A second later, the much lighter back end was thrown to the side as the giant snake’s body writhed and threw it off.    Allistor stretched his neck around to look behind them as Helen wrestled the vehicle back under control.  She continued about twenty yards down the road until Allistor called, “Stop!”

She looked in the rearview mirror in time to see a massive head the size of a cow moving toward the back end of the truck.  She saw Allistor move his hand and the thing froze.  Another hand movement from him, and its face caught fire.   It had the head of a viper, spread out at the back like a cobra and narrowing to a V-shaped snout with two nostrils.  Its fangs were easily three feet long and covered in something viscous.   Just behind its head, maybe four feet down its torso, were a pair of very tiny wings.  Obviously vestigial, there was no way the thing would be able to fly.  But the wings were flared angrily as it stared at them, its malevolent vertically oriented pupils a sickly yellow.

“Grab your rifle!” he shouted as he jumped out, drawing his shotgun from his ring.  “Stay behind the truck, and shoot it in the face!  I’m going to distract it.”

He managed one shot before the stun wore off the ridiculously large baby ophidian thing and it thrashed in pain from the fire.  The slug thumped into the belly of the snake just below its head, the thrashing causing him to miss.   He quickly racked another round and fired, hitting the side of its head this time.   He heard Helen’s rifle fire, and blood spouted from the thing’s snout.

Infant Ophidian Queen

Level 12

Health: 5,200/7,800

The massive snake reared up, and up, its head raising more than twenty feet in the air.  Then it lunged for him just as he was about to fire another round.  He pulled the trigger, not seeing whether he hit it as he leapt to his left away from the truck.

The ophidian was too fast for him.  Though it didn’t get a fang into him, its massive head still managed to slam into his side, knocking him back in mid-air.  Several of his ribs crunched and his right arm went numb before he even hit the ground.  His momentum caused him to roll as he skidded down the pavement, losing skin against the rough surface as he went.

Another shot rang out, and when Allistor managed to right himself to look back at the snake, it had transferred its focus onto Helen.   She was crouched behind her open truck door, using its frame as a rest for her weapon.

Allistor struggled to his feet, bleeding in several places, but not seriously.   His health bar was down to 60%, his ribs definitely broken, and he was unable to raise his right arm.  Dropping his shotgun, he cast Restraint on the mob again.  It froze, and Helen took aim then fired directly into its left eye.  The socket exploded with blood and vitreous fluid.