Steel and Mana

The South felt like a completely different world compared to us. I mean, weather-wise, as the fact that winter was receding was the most clear when the Camelot touched down near the designated, temporary port where Sar's official borders met those of the Tentian Theocracy. It was already hot down here... Not swelteringly, but still, touching twenty from the bottom. Then, the next thing that struck me wasn't the view of the ocean but the air... Once again, it was warm, with the strong smell of salt in it. Haaahh... This is the first time I've seen the ocean this close up in this life. It was... nice. I watched from the ramp of the Camelot, the endless-looking blue waves going into the distance before my eyes moved closer, watching how men worked on the recently built docks, shouting to each other over the creak of mooring lines and the sound of the newly completed destroyers' engines.

I was invited here because both ships were already in the water, completing their first test sails, and now they wanted to present them to me. As far as I was aware, they had a bit of a back-and-forth between Emperor Sar and High Cardinal Lubek before coming to the agreement to build a joint port for the demonstration. I was happy to hear they managed to solve it amicably, and now, looking at the two ships... They looked identical. Supposedly, they even finished on the same day... or week. Neither side was willing to confirm the date precisely, fearing they would lose by a small margin. No matter, I wasn't here for their rivalry, but to examine the ship.

And after I did, I was impressed by their work.

They had followed my blueprints to the letter. Ignoring their previous knowledge, they managed to recreate the sleek, modern lines, the high forecastle, the cannon arrangement, the engine housing, everything I came up with. They even got the superstructure right: compact, low-profile, with the bridge windows angled just enough to cut the glare from the sun, which was especially strong down here. The only real difference was the paint on the ships. Sar's destroyer looked a deep bronze-gold, like the sand, while the Theocracy's was almost bone white with crimson striping down her middle-section.

I was first introduced to the Sar Navy admiral by Ahnud. He was a stocky man with a hard-lined face, probably looking older than he really was, going by the still strong and healthy black hair he had on his head.

"Sovereign Leon," he said with a respectful bow, "I will be the commander of the newest ship of this world... We named it the Dawn. I can assure the Union that she's sea-ready. Our tests show that she is fast, steady, and hungry for action."

Hearing his reserved boasting, the Tentian admiral was eager to step in. I noticed too, so after Lubek introduced him to me, I gave him the same smile I awarded to his Sar counterpart.

"Sovereign Leon," He started, "We also finished the sea trials yesterday morning. Top speed exceeded projected numbers by two knots."

"That's impressive," I added, looking back at the ships. "You built them well. With the timing, it will be perfect... I have already talked with Emperor Ahnud and High Cardinal Lubek... I do hope they relayed the mission details to you."

"Yes." The admirals nodded, exchanging a glance, then quickly looked back towards Camelot and the emerging mech from its belly.

They would set sail soon. Probably within the next two days, a fleet of twelve ships. They would not only bring a contingent of my troops, led by Pion, but also two of our mechs. One of them was the Seeker, Knight Nathel's machine, and one of our best scouting machines, something they will need for where they are going. The other was Polo's Rook, which would be the expedition's teeth if they ran into anything serious, capable of attacking from a position that probably no monster could even perceive. Their mission was simple:

Sail around the continent and land on the eastern shores before anyone else. They would try to scout and find the Third Pass, so when our army arrives, we know exactly where to go and where that damned hole we need to plug is.

While explaining the details to the admirals, just to be sure, we did a short run out into the bay with the Sar destroyer first. I know what they said about it, but I wanted to see and feel it for myself, to know that her engines indeed had the hum I wanted to hear from them. What I was looking for was to see no disruptive vibration through the deck plates and to make sure there were no lags in the rudder when the helmsman took her into a tight turn. Good... They indeed worked like professionals and built the ship as I designed. When we returned, I stepped across the gangway to the Tentian destroyer, and we put her through the same motions, but, probably to showcase the fact that it should indeed be faster, they added their own flourish by taking us hard over to port in a sharp combat turn that threw spray halfway up the bridge windows. I almost laughed, thinking they wanted to drift on the open water... I could already hear a peculiar song I had forgotten until now.

Anyway... By the time we were back at the pier, the sun was out in full force, and the smell of grilling fish from the nearby market stalls was mixing with the smell of tar and salt. It was... a fun outing. Even if I was just here for the day, mostly because I had to get back to Avalon soon enough. So, while eating fish on a stick like any normal working man, I surprised the Sar and Tentian leaders by not caring about protocol and paid for it from my pocket instead of just taking it... Then, while they looked on baffled, I invited them to Camelot.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

By then, Kustov was ready, and he laid out all the maps that we, as the Union, had collected, including old coastal drawings from hundreds of years before. It was the best we had as a collective, and until we go there in person, we won't know how much things may have changed. I tapped the section where the land began curving north, toward the shores of the old Kingdom of Airosia.

"You'll follow the coast all the way to here," I said, pointing at a supposed harbor city. "Traveling will take a few months, but it is also the time we need to start marching on land. You'll keep close enough to shore to monitor any signs of movement inland and also make contact with the smaller countries dotting the south-east coastline. Look for signs of smoke, ruined settlements, or anything that suggests monster activity, as we need to determine their reach. If civilization is intact there, that is a good sign. As per the Khan's reports, the deep South should still be fine."

"What if we find signs of monsters?" Emperor Ahnud asked.

"We should mark it, but we shouldn't engage. Your job is to scout and, after reaching the main destination, find the pass that the monsters are using. There should be limited engagement, if any... Then, when we get close, you can join up with the main army and get the information back to me. Depending on the situation, we may even split and keep cleaning the land while others head to the pass and immediately begin building a fortress. We must restore order to our lands... that is everyone's goal, or we may cease to exist..."

"If they come in force, and we're alone out there…" The Tentian admiral's brow furrowed slightly, watching the map and where they would anchor their ships... in a monster-infested, faraway land.

"That's why you have two mechs and an Avalonian detachment," I said, encouraging them, "If it's something you can handle quickly and without drawing more to yourself, you handle it. If it's something bigger or dangerous, you leave it alone. As far as we can tell, the beasts are very much territorial; they may not cooperate at all and will have their nests to themselves. Your priority is to find the hole and monitor the land, not to do the main army's job."

Looking at them, there were nods all around us, including my own people, as I was warning them just the same as the soldiers from Sar and the Theocracy. Finally, after all the little details being explained, we finalized the supply lists, the CC allotments, and the timing of their leave. They would depart with the morning tide tomorrow, both fleets sailing side by side until they cleared the headland, then taking their course east, taking up a loose formation.

When the meeting broke, I stood for a moment at the bridge of my Camelot, watching my soldiers and mechs being transported, one of each standing on the deck of the new ships, serving as an extra 'artillery' piece. I just hoped that the waters aren't infested... So far, I haven't come across any deep-sea monster legends in this world, so... My hopes were high.

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The harbor was still half-asleep when the first bell rang, not from the docks but from the leaving ships.

The tide was high, the water looking part dark and part glassy, reflecting the first streaks of dawn breaking on the horizon. At the tip of the wedge-shaped formation, leaving the harbor was the Sar destroyer Dawn, her crewmen moving across her deck, running any last-chance checks, already a habit drilled into them. Its sister ship, Theocracy's Authority, was doing the same thing, letting its own bell ring as their side began following suit, heading to the open water to join the Dawn and take up their traveling formation. While it was decided that the Dawn would be at the front, the Authority would take up position at the rear of the formation, her role as the convoy's guardian being just as vital as the Dawn's role at the spearhead. At least... that was what Leon said to placate the two parties, deciding on how they should travel.

Between the two were the rest of the fleet, like little ducklings, ten ships, their hulls made of timber, their masts already rigged with white canvas, a complete juxtaposition to the two, steam-powered ships. Sailing next to those, they were already just relics of another era, without even realizing it. In form, they were not so far removed from the caravels Leon knew from the history books... the primary type of ships that kingdoms with access to the sea had used for centuries or more.

From the dockside, the contrast was even more jarring. The destroyers were low-profile, fast, and nimble, unbothered by the direction of the wind. At the same time, the sailships, by comparison, seemed almost lumbering hunks of wood, standing at the mercy of the elements.

When the fleet had finally been far enough from the coastline to be considered sailing the sea, a sharp whistle cut through the air. On the foredeck of the Dawn, signal flags went up, snapping as the lead destroyer's bow began to swing toward the east, her bronze hull parting the water. Behind it, the ten sailships followed, staying far enough to not bother each other, their crews feeling blessed as the wind was exactly blowing towards the east, helping them keep up with the pace of the Dawn. Last of all, the Authority eased away from the pack, the Rook standing on its deck, able to shoot any sea monster that may stick its head above the waterline, even if they are kilometers away from them.

"How are things at your end?" Polo asked, connecting to Nathel, the Seeker's pilot.

"The bobbing is not as bad as I expected," Nathel answered, masking a groan, "I'll be fine. It gets nauseating only when I use my mech's sensor array. That amplifies every sense so it does... feels weird."

"Well, we don't have much of a sea-training back home!" Polo joked, making Pion's voice join their conversation through the radio.

"Not yet, that is."

"It still means no," Polo added, hearing Pion's low chuckle.

"So?" Pion asked, "What do your sensors say?"

"All clear," Nathel answered immediately. "I am running a full scan every thirty minutes. Surprisingly, I can penetrate pretty far into the water as the magical waves travel much more smoothly through water than through the soil. But, besides fish, sharks, and whatever else I picked up, I could not identify any monster-like creatures."

"Well, we are still sailing the shores of the Theocracy," Polo offered, stretching in his cockpit, "Until we sail past the line Khulman is on the map, we should be fine."

"We will see..." Pion shrugged, "Hopefully, the monsters hate water."