Chương 79: Chapter 78 - Muh Arm.

The text was far more organized than the last report she had read, but came from a completely different mine.

"Bombardents with artillery do not work, the smaller cannonry cannot pierce the chitin of the ****-ones and the larger artillery causes cave-ins almost immediately. They cannot be encircled, the shrieker simply tunnel out a new route. Flux-magics do not do much damage." The report listed tactic after tactic. Fire, ice, lightning, traps, poisons, all failed.

"Cannonry is the only weapon that consistently kills them. These caves are perhaps the worst place in existence to use artillery." This report is not good, it seems I will need to use cannons in the one place cannons are a really really bad idea… FUCK"The mines are lost, the last battle with the **-ones took out a full array of weapons and our main encampment. We were left with no choice but to evacuate. The shriekers pulled the mountain down on the entrance three days after." What in the blazes is**-ones?

Is that the rune for… oh fuck. That's worm, isn't it? Multiple worms, lovely. Nythera watched the horizon slowly slide by, waves rolling gently beneath the ship. What the fuck is that? She slid all the tablets into Boxy and ran up to the railing. Trees clung precariously to the edge of a small island deep in the sea. Except that island was moving. A huge flipper broke the surface of the water, arcing down back in to complete another stroke.

"Ah, that's a rare sight" Rowen and several sailors clambered to the portside.

"The gods are smiling on our battle" one sailor went into prayer.

"What the fuck is that?" Nythera hissed over to the sailor next to her.

"It's an Aether Turtle, Milady. A truly rare sight on these waters. This means Kronan blesses our battle, our cause is just" the sailor completed a prayer of his own. Is that blue… aetherite? Wait, that's a shell, not rock. Maybe I don't need to kill every creature around here, not all of them are murderous krakens. Not even an hour later, they coasted down the side of Mistvale and the great green wall came into sight, just as the sun began to brighten.

Nythera brought the ship onto the water in between Blune and Ret. Lines were tossed and the squads and captains assembled aboard The Sea Empress. Nythera wove Authority into her voice, a heavy presence settled on the sailors"We are going to tear down that green wall…" Nythera's voice boomed like thunder, she paused to let her words sink in.

"And eat it!"

"HURRAH" The sailors and captains raised a fist into the air in solidarity.

"We'll make ships and houses out of its teeth!" she raised her fist with them.

"HURRAH" The crews returned to their ships, climbing across the ropes.

"That's one big ugly bastard, but with our Queen here, it'll soon be cooking at Marco's" One sailor commented.

"It doesn't look particularly tasty, but free food is free food!" the other one finished untying the boarding lines. Every life lost today is on my head. My shoulders. I bear the lives of these soldiers, of the people of Grandport, Halsbury, of Myrraval. This is the first time we strike first, but this will not be the last. The Sea Empress pulled off and up into the sky above, gliding a dozen yards above the waterline as it approached the Obros-ka.

Two of the great tentacles writhed at random, sending out gargantuan waves at every twitch. The ship approached from the rightside, the waters not yet swarmed with spawn. Time to go to work. She amped up the jet force and brought the ship in for its first firing run, swerving it so it would glide in front of the great maw so close that it could no longer throw boulders. The waters began to thrash beneath them.

"ARCHERS, FIRE" Their squad commander called from behind, the sound of thrumming bowstrings played like music to her ear. One of them laughed "This is the easiest levels I have ever gotten, it doesn't matter where I shoot, guaranteed to hit something." Nythera pulled out a quartz shell and brought forth Aether Cannon on the deck, the two sailors hauled the shell over and loaded it into the cannon.

With a single click the broadside cannons swung out from their hatches, facing into the black abyss that the great river disappeared into. A towering cavern that sunlight could not reveal.

"FIRE" She yelled in synchrony with the thunder of the ships cannons. Four shots blasted forth, her own straying much higher, and impacted the great green pillar that made up one side of the maw. Heh, he flinched. A grin came to her face as she watched the lower deck and saw Rowen jump. The quartz shell tore through flesh, spraying ichor about in vast quantities. The ship cannons were another matter entirely. The shells tore deep to the flesh, digging like miners searching for gold.

The detonations sent ripples racing through the flesh, cracking through and sending out geysers of green-blue ichor from two dozen locations. Giant-Slayer beat with joy and excitement within, spreading its power through her body and mind. The impact sites of the ship shells exploded as the heat and force burst its way out of the body, chunks of flesh the size of houses rained down on the sea below. The tentacles writhed, all of them twitching with the impact and subsequent explosions.

"LOAD IT" Nythera shouted, dropping out another shell and reloading the ship's shells with a click. Volley after volley was unleashed into the beast, the sound of bowstring became an endless melody behind her. Fuck, the flux battery can't take this fire rate, if I keep using the cannons I won't be able to maintain the jet force. One look behind told her that would be a very poor situation to be in.

The archers were becoming increasingly worried if their supply of what had been hundreds of arrows would last the fight. Heat rose within her heart, spreading to her mind. I am going to mash this thing until its nothing but fucking paste. The repaired railings and driftfin before her were like slaps to the face. A personal insult. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Nythera dropped a Thanaphyte shell onto the deck, the workers loaded it with haste.

"FIRE" she screamed as soon it hit the back of the cannon, the sailors flinching at the proximity. As if unison, a shell arced overhead from a great distance, slamming into the top of the Obros-Ka and blasting off yet more flesh. It impacted the pillar of green making up the other side of the maw, creating a wave of blackened flesh that spread through the creature. Spawn jumped from the sea and began consuming the dead flesh, many dying shortly after.

Disgusting, I will do Kronan a favor by purging this species from the sea. The ship finally pulled past the maw, its firing run complete. Again, we aren't even close to done. Rowen and the men gripped the railings hard, one man hugging the mast as she pulled it hard to the left in a loop. As she completed the rotation, the thrashing spawn below came into sight. So that's what's been chasing us? Good thing we brought a whole squad of archers. Then she looked up, into the seas before the maw.

The spawn were everywhere, drawn into a great frenzy from the waterfalls of ichor that cascaded down with flesh. A small contingent of thrashing water broke off for the more distant ships. They're prepared, we made sure of that, I'm sure Blune and Ret can manage. Another shell arced in front from a distance, blasting into the spot a tentacle met the main body, sending the whole thing crashing down.

At the point the tentacles were all in motion, waving blindly for a target, though several sought her, they were far too slow. The ship rocketed forth back towards the maw and the green waves set upon them. Leaping out of the water the spawn aimed for the ship, most of them missed or got killed by the hull, but a lucky few out of hundreds was still a swarm. Not on my watch. Nythera jerked the controls to the left, sending half of them off the edge, but many still rained down on the deck or worse, the drift fins.

"AAAAEEEEEEEEEE" an archer screamed as a spawn landed on his head, the momentum yanking him off the back of the ship and into the waters below. Nythera held out her arm, activating Cannon-Arm and annihilating a cluster hanging onto the railings of the upper deck. She was thrown back into the opposite railing and nearly off the ship. I need to watch it or I'll fucking kill myself with it. The railing was chipped from the explosion. FUCK.

On the lower deck Rowen cut down one after another in a ceaseless dance of lightning and swordplay.

"READY THE MINES, NOW!" Nythera screamed. The sailors nodded and jumped below deck through the hatch. Another shell flew far overhead, metal glinting in the sunlight.

"DROP THEM" Nythera shouted above the roar of the waves. The maw, a great black abyss, stood still on their portside. The ship was so close that the teeth were actually straight above the ship. I hate getting this close, but there's no other way to ensure they detonate in the creature. One sailor worked to dump the barrels while another carried a second thanaphyte round to her cannon. At least this close the spawn don't bother us, probably don't like getting eaten by their own mother.

"FIRE" She screamed, launching a shell straight into the cavernous interior, a brief flash of light was the only indication she got that shit hit anything. Nythera pulled them out of the maw to go back to their firing run. What is that? In the waters below, the sea now half green, bigger green blobs were appearing, man-sized. Fuck Kronan, they get bigger? Distant booms were the only indication they had that the mines did anything, echoes emanating from within.

Yet another round coursed overhead, a sign that the other ships had yet to fall. The spawn fell like rain, no matter where she piloted, they pelted onto the ship, some dying on impact. Nythera had to pull the ship higher despite the flux costs as thirty foot waves crashed beneath them. The battery isn't going to fucking last, shit. I've got to slow us down on the next firing run… The controls were not reacting properly either, even with Synchronized Thunder, the ship did not pivot as gracefully as it once had.

A simple glance to the side told her why. One of the drift fins was nothing but fabric flapping in the wind, presumably sliced apart by the sharp teeth from the spawn. The drift fin wasn't the only wrecked thing, the main sail fluttered in the wind, cut from several long gashes, the once self-propelling fabrics were rendered useless. The first of her mushroom shells plunked onto the deck, crushing the corpse of a dead spawn and sending ooze out. Well I hope the mishmashed shell of assorted shrooms does something.

"LOAD IT, GO" Nythera dodged a spawn flying overhead, it slammed into the deck below. Rowen dispatched it a moment later.

"FIRE" she screeched, aiming the cannon for a higher shot. As the shell pierced the flesh, it detonated, sending out a wave of undulating energy, like waves of force, it tore through tentacles after tentacle, ripping them apart. The sky rained tentacles as big as buildings. Shell after shell, they fired without looking up. Each volley depleted her flux further. As they coursed forward Nythera slammed hard on the controls to pivot.

Even with her skills, the ship did respond properly, sliding through the air sideways as she tried to turn. Those drift fins were really important, weren't they? Blast it, fine I'll do it myself. Releasing Aether Cannon, she resummoned it on the upper deck.

"FIRE" and launched a shell into the sea randomly. The momentum jolted the ship slightly to the side, accelerating their turn. Come on, RELOAD! As the ship finally pivoted, Nythera cranked the jet force. The battery is nearly down to one third, we aren't going to last much longer, it has to die now. Nythera unsummoned and brought the cannon forth on the starboard side, the greenwave of spawn prevented the sailors from getting anywhere near the cannon.

"Kronan damned buggers" One of the sailors tried stabbing at the green blobs, tripped on ichor and knocked his head back against the railings. He wasn't moving. Fine, I'll do it myself. Her will tore through the construct, ripping apart the half-formed shell within. Hyper-flux flowed from her like a river of molten rock, filling the cannon with a weight that caused everyone aboard to turn to the cannon. Even the spawn. Rowen raced forth, cutting through them like scythe through geldgrain to protect the cannon.

"FIRE" the shell arced forth, chasing the ambient flux as it coursed through the air. The canopy of tentacles had been thinned to the point where sunlight reached their ship racing along the cusp of the maw. From a gaping crater, ichor ran like rivers, the Hyper-flux tore through the flesh like it wasn't even there. Is there anything this flux can't kill? Hyper-Flux: 206/306 As soon as I get more Hyper-flux, the shells more than double in cost, lovely.

Heat rose within, coursing through her veins and bringing power to her fingertips, casting sparks off her skin. Infernal rage boiled over within hijacking her hyper-flux and filling the cannon with much more than usual. DIE, I am going to murder this green fuckwad. Nythera no longer piloted the controls, merely glaring hatefully at the Obros-ka. Which allowed the waves of jumping spawn to land onboard in greater numbers. A glimmer of light above caught her attention. What the fuck am I doing?

We shouldn't be this close. It crashed into the intersection of tooth and flesh, severing through. The great tooth fell, the entire creature vibrating with agony. With a flick of her mind, she sent the ship rocketing further from the mouth. The last sailor alive below was torn to pieces, ripped in two by spawn on either side. The other had already been devoured. The archers were all long since gone. No… no, we were supposed to be prepared for this. It wasn't supposed to go like this.

Straightening her arm, she unleashed Cannon-arm on the nearest cluster, blasting a whole group off the lower deck. And again, and again. These fucking bastards, they killed my crew. She raised her arm and took off a massive group clinging to the central mast. The selva fabric burned in an instant, turning to ash.

"FUCK" She screamed. SLLLLLLLPPPPPPPPPPPP With a pivot on the heel, Nythera found herself face to face with the biggest spawn she had ever seen, the height of a grown man, its maw was nearly as big as she was. Nythera whipped her arm up, rapidly charging another shot.

"FIRE" she screamed. It moved with a speed that betrayed its size. Her shot never went off. Because her arm was in its mouth. She pulled it back. A stump, a bloody stump was all that remained.