Three days had passed since Clamerates had agreed to join in on the attack on Caros and since then a plan had been carefully crafted and set into motion.

The Stormcasters would lead several pirate ships and begin to decimate the Kingston fleet located in the docks of Alport while the other pirate ships sailed around Caros to perform a pincer maneuver on the Kingston reinforcements.

Meanwhile, Clamerates would land dozens of ships on Caros land and begin fighting the Kingston Guard on the ground. Jacob would lead the charge and meet up with his fellow CIF members and try and rally the Caros people against Kingston.

Rose would provide support from afar and the group would work to secure Alport and the artillery canons set up on the port so they could be turned against the Kingston forces.

Once all that was done, Xavier, Rose, and Jacob would take their leave and head out to Kingston where they would take on Astraeus and the other Guardians.

The plan itself wasn't what worried Xavier. It was a fairly solid plan without much that could go wrong. What scared Xavier was the execution not being as simple.

But there wasn't much time left to worry. The pirate was on board a borrowed ship with Rose standing at the bow while Jacob was aboard the leading ship of Clamerates' first fleet.

Dozens of ships moved across the choppy water and wind blew at high speeds during the cold night. A half-moon soared above them and graced the attacking force with a bit of light.

They were coming close to Caros now. Xavier's hands tightly gripped the wheel of the boat and the hat on his head.

Jacob's injuries had mostly recovered but the rebel still wasn't in the best condition he could be. Xavier had managed to pick up some healing magic but it wouldn't do much good onboard a boat.

The outline of the island came into view and not long after, the Stormcasters launched their attack. Lightning tore through the night sky and crashed into several ships.

The winds started to howl and the water began to worsen as a storm was conjured all around Xavier.

A water twister began to shatter ships all along Alport's coast and alarm bells began to sound from the city but it was no use. Pirate ships opened fire and Xavier gave Rose the signal.

She conjured a pillar of light that crashed down onto one of the artillery cannons to disable it and repeated the process for the other three. Cannonball would be able to fix the damage done and get them back online once Alport was secured but until then, it was up to the ships on the water to fight the reinforcements.

Xavier navigated the disastrous scene and was relieved to find that in the chaos no Kingston ships were escaping from the docks.

Xavier turned around and saw dozens of ships approaching the Caros mainland due to the fires from the city. Clamerates boats were making their landing which meant that they only had to hold out for a little while longer.

There would still be some time before reinforcements arrived so the pirate fought against the waters to get to relative safety and ensure the waters around Caros were secured.

Rose was busy sending off volleys of light into Alport where Jacob would be fighting for his life and the freedom of his homeland.

Just as Xavier began to relax, explosions suddenly erupted from afar and the Stormcasters' ship was punctured by several cannonballs.

A small fleet of Scalliers ships came into view and were presumably the culprits. "NO! YOU BASTARDS!" Xavier felt rage surge through him and the already cold water stood no chance of disobeying Xavier's command.

Gigantic spikes made of ice erupted from the ocean into the hulls of the Scalliers ships. The stab wounds were bad enough that the boats that were hit would be taken down instantly.

Several pirate ships moved in to battle the surprise fleet. Xavier could tell that the Stormcasters' ship wouldn't survive its injuries and flagged down a large pirate ship to inform them to go and rescue the Stormcaster crew.

"Everything should be fine but we need to secure the artillery fast because without the Stormcasters our chances against the incoming Kingston fleet are slim," Xavier said.

Rose moved into position and prepared to cast fire magic. "I'll get us to the shore then. We can let the Clamerates know to send in their second fleet as reinforcements and help capture the canons."

Xavier gave her a thumbs up and the duo rocketed across the ocean and to the destroyed port. They abandoned the ship and clambered up the broken stairs and into the main city.

Jacob was fighting his way through a legion of Kingston Guards with several other CIF members ahead of them so they hurried over to their friend.

"Jacob! Heads up!" Rose shouted and sent light magic his way. Jacob didn't even question their arrival and instead took in the magic and wiped out the remaining forces attacking him.

The boy flashed them a smile. "Thanks, guys! Why're you here?"

Xavier explained the surprise attack and Jacob told one of his friends to go run the news back to the Clamerates general. Most of the Clamerates forces were pushing further ahead and Jacob and his allies were making sure the Kingston Gaurd wouldn't be able to flank Clamerates' forces.

"Well, we need to get control of at least one of the cannons and quick," Xavier stated. A boom from the sea confirmed that combat on the waters had already resumed and there would certainly be more to follow. "Where is Cannonball?"

Jacob pointed up ahead. "He's with the main forces. They're trying their best to get to the nearest cannon but there's only so much they can do."

"Let's see if we can aide them then!" The group sprinted down the abandoned stone roads of the city.

Fires were raging on the port below and in many parts of the city proper. The flames illuminated the dark landscape while smoke collected in the sky.

Out on the sea was a mess of ships doing battle with one another and burning wreckage. So much was shrouded in darkness that it was impossible to tell who had the upper hand.

They hurried to catch up with the warring armies and it didn't take long to get to where the majority of the combat was happening.

Kingston Guard had holed themselves up in every corner of the city and its buildings which made it difficult for the larger Clamerates army to press onward.

Xavier started shooting at some of the archers hiding up above but it was no use. Progress was just too slow.

Rose powered up Lumis and Jacob swung the blade into a crowd of the enemy. The boy was prepared to run back in when Cannonball approached them. "What are you all doing here?"

"The Stormcasters' ship got ambushed and the Kingston reinforcements are going to overwhelm us if we don't secure the artillery cannons!" Xavier recapped.

"I've got an idea!" Rose shouted. "I'll teleport us up to one of the canons and we'll secure it while Cannonball gets it online!"

Xavier didn't like the plan and he could tell Cannonball felt the same. "It's our best bet guys! Come on!" Jacob chimed in and they relented.

The group grabbed ahold of Rose and she teleported them. They reappeared at the entrance to one of the cannons and began clearing out the shocked Kingston Guard with ease.

Jacob broke down the door inside the machine and Cannonball got to work while the group fought off the rest of their foes.

Xavier and Rose fought side by side and moved in tandem with one another. It was as if they were in an eloquent dance where they never faced their partner.

The performance finished but Cannonball still hadn't fixed the weaponry. "Damn lass! You really pack a punch with that magic! The entire firing system is broken!"

Jacob knelt next to Cannonball. "Maybe I can help. I know a thing or two about metalworking."

The contraption was a technological marvel that Kingston had put in for the sole purpose of fending off Clamerates. It was essentially a cannon like you'd find on a boat only massive and capable of firing off several rounds each capable of destroying even the largest of ships.

The noble girl and the pirate guarded the entrance and stared out at the chaos before them. More and more fires darted the city as Clamerates pressed onwards while the sea was an absolute disaster.

It was difficult to make out in the dark and from the distance but there appeared to be ships everywhere with any semblance of formation being broken.

"All this death and destruction," Rose whispered. "I can't believe we were the ones to organize it."

The captain shook his head and placed a hand on her shoulder to comfort the girl. "Not quite, lass. You can't plan an invasion in three days."

Jacob hurried over to them and gave them a thumbs up. "The cannon is up and running! Cannonball is going to open fire on any approaching ships! Now let's get out of here!"

"We can't just leave Cannonball." Xavier protested. "What if reinforcements arrive?"

Jacob grinned. "No worries, captain. The CIF just arrived." The rebel pointed behind Xavier and sure enough, a dozen members of the CIF emerged from around the corner.

"Let's get out of here, then," Rose said, taking Xavier and Jacob's hands and warping the group back down to the port.

As they arrived, Cannonball opened fire and giant flaming spheres soared across the sky and into the ocean. "We're behind schedule so we need to get to Kingston fast before the waters are completely overwhelmed."

"I don't see any ships!" Jacob groaned.

The pirate scanned the water and it was truly a mess of destroyed boats and what remained of the docks. "I have an idea! Follow me!" Xavier hurried down the stairs and had to keep himself from slipping and falling several times as he descended.

Xavier climbed aboard a mostly intact boat that only has the back of the boat where the wheel would have been destroyed and was missing a sail.

The pirate grabbed a sail from another destroyed boat and quickly got the sail into the frame. "Rose, I need you and Jacob to give me momentum! I'm going to steer the boat like it's a sea skimmer and try and get us through the chaos!"

Xavier wrapped ropes around his hands and his two friends unleashed their fire magic which propelled the makeshift boat out of the docks and into the dangerous war zone.

The pirate steered the ship with his arms and found that it really was just like a sea skimmer. The familiarity calmed his nerves a bit and he was able to pilot the ship without getting hit by anything.

The high speed they were traveling at meant that it didn't take long before they were in the clear and Xavier let himself relax a bit. That was before he saw several ships approaching that was directly in their path.

The maneuvering needed to avoid the incoming fleet was enough that it might have caused the boat to capsize so instead Xavier held steady and slipped right between the boats.

Finally, they were through the worst of it and left the fire and explosions behind them as they neared Kingston.

The massive island wasn't far from Caros and they could soon see outlines of the city and the coastline. They would be landing not far from Kingston's capital but away enough that they could hopefully slip into the city without making much of a ruckus.

Jacob and Rose stopped supplying firepower and the boat gently glided into the sandy beach. Everyone scrambled off the makeshift ship and marched off of the beach and into the field outside the capital city.

Out of nowhere, Crius appeared in front of them and began to laugh. "Hello everyone! You've caused quite a stir. But it's time to end this foolishness."