Seabright

Seabright is one of the Tales of Arkain.

## Synopsis

Gardon named the newest Zyaise fleet's flagship after his friend Merlon Seabright. And he went to the commissioning of the ships.

## Story

1st May 20 Z. R.

Gardon sat in his chair and looked out of the window, down on the city he was currently visiting, lying on the western shore of Zyainor, not far from Castle Kome. It was one of the rare moments when he was alone and could actually take a few minutes to recover from his many duties. Many of his subjects were going through the streets, talking with each other, trading with each other, laughing with each other. Ironic that a few decades ago they all feared the history of the fallen nation of Zyainor, considering it a nation of evil, and now, they lived in it and it did not seem to bother them at all. Most of them, anyway, the few uprisings and rebellions were so small and seldom that they hardly counted. While he had been unable to destroy the race of the Demons once and for all, he was the one who had crushed their invasion. Many respected or feared him. And still, this "victory" had felt hollow. His life goal had remained unfulfilled up to this day and he could not completely focus on the Demons now that there were so many other enemies. Kerrel openly opposed him, not realizing that only united under Gardon's lead they could survive and ignoring that without Gardon and Zyainor, they would be unprotected. The Tribal Dominion had mostly left Zyainor alone, yet Gardon's spies informed him that they were preparing for war and despite what Brian had told him, Gardon found it hard to trust them. Their leader Amari may be smarter than the usual Orc, Gardon was actually quite impressed by her intelligence, he had not expected to ever meet an Orc as reasonable, smart and witty as her, but what about the rest of the lot? Then of course there was the Empire, ruled by his mad half-brother Theodor. The maniac would launch an invasion of Arkain sooner or later, that much was for certain, but the question remained WHEN it would happen. Gardon still wondered what had gotten into his half-brother that had made him lose his mind. And finally, the Undead. They still were a great mystery. While a large host of them had disappeared after their betrayal, there were still groups of them that kept causing harm. They seemed less... organized than they used to be but Gardon would never ever repeat the mistake he made in the past and would rather see them all burned on sight than have them remain. He turned his gaze away from the window and looked on his desk. There laid the a black seal with a golden anchor on it next to the flask he had drank empty only a few minutes ago. It would be worn by Merlon today if the Undead had not killed him – and perhaps Merlon even would be here with a flask of his own if he'd be still alive. Then again, Gardon had not been drinking anything back in the day. Merlon was a man who had been with Gardon for a long time, a close ally in all the conflicts. Sure, at the beginning they had their differences and Gardon had made sure that Merlon would remain loyal but in the end, Merlon had been both useful and trustworthy. And while his humor was almost annoying at times, it was something fresh from the grim behaviour of Gardon and most of his other close allies, maybe even somehow close to being some kind of "friend". Merlon was one of the many good men who died in the Second Voidwar. Only one of many. The door opened and a servant entered the room. "My liege, it is time." he said and left. Gardon stood up and was about to leave. Before he had reached the door, however, he stopped and turned around. He returned to the desk and took the seal before he left.

The carriage of the Ca'laer halted in the harbor of the city. Its doors opened and Gardon left it, followed by his daughter Zurae. His other children were occupied otherwise and could not be here, but Zurae insisted to be with him, even if she was his only child to be there. And Vail... She was in her tower. Many people, both rich and poor, noble and peasant alike, were gathered in the harbor for this was the day one of their newest and largest ships would receive the blessing of the Ca'laer – and its name. The flagship of the new Zyaise fleet. There were also visitors from the other lands: Duke Oshan the Stern of Rengar, current ruler of Rengar in absence of its king, and Princess Felicia of Kerrel were among the best known of them. Zurae made a large step forwards to walk next to her father and bowed her head to Gardon's ear, whispering that she was certain that there were some human spies of the Dominion among the visitors, just as planned. The two smiled at each other. Gardon himself also expected someone else to be here, someone whom he wanted to talk with when the ceremony was over. The rulers of the other kingdoms were here to witness the power of Zyainor – just like when they had been invited to his halls at the anniversary.

They knew this, of course, they knew that he only invited them because it was part of the "cold war" status between their lands. They only came because they wanted to know what he had to show them this time, to analyze its weaknesses. They wouldn't find any. Gardon and Zurae stepped upon the pedestal and once everyone was quiet, Gardon stepped forward, Zurae remained in the background, though Gardon was sure that there'd be quite a few people whose gazes would be drawn to her instead of him. He raised his arms and his voice. "People of Zyainor, visitors from far and wide, you all have been invited here today to witness the craftmanship of our Zyaise engineers!" he said, his voice was being echoed by magic so that everyone in the harbor could hear him without him having to scream. "For the past few months, our most intelligent heads, both human and dragon, have worked on new ways to improve the mighty fleet of Zyainor – and they were successful! Our new ships, designed by our most skilled shipbuilders, have the power to defend our nation against all outside threats!" he explained and the crowd cheered. He waited for it to stop before he continued. "But we will also honor our fallen heroes. Grand Admiral Merlon Seabright, a man whom I had the honor fighting side by side with, a man whom I had considered a friend, dedicated his life to our cause. To honor his memory, I have decided to name the new flagship of our great navy after him. The SEABRIGHT will lead our fleet against all of our enemies, whether they come from the east, the west, the north or the south! None shall escape its wrath! Now, witness the first appearance of our great new warship!" he screamed and turned towards the open sea behind him, just like Zurae and the crowd.

Along with several other new ships, the Seabright now drove towards the harbor. The crowd watched with amazement, such ships had never been seen ever before. The engineers of Zyainor had managed to create a new design of warships, ships made of black steel, powered by oil and steam. These warships formed the new fleet of Zyainor and would be the last step towards Zyaise supremacy. The armies of the Zyaise military and its orders controlled the land and the black dragons the sky, these new ships would control the sea. Even the Imperial Navy would not stand a chance against this new might of Zyainor. The Seabright was the largest of the new ships, the most powerful of them. A machine of war and destruction. Gardon wondered if his engineers would someday be able to create a Destructor with similar capabilities. He looked back towards the crowd, most of them were clapping. The duke of Rengar hid his emotions yet Gardon was sure that he knew that Rengar was doomed if they'd join Kerrel in a war against Zyainor. Most of Rengar, the part that was still accessible anyway, laid on the shore or next to it and therefore was vulnerable for all kinds of naval attacks. The princess locked her eyes on Gardon, her eyes were filled with contempt. Then she left. Gardon knew that King Dorten had once hoped to have Gardon marry Felicia before the old man knew that Gardon intended to bring Zyainor back to life, to have a new protector for Kerrel.

Now he had a nation at his doorsteps that protected mankind more effectively than the old man ever could instead. It was only a matter of time until the people of Kerrel would join Zyainor. One way or the other. It was part of the deal with the Black Dragons, and once his enemies WITHIN mankind on Arkain were gone, he would be able to completely focus on the rest. He could see movement in the crowd. A familiar face. He knew where to find it again. Once the ceremony was over, Gardon told Zurae to return to the mansion they were occupying during their stay in this city without him, he would meet with her there later. She hesitated but nodded eventually. Then she left and Gardon made his way to one of the empty harbor buildings. A storehouse. There, he would meet whom he wanted to talk with.

"T'is dangerous for one of your standing to come in here all on your own, o graceful ruler." were the first words Gardon heard upon entrance. A female voice, a woman stood in front of him, as if she had waited to him. Around her stood her band of vagabonds. Zora and her pirates. Just as expected. "I hope you don't think that you naming some black pile of iron after my father changes anything. I expect you to be smarter than that, you know." she explained and sat on a barrel. "You had nothing to do with this decision." was the short and honest reply. Zora crossed her arms. "Then I will just assume your growing age is starting to make you soft. No, actually, I don't believe that. Anyway. What do you want from me and my lads?" she asked. Gardon took a close look at her companions. She rolled her eyes and told them to get lost. When the two were finally alone, Gardon raised his voice. "I want to renew my offer." he said. Zora's raised her eyebrows surprised. "You are serious? I declined it the last time. The pirate queen does not kneel before any ruler, not even you. Even a Demon could not tame me and my boys, what makes you think you could? You may be a lot of things, but arrogant? That'd be a new one for me." she said. Gardon studied her. She reminded him of her father.Where was that damn flask when he needed it? He crossed his arms behind his back. "I am not asking you to kneel before me, Zora. I ask you to stop fooling around and finally get a grip of your life. You and I both know that you pirates are doomed. The amounts of unlucky souls that would join your ranks have decreased dramatically since the rebirth of Zyainor. Since the end of the Second Voidwar, all nations have gained much strength. Raiding has become very dangerous. It is time to leave your game of playing pirate behind you and get a REAL life." Gardon said. Zora spit on the ground before his feet. "You act as if you were my father – if he had cared about me or my life – but you are not even old enough to be that, do not presume you know me only because we met two or three times." was her angry reply. Gardon's eyes pierced through hers. She could feel a small headache yet refused to show it. "Tell me, how romantic is the life of a pirate when there is nothing to raid? No gold to spend? No drinks to be had? Having ships filled with people who start uprisings against you? Do you really enjoy all of that?" he asked, his voice had become... darker. He sounded much more like the general from back in the day Zora had met back then. She had really thought he had gone soft, apparently she was mistaken. The pain in her head disappeared as quickly as it had come. You.. you want me to sacrifice my freedom." she groaned. The pain was gone but she could still feel it. Her angry gaze met Gardon's. "And for what?! Some land and title so that I can watch peasants making the crops grow?! I am a bloody pirate, not a goddamn steward!" Zora explained furiously. Gardon threw something at her. She caught it mid-air. Before she could take a look at it, he raised his voice once again. "I am not asking you to be a steward. I am not asking you to kneel before me. I am asking you to join me, to no longer hinder my goal of uniting all of mankind on this continent to stand together against our enemies. What I offer you? I offer you the place your father would have on this very day if the cursed Undead had not taken him. I offer you to command the very ships you have seen earlier, the most powerful fleet on this damn continent! I offer you the adventure you seek in the war against the Imperial Navy instead of some pathetic raids. I offer you land for you and your followers to settle on. I offer you a chance to have all of you be pardoned for your past misdeeds." he explained. Zora looked at the item Gardon threw at her. It was a seal. Black background and a golden anchor in the midst. She stared at it. This would have been her father's if... She looked back at Gardon. "You... you want me, a criminal, as your grand admiral? Are you insane? Your nobles would surely-" "Do not bother yourself with such things, I have everything under control. This is the last straw, Zora. I will not repeat this offer again." Gardon interrupted her. She nodded, to signal that she understood. "What land? And what do you want me to do?" she asked. Gardon turned around, his hands were again crossed behind his back. "The islands that used to belong the Orcs. They belong to Zyainor and used to be the so-called 'pirate baronies' ages ago so I think they would suit you just fine." he explained. "The Burned Islands? You are offering me scorched earth where nothing grows." "I thought you didn't want to watch crops grow anyway. Some of the islands are still unoccupied and we have lost scouts trying to search them so I am sure that there is something on them now. However, the ones that we were able to occupy can offer much more than just fish. Beneath the surface, we have found new oil supplies that the Orcs probably were unaware of. The very fuel of our new fleet. I want you to go there and oversee the harvest of that oil and the construction of our new fleet. The Seabright will be put under your command, you can use it as your flagship if you so desire. It goes without saying that no one knows that this is the place where we construct our fleet. We let all other nations believe that they are built in Ker'Dramos instead." Gardon continued to explain and turned back to face Zora. She seemed intrigued. "If you want to keep so much hidden, why did you show them your new toy anyway? To intimidate them?" she asked. She was curious and obviously interested by now. Just as Gardon had predicted. "To show them our strength, yes. Many in Kerrel and Rengar are already considering the idea of joining Zyainor out of free will rather than risk open war – and even those who do not want to join us will dislike the idea of war even more when they see that they cannot match our might. I expect Rengar to join us soon and Kerrel will not stand on its own for long. Once they both belong to me, Zyainor can finally focus on its REAL enemies in the west, the east and the south. So. Are you with me, Grand Admiral Zora Seabright?" he asked. She looked down on the seal in her hands and then back at Gardon. After a few seconds, she nodded.

When Gardon returned to the mansion, Zurae approached him with a smile. "Duke Oshan wishes to meet you. I have already talked a bit with him. He wants to discuss the possibility of... Well, perhaps you will need a new high lord soon." she explained. He smiled at her and entered the room where the duke was waiting for him.