Something within Velasteros felt wrong, not a premonition of harm coming to her but the way her emotions mixed inside her… The conflicted feelings, but for some reason, she was unable to identify any of them as they sludged around in a mental pit.
Velasteros carried Sarah on her back as the two climbed the mountain during the night. Not a single monster attacked them, which the scorpion believed Sarah was the reason.
“I’ve got to say, it feels good to not be rotting on that tree anymore.”
“You didn’t seem to be rotting?”
“Figure of speech.”
“Ah!” The scorpion nodded in understanding while ignoring all the bad feelings.
As they neared the top of the mountain. Sarah’s weak arm patted Velasteros’s, which caused her to flinch briefly.
“A couple of warnings for you. Don’t stay in this forest for long. It would be best if you gained your strength in a more reasonable place. Second, see the large mountain east? Make sure to avoid that. Remember the book that held details about this area? That mountain is the one that all travellers are warned about.”
“The fatal peak?”
“Yep, the one with the big bad dangerous beast itself.”
In the books that gave details about this area, Copper Mountain was listed as a place to avoid at all costs.
Reaching the top of the small mountain was an easy task. A short journey together with no monsters meant that Sarah was free to speak about whatever she wanted. Which mostly only included giving Velasteros warnings about locations, types of people, and scenarios.
Whenever she mentioned these warnings, Velasteros’s immediate first thought was to compare them with what happened in the books they read. They were Velasteros’s only window into human civilisation.
Once at the top, Sarah slid off the scorpion’s back and rested on Velasteros’s hard shell as the latter relaxed and sat.
“I’m not a particularly strong fan of the stars, but they are a nice distraction as we wait for the sun.”
That will only be a few hours.
In a few hours, Velasteros would gain an advantage that would help her navigate the world. She had been thinking deeply about what would happen when she acquired a skill that would provide her with a human form.
Despite the very short lifespan of [Bipedalism Form], it provided her more advantages than just what the difference in physical form provided. There was an increase in her [Agility]. So the human transform skill could do something similar; Velasteros’s preference was [Intelligence].
Even if it unfortunately didn’t boost the best stat, the opportunities granted by a human form were innumerable. Being able to access the human world meant access to all their knowledge! And a human form meant another degree of separation from her original self, who never had such an ability.
“Why do you like the sunrise?” Velasteros asked, having wondered why it was one of Sarah’s last requests.
“A combination of childhood memories and the beauty of the sun.” Sarah closed her eyes and smiled. “It is really that simple.”
“That simple?” Velasteros didn’t understand.
“Do you want to read another book?” Sarah asked.
“Can we? Is that what you want to do?”
“I don’t mind.” Sarah pulled out another book, one that the scorpion didn’t recognise. “Tales of the Feathers. A silly little bedtime story.”
Sarah began to read the tale of a boy who found feathers outside his window in the morning. They were beautiful feathers, otherworldly, and made all other feathers look lacklustre. Collecting the feathers every day, he began to wonder where these feathers came from. He tried to stay up late but always fell asleep. He asked his parents what he should do, but they told him to do nothing. If whatever creature the feathers came from wanted to reveal itself one day, then it would be best to wait for that day. Unhappy with that answer, the boy planned a way to find the bird. Again, he tried to stay up late and failed. Then he tried to wake up early, which also failed. Running out of options in secret, he grabbed one of his father’s hunting traps and set it up. Feeling exhausted, he fell asleep and waited for morning; however, when he awoke, he only found a number of feathers on the ground covered in blood. He panicked and went to tell his parents, but they were missing. When they came home, he told them they needed to find the injured bird; it could be dying. Both parents were cold and told him that if he wished, he could go explore, but they weren’t going to assist. The boy spent the rest of the day running around the town and nearby forests but found nothing. When he came home, he simply prayed that falling asleep would solve his problem; however, every time he awoke, he never saw a feather again.
Velasteros said. “Not a very happy ending.”
“Children's stories tend to have some kind of message.” Sarah laughed. “Though this one is certainly a darker one.”
“Why did you read it then?”
“Do you not like unhappy endings?”
“I don’t mind either way, but aren’t you dying?”
“Well, a funeral is supposed to be dyed with melancholy.”
“Is it?” Velasteros didn’t think her previous one could be called melancholic. Though calling it a funeral wouldn’t likely be entirely correct, she firmly believed that her former master wouldn’t have set up such an event.
“Experience it a few more times and come to your own decision. But I do have a second reason. It’s a story I’ve kept for the memories it brings rather than the message.” Sarah didn’t elaborate further.
Every second felt like a minute and every minute an hour. Velasteros felt Sarah’s faint breathing pulse through her shell. The woman hadn’t breathed much during their talks and reading, only an occasional breath every few minutes. Velasteros hadn’t noticed it as an oddity at the time, but now Sarah’s body breathed without concern for the future.
Velasteros remembered Sarah’s words from before: don’t go into the future blind.
“Why did you want me to kill them?”
Velasteros hadn’t been consciously thinking about it, but the thought of why Sarah was doing this had been going through her mind, which led her to think about the Why for her own actions and even her former master’s. Why lead to understanding, which could lead to an advantage.
Sarah smiled, happy that the scorpion asked. “They were people that betrayed me. You could even say they are the reason I am in this state. It is a simple reason. So I thank you. I would’ve never seen a proper sunset for one last time without your help.”
Velasteros empathised with the feelings of betrayal. While she didn’t share the same desire for revenge, their situations were also different. The scorpion had the chance for a new life, while Sarah had been simply rotting away for who knows how long.
They continued to chat about stories and places nearby, but time kept moving forward.
Then finally, the sun began to rise.
Velasteros’s eyes turned away to look at the woman resting on her.
“Wow… this is a much better view…” Sarah’s eyes watered, and the smile on her face widened. Her previous spot, where she had been trapped for so long, didn’t have a clear view of the sunrise. Covered by trees, and even the edge of a mountain ensured that the shadows eclipsed her view.
“Are you happy?”
“Yes, I am, especially since I know I will have a wish granted in the future.” Sarah’s eyes didn't blink for a moment as they took in all the beauty of the sparkling sun.
For Velasteros, today, the sun seemed terrifying. Its light felt consuming.
Sarah turned her body to face Velasteros. The motion caused Sarah’s hood to fall back, and black hair dangled down, but what caught Velasteros’s attention were Sarah’s white eyes that shone with pale light.
While transfixed, Sarah silently grabbed Velasteros’s claw and pulled it towards her chest. The claw began to push into the skin, and a glow of energy circled Sarah.
Blood broke through the surface.
The body of Sarah began to disintegrate, and the blood that dripped on the ground burned.
Velasteros felt a surge of energy within her and made a choice.
“Thank you, Valmyst.” Sarah’s final words vanished on the wind. “May you enjoy your life as a human.”
The only recipient, a scorpion.
…I
…
The scorpion continued to watch the sunrise as it slowly became day.
Do…I…
Velasteros wondered if she had made a mistake somewhere.
Despite the fact that she gained the ability she desired, something felt hollow.
The number of humans she had murdered must’ve been tens of thousands at least. There were no memories, but there was a separate pride within her, the pride of killing that stayed quiet, but its presence was there.
What is the difference…?
A question she couldn’t get an answer to from Sarah anymore. Velasteros held the story, From Swamp to Sea. She imagined her interaction with Sarah not even taking up a couple of chapters in the story, and that felt wrong to her.
Even in this life, she had killed to survive and didn’t feel like this before?
Joy was banging on the door of the mind, trying to tell her something, but the message wasn’t received.
Perhaps if I kill another human, I will understand?
Velasteros clicked her claws and nodded. It was worth a try.
There were already a few people she had to kill to fulfil Sarah’s contract. Velasteros understood now that there had been some magic in play, which she felt within that made it so. Velasteros knew that she had to complete her end of the deal. She hadn’t felt the effects before the final talk with Sarah, but for the moment, she wasn’t curious why. That question could wait for a little bit.
Name: Velasteros
Species: [Amethyst Jewelled Scorpion] [21/50]
…
Skills: 6/6
[Crush] Lv7
[Barrier] Lv2
[Force Pull] Lv13
[Human Shifting] Lv1
[Eyes Of Crystal] Lv1
[Reinforce] Lv1
Velasteros removed [Gravity Shift] for [Human Shifting]. [Gravity Shift] had potential, but it also had the least immediate use of all her skills. For the moment, with her limited skill slots, immediate use was more important than potential.
…Everything will be good now.
Velasteros activated [Human Shifting], and as her form shifted, she reached for the clothes that remained on the ground.