With my job decided, I headed out immediately the opportunity of getting better armor was a very important one my current armor wasn't designed to protect me from a beast or melee weapon. Your current armor was just the plates on a frame with the tough fabric covering removed and most of the protection actually came from the fabric and the plates weren't really designed to protect you from multiple sustained hits, but you haven't been hit yet so they remain. I have seen good armor save peoples lives a lot of them were your friends but when a mask was hit by a bullet it was always replaced quickly, no one wanted to take the chances of the damage that might have been caused letting the mask fail on the next hit.
Like you thought it took a day for you to arrive at the village the people living there avoided you and your mask for as long as possible but when you knocked on the door of the largest house someone finally talked to you. The old man who opened the door was that person to talk to you.
His gaze went up and down getting a look at me before he spoke in his croaky voice "Well I guess you are not here here to kill me since you went through the bother of knocking on my door." He takes a deep breath before speaking again "So, why are you here?" I pull the Dark Iron tag that the guild gave me and show it to the old man "I'm a hunter from... actually I don't know I forgot to get the name of the city but its about a days walk west of here"
The old man lets out that breath he was holding in relief. "You do know how to give an old man a fright." He pushes past you and sits down on a chair next to the door that doesn't really look like it would hold up much longer. "Stacy! Bring some of that juice will you?" he shouts back into the house, before returning back to the conversation. "Well I assume you are here for the snake then? You sure you're up for it, people usually hunt those with teams of people." That was news to me Geoff made it sound like it would be a simple matter like the boar. "I'm sure it will be fine" I say with practiced ease as I had said much the same previously and there's no way I can really change that now. Out of the corner of my eye I spot a movement and when I sneak a glance trying not to show that I noticed there is a young woman hiding at the entrance to the house, that must be Stacy.
The old man grumbles a bit before saying "Where's that gran-daughter of mine it's not polite to greet guests without refreshments" I smirk a bit under the mask so it's a bit pointless "Well, I'm sure she just got caught up with something. Anyways I just wanted to let you know that I'll be on the outskirts of the village for the night I don't want to end up fighting a black snake in the dark" The old man nods a bit before saying "Well I'll tell the rest to leave you alone" I turn away from the man and walk to the end of the village and just inside the trees there is a decent place to set up a camp.
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I don't think it will rain and the wind is actually pleasant right now so I don't feel the need to put the tent up I do however set up a small fire. I had planned for buying food from the villagers but they seemed to understandably avoid me. I set out around my little campsite and caught a small animal I don't recognize, it looks like a squirrel but its the size of rabbit. When I start cooking the animal it is fairly dark.
When I finish eating I was about to go to sleep but something alerted me I couldn't tell what it was looking around though I didn't see anything other the black.... but the black shifts. I gulp a bit as I realize what exactly it was that got my attention, the lack of the village lights. It was the black snake I try to remain calm as I stand up and turning around I follow the hard black line at the top where it blocked out the stars in the sky. It had wrapped its body around my camp with me inside it. I pull my combat gloves out and still trying to make my movements calm so as not to have it suddenly attack I slipped them on something tells me I would be glad I did.
Just like when I first realized that the snake was surrounding me I don't know what tipped me off but I spun to the side just in time to be hit in the chest by a heavy blow that let out a loud metal clang and knocked me back. I roll quickly to the side and stand up, the small fire let me see just what exactly hit me. It was the head of the snake and it was as large as your torso. I felt a sharp pain on on my chest, when I looked down I saw that the plate was cracked. This was a mistake though as the snake took that opportunity to strike at you again, I didn't get out of the way fast enough but in a desperate attempt to survive my arms are pushed out in front of me as I catch one of the large fangs with one hand. The shock of the catch went up my arm and I felt the pain in my shoulder and I can really tell I won't be able to hold the snake for long.
Proving that you really are out classed in strength the snake shakes its head and I am thrown forward, I was expecting this though and end up rolling back onto my feet. This was a bad situation the snake had me surrounded attacking its body wouldn't be able to do enough damage it was much larger than was written on the job. When I turn around I pull out the Morphing Stick sword I keep forgetting about with it in my hand it should allow me to remember to use it.
The snake wasn't going to wait for me to get over the pain in my shoulder as it rushed at me again. This time I know how fast it is now and getting low I angle the sword into the open mouth, It stabs itself with its immense weight and force onto the blade. In this process though a fang scrapes off the top of your mask gouging a thick sliver out of the materials that made it.
I can feel through the grip of the sword that the snake is dead and tossing the head to the side being careful not to get stabbed by the teeth before standing up straight and pulling the sword out of the mouth.
Well my hunt is over and the wrapped up snake around the camp makes for a decent defense I look around and find a spot of grass before wrapping myself in the cloak that now has some large tears through it but that doesn't bother you as you quickly fall asleep hoping that it wont hurt so much when you wake up.