>>37953318
We retreat to a safer distance as the gate starts to flicker, to shift, to twist, almost biologically, flexing like muscle, peristaltic shifting within it.
>THOOOOOOOM
the lightning blasts outward on a level we feel more than hear, and something else slips away into the waters.
We estimate it was about 45 minutes since we saw it land, and we start to really hope that the HMS Trafalgar is still off shore.
It's then we see the barbarians (I'm not going to call them Irish). They approach the gate furtively, like they're afraid of what it could do to them, they start to chant, to cavort, some sacrifice, driving prisoners into pits at the bottom of the pillars, others stroke and caress the mass of it. It's like they're refuelling it. A priest is rowed out into the middle of the thing, and slits open the still living body of [we are going to pretend it was a sheep because I feel sick typing this] and [removes the unborn lamb from its womb] and kills it.
The small body he holds starts to glow, and he tosses the green shining corpses into the inky black waters.
Lightning starts to play up the arc, and the glow comes from within the waters.
It appears they've summoned another.
We also have our timeframe.
45 minutes recharge, five minutes to refuel, and then the natives disappear.
One hushed conference later and we agree, we have a plan.