A Snake's Path (A Snake's Life Book 2)

by Kenneth Arant

  A fireball shot out of a robed man’s sleeve and narrowly missed Dad’s back as he twisted around it. A large silver axe whipped through the air, causing Dad to make a choice: dodge or get his head torn off. He opted to duck and step into a leather-clad man’s chest. Without a chance to dodge Dad’s return strike, the man could only watch as my father’s fist slammed into his breastplate and sent him stumbling back.” The girl sighed. “I could tell from the lack of strength in the blow, Dad’s body enhancement spell had worn off. Now was when the danger truly set in because without that enhancement spell, Dad’s body was nothing special to a group of heavily armed rogues.

  I used magic to turn one of the surrounding walls into a hail of stone spikes that hit the enemy in the back. One lucky spike perforated the robed man’s back and tore a gaping hole through his chest, disrupting the spell he’d been about to cast and causing it to misfire. A wave of blue fire left his closed fist and sent everyone, Dad included, flying.

  Dad rotated his smoldering body mid-air to land on his feet, but the rogues weren’t so lucky. Those that survived the misfire ended up on the ground groaning in pain as loose soil and dust stuck to their fresh second- and third-degree burns.

  Dad brushed debris and soot from his white shirt and gave me one of those 'I’m okay’ smiles. He walked over to one of the less injured men and grabbed him by the collar of his ruined shirt, as I headed over to join him. I could see the man’s mouth move, but couldn’t hear what he was saying. Dad could, though. His eyes widened, then his head whipped in my direction.

  Get away! he yelled. He dropped the man’s collar and sprinted at me faster than I’d ever seen him move outside of combat. The next thing I knew I was lying on my back. The smell of burnt flesh surrounded me, soaking into my clothes and skin like dirty water.

  Are you okay?

  My eyes snapped open at the sound of my dad’s voice. I found him crouched over me, half the skin and muscle on his legs and back had been melted away until only charred bones remained. But Dad yet lived. Neither his face nor tone betrayed a hint of pain, but the fear in his voice was obvious to anyone that had taken the time to get to know him.

  I’m fine, I told him. Just shaken up a bit... How about you? That looks pretty bad.

  Yeah, he sighed. It is. The asshole had a firebomb tucked away inside his belt. I don’t think I have enough magic power to regenerate this level of damage.

  That’s what I’d been afraid of. You see, Dad’s body was essentially just a puppet formed from the remains of a corpse. Without returning to his original body every few months to absorb his own magic, or "fill up the tank" as he so eloquently put it, his puppet body couldn’t heal itself... And we’d failed to make the trip back in time for his twice-yearly appointment.

  What do you want me to do? I asked, trying my best to keep my emotions in check. No sense in letting him see me cry now, was there?

  Lena and Fenris were supposed to meet us here in a few days anyway— Dad’s body suddenly collapsed to the side. I managed to get my legs under his head in time to cushion his fall and prevent his head from hitting the stone floor, which he thanked me for. He wouldn’t have felt the pain from smacking his face on the ground even if his body hadn’t been burnt to a crisp, but it was the thought that counted.

  Thanks. Anyway, make sure you find them, and stick with them until it’s time, okay?

  I nodded.

  His right arm slowly came up and rubbed my hair... Good girl... The hand fell listlessly to the ground, and my father wasn’t with me anymore.”

  *Ding*

  ꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏ

  Your evolution is complete!

  ꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏ

  My eyes flared, muscles tensed, and a massive crack appeared in the egg-shaped dome surrounding me.

  *Ding,* *Ding*

  ꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏ

  Because of your fusion with the dragon, you have lost your “Store/Release” energy ability and the jewel on your forehead has been turned into mana for your use.

  Because of your fusion with the dragon, you have gained the skill Energy Breath.

  Energy Breath: Like the dragons of old, your very breath can topple mountains. You can fire pure magical energy from your mouth.

  ꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏ

  Because of your fusion with the dragon, you have unlocked one of his traits.

  Magic Eater: With every breath you take, you passively consume the ambient magic in the air.

  *Warning!* Due to the Gluttonous trait, this trait can prove fatal to those around you.

  ꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏ

  I twisted my body and the “egg” split in twain, causing fresh air to flood into my nostrils for the first time in a decade. A pleasant fruity smell entered my nostrils as the dome dissolved into mist, revealing a young woman in her late teens, and I would recognize her anywhere. standing on the highest branch of an obscenely tall tree. However, even that only brought her to the tip of my nose now that I was no longer curled into a ball.

  By the young woman’s side was a pair of slightly older women. One had fair skin and short red hair; this was Hali. The other had ebony skin and waist-length black hair: and her name was Findral. The two were standing behind Ayla and were having a hushed conversation.

  I recognized both, but another pop-up appeared before I could greet them.

  ꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏ

  Name: Torga

  Race: Gluttonous Elemental Serpentine Dragon

  Classification: Tier 7

  Skills: Minor Stealth, Heat Detection, Superior Gluttony, Supreme Durability up, Supreme Strength up, Superior Growth, Minor Mental Resistance up, Greater Petrifying Gaze, Greater Acid Venom, Detect Concealment, Energy Breath, Superior Elemental Resistance, Fly, Puppet Maker, Body Possession, Magic Enhancement, Elemental Manipulation

  Traits: Gluttonous +5, Growth +10, Strong Willed, Venomous, Aquatic, Winged, Immunity to Mind Control, Magic Manipulator, Magic Eater

  ꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏ

  “It’s about time, old man!” Ayla yelled. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting in this boring ass forest?”

  “Language,” I replied instantly. She knew how I felt about her using that kind of language at her age.

  “Oh, piss off with your ‘language’ crap,” she grumbled. She folded her arms across her chest and began tapping her foot.

  I could barely hear what she was saying, being that my ears, or whatever passed for ears in this new form, were over forty feet away from her. I directed mana towards amplifying my hearing until I could hear faint giggling from the pair behind her. She shot them a dirty look, which only intensified the giggling. Glad to see their relationship hasn’t changed. I lifted my body out of my giant, egg-shaped prison and shook myself. My scales were stiff, my eyes burned from the light of the sun hanging overhead, and I was hungrier than I’d ever been... But I was finally free.

  “Hey, Ayla?”

  “What?” she snapped.

  “Were you serious about some dumbasses worshiping me as a god?”

  “Yeah,” she snorted, “serious as a goddamned dragon attack.”

  *Ding*

  ꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏ

  Survive for 100 years: Magical Hydra

  Consume 5 different dragon breeds, at least one of which must be 1,000 years old: Legendary Dragon

  Consume a Mana Storm & 600 Naga: Draconic Naga

  Consume a spark of divinity: ???

  ꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏ

  I sighed at the pop-up. You just had to say dragon, didn’t you? As if being a giant snake wasn’t bad enough, now I’ve got this crap to deal with too. And what the hell is a spark of divinity? The pop-up saw fit to ignore my question... Alright, whatever, and what happens if I pass them up?

  ꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏ

  If you pass up the Magical Hydra evolution, you will get: Supreme Regeneration

  If you pass up the Legendary Dragon evolution, you will get: Shapeshifting

  If you pass up the Draconic Naga evolu
tion, you will get: Supreme Mana Control

  If you pass up the ??? evolution, you will get: ???

  ꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏ

  It just couldn’t be simple, could it?

  “OH,” I SIGHED AS I stretched out my body. After unfurling myself from the annoying ball I’d been in for the last decade, I was long enough now that I could only see a vague outline of my tail in the distance.

  “Hey, are you listening to me?” Ayla whined. The three of them were riding on top of my head, and Ayla was in the process of regaling me with tales of her exploits since I’d last seen her.

  “Yes, Brat. I’m listening,” I said. I continued moving where Ayla directed. I brushed trees aside as if they were blades of grass, and the light from the early morning sun cast the forest in a beautiful orange and purple glow.

  “Good,” she huffed. “Anyway, as I was saying. So, there I am, surrounded on all sides by bandits with nothing but my wits and Granny’s staff to see me through.” Ayla told her story with all the excitement and energy of a kid on a sugar rush, and I couldn’t get the smile off my face. She told me of her adventures with Lena, Fenris, Hali, and Solon: How they fought off bandit raiders, explored a cursed dungeon, and saved the third prince of a powerful kingdom from being kidnapped by a race of giants.

  “Wait,” I interrupted. “You fought giants?” The only “giant” I’d seen was a huge, monstrous man-thing that even I’d hesitate to square off against.

  “Well, Fenris said they weren’t the same race as the Titan you ate on Iorus. These were called jötunn,” she explained.

  “Jötunn? I don’t think I’ve ever seen one of those,” I admitted.

  “Well, jötunn is their name in the local dialect. The actual race is jötnar, which loosely translates to “Frost Giant” in our tongue. And I’d never met one either until we drove off the one attempting to kidnap the prince. They’re apparently on the verge of extinction after some war a few millennia ago.”

  “Millenia? Surely, they would’ve repopulated by now.”

  “Not necessarily, old man. You’re forgetting that the longer a species lives, the less likely they are to have kids. According to Fenris, jötnar aren’t known for dying of old age so their birthrates are even lower than that of the elves.”

  “You’ve been hanging around Uriel too much. Your lecturing voice is starting to sound like him,” I grumbled.

  I felt a weak thumping on my head and assumed Ayla was venting her frustration by stomping her feet.

  “I agree, master,” a sultry voice interjected. “She is beginning to sound like an old woman.”

  “Oh, definitely,” a boyish voice agreed.

  “Findral, Hali, zip it. No one asked for your opinion,” Ayla scolded. Even though her words were harsh, there wasn’t an ounce of fire behind them.

  The three of them had grown close over the years, although Ayla and Hali started out as rivals. Both were high-elf druids of similar skill, if not power. But Hali’s lesser power wasn’t exactly her fault. Her half-Warg parentage gave her a stronger, healthier body at the cost of her magic supply. While Wargs were inherently magical creatures, they weren't exactly known to be spellcasters. Unfortunately, this created a hard limit to the amount of power Hali would be able to use as she grew older.

  Which is why she supplemented it with the sword sheathed on her side. The girl was scarily good with that blade.

  Meanwhile, the ever loyal Findral remained at Ayla’s side and acted as her older sister, confidant, and bodyguard, just as I'd asked her to all those years ago. Even after the other goblins asked to leave my company and start their own nest, she'd remained. I never asked why she didn't wish to join the other goblins and to be honest, I didn’t care. I was glad she remained by my side.

  An hour or so after I’d been freed, we arrived at a small clearing littered with tents. The campsite was currently void of people, but I assumed that was because it was early and most would be out doing their morning rituals. I slowly twisted my head to the side, allowing the girls to get as close to the ground as possible before they jumped off.

  “We’re back!” Ayla hollered. “And we’ve brought a guest!”

  “Yeah yeah, we know. Heard his fat ass coming from several miles away,” a shirtless man grumbled as he left the tree line on the far side of the camp and headed over to us. The man wasn’t all that tall, but he was solidly built, with wild black hair that flowed freely over his shoulders. Long pointed ears, lava red eyes, and sharp teeth told me exactly who this was. I recognized the demi-elvan form of Fenris immediately and gave him a quick nod, which he returned. A few seconds after he entered the clearing, a mass of people began to trickle in.

  “Thanks for looking out for Ayla, Mutt. I owe you one.”

  “Nah.” He immediately shook his head. “I owed you plenty. Looking out for Ayla doesn’t begin to repay my debt to you.” He finished with a troubled look on his face.

  “Even so, thanks.” I glanced around at the crowd forming around us. Judging by the matching robes half of them were wearing, and the upper-class outfits the other half wore, I assumed we were dealing with two separate groups of people. “So, what’s with all the people?”

  Fenris made a show of looking around at the onlookers. “Escort contract. A merchant caravan from Odessa and the priests of some goddess from Phoria. They were going to the same place as us, so we figured we’d bring them along.”

  “Oh? Where are we going?” I asked.

  Fenris’ lips went tight, and he stiffened.

  Before I could ask what was wrong, someone drew my attention away from him. I watched as a young man stopped beside Fenris. The young man looked to be about twenty. He was taller than Fenris by a couple of inches but wasn’t quite as solidly built and looked like a swimmer or marathon runner. He too had wild black hair and lava red eyes, though his hair was short and barely hung over his ears.

  “Solon,” I greeted him with a nod. “It’s good to see you again.”

  “Hello,” Solon said in his usual stoic tone.

  “Hi, little brother,” Hali said as she moved to his side. He gave her an annoyed look before promptly ignoring her.

  “How was your nap?” he asked me.

  “Long and uncomfortable,” I grumbled. “From the way my back is hurting, you’d think I’d just spent the last decade inside an egg or something,” I finished, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

  “Aww, poor baby,” Hali cooed before she took a few quick steps forward to stand next to me. She patted my scales and tut-tutted at me.

  Guess she also picked up some bad habits from me...

  “I need to make sure the camp is ready to leave soon, so I’ll leave you kids to bring him up to speed and...” Fenris paused, shooting Ayla an odd look, “explain some things.” He turned on his heel and quickly walked away. I watched as he made his way over to a thin elf with red hair and a young girl: That would be his wife Lena and daughter Talia.

  “What’s up with him?”

  “Well,” Hali cleared her throat, “there have been some changes since you decided to take a nap.”

  Findral and Solon snorted in unison and Ayla looked decidedly uncomfortable with the change in subject.

  “That wasn’t my fault,” I protested.

  “Sure, it was.” She instantly shot down my protest with an irritatingly confident smirk. “Anyway, your incompetence aside, Dad’s been going through a lot lately,” Hali explained.

  “Which leaves him in a foul mood,” Solon added.

  “Right,” Hali agreed. “He’s getting close to evolving, and that’s weighing on his mind a lot. If he evolves successfully, he’ll be the first Warg in a hundred years to pass the tier 4 wall.”

  “But no pressure,” Solon muttered.

  “He’s basically a diamond at this point,” Ayla quipped.

  I snorted in amusement at the byplay between them. I’d missed conversations like this. “So, he’s worried about the usual suspects: Lena, his kids, and not being stron
g enough to protect them.”

  Hali nodded, Solon shrugged, and Ayla sighed.

  “Welcome to the club, Fenris. We have meetings once a week and commemorative alligator skin jackets.” The three teenagers stared at me with varying levels of confusion on their faces, which almost made me burst out laughing. As it was, I sighed to hide my amusement and looked away so they wouldn’t see the humor behind my eyes. Unfortunately, I’d turned towards Findral by accident. She watched me with a mischievous grin on her delicate face. She shot me a wink, which I decided not to think about. “I’ll have a talk with him,” I said. “Maybe I can do something to ease his worries.”

  “That may not be the best idea, master,” Findral replied with that same mischievous grin plastered on her face. “After all, I’m pretty sure you’re one of the things he’s stressed about.”

  “Is that true?” I asked Hali after a moment.

  “I mean, yeah—” she trailed off, shooting a glance in Ayla’s direction.

  “O...kay.” I also looked at Ayla, who seemed like she was simultaneously trying to imitate a tomato and a ghost. “Is there something you’d like to tell me, Ayla?”

  “Not especially—”

  “Ayla’s engaged to be married, master,” Findral chirped.

  “What’s that?” Solon loudly exclaimed. He pantomimed listening intently to something. “Sure, Mom. Be right there!” He took off without another glance in our direction.

  I hardly noticed. Findral’s words captured my complete attention and my eyes shifted back to Ayla. This action was accompanied by an involuntary hiss. "Isss. That. So? And just when was I going to be informed of this, Ayla?”

  "Um—Well,” she nervously laughed. “You did leave me alone, so it's not my fault that you didn’t know."

  "Hmm, even so. Where I come from, it's impolite to ask for a woman's hand in marriage without meeting the parents first. So—Where is the rude little bastard?" I growled.

  "Ayla refused to bring him along. He's waiting for us on the other side of the portal," Hali chimed in with a smirk on her lips.