A Snake's Path (A Snake's Life Book 2)

by Kenneth Arant

  "Find lady Fira and bring her here," Thor ordered.

  "Right away, sir!" The guard saluted, then ran off to obey his command.

  Thor waited a few seconds for him to leave, then grabbed the key off of the nearby wall, unlocked the solid iron door, and stepped into the cell. Once inside, he took off his leather vest, armbands, pauldrons, and the white shirt he wore beneath. All the while, he stared into the would-be assassin’s eye.

  Meanwhile, Loki stepped off to the side and somehow magicked a leather bedroll out of nowhere. He sat it on the lone table in the room and unfurled it, revealing a wide assortment of “questioning utensils.”

  "I do so hope you're more durable than you look." Thor held out a hand. Without looking. Loki placed a wicked looking dagger into it, then went back to fiddling with his toys.

  "You may just die before Fira even gets here," Thor finished with a cruel smile.

  A while later, a middle-aged blonde woman rushed into the cell and came to a stop at Thor’s side. "What have ya done now, ya foolish boy!? And you, why’d you let him take it this far?" she yelled at them. She dropped to her knees heedless of the blood now staining her white dress.

  "Sorry, I—Uh—made a bit of a mess," Thor said lamely.

  "A bit of a mess!?" the woman yelled. "Yer went far past 'A bit' of a mess!"

  Which was true. The would-be assassin's body was mangled almost beyond recognition. His arms and legs were bent in ungodly painful ways and a few bones were poking through the skin in multiple places, the skin on his face had been peeled off in various sized strips, and his right ear had been cut off.

  "You need to get that temper in check, boy!" she ranted, as she frantically worked to save the man's life, if only so he could be interrogated further.

  Thor watched her work in silence for ten minutes, before he re-dressed and said, "I'm sorry, Fira. But that little shit tried to take what's mine," Thor coldly said as he finished fastening his armor.

  The woman sighed and looked over her shoulder at him. "Did ya get whatcha need, boy?" she asked.

  “Unfortunately, not,” Loki said. “The poor bastard’s more stubborn than he looks.”

  "Then go find yer girl and leave him to me. I'll see what I can do to keep him alive, so you can try again tomorrow," she finished.

  "Thanks," Thor said gratefully, then he left her to work.

  Thor and Loki walked in silence for several minutes, each contemplating the things they’d done inside that room.

  “Why a snake?” Thor asked suddenly.

  “What?”

  “The staff you gave Ayla has a serpent’s head on the end of it. You didn’t know about Torga until he showed up, so why a serpent?”

  Loki shrugged. “I’ve always liked snakes, you know that. Truth be told, I believed I’d have one of my own by now, but the gods had other plans. Speaking of, has she named it yet? You know a staff is only as powerful as the name given to it.”

  “Jormungandr. I think she’s taken to calling it Jormungandr.”

  Loki suddenly stopped walking, which prompted Thor to stop as well. “Where did she come up with that name?”

  Thor shrugged. “Dunno. She said it just felt right.”

  “Yes, well, I’ve just remembered I’ve got business to attend to. Have a good day, brother. And tell the missus I approve of the name!”

  “Yeah, you too,” Thor said in confusion as he watched his brother disappear around a corner at the end of the hall. You’re weird as ever, Loki.

  TALERIUS, MORTAL GOD of Law and Earth rushed down the centermost street of the Golden City, home and birthplace of the mortal gods.

  As he was on his way to an emergency meeting called by his patron, Salaroo, Mortal God of Magic, he could not take in the sights of the city as he normally did. Even after eight hundred years of living in the Golden City, the sight of various races and powers moving to and from the local bars, inns, stores, and homes still gave him a feeling of pride.

  He, Talerius, son of a cabbage farmer, smallest of his siblings, and lawyer to the King of Zakora had actually become a god! Granted, he was a mortal god, and not a powerful one for that matter, being only slightly more powerful than a tier 6 monster. But even so, He. Was. Proud!

  It'd taken him nearly one hundred and five years of dedicated service to both his king and his god, before he caught the attention of Salaroo and become his champion upon his death.

  Talerius, of course, was reincarnated and served as the champion of Salaroo for almost five hundred years. Talerius wore many hats during this time; he was a soldier, a lawyer, a general, and even a king for a few decades. But none of that compared to his ascendance to god-hood and Salaroo bestowing upon him the title of Earth God. And, because of his actions during his time as champion, he was given the title of God of Law.

  After making his way to the street’s end, Talerius climbed the golden steps to the door of his faction leader's home. It, like most of the buildings in the Golden City, was carved from one extremely large golden block. The building was several hundred feet tall and just as wide; it was carved into the shape of a stately manor with pillars lining the front entrance and forty-foot-tall double doors carved from obsidian.

  The building was heavily warded to only allow faction members inside, and even then, only if they were invited.

  Opulent as ever, Talerius thought as he grasped the golden ball situated to the left of the door and used it to knock.

  He knocked three times, then folded his arms across his chest to wait. A few minutes later the door opened to reveal a young man in a butler's uniform. "Hello, Orlus. Is the master home?" Talerius asked politely.

  The light-skinned youth slightly nodded his head, then stepped to the side and beckoned Talerius in. "He's waiting in the dining room, sir. You're the last to arrive," Orlus said neutrally.

  Talerius grimaced. "How mad is he?"

  Orlus shrugged. "It's not my place to assume the master's state of mind," he said.

  Talerius thought he saw a slight smirk flash across the boy’s face, but it was gone as fast as it arrived.

  "I'll just go join them then, shall I?" Talerius asked nervously.

  "Of course, sir." Orlus nodded his head, then closed the door behind Talerius and led him across the large entryway, under a flight of stairs, and to some obsidian double doors.

  Orlus opened the doors and stated, "Master, Sir Talerius has arrived."

  "Oh, good! Send him in!" a nasally voice replied.

  Orlus nodded and stepped aside to allow Talerius to enter, then shut the doors behind him.

  Talerius glanced around the room at his twenty compatriots sitting at the grand marble table before finally settling on the man sitting in the master's position.

  The man was extremely short, just barely reaching three feet in height. His trimmed mustache and beard combo and extravagant silk outfit gave him an air of nobility, in spite of his childlike body.

  Talerius bowed low and said, "Greetings, Master. I apologize for being late, but I—"

  "Never mind that, Talerius," Salaroo interrupted. "We have much to discuss and little time to talk. So please, have a seat."

  Talerius acquiesced. He pulled the only free chair out and sat down.

  "Now," Salaroo began, "As some of you may have noticed, many of our older members have gone missing."

  "Missing?" a goddess asked.

  "Yes, missing," Salaroo agreed.

  "Perhaps they've simply decided to go on vacation? I hear the Life spring is nice this time of the millennia," a god suggested.

  Salaroo shook his head and grimaced. "If only that were the case." He sighed. "I have received numerous reports from our allies saying that their gods are disappearing, as well."

  "So... It's not just us?" Talerius asked mildly.

  "No, it certainly isn't."

  Before anyone else could speak, the double doors were thrown open as a human-sized dark object slammed into the table, knocking over glasses and spilling wine onto the p
ure white tablecloth.

  "Who dares—" Salaroo began before he noticed what had slammed into the table: It was a black skeleton in a butler uniform.

  "Orlus?" Salaroo gasped.

  "Well, that was boring," a voice said from beyond the doors.

  "Amaar!" Salaroo growled as he and the other gods stood to their feet and turned to face the intruder.

  The intruder was a skeleton with bones the color of freshly fallen snow and eyes like the void. He was wearing a charcoal tuxedo along with a dark blue tie and a pair of obsidian-plated skull cufflinks. "Oh, sorry, was this yours?" Amaar asked as he grabbed Orlus’ leg and shook it for emphasis.

  "You killed him!" a goddess gasped.

  "Killed him?" Amaar asked with a tilt of his head. "Yes, I suppose I did," he agreed.

  "Why!?" Salaroo demanded, loudly.

  "Why not?" Amaar asked; his abyssal black eyes seemed to suck some of the light out of the room as he stared down Salaroo.

  "My family gave you these lives so you could monitor and run Yggdrasil while we relaxed. But you haven't done that, have you?" Amaar stated matter-of-factly. Suddenly, a pitch-black cane appeared in his hand and he propped himself up with it. "You lot—you haven't been doing your duties. No, instead you've been slacking off and playing power games with your 'siblings,' while Yggdrasil has been spiraling out of control."

  "That's not—" a god began.

  "Did I ask for your opinion?" Amaar interrupted and looked the man in the eye.

  The god grit his teeth, but remained silent.

  "I didn't think I had, but it's nice to know I'm not going senile in my old age." Amaar "smiled,” then continued.

  "Of course, I'm not laying all of the blame at your feet. All of your 'siblings' will also be punished," Amaar said calmly, still smiling.

  A young god stood abruptly and marched up to the skeletal man.

  "This is bullshit!" the god yelled. "We've done everything the ancients have asked of us and more, and yet you dare accuse us of being lazy!? Who the hell are you to make such a claim?" he finished with a growl.

  "Me?" Amaar asked while pointing at himself.

  "Yes, you!" the god yelled.

  "Galdos, sit down!" Salaroo demanded but was waved off.

  Amaar bent at his waist to look around Galdos. "No, it's alright Salaroo," Amaar said. "After all, it's a good question."

  Amaar waved his free hand through the air, and a black top hat with a white brim appeared in it. Then he bowed at the waist.

  "Amaar is the name and Death is my game!" Amaar said cheerfully.

  "What's that supposed to mean?" Galdos asked.

  "It means," Amaar said, after standing up straight and pointing the end of his cane at the god's chest, "That you're my bitch."

  The god's eyes widened in surprise as Amaar's cane lightly tapped his chest. Galdos disappeared in a flash of light while a loud boom thundered in the distance.

  Every god in the room turned to the wall behind Salaroo and saw that a portion of it was missing. What wasn’t missing was splattered with silver blood. Everyone in the room slowly turned their heads back to face Amaar and saw him propping his chin onto the head of the cane.

  "Anyone else need a refresher on just 'Who' I am?" Amaar asked with a grin.

  The group almost simultaneously shook their heads in silence.

  "Good. I do so hate to repeat myself." Amaar returned to his full height and placed the hat atop his head. "Anyway, I have some good news to accompany the bad."

  "S—Such as?" Salaroo asked after a few moments of silence.

  "We, my siblings and I that is, are prepared to give a full pardon to anyone capable of completing a... minor task for us."

  "What will you have us do?" Talerius grimaced.

  Amaar looked to a nearby goddess and smiled as he walked over to her.

  She flinched as he placed his hand on her shoulder and leaned down to whisper in her ear. The goddess shakily nodded her head.

  "Good, then you can assist me for a moment." He grabbed the top of her head and forced her to look into the air.

  "This," he began as the goddess' eyes began to glow, and a truly massive serpent appeared in the air above the table.

  "Is Torga. He's a Dark Star Naga of not inconsiderable power," Amaar finished with a chuckle.

  "So?" a god asked.

  "So he is the newest contender for the title of Serpent King." Amaar smirked as the gods gasped.

  "He must be truly powerful if he can challenge Orochi!" Salaroo said.

  "He is," Amaar easily agreed. "Which is why you're going to kill him."

  Chatter erupted as the gods all began to talk amongst themselves. "Quiet!" Salaroo demanded in a booming voice without a trace of his normally nasally voice to be found. The room immediately became silent as the chatter died in their throats. Salaroo took a deep breath and said, "You're sending us to our graves. You know that, right?"

  Amaar shook his head and waved a finger at Salaroo.

  "Not at all," Amaar chuckled. "I'm giving you a choice. You can either die here and now, by my hand or you can face Torga and possibly live. Either way is fine with me," he said cheerfully.

  "Either way is a death sentence," Talerius said.

  "Not necessarily," Amaar replied. "Despite Torga's strength, he is but one creature. Meanwhile, every mortal god on Yggdrasil is being given this choice."

  The gods were silent for several minutes as they all began to think over this "deal.” Eventually, they nodded their heads in agreement and stood up.

  "Have fun!" Amaar smiled at the gods as they flashed away.

  Chapter 17

  89 DAYS LATER

  Damn, I'll never finish it at this rate. A little over half of Unger's body remained and that had long since begun to decay under the heat of the twin stars. Though I didn't mind a little decay in my food, the sheer size of Unger had given even me some pause. Her body was coiled into a tight ball beneath the planet's surface, but it still had a radius of at least five thousand miles.

  Despite my voracious appetite, I couldn’t possibly eat so much in a mere three months.

  I think this is the first time since my arrival that I've been unable to finish what I started. If only I had more time. I sighed.

  As I’d eaten, the planet began to decay and die, as the pop-up said it would. The ecosystem died, the atmosphere began to break down, and gravity slowly lost its hold as I ate away at Unger’s body. In fact, the gravity had become nearly ten times weaker than when I’d first arrived. Water would float through the sky as if it were air, and the sky had become almost completely transparent as the atmosphere dissipated, leaving me with an amazing view of the stars—and a constant reminder of the imminent death of a once beautiful planet.

  Suppose I start making my way back to the branch. I don't want to get too distracted and let this place become my grave, after all... I ripped off a mountain-sized chunk of Unger's body for the “road” and left the planet behind. Now that I could manipulate gravity in order to fly instead of using my wings, it was time to see just how fast my body could go.

  Next planet, here I come! I launched myself into the air and tore off towards the branch.

  I WAS FLYING AT A MODERATE pace and periodically looking up to check my position relative to the twin stars or swapping between my Naga form and my serpent form, which was just my Naga form without the arms. It had been a little over a year since I defeated Unger and nine months since I’d fled the collapsing planet.

  In that time, I’d grown— a lot. I could no longer see the tip of my tail unless I turned back on myself and flew for a while.

  I’d had to work my way through more than a few bouts of depression as I tried to rationalize my current size. I was far too large to even have a chance of interacting with humans, elves—or almost anything else, for that matter. The sheer length and mass of my body would undoubtedly cause problems for any planet I happened to land on.

  I sighed and ripped another chunk from the
branch to nibble on while I flew. But, what else could I do? It's not like I could live in space for the rest of my life. Living off nothing but Yggdrasil and the ambient magic in the "air” would surely drive me even madder than I already was. Never mind the fact that I promised Ayla I would return. Which I can't very well do if I'm the size of the FUCKING PLANET, NOW CAN I? I internally screamed.

  However, my size was not the only thing weighing on my mind. Ever since I’d eaten Unger, my metabolism had kicked into overdrive and was burning through food almost as fast as I could eat it.

  Seriously, I sighed again. Why couldn't I have gained some other trait besides Gluttony? If it had to be one of the sins, why that one? Why not wrath, greed, or sloth? Hell, at this point, I would have taken lust over gluttony. I mean... Surely it wouldn't have been as bad—right?

  My train of thought ground to a halt as I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I stopped flying to look at it. A sea-green dwarf planet was slowly rotating and two moons chased it. One moon was pale blue and the other was light red. They were moving east to west.

  Just as I was about to continue towards the planet, I noticed something that caused me to pause again. The branch wasn't going to the planet. Instead, it split into two smaller branches and connected with the moons.

  That's new.

  I watched the moons for a while longer, then proceeded onward. Though I was much more cautious in my approach this time, I still arrived at the split in only a few hours. Now, which one do I go for first—

  "Hello." A voice from my right surprised me.

  I briefly entertained the thought of just hitting it with a mana beam, but upon turning my head and seeing an old snake with snow-white scales, the head of a cobra, and the body of a scaled muscular man casually lying on the branch with his eyes closed, I decided to hold off for at least a few minutes.

  "Hello?" I asked.

  The old snake opened one eye and slightly inclined his head to look up at me.

  "You're a big one, aren't you?"