The Gate of Eight Worlds

Chapter 16:Duel on the Deep Trench

The iron deck tilted wildly beneath their feet as sea water rushed into the shattered port engine room. Scalding plumes of white steam hissed through the floorplates, enveloping the ruined quarterdeck in a thick, sulfurous haze.

Through the mist stepped General Vane. His dark, steam-vented plate armor clanked heavily with every step, his chest plate pulsing with an ominous crimson light. In his gauntleted hands, he held a massive six-foot iron broadsword, its edge notched and blackened by furnace heat.

"You are too late, royal brat!" Vane growled, his voice rasping through the brass grille of his helm. "The key piece is already powering the trench-lock! The sea will claim this entire citadel before your fleet can drop anchor!"

"Not while I breathe, Vane!" Alex declared, stepping forward onto the slick iron deck.

The pale mark on Alex's right palm flared with a searing brilliance, sending a wave of golden sun-fire cascading along the steel of his blade. He raised his glowing sword into a high guard just as Vane charged, his iron boots leaving dented footprints in the deck plates.

Vane brought his broadsword down in a brutal, two-handed overhead strike. Alex pivoted, parrying the blow with a sharp upward angle. Sparks showered across the deck as white-hot magic met black iron. The force of the impact drove Alex down to one knee, the steel grating groaning beneath the pressure.

"Alex!" Dwaho called out from atop Barnaby’s harness, his eyes glowing electric-blue. He scanned the swirling currents pulling the ship's stern down into the abyss. "The trench-lock mechanism isn't in the cabin—it's mounted to the iron pedestal on the lower deck stern rail! Look for the brass housing under Vane's mantle!"

"Barnaby, get Dwaho down to that rail!" Alex shouted, surging back up to push Vane’s heavy blade aside.

Barnaby let out a sharp screech, banking low through the white clouds of steam. Dwaho unclipped his harness, dropping down onto the slippery stern railing near the thundering churn of the drowning ship.

Vane swung his blade in a sweeping horizontal arc, trying to catch Alex across the ribs. Alex ducked beneath the heavy iron, bringing his sun-fire blade up in a swift counter-thrust. The golden light pierced through Vane's shoulder guard, melting the brass rivets and causing hot hydraulic oil to spray across the deck.

Vane grunted in pain, stumbling back against the ruined wheelhouse as his steam-powered arm malfunctioned, spurting white vapor into the night air.

"Now, Dwaho!" Alex yelled, locking blades with Vane once more to hold the giant general in place.

On the lower stern rail, Dwaho reached the glowing pedestal. An ancient, seashell-shaped shard of blue crystal was wedged tightly into a black-iron mechanical clamp, pulsing with blue energy that kept the underwater trench-gates sealed tight below.

Dwaho’s Sight pinpointed the locking gear. "The release pin is jammed with iron rust!" he shouted, drawing his sling. He loaded a heavy granite stone, pulled back the leather pouch, and unleashed the shot directly at the brass release pin.

CRACK!

The pin shattered. The mechanical clamp popped open, freeing the ancient blue crystal shard. Dwaho lunged forward, snatching the second piece of the Master Key just as a massive swell broke over the stern.

The moment the key shard was removed from the iron clamp, the underwater trench-lock dissolved. Deep beneath the waves, the ancient white marble doors of the Sunken Palace unlocked, sending a massive shockwave of blue light surging up through the ocean.

"No!" Vane roared, looking toward the stern as his armor lost its magical siphon.

Alex seized the opening. Channeling every ounce of power from his palm-crest, he swept his blade in a blinding arc of pure golden flame, shattering Vane’s heavy broadsword in two and striking the general's breastplate. The force of the sun-shockwave blasted General Vane backward off the deck, sending the iron-clad commander plummeting down into the dark waters of the Deep Trench.

"Alex, jumping!" Dwaho cried as the dreadnought’s bow reared up into the air for its final plunge.

Barnaby swooped down through the driving sea spray. Alex leaped from the tilted deck, catching the griffin's stirrup strap as Barnaby hauled them skyward, leaving the sinking iron warship to be swallowed by the black ocean below.