"EEEEEEEEEEK!"
Xin Yi's scream ripped through the silent swamp. She scrambled backward, her heels digging into the mossy bedding until her back slammed against the wooden wall of the hut.
"GET OFF! GET OFF! SYSTEM, IT'S A SNAKE! A REAL SNAKE! NOT THE HOT HUMAN KIND, THE EAT-YOU-IN-YOUR-SLEEP KIND!"
[DING! (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻]
[HOST! PANIC IS NOT A STRATEGY! ALSO, YOU'RE WAKING UP THE NEIGHBORS!]
The massive, diamond-patterned coil that had been draped across her waist suddenly jerked. A small, high-pitched squeal echoed her own.
"Owww! My tail! You stepped on my tail, you Pink Skin!"
Wait. Did that snake just call me Pink Skin?
Before Xin Yi could process the insult, the heavy, muscular weight tumbled off the sleeping platform with a loud THUD. In the dim moonlight, she watched in a daze as the scales seemed to shimmer and fold in on themselves. Within seconds, the five-meter-long predator was gone, replaced by a small, pouty-faced boy who looked no older than six or seven.
