Chapter 5

Warning/s: Just a bit of weird sort-of-gore?

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.

A/N: I feel ill today. I think I'm coming down with something. Yay. However it does mean that everyone is bringing me stuff whenever I want it whilst I lie in bed watching YouTube so mwahahahaha

"How do I get to this Shadow Snake?"

I will take you there, Erran replied calmly.

Merlin wanted to ask how but he was caught up in a whirlwind of lilac, much like the one that had come for him in Camelot, and suddenly he was standing in front of the Shadow Snake. Curiously, the creature didn't seem to see him, and Merlin waved a hand in front of its face just to make sure. He wondered if there was some kind of spell cast on him by Erran, but when he cleared his throat, the creature looked his way.

Then Merlin realised that the Shadow Snake had no eyes, and was blind apart from sound and smell. He resolved to be as quiet as he could, at least whilst he tried to figure out how to defeat the Snake. How was he meant to cut off parts of his soul? And considering he had no sight, how could he show him the distress he was causing?

Merlin brought up a hand to rub his nose and it brushed upon something hard in his jacket pocket. He froze, and then slowly delved into the fabric and pulled out a curved sword. Erran must have given it to him, he guessed; at least that solved the mystery of what he was going to do the soul-cutting with. Now all he had to do was figure out the rest.

The Shadow Snake was slithered around, muttering to itself in a guttural tongue. Merlin eyed the bulbous lumps that were scattered around the scaly body. They were glittering a bright gold, a sharp contrast to his dark body, and the contents of them seemed to be swirling around the sacks. Merlin stepped a little closer to the creature, all too conscious of the slight rustle that his trousers were giving off, and examined it a little more.

Inside he could see masses of screaming, faceless people. Their shrieks pierced his soul, much like the mandrake root did, and Merlin realised with a shock that this must be the souls of the Shadow Snake. What else could these horrifying images be?

Carefully, Merlin raised his curved sword to eye-level and considered whether he had to literally cut off the soul sacs or not. He supposed that was the most obvious way to go, and also the best way to separate them from the Snake's body so he could see them without his bias, but how to go about it?

Merlin's skills with a sword were minimal at best and he needed to get at least one of them off in one clean sweep in order for anything to happen, he would guess. They weren't small, either, these bags; the Shadow Snake was a good eight feet tall even with half of its body curled up underneath it, and the sacs were the size of his fist, a few bigger, so cutting one off would take several hacks with his lack of strength.

Still, it was worth a try. Merlin gathered all of his strength and raised the sword, aiming it at one of the sacs. He swung down the curved blade and jumped back as the sac split open; golden memories poured out like pus from a sore and the Shadow Snake roared in harsh pain. Merlin stumbled backwards, dropping the sword in surprise, and the Shadow Snake turned towards the noise.

Instinctively, Merlin leapt in the opposite way and scooped some of the memories up. They felt like goo in his hands, and threatened to slither out, but Merlin kept gathering them up until he had a good handful. Then he lunged towards the Shadow Snake and poured it over his head and body, crying out with the effort.

The effect was instant. The Shadow Snake shrieked and shrunk away from the substance, howling and turned its head this way and that. Merlin leapt back once more, clutching at the sword as if he had any chance against the Snake.

A bright orange eye flickered open, as if it was growing out of the Snake's head. Merlin watched curiously as the memories were sucked into the orange, turning it a molten gold. All of the other sacs drooped as their contents were drained, going inside its tubular body and also flooding into its eye.

Eventually the Shadow Snake dropped to the floor, writhing in agony. "What have I done?" it asked Merlin in despair, its eye staring at him.

"It's over now," Merlin said soothingly, not knowing quite to say. The eye was open and unblinking, bright gold where there had previously been scale. Funny, Merlin pondered, how the Snake was so blind to what he was doing due to fear that he was physically unable to see.

"Thank you," the Shadow Snake rasped, still lying on the floor. The bulbs had completely disappeared from his body now, and all that had been contained in them was held in his eye. Merlin shivered as he saw all that was inside him.

Before he had any time to say anything else or try to comfort the Snake, Merlin felt himself be carried away in the lilac storm again and he was lying in front of Erran once more. "I did it," Merlin said, his head spinning a little and feeling more than a little euphoric.

You did, Emrys, Erran said happily. You truly are as wonderful as the legends say. Are you ready for the next challenge?

Merlin nodded, sure that this was going to be much easier than he believed.