Feeling a renewed burst of energy from soaking in the Fire Pool's essence, Raphael climbed out. Steam rose from his golden hide as he stretched his massive limbs and enjoyed the sensation of his enhanced strength and the soothing heat that coursed within.
"Hm... satisfying. I wonder how many Bloodthorne knights can be roasted in this thing."
CRACK! BOOM!
A sudden, loud crash followed by muffled screams came from somewhere in those nearby trees, causing him to snap his blood red eyes in that direction. His primal senses honed in on those cries with ease, and they painted images of a familiar sound he knew too well – bullying.
"What's all that noise? Fighting?"
Deciding to intervene and flex his newly acquired shadow wings, Raphael glanced at his horde with the stoic demeanor of a true emperor then commanded,
"Oi, one of you. Go see what's happening and report back to me."
Immediately, a loyal Shadow Bat detached itself from the horde with a bow so low that its stinky feet grazed the charred ground before shooting towards those sounds at a velocity no bird could ever hope to replicate.
Such was the privilege of serving the "Golden Bull Thork".
"It would be my honor Master Calamity!"
Raphael didn't have to wait long before his senses, amplified by his "loyalist" gave him visuals, smells, taste, even sounds that were far more entertaining than expected.
It appears two serpents, bronze in color with stripes of gold, both as large as buses were enjoying themselves by picking on a weaker creature, a smaller snake. The pathetic little thing resembled a vine with eyes, no legs, with scales so vivid they mimicked the most toxic green mushrooms from the far East! It looked tasty, but far too small.
The bullies were cackling mercilessly while smashing their smaller counterpart against the trees and spitting venom at it.
"You think you can run and hide forever, you little runt? We told you not to touch our prey, didn't we!" The bully leader's fangs dripped venom that smoked as it burned those vibrant green vines. He didn't bother concealing his disgust.
"Don't mess with the Venom Tail Viper gang, we rule this section of Yama Yaguai! It seems those elders were wrong about you having potential, hahaha! Look at you! All beaten up and helpless! What a disgrace!"
The other, slightly smaller bronze snake, also sporting those radiant gold stripes and fangs, added his sentiment in a haughty voice which caused Raphael, who witnessed it through his subordinate's lens to shudder and reminisce of a specific Princess's insults,
"Can't stand up for yourself? What a loser!"
And with a powerful swipe, its massive body wrapped itself around a nearby boulder as the ground split apart from this exertion.
"No! please spare me!"
Those screams coming from the small green snake, how familiar. Memories of those endless torment, insults and threats from the asshole nobles during his human days at Tajmani's beck and call rose up. Now however, he had a different kind of power, that of brute force!
It pissed him off! He had to intervene!
BOOM!
WHOOSH!
"I will squash that pathetic worm for disobeying me, for thinking it could touch our meal! My snack! Our snack!"
And with those words, fueled by jealousy and hunger, the Venom Tail Viper gang's bully leader unleashed its powerful strike with righteous anger that had no room for logic, and definitely no mercy.
"NOOO!"
Those cries from the poor thing resonated as Raphael appeared between bully and prey with such speed, it seemed unreal, that the small, terrified snake, just shut its eye and hoped for a quick and painless end to its tormented life.
THUD!
Raphael's reaction, it was instinct now. He couldn't explain it. One moment he was in those mountains behind with those tasty fires bubbling and now, his massive golden hooves had stomped a few feet from the pathetic thing's head which sent up a shockwave that shattered those green vines around and cause dust to billow all over the clearing.
Those shouts of glee turned to screams of pure disbelief, rage and terror as those bullies stared directly at their now shattering future, because one thing was for sure. Their lunch, it wasn't the one in trouble today!
They had offended!
They would pay!
The Venom Tail Viper bullies looked up and shuddered with a realization far deadlier than death itself.
"Gulp… It…it can't be, what a…"
"Golden… Golden Bull Thork?!"
They were in the presence of a legend, a monster, a force of nature.
Raphael shouted, "Scram!"
"What the…"
Those words died a swift death. Both of those snake bullies found their instinct for self-preservation trumped their bloodthirsty, greed and humiliation.
WHOOSH!
They slithered away, vowing to get even in the distant future with cowardly hisses that mimicked a death rattle.
"That… That little twerp is lucky today, it cheated death! But it won't be long, not long at all…"
Those empty words, how they pleased Raphael now. Those snakes reminded him of all the cruel fools he had dealt with.
"Tsk! Cowards." He watched them slither into the bushes. The fear; it was delicious!
After the bullies had completely disappeared, Raphael couldn't help but sympathize with this smaller beast. The bruises on its scaled body, those bite marks, they were reminders of those countless torment he suffered in silence. This green snake resembled himself.
"Hey little one…" He then lowered his massive head and with the gentle precision of a surgeon wielding his favorite scalpel, scooped up the quivering, tiny serpent using his golden horns.
The green snake whimpered but couldn't move as Raphael carefully started walking to the Fire Pool to do a good deed.
"I won't harm you. Just try and relax." The tone was meant to appease the creature but the sounds were still as monstrous and loud as a tremor, he wasn't a surgeon nor human now.
"The Fire Pool will heal you faster."
"Hmm?" Deep beneath the surface of his treasured fire lake, Hellphet felt a powerful presence he had feared returning.
"Is that… NOOO! That bastard bull returned?! Could it be he want to bathe again? No… That energy… he's not alone."
His fiery form slowly breached the molten surface and the scent of burning scales and iron blood entered his nostrils.
"Why is this fool back again and…? WHO'S THAT IN HIS HORNS?!"
"Hm..."
Hellphet's eyes met Raphael's. Trepidation dawned like that first day his mama spank his scaly backside with her thick scaly tail, for if he challenged this particular creature again, not only would he lose his beautiful scales and home again, but obliteration would be guaranteed!
Hence without further delay.
SPLASH!
Hellphet vanished beneath those fires, deciding it was far better to lick his wounds in the very bottom of his stolen prize than to be stared at with contempt and judgement from a truly powerful Calamity that he shouldn't have provoked in the first place.
He knew who rules this region of Yama Yaguai now!