Chapter 174: Battle At Morgan's Lake
A serpent erupted from the lake.
The animal was more than twenty-four feet long, and it was still impossible just how huge it truly was since it still mostly was in the water.
The beast had a striped pattern that went all over his body. The stripes were black and green. The serpent had an army of fangs that was coming out of its mouth. Not just a pair of it, but quite literally a long series of sharp teeth that were piling on another. Legions of teeth. The trio observed the monster erupting out of the lake in terror. Not knowing what to do at all. The serpent screeched in fury as they were still attempting to figure out what to do about this… Problem… If one could even call it that.
September wasted no time in summoning her flying broomstick out of thin air and jumped right back on it. Riding it again. She hovered in the air. Trying to get away from the serpent before it was too late.
It wasn't about her escaping and leaving the others to the serpent, it was rather about her attempting to make a diversion. She didn't want April or Junk or even the wounded Gill to suffer the terrible fate of the lake monster.
So, she took flight and did her best to attract the beast. She did her best to try to be appealing to it. But in all reality, September didn't really have to do anything to be more appealing and attractive. Especially to a beast such as this monster. Almost as soon as she took flight and floated over the creature, its gaze was switched toward her entirely, instead of staring and attempting to attack the group entirely. Now, it was her. Only her that he was after. No one else. The serpent screeched again.
"You want me! Come and get me!" September shouted at it.
"What is she doing?" April asked out loud, confused.
"She is making a diversion," the demon briefly mentioned. He immediately understood that this was what she was going for. Unfortunately, for her, the fact that she had decided to make a diversion also meant that she would be making a big sacrifice. Not too long after taking flight and having started to buzz like a bug all around the monster to distract it, the serpent quickly snapped out at her in frustration.
It successfully managed to snag her in midair using its tail. It caught and then ensnared her in its coil. Her broomstick was thrown away and then fell into the lake. September had been captured. Which left April greatly worried about her. Meanwhile, Junk gritted his teeth. This frustrated him even more than the serpent was frustrated earlier as it was screeching at the Autumn witch.
"Sept!" April shouted her name, profoundly panicked.
"Witch!" The Minotaur wasn't liking this any more than her. The horned demon had to do something. He was the one who had to fix everything. He looked around. He noticed the two cauldron shards. They were still floating at the surface of the water, not too far from the beach. It wasn't too late. He could still retrieve them, preventing the monster from taking, (because it truly felt like it was seeking just that). But the most important thing was to save the witch first. He still didn't get to have sex with her in quite some time now. And he was counting on it. She wasn't going to leave this world before he made love to her again.
"That's right. You've got me, big boy. Now, let my f‒" she paused, at the exact moment she was going to say a certain word. "‒Let my followers go…" she said to him, her voice greatly weakening as the serpent suffocated her with its coil. It was soon the end for her.
"Don't even think about it!" but at the same moment during which the serpent was going to break her body with its coil and then to bite her head off, the demon charged forward and leapt into the air. He managed to dash at the beast's head and to hit it with his horns. Leaving two bloody marks on the side of its face and preventing it from hurting September any more than it had been the case. The serpent screeched in pain. But it wasn't enough. September was still under its control. And the serpent was furious. It came back with a vengeance.
The Minotaur was next on its list. It came back for him and was intending on eating him alive. Junk was able to get out of the way in time before he was swallowed by the creature, but he ended up getting pushed away and nearly drowned after being sent into the lake. The serpent was going to be back again. It wasn't over. Junk was panting. He barely made it out alive and was able to get back to the surface of the water.
The monster located him again in the lake and swam toward him. Still in the possession of the Autumn witch, who was clinging on to life, but just barely. The demon attempted to swim away from the creature, but it swam much, much better and faster than he was. It was no use. If he didn't think of something else, he was going to be eaten alive by the serpent. He saw his life passing in front of his life when‒all of a sudden‒a blast of green energy was fired at the creature right before it could reach him and eat him in the water. Junk turned around. It was April. She was now holding her magical bow.
The bow that Junk forged for her. She had recently summoned it while Junk was busy battling with it seconds ago. The green arrow of magical energy she shot at the creature was strong enough to stop him and neutralize him for the time being, but not for far longer. It was now or never.
"Junk! Get out of the water! It's your chance!" April shouted at him. The demon considered it. Strongly. But while he was in the water, he looked around and saw the two cauldron shards. They were right here. They peacefully floated right to him. He stared at them for the longest time.
"What are you doing? Get out!" she shouted again.
"No."
"What?" she grew confused.
The demon made his choice.
He grabbed the two shards and swam closer to the momentarily paralyzed serpent rather than back to the beach. He used the last couple of seconds he still had to stab the beast in the eyes with the shards.
One shard for each eye.