Kingsland Arc: Chapter 13
A living nightmare, a colossal, mottled purple snake, its girth easily that of a mighty oak, towered over the broken trees, blocking their path. Its immense length stretched back into the mist, a coiling mountain of scales, dominated by two enormous, glowing red eyes that fixed directly on the group, radiating an ancient, malevolent intelligence. It was utterly silent, simply staring at them, its presence chilling the very air, making the ground feel insignificant beneath its shadow. This was a monster of a scale Ronin had only heard whispered in terrifying legends, a creature that dwarfed even the largest beasts, almost like a primordial titanoboa.
The air crackled with a palpable terror. Chou's face, usually so confident, was now a mask of stark fear, his jaw slack. Yue Xin's slender body trembled visibly, her keen eyes wide with horror. Rafaela's kind face was pale, her lips parted in a silent gasp. Ronin, his lean frame rigid with dread, felt a cold sweat trickle down his spine. All of them were frozen, wondering how to escape safely from such an insurmountable foe.
"It's a Jewelion Viper," Yue Xin whispered, her voice barely a breath, thick with disbelief. Her eyes, usually so sharp, were fixed on the monster's scales. "An S-class monster." She pointed a trembling finger. "It's called a Jewelion Viper because there are seven glowing red jewels embedded in its body. See them? One on its forehead, two on its neck, two on its flanks, and two near its tail." Her voice hitched. "Everyone knows these monsters stay in the deepest parts of the dungeons. It's almost impossible to kill. To defeat it, you have to destroy or break the jewels embedded in its body. And the number of jewels shows the number of lives it has. Seven jewels means seven lives. That's why it's so incredibly hard to kill a Jewelion Viper."
As the Jewelion Viper stood motionless, its vast head swaying almost imperceptibly, no one in the group was sure what to do. The silence was deafening, broken only by the frantic pounding of their own hearts.
Chou, despite his fear, forced himself to speak, his voice strained but firm. He turned to Rafaela, his eyes desperate. "Rafaela! Take Ronin and go! Go to Master Baelish and inform him about the Jewelion Viper! If this monster comes out of the forest and attacks the town, countless people may die! So, Rafaela, go!" He swallowed hard, his gaze hardening. "Yue Xin and I will try to buy you some time by fighting it."
Rafaela's eyes welled with tears, her face contorting in anguish. Her shoulders slumped, and she shook her head, unable to move. Ronin, equally torn, felt a surge of protest rise in his throat, but no words came out. Leaving them felt wrong, cowardly.
Before they could argue further, the Jewelion Viper moved. Its massive head lunged forward with terrifying speed, its fangs, thick as Ronin's arm, snapping shut with a sound like cracking thunder. The group scattered, diving sideways, the wind of its passage whipping at their clothes. They somehow managed to evade the immediate, crushing attack, the ground trembling from the impact of its head where they had just stood.
"Run!" Chou yelled, his voice raw with desperation, his eyes wide with urgency as he rolled to his feet, his sword already up in a defensive stance. "Both of you! Now!"
Ronin was paralyzed, his mind a chaotic whirl of fear and indecision. His body felt heavy, his limbs unresponsive. Then, Rafaela, tears streaming down her pale cheeks, her face a mask of terror, grabbed Ronin's hand. Her grip was surprisingly strong, and she pulled him, forcing his legs into motion. They ran, scrambling over roots and fallen branches, the sounds of the monster's colossal movements echoing behind them, leaving their friends to face the Jewelion Viper alone. Rafaela's sobs were ragged, tearing at the quiet of the forest as they fled.
Back in the clearing, the battle raged. The Jewelion Viper, its massive body coiling and striking, was a whirlwind of destructive power. It lunged at Chou, its red eyes burning with malevolent intent. Chou, lean and agile, managed to evade the attack, rolling just under its snapping jaws. As he scrambled to his feet, he risked a quick glance at Yue Xin, his eyes conveying a silent command.
Yue Xin, her slender body trembling, understood. She pressed her staff into the damp earth, closing her eyes for a moment in fierce concentration. The very trees around them seemed to respond, their roots deepening, their branches swaying. Vines, thick as a man's arm and glowing with a faint green light, burst from the ground and snaked out from the surrounding trees, wrapping themselves around the Jewelion Viper's immense body. The monster roared, a sound of frustrated fury, as the binding vines tightened, restricting its movement. It thrashed, its powerful muscles bulging against the restraints, but for a moment, it was held fast.
"Now, Chou!" Yue Xin cried out, her face strained with the effort of maintaining the binding, tiny beads of sweat forming on her brow.
Chou, his eyes blazing with determination, seized the opportunity. He drew his sword, the blade shimmering with the raw power of his fire magic. "Flame Piercer!" he roared, lunging forward, aiming for one of the glowing red jewels embedded in the Viper's scales. He thrust his sword with all his might, a focused point of fiery energy.
The attack connected with a sickening thud. But instead of piercing, Chou's blade merely scraped across the Jewelion Viper's mottled purple scales, leaving not even a scratch. The scales were incredibly tough, deflecting the blow with ease. Chou's eyes widened in disbelief, his jaw dropping. He couldn't even scratch it. The monster roared again, shaking its massive head, its powerful muscles rippling as it strained against the binding vines, its red eyes burning with renewed fury.
With a deafening CRACK, the Jewelion Viper managed to free itself from the binding vines, tearing them apart as if they were mere threads. It lunged, its massive head swinging like a battering ram, striking Chou with terrifying force. The impact sent Chou's sturdy body flying through the air like a ragdoll. He crashed into the first tree with a sickening crunch, then bounced, tumbling through the dense forest, snapping eight more trees in his wake before finally coming to a stop, a crumpled heap against the ninth tree. A cloud of splintered wood and leaves exploded around him.
The thunderous sound of Chou crashing through the trees echoed through the forest, a horrifying symphony of destruction. Rafaela and Ronin, still running, heard it. The sound was so loud, so final, it stopped them dead in their tracks. Rafaela's breath hitched, her eyes wide with terror, her face streaked with tears.
"Ronin!" Rafaela gasped, her voice choked with sobs, her eyes pleading. Her slender body trembled. "You go! You have to go and inform Master Baelish! I'm going back to my friends! I can't leave them!" Without waiting for a reply, she turned, her light tunic a blur as she sprinted back towards the sounds of the battle, her heart breaking, her resolve outweighing her fear.
Ronin stood alone, paralyzed by indecision. His mind raced, a chaotic storm of fear, guilt, and a desperate need to act. Should he obey Rafaela, run to Baelish's house, and bring help? Or should he go back, knowing he was weak, but unable to abandon his new companions to face that monstrous viper alone? His knuckles tightened on his twin blades, his gaze fixed on the direction Rafaela had gone, his face a mask of agonizing conflict.