Book 1: Volume 3

§0 §0Book 1: The Ylandóan War§0 §0Volume 3: The War on the Water§0 §0 §0As the Ylandóans expand their war effort even more, the Falaxians must strike them at home if they hope to preserve their Empire.

Copyright 2015 blockhead1110§0 §0 §0All rights reserved.§0 §0 §0No publisher shall reproduce this material by electronic or mechanical means without the explicit permission of the author.§0 §0 §0MCBN: 1202981902123

Chapter I §0 §0The fleet was coming together at four different ports before setting out on their journey. Mostly made of ships rapidly constructed in the two-month period before the fleet would invade, with some Klisian ships bought from war

profiteers thrown in and some captured Ylandóan ships, the fleet was ready to go. It was less elegant than most of the Ylandóan fleets, but it would get the job done. The fleet converged at a meeting point away from where most of the naval fighting was,

and left to attack their first target.§0 §0 §0The fleet was large, having 240 ships thrown in. 80 of them were Falaxian boarder vessels. Designed to be as fast as possible, these lightweight but flimsy ships carried 80 warriors each. They often were set

ablaze on the battlefield, but often they would board and capture Ylandóan vessels.§0 §0 §0Another 60 were Falaxian archer vessels, with more durability, but a little less maneuverability. These carried archers, and were mainly used as

archer vessels were expected to be used, harassing enemies, and ganging up on dangerous ones. §0 §030 ships were ramming vessels. They carried a crew of 40 for defense and another 40 for rowing. They were equipped with the best rowers in the land,

and although lopsided and flimsy, a metal-coated ram head at high speed would be sure to pierce even the strong hull of a Ylandóan warship. §0 §0 §020 were captured Ylandóan warships. As boarder vessels were often used, the Falaxians would take

over Ylandóan warships and bring them home, and they were often seen heading sections of smaller ships.§0 §0 §020 more were Klisian vessels, sold at high prices by Klisian merchans eager to profit from the war. They were not as strong

the Ylandóan vessels, but were fast, despite being medium-sized with a crew of 120 each. These ships were filled with archers and boarders, and would mainly serve as defense ships.§0 §0 §0The remainder were small trade vessels impressed into service.

They were typically set ablaze by the Falaxians and used as fire ships to disorient their enemies. If the Falaxians didn't set them ablaze, the Ylandóans usually did it for them anyways. §0 §0 §0The large fleet soon set off, and it began to approach its first

target, the port of Zalesh.§0 §0 §0Zalesh was mainly a resupply port for smaller convoys that couldn't carry much. It was a small, rocky island directly north of the Ylandóan Empire. It was not extremely vital, but it was heavily used.

The fleet sailed for two weeks, and soon approached their first target.§0 §0 §0Meanwhile in the mainland, 70,000 of 200,000 Ylandóan troops surrounded Melchior. The Falaxians were trying to rally a defense force, but had only gotten 50,000 together so far.

Melchior was a well-defended city, and only 10,000 men could still inflict heavy losses on a force of 70,000, so the Ylandóans decided to starve it out instead. The food supplies were two thirds gone. While the people hadn't went hungry yet, there was

still anticipation as more Ylandóans steadily joined the force, further cementing their place. §0 §0 §0The fleet continued to sail, with the people of the Empire on their minds. They approached Zalesh, and soon opened fire upon the port.

No one was docking at the port, and the Falaxians soon looted the town, taking only a few dozen casualties, and then set it ablaze, cheering as the docks crumbled. Every Ylandóan there was killed or taken prisoner. The Falaxians soon marched toward their

next target.§0 §0 §0Three days afterward, a small convoy, carrying 1000 men, docked, needing supplies to make it the rest of the way. The convoy decided to head back, and warn the Queen of the sacking.§0 §0 §0The fleet began

approaching. It was obvious that they would be seen. Their mission would be to destroy two ports and then get out before the Ylandóans could organize resistance. Many ships were sent because the Falaxians expected resistance after the first port being

destroyed, and they wanted whatever they had so they could survive a large battle. The Falaxians sailed towards their next target, ready to strike, while the Ylandóans struggled to send a fleet to repel them.§0 §0 §0 §0Two weeks after the intial raid, the

last of the Ylandóan ships arrived to reinforce the fleets trying to invade the rivers. Despite fighting with inferior ships and inferior numbers, the Falaxians still held bravely, if only by a thread, and the Ylandóans needed more ships to aid them.

Two and a half weeks after the initial attack, the Falaxians reached their second target, and set it ablaze, and fought the defenders with minimal losses.§0 §0 §0The Ylandóans were finished throwing together their defense fleet. 45 of the ships in the fleet

were the large Ylandóan Warships, made with the most durable wood in the land, and equipped with the best archers in the land. These ships were feared throughout the known World for their strength.§0 §0 §080 more were archer ships.

As the Ylandóans preferred setting enemy ships on fire instead of boarding them, they did not use small boarding ships. The last 10 ships the Ylandóans had were experimental artillery ships, armed with a single piece that could shred the hull of an enemy

vessel in one hit.§0 §0 §0The Ylandóan fleet was assembled east of Yalanda, the last port the Falaxians were going to raid. Both fleets approached, and the Ylandóan fleet feared it would be too late for them.§0 §0 §0The Falaxians continued to

approach the port of Yalanda. Their opposing fleet would not make it in time to save the port, and the Falaxians set it ablaze, and prepared to leave, but at sunset encountered many shapes over the horizon.§0 §0 §0The Battle of Yalanda was about to begin.

Chapter II§0 §0As the flames from Yalanda lit the night, and the smoke clouded the air, the two fleets rushed in formation.§0 §0The Ylandóan fleet formed a semi-circle, with the Warships mainly in the center and their small ships on the sides, and

artillery spaced evenly.§0 §0 §0The Falaxians were less organized. They ordered their forces in a thick line, with their captured Ylandóan ships evenly spaced, with their smaller archer and boarding ships surrounding them.

The rams were in the back for safekeeping, and the Klisian vessels they had were spaced around the edges to protect the fleet. The trade vessels were randomly spread around the fleet, as nobody cared about them. §0 §0 §0The fleet approached,

and the Ylandóan fleet tried to provoke the Falaxian fleet with their archer ships, encouraging some to chase after, and the rest of the fleet to not break formation and leave them behind. The Falaxians were close to the land, and could not retreat.

The Ylandóan admiral ordered the archer ships to engage, and they did so, coming up, firing a few barrages, and then retreating. The Falaxians had trouble hitting the smaller ships, and took some casualties. The Falaxian admiral decided that that the

Ylandóans were trying to draw some out at a time, fighting an easy piecemeal fight, and decided to charge with all his ships directly.§0 §0 §0The Ylandóan plan worked. The pinchers surrounded the Falaxians, and the ships near the edge took heavy fire.

Many were sunk, and the Falaxians shot back as well, sinking many ships in return, but facing fire from 3 directions, were being dealt far worse damage. The Falaxian Admiral decided that the only way to escape was to break out directly. He aimed directly

for the center.§0 §0 §0The trade ships, now 20 instead of 30, were ordered to go ahead, while the ramming vessels were forming a tight formation, with the Klisian ships as guards. The rammer ships soon started going as fast as they could. Several fell

along the way, until they pierced several large warships with a deafening crash. The ships were fired upon heavily, but not before their allies started to flow through. As the artillery sounded throughout the air, and the fire arrows flew, the fleet tried

to escape the battle, and before the Ylandóans could plug up the drain, more Falaxian ships came rushing through. The hole widened and widened. The Ylandóans called in their flanks to help with the hole in their lines, and they tried to

surround them once again. The Falaxians decided to focus on one flank for the time being, and sent their captured Ylandóan ships to hold the line, while the rest went to attack the right flank.§0 §0 §0It was an even match, and at such a close range, both

sides too heavy casualties. Still, as the flanked Falaxians held, the last of their ships escaped, and they soon moved out of range, and the Ylandóans didn't bother to pursue.§0 §0 §0The losses on both sides were devastating from such close combat for so long.

Of the 20 captured Ylandóan ships, 8 were sunk, with the rest sustaining at least a medium amount of damage. 37 of 80 boarder vessels were lost, and 35 of the 60 archer vessels as well. 12 of 30 boarder ships were used, and 9 of the 20 Klisian ships were

lost as well, and all but 4 of the weak trade vessels. The losses were simply devastating, but the fleet survived, ready to head back home, passing by the now Ylandóan occupied peninsula that started the war in the first place. Many nations laughed at

bloodshed over a piece of land, but this peninsula was only a symbol of the hatred both Empires built up over the years. Prejudice and fear based on miscommunication was all that was needed to start this needless violence.

Meanwhile, the Ylandóans lost 16 of their 45 Warships in combat, and half of their smaller archer vessels as well. Their ten artillery ships weren't numerous enough to make a huge impact in the battle, but they were effective.

4 of those artillery ships were lost, and one captured by the enemy.§0 §0 §0The Falaxians would study this device, and then replicate it. A team of engineers was sent to scale it down so it could be fitted on all the Falaxian ships.

As the fleet limped back with their discovery one month later, they were hailed as heroes. The Ylandóans soon suffered from only half as many supplies and reinforcements as they were used to, and they were starting to lose territory one month afterwards.

The ports were being rebuilt, but it would take a few months before they could be completely fuctional again. The Ylandóan line was being held back, and the soldiers blockading Melchior were soon running short on supplies, and close to being surrounded.

Still, the siege continued, even if the troops would be more valuable elsewhere. The Falaxians continued to push and push on the land. The war seemed like it would be won. However, six months later, the three ports were fully functional again, and

Melchior was still starving. The soldiers sieging the city, starving themselves, still held the line, while the Falaxians surrounded them.§0 §0 §0Meanwhile, the artillery pieces were being improved upon, until a large, metal tube was used to launch solid balls,

as explosives were too risky. These new cannons were starting to be fitted to a few ships, but they had not seen combat yet.§0 §0 §0The returning navy soon repaired and blended with the others defending the rivers, and the fight was mostly even there.

The Falaxians intended to rout the large army besieging the city of Melchior, and they soon gathered 80,000 troops to rout the 70,000 Ylandóans sieging the city. They demanded surrender, but it became clear that neither side was going anywhere.

As the Ylandóans were pushed back, one army stayed, promising to hold the line the best it possibly could. The Falaxians surrounded it, and both armies rested a final night before the bloodshed in the morning.

The First Defense of Melchior was about to begin.