A massive shadow blotted out the moonlight as the snake monster lunged. Its jaws gaped wide enough to swallow a horse whole.
"AHHHHHHH!" Luther shrieked, diving back with arms flailing. His crystal flared, summoning a quick blue shield that shimmered for a heartbeat before cracking under the force of snapping fangs. He barely rolled away as the beast’s teeth smashed into the dirt.
Sand exploded into the air. The snake hissed, pulling its head free of the earth with a violent jerk, scattering dirt and stone like broken glass.
Luther scrambled to his feet, clutching his chest.
"Not today! I refuse to be snake food today!" His voice cracked with panic. "I have so many better ways to die—preferably old, rich, and comfortable in bed!"
The monster rose, its massive head towering over him, eyes burning with venomous light. It hissed, tasting the air, before rearing back for another strike.
"Why is it always me?!" Luther bolted, legs pumping furiously. The snake roared and lunged, body crashing through the forest with thunderous force.
Luther leapt over a fallen tree, his breath ragged. The snake didn’t even bother to slither around—it smashed through the trunk like it was paper. Splinters rained down on Luther’s head. He glanced back once, whistling nervously in curiosity.
"Lovely! Absolutely lovely! Head harder than a steel shield, and it’s chasing me! If it wasn’t trying to kill me, I’d be taking notes on those scales!"
The ground quaked again as the serpent’s tail lashed forward, smashing where Luther had been seconds earlier. He yelped, skidding sideways into the dirt.
"Missed me, you overgrown belt!"
But the tail rose again, bristling with spikes. With a violent whip, the spikes fired through the air like arrows.
"Ah—nope nope nope!" Luther’s crystal pulsed blue as he conjured a shield, but the barrage still forced him into a messy roll. The spikes slammed into trees, exploding bark and wood. Luther screeched to a halt, dust coating his hair and face.
Panting, he threw his arms up at the sky.
"WHY is it always me in these situations?! Where in all the burning hells is Liliana when you actually need her!?"
The answer came too late. The snake was already on him, jaws yawning wide, rows of teeth gleaming in the dark.
"Fine! Enough of this!" Luther’s eyes narrowed, determination flickering beneath his fear. His crystal blazed as blue magic swirled up his arm, wind whipping his hair and clothes back. He braced himself, gathering the energy into a glowing sphere of raw power.
"You want a meal? Chew on THIS!"
The sphere expanded, growing brighter, the air itself humming with pressure. Just as Luther thrust his hand forward to release it
The snake’s side erupted as a massive blast of magic slammed into it from the flank. The serpent shrieked, its colossal body flung sideways until it smashed into a tree with bone shattering force. The earth shook.
For a moment, silence. The snake’s body sagged against the broken trunk, motionless. For more chapters visit novel fire.net
A sigh drifted through the clearing.
"...Was that really all it could take? For something so big, it went down far too easily."
Luther’s jaw dropped. He spun toward the voice, sputtering.
"Oh, perfect. Just perfect. As if I needed another problem!"
A figure emerged from the shadows to the left. Calm, composed, draped in a cloak with a travel bag slung over one shoulder.
If Luther didn’t know the book, he might have thought this stranger was just some wanderer passing through. But no ordinary wanderer would be foolish enough to step foot in the cursed depths of Envelon Forest. And no wanderer could drop a beast of that size in one strike.
Even cloaked, his presence radiated command. He looked more like a man on a casual evening stroll than someone who had just knocked a monster unconscious.
"And here," Luther muttered bitterly, "comes the walking headache himself."
Aithur dusted off his sleeve with a deliberate, aristocratic air, lips curving into a faintly smug smile. "You’re welcome."
Luther threw his hands up. sarcastic mode on "Oh, thank you, Your Grace! Truly, my day wouldn’t be complete without the wandering Grand Duke deciding to crash my misery parade. Why are you even here?!"
Aithur gave Luther a sharp glare. ’You’re a peasant, how dare you talk to me like that.
But before Aithur could reply, a sharp hiss cut through the clearing.
Liliana dropped from the canopy like a hawk, her blade flashing as she landed squarely in front of Luther. Her sword’s tip pointed accusingly at Aithur.
"You," she growled. Her eyes narrowed. "Why is the Lunati... duke here?" she corrected
Did she just almost call him a LUNATIC!.
Aithur raised a brow, clearly amused. "Is it now a crime to travel where I please?"
"Don’t play games." Liliana’s crystal gleamed as her own magic began to hum around her. "You’ve followed me again, didn’t you?"
Aithur only smirked, his gem glowing faintly. "And what if I did? Should I take that as concern or... disdain?"
Luther, caught between the two, slapped a hand over his face. "Oh, fantastic. Snake almost kills me, and now I get front row seats to a lovers’ quarrel. Just what I needed." He groaned.
Neither of them looked at him. The air between Aithur and Liliana thickened with power. Aithur’s cloak shifted as magic spiraled around him like a storm, his gem pulsing with violet light. Liliana’s sword shone brighter as her crystal flared, wind whipping her hair wildly.
The sheer pressure of their power ripped at the clearing. Leaves tore free from branches. The dirt beneath Luther cracked.
Luther stumbled back, arms flailing. "Hey—HEY! Could we not?! Some of us here still value our fragile, very breakable bodies! Save the showdown for somewhere that doesn’t involve me being flattened like a bug!"
But his words were drowned beneath the crackle of surging magic.
Aithur smirked, raising one hand lazily. "Care to test which of us breaks first?"
Liliana’s eyes sharpened like blades. "Gladly."
The wind howled. Luther shielded his face, teeth gritted. "Unbelievable! One snake isn’t enough—you two want to blow me up too? I need a raise. No, triple my pay if I survive this nightmare!"
A sound froze the air.
A low, guttural hiss.
Luther’s head snapped toward the shattered trees. His heart plummeted.
"...Oh, come on," he whispered.
The snake’s eyes flared open, burning crimson in the dark.
Its body coiled, shadow looming over them once more.
Luther groaned, his laugh strained, almost hysterical. "Perfect. Absolutely perfect. Mage versus swordswoman, and guess who gets eaten first? Me."
"Yeah. We’re all screwed."