The morning mist clung to the river's surface as Alexander studied the crude map Captain Verna had sketched for them. The delta ahead spread like gnarled fingers across the ndscape—multiple channels flowing from a central confluence where their target awaited.

  "The Leviathan prefers the deeper pools near the center junction," Captain Verna expined, her weathered finger tapping the map. "But don't be fooled. Its reach extends to any water source connected to the main channel."

  Alexander nodded, mentally cataloging the information while assessing his team. Yesterday's confrontation with Valeria still lingered in the air, but she stood attentively with the others, her face giving away nothing. Professional to the core, whatever her other loyalties might be.

  "Its heads can strike from different points simultaneously?" he asked.

  "Up to seven water locations at once," Verna confirmed. "No one's ever counted more than that. The body stays hidden in the deepest part."

  "How do we kill something we can't see?" Riva asked, nervously adjusting the waterproofed bowstring Lyra had modified for her.

  "By making it show itself," Alexander replied. He turned to Lyra. "Those underwater sensors working?"

  Lyra nodded, holding up three small devices that looked like they'd been assembled from spare parts—which they probably had been. "They'll detect rge mass movement under water. Range is limited though. Maybe twenty feet each."

  "That's something at least." Alexander looked at his brother. "Elijah, your... awareness has been stronger near water. Think you'll get any advance warning if something's coming?"

  Elijah met his gaze, understanding the careful wording. Since discovering Valeria's specific interest in his "premonitions," as they'd taken to calling them publicly, they'd been even more cautious.

  "Hard to say," Elijah answered carefully. "But I've been getting clearer impressions near the river. Might give us a few seconds' advantage."

  "We'll take whatever edge we can get." Alexander turned back to the map. "Here's how we approach..."

  The modified watercraft cut silently through the misty water. Alexander had positioned them strategically—Riva at the front with her bow, himself and Valeria on opposite sides with spears, Elijah in the center with medical supplies ready, and Lyra at the rear managing her detection equipment.

  As they entered the delta proper, the waterway split into multiple channels. Alexander signaled for them to proceed down the widest passage. Sunlight pierced the morning mist in shafts of gold, creating an eerily beautiful scene that belied the danger ahead.

  "First sensor deployed," Lyra said quietly, dropping one of her devices overboard. It sank quickly, a thin fiment connecting it to the small receiver in her hand. "No movement yet."

  They continued deeper into the delta's maze of channels. The water here was clear enough to see a few feet down, then faded to murky darkness. Perfect hiding pce for something rge that didn't want to be found.

  "Second sensor," Lyra announced, deploying another device at a junction where three channels converged.

  Alexander scanned the water's surface for any disturbance. The training with Captain Verna had taught them the subtle signs—unnatural ripples, sudden absence of small fish, bubbles from disturbed river bottom.

  "There," Valeria said suddenly, pointing to their left where the water had gone eerily still compared to the gentle movement around it.

  Alexander nodded. "Everyone ready. Remember, we need to find the central body. The heads are just—"

  The water erupted twenty feet away as something massive burst from the surface. A serpentine neck rose into the air, ending in a crocodilian head with rows of dagger-like teeth. Before anyone could react, two more heads exploded from different channels around them.

  "Defensive positions!" Alexander shouted as their craft rocked violently.

  The nearest head struck with shocking speed, jaws snapping just inches from Riva as she threw herself backward. She recovered instantly, nocking an arrow and firing in one fluid motion. The arrow struck true, embedding in the creature's eye. The head recoiled with a shriek that seemed to come from everywhere at once.

  "Movement on the sensor!" Lyra called out, eyes fixed on her receiver. "Something big circling under us!"

  Alexander barely had time to process her warning when Elijah suddenly shouted, "Left side! Now!"

  Acting on instinct, Alexander threw himself right as a fourth head erupted from the water exactly where he'd been standing. The jaws cmped on empty air as Valeria drove her spear into the creature's neck. Dark blood spurted from the wound, but the head kept fighting, twisting toward her with terrifying focus.

  "The heads regenerate!" Elijah called, grabbing a medical pack. "We need to find the central body!"

  Another violent impact rocked their craft as two more heads surfaced on opposite sides. Water sloshed over the edges, and Alexander realized with arm that they were taking on water. If they sank in the middle of the delta, they'd be completely vulnerable.

  "Lyra!" he shouted over the chaos. "Can you locate the main body?"

  Lyra was frantically adjusting her receiver, water dripping from her hair. "The sensors are picking up massive movement, but it's all around us!"

  A sudden insight struck Alexander. "It's using the channels to confuse us. The body must be at the central confluence!" He pointed toward where all the waterways converged about fifty yards ahead. "We need to get there!"

  The craft lurched forward as they paddled desperately toward the center point. Heads continued to erupt around them, forcing them to defend from all sides. Riva's arrows found their marks with impressive precision, while Valeria kept the starboard side clear with her spear. Alexander maintained their course, using his training to predict where the next attack would come from.

  Elijah suddenly stiffened, his eyes unfocused for a moment. "Something's coming from below!" he warned, just as the water beneath their craft began to churn.

  "Brace yourselves!" Alexander shouted.

  The impact came from directly underneath, nearly capsizing them. As they struggled to stabilize, a massive shape brushed against the bottom of their craft—far rger than the heads they'd been fighting.

  "We're right above it!" Lyra called, her sensors going wild.

  Before Alexander could respond, one of the heads shot out of the water directly beside Riva. In a horrifying instant, the jaws cmped around her midsection and dragged her overboard.

  "RIVA!" Elijah screamed, lunging toward where she'd disappeared.

  "Don't!" Alexander grabbed his brother's arm. "That's what it wants!"

  Thinking rapidly, Alexander grabbed one of Lyra's sensors. "Can this track her?"

  "If she's near enough to the sensor, yes!" Lyra replied, already adjusting her receiver.

  "There!" she pointed to a reading on her device. "Moving east, fast!"

  Alexander didn't hesitate. "Valeria, with me!" He dove into the water, knife between his teeth, with Valeria right behind him.

  The river was murky but not impenetrable. Kicking powerfully, Alexander followed Valeria's lead as she tracked something moving ahead of them. His lungs began to burn, but he pushed forward, remembering Captain Verna's training on underwater movement.

  Suddenly, they spotted it—a massive serpentine form gliding through the water with Riva struggling in its jaws. She was still fighting, stabbing at the creature with a small knife, but her movements were weakening.

  Alexander signaled to Valeria, and they split up, approaching from different angles. The creature was so focused on Riva it didn't notice them until Alexander drove his knife deep into the soft underside of its neck. The head convulsed, jaws loosening just enough for Valeria to pull Riva free.

  They kicked desperately toward the surface, lungs screaming for air. Behind them, the wounded head thrashed in rage, sending powerful currents that threatened to pull them back down.

  They broke the surface gasping, Riva limp between them. Alexander scanned frantically for their craft, spotting it about thirty yards away where Elijah and Lyra were fighting off two more heads.

  "Hang on!" Alexander told Riva, who coughed weakly, blood seeping from puncture wounds in her side.

  They swam as quickly as possible while supporting Riva between them. The journey seemed endless, with Alexander constantly expecting to feel jaws close around his legs, dragging him into the depths.

  Finally, they reached the craft. Elijah helped pull Riva aboard, immediately checking her wounds.

  "Punctured ribs, but the lungs seem intact," he reported, applying pressure bandages from his medical kit. "She's lost blood though."

  "We need to finish this now," Alexander said grimly, pulling himself back aboard. He studied the delta yout, noting how all the channels converged ahead. "The body has to be right at that junction. If we can get there and strike directly..."

  "I might have something," Lyra said, already assembling components from her pack. "Captain Verna mentioned the Leviathan's central body is sensitive to electrical current. If I can modify these sensors..."

  "Do it," Alexander ordered. "Valeria, help me keep these heads occupied. Elijah, stabilize Riva and be ready to move when we give the signal."

  For the next few minutes, they fought desperately to maintain their position while Lyra worked. The Leviathan seemed to sense their pn, its attacks growing more frenzied. Two more heads emerged, making a total of seven just as Captain Verna had predicted.

  "Almost there," Lyra muttered, connecting the st components on what looked like a makeshift electrical charge device. "Just need to get this directly over the main body."

  "Can you tell where it is exactly?" Alexander asked, fending off another strike.

  Lyra checked her remaining sensor. "It's holding position at the very center of the confluence. If we can get within twenty feet, this should work."

  "Then let's move!" Alexander commanded, and they began paddling furiously toward the central point.

  The Leviathan seemed to realize their intention, as all seven heads converged to block their path. They were forced to zigzag through the channels, fighting off constant attacks.

  "We're not going to make it through like this," Valeria shouted, driving her spear into an approaching head.

  Alexander made a split-second decision. "New pn. Elijah, stay with Riva. Valeria, take the right channel. Lyra, go left with your device. I'll create a distraction down the center. We'll converge at the junction and deploy the charge together."

  They split up as directed, Alexander taking their damaged craft straight down the middle channel, making as much noise as possible. As he'd hoped, most of the heads followed him, drawn to the easiest target.

  Through the chaos, he caught glimpses of Valeria slipping silently down the right channel while Lyra navigated the left, her device ready. Elijah remained behind with Riva, applying pressure to her wounds while watching anxiously.

  As Alexander approached the central confluence, the attacks intensified. He was fighting for his life, barely keeping the snapping jaws at bay with his spear. But his pn was working—almost all the heads were focused on him, leaving Valeria and Lyra retively clear paths.

  They reached the confluence almost simultaneously. Lyra held up her device, ready to deploy.

  "Now!" Alexander shouted.

  Lyra dropped the device into the water while Valeria thrust a second spear—one that Lyra had apparently modified—into the water nearby. For a moment, nothing happened.

  Then the water seemed to explode from within. The Leviathan's entire body surged to the surface—a massive serpentine form easily forty feet long, with all seven heads connected to a central trunk. Electricity coursed visibly through its body, causing it to convulse violently.

  "Strike now!" Alexander called, driving his spear directly into what appeared to be the creature's heart.

  Valeria followed suit, her weapon finding another vulnerable spot. Around them, the water boiled with energy from Lyra's device.

  With a final, earth-shaking roar that echoed across the delta, the Leviathan shuddered and went still. The massive body rolled slowly onto its side, floating lifelessly on the surface.

  A stunned silence fell over them, broken only by their heavy breathing.

  "Is it... actually dead?" Valeria asked cautiously, her spear still raised.

  As if in answer, the Leviathan's body began to dissolve into shimmering blue particles—the universal sign of a defeated Guardian. In its pce, a rge chest materialized, floating on the water's surface.

  Alexander paddled over and pulled it aboard his damaged craft. With Valeria's help, they made their way back to where Elijah waited with Riva.

  "Is she stable?" Alexander asked as they approached.

  Elijah nodded wearily. "The bleeding's slowed, but she needs proper treatment."

  They secured the chest and began the difficult journey back toward the outpost. Elijah treated Riva's wounds as best he could while Lyra continuously monitored her vital signs using a modified medical scanner.

  "You're going to be okay," Elijah assured Riva, who had regained consciousness but remained pale and weak.

  "Did we win?" she asked, her voice barely audible.

  "We won," Alexander confirmed, squeezing her hand gently. "Thanks in part to your archery. Those first hits gave us crucial time to organize."

  Captain Verna was waiting at the outpost dock with several guards when they returned. Her expression shifted from satisfaction to concern when she saw Riva's condition.

  "Get her to medical immediately," she ordered, and two guards carefully lifted Riva onto a stretcher.

  While Elijah accompanied Riva to the medical area, the others unloaded the chest and brought it to the command hut. Captain Verna examined it with approval.

  "Few teams manage to defeat the Leviathan on their first attempt," she said. "You've earned this reward."

  Alexander opened the chest to reveal five sets of specialized equipment—sleek devices that appeared to be breathing apparatus of some kind.

  "Underwater breathing equipment," Captain Verna expined. "Essential for the next floor. These will allow you to remain submerged for extended periods."

  Lyra picked up one of the devices, examining it with obvious interest. "Self-contained oxygen generation. Impressive."

  Alexander noticed Valeria standing slightly apart from the group. Despite their recent confrontation, she had performed fwlessly during the battle—saving Riva's life and pying a crucial role in the final attack. He caught her eye and gave a small nod of acknowledgment, which she returned with equal subtlety.

  Later that evening, after Riva had been treated and stabilized, the team gathered in the common area. They were battered, exhausted, but alive—and victorious.

  "We should reach Floor 8 by mid-morning tomorrow," Alexander told them, updating their inventories.

  Team Inventory Additions:- Underwater breathing apparatus (5) - 3-hour capacity each- Leviathan scales (12) - Potential crafting material- Leviathan teeth (8) - Valuable trading items- Floor 7 completion token - Required for advancement"What's Floor 8 like?" Riva asked from her cot, still pale but recovering.

  "A settlement within living trees, according to Captain Verna," Alexander replied. "Very different from what we've seen so far."

  "Good," Elijah said, finishing a fresh bandage on his arm where one of the Leviathan's teeth had grazed him. "I've had enough water for a while."

  Lyra was already modifying one of the breathing apparatus, making small adjustments to its components. "These will need calibration for each of us," she said without looking up. "Different lung capacities."

  Alexander watched his team, pride mixing with exhaustion. They had faced a deadly challenge and emerged victorious through perfect coordination—despite the tensions beneath the surface. Valeria had proven her combat value regardless of her reporting activities. Elijah's "premonitions" had saved lives. Lyra's technical brilliance had given them the edge they needed. Even injured, Riva had fought with remarkable courage.

  They were becoming something more than just a team—something his father's corporate training had never envisioned. Alexander wasn't sure what to call it yet, but he knew it was something worth protecting.

  Tomorrow they would face new challenges on Floor 8. But tonight, they had earned their rest as conquerors of the River Leviathan and masters of Floor 7.