Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] Chapter 178: Book 3: Chapter 31: Lake Biome

Read chapter 178 of Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] by TTReynolds on NovelPedia.

Book 3: Chapter 31: Lake Biome Chapter 31: Lake Biome The forest gave way to a clearing of rock and reeds, and beyond it sprawled the lake. But, it wasn’t just a lake, though. It was nearly as large as inland sea, cupped in the mountain’s hollow heart. It stretched so far that the opposite bank blurred into mist in Alex's sight. And at its back, framed like a curtain, a waterfall thundered down from a sheer cliff face, roaring with such force that the sound pressed into his ears. If Niagara Falls had ever been swallowed by a myth, it would have looked like this. The party instinctively pulled closer together as they stepped onto the lake’s stony bank. Alex’s eyes kept tracking the waterline, where soft ripples ran outward from nowhere. Once, twice, three times they lapped up at the shore. Each one was faint, like something large had shifted just beneath the surface far away. His [Aether Sight] strained into the depths, but it was like staring into a wall of blue-white haze, the entire lake was saturated with water-aspected aether, thick enough to blind his vision past a few feet below. That didn’t stop his gut from tightening as he looked at the waters. They began circling the bank in a tight cluster, boots crunching gravel and reeds. Eric and Henry took point with their weapons out. Holly and Peter flanked wide, eyes scanning the lake. Alex decidedly hung back a half step, watching the environment and the rhythm of the water, searching for patterns. The first indication of threats came from Tom-Tom, though. The little kobold froze, his nose twitching like mad and his pupils narrowing to slits. His tail lashed once before he croaked out, “Smells bad. Tingly. Sharp.” The others paused at this, heads turning toward him. Alex’s stomach dropped at once. He’d learned to trust Tom-Tom’s senses, sometimes the kobold picked up things none of them could, even himself. “Bad?” Allie asked. “Bad how? Like rot? Poison?” Tom-Tom shook his head. “Not rot. Biting smell. Smells like stomach tingle that hurts. Like fishy, but not floppy dumb fishy. Predator fishy.” The kobold’s words cracked with unease as he spoke, and his claws flexed against the ladles in his grip. Alex felt the warning of his instincts ripple through him as clear as the waves against the bank. He turned toward the group. “That’s definite, danger. Real danger. Everyone keep tight. Keep your eyes on the water. Shields and spells ready.” Another ripple broke the surface of the lake, not small this time, but a bulge, a swell, like something enormous was shifting in the deep. Alex wasn’t the only one to see it, Tom-Tom took a hesitant step back, and Eric quickly shifted his stance turning fully toward the movement. Then the ripple swelled once more, and exploded. A wall of water surged up the bank, spraying the party in a cold mist. Out of it came teeth. Rows of fangs as long as Alex’s hand snapped wide, attached to a crocodilian head that shouldn’t have been possible to move at such a speed. The thing’s body followed soon after,. It was wider than Garret’s shield and bulging with muscle, its hide slick with scales the color of old stone. Its back carried a sick parody of greenery, containing leaves, stems, and pale flowers trembling with each violent lunge. The stench hit next, sour and acrid, like rotting algae mixed with rusted iron. It went for Tom-Tom. The kobold froze under that predator’s glare, wide eyes shining white, and Alex’s heart spiked at seeing the beast go for seemingly the weakest member of their party. But Garret moved first to intercept. He roared, planting his feet and slamming his shield into the beast’s path. The impact rattled the bank like a thunderclap. Steel groaned, and Garret staggered back half a step. Still, he held his shield in place and pressed hard against the beast’s shoulder to stop its charge. The chimera’s jaws closed shut inches from Tom-Tom’s head, spray and spittle splashing across the kobold’s face. Garret stepped forward with a loud gr