Chương 2: Nightflyer

Those dumb fucking Greyjoys decided to rebel against a realm still hot from a civil war. Now led by a man known to be a beast in battle. Though there are rumors that he has stopped training to indulge in wine and whores and is starting to put on weight. As if the demon of the Trident could become so rusty in so little time.

Now they are coming. The stag, the wolf, and those cheap imitations who call themselves Redwyne. The rest are coming too but they don't have fleets so fuck them. That madman Euron burned the Lannister fleet at port so we don't have to worry about them either.

Now, Blacktyde isn't like it used to be, we are not kings like those of old. We only have 40 ships holding 100 men each and sporting 60 oars. Meaning 4100 men overall. My beautiful Nightflyer holds 200 men on her own, while sporting 110 oars, making her a Goliath on the seas. Compared to the hundreds of ships making their way to the Iron islands we are heavily outnumbered.

The Iron islands in total has a fleet of 600 ships, the rumor of a thousand ships is false. Half of those only sporting 30 to 40 oars with 80 or so men on them. The other half are between 50 and 60 oars holding 100 odd men. Then there are the main ships. Like my Nightflyer numbering around 20 across all the isles.

I already sent 20 of my ships to join the iron fleet. I stayed back with my other ships to defend Blacktyde. I don't care how much my absence pisses off the Greyjoys. Good thing too because I got word that 30 ships are coming straight towards us just a few hours out.

=======2hrs Later=======

Standing on the deck of Nightflyer I am truly an imposing sight. Steel toed boots, thick leather breeches, heavy plated greaves, a chainmail kilt, a thick wool shirt with a leather tunic over it, chain mail on my arms,thick layered plate vambraces over that, thick steel chestplate, thick pouldrons on my shoulders, and a padded helm with no visor for good visibility. A green plume on my helm to let the world know, I AM BLACKTYDE.

Any normal man would never wear such armor for a naval battle for if you were thrown from the ship you would surely drown. But we are Ironborn. We have been reavers for millenia. Should I fall to my gods embrace I shall relish it.

My maul is a little different from my old one. Just larger to fit my frame. My 20 ships are a few league off coast waiting for the mismatched fleet of greenlanders to come and try to take what is mine. They will only meet death here.

As I see them coming on the horizon it is time to ready the men. "Boys, men, ironborn, MY REAVERS, those pansy greenlanders want to take away our homes, our isles, our ways. Let us send them to be judged by the drowned one, let us show them the ways of salt and iron. LET US SHOW THEM WHY THEY DO NOT FUCK WITH HOUSE BLACKTYDE" I say to them.

=======A short while later=======

The ships grow nearer and nearer. Close enough that I can hear the petty lords screaming orders on their ships. They wish to hook and board because of their numbers advantage. Oh they will regret that dearly.

"Target the big one" I hear them yell, they want our main ship. My ship. It seems to be some redwyne upstart leading them. Probably some cousin or third son to the main line. "Both sides, board and gut those squids" They yell. The red is creeping into my vision. Ooh how I love this part.

Two ships scrape on either side of my dear Nightflyer. I see hooks come flying, pulling us together. Their main ship and another ship, a biggun almost like their main. Their only 2 ships with 80 odd oars. "Shields and axes, shields and swords, Bleed em and drown em boys. If we die today know that the price has been paid" I yell as the first men clambor on board.

The first ones on were greenies, I didn't even have to move before they were cut down by my men, though it gave time for more experienced ones to climb on. They clashed with the shield wall on either side of our ship. I took a more passive role at the start and just cleaned up those who managed to break through the line.

All of our ships were fighting now. The blood, screams, and salt fill the air. One man breaks through the shields and makes his way to me. I break into a jog and swing my maul, hammer first, turning his shield into splinters. I guess he underestimated my strength, though given my size I don't understand how that's possible. As he is sent to the ground and tries to get up he slips in the blood bowling into the backs of my men holding the sides.

In the mess a few more break through which makes me realize I need to pick up the slack. Standing up, the first man barely makes it to his feet before I spartan kick his ass off the side of my ship into the turbulence below. I felt his ribcage turn to dust on impact. Turning and grabbing another by his helmet I throw him to the deck.

As I turn to finish him I was hit by a glancing blow to my helm. Ringing my ears. Turning and punching him in throat. Crushing his windpipe. He drops gasping for his last breath. One of my men finishes him with an axe while I turn and stomp the man I had thrown's leg and then splitting his skull with my maul. "HEADACHE" I yell to my men in shieldwall, they know it to mean time to duck. I swing my maul over their heads, axe first, obliterating 4 men.

After just a minute we had cleared the right side of the deck of the greenlanders ilk. "Go to other side, butcher them. When I'm back we kill that redwyne knockoff hahaha" I holler to the boys on this side. Jumping from my deck to theirs I swing wide, turning a stormlander levie's head to a paste. Splattering his comrades in viscera.

"I AM BORR BLACKTYDE, AND I WILL BE YOUR DEATH" I roar at them, slowly slipping into berserking. "YOU WANTED MY HOME NOW COME YOU PUSSIES" I yell before rushing the last 15 men still left on the ship. I swing wide to separate them, which was successful, tanking a sword to my plate I sever on mans legs with my maul before turning, dodging a mace, and splitting his buddy from stem to stern.

A pikemen stabs at me but I take it on my vambrace before grabbing his pike, pulling him towards me and ripping his lower jaw from his face with my free hand. Backing up, I swing my maul wide to create space and keep them from getting behind me. This is going swimmingly so far I reckon.

If there was were three things I loved in this world, it would be my son, his mother, and bashing skulls on a ship or battlefield. Nothing gets the blood pumping like this does. A man, no, a boy, no older than 17, a reach levie if I had to guess, bumrushes and swings his sword at me while screaming. I guess the guy missing the lower half of his face was his friend or something. I don't even move, his sword hits my pauldrons, not even denting it, I grab him by the back of his jerken while he is off balance and sling him off the side of the ship. I hear him scream before being silenced by the waves.

Appalled by the brutality, 3 of the remaining 11 jump overboard, preferring their chances with the sea than me. Idiots. The currents and temperatures here in the water guarantees certain death should you fall. Two of my men join me on this ship, seemingly finished with clearing our deck and throwing our own hooks to the other main ship.

"Just cover my back and watch out for my backswing" I tell them before rushing the last 8. A big man, not huge like me, around 6'3. Seemingly a veteran or at least experienced, probably in his 40's. Walks forward. "Borr Blacktyde I challenge you to a duel, you and me. Should I fall I only wish for you to spare these yungins. Can you do that for me my lord?" He asked me. I can see that the only ones left look to green and young to even be here. 12 to 14 at the oldest.

Killer I may be, however, there is no value in butchering children. With a sigh and nod I stop and say. "So be it. You have my word. What is your name greenlander?" I ask. "Torren Storm, My lord. Just an old Estermont bastard." He responds. He carries a warhammer, it seems to be a theme with stormlanders. He gets into guard and as do I.

He opens with a thrust, just under my chest plate. Not something I was expecting from a warhammer. My mail stops the spike but it still packed a punch and will surely bruise. I swing my maul high, expecting him to duck to dodge it, he does. I immediately step foward and knee him in his helm, sending it flying. He stumbles back with a busted lip and bloodied nose. I swing hoping him to still be caught off guard but he dodges and manages to hit me with a short blow to the chest with his hammer, denting my plate, this is definitely gonna hurt in the morning. Luckily he wasn't able to get good torque on that blow. He is good. One of the best I've ever fought. He swings for my knees with his hammer but I step back in time before I swing my maul as hard as I possibly can from right to left. He was hardly able to bring his hammer up in time to block it but it was futile. My blow shatters the shaft of his hammer before sinking axe first through his plate, into his ribs. Not giving him time to react, I punch his unprotected head, I feel his teeth shatter and his neck snap, then he drops.

Seeing that he is still alive but paralyzed I drop to my knee then drive my dagger up through the bottom of chin, into his brain, ending his suffering. "Take the boys as hostage, be hospitable, I gave my word" I tell my men. I then hoisted myself back to my ship.

"I guess I got one more ship to clear and this one even has a little greenlander lord on it haha" I say to myself.