The Castle in the middle of nowhere.

The newest airships of Tulva headed towards the enemy lines. The new guns were free of flaws imposed by the Patriarch, and the crews were eager to test them. The ships were also armoured with thick metal plates, and their masts were reinforced. That should have evened the odds of fighting against the superior number of Arcadian ships. Unfortunately, the additional weight slowed down the ships, and even adding studding sails didn’t help much. However, Admiral Ikuan was sure the enemy wouldn't have enough ships to protect their camp by the time Tulva’s forces arrived. It would be payback for the massacre of the fleet over Puella Lake.

"Admiral! We sensed a single ship approaching us from this direction." One of the mages bowed to Ikuan and pointed his head towards the mountains.

"Tsk..." The admiral clicked his tongue angrily.

They had travelled many miles over the northern sea before entering deep into enemy territory to avoid being detected. If everything had worked well, they would have adjusted their course straight towards the Arcadian main camp by now, which was still days away. Their plan to surprise the enemy forces was jeopardised by that single ship, surely a patrol craft. They had to get rid of it.

"They are on the verge of our detection range, seven miles away, my Lord," the court mage added, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "However, they are approaching fast... Too fast, even, but it's too big to be anything else. It must be an airship."

"We have to destroy them or capture them; no one can flee!" the admiral ordered and swore under his breath. "Line formation. Prepare to full broadside once we are in range!"

"A dense cloud ahead, Lord Ikuan!"

"Fuuuuck..." The Admiral smashed his fist over the railing. "Illuminate the position lights and signal all ships to proceed with caution!!"

"It looks like a fog..." Someone nearby said, and Ikuan shook his head.

The ships slowly changed their position in the formation, finishing just before they entered the cloud. It was always a nerve-wracking experience to fight in the dense fog and clouds, but this time, it was a blessing. The enemy surely couldn't see them beforehand. The Arcadians were using eagles to convey their messages, so staying hidden was beneficial for Tulva's forces. As long as they remain undetected, they have a chance to stop the advance of that traitor, Elisabeth Berna. Unfortunately, Lord Hagon was sure they couldn't stop Arcadia as they were now. But if they could destroy Elisabeth's army, it could give them enough time to negotiate with the other surrounding countries for their recognition of Tulva as an independent kingdom. Only through diplomacy could they establish permanent borders with Arcadia, especially if they could also kill Elisabeth. Without her, King Theon Avalon would lose his excuse and justification for further invasion.

"Where are the enemies?" Ikuan lowered his voice.

"Close... But something is not right..." The court magician looked starboard nervously. "This fog is somehow interfering with our magic. The enemy ship can't be this big..."

They fell silent after hearing a sharp, metallic sound coming from the fog. Then, the fog lessened, and the admiral wished it hadn't. The ship that came from the mist was simply gargantuan. While its hull was clearly made of metal, it wasn't a cumbersome iron-clad ship similar to theirs. It was sharp, aggressive, and many times longer than any ship Ikuan had ever seen. It was armed to the brim with many different magi-cannons of various sizes. Six enormously long tubes rested on its deck; however, cold certainty quickly overwhelmed the admiral when he recognized them. They were cannons. Those menacing weapons were probably half the length of his flagship. The panic that started growing in his mind was quickly quenched by years of experience. Stay calm. The largest guns, fortunately, faced forward, so it was fine... Until it wasn't. The guns were mounted in massive turrets that quickly turned towards Ikuan's strike group. The smaller guns mounted on the Arcadian airship aimed at every single one of Tulva's airships.

"Oh, Gods..." the admiral uttered but quickly regained his senses. "Fire at the enemy ship!"

The three ships leading the formation under his command quickly started shooting, but the behemoth was unfazed by their broadside. It shrugged off every shot that came its way like it was nothing. However, the magi-cannons were stopped long before they reached the pristine hull. A powerful barrier protected the entire ship, and even with the help of the other three Tulva ships, it changed nothing. They fired as fast as they could but the enemy ship just stood there, indifferent and uncaring like a mountain. After a while, they were hailed.

"Ships of the Bernan Navy, surrender," a female voice echoed despite the fog. "You can surrender and live, or you can fight and die. You have one minute to make your decision."

Two of his ships that closed the formation took down the Tulva's banner and replaced it with the white flag mere moments after the echo died down. Ikuan started to panic, but there must have been a way to win. He had to work quickly before more ships surrendered and he had to make a run for it... Wait. That was right. If he couldn’t scratch that ship with his guns, they simply had to board it. They were extremely close, so they might make it.

"Increase the firepower! Prepare to ram the enemy ship and board them!" Ikuan shouted, running towards the helmsman. "Ramming course!"

"Times up..." the same woman said, and a low 'buur' sound was the last thing Ikuan heard before he was cut in half by an invisible blade.

•••

"CIWS systems are working perfectly, Ma'am," the tactical officer stated the obvious while everyone watched the screens, observing the massacre of the crews of four iron-clad airships. He consulted on something with the combat information centre and looked at the Admiral. "However, I advise against using anything bigger or we risk sending them straight to hell."

"Marines, prepare for the boarding operation. Take extra precautions against those two ships that surrendered. However, if they stay docile, don't escalate," Janet ordered. "You can dissolve the fog, Nephele."

"Aye, aye, Ma'am!" the Marine Major bellowed through the intercom while Nephele simply waved her hand and returned to her nap. "However, we go alone, Ma'am. The Praetorians stay on Dauntless."

"Are you sure, Major?" Janet looked at him with poorly hidden doubt.

"Yes, Ma'am!" he firmly nodded. "We must learn to walk on our own."

"All right. But be careful." She nodded with a heavy heart and nodded towards another officer. "CAG, Send Dragon Riders to circle above the Bernans. That should stop them from doing anything funny," the Admiral ordered after a moment. "Once you clear the enemy ships, we are going to store them in cargo bays one and four."

"Aye, aye!" the first officer nodded and added under her breath. "The holding space enchantment is handy for sure..."

The officers started issuing orders to their subordinates and the bridge drowned in the hushed murmurs of chatter. While the sailors and marines were busy, she took a quick look at the damage report. While no real damage was done to Dauntless, there was still some rather concerning news. The battleship's shield was depleted much more severely than anticipated, which could only mean that the newest Tulva ships had superior firepower compared to their Bernan predecessors. That might be problematic, but in the long run, it made no difference. While construction-wise these were very early iron-clad ships, sporting only a quite bulky yet effective metal armour on their hulls, it was a remarkable upgrade. However, that was still a far cry from Arcadia's current technological level.

"The ship lost twenty percent of its shields in less than ten minutes..." Janet mused to herself, still shocked, and checked the remaining data.

She was still busy reviewing the battle record when she noticed some reports about the crew having problems with their tasks. It was predictable; after all, the crew had less than three months of training before Dauntless entered service. While their basic training was drilled into them using the methods the King adopted from his old world, he estimated that specialised training might take them even an entire year. However, the fact that the soldiers and sailors managed to mentally scale that absurd mountain of forced progress ultimately comforted her. Not so long ago, they had no airship at all, and now they used a highly advanced battleship that essentially was unstoppable. With a sigh, she prepared the order to intensify the training schedule when the first officer stood in front of her and saluted.

"The Marines teams have entered the enemy ships. They met minor resistance on four of them and none on those that surrendered. They are bringing in the first prisoners of war."

"Very well." She nodded and opened the additional report screen. "Put them in cargo hold two and the Praetorians will guard them. I don't need any incidents down there."

It was incredible how these floating screens made her life easier. She had instant access to all the information she needed, not just the brief information from the officers she was used to, but to the detailed information that allowed her to gain an unparalleled tactical awareness. The King was right; any sufficiently advanced technology was indistinguishable from magic. She couldn't even tell which systems on her ship were technological and which were magitech. At this point, they probably were a mix of both worlds. What was most important, however, was the fact that she had them and her enemies did not. Janet prepared the report about the alarming advancement of Tulva's weapon magitech and asked Ian if it was possible to install additional shield generators. That would give her the redundancy she would need sooner or later. After an hour of gathering helpful attachments, she finished the report and raised her head. "Status?"

"Three enemy ships were stored in the spatial storage space. One ship is prepared to be stored as we speak, and the other two are still being contested. We took some casualties."

"How many? Do the Marines need backup?" Janet asked with concern.

"Seven wounded and two fatalities," the tactical officer replied. "No, Ma'am, they didn't ask for backup. The marines had to capture the last few rooms but sending more people won't help."

"All right. Inform me if anything changes."

The Admiral knew that casualties were inevitable, but they still hurt. While the King tried to incorporate his denizens into front-line service, it was simply hard. The Denizens performed poorly in tasks other than those their general designation and skill tree allowed. Simply put, a combat-oriented denizen wouldn't make a decent sailor. The people, with enough training, could perform excellently in both roles. To replace one well-skilled person, you would have to add two denizens with two separate skill sets. It was far from an efficient solution, which was the main reason why even a ship as big as Dauntless was manned by the people. The place inside the ship was limited and precious.

She observed the situation on the screens and took a deep breath of clean and crispy air. That was another fundamental change in things she considered miraculous. The air on Dauntless was always pleasant, fresh and cool with a hint of pine scent, reminiscent of the fragrance of the mountain forests. Compared to the hot, damp, and musty air that always was a part of the life underdeck on the older ships, well... The reports about capturing another ship flashed on the screen, and it was quickly updated with all relevant data. The brigs of the Bernan Navy usually carried between one hundred and twenty up to one hundred and fifty sailors and soldiers. The short burst of the CIWS cleared the upper decks of every ship that wanted to fight, killing almost hundreds of sailors and soldiers who had prepared for close-quarter combat in an instant. Poor bastards never learnt what got them.

"The last enemy ship is captured, Lady Sparrow."

"Let's wrap it up and move forward." She sighed and stood up. "We still have a long journey ahead..."

•••

Janet went outside to take a better look at the last of the captured ships. Simply put, they were ugly, and she wasn't even sure how effective such armour could have been. The Bernan constructions seemed heavy, and she wasn't even sure if these ships wouldn't simply sink if they ever landed on the water. But that wasn't her problem. The simple fact of their existence was irrefutable proof that other countries were desperately trying to catch Arcadia in this unfair armament race. No matter how hard they tried and how successful their constructions were, she knew that the King already had a ready answer for most of their attempts. Dauntless and Avalon's Wrath were examples of such responses. She doubted if a single country could oppose them in any significant way. The King was sure that the pressure he created would significantly change the world in the years to come. Janet, on the other hand, knew that he had already changed the world. Even if only a tiny part of it, it was true. Arcadia was currently one of the most advanced nations in Aderon and the biggest country in recent history.