‘If it wasn’t the heat of the fields, it was the damn mugginess.’ Tom thought to himself as he was slogging up and down the flooded rice fields in front of his home. It was something that had to be done every harvest and if he was being honest with himself he didn’t mind it. The cool water in the front of his property was a nice contrast to the hell that was in the back. The work at this point wasn’t too hard either -

*SLAP*

Well if he did have any complaints, it’d have to be the damn mosquitoes that the large bodies of water attracted. “Lil’ bastard,” he mumbled.

He continued his march and waded in between the rows and columns of rice, making sure none had been damaged in the irrigation process. If they were, he’d happily pick them and toss the grassy plant over his shoulder. He had himself a small collection of the rice plants bouncing on his shoulder when he’d heard it. The sound of water moving. The sound wouldn’t have bothered any other person, but Tom had learned a lot from working the fields. One of those things was that once the floodgates were opened, they continued to pour until the fields were flooded out properly, at which point once the water level was at the same level of the corks - the flooding stopped.

After years of farming, he knew that the water was at the appropriate level, there wouldn’t be any more water coming into these fields. This knowledge was exactly why the sound of moving water was a sound that Tom really didn’t want to hear right now.

*WHOOSH*

‘Yeah, no thanks.’ Tom said aloud as he turned and tried to wade out of the fields. He heard the water again and looked back. HIs fear had been realized as he saw a hump of water turn into his row and make his way towards him.

“Shit, shit, shit.” Tom said as he tried to move faster. The mud beneath his feet made the movement difficult and awkward. ‘The kid’s out back, at least Mary Sue and Jim Jim were safe in the house,’ he thought to himself. A large mouth with recurved teeth burst out of the water and Tom felt a sudden wave of pain on his arm. He tried to scream but the hug of death had already begun and he found himself at a loss for words.

‘No one’s even gonna know anything happened until it’s too late,’ he thought to himself. ‘Well at least I had a good life.’ His head slumped down. He’d always known farming out here was risky and this type of stuff was just a part of the bargain, the fine print on the contract. He thought of his wife and baby, and in a split second, imagined what their lives would be like without him. Years passed and Jim Jim grew up without his guidance, his wife staying single - her loyalty never faltering. The grip around his body slacked a little bit as it prepared itself to tighten even harder - he didn’t even feel the bite of the massive snake latched onto his arm anymore. He flexed his body with every fiber in his being and gave himself just enough time to take in a deep breath and yell with everything he had. It was a sound he didn’t even know he could make as his vision faded.

Skill: Shadow Step

Use stamina to quickly cover distances in a single step. The amount of stamina used is affected by the distance traveled. Shadow Step is limited to eyesight. This skill can be used to phase through solid objects using this skill. A shadow MUST be present in order to “step” into it.

Asher appeared next to Mary Sue, as if phasing out of her shadow in a full sprint. She was surprised to see him seemingly pop out of reality and stumbled a bit from it. She looked back towards where Asher had originally appeared next to her only to see that he had appeared next to the house and watched him dash off to the front of the property.

Time was of the essence, the scream had ended just as quickly as it came and that wasn’t a good thing. Asher sprinted to the front of the house to find a large writhing coil of flesh, some of it on land, some of it still submerged in the fields. Tom had almost made it out safely. The mound of flesh convulsed and rolled, Asher could see Tom's pale face, veins bulging in his head. It was only when Tom had managed to make eye contact with Asher, that he snapped back to reality.

Skill: Shadow Step

Use stamina to quickly cover distances in a single step. The amount of stamina used is affected by the distance traveled. Shadow Step is limited to eyesight. This skill can be used to phase through solid objects using this skill. A shadow MUST be present in order to “step” into it.

The sun was high in the sky so the shadows were ever-present in the area, including the massive snake’s own shadow. Asher appeared next to the serpent, already swinging the sickle, and slashing into the snake’s body. The hit felt weak, it felt wrong. It was something inherent that he could feel, and it felt as if this weapon wasn’t right for him. Luckily with the sudden attack, the massive snake laxed its grip on Tom, loosening its coils from the man’s body and releasing its bite. The massive snake looked at Asher, the serpentine pupils in its head shrinking and dilating as it refocused on its new target.

Asher wasn’t as large of a meal as Tom, but Tom wasn’t trying to actively cut the snake open from head-to-tail either. The massive creature understood this on an instinctual level and had basically abandoned Tom’s limp body where it had originally attacked him. Halfway in the water, halfway out of it, Tom was in rough shape. Much to Asher’s relief, he did see the man taking in shallow breaths. It seemed he didn’t have to worry about a repeat attack on the man as the massive head of the snake tracked Asher and each of the steps he’d taken while circling around the large beast in a clockwise direction.

Revenant had been observing Asher from a distance at the request of his Guild Master. Things appeared to be uneventful as far as this job was concerned. None of these things were new when fresh members were sent out here for the first time, the boy seemed to be going through all the formalities. Meeting the client, learning what his duties were, and how to execute them. Revenant did take note that the young family seemed to take a liking to the boy and showed some interest in him, at least more than they’d typically show the others who were sent out to protect them.

He watched as Tom showed Asher around the property and flooding the fields, he saw them disappear into the house for a bit, and he watched as Asher worked the ember fields diligently. He took note at the ridiculous speed Asher was able to harvest. He was easily doing the amount of work that a full team of their lower ranking members - the ones typically sent here - could manage. ‘Could I keep up?’ Revenant thought to himself.

Asher was nothing short of impressive in Revenant’s eyes and he even watched as the wife of the farmer brought the boy something to drink. He imagined at this pace that the work could be done a day or so sooner than usual and the two of them would be able to return to Sanctuary with the satisfaction of completing the tasks that had been assigned to them.

As Revenant thought all this, he was quickly humbled. As great as Asher may be, he’s only one person, and one person can’t be everywhere at once. Revenant had been scanning the entire property out of habit and as he looked to the front where the now-flooded fields were, he saw it. A hump of water moving quickly for the farmer, Tom. Revenant put his hand on his rapier and prepared to move, but suddenly stopped. He was ordered to observe, and only help if he saw that Asher couldn’t handle it on his own. He watched as the massive snake latched onto Tom, quickly coiling itself around him and squeezing the life out of the man. The tight grip he had on his rapier caused the leather gloves he had on to creak. He watched as Tom managed to let out a deafening yell before going limp. This man was a massive asset to Syndicate operations in Benetia, he couldn’t simply let him get eaten. He’d face the consequences later, after the man was alive and out of harm’s way.

Just as he resigned himself to, at the very least, get Tom to safety - he saw the flash of metal in the sunlight. In what seemed like no time at all, Asher had covered the distance between him and Tom, and went on the offensive. Revenant saw no hesitation in the boy as he watched the snake release Tom and the two - man and beast - circle each other.

Feeling the weakness of the sickle on his initial surprise attack, and with no one around to see, Asher opted for a much better weapon. He dropped his sickle and pulled his dagger from his inventory.

Citiad’s Legacy: This dagger - formed from the fang of Citiad, the Black Dragon, has the chance to afflict a powerfully acidic venom. Since the venom itself is a very strong acid, wounds can be expected to corrode for a short duration after impact. The owner of this dagger becomes immune to acidic damage. (Growth Item)

They both moved, but Asher was a little bit faster. He sprinted in and stabbed the dagger into the massive snake. It slid in like a hot knife through butter, if that hot knife was the extracted tooth of a huge dragon and that butter was bubbling flesh that smelled like swamp water with a tinge of acid mixed in. He pulled the dagger out and readied himself for his next attack.

Asher had spent a fortune’s worth of gold, at least by any commoner’s standards, on padded leather armor. He was told it was the best armor he could get his hands on, excluding magical gear, this was top of the line. He’d made it a habit to wear the gear beneath normal clothes, so as to remain inconspicuous. He’d put in all this effort and invested a decent bit of his money, so it was a surprise when he found the recurved teeth of the snake piercing through his skin. The fight was off to a bloody start as they were both successful in their attempts to harm the other.

Asher moved off to the side, but still stayed within close range of the snake as he plunged his dagger into another part of the snake’s body. The dagger didn’t go in as deep as his last strike, but the amount of Citiad’s venom he was pumping into this thing’s body was more than making up for any deficiencies on his end. He pulled his dagger out, leaving behind another bubbling, stinking, hole for a wound. The poison was beginning to do its work, it made the snake’s movements a little sloppier as it went and bit at the spot where Asher had previously been standing.

Asher tried to capitalize on his opponent’s groggy state and as he went to move in to deal another venom-infused blow, he found himself face down in the mud. He wasn’t paying attention as he pushed off the slick floor, and a mouthful of mud was the reward for it. The snake was thrashing about, trying to shake off the effects of the venom. It failed to make any meaningful attack as it made its bite attack, lagging a little behind and unable to keep up with the small human that had seemingly vanished before its eyes.

Asher gave thanks to whatever gods existed in this world as he saw the hulking figure of the snake’s head and neck hovering above him as he looked up from the mud. He quickly pushed himself up out of the mud and jammed the dagger in the snake’s side. He wasn’t doing a lot of damage, but it was beginning to add up. The snake didn’t seem to enjoy Citiad’s venom as it thrashed some more and quickly tried to retaliate.

Moving at a blinding speed, the snake bit into Asher’s torso. The recurved teeth easily tore through leather and flesh. It was the most pain Asher had ever felt in his entire existence, and the first time he’d felt a sense of fear and danger in this new world. He coughed and a splatter of blood landed on the snake’s head as a small spray of red mist quickly filled the air and dissipated.

“RAHHHH!” Asher screamed out as he stabbed the dagger down near the area where the snake skull ended and it met with body. He felt the dagger go in and deliver its gift. The snake powered through the pain and began to wrap itself around Asher. It squeezed and squeezed. Asher felt the blood vessels in his eyes begin to pop and the veins in his face bulge. His vision was starting to turn red and fade as the blood began to pool in his eyes. He tensed his muscles trying to brute force his way out of the snake’s grip, but to no avail.

He didn’t want to die, he was scared. He’d been given a new lease on life and didn’t plan on losing it this soon. If only he could get this snake off of him. If only he were stronger. He was unable to swing his dagger again because the damn snake had begun layering its coils, effectively covering him completely inside of its embrace. He needed this damn monster anywhere but on him. He tried to struggle but it was ineffective as he felt the coils getting progressively tighter. Panic had begun to set in, the fear had set in and his vision had been completely sealed off by his own blood and being surrounded by a scaly body. It was dark, and smelled like iron, acid, and swamp.

He felt something well up inside of him, a source of power that began to run through his body. He watched as this light began in his core and spread into his limbs. He couldn’t see anything before, so this bit of dim light emanating from him was a welcome sight. At least he wouldn’t die in the dark.

“Die? In the dark?” he thought to himself. His fear quickly turned to rage, he thought of how porcupines kept predators from eating them. The light in his body began to consolidate back into his core after it had finished spreading out to all of his extremities. He could feel it, he didn’t know what ‘it’ was, but he just knew he had the power to bend things to his will. The power finished consolidating and had disappeared, at least visibly, he could still feel it there in his soul.

“G-GET OFF OF ME!” He screamed with all his might. He could feel that power in his soul and all around him as he envisioned surrounding himself with something sharp. The thing his mind had subconsciously selected were swords as they erupted from out of his own body and began spinning around him effectively turning himself into a blender. The snake, by its own nature, had no way of escaping from the magical blades that impaled it and the effects of Citiad’s venom didn’t help it either.

Each had given their all to make their own last stand. A brutal fight to the death that turned into a war of attrition, and luck. The coils had noticeably loosened around Asher, but Asher wasn’t struggling anymore either. The snake began to move a little, believing it had won the fight. It had never needed to experience this in order to get food, but it would enjoy eating this thing. It loosened its coils more and removed its bite from Asher’s torso as it slowly lifted its head up. Constrictors prefer to eat their meals starting at the head. It would eat this small meal and spend some time in recovery. There wasn’t much life left in the snake and it needed to retreat soon. It opened its mouth in front of the unconscious Asher, saliva dripping from its fangs and onto his face as it moved closer. Asher’s body would easily fit in the beast’s mouth.

Just as the snake was about to begin feeding, an arrow sailed through the air and found its home in the snake’s head. It fell to the floor and began making its death spasms as it completely released Asher from its grip.