The drake reared back, water cascading off its scales as it let out a bubbling growl that rattled Josh’s chest.

  “Bhel!” Josh shouted, stepping between the creature and Brett. “With me!”

  “Already here!”

  Bhel surged forward, axes raised, matching Josh’s charge. Behind them, Brett scrambled upright, soaked and coughing.

  The drake lunged and Josh met it head?on, slamming his shield into its jaw with a crack that echoed down the river. The beast recoiled, shaking its head, Counter Swing automatically flaring, resulting in a gash across the beasts jaw.

  Bhel’s axe crashed into the drake’s shoulder, forcing it sideways with a roar, exposing it’s flank to Perberos, who fired a heartbeat after, his arrow flew straight, slipping between scales and sinking deep. The creature hissed, furious.

  “Carcan!” Brett called out. “Stay back and Josh, he took quite a nasty burn against the elemental.”

  “On it!” she replied, magic flowing into her staff and the blisters on Josh’s flesh began to shrink away.

  Brett’s hands ignited as he swept them forward. Flame Lash snapped across the drake’s flank, steam bursting upward in a hiss, steaming off the beasts flesh as the flames went taught, limiting it’s movement whilst burning it.

  “It’s tough!” Josh warned, ducking under a sweeping claw. “Stay sharp!” The drake whipped its tail, slamming into Josh, hitting with the weight of a battering ram. Josh was launched backward, hitting the earth hard enough to drive the breath from his lungs.

  “Josh!” Carcan sprinted toward him.

  Perberos fired again, striking the drake across the throat, slowing it’s charge for just a moment, long enough for Bhel to intercept the creature’s charge, slamming his shoulder into its ribs. “Oi! Fight me, you soggy lizard!” The drake snapped, jaws clamping around his bracer with a screech of metal. Bhel grunted, straining against the pressure.

  Josh forced himself upright. “I’m good! Totally good!” he lied through clenched teeth.

  Brett, still dripping, raised his hands. “Burn, you aquatic bastard!”

  Another searing burst of flame cracked across the drake’s face. The blast hit so hard that the scales along its snout hissed and split, boiling steam erupting upward in a blinding cloud. The creature shrieked, a ragged, warbling sound that scraped across the stones, and staggered sideways like a drunk struck mid-stride. Its claws skittered wildly for purchase. It whipped its head left, then right, dazed, snapping blindly at the air.

  Perberos moved without hesitation. He drew, nocked, and released in one fluid motion. The arrow streaked through the thinning steam and sank straight into the drake’s open maw, punching past rows of jagged teeth and driving deep into the soft tissue at the back of its skull.

  The drake’s whole body jolted. It convulsed once, twice, legs twitching in a grotesque, puppet-like spasm. Its tail flexed reflexively, scraping stone. A shimmering ripple tore across its hide as its form destabilised, light leaking from its wounds like gold-tinted smoke.

  Then, with a final, shuddering gasp, the creature collapsed and its body broke apart into a swarm of glittering motes, each drifting lazily upward before fading into nothing.

  Josh panted heavily, dripping like a wet dog, whilst Bhel grinned wide, Carcan steadying her trembling hands, and Perberos lowering his bow with a satisfied nod.

  Brett wheezed, sweeping a hand toward the river. “Easy quest, you said. Nice quest, you said. ‘River moss,’ you said!”

  Josh rubbed his ribs. “Okay. Fine. Mild complications.”

  “Mild?” Brett snapped.

  Carcan burst into laughter.

  Bhel clapped Josh’s shoulder. “Let’s get the rest before something bigger shows up.”

  Perberos nodded. “Agreed. Be quick.”

  Josh sighed. “And Brett, stay out of the water.”

  “I didn’t fall in on purpose!” Brett protested.

  Their laughter echoed across the riverbank as they continued gathering moss, though now each kept wary eyes on the shifting water.

  The river widened as they followed its gentle curve, reeds whispering beside them and dragonflies glinting in the light.

  “At least nobody was hurt,” Carcan offered quietly, as they moved along. “And the moss earlier was good quality.”

  Josh pointed toward a cluster of moss?covered stones. “There’s more over there.”

  They approached cautiously. Josh checked the stones for movement, then motioned the others closer.

  “Same plan,” Perberos said, settling with his bow across his knees. “Gather quickly. Eyes up. Brett and I will stand watch whilst you gather.”

  After most of the moss was collected, Josh was about to shout something to Brett, but suddenly froze. The stone he’d been stood on had moved, and not in a ‘it shifted’ sort of way.

  A ripple spread across the surface of the water around him. Wrong, too deliberate to be natural.

  “Back up,” Josh whispered to his party.

  Brett froze. “…Why did you say that like something awful is about to—”

  The river bulged.

  A dark shape surged upward, sending water cascading down its midnight?blue scales. Tendrils unfurled from its sides, lined with hooked barbs, and its maw yawned wide with a hiss.

  “A river eel!” Carcan gasped.

  Josh planted his feet in the shallow water. “Move!”

  Everyone else scrambled backward as the eel lunged.

  Josh intercepted with a shield thrust, striking its snout and forcing it off course.

  Perberos fired, but the arrow pinged harmlessly off its hide. “Natural resistance! Aim for the gills!”

  Bhel waded forward, axes raised, the water splashing against him in waves as the beast surged.

  The eel whipped a tendril toward the group with a snap like a breaking whip. Josh stepped forward, instinctively throwing his arm out to block and immediately regretted it. The barbed appendage sliced across his forearm, carving a burning line through skin and muscle. Blood spattered into the water.

  “Ghh—!” Josh hissed, teeth gritted.

  Carcan’s staff was already rising. Her voice was steady, but her eyes were wide with fear. Radiant light flared from the tip of her staff, hardening into a shield just as the eel lunged. Its needle-like teeth hammered into the barrier with a crunch that vibrated through Josh’s bones. The magical surface fractured in spiderweb patterns under the pressure.

  Bhel didn’t wait for it to break.

  With a guttural roar, the dwarf charged the last few yards, boots churning up water as he barrelled through the shallows. His right axe arced high, then split downward with all his weight behind it. The blade bit into one of the eel’s barbed tendrils, cleaving it clean off.

  Black ichor sprayed across Bhel’s beard. The severed tendril writhed on the rocks like a dying snake. The eel shrieked, a sharp, watery vibration that set the river trembling. Waves rippled violently outward as the creature recoiled, its massive body thrashing with rage.

  Josh lunged in, aiming for the exposed gills under its jaw, but the creature snapped its head sideways at the last instant.

  “Perberos!” Josh shouted, stumbling back. “Now!”

  “I’ve got it!” Perberos released. The arrow hissed through the spray and punched deep beneath the eel’s jaw. The shaft shuddered as the creature spasmed, its whole body convulsing around the wound.

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  The eel thrashed wildly, slamming its bulk against the riverbank. Water erupted into the air, drenching all of them in freezing spray. Josh was knocked sideways, slipping on slick stone.

  Brett dug his heels in, sparks flaring between his palms. “Okay, no fireball! Promise! But—oh gods, I hate everything about this.”

  A focused beam of flame snapped forward, slicing across the eel’s flank. Boiling water exploded outward with a vicious hiss. The eel shrieked again, the smell of scorched flesh filling the air.

  Enraged, it lunged straight at Brett.

  “Oh no—nope! No! Nononono!” Brett yelped, diving aside so quickly he slipped and half-rolled through the shallows.

  Josh reacted on instinct. He surged forward, dashing in whilst ignoring the sting in his arm, and drove his sword upward in a brutal underhand strike. Steel tore through the softer flesh beneath the eel’s jaw, splitting it open in a spray of blood and steaming water. The creature jerked upward, its head wrenched back by the shock.

  “Bhel—!”

  “Already on it!”

  The dwarf had circled around, boots slipping on the slick rocks but his stance never wavering. Both axes raised, he brought them down with bone-splintering force. The blades hacked deep into the eel’s back, biting toward its spine. A sickening crack followed. part bone, part cartilage, part something else.

  The eel convulsed violently, smashing its tail into Josh’s legs and sweeping him clean off the ground. He hit the river with a splash, head ringing.

  Brett cried out, thrusting his staff forward as he lay sprawled on the floor. Flaming chains snapped into existence, binding around the eel’s midsection, just enough to hold it for a heartbeat—

  A heartbeat was all they needed.

  Josh forced himself upright, water streaming down his face, slashing his sword into the beast. Perberos fired again, arrow burying itself next to the first. Bhel tore one axe free and struck again with the other, aiming to finish it.

  The eel’s shriek warbled into a wet gurgle.

  With a final violent shudder, the creature collapsed, half its body sinking into the river, the rest slumping limply over stone. Dark ichor pooled and drifted downstream.

  Josh exhaled, chest heaving, dripping blood and river water. “Everyone… alive?”

  “Annoyed, but alive,” Brett coughed.

  “Barely,” Perberos muttered, though he was already reaching for another arrow out of habit.

  Bhel planted an axe in the ground and spat out a mouthful of river water and eel blood. “I hate nature.”

  Josh wiped his dripping face. “Pretty sure nature hates you back.”

  Perberos scanned the water before kneeling next to the loot that had appeared in the monsters place. “Useful parts from this one. Let’s gather them.”

  Carcan approached Josh, lifting his injured arm. “Hold still.” Her magic flowed warm and steady, sealing the shallow cut.

  Josh looked over to Perberos, “What’ve we got?”

  Perberos examined them. “River scale… barbed fang… and an essence pearl. Good haul.”

  Bhel sheathed his axes. “Worth more than moss?”

  “Much more I’d guess,” Perberos said.

  Brett wrung out his sleeves. “Well… I contributed and didn’t blow you up this time.”

  Josh groaned. “Come on. Let’s finish the moss."

  The party moved on, sunlight warm at their backs, the river murmuring beside them quiet for now, though none of them quite trusted it anymore.

  The river curved ahead in a gentle bend, sunlight catching on its surface and turning the water into a shimmering ribbon of silver and soft blue. The steady murmur of the current mixed with birdsong drifting from the surrounding trees. After the attacks by the several river monsters, the party had taken their time following the embankment, eyes sharper now that they knew what could lurk beneath.

  For a while, nothing stirred beyond the occasional fish darting through the shallows. Josh led the way, boots crunching softly over the wet stones. Brett walked behind him, slightly soggy and still grumbling, though every few steps Bhel made a point of humming some exaggerated tune about "the mighty water mage who conquered the river by falling into it first." Perberos and Carcan followed at a comfortable pace, exchanging quiet conversation.

  It wasn’t long before Josh slowed, holding up a hand. "Hey… look up ahead."

  Where the river widened a little, spilling gently over a smooth shelf of rock before pooling into a calmer stretch, a great mass of deep green moss clung to the stones and tree roots along the bank. Thick and vibrant, it swayed faintly with the movement of the current, strands drifting like soft riverweed.

  "That’s got to be the biggest patch we’ve seen all day," Carcan said. "We’ll easily fill the satchel from that."

  "Finally," Brett sighed. "We’ll be able to go home after that lot.”

  Everyone wore the same expression of relief. After hours of careful searching, getting soaked again and again, as well as fighting several monsters, this was exactly what they needed.

  They approached with caution, remembering all too well how tranquil waters could hide unexpected threats. Josh planted his feet at the edge, shield raised and eyes scanning the river. "Alright. Let’s gather carefully. No one get too close to the deeper parts. Brett, you watch the water’s surface. Perberos, keep an eye on the treeline. Carcan, stay free so you can yell at us if we do something stupid."

  "You mean when you or I do something stupid?" Brett corrected.

  "Obviously."

  They began collecting the moss. It peeled easily from the slippery stones, coming away in thick mats that smelled faintly herbal. Carcan inspected each bundle, giving soft nods or hums of approval before placing them into the growing stack in her satchel.

  Josh found a particularly large patch clinging to a half-submerged tree trunk. He crouched, gripping the wood with one hand while pulling the moss free with the other.

  "Careful," Perberos murmured. "The current is stronger here."

  Josh nodded. "Got it. Nearly done."

  That was when Carcan’s voice suddenly sharpened. "Wait, Josh, move! There’s something—"

  The water erupted.

  A spray of river foam burst upward as a creature lurched out of the depths, a squat, broad-bodied thing with slick grey skin and a mouth full of jagged teeth. Its forelimbs were webbed but muscled, ending in hooked claws that scraped against the rock. Its eyes glowed faintly blue, the same colour as the river’s deepest channel.

  "Another river beast!?" Brett yelped.

  "No," Perberos said grimly, drawing his bow. "That’s different. Smaller but faster."

  The creature lunged at Josh, who barely brought his shield up in time. The impact reverberated down his arm, pushing him back until his boots dipped into the rushing water.

  "Oh come on!" Josh barked. "This river hates us today!"

  Bhel charged in from the side, axe whistling low. The creature jerked away with unnatural speed, hissing as it skittered back along the stones.

  "Brett!" Carcan called. "Left side!"

  A second creature slithered from the river, water cascading from its back as it leapt toward Brett. The mage reacted instantly, conjuring a whip of flame that snapped across its face, driving it back with a high-pitched shriek.

  "Not today!" Brett shouted. "I’m not the river's favourite snack twice in one hour!"

  Perberos fired two shots in quick succession, one arrow catching the second creature in the shoulder, the other grazing its side as it twisted.

  Josh pushed forward again, shield raised. "Bhel, take the one on the left! I'll handle this one."

  "Gladly!" Bhel roared.

  The two river beasts darted with explosive bursts of speed, skittering across rocks as though the world were a slippery playground built just for them. Their claws clicked sharply, their tails slapped arcs of water, and their hissing rose into a harsh chorus.

  Josh engaged his attacker directly. His sword carved arcs of steel through the damp air as the creature lunged low, snapping at his leg. Josh slammed his shield downward, pinning its snout to the rock before swinging hard, blade sinking deep into its side.

  It shrieked, thrashing violently.

  Bhel grappled with the second creature, axe swinging in heavy, deliberate motions. The beast was faster but not stronger, and each time it darted in for a slash, Bhel met it with steel.

  "Perberos!" Bhel barked. "A little assistance!"

  In reply, an arrow struck the creature’s flank, staggering it just long enough for Bhel to land a decisive blow, his axe cleaving across its chest. The creature toppled, writhing once before dissolving into golden motes.

  Josh pressed his advantage against the remaining beast, Brett adding bursts of flame to drive it back. With a final lunge, Josh drove his sword deep into its body. The creature spasmed, then burst into golden light.

  Silence settled except for the steady rumble of the river.

  Bhel let out a long breath. "I swear, if this river throws one more monster at us, I’m going to build a dam out of spite."

  "You can add me to the construction crew," Brett muttered and he lowered himself to the ground.

  Perberos shook his head with a faint, amused smirk. "At least the moss is good quality here."

  Carcan brushed off her hands. "And we have more than enough for the request. That’s what matters."

  Josh scanned the riverbank before sheathing his sword. "Alright. Let’s finish gathering what’s left and get out of here before the river tries to kill us again."

  They worked quickly, filling all the jars and two spare pouches to the brim with moss.

  Once done, they regrouped beside a sun-warmed patch of grass away from the water, the party having their first opportunity to relax since this whole experience had started. After a few moments of lounging on the grass, all five froze, then identical smiles spread across their faces.

  "Level up?" Brett asked hopefully.

  Josh, checking his status window, grinned. "Level fifteen. We all hit it."

  Bhel laughed loudly. "Finally! That fight must’ve pushed us over the edge."

  "Makes sense," Perberos said. "We must have gained a fair bit of experience from the bandits, and the beasts today have been a real challenge.”

  Carcan clasped her hands together with relief. "This is wonderful. We've made real progress today."

  Josh rolled his shoulder as warm energy surged through him. "That was definitely worth the dunking, eh Brett?"

  "No," Brett replied. "Nothing is worth the dunking. Nothing."

  Their laughter eased the tension of the day.

  They set off back toward Ashenfall, the late afternoon sun painting the river in warm gold. Their packs were heavy with moss, their steps lighter with level-up energy, and even Brett managed to appreciate the calm path home.

  Josh stretched his arms overhead. "Not a bad day. And that is a very pretty sight.”

  Brett spoke up with a hint of pride in his voice. "I will admit… going from levelling up again feels pretty good."

  Carcan added gently, "We’re getting stronger. Every day we’re a little more prepared for what’s ahead."

  The group exhaled together a blend of nerves and excitement.

  Perberos smiled faintly. "One step at a time. For now, let’s enjoy the walk."

  With the river fading behind them, they continued toward Ashenfall.