It was time to kill this thing.
Jackal and I weren't perfect yet, but we were starting to move in rhythm. We had pushed it back. Hurt it. Our timing was getting better, and we could finish it if we kept the momentum.
Still. For good measure.
The armor had been sitting in my inventory, untouched, waiting to be Soulbound.
[Arachnoid Husk]
Tier: Vestige
Status: (Adaptive) Dormant.
Do you wish to Soulbind this item?
Yes.
The moment I confirmed it, a lean gray armor folded over my limbs like it had always belonged there. The plates were light, woven like spider silk hardened into steel. It flexed with my movement.
I felt stronger. Not by much, but enough.
Next came the cores.
I hadn't paid them any mind before. The System didn't list any unique effects. Just minor drops from the swarm.
Now I absorbed them. All forty-six.
One by one, they dissolved into light.
[New Trait Unlocked – Arachnoid's Sight]
Edges sharpened. Motion slowed just a touch. The jungle didn't brighten in color, just in contrast.
Shapes became easier to track. Subtle movements popped out against the blur. It was like I had gained an extra layer of awareness, not overwhelming, but present.
The Serpent was circling again, wary now.
It was our turn to strike.
"Jackal," I said, leveling my blade. "Hit it with me. Head-on."
He grinned, already moving. "Got you."
We charged together, the space between us just tight enough to keep coordination. Not perfect, but enough. I took the lead, Hellflame flickering faintly along the blade's edge. The Serpent lunged forward to intercept, jaws wide.
I jumped.
Mid-air, I raised my sword as if to strike, drawing its eyes.
At the last second, I tucked low and passed beneath its head.
Jackal came in behind me. Silent. Precise. Blade already swinging.
His strike tore across the Serpent's side, deep enough to make it recoil, letting out a hiss of confusion and pain.
But it didn't fall. It twisted fast.
The tail hit me mid-air. Harder than before.I barely raised my arm in time to block.
The impact threw me sideways. I crashed into the earth, sliding through roots and shattered leaves.
Jackal kept it busy, weaving around the coils with sharp, vicious slashes.
Then I saw it. Mana gathered along the spine, tight and focused. A buildup of venom spiraling up the creature's throat.
A spell.
"Jackal," I said sharply, "move. Now."
He moved, but not fast enough.
The beam fired.
A lance of sickly green energy erupted from its mouth, striking him directly. He shot backward through a thick tree trunk, the wood splitting around him as he crashed down in a storm of debris.
Smoke curled up from the blast.
My grip tightened on the Blade of Kaldrith.
The Serpent was serious now.
Its force was increasing, but the damage I took earlier had been less than expected. Not by much, but noticeable.
The armor was working, even while dormant.
This beast wasn't documented. The Amazon Expanse was evolving too fast to keep up.
Jackal slowly got to his feet, shoulders rising and falling.
That hit would have dropped a normal human.
But he wasn't normal.
The fear was starting to build around her. I could feel it. So could he.
"How are you doing, you pathetic lizard?" he called, voice mocking.
"You little creature," the Serpent snarled. "I will swallow you whole."
Jackal moved first, but I moved faster.
"Ember Step."
Flame cracked beneath my boots. I flashed behind her just as she lunged for him.
She shifted forms. Back into the woman.
A mistake.
Fear made her hesitate. Fear made her sloppy.
I slashed toward her right side. She dodged, barely.
But she didn't expect the kick.
My left leg shot out, striking her clean across the torso, sending her stumbling—right into Jackal.
She tried to transform again.
Too late.
"Ravage."
His blade scattered into a hundred mirrored strikes, slashing her from every angle before she could even finish shifting.
When the Serpent reformed, her scales were torn, her eyes glazed.
She was hurt. Bad.
We could finish it.
But then she shifted again.
Back into the woman.
Her voice trembled. "Please. I am just a lowly creature of this forest…"
I considered marking her with Brand. Ending it here and now.
But something held me back.
She raised a hand, slow, almost pleading.
"I am not like the others," she said. "I have a mind. I only attacked because I thought you were evil—your minds were unholy."
Then she turned to Jackal, pointing with one trembling finger.
"You… you are stitched from fear. You feed on it. That is not survival. That is wrong. A thing like you should not exist."
Jackal tilted his head, smile returning slow and sharp.
"And yet I do," he said simply. "Do something about it."
Then he laughed. Dry and low, like he'd just told a joke only he found funny.
I gave a small chuckle too. More out of reflex than amusement.
He looked at me, still grinning. "Stop fake laughing. It's obvious."
I shrugged. "Didn't want to leave you hanging."
"Fair," he said, rolling his shoulders. "Still bad at it though."
"Listen to me. Please," she said. "When I touched his mind, I felt it. A world beyond ours. Not just another realm, but something above realms. Something transcended."
Her gaze sharpened.
"He doesn't belong to this world. He will end it. He will end all of it."
Jackal tilted his head.
Then, without a word, he stepped forward and cut her head clean off.
"Like I care about the world," he muttered, blade humming as it slowed in his grip.
Her body crumpled, head falling with a quiet splash into the river.
The mist didn't even stir.
I did not make a comment.
[Trial Completed]
Reward:
Trait, Aegis of Physicality
I checked the trait out.
[Aegis of Physicality]
Tree: Ascended
Description: Your physical form now partially reflects the depth of your experience.
This would be useful.
I already felt it. I was stronger, just slightly, but it was there. A subtle shift. The stats I would have gained had I been System-bound during the Trial, during the battle against the Seraph, were starting to catch up.
Not all at once.
But maybe… eventually.
Jackal tilted his head. "I got a skill. Quite a handy one, at that."
"Oh?" I asked. "What does it do?"
He grinned, teeth barely visible beneath the brim of his hat. "You'll find out during battle. Makes it more engaging that way."
The river settled. The jungle held its breath.
And somewhere beyond the trees, something was already moving.
We wouldn't be resting yet.