Sea of Dekatos

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

“All great civilizations begin and end with a sword.”

-- Sento of Yang

Fangshao’s Arkhaios was diving fast, having just dropped two spheres on a soft skinned ship, and was trying to raise its snout before it plunged into the sea. He had forced it into a fast dive, and it now struggled, arching its back to change the angle of its wings, its legs extended and its claws tearing through the air. It cleared the surface of the sea only barely, its tail dragging through the water for a moment.

Fangshao turned his helmeted head to look behind him and saw a gaping hole in the ship’s deck and several soft skins scattered on their backs. Excitement coursed through his veins; it was the most thrilling moment of his life, rivaling even the heady pleasure of personal combat. Flying allowed him to loop and soar. He could race above the clouds and descend to hunt the soft skins. Flying through their swarms of arrows only perfected the experience. He knew he would never forget those moments, especially the last few seconds while he ducked his head close to the body of his Arkhaios and braved the rising arrow storm. Again he regretted the imminent demise of the soft skins. When they were gone, he knew he could never go back to hunting sea beasts and comparing suits of armor with the other nobles; it would always seem empty and hollow, a pale imitation of the glory he had once felt while hunting on the lower sea. 

He hauled his Arkhaios around, guiding it with his knees so that he could unlimber his bow and draw an arrow. Which ship to attack? His eyes roved over the sea, observing them. A single triangular-sailed vessel moved slowly over the waves, having so far escaped damage. It was a narrow ship, and Fangshao knew how hard it was to hit such a target with metal spheres. Beneath the waves Fangshao saw something dark; Tante were hiding under the sea. Nobles usually did not travel in large pacts unless there was open war between two powerful ones, a very rare occurrence. Likely it was a single Noble with a hunting group, under orders to gather information and observe the course of the war. When the soft skin ships were resting comfortable at the bottom of the lower sea, the Tante would rise out of the water and draw out the vast soft skin armies, all so the Nobles on Arkhaios could break up their formations. 

Seeing an opportunity, Fangshao flew toward the triangular-sailed ship, leaning his bow over the side. He had the wrong arrow set to the string, and each shaft was important. He relaxed the limb of the bow, removing the arrow and placing it back in the sheath by his leg. Selecting one of the rare magical arrows, he drew it to his armored cheek and fired. Partly through its flight the shaft burst into flame, immolating itself as the magic in it was released. It struck the triangular sails, setting them on fire. The arrow had hit just high enough that the soft skins could not reach it with buckets of water, and soon the entire sail was a sheet of flame. The soft skins divested themselves of their armor and weapons and jumped over the side, right into the midst of the hunting group that floated beneath the surface. A frenzy ensued, with the soft skins floundering helplessly in the waters, while the Tante killed mercilessly. The blood attracted a swarm of carnivorous fish, setting into motion a miniature war between them and the Tante. Fangshao laughed, flying onwards.

He flew toward a vast city, curious to see the reactions of the soft skins. Their city was utterly unlike anything the Tante would have constructed. For the Tante, architecture was determined by which particular threat they wanted to protect themselves against. Benthics, fearing carnivorous fish, might find an underwater cave and build a gate over the opening. If they sought to hide from Nobles, the Benthics might find a crack in the sea floor and pile rocks over it, to camouflage the lair. Nobles, fearing each other, built the eight crystal towers around the pyramid, ensconcing themselves inside with their hunting groups and allies.

During times of harmony among the Nobles they had generations of workers to use, so their overriding concern became constructing something suitable for themselves. Tante nobility needed vast structures that proved their superiority. When a Benthic turned his gaze upon the crystal pyramid, he would never doubt the greatness of his rulers. Architecture’s ultimate purpose was to serve nobility, lending its soaring greatness to them, sharing its immortal qualities with those who had ordered it built.