Another blast fired a large bulbous shape to crash near them, Rookie quickly pulled Tomobi behind her and pulled out a pistol. When the shape moved she cocked the pistol, though this may not have been necessary, as a groan and shifting showed what it truly was.

A pile of bags similar to Tomobi’s, though patched and ragged, and underneath it, a VitaNav rose. But nothing more could be told as a large crackling and erupting shriek led a monster to appear. A large and aggravated serpent lashed out, maw opened with fangs ejected to pierce the VitaNav.

From its launch it was interrupted with a shattering bang, flinching as it crashed past the VitaNav.

“Tomobi help them and get the hell out of here,” Rookie ordered as she let her pistol roar.

‘Okay keep steady Rookie,’ Rookie ordered herself as well, trying to take a steady breath as she saw the monstrous snake.

‘Just scare off the snake and don’t hit Tomobi. Just stay calm,’ trying to eye the snake, which had retreated away into the nearby bushes.

“Shit,” Rookie muttered to herself as Tomobi rushed towards the VitaNav.

“Are you alright?” Tomobi helped pull them up. With a closer look, Tomobi could see that they were mud brown with whetstone white pebbles across its body that were exposed from its torn clothes, with a clean grey bulb whistling near its heart. When looking over the VitaNav gave a deep cough before giving an awkward smile.

“Am now,” a males voice thanked Tomobi, as with a deep breath the new VitaNav knelt down with another heavy cough.

“Hang on,” Tomobi tried to help the man.

“Just drop the bags,” but to carry what he had as well would be too much, though the VitaNav pushed himself up and held tight to Tomobi after another hacking from their throat.

“No, I’ll die before I ditch them,” seeming to accept the wheezing request the serpent launched out again, though with a line of bullets to block its path Rookie now got a good look at the target. Along with its long body, it had crocodile scales shielding its body its opened jaw showed enlarged rapier fangs. Though what really got Rookie’s attention was an enlarged blade for a tail.

“TOMOBI PICK UP THE PACE,” Rookie yelled as now she felt frightened by this monstrous creature focused on her.

It slithered faster than any snake should have, now dodging the bullets that Rookie tried to fire from her shaking hands.

‘Calm down Rookie,’ she thought to herself as it got closer.

‘Calm down Rookie,’ she thought to herself as the snake became extremely close.

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‘WHY COULDN’T YOU FUCKING CALM DOWN,’ Rookie panicked as the snake lunged forward.

But a larger beast lunged forward behind Rookie, closing its jaws around the snake's body and began a new fight. For a moment it took her to realise it was Seeno who had joined the fray. As it dug its fangs and claws into the snake, with cracking of some of its boned armour. The serpents lashed back by digging their fangs in deep while also tightening their body around Seeno, this along with the lashing of its bladed tail caused splatters of blood across the place.

Rookie was taken aback as she felt her body press against something behind her. When she lashed out Kiorif blocked her arm.

“Now you can hit something,” this got Rookie’s attention as Seeno dug its fangs even deeper while clawing down a length of the serpent into the ground. And with a feat of strength and brutality Seeno tore through the snake, exploding a bomb of blood far larger than Seeno’s wounds. And for the brief moment where its internals held the snake together, Seeno’s thrashing caused the serpent's body to break, with the smaller portion being slammed into the ground.

“What happened?” Kiorif paid no regard to Seeno’s violent behaviour as he focused on Rookie, Tomobi and more importantly, the new VitaNav.

“Let me explain myself,” the VitaNav winced with a raspy voice as he tried to get himself off Tomobi.

“I was walking, couldn’t afford a cab,” his humour didn’t poke at Kiorif, so he continued with an awkward cough.

“I was trying to take a shortcut and it turned out that there was a basilisk that was hiding about, and it didn’t seem that it was gonna let me walk away. So I appreciate what you’ve done for me, sorry for all of this,” the VitaNav waves his hands about to the clearing, now smelling of gunpowder and blood while Seeno still mawed the snake remains.

“Oh it’s fine,” Rookie scoffed.

“Trust me, we are the best of the best,” her smile contrasted with Kiorif’s brood, who was eyeing this newcomer.

Looking at this VitaNav he noticed with its piles of aged sacs there was the faint clicking of glass and metals, and with one of the ripped sacs, he noticed something familiar that he was not a fan of.

“So thank you,” The VitaNav smiled at the group.

“Uh, bye,” and he began to walk off before looking over the bottom part of the torn snake.

“Oo~, actually,” but before he could get any further he had another coughing fit before a spray of blood came from his mouth, and he collapsed to his side. Tomobi and Rookie rushed forward to check on him.

“Please,” VitaNav grabbed Tomobi’s arm tightly as he began to faze out, with a faint trickle of blood from his mouth.

“Get some pieces of that snake,” and the VitaNav finally passed out, with the whistling growth falling out of his body.

***

The VitaNavs’ bag was kept close to his side as he slept unconscious by a new campfire, with Tomobi keeping an eye on him along with Seeno, who grumbled from its wounds from the battle with the bladed serpent. Meanwhile Rookie and Kiorif kept their differences as they looked at the pieces of the snake that they brought.

“Well I didn’t know that this was here,” Rookie tried to joke, but Kiorif paid more attention to the VitaNavs’ bag. And when Rookie caught what Kiorif was looking at she sighed.

“Oh come on Kiorif, could we just help them without something complicated,” She punched his side while he still seemed focused.

“Rookie-” but before he could say anything the VitaNav coughed heavily again and grumbled as they woke up.

“Oh, damn it,” he coughed a little more when he finally got a good look around, seeing the group and himself far from where he fell unconscious. Before he could say anything Tomobi offered him a cup.

“Here, for the coughing,” the VitaNav accepted the offer and drank quickly before spitting it out and coughing again.

“FUCK THAT’S HOT,” while Tomobi tried to help the VitaNav, Kiorif got annoyed as it seemed he would have to deal with another pain to his side.