Shadow Slave

As the silver circle of the full moon reached the highest point in the sky, a sudden movement tore through the darkness of the night. In the clamor of drums and human voices, an armada of wooden ships flew forward, each vessel illuminated by the orange flame of lanterns. Some had red sails, and some had white. In the pale moonlight, all of them looked grey and colorless.

The ships rushed forward, seeming like a river of lights. On their decks, human figures moved, feverishly preparing for battle. The soldiers were drawing their weapons and nocking arrows on the strings of their bows, while the captains stared at the radiant moon, their faces tense and grim.

…Soon, a lonesome black dot appeared on the surface of the silver disk, and then slowly grew as it drew closer. A single ship, this one much larger and more graceful than the rest of them, was fearlessly flying to meet the luminous armada. There was a beautiful tree growing around its mast, and a man with pale skin and raven black hair standing at the oar, guiding the vessel forward. His eyes were grey and clear, shining with the reflected light of the moon.

Standing near Noctis, Sunny could not help but feel a dark resentment grip his hearts.

'Curse it…'

They had chosen the time of the attack to catch the armies of the Chain Lords unprepared. Most of the soldiers were still on march to the Ivory City, their formation broken and in disarray. It was not easy to unite two large forces, and Noctis had chosen the precise moment when the chaos was at its worse to stage his assault.

And yet, there was still a considerable force ready to defend the city. At least a hundred ships rose into the air to intercept and destroy them, each carrying dozens of warriors — some of them Awakened, and some even Ascended… but all the absolute elite the warring factions had to offer.

And somewhere out there, two immortal Transcendents were waiting to take their turn.

That is what Noctis and the cohort were up against.

Sunny lingered for a moment, and then glanced past the approaching river of lights, at the distant shapes of the Ivory City. It was as beautiful during the night as it was during the day… the graceful arches of the tall aqueducts, the aerial bridges that connected the islands, the buildings made of white stone...

The streets of the city were empty, but he could feel thousands of frightened souls trembling behind the walls that they had considered solid and safe. Not knowing what calamity he, and his friends, were bringing to their doorstep.

Suddenly grim, he had to remind himself that these were the people that had tried to sacrifice Kai to satiate a dragon's hunger, and then burned him alive for daring to survive.

And the dragon himself was there, too, powerless for now… at least until the dawn came.

forward and closed his eyes

fear? I just have to

shapes of humans rushing on the decks. A gust of wind brought with it a chorus of

…Glory! Glory! Glory!

lightless eyes, all doubt and remorse disappearing from them. Leaving behind only

behind him, Noctis suddenly grinned, and then whispered in

"Now… witness us, gods..."

the massive siege engine standing at the bow of the ship suddenly rang, sending a heavy bolt flying through the darkness. As it pierced the sky, a weave of ancient runes

the bolt struck the hull of the forward vessel… and crushed straight through it, pulverizing a large part of the bow. It tore through the innards of the enemy ship, and then, an explosion of pale light suddenly

whole ship was

rushing to reload the engine. While they were busy with it, the sorcerer moved one of the oars, throwing his own ship into a turn to let its left bort, and the loaded

that was meant to change the course of history forever

***

the difference was not insurmountable. Before the bow engine could be reloaded,

"Get ready, my friends!"

pulled the levers of the portside ballistae, sending several smaller, but still devastating bolts flying toward the approaching armada. Others readied their bows, staring forward with

Morgan's Warbow, ready to draw it, and

What

Noctis smiled wickedly.

my lady… I am afraid you will have to take the oars soon. Do not worry,

the ship into another turn,

ships, though. If you are not careful, they will tear my beauty apart in no time… not to mention

own onagers and ballistae. Even though the sorcerer's vessel was graceful, swift, and stalwart, it seemed impossible for anything to survive the devastating rain