Chapter 212 Snake Venom
Chapter 212 Snake Venom
Her voice echoed through the vast cave, a mix of fearlessness and determination.
She was trying to distract the giant serpent, giving Thomas more chances to strike.
The serpent was drawn to Mary's shout, a flicker of annoyance flashing in its cold, vertical pupils.
It immediately turned its head, its massive body surging like a black torrent towards Mary.
Mary's eyes sharpened in an instant. She quickly sidestepped, her movements agile and swift.
As she dodged, she seized the moment, swinging her axe with a whoosh towards the serpent's body.
The axe collided with the serpent's tough scales, producing a dull thud, as if striking solid metal.
The powerful recoil numbed Mary's arms, sending a sharp pain through her hands.
She glanced down to see that her strike had only left a faint white mark on the serpent's scales, causing no real damage.
Mary sighed, "This thing's skin is too thick. What do we do?"
The serpent, enraged by Mary's attack, coiled its body and raised its head high, opening its gaping maw.
It revealed its sharp fangs and spat a nauseating venom towards Mary.
Seeing this, Mary quickly leaped back, narrowly avoiding the venom's range.
The venom splattered on the ground, instantly corroding it into smoking pits, filling the air with a pungent smell.
Thomas and Mary covered their noses; the venom was highly corrosive and couldn't be touched.
Thomas seized the moment, swiftly pulling out several crossbow bolts from his backpack, loading them with a calm and focused look in his eyes.
As he aimed at the serpent, he shouted, "Mary, watch out! I'll distract it, you find a chance to hit its belly!"
Mary nodded slightly at Thomas's shout, gripping her axe tightly, her eyes fixed on the serpent's every move, searching for the best moment to strike.
The tension in the cave was at its peak, a life-and-death struggle unfolding.
The serpent, thoroughly provoked by Mary's taunts, glared with fierce eyes, its thick body writhing rapidly on the ground.
Kicking up a cloud of dust, it lunged at Mary again. Mary watched the serpent's every move closely.
She sidestepped nimbly, dodging the serpent's frontal attack, and swung her axe towards its side.
However, the serpent reacted swiftly, twisting its body to block the axe with its scales, producing another dull thud.
In the ensuing battle, Mary relied on her agility and tenacity, engaging in a fierce dance with the serpent.
She was confident in her speed, making it difficult for the serpent to harm her.
Mary cleverly used the cave's terrain, sometimes hiding behind stone pillars, sometimes leaping onto boulders, constantly seeking the serpent's weaknesses to launch attacks.
At one point, she seized a gap in the serpent's attack, quickly darting to a boulder and pushing it towards the serpent with all her might.
The boulder rolled with great inertia, and the serpent, sensing danger, hurriedly dodged.
Though it wasn't directly hit, the sudden attack disrupted its rhythm.
Another time, Mary noticed the serpent's head near a stalactite. She had an idea and swung her axe with all her strength, chopping at the stalactite.
The stalactite broke off and fell towards the serpent's head. The serpent couldn't dodge in time and was struck on the back, letting out an angry hiss.
Seeing her attack succeed, Mary felt a glimmer of hope. She knew that as long as they could keep the serpent at bay and find its weak spot, they had a chance to defeat this formidable foe.
As the battle wore on, Mary's stamina gradually waned, but she gritted her teeth and persevered.
Just as Mary was about to launch another attack, the serpent suddenly changed tactics, whipping its tail at her legs with lightning speed.
Mary sensed the danger and tried to jump away, but it was too late.
The serpent's tail struck her left leg hard, sending a wave of pain through her body and causing her to lose balance and fall to the ground.
Before she could get up, the serpent opened its gaping maw, its sharp fangs gleaming, and bit down on her left leg.
Mary felt a sharp, numbing pain in her leg and let out a scream of agony, "Thomas, help me!"
Her voice was filled with fear and despair as she struggled desperately to push the serpent away, but its strength was overwhelming, making her efforts seem futile.
She could feel the serpent's fangs deeply embedded in her leg muscles, blood gushing out and staining the ground around her.
The intense pain nearly made her pass out, her body trembling uncontrollably, cold sweat pouring from her forehead.
Each slight movement of the serpent's teeth felt like countless needles stabbing her nerves, the pain radiating from her leg to her entire body, too intense to bear.
Thomas heard Mary's cry for help, his heart tightening with a surge of anger, "Mary, hold on!"
He shouted, his eyes filled with unprecedented fury.
He quickly pulled out gunpowder and a crossbow bolt from his backpack, wrapping the gunpowder around the bolt's head, then lighting the fuse with a flint.
George, sensing Thomas's anger and Mary's peril, let out a long howl and, despite its small size, bravely lunged at the serpent.
It leaped onto the serpent's head, clawing desperately at its eyes and mouth, trying to distract it and create an opening for Thomas.
The serpent, irritated by George's attack, released Mary's leg, shaking its head to try and throw George off.
Mary seized the chance to drag her injured leg away, her face contorted in pain.
Her left leg was bleeding profusely, the wound throbbing with pain, each movement feeling like needles piercing her nerves.
Thomas saw the opportunity, aiming at the serpent's exposed eye while it was distracted by George.
He quickly drew his bow and fired the flaming arrow at the serpent's eye.
The arrow flew with a whoosh, its flames blazing like a shooting star towards the serpent.
The serpent sensed the danger but couldn't dodge in time due to George's interference.
The flaming arrow struck the serpent's left eye, exploding with a dull thud, flames and smoke spreading.
The serpent let out a howl of pain, its left eye injured and bleeding.
It thrashed wildly in the cave, its body crashing into the walls, causing rocks to fall.
Thomas rushed to Mary's side, helping her up, and asked with concern, "Mary, are you okay?"
Mary, pale and trembling, said, "My leg hurts so much, Thomas. Am I going to die?"
Her eyes glistened with tears, filled with fear of death and worry for Thomas, not caring about her own life but fearing she couldn't take care of him anymore.
Thomas held Mary's hand tightly, comforting her, "Mary, you're going to be fine. We'll get out of here alive."
His eyes shone with unwavering determination.