Rem did not expect snakes — big ones, at that.

Sure, the cult they were attacking was named the Serpents of Prophecy — but she thought the name was attributed to shedding mortal skin instead of employing actual snakes.

Aven’R sounded the alarm with a silent wave of her hand. The rest of her party recognized her signal to pause and prepare for battle, but Jeremy seemed distracted — heading towards the path of danger staring at his staff.

Rem expected soldiers or even spellcasters — what she saw was a giant snake over 30 feet long.

It didn’t seem to notice the wizard — or perhaps the presence of the giant snail he was riding on made him a less attractive target.

Their smaller snails fled when they stopped at Aven’R’s signal. None of them had experience with mounted combat — or suitable weapons, for that matter — so battling on foot was the best option.

The giant snake hissed, its forked tongue easily the length of a man. The beast could swallow any one of them whole or crush them in its coils.

“Formation four!” Dallarath shouted, urging them to move.

Rem frowned. Formation four had the dwarf front and center while Dal took the opponent from behind. How could they even flank a creature this big? And would it even matter?

Siege charged forward, sidestepping as the snake lunged. Rem saw him strike with a dull unfamiliar sword cutting deep into the creature’s flesh.

Against a lesser foe, the strike would have been fatal, but the snake was just too big.

It slammed into the dwarf, sending him flying. It was a miracle he held on to his sword.

The snake slithered after the downed dwarf, intent on making him its first meal.

Dallarath struck, leaping into the creature’s back and jamming his dagger between the snake’s hardened scales.

“Aim for the head,” Rem shouted.

The snake was probably magical. Even if it wasn’t, she doubted strikes to the body would harm vital organs.

Dallarath firmed his grip, inching up the snake’s body.

The snake thrashed about, slamming the elf into the ground, dislodging him from its back.

“Frost Spears”

Spears of Frost * Compound Spell * Evocation/Conjuration * Cold

Range: 50 steps

Effect: Conjures 4 spear-like projections that deal force and cold damage. Damage is proportional to the amount of mana used in crafting the spell.

Three bolts of eldritch ice hit the giant snake as one flies wide. Gwindin’s attack was particularly effective on the cold-blooded enemy, visibly slowing its movements.

Aven’R’s arrows soon followed — one hitting the snake’s open maw, the other barely missing its eye.

The snake turned towards Gwin and Av. It was slowed by the frost in its scales, but it was fast enough to threaten the two.

It coiled its body, launching itself at the armorless Gwin jaws wide to swallow her whole or bite her in half.

Siege barely got to the snake in time, ramming his shield into its head and driving it a few inches away from the spellcaster.

The snake’s body slammed into the two, crushing them under its weight and momentum.

Rem saw Dal drawing his sword and shouting a challenge at the snake.

The snake lunged at the half-elf, missing with its bite but shredding Dal with its scales. It circled its target, intending to crush it in its coils.

“Healing Light!”

Ray of Healing * Compound Spell * Evocation * Healing

Range: 20 steps

Effect: Heals the target of recent wounds or injuries. Bleeding is stopped and bones are mended, but severed limbs cannot be regrown. The amount of healing is proportional to the amount of mana used in crafting the spell.

Rem watched as Dal’s wounds healed almost instantly. He was getting shredded by the snake, but his wounds were closing almost instantaneously.

Her spell was certainly not powerful enough to do that, and it certainly wasn’t persistent. It had to be the drops — but how many had Dal already taken?

A strike to the base of its neck rattled the snake, making it lose momentum. Dal used his sword as a handhold as he drew a dagger and plunged it into the snake’s eye.

The creature wailed and thrashed, dislodging the half-elf, his dagger still lodged in the snake’s eye.

“I’m out of drops,” Dal groaned as he picked himself up from the ground.

“Here,” Aven’R tosses him a pouch. “Just make sure not to burn through them. We might need more later.”

She fired two more arrows at the snake, both of them bouncing harmlessly off its scales.

Siege and Gwin re-enter the fray, wounds healed but still looking battered.

The dwarf charged at the snake, blocking its maw with his shield. The sorcerer summoned wisps of fire that coiled around the snake — forgoing her usual spells for something more useful.

Rem worried for her sister. Gwin was using magic a little more recklessly — drawing more power than she usually did.

The snake wailed as the dwarf’s blade sunk into its head. It tried to thrash about to dislodge the sword and the dwarf holding it, but Gwin’s coils of fire limited its movements.

It used its tail like a whip, striking the dwarf as Gwin scrambled away.

Siege crumpled from the blow. He managed to pull himself up from the ground, but he barely had enough strength to raise his shield.

“Switch!” Dal roared as he leaped in front of the snake. He wielded two daggers as he eyed his sword lodged in the snake’s eye.

“Spike trap!” Gwin shouted.

Spike trap,” Dal acknowledged. “Mark it.”

Runes visible only to Gwin’s party materialized from the ground, encircling a small area.

Delayed Earth Spike * Compound Spell * Evocation * Alteration * Earth

Effect: The spell forms a spike from the ground that strikes whoever is in the area of effect. The caster can delay the casting of the spell to accumulate more mana and increase the damage of the spell.

“Three.”

Dal drew the snake into the runes, using his daggers as a cushion to ward off blows he couldn’t avoid. He managed to hit the snake several times, shallow hits that enraged the snake rather than damaging it.

Siege hobbled near the half-elf, ready to step in when he was needed. He held his longsword with two hands, forgoing his shield for more power.

“Two.”

The snake coiled its body, allowing it to make quick lunges and retreats. It seemed wary and not like a mindless beast that knew no fear.

“It’s outside the runes!” Aven’R warned as she sent two mare arrows flying. This time, one of them pierced the snake’s neck.

Dal moved towards the runes, placing himself between it and the snake. He seemed to grow in stature appearing more visible than the rest of them.

It was an elven trick mostly used by nobility. Rem wondered how Dal even learned it, knowing he was as base-born as can be.

“Rem now!”

The healer turned to the snake, waiting for it to strike the waiting half-elf.

It seemed drawn to Dal, its slitted eyes glowing with hunger. It struck.

“Shackles!”

Bindings of Light * Compound Spell * Enchantment * Radiant

Effect: Binds one or several creatures, restricting movement and actions. Targets must succeed on a resist or strength check to cancel the spell. The strength of the bindings is proportional to the amount of mana used in crafting the spell.

Rem channeled a quarter of her mana to fuel the spell to make sure there was no escape for the snake. Silver bands of light held its head in place over the runes as its body thrashed about.

“One.”

A stone spike erupted from the ground, piercing the struggling snake and nearly obliterating its head.

They huddled together, ready for Rem’s healing.

“Healing Light.”

The familiar light of Rem’s healing bathes the party, healing injuries and reducing fatigue.

“I used one of yours, Av,” Dal confessed. “Didn’t think we’d be facing off against monsters so early.”

“I’m out of them drops too,” Siege spat. “I still got a Lifesaver™ though.”

“I used one,” Gwin added. “We’re down to eight drops — and we haven’t even entered the cultist base.”

“That wizard!” Dal cursed. “He just left us with the damned snake. Who knows what kind of trouble he’s in now?”

“We should probably head after him,” Siege noted, his voice seemingly lacking concern for the wizard’s welfare.

They crested the small hill between them and the base.

“You should have agreed to the butler’s five-three split, Dal,” Aven’R whispered.

Scattered in front of them were the twitching remains of several serpents — a couple of them twice as large as the one they fought.

“Get ‘em, Shelby! Hahaha!”

They could faintly hear the Scourge’s laugh as he chased after a few fleeing snakes. His scythe looked more like a spear, with the blade extended forward.

Rem thought that the two were a good combination. The snail had the bulk and speed to protect its rider and chase down the snakes — but it probably had no way of harming them. Jeremy’s spear or glaive allowed them to harry their foes at a distance — and the ethereal blade probably had lethal magics incorporated in its making.

They stared at the slaughter for a minute or two before the wizard finally spotted them. The snail veered off from its prey to head to their party.

“Fun, right?” Jeremy jumped down the snail, a big smile on his lips.

The snail gave a series of clicks and whistles that made the wizard frown.

“Oh, you want to go chase after the snakes?”

It seemed to nod.

“Then off you go. Bring them back here if you can.”

Rem watched as the snail sped off. It immediately overtook a fleeing snake and rammed into its body — sending it flying into the air.

The snail’s flails seemed to wave with glee as it started on its next chase.

“So… is there a market for snake parts?” Jeremy asked. “Or we could just eat them — probably taste like chicken.”

***

“We’re under attack, sir,” a shaking acolyte told Malice.

He stared at the man, wondering why missives weren’t sent this time.

Malice paused, realizing the severity of the acolyte’s words.

So they managed to find their base. Were they tracked? Did one of the prisoners talk? Impossible — the mind maggots would have prevented any talk of their base, even if they stooped to use necromantic spells on the dead.

“Is it the city?” Malic sneered. “How many did they bring? Have the serpents started their slaughter?”

Their base was defended by eight gargantuan serpents. Each one bred and trained for their ferocity. Obedience — not so much, which is why they were left outside the base.

They lost two of their numbers in feeding accidents during the past few months — which actually delighted him. Now he was sure the snakes had a taste for human flesh.

The serpents could make a small army pay dearly for their attack. Their scales were proof from arrows, and the mere touch of their skin could wound and tear flesh.

Malice smiled. Even if the city’s army won, they would return depleted — leaving the city ripe for attack or infiltration.

“N-no, sir,” the acolyte hesitated. “Not the city, it’s just the Scourge — and a-all of the serpents are de-dead or close to dying.”

“Useless idiots!” Malice backhanded the shaking acolyte, sending him reeling to the floor.

What use were these acolytes when they could barely protect their serpents? All they needed to do was throw some spells from behind the snakes. They severely lacked the resolve to act on their own — no initiative whatsoever, like automatons that needed someone else to tell them what to do all the time.

Did they just watch as the Scourge battle the serpents? Surely, it should have taken close to an hour to end.

“Arm the men and gather our mages. This Scourge will rue the day he went up against Malice!” he spat, “That bastard dared to go alone into my domain?!”

“There’s also a snail, sir,” the acolyte added from the ground.

“A what?”