Tethers Of Fear

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POV: Deus

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I awoke to a silent morning, the only sound being the occasional click or clack of Scola's mouthparts as she breathed. I smiled, exhaling slowly as I stroked her head. I had a long day ahead of me, and I would need Scola's help.

*Shrik*

A small chitinous shield produced a wet sliding noise as it revealed her inky black eyes. Like a dark crystal ball filled to the brim with tales of destinies and fate, the contents within them swirled, filling her eyes until they were all but a starless void.

She then rose up from beside me, splaying out her legs and arms as she chittered out a yawn. Before staring down at me. Any other person might have seen this as creepy, but to me it just seemed a little… cute?

I sighed but I couldn't even bother to be exasperated. At this point I barely have a bare bones understanding of my own body. My changing perception was something I didn't want to think about right now. Right now I need to build an itinerary and plan out my day to day for the next little while. As I am now, I'm not getting out of here anytime soon. So right now I'll just have to settle for working on myself until I am. My abilities allow me to heal devastating wounds and damage dealt to my body while my other ability allows me to find things. And I have only used that second one once.

Looking at the little night table beside me, I saw the books I had placed there before. I had what I needed. I just had to get started, and get moving. I then closed my eyes, staring at the back of my eyelids as I inhaled, sucking in a deep breath before exhaling. I then opened my eyes suddenly, causing Scola to flinch back in surprise.

"Scola, do you have anything I can write on?"

Scola almost seemed shocked that I had asked her anything before recovering and hurriedly glancing around the room. She then half slid, half crawled off the bed, before skittering over to the night table. In it were several thin stone tablets, along with several tiny pieces of white-ish brown-ish chalk.

I had to wonder a little, why she had such a room ready when she had brought me here. It was strange, was it just stuff she had before or was this someone's room before?

'Even if I'm curious, this could easily be a massive landmine. It might be a sensitive subject that puts Tyvelia in a bad mood. And a bad mood could end terribly depending on how long it lasts.'

Deciding I would have to snoop a bit later, I focused on my itinerary. The chalk was quite hard to write with, and it seemed to be quite old. It was one of the few things that weren't preserved quite as well as everything else. However despite this, in a few minutes I had managed to make a basic list of my day to day.

A run to the life pool in the morning, make food, clean myself, and then get to reading, before experimenting in the evening up until night where I would do some minor exercises before eating dinner. I also made the guess that I would need to go get more food every three days. Though it was quite likely that Tyvelia had mapped out a whole schedule for my nutrition on her own. Even though she only looked at me as an object, it was quite obvious that she was keen on maintaining me. Besides, I still didn't know the way to the room where…

I still don't know the way to the room where she butchers her prey.

I grimaced as I was reminded of the dark, bloody slaughterhouse where she had torn apart the massive beast in her draconic form.

I shook my head, throwing away the disgusting imagery from that time.

However, in doing so I hit something cool and hard.

"Eh? Scola, whats up?"

The giant centipede was completely intent on watching me write, and I had been far too lost in thought to notice her push herself over my shoulder to peer down at me doing so.

I fiddled with the chalk in my hands, watching Scola's dark eyes following it's every movement with a thinly veiled eagerness.

"Hey Scola."

She was completely locked onto the chalk, she couldn't even hear me.

"Hey Scola, want to learn how to writ- ACK!"

The moment I said the word "write", she whipped around to look at me, headbutting me over in the process.

She instantly recoiled, her tiny claws covering her mouth parts as she looked down at me. As I got up, my nose felt slightly numb and wet. Reaching up, I touched the numb part where my nose was, only to be met with a sharp pain.

"Ouch!"

I quickly pulled back my hand, only to see it was completely red. The glistening almost prismatic red liquid on my hand told me all I needed to know.

I let go of the chalk, noting that I had crushed it when she hit me before using my non bloodied hand to heal my likely broken nose. My hand began to glow green as I once again touched my nose, gritting my teeth as the slack flesh and torn cartilage slowly repaired itself. Moments later, I no longer felt the pain that had wracked my skull. Scola immediately rushed off the bed and grabbed a damp silver cloth before washing it with water.

She then raced back over before placing the warm cloth on my face. I closed my eyes as she wiped away all blood, waiting patiently for her to finish. When I no longer felt her touch or the soft fabric of the cloth I reopened them, only to see Scola coiled up in the corner like a snake. Layered chitinous plates now swirled into a ball as her massive blade-like arms were tucked into the mass of armour and weaponry. Her head in particular had slipped beneath the second highest coil, causing only her black eyes to be visible.

I sighed, recognizing the fear in her eyes being akin to the time she had sliced open my hand. I slowly walked over acting as calm as I could as I slowly reached out to the mass of chitin and blade like appendages. I had to concentrate heavily to prevent my hand from trembling, not because I was afraid, but because that was now how they were.

My once steady and still hands were no longer what they once were. Sudden transmigration into a death trap does that to you.

However I can't afford to let Scola see that right now.

"Scola, I'm fine. It's ok."

I tried to coax her out of her spot however her head receded further into the ball her armoured body constricted and slithered until it had become compact.

She wasn't coming out.

Seeing this, I sighed, before sitting down beside her. She was probably terrified right now. Last time something like this happened she was nearly executed upon discovery. I stroked her dorsal plates, and though they appeared smooth, the stone grey surfaces were bumpy and rough to the touch. They were also slightly cold, like a stone in the shade. Slowly moving my hand, I hit some of her ventral plates, their black, smooth surface feeling slight warm.

Scola stayed quiet besides the occasional chittering breath.

'It seems my day is going to be a bit different than what I thought.'

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