Baby System: I'm the Beast World's Only Hope!-Chapter 72: The Snake’s Offer

"That is enough," Zarek’s deep voice rumbled from behind her.

Before Roxy could pull the trigger and likely start a war between the beasts, a large hand clamped onto the back of her collar.

He didn’t pull her gently. He lifted her. Like a mother cat moving an aggressive kitten, Zarek hauled Roxy backward by the scruff of her dress, physically removing her from Syris’s personal space.

He deposited her firmly next to Kaelen, who immediately wrapped a protective arm around her waist, glaring daggers at the snake.

Zarek simply stepped into the space Roxy had vacated, towering over the Serpent Prince.

"You play dangerous games, worm," Zarek said, his voice low and bored. "You think because you are a Prince, you are untouchable. But you are in my territory. And you are holding her basket. This isn’t the Snake’s territory."

Syris hissed, his tail twitching irritably. "The female attacked me. I merely removed the pest."

"The ’pest’ is my heir," Zarek corrected. "And the female is the law."

He leaned down, his face inches from Syris’s.

"If you wish to stay, if you wish to eat, you abide by her rules. If she says sit, you sit. If she says jump, you ask how high. If you touch the child again, I will not need fire to end you. I will peel you like a fruit."

Syris stiffened. He looked at Zarek, gauging the threat. Then he looked at Kaelen, who was vibrating with the urge to kill. Finally, he looked at Roxy, who was panting, clutching a sobbing Drax, the gun still gripped tightly in her hand.

He was outnumbered. He was weak. And he was hungry.

Syris slowly retracted his fangs. He straightened his spine, regaining a semblance of composure.

"I... miscalculated," Syris rasped, looking at Roxy. "The child startled me. It was instinct. I apologize."

It was a stiff apology, bitter on his tongue, but it was there. Roxy didn’t answer. She didn’t accept it. Why would she?

She stepped out of Kaelen’s hold, walking forward until she was five feet away from the snake.

She raised the stun gun.

Syris flinched, expecting the strike.

A bolt of blue lightning arcs from the device, slamming into the dirt less than an inch from Syris’s tail. The ground scorched black, smoke curling up into the evening air. The smell of ozone overpowered the scent of pine.

Syris jumped back, his eyes wide.

"That," Roxy said, her voice icy, "was a warning. Next time, I won’t miss it."

She turned on her heel, shifting Drax to her other hip. "Boys, bring the chicken. We’re eating."

She marched up the stairs and slammed the front door shut.

***

Inside the cabin, the adrenaline crash hit her. Roxy leaned against the heavy wood of the door, her knees trembling. Drax sniffled against her neck, his little arms wrapped tight around her.

Was she fucking sane in the head?!

[TheMotheroftheWorld: Are you insane?]

The message popped up in front of her.

[TheMotheroftheWorld: He is a Quest Objective! He is a King! You put a gun to his head? If you had killed him, the penalty is Death! Do you understand what ’Death’ means, Roxy? It means game over!]

Roxy pushed off the door, walking toward the bed to set Drax down.

I don’t care, she snapped back in her mind. Did you see him? He grabbed my son. I don’t care if he’s a King or a God. If he hurts my kids, I will blow his head off and deal with the penalty later.

[TheMotheroftheWorld: You are... frustratingly maternal. Just... try not to provoke the sociopathic snake anymore tonight? Please?]

Watch me, Roxy thought.

She kissed Drax’s forehead. "You okay, baby? Did the bad snake hurt you?"

Drax rubbed his eyes, nodding pitifully. "Snake mean. Drax wants chicken."

"You’ll get chicken," Roxy promised.

She stood up, tying her apron around her waist with aggressive knots. Kaelen and Zarek entered the cabin, carrying the basket of chickens. They looked at her warily. They had seen her angry before, but the "gun-to-the-head" energy was new.

They didn’t want to cross her.

"Kitchen. Now," Roxy commanded.

The two Kings moved instantly.

"Kaelen, peel the potatoes. Mash them until they are porridge. Zarek, light the stove. Medium heat. If you burn the oil, you will sleep outside."

"Yes, Roxy," both men mumbled in unison.

Roxy ignored the door. She ignored the fact that a Serpent Prince was likely lurking on her porch. She went into full housewife mode.

She didn’t want to lose her mind to what would have happened if she hadn’t acted fast.

She floured the chicken. She whisked the buttermilk. She tossed spices into the bowl like a witch brewing a death potion. Efficiently, she was fast.

Halfway through dredging the bird’s legs, a soft whimpering came from the crib.

The triplets were waking up.

"Continue what you are doing," Roxy ordered, wiping flour on her apron.

She went to the crib. She scooped up the babies, sitting in the rocking chair. She fed them, burped them, and changed them as fast as she could, playing with them, all while keeping one eye on Zarek to make sure he didn’t turn the kitchen upside down.

When the babies were asleep again, she returned to cooking.

The smell filled the cabin. Hot oil, crispy skin, savory spices, and fluffy potatoes smelling of home, Roxy was content, her anger rolling off her slowly.

"Done," Roxy announced, placing a massive platter of golden-brown fried chicken on the table.

She set the table. Four plates.

"Eat," she told her husbands.

They sat down immediately, looking at the food with respect. Drax was already in his high chair, clutching a drumstick in each hand.

Roxy looked at the door.

She grabbed a plate. She piled it high with chicken and potatoes.

"I’m bringing this to the porch," she said flatly. "I promised to feed him."

She walked to the door and kicked it open.

The porch was empty.

Roxy blinked. She looked at the stairs. She looked at the yard. But Syris was nowhere to be found. Panic pierced her anger.

[Quest Objective: Prevent the Serpent King from Leaving/Dying.]

Did he leave? Roxy thought, her heart skipping a beat. Did I scare him off? The Goddess said he has two sides. Did the Predator get offended and decide to bail?

"Syris?" she called out, stepping onto the porch.

But no one responded.

She set the plate down on the railing and walked down the steps, scanning the tree line. "Syris! Get your scaly ass back here! I made food!"

Roxy froze and turned around after hearing a soft rustling on the floor.

Slowly, silently, a massive snake that looked like a python slithered out from the crawlspace beneath the cabin.

Syris looked weary as he shifted to his hybrid form once again, but his eyes weren’t filled with the murderous rage she expected. They were... curious.

He wasn’t angry. For the first time, the Serpent looked like he was trying to solve a puzzle. He had watched her through the cracks in the floorboards. He had watched her cook. He had watched her feed the babies. He had watched her command two Kings.

He didn’t understand her. And that fascinated him more than her fear ever could.

"You are loud," Syris said softly, standing up. He brushed dirt off his shoulder. "I did not leave."

Roxy let out a breath, her knees going weak with relief. "You... you were under the porch?"

"It is cool there," Syris shrugged. "And dark."

He looked past her, toward the open door where Drax was happily gnawing on a chicken bone.

Syris opened his palm and looked at it. Roxy frowned.

"I realized," Syris said slowly, "that I violated a protocol. The Dragon... Zarek... said I must follow rules. I do not know your rules. But among my kind, when a nestling is offended, a tribute is offered."

He moved past Roxy and stopped at the door.

Drax looked up, grease on his chin. He saw the Snake Man. He froze, clutching his chicken.

Syris leaned down and held his hand open, palm up.

"For the... pest," Syris murmured.

Drax leaned forward, his golden eyes widening.

In Syris’s palm sat a stone. But it wasn’t just a stone. It was a Geode, cracked open perfectly. Inside, the crystals were quartz, glowing with a faint, bioluminescent pulse that shifted colors from blue to purple. It was shiny. It was sparkly. It was exactly the kind of thing a Dragon would hoard.

"Shiny," Drax whispered, dropping his chicken bone.

"Take it," Syris said, his voice surprisingly soft. "And do not strike me again."

Drax reached out with sticky fingers and grabbed the stone. He held it up to the light, mesmerizing himself. Then, he looked at Syris and grinned, showing all his little teeth.

"Snake nice," Drax declared.

Syris looked back at Roxy, who was standing on the porch with her mouth open. A small, smug smirk touched his lips.

"I assume," Syris said, nodding at the plate on the railing, "that the bird is for me?"