Hissssssss...

A sea of sand could be found in the near distance as we found ourselves at the edges of Elizabeth's territory. The once green and cool surroundings we were in transitioned into a dry and desolate place where trees were sparsely scattered across the land. The unnatural change in temperature made my tired body even more exhausted as the heat made it hard for me to catch my breath.

Hissssssssss...

The ominous hissing continued as we waited for our foe to reveal itself. In the direction where the sound was coming from was a pile of rocks that created a small mound of some sort, and at the center of it was a relatively large hole. Inside that crevice glowed a pair of serpentine eyes that were glittering with hostility.

The Acrid and I remained alert waiting for the unknown beast to make its move. The Acrid seemed uneasy as the tail end of its sleek, elongated body kept on twitching, was coming here a mistake? I shrugged the thought off. The Acrid considered this as prey. It is only natural to feel nervous when encountering something you don't know.

The mound of rocks began to fall apart as the unknown beast began to move out of its hiding place. Metallic scraping could be heard faintly as it carefully slithered out to confront us. I quickly opened the system for information about the beast.

「Identifying...」

The beast, now fully exposed, scanned us. Its pair of glacial eyes stared at us coldly as its tongue occasionally flicked out of its mouth, trying to taste even a hint of fear in the air. Its slender body was covered in an armor of prismatic-colored scales that gleamed with metallic luster as it basked in the heat of the sun.

In a display of intimidation and dominance. It began to unfurl the pleated skin flaps that encircled its head, showing a terrifying neck frill that sported three more pairs of eyes that gazed into us. It opened its mouth, brandishing its menacing fangs at us, which dripped amber-colored venom that enticed the Acrid beside me.

「Identification Complete. Showing Results...」

「Beastiary Entry #80923: Prismatica Serpentes (Adult Prismatic Viper)」

「Basic Profile Acquired!」

「Prismatica Serpentes (Prismatic Viper)) - A cunning creature that is known for its deadly venom. Its prismatic scales can bend light, enabling it to camouflage with its surroundings as it lies and wait to ambush anything unfortunate that passes it. Not only are its scales used for stealth it is also used for defense as its scales are as hard as metal. Divers are especially wary of this creature, but nonetheless, they are hunted for their scales and fangs as it makes fine quality armor and weaponry. Its favorite prey are rat-type beasts.」

「Hunt down 20 more to gain access to the intermediate profile.」

「Beastiary Completion Rating: <1%」

My mouth dropped as the information from the system came to be in my mind. Its favorite prey is a what now?! I gulped saliva as I stared into its serpentine eyes. It's obviously going to aim for me, isn't it?

"Deliciousss...." The Acrid salivated as it looked at the viper with hunger-filled eyes. What did I even expect? Its favorite food are toxic creatures. Of course, it's going to be a snake. Why am I even surprised?

The Acrid quickly slithered towards our foe, leaving me in its dust. I remained in the same spot waiting for them to clash so that I could properly assess the situation on when I should strike. My species were created to fight in groups, but I'm the only one of my kind, so I must fight with hit and run tactics.

SNIK. SNIK. SNIK. SNIK.

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It snapped its mandibles repeatedly with glee as it approached the viper. The viper moved its attention from me to the Acrid as it entered its striking range. It moved its head towards the Acrid, and all of a sudden, Its scales shimmered a brilliant flash of light, effectively blinding both the Acrid and me for a few seconds.

I rubbed my eyes as my vision began to return. The first thing I noticed was the Acrid twisting and turning in pain as it struggled to return to its senses. That flash really messed up its eyesight. It had no eyelids to protect it from intense light.

Wait a minute. Something's missing. I scanned the area around the Acrid and noticed that the viper was gone. I raised my tail quickly and reactivated my blight ability. It's hiding somewhere in plain sight with its camouflage ability.

I was nervous. I instinctively knew it would go for me. My eyes remained moving, scanning every direction. To keep me safe as I cannot see in every direction, I moved towards the struggling Acrid.

"Oi, use your antennas to smell it out. Tell me where it is," I commanded the Acrid as it began to calm down. I noticed that some of the hexagons in its eyes have darkened. Did it lose a few of its eyes when the viper blinded us? My brows furrowed. A creature that fights with brute strength is more straightforward to fight than a creature that actually thinks. This is bad.

"Answer m—" I asked for a response, but I was cut off as the Acrid suddenly wrapped its tail around me and threw me behind it, "What the hell was that for?!" I asked as my body ragdolled across the hard ground. I stabilized myself as I quickly stood up, and then I noticed why.

The viper had appeared where I was previously located. Its prismatic scale glimmered with the sunlight as it came out of its camouflage with its mouth wide open and ready to strike. If I wasn't thrown by the Acrid, I would have been a goner.

HISSSSSSSSSSSSSS...

The viper hissed in anger as its prey was taken away from it. Brandishing its sharp fangs, it pounced at the Acrid, "Do not interfere!" The viper hissed as the Acrid successfully managed to avoid its fangs.

"Youuuu...areeee..fightiingggg..meee..." The Acrid retorted as its tail began to move in an arcing manner directed towards the viper.

CLINK.

As its tail met with the scales of the viper, a metallic sound echoed through the battlefield. Small cracks began to form on the Acrids tail. Noticing this, the Acrid quickly distanced itself from the viper and regrouped with me. My eyes widened in surprise as I noticed tiny pieces of its exoskeleton falling onto the ground as it skittered beside me.

The Acrids face conveyed no emotion, but I fully knew it was hurt in that confrontation. My stinger can't even puncture its exoskeleton. Just how tough are those scales?

PSSSHT PSSHT PSSHT

Three successive shots exited out of the Acrid's hose creating three puddles in front of us. Why isn't it firing more? I reflexively opened the Acrid's status window and found the answer.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

「HP: 77/80」[Starving]

「MP: 0/15」

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

It's out of MP. We should have waited for it to replenish before hunting. We were too hasty with our actions. I clicked my tongue. We had to play around the three puddles it created so that the viper steps into it, but that's not an easy task for me. Unlike the Acrid, I'm not immune to its slowing toxin. I have to be careful.

The viper's scales shimmered once more as each one began to change into the same color as its surroundings, slowly concealing the viper. It's camouflage. There has to be a way to spot it. It's not entirely invisible. I focused on the viper and noticed a minor detail. Even with my poor eyesight, it's something I can see.

A few of its scales from where the Acrid struck seem to not work properly. The scales remained prismatic, and it was glimmering with the sunlight. It was a dead giveaway to its position.

I gained confidence in fighting it with the Acrid. As long as one of those scales falter, If I accurately land my stinger or claws on the exposed area, it's doomed, "Raaaaat...doooo....nooooott...beeee....fooooooled..." the Acrid spoke ominously as its antenna slowly moved to our side, "Theeee...reaaaall...oneeee...issss...neaaaar..."

"What do you mean?" I replied as I kept my eye on the prismatic scales that seem to float in the air.

"Scalleeesss...faaaakeee..." as the Acrid said those words, a faint rustle tickled my ears. The fur on my body began to stand on end, and instinctively I rolled backward without knowing why. I felt something pass by me very quickly, whisking my fur as I rolled.

THUD.

Dust flew in the air as something just landed in the previous position I was in, "Lucky rat," The viper spoke as it lifted its tail from where I was. Its silhouette visible in the dust cloud, "You can't run forever," it chuckled as its scales began to conceal it once more.

"Raaaat..." The Acrid spoke, lifting a portion of its upper body in the air, "The....situationnnnn...haaassss..chaaangeeedd..." It slowly opened its mandibles before it continued, "We....hunteeerrrsss...haaaaveee...becomeee...theeee...hunteeedd.."