In a vast world of magic and monsters was an old snake. She had lived much longer than she should have, today marked her second century since her hatching. She was large, around nine meters long (about thirty feet), and had a diameter of around sixty-one centimeters (about twenty-four inches). Her scales were like a pit viper's, but she had patterns like an anaconda and the coloration of both. She was mostly colors associated with autumn, things like dark red, orange, and brown but she also had black mixed in and her underside was a pale grey. She was once very vibrant but she had dulled with her old age.

She was a species known as a 'Tarrisian Death Boa'. They lived in the southern parts of the continent Tarrise, mainly the wetlands of the Everfall Forest where their coloration is quite an effective camouflage. They were known to be large enough to eat humans or similarly sized beings whole but none were as big as she was. The native tribals and invaders from other continents and nations all had different names for her but that mattered little. Right now she was enjoying the final moments of her life. Old age had finally come to reap her and she was content. She didn't really have a sense of self as she was just an ancient snake but she did have enough intelligence to feel satisfied with how her life had progressed and ended. Which was something she shouldn't have.

As she lay there in her final moments her eyes felt heavy for some reason and she felt like closing eyelids she didn't have. Confusion ran through her mind as her vision darkened. Soon nothingness took her. But that was not her end.

Her mind felt like it was swimming in a vast wetland, muddy and deep in places but it also felt like it was on fire. The fire she felt was interposed with periodic spasms of extreme pain as she felt like her entire body was being torn apart scale by scale. The pain lasted for what felt like an eternity before it suddenly stopped as she lost consciousness. Her life forever changed.

Eventually, she slowly stirred as she awoke. Her eyelids were heavy with exhaustion but she opened them nonetheless. As she groggily looked around she recognized where she was as her nest but it seemed too cramped. So she clawed her way towards the entrance with her hands. It took a few minutes but once she emerged from her burrow she instinctually let out a triumphant screeching roar that echoed across the wetlands and forest. Finally free from her cramped burrow, she realized she felt weird. Her entire body felt like it wasn't what it was supposed to be.

She quickly examined herself only to find that she was very much changed. She was only about a third of her original length but her width doubled. That wasn't what shocked her the most though. She had the upper half of a humanoid while the rest of her was her tail. Her humanoid skin was the same light grey color as her underside but it was visibly slowly changing into a pale pinkish color. She couldn't see the rest of her humanoid shape that well but a quick slither towards the wetlands bank changed that.

She didn't have the same standards of beauty as humanoids but even she could tell that she was distractingly beautiful. She had vibrant serpentine ruby eyes, long ebony hair that felt like smooth scales instead of hair, long, almost elf-like ears, and a face that would be considered perfect by most humanoids. She tried to open her mouth only to have half her face open up into a yawning maw of teeth and venomous fangs. She could easily swallow a humanoid's head with her mouth like this. She still had lips where a humanoid would as well though and that confused her. Closing her true mouth she tried using just her humanoid mouth and found she could. It would take some getting used to but with it, she could probably fool humanoids into getting closer to her. Especially the males who seemed to vary from extremely focused and serious or completely lust-driven.

She looked down at the rest of her humanoid body to find two large mounds blocking it. She had seen some humanoids like the bovinkin with bigger but not by much. Her tail seemed to start from just below where humanoid reproductive organs were meaning she also had some but they seemed to be covered by some sort of flap made of scales. Her body proportions seemed to scream to others that she was a fertile female but she had little interest in reproduction. It seemed like more hassle than it was worth.

She instinctually flicked out her forked tongue to taste the air around her even though she could smell just fine with her humanoid nose. Her tongue though seemed to smell things differently. Flicking it back and forth was still a habit she instinctually did as she looked around where her den was. She was entranced by all the vibrant colors she could see instead of the blues and greens she had seen previously.

Wait what were blue and green? She understood what they meant and what they were but she didn't know that previously. She never thought like this before either. What had happened to her? Before she could continue her introspection she tasted something with her tongue.

Whatever she tasted immediately put her on high alert, but it was already too late. A large net made of braided rope fell on her as half a dozen humanoids jumped out of hiding places nearby to hold her and the net down. She struggled with all the might she could muster but her body was still sluggish and unfamiliar to her. Soon ropes were wrapped around her arms and her tail was tied to them making moving just about impossible. One of the humanoids approached her and hit her over the head with what looked like a club and she lost consciousness after that.

She groggily opened her eyes. Her head hurt and she knew why, she wasn't that stupid. Well, she might have been in the past but not right now. She immediately noticed that her hands were tied above her with rope and her tail was suspended in the air with metal chains around a singular lock. Examining her surroundings she noticed she was in a wooden cage, just big enough that she could fit. Outside of it was what looked like a camp full of trappers and hunters. Various skins and pelts of animals were strewn about everywhere and there were probably about thirty humanoid males doing stuff around camp. Some were tending gear, others cooking meals for themselves while some were doing menial chores like laundry. But everyone was doing something. Then she saw something which didn't make any sense.

Walking through the camp was a male humanoid in an outfit that many would consider gentlemanly. He had a cane in one hand, which he obviously didn't need as he wasn't walking with it, and a monocle over his left eye made of some kind of silvery metal. But what shocked her the most was that nobody seemed to notice him and whenever something was in his way he would walk through it like it wasn't there. He had one goal and that was to walk towards her. She struggled against her bindings in vain, trying to get away from this man who as he approached made all her scales itch, almost as if her entire body was screaming warnings of danger to her.

He simply walked towards the cage, and then through it. As he entered her cage she suddenly felt at peace. Her thoughts of escape vanished and all she wanted to do was listen to this man. He quickly professionally studied her nude body, like a doctor would, while stroking his pointed beard, seemingly contemplating something. After what felt like minutes but was actually seconds he finally spoke.

"Seems like not everything was awoken when you transformed. I thought something like this couldn't happen but life is always full of mysteries. I shall awaken the powers that you should have and make sure you can survive this situation. A one-sided story is not a good story. I shall also bless you with a name as you don't have anyone else that can give you one. Once you have escaped these bonds say either aloud or within your mind 'Open Ur System'. Everything will make sense after that. Now Orstelia, awaken from this lucid dream and unleash an Ur's wrath upon your captors."

With those final words, the man tapped the end of his cane against the ground three times before disappearing like morning mist in the wind. She had no idea what he meant but as he left pain flooded through her head. Thousands of memories and informational scraps entered and seared their way through her mind. Her muscles felt like liquid fire and they destroyed and rebuilt themselves countless times to make sure she was at the level of strength she should have been at. As the pain subsided, Orstelia awoke from the lucid dream she was in into the reality before her.

***

My mind felt like it was on fire. So did my body. I remembered a lot of things, things that seemed almost like dreams but for some reason weren't. What I remembered most vividly was examining myself in the water before some human men ambushed me and knocked me unconscious. Seeing the camp around me and feeling the bonds on me made one thing clear. I was trapped. But unlike before I felt used to the strength in my body. The ropes I could break through easily but I didn't. One thing I remember from my time as a snake was patience. Patience to wait for the most opportune time to strike. So I did.

Hours passed. The sun was starting to set before someone finally approached me. I could immediately tell from her garb and metal collar around her neck that she was a slave in service to these men. From what my memories recalled it was something called an 'Enslavement Collar'. All it did was force the wearer to follow the orders of the one who had a matching "key".

She had a tray of food and a wooden cup of water, probably for me. She was thin but not emaciated. Her skin was tanned from long exposure to the Tarrisian sun and some muscle could be seen under the rags she was wearing. A small pair of grey horns were on her forehead showing that she had some amount of demonic blood in her, and judging from the iron taste my tongue was picking up she was probably part oni. Her brown hair was in a crude bobcut and her blue eyes looked as if she was dead inside. This may be an opportunity to escape.

She opened my cage and started preparing to feed me.

"Do you wish to remain a slave forever demonkin?" I said in a voice that, while hoarse with dryness because of my lack of things to drink, was like that of a queen demanding answers. She flinched at me speaking and paused what she was doing. After a few seconds, she shook her head no.

"Then pour that water down my throat and when night comes, hide. Every person who resists will be killed. If there are any more slaves then gather them in one place with you. As long as they don't attack me I will leave them alone. Understood?"

The slave just meekly nodded yes.

"Good. Eat the food if you wish, I'm not hungry." I lied.

I was starving but I had the feeling that soon I wouldn't be. The only problem with this escape plan of mine was the chains on my tail. I couldn't break them but they were attached to the wooden cage, so I would have to try to break the wood instead. It wasn't the best plan but it was something.

So I waited. Soon night fell, and I could barely see anything. I remember being able to sense heat when I was a snake but it seemed that had been lost when I transformed into whatever I am now. I could see a few campfires around the camp still lit but the gloom of night seemed to be more prevalent. I never really knew how dark it could get at night since I was more active during the day and didn't have the best eyesight when I was a snake. As I waited for just the right opportunity I heard the jingling of keys approaching me. I couldn't help but smile. Seems like the opportunity came to me.

Out of the darkness came one of the trappers, a ring of keys in one hand and a bottle of something in the other. He didn't seem inebriated so I doubt it was alcohol but he could just hold his liquor better than others. He was walking by my cage within arm's reach when I made my move.

With my enhanced strength I quickly broke the ropes holding me and lunged for the trapper. He reacted but not fast enough. My hands grabbed each side of his head and with a quick twist, his neck made a snapping and crunching sound as his neck broke. He limply fell to the ground with a soft *thud*. My escape was imminent and my hunt was just beginning.