A woman scorned

"You two are weak and sloppy, yet you're annoying". The witch said, her creepy grin had returned. "I'll show you true power".

Then she raised her hands at the snakes. "Attack!"

The three snakes raised their heads high and began to slither towards Haze and Elena.

Haze took several steps back, analyzing the snakes furiously. They were unlike any snake he had ever seen, they stood five feet high and easily could have been fifteen or twenty feet long. Five horns projected from their heads and they had what seemed like whiskers coming down on both sides of their mouth.

Hisssss!

They hissed as they slowly but steadily advanced on Haze and Elena.

"Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse". Elena muttered behind him.

Haze turned to look at her with a cold gaze. "Why would you think things can't get worse?" He asked.

Elena shrugged, Haze was right, there was no reason for her not to expect worse, things hadn't exactly been rosy for them since they embarked on this journey.

"Just shut up and fight the snakes". She snapped at him.

Haze smirked. "As you wish, milady".

He studied the serpents again closely, their hide was protected by thick scales that would be obviously hard to penetrate. Haze had Hazpygoz though, a sword that could cut through anything so he fancied his chances.

The problem was their number, there were three giant snakes and if one were to be attacked, the other two might jump in to save it.

Plus to focus on one, you'd have to ignore the other two, leaving your back vulnerable to them.

Haze sighed, it was a lose- lose situation.

The first snake suddenly lunged at Haze, it's giant fangs were raised, ready to sink into his skin. Haze leaped out of the way in time, he looked at the snake and saw that because of the force with which it striked, it couldn't recover on time, leaving its head exposed. He raised his sword and brought it down to slash its now exposed head.

One of the other two snakes saw what was happening and immediately lunged at Haze with a fierce hiss.

Hissss!

Haze saw the attack just in time to twist his body and block the attack with his sword. The two attacks met and the snake flew away to the side while Haze was thrown in the opposite direction.

Haze got back to his feet, his sword had fallen a few feet away from him, it was just as he had expected, the snakes had each others' backs and would not let harm befall one of their own.

He looked at the snake his sword hit and was surprised to see that the strike had made only a tiny cut.

It is just as I suspected. He thought. Their scales must have some supernatural strengthening. My sword can cut through it, but only if I move it at a high strength and speed.

The first snake seemed to notice that Haze was without his sword for the moment, it immediately launched itself at Haze.

Haze threw up his arms uselessly in defense but Elena was quick to react, she blasted fire at the snake, forcing it to retreat. The snake fled back reluctantly, it was unwilling to let go of an unharmed Haze.

"That one seems to like me". Haze panted in relief, he ran to pick his sword and raised it.

"Can you blame it". Elena said and winked at him.

"We're about to die and you're flirting". Haze replied with smirk.

"Might as well enjoy our last moments". Elena shrugged.

"Oh cut it out you two love birds!" The witch snapped from the shadows.

Haze had almost completely forgotten about her, they had been focused on the snakes she summoned.

Haze studied the three serpents again. An idea formed in his mind, if he could find a way to alienate one of the snakes, he could kill it, then do the same for another snake. That would leave them with just one snake to fight.

He looked at the snakes again and decided it was a plan worth trying and even if it wasn't, what other plans did they have?

"Elena". He called in a low voice.

Elena glanced at him and leaned her head back to hear what he had to say.

"You think you can distract those two while I take on the fiesty one?" He whispered in her ear.

Elena looked at the two snakes, they were unusually fast and strong but if she could use her flame whips, perhaps she might be able to keep them occupied long enough for Haze to finish off the first serpent.

"Sure". She said. "It's just at the risk of losing my life, no big deal".

Haze rolled his eyes. "I'm the one killing them, stop whining".

Elena scoffed and made twin flame whips, one on each hand. She swung the whips at the two serpents who hissed angrily, they wanted to rush at her and attack her but they were scared of the flames.

Haze used the opportunity to attack the first snake, he swung his sword but the snake dodged it, Haze spun and swung his sword again with inhuman speed, it hit the snake near its neck and blood began to dribble out of the shallow cut.

Hissss!

The snake hissed in pain but Haze was moving again, he raised his sword and brought it down to cut its head off.

The second snake had been avoiding Elena's flames earlier, when it saw Haze about to cut the first snake's head off, it slithered through the fire and leaped at Haze.

Haze felt the attack before he saw it, the snake's head jammed into his side, sending him flying into the wall.

So that's not going to work. He thought as he staggered to his feet.

The witch laughed again. "When will you two give up?"

Then the realization hit Haze, they wouldn't be able to beat the snakes as long as the witch was alive and controlling them. To win, he had to take down the witch directly.

"Keep the three of them occupied!" He yelled at Elena as he grabbed his sword and ran at the first snake, then at the last minute, he turned and moved past it, straight for the witch.

The snakes tried to move to the witch to protect her but Elena had learnt from her earlier mistake.

"Firewall!" She yelled and a thick curtain of flames appeared between the snakes and the witch, cutting them off.

Haze looked back at the veil of fire behind him and smirked. "It's over now witch".

He raised his sword and feinted to the right, the witch saw the move and raised her arm to block it but Haze changed at the last minute, he aimed for her left shoulder instead, slicing a deep gash in it.

The witch howled in pain and lunged at him, Haze moved out of the way and turned very quickly, he pushed the sword into her back.

The witch screamed as the sword entered her back and came out of the front. She dropped to her knees and began to vomit a thousand tiny snakes, as she vomited them, her body began to disappear bit by bit, first from her legs till her head disappeared too.

*****

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