Craning her neck, she tried to spot the snake. “More likely it was sluggish from the cold until you got too… oh.” Her voice trailed off. “No… no, they don’t usually get that big.”
The rest of us carefully walked to either side of them, and eventually we all saw it. It was spotted and blended in to the sticks pretty well, but once you saw it it was easy to pick out.
It was fucking enormous.
“That’s a timber rattlesnake,” she said, her voice much steadier. “It’s twelve feet long, easy. And you’re right. They don’t get that big. That’s the size of a boa constrictor. A python. This… that’s not right.”
The snake, unconcerned with her opinion, twitched a few times and then slithered out from the pile, really slowly, until it was in the sun. It was moving away from us, but we all still took several steps back.
Looking at the rest of us, Samantha swallowed and then went on. “A big rattlesnake is four or five feet long. Dan and I are from the mountains, a few hours away. We get ‘em. They bite dogs sometimes, but they eat rats, things like that. That thing could eat a sheep. Not only is it three times longer than it has any right to be, it’s way too thick even for that size. If I wasn’t seeing it I wouldn’t believe it.”
After speaking, she’d turned back to watch the snake. She was still holding the gun, but it was pointed at the ground.
“Do you like snakes, Samantha?” I asked quietly.
“They’re interesting,” she said, not turning her head. “Not my favorite pet, but interesting. Why?”
“Because I can think of worse animals to have on your side than a twelve-foot long poisonous snake that makes a noise most things are instinctively afraid of,” I replied.
That did get her attention.
“You think I should tame it?” She looked at me, eyes wide.
“It’s just sitting there. Like you said, it’s slow from the cold. And if it comes down to it, you can shoot it with the gun.” I was nodding, meeting her stare and trying to sound reasonable. “It’s like a gift from the System. If you tame it, can it keep up with us?”
“I… think so?” Her eyes moved up like they do when someone tries to remember something. “It can definitely move fast enough to keep up with humans. I don’t know how long it can go before it has to rest.”
“Then I say give it a shot. Give Mike the gun. If you don’t make your will check… I mean, if the taming doesn’t work, he can shoot it. But it’s up to you. If you don’t like snakes, don’t do it.” I tried not to sound like I was pressuring her. But this did seem like an amazing coincidence… and as I had just been told, there were no coincidences in the System.
“O… Okay,” she said. “Snakes are all right. And you’re right. Other animals will avoid it. If it’s this big, maybe other things will getting bigger too.” Her face fell. “There are bears in these mountains.”
Oh, shit.
My internal response was obviously shared by the group. Everybody suddenly looked a lot more alert.
“Then try it. We need to get going. Take the time you need, though,” I said after getting my voice under control.
“What do I do?” she asked, while carefully handing the gun to Mike.
“I don’t know. Look at it and think, ‘Tame Snake,’ see what happens.” I wasn’t big on playing tamers, but just jumping in and doing it was working so far.
Samantha stared intently at the snake. “It says I have to be within ten feet.” She looked at me nervously. “I’m scared.”
“Cover her, Mike,” said Joe. “Just get clear of her and point the gun at the snake. If it looks like it’s going to do anything, shoot it.”
Mike walked several feet to the side and took a two-handed grip on the gun. “Go ahead, Sam. I’ve got it.”
With a last glance at him, she turned toward the rattler and slowly took a step, then another. The snake didn’t even stir. Eventually she stopped.
“Now I just… ‘Impose my will,’ it says. It says if it doesn’t work the animal might flee or attack. You ready, honey?” She sounded pretty scared.
“I’m right here,” he said instantly, his voice firm. “Don’t worry.”
“Take a few deep breaths and calm down, Samantha,” I said. “It’s almost like you’re hypnotizing the snake. You know how to do that. Just focus.”
With a nod, she followed my advice. After a few breaths and a roll of her shoulders, she locked her gaze on the snake. I raised my hand and pointed it at the snake as well, trying to focus on a Mana Bolt at full power if I needed it.
Slowly, the snake’s head rose up, its own eyes on Samantha’s. It was a very gentle movement, and both Mike and I held our fire.
After a few minutes, the raised part of the snake swayed back and forth. Samantha’s head tracked it, and then she gasped.
“I… I did it. I can feel him. It says ‘Success, you have tamed Adult Timber Rattlesnake.’ I can feel him!” She was breathless, amazed. “I can see his status!”
“Nice job,” said Joe. “What are his stats like?”
“It says ‘Level Three Adult Timber Rattlesnake. Seventy-five health. Special Skill, Venomous Bite. There’s a blank for me to give him a name. His disposition toward me is good and there’s a little indicator that shows he’s not hungry or thirsty. It’s amazing.”
“Good thing I didn’t have to use this,” said Mike with a nervous laugh, lowering the gun. He had looked as tense as Samantha.
Then Anthony let out a low sound of dismay.
“You couldn’t,” he said. “Mandy never gave you permission, did she?”
“Shit. We could have gotten her killed,” Joe swore. “Mistress, will you please give Mike permission to use the gun since he’s the only other one who knows how?”
Mandy walked over, took the gun, and did whatever she did, then handed it back to Mike. He in turn gave it to Samantha. “You take it, Sam. I might need to heal someone.”
She put it in her bag. “Okay.” Then she turned to the snake. “Come here, Kaa.”
“Kaa?” asked Danielle. “Why would you…” Then she groaned, rolling her eyes.
“What else would a snake that belongs to a hypnotist be called?” laughed Samantha. When the snake reached her, it lifted its head and she stroked it lightly. “This is amazing,” she said again. “Wild snakes don’t act like this.”
“Tamer pets are usually smarter than regular animals,” I said. “He’ll probably surprise you. And they can usually level with their owners. In games. Here? Who knows. But he’s got a level and it’s higher than us, so that’s a good sign.”
“I got a message that said I got experience for taming my first pet. Now it calls them pets? Okay.” She was looking at her screen, still idly touching the snake’s head. “Now I’m level two. I have an attribute point to distribute, but no new skills. Why do I have no new skills… Oh. It says I’ll get my next skill choice at level five.” Shaking her head, she looked at me again. “What should I do with the point?”