30 Potential Strength
Cole's blood ran cold.
Without even thinking, he moved forward, his body flashing across the vicinity, "Don't you dare!"
Cole charged forward, the Feather Blade whipping an arc through the air as he moved. But the Silver Serpent, true to its name, was a blur of quicksilver.
"Kirrya!"
It flicked its tongue, a barbed spear that whipped past Cole's head, the tip leaving a searing gash on his cheek.
"Kgh!"
"You will not!" Cole roared, spitting a bit of blood from the minor internal wound he also got.
The Blightbringers, emboldened by their leader's ferocity, unleashed a volley of poison breaths. Albeit, the Silver Serpent being known for its speed being on par with the Blightbringers, if not faster, easily evaded through the untrained attacks.
The warriors surged forward after seeing the failed attempt, their talons extended, but they were swatted aside like pesky flies.
'Shit, no help from them–'
"Lyra!" Cole cried, glancing back to see Lyra conjuring a swirling vortex of ice above the beast.
He needed to buy her time.
"Grragh!" With a guttural snarl, he leaped onto the trunk of a nearby oak, propelling himself towards the serpent's head.
Tap, tap– Fwoop!
He landed amidst a flurry of hissing breaths and razor-sharp fangs.
The beast reared back, its immense body casting a chilling shadow over Cole.
'Too fast!'
Just as its jaws snapped shut around him, a flash of emerald green feathers streaked across his vision.
"Huh?"
A young Blightbringer, Kaia, barely the size of his forearm, darted through the air, her sharp beak tearing at the serpent's eyes.
'That's… the interpreter's friend!'
Cole recalled instantly the sights he witnessed during the day as he jumped back, finally having the leisure of taking a breath.
The creature recoiled in pain, momentarily distracted.
"Lyra, you ready yet!?"
Cole seized the opportunity as he asked, plunging the Feather Blade into the soft skin beneath the serpent's jaw.
"Not quite, I need just a bit more!" Black liquids spewed from the wound, the air filled with its cloying stench.
"Kirryagghh!!!"
But the serpent was far from finished. Or so it showcased its abilities.
It coiled its massive body around the oak, snapping and thrashing, the tremors threatening to dislodge Cole from his precarious position.
"Now!"
The Frost Queen declared and Cole jumped back, leaving the stage free for her only companion.
Lyra's ice vortex rained down, sending shards of frozen fury towards the beast, tearing at its scales and drawing its attention away from Cole.
Another Blightbringer, confident in his speed to avoid the shards and wound the Serpent, Kren, launched himself from the ground.
His talons, honed through of navigating the branches of the Skyleaves, especially after the Celestial Eclipse, dug deep into the creature's flank.
"Ka-kraww!" Kren screamed, his voice raw with pain, but refused to let go.
The Blightbringers, though outmatched in size and strength, fought with the ferocity of cornered prey.
They darted and swooped, their venomous breath weaving a deadly mist around the serpent, their sharp beaks tearing at its exposed flesh.
'Good, good, it's working just like I envisioned when I first decided to make them my underlings!' Cole's expression distorted as a smirk etched itself on his face. The synchronicity of the Blightbringers during the battle not betraying his expectations.
'The leader shouldn't get left behind now, should he?'
Cole, fueled by adrenaline fought with abandon.
He had entered this village a self-proclaimed tyrant, a usurper.
But in the face of this primal threat, he saw not slaves, but fellow survivors. He saw strength in their agility, resilience in their venom, and courage in their defiance.
…
Well, if this was the naive Cole we would be talking about, then it would make sense. But no, right now, even though Cole's mental state is unstable, he still sees them as nothing more than weapons for his use.
If sacrifices must be made, he won't hesitate. Although, he couldn't act off-putting.
And so, he rallied them, his voice hoarse but his resolve unwavering as he heaved.
Keeping up with blitz-speed creatures and a more-than-qualified mage with only physical capabilities was more than rough, Cole could only pull this off from his vigorous training on the village next to Elyndor for years on end, ever since he was a kid.
And so, the scenarios he imagined with the animals in the forest and which he wished for one of them to come true, happened.
He was the leader of the forest right now.
"Draw a horizontal arc after feinting the right side!" He directed Kaia's aerial attacks who seemed to understand him, drawing the serpent's attention away from Kren who clung on, bleeding but clinging.
He called upon the elders, their poisonous breath weaving into a potent cloud that choked the serpent's senses.
Lyra, casting numerous icy blades, struck with deadly precision, carving deep gouges into the serpent's hide.
Her eyes, usually glacial, burned with a fierce heat, mirroring the desperation fueling their fight.
"Huff, huff!"
'She seems to be pushing herself… I remember she never even fought much during the times with the whole party, but that aside–'
"End it!"
"Krragh!!!"
Finally, with a deafening shriek, the Silver Serpent reared back, its body convulsing as black juices poured from its dozens of wounds.
With a final shudder, it collapsed onto the bloodied ground, its immense form still for the first time since its emergence.
"Pwahh~"
Exhaustion washed over Cole like a tidal wave as he slumped against the oak, his limbs trembling, his breath ragged.
The Blightbringers drained but victorious, stood panting around the fallen beast, their feathers ruffled, their beaks dripping with venom.
A silence descended, broken only by the chirping of crickets venturing back into the night.
Cole decided to take the initiative to break that silence, "And? Didn't I say that I would become your guys' shield if you became my weapon? That's right, this is what you're to be expected with when working under me!" He raised his hand as a proud smirk spread on his face.
"Y-Yeah!"
"Kra-Kraw!"
"KRA-KRAW!"
Celebration stretched out throughout the village of the Blightbringers, or rather, Cole's after the defeat of an A-ranked Monster.
"For now, secure the body, and we need rest–"
Suddenly, a frantic chirp from Lyra cut through Cole's words. "Behind the skin extensions, a pouch!" She exclaimed, her icy hand already digging into the serpent's leathery folds.
With a slight breath, she drew out two small, leathery eggs, shimmering faintly in the moonlight.
A murmur of curiosity rippled through the Blightbringers.
Kaia, the young warrior who had braved the serpent's eyes, perched on Cole's shoulder, her emerald feathers bristling with excitement.
"Eggs?" she chirped, her beak tilting inquisitively.
"Oh, you can speak human-tongue besides understanding it too, huh?"
Cole glanced at Lyra as Kaia nodded, her icy blue eyes shimmering with an unreadable mix of wonder and caution. "What are they?" he asked, his voice rough.
Lyra shook her head, her breath forming a frosty halo around her lips. "I have never encountered anything like them. Their surface… it reacts to my magic, yet it's unlike anything I've studied."
Kren, his crimson feathers now dulled with dried venom, approached cautiously.
He circled the eggs, his talons scraping against the smooth surface softly. "Young ones?" he rasped shortly, his voice echoing the question on everyone's mind.
The idea sent a shiver through Cole. The Silver Serpent, a creature of primal instinct and predatory fury, laying eggs within their village borders? It was a chilling prospect, yet oddly enticing.
As if sensing their collective uncertainty, the eggs pulsed faintly, a soft, warm light blooming from within. The light was weak, almost imperceptible, yet it radiated a slight, but powerful sense of life if taken care of properly.
"We won't destroy them," Cole declared and then whispered to Lyra, "They might prove powerful if we cultivate their strength for our own benefit." Deciding to broaden the arsenal of his small army.
