The Port of Oryn was no longer the peaceful merchant hub it had been under the old crown. It had become the anchor point for the Tidal Node, a massive crystalline spire of violet coral that hummed beneath the waves, linking the city's foundations directly to Kaelen's heart in the capital.
As the three Holy See galleons—the Light-Bringer, the Sword of Sol, and the Purity—bore down on the harbor, the sky turned a bruised, electric purple.
"Steady the line!" Commander Valen roared, his voice amplified by the mana-conductive Aurelian-Steel of his helm.
On the docks, a hundred Aurelian Human Vanguard stood shoulder-to-shoulder with twenty Aurelian Sea-Guards—an evolution of the Scale-Guards featuring webbed talons and gills. They didn't look like a terrified militia; they looked like a wall of obsidian.
The Drowned Veil
From the deck of the Sword of Sol, High Priest Malachi raised a staff of white ash. "The water is fouled by the serpent's breath! Purge the depths! [Solar Flare: Radiant Depth]!"
The ship's hull erupted in a blinding golden light that lanced into the water, intending to boil whatever lurked beneath. For a moment, the sea steamed, and the holy light illuminated the dark shapes of the Kraken-Kin.
But the light didn't reach the bottom.
Deep within the Tidal Node, Kaelen's consciousness flickered. My turn.
[Skill Activated: The Drowned Veil (Node Ability)]
Effect: Mana from the Azure Sea is converted into a light-absorbing mist. -50% Holy Damage within the harbor. All non-Aurelian units suffer [Chilled Blood] (Reduced movement and casting speed).
A thick, violet fog rolled off the waves, swallowing the galleons. The golden light of the Sun-Priests sputtered like a candle in a gale. In the silence of the mist, the only sound was the rhythmic thump-thump of the Sea-Guards' spears hitting the wooden docks.