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Fool's World: Foolish Actions (ch. 35)
🕑 Added 2022-08-20 15:05:56 +0000 UTCHuge balls of fire streaked across the sky, their paths marked with trails of smoke, before they crashed against the once proud wall that secured the capital of the Northern Water Tribe. Fire washed over the white wall, intense heat melting the ice that formed it as large craters and cracks formed underneath the relentless onslaught. In an almost rhythmic fashion, a dozen chunks of flame covered earth slammed into the tall wall and almost as soon as they started to fall either embedding themselves in the wall of ice or splashing into the ocean below another dozen flaming rocks struck.
The air was filled with so much lingering smoke that it was nearly impossible to see the wall from the Fire Nation side. Their ships were arranged in a wide half circle, arranged in a dozen lines, with alternating positioning in the gaps of the half circle to maximize firing range and coverage. But the wall could hardly move, and once the catapults were attuned, the Fire Nation refused to relent as early morning began to shift into late afternoon.
Yet, despite the heavy bombardment, the ice wall was still standing. The once proud and stark white ice wall was marred with damage and blackened from smoke and ash, yet remained whole. The cracks in the wall were filled and refrozen by a team of waterbenders, undoing the damage at a rapid pace to prevent the defensive wall from falling. Behind the wall were more waterbenders, who created a trench filled with water. More than once, a shot went over the wall to bombard the city.
With a synchronized movement, dozens of waterbenders called up a tidal wave of water, catching a house sized boulder of flaming rock within the wave. The fire was extinguished and the wall was lowered, and the stone was forced out into a rapidly growing pile. Behind that row of benders, in the inner ring of the city, was another trench with more teams. The defenses weren't perfect, and boulders did slip between the cracks to demolish ancient ice buildings, but between the wall and two teams, the city was holding fast.
Yet, as the day wore on, cracks began to show. Every available waterbender was recruited into the defense of the city and for hours, they held strong but exertion wore at them. The tidal waves of water weren't as tall as they had once been, nor were they as responsive. More boulders slipped through the cracks, forcing the citizens to douse the fires that broke out to prevent the city from melting.
It was a battle of attrition that the waterbenders seemed increasingly unlikely to win with every passing hour. Simply because Admiral Zhao had anticipated that it may take days to smash through the wall and prepared accordingly. A half dozen men were all that were needed to load a catapult and they rotated shifts every two hours. By the time they entered the city, the waterbenders would be utterly exhausted, their wall smashed, and an attack during the day would empower the Fire Nation's firebending.
In all, things were more or less falling in line with Admiral Zhao's plan. At the rate things were going, in a long weekend, he'd conquer the Northern Water Tribe.
Which is why I was here to disrupt that plan of his.
"We're close," I remarked, the sky darkening as the engines were turned back on. I stood on the deck of my battleship, the flagship I had decided to name Gáe Bulg. No one understood the reference outside of Rin and Nobara. Rin found the name to be in poor taste given that the spear had been the one to wake me up, so to speak. Without Cu killing me, I would have remained just Majima for a spell longer and the truth would have only been revealed once I claimed the Holy Grail.
The Gáe Bulg led half of my acrewed fleet over the past few months that ranged from battleships to sloops to merchant vessels. As word spread about Angra Mainyu, I found that my fleet had plenty of recruits and since betrayal was an evil desire, the Fire Nation found no luck planting spies within my crew. We weren't as numerous as I would otherwise like, with many ships stuck with a half crew, but the fleet of about sixty ships certainly seemed impressive.
"We're still out of sight," Rin responded, her arms crossed as she stood at my left. She gazed out at the horizon, at the fleet that we would be attacking. Traces of it could still be seen by the streaks of ride in the darkening sky. "They still don't know that we're here?" She asked, looking to me while she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
I closed my eyes and listened to the evil desires in the fleet. There weren't as many as one would expect for an Armada that was intent on wiping an entire people off the planet. Still plenty, but for the most part, most of the evils were idle and paltry things in comparison to the planned genocide that Zhao desired. Some were looking forward to the fight, others were wanting it to hurry up and begin, some wanted to loot valuables to take back home to their families. However, there were no desires to fight and slaughter the fleet that had shadowed outside of their scout ships sight.
Zhao seemed smart. Annoyingly so. However, he was operating under the illusion that there was no navy in the world that could challenge his fleet of nearly a hundred ships. And he was right. Even if our numbers were comparable, Zhao's ships were filled to the brim with experienced soldiers and sailors.
It was for good reason that we decided to attack at night, when the moon would be out and firebenders would be weakened while the waterbenders would be empowered.
"Nope," I said, a grin tugging at my lips. "His enemy is before him. He thinks he doesn't need to look over his shoulder," I stated before casting Rin a look. "You ready?"
Rin paused for a moment, considering the question from what I could see. There was a faint frown tugging at the edges of her lips before she sighed, "We aren't ready, but this needs to be stopped. So we have to be the ones to do it," Rin decided, offering me a firm nod. She reached out, grabbing my wrist and giving it a small squeeze.
"Nobara and Suki will be fine," I reassured her before I looked to my left. The tapered tip of the bow was marked with something that could be called a flare gun. Something that would immediately announce our presence. Both to the Fire Nation and to the Water Tribe. Taking in a slow breath, I reached out and pulled the string, filling the air with a loud 'pwooh!' as something was shot a hundred feet into the air.
In a bright and colorful explosion of cackling lights, the signal to attack was given. The Gáe Bulg began to surge forward, the engines in full gear as the crew behind me began to make the adjustments on the catapults. The flare lingered as it slowly fell through the air, illuminating a large swathe of the fleet. I could sense the desires to fight and kill those that snuck up behind them, but I didn't see any reaction from the ships themselves.
A few seconds later, the first shots from our catapults began to launch. They sailed through the air, invisible to the eye until they entered the light just before they smashed into the Fire Nation ships. As soon as the catapults flung their ammo, earthbenders loaded more shots into the catapults, allowing us a far more rapid fire than the Fire Nation was capable of. My thirty ships came in as a wide wedge with my flag ship serving as the tip. Suki and Nobara were leading the other thirty ships, attacking from behind.
The sound of metal screeching filled the air as well as the dull thumps of impact. Water splashed up when a shot missed a ship, or when it bounced off the hull of the warships. The armor plating was thick, designed to deal with earthbenders. There were shouts and whistles echoing out over the waters, the fleet starting to shift its positioning, but it was far too late. Battleships were sluggish to turn, as I had well learned at this point.
It just exposed gaps in their formation that had been completely dedicated to attacking the Water Tribe. Our catapults continued to fire, the Fire Nation Navy taking a pounding as the Gáe Bulg began to rapidly close the distance. The thinner metal of the decks tore under the weight of the boulders that we threw, some ships showing signs that they were sinking already. Despite the incredible sight, I closed my eyes and listened.
"Three degrees starboard," I told Rin, feeling the reactions from the fleet. The ships may not be able to flip around so easily, but they were able to spin the catapults. The first to react to our presence was a ship in the middle of the fleet that was going to take a shot at us. And I think they were going to hit us. Rin related the order, which was passed to the deck and the Gáe Bulg shifted three degrees. Not as soon as it did, the Fire Nation ship sent a flaming ball of fire at us that sailed through the air and it would have impacted the bow, but three degrees was enough to make it slam harmlessly into the water. Water splashed up, dousing some people on the ship, but no damage was taken.
The outside flank of the Fire Nation fleet was bombarded to hell in back, savaged completely. I saw fire break out as well as ships tilting up then down from the focused assault. The interior fleet began to swivel around but it was difficult -- the ships were loaded up to the very brim with shots to bombard the Water Nation. They weren't expecting to have to take evasive maneuvers. I saw one battleship outright capsize in the attempt while others began to slowly swing around with far more success. All the while, they fired off shots at our ships.
The greatest downside of my ability was that I couldn't make other people feel it, I thought as I watched a firerock slam into a merchant vessel with enough weight and force that the ship folded into itself. The rest of my fleet couldn't react like I could control the Gáe Bulg. Any attempt to convey the information resulted in disaster -- in the end, I could only relay so many orders at once, meaning that I had to focus on the big changes in the battle rather than making sure every individual ship managed to sail into battle unscathed.
We knew we would take losses during the battle. All we could do was grit our teeth and inflict greater losses on the Fire Nation.
The Gáe Bulg was the first to sail through the defensive line that the Fire Nation had erected, passing by burning and sinking ships. Like the tip of the spear that never failed to strike its enemies heart, we sailed right towards the inner fleet that finally swung around to meet us. My influence on Zhao whispered to me in his ear and I paid close attention to what I was urging him to do. He was angry. Furious. Especially when he felt like a moment of triumph was ripped out of his grasp.
I learned of his next move and reached out to signal the rest of the fleet. Three more explosions illuminated the night sky -- one green, two red, with the two red being shot at a sharp angle. Suki and Nobara responded instantly, their fleet shifting into place to respond to the orders that Zhao was giving out. All the while, I led my fleet directly into the heart of the Fire Nation, our catapults trading shots and at this close a range, not even advanced warning let us dodge the impacts. I grabbed hold of the railing and Rin, making sure that she didn't go overboard.
The hull of the Gáe Bulg took a pounding as we passed by ships that fired on us, trading shots as we did. We punched deeper into the makeshift ring of ships, leaving the ships behind us to the rest of the fleet. Steel clashed against steel in a terrible sound, boardings beginning to start a slugging match between the Fire Nation soldiers and my pirates. It was far too early to tell who would win in those exchanges, but right now, it wasn't really my concern.
With each boarding, a ship was tied down and unable to fire upon anyone. Which mattered a great deal when we were outnumbered like this. Twenty ships may not sound like a terribly huge amount, but I would feel uncomfortable attacking a fleet if they outnumbered us by five. A sea battle wasn't like a normal battle -- positioning mattered so much more and every action was drawn out and deliberate. Having just a few extra ships could completely change the tide of the battle.
Zhao knew it. I saw the innermost ring -- the ships that were closest to the Water Tribe began to break off into a small fleet of twenty or so. They were leaving the rest of the fleet to be pinned in place and, by virtue of that, we were the ones pinned in place. The closest ships were lighter, given that they had been able to expend their ammo more frequently.
The Gáe Bulg surged forward, heading directly for Zhao's ship, uncaring of the beating the flagship sustained. The rest of the fleet was left behind us, securing the rest of the Fire Nation fleet in place. With the losses we influenced in the opening barrage and Zhao repositioning part of the fleet, we outnumbered them in theory. Two battleships clashed against one, the decks boarded and sounds of combat echoed across the water as fire and earthbenders clashed. One might think we were winning, but with twenty ships that could heavily commit to one flank or the other, we were a brush stroke from defeat.
"Hold position," I instructed, Rin sending up a magical blast that had the engine killed near instantly and the anchor dropped to slow us down. There were shouts for cover as the deck was washed in stone and flame, one clipping one of our catapults, ruining it. The earthbenders on the ship diverted the worst of it, sending the barrage off splashing to the side as fast as they could. I made Gáe Bulg a target so they would focus on us, to 'sink the admiral' so to speak.
Zhao's fleet went forward and then left, exactly how I hoped he would when I made the plan. He was using the bay to the city as a place to turn around and then circling left so he could escape the battle and hit Suki and Nobara's half fleet at the rear. They would be surrounded, crushed with sheer numbers, and what was left of my fleet would be chased off. The Fire Nation would lick its wounds, but ultimately, they would likely have enough firepower left over to take and raze the city.
"Come on," I muttered under my breath, ignoring how a splash of water doused me, plastering my hair to my face, as a flaming stone just barely missed our position. The ship was still slowing to a stop as I heard the evil desires in the Water Tribe, knowing exactly what they planned. They were responding to the attack far more efficiently than I thought they would. Like they were ready for it.
And while I knew what they had planned, seeing it was wholly different than knowing. My eyes widened a fraction as the once sterling white wall of ice that endured the barrage for a full day suddenly and almost instantly, seemed to become a wall of water. The ocean pulled up, making the odd three hundred foot tall and fifty feet thick wall of water surge upwards to near six hundred feet. Millions of gallons of water flowed into the water wall, and at its largest, as if it were a domino that was being tipped over with the faintest brush, the water wall began to fall forward.
"Hold onto something!" I shouted, grabbing hold of Rin and the railing, hearing the wave move with a haunting sound. It was as if a mountain was moving, displacing the air with a dull sound that slowly became louder as it neared. The sound of thousands of tons of water crashing down upon the ocean, furling into itself and over the Fire Nation ships, was louder than thunder in my ears and I could feel the air shake. The steel battleships were completely swept aside, as if they were toys, pulled deep under the depths to countless watery graves.
I saw a white wall of rushing water surging towards us, but more than that, I sensed a plan.
Zhao wasn't dead. Somehow.
"Full speed!" I shouted, the engines going on high gear as we sailed towards the rushing wall of water. "Fifteen degrees! Starboard!" I continued, heading straight toward Zhao's ship, curious on how it managed to survive the wave. A second later, the white rushing wall slammed into the Gáe Bulg with thunderous force. A wall of water went up to submerge us, only to find the deck covered and protected. My magic circuits flared, glowing beneath my skin as I projected a hundred baseball bats, each translucent and white that acted as a dome for the ship.
Some broke, water managed to slip in, but the initial force of the wave had been endured, letting us punch through it and over the back end of the wave that would sweep across the battle. Some of our own forces would be lost, I knew. Tying them down to the enemy fleet was meant to act as a counterweight and a shield for the wave, but no plan would ever be executed perfectly. We would lose ships and good soldiers.
But such was the cost of war.
As we punched through the frothy white water, I saw how Zhao's flagship survived the wave. Fire erupted from the back of the ship, dozens of firebenders focusing their flames to generate enough force that they managed to escape the barrel of the wave, abandoning the rest of the fleet as it made a hasty getaway.
I could see it now, with the speed that the ship was moving. We wouldn't be able to catch up. And I became all too aware of the chaos that erupted behind me as the wave swept over our combined fleets, capsizing battleships or slamming them together with such force that they broke apart. I could sense people panicking, knowing that drowning was incoming for a great many of them.
I could pursue and finish the job or I could turn back and try to save some lives.
"Circle back," I decided, looking away from Zhao's ship. "The battle is won. We saved the day and we're big damn heroes. Now to make sure no one dies that doesn't need to."
Zhao was going to be a thorn in my side, I knew even as the Gáe Bulg turned itself around to begin rescue efforts. But, with a little luck, this would disgrace his name enough that he would be executed as punishment.
In hindsight, I should have known better.
When have I ever been lucky?
