Gunmage-Chapter 35: 7 months

Seven months later...

Lugh woke up, his body weak and spent. His back rested on the sandy beach. The sky above him was an endless stretch of blue and the sun shone brightly.

The glorious sun, a sight he had yearned for.

"I guess this means the ritual was a success"

He muttered, slowly pushing himself to his feet.

The recent events left a sour taste in his mouth. Aldric's betrayal had nearly cost them their lives. Had it not been for the priestess's last-minute intervention, he wasn't sure what would have happened.

Speaking of the priestess, she lay nearby, unconscious on the sand. Her long, white dress reflected the sunlight, making her appear radiant, almost ethereal.

A few meters away, Lyra lay still, her long braided hair draped over her like a blanket. They had all been sent to the same place. This was a relief.

Lugh took a moment to survey his surroundings. The patch of land they had landed on was utterly ruined. Bullet casings, scorched earth, ash, and craters scarred the landscape.

Further to the left, where land met the pitch black sea, abandoned landing craft could be seen. Some had been beached, while others drifted lazily in the ocean.

The area lacked a naval port, so the larger vessels and warships were anchored much further out at sea, unable to approach the shore for fear of running aground in the shallow waters.

As for the ships themselves, only a little over two dozen remained anchored nearby. One of the FSV-12s was missing, and the other looked so extensively damaged, it was a miracle it remained afloat.

From what he could observe, only one of the massive flagships remained functional. Though covered in battle scars, it looked far better than the other vessels.

Lugh sighed at the dilapidated state of the once-imposing fleet. Many good men must lost their lives to the horrors of the sea.

Suddenly, he heard a groan. The ladies, sprawled ungracefully on the sand, began to stir. Lyra was the first to open her eyes. The sun shone blindingly, causing her to squint, but her joy was unmistakable.

"We made it out"

She murmured before breaking into a fit of unhinged laughter.

"Hello, Mr. Sun, you're looking fine today."

Her voice was filled with glee.

The priestess blinked sluggishly

"Is that the sun?"

She asked with uncertainty.

Lugh and Lyra exchanged a wary glance before nodding.

"It's quite different from what I remember."

'I really hope she doesn't mean anything by that'

Lugh chose not to ask. He had a feeling he wouldn't like the answer.

A moment of silence passed before Lyra spoke

"If by some miracle, I ever come across that bastard, I will kill him."

Lugh shared her sentiment.

Aldric had betrayed them all.

Just then, a sharp voice cut through the air.

"Who are you?!"

It was followed by the clicking of a gun.

A fully armed squad of about ten soldiers had appeared. They wielded rifles and machine guns, their eyes scanning Lugh and the others with caution.

More importantly, they wore the uniform of the Ophris Kingdom.

"Stop! Don't shoot!"

Lugh exclaimed, raising his hands and spreading his fingers. Seeing Lugh's action, Lyra did the same, her hands leaving the hilt of her sword.

The priestess, however, remained indifferent.

The leader of the squad appeared to be a beautiful woman with deep-set purple eyes, glistening silver hair, and long, pointy ears.

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An elf?

What was an elf doing here?

Not only that, she was dressed in oversized men's trousers, boots, and a combat vest, wielding a single bolt rifle.

The sight was bizarre and outlandish.

Lugh was confused.

"Who are you?!"

She demanded again, her eyes hardened.

"I am Sergeant Lyra of the 7th battalion. These are my associates"

Lyra began.

"Our ship sank during the attacks in the Devil Sea, but we managed to survive."

The soldiers looked at them with bewildered expressions.

The elf exhaled, her voice clearly unimpressed.

"So you mean to tell me that you didn't just survive falling into the Devil Sea, but you did so for six months?"

Her tone became aggressive.

"Do you take me for a fool?"

Lyra knew how unbelievable this sounded. But what was she supposed to say? That they had been swallowed by an eldritch horror? That they had lived inside it?

Forget if they believed it, the Kingdom wasn't ready for the secrets of that place.

"Let's cut the bullshit,"

The elf started again.

"Who are you and where did you really come from? And don't think of lying to me. I clearly sensed the mana fluctuations coming from this place."

Lugh tensed. That was bad.

But before he could speak, the priestess clapped her hands together.

"Oh? You sensed it?"

She mused.

"My, what an amazing magician you must be."

Silence.

Lugh couldn't tell if her words were genuine or sarcastic, and from the looks of it, neither could the others. The air grew tense with a dangerous silence.

"This could get ugly"

He thought, feeling the cold weight of his daggers. He stepped forward to smooth the situation.

"Miss—uh—madame?"

The elf's brows twitched.

"It's Vaelith"

"Ah, yes, Vaelith. It might sound unrealistic, but we were actually soldiers on the fleet. Come on, Sergeant, show them your dog tag"

Lugh reminded Lyra, who immediately reached into her pocket and pulled out a small piece of metal.

She tossed it over, and the elf scrutinized it.

"This... doesn't look fake," she admitted before tucking it away.

"Now, what about you?"

"Huh?"

"Where is your dog tag?"

"Ah."

Lugh was momentarily speechless.

"I don't have one"

The elf was beginning to lose her patience.

Lugh couldn't blame her. The story, the timing, and, most importantly, their appearance were more than enough cause for hostility.

Lyra's hair was still extremely long. They had tried to cut it, but the damned thing was literally impossible to cut. Not even the enchanted sword could shear it.

They had eventually settled for braiding it, but it still reached below her knees. Lyra might have looked the strangest of them all, but Lugh was the most unsettling.

Not him in particular, but his right eye.

The Mawglass.

For one, it was a completely black eye with red pupils. An unnatural, inhuman gaze with effects far more sinister than they could ever imagine.

They would be right to fear it.

The priestess was the only one who looked normal. But from what Lugh knew, she was infinitely more terrifying.

"I'm only going to ask one more time"

The elf stated, her voice dangerously low as she lined her shot.

"Who are you?"

"This is bad,"

Lugh analyzed before coming up with an idea.

"Remember that ship at the edge of the formation?"

He began.

"The one they had to torch? Yeah, that was us."

Vaelith's eyes flashed imperceptibly as she considered for a while.

"Are you magicians?"

"Yes"

Lugh replied without missing a beat.

"Are you humans?"

Lugh paused.