77 Hellfire

"Admiral!"

Morgan's ears were ringing and he couldn't make sense of what Commodore Charles was saying. The Commodore shook his shoulders violently. After seeing that this didn't work, he slapped Morgan.

"Get a hold of yourself Admiral!" he shouted to Morgan's face. The Commodore's slap was like icy water poured all over his body. Morgan was awakened from his trance.

"What?" he asked confusedly. His mind had been severed from reality for so long that he forgot about their situation.

"What should we do? Reports say that the Vanadians hunter ships are chasing us"

Morgan's senses returned and his mind quickly went to action. "How far are they?"

"Less than a mile from our last ship."

"They hadn't attacked yet? Commodore, Vanadian hunters are probably the fastest ships in the world. They should have already caught our ships in the rear." Morgan creased his brows. That doesn't make sense. And then a sudden realization came to him. "Wait! Where are we?"

Commodore Charles immediately took a map from his pocket and spread it on the deck. He knelt and pointed at their location. "Here"

Morgan also knelt and examined the map. Commodore Charles was pointing at a location southeast of Greenwater. Calgari is located southwest of Greenwater so this meant that they had gone off course.

"Tell me Commodore, they have been directing our movement haven't they?"

Commodore Charles nodded. "We tried to go southwest but they forced us to go east instead. But it's alright, we have avoided battle so far."

"Then don't you see what they are doing?!" Morgan's body shook again. He had a bad feeling about this. This felt like a hunting technique, only they were the ones being hunted. "I think they are chasing us towards the rest of their forces. We must go the other way immediately"

"But if we go west, we will clash with the Vanadian hunters. We will lose many of our ships to them." Commodore Charles reasoned

"I don't care! We must go southwest now!" he stood up and was about to give the order when the First Mate pointed forward and shouted a report. It was a report that confirmed his hypothesis.

"Ships at the front!"

Morgan looked at the direction the First Mate was pointing to. What he saw was his own nightmare. It was a sight that no sailor dreamed of seeing. For a seasoned Admiral like Morgan, the scene meant fire and destruction. There were dozens of Vanadian Hurlers aiming their catapult towards Morgan's fleet.

"Commodore" Morgan calmly called to the man beside him. He realized that they can't do anything. Once the Vanadian Hurlers had already aimed, only luck could save a ship. He had no choice but to let the Gods decide his fate.

He turned his head towards the Commodore. He only had one order for him.

"Pray"

Just as he finished saying the word, the simultaneous boing of torsion springs can be heard. It was the sound of a great force being released.

The sky was filled with hundreds of flaming projectiles flying in an arc. Morgan prayed to all the Gods that none of the projectiles will hit his flagship. The worst weapon ever devised for naval warfare was currently being used against them. The Vanadians call it hellfire, but for Morgan and the other unfortunate Admirals who had to face such a terrible weapon, the thing doesn't have a name. Because fear doesn't need a name.

The Vanadian hellfire was an unholy concoction with unknown composition. The Vanadians first used it in the battle of Salam where they burned an entire fleet of pirates. Morgan had seen smuggled hellfire before. It was a slimy flammable liquid that burns even in water. It was lighter than seawater so it will float, which means it can cover the sea with fire. The Vanadians had kept the formula of hellfire a secret, making them terrifying to face in naval combat.

The projectiles coated with hellfire landed on some of the galleys. Many missed their mark and hit the water instead. But even those projectiles were still dangerous as they coated the water with flame. Luckily, The Basilisk wasn't hit.

"Creton's Ass! This is horrible!" Commodore Charles exclaimed while looking at the burning ships. The crew of those ships were also burning. Some jumped into the water only to find out that the water was burning too. Creton might not forgive Commodore Charles for his blasphemous tongue, but the Commodore was right. This is horrible.

Morgan snapped out of his trance. The Vanadian Hurlers were already reloading and they have to get out of here.

"Turn back!" he shouted to the dazed crew of The Basilisk. The men also snapped out of their trance and started rowing. Morgan tried his best to maneuver the ship. The Vanadian Hurlers may be devastating, but they are slow. Even transport galleys were faster than them.

The Basilisk was able to turn around. The other surviving ships also followed. They fled towards the other direction. They will face the Vanadian Hunters along the way, but that is better than being grilled by hellfire.

Morgan again heard the unholy boing of torsion springs behind them. He turned his head and confirmed that the Hurlers had fired for the second time. The burning projectiles chased the surviving ships of his fleet. The effect was less devastating this time. Nevertheless, more than a dozen ships were hit.

But they were successful. Morgan's fleet was outside of the range of the Hurlers. He thanked every God he could think of, including the Castonian's Omniscient. But before his men could breathe, a new danger presented itself. The Vanadian Hunters were sailing towards them.

The Hunters were designed for speed and ramming power. The rams mounted on their bows could puncture enemy ships with ease. Their extraordinary speed gives birth to a deadly momentum.

"Row! Faster!" Morgan implored his men. Even though they were already exhausted, the crew of The Basilisk rowed like their lives depended on it. It was true though, their lives really depended on their speed.

After a while, the Hunters slammed against Morgan's fleet. Several ships were punctured. Some unlucky vessels which were hit by multiple Hunters sank immediately. Morgan's flagship again survived the ordeal but thousands of his men were drowning behind. He doesn't care about that now. His only thought was to survive. He needed to live.

After the initial collision, the Hunters again followed Morgan's fleet. The Flagship was at the front so it was relatively safe from the attack behind. The harassment continued for long time as they fled towards the southeast. It took several hours, but the Hunters eventually grew tired and retreated. Morgan counted the number of ships remaining.

Twenty-six.

Only a third of his fleet survived the Vanadian attack. In just a few hours, he lost more than ten thousand men.

"So what are we going to do now?" Commodore Charles asked. His haughty attitude was gone.

"We.." Morgan stopped. For the first time in his life, he doesn't know what to do. They just suffered a devastating defeat. He thought that he would be dining in Greenwater by the end of the day. Now, he was in the middle of the Golden Sea with a ravaged fleet.

Morgan fell backwards. It was painful, but Morgan didn't mind the pain. He just realized what's going to happen next.

"The Queen will be pissed"

*****************************************************************************

The sun was setting but Ryon and Lady Maria were standing in the dock. They were waiting for the arrival of their allies who saved them earlier.

It was a miracle. Ryon had prepared himself for the Calgarian assault just this morning. But instead of attacking, the Calgarians turned back. At first everyone including Lady Maria was confused. But then they discovered the reason why the Calgarians fled.

A messenger arrived and told them that the Vanadian Navy was chasing the Calgarians. The messenger also requested the use of the port. Apparently, King Timothy was also on his way towards Greenwater and he requested the help of the Vanadians.

Lady Maria agreed and now they are waiting for their allies. Even though Greenwater chose to remain neutral in the civil war, they can't deny their saviors.

The chain guarding the port was lowered and a huge ship entered the port followed by hundreds of galleys. There were so many ships that the port of Greenwater wasn't able to accommodate all of them.

After the flagship had docked, a young man descended on the dock. He was being escorted by his retinue. His clothes and his actions betrayed his lavish lifestyle to everyone.

"Greetings dear ally" the man spread his arms. "I am Arthur Vanadis, your savior. You can now thank me for saving your lives."

Even though Arthur Vanadis really did save them, Ryon already disliked him. He was arrogant.

Lady Maria looked at Ryon and shook her head a little as if indicating that Ryon should leave the talking to her. Lady Maria was about to step forward and thank Arthur Vanadis for saving them when another man descended from the flagship.

The man was old and had an aura of authority around him. Every single one of his movements was regal.

"Shut up Arthur, leading a squadron of ships that didn't even join the battle doesn't make you their savior." The old man said. His words silenced the arrogant Arthur.

The old man then walked towards Ryon and Lady Maria. "While my navy did save you, I don't want to introduce myself as your savior. I am simply your ally."

He offered his hand towards Lady Maria. "I am King Edmund Vanadis"