A Snake's Life

by Kenneth Arant

  "Damn snake!"

  I didn't look, but I did get to hear Lena's next words before I submerged myself.

  "Don't come over here until you dry off... you smell like wet dog."

  "But Lena, I’m cold!" I heard Fenris whine. And I honestly couldn't stop the smile that spread across my face.

  The next morning we continued on our journey through the crystal-clear waters of the Iorus ocean. I had gorged myself while they slept and was good on food for a little while. So, after waking and eating breakfast, the family unfurled the sails and we began moving again.

  And everything was going fine... until I heard, "Where are you, worm!?" I balanced the ship precariously on my back and quickly swam in the opposite direction of the sound. I ignored the screams and protests of the family in my desperation to get as far away from my “cousin” as possible.

  "What the hell are you doing, snake!?" I heard Fenris snarl.

  I ensured the ship wouldn't fall off before I took a quick peek behind me. When I didn't see anything, I slowed down and allowed the ship to sink into the water. I looked up and saw Fenris, Lena, and the children staring at me. "I heard the Leviathan coming," I explained.

  Fenris’ and Lena's eyes widened, but the children just seemed confused. "Did... did we get away?" Lena whispered.

  Fenris began prowling the ship while staring in the direction we came from.

  "I believe so," I nodded.

  Lena still looked incredibly troubled, and Fenris was still prowling the ship. But the two of them seemed to relax a little. "That... that's good." Lena dropped to her knees and pulled the children into her arms.

  "Mom?" Hali asked. Solon yelled something in return and was pantomiming an object being picked up.

  Lena smiled at the two of them. "Nothing, nothing at all." She squeezed them tighter.

  The sight of her with them caused a severe pain to stab into my chest and Sarah was superimposed over Lena’s body in my mind. "Sarah..." The thought of her worrying over our children’s safety the way Lena was caused something in my mind to snap. "It wants to harm... Sarah." Though I logically knew that Lena wasn't Sarah, I couldn't stop the fire that began to rage inside me. "It wants to take her away from them." By this point, Lena no longer existed in my mind, as her image had been replaced with Sarah’s and the sound of screeching tires rang in my ears.

  "Kill it!" Sarah's voice echoed in my mind.

  "Hey... Fenris?" I called.

  He padded over to the edge of the ship a few moments later. "What is it, snake? I’m trying to spend time with my family here," he grumbled.

  "If the Leviathan comes near us again, will you help me kill it?"

  He smirked at me. "Of course. Do you even need to ask?"

  We didn't see the Leviathan again that day, several weeks passed by in a flash. The five of us traveled across the ocean in search of the island-carrying giant. In spite of our best efforts we hadn’t found it.

  During that time, the rage inside me continued to build. No matter how often I convinced myself that she wasn't here... that it wasn't her, the anger returned time after time. Lena and Hali sensed that something was going on with me. But every time they asked, I brushed them off.

  What was I going to say? What could I say? "I keep replaying my wife's death in my mind and your image keeps being replaced with hers. Isn’t that weird?" They'd think I was crazy. Though at this point, I wasn’t entirely sure I wasn’t.

  I began to eat more often to help me work off my anger. I believe the sight of blood was doing more to calm me than eating was, however.

  "Kill it!" Sarah screamed. Yeah, that also wasn't helping. Sarah's voice continued to echo in my mind, and her death was on a loop inside my dreams. And even though there were some variations, it always ended the same. My old human body was always covered in shadows, and Sarah would be standing in the middle of a busy highway, screaming for me to help her. But I would always fail. No matter how hard I tried, or how fast I ran, I was always too late to save her. And, it was driving me crazy!

  "I only hope this ends soon.”

  Chapter 17

  "WAKE UP, MORTAL."

  My eyes snapped open and a blank white space greeted me. I quickly discovered that I was on my back. I tried to roll over, but something stopped me. "Huh?" I looked to my side and saw what was stopping me... I had arms. Well, not really "arms,” as they were made of a misty shadow, but they felt real. And when I looked down at myself, I realized that I was in a human body. “What’s going on?" I tried a few more times to roll over and finally succeeded on my third try. I attempted to push myself up onto my knees, but I fell down repeatedly instead.

  "What's wrong, mortal? Having trouble?"

  From my place on the floor, I looked up and saw the golden being standing in front of me. "What's wrong with me?" I tried again to push myself up but failed and ended up falling on my face.

  "That should be obvious. You've spent so much time as a snake your “other” body has faded."

  "What do you mean?”

  "Never mind, that isn't important at the moment."

  I finally got to my knees after struggling for another minute or so, but any further attempts to stand caused me to fall onto my stomach or back, so I ended up just sitting there.

  "Why... why am I here? Did I die?"

  "No, you're not dead. Though if I hadn’t stepped in, you would most likely have died soon.”

  "What do you mean? What’s gonna kill me?" The being snapped its fingers, and we were suddenly floating over the ship. My body couldn't be seen, as I was submerged, but I could see Lena, the mutt, and the kids sleeping on the deck. Fenris was stretched across the width of the ship, and both his head and tail were hanging off the sides. Lena and the kids were sleeping against him.

  "Do you see that?" The being was pointing at the mast of the ship. I followed its finger but didn't see anything.

  "I don't see anything." I shook my head for emphasis.

  "Of course not," it sighed. It floated over to me and grabbed the top of my head. "You may feel a slight pinch. But bear with me."

  "What are you... GAH!!" An intense pain, like fifty thousand volts of electricity, coursed through my mind and a screen appeared in front of me after a second or two.

  ꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏ

  You have been granted a new skill: Detect Concealment

  Due to receiving a blessing from Niabus: God of #%@?@# and #%@?@#, You can now see through concealment techniques of magical natures.

  ꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏ

  The being turned my head back to the mast. "Do you see it now?" it asked impatiently.

  I waited until the pain subsided to crack open my eyes, but once I did... I saw it. A gray squid-like creature was floating above the mast. Its tentacles were wrapped around the top and its single yellow eye was staring into the water.

  "What is that?" I groaned.

  "A nightmare. A creature that feeds on the anger and resentment buried deep within," the being explained.

  "What's it doing up there?"

  "Do you really not know?"

  I thought back over the past week and the answer was obvious. "It's the cause of my anger."

  The being shook its head. "No, it doesn’t cause anger. It only feeds upon anger that already exists.”

  "I see. But, why is it only targeting me? If it was truly feeding off of anger and resentment, shouldn’t it also target the others, or at the very least Fenris? I know the mutt is harboring resentment too."

  "Normally," the being nodded.

  "Then, why?"

  "It was ordered to."

  I fell back over in surprise. "What!? Who would order such a thing!?" I shouted as I fought my way back onto my knees.

  "My sister... most likely."

  I stared at it in confusion. "What?"

  It turned to face me. "My sister."

  I shook my head and regained focus. "Why would your sister send that thing after me?"

  "I'm sure she has plenty of rea
sons.” It snorted with laughter. “Though, none of them are entirely correct."

  "What do you mean?" I asked. My confusion would be clear on my face, if I had a face at the moment. As it was, I think my entire body was composed of the shadow stuff.

  The golden being held up one finger. "If you were to ask her, she would tell you she did it to give you courage." It raised another finger. "If one of her 'allies' were to ask, she would tell them you were an abomination that needed to be eliminated." A third finger was raised. "If I asked her, she would deny everything and blame it on someone else." And a fourth finger was raised. "When she asks herself why she did it, she will justify it by saying it was for the greater good. And that you should be killed before you can corrupt anyone." It lowered its hand.

  "What’s the truth?"

  "The truth is never so easy to explain, mortal."

  I tilted my head to one side. "Why not? Isn’t the truth just that, the truth?"

  "How do you define what the 'truth' is when everyone has their own version of it? Your ‘truth’ could be entirely different than someone else’s based on your perception of an event."

  I thought for a few moments, then nodded. It made sense, in a twisted kind of way. "Alright, then what’s the most likely reason?"

  "That's much easier to explain. She's doing it because you're a threat to her... or her image, at least."

  "I don't understand. I've never met this woman before, so how am I a threat to her?"

  "Simple,” it laughed. “She's afraid of you 'corrupting' her new protege."

  I looked at it in confusion. "Who?"

  "Sarah," it explained.

  A few seconds later, everything clicked. "Your sister is the one who brought Sarah here. The one responsible for her reincarnating."

  The being nodded.

  "I don't understand. Wouldn’t a god who summoned someone meant to be a hero be happy that said hero had a guardian?"

  "If that was indeed why she was brought here, then yes."

  I was silent for a few seconds. "Why was Sarah brought here? What is she meant to protect?”

  "Again, probably for a multitude of reasons. And I don’t know. My sister’s thought process is... strange. It’s difficult to predict what her intentions are in my current state. But that’s not important right now. What is important is I cannot guarantee that what I tell you is correct."

  "Okay... Then what’s the most likely reason?"

  "Power."

  I was confused again, and the being could tell. It began to explain further. “Yes, she’s a god, but it isn't personal power she craves. It's power over the mortals. We gods absorb a portion of our power from our worshipers. The more mortals who worship us, the more power and influence we possess." It seemed to hesitate for a second, then continued speaking. "We gods police ourselves, much like you mortals do. We also have laws we must abide by, and directly interfering with mortal affairs is a crime. As with every law, there are cases where exceptions are made. But gods are usually forbidden from changing someone's destiny. You mortals are supposed to succeed, or fail, all on your own."

  “I... see.”

  "People look up to heroes,” it explained. “A genuinely loved hero can topple worlds without lifting a finger. Their words can move the hearts of billions and destroy them just as easily. So, if you’re the one responsible for such a hero..."

  "Your power and influence over mortals will increase with their love for the hero?” I guessed.

  "Exactly," the being agreed.

  The two of us were quiet as I digested that information. Then I asked, "Why’d you bring me here?”

  It shrugged. “I brought you here to interfere with my sister's plan."

  "How?" I was preparing for it to say something like 'Kill her', but that’s not what happened. The golden being let out a sigh and shook its head. "I don't know. I haven't been able to figure out what her plan is, so I can't decide how to mess it up."

  “What do you want me to do?"

  "Well, my sister obviously doesn't want you to reunite with Sarah, so... that's a good place to start."

  I nodded. "I was going to do that anyway."

  "Good. There is something else I need to mention.”

  "What is it?"

  "My sister has labeled you a 'tormentor' of Sarah, and as such, her followers will try to prevent you from finding her."

  "What?" I snarled. "I never harmed my wife, let alone tormented her. I loved her more than anything else in the world." I felt my heart pounding in my chest.

  "Calm down. I'm aware that you never hurt her; my sister is also aware of that. However, labeling you as such will allow her followers to justify themselves while they try to prevent your reunion. "

  I growled low in my chest and folded my “arms” across it. “Lying bitch,” I hissed.

  “Indeed. That’s part of why I brought you here when I did. If I’d waited any longer, her lies would have spread much farther than they already have. She’s currently bound by the same limitations I am, but that may change by the time Sarah is ready to be reborn. Your path will not be easy, Torga. You need to be aware that you’re headed for hardship and possibly death if you continue down this path.”

  I rolled my eyes at the being and let out a sigh of annoyance. “I was drafted into the marines during the fourth world war and served my country loyally for twenty-five years. I left an arm in a bunker in Russia, and two brothers were lost to the Gobi. ‘Hardship’ is in my blood... And I’ve been prepared for death since before I landed on Rualea. I’m living on borrowed time, I know that. But if your sister wants to take it back, she’s gonna have to come down here and do it herself. Because I will fight, and I will kill to keep hold of it.”

  The being stared at me for a long time without saying anything. The golden light its body was emitting seem to dim considerably for a few seconds before it returned to normal and the being shook its head.

  "Yes, I believe you will. We’re done here,” it suddenly announced.

  “Wait, really? But I still have some questions,” I protested, but the being shook its head in response.

  "I’ve wasted too much time here already. I need to go.”

  "Will I see you again?"

  It shrugged. "Probably. Oh, before I forget." It reached out and grabbed my head. The electricity coursed through my mind again, but this time it was even more painful.

  ꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏ

  You have been granted a new skill: Glutti-lingual

  Due to receiving a blessing from Niabus: God of #%@?@# and #%@?@#, you can now process, understand, and speak the most common language of any race you have previously eaten.

  ꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏ

  “There. Consider that one a ‘good luck’ gift.” The being snapped its fingers and I woke up back in my snake body. The first thing I did was swim up to the surface and climb onto the ship. Then, I slowly opened my “eyes” and looked into the nightmare's eye. It must have realized that I had discovered it, because it tried to shut its eye. But my power took hold before it could, and quickly turned the creature to stone. I raised my head until I was level with it, then I broke its hold on the mast and carried it down into the water. "I want to do so much more than just eat you, but I can't risk you tampering with my mind anymore." I swallowed it, then curled up and went back to sleep.

  Chapter 18

  ANOTHER WEEK PASSED by, and with that creature no longer influencing my mind, I was finally able to calm down and think again. I also decided to avoid the Leviathan instead of actively trying to kill it. After all, If I didn't need to risk my life, why should I?

  Speaking of the creature, I woke up to another pop-up the following day.

  ꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏ

  You have eaten the following race for the first time

  Nightmare Demon: Tier 4

  ꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏ

  While the creature's name didn't surprise me so much, the tier did. Because I expected a demon to be a terrifying creature, and while the squid
's appearance was certainly monstrous enough, it was weak. Although maybe this particular demon race was naturally weak, hence the concealment.

  "Oh well, at least I got something useful out of this." I was, of course, referring to the Detect Concealment skill granted to me by Niabus. After receiving this skill and waking up the next morning, the first thing I did was to check the kids. Then I checked Lena and Fenris for any other concealed creatures. I didn't find any, but I did spot something on Fenris' forehead. A small blue jewel, about the size of a thumbnail, was sitting directly between his eyes. I decided to wait a few days before asking about it since I didn't want it to seem too coincidental that the day after I stopped having nightmares, I was suddenly able to see it.

  "Hey, Fenris," I called out. If I had to guess, it was slightly past noon and the family had just finished their lunch. That meant Fenris would be taking a nap near the stern while the rest of the family operated the ship.

  He looked over the edge. "What is it? I'm busy."

  I rolled my eyes at him. "Just because you were licking your balls, does not mean you were busy.”

  "I was not!" he protested. Before he could continue his tirade, I heard Lena pipe up with, "Yes, you were."

  "Hey, you're supposed to be on my side!" Fenris barked.

  I raised my head up to the railing, so I could see what was going on. I saw Lena walk over to Fenris and kiss him on the ear. "Aww, I am on your side, sweetheart. But there's no point in lying about it."

  "Yeah, well ever since the twins were born, it's not like I've been able to get you to do it," Fenris grumbled. A plank came loose and smacked Fenris on the nose, causing him to yelp in surprise. He quickly covered his nose with his two front paws and whined like a little puppy.

  "Not in front of the children!" Lena hissed at him.

  "Hey, Mom?" Hali tugged on Lena's sleeve to get her attention.

  "Yes, sweetie?" She looked down at her daughter with a warm smile.

  I suddenly felt bad for Fenris. That mood swing happened way too quickly for my liking and I began to wonder how often I’d seen such drastic shifts in her personality. “To hell with it. It’s none of my business, anyway,” I decided, after thinking about it for a moment.