Deep Sea Embers

Chapter 344: Interception

Agatha’s gaze remained fixed upon the approaching vessel over the vast expanse of the ocean, her voice resonating with an icy chill.

“Excuse me, did I hear you correctly?” the young officer standing next to her seemed perplexed, struggling to process the words he’d just heard.

Ignoring the junior officer’s confusion, Agatha pivoted towards Colonel Lister and reiterated, “Sink it. That’s the ‘Attacker’, an immense vessel carrying unknown contaminants. I can’t confirm what it’s carrying, but I’m certain it’s not the Seagull.”

She paused briefly, her knuckles blanching as she tightened her grip on her staff, “I am ready to shoulder the consequences of this decision.”

Colonel Lister remained motionless, his face a rigid mask. He stood immobile in the icy breeze for what seemed like an eternity until the far-off sound of a ship’s horn echoed once again. The sound was louder, more urgent, and it bore an eerie sense of impending doom. Breaking the prolonged silence, he queried, “Madam, are you confident your intelligence is accurate?”

“I trust my own judgment, Colonel,” Agatha replied, her voice slightly strained as she exhaled a soft breath, “and I am ready to accept the repercussions.”

“You’re in no position to accept any consequences. You may be a gatekeeper, but you’re not the one overseeing the port operations directly,” Lister calmly retorted, his gaze fixed on the distant sea. “Sink that ship. I’m prepared to face the consequences of this decision.”

Far off in the distance, the ship known as the ‘Seagull’ continued its course at full throttle. Its intimidating bow sliced through the waves, its flag flapping fiercely in the wind. Large plumes of white mist billowed from the towering smokestack situated in the middle of the ship. Within this thick fog, a multitude of hidden sounds clamored together, adding to the eerie atmosphere. From the stern of the Seagull, a dark, thick substance seeped into the waves, appearing like blood flowing from a gargantuan beast.

The ship’s horn blared yet again, and more billowing white clouds erupted from the steel warship’s top. The pressurized steam cut through the air, resembling a monstrous cry from the depths of the sea.

Silhouettes moved hastily near the railings, pacing to and fro in their Frost Navy uniforms, appearing to be engrossed in their duties. However, the surfaces they tread upon were slick and pulsated oddly, reminiscent of a creature’s veins.

Occasionally, the dark, sludgy forms that constituted these figures would dissolve, merging with the ship’s structure. Simultaneously, new sailors would appear, separating from the deck and hull in a disturbing spectacle of wriggling, crawling, and stumbling as they cleaned the deck, handled the flags, and lit the lamps.

They were all headed home, and so was the Seagull…

Yet, the vast coastal defense systems came to life at the distant port. Gates securing the colossal cannons on cliffs, seawalls, and steel-reinforced concrete walls of the port unhinged one after the other. The intimidating gun barrels protruded outwards, their massive turrets rotating slowly, driven by an intricate assembly of gears and levers. Underground elevators groaned under the strain as they laboriously transported shells from the subterranean ammunition stores to the formidable cannons above. Amidst this mechanized orchestration, urgent tolling of bells and blaring of horns echoed within and outside the port, instructing the vessels still at sea to evade swiftly and commanding all facilities within the port to brace for combat.

The Seagull, almost as if sensing the impending threat, increased its speed before the alarm even rang out at Frost.

Billowing steam erupted out of the ship, and its horn resounded incessantly. The entire vessel roared to life from within, a sound like a beast awakening from slumber. Sailors scurried across the deck, and amidst the clouds of white mist that blanketed the smokestack, streaks of black and red became discernible. The ship’s velocity surged, its steam engine pushed to its absolute limit, roaring like a thunderous beast stampeding across the boundless ocean. The waves, colliding with the hull, grew louder and echoed across the sea like the resounding roar of a ravenous beast!

It was at this point that the coastal defense cannons of Frost commenced their onslaught, releasing intense flames and explosions. A salvo of conventional armor-piercing shells was discharged, their sharp whistles piercing the air as they traced a fiery arc across the sky before plummeting towards the remote ocean.

As the shells made contact with the water, towering columns of water mushroomed around the Seagull, and a fine mist began to blanket the sea. Some shells merely grazed the ship, but its velocity remained unaffected.

The powerful vibrations from the coastal defense guns shook the platform beneath Agatha’s feet. It felt as though the entire watchtower trembled, buckling under the impact of the relentless barrage. Simultaneously, she heard someone reporting close by.

“The initial round was mostly misses. The ship’s speed exceeds our calculations!”

“Engage at will, switch to armor-piercing incendiary shells, and maintain the assault until the target is sunk,” Colonel Lister commanded emotionlessly. “The standby fleet should be ready to intercept if the coastal defense line fails to halt the vessel. Even if it necessitates a collision, prevent that ship from reaching Frost!”

“Affirmative, sir!”

His expression hardened like stone, Colonel Lister focused on the rising water columns and the smoke dispersing in the distance, his gaze locked onto the Seagull as it accelerated towards Frost. There was no longer any indecisiveness in his eyes.

From what he had observed so far, it was clear to him that this ship was not the familiar Seagull.

Confronting the relentless artillery assault from Frost, the ship didn’t display any signs of slowing down or signal its intentions with the necessary flags and lights. On the contrary, it accelerated even more, pushing itself far beyond its intended design capabilities. It was not a Frost warship; it was a monstrosity.

It was a monster craftily masquerading as a conventional vessel.

All coastal defense guns roared into action, and amidst the thunderous volleys, armor-piercing incendiary shells painted countless bright streaks across the sky. Like a torrential downpour, they rained down on the waters where the Seagull defiantly sailed. Immense columns of water erupted one after another, and amidst the forest of water sprouts, the shrieking, roaring ship pressed forward like a beast in fury.

As the distance between the ship and the guns decreased and the artillery bombardment was adjusted, shells finally began to hit their mark on the Seagull.

Tremendous explosions ripped through its armor, decimated its masts, and cleaved large sections of the deck from the ship’s hull. A dark, mud-like substance erupted from beneath the false exterior like arterial spray, coating the ocean’s surface.

“By the God of Death! What in the world is that?!” Someone couldn’t help but gasp in disbelief.

Through their binoculars, the observers on the watchtower could only vaguely discern the strange form emerging beneath the shattered remnants of the Seagull’s deck.

But Lister remained unflinchingly focused on the unfolding spectacle, his facial muscles taut with tension.

The ship didn’t slow down even after the coastal defense guns decimated the ship’s stern deck, dislodged its chimney and bridge structure, and obliterated the section where ammunition and the steam core were theoretically housed.

The coastal defense guns roared in response, unleashing one devastating salvo after another onto the stubborn “enemy ship.” The innumerable gun turrets focused their lethal fire on the Seagull, dealing a colossal amount of damage in a remarkably short span of time. Such damage would have rendered any conventional ship incapacitated if not sunk.

Even if it hadn’t sunk, it should have ground to a halt by now.

Yet it continued to surge forward at full speed.

Before long, others observed the peculiar situation unfolding on the waters, and a palpable sense of apprehension began to permeate the atmosphere.

“Maintain the bombardment until it vanishes beneath the surface,” Colonel Lister commanded through gritted teeth. He then turned suddenly towards Agatha beside him, “Ma’am, please alert the cathedral at once. If we fail to halt its advance here at the harbor, we might need to…”

“Don’t resign yourself to defeat just yet, Colonel,” Agatha interjected, shaking her head. “Our attack is having an effect; it is starting to weaken.”

Her gaze remained fixed on the distant sea as she spoke, a faint spark of determination flickering within the young gatekeeper’s eyes.

The spectacle captured in her view was not of the tangible world but that of the ethereal spirit realm.

She beheld the distorted, black silhouette disintegrating, its chaotic lines of light and shadow swiftly peeling off from the monstrous figure upon the roiling sea.

The relentless bombardment from the coastal defense guns may not have directly “annihilated” the impostor, but it had effectively nudged it towards the critical brink of self-destruction.

Agatha blinked, the brief glimpse into the spirit realm receding from her sight, supplanted by the stark reality unfolding before her.

The coastal defense guns persevered in their onslaught, and soon additional volleys of gunfire erupted nearby.

The fleet anchored in the harbor had finally completed their battle preparations and joined the effort to repel the attacker.

The collective roar of the battleships’ primary armaments firing in unison became the terminal burden that shattered the Seagull’s resilience. As even more armor-piercing incendiary shells rained down upon the now unrecognizable vessel, it began to crumble.

First, large chunks of the deck and outer hull sloughed off, revealing the convoluted, dark, and grotesque structure concealed within. Then, the entire ship writhed in agony, tearing itself asunder from bow to stern as if attempting to rend itself into fragments. The entity that had once mimicked the Seagull spewed innumerable streams of dark muck while swiftly fracturing.

In the end, its steam whistle succumbed to silence, and the haunting, grating sounds gradually faded away. In addition, its forward momentum started to dwindle, depositing vast trails of dark impurities as it disintegrated and crumbled on the sea surface.

This terrifying, bizarre assailant, which had endeavored to breach the threshold of the civilized world, finally ground to a halt a mere few miles from the shores of Frost.