Thank you so much for reading!
Two bit sniper
Kiss the viper
Lie in wait as you take the bait
Feel you getting nearer
And I'm coiled up aiming to bite
~Snakebite - Judas Piest~
Chapter Eight: The Snakebite
~March 20th, x800~
Craish coughs, waiting for the dust and rubble to clear the air before moving; he can feel all the weight his reinforced shield is supporting, but he can't be sure just how precarious their situation is from that alone. Beside him, Hunter shifts and hisses in pain.
"Damn it," he says. "He used his shadow as a decoy."
The dust finally settles, and Craish turns his lantern back on to assess the damage. They're entombed in the rock. The only thing keeping them from being crushed is the forcefield his shield creates. He doubts they would have survived without it.
"How are we gonna get out of this mess?" Hunter asks, though Craish can tell the question is mostly directed at himself. "Are you okay?"
Craish nods, then points at Hunter's leg. His pants are ripped and wet with blood.
"It's a pretty shallow wound," Hunter says, "I'll be fine. The sooner we get out of here the better, though."
Craish taps the rock wall behind him, and Hunter can make out light peeking through the cracks.
"That's our way out, then?" Hunter asks and Craish nods again. "You've got a plan?"
Craish rocks his hand back and forth in a "so-so" manner and indicates that Hunter should trade places with him. After he manages to hand off the shield without either of them getting squashed in the process, Craish takes a closer look at the cave in; the rocks are packed tightly together, and if he's not careful about how he breaks through, he'll destabilize the pile.
Satisfied with his analysis, Craish summons a pickaxe from his Requip space, activating the "strength" and "harden" runes on the handle. Using the pick end, he chips at the rocks until he's able to form a small hole. He can almost see through to the other side, so he takes a bigger swing with the chisel end. The rock shatters on impact.
Craish waits a moment, either for Racer to attack them again or for the wall to collapse even further, but nothing happens. He keeps going, working from top to bottom and carefully tapping on each rock and watching for any sign of movement. When he's certain destroying it won't affect the wall, he smashes it to bits. It's slow going, but eventually, Craish manages to carve out a hole just big enough for both of them to squeeze through.
However, his shield's forcefield is the only thing supporting the rocks above them. If they try to leave with it, everything will come crumbling down. Craish has an idea, but he's not sure just how well it will work. Still, it's worth a try. He takes his pickaxe and starts digging into the ground. It's very hard and takes him a while until he's gouged out a hole that's big enough for the bottom of the shield to fit in. Hunter, having caught on, helps him partially bury it. Now that the shield is lower, however, so is the forcefield and the rocks fill the void it was once in the blink of an eye. The forcefield flickers at the new pressure but holds steady.
They let go of the shield slowly. It stands on its own, but Craish can tell it's starting to shift. They need to hurry.
Hunter climbs out first. Despite what he told Craish, the cut on his shin is painful, and he has to bite back his reaction when he ultimately bumps into the rocks. By the time he's made it to the other side, his whole leg is throbbing and he needs to lean on the wall to keep him upright.
Craish returns the pickaxe to his Requip space before he also crawls through the hole. With his armor, it's a tighter fit. It's taking him longer than he thought it would to scrape through, and the sound of the rocks raking against his armor is awful, like nails on a chalkboard. When he's managed to get halfway through, he hears the unmistakable clang of his shield falling to the ground.
With all his strength, Craish forces himself the rest of the way, his armor making a sound like the death cry of a wounded animal. He crashes to the floor as the cave collapses further behind him. Even the hole he just climbed through is gone.
"That was close," Hunter says, helping him stand.
Craish agrees and winces as he looks down at his armor. It's covered in scratches and dents that'll take him hours to repair. He recalls his shield, breathing a sigh of relief when he feels it return.
"We need to get to Leflin and Ria," Hunter says, testing the mobility of his leg. It hurts like hell, but he can still use it. "If he went after us, he probably went after them too."
Craish nods, and together they run down the tunnel. Up ahead is a bend in the tunnel, one that creates the perfect spot for someone to ambush them, and Hunter slows down. He can hear footsteps running towards them. Bracing himself, Hunter steps into the path ready to fight.
The pile of the dead snakes flashes through Ria's mind as she and Leflin run through the tunnel Craish and Hunter took. Her stomach rolls and her eyes sting with the tears she's forcing away. It just doesn't make sense to her why anyone would go through the trouble of killing them all, let alone in such a painful way. It didn't look like they'd been dead long either.
And if that's what they're willing to do to the snakes, just what could they be doing to Hunter and Craish? She thinks. Unbidden, the image of her friends lying dead in their own blood invade her thoughts and spurs her to run even faster.
A bend in the tunnel comes up, creating a blindspot, but Ria rushes past it without reserve. Someone steps into her path, and she collides with them at full speed.
She jumps back, ready to strike, but it's just Hunter standing in his own attack position. Relief floods her, mixing with the adrenaline still pumping through her veins, and Ria launches herself at him, wrapping her arms tight around his neck.
Hunter stumbles back a bit at the impact, then stands paralyzed as Ria does her best to squeeze the life out of him. After a moment, he stiffly pats Ria's back, not really knowing what else to do.
Just as quickly as she initiated it, Ria ends the embrace and makes a beeline for Craish. Having seen what happened to Hunter, Craish is fully prepared and accepts Ria's hug with one of his own.
With a look of deep sympathy, Leflin pats Hunter on the shoulder.
"Looks like you've got yourself a love rival," he says. "I'd tell you I'm rooting for you, but based on that performance, I think Craish is winning."
"Do you ever shut up?" Hunter glares, though the effect isn't as strong with the slight blush on his face.
"Not really, no." Leflin looks down at Hunter's shin. "What happened to your leg?"
It doesn't take too long for Hunter to explain the run-in he and Craish had with Racer, and Ria and Leflin share their near-miss with Bandy.
"That Racer guy said he had you two cornered," Ria says. "He came to get Bandy to help finish you off."
"He trapped us in an alcove," Hunter says. "I assumed he thought he'd dealt with us and was going to find you two."
"They had a headstart on us," Leflin says. "One of us should have run into them. Where are they now?"
"Up here," Racer says as he and Bandy fall from the roof. "You were having such a sweet reunion, we thought we'd give you a moment to-"
Hunter doesn't let him finish and socks Racer right in the face. There's a satisfying crunch, and Hunter knows he broke his nose.
Racer stumbles back, hands on his face. Beside him, Bandy looks stunned.
"Sorry, but I'm not in the mood for your bullshit," Hunter says. "Let's just get this over and done with."
"Fine," Racer drops his hands. The red of his blood is stark against his otherwise monochromatic face. A mass of shadows congregates behind him, manifesting angry spikes and thorns. "We'll do it your way. Attack."
The shadows break in two.
One half launches itself at Craish, who barely manages to draw his sword. He slices through the mass, and when that does little damage, activates the "fire" rune on his sword's hilt; it emits a bright red aura as flames engulf the blade. Another swing at the shadows have them shrinking away from the light the fire creates. Craish begins to push the shadows back, but a few of them get brave and make a jab at his side and swipe at his legs. He manages to block them, but another creeps around him and stabs him in the back. His armor protects him, but the blow knocks the wind out of him. He recovers in time to block another blow, then another and another. The shadows are rapid-fire, coming at him over and over again without rest.
Meanwhile, the other half of the shadows engage Leflin. He dodges their initial attack, and they slam into the ground, leaving a small crater where he once stood.
"That looks like it would hurt," Leflin says, dodging another blow. "I guess we'll just have to play a game of tag now, won't we?"
In the blink of an eye, he drops to all fours as his body morphs into that of a dark grey wolf. He bows in a playful position and barks at the mass of shadows, enticing it to chase him. The shadow strikes out at him, and he easily jumps out of its range.
As Leflin teases the shadows, Bandy sets her sight on Ria, tackling her to the ground.
"Ow!" Ria winces as Bandy pins her to the ground, gripping her wrists so hard she thinks they'll break. Ria tries to shake her off, but the woman is much stronger than her. This close, Ria can see the choker on Bandy's neck; the pendant of a black snake rearing back to strike rests in the center. Ria's seen that mark before.
"Your eyes," Bandy says, leaning close to her, "they're not nearly as pretty as Marcy's. Your skin and your hair aren't dark enough, either. I know it's not your fault. It's because of that tainted blood running through your veins. Don't worry though, Sirenita. There's magic that can fix that." Bandy presses her forehead to Ria's with a sigh. "Everything else about you is perfect."
Ria spits in Bandy's face and jams her knee into her stomach. Bandy rolls off her with a gasp, and Ria jumps to her feet. She aims a kick at Bandy's head, but the woman dodges it with a roll and leaps to her own feet.
"You fight dirty." Bandy laughs. "That's good! I'm glad that dog wasn't able to temper your spirit!"
"I can only assume that by 'dog' you mean my father. You should know that he's the one who taught me how to fight." Ria fires a blast of water straight at Bandy's eyes.
"No wonder you lack finesse." Bandy holds up her hand and the water freezes. She snatches the ice out of the air and lobs it at Ria.
While Ria dodges the icicle, Racer throws a punch at Hunter, grazing his jaw. Hunter rolls with the hit, ducking and aiming a jab at Racer's ribs. Racer blocks the attack with his forearm and returns it with a kick directed at Hunter's head.
Hunter grabs his foot with both hands and pushes it back. Racer lunges for him and they clasp hands, grappling for a bit.
"Why aren't you using your magic?" Racer asks. "All of your friends are."
"Why should I waste it on you?" Hunter pushes Racer away but the man grabs his arm and shoves up his sleeve, revealing the lachrima embedded in Hunter's wrist.
"You can only use a little of it before your run out, am I correct?" Racer lets Hunter yank his arm back, dodging Hunter's next blow. "I've seen magic like this before. You should know that the human body was not meant to sustain the use of heavenly light. I guarantee it'll be your undoing."
"Don't presume to know anything about me," Hunter says. He slugs Racer in the gut with three quick jabs, adding a quick uppercut before the man has a chance to recover.
Racer tries jumping back to get some breathing room, but Hunter sticks close to him. The man swings at Hunter's head, but he ducks out of reach and throws two punches of his own, one aimed at Racer's chest and the other at his chin. The man stumbles back, losing his balance and Hunter takes the advantage to land hit after hit wherever he can reach.
While Racer manages to block some of his punches, Hunter doesn't let up. He forces the man to take step after step back until his back is flush with the cave wall.
"Got you," Hunter says, lifting his arm. "Himmel's Beam!" A holy beam of light pours from his palm right into Racer's face.
The man shouts, crumpling to the floor and trying to shield his face with his arms. Once the light fades, however, his pained shout morphs into a cackle.
"Let me guess," he says, staggering to his feet, "you only have one shot left, right?"
"Wouldn't you like to know." Hunter drives a quick punch in the side of Racer's head and watches the man fall to the floor with a thud.
With Racer knocked out, his shadows dissipate, and Bandy gets distracted long enough for Ria to sweep her off her feet. Craish runs to Ria's aid, pinning Bandy to the floor.
After they've tied Bandy and Racer up with enough rope to make the two look like they're in cocoons, Leflin leads them to a small chamber the ranger's marked on the map as a supply depot.
While Leflin and Craish pick through the supplies for food and water, Ria cleans up Hunter's leg the best she can with the first aid kit, which consists entirely of a near-empty roll of gauze, some tape, and three alcohol pads.
"This'll sting a little," she says, dabbing at the wound with an alcohol pad. Hunter hisses a bit at the pain but keeps his leg still.
"What's the damage, Doc?" He asks.
"In my completely amateur opinion," Ria says as she begins to wrap it, "your leg will be fine. If I was you, I'd worry more about that bruise on your jaw."
Hunter lightly traces his finger over his chin. "He got me pretty good, huh?"
"Not any worse than you got him," Leflin says, tossing a canteen of water at Hunter. Craish hands another one to Ria.
"Thanks," she says, taking a long drink. "So what are we gonna do now?"
"I guess we'll have to drag them up to the surface and let Sergeant Astra deal with them," Hunter says.
"We could also try seeing if they'll fit through the transporter nets," Leflin suggests. "Will it work differently on humans? It was designed for animals, after all."
"How the hell am I supposed to know?"
"I wasn't asking you."
As Hunter and Leflin begin to bicker, Ria turns to face their captives, jumping back a bit when she sees Bandy is already looking at her. The woman smiles at her.
Leflin and Hunter's bickering has turned into a heated argument now, and Craish is standing in between them doing his best to act as the peacemaker. Ria takes advantage of their distracted states to approach Bandy slowly. As she gets closer, she can tell that Racer is not still unconscious as she'd assumed, but humming quietly to himself. It sounds familiar. She's not sure why.
"Hello, Sirenita," Bandy says, keeping her voice low. "What brings you over here?"
"...You're part of the Serpent's Nest guild, aren't you?" Ria asks, and Bandy chuckles.
"We are. Would you like to see my guild mark? It's in a really interesting place."
Racer's humming gets a little louder.
"Snakes are precious to your guild aren't they?" Ria asks. "Why would you… How could you…"
"Oh. You found the little ones, didn't you?" Bandy sighs. "It was a tragedy, but we couldn't let them fall into the hands of the Rune Knights. They would have had a fate worse than death with those dogs."
"What do you mean?"
Bandy just shakes her head. Racer's humming has turned into a soft singing now, but Ria can't make out the words. She's certain she's heard the melody, though.
"Sirenita, did they tell you why we came to this cave?" Bandy asks.
"They said you were after some rare animals."
"Not just any animals. This cave is home to one of the most beautiful snakes in the world: the Chandelier Snake."
"I've heard of those!" Ria says. "They're crystal-like snakes that hang from the ceiling and catch bats, right? I thought they could only be found in Alvarez."
"They used to be in caves all over Fiore, too, but they were hunted out of existence." Bandy scowls. "This is their last stronghold in the country and instead of being treated with the respect they deserve, they're paraded about as a tourist attraction. Isn't that awful?"
"It is," Ria says. Her head feels full of cotton. Racer's singing has gotten louder. "It's terrible."
"That's right. So we came here to save them. They'll have a good life with us." Bandy grins. "You see now? We're the good guys. You could have a good life with us too."
"I could," Ria agrees, even as she shakes her head. Racer's singing is loud enough for her to actually hear now, though she still can't make out the words for some reason. "That's a nice song."
There's a sharp pain in her ankle, but it feels distant.
"Isn't it? Racer has Snake Charmer Magic, you see. It makes all of his songs sound beautiful." Bandy leans in close. "If you untie us, Sirenita, we'll take you with us, and you'll be able to hear it forever. You'd like that, wouldn't you?"
"Yes," Ria bends down to begin untying Bandy. "I would."
"Himmel's Flash!" Hunter yells.
Ria yelps as the light blinds her. Strong hands grab her shoulders and yank her back, and she starts kicking and screaming trying to break free. She can't hear the song anymore. Her ankle feels like it's on fire.
"Snap out of it!" Hunter says, struggling to get Ria under control. Craish has to end up helping him.
Leflin kicks Racer down and steps on his chest.
"Cancel your spell," he demands. "Release her."
Racer laughs. "My spell ended the second you distracted her. She's not acting that way because of me. Why don't you take a closer look at her ankle?"
Craish, who is pinning down Ria's legs, checks both her ankles but sees nothing out of the ordinary. No, wait. Her right ankle seems a bit swollen and red. He tries to touch it, but a burst of light shines as the pearlescent scales of a white snake come into sight; its fangs are buried deep in Ria's skin.
"Tell me that isn't what I think it is!" Leflin pushes Craish aside and grabs Ria's leg. The snake hisses at him and digs its fangs further into Ria's skin. "This is bad!"
"Why?" Hunter asks. "What is that?"
Leflin looks at him with desperate eyes even as Racer's laugh grows louder.
"It's an Ivory Serpent."
Back at the guild, Razi holds a piece of banana out to Avon, who gives a little sigh and turns in a circle before plopping down on the floor.
"See?" Razi says. "He hasn't eaten anything since Ria left. I'm worried."
Ajax pats Razi on the head.
"Bard Beetles are known to form strong emotional bonds very quickly. Some people even believe they can sense when their masters are in danger. He's just a little depressed because he misses her."
"But he needs to eat!" Razi pouts. "Ria told me to take care of him and she'll be so sad if he dies!"
"Two days without food won't kill him. Bard Beetles are hardy creatures." Ajax picks Avon up. "Ria will be back before you know it. Hang in there, little guy."
Avon starts to whistle forlornly.
Sorry, this chapter was a little late. As I'm sure you're all aware, life has been crazy.
Review Responses:
Malfel: Hello! I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you liked this one as well.
SimpleStories24: Hello and thanks for reading! I always enjoy reading your predictions, though I won't confirm or deny too much. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!
MaMcMu: Thank you for reading! I will add Blue to my list!
Torsa: Yup. This isn't what they signed up for. Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
I'll be back within the next two weeks!
