Once every few weeks or so , the more important cities in the phoenixes territory issues important quests to the outskirt towns for them to complete.
And the one that came in this time was huge.
The Phoenix has seven subordinates under her , who manage her large territory on her behalf. Currently, an important meeting called the Apex, held every four years was drawing near , and so , her subordinates were doing their best to gather gifts in order to curry favor.
The dwarf king -Dwarven ,one of such subordinates ,was looking for a magical beast called the Marianna snake, a very rare , poisonous creature whose core when refined could increase ones lifespan , and give them a large boost in strength.
Although such a gift was useless to a being like the Phoenix , it was still a precious gift. The dwarf king had heard rumors that the snake had appeared around Asville, and so had sent the quest ahead of time while he made the journey there.
Salazar pondered as he headed towards the forest.
This past few weeks , he'd established himself as an accomplished hunter, and so he'd been called to partake in this difficult endeavor.
According to what he'd heard, they'd be able to ask for one thing from the dwarf king , if they just subdued the beast. They didn't even have to kill it.
But , Salazar had over plans. He'd agreed to come because he wanted to consume the monsters flesh. Then , he'd use the core of the beast to negotiate for a chance to meet the Phoenix queen.
He'd didn't think such an opportunity would so easily present itself for him to complete his latest quest.
Hehe. The heavens really favor me. At this rate , it won't take long for me to become the Monster king.
It took them three weeks of frantic searching. Hey went through the several mountains, scoured the forests and searched through multiple valleys, but finally , they found the beast nest in an underground cave.
The group made extensive plans to combat the monster. As beastmen , they had strength and skills that surpassed ordinary humans, but even they weren't confident in facing the isn't snake.
They made multiple plans , brought in medicine to serve as counters for the snakes poison , and weapons specifically modified to pierce through the beasts tough scales.
But even after all that, it was still pointless.
....
Salazar took in all true damage as he panted , and tried to recover his health through his [Reformation ] skill. As his absorbed the earth through his left hand , he wondered how things had gone so wrong so fast.
Although they'd prepared for practically anything , the beasts strength was Immense. The group had clearly underestimated it. Although they'd prepared significantly through the course of several weeks , their preparations seem to have not been enough.
That didn't mean that the beastmen who attacked it weren't good enough. Despite the immense difference in their power , the fighters had managed to push the creature to the very edge of its life, through pre-prepared tactics , machinations and perseverance.
But , the beast had still won, killing over two-thirds of the beastmen that attacked it. The survivors had fled , leaving their siege weapons and other equipment behind.
In fact , if he wasn't immobilized due to his injuries , Salazar himself would've fled too. He wasn't a fighter and such a battlefield was beyond his capabilities. The only reason he'd managed to come this far was through schemes and exporting others, so there was no way he could face such a monster head on.
But if it was like this. Maybe there was a chance.
He slowly stood when his health fully recovered and weighed the pros and cons of this new crazy idea as he watched the snake slowly move away from the battlefield. Probably to go lick it's wounds. He wouldn't have a better chance than this to kill it.
He tightened his resolve. The beastmen ( May their souls Rest In Peace) had given him an excellent opportunity. It would be a waste if he just left like that.
He run a quick mental simulation of what he could do in order to end the fight as quickly and painlessly as possible.
He activated his title -[Monster shifter] and transformed into a three feathered falcon - a monster that was descended from three different types of fire monsters and could therefore use the three fires of its heritage, and shot into the air.
He prayed that the time he'd spent practicing aerial maneuvers weren't wasted.
Normally, the snakes scales would be too hard for him to penetrate at his current level. Luckily , his friends had left several deep wounds on the beasts hide for him to exploit.
With a screech , he sent a three colored wave of fire at one fo the deepest wounds on its right flank.
The snake hissed and turned to spit acid at him, but he'd already soared out of the way and shot towards its left eye.
His earlier attack was a diversion. His real goal was to blind the beast , making it helpless before his onslaught of attacks. But Hurd underestimated the creature.
At the last moment , it managed to close its eyelid , causing his talons to glance of it. Before he could escape , it smashed its tail onto him.
Salazar was sent smashing into the ground. The giant snake raised its tail once again for the finishing blow but he shifted into a sonic bat and managed to get out of the way.
He circled around the beast , leaving sonic hooks in his wake as he tried to find an opening. But now the snake was aware of his presence , and its was wary.
He'd have to give it something else to focus on.
He landed in the ground and quickly transformed again into the silver furred wolf king and activated his second title -[ Alpha ] , then he howled.
His howl reached beyond the underground cave and seemed to echo throughout the area. With that done, all he had to do was wait, and so Salazar spent most of the time dodging attacks.
He was hit several times , but it was nothing [Reformation] couldn't handle.
Then , he heard , or rather sensed it. His patience had been rewarded.
All the wolf type creatures in the vicinity were rushing to his aid. Oh it's good to be the king.
He grinned just as several packs of wolves rushed into the underground cave.
The snake spent considerable effort trying to take down its new foes and Salazar activated his last title-[Nightstalker] and faded into the shadows.
He'd gained this title from his continuous tailing of the Epsilon adventurers. The title basically erased his presence and allowed him to move discreetly. Although it didn't have much use during a battle , it could be useful if used wisely.
Like right now.
While the giant snake was focusing on his little friends , he snuck along it's blind spot and attacked its right eye, instantly blinding it.
He realized too late that it was a trap. The monster knew that he was the alpha of the attacking pack. Only by killing him would they leave, so r had set a trap.
It couldn't locate him, and so it'd deliberately left a blind spot for him , and he'd stupidly fallen into the trap.
The snake moved so fast that he couldn't react. But the time he realized what was going on, the creatures mouth was already closing around him. The smell of poison and acid filled his nose as the creature tried to eat him whole.
"Damn you. Argh. I won't go silently. "
But it was too late for him to do anything.
"Fine then. You want to eat me. Go ahead , but I guarantee you'll get indigestion. I'm literally made of dirt. This is not the end for me. We'll see who'll get the last laug-" he was cut off as the snakes mouth closed. The last thing that could be seen of him was him changing shape.