Bastian
Chapter 196 - Night on the sea

✧Night on The Sea✧

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

“THE LAUSANNE SHIP HAS SUNK!”

The news spread through the hospital like a thunderclap. All the medical staff’s eyes snapped towards the open doorway, pausing all their activity. Even Odette, who was busy gathering blood-soaked bandages, stood frozen.

“ONLY 9 OUT 1,128 PASSENGERS SURVIVED!”

“My Goodness!” One of the nurses moaned in grief, her hands forming a trembling cross. The news of yet another shipwreck, the sixth in a string of tragedies. Odette forced herself to stand tall and steel her nerves, bracing for whatever devastating updates may come next.

“Our destroyed ship rescued the remaining victims and returned to port. Approximately 200 people were injured, mostly from gunfire and fire. Prepare for incoming patients.”

The medical staff’s command echoed like a boxing bell. Whimpers and groans filled the room. Odette pushed aside her sorrow and focused on her task, still her anxiety crept in. Their hopes for victory had faded. The Berg naval forces had to change strategy when the realities on the ground were different from the prior information.  But Admiral Klauswitz’s leadership led to a successful manned operation, despite the enemy reinforcement fleet remaining undefeated.

“He’s passed away. Please clear his bed.” 

The military doctor declared the man’s death. Odette’s heart plummeted watching the soldier was blanketed with white sheet and carried away on a stretcher. He was the patient she took care before. She had just bandaged his wounds and helped stop the bleeding, but it was not enough to save him. As he faded from view, she could hear the wails of agony from the other bed. Quickly, she gathered her medical supplies and turned to the next patient. His uniform was torn and soaked with blood, bullet holes riddling his body

The military doctor carefully removed the bullet fragments from the patient’s torn skin. Odette stood with her colleagues, holding the hand of the young soldier who winced before losing consciousness, unable to withstand the intense pain. Once the doctor completed the treatment, it was Odette’s turn. She meticulously cleaned and bandaged the patient’s blood-soaked body before leaving the place.

“You’re here, Princess.” Colonel Haller greeted her when she was changing her bloody apron. “There’s a letter for you,”  he took an envelope from his pocket and gave it to her.

Odette felt her eyes tremble as she read the simple “K” on the envelope with her name inscribed on it. It was a letter from Bastian, and she recognized his handwriting.

“Admiral Klauswitz had written a will… no, he called it a letter for you,”

“Thank you,” Odette said to him before he left her on her own device.

Alone in the hallway, she leaned against the cool-rough wall, taking a moment to stare at Bastian’s letter. The setting sun cast a glow on the white envelope, its reflection dancing over her face and painting her lips a faint red. The sea battle was said to have ended before dusk, and she believed Bastian had emerged victorious and would soon return. 

She closed her eyes and slipped the letter into her skirt pocket, refusing to read it just yet. Wouldn’t it be better to hear the good news directly from Bastian himself? 

 Taking a deep breath, Odette changed into a fresh apron and returned to her patient’s room. From the peak of day until twilight, she worked tirelessly, until twilight painted the sky shades of purple.

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

The sun had disappeared behind the horizon, and night had fallen over the vast ocean. Letting out a long breath Bastian removed his helmet he had been wearing for the entire day. It was an unspoken rule among naval officers to avoid battle at night – the darkness made it nearly impossible to distinguish friend from foe, risking heavy losses on both sides. But sometimes, circumstances forced their hand. In the frigid waters of the North Sea, where winter shortened the days, they had to press on with the fight before nightfall. And ironically, even after hours of intense combat, victory still seemed out of reach under the cover of darkness.

With the Berg fleets gaining the upper hand, Lovita desperately needed reinforcements. Just in time, a new fleet arrived from the mainland to support their cause.

When the situation seemed dire, Admiral Sher unleashed his secret weapon and launched a ferocious counterattack. The intensity of this assault made it clear that Lovita had no intention of backing down, using this battle as a means to gain control of the North Sea at any cost.

“ENEMY SHIP SPOTTED AT BOW 92, 19 KM AWAY!

The tower operator’s urgent shout echoed through the ship. Bastian quickly donned his helmet, he stood at the bridge and bellowed out orders “TARGET LOCATION DETERMINED, ENEMY IDENTIFIED! FIRE ALL CANNONS AT ONCE!”

In mere moments, Rayvael’s cannons roared to life, the air was filled with the thunderous boom as their barrage of shots rained down upon the Lovita’s ship.

A towering fire blazing through the darkness. The target ship exploded into fragments, engulfed in flames. The fiery pillar illuminated the horizon, the once-shrouded battlefield was now revealed in all its chaotic glory. In the midst of smoke, enemy’s second fleet had entered the fray, the ships careened into each other, the sound of metal grinding against metal echoed through the air after a wrong manoeuvre by their close distance.

The damaged ship disappeared into the murky depths of the night sea, and darkness cloaked the battlefield once again. Rayvael deftly dodged a torpedo from a Lovita destroyer and changed course to the northeast and west to reposition the battle line.

In a sudden move, Sher’s fleet executed a sharp turn and sped towards the north in retreat. The fierce chase was brutal, causing heavy damage on both fleets. Lovita suffered the ultimate blow, they lost more ships to the merciless waters. Their lightning shot strategy had turned into their greatest downfall after they stocked the ammunition warehouse carelessly beyond its capacity. Overflowing with shells and left unguarded, it became a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. 

 What was once an advantage at the start of battle – a rapid-fire tactic – had now become their own undoing. The fight dragged on longer than expected, their sinking ships multiplied.  With dwindling strength and desperate attacks, they were caught up in a horrifying cycle of destruction. 

Both Berg’s grand admiral and Bastian plotted their every move to capture the elusive sea fox.  Victory was within grasp, and they would stop at nothing to conquer Commander Sher and bring down the Lovita fleet.

As Rayvael manoeuvred through the chaos of battle, the Lovita fleet desperately tried to breach Berg’s defence line. Explosions rocked the sea around them. In a split-second decision, Rayvael made a sharp turn to evade an incoming attack, bullets rained down like hail upon them, accompanied by the thunderous crash of torpedoes tearing through ray shields.

The once powerful ship now shook violently under the devastating blows, breaking apart piece by piece. The sounds of destruction, screams, and weapons clashed together in a haunting symphony of war, drowning out all other sound but the relentless barrage of weapons fire.

Glass shards rained down like deadly hail. With both hands, Bastian shielded his face and surveyed the destruction of his ship with growing panic.  A raging fire consumed the bow, two towers lay in ruins, and a gaping hole gaped where the torpedo had struck. 

“THE TORPEDO HAS CRIPPLED THE RUDDER! EMERGENCY REPAIRS ARE IMPOSSIBLE IN THIS CHAOS!” The officer’s voice trembled with fear as he relayed the message from the steering room.

Reports flooded in from soldiers assessing other parts of the ship, each one more dire than the last.

“ADMIRAL!! CASUALTIES ARE MOUNTING ON THE DECK! THE TOWER ARE ABLAZE FROM ENEMY FIRE!”

“THE AMMUNITION WAREHOUSE HAS BEEN SEALED OFF TO CONTAIN OFF THE EXPLOSIONS! BUT IT’S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE IT BLOWS!

“SIR, THE LEFT SIDE AND STERN HAVE BEEN BREACHED BY ENEMY TORPEDOES! THE INNER AREA IS NOW FILLED WITH SEAWATER!”

“OUR COMMUNICATION EQUIPMENT HAS DESTROYED, WE CAN’T CONTACT OUR COMMAND SHIP”

Bastian’s courage crumbled like a castle made of sand as he witnessed the carnage of his ship and the broken, battered soldiers struggling to hold on. He gave the order to retreat to the defensive rear line at once. But their escape was thwarted, its damaged steering wheel rendering Rayvael immobile.

The crew was trapped, their once-burning determination now smothered as they faced certain doom, their dreams of reaching a safe haven grew slimmer,  despair set in like a suffocating fog

“LIGHT THE FLARE! FIND THE SHORTEST EVACUATION ROUTE!”

Bastian frantically searched for a way out.  Flames licked at his heels and screams filled the air, but all he found in the blinding sea of light was crushing hopelessness.

“ADMIRAAALL! THE ENEMY IS CLOSING IN!”

Bastian clenched his jaw, staring into the murky depths illuminated by the fading flare. A sea dragon anchored, the flag of the Lovita Sea Fleet Commander flapping on its pole, made a sharp turn bore down on their crippled ship. The terror of the seas – a cunning and vengeful fox that had bided its time, Admiral Sher, waiting for the perfect moment to strike back in revenge.

 Sher’s fleet unleashed a deafening barrage of cannon fire. Rayvael’s remaining crew tried to fight back with what little weapons they had left on their right side. Explosions rocked Rayvael’s body, the ship listed dangerously to the left, its structure torn apart and its once-proud sails now tattered rags.

“ALL HANDS! ABANDON SHIP! LAUNCH THE LIFEBOATS!” Bastian’s voice boomed over the alarms. In the pitch-black night, the crew quickly clambered to lifeboats for their last chance at survival, risking it all as they launched into the treacherous sea before the ship plunged into its watery grave.

“SAVE THE WOUNDED AND NON-COMBAT SOLDIER FIRST! THE REST USE EVERY CANNON TO DEFEND THE SHIP UNTIL EVERYONE IS EVACUATED!”

The gravity of their situation weighed heavily on him – Admiral Sher’s warship was too close, they managed to launch the lifeboats, but the constant gunfire would make escape impossible. Their only hope rested on the arrival of reinforcements from the command ship, but until then, survival meant fighting tooth and nail for every fleeting moment.

The Lovita fleet surged forward to engage the battered Rayvael. Bastian stood at the helm, sweat pouring down his face as he desperately tried to navigate through the chaos. His troops were running low on ammunition, but they had to hold out until Admiral Demel’s ship arrived.

“MOVE FASTER!!”

The soldiers sprang into action, they evacuated wounded comrades and returned to their battle stations.

Bastian tried to steer the damaged ship and engage in an artillery battle with the enemy fleet. But the damage was escalating rapidly, and their non-responsive ship was  quickly becoming a death trap. The pitch-black darkness provided some cover, but it was only a matter of time before Admiral Sher realised their weakened state.

Death loomed over them.  He had to do whatever it took to win and survive, even if it meant walking on the brink of dangerous hell.

Because now I find the way to you, Odette.

So I will surely win.

“EVERYONE! AFTER HALF OF OUR TROOPS HAVE MANAGED TO GET ON THE LIFEBOATS! PREPARE FOR THE FINAL STRIKE!”

A deafening gunshot tore the air once more, shattering the steering deck and sending debris flying. The flames roared louder, forming a thick smoke curtain that began to consume Rayvael in darkness.

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

“RAYVAEL IS LOSING CONTROL AND DRIFTING OFF COURSE!” the scout shouted from the command ship,  watching on the inferno consuming the once-proud vessel.

Admiral Demel’s gaze follows the scout’s pointed finger to the Klauswitz fleet, now crippled and unable to steer amidst the raging fire on their deck. The mighty ship, known for its unmatched record of enemy destruction, now lies abandoned and defeated on the front lines. 

The sea fox, their cunning foe, had outmanoeuvred and dealt a devastating blow to his archenemy.

Demel’s frozen fingers struggle to wipe away the frost forming on his face. Admiral Sher’s blind obsession to defeat Bastian overrode any rational thought, and he gave the order to launch a full-scale assault. His grudge on Bastian drove him forward like a madman. The sea fox that had once been known for his cunning strategies now showed no fear of death as it barreled towards its target. He was willing to sacrifice everything, even himself,just to see Bastian’s death

“Are we still unable to establish communication?” Admiral Demel’s voice dripped with impatience as he paced the deck.

In a sudden burst, Rayvael fired a rescue flare into the night sky, casting an intense, blinding light over the endless ocean below.

“ADMIRALl! RAYVAEL IS SENDING A SIGNAL!” 

 Admiral Demel sprinted towards the bridge dock. His face drained of all colour at the sight of the red crimson flag fluttering behind the smoke from cannon shots. The other officers wore equally horrified expressions. He couldn’t believe it even though he had seen it firsthand until one crew member’s voice rang out, laced with tears. 

“…Rayvael …..will be resting forever in the depths.”