After a few hours of calming herself down, Lyrhea finally did manage to do exactly that. She was still scared as fuck that, if she went back to sleep, she would once again face that multi-headed snake, but as she no longer really held the need to sleep she figured that she would cross that bridge when she came to it.

“You don’t have to worry, Lyrhea…” she uttered to herself as she finished filling the pot that she had left from last night. “They can’t hurt you while you’re awake. Only the omnipresent enemies that are after our life can do that.”

A light pinging noise caused her to open her eyes, and she felt another surge of fear at what she saw. The damnable system screen had popped back up, and while normally its messages were either passive, aggressive, or passive-aggressive regarding her, this was the first time she had borne witness to something like this…

Chosen By a Monstrous Snake Bitch God

This is a great honor, for none have ever lived long enough once initially blessed with the Primordial Serpent’s own blood to reach this point. Maybe it is just taking pity on you? No, that can’t be, because to the Primordial Serpent, there is only prey, be it prey that serves it or prey that does not. If you wish to survive longer than a few mere moments, maybe you should enslave yourself to its will and hope beyond hope that you don’t displease it? That dumb snake bitch wants you, so do yourself a favor and die, monster. Your kind are aberrations as is, so just sacrifice yourselves to your Progenitors and do the world a favor already.

Accept the Will of the Snake Bitch God?

Yes / Yes

Lyrhea gulped audibly and tried to slowly move the screen away, but it refused to budge. She tried to turn away, but the screen kept its place in front of her.

“No.”

She tried to use words to do what the options would not normally permit her to do, but that amounted to nothing.

“No. No, no, no, no, NO!”

The screen stayed put, but a new screen appeared just in front of it and she began to feel even more dread.

Look, you dumb monster bitch, I need you to fucking man up and press ‘Yes’ already. Seriously, you monster-people are a crime against nature as it is, so do what you’re told and do it now so I don’t have to deal with that snake whore again anytime soon! Do it, or I’ll alert the nearby foes of yours to your location and put a time limit on your life that can be measured in seconds! Fuck, you monster-people give my chosen race hell every single time this happens, so why can’t you just stop being made for once?! Do it! Press ‘YES’! NOW!

“FINE!” Lyrhea screamed in anger and frustration and fear as she swiped that message away and slammed her finger down on one of the two ‘Yes’ Buttons. She had no idea what would happen now, but it was better than near-instant death.

The other screen vanished, and Lyrhea sat down and held her hands around her head. She knew that this was going to end poorly, but to hell with it all, she was through. If that snake the size of a planet caused her any more grief she would just try to ignore it and live by her own ways.

How better to annoy a supposed God than to ignore its will?

[“A wise choice, though it was not as though that fool gave you the ability to refuse, no?”]

A voice that fused the three voices from the giant, three-headed snake in that void world rang out in Lyrhea’s head. She thought that she would feel that inescapable, existential fear when she made contact with that being again, but this was… pleasant?

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

[“I saw all of that, by the way. Picking favorites as always, it seems. It appears that I’ll have to get that fool replaced, all so as not to disturb the great game. I know the others will be thrilled about that.”]

“Who… are you?” Lyrhea asked. She already knew the answer, but it was the thought that counted.

[“I am… We are the Primordial Serpent. We have no name, I have no name, and I, We, have had countless faces, visages, and roles throughout countless worlds. However, for people like you, my little Chosen, I am both your Mother and your God; your Undisputed Master, as well as the one who shall set you free. You will serve me, and in s doing, serve yourself, and so shall also serve me.”]

“That… makes no real sense…” Lyrhea said as she shook her head. “My Master, yet the one who will free me? The one I serve and as a result serve myself and as a result of that serve you?”

[“Yes!”] the Primordial Serpent replied in an almost 'Steamed Hams Skinner' like voice, almost as if Lyrhea had asked if the nearby fires hidden by a few pieces of architecture and the like were an Aurora Borealis.

“….. How does that work?!” Lyrhea practically screamed.

[“Oh, quite well, or so I hope. You’re the first to make it this far, really, so this is kind of uncharted waters we’re, well, charting.”]

Lyrhea found herself locked into the motions of a slow facepalm as she asked the question that this whole thing deserved.

“You can’t be serious, can you?”

[“Oh, I am very serious about this. I do hope that you’ll succeed and that you will also serve as a valuable aide in further things in the future. You’re going to essentially be my first real asset on the mortal plane to make this far, so I have high hopes for you. Of curse, I did kind of jump the gun a bit, but don’t worry, as I have something that may help you deal with the current issues you have!”]

Lyrhea sighed. She had expected the arrival of the Primordial Serpent God or whatever to fill her with the same dread as she had faced when facing it in her dreams. But this? This was… well… it wasn’t scary. It was just insane. Ludicrous, but also insane.

“Fine….” grumbled the newly-anointed Chosen of the Primordial Serpent. “What do you have for me? What amazing, cosmic powers do you wish t bestow upon this lowly slave?” She said with a massive dose of sarcasm.

[“Oh, I just know you'll love these!”] the giddy Snake-God replied, seemingly oblivious to the sarcasm. [“Oh, but you can only pick one! Don’t worry, they are all very useful in their own right!”]

As soon as the Snake-God in her head said that, a group of system screens appeared in front of Lyrhea, each offering her a choice. She looked over the options and decided that she needed to think a bit.

All of them looked powerful in their own way, but she would need to think about how she could and would use any of them going forward.

“Uh, can I pick later?” Lyrhea asked. “Not saying I won’t pick any of them, but I want to try and think about them for a while.”

[“Oh! Sure!”] replied the chipper planet-sized Snake-God. [“Just let me know when you’re ready!”]