Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

Chapter 396 - Lake Assault

Soon enough a day passed as the mining ship from the Souther Tower found its location, stopping in the middle of the calm lake. 

The captain of the ship then exited his cabin and looked at the many members, a rather thin and old man whose voice was tough and loud. 

"Alright! Get into your gear and split into groups, there are a hundred miners so ten groups of ten. One group goes out to mine and we'll switch off by the hour. Those who will not be mining for at least four hours can go back and rest first. As for the others, you know what to do."

After shouting the plan and setting up the order, everyone did as they were told. Six of the groups returned to bed while the other four groups dressed up, donning diving gear and carrying pickaxes. 

It wasn't anything incredibly special, just sleek metal armor that wrapped around the body and a mask to help them breathe underwater. 

With the ship stopped, the engines paused and the captain pressed a few buttons and pulled a lever. 

The ship rumbled as the deck split apart and lowered. In moments, it formed a platform that was several feet above the water, making it easier for the divers to jump in and out. Furthermore, all they had to do was dump out what they've mined for the others to store before jumping in. 

"Good luck everyone! Let's have a good harvest!" the captain shouted. 

Everyone shouted in agreement before the operation truly began. 

The first group dived, controlling the water, they swan down quickly to the lake floor which was glowing. Numerous lights came from the metals and materials at the bottom of the lake, making for a dazzling sight. 

They looked to each other and nodded, landing down and digging away. They swung their pickaxes nonstop, each one choosing a vein to mine away. It was certainly a good thing that these were no ordinary pickaxes. 

With each swing, they hummed with power, breaking the ores apart with ease. 

Then those broken pieces were collected into spatial rings. 

And so, it continued like this for the next few hours. Mining, dumping, and gathering until it was time for the next group to start. 

Soon enough, large wooden crates were being filled and organized, with most of it being Deepwater Steel. Unlike its reflective and shiny appearance as armor, this unrefined metal was of a murky silver color. It still had a sheen but it looked as if it had been dirtied. 

The captain looked out, whistling in surprise at the harvest. 

"It's only been a few hours and we've gained this much. It really is true, the closer to the center of the lake, the more plentiful the treasures."

He leaned back on his chair and relaxed, enjoying the stillness of the lake. 

"What a nice day today", he thought, "Some sun, a few clouds, and a nice breeze, a nap right now doesn't sound that bad."

In the minutes that passed, his eyes slowly drooped, getting smaller and smaller. With such nice weather and really nothing going on, the captain slowly dozed off, his captain's hat covering his eyes. 

As so this was how the day went, it was peaceful, frighteningly so.

However, it wouldn't be long.

It wouldn't be long at all before the little ships came from the other side, swift and agile. Soon enough, the mining ship was in sight and the Tide King looked at it before holding his trident up high, signaling the others.

"Follow my orders! Attack the ship!" he shouted. 

In that moment, he dived into the water whilst his chained prisoners activated their bloodlines. As their strength was brought out, the water trembled before rising into pillars. Then they morphed and faced the ship, transforming into massive serpents that dove back into the lake before charging through the lake like sharks. 

There were over a dozen of them, large enough to compare to cannons. And as the serpents swam through the waters, they slowly grew larger, swelling until each one was similar to the size of a river.  But it was not just the Varuna Clan that was here but various other demons who could control water. And now that they were above such a massive lake, their strength nearly tripled. 

The ships continued forward, trailing behind the serpents while the other soldiers began opening the crates, preparing to dump them out into the lake. 

Such a scene was not hard to miss and the divers noticed the incoming attack. 

"Get back on the ship! We're under attack! Where's the captain, damn it?! We need to get the defenses going!"

As the divers shouted and ran, those below deck awakened from the clamor, climbing up from under. 

"What happened? Is something wrong?" they asked. 

Those already awake were already trying to move their harvest under, shouting out loud while doing so. 

"Attack! It's an attack! The demons are coming to attack!"

Finally, the captain awakened in a daze, confused by all of the rushing, before quickly going into action. 

"Come on, you demon bastards. You want to take on my ship!"

Getting out of his seat, he manned the vessel, pressing a series of buttons that caused it to tremble. The split deck rose up and joined together, while the parts of the hull shifted away, revealed little windows where cannons were rolled out. Above the deck were even more cannons and other forms of artillery, being loaded up by the crew and the miners. The sails were rolled up as the three masts split into four pieces and revealing a metal rod inside. 

It crackled and buzzed with power as the cores within the engine room glowed with a magnificent silver color. 

Moments later, a barrier formed covering the whole thing in a transparent shield. Except for the sound of rushing water, the ship was silent, waiting for the demons to come within range. 

It wouldn't be long now and finally, they came. 

"Fire the cannons!" the captain shouted. 

On his command, every piece of artillery shot with a resounding bang as rays of lightning and fire blazed through the air. They flew in an arc, soaring over the water and landing into the lake in explosions. 

The waters rocked wildly, causing several of the chained demons to lose focus. 

A few of the serpents shrunk in size, one or two even broke apart. But the rest were undamaged and there was no time to destroy them before crashing into the ship. 

The moment they hit, the barrier trembled but stood strong and the ship was pushed back. Everyone grabbed whatever they could to keep themselves from losing balance. As for the captain, he clung to the wheel and kept his bearing before looking furiously at the ships. 

"If that's the game you want to play then so be it!"

Grabbing the lever to his right, he pushed it forward, moving the ship at full speed towards the smaller ones. 

"Come on then! You want to smash into each other, no?"

He grinned and cackled, controlling the ship like a maniac while moving. 

As swift as his ship was, it was not as quick as these ones, quickly avoiding his charge and going around the ship. But he did not stop, instead, he turned and charged once more. Lightning and fire shot out from the vessel, causing chaos as it disrupted the water. 

"We must slow it down, quick! For our children!"

The chained demons looked to each other and acted desperately. The water in front of the mining ship churned into a whirlpool as water serpents circled around, drawing the ship in. 

"Damn, we're going to be trapped!"

The captain turned as best he could but it was far too late, the ship had been caught.