CHAPTER 50: OPERATION BLACKWATER COMPLETE. RETURN TO BASE

Gideon and Luke returned to the Lamia village. Luke turned and saw the Lamia finishing their last task, wiping out the remaining Lizardmen who were still alive.

Lena and Lyra helped as well. They fired on the Lizardmen that reached the shore. With a few shots, they fell and collapsed on the ground. Lyra pushed their bodies back into the river.

Together with the Lamia, they carried out that cleanup for five long hours. Lady Siver ordered her people to patrol and kill any Lizardmen that managed to escape.

The evening light began to appear, just as the situation in the Lamia village grew calmer. Gideon and Luke returned in good condition, unhurt and uninfected by the river water that had been tainted.

They sat in front of their tent, eating MREs. Luke had to admit, he was tired of eating the same rations again and again. But Lyra smiled and offered him a choice.

"Do you want to try eating bugs?" she asked.

"O-Of course not. Meal Rejected by Everyone is better than bug soup."

Gideon and Lena laughed at Luke and Lyra’s exchange. The two of them always argued over certain things, but strangely, they always made up and stood ready for each other after everything that happened.

There was no hostility between them, instead it was proof of their closeness. Gideon realized this after watching Luke and Lyra interact and work together so much lately.

Lena chose not to disturb them. She preferred to talk with Gideon about something else, of course relating to their real mission here.

"We wait three days after the Lizardmen are gone. If the river water turns clean again or not, only time will tell," Gideon said.

"You’re right. We all know the Lizardmen were the cause of the river being poisoned. With them gone, the chances of the river becoming clean again are high," Luke explained.

"Stay alert. I’m worried some Lizardmen escaped and are planning something," Gideon replied.

"Do you know something?" Lena asked.

"It’s certain the hundreds swept away were those living in the sewers. But don’t forget the ones in the ruins."

"Oh, that? You don’t need to worry, Gideon. Lady Siver went with her people to check the ruins," Lena answered.

"She went? But didn’t the Lamia oppose going there?" Gideon asked.

Lena shook her head. During the cleanup earlier, Lena had advised Lady Siver about the superstitions Lamia believed.

All of them had been shaped by the Lizardmen, keeping the Lamia away from the ruins and stopping them from defeating them sooner.

"Luckily, she listened to me. She had the courage to go to the ruins and prove those superstitions false," Lena explained.

"I’m worried something might happen to her," Gideon muttered, then looked at Lyra. "Boot up the laptop. Launch the drone."

"Understood, Captain."

Lyra activated the drone and opened her laptop. She sent the drone toward the ruins in power-saving mode. That way, it could fly for about thirty minutes before running out.

On the screen, Gideon and the others could see Lady Siver inspecting the place. Several Lamia with her strangled the Lizardmen with their bodies, weakening them before stabbing their heads through with spears.

"Looks like there’s nothing to worry about."

Lyra nodded, pulling the drone back and shutting it off. Lena smiled, relieved the main problem with the river’s contamination had been handled.

Following Gideon’s orders, they would wait several days to see if the river changed.

If it didn’t, Gideon had another plan. He would begin purifying the river with a water filter system. Luke already had the equipment, it only needed to be set up.

"For now, let’s focus on cleaning the river."

"I hope all of you are ready."

***

Three days later.

Lamia village.

Gideon’s guess was wrong. He and his team stood by the riverbank, seeing the water still dirty, not fully restored. There was no other way. They had to set up filters until the river healed on its own.

Luke and Lyra obeyed Gideon’s orders. They assembled a river filter made of long cloth filled with sand, gravel, charcoal, clay, and coconut fiber.

Gideon turned to Lena, asking how to deal with the chemicals trapped in the water.

"Hmm... I do know remedies for lead, mercury, and organophosphate. But that only works in the body."

"And for the river?"

"I don’t know."

Gideon nodded. He, Lena, and Lady Siver walked toward the end of the river, where the swamp met the ruins. Luke tied the filter to a tree, followed by wolfkin and Lamia tying the other side to another tree.

Lyra approached Gideon. She had studied chemistry back in high school. Luckily, she still remembered some of it.

"Captain," Lyra called.

"What is it, Lyra?"

"The filter will only handle waste from the ruins. We need to take care of the chemical toxins settled in the river," she answered.

"Do you have a solution?"

"Lead can be bound with charcoal," Lyra said.

Lena agreed and confirmed her words. In traditional medicine, charcoal was often used to bind lead in the body. It might work in water as well.

"Alright. And?"

"Mercury can be trapped by water algae."

"Interesting idea," Lena noted.

"And organophosphate breaks down in heat."

"She means sunlight," Lena added. Gideon nodded in agreement.

"It makes sense. Organophosphates are weak to sunlight because of photodegradation. UV-B and UV-C carry enough energy to break the phosphorus-oxygen and phosphorus-sulfur bonds in those compounds."

"That makes them split and dissolve into the water," Lena explained.

Gideon smiled. He felt lucky to have friends like them. Lena and Lyra were sharp and skilled in chemistry. That helped him greatly now.

"So what do we need to do?" Gideon asked.

"Spread charcoal into the river. Bring algae to the banks. Cut tree branches to let sunlight through," Lyra explained.

"Can you explain it to them, Gideon?" Lena asked.

"O-Of course. Leave it to me."

Lena and Lyra smiled, turning back to the large cloth stretched as a temporary water filter until the river flow at the Lamia village cleared.

Gideon walked toward Lady Siver, his arrival drawing her attention. She had grown far warmer toward him, realizing how much he had helped her people.

"Are you planning to demand your promise from me?" Siver asked.

"What?"

"I already said it. I will join in your plan for unity."

"Yes, that’s a relief. But there’s something else I need to tell you," Gideon replied.

"What is it?" Siver asked curiously.

He explained everything Lyra had said. The Lamia woman listened, fully understanding his words. If it could help heal the river faster, she was willing to do it.

"Of course. I will do it."

Lady Siver turned and commanded her people to work just as Gideon directed. They obeyed without hesitation.

For them, it was easy work. Gideon felt satisfied seeing the Lamia begin to move and restore their environment.

Things grew calm and peaceful. Some villagers recovered from their sickness, the river showed early signs of healing though it would take time. The filters stood ready, straining whatever came from the swamp.

Gideon and his team packed up, taking down the tents and stowing their gear. Their task in the Lamia village had come to an end.

He stood before Lady Siver and held out his hand. With respect, she took it.

"It is an honor for us, the Lamia, to work with and follow you, Sir Gideon," Lady Siver said.

"Don’t see me as your master. See us as your friends. A friend always helps another friend in need," Gideon told her. His words left Lady Siver stunned, deeply moved.

"Friends... I understand."

"The river will recover in a few weeks. I hope you can be patient."

"Of course. We can wait."

Gideon released her hand and walked out of the village, waving goodbye. Out of the seven southern races, three were already with him. He only needed to convince four more.

He didn’t know what would come next, but Gideon only hoped he could help more of the struggling races.

The journey to the wolfkin village and Nemora took three days on foot. Gideon and his team were exhausted, longing for a bed to collapse into.

But they stopped when Gideon saw Norton Ashfield waiting in the village. He looked as if he had been expecting someone.

"What’s going on?" Gideon asked, greeting him wearily.

"I need you and your team."

"The Third Princess of the Moko Kingdom has been kidnapped by rebels."