As I find myself sinking downwards, I feel a cold sensation rushing along my back. I’m sliding down a torrent of water taking me to what I can only assume is my death.

After landing at the end of the water pathway, I tumble onto a grated floor. The water rushed past the openings of the grate, leaving me behind.

Four crystals stood on the corners of the grated platform. Beyond them is an opening of some sort, perhaps an exit. If luck’s on my side, it could even be a ticket to freedom.

However, when I attempt to make a mad dash towards this opening, the crystals suddenly shine. Beams of light emit from the gems, travelling from one gem to the other. This creates a perimeter encased by the beams. My attempt to escape results in me crashing into a beam as if it were a solid object. It’s like I’m facing force field of some sort that prevents me from leaving.

This looks...that Light Barrier Angeline had cast before.

I didn’t know something like this could be set up without the need for a “magical girl” to cast it.

I take a closer look at the crystals and notice that they look familiar. They were mana stones, about thrice as big as the ones from a slime.

I attempt to speak out loud to voice my frustration, but can only mutter a series of soft squeaks that could only come from a rodent. It seems that in this body, I could speak in morse at best, assuming that people here know what that is.

I suddenly hear a faint hissing from the distance. Out from the shadows slithers a scaled serpent. It approached slowly, as if assessing the new prey that had entered its domain. I then recall a few words that Vanesque had mentioned.

I’m sure you’ll make a fine meal for Mr. Skitters.

I was sent to an execution chamber where I would be eaten alive, left to dissolve inside the digestive system of a snake until I cease to live.

My mind begins racing as I ponder how to get out of this conundrum.

The only way out is to get rid of the barrier. The only way to get rid of the barrier is to cut its energy source, the mana stones.

Thereupon, I remember what Angeline told me. Mana stones would kill me if I touched them with my bare hands.

Damn it, I can't displace the crystals myself since direct contact means death by mana overdose. I would have to wait until they’re drained of mana if I want to escape. Unfortunately, I have no idea how long that would take. It’s like waiting for a flashlight to run out of battery.

Mr. Skitters begins taking the offensive. It darts forward with its mouth wide open. I’m sure its maw would drip with saliva if it could do that.

I leap to the side, barely missing it's fangs by a hair.

Luckily, rats are quite agile. However, my opponent has the upper hand here. It has a larger build that can swallow me whole. In addition, I’m still getting used to this new body and all its quirks. I’m not working at my body’s maximum potential.

The giant snake once again attempts to lunge at me. I have little means to attack. It seems that all I can do for now is play this game of cat-and-mouse until the mana stones run out, letting the force field then dissipate. Those fangs looks quite dangerous though. I’m not sure how long I can keep running before they find their way into my body.

I had been scurrying away from the serpent for minutes, or was it hours? Not used to this body, I was exerting more energy in order to move the way I wanted to and at a fast enough speed. I’m losing in the stamina battle to Mr. Skitters, who still seems to be full of energy.

The Light Barrier surrounding us still seems to be in full force. In other words, I’m doomed unless I figure out how to get rid of this reptilian foe.

The snake circles around me, trying to block off my escape routes. I attempt to leap out of its range, but my exhausted body doesn’t listen to me. Before I can react, it coils around me and tightens around my body, as if trying to crush me to death. Not wanting to be strangled, I brandish my claws and thrash rapidly at the snake’s skin, clawing through its scales to reach what lies beneath. It recoils back from the attack, leaving a brief opening while its grip on me loosens. I muster up what little strength I have left to escape the clutches of its hold.

However, I was too slow.

The serpent bares its fangs and attempts to plunge them into my body, not wanting to let its prey escape so easily. Before I could fully escape its range, they grazed against my front arm as I darted off. While not a full dose, some of its venom still entered my arm.

My front paw turns numb, and I feel itself not responding to what I tell it to do. This feeling of numbness and loss of control very slowly work its way up across my arm. I soon realize what its venom was exactly doing, paralysis.

With one of my arms limp, my speed was severely hindered. I couldn’t let the snake graze another arm or one of my legs. If that happens, all I would be able to do is crawl away with what little appendages I have left. Worst of all though is not if I get grazed, but if those fangs directly strike into my body. If I get a full injection, my whole body would likely soon be paralyzed.

The snake chases me once more in an attempt to deal another ounce of its venom. With my exhaustion combined with my paralyzed arm, it’s slowly catching up to me. Seeing that, I have no choice but to defend myself with what little offense capability a rat has.

The snake approaches and attempts to dive its head straight towards me, aiming for my neck. I resist its attack by grasping its head using my one front paw that still worked, pushing against it. However, a rat is a very weak creature. My strength isn’t enough to completely subvert the serpent. It very slowly pushes back against my arms, gradually reaching closer to my neck. Before it can sink its teeth into me, I bare my own incisors and bite into the snake’s neck with my teeth. I keep gnashing into its tissue until it can bare no more and jumps back a short distance. Its fangs were barely a centimeter away from me just before.

I take this window of opportunity to scurry away from my spot and escape the range of the serpent. Perhaps being too slow and exhausted this time though, I wasn’t able to completely get away. At the last moment, the serpent manages to catch my hind leg. This time, its fangs didn’t just graze me, it sunk its teeth right into my flesh. I give the snake a kick with my other leg, stunning it for a brief moment as I fled.

I could feel the paralysis taking its effect already. My entire hind leg was already numb and I no longer had control over it. The numbness is rapidly working its way up.

Seeing my condition, the serpent renews its vigor and slithers towards me. With an arm and a leg compromised, there’s little hope for me.

The paralysis reaches up to my hips. I could no longer use my other hind leg.

My movements slowed to a snail's pace as I’m forced to crawl with only one front arm. I’m backed into the corner of the force field, leaving me with little escape.

The paralysis reaches my waist. My entire lower body could no longer move.

The serpent is slowly approaching, as if wanting to savor this moment of my defeat.

I take a glance at my surroundings. In the corner of the force field stood a mana stone, one of the ones powering it.

The paralysis reaches my chest. Everything from my upper body and below no longer responded. Only my front arm and my head could move.

Seeing little hope left in my survival, I accept death. I have two routes. I could be eaten whole and digested alive over a series of days, or die seamlessly from too much mana by touching the stone.

The choice is obvious for me.

The snake is almost upon me. It opens its mouth once more, taking a short pause in its stride as if to show off its fangs at me before I would be ensnared by them.

I reach out to grasp the mana stone. I stretch my rat paw as far as it can go, a task made even more difficult from being unable to move.

Upon which, something odd happens.

Well actually, nothing happens. That’s the odd part about it. I don’t feel anything weird from grabbing the mana stone and I don’t feel like I’m dying.

I hold the stone in front of me. It’s about twice as big as my paw, yet it feels light as a feather. Is a weightless rock like this really an energy source?

I stare at the glowing mana stone in my paw, but soon realize that I have no time to think about it.

The paralysis reaches to my neck. My entire body feels numb, and the paw holding onto the stone loses its strength. The mana stone tumbles across the floor in front of me, still glowing.

The snake had reached its way to me during the entire process.

Seemingly deciding that it’s meal time, it dives toward me with its mouth agape. However, before it can reach me, the snake suddenly halts.

It spasms in place, as if electrocuted. The snake twists and turns. It tears away at its own body using its teeth, as if trying to pry out some foreign threat within. Over the course of mere seconds, the serpent had been reduced to a mess. It then proceeds to bash its own head against the grated floor, wanting the pain to end. In its final moments, the snake violently expels blood from its mouth. I hear an agonizing hiss that soon dies down, leaving nothing but a mere corpse behind.

I’m left bewildered at what just transpired, but then see a dull object resting under the snake. It was the mana stone, but now devoid of light, as if the energy inside had been entirely depleted. It only took me a couple of seconds to put the pieces together.

Mana overload, as Angeline had put it.

It seemed that the snake had slithered over the mana stone, causing all the mana inside to surge into it. Its body, not being able to handle that much mana, had shut down. What’s left was a dead snake and a depleted mana stone.

However, that begs the question, why wasn’t I affected by the stone? Why didn’t any of its mana transfer into my body?

It seems that I’ll have to think about it as I rest. My body is paralyzed, leaving me no option but to lay where I am and wait for it to fade away. I never got much sleep either, and that combined with my mental fatigue left me feeling sleepy.

I close my eyes, hearing only the sound of running water as my consciousness fades away.