Alice hit the ground again, ginormous pieces of the ground slamming all over her. A shadow eclipsed her body and she glanced up to find a giant boulder falling towards her. Alice shrieked, curling into a ball.

Blanche appeared out of nowhere, wrapping one arm around Alice’s waist and wielding his sword in the other.

(Technique: Shattering Strike!)

It happened faster than Alice’s eyes could track. She knew instinctively that Blanche must have moved his arm but to her eyes, it appeared like the rock just blew apart. Tiny remnants pelted the duo.

“Come on, we need to run, Alice!” Blanche said, hauling Alice to her feet. Alice was deposited onto the ground, scrambling to maintain her footing amidst the debris laying everywhere.

“Where to-!?” Alice was interrupted when an ear splitting hiss spilled out into the air, rustling the leaves on the trees. It pierced her ears, like a stake slowly getting driven into her brain. Whimpering and clasping her ears, Alice turned around and laid eyes on a horrifying sight.

It was a monster, one that dwarfed the boar in stature and power. Glistening diamond-shaped scales covered every inch of what Alice could see, the rest of its body in the process of slinking out of an erupted hole in the ground. Thick, nubile muscles slid along the ground before towering above the trees, casting a heavy shadow over the duo, as dark and terrible as the night. A jagged tongue flicked out of its mouth, tasting the air with a hiss. Its slitted eyes blinked, membranes covering the bright orange glow before revealing its terrible light again. The massive serpentine creature opened its mouth, revealing two crooked long fangs, each one taller than Alice herself.

“T-that’s. . .” Words failed to describe how Alice felt at this moment. Inconsequential compared to this ginormous beast, Alice felt the overwhelming urge to bow and prostrate before this mighty creature. Her running slowed as she fought to keep her eyes off the mesmerizing monster, the sunlight reflecting off the scales like dazzling jewels.

Then the eyes flicked in her direction and narrowed. A cold hand grasped tightly around Alice’s heart.

“Fuck, move!” Blanche shouted, grabbing her hand and pushing her forward.

Alice sprinted through the forest at breakneck speed, occasionally throwing glances behind her shoulder. The pair of them quickly disappeared into the forest and the serpent’s upper half was obscured by the trees. Alice watched the lower half in the clearing sidle back and forth before slithering out of view. Alice sighed; maybe it was go—

The trees to their left were upheaved uproariously, their roofs ripped clean out of the ground. Alice shrieked and stumbled backwards as an earthquake shook the land, an entire section of the earth crumbling into a chasm.

And on the other side, glowing orange eyes locked onto her tiny frame, was the serpent.

Alice quaked at the power it’d demonstrated. The capability of reshaping the landscape with pure strength. How were they going to survive against that?

“RUN, ALICE!!” Blanche roared. The serpent tilted its head and hissed at Blanche, who was soaring across the chasm with his sword held up high.

(Technique: Ultimate 9 Moves!)

Once again, Alice barely tracked the dwarve’s movements. He blurred out of existence and appeared above the snake’s head, his sword arm crooked. Sparks followed his trial.

And the serpent was completely unharmed.

Unhinging its jaw, the snake lunged up, snapping its mouth around Blanche. Alice screamed, but before the terror could sink in, Blanche appeared next to her.

“Blanche!” Alice exclaimed, before taking notice of the way he was holding his arm. “You’re hurt!”

Blanche grimaced. His forearm was bent backwards, and his knuckles were white from how tightly he was gripping onto his sword. Already, the effects of (Self-Heal) were taking place, a small light illuminating the pair. “It’s scales. . .is harder than metal. The backlash broke my arm. It’s going to take a while to heal. You need to buy me time.”

Alice was ashamed to admit that she’d been tempted to say no, but the loud hiss that penetrated the sky shook her out of her cowardly trance. If Alice didn’t do her part, both of them would die!

Alice generated as much Manergy as possible, pooling them in the air around here. Blanche stiffened as the effects of the Manergy impacted her, but Alice couldn’t afford to hold back. More, more!

Alice employed [Abyssal Black Arrows] on a wide range, dozens of fiery black arrows forming behind her. They blazed, hovering in the air, all aimed for the serpent monster. The creature in question merely flicked it’s tongue out, before a low hiss filled the air.

“Fire!” Alice let loose and all 58 of the black fire arrows shot out at her top speed, slamming into the side of the monster and bursting into a glorious blaze of black. Alice cheered, pumping her fist. A direct hit!

Her brief moment of triumph faded when the fire cleared to reveal immaculate scales. She hadn’t even left a scratch. Alice shuddered, her confidence draining.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

//Congratulations on a futile attack! Due to your bravery, you have received Skill Points!

[Abyssal Black Arrows] Rank E, Level 7

Progress towards next level: 60%

“What kind of message is that!?” Alice screamed at the System. To her surprise, there was another ping and the voice spoke again.

//Amendment to previous message.

You have gained a new Skill! [Abyssal Black Rope] Rank E, Level 1

That. . .wasn’t what she was talking about but she’d take it! Alice activated the Skill [Abyssal Black Rope] and true to its title, a coiled rope composed of the same black fire appeared in her hand. Alice cursed, glancing from the lasso to the serpent, which was eyeing the fire. What the hell could she do with a rope!? It wouldn’t even fit the snake!

Dispelling the Skill, Alice activated [Anarchy Flare] instead. The biggest ball of black fire she could create was summoned to her reach, an orb the size of her head smoldering in the wind. The gleaming eyes of the serpent fluttered shut, once, twice. The serpent waved back and forth, generating gusts of wind with every motion.

Contrary to her turbulent emotions, Alice forced herself to give a cocky smirk. “Y-yeah. Scared of this, are you? Well, have at it!”

Alice hurled the fireball at the serpent who lunged forward at the same time. Alice screeched, expecting the serpent to burst through the black fire and eat the duo.

Instead, the ball of fire slammed into the serpent’s face and exploded upon impact, a resounding shockwave knocking Alice onto her butt. The snake let out a mighty hiss, rearing its head backwards with smoky remnants trailing from its scales. The serpent shook its head back and forth, like it was trying to nurse a migraine.

“Come on, come on!” Alice said, dragging Blanche to his feet. His (Self-Heal) was almost done, his arm gradually snapping back into place. Alice and Blanche made a mad dash through the forest, slipping under the cover of trees.

Alice could still hear the faint hissing of the snake behind them, even over the crunching of branches and leaves underneath their pounding footsteps. Heart pounding with adrenaline and exhilaration at what she’d done, Alice turned to Blanche. “What do we do now?!”

Blanche’s face was grim as he told her, “We search for any body of water.” He cast (Wide-Area Water Search) and Manergy particles became visible to the naked eye, assembling into a glowing arrow pointing somewhere to their right. “Come on!”

“Right!” Alice stopped gazing at the arrow in awe and quickly followed Blanche off the well-worn road, rummaging through the bushes and trees. Alice gulped; the ruckus they made crashing through branches and vines seemed to be everywhere. How long until the serpent found them?

Alice looked around. There were only trees, bushes, logs, vines, moss for as far as the eye could see. The serpent was nowhere in sight, not a glimpse of shiny green scales. Yet evidence already showed distance didn’t matter to a creature like the serpent.

“How much longer!?” Alice shouted at Blanche’s back.

“The spell tells me the direction, not how far!” Blanche snapped. “I know as much as you do!”

Alice stopped an insult before it slipped out. It was the nerves talking. Fighting each other would only result in both their demise. Alice glanced warily at the sky. Usually by this time, there would be flocks of ravens and thrushes flying through the sky; now, only an endless blueness was seen.

“I hear the water!” Blanche said, becoming faster. Alice strained her ears but the sound of their journey through the forest was too loud. Placing her belief in Blanche and his dwarven senses, Alice gave one final push to complete the last stretch.

After a couple of minutes of running, Alice heard it too. The tall tale sounds of a rolling stream, water flowing and dispersing against rocks. Grinning despite herself, Alice let her guard down. They were so close!

Blanche burst through a pair of vines and disappeared from her sight. Alice propelled forward, covering her face as vines entangled her arm and tried pulling her back into the forest. The desperation to get away from the snake gave her body strength, and Alice easily tore away to lay eyes on what may have been the most beautiful creek she’d ever seen.

Blanche turned around to say something before his face turned ashen pale. He pointed and shouted, “LOOK OUT!” but Alice had only needed to see his expression change.

Before Blanche finished his warning, Alice whirled around and saw herself reflected in the serpentine eyes. Alice freaked out, the frantic self-preservation urges overriding any thoughts.

On a whim, Alice flung her arms out and called upon her latest Skill, [Abyssal Black Rope]. A horizontal strand of black fire spiraled into existence in front of her arms, inches away from the snake’s gaping maw.

The black fire rope expanded its length enormously, reaching around the snake and wrapped around a tree on either side. The jaw of the snake met the rope and halted the snake’s forward movement, the rope going tight. The snake was only stalled for a couple of seconds, pushing through the rope with little regard as to how the black fire burnt the inside of its mouth.

But that was all Blanche needed.

Running towards and slinging her under his arm, Blanche sprinted for the river. Even as Alice felt her rope snap and snake hit face first into the rocky ground, causing tremors to make Blanche stumble, he didn’t stop.

Alice felt the gust of wind that accompanied the snake, she felt the jaw of death closing in around the pair as Blanche jumped into the air. The serpent overshadowed them and Alice wondered if this was how she was going to die, getting plucked out of the air and bitten into.

Then gravity took hold and the duo plummeted. Alice felt her hair move as the snake narrowly avoided her skull, and she crashed into the water. Flailing her limbs, Alice fought the heavy current to push herself to the top. Bursting her head through, she panted for air, seeing Blanche do the same.

On the riverbank, quickly getting smaller and smaller was the serpentine monster. It locked its eyes on its target as Alice and Blanche drifted further away. For one terrifying moment, when the snake flicked out its tongue, Alice worried it would give chase. It never did, remaining in the same spot. It merely watched them leave, its huge eyes following their path. Alice sighed in relief when they turned a corner and the serpent vanished from view.

Finally, they were safe.

//Congratulations! You have successfully avoided death through teamwork! Level Points gained!

[Anarchy Flare] Rank E, Level 7—> [Anarchy Flare] Rank E, Level 9

[Abyssal Black Rope] Rank E, Level 1 —> [Abyssal Black Rope] Rank E, Level 3