Everything slowed down as Nar's [NPC] kicked into overdrive.

One.

Two.

Three? Nar counted, hearing the three distinct hisses.

He stepped forward into the incoming fanged mouth of that massive snake, his sword angled upwards to pierce through the top of its pink gaping mouth, right through the gap between the two long, and very sharp looking, curved green fangs.

Behind him, he knew that one of the snakes was heading straight for Gad, and that the other was aimed at the heart of the party. Its goal was either Kur or Cen, but even with his [NPC] boosting his already significant movement attributes, the snake lunging for his face moved at such a blistering [Speed] that there was no way he was going to make it there in time to help them. The best he could do was stop this one snake and hope that would at least make the situation not any more worse than it already was.

Then, his [Awareness] showed him that thankfully, Viy was on the move, and an aura of deep, dark blue and purple reached out from her and swallowed the colors of the forest as she blasted towards the third snake.

She's fast! Nar thought, with relief. She'll make it!

And with that, he committed to his attack, intending on ending his fight before it had even started. The snake, however, sensing the danger directly ahead of it, banked left at the last second, whipping its body against him. He saw it happening but there was nothing he could do to dodge that blow at that speed, other than to hope his purple sword would absorb most of its impact…

With a loud bang that reverberated across his body, Nar went flying through the air, crossing his party in the blink of an eye, and landing with a spray of dirt and mud not too far from Viy's original position on the left flank.

107 HP? He checked, in between blinks. That fucking…

Rather than scared at the third of his HP that had just been slapped out of him by the big snake, Nar felt only anger, and embarrassment. How he had allowed himself to be suckered in like that?

If my master hears of this… Nar thought, clenching his jaw.

He cycled his aura stronger and faster to leap back to where he'd come from, blurring through the party before any of them could react and launching at the snake before it decided to make a pass at any of the others.

He decided against calling upon his [Sword Aura], lest he waste the skill due the beast's [Speed] and armored scales, and was upon the snake in the blink of an eye once more, and the two of them twisted and danced around one another in an dance of death and mud.

After that first surprise attack, Nar now fully expected the snake to attack him with every part of its body, from its pointy nose, all the way down to its deadly, whip-like tail.

As I should have from the beginning, he chastised himself. Not like my master does it all the time, or anything…

He parried the fangs and dodged, and even jumped over the snake's coils and lashing body attacks, keeping ahead of its every move. However, just as he kept it at bay, the snake too proved impossible to damage, and his newest passive skill, [Aura Infused Strikes], failed to trigger its [Lingering Aura] DOT.

It's too fast! Nar thought, as his glowing sword once more bounced off the tough, rock-like scales as the snake darted past him.

No matter where he aimed at, the snake moved with such [Speed] and [Agility] that his hits simply bounced and slid right across its moss coated stone scales. And moving as fast as they were, it was damn near impossible for him to aim for the tiny line of soft yellow that ran across its underside.

She isn't even giving me any openings! Nar thought, forced from parry to dodge, to jump, to bend and back into parry again.

His [Instinct] warned him against a low tail sweep, aimed at snatching his legs from under him, and he jumped over it, clearing it with ease. However, as his feet returned to the ground, he felt his left foot slip from under him. It wasn't a major slip, and he was barely out of balance, however, it was enough to interrupt their balanced and delicate dance, and with a gleam of glee in its yellow eyes, the Moss-Back pressed its tiny advantage.

Damn it! Nar thought, finding himself amidst a rain of fangs and scales, and unable to do anything more than to defend himself.

From a blindingly dust covered battlefield, to hanging from the ship in the middle of a storm, to now slipping and sliding, and sinking down into the muddy mess he and the snake were creating, why couldn't he just find a nice, firm, solid and flat surface to fight on top of?

He slipped again, and just barely managed to recover his balance, and he knew that it was now only a matter of time. The battlefield had changed into one that greatly favored the snake's sinuous movements, and Nar was fighting off of borrowed time.

With every parry, dodge and jump, the more the solidish moss and pine needle covered forest floor was cleaved and shredded to reveal the wet, mushy, dark dirt below, and the more he splotched around, the deeper he sank, and the harder it became to lift his feet of that dark muck.

And eventually, the end came for him.

Shit… Nar thought, sensing the danger coming down upon him.

Unbalanced and stuck as he was, there was little he could do, and yet, he twisted his spine and sent his blade up, aiming to at least cut the inside of the snake's mouth as it bit down on him, and to spread his aura into its skull… Instead, committed to its attack, the snake nearly missed the ring of light that blazed out of nowhere, aimed into its wide-open maw.

The Moss-Back shifted its head, and the ring cut a line across the bottom of its unarmored cheek instead. And already having to contend with Nar's desperate sword strike and Tuk's ring, it could do nothing for the projectile of sharp aura that pierced through its thick body, exploding out the other side and impacting against the canopy, causing needles and branches to rain down upon the fight.

Nar didn't waste the opportunity granted to him by the others, and leaped forward into reach of the agonizing snake boss.

How much HP does it have left after that? Nar wondered, staring up at the tall snake as it hissed in pain. As a dungeon boss, it had to have a lot. Far, far more than he did. However…

It won't matter when I slice it in half! [Sword Aura]!

The snake was still moving too fast in its agony throes for his meager, 3 points of [Accuracy] to allow him to stab straight into the fine yellow line amongst the moss-covered stone scales, so instead, he leaped up, powered by [Strength] and momentum, and stabbed right into the wound that Cen had pried open with her new and improved [Aura Projectiles] skill, gained through its direct manipulation. The power of her aura had blasted through the armored scales as though they meant nothing, and Nar plunged his sword in with ease, nearly two thirds of the blade in.

With a grunt and a tightening of his core muscles, and leaning on his momentum, he sliced downwards, pulling his blade into that line of soft yellow, and cutting open the snake across that weak line. The beast's hiss rose into a crescendo until it went silent, its mouth opened in mind obliterating agony, as its blood erupted in a great stream over Nar.

As his sword came out, splashing the mud with bright green blood, Jul and Viy arrived to help finish the fight, and end the main, and much tougher boss of the duo turned trio, and Nar spotted with lupine glee that his [Lingering Aura] had triggered at last, and gray light shone from within the beasts massive wound.

Ah! Your turn to be invaded! Nar thought, remembering how the psaelis had hit him hard with their own, sickly yellow aether.

"Try to leave the scales intact!" Kur shouted from behind them, as they collectively piled onto the dying snake, draining it of its remaining HP.

A few moments later, Nar pulled his sword out of the Moss-Back's mouth, another gush of green blood splattering him from head to toe, and he stumbled backwards, slipping in the mud and landing on his ass.

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He opened his helmet and greedily swallowed the forest's fresh, sweet air, even as the snake's burning blood on his aura armor filled the air with its acrid, burning stench. In the silence that followed the demise of the last of their enemies, the only sound he heard was that of his frenzied heartbeat and breathing, and that of Jul, Viy, Mul and Gad gasping for air alongside him.

Mul had opted for sitting down on the snake, his armor gone, and a slow smile spread across its lips. Viy heaved, draped around her spear for support, but her back began to shake, a grin taking over her features.

As one, the three of them burst out into breathless laughter.

*********

Nar sat on the soft forest floor, his back against a particularly tall, thick and dark tree trunk. Beneath the tree's massive, gnarled arms, there was a wide circle of dryness, for which Nar was incredibly thankful for, following all that rain and mud.

Kur had produced a solid, dark metal, inverted triangle that stood on a tripod, and had asked Mul to push his aura into it.

"It's an outdoor aura heater. Any aura works, but fire aura is best," Kur had explained. "You guys warm yourselves up, okay? The three of us will get on to the harvesting."

And while Jul, Mul and Kur donned their thick, aura-dampening white gloves, and proceeded to cut and slice into the three snakes, wading through blood and viscera, Gad, Cen, Viy, Tuk, Rel and Nar watched from their circle of warmth radiating from the heater.

That's nice, Nar thought, with his eyes closed. After the sudden, if fast, mud and rain covered violence of their fight, he was ready to fall asleep right there and then, but Rel whacked his leg.

"Stay awake!"

"Hmm…" Nar mumbled.

He caught the sound of the angry whispering of Cen's aura and cracked an eye open.

"It worked, right?" Tuk asked Cen, staring down at the thin needle-like, single [Aura Projectiles] shining above the tip of Cen's staff.

The caster nodded slowly, frowning. "It did… But not in the way I wanted it to."

"What did you want it to do?" Gad asked her. Her scales were now dry, but there was still a little cloud of steam covering her spikes, as she inclined her head closer to the heater.

Nar opened his second eye and listened in. From eating with her aura fork, to directly manipulating and changing the effect and functionality of her [Aura Projectiles] skill, it seemed that even without unlocking her affinity, Cen was reaching for a new and awe-striking breakthrough.

"I wanted it to explode inside the snake," the bald caster explained, observing her aura through half-lidded eyes. "Instead, it just pierced right through!"

"That was still a pretty awesome thing!" Tuk said. "It pretty much ended the fight!"

Nar nodded at the trugger's words. Without that devastating, piercing aura attack, there was no way that he would've been able to follow up with his own crippling attack.

Just like the master said, piercing damage beats armor, he thought.

"It was meant to end the fight," Cen said, letting her aura return into the staff and her body. "If Nar wasn't so fast and strong, that little hole wouldn't have done anything. It was supposed to explode inside of the moss-back and blow it in half!"

"You'll get there," Nar said. "Just keep trying. It's already impressive you managed to hit it with such a thin projectile. That thing was really fast!"

"Right?" Tuk said, nudging Cen. "Come on, celebrate a little. That was awesome!"

Cen sighed but a little smile peaked at the corner of her eyes.

"Next time," she said, trying to hide the smile of pride from overcoming her face.

"Yes, but don't abandon that particular effect," Gad said. "In a tightly packed fight, a single projectile like that could bring down several enemies in a line."

"Oh… You're right!" Cen said, her eyes going wide. "I didn't think about that…"

Nar smiled and shook his head, looking away from the trio of them as Tuk started poking fun at their caster.

"And you did great, too!" Rel said, looking out into the rain, to where the other three were busy butchering the snakes. "You tanked that boss all by yourself!"

Nar grimaced. "I barely held on. Even with my [NPC], I could barely keep up with it."

"But you did, and that was just the mud! So maybe you should celebrate a little too!"

Nar shrugged. "I am happy about it. I managed to keep it occupied while you guys finished the other two."

"But?" Rel asked.

"But I've still got a long ways to go…"

Yes, he had overcome every combat, every enemy before him thus far… But, every time he did, and struggled to make it so, he couldn't help but still feel inadequate about it. Not good enough… At least not for what he needed to achieve within his five-year time limit.

More like four years now, he thought, gloomy.

Rel sighed heavily at his side.

"What?" Nar asked, startled.

"You!" she said. "We just killed our first dungeon boss! Bosses! And you tanked and almost killed the hardest of them by yourself! And we're here, breathing in this fresh, sweet air, and we're dry and warm, and you can't be happy about that?"

"I…"

"Just learn to enjoy each victory as it comes!" Rel admonished him. "Yes, you're not there yet, but there's no reason not to enjoy the journey, right? I mean, look how far you've come. How far we've all come. We used to struggle with just a single guardian!"

Nar stared into her frowned, sincere face, and looked away.

How is she, with that painful penance path, the one cheering me up? Nar thought, shamefully. Sure, I'm not there yet, but…

"You're right," he said, smiling back at her emerald stare. "I'm sorry. And that was pretty awesome, wasn't it?"

"You're damn right it was!" she said. "I had to use my [Sight] just to watch you move! And even then, I could barely keep up with you!"

Nar chuckled. "When you put it like that…"

"I'm not putting it like anything," Rel said. "You were awesome! We all were! You should have seen Viy, too!"

Viy, who had actually been sitting on Nar's other side, staring out into the rain with a dazed, dumb expression, startled awake at the mention of her name.

"I-What?" she said, flinching. "Did you call me?"

"I was just saying you were amazing in that fight!" Rel said.

"I was?" Viy asked, frowning in confusion.

"Of course! You practically killed that snake by yourself!"

Viy snorted and shook her head. "Your bleeding arrows did most of the damage. And besides, I think it was just a baby snake…"

"What?" Rel and Nar both asked.

"What do you mean?" Rel added. "That thing was huge!"

Viy shrugged. "It was big, sure. But it wasn't very fast. Or strong. Or smart. Not when you compare it to the other two. Even dying, that female boss was still trying to protect its vulnerable belly, and you saw how fast she moved! The other snake might as well have been standing still!"

Rel hesitated.

"Come on, we had it easy!" Viy said with a laugh. "That little thing could barely put up a fight!"

"I wouldn't say barely…" Rel mused. "But I get your point."

"You still saved us all by keeping it from attacking Kur and Cen," Nar added. "This could've gone very bad for us if you hadn't stopped it and dealt with it."

"Everything could've gone bad for us if even one of us didn't do their job," Viy corrected. "But we all did, 'cause we're awesome!"

"That we are," Gad piped in as she combed her claws through her flexible spikes. "But it's important to recognize everyone's achievements, and you did incredibly well, Viy. Good job."

Viy stared down at her hands and babbled something unintelligible, and at that moment, Kur returned from the rain. He flared his armor on for a split second, to burn off the blood and bits of gore stuck to his gear, and then sat down heavily by the heater.

"You finished?" Gad asked him, glancing back at Mul and Jul, who were still busy harvesting.

"No," Kur said, shaking his head. "But I found something. Or more like I didn't find something."

"What do you mean?" Cen asked.

Kur flicked on his screen, and showed them a diagram of the Moss-Back female boss' body.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, Nar, but that snake never spat at you, did it?" he asked.

"Oh! You're right…" Nar said. "She never did…"

"That's what I thought," Kur said. "But everything was so fast that I couldn't be sure."

"And now?" Gad asked.

Kur pointed back at the snake's throat, where a gaping hole could now be seen.

"Now I'm sure," he said. "The boss didn't have an acid sack."

"A what?" Tuk asked, going slightly pale at the gory conversation.

"The snake was supposed to have a sack inside of it, a place to store the acid it makes using its aether," Kur explained, as he traced his finger across a line that ran from the hole he carved on the beast to the snake's neck. "The acid tube is in the body, but there's no sign of the sack.".

"Is that… Weird?" Rel asked. "It sounds weird."

"It is," Cen said, frowning. "Anatomically, if the tube is there, the sack should've been as well."

"It's more than that, it's in the guide," Kur said. "That snake was supposed to spit."

"Wait, so you're saying there's something wrong with the snake, or the guide?" Viy asked.

"Definitely the snake, but maybe both," Kur said. "The guide says that there were only supposed to be two snakes, but we've found their nest over yonder, and its one of the babies that hatched and attacked us."

"Ah! Told you!" Viy said.

"That was not supposed to happen. If any of the babies' hatch, they are supposed to stay in the nest," Kur continued. "At the same time, there has to be something wrong with the Moss-Back. Like you said, Cen, anatomically, this doesn't make any sense, and I've never heard of anything like this from our harvesting or Slaying classes."

Gad considered Mul and Jul, still busy harvesting.

"Is there anything wrong with the other two?" she asked.

Kur shook his head.

"They're both fine," he said. "Though Mul squished one of the male's eyes. We'll be docked points for that."

Tuk reached a hand for his mouth and looked away.

"So, what do we do now?" Nar asked. "We missed the Mud Elemental as well as all the other beasts. Is the guide wrong?"

Their party leader sighed. "That's the part that actually really worries me. And I don't have the answer to that."

"Did they get us a crappy guide?" Viy asked.

"I doubt they got the cheapest one, and even if they did, it wouldn't be this wrong," Kur mused.

"Which means that there's something wrong with either the guide or the beasts, or both," Gad said. "Not to mention the missing resources."

"Yeah…"

"We still need to finish the dungeon, though, right?" Rel asked. "We can't get out unless we kill the final boss."

"Right," Kur said. "My thinking is, for now, we keep going. We'll follow the guide towards the next boss and harvest what shows up on the way, but I figured we all needed to know about these discrepancies."

"And if there's more?" Rel asked.

"We'll deal with it when the time comes," Gad said. "For now, we should finish harvesting and get going. Do you have much longer to go?"

"Hey, Tuk!"

They all turned towards Mul.

"Look!" Mul said, grinning wickedly as he spun a big length of something from inside the snake above his head, blood and other stuff flying from its cut end. Tuk predictively gagged and rushed off behind the tree, where Nar heard him try to keep his breakfast inside him.

Kur simply shook his head.

"Anyways, yes, we'll deal with it when the time comes, and yes, another hour and we should be done," Kur said. "I just want you guys to pay even more attention and be even more careful from now on. We don't know what surprises this dungeon has for us going forward. Anything can happen."

And if past experience is anything to go by, anything will happen… Nar thought, grimly.

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