THEOS

Chapter 7: Snakes and Surprises

Chapter 7: Snakes and Surprises

That was a close call. Luke wiped the sweat off his forehead, and crouched behind a decomposing log with the others, a fair distance from the snake. Luckily for them, it hadnt pursued them after striking. Allowing the party of four to retreat to a safe distance.

I think we should kill it. If Im right, that's a Black-Scaled King Viper. The Society buys them for a lot, and they're not supposed to be all that strong. Just incredibly rare. Said Mykonos. Greedily rubbing his hands together.

Are you sure, it looks pretty dangerous and angry for that matter. Luke eyed the snake carefully. On guard for a surprise attack now that he knew the snake was there.

Its fine if you dont get hit. Mykonos argued.

How many merits are we talking about here? June turned to Mykonos. Updated from

A hundred-fifty for merits for every vial of the venom, another hundred for each fang, and twenty per square foot of its skin. I cant remember the price for its organs, but its not low.

Im in! Spiros raised his hand. A little risk to not come out here every day is worth it. Ive had enough mosquitoes bite me for a lifetime already.

June?

I dont know Myko. How many talismans did you bring, and are they enough?

Five.

I have three. Said Spiros.

I have five too.

Talismans? Luke asked.

Right, you're new. Uh, theyre basically these slips of paper that explode. Inner disciples make and sell them for two merits each. Mykonos reached into his pocket and pulled out a small slip of paper with some squiggly lines drawn on it.

Is thirteen enough to kill that thing though? June asked, reaching into her pocket and pulling her own out.

More than enough.

If we try, and it doesnt die, I lose at most ten merits. If it does, I make hundreds. If it gets angry, I think we can run away from it too. Yeah Im in. June nodded, satisfied with her assessment.

Mykonos smiled and looked at Luke. Here. He held out two of his talisman and looked expectantly at June. With clear reluctance, she extended one of her talismans to him too.

I ahh

Heres what Im thinking. Said Mykonos cutting Luke off and taking the tag out of Junes hand and forcefully stuffing all three of them in Lukes. We only really have one shot at killing it. We cant take turns tossing the talismans at the thing. A single non-lethal explosion will spook it, and I really dont want to find out how fast it can move. Whether that's in our direction, or away from us. I say we circle it, and throw them all at once. Four explosions going off on its face should do the job quite well. Like I said, those things are rare, but they dont get too strong. The Bestiary said that they concentrate most of their mana in their fangs, leaving the rest of the body fairly weak.

Sounds good to me. Spiros slapped Mykonos on the back.

Are you guys sure you want me to participate? You dont have to include me just because I tagged along.

Luke, Luke, Luke. Said Spiros, putting a hand on Lukes shoulder. Heres the thing. Im pretty sure killing the snake isn't the hard part. Were spending some easily earned merits and throwing accurately at a very large snake's equally large face. The hard part is dragging it back to the Society. Look how big it is. Do you think me and Myko are strong enough to pull it off?

Hey! Id help pull it too. June complained.

Uh yeah. It was, thanks.

Don't thank her! Spiros raised his hands in protest. I told you she wouldn't help drag it back.

You knew I wouldn't anyway. She snapped back while picking up the flowers.

Thats not what you said before. Mykonos looked at her disapprovingly.

Fine! Ill help you drag the stupid snake back. I swear to the Deities, you two are so annoying.

Luke smiled at their banter, while simultaneously feeling like he was intruding. Shaking his head, he paced around the snake, trying to figure out how exactly they were going to drag the behemoth back. He had grown stronger, a lot stronger than should have been possible in the scant few days hed been here, but not strong enough to drag that thing back. Thankfully he wasnt alone.

I vote that we drag it from the tail. Luke suggested, looking at the mutilated head. While mostly intact, it was covered in the creature's blood. Not something that Luke wanted on his body. Or something that he wanted to look at for any length of time. Honestly, he was surprised that he hadnt thrown up.

Smart. Lets get to it. Mykonos agreed. Hopefully we get back before night falls.

Luke along with the other dragged the carcass through the forest. Sweat dripping down their faces, and covering their backs. The hike into the forest had been pleasant. The trek out, not so much. Lukes feet constantly dug into the ground as he was repeatedly forced to step into mud and softer dirt. Something he normally would have avoided. With the snake however, watching where he stepped was an exercise in futility.

This is torture.

How much longer? June whined for the umpteenth time. Something that Luke could sympathize with, considering they had been dragging the snake for three hours already.

June. Youre my sister and I love you, but shut up! Spiros snapped at her.

What he said. Mykonos parroted, exhausted from the arduous task, and in no mood to hear any complaints.

Luke shook his head in amusement, the only one in their impromptu group in a pleasant mood.

As hard as this is, I better get some nice Stat Points out of this.

The trek, in addition to being uncomfortable, had also been longer than any of them had expected. It would have been even longer, if Spiros hadn't surprised Luke with how freakishly strong he was.

Luke estimated that Spiros alone was carrying forty percent of the creature's weight. Apparently he had taken the mid-stage trials, and came out just a little short to qualify. A feat Luke was curious to know how he had achieved. Especially as he had joined the Society at the same time as his cousin and sister.

From what Luke had seen of Mykonos and June, while they were both in exceptional shape from their time in the Society, they werent quite what Luke would call ridiculous in terms of strength, and were just a little stronger than him. Albeit in slightly different ways. Mykonos was durable, while June moved with uncanny grace. Spiros on the other hand, had clearly stepped into the realm of superhumans. At least by Earth standards. The fact that he was still considered to be a lower-stage-mortal on Theos, was telling of how powerful actual mid-stage and beyond individuals were. Especially the beyond. Luke suppressed a shudder, recalling Aeoluss abduction and cannibalization of the souls. An event that he suspected would keep him awake at night if he ever stopped pushing himself to the brink of exhaustion.

An hour later, they finally breached the tree line. To a view that horrified them all, and sent currents of fear down Lukes spine.

Flying in the air above the Luminous Sky City, was Arke. The nine suns of Theos beautifully descending below the horizon in a line behind her, she sat imperiously on a throne made of light. Her wings folded behind her back, and white hair fluttering gracefully in the wind. Nine humans, presumably the Societys nine warriors, prostrated themselves before her midair. Not daring to lift their heads in her presence.

Fuck me. Im dead aren't I?

Kneel! Spiros barked, dropping face first into the dirt, quickly followed by the other two.

Threat detected.

Yeah yeah. I know. Thanks for the warning.