Adam rose from his sleep, his breath heavy and his body drenched in cold sweat. His mind was in unrest, his thoughts erratic and jittery. What the hell was that? Fear coursed through his body, seeping deep into his bones.
It's foggy. It's all foggy. Why can't I remember? Though Adam felt the after-effects of the dream very clearly, his memory of it was blurry.
A red sky, a dark mass... Blood. He tried to recall the dream, but only headaches followed his attempt. He held his head, trying to bear the pain. He sat to the side of the bed, his eyes unfocused.
Bringing him from his stupor, a cold drop of liquid landed on his shoulder. Instinctively, Adam hit the area where the liquid fell, before checking his hand to see a clear liquid. He looked above him. A silver snake, one large enough to swallow him in one bite. Its scales shone with a polished, metallic gleam. It bore its fangs, its maw wide open, ready to swallow him whole.
Adam's eyes widened, pupils contracting. He quickly dashed forward, avoiding the descending serpent.
Shit! Where did this thing come from? He dodges left, avoiding another attack from the serpent. Bullshit! What were you doing these past 6 months? Taking a vacation!? Adam cursed the serpent as his mind rushed to figure out a way to deal with the snake, or at least escape from it. Then it dawned on him, he dodged thoughtlessly and backed himself to the sealed end of the cave.
The shadows surged and rose into spikes, impaling the snake. Phew... I almost became snake food. He looked around, looking to see where the snake could have come from. While he didn't see any evidence of the snake, he saw something that should have been shining, but was not. The armor set he had brought back now looked old and rusty. Its polished newness nowhere to be seen. Even its scale-like patterns were gone.
Was it stolen? No, it's in the exact same position and looks mostly the same, save for the rust. Did it rust in the few hours it was here? No, that's stupid. There is nothing here that could rust it, and not that fast. So was I hallucinating? Though possible, I'm mostly sure that I saw and felt it correctly. So what happened?
Adam took a step forward, his head turning slowly. He froze. The snake was almost upon him, fully intending to eat him. This time, though, two metallic tendrils shot after him from either side, completely entrapping him.
Adam, caught off guard, quickly released blood barriers from his arms, blocking the serpent's maw and one of the tendrils, but failed to block the second, causing his left arm to be pierced.
Gah! He almost fell to his knees from the pain, only keeping to his feet due to his vampiric constitution. The barriers he created cracked and shattered, giving him but a few seconds to act.
Utilizing the technique he recently learned, Adam melted into the shadows. He moved to the right of the serpent, or at least tried to. As he moved, Adam was shot out of the shadows in the direction he tried moving in. He hit the cave's wall with great force, cracking it. He bore the pain, staggering towards the cave entrance.
How lucky... Though it did not work as intended, moving through the shadows did put him behind the snake. With pain coursing through his body every step he took and his wounds not healing as they should, Adam raced to exit the cave.
When Adam disappeared, the serpent looked around for him, only to see him shoot out from the ground and get launched behind it. Without hesitation, the serpent rushed toward the now pitiful-looking Adam, racing to escape. At the same time, the serpent released a viscous, silver liquid, which flowed to Adam with great speed before rising and wrapping around him.
SHIT! Adam cursed. He was trapped. Adam tried using his strength to break free, but he felt weak and tired. His muscles seized and contracted; he couldn't move. In his panic, Adam noticed that his injured arm was pulsing and quickly turning purple, but he felt nothing; it was numb.
When... did... His mind became slow and foggy, and before long, the world was dark, and he was being forced to move backwards by fleshy walls covered in liquid that stung his skin.
Was... I swallowed? He could barely think straight; his body was moving, but he was in control of it. Then, something touched his mouth, so he bit down. Something metallic filled his mouth, so he drank.
His mind cleared, becoming active once more. His body was invigorated, and as if he were washed in a baptism of fire, his body became hot, and all his wounds closed and healed.
His pupils became slits within the glowing, golden pool of his eyes. His fangs grew and sharpened, ready to tear apart whatever came into contact. His silver, waterfall-like hair was dyed blood red. Rivers of crimson bubbled and flowed from Adam's body, wrapping around it and becoming leather-like as shadows surged and coagulated into a set of helmetless armor around his body.
For the first time, Adam felt exponentially stronger; he felt as if nothing could stand before him, he felt... Powerful.
Lets get out of here, shall we! Raring his hand back as far as possible, Adam plunged his claw-like gauntlet into the flesh of the serpent and extended his attack further with the help of his blood. The snake shook, and blood seeped from the broken flesh, but with it came... Water? What the hell?