novelraw Chapter 231: [231] Tomb Raiders (3)
Chapter 231: [231] Tomb Raiders (3)
Pop!
Alex’s head popped out of the murky water, causing the water to splash around him.
"Damnation!"
He had nearly drowned, but strangely, the sea monster let go of him at the very last moment.
He stared around, seeing that he was somehow now at the shore of the river, then he climbed out, breathing heavily as he stared at the water.
It was calm, far too calm...
’Come on Eliron, you’re too stubborn to be swallowed by oversized calamari...’
His eyes remained locked on the river, expecting that any second now, Eliron would swim out with a cocky grin on his face.
But after a few seconds passed by, Alex slammed his fist on the floor and got to his feet. There was no helping it, he had to go in after him—
Vroooosh!
A turbulent ripple suddenly spread through the river. "Ahahahaha! I knew that bastard would make it—"
The words suddenly died on his lips, as instead of Eliron, the gargantuan sea monster emerged from the river!
Alex stumbled back, his eyes wide as he stared at its colossal figure. He had initially thought it was a large squid, but now that he was getting a proper look, he realised it was an octopus large enough to crush a building.
"You’ve got to be kidding me!—"
"Hey, pretty nice catch don’t you think?" Eliron’s voice came suddenly.
Alex raised his gaze, then his expression darkened.
The man he had been worried sick about, thinking he was gurgling shit at the bottom of the fucking pit...
He was sitting atop the monster’s head, legs crossed as though it was a living room couch.
It was only then that Alex noticed a number of nasty cuts he had accidentally missed, and the sheer lifelessness in its eyes.
The monster was dead...
Alex stared up at Eliron, disbelief could not describe the way he was feeling. He was in utter, paralysing shock!
"Y-you beat that thing w-without m...." The words were so unbelievable that he could not even complete his sentence.
Eliron smirked, although he looked like a wet rat, he still managed to strike an overconfident pose. "Use your big boy words, Alex."
Alex placed his hand on his forehead, slowly dragging it down to calm himself. "What are you? A dragon?!"
Only such a vile beast would have senses keen enough to sense its foe under water, and only a dragon would be strong enough to rip a creature of this size apart.
Eliron jumped off the monster, landing softly next to Alex. He turned around and glanced at the creature.
’What a waste...’ Eliron mused.
If the elders had been here to witness this, then they would submit to his demands before he could breathe.
"Eh, there will be better opportunities." He said to himself.
"Hey, I was talking to you, you know!" Alex. screamed from his side. "Do you have some sort of beast bloodline?!"
[This one yaps too much for a warrior.]
Satoru frowned as he stared down at Alex.
[He isn’t going to last very long is he?]
[Anyways,] He pointed an accusing finger at Eliron. [Make sure you properly clean that shit off my shit, I have better things to do!]
He hissed, just before he vanished.
Eliron tapped Alex’s shoulder and sighed. "Let’s be on our way." His eyes narrowed as he stared at the water. "I think there are more monsters in that river—"
He turned to where Alex had once been, only to see that he was long gone.
"Hey, wait up!"
The sound of footsteps echoed through the halls, as Eliron and Alex continued their journey through the treacherous dungeon.
True to the earlier threat, the dark cave was a deathzone, with one devious trap or another lying in wait for them.
Almost every thirty seconds, they had to deal with classic traps like closing walls, falling ceilings and poison arrows...
Unsurprisingly, the traps were all in stellar condition, each one cruel in its lethality.
After about one hour of walking, they arrived at what was likely their next major hurdle.
Ironically, while they had nearly died in a murky pool, the next one was a crystal clear body of water.
But unlike the last river, there was a narrow path by the side of the room. It was as though the creators were giving them a choice.
Have a bath and wash the filth off your bodies, or completely avoid whatever monster was down there by taking the bridge.
"This is definitely a trap..." Alex said thoughtfully, as he watched the crystal clear water with longing in his eyes.
They both smelled awful, their skin was sticky and the horrid water had gone into parts that should not be named.
"Whoever designed this is definitely trying to get us to—""
While he was still speaking, Eliron suddenly took off his shirt and began walking into the river, his expression blank.
"Hey, we’re are you going?!"
"If anything shows up I’ll deal with it, I can’t keep living like this." He cringed, scooping up a hand full of clean water and pouring it atop his head and clothes.
"Fine, do as you please. It will be your funeral." Alex folded his hands across his chest and sat down, his eyes closed.
Splash!
"Ahh, this is life!"
Alex opened one eye. ’Damn it, is he planning to rub it in??’
No, he had to be focused. Eliron was careless and had almost lost his life once already, he was not going to follow in his footsteps.
Alex turned around, facing the other direction. He would not be tempted today!
Besides, it was just water, why would he risk his life for—
Sniff Sniff~
’Huh? What is that lovely scent?’
Alex immediately twisted his neck like an owl, his eyes narrowed as he stared at Eliron.
"You have to be kidding me..."
Not only did Eliron have a loofa to scrub off the filth, he also had a bar of scented soap!
Who the hell brings soap to a dungeon?!
Alex closed his eyes, forcing himself to resist... to resist the stench of shit oozing from his body, his sticky hair, and the icky...
The next time he opened his eyes, he was inside the river.
"Pass the soap." Alex said in a cold, detached tone.
Eliron smirked and lifted it as though it was gold. But at this point, it could as well be gold...
"Really? I’m afraid this soap is freely important to me. I cannot lend it to anyone else, you know?"
A devilish smirk appeared on his face. "At least not for free!"
Eliron shook his head. "Tsk tsk... You should have rushed your life with me and gotten into the river, maybe I would have been more generous then. But now? You’re going to have to pay."
Alex sucked his teeth with rage. He knew he was about to be extorted, but he had already fallen for the temptation, there was no going back.
"W-what do you want, you foul demon?!"
Eliron tossed him the soap and he caught it mid air. "Seventy percent. Seventy percent of whatever we find in that tomb."
And like Esau, Alex grabbed the soap with both hands and nodded, his eyes moised.
"Deal, we have a deal..."