Chapter 2

My stomach felt like an open mouth snapping its jaws at the void and progressively getting more impatient at the emptiness. My throat was a cracked desert. I immediately figured out that unsurprisingly my stomach Qi point was connected to my hunger and thirst points. Knowing where the pain came from, however, kinda made it more prominent and I still had no clue what I could do about it. I was in the middle of a literal staring match between an angry Volcano and a frigid Mountain Top.

Where the hell could I even find water or food on such occasions and I didn’t even know what was safe or unsafe in that landscape. Ash-filled water didn’t sound very sanitary and the last thing I wanted was for my Health Points to drop even lower. Look at me. Getting accustomed to the game thought and talk already. 

From what I could tell by using faulty real world logic that wouldn’t and shouldn’t work here, they were creatures that survived and lived in Snowy Mountains more usually than near active Volcanoes. Therefore, I had more chances of encountering something in the Snowy Mountains. I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing though. This looked like a survival game and my only current weapons were my scorched fluffy slippers so there was no way I would meet a kind enough creature, that would just give away food as if it had been waiting for me, and fighting in this condition wasn’t really a choice. Waiting to die in the barren ashen mounts wasn’t that better either though.

In a magnificent showcase of how much my subconscious loved me, the game took the choice away from me and as I stood in the perfect middle of the two clashing reflections, creatures appeared from both sides. I was once again bamboozled at my imagination skills, at least I was going to die in one of the coolest ways I could think of.

Hissing and creeping towards me in a mesmerizing mirroring dance, snakes as huge as buildings appeared out of thin air. The ones coming from the active Volcano were pitch black with glowing bloody orange cracks throughout their bodies and eyes and tongues of lava. The ones coming from the Snowy Mountains were so brilliantly white that it hurt my eyes to watch and as the peculiar source of light of that place-which I couldn’t find with a quick search of the sky so I knew it wasn’t a sun-fell on their bodies, it gave them bluish and yellowish hues. Their cracks were made of icy blue and so were their eyes and tongues.

For a few invaluable seconds, I kept jumping from one side to the other not wanting to lose a single movement of theirs. I had seen snakes following the rhythm of a whisperer as they played their pungi but at the moment, I was the one charmed. The thought gave me a crazy idea. 

I blinked as if just waking up from my stupor and looked frantically around for anything I could use for my insane plan, if I could even call it that. The snakes kept swishing and swashing towards me menacingly. I took off my slippers and winced against the burn of the ice and the hot ground. I used my fingers to drive holes into them that made the tortured bunnies look as if they had wide open mouths.

“I’m sorry you guys. You served me well” I bowed solemnly and then drove my fingers through multiple points until they were perfectly unrecognizable. I had no knowledge of how to play an instrument and this didn’t look like anything apart from a piece of trash but I was hoping the dream logic could work its magic and make something out of nothing. I blew through the holes with all my strength but the hissing didn’t stop and both sides of snakes squared off opposite me as if ready to pounce for the same piece of meat. If only they could kill each other off for me, that would be great. I mean, I looked tasty enough right? Wasn’t getting to eat me worth that much at least?

Both sides of snakes puffed up like they were getting ready to attack. I did the only sane thing I could do, I fell flat on my face as lava breath and icicles flew over me and met other targets than their original one. There was an excruciating silence of disbelief before the snakes actually started to attack each other relentlessly. Do you remember that Harry Potter scene where Harry’s beam meets Voldemort’s and then it keeps going one side or the other like the most terrifying game of tug of war? Well right now, I wanted none of the sides to win and it would be a treat if I could get out of this unscathed too. My Health kept dropping along with my hunger and thirst, not to mention the second degree burns I was developing on my back. 

And because I am known for my unbeatable ingenuity, I get curious for their fight and feel a little like I’m losing out with my back turned away from the coolest thing that I could ever encounter. So, I turn around with my burning back hissing by the contact to the even hotter and icier ground. I cannot tell much but the point of the beams meeting is right above my head and like a deer caught in headlights, I stare at death wide eyed as if not wanting to miss out on even a glimpse. 

The stalemate last for some long moments. I conclude I have to do something to decide the winner before I just expire simply looking at this ridiculous duel. I pick up my slippers and in a last farewell, I throw them at the Ice Snakes- yeah, I know, I have the most amazing namegiving abilities. Now shut up.

The head Ice Snake fumbles in shock and that’s enough for the Lava Snakes to get the winning…tail? They definitely don’t have hands. Anywho, the Ice Snakes burst, their cracks getting bigger and bigger until they get consumed by the blue colour parts and melt into pools of water. Which was the second part of my last minute thought. If the Lava Snakes don’t come to eat me, I will be able to drink that water at least. My thirst was becoming so unbearable that my eyes were foggy and I was irritable.

The head Lava Snake tries to look over at me at what I cannot have been imagining to be amazement but I notice it doesn’t pounce and it carefully keeps to the lava side of the landscape. Without second thought, I drag my body fully on the ice side and I literally see the disappointment of the Lava Snakes before they squint threateningly at me and creep away without breaking eye contact with me. Yeah, definitely not going over to that side any time soon.

My hands dip into icy water and I dive into it instinctively knowing that I will probably regret drinking water coming from Ice Snakes and being so greedy about it but there are no thoughts in my head beyond my thirst. Only when I am back in full marks does my mind clear away and I lift my head before I start shivering. We are at the Snowy Mountain side now. We made our choice. No, talking about yourself in the royal we isn’t crazy, shut up. 

I just survived the most surreal and anti-climatic game battle and I had no idea what other creatures I would find. I looked around, hoping to find anything that could be used as an impromptu weapon or shield. A tree branch, a rock, anything! Surprise surprise. Ice, ice and more ice! Well okay then! Maybe my brain wasn’t being an asshole and this was some kind of hint?

I didn’t know how much weight my inventory could hold but I started picking up broken pieces of ice that had fallen off the Snakes and other points of the biome as I walked due forward or north or whatever. My eyes flashed once again.

Biome: a unique zone in a game world that has its own environment, weather creatures and survival conditions.

I was barefoot but the cold wasn’t so harsh or unwelcome right then. It took only a few moments to realize it was probably holding space for the howling of the wind and the growling of whatever was hiding at the shadows. I needed to find shelter and quick!