???

“Where we going Big Brother?“

“Who cares, just run!”

Big Brother might be wise, but he does not know better of geography. This is the Uncharted Forest. I take peek at the papers mom has sometimes.

It says here is dangerous.

“A cave! Rai, in here!”

Big Brother leads me into cave. Cave is dry and warm, but we are still wet. Cave is not known to anyone. Not a new dungeon, it seems. A dead one, perhaps. Already have cart rails too.

[Low Detection]!

No monsters detected, we are safe. Cave still look dark and scary, but better than dangerous outside.

“Are you okay? You are not hurt are you?” Big Brother really cares for me. But I am fine. I just shake my head to disagree.

“We will need to check the mines. There must still be at least a few rags we can use.”

Mine looks old. Any rags here will be dusty. But dryness comes first.

I silently follow Big Brother as we go down the mine.

....

As we walk deeper into the mine, I recall the reason we run away.

Parents take us to big city, for education, also for trade. Elven tribe make good syrup and forest harvest, people like what we sell.

On the road, bad people came to take our stuff away. They shoot arrows and shoo horses away. Mom and dad defend but got caught. Big Brother pull me to run, so I did.

I hope mom and dad is okay. They have blood pouring out as they fight. I hate blood. It means pain and hurt. I hope bandits do not end them.

A few bandits chase us. Big Brother turn by a tree and dropped to the ground. While the bandits are confused, he jumps on one with a sharp stick, inserting it to his chest. Big Brother then take his blade, shooing the other Bandits.

Big Brother end one Bandit. But ending...killing? is necessary. He protects me.

Ending people must hurt. Much blood, much pain.

“The mine is inconceivably dark, I will have to use my light. [Light Source!]”

“Big Brother, what is that word? In conch fable?”

“Inconceivable. Think of it like this; If I say ‘really dark’, then it means darker than normal dark. If I say ‘inconceivably dark’, then it is even darker than ‘really dark’. It is similar to an exaggeration.”

“Big Brother, what is this ‘exact gration’?”

“Uhh, it is when you say ‘really dark’ when it is only normal ‘dark’. In basic, it means you define something as too much more than what it really is. For example, if you say 'the fire will burn a whole forest' when the fire is just a bit bigger than normal.”

“Oooohhh… Thank you Big Brother!”

“Yeah.”

Big Brother is really smart. He know lots of adult words!

“This cave is inconceivably dark!”

“Yes, Raseiniai, it is. Don’t use the word too often or it will lose its meaning.”

“Oh, ok.”

Big Brother ruffles my hair. I like it when he do that.

We walk quite long times. The rough dirt makes my feet sore.

“In here, Rai. A door!”

Big Brother opens door carefully and walks in. Do he not think there can be someone inside? That’s bad manners! I will have to remind-

“Rai, cover your eyes!”

What? Big Brother what happen- Oh.

“A person?”

“I TOLD YOU TO COVER YOUR EYES RAI GET BACK!”

What is he angry about? Big Brother can be without reason somethimes, but because Big Brother do not like when I don't do his words, so I turn my back.

Big Brother carry someone outside. I look at items here else of looking. A lot of books. They have big price.

Books are hard to make. Someone making must write hours for few papers. Person also need to join paper together. Hard work for much money.

Seems fair.

Big Brother tells me to get dry over the pile of rag. He move books away from bed.

[Spatial Bank]!

Big Brother is really great mage. Only on 25 years old and he can use [Spatial Bank], [Light Source], and [Low Biological Healing]. Elven mages supposed to have 25 years more to live before able to use more than one skill.

I am even more young, only 8 years old. I can use [Low Detection]. I am even better, my age on his age to my skill to his skills.

Remembering that, I forgot.

[Low Detection]!

…hm?

“Big Brother, I detect life near.”

“WHAT? WHY ONLY NOW RAI?”

“Sshh Big Brother they will hear you.”

“Oh, right. Where is the detection from?”

“Very near, left of the door.”

“Got it, I will be right back.”

Big Brother leave the room in hurry. He just do things when he thinks of it. It can get him the scold, or worse, the ending. Bandit might be outside.

But Big Brother enter room again. He says not problem. Only sleeping cave serpent

“If we kill the snake now the Bandits might just notice we were here.”

He is right. Aside of tracks they will know.

Big Brother make one strategy. We will walk out again, and then walk even more deep in. We walk on cart rails, so footprint not visible. Bandit will see footprint and think we run out.

Clever. Smart. As how Dad and Big Brother also is.

Big Brother take all items from the room. It is not polite. Maybe owner is ended? Dead? There is dust so there might not be anymore owner than the one person.

May you be given a peaceful next life, dead person.

We walk out again, carefully to not make sound. Bandit still around. Then we walk in again. This time on rail wood and rail iron.

We pass snake. Huh, snake is awake.

We pass room, and go even deeper.

I hope Bandits get confused by bait and leave. They say bad painful things are given to you when you are taken by Bandits. They will chain you and sell you to bad people, while hitting and throwing you around.

I don't want that.

Randy

The closer I slither onto the light source, the more disappointing it actually seems. Light isn’t nearly as interesting when you have reptilian eyes instead of humanlike optics.

I pass a couple of little elven kids. How cute, especially the little one. They don’t seem dangerous, so I let them be. The older one seems pretty smart; he keeps staring at me the entire way and is on edge everytime he's near me. They don’t seem to carry much, they must not be the house robbers.

That taller boy really gives me the creeps though. He looks at me like I’m about to pounce on him or something. The snake inside me screamed like hell, "ATTACK!! ATTACK NOWW!!! DANGEROUSS!!!"

With control from the human me, I’m able to remain calm.

Flick a tongue at them, and move on.

A bad first impression won’t do. I want to present myself as an innocent snake, or at least as of now. Who knows, I might need or meet them again.

I just want to relax and snuggle against myself every hour long. After all, with a "vacation" like this, one’s bound to want to enjoy it.

[Mana Vision] and [Trifecta] both detect something. A lot of people are outside the cave entrance. They seem like in the middle of foraging.

No. After closer inspection, it seems like they’re searching for something. Or someone?

Are they looking for the two kids I passed by?

There’s no way, right?

Remembering back of their appearances, they do seem a bit tattered and dusty. I also sensed mana movement from both of them. Might that be how mages track and detect each other? Well, I guess some senses are innate and a must when you can detect and manipulate Mana.

Now, about the people outside.

Two people are guarding the cave, they seem to peer inside but not enter in.

Differing from everyone else, I sense someone with actual mana movement in them. They look like a large muscular person. If I can gather that only from their mana outline, I wonder how jacked up that person really is.

One thing’s for sure; he’s the pack leader.

It would be really funny if he’s not, though.

….

Let me try this.

*tongue flick*

*flickflickflick*

The air smells….dusty.

Yeahh, mana senses are much more potent than most of my snake senses.

….

I’m on the cavemouth.

Now what do I do?

It’s dusk by now. They are setting camps to last the night. The guards from before are gone, I will presume they’re helping with the tents.

I’m going to slip out and see their operations.

These men…

They look like the raiders in those post-apocalyptic games, with coarse equipment consisting of whatever mismatch of whatevers they could find. A few campfires are lit, with tents surrounding them. The muscle man from earlier is inside a larger tent, with his personal campfire and guards even.

Yeah… No matter how and from whichever angle you look at it, these guys are your typical cliché raider bandits. Just great, first time out and it’s almost night, surrounded by bandits I assume are setting up camps to inflict attrition on those two kids.

Two people are walking on my direction. They must be the guards from earlier. They seem to be conversing.

I will need to hear how and what language they are talking with.

“Ngo aslah vanoto pratpo naa…”

“Ya ma, nada vanotopo lea rento megada hardina.”

“Daka ni talo, tokanalo nah giduta vanotore rentore.”

“Yaah, noto ni kartida revento maledoko rewinda zaski ma.”

Uhh….

Dammit!

I guessed right! There’s no auto translate! Argh, you fucking piss of a God, how could youu!!

Yeah, system. What’re you gonna do about it?

Yesss…

YEESSS!!!!

THIS IS IT!

THE AUTO TRANSLATE!!

[Yes, confirm translation]

Now, to eavesdrop on those two once more.

“….ver about us, it’s always about them.”

“Obviously, women are always like that. But actual love sex just feels different. Love sex actually feels, you know, more satisfying.”

“It’s just you man, people like you are rare. Usually….”

Whoa, okay, alright. The unimportant conversation aside, it feels really weird how I can sort of ‘hear’ them speak, like a dub over their original lip movements. At the same time, my 3-dimensional audio geometry is being messed up badly from the translations.

Due to my anatomy, perhaps?

I can think of it later, but for now; maybe those in the camps have better intel.

I sneak past their boots and into the treelines. With my small body, no one can notice me creeping by the woods like a stalker.

I slither a bit closer to one of the bonfires, in particular, the big boss’ private fire. As I have guessed, I can hear a lot of talks from inside. And I come at a fortunate time, too.

“SILENCE! You idiot lots can squabble outside my tent! Now listen here you maggots!”

Oooh, just like a drill sergeant, this guy is.

“We camp here for the night, and then enter by day. That cave was formerly a dungeon, some 50 years ago. Dungeons during the night has increased chance of monsters to appear, and they are tougher than regular. We can let those kids tire themselves out, and only then we grab them, preferably by dawn.”

“Won’t the kids die?”

“You see how those pricks evade and defend! They even killed Marash! If we weren’t paid to retrieve them, I would have personally chip their skin little by little!”

“But boss, even if they die, won't we still get paid?”

“Less than half, but yes. Those revolutionary leafheads still have uses for their bodies even if they’re dead. Sick bastards, but I’m not one to stick my nose in politics. Especially elven ones.”

“What about food, sir, we have been running on fumes since two days ago.”

“Scavenge for some, our pay can feed us for at least a week, or a month if we capture them alive. It will be our last deal on those nasty politics anyways, so we have to hang in there, UNDERSTAND?!”

“YES BOSS WE UNDERSTAND!”

“Make do for tonight, for we shall hold feast after it’s all over. And for once, the feast’s on me! CAN YOU SURVIVE THAT LONG, MAGGOTS?!”

“YES BOSS WE CAN!”

“Good, now get out! I need some sleep!”

This boss guy doesn’t seem like a half-bad leader. His underlings run out of his tent filled with motivation and rallies the other men to hunt for food. There seem to be some kind of disciplinary thing going on, like actual soldiers when they prepare to march.

Less of that, more on the other things he said. The kid killed someone? No wonder he kept looking at me back in the mine. He had killed larger fish before, and he’s weighing my size in that fish analogy.

Seems like I’m right on the bill, these guys really are hunting for the kids.

Now, I don’t know about whatever they are even talking about, or the reasons behind it. But the boy seems really adamant on protecting the tiny little girl. He must’ve killed for the same reasons. He did have this weird gleam of determination on his eyes. A careful stare to gauge on his enemy.

He is no ordinary boy, and neither this entire scenario is.

Not that it's original or something by any means, no. It’s pretty cliched, as far as these kinds of setting goes. I've seen a lot of these in novels and mangas.

And usually, the kids are on the right.

I will bet on it.

I’m still not keen on entertaining the idea of killing people. I will set up defences on the cave instead. And besides, won't it be problematic if word got out that a mage snake just emerged from a dead dungeon mine. I'll be the bane of everyone even before I actually do anything.

The problem with being an enemy of the whole area is not about power, it’s about how they have the numbers against me. They can whittle me down, and my MP isn’t infinite either.

That’s why I plan on trapping this entire Bandit Legion inside the cave instead. Looking by their setup, it doesn't seem like they're planning to have much stay outside of the cave anyways.

But first, I want to test the Fire Manipulation from [Trifecta]. I have this Big Boss Bonfire for myself, after all.

Fire seems to be akin to a dancing mana, generated by a ‘core’ in the fire, and it dissipates into regular mana as it emits away from it.

Grabbing a bit of that dancing mana, it dissipates into regular mana really quickly after I grab them.

I try it two more times before confirming I cannot grab the floating fire mana just like that.

Instead, I now try to grab a piece of that fire core. It's actually as easy as grabbing on regular mana. And it works too, the fire stays lit even as I flail it around.

I theorize that fire mana behaves more like the phlogiston theory of medieval ages instead of the chemical reactions we have in these modern days.

My former modern days...

I lob the fire core onto the Boss’ tent and scuttle away back onto the cavemouth, and into the cave. I doubt he will die just like that from some fire, but it will keep him distracted for the night. Him being a bit sleepier might very well be the key deciding factor within our eventual battle.

Now, it is time for me to bolster defences and set up traps.