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clumsiestgiantess · 9 months

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Tserem’s story is actually too long to put all in one sitting, so I’ve decided to split it into two halves with a cliffhanger in the middle. You’re welcome.

(his ref is here btw)

I had his text in a cool font to show his strange accent; kinda sad it doesn’t transfer over onto Tumblr, so just pretend Tserem’s lines are in Caveat font.

I'd only started a rebellion which nearly usurped the King and massacurred his entire bloodline. I see no need for a death sentence. It would be the noose for sure — a public hanging to make an example out of me. I stood patiently in the small courtroom, my arms and legs chained to the cold, stone floor. Meanwhile, the King, my judge, jury, and soon to be executioner stood haughtily from a podium above me. Light filtered in through gleaming stained-glass windows above his large wood-carved chair, bathing him in a yellow halo-esque glow. That visual had to be intentional.

"Filthy rebel leader," the king addressed me, refusing to use my name, though he must know it. It was by accident that I became a household name. I hadn't intended for my less-than-ethical ways to spread like wildfire throughout the kingdom. Then again, it wasn't hard when many were left starving and homeless. These days people are desperate enough to do just about anything. Scarlet became an accursed whisper in the wind. Scarlet like the blood of her enemies. Scarlet like my own blood which seeped onto the floor from the wounds I'd generously been given on my way in here. "You will be sentenced to death by-”

The King's advisor quickly pulled him aside; I strained my ears to hear what he said. "If you hang her in the square, you will have another riot on your hands. She will not only make a good example of those who do not follow you, she will become a symbol of what those cretins are fighting for." Damn. He was right. I was betting on some sort of trouble to go down during my execution. I'd even hoped to escape in the chaos. "It is best you do something more.. secretive." I tried to tell them that no matter how they killed me, my death would still stand for something. It has to mean something, right? However, a metal clamp held my mouth closed, digging into my jaw as I tried to speak. The King cleared his throat, returning to the podium. "Rebel, you are sentenced to death… by sacrifice."

My eyes widened in shock, and my mouth would've hung agape had it not been for the clamp that held it tightly shut. I strained against my chains. Death by sacrifice was supposed to be a myth. Only vague tales claim that the King had tamed the Beast of Shrieking Hill. And still only rumors claimed that he'd done so with human sacrifices.

"Guards!" the King commanded, "Take her to be readied for the ceremony!" I cried out in dismay, thrashing in my chains as two armored guards dragged me away. This time, I wasn't taken to a cell. They dragged me past the reinforced prison doors to a hallway that came to an abrupt end. We waited there for a while. I attacked one of the guards, testing how easy escape would be. It wasn’t easy enough. The guard I hadn't attacked cracked the blunt end of his sword over my head, and I crumpled to the ground. My vision was dotted with black spots, but once they subsided, an old hag stood in front of me. I flinched, unsure if I was really seeing her or if that guard had knocked the sanity out of me. The King, followed by his elite personal guard, came up behind the old woman. My two guards were dismissed, replaced by two of the King's very own. They held me aside as a third stepped up to the end of the corridor. They did something to the wall — I couldn't quite see, but it had something to do with rearranging the stone pattern — and suddenly it split wide open, revealing a tunnel straight into the earth.

I was dragged inside first, and the rest of my entourage followed suit. We walked for what felt like eternity, yet it was over too soon. The end of the tunnel led into the middle of the forest, where an inconspicuous cart waited. I was bound tighter and thrust into the back while the rest of the party rode in seats surrounding me. One of the guards, and the King of course, rode up front to steer. I was thrown about, jostled roughly every time the cart hit a bump, which was quite often on this derelict road.

Again the trip was over after eternity, yet only a moment. The sky had darkened to deep hues of purple and pink. My stomach dropped as I saw what awaited me. A long stake lay on the ground with only one small cross-section for me to stand on once it was raised. I tried to slip away from the guards while they removed my chains, but I should've known better. These were the best of the best. I barely made it more than a few inches before their almost inhumanly fast reflexes grabbed hold of me once more.

Fear gripped me once I was tied to the stake. My death suddenly became a very real prospect to me. I would never let myself beg the King for mercy, but I would certainly voice my fear. Especially once the old hag leaned over me with a bowl of strange liquid between her hands. She dipped her fingers into it and reached out to put it on me. I screamed between the fabric of the gag in my mouth, squirming away from the sickly sweet smelling ooze as it dripped off her fingers.

Despite my best efforts to escape, I could do nothing but watch as multiple guards came to hold me down while the old woman did her work. The king watched everything from afar, his cold emotionless eyes glaring at me from the edge of the clearing. First, the woman used the awful stuff to draw markings across my face. Her long nails were so sharp that she cut into me slightly and I yelped, though it couldn't really be heard through my gag. Then, she pulled down the neck of my tunic and took another dip of the strange oil. She drew a symbol over my sternum, pressing roughly into my skin so it was drawn in both oil and blood. The liquid stung my fresh cuts and I shrieked in pain.

The old hag whispered unintelligible nonsense over me and the guards hoisted me and the stake upwards until it was stuck firmly into the ground. Now, I was held a good ten or so feet off the earth. By then, the sky was completely dark and the only light came from the few torches dispersed about the clearing. The King stepped up to the mountainside in front of me with a torch in his hand. It was only then that I noticed the gaping hole in the rock face, void black against even the torchlight, like an endless pit. A similar pit yawned in my stomach as I stared at it in horror.

"Beast, I offer you tonight another sacrifice! I hope you may find her suitable, and fill your insatiable appetite." I retched at the thought of being eaten. Terror seized my chest as everyone in the clearing proceeded back down the path they'd come. I cried muffled pleas, begging them to reconsider, but they were soon gone. Alone in the clearing, I squeezed my eyes shut and hoped for a quick death.

Nothing but the sounds of animals and rustle of leaves on trees in the crisp night air could be heard from the forest. However, as the sun slid away, another sound started beneath it all. It was barely noticeable at first. One moment it was hidden, the next, I was sure I heard it — the tapping of something hard stepping over stone. Only, it wasn't stepping, really. The sound was more akin to scuttling, like a massive bug. This was strange, yet even more terrifying. I expected the beast to be some awful demon or dragon, maybe a huge hairy monster. The prospect of something unknown frightened me more than any of those creatures did. I had to take a look.

To my relief and disappointment, the torches had all gone out while my eyes were shut tightly. My heart flew into my throat when I saw the cave — its opening was practically unseeable so that it looked as if it had grown wider in the dark. A long, snaking body spiraled out of the abyss, spindly legs skittered about its sides as it glided closer. I wanted to scream, but I couldn't make a single sound. The very front of its body lifted up, rearing back its head. I couldn't see what it looked like, but then again, I didn’t really want to.

The creature's creeping body skittered closer, circling the stake once before bringing its head up to examine me. Dilated snake-like eyes glistened in the dark. Finally, it seemed my body had caught up with my brain. I screamed, writhing on the stake in a poor attempt to free myself before the monster could swallow me up. The creature flinched away from me for a moment before drawing closer. A forked tongue brushed my chest where the oils were drawn, making my breath hitch in terror, my whole body going cold.

Two massive appenages, almost twice the size of its scuttling legs and far more muscular, lifted from its body from a place a bit below its head. I thrashed and screamed as the limbs moved in towards me. At last, I managed to break free of something. The gag in my mouth fell around my neck. "Wait!" I cried, "Please! I'm begging you! Please don't eat me! I've done nothing wrong!" This was a bold-faced lie, but it was all I could think of. The creature froze in place, pupils narrowing, scrutinizing me from above. No wonder I was placed on a stake so high in the air. This monster was as likely as long as the entire castle bridge; its snaking body still sat partially in the cave with no end in sight.

The creature leaned backwards on its impossibly long body, and for a moment I thought it had somehow miraculously listened to my words. It was too good to be true — not even my own supporters believed much of what I said. They only believe in what I did. Once. To a few people who really deserved it. The lengthy creature wound back only to strike at me with lightning speed, ripping me right off the stake. I shrieked as the shadowy form of the monster overtook me, and I was plunged into darkness.

A throbbing pain in my side startled me awake, and I found myself pressed into a rocky lump of the floor. Wait.. I woke up. I'm alive! My head spun as I sat up and gazed at the room around me. Glorious light bounced off crystalline structures that grew from floor to ceiling all over the cavern. It was so beautiful that I was almost certain that I had died after all. A pristine pool of water reflected the ceiling like a mirror. My stupefied shock was suddenly overcome by fear as the twisting shadow of the creature that attacked me slid behind the rocky outer edges of the cavern. I scrambled backwards, searching rapidly for a way out.

"What do you want with me!?" I cried, standing up despite my dizziness. "Why don't you just get it over with already? Stop toying with me and eat me!" "I thought you said you did not want me to eat you." I gawked, staring at the creature's form as it stopped moving and gazed at me from the dark. "Y- You can talk?" The voice that echoed from the creature's side of the cavern was masculine, and thick with an accent I didn't recognize. His remark sounded almost amused. "Why are you-" I suddenly collapsed on the ground, dizziness catching up with me. I hadn't drank anything over the past who-knows-how-long; I'd probably been unconscious for a while.

"The water in this cavern is for drinking." the creature told me. I took his words as an invitation and rushed to the water's edge, scooping the cool liquid into my hands and guzzling it as quickly as I could. I kept an eye on the shadow of the creature the entire time, just in case he tried to attack me while I was turned from him. Once I finished, I continued my question from before. "Why are you hiding back there?" The creature was silent for a moment. His shadow edged closer, but never came into the light. "I am hiding because you will be terrified if you see me. I have tried to take a more human form, but it is not very human." A more human form? His shadow didn’t look human at all. It was twisted around a third of the cavern. “Well, I’m already terrified of you, so what does it matter?” I replied. The creature was quiet, slithering back and forth between the columns of crystal. “I suppose you are right,” he muttered, sliding into the light.

A massive, serpentine body coiled towards me; I followed it with my eyes all the way up to his torso, which faded from scales to tan human flesh. The beginning of his body — from his torso to his head — looked almost completely human, except for his startling yellow slitted eyes and slightly elongated mouth. "See, I told you that you would be scared," he grumbled, gesturing to my pale face and horrified expression. I stumbled backwards, nearly falling into a smaller pool of water behind me. "Are- Are you going to eat me?" Panic bubbled into my voice. I could hear it echo over the stone walls around me. It was then that I realized that the creature's large body was blocking the only exit I could see. He grumbled annoyedly, rubbing a hand over his face tiredly. I backed away further, worried that I'd angered him. Suddenly, the creature laughed. His jaw unhinged as he did so, causing me to whimper involuntarily. I was so sure he'd eat me — that he'd simply swallow me whole. "Oh, I suppose I should not be laughing," the creature mused, catching himself. "After all, it is my job to eat humans who are sacrificed to me. Do not panic little creature, I do not intend to hurt you."

He could easily tell that I didn't believe a word he said by the way I had myself pressed against the back wall, so he continued. "Look, if I were going to eat you, why would I have waited to do so now? I could easily have eaten you tied up on the stake." "I- I don't know!" I cried, "Maybe you like to toy with your food before eating it? Didn't you just tell me that it's your job to eat me? Why would you not?" The being's eyes narrowed in thought for a moment. "You are rather smart for a human. I knew I saw something worthwhile in you," he mused. "Alright, if you wish not to believe me, I do not mind. You may go free. I am sure you have family of some sort that are worried about you."

Shock and sorrow seized my chest simultaneously, mixing into hostility. "I don't have a family," I murmured as the creature made way for me at the entrance. "The King's army killed them trying to get to me! You work for him, and I don't believe a word you say!" "I DO NO SUCH THING!" the creature roared, scaring me into silence again. "I work for food. The King just happens to be my supplier." He slithered closer to me, leaning over the pool of water, casting ripples over its pristine surface. His human hand reached for me and I gasped. The length of it was almost four feet tall. Thankfully, the creature pulled it back to his side at the last second, re-thinking his actions.

"I am Tserem. A being from another world with powers your human mind can barely comprehend, yet I too have what you call family.” His shuddering sigh made my hair stand on end, but his voice sounded genuine. “He took yours from you, and he took me from mine." The creature, Tserem, leaned back like he'd done the night before, though this time he didn't look as though he would strike at me.

His words finally seemed to take hold in my mind. “You’ve come from another world? I’ve heard of other realms.. but another world? What does that mean?” His foreign accent, devilish appearance, and strange name all made much more sense. “I have a proposition for you,” he told me, ignoring my questions. “I have saved your life so I ask you to listen, at the very least, to what I have to offer."

"My name is Scarlet," I replied, "I'm a symbol of a rebellion against the king. What could you possibly have to offer me?" "Besides your life?" He chuckled as my heart nearly beat right out of my chest. "That was a bad joke, sorry. You are called Scarlet?" I nodded hesitantly. "Come then, I will show you what I mean." Tserem beckoned for me to follow him, and I cautiously stepped up to his side while he waited for me by the cavern opening. Nodding brusquely, he slithered into the next cave. This one was smaller than the other and dimly lit with torches rather than crystalline light.

Once I stepped in, he gestured to the wall behind him. An ugly metal clamp cut into the rock wall. A gigantic, thick chain stemmed from it, coiling across the floor and into Tserem's lower back, digging beneath his snake-like scales. I can't say I pity this monster, but the metal inside his skin must be horribly painful. "I could easily go out and kill the King myself. However, I am trapped here. I have asked many other sacrificed humans if they wished to help me escape, but none of them have helped me, and some of them I… could not bother to ask."

Was it my imagination, or did he hesitate just then? "I mean, if you give people the option to go free or help a creature like you, I'm guessing most of them chose to get out while they could." He nodded, a faraway look in his eyes. "What did you mean when you said you didn't ask some of them?" I asked suspiciously, "Why did you pause for a moment when you spoke?" I don’t think I’ll like the answer, but for my own safety, I think I should have one.

Tserem shuddered, "The only things I can eat are animals stupid enough to wander in here, and the humans that are given to me. Most animals scent me and run long before I can reach them. Sometimes, when I hear a human writhing on that pole, I am… I am too far beyond starving to think about sparing a free meal." "You.. You don't even give them a chance?" I whispered, horrified. "Those are people! You can't just eat someone!" "When you are starving and angry and alone, yes, you can," he spat back.

"So if I agreed to help you but you got hungry, would you eat me?" Tserem began to look sick. "I know you are intelligent beings, but I must do what I can to survive. I do not want to eat humans, but like my living situation, I have no choice. The King could feed me anything else, yet he decides to only feed me his own kind." I stepped down from my argument. He was forced to live in a cave, forced to eat living ‘sacrifices’. Like me — forced into becoming a symbol of the rebellion through a few vengeful acts — he became this way through the terrible mistreatment of him by the King, just as I had. Tserem was a monster by circumstance, not by choice.

I took a deep breath of air, summoning up whatever courage I had left within me. "Alright. I'll help you. Just.. swear to me that no matter how hungry you get, you will not eat me." Tserem nodded eagerly. "I would never do such a thing," he replied in mock horror. At my steely glare, he quickly backed down. "Yes, of course I will not hurt you. So, do we have a deal? You will help free me?" "You promised me something in return," I reminded him. "Hmm, I was hoping you would forget about that part. What would you like? I can give you riches, power, knowledge…" Tserem went on and on, listing wishes to grant like a genie in a bottle. None of his prospects interested me, though. All I really wanted was my old life back, but that was impossible now. Out of everything he listed, I supposed I wanted protection the most. If I'd had protection from the start, I could have saved my family rather than avenge them.

"Protection!" I blurted, "I'll take protection!" Tserem smiled genuinely down at me. "Deal! Scarlet, if you free me, I will owe you a great debt. I will pledge allegiance to you over the King, and will protect you with my life." My eyes widened at the thought of having my own personal otherworldly bodyguard. My mind wandered to the glorious idea of storming into the castle with him by my side, forcing the king off his throne of neglect and deceit.

"Deal," I replied, holding out my hand for him to shake. It was a habit, really. I hadn't expected him to do the same, so it surprised me when his gigantic hand reached for me again. I flinched away, but soon regained my composure once I realized what he intended to do. It took all the courage I had to keep from diving into another part of the cave as Tserem inched closer. Two of his gigantic fingers gripped my whole hand between them. I expected his grip to be crushing, like a snake coiling around its prey. However, he was shockingly gentle, delicately shaking my hand with the smallest amount of force. I could see from the concentrating expression on his face that he was trying his best not to hurt me.

Once he let go, I fell to the floor, exhausted, all threats finally dealt with. It was daylight outside; I could see it shining from further ahead in the caves. Still, I hadn't slept all night, and I'd been on high alert ever since I'd been captured. There’s no food in prison — at least nothing edible. By now, I’m running off pure fear and adrenaline alone. Though I was in a strange cave with a creature I barely knew, I got up and searched for somewhere to rest. I should be safe here. Not only had Tserem vowed not to eat me, he'd pledged to keep me safe, if I freed him, that is. I will free him, but not now, not when I'm nearly passing out with exhaustion. Tserem seemed to notice that I was rapidly losing consciousness at just the right time. I nearly fell to the floor, but he caught me before my head collided with stone. I yelped, feeling a sense of vertigo as the gigantic being cautiously pulled me into cupped hands. In a half sleep, I watched as he slithered off and lay me down in a pile of furrs. The moment I felt the soft surface beneath me, I fell into a dark and dreamless sleep.

I woke up in a cold sweat, grasping at the furs beneath me. A nightmare of yesterday’s terrifying events was still fresh in my mind. Tserem was still asleep when I woke. He was coiled in a large, scaley heap on the floor, his human torso lying over the top, mouth agape in a snore. I turned back to the furs and jumped at a strange bristling object I saw nearby. A whole berry bush sat beside my sleeping place, torn right out of the ground. This must be my meal. I’m quite literally starving to death at the moment, so I guess this will do. While I ate my fill, I watched Tserem. It was harder to be afraid of him while he was sprawled out across the floor like that.

Cautiously, I tiptoed past him and wandered the caves, coming to the large opening at the front. I could see a vast spread of the kingdom lay out before me in the early morning sun. Clouds caught on the peaks of mountains all around, and light glinted off windows of the houses below. “Beautiful, is it not?” Tserem asked, startling me. “I would enjoy living here if I were not trapped here.” I glanced up at him, watching as his expression sunk to a remorseful stare. “Hopefully you won’t be stuck here much longer,” I replied. “How were you planning for someone to free you?” Tserem slithered back into his cave, and I followed far behind. I just couldn’t keep up with the sheer size of his winding strides.

At the metal base, Tserem bent down and pointed at the rock face that held the plate. “I have been working at this wall for many years now. If you could bring me something as leverage, I will be able to pry myself free.” I glanced at the opening again. “What about the stake outside? Can’t you just use that?” Tserem huffed, “Do you really think I have spent all these years sitting here but have yet to try that flimsy little stick out there? It it useless. It snaps in two before the plate so much as creaks. I can yank this metal out with my own hands quicker than that stake.”

“Alright, alright,” I digressed, trying to calm Tserem’s sudden wave of anger. “What else could we try?” Before either of us could come up with an idea, the sound of a wagon coming up the path echoed into the cave. I stepped to the opening curiously, but Tserem yanked me back inside. “Hey! What-“ “Are you trying to get yourself killed?!” he whisper-yelled at me, “You are supposed to be dead, remember?” Tserem peered outside then shot back in, centipede-like legs sliding out from under his skin to create more traction. “You have to hide! They are coming to ensure you have died, and report back to the king.”

I looked wildly around the barren rock walls and floor. “Where? There’s nowhere for me to hide!” I whispered in a panic. “Come with me.” Tserem skittered away into the next cavern, gone in a moment. I ran after him as fast as I could. The moment I was inside, gigantic fingers wrapped around my torso, hoisting me into the air with a single hand. I screamed in terror, but was immediately silenced by a light squeeze. “Quiet! They are close enough to hear you!” “Then why did you grab me, you ass, put me down!” I shoved at his grip, but it didn’t even budge. My entire hand just barely fit around the thickness of his finger. “I grabbed you because you are too small and slow,” he hissed, “Also because I am putting you somewhere safe until they leave. Oh, I do need this.”

My overcoat was torn off of me. I sputtered the angry beginnings of an argument, but Tserem was already lifting me up. His lanky body extended until I was nearly at the top of the cavern. He placed me on a rock ledge high above the floor, like a parent placing snacks on a shelf that was too high up for a child to reach. Lowering himself to the floor, he took my overcoat and placed it between his teeth, shredding it to pieces that drifted to the stone below. I nearly began to curse at him again, but I realized that if people were coming to check if I'd died, they would easily mistake my shredded garment as proof of just that.

Tserem slithered to the entrance, but not before giving me a final glance over his shoulder. "Once they leave.. I will not be able to come for you for some time. Please do not do anything rash on my behalf. I will return; do not worry." I desperately wanted to ask him what that meant, but Tserem slithered away at the sound of people at the entrance. Voices drifted down the rock tunnels to me. I leaned closer to listen, but I nearly fell off the ledge in doing so. In the end, I decided clarity wasn't worth the risk of falling to my death. Tserem would hopefully explain things later. There were at least two voices I didn't recognize. They yelled angrily back and forth as a shrieking hiss filled the air. I could only assume the noise had come from Tserem. Nothing else would be able to make a cry like that. Suddenly, a tremendous thud revertibrared through the walls, and shortly after, the sound of clanking armor. I know that sound all too well. Street Patrols wore armed plates to protect themselves as they broke up fights, or started them.

Three people filed into the cavern wearing much heavier armor than the Street Patrols do. They scanned the seemingly empty cavern as I quickly pressed myself to the wall behind me, afraid that one of them might glance upwards and spot me. "Hey! Look up there!" My heart seized in my chest. How had they seen me already? "There are shreds of cloth over here!" I let out a relieved breath. The guard, or whoever they were, said 'up there' referring to 'up ahead', not 'hey there's the fugitive that was sentenced to death still alive up on that ledge!' "Looks like hers to me," someone commented. "Search the area!" another commanded, "See if you can find anything else left of her."

I hope my shredded undercoat is enough to convince them I'm dead. Should I have tried putting some of my blood on it? Thankfully, the guards weren't too keen on staying here very long. They took the scraps of my clothing and left. Once the clanking of their armor dissipated into silence, and I was sure they were gone, I called out to Tserem. "Tserem! Are you alright?" He didn't respond. I couldn't even hear movement, or breathing for that matter. His last words to me repeated in my head: 'I will not be able to come for you'. He said he'd return, but what if something had happened? What if that cry he made was in pain? I have to get to him.

The question is how to get to him. The ledge I'm sitting on is so high that if I stand up, I can touch the cavern ceiling. Scanning the rocks below me, I internally mapped out a path I might be able to traverse to get down. However, it consisted of various death-defying leaps from one crystalline structure to another. I decided to wait and see if Tserem would come back first; the deadly way down would be a last resort. After about ten minutes, I gave up on waiting. What if Tserem needed me? He can't give me protection if he's dead!

Carefully sliding myself over the side of the rock ledge, I dropped down to the first crystal of many. The beginning few descents went smoothly enough. I managed to jump the deadliest gap with only a minor heart attack after nearly sliding off the other side. It wasn't until the second-to-last jump that I messed up. My foot landed wrong as I came down, ankle twisting painfully to the side. I cried out, almost falling off the ledge completely, but I managed to catch the very tip of it on my way down. Dangling from the smooth crystal surface, my fingers couldn't keep a firm grip. A few moments after catching myself, I fell the rest of the way down, colliding with hard stone.

Needle-like pain shot through my left arm, which had taken the brute of the fall. You numb-brained idiot! I scolded myself as I yelled in agony, He told you to wait for him for good reason! I took a moment to breathe through the initial shock of pain, then moved to sit up and assess just how badly I was injured. That turned out to be a horrible idea. I came to a shuddering stop halfway up, then practically fell back to the floor. A few minutes later, I managed to get my torso upright to see what had broken.

Firstly, my right ankle was already swelling tremendously. The skin around it began blossoming into an ugly purple. Next was my left shoulder. It hung limply at my side, detached from its socket. I gagged at the sight and tore my gaze away from it. Besides a few minor scratches and a lot of bruises, those were my most significant injuries. I half-crawled half-dragged myself over to a large rock formation, using its side to hoist myself up. It took almost everything I had to get moving.

Despite my injuries, I'm determined to see Tserem. If I don't, all of my wounds will have been for nothing. I hobbled into the connected cave. Tserem's limp tail lay across the floor. As painlessly as I could manage — which was still tremendously painful — made my way over and followed his body to the entrance. As I passed the metal clamp on the wall, I realized that the armored men had also tightened his chains so he could no longer leave the cave. My shocked gasp echoed across stone as I continued on. A spear was lodged into Tserem’s side, dripping with a strange clear liquid. I realized with a start that he wasn't breathing, and one word came to mind. Poison. The clear liquid on the spear must be a sort of poison, keeping him from taking a breath.

Try as I might, the spear was lodged much too deep for me to pull it out single-handedly. I tried only once and doubled over in pain as I moved to use my left arm. Crawling to his head, I lay exhausted in the grass just beyond the rough stone of the cave. It felt like I'd been poisoned, too. I couldn't move a single muscle. I started to wonder if we might both die together, when a raspy gasp tore through my quiet groaning. "Tserem!" I cried weakly, watching from the ground as he slowly lifted his head. Relief washed over me, but I hesitated as he hissed angrily.

"Ahh! Another forsaken spear in my side! What did they lace it with this time?" He whirled around and tore the spear out of himself, cursing as the gash gurgled with fresh blood. Tserem hissed again and turned slowly to head back inside, nursing his wounds. "Wait!" I gasped as loudly as I could. It hurt me a bit to hear how weak I sounded. "Tserem, I-" He turned around in shock, slithering towards me. "What in all the worlds..?" he muttered, staring down at me. "I- I tried to climb down from the ledge," I whimpered, "And I.. fell." Tserem sighed. It wasn't a harsh, disappointed sigh, but rather an airy, pitying one. "I should know by now that humans do not listen. Come here, let me help you."

Tserem's hands descended towards me and I flinched, causing pain to ricochet throughout my body. He hesitated as I shrunk away from him. "I can not leave you at the front of this cave. Other humans might find you." I knew I needed to get back inside, but the thought of being held in the palms of someone's hands was frightening to me. His size was easier to ignore from a distance. Here, on the ground, with his gigantic form leaning over me, I felt defenseless. I am defenseless, even from another person thanks to the injuries I've given myself, nevermind a gigantic bug-snake person. I squeezed my eyes shut as Tserem reached for me again. To my immense relief, his touch was shockingly delicate. He knew just as well as I did that he could easily hurt me further. A simple pinch of his fingers could snap my arm completely off. I tried to block thoughts like that from my mind. He was only trying to help me.

Tserem carefully carried me back inside, setting me down on the pile of furs once again. I yelped in pain as my left arm brushed the soft surface. His slitted pupils slid back and forth, assessing how badly I was injured. "Well," he murmured, "I will have to fit your arm back into its socket, and you will need something cold to place on your ankle and the rest of your bruises. If I only had my things, but I left them when I was taken." "Wait, weren't you poisoned?" I asked weakly, "How are you still alive? Last I checked, you weren't breathing." "I got better," Tserem said absent-mindedly, searching for something in the craggs of the rock wall. "What do you mean, 'you got better'?" I replied, bewildered. Tserem continued searching instead of answering me. When he found what he needed, he returned to my side. A shiny, black piece of stone was placed over my ankle. It was freezing to the touch, and I yanked my leg out from under it.

"Keep it there," Tserem insisted, nudging my leg beneath the stone again with the tip of his finger. "The cold will stop the swelling." "I'll just let it swell, then," I responded, annoyed by the fact that he'd simply placed my leg beneath it again. "If you let it swell, you will not be able to walk. Do you want to hobble around for the rest of your life?" he asked, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. It sounded almost threatening with his unfamiliar accent. "If not, I suggest you let it sit for a while." I grumbled a weak objection, but I have to admit, though not aloud, the coldness was numbing the pain.

"Now, what to do about your arm?" I shifted nervously as he stared at me. "I must put it back in the correct place, but you will be very much against this." Of course I would. I'm almost certain that he'll ruin my arm further by trying to put it back the way it was. Most doctors I know would simply amputate the limb. However, when I relayed this to Tserem, he stared at me, appalled. "What!? You do not cut off a limb simply because it becomes dislocated! Do you humans know nothing about how to take care of yourselves? No wonder you have such short lifespans!" I should probably be offended by what he said, but I was curious about something else. "Why do you know so much about healing? And why are you not dead?" I asked again, "Wasn't that spear poisoned?" Tserem sighed, "I can explain that while you recover. Let me finish this first." I glanced at my limp arm. "And.. you're sure you won't crush my arm when you put it back in place?" "I will do my best."

Sucking in a deep breath to brace for the pain, I watched, wide-eyed as his fingers took my arm between them. My figure was so small in comparison, he could've been holding a doll. My entire arm was the same length as his hand. I shut my eyes again, waiting for something awful to happen. A loud CRACK split the silent air, and I screamed at the unbearable pain, scrambling out of Tserem's grasp. It took me a moment, but shortly afterwards, I noticed that the stinging feeling in my arm had been replaced with nothing but a dull ache.

"I have more of those cold stones. You should probably keep one over your shoulder too," Tserem mused. I slowly sat back up, testing my arm gently. "I- I can't believe it. Why did the pain stop? It sounded like you snapped my arm clean off. For a moment, I thought you lied and had amputated my arm after all." “The human body is not as vulnerable as one might think. It is capable of healing itself surprisingly well,” he told me, handing me another stone for my shoulder. This time, I took it without hesitation. I was going to ask him how he knew so much about the human body when he himself wasn’t one, but I realized that his top half seemed to be human, and I remembered him mentioning that he tried to take a human form.

“What are you?” I asked once I was settled in with Tserem’s strange cold rocks. “You look like you’re multiple different things mashed together. You can offer me things like power and knowledge that most people only dream of, and you can apparently overcome poison like it’s a small illness.” Tserem nodded slowly, “I suppose I should try to explain, though you might not understand. I told you that I am not from this world, yes?” I nodded. “There are many more worlds out there. Some are like yours, some are like nothing you will ever know. My ancestors are not from this world, but I was born here. I have lived in other places occasionally, but this world is my favorite. Well, it was my favorite until I was chained here.” Tserem huffed, tail lashing the floor. "To answer your questions, the name for what I am is not easily pronounced by the human tongue, but I am an-" he spoke a string of accent-laced syllables that I couldn't dream of repeating correctly.

"I'll.. just call you Tserem. That's a hard enough name to pronounce already,” I replied. "Ah, and about my abilities… You see, every one of my kind can take the genes of other lifeforms and splice them into our own to help us easily adapt into any environment. We can take up to three different types before the older ones are replaced. The only genes we keep constantly are our own. I could revert back to my true form at any time, though it hurts quite a lot with these merciless metal rods in my back."

I stared at him, confused. He was speaking my language, but I couldn't understand pieces of what he was saying. There were a few words strung into his explanation I'd never even heard before. Maybe they were words from his own language. "What are jenes?" I asked, thoroughly interested, "What are they and how do you take them? I.. don't really understand." Tserem nodded knowingly, "I did say you would not understand. And it’s genes, not.. jenes." I couldn’t tell the difference, but I didn’t tell him that. "Is there a way for you to explain it so that I might? And what about you recovering from being poisoned? Does that have to do with genes too?" He chuckled, "In a way, yes. Hmm.." Tserem thought for a moment, brow furrowing in concentration. "Well, every creature, every living thing from humans to plants, have things called genes, though they have a much longer scientific name, many refer to them as genes, or in shorthand, RNA. These genes determine how a living thing looks, and even how it behaves, like instructions, if you will, for life itself."

"Wait, wait… You're saying that my body has some kind of written instructions inside it somewhere that tell me how to live?" I asked incredulously. "That doesn't sound right." "It is.. hard to explain, and I am no expert on this, but in a sense, yes. The instructions are invisible to the human eye, stitched into the very flesh of a creature."

What Tserem said barely made logical sense. How did instructions get sewn into me? Who put them there? What would happen if I were to remove them? "Anyways, my kind can take these.. instructions.. from other living things, and use them to help rewrite ourselves. This is why I look like, as you said, 'multiple different things mashed together'. I am made of multiple things; I copied their genetic material." Suddenly, I saw his figure in a new light. Tserem wasn't a strange hybrid like other legendary creatures; he somehow stole the instructions for creating other creatures, and built himself from it.

"So, do you look anything like this?" I asked, gesturing to his mis-matched appearance. "No, nothing like this at all." Instantly, my mind ran wild with images of what Tserem might truly look like. "As for your final, most incessant question: how did I overcome being poisoned? See, all of my kind have the ability to copy genes and add them to ourselves, but each of us are also born with a more unique ability that comes from our true form. Some abilities are extremely rare or are considered lucky or attractive, while others are more commonplace, sometimes almost useless. Mine is the latter, nothing too extraordinary. My immune system is extremely powerful. It can cure me of any and all ailments within a few hours."

"Nothing extraordinary!?" I repeated, "You can never get sick! You’ll never have to die of an illness, or so much as feel affected by it for more than a few hours! How is that 'nothing extraordinary'?" Tserem shrugged, "Where I come from, my powers are fairly useless. With modern medicine, there is no need for a good immune system. Someone can have my exact powers by simply drinking a salve, or taking a pill." My mouth hung open for so long, I might have accidentally swallowed a bug. "You.. Your kind found a way to cure every disease?" I whispered, awestruck. Tserem nodded, looking thoughtful. "Yes, the first being to get this ability in my long family history came up with it using their blood. Of course, these days it is entirely replicated, and not blood at all. Hmm, I guess I did not realize that something so commonplace to me might be so mind-boggling to you."

Tserem began talking about more things I didn't understand, but his voice was fuzzy — my head clouded by way too many thoughts. I finally cut him off when he took a breath. "Could you just.. leave me alone for a bit?" I asked, only the faintest hints of anger in my voice, "I need to process some things you said." He paused mid-sentence and gave me a small smile, "Yes, I will be in the crystalline cave if you need me." The room became eerily quiet once the echoing sound of his skittering legs died off.

Alone with my thoughts, I tried to sort out the information Tserem had given me. He was right to say I wouldn't understand it all, but the parts I did understand seemed frightening and slightly wrong. If Tserem's kind had the medicine to heal any and all illnesses, why didn't they share it with us? I tried to convince myself there was a valid reason — that maybe the medicine only took effect on their own kind — but I had a sinking feeling that there was a different reason, or rather, no reason at all. Whatever Tserem is, his kind is so advanced that they have everything and anything a human could want; he'd even given all of it away as offers to me, almost as if they don't matter to him. Humankind likely seems like one big barbarian tribe to them.

In this way, I guess it makes sense. Our kingdom wouldn't offer our grand technology to barbarians. Tserem's kind just doesn't see us as worth the effort to care. To them, we’re practically another species of animal. The pit in my stomach yawned wider; I could sense the nasty feeling of bile rising in my throat. I didn't like the notion that I was something small and primitive, not worthy of someone's time or effort. My nerves spiked, and the pain in my ankle came back again, throbbing even beneath the cold rock, which was starting to warm up.

"Tserem!" I called. There was a tinge of fear in my echoed voice, and I'm not sure why. He was willing to give me his kind's technology — well, what he has of it. Nonetheless, I still felt sick. "Tserem!" "I'm here!" he called, sliding back into the cave, "What is it?" "I.. need another cold rock." He chuckled, "Alright, give me a moment." I watched numbly as he went over to the notch in the wall and brought me back some fresh stones, taking the warmer ones back. Tserem's brow furrowed as he examined me for a moment. "You look ill," he noted, concerned, "Did you get that poison in your system? Was that why you kept asking me about it?" In a strange way, it was comforting to see Tserem panic over me. He did care, but was it only because he benefited from me staying alive to help him? "No, it's nothing like that," I assured him. A heavy silence filled the cave as I tried to work up the courage to ask him what I wanted. "If it is not pain, then what is troubling you?" I could have waved him off and told him not to worry about it, but there was a genuine anxiousness in his voice and his cautious movements that changed my mind.

"Do you really care about me?" I asked. My heart raced in my chest; did I want to know the answer? I was so frightened, when he opened his mouth to reply I began speaking to stop him. "It's just... When you explained how your kind has everything, and knows so much, while humankind barely knows about itself…" I struggled to explain, not even sure Tserem would understand. "We must seem like animals or barbarians to you, because you don't bother to share anything with us. So, knowing all this, I have to ask you if you really care. Are you only luring me here with trinkets from your world long enough for you to escape this place, or are you genuinely trying to help me, too?" Tserem was quiet for so long, I feared I'd figured out his scheme. Finally, he let out a long sigh and pressed his hands to his temples.

"That.. that was my plan – has been my plan – for a long time now. Do not be mistaken on my jugement, though. I do truly believe your kind is smarter than they seem, and can become something incredible with enough time. Case in point," he added, gesturing to me. "The truth is, many of my kind do see yours as.. What word was it? Oh, barbarians and animals and such. However, that is not the case for all of us, and it is not the case for me." "But- But your plan.." I stammered. "My plan was rather rash and selfish due to my imprisonment here for so long. There was a time when I was more.. desperate. I have learned my lesson since, and learned that there is more to humankind than I realized. This is the reason I offered to let you go when you felt trapped here. In my earlier years here, I would not have let you leave."

"Still, I am being selfish even now by holding the gleaming prize of protection above your head," Tserem realized guiltily. He turned away from me ashamed, but at the same time, I saw otherwise. "But you haven't," I said, waiting for him to turn to me again. "You have been protecting me, even before you said you would. You saved me from being killed-" "By myself," he finished, "I saved you from myself. I do not think that counts, Scarlet, but thank you." "Hold on, I'm not done," I assured him, "You also saved me from the guards, even when I made a big fuss about it." "Yes, and now you are injured because of my hiding place," Tserem interrupted. I gave him an annoyed look, which pacified him some.

"First of all, it was entirely my decision to try and get myself down after you warned me not to. Second of all, if you hadn't hidden me there, I likely would've been caught. So, will you stop putting yourself down and listen to me?" Tserem's eyes widened a bit and he nodded. "Good, because I can say, without a doubt, that you've saved my life three times. I know that you’re trying to help me, I just wanted to know your reasons why." He was silent for a brief moment. "My reasons are completely righteous, I swear. I have no intention to leave you to fend for yourself, or cast you aside once I am free. As I have said when you arrived: if you free me, I will owe you a great debt. I will pledge allegiance to you over the King, and will protect you with my life. I promise I will treat you with respect, like you are one of my own kind. You just have to trust me."

Tserem cautiously held out his hand to me, and I offered him mine. I watched amazed, as he clasped my hand, so small in comparison, over the pads of his finger. "I do.. I do trust you, though sometimes I'm scared to," I confessed. "But that's nothing new," I added quickly as Tserem pulled away from me, "I don't really trust anyone." “I am thankful to have your trust, then,” he replied with a small bow, but came up with a pained hiss, gripping his side where the spear had pierced him. “I must continue healing this. Can I borrow one of your furs?” “Sure, I don’t need the whole pile.” Tserem took one of the larger pelts and offered his thanks before slithering back into the crystalline cave. I inched myself upward to peer into the room, watching as Tserem cleaned his wound with the fresh water there, making sure not to spill blood into the precious resource. After patching himself up and tying the fur around his wound, Tserem scuttled back over to me. “How long do I have to sit here with these rocks?” I asked him. “Hmm, about an hour more. You should be sitting with them every so often until your bruises disappear, but if you feel pain in your ankle, or if it starts to swell again, then leave it under a cold stone a while longer.”

I did as he asked, and within a few days I was back on my feet again. For the most part, I’d gotten used to living with someone who was about the length of the market square. At least once a day his lanky, snake-like body would block my path and I’d either jump over it or ask Tserem impatiently to move. He’d always roll his eyes and chuckle; sometimes he’d dare to tease me for my small size. He’s the one who’s the wrong size, but that was an argument that neither of us ever won. Once I was fully healed up, Tserem and I began concocting plans to free him from his chains. A violent storm emerged a few days later. Both caves began flooding nonstop. By mid afternoon, the water level was almost up to my waist. I hated every sopping second, but Tserem relished it. He told me that where he used to live, the humans there celebrated the harsh rains, and he did too.

“Well, I hate this. A lot,” I grumbled, wading through the cave towards him. My foot hit a rock that was concealed by the murky water, causing me to fall over beneath the surface. I came up to the sound of Tserem’s boisterous laughter, which calmed to a smirk as I glared at him, my soaked hair falling over my face. “Come here, let me get you somewhere dry.” I huffed and turned my back to him, crossing my arms defiantly. “I’ll find somewhere to sit myself thank you very much.” Storming off into the crystalline cavern — which was lower down and definitely higher than my waist — I managed to climb on top of an outcropping that rose just above the surface of the water. However, my dry little safehaven didn’t last very long. The flooding water soon spilled over the rocks I took shelter on.

“Tserem!” I called annoyedly, “The water’s too high!” Everything was silent, and for a moment I thought he was ignoring me, but as I peered into the other cave, I realized he was gone. Ripples brushed the surface of the water, snaking their way in my direction. I watched the subtle movements, frightened that some water creature had taken shelter in the cave. A surging wave washed over me as the mysterious creature leaped out of the deep water and fell back with a splash. It was Tserem the whole time. I was about to scold him for scaring me, but I held my tongue as I watched him slide gracefully through the water. On the dry rocks, he was awkwardly bound by his chains, clanking around with a constant scrambling ruckus of his many centipede legs, which echoed throughout the caverns. In the water, he was entirely different. His snakeish form glided through the water without a sound as he happily swam laps from one part of the caves to the other.

“Did you perhaps take the genes of a water snake?” I asked, slightly amused by his eagerness to enjoy a good swim. “I do not think so,” he replied happily, “I just like the water. Before I was captured, I lived in a rather dry desert. I suppose I am in the habit of enjoying so much water because it was scarce for me then.” “A desert?” I questioned, “I’ve barely been past the outskirts of Farthing.” “Of what?” “Farthing, you know, where we live?” Tserem shrugged, uncaring of the name of his prison. “Can you put me somewhere higher up?” I asked once he’d finished swimming around. “If I do, will you try to climb down again?” he asked accusingly. “No,” I grumbled, glancing at the spot I’d fallen from. “The rocks are slippery, though. I still think you will fall.” “But I’m sick of being soaking wet!” I complained. “Hmm.. Alright then.” Tserem slid over to the place I stood and reached for me again. I braced myself, but didn’t pull away. Being grabbed was slightly less scary knowing that it was coming.

Vertigo clenched in my stomach and I tucked my legs up beneath me, gripping Tserem’s fingers for support. I would have to teach him a more comfortable way to pick me up eventually. Especially if he’s going to stay around and offer the protection he’d promised. Using his centipede-like legs, which unfurled from a long pocket that opened beneath him, Tserem clambered up the rocks until he came to a large area far above the water’s surface, created by loosely interwoven crystals. If he’d placed me here, I probably would’ve fell right through the gaps, but Tserem was big enough to sit over them. He curled up over the tops of the crystal structures. Laying out his tail in front of himself, he placed me gently on the wider part, offering me a place to sit. I sat as still as I could, unsure about the cool, scaled surface I was placed on. It expanded and shrank beneath me with every breath Tserem took. “Is this high enough for you?” he asked me almost mockingly. I answered with a satisfied yes, trying to hide my slightly baffled expression.

The ugly weather forced me to stay in that hidden place for a day and a half until the water finally drained out of the cave. With every hour that passed I slowly grew accustomed to my temporary living arrangements. The first few hours I spent practically clinging to Tserem, but by the last few, I moved freely around the space, avoiding the gaps between crystalline spires and lounging boredly on Tserem’s lanky snake body. At the violent storm’s end, I was brought back down to the cave floor. I paced around and stretched my legs as Tserem frowned annoyedly at our pool of fresh water, which had been tainted by the muddy rainwater. “This is the only part I dislike about the rains,” he muttered, “They contaminate my pristine water supply.”

Later, on Tserem’s urging, I spent an hour and a half lugging a gigantic tree branch over to the cave opening for him to use as a lever. His excitement over the rain carried into his impatience to be free. The moment the branch was close enough to the cave, I collapsed to the ground, exhausted. I watched, unamused, as Tserem easily dragged the gigantic piece of wood inside, after I’d spent ten minutes moving it a few inches. He lodged it into the crack between the rock wall and the metal plate with terrifying strength. I instinctually drew back as he threw himself into the column of wood. His snake body coiled and his human muscles rippled, shoving the wood further and further back while the plate groaned under the stress.

A loud crack echoed through the cave. “You’re doing it!” I cried, “It’s breaking!” Moments later the wood splintered down the middle. I had only a few seconds to recognize what would happen before wooden shrapnel exploded through the cavern. In a flash, Tserem coiled his scaled body over me like a shield. Splinters of wood bounced harmlessly off his protective scaly armor. “Th- Thanks,” I stammered, slightly taken aback by the fact I’d nearly been impaled by jagged splinters. “Are you alright?” Tserem asked. “I think so,” I replied, checking myself for any pieces of wood that might’ve embedded in me. Once I was sure I hadn’t been hit, he turned and examined the half of the log still wedged between the rock and the metal plate.

“I have an idea,” he announced, “but it will likely be rather painful.” I frowned, looking between Tserem and the broken log. “What is it?” “If I wrap my chains around the log and pull it back out, the pressure should be enough to bend this plate off the wall. However, yanking on my own chains will feel like yanking off my own scales.” I shuddered at the mere thought of that intensely painful feeling. “I can find something else,” I offered, “I could go see what else the storm blew over.”

Tserem gave me a doubtful look, “You can barely even stand after dragging this branch, and as of this moment, we have no drinkable water. You rest, I will try to reach one of the trees. I might have a bit more room now that my chains are slightly falling off the wall.” I hadn’t realized that we had no water to drink, and I was already parched. Stepping back, I watched as Tserem strained against his chains. I cringed at the painful looking grimace on his face as the metal tugged beneath his skin. Tserem’s fingertips just grazed a large tree outside, but he couldn’t get far enough to actually grab it. No wonder there was a misshapen clearing surrounding his cave. If only I had half his strength, I could easily go out there and push the tree over. That would be all he’d need to get rid of his ugly restraints.

After a few more narrow misses, Tserem fell back into the cave, out of breath. I silently regarded the situation for a while. “What if.. What if you reached outside backwards, with your tail rather than your arms. Your tail is a lot longer.” Tserem huffed and sat up, “If I turn around, the chains get shorter, see?” He demonstrated by turning into the cave. The chains wrapped around his torso as he shifted, pulling him deeper inside. “I suppose my tail is longer than my arm, though. I will try.” Tserem leaned against his chains once more. Centipede-like legs slid out from beneath him and began slowly stepping backwards into the open. I held my breath as it inched along the ground, the tip slowly curling around the trunk of the tree. It wasn’t long enough to grab it, but it was just long enough to reach.

With as big a shove as Tserem could muster, the tree creaked and began falling over. Upon hearing the tree bend, Tserem slithered back inside and whirled around. With the extra distance covered by the leaning tree, his fingers could reach the trunk. In two swift tugs, Tserem ripped the tree right out of the ground. I watched in silent awe as he bashed the tree against the metal plates over and over again. His ferocity was slightly terrifying, and I couldn’t help but imagine what might happen if a person were to be on the other end of his wrath. With a few more strikes, the metal plate fell off the wall. An echoing clank rang out long after the plate had fallen. “I… I did it,” Tserem said in a hushed voice. I blinked and he was gone, only managing to see the last tip of his tail zip out of the cave opening.

“FREEDOM! AT LONG LAST!” I watched with a wide smile as Tserem slithered around the clearing. He was so much faster without having to walk around on multiple small legs. Tserem slid up and down the forest, dodging through trees at lightning speed, when he was suddenly jerked back with incredible force. He yowled in pain and I rushed over to his side. “Tserem, what-?” I stopped short at the sight of him. Blood dripped down his back from where the chains burrowed under his skin. The metal plate had gotten hooked on one of the jagged rocks nearby. At the speed Tserem had been going, the metal links had almost been yanked entirely out of him. I stood helpless as Tserem gasped in pain and fell to the ground. Racing to his arm, I tried in vain to get him up, but he was far too big for me to move more than a few inches. I stepped up to his face to talk with him, but when I did, his eyes were closed. He’d passed out. I thought about bringing him some water to wake him, before realizing the small amount of water I could take in my hands wouldn’t be close to enough to wake him. There really was nothing I could do for him. Wait, yes there is. I raced inside the cave and grabbed one of the large furs from the pile where I slept. Dunking it in the water, I waited impatiently for it to become completely waterlogged. Though the dirty water could potentially infect his cut, it wouldn’t be long before his impossible immune system healed him. Back in the clearing, I stood at Tserem’s side once again. He was lying face down. How am I going to get up to his back? Studying him, I traced a path I could climb from his arm to his back. I’d just begun hauling myself onto his forearm when the sound of hoofbeats thundered into the clearing. I whirled around just as someone cried “Halt!”

#oh noes they’ve been caught in the midst of escaping!#dnaliens universe #g/t #giant tiny

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