He’s grown so much...! “Okay, the serpent’s targeting Kent! Attack!” I commanded, casting Smiting Light on all of them. If we could pull off big attacks, it would deal considerable damage to the serpent. “So far, so good! You’re up, Mio.”
“Got it! Decrease Dexterity, Decrease Defense, Decrease Attack!” Mio jumped in with her debuffs on the serpent. That alone would make this battle a lot easier. On top of that, with a burst of concentration, Mio applied buffs to our party as well.
“Tongue!” Kent shouted. “That’s the tail sweep! Jump!”
I canceled the Skill I’d been about to use and leaped into the air. Mio, who’d been standing close to me, was too focused on her Skills—the tail knocked her off her feet and sent her flying.
“Heal Absolutely! Protective Light! Mio, prioritize situational awareness above casting your spells!” I said.
“I will...!” Mio rose to her feet, casting a spell that gradually healed her HP. Her eyes were on the serpent, but they flicked to each member of the party now and again—she was looking at the big picture.
Mio will be okay. As I reapplied buffs, I assessed our position in battle. Kent was fluidly parrying the snake’s attacks, giving the rest of the party openings to strike. Tarte’s Molotovs weren’t the best option inside the cave, but Luna’s Ice magic was very potent. If we kept this up, we wouldn’t have a problem taking down the Serpent in the Dark. Casting Moonlight on my allies, I kept a watch on the serpent—it flicked its tongue twice. Not good.
“Scales!” I shouted and then concentrated. While the serpent’s normal attacks weren’t too bad, this attack with its scales was devastating. Although I doubted it would be fatal for any of us, the worst-case scenario was possible. But I placed a defensive buff on all of them, I reminded myself.
With a sharp hiss and a twist, the serpent sent a barrage of scales our way.
Kent and Cocoa took hits, so I immediately reapplied Protective Light on them...and continued doing that through the entire duration of the scale attack. Suddenly, a scale hit me as another one struck Mio. This attack really is tough to deal with. Ignoring the scale that had hit me and fallen to the ground, I focused on recasting Protective Light. Just as I reapplied it to Mio, scales hit Cocoa and Luna too. My defenses would last a bit longer, so I cast my Skill on them first. “Protective Light! Protective Light!”
The scale attack would be ending soon, at which point the serpent would freeze for a few seconds, giving us the best opportunity to attack so far. If we seized the opportunity and piled on the big attacks, we should be able to take it out once and for all. While I reapplied Protective Light to anyone hit, I also cast Smiting Light when I could. The serpent wouldn’t stand a chance against our tripled damage output.
Soon, I just had to cast it on Frey to have everyone’s Attack tripled. Just as I thought that we were ready to finish this battle, the last blast of scales came flying at me in quick succession. “Smiting Light!”
“Sharon?!” Frey shouted, probably because I’d cast the buff on her instead of applying protection on myself.
The scales pierced my barrier and dug into my lower right shoulder. Good. At least I’m alive. “Attack!” I commanded my wide-eyed allies as I collapsed to the ground. I appreciated their concern, but we were mid-battle.
“Got it!” both parties answered.
I healed myself and watched the attack unfold. “Hopefully this does the trick...”
Everyone had landed their attack on the serpent when Frey leaped into the air. “This is for Sharon...! Take that, serpent! Break the Abyss!” Frey’s attack finally turned the serpent into a burst of light.
Don’t make it sound like you’re avenging my death!
“A purrtion!” Tarte cried as she ran over to me.
“I already healed. I’m okay, Tarte. Thank you.”
“Really? Thank goodness... I thought you’d died, Meowster!” She threw her arms around me, and I hugged my apprentice back.
“Yes, that was so reckless! I thought I was going to have a heart attack...!” Mio said, looking as teary-eyed as Tarte. She continued her lecture, imploring me to protect myself first, supporter or no.
I understood where she was coming from, but I’d been confident I would survive one hit. If I were honest, we could have pulled it off perfectly if she had covered for me...but I wasn’t going to bring that up now. “All’s well that ends well! Let’s check for drop items!” I cheerfully announced and marched over to where the serpent had vanished.
“It’s not food,” L’lyeh announced, having inspected the spot first. Good old Goddess of Darkness.
Kent and Frey watched me curiously as I approached them.
“Sharon, are you all right?” Kent asked. “I was surprised, but I figured you, of all people, would be fine.”
“I’m glad you’re all right, Sharon.”
“Thanks for the votes of confidence, Kent, Frey. Anyway, what did you find?” I asked, glancing over to find a whistle in the shape of a snake. Hmm... I considered it borderline between a hit and a miss, but I was leaning toward hit because there were so few methods of transportation in this world. A glance at Kent and Frey told me that it had reminded them of the Dragon Whistle. Bingo. “Why don’t you try blowing it?”
“I can?! Okay!” Frey beamed and reached for the whistle without hesitating, leaving Kent to watch on in astonishment.
Right. Frey has always had a try-first attitude.
The high-pitched whistle echoed through the cave, and soon a heavy slithering could be heard.
“Wh-What is that?!” Tarte yowled.
“I don’t like that...” Mio said.
“Stay alert!” Lina announced, taking a fighting stance.
Soon, a large serpent came slithering out of the cave—a smaller version of the one we’d just fought. That was a relative description, of course. This serpent was still one meter thick and five meters long, which made it a scary snake to behold.
Frey’s smile was frozen in place as she turned to me. “Sh-Sharon...?”
“It’s a snake for transport,” I said. “It’s surprisingly convenient. Up to five people can ride it at once, and it’s easy to ride through the woods.”
“I see...” Frey said stiffly.
It had never bothered me in the game, but riding a snake in real life could be...hard to stomach for some people, I imagined. I could stomach it but wouldn’t be too excited about the ride. We can just walk and enjoy the journey! I thought. Kent and Luna seemed pretty interested in riding the serpent, though, even if the rest of the group looked like they’d prefer to travel on foot. “It is a pretty rare item,” I chuckled.
“Apparently so,” Frey said. “Why don’t we try riding it out of the cave at least?”
“Sure, but not all of us will fit on it,” I pointed out.
“Hmm. Good point,” Frey conceded.
“Then...” Luna raised her hand. “Why don’t Kent, Mio, and I ride ahead? A trio of frontline fighter, long-range attacker, and supporter should suffice.”
“What?!” Mio yelped.
“Great idea. Then I’ll have you summon the snake,” Frey said, sending the snake away and giving the whistle to Luna.
“Okay.” Luna summoned the snake and began petting it when it appeared, whispering, “Good boy.” She really had no problem with snakes. In fact, she seemed enamored of it. “What better way to conquer your fears?” she challenged Mio, who looked like she was going to cry. The Hero’s party doesn’t mess around.
Luna gleefully rode in the front, followed by Kent and Mio, and they took off toward the exit of the cave.
“If it meant I had to ride a snake, I could never join the Hero’s party...” Tarte said.
“Oh, yeah. Cats don’t like snakes, do they? But you had no problem fighting Snakles,” I pointed out.