Chapter 44:So thats what poison tastes like!

Grim's gaze wandered across the nicely decorated decor of the room, his attention momentarily captured by a statue of Dirk, which unnervingly seemed to watch him move.

'Now that I think about it every picture that I see, I always feel like the eyes are following me...is this just a weird me thing?

The eyes, carved with meticulous detail, followed his every step, a trick of the light, perhaps, but unsettling nonetheless.

If he told Valeria she would probably have an answer, maybe he could ask Jessica when he meets back up with her.

Tap, tap, tap!!! As he was wandering with his own thoughts, light but clear footsteps approached him from behind.

Dirk approached Grim with a congenial smile, offering small talk that felt superficial as hell

"Enjoying the party, John?" he inquired, though his eyes seemed to probe for more than mere pleasantries.

Grim responded with a noncommittal grunt, his senses on high alert. The atmosphere was charged with an unspoken tension.

Maybe it wasn't the statue's eyes, but the eyes of everyone at the party constantly looking over at him that was unnerving.

Without warning, Dirk extended a glass of punch towards Grim. "A toast, to new beginnings," he declared, his voice laced with kindness and acceptance.

Grim didn't really see why not and accepted the drink. He swirled the red alcoholic drink...and took a sip.

'Wait...Alcohol...'

Almost instantly, he regretted it.

A sharp pain erupted in his throat, spreading rapidly through his body.

He choked, blood trickling from his lips, then eyes and finally his ears, as his vision blurred and his legs gave way beneath him.

Dirk watched with a pitiful, condescending gaze, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Oh, John, you were so close, yet so far," Dirk taunted, his voice cold and detached. "Your meddling nearly exposed us, but tonight, you've played your final hand."

As Grim struggled on the floor, his consciousness waning, Dirk's appearance began to shift, his skin paling, his eyes darkening.

Around him, the partygoers transformed into grotesque, deformed creatures, their humanity slipping away under the guise of monstrous visages.

Dirk turned to leave, his footsteps echoing ominously through the hall. "Dispose of him," he commanded, his voice echoing with dark authority.

The creatures dragged Grim's limp body to a secluded room, before they salivated at his body, first starting at his fingers and then devouring the rest of his body...bones and all.

And they did this while he was still alive, they ripped his organs out of his body, tore flesh from bones and left nothing to waste.

Before long the only thing that was left were ripped bloodied clothes...

....

Skia had sensed the imminent danger before Grim had even drunk the poison and attempted to intervene but found itself overwhelmed by a sudden lethargy.

It retreated into the safety of Grim's shadow, succumbing to an unnatural sleep.

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Grim's eyes fluttered open to an alien landscape.

He was in a vast, dark cave, devoid of light except for the faint glow of luminescent moss.

His body felt strange, foreign. Panic set in as he realized he was no longer human but a snake, slithering across the cold, damp floor.

What the hell is going on, wasn't I being devoured just a second...this feels like Deja Vu...

Thats when memories of a past event surfaced in his mind, a trial he had undergone to summon Skia.

Was this another test?

...

As Grim acclimated to the sinuous form of his new snake body, the cavern's echoes brought the skittering sound of claws on stone closer.

The air, thick with the musk of salt and moss, was suddenly pierced by the sight of a massive rat, its beady eyes fixed on Grim with predatory intent.

Grim, though new to this serpentine existence, felt an instinctual surge of combativeness awaken within him.

The rat charged, its gnarled teeth bared for the kill. Grim coiled, his entire being tensing for the clash.

Even though he was in a different body than normal, Grim had incredible Fighting instincts, it didn't matter what body he was in, his body would always be a weapon he could utilise.

Grim manoeuvred with surprising agility, his body a black streak against the cave's dimness.

Each movement was swift dodging every attack that came his way.

The rat lunged, but Grim was quicker, slithering with a fluid grace that belied his size.

He struck back, his body lashing out like a whip, the impact sending the rat reeling.

But the creature was relentless, driven by hunger as much as Grim was driven by the will to survive—and to understand this bizarre trial he found himself in.

The rat attacked again.

Grim waited for the perfect moment, his body coiled tight, then struck with lethal accuracy.

His fangs sank into the rat's neck, a decisive blow that ended the struggle.

Yet, as the life ebbed from his adversary, an unexpected hunger overtook Grim. Without fully comprehending why, he found himself consuming the rat, the act filling him with a strength and vitality he hadn't known he needed.

In the aftermath, Grim lay there, processing the primal satisfaction of the hunt. "Well, that was... interesting," he mused to himself, his sense of humour finding a place even here, in the darkness. "Guess I'm not a vegetarian."

....

Days soon passed by, or what he thought felt like days. Grim fought and feasted, each encounter making him stronger, larger.

He could feel the transformation, the power coursing through his elongated form. His body now spanned over 20 meters, and his width was at least a metre in length.

Safe to say he was a lengthy boy.

His appearance had also evolved dramatically; intense blue eyes that glimmered with an otherworldly light, sharp spikes running down his spine, and a striking red tribal pattern adorning his scales.

"Look at me, the apex predator of... a cave. Great. Mom would be so proud...not that I have a mum."

But with power came isolation.

Grim's existence in the cave became a solitary one, his only companions the echoes of his own thoughts. "Wonder if I could start a blog. 'Diary of a Giant Snake: Eat, Sleep, Conquer.'"

Finally, a glimmer of hope pierced his boring routine—the sight of light, the feel of a fresh breeze.

Eager to escape his subterranean prison, Grim slithered towards freedom, only to discover another vast chamber, an illusion of the outside crafted by luminescent crystals high above.

"Seriously? Another room? This cave's interior designer must be a fan of cruel jokes," Grim lamented.

But then, a sound unlike any other he'd encountered in the cave—voices, human voices, on the far side of the room.

Grim paused, a mix of curiosity and caution holding him in place.

"Humans? Here? Either I've finally lost it, or this is a giant Parrot monster trying to trick me."

With a feeling of curiosity, Grim prepared to meet these human cave dwellers, his mind racing with questions.

"Hope they're friendly. And maybe have snacks. I'm getting tired of the entomophagy diet."

"God I miss Chimichangas..."

As he moved closer, the voices grew clearer, a sign that this trial was far from over.

Grim steeled himself, ready for whatever—or whoever—awaited him.