Locking eyes with the Twin Ringed Soul Serpent, Sage choked down a terrified gasp and stayed silent. The decades of relative safety in the Holy Flame Sect had settled in and returned him to the peaceful living of his previous lifetime working in an office. Reflecting upon his choices, he realized that the time he spent as an Assistant learning different professions reminded him of his college days. Learning, studying, taking tests and doing simple jobs to earn money on the side. Then, he’d finally had to settle down and chose to focus his studies, just like choosing a major in school. After that he felt like he’d earned himself a peaceful office job, writing code and enjoying life.

Staring down that deadly serpent snapped him out of the safe and mundane life. Instantly bringing him back to that state of near death he’d faced so many times out on the road running for his life. Time seemed to slow down and he felt like he could count the scales on the serpent’s head, an ebony black tongue flicking out to taste the air. The soft whirring sound that the rope dart made cutting through the air started to slow its rhythm. The adrenaline pumping through his body and heightening his perception. Ready at any instant for the snake to strike, Sage gathers his Qi and sends an order to the Silverbee Queen.

The Silverbees had been his linked Spirit Insects for more than two decades, he’d gone through three different Queens during that time. One had died of old age while the other two were lost in combat. Each Queen took only a few months to be raised to the same rank as himself and so they became his most powerful weapon in times of need. Just like always, he would hold the Queen in reserve and send out the whole hive to combat his foes at the most opportune moment. Just like now, he seemed ready to face the Snake’s strike but in reality all of his body was ready to send the rope dart out as a distraction while he dodged away. The Silverbees bunching up near the many small holes that would allow them to exit his body.

It took a dozen tense heartbeats before the Twin Ringed Soul Serpent finally made its move, coiled up like it was about to leap forward and strike at Sage, but that was a ruse. Serpents had always been known for their cunning and this one was no different, darting forward towards Sage it moved in the same direction a lunging strike would but kept its full body upon the ground. A coiled strike instead changed into explosive acceleration as it darted forward and then slithered to the side, suddenly slipping right over the edge of the Lake of Souls and dipping into the black water. Disappearing from view before Sage could even react.

The black water of the Lake of Souls was quite thick, seeming to behave more like a viscous oil than clear water. The snake disappearing into the water seemed to disappear instantly and as Sage tracked it with his Spiritual Sense he found that the water seemed to block his senses altogether. He turned towards the water and slowly backed away from it, keeping his stance strong and steady, not wanting to make any openings that the snake could exploit.

Hiss!

Sage threw himself to the side, the rope nearly falling from his hands as he dodged the Ghostly Snake that he’d seen earlier. The apparition had assaulted him behind as his attention was on the water looking for the Twin Ringed Soul Serpent. The bronze ring of his rope dart was looped around his wrist as he crawled and somersaulted rapidly away from the incorporeal snake. Gaining some distance before hopping back to his feet and resetting his hold on the rope dart. Shooting the flaming dart at the snake to keep it at bay. I forgot about that Twin Soul.

The Twin Ringed Soul Serpent was known for two things. First, it rarely ever reproduced. Its eggs were dormant and instead used as a life saving device. When the snake got old or severely injured its Soul would leave its body and enter the egg, being reborn anew. Secondly, the Twin Ringed Soul Serpent could create a twin of its soul. This ghostly twin can leave the body and attack other creatures by swimming into their spiritual seas and biting at their soul. The soul houses the consciousness and if it was gone the body would enter a coma. The Twin Ringed Soul Serpent can feed on souls to strengthen itself as well as feed on the comatose body to strengthen its fleshly form. The Twin Ringed Soul Serpent can even reform its Twin Soul if it gets destroyed in battle, but the most terrifying ability it held was its venom. The venom of the Twin Ringed Soul Serpent actually attacks Spirit Power. The Spiritual strength that would be used to defend the soul from attacks is weakened by its venom. The Twin Soul is incorporeal and is unaffected by most attacks, once the venom has corroded the spirit it has an even easier time feasting upon a soul.

Sage’s back was covered in cold sweat, watching the movement of that ghostly soul snake swimming through the air and attempting to herd him towards the black water. He knew that as soon as his back was turned that black serpent would lunge out of the water and attempt to poison him. Taking an even more defensive stance, he spun the rope dart over his head horizontally, tilting it forward and extending the rope to make a ten foot wide shield over the top of his head. He varied the speed of its rotation, sometimes making slow swooping circles and other times rapidly buzzing it around to create an unpredictable pattern. At the same time he was forced to retreat rapidly every time the Twin Soul circled around him to try and make his back face the water.

He was pushed further and further back until he neared the corner of the Lake of Souls and the Twin Ringed Serpent had to strike while he was still near the water. Sage had his left side facing the water, keeping the Twin Soul to his right and having to backpedal so it wouldn’t circle around him. The Twin Ringed Serpent suddenly burst out of the water to his left and the Twin Soul changed course to dart towards him at the same time. The pair attacking him in unison, Sage couldn’t avoid them both. Rolling to the right, he threw himself into the Twin Soul, grasping a length of the flaming rope between his hands and whipping it against the Twin Soul to weaken it before he dove against it.

At the same time, he released the Silverbees that had been waiting in reserve this whole time. Tens of thousands of them swarming out where he was previously standing. Each of them three times larger than a normal honeybee and clogging the area around the Twin Ringed Serpent’s body. Sage was gambling that he could survive the assault of the Twin Soul, as he knew that if he was to get poisoned by the venom of the serpent, the Twin Soul would only have an easier time attacking him.

Within his Spiritual Sea.

Sage’s incorporeal soul floated listlessly over that dark churning water of his spiritual sea. The turmoil of combat had riled up the sea like a storm. Suddenly, in the distance, an immense Serpent made of the same incorporeal stuff as his own soul, slithered into view. The serpent was no longer indistinct here like in the outside world, seeming just as real and detailed as the Twin Ringed Soul Serpent did in reality. A dark shadow with a blue glow surrounding it, if compared to the size of his own soul the Serpent was like an anaconda, thick and over twenty feet long. It floated towards his soul and circled around it. Tightening the net with each turn and seeming to want to constrict around him.

He knew that the only defense he had here was his spiritual power, so he gathered it up. Sage’s only hope was that practicing so many professions for so long had strengthened his spirit power enough to give him a chance. Gathering the invisible and formless spirit power that was normally used like a soft net to sense the world around him, Sage squeezed the power into a tight line and held it like a blade. Most professions used special techniques to manipulate spirit power whether it be to manipulate the shape and temperature of flames, look for the weak points in objects, carve array symbols, delicately manipulate tiny objects, affect sound waves, or any number of other methods, they were all very specialized.

Sage could only regret not having spent the effort to purchase and learn any techniques to defend his soul. All he could do was roughly form a weapon using the experience he had with other spirit power manipulation techniques. He lifted his hand up high into the air, rotating the blade of spirit power in the hand of his soul, ready to stab it downwards. The other hand of his soul extended out towards the Twin Soul’s head. He was ready to catch a bite on his arm or hand in order to push it downwards and keep it from wrapping around his upper body. He knew he was going to take some damage, but as long as he could keep his other arm free that blade of Spirit Power could deal it right back.