Real Magic Python
"Shut it."
I put on my scariest face. I flicked out my purple tongue and bared my fangs. Saaak. Come to think of it, hissing like that seemed more like something a cat would do than a snake. But most monsters cowered when I threatened them like this.
—N-No way.
It seemed to work on Pellelian too. He looked utterly dazed.
—It could fail, or the effect might wear off quickly. But for it to have zero effect... No, maybe he wasn't scared of me.
I scolded him sternly. "You should start with an apology, Pellelian."
—What went wrong? What kind of freak mutation is this! It doesn't make sense.
I tried breathing fire at the ring. Fwoosh! I was curious if he'd scream "Hot!" or something.
—No, you're even using magic now! Unbelievable!
Not quite. If anything, he seemed thrilled that I could use magic, practically falling over backward in excitement. To him, I must've looked like some rare specimen.
I banged the ring around, dunked it in a puddle—nothing worked. All the while, Pellelian just kept marveling at how special I was.
No choice, then. Time to try the method I'd thought up.
"State your second wish. From now on, answer all my questions honestly."
—Hmm... fine. ...Got it.
Pellelian nodded reluctantly. That was it? Even in this situation, he'd grant my wish? He'd said a mage's oath couldn't be broken, but believing that outright would make me a fool. I wasn't a stupid snake.
First question: "Is there a way for me to harm you?"
—The soul dwelling in this ring... it could be destroyed.
"A way to cause you pain?"
—Tch. Inject mana into the ring, and you could hurt me. Hard to teach, though. Needs precise mana control.
Really? I'd know if he was lying once I tested it. I laid my tail over the ring and, like when I used magic, pumped in some mana. Scream in pain for me, Pellelian.
—Urghik!
But Pellelian twisted with a weird noise. He didn't look pained—just ticklish. Guess even without a body, he had senses. But tickling turns to agony if it goes on long enough. Soon he was making choking sounds.
—Stop, aaak!
Fiddling with the flow and intensity of mana, I finally got him to scream.
—Stop it! Damn, you learn fast.
If that was just acting, he should've been an actor, not a mage. So he was telling the truth.
"What's your greatest fear?"
—...
"Answer me."
—Dying. Being cast into darkness. And more than anything...
The chatty old man had gone quiet. Now his face was dry as old driftwood, parched from too many years.
—Before that inevitable death comes, rotting away having accomplished nothing.
A chill laced his dry voice. Didn't sound like a lie. Perfect, then. I picked up the ring with my tail.
"Then I've got just the thing."
—What are you... doing.
I caught a frog hopping by the puddle. Slid the ring onto its limp body. Wrapped my tail around the floppy frog and pushed through the underbrush.
Pellelian kept asking anxiously what I was up to. I ignored him. Deeper in the forest, I spotted a wild boar rooting around, eating grubs. Not a monster—just a regular pig. It squealed when it noticed me, scared stiff.
—Answer me! What are you doing!
"You should've just quietly granted my wish. Being stuck in this ring and abandoned beats traveling with me, right?"
—...
Yeah, no comeback for that. It was true.
"Farewell!"
"Turn into pig shit!"
—Wait nooo!
I chucked the ringed frog into the squealing boar's mouth. It gulped in surprise, instinctively swallowing. Then it just stared blankly. When I backed off without attacking, it went back to snuffling the dirt.
What a dumb beast. And Pellelian had been swallowed by that dumb beast. One day it'd come out as shit, left to rot abandoned. Exactly the end he feared most.
How likely was it someone who understood Elvish would show up in the middle of this rainforest to save him? He'd used Domination on me after saying "with my last handful of mana." I'd watched for escape attempts—none. Seems he couldn't project his illusion from inside a belly. Or maybe not anymore.
Live a good life next time, Pellelian. Don't get born as some nasty fairy race. Be a kind animal, like a snake. Goodbye.