Submerged City

Chapter 2: Bounty Hunters

It has been hours after they have left their home. And the trio had a hard time cooperating.

"So are we gonna talk about it?" Matthew asked, trying to break the ice from the long hours of silence. "Look we're all wet and hungry. But we need to cooperate."

"It's not my fault the boat capsized blame the river. Something pulled me while I was busy gathering plants that could remedy the headache my sister caused me for messing with my brain." Joey stares daggers at her sister, who simply dismisses him and holds the book.

"You're lucky I was able to keep the book dry while you faked drowned so Matt here would save you." Ellie snaps back with annoyance.

"Cut it out you two, fighting each other won't solve anything. And to be fair something did appear to be grabbing Joey." Matt looked apologetically to Ellie. "But to be safe let's be careful and stay away from the river. Cynthia said there are various creatures in the waters." Matt started looking at the waters, carefully searching them for movement.

Ellie huffs and closes her eyes, feeling the surrounding for creatures nearby. "So let's say there was a something that pulled Joey in the waters. Can any of you fight underwater?" she asks while trying and failing to mask her anxiety.

The boys raised their eyebrow at her in question, when the boat started to shake. From the side a huge limb surfaces before hiding. The boys looked at the east to where it surface while Ellie remained locked looking at the west.

"Aren't squids or octupi?" Matt asks Ellie. But she hardly replies and still fixated somewhere else, to his surprise Joey responds.

"First of all, it's not octupi, it's octopuses. And no. There shouldnt be any in freshwater. And the ocean is too far for this to be saltwater enough for them." he confirmed, but still utterly confused as to what they saw.

"Joey, how good is your antivenom skills?" Ellie asks nervously.

"They won't die, that's for sure. But it will take time to recover. Why do you ask?" he finally looks to where his sister was looking and his jaw drops. Matt follows suit and does the same.

Staring in front of them was a huge reptile. Hissing with it's tongue flickering about, smelling its intruders. Matt studied the creature while the others were still in shock. Being raised for combat gave him an advantage when the foe wasn't all magical like the creature before. This was an animal, it has flesh and blood. It has weaknesses and strengths, he just had to know them in order to protect the two.

He scans it quickly while listening for the tail behind them in case it wants to sneak behind. The head is big and prominent, almost has spikes on the side of its head. The scales look very thick and hard and would be difficult to penetrate, but why would it surface its tail first? He asked himself. To check the prey? Regardless, he thought, a snake's primary weapon is its fangs and venom. This wasn't bery long enough to be a constrictor of sorts.

"Joey, can you use the plants on the other side to get us to safety?" He asked the shocked boy without turning. The absense of a response made him ask again but with force. "Joey! I need to know if you can get us to safety?"

Joey closes his eyes and feels the plants on the other side. He opens his eyes and answers shakily "It's a stretch. But I think I can get them."

Matt nods "Be ready when I give the signal." Joey nods in response and begins sensing the trees and vines. Matt picks up one of the oars and throws it like a spear toward the snake.

The snake swing to its side before splitting the oar with its fangs. Distracted by the oar Matt whispers to Joey "Now." he tries hard to make it only audible to Joey.