"...what happens if I join you," responded Canor, his face hung low, covered in shadow.
"You must swear your life to the lord regent, and become his shadow, then I will train you in the arts of combat," responded Vesper, she seemed to indicate hot, believing Canor to accept her proposition.
"Then I take it, you've taken the same oath?" Asked Canor, bringing his face back up to Vespers, his eyes piercing through hers.
He didn't wait for an answer, instead spitting with as much strength as he could muster, it barely reached her feet.
"If you've already offered your life to that bastard, you may as well just kill yourself," said Canor, mustering enough venom in his voice to kill an elephant.
"...a shame, you could of been a good ally," Vesper turned to leave, only stopping when she reached the end of the doorway,
"Your execution will take place in a couple hours, make yourself comfortable,"
Canor watched Vesper depart, the metallic clank of the door sealing shut resonating through the cell. Alone in the dimly lit cage, he grappled with the weight of his choices.
Time passed slowly in the cold solitude, and as the impending execution loomed, Canor reflected on the shattered remnants of the life he had known. The scorpions, once a formidable force, now existed only in the shadows of his memories.
As the hours ticked away, the door to his cell creaked open, revealing a pair of guards ready to escort him to his fate. Canor, his resolve unbroken, faced the impending trial with a fierce determination.
The execution ground was a solemn place, shadows cast by the surrounding stone structures creating an eerie atmosphere. A hushed tension enveloped the air as Canor was led to the center, where a raised platform awaited.
The Lord Regent, obscured by a dark hood, presided over the proceedings. Vesper stood nearby, her gaze meeting Canor's with a hint of disappointment.
"Canor, once a scorpion, now a condemned traitor," echoed the voice of the Lord Regent. "You have chosen defiance over servitude. Any last words?"
Canor, unyielding, raised his head high. "Your vision of control is a mockery. I would rather die free than serve as a puppet."
The Lord Regent nodded, and the executioner prepared to carry out the sentence. As the blade descended, Canor's thoughts lingered on the scorpions, his father, and the choices that had led him to this moment.
The swift strike cut through the air, and darkness claimed Canor, bringing an end to the once proud scorpion's tale.
Except it didn't.
In the critical moment before the executioner's blade could claim Canor's life, a surge of otherworldly power disrupted the scene. The air crackled with energy as the dark shadows seemed to recoil from an unseen force.
Suddenly, a burst of crimson lightning cascaded down from the darkened sky, illuminating the execution ground. The bolts of energy struck the platform, causing a dazzling display of sparks and shadows.
From the midst of the arcane storm, a familiar form materialized — Eris, the enigmatic red serpent. Her eyes, glowing with an intense crimson hue, bore into the Lord Regent with a mix of defiance and anger.
"You dare interrupt my judgment, Eris?" questioned the Lord Regent, his voice laced with an underlying threat.
Eris responded with a hiss, her crimson eyes narrowing. "His fate is not yours to decide, puppet master. Release him."
The Lord Regent, though concealed in shadows, exuded an air of displeasure. Yet, faced with the formidable entity before him, he reluctantly nodded. The executioner withdrew, stepping back from the would-be execution.
Eris, with a wicked smile, extended a hand to Canor. "Come, scorpion, your fate is not to be decided by the likes of him."
----------------
"What's got you smiling so much, Canor?" Asked Eris, who had just awoken.
"...I was just wondering, why did you rescue me all those years ago?" Canor asked, glad to see his master awake again.
Eris shrugged, or as much as a snake could anyway, "because if I didn't, I felt like I'd regret it later, that's all,"
Canor nodded, a very Eris-like response, he grinned remembering her trying to teleport them from the eastern continent to the northern one, and how it had rendered her extremely close to being comatose.
Eris has always acted in impulses, doing as she wants when she wants it, nothing more. Maybe that's why they got along so much.