their fangs.

The arrowhead-a classic formation meant to slice through enemy lines and envelop their flanks-was mirrored perfectly by both sides.

Because no matter how meticulously planned the formations were, a naval battle always devolved into a swirling, unpredictable maelstrom, far messier than any clash on land.

On solid ground, armies fought in rigid formations, their ranks dictating the rhythm of battle.

A single broken flank could send the entire force into retreat, like a row of dominoes toppling in unison.

But the sea was no solid ground.

It was a living, shifting thing, and battles fought upon its surface were as fluid as the waves themselves.

There were no steadfast lines to hold, no ground to claim.

Instead of one grand, decisive clash, the fight fractured into a hundred smaller duels-ships peeling away from the main force, locked in deadly, isolated struggles that could stretch on for hours.

Yet victory at sea was not always about winning the most of these scattered skirmishes.

It was about delivering the decisive blow-the kind that shattered morale and turned the tide in an instant.

And nothing did that better than the destruction of the enemy flagship.

The flagship was more than just a ship; it was the heart of the fleet, the symbol of its strength and leadership.

To see it broken-its masts splintered, its sails ablaze, its hull swallowed by the unforgiving sea-was to witness the collapse of order itself.  As the two armadas closed the distance, their sails billowing with the wind and the thunder of war drums reverberating across the waves, the admirals of both fleets understood one undeniable truth: before the sun dipped below the horizon, one of their banners would vanish beneath the sea.

The question was whose.

On the side of the Confederation of the Free Isles, the left flank was commanded by the seasoned Saltbeard, given command by Blake who appreciated his courage.

The right flank was under the command of Stormcaller, arguable the oldest captains in the fleet , as he had been promised by the High Admiral in exchange for his renouncement over the position of High Admiral for the fleet.

But at the heart of the formation, where the battle would be decided , where the fight was to be the thickest and bloodies , sailed Blake, the Confederation’s admiral, his closest fleet forming the spearhead of the attack.

His flagship, the Roaring Axe, was planned to be the sword that would cut down the enemy’s head.

Across the water, the League of the Southern Romelian Houses had arranged their own squadrons into the same arrowhead formation, prepared to meet the Confederation head-on in a battle that would decide the fate of the sea.

The wind filled the sails, the drums of war beat in unison, and the two great fleets bore down upon each other, neither willing to yield, each prepared to fight to the bitter end and then some more.

———— Blake stood tall atop the deck of the ship his eyes fixed firmly on the horizon where the enemy fleet loomed like a dark, jagged wall against the sky.

The sea stretched endlessly before him, the pale morning light shimmering across the water, but his focus was unshakable, locked onto the coming clash.

He swept his gaze over the men around him, each one standing with a quiet resolve, ready for battle.

They wore chainmail shirts, their helmets gleaming like the heads of lions, with the hilt of a sword, axe, or mace resting firmly in their grasp, all of them prepared for the boarding that would come after the ramming.

They knew very well, some even to their dislike, that they would be the prized game of the battle, being the flagship of the fleet which would be the primary target of all Romelian captains , looking to make a name for themselves.

Their shields, were tightly gripped as they prepared to board and fight.

Their faces were hardened;all of them were veterans, having followed Blake for close to a decade.

In the other ships instead there were a mix of veterans and younger men who had grown up hearing tales of the Confederation’s victories and losses, this being their chance to grab some actual loot or make a name for themselves and have songs singed about this day.

The rhythmic sound of the slaves’ paddles broke through the tension.

They worked tirelessly, their bodies moving in time with the wind that favored the Confederation,their chains clicking with every row, as they pushed the fleet forward faster than they had any right to move.

The wind was a blessing, though Blake knew better than to rely too much on luck, though he found himself being favored by a god, one different from the one he grew, which was rather strange both in his view and those of his men, who still believed the old hag to be a simple witch and not a prophet of a god that favored their captains.

Blake clenched his fists around the rail as he thought of the past, of his father and brothers who had been lost in the battle that had broken their fleet and pride two decades ago.

The memory of that day, the flames licking at the sky, the sound of wood splintering, and the bitter silence of the survivors haunted him still.

His father, had fought valiantly until the end, and his brothers, proud and strong, had followed in his footsteps.

All were lost , swept beneath the waves like so many others who had dared challenge them, even that who survived was as if he was swallowed by the sea too.

Now, all those years of waiting, of building, of enduring the scorn of those who had claimed victory, would finally come to an end.

This was his chance-his chance to avenge his family, to take back what had been lost, and to prove that the Confederation was not a fleet to be trampled underfoot.

To prove himself worthy of what was coming.

He let out a slow breath, steadying himself.

Today, Blake thought with grim finality,is the day of thruth, everything that I had worked all the way to this moment.

As the enemy fleet drew closer, Blake’s grip tightened on the hilt of his axe.

His voice was low, barely a whisper over the roar of the wind and the creak of wood, but he spoke it as if to himself and to the ghosts of his fallen family.

“Father, brothers…this is for you.

We take what is ours today.

” The minutes dragged on, each one stretching like a taut bowstring, as the two lines of ships crept closer and closer, their hulls slicing through the water with a deadly, almost predatory grace.

The wind, whipped across the decks, filling the Confederation’s sails and driving them forward .

The sails billowed like the chests of warhorses at full gallop, and beneath the decks, the rhythmic thrum of oars pulsed like a heartbeat, propelling the fleet faster and faster toward the inevitable clash.

The tension was suffocating, thick enough to choke on.

The sea, once a vast, tranquil expanse, now seemed to hold its breath, the waves trembling in anticipation of the violence about to erupt.

The Confederation’s ships moved in perfect unison, bows cutting through the water like blades, each one a promise of destruction.

They weren’t just sailing; they were hunting.

And they were coming for blood.

As the distance between the fleets shrank, Blake’s pulse quickened, his heart pounding in his chest like a war drum.

The distant shouts of the crews carried across the water, mingling with the metallic clink of swords being drawn, shields being raised, and most importantly hands grabbing whatever they could hold on.

They all knew what was coming.

They could feel it in the air, even those who would have this being their first experience war.

Blake could see it in the eyes of his men-the tension in their jaws, the way their hands gripped their weapons, the way their eyes never wavered from the enemy ships now looming larger and larger on the horizon.  He immediately grabbed onto the mast ,as if it were a lost son, not caring a little bit of how clumsy he looked.

As it was better to look a dry fool , than a heroic drowned man.

And then, finally, the moment arrived.  The long-awaited clash had begun.

And blood was already beginning to spill.