Big Ol Snek
Cait intentionally drove herself against the wall, having to jump over the cracks here and there to get to it. She used the wall as an improvised weapon. Every time she dodged the snake's bites or pushed the head to the side, she'd direct it straight into the wall behind her, rocking the garden and shaking the palace.
The snake was a hardy animal, however, and its thick scales protected it from the brunt of the damage.
But between Fate continuously stabbing it between its scales and Cait shouting taunts at it, it worked itself into a frenzy, aided by Cait's desire domain and infused with an unstoppable will to tear the woman in front of it apart. It continued striking futilely at Cait, ramming into the wall again and again. A river of crimson started falling from its cavernous nostrils, but it struck anyway, heedless of its own safety.
The wall around Cait was steadily becoming filled with snake-shaped holes from the repeated bombardment, forcing her to move along to another section of the wall. Fate worked his way up on the snake's neck, a difficult job when it was thrashing worse than a bull in a rodeo.
He inched upwards, using the brief period between when the snake pulled its head back and when it lunged forward to stow his sword and move up one hand at a time before pulling the weapon back out and renewing his attempts to wound the creature.
After twelve minutes of snake riding, Fate made it to the beast's forehead, bracing himself. "Hold him still!" he yelled to Cait.
He saw her nod, jumping to the side once more as the snake pounced on her. She pushed it with her Divine Intent, guiding the beast's head directly into a crack in the wall. It burst through, Fate remaining unharmed with his intangibility, the two of them entering a narrow corridor within the wall, lit by torches.
Cait took the opportunity to latch onto the beast's head with the full strength of her Divine Intent. Fate joined her efforts, the two of them slamming the serpent's head onto the floor as Fate raised his sword above his head. With a low shout, he plunged the blade into the snake's eye, causing the creature to thrash and writhe as blood gushed down its wound.
Fate wobbled on top of the beast's head, redoubling his efforts with Cait to still the creature. He stabbed the other eye, and the creature roared, its body whipping about on the other side of the wall as it fought to free itself.
"Stand down, or the next strike will be between your brows!" Fate shouted over the creature's roars. It calmed immediately, its roars turning to heavy panting as blood flowed from his eyes.
"You might as well kill me," it rumbled. "My master will provide a much harsher death if I fail him."
"What if we help you escape?" Fate asked.
The snake chuckled, the sound like boulders falling down a mountainside. "Improbable. My master has me tagged. He can sap my lifeforce in an instant."
"You mean that tag there?" Fate said, concentrating his Divine Grasp on the bundle of Divine Energy weaved into complex patterns nestled within the snake's skull. It flared, trying to spread out, but the energy-eating properties of Fate's telekinesis kept it from succeeding.
He focused, squeezing the ball with his Tk until it popped, its structure collapsing and becoming normal Divine Energy. Then he contained the energy, preventing it from slithering away, and leeched away at it until it was gone.
The snake heaved a sigh of relief, the breath kicking up all the dust in the corridor. Fate shielded his eyes, glad he had his mask on. When the dust settled, he found that the snake he stood on was no longer an Avatar, any trace of Divine Energy within it completely gone.
"What happened to your Manifestation?" he asked the serpent.
"I never had one. My master granted me the gift of Divinity by taking the right from another, then weaving what survived into a specific form taught to him by the Advanced Ones. My body was strengthened, and my resistance to Manifest Powers increased, but I never had a Manifestation of my own. The same is true for all of the master's pets."
"Was that the tag or something else?"
"It was, but at the same time, it was the source of my divine power. It was connected to the master, to allow him to monitor his subjects and punish them from wherever they tried to flee. Now that you have freed me, I am in your debt."
"Don't mention it. All I ask is that you stop trying to kill us."
"And live with us, maybe!" Cait shouted through one of the holes in the wall.
"That too, I guess."
"So long as you do not try to swear me into servitude, I would be glad to. But first, you must kill Ythmun, or none of us are safe."
"Let us worry about that. You just get out of here." Fate hopped off of the snake's head and he and Cait released their telekinetic holds on it. It slowly removed itself from the wall, flicking its tongue to examine its surroundings. Fate followed, passing through the wall to stand by Cait.
"Where should I go?" it asked.
"Just go about three miles east of here and wait for us there," Fate told the snake. "Also, what's your name?"
"I do not have one. Perhaps you should give me one, as a gesture of trust."
"Alright… but, uh, are you a boy snake or a girl snake?"
"It isn't obvious by my voice? I'm a male."
"Sorry, didn't want to assume." Fate shared a look with Cait. "He's your responsibility, you name him."
"What about Cornelius?" she said instantly.
"Quick answer."
"I've wanted to name my first pet that ever since I learned of the concept."
"Cornelius…" The snake pondered on Cait's choice. "Yes, that is an appropriate name for one as grand as I. Are either of you capable of healing my eyes?"
"Uh, no, but we know some places we can take you to so you can get those fixed," Cait told him.
"Very well. Come back alive," the snake said, slithering to and over the wall until his tail vanished over the other side. The duo shared another look, making their way to the door they entered the garden from.
"What was that you said about having to kill him?" Cait asked.
"You're welcome. Now you have the pet snake you wanted. Don't say I never did anything for you," Fate replied.
"Wait," they heard behind them. They turned to the sound, finding Cornelius' head peeking over the wall. "Which way is east?" it asked, tongue flicking in embarrassment.