It seems like I got myself transported to the starter village. Well, more like the gates…

Behind me is the Green-Forest, where Level 1 players go to in order to get some much needed Exp. In front of me is the village itself.

I can't see any human going around just yet, for in the game it is fairly early morning hour and the sun is just getting up in the sky.

I look at my new starter. The snake is small, no taller than my pinky. I place it on the ground – where the thing belongs and steps away.

The small snake wakes up the moment it touches the ground. It seems very excited about something, but, even if it reminds me of a little kid with how bouncy it's acting, I make sure to stay as far as I can from it.

Snakes and I never got along before no way we are going to get along now.

I can't rest easy in the presence of a real snake (unlike Medusa). Real snakes are dangerous, real snakes are vicious and… reallu shouldn't be giving humans puppy dog eyes. This one, does.

Now that I look at this bouncy, pinky-sized snake, I can feel my pride taking a had blow. I feel foolish to be so afraid of such a small snake, but no matter how stupid it makes me feel, I just can't face it bravely.

the fear I have is not something rational, I can't reason with myself to stop myself from feeling this useless fear.

While it's the truth that a normal amount of fear is even healthy, the amount I feel is considerably higher. It's almost paralyzing.

I have to cure myself of this fear in one month or I can kiss my dream job goodbye. Discounting the snakes, it is a dream job. It pays a lot, it's easy to do and it's actually located someplace near my apartment.

While I was having my internal crisis, the starter snake actually succeeded in coming closer. It scanned my with two piercing eyes and stopped when he reached my forehead.

Without my knowledge, on my forehead there was a symbol there that wasn't supposed to be. It was the symbol of the Snake Godess.

It looks like a snake with green eyes and black wings. It's rather small and hard to see with my hair covering it.

The little snake looks awed at seeing that mark on a human and it's mind races, trying to find a reason that could make it possible.

"Are you really a player?” the little snake asks. I blink, noticing how close it had gotten to me and not willing to let it get even closer. I nod slowly, not really sure why we are even having his coversation.

Taking a step back, I feel my legs starting to shake and my heartbeat speeding up. It starts to move closer to me again, not giving up no matter how much I show it that I want it nowhere near me.

The snake stops suddenly. It looks surprised at something. It looks at me with its' unnerving stare, "are you sure you are a player…?", I shift at his tone of voice. It sounds really suspicious and I don't know why.

Is it because I'm afraid of this tiny snake that it can't believe I'm supposed to be a player? Am I this pathetic that even a baby snake can look down on me?!

"Yes, I am very sure” I say challengingly, as if daring the little snake to say anything else insulting.

This is getting fucking ridiculous! This is a snake we are talking about! It's not even a real snake, since I don't know about you, but real snakes don't fucking talk!

Why am I getting this worked up about this?!

This fake-snake that I know I shouldn't let it get to me, looks like he doesn't believe me at all! This is beyond insulting, I feel so ashamed of myself that I can't even put it to words.

That's why, when he tries to move closer to me the next time, I hold my place. My body is rigid and my heart is all over the place, but I don't move the fuck back. I hold my ground, I don't back down, I stay just where I was before and let it come closer to me.

I feel bad, my face loses all color and I have to force myself to keep my eyes open. My body starts to shake and my breaths starts coming up in short swift intakes.

NO!

I'm better than that! I have to get better than that! For my fucking dream job, I will not back down and I won't let this rule me!

I turn to look at the little snake defiantly and our eyes meet.

I feel like he is judging me. When I look at him, all I can hear is words that never even left the little snake mouth and the single line that did - 'are you sure you are a player?'

I feel cheated. You are supposed to be easier to handle!

I don't know if it's the way I look at him, or that it felt it was close enough, but the little snake stops a few feet from me. It samples the air with its forked tongue for a second and I want to-

"But I can feel mother's blessing coming from you! You have mother's symbol on you forehead! You simply can't be a player!” the little snake says.

Well now, that didn't go the way I thought it would.

A blessing he said, while I do remember Medusa saying something like that, I don't get how having her blessing and not being a player are supposed to connect.

When Medusa said I'll have her blessing, I thought it was something like a figure of speech, like 'good luck' and nothing more. Appearently I was wrong.

Plus, the symbol on my freaking forehead?! what's the hell is it with that?

Fuck. This is unknown territory. This blessing could be more than I think. Hell, this symbol could be something like a snake magnet and I'll never know.

Frowning I shake my head, "Well, she gave me her blessing, but I really am a player” I say blushing. I can still feel her lips on mine.

"Mother will never give a simple player a blessing,” the little snake says in a bored tone. Suddenly, it freezes, staring into space, “she only does it with her favorite children”

It seems like something clicked in the little snake's mind at that moment, “could it be…?" the tone is again awed, "you are my little brother?”

W-wha…?

How the hell did you reach that conclusion you delusional snake! I am human! Do you not have eyes! Can you not see?! Even with infra-red sight, which part of my looks like a snake to you?!

However, the little snake kept on talking, his delusion taking on a whole new level, “did you lost your memories? Can this be it?" the little snake by now is only talking to itself.

Please... don't decide things like that without my input... I really am a player, you know.

"I finally see!" the little snake shouts, making a commution and making other player that are near look our way, "Mother is trying to guard you! And she blessed you to make us, her children, know you are our brother and so we should not to hurt you?!”

No.

N-O.

Completely wrong. You have too much imagination little snake. But still, no.

I am no snake, no matter how you look at me, "I'm pretty sure I'm just a normal player” I try to tell the little snake, but alas, it seems like it already made up his mind.

"You would think that" it nodded it's head sagely "because you lost your memories! Don't worry little brother, I will make sure you're safe!”, the little snake puffs his chest.

For something so small it sure thinks of itself as some kind of a big-shot…

'Anno... I think you got it all wrong', is what I want to say, but I don't think it will make a difference. This is a lost fight, isn't it?

Can it be connected to Medusa's blessing? Does it make all snakes act strange next to me? What am I supposed to do?

"Putting just how wrong you are aside," I get an evil snake-like look at that remark, "why am I supposed to be the little brother?" I say annoyed "There's no way you are older than me" I say a scrawl on my face.

The snake comes closer and again I step back.

"Would you stop doing that?" the little thing says, "I won't be able to reach you if you always step back!"

Sorry, I wan't really thinking... it's an in built action I believe, "Can't you… just, stay there?" my voice is nervous and a little fearful. I'm pretty sure that by now I'm reaching my limit. I don't want to feint so I'm going to keep my distance for now.

The snake stops and titles it's head, "why?"

Because snakes are fucking scary and I don't want to look like a fucking pussy and short-circute the moment you get in a 5 feet radius of me!

Is what I think, but no way I'll ever say that. I too, have my pride. There's no way I'm going to admit to something so embarrassing, not when the snake is no longer then my pinky and really can't do a damn thing to me... even his poison is kind of lame…

Deciding to take a page out of the delusional snake book, I finally say, "you see…" I hope with all my heart that NO ONE is going to hear what I'm going to say right now, "I am cursed, yes, that's it" I say pleased. I'm rather happy with myself to have found such convenient lie, "every time a snake comes close I-I," I really didn't want to use that word... "faint".

"A curse?!" the little thing looks insulted on my behalf, "someone placed a spell on you?! That would explain why you look like a human!"

What?

No, no, no! Not that again! And now there is no way to make the little thing will forget about it now, just fucking great. Rainbows and daises.

There is no way I admit to fainting because I am so afraid of snakes, at the same time, there is no way I'll agree with this thing's theory of being a snake.

"Maybe…", I concur.

Medusa, your blessing… it's really a curse, isn't it?

"I knew it!" the little snake starts dancing – I think it's dancing… maybe?

"I still say I'm the older one" I say while crossing my hands, there's so much shit I'm willing to take after all.

"But you are so tiny for a human!" the little thing says in protest, "you must be a hatchling" it doesn't move closer to me, even when it looks like it really wants to. Thankfully…

Well, it is kind of right… but that's only because that's how the game was designed. All Level 1 players look like little children, around three and a half or four I would guess.

It was made this way, to show everyone at a glance that 'this one is just starting', because no one can see what level the other players are.

This way high-level players won't even come close to low-level players.

Thankfully, it doesn't take much to reach a level where you don't look like you need diapers.

"W-well, that's because I, umm…", but how should I explain this to a snake?

Am I even allowed to tell him that he is nothing more than a code? He probably won't believe me anyways. After all, he didn't believe me when I told him I was a player.

So, what can I tell him? Maybe, my age? I can blame the way I look on the 'curse' can't I?

Yes! That's what I'll do! That will be perfect! I'll use that thing's logic against him! This way he wouldn't be able to keep calling me something so stupid and humiliating like 'little brother'! This will work perfectly!

I clear my throat, acting rather smugly "Well, because I'm twenty seven!" I puff up my chest proudly "I only look young, because of the curse!" I inform the little beast.

The snake shifts his head to the right. It looks as if he is thinking really hard about something. Probably trying to find something wrong with what I said, so he could continue calling me 'little brother', but this is all on you – you snake bastard! You've lost! This is my win!

"Silly hatchling!", what – again with that nickname! That's not fair! Why is he calling me that?!

By the way, I am not pouting right now, truly.

"You are truly a hatchling, thinking that twenty-seven is old" the snake bastard nods his head and I swear he's laughing at me, making that weird hissing noise.

I don't get it. Twenty-seven is old for… a human. Shit! I forgot the little thing still thinks of me as a s-snake, but how could I've known that for snakes (in this game? Because real-world knowledge is useless here) twenty-seven is only a child?!

Not fair. I lost to a fucking snake.

I – I give up…

"Whatever…" I sigh. This is so not fair. I glance at the beast's direction. Yep, still looking at me with those damn eyes. Fuck, I really hate myself right now.

"Don't worry little brother! I think I know just the person to break your curse!" the little menace called happily.

"I don't need to break the 'curse', what I do need is to get rid of my fear of s-snakes", there. I said it. I look up, Are your happy universe?!

"But, first we need you to be able to stay near us" the little snake says "this," it waves its' tail between the space between us "won't work".

"What we need are more snakes, so little brother could practice being near us once more!" the little snake declared happily. It didn't move closer and instead it started moving away, towards the forest.

You've got to be kidding me. Why don't you kill me now and get it over with?

"…", does this snake has a name? I don't want to keep calling him snake, I feel like shit whenever I even think of that word.

"I don't think that's such a good idea…" I make sure to sound well, sure. I need him to understand that we need to do this nice and slowly.

I didn't even visit the human village!

"Don't you worry about a thing little brother! Leave it all to me!" and he's ignoring me now. Great. Just what I fucking needed. Stupid lizard.

I take a huge breath. Inhaling as much air as I can, before exhaling it out. Ok, I can do this. This is going to work. All I need to do is to make him understand.

"No," I say firmly. He stops doing that funny looking snake dance and turns to look at me. And now he looks confused, because apparently snakes can pull a confused look as much as a human can. Fucking crazy game.

"You don't trust me…", why does he sound so – hurt? – "you probably hate me!" the little thing cries out in despair, "you think that I will lead you to a bunch of snakes" - wasn't that what you were planning to do - "and order them to attack you!"

Wha-

"Leave you there to die. To suffer the pain of our brothers' venom. To die painfully, one HP slowly draining out of you at a time. Paralyzed. Alone…"

What the actual fuck?!

What's going through that snake's mind! Fucking scary!

"Maybe you don't think I'll be able to keep you safe while we are on the road" it had the audacity to continue, "I know I'm weak! But the creatures here are no danger to us, I promise! My kin will help us along our way!"

Great, now we're having friendship speeches. Can this day get any better? Someone? Anyone?

I sigh. Loudly.

"Look. It's not that I hate you – I think you're even kind of funny," I tell him with a small smile, I start feeling a little better after he starts wiggling his tail again, "but I'm just not ready to face so many snakes all at once. Just you being you is spiking my fear like crazy and you are small and your poison – well, it's a really shitty poison, no offence"

"My vemon is not shitty!" the little thing yells at me, offended.

I huff disbelievingly. I did read your description "Hey, I'm just saying…", I raise my hand up in the universal sign of surrender.

The little snake says something, but I only catch the last sentance "...saying stupid things" it sounds insulted "Little hatchlings like you are nothing compared to me!" the snake brags quietly.

Nothing compared to you, heh? Little snake you are kind of getting on my nerves right now.

"Well, sorry for being a human", I mumble angrily.

"Don't worry – I forgive you. After all, that's not your fault" it says in that annoying tone of voice.

"So, you get what I'm saying?" I ask. The little snake nods his head hurriedly.

Suddenly, I feel this foreboding feeling in my gut. Something terrifying is going to happen. I look at the little snake while it thinks deeply.

"I understand" it finally says "you fear me less than the other snakes, so we will start lifting your curse starting with me", good, it seems like he gets it, "we can do that if we'll make me grow stronger and stronger and making you adjust to me", that's surprisingly a sound idea, "and the only way to do that is to go to the keep!"

The what now?!