Chapter 365: Time to Bear Responsibility
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The Blood Lake quickly turned into a vortex and the noise it made was akin to rolling thunder. The centre part of the lake had become funnel-shaped and the small island as well as the church on it had undoubtedly been swallowed by the vortex. The scene was so petrifying that even a dumb rock like Lily bristled in fear. The husky lass let out a low growl, before scurrying behind Hao Ren. "It's leaking... The lake is leaking!"
Marshal Ophra stared in disbelief as well when she saw the scene at the lake, muttering to herself, "Ha-Have we angered the goddess?"
If it managed to shake the venerable marshal, the shock was even more profound when it came to the common soldiers. They were all basically believers of the goddess. In addition, the ones sent to the Blood Lake were the most battle-hardened of them all. These warriors saw something that only happened in legends. It unfolded before their eyes on their very sacred grounds. Fear gripped each and everyone of them. If had not been for their training and discipline as well as Marshal Ophra's presence, things would have been chaotic.
The muscular old man beside Ophra stared at the lake for a while before his aura started to change. "The sacred lake has been defiled and the lake is swallowing the church. Whatever that's been sealed since the old times may come out. Ready yourselves! Stay in formation! We may engage in combat at anytime!" Upon finishing, the old man had completely transformed. His already muscular frame was even more prominent as his muscles started bulging. His hair and beard grew out almost like a wolf's fur. Shortly after, black wolf ears popped out as well. He then turned around and pulled his tail out from his pants.
Marshal Ophra looked at him. "Can you just not wear the low-cut pants and loose shirts your kind likes to wear?"
Still adjusting his tail, the old man said, "Don't talk to me, it ruins my poise."
"..."
Only then did Lily manage to react, leaping excitedly as she saw his transformation. "Whoa! You're... one of my kin! You're a werewolf too?"
"Lassy, do you need to be so surprised when you see a werewolf?" The old man glanced at Lily. "Holetta doesn't have that many werewolves, but we are not that rare. Rather... you, lassy, I've noticed you for a while now, but I can't tell which stock you're from."
Lily was wagging her tail excitedly, and in the rain, it turned into a mini hurricane. "I'm a northern werewolf! The northern stock that pulls sleighs!"
Ophra and the old werewolf were totally confused. Hao Ren quickly interjected. "Don't worry about the details. She doesn't know where she's from and she was raised by humans. Let's rendevous with the survivors."
Under the guidance of the old werewolf, everyone was on combat alert as they headed towards the pillar of light near the lake's shore. The light was similiar to the one seen in town earlier. It was a warning signal. The knights and monks who managed to evacuate the church had already set up camp on a safe spot. They were awaiting aid and reinforcements. They never thought the first to arrive would be the Royal Knights led by Marshal Ophra, instead of the Church Knights led by Bishop Gelton.
Hao Ren saw a big, magical barrier by the shore and a big group of people were taking shelter from the storm. There were some runic stones and activation devices around the perimeter of the barrier. A group of clergymen clad in black could be seen maintaining the barrier. Inside, there were about a hundred worn out and battered knights as well as clergies. A few of them were sprawled across the floor and a group of wounded were receiving treatment. Nervous-looking warriors were everywhere, talking softly amongst themelves. They wondered what the disaster boded for them. A few high level clergies in white robes were walking around the group of "refugees", comforting them and stabilising their spirits.
Ophra led her knights to the camp and her arrival caused some commotion. Some of the high level clergies walked out from the masses and Marshal Ophra led Hao Ren as well as her entourage to meet them. "I am Marshal Ophra. What's the situation?"
"We thought Bishop Gelton would come here..." a tall and lanky clergy in a white robe spoke with caution, but under the current situation, he did not bother arguing about doctrine anymore. He pointed towards the group behind him. "As you can see, we have evacuated the people out of the church, but all the valuable treasure and tomes in the repository are lost."
Hao Ren noticed that most of the survivors were empty-handed, and the few items that they managed to save lay in the middle of the camp. It seemed like the vortex had formed rather suddenly, and before anyone could fully react, the church and the island were already consumed by it.
"Bishop Gelton is leading his men here. But, my troops are well-versed in rapid marching, so we arrived earlier than them." Ophra nodded. "How did the vortex form? Were there any warning signs? What happened after that?"
"It just came so suddenly without warning," the tall clergy said. He was clearly shaken by the experience. "Before the vortex manifested, we only heard some loud rumbling from beneath the lake. It was almost like a giant beast swallowing a whole body of water. After that, a giant earthquake struck and the whole island started shifting. Soon after, the vortex formed. Thankfully, the guards were the best among the best. Their faith gave us protection and we escaped by treading over the lake."
There were no ominous signs and no appearances of any monsters. But, there was no divine guidance as well. The very lack of it confounded the pious lot. However, something suddenly struck Hao Ren, an almost "Oh, f*ck" moment came about in his mind. Was this his doing?
He still remembered the commotion under the lake during the spacecraft excavation, which was conducted by the Kerbalians!"
"Captain Hao Ren, have you found anything?" Ophra noticed the change in Hao Ren's breathing and threw him the question. She knew that this "mercenary group" was totally odd. She reckoned that they discovered something the night before and it had something to do with the devastation that day.
Hao Ren simply shook his head. "Nothing. I was just spacing out. What do you think we should do, Marshal?"
"We need to check the vortex out." Ophra did not hesitate. "There may be danger, but you can wait by the shore."
Hao Ren wanted to look for a quiet place to observe things, but thinking back on what he had done beneath the lake, he needed to check it out for himself. Nevertheless, seeing how violent the vortex was, he gulped hard. "How do we even get in? The whole island is gone."
The vortex was about a kilometre wide. The scale and strength of the thing was terrifying. The centre of the vortex was almost like a swirling abyss and Hao Ren got dizzy just from looking at it for a short while. He could not figure out a safe way to get to the bottom of the lake. Within his group, Vivian could fly; Y'zaks, while an apocalyptic fighter was above average under water; Lily could only doggy paddle; and Becky... well, forget about it. One could not even pop a submarine out there. And given the strength of the vortex, it may as well not be there at all.
"If Wuyue was around, things would be a little easier," Hao Rem mumbled and that caught Ophra's curiosity. "That girl who went to the mountains? What's so special about her?"
"She's a great Aquamancer." Hao Ren pointed towards the lake. "Even if she can't bring us in, she won't drown from attempting it herself."
"Aquamancer, eh? I have a few here." Ophra was not too concerned as she pointed towards a few of the soldiers behind her. A few of them were clad in a mage's combat robes. "They should be able to bring a few people through the vortex safely. But, we better wait for Bishop Gelton. This is the sacred lake after all."
A group of knights temporarily retreated to the lakeside camp to recuperate. Among Ophra's elites were a few mages who specialised in barriers, and they expanded the magic barrier to accommodate everyone present. With the barrier, the peole within were sheltered from the storm outside, and that brought Hao Ren some measure of relief. Being caught in a storm was really frustrating.
Lily started going around the camp, looking for new friends. The moment she saw someone big she went, "Hey! Are you a werewolf? Are you a werewolf too? Ah, the lady over there, are you a werewolf? Hi bro, are you a werewolf...."
She was her usual excited self whenever she found her kind in this world. Well, thanks to the simple-minded husky's cheerful nature, the sprits of those in the camp were somewhat lifted.
Vivian pulled Hao Ren to the side when others were not looking, dragging him to a quiet place. "Mr. Landlord, the vortex, can it be..."
Hao Ren had a complicated expression written across his face. "Let's not mention it. The MDT ran a scan and there's a hole beneath the vortex. The lake water was just drained through it and it's the same spot where we dug the spaceship!"