Chapter 336: Pocratee
A skeleton was one of the most common familiar creatures used by wizards. However, wizards preferred to use necromancy spells to stuff certain soul inside an existing skeleton to make a Dead Man’s Skeleton, in which case the soul could interact with the physical world using the skeleton as a host. Flora’s “Little Red” was essentially a Dead Man’s Skeleton. But that one was special, considering how it came from the Nightmare Realm.
For a Dead Man’s Skeleton, the soul was its true body, while the skeleton was its outer shell. They could always change that shell as they needed.
A Dead Man’s Skeleton was man-made, while a Wanderer Skeleton was created naturally.
As a start, a Wanderer Skeleton usually possessed a stronger soul. However, its final strength still depended on chances and luck.
“Is this a Wanderer Skeleton?”
Angor looked up at the serpent. He was quite certain that the serpent was also confused by what had happened.
It didn’t know what was inside this coffin?
Now… this had gotten a whole lot more interesting.
As he considered, he suddenly sensed a sharp stench again. It wasn’t the rotten smell from the black-water lake, but a pure stink of spilled blood.
To prove his thought, blood began to seep out between the gaps under the shaking coffin lid!
“Blood? What the heck?” Angor frowned again. Of course, skeletons didn’t bleed. So what on earth?
A strange voice suddenly answered his question.
“My, blood, this.”
It sounded aged and distant, but pleasant. Angor felt as if a great being wished to talk to him even though it had to travel through the most ancient forest, climb over mountains, sail the seas and break the boundaries of time and space.
As the voice came about, a gentle breeze blew over the ground and caused the dandelions to sway. Shiny green lumps left their bases and floated around Angor and the great serpent.
Angor looked up again and noticed the serpent was displaying a tired look.
“You spoke to me?”
It was a nod.
“Take him, away. Save, him.”
The pleasant tone brushed against his eardrums gently, and it somewhat charmed his mind.
As Angor listened to the strange voice, it caused him to feel calm. It seemed as if the voice had such power which suppressed all irritations and conflicts of the mind.
And he sensed no magic at all. Angor believed this was the most beautiful voice he ever listened to.
Even Toby looked at the giant serpent with respect.
However, it seemed that speaking like this took a lot of strength away from the serpent. After he spoke those words, the serpent slumped to the ground and breathed heavily.
“Speaking will cause you pain? Don’t speak then, you can nod or shake your head,” Angor said.
It was a nod.
Angor finally realized why the creature had been quiet. “You want me to take the coffin away to save… someone?”
A pleading nod.
Angor was confused again. The coffin had someone alive in there? A village survivor? No way, not after a thousand years!
“Is it someone from the abandoned village?”
He even explained the word “abandoned” to make it easier for the snake.
While it listened to the explanation, the serpent grew sad a little. It then nodded again.
“For real? But it was ruined a thousand years ago… Unbelievable.”
By this, Angor meant that both the possible survivor in the coffin and this thousand-year-old serpent were miracles.
He guessed that there had to be another reason behind it. The serpent mentioned that it was its own blood coming from the coffin, which probably meant the creature had been keeping the person inside the coffin alive. But… even the blood of a wizard-level monster couldn’t sustain a mortal for so long.
Which meant the captive wasn’t anyone ordinary.
“Why is it shaking? Can I open it up?”
The serpent nodded, albeit with some uncertainty this time.
The serpent didn’t know what was going on here… Angor actually felt reassured now that he knew the serpent didn’t mean harm.
After getting the serpent’s consent, Angor kept his Aster Barrier up and slowly pried the lid open with Hand of Spell.
The lid wasn’t nailed at all, which made it easier for the serpent to place blood inside. Angor didn’t need much force to easily flip the coffin open.
Meanwhile, the individual inside was struggling harder. Angor saw the interior of the coffin that was full of blood, and a blood-covered figure restrained in vine strings was writhing madly.
He couldn’t see the face of the person clearly. From the person’s outline, he could only tell that it was a young male.
Compared to this, he was more concerned about how the eyes of the man showed complete madness mixed with fear.
And he recognized that look.
“He’s possessed?”
Upon hearing this, the resting serpent suddenly bolted up and looked at Angor with a stern look.
“Who, are you? Why hathhhh you come, to Pocratee?”
Unlike the gentle voice before, the serpent sounded frigid this time, as if the voice had turned into a sharp knife against Angor’s throat. Even the fluffy greens around them put on a colder atmosphere and were now ready to become blades and assault Angor should anything go wrong.