Mercenary Guild [Job/Solo/Part 5]

The carpet ride was so quiet that I almost began to fall asleep, but I knew that if I did the carpet would probably fly into a sand dune. So I stayed awake as the stars glimmered overhead in the night sky, like little jewels floating in an endless sea of darkness. The coolness of the desert at night felt nice after another hot day in Heliohapt, but the darkness was also beginning to get to me. It felt like it was pressing in closer and closer, and I couldn't help but feel watched as I travelled from Heliohapt into the Desert of Forgotten Souls. It was around five in the morning; I'd gotten up early this morning to make sure I would have time to reach the deadly serpent's lair before the sun was up. I wanted to ambush it, but for now I was still tired, the lack of sun making it hard to wake up completely. It was strange, though, that this beast was so active at night and yet laid in rest during the day. It must be some sort of nocturnal species, but as a cold-blooded reptile, it was still unusual. The heat of the sun should be too much for it, and yet all the reports that had come back had said the monster rested in the sun during the day, almost as though it taunted those who would dare come near it. But ever closer I flew, knowing I needed to put aside my fear and deal with it. Far too many people had been killed by this beast, and now I would put an end to it. I wished there was another way, but there seemed to be no way to reason with it; apparently, even snake charmers had no such luck in being able to keep it from harming them. That meant that the creature was out to kill, and would not stop to take a second guess. The other reason, however, for my coming out here this early was the fact that the desert was much drier than the city. I took the water in Heliohapt for granted, but in the desert there was almost no water to be found, unless you knew where to look. An oasis would be nice, but I had no such luck of having one nearby to the snake, so I'd brought my own large jar of water on the carpet instead. I wondered how the serpent survived, however... could it be that it had dug deep enough that it'd found water under the ground? It was the only thing that made sense, and yet where did the water come from? It was a mystery indeed, but unfortunately I didn't have time to ponder it as I drew near to my destination. The Valley of the Serpent drew near, and time was running out as the sun began to rise once more, signaling the dawn and the day's arrival. Landing on the flat top of a dune, the water thankfully doesn't spill, and it won't begin evaporating much until the sun has reached up above the horizon, which gives me a large amount of time. Now, all I had to do was wait for the serpent. I didn't have to wait long, however. Once the sun began to warm up the sand, the Serpent slithered out of its nest and onto the sand. One would think a snake would be more cautious in searching for predators, but the monstrosity had grown lazy and proud in old age; it had no predators out here, and it had so far easily dispatched those who'd come to defeat it. No longer, however. Pulling my wand out, I make the first strike, drawing water from the jar and casting Ice Daggers at the snake. The four projectiles spear silently through the air and impale themselves in the snake's body, causing it to growl angrily in pain. And I do mean growl - it was not the regular hiss of a usual snake, but much deeper. It reared its head and turned to face me, eyes locked on me in moments. It seemed that it had great eyesight, while I had been expecting it to find me by use of its tongue. And while it did flicker out, I could tell there was no way I was going to escape its senses anyways. This snake was a king cobra... I could tell by the hood around its head. A pet for royal family members and wealthy aristocrats, it was temperamental and training was hard and slow, making it fetch a high price. Its deadliness also added to its rarity, but it was still sought after far and wide. The beautiful black scales that covered its body were definitely appealing, but its red eyes seemed to be full of malice and hate.

Before I can move again, it strikes, shattering my borg in an instant. With it so close, I draw more water from my reserves and cast Ice Spears, both of them stabbing into its neck, if you will. It drew back, but I knew it was ready to attack again. It would make sense for it to be hungry, so I wasn't surprised as it opened its mouth to try and take me Swallowed Whole, but I wasn't going down so easily. I cast Water Jet, drawing more water from the jar and pushing its head back and forcing it to choke on the water. With another flick of my wrist, I draw the last of the water from the jar and cast Ice Drill, sending the cone into its open mouth. Blood spurted everywhere, and at last the creature was dead. As promised, I slid down to remove a fang, which had thankfully been dislodged by my final spell. My curiosity, however, got the best of me, and I decided to quickly explore the caves below the surface.  As I walked deeper and deeper, I came across what seemed to be an underwater river... of course. It would be able to supply an oasis that was miles and miles away. Still, I couldn't help wondering how deep down I was. I was about to turn back when I heard a growling noise, and when I looked to see what it was, I noticed a king cobra hatchling poking its head out from its egg. It seemed confused and lost, but I couldn't allow it to grow into another monster like the one I fought. So I cast Water Whip to knock it out, even though, I admit, it was a little cute, the terrifying features like the red eyes of its parents thankfully not having been passed down. Taking its egg in my hands, I make the climb back up out of the caves and fly back with the egg and fang, turning in the fang to collect my reward, but for some reason keeping the baby snake with me. Who knows, it could prove to be a useful ally.

1172/1125 word count

150/250 magoi left

Abilities:

Secondary Profession Perks:

(Just a small note, the king cobra hatchling Ivris discovered will become her first dominance beast, I hope that's okay ^^ I'll be training my dominance spec tomorrow, so it's not "official" yet, but I needed to turn in the jobs to get the reduction xD)