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Chapter 11 - Ice Sculptures
After studying the sudden crack, Kyrios continued pursuing the lizard, hoping he was able to stay caught up. His curiosity was high, and he wanted to see what lay beyond it, but for now, his priority was to catch up with his scaly companion. Sure, it was intriguing, but not worth staying in place for.
The absence of the golem's thunderous footsteps provided a brief respite. A flicker of hope, he could say. If it stayed dead still like that, it should be safe to return, as long as he kept his distance.
It took him a few minutes of searching, but he finally managed to locate the little lizard again. It had reached a nest of stones and was huddled up against them. To his astonishment, the creature's breath emitted flames upon the rocks, engulfing them in fiery air and igniting them. They fractured somewhat from its heat, and a gooey liquid spilled out. All giddy, the lizard sipped from the crack with a satisfactory expression written on its otherwise stoic face.
"Huh, they're eggs?" Kyrios exclaimed, crouching down as an idea sparked in his mind. "You're coming with me."
He watched the lizard's unusual feast for a while longer and decided it was time to return. Carefully he covered his hand with his sleeve and gently picked it up, while his other hand held both of his makeshift mantis claws. It didn't seem bothered, showing barely any discomfort, clenched between his fingers. It remained perched calmly, even undisturbed by the change in the climate, as Kyrios traversed back to the ice grotto.
"Perhaps if the lizard warmed them up and thrawed the serpents, I could eat them," he thought, scanning the ground for the same icy serpents which attacked him. Locating them was challenging, mainly because the golem's collapse had left lingering echoes of rumbling sounds throughout the chamber. It was impossible to track them by sound.
"Maybe they were crushed under the golem's attack? Why did it even collapse? And wasn't it around the serpent den it crashed?" Questions stacked up in his mind. He only got a few glimpses of it through the roof, but he could discern that it had collapsed for some reason. In any way, he was hesitant to approach it without proper foresight, as there was no way to predict if it would reawaken or if a more capable creature was present.
Eventually, he decided to retrace his steps to the location where he had encountered the first serpent. And though he prided himself on his keen sense of direction, the aftermath of the golem's collapse had left the terrain disorienting to navigate. Carefully maneuvering through the debris-strewn remnants of the wreckage, Kyrios let his gaze sweep over the arctic expanse. Massive stone fragments marred the ground beneath, and combined with the unsteady stalagmites, it made each step a careful negotiation to avoid injuring himself.
As he approached the spot, his eyes scanned the area, searching for any signs of the fallen creature. His heart sank momentarily as he initially found no trace of their presence. However, his keen instincts urged him to investigate further, to delve deeper into the possibilities.
He bent down to inspect a small crack in the ground. His fingers gently traced its edges, almost as if trying to tease out any hidden secrets. "So, where could they be?" he wondered.
Accidentally, his fingers brushed against something brisk, making him instinctively jump back in shock. A serpent's icy fangs protruded from the ground as if burrowed. At first glance, it appeared to be an animal carcass with its flakey scales shining in the light. But upon closer inspection, it was different from before. It seemed more like a frozen sculpture crafted entirely out of ice—a practically perfect sculpture—uncannily carved by someone. No, it was too perfect; this must be a corpse!
Kyrios gingerly reached out, brushing aside the scales of the dead serpent. They were cool to the touch, no different from ice. A layer of frost enveloped its entire body.
"I'll just try to melt it," Kyrios decided, holding the lizard tightly between his hands. "Do your thing. Breathe. Or whatever, I dunno."
He waited for a moment but saw no signs of the lizard breathing flames. Taking a deep breath, he carefully positioned his hands with the lizard in the middle and held it right in front of the frozen corpse. "Come on, lizard. Show me what you got."
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A steady stream of smoke rose from the lizard's mouth, though nothing more than a tiny flame could be seen. Its eyes narrowed, and it struggled against his grip, seemingly aware of what he was trying to accomplish. It was enough to melt the outer layer of the frozen serpent, causing thin drops to pour from its fixed scales.
"What?! It's just water?" he murmured to himself as he collected some drops in his hand, contemplating its drinkability. Whether it was poisonous or not didn't matter. There was no guarantee that he would find another drop of water before dying of thirst. He raised his hand to his mouth and gave it a quick taste, the sensation of ice melting in his mouth almost making him choke. His tongue tingled with an unknown bitterness, and he recoiled, realizing that he wouldn't drink this unless he absolutely needed to. And terrifying pain erupted from his stomach before he could spit it out.
He cupped his hands over his mouth, gagging as his entire body felt like it was being torn apart from the inside. An icy chill coursed through his veins, sending numbing waves through his nerves. He shuddered, fighting against the painful throbbing that wracked through his body. Tears welled in his eyes, trying to spill from the searing torment that had taken hold of his body. "Arghhhh!! Goddamn!! Shit!"
His skin grew pale, and the muscles in his body began to spasm as if an invisible force had seized them. "Was it poison all along?! Damn it!" He groaned, struggling to retain consciousness. His breaths came in labored gasps, his mind overwhelmed with the agony he was feeling. He wanted to curl up into a ball, shut his eyes, and sleep. "I'm gonna die! I'm gonna—"
- [ Notice ] -
— [ Frostbite Fangs ] Obtained
The system notification's voice flashed, bringing him back to reality. His eyes snapped wide open, and his mind fully awakened from its previous fogginess. The sensation of pain had subsided, but he still felt a chill running through his veins.
"Oh right, it happened before." He rubbed his arm, trying to dispel the lingering cold. "So it's gonna hurt like hell everytime I eat something..."
He relaxed with a slow and steady exhale, letting the tension drain out of his body. A sense of relief swept from his fingers, and the remaining pain dissipated in an instant.
Now, as for the skill he had gained. He remembered gaining three other skills from consuming the mantis, but none were usable. Not even the compatible one. Hopefully, he could figure it out with his newfound ability. He lay down, sighing, knowing it would take time to grasp what he had acquired. But still, he should try and learn how to use it soon; it was worth a try.
Kyrios sat upright, taking in the sight of the serpent's carcass. It lay frozen in place, with relatively average fangs jutting from its jaw. It was all there was to it; nothing looked different besides that it was made of ice.
His brows knitted together, and his eyes narrowed in confusion. "Gosh, what the hell am I supposed to conclude from that? It looks no different from an ice sculpture. It can't be as easy as—"
Two tiny fangs jut from his upper jaw.
"—imagining it. His gaze wandered downward. "Oh. It was that easy."
The two tiny fangs stretched outward, growing longer and longer as they came into contact with his chin. "Ouch, ouch, ouch. C'mon, don't grow too much." He rubbed his fangs and plucked them off with a twist. "At least I'm not bleeding."
He held the two ice fangs in his hand, observing them with a critical eye. They seemed almost exactly like the creature's own, crystal clear with an icy glimmer that could rival most gems. He turned his gaze toward the corpse again, and another alluring idea formed in his head. If the serpent's body turns into ice upon death, why should his newly acquired fangs differ? It would be no different from having infinite water. It would completely erase one of his worries!
However, before he could consider further, his ear wiggled at the distant sound of something approaching. His blades at the ready, he awaited the danger with bated breath as he rose to his feet. He watched the terrain, his eyes scouring for any signs of movement. Then, shivers crashed down his skin, and his muscles tensed. A constantly growing rumbling sound filled the air as if something was approaching with tremendous speed.
His eye movements sped up, and his hand clutched his blades tighter. It didn't sound like the golem's footsteps as it approached him. This was different. His eyes caught sight of shadows striding toward him. There were more of them than he could count. A horde of insect-like monsters had appeared out of nowhere—no, from the golem's dead body. They rushed forward like an unrelenting torrent of death, their eyes fixed upon Kyrios with an intensity that sent a shudder through his legs.
"Oh no. Shit!!" He grimaced, taking a defensive stance as the horde closed in. His eyes widened, and his pupils shrank in size, giving him an alert and fearful gaze. His breaths came in hurried gasps as his heart pounded with dread. Grabbing the lizard, he ignored its searing body and shoved it down his pocket. "Arghh! Hot! Hot!! Screw this!"
He bolted away, leaving hesitation in his wake. His legs drove him forward, a blur of motion, as he surged ahead.
"You better be worth saving, cause I'm getting tired of running for my life!"