The dawn broke slowly, casting a dim light over the dense forest where Mortis and his companions had battled the Shadow Hound just a few hours ago. The toll of the previous night's fight was evident on everyone's faces as they gathered around the smoldering remains of their campfire. Despite their exhaustion, they knew they had to keep going.
"Alright, let's discuss our strategy for today," Mortis began, his voice steady but tinged with fatigue. "We'll split into two teams and stay within a certain distance from each other to hear others shout. Kael, Lena and Garrick will form one team. Jareth and I will form the other."
Kael nursing his wounded arm, nodded. "We'll cover the western perimeter then."
"Stay alert," Mortis continued. "We were lucky last night. We can't count on that happening again."
With their plan set, the group gathered their belongings and began their patrol. Mortis and Jareth headed east, while Kael, Lena and Garrick took the western route. The forest was alive with the sounds of morning creatures, but the memory of the Shadow Hound's attack kept everyone on edge.
As Mortis and Jareth moved through the forest, they maintained a vigilant watch, their senses heightened by the lingering adrenaline from the previous night. The early morning light cast long shadows through the trees, making every movement in the undergrowth a potential threat.
"How's Kael's arm" Jareth asked, glancing at Mortis.
"He's better," Mortis replied. "Thanks to the healing potion you gave him."
They continued in silence for a while, the weight of the forest pressing in on them. Mortis couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched, but every time he turned to look, he saw nothing but the dense undergrowth and towering trees.
"Do you think there are more of those things out here?" Jareth asked, breaking the silence.
Mortis considered this. "It's possible. We'll have to be careful."
As they patrolled, Mortis's enhanced mana sense picked up a faint disturbance, similar to the one he had felt before the Shadow Hound attacked. He signaled Jareth to stop, scanning the entire area intently.
"Something's nearby," Mortis whispered. "Stay close."
They moved cautiously, following the disturbance deeper into the forest. The air grew colder and the forest seemed to close in around them. Mortis felt the familiar ripple in the mana, stronger this time. He raised his hand, ready to cast a spell, when a low growl echoed through the trees.
"Not again," Jareth muttered, readying his own magic.
But this time, it wasn't a Shadow Hound that emerged from the shadows. Instead, a large, serpent-like creature with iridescent scales slithered into view, its eyes glowing with a cold, calculating intelligence. The creature hissed, baring fangs that dripped with venom.
"Venom Serpent," Mortis identified, recalling the description from Valthor's scrolls. The creature was as deadly as it was beautiful. Its scales shimmered in the dappled forest light, reflecting hues of green and purple that seemed almost hypnotic. But it was the eyes that held Mortis's attention. They glowed with a sinister intelligence, revealing a predatory cunning that made it clear this was no ordinary beast.
The serpent's body was long and twisted, easily over twenty feet in length, with muscles that rippled beneath its scales as it moved. It coiled and uncoiled with a terrifying agility, each movement fluid and precise. The head was triangular, with a pair of elongated fangs that glistened with a thick, viscous liquid.
"Be careful," Mortis warned. "Its venom is extremely potent. Just a single milliliter of venom can kill us in days"
The serpent struck with lightning speed, its body coiling and uncoiling with terrifying agility. Mortis barely managed to cast an Umbral Shield in time, the barrier absorbing the initial impact. Jareth responded with a Darkness Bolt, the dark energy crackling and surging towards the serpent, causing it to recoil with a hiss.
"We need to keep our distance," Mortis advised. "Its fangs can pierce through most rank 0 barrier spells."
Mortis launched his Umbral Shield, a defensive spell that created a dark, shimmering barrier around him. The serpent's initial strike was met with resistance as the barrier held firm, absorbing the impact. Mortis then cast Inferno Spark, a concentrated burst of fire that he aimed at the serpent, hoping to catch it off guard.
Jareth, meanwhile, conjured another Darkness Bolt in his hand. The spell crackled with energy, a blazing sphere of concentrated darkness that he hurled at the serpent. The Darkness Bolt struck the creature's side, causing it to hiss in pain as the dark energy corroded its scales. Jareth quickly followed up with a Wind Cut, a cutting blade of wind that he directed at the serpent, trying to keep it at bay.
Mortis took advantage of the distraction, summoning Dark Tendrils from the ground. These shadowy tendrils shot up and wrapped around the serpent, attempting to restrain its movements. The creature thrashed violently, its powerful coils straining against the bindings.
"Jareth, keep it focused on you!" Mortis commanded, his eyes cold and calculating. He needed Jareth to serve as the bait, drawing the serpent's attention away from him.
Jareth, unaware of Mortis's true intentions, nodded and intensified his attacks. He conjured a Wind Shield around himself, a protective shield of wind that he hoped would repel the serpent's attack. The serpent lunged at Jareth, but the Wind Shield shattered under the force of the strike. The serpent's fangs sank into Jareth's arm, severing it in a brutal instant.
Jareth screamed in pain, but his determination didn't waver. He gritted his teeth and cast another Wind Cut with his remaining hand, the blade of wind slicing through the serpent's scales and causing it to hiss in pain. He followed up with a Darkness Bolt, striking the serpent directly in the head.
Mortis saw his opportunity. He cast Shadow Dart, a spell that formed a dark, jagged projectile of concentrated shadow energy in his hand. With precision, he hurled the dart at the serpent, aiming for its head. The dart struck perfectly, piercing one of the creature's glowing eyes. The serpent let out a deafening hiss of pain.
Jareth, despite his severe injury, summoned all his remaining strength to cast another Wind Cut, creating a sharp blade of wind. The Wind Cut erupted from his hand, striking the serpent directly and enveloping it in a maelstrom of cutting winds.
With a final, desperate hiss, the serpent collapsed, its body falling to the ground. Mortis and Jareth stood over the remains, their breaths heavy and their bodies tense.
Mortis quickly moved to Jareth's side. "Hold still," he commanded, his voice steady despite the urgency of the situation. Mortis used his fire affinity, summoning a controlled flame to cauterize the wound and burn the poison. Jareth gritted his teeth against the pain as the heat sealed the wound.
Jareth fumbled for a potion on his belt and drank it, the healing liquid providing some relief but not enough to fully restore his strength and completely heal him. "Let's get back to the camp," Jareth said, his voice weak but determined.
They made their way back to the camp, Mortis supporting Jareth as they walked.
When they arrived at the camp, they found Kael and Garrick standing over Lena's lifeless body, their expression a mix of grief and shock.
"What happened?" Mortis demanded, his voice hard.
Kael, his face pale and eyes filled with sorrow, explained, "We shouted as loud as we could for help, but you didn't come."
Mortis responded, his tone grim, "We were also attacked by a monster. So, we probably couldn't hear your calls because of the fight."
Garrick, tears streaming down his face, began to describe what happened. "A Razor Beast ambushed us. It was huge, with tusks like swords. It charged at us so fast... Lena... she pushed us out of the way. She took the full brunt of the attack."
Kael, his voice breaking, added, "She fought back, tried to hold it off so we could regroup. But it was too strong. It gored her with its tusks. We tried to reach her, but it was too late. She bled out before we could do anything."
Mortis watched as Garrick and Kael broke down, their grief raw and painful. Internally, Mortis cursed, 'Fuck, I just lost two of my meatshields. One is already dead and the next one is already worthless in his shape' But, he quickly composed himself, knowing he had to stay focused and strong for the remaining time of the mission.
Kael, noticing Jareth's severe injury, rushed over. "Jareth, what happened to your arm?"
Mortis replied, "The Venom Serpent. I did what I could to stop the bleeding, but he's in bad shape because of the residual poison in his bloodstream."
Garrick, his eyes wide with concern, asked, "Can we do anything more for him?"
"We need to buy a better potion and especially antidote," Mortis said, looking at Jareth's pale face. "But we can't leave the mission unfinished. The best we can do is let Jareth rest here in camp and hope he makes it through until we complete our task."
Kael nodded, worry etched on his face. "We'll keep a close watch on him and do what we can."
Mortis continued, "From now on, we'll patrol together, but only around the immediate vicinity of the camp. We can't afford to split up again, and we'll need to be more cautious. It's clear we can't handle another encounters like the ones we've faced."
The others nodded in agreement, too drained to argue. As they gathered around the campfire, the weight of the day's losses pressed heavily on their minds. Mortis glanced at the exhausted faces of his companions, slightly disappointed.
After a short silence, Mortis said, "We've done what we could for today. Let's rest here in camp until tomorrow morning. Then we can continue with the patrol around the camp."