"Something bad is happening here... Something told me so, but I don't know what it could be," Pax murmured to himself as he moved swiftly through the building. His analytical mind didn't need further proof: he had picked up on the signs from the beginning. "No time to think—it's time to act. I must save that foolish prince from certain death. If I save him, he'll owe me one... Although surely he'll collect to save me from the Curchacos. Anyway, there's no other choice—all for Lord Tejod."
Pax began to move strategically through the building, checking room by room. However, everything seemed empty, with no trace of life or activity, until he entered a dark room where he found bones scattered across the floor. At first glance, they bore the shape of Lula, the elderly owner of the place.
"Those thieving snakes infiltrated this place and made it their nest," Pax deduced, observing the remains coldly. "I must hurry... But I already know what to do."
He quickly returned to his room, retrieving what was left of Susan's lifeless body. "I would have asked her first where the others were," he thought, "but she didn't give me time—it was her or me."
The place, though small on the outside, was an endless labyrinth within. Pax advanced with determination, hearing sinister noises and hisses coming from the lower level. He agilely leaped under the staircase and arrived just in time to see the snakes about to devour Paltio and his companions.
Without losing a second, he took the rattle from Susan's tail and shook it forcefully. The snakes stopped their feast and turned toward the door, alerted by the familiar sound. Then, they saw Susan's head slowly peeking in.
"Ah! Is that you, fool? Did you finish off the stupid Red Shadow?" one of the snake maids sneered, approaching the door.
Susan's head responded with a slight nod.
"What's wrong with you? You're never this quiet, Susan," remarked one of the nearby snakes, curiously moving closer to the door. But before she could reach it, Susan's head suddenly disappeared, leaving a tense silence hanging in the air.
Intrigued and alarmed by her sister's strange behavior, Catra, the snake woman, approached the door even more. However, her body froze instantly, unable to move an inch.
"Catra? Is everything alright?" another snake maid asked, also moving closer to the door. That's when Pax leaped out of the shadows, wielding his sword with lethal precision.
"You damn fool! What did you do to my sisters? You'll pay!" the snake hissed, launching herself at him in fury.
Pax blocked the attack with his sword, narrowly avoiding the venomous fangs. The other snakes, who had been about to devour Paltio and his friends, glared at him with hatred.
"Sisters, finish him off! There's a banquet to be eaten!" Lula commanded, pointing to the unconscious group on the table.
The five snakes lunged at Pax with ferocity, surrounding him like hungry hunters.
"Damn... Too many reptiles to fight," Pax muttered through gritted teeth as he dodged attacks and slashed the air with his sword. Venom dripped from his enemies' fangs, forcing him to keep moving constantly.
"Come on, sisters, finish him!" one of the snakes shouted as she tried to bite him. "You damn Red Shadow soldier! Tejod will pay for discarding us!"
Pax didn't respond. Instead, he moved with lethal grace, using his sword to block attacks and counter with precision. One by one, the snakes fell under his relentless blade, but the others pressed on, determined to protect their feast.
"So you're another of the master's failed experiments. I'm only here for the prince," Pax told them coldly, blocking an attack with his sword.
"We're not failed experiments! We're Serugulas, perfect creations that feed on the flesh of any living being and then take their form whenever we want!" Lula roared, joining the battle upon realizing her sisters couldn't handle the soldier.
Her size increased dramatically, surpassing that of the other snakes. Sharp fangs emerged from her mouth, which she launched like darts toward Pax.
"Damn," Pax muttered as he pulled a small shield from his back to block the attacks. He glanced around with a mix of frustration and irony. "Four against one... Not fair. Well, three against one," he added, taking down another Serugulas with a single precise strike.
Lula, enraged, turned to him with a venomous glare. "If you're so eager for the boy, I'll eat him first!" she screamed before heading back to the table for Paltio.
Pax tried to stop her, but the enormous tails of the snakes surrounded him like relentless whips.
"I shouldn't have said what I wanted... Damn," he scolded himself as he dodged another attack. "No, I won't be able to save that foolish prince."
At that moment, Golden's voice resonated in his mind through the telepathic link. "I see you're concerned about the prince."
"It's you, Goldie," Pax responded sarcastically, referring to Golden. "Tell me, why didn't you help the prince?"
"It's me. Well, I didn't help him because I knew we could count on you," Golden replied calmly.
"Thanks for the encouragement, but I need more than that to deal with the thing that's about to eat the prince."
Golden paused briefly before responding: "Well, I'll send you some help."
Pax growled as he tried to free himself from the fangs of one of Lula's sisters. "What kind of help? The kid's asleep."
"Ow! True, you don't know him... Though you did see him that time with the Curchacos," Golden said, trying to remind him.
"No, I don't remember," Pax replied dryly as he was thrown against the wall with force. He blocked the attack with his shield and used his sword to repel another enemy. Desperately, he looked toward Lula, who had opened her enormous mouth to swallow Paltio whole.
"Whatever you're going to do, do it quickly. The prince doesn't have much time."
"Alright, Toco-Toco, come out and help the prince. That's an order," Golden said firmly.
Immediately, the feline emerged from Paltio's seed, wielding his two weapons with feline agility. He intercepted Lula's attack midair, saving the prince just in time.
"Damn animal! Don't get between me and my meal!" Lula roared furiously, launching herself into another attack.
However, Toco-Toco was faster. He pulled the prince and his friends off the table, carrying them out of the dining room in a matter of seconds.
"But where are those damn fools?!" Lula bellowed, frantically searching for her prey.
"They're out of your reach, meow," Toco-Toco responded with a mocking grin as he prepared to face her. "Now I'll be your opponent."
Meanwhile, in Golden's world, Paltio began to regain consciousness. He found himself floating in an abstract space, facing Golden.
"I see you fell asleep... That's why you're here again," Golden said casually.
"What happened, Golden?" the young man asked, intrigued and confused.
"You were ambushed by shape-shifting snakes that consume others and take their forms. They're called Serugulas, or at least that's what I heard."
"If I'm here, it means we haven't eaten yet. I only remember taking a bath and then eating… After that, everything went black. It seems they injected their venom into the water and food," Paltio reflected, frowning.
"Most likely what you felt was a sense of forewarning about impending danger," Golden noted calmly.
Paltio shook his head. "I don't think so. I felt that same connection with the queen, and she was dangerous from the start."
"Yes, perhaps... Let me investigate further," Golden responded thoughtfully.
"And the others, where are they?" Paltio asked, worried about his friends.
"They're safe, thanks to Pax and Toco-Toco," Golden assured him calmly.
"What a pair they make," the boy commented with a mix of admiration and humor.
"Yes, but you need to wake up now to support Toco-Toco. Your power is key to defeating Lula, who's the biggest threat here."
"And how do I wake up if I was practically drugged by those snake women?" Paltio asked, frowning.
Golden smiled mischievously before responding: "Well, I think this world will serve its purpose too."
Suddenly, he pulled out a frying pan, just like last time, and hit the boy on the head.
"Ouch!" Paltio shouted, clutching his head. He opened his eyes and found himself back in the real world, surrounded by his unconscious friends.
"The good thing is, it worked," Golden remarked, emerging from the hologram of his seed.
"Soon, take it. I'll give you five percent of my power. You know what to do," Golden said as green energy began flowing toward Paltio's hands.
"Alright, I'm ready," the young man responded with determination, feeling the gloves reform around his hands.
Meanwhile, Pax continued to fight fiercely against the two Serugulas that were trying to bite him to inject their lethal venom before devouring him. On the other hand, Toco-Toco battled ferociously against Lula, the largest "Serugulas," who launched her dart-like fangs with deadly precision.
"Tiny animal, stop moving!" Lula hissed furiously, attempting to land her attacks. But the cat was too fast, deflecting the darts with his spinning weapons, which resembled two propellers on his paws.
"Die, beast, die!" roared the snake-woman, though Toco-Toco only leaped and blocked with feline agility.
Pax, however, was in a critical situation. The tails of the Serugulas had wrapped tightly around his legs, lifting him into the air and leaving him defenseless. His weapons fell to the ground as he lost his balance.
"At last, it's your end," one of the Serugulas hissed with delight, opening her mouth to devour him.
"We'll savor every bite," the other added, her fangs gleaming in the dim light.
Just as they were about to bring Pax into their jaws, something yanked him down abruptly, causing him to crash to the floor with a thud.
"That hurt…" Pax muttered as he tried to recover. He looked up and noticed the tails of the snakes had been cleanly severed.
The two Serugulas screamed in pain, staring at where their tails had been. It was then that they saw Paltio standing there, the green gloves glowing intensely on his hands.
"Alright, who wants more?" the prince said confidently, taking a combat stance.