Chapter 91: The Great Swamp Caiman
The four hunters remained motionless on the shore of the lake.
The greenish water barely moved, forming small ripples that spread across the surface. The smell of dampness and decay still filled the air, but none of them paid any attention to it.
They were all focused on the same thing.
Two enormous yellow eyes could be seen beneath the water.
Emily took a step forward.
"I think I can handle this."
Liam turned his head toward her.
"Are you sure?"
Emily smiled.
"Absolutely."
The hunter raised both hands.
Electricity began running along her arms, first as tiny sparks and then as thick bolts of lightning that intertwined around her fingers.
Lydia watched her with some concern.
"That isn’t going to work."
Emily glanced at her.
"And how do you know that?"
"I’m not entirely sure, but..."
She didn’t finish her sentence.
Emily had already extended both hands toward the lake.
A thunderous electrical roar shook the swamp.
Lightning shot from her arms and pierced the surface of the water, traveling directly toward the location of the yellow eyes.
"Take this, you damn bitch!"
A massive explosion erupted in the middle of the lake.
Dirty water was blasted in every direction, forming a shower of droplets that rained down on the hunters. A cloud of steam slowly rose from the impact site.
Emily lowered her hands and smiled.
"That was way too easy."
Chuck popped the bubble of gum inside his mouth.
"I’d say that didn’t work nearly as well as you think, partner."
Emily frowned.
Liam sighed.
"My wife was right. That wasn’t going to work."
"What?"
Emily narrowed her eyes and looked toward the lake again.
The steam began to dissipate.
And there they were...
The yellow eyes were still exactly where they had been.
They hadn’t even moved.
Emily’s mouth opened slightly.
"No way..."
The water began to churn.
A massive black shadow passed beneath the surface.
"It’s coming!"
Chuck shouted.
The creature rapidly advanced toward them.
Liam took a step back.
"This is going to be difficult."
Lydia nodded.
"And I think I know why."
She pointed toward the water.
"There’s something around its body that looks like armor."
Liam observed carefully.
The monster’s silhouette became increasingly visible as it approached the shore.
"Good observation, honey."
Liam reached into his equipment and pulled out one of the special magazines for his pistol.
The bullets inside weren’t like normal ones.
They were the bullets made from the gems they had found in a dungeon.
Liam handed the magazine to Chuck.
"Keep these."
Chuck raised an eyebrow.
"For me?"
"Yes. For the right moment."
Chuck took the magazine, surprised.
"Where did you get these things?"
"Sub-Captain Don Rouch made them for me. He explained that they absorb energy and that their effect changes depending on the type of energy they absorb."
Chuck spat his gum to the side.
"I know how they work."
He looked at the bullets again.
"What I don’t understand is why they aren’t imbued with energy."
Liam smiled.
"You’re going to find that out later. For now, keep them and wait for my signal."
Chuck let out a small laugh.
"You’re crazy."
Even so, he put the magazine away.
Emily looked toward the lake.
"We don’t have time for all this talking."
The water in front of them began to rise.
"Here it comes."
Lydia’s copy, which was carrying Owen, immediately reacted.
She moved several meters away and hid among the trees and bushes, keeping the unconscious man out of harm’s way.
Liam tightened his grip on his pistol.
The boss’s silhouette appeared beneath the water.
It was enormous.
Even from that distance, they could get an idea of its size.
"Would you say it’s five meters?"
Chuck muttered.
"More or less..."
Liam replied.
The creature approached and, suddenly, the water exploded.
A gigantic jaw emerged from the lake.
Its teeth were long and sharp, and the monster opened its mouth, attempting to swallow the entire group in a single bite.
"Dodge!"
Emily disappeared in a flash of electricity.
Lydia reacted at the same time, and several tentacles shot out from her body, wrapping around Liam and Chuck.
"Hold on!"
The two were thrown backward.
The enormous jaws snapped shut, and the lake’s shore disappeared beneath the force of the bite.
Water and mud were blasted everywhere.
Emily landed several meters behind them.
Chuck rolled across the ground and ended up on his back.
Liam quickly got back up.
"Are you guys okay?"
"Yes,"
Emily replied.
Chuck raised a hand.
"Still in one piece."
Liam looked toward the lake.
"Did you get a look at it?"
Emily stared at him incredulously.
"How do you expect us to see it? We were focused on dodging and not dying!"
Chuck stood up and shook the mud off his clothes.
"He’s got a point. I think I managed to see something."
Lydia approached.
"Me too."
"What?"
"That thing covering its body."
Liam looked toward the water again.
The surface was beginning to calm once more.
"That covering isn’t actually armor."
Emily frowned.
"Then what is it?"
Liam pointed toward the lake.
"Mud."
The three of them stared at him.
"Mud?"
Chuck asked.
"Yes. Just swamp mud. In massive amounts."
The creature had disappeared beneath the water again.
Only the small ripples it left behind remained.
Lydia stared at the surface.
"So that layer of mud was what protected the monster from the electricity."
"Probably,"
Liam replied.
Emily clenched her fists.
"Then we’ll have to find a way to get it off."
Liam nodded.
The problem was that they had no idea how to do it.
The monster could move beneath the water, had an absurd amount of resistance, and its body was covered by a thick layer of mud that seemed to function as natural armor.
On top of that, they didn’t know what other abilities it had.
Liam stared at the lake.
The yellow eyes appeared again.
This time, they were much closer.
"We need to find a way to fight it."
Lydia stepped beside him.
Liam looked at her, and a small smile appeared on his face.
"I think it’s time for your favorite move."
Lydia immediately understood and smiled.
"Laser Shot?"
Liam’s smile grew even wider.
"Laser Shot, honey."