Intention

'He is as dangerous as Arlen,' Kai had thought, his Perception screaming to him.

Even if Kai, Simon, and Shae hadn't lost their peak strength, there wasn't much they could do to kill him. One injured newbie, a shaken beauty, and a 1st floor wounded Contestant were nowhere enough to bring down a single HP of this enemy.

'Arlen knew it,' Kai had told himself. 'That's why he told us to hold and not kill.'

Kai had also found out what Arlen hadn't said. 'Hold him back with your life,' Arlen must have meant. Kai would never weigh his life on others' orders. But he didn't have a choice. His HP and SP were low, and they were becoming lower. Shae and Simon were being drowned by the mud over them.

There was no hope.

Until Kai heard the man speak those words, "… It does whatever I tell it to do."

[

Elementary Snake Language Activated

Time Limit: 30 seconds

]

Kai ran. With all the strength he could muster, he lunged at the snake. The man couldn't see his eyes, Kai knew. "Ekans!" the man commanded the creature. "Wrap."

Kai's slits met those of the creatures. The snake out a loud hiss, uncoiling itself to slither towards Kai. Kai's mouth opened then. No sound came out, though. Kai wanted to talk, but his throat felt stiff. But somehow, Kai transferred his thoughts.

A slight exchange of eye contact.

A passive thought.

An intention.

'Stay!!!' Kai had meant to say, but he could only send his intention.

An ethereal hiss escaped Kai's throat, like the sigh of the summer's wind. His throat ached, his stomach twisted, and his eyes became bloodshot. The little sigh of wind seemed to take away his life with it.

But it was enough.

The beast let out a maddened roar, shaking its head and thrashing its tail. It hissed, looking back at the man. It hissed louder when it turned to look at Kai. The time and Kai didn't stop meanwhile.

Kai was only a few feet away from it.

Then Kai passed it.

The magical creature's entire body shook, the hissing never stopped. The braided man's face was already pale, but seeing the snake's state, it became blue and green. "EKANS!" the man roared out of his lungs. "Sludge Bomb."

'No!!!' Kai hissed, passing the intention without looking back. This hiss brought bright blood with it. Kai felt his throat's muscles tearing and a cloudiness in his eyes. His HP regeneration had been working non-stop till now, but it was slowing down again.

Roar. Hisssss. The sound of madness came from behind, the beast struggling to carry out the order. But which one? Who to follow? What to do?

'A perfect slave,' Kai thought, rushing at the man. 'What will happen if it doesn't know who its master is?'

Kai punched out. The man stumbled, dodging the punch. It didn't seem to Kai that the enemy was a skilled fighter. But Kai was weak, tired, and was struggling for breath too. The punch followed the kick, like the tail of the snake, slithering and invisible.

It landed between the man's legs.

[Damage Done: 20 Points]

The red and white ball dropped out of the man's hand. He clutched his manhood with both hands and let out an agonizing howl of pain and misery. His knees buckled, and in the next moment, he was on the rocks, rolling and raging.

Kai followed.

'Only 5 seconds left,' Kai's mind roared. 'Fuck! Do it. Do it, idiot.'

The man saw Kai, and then his eyes fell on Kai's reptilian pupils. Fear must have overcome the pain then, as the man jolted up on his feet, and cried out. "Ekans! Wrap."

The snake passed Kai, its speed more than double. The magical beast didn't face any confusion about what to do. No hiss had come out of Kai's throat. No intention had been passed. It didn't wrap around Kai, though. It went for the man, and coiled around him, acting as a shield. Unbreakable. Impassable.

"Haha!" the man laughed. "Wait! You just wait! I will take my time to fuck you, pretty boy."

Kai was laughing too. He grinned. His vile smile shook the man.

'A snake must learn to wait,' his mother had told him, passing the Blood Essence. 'It must wait as long as it is needed, and more.'

'Yes, mother,' Kai agreed, his grin turning into the maw of the snake.

The hiss came bursting out of his throat. It was just another sigh of the wind. But the intention behind it had a more sinister nature.

Dark. And evil.

'Rip!!!' The intention flew away from Kai, blood gushing out of his mouth. His reptilian slits sent a commanding gaze to the purple and yellow snake. As if Kai was a lord, and his bidding must be carried out. No other orders came to defy Kai's intention.

The beast knew what to do then. The unbreakable shield became a prison, the snake's body squeezing the man's chest. "What…" a muffled voice escaped the man's throat. It was too late. The snake might be a little stronger than the man, but it was faster. It was closer.

Long black fangs shimmered maroon, reflecting the morning sunlight. One moment it was looking at the man. In the next, it was biting his neck.

A crunch. And Kai saw the beast taking out half of the man's throat. Blood burst out in hundreds of liquid jets, turning the snake's yellows to reds.

'Go!!!' One last command and the reptilian slithered away.

Kai was pressed for time. he forgot what his HP was, or if he was tired. He rushed, like a bull in heat. Kai's hand reached first, at the man's throat, or what had left of it, his round many-colored pupils looking into the man's confused and terrified eyes.

The hand traced the path of the man's throat, going down. The man vomited blood on Kai's face. Kai fumbled around, ripping everything inside the man, searching for something.

A quick jerk and twist. Kai knew he was close.

And then he felt it.

Then… he crushed it.

[You have killed 1 Order's Contestant]

[Elementary Snake Language: Proficiency 5% (+5%)]

***********

AN: Please support the work with Power Stones. Thanks :)