Chapter twenty two

"Captain, the ship can't take much more of this, the sentinel steel is repelling all the magic but the elemental is attacking us with pure fire. The hull is quickly reaching melting point! We have to retreat if we are going to have any chance of saving the Liberty."

All the viewing panels around me showed a blazing inferno so fierce it overpowered the magical lighting in the bridge of the ship, dying everything a deep angry red. I got off my seat and addressed everyone in the room, "How long before the hull is breached and we start taking casualties."

"Ten maybe fifteen minutes, the orichalcum plates and air cooling systems are barely keeping up with the rise in temperature but the sentinel steel has a lower melting point, in fifteen minutes the Liberty will be doomed."

"Alright Gunther, prepare to do an about face and gun all the engines at maximum capacity. Also prepare to open bomb hatch number three for firing."

"But sir we don't have any bombs left."

I walked towards the door leading towards the bomb hatches grabbing my helmet as I went, "I know Gunther, we won't be dropping bombs."

"Sir, I don't think that is a good idea."

"I know it isn't Gunther, but it is our only chance at grabbing the artifact before they unlock its secrets. If I don't come back tell Maria that I love her and that I don't care that I can barely reach her shoulder , she is still the most beautiful woman I know."

I finally stood there above the bomb hatch that was slowly opening , thinking about the fantastic events that led me to this moment and I couldn't help but smile. I put on the helmet sealing it tight. I flexed the four fingers on my left gauntlet which caused panels to shift on my back releasing four stiff wings. I grabbed my trusty war hammer in my electrified right gauntlet and jumped through the open hatch straight into the heart of the raging inferno that was the elemental.

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I woke up from the strange dream that I just had, wondering where it had all came from, then I turned over and fell right back to sleep.