Sword and Claw

Book One: Chapter 7

Sora pulled out his giant sword and stepped forward, but Amy held out her arm in front of him to stop.

"Wait! I can use my stealth skill and ambush the monster," Amy suggested. "None of us have to fight it."

"But it is five levels higher than you," said Susie. "It will not work."

"Yes, it will, as long as it doesn't see me. If you distract it, I can kill it quickly."

"And I have some elixirs if anyone gets bitten," Sora added.

Susie rubbed her chin until she smiled. "Okay, Sora and I will distract it. Paul, watch our backs while Amy sneaks toward it. If this works, none of us will get venom shoved up our butts."

"Then let's do this!"

Susie aimed her staff at the Basilisk. She blasted her attack again.

Villa used Sun Bomb!

Her yellow energy ball hit the serpent's face by a flash. It cried while shaking its head with its eyes closed.

Basilisk

HP: 245

Blinded!

"Move!" Susie shouted.

Sora charged to the left side while Susie went to the right toward the back of the chamber.

The Basilisk shook out of its blindness and hissed at them. Both of its eyes glowed red and shot two beams toward the player.

Basilisk used Death Beam!

Sora leaped from the two beams before they hit him. "You didn't say it can shoot long-range attacks!"

Basilisk used Death Beam!

Susie leaped from the serpent's attack. "It didn't do that when I was here! I thought you knew Basilisks can do that?"

"This is my first time encountering one!" Sora heard about them from rumors in a tavern.

All Basiliks were strong monsters the beginners couldn't fight against without dying a lot. They like to dwell in cool places with normal temperatures like regular snakes. The players only found most Basilisks were only in hidden dungeons and tombs to surprise the players. Sometimes they were found in caves, guarding hidden treasures. And their venom bites could take down players in minutes.

Indeed Sora had never encountered one, and he never bothered to research one. He preferred to study the monster when he eventually encounters it.

Basilisk used Death Beam!

When the serpent blasted its beams, Sora held up his blade instead of running away.

Rodan used Parry!

He deflected the first beam, but the second one hit his chest.

Rodan

HP: 190

"Don't use that skill again!" Susie shouted. "You can't block two attacks!"

"Thank you for telling me!" Sora charged while raising his sword up.

Rodan used Strong Strike!

After two seconds, he swung his sword through the serpent's lower body.

Basilisk

HP: 225

That strike could have sliced the giant snake in half. But in the game world, health points were the only things that determined a creature's demise.

"Are you sneaking upon it now, Amy?" Sora shouted.

Scarlett used Stealth!

"I'm close!" Amy shouted back.

"Let me help!" Susie shot another energy light ball at the serpent.

Villa used Sun Bomb!

The Basilisk ducked from her attack and charged toward her.

Basilisk used Venom Strike!

"Look out!" With a charge, Sora pushed Susie out of the serpent's targeted spot.

Before he turned, the Basilisk bit his left shoulder.

Rodan

HP: 185

Poison!

Lose five HP per minute until cured.

Sora screamed and dropped to the floor on his knees. The big snake bite arched in his left shoulder. Now he knew how a snake bite felt. It was probably worst when the Basilisk bit Susie's butt.

"I got it!" Amy leaped toward the Basilisk's back with two daggers out.

Scarlett used Ambush!

She landed on the Basilisk's back and stabbed both her blades into the snake's flesh.

Instant kill!

Scarlett levels up!

The Basilisk roared its last breath and collapsed to the floor as Amy jumped off it.

After she landed, the serpent dissipated.

"Sweet! I reached level 21!" Amy cheered.

Sora quickly took out an elixir and drank it. The taste of watery blueberry gulped down his throat.

Poison removed.

Sora's health points went down to 180. Only one minute had passed before he drank the elixir. At least the poison didn't take all his health points in a matter of seconds.

He took out two health potions and drank them both. Unlike the elixirs, both of them had strawberry soda like tastes.

Rodan

HP: 200

With three health potions left, they will still keep Sora alive in the dungeon. Keeping his health points full would ensure his survival. It wouldn't be smart to wait until his health becomes low. A trap could instant kill him and his health potions couldn't restore him completely. Remaining full was the best option for him.

Susie approached Sora and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Thank you for what you did. I almost thought that thing will bite my ass again."

Sora smiled. "Like Amy said. We are a team."

Susie smiled back with a soft giggle, then she looked at the stairwell on the right. "The second floor is where I died. If we make it, I can't be sure we could make it to the top floor."

Sora gulped. What could be on the second floor that killed Susie?