I kept moving through the cave with an inhuman hunger consuming me with every step… Well, not every step, because I'm slithering.
Yes, I know, I'm sorry, really. Forgive me, I mean it. I won't make the joke again.
The thing is, I couldn't take it anymore. I felt like I was going to faint at any moment. All there was in the cave were mold, cobwebs, and mushrooms. And to be honest, the mushrooms looked… pretty poisonous. I mean, there were even mushrooms with spikes!
Honestly, at that point, I didn't care if I got poisoned. If I didn't put something into my body, this would probably be the shortest of my two lives. In fact, the mushrooms were starting to look rather appetizing. The fact that I couldn't see more than two meters ahead in this dark gloom only reinforced that feeling.
With my mouth watering and mere moments away from biting into the mushroom, something flew toward me at an incredible speed. It was an object several meters wide that smashed into the wall centimeters from my head. Needless to say, the wall exploded, and the object, had it hit me, would have had no problem turning me into pulp.
Before I could even process it, my eyes practically popped out of their sockets, and my body was already moving instinctively to hide. In less than a second, I was behind the flying object. It turned out to be a giant boulder. How on earth could a rock fly at that speed?
"WOW, have I always been able to move that fast? Although now that I think about it, I don't remember doing it before… Was it purely instinct? Well, better late than never. Good thing whatever launched that rock doesn't seem to have good aim..."
Obviously, I said that in a low voice. In fact, I wasn't even sure if I made any sound when I spoke or if I could speak at all, but I didn't want to risk it. At least, not right then.
But… did it really matter? If 'that' had thrown a rock at me, it must have seen me, right? So what was the point of hiding?
As I reconsidered for the umpteenth time why I'd wanted to reincarnate in a fantasy world, suddenly I heard several loud sounds in the distance. They were like a series of blows but sounded more like explosions. What was going on?
"Wasn't I the target? Did I almost die because of some random battle? Screw this, I'm heading back to explore the other path."
As I began my escape, I noticed the sounds were starting to break off and slow down. Was that a sign one of them was about to die?
"Bah, who cares? Either way, if I get closer, I'll end up as dust."
With that resolution, I prepared to sneak away behind the boulder, but just as I was about to leave it behind, something pulled me backward forcefully, dragging me back about a meter. I quickly turned around, trying to mask the fear coursing through me, to see what had grabbed me. But no one was there.
"Did I imagine it? How strange… And that sensation… it felt like something pulled directly from inside me..."
Just as I turned to continue on my way, another boulder smashed down with terrible force exactly where I had been five seconds earlier. Needless to say, if I had been wearing pants, I probably would've needed to change them.
"What the hell is going on?! Can't someone live their second life in peace?!"
A deep resignation settled over me regarding the luck I'd been dealt in this new life. My previous luck wasn't exactly enviable either, but at least I hadn't lived with the constant feeling that I was going to die at any moment. Although, come to think of it, wasn't it luck that kept me alive back there… wasn't it?
"So what?! What's the point of luck if I'm going to end up having a heart attack any second? Wait… can snakes even have heart attacks?"
I just gave up. I curled up behind the rock, waiting for this torture to end. Obviously, sleeping was impossible; who could do that with all the noise and constant vibrations?
I could feel it: I was dying. I was on the verge of starvation. I know it sounds exaggerated, considering I technically just got born, but there are no words to describe the emptiness I felt at that moment. It was unlike anything I'd experienced before. Then again, what in this life was similar to my previous one?
Just as my mind began to recreate the sweet voice of the angel, something pulled me out of my delirium. Was I imagining it, or had the crashing noises stopped? This was my moment. I could escape.
"Wait... Am I just going to run away? A quick peek wouldn't hurt, right?"
There you have it, completely delirious. Who in their right mind would go toward the remnants of a titanic battle? Definitely not someone trying to stay alive. But of course, I wasn't in my right mind.
Moving from rubble to rubble, I slowly approached the location. At least I retained enough sanity to know I needed to stay hidden.
"Am I even heading in the right direction? I can hardly see anything, and I'm relying on sound to figure out what's happening... and where."
At that moment, I saw a colossal rock with several cracks and didn't think twice about using it as cover. But really, how could I think twice when I could barely string together coherent thoughts?
Dear reader, tell me: how long do you think it'll take before something goes wrong?
Well, I suppose your answer is that it won't take any time at all, right? Sorry to disappoint, but I don't know if I'd even consider what happened next as something bad. At the time, it almost felt like a blessing.
As I moved closer to the rock, I noticed a sort of puddle around it. It didn't seem strange-after all, there's water in caves, right? I guess so, but at the altitude we were at, with how cold it was, I doubted it would be here without freezing. In short, as I got closer, I was able to glimpse something. The puddle's color... it wasn't transparent, nor was it the false blue of lakes. It was red, almost black. It looked exactly like what it was: a puddle of blood, practically black, seeping from the rock.
Of course, what do you think I did in that state of absolute clarity? Run away? Ha, what nonsense. Obviously, I had to get closer, right? Well, that's exactly what I did, so yeah...
When I reached the colossal rock, I saw what it truly was, and that only horrified me further.
"It's a creature, it's a... What the hell is it?"
What did you expect? Did you think I'd know what kind of monster it was just by looking at it? For your information, I'm not even sure if this thing has ever been imagined by anyone before. It was hideous, utterly disgusting to look at, with too many limbs to count, all ending in hands with seven fingers, except for the ones that had several fingers savagely amputated. Honestly, I can't describe much more. Not only could I not see all of it, but whatever had killed it seemed to have enjoyed doing so.
It had deep gashes and horrible lacerations all over, not to mention the holes oozing blood and several of its foul-smelling organs spilling out. In short, whatever it was, it was unrecognizable.
Remember how I said its organs stank? Well, they still reeked, but unconsciously, I started drooling, and I guess you can imagine what happened next. Before anything else, I want to clarify that I'm not proud of what I did at that moment... and I wouldn't have done it if I hadn't been so desperate.
Without further ado, I dove into one of the fissures in the monstrosity's shell and began devouring the blood-soaked flesh, shoving my mouth full without thinking for a second about the consequences.
I started crying with happiness and relief-or maybe it was just the monster's fluids running down my face.
"Mmhhh! This texture, like stone... this flavor so... disgusting, this putrid smell. I'm definitely enjoying a divine delicacy."
I hope you noticed the irony. You know what? I'm not going to die anymore... or maybe I will; this meat might be poisonous. But who cares? What truly matters now is:
"Why the hell do you need a shell, you bastard?! Your damn flesh is so tough it hurts to chew!"
After stuffing myself completely, I got out of the corpse as quickly as I could. If I'd stayed one more second in there, I probably would've thrown up everything I'd just eaten. I can only hope the angel wasn't watching while I devoured that thing...
I hope I get to see her someday and hear her name. Although, come to think of it, maybe today isn't the best day for that. Right now, I'm drenched in foul-smelling blood and bits of viscera. I really hope I never have to eat something like this again, though something tells me that won't be possible in the near future.
So, my top priority now was to find some sort of pool of water and clean myself up. I really reeked.
The only problem was that I had no idea where I might find water, and this whole place was full of cobwebs. Was the monster this thing fought against a giant spider?
I hope I don't run into it anytime soon. I'm not even sure what abilities I have. Although, now that I think about it... I'm a snake, right? Shouldn't I have some venom-related ability? Or at least be able to secrete it through my fangs?
I guess I'll have to wait to find out. The only thing around to sink my teeth into was that colossal corpse from earlier, and honestly, I'd rather not go near it again.
So, I decided to search for water. And since I refused to keep moving forward along this path for fear of encountering the spider, I simply retraced my steps and carefully attempted to descend the hole from earlier. I really hope I don't fall again.
***
"Here we go."
Maybe I should've thought it through a bit more because the instant I started descending, I remembered the other path.
"Wait, no, I forgot about the other path! I want to go back! I want to go back!"
But it was already impossible. The hole wasn't exactly slippery, but it was full of sharp little stones that were not only dragging me downward but also cutting into me.
"Ow! Damn it! This hurts like hell, I really should've thought this through!"
Every time I tried to grab onto the walls of the hole, the stones dug even deeper into my scales, as if punishing me for being so reckless. There was no way to stop the fall. All I could do was curl up, cover my head as best as I could, and hope this nightmare of falling would end soon. But all that grew was the terror of what might await me at the bottom of this hole.
"Wait... What if there's a death trap at the end of the hole? Why am I such an idiot?! Why can't I ever think about the consequences before diving headfirst into things?!"
***
Finally, after what felt like hours (though it was barely a few seconds), I felt solid ground beneath my tail, and I came to a stop. I took a deep breath, the dirty, heavy air of the cave filling my lungs, but at least I wasn't falling anymore. A cold sweat ran down my body, adrenaline still coursing through my veins.
"Well, at least now I'm sure there's nothing deadly down here, but I'm in terrible shape."
I stayed frozen, staring into the darkness stretching out before me.
"Now, what the hell do I do here?"
—
I lied, I'm back again. Honestly, I don't know why I do this if I'm already talking to you throughout the chapter, but hey, I guess it's fun to step out of the narration and speak to you directly. I hope you're excited to read the next chapter. Bye-bye!