The Systems Challenge-Chapter 408: The Hydra part 1

Jonas watched the horizon lighten as his watch neared its end. There wasn't anything that looked like it could happen out here, but Jonas knew that appearance could be deceiving. Especially in area that otherwise appeared calm. Much like how sharks could be lurking below calm waters in an ocean.

While he wasn't sure what dangers could be lurking in a swamp, or bog as the case may be, he didn't doubt that there were ones that could be there that he wasn't aware of. Especially with how it felt like hi eye were playing tricks on him, as even in the starlight, at the start of his watch, it seemed like there was a bulge moving around in the distance under the surface of the bog.

If it was a danger, he expected that it would have already approached them, as he couldn't imagine something living out here that would already be aware of their presence on this small dry piece of land that was an island in an ocean of the bog.

Idly, he couldn't help but wonder how they'd make some breakfast for everyone, since it wasn't like they could start a fire, even if they had firewood to do so, to cook breakfast, much like the problem they had encountered with dinner the night before.

The light kept getting brighter and Jonas felt himself fighting off sleep when the sun started to rise. Not because he was on the last watch of the night, but travelling through the bog wasn't as easy as he would have thought. Although, he also hadn't expected it to be this deep, either. In fact, he couldn't help but wonder how many regretted their vote to try to cross the bog rather than trying to go around it. Maybe it was faster to cross it than to go around it, but at the same time, it wouldn't have been so tiring, and they'd be able to cook their meals, provided there was wood for them to gather to burn.

As others started to wake up, Jonas was able to push sleep from his mind and to wake himself fully awake again. Though, the moving ground in the distance was still visible to him. He hoped that it'd go away before they started out again, since he was pretty sure that that was the general direction that they had been heading in the day before.

Nothing much was spoken as everyone got ready to start traveling again. Jonas could tell that while everyone had gotten plenty of rest, the position they'd had to sleep in wasn't one they were accustomed to, and so were a little stiffer than they usually were in the morning.

Jonas could only hope that they'd be able to reach the other side of the bog that day rather than having to either sleep directly on the bog again or hope to find another of these 'islands.' As he certainly didn't care to spend another night on one of these. Not with how there was barely enough room for all of them to gather on it in the first place.

When they started out, Jonas felt his blood run cold. The moving ground that he'd thought had been a trick of the eye, one that his own had fallen for, suddenly changed it's behavior. Instead, it turned and was heading towards them. He didn't know if that was a good thing or not, but he doubted that it would turn out to be a good thing. Not with how things had been going for them so far on this bog.

Which meant that whatever was causing the ground to move like it was, wasn't a trick of the eye, but rather some creature that was now heading towards them. Which meant that this was likely going to be a lousy day.

"Spread out everyone!" Jonas called out, hoping that this wasn't going to be as bad as he feared it was. "Something's coming towards us!"

"Where?" Elwin asked as most of the others spread out a little, although it was more of a meandering rather than anything meaningful, since it was clear only Jonas knew the direction the 'something' was coming from.

For a brief moment, Jonas hoped that this would turn out to be the entrance to the library, but quickly dismissed that idea. He couldn't imagine their luck would be that good, or that the entrance to a library would be in such a place as a bog. Where the humidity would wreak havoc on the books inside the library.

Although, he could imagine that if it was placed in a place like this, that they'd probably have used magic to help protect the books by restricting the humidity or something. Not that he imagined that would have been likely, since it would merely add to the cost of having created the library in the first place. Which would have been an unnecessary problem to deal with.

Or at least assuming that there were other options.

Jonas pushed the thought out of his mind, determined not to think about it more at the moment, as the 'something' started drawing closer. Close enough that the others were able to see it themselves. Close enough that Jonas could see that whatever it was, it was larger than it had appeared in the distance. Which meant that it was farther out than Jonas had expected as well.

Not that it helped them any. Especially since it was clear that there was no outrunning this creature. It moved almost as fast as a boat in the water would with a motor running at full speed. Which was definitely faster than they could with how their feet sank a good distance below the surface of the bog and frequently had trouble getting the bog to let them go from the suction effect that would occur.

Time started to feel oppressive as Jonas kept expecting that the creature to emerge and reveal what it was. As even though it was close, it kept feeling like it should have already reached them with how large it kept getting as it got closer.

Right when it felt like whatever it was, was about to pass right under them, it come up out of the bog. A seven-headed hydra with bluish-purple scales and emerald green eyes

Jonas wasn't sure if this was a real danger to them or not, but figured it would be best to assume it was. Not that he had the first idea of how to deal with it in the first place. Especially since he barely knew about it from mythology. He couldn't say what it was that made him so uneasy about this, but he had a suspicion that the scars around some of the necks of this hydra probably weren't a good sign.

"Everyone flank it!" Elwin said. "Try to keep one of the heads occupied for each of us or we'll get overwhelmed."

"Wait, what?" Bart asked, sounding as confused as Jonas did with the direction that Elwin had given.

"Flank it!" Elwin repeated.

"No, I got that," Bart snapped. "What was that after that sentence? Something about keeping the heads occupied?"

"Oh, yeah," Elwin said as if he'd forgotten about that part. "If each of us keeps one of the heads focused on us, then we won't need to worry about the heads ganging up on us."

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"You've fought these before??" Kim asked, looking like she was having a hard time moving around in the bog, though he wasn't sure if that would make her easier to fight the hydra or harder. He suspected it'd make it harder, but it didn't really matter, given that they didn't really have much of a choice.

Glancing back at the island, not twenty feet away from them, Jonas thought he'd voice an idea. "Have you fought these things before?"

"Yeah, I have," Elwin said as he swung his sword, cutting off a horn of the hydra and raising a tone of sparks as his blade slid against the scales of the hydra's neck.

"Would it be better to try to fight it on the island we camped out at instead of out here?"

Elwin shook his head, slamming his shield against the hydra's mouth as it tried to take a bite out of him directly.

Jonas wasn't sure he quite agreed with what Elwin said, but he did have to acknowledge that not all of them would be able to stand on the island at once. Maybe if it was bigger or broader, but it was clear that they wouldn't be able to flank the hydra the way Elwin had directed them to earlier.

Although, it certainly was slow moving through the bog for them. Which made Jonas wonder if maybe he'd best try to find a way to get in closer to the hydra so he could do some damage, as he learned what he could about this creature. A creature that seemed to have them at a disadvantage as two heads eyed Jonas hungrily.