Reincarnated As A Dragon With A Godly Inheritance
Chapter 59: from the lake

Chapter 59: from the lake

"Kaedros! Taria! You’re alive!" Rauk’s voice trembled with disbelief and relief.

Kaedros lay on his back, soaked and spent. Everything had happened too fast. Whatever had pulled them under hadn’t given a hint of warning. Taria had nearly drowned. If he hadn’t reacted quickly enough, she’d be dead.

"We almost died," he said between deep breaths. "Look at her. She’s unconscious."

Rauk rushed over, clothes soaked and green goo clinging to his hair. He knelt beside her and placed his ear against her chest. He began chest compressions, counting under his breath.

One. Two. Three—

Taria’s mouth opened. Water gushed out. She coughed violently, body jerking as she expelled the liquid from her lungs.

"What...what is...hap—happening..." she wheezed, blinking in confusion. She looked around, dazed. What happened? The last thing she remembered was drinking water.

Then the memory hit her. She tensed immediately.

Her red-tinged eyes darted toward Kaedros, who was still lying on the grass, breathing heavily. "What happened?"

Rauk answered for him. "We were drinking the water. Then something just pulled us in! I thought it was one of you two messing around... until I felt the grip on my neck. That’s when I knew it was real."

"How did you escape?" she asked, pointing weakly to her spear lying nearby, snapped in two. "I left it by the bank, but I doubt it would’ve helped. Whatever grabbed me... it was strong."

Rauk shuddered. He glanced at the lake, which now looked calm and innocent. "My technique cuts clean through most things. Once I used it, I sliced my way free."

Kaedros grunted.

"Lucky you," he muttered. "It took me a while to come up with the right spell and burn the root off."

"Root?" Taria echoed.

"Yes," Kael confirmed. "They looked like hands, made of tree roots. Brown. Wrinkled. I only caught a glimpse before I broke free."

"But how did you burn it?" Kael asked, frowning. "You were underwater."

Kaedros smiled, even through his exhaustion. "I created a light bubble. That gave me just enough space to use heat. Burned it away. Then I blasted myself toward her."

"So you saved me..." Taria whispered.

He shrugged, why won’t he save her? It’s like asking why he won’t sharpen his sword.

"The question is, from what?" Rauk asked, turning to Kaedros and Taria. "What exactly did we protect ourselves from?"

Kaedros sat up slowly, his breathing still a little uneven. "Good question," he said, eyes locking on Chef, who was watching the situation unfold with a smirk tugging at her lips. "What are we protecting ourselves from?"

Everyone turned toward the two older figures for answers.

Thalso merely shrugged and glanced at Chef. "Don’t look at me. It’s her room."

Chef raised an eyebrow and took another sip from her bottle.

Still sipping. Kaedros was beginning to wonder if it had no bottom. Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise him in this bizarre place.

"Didn’t you hear what I said?" she replied, almost lazily. "You have to earn everything. Even the water." She sniggered.

"But there was no opponent," Taria burst out, voice thick with frustration. "We weren’t given anything to fight!"

"The castle doesn’t work like that," Chef said, still smiling. "It’s designed to keep you on edge. Always alert. Always ready. The lake is one of the least dangerous things around here. It only attacks if you linger."

Taria grumbled under her breath, clearly unsatisfied. She doubted she could have fought earlier, she’d been too drained, too thirsty. But now? Even after almost drowning, she felt recharged. The only thing still bothering her was the gnawing hunger.

Kaedros frowned. Chef’s words rang in his mind.

"It attacks... the longer we stay beside it?"

Chef didn’t answer. Just smiled crookedly.

And then it was too late.

The lake ripped open with a thundering splash, as if something massive had punched through the surface. Water erupted, soaking them. They could only stare as the thing emerged.

A humanoid tree-like creature rose from the lake, twice the height of a grown man. Its body was twisted bark, dark green and dripping.

Four thin tendrils sprouted from its back, twitching like spidery limbs. Its actual arms were thick and gnarled, each ending in four trunk-like fingers.

"What is that?" Taria whispered, barely audible, as if being quiet might save her.

The creature raised one massive hand, and brought it down.

Taria kicked off the ground in time and the wooden fist slammed where she’d just been. She rolled backward and dashed for her broken spear. The shaft was snapped, but the blade still gleamed sharply under the sun.

The creature stumbled out of the lake, each step slow and awkward, but it was adapting. Its movements smoothed as it lunged forward again.

Taria bent low, timing her motion. As the monster closed in, she rolled between its legs and slashed upward at its thigh. The blade hit, but barely cut, only irritating it.

With a roar like creaking timber, the creature kicked.

Taria crossed her arms to brace for impact.

Bang!

It helped, but only slightly. She was flung backward and crashed into the ground hard.

"Here!" Kaedros hurled a fireball at the creature’s face.

It raised a tree-trunk hand and casually swatted the flame aside.

That was fine, it had only been a distraction.

The creature turned its acorn-colored eyes toward Kaedros, opened its mouth, a hollow, knot-riddled pit, and roared. The sound was like two titanic logs smashing together.

Then it moved.

Despite its massive bulk, it crossed the distance in a flash. Both arms rose and slammed down toward Kaedros.

He barely managed to raise a shimmering golden shield in time. The impact cracked the air, sparks of mana energy flying in all directions.

Kaedros gritted his teeth, feeding mana into the shield as the monster struck again. And again.

Rauk moved quickly. He drew power from his core and his eyes turned grey, spatial energy gathered around him. With a slicing motion, he brought his hand down, and a blade of space ripped through the air.

It connected, cutting a shallow gash into the creature’s right arm.

The monster paused, blinking slowly at the wound.

Then it roared again.

It clenched its fists and turned toward Rauk with deliberate menace. But as it raised one leg....

SLAM!

A dark blur struck its other leg.

The creature wobbled, arms flailing to regain balance. But it was too late, it crashed down hard onto its back, shaking the ground beneath them.

"Ha!" Taria shouted with a grin. "How about that, you big mossy oaf? You think I’m down? Taria’s never out!"

Rauk smirked but didn’t respond, because the tendrils on the creature’s back snapped upright.

And lunged.

Like arrows, the four spindly arms shot toward the trio with terrifying speed.

But Kaedros was ready.

He cast three light shields, one for each of them, just in time to deflect the incoming limbs.

"Time to end this," he muttered.

He reformed the front of his shield, reshaping it into a cone, the wide base aimed at the creature’s face. Magical energy crackled as he layered spell upon spell into the construct.

The cone flashed.

A torrent of rippling intense fire, condensed into a blinding beam blasted out of the point and slammed into the monster.

The impact forced the creature backward, wood and bark cracking under the pressure, charing and smoking.

But it didn’t fall.

Kaedros cursed under his breath. He had expected the blast to end the fight. Any human under rank two would have turned to ashes.

But this thing just stood there, steaming and growling.

Kaedros stepped back, hand outstretched, but his mana reserves were low. Any spell he cast now would be weaker.

And the creature was still standing.

’...this is going badly...’