Phoenix and Thunderbird

Shiro stood on the upper deck of Airship. He was standing over a large, detailed map laid across a thick desk. Before, Azura had previously denied Shiro from even sketching his own map. Now they gave him not just one of the cities but the whole surrounding regions as well.

They finally let me have a map. I wish I had those like, little pieces you see in movies to mark enemy positions.

Shiro looked out the window at the Demon King's army. Thousands upon thousands stood in file arching around the City. From the ground, their numbers stretched farther than the human eye could see.

But from here, he could see them as clear as day. Rank after rank of armored figures glinted under the red sun, spears upright like a black forest.

Then again, they're everywhere...

Shiro pulled out a 'Whispers in the Wind' stone. Another item that had kept away from him previously.

"Hey Captain Eiichrio?"

Eiichrio turned his head over his shoulder as he looked at Shiro while still manning the wheel.

"Aye Boss?"

"Where's your best navigator? I want them to relay enemy positions."

Eiichrio opened a hatch on one of the pipes by his wheel. A simple system used to communicate across the noisy Airship.

"Nanami! Yer due to the top deck!"

Eiichrio closed the pipe and looked at Shiro

"By the way Boss, this here ship still ain't got a name. Bads luck to be a nameless shrimp going to battle."

"What was the name of your old ship?"

"She was the Dreaded Duck, though don't go using the same name as a sunked ship. Yer asking to join her."

Dreaded Duck... Who did I recruit?!

...still, ducks can fly, stick with a bird themed name then.

"Phoenix... Yeah. The S.S. Phoenix! A bird that comes back to life in a burning glory!"

"Aye Boss! That's a name!... Though if ye mind me asking, what's S.S.?"

Shit. Can't just say STEAM ship...

"...Sky Ship yeah, let's go with that."

"Though it was an AIR ship?"

"Just roll with it."

One of the crew members ran up to Shiro and Eiichrio.

"Captain! Captain! HELLDRAKES! At the bow and a whole lot of them!"

"Aye let the leeches come! Bring all the light rail cannons to the bow and let them know that..."

Let them know what?

Eiichrio intentionally confused the pause for dramatic effect.

Buddy there's Helldrakes on the way!

"That the SKY SHIP PHOENIX sends it's regards!!!!!"

The crew erupted in unison.

"AYE, AYE Captain!"

Boots thundered across the deck as the crew scrambled to the front of the ship.

Shiro reached down into his bag and began pulling out a long square faced rectangular prism. A uniform metal box saves for two handles that sticked out the bottom and a series of holes in the front face. The weight settled against his shoulder with a familiar solidity, the metal still faintly warm from the enchantments that kept in side

"Whatcha doin there?"

Shiro looked up at Captain still manning the wheel.

"Not to doubt your men, but we're way out numbered. This right here will be our equalizer."

"You don't say? Aye then. Whatcha called it?"

"Prototype X03. The Man Portable Air Defense Systems. Or 'Manpads' for short."

"Hahahahaha!"

"Oi?"

"Sorry sorry. Mate, but what kind of name is that? Gotta give it something better than that! How did yer come up with Phoenix then name yer lucky golden coin 'Manpads'?"

"Well I made three 'lucky golden coins', X01, X02, and X03. X03 Just happens to be an actual 'Man Portable Air Defense Systems'."

"Ugh let it die Boss."

Shiro threw the weapon over his shoulder. The runes along the side flickered once as the internal capacitor started to charge. The weapon hummed with gathered power.

"Fine then. Let's stick with the bird theme... Thunderbird.."

"Aye there you go!"

Shiro made his way to the front of the Airship. He stood out side of the cabin and on the surrounding walkways along with the other crew members as they lined up their shots for the coming wave.

'Seeking winds' a wind spell that allows arrows to lock onto a target and fly towards them. a magic based guidance system...

Ahead of the airship, the sky began to darken as the hoard approached. Shiro took aim with the Thunderbird.

We never got it to work on the rail cannon. Spell requires you to be holding the arrow as it launches. The bolts also lacked fletchings, were too powerful, too heavy and too fast to get this level of spell to work.

The Helldrakes were flying straight toward them, their leathery wings beating in slow, heavy strokes. They came in a vast, advancing mass. The smothering leeches getting closer with every passing moment.

You're never going to be able to hold the bolt on a rail cannon, so what if you make the spell target something already determined. Heats easy enough with some simple fire runes.

Each Helldrake carried their demonic riders. Crouched low against the wind with lance in hand. They cled to the Helldrakes' backs as they drove forward. Horns, claws, and weapons all pointed with single focus towards the Airship.

Then you make the bolt thinner, longer, added fletchings so the wind can bend the now smaller dart. Even if it's in a limited cone. Then spread the power of a light rail cannon across twelve smaller rails.

Shiro pulled the trigger.

The capacitors slammed down onto a set of rails, completing the circuit across all twelve launch channels at once. Twelve darts shot from the barrel in a single explosive volley, streaking forward in a wide fanning out cone.

Then each dart traced its own trajectory, curving through the air in a widening arc. For an instant, they seemed to scatter at random, but then the modified 'seeking winds' spell kicked in.

One dart swept high, another dove low, while the rest spiraled and crossed through the gaps between them. Their trajectories folded over one another in a rapidly shifting lattice. Each dart had locked onto the heat of a different Helldrake.

What looked like a chaotic barrage became a choreographed storm of twelve projectiles the Shiro knew all to well.

An Itano Circus.

One by one, twelve darts had landed.

And twelve Helldrakes fell from the sky.

And I was going to call you a manpad!? Captain Eiichrio I owe you one!

One of the crew members interrupted Shiro's thoughts.

"Ayo Boss, where can I get one of those?"

"You mean the Thunderbird? This the first of it's kind. But I'll definitely be making more of them."

Shiro crouched down and began loading in twelve more darts.