“Oof. It’s so much smaller than the last time we saw it.” Captain Kenway complained through the communications channel courtesy of their mages. Captain Edwards, on the other side, merely laughed at this.
“Duh, it’s from a crystal ball. What did you expect?” Edwards asked sarcastically as he commanded his fleet forward.
“It’s beautiful.” Was the only thing Lord Focalor said.
There was no way the demons or humans could build such a magnificent ship. Did Moloch get it from the dwarves? Or was it the gnomes? Whatever the case, Focalor did not care who it came from. The only thing that mattered was that soon it would be his.
The moment he had first seen the ship up close after coming out the portal, he was dumbstruck and fascinated by it. It was a case of love at first sight.
“Try not to destroy that beauty. It will be a great asset if we can capture it.” Lord Focalor ordered yet his two other captains were a bit hesitant.
“But Captain, if we hold back and the enemies shoot at us, it will be a disaster. You’ve seen how devastating those cannons can be.” Captain Kenway replied cautiously, and he could already hear Edwards laughing even more loudly.
“Haha! Kenway, Kenway. Are you just pretending or are you actually this naïve?” Edwards questioned. The communication they used was limited to only their voices to limit the strain on the mages, otherwise Edward would see how Kenway rolled his eyes at his taunt.
“If the Captain has decided to use that ability so early in the game, it will be our responsibility to use that time he grants us to capture it,” Kenway argued since they knew the limitations of Lord Focalor’s greatest ability, the Fog that Steals.
For the duration of the ability, they would turn from ordinary Tiefling demons into undead Tiefling pirates, making them invulnerable to pain and doubling their strength and dexterity. Not to mention the fog was so dense that all navigation tools were rendered useless, making it impossible to pinpoint their exact location. With this ability, the Demon Fleet Leviathan had repeatedly proven themselves as one of the most renowned pirates that should not be trifled with.
Oh, and did the two captains mention how strong their Lord’s command ship was? The Leviathan boasted approximately two hundred cannons at each side of the vessel, allowing for never ending volleys of attack or even worse, an all-out attack. Having two hundred cannonballs hurling at you was no joke.
There were only a handful of encounters where so many cannons were insufficient to finish the job. However, in such cases, the Leviathan could always add up to another fifty cannons on each side, barring the need to carry any food storages. And that was precisely what they had done today since it would be a skirmish and not a trip around the oceans to steal and plunder.
Even the two captains had ships with over a hundred cannons on board, and they each had over twenty other smaller pirate ships combined. Focalor was not going to take any chances by pulling his punches. He had seen the magnitude of Wolte’s cannons. He had to bring the entire fleet out to make sure that they had enough filler targets before they could board the metal ship.
“That is exactly what I am going to do. We are too close to each other and yet it’s a welcome surprise that the ship hasn’t fired ever since it targeted the giants in the frontlines.” Focalor observed. “With a high-density magic crystal granted by Archduke Kiva, I should be able to hold the ability for another ten minutes, twenty tops.”
“Ah, then it should be enough considering the distance,” Edwards concluded, and Kenway had to agree.
“Then we jump onto their ship and slaughter them. Judging by the size, there should be at least a hundred on the ship, manning it.” Kenway suggested, but Focalar disagreed.
“From the moment we arrived, I kept a close look at the ship. I’ve failed to see anyone on either deck or starboard. No movement except for their barrels aiming at the bridge. There might be traps or illusions on it. I want your mages to attack first to dispel any illusion and to fire another salvo before you guys get ready to board.” Focalor warned.
“Haha! You worry too much. It’s known that when you activate your ability, there is nothing to worry about. Victory will already be at hand.” Edward scorned at Focalor’s sudden timidness.
“If you believe in those superstitions then trust in my bones. Whenever we find ourselves in a tricky situation, I get that strange feeling. And ever since we got here, I feel itchy all over. Sometimes, even pirates need some caution, or else the sea will consume you for disrespecting it.” Focalor rebutted, and Edward became speechless.
“You’ve already lost when you engaged in a talking battle with Focalor.” Kenyway didn’t miss the opportunity to laugh heartily as his smartass companion before he relayed the information to his sailors.
—-
In the meantime, Lord Wolte clearly knew who they were dealing with and was already pumping with excitement. “I’ve always adored Demon Pirate King Focalor. He’s quite a legend back in the city.” Lord Wolte shared with Mr Derpy since he knew the humans would have no idea what he was talking about.
“Oh, those ships, can we eat them?” Mr Derpy asked, and Lord Wolte sighed.
“Dagen, you still have some unfinished leftovers. Why would you want more?”
“That contingency plan has made me nervous. I am forced to sit still, wait for the eventuality of my turn to come and then everything will be up to me. I’ll be largely responsible whether we win or lose. What do you expect me to do?” Mr Derpy revealed his fears and Wolte understood that this was the first time Jin and Qiu Yue had entrusted him to do such an important job.
“Binge eating won’t help you, though. Oh whatever, I know how you must feel. The first time I was at war and was bestowed a huge responsibility, I nearly freaked out too. However, that is perfectly normal. When the time comes to act, you will know what to do. Don’t forget, you are not alone. You have me, your Deep Ones, and the System will also guide you.” Lord Wolte tried to console Mr Derpy.
“Speaking of your Deep Ones, they aren’t that needed for the contingency plan. Only you are. Why not let them be useful and start tagging those ships.”
“That means they get to play and I can’t! How is that fair?” Mr Derpy argued with a pouting face.
“If you benevolently allow them to go out and play, won’t they return that gratitude by bringing you more food?” Lord Wolte offered his large friend a new perspective.
“Ah, yes. Why didn’t I think of that? Wolte, my greatest friend, your constant help will not go unanswered in the future. I shall get my Deep Ones to track under the ships.” Mr Derpy immediately agreed to it at the potential promise of more stress eating.
“Aww, that’s kind of you, Dagen. Look, I will aim to sink, or at least make a hole, in those ships, so you can get the Deep Ones to rush in, hunt and bring the food to you too. They wouldn’t have to wait all day until those pirates jump overboard.”
“You certainly are a genius Wolte. I will tell them to get ready!”
“Good. Now I have a perfect counter against Focalor’s Fog That Steals when he decides to use it.” Wolte thought to himself as he informed the human sailors about the ‘trackers’ that had been employed.
