The sea was a restless, grey beast, churning with turbulent waves and towering swells that hammered against the wooden hulls. High above, the sun hung like a cold, golden plate in a sky of lake-blue, indifferent to the violence brewing below.
The Fury's golden sails billowed under a fickle southerly wind, the crowned stag of House Baratheon unfurling across the canvas. During Robert's Rebellion, Stannis Baratheon had stood on this very deck to capture Dragonstone. Now, the King remained on land to guard the Stormlands against a Lannister ground assault, entrusting his fleet to the one man who knew the currents better than any high-born lord.
"The Onion Knight," Davos Seaworth.
The appointment had infuriated the nobles. Ser Imry Florent had practically spat at the floor, and the Lord of Brightwater had grumbled about the indignity of following a smuggler. But Stannis had been immovable. In a naval interception, Davos's history as a shadow-runner was more valuable than a hundred years of lineage. A smuggler didn't just sail; he felt the sea's pulse.
Standing on the Fury's deck, Davos felt his missing finger joints warming, a phantom itch he took as a sign. To his left, the Black Betha held position, his son Matthos commanding the crew with a steady hand. To his right were the Sea Spirit and the Lady Maria.
Further out, the Pride of Tidewood Island, the Velaryon flagship shimmered silver in the spray. It was surrounded by the Laughing Lady and the Seahorse. Behind them lurked the Swordfish, a two-hundred-oar monster with the largest iron ram in the fleet. Davos had placed his son Maelys as first mate on the Swordfish to assist its fourteen-year-old captain, Durran Bar Emmon.
The sea was a mosaic of banners: the red crab of Celtigar, the sun-and-moon of Tarth, and the flaming heart of the King. Clustered to the south were the colorful, bannerless hulls of Salladhor Saan's Lysene pirates, anchored around the Valyrian.
Ooooh-Ooooh-Ooooh-Ooooh.
A rhythmic horn blast drifted from the north of Crab Island. A swift scout ship appeared, signaling the enemy's approach.
Davos's plan was a predator's trap. He knew Paxter Redwyne would follow the coastline of the Crab Claw Peninsula, it was the fastest route to Gulltown, protected by towns loyal to the Iron Throne. Davos had hidden his one hundred and fifty ships behind the jagged cliffs of Crab Island, waiting for the Redwyne line to stretch thin.
"Sound the horn!" Davos commanded, his voice cutting through the gale. "All formations, accelerate according to plan!"
The Fury raised her full spread. With the southerly wind at her back, the warship cut through the white-capped waves like an arrow. Archers in boiled leather, Davos had banned heavy plate on deck to prevent drowning took their positions, checking their strings and wiping the salt spray from their fletchings.
As they rounded the southern cliffs, the target appeared. The Redwyne Fleet was a long, ponderous line of nearly two hundred warships, followed by a swarm of merchant carracks and wine barges. Most were light galleys, built for escorting trade, not for the heavy-metal warfare of the Royal Fleet.
"LAUNCH THE FIREBIRDS!"
The Fury's trebuchets groaned and snapped. Fifty pitch-pots took flight, trailing long, orange-red tails of flame. Most were swallowed by the sea, but seven struck home. The purple-grape sails of the Redwyne vanguard erupted in fire. Sailors screamed, leaping into the icy water as the resin-soaked wood turned their ships into floating pyres.
From the enemy center, three heavy warships, the Kingslander, the Wild Wind, and the Longspear spun to meet the threat.
"RAMMING SPEED!" Davos roared.
The Fury's three hundred oars extended in a single, fluid motion. The drumbeats below deck became a frenzied, ceaseless pounding. Davos gripped the railing as the Fury's bow split the waves, heading straight for the Kingslander's exposed broadside.
The impact was a world-ending crack of splintering timber. The Fury's iron ram sheared through the Kingslander, splitting the Lannister ship in half. Men in shining plate armor, the very men who had mocked Davos's light leather, struggled for a few frantic seconds before the weight of their vanity dragged them into the dark abyss.
"LOOSE!"
As the Fury surged through the wreckage, her archers loosed volleys into the Wild Wind and the Longspear. Flaming ballista bolts ignited the enemy rigging. Moments later, the Swordfish slammed into the Wild Wind, its massive ram flipping the galley over like a child's toy. The Sea Spirit and Lady Maria finished the Longspear between them, crushing her like a nut in a vice.
"Forward! Keep the momentum!" Davos shouted, his eyes scanning the chaos.
To the south, Salladhor Saan's pirates had closed the trap, their ships glowing like stars in the strait as they swarmed the merchant barges.
Then, Davos saw her. A magnificent three-masted galley with burgundy sails and gold-and-white oars that shimmered in the firelight.
The Arbor Queen. Paxter Redwyne's flagship.
"Hard to starboard!" Davos commanded, his heart hammering against his ribs. "Pursue her! Don't let the grape escape!"
[System Notification: Major Naval Engagement: Battle of Crab Island Strait.]
[Strategic Outcome: Stannis Baratheon gains Naval Superiority.]
[Casualties: Redwyne Fleet (Heavy), Baratheon Fleet (Light).]
[Soul Power Potential: 450 SP (Scavenging available).]
Drop Some Power Stones Plz.
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