The trio passed through the village without any trouble. Pint, their horse, was behaving perfectly. Kit stayed close to Mars and the horse, not wanting to take any risks. He felt like a coward but couldn't shake off the feeling of fear towards the animal.

As they exited the village through the southern gate, Kit couldn't help but take in the beauty of another meadow. The sky above was dotted with fluffy white clouds and a gentle breeze carried the scent of fresh grass. Kit wondered if it ever rained in this idyllic place or if the weather was always perfect.

Mars interrupted his thoughts, suggesting they collect some flowers to sell for extra money. They came up with a plan to take turns holding onto Pint, while the other gathered plants from the meadow.

After half an hour, they switched places and Kit felt slightly nervous as he approached the massive creature. He shuddered at the size difference between them before forcing himself to pick up the rope and lead Pint.

Mars handed him two bottles of beer just in case Pint got thirsty during their travels. It still amused Mars that their horse had a taste for alcohol. As Kit walked towards Pint, he mentally psyched himself up to be friendly with the animal. “Pint, we are going to be good friends, so we should be nice to each other.”

But Pint had other ideas and suddenly snorted and stamped his hoof with great force, knocking Kit off his feet.

- 60 damage

Holy red apples! That hurt! Kit groaned in pain as he sat up, causing Mars to rush over with his sword drawn. “What happened? Are you ok?”

“I’m ok, I just need to have some water to replenish my health. That horse packs quite a strike.” Looking at Pint warily, Kit realised that the horse must have been agitated due to not having enough beer. “Pint must be needing some beer, he got a little aggressive when I went to start our journey again.”

They both stared at the horse warily. Kit quickly drank a bottle of water and felt immediate relief.

“You give him the beer this time, so he becomes friendly with you.” Mars put away his sword and helped Kit up from the ground.

Kit cautiously approached Pint once again and offered him a bottle of beer...if only he had remembered to bring a bowl with him. "Mars, can I borrow your bowl so I can give Pint his drink?"

With a smile, Mars handed the bowl to Kit. Carefully, Kit poured the liquid into the bowl, holding his breath as he placed the bowl under the horse’s snout. To his relief, the horse paid no attention to him as he eagerly drank the beer.

Kit couldn't help but laugh as the beer sloshed around and ended up soaking his shirt. "Gross, now I have beer and horse saliva all over me," he commented, earning a chuckle from Mars.

After Pint finished his drink, he nudged Kit gently with his head, causing the young man to smile in response. Kit realised that it was probably best to stay on Pint's good side; he didn't want to risk angering the powerful animal after feeling the force of his stamping hoof earlier.

As they continued on their journey, collecting flowers and feeding Pint more beer along the way, they eventually reached a small cottage. According to their map, this must be Iris' house. The cottage had a similar design to the buildings in the village - a wooden frame with twigs packed together for walls and a roof made of tightly bound straw. Surrounding the cottage were beautiful flowers of every colour imaginable.

As they approached the back of the house, Kit noticed a narrow dirt road leading to a large spring. The water was a deep blue and reflected the surrounding trees perfectly. Large trees provided shade around the peaceful water hole.

Pint seemed to know exactly where he was going and led them straight to the water's edge. As he began grazing on sweet-smelling grass nearby, Kit walked to the water's edge and noticed a wooden ramp leading into the water, ending at a submerged platform.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"This must be for filling up our barrels," Kit said excitedly to Mars as he examined the ramp and platform. "We can roll them into the water here and submerge them before sealing them back up. Iris is really clever."

Without hesitation, they began filling their barrels as quickly as possible, not wanting to risk encountering any of the creatures lurking in the area. Kit suddenly remembered that they had forgotten to ask what the Spectral Nile monsters looked like, but he pushed the thought aside and focused on the task at hand.

Mars suggested that they work quickly without standing guard, knowing that time was of the essence. They didn't know how strong the Spectral Nile Reptiles would be, so they needed to make their escape as soon as possible.

When Kit mentioned his only weapon was a rusty old knife given to him by Mayor Meadows, Mars offered to lend him his sword. Kit refused the offer, they weren’t here to fight.

"Well, at least that's better than trying to fight a monster with your fists. Maybe you should invest in a better weapon when we get back," Mars suggested.

Kit blushed and felt the heat rise in his cheeks. It hadn't even crossed his mind to buy a proper weapon. He nodded in agreement with Mars' advice and made a mental note to do so once they were back home.

Carefully, Kit untied the rope holding the barrels onto the wagon. He picked one up and headed towards the water's edge, he had already removed his shoes and rolled up his pants.

As they worked, Kit's eyes wandered down into the water and he noticed that he couldn't see the bottom of the spring. "Do you think there could be Spectral Nile Reptiles hiding down there?" he asked Mars.

Mars joined him by the water's edge and shrugged. "Maybe."

Feeling a bit daring, Kit picked up a rock and suggested that they throw it into the water to see if any creatures would come out. After two tries with no reaction, they decided it was safe to proceed.

They quickly filled all the barrels and started stacking them onto the wagon. As they neared completion, Kit's arms were screaming in protest. "I don't think I can lift another barrel," he told Mars as he massaged his aching muscles.

“I’m the same, let’s have a drink of the water. I think we need to refill our stamina and we have a huge source of just the thing we need in front of us.” Mars gestured towards the large spring.

“Good plan, do you think Pint would let us ride on his back for the journey home?” Kit sounded hopeful.

“You can try if you want but I’m happy with both my feet on the ground.” Mars gave a wary look to the large horse.

“Yeah, it’s probably not a good idea.” Kit conceded.

After kneeling by the water's edge and taking a drink, Kit noticed movement across the lake. Curious about what creatures might be visiting the lake, he squinted his eyes and saw something surprising.

As Kit and Mars gazed at the other side of the spring, they both realised what those creatures were. “Ahh, Mars. They are massive crocodiles, right? I think it’s time we left.”

Mars started nodding his head “Yep, in total agreement, right now.”

The giant crocodiles were too intimidating to face, with their massive size and prehistoric appearance.

They quickly got dressed and tried to flee, but Kit's clumsiness caused a loud thud that alerted the creatures to their presence. As the crocodiles entered the water with a splash, Kit felt his heart racing.

“How did I ever think we could kill those, let alone think of a way to distract them. They look like prehistoric crocodiles on steroids. Seriously, what is with this game and giant creatures! Can there at least be one cute fluffy monster.” Kit complained.

“Kit, who cares about that right now, RUN!” Mars turned and grabbed Kit up from the ground, they then sprinted towards the last barrels.

“Leave them Mars there is no time. Let’s just get out of here before we are killed.” Kit did not think Iris would mind them leaving the barrels behind. He ran over to Pint, the horse didn’t budge, “Now is not the time to be stubborn Pint, I will give you all the beer you want after. There are huge crocodiles coming to eat us, so let’s get a move on before we are lunch.”

Kit pleaded with the massive horse to move, but he refused! In a moment of frustration and fear, Kit scolded the stubborn animal “Pint, you overgrown alcoholic horse, we need to go, or we will die!”

“Ah Kit, I think it is too late to go now.” Mars faintly spoke.

Kit turned around to see the monsters emerging from the water. Up close, they were even more terrifying with their translucent blue skin and shimmering scales. Kit made eye contact with one of them and felt like he could be swallowed whole by its dark eyes.

As it roared, revealing its sharp teeth, Kit knew there was no way they could survive this encounter. But Mars remained surprisingly calm “Let’s at least try to save Pint, I don’t think he will respawn like us.”

Kit's eyes flickered over to the massive horse, his annoyance with it momentarily forgotten. Despite its stubbornness, Kit didn't want to see it meet its end. "So, what's your plan?" he asked.

"Let's split up and try to confuse them," his Mars replied. "You lead one way, I'll go the other. Maybe we can find a way to survive this."

The thought of disappointing Iris pushed Kit to consider any possible solution that could save both their lives and the horse's. He chugged down a bottle of water in preparation for the physical exertion ahead.

His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed repeatedly. Taking a deep breath, Kit started to give himself a pep talk as the creatures drew closer.