LEVEL EVERYTHING UP in my Eldritch Tribe

Chapter 257: Docile Sand Boa

As Lyerin led the way, his steps unwavering, the soldiers behind him began to slow.

Nervous glances darted between them, and beads of sweat trickled down their brows, betraying their tension.

They exchanged hushed whispers, voices trembling with an edge of fear, though they did their best to maintain a respectful tone.

"Chief Lyerin," one of them murmured, trying to keep his voice steady but failing miserably. "Are you sure… we should be going this way?"

Another soldier nodded, his eyes wide as he glanced around the eerie, shadow-laden trees. "Yes, maybe... maybe we could reconsider? We should be… careful in these parts."

The dense forest around them was cloaked in an unsettling silence. The towering trees loomed high, their branches weaving into twisted, shadowy forms that seemed to shift in the dim light.

A faint fog hugged the forest floor, swirling and curling around their ankles like ghostly fingers.

Even the usual sounds of the forest—the rustling leaves, the distant calls of birds—were eerily absent, replaced by an unnatural hush that blanketed everything, heightening the soldiers' growing sense of dread.

"Come on, Chief," another soldier whispered, his voice trembling as he gripped his weapon tightly. "Let's… let's head back. This place… it's not right."

"Yeah, maybe this isn't worth it," a different voice chimed in from the back, barely audible but filled with concern. "We don't know what's lurking out here."

Yet Lyerin pressed on, seemingly immune to the sinister aura of the forest around him.

His face was set in a confident smirk, his steps unwavering as he strode through the fog-shrouded woods, flanked by the lumbering Pig Orcs who trailed behind him like silent sentinels.

Their heavy footfalls made the ground tremble slightly, an added reminder of the raw power they possessed—power that seemed almost to mock the soldiers' nerves.

The soldiers' unease only grew as they ventured deeper.

The forest seemed to darken with every step, the air thickening until it felt heavy in their lungs.

Strange shapes seemed to lurk at the edges of their vision, only to vanish when they tried to focus on them. And then, as if it weren't bad enough, they began to hear faint, slithering noises.

A deep, rhythmic rumbling that seemed to reverberate from somewhere beyond the trees, as if something massive was stirring in the shadows.

The men froze. One soldier, breathing heavily, leaned closer to his comrade, his voice barely a whisper, "Did you hear that? What… what was that?"

Another soldier swallowed, trying to keep his composure but visibly trembling. "Shh… don't… don't make any noise," he hissed, his knuckles white as he gripped his weapon. "We need to stay quiet, or… or it might hear us."

But then Lyerin's laughter broke through the silence, sharp and unafraid, shattering the fragile quiet.

He tilted his head back and began to hum, his voice resonating through the forest with a strange, fearless joy.

It was as though he was mocking the tension in the air, taunting whatever might be lurking in the shadows.

The soldiers' eyes widened, and they shot panicked glances at each other, whispering frantically.

"Chief, please," one of them whispered desperately, his face pale. "Please, be quiet. We don't want to… attract anything."

"Yes, Chief," another pleaded, his voice shaking. "We might get into trouble. This isn't safe!"

But Lyerin only chuckled, his gaze steady and fearless. "Relax," he drawled, a wicked grin playing on his lips. "This place may look fearsome, but it's all just… theatrics."

They exchanged fearful looks, uncertain of his words.

The trees around them seemed to loom larger, casting long, unnatural shadows that reached out like claws, stretching and twisting as if reaching for them.

The fog thickened, coiling around their legs, cold and damp, like the breath of something watching them from the shadows.

And then, without warning, they saw it.

A massive figure loomed into view ahead of them, slithering silently across the forest floor.

The creature's body was as thick as a tree trunk, covered in scales that shimmered with an unnatural, iridescent sheen, each one glistening like polished obsidian.

Its head was enormous, its jaws lined with rows of jagged, yellowed teeth, and its eyes glowed with a cold, unfeeling hunger.

The massive snake's body coiled and uncoiled with each movement, the muscles rippling beneath its scales, and it let out a low, menacing hiss that seemed to vibrate the very air around them.

The soldiers' faces drained of color as they stumbled back, their breaths coming in quick, shallow gasps.

"Oh… my… god," one of them whispered, his voice barely audible over the pounding of his own heart. "What… what is that?"

Another soldier clamped a hand over his own mouth, his eyes wide with terror.

"Keep quiet," he whispered urgently, casting a desperate glance toward the others. "We… we can't let it hear us. It'll… it'll kill us all."

Behind them, more murmurs spread as panic rippled through the group, each soldier's voice trembling as they tried to keep their fear in check.

"This is insane," one muttered, his voice a terrified whisper. "We need to get out of here… We need to—"

But Lyerin only laughed, louder this time, his voice bold and fearless as he called out to the men.

"Afraid of this little thing?" he sneered, his tone mocking. "It's just a sand boa! Don't let its size fool you; it's nothing but a big coward itself."

The soldiers stared at him in horror, unable to comprehend his audacity.

One of them, his face ashen, dared to speak up, his voice barely more than a whimper, "Chief, please… please stop. We don't… we don't want it to come after us."

Lyerin smirked, shaking his head with a mixture of amusement and disdain.

"This creature may look menacing, but trust me, it's scared out of its wits. It won't touch us unless we provoke it." Continue reading at m|v-l'e-NovelFire

The soldiers didn't look convinced.

Their hands gripped their weapons tightly, their eyes flickering nervously between Lyerin and the massive, coiled serpent.

One of them leaned over to his comrade, his voice barely a whisper. "Is he… is he serious? Does he really think… are we safe?"

Another whispered back, his tone tense and laced with fear, "I don't know… but I don't want to find out. If he's wrong, we're all dead."

Just then, Lyerin did the unthinkable. He tilted his head back, took a deep breath, and began to sing, his voice ringing out through the silence of the forest.

It was a bold, almost reckless act, his tone filled with a strange confidence that seemed to defy the danger lurking around them.

The soldiers' eyes widened, and they shot panicked glances at each other. One of them reached out, grabbing Lyerin's arm in a desperate attempt to stop him, his voice a frantic whisper.

"Chief, please! Stop! We're in danger! This… this isn't a joke!"

But Lyerin only laughed, shrugging off the man's grip and continuing to sing, his voice a fearless melody that echoed through the dark forest.

The soldiers exchanged frantic glances, their faces etched with fear and confusion.

They could barely breathe, their hearts pounding in their chests as they watched the massive serpent shift slightly, its eyes narrowing as it fixed its gaze on them.

The creature's long, muscular body coiled tighter, its scales glinting ominously in the dim light as it seemed to size them up.

But Lyerin remained unfazed, his smile never wavering as he looked back at the men with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"I said relax," he said, his voice dripping with mockery. "This creature isn't going to attack us. It's more afraid of us than we are of it."

The men stared at him, their fear mingling with disbelief as they struggled to comprehend his words.

One of them shook his head, muttering under his breath, "He's… he's lost it. He's absolutely insane."

Another soldier, his face pale and eyes wide with terror, whispered urgently to the others, "We need to get out of here… We can't stay. This… this isn't safe."

But before they could move, the creature let out a low, rumbling hiss, its massive head lowering as it slithered closer, its scales scraping against the ground with a sound that sent shivers down their spines.

One of the soldiers whimpered, clutching his weapon tightly as he tried to keep his breathing steady. "Please… let's go back. We're not ready for this… Chief, please."

But Lyerin just laughed, his eyes glinting with a reckless joy as he watched the men's reactions.

"You all look like you've seen a ghost," he taunted, his voice a mocking melody that seemed to dance through the tension-filled air.

"I repeat… it's just a sand boa. They're harmless…"

The soldiers exchanged one last, desperate glance, their faces a mixture of fear and confusion.

Then, just as they were about to turn back, a new sound filled the air—the distant, rhythmic thumping of their heartbeats.