Spark of War (Progression Fantasy)

"If we go out there now, we're picking a side," Nidina said.

"Pretty sure we already picked one when we escorted the civvies to the ship," Laze answered.

"Not one the Pilish army knew about," El said in agreement with Nidina. "We'll give it another minute in case they're just coincidentally going in that direction…"

"They're angling to intercept," Dayne updated.

"Of course they are," El grumbled. "We're going then. Not to fight the warship if we don't have to, but to run interference. If it comes to it, though—a choice between the defenseless civvies and the soldiers being aggressive—then focus on disabling the ship, not sinking it. Don't want to kill anybody we don't have to."

"If they won't back down?" Nidina asked.

"Then they'll learn Firestorm don't either." El ignited her wings. The blue, flaming limbs spread eight feet in each direction behind her, bright feathers falling to burst into small showers of snowflakes. Beside her, three sets of orange wings ignited to life—their feathers curling in on themselves to wink out in a combustive flash. "Go. Arrow formation."

El leapt into the sky at the front of the group, Laze falling in just behind her, while Nidina and Dayne swept out wide, though they also stayed a little further back. Being up in the sky again after so long was like a breath of fresh air after being underwater, a pure joy in El's chest she would never get over. Her body ached to race through the sky, to push herself against gravity and momentum. But, she wasn't up there for fun, and she instead lanced through the sky towards the Wirockian ship.

"We've been spotted by the Pilish ship," Dayne said, not fifteen seconds later, half the distance covered.

"Reaction?" El looked towards the ship herself. From above, she had a much better view of what the beastly ship was made of, and her earlier comparison to a fort on water wasn't far off. Four sets of large cannons took up most of the deck space, each with a pair of barrels big enough Dayne could stick his leg down them and still have room to wiggle. Besides them, there also seemed to be twice as many medium cannons arrayed in supporting positions around. Those only had arm-sized barrels. Numerous, smaller gun-mounts were positioned at the railing, almost like personal weapon-stations, though even these made the rifle Macer carried look like a children's toy.

"The two front cannons are swiveling to aim at the Wirockian ship," Dayne said. "Sailors are moving to the other weapons also."

"They're getting ready for a fight," Nidina said.

"Or expecting one from us," Laze replied.

"Should we be flattered they're that nervous about the four of us?" El asked, though the small wing of Firestorm had already passed the larger ship. Another ten seconds or so and they'd be at the Wirockian ship.

"Unless the plan was always to sink the other ship. They're reacting too quickly for it to just be about us," Nidina said.

"Good point. Dayne and Nidina, stay in the air while Laze and I talk to Tas and the ship's captain," El instructed. No sooner had the words left her mouth, than she dove towards where the two people stood at the ship's wheel.

Tas didn't seem surprised—more relieved—when he spotted her come in for a landing on the deck, though the captain nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Keep forgetting they be flaming flyers," the woman grumbled, then genuinely turned her attention on El and Laze. "Take it ye spotted our company."

"We did," El said. "They know you have refugees on board?"

"They must. No other reason they be pulling an angling ta get closer than me ex-husband after a drink and a smile. From the looks of it, they be going ta try ta get just as down me pants too," the captain said. "And I not be that kind of girl."

El blinked at the small tirade, a little lost for words on how to reply. So, instead, she looked up at the sail full of wind and the crew scrambling among the ropes as they worked. "Wind looks good. Can you outrun it?"

"We can be staying ahead of it for the moment, but it won't be lasting," the captain replied. "Once we be getting another mile out, the winds be calming down and we be losing a third of our speed. That metal monstrosity won't be having the same problem."

"Any way you can go faster?" El asked.

"Ye want ta be getting out and pushing?" the captain asked right back.

El blinked at the woman again. "Actually, yes."

"Eh? Ye be a strong swimmer?"

"We can fly, remember?" El said, lifting off the deck as if the wind filled her wings to hold her in place while the ship continued forward. "Dayne, Nidina, we're going to see if we can't help the ship along. Pick a side and find a place to brace. I'll get the back. Laze, stay with Tas and the captain to relay any instructions we may need. Oh, and keep an eye on our suitors."

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"Got it," Laze said. "Uh… sorry, apparently, I'm supposed to say 'aye aye'."

To either side of El, Dayne and Nidina zipped forward, while she dropped lower in the air. The surf churned fifteen feet below her from the passing of the ship, the sound rumbling like a waterfall, and she glided up to the back of the ship. A thick timber dominated the center of the rear… wall? Whatever the back-end of the ship was called.

Captain probably calls it the ship's ass.

Either way, El shimmied right up to that timber—probably the strongest part of the ship—and braced her left shoulder, arm, and right hand against it. "Dayne, Nidina, tell me when you're in position."

"Good here," Dayne replied immediately.

"What? Where?" Nidina asked. "I don't see anywhere I can push from."

"Just past the middle of the ship, two-thirds down," Dayne said evenly.

"That?! Oh, fine," Nidina said. A few seconds later, she called she was ready.

"Steady increase in power, no flares," El said. "And try not to light the ship on fire with your wings."

"Easier said than done," Nidina said.

"Go," El replied, ignoring her complaining friend.

Power surged into her wings, and El pressed hard up against the ship. Her shoulder squished against the heavy wood while she flexed her arms to keep herself in the same position. One second, two, five, ten, she continued to push, straining against the massive weight in front of her.

"It's… not… working…" Nidina said, obviously pressing just as hard.

"Keep… pushing," El replied. The blue flame of her wings reflected in the churning water below her as she forced more power into them, growing from the usual eight feet to something closer to ten. Her shoulder practically groaned from the pressure against the wooden beam of the ship—her frost armor even glowing slightly to protect her—but thankfully, everything held.

What did I expect? That we'd suddenly launch the ship forward to skim across the water?

Despite not quite living up to the image in her mind, El didn't give up. Didn't ease off. She pushed and pushed, practically willing the ship in front of her to move faster. Those initial ten seconds stretched to thirty more while she focused on nothing beyond forcefully shoving the civilians to safety.

"It's not…" Nidina started again.

"It is!" Laze interrupted. "The captain says a ship this big doesn't just suddenly move faster, but she's sure we're accelerating. Keep it up."

"You heard the lady," El said into her communicator. "Push!"

"Already am," Nidina grumbled.

"I can feel it," Laze said, another thirty seconds later. "We're definitely moving faster. And we're putting some distance between us and the other ship."

"If we get far enough ahead, will they stop chasing us?" Dayne asked.

"Ugh, they better," Nidina said. "We can't push this thing… how far do they have to go to Wirock?"

It took a few seconds for a reply to come, Laze likely asking the captain the same questions. When it came, Laze started slowly. "The captain says… they probably won't follow us. The warship is capable of open-sea sailing, but she's never seen one out past where the winds change. They're probably needed closer to shore to fight the seawyrms."

"Great!" El said. Actually, it's pretty lucky we didn't run into any of those…

"Uh… not so great," Laze added another few seconds later.

"Care to add to that?" El prompted, her gut dropping so fast at the tone of her friend's words, she was surprised she didn't hear a splash below.

"I can't see myself, but the lookout is shouting something about the cannon-barrels raising," Laze said, and El could almost hear her squinting.

"Burn it. If they can't catch us, they're going to try to shoot us out of the water. Can they…?"

BOOM.

El twisted her neck to try to look back without slowing her push, and barely got her head around to spot a small line of smoke stretching from the forward gun of the warship. So far back, the thing almost looked like a toy, and there weren't any massive lances of fire in the sky like she'd seen from the Guldish golems.

Are they even trying to…?

SPLASH, a geyser of water erupted about a hundred feet off to the side and three hundred feet back of the Wirockian ship.

Of course. They're using big bullets. El eyed the remnants of the geysers as the water splashed back down to rejoin the sea. Correction, huge bullets.

"How much damage is one of those going to do to us if they hit?" El asked, leaning in as hard as she could to push the ship forward.

"One second," Laze replied. "Uh, the captain is explaining in very colorful and uncomfortable terms. Wow… I didn't even know people tried that. Why would you put that up…?"

"Laze!" El interrupted.

"Sorry! We don't want to take one of those. Sounds like the ship might be able to survive one, depending on where it hits, but even that would probably cripple us. Tas is saying something about shrapnel shells, whatever that means. By the look on his face, it's bad. We should…"

BOOM.

El's whole body tensed at the same time another line of faint smoke burst from one barrel of the distant dual-cannons. How long would it take before…?

SPLASH. The geyser of water burst out of the sea a mere fifty feet away from the ship, and directly off to the side.

"Tas is saying they have our range now. The next one or the one after will hit," Laze informed them.

"No choice, then," El muttered. "Laze, come take my place."

"On my way," Laze said.

"She's going to do something dramatic, isn't she?" Nidina asked.

"Probably," Dayne replied.

Flaming wings crested the back end of the ship as Laze hopped over then hovered down behind El.

"Are you going to do something dramatic?" Laze shouted to be heard over the churning water, and not using the communication magic of their armor.

El pointed with one hand at her position, then eased off the pressure and floated back. Laze—like the good soldier she was—immediately took El's spot without waiting for an answer to her question.

"Nothing dramatic," El finally replied, rolling her shoulder to loosen it after the long bout of shoving an entire ship. Whose burning idea was this anyway? "Just going to go introduce myself. Maybe have a talk with them."

"And if they don't want to talk? Don't want to listen?" Laze asked while lining herself up on the large support timber.

"Then I guess I'll have to introduce them to my swords." Blue flames sparked in the palms of El's hands at the words. "And remind them why they shouldn't mess with Firestorm."

"Totally dramatic," Laze deadpanned.