As the sun rose over the forest, Kai cautiously surveyed the area around his hiding spot under the tree. He had been hiding there for hours, hoping to avoid detection by any creatures that might be lurking nearby. Unfortunately, his new snake body seemed to have a smaller need for sleep than his previous one, and he spent most of the night trying to stay undetected while attempting to catch a little more sleep.
Every so often, he heard the sound of giant animals passing, distant explosions and sounds of fighting. But most of the time, he didn't know what some sounds could even imply. They were so different, so alien.
He lost count of how many times he had to stop himself from poking his nose outside to catch a glimpse of what could be the source of such sounds. While he knew it would be hazardous, he couldn't help but be curious. It was perfectly understandable that he grew a little restless after hours of keeping watch.
So when he saw the first beams of light, he happily existed his hidey-hole. Kai checked his surrounding for any potential danger, and finding none, he slithered forward. He moved carefully and quietly, straining his "ears" in search of any sound that could warn him of potential danger. Most of the noises began to die down a few hours before dawn, but he encountered Ursabear well before dusk and Kai doubted he could run from it, even with agility being his highest psychical stat.
While he moved through the forest, he pondered his situation and tried to devise a plan, at least a short-term one.
"I will try finding my car and check if it still has my emergency rations. Hunting with my limited mana supply could turn deadly if I missed my first shot. Weaving another spear while brawling with some overgrown rat would prove hard, and if I failed to injure it at least seriously, I would be torn to shreds. After that, we will go to a city. While I don't think parading around other humans in that form is smart, cities will still be safer than being alone in the wilderness and slipping around in such a small body shouldn't pose much problem."
Suddenly, he heard a loud rustling in the branches above him. Before he could react, a massive bird swooped down from the trees and attacked him. Kai hissed in surprise and pain as the bird's sharp talons dug into his scales. He struggled to break free, but the bird's grip on him was too firm. It began to flap its wings, trying to lift him off the ground.
Desperately, the snake began to conjure a shadow spell. He focused his mind on the dark energy swirling within him and released it in the familiar pattern.
"Shadow spear"
But to his surprise, the spell missed its target, flying off to the side. In desperation, Kai began to bite at the bird, injecting large doses of poison. It worked because the hawk dropped its quarry with a squeak.
Kai landed with a thud. He lay there, stunned for a moment, catching his breath. He looked up and saw the bird circling above his head, preparing to strike a second time. Kai knew he had a slight chance of hitting his opponent with another spear. It was fast and nimble. Moreover, it was flying. He has to come up with another plan. "If I can't hit it, I will not try aiming."
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Seeing that his foe wasn't hurrying to make another attack, he again reached for his power. Kai took a deep breath and focused his mind on his shadow magic. He willed the shadows to coalesce around his body, forming a swirling vortex of darkness. And then, he used his second skill from shadowmancer class, reinforce shadow. This time though, he wanted more than just his shadows to become solid. No, he wanted to add a little twist to them.
Shadows rapidly slowed to stillness and formed a sort of dome around Kai. Even if it looked like he surrounded himself with a barrier, it was anything but a defensive spell. In fact, he had to strain himself to hold back the destructive aspect of his new invention.
The bird squawked in alarm as it saw the shadow vortex forming around Kai. Deciding that waiting wasn't the best course of action, it pivoted down with its outstretched claws toward the annoying snake.
Kai, though, has stayed in his spot. He waited calmly while holding his magic and waiting for the hawk to get closer. Just before the bird could scratch the dome's surface with his talons, Kai released all that pent-up energy.
The shadow energy exploded outwards, creating a shockwave that shook the trees and sent leaves flying in all directions. The bird, the closest thing to the explosion, had taken the brunt of the blast and had been launched into a nearby tree. With a resounding thud, it impacted the trunk and slid down the tree, where it struggled for a bit and after a while, it stopped moving.
[You have slain a lvl 3 Gray Hawk!]
"So it died, huh? Sadly no new level. At least I learned a new skill."
You have learned the skill: [SHADOW BURST: TIER 7]!
The battle had been intense, leaving Kai exhausted and battered. Looking down at his torn and bloodied scales, he sighed. He knew he should be happy to leave such an intense fight with only minor wounds that would eventually heal. But he had been too close to his death just now, and he could not bring himself to be cheerful. In the past two days, he had been close to death twice already.
Feeling down, he devoured a hawk and set off toward his car.
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When he approached the parking lot where he had left his car, he could already tell that something had happened there. The whole place had been trashed. It looked like a bunch of elephants had a party here. And then he saw it - his car, or what was left of it.
It was destroyed, a twisted mass of metal and plastic. The windshield was shattered, the doors were torn off their hinges, and the tires were flattened. It looked like something big had smashed into it, crushing it like a tin can. Kai felt a surge of anger and frustration. He had "worked" hard to buy that car, which was now ruined. And worse, most of his supplies had been eaten by something.
He knew he had little use for the car now but couldn't help but feel dejected. "At least they haven't eaten everything".
After scavenging what was left of his supplies, he gained ten additional biomass bringing him to twelve in total. "A few more, and I will be able to upgrade my Toxic Bite, it did nothing to that bird back then, but with some improvements, it should come in handy in melee."
Feeling a little bit better about himself, Kai slithered toward a nearby hill. He should be able to see the city from up there. When Kai crested a hill, he saw something that made his heart stop. In the distance, he could see a city, but it wasn't the vibrant, bustling place he had known. It was burning, wreathed in smoke and flames.
"What the hell happened? It had been only two days since I left, and it's now half destroyed. I know that some weird shit happened but really? And I think some of the higher buildings are missing..." Kai muttered to himself. "Well, at least in such chaos, nobody would care about a small innocent snake, right?"
With a determined look, Kai descended the hill towards the burning city.