Snake Charmer

Gora

"Stop it, fool! As your Queen, I demanded you to stop!" I said. I hoped I'd get Titan to notice me if I said something ridiculous. The beast didn't seem to be affected at all for a moment. Then his body started to shake slowly. (Is he laughing?) I thought as I stared at him. The sparks of lighting started to die down a bit.

"You! My Queen! How laughable. Titan chuckled, his mouth still wide open. (I need to keep him talking.) I thought as I racked my brain on what to say next.

"Well... I mean… shouldn't I be your Queen?" I asked. I had no idea what I was talking about. I just blurted out the first thing to come to my head.

"I see what you're doing. Trying to prolong your life as long as possible, aye? Fine! I'll humour you. Why should I call you Queen?" Titan said with another round of laughter. The lighting around his body didn't disappear, however. The serpent was mistaken if he thought it was my life I was trying to save. Sure the attack he planned would be devastating, but Titan didn't have that much Ki to kill me outright.

At least, I hoped that was the case. I figured all I had to do was survive the initial blast. I was confident in my ability to dodge the move as well. Chances were Titan wouldn't be able to use the move for too long, meaning I just had to outlast him. I was pretty confident in my own survival, although it may get a bit hairy. I was more worried about the giant snake. I didn't know if it was because the panther called him grandpa or that the snake made me think of Mog. Either way, I didn't want to see Titan die. That's when I got an idea.

"Well... I am the only one who can save Your life! I mean, should that be a good enough reason for you to bow to me?" I said with a grin. ( take the bait!) I thought. A look of confusion was written on the face of the serpent.

"Do I look like I need saving?!" The beast roared as he cooked his head back. Lighting started to dance on his scales faster.

"Fine, don't believe me. But the second you launch your attack will also be the second you sign your own life away. You and I both know you don't have enough Ki to survive your own attack." I said smugly.

"So what! I don't have much time left anyway. Your words are meaningless, HUMAN!" The beast howled as an orb of lighting started to form in his mouth.

"Stupid snake. I'm telling you that I can heal your broken core. I'm sure you have been using those panthers to prolong your life. But they don't have nearly as much Ki as me." I said, standing there with open arms. A black dome started to appear around me as I poured the last bit of my ki into my defence. I still had enough Ki for a layer four beast. Although that may seem small before the fight with three alphas. I had more ki than all of them combined.

I wasn't lying when I said I could help fix Titans core. Fixing a soul core sounded like a simple matter. One would just need to rebuild their layer. A process that both require a lot of Ki and burns, Ki, quickly. So imagine how hard it was for someone who continually leaks ki, especially for a creature like Titan who used his Ki to move his large body. Those with damaged soul core have their life spans cut in half on top of being considered a cripple in the martial world. Some never recover. Titan was one of those who couldn't recover. At least not on his own.

(What will you do, snake? Have you really given up your will to live? ) I thought as I looked up at the massive beast. The ball of lighting in His mouth was getting bigger. I tightened every last muscle in my body, preparing to dodge if I had to. Sweat dripped from my brow as time seemed to stand still. Then the lighting orb started to shrink. This shocked me, to say the least, but I didn't relax until it completely disappeared. Once it was gone, I dropped my black dome.

"You about ready to talk?" I asked, not moving from my spot. I was confident in my survival, but I knew I wouldn't be walking away unscathed. Titan look defeated. The massive snake dropped his head.

"You still have so much Ki even after fighting for so long? Shadow would be running dry by now, but not you!" Titan said, letting out a long sigh. It seemed like he was finally figuring it out.

The serpent started to mumble something to himself. I could only pick up on a few words. From what I did hear, I guest that the beast thought I had some artifact known as a "charge stone." I figured he was talking about something like my earrings. They were made out of unique gems called Ki-stones that could absorb and release mana. Although most of them could only do so only once. Hell, the earings given to me by my goblin brother could hold only two charges. It meant their quality of Ki stones was pretty good. It also meant that they were extremely expensive. (I would have to find a way to repay him.) I thought to myself.

"Although I do have..charge stones. They are not in possession. I left them with my other guardians." I said to them while plopping down on my butt. Titans' eyes went wide.

"You have charge stones! Then you may be the only one who can help me. I searched the forest for decades, but the humans and demons got to the stones first. Titan said. I could see a small smile creep on his face.

"Before you get any ideas, know that those stones can't help you now. My followers have mostly drained them by now. I said, summoning an apple from my storage ring.

"What I propose is you using my Ki to repair your damaged one. I have more than enough to spare. But it would require you to become my guardian." I said, taking a bite of my green apple. My body ached from all the fighting, and my internal organs were a mess. But I need to keep up my front for the beast.

Titan seemed to grow angry at my words. Tiny sparks danced on his body. I paid them no mind as I continued to eat. Inside I felt a little excited. If I could get Titan on my team. Establishing my kingdom would go smoothly. With a colossus like Titan, I was pretty sure the other alphas would think twice before attacking me. I had to convince the serpent first.

"Look, I don't intend on enslaving you. All of my guardians have free will. You see how I let the cowardly tiger go so easily." I said while waving my hand in the direction Warr ran off. ( What a scary cat! I should change the beast name to peace.) I said, thinking about the tiger. I would have to get back at the beast for running from me, but I had a negotiation to worry about.

"Look, I only came here to get allies. I need strong followers not to fight but to protect my new nation. In all reality, you won't even have to leave your territory. I said as I stood up. I began to walk towards my coat. It was a few feet away from the serpent and surrounded by the creature's scales. I was surprised it didn't get damaged in the battle.

"All you have to do is agree to answer my call when I need you. Not a bad deal, right? You get to live a little longer, and I get the protection my nation needs to grow unhindered." I exclaimed while wiping the dirt off of my jacket. Titan slowly lifted his head. He sighed heavily as he gazed at the rising sun.

"Look how far I have fallen. Haha. Am I really considering serving a human?" Titan exclaimed with a chuckle.

"If it makes you feel better, I'm actually half-demon!" I said, scratching my head and smiling. The serpent brought his head closer to me slowly. I pretended not to be fazed by this mountain size beast approaching me. Titan seemed to be examining me closely.

" I see. How strange!.. I guess I have no choice then. Titan sighed as he closed his eyes. I took this as my cue to recite the words of guardianship. To which the giant serpent reluctantly agreed. My black aura surrounds both of us, and I feel a piece of Titans soul enter my core. His energy felt depleted and weak.

I started to feel bad for the creature. Titan must have been suffering for years. I touched the massive beast on the head and promised him I would help him get to his former glory.

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It had been a few hours since I had gotten Titan as my guardian. We spent most of our time going over the details of our new arrangement. I told the snake that he could stay in his territory, but he said it would be better if he went with me. When I asked what he would do about the panthers, Titan said he'd have them take over his lands. They were the ones patrolling it, after all.

I also got to learn a lot about the two panthers. Shade was like many beasts who had to relocate after the war between humans and demons. She stumbled onto Titan only a few years ago. At that time, Shade was desperately trying to survive while keeping her child Shadow safe. Titan told me that he had first decided to eat the par, but Shadow convinced him otherwise. Titan was moved by the mother who sacrificed herself for her child. I was surprised to see that the giant serpent could be so merciful.

Titan decided to enlist the panthers to help with protecting his territory and helping him fix his broken core. Titan knew that he couldn't afford to fight off every alpha that encroached on his lands. Shadow and Shade became his vassal in a way. For years their arrangement went smoothly. When an alpha would appear, the panthers would kill or chase them away. The ones they couldn't handle would be scared off by Titan. I figured Titan was the one to scare off Log so long ago.

It wasn't long before Shade and Shadow decided to show back up. They both looked shocked at the sight of me and the snake chatting. I couldn't blame them. I was still trying to come to terms with the ordeal myself.

"Grandpa, You're alive! I was so worried." Shadow said as he raced to the serpent. He shot me as he and his mother walked past me. The two made me think of Canis and Frons. It had only been a month, but I was still missing the par. I also missed little Leafy. I wondered what they were doing right now.

"Oh, No!" I exclaimed as I tried to stand, but my wounds stopped me. I could keep moving, but I chose not to. ( I need to rest first.) I thought as I laid back down. I had thought about Warr. The tiger was no doubt headed back to camp. She would cause a panic when she got there.

I figured I had time. Warr couldn't have gotten far. I could catch up pretty quickly. If I used Titan to help. I looked up at the giant serpent, who was busy explaining everything to the panthers. Looking at Titan gave me another idea. ( Warr is in for one hell of a surprise.) I thought with a huge grin. I laid back on the forest floor, thinking of how sweet my revenge would be before drifting off to sleep.

Shade: The female layer six black panther.

Shadow Aka Little shadow: A male layer five black panther and son of Shade.

Titan: A layer seven grey viper the size of a small mountain.

Words of Guardianship: The ceremony required to enlist a guardian beast into your service.

Ki-Stones: special gems that can absorb and release Ki/mana. The quality of the gem determines how many charges a Ki-Stone can hold. These stones are highly coveted and are both rare and costly.