Arthur floated silently in the darkened waters of the underwater gas seeps, his eyes locked on the approaching yellow dot on his [Map]. The water here was thick with heat and bubbles, and the ground was littered with bones—skeletal remains of creatures that had long perished in this hostile biome.
He sensed it in the way the water was moving in waves around him. He dubbed the monster he was about to face - The Serpent.
The Serpent was coming, and Arthur wasn’t going to face it head-on. He’d learned that lesson from his fight with the SlugTerra. Ambush was key.
The temperature of the water spiked as the Serpent slithered into view, its length seemingly endless. Its massive body, easily ten times Arthur’s current size, stretched far into the depths of the darkened water, coiling and uncoiling like an endless nightmare. Its scales shimmered like molten iron, each one thick and jagged, glistening with the sulfurous gases that it expelled. The very water boiled in its presence, the currents warping under the intense heat radiating from the beast. Bones, once buried in the seabed, shifted and clattered as the Serpent's bulk disturbed them with each movement, its presence bending the environment to its will.
The darkness of the cavern did little to obscure its form; if anything, it enhanced the eerie glow that flickered from the Serpent’s eyes. They weren’t just eyes—they were like twin beacons of crystalline fire, burning with the primal energy of something far older than Arthur could comprehend. They watched him, cold and calculating, and then... it spoke.
"I ssssee youusss...," it hissed, the sound a twisted symphony of malice and decay. Its voice wasn’t just heard; it was felt. It reverberated through the water, creeping into Arthur's very bones, wrapping around his mind like an invasive tendril, squeezing. The sheer weight of the Serpent’s presence pressed against him, making it hard to breathe—even though he didn’t need to in this form.
The Serpent shifted, its body snaking closer, displacing the water in waves that sent ripples through the bones and skeletal remains littering the cavern floor. As it moved, its voice slithered into Arthur’s mind again, more forceful this time, more invasive.
“Thisss isss my domain... and you, you are nothing but a flessssshy morsel, a little thing to be devoured, much like many others that have comeeee heressss."
Arthur’s molten claws flexed instinctively, the heat in them rising as his nerves screamed at him to act. But he held still, every muscle in his body taut with tension. The Serpent’s words were poison, designed to weaken, to erode the mind before it struck. Arthur knew that kind of tactic. He’d read about it, seen it in games. This thing wanted him scared, wanted him broken before it even took a bite.
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“I have ssslain creaturesss far more powerful than you...,” the Serpent hissed, its voice rising, filling the cavern. Its body twisted, wrapping around one of the towering skeletal remains, a massive ribcage from a long-dead monster, and crushed it effortlessly in its coils. The bones shattered like glass, fragments sinking into the depths below. "You will join them... jusssst another sssoftssskinned fool who thought they could challenge the Sssserpent... the King of thissss placccce!"
It was a challenge. The Serpent didn’t just believe it was superior—it knew it was. The confidence in its voice was absolute, unwavering, built on eons of survival and victory. It had never lost. Never been bested. And it didn’t think Arthur was even worth a true fight.
"Sssstep out of the dark, draake..." it hissed again, the words turning to a taunt. "Come and let me feel your bonesss crack in my jawsss... let me drink from your molten core... Let me sssee how long you can cling to your pitiful exissstencce before I take it from you."
“You cannot hide from mee, little draake... I have ruled thisss placce for centurysss... and no prey hasss ever essscaped me...”
Arthur's heart pounded in his chest, every word tightening the pressure in his mind. The Serpent was drawing closer, circling him like a predator, its eyes glowing brighter, more menacing with every word. The very water around them seemed to throb with the Serpent's dark energy. The sulfurous mist that seeped from its scales clouded the water, reducing visibility, making the beast seem even more like a creature of nightmare than it already was.
“You think hiding in the dark will sssave you?” the Serpent hissed. “I can sssmell you, I can tassste your fear... Come out, draake... let me end your misssery...”
It paused, then spoke once more, its voice lowering, becoming almost a whisper, but no less terrifying.
"Ssssoon... I will feassst."
The Serpent moved closer, its body rippling with deadly grace. It didn’t rush—there was no need. It believed Arthur was already defeated, that this fight was over before it had even begun.
It coiled its body, preparing for what it thought would be an easy kill. But Arthur wasn’t done yet. His claws flexed, the molten heat pulsing through him, his mind clearing from the fear the Serpent had tried to instill. It had made one fatal mistake.
It underestimated him.
Arthur’s pulse quickened, his molten claws glowing faintly beneath the surface.
He wasn’t afraid—not anymore. He’d faced death before, and he’d come out stronger every time. This fight would be no different. But he needed to wait for the right moment, to get close enough to strike before the Serpent could react.
The Serpent coiled through the water, its tail flicking lazily as it passed by Arthur’s hiding place. Arthur held his breath, his eyes narrowing as the massive creature glided past, completely unaware of his presence.
Now.
Arthur exploded from the shadows, his body surging forward with all the speed his new wings could muster. His molten claws ignited, blazing with intense heat as he aimed for the Serpent’s underbelly—its weakest point. He slashed through the water, his claws making contact with the Serpent’s sulfurous exoskeleton.