Snake

Issei and the coachman hid behind a small hill; they had been banished from the elf village. Together, the two tried to come up with a plan to return to the village and solve any problems.

<We could disguise ourselves or remain in the shadows until we find out who the kidnapper is.>

The coachman had good ideas, but they were vague and difficult to implement.
They began walking in a circle, keeping a distance from the village. Their footsteps on the grass made a soothing, continuous rustling sound.

After a while, they decided to stop, but the rustling continued.

Rustle!

The noise was louder; something nearby was shuffling its feet.

<What was that? Be quiet.>

The two remained listening. A little further ahead, someone was talking to some goblins.

<Did I bring you enough elves?>

<Argh!>

<I don't care if one of your bases was destroyed by adventurers. It can happen.>

<Argh!>

<I even brought you the village chief. Now give me the object I asked for!>

<Argh!>

The goblins used strange noises to communicate; no one understood what they were saying except that person.

One thing was certain: they were talking about elves and a mysterious object.

This immediately masked the culprit: the person beyond the hill was mistaking elves for goblins.

The two looked at each other and then jumped out.
Before them was a huge, talking snake. It was pure white with gray streaks and crimson red eyes. It was three meters tall, and long, curved, very sharp fangs protruded from its mouth.
Even though it was a snake, it had four arms.

Issei drew his sword and lunged at his enemy. The snake's hard scales, as if made of metal, repelled the blade.

<A pathetic adventurer?>

The valiant knight was compared to a miserable adventurer incapable of fighting. He became enraged and delivered a powerful thrust. It pierced his skin, but it wasn't a fatal wound. The snake let out a slight cry of pain and then drew out two swords.

<Now it's my turn!>

The snake placed its blades parallel to each other and struck Issei forcefully. The knight parried the blow with his sword, but the force of the snake knocked him off his feet.

Meanwhile, Shirou tried to eliminate the goblins, but the snake's tail stopped him.
It seemed they were finished. Issei tried to get back to his feet, but the snake held him down with its swords, while Shirou was tied by its tail.

I am a very strong warrior, how can I be defeated so easily?!

Issei used all his strength and knocked the snake's sword away. The monster was surprised for a moment, but then drew two more swords.

The situation seemed to be getting worse, yet Issei remained calm; he knew what he had to do.

<The best technique is to aim for the eyes!>

Issei made a huge leap and found himself face to face with the snake. The slimy monster, however, smiled, its eyes lit up, like two rubies.
With extreme speed, the snake bit Issei.

Argh!

Blood began to gush from Issei's arm, an olive-green liquid seeming to seep into his wound. The knight dropped his sword.

<It's poison, damn it!>

<I thought the brave Issei knew better than to use a sword. And I didn't even know you were left-handed!>

The coachman was angry, but for some reason he was laughing. Strange behavior; Shirou was always cold and serious. Now, however, he was mocking Issei, mocking his skills.

<They broke the fingers on my right hand in the war! I can't do anything about it!>

The snake seemed annoyed by the two adventurers laughing and joking, their lives hanging in the balance.

<Stop babbling! I'm going to kill you!>

The two were already aware of this, which is precisely why they were laughing. So as not to die sad.

Then an arrow shot through the leaves and pierced the snake's body.

<Who dares to shoot me with an arrow? This is treacherous!>

A figure approached, leaping from tree to tree. A female voice reached everyone's ears.

<You speak of treachery during a mortal battle. Hahaha, don't make me laugh!>

A small elf, with light blue hair, fiery eyes, and a bow in her hand, approached the two adventurers.

<Thank you for saving me, now it's my turn!>

Firing a series of arrows, the elf pricked the snake's body, piercing it in every spot.

<Aim for its eyes!>

Issei advised the elf to use his deadly technique, perfect for any monster: blinding the enemy.
The girl did as advised, taking two arrows and placing them on her bow. With a single shot, he fired both arrows, right at his eyes.

The snake, however, was remarkably fast; with a flick of its tail, it deflected the arrows. In doing so, however, it let go of Issei and released the coachman.

The two, without wasting a moment, struck the monster. The scaly creature then decided to run away. It was very fast, even at slithering.

<Damn, it got away!>

The coachman kicked a tree trunk in relief. Issei, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief.

<Thank you for saving us... What's your name?>

The elf put her bow behind her back and bowed.

<My name is Sylphiette! And I should be the one thanking you for saving me! The goblin cave I was trapped in was disgusting, it was all dirty and you couldn't see a thing!>

She was the elf Issei had saved during one of the quests. The memory of that dark, narrow cave sent shivers down the knight's spine.

He was accustomed to vast battlefields, and although he had undertaken a few adventurous missions as a youth, he didn't like being in cramped quarters.
As he had in the prince's room, he loved to swing his sword through the air.

<When I heard my heroes had been banished from the village, I immediately rushed to find you and thank you.>

The elf did everything she could to say "thank you" to the people who had saved her.

Issei's eyes widened; he had never seen anyone go out of their way just to thank someone.

<You're welcome. I see you've gotten back in shape quickly.>

The elf smiled.

<Well, it's all thanks to my grandmother. She knows how to use healing magic!>

Shirou looked at Issei, then at his right hand.

<You should get your fingers healed, Issei. How long have they been like this?>

The knight laughed, embarrassed.

<After they tortured me on the battlefield, I spent two weeks mining for minerals in the quarry, and then another week babysitting the prince. About a month, I'd say.>

<A month with broken fingers?!>

The elf couldn't believe his words.

<A whole month with broken fingers?! The pain must have been hard to bear! We need to get you treated right away, or you risk losing your fingers forever!>

<Well, I can't feel them anymore, so I guess they're gone. Hehe.>

Issei tried to lighten the situation by laughing, but there was nothing funny about losing three of the five fingers on his right hand.

Without his dominant hand, his dream of continuing to be a knight and receiving the title of Royal Knight had completely faded.

<As absurd as it may seem, my grandmother could even heal your dead fingers.>

The elf reassured the knight, who stopped laughing. A glimmer of hope had opened before him; perhaps that dream wasn't completely gone.
Issei sighed.

<But we can't go back to the village now. As you well know, we were banished. And it's all our fault; we couldn't protect the village chief.>

<Don't be discouraged, we just have to defeat that big snake, right? Let's do it!>

The girl with the long ears was full of hope; in Issei's eyes, she was truly a young girl, both in appearance and demeanor.

Young people are always full of hope and optimism. Perhaps I should start thinking like that, too. Maybe this attitude will take me far. Who knows?

The three then went hunting for the snake.