Return of the Queen

Finn, inhabiting the body of the water salamander, could sense Moonlight's presence right beside him, but for some inexplicable reason, the salamander's heat sensors were malfunctioning. The lake's bottom, where he currently resided, was unexpectedly warmer than the surface, and Finn was detecting heat signatures from all directions. Consequently, he had no choice but to rely on his primary senses to perceive his surroundings.

"I asked, have you come to kill me or save me?" inquired the woman shrouded in darkness. The confined underwater space at the lake's bottom reverberated with a deep rumbling sound as if something colossal was moving along the rocky lakebed.

Amidst the slithering noises surrounding him and the eerie hiss accompanying the woman's words, Finn was now certain that this was the same creature whose enormous eyes he had glimpsed on his first day when he lowered the lanterns into the lake's depths.

"I'm definitely going to die," he thought frantically as his salamander body trembled with fear. Simultaneously, the transparent screen displayed his dwindling health points, intensifying his anxiety with each passing second.

In the midst of the darkness, the woman repeated her question with a louder and slower voice, "I asked, have you come to kill me or save me?" Her words were accompanied by the usual hissing and rumbling sounds, and this time, Finn felt something substantial brush against him.

Finn attempted to produce various sounds with his salamander mouth in an effort to communicate his intentions to the woman in the darkness. After a few moments, he received a response. "That's peculiar," remarked the woman. This time, the rumbling sounds ceased, but the hissing sound continued after she spoke. "You appear to resemble a creature from my forest, but you clearly cannot use the creature's speech."

Fear gnawed at Finn, and he began to believe that she was indeed going to end his life. However, to his astonishment, the woman proposed, "Let's switch on the lights." In the next moment, Finn observed a faint white orb materialize, gradually floating upward before coming to a halt at a certain height. Then, in the blink of an eye, the orb exploded. The resulting brilliance was so blinding that Finn had to tightly shut his eyes. Slowly, as he cautiously opened them, he witnessed the orb's transformation into a miniature sun, casting its radiant light over a considerable distance.

Now that the depths of the lake were visible, Finn could see numerous water salamanders, driller fish, and sonic lobsters swimming above the radiant light. None of them, however, dared to venture below the white orb. Then, Finn once again heard the woman's voice, "You see, all the lake's creatures are outside this bubble. In fact, they've never dared to enter it. Yet, you and this unconscious girl have breached the boundaries of this bubble. So, I will ask you once more, have you come to kill me or save me?"

This time, Finn heard the hissing sound dangerously close to him. He slowly lowered his head to get a better look at the woman but was startled to find a colossal snake's head right before his eyes. Its scales were deep, and blood-red, its eyes pitch black, and its head was so massive that it could easily accommodate an entire elephant within its jaws. The snake stared directly into Finn's salamander eyes, while Moonlight lay unconscious on the ground, completely unaware of the unfolding situation.

Finn trembled in fear as he stared into the snake's ominous black eyes, and as if to add to his terror, the snake opened its jaws wide. Convinced that he was about to be devoured, Finn shut his eyes tightly in dread. Surprisingly, the snake blew a stream of air. It was an unsettling experience, to say the least.

Surprised, Finn opened his eyes to find the snake still before him. Meanwhile, the snake conveyed, "Now you can speak with me," and slithered back to create some distance.

Finn found it difficult to believe that he could communicate through a salamander's body, yet he mustered the courage to say, "Hello," though his voice quivered with hesitation.

To which, the snake replied, "Hello."

Finn was astonished that the snake could understand him. "I'm Finn Darkling. I live on the island at the surface," he introduced himself.

"You're the most unique salamander I've ever encountered," remarked the snake.

"Well, I'm not a salamander. I'm just controlling this dead salamander to save my friend here," Finn explained, his gaze shifting towards Moonlight.

"So you're not here to kill me?" asked the snake.

"No, definitely not. Why would I do that? However, if you can instruct me on how to save you, I'll certainly give it my best effort," Finn replied, trying to convey his sincerity.

"You can save me?" asked the snake skeptically.

"Yes, if you tell me how," Finn assured.

"With that salamander body?" the snake questioned, disbelief evident in her eyes.

"Yes, why not?" Finn responded confidently.

"Alright then," said the snake. "My name is Orochi, one of the 12 supreme beasts and the ruler of the Serpent Forest. People around the world have given me various titles - the eight-headed calamity, the snake queen, the most beautiful, and so on. However, a few decades ago, one of my trusted companions betrayed me by conspiring with my enemies. We had a fearsome battle, but I lost due to their treachery. They destroyed my seven heads and sealed..." She continued speaking, relishing the opportunity to converse with someone after many decades of solitude.

Meanwhile, Manual began notifying Finn again, "DANGER. HEALTH IS BELOW 1000. DANGER. HEALTH IS BELOW 1000."

Finn interrupted Orochi, feeling the urgency of his situation. "Can you just tell me what I need to do? I have to get to the surface and save the house from fire, otherwise, I'm dead."

Orochi stopped instantly and became an obedient listener. "Yes," she replied. She directed Finn's attention to a massive cube situated just outside the barrier they were under. It was composed of rock, covered in intricate glowing symbols with a blue hue. "You see that cube over there? You need to destroy it to break this barrier," she instructed.

"Alright," said Finn, his determination renewed, and he rushed toward the edge of the barrier.

While he was sprinting towards the cube, Orochi warned, "It will take the strength of at least 7 to 8 water salamanders to break that cube, and even if you break the cube..." However, Finn had already crossed the barrier and plunged into the lake waters before Orochi could finish her sentence. She concluded with a concerned tone, "It will explode, killing you in the process."

As Finn prepared to strike the cube underwater, Orochi watched him intently and quietly added to herself, "I hope he heard the last part."

Finn first activated his Bloodlust ability, a skill he had acquired from the White Akuma Bear, boosting his salamander's strength by five times. However, due to his use of the Dead Control ability, which reduced the impact of all abilities by 50%, the enhancement was only half as potent, otherwise his strength would have increased by 10 times. Next, he tapped into the Speed++ ability he had acquired from the creature Hypershell, significantly increasing his swimming speed underwater. With maximum momentum, he charged at the cube, readying his claws for a powerful strike.

The impact of Finn's attack was devastating. He witnessed a crack forming on the cube's surface, which then expanded into more cracks within a matter of seconds. Finally, the cube succumbed to the assault, erupting in a colossal explosion.

Since Finn hadn't heard the last part of Orochi's warning, he shouted in shock, "WHAT!" His eyes widened just before his salamander body was torn to pieces by the explosion. In the next moment, he found himself back on the island in his apparition form.

He arrived back on the island to a grim scene: the house was ablaze, water salamanders were causing havoc, and the Flamehowler sat peacefully as it watched the inferno. Fortunately, Creambell and Butterbell remained within the protective sticky thread, safe but unconscious. Meanwhile, Finn could observe his health points dwindling on the transparent screen: "755 / 10,000, 750 / 10,000..."

Most of the house had turned to ashes, leaving only a few crumbling walls, some parts of the floor, and a handful of unscathed items like a cauldron and cutlery, though even they were not immune to the encroaching flames. Finn had lost all hope of saving himself, so he sighed and sat on the ground, resigning himself to his fate. The count continued, "510 / 10,000, 505 / 10,000..." When the screen displayed, "500 / 10,000," a massive red serpentine tail burst through the ice of the frozen lake.

In the next instant, the tail surged, releasing a vast volume of water that doused the flames in an instant. It also carried Moonlight on its tail tip, carefully placing her on the island before disappearing beneath the water once more.

The Flamehowler and the water salamanders remained still, their attention fixed on the spot where the serpentine tail had appeared. Finn had realized that he had succeeded in freeing Orochi, but he couldn't understand why the creatures were behaving so strangely.

After some time, the ripples caused by Orochi's emergence settled down, yet none of the creatures made a move or a sound. Then, something began to emerge from the water near the island. First, a red object appeared just beneath the water's surface, and then a stunning red-headed woman slowly ascended from the water. She seemed to be stepping up as if walking on submerged stairs, though in reality, a group of Drag Spiders had positioned themselves beneath the water to create a makeshift staircase-like structure for her ascent.

In her human form, Orochi's captivating allure was heightened by her attire. Crimson robes, embroidered with golden serpentine patterns, cascaded gracefully around her hourglass figure. A fitted, sleeveless corset accentuated her form. A daring slit in her skirt revealed a shapely leg, glistening like molten gold. Her long, blood-red hair framed her face, and her obsidian-black eyes held a mysterious enchantment. Around her neck, a blood-red gemstone pendant radiated power. Golden bangles adorned her wrists, and delicate, filigree rings adorned her fingers.

As she set foot on the island, all the creatures in the vicinity bent their knees and lowered their heads in a gesture of reverence, welcoming the return of the Queen of the Serpent Forest.