Kalum kept close to Leah, his mind racing as he tried to push aside the lingering dread from Dabria's earlier outburst. Despite the unease, he felt a strange sense of determination. He glanced over at Ryker, who kept a steady pace at the front, his gaze fixed forward. They all knew this mission would push them beyond what they'd encountered before, but with Visha and Dabria leading them, he felt an odd certainty that they would reach the basilisk den.
Finally, they came upon the den itself—a massive cave shrouded in shadow, its mouth lined with twisted roots and moss that glistened with acidic residue. The thick purple fog poured from its entrance like a dark river, carrying the scent of decay and venom, strong enough to sting their eyes and choke the air.
Ryker held up a hand, signaling everyone to halt. He turned to Visha and Dabria, his voice low but steady. "This is it. Whatever's in there, it's bound to be stronger than the one we faced."
Dabria's grin returned, wide and unsettling. "Good. I was hoping we'd find a challenge."
Visha's smirk matched Dabria's, her eyes gleaming with anticipation as she looked into the dark depths of the cave. "Let's give them a proper greeting, shall we?"
Ryker nodded, his grip tightening on his weapon as he took a deep breath, steadying himself. "Stay close, keep your guard up. This is where it counts."
The team gathered around, their breaths held as they prepared to face the heart of Crisanto Forest, ready to face whatever monstrosities lay within, with the twisted might of the Pestilent Sovereign and Death's Handmaiden leading them into the darkness.
As they ventured into the den, a heavy silence blanketed the team, each step echoing softly against the cold stone floor of the cave. The air was thick with an unsettling energy, an oppressive aura of venomous decay that grew stronger with each step. Ryker led cautiously, his gaze flickering between the dim shapes deeper within the cave and his team as they moved into formation, weapons drawn, breaths shallow.
But as they rounded a bend into a larger chamber, the scene before them made even the seasoned Hunters freeze.
There, coiled upon itself in the center of the cavern, lay the alpha basilisk. It was massive, far larger than the one they had fought earlier, its scales a deep, dark green that shimmered with hues of iridescent purples and blues under the faint light filtering through cracks in the cavern ceiling. The creature's eyes were half-closed, its breathing slow and heavy, each exhale releasing a faint mist of corrosive venom that filled the air with a dangerous tang. The alpha's head was adorned with horn-like protrusions, and scars ran along its body, suggesting it had seen countless battles and survived.
But what struck Visha was not the creature's monstrous power; it was the eerie intelligence gleaming in its eyes as it lifted its head, sensing their presence. Its gaze was not the mindless hunger of a beast but something deeper, a faint glimmer of awareness that stirred something within her.
Dabria, by her side, had already raised her whip, a dark smile twisting her lips. "Oh, it's beautiful, isn't it?" she purred, her voice dripping with anticipation. "Shall we tear it down, darling?"
Visha's gaze remained locked on the basilisk, her expression unreadable as her pale-green eyes narrowed, watching the creature's every move. The idea of simply killing this magnificent beast felt… wasteful. She tilted her head, her mind turning over a new possibility, one that intrigued her far more than the notion of mere destruction.
"Hold," she murmured, her voice cool and steady. Her hand lifted, signaling Dabria to lower her weapon. "This one is different. Look at it, Dabria—it's not like the other one. There's intelligence there… something we could use."
Dabria blinked, surprise flaring in her eyes before a slow, manic smile spread across her face. "You're not suggesting… Oh, wifey, you really do have the most delightful ideas." Her gaze flicked back to the basilisk, her expression alight with a morbid excitement. "You want to tame it?"
Visha's smirk returned, sharp and calculating. "Why kill what we can control? Imagine the strength it could lend us. A creature like this… in the right hands, it could be invaluable."
The Crimson Lions, catching on to her words, exchanged uncertain glances, their expressions a mixture of awe and disbelief.
Kalum, struggling to keep his voice steady, finally spoke up. "Are… are you serious? This thing—it's a basilisk, Miss Visha. It's deadly. How would you even control something like that?"
Visha cast Kalum a calm, almost dismissive glance, the faintest hint of a smile curling at the edges of her lips. "If it has intelligence, it can be taught. And with the right methods…" Her gaze shifted to Dabria, a silent understanding passing between them. "…we have ways."
Dabria's excitement was palpable, her eyes gleaming as she stepped forward, her expression one of childlike glee mixed with sinister delight. "Oh, this will be so much more fun than tearing it apart. We can teach it loyalty, bend its will. I've been dying to test my new concoctions, and a basilisk's mind would be such a fascinating playground."
Ryker, clearly struggling to process this sudden shift in strategy, held up a hand, his tone stern. "This isn't what we agreed on, Visha. Our mission was to eliminate the threat, not turn it into some… experiment."
Visha turned to him, her gaze cold but calculated. "And I will eliminate the threat," she replied smoothly. "But you don't understand the potential here, Ryker. If we can subdue it, if we can bend its will, this basilisk could become a powerful weapon under our control. Isn't that worth the risk?"
Leah and Kalum exchanged uneasy looks, but the awe in their eyes betrayed a strange fascination with the idea. They had seen Visha and Dabria's capabilities, witnessed their terrifying power firsthand. If anyone could achieve the impossible, it was these two.
After a tense pause, Ryker exhaled, reluctantly conceding. "Fine. But if this thing even twitches in the wrong direction, I'm not hesitating to kill it. Are we clear?"
Dabria laughed, her voice bright and dangerously gleeful. "Oh, don't worry, Ryker. It'll be as tame as a kitten when we're done."
Visha approached the basilisk, her movements slow, calculated, her gaze never leaving the creature's watchful eyes. She could feel the raw power emanating from it, a deadly aura that resonated with the corruption within the cave. Extending her hand, she summoned a faint glow of spectral energy, the pale light swirling between her fingers like wisps of smoke. The basilisk's gaze followed the energy, its massive head tilting, the intelligence in its eyes sharpening as it seemed to assess her, almost like a challenge.
Her eyes glinting with a dark, eager confidence. "A taste of my [Poisonous Domination] skill will do nicely to break the will of this one," she murmured, her voice as cold and certain as the venom she wielded. Her fingers twitched as she gathered a swirl of greenish-black energy into her hands, a potent concoction of her spectral energy and pestilent miasma taking form.
The basilisk sensed the shift in her aura, its massive body tensing, coiling in readiness to strike. Its dark, calculating eyes narrowed on her, recognizing her as a threat, its instincts flaring as it let out a low, venomous hiss.
Visha took a slow step forward, unafraid. "Submit," she intoned, her voice laced with the subtle, coercive power of [Poisonous Domination]. The skill's energy wove toward the basilisk, carrying an invisible pulse of toxic influence that reached into the creature's mind, seeking to override its instincts and bend it to her will.
The basilisk snarled, its muscles tensing as it fought the pull of her command, resisting with a raw, primal force. It snapped its head down, aiming for her in a quick, deadly lunge. Visha sidestepped, her movements graceful, her gaze locked onto the creature with a calm intensity, barely flinching as its fangs missed her by inches.
It coiled back and lashed out again, its massive tail swinging in a deadly arc. Visha spun out of its reach, her smirk deepening. She could feel its resistance, feel the primal fury in its mind fighting her control. But the creature's strength only fueled her determination.
"Stubborn, aren't you?" she murmured, a dark satisfaction glinting in her eyes. "Then let's make you a little… hungrier."
Her hands lifted, her fingers curling as she activated [Famine]. A wave of energy pulsed from her, invisible but seeping into the basilisk's body, carrying with it the ravenous essence of hunger, a force that gnawed and twisted inside it, draining its strength and consuming its reserves.
The effect was immediate. The basilisk's movements slowed, its strikes growing more erratic, as though something unseen was devouring it from within. Its massive frame shuddered, its scales losing their dark sheen as a faint, sickly pallor crept over it, a physical manifestation of the hunger gnawing at its insides.
The creature fought on, snapping its jaws and thrashing with renewed desperation, but its strikes were clumsy, its strength waning with each passing second. Visha could feel it weakening, feel the creature's will crumbling as its body began to betray it, unable to resist the relentless, consuming force of [Famine].
Finally, as if acknowledging the futility of its resistance, the basilisk slumped, its body coiling in on itself as it let out a low, defeated growl, the fire in its gaze dimming. Visha stepped closer, her spectral energy reaching out to coil around the creature's mind once more, this time with no resistance.
"That's it," she murmured, her voice almost soothing. "You understand now, don't you? You belong to me."
The basilisk's head lowered, its massive eyes locked onto hers, the gleam of intelligence still present but subdued, docile. Visha's [Poisonous Domination] had seeped into its mind, reinforced by the hunger and weakness inflicted by [Famine]. She had broken its will.
Dabria, who had watched the battle with an expression of delight, let out a breathy laugh, clapping her hands softly. "Oh, brilliant, Visha! Simply magnificent. Just look at it. It's as cute as a puppy."
Ryker and the Crimson Lions watched, awestruck and wary as the massive basilisk, once their deadly adversary, now coiled submissively at Visha's feet, its scales dull but its deadly loyalty now bound to her will.
Visha gave the basilisk an approving look, her smile faint but satisfied as she traced her fingers through the thick, poisonous fog swirling around them. "A creature like this is worth far more as an ally than as bones on the forest floor," she said, casting a cool glance over her shoulder at Ryker. Her pale-green eyes glinted with dark amusement as she tilted her head. "Now… are we done here, or do you have any more S-rank venomous monsters hiding in this… delectable miasmic forest?"
The Crimson Lions exchanged uneasy glances, the weight of Visha's question and her cold tone putting a fresh chill in the already frigid air. Ryker, taking a moment to steady himself, cleared his throat before responding, his gaze shifting warily between Visha and the tamed basilisk coiling behind her.
"That was the only alpha basilisk reported," he replied, his tone cautious. "But if there are more… we'll find them as we press further in."
Dabria, standing beside Visha, laughed, a delighted and unnerving sound that echoed through the fog. "Oh, don't sound so nervous, Guild Master!" she cooed, reaching out to pat Ryker's shoulder with mock reassurance. "If there are more, Visha and I will take care of them. Isn't that right, darling?"
Visha smirked, the faintest hint of dark excitement lighting her gaze as she looked into the misty depths of Crisanto Forest. "Naturally," she murmured, almost to herself. "This forest is a wonder. The basilisk alone was worth the trip, but if there's more hidden here…" She paused, inhaling the tainted air with a kind of relish. "It would be a waste to leave any of it unclaimed."
Ryker, suppressing a sigh, signaled for the team to move forward, his voice firm. "Then let's press on and finish this. If there are more threats here, we'll neutralize them. Just… keep your new ally close, Visha."
Visha nodded, her smirk deepening as she patted the basilisk's massive head, her expression one of quiet satisfaction. "Of course, Ryker. I wouldn't dream of letting it out of my sight."
And with that, they moved deeper into the twisted forest, the newly tamed basilisk slithering loyally at Visha's side.