Chapter 244: Blade Forest Snakes

Before they moved, Darion summoned protection.

Four Horned Yuimons from inventory, the ones he had just raised, the most powerful animals currently available to him.

They materialized in a loose formation around the group, their massive bodies blocking out the light, their green eyes scanning the trees.

He summoned the Slitherer too, its armored body coiling at the rear, its senses locked onto the forest around them.

The formation around the group was now considerably more serious than it had been when they entered the forest.

The archers looked at the four Horned Yuimons and then at each other. Their faces were a mix of awe and unease. They had seen Darion summon before, but this was different.

These were creatures that had been dead moments ago, now standing guard like loyal hounds. It was unsettling, but it was also reassuring. With this kind of protection, they felt safe.

Seren told the group to stay in formation, keep spacing, and watch their footing. The forest floor changed as they moved in the direction Darion was leading.

The undergrowth shifted, the tree spacing changed slightly, and the ground became softer underfoot. The air grew cooler, damper, carrying the scent of moss and decay.

Things were quieter here. The birds that had been calling in the distance were silent. The rustle of leaves had stopped. Even the wind seemed to have died down.

The archers had been expecting more creatures, or an attack, or something like that, but they saw or heard nothing. The forest was seemingly empty.

It seemed this place was like a shortcut to escape danger. A pocket of calm in the middle of chaos. Darion felt his shoulders relax slightly, his grip loosening on his weapon.

Well, that was until they heard rustles underneath.

The sound came from the ground, a soft shifting of leaves and soil.

Every one moved, their bodies tensing, their hands reaching for their weapons.

The archers stepped back, their eyes scanning the forest floor, trying to pinpoint the source of the sound. They were scared, their hearts pounding, their breaths quick.

But the Slitherer was already at it.

It moved with terrifying speed, its armored body sliding across the ground, its circular mouth opening wide.

Six snakes erupted from the undergrowth, their bodies thick and muscular, their scales glinting in the dim light.

The Slitherer took on all six for about five seconds before the group realized what was happening and started to be alert.

The snakes had chainsaw-like teeth.

They were arranged in rows, each one sharp and serrated, designed to tear through flesh and bone. A single bite could sever a limb, could kill a man in seconds.

They moved with ’predatory precision’, their heads swaying, their eyes fixed on the group.

Darion’s system quickly showed him:

[A bite can chop off a leg!]

Nahhhhh. He wasn’t about to let that happen.

The Yuimons were already attacking now. They moved with an efficiency the was brutal, their massive bodies crashing through the undergrowth, their jaws closing around the snakes.

But through the binding, Darion commanded that they should not kill them like that, their corpses wouldn’t be revivable again. He needed them intact. He needed the bodies whole.

The Horned Yuimons adjusted their attacks, using their weight to pin the snakes to the ground, their claws holding them in place.

The Slitherer joined in, its body coiling around one of the snakes, squeezing until it went still. The fight was quick and brutal. The snakes thrashed and snapped, their teeth tearing through the air, but they were no match for the combined force of the undead.

One by one, they went still, their bodies lying motionless on the forest floor.

The system notification appeared: [Blade Forest Snakes]

Darion nodded, thinking about it as he looked at the creatures. Blade Forest Snakes. That was actually a normal name and not one of those weird names he had gotten used to.

It was refreshing, a reminder that not everything in this world had to be strange.

He crouched beside the first snake, placed his hand on its body, and spoke the word.

"Arise."

Green light spread from his palm, going over the creature. It twitched once, twice, and then its eyes opened, glowing green. It rose slowly, its body coiling, ready to serve.

He moved to the next one.

"Arise."

And the next.

"Arise."

One by one, the Blade Forest Snakes rose from the dead, their green eyes burning in the dim light. Darion added them to his inventory, feeling the weight of their presence settle into the space between worlds.

They would be useful. He could feel it.

They would be very, very useful. This was the first time he was adding real snakes into his inventory, not something like the Slitherer, which was a creature of its own kind, something entirely different from a normal snake.

These were actual snakes. Blade Forest Snakes. And he could already imagine what they would do in battle.

Fighters wouldn’t see them coming. They would be focused on the big threats, the knights, Yuimons, the Horned Olfs, the massive creatures that dominated the battlefield.

Their attention would be locked on those, their weapons raised, their formations tight.

And while they were distracted, the snakes would be moving beneath them, silent and unseen. A bite here, a bite there.

A leg suddenly giving out. A soldier collapsing without warning. The chaos would spread before anyone even realized what was happening.

He could already see it. An enemy formation, confident and organized.

The Yuimons charging from the front, drawing their attention. The knights pressing from the flanks.

And underneath, the snakes sliding through the grass, their teeth ready to strike. They would be perfect for sowing confusion, for breaking formations, for creating openings that his other creatures could exploit.

The archers were still catching their breath, their faces pale, their hands trembling slightly.

They had watched the fight, had seen the snakes rise from the dead, and had witnessed the cold efficiency of Darion’s undead army.

One of them muttered something under his breath, a prayer or a curse. Another just stared at the ground, trying to process what he had seen.

Seren walked over to Darion, her steps steady, her face calm. She looked at him for a moment, then said, "Thank the gods you followed us."

Darion nodded. "I wouldn’t have missed it."

She smiled, a small, quiet thing. "We all would have died long ago without you."

Darion looked at the archers, saw the way they were standing a little straighter, a little more confident.

They had seen him fight. They had seen his power. And they knew they were safe.

They had so much confidence in him now.

They kept moving.

The Slitherer moved ahead of the group in the loose weaving pattern it used when ranging. Its body slid through the undergrowth, its senses scanning the forest for threats. It was the perfect scout, silent, fast, and deadly. And it knew what to look for.

Darion walked at the back, his mind turning. He thought about the hunt, about how this was actually very, very beneficial for him.

He had started the day with a full inventory that could add nothing more, seventy animal slots occupied. Now he had more. Five Horned Yuimons. Six Blade Forest Snakes. And his inventory had expanded to one hundred slots.

He was building something here, something that would make him stronger, more prepared for whatever came next.

They kept moving. The forest was quiet around them, the only sound was the soft rustle of leaves and the distant chirping of birds.

They saw nothing actually. Mostly nothing significant. Small things, the kind of small things that disappeared when something large approached. They were afraid or something. The forest was dangerous, and the ’preys’ knew it.

They reached it. The trees opened into a section where the canopy was less dense and the light came through in actual shafts rather than filtered grey.

Finally!

The undergrowth was lower here, easier to move through. And in the branches above and the spaces between, birds. Actual birds. The variety that lived in deeper forest rather than near settlements. Larger than common birds. Faster. The wing patterns more complex.

Wild weird birds. The kind that would test a moving shot.

The archers and Seren and Darion studied them. The birds moved in the branches, their bodies sleek, their wings sharp.

They were beautiful in a way, their feathers catching the light, their movements fluid and graceful. But there was something dangerous about them too. Something that made Darion cautious.

One bird had a spiked body. Its feathers were tipped with sharp protrusions, like tiny blades. It moved with a predatory grace, its eyes scanning the ground below.

Darion imagined what that would do in battle. A bird that could dive from above, its spiked body tearing through enemy lines.

A creature that could harass formations, break up charges, blind soldiers with its claws. It would be useful in ways he hadn’t even considered.

He watched it for a long moment, his mind turning. The bird was strong, fast, and dangerous. It would be a valuable addition to his inventory.

He smiled.