Jennifer took a step ahead, moving through the slimes lying on the floor. “We need to find a place to hide. The snake's still following us,” Jenn said, reducing the sensitivity of her [Enhanced Mana Sense]. The density of the mana, along with the number of slimes present made the ongoing skill usage uncomfortable.

Jennifer focused on the mental link, forming a message.

She focused on the image Viel had taught her, trying to convey the intention. Confusion traveled back to her through the link, followed by frustration then acknowledgement and she felt the link tense as the Mark's presence receded.

Jennifer felt a throb in her head as the complex message unraveled itself. She ignored the headache, searching for a spot to hide when Rumina appeared next to her. Grabbing Jenn's hand, Rumina led her into a section behind several fallen boulders. Hidden just out of sight, a small crack ran up the sewer walls, wide enough to squeeze into.

Jennifer followed behind, pushing herself through the crack, deeper into the small gap in the wall. The coarse edges rubbed against her skin and clothes, leaving scratches but she scraped through.

Gavril had it even harder, his large frame getting stuck at the last bend. Jenn and Rumina had to work together to pull him free, and he was rewarded with a crimson gash along his arm. He hissed to himself, but otherwise managed to stay quiet.

“There’s slimes in here as well... yuck. At least the snake can’t come in here. Probably,” Rumina said, as her skill turned off, the girl’s faded presence returning to normal.

Jennifer turned around as a hiss resounded through the room. She felt the snake’s aura deepening, the poison-like aura making her shiver. “Keep your magic output low. Don’t use any skills,” Jennifer whispered to her team as she leaned onto the walls, peeking through the crack.

The large beast made its way through the area, snapping at the slimes as it flicked its tail. Whenever the end struck one, the slimes would pop like overripe berries. The snake ignored them as it slithered through, its aura flaring.

Jennifer sent, as she watched the snake turn back and forth, flicking its tongue, its eyes scanning as its head swiveled. It was using every sense at its disposal to root them out to devour them.

the Mark sent back, as images of a large snake chasing something through tight and dark tunnels came to her mind.

Jennifer leaned back as the image caused another throb to go through her head. Is he... not human? He sounds like a child and yet I haven't heard him transmit a single word. Or does he not understand common and is using mind magic to compensate?

Rumina shifted, as she squeezed in below Jennifer. The girl crouched there, peeking out from the crack alongside Jenn as she whispered. “What do we do now? Wait? What about the voice you heard? You said it came from another one of the Marks right?”

Jennifer took out her plate, snapping the metal in half, the plate losing all traces of magic in it. “I don’t know. The mark is nearby somewhere, he seems to be hiding. He’s been talking to me through Telepathy. The snake must have followed him from within the dungeon.”

“Is it an adventurer? I wouldn’t think a random mind mage would be roaming the dungeon by themselves,” Rumina said. Both of them froze as the snake flicked its tail near where they stood, killing more slimes as it hissed angrily. It reared up, baring its fangs at the empty air as if it could frighten them out.

“That...doesn’t look good, we need to find a way to lose the snake and escape,” Rumina whispered as they moved away from the crack.

“I still say we kill the beastie. Would solve all our issues in one go,” Gavril said and Jennifer turned to quip at the boy but paused. Her eyes moved towards a slime, as it rolled around aimlessly, leaving a trail of ooze behind it.

“I have an idea,” Jennifer said as she turned to take a closer look at the area. As I thought, there’s quite a few acid slimes here as well.

Jennifer turned back, motioning for Gavril to come closer. “Can you send a fire spark towards the slimes when I ask you to?”

Gavril frowned at her, raising an eyebrow as he gave her a look. A moment later, his eyes shone as a smirk covered his face. “Aha, hadn’t thought of that. Are you sure though? The blast will probably be quite big.”

Jennifer turned around to look at the angrily hissing snake once more. “Unless the guild comes quick, we’re quite possibly dead. That or stuck in this tiny room together until they arrive with the slimes. I don’t know about you, but I think it’s worth the risk.”

She turned to look at the boy, who nodded back his face set as he stared out at the snake. Then he smiled at her. “Be honest, you just want to see a big explosion.”

Jennifer turned away, not dignifying him with a response. The smile on her face was answer enough. Her heart rate began to rise as she scanned the area once more.

I need something to draw the slimes closer to our crack.

Jennifer sent and then tried to share the image of what she had in mind.

the mark sent back, with an acknowledgement. Jennifer felt a small pulse go through and she saw the snake snap towards the source. The beast hissed, rushing toward the other side of the wall, its scales turning a darker shade of green as the aura of poison around it thickened.

Slimes detached from the wall, falling like giant raindrops. They bounced around, making their way towards the snake to attack the creature.

“We need to get out of this crack. It might collapse in the explosion,” Jennifer said and the three made their way out. This time Gavril made it without getting stuck, for which Jenn was thankful. She hid behind a large rock, her heart pounding as she prepared herself for her next move.

This is dumb even for me. But as they say, you only have one life- right, that doesn’t apply to me. Maybe.

Jennifer took a deep breath and turned towards Gavril. “Wait for my signal and then shoot,” she said, running out. She prepared a pair of enchanted glass shards, letting her mana flow through them as she sharpened the glass, enchanting their edges while tiny spell matrices applied themselves.

“[Enchanted Glass Creation] [Twofold enchanting]” Jennifer said, as the shards grew in size. With a burst of wind she launched them towards the snake.

The shards shot off like arrows of glass. And they did their job. The snake turned towards her, hissing in annoyance. It dodged her first bolt, but the second landed true, piercing its scales and drawing dark blood.

The beast lurched around, its aura flaring even stronger. It’s long tail cracked like a whip, exploding chunks of nearby stone as her heart leapt in her chest. Jennifer gathered her mana, as she felt another mental attack wash over her to disorient the snake. She let her presence pulse out, this time aiming to make it as disturbing as possible.

Within a few moments, she felt the slimes shift. Large slimes dropped from the walls and the roof, and Jennifer formed another pulse, letting it off even stronger than before. A rain of slimes followed as more fell, distrubed from their mindless feast as they shivered in place, disoriented and confused.

The snake coiled, biting as it took out a pile of slimes. But more piled up, some throwing acid at the snake as they fought back.

“Now!” Jennifer screamed and she felt the magic form. A ball of fire launched towards the snake, moving like a shooting star as it impacted the pile of slime. The flame burst in a bright yellow flower of fire at the centre of the pile.

For a moment, nothing happened, and Jennifer feared the worst. But soon, the slimes bloated, expanding to an abnormal size. As their membranes popped, a rain of goo, slime and acid spread around the hole, fire spreading faster than she could follow as more and more explosions followed. Jennifer ran, the ground shaking with tremors as the explosions continued to build, dropping even more slimes.

She jumped, rolling behind the rock she'd left her friends behind. “[Lunestone: Guard]” she cried, using her skill as she gulped down another mana potion, spreading the spell to cover the whole section around them.

The explosions continued, soon turning into an expanding circle of flame. Acid and fire goo spread along the walls as the cloud of dust rose. Rumina tried to say something, but it was lost in the explosions as they continued building to a crescendo. Then it happened.

A large singular blast sent a shockwave that shook the ground under them, cracking the walls and shaking great boulders loose.

Jennifer felt her guard spell straining, and she poured all her mana into it, trying to keep the spell stable. She waited, a cloud of dust still swirling where the explosion had been set off. Which was their entire vicinity outside her shield, as far as Jenn could tell.

“Did we get it?” Rumina asked.

Jennifer gave a tentative nod and let her guard dissolve as she took a step ahead.

“I think so, doubt the beastie made it through that” Gavril said, smirking.

Jennifer smiled back before turning towards where she'd last seen it when she heard the Mark send.

Jennifer froze as her [Minor Danger Detect] thrummed, a screech spreading through the area. She stared as the snake crawled through broken stone and the still dusty air, bleeding from burnt and broken scales as bloodshot eyes stared at her. It hissed again, a pulse of poison aura washing over them.

“Rotten rat skulls,” Gavril cursed, and Jennifer swallowed.

Yep.

The snake lurched, green fangs of poisonous aura aiming straight towards them, Jennifer tried to call her guard once again, but the spell matrix broke apart in moments. Jenn tried to scramble back, but her foot got caught in an outcropping. She tried to shake it loose as she watched the fanged mouth of death descend towards her face.

Thud.

The snake crashed into a translucent barrier, green poison coating it. Jennifer's foot shook loose and she stumbled a step back, her heart thundering as she saw the snake hiss. Then it launched itself towards her, colliding against the barrier once more, bouncing off of the protective surface.

the mark said, and she could almost hear it’s resolution. it sent, the thought whispering seductively in her mind.

the not-voice asked, and she felt her mark grow hot. Magic gathered in her hand, swirling in a whirlpool. The mark began to glow, invisible tendrils spreading through the chamber, and even though she couldn't see where they went, she could feel them reaching out towards the mark nearby.

it asked again. Jennifer moved a step back, looking at the now slowly crumbling barrier in front of her against the snake’s barrage of attacks.

she sent back, and a string snapped into place. Jennifer let out a hiss of pain, as the magic swirled once more in her hand. Similar to when she'd gotten her mark. It shifted, changing, drawing a new line across her hand.

She looked at her hand, the mark, having subtly shifted, the top crescent moon grew a curving line at its end within which, jagged lines ran, pitch black in color unlike her own mark. She felt a connection grow, the presence of the other mark now stable in her mind, its thoughts flowing into her own.

it sent, an odd clicking tone to its voice now. Jennifer acknowledged the information. She felt it searching, as pieces shifted around and images went through her mind, too quick for her to follow.

Jennifer moved back away from the snake, the beast now trapped inside the translucent protective dome. It hissed slamming around as the barrier shuddered.

the mark sent back, the strange quality to its voice changing, shifting to something more familiar as it spoke in words.

the message cut off as a wave of green washed over them. Jennifer felt the scratches on her arm sting, the skin darkening. The barrier shattered into pieces as the snake hissed in triumph. Its aura oozed anger as it launched itself towards them.

“Shit, prepare yourself!” Jennifer shouted as she summoned a pair of glass shards, enchanting their edges. Wind stirred around her, restlessly moving as the glass shards rotated. Gavril took his own dagger out, the blade large enough to qualify as a short sword. Rumina moved through the shadows, a single glimmer of her enchanted blades the only sign as she struck the snake from far.

the voice said, reverting to using concepts, and Jennifer felt a pulse of magic shake the area. The ground trembled as rocks and pebbles floated into the air. They hung there just long enough for Jenn to question what was happening before they shot towards the snake.

Jennifer let the wind swirl around her, shooting herself sideways as she moved her glass shards around, letting them launch with a pair of mana bolts. As she weaved another pair, the snake hissed, the green colour washing over its body as its aura deepened. Fangs made of aura snapped her projectiles, and the beast screeched as it’s aura moved, and another snake formed of aura took shape around it. The moment it was complete, the phantom beast flew across the area, flying straight at Jennifer.

Jen yelped and leapt to the side, pushing wind around her to speed her escape. “What was that?”

squeaked the voice in her mind. the voice exclaimed and she saw the rocks rising once more, attacking the snake. Jennifer pulsed her magic, letting her glass affinity tinge her Agile Wind spell. The matrix shifted as tiny shards of glass manifested around her, the wind now swirling harder around her forming a storm of glass.

Jennifer charged her glass with mana, launching off glass tinged mana bolts at the phantom. The beast twirled through the air, its tail flicking at her as it curved, diving towards her.

Her bolts shattered upon hitting the snake, its form wavering as the magic in her spells disrupted its aura. The snake moved in with a whip from its tail, and Jennifer tried to dodge, but the tail hit, cutting through her armor as pain blossomed near her waist. Jennifer hissed, her gut churning from the pain as she felt the blood flow.

She saw the phantom snake move, the aura spreading its poison as the gash darkened. The aura intruded into her body, moving through her blood as it fought against her mana, eating it away.

Anxiety and panic took over, and Jennifer pulled all her mana in, trying to expel the poisonous aura. Her mana churned, coiling and moving against the poison magic, and Jennifer shot off with a burst of wind, away from the phantom.

“Rumina!” she heard Gavril scream as fire erupted nearby. Jennifer’s heart dropped as she saw her friend fallen on the floor, Gavril fending off the snake’s incessant attack.

Jennifer pulled all her mana together, as she weaved another spell. Glass magic flowed through her, tiny shards of glass forming around her body. She felt the spell forming, shifting in layers, as the glass and poison churned together. The spell matrix began to quaver, trembling as it started to crack.

I need more.

She reached out to the bond, the link tying her to the mark. She pulled on it, the magic resisting her attempts. Confusion spread through the bond, the magic wavering. But then the resistance stopped as magic began to flow once more.

The blood on her waist froze, turning to glass as it fell toward the floor. The snake turned towards her, sensing the forming spell and it shot off, launching itself. The phantom moved with it, as both snake and spirit surrounded her, leaving her nowhere to run.

Which was fine. She was done running.

Jenn raised her hand, a red and white ball glowing above it. She felt the magic, volatile and unstable, ready to blow. Then, with a small tug, she let it loose.

Glass Wind Blades.

Bright light filled the area, as Jennifer was thrown away. She screamed as the mana paths in her hand burned from the overload. Glass covered the floor, spikes rising as blades swirled in an inferno of light. The beast screamed as its body was ripped apart by a storm of glass, the phantom dissolving somewhere amidst the explosion of blood and glass.

Jennifer collapsed, her legs failing to hold her up as blood filled her mouth and she coughed, spitting it out. Her eyes spun, as she pulled her body up, something flowing through the link that joined her and the Mark. But she was too disoriented to understand anything.

The glass storm soon settled, leaving multiple small crystalline shards of glass lying all around her. The snake twitched, its mouth moving as a weak hiss escaped. But the beast remained still, blood pooling under its body.

Her eyes turned towards Gavril, the boy standing behind a barrier, as he supported Rumina. Jennifer pulled herself up, her whole body screaming in agony as blood flowed freely from her wounds. She avoided looking at her arm. Seeing the dripping blood from the corner of her eye and the lack of sensation from it was bad enough.

Jennifer walked to stand near the snake. The beast’s eyes glowed as it hissed lightly, its tongue flicking out. Jennifer summoned her blood shard, the glass now the size of a small dagger as it feasted on her blood. She crouched near the large snake as it bared its fangs at her, yellow eyes looking into hers. It knew of its approaching death.

Raising her hand up, she stabbed the snake through the head. The glass pierced the flesh easily, like a sharp enchanted blade. Dark blood dribbled through the beast's mouth as it twitched, its whole body spasming once before it stopped, death finally taking hold.

Jennifer shuddered, nausea overwhelming her from the sensation of parting flesh, but she ignored it, standing as she made her way towards her friends. She limped, taking a healing potion out and drinking it. Her wounds closed, an itching sensation covering them. The potion would do little for her busted mana pathways, but it would prevent death from blood loss.

Jennifer paused once more, as she coughed up black bile, the poison coming out of her body now that it’s source was dead.

the mark sent, as Jennifer ambled next to Gavril.

“You alright Jenn?” the boy asked, leaning as he let Rumina down on a nearby boulder.

“Do I look alright to you Gavril?” Jennifer spat back, somehow finding the energy even now to retort at him.

“M’bad, you sure grew... a lot stronger though,” Gavril said as Jennifer’s eyes drifted towards Rumina.

“She’s alright. That barrier thing protected her when the snake came flying. You... on the other hand do not look so alright to me,” he said, concern flashing on his face as he examined her.

“Mana backlash. I suspected it would happen with an unstable matrix, but I’ll live,” Jennifer said, as she walked ahead and sat down with a thump next to Rumina.

“Can you keep an eye out... I need a moment to rest,” Jenn said, shifting against the rock.

The boy nodded, walking a bit further away.

the mark sent, and Jennifer sent a feeling of acknowledgement back, too exhausted to form words.

She felt the mark move, drawing closer to where she sat. Jenn frowned when she felt it descending on her from directly above and she almost jumped when she felt something fall onto her head.

A spider jumped onto her hand, its white fur glowing slightly, and she saw a dark Mark, similar to what she got with the bond on its back.

the spider sent, waving its front legs, black beady eyes blinking at her.

Jennifer blinked back, staring at the spider. Her mind felt clouded as her eyelids drooped down. A spider? How is... I’m too tired for this. Jennifer brushed the spider off, a squeak of protest sounding within her mind.

But she barely heard it, leaning back with a sigh. Her eyes forced themselves closed as she descended into the oblivion of sleep. Maybe it would all make more sense when she woke up.