Molting the Mortal Coil

Unfortunately, things did not go the way Sage was expecting in the least. Du Hou started to battle with the remaining five thugs of Ding Bo. After his initial surprise attack, they were wary of his other hand and other places a hidden weapon could be concealed.

“Sister Su Ru, we have to help!” Ren Fen spoke even as he started to rush into the fray. He had been standing protectively in front of Su Ru, but the two of them weren’t just weaklings to be protected they could fight too!

It was at this point that Sage’s eyes narrowed, his memories of his mercenary life returning as Ren Fen suddenly stopped in his tracks. Falling slowly forward, the light in his eyes suddenly snuffed out. Behind him, Su Ru held a bloody dagger. The innocent seeming girl from before replaced by a perverted smile as she lifted the blade to her lips and licked the blood from the edge.

Du Hou was about to call out for them to be wary and move so they could cover each other’s backs. He saw Ren Fen fall and like struck by lightning he froze in place. Confusion and betrayal in his eyes as the five goons around him didn’t waste any time. Du Hou’s mouth had fallen open and before he could even voice out ‘Why?’ he was stabbed from five different directions. The swords piercing his internal organs and leaving him just as dead as his Sect mate. Su Ru started to laugh maniacally, a villainess planted walking towards Ding Bo and patting him on the head like a pet.

“Good work, Little Brother. You didn’t let them notice you behind us and waited at this cliff just like I told you to.” Su Ru no longer sounded like an innocent damsel who needed shelter. She was a vile seductress that must have been a spy from the Ding Family.

Sage tightened his fists. He thought it was going to turn into a schoolyard scuffle and one side might run away or have to give up some benefits. He had never expected it to so suddenly escalate into a backstab and instant death for one side. Betrayer! He hated betrayal the most, he’d almost died multiple times as those he thought were trustworthy stabbed him in the back. He’d formed some trust issues and it had even smashed all his desires to be a hero in this new life. How was he to protect others if he can barely save himself? Why would he protect others if they were just going to betray him?

Sage felt rage bubbling up within him. Had he really lost all his nerve? Did he have to be so calculative and introspective about everything? Was he so callous now to simply watch people die without feeling a thing? Could he really stand to just ignore such actions just because there was no benefit in it for him? Was he so afraid to be seen that he would rather hide his face then stop a murder?

The Twin Ringed Soul Serpent has brought me such benefits. I thought the only negative was my appearance… what a fool I was.

He had realized quite quickly the change in his nature and thought it was all for the better. He would stop finding himself being stepped on, aware of what was really going on. His strength would surge as he realized how naive his tactics and ideas were before. The problem was he also didn’t understand how vicious and callous he’d turned. While he couldn’t be a hero before, he would at least help those that he could. He would protect himself and extend a helping hand when it was within his means. He’d fought off many beasts and bandits as a Mercenary. Doing his job and protecting the travelers in the caravans. Just now he’d watched two decent people die over such a simple thing, betrayed by their own friend when he could have stopped things in dozens of different methods.

Only now did he realize he would have to be on guard against his own inner urges. Was he merely a beast that lived by its instincts or was he a man that followed his own convictions?

In a rage, Sage released both of his mature Insects. He used a scent marker on the Chameleon Mantis, ordering it to catch runners. If anyone left a certain radius, the Mantis would strike them down. At the same time he mentally controlled the Emerald Dragonfly to start weaving a net and had it pass over the group from above. I’m sorry Du Hou and Ren Fen, you died in the worst possible way. Thank you for opening my eyes, and forgive me for being foolish.

Despite being strangers, Sage was furious at the recent even and he burst out from the bushes. The distance had closed to fifty feet before Su Ru, Ding Bo and the goons even noticed his presence.

“Demon!”

Some of them called out as he approached, the five thugs forming up around their two leaders. Sage realized now that he was unprepared for direct combat. The serpent nature had focused his whole year of training on traps, ambushes and surprise attacks. His usual weapon, the Rope Dart was much less effective after his change. He couldn’t even perform half of the fighting techniques of ‘Revolving Skimmer’ without legs. It wasn’t really spectacular as a martial art, merely a set of physical attacks that also let him tie in his Qi Cultivation arts and techniques. It was a generalized art so it had no restrictions on combining with other arts. It fit decently well with his Verdant Firebrand and let him add a Flame Qi to his attacks. The two arts weren’t high ranking, but neither was Sage and they had worked well enough in combination.

Idiot. I had a dozen magical weapons for a whole year and didn’t even look at them, let alone practice!

Feeling angry at his foolishness, Sage moved even faster. Su Ru and Ding Bo actually took out bows, nocking arrows that had a bit of a green glistening liquid dripping from their tips. The five goons in a line to defend against Sage’s rush.

With their attention gathered, they were caught unaware by a huge streamer like net of silk. It was like a big sticky blanket trapped them from above, knocking the arrows off their bows and tangling up the swords in their hands. At the same time, Sage drew in a breath and used the technique he’d practiced dozens of times. A raging gout of fire blasted forth from his mouth. A huge cone of flames doused the whole group of seven. Screams rang out as Sage grabbed the most suitable of the dozen weapons and drew it out.

He’d trained with pole type weapons, chains, whips, and ropes. There was a whip in the collection but such a weapon was not suitable for quick killing. There was also a pike, but it was too long for Wave Breaking Paddle which was about sweeping and spinning, not stabbing. The people in front of him were trapped in webs, lit on fire and now quite helpless as he rushed up to them. A massive two handed mace appeared in his hands. Red as sandstone, the head of it had a smiling face. Distorted and grimacing, it looked like an angry golem’s head mounted on a pole. Sage brought it down upon the goons. Each downstroke smashing one of them into a pulp. The sound of bones breaking and gore splattering reduced the number of screams.

Terrified eyes stared up at him as the Mace struck down one last time. Su Ru transformed again, not an innocent girl or vile villainess, now just a scared lamb as she was repaid for her actions.