Kin of Jörmungandr

They just had to go and ignore my warnings, didn't they?

I hadn't intended to let myself be seen; just reveal my presence enough that the group of sapients go running away from the tunnel down to the Magma Ocean. Never have I seen creatures run towards me when trying to flee.

Why is it that the supposed smartest creatures are the most stupid?

Instead of allowing themselves to be guided away from the hole down to the burning sea, they dove right for it. I'd hoped they would save themselves. Use one of the few holes on the way down to pull themselves out of danger. But, of course, they couldn't see it.

And so… I was forced to save them.

After the last time, where I saved those young, I discarded any thought of remaining small. For one, there were more that I needed to catch this time. And secondly, the less their movements impacted my momentum, the better. I didn't want one of their fearful reactions sending me off-line only to send their partners drowning in magma.

As I caught them, I made sure to let each of them know how stupid they were to come down here without true-sight.

"Why are you here?"

Well, it came from a combination of exasperation and annoyance, but I cannot deny that it felt good to speak with some sapients. Maybe they'll have some pointers for me to suppress my presence while still allowing myself to speak. Though… none of them have a terribly strong presence themselves, so that might be hopeful thinking.

Now, as I carry them back up into the caverns that won't try to burn the five of them alive, I wait for a response. Yet none of them do. I really hope that it's the majesty of my truly immense scales that quietens them and not my presence. If I have to wait such a significant time each time I try to speak, we'll never be able to properly interact. Not fluidly as I'd seen them.

As I circle my way into the upper tunnels, I allow my form to shrink back down. Not so much that I can't still carry these four, but small enough to fit through the narrow chambers.

I hadn't needed to push close to my largest size, thankfully. Even distortions wide enough to support this size are a pain to hold open. Not that I have any trouble doing so. It simply remains more comfortable to flow through the air with my smaller size.

Once inside a tunnel that these blind fools were unlikely to accidentally fall into some danger they couldn't handle, I twist, and dump them on the ground. Fortunately, they aren't still shocked frozen, and each land fluidly. Some more fluidly than others. I eye the one that is part of the same race as that ice warrior caste, but I'm rather confident he doesn't have nearly as much strength as that one.

They are all silent — even the dohrni I first spoke to — but they glance between each other in a way that makes me doubt they have some alternative method of communication that I cannot understand.

Hopefully not. I like being able to hear what they say.

I stare down at them, waiting for them to finally speak. My body slowly shrinks, but for now I remain long enough to circle them twice. It is quite the coincidence that the first creature I spoke to has now descended into the warped tunnels. At least, I assume she's the same. Is it possible for two of their kind to share an identical scent? I know I can't distinguish those of her species by appearance alone; they all look the same.

When they still haven't spoken by the time I'm only half as thick as they are tall, I open my jaw to speak again, only for them to finally get the message and leap into conversation before I need to wash them with my presence again.

"Thank you for the save," the dohrni began, stepping forward. "We came to apologise for the actions of one of our own against you. Beira, the ice mage, should not have attacked unprovoked as she did. We did not expect you to be intelligent."

The dohrni dips her head, followed by each of those who came with her.

They came down to… apologise? I understand the word, but I'm not sure why they would feel the need. I won the fight. I ate her and took in her energy. Why do these five that had nothing to do with that dohrni feel the need to apologise?

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Sure, they are a part of the same hive, but that hive did finally learn to leave me alone afterwards. They stopped attacking me, and let me dive back into the earth without any more deaths needing to be dealt out.

It is a true shame that only now do they see me as intelligent. If they'd done so before, I could have relished it. I could have enjoyed time with other sapients. But now, all of my focus is on growing, and learning to speak for the day that I eventually have Scia clinging to my scales again. All for Scia.

"Do not be concerned. It was a good challenge. I learnt a lot."

Despite my best efforts to suppress the pressure, each of them still stiffened immediately. If this was going to happen every time, then it would be better for me to speak a lot and quickly, then let them respond once they work down the fear.

"It was foolish of you to enter the warped tunnels without sight. This is not a place your kind can survive." They truly were lucky I'd come along when I did. "And you should not turn towards the source of a presence. Any beast that reveals it as I did is telling you to leave."

That was the most I'd ever spoken. Far more than the few words I was able to give to the dohrni last time. The realisation that I was actually talking with other sapients was enough to send a giddy thrill down my spine.

While I let them recover from my voice, I finally bring myself down to a size I think is even matched with their own. Well, maybe not the little volans. The width of my head is about the same as the albanic with the long stick and claw combination, and with my length coiled beneath me, I hold my head at equal height with theirs. I could shrink down to be thinner than his arm, but I see no reason to do so.

Eventually, the dohrni catches her breath and replies. "It… may not have been all that intelligent to descend-"

A snort from one of the little volans cuts her off. The snickering is quick to end when my eyes fall on the creature. There is no helping instinctual terror, it seems.

"But it was something we… I felt needed to be done." She takes a deep breath, as if the act of speaking itself is hard. I feel for her. There is still so many things I need to focus on to speak without terrorising every creature around. And yet I still seem to fail. "I would like to ask you to join us back to the surface."

"I can take you back," I hiss. "I know where the column to the surface is from here."

"No, I mean we would like to apologise for what happened last time." Her recovery time from my presence is much quicker this time. Is it possible to have them adjust to my pressure so that I can speak without worry? "We want to invite you to the surface so we can learn more about you and so we can show you how we live. It's not often — never even heard of — that a creature gains sapience."

They would welcome me into their hive? If only they'd asked before the Beyond gave me the opportunity to see Scia again. I would have struck the chance in an instant. But now… I have something far too important to chase.

"I will only guide you back to the undistorted land. Enjoying your surface is not possible for now. Maybe in ten thousand cycles, after I have finished my task."

Not that I believe it will be possible to do so even in that length of time. I wonder how long their species live? Are they brief like bilbies, or lengthy because they are sapients?

I don't miss the slightly fearful expression that crosses her spherical head as she exchanges glances with the khirig. I would not call myself an expert on emotional body language — especially not those of such alien creatures — but I can tell they aren't happy I'm not joining them to the surface.

Were they looking forward to speaking with me that much? I know I've been feeling much of the same way, but I thought they couldn't possibly want to communicate nearly as much as I do. Mostly because they all live with so much exposure to speaking… but also because they were more willing to attack then try to speak with me last time.

If its not that, then I'm not really sure what would make them fearful for me not being near them. I'm hardly the picture of an unthreatening beast; I've known that all my life. Do they want to lead me into an ambush? These creatures do like their ambushes more than most. But it's not like they've shown any hostility so far, and I've grown immensely since the last time I was on the surface. Far more that I probably have the right to grow in such a short period. If they have another ice warrior caste ready to attack and steal the gathered energy in my flesh, they'll be in for a surprise.

But despite the possibility being there, none of the sapients before me show enough wariness or hostility for that to be a likely scenario. Maybe they really are just disappointed that they won't get to learn about me as I want to with them, and I've mistaken that for fear and concern.

"Then we will rely on your help until then," she says. "This is rather late, considering we have already crossed paths, but I am Ceph. Besides me is Hirsh," she points to the khirig that I saw manipulating water in a similar — albeit weaker — method as the ice warrior. "Next is-"

"Albin." The albanic answers for himself.

The two volans squeak as my eyes land on them, and the Khirig decides to speak up for them. "They are Tavi and Fay."

There is a few moments of silence in the cavern as I dedicate the names to memory. It's such a strange thing to have names for individuals, but it's not like I don't understand. I did name Scia, after all.

"Do you have a name?" the now known Ceph asks.

Its funny, I spent so much time calling Scia by a name I gave her myself. I've spent so much time thinking about a possible future in which I would teach her to speak, and yet the thought of what she might call me never crossed my mind.

"No."

I don't have a name.