Chapter 8: Snake Event 2
He was having fun, he realised, not because of the fight, he hated that, or the constant bashing of his body against monsters. He was simply having fun, like a junkie would after betting it all on a dice game, he liked the numbers going up. His father was a gambler, not a good one, but he spent a lot of nights playing card games to win it big. He had an addictive personality, so naturally, Fay did too. He raised his rock and slammed it against another python, not able to use his other broken arm that was twisted apart. If he had to guess these snakes were on par with the boars, and could mangle him quite easily.
The blunt rock that was picked up from the rubble where Jason landed was a useful tool, if he hit the head of the black pythons they would spasm and allow him free movement, though it was unlikely he could kill them so easily.
The king was preparing for another attack, Fay doubted he had any MP left and couldn’t find the time to check.
[You have been poisoned x 5]
[Common Venom Extracted x5]
That took a while. The venom, when stacked up so high, can actually cause damage because the skill liked to wait all at once to suck it all out. So that drowsy feeling he had finally disappeared. If he had been bitten again, making it six, it would probably continue until that was solved too. He contemplated making a run for it now, the exit was laden with dead green snakes, but again, he was feeling like a junkie. He liked the numbers going up. His body was leaking blood on almost every part of his skin that was open, the pythons didn't have much of a bite to them but they had swung their bodies like a whip at him. He could parry these attacks with his snake strength, something that made an action, if directed at a snake, triple as powerful as a normal attack would have been. Since his base strength was around 2, the snake strength really made things easier.
The king whipped his hands up and sucked in the rest of the living green snakes on the floor, rounded them into a ball and shot them out at Fay, he could very well see this happen but couldn't do much about it, his agility wasn't up to date with his perception, so all he could do was hold his hands out and pray his MP had regenerated enough.
[Activated Stop Momentum]
The snakes that were shot right in front of him slowed down to a crawl and then were pushed by the snakes behind them, doing almost nothing and still slammed Fay backwards to be underneath a pile of green snakes.
The weight was unbearable, they pressed down on him like a bear would, he had to swing his arms desperately to break free, making leverage of the rock and slamming it down on the group. The green snakes, just as lost as he was, tried crawling in every direction, some tried crawling into his mouth to the point where he had to chomp the head right off, his teeth felt a lot stronger than his hands but the taste of chicken was disturbing. He spat it out and shook around, not able to breathe under the heat of countless snakes.
He got out safely when he could find his feet to the floor, jumping out. His broken arm, which was his left, kept pulsating in pain as a distraction. He could still move his fingers on the other end so he wasn't sure if the break was too bad, he wouldn’t know, he never broke a bone before.
Two pythons, already dazed from being hit by a rock before leapt at him. He jammed the rock into one of the pythons open mouths and kicked the other. He needed his knife back desperately, these pythons no matter how hurt they become just keep going.
He stomped on the head of the python that he jammed the rock into and cracked something, a bone of the snake, if they had bones. He recollected the piece of rubble from the snake's mouth just in time to slam it atop the other python, knocking it out too, probably not killing it. Twenty more come over at the same time. He slammed the rock down on the dazed python, again and again, trying to-
[Profession Level up. Snake Catcher (lvl 6) (UNCOMMON)]
+1 intelligence.
+1 perception.
+1 vitality.
+2 strength against snakes.
Finally, the green snakes and rattle snakes were both level one, so the profession barely counted them towards the leveling system. Though the two extra strengths didn't seem like much, it allowed a lot more leeway on using the rock to fight, allowing him to break their bones instead of knocking them out, as he was just barely on the precipice of that before.
The vitality made the broken bone ease out, like it was a part of him now, so he decided to use it, just to stop three pythons from crawling up his leg, a broken leg would mean death. He slammed the rock on a python and he got a brilliant snapping sound from it. But it was about time the King made his next move. Quick stepping over and kicking him right in the side, knocking him back, right into the caves entrance.
He didn't get it off easy this time, he hit his head, cracked it probably. The arm he kicked was broken twice and he kept feeling bites from rattle snakes. He could see the exit right next to him, he could crawl, he could get out of there.
“Urghhh…” He grabbed the rattle snake and bit its head off, opened its mouth and kept applying the venom to his leg repeatedly. The pythons were coming over, and he couldn’t stand, he needed to stand.
He stopped at around 10 injections, growing dizzy, along with his likely concussion that was making him do such a stupid thing, the venom was just making it worse. His perception became blurry and he couldn't track a thought.
[You have been poisoned x 10]
The first python slid over and tried to crush his leg.
[Activated Stop Momentum]
He grabbed both ends of the snake's mouth and with the most strength he could conjure, tore them open, splitting it from the middle, his arms, especially the broken one screamed out in pain. He could leave, he could leave, why couldn’t he leave?
[Stop Momentum LVL UP]
-15% -> -20% mana consumption
+1 intelligence
That's not what he needed, but it was about time. Swung the python at the other group of twenty that were making their way over, not stopping them much. Three wrap around him, one around his neck, he manages just barely to tear that one off before a python wrapped around his other arm, squeezing enough to break it. He slammed his fist, what was left of his left fist, into the python, trying to get it to ease up. But it just grew tighter and tighter, almost pulling his skin completely off from the burn that the friction was giving him.
He managed to grab the right armed python by the head as the left armed python tried to drag him back into a resting position, breaking his left arm for a third time, it felt like jelly. He tore the right arm of the python off and reached into its mouth, pulling on its tongue with as much force as possible until it came out along with a pool of blood. Four more pythons come over and begin shredding his legs with bites.
[Common Venom Extracted x10]
[Venom Extract LVL UP]
Lower Uncommon Venom -> Uncommon Venom
+1 endurance
The endurance barely did a thing, just loosened up some muscles to make it harder for the pythons to grapple onto him. He was fully surrounded by fifteen now, another one by his neck. The weight was similar to the green snakes.
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[Activated Stop Momentum]
He activated it on himself, then moved forward, somehow, and he wasn't sure of why, but the constriction reset and the pythons almost slipped off him, likely confused as to why he suddenly felt like a brick wall and why their tightening process stopped.
[Activated Stop Momentum]
He pushed forward again, the weight kept disappearing completely for a second after the activation, like he was floating with no momentum, he jousted forward.
[Activated Stop Momentum]
He jumped forward again until he was out of the pile. There was no point or purpose behind using the skill, he was simply terrified and was using anything in his power to fight. There were bones poking out of his left arm now, likely in need of being completely chopped off after. He had the thought to take a bone out and use it for a fight but with his concussion finally easing out, he decided that was insane.
He had an almost love-hate relationship with this king now, he was playing fair, and finally, giving him a chance to breathe, he raised his arms upwards. The holes above, even bigger than the python ones, began to rumble.
HP: (23/120)
MP: (16/150)
He shook his head at his status, that was bad, really bad. His maximum had gone up quite a lot, but that didn't matter at all when he was still so close to zero, his mana was now regenning at three a minute, so the skill was slightly more useful if pooled. His health was slowly dripping down, then up, then down, unable to find a stable place as he kept bleeding.
He took a couple breaths as the bigger holes spewed out fifty midnight coloured snakes, the size of that rat they fought earlier, longer than the height of a tree. It was overwhelming, like they made their own walls as they slivered towards Fay. He was dead, these snakes could likely eat him whole. IT didn’t take long for the first one to reach him, it had a strangely sized head, the sides connected to its body with a flat flap, not unlike the rattle snakes. The creature unhinged its jaw and tried to snap down on Fay’s torso by twisting its head to the side.
Fay hopped out of the way, they were slow for their size, the next one came from behind him, and with his perception he could hop again, he stepped on a couple of rattle snakes as he did, almost all the smaller snakes were now crushed, which did make things easier.
Three more, one on top of the other, lashed into Fay’s side with their bodies, knocking him off centre and into the ground. He was completely surrounded by bodies now, and the king's action would happen any moment. If it was a quick step that would be no good, he was struck again by a snake’s side, while the mouth of a snake opened right behind him, making a clear hissing noise that his perception caught onto.
He twisted and got his hand stuck in the sharp teeth of the creature. Alongside the tiny serrated inward facing teeth that were around the snake's gums, were also four very distinct teeth that were used to inject venom. He let his left arm be sucked in and grabbed one of those four teeth, kicking backwards with a jerking motion, he bent it down towards the jaw, pulling the tooth right out.
[Activated Stop Momentum]
The snake screamed painfully, giving Fay time to use the tooth as a weapon, slamming it into the lower mouth of the creature. While he could focus on the snakes in front of him, he barely had any time. He felt the quick step of the king right behind him, readying yet another kick. He slashed forward with the tooth, gripping it desperately. It just barely scratched the king before Fay was slammed backward, this time in the pelvis.
[Activated Stop Momentum]
He managed to stop the crash into the ground, using the skill on himself was much less taxing than with other living creatures. His hip was clearly split into two.
[Profession Level up. Snake Catcher (lvl 7) (UNCOMMON)]
+1 intelligence.
+1 perception.
+1 vitality.
+2 strength against snakes.
Did that other snake die? By its own venom? He couldn't think for too long as he was yet again whipped to the side by one of the snakes, he managed to slash the side before falling over, rolling twice before landing face down. The vitality that he gained did little to help, and he just couldn’t do it any longer. He shut his eyes, feeling the desperation in his mind, endorphins flooding his system, making the choice to sleep forever just that much easier. The adrenaline passed finally, not being able to keep up with the constant battle.
[You have been invited into the Gamblers Class (COMMON)]
[Every level]
+1 luck. (NEW STAT)
+1 random stat
[Skill]
Zone (COMMON: LVL 1): Make a bet on yourself, receive temporary buffs or temporary debuffs.
“Oh… that sucks…accep…”
—
“You sure it's this way Grace?” Joey was confused why Grace was taking them so deep into the forest, she said she knew where the next cave was, but she had never been this way, at least he didn’t think so.
“Yeah, Grace, are you sure you know where it is?” Marx gets in her face as they walk. There weren't even any snakes nearby, she was clearly tricking them, Marx thought. He had just about had enough of her, she was a witch, clear as day. Using her blood to make poisons and gas, she knew too much, way too much.
They arrive at a cave, “here it is. Friends.” Grace bowed and stood, “you may go in.” she wiped her robe, “you may go in and fight to become stronger, you may, I tell you.” She said smoothly. Joey was smitten by this, her in general.
“You keep looking out.” Joey smiled and they walked in, fully prepared for a battle once inside. They walked past a few dead rattle snakes that skirted the entrance, then green snakes inside. Then they got to a thinner and cramped side of the cave full of mana crystals. He noted blood on the sandstone below.
Rumbling began to fill the air, echoing through and tickling their stomachs. Marx was in front as was the first to see the sight of an incredible amount of midnight snakes roaming aimlessly, a dead humanoid creature with grey skin and bumps in its limbs, and that same white haired boy laying face down, right next to a dead midnight snake. There were a few rattles that kept biting him, but the snake he was pushed against kept the other midnight snakes from getting in, or spotting him.
Marx made quick work of the snakes, they were level two and fairly weak for him, Joey poisoned the things, the pythons were stomped by Eddy, and Jacky went immediately to the white haired boy when the danger was gone. Not much of a fight.
“Watch out!” Joey shouted as Jacky sprang over, she ran around the dead snakes like it was a maze, climbing over a couple to get to the boy. The place smelt of death and decay, and now burning as Marx took out the last of them.
“He’s alive!” Jacky shouted, “oh, uh.” She pressed her head onto the boy's chest and heard a faint heartbeat. She immediately got to work, he had multiple fractures on his left arm, broken pelvis, sternum, cracked skull, ribs. Her inspection skill allowed her to see all the issues. He was level three as well, good stats, that was all she could see from her underleveled inspection skill.
Joey inspected the humanoid creature, it had a decay around its chest, purple and smelt of sweet fruit. It looked peaceful, kind of, if it wasn’t disgusting. He checked the event window.
[You have one hour and 40 minutes to destroy 2/3 snake kings in three separate caves and 3866/5000 snakes]
Oh, it was almost over. Joey was irritated, they barely got any experience. He guessed the rewards came after, but still. It was good they had found that white haired boy with the nullification magic, and in turn from “saving” him, they could get his loot. They definitely needed him on their side. Judging from the king's fleeting aura he was a level three monster, the first they’ve seen yet. Probably high up on the level three list as well.
“Damn!” Marx started taking the teeth out of the midnight snakes, “Ay Eddy! These can be used for some sick blades.” He started ripping out each tooth, and scales, they looked strong too, could be grafted for some shields maybe, “we’re fine, right?”
Eddy came over and collected the items, shaking his head profusely, “be careful with those.”
Joey knew that this boss would be very easy work to get rid of with their group, especially with his scythe, it seemed unusually prone to dying of poison ironically. Even Marx could take it on alone, since he had AOE attacks that would make easy work of it all. Grace could likely do it as well, he saw her once, concocting blades with blood, it was a class that he hadn't read about.
“Oh?” An unknown girl walked in, casually behind them without anyone noticing, “hello, I’m Millie.” She had a robe very similar to Grace’s, with black hair. Her hood was down unlike Grace's though, and seemed much more sure of herself, especially with how she was covered in blood and seemed to want to keep it that way for the time being. “Leave.” Millie told them, “you will be deemed worthy of rewards, leave him to me.”
“He on your team?” Joey took a step back respectfully. Marx looked primed and ready to slash the woman into pieces but kept psyching himself out; he was the first to leave, alongside Eddy.
“I suppose.” Millie walked to Jacky and took the boy away, holding him carefully with both her arms, “thank you Jacky.” She said, knowing her name somehow, “thank you.” Millie left in quite a hurry, speedwalking away.
Joey kept in his anger until the woman turned the corner, which was when he dropped to his knees and let out an intense scream, crying into his hands, this was what they needed, and they failed.
Jacky ran over and crouched down to hug him, “hey hey, you tried your best, it’s okay.”
“It’s not.” Joey sniffled, quite embarrassed. “We need strength and all we got were fucking scraps.” He groaned and bit his hand hard, breaking the skin and tasting the blood under, “they’re getting ahead Jacky.”
“I know…” She stroked his hair, she had been the kindest out of anyone, in fact, she basically saved him when he was bitten by a small spider. He was a paranoid fellow, and was freaking out, but upon meeting Jacky she could tell him exactly what happened and how it could be fixed. “You’re okay…”
“I’m okay…” he reaffirmed, “we aren’t sleeping tonight.”
“Huh?” She pulled back and looked a bit lost for words, “wha-?”
“We need to get stronger, so the group should stay up all night to do so… we need those stamina potions you promised. We need to keep up.”
