Patronage Count: 1,848, (+8)
…
Patronage Count: 1,847, (+8)
Jörmungandr blinked at the sudden drop in numbers; ever since he'd woken up from his week long nap and after the System had been pissed at him, which he really didn't get since they made the survival game, the count had remained fairly consistent.
Even after a month of traveling with the trio, it hadn't gone down, so he wondered why it had done so now; had an unaccounted situation happened? Or...
His usually blank expression darkened a little, his pupils narrowing a bit as a thought came to his mind in answer to his supposition:
'Did the Aesir's and Asynja target another one?'
It didn't make sense that out of the 3 million of his Patronage that had chosen this server, and out of the 6 billion over all the servers, over 4 billion had died; according to what he'd observed from human nature, humans during this time of unfamiliarity are more likely to panic over the situation rather than kill everyone, and even if they did kill his people, so many wouldn't have died even without his help if the slaughter was indiscriminate.
Sure, some would die, maybe to monsters or an inability to get in the correct headspace to survive, but over 4 billion? It was ridiculous.
In fact, due to the innate ability to stay under the radar which was given to everyone of his Patronage, the fact that people noticed them to begin with suggests pre-planning; in his existence, there was only a handful of beings that truly yearned for his death:
The Asynja and the Aesir, the Norse gods and goddess of mythology.
Jörmungandr doubted the other gods of the three other mythologies would care enough about a lowly serpent from the beginning to actively target them, as they likely lacked enough information to realize how much of a threat his existence was; add a common target and a lack of action on his part, and the death of his people made more sense.
It was odd; ever since he'd tried to wrap his head around his Patronage's near genocide, since he'd let the asters bloom, a strange and earnest feeling and burned in his chest.
It was insistent, loud, and demanded his attention, but in the most gentle and warm way possible; it became warm whenever he saw Laura take one more step on the water, when Truth successfully dodged an attack from the golem, and when Dare was able to make an entire realistic-ish boulder out of illusions. A smile would bloom with the feeling, and he felt an odd pride, as if he had watched small creatures succeed at something he'd been cheering for them to finish.
But it was also a cold feeling—cold when the number count fell, cold when Laura got a cold from falling into the water, when Dare had lost his voice from yelling his throat raw, when Truth was knocked out from the golem hitting him in the head too hard.
It was cold whenever he mulled over the possibility of the Aesir's and Asynja's making his innocent and clueless people targets aimed at him. Since when had he started thinking of them as his 'people' and his 'Patronage' rather than 'Players'?
He himself wasn't sure.
A fierce protectiveness and desire to seem them strong, safe and whole began to burn within him.
'I will protect all of you, no matter what...'
———
A crunching sound peirced the air, and scarlet seeped into the supple grass, dying the midnight an unfriendly red.
'Jor...mungan....dr....'
Pale, crying blue eyes turned gray, as a small serpent curled around a sleeping figure, desperate to warm their cold body.
White was stained red, and if it was winter, snow would hide the offensive sight; the creature didn't care—they just enjoyed their long sought after feast.