We had run for a day and a half, slept for a short while, and then started traveling at a light jog along the coast at a pace that wouldn't wear us down and would allow us to chat. The danger was behind us. The elder snake wouldn't be chasing us. After it injuries and the large battle, it would go somewhere to rest and recover. If we had stuck around that would be a different story, but we had put enough distance between us and the elder snake, that it wasn't a huge concern at the moment.

What we needed to do was reach Highwater Bastion. "A shame it didn't die," I said while shaking my head. I had really wanted to kill that elder snake.

"If you weren't as skilled as me, I would be much more concerned. Even then, you need to be careful Mittens. You were seconds away from being eaten," my father replied. He was right, but it was frustrating. To have come so far and still be so weak.

"Thanks for the save," I said as we continued to jog along the shoreline in the early morning. If this were any other place, it would be a relaxing activity, but here on the snake continent, there was still quite a bit of tension.

"You are my daughter, you matter more than anything. I might not be the best father, but I have your back, always," he said.

"Well, your timing was perfect. That was the hardest fight of my life, what about you?" I asked.

"Not the hardest, but definitely in the top three for sure. It was just one opponent. Group fights are always more annoying," he replied.

"True. Do you think we could have brought it down if we had more assassins?" I asked.

"An elder snake like that, no. You saw how little the battleship bombardment did and how thick its scales were. In a few days the snake will have molted and be completely fine," my father answered.

"What about with teams, that rotated in and out?" I asked.

"You are overestimating the skills of your fellow assassins. You are good enough to match up with me in that fight. Maybe a bit less, but that is more from years of experience. I am honestly surprised by how good you have become. You really are a natural at fighting," he said, and I couldn't help but feel a bit proud at that compliment.

"But even with your improvement, we just aren't a match for an elder snake. You could bring the entire organization, and they wouldn't be able to do anything of note. Maybe if everyone sacrificed themselves, but even then it would be insanely difficult to land a killing blow. The elder snake's scales are too thick and damage resistant," he replied.

"Not even by focusing on its head?" I suggested.

"We tried that, you saw how quick it was to react in order to protect its eyes. A snake doesn't get that old and powerful, unless it has a lot of combat experience, both with other snakes and creatures. You seem really upset about having to run away?" my father asked.

"A bit. I just felt we had come so close to killing an elder snake. I know it was the only thing we could have done. Staying to fight would have been foolish," I replied.

"I feel the same way. Don't look so surprised, failing to kill something, just annoys me, like sand under one's fur," my father said as we continued to jog along the shore.

"Why couldn't you have had a boat?" I complained.

"Can't let the snakes get any examples of our technology if possible. We did recover the supply cache that was left behind," he said. We had picked it up last evening and he was wearing a pack. At least I wouldn't have to fish for food on the way back to Highwater Bastion.

"How would a snake even fit on a boat? Even the battleship struggled against the elder snake," I replied.

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"By coiling up tightly. That is why it is only younger snakes head on over to cause trouble. It is too much hassle for the older snakes," he said. I knew that, but I was talking to make conversation about topics I found interesting.

"The elder snake wasn't even going all out either," I said.

"So, you aren't an idiot," my father said. We were jogging next to each other, so I couldn't roll my eyes at him.

"It didn't call down the snake ancestral spirit. Things would have gotten crazy then," I replied.

"It is hard on their bodies, very hard. They prefer to use such a thing as a trump card. If the elder snake had called upon its ancestral spirit, we would have died, but the battleship would have probably won after it was exhausted," my father said.

"Really?" I asked in surprise.

"Also, the battleship would have never been brought in so close to shore. They only did that for accuracy. If the snake ancestral spirit was called down, then we would have been caught up in the bombardment," my father said. That implied that the battleship had been lost due to us. They had come in closer to the shore. I didn't say anything about this, and I knew my father wouldn't say anything either.

"How much trouble do you think we will be in?" I asked.

"A scolding at worst. Just surviving an encounter with an elder snake is a huge accomplishment. I have no doubt they will complain about the loss of a battleship and a paladin, but that is the cost of fighting the snakes. We just need to focus on surviving," my father answered.

We jogged in silence for several more hours. The terrain had become rockier and there were rivers we needed to get past.

After climbing up a steep hill since there were cliffs by the shoreline, we took a break to drink some water and rest for a bit.

"I am good at this job," I said slowly and quietly while looking out over the crashing waves.

"Hmm, what was that?" my father asked.

"I was just thinking about how far I have come. I am no longer a kitten, but a skilled assassin cat," I replied. My father chuckled. "What?" I asked.

"I had the same feeling as well after a very difficult mission that I almost died on. Just try not to run into more elder snakes," my father said.

"I am not coming back to this continent for a while if I can help it," I replied.

"Oh, you aren't going to take on these missions?" he asked me. I shook my head and then took a sip of water from the water bottle my father had given me from his pack.

"No. I need to get better. Good enough to kill a young snake in single combat and make an elder snake hesitate. I am better at fighting than sneaking around," I said.

"It is good that you know your strengths and weaknesses," my father said.

"I learned from the best after all," I replied.

"Any more compliments, and I might get a big head," my father said quite pleased.

"I meant the other assassins and Mousethief," I joked. My father gave me a look of betrayal before chuckling. This was nice. I wanted this moment to last forever. Sadly, we had to keep moving. While the elder snake was unlikely to chase after us, there was no need to make things easy for it.

Handing the water bottle back to my father, he put it away in his pack, and we started jogging once more.

"You think the Covenant Church will win?" I asked my father.

"Maybe. It is hard to say. I wouldn't count the elder snakes out unless they are actually killed off. They know that our technology is closing the gap compared to their power. And the other steps the Covenant Church is taking will drive them into a corner. A corner creature is the most dangerous," my father said.

My mind went to the plan that the Covenant Church had to cool the world down. Such an action might seem crazy to some creatures, but if it took out the snakes, then it was worthwhile. Eating other creatures was incredibly evil. There was no question in my mind that the snakes needed to be stopped no matter what.

The real challenge was making sure the us cats had a place in the world after the war was finally over. It was going to be an uphill battle to make the cats changed to good creatures, but it was a goal I could work for, at least a public one.

As far as Mes and Mousethief went, I would be having a conversation with the mouse later on and dealing with him. I would get the answers I wanted out of him one way or another. If he wasn't willing to answer, then there would be a fight. I felt confident that I would be the one coming out ahead.

Also earning enough EXP to become even more powerful. I liked my job. At first, I hadn't been entirely sure, but now I was. The fight to see who was stronger, becoming stronger, and triumphing was something I enjoyed immensely. Even if there was a lot of danger, I was good at fighting. My natural instincts as a cat made me perfectly suited for this line of work.

Flexing my claws as I jogged across a stretch of tall grass just off the rocky coast, I felt more in tune with myself than ever before. The last fight had probably pushed my skills up to a much higher level. Most likely max level. All the running and fighting I had done, pushed me to the very limit and almost to the point of death.

No matter what happened, I felt confident that I would succeed. I might be called Mittens, but I was Murder Mittens. I enjoyed fighting and getting stronger too much.

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