Beta and his pack had been scouting ahead, near the mountain foot, when the small snake-like creature ambushed the group. The creature was barely the length of Jonah's palm and camouflaged to appear like a hanging vine, complete with tiny "leaves" and hanging moss. And yet, when the tiny thing's fangs had sunk themselves into Beta's legs, Jonah's connection with the Titanspawn exploded into white-hot agony. He'd always been able to somewhat sense the physical and mental states of his bound creatures, even if it was pretty muted (even more so for those secondary connections like the lesser pack members), but now that sense screamed at him in a fury.

As Beta screamed and collapsed, Jonah fell to his knees, his vision flashing white, the connection to the Titanspawn seeming to twist and pull at his very soul. The moment he could form a coherent thought, Jonah dashed forward, Gamma leading the charge as the Bone Beast's bulky body bulldozed through the thick vegetation.

The group soon burst into a small clearing, only to find the lead Hound writhing in agony. Thick black veins slowly squirmed their way outward from the two small fang marks near its hind legs as several Titanspawn Hounds surrounded him, visibly afraid. The man rushed to the Titanspawns side, his heart rapidly beating. Despite their origin, Jonah couldn't deny that he was growing strangely attached to the strange creatures after so many months as his only company.

Beta, in particular, often came across as just a big dog. Well, after you looked past the whole "eldritch fusion of wolf and lizard" issue.

Even now, Jonah could feel the muted agony coursing through the contract's Link, though much more distant than the initial burst. With a thought, he pulled up a screen.

Beta

Race: Mutated Hound - Titanspawn

Level: 12/25

Class: Minion

Rank: D

Affinity: Life/Darkness

Affiliation: Sanguine Court [Blood Hall]

Contractor: Jonah Hilannd

Health: 745/2,000 Mana: 211/620

~ Status ~

Endless Hunger - Minor - Innate

Minor Fatigue - Minor

Mimic Serpent Venom - Major (Spreading)

~ Class Skills ~

~ Basic Skill ~

~ Crafting Skills ~

~ Special Skills ~

[Pack Hunter] - lvl 6

[Life Sense] - lvl 13

[Life Absorb] - lvl 9

[Life Immunity] - MAX

[Greater Darkness Resistance] - lvl MAX N/A

[Contracted]- Lvl 4

740...

735...

730...

Jonah's heart beat faster as he watched the Titanspawn's health blink further down at a frightening pace. With no time to lose, he placed his hands on the Titanspawn and activated [Siphon]. He winced as his Lifeforce was quickly drained from his body, falling onto the still writing Titanspawn in the form of fiery embers.

The Class bonus from reaching level 24 over the past few months had almost doubled Jonah's pitiable Health and more than doubled the Titanspawn's natural Health. And yet, even after using [Siphon] to its maximum effect, Beta's health was only slowly trickling up as the skill fought against. If he let the skill slip for even a second, the poison would flare back up, quickly destroying any progress.

Jonah could feel that it was a losing battle, but he didn't know what else to do.

As his own Health began to dip dangerously low, he called over Gamma, stretching his fee hand out to touch the rough, cold bone armor. With 7,500 Health after the boost from [Symbiote], the bull-like Titanspawn had by far the most Health of any of them. Still, after several minutes of constant Siphoning, even the large Bone Beast started to falter. Sending Gamma off to rest, Jonah called over the next Titanspawn and repeated the process.

By the 10th, [Arcanic Regeneration] had already restored Jonah's Health to full, and the process was repeated. Yet even after several hours, the poison persisted. In fact, it seemed to be growing stronger as the black veins wiggled and spread, the power of [Siphon] slowly losing out as Beta's regen slowed. If it kept up like this, the Titanspawn's health would slowly trickle back down, even under the influence of his skill.

"No...no... no... Stay with us, come on, fight!"

Jonah began to panic. Was there really nothing else he could do? [Siphon] might have worked in a pinch, but he wasn't a real healer, he didn't have any way of actually removing the poison itself, and instead of burning itself out, it seemed to only be getting stronger.

As he wracked his brain for a solution, an ice-cold voice spoke from above.

"It'sss not often thisss one sssees such saaacraficcce for a... pet... itssss cute."

Jonah's body froze, a cold sweat dripping down his neck. His body felt paralyzed as an indescribable fear welled up in him. Despite this chill, he could feel the burning eyes of... something, gazing down at him from above, like a predator staring at its next meal. Jonah felt like a Deer in the headlights, barely able to breathe, let alone turn his head around to search for the source of the voice.

However, the next moment, Jonah heard Alpha's signature hiss from behind him, and the Titanspawn materialized and laughed itself at the unseen intruder. The voice gave a mocking laugh as Jonah felt the hold on his body loosen. He snapped his head around just in time to see a serpentine figure escape into the canopy above with the rattle of bone and wood, its white scaled tail slapping Alpha away as easily as a horse swats a fly.

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Jonah moved to stand but was stopped cold when the same voice called out once more, this time much too close for comfort.

"Careful now... or you'll losssse him..."

Jonah's eyes snapped forward, widening in shock as he stared into the pale face of a black-haired woman...

Her unkempt yet somehow silky smooth hair fell over her half-concealed face and down to her chest. Her face was distinctly human-looking, if not for the white scale patches that marked her jawlines and neck. She would have been considered a jade beauty in her young, with delicate features that could capture any man's heart. But time had sharpened those same features, and the newly formed wrinkles under her eyes gave her an air of maturity and refinement.

The leather tunic she wore was threaded with various small bones and wood pieces, carved with intricate and mystical symbols. A long, wooden staff, pulsing with power, lay across the woman's scaled legs as she sat in a lotus position on the other side of the Titanspawn. Her eyes, though... her eyes were distinctly not human.

The veterinarian in Jonah instantly recognized them as the eyes of a serpent. Not the slit pupils of an ambusher, though. No, these were the round, predatory eyes of a stalker, of a Hunter. Even now, he could feel then pulsing, tracking every move he made like a hunted rat. Seeming to sense his distress, Gamma gave a bellow and charged the woman, aiming his vicious new weapon to take her head.

The woman's eyes never left Jonah, as her hands blurred and the staff slammed into the Titanspawn easily twice her size. Gamma shot across the clearing and slammed into one of the large trees, sliding down with a groan, the steel-hard bone armor on its chest spider-webbed with cracks.

On instinct alone, [Index] activated, and a small blue screen popped into existence.

?????? - High Lamia Shaman

Level - ???

What the hell happened to average level 10?! Why was something... someone, like this here?! Was it the "Raid" modifier at play? How many people were usually needed for a raid even? Had he been too foolish to jump into the Portal without all the information? Too confident in his newfound strength?

Lost in his thoughts, Jonah could only stare into her eyes, frozen, as the woman frowned and pointed down at the Titanspawn between them.

As if a spell had been broken, Jonah looked down to see Beta's Health quickly dropping. In his shock, it seemed he had dropped [Siphon]. He reactivated the skill and breathed a sigh of relief as it once more began to tick upward, though at a much slower rate than before. Beta, for his part, had long ago passed out and remained motionless. Again, the strange woman spoke, her icy voice sending a shiver down Jonah's spine.

"You have ssskill, for a Human... but it is not enough... A Mimic's venom isss not so eassly defeated. They are sssmall things. Weak. Ssso much that even an unawakened child may defeat them... How then do you think they remain? Yessss, they are Weak, but at the sssame time, they command a great sssstreangth... what about you?"

Despite his racing heart, Jonah's voice came unbidden, as if some force compelled him to answer the question.

"What else do you expect me to do?! I'm not a healer!"

He'd already dug through the token shop in the last few hours, desperately searching for anything that could help him, to no avail. As if the shop was mocking him, any skill that might have been able to deal with the venom was either locked behind a dedicated class or was far beyond what he could afford currently. He might have tried one of the lesser healing skills, but they didn't have the time to grind its level high enough that it would be sufficient.

The woman's lips curled into a cold smile as she answered back.

"No... you're not... yet you already have the solution... I can ssssmell it on you."

Her thin, serpentine tongue flickered out as she spoke, gently brushing up against his cheek and sending another cold shiver through his body. The gears started to turn in his head. He already had the solution? What solution? He'd already wracked his brain trying to find something, anything.

"Yessss, one filled with Life... with... Blood..."

Like a candle illuminating the darkness, the pieces fell into place. Jonah's eyes went wide as he stood and looked back the way he came.

Towards the Portal...

A small light of hope flashed in his eyes; could it be? No, it was too risky... but just maybe...

The woman once more grinned, sharp teeth poking out from behind ruby lips, as she stretched out a hand over the Titanspawn.

A dim green glow enveloped Beta as she spoke.

"Go now. The Beassst with not die under my hand... but hurry. My patiencccce is not without end..."

Jonah turned and squinted down at the woman, hesitating. Could he really trust her? Probably not, and yet if she wanted him dead, he doubted if all three packs could stop her. Hell, they probably couldn't even scratch her. Looking down at the still form of Beta, as the thick black veins squirmed under the green light, Jonah steeled his heart and nodded, then turned and ran towards the direction of the Portal.

Gamma, the Titanspawn's cracked armor already beginning to heal, ran after him, only turning to glare at the strange woman before Jonah jump on his back.

Like lightning, they were off, Gamma's bulky frame and new "horns" quickly clearing out a path through the thick growth as it charged forward. Where the march with the packs had taken several hours to get to the foot of the mountain from the Portal, the trip back was much quicker, only taking roughly 30 minutes. A combination of knowing the lay of the land and Gamma simply bulldozing through most obstacles in his way.

Gamma didn't even stop as the creature charged through the Portal, only skidding to a stop as they reached the form of a small tree in the middle of a fleshy Garden. Jonah looked up at the tree and marveled for a moment at how much it had grown in so short of a time frame.

In just a few short months, the orange tree had grown from a small sapling to a full-fledged tree, its trunk roughly as wide as his waste, thick roots weaving in and out of the Titan's flesh as they pulsed with flowing, red blood. On its branches, two dozen orange-red fist-sized fruits of varying maturity grew.

Serpent Blood Orange

Blood is the Nectar of Life.

This newly discovered plant species was found on Sol-3 in the Milky Way Galaxy. Mutations caused by feeding on the blood of an immature Titan and the influence of its Cultivator has caused this plant to become parasitic in nature.

It will burrow its roots deep into a large beast's flesh, seeking out large blood veins, which it will use to slowly drain the nutrients and fluids from its host. These nutrients, as well as other components, are stored in the large, blood-red fruit that grows from its branches.

Other than simply being nutritious, the properties of these fruits are still unexplored. However, preliminary scans indicate strong healing and detoxifying properties, especially in relation to the blood and heart. Further study is required to fully unlock its secrets.

As Jonah reached up to grab several of the more mature fruit, he hesitates once more. Was this really the only way?

It wasn't like he'd not tested the Oranges before. He'd been curious about what their effects might be but was hesitant to experiment on himself. Thus he had used several of the Lesser Titanspawn. At first, he'd had trouble even getting anything to actually eat them, as only the Blood Hounds would touch the things.

Of those Hounds that did eat the fruit, anything under level 5 violently mutated into a misshapen mass of pulsing flesh. That alone had almost caused Jonah to burn down the tree, but he held off. Something in his gut told him that there was still more to this strange fruit than met the eye. One experiment had shown promising, if disastrous results; after feeding a mature Orange to a newly spawned, level 10 Hound, the Titanspawn had entered into a berserk fury, growing easily 3 times its standard size and breaking free from the Worm-plate cage.

The berserk Titanspawn had wiped out almost half of Jonah's Attuned Pack and severely injured Gamma before they were able to put it down. At this point, Jonah had decided to put off any more experiments with the dangerous fruit until he could gather more information.

Did he really trust the strange snake woman's words? No.

But what other choice did he have? For all the strength that he had now, he couldn't save Beta on his own.

He didn't have any other choice but to make this gamble.

Jonah quickly plucked six mature fruits and stuffed them into his Red Sack before climbing back onto Gamma. He let out a quick prayer that he wasn't making a mistake here, before the two charged back through the portal.