King of the Scales

You are under arrest for the illegal disposal of harmful toxins and alchemical agents, the illegal and unauthorized travel to other realities to commit such an act, and the malicious intent to commit harm, however indirect, to the local population. Just because this is another reality doesn’t mean it’s easily disposable. Under the Anti-Existential Egocentrism Act, you are charged with… - Nexus Law Enforcer

Today is a great day for Trevor Rodriguez and his friend Louis Stevens. Its summer vacation and the two are busy preparing for a camping trip with their friends at the campsite the next day. But first, a little dip at the power plant’s run off lake. The spent water is warm and calming, and while there’s still concern about safety and the environment, no one’s complaining about what’s essentially a man made hot spring.

“Hey!” Louis shouted to his friend, “Did you get your backpack?”

“Yeah!” Trevor shouted back, “Just, wait up.” He said as he quickly runs towards his friend. As he catches his breath, he asked, “So, where are we going? The lake right?”

“Yeah, we better be careful though. Don’t want to get in trouble after all.”

“As I recall, you’re the one who’s getting in trouble.” Trevor snickered as he remembered what happened. “Still, can’t wait for a nice and relaxing dip before the camping trip.” He said as he carries an air pump and a floatie taken from a tire. He didn’t notice Louis’ shocked expression when he looked at the clock.

“Come on!” Louis said as he grabs Trevor and runs out of the house, “We’re fifty seconds later than schedule!” He said as he unlocks the car. Trevor simply enters places his things at the back seat and sits down at the passenger’s seat.

“What schedule?” He asked.

“My perfect schedule of course! I planned everything we’ll do to maximize our summer fun to the very second and we’re late!” Louis shouted in a mad manner as he shoves the key in and slams the gas pedal. “If we’re quick we might catch up to it.” He said as the car reached the main road.

The resulting drive can only be described as humorous and at the same time horrifying. The number of near misses from hitting people, vehicles, and property can only be described as an Act of God, despite the resulting disruptions caused by such ruckus. Once they reached the road going to the lake, Louis is showing no signs of slowing down.

Trevor is gripping at the handlebar and tightly holding the seatbelt as he mentally prays for safety. He quickly becomes nauseous went he sees a sharp bend, the only thing that’s stopping them from falling to their deaths is a rusty railing.

“SWEET MOTHER OF JESUS!” He screamed as Louis simply slams the gas pedal even harder.

“I DON’T NEED HIM! I CAN DO THIS MYSELF!” Louis, ever the thrill seeker, shouted as he suddenly slams the breaks and quickly spins the driving wheel to the left, causing a rubber burning drift and a near flying off the cliff. “DID I EVER TELL YOU THAT I DON’T HAVE A DRIVER’S LICENSE!?” He shouted in the most casual way possible.

‘Why did I have to pick the short straw?’ Trevor thought as the trauma of what just happened caused him to faint.

They reach the lake in one piece. The trauma, however, would require Trevor some years of therapy to simply help him endure at what just happened. When Louis opened the passenger door, he sees Trevor still unconscious.

“Snap out of it!” Louis shouted as he begins to shakes Trevor out of his near death trauma induced coma. “If you don’t wake up within the next three minutes and forty two seconds and counting, we’ll be late again!”

“Astenome ettal nomen nomen…” Trevor said in gibberish as he slowly wakes up. This only caused Louis to smack his face and drag his friend to the lake, only to end up seeing a sign that says ‘NO SWIMMING’.

While Louis was reading the sign and the smaller writing has to the how and why the ban was enacted, Trevor stands up, dizzy and disoriented from Louis’ driving and dragging. In his attempt to stand up, he wounds up going into the lake drowning.

“Aww, look, we can’t swi-HEY!” Louis shouted when he sees his friend drowning in the water. He dives in and rescues him. “It’s tough being the responsible one.” He muttered as he swims to shore.

At the shore, Trevor is busy catching his breath while lying down on the sandy ground. “Don’t, ever, drive, again.” He said in between breathes as he frowns at the prospect of his favorite clothes wet.

“Oh come on!” Louis complained, “I didn’t die when I drive!” He said as he starts to shake Trevor, thinking that he’ll come to his senses. Trevor stands up as he tries to make a reply, only to start to cough some swallowed water out. It tasted rather strange.

“What’s up with the water here?” He commented as he continued to cough. Curious, Louis walks to the lake and takes a sip, only to spit it out.

“Ew, eww, ewww…” He said in utter disgust. Trevor, however, begins to feel a strange tingling feeling all over his body.

“I, I feel strange.” He said as he instinctively begins to scratch his arm. ‘Why can’t he be more controllable? Like a dog?’ He then realized what he just thought. ‘No, he’s my friend, not some pet…’

Louis begins to scratch his arms. “Well, you did drink this yucky water. Man this is itchy.”

“That you also drank.” Trevor said as he begins to scratch his back. “What was in that water?” He said as the tingling spreads.

“I don’t know, maybe ssome ssort of oil or ssomething.” Louis said as he begins to grow scales that are rapidly spreading.

“Wha-what’sss happening?” Trevor said as he continues to scratch his skin, causing it to flake off, revealing new scales in its wake.

Louis stared in shock at the sight, and notice his tongue is getting thinner and starting to fork at its end. “What’ss happening?!” He screamed.

“I-I don’t know.” Trevor said as his skin begins to peel off on its own while he continues to scratch his body. Louis let out a small his as his new fangs replace his old teeth, the scales soon takes over his body, leaving him confused. Trevor begins to spit out his old bloody teeth as he too develops sharp fangs. He removes his shoes and socks as the last of his skin flake off and his hair begins to fall off. Louis tries to run away but he simply falls over, when he looks back, he sees his legs beginning to merge together.

“What?” He said in a frighten and confused tone. Trevor removes his shirt as the last of his hair falls off.

“Wwhattsss happeninggg!?” He said as his forked tongue starts to mess with his speech patterns.

“H-h-hhelppp mmee!” Louis begged as he topples out of his pants, revealing snake-like legs.

“Sssomeone! Aanyone! Hhhelp!” Trevor shouted as he tries to run for help, only to fall to the ground as well. He tries to drag himself up the lakeside slope however.

“Dang it!” Louis said as he looks around and notices that it’s only the two of them at the lake.

As Trevor’s legs slowly merge into a tail, he realized something, he can’t blink, and that his eyes have changed as well. This moment of realization caused him to trip in his dragging and he begins to roll down the slope.

“You okhay?” Louis asked as he slithers down and grabs his friend by his ‘tail’.

“Ye-ya.” Trevor stammered. “Nnearly ffell into tha lake.” He said as his legs continue to merge into one.

“No whonder wi they sssaid nat to go in the lake.” Louis said in a confused tone as he looks at the lake. Trevor, however, notices something different.

‘Why should I be afraid?’ The thought came to him. ‘I should be the one in control. His chaotic life, ever trying and failing to be orderly, why, only a proper master can instill such proper discipline.’ A smile grew on Trevor’s changing face at the thought. As his legs merge into one long serpentine tail, he looks at his friend looking at the lake, with the mischievous grin.

“Maybe a little ssswim can change that.” Trevor said as he pushes his friend into the water.

“What was that for!?” Louis asked as he chokes on some swallowed water and looks at Trevor. Trevor’s head changes more and more snake like as he lets his forked tongue flicker out of his mouth.

“Perhaps you can change even more, my pet.” He said with a wicked smile as sharp claws begin to form on his fingers.

“W-what?!” Louis said as he tries to flee from the lake but only flopping back into the water as his arms begin to feel weak, and his mind fuzzy.

“Come now my pet.” Trevor said as a snake’s hood develops around his head. “There’sss no need to worry.” He said as his tail begins to lengthen. “You’ll live in eternal blisss. Never to do any demeaning human thingsss. Taxesss, work, posssssesssssionsss. Just be my ever loyal pet. I know you want to.”

Louis absently nodded at the thought as he begins to shrink in the water.

Trevor, on the other hand, can feel the power coursing through him. ‘This water, this water is special.’ He thought as a sinister plan begins to form. ‘But first, my pet.’ He thought as he watches his friend change. His jaw begins to become more unhinged, allowing him to swallow even larger prey. He let his tongue flicker, giving him the ability to taste the scents around him. The disgusting stench of humans fills the area. ‘Disgusting. But no matter, soon this world will be cleansed.’

Louis looks at his friend in disgust, but winces as the pain doubles in strength. The changes are starting once again, wiping away the remaining humanity from him. He hisses in pain as his arms merge with his torso.

“Good, good.” The naga said as his changes finished, and his mind is filled with big plans, very big plans. “Become my pet, my loyal pet. Soon you’ll help me cleanse this world of its mammalian filth.”

The snake nodded as its intelligence is slowly seeping away. He shrinks more and more, getting thinner and streamlined, looking more like a real snake.

“There, there.” The naga said, “Don’t be afraid. You may be small now, but soon you’ll be the largest snake in the land.”

The snake smiled at the thought and stopped struggling. He has fully become a snake but with sapience and some rudimentary intelligence still in his mind.

The naga, who now calls himself as Sernass, smiles and lifts up his pet, who he now calls Orssim. He place Orssim on his shoulders like a snake charmer would, and slither back to the car to begin the plan to spread the blessed water all over the land, if not the world, and he know the first place to do it, the perfect place to gather his minions and generals. Camp Greenleaf, the place where two friends were to head over to meet with their friends after a swim in the lake, well, once Sernass is done with them, they’ll be loyal friends indeed.