Trial of gold, Learning to swim part 3

"Himenez come here!" Acosta standing no further then a foot from the barrier called out.

Himenze looked back "What?"

"I said to come here! Grab our rifles before they fall into the water" Acosta lifted his rifle like he wanted to throw it.

Himenez paused then walked closer to the barrier once again "Will this work?" he asked Acosta.

"We have to try" from Acostas' point of view the water had risen two - three feet above ground level, the water was contained by whatever invisible barrier isolated those inside the lake from the outside.

It was all rather unsettling to him but he wasn't willing to back out now.

Himenez had already shot his rifle several times aiming at the lizard men in the water but only the first shot had been successful.

The water impeded any direct shots at the lizard men leaving Himenez without many options other then to wait for a good opportunity but his ammunition was not unlimited and he needed to reload which took time.

While the bayonet attatched to the rifle could protect him if those things drew near it was not the best option.

"Ready?" Acosta asked.

"Toss it!" Himenez gestured.

The rifle flew in the air striking the area where the barrier should be and simply floated in the air.

"!"

"It's stuck?"

The rifle shook multiple times, with every shake it either leaned left or right as if something was deciding whether to allow entry to this object into the lake.

Himenez reached out unsure if it was safe or not.

He could grip the rifle without any problems but could not take it so easily.

"Put some strength into it!" Acosta yelled.

"I'm trying!" Himenez placed a foot on the barriers wall while he pulled with all his strength.

The rifle unaffected by the pulling force of Himenze still rocked back and forth until eventually the force holding the rifle had decided to let it go.

Himenez pushing with his foot away from the berrier nearly fell over into the water, he managed to keep himself balanced and the rifle safely above the water.

"Got it!" With this they now knew how to help Himenez, the only problem being how much force was required to take the weapon.

"Alvarez tu espada, give it to him" Acosta looked toward Alvarez that stood a fair distance away from the lake.

"Yes boss" without getting near he tossed the sword within it's sheath in Himenez's direction.

The sword unlike the rifle passed the barrier without retraint falling into the lakes water, Himenez had not expected the sword to simply pass the barrier, he had made no attempt to catch it.

"?"

"Why did that happen?"

Grabbing the sword he found himself without empty hands "Think I can toss this empty rifle out?" He asked Acosta while lifting the rifle he had already fired.

The group of boys in the west kept arguing amongst themselves, each side presented arguments for the course of action that they should take.

On one side targued against splitting up further, losing three people amongst their group had already put them at a disadvantage, any further splits would endanger them.

"Huitaca was reckless, she shouldn't have come here in the first place, she knows we are stronger in a group yet decided against to do something so stupid, we can't divide ourselfs anymore in equal numbers, she basically left us here to fend for ourselves"

The other side agrued that staying together was simply delaying the fight, if they continued along this path they would only be the only losers in the end.

"Look Huitaca already joined a bigger group, while those kids may not be strong there is power in numbers! Had we simply split when she told us we could have eliminated those lizard men that we already outnumbered with ease. We even have the help of that guy over there"

It was difficult to tell if something was said out of valor or fear, out of strategy or for arguments sake.

"You said it yourself 'IF' we split when she told us, but that time has passed. Now we must stick together otherwise we will have no chance at survival!"

"We can still split, the lizards had retreated giving us time to form new groups with the rest of them, if we continue along this path we'd simply be cowards"

As both sides argued ripples in the water remained unseen, the western kids had not yet experienced the lizards men's stealthy approach in deeper water to notice any differences.

Just like the kids in the west the lizard men had held a meeting, the only difference was that one of the leaders was now dead leaving only one to make all the decisions.

Unable to break out they had only one option left eliminate all opponents.

While around eleven of them had died and the vast majority had suffered various injuries they still had more then enough lizard-power to take out the most isolated group.

This time the full force of the lizard men would be taking action against a single group.

Leading the charge was the largest amongst them and what used to be part Himenez's group, one of the teens that had disappeared.

It was a slow and steady approach making sure the water left little to no traces of anything lying underneath, when the time was right they would strike.

"I'm telling you NO, we won't split, we won't join the rest and we won't help them either!"

"You-"

"Hey something's wrong"

"What?"

"What!?"

In the center of the lake a large bubble of water rouse and fell, with it waves developed dragging large amounts of water toward the edges.

"Watch it, the water is rising again"

"That's almost as tall as us!"

"Hold your breath!"

The waves made all small changes in the water impossible to see from the kids angle, any lizard men's approach was now hidden behind the waves.

Using this unexpected event the lizard men acted, with the largest speeding forward just behind the first wave.

Like a torpedo he arrived at the same moment the wave did leaving no room for anyone to notice or take action.

The kids endured the wave barely able to keep standing, the water soaked them from head to toe causing many to close their eyes for a breif moment.

"That was close, I nearly fell"

"Same, this is getting dangerous"

"Should we head back? We can't stay here anymore"

"Can we leave?"

"It should be possible no?"

"Hey where are Michua and Tutazúa?"

"...?"

They turned to their sides forgetting to check the water for any oddities.

"Weren't they right next to you?"

"I thin-"

The moment they turned away from the water facing the inner part of the lake the lizard men burst out from the water quickly bringing down the kids closest.

A slash to the neck, a bite to the upper leg, claws digging in to flesh forcefully pulling back the skin with blood spilling into the water.

The attack so sudden many still held their posture from when they resisted the wave, as the claws landed on their faces they held their feet to the ground firmly as their facial structures were reorientated.

Lizard men launched headfirst into many a kids stomach knocking the air out of their lungs leaving them defenseless.

The children furthest back had been pushed down as over thirty lizard men simply overwhelmed them with numbers.

The large lizard men came out of the water behind the kids leaving two bodies to float on their own behind him.

With no where to retreat the children panicked for the last time as their legs simply gave out.

With a slash he gutted a kid that had fallen, with a bite he broke anothers neck, the small lizard men disabled the kids arms and legs all he had to do now was finish them off.

The kids tried to struggle but as their bones broke and fractured the pain ate away at their reason, they were unable to grasp any of their weapons while the lizard men quite painful tore them apart.

The men watching in the western bank roared, their entire group had been decimated in a flash with not a single one able to fight back.

"No! I will kill you all!"

The old men opened his eyes wide, he was fuming.

The water churned for just a moment before silence returned to the water.

The old men screamed some more grabbing a club wanting to charge straight into the lake, the other men did the same.

Inside the lake Bran Ai was trying to recover, the wave earlier had knocked the vast majority of children down with many of them struggling to stay above water, a mass drowning started to take place.

Bran Ai slapped at the water like he was trying to climb it while his legs tried to touch the bottom only to find himself just short.

'Can't reach the bottom!'

Still holding the blade in hand he slammed the water with force as his body began to tilt to the side unable to balance the weight of his head in a vertical position.

Besides him two of the smaller kids heads sank into the water unable to keep themselves stable, each grabbed at the water just like Bran Ai but unlike him they failed to keep afloat.

The panicked splashing made the visibility of the water reach an all time low as the air bubbles covered all areas.

Huitaca grabbed the two girls nearest to her keeping them above the water, the two boys that came with her hurriedly grabbed a couple of the children nearest to them but they only had so many hands.

As Bran Ai began to lose balance he took a deep breath sinking below the water.

'How deep is it? Where is the ground? My body wants to go under but something keeps me from reaching the bottom!'

Unable to get a foothold on anything Bran Ai fumbled his body around.

'Up, up, come on go up!'

Pushing the water down with his hands he was managing to take a breath or two but without the ability to keep his head above water it was only delaying the worst outcome.

'My head keeps pulling me down, my body can't balance the weight without the ground below me!'

He kicked the water as quick as he could using his arms to balance his body, each step he took slowly came together allowing for him to keep his head above water.

'This is too tiring, i'm going to run out of energy soon!' he attempted to turn his body looking for anything he could cling onto.

'The big kid! But he's too far away how can I get over there?!'

"Help! H-hel-elp" others voiced out what they could before they drowned.

As the water kept rising their bodies floated further and further way from the ground, even the tallest among the children began to have trouble.

The water had been relatively calm before this but now a small current started to drag everyone into the deeper end.

For the kids that could still stand above the water with feet firmly placed on the ground this current was negligible but for Bran Ai and many like him the current was a riptide.

Huitaca tried to stop the children from being carried away but they were too spread out with many of them below the water hard to distinguish in the turbid water.

The amazonians watching from afar could do nothing from such distances while those outside could only watch, it was up to the children and the children alone to survive.

The lakes center bulged again, this time the water did not fall down and instead surged like a geyser was about to burst.

Elder Qez finally stood up, the moment he was waiting for had finally arrived.

'Just a little more, the gate will open into the city soon!'

He glanced at the mallet floating in the air giving off faint golden light, it started to flicker like a dying star.

Himenez frowned, the water was not enough to drag him off his feet but he could see the outcome of those in the west and the ongoing struggles of those in the south.

He was too far away from all of them to help even with his rifle.

'What happened?! All the kids in the west simply vanished, they can't have all drowned right? Those to the south seem to be even younger and smaller then the kids in the west, just how did they drown?'

He had not payed attention when the wave struck, he was still switching out his gear when the water suddenly struck him from behind.

Even after that when the lizard men attacked he had only seen shadows as other waves landed blocking his vision, unable to clearly tell what happened.

The amazonian girls looked at each other, they knew how to swim fairly well but weren't sure if they would make it on time to save the children.

"We've done enough, we can't risk more than this"

"But I can't just watch"

"I'm going!" A girl simply threw herself and began to swim in the direction of the current.

With that the other girls broke formation and followed after her.

"Ugh why must you do this" one complained but still followed.

Nand who was watching all of this gritted his teeth 'I barely got here and now they are leaving?'.

Left with no choice he followed after them slowly, he still had to carry his comrade.

Bran Ai leaned his head back unable to find the energy to keep it fully above the water, this left his nose and eye's comfortably above the water while the rest of him had been fully submerged.

'Well I tried, at least im not fully under the water anymore' he looked to his sides the other children had disappeared below the water with a few still struggling.

As the current dragged his body he faced the sky that was covered by mist.

'What now... If anything attacks me I'm basically dead right?' he still kicked at the water and still pushed the water down with one hand while holding the bone blade but his mobility was nil letting the current take him.

'So is this where it ends? I thought I had more time...'

The lizard men rejoicing in their recent victory payed no attention to the struggles in the south, they needed time to cool down after every fight regardless of how quick it had been.

The leader among them gorged itself in blood and flesh as his appetite surged above the rest.

With every bite his form changed ever so slightly, from small blood scales forming on his back, to the small bump that was growing below his tailbone.

Unlike the rest of the lizard men his stomach had been fully developed and could instantly digest even the toughest of flesh.

'More, More! I need more!'

The golden mallets light receded warping the mallet imward pulsing like a heart, then it expanded like a ballon before collapsing creating an implosion followed by an explosion that turned the mallet into a million pieces.

From the center of the explosion an all consuming suction force dragged the lakes water up deafening the ears of everyone present.

Several golden pieces were dragged back unable to break free of this suction force.

Bran Ai and all the floating children found themselves headed straight into the center of the explosion, there he saw a small black hole eating all the surrounding water.

'What the fu-'

With a swoosh he disappeared.

The amazonian girls already swiming to the lakes center wanted to retreat but it was too late, the water rolled them up and the black hole ate them up.

Nand that was chasing after them was dragged by the water unable to set himself free.

'Fuck this man, this is bullshit'

He held on to his companion with one hand while his other hand held his club-sword, with a final slash directed at the whatever was dragging him he disappeared.

Huitaca and all the children further away were swept away likewise unable to resist the tide.

Himenez whom was of a considerably larger size then the kids got on all fours as he could not stand up, the wind pulled at his clothes while his hair threatened to pull his skalp off.

Unable to grip onto anything his body started to float off the ground as he was dragged into the lakes center.

The lizard men on the other hand rejoiced, they had won! As their bodies were dragged by the water without much resistance the leader among them never ceased his feast growing larger.

"What is happening! Noooooo! We must save them!" The group of old men in the east panicked, the last of their reason abandoning them.

Each took out their weapons ready to break the barrier.

"Strike with everything you've got!"

The amazonian elders finally stopped chanting, now they screamed.

Above them a cloud of Qi had formed blending in with the surrounding mist, this Qi formed into a singular large arrow ready to strike at the barrier.

The western group had already began to strike at the barrier but without any Qi their attacks had no impact.

The old man among them that did have Qi simply formed a fist, gathering all his Qi to strike a singular great punch at the barrier.

The spaniards did not not what was happening either, too many freak occurrences had happened all at once that they simply stood in disbelief.

"What... What should we do boss?"

Acosta did not know.

Elder Qez grinned from ear to ear, with a single step he arrived before the barrier and stabbed his hands inside tearing it open by force.

"Finally!"

The barrier collapsed withiut resistance.

The elders in the east watched in shock, the amazonians held their breath, the old man in the west recoiled while all others stayed ignorant.

Elder Qez waited for no one, he headed into the black hole without fear.

Golden light pulsed attempting to block him but it was to late, elder Qez had disappeared.

Those outside the lake rushed into the gap made by elder Qez not worrying about the golden light whatsoever.

"Follow! Follow them!" Acosta gave orders to his men, leading the way ahead.

His men were unsure but still followed.

The monk prayed while running behind them, he had his faith placed elsewhere.

As the barriers collapse reached them the suction force dragged them of their feet and into the lakes center.

With that no one remained.

Water slowly returned to the now empty basin, with the black hole dissipating in the air.