Max watched as the humanoid came from the marsh waters, arms outstretched as he went to deflect the sudden tackle. Suddenly he found himself hitting the awkwardly warm waters as he expected more pain than he was enduring but there was little other than the bruising there might be as Max clenched his jaw. The muddy water stung his eyes with how much muck and soot had been stirred up, the attacker seemed to have more physical strength than him as he struggled and flailed under the water but was being held down. There was a sudden sharp prick in the crook of his neck as Tamir boomed with a laugh, unable to help as a small bell sang its familiar tone and Versa took effect.
As the venom entered his bloodstream he felt like his blood flowed better, his mental resolve strengthening and his body empowered as he let out his breath, bubbles rising to the surface as Max lets off a mana pulse. This spell was as simple as it sounded, the expulsion of mana from his body in a blunt force wave with a flex of his circuits and relatively simple to use, not to mention cheap as it only cost around one hundred mana. The Lizardfolk was suddenly flung into the air, Max getting a better look as the water was thrown up as well and allowed Max to gasp for air desperately as he scampered to his feet, grabbing his blade and taking a readied stance as his eyes narrowed, watching the dark gleam of blue scales come crashing down into the mud as Water began to rain down.
With raised hands the humanoid slowly rose to its feet as Max took note in the nudity of the creature, looking away a bit. He was embarrassed by the obscene lack of modesty but didn't lower his blade as the reptilian yielded all the same.
"Yield, yield! I noticed not that you were human when I smelled you, you reek of grease bloods', and death! I bring no harm, thought you was a Goblin Sanguineous. I yield to you mud blood, I reconcile. Spare Thax's life and I take you to Marsh Reptilia!"
Max lowered his guard some as his eyes narrowed, meeting the jagged round eyes of deep blue as the third eyelid cleared any water as he studied the Lizardfolk carefully and curiously. Raven black hair cut with a dull knife and messy, dark blue scales that if looked at with little to no light could be mistaken for black but the glint of the sun conveyed their true color. Starting three inches below the collar bone across mid sternum was a cream color with the edges of the scales coated in a faded black as if they had spots, the coloration not cresting over the Oblique fissure of their ribs (didn't leak over to the sides) yet seemed to lead down to mid-thigh.
Max wasn't sure if this Lizardfolk was male or female, their body sleek and nothing between the legs that Max could see as he circled Thax to see a small little tail that seemed to actually constitute a need for a tail bone. Max found the tail rather cute and funny but he had a poker face to keep as he stared Thax down. Thax's face was curious, the bridge of the nose flat and the eyes facing a bit more outwards as they seemed to evolve or be made in the image of a venomous predatory snake if he had to guess it seemed to be most common with the Blue-bellied Black snake. There were no ears, Max was enthralled at actually getting to study a Lizardfolk up close as the race was known to be reclusive and hardly accepted visitors.
Max sighed and huffed, rubbing his temples a bit as he weighed his options. Waste time by taking the offer or keep heading straight through the marsh blindly as he sighed and thought more about the offer. He turned to his scaled acquaintance, looking up at the 6'3 serpent/
"You speak Common very well for Lizardfolk, odd. I thought typically you spoke his bellows, hisses and other noises. Thax was it? Wish to repay the mistaken blunder you made? Fine, take me to Reptilia Marsh but no more trying to kill me. I'd hate to have to kill you and make a nice pair of boots."
Thax gulped as Max swore he could see the snake begin to sweat bullets, perhaps it was just the water that was falling. Thax looked nervous as Max sighed, offering him a handshake to lighten the mood as the reptile apprehensively goes to take the hand only to pull away shaking his head nervously as Tamir growls in Max's head.
"Thax no shake. Cursed, hurt all who touch and kill them. Wish not to hurt new person with curse. Horse dangerous to ride through marsh when the dead rise from the swamp, not to mention other creatures that attack from water. If not riding then will be safe and the dead will think horse wild and not attack, what is new person's name? And how did person survive bite? Kills most all!"
Max was extremely curious as he raised a brow. Cursed? The curse must have been negated by the water, acting as a medium as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he tried to think of an excuse of why.
"My name is Max, its nice to meet you Thax even if the meeting was sudden and started with a brawl. As far as the venom, I have a skill that negates poison and venom so typically I don't have to worry about it."
Thax's eyes go wide with wonder as he suddenly takes Max's hand and a siren goes off in his head and Tamir begins to panic a bit as Max feels poison seep into him. At first, it's nothing too bad but then Tamir cuts in with a system message that was flashing red with a warning.
{{WARNING: VICE is being overloaded! Though Vice is max level it has a threshold to certain conditions! User cannot maintain prolonged skin-to-skin contact or 'World Serpent's Poison' will kill user! System manager and body is synthesizing a natural extended threshold to poisons but cannot process the overwhelming poison and potency. Anything over one minute will kill user due to Legendary status of the poison}}
Max pulled away with a bit of fear as Thax pulled back scared, looking like a kicked puppy as Max was a shade paler as well as sweating bullets. He nervously chuckled as he tried to catch his breath, holding up a finger.
"Holy shit, you nearly overwhelmed my skill! S-Sorry Thax but anything over a minute of contact will hurt me, but my system is trying to extend that time. We can extend that limit with some occasional touching..."
Thax only half heard what Max had said, looking at their had with a pout yet infatuated by the warmth that the boy had given off. The feeling was hot, Thax could feel Max's heartbeat when they touched and it was like a calm drum gently beating a song of comfort. Thax's forked tongue flicked out to taste the air as instincts and their mind seared the true scent into memory. Max noticed the zone out as he waved his hand in front of the face of his new ally, causing the serpent to snap out of the trance before the two set off on foot, Midnight in tow.
Max became worried as nightfall began to decent on them and there had yet to be a village of any sort. Max thought he was being led into a trap as Thax led Max into a thicket of trees, lights being hidden by the looming branches as tribalistic music drifted on the winds. That's when Max saw the stilts, following them up into the trees as Max was left speechless.
The village was interconnected between trees and stilts, the craftsmanship was lacking but the jerry-rigging of rope, metal, and bamboo-esk stilts seemed to work. Thax motioned for Max to follow him over to a series of ramps that led up to the village as Max led Midnight up the ramp as he looked around. As they reached the top Max saw the dim lights as he curiously bit his lower lips, looking at the lights as he noticed that it wasn't fire but bugs similar to fireflies but much brighter.
Max was caught up in the sights but his wrist was suddenly grabbed by Thax as he was dragged deeper into the village, passing villagers of all sorts of species. Alligators, Crocodiles, turtles, skinks, iguanas, raptors, snakes, so many, and each one a different subspecies. Max was enthralled by the sights, taking note that even though they had established a village they still seemed tribalistic. They mostly wore hide or leather, some having poorly fashioned cotton and wool clothes but most only wore loincloths, pants, or bare bone basic clothing as Max was dragged along, Midnight keeping pace as they arrived at a stable full of other horses and other mounts like boars or stags. Max tied Midnight up diligently as he was suddenly being dragged by an excited Thax.
Thax seemed excitable as Max bobbed and weaved past shells, tails, and bodies as he was taken into the feeding hall, all eyes on him as he was sat towards the back but eyes of blood-hungry beasts still etched into him. Thax had run off to go grab them food as Max sat quietly as murmurs filled the room, a human in the village, an outsider! People began to gather as Max's hand fell to his blade, hidden by the cloak as what he assumed was a female lizard of sorts slammed her hand on the table, she seemed to have pronounced breasts which was the only way he could tell.
"Outsider, Warm Blood! What business do you have within Reptilia Marsh that you dare walk in like owning place! Better have good reason or I eat your fingers until you do!"
Suddenly she backed away, slowly as she hissed as Max felt a shadow creep over him and a hand placed on his shoulder. As he turned around to see just who was behind him he jumped, blinking a good bit confused as he looked over a Turtle with bushy white eyebrows, a long beard that stretched down to the center of his shell as his other hand gripped onto a cane. He was much more on the reptilian side, looking like a huge turtle standing upright but something didn't seem right, he wasn't a normal Turtle, not a turtle at all but a Dragon Tortise. In a slow gentle voice, a smile seemingly on his face.
"An outsider, interesting! We get so few outsiders out here so I apologize for the younger one's attitude towards you. Though Xila raised an interesting question, why are you here boy? One as rare as your kind and so proficient in magic. I can see through your illusions but freet not, you are not hunted here"
Max was a bit in shock. No one before had been able to see through his perpetual illusion and this elder did it in seconds. Thax came jogging back with plates of meat and one of greens before he saw the gathered crowd, gulping as his head hung a bit and he weaseled his way through the crowd. The Dragon Tortoise saw Thax and looked at Max as he chuckled rather heartily, nodding in understanding as he sat beside Max.
"I see. Young Thax seems to have made a friend! If I had to assume I would say you are in your young teens no? Thax just reached thirteen this year, last year he physically matured but his mind seems to still hold some immaturity. I welcome this outsider to our village! He has somehow earned the trust of one of our own, our law is that of trust!"
He punctuated his statement by slamming his staff on the floor, growls, grunts, and bellows filled the room as chatter went back to normal. Thax sits down nervously as he kept his low, knowing he did something wrong as the Tortise nodded gently and left.
Their meal was quiet from there out, neither knowing just what to say. Thax seemed to lack a conversation as well as they devoured their meal quickly. Max looked about, still completely confused at whether Thax was male or female since after looking at scales for an hour things blurred on the medium.
"So Max... Are you boy or a girl?"
Max was completely baffled as he nearly fell out of his seat from shock. Instead, he just headbutts the table at the gull of the snake beside him as he groans, only breaking into a chuckle. With a huff and a rub of his temples he sighed.
"I'm a boy Thax, I should ask you the same because I can't tell what exactly you are either. Sorry to be blunt but you being naked around me all the time is a bit... Distracting?"
The two laugh at the awkward conversation, both looking very nervous at the awkward conversation. After they settled down Thax smiled and placed the side of their head in their hand, looking at Max as if gazing at stars.
"I'm a boy too. Sorry about clothes but when swimming around all day they tend to weigh. I'm sorry Thax mistake you for dead, glad to make a new friend! Maybe... Will you stay and hunt with me?"
Thax looked at Max with a weird version of puppy dog eyes but... Hatchling eyes? Max wasn't really sure what to call it as he gulped, scratching the back of his head. He did want some adventure right? Maybe it could be fun? Max sighed as he shrugged, unsure just what he wanted to do just yet as Thax got excited and suddenly grabbed Max, hugging him tightly as the countdown began.
Max was off-put by the sudden show of affection, unsure how to take it as he stared off into space and mentally panicked. Sure he got handshakes but the only person who hugged him was his father. After about a minute Thax let go, Max didn't know it but the snake's tail was wagging wildly as if he was a dog. Max was apprehensive to call Thax a friend, the two lacking any knowledge besides the fact they met and that was it. They shared a meal and got into a scuffle before sharing a meal but the same could be said about Jesse.
Thax was kind enough to take Max back to his hut for the night. The hut was small, had a place for a fire and a simple hammock but Max didn't care about sleeping on the floor, at this point he was used to the feeling. As he took his place on the floor he slowly drifted off, feeling as if he was back in the warm water as it engulfed him and swallowed him whole. What would tomorrow bring?