Level Up The Colony-Chapter 26: Eat

"If you have a decent weapon, help cut down three more trees," the leader instructed, resting his C-grade sword against his shoulder.

The tanks and warriors exchanged glances before stepping forward.

The lean Tank, still fuming, squared his shoulders.

"I'll help push it into the river."

Meanwhile, the healers and mages engaged in their own debate.

Some discussed the safety of the raft, while others threw jabs at each other over their roles, arguing whether magic could provide a better alternative to crossing.

Timothy paid them no mind.

There was nothing he could do to help them, not with his status as a porter

His focus remained on Gray.

The small creature still lay limply against his waist, but at least it seemed stable for now.

He tightened the scarf around himself and rose just as the gruff leader's voice called out to him.

"I'm here," Timothy answered quickly, striding over.

"Where were you?" the man demanded, his gaze narrowing.

Timothy hesitated for a fraction of a second.

"I... went to ease myself." he replied in no particular shy tone

The man's sharp eyes lingered on him before he gave a grunt.

With that, the makeshift raft was completed.

The tankers, with practiced ease, heaved the logs into the river.

They bobbed slightly but remained afloat.

As the group prepared to cross, Timothy cast another glance down at Gray, whose tiny form stirred feebly against his waist.

The flask had helped, but not enough. He clenched his jaw.

If Gray had been fine moments ago but was suddenly sick... then that meant something here was affecting it.

And if it could do that to Gray...

His gaze flickered toward the glowing crystals on the other side.

Perhaps they weren't the miracle that everyone assumed them to be?

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It was time to get onto the raft.

One by one, everyone successfully climbed aboard until Timothy, the last to get on, nearly sank the entire thing.

"Just how much weight did you put on the kid, Stan?" The gruff voiced man asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Maybe a little too much Mr Yusuf?" Stan replied

'Yusuf? He is Muslim' Timothy thought

It was expected that their make shift raft wouldn't hold him and he knew.

He could feel the way it strained under his weight despite being quite the youngest.

He immediately jumped off the ship least it cap sided before sailing.

But that split moment whee he was on the raft, he picked up on a subtle movement just below the water.

They were going to be in trouble.

He just knew it.

And sure enough, they were.

As they paddled across the sluggish river, its surface speckled with patches of floating algae, they were only halfway across when something else disturbed the water.

A ripple formed, one that had nothing to do with their own movement.

It was subtle at first, but it grew rapidly, cutting through the stagnant water like a knife.

Then it emerged.

A monstrous creature, its body sinewy and coiled, broke the surface.

Towering above them, it let out a piercing shriek that reverberated through the air, rattling their ears and making their bones tremble.

Its form was terrifying, like a dream turned nightmare.

The scars that crisscrossed its scales spoke of countless past battles.

Though its body was serpentine, it had patterns that gave it an almost panther-like look.

Judging from the eyes, and fur growing on uniformly covering its scales, and then the whiskers.

It still remained a snake but it looked like it was metamorphosing

To Timothy, it looked more feline than one they saw across the river, its muscles coiling and tensing as if it were preparing to pounce.

The creature's head swayed slightly, its deep-set eyes gleaming like burning coals as it studied them.

Then, without warning, it lunged forward, water spraying in all directions and submerged

"Row!" someone shouted.

The group moved in perfect unison, the raft sliding across the stagnant water as fast as they could propel it.

Yet, even as they paddled, they noticed it, disturbance in the water that wasn't their doing.

A ripple too strong, too precise and too fast

It was following them.

Then, the mage suddenly called out, her voice tight with focus.

"I've gathered up enough mana."

"We need a distraction," Yusuf muttered.

"If that thing chases us to shore, we're finished."

Nods of understanding passed between them except for the assassins.

One of them, a lean and wiry guy, scoffed.

It was unknown if it was in disdain or pride

"Oh, so now you're the leader? Okay then, we're listening," Yusuf said, folding his arms acting calm while everyone else panicked.

The assassin smirked and leaned in, about to lay out his plan but That was his mistake.

With a sudden, brutal motion, one of the tanks, a small, unassuming, yet deceptively strong kid lunged forward and slammed his shield into the assassin's side.

Timothy remembered this kid as the one who passed him the contract before they stepped into the dungeon.

The next moment, there was a splash, and an unlucky assassin was in the water, floundering.

The others barely reacted, aside from Yusuf, who clicked his tongue.

The kid had been too slow with his shove, the female assassin had reacted on time saving the other at the risk of herself.

Shock was written on the assassin's face as he immediately rooted out his dagger from his side and got Into a stance

Meanwhile, the female assassin thrashed against the current the serpent created, her slim frame making her an agile swimmer.

But it didn't matter.

The serpent was a far better one.

"And there goes the distraction" Yusuf said coldly.

It circled her, its rippling body creating a vortex that pulled her toward its gaping maw.

She barely dodged the first snap of its jaws, her form disappearing beneath the surface before re emerging, coughing up water.

The monster moved again, and this time, instead of striking, it sank lower, disappearing beneath the surface.

Waiting.

The tension was unbearable.

Meanwhile the raft had already landed on shore and hey had disappeared beyond sight along with the assassin she saved.

Disappointment was written on her face, as she saw looked into eyes of the person she just saved.

What she saw was pity, embarrassment and selfishness.

Then she turned, and for the first time, their eyes met.

Timothy stiffened.

She was looking at him.

Somehow she had been brought back to the center of the river and she was neither near any shore.

She tried desperately to move towards where Timothy was for reasons he didn't understand.

As the serpent sank into the depths, she fought the current, struggling to keep herself afloat and moving on.

Water sloshed over her head, and her breath turned into desperate gasps.

She was small, too small to have a real chance of escaping but she still persisted

Each time their gaze meeting, what would he expect? Obviously it was because she was coming his direction.

But in his eyes he saw something else.

'Help me' was what he interpreted her struggle as

His stomach twisted.

He hadn't planned on moving an inch.

He wasn't getting paid for this.

Then, something moved around his neck.

Gray.

A damp scarf coiled around his wait, its fabric still wet but thrumming with a strange energy.

A whisper of hunger brushed against his mind, familiar yet unknowable.

And suddenly, the pieces clicked together.

It wasn't just hunger.

It was something deeper.

Something new.

'That may just be the cure' Timothy thought

He looked at the serpent, which had stopped thrashing and was now studying the struggling assassin.

Its head dipped below the surface, disappearing.

'Quite the hunter' he thought

Timothy took a step closer to the water, the scarf unraveling from his neck.

His fingers twitched.

His heart pounded.

A slow smirk spread across his face.

"Let the better hunter win," he murmured.

Timothy had already made sure the other team was long gone, having ventured far beyond the opposite side of the river.

They hadn't even bothered with the mana crystals, probably aiming for the bigger prize first.

That gave him the perfect opportunity to act.

But he had to be quick.

He let go of the hunters supplies.

With a swift movement, he sprang into the air.

His body felt light, the tension in his muscles coiled like a drawn bowstring.

In one fluid motion, he unfurled his scarf and sent it flying toward the female assassin in the water.

For a brief moment, doubt crept into his mind, was it long enough? But then, the fabric found its mark, wrapping around her arm with uncanny precision.

Without hesitation, he pulled, exerting just the right amount of force to haul her out of the river and onto the land where the supplies were.

She barely hit the ground before his focus snapped back to the river.

The moment his scarf released its grip, the dark waters beneath them exploded.

The massive serpent surged from below, its fanged jaws clamping down on empty air, just seconds from where the girl had been moments ago.

Timothy adjusted his stance midair while free falling.

Gray, small companion, clung to his messy hair, unmoving.

"That one, right?" Timothy asked, eyes locked onto the serpent's writhing form.

This time, Gray's response was clearer.

"Eat."

And then, before Timothy could react, the massive serpent dove back into the water.

In an instant, his perception flared, picking up its rapid movement beneath the surface.

It was fast, too fast.

That's when he realized his mistake.

He had just lost his speed advantage. But it was too late as they were already in for a dive into the river?