Serpent: Origins

**Serpent: Origins** is an episode of Venturian Battle.

## Synopsis

The Vepturegeng, having disbanded over the past seven months, are all doing their own things; Ruffian is looking to become a CEO, Wendigo entering lawyer school, Gunner joining a college basketball team, Stealer joining rap group Marine 12, and Drifter becoming a television anchor. Serpent, on the other hand, is unemployed, and steals from banks to make a living. One day, Serpent reflects on his life, something which he claims isn't uncommon, and asks if it was "all worth it".

Remembering his past, Serpent travels back to when he was once Rhett Druidus, a spindly Ecranian teenager. Back before he was corrupted by the Mask of Serpent, Druidus was a kind, clever eighth-grader, but, deep down inside, Druidus detested himself for the sins he had committed in the past, and believed the world to be pointless. As a coping mechanism, Druidus abused himself whenever he had a bad thought.

Druidus, after deciding that it was "pedophilic" of him to be attracted to people younger than him (despite the fact that he himself is a minor), decides to only self-abuse towards adults. However, his vow isn't kept for very long, as he gets attracted to more and more of the female students, specifically Robyn Jade, before he eventually snaps and decides to self-abuse with her in mind. However, Druidus is quickly brought back to his common sense, and fears that he will go to hell for breaking his vow.

Serpent, returning to the present, finds himself held at gunpoint by a cloaked figure. He claims that he's okay with being shot, but that he needs a few minutes to continue reflecting on his life. The figure claims that he doesn't have time to mess around, and sets a five minute timer on his phone. Serpent, going back into his thoughts, travels to when he first put on the Serpent mask.

On a field trip to a museum, Druidus had found the Serpent mask on display. After staring at it for a while, he was told by security guards that he shouldn't look at it for long, as rumors about it degenerating moral values have been heard. Druidus, getting back on track, is a bit aroused by Robyn Jade. Eventually, he succumbs to his libido yet again, and abuses himself in public. He is caught doing so, however, and in terror, flees his group.

Running across the museum, he accidentally knocks over a glass case full of ancient ceramics, shattering them. In an even deeper state of terror, Druidus hears a voice in his head, claiming that he is about to be controlled. Suddenly, as the guards approach, the Serpent mask disintegrates, before reforming itself on Serpent's face. Druidus, petrified, is told by the mask to break up, and trying to figure out what this means, finally disintegrates as the guards are about to report him, leaving his clothes on the ground.

The atoms fly out of the museum, before reforming. Druidus, realizing that he is naked in public, is terror-stricken yet again. The authorities notice this and are about to report him. Druidus' eyes glow green, and, losing control of his body, he beats the officers, disintegrating and reforming as they try to stop him. Druidus flees into a manhole, ending up in the sewers.

Druidus, lost in the sewers, is told by the mask that he was specifically chosen, as they are both "kind of losers, but can kick a lot of ass". The Serpent mask claims that he should use his disintegration power to his advantage, in order to sneak up, strike, and then deform before his adversaries have a chance to strike back. Druidus claims that he doesn't want to be morally wrong, but Serpent reinforces his belief that everything in the world is pointless, and claims that he should only live for "crack, copulation, and cash". Druidus, deciding that he has crossed the moral line between good and bad already, decides to "git Vepturegeng", and plans to make a gang with the five other, masked-possessed Vepturians.

Serpent, back to the present, claims that he doesn't want to die, and disintegrates before the cloaked figure has a chance to shoot him. Getting in a fight where he consistently shatters and reforms, Serpent is eventually able to kick down the cloaked figure, who, upon being unmasked, is actually Stealer. Serpent, apologizing for attacking him, is told not to, as Stealer says he wants them to "get back to their roots", before clarifying that he wants them to become criminals again; not become "lawful good knob-heads", as they once were. Serpent, claiming that he already has been robbing banks for money, is told by Stealer that being good is really uninteresting and tedious, and that he wishes he was more like Serpent, and never put up the act to begin with. The two of them decide that it's time to reunite the Vepturegeng, and hope for more "crack, copulation, and cash" before Serpent brings up that he's still a virgin.

In a post-credits scene, Terrence Jacob sends a text message to Robert Jacob, claiming that he's throwing a reunion party, and that he should "be the center of it all". Robert, tabbing out of the Virtual Reality crocodile hunt he was playing, claims that he's up for it, but that he's busy with a woman that he's having a close relationship with, before Terrence chastises him for never being able to decide on just one man (or woman) to love. Robert exits out, and goes back to his VR app, only to find his character eviscerated by a crocodile.

## Allusions

* Maroon 5: The rap group that Stealer joins, Marine 12, is a pun on Maroon 5. Additionally, Stealer is voiced and portrayed by DJ Khalid, who is a rapper.