A Guide to Kingdom Building ( Me Reincarnated 365 x)

Chapter 223 -  222- The Cold, Bloody Sea Pt. 3

Tarsuria, Year of Severus, 18, I.R., the 63rd day of Spring, The Ardantean Strait

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The bushes moved violently, Ghwynmyr tore a cloth from his sleeve and used it to wrap the mysterious aetherium.  He took the stone and ran to the camp before he could figure out what was on the other side of the bush.

He met with his squad in their camp who were still confused with what Urfaal was trying to tell them. Ghwynmyr immediately told them to stop arguing and start listening.

"Tis a Necromaton I've encountered!" He told them. "There might be more comin'." Ghwynmyr clicked his tongue as he fumbled through his sleeping bag for his dagger. "Tis no time to standin' round here! We bettar move!"

The other bombardiers nodded and took out their weapons before going out on the open to fight the undead puppets. They ran into the beach where they were taken aback with what they saw. The sandy shore was filled with blood and flames. Commander Crovar's crew was fighting a small group of zombies, fending them off from getting inside the ship.

Ghwynmyr looked around and saw the young commander fighting some undead knights who were able to reach near the ship's hull. The brave commander swung his sabre right into the neck of the undead monster. The blade lopped the undead's head off its head, but the body was still determined to attack him.

Without any hesitations, Ghwynmyr went and jumped at the undead monster and stab its back with his dagger. He hung at the back of the monster as Commander Crovar fought off the body and was about to use his light magic when Ghwynmyr noticed it.

"Nay! Don't ya use magic!" Ghwynmyr gritted his teeth as he struggled. "Stab 'em in da chest!"

Upon hearing him, Commander Crovar immediately pushed the undead away from himself. He ducked under the monster's wide swing and finally targeted its heart by letting his thin, long blade pierced the undead knight's ribs as Ghwynmyr jumped off. Both of them heard a sharp sound, like metal hitting another hard object before the monster finally went to rest. The dwarf didn't look away as he observed the dead body going limp and was finally dead as it should be.

"W-what did you just say?" Commander Crovar asked.

"Don't yah use any magic!" Ghwynmyr reiterated. "Tis gonna make it worse!"

"Why?" The young commander asked.

Ghwynmyr explained to him that the aetherium ore was at play.

"Aetherium?!" Commander Crovar exclaimed. The young commander immediately looked around his men and shouted. "Don't use magic!"

The rest of the crew were able to stop themselves from using their abilities, all except for his unfortunate first mate. Jonas swung out of the ship to the shore. Unable to control his magic, he managed to hit an undead with a water spear.

Ghwynmyr could only watch in horror as the Necromaton absorbed the magic attack and charged towards Jonas. Not even a handful of the crew could stop the raging undead. The monster simply threw the men blocking its way and went straight for Jonas just as he landed on the shore. The undead pounced at him and held his arms tightly, rendering him useless. Jonas screamed as he tried his best to get out from the hold, but the undead's strength proved to be too much for him to overpower.

The undead knight's chest suddenly glowed an eerie shade of green. The faint glow became brighter and brighter. His other crewmates rushed in to save him at the behest of their commander, but even Jonas understood that it was far too late for him. He commanded the men to fall back and let him have his fate.

The monster bit the poor first mate's neck. Blood spurted everywhere as Jonas' gurgling scream could be heard from the background. They still wanted to help their first mate and even Commander Crovar was adamant about making it their priority. But with the overwhelming number of undead their fighting and Jonas' condition, it was useless to attempt and save him.

Ghwynmyr urged Commander Crovar to change his order and instead focus on the undead. He urged the young commander to fallback and make a delta formation to stabilize their lack in numbers and be efficient with their attack. 

Commander Crovar took a glance at his fallen first mate and knew it was already too late for the man. He took a deep breath and commanded everyone to clump into a delta formation. Ghwynmyr heard a faint whisper behind him.

"…d-duck…" Jonas uttered his last word.

"Duck!" Ghwynmyr shouted as the undead's body became blindingly bright and not a few moments later, it exploded.

Ghwynmyr and the rest of the crew barely shielded themselves in time. The impact of the explosion threw most of them into the sandy shores. He stood up from the pile of his unconscious crew. There was only a small hole left from the explosion, not even Jonas' sword held up against the impact.

Commander Crovar coughed as he helped the dwarf stand. The poor commander was still confused on what just happened. As they turned around, they noticed the undead were no longer attacking them. However, Ghwynmyr felt uneasy. There was a different kind of dread looming in the air, and it seemed like they were already too late to figure out what it was.

The Necromatons stood eerily still. They weren't looking at them but instead looking back at the forest as if being called by an unknown source. Ghwynmyr had a hunch on what was about to happen and so he called Urfaal and the rest of the crew to push the boat into the sea.

"Grab 'em ropes and pull the ship. Others, push!" He shouted. "Commander, something tis afoot!"

The dazed young commander shook his head, trying to get the dizziness off his system. "Follow his lead!" Commander Crovar said as he tried to get back on his bearings.

The crew pushed their ship back to sea, the Necromatons began convulsing; all the while, their chests slowly lighting up.

"Push 'arder!" Ghwynmyr said as he wrote runes on the ground. "Make way!" He activated the runes and created pillars that helped them pushed the ship out of the shore.

"Grab those ropes and hold 'em tight!" Commander Crovar ordered.

Fortunately, the tides were kind to them and enabled them to sail away from the island. The other knights pulled up the men that were holding the ropes as Ghwynmyr and the rest of the crew were able to climb the ship before it stirred itself into the rocks. Commander Crovar was able to get a hold of the mast just in the nick of time.

In the distance, the island glowed an ethereal green, a color of demise. The light became brighter as the moment passed by. Ghwynmyr tied himself to a post and buckled up.

"Tis about to blow!" He shouted.

"Men, get ready for impact!" Commander Crovar seconded.

The light suddenly faded and the booming sound of explosion echoed throughout the strait.