But it was too soon to celebrate. A swarm of insects came on its heels, with every kind imaginable: wasps, cockroaches, locusts, flies... Affected by Fel, the pests had developed slight deformities and mutations. They glowed green and had also become more aggressive.
Everyone swung their weapons to drive away the flying insects around them. Gordon's flame sword was particularly effective against the bugs, crackling through a swath of them with every sweep, but there were simply too many. Black specks covered the soldiers on the outside.
Fortunately, their protective measures were good. As long as they shielded their eyes, they would be all right. Some of the weaker insects dropped straight out of the air upon entering the Holy Light barrier, while the stronger ones were weakened by it and could not immediately bite through the soldiers' armor.
A few insects landed on Unas as well. He frantically swatted at them, goosebumps breaking out all over his body, but there were too many to deal with. No sooner had he managed to kill a few than more flew in.
The rafts continued forward at high speed. All three were now in the middle of the swarm, and nearly everyone was covered in insects biting at them madly. Unas was on the verge of breaking down, but someone else broke down even faster.
As the only woman and the only Priest in the party, Whitemane had been protected in the very center. But now cockroaches and locusts crawled all over her dark red Priest's robes, and none of the spells she tried worked.
She had once thought she could face any fear, but she had never expected to be defeated so soon by these tiny insects.
Her strained nerves had reached their limit. Unable to bear it any longer, she let out a wail she would never admit to for the rest of her life. She finally broke down, no longer caring about her image, tears and snot gushing like a fountain.
The silver-haired inquisitor squeezed her eyes shut, hugged her head, and hopped around a few times before falling onto the deck, trembling all over.
Darian stood helplessly beside her.
It was always easy to find happiness in someone else's suffering. Seeing Whitemane break down, Unas relaxed considerably, and his fear of the insects fell by the wayside.
A little pleasure and regret rose in his heart at the same time. He was pleased to see Whitemane in such a sorry state, but regretted that he had originally given the beauty's looks a perfect ten. Now he would have to deduct a point.
"Smoke bottles! Ready—" Gordon's voice cut through the buzzing of the swarm.
Unas hurriedly pulled out two small wooden bottles. Before boarding, everyone had been issued several bottles of this alchemical product. They were simple to use: shake them, pull out the stoppers, and throw them, and they would release insect-repelling smoke. They were said to be the ultimate weapon against insects and were not to be used until a critical moment.
"Throw!" Gordon shouted. The insects were at their densest now, so the bottles should have the greatest effect.
The soldiers threw the smoke bottles in every direction. A pungent smell instantly overwhelmed the stench of decay brought by the swarm. The liquid flowing from the bottles floated on the water, bubbling and giving off white vapor like boiling water.
The clamor of the swarm suddenly grew louder. Insects swept by the white vapor fell onto the water in droves. Several shrieks suddenly sounded from the center of the island again. This time, they clearly were not an order to attack, because the swarm began turning back. The insects on the people spread their wings and flew out of the barrier as well, and the soldiers cheered again.
Unas did not relax. Afraid there might still be insects on him, he started shaking his body as if dancing disco, only to suddenly discover a large number of red dots on the map in his mind. Looking more closely, he saw that the red dots underwater ahead were packed so tightly they almost formed a solid mass!
The rafts continued speeding forward, propelled by the waves. Sense Undead had a range of only a hundred meters, and in an instant, all three rafts were directly above the red dots.
"Watch out below!" he screamed, raising the alarm.
But just then, Unas felt a jolt beneath his feet. An undercurrent suddenly surged up from below and slammed violently into the bottom of the raft. There was a tremendous bang, sending wood chips and water flying.
A huge iron hook from beneath the water had punched a gaping hole through the bottom of the raft. The soldier standing where it struck was knocked to the deck, coughing blood.
The anchor-sized iron hook was attached to a chain as thick as a thigh. The enemy at the other end of the chain pulled again from underwater, sending the dark red hook swinging through the air before it pierced another soldier's shoulder.
Everyone on the raft was thrown off balance, and they could only watch as the soldier was dragged screaming through the hole by the hook and chain.
The raft was nearly falling apart, and water kept surging through the gaping hole. Unas felt it sinking with every passing moment. Worst of all, on the map in his mind, the red dots beneath their feet had merged into a solid mass. No one had expected the Dreadlord to have hidden an army of Undead underwater, waiting for them to enter the trap.
The other two rafts suffered the same fate. The Undead broke through their bottoms, and the entire vanguard fell into the water. Gordon roared, but there was nothing he could do. They were only two hundred meters from the island at the center of the lake, but the water beneath those two hundred meters was teeming with Undead creatures that had no need to breathe.
Unas clung tightly to his wooden shield, barely managing to stay afloat. Gordon swam quickly over to him, shoved the air bladder he was holding into his hands, and shouted desperately to everyone around them, "Rally on me! Rally on me!"
The Holy Light barrier was still working, and the Undead's movements underwater were severely restricted. It was not yet time to despair.
As the vanguard came under attack, all the empty rafts at the small fishing village's crude Docks set off, propelled by the current. Archmage Angela frowned deeply and concentrated with all her might. Using the current to control so many rafts was a tremendous test of her control. Fine beads of sweat formed on her forehead, and damp strands of golden hair clung to the sides of her face.
Erigor stood motionless beside her as her protector. He looked calm, but the hand unconsciously patting his sword betrayed his nervousness.
Tyrosus clenched his fists, in no hurry to give the order to mount a rescue. His unshakable composure gradually quelled the soldiers' clamor.
Angela raised her staff high and chanted an incantation at the top of her voice. She had promised everyone beforehand that the vanguard would be safe, and she would bring them back!
A fierce undercurrent rushed toward them from the Docks. It swept beneath the soldiers in the water and exploded like a Sea Mine, scattering a large number of the Undead lying in ambush below. The weaker skeletal soldiers were blown apart outright. The waves even overturned the owner of the chain hook—an Abomination—on the lakebed. With its heavy body, it would not be easy for it to get back up underwater.
The aftermath of the Sea Mine explosion pushed the soldiers on the surface some distance back. Seizing the opportunity, Gordon led them as they swam desperately toward the shore. But some of the less physically strong soldiers who lagged behind were dragged underwater, screaming.
Unas gripped Gordon's belt and glanced at the map. With the push from the Sea Mine explosion, they had escaped the area where the red dots were clustered, with only a few scattered dots trailing behind.
They seemed to be out of danger, but if this continued, the entire party would be picked off bit by bit. Someone had to cover the rear. Gordon had already realized this. He turned and shouted, "Darian!"
Not far away, Darian was protecting Whitemane. The silver-haired inquisitor did not seem to be much of a swimmer either. When Darian swam over, Gordon took the white obsidian from his chest and placed it in his hand, squeezing his hand tightly. "Don't just look after your sister!"
Those words stung both siblings. Their performance really had been somewhat poor, and they had nearly brought the Ashbringer family's honor into disgrace. Darian pressed his lips together and accepted the gem without a word.
Unas chuckled inwardly. Gordon's art of speaking definitely deserved a negative score.
But he soon stopped laughing. Gordon stopped, turned around, and swam in the opposite direction.
Was he going to cover the rear?
In the water, Unas was a burden to Gordon and could only go wherever Gordon went. Since Gordon was going to cover the rear, he could only risk his life and accompany him.