Creature Crystal

We travelled with our dwarf friend to the largest building in the city. It looked like a massive pillar covered in windows and stairs. Though that wasn't the biggest thing I noticed. There was a serpent coiled around the pillars base. It was pure white with crystalline scales. The light flickered off of it in a ghostly manner, whisps came off of it in a strange manner.

The dwarf didn't try to avoid the serpent. On the contrary. He had us wait where we were and approached it saying something I couldn't understand. He bowed to it as I leaned my head close to Sam. " Did he just speak in dwarven language?" I asked slightly nervous of what he could possibly be saying. She slowly shook her head. " I know alot of different languages from different tutors father had me learn under. I'm not familiar with this one." She replied calmly. Slowly the dwarf stood again and returned to us.

"She wishes to speak with you. While you speak with Her I am to lead the lady to her lodging till you can meet the lord here." He looked at me and then at Sam. Sam and I looked at each other slightly confused. " Her?"

{ That would be me.} a silky feminine voice echoed through my mind. It scared the tar out of me. Besides Sam noone had ever spoken to me through telepathy. My head spun left and right. ( Where?! This must be a joke.) It then dawned on me that there was only one possibility. The serpent. I turned my head to look at the snake. She had one massive eye open staring at me. { About time you noticed. Probably haven't met alot of beasts with intelligence have you?} she continued staring at me. I focused my thoughts and reached out with my mind. { No I have not. I ask for elders forgiveness. In my time I have met an intelligent gryphon. But no others.}

She didn't move her head at all. { Come closer so I can get a better look at you young one.} I started walking toward the serpent as Sam went with the dwarf we had followed here. As I got closer I realized exactly how massive this snake was. It's eye was about the size of my body! I don't want to know how long it was or what she had to go through to get to this point. Needless to say that I had no confidence in a fight against her. Her eye shifted a little to keep her focus on me. She had a head that screamed " I deserve to be on mount Rushmore!" for its size. I shivered and shrunk a little nervous before that massive penetrating gaze.

After a moment of her sizing me up she grunted and the ground shook slightly.

{ For a reincarnated you should have more courage. It's unbefitting of one so young to not have alot of fire in their spirit.} My head shot up in shock. " Why do you know that?" I barked out in shock. The only beings who should know that are the reaper who sent me and possibly whatever God rules this world.

{ Quiet down and relax!} She hissed in my mind. { Appraisal is an excellent skill for one to have. Perhaps you should have convinced your reaper to give it to you.... though they should have handled you better.} She looked me up and down. {Who in their right mind would put a human soul into a disaster class monster? }

I shook my head and sighed. { I wasn't put in this form... I was reborn as a Six Legged Salamander...} Her eye that had been slightly glazed suddenly lit up and locked onto me. After a second a harsh voice echoed through my mind.

{ That shouldn't be possible.... No salamander should be able to surpass the limitations and grow to higher grade. I was thrown into a serpent's body with very little info. That was centuries ago. Now all I can think of is how good sushi was.... Damnit!} The end of her tail lightly smacked the ground in agitation. The ground rumbled a little from the impact. After getting over my shock and some thought I replied { Sushi is good but Poutine is better.} Her eye seemed to get filled with a little fire.

{Canadian? Bring it on.}

We argued for a while after that. But I found out info. She was originally born and raised on earth in japan but died in a plane crash after a bird flew into the engine. I had heard about that accident several years before my death. Not a soul survived. The plan had crashed into a mountain and noone was able to recover the bodies. When she had reincarnated it was several hundred years ago and she hatched as a small pebble snake ( basically a snake made of sand). Later years she grew and had to wait a long time for evolution to take hold. Whereas I have the gluttony system she had to go from scratch.

Around 2 hundred years ago she was caught and forced to serve a dwarf who practiced the art of beast taming. Finding this life more comfortable she stayed among the dwarves. Many years afterward she had absorbed enough crystal energy to become what she is now.

{ If I may? What is crystal energy?} I asked curiously. She shifted her head slightly to reveal a crystal by her head. It was a rose shaped crystal that shined with a blood red light. When the earth absorbs enough blood from beasts of certain attributes it gains some of the same attributes. If a fire beast died in the caves here the Crystal's around its body would absorb its blood and power to gain its fire power. Eating them is what has caused me to grow so much. If one such as you were to eat them it would be of great benefit. But there are few and I require them to maintain my strength to protect the dwarves.}

She shifted her head back to hide the crystal again. I shifted a little nervously. {Why do you need to maintain your strength? You are a Calamity Class beast you being here intimidates almost every beast that's out there. Who would go against you even among the races?} She blinked.

{ Humans can be greedy creatures. And greed can blind the best of us to do the worst things that can be imagined. Beware of humans that you don't know. I wasn't but I also came out hardly unscathed. But my advice still stands.