"What in the hell was that!?" Vocal yelled as she looked at the long beast halfway to Robert's core.

"I don't know?" Robert replied. They were too busy watching the battle between the elf and their monsters to really pay attention.

"Right, I forgot you've never seen these things before, they're called a snake," Vocal said as she carefully floated above and made her way to Robert's core. Being careful not to disturb the snake and have it eat her.

"Really now? It isn't some long thing?" Robert asked.

"No, and believe me. There are much longer things than this," Vocal said to herself, snickering slightly as she did. The snake slightly twitched and made a sound as she was passing over its head. Vocal quickly became as a still as a rock.

The snake slowly lifted its head up and turned around, Vocal carefully backed away from its head, making sure not to be anywhere near its face.

As she made her way up the ceiling. Robert suddenly shouted in her mind.

"Holy hell! That thing came from nowhere, what even is that? Some sort of weird-looking bug? Thanks for the word 'hell' by the way. It's really neat," Vocal let out a sudden scream at Roberts shout.

Immediately the snake looked up, staring directly at Vocal. Vocal's face started to return back to her silver color for several seconds before she immediately bolted for the entrance of the dungeon.

And bolted like literally, sparks of magic were coming out of her as she shot forward. Making ten feet in under five seconds instantly.

The snake quickly gave chase. Uncurling itself and shooting forward in a quick slithering motion. Brown energy rolling off it along with an unfamiliar green-yellow substance.

The Ideal of Poison. The Goal of Poison. The Image of Poison.

Robert felt almost deep and utter dread as the magical power flooded out of the snake, interspersed with their own.

Robert's attention turned to Vocal, who had nearly made it to the entrance and then stopped.

Robert focused on that area, just in time to see the remains of the wave of fire that had swept through the area like a torrent.

The bodies of all of Roberts bugs were cooked. Their exoskeletons cracked and broken, revealing an expertly cooked interior.

The man who had entered the dungeon first. Was now a bubbling pile of flesh faintly in the likeness of what he looked like before.

His flesh was black and expertly cooked, with several odd red coloring laced around the corpse. The face of the elf was almost completely burned off. With the only thing remaining being that of where the mouth should've been now letting out a silent shriek. And the nose having folded in on itself.

The creature that had done this was only a foot away. It flapped its large crimson wings with a powerful force, the hidden muscle inside it thick and strong.

While its crimson feathers, attached to the wing, soared through the air. The very essence of cooking with fire seemingly engraved in them.

The creature's large red eyes stared at the corpse with nothing but satisfaction, and its beak was curled up in that of a strange face shape. a 'smirk' and a poor one at that.

Robert looked around themself for a second. They had heard a voice, they swore. Robert's attention was glued back to their entrance when Vocal let out a terrified scream. She shot back towards where the snake was in a mad dash.

The beast looked at the fleeing silver companion and its eyes and beak twisted into an unfamiliar facial expression. Robert would in the future, associate that face with whenever someone was going to do something very illegal.

The beast raised its wings and swung them. Shooting out a salvo of flaming crescents towards Vocal.

That's when the snake shot out of the darkness. Taking the blast of fire, its scales turning blindingly red at the strike. Before it opened its mouth, Unfurling nearly a dozen teeth, each once with a single amber droplet.

The snake swung its head, the droplets shooting forwards and landing on the beast flapping near the entrance.

Snek had been looking for a home when he found it.

The cave near the meadow.

It had called out to Snek, and so Snek went.

He had traveled through the small meadow, careful to make sure no bird swept forward and caught him.

And so Snek had entered the cave, and it had instantly welcomed him.

The food it would offer Snek was amazing.

Odd colored fuzzy things which when he ate. While often hit by a disgusting taste for a second, let him see an incredible sight. One of odd colors and sights and smells. Just like the shows the elder Snek's had done before. Showing off their intricate poison that had taken them decades to craft and cultivate.

It made Snek remember happy times before he was banished before he was disowned. And before all of his once friends had died.

It gave Snek meaning and happiness. And to add to that, Snek's poison had been upgraded.

The things the cave had fed him filled Snek with power. A power that Snek gave to his poison, a power that turned the once weak and feeble snake who had only survived through luck and trickery into a beast.

A power that had given Snek the power to fight his elders. If they were still alive that is.

So when Snek had smelled the cooked and burning flesh of the new creatures the cave had made to protect Snek. And when Snek had felt the dark emotions that ran through the cave for the first time since he came here. He had to act.

Snek was regretting that last decision.

Snek was grateful to the cave and all its luxuries. But this was not something he would fight.

But it seemed he had to. For good or for worse, Snek had to fight the Forest King.

The beast that had slain their greatest elder and let Snek's birth home fell.

Snek was regretting not signing his will now.