《The Botched Summoning》 Prologue - the botched summoning It was dark and musty in the depths of the royal castle. Light being provided not by the expected candles but a glowing rock, shaped as an octahedron. The light casted shadows on the walls of a small square room. In the center of the room, there were four men sitting around a small wooden table. The man closest to the door, about 5¡¯3 in height, was dressed in a flowing robe, a gray beard with worry coloring his face. The man to his right with brown hair and fair skin dressed in light leather armor was more relaxed than the other but small beads of sweat could be seen. The next man opposite of the door with blond hair and a strong build clad in half plate armor, had his hand stroking his chin while looking at the last man. The last man, who was a bit different from the others with hair as red as blood dressed in purple robes, this man was the king. He was a heavily built with broad shoulders and a height of about five feet. ¡°You know why I called you here.¡± The king said in a grave voice. ¡°We have heard rumors that a new King of demons has been born in the lands to the east. As such I believe that we should summon a hero now, instead of waiting until they become a threat.¡± ¡°My king,¡± said the gray robed man, ¡°I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s wise. We can only perform the summoning once every 100 years, lest we anger the gods. If this is a false rumor it could spell the end of us.¡± ¡°I understand your worries Thantos,¡± The king replied as he slammed his fist into the table, ¡°but if we ignore the rumors we could also be destroyed.¡± ¡°Calm yourselves,¡± the man in the leather armor stated. ¡°Why don¡¯t we send out scouts into the east to confirm this rumor before acting rashly? I could send a few of the scout squadron to clear the confusion.¡± The king leaned back into his chair and with a sigh said, ¡°Fine, Atheros, send 2 squads to the east past the emerald forest to confirm the situation. Thantos, I want you to prepare the summoning. We can prepare without angering the gods and if we determine that there is a new demon king then we will go with the summoning.¡± Both Thantos and Atheros stood up bowed to the king and left the room. The king turning to the only remaining person said, ¡°What do you think Cirden, am I being too harsh ?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the problem of prudence my king.¡± Cirden said, ¡°You won¡¯t know if you were correct until after the fact. Though some say better to be safe than sorry.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± the king replied with a defeated sigh, ¡°I want you to start gathering men to train the coming hero, if the rumors are true.¡± ¡°Yes my king.¡± He stated formally before standing and leaving the room. The king now by himself leaning back in his chair just looked up at the ceiling contemplating the words of his advisors. He sighed one more time and said, ¡°I hope I am not making a mistake.¡± ***************************************************************** It was another normal day, I thought to myself as I walked in the front door of my small apartment. I made my way towards my bedroom, and while walking past my living room i tossed my backpack on my small kitchen table. I plopped down on my bed and threw off my shoes. While I laid on the bed, I sighed. ¡°Well another day is done.¡± I said to myself. Getting up I thought to myself, ¡°What should I have for dinner?¡± as I walked back into the kitchen. Opening the door to my fridge I started looking around before I pulled out some leftover lo mein. Running my hand through my brown hair I started to heat it up the food. ¡°Just another day¡­¡± I repeated to myself for the Nth time. I looked over at the stack of rule books on the kitchen table that I needed to consult for the upcoming campaign session I had planned with my friends. Being the DM, my mind started turning at what horrors might await the unsuspecting players. But I had homework to do for school. ¡°what am i doing?¡± i thought to myself, ¡°I go from work to school and i don¡¯t do much else but occasionally meet up and play with my friends.¡± i took the food out of the microwave, I grabbed a pair of chopsticks out of the drawers. Sitting in front of my computer with the food in hand, I started going over my homework. After a few hours I got up and stretched, working out the stiffness that had set in while studying. Deciding to take a shower, I walked to the small bathroom off my bed room. I briefly looked in the mirror at my tall 6¡¯3¡± male self, before I started to undress. The mirror showed my usual North Germanic face with heavy set eyes one brown eye and the other blue.Then I hopped into the shower. Getting out of the shower I noticed a small dark ring in the center of my chest. Paying it no heed, I dried myself off. Sitting on my couch while reading a book I fell asleep. I woke up later feeling as if my chest was of fire. I ripped my shirt off and on my chest, odd symbols started to appear. The symbols were arraying themselves into circle. As more and more symbols appeared, the burning kept getting worse. I screamed as I ran to the bathroom. I ripped off the rest of my clothes, jumped into the shower, turned the water to the coldest setting and let it run over my chest. But it did little to stop the burning. Looking down I could see a second ring of letters start to form over the first ring of symbols. These letters I recognized from class, they looked like the Norse runes. As the second ring was halfway done, I fell to the floor. The burning sensation was getting worse and worse. ¡°So this is how I die.¡± I thought to myself through the burning, resigned. . ¡°Am I going to die in a way that I don¡¯t even understand ?¡± With that last thought darkness enveloped me as I lost consciousness. Waking up, I found myself in a white room. ¡°Well as far as the afterlife goes, this sucks.¡± I said out loud. ¡°Fortunately for you, this is not the afterlife.¡± A voice quipped. Turning around I could see a young woman in a flowing white dress with sleeves that covered her hands, sitting on throne that was made from what looked like a solid emerald. The woman had dark blue hair and her eyes were the color of gold. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°Who are you; And, if I am not dead, where am I?¡± I asked. ¡°Aren¡¯t you inquisitive,¡± The woman said as if talking to a child. ¡°I am the divine being that looks over this part of creation, and you are in the space between worlds.¡± Looking at me she pulled a towel out of nowhere and tossed it at me. ¡°This might help with the draft.¡± She said with a smile on her face. Catching the towel I looked at myself and my face turned red. I quickly put the towel around my waist. ¡°Thank you.¡± I managed to say through the embarrassment. ¡°Well I have good news and bad news for you,¡± the woman said. ¡°You have been the target of a botched hero summoning ritual.¡± ¡°What do you mean botched hero summoning ritual?¡± I responded with a look of confusion on my face. ¡°Without getting too technical, they casted an incomplete ritual. In the normal ritual they get someone of their species that is blessed with great power, and made their champion to overcome some great challenge.¡± She explained. ¡°Their second mistake was to make fun of me constantly and then they had the gall to cast a ritual using my power.¡± ¡°So that is what the symbols on my chest where.¡± I said to myself. ¡°If they casted an incomplete ritual, what does that mean for me? I did not ask to get summoned.¡± ¡°It means several things. First I am going to interfere with the ritual. Sure, you will still get all the benefits, they completed that part of the ritual flawlessly, but the part on species and age not so much.¡± She said with a wicked smile. ¡°Therefore I will give you a list of species and you will pick one and your age and will be reverted back to about 6 months old.¡± ¡°Wait, why can¡¯t I use my body?¡± I ask slightly flustered. ¡°Oh, you can¡¯t use that one because it died, due to the botched ritual.¡± She said with a smile. ¡°Ok, then I am guessing the bad news is that my body died?¡± I asked remembering the start of the conversation. ¡°If only it were that easy.¡± She said as a creepy smile appeared on her face. ¡°No, the bad news is that you are being sent as a form of revenge. The species on this list are all ones that they either hate, fear, or both.¡± ¡°What do you mean by hate or fear?¡± I asked, worrying about the implications. ¡°I will tell you the specifics after you choose your new species. Here, look through these.¡± A translucent window appeared before me. It displayed various fantastical creatures. I could see an entry for elves, beast kin, nightmares, fairies, furies, mermaids, mermen, and the list continued. At the very end of the list I noticed an entry for dragons. ¡°Let me guess, if you are not human you suck according to them?¡± I asked the girl. ¡°Yep, and considering that I cater to all species that are sapient, I consider it an insult.¡± ¡°I was always told, go big or go home. Therefore I choose the true dragon species.¡± ¡°Ha, you looked through the entire list, few people ever do that.¡± She said in amazement. Calming down a bit she started to explain. ¡°Ok accepted, but there are a few things you need to know. First, the true dragon species are a conglomeration of several subspecies of dragon and it will be a game of spin the bottle that will determine yours. Second, because of the definition of birth differs between there and here you are going to experience birth from a dragon¡¯s perspective.¡± ¡°Wait, what do you mean I will experience birth¡­? You said that I was going to be around 6 months old !¡± ¡°Yes, and dragons are born in eggs. Then they mature after about a year and hatch.¡± She explained with a smile on her face. ¡°Don¡¯t worry I will bless the egg to make it almost indestructible so you won¡¯t be scrambled.¡± ¡°Now then it is time for choose your subspecies.¡± she said pulling a bottle and a huge square tile that she somehow had behind her. She placed both the square and the bottle on the floor. On the square were pictures of many different species of dragon, they all seemed to be the European version. Looking towards me the girl said, ¡°I want you to spin it.¡± Resigning myself to the situation, I prepared myself to play spin the bottle. I looked at all the different types of dragons and one caught my eye , an almost imperceptible portion of the board had mana dragon written across the face. Thinking that would be a cool one, I reminisced on the many roleplaying sessions I had ran. I hoped that one would be chosen as I set the bottle spinning. The bottle turned around and around, and as the bottle passed the section lit up. I held my breath as the bottle slowed.I watched it come to a stop, resting on the sliver saying mana dragon . ¡°Well, this complicates thing.¡± She said with a worried look. ¡°But a promise is a promise. I am going to be in so much trouble for doing this¡­ but whatever.¡± She sighed. ¡°You are going to be a mana dragon.¡± She stated looking at me in the eyes. ¡°A species so rare there are only three in all of creation. You will be number four. When you hatch you¡¯ll need to eat your shell or that world will be destroyed.¡± ¡°What?¡± I said with a look of horror. ¡°Are mana dragons that dangerous ?¡± ¡°They are existences that rival us divines, and due to my blessing you will be even more powerful. After this I will also need to sleep to regain my power.¡± She said with a sigh, ¡°Now let us begin.¡± She started to reach for my forehead. Placing her hand on my head my whole body felt like it was on fire. I felt my arms burn away, my legs as well, everything it felt like everything was consumed by the fire. After a few second I could not withstand the pain and, with a silent scream, I passed out. --------------------------------------------- though we did a ninja update to re do the entire chapter (no content change just grammer and sentince structure) look it over both me and rouge are human... mostly Chapter 1 – the summoning secret ninja chapter revision... proofreading support done by rouge and by someone else who has not deemed to name himself.... so without further ado chapter 1 - remastered ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Deep within in the basement of the Royal Castle. ¡°My king, the summoning preparations are almost complete.¡± A blue robed man stated. ¡°Good,¡± the king said, ¡°I want you to have Thantos come and see me before the ritual.¡± ¡°Yes, my king.¡± He replied before he dismissed himself. The king looked over the different magi that were preparing for the long ritual. Magi scurried grabbing various items that were necessary for the ritual. Other were setting various objects in some form of pattern. ¡°To think that the rumor was true,¡± the king said to himself, ¡°we were lucky that news of this reached ears so quickly.¡± The king noticed Thantos was approaching him. ¡°My king.¡± Thantos said while dropping down on to his knees, ¡°You called for me?¡± ¡°Yes, I want to know how preparations are going.¡± The king asked. ¡°They are going well; the old scrolls are being copied and inscribed into the floor exactly like the last hero summoning ritual.¡± He replied still on one knee. ¡°We have also gathered the rest of the materials, we are about to finish the last of the preparations.¡± ¡°Well then continue your work; I want the hero here to defeat the demon king as soon as possible, so we can dispose of it before it becomes a threat.¡± ¡°Yes my lord.¡± He said as he stood up to go look over the preparations for the summoning. The king then leaned back and watched the preparations for summoning. After a few days the preparations were completed and the day of summoning had dawned. Deep within the royal castle there were over 20 magi gathered. The summoning circle in the middle was inlaid in the floor. The outer part of the circle was made of silver runes. In the inner ring, symbols were all made of gold. In the center of the circle precious gems were inlaid into the stone floor. The outermost ring of gems were finely cut pieces of lapis lazuli. The middle ring was made of perfectly cut rubies and sapphires which gleamed from the light in the room. In the exact center of the circle was a single large diamond the size of an egg that seemed to glow from within. ¡°Let us begin.¡± The king commanded to all the magi. The magi gathered around the circle and started to chant, their low tones reverberating throughout the room. Thantos took his place at the northern end of the circle joined in. After ten minutes the chanting started to rise and the outer layer of runes rose from the floor and started to spin. A few more minutes passed. The voices continued to rise as the second ring of symbols rose from the floor and started spinning in the opposite direction of the first. Everyone in the room could feel the mana gathering as a heavy weight pressing on their shoulders. The diamond in the center of the circle grew brighter as the ritual continued. A few more minutes passed as the ring of lapis lazuli rose like the others and started to rotate. Small sparks started to appear around the circle. The magi¡¯s chanting started to crescendo as the ring of sapphires and rubies rose off the ground. Suddenly, one of the magi in the circle collapsed. A look of horror spread across faces of all present, but they continued for fear of the consequences if they stopped. The magi thinking quickly poured more of their own mana into the circle to compensate for their downed friend. The ritual was progressing, but there was a growing tension and sense of dread at the thought of the potential consequences of continuing without their friend. Finally the diamond cradled in the center of the circle rose glowing even brighter as the power contained within the stone surged. The amount of mana in the air made it hard to breath yet the magi still chanted. The gathering started to crescendo. The entire circle collapsed into the diamond, and in a blinding flash of light, a loud boom shook the castle. ¡°Was the summoning a success?¡± The king asked as he tried to rub sight back into his eyes. Regaining his sight, the king noticed in the cradle where the diamond once rested was now a large blue and white egg that glowed slightly. Staring at the egg, he noticed on the face of the egg was the crest of their goddess. ¡°What happened, where is the hero?¡± He shouted to the magi that were still standing. The mage Thantos stood up and moved toward the king. ¡°My king,¡± he stated as he shakily got down on one knee, ¡°it seems with the sudden death of mage Hagair there was a problem with the ritual. Whatever is in that egg is our new hero.¡± ¡°Damn. What are we supposed to do with an egg ?¡± the king shouted. ¡°How are we supposed to defeat the Demon king with an egg, give him poisoned scrambled eggs?¡± ¡°While certainly an option, my king, I don¡¯t think that is wise. That egg has the seal of the goddess.¡± Thantos replied to the king¡¯s wrath. ¡°I think we should immediately identify what sort of creature the goddess gifted us.¡± The king walked out of the room and told a squire to fetch Atheros and bring him here at once. Walking back into the room the king surveyed the magi. They all were all haggard and in the corner he noticed 3 bodies in the corner of the room. The king sighed, he didn¡¯t see when the other two died but their faces were desiccated. The king looked once again at the center of the circle were the mysterious egg laid with the symbol of their goddess emblazed on its surface. The king walked back to his chair and lamented over how poorly this summoning turned out. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. The king was still sitting in the summoning room when the door open. Walking through the door was, the head of the royal scouts, Atheros. ¡°My king,¡± he said as he kneeled, ¡°you summoned me?¡± ¡°Yes Atheros, we have an issue, I need you to identify the egg over there.¡± Turning towards where the king directed, Atheros¡¯ eyes widened. ¡°My king, where did you obtain a dragon egg?¡± he asked confused. ¡°That¡¯s a dragon egg?,¡± the king said to himself. ¡°Yes, what happened to its mother and what species was it?¡± Atheros asked, ¡°I am not familiar with this coloring.¡± ¡°What I am about to tell you is to be kept secret,¡± the king gravely spoke, ¡°this egg appeared out of the hero summoning ritual.¡± ¡°My lord, how is that possible!¡± Atheros replied with awe in his voice. ¡°We have not figured out was the cause. Though we suspect it was the death of Hagair that caused the failure. My assignment for you is to guard and hatch this egg.¡± The king stated with a determined look on his face. ¡°This might be a test from the goddess herself. Though I loathe relying on other races, I have no choice in the matter.¡± Atheros bowed to the king and left the room to make preparations for the hatching of a dragon. Atheros, taking charge of the matter, quickly sent requests to various well know beast breeders and trainers to come and aid him with this special project. Atheros moved the dragon egg and placed it in a large chamber in the lower levels of the castle. Several weeks after the egg arrived, Atheros walked into the creche where various breeders were arguing as to why the lights in the room kept going out. ¡°There were plenty of magi in the castle and they kept the light crystals charged, it seemed that the ones in the cr¨¨che were always forgotten.¡± one of the breeders complained. ¡°They always come when we ask. So quit your whining.¡± another said. The lights in the room dimmed causing all present to fall silent, everyone instantly stared at the egg that had started to stir. Looking at one another Atheros said ¡°You don¡¯t think that the egg is causing the lights to dim?¡± ¡°I havn¡¯t hurd any dragon do that.¡± One of the breeders said. ¡°Well should we put more light crystals in here or less?¡± Atheros asked. ¡°How about we call one of dem magi in here and ask them?¡± Another breeder stated. ¡°Sounds like a good idea.¡± Atheros said and walked out of the room. The other breeders just look at each other as the lights in the room continued to darken. About a half an hour later Thantos walked in with Atheros. ¡°So, could out see if the dragon egg is sucking the mana out of the light crystals?¡± Thantos started to stare at the dragon egg. After a few minutes he spoke ¡°Yes the egg is absorbing the mana from the crystals. Though what it does with it, I know not.¡± ¡°Should we put more mana crystals in the room for it to absorb or take them out?¡± Atheros asked. Thantos stroking his gray beard thought to himself. After a few more minutes passed he said, ¡°I truly don¡¯t know, though if it drains mana it must need it for something, so I think it might be a benefit to have more crystals in here.¡± ¡°Well then i will have more place.¡± Atheros replied. Months passed while watching over the egg. One day atheros walked in on a maid holding a hammer over the egg. Atheros watched in horror as the maid brought the heavy hammer down. He screamed ¡°Stop!¡± as the hammer hit the egg, a clear note rang throughout the room like a bell. Atheros, running, tried to slam into the girl, but he could not reach before the girl hit the egg again causing another note to ring through the room. Atheros slammed into the girl and quickly brought her down. The guards hearing the loud noise rushed into the room. ¡°Guards, this girl tried to smash the egg, take her to the dungeon!¡± Atheros commanded. After the guards took the girl he inspected the egg and was relieved to find that there was not a scratch on the glowing shell. Thanking the goddess for the shell¡¯s resilience he left the cr¨¨che and headed towards the dungeon to integrate the maid. After, almost a half a year has passed since the summoning. As Atheros walked into the room he noticed that the egg was glowing brighter than normal. Opening the door Atheros said to the guards, which were posted due to the incident about two months ago where a group of demon slaves tried to smash the egg, ¡°I need you to retrieve Thantos and the other beast breeders and bring them here.¡± One of the guards nodding quickly ran down the hall deeper into the castle. After a few minutes everyone was gathered in the creche, staring at the glowing egg when Thantos asked, ¡°What does this mean?¡± One of the beast breeders spoke up, ¡°Maybe it is starting to hatch?¡± ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 2 – hatching I was surrounded by warmth when I first woke up and I felt unusually tired. I tried to open my eyes, but I quickly realised that I couldn¡¯t move. After a few seconds I heard some strange noises that seemed to surround me, it had a certain cadence, like people talking, I tried listen for a little bit, but I couldn¡¯t think straight, my mind was clouded. The only thought I could hold onto was that I was warm. after a few minutes the voices stopped and losing the battle I fell back into the quiet embrace of sleep. It seemed some time had passed when I next woke up, to what felt like an earthquake. It felt like my entire world was being shaken, yet I still couldn¡¯t open my eyes. I heard muffled noises like before but I still couldn¡¯t understand them. I tried to move around, but nothing had changed. I still couldn¡¯t move at all. I felt a little cramped in this dark prison. Then another earthquake occurred, everything was shaking again, I heard some more muffled noises. A few minutes passed and it was quiet once more, I once again fell into the darkness of sleep. It felt like more time had passed when I next woke up. though something felt different. This time I didn¡¯t feel sleepy, though I felt even more cramped than before, it felt like I was encased in a small box that was three sizes too small, my entire body felt weird. It bits and pieces of the conversation with the woman drifted into my mind; she said that I was going to become a mana dragon and I would have to hatch. Feeling a bit anxious I started to squirm as much as the small prison would allow when I heard a loud crack. I suddenly felt less cramped, so I continued to squirm and another loud crack sounded out, then another, until a bright light suddenly blinded me. I blinked my eyes a few times before I could see again and in front of me I noticed four giants staring at me. Panic flashed through my mind, I tried to scream but the only sound I heard was a small squeak. I stopped for a second as I noticed that a scaly milky blue snout protruding from my face. At this point I realized that I actually had turned into a dragon. Thinking for a bit, I started to remember parts of the conversation with the strange woman. I remembered her telling me that I had been summoned to another world and that she was turning me into a dragon, I also remembered that I had to eat the egg fragments or something terrible would happen, so I shakily stood up and started to eat them. The fragments tasted delicious, though it was a bit crunchy. I devoured all the fragments, my belly felt pleasantly full. I started to look around and I noticed that the four giants were still staring at me, confusion plain on their faces. The giant with the beard started to speak in a language that I couldn¡¯t understand. After listening for a few seconds, I gave up on trying to understand it. I decided that they weren¡¯t going to kill me instantly, out of curiosity I started to look around the room. It was a nondescript stone room with no windows and the walls had intermittently spaced glowing crystals, that bathed the room in a pale blueish light. I was currently sitting on a large table and in its center; there was a large indent where, my egg was resting. As I looked around the rest of the room, I could see a fairly large pile of copper coins in the corner of the room. ¡°Well, that is stereotypical.¡± I tried to say but only a small series of squeaks came out. The noise from the four men increased; when I felt someone grab me. Turning my long neck around, I could see that the older man with the gray beard had picked me up. A sudden feeling of hatred welled up and clouded my thoughts. In a fit of rage, I bit the man that had dared to grasp me. My fangs pierced his skin and blood spilled into my mouth, it surprisingly tasted delicious. I started to fall as the man let go of me. I braced myself for the coming pain of hitting the floor, instead I felt an odd sensation coming from my back. I turned my head and, and two beautiful blue-white wings were spread out wide. My short flight ended with me in a crumpled heap on the floor. I quickly untangled myself and stood up and scurried under the table moving away from the giants. Their arguments kept get louder as I hid under the table. I watched one walk away and slam the door as they left. The others talked between themselves for a few more minutes before leaving the room. Feeling tired from my little adventure, I started to look for some place to sleep. Looking at the pile of coins, I thought to myself: ¡°Why not, stereotypes exist for a reason.¡± I walked towards the pile of coins trying to master the strange rhythm of walking on four legs. I climbed up the pile of coins and settled myself the coins flowed around my draconic form, and before I realized it I had fallen asleep. -------------update stopped here---- The four men standing looking at the egg notice it start to move. After a few second there was a loud crack and on the side of the egg a small hole was forming. The men captivated by the sight moved closer to the table. Looking at through the hole they could see blue scales wiggling about. After a few seconds another crack was heard and another piece of the egg fell off, revealing a blue wing. The men staring watched in awe as the dragon hatched before their eyes. A minute passed and then the small dragon broke free from the egg. It looked around a bit then noticed us and squeaked and then abruptly stop like he realized that were not a threat. Then it started to move about and eat the egg fragments. All of us looked at each other with confusion on our faces. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°What is he doing?¡± Thantos asked. ¡°Beats me I normally don¡¯t hear of dragons eating their own shell.¡± One of the breeders said. ¡°Can any of you identify what type of dragon it is?¡± Atheros asked ¡°Well I can try to cast Identify and see if I can get any information. Though I need to pick up what I want to identify. ¡± Thantos said. ¡°Squeak, squeak.¡± The dragon said as he was looking at the pile of copper coins in the corner. ¡°Seems the thing want to go to its hoard, I know I was right in making one¡± one of the breeders said. ¡°Well I will take it to the hoard and see if can identify it while carrying it.¡± Thantos said, ¡°then we should inform the king that the dragon has hatched.¡± Reaching for the dragon he grabs it by the back and picks the dragon up. Thantos could feel the dragon shaking as he started to cast identify and then in a burst of speed the dragon turned its head and bit Thantos. ¡°Damn!¡± Thantos yelled as a wave of weariness washed over him, causing him to let go of the dragon. The little dragon spreading its wings glided to the floor and then scurried under the table. ¡°What happened?¡± Atheros asked, ¡°And why did you drop the dragon?¡± ¡°The thing bit me and then I started to feel weak, like I had spent the day casing magic.¡± Thantos curtly replied, holding his bleeding hand. ¡°I think you sacred it¡± one of the breeders said looking to where the dragon scurried off. ¡°Well, I need to go inform the king and get this hand looked at.¡± Thantos said as he left the room slamming the door behind him. ¡°so,¡± one of the breeders said, ¡°what happens now we might be good at getting things to hatch but we aint no dragon trainer.¡± ¡°Well¡­ you are correct the request was to help hatch the egg,¡± Atheros said ¡°but our dragon trainer has not arrived. Could you stay till the trainer gets here?¡± ¡°Well, what do you think, I could stay another week.¡± The first breeder said ¡°Fine, then I got to get back to my bestiary.¡± The other replied. ¡°Well then how about we go find some food for this young dragon¡± Atheros said, ¡°and find out what species it is.¡± Then both Atheros and the two animal breeders leave the room. Atheros makes sure to close the door behind him and walks towards the king¡¯s chambers. Arriving at the chambers he waited for the page to return. ¡°What are we going to do about that dragon?¡± He said to himself. With the page returning he is escorted to the king¡¯s study. Walking into the study Atheros kneels saying, ¡°My king, I bring news on the dragon.¡± ¡°What news do you have about the egg,¡± the king asked while sitting back in his chair. ¡°My king the egg has hatched and there was as we expected a baby dragon though we have not as of yet been able to identify the species.¡± Atheros reported. ¡°Though there was an incident when Thantos tried to identify the dragon. He was bitten and then hit with mana depletion.¡± ¡°Mana depletion?¡± the king asked, ¡°How did he lose his mana?¡± ¡°My guess is that the dragon ate it when he bit Thantos.¡± Atheros replied ¡°When is the Dragon tamer arriving?¡± the king asked. ¡°We have receive word that the position was accepted and that he will arrive within the next two weeks¡± he replied to the king. ¡°Good, I want to try and tame that dragon and learn its secrets.¡± ¡°Yes my lord, as you command.¡± Atheros stated as he then got up and left the study. Having given the report to the king Atheros walked to the butcher to obtain various meats to try to feed the dragon. Obtaining the food he walked to the dragon¡¯s cr¨¨che. Opening the door he could see the small dragon curled on top of the small pile of copper coins sleeping peacefully. Not wanting to disturb the hatchling, he left the meats on the floor and got a few servants to replace the large table in the center with a smaller on to be place in the opposite corner. Returning to his room he wondered just what kind of dragon was it. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here is another chapter i hate the conversion between word and this website. if anyone knows a better way to transfer let me know. also let me know what you think of the story so far Chapter 3 - Growing up before I post this i wanted to let you know that this chapter and the next chapter run at the same time form not only the MC point of view, but the next chapter is from everyone else''s point of view. after these most of the chapters will run in this format but each adds their own details that the other does not give. let me know what you think and for chapter 5/6 i will put a poll on the next chapter to determine which i should release first. -- Forgottenslayer --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Waking up on the bed of copper coins was not a bad thing, I came to realize. the surrounding coins would shift till it flowed around my new scaled body, creating a perfect bed to sleep on. Opening my eyes the room was dark but due to my draconic vision that was not an issue. Looking around a bit, I also noticed that the room had been rearranged while I slept. Standing up I noticed that I was bigger than when I went to sleep. I also noticed placed in the corner of the room was a pile of different meats. I walked over to the different meats and examining them I noticed that they were all uncooked. ¡°They have cooks, why could they not cook the meat for me.¡± I attempted to say but instead of well-formed sentences I just heard a series of growls. Looking at the raw meat I realize I might be able to cook it with what all dragons have; a breath weapon. Concentrating on this new body I try to figure out how to use my breath weapon. After a few minutes I gave up. With a sadden look I try to figure out how to cook this meat. A few hours pass, my stomach growling ¡°Well I give up.¡± I thought, resigning myself to eating the raw meat, I took a bite of every piece of meat there, but they all tasted terrible. I walked over to the door standing on my hind legs I reach for the door handle but I was several inches short from grasping it with my mouth. Walking back to my miniature hoard, I noticed in the corner of the room was a strange looking rat with blood red eyes. Looking closer I could see a faint glow surround the rat. Sniff the air I could smell something delicious, looking at the rat I determine that it is the rat. My stomach growling louder I charged the rat. The rat turning it head noticed me bars it large teeth attempting to scare me away. Ignoring it pitiful displays I charge right into the side of the rat and sink my fangs into its flank. Biting down I took a chunk out of the side of it, its blood tasted sweet. The rat let out a shriek of pain as it tried to move away from me. Swallowing the meat in my mouth I move to intercept the tasty rat that is trying to get away. Jumping in front of the rat I bit off its head. Again it tasted sweet swallowing the head in one gulp I start to devour the rest of the corpse. It was after eating the last bite that I realized what I had just done. ¡°The hell is wrong with me!?¡± I thought to myself, looking at the blood stains on the floor. Though I felt satisfied having just eaten, the fact that I just bit off the head of some strange looking rat and devoured it without cooking it was too much for me. Feeling depressed a my new low, I walked to my small hoard of copper coins I lied down, wiggling so the coins form a cradle around me, and fell asleep. I woke up to a loud voice shouting something. I opened my eye to see who had shouted and before me was the brown hair guy. I noticed that he seemed not as big as when I last saw him. Thinking for a second I turned my head I noticed that I had grown by about half a foot. Now standing up I could tell that my back came up to the height of his knee. ¡°Yes,¡± I said to myself ¡°soon I will be able to rule the world.¡± My train of thought stopped when I said that. ¡°When did I decide that I wanted to rule the world?¡± Thinking it over, I thought it would be too much work so I will hold off for now. While in though I heard a loud slam and noticed that the guy had left so I lay down to my now too small hoard and went back to sleep. Sometime later I was awoken by the smell of something delicious. Opening my eyes a little I could see four people standing before me talking. One was the wizard guy that tried to pick me up. I noticed that there was a bandage wrapped around his hand, serves him right. The second person was the brown haired guy that kept showing up. The other two I did not know but person was in a flowing purple robe. So I guessed that he was some sort of ruler. The last person was a smaller girl. She was wearing a long blue dress and was staring at me with a look of admiration. I also noticed that they had once again shrunk or more accurately I had grown about another foot. Again smelling something delicious I opened both my eyes. Sniffing the air once more I noticed the delicious scent was coming from the wizard guy. A piercing shriek came out of the small girl right before something heavy landed on me. Felling hands wrap around my neck, I realized that the girl had just jumped on my back and started hugging me. Before I could do anything the two men quickly dragged the small child off my back and the king looking guy scolds the girl. Chuckling a bit, I thought to myself, ¡°Well I guess this sort of thing happens no matter what world you are in.¡± The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Hearing me chuckle, as much as a dragon can, they all stop what they are doing and start staring at me with astonished faces. The king like one looks at me and once again starts speaking to me in their language. Not understanding a word I shrug my shoulders and lay my head down. The king turned to the wizard guy and he started speaking to him. As they converse a look of understanding downs on them and the gray man runs out the door. The brown haired man walks up to me and bows slightly and says, ¡°Atheros.¡± Looking into the eyes of the bowing man I try to say his name, but it comes out like weird grating squeal. This causes the two men to start talking to each other with various hand gestures. It was about this time when the wizard guy opened the door. As he enter the sweet smell returned and I noticed in his hand was a brooch with an onyx stone in the middle. Pinning it on his clock he started to speak while looking at me. ¡°Tuum auditore me.¡± He said. ¡°This should work¡­¡± he continued, I am guessing because of that brooch I could now understand him. ¡°Yes, I can understand you now.¡± I replied. ¡°And, might I add, you smell delicious.¡± The wizard''s face went pure white hearing me. Not able to comprehend me he said ¡°excuse me?¡± A little annoyed ¡°yes, I can now understand you; I also said you smell delicious.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± he replied still white as a sheet. Turning to the man next to him he said, ¡°My king, with the Brooch of Tongues I am able to speak with the dragon.¡± The king replying in their language says, ¡°da fibulam draconi, uti etiam explicare.¡± Turning to me he says, ¡°This is the brooch of tongues, with this you should be able to speak with us. Just put it on you somewhere and say speak¡± Removing the pin from his robe he offers it to me. Reaching with my front claws I try to grab the brooch, but I am not used to using claws so I drop the brooch to the floor. I then try to pick it up but every time it falls out. After the third try the small girl picks it up and fastens it to one of my small horns. Feeling it secure I say the activating words. ¡°So can you understand me now Mr. Dragon?¡± the small girl said. ¡°Yes, I can understand you.¡± I replied. ¡°Well then,¡± the king said with a pained face, ¡°I am king Vitur, Ruler of the Leaslic kingdom. I implore you to save the human race from the vile demon hoard.¡± ¡°What is in it for me to defeat the demon king?¡± I replied to the king ¡°Well¡­¡± he said looking dumbfounded, ¡°fame and glory¡­ I guess.¡± ¡°If I may my king,¡± Atheros spoke up, ¡°you will have a chance to build a massive hoard from the treasury of the defeated demon king.¡± Looking at the serious man with my draconic eye I thought to myself, ¡°well I do enjoy sleeping¡­ it was something I never had time for in my old world. Although my hoard is small it is very comfortable, is it worth the troubles?¡± ¡°We can provide you with delicious food, besides me of course.¡± Thantos said. This caused the other people in the room to stare at him with a confused expression. ¡°I will be your friend,¡± the little girl said out of place, causing a scowl to form on the king''s face. ¡°What say you, will you help us in our time of need?¡± the king asked Thinking for a bit, I decide to just go with it. ¡°I will see what I can do.¡± I stated ¡°Then what shall we call you, O Dragon?¡± the king asked. Thinking for a bit I tried to remember my name¡­ but I could not. No matter how much I tried to remember I could not recall it. I started to get depressed that I could not recall my own name. ¡°Well, I guess I need a new one¡± I thought to myself. Thinking about all the dragon names that I knew I decided to go with my favorite. ¡°My name is Fafnir.¡± I stated in the most regal way possible but due to me being small I do not know if it had the intended effect. ¡°Well dragon Fafnir, I am glad that you will help us. I will introduce you to the others here.¡± The king said with a look of relief. ¡°First is Thantos¡± he said pointing to the man in gray clothes who I still thought smelled delicious. ¡°He is the court mage and leader of the magic core. Next is Atheros.¡± He said while pointing to the brown haired youth. ¡°He was the one who tended your egg and will be responsible for your upbringing.¡± ¡°I hope to be of service dragon Fafnir.¡± Atheros said while giving a slight bow. ¡°The last person in the group, who is not supposed to be in here,¡± he says looking at his daughter, ¡°is my daughter, second princess Skygge¡± ¡°Nice to meet all of you¡± I said with a cheer. ¡°Now do you have anything good to eat besides Thantos?¡± ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Also tell me what you think below Chapter 4 – meeting the dragon Here is the other chapter as i said. there will be a poll on which of the chapters i should work/post next. and as i also said this is the other side of events seen from everyone else''s point of view ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ¡°What do you mean you cannot find Skygge?¡± the king said, ¡°the castle is only so big and there are only so many places she could hide.¡± ¡°Well, my liege, she said she was escorted to the garden and she managed to lose the guards¡­¡± the servant replied meekly. ¡°We fortified the gates expecting this so we know she is in the castle but we have not been able to locate her.¡± ¡°Well, knowing her she is somewhere where she should not be.¡± The king said to himself. ¡°Go look in the various forbidden areas of the castle, start in the forbidden library and work your way up.¡± ¡°Yes, my liege.¡± Why did this happen now, I have enough problems with this dumb dragon.¡± The king said to himself, ¡°how are we supposed to have a dumb beast as our hero? I just hope that this dragon tamer is as good as I hear.¡± --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Atheros opened the door to the cr¨¨che and the first thing he noticed the blood stain on the floor. Walking to the hatchling he could not see a scratch on its body. Though on his snout there was some dried blood. ¡°Well, little dragon you might not be as helpless as I though.¡± Atheros said while admiring the little dragon. Atheros walked to the small table and placed down a small stack of papers. He then next looked at the pile of meat and could only see where he tried a few things. ¡°Well, if these are not to your liking, what did you eat?¡± He said while looking at the sleeping dragon. Atheros sitting at the desk started looking at the reports from the surrounding towns. One report stated an increase of demon activity. Another report read of a dragon attack, but was lured into a pit trap and killed. Another spoke of an increase of civilian refugees from the outer settlements. Having finished reading the reports, he took the large book from the table. On the cover in a golden script was, ¡®Draconic encyclopedia 12th edition¡¯. Opening the book, he started to flip through the pages. After looking through about a fourth of the book, every entry was only the same description of a dumb beast with a different elemental affinity and food source. The lights began to dim again, standing up in the now dark room Thantos left the reports on the table and left the room. Having left the room he ordered one of the guards to have a mage recharge the lights in the cr¨¨che and running into a servant along the way mentioned about the blood stains. He made his way through the castle to the quartermaster¡¯s area and grabbed a few candles. Walking back to the cr¨¨che I notice that the guards are no longer at their post outside the door. Not paying much attention it I open the door and there is a small girl wearing a blue dress standing over the sleeping dragon. ¡°What are you...¡± I started to say but then the girl turned around with a finger on her lips, and I recognized the second princess Skygge. ¡°shhhhh, or you will wake my new pet.¡± The princess said. ¡°New pet?¡± Atheros parroted back dumbfounded. Regaining his senses ¡°that dragon is not your pet but the summoned hero.¡± It was at this point that both the king and Thantos walked in the door. ¡°You were right my lord, she was here after all.¡± Thantos said. ¡°Skygge¡± the king started to yell, ¡°What do you think you are doing in here?¡± I was at this point that the, now larger, dragons opened its eyes and started to sniff the air. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°ahhhh, it is so cute!¡± Skygge shrieked as she jumped and started to hug the dragon. Both Thantos and Atheros grabbed the princess and removed her from the dragon. ¡°Skygge, I want you to leave this room this instance!¡± the king yelled, when a strange noise was heard. It sounded like a chugging hiss. Everyone hear this look at the dragon and it seemed to be laughing. ¡°Thantos, go grab the brooch of tongues!¡± The king ordered. ¡°Could it be that this dragon is intelligent?¡± The king said to himself as he watched Thantos run out of the room. Atheros went to stand in front of the dragon and kneeling slightly he said his name. The dragon tried to repeat the sound, but came out as a like a grating squeal. After about five minutes Thantos opened the door slightly out of breath. ¡°I have it my lord, I will use it to see if it is intelligent.¡± He said as he affixed the onyx brooch to his robe. Activating the brooch he stated conversing with the dragon. ¡°You should hear me¡­ and this should work.¡± Thantos said, the dragon replied in a series of squeaks and Thantos stiffened and went white as a sheet. ¡°Excuse me?¡± Thantos said once more to the dragon still looking rather pale. Another series of squeaks followed from the dragon. Then Thantos turning to the king said, ¡°My king, with the Brooch of Tongues I am able to speak with the dragon.¡± ¡°Well then give it to the dragon and explain how to use it.¡± The king commanded. Turning to the dragon he explained how to use the brooch and took it from his robe and tried to hand it to the dragon. The dragon tried to take it with his front claws but dropped it. Skygge moved to pick up the item and then attached it to one of its horn. ¡°So can you understand me now Mr. Dragon?¡± Skygge said. ¡°Yes, I can understand you.¡± the dragon replied in perfect Latherian. ¡°Well then,¡± the king said with a pained face, ¡°I am king Vitur, Ruler of the Leaslic kingdom. I implore you to save the human race from the vile demon hoard.¡± ¡°What is in it for me to defeat the demon king?¡± the dragon replied. This question surprised everyone here. They were always told that dragons were dumb brutes, though powerful, many of them were tamed. ¡°Well¡­¡± the King said looking dumbfounded, he had not thought that this was going to be an issue. Quickly on what people like he replied, ¡°Fame and glory¡­ I guess.¡± ¡°If I may my king,¡± Atheros spoke up, seeing the pained look on the king face. ¡°you will have a chance to build a massive hoard from the treasury of the defeated demon king.¡± Hearing this the dragon started to stare off into the corner for a bit, through Atheros was happy that the dragon was intelligent he felt like he was forgetting something. ¡°We can provide you with delicious food, besides me of course.¡± Thantos spoke while the dragon was still in thought. This caused the other people in the room to stare at him with a confused expression. ¡°I will be your friend,¡± the Skygge said out of place, causing a scowl to be directed to her on the king''s¡¯ face with the look that we will talk later. ¡°What say you, will you help us in our time of need?¡± the king asked, though it pained him to ask help from a non-human. ¡°I will see what I can do.¡± The dragon replied. ¡°Then what shall we call you, O Dragon?¡± the king asked. The dragon thinking for a bit replied, ¡°My name is Fafnir.¡± After a round of introductions, the king left Atheros in charge to find appropriate food for the hatchling dragon. Chapter 5 - The "Dragon Tamer" well folks, first i have decided instead of have a first person view and then switch to third person, i will go fully first person. the MC will still be fafnir but i might have parts of chapters following other people, like the young scout Atheros or the old mage thanatos. i am doing this to balance out the problems a soley first person novel has, namely the lack of detail and back story. starting with chapter 6 there will be parts that follow some of the secondary characters. also i was impressed with the comment discussion on the last chapter, and i wish to thank all those who gave constructive critiques, both in the comments and through PM. i will take them into consideration on future chapters. also if someone wanted to make a cover for this series PM me and i could give a more detailed description of what he looks like/ what he will look like in a few years. Without further ado, the chapter 5 -- Forgottenslayer ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ¡°Ah, delicious cooked meat¡± I thought while eating in my new lair. I enjoyed the smell of cooked meat. The only problem is that the meat tastes different than what I remember. Instead of the delicious steaks or stews that I remember most of the meats are smoked and taste a little bland. In the past few days I have grown to the standing height of five feet and almost 13 feet long. i enjoy looking at my overlapping blue-white scales. Every once and awhile small blue wisps that seep from my scales, though it looks cool I find it a bit strange. Taking a break from eating I look at Atheros sitting in the corner reading over reports. He has been sitting there for the past hour and the look of worry still has not passed from his face. ¡°Atheros,¡± I called out, ¡°you keep reading the same report over and over is there something epically interesting about that one?¡± Jumping a bit from me calling out he looks over, ¡°it is just a report on the state of the border between the outer most villages and the emerald forest.¡± He replied, ¡°It seems that they are having some trouble with increased monster attacks.¡± ¡°There is something that has been bothering me the last few days.¡± I said to Atheros, after watching him for a little while ¡°it seems there is something that all of you are hiding from me, also, why have I not seen Thantos in the past few days?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t you what you mean by hiding something.¡± He said rather quickly, though I get the feeling that he is lying to me; my new nose can smell the sweat coming off him. ¡°In regards to your second question,: he states quickly, "Thantos has been busy with orders from the king.¡± ¡°Ah¡± I said skeptically returning to eating the bland meat. After about an hour watching Atheros read reports I started to get bored. Though I have enjoyed sleeping the past few days I am rather restless. ¡°Atheros,¡± I called scaring him yet again. ¡°I think I will go flying outside the city for a while.¡± ¡°No!¡± Atheros said fancily, ¡°you can¡¯t do that.¡± Looking at him with one of draconic eyes, I reply, ¡°Why can I not do that?¡± Pausing for a moment Atheros replies, ¡°how would it look to the towns¡¯ people with a dragon suddenly leaving the castle.¡± Thinking for a bit, I realized that Atheros did have a point. It would scare people if a dragon flew out of nowhere. ¡°Well, how about I go out this evening.¡± I said to Atheros, ¡°that way I will not scare the villagers and I will be able to stretch my wings.¡± Atheros thinking for a bit said, ¡°Though a good idea you would stick out even more at night. Not many creatures glow in the dark and the ones that do are never friendly.¡± Though I do not like his answer I could see the reason behind it. ¡°Well is there something I can do?¡± I ask, ¡°I am getting rather bored.¡± ¡°Well,¡± Atheros said putting down the reports. ¡°I need a break anyways. I will be right back I know a game that we could play, though I need to grab the board.¡± He gets up and walks out of the door after a few minutes he returns with a square board made out of wood. On the face of the board are black squares. He then brings over the table to right in front of my hoard, still composed of copper coins. ¡°This is a game a previous hero taught us.¡± He pulls out two bags and I recognize the game. ¡°The game is called chest.¡± I chuckle a bit, getting a strange look from Atheros, who is setting up the board ¡°I think he means chess.¡± I thought to myself. ¡°Though, I don¡¯t think I will say anything.¡± The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Ok here are the rules.¡± Atheros said, and began to explain. In college I played frequently, thinking back. One point I entered into a large tournament, Getting as far as the finals before losing. ¡°This will be fun¡± I thought to myself. After a few hours I was laughing, as Atheros was looking at the board. ¡°How is it that I lost for the third time in a row?¡± He said looking defeated. ¡°I am one of the best chest players in the capital.¡± How did you get so good, you only hatched about two weeks ago?¡± ¡°Dragon¡¯s intuition¡± I replied chuckling to myself. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A few more days passed. I started to learn the language from Atheros. My progress sped along quickly. When there was a commotion outside my lair. Lying down on my hoard, like I normally do while Atheros is away, a man dressed in strange armor walked into the old grain warehouse that is my new lair. This man covered with metal armor wore a leather helmet I could see red hair sticking out of the back. Walking closer I could see a coiled whip on his waist. He pulled out a whip and yelled, ¡°get up you scaly beast.¡± Ignoring the rude man, who barged into my layer, I pay his command no heed. The man clearly not used to being ignored pulls back his whip and says,¡± Up or yull get hurt.¡± Getting annoyed at this rude man, I just sit there and wait looking at him with contempt. ¡°Ok, you beast, up I say.¡± He yelled while lashing out with his whip. The whip stung when it hit my scales though not as much as I expected. Getting angry at the little man I stand up. ¡°Good boy,¡± he said. ¡°Now come here.¡± He commanded Looking at him with my draconic eye hatred started build at this arrogant human that had intruded into my lair. Walking toward him I started to think at the ways to make this human suffer. Realizing where my thoughts were going I stop for a second and take a breath. The lights in my lair dim a bit. ¡°What do you want,¡± I said to the man. ¡°Ah, look the scaly beast is trying to imitate us humans but you won¡¯t fool me I know you are just a dumb beast.¡± Said the man, ¡°you will be listening to my commands from this day forward or you will regret it¡± ¡°Why should I do that,¡± I replied holding my anger in check. ¡°Because the king hired me to tame you.¡± he replied. It was at this point that Atheros ran into the room. ¡°Bastros, don¡¯t provoke the dragon.¡± He yelled, ¡°There have been some changes since we hired you.¡± Looking at the scene Atheros¡¯ face went white. ¡°Fafnir, please don¡¯t kill him I can explain everything.¡± ¡°Ha, like this whelp would be able to hurt me,¡± Bastros started laughing, ¡°I have killed many dragons bigger than this tiny thing, though the two extra legs are something new.¡± Growing more annoyed at the small man in front of me I started to move closer, noticing me come closer he says while holding the whip, ¡°back dumb beast, I don¡¯t want to hurt you more.¡± Ignoring the threat I decide to knock him down a notch and take in a deep breath. All the crystal lights in the room go out, feeling energized I quickly move in front of him. I could see the surprise on the face of the man. At this point I pick him up by his armor, my teeth easily going through the metal. Shaking him a bit, the armor pieces starts to fall off. Snapping my head he flies out of the chest plate and lands a bit away on the ground passed out. Atheros, using the light given off by the wisp coming out of my scales pulls out a small candle. Lighting it he goes over to the man, after checking for a bit I could hear a sigh escape from Atheros. Turning towards me Atheros says, ¡°I am sorry, Fafnir, we hired him before we figured out you were sapient. I am guessing he came here before checking in with the guard captain.¡± ¡°I will deal with him then I will be back to explain a few things.¡± Atheros said while picking up the body of the man. With this he walked out. Feeling sleepy I go to my hoard and laid down to wait for Atheros to explain the rude man. ¡°The reason better be good" I thought to myself "or I will make a lair elsewhere.¡± -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- tell me what you think in the comments. Chapter 6 – calming a dragon As I mentioned in the last chapter I am experimenting with having multiple first person points of view. Though whether I keep this format, I know not. I also want to thank all the people who point out my spelling and grammar mistakes, it helps improve the story. you know who you are. Also If anyone knows a smoother way of changing perspectives I would love to hear about it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I walked out of Fafnir¡¯s lair carrying the unconscious Bastros. Several guards, seeing me carrying a body, rushed over. ¡°Sir,¡± the guard said, ¡°what happened? Lights throughout the castle went out a few minutes ago.¡± ¡°This idiot here tried to provoke Fafnir, and it did not end well.¡± Atheros said. ¡°Bring him to the infirmary and post guards on him; I have to deal with other matters. Also make sure no one other than, me or Thantos goes into the lair.¡± ¡°Yes sir,¡± they replied taking Bastos. Thinking on how easily Fafnir tore through the tamer''s armor made my spine tingle. ¡°Well note to self don¡¯t piss off Fafnir.¡± I thought to myself while walking down the hallway. Taking another left I head towards where the king and Thantos have been working on a project the past several days. Walking past several knights, who stand at attention as passed. Opening the door I walked into the old summoning room. ¡°My king,¡± I said as I kneed. ¡°There has been an incident with Fafnir. The dragon tamer arrived ahead of schedule and did not go to the captain as he was supposed to; as a result he is now being taken to the infirmary.¡± The king, looking at me with worry in his face said, thank you, Atheros. ¡°I want you to take a seat, and then explain how the tamer ended up in the infirmary?¡± Taking a seat as directed I started to explain, ¡°Bastros, the dragon tamer, hit Fafnir twice with a pain whip.¡± continuing I said, ¡°After the second hit Fafnir extinguished the light crystals in half the castle with a breath, and taking the tamer by his armor, Fafnir pick him up, shook him about and tossed him out of his own armor onto the floor.¡± The look of horror was plain on the faces of both the king and Thantos. ¡°My king, I don¡¯t think Fafnir is the same as the dragons we know.¡± I said, ¡°Nowhere in the entire royal library does it mention a dragon with six limbs. The books I found only mentioned the multiple varieties of dragons with four limbs that we are familiar with.¡± ¡°If we are not dealing with a dragon as we know it, then what is Fafnir?¡± Thantos asked as he joined both the king and me. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I responded, ¡°though I think we must do something to guarantee his help. In the past week that I have been spending time with him, I have come to realize, that we might be underestimating his intelligence.¡± ¡°We are not going to mention, the Chest match with Fafnir right,¡± the king said with a small smile creeping on his face. ¡°How did you hear about that?¡± I said flustered. ¡°Kings know everything about their subjects.¡± The king said, ¡°Though I agree, we cannot wait on dealing with the dragon in the castle.¡± ¡°My king, there is a more pressing matter that must be dealt with.¡± I said, in a respectful tone ¡°I promised to explain about the ¡®Dragon tamer¡¯ to Fafnir, and I need to know how much I should disclose and the direction we should head.¡± ¡°I see,¡± the king replied slowly. After a few minutes the king spoke, ¡°I think the best we can do is to play it safe. Explain our acts to the point where he is happy, though Atheros I want you to find something he likes that we control for leverage. Applied correctly this might turn in our favor. Also after you calm the dragon, we must discuss what we have found in regards to the summoning.¡± ¡°Yes, my king,¡± I replied. Turning to Thantos I say, ¡°You know Thantos, Fafnir has been asking why you don¡¯t visit.¡± Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°Just tell him I am busy,¡± Thantos replied, ¡°Every time I am in the same room with him, I feel like he wants to eat me.¡± Chuckling at a bit, I walk out of the chamber and head back to the lair of Fafnir. -----------------------------------------------------POV change-Atheros----------------------- After the confrontation with the supposed dragon tamer, I laid on my hoard barely containing my anger. ¡°Why would they think that they could ¡®tame¡¯ a dragon in such a barbaric manner is beyond me.¡± I thought to myself. I laugh a bit at those thoughts. I have noticed in the past two weeks that I am thinking more and more like a dragon. As I get used to my new form, more questions arise. Though I should be getting some answers as soon as Atheros returns. As the minutes pass I could feel myself getting sleepy again before I realized it I fell asleep. I awoke to the sound of the door opening as Atheros walked into my lair. He walked over to the desk grabbed a fresh candle from the table. Replacing the old candle that had burned down, he pulled a chair over to my hoard and sat down. Letting out a sigh he began to speak. ¡°I owe you an explanation, though there are things that I need to explain first that you may be able to help us with.¡± Not saying anything, I stare at him with one of my large eyes. After about a minute Atheros began to speak once more saying, ¡°the first thing I should mention is that we have not seen a dragon like you before, at first when we saw that you had six limbs we thought that you were a rare species of the normal four limbed variety.¡± Taking a few breaths before he continued he said, ¡°but you are nothing close than the other dragons that we know. The first difference is your intelligence. The dragons that I have always know were small minded creatures, though I suspect that you are more intelligent than most humans. The second difference is your temperament. Most dragons would kill and eat anything it sees as weaker than itself; at best they are a little more than dangerous wild beasts.¡± Thinking on his words I realize a few things. First is that they are confusing true dragons with the lesser wyverns. Thinking back on my old life I realize if they were dealing with wyverns their training methods would makes sense. The second issue that is bothering me more is the location of all the true dragons. In every myth book or gain if you have wyverns you will have true dragons. ¡°Knowing this,¡± Atheros said, ¡°when we saw a dragon egg in the center of the summoning circle everyone was concerned. We thought we knew the intelligence of dragons, so we Instantly sent out for the best Dragon tamer in our kingdom and right before you hatched we found one who met the Criteria.¡± Taking another breath, he said, ¡°Though in the past week I¡¯ve come to enjoy your company. Therefore I will talk to the king if you can help us deal with the Demon Lord¡¯s threat. we would forever be grateful.¡± I stared at Atheros as he finished talking considering what he had said, though they had their reason for the tamer, it does not excuse their ignorance. My draconic blood still boiled, because of the so called dragon tamer, reason is tempering my actions. ¡°I understand why you did what you did, though my draconic blood cannot be placated so easily.¡± I stated, ¡°I want to arrange a meeting consisting of you, the king, Thantos and that pathetic piece of meat, known as a dragon tamer, tomorrow. There are things that need to be discussed and the answers to these questions will determine what will be done about this incident.¡± Atheros with a somewhat relieved expression said, ¡°I will try, also I am glad you are not so filled with anger as other dragons.¡± Then Atheros, standing up, walked out of my lair. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- hope the change in respective was not too confusing also how many time can i put wyvern in one chapter... Chapter 7 – looking foward hello everyone, this is forgottenslayer, sorry for the slow release there is some family issues that i am dealing with, I will still try to post more chapters tomorrow but it will depend on what is going on. also this chapter is only see through fafnir''s eyes. if you see spelling or grammar issue please let me know i will try to fix them asap. here is the 7th chapter. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I was jarred from my contemplation by a delicious smell; I instantly recognized it as Thantos. Wondering how much time I spent explored this new feeling in my chest I lift my head turning towards the door. After a few seconds the door to my lair opened and a group of humans entered. the group consisted of the king, dressed in his fine robes, Thantos in his normal Gray robe, Atheros in his light leather armor, next in the door was a human I have not seen before, he had blond hair and had the build of a warrior, following was a stretcher carried by two guards in their normal armor, which moving my head a bit, I could see, the piece of meat (Bastros). Moving toward my hoard, still made of copper coins, the guards place the stretcher on the floor and excused themselves. Several servants followed the group carrying chairs and a large table. After a few minutes and about ten servants walking through the door there was now a meeting room setup in my lair. During this time I said nothing; I just watched them and waited. After everything was set the silence was broken by the new human. ¡°I would like to introduce myself,¡± he said giving a slight bow, ¡°I am Cirden. I am the king¡¯s weapon master, responsible for troop training in the capital.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you, I am the true dragon, Fafnir.¡± I replied. I could see a look of confusion on his face but it was quickly concealed. Turning to the matter at hand I begin to speak, ¡°thank you for coming to meet with me. I think there needs to be some¡­ discussion on who the man on the stretcher is and what his purpose is.¡± Looking at them with my draconic, I could start to smell sweat coming from them. After a few seconds the king sighed and began to speak, ¡°as you are now aware of our viewpoint the reason was as stated, though he did not follow instructions and report to the captain of the guard first. Also could you explain what you mean by true dragon?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if it the brooch or a misunderstanding, I am still learning from Atheros, but you see to mistake me for a lesser creature I know as a wyvern.¡± I explain, ¡°Wyverns are stupid creates that share some draconic characteristics, though they are as weak as children compared to true dragons.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I could not find anything about you in the library,¡± Atheros blurted out, attracting glairs from the other people in the room. ¡°My question is what is going to happen to this so called ¡®dragon tamer¡¯¡± I asked to all present. The king with a serious face looks at the man on the stretcher before speaking, ¡°there are no laws dealing with this situation.¡± Pausing for a minute, He spoke gravely, ¡°Though In the past any grievances dealing with heroes were left to the discretion of the heroes themselves.¡± I could see the pain evident on his face, as if he signed a man¡¯s death warrant. ¡°Fair enough,¡± I replied, ¡°I will contemplate on how to deal with him.¡± Hearing this, I could see anguish on all the faces present. ¡°Well then,¡± I said, ¡°then shall we talk about the second point of business?¡± ¡°Yes, I believe it has to do with you becoming the hero.¡± The king said. ¡°Though we did not realize how intelligent you were, we now understand our mistake.¡± ¡°Good, then I want to tell you what I think on this matter. I a few weeks¡¯ time I plan on leaving the capital.¡± A look of surprise appeared on the face of all present, except Bastros As he is asleep. ¡°the reason is simple, I need to experience life outside of my hoard .¡± I continued ¡°I have noticed that in the past two days my growth has slowed and I am itching to do something different. I will allow two humans to join me. I would prefer Atheros as one of the two the other I would request a mage, like Thantos.¡± If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Looking around the room I could see a mix of reactions. The king had a look of understanding. Thantos had a look of dread, ¡°I think he is scared of my,¡± I thought to myself. Atheros had a hopeful look, like he was eager for adventure. Cirden was just stroking his chin deep in thought. Bathos was still asleep I could smell the blood in the air, ¡°he should get that looked at¡±, I thought ¡°I can understand why you wish to leave and I can understand Atheros, but why a mage?¡± The king asked. ¡°I want to learn magic.¡± I replied, and the easiest way is from a mage.¡± ¡°Though,¡± I thought to myself,¡± magi do smell delicious¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Thantos shouted, ¡° can Dragons learn magic?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know until we try.¡± I replied while attempting to shrug my shoulders, ¡°Though I have the feeling that I will be able.¡± ¡°Dang,¡± Cirden said, ¡°a magic casting dragon would be terrifying.¡± ¡°Ok, I guess I understand,¡° the king said while drawing out the words. ¡°though, where would you go? There is not a place in my lands that will let a dragon just walk into their city and you have grown quite a bit.¡± ¡°Yes, I have grown,¡± I replied slightly annoyed with the repeated questions of the king. ¡°There are several places I have been thinking to visit. Atheros does leave his maps on the table in the corner. On the issue of size there are a couple things I need to talk to Thantos about.¡± ¡°Ok,¡± the king responded, I could see the skepticism plain on his face, ¡°I will need a few hour stop and think this over. I will send word with Atheros when I have made my decision.¡± The king stood up and said, ¡°Is there any other business?¡± ¡°No,¡± I replied, ¡°I will take care of the tamer.¡± I could see everyone wince as I said this and various people left the room looking at the man on the stretcher one last time. After a few hours had passed I was still looking at the unconscious Bastros. ¡°What should I do with you?¡± I kept thinking to myself. My anger had died down a while ago, especially after seeing the sorry state of the tamer. At first I was thinking that I was going to eat him but he did not smell delicious as magi do. So I have left him sleeping on the stretcher. ¡°I wonder what this place thinks about slaves¡­¡± I left that line of thinking alone for now. Another hour had passed when I heard a groan, ¡°Oh, what happened, I got the worst headache.¡± I looked over to see that Bastros had woken up. ¡°Good morning, snack,¡± I said trying to contain my laughter. ¡°Oh, Goddess it is the dragon.¡± He started to scream, ¡°Help!¡± ¡°quiet.¡± I said sharply. ¡°Or you will be a snack.¡± ¡°I am sorry, I hit you I was just doing me job.¡± Bastros replied as he started to cry laying on the stretcher. ¡°Now, the king left me in charge of your punishment.¡± I said looking over the prone man, ¡°I have some things I need to ask you, and your life expectancy will depend on your answers." Bastros¡¯ face went white and I could smell something acrid rising from the now unconscious man. ¡°Dang,¡± I said, ¡°I guess I will have to wait until he wakes up.¡± I got up off my hoard, and went to ask a guard to get someone to clean up after Bastros. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- one could only wonder what will happen to bastros... only time will tell. Chapter 8 – magic teacher i did manage to get to it. here is Chapter 8 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I was awoken by a sweet smell though the smell was different than Thantos''. , It has been several days since the meeting with the king. The king agreed that having me explore the kingdom would be beneficial. He also granted that Atheros would be the kings reprehensive, though I heard that that Thantos had declined to join the group; instead he will send one of his acolytes. ¡°This must be the Acolyte that I was told about¡± I thought to myself. After a few seconds the door to my lair opened and I was surprised with what stood at the door. The acolyte was about six feet tall but he lithe and looked gaunt. His skin was black as shadow and his eyes were a deep red. He had long pointed ears and a hair that was dark purple. He was dressed in simple leather armor. At his waist was a single hand-and-a-half sword. The most interesting feature of this elf was the tattoo around his neck. ¡° He looked pitiful,¡± I thought to myself, ¡°though misery is a great way to get loyal followers.¡± He walked toward my hoard and kneeled, ¡°I was sent by my master, Thantos, to teach you magic.¡± I sighed a bit and ask, ¡°Is that what Thantos told you to say?¡± ¡°Yes, it is the exact words of my master.¡± He replied. ¡°Ok,¡± I said, thinking for a bit said, ¡°did he tell you that I might eat you?¡± ¡°He did and it was this reason that I was chosen.¡± I started to chuckle as I remembered the words of the goddess. Thinking for a second, ¡°let me guess,¡± I start to speak. ¡°First you are a slave. Second you have some magic compulsion on you to obey your master. Third you have resigned yourself to die or something like that.¡± Looking at me confused, the elf replied, ¡°Yes, I am a slave. Yes, I have bound through the slave ritual. Though I know my friends are looking for me and I won¡¯t die here.¡± ¡°Well not bad,¡± I thought to myself. ¡°I could use him,¡± ¡°If I could break the slave ritual, would you serve me for a several years?¡± I ask. ¡°I was told I was to teach you magic,¡± the elf stated, a look of scientism on his face, ¡°and yet you imply that you can break the slave ritual?¡± ¡°You were also told I might eat you. Have you been devoured?¡± I replied. ¡°I have not been eaten yet. Though I did hear what happened to the last human that was left in your care.¡± He said with a hint of sarcasm. ¡°So he heard what happened to Bastros.¡± I thought to myself, ¡°would he believe me if I said it was an accident?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± I said, ¡°That was an accident.¡± though I left out the part of experimenting with my Draconic breath. It was not a pretty sight. ¡°How does one make half a body just disappear?¡± he yelled at which point a different sweet could smell came from the elf as he fell over. I could see him writhe in pain on the ground. After a few seconds I could see the relief spread over the elf¡¯s face, as he stood up, the sweet smell had also disappeared.¡± ¡°I am sorry for my belligerence.¡± The elf apologized, though I could see how it pained him to do so. ¡°So¡­ do you wish to serve me?¡± I ask while the chance is still hot? I could see him completing the offer. After a few minutes he replied, ¡°if you can break the ritual then I will serve your for 5 years. ¡°Perfect I respond.¡± And I move my snout towards his neck. I could see fear in his eyes and as I move closer, I could smell the sweat coming off of him. Putting my mouth at his throat I start to suck in mana as I have been practicing for the past several days. Though this one tasted different the the light crystals that I have been practicing on instead of the light creamy taste of the light crystals, I tasted a dark earthy taste like mushrooms. After a few seconds I heard a loud buzzing sound and then elf fell to the floor. I looked at the fallen elf and noticed that the tattoo on his neck was gone. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Well,¡± I thought to myself, ¡°that actually worked.¡± feeling full I laid my head down on my hoard and fell asleep once more.¡± -----------------------------------------------------Therin¡¯s (the elf) point of View ------------------------------------- I woke up with a massive headache. Clearing my head a bit I could see the sleeping form of the dragon. I backed away a little bit but as my head cleared, I felt different. I felt as strong as I did before I was captured by the stupid humans. ¡°wait,¡± I said to myself, ¡°did the dragon manage to break the ritual?¡± I looked at the dragon and noticed that it was no longer asleep. I could see his big glowing blue eye staring at me. ¡°Well now how do you feel?¡± the dragon asked as he examined me. ¡°I feel strong, did you remove the ritual?¡± I asked, hoping that he did. ¡°More or less,¡± He replied, ¡°the tattoo around your neck is gone and you don¡¯t have the earthy smell around you anymore.¡± ¡°What did he mean by earthy smell?¡± I thought to ask, but decided not to ask thinking it must be a dragon thing¡­¡± ¡°Now that you are mine,¡± my spine tingled as the dragon said this ¡°there are some things that must be done before we leave. First what should I call you?¡± ¡°My name is Therin¡± I replied. ¡°Just Therin?¡± the dragon asked, ¡°no family modifiers, no second names.¡± ¡°I am of common birth, and I have not achieved anything great enough to receive a second name.¡± I replied. ¡°Well Therin,¡± the dragon spoke, ¡°you may call me Fafnir. I don¡¯t need the master crap. First you should cover your neck it should be a surprise that you are no longer bound to your master. Second I want you to deliver a message to Atheros.¡± ¡°I am not allowed to go to that area of the castle,¡± I said to Fafnir, ¡°I have strict orders from my previous master to not go there, if I am found they will know the ritual has been broken.¡± ¡°Dang,¡± the dragon spoke, ¡°what the exact wording of your previous orders.¡± ¡°I was to obey your commands and to teach you magic.¡± I replied ¡°Well then,¡± the dragon spoke, ¡°I have ordered you to go deliver a message to Atheros. Tell him that ¡®I wish to meet with him about our journey.¡¯¡± ¡°Ha, well that is one way to get around it.¡± I start to laugh. I thought to myself as I got up off the floor, ¡°This is the first time I have laughed since the ambush. I think I will enjoy this dragon.¡± ¡°After you deliver your message,¡± the dragon said, ¡°I want you to send someone in here, I have a few other things I need, and get yourself something to eat while you are at it. If anyone asks I command you to eat something.¡± I walked out of Fafnir¡¯s lair with a smile on my face. I walked past one of the guards and greet him, as I headed towards the castle. I was brimming with excitement at the prospects of leaving this crappy kingdom. -------------------------------------------------------------------- tell me what you think and spell and grammar help is always welcome. Chapter 9 - Preparing to leave this is a repost where it seems my previous post was eaten some how... try post two... if the other shows up then i will remove this post... ¡°Sir Atheros,¡± a servant called out to me. ¡°There is a slave with a message here to see you.¡± I sighed and said, ¡°Well then let him.¡± While thinking to myself ¡°there are few people would send me messengers and most of them would only send it if it is important.¡± The servant bowed and walked out of the room. A few second later a dark elf opened the door bowing slightly he said. ¡°My lord, I bring a message from lord Fafnir.¡± ¡°Fafnir?¡± I thought to myself, ¡°Why would he send me a messenger. He would normally wait till I show up to read the reports with him.¡± ¡°Speak then,¡± I say to the elf. ¡°I was told to tell you that lord Fafnir wishes to meet with you about our journey.¡± The elf said. Thinking for a second, ¡°why would Fafnir send someone for me?¡± I ask myself. ¡°Maybe he just wants me to meet this slave.¡± ¡°What is your name?¡± I ask the elf. ¡°My name is Therin.¡± The elf replies. ¡°What else did Fafnir tell you to do besides to deliver the message?¡± I ask suspicious of Therin. The elf paused for a second before answering, ¡°he told me to get something to cover my neck and to fine something to eat after delivering the message.¡± When he said this I look at the slave¡¯s neck and I notice that he is missing a slave mark on his neck. I stood up and drew the sword on my waist. ¡°You are no slave, who really sent you?¡± ¡°Hold I was sent by lord Fafnir, he removed the slave mark, and told me to come deliver a message.¡± he replied with his hands raised. ¡°How and why did he remove the slave mark? I asked sword still at the ready. ¡°I don¡¯t know how, he did something to my neck and then it was gone. As for the why, in exchange for the removal of the slave mark I will serve him for the next 4 years and 364 days.¡± Therin replied. ¡°I see,¡± I replied sheathing my sword, ¡°you are dismissed.¡± The elf, moving his shirt to cover his neck, walks out of the room. I gather the reports I normally read and head for the dragons lair. ----------------------------------POV ¨C Fafnir¡¯s --------------------------------------------- ¡°Hello, Atheros.¡± I said as I say him come through the door. ¡°Hello, Fafnir.¡± Atheros replied, ¡°What¡¯s up with the elf?¡± ¡°Ah, so you have met the acolyte that Thantos sent to conduct my magic lesions¡± I replied. Atheros walked to the table in the corner and set his stuff down, ¡°I have never met him before.¡± ¡°I figured,¡± I said to myself, ¡°I guess Thantos is scared of me¡­¡± I start to chuckled remembering the look on his face when we first talked. ¡°So, what did you want to talk about?¡± Atheros asked. ¡°Well there are several things we need to discuss.¡± I replied, ¡°Like travel arrangements, supplies, locations, and possible targets¡­¡± I list off. ¡°Well,¡± Atheros said, ¡°the supplies will be covered by the king, as for the other things¡­ I know where demons are attacking you will be hard to fit in most places. So we need to figure something about that.¡± At this point Atheros starts mumbling to himself. I could tell he has stopped paying attention and has gone off to his own place. I watch him as he sits down and starts writing things down. giving up on talking with him as he is too engrossed in his work Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.¡°I wish I could read their language.¡± I say to myself feeling a little depressed. I took a deep breath. I felt a bit proud of myself because the lights did not dim. A they had been doing for the past few days ¡°Well if there is one thing I have been doing is learning how this body works.¡± I thought to myself. After a little while I stood up and stretched. I spread my blue-white wings, and I watched Atheros jump at the sudden movement. then settle back into whatever he is doing ¡°Well¡±, I said to Atheros, ¡°I think I am going to go outside for a bit to stretch.¡± Atheros did not respond as he was too engrossed in his works. I walked to the oak like door and with my tail I pushed the door open. Daylight streamed into my normally dim lair, as walked through the door. I could see the surprise evident on the faces of the guards as they saw me walk out of my lair. I looked at the blue sky and I could see a few clouds drifting here and there. In the distance I could hear the clash of swords. Interested in the sound I move closer and there were several groups of people watching pairs spar; no one seemed to notice me as I moved closer. Watching the match I could see some of the guards or soldiers had skill. I took a few minutes before I heard someone yelp as they noticed the large dragon watching them. ¡°hello.¡± I said to the group of armed men, who had started to pull out their weapons. ¡°Wait,¡± one of the guards said, ¡°are you the dragon that has been nesting in the old grain silo?¡± ¡°I was not nesting,¡± I replied a little annoyed, ¡°but yes I am that dragon.¡± I could see some of their eyes widen as they took their hands from their weapons. ¡°That means this is the dragon that is going to kill the demon king.¡± One of the soldiers said. ¡°Those dirty demons will get it now.¡± Another guy shouted. ¡°I don¡¯t have to worry about going to war now that I see how big the dragon is¡± Said another. The group of soldiers crowd around me cheering, I felt uncomfortable with all the stares and cheers, that I let a deep rumbling growl escaped my mouth. All the soldiers took a step away from me fear evident on their face. At which point a familiar voice yelled, ¡°Form up!¡± I saw Cirden, dressed in his half plate armor, walking towards the group that surrounded me as they scrambled to get into formation. ¡°Hello, Dragon.¡± Cirden called walking up to me ¡°Hello, Snack.¡± I replied. ¡°Well, someone woke up on the wrong side of the hoard.¡± Cirden said while laughing. ¡°Interesting,¡± I replied putting a claw to my chin. ¡°I did not think that a pile could have sides.¡± This caused many of the soldiers to start to laugh. ¡°What brings you to this training field, trying to impress the guards with your beautiful form?¡± I enjoyed the pleasure of the comment towards my scales before replying, ¡°no I just needed to stretch a bit and the sounds of swords drew my interest. ¡°Well, boy and girls,¡± Cirden shouted, ¡°I seem that we have to train harder. We need to impress the hero.¡± A chorus of groans could be in in the field. The soldiers dispersed into groups and started to spar once again. I walked to a corner of the field and laid down to watch the soldiers train, Asking myself, ¡°why do they need a hero?¡± ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- spelling checkers are always welcome and tell me what you think in the comments. Chapter 10 – magic lessons here is the next chapter. the previous one never did reappear... sad day. i am warning you that i will be gone between the 26 through the 2nd. I am attending a funeral of my uncle who passed away and i have to travel to southern florida and i don''t know if there will be time to post more chapters. Well without further ado chapter 10 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°Feel the power burn within you and then let it out. Feel it consume your enemies.¡± I say to my young dragon apprentice. ¡°If I wanted to consume them I would use my mouth not fire.¡± The Fafnir replied, ¡°every time I try to gather magic, as you said elf, the lights in the room go out.¡± I sigh slightly, thinking to myself, ¡°If it was a normal humanoid I would say that he has no talent for magic but after living in the corner of his lair for the past couple of days and seeing him cast several advanced spells while sleeping, I know better.¡± ¡°Ok,¡± I said to the young dragon, ¡°let us try something different. I want you to sit down and find a ball of light in yourself.¡± I watched the dragon lay down and close his blue eyes. The lights in the room dimmed and brightened to the tempo of his breathing. I could feel the mana surrounding the dragon, though something must have happened I could feel the mana around the dragon began to disperse. ¡°Whenever I look for the light ball thing I never find anything, everything around me is bright.¡± The dragon growled at me. ¡°Normally, people just see a ball of light in darkness,¡± I thought to myself, ¡°maybe because he is a dragon; he does not have it concentrated in a ball¡­¡± ¡°Fafnir,¡± I called out. ¡°What Therin.¡± He snapped at me. I could feel a burst of magic from Fafnir. A second later the barrel that he has been trying to burn for the past several hours burst into flames. ¡°See, you did it.¡± I said to the dragon while backing up a little. The flames casting shadows on the face of the dragon making him look more sinister. ¡°Yes, I did¡­ now I just have to do it again.¡± the dragon said after sighing. ¡°Well,¡± I said to the dragon, while still creeping towards the door, ¡°I will have the guards bring in several more barrels to burn while you perfect your fire magic.¡± I quickly turn around and walk out of the dragon¡¯s lair. ¡°Excuse me,¡± I said to the guard. I could see distain, clear on the guard¡¯s face as he looked at me. ¡°Lord Fafnir has requested more barrels as the one he was using has been burned to ash during magic practice.¡± ¡°Why can you get it? Slave¡± The guard asked me. ¡°Lord Fafnir told me, to tell you to get it, Then after telling you to wait outside until he has mastered it,¡± I replied, ¡°I am just doing as my master commanded.¡± I said to the guard, stretching the truth a bit to get a little revenge. ¡°Dang, slave.¡± I could hear the guard mutter as he walked across the castle courtyard. I smiled a bit as I leaned against the lair door, Thinking on the horrid things that that I will do 1823 days to all the gullible humans for the indignation of slavery. ---------------------------------POV ¨C Fafnir¡¯s --------------------------------------- ¡°How did I do that?¡± I asked myself as I watched the barrel burn. I tried controlling my magic just as Therin told me, I keep trying to visualize the supposed ball of energy, but I can¡¯t. ¡°I am a mana dragon. I am part magic. Why is so hard to cast it.¡± I start to complain. I watched the flames dance across the wood of the barrel as I considered how I lit it the first time. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. I heard the door open while I was trying to find the light ball. I opened one eye to see two guards start to bring in barrels. ¡°Dang barrels.¡± I thought to myself as I concentrate on the new barrels. ¡°lord Fafnir,¡± one of the guards said interrupting me, ¡°What?!¡± I shouted, seething with hatred at the guard that interrupted me. At which point something strange happened, I felt something moving around in my chest, then I watched the guard who was moving around a barrel disappeared into a cloud of dust. ¡°Serves him right,¡± I thought to myself before realizing what I just done. ¡°Therin.¡± I called to the elf who knew was right outside the door. ¡°Yes, Fafnir?¡± the elf asked. ¡°How do I fix someone who I accidently turned into a cloud of dust?¡± I asked looking at the dust pile. ¡°What do you mean ¡®cloud of dust¡¯?¡± Therin asked confusion plain on his face. I pointed my claw to the pile of dust next to the broken barrel which the guard had been carrying. ¡°That pile of dust used to be one of the guards, he interrupted me while I was concentrating and well you see what happened.¡± ¡°Well good news and bad news dragon.¡± Therin said with a big smile on his face. ¡°Good news is that you just used a high level disintegration magic that only a few of the top magi can cast and you killed a pathetic human at the same time.¡± Then looking more serious he said, ¡°Bad news is now we have a pile of dust on the floor that needs to be cleaned up.¡± ¡°So he is gone?¡± I ask surprised at the callous remark. ¡°Yep, there is no recovery from being disintegrated.¡± The elf replied. ¡°Here is the good part; did you feel something when you cast the spell?¡± ¡°Yes¡± I replied somewhat surprised at the question. ¡°It felt like something was in my chest moving.¡± ¡°Good remember that spot,¡± Therin said, ¡°because your magic is concentrated in that spot. There is where you need to feel the movement of magic. Now I would suggest you continue to practice on the barrels.¡± I could hear the elf humming a tune as he made his way to the door and left my lair. ¡°Well, I hope no one will miss the guard.¡± I thought to myself as I explore the part of my chest where my magic resides. A few hours later I hear a knock at the door to my lair. After a few seconds I see Cirden walkthrough the door. ¡°Hello there dragon¡± Cirden said in a friendly manner. ¡°Hello again snack.¡± I replied to the armored man. ¡°I was wondering if you have made a snack of any of my guards lately?¡± he asked with a serious face. ¡°I have not eaten any of your guards.¡± I replied, ¡°Though I have been practicing magic lately.¡± ¡°Ah, I see,¡± the armored man replied, ¡°I only ask because Ryk, one of my guards, has gone missing and he was last seen entering here.¡± ¡°I have just been concentrating on magic. Though I thought I heard someone but when I looked nothing was there, I hope he is alright.¡± I lie through my fangs, and hope he does not realize I am lying. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- as always spelling and grammar checking is appreciated. and tell me what you think below. chapter 11 - last chance here is another great chapter... go back to chapter 10 to vote in the poll for the special chapter... i will await on my pile of pennies... note on the chapter poll... the different race chapter will be a one off as sort of a what if... i will be keeping fafnir as a dragon... without further ado chapter 11 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°Wake up stupid dragon,¡± I heard shouted at me while half asleep. ¡°What?!¡± I reply, mad at the people who rudely woke me up. ¡°We know you murdered Ryk, you dumb beast¡± shouted another. I opened my eyes to see about 10 men all outfitted for battle. They all had long spears and heavy armor, and they were pointing them at me. I guessed that is the slandered attire of you would use if you were hunting wyvern. ¡°I did not murder him¡± I replied, unconcerned with the spears pointed at me, ¡°and if you do not remove those spears you will not be able to when I am finished.¡± ¡°We know he came in here and no one has seen him since.¡± Another guard shouted, ¡°What you do with him you scaly beast?¡± another shouted. I looked over to see that Therin was standing in the shadows with his hand on his sword, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. ¡°Leave now; I would be a poor guest if I disposed of my hosts staff.¡± I commanded, barely keeping in my anger. ¡°He is only three weeks old, we can take him!¡± another guard shouted. That is all it took to send me over the edge. I drew in a deep breath, concentrating on the point in the back of my throat; I unleashed my draconic breath. The guards did not even have time to scream as the blue-white cloud enveloped them causing them to be over saturated with mana. As more and more mana was absorbed they started to decompose into a blue white liquid. I took a deep breath in concentrating on drawing mana, causing the liquid to flow into my mouth. As the liquid hit my tongue a sweet taste flooded my mouth as I devoured their remains. ¡°Holy crap!¡± Therin shouted, ¡°what in the dark god¡¯s name was that?!¡± ¡°My draconic breath¡± I replied starting to feel sleepy due to the full stomach. ¡°What in the dark gods¡¯ domain is a draconic breath? I have never seen a dragon or any other creature do what you just did.¡± Therin said still surprised. ¡°That is easy to explain.¡± I said while laughing a bit, ¡°you have never seen a true dragon. All you have dealt with are the lesser wyverns. All true dragons all have some sort of breath that they can use.¡± ¡°Well so much for you being defenseless.¡± Therin remarked. ¡°Who ever said I was defenseless,¡± irate that any would dare underestimate me. I took a deep breath trying to rain in my more draconic side. ¡°Everyone assumed because of your age¡­¡± Therin started to say, I could smell the acrid scent of sweat fill the air as I stared at him. ¡°Whatever,¡± I said, interrupting the clearly nervous elf, ¡°though it is dark outside, I want you to retrieve Atheros. After grabbing him I want you to find Cirden and have him join us as well.¡± I laid my head back down as I heard the elf run out the door into the darkness. ¡°It is going to be a long night¡± I thought to myself as I looked at the half liquefied corpses. ------------------------------------------------------POV ¨C Atheros------------ I was awoken by a knocking t my door. I rubbed my eyes as the person on the other side of the door knocked again. ¡°Enter,¡± I said sitting up. I looked up to see Therin enter my room. ¡°What?¡± I asked the former slave. ¡°Fafnir was attacked and he slaughtered the 10 guards in under a minute. He also wants to see you.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked as I tried to comprehend what the elf had just said to me. ¡°Fafnir was attacked by a group of guards.¡± The elf repeated slowly, ¡°and then he killed them all in under a minute.¡± The elf Paused for second while he seemed to observe my reaction. . ¡°Who would attack the dragon?¡± I asked still confused to what happened. ¡°Some, now dead, guards dressed in full dragon hunting gear.¡± Therin curtly replied. ¡°Dang it!¡± I swore, ¡°Have you awoken Cirden?¡± ¡°I was told by Fafnir to get you first and then go get Cirden.¡± The elf replied, surprised at my response. ¡°Well give me a second to get my armor on it will be a long night.¡± I said while I walked to my wardrobe. I grabbed my leather jerkin and my forearm guards and tighten them to get a snug fit. I place the boots and lace them up. . ¡°Let¡¯s go get Cirden¡± I said to Therin, who was leaning against the wall cleaning under his nails. We walked through the twisting hallways of the castle towards the barracks, greeting the various guards along the way. We arrived at Cirden¡¯s room and knocked on the door. ¡°Come in¡± I heard through the door. I opened the door to a partially dressed Cirden sitting on the edge of his bed. ¡°What is it that forced you to come visit me in the middle of the night?¡± ¡°Great choice of words there¡­¡± I replied with a disapproving look on my face. ¡°We have trouble.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t everyone¡± I could hear him mutter. ¡°What is the issue?¡± he asked stretching slightly. ¡°Several guards attacked Fafnir and have been killed.¡± I said. ¡°Girden must have gone behind my back.¡± He said to himself shaking his head. ¡°I am about to go see Fafnir, apparently he wants to see you as well.¡± ¡°Let me get dressed and then we shall go see the dragon.¡± He said while he stood up. he walked to the corner to grab the armor from the stand. Quickly donning his armor we all leave and head towards the dragon¡¯s lair. I knocked on the door to the old grain silo that served as the liar to Fafnir before we entered. The air smelled sweat, as if someone was making caramel. Looking in the dimly lit room I could see the half melted remains of several people. ¡°What happened here?¡± I asked fearing the answer. ¡°These people dared to attack me,¡± the dragon replied, ¡°so I killed them all.¡± I was stunned at the dragon¡¯s blunt reply. ¡°You killed them?¡± I parroted back not able to comprehend what was just said. I could see that Cirden was also shocked at the reply. ¡°Yes I killed them.¡± I could hear the annoyance in his voice. ¡°Also I will be leaving in the morning with Therin,¡± the dragon declared. ¡°Atheros, you may still join me, but no others.¡± ¡°Why tomorrow, I thought that we wouldn''t leave for at least another week.¡± Atheros replied ¡°In a week there might be no one left in the city, if i keep having to deal with humans who don''t know their place..¡± The dragon replied, I trembled at the thought of him in a rage. ¡°Cirden, control your troops or there won''t be many left.¡± Fafnir advised. ¡°I will see what I can do.¡± Cirden replied with a grim face. Cerdin and I left the dragon¡¯s lair and looked at each other. ¡°Go tell the king, I will join you shortly,¡± I said to him as we walked across the pavilion. ¡°I need to pack so I can leave when the dragon does.¡± ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- as always spelling and grammer... also tell me what you think... Chapter 12 – leaving Hi y''all here is another chapter. Merry Christmas to all. As a reminder I will be away until after the new year. If I can post chapter I will try and I will resume when I return. Voting for the bonus chapter is still open for a few more days. I know I explained previously but the poll is for a one off chapter as a what if, fafnir will remain a dragon in this series. With out further ado chapter 12 --------------------------------------------- I took another deep breath as I tried to calm my anger. ¡°It is getting harder and harder to keep calm.¡± I thought to myself atop of my hoard. I watched the sun start to raise, the sky going from black to a deep red to shades of orange. I could hear the commotion outside of my lair, as the humans prepared for my departure. It was shortly after sunrise when Atheros appeared. He had a large pack on his back and when he walked I could hear the soft clink of coins. ¡°Why would I notice the coins?¡± I thought to myself.¡± ¡°Fafnir, I am ready to depart.¡± Atheros said standing before my hoard. ¡°Well I am not ready to depart.¡± I replied, ¡°There is something I am trying to figure out and will take me a few hours to understand.¡± I chuckled slightly as I imaged Atheros scrambling to be packed for first light. ¡°Well, how are you going to get out of the city unnoticed?¡± Atheros asked with a look of confusion. ¡°If a dragon were to appear in the city, there would be panic.¡± ¡°I know,¡± I replied, ¡°everyone needs a little bit of chaos, right?¡± I start to chuckle as Atheros turns white. ¡°I might be able to avoid panic, if you bring Thantos. There are some things I need to ask him, that the elf could not answer.¡± ¡°I will see what I can do.¡± Atheros replied, as he leaned his pack on the wall of my lair, before he walked into the courtyard. ¡°Hay elf,¡± I yelled at the prone figure. ¡°What,¡± he responded in a groan. ¡°I need your help; I wish to teach a lesson to you dear ex-master.¡± I said. I watched the elf¡¯s ears rise a bit at the suggestion. ¡°What do you have in mind?¡± Therin asked interest clear in his voice. ¡°I has come to my attention that Thantos believes that I eat magi.¡± I started to explain, ¡°I want Thantos to walk in looking like I am about eat you. I believe he will wet his pants.¡± ¡°How will you make him think I am about to be eaten?¡± Therin asked a bit nervous. ¡°I can smell magi from a distance,¡± I explained, ¡°as he is about to open the door you just have to be pinned to the floor with my mouth hanging over you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about this.¡± Therin replied, as he started to back away. ¡°As much as I would like to get back at the old wind bag, you hang over me with your mouth wide open¡­¡± ¡°You have nothing to fear,¡± I replied, with my face in as much of a smile as I could manage with a snout, ¡°as you are mine until you have finished your term of service.¡± The elf walked over mumbling something about a mother but I ignore his remarks. ¡°well what are you waiting for?¡± he asked. ¡°He is not here yet, we have time. I will let you know when he is coming¡± I replied, I caught more of Therin¡¯s mumbling; It was colorful to say the least. It was a few minutes before I caught the sweet smell of Thantos¡¯ mana. ¡°He¡¯s coming,¡± I said to the not so happy elf. Therin stood up and walked over to me. He laid down and I stood over him with my gaping jaws. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. The door opened and I could see Thantos¡¯ face bleached white and a small puddle formed around him. He ran out the door screaming about a mage eating dragon. I pulled my head back and started laughing. Therin, getting up, also started to laugh. ¡°I was a bit nervous at first, but it was worth it to see that.¡± The elf coughed out gasping for breath between laughs. ¡°Now we just need to get him to answer my questions.¡± I said calming myself. ¡°Go retrieve him, if it is anyone else I don¡¯t know if he would listen.¡± Therin, still laughing, left my lair to go catch Thantos. After about ten minutes both Therin and Thantos stood before my hoard, though it seems that Thantos changed his robe. ¡°do you know any size modification magic?¡± I asked the old mage. ¡°I know some, but what would you need that for?¡± He asked before realization dawned on his face. ¡°You cannot cast it on living things or you will kill them.¡± ¡°what do you mean by kill them?¡± I asked ¡°They become over saturated with mana before the spell could activate.¡± He replied. I started to laugh, ¡°Well then I should have no problem.¡± I said to Thantos, ¡°I want you to cast it on me.¡± ¡°you will die if I do that!¡± he shouted. ¡°cast it on me mage,¡± I said menacingly, ¡°or I will eat you.¡± I could smell the sweet scent of mana in the air as he started to cast the spell. After a few seconds I could feel the magic start to flow over and envelope me. It started to tighten and I could feel pressure on my scales. I shook a bit and the feeling dissipated. Thantos was panting heavily from casting magic. ¡°Did you cast it?¡± I asked yes, he replied catching his breath, ¡°but it did not effect you.¡± I though about the Magic Thantos used, and I felt for the spot in my chest. Shaping the magic as I have been practicing the past few days I could feel the magic constricting my scales. After a few seconds the pressure stopped and I opened my draconic eyes and before me was a giant elf. ¡°Ha, it worked.¡± I said with excitement. ¡°Yes, great job you went from a great menace to a tiny lizard.¡± Therin said. ¡°Who do you think you are calling me a tiny lizard,¡± I responded, while breaking the spell. Returning to my original size. ¡°Snack!¡± ¡°I am just a servant, if you have any grievances, talk to my master.¡± Therin said. ¡°Ha, you have a quick toung elf.¡± I replied chuckling. ¡°You may punish him,¡± Thantos said, while looking at the elf, ¡°he needs to learn his place.¡± If you were the master,¡± I replied to Thantos, ¡°I would consider your words, but you are not his master, I am little Mage.¡± ¡°What do you mean, I am his master.¡± Thantos said before removing Therin¡¯s scarf. I could see Thantos¡¯ surprised face as he noticed the slave tattoo was missing. I started to chuckle, ¡°everything is not as it seems mage. We will be leaving in an hour, tell Atheros to meet us before then or he will have to find us.¡± ----------------------------------------------- Grammar check as usual tell me what you think Chapter 13 – heading out i was able to write this on the trip down and i had an internet net connection for a while so i decided to release it. the poll closed and i will be doing the ONE OFF SIDE SHORT STORY THING as if he got selected as a demon. i renamed it a short story as my chapters sit around 1200 words and that is too short for a story... i will see if i can get more done and if i get an internet connection i will post it. without further ado chapter 13 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°Dang this dragon is heavy,¡± I thought to myself as I walked down the crowded capital street. ¡°Where do I go now, Atheros?¡± I asked as I dodged people. ¡°Keep going down this street and then I will tell you when to turn, ok elf.¡± Atheros replied for the 5th. I heard the dragon, who was perched on my shoulder, start to chuckle. ¡°Are we there yet?¡± Fafnir asked. ¡°No¡­ we are not¡± I replied confused at the dragon¡¯s increased laughter. ¡°Hurry up,¡± the dragon said, ¡°this spell makes my scales itch.¡± The three of us continued down the street and turned down the street Atheros indicated. We walked between various stalls and their keepers¡¯ hawking their wares. I watched a well-dressed man with guards at his side walk towards us, his eyes locked on me. ¡°That seems to be a well-trained dragon you have there.¡± The man said. ¡°I will buy it from you.¡± ¡°I would not sell him to the likes of you.¡± I replied flippantly; hoping not to anger the dragon close to my neck I continue. ¡°I don¡¯t think you could appreciate having a dragon as fine as this one.¡± ¡°What do you know stupid elf.¡± The man yelled, ¡°Do you know who you are talking too.¡± At this point Atheros finally caught up. ¡°Ah, Baron Stargard,¡± Atheros called out, ¡°What brings you to the city.¡± The Baron surprised to see Atheros, replied, ¡°Well, Sir Atheros, I did not expect to see you away from the castle. Do you know this elf?¡± ¡°Yes, this is Therin; he is the new hero¡¯s personal servant.¡± Atheros replied. ¡°yes,¡± he replied rather loudly, ¡°I heard about the new hero, though I have not seen the man.¡± I could once again hear Fafnir chuckle. ¡°Well, the hero is hard at work training for battle.¡± Atheros replied; I could see Atheros glaring at the dragon, but the dragon was ignoring the glare. ¡°Well, that is convenient. I came to offer my services in preparing our hero in sword play.¡± the baron replied haughtily. ¡°I wish you well in your endeavors.¡± Atheros replied, trying to end the conversation, ¡°I have been sent on a mission from the king and will be away from the castle for some time.¡± ¡°I was good to see you as well.¡± He said as he continued toward the castle. ¡°Well,¡± the dragon said, ¡°why should I help you guys if those are the kind of people ruling the place?¡± ¡°please don¡¯t judge us by a few people,¡± Atheros replied flustered. ¡°I will withhold judgement for the time being.¡± Fafnir replied, ¡°Because I am wise enough to know that. Now let us hurry up before I release the spell and you have a large annoyed dragon in your city.¡± ---------------------------------------POV----Fafnir---------------------------- ¡°This spell itches.¡± I thought to myself while perched atop Therin¡¯s shoulder. We had walked through most of the city and I could see the city gates. ¡°Hurry up,¡± I said to Therin, ¡°I can see the gates and the sooner I can cancel this spell the better.¡± Stolen story; please report. ¡°We can only go so fast or sir too polite, will never catch up with us.¡± Therin replied. ¡°Well, we can¡¯t all be as irritating as you.¡± I replied in a sarcastic tone. I turned my head to watch Atheros politely try to walk through the crowds. ¡°After we pass through the gates we can wait for him.¡± I replied trying to ignore the itch. Dodging the crowds we arrive at the large stone gates. I could see several guards walking along the ramparts and there was a squad of men watching people walk through the stone gates. We passed under the iron portcullis and into the poorer area of the capital. Moving off to one side we wait for Atheros to once again catch up. ¡°How did you guys get through the crowd so fast?¡± Atheros asked when he catch up ¡°What human wants to mess with a dark elf?¡± Therin replied. ¡°Now that we are out of the gates do you wish to tell us where we are going my dear master?¡± Therin asked. ¡°I guess,¡± I replied, ¡°we are going to head north.¡± ¡°Why north?¡± Atheros asked. ¡°There is nothing but mountains and demihuman up there.¡± ¡°Well, I replied, ¡°the first reason I don¡¯t think you could comprehend.¡± ¡°And the second is for me,¡± Therin interrupted. ¡°The elf villages are in that direction.¡± ¡°That is correct.¡± I replied. ¡°Therin has business at home. There are other things that I can accomplish there as well.¡± ¡°What should I tell the king?¡± Atheros asked a bit worried. ¡°Tell the king I am preparing something grand or something like that.¡± I replied. ¡°I still need time to consider how to deal with the demon king issue. Though I don¡¯t think they will invade any time soon.¡± ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Atheros asked confusion plain on his face. ¡°I have my sources,¡± I lied, giving a toothy grin. As we headed out of the city there was one building that caught my eye. Above the door of a large building on the sign was a crossed sword and staff. ¡°What building is that I asked?¡± I asked as I could smell several magi in there. Therin looked over and chucked a bit. ¡°It is a branch office of mercenary guild.¡± Therin said, ¡°Interested in working for people lower than us?¡± ¡°Not particularly but it does smell delicious.¡± I replied smelling the mana. ¡°Let¡¯s go, before I get hungry.¡± We continued walking out of the city heading in a northward direction. Passing the run down houses at the fringes of the city and we walked out into the surrounding plains. After leaving the city I released the spell and returned to my normal size. I started to stretch my scaled form and spread out my blue-white wings. ¡°Watch it,¡± Therin said while dodging a wing. ¡°Atheros,¡± I called out. ¡°Does any kingdom use Wyverns as mounts?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± he replied, ¡°though there are few of them as the trainers tend to get eaten.¡± ¡°Well, much as I expected.¡± I replied, thinking of the so called dragon tamer, ¡°I am going to get a better view head north and I will meet you in a few hours¡± ¡°Can I ride on your back?¡± Therin asked I could see a glint in his eye. ¡°No!¡± I replied sharply, ¡°why would I let anyone ride me, snack?¡± ¡°It was worth a shot,¡± he replied while backing up slowly. I could smell the sweat on him. I spread out my wings before I started running. I leap up and using my powerful wings I climbed up into the sky. I looked below and I could see not only the whole capital city but I could see for miles in all directions. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- let me know in the comments what you think and spelling and grammar checking is always good though it will take longer for me to fix until i get beck Chapter 14 - city troubles Hi y''all, happy new year, I got enough of a connection to upload this chapter. it is longer than my normal length. well without further ado chapter 14 --------------------Therin ¨CPOV------------------- ¡°What else do we need to get?¡± I asked Atheros, my pack heavy with supplies. ¡°We got provisions for us, now we just need mana crystals for the dragon.¡± Atheros replied. It has been almost a week since we left the capital. We have made our way north until we arrived at the city of Stad. ¡°Why do we need to get so many supplies?¡± I asked, ¡°The first of the elfin villages is only a three day walk.¡± ¡°It is better to be prepared then to risk running out.¡± Atheros stated. ¡°I think we have about two weeks worth of supplies.¡± I responded, thinking of all the things we had bought. ¡°When I first joined the scouting force I had the same mentality as you had.¡± Atheros started to remains, ¡°We got stuck in the mountains east of the bay of daric.¡± It was at this point that I is started to ignore Atheros. ¡°Where is this magic shop?¡± I asked interrupting Atheros. ¡°Down the street and to the left is what the butcher said right before we left.¡± he replied. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry who knows what trouble that dragon can get into.¡± Therin said heading towards the magic shop. -----------Fafnir--POV--------- ¡°What is taking them so long?¡± I think to myself as I basked in the sun. A rustling sound interrupted my nap. I opened one of my large eyes and I watched a pair of small boys jump from the bushes. ¡°Ahhh. A dragon,¡± Shrieked one of the boys, as he ran back into the forest. ¡°Hello,¡± I called out to the boy. An acrid scent filled the air as the boy fell to the ground. ¡°Well¡­¡± I said looking at the prone figure of the child. I smiled a bit as the boy reminded me off my own brother before I was taken to this world. Feeling sympathy for the boy I carefully wrapped my strong tail around him and placed him next to me. ¡°I will let him sleep for a bit.¡± I thought to myself as I closed my eyes enjoying the warmth of the sun. A few hours passed and I heard the boy stir. ¡°I wasn¡¯t eaten.¡± I heard the boy say. ¡°I can fix that if you wish?¡± I said to the boy chuckling a bit. ¡°You can talk?¡±¡± the boy exclaimed with awe. ¡°Why would not be able to talk?¡± I replied humoring the boy. ¡°My dad said that dragons can¡¯t talk, and they are mean, and I should run away if I see one.¡± The boy said all in one breathe. ¡°Well, how about I take you back to your dad,¡± I said to the boy as I stood up,¡± you have been asleep for a few hours.¡± The boy led us through the forest until we arrived at the edge of a field. ¡°My house is over there,¡± pointing to a house on the other side of the hill, ¡°Mr. Dragon, why don¡¯t you come and meet my daddy.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think thank that is a good idea.¡± I said to the boy, thinking about the typical reactions when seeing a dragon. ¡°Well then I will be right back, Wait here.¡± The boy said as he ran across the field. I watched him run into the house and walked back to the clearing to continue my nap. Several hours passed and there was still no sign of Atheros and Therin. The sun was getting low in the sky and the trees covered me in shade. I got up and stretched and started to move towards the city. As I got close to the city I cast the shrinking spell and I flew towards the city wall. Coming upon the high black stone walls of the city I flew over them and started to look for Therin. As I got towards the center of the city I could pick out the earthy sweet smell of Therin¡¯s mana. I started home in on Therin¡¯s scent and it led me to a large stone building. Watching the building for a little while from the roof of a nearby building, I watched several armed guards walk into and out of the build. ¡°That must be the city garrison,¡± I thought to myself, ¡°why would they be there?¡± Watching the place for about half an hour there was no sign of Therin coming out of the building, I decided that I was going to retrieve my servant. I jumped from my perch on the roof while releasing the spell expanding to my full size. Standing in front of the garrison I use my fore claw to push open the doors. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Dragon in the garrison!¡± a guard shouted. I could hear people scrambled in the next room. The guard pulled out his sword and swung out his shield. ¡°if you wish to continue to use your sword I would suggest you put it away.¡± I said menacingly The guard ignoring my threat charged at me as other guards started to stream into the hallway. I took in a deep breath I shaped my lips to let my draconic breath come out in a small stream. The guard ran head long into the blue-white stream coating his sword in pure mana. He dropped his sword as it dissolve into a blueish white liquid. ¡°Stop!¡± I commanded, mana leaked into my voice and made it many times louder than I intended. All the guards froze staring at me. "I am looking for my servant.¡± I stated. ¡°I know he is in this building.¡± ¡°Captain, is that dragon talking?¡± one of the guards asked dumbfounded. ¡°I think so Zes¡± another man responded. ¡°The dragon has a name you know.¡± I said irritated. ¡°Now go retrieve my servant or I will destroy this building and the surround area.¡± ¡°Who is your servant?¡± one of the guards asked. ¡°A male dark elf, named Therin¡± I replied to the guard. ¡°Ah, the elf that made a fool of a noble.¡± One of the guards said. ¡°Sounds like something he would so.¡± I replied with a sigh. ¡°I am sorry dragon, but we cannot until we have cut out his tongue for his disrespect.¡± the guard replied. ¡°If you damage my property there will be nothing left of this city.¡± I said I a low voice. ¡°Ha!¡± one of the guards laughed, ¡°A mere dragon destroying the city.¡± ¡°You have five minutes to retrieve my servant before I destroy this place.¡± I said barely keeping my anger in check. ¡°Since you can talk we ask you to wait until we have cut his tongue out.¡± The guard said. ¡°Four minutes.¡±¡± I replied counting down. ¡°What are you going to do dragon.¡± Another guard asked with his sword drawn. ¡°After I retrieve my servant, I will unleash enough raw mana into this building that it will dissolve into a sweet delicious soup.¡± I banally replied. ¡°Two minutes.¡± I stated with the guards still pointing their swords at me. ¡°Time is up.¡± I stated, ¡°Where is my propriety?¡± ¡°It will be an hour before we can get the doctor to remove his tongue.¡± The guard stated looking behind him sword still at the ready. ¡°We will even forgive you about the destroyed sword. ¡°Well then you all die for impeding my plans.¡± I drew in a large breath as I prepared to use my draconic breath. Right before I let out the cloud of death, a man shouted. ¡°Hold dragon, the doctor is here and he will be performing the removal shortly.¡± My anger flared at the man, the magic left me and the man dissolved into dust. with rage clouding my thoughts I let out my draconic breath and the blue-white cloud filled the room with mana. In seconds all the guards had dissolved, I drew up the liquid its sweet taste flooding my mouth. I made my way through the garrison to the dungeon below. Lightning bolts flashed through the cloud of mana that surrounded me in my anger.I found Therin strapped to a table with a man standing over him preparing several knives. With a though the man was dust. I destroyed the bonds around Therin¡¯s hands and feet. ¡°Leave the city and head north,¡± I instructed to the elf as he got off the table, ¡°there is a house on the edge forest on top of a hill about an hour¡¯s walk from here. There is a boy around the age of 6, say to the family of that kid, ¡®that the kind dragon directed him there and told me to wait.¡¯ I will retrieve you from there. Also where is Atheros?¡± ¡°Atheros and I got separated in the marketplace though we agreed to meet at the north gate before sundown.¡± Therin said with fear in his voice. ¡°Go, I have to deal with these worms that dare confuse me with Wyverns.¡± --------------------------------------------------------------- as always spelling and grammar though it won''t be until i get back when fixes will roll through. and tell me that you think in the comments Chapter 15 – consequences and possibilities here is another chapter this one is also longer than expected. i am heading back to town today and i should have another chapter finished and depending on what time i get home i will post it. without further ado chapter 15 ---------------------------------Atheros---POV------ ¡°Where is that elf?¡± I asked myself while I waited by the northern gate. ¡°Atheros, we need to leave.¡± Therin said as he ran up to me. ¡°What happened?¡± I asked the elf annoyed at his disappearance, ¡°where have you been I have been waiting here for a few hours.¡± ¡°I got arrested for mouthing off a guy who turned out to be a lord, and Fafnir intervened. Now Fafnir is about to destroy the garrison for insulting him.¡± He said as he started to push me towards the gate. ¡°Slow down!¡± I yelled, ¡°What is this about Fafnir about to destroy the garrison?¡± I asked hoping that I misheard the elf. ¡°The Dragon is going to kill everyone in the garrison building for not only attempting to punish me for mouthing off to some noble, but insulting him as well.¡± The elf said slowly. ¡°By the goddess!¡± I replied, as Therin¡¯s words sunk in. ¡°we have to stop him.¡± ¡°I would guess too late for that I was told to go meet at a house north at the edge of the woods.¡± The elf replied. ¡°it is my job as a knight of the country to defend its people.¡± I said as I handed the sack of supplies to Therin. ¡°I just need to calm him down.¡± ¡°How do you plan on calming a raging dragon?¡± therin asked me. ¡°I will figure something out¡± I replied as I ran towards the city barracks. ---------------Fafnirs----POV------- Rage guided my actions as my breath liquefied another group of guards. I have been encountering less and less guards as I made my way through the building. There was a small part of my mind saying that this is a bad idea, but it was ignored in my anger. Turning a corner a voice shouted out, ¡°Fafnir calm down.¡± Looking back I saw Atheros with his arms splayed wide. ¡°Why should I?¡± I asked, rage still clouding my thoughts. ¡°They insulted me, equating me with the lesser wyvern. Not only that they tried to punish my servant.¡± ¡°It was a misunderstanding,¡± Atheros said, ¡°they didn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Ignorance is no excuse.¡± I replied, ¡° can the king not tell his subjects that their HERO is in the area and that he is a true dragon, or is he too ashamed to admit that the kingdoms fate is in a non-humans¡¯ hand?¡± ¡°We did not expect you to head north,¡± Atheros replied, ¡°they must not have been informed yet. So how about we calm down and talk this out like civilized folk.¡± I took a deep breath to calm myself; my blood was still boiling due to the slight against me. I took another breath and replied, ¡°well then, Atheros, you may get the local Lord to meet me at a house to the north of here at the edge of the woods. It is about a twenty minute walk outside the north city gate.¡± I said still trying to calm down. ¡°I will wait three hours before I move on without you, I expect an apology and some way to prevent this from happening in the future or I will be no longer dealing with humans.¡± I walked to the closest stone wall and with a though, the wall to turn to dust sunlight streaming in. I jumped from hole and snapped out my wings. Catching an up draft, I rose into the sky, and made my way towards Therin. After a few minutes of flying I spied Therin; He was making his way north as I instructed. I swooped down and landed beside him. ¡°Hello, Fafnir¡± the elf said his voice cracking a bit. ¡°So, Servant¡­¡± I said moving my snout close to his face. ¡°Do you mind explaining why I just had to wipe out a garrison to free you?¡± ¡°Well,¡± the elf said, sweat beading on his forehead, ¡°I was walking down one of the main streets and a man knocked me aside. I said to him, ¡®Be more careful¡¯ at which point he started to yell at me saying that I was luck he did not throw me in jail for blocking his way.¡± The elf explained, ¡°So I might have said some rather crass words about his parentage and his mother. It was then he had me arrested for my insolence and you came to retrieve me.¡± ¡°Let me get this straight.¡± I said, ¡°You caused me to stop my nap and have to kill a lot of, less than bright, guards because you could not hold your tongue?¡± ¡°yes.¡± He replied hesitatingly. ¡°Well then,¡± I replied with a grin on my snout, ¡°as your master, I must correct your behavior so that it does not happen again. I will inform you of you punishment later when I decide a fitting one. Now we must head to the meeting place and wait for our guests.¡± We traveled north and we arrived at the same form house, where I had left the boy. I looked around and I could the boy playing beside the house. ¡°Hello, again,¡± I called out to the boy. ¡°Mr. Dragon!¡± the boy called out as he started to run towards me. ¡°You came back.¡± ¡°yes,¡± I said, ¡°do you mind bringing your dad to see me, I wish to ask him something.¡± ¡°yes,¡± he said and ran back into the house. ¡°Who is the nice kid?¡± the elf asked, confusion plain on his face, I could still smell the sweat on him, ¡°accursed acute draconic nose.¡± I thought to myself A few minutes later the boy came out of the house dragging along a tall man. The man was fair skinned like the boy, with the same brown hair. I could hear the man curse as he saw me, but after a brief exchange between the boy and his father they made their way towards me. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°Mr. Dragon,¡± he said while pulling on the arm of the man, ¡°here is my dad.¡± ¡°Hello, my name is Fafnir.¡± I said to the man. ¡°Hello, Fafnir, My name Hadrith and this is my son Stykur¡± The man said surprised. ¡°Nice to meet you Hadrith, and Stykur¡± I said, ¡°I was wondering if I might use this outside area for a bit. I am expecting the city lord to meet me in the next few hours.¡± ¡°The local Lord?¡± Hadrith asked surprised. ¡°Yes, the city lord,¡± I replied, ¡°in exchange I can have my servant here help with some chores?¡± ¡°Well sure,¡± Hadrith said after thinking for a bit, ¡°I could always use some help, Lord Fafnir.¡± ¡°Therin,¡± I said looking at the elf, ¡°help this man with ANY task he gives you. I will be enjoying what sun is left.¡± I laid down in a sunny spot and enjoyed the late day sun. ¡°Mr. Dragon,¡± I heard a small voice say, ¡°Can I touch your scales?¡± I lifted my head and looked at the boy, he still reminded me of my brother I thought to myself before I replied. ¡°Sure¡± He let out a shrill screak of joy as he started to touch the scales along my ribs. An hour passed before the sound of horses broke the quiet of the farm. Coming over the ridge I could see thirty armed knights on horseback. Looking closely I could see Atheros still in his leather armor. ¡°Hay Stykur,¡± I said to the boy sleeping on my flank. ¡°Go see your dad and send my servant over to meet me.¡± ¡°Ok,¡± he said. he stood up and ran off towards the house. A few minutes later the horsemen arrived. Several dismounted and walked over to me. ¡°Fafnir,¡± Atheros said, ¡°this is Marquis Stad.¡± ¡°Hello, Marquis Stad.¡± I said to the man, ¡°How are you today?¡± ¡°I am doing well, though there was an incident in the city today.¡± he replied. I could he was keeping his temper under control. ¡°what would that be?¡± I asked feigning ignorance. ¡°It seems there was a misunderstanding concerning the treatment of a Dark Elf.¡± He replied through his clenched teeth. ¡°Ah. One second,¡± I said to the Marquis, ¡°Therin could you make a stone chair for my guest.¡± I hear Therin mutter a few words and an ornate stone chair rose from the ground. ¡°anything else Fafnir?¡± ¡°No, thank you though, continues helping as before.¡± I said as I dismissed him. ¡°Here, sit.¡± I said to the marquis, beckoning with my claws. ¡°Thank you¡± he replied. ¡°What do you wish to speak about?¡± I asked ¡°I was told that the hero of our race was in the area and I would be remiss if I did not greet him.¡± The Marquis said. ¡°I have been called that before, and I am pleased to meet you.¡± I said. ¡°I also wish to apologies,¡± the marquis said, ¡°I heard that you were caught up in the misunderstanding this evening.¡± ¡°I was¡± I replied "I have informed that all soldiers that our hero is a dragon and that he should be shown the utmost respect.¡± The man said squirming in his seat as he tried to pull out a box. ¡°I wish to give this seal so that all may recognize that you to be respected.¡± ¡°Thank you for the seal; this will hopefully prevent future misunderstandings.¡± I replied as I picked it up using my long tail. I brought it towards my eye and I could see engraved on a large onyx stone the symbol of a griffin holding a scroll. With a bit of magic I resized the ring to fit on my fourth claw on my front right leg. ¡°Is there any other business?¡± I asked the marquis. ¡°No it is getting late and I have many things I need to attend to. I look forward to your many exploits.¡± He rose from the chair and mounted his horse and rode off back the way he came, Leaving Atheros and another horse behind. ¡°Atheros.¡± I called out. ¡°Yes Fafnir?¡± he replied I could tell he was nervous. ¡°I am pleased to see that some nobles will swallow their pride and apologize.¡± I said, ¡°I will not break relations with the humans but not for the apology.¡± ¡°Then what caused you to reconsider?¡± he asked. ¡°I was reminded by that child over there,¡± I said pointing with one claw to the boy, ¡°that child reminded me of something important.¡± ¡°I am glad.¡± Atheros replied, obviously relieved ¡°now what needs to be done to defeat the demons.¡± ¡°you can also offer your services to the Hadrith. He allowed us to use this area for the meeting.¡± About half an hour after Atheros left I could hear someone heading in my direction. Opening my eye I saw Hadrith coming towards me. ¡°Thank you for letting me use your land to talk with the Marques.¡± ¡°No problem you have more than repaid me with the help of your servant.¡± He replied, ¡°I wish to extend the offer to stay the night as it is getting late.¡± ¡°If you have room for my servant and companion then I welcome the offer.¡± I replied. Hadrith nodded and walked back to the house. After the sun had set I heard the shuffling of small feet. The boy came up to me and asked, ¡°do you mind if I sleep next to you Mr. dragon?¡± ¡°Sure¡± I replied and I spread my wing to make a rough tent. After an hour I could hear the even breathing of sleep coming from Stykur. I then closed my eyes and embraced sweet sleep. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ as always let me know about spelling and grammar. and tell me what you think i enjoy reading the comments Chapter 16 – blessings I am finally back home. good/bad news, based on perspective, I start classes again on the 6th, releases will not be as frequent but i will get at least once a week or more as time permits. on that note i will see if i can find someone to do a proofread and fix what i have written so far. now that i am able to. also if you tag a mistake in the comments could you quote it so i can fix it... that will help immensely. well without further ado, chapter 16 - ----------------------------------------Fafnir--- POV---- ¡°Hay Fafnir, is the kid still with you?¡± I heard Therin say, waking me from my slumber. I drew my wing back as I settled down again. ¡°What in the dark god¡¯s name did you do to the kid?¡± I heard Therin yell. ¡°What do you mean,¡± I replied as I snapped my eyes opened. I turned my head and Huddled against my ribs was a not the boy I remembered. His brown hair had been had changed to the same milky blue as my scales. Stykur sat up and stretching a bit before he opened his eyes. His eyes weren¡¯t brown, as they had been; instead they were milky blue with darker blue streaks along the whites of his eyes. ¡°Well dang.¡± I said looking at the boy, ¡°Therin, go get Atheros and his father¡± ¡°Right,¡± he said and sprinted off towards the house. ¡°Why does he need to get my dad?¡± The boy asked ¡°Your hair has changed color.¡± I replied ¡°Really?¡± the boy asked. I could see wonder on face as he started to pull his hair. I moved my head right to him and took in a deep breath. He smelled of mana but it did not have the sweet smell that when with it. ¡°Could I have given him mana?¡± I thought to myself, ¡°If so what should I do with him¡­¡± After a few minutes Therin returned with not only Hadrith but Atheros as well. I could hear a gasp from them as they spied the boy. ¡°What did you do to him,¡± Hadrith said running to the boy. ¡°What did you do to my son?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know?¡± I replied. After a few seconds I looked at his father, ¡°has your family had any magi before?¡± ¡°We have never had a mage in our family.¡± Hadrith replied while kneeling next to the boy, ¡°why do you ask?¡± ¡°He smells heavily of mana, though it smells different.¡± I replied. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Therin asked. "Well he smells of mana but it does not smell sweet like most mages.¡± I replied. I looked at Hadrith and I could see he was concerned. ¡°Atheros, what does the kingdom do young magi?¡± I asked. ¡°Well if they catch the eye of mage who has reached the master rank, they can be tutored in the capital by the mage¡¯s guild.¡± He replied. ¡°Around what age does that occurs?¡± I asked ¡°Around the age of twelve, though sooner if they show talent.¡± He replied understanding where this conversation was going. I moved my face to the boy and looked him in the eye, ¡°would you like to learn magic?¡± ¡°Yes, I think it would be fun¡± he replied his voice brisling with excitement. I looked at Hadrith, ¡°I will have Atheros write you a letter of introduction to the king, explaining the boy¡¯s situation and I will adorn it with my seal.¡± I said. ¡°if you wish you can send your son for magic lessons and he will be trained as a mage. I imagine he will do wonders with magic but I think he should enjoy being a child a bit longer with his father, one never knows when he could be gone.¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°My son¡­ a mage,¡± I could hear Hadrith whisper to himself. ¡°Thank you Fafnir, for this gift.¡± He said kneeling before me. ¡°I would not thank me yet,¡± I replied, ¡°though he will control great forces and might live a better life, there is always envy in man¡¯s heart.¡± Hadrith took Stykur back to the house leaving just me, Atheros, and Therin. ¡°Atheros, send a brief report about this with your normal state report. I also want you to get pen and paper out so you can write a letter for me.¡± ¡°Sure give me a few minutes to grab it and we write it for you.¡± he replied before he headed towards the house. ¡°Therin how far until we hit elven lands?¡± I asked. ¡°About two days now that we have horses,¡± he replied, ¡°though it could take longer if we hit patrols.¡± ¡°Human or Elven?¡± I asked. ¡°Elvin,¡± he replied, ¡°though it depends on what lands the elf hails from.¡± ¡°I am guessing that there will be no troubles from your side, no skeletons in your closets as it were.¡± I said to the elf growling a bit. ¡°There should be no problems, unless it is someone I know; then we will be adding a day while I explain where I have been.¡± He replied taking a step back, ¡°though I don¡¯t know why anyone would keep skeletons in their closet.¡± ¡°Good,¡± I replied rolling my eyes, ¡°I have things I need to attend to and they are becoming urgent.¡± After a few minutes Atheros returned with paper and a quill. ¡°I have the supplies¡± he said grabbing a piece of wood to write on, ¡°what do you want me to write?¡± ¡°Write what I say,¡± I responded, ¡°to whom it may concern, I have taken this young mage under my wing, as such I wish to have him trained in magic. In terms of compensation you may receive your pay from the king. If I find that Stykur has been hurt in any deliberate way, you have the wrath of a dragon to deal with and there Is no place on this world where you can hide from me. thank you, the hero, Fafnir.¡± ¡°Is that all,¡± Atheros asked his voice quivering a bit. ¡°I think I got the point across.¡± I replied. Atheros folded the paper and took a lit candle dropping a few pieces of wax on the edge. He took out a ring and pressed it into the hot wax. Then taking the ring off my claw, he did the same. I moved my head right to the letter and breathed a bit of magic. The letter started to glow as it turned a milky blue color. ¡°We will leave in an hour,¡± I said to Atheros, ¡°tell Therin to pack up the horses.¡± ¡°Will do,¡± He replied as he walked back to the house. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- as normal grammar and spelling please quote the line so i can fix it... and let me know what you think.... also why would a dragon roll over... their wings would be crushed. Chapter 17 – Elven lands here is another great chapter, now with minor proofreading support courtesy of rouge. as a reminder i start school, tomorrow the 6th, and the releases will be slower as i not only have class and work and i am studying for the mcats... though i will try to make the chapters longer. without out further ado chapter 17 -------------------------Therin---- POV---------------------- ¡°How am I going to explain this to my squad mates¡­?¡± I thought to myself as we made our way north. It has been several days since we left the quaint farmhouse, and we are now making our way towards the dark elven city of D¨²ath. ¡°Hey elf, how much further until we reach the city?¡± The dragon asked. ¡°We should reach it tomorrow morning.¡± I replied; over the last few hours I started to recognize the surrounding areas. We were getting close, which was making me nervous. I watched the dragon catch an updraft and soar back into the sky. ¡°You look nervous¡± Atheros said, ¡°what happened last time you were here?¡± ¡°It has been over a year since I last saw home.¡± I replied. ¡°Before we left I asked Thantos about you, he mentioned you were pickup from an ambush.¡± I breathed out a heavy sigh, ¡°Yes it was an ambush that got me enslaved, but there is more to it.¡± I replied. ¡°I was a captain of the D¨²ath city guard. We were sent to confirm rumors of a treant infestation. When we got there we found the broken corpses of the monster and we were ambushed, most of my squad got away but two friends were killed and I was captured.¡± ¡°I see¡­ so you have to explain where you have been the past year¡­¡± Atheros replied. ¡°Yah... it will be tons of fun and excitement¡­¡± I replied. ¡°It is also the reason we have been changing directions lately, I set up most of the patrol routes and I have been trying to avoid them.¡± ¡°Why are you avoiding them?¡± Atheros asked confused. ¡°I knew most of the guards, and few would not hesitate to attack a dragon on sight, it is more for their safety than ours.¡± I replied. A few more hours passed as we made our way into the forest. ¡°We should stop here for the night, any further and we will meet night patrols.¡± I said to Atheros. ¡°Fine by me,¡± he replied, before he stopped his horse and dismounted. We started to make camp when Fafnir swooped in carrying a deer in his front claws. ¡°Here cook this,¡± Fafnir said as he dropped the carcass into the clearing. ¡°I am going to look around while it is cooking. I saw something interesting in the distance. ¡° We picked up the deer and while Atheros started to clean it, I made a roaring fire. After a few hours Fafnir returned. ¡°Did you find anything interesting?¡± I asked, "Yes I did, I found what I have been looking for.¡± The dragon replied I could make out a look of contentment on his scaly face. ¡°What have you been looking for?¡± I asked, wondering what a dragon could want. ¡°You will find out after your business is completed.¡± He replied as he laid his head down on his front claws. An hour passed and the scent of cooking meat permeated through the clearing. I watched Fafnir¡¯s forked tongue flick out a few time before he stirred. ¡°The meat smells good.¡± He said eyeing the deer. ¡°It should be ready in about half an hour,¡± Atheros replied turning the meat; the fire faired as the juices hit the coals. ¡°Fafnir, why do you flick your tongue out?¡± I asked the dragon. ¡°Why would I flick my tongue out?¡± he replied. ¡°You just did it a few minutes before you started to talk.¡± I replied. The dragon stopped and flicked his tongue out as he did his eyes widened. I watched him for a few more minutes as he flicked his tongue a few more times. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°Are you messing with me again?¡± I asked. ¡°No, I¡¯m just tasting the air,¡± the dragon replied, ¡°thank you for letting me know of my habit.¡± ¡°Ok, the dragon does not even realize that he¡¯s doing it¡­ I will just leave him be.¡± I thought to myself before getting up to gather more wood. We settled in for the night after eating. I took first watch. I was nestled in a tree that allowed me to overlook the entire clearing. A few hours passed as I watched the stars cross the sky, when I heard something. Moving as little as possible I scanned the area. After a few minutes I saw several people starting to surround the camp. I extracted myself from the branches and silently made my way behind one of the groups. As I got closer I recognized some of the people as former squad mates. A grin plastered my face as I moved closer. ¡°This will be a good lesson to remind them to check for lookouts.¡± I said to myself. ---------------------------Fafnir¡¯s--- POV---------------- I woke up to the strong smell of mana. I flicked my tongue to taste the air, and I could tell that there were several different humanoids starting to surround us. ¡°This is still weird,¡± I thought to myself. I opened one of my draconic eyes and I could see through the blackness several dark elves. I looked to where Therin was nestled earlier and saw no one. Opening both eyes I spotted my elf. He was sneaking behind one of the groups. Holding for a second I waited for Therin. I watched as he silently creeped behind one of the elves, and with the pommel of his sword he knocked out one of the other elves. I watched him repeat the process several more times until there was only one elf left in that group. The person who looked like the leader turned around and came face to face with Therin. ¡°Therin?¡± the elf asked. ¡°Who else would knock out your entire patrol before you realised he was there ?¡± Therin replied with a big grin. ¡°Hey guys,¡± the man shouted, ¡°it¡¯s Therin.¡± I watched Atheros jump and reached for his sword at the loud noise, before I saw about 8 more elves make their way into the clearing. ¡°Who are these guys?¡± Atheros asked realizing they were not under attack. ¡°These blockheads are part of the city guard,¡± Therin replied, walking into the clearing, ¡°and it seems they are out on a new route.¡± The clearing was filled with the exchange of greeting as Therin started to catch up with his old friends. I just laid down watching the exchange until. ¡°Hey Fafnir,¡± Atheros wisped, ¡°what are they talking about?¡± Looking at the human I remembered that I still had the brooch on though my language skills have improved. Grinning a bit I replied, ¡°They are talking about the best way to eat a human.¡± ¡°No they are not,¡± Atheros said a frown on his face. ¡°They are catching up, most of it is boring.¡± I replied. After about ten minutes, Therin walked up with the captain like elf. ¡°This man here is Hest,¡± Therin introduced, ¡°he was my second in command for many years and one of the ones who escaped in the ambush.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you Hest,¡± I replied lifting my head up, ¡°my name is Fafnir.¡± I could see the awe on the man¡¯s face as he looked at me, ¡°The dragon can talk.¡± I heard him whisper. "we have to show this to the rest of the garrison." I watched Therin freeze for a second, before saying, ¡°yeah about that, we need to talk...¡± ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- even though i now have proofreading support, we are all human more or less and can still miss things, let me know in the comments if we did. and tell me what you think... Chapter 18 – Dúath Another chapter ready. i wish to thank rouge once again for providing proofreading support. a side note i realised some time yesterday that i used the wrong name... so in a stealthy manner i fixed the problem... (i put the name for elven capital instead of the dark elf city...) without further ado chapter 18 ----------Fafnir¡¯s POV -------------------------- We spent the rest of the night around the fire while Therin and the rest of the elven patrol reminisced about the past. I listened in and learned a lot about my servant. Like how his mouth has always gotten him into trouble. I also learned that his family disowned him when he joined the city garrison as a soldier. The hours passed as I watched the moons journey across the sky, as the elves reminisced till the wee hours of the morning. As the dawn broke the group said their goodbyes, and left two to escort us to the city. As we got deeper into the forest the leaves started to blot out the sun leaving us in twilight. ¡°How much further?¡± I asked while gliding through the trees. ¡°We¡¯re close, I guess about an hour at our current pace.¡± Therin replied. As we approached the city I felt like I was being watched, every once and awhile I would catch the sight of an elf watching us. We kept going deeper into the forest till we arrived at a wall of trees, their bark was black as night. The branches were weaved together creating an impassable barrier. ¡°This way to the main gate !¡± Therin called out. We walked through the twilight of the forest till we arrived at the main gate. The opening was flanked by two massive trees whose twisted branches formed an arch. On either side of the arch stood guards equipped in heavy armor wielding halberds. ¡°Who is it that wishes to enter the dark elven city?¡± one of the guards called out. ¡°It is I, Therin, past captain of the city guards, with companions, that wishes to enter through the dark gates.¡± Therin replied solemnly. ¡°Have you tamed that beast?¡± one of the guards asked, I watched as Therin and Atheros paled, hearing their words. ¡°I am not some beast to be tamed.¡± I replied keeping my anger in check, ¡°I am here on business, correct your way of speaking or lose your ability to do so.¡± ¡°Fafnir is my companion and is as intelligent as any of the races.¡± Therin quickly interjected, ¡°He should be shown the respect due to any who wishes to enter the city, or have you forgotten in my absence, Dalhar?¡± ¡°I did not forget, captain, I did not realize one of the dragon kin would be intelligent.¡± he replied before turning to me, ¡°I apologize for the insult Fafnir, I did not realize your status.¡± ¡°I accept your apology,¡± I replied, ¡°I suggest, in the future, you count the limbs of a dragon before making assumptions.¡± I heard Therin and Atheros breathe a sigh of relief at my reply. ¡°Therin, Fafnir, and other companions, I welcome you to the city of D¨²ath, please keep the peace.¡± The guard said moving aside. We walked under the thick branches of the gate, making our way into the city. As we made our way along the forest paths we passed stone houses. Eventually we made our way to a large stone build. I could see the guards flanking either side of the entrance. We stopped before the build as Therin turned toward us, ¡° I have to go report in. It might be an hour or two before I return, down the street there is a market with some of the best food in town. When I finish reporting in I will find you.¡± ¡°Ok, just make sure that Fafnir doesn¡¯t have to rescue you this time.¡± Atheros said with a grin on his face. ¡°This isn¡¯t a human town, I should be fine¡± Therin quipped. We left Therin behind and made our way down the winding path towards the market. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Do you need anything?¡± I asked Atheros. ¡°I was hoping to get some elven armor while I was here.¡± Atheros said, ¡° It¡¯s too costly back home.¡± ¡°The king does not pay to equip you?¡± I asked skeptically. ¡°We do receive a stipend for equipment,¡± Atheros replied, ¡°but you could equip an entire platoon for the same amount as a set of elvish armor.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± I replied, ¡°Well to promote our ability to move through the city, I will be perched on your shoulder.¡± In the blink of an eye, I was small enough to be held in someone''s hands. I flew up and I perched myself on Atheros¡¯ right shoulder and I curled my tail around his neck as I settled in. ¡°How does this help us get through the city?¡± Atheros asked. ¡°It will help me not get irritated with all the walking around.¡± I replied closing my eyes. With a heavy sigh he replied, ¡°Well then you can sleep while I look around, I will wake you up when Therin finds us.¡± ¡°You know what they say about waking a sleeping dragon. Right?¡± I replied squeezing my tail a bit. ¡°Now I remember¡­ Don¡¯t,¡± Atheros replied coughing a bit as we walked down the street. Making myself comfortable, I fell asleep. ------------------------Therins¡¯ POV------------------------------ ¡°What is taking so long?¡± I thought to myself while waiting outside the commander¡¯s office. ¡°This was supposed to be a quick meeting; I have been waiting here for over an hour.¡± Another half hour passed when the door to his office creeped open. ¡°Therin, it has been well over a year since your last report, what have you been doing?¡± he said beckoning me into his office. ¡°Were you not informed of me being taken prisoner?¡± I replied dumbfounded. ¡°You, being taken prisoner?¡± he replied laughing. ¡°Whatever nation managed that feat should be applauded, though it seems that they came to their senses and kicked you out.¡± ¡°Haha, very funny.¡± I replied glaring at the old elf. ¡°Maybe you should retire, like you have been planning for the past four hundred years.¡± ¡°I will retire when I can be assured that you, young ones, will not screw it up.¡± he replied with a grin on his face. ¡°So who are your friends, and what is the story with the dragon ?¡± I spent the next hour explaining what happened after I got captured. How I was enslaved and how I was bought by the king¡¯s mage to teach their hero magic, to my current standing as servant to the dragon. ¡°Well seems like you had an interesting time.¡± he replied stroking his chin. ¡°Can we convince him to join us?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, he has been hinting that there is something that he needs to do for a week now but he won¡¯t tell any of us what it is.¡± I explained. ¡°If you are correct about his power then we need you to convince him to join us.¡± the commander said. ¡°I will try but I don¡¯t know if it will work.¡± I replied, ¡°Well then I am going to go meet them before he destroys the city for some insult.¡± ¡°One thing before you go,¡± the commander called out, ¡°you should see you parents, they have been asking about you.¡± ¡°It has been 20 years and not a word. Why should I talk to them?¡± I replied. ¡°Because they are family.¡± He replied. ¡°I will see if I have time.¡± I replied before walked out the door and I headed toward the market. -------------------------------------- even though i have proofreading support let me know if there are mistakes we are both mostly human... also let me know what you think... Chapter 19 – Therin’s place here is my promised chapter for the week, though I should get at least one more in this week. i would once again like to thank rouge for his proofreading support, it brings a much better story. without futher ado chapter 19 -------Therin¡¯s POV---------------------- ¡°You¡¯d think it would be easy finding a human and a dragon in a city of elves.¡± I thought to myself as I navigated the city streets. I made my way through the crowded market place. I walked, passed the various stalls and shops as I searched for the missing duo. I searched street after street, between the different stone buildings, I looked in store after store. In the end, I found the pair in a back alleys armor shop. Glad that i found the duo, I walked into the shop and looked at the dragon sleeping on a table in the corner. ¡°You guys were fun finding.¡± I said as Atheros jumped a bit. ¡°Ah Therin, what took you so long ?¡± Atheros replied while buckling up some poorly made greaves. ¡°The meeting took longer than expected.¡± I replied, ¡°More importantly what are you doing here, I said to meet in the market.¡± ¡°I was trying to find some new armor.¡± He replied as he checked the fit. ¡°And you came here?¡± I asked looking at the other poorly made armor in the room. ¡°Yah, it¡¯s not as expensive here as other places.¡± He replied before taking off the greaves. ¡°Yes, because these are rejects for testing.¡± I replied chuckling a bit. ¡°What do you mean?¡± he asked dumbfounded. ¡°Look at the finishing on the greaves, they haven¡¯t even been enchanted.¡± I said pointing out the lack of enchantment runes, ¡°They are cheap, probably made by an apprentice, so you can test spells and such using actual armor. .¡± ¡°Dang, everywhere else it is at least several thousand gold coins!¡± He replied looking a bit defeated. ¡°Then you have been had.¡± I replied laughing. ¡°A good suit of light mail should run about seven eight hundred.¡± ¡°Could you two be quiet, I am trying to sleep here.¡± The dragon growled from the corner. ¡°You know what,¡± I said ignoring the looks of the blacksmith, ¡°let¡¯s head back to my place, and we can figure out our plan from there.¡± ¡°Are you sure that the house is still owned by you?¡± Fafnir asked opening one eye. ¡°I checked with a couple of squad mates and they said it has not been sold off.¡± I replied, ¡°And I should still have my spare key hidden where I left it.¡± ¡°It is better than having to listen to the clanking of ¡®can¡¯t put armor on quietly¡¯¡± the dragon said before standing up. We left the store and made our way to my abode. When we arrived I looked at the small villa which I lived in. It was a simple square two story stone house, set between two that were lavishly decorated, unlike the others around it. The house did not have the extra engravings as others nor was it trimmed with gold. It was an austere black stoned house that looked out of place. ¡°Hold up for a second,¡± I said to the pair before I walked to the side of the house I walked about halfway down the wall just past where the chimney juts out from the house, until I found the marking I had left on the wall. I reached down and I dug up the moss covered ground that was hiding the key that I had left there several years ago. I headed back to the front door and unlocked it. We entered into the house; all the surfaces were covered in a layer of dust. ¡°You should dust more.¡± Fafnir said chuckling a bit. ¡°You don¡¯t say,¡± I replied sarcastically, glaring at the dragon. I quickly gave a small tour of my abode while making a list of the things that needed to be repaired and cleaned. I led the group to the back of the house where the practice hall was located. I opened the oak doors. It was the same as I remember, the two story room with obsidian floors, now gray due to the dust, and practice weapons of various sizes and shapes on racks mounted on the walls. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Fafnir,¡± I said to the dragon, ¡°I was thinking that this could be your room. It is big enough that you can be your normal size in here. After me and Atheros clean up, I will see about getting a few carpets to nap on.¡± The dragon walked into the room and looked about. After a few seconds he spread his wings and he swiftly brought them down causing all the dust to fly into the air. I covered my faces as the wave of wind hit me. Coughing a bit, I watched as all the dust started to accumulate into a pile in the corner. I could see my face in the shine that the floor had acquired from Fafnir¡¯s little trick. ¡°Dang!¡± I said impressed. ¡°This room should be fine now.¡± Fafnir said as he started to curl up in the far corner of the room. ¡°Wake me when we are about to eat.¡± We both looked at each other before leaving the room and quietly shutting the door behind us. ¡°Let¡¯s leave the dragon be,¡± I said to Atheros. ¡°I agree.¡± he replied. ¡°Do you mind helping me clean up the place?¡± I asked. ¡°I don¡¯t mind at all, though why do you have such a big space ?¡± ¡°One has to keep up an appearance, befitting a leader of the city guard.¡± I parroted the same answer that I was given when I asked that question. When I was told I had to move from my old home. ¡°That sounds wasteful.¡± Atheros replied. ¡°I also used to let squadmates stay here after some of the wild parties we used to hold.¡± I replied thinking of all the crazy things we used to do. ¡°We never did find the rest of that sheep¡­¡± I said to myself. Atheros and I spent the next several hours cleaning the dusty house. I also took the time to wash the sheets so Atheros and I had someplace to sleep that would not cause us to choke. ¡°Hey Therin,¡± I heard Atheros call out, from down the hall. I walked to where Atheros was standing. ¡°What is this room used for?¡± He asked looking into the tiled bathroom. ¡°It is a bathroom where one may wash himself,¡± I replied, ¡°I suggest you use it later this evening.¡± ¡°I cleaned myself several days ago at the river we crossed.¡± Atheros replied. ¡°That is true, but we are in an elven city now where we clean ourselves more regularly.¡± I replied. ¡°I should probably start cooking dinner.¡± I said when we finished cleaning the house. I quickly left the house and bought the ingredients for the meal. Returning home I started to cook. I made a hearty stew out of boar, adding in vegetables and seasonings. After an hour the smell of the cooking meat had drifted through the house. I was startled when a tiny hungry dragon suddenly poked his head from the door, demanding food. We were all eating in the dining room when I heard a knock at the door. I Went and answered the door and I was surprised at the elf standing before me. ¡°So brother, were you going to sneak back into town and not even let your sister know you had returned?¡± My sister said looking at me with crossed arms. ¡°Apparently I didn¡¯t need to.¡± I replied with a frown on my face. ¡°It is not my fault that you still have issues with mother and father.¡± She replied holding her hands up. ¡°True¡±, I replied with a frown still on my face, ¡°though you did not help any and you have not bothered to see me in several years. So something must have happened.¡± ¡°You¡¯re correct.¡± She replied releasing a sigh, ¡°Do you mind if I come in?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± I replied wondering what could have happened to draw me into family politics. ¡°I am finishing dinner with a few friends and I will join you in the den when I have finished.¡± ¡°Your hallucinations do not count as friends you know that.¡± She replied chuckling a bit. ¡°Good thing these people are not my hallucinations.¡± I replied as I went back to the dining room to finish my meal. ------------------------------ As always please let me know if we missed anything we are mostly human. Also let me know what you think In the comments below Chapter 20 - Family matters another chapter all ready. i would like to thank rouge for his proof reading support. also i have hit the 30000 word mark woot... now it is time to get back to work. without further ado chapter 20 Fafnir¡¯s POV -------------------------------------------- ¡°Who was at the door?¡± I asked, as the elf returned. ¡°Someone who I would rather not deal with at the moment,¡± The elf replied sitting back in his seat. ¡°An ex-wife?¡± I asked. I heard Atheros choke a bit while he was eating. ¡°No.¡± the elf quickly replied, ¡°My sister.¡± ¡°Ah, family matters.¡± I replied, thinking how this might impact my servant¡¯s work. ¡°Anything I should be aware of?¡± ¡°Possibly,¡± he replied. ¡°If she came to see me then something big must have happened. She is currently in my den, waiting.¡° ¡°This is something I have been meaning to ask. I knew you were captain of the guards, but you never told me about your family.¡± Atheros asked, with his mouth full. ¡°He is of common birth.¡± I replied ¡°Well that is half true,¡± the elf replied, ¡°while my father is of common birth, my mother is the daughter of an elven lord.¡± ¡°Then you are not a commoner?¡± I asked a bit surprised. ¡°I am considered of common birth due to my father.¡± He replied, ¡°It is an elf thing.¡± ¡°Pure Breed or go home?¡± I asked, finishing the stew. ¡°What is a pure breed and what does that have to do with going home?¡± Therin asked confused. ¡°If you are not of a purely noble birth then you aren''t one at all¡± I replied. ¡°It is a draconic expression.¡± ¡°Something like that¡­¡± he replied, a confused look still plastered on his face. ¡°Well, I would guess it would be rude to keep your sister waiting.¡± I said standing up. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Therin replied, pouring himself another bowl of stew. ¡°She came unannounced, so she can wait.¡± I just rolled my eyes as I glided off the table. I walked towards the den to see what this sister of his was like. I poked my head in the door and saw her sitting in a chair reading a book. Her eyes were the same blood red as Therin¡¯s, though her hair was white as snow. Her skin was black as tar and she had on a slim black dress. I flicked my tongue tasting the air, it had a strange sour smell like something had gone rotten. I walked through the doorway and perched myself on one of the chairs, closing my eyes and hoping to nap a bit while I waited for Therin. ¡°Ah, I didn¡¯t know Therin got a pet.¡± She said as I heard her put her book down. She then got up from her chair. ¡°A dragon no less.¡± She said as she walked towards me. I opened one of my draconic eyes and met her gaze. ¡°Are you a good little dragon?¡± she said squatting down to my eye level. ¡°If you continue to talk to me like a dumb animal, I will remove your tongue.¡± I said calmly. ¡°Huh, a variant dragon?¡± She said looking at me more closely. ¡°Wrong, Snack.¡± I replied lifting my head up. ¡°Well, you''re not a very nice dragon.¡± She replied, as she stood back up. Irritated at the elf, I used a bit of magic as she walked back to her seat and caused her shoes to stick to the floor, making her fall flat on her face. I heard laughter coming from the hallway; I looked to see Therin bent over. ¡°I knew something would happen if you came in here !¡± He choked out between laughs. ¡°What is the meaning of this brother?¡± She spat out while she stood back up. ¡°An object lesson in prudence,¡± he replied finally containing himself, ¡°though you got off lightly compared to others.¡± ¡°What do you mean, and what is this thing ?¡± She accused, pointing at me ¡°I will not be referred to as a thing !¡± I interjected, ¡°My name is Fafnir. Use it.¡± The elf jumped back a bit at my words. I watched her take a deep breath before she said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Fafnir, and I meant no disrespect.¡± ¡°You are forgiven; just don¡¯t make the same mistake twice.¡± I said as laid my head back down. ¡°So, now that you have had your laugh, can I have my shoes back?¡± She asked. ¡°You will be able to retrieve them after the conversation.¡± I replied enjoying the soft chair. ¡°Ok, now could we please get down to business?¡± She asked coldly, as she sat back down in her seat, her shoes left attached to the floor. ¡°I guess I cannot be avoided, though there are some things we will need to talk about.¡± Therin replied taking one of the remaining chairs. ¡°First I need to introduce you to Fafnir, the dragon that I am indentured to for the next several years. Fafnir this is Nettic?.¡± ¡°What do you mean you¡¯re indentured to?¡± Nettic? asked I could hear the edge in her voice. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°In exchange for breaking the slave ritual that I was forced into after I was captured; I will serve Fafnir for a total of five years.¡± Therin stated bluntly. ¡°The dragon can break a slave ritual?¡± She asked surprised. ¡°Yes he can.¡± Therin replied. ¡°Well this complicates things.¡± She said staring at me, ¡°Our elder brother lost his arm while raiding a human village.¡± ¡°Well, that is unfortunate.¡± Therin replied. ¡°So what if he lost his arm.¡± I said, ¡°What does that mean for Therin ?¡± ¡°It means, my draconic friend, that I will inherit the family business and the estate.¡± Therin stated. ¡°Why?¡± I asked, ¡°It is not like he¡¯s dead.¡± ¡°He¡¯s now a cripple, which makes him worthless in the eyes of other elves.¡± Nettic? replied. ¡°Well that¡¯s harsh,¡± I said a bit surprised, thinking a bit, ¡°if being crippled makes one weak, what does being capture do to your reputation ?¡± I heard Therin sigh, ¡°It only really matters if you are rescued.¡± He responded, ¡°Though as far as the elves are concerned, I tricked you into letting me escape.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± I replied skeptically. ¡°I am guessing now that you are indentured to me you are also disqualified?¡± ¡°It is only an issue if my father dies while I am indentured.¡± Therin said dismissing the issue, ¡°After the five years are up there is no problem.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± I replied, ¡°I feel like there is more to it than that, do you care to explain?¡± ¡°Therin and our parents did not leave on the best of terms.¡± Nettic? relied. ¡°Ha,¡± Therin laughed, ¡°he disowned me in all but name.¡± ¡°And there lies the problem.¡± She said giving Therin a look. ¡°Can¡¯t they just have more children and pass Therin in the inheritance?¡± I asked, not seeing the issue. ¡°It would be rather¡­ difficult for father to do that.¡± Nettic? replied. ¡°Why¡­?¡± I asked ¡°Our father is not as virile as he once was.¡± Nettic? answered. I watched Therin roll his eyes as he said, ¡°His SWORD was damaged in an accident almost a decade ago. He can¡¯t sire anymore now.¡± ¡°Well then instead of being coy about it you should have just said so.¡± I replied irritated, ¡°Hold on a second, why can¡¯t you just heal your brother with magic ?¡± ¡°There is no healing magic strong enough to replace a missing limb.¡± Therin replied. ¡°So what are you going to do, Therin ?¡± I asked looking at the elf. ¡°Nothing,¡± he replied. ¡°I have no reason to reconcile with my parents.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be like that brother.¡± Nettic? replied, ¡°At least stop by the estate.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± Therin replied leaning back in his chair. ¡°I will stop by and see them before I head back out of the city.¡± ¡°I will let mother know that you will be dropping by in the next few day.¡± She said standing up. She walked to her shoe before looking at me. ¡°May I have my shoes now, Fafnir?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± I replied sending a bit of magic to free the shoes. She retrieved her shoes and left. ¡°Fafnir how long are we staying in the area?¡± Therin asked after several minutes. ¡°Well it depends,¡± I replied, ¡°now that I have found what I am looking for I need to make some plans.¡± ¡°Ok. Now that I have proven that I am alive could you tell me what you are planning?¡± he asked. ¡°I guess,¡± I replied after thinking for a bit, ¡°I am planning to create a lair where I can sleep for a while.¡± ¡°I have seen you sleep just about anywhere, why do you need a lair?¡± I sighed a bit, ¡°I am still a baby dragon, I need time to grow up a bit more and the only place I can do that is in a lair that I create.¡± ¡°I could turn my training room into a lair for you.¡± he replied. ¡°No, it is not the same. I just need to make a lair and I found the perfect spot a bit to the south.¡± ¡°The Iarwaeth Mountain; why would you want to make a lair there ?¡± he asked. ¡°It is a perfect spot, a high peak where you have to fly to reach and it is on the border of two countries, which means that neither country can attack me without provoking the other !¡± ¡°What are you going to do with the other¡­ wyverns was it ?¡± He asked intrigued. ¡°Well I did not see any when I flew by¡­¡± I replied, thinking a bit I said, ¡°no matter though, they will either leave me alone or die.¡± ------------------------------------------------------------------------- remember people all living things have 3 basic needs, food water and shelter... humans are the odd ones we have that whole clothing need as well as always always if we missed on the proofreading as mostly human people are want to do, let us know in the comments. also tell me what you think. Chapter 21 - Therin’s family here is this week''s chapter. i also have some exciting news!!!!! i have started a wordpress site. (https://talesoftheforgottenslayer.wordpress.com/) i will post status updates there and be a bit more invoulved. dont worry i will still post chapters here but you don''t get the other benefits. you all may have noticed that i have redone the prologue that contains 56% more english grammar and coherent thought. you might notice as i rework some of the other chapters... there is no content change just grammar edits well without futher ado chapter 21 ¡ª¨CFafnir¡¯s POV¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C ¡°I know there are probably good reasons, but why did you have to set up residence as far from your parents as possible?¡± I asked Therin while perched on his shoulder. ¡°So I had less of a chance of running into them.¡± The elf replied. We made our way toward the north gate where his parents¡¯ estate resides. The houses in the northern were impressive, huge compounds surrounded by walls with intricate designs of various beasts carved into the faces. The guards of the different estates eyed us with weapons ready as we walked past. ¡°What do your parents do anyway ?¡± I asked as we neared the north wall. ¡°They are alchemists ,¡± he replied, ¡°though what they produce is not always beneficial.¡± ¡°What do you mean by not beneficial ?¡± I asked intrigued. ¡°They do produce potions and materials that are necessary in rituals primarily,¡± he said turning down a side street, ¡°though a good chunk of the business are the poisons that they produce.¡± ¡°Why poisons?¡± I asked confused, ¡°They can¡¯t be that effective considering healing magic.¡± ¡°Yes, most poisons are useless,¡± he replied, ¡°but these are magic poisons. These can cause your magic to go out of control, or cause thousands of ants to pour from your mouth.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± I replied dumbfounded, ¡°Are they even poisons at that point ?¡± ¡°Yes, and there are less pleasant ones, not the best way to see the gods but certainly effective.¡± He said as we approached the gates of a large manor. The walls surrounding the manor were not decorated, they were just jet black. We approached the front gate where two guards barred our way. ¡°Do I look like I need an appointment?¡± Therin replied sharply. ¡°All visitors need an appointment.¡± One of the guards replied placing his hand on his sword. ¡°I don¡¯t have time for this,¡± I thought to myself. ¡°You have one minute to let us pass or you will face the wrath of a true dragon.¡± I said menacingly. ¡°Look the dragon can talk,¡± The other guard said, ¡°that is impressive, but not impressive enough to let you pass without an appointment.¡± I took a deep breath before I started to weave a complex spell. A few seconds pass and neither guard moves, starring at both of them I release the spell. The ground around the two guards surge upward encasing the lower half of their body in solid stone. The guard struggle in vain to extract themselves from the rock as we pass them opening the gates our self. ¡°That was impressive.¡± Therin said, ¡°I never would have guessed you would show that much restraint.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get this meeting over with,¡± I growled ¡°we have better things to do then talk to people who are not prepared to receive us.¡± As we enter the courtyard I could see various gardens filled with strange plants. We got closer to the main house made of the same black stone though there were engravings of various plants inlaid with gold on it. A servant rushed out of the main house towards us. ¡°Lord Therin, I am sorry, we did not expect you so soon.¡± the servant replied, ¡°I have been assigned to make you comfortable in master¡¯s study.¡± ¡°I know the layout of the house.¡± Therin replied, ¡°I want you to have father meet us sooner rather than later as I have a dragon who is not in the best of moods.¡± ¡°Yes lord Therin,¡± he quickly rushed back into the main house. We made our way into the house and navigating, we arrived at a plain door. Therin opened the door to a rather nicely decorated room. The room contained a desk filled with different papers and a few ottomans. In the center, the walls were pure black except for one corner where there was an odd symbol on the wall. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°Fancy, what is that symbol on the wall?¡± I asked. ¡°That is the symbol of the dark god Mortem,¡± Therin replied. ¡°a fitting patron considering this family. ¡± I jumped off Therin and glided to one of the chairs. I curled up on the soft chair while Therin sai in the other. ¡°How long do you think it will be before your father shows up?¡± I asked enjoying the comfortable seat. ¡°I would expect that he will be here soon.¡± Therin replied. After a few minutes there was a knock on the door as a servant walked in barring a tray filled with various fruits. ¡°Lord Ataryo will be with you soon, he is finishing with another guest.¡± The servant said as he placed the tray on the small table in front of us. I looked at the various odd colored fruits arrayed on the tray, wondering if I could even eat fruits. I stood up from the chair and with my long neck I carefully picked a strange apple like thing from the tray. I grasped it with my fore claws and bit into the reddish green exterior, a bitter taste flooded my mouth as I started to chew. ¡°You are too trusting.¡± Therin said watching me. ¡°It has barely been half an hour and you have forgotten that my family deals in poisons.¡± I stopped chewing as I looked at him, thinking for a bit I draw on my draconic breath and let it flood my mouth liquefying its contents. I swallowed the mouthful before saying, ¡°You really think they would try to poison you when you are so important.¡± ¡°I never said my parents would do that but there are others would be glad to see me removed.¡± He said frankly. ¡°Well let¡¯s hope my breath will neutralize any poisons¡± I replied tossing the rest of the fruit back onto the tray. After about half an hour the door was opened to a rather well dressed man. He was 6 feet tall with white hair and violet eyes and a strong jaw. He was calm and collected as he walked into the room. ¡°Father,¡± Therin spat as the man walked into the room, ¡°it has been many years.¡± ¡°Yes it has been a long time.¡± He replied sitting down in the remaining chair. ¡°This must be your new pet that Nettic? mentioned.¡± ¡°I am no one¡¯s pet.¡± I replied keeping my anger in check. ¡°It can talk?¡± Ataryo said with a look surprise. ¡°Wow,¡± Therin interjected, ¡°it seems that Your daughter is not as kind as you imagined, or she would have correctly filled you in.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± he asked a bit confused. ¡°Well before my master kills my family, I believe there should be some introductions.¡± Therin replied. ¡°This is Fafnir, summoned hero of the humans; terror of all who mistakes him for a wyvern. He is my master for the next five years in exchange for freeing me from the slave ritual that was cast on me after I was captured.¡± ¡°A summoned hero for the humans¡­¡± Ataryo interrupted, ¡°he doesn¡¯t look human to me.¡± ¡°There were issues I was told.¡± Therin replied, ¡°Fafnir, this is my father; lord Ataryo.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± I said standing up on the chair. ¡°Nice to meet you as well.¡± he replied, I could tell he was skeptical. ¡°How about we get to business,¡± lord Ataryo said clasping his hands together. ¡°Lord Fafnir, what would It take to buy my son¡¯s contract from you?¡± I stared at the elf for a minute before responding, ¡°There is nothing you could offer me in exchange for Therin.¡± ¡°Surely there must be something, everyone has a price.¡± He said with a grin on his face. ----------------------------------------------------------------- as always rouge and i are humans (supposedly) let us know if we missed anything in the comments. also tell me what you think... and if you have time look at my new site. Chapter 22 – Negotiations I want to thank rouge for his proofreading support. I know this chapter is a bit late; it is hard to use a computer when your power goes out for several days. without further ado chapter 22 -----------------------------------Fafnir----------------------------------------------- I stared at the elf with my draconic eyes while carefully wording my response, ¡°There is nothing you could offer in exchange for Therin.¡± ¡°Surely there must be something, everyone has a price,¡± lord Ataryo said with a grin on his face. ¡°I enjoy Therin¡¯s company,¡± I replied with a toothy grin. ¡°There is nothing that you could offer in exchange. Now, we could come to an agreement to make it look like he¡¯s not a servant to solve your succession issue.¡± ¡°Wait a minute!¡± Therin interjected, ¡°Don¡¯t I get a say in this?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Lord Ataryo replied, ¡°if that is ok with your master.¡± I nodded my head. ¡°I don¡¯t want to run the business¡± Therin stated, ¡°Nettic? would be the better choice.¡± ¡°Yes, she would be the better choice but she is unable to inherit as you well know,¡± lord Ataryo replied sharply. ¡°Calm down both of you!¡± I growled causing both of them to freeze. ¡°You are both family, act like it.¡± They both stood glaring at each other, after a minute I said, ¡°Now, if you both can act like adults, we might be able to work something out that is beneficial to all.¡± ¡°Yes, Fafnir.¡± Therin mockingly replied. ¡°At least there is one person in this room can speak reasonably,¡± lord Ataryo snidely remarked. ¡°Yes, Lord Ataryo, and I am the only one it seems.¡± I retorted looking up at the elves. ¡°This is getting nowhere fast,¡± Therin scoffed while leaning back in his chair. I stared at Therin with displease evident on my scaly face. ¡°Now then,¡± I said, ¡°how about we resolve this in a way that does not involve me destroying a good portion of this house.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± Therin replied. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s get back to business¡± lord Ataryo replied after taking a deep breath. ¡°We were talking about an agreement where we make it look like he is not your servant.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I replied settling back into the chair, ¡°I can make it look like he has taken a liking to me instead of being enslaved. This would make it so that Therin could inherit in case of your untimely demise.¡± ¡°What do you want in exchange?¡± he inquired, intrigued at the suggestion. ¡°There are several things,¡± I replied, ¡°first, you are to find a way to run this place where Therin is the figurehead but is run by others. I will also require your help with a few tasks that I need accomplished. The last thing that you provide staff to help maintain the deception.¡± ¡°What kind of staff?¡± Therin asked. ¡°The kind of staff that would be expected of an elf that was the heir to a wealthy family,¡± I replied. ¡°Just great, I went from bond servant to heir in less than half an hour,¡± Therin spat. ¡°Most people would be happy. Why does it feel like I¡¯ve been thrown to the wolves?¡± ¡°Think of the larger context,¡± I said to the elf, ¡°not only are the heir of your family, you won¡¯t have to do anything. Your sister will manage it from the background until either you have an heir to pass it on to or until you find a suck¡­ I mean brother to take your place.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t have said it better myself,¡± lord Ataryo replied with a rather strained smile. ¡°It still sounds like too much work.¡± Therin replied. ¡°Think of the free time you will gain¡­¡± I said, ¡°Think of all the adventures we could have¡­¡± ¡°I will need to think about it,¡± Therin huffed. ¡°I trust you will come to the right decision,¡± I replied with a toothy grin. ¡°Lord Ataryo. I have told you what I need,¡± I said, ¡°you can handle most of the details and I will inform you of the resources I require within a few weeks after I take care of a few things. Any objections?¡± Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you be a bit more specific about your requirements?¡± he asked a bit vexed. ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to give away too many surprises,¡± I replied with a smile. ¡°Not even a hint?¡± he probed. ¡°Construction.¡± I replied bluntly. ¡°Of what?¡± he asked. ¡°I will give details at a later time when I have determined the full extent of the project,¡± I chided. ¡°I understand, I guess you will fill me in on the requirements as the project unfolds,¡± he replied. ¡°As long as Therin agrees to be the heir, then yes,¡± I said. ¡°It seems that we have come to an agreement, would you care to stay for lunch to deepen our relationship?¡± He asked. I thought for a moment wondering if I should accept. ¡°Sure I will join you.¡± I replied before looking at Therin, ¡°Do you wish to join us?¡± I asked the fuming elf. ¡°Unfortunately, I have other matters I need to attend to, so I must decline,¡± he replied venom evident in his voice. ¡°I will meet you at the house, later.¡± I replied. Therin quickly stood up and left. I jumped off the chair and spread my wings a glided through the room towards the door. ¡°How about I get a servant to take you to the dining room?¡± lord Ataryo said watching how close my wing was to knocking something off the shelfs. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I assured him while pulling my wings in a bit to avoid hitting the door frame ¡°I am really good at flying.¡± We made our way down a rather well decorated hall. There were portraits of various elves which I could only assume were family members. We made traversed a few more hallways and arrived at a rather large room with a large table in the center. I glided through the room and landed on one of the chairs. Lord Ataryo took a seat right across from me. I settled down on the wooden chair and waited for the food. ¡°Would you like some denarith?¡± He asked as a bottle was handed to him by a servant. ¡°What is denarith?¡± I asked intrigued. ¡°It is a traditional dark Elven drink; it is a favorite of mine.¡± He said as he poured himself a glass I thought to myself a bit wondering if I should have some. ¡°Sure I will try some,¡± I replied. Lord Ataryo beckons a servant to bring a bowl. He poured some of the drink into the bowl and placed it before me. I sniffed the bowl and it smelled kind of good so I wrapped my tail around the bottom of the bowl and took a drink. It tasted sweet and smooth, and it tickled the back of my throat. I quickly finish the rest of the bowl. He looked at me for a second and poured some more of the drink in the bowl. ¡°See how delicious it is,¡± he confidently replied, ¡°and this bottle is a very old vintage, it was distilled over 50 years ago and it has been aging ever since.¡± As I finished the second bowl, I finally realized that what he meant when he said drink. ¡°This has alcohol in it?¡± I asked fearing the answer. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you mean by alcohol,¡± he replied a bit confused, ¡°unless you are referring to a fermented beverage, then yes it is.¡± ¡°Well crap,¡± I thought to myself feeling a little warm, ¡°nothing I can do about it now.¡± After a few minutes passed several servants brought in two plates and placed one in front of each of us. It was delicious, and I quickly ate the main course. After I had eaten my fill, I curled up on the chair and before I realised it, I had fallen asleep. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- as always both me and rouge are mostly human let us know if we missed anything. and let me know what you think in the comments. Chapter 23 – After Effects I want to Thank rouge and mejinzs for the proofreading. am planing to do a q&A post to answer some of your questions if you want to send me them, I will answer the ones that don¡¯t spoil too much¡­ i know i posted this last night on my blog spot... i was curious on who would read it there first... as always without further ado, Chapter 23 ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨CFafnir-POV¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Dang, my head hurts,¡± I thought to myself as I woke up. I looked around trying to remember what happened. I was in a stone room with no windows. I stood up, my legs wobbling a bit with the effort of trying to stop the world from spinning around me. I stumbled over to the door and tried to open it. I shook the handle with fore claw only to find it was locked. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t dare, would they?¡± I thought to myself before tying the door again. It was still locked. Taking a deep breath I tried to focus the magic to undo the lock, and I was shocked as the door burst into flames. Calming myself I concentrated and again I released the magic. As quick as the flames started, they vanished, leaving only a charred door. I took a few steps back trying to remember what happened before I passed out. ¡°I remember having a drink¡­¡± I murmured, trying to remember everything, ¡°then another, then everything gets hazy¡­¡± I laid down and waited for the splitting headache to subside. After about half an hour the pain subsided to a dull throb. I stood up and studied the charred door and noticed that there was no lock. Feeling a bit embarrassed, I pulled open the door and I poked my head out into the empty hallway. I walked out into the hallway and made my way toward the end. I cautiously peered around the corner and saw two guards standing in front of a large door, wondering whether I should push my luck. This could all be a misunderstanding or something more sinister. After about a minute I decided it is better to find out now rather than later. I stepped around the corner and started down the hall. After less than a minute I was spotted by one of the guards. They quickly turned around and knocked on the door, and shouted, ¡°I¡¯ sgiathatch naa kuile.¡± I stopped for a second as I realized that I could not understand them. I reached up to where the brooch of tongues had been and found nothing. A little annoyed, I contained walking down the hall wondering who stole my brooch, as I got closer they urgently shouted, ¡°mani lye umaya?¡± I heard someone shout from the other side of the door, ¡°lava ho waan- imya I¡¯ anon.¡± Relief was evident on the faces of the guards as they opened the door and stepped out of the way. I eyed the guards as I walked through the door and noticed lord Ataryo sitting behind a desk surrounded by stacks of papers. ¡°naa lle tyava eithel,¡± he said. I replied in what broken human tongue I learned from Atheros, ¡°Lost speaking gem, where did it go?¡± Lord Ataryo stared at me for a few seconds before replying in broken human tongue, ¡°Don¡¯t know¡­ talking¡­ about.¡± I pointed to where the gem used to rest on my horn and pointed to my tongue. Hoping he understood what I was saying. I could see a flash of recognition in his eyes as he understood what I needed. He got up and motioned me to follow him. We left the small study and headed down the hall we turned right into a mostly destroyed hallway. ¡°That wasn¡¯t like that yesterday¡­¡± I thought to myself when it clicked, ¡°Did I do that?¡± I asked in broken human. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. He nodded and replied in human not much better then mine, ¡°All left¡­ you¡­ destroyed¡­ thing.¡± ¡°Well, dang,¡± I murmured. ¡° I don¡¯t remember doing any of that.¡± ¡°Thing¡­ there,¡± he said in his hobbled human. I started to look about hoping to catch a glimpse of the broach with my draconic eyes. I saw several things glimmer in the light under the trees. I hopped from the destroyed hallway and glided towards one of the shimmering objects, but all that was there was some newly tarnished silverware. I spent the next half hour scouring the place for the broach, promising myself if I found it I would be more serious about learning the language. After rummaging through one of the walls I saw something glisten out in the courtyard, past where the wall used to be. I weaved through the rubble and in one of the bushes I found the small brooch. I affixed the now slightly warped broach to one of my horns and activated the magic within. I flew back into the manor and made my way through the hallways back to the study. the guards quickly waved me in. . ¡°I found it,¡± I said to the elf. ¡°I am glad you were able to pick through the rubble to find a small bauble,¡± he said sarcastically. ¡°Now please remind me to never serve you any more elven spirits. It was very hard to get you to stop trying to show off your magic.¡± ¡°I will,¡± I sheepishly replied. ¡°See you later.¡± I hastily made my way through the halls once more before jumping out one of the broken walls. I flew over the city spotting Therin¡¯s manor. I dived toward the house landing in front of the door, and tried to open it. Finding it locked, I knocked on the door and after a minute Atheros opened it. ¡°There you are, we were wondering when you would return.¡± He said barely containing his laughter. ¡°What is so funny?¡± I asked with my voice flat. ¡°Oh nothing,¡± he replied innocently, ¡°though I heard something about a noble¡¯s house exploding yesterday afternoon.¡± ¡°I have no clue what you are talking about,¡± I huffed. ¡°Of course not,¡± he replied, failing to keep a straight face, ¡°from the letter we received yesterday afternoon you made an impression on your host with your skill in magic.¡± ¡°I unfortunately I do not recall doing any of that,¡± I replied while entering the house ¡°Ok, Fafnir, if you say so¡­¡± he replied. I made my way back to my room where I returned to my normal size. I stretched before plopping down onto the hard floor. I gently grabbed one of the sheets of paper that I asked Atheros for yesterday. I dipped one of my claws in the ink well and started to write a list of supplies that I needed to procure if I was going to make a more permanent lair. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- as always me and rouge are mostly human, with mejinzs now becoming mostly human¡­, let us know if we missed anything, and comment below. Chapter 24 – The List I well the Q&A is a bust as no one asked questions... so i will figure something else out. I want to thank Rouge for his good proofread. also I would like to mention, all chapters have a purpose and you never know what is important to the story... last note the people who followed my wordpress site got this earlier... without further ado chapter 24 ----------------------------Therin¡¯s POV ----------------------------------- ¡°Why should I help that son of an orc?¡± I shouted at the dragon, annoyed at the whole situation. ¡°Because wealth and power.¡± The dragon replied bluntly. ¡°You will command wealth and some power; also depending on how you conduct yourself, you can rub it in your family¡¯s face that they needed you and you helped despite them being less than civil.¡± ¡°Ah, ¡®the kind works out his problems dragon¡¯ is suggesting that I forgive those who have wronged me,¡± I replied with a bit of venom. I heard the dragons give a heavy sigh before he said, ¡°That is different.¡± I glared at the dragon as he sat on the chair across from a few minutes passed my anger still simmering when the dragon spoke, ¡°Fine, you can screw over your family all you like, give up wealth and power and be like everyone else.¡± He then hopped off the chair and walked out of the den, leaving me to my thoughts. After I cooled my anger I stood up and walked into the kitchen to start cooking dinner. ¡°So how was the conversation with Fafnir?¡± Atheros asked as he walked into the kitchen. ¡°He gave me reign to do as I wish.¡± I replied as I started to peel a potato. ¡°Fafnir, giving in that easily¡­ I wonder what he might have to resort to in order to achieve his goals.¡± He said as he grabbed a potato and started to peel it. ¡°Fafnir, having a plan?¡± I asked skeptically, ¡°I have a sneaking suspicion that he makes it up as he goes along.¡± ¡°You might be right¡­ but I wouldn¡¯t let hear you say that.¡± Atheros quipped. ¡°Yes, I think a healthy sense of caution is appropriate near our scaly friend, though sometimes I don¡¯t think I need to worry.¡± I replied as I tossed the diced meat into the pot. ¡°I know what you mean; he doesn¡¯t seem very different from us, until you provoke him that is, then he over reacts causing chaos and death.¡± Atheros replied as he finished chopping the vegetables. Quite pervaded the room as we silently cooked the stew, moving through practiced motions. ¡°By the way, Fafnir asked for paper and ink yesterday, saying something about a supply list.¡± Atheros stated while cleaning the counter. ¡°When did you teach him how to write?¡± I asked while stirring the pot. ¡°I didn¡¯t, I thought you did.¡± He replied a bit surprised. ¡°I wonder what our scaly friend is going to ¡®write¡¯,¡± I chuckled. ----------------------------------Fafnir---------------------------------------------- ¡°Why don¡¯t they make ink bottles claw accessible.¡± I sighed looking at the small opening. After a few seconds I had an idea. I shrank myself and left my temporary lair and walked to the back of the house, with my front claws I dug a small hole until revealed a large rock. ¡°Perfect !¡± I exclaimed, I promptly grabbed the rock in my jaw and took it inside. I dropped the large stone on the floor of my lair with a dull thud. I reached for that place in my chest and cast a spell. I watched as the once solid rock started to bubble and change its shape into a rough bowl. I took the bottle of ink poured half of the bottle into the stone bowl. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°There now I can write this list.¡± I said to myself admiring my handy work. I place gently retrieved the paper from the far side of the room and placed it next to my bowl. Dipping my claw into the ink I started to write the list of materials that I would require. After about two hours I had finished writing down the materials I needed. Looking at the list I was pleased that my claw writing was almost perfect. I used my breath to clean off my claw, before I got up and flicked my tongue out; I could smell a rich aroma meaning that diner is almost ready. Shrinking down, I left the room and headed towards the kitchen. ¡°Hay Atheros,¡± I called out, ¡°I made a list with everything I should need to create my lair, could you please get it from my room?¡± Atheros stood for a moment contemplating before he nodded and left the kitchen. I watched the elf as he tasted the stew, ¡°It is ready¡± he declared taking it off of the stove. ¡°Good,¡± I replied smelling the rich aroma of the stew, ¡°I was getting hungry.¡± I moved into the dining room and took a seat in the middle of the table. Soon after Atheros appeared with my list and a bowl of stew, and after a few moments Therin appeared with two more bowls and on his way to sit down placed one before me. ¡°Your list looks very¡­ nice¡± Atheros commented with a strange look. ¡°What¡± I growled, ¡°can¡¯t you read Eng¡­¡± I realized that I did write the entire thing in English. ¡°Can you read this?¡± Atheros asked while handing the paper to the elf sitting across from me. He carefully scanned the letter, surprise blossomed on his face. ¡°I have seen this writing before in Thantos¡¯ room,¡± he declared, ¡° unfortunately I cannot read it either.¡± ¡°Darn, all that wasted effort.¡± I sighed. ¡°How about I write it for you,¡± Atheros offered. ¡°Sure, we can do that after dinner.¡± I replied, ¡°But there is something we need to discuss first.¡± ¡°What, have you decided to finish what you started yesterday?¡± he said somewhat hopeful with a mouthful of the delicious stew. ¡°I plan to fly to the demon country to reconnoiter.¡± I stated. ¡°You told me that you know what was going on.¡± Atheros stated. ¡°Well, I might have bent the truth¡­¡± I replied. ¡°Isn¡¯t it dangerous to go alone?¡± Atheros said glossing over the fact that I lied to him. ¡°I can handle it.¡± I replied a bit miffed, ¡°I am a dragon.¡± ¡°What are we going to be doing?¡± Therin asked. ¡°I want both of you to gather the items on the soon to be rewritten list and have them ready to transport.¡± I replied, ¡°When I return I will be creating my more permanent lair.¡± ¡°Whatever,¡± Therin replied as he stood up, ¡°I will get the stuff together, I still have some investments.¡± I watched Therin leave the room with both his and Atheros¡¯ bowl. I quickly devoured the remaining contents of my own before hopping from the chair and following Atheros to his room. -------------------------------------------------------- as always both me and rouge are mostly human and therefore miss things, let us know if we missed anything. also let me know what you think Chapter 25 - chaos I can''t believe i am realising chapter 25... it seems like it was a couple of months ago when i first started writing this. so as a treat it is longer than normal and released earlier in the week. i also want to thank mejinzs and rouge for their proofreading support. mejinzs gets a double thanks for his awesome cover art. Without further ado; Chapter 25 - chaos ------------------------------Fafnir------------------- ¡°I am not sure I understand why you need some of these things¡­¡± Atheros stated looking over the freshly penned list. ¡°They are all important.¡± I assured him. He skeptically scanned over the list one more time, ¡°Why do you need ¡®a metric crap-ton,¡¯ as you put it, of iron ingots; Also how much is a ¡®crap-ton¡¯?¡± ¡°Ok then get me at least 1000 kg,¡± I sarcastically replied, ¡°the iron is for reinforcing the lair walls and a few other projects that I plan on undertaking.¡± ¡°My question still stands, how much is 1000kg?¡± ¡°You ask me as if I know your system of measurements¡­¡± I replied slightly irritated, ¡°which was the reason I didn¡¯t put a real number to begin with, I just need a lot of iron.¡± ¡°OK. Good point.¡± He replied a bit surprised, ¡°Well then, what is cy¡­an¡­ide?¡± ¡°Forget it,¡± I huffed. ¡°Get what you can from the list; I can try to produce the other stuff.¡± ¡°Ok, Fafnir¡±, Atheros sighed. ¡°Also we need some way to transport this to my new lair¡±, I remarked. ¡°I figured as much, I was planning to get a cart and something to pull it¡±, Atheros replied. ¡°Thank you¡±, I said. ¡°Well, I will leave in the morning.¡± ¡°How long will you be gone?¡± he asked, somewhat concerned. ¡°I will give myself about a week. I figure I give myself a day or two to get there, a few days to look around, and a day or two to head back.¡± I said looking over the map that Atheros brought out. ¡°You know you will be regarded as a¡­ oh what did you call it. Ah, a wyvern, wherever you go, right?¡± he asked. ¡°I know. I will try to not kill all who insult me.¡± I replied. ¡°That is not the issue.¡± He replied, ¡°If anyone sees you they will report it and a subjugation party will be formed.¡± ¡°Yes and they will try to hunt the wrong thing. Like trying to hunt a wolf as if it was a rabbit. It won¡¯t end well for them¡­¡± I replied imaging the chaos. ¡°I will see about getting everything ready.¡± He said before writing a few more things down. ¡°I really need to learn to read,¡± I thought to myself as I stood up from my perch on top of the chair. I hopped off and glided to the door. ¡°By the way, Fafnir, if you see the demon lord are you going to take care of it?¡± he asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think there will be an opportunity.¡± I replied as I headed towards my lair, disturbed by the uncharacteristic remark. I entered my lair and released the spell changing my size; I stretched as I expanded back to my normal size. ¡°Why can¡¯t they make a house more dragons accessible?¡± I thought as I looked at the door. I gathered a few things to take with me, and placed them in a small sack. I placed the sack in the corner of the room and curl up on the pile of copper coins and fall asleep. I woke up to the smell of cooking meat, the slightly greasy smell of pork-ish meat, drifting through the air. I stood up and stretched my serpentine form, before shrinking myself. I deftly affixed the sack around my neck, and made my way toward the kitchen. ¡°Ah, look who decided to wake up.¡± Therin said as he threw another log into stoves¡¯ the firebox. ¡°I get up exactly when I intend to,¡± I huffed. ¡°Let me guess; you intend to get up when there is food ready?¡± the elf surmised, looking at me with one eyebrow raised. ¡°Something like that,¡± I replied, ¡°I am just a baby dragon¡­ I need my rest, right?¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± he replied drawing out the word. ¡°Are you heading out after eating, O great dragon?¡± ¡°Yes, and Its master O great dragon.¡± I countered while heading through the kitchen towards the dining room. ¡°Ha! You said not to call you master or anything like it.¡± He remarked, bringing a plate of bacon-like meat. ¡°Yes, but that was before I had to break you out of prison.¡± I said to Therin as I devoured the meal in front of me. ¡°That only happened once.¡± He shot back, ¡°And I was only captured because Atheros lacks enough of a spine to kill the guards.¡± ¡°Excuses, Excuses.¡± I jabbed. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. After I finished eating I hopped off the chair and glided to the floor. ¡°You heading out?¡± Therin asked. ¡°Yes¡± I answered. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I am saying this but be careful,¡± Therin said, ¡°the demons are good with magic, and they are stronger than they appear.¡± ¡°Thanks, Dad.¡± I sarcastically replied, opening the door with my fore claw. ¡°I am more of a crazy uncle figure,¡± Therin joked, ¡°it¡¯s Atheros who has the dad spot.¡± ¡°Good to know.¡± I replied before shaking off the shrinking spell. I tensed my mighty legs and leap into the sky, pumping my blue wings to gain altitude. I quickly burst through the trees, scaring several woodland creatures in the process. I flew in a lazy circle as I orientated myself over the green sea, and with a flick of my tail, I turned towards the south-west and soared across the sky. ¡°Finally,¡± I said to myself as a large lake came into view, breaking the monotony of green which I have been staring at for the past seven hours. As I veered towards the water and started to descend, I could make out a few boats floating on the calm blue surface. I flared out my wings as I dropped to the ground, landing on the sandy shore. I dug a small hole and let it fill with water. I blocked the stream, then I released my draconic breath hopefully sterilizing the water. I take a few large mouthfuls slaking my thirst. I gazed over the lake admiring its beauty. As I laid down resting my wings for a bit, I heard a rustling sound, followed by a spear bouncing off my scales. I quickly stood up trying to catch a glimpse of the foolish being that attempted to attack me. out of the corner of my eye I saw something move, I inhaled deeply before releasing my draconic breath, partially melting everything within a wide swath. Trees started to topple as the trunks turned into mush. I heard a loud scream pierced the air accompanied with the boom of a felled tree. I made my way towards the screaming, where a lone humanoid lay, trapped under a log. A set of small horns protruded from his skull curving back towards his ear, and a splotched green and brown pattern adorning his skin. ¡°Why did you attack me?¡± I growled, keeping my anger in check. ¡°I-I saw a dr-dragon, and I had to k-kill it before it it harmed anyone.¡± He quivered, ¡°It¡¯s, it¡¯s just my job.¡± ¡°Well in your job, does it tell you what to do when you bite off more than you can chew?¡± I interrogated, staring at him with my draconic eyes. ¡°Try to get away and gather a party to deal with the threat.¡± He quickly replied. ¡°Well then, it¡¯s better for me to let you die, right? No warning, no problem.¡± I said out loud, before I flicked out my tongue. I could smell that there was more than one person stalking around. ¡°Where are your friends?¡± I ask menacingly, ¡°I can smell more than one of you around.¡± ¡°I always travel alone¡± he replied in a louder voice. I quickly start scanning around me when I hear a faint rustling noise in the distance. I quickly dashed towards the sound and I catch a glimpse of color moving away from me. I caught up and barely avoided hitting a smaller version of the man trapped under the trees. The kid, seeing my draconic visage, promptly passed out. ¡°Well crap,¡± I said looking at the sleeping kid. I gently grabbed him but the shirt collar and carried him to where the other guy is still trapped. I then returned to the devastated area, and dropped the boy on the man whom I assumed is his father. ¡°You can kill me,¡± he pleads, as he realized what just fell on him, ¡°but please don¡¯t harm my son!¡± ¡°You have put me in a difficult position.¡± I said, looking over the two demons, ¡°I don¡¯t really want to kill you, but if you raise the alarm it will make my life harder.¡± ¡°We won¡¯t tell anyone.¡± He quickly offered, ¡°We swear.¡± ¡°What? Do I look like, a fool!?¡± I snapped, ¡°People ask questions, and there is no guarantee that you will keep your word.¡± I watched the color fade from the face of the demon as the meaning of my words sunk in. ¡°What do I need to do to make sure my son survives?¡± He asked with a determined look in his eye. It was at that time I had an idea. -------------------------------------------------------------- as always me, rouge and mejinzs are mostly human so tell us if we missed anything and tell me what you think of not only the chapter but the cool now front cover in the comments below. Chapter 26 - Lift Off Early release, this week and if I keep this up there might be an extra one before the end of the week. As always I want to thank rouge for his lovely proofreading support, he makes the chapters flow so much better. also due to my incressed producitivity i have released at the same time as my blod... if it will let me so without further ado ¨C Chapter 26 ¨C Lift Off ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-Fafnir¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- ¡°So, the curse will dissipate in a few weeks, if I do what you say, right?¡± the demon asked while picking up his unconscious son. ¡°Yes, but if you defy me your son will turn to dust.¡± I lied through my scales, while fighting off sleep from my now full stomach. ¡°You¡¯re sure that the curse will dissipate and he will be alright?¡± He said looking at his pale son. ¡°Yes. He will look better after a day but if you tell anyone before the two weeks end he will be destroyed like the plants around us.¡± I replied in my most menacing tone of voice I could muster. ¡°Fine, I will not tell anyone you are in the area, though I cannot say that I won¡¯t after my son¡¯s curse fades.¡± he said, ¡°The capital is to the west and a bit towards the south. It takes about a day on a draxx, to get there.¡± ¡°I just want to warn you our capital is designed to fight off creatures like you.¡± the demon venomously replied. ¡°You couldn¡¯t even identify me, so what makes you think that they will be able to defend against me?¡± I snapped. ¡°I am just a hunter, the generals of the demon lord live in the capital. They are the strongest among us, more importantly they are worlds above me.¡± he arrogantly replied ¡°And just like you the hunters will become the hunted.¡± I declared as the two walked off into the forest. I waited about 15 minutes to finish stretching and then jumped back into the sky. I oriented myself towards the capital and glided away. After about an hour I could see the beginnings of a massive city in the evening twilight. I decided to land and rest until the cover of night, before sneaking peeks at my supposed enemy capital. Hours passed as I watched the two moons chase each other across the night sky. When the moons had reached their zenith I stood up and launched myself into the night sky. I flew over the mostly sleeping city, I watched people bustle about at this late hour with my draconic eyes, when I smelled something delicious floating on the wind. It was the sweet smell of mana. I descend a bit to try and identify who was giving off such a delicious smell. I scanned the area for what seemed like days when I caught another whiff from a large ornate building near the center of the city. I tossed caution to the wind as I descended upon the unsuspecting city. I tried to land but the roof of the building collapsed under me. I could smell the sweet aroma of mana permeating the building. Driven by mad desire I crashed through the building walls, I could hear a loud ringing in the distance mixed with panicked voices. As I crashed through another wall, I discovered the source of the sweet aroma; it was a small child with blood red eyes and small horns sticking from his temples, the child looked no older than two. It burst into tears at the sight of my draconic vestige. ¡°Well crap!¡± I cursed, as I realized what I had just done. I could hear the clanking of people dressed in metal armor approaching. Making a quick decision I picked up the screaming child by its shirt and lifted it out of its crib. ¡°It¡¯s in the lord chambers, quickly!¡± a voice commanded. ¡°Oh, crap!¡± I swore through my teeth; the child screaming as it dangled from my mouth. I quickly made my way out of the building, knocking through another wall. ¡°A beast has our lord!¡± a demon shouted. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. I knock down the last wall standing between me and the open sky; I jumped through the makeshift exit and quickly ascend into the night sky. I could feel arrows patter against my scales as I moved. After a few seconds of flying I heard a ripping sound, followed by a louder scream that seemed to be moving away from me. ¡°Dang, I dropped it,¡± I thought to myself as I quickly dived down. I quickly matched the kid¡¯s speed as I grabbed the little demon lord with my front claws, and pulled out of my dive. I flew for a few hours heading back toward home. The child eventually quieted down, and is now just squirming around in my fore claw. I descended near the same lake I stopped earlier, the sun starting to crest on the horizon. I gingerly landed on three of my claws, being careful not to crush the child under my claw. I set it down and start to look at the little demon lord. The little thing managed to sit up and just stared at me, I watched as its lower lip began to quiver. Thinking quickly, I cast my shrinking spell and shrank down to eye level. The little demon lord started to laugh. ¡°Huh, I was supposed to kill you?¡± I muttered, while looking the child in the eye. The wide eyed child reached out his hand trying to grab one of my glowing horns. I started to pull back but decided to allow it to touch me, which was a mistake. With unnatural strength the little demon lord yanked me off my claws and shoved my horn right into its mouth. I flicked my head breaking its grasp on me and growled, causing the child to once again burst into tears. In a fit of rage I released a spell and the entire area fell into absolute silence, not even the chirps of crickets could be heard. Confusion covered the face of the small child, as he tried to cry but no sound came out. After a minute I canceled the magic and all the sounds around us returned. I canceled the translation spell and using my deep rumbling voice I say, ¡°Behave.¡± His lower lip began to quiver once more but stopped when I growled. ¡°Good little demon,¡± I praised the little thing, giving it a wide smile. ¡°Now you are probably hungry, but what can I feed you?¡± I said to the little demon. I released my shrinking spell and returned to my large draconic form. I squatted on my hind legs and placed the little demon in my little leather pouch that was tied around my neck, despite its loud protest. Remembering where I was, I launched myself into the sky and scanned the area for the village where I expected the two demons to live. As I flew around I caught the scent of the demon I encountered earlier. I spotted the demon as he was entering a house at the edge of the clearing. I descended and blew up dust and dirt as landed right by his front door. Activating the brooch on my head I sang, ¡°Little demon, little demon, let me come in.¡± I heard screaming coming from inside the house. ¡°Ah, come on, don¡¯t be like that.¡± I chided, ¡°I need your help with something, and if you comply I will even remove the curse on your boy.¡± After a few seconds the door creaked open revealing the demon I met in the forest. ¡°Wh-what d-d-do you w-w-want?¡± he stuttered terror plain on his face. I sneezed as the strong smell of freshly soiled clothes filled my nose. ¡°I need you to feed this young demon I have.¡± I said while I took the child from my pouch. ¡°Awahh, what a cute child you have there¡­¡± he said before terror covered his face again, ¡°Wait, if I may ask, O mighty dragon, where did you get this lovely demoness?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª as always me and rouge are mostly human so let us know if we missed anything. also let me know what you think in the comments below Chapter 27 - Home coming hey look a chapter, it is released. thanks again to rouge for his proofreading. without further ado Chapter 27 ------------------------------------------Fafnir------------ ¡°What do you mean by demoness?¡± I quickly asked, ¡°I thought the child was a boy.¡± The demon stopped for a second and looked at the child, ¡°Nope, she¡¯s female.¡± ¡°Dang you Atheros, why couldn¡¯t you do your job correctly!¡± I cursed. ¡°Is that a problem¡­?¡± he asked as his voice trembled a bit. ¡°No, it¡¯s not a problem¡± I sighed, ¡°It just makes my life harder.¡± ¡°If you wish , O dragon, we can look over this child for you.¡± he offered ¡°No.¡± I replied glaring at the demon, ¡°She is my responsibility; I just need you to feed her so we can return to my lair.¡± ¡°Sure. we¡¯ll feed her¡­¡± He replied, fear still covering his face, ¡°do-do you wish to come in?¡± ¡°Thank you for offering,¡± I replied with a grin, ¡°I will join you in a second¡± I watched his face pale at my reply. Seizing the moment I cast my shrinking spell and, once more small, I walked around the socked demon. I looked around the three roomed shank. It was nicer than expected; there were a couple of recliners around a small fireplace, a decent looking kitchen and two bedrooms. I could see the adolescent demon lying on the bed in the next room and i heard another in the kitchen. Our eyes met and he started screaming. a demoness walked over to the boy to console him, trying not to be noticed as she stole glances of me. Ignoring them I walked over to a chair and laid myself on top of it. ¡°Dear, do we have any more of the dried dragon left?¡± He asked the demoness after he finally recovered from shock, ¡°The talking dragon here wants us to feed this young one here.¡± he froze once more realizing what he just said. ¡°You can eat lesser wyverns all you like, I don¡¯t care.¡± I stated easing the man¡¯s fears, ¡°just feed her.¡± I watched the demoness shoot a deathly glare at her husband, ¡°Dear, you should feed a two year old something better than just dried meat¡±, she scolded. ¡°I will feed the girl, while you entertain the nice dragon.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a great idea, Honey¡±, he replied before he sat on a chair as far from me as possible. ¡°I am guessing that whatever you did was successful.¡± he said in a somewhat more relaxed tone. I stared at him for a bit with my large draconic eye before I replied, ¡°Yes I was able to deal with a future problem in a somewhat civil manner, that I might have had to deal with in a less than civil way.¡± ¡°I am glad then everything went well.¡± he shuddered. ¡°So where did you get the lovely girl?¡± He asked his voice a bit steadier than before. ¡°Are you sure you want to know?¡± I questioned. ¡°Y-y-yes?¡± he stuttered a look of worry on his face. I thought for a minute while watching the demoness feed the little demon lord. ¡°I will tell you the answer after she has eaten.¡± I declared. ¡°Ok.¡± After about fifteen minutes of uncomfortable silence, the demoness said her eyes glaring at me, ¡°There, the girl has been fed and changed.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°Thank you and as promised I will remove the curse.¡± I said chuckling a bit at their belief in my little lie. I walked over to the boy, fear plastering his face and part of the bed. I released a bit of my breath and melted the edge of his hair. ¡°It is done, the curse has been removed.¡± We walked out of the house and after releasing the shrinking spell I take the little demon lord from the demoness and place her back into the pouch. ¡°I will be off,¡± I said, as I started to grin, ¡°as to where I got this little girl, you will probably hear soon that the demon lord was taken by a beast. I will let you determine if the two are related.¡± I laughed as I leaped into the sky leaving the stunned demons behind. ¡°Should I keep her or should I just eat her, as my stomach has been telling me to?¡± I asked myself as we flew over the green sea of trees near the elven city. ¡°If I am going to keep, how I would take care of her, I mean I am not exactly in a form to take care of a two year old.¡± i mused,¡±Whatever, I will cross that bridge when I come to it.¡± As dusk started to settle I could make out the city in the distance. I grabbed onto the pouch with the sleeping girl as I descended through the treetops. I could make out cries of alarm from the guards as I landed in front of Therin¡¯s house. I knocked and after about a minute a familiar elf opened the door. ¡°You¡¯re back sooner than expected.¡± He flatly stated as his eyes were drawn to my pouch, ¡°What do you have?¡± ¡°Nice to see you too, I will answer your question after I come in.¡± I replied, ¡°Also get Atheros; I think he will like the answer to that question.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± he sighed, ¡°Atheros is upstairs attempting to discern that list of your.¡± I placed the sack on the floor, the demoness started to squirm inside and controlling my magic I shrink myself enough to fit through the hallways, I pick up the sack once again, much to the protest of the now awake child, and walked into the den. I pulled her out of the sack and I placed her on the ground, she started to explore the unfamiliar surrounds as I settled down. ¡°Why is there a demon child crawling around on the floor Fafnir?¡± Atheros asked as he walked into the den. ¡°Atheros, I found your demon lord and savior.¡± I replied before I burst out laughing. ¡°What?¡± was all Atheros could say. ¡°I solved your demon problem.¡± I stated. ¡°What does a small chi¡­¡± he said before froze. ¡° is that who I think that is?¡± ¡°No, as that would mean you think¡±, I jabbed. ¡°Though if you are trying to ask if this is the demon lord, I would reply; ¡®she used to be¡¯, as from now on, she will be my daughter.¡± ¡°Who has a daughter?¡± Therin asked as he walked into the den, freezing as he noticed the child. ------------------------------------------------------------------- as always me and rouge are mostly human so tell us if we missed. also let me know what you think in the comments. Chapter 28 - Confrontation Earily chapter this week, as I will spend the rest of the week redoing some of the early chapters. I want to thank rouge and mejinzs for their proofreading support. I know this is a shorter chapter than normal, but you had an extra chapter last week so it''s fine. also come see my blog for the more up to date information. without further ado, Chapter 28 - Confrontation ----------------------------Therin------------------------- ¡°Congratulations you do, and you¡¯re the mother.¡± The dragon said with a toothy grin. ¡°Why do I have to be the mother?¡± I groaned, ¡°Atheros is the girly one.¡± ¡°Hey, watch it elf.¡± Atheros snapped. ¡°Good, so you don¡¯t object to watching the girl¡± the dragon said. ¡°I never said that,¡± I retorted, ¡°where did you even get the demoness?¡± ¡°The demon lord¡¯s castle¡± He casually replied while watching the girl explore the den. ¡°So you really did it.¡± Atheros sighed. ¡°What, you stole a demon noble¡¯s daughter?¡± I asked confused ¡°No, the demon lord herself.¡± He sighed again. ¡°The demon lord a girl?¡± I inquired ¡°That is what you have issue with?¡± Atheros yelled with disbelief. ¡°Not the fact that the dragon stole her?!¡± ¡°Not really, it will take months for the demons to find her if they ever do.¡± I stated, ¡°And we have the humans as a buffer state.¡± ¡°Also, who can follow a dragon on the wing.¡± The dragon stated while picking up the girl with his tail. ¡°Nothing good will come of this.¡± Atheros stated ominously before storming out of the room. ¡°Is that really the demon lord?¡± I asked. ¡°It was confirmed by the guards as I burst out of their castle.¡± The dragon nonchalantly replied. ¡°You are awfully close to the demon, are you ok?¡± I asked. ¡°Just look at how cute she is, her horns sweeping back along her head, the deliciously sweet tasting mana that she exudes¡­¡± he said as the lights in the room dim a bit. ¡°Are you siphoning that child¡¯s mana?¡± I asked a bit disturbed. He looked at me with his blue reptilian eyes, ¡°Yes, I am taking a taste,¡± he replied, ¡°While I still can.¡± I took a step back from Fafnir, ¡°So¡­ now what are you going to do?¡± I asked smoothly changing the subject. ¡°I am going to get Atheros and help him procure the rest of the materials, while you watch the little demon.¡± He stated chuckling a bit. ¡°Why do I have to watch her?¡± I grumbled. ¡°If I leave her with Atheros I will have to burn a good part of the continent, when he does something... less than wise,¡± He replied setting the squirming demon down, ¡°Unless, you know someone who is good with children?¡± ¡°If it means I don¡¯t have to spend time looking over a demonic brat, I will find someone.¡± I replied thinking over who I could get. ¡°Until then, you can look after her.¡± The dragon said as he stood up ¡°Ok.¡± I replied defeated. ¡°What is the girl¡¯s name?¡± ¡°Her name?¡± The dragon said as he stopped. ¡°Crap. I¡­ I have no clue.¡± The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°So what are you going to do?¡± I asked the dragon. ¡°Humm.¡± He grunted. ¡°Her name will be Azazel.¡± ¡°Where did you pull that name from?¡± I asked skeptically. ¡°Places¡­¡± he replied as he walked towards the door, ¡°also she needs to be fed; she hasn¡¯t eaten since I threatened a family to feed her.¡± ¡°Oh, well¡­ then I guess I will make something for her.¡± I said before I picked her up and walked towards the kitchen. -----------------------------------Fafnir------------------------------------------- ¡°Atheros.¡± I called out as I knocked on his door. ¡°It¡¯s me, the dragon.¡± ¡°What Fafnir?¡± He asked. ¡°I am here to help you obtain the rest of stuff I need to make my lair.¡± I said. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can help you anymore.¡± He said through the door. ¡°Why not?¡± I asked a little annoyed. ¡°Because you might have just started a war with the demons!¡± He yelled as he opened the door. ¡°Did I?¡± I asked, looking at the man, ¡°How do you know?¡± ¡°What country won¡¯t try to retrieve their ruler if kidnapped?¡± He asked while he poked my snout insistently. ¡°How many people know that a dragon was summoned for the humans, and how would the demons be able to differentiate between me and the others?¡± I replied keeping my anger in check, ¡°How many people did I have to correct on the way here, who couldn¡¯t even recognize their own hero?¡± ¡°That is your plan, to hide behind anonymity?¡± He asked. ¡°That is what I did on the Internet.¡± I replied. ¡°What is the internet?¡± he asked annoyed ¡°Something you couldn¡¯t understand. How about you wait and see what happens, and if things head south, you could point them towards my lair and watch what happens.¡± I replied more than annoyed at the hard headed man. ¡°They would still have to move through human lands, burning as they go.¡± He replied. ¡°Shut up and listen!¡± I growled. ¡°Ask yourself, ¡®Why the demons don¡¯t attack at any other time?¡¯. My guess is that their system of government, without the demon lord, devolves into petty warlords fighting amongst each other. So the chance that they will all work together is slim. At most you will deal with one or two warlords at a time. Then you can pick them off if they come in force. If they don¡¯t want to be wiped out they will have to resort to small parties that can move without being detected, and I can deal with those.¡± ¡°We shall see dragon.¡± He replied, clearly unable to argue my logic. ¡°So, are you going to help me get the stuff I need or not?¡± I ask. ¡°Sure. I guess I will help the possible destroyer of the human race.¡± He replied as he grabbed the list off his desk. ¡°Let¡¯s go shopping then.¡± -------------------------------------------------------------------------- as always me and rouge are mostly human, we are still working on mejinzs, let us know if we missed anything. also let me know what you think in the comments below. Chapter 29 – Politics here is the weekly chapter (now correctly formatted). i want to thank rouge for his proofreading support. i also want to point out that i have added a persons of note page that you can reference in case you forget who they are.i also want to point out that i have added a persons of note page that you can reference in case you forget who they are. also the people who follow my blog got this chapter last night, and they have a few resources that i just can''t place here. like a persons of note page. well without further ado ¨C Chapter 29 ¨C Politics ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-King Vitur POV¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C ¡°That stupid lizard¡± I sighed while reading Atheros¡¯ report on the attack of Stad. I grimaced at the rest of the unread reports. I continued to read the misadventures of the supposed hero when an incessant knock interrupted me. ¡°Enter¡± I called out. I watched a haggard man in leather armor walked through the door and dropped to one knee. ¡°My lord, I have an urgent message from Atheros.¡± He huffed. I sighed, dreading what disaster that giant lizard caused. ¡°Hand it over then¡± I said beckoning the man to approach. He handed me a rolled up piece of parchment with one corner dyed red. The paper tube was sealed with the emblem of the scout division impressed on the wax. I broke the seal and began reading it. ¡°That stupid lizard!¡± I roared slamming my fist on the table. ¡°He can¡¯t even do his job.¡± I took a deep to calm myself before I looked at the haggard soldier, ¡°Thank you for bringing this to me, send in a squire before you go eat and rest.¡± ¡°Yes, my liege.¡± He replied as he slowly rose and left the room. A few seconds passed before a young squire knocked and entered the room. He kneeled before me. ¡°Tell Thantos and Cirden to come to my study.¡± I said to the squire. He bowed and left. I started to skim over Atheros¡¯ other reports that would indicate what that scaly beast was thinking. After a few minutes of the dull writing style of the scout there was a knock at the door. ¡°Enter¡± I called both Thantos and Cirden entered. ¡°My liege, you called for us.¡± Cirden said. ¡°Yes, it seems that we have an issue with our¡­ wayward hero.¡± I explained, ¡°He has forsaken his duty and adopted the demon lord.¡± ¡°What do you mean by adopted?¡± Cirden asked confusion clear on his face. ¡°According to Atheros, he has taken the demon lord and declared her his daughter and will be raising her as such.¡± I stated. ¡°A dragon raising a child.¡± Cirden started to laugh, ¡°I have never heard of anything so absurd.¡± ¡°I drought it is just a normal relationship,¡± Thantos muttered, ¡°more like a portable snack.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The king said, ¡°We have bigger issues, namely what the demons intend to do about the missing child.¡± ¡°That is out of my area of expertise.¡± Thantos flatly stated. ¡°I know the most of the generals won¡¯t care, as they try to increase their demesne.¡± Cirden replied, ¡°Though you will have some of the older generals, Like Kaaos, might try and retrieve the little monster.¡± ¡°What of lord Reuna, she is adjacent to our lands; do you think she will try to invade?¡± I asked. ¡°I doubt that she will. She is one of the more rational demonesses. Though I am on the fence with lord Varjo he is an enigma.¡± Cirden replied. ¡°Now the big question is why?¡± Cirden asked, ¡°Why would the dragon want a daughter?¡± ¡°He¡¯s not human,¡± Thantos scoffed, ¡°how could we understand what is going through that lizards mind.¡± ¡°Could have fooled me.¡± Cirden retorted. ¡°What do Atheros¡¯ reports say?¡± ¡°I am reviewing them to see if I missed some pattern¡± I quickly replied hiding the fact that I haven¡¯t read them yet. ¡°You mean you haven¡¯t read them yet.¡± Cirden jabbed. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Well I have read them,¡± I replied a bit miffed, ¡°I haven¡¯t considered the full impact of our wayward hero actions.¡± ¡°Right sir¡± Cirden replied. ¡°After I have considered the full impact I want both of you to go over the reports and give your impressions.¡± I commissioned. ¡°Yes, my lord¡±, they both replied before they left my study. ¡°What is that crazy lizard thinking.¡± I sighed as I returned to reading the reports. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨CFafnir POV¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Can¡¯t this cart go any faster?¡± I complained. ¡°No, and if you keep moving around you will spook the draxxes again, making it take longer.¡± Therin replied. ¡°Quiet, both of you, or you will wake Azazel.¡± Atheros snapped. ¡°Yes, mother.¡± Therin quipped. ¡°Watch it, elf.¡± Atheros growled. A few uneventful hours passed as we made our way through the elven forest, when the white base of my new mountain home came into view. ¡°Yep still as steep as I remember it.¡± Therin chuckled. ¡°How are we going to build your lair?¡± Atheros asked a bit skeptically ¡°I was going to fly to one of the crags, and melt the face till I make a cave, then profit.¡± I revealed. ¡°Whoa, let me get this straight,¡± Therin interrupted, ¡°you are going to fly up and use a ledge on the cliff as a starting point to melt yourself a cave in a mountain face?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I replied ¡°How are we supposed to get up there?¡± Therin asked. ¡°That is what the materials are for.¡± I replied. ¡°Ok, I must agree with the elf,¡± Atheros stated, ¡°you might be able to fly but other people cannot.¡± ¡°I will make more than one way to the top.¡± I explained, ¡°I will melt a tunnel that opens up a little ways away.¡± ¡°What¡¯s to stop people from using that door?¡± Therin questioned. ¡°That is a surprise, and that entrance will only be known by you three.¡± I replied before I jumped into the air and flew towards the crag I had scouted earlier. It was a medium sized ledge that was barely large enough to fit my large frame. I balanced on the ledge and with my draconic breath the wall of the cliff was turned into magical slag. An hour passed as I kept up the stream of magical energy. I took a quick break to let the goop flow off the cliff. ¡°This is going better than expected,¡± I thought to myself, pleased with the progress I had made. Several more hours passed as I continued my magical assault on the cliff face when I decided that the cave was big enough. I started to survey the cavern that I had created. The mouth of the newly created cave was eight feet tall that led into a large cavern with glowing walls cast the entire area in a faint blue light. I moved into the cavern and carved out a few more caves for important things like a bedroom for me and one for Azazel. ¡°Good enough for now,¡± I said as the last of the blue slag flowed away. I walked out of the main cavern and jumped from the ledge towards the small camp my companions had made a little ways away. ¡°Sure, took you long enough.¡± Therin said as I dropped into the clearing. I heard a small squeal as the Azazel saw me and tried to get me before being stopped by Atheros. ¡°We were wondering if you were ever going to come down.¡± Atheros said, ¡°We had to move away as corrosive blue goop started to rain from the sky melting everything it touched.¡± ¡°Ha, I guess that rock had to go somewhere.¡± I nervously chuckled. ¡°Well I am going to have to carry you up¡± ¡°Yes, I get to ride a dragon!¡± Therin shouted. ¡°For that comment alone you will be carried in my claws.¡± I retorted. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- as always me and rouge are mostly human so let us know if we missed anything. also comment to tell me what you think] Chapter 30 - lair making Guaranteed chapter for the week. I want to thank rouge for the awesome proofreading job. there also might be a side chapter written about what exactly happened during the week of cave making. we shall see where the ball lies with that one. without further ado - Chapter 30 -------------------Fafnir''s POV------------------- ¡°I never thought I would say this but this but this is a pretty nice cave.¡± Therin said as I dropped another load of supplies on the ledge. ¡°Thanks,¡± I said, ¡°by the way, how good are you at carpentry?¡± ¡°Terrible,¡± he laughed, ¡°the only craft I practiced, besides alchemy, was blacksmithing, though I had to stop after I accidently burned down the entire forge.¡± I stared at the elf, ¡°How did you burn down a forge?¡± ¡°I over stoked the furnace trying to melt a piece of metal I found in the forest and caught the roof on fire.¡± He huffed as he picked up a large sack of smoked meat. ¡°That is very good to know¡­¡± I ominously replied, thinking of the projects I would need metal work done. ¡°Why do I have the feeling my workload just increased.¡± He sighed as he took the sack to the kitchen area. ¡°Because it just did.¡± I replied before I jumped off the ledge and glided towards the cart. ¡°Not much more!¡± Atheros called as he set another large sack for me to take up. ¡°Good, it¡¯s going along smoothly; by the way do you know any carpentry?¡± I asked as I grabbed the sack with my fore claws. ¡°I know some, my mother was a carpenter and I learned from her before I joined the scout core.¡± He replied. ¡°Good you will be able to make furniture for us.¡± I replied. ¡°Whoa, I know some carpentry, I am not that good.¡± he quickly replied. ¡°Well you will be able to learn quicker then Therin, who might have a thing for fire.¡± I said as I took off carrying another load to the ledge. A few hours passed as we moved supplies into my new lair. The last thing I took was the draxx which was less than pleased with the short trip. ¡°Crap!¡± Atheros shouted. ¡°What?¡± I asked, as I piled up copper coins for my bed. ¡°How are we going to make a fire without wood?¡± he asked. ¡°I will just bring a tree up¡± I replied, ¡°It will be fine.¡± ¡°It is starting to get dark, when are you going to do that?¡± he asked. ¡°Fine mom, I will get some now.¡± I moaned. ¡°I am not anyone¡¯s mother!¡± Atheros shouted as I left the cave. I flew towards the top of one of the towering trees, and I used my draconic breath to destroy the trunk causing the top to fall to the ground with a loud boom. I lifted the large log and dropped it on the ledge before I landed next to it. ¡°Is this enough wood?¡± I asked ¡°We need dry wood¡± he chided as he grabbed an axe from the corner. ¡°Though it is a start, you still need dry wood.¡± ¡°I will see what I can do¡± I grumbled as I took off. I searched the area and gathered several large logs and flew them to the ledge. I heard a squeal ring through the cave as Azazel jumped out of her pile of blankets in her little cave and stumbled towards me. ¡°Hello Azazel,¡± I said in English as she hugged my fore leg. ¡°She has become very attached to you this past week,¡± Atheros commented as he picked up the dry-ish wood. ¡°It¡¯s weird, if you ask me.¡± Therin shouted from across the cave. ¡°You are just jealous, because she is terrified of you.¡± I jabbed. ¡°Yes, because everyone thinks that dark elves are scarier than the fricken glowing dragons.¡± He said, ¡°That makes perfect sense.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry; she eventually warm up to her crazy uncle.¡± I chuckled as I picked up the little demoness and set her on my back. She instantly plopped down and instantly started to chew on one of my crystalline spines. ¡°Why is she trying to eat you?¡± Therin asked as he started to gather the wood. ¡°No clue.¡± I replied, ¡°Maybe she is teething or my spines taste delicious.¡± ¡°Tell me again, why did you adopt the little hellion?¡± He asked as he stacked the bundle of wood along the wall, next to the kitchen. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Everyone needs excitement¡± I said as I walked over to my chamber carrying a large clinking crate filled copper coins. I set the large crate down and opened the lid with my fore claws, being careful not to throw the little demoness of my back. I then tipped the crate the coins flowed out of the box. I piled the coins in the small depression I had made when I was making the cave scrapping the last few coins into the pile, Azazel squealed with delight, laid down on the metal sea making myself comfortable. ¡°You know maybe the stereotypes have a bit of truth to them this is comfortable.¡± I mumbled as the coins flowed around my draconic form. ¡°All I need now are some dragon sized pillows and I would be good to go.¡± The days started to blend together as three of the four of us turned the claw made cave in to a fine lair where more than just dragons could live, and before anyone realized a week had passed, with more than a few incidence occurring, including the stream that now ran through, not only the kitchen but a small bathroom. ¡°What is that smell?¡± I asked myself as I flew back towards my lair. I flicked out my tongue and smelled the sour twang of blood. Curious of what creatures had tried to invade my new territory I angled my wings towards the smells source. After a few minutes of flying I came upon a grisly battle field. I roared as I dropped right in the middle of the fight causing them all to freeze, as they gazed upon my draconic form. ¡°Who dares invade my home?¡± I roared, the two sides were shocked. I surveyed the two groups. The first was a group of dark elves armed with sword and bow. On the other side was a race I haven¡¯t met. Their skin was a stone gray, their hair was an almost luminous blond and on their back was pair of avian wings. The field was littered with bodies from both sides. There were only ten elves left of what must have been at least thirty. The gray skinned creatures had only two men remained but they had a look that said they were not going to surrender. ¡°Who in the dark god¡¯s name are you?¡± one of the elves asked as he pointed a bow at me. ¡°One who will ruin your day, if you act in an¡­ uncivil manner.¡± I growled. ¡°Wait,¡± one of the elves interjected, ¡°isn¡¯t that Therin¡¯s pet?¡± ¡°No, Therin¡¯s is much smaller than this.¡± another replied. ¡°Therin is my pet,¡± I chuckled, ¡°and if you don¡¯t show some respect he will also hear about this from me first.¡± I watched as the gray skinned creatures start to slowly back away hoping to escape in the confusion. I stared at the two and said, ¡°I am not finished with you yet, so stay there.¡± ¡°Elves, I will forgive your trespassing and dirtying my home, so leave; I will deal with the other two.¡± I commanded. ¡°Guards ready weapons!¡± an elf shouted. In a fit of rage I released my magic and the elf turned to dust. ¡°Leave!¡± I roared at the elves, who quickly broke rank and fled into the forest. I turned to the two stunned gray creatures. ¡°What are you?¡± I asked ¡°You would not be able to pronounce what we call ourselves, but we are known by the humans as Nephilim.¡± the effeminate one replied. ¡°Huh, I will make a deal with you.¡± I stated, ¡°One will stay, and in exchange, the other may go free, to report back as the only survivor of your whole squad. You may choose among yourselves who will stay.¡± They quickly huddled together and started to whisper to each other their faces covered by their black wings and after a few moments they turned towards me. The effeminate looking one said its voice quivered as it spoke, ¡°I will stay and my subordinate will go and report our deaths.¡± ¡°Good, now go and don''t return.¡± I said to the other. With a sad look on the remaining Nephilim face it flew off towards the north, I watched the nephilim as it looked back more than once before it broke through the tree line. --------------------------------------------------- as always me and rouge are mostly human let us know in the comments if we missed anything. also tell me what you think. Chapter 31 – Introductions another chapter done, i want to thank rouge and mejinzs for their proofreading and suggestions. just to let you all know i posted this on my blog last night so without further ado ¨C Chapter 31 ¡ª¡ª¡ª Nephilim¡¯s POV ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°I have made peace with my god.¡± I said, as I murmured another prayer to my goddess. ¡°Good for you, I give it about a week though.¡± The dragon said as he stared at me. ¡°What, you aren¡¯t going to eat me?¡± I asked suspicious of the large beast. ¡°Probably not. Out of curiosity, what gender are you?¡± the dragon asked ¡°I have been trying to figure it out since I noticed the battle.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± I asked, stunned by the absurd incongruity of the question. ¡°You know, are you a boy or a girl? I really can¡¯t tell.¡± The dragon said, ¡°Hell, you could tell the truth and I wouldn¡¯t necessarily believe you.¡± ¡°I am obviously a woman!¡± I shouted angry at the giant lizard¡¯s audacity. ¡°Nice, that might make things easier for what I have in mind.¡± The dragon chuckled ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare.¡± I said putting a bit of venom in my voice, ¡°I will kill myself before you have your way with me.¡± ¡°Well, your mind went to the gutter rather quickly,¡± The dragon laughed, ¡°unless you¡¯d kill yourself over housework.¡± ¡°Wait, housework?¡± I inquired as I tried to comprehend what the dragon was saying. ¡°You aren¡¯t very quick on the uptake here are you.¡± the dragon stated. ¡°Let me make this clear, I want you to help around my lair with things like cleaning and a little a bit of child care. No, it is not a baby dragon.¡± ¡°You want me for house work?¡± I asked trying to determine if the dragon was lying. ¡°Yes, housework. My claws aren¡¯t conducive to things like housework and child rearing.¡± The dragon replied showing me his front claws. ¡°So why not get someone else to do it?¡± ¡°You saved the life of a praetorian¡­ so that you can have someone to do house work for you?¡± I asked dumbfounded. The dragon perked up at my words, ¡°Did you say Praetorian?¡± the dragon questioned. ¡°Yes I did.¡± I replied a bit confused. ¡°Hold on.¡± the dragon said, ¡°Say that again in about a minute.¡± I heard him mutter something to himself and I repeated myself. The dragon burst out laughing and started to speak in a guttural language. He muttered again before saying ¡°That is rich; I never expected the romans to get around.¡± ¡°Who are the romans?¡± I asked a bit confused. ¡°It matters not,¡± the dragon replied, ¡°follow me.¡± ¡°What¡¯s to stop me from running?¡± I asked testing the waters. ¡°I would say your word, but I don¡¯t know if it means anything to you.¡± The dragon contemplated, ¡°So instead, if you run I will wipe out everything you know and love.¡± ¡°Yo¡­you wou¡­wouldn¡¯t,¡± I stuttered, fear gripping me as I remembered the elf. ¡°I have eaten people for lesser reasons¡± the dragon stated, ¡°let¡¯s get going, I want you to meet everyone else, but don¡¯t worry I think you will enjoy it, eventually.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-Fafnir Pov¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C ¡°People really are gullible in this world.¡± I thought to myself as we flew towards my lair. ¡°I wonder what everyone will think of my new pe¡­ companion.¡± We neared the cave and I dropped the corpse of a deer like creature that I picked up one the way back, literally snatching the beast and carrying it off into the sky. I landed with soft thud. I heard the familiar squeal of Azazel as she ran to come see me, but stopped as she noticed the gray skinned leather clad woman that landed next to me, apparent deciding it was safe came over and latched onto my leg. ¡°Fafnir, why in the dark god¡¯s name did you bring one of those¡­ THINGS home.¡± Therin shouted. ¡°What do you have against my new p¡­ I mean housekeeper.¡± I said hoping everyone will overlook that little slip up. ¡°The Nephilim have been at war with the elves for years, claiming it was commanded of them by their ¡®god,¡¯¡± Therin spat. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°Well then you might want to talk to your guards when you head back,¡± I replied, ¡°also you might want to inform them of who I am. On an unrelated note I think there is a new captain position open in the city guard.¡± ¡°Did you kill some of the city guards, again?¡± Therin sighed. ¡°I will neither confirm nor deny your statement, but if I did it was in self-defense, I gave them a chance to run.¡± I replied He took a deep breath before saying, ¡°If the Nephilim is going to be living here then you need to perform the slave ritual.¡± ¡°Why would I enslave her?¡± I questioned. ¡°Because she would not be able to leave this cave without being attacked if she did not have the slave tattoo around her neck,¡± Therin responded, ¡°and if you picked her up to replace Atheros until he comes back, if he even comes back, you need to have her be able to go into the city.¡± ¡°He¡¯ll come back, they just want a bit more detailed in person report,¡± I replied, ¡°but I see your point, though I don¡¯t think the ritual will work remember how I got rid of yours?¡± I looked at the Nephilim as she stared at me her face turning pale. ¡°Well maybe I can fake it or something¡± I replied as I tried to figure out a way of avoiding outright slavery. Then I remember something from earth. ¡°Do they have tattoos here?¡± ¡°Only a slave or criminals have tattoos.¡± Therin replied his face lit up as he realised where I was going with this. ¡°I wonder, could I do something like that with magic?¡± I asked the elf. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡± he replied, ¡°I never was into that side of magic.¡± I gathered a bit of mana into my claw and while concentrating I was able to draw a solid blue line across the hide of the deer. ¡°Ready to get a magical tattoo?¡± I asked the scared Nephilim. ¡°If it must be done,¡± she resigned. I gathered mana once again into my claw and as I touched the skin of the Nephilim something strange happened. Mana started to flow along the skin of the girl creating a spider web of lines moving across her throat. After a second the magic lines solidified as a snake wrapping around her neck biting its own tail. ¡°The hell was that?¡± Therin asked. ¡°That is a cool looking tattoo.¡± I said impressed with the look, ¡°Do you think it will work for what we have in mind?¡± ¡°Most magical tattoos do not glow, but I guess it will be fine.¡± Therin replied. ¡°Good enough for me,¡± I said as I looked at the woman, ¡°the elf is called Therin; he still has a few years left in my service. The human, who is probably in his room, is Atheros; he is supposedly my guardian. The small demoness gnawing on my spines is Azazel; my daughter.¡± ¡°Nice to meet all of you,¡± she said, ¡°my name is Lilith, ex-praetorian of the Nephilim legions. Not that it matters anymore.¡± ¡°Cheer up,¡± Therin said, ¡°the dragon isn¡¯t that bad, unless someone angers him, then you better run.¡± ¡°By the way, why were you sneaking around?¡± I asked as I dragged the deer to the kitchen. ¡°We were sent to find the human hero and attempt to recruit or dispose of him.¡± I burst out into laughter. ¡°Your mission was doomed to fail from the beginning. Weren¡¯t you given any information on the hero?¡± I asked trying to contain my laughter. ¡°Not much, my commander only told us where the hero was, we figured it should not be hard to find a human in elven lands.¡± she replied. ¡°I have good news for you, you have found the hero.¡± I squeezed out. ¡°Your guardian is the hero?¡± her eyes lit up as she asked. ¡°No, the dragon is the human hero.¡± Therin said failing to contain his laughter. ¡°You¡¯re kidding.¡± she stated. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª as always me and rouge are mostly human, still working on mejinzs, let us know if we missed anything, also let me know what you think. Chapter 32 - Family Life Here is another fine chapter ready, now supporting Azazel¡¯s POV. Thank you rouge and mejinzs for the proofreading support. as with last time the people on my blog got it first. without further ado, Chapter 32 ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-Fafnir¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Ok Azazel,¡± I said in English while breaking away from the stunned Nephilim, ¡°it¡¯s time for you to eat.¡± She looked up at me, her mouth covered in slightly glowing saliva. I wrapped my tail around her waist and set her in front of me. She wiped her face with her sleeve and managed to walk with me to the kitchen. I grabbed some of the smoked meat from the makeshift pantry and gave a few strips to the little demoness. She plopped down on the ground and swiftly tore into the meat, barely bothering to chew. I grabbed a few more strips for myself and, with a quick breath, reduced them into a blue puddle; I used a bit of magic to funnel half of it into my open maw. I watched Azazel out of the corner of my eye, stare at the liquid mana, and after a few second she reached over and grabbed a chunk of the blue substance and quickly shoved it in her mouth and before I could stop her she had swallowed the entire thing. ¡°Hey Therin,¡± I called, ¡°come here.¡± ¡°What?¡± I heard the elf reply, as he walked into the kitchen. ¡°What would happen if a child ate liquid mana?¡± I asked while watching Azazel, who seems to have enjoyed her magical treat. ¡°Let me guess, Azazel decided she wanted some and ate it?¡± he accused. ¡°Yes, though she seems fi¡­¡± I said before I was interrupted by a burp louder than a jet engine that came from the small demoness. It took a few seconds for the ringing to die down enough for me to hear people swearing and one crying child. I picked up the crying Azazel with my tail and brought her to my snout where she latched and eventually calmed down. Therin looked at me and said in a rather loud voice, ¡°Don¡¯t let her eat anymore mana unless you can deal with the effects.¡± After a few minutes both Atheros and Lilith made an appearance wondering what that loud sound was, and after explaining what happened, which I had to repeat several times so they could hear me, they departed. I set the demoness down and let her go back to explore the cave as I walked to the back end. ¡°Lilith, could you look after Azazel while I finish the bathroom?¡± I said as I popped my head into her spartan room. ¡°Sure,¡± she muttered. I walked into the half-finished bathroom at the back of my lair and continued to carve out more space with my draconic breath. As I worked a small stream of liquid mana and stone flowed off the wall into the small stream that I accidently created earlier that week. ¡°I just need to make a small pool and a way to heat the water and I will have a perfect bath.¡± I thought to myself. After several more hours of carving out the bathroom, a familiar weight latched onto my back leg. ¡°Azazel, what are you doing?¡± I asked in English. She just stared at me and clinged to my leg, when Lilith walked around the corner. ¡°There you are.¡± she said, which caused the little demoness grab my leg tighter. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s leave your daddy alone and get you ready for bed.¡± she said. ¡°No!¡± Azazel shouted, which caused me chuckle a bit. ¡°I needed a break anyway,¡± I said to Lilith as I pick up the demoness with my tail, ¡°thank you.¡± The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Thank you for not murdering my friends and family.¡± she replied and walked out. I ignored the comment as I took the demoness to her cavern and placed her upon her hoard of blankets. I gently picked up one of the blankets with my fore claw and placed it on the little demoness. ¡°Good night.¡± I said as I drained the mana from the light crystal causing it to go out. I headed to Lilith¡¯s room to see how the nephilim was settling in. ¡°So, finding everything ok?¡± I asked as I poked my head into her new cavern. ¡°Well enough, though I will need to go shopping if I am going to be living in this cave.¡± she replied with a bit of venom. ¡°I will have Therin take you into town tomorrow, I should have some gold lying around somewhere, that or go raid a caravan.¡± I said before I realized what I had said. ¡°Why did I think that was a good idea?¡± I asked myself. ¡°I don¡¯t think that raiding a caravan would be necessary.¡± she nervously chuckled. ¡°Well, then I am going to sleep; there is jerky in the pantry if you are hungry.¡± I said. I proceeded to head to my own cavern and, laying myself on my hoard of copper coins, embraced the nothingness of sleep. I woke up to the patter of feet hitting the floor. I opened one of my eyes and beheld a teary eyed demoness with a large blanket in her hand. ¡°What¡¯s the matter Azazel?¡± I asked in English. She just stared at me sniffling a bit. I lifted one of my large wings and I pulled her over with my tail. ¡°You can sleep next to me.¡± I said. I laid the blanket down with my fore claws on top of my hoard of copper coins. She laid down on the blanket and snuggled up along the rough scales along my belly. After a few minutes I could hear the steady breathing of sleep. I watched the little demoness, while thoughts of my younger sibling ran through my head. ¡°I wonder how my family took the news of me being missing or dead,¡± I thought to myself as I laid my wing over the little demoness and drifted asleep once more. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ªAzazel POV¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Time to get up, Azazel.¡± I heard daddy say as light leaked through my closed eyes. I groaned as I buried my face into my blanket trying to go back to sleep. ¡°Come on, time to get up,¡± I heard as I was lifted from my warm blankets. I yawned as I was placed on my feet and stumbled towards the main cavern. ¡°Hungry.¡± I thought to myself as I headed towards the kitchen. I saw daddy pull a few strips of meat, and made it goopy. ¡°Should I eat it?¡± I asked myself remembering how, yesterday, it was not only very yummy but also hurt my head. I decided to try it again. I grabbed a handful of the blue goop and shoved it in my mouth, once again enjoying the very yummy taste. ¡°Azazel, why did you eat more?¡± he asked before it became very quiet. I couldn¡¯t even hear the stream that splashes through the kitchen. After a minute I started to feel strange, all of a sudden I sneezed so hard that I blew daddy back a little bit. ¡°It was yummy enough to be worth it.¡± I thought to myself as I tried to get more, before being stopped by daddy, who picked me up and placed me on his back as he went towards the front of our home. ¡°Want to go do something fun again today?¡± Daddy asked with a toothy smile on his face. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª as always me and rouge are mostly human, still working on mejinzs (he is a tough one to convert), let us know if we missed anything, also let me know what you think. Chapter 33 – changes Guaranteed chapter of the released. also there probably won¡¯t be another chapter this week, due to paska.I hope everyone enjoys their own celebration. this chapter has me hit the 50000 word mark, (small celebration, and¡­ done) I want to thank rouge and mejinzs for their proofreading support. there will be a post soon with some information about the future. now without further ado, Chapter 33 ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ªFafnir POV¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Daddy.¡± Azazel said as she tried to rouse me, a common occurrence these past few months. ¡°Yes, Azazel?¡± I murmured half awake. ¡°Time to get up¡± she said as she tried to lift my snout. ¡°It¡¯s too early; wake me up in an hour.¡± I replied as I started to drift back to sleep ¡°You said that before, and Aunt Atheros should be back today, we got to be ready.¡± She responded a few coins clanked against the stone floor as she struggled. ¡°Fine, but he has only been gone for a few months¡± I said as I open my eyes, and froze. ¡°Azazel, what is that?¡± ¡°What is what?¡± she asked I poked a bluish patch of skin on her throat.¡°That!¡± She examined the patch of skin, touching it carefully. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s my scales!¡± she squealed . ¡°Maybe, let¡¯s go see your big sister Lilith.¡± I said as I got up. We walked to the back part of my lair where we found the nephilim writing in her cavern. ¡°Hey Lilith, I want you to look at something for me.¡± I said as we entered. ¡°What?¡± she sighed as she turned around. She froze as looked at the little demoness, ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°My scales are comin in.¡± she said with a large grin, ¡°feel them, they feel like daddy¡¯s.¡± Lilith shot me a confused look before inspecting the blue patch. ¡°They are scales.¡± She confirmed. ¡°Is this normal?¡± I asked the nephilim, though I was pretty sure of the answer. ¡°Are demon lords normally raised by a dragon who also happens to be the human hero?¡± she quipped. ¡°True, well¡­ not much I can do then.¡± I replied as I picked up the demoness with my tail, and placed her on my back. ¡°Are we gonna play outside daddy?¡± she asked are she latched onto my neck. ¡°Yes, but we aren¡¯t going far today, as we¡¯re waiting for uncle Atheros.¡± I replied as we made our way to the entrance. ¡°It¡¯s aunt Atheros, uncle Therin said, ¡®You can¡¯t have two uncles¡¯ so Aunt Atheros has to be the aunt.¡¯¡± She declared. ¡°Oh, ok¡± I chuckled as we reached the lair¡¯s ledge. ¡°Still beautiful¡± I thought to myself as I looked over the sea of green. ¡°I¡¯m holding tight daddy.¡± Azazel said as she gripped my neck. I jumped off the cliff and glided towards the clearing that I created. I landed softly on the ground leaving a good sized footprint in the soft soil. Azazel quickly jumped off my neck stumbling a bit as she landed. ¡°Do you think we will see elves today?¡± she asked, ¡°They looked so silly running away last time.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll see any today, so why don¡¯t we go play in the pond?¡± I said as I headed toward the small pond that was right inside the forest. ¡°Yes! Can you throw me in now?¡± she asked with a wide smile across her face. ¡°Not until you show you can swim without holding on to me.¡± I reminded. ¡°I am older now, so I can do it.¡± she declared. ¡°Azazel, a week doesn¡¯t change much.¡± I replied. ¡°I have scales like daddy now, so I should be fine.¡± she insisted. ¡°We¡¯ll see we get in the water.¡± I chuckled Several hours passed as we waited for the human scout under the warm sun. She kept insisting that she was ready to be thrown in but changed her mind after the first toss, where I had to jump in after her and drag her to shore. We were laying in the midday sun when I caught a whiff of an odd smell. I flicked my tongue trying to get a better understanding of this strange scent, but could not identify it. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°Azazel,¡± I said, waking up the sleeping demoness. ¡°What?¡± she mumbled as she rubbed her eyes. ¡°Come on, I think unc¡­ aunt Atheros is here.¡± I said as I picked her up and placed her on my back. I followed the strange scent deeper into the forest and I noticed several humans trudging through the underbrush. ¡°Do you really think that dang lizard is around here?¡± One of the men complained as he hacked through a bush. ¡°No, I think that traitor was lying, trying to say that some demon scum was no threat.¡± Another replied ¡°We¡¯ll solve this problem for the king.¡± I quickly backtracked toward the clearing. ¡°Where is aunt Atheros?¡± the demoness questioned. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I¡¯m going to find out.¡± I replied, hiding my anger from the little demoness. ¡°We are going back home and I am going to have big sister Lilith look over you while I look for him.¡± ¡°But I want to go too!¡± she wined. ¡°You can¡¯t go as you haven¡¯t eaten lunch yet.¡± I said, ¡° I will be back soon.¡± I launched into the air from the clearing and landed on the cliff ledge. ¡°Lilith,¡± I called as I walked through the entrance. ¡°What?¡± she replied from the back of the cave. ¡°I want you to watch Azazel and feed her lunch. I am going to search for Atheros.¡± I replied, as I placed the demoness on the stone floor. ¡°Be good for big sis, I will be back soon.¡± I said as I carefully patted her head with my fore claw. ¡°Ok¡±, she replied. She gave my fore leg a big hug and then ran to the kitchen. I walked out of the cave and launched myself into the sky. I landed in my clearing and headed to where I last saw the group of humans. I quickly found the noisy humans as they stumbled through the underbrush, attempting to create their own path through. ¡°What morsels do I have here?¡± I said as I appeared behind the loud group, causing them all to jump a little. ¡°We are solider of the human army and we were sent here under orders of King Vitur to¡­ escort the human hero back to the capital.¡± he declared in a loud voice. ¡°Then where is sir Atheros?¡± I asked staring at the pompous human. ¡°Other¡­ matters, made it so he could not return, though he sent us to escort him in his stead.¡± he replied. ¡°Prove it.¡± I challenged. ¡°I am a knight of the king, I need not prove anything.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know that, for all I know you could be some bandits that killed my human.¡± I growled as some mana ominously Dripped from my mouth.¡°Show me any proof, or else¡­¡± ¡°You dare talk to a knight of the king in that way!¡± The man shouted, ¡°I knew that this Beast was no hero.¡± ¡°Thank you, now I can say you provoked me, and no one will question your deaths.¡± I said with a wide grin, ¡°By the way, I love my demoness daughter and you aren¡¯t going to hurt her.¡± Their faces bleached at my words. I chuckled as i walked towards the doomed men, thinking of the horrors they would endure as I ¡±corrected¡± their way of thinking. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª as always, me and rouge are mostly human, mejins is starting to come around, let us know if we missed anything and let me know what you think in the comments. Chapter 34 – Family Trip Here is your guaranteed chapter for the week. I want to thank rouge and mejinzs for the awesome proofread. I should be back to a somewhat normal schedule. just to let you know the people who followed my blog got this chapter this morning. Now without further ado, Chapter 34 ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ªFafnir¡¯s POV¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C ¡°To think that the other two died so quickly,¡± I thought to myself. As I looked at the mangled body of the supposed knight, I could hear his incoherent moaning. ¡°Quiet!¡± I snapped at what was left of the knight. A bolt of lightning shot from one of my horns and hit the knight in the chest, killing him. ¡°Well darn,¡± I grumbled as I looked at the charred corpse. I used my breath weapon to destroy the remains before heading back to my lair. I landed on my little precipice, concerned over what might have happened to my human. ¡°Daddy¡¯s back!¡± I heard ring through the lair as Azazel ran from her cavern and hugged my fore leg. ¡°Hello, Azazel.¡± I lovingly replied, ¡°How was lunch?¡± ¡°It was ok, big sis made some mashed potatoes, but they weren¡¯t as good as Uncle Therin¡¯s. He makes the best ones.¡± she said as she hugged my leg. ¡°Is that so? Maybe you should have your Big-Sister learn from Uncle Therin.¡± I replied as I picked her up with my tail and placed her on my back. ¡°Hey, Lilith!¡± I shouted as I headed towards the back of the main cavern. ¡°What?¡± she replied. ¡°I am going on a little trip to¡­ visit the human king and I need you to watch Azazel; do you need anything while I¡¯m out?¡± I asked as I entered her tastefully decorated cavern. ¡°If you could pick up a door for the main cavern that would be nice,¡± she sarcastically replied. ¡°The moment that you can get a door big enough, that can be opened with claws, and also can both be moved it up here and installed, I will.¡± I replied. ¡°I wanna go.¡± Azazel wined. ¡°No Azazel,¡± I said ¡°the trip will take a while and it will be dangerous.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t want daddy to leave me,¡± she started crying. ¡°Aww, come here.¡± I said as I picked her up with my tail. I sat on my haunches and gave her a hug with my fore legs. ¡°I¡¯ll be back before you know it.¡± ¡°I have an idea.¡± Lilith spoke up, ¡°why don¡¯t we go with you part of the way.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked trying to calm the demoness. ¡°If I remember correctly, the city of Stad is next to the capital, we can all head there, and while you head to the capital, me an Azazel can pick up a few things I can¡¯t get in elf lands, and Azazel will have the chance to meet other people.¡± she explained. ¡°Yes! Please daddy.¡± Azazel sniffled. ¡°Well,¡± I said as I though over the idea, ¡°I guess there would be no harm, as it takes time to move between the cities¡­ though what are you going to do about her horns?¡± I asked. ¡°Half breeds do happen, epically with the¡­ liberal minded¡­ scaled folk in the far north.¡± She replied. ¡°Scaled folk?¡± I asked, ¡°What are those?¡± ¡°They are all the unholy reptile races that can¡¯t decide what spices they are!¡± she spat. ¡°Right and you want to pass off sweet Azazel as one of those?¡± I questioned. ¡°It not as bad as being a demon and the scales help,¡± she replied as she pulled out a large sack. ¡°Fine. You can come, but only as far as Stad.¡± I replied as I set down the excited demoness. ¡°I will get my stuff!¡± She shouted as she ran towards her cavern. ¡°Could you help her after you get ready?¡± I sighed. ¡°Sure, it shouldn¡¯t take me too long to pack.¡± she replied. ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ll get some food packed¡± I said as I left her cavern. I walked into the kitchen and packed some food and a few other foodstuffs into a sack. ¡°Daddy I¡¯m all packed.¡± She said running into the kitchen with a leather sack. ¡°Really?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, I have an extra dress and a blanket, and some jerky that I was hiding in my hoard.¡± she explained. ¡°I think you are missing a few things,¡± I said, holding in my laughter, ¡°go ask your big sister to help you.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± she replied before she ran out of the cave. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ªLilith- POV¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°I might still succeed in my mission.¡± I happily thought to myself as I packed my things. ¡°Big sis, daddy said to have you help me pack though I packed already.¡± Azazel said as she ran into my cavern. ¡°Let me see.¡± I said as I opened her pack and looked inside, ¡°Aren¡¯t you missing some cloths?¡± ¡°No, I have a dress.¡± she confidently replied. ¡°Good, but you¡¯re missing a few things.¡± I said. ¡°No I¡¯m not,¡± the demoness replied. ¡°What about underwear?¡± I asked. ¡°My scales are coming in so I don¡¯t need them anymore.¡± she declared. ¡°Well until you are fully scaled, you are wearing them; so go pack a pair,¡± I said, ¡°and you don¡¯t need to take a blanket.¡± We finished packing and headed toward Stad. The afternoon sun warmed my wings as we traveled over the sea of green. I looked over at the odd pair who seemed to be having fun. I could see the look of wonder on Azazel¡¯s face as we traveled. ¡°Having fun back there?¡± the dragon yelled over the whistle of the wind. ¡°Having a blast¡± I replied as I scanned the horizon. ¡°How far away is this city?¡± Fafnir asked. ¡°No clue, I have never been this far south but when I looked over the maps of the area it wasn¡¯t very far. No more than a few hours by wing.¡± I replied over the wind. ¡°This area looks familiar.¡± I just barely heard over the wind. After another hour the sea of green broke revealing a golden plain, and far in the distance, another small forest just barely visible. ¡°What was the name of this city again?¡± the dragon asked. ¡°The city of Stad¡± I replied ¡°Any relation to the Marquis of Stad?¡± the dragon inquired. ¡°Yes. The marquis of stad is the ruler of the city.¡± I replied a bit concerned. ¡°Well¡­ we may or may not have a problem.¡± the dragon said. ¡°What?¡± I asked a bit annoyed. ¡°I may or may not have murdered most of the city guard the last time I was here and I might have also threatened to murder everyone if I didn¡¯t get an apology.¡± the dragon admitted. ¡°You what?!¡± I shouted as I tried to process what the dragon said. ¡°I slaughtered¡­ their¡­ guards¡­ the¡­ last¡­ time¡­ I¡­ was¡­ here.¡± The dragon shouted. ¡°So what does that mean?¡± I asked trying to comprehend the implication. ¡°It should be fine¡­ I got a signet ring out of the deal.¡± The dragon shouted pointing to his hind claw that had a single ring on it. I ignored the dragon the rest of the flight until we landed. Right outside the gate, and after placing Azazel on the ground, he shrank to the size of a cat and jumped onto her shoulder. ¡°Wow daddy is so small now.¡± The demoness squealed in delight. I was overjoyed when we arrived at the city gate. I watched as two guards started to walk towards us. ¡°Halt!¡± one of the guards commanded as he came towards our little group. We all stopped and waited as the guard approached. ¡°State your business, nephilim.¡± The guard spat. ¡°My sister, her friend, and I have come to visit this fair city.¡± I mocked. ¡°You don¡¯t look like sisters to me.¡± the guard commented. ¡°She was adopted and she is one of the scaled folk.¡± I replied with a bit of venom ¡°Is there a problem?¡± ¡°No, just keep out of trouble and your PET under control.¡± The guard replied, I froze on hearing that and stared at the dragon, but relaxed when I noticed he was asleep. We walked through the black stone gates when I overheard a group of guards talking about the king being in town for a wedding. ¡°Hey dragon.¡± I said trying to rouse the sleeping lizard. ¡°What?¡± he mumbled. ¡°Did you know that the king is here?¡± I asked. ¡°Who is here?¡± the lizard asked as his eyes shot open. ¡°The king¡± I repeated. ¡°HA! This makes everything easier.¡± The dragon chuckled as we walked towards the city center. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C as always, me and rouge are mostly human, mejins is still resisting, so let us know if we missed anything and let me know what you think in the comments. Chapter 35 - Inns Here is the chapter for this week, I have been busy with school so I don''t know about the twice weekly release, we''ll see if I can do it. I want to thank mejinzs and rouge for their proofreading support as always. without further ado, Chapter 35 -------------------------Fafnir¡¯s pov------------------------------------ ¡°This is convenient.¡± I thought to myself as we navigated through the twisting streets. ¡°To think the man I wanted to meet was closer than I thought, and I have always wanted to crash a wedding.¡± ¡°Daddy, are we going to see Aunt Atheros today?¡± she asked as we walked. ¡°I don¡¯t know, we¡¯ll see.¡± I replied thinking of how to get at the king. ¡°How about we find an inn before you commit regicide,¡± Lilith interrupted. ¡°I won¡¯t kill him.. unless it¡¯s necessary.¡± I huffed annoyed at the nephilim. ¡°¡®Necessary¡¯ is loosely defined when it comes to you.¡± she jabbed. ¡°Be nice to daddy.¡± Azazel commanded. ¡°Ok, I will.¡± Lilith sighed. As we traveled deeper into the city, we found a nice looking inn. ¡°This looks like a good place.¡± Lilith said, while walking past a two story building. ¡°Looks nice enough,¡± I said as we headed inside. ¡°Good evening. You here for dinner or the night?¡± A rather large man said, crouching behind the counter as we enter the inn. ¡°Good evening.¡± Lilith replied as Azazel hugged me a bit tighter. ¡°We are looking for a room and a meal.¡± ¡°Sure¡­¡± he started to say as he stood up. the man then frowned as he stared at Azazel. ¡°I don¡¯t cater to no demons.¡± I took a deep breath to prevent myself from having a potentially disastrous outburst. ¡°She¡¯s from the scaled tribes,¡± Lilith quickly interjected, pointing to the patch of scales on Azazel¡¯s neck. ¡°Huh, I don¡¯t see many of dem scaled folk around here.¡± The innkeeper said, ¡°whatever, twill be a silver a night and 2 coppers a person for meals, I could even scrounge up some dem meat scraps for that der dragon of yours¡± ¡°I will pay for a haunch of meat,¡± Lilith interjected before I had a chance to speak, ¡°he¡¯s a very young dragon and I want him to be healthy and strong.¡± ¡°Kay, that¡¯ll be 3 coppers for de dragon.¡± he replied. ¡°Sounds good, a room and a meal for all of us¡± Lilith said as she handed over two silvers. ¡°Rooms on de second floor, first on de right.¡± he said as he handed the key and the change to Lilith. Azazel hugged me tighter as we headed towards our room. Lilith opens the door when we arrived and it revealed a simple room with a somewhat large bed. It had a small window in the corner where we could see the street below. ¡°Azazel, I need to breath.¡± I said as we entered the door. ¡°Sorry, daddy.¡± She replied as she loosened her grip. ¡°Thank you for not killing everyone.¡± Lilith said after she closed the door. ¡°Whatever, you can write, right?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes¡­ why?¡± she hesitantly asked. ¡°Want to go to a wedding?¡± I asked with a smile. ¡°No.¡± she instantly replied, ¡°I have things I need to do.¡± ¡°Well then I will go by myself. I just need you to write a letter to the king saying that their hero is in town.¡± I chuckled. It took about a half an hour to write the carefully worded letter. Lilith handed it to the innkeeper with a few coins to have it delivered to the cities citadel. Lilith and Azazel left shortly after to go pick up a few items she needed that she couldn¡¯t acquire in elven lands as I slept in the in the room enjoying the last of the evening sunlight. ¡°Dis is the room with de tamed dragon.¡± I heard someone say, waking me from my nap. ¡°You¡¯re sure they have a tamed dragon?¡± I heard another man ask from outside of the room. ¡°Yes, I know what dem dragons look like when I see one, even if dis one a bit odd.¡± The first man said. I heard the door rattle a bit before it started to open. I watched as the innkeeper and a man in leather armor entered the room. ¡°You''re right there is a dragon here, though it seems to be a variant.¡± the armored man said as he walked over. ¡°Take a step closer and both of you will die.¡± I said without getting up. ¡°Who de heck said dhat.¡± the innkeeper said. ¡°Who do you think.¡± I sarcastically replied. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°I didn''t know dem dragons could talk¡± the surprised innkeeper said. ¡°They don''t¡­¡± the man in armor stated as he examined me. ¡°Go away now; I am trying to enjoy the last bit of sun.¡± I said. ¡°He is small¡­¡± I heard the man in armor mumble. I sighed as I got up and jumped off the bed faster than the two could react, I released the size changing spell and returned to my normal size. ¡°So, now that you have officially interrupted my nap. Pay tribute or die¡± I growled, surprising the two. As I stared the pair who remained frozen in place out of fear. The armored man pulled out a single gold coin and tossed it towards me. ¡°Sorry for interrupting your nap.¡± the man in armor said as he left my room. I stared at the inn keeper and let a bit of mana spilled from my mouth making small holes in the floor. ¡°I will be back with some meat.¡± The innkeeper stammered as he left the room. I heard a knock at the door after about half and hour, as the innkeeper entered with a haunch of meat In one hand and a letter in the other. ¡°I was told to deliver dis letter to fafnir da dragon by a knight of de realm. Oh and dis is for interrupting yer nap.¡± The innkeeper said placing both the letter and the plate of food on the ground. Awhile later Azazel and Lilith entered the room with several bags of stuff, waking me up . ¡°Find anything good?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes¡± she replied, ¡°I have new clothes for me and Azazel, and I was able to obtain some necessary supplies that I could not obtain in the elven kingdom.¡± ¡°I am still trying to figure out what dark elves don¡¯t have.¡± I said trying to peak in the bags. ¡°It is not something you need.¡± She snapped as she snagged the bag off the bed. ¡°Hey, can you read this letter for me?¡± I asked as I extracted the letter from under the pile of bags with my fore claw. ¡°Sure...¡± Lilith said taking the letter ¡°To the hero of humanity, you and one guest are invited to attend the wedding of Paid¨ª, heir to the Marquee of Stad, and Kor¨ªtsi, twelfth in line for the throne, two days hence at noon. A carriage will be sent to pick you up at the third hour past sunrise. We hope that you will grace us with your presence. Coradually, The Maquis of Stad¡± Lilith read aloud, ¡°You aren''t thinking of going are you?¡± ¡°Yes I am. It''ll be nice to meet the marquis again.¡± I laughed. ¡°Can I go?¡± Azazel asked with pleading eyes. ¡°I don''t kn...¡± I started to said ¡°No one in their right mind will pull something at a wedding, and we plan on leaving soon after. Besides think of how much fun it would be to bring a demoness to a royal wedding!¡± Lilith presided. ¡°Sure.¡± I sighed unable to resist Azazel''s eyes, ¡°but I will need you to get something nice for Azazel to wear and I will need a wide blue strip of cloth.¡± ¡°Thank you daddy.¡± Azazel squealed. ¡°Ok I can pick the clothes up tomorrow, but what is the cloth strip for?¡± she asked ¡°It is for¡­ draconic formal wear.¡± I mysteriously replied. ¡°Dragons have formal wear?¡± She skeptically asked. ¡°Yes, it is an old custom¡­ that dates back millennia to the wedding of the god of order to the goddess of chaos.¡± I lied in a stoic voice holding back my laughter. ¡°All creatures that attended were required to wear a special strip of cloth tied around their neck to protect their mind from the chaos of the union. So it became a tradition that all dragons wear a special strip of cloth tied around their necks at weddings as a reminder of that poorly fated union.¡± ¡°I have not heard of such a thing.¡± she gasped. ¡°It¡¯s true, so pick up some cloth about a claw width apart and long enough that it fits around my neck, and with extra to tie the special knot.¡± I stoically replied trying to keep myself from laughing. ¡°Why don¡¯t you two go eat down stairs. I¡¯m going back to sleep,¡± I yawned before I laid back down on the foot of the bed, and drifted off into the land of sleep. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- what formal wear would look good on a dragon I wonder... as always, me and rouge are mostly human, mejins is still somewhat resisting, so let us know if we missed anything and let me know what you think in the comments.. Chapter 36 – wedding gifts Another chapter is released, I think I have a guaranteed for this week if not then profit, This is it. As always i want to thank rouge and mejinzs for their proofreading support. and what do y¡¯all think of weddings? as a side note my blog had this released at noonish... without further ado, Chapter 36 ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ªFafnir POV¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- ¡°Bye daddy! Lily is taking me to get a new dress,¡± I heard through the thick haze of sleep. ¡°Ok dear,¡± I mumbled before falling back asleep. A few hours passed when a loud crash outside the door startled me awake. ¡°What does it take to get some peace and quiet around here,¡± I grumbled as I got up from the bed. I opened the door and I found the innkeeper face first on the ground. ¡°Are¡­ you ok?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, lord Fafnir, I am fine.¡± He quickly replied as he stood up. I closed the door and walked back to my bed. After a few minutes of trying to sleep I suddenly got up with a jolt. ¡°Crap! I¡¯m going to a wedding tomorrow and I don¡¯t have a gift.¡± I swore. I looked out the window and realized it was almost noon. I walked over to the single desk in the room and grabbed my little sack. After staring at my gold coin for longer than I probably should have I placed it in the bag. I quickly slung the bag over my serpentine neck and walked out the door. I exited the inn and made my way down the street. My irritation grew the as I narrowly avoided the feet of the clumsy humans around me. I dispelled the enchantment keeping me small and expanded to my normal size, causing a wave of curse words as I knocked people over. I watched people flee the area as I made my way down the, now blessedly clear, street. After a few minutes I caught the sound of clinking metal coming towards me. ¡°I hope Marquis Stad educated his guards on my status.¡± I murmured as I continued on. After a few more minute I was approached by a squad of guards dressed in armor wielding long shafted halberds. ¡°What do you want?¡± I asked as they started to surround me. ¡°Capn¡¯ isn¡¯t that the dragon that destroyed the garrison last year?¡± I heard one of the soldiers ask. ¡°Are you the dragon, Fafnir?¡± one of the men asked. ¡°Yes, I am the hero of the humans, Fafnir.¡± I replied in a dignified tone of voice. ¡°Stand down men,¡± the man commanded, ¡°he will not harm us as long as we don¡¯t provoke him.¡± All the guards relaxed as they heard their commander make that proclamation. ¡°Sir Fafnir, please permit me to escort you through the city.¡± The commander suggested as placed his fist over his chest. ¡°Sure, you may escort me, but it won¡¯t be as you expect.¡± I sighed. ¡°Thank you lord,¡° he replied as he turned around. ¡°Back to your posts. Dismissed¡± he commanded before facing me. ¡°Yes, Sir¡± they replied, and started to disperse. ¡°What may I help you with, Lord Dragon?¡± he asked looking at me; I could smell the sweat dripping off him with my overly sensitive nose. ¡°I am shopping for a few things¡± I replied, ¡°what is your name, by the way?¡± ¡°I am called Vagt, Lord.¡± he replied. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so formal Vagt.¡± I said, ¡°Yes, sir.¡± he quickly replied ignoring me. ¡°Whatever¡± I mumbled as I cast my shrinking spell. I chuckled at the surprised face of the guard as I hopped onto his shoulder. ¡°Please escort me to a mason.¡± I said to the stunned guard. ¡°Certainly sir,¡± Vagt replied as he composed himself. He started walking down the street whit me on his shoulder, that filled with people with my disappearance. We walked for about twenty minutes at stopped at a two story stone building. ¡°Lord Dragon, here is the best mason in town.¡± Vagt said as he looked at me. I jumped off his shoulder and dispelled the size enchantment. I open the door with my tail and walked in. ¡°Welcome, I will be with you in a moment.¡± A woman said hunched over a desk, not bothering to look up. ¡°Take your time.¡± I replied waiting for her to look up. ¡°Oh goddess!¡± she streaked when she noticed me. I heard Vagt swear outside and burst into the room. I burst out laughing. ¡°That never gets old.¡± I laughed. She stopped screaming and paused to stare at me. Finally, looking at the guard captain, she calmed down. ¡°Sorry, but maybe this should be a lesson to look before you speak.¡± I said as I calmed down. ¡°On to business, I need a large block of a nicer stone.¡± ¡°What do you mean by ¡®nice stone?¡¯¡± she replied, all trace of shock gone. ¡°I was thinking of obsidian, if you don¡¯t have that¡­ nice quartz would also work for what I have in mind. It need not be in one piece.¡± I replied. ¡°I am not familiar with those types of stone¡­ could you describe them?¡± she replied while she pulled a leather bound book from a shelf behind her desk. ¡°The obsidian is a black glass like stone, found near a mountain that shoots out fire. Quartz is a crystal like rock that is usually milky white though there are other colors.¡± I explained. ¡°I have heard of the first one but I heard it called obsius, but I don¡¯t have any as it is worthless in building. The second sounds like kruos, is it hard like ice?¡± she asked ¡°Yep that¡¯s it, do you have block the size of a long sword?¡± I replied. ¡°Not in one piece, I have several smaller blocks that we use in a type of gilding.¡± She replied. ¡°I will take it.¡± I said excited with what I was going to make, ¡°do you also have some workable clay?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any handy that I can sell, though there is a potter that I deal with that will give you a fair trade.¡± She replied before walking into the back room. She returned after a few minutes carrying a sack with the quartz inside. She placed the bag on the counter and took a few out. ¡°So for the quartz it will be one silver.¡± She said showing me the quartz. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°They are in rather small pieces¡­¡± I said examining the quarts, ¡°I think 80 copper would be a fair price considering the extra work that it will require.¡± ¡°It is at least 95 copper, there are very few people who just sell their materials.¡± She replied with a smile on her face. ¡°Quartz is a common rock at most I would consider 90 copper.¡± I replied staring at the woman. ¡°Though it hurts to sell at a low price, 90 copper is enough that I don¡¯t lose money.¡± She said. I handed over a silver coin from my little pouch and she handed me the change. I grabbed the sack and I tied it to one of my crystalline spines. ¡°Where is the potter you mentioned, by the way?¡± I said after securing the crystals.¡± ¡°It is down the street, tell Dyst, that ¡®Terror¡¯ sent ya and he¡¯ll treat you right.¡± She said as we left the building. I headed to the potter the guard continued to escort me through the town. After a half of a kilometer, we arrived at a small compound at the edge of the city. I could see a man hunched over a large stone structure. ¡°Are you Dyst?¡± I called out. ¡°Ya, what you need?¡± he asked, while placing some pots in the stone furnace. ¡°Don¡¯t freak out when you look up.¡± Vagt interrupted, ¡°Why would I fr¡­¡± he said as he looked up and beheld my draconic form in it full glory. ¡°Dear goddess,¡± he swore, but quickly calmed himself. ¡°I was told to tell you that ¡®Terror sent me¡¯ and you would be able to sell me some clay.¡± ¡°That witch,¡± I heard him swear under his breath. ¡°Do you have clay I could buy?¡± I asked, ignoring the man¡¯s comment. ¡°What do you need clay for?¡± the man asked. ¡°I need enough to make a few things.¡± I replied. ¡°Well seeing you were recommended, I don¡¯t see why not. How much do you need?¡± he asked as he beckoned us to follow him. ¡°I need about¡­ 30 pounds.¡± I replied. ¡°And how much is that?¡± he asked while looking at me. ¡°I need enough to encase a long sword and a kite shield.¡± I sighed. ¡°Ok. I will get you enough.¡± He replied as he entered one of the compounds sheds. He returned with about 25lb of clay. ¡°Since, ¡®Terror¡¯ sent you I can give you all this for about ten copper.¡± He said holding the large brick of raw clay. ¡°Sounds good,¡± I replied handing over the coins. ¡°Since you¡¯re going to follow me around anyway make yourself useful.¡± I to Vagt, I took the block and handed it to the guard. ¡°The last stop is a carpenter.¡± I said to the guard, ¡°where is the closest one?¡± I asked the guard. ¡°There should be one down the street, though why you need all this stuff is beyond me.¡± he sighed. ¡°I¡¯m making a gift for the soon to be happy couple.¡± I replied as we headed down the street. We made our through the seemly deserted streets, until we came to a large barn like structure. After scaring another skilled craftsman, I obtained two wooden frames and headed back to the inn. ¡°Daddy!¡± I heard a familiar squeal as the guard opened the door for me to the room. ¡°Hello, Azazel.¡± I huffed as she ran and grabbed my leg. ¡°Have fun terrorizing the town?¡± Lilith asked as she got up from the desk, hiding some sort of bottle. ¡°I got what I needed to make the present for the wedding tomorrow.¡± I replied as I removed the sack of quartz from my spines. ¡°You can go, Vagt; I don¡¯t plan on scaring the civilians any more today.¡± I chuckled to the guard. ¡°I understand. If you do desire to go about please inform one of the guards so that we may protect you.¡± he said before he left. ¡°So I see wood, some sort of rock, and clay¡­ what dubious gift are you going to give to the unfortunate couple.¡± she asked looking over my materials. ¡°Guess.¡± I replied as I started to lay out my materials. ¡°Ooo, I know it¡¯s shinny stuff for their hoard,¡± Azazel declared. ¡°Close,¡± I replied as I laid out the two wooden frames, ¡°I am going to make them useless wall art and make up a story about how it¡¯s an ancient treasure. ¡°You¡¯re kidding¡­¡± Lilith gasped. ¡°Nope, spent about two silvers for the materials, and it will take a couple of hours of work.¡± I replied. Over the next several hours I cast, using my draconic breath, a crystalline sword and a crystalline shield. Both of the weapons had blue spider like veins that ran through their entire structure. ¡°It is finished!¡± I exclaimed as I finished polishing the crystalline shield. ¡°Can I see daddy?¡± Azazel asked as she jumped from the corner where she was playing with the leftover clay. ¡°Sure,¡± I replied as she ran over. ¡°It¡¯s so shiny.¡± she replied staring at the sword and shield. ¡°And that is probably its only good quality.¡± Lilith said as she looked at the equipment. ¡°It¡¯s good enough for a wedding.¡± I replied, ¡°How about we get dinner, as I am almost ready for bed.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t wanna go to bed.¡± Azazel wined. ¡°We have a big day tomorrow, and you need your rest¡­¡± I said as I headed towards the door. As Lilith exited, I caught a strangely familiar smell from the nephilim. ¡°Is that¡­ vodka I smell?¡± I asked as I sniffed. ¡°No¡± Lilith quickly replied as she walked down the hall in a hurry. ¡°Whatever. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll find out soon enough.¡± I mused as I headed downstairs to eat. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C as always, me and rouge are mostly human, mejins is starting to come around, let us know if we missed anything and let me know what you think in the comments. Chapter 37 - weddings Guaranteed chapter for the week, i have had a lot going on with exams so there will not be a second chapter this week. i want to thank mejinzs and rouge for their proofreading support. just to let y''all know the people who read my blog got this this morning. without further ado, Chapter 37 -----------------POV Fafnir-------------------------------- ¡°Daddy, Get up!¡± I heard through the haze of sleep. ¡°Do I have to?¡± I mumbled almost falling asleep again. ¡°Yes, daddy you have to see my dress for the wedding.¡± I heard through the fog of sleep as Azazel shook me. ¡°I¡¯ll get up,¡± I replied as I stood up on the bed, I heard several loud pops as I stretched. ¡°Look at my dress daddy,¡± Azazel excitedly said showing off her outfit, which consisted of a flowing white dress and a jerkin made of a deep blue leather. ¡°That looks beautiful dear.¡± I said while trying to determine what the jerkin was made from. I looked out the window and noticed the first rays of dawn streaking across the sky. It was then that I noticed Lilith passed out on the desk. ¡°Dang, I know she drank wine, but I am that hard to deal with?¡± I asked myself as I looked at the half empty bottle lying on the floor. I smiled as an evil thought came to my mind, I parched myself on the chair next to the desk, ¡°They¡¯re coming!¡± I shouted into the Nephilim¡¯s ear. A series of colorful profanities flooded from Lilith¡¯s mouth as she jumped off the desk, while I fell off the chair laughing at the Nephilim¡¯s reaction. ¡°Daddy, that was mean.¡± Azazel said with a frown. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Lilith,¡± I said barely holding back my laughter. She kept glaring at me as I started to get ready. I grabbed the blue strip of cloth from the chair and tried to tie it into a bowtie. After five attempts I gave up, sighing a bit. ¡°Having trouble there dragon?¡± Lilith asked having recovered from her hangover. ¡°I can¡¯t tie this with these cursed claws.¡± I complained tossing the strip of cloth away. ¡°Do you want me to help?¡± She asked while raising an eyebrow. ¡°Sure you might have better luck then I will.¡± I replied. She picked up the strip of blue cloth and held it out. I explained to her how to tie a bow tie and, after several attempts, it was acceptable. ¡°Now all I need is a fez and the look would be complete.¡± I thought to myself. ¡°Daddy are you ready yet, I¡¯m hungry¡± Azazel groaned ¡°Yes Azazel, daddy¡¯s ready¡± I replied adjusting my bowtie. Azazel and I headed down stairs while we waited for carriage to arrive and at 10ish a guard dressed in formal regalia entered the inn. ¡°Lord Fafnir, your carriage awaits.¡± The man said as he bowed. I could see the look of distain as he noticed Azazel. Ignoring the rude glare, Azazel and I followed the guard to a finely crafted carriage which, for some reason, I knew was worth almost a thousand gold. We entered the carriage with its leather interior and rested on the seats. It did not take long before we arrived in front of a black stone keep. ¡°Wow, so do all weddings happen in such a big house?¡± Azazel asked. ¡°No, a wedding can happen anywhere¡± I chuckled. ¡°Really?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes¡± I replied as we passed through the inner gate. The carriage slowed to a stop in front of an ornately carved door. I watched a servant standing outside the door quickly come over and open the door. I released my shrinking spell as I exited the carriage scarring not only the servant and driver, but the horse as well. SO much so that it actually reared in fright. ¡°Come on Azazel,¡± I said to the demoness. She quickly jumped out of the carriage and placed her hand on my fore leg. ¡°This way, my lord¡± the servant spoke finally composing himself. We followed the servant through the spacious halls of the keep. I caught several servants frown when they noticed Azazel but paled as as they noticed me following a few steps behind. ¡°Right through here,¡± the man said as he opened another large door. I gazed over the small crowd of people dressed in ornate clothing. ¡°Look at all the fancy people.¡± I heard Azazel murmur. As I looked over the crowd I could see members of other races grouped in the corner of the room ¡°Come on Azazel.¡± I said as I started to move her over toward them. The crowd parted as I walked towards the odd mix of non-humans ¡°Hello¡± I said to the group. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°Ha, there really is a dragon attending this party.¡± A stout looking man said from behind a pair of elves. ¡°Yes I am the dragon, Fafnir, and this is my daughter Azazel.¡± I introduced us to the group. ¡°Nice to meet you¡± one of the elves said, ¡°my name is Terra, and this is Umbra. We are ambassadors of the elven kingdom.¡± ¡°Antreal, consul of the nephilim legions.¡± The nephilim in shining armor said nodding his head, ¡°Name¡¯s Iron, ambassador of the dwarven kingdom.¡± The apparent dwarf said, ¡°Thanks for livening up your party.¡± ¡°This is Shadowscale, and I am Blackfang,¡± one of the green scaled folk spoke, ¡°we are representatives of chief Bloodscale, leader of the scaled tribes. All scaled folks are welcome in our nation, you and your daughter should come visit some time.¡± ¡°Nice to meet all of you¡± I replied as Azazel hugged my leg. ¡°When is the wedding starting?¡± I asked, ¡°I have people I need to meet.¡± ¡°We are waiting for the king to arrive, he was overseeing and execution¡± one of the elves replied. ¡°Who is being executed?¡± I asked as my eyes narrowed. ¡°Some woman who killed a noble¡¯s son, after the son had beaten the woman¡¯s husband to death.¡± the elf replied. ¡°Oh, ok then.¡± I replied as I relaxed. We passed the time chatting about inconsequential things while Azazel just hugged my leg. When a trumpet silenced us, I noticed king Vator entered through a side door dressed in purple robes. ¡°I want to thank you all for coming to this joyace occupation of my nephew¡¯s wedding. Servants will guide you into the Chapel in a minute and we will begin promptly.¡± Several well-dressed servants walked in from a side room and began to lead people into the rather large chapel. After a little bit a servant came to our group and lead us into the gothic style chapel. I was amazed at the large stained glass windows that depicted a beautiful woman with dark blue hair and golden eyes; I shivered as I recognized the portrait of the goddess. We were escorted to one of the last rows in the chapel and at the end of the pew there was a large cushion placed next to it. When I laid down on the large cushion, Azazel quickly sat next to my scaled chest. ¡°Sit on the pew,¡± I said to the demoness as she frowned but sat at the edge right next to me. The king was standing on the raised altar with a man who had the same blood red hair as the king. The ceremony started with an opening speech about the goddess and her two daughters the moons. The speech continued in a strange mythos that made little sense having met the goddess. Eventually the king took a chalice from the table behind him that was covered in glowing symbols. ¡°Much as the moons are eternally joined, you shall be joined by the power of the goddess. Drink and be one?¡± the king declared. ¡°I see what she meant when she said they were hypocritical¡± I murmured, getting bored with the entire wedding. The king took the cup and handed it to both of them, and they drank from it. The room suddenly flooded with mana, but instead of its normally sweet aroma, it smelled like vinegar. The smell quickly dissipated as I noticed dark bands appear around their ring finger. ¡°Well, that will remind them that they are married.¡± I quietly chuckled as I watched the spectacle; I noticed several people glare at my outburst, but a quick toothy grin made them quickly turn around. After a speech from the king about the joys and hardships of marriage, the wedding quickly conclude with both the bride and groom jumping out a side window. I turned to the elf dumbfounded, ¡°Why did they leave through the window?¡± ¡°It is an old tradition started by one of the past heroes, who performed this very act many centuries ago. He claimed it brought about good luck, though I am certain there are other reasons.¡± I chuckled at the reply as people started to exit filing out of the chapel but I had Azazel wait as I hoped to confront the king who still stood on the altar, kneeling as in prayer. A servant walked towards me and gave a slight bow. ¡°Lord Fafnir, the king wishes to have you and your¡­ daughter, sit with him during the reception this evening.¡± ¡°I will see the king this evening then,¡± I sighed. ¡°I will too¡± Azazel stated. ¡°Then let¡¯s go to the party.¡± I said with a nefarious grin. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ as always, me and rouge are mostly human, mejins is starting to come around, let us know if we missed anything and let me know what you think in the comments. Chapter 38 – The Reception Here is the guaranteed chapter of the week. I want to thank Rouge and Mejinzs for their proofreading support. this is also the last chapter of the current story arc. I will have an epilogue chapter before starting the second book/chapter. i will remind you that i am week deep in exams so I probably won¡¯t finish another chapter this week unless i decide to procrastinate. without further ado, Chapter 38 ¡°This place is pretty fancy.¡± I thought to myself as we walked into the main ballroom. The heavy scent of cooked meat assaulted me as we entered the room. ¡°Wow, look at the sparkly things.¡± I heard Azazel gasp next to me. I watched as servants escorted the various guests to the several large cloth covered tables arranged in a large T. Several minutes passed as the people in front of us were escorted to their seats. ¡°Lord Dragon,¡± a servant said as he walked towards me, ¡°please follow me, I will be escorting you to your place.¡± The servant turned around and led us to the far end of the room right at the fork of the table. As we made our way through I noticed that one of the places had a large cushion placed on the floor. ¡°They are being very accommodating considering how I left this place the last time.¡± I chuckled. ¡°Your place sir,¡± the servant said gesturing to the large pillow, ¡°and this is yours young miss.¡± He followed pointing to the chair on the right. I reclined on the large pillow while Azazel sat down staring at the food laden table. ¡°Wow so much food daddy¡­ I don¡¯t know if I can eat it all.¡± she said staring at the fruit and roasted vegetables in front of us. ¡°Don¡¯t worry I think you will find a way.¡± I laughed at the little demoness. We waited for almost half an hour for all the guests to be seated though the bride and groom were still missing. Suddenly the main doors slammed open and the groom was being escorted into the room in chains bound to a triumph looking bride, everyone was quiet as they watched the prince being escorted into the room. ¡°Daddy, why is that man in chains? Was he bad?¡± Azazel asked. ¡°I¡­ I have no clue.¡± I replied wondering if this is another ¡®tradition¡¯ started by wayward ¡®heroes¡¯ ¡°The union has been sealed before the goddess!¡± the king ritualistically proclaimed, ¡°Let us feast in honor of their union.¡± ¡°Cheers!¡± everyone proclaimed raising their glass. Music could be heard in the background as a small band, that appeared out of nowhere, started to play. The bride and groom were escorted to the head of the table just a few seats away. It only took a few minutes before a legion of servants started to bring out plates and placing them in front the guests. It wasn¡¯t long before a servant placed a large platter laden with various breads and cheeses in front of Azazel and myself. ¡°My apologies lord Dragon, we did not know your preference in drink, and I was sent to ask so that we may fix the issue¡± the servant stammered nervously. ¡°The blood of virgins is always tasty.¡± I replied failing to hold back my laughter at the servants paling face. ¡°Just kidding, I drink liquefied mana.¡± I replied as the servant let out a sigh of relief before heading off. ¡°Can I have some of the blue stuff daddy?¡± Azazel asked with upturned eyes. ¡°You know the rule, that is an outside drink.¡± I chided, ¡°These people would not survive the after effects.¡± ¡°Ok,¡± she replied a bit disappointed. I watched other people being served when a man in a gray robe approached me. ¡°Lord Dragon,¡± the mage said while give a shallow bow, ¡° I was sent to inquire as to what liquid mana is so that we may provide it.¡± Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°Forget it; just have them bring me¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ some fruit juice. I will make my own.¡± I replied with a fake sigh holding back a stream of laughs. ¡°Yes lord.¡± The mage replied with a slightly sullen look. Almost a half an hour passed when a pair of servers deposited a pair of large platters of various cooked meats in front of me and Azazel. I grabbed a piece of roasted meat and tossed it into my large maw. It was as bland as the last time they cooked for me. So I let out a small stream of my draconic breath to ¡®season¡¯ the meat. I stopped eating when I noticed that the room had gone silent as everyone was staring at me. ¡°What haven¡¯t you ever seen a dragon eat before?¡± I asked annoyed, which caused everyone to return to their conversation. While looking over the crowd I caught the king who had a large smile on his face while staring at Azazel. ¡°Daddy¡­ I don¡¯t feel so good.¡± Azazel groaned as she clutched her stomach. I looked and I noticed black spots appearing on her face. I started to panic. ¡°No!¡± I roared throwing Azazel¡¯s plate off the table accidentally impaling a servant. ¡°The dragon¡¯s gone mad!¡± someone shouted as people tried to evacuate the ballroom. Guards in thick metal armor started to stream in armed with large halberds. ¡°Kill the dragon¡± I heard someone say as I picked Azazel up. I felt something bounce against my scales. ¡°What did you do to my daughter?¡± I roared at the fleeing king, who was being escorted by a group of guards. I drew in a deep breath fueled by rage. ¡°Shields!¡± someone yelled. In my fury, I used my draconic breath. The first few guards melted under the magical assault, but the breath was stopped, held back by some invisible shield. ¡°It worked!¡± a mage yelled, ¡°Form up! We can beat this savage beast!¡± a man in nicer armor yelled. I watched as the guards formed up and surrounded me once again. I peeked at my daughter who was blackening with each passing second and held her close to my chest. I snapped with my powerful jaws at the men, severing limbs between my fangs. The guards tried in vain to pierce my hide but none could breach my armor of scales. I roared as I decapitated another person with my powerful tail. ¡°We can¡¯t pierce through!¡± one of the guards cried. ¡°Keep him busy as the mages finish the job.¡± another shouted. I once again took a deep breath and bathed them in my liquid fury. A few guards fell under the onslaught but my breath was again stopped by another barrier. ¡°Lightning¡± I heard a man shout, as a tingling sensation enveloped me. A scream pierced through the sounds of battle and I noticed small burns on Azazel. Panic clouded my thoughts when I felt something odd. I felt a warm sensation building through my entire body, pressure continued to build. ¡°I need to save my daughter!¡± I roared. I felt arrows bounce off my scales more guards arrive. I felt something break inside of me and the pressure vanished, and in a flash everything vanished. A wave of exhaustion hit me, I thought of Azazel as my mind was claimed by the blackness of sleep. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C as always me and rouge are mostly and mejinzs is almost finished with the conversion, let us know if we anything and let me know what you think in the comments. HAHAHA the cliff hanger¡­ Chapter 39 – Flat-footed well, as you can see i procrastinated¡­ so here is a chapter and this is also a final chapter/epilogue of the first volume. as normal i want to thank rouge and mejinzs for their proofreading support. i will also mention that the people who follow my got the chapter first. without further ado ¨C Chapter 39 ¨C Flat-footed ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨CAtheros POV¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C ¡°Wake up traitor!¡± a guard yelled at me, ¡°The king is coming to visit.¡± ¡°Why would he want to see me?¡± I asked from my prison cell. ¡°Quiet!¡± he shouted before walking away. An hour passed while I waited in my cell wondering what I had done wrong before I heard several sets of footprints coming towards my cell. I heard them stop before my cell, and, with a large clink, the door started to open. The king along with several guards entered my cell. ¡°Where did he go?¡± the king demanded. ¡°Uhh, where did who go?¡± I asked bewildered. ¡°That thrice blast lizard.¡± he shortly replied. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I have been in this cell for over two months!¡± I replied. ¡°Well, I will make a deal with you. If you help me find that blasted reptile, I will give you a full pardon.¡± The king said. ¡°Before I accept, please my king, tell me what happened.¡± I asked while begrudgingly kneeled before the king. ¡°Fine.¡± the king replied, ¡°But I will not talk in the dungeon. Come to my study in an hour.¡± ¡°Yes my lord,¡± I replied, happy for the chance to see the light of day. I was escorted by the guards through the castle and I was ushered into the king¡¯s study before the hour was up. ¡°Sit.¡± the king commanded. ¡°What happened¡­ my lord?¡± I asked. ¡°That giant lizard of yours tried to kill everyone at my nephew¡¯s wedding reception.¡± he replied. ¡°Why would he do that?¡± I asked horrified at what I was told. ¡°He started to freak out when that accursed demon child started to feel ill.¡± The king spat, though I could tell he was lying, ¡°then he accused us of poisoning the brat and went nuts.¡± ¡°Did you poison the¡­ brat?¡± I asked watching my language, remembering the how sweet Azazel could be. ¡°I didn¡¯t poison the beast.¡± the king replied. ¡°Then who did?¡± I asked digging for information. ¡°I don¡¯t know who actually did the poisoning.¡± the king replied still fuming over the dragon. ¡°Didn¡¯t you see where Fafnir went?¡± I asked. ¡°No he was surrounded by my guard when he just up and vanished in a flash of light.¡± the king said. ¡°I see my king. I will search for¡­ the beast.¡± I lied, ¡°and report his where about to you.¡± ¡°Good, though if you fail me I will put such a large bounty on you head there will be nowhere you could hide.¡± The king promised. ¡°Yes¡­ my lord.¡± I said and I left, disgusted with the man who I thought I knew. I walked through the halls of the castle and headed for my old quarters. When I arrived I grabbed the few things that hadn¡¯t been ransacked while I lounged in the dungeon. ¡°Have you heard anything from the wedding? My sister was supposed to help at it and I haven¡¯t seen her.¡± I heard a servant ask. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°If you haven¡¯t heard anything then she is dead. I heard the king tried to poison the hero¡¯s daughter and he went nuts!¡± a servant from the other side of the door explained. ¡°Shh, we are not supposed to be talking about that,¡± another intercepted, ¡°or we will be punished!¡± I waited, processing what I just heard. ¡°I have to find Fafnir.¡± I thought to myself. I quickly finished packing my meager belongings and left the castle. I headed through the city and I felt like I was being watched. I quickly turned down a side street and hid. After a few seconds two guards I recognized ran down the street passed my hiding spot. I left my hiding spot and quickly left the city heading the north towards the elven kingdom. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-Fafnir POV¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Azazel!¡± I said as I jolted, I looked for the demoness in the strangely familiar room and found her asleep on the side of the bed. I gently picked her up with my claws and to my relief the black spots covering her were gone. So I placed her on the bed. ¡°This looks almost exactly like my old apartment.¡± I thought to myself as I examined the room in more detail, before my eyes fell upon a picture of me and my family. ¡°Oh, crap!¡± I exclaimed, ¡°This is my old apartment, I cast my shrinking spell and headed to the living room. It was a mess, papers everywhere and under the sofa I could see part of a large magic circle burned into the floor. ¡°Well this might be useful.¡± I mumbled as I pushed the sofa away. ¡°Daddy!¡± I heard Azazel call from the other room. ¡°Good morning,¡± I said as I entered the room. ¡°Where are we daddy?¡± she asked her voice quivered a bit. ¡°We are someplace special,¡± I replied trying to calm the scared demoness. ¡°Where?¡± she asked calming down a bit. ¡°My old house,¡± I replied. ¡°Really?¡± she asked with awe in her eyes. ¡°Yes, now how do you feel?¡± I asked confirming all the black spots were gone. ¡°My tummy still hurts but I feel better.¡± she replied. ¡°Rest for a bit longer then I will try to cook some food, ok?¡± I said, wondering how I was going to cook with claws. ¡°Can I sleep on your back?¡± she asked with an irresistibly cute face. ¡°Sure,¡± I said unable to resist such a cute face, I picked her up and placed her on my back. She settled herself between two of my spines and it only took a few minutes before she was asleep. I walked back into the kitchen and looked for my old phone hoping to find out how much time has passed. ¡°Wow, I did not expect you to be able to move between dimensions for at least a century.¡± someone behind me said. My head snapped around and sitting on my sofa was a woman with dark blue hair and golden eyes. ¡°It¡¯s you! The goddess!¡± I said dumbfounded. ¡°You act so surprised,¡± the woman said, ¡° what were you expecting, someone else?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- As always me, rouge and mejinzs are mostly human, let us know if we missed anything and tell me what you think in the comments. Chapter 40 – Oh Brother Here is the guaranteed chapter for the week, it would have been released earlier but I am in the midst of final and that takes a lot of time. so there probably won¡¯t be another chapter this week. on another note, I wrote this chapter first but while writing it i determined that I need to write some form of prolouge that explains a few things so that will be released next. as always i want to thank mejinzs and rouge for the proofreading support. just to let you know this was postend on my blog yesterday I also want to thank anonymous for my first donation. without further ado, Chapter 40 ¨C Oh Brother ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-Azazel POV¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C ¡°My tummy doesn¡¯t hurt no more,¡± I joyously thought to myself as I woke up. ¡°Wait, who is after me?¡± I heard Daddy say. ¡°Who is daddy talking to?¡± I thought as I cracked one of my eyes open pretending to be asleep ¡°What did I ever do to this¡­ Mortem guy?¡± I heard Daddy ask a lady who was sitting on a really long chair. ¡°In short, you were born, and your ¡®birth¡¯ will shift the balance of power in the multiverse, and the easiest ways to fix that is to just eliminate you.¡± the lady said. ¡°Well this is great, god politics. Next you¡¯re going to tell me that lawyers get a special place in heaven.¡± Daddy said. ¡°Only really good ones,¡± the lady chuckled. ¡°What are lawyers?¡± I asked myself when my tummy let out a really loud grumble. I tried to stay really still hoping they don¡¯t think I¡¯m awake. ¡°Come on, Azazel I know you¡¯re awake¡± Daddy said. I hugged Daddy¡¯s neck not saying anything. ¡°You feeling better?¡± Daddy asked. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to hurt my Daddy, are you?¡± I asked the lady on the really long chair. ¡°HAHAHA, no little one,¡± the lady laughed, ¡°I am here to help your daddy.¡± ¡°Oh, ok¡± I sighed relieved. ¡°We¡¯ll talk later, but first I am going to give your divine powers a little push my draconic friend.¡± the lady said as her hands started to glow. ¡°What do you mean by ¡®a little push?¡¯¡± Daddy said as he started to back away. Faster than I could see the lady disappeared and showed up right in front of daddy, and placed her hand on daddy¡¯s side. All of a sudden me and daddy started to glow, then my head started to really hurt. It hurt so bad that I fell asleep. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨CFafnir POV¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Daddy, my horns are missing!¡± Azazel cried from the other room. ¡°It¡¯s ok dear,¡± I said as entered the room, I wrapped my tail around Azazel and lifted her up and brought her to my snout. After a few minutes of hugging my snout she calmed down. ¡°Daddy, where did my horns go?¡± she sniffled as i set her down, ¡°I liked my horns.¡± ¡°The goddess hid your horns but look,¡± I replied as I poked her stomach, ¡°you have lots of scales like daddy now.¡± ¡°Wow,¡± I she said staring at her stomach that was covered in the same bluish white scales that adorned my draconic frame. She started to examine the smooth bluish white scales that covered from her neck down to her waist. ¡°Watch what daddy can do.¡± I said as I felt again for the a new crevice of power in my heart and activated my new ability. With a painful pop and my body started to change. Through waves of agony my fore limbs shrank and my hind legs lengthened. my claws turned into rough hands, and it felt like my skull was being crushed as my entire body was changing its shape, and after what felt like an hour the pain subsided. ¡°OW! That hurt¡± I said as I stood up. ¡°Why did Daddy change?¡± Azazel asked, as I examined my ¡®arms¡¯. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°Because people are scared of Daddy and if I look like this they won¡¯t be as scared.¡± I replied, ¡°Daddy¡¯s not scary.¡± Azazel stated. ¡°You know Daddy, they don¡¯t.¡± I replied as I stumbled around the room, getting used to walking on legs again. ¡°Are you ok Daddy?¡± Azazel as she watched me stumble about. ¡°Yes dear, I just have to get used to walking on two feet.¡± I replied while trying to steady myself. I spent the next several hours relearning to walk on two feet, but as time passed an uncomfortable started too developed in my chest. It was annoying at first, like an itch that didn¡¯t go away, it was manageable, but after a few hours it morphed into dull pain that slowly increased, I cooked dinner from what I had in my pantry and put Azazel to bed, all the while the pain continued to increase. It felt like a nail was being slowly inserted into my chest towards my heart. it took everything I had to find my limit but the pain became too much and I passed out. ¡°Daddy, why¡¯re you sleeping on the floor and not on the long chair like you said you were going to?¡± I heard Azazel ask through the haze of sleep. ¡°Because the floor looked more comfortable than the couch,¡± I lied, as I got up once again in draconic form. When I heard an odd noise, ¡°I know I have heard this somewhere¡­¡± I mused when the noise suddenly stopped. ¡°Crap,¡± I said as I realized it was my phone¡¯s ringtone. I went to go see who had called and as I tried to pick up the rectangular device it slipped through my claws and fell onto the floor. I stared at the gray phone lying on the floor cursing my non-stick claws ¡°Azazel, come here please.¡± I called, and a few seconds later the demoness rushed in. ¡°Yes daddy,¡± she replied with a somewhat guilty look on her face. ¡°Were you looking out the window again?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but there are just so many interesting things outside I couldn¡¯t help it.¡± She replied ¡°Don¡¯t do it again, now I want you to pick up the phone and tap the screen.¡± I said ¡°What is a Flown?¡± Azazel asked with a look of confusion. ¡°It is that gray thing on the floor; I dropped it and can¡¯t pick it up it without dropping it again.¡± I replied pointing to the device. ¡°This thing?¡± Azazel asked as she picked the phone. ¡°Yes, now turn it over and tap the black round thing on the bottom¡± I instructed. ¡°This thing?¡± she asked as she hit the center button. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s all glowy and has a painting and it has the letters that daddy uses when he doesn¡¯t want aunt Atheros and uncle Therin to know what it says.¡± she exclaimed as she stared at the screen before turning the screen to face me, ¡°Who is the man on the flown?¡± she asked. ¡°That is my non-dragon, younger brother,¡± I replied as I tried to read the text message from my brother which read: Bro will be there in less than 5 mins so you can help me with my project like you promised. ¡°Well¡­¡± I nervously chuckled rereading the text hoping that I misread it, ¡° I¡¯m am going to have an interesting time trying to explain this.¡± ¡°Explain what?¡± Azazel asked with a confused look on her face. Then I heard a knock at the door. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- as always rouge and mejinzs and I are mostly human, let us know if we missed anything and tell me what you think in the comments below. Chapter 41 – Ryan guaranteed chapter for the week, i managed to push it out earlier despite finals, (last two on wednesday). so i might get a second chapter in this week. also this was posted on my blog this morning. side note if you count this as a cliffhanger there is no helping you as always i want to thank rouge and mejinzs for their proofreading support. so without further ado, Chapter 41 ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨CFafnir POV¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C ¡°You have the key,¡± I yelled as I ushered Azazel into the bedroom. ¡°Stay here I need to talk to my brother for a little bit before I introduce you. Just play with the block like you have been.¡± I instructed. ¡°Where you at bro?¡± I heard my brother from the other room. ¡°Just wait in the living room. There is something we need to talk about.¡± I replied. ¡°Did you finally get a girlfriend?¡¯ I heard my brother laugh from the other room. ¡°Ok Daddy, but don¡¯t take long.¡± She said as she hugged my leg before she jumped onto the bed ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± I assured her as I closed the door and went to the living room. ¡°Ryan, I don¡¯t want you to freak out but a lot has happened since I last saw you.¡± I said as I entered the room. ¡°It has only been a week, did you ge¡­¡± he started to replied as he turned around. ¡°AAAAAAHHHHHHHH¡± he screamed his voice cracking as he beheld my draconic form. His screaming went on for a full minute before he passed out. ¡°At least he didn¡¯t wet himself¡± I sighed looking at my unconscious brother. ¡°What happened Daddy? I heard a lot of screaming and then it stopped.¡± She called from the other room. ¡°I just surprised my brother¡­ he was really surprised.¡± I replied. I walked over to my brother and buffeted him awake him with my wing. ¡°Ow,¡± I heard my brother mutter as he started to stir ¡°I was only¡­¡± he froze as he saw me. ¡°Don¡¯t freak out again.¡± I interrupted. ¡°You¡¯re a dragon¡­¡± he asked. ¡°Yes,¡± I replied, ¡°ten points to you.¡± ¡°Like a real dragon?¡± He stammered. ¡°What do you think?¡± I replied as I slapped him with my wing. ¡°Does mom know?¡± he asked. ¡°Not yet, I got back yesterday afternoon.¡± I nervously chuckled. ¡°Where did you just get back from?¡± he asked. ¡°I will explain it in a little while; first there is someone I would like you to meet first.¡± I said. ¡°You can come in now !¡± I called. I only took a few seconds before Azazel ran into the room and latched onto my leg. ¡°Ryan, I want you to meet my daughter, Azazel¡± I said gesturing to the demoness with my wing. ¡°Say hello, Azazel.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t look like Daddy.¡± Azazel stated clutching my leg. ¡°He is still my brother, we just look very different.¡± I explained. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°Ok. Daddy, can I play with the colorful blocks some more?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes,¡± I replied and she let go of my leg and headed back into the bedroom. It took over an hour to recount what happened, skipping over some of the more violent parts. Ryan just sat there and listened without asking a question. ¡°Wow.¡± He said as I finished my tale, ¡°Now, what are you going to do? You can¡¯t go to work or class looking like that.¡± ¡°I can make myself humanoid, though I still have scales on most of my body and it is painful to stay in that form for any length of time.¡± I replied, a chill ran down my spine remember the outcome of the previous attempt, ¡°Though you are correct.¡± ¡°Can I see your humanoid form?¡± My brother asked with a glint in his eye. ¡°Do you have dragon strength pain relievers?¡± I asked. ¡°No¡­¡± my brother replied with a questioning look. ¡°Then after I polymorph you need to get me some¡± I said as I reached for that crevice in my heart and just like last time the transformation was horrifically painful, as my body reshaped itself. ¡°It is human-ish,¡± my brother said after examining me, ¡°all you would really need to blend in is a scarf, some gloves, boots and long clothing. Though you might get questions about your hair and eyes. I mean Blueish white is not in style right now and most people¡¯s eyes don¡¯t glow unless they live in a nuclear reactor or something.¡± ¡°It is the middle of winter so a scarf is acceptable¡­¡± I admitted, ¡°But how does gloves hide talons?¡± ¡°I never said it was perfect.¡± He replied. ¡°Even if I could theoretically blend in enough to go to work and school, what is Azazel going to do?¡± I asked, ¡°She can¡¯t go to school, she can literally rip someone¡¯s head off.¡± ¡°She can what?¡± My brother asked. ¡°She is a dragon demon hybrid.¡± I replied, ¡°She is many times stronger than a human and she has been taught how to rip someone¡¯s head off by her dark elf uncle.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ryan responded. ¡°Yah¡± I flatly stated. ¡°Well, you could ask mom¡­ she should be thrilled to know that she has a granddaughter. Though you never did tell me who the mother was.¡± My brother proposed. ¡°You don¡¯t want to know¡­¡± I replied, ¡°And if mom watches her I will have to explain everything.¡± ¡°You will have to tell her eventually.¡± He retorted, ¡°And this way you can make some money.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± I sighed. ¡°Cool, now can you help me with my math homework?¡± He asked. ¡°If I can remember how to do it,¡± I replied And, with a huff, I painfully reverted back to my dragon form. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- as always me rouge and mejinzs are mostly human let us know if we missed anything in the comments and tell me what you think. Chapter 42 – Alexandarax Guaranteed chapter for the week, i know it is a bit late but Stalarious was released on monday and that is where my free went¡­ well as always i want to thank rouge and mejinzs for their proofreading support. i hope to have chapter 43 released in a few days but the call of the game is strong. side note, i released the prolouge of this volume on my blog, but i could not release it here as i could not insert the chapter where i wanted it to go... so here is the link for that one, this chapter might not make total sence without reading that one first. i should be able to post that chapter here when 2.5 comes back as it let me do those sorts of things. well without further ado Chapter 42 ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ªFafnir POV¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- ¡°Can you turn into anything other than human?¡± my brother asked as I was checking over his math. ¡°I don¡¯t know, why do you ask?¡± I replied. ¡°Well if you kill the wings and change the teeth you could pass of as a large lizard.¡± He suggested. ¡°What would I do as a large lizard, vaporize animal control?¡± I asked while carefully using a calculator. ¡°No, I can take you around without you turning into a human dragon thing.¡± he replied. ¡°What about Azazel? Her clothes are made of wyvern hides, not something you can find around town.¡± I retorted. ¡°You could have mom watch her, while we pick her up some clothes.¡± Ryan suggested. ¡°That still means I have to explain everything to mom¡­ and I don¡¯t want to endure her disapproving stare¡± I shivered remembering her disapproval. I continued checking his work when the sweet scent of mana interrupted me. ¡°Where is that smell coming from?¡± I asked as I realized that there was no mana here. ¡°Where is what smell coming from?¡± Ryan asked right as someone knocked at the door. ¡°Could you please get that? I am not in a form to answer the door.¡± I asked Ryan, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if it is someone less than friendly I will save you¡­ Private.¡± ¡°You know how I feel about that name.¡± he glared at me as he stood up. ¡°I couldn¡¯t help myself,¡± I chuckled. I glanced over at Azazel, who was building a castle with plastic blocks in the corner, as I got up and ready to intervene if it was some one less than friendly. I heard the door shut and Ryan walked back into the room. ¡°Wrong door, they were looking for someone named Rachel.¡± Ryan said. ¡°Oh, I could have sworn I smelled mana¡­¡± I mumbled as we walked back into the kitchen. ¡°Oh, you did,¡± someone replied, ¡°and am I glad that I found you.¡± I quickly looked up and noticed that there was someone sitting at the kitchen table. ¡°Who are you, and why do you smell of mana?¡± I asked the man. ¡°My name is Alexandarax, though most people know me as Paris.¡± he replied as he stood up, ¡°and you are a going to get several people off my tail.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± I asked confused. ¡°It is easier if I show you.¡± he sighed and we were suddenly in a white room. ¡°Where did you take me?¡± I roared. ¡°Quite wyrmling, you are a few millennia too young to talk to me that way now sit and watch.¡± he rebuked. Then his form started to change, his arms and legs lengthened, his hands turned to claws, and two massive blue white wings sprouted from his back. After only few seconds a massive dragon clad in the same blue white scales as my hide stood before me. ¡°Did you think that you could cross dimensions and no one notice?¡± he asked, his rumbling voice rattled my bones. ¡°You¡¯re lucky that I found you first, and not the other two.¡± As he said this I noticed his body shiver a bit. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°What do you mean ¡®other two?¡¯¡± I timidly asked. ¡°The women¡­¡± he dramatically replied. ¡°The¡­ women?¡± I asked a bit worried. ¡°Yes, the other two of our race,¡± he replied, ¡°they never leave me alone. They pop into my lair, bothering me and eat my snakes. Not only that they keep hiding golden apples everywhere. It was one wedding and apologized but they won¡¯t let it go.¡± ¡°What?¡± I asked dumbfounded. ¡°We men have to stick together or we will never have peace.¡± he replied. ¡°Hold it. How about we go back to where I was and then you can explain who and what you are.¡± I said to the cowering dragon. ¡°Ok, but after I explain everything I need to teach you how to build a proper lair, the place you are living now is not fit for a dragon of our race¡± he said and suddenly we were back in my apartment. ¡°Where did you go?¡± my brother exclaimed. ¡°You have been gone for almost half-an-hour I started to freak out as I didn¡¯t know what to do with Azazel, so I called mom¡­¡± ¡°This your snack?¡± Alexandarax interrupted. ¡°No, he is my brother.¡± I quickly replied fearing what might happen. ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like a dragon, but who am I to judge who you associate with¡­¡± He replied back in his humanoid form. ¡°Daddy, your back!¡± Azazel squealed from the bedroom. ¡°Yes dear, I¡¯m home.¡± I said to Azazel, before something hit me. ¡°You called mom?¡± I suddenly asked Ryan. ¡°Yes.¡± he squeaked cringing back a bit. ¡°Oh god, this day is getting better and better.¡± I sighed as Azazel ran into the room and latched onto my leg. ¡°Aww look at the little half dragon.¡± Alexandarax cooed ¡°Are you Daddy¡¯s brother? Because you look like Daddy.¡± Azazel asked still latched onto my leg. ¡°No, little one, I am your daddy¡¯s teacher.¡± Alexandarax replied. ¡°What are you teaching him?¡± Azazel asked. ¡°I am teaching him how to be a proper dragon.¡± he replied. ¡°Daddy¡¯s not a dragon, he¡¯s Daddy.¡± she stubbornly stated. ¡°It¡¯s ok dear, he might take us home.¡± I consoled the pouting demoness. ¡°You mean this is not your lair?¡± Alexandarax asked with a look of confusion plastering his face. ¡°This is my old home before I made a true lair.¡± I lied through my fangs. ¡°Then what are you doing here?¡± He inquired ¡°I teleported myself here accidentally to avoid being skewered by spears¡± I snapped at the dragon. ¡°Mind the way you talk to your elders.¡± he growled. ¡°Sorry.¡± I spat as there was a knock at the door. ¡°Ryan, it¡¯s me open up !¡± my mother called. ¡°Great another thing I have to deal with.¡± I mumbled, ¡°Ryan, go let mom in and try to have her not freak out.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± he quickly replied as he left the room. ¡°Well you can sit on my sofa or something, I need to talk to my mom and clear up a few thing.¡± I said to the older dragon. ¡°Fine, but don¡¯t take too long the longer we stay here, the greater the chance that the other two find you. When they find you, it will be¡­ unpleasant.¡± he said as his body shivered a bit. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ as always me, rouge and mejinzs are mostly human so let us know if we missed anything. also let me know what you think in the comments. Chapter 43 – Mother well, here is another guaranteed chapter, be warned this one will hit you in the feels, grab a tissue before you read. I want to thank rouge especially for all his help with this chapter, though mejinzs helped as well. i am considering whether or not i should do sponsored chapters, though i have no idea how i would keep track or even if people will go for it¡­ so if you see it offered you¡¯ll know what is up. well without further ado, Chapter 43 ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨CFafnir POV¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C ¡°Hi mom.¡± I heard Ryan say from the other room. ¡°Ryan. Show me your brother¡¯s daughter.¡± she replied curtly. I could feel the chill in my mother¡¯s voice. ¡°Mom, there is something you need to know.¡± Ryan stuttered. ¡°What?¡± she snapped. ¡°Bro is back and he is in the kitchen with another god-human-dragon-person.¡± Ryan stumbled. ¡°Ryan, I love you, but now is not the time for your imagination to run wild.¡± I heard my mother say as she started to walk towards the kitchen. ¡°Mom, don¡¯t freak out.¡± I said as she turned the corner. Her eyes went wide as she saw us right before she fainted. ¡°Do all humans in this realm do that?¡± Alexandarax inquired. ¡°No.¡± I sighed. ¡°Mom!¡± Ryan shouted as he ran to her he quickly picked her up and placed her on my sofa. ¡°Who¡¯s that, and why is she sleeping on the long chair?¡± Azazel asked looking up from her almost completed castle. ¡°That¡¯s daddy¡¯s mommy.¡± I replied waiting for her to wake up. ¡°Oh,¡± she replied with a confused look on her face, ¡°where is my mommy?¡± ¡°Um, she is¡­ working a lot¡­ doing¡­ important things.¡± I lied. ¡°Oh, ok.¡± she said, I could hear the disappointment in her voice. She looked at her feet, a sad resignation permeating from her. ¡°I will have to deal with that later.¡± I mumbled to myself as I heard my mother start to awake. ¡°Ryan, what happened?¡± Mom slurred as she sat up on the sofa. ¡°You fainted,¡± Ryan replied. ¡°I had the weirdest dream¡­¡± I she started to say when she looked up and saw me and Alexandarax. ¡°Ryan, is there a dragon in the kitchen?¡± she calmly asked with a strange smile on her face. ¡°Yes there is.¡± Ryan hesitantly replied. ¡°Oh¡­¡± mom replied as she just sat there. ¡°Well this is exciting,¡± Alexandarax stated as he leaned against the door frame. ¡°Hi¡­ mom,¡± I hesitantly spoke, ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± ¡°Who are you?,¡± she whispered, ¡°I recognise the voice but¡­ you can¡¯t be him, I saw him last week.¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­me, Mom.¡¯¡¯ I added my voice trembling a bit, ¡°But I go by the name Fafnir now,¡± I spoke. ¡°I was summoned and went to another world where I was reborn as a dragon.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible, you can¡¯t be my little boy.¡± she said with tears in her eyes as she looked at Ryan. ¡°Mom, it¡¯s him.¡± Ryan confirmed. ¡°When did this happen?¡± she whispered. ¡°After I got home from school last week, you remember that ring on my chest? It started to glow and symbols appeared around it, I was taken to another world and placed into an egg.¡± I recounted, ¡° I was in the egg for six months and finally hatched. I learned to walk and fly, as they prepared to have me face a demon lord.¡± ¡°How long have you been like this?¡± mother asked. ¡°A little over two years.¡± I replied. ¡°Two years, you¡¯ve been gone for two years?¡± mom whispered as she stared at me, ¡°Did you ever face the Demon lord, he didn¡¯t hurt you right?¡± ¡°Yes and no, I did face the Demon lord but when I found out that she was just a innocent little girl, I couldn¡¯t do it¡­ so I took her in and have been raising her as my own.¡± I sighed. ¡°Wait, Azazel is a Demon lord?¡± Ryan interrupted a look of confusion plain on his face. ¡°She was, but no longer. Now she is my daughter.¡± I replied. ¡°Then why does she have scales?¡± Ryan asked. ¡°Well¡­¡± I hesitantly chuckled, ¡°I don¡¯t really know¡­¡± ¡°You been feeding her your mana, for what looks like a long time. I can also smell¡­ oh, what¡¯s her name¡­¡± Alexandarax mumbled, ¡°Whatever I can smell that goddess¡¯ magic pushed things along.¡± If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. I watched my mother take a deep break as she wiped the tears from her eyes. ¡°I am glad that I raised you so well.¡± My mother stated as she stood up, ¡°Now come here kiddo and give your mother a hug.¡± I used my wings and surrounded us as she hugged my snout. ¡°I love you, no matter what shape you are in.¡± she whispered. ¡°I love you too,¡± I replied as I pulled my wings back, ¡°now would you like to meet your granddaughter?¡± ¡°I would love to meet my granddaughter.¡± she sniffled trying to clear away the tears, while putting on a smile. ¡°Azazel,¡± I called, ¡°come here please.¡± It took less than a minute before the demoness ran from the kitchen and latched onto my leg. ¡°Mom, this is Azazel, my daughter. Azazel this is my mommy, your grandma.¡± I introduced. ¡°You don¡¯t look like Daddy.¡± Azazel stated from behind my foreleg. ¡°Neither do you.¡± my mother chuckled a bit. ¡°Yes I do,¡± she stated as stepped out from behind my leg and lifted her wyvern hide dress, revealing her scaled chest. ¡°See, I do look like Daddy and soon I will grow my wings.¡± ¡°Azazel, put your dress down¡± I growled at the demoness. ¡°But Daddy,¡± she wined as she dropped her dress. ¡°No buts, what would Lilith say?¡± I asked which caused the little demoness to shiver. ¡°Ok.¡± she dejectedly replied. ¡°Don¡¯t be so hard on her, you would always run around the house without your shirt on, at least we know who she takes after¡­ Come here Azazel.¡± my mother said holding her arms out. Azazel timidly came out from behind my fore leg and started to towards my mother, before being scooped and given a warm hug. ¡°Are you done yet?¡± Alexandarax interrupted, ¡°we have to leave before the women find me¡­us, I mean us.¡± ¡°You really destroyed the moment, you know that, she is learning that her son is a dragon and she is a grandmother; I mean what did you do to these women, that you are so afraid of them?¡± I huffed. ¡°I was the judge of a beauty contest and they weren¡¯t pleased with the results.¡± he timidly replied. ¡°What beauty contest?¡± I asked. ¡°It was centuries ago, there was a wedding¡­ and all of a sudden I was asked to pick who was most beautiful¡­ and it went downhill from there¡­¡± he nervously chuckled. I sighed, ¡°You mean to tell me that you had to pick which goddess was the most beautiful, and you thought it would end well?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± he replied with a goofy grin plastered on his face. ¡°Wow, you need help¡­¡± I replied, ¡°Never tell a woman that someone is more beautiful than another¡­¡± ¡°Wow, man I am only 15, and I know better.¡± Ryan stated. ¡°I would be mad too.¡± my mother interjected. ¡°Come on, I was drunk¡­¡± Alexandarax winced. ¡°You are on your own¡­¡± I said, ¡°but I would have done something about it before a war starts.¡± ¡°Insolent wyrmling.¡± Alexandarax mumbled as he huffed towards the kitchen. ¡°So what are you going to do now?¡± my mother asked. ¡°Well, I plan to go back to the other world and learn to use my magic. Recently I learned that my very existence has thrown a wrench in the cosmic order or something like that; and now I have several gods that want my hide.¡± I replied. ¡°Well then¡­¡± my mother said maintaining a fake smile, ¡°I expect you to stay safe and to visit soon, And bring my granddaughter with you.¡± ¡°I will try.¡± I smiled. ¡°Well now that I am here, how about I cook us some dinner?¡± My mother suggested as she walked into the kitchen, ¡°If you have something besides junk food in your refrigerator!¡± ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- as always me mejinzs and rouge are mostly human so let us know if we missed anything and let me know what you think in the comments below Chapter 44 – Gut Feeling sorry for the late release, personal issues came up and i found my self helping my family in southern florida, this past weekend. this is the guaranteed chapter for last week and i hope to get another one out to make everything even. as always i want to thank mejinzs and rouge for their proof reading support. without further ado Chapter 44 ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-Fafnir POV¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- ¡°That was delicious, thank you.¡± Alexandarax said holding the stomach of his humanoid form. ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± My mother replied as she started to collect the plates on my small table. ¡°Azazel, finish your food.¡± I said to the demoness who was staring at her corn. ¡°But it looks weird and tastes gross.¡± Azazel huffed from her chair. ¡°You need to eat it or the rest of your scales won¡¯t grow in,¡± I lied which caused Ryan to choke a bit. I glared at Ryan as Azazel started to eat. ¡°If I eat all my corn can I have some of the blue stuff?¡± Azazel asked with a smile. ¡°You know that is an outside food only.¡± I reminded the demoness as I took a piece of the chicken and tossed it into my gaping maw. ¡°Then can we go outside and I have some of the blue stuff?¡± She quickly responded. ¡°Azazel, the surrounding area would not survive you having some, so no.¡± I growled, ¡°Now finish your food as it is almost time for you to get to bed.¡± ¡°Ok¡± she sighed as she picked at the rest of her corn. I looked over at the rest of my family who were just staring at the exchange. ¡°What is the blue stuff?¡± Ryan hesitantly asked. ¡°Liquid mana would be my guess.¡± Alexandarax replied while picking something out from his pointed teeth. ¡°It¡¯s mana,¡± I replied eyeing the two, ¡°though when she eats it she typically releases the magic in a large spell, like a massive fireball or windstorm. That is why it is an outside food.¡± ¡°Called it,¡± Alexandarax grinned still sitting in his chair. ¡°How old are you?¡± I asked in disbelief. ¡°I don¡¯t know I stopped counting after the first few millennia.¡± Alexandarax remarked. ¡°How long is a mallinza?¡± Azazel asked, all of her food suspiciously gone. ¡°A very long time,¡± I replied as I stood up and gingerly grabbed my plate and cup with my tail. I walked over to the sink where my mother was cleaning the dishes, and set them down next to her. ¡°Thank you, for bringing them over.¡± My mom said as she scrubbed a pot, ¡°If someone told me that my son had turned into a dragon I would have laughed in their face, now¡­ I guess I should be careful, as it might be true.¡± ¡°Mom¡­¡± ¡°The only thing that I want for all my kids is for them to be happy,¡± My mom chuckled as she set the clean pot down next to her, ¡°and from the short time I have seen you interacting with Azazel, I could tell that you¡¯re happier than you have been in a long time, even if you¡¯re slightly scalier.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t knock the scales,¡± I smiled, ¡°they are more useful than you know.¡± ¡°Well I better get back home; I still have to clean up what is left of your father¡¯s place.¡± She sighed. ¡°I know, but don¡¯t go through that much trouble, he was an ass.¡± I replied, and as I thought of that beast of a man, my anger boiled a bit. ¡°Quit leaking mana, ya whelp, or do you want to get us found out.¡± Alexandarax shouted from the table. I took a deep breath and calmed my anger as I headed into the living room where Ryan was finishing his homework. ¡°Y¡¯all finished with your homework?¡± I asked as I looked over his shoulder. ¡°Just have to finish this chemistry problem.¡± He replied still concentrating on his work. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Ok, but I think that mom is leaving to head home soon, and you might want to leave as well.¡± I informed my brother. ¡°I have everything I need so I should be fine and I can head to school from here, do you mind if I stay the night?¡± Ryan asked as he looked up from his work. ¡°Sure, but you have the couch.¡± I replied as I saw mom gathering up her things. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind that I don¡¯t see you out,¡± I chuckled a bit, ¡°I mean if the neighbors saw me they might have an issue with it.¡± ¡°I understand, I will come check on the place every few days while you are gone, just come back and visit soon.¡± My mom said as she came and gave me a hug before she left. ¡°Well, now that she is gone, you ready to go?¡± Alexandarax asked as he walked into the living room with a strange piece of meat. ¡°I am ready, but where did you get that piece of meat?¡± I asked staring at the man-dragon. ¡°Something I had stored in my hoard stomach.¡± He replied as he took another bite of the meat shank. ¡°What is a ¡®hoard stomach¡¯?¡± I tentatively asked the older dragon. ¡°I guess it is to be expected,¡± Alexandarax sighed as he contorted his mouth into an inhuman shaped and shoved the rest of the shank down his throat, ¡°that is a hoard stomach, it is an organ that creates a little pocket of space where you can store things, the only limit is what you can fit in your mouth.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± I replied, more than disturbed by that piece of anatomy that I never knew I had. ¡°Didn¡¯t your mama ever prime yours?¡± he huffed stretching his jaw. ¡°No,¡± I flatly replied, ¡°you just saw my mother leave, is there another way that I can get this gullet, without being primed, whatever that means?¡± ¡°Well young wyrmling, first she can¡¯t be your mother, she is the wrong species. Second, I can try to prime your stomach, it but I don¡¯t have the same control as the women of our species, I have a feeling that it would end poorly if I tried, though you can try it yourself but it might cause a small explosion if you fail.¡± He replied as he stretched his jaw once again and spat out the same, half eaten, chunk of meat he was munching on before. ¡°That is a new level gross,¡± Ryan said standing in the door, his face turning white as he ran towards the bathroom. ¡°You¡¯ll get over it.¡± Alexandarax chuckled at Ryan as he took another bite out of the meat, ¡°though young wyrmling, I am sure that you will meet the other two, they have an¡­ uncanny ability to find me.¡± ¡°Ok¡­¡± I replied as I started to creep away from the disturbing dragon. I left the dragon to his mad muttering as I headed toward the bedroom, where I could hear Azazel humming some odd melody. ¡°It is time for bed,¡± I said to the demoness as I walked into the bedroom, plastic block scattered around the demoness. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna go to bed, I want to play with the blocks some more!¡± She wined as she crossed her arms and began to pout. ¡°You can play with the block tomorrow, and we might be able to take the blocks with us when we head back home.¡± I said as I picked up the demoness with my tail, avoiding the plastic landmines and placed Azazel into the bed. ¡°Are we going home tomorrow? I miss Lilith and Uncle Therin, and Aunt Atheros.¡± Azazel said as she snuggled up under a large blue comforter. ¡°We shall see,¡± I replied as I nuzzled my snout against her face before I left the bedroom, turning the lights off as I left. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C as always me mejinzs and rouge are mostly human let us know if we miss anything and tell me what you think in the comments below. Chapter 45 – Places here is what ever week guaranteed chapter, i am slowly making progress to catch up to whatever chapter that i need to be at. as always i want to thank rouge and mejinzs for their proofreading support. I also ask that if you give a poor rating please either send me a message explaining the bad review or post the text on the page, it does not help anyone if you give a .5 without telling what i can do to fix it. without further ado Chapter 45 ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°Wake up young wyrmling. They¡¯re coming, and we need to be out of here before they arrive!¡± Alexandarax shouted as he burst into the bedroom. ¡°What?¡± I asked while fighting of the haze of sleep. ¡°The women are coming.¡± He said in a panicked voice, ¡°I know that one of them is your mother, but I can¡¯t let them catch me out of my home territory.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± I asked shaking off the haze of sleep. ¡°Your real mother will be here soon and I can¡¯t let them catch us just yet.¡± He replied, I could feel him start to gather mana. ¡°Who is making that racket?¡± I heard Ryan groan from the other room. I looked at the clock sitting on the nightstand that displayed in its cool green light four AM., ¡°First, neither of them are my mother. Second about how long till they arrive?¡± I asked while using my tail to gently move Azazel off my ribs. ¡°Time is funny between dimensions but I would guess any time from right now to¡­ whenever.¡± he gruffly replied. ¡°And there aren¡¯t any other female dragons besides them, so one of them has got to be your mother.¡± I stared at the human shaped dragon, ¡°No. That goddess, whatever her name is, turned me into a dragon after an interesting game of spin the bottle, making neither of them my mother. And do we have enough time to pack a few things?¡± I sighed as I carefully got off the bed. ¡°Ha, not even the god of Gullibility would fall for that, lie!¡± he huffed, ¡°We leave in five minutes.¡± ¡°Azazel, wake up.¡± I said as is started to grab some of the books of my shelf. ¡°Five more minutes Daddy.¡± She groaned burying herself under the blankets. ¡°No Now. We¡¯re going home.¡± I said as I grabbed a few more bags from my closet. ¡°What?¡± She asked as she sat up and rubbed her eyes. ¡°We are going home and I need your help packing a few things.¡± I said as I gently placed several books into the bags. ¡°Oh, Ok,¡± Azazel yawned as she squirmed out of bed. ¡°Pack all the blocks back into their container and move it into the kitchen.¡± I directed as I grabbed the bag filled with various textbooks, and took them to the staging area in the kitchen. I dropped the books I gathered into a heap, and quickly grabbed the last two books I wanted to bring off the bookshelf in the living room. I glanced into kitchen and noticed Azazel carrying the large box of plastic blocks. I chuckled a bit, thinking of Lilith¡¯s poor feet stepping on the plastic landmines. ¡°You ready to go?¡± Alexandarax nervously asked as he kept looking around. ¡°Almost, I¡¯m just grabbing some of my old textbooks that will help make a few things.¡± I replied as I dropped the last of the textbooks in a heap. I reached for that new crack by my heart and painfully transformed into my humanoid form. I pack the books into the bags and grab some clothes for Azazel to change into. ¡°Later Ryan, I will visit when I can.¡± I yelled to the sleeping figure on the couch. ¡°Later,¡± I heard him mumble. ¡°Form an image of your home, and I will take us there.¡± Alexandarax instructed as he grabbed my shoulder. I closed my eyes, I felt Azazel cling to my waist as I drew up the image of the cavern that I carved from the cracked stone face. Without warning I felt the floor drop from underneath me for a few seconds before gravity returned. I opened my eyes and found myself once again in that endless white space in-between realities. ¡°Look at what the cat dragged in,¡± I heard a familiar voice say, causing me snap my eyes open. I looked up and there sat the goddess sitting on the same thrown as when I came here last. ¡°I see it didn¡¯t take long before one of the other dragons showed up but I must say I am surprised that it was you, Ally, who showed up first,¡± The goddess chuckled, ¡°are you trying to hide from your exes?¡± ¡°You know that I don¡¯t like that name.¡± Alexandarax growled at the woman. ¡°Ok, Paris, why are you trying to travel to one of my divine territories?¡± the goddess asked with a terrorizing smile that did not fit with her menacing tone. ¡°I am taking this wyrmling I found on that planet where Thetis marred that mortal, back to his lair, which happens to be in your territory, and teach him to be a proper dragon.¡± Alexandarax gruffly replied ¡°Ah, Fafnir I didn¡¯t see you behind the large egotistical lizard. How is my baby dragon doing?¡± The goddess greeted, ¡°It been forever since I last saw you.¡± ¡°I am doing well,¡± I nervously chuckled while weathering Alexandra¡¯s fierce glare. ¡°I knew it wouldn¡¯t take long before one of the three found you, but I didn¡¯t expect it to be Paris.¡± She said as she leaned back onto her emerald throne her golden eyes shining. ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Alexandarax said as he waved one of his massive claws, ¡°You can visit later, now can you please allow to take this young wyrmling back home?¡± ¡°We both know that is not the reason you are helping this young dragon,¡± She chuckled, ¡°if I know you right, you hope to lure the other two to the wyrmling and escape somewhere, and knowing those two it just might work.¡± ¡°You mean I¡¯m bait?¡± I asked as I stared at the large wyrm. ¡°Why would I make you bait?¡± Alexandarax nervously chuckled. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°Ha, called it.¡± The goddess laughed at the nervous dragon. ¡°So what? He goes back to his lair and I get peace for a few centuries, it works out for both of us.¡± Alexandarax huffed, ¡°I mean so what if he has two dragons fussing over the little guy.¡± ¡°Great,¡± I sighed while shaking my head. ¡°It will be fun to say the least,¡± the goddess smiled, ¡°I will permit you to take him to his lair but while you are in my domain you will maintain your human form, and you can only use minor spells, and plane shift.¡± ¡°Are you trying to make my life harder?!¡± Alexandarax whined. ¡°Yes, you apparently still haven¡¯t learned your lesson from the reception debacle, and I don¡¯t want the locals to freak out over a divine visit.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± he huffed causing twin clouds of blue to shoot out his nostrils, ¡°I will keep it sealed, just let us go, I can feel them searching for me.¡± ¡°Good, and Fafnir, I will be visiting in a few days as there are some things we need to talk about.¡± The goddess said and before I knew it, the feeling of weightlessness returned and we had returned to the grayish blue walls of my lair. ¡°Yaeh, we are home!¡± Azazel shouted as she grabbed the bin of block and ran to her room. I looked around the cave and stopped as my eyes fell upon my couch. I peered over the top and beheld the crumpled form of my brother. ¡°Alexandarax, why is my brother here?¡± I calmly asked the human formed dragon. ¡°Oops, I guess I accidently took him as well,¡± the dragon chuckled staring at the sleeping human. ¡°How do you accidently trans-dimensionally teleport someone?!¡± I yelled. ¡°Like I said, I was never precise with magic, I mean I have so much of it that I never needed to do that.¡± He shrugged as he started to look at the cave. ¡°Can you take him back then?¡± I asked keeping my anger in check. ¡°Nope.¡± He replied as he started to inspect the walls. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°You heard the goddess, only plane shifting allowed and I can¡¯t take others on a plain shift.¡± He nonchalantly replied. ¡°Well I guess I will ask her when she comes in a few days.¡± I sighed as I walked to the sleeping form of my brother. ¡°Wake up bro,¡± I said as I shook him with my tail. ¡°I said five more minutes.¡± He mumbled as he turned over to get his face out of the late afternoon sun. ¡°Wake up now or I will throw you into my lake.¡± I said as started to wrap my tail around him. ¡°What the¡± he started to sware as he jumped, but quickly quieted as he looked around. ¡°Where am I?¡± Ryan asked. ¡°That ¡®genius¡¯ over there accidently teleported you, and a few other things he shouldn¡¯t have, back with us.¡± I said as I pointed to the dragon that was currently raiding my pantry. ¡°What?¡± Ryan blankly replied. ¡°Welcome to my other place, you will be here for a few days until I can convince another god to take you home.¡± I replied to my confused brother. ¡°But what about my test?¡± Ryan asked ¡°You might be late¡­¡± ¡°Crap, there is no way that any teacher will accept the excuse that I was teleported to another dimension by my dragon brother¡¯s insane teacher.¡± Ryan said as he looked down. ¡°Is that really your first concern? You have been taken to another dimension that is the same technological level as medieval Europe, and the first thing your worry about is a stupid math test?¡± I asked dumbfounded. ¡°Considering that in the past twenty four hours I found out that: my brother Is now a dragon, gods exist, and my niece is the demon lord for another dimension? No, not much more can phase me.¡± he flatly replied as he stood up still dressed in nothing but his underwear, ¡°and this is probably just some nightmare anyways and I will wake up soon.¡± I stared at my brother and after a few seconds I hit him upside the head with my tail. ¡°Are you dreaming?¡± I wryly asked. ¡°Why did that hurt? I know you don¡¯t feel pain in dreams!¡± He started to panic, where I hit him again a little harder. ¡°Stop that.¡± He groaned. ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡± I chuckled at the expense of my scantily clad brother. ¡°Ok you overgrown lizard, what now?¡± Ryan asked as he grabbed the blanket from the couch and wrapped it around himself. ¡°Well, I am going to see my servant and see about him getting you some clothes, while you watch the your niece play with blocks.¡± I replied, ¡°If you want you can also move the couch into one of the unoccupied caverns in the back of the lair so you don¡¯t have to deal with most of the insects.¡± ¡°Great¡­ I play babysitter to my demonic niece while you go out.¡± He muttered looking around the entrance to my lair. ¡°I don¡¯t have to worry about crazy monsters invading here and killing us, do I?¡± ¡°No I carved my lair into the side of this mountain about forty feet from the ground so nothing should happen, and the ones that might try something know better.¡± ¡°Forty feet up?¡± he stammered. ¡°You¡¯ll be fine, this place is plenty big, also if anyone named, Lilith or Atheros shows up just get Azazel to explain everything as neither of them can speak English.¡± ¡°You¡¯re kidding me?¡± he said as his jaw dropped. ¡°Nope,¡± I stated as I ran out of the cave, ¡°Bye dear, I am going to go get Therin!¡± I shouted as jumped into the late afternoon sun and flew towards toward the elven city. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- as always me rouge and mejinzs are mostly human let us know if we missed anything and let me know what you think in the comments below Chapter 46 – What a Trip With this I should be somewhat caught up with where i should be with guaranteed chapters. now i just have to get this week¡¯s written then i am golden. as always i want to thank rouge and mejinzs for their proofreading support. without further ado, Chapter 46 ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ªFafnir POV¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C I glided on the chilled wind as I made my way to the elven city, specks of color on the trees showing the signs of fall. ¡°How long have I been gone?¡± I asked myself surveying the changes. I approached and dived through the golden leaves of the trees, aiming for Therin¡¯s family manor. I scared the two guards standing in front of the house as I landed with a large thump. ¡°It¡¯s the dragon,¡± I heard one of the guards whisper as I folded my wings. ¡°I am here to see Therin.¡± I said to the nervous guards. ¡°Master Therin is indisposed at the moment.¡± One of the guards stammered as he gripped his sword still in its scabbard. ¡°Well then I guess I will just go in there myself and see what he is up too.¡± I replied with a grin as I moved towards the door. ¡°We can¡¯t let you do that.¡± The other guard stammered as he hastily drew his sword almost dropping it in the process. ¡°And do you mean to stop me, Snack?¡± I growled, small streams of mana dropping from my mouth. ¡°No lord dragon, he is really is indisposed.¡± The other guard interrupted covering the mouth of the other guard, ¡°But we can show you to one of his reception rooms until he is presentable.¡± ¡°Whatever, I just need to talk to Therin,¡± I sighed as one of the guards quickly opened the door I shrunk myself just enough to fit through the narrow halls as I was lead to Therin¡¯s study. I entered the room and hopped on one of the nicely cushioned seats, curling up while I waited. A few minutes passed before a wet, scantily clad elf ran walked into the room. ¡°I knew the king was lying when he proclaimed that the hero had fallen delivering the final blow to the demon lord!¡± Therin laughed, and, asking no one in particular, ¡°I mean how could the hero, kill and be killed by his own daughter.¡± ¡°Wow! What happened to and what were you just doing? You smell¡­ strange?¡± I asked the strange elf. ¡°You left for the human kingdom almost three months ago, and Lilith stopped by about two months ago saying you had vanished and said that she was going back to her home. I would deny it if anyone else asked but I miss the little murder lizard.¡± Therin replied avoiding the last question as a small puddle of water began to form at his feet. ¡°Wow, I¡¯ve been gone for three months.¡± I muttered, ¡°Well I am back, and I need your help to get a few things.¡± ¡°Surething your scaliness, Just let me finish my bath and then you can fill me in on what is going on. From the reports that I have gotten, you killed quite a few of the royal guards before you vanished. Not that I mind, less for me to kill when I have my glorious revenge.¡± He said with a twisted smile. ¡°Ok, who are you and what have you done with the grumpy elf that I know?¡± I asked ¡°I¡¯m not grumpy, ¡± he replied in a sing song voice, ¡°I am happy!¡± ¡°Are you on drugs?¡± I bluntly asked the humming elf. ¡°What are drugs?¡± he asked with a smile. ¡°Did you eat, smoke or drink something that turned my grumpy elf into¡­this?¡± I gruffly replied, motioning toward the elf. ¡°Oh¡­¡± he said as he stopped for a few seconds, ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Great¡­¡±I said with a heavy sigh. ¡°Give me my cranky elf back quickly, we have things we need to do.¡± I huffed at the elf as he stood up and headed back down the hallway. ¡°How do I manage to catch the elf right as he starts a drug trip¡­¡± I grumbled as I laid my head down on the soft cushion. An hour passed before Therin walked into the study again. ¡°Ok, you overgrown lizard, where have you been hiding?¡± Therin asked. ¡°There is the grumpy elf I know, what were you on?¡± I asked as I got up from the chair. ¡°It is a concoction that our family makes that helps relieve stress.¡± He coughed, ¡°I needed a chance to unwind. I have been fighting off marriage proposals ever since my father had an unfortunate accident a few months ago. After my brother recovered enough he ¡®accidentally¡¯ slipped a blade in father¡¯s back¡­ eight times¡­¡± ¡°Dang¡­ does that mean you are the head of the house now?¡± I asked with a grin. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°Yes, and I have your stupid antics to thank for it.¡± He grumbled as he plopped down on one of the other chairs. ¡°Ok, so when is the wedding?¡± I chuckled. ¡°Well, as of right now I have fought all proposals off but the rest of the family is pushing me to find someone.¡± He sighed as he ran his hand through his dark purple hair. ¡°If there is someone I need to eat let me know! I can¡¯t have you damaged before I am done with you.¡± I laughed. ¡°I can have a list in a few minutes if you¡¯re offering.¡± He replied with a smile. ¡°I will see what I can do, but first I need you to get a few things for me and take them to my lair.¡± I said to the elf, ¡°I will explain everything else there.¡± After I rattled off the list of supplies, we said our goodbyes and agreed to meet at my lair. I left his house and flew through the golden leaves as I headed home. leaving the city behind, I flew across the forest until I spotted my home jutting from the cliff face . I dived through the tree lair as I once again shrunk myself, weaving through the trees looking for dinner. I didn¡¯t take long for me to find a deer like animal which I swiftly dispatched and took with me back home. ¡°I¡¯m home!¡± I called out while dropping the deer like thing on the ledge. ¡°Daddy¡¯s home!¡± I heard Azazel squealed she ran from her room and latched onto my leg. ¡°Oh, thank god you¡¯re back, I had to fight off a swarm of bat like things that were living in the back of the cave.¡± Ryan said as he walked out from the back of the cave the torn up blanket barely covering him. ¡°So that¡¯s why the blanket is shredded to pieces.¡± I said looking at the sorry state of the blanket he had wrapped around him. ¡°Where is uncle Therin?¡± Azazel asked still hugging my leg. ¡°He will be here soon; he is just getting a few things for daddy.¡± I said as I pick up the demoness with my tail. ¡°Therin is the elf guy right?¡± Ryan asked as he eyed the deer. ¡°Yep, now I need you to help me to try and clean this deer or we will be eating mana stew for dinner. I don¡¯t think you would survive that dish.¡± I said as I grabbed the deer carcass and took it over to the cleaning hook that hung over the small stream in the kitchen. It took over two hours of Ryan cursing and swearing before we finished cleaning the beast I walked back into the main part of the cave when the Therin¡¯s signature fireball let us know of his arrival. I quickly launched myself from the ledge and brought him and the stuff he brought into the cave. ¡°Wow, he has the pointy ears and everything.¡± Ryan said as he saw Therin. ¡°And soon you¡¯ll have no ears if you don¡¯t watch it¡± Therin replied as looked towards me. ¡°Ryan watch what you say,¡± I snapped at my brother before turning towards Therin, ¡° Therein, this is my brother, Ryan.¡± ¡°Brother¡­ ok, whatever you say. But you do know you are different species, right ?¡± Therin remarked as he started to put the spices into the pantry. ¡°Ah, there you are you little wyrmling, did you bring me a snack?¡± Alexandarax said as he appeared from the back end of my lair. ¡°I have brought food but it isn¡¯t cooked yet. I did, however, bring a friend who will be able to help us with a few things.¡± I replied. ¡°I must say this lair isn¡¯t half bad, though a little small considering how big you will get in a few centuries.¡± Alexandarax said as he walked from the back of the room, ¡°I also took the liberty of placing a few spells into the wall so it¡¯ll be harder for those women to find us. Now, I have a few things to take care of. I will be back¡­ when I get back.¡± ¡°So, you take me under your wing and then you leave?¡± I asked the dragon, ¡°Why did you even come then?¡± ¡°Mind your tongue wyrmling. Unlike you, I still have duties as a god that I can¡¯t ignore forever. I will return when everything is in order.¡± He rumbled right before he disappeared in a flash of light. ¡°Well at least I don¡¯t have to worry about him throwing women at me.¡± I mumbled as I as I walked back to my cavern to clear the dust from my hoard. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ as always me rouge and mejinzs are mostly human let us know if we missed anything and let me know what you think in the comments. Chapter 47 – Conversations sorry for the late release it was a combination of my brother¡¯s child being born and mejinzs not having time to do the secondary PR (it will be done later). as always i want to thank rouge for his proofreading. without further ado, Chapter 47 ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C??? POV¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°What is that noise?¡± I yelled getting off my luxurious bed of finely crafted gold and silver. I went to the adjoining chamber and checked the many carved runes lining the walls of the cavern. I looked toward the blueish white pool stood in stark contrast against the gray stone. I loped over to the pool and in the center was a single egg it shell matching the surrounding liquid. ¡°It finally hatch didn¡¯t it?¡± someone squealed, causing me to jump a little. ¡°Don¡¯t scare me like that!¡± I growled looking at my sister. ¡°Is the little one still hiding in the pool?¡± she asked as she lifted her long neck to get a better look at the egg. ¡°No, it hasn¡¯t hatched yet.¡± I replied right before I topped of the pool of mana with my breath. ¡°I could have sworn that I felt it hatch.¡± My sister muttered as she rested on her haunches, ¡°I don¡¯t think Alexandarax could have fathered another¡­¡± ¡°That olf?¡± I asked. ¡°You¡¯re right¡­¡± she sighed, ¡°After that wedding no one would even dream of being with that idiot.¡± ¡°Then who hatched?¡± I asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know but I think I am going to check on it while you look after the egg.¡± My sister said before she vanished. ¡°Well with her gone I can go back to sleep.¡± I muttered as I walked back to my hoard and settle down. I thought I heard a faint scratching sound as I fell asleep. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨CDark god Mortum POV¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°That thrice blast witch unleashed a terror on the multiverse and I am stuck waiting in a multi universal government office to tell someone about it.¡± I grumbled looking at the crowd of deities waiting to have their case heard. ¡°I mean seriously why any god would care about one god cheating on another with mortals is beyond me, it not like they can just wait a few years till the mortal is dead and be done with it.¡± ¡°Now taking number 48956774321¡± a droning voice called from the front. ¡°Just ten more insufferable people till I am called then I can blow the whistle on that cursed goddess. I mean how did she even create a mana dragon anyway?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ªFafnir POV¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C ¡°Daddy, it¡¯s time to get up.¡± Azazel said while pushing against my snout. I cracked one eye open and saw the first rays of dawn streaking through the mouth of my lair. ¡°It¡¯s too early.¡± I mumbled as I started to fall back to sleep. ¡°Get up you have to go find Lilith and aunt Atheros.¡± Azazel said struggling to lift me up. ¡°I will find them later,¡± I gowned in a sleep filled haze. ¡°And I¡¯m hungry.¡± She stated giving up on moving me. ¡°Go have Ryan fix you something for breakfast, I will be up soon,¡± I mumbled as I fell back to sleep. ¡°Bro! Bro you have to get up! There was a strange sound outside and I think it gonna eat Me!¡± Ryan stammered as he ran into my cavern. ¡°There is nothing in this range that will be able to eat you.¡± I sighed as I open my large blue eyes, ¡°We have been doing this for two weeks now, there are no predators that can get up here, and the ones that can fly know better than to enter my lair.¡± ¡°But¡­ but the loud screeching!¡± He stuttered I could smell the sweat on him with my sensitive draconic nose. ¡°Stop whining.¡± I groaned as I opened one large eye, ¡°I will get up and check on it, if I find that it is just your imagination again, I am not going to be happy.¡± I extracted myself from the comfortable pile of coins while Ryan hurried towards the back of the lair and stretched as I woke myself up. I headed over to my kitchen and devoured several pieces of meat from a tiger like animal that tried to sneak into my lair. After the quick meal I walked into the main cavern and stopped when I noticed someone sitting in an impressive throne while reading a book entitled, ¡®How to find magically hidden dragons, for the Divine protector¡¯. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°Oh, there you are. Do you know how hard it was to find this place, that paranoid over underage velociraptor did a little too good a job in hiding you.¡± The goddess said placing her book on her lap, ¡°But I fixed that.¡± ¡°So I guess you here for that chat of ours then?¡± I asked staring at the woman. ¡°That¡¯s one of the reason that I¡¯m here the other is to see that cute daughter of yours. Do you know how rare and cute demonic dragon kin are?¡± she said as she stood up and placed the book on the chair. ¡°Ok then let¡¯s have our talk here, this is my living room¡­ kinda.¡± I said as I plopped to the floor. ¡°I would have thought you would have moved us to your hoard room.¡± She said with a frown, ¡°I guess you aren¡¯t that draconic yet.¡± ¡°What are we to talk about?¡± I asked ignoring her comment. ¡°You¡¯re no fun.¡± She sighed, ¡°What has that idiot of a dragon told you about dragons?¡± ¡°That we are rare and that I am his decoy if his exes show up.¡± I replied. ¡°That sounds like something he would say especially after the wedding incident¡­¡± she chuckled as she sat back down. ¡°Ok, what is this wedding that everyone keeps mentioning?¡± I asked the goddess. ¡°I guess you might not know, though the wedding was on your world¡­¡± she said as she drifted off into space for a few second. ¡°No matter, did you ever hear of the¡­ oh, what was that war called¡­ ah, the Trojan war?¡± ¡°Yes, we learned about it in history class, it was a war between the Greeks and the Trojans started after the prince Paris¡­¡± I replied realizing where this was going, ¡°He didn¡¯t, did he?¡± ¡°I have read your stories it¡¯s not that epic.¡± She chuckled, ¡°Alex was roped into judging a beauty contest between the goddess, and was so drunk that he forgot to include his mate and his mate¡¯s sister in the contest. He realized at the end of the contest that he had two not so happy dragons to face afterward.¡± ¡°So what caused the war?¡± I asked wondering where that Helen girl fit into this story. ¡°Alex was dead drunk and had the bright idea to play matchmaker to the other Paris, and hooked him up with Helen using a marriage ritual, much to the dismay of both of their partners at the time.¡± She laughed. ¡°What is a marriage ritual?¡± I hesitantly asked. ¡°It is a high end spell that joins couples together and prevents cheating by inflicting unimaginable pain on the unfaithful one.¡± She replied as she shifted in her throne. ¡°Who made that spell?¡± I asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± She started to cough averting her eyes. ¡°It was you wasn¡¯t it.¡± I flatly asked. ¡°So on to the main conversation!¡± She declared avoiding the question, ¡°First I wanted came to warn you that one of the other gods is at the central complaint department office trying to get help in killing you.¡± ¡°What?¡± I asked dumbfounded. ¡°Yah, but you have at least another year before he works his way through that system. The god of bureaucracy, Rohan Rudens, is very efficient at being inefficient. I remember when I had to file for my Divine territory it took me nearly thirty years to get all the paperwork done.¡± She shivered before she snapped her head toward the mouth of my lair. ¡°It seems we¡¯ll need to cut this conversation short, someone is trying to enter my demesne¡­ and I have a good idea who it is.¡± She said and in a flash of light both the goddess and her throne vanished. ¡°What is it with people just up and vanishing in the middle of a conversation?¡± I grumbled as I exit the mouth of the cave and jumped skyward. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- as always me rouge and mejinzs are mostly human let us know id we missed anything and tell me what you think in the comment below Chapter 48 – Relatives? here is the guaranteed chapter for this week, there is not much to do when babies are sleeping, which is lucky as my birthday was on thursday and this chapter almost was pushed to next week. as always i want to thank rouge and mejinzs for their proofreading support. without further ado Chapter 48 ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ªFafnir POV¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- ¡°So, you ready to clean the bathroom?¡± I said as I landed with a thud, dropping the small corpse of a screamer bat on the floor of my lair. ¡°But¡­ I thought¡­ it was¡­¡± Ryan stammered staring at the small mangled corpse. ¡°These annoying things are irritating to say the least, but you eventually tune them out.¡± I replied while licking the blood off one of my claws. ¡°Fine,¡± Ryan sighed as he turned toward the back of the cave, ¡°I will clean the bathroom.¡± I left my sulking brother behind as I headed to see what Azazel was doing. I entered her cavern to find the draconic demoness sitting amongst tons of little plastic men which encircled an impressive looking fortress. ¡°Ha Ha Ha! You think you can storm my Daddy¡¯s lair? no one can defeat my Daddy!¡± Azazel said as she grabbed a ball of plastic blocks and threw it knocking down lots of the little men. ¡°Azazel, what are you doing?¡± I asked concerned over what my daughter was doing. ¡°All the little men are trying to storm you lair and steal me but you flew in and turned them all into the blue stuff.¡± She said with a smile. ¡°I see¡­ ok, just¡­ have¡­ fun,¡± I stammer as I leave her cavern, ¡°I really have to find her someone her own age to play with or she may become the demon lord.¡± I headed towards the main cavern when I heard someone call ¡°Hatchling, where are you?¡± ¡°Well I guess it was going to happen eventually.¡± I sighed. As I poked my head out of Azazel¡¯s cavern I saw a large blue eye peering into the entrance of my lair. ¡°OH, there you are!¡± she proclaims as the large eye is replaced by a dragon just a bit shorter than the cave¡¯s entrance, ¡°Aww, he¡¯s so cute!¡± And before I know it I am being crushed by an incredibly heavy claw. ¡°Please get off me!¡± I barely manage to growl at the heavy dragon crushed the life out of me. ¡°Is that any way to treat you Aunt Tenabrexa?¡± she replied, just as I pass out. ¡°And that is why no one lets you handle their children!¡± I heard someone shout as I woke up ¡°What happened?¡± I moaned trying to think through my splitting headache. ¡°See he¡¯s still alive, he¡¯ll be fine, mana dragons don¡¯t need to breathe.¡± Someone smugly replies. Light stabs my eyes as I open them, after blinking a few times I see a dragon being pinned to the floor by the goddess. ¡°What are you two doing?¡± I hesitantly ask the two women. ¡°I am here to see my neph¡­ACK¡± The dragon replies, before she is cut off by the goddess ¡°I am restraining a trespasser, who is trying to kill one of my charges.¡± The goddess smiles, as she continues to squeeze the life out of the dragon. ¡°Huh, is that your brother, Daddy?¡± Azazel gasp as she enters the main cavern. ¡°No dear, that is Alexandra¡¯s friend.¡± I gingerly replied to the little demoness. ¡°But he looks like you.¡± She replied as she skirted around the two women and hugged by leg. ¡°Azazel, go play with Ryan for a bit, I have to speak with these two for a little bit.¡± I said as I nuzzled the demoness towards the back of the lair. ¡°Ok,¡± she replied and left the main cavern. ¡°So, someone want to explain?¡± I asked looking at the two women. The goddess looked at the dragon and with a sigh let go. ¡°I am Tenabrexa, and I am your aunt.¡± The dragon declares as she puffs out her chest a bit. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°That¡¯s what you think.¡± I heard the goddess mutter while staring at the dragon. ¡°I am somewhat sure that you aren¡¯t my aunt.¡± I bluntly reply. ¡°There are only three mana dragons left, and Alexandarax only really slept with my sister so¡­ yah.¡± Tenabrexa bashfully replied as she looked away. ¡°Hold on a minute Tene, that¡¯s not quite true,¡± the goddess interrupted with a guilty look on her face. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Tenabrexa asked her eyes scrunched to near slits, ¡°You didn¡¯t do what I think you did, did you?¡± ¡°Well you see¡­ there was a botched summoning ritual and his soul got trapped in my realm, and I have been meaning to teach the mortals a lesson¡­ so I might have used the Wheel of Fate ritual.¡± the goddess stammered out, avoiding the gaze of the dragoness. ¡°How is he still alive if you turned him? You know what happens when you put a soul into a vessel it cannot handle, and you know that that ritual is forbidden after what happened to the others who tried it!¡± She growled with barred teeth at the goddess. ¡°Hold on, what are you talking about?¡± I asked confused over their arcane babble. ¡°You were an impossible accident,¡± the goddess replies with a nervous smile. ¡°My father said the same thing,¡± I replied, causing the dragoness to snicker, ¡°but that doesn¡¯t change the fact that I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant¡± the goddess frowned. ¡°Then what did you mean?¡± I asked more than a little annoyed with everything. ¡°The wheel of fate is a practical joke that gods use to screw with mortals by giving them the most powerful form that their soul can handle and unleashing them on their own race. Your soul is just a weak mortal¡¯s, it shouldn¡¯t have been able to stop on the mana dragon slot but it did. And I was curious as to what would happen, so I didn¡¯t interrupt it.¡± She replied with a awkward smile. ¡°Well¡­¡± I manage to reply stunned at the implications, ¡°Then how am I a mana dragon?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really know.¡± She confessed. ¡°You will be perfect for my niece!¡± The dragon exclaimed. ¡°You have a neice?¡± both me and the goddess asked at the same time. You said there were only three dragons besides me.¡± I accused the goddess. ¡°As far as I knew, there were only three.¡± she stammered. ¡°She should hatch any¡­¡± She started, when she just stopped at the same time I felt a tingling sensation along my spine ¡°Scratch that, now there are a total of five mana dragons.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± The goddess asked with a confused look on her face, ¡°My niece just hatched!¡± She said with a large grin before turning towards me, ¡° I will be back soon, I have to find my sister and let her know that I found her daughter a mate.¡± With a flash of light she vanished. ¡°Ok, you need to cast some sort of ward or spell so people can¡¯t just pop in and out of this universe in the middle of a conversation.¡± I said to the goddess more than a little annoyed. ¡°That will be the least of your worries,¡± she absently replied when she too vanished in a flash of light. ¡°Daddy, who were those scary people and why did they just vanished?¡± Azazel asked hidden behind the lip of the hallway. ¡°I will tell you when you are older.¡± I sighed as I started to walk back to my hoard. ¡°What did I do to deserve this mistreatment¡­¡± --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- as always me rouge and mejinzs are mostly human let us know if we forgot anything and let me know what you think in the comments below. Chapter 49 – Guests i did an early release for all my blog because i can! so go check it out there you might see the next chapter sooner. second next chapter is the 50th one so i will see what i can do about making it special¡­ or whatever¡­ as always i want to thank mejinzs and rouge for their proofreading support. without further ado Chapter 49 --------------------------------¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C??? POV¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C------------------------------------------- I awoke to the tingling sensation of my wards telling of a visitor, I slowly opened my eyes and saw the sleeping form of my daughter perched on her own little hoard she made in the corner of the cr¨¨che. ¡°Sister dear,¡± I heard Tenabrexa yell from the entrance to my lair, ¡°I have great news!¡± ¡°Greater than your niece hatching?¡± I asked as I lifted my head from my bed of coins curious as to what caught her interest. ¡°It is as great as my niece hatching!¡± She squealed as she enter my cavern. ¡°Do tell sister?¡± I asked wondering what she got herself into this time. ¡°Do you remember that during my last visit I came because I thought that I felt my niece hatch? Well it was not her but another mana dragon that hatched. One who was created by the Wheel of Fate ritual, and it¡¯s a boy.¡± She spewed her story. ¡°Hold on a second, you found another mana dragon, and it was created using the Wheel of Fate ritual?¡± I asked with a bit of disbelief. ¡°Yes.¡± Tene smiled, ¡°We found a mate for your daughter.¡± ¡°Tene,¡± I calmly spoke with the promise of death lingering in my words, ¡°what did I say about playing matchmaker with other¡¯s children?¡± Tene paused for a second as she looked down, ¡°Oh, don¡¯t because I don¡¯t want them to kill each other like the last five times.¡± ¡°Good girl, now could you watch your niece while I go meet this dragon?¡± I asked as I stood up from my bed of coins. ¡°Sure Tanixa, I would love to get to know my niece.¡± She enthusiastically replied as she started to move towards the sleeping wyrmling, ¡°Just go towards Gaia¡¯s domain and you should find him there.¡± ¡°Bye dear have fun with your aunt,¡± I shouted and with a flash of light I slipped into one of the interdimensional paths linking the multiverse. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-Fafnir POV¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- ¡°When are you going to take me home?¡± Ryan asked. ¡°I can¡¯t take you home, I¡¯m not that powerful yet.¡± I replied while I surveyed my lair¡¯s walls trying to figure where I can expand my lair. ¡°Well then can you at least teach me magic?¡± Ryan asked looking a little dejected, ¡°I don¡¯t want to be eaten when you¡¯re not around.¡± ¡°I could teach you magic, but I barely know how to consciously use it; why don¡¯t you ask Therin?¡± I replied still staring at the wall. ¡°I tried but he just looked at me strangely and backed away slowly as if he couldn¡¯t understand me.¡± Ryan gowned. ¡°Oh yah, you can¡¯t speak any of the language¡¯s here.¡± I started to chuckle, ¡°Remind me, when Therin visits, that I need to get you a translation stone.¡± ¡°You mean to tell me that those growls and snarls are actually a language?¡± Ryan exclaimed surprise plastering his face. ¡°What?¡± I asked ¡°Yeah, whenever you talk to that long ear snob I just hear you growl at him and he replies in that flittering elf speech.¡± Ryan dryly replied. ¡°Good to know¡­ well when he returns I will see if he can grab you a stone.¡± I replied as I continued to stare at the stone wall. Night fell as I measured the thickness of the wall trying to determine if I could safely create a hallway deeper into the cliff face when I heard Azazel. ¡°Hey Daddy!¡± she called, ¡°there are a lot of people making loud noise outside and I am trying to sleep.¡± This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°People making noise?¡± I asked myself as I headed towards the front of the cavern. I poked my head over the ledge where a group of twenty demons in full armor were building what looked like a large ladder under the light of the full moons. ¡°They can¡¯t be that stupid¡­ can they?¡± I mumbled as I walked back into my lair. ¡°Who are they Daddy?¡± Azazel yawned as she entered the main cavern. ¡°They are silly people who think that they can come b¡­ have dinner without me inviting them.¡± I replied hoping she didn¡¯t catch that slip up. ¡°Do they like the blue stuff too?¡± she asked with a gleam in her eye. ¡°I don¡¯t think they will like it, now I want you to stay with Ryan for a little bit while I greet our guests.¡± I replied as I picked Azazel up with my tail and walked into the back of my lair. ¡°Hey Ryan, could you watch Azazel for a few minutes? I have uninvited guest outside my cavern and need to deal with them.¡± I said as I set Azazel down in Ryan¡¯s room. ¡°Hum, sure¡± he mumbled half asleep. ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll be right back.¡± I said with a wicked grin as I headed back towards my lair¡¯s entrance. I went to once again look over the ledge at the group of people, and before I even realized what I was doing I let out a loud roar. I saw everyone on the ground below freeze as they looked up at me. ¡°You have made a poor choice.¡± I bellowed as I jumped off the ledge. I could see the terror in their eyes as I hurtled towards the small troop and flared my wings as I let out my draconic breath, bathing everyone below in a blue cloud. Screams filled the quiet forest as my breath melted armor and flesh alike. With a final thud I landed on the forest floor amid the partially dissolved bodies of their troop. I looked around the forest edge and could make out several humanoid forms under the pale light of the moon. The sweet smell of mana mixing with the twang of blood filled my nostrils driving me into frenzy. Before I even knew what was happening, I was sinking my razor sharp fangs into the neck of my next victim, killing him instantly. I snapped my head to look at the foolish creature that dared to try mar my glittering scales, and with a surge of mana the guy burst into a cloud of dust. ¡°Retreat!¡± One of the creature yelled as he started to run deeper into the forest. I saw several other forms starting to move amongst the stray beams of moonlight. I tensed my muscles as I leap towards the closest shadow, my fangs sank into his thigh, ripping it apart. I left the poor creature broken as I started to chase down the fleeing survivors. The first rays of dawn were just breaking through the canopy before I came back to my senses. I blinked a few times as I realized what had happened. I could hear the faint moans of the dying creatures that had dared to attack me. ¡°Why would they try to attack me?¡± I asked myself as I surveyed the bloody scene around. I loped over to one of the moaning demons and looked into his fearful face. ¡°Why did you attack me?¡± I growled at the bleeding demon, anger once again raging at the edges of my mind. ¡°You killed our leader, you vile beast.¡± he spat between clenched teeth, ¡°You deserve to die.¡± I stared at the dying demon before I burst out laughing, ¡°i didn¡¯t kill your leader, I adopted her you moron¡± and left him there to his fate. I leaped into the sky and scoffed at their foolishness as I headed back to my lair. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ What did you think of the fight scene? as always me mejinzs and rouge are mostly human, let us know if we missed anything. Chapter 50 – a Draconic Conversation. woot!, today i release chapter 50! so as you might realize i am giving an extra chapter for the week, now i have some bad news. rouge will be going away for a few weeks as he visits family and will be unable to PR my chapters, so i will still release chapters though i will put a message that they are not PRed and will be subject to slight changes. rouge did manage to PR this one before he left so this chapter is not included. as always i want to thank both rouge and mejinzs for their proofreading support so without further ado, Chapter 50 ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ªFafnir POV¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°What happened and why do you look like you bathed in some weird creature¡¯s blood?!¡± Ryan shouted as I entered the cave. ¡°Well¡­ there were a few demons that tried to come seek revenge for my supposed murder of their leader, so I took care of them.¡± I calmly replied. ¡°So, let me get this straight, you went and slaughtered a bunch of demons, because of a crime you didn¡¯t commit?¡± Ryan asked as he paled. ¡°I will deal with anyone that tries to hurt me or my own.¡± I growled as finished folding my wings. ¡°I see¡­ could you please clean up, I don¡¯t want to get AIDS or something¡± Ryan said as he started to back away. ¡°That¡¯s not how that works, and you know it.¡± I replied as I slapped the back of his head with my tail. ¡°Ow, that hurt.¡± He complained as he rubbed the back of his head. ¡°Is Azazel asleep?¡± I asked as I started to walk to the bathroom. ¡°Yes,¡± he replied as he walked back to his cavern, ¡°though how anyone could sleep with a giant roaring dragon is anyone¡¯s guess.¡± I chuckled as I headed toward the rear of my lair. The faint sound of trickling water greeted me as I entered the bathroom; I smiled as I looked at the small subterranean lake that I created. I quietly slipped into the slightly chilled water and lazed in the water. I watched the pool gain a slight red tint as the dried blood dissolved off my glittering scales. ¡°I really have to find a way to heat this pool.¡± I sighed as I shivered a bit, and went to work attempting to scrub the blood away. ¡°You look like you¡¯re having fun.¡± I heard someone say, I snapped my head towards the voice, and standing in the cave¡¯s mouth was another mana dragon. ¡°Where are you all coming from? You are the third mana dragon to wander into my lair in the past month.¡± I complained, ¡°Can¡¯t I take a bath without some cosmic entity bursting into my house.¡± ¡°I see you¡¯ve met my sister and ex.¡± She chuckled, ¡°that¡¯s about the reaction that I expected. I¡¯ll wait in the main cavern until you¡¯re finished.¡± She said as she left the bathroom. I hurried up and attempted to finish scrubbing the blood stuck to my scales when I finally give up and use my draconic breath to dissolve away the last of the gore stuck to my scales. I crawled out of the lake and shook off the rest of the water. ¡°Well I guess I should meet the only sane-seeming member of my race.¡± I sighed as I left the bathroom and headed towards the main cavern. I walked into the main cavern and saw the dragoness laying down reading a book, entitled ¡®Raising Divine Children, for the New Parent¡¯. ¡°Hello,¡± I called out to the dragoness. ¡°Aw, you¡¯re finished.¡± She said as she folded the corner of the page she was on and swallowed it, ¡°let me introduce myself, my name is Tanixathera, young wyrmling.¡± ¡°My name is Fafnir; it¡¯s nice to meet you¡­¡± I hesitantly replied while watching the dragoness. ¡°You have no need to fear come lay down, young wyrmling. Unlike the other two, I am a bit more level headed.¡± She beckoned with a smile on her face. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. I walk over towards the dragon and lay down a little bit away from her. ¡°To what do I owe the pleasure of a visit?¡± I asked still carefully watching the dragon. ¡°I wanted to meet the new member of our species,¡± she replied, ¡°and from what I hear you weren¡¯t inducted the normal way.¡± ¡°Something like that. If you want details just talk to the goddess of the area.¡± I replied still wondering what her plans were. ¡°I heard what happened from my sister; I just want to know what kind of soul gets placed into one of our glorious forms.¡± She said as she examined me. ¡°Daddy, is that my mommy?¡± Azazel asked as she walked into the cavern still dressed in her pajamas carrying a blanket and pillow. ¡°No little one, I am just a friend of your father¡¯s¡± Tanixathera replied looking at the little demoness. ¡°Oh,¡± Azazel replied with a frown, as she walked over and curled up along my ribs. ¡°What an adorable daughter you have.¡± Tanixathera said looking at the demoness nuzzled up beside me, ¡°well now that she¡¯s asleep why don¡¯t you tell me about yourself.¡± I spent the next hour telling story to the dragon leaving nothing out; she just looked at me without saying a word. ¡°Wow, I am impressed, young wyrmling, you even managed to find a great location for your starting lair. Now what are your plans?¡± She asked with a toothy grin. ¡°Well I apparently have to deal with cosmic court, eventually, I also have to find a friend for my daughter and break that whole demon lord streak out of her, and deal with the humans before they die of old age.¡± I huffed and felt a load had been lifted off my shoulder. ¡°So you do have a plan, good. But there are things you need to learn first.¡± She replied as she stood, ¡°First you need to control your magic as you are leaking a lot of it, second you need to learn about yourself and your abilities, we can¡¯t have an immature wyrmling crawling about destroying the fabric of the universe now, can we?¡± she said as she reached into her gullet and pulled out a book. I leaned in closer and paled at the title, ¡®Basic Anatomy and Physiology of The Order Draconis; For The Lay Biologist¡¯ ¡°Why do you carry a book on dragon biology with you?¡± I hesitantly asked. ¡°I have an entire library in my hoard stomach,¡± she casually replied as she placed the book in front of me, ¡°you need to read the book up to chapter¡­ I¡¯ll say twelve, by the time I return in about a month¡¯s time, and when I will bring my daughter as she needs to learn everything as well.¡± I open the pages and surprisingly I can read the strange markings covering the page. ¡°Why can I read this?¡± I asked astonished ¡°You¡¯re a dragon, why wouldn¡¯t you be able to read draconic?¡± she replied as she got up, ¡°Also you should contemplate what it means to be a dragon, you might find other hidden gems of knowledge locked away in your genetic memory.¡± ¡°See you later,¡± Tanixathera said before she left in a flash of light. I grumbled as I picked up the book and I gently picked Azazel up with my tail and headed to my cavern ignoring the morning sun. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- as always the three of us are mostly human so let us know if we missed anything and tell me what you think in the comments below. chapter 51 – The Earring here is the chapter for the week, rouge was able to take some time and PR this.i also want to thank mejinzs for his proofread. Without further ado, chapter 51 ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ªFafnir POV¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Why would I want murderous beetles in my bed?¡± I shouted at the book. ¡°What¡¯s this about murderous bed bugs?¡± Ryan asked from the kitchen. ¡°According to this lovely book, most dragon species will form a symbiotic relationship with a type of large beetle, these beetles are hard to distinguish from coins and dragons place these in their hoard to have them clean off various parasites and keep the scales healthy and clean.¡± I recited from the book, ¡°Why would I want flesh eating beetles anywhere near where I sleep?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not surprised considering how long you take in the bathroom!¡± Ryan shouted from the kitchen, ¡°When are you going to heat the lake-tub by the way? I hate taking cold baths.¡± ¡°Excuse me, I¡¯m not a plumber. We¡¯re lucky that there is running water at all¡± I grumbled as I continued to read the assigned materials, when the welcome interruption of a ringing bell reverberated throughout my lair. ¡°Uncle Therin¡¯s here!¡± I heard Azazel squeal from her cavern. I gingerly placed a small slip of paper to mark my page and laid it next to my hoard. I stood and headed to meet with my elf. ¡°Can I get a hand here?¡± Therin yelled from the top of a loaded cart. ¡°What are you talking about, I know you can get all that stuff up there by yourself,¡± I joked as I landed next to the cart. ¡°Ha, ha, you overgrown lizard, this is all your junk, so take it away.¡± Therin grumbled as he jumped off the cart. ¡°That¡¯s master overgrown lizard to you,¡± I teased as I started to ferry supplies up to my lair. ¡°Why is it that that you always take me in your claws?!¡± Therin screamed as I snatched the elf as I passed, leaving the empty cart and horse behind. With a few strokes of my powerful wings I dropped the screaming elf onto the ledge and entered my lair. ¡°Why can¡¯t you make an easier way to get into your lair?¡± Therin grumbled as he pick himself off the floor and dusted himself off. ¡°Because I don¡¯t want random vermin coming into my lair and breaking or stealing my stuff.¡± I replied. ¡°I have good news for whatever that human¡¯s name is, I managed to get my hands on a translation stone.¡± The elf smiled as he pulled out a large earing. ¡°Wow,¡± I started to laugh, ¡°wait until Ryan sees this.¡± ¡°That what the brat gets, after his last little prank.¡± Therin replies with a sadistic looking grin. ¡°You should let up on the kid though, it¡¯s not his fault that he was accidently teleported here and every time a god comes around they leave before he can ask to be taken home.¡± I said looking at the elf. ¡°You seem to have a god or some other divine beast here every other day,¡± Therin replied as he grabbed one of the sacks and took it towards the kitchen. ¡°How has he missed every single opportunity? You had that creepy guy here for over a week and Ryan could have asked then?¡± ¡°You have a point¡­¡± I mused, thinking of the sheer amount of deities that had invaded my lair as of late. ¡°Uncle Therin, did you get it?¡± Azazel asked as she ran into the kitchen. ¡°Get what?¡± I asked hearing about this for the first time. ¡°Well you¡¯re in luck,¡± the elf smiled as he reached into one of the bags of food he dug around and pulled out a covered basket. Azazel dashed forward and snatched the basket out of the elf¡¯s hands and ran into her room. ¡°What¡¯s in that basket?¡± I asked, staring at the elf. ¡°It¡¯s just a treat that Lilith would make every once and awhile.¡± Therin replied. ¡°Ok, so what¡¯s the treat?¡± I asked not letting up on the point. ¡°It¡¯s wyvern jer¡­¡± Therin stopped realizing what he just handed her, ¡°Why would Lilith let her eat that?!¡± If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Probably for the same reason that Azazel has several outfits made from wyvern leather, to get under my skin.¡± I sighed wondering what that Nephilim was up to. ¡°Oh, speaking of Lilith, I had a most interesting conversation with a nephilim that failed to sneak into the city the other day¡± Therin said as he grabbed several large chunks of meat from the larder and places them into the stone counter. ¡°And by conversation you mean interrogation.¡± I replied as Therin started cooking. ¡°You know me too well,¡± he laughed as he grabbed a pot and filled it with water from the stream flowing along the wall of the kitchen. ¡°So what lovely information did you find out?¡± I asked with a grin. ¡°It seems that not all of the bird brains are good at direction.¡± He chuckled as he tossed some bean like things into the pot. ¡°He got lost trying to confirm if you had returned.¡± ¡°This might be a chance to get Lilith back¡± I mumbled to myself, ¡°though it might be more work than it¡¯s worth.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bother,¡± Therin said as he placed the pot on the stove, ¡°she¡¯ll probably come to you Remember? Her original mission was to find and have you help the nephilim, and they don¡¯t take failure well.¡± ¡°Well then,¡± I smile, ¡°why don¡¯t you tell them what they want to know, and then I can get my babysitter back?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t fool me,¡± Therin laughed, ¡°you grew fond of her didn¡¯t you.¡± ¡°Not even close, Ryan is terrified of Azazel and just about everything else so he would not be the best of choices.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± he replied with a smile, ¡°speaking of Ryan, he has been trying to talk to me in the language you and Azazel speak in and I have no idea what he¡¯s saying.¡± ¡°Yeah, I just learned about that a few days ago, he¡¯s trying to get you to teach him magic.¡± I nervously chuckled. ¡°Oh right, I forgot that you have the translation brooch¡­¡± he replied as he stirred the pot on the counter. ¡°So do you think you could teach him?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do, but I don¡¯t even know if he can use magic.¡± He replied as he put a lid on the pot. ¡°Just give it a try! I mean, he has been living with a giant mana source and he¡¯s not dead so he just might be able to use it.¡± I replied. ¡°I could give it a try but can¡¯t promise that it will be pain free,¡± he replied with a wicked smile. ¡°If he can¡¯t learn magic then I will let you take him for sword training instead as I don¡¯t know how long it will be until either I remember to ask one of the other¡¯s to take him home or he works up the courage to ask them himself.¡± ¡°Dang, you almost sounded like me.¡± Therin replied with a large grin on his face, ¡°I knew I was rubbing off on you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not so much that as he keeps waking me up freighted over small mammals.¡± I sighed as the smell of the stew started to permeate through the cavern. ¡°He¡¯s your brother.¡± He replied stirring the stew. ¡°I know.¡± I sighed wondering what to do with my brother. ¡°Is dinner ready?¡± Azazel asked as she enter the kitchen. ¡°Almost, go get Ryan.¡± Therin replied as he took the pot off the improvised stove. ¡°Hey Ryan, good news Therin picked a translation stone,¡± I said as Ryan and Azazel entered the kitchen. ¡°Really?¡± he asked as he perked a bit. ¡°Yes though there is only one small problem.¡± I said as I picked the earring off the table, ¡°You need to get your ear pierced.¡± --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- as always me rouge and mejinzs are mostly human let us know if we missed anything. Chapter 52 – Aesthyra early release for next week¡¯s chapter as i will be busy most of sunday and will not get the chance to post then. rouge was able to take time from his family and do a proof read so don¡¯t worry about poor grammar. i also want to thank mejinzs who was also able to take some time to look over it. also on a side note the following weeks chapter might be a bit late as i have finales for summer classes this coming week and i don¡¯t know if i will have time to write it. WARNING if you are Entomophobic you might want to skip this chapter¡­ you have been warned. Without further ado, Chapter 52 ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ªAesthyra POV¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- ¡°Thank us that that crazy lady is gone,¡± I thought to myself as I snuggled into my little hoard of silver coins. ¡°Aesthyra, we are leaving in a little bit, don¡¯t forget to pack a hoard.¡± My mother shouted from the other cavern. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go anywhere,¡± I groaned. ¡°To bad dear, both you and Fafnir need to know how to be a proper dragons and I would be a failure as a mother to not prepare you.¡± Mom replied as she poked her head into my cavern. ¡°Can¡¯t he come here instead?¡± I asked not wanting to leave the comfort of my hoard. ¡°No, he is only a little older than you and can¡¯t use the paths to travel yet,¡± my mother replied as she entered my cavern, ¡°so you need to pack up your hoard and get ready to go, I will not repeat myself.¡± ¡°Yes mom.¡± I grumbled as I got up. I stretched my long serpentine body as I started to feel for the strange bump near the back of my throat that would allow me to access my hoard stomach. After readying myself I stretched my jaws open and started to shovel the mound of various coins down into my stomach. ¡°Ok mom, I packed my hoard¡± I yelled as I entered into the main cavern. ¡°Did you have your scales cleaned?¡± My mom asked from the kitchen. ¡°But mom, it feels weird when I have my scales cleaned.¡± I said while a shiver ran down my back. ¡°You need to have your scales cleaned, you don¡¯t want your scales to fall off, do you?¡± She replied. ¡°That¡¯s not how it works.¡± I responded, tapping into my inherited memory. ¡°You only inherited a fraction of my knowledge, now go get your scales cleaned, wyrmling.¡± She snapped. ¡°Yes mother,¡± I sighed as I headed to the bathroom. I entered the small cavern and stared at the pile of coin which hid the creepy flesh eating beetles. ¡°I can do this,¡± I said to myself as I moved towards the coins. I laid down on top of the pile and shifted around a bit to awaken the beetles just like mom had shown me. The clinking of coins and the soft chittering sounds let me know that they had begun. ¡°They¡¯re just cleaning my scales.¡± I reassured myself, holding back to urge to scream and murder them all. Minutes seemed like hours while they crawled over me removing the debris stuck to my hide. I waited patiently until the chittering sounds finally died down. ¡°They¡¯re finished!¡± I smiled as I stood up and took a few steps away from the pile of coins containing the terrifying bugs before examined my now shining scales. ¡°It¡¯s time to go!¡± Mom shouted. ¡°Coming,¡± I replied as I left the creepy flesh eating murder bugs behind. I entered the main cavern where mom was waiting. ¡°What¡¯s in the sack?¡± I asked looking at the brown bag sitting next to mom. ¡°It¡¯s for Fafnir, now come on we have to go.¡± She replied as she extended her wing to cover me and the sack. I braced myself for the strange falling sensation that accompanied interdimensional travel. I moved my head to peek out and see the strange multicolored bubble that surrounded us. ¡°Dear, stay under my wing or you¡¯re liable to accidentally fling yourself into an unfriendly god¡¯s domain.¡± My mother cautioned. A few more minutes passed as we traveled the path when the strange weightless feeling singled our arrival. I poked my head from behind my mother wing and saw that we were in the middle of a forest. ¡°Where¡¯s Fafnir¡¯s lair?¡± I asked as I looked around. ¡°It¡¯s about a five minutes by wing, that way.¡± Mom replied as she pointed towards the north. ¡°Why did we end up here instead of in his lair?¡± I asked wondering what my mother was up too. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°It¡¯s rude to teleport into another god¡¯s domain without expressed permission.¡± She replied as she picked up the sack in her front claw. ¡°But aunt Tene just pops in and out of your lair.¡± I complained. ¡°Aunt Tene helped me carve out my lair and has my permission to come and go as she pleases, now come on I have lots to teach the both of you.¡± Mom said as she jumped up and started to fly off. I quickly took off and followed my mom towards a large mountain covered in large trees. I enjoyed flying over the sea of green and noticed a large crack in the cliff face. ¡°Does he live in that cave?¡± I asked, pointing towards the cave. ¡°Yes dear,¡± she replied as we approached the mountain. ¡°I want to remind you that Fafnir doesn¡¯t have parents and we¡¯re here to teach him how to be a proper dragon, so be nice.¡± Mom said as she gave me one of her scary looks. ¡°Yes mom.¡± I replied wondering what she meant about Fafnir not having parents. I watched my mother descend and land on the ledge right outside the cave. I glided around the ledge while my mother entered the cavern. I waited a few seconds before I folded my wings and dropped towards the mouth of the cave. I snapped my wings open to slow me down so I could land on the ledge. I looked into the fairly well-lit cavern as I landed and right in the middle of the cavern I saw a dragon, who I assumed was Fafnir, holding down a small human with his front claws, and dark elf kneeling next to him, leaning over the human. ¡°See, that wasn¡¯t so bad was it.¡± The dark elf stated as he stood up. ¡°Yes, because forcefully getting holes put into your ear is your idea of a good time.¡± The trapped human snapped. ¡°Suck it up, whiner; just be glad you can understand him now.¡± Fafnir replied as he released the human. ¡°Excuse me while I go clean up.¡± The human huffed as he stormed off deeper into the cavern. ¡°Ahem,¡± my mom said drawing attrition to us. ¡°Come on! It hasn¡¯t been a month yet!¡± Fafnir mumbled to himself. ¡°You¡¯re right it hasn¡¯t, but I came early as there is more than just biology you need to know.¡± My mother replied, ¡°Now I want you meet my daughter, Aesthyra.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you, my name is Fafnir¡± Fafnir said giving a little bow. ¡°Nice to meet you Fafnir,¡± I replied as I studied the dragon. He was a bit bigger than me with sharp fangs, sturdy looking horns and and covered in the same milky blue scales as the rest of our kind, but where my scales were shiny and clean, I could see some dirt and other debris stuck in between his. Despite his dirty appearance he seemed a hidden strength. ¡°Now that you have been introduced I have a few things that every dragon needs.¡± Mom said as she pushed the sack towards Fafnir. ¡°What is it?¡± He asked as he used his fore claws to open the small sack. ¡°If you are on track for completing the book I assigned you, you should recognize them.¡± My mom vaguely replied. ¡°Wait, are these those flesh eating bugs?!¡± He shouted as he pushed the sack away. ¡°So you have been reading, good.¡± My mom smiled with her scary smile, ¡°I want you take them and have them clean your scales as they are filthy. When you have finished I will explain what the other things are in the sack. Got it?¡± ¡°What this about flesh eating bugs?¡± The elf interrupted. ¡°I will explain later.¡± Fafnir explained as he carefully picked up the sack and headed towards the back of the cavern. A few seconds passed when my mother turned towards me: ¡°I want you to go help him; he did not get much from his draconic inheritance.¡± My mom said with a sad look in her eye. ¡°Ok,¡± I reluctantly replied not liking the bugs, as I moved to follow the interesting dragon. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ as always me, mejinzs, and rouge are mostly human let us know if we missed anything, and let me know what you think in the comments below. Chapter 53 – Bathing (non PR) hello this chapter came out later than expected as i was hoping for rouge or mejinzs to PR it but they were unable to so i am releasing this in an unedited state as it has been a while since i released a chapter. i will replace this when they have a chance to fix it. so without further ado, Chapter 53 ¨C Bathing -------------------------Fafnir POV---------------------------------------- ¡°I¡¯m not going to like this am I?¡± I asked Aesthyra who was edging away from the bathing hoard I set up in the corner of bathroom. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine¡­ ¡± She nervously replied still staring at the pile of coins. ¡°Well, I will just get it over with.¡± I sighed as I moved toward the bath hoard. ¡°Ok, I¡¯m¡­ gonna go find mom,¡± she stammered as she quickly ran from the room. ¡°Well that fills me with confidence.¡± I mumbled as I steeled myself for what¡¯s to come. I laid down on the coins and shifted around as I had read. I heard a loud hiss causing me to jump up. I looked the pile and watched as the beetles starting to move about. I took a deep breath and against all reason I laid back down and waited as the small murder bug got to work cleaning my scales. After what seemed like an hour the constant hiss of the beetles died down. I jumped up and quickly got out of reach of the vile bugs. ¡°There has to be an alternative, there are things I can handle, but that is not one of them.¡± I sighed as I eyed the infested hoard. I turned and headed towards the main cavern. Where Tanixathera was reading a book entitled, ¡°Teaching Your Hatchling to Build A Liar; for the New Mother.¡± ¡°Where do you keep getting these books from?¡± I asked after reading the title. ¡°From the interdimensional library,¡± She offhandedly replied as she turned the page. ¡°I see¡­¡± I said worried what the book meant. ¡°Now that you are properly groomed we can begin.¡± She said as she dog-eared the corner of the book. ¡°What about Aesthyra, shouldn¡¯t we wait for her?¡± I stuttered as I started to walk back. ¡°She started on your project earlier so that she had somewhere to sleep.¡± she replied before she ate the book, ¡°while this lair is nice, there are several flaws that need to be addressed.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± I asked thinking about my nice home. ¡°Well, for starters, there are no wards to prevent unwanted company, there is no access for lesser minions to bring you tribute, and you don¡¯t even have rooms available for guests.¡± She explained ¡°first, I have no idea how to make ¡®wards¡¯, second why would I need tribute, and u have rooms for guests.¡± I huffed ¡°Aw, look at the little self-confident wyrmling.¡± She sarcastically replied, ¡°the only rooms available are two human sized in the back, hardly a place where a dragon could say. You are also a god who will eventually, if you want, have a domain of his own. Having a minion entrance make it easier for them to come and give you offerings, like delicious food; I mean why hunt yourself if sad little lesser beings will feed you?¡± she said with a large toothy grin. ¡°Ok¡­¡± I replied not wanting to get on the bad side of a psychotic dragon, ¡°so what is the lesson?¡± ¡°You are going to be helping my daughter design and build her wyrmling lair and when it is complete she will help you redesign yours.¡± She replied as she stood up and stretched. ¡°What are you going to be doing¡­?¡± I tentatively asked ¡°I need to go back to my own domain and deal with mortal problems.¡± She replied right before she vanished in a flash of light. ¡°Why do people keep appearing and telling me what I need to do.¡± I grumbled as I head back towards the bathroom to deal with a minor pest problem. ------------------------------------------------------- Aesthyra POV --------------------------------------------------- Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°Hello,¡± I heard a small voice call out. ¡°Hello, little one,¡± I replied as I tried to get a better look at the small creature which I couldn¡¯t identify, ¡°who might you be?¡± ¡°My name is Azazel, are you here to see daddy?¡± the little girl asked ¡°Fafnir is your father?¡± I asked more than a little surprised. ¡°Yes,¡± the little creature replied proudly. ¡°I see¡­¡± the dragon muttered before looking me over again. ¡°I see you found the littlest one.¡± I heard mom say as walked towards us, ¡°now introduce yourself.¡± ¡°Sorry, my name is Aesthyra; it is nice to meet you.¡± I said as I tried to Identify the small creature. ¡°Azazel, why don¡¯t you go with Aesthyra and show her around.¡± The mom suggested ¡°Sure, I can show her lake.¡± She replied as she ran into the other caverns. ¡°What type of creature is that?¡± I asked my mother ¡°That would be Fafnir¡¯s daughter.¡± She said with a grin ¡°Isn¡¯t Fafnir a bit young?¡± I asked drawing on my inherited knowledge. ¡°Well she not his daughter in the traditional method.¡± My mother said I could hear the sadness tinging her voice. ¡°Azazel has been drinking the liquefied mana from Fafnir¡¯s breath and one of the grater goddess rebuilt the little ones body after an accident.¡± ¡°What kind of accident?¡± I asked with a little trepidation. I watched as mother seemed to space out for a few seconds. ¡°I will tell you when you are older; and don¡¯t mention this to Fafnir or you will be punished,¡± Mom replied with one of her terrifying smiles, ¡°so why don¡¯t you let Azazel show you around so you can choose where your new lair will be.¡± ¡°Yes mom,¡± I quickly replied now wanting to draw her ire. I started to move towards the cavern that the little Azazel entered ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± Azazel squealed as she ran out of the cavern straight towards me. It only took a few seconds before she had launched herself into the air and, despite all expectations, landed softly on my back. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the lake,¡± she happily declared as she pointed toward the front of the cavern. We left the lair and Azazel guided us towards a crystal clear lake hidden under the canopy. I guided us through a break in the canopy and landed right at the edge of the water. It didn¡¯t take long before Azazel launched herself from my back and landed in the lake with a loud splash. ¡°Come in it is nice and cool.¡± The Azazel shouted after surfacing. I watched the wyrmling play in the lake for a few minutes before I decided to join the fun. We played for over an hour when i saw Fafnir land right outside the lake. ¡°So this is where you were,¡± he chuckled, ¡°let me guess azazel talked you into going for a swim?¡± ¡°yes, the little wyrmling insisted that she show me the lake and before I knew it she jumped in.¡± I replied as I exited the lake. ¡°I see, so where are you sleeping tonight?¡± Fafnir asked ¡°I am going home with my mother soon.¡± I tentatively replied wondering where this was going. ¡°Well oh mighty mama dragon left to go deal with ¡®Mortal problems¡¯ about an hour ago and I was told to help you make a lair.¡± he gruffly replied ¡°Why would mom leave me here?¡± I asked myself and then everything clicked, ¡°she left me here to be with Fafnir.¡± I took a deep breath and looked at Fafnir, ¡°do you mind if I stay at your lair until I make my own?¡± --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- as this is not PR i know that there are a few errors hiding in there so let me know what you think and comment. Chapter 54 - sickness (non PRed) sorry for the long release time as i have not only been sick the past few weeks i started classes. i hope with class starting i will have a more stable schedule. the other issue is that rouge has gone rouge, and is still busy with thing IRL so this also has not been PRed. side note, would anyone be interested in me posting some of my other work? (update; i posted the first three chapters on my blog.) without further ado Chapter 54 - sickness -----------------------Fafnir POV--------------------------- ¡°Daddy, it time to get up.¡± Azazel said as she jumped on my snout. ¡°Azazel, how many times do I have to tell you that it hurts when you jump on my snout¡± I chastised as I picked her up with my tail. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡± she replied, ¡°but it is time to get up so you can help Aesthyra finish her lair and I can get my room back.¡± ¡°Is Aesthyra even up yet?¡± I asked knowing Aesthyra proclivity to wake up at noon. ¡°No daddy, it¡¯s your job to wake her up¡± Azazel replied with a smile. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m goanna to teach you how to be a real dragon by dumping my daughter on you¡± I grumbled as I got up and headed to wake up Aesthyra. ¡°Time to get up!¡± I shouted as I stumbled into Aesthyra cavern ¡°Five more hours,¡± Aesthyra mumbled as she buried herself deeper into her silver hoard. ¡°You better get up or I will dump hoard beetles over you¡± I said ¡°No don¡¯t do that, I¡¯m up¡± she quickly replied as she jumped up spilling silver coins everywhere. ¡°Why you do that every morning.¡± She complained as she started to gather up the coins. ¡°Because it works,¡± I replied as I left to get some breakfast. ¡°So are you goanna finish Ase¡¯s lair today?¡± Azazel asked when I entered the kitchen. ¡°I¡¯m sorry dear but I don¡¯t think it will be finished today as we still need to finish the tunnel from her lair to mine.¡± I replied as I took out a chunk of meat from the larder. ¡°Oh.¡± Azazel replied with a frown. ¡°Azazel have you seen Ryan this morning?¡± I asked as I took a bite. ¡°Yes, Ryan was doing a funny dance on the floor of his room this morning.¡± she replied as she ate some jerky. ¡°What do you mean by a funny dance?¡± I asked with a bit of concern ¡°Well he was wiggling around all over the floor like a worm.¡± She replied between bites. I quickly got up and ran towards Ryan¡¯s room. I entered his cavern and found him collapsed on the floor, his limbs splayed everywhere. I lifted Ryan up with my tail and as I ran out of my lair I had Azazel jump on my back we left to head towards the elven city. It didn¡¯t take long before we arrived above the forested city, I looked for the familiar broken trees that I had broken around Therin¡¯s house. I dived through the hole in the caponey and landed in front of the door scaring the same two guards as before. ¡°Greetings, lord dragon, Lord Therin is inside.¡± One of the guards said as he opened the front door to let me in. I quickly rushed inside shrinking myself just enough to fit inside, I found Therin sitting at his desk surrounded by a large stack of papers. ¡°Therin, Ryan collapsed please help him.¡± I stammered as I placed Ryan on one of the recliners . ¡°What did the little human do this time?¡± Therin asked as he lazily got up and walked over. He started to examine my brother with a serious face and after taking a deep breath he looked up at me and said, ¡°I have no idea what I¡¯m doing.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± I asked barely contain my anger. ¡°I am an alchemist not a healer.¡± He gruffly replied as he stood up, ¡°but don¡¯t get your tail in a twist I will call for one.¡± ¡°Can I go explore?¡± Azazel asked as she pulled on one of my spines. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Sure,¡± I replied as I set Azazel down and she quickly dashed out of the room. ¡°I¡¯ll have one of my guards summon him.¡± He said as he left the room. ¡°How could you have possibly gotten sick?¡± I wondered as I stood over my brother. ¡°Good news, Grith will be here in a few minutes.¡± Therin said as he walked back into the study, ¡°so let''s move the little human to one of the guest rooms.¡± ¡°Ok,¡± I replied as I carefully picked my brother up. I followed therin through his manor an laid him on one of the guest beds. ¡°By the way could you collect your daughter before she eats all the food in my larder.¡± Therin said right before he left. I curled up next to Ryan¡¯s bed as I waited for the doctor to arrive. --------------------------------------Azazel POV------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ¡°I wonder if uncle Therin has anything good to eat¡± I mumbled as I left. I ran through the house almost knocking over one of uncle Therin¡¯s guards as I ran towards the kitchen. ¡°Look at all the yummy food.¡± I mumbled as I entered the larder, I could see various foods from meat to fresh fruit. I grabbed several strips of meat and a large apple and took them into the kitchen. I tossed my delicious goods over the table and sat down just like Lilith told me and dug in. I was almost finished eating the meats when I saw one of uncle thein¡¯s helpers run past the door. ¡°I wonder why daddy was so worried over Uncle Ryan?¡± I asked myself as I finished my snack. I left the kitchen and wondered around his lair. I walked down one of the many halls when I found a silly looking man wearing a black cloak. ¡°Who are you?¡± I called causing the silly looking man to jump. ¡°No one mentioned there would be blasted children here.¡± I heard the man quietly swear as he looked at me before sighing. My scales went cold when I saw the scary looking smile on the man¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry kid but today¡¯s not your lucky day.¡± The man said as he took out a black dagger. I could barely move as the man lunged towards me. I clamped my eyes shut. I just stood there shaking, wishing that daddy was here and the scary man would go away, when I felt something go pop deep inside me, it felt like a warm river ran through my body. I heard a loud thump right before I blacked out. ¡°Azazel, Azazel are you ok?¡± I heard daddy yell as he picked me up. ¡°Five more minutes,¡± I mumbled as I tried to go back to sleep. ¡°Oh thank god, you¡¯re alright.¡± Daddy said causing me to fully wake up. ¡°Daddy,¡± I cried as I hugged daddy¡¯s warm scales, ¡°I was so scared; there was a scary man and he ran at me like the scary guards and I was so scared. Then I felt something warm and then fell asleep, and I just wanted my daddy.¡± ¡°It¡¯s ok I¡¯m here¡± daddy said as I cried on his shoulder. ¡°Hey squirt, did you say you felt something warm?¡± uncle thein asked ¡°Yes, I felt something warm and then I fell asleep¡± I replied as I calmed down. ¡°Well that explains the new paint job.¡± I heard uncle thein mumble as I hugged daddy tighter. ¡°Come on, do you want some of the blue stuff?¡± Daddy asked as he nuzzled me with his snout. ¡°I like the blue stuff,¡± I sniffled feeling a bit better. ¡°Come on let''s go outside.¡± He said as he used his tail to place me on his back. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- i know there are errors in here so if you could point them out that would be helpful. another side note, no important characters were harmed in the making of this chapter though we did lose a poorly trained assassin/intern... chapter 55 - post checkup (non PRed) another chapter has been written, rouge is still trapped but he makes a break for it this weekend and will come save me from my grammar mistakes then, as some of you might have noticed i put the first few chapters of the other story i have done on my blog. tell me what you think. without further ado, chapter 55 --------------------------------------Fafnir POV--------------------------- ¡°Well I have good news and bad news.¡± The healer said as he entered Therin¡¯s study. ¡°What is wrong with my brother?¡± I instantly asked the dark elf. ¡°The young human is suffering from acute mana poisoning, and I must say I am impressed. I haven¡¯t seen a case this bad since that elf that tried to hook up with a Crystalin.¡± The doctor chuckled. ¡°So is that the good news or the bad?¡± I asked worried for my brother. ¡°The good news is that I knew what it was, the bad news is that my treatment is only temporary he will have to seek the great sage at the top of the mountain for a permanent cure, or form a pact with a greater demon or something like that.¡± The doctor replied as he pulled a sheet of paper from his bag. ¡°Here is the bill as he is not a member of your family it is an extra fee of 10 gold.¡± ¡°so what was the treatment that cost ten gold?¡± Therin asked skeptically ¡°do you know how hard it is to drain mana from someone who has too much mana, if I¡¯m not careful all of his mana would be released at once destroying the surrounding area, and as there is great risk 10 gold is the minimum I would charge.¡± He replied. ¡°Ok so where is the excess mana?¡± Therin asked while raising one of his eyebrows, ¡°because I know for a fact that there was no large spells cast that would bleed it off so I can only assume that you charged a crystal and I know that a fully charged mana crystal is worth a pretty to any respectable mage.¡± ¡°What are you talking about; you said that mana crystals were useless.¡± I asked with a little irritation. ¡°I said they were useless for you, other people can work wonders with them.¡± He nervously chuckled. ¡°We will talk about this later¡± I said in a low tone of voice promising punishment. ¡°So would you like to keep the mana stone as compensation?¡± Therin said barley composing himself. ¡°I think that will be acceptable,¡± the healer replied before he ran out of the room. ¡°So your brother is gonna be ok isn¡¯t that good news.¡± Therin said as he tried to change the topic, ¡°though I didn¡¯t know there was anyone at the top of the mountain.¡± ¡°Well we can pay him a visit right now.¡± I said as I jumped off the chair. ¡°You do realize that It almost sunset?¡± Therin replied as he stood up, ¡°how about we head out first thing in the morning and this will also give Azazel some time to recover after casting her first spell.¡± I took a deep breath realizing that Therin was right. ¡°Also it gives us the perfect opportunity to follow an ancient dark elf tradition.¡± Therin said with a smile. ¡°Knowing how screwed up your traditions tend to be I don¡¯t think I want to subject Azazel to any of your traditions.¡± I shuttered as I remembered the bloodbath that was their new year¡¯s celebration. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be a lizard in the mud, we need to celebrate Azazel¡¯s first real kill, it is a glorious thing when dark elf children make their first real kill, it should always be celebrated.¡± He replied as he grabbed a small pouch which I somehow knew contained 15 gold coins, ¡°it will also help you relax.¡± This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°Only if Azazel is up to it,¡± I sighed. ¡°Great let''s go get her now, you have no idea how important the first real kill is to dark elves.¡± Therin grinned ¡°I¡¯m gonna check on Ryan first; I want Azazel to nap a little while longer.¡± I said, jumping from the chair I glided towards the door right before I left I turned around, ¡°are there any insane practices that I should be aware of?¡± ¡°Na, It¡¯s just normal dark elf festivities,¡± Therin said with a wide grin. ¡°That¡¯s what worries me.¡± I sighed as I left the room to go check on Ryan. I walked down the hall and entered one of the new guest rooms that ryan is using. ¡°I¡¯m gonna go on a limb here and say that living with a walking ¡®mana¡¯ source is not the best place to stay.¡± Ryan said as I entered the room. ¡°So you¡¯re feeling better?¡± I asked ¡°you remember that time I had to have my stomach pumped after eating one of dads ¡®experiments¡¯¡± Ryan said with a smile, ¡°it felt kind ¡®a like that.¡± ¡°Ok, good to know, did the doctor tell you the long term treatment plan?¡± I asked; curling up on the floor. ¡°No, the only thing that creepy elf said was ¡®wake up you wyvern sucking, orc loving, son of a half breed kobold.¡± Ryan dryly replied, ¡°Then he swore for a bit more making reference to various anatomical structures and left.¡± ¡°Good, you are my brother as it seems you also inherited the predisposition to piss people off.¡± I chuckled, ¡°in regards to the treatment, well I don¡¯t think you or mom will like the requirements.¡± ¡°Why¡­¡± he asked; his face turning pale. ¡°It is a horrid procedure to remove magic cancer; it took up residence in the worst of places¡­¡± I said gravely barely holding in my laughter. ¡°No, No, No! I don¡¯t want to lose that, why did it have to be magic cancer!¡± Ryan despaired. ¡°wooh Ryan I think you are jumping to conclusions, we have to shave your head and then learn from some old elf on the roof my lair.¡± I laughed. ¡°My¡­ hair?¡± Ryan asked ¡°Yes we need you bald so you don¡¯t look like a fool in front of the magic teacher dude.¡± I barely managed to say between laughing fits. ¡°You stupid over evolved chicken, You did that on purpose.¡± He huffed with a scowl ¡°also you need to get dressed as we are celebrating Azazel¡¯s first real kill.¡± I said as I started to leave, ¡°also, as a reminder this is a dark elf celebration so be prepared for an interesting time. ------------------------------------------------Atheros POV------------------------------------------------------ ¡°What did I do to deserve this?¡± I screamed, dodging another hungry wyvern. I jumped back, barley avoid the snapping jaws of the baby wyvern. I took a step back and bumped my heel against the hard stone wall of the nest. I watched the oversized lizard tense up. ¡°I got you now¡± I smiled. Right as the thing jumped I dived to the side and with a roar the oversized lizard smacked right into the cave wall and fell limp on the floor. ¡°ha, who¡¯s the alpha now!¡± I shouted as I went to wake up the beast. ¡°Who would have thought that all my time with Fafnir would trick these oversized lizards into thinking I was one of them.¡± I chuckled as I knelt over the ex-alpha, ¡°now I just need you to take me to Fafnir.¡± -------------------------------------------------------------------------- i know there are mistakes in this but be gentle... rouge will be here soon Chapter 56 – Eating Out i have gotten the time to finally post chapter 56 despite taking the mcats and the workload of organic chemestry. this is a non pred chapter, and if you guy can tell me what you think of my other story. i will try to push forward and get the next chapter within the next week but we shall see what school has in store. side note this is also a bigger chapter compaired to others. without further ado Chapter 56 ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ªfafnir POV¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Azazel it¡¯s time to get up.¡± I said as I tried to find the little demoness in her makeshift blanket hoard. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna¡± I heard a muffled reply ¡°We are getting special food today.¡± I said knowing my daughter. It did not take long before Azazel¡¯s head popped out of the fluffy hoard. ¡°We are having some of the blue stuff?¡¯ she said as she crawled out of the pile. ¡°Not right now, but uncle Therin is going to take us to get special food.¡± I replied ¡°But I want the blue stuff.¡± She frowned ¡°Azazel, remember what happened the last time you had too much of the blue stuff?¡± I asked ¡°I don¡¯t care if I am all glowy for a little while I like the blue stuff.¡± She huffed; plopping back into the fluffy hoard. ¡°Azazel this is a special dinner because uncle Therin is proud that you dealt with the scary man,¡± I said as I used my tail to pick her up, ¡°now let¡¯s get you cleaned up and ready.¡± We headed to the bathroom and after about ten minutes we managed to fill the tub. I watch as Azazel tests the water with one foot before she shucks off her clothes and jumped in; spilling water all over the floor. I stealthy grab the jar of, what the Therin calls cleaning oil, with my tail and dump it Azazel¡¯s head. ¡°Daddy why did you dump this stuff on my head?¡± she asked; attempting to get the stuff out of her hair. ¡°That was soap and you will need it to get the blood out of your hair.¡± I replied, ¡°now scratch you head to make bubbles the bubbles will get the stuff out, and if you can¡¯t I will.¡± She stared at my claws for a few second right before she starts to wash her hair. After a half an hour struggle I declared Azazel clean. I dried her off with a bit of magic that I picked up from Aesthyra and helped her as much as I could to get back into her dress. ¡°I really need to go and retrieve Lilith; she was good with these kind of things.¡± I sighed. We left the waterlogged bathroom to dry and headed towards Therin office. We walked into the rather humorous sight of Therin passed out sleeping on his desk. ¡°Is uncle Therin sleeping?¡± Azazel whispered; trying to get a better look. ¡°yes, a perfect opportunity for some fun, cover your ears Azazel.¡± I whispered back with a large grin. I took in a deep breath and let out a loud roar. Therin jumped out screaming like a girl; the acrid scent of urine filled the air. ¡°Why, in the dark god¡¯s name would you do that you idiotic overgrown lizard?!¡± he screamed. It took me over ten minutes to stop laughing enough to answer the angry elf. ¡°I have never caught you napping, and after the enthusiasm you showed for the party I never would have imagined that I would find you passed out on your desk.¡± I said; catching my breath, ¡°the look on your face was priceless.¡± ¡°Uncle Therin¡¯s face was funny.¡± Azazel said with a smile. ¡°You two need a hobby¡± Therin sighed; he stood up and left the room saying, ¡°I¡¯m going to change, I will be back and then we can celebrate.¡± We waited for a good twenty minutes before Therin returned wearing a blood red shirt and a loose pair of pants in that same crimson color. ¡°Come on let¡¯s celebrate Azazel¡¯s first true kill.¡± He said with a smile. ¡°I still don¡¯t get why y¡¯all make a big deal about first kill.¡± I said as we walked out of the house. ¡°it is a big thing in dark elf tradition that when someone kills their first non-beast they are seen as a true elf and now I can rub it in my families face that their assassin was beaten by a small child.¡± He replied with a small smile. ¡°So let me get this straight¡± I growled; stopping in the middle of the street, ¡°you are using an assassination attempt on my daughter as a way to kill off some of your family?¡± ¡°Lighten up Fafnir, when you put it that way it sounds like I used her as bait.¡± He stuttered; his face turning a light blue, ¡°think of it this way, now you can help me prune the family tree and send a message that attacking Azazel will mean death.¡± ¡°I have destroyed people for less, why would you even consider using Azazel?¡± I growled ¡°I did not plan this at all.¡± Therin stammered, ¡°But I can let you deal with the culprit.¡± ¡°Daddy you said that we can get some special food.¡± Azazel wined from my back. ¡°Fine we¡¯ll get food first then I can go on a rampage¡± I nonchalantly said; then it hit me, ¡°why would I even think that.¡± We walked under the shaded streets as Therin led us to a more lively section of the city. I watched elves laughing and having fun; though I wasn¡¯t surprised when I found more than a few dismember elves lying in the alleys. ¡°Here we are, the bloody elf, one of the best places to celebrate.¡± Therin said; pointing at a building at the end of the street. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°The bloody elf; sounds like a curse, are you sure it is appropriate for children.¡± I asked as I examined the crimson building with a sign of a red colored elf that looked like he was screaming. ¡°sure there are plenty of the little brats here, it is one of the best places for the rite.¡± He replied with a wide grin. We entered through the large double door and we were immediately assaulted by smoke and people screaming. ¡°what is this place?¡± I growled; lifting my wings to cover azazel¡¯s eyes. ¡°this is a dark elf restaurant; great food, a fighting pit for elves to test their mettle, and some of the best wine found this side of the elven forest and they cook your food in front of you so you don¡¯t have to worry about poisons. The smoke is probably from a mage going a little too wild.¡± He grinned. ¡°Lord Therin, would you like your normal place?¡± asked a shirtless male elf. ¡°Not today, I am here to celebrate my niece¡¯s first kill, could you please seat us near the arena?¡± Therin asked before I could object. ¡°Certainly sir, just give us a minute to a place ready.¡± The man replied as walked towards the back. ¡°What kind of place is this?¡± I pointedly ask the elf. ¡°Lighten up, Fafnir. We are celebrating Azazel¡¯s first kill, what¡¯s a little bit of violence,¡± Therin replied, ¡°and you have a chance to warm up for the blood bath.¡± ¡°what¡¯s a blood bath?¡± Azazel asked as she poked her head out from behind my wings. ¡°Nothing sweetie, just sit down while I talk to uncle Therin.¡± I replied shooting daggers at the elf. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll see if we can have them seat us at my normal spot along the wall.¡± Therin grumbled; singling one of the staff. ¡°Yes, lord Therin.¡± A different half clothed elf asked. ¡°My dragon friend reminded me of the danger of him being near fights, and I was wondering if we could be seated at my normal table as I don¡¯t want this place destroyed.¡± Therin said. ¡°¡±really¡± I sighed as the server dashed towards the back. It was a few minutes before the original half-clothed server returned. ¡°You-your table is re-ready.¡± The elf stuttered eyeing me. he lead us towards weaving past wall segments to a lone table in the back of the restaurant. ¡°He-here you a-are¡± he stuttered gesturing towards the table. ¡°dd-do you want me to b-bring the usual lord Therin?¡± ¡°yes, I would enjoy a morel wine,¡± he replied with a smile enjoying the server¡¯s terror way to much. ¡°n-nightshade, myceliry ok?¡± the server asked edging away from me. I could smell the fear on him, stupid nose ¡°That¡¯s fine¡± Therin replied; sitting down on one of the chairs. ¡°you lord dragon?¡± the server asked; edging away from me. ¡°What kind of juices do you have?¡± I asked as I grabbed Azazel from my back and placed her on one of the chairs He lists of a rather long list of fruits that sound like jibberish. I sighed before randomly picking a fruit called comous (if you want you can change it to french for pineapple) and shrink just enough to curl up on the plush covered chair. ¡°Daddy, why are those people not wearing any clothes, you told me that people aren¡¯t allowed to not wear clothes.¡± Azazel asked looking around the restaurant. ¡°It to prevent assassinations¡± Therin quickly interjected, ¡°their state of undress is designed to make it impossible to hide weapons on them and the pants are tight enough that any attempt to conceal weapons would fail.¡± ¡°What is an assass-in-ation¡± Azazel asked ¡°It when someone fights someone else really important.¡± I replied bending the truth a bit staring daggers at Therin once again. ¡°Oh,¡± she said; plopping down with a confused look, ¡°does that mean that if I fight daddy, I assass-a-nating?¡± ¡°No dear, we are family so don¡¯t worry about it. Therin what is good here?¡± I replied changing the subject more than a little annoyed at the elf. ¡°for non-drow I would recommend the terrorlisk,¡± he nonchalantly replied ¡°what is that?¡± I asked apprehensively ¡°do you want to know?¡± he replied looking at me ¡°fine, what about Azazel?¡± I replied with a huff ¡°She should get the blood stew; it is animal blood, nothing sapient.¡± He replied. ¡°What is with this place?¡± I asked ¡°We¡¯re dark elves¡± he replied, don¡¯t worry about it. Now the real question is do you want to have a bout in the arena, it is a good chance to blow off steam, I know I will¡± Therin said. ¡°Why did I let you drag me and my daughter into this?¡± I sighed realizing these elves were insane. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- this is not PRed so there are a few mistakes present, also how do you have a restaurant in a culture where you can be killed at any point and it¡¯s fine as long as no one finds out? chapter 57- table manners i some how managed to get a chapter done dispite all my homework. this is another long chapter sitting just under 2k words and i am proud of myself. i want to thank mejinzs and rouge who have cralwed out of the woodwork and come back to proofread my stuff, i will be posting the proofread chapters in the next day or two. PS i posted this last night on my blog, and i have my other story there... without further ado, chapter 57 -----------------------------------------------Aesthyra POV--------------------------------------------------------- ¡°Where¡¯s Fafnir?¡± I wondered as I stretched atop my silver hoard. ¡°He¡¯s supposed to get me up so I can finish my lair.¡± I yawned as I left the cavern, and headed towards the kitchen. ¡°I¡¯m up!¡± I said as I stumbled into the kitchen. Then it hit me, ¡°Where is everyone?¡± I quickly searched the lair, ¡°Even the human is gone, and that creature almost never leaves his non-hoard hoard.¡± I mumbled. I took a deep breath and prepared to cast a tracking spell that mom taught me. I reached for the energy, and released the spell. Immediately I felt a light tug on my right horn as if leading me towards the east. I stopped for a moment reconsidering whether or not I should follow him, when a loud gurgling answered the question for me. I quickly dashed out of the lair¡¯s mouth and headed towards Fafnir. It only took a few minutes of flying before I caught Fafnir¡¯s familiar scent below me. Looking at the leafy obstruction I took a deep breath and destroyed it; turning it all to liquid mana. Screams pierced the otherwise calm atmosphere as elves tried to avoid the falling debris. Tucking in my wings, I plummeted towards the ground only to snap them open at the last second landing with a deep thud, before a large wooden elf lair. With a thought I shrank myself just enough to fit through the mouth. I ignored the nonsensical words of the elves and headed towards Fafnir, on the other side of all the random walls ¡°Fafnir, what happened to working on my lair?¡± I asked as I reached the table. ¡°Ryan passed out this morning and I quickly took him to be treated by the elves. ¡°There was an attack by some, rather quickly mutilated, elves. Azazel took care of the would be murder though, sorry Therin you aren¡¯t important enough to be assassinated ¨C That¡¯s when Therin roped me into celebrating Azazel¡¯s first kill and, well, here we are,¡± he nonchalantly replied. ¡°Where¡¯s the human now, then?¡± I huffed still miffed at being left behind. ¡°Well darn it, we forgot Ryan,¡± Fafnir exclaimed staring daggers at Therin. ¡°He was coming?¡± Therin asked, looking at Fafnir, ¡°You know he would have been flayed alive if he was challenged.¡± ¡°What do you mean by challenged?¡± Fafnir snapped. ¡°This is a combat arena, anyone can challenge anyone else to a duel to the death if they want, and he would have to accept or be branded a coward and allowed to be hunted down on the streets.¡± Thein replied. ¡°What the hell kind of custom is that!¡± Fafnir exclaimed, ¡°The more you explain this ¡®first blood¡¯ celebration the less I like it.¡± ¡°No one would challenge a child as it would seem cowardly, and there are preparations needed to fight a wyvern, which you are not, and people know better than to challenge me as I have killed many in the arena.¡± Therin replied, smiling. ¡°So, then why didn¡¯t you come get me for dinner,¡± I said, interrupting their argument. ¡°Fafnir forgot.¡± The elf said. ¡°Thanks for throwing me under the bus.¡± Fafnir replied. ¡°What¡¯s a bus?¡± I asked. ¡°Never mind, we have been working hard and I though you should continue to sleep.¡± Fafnir said, but I knew better. ¡°Well then, I will be joining you for dinner as you forgot to leave food out for me.¡± I said as I shrank myself and jumped onto the only remaining chair. I curled up upon the well cushioned seat cover as one of the elves walked up to the table and opened a glass jug and poured a little bit of a delicious smelling drink into one of those silly cup things. ¡°It¡¯s good,¡± Therin said. The serving elf poured some more of the sweet smelling liquid, into the silly cup. Then the elf started making some strange noises. ¡°What is wrong with the elf is it not feeling well?¡± I asked. ¡°Why?¡± Fafnir asked giving me the same look mom does when I do something silly. ¡°Well that elf has not only wet itself, but is making a lot of weird noises, and only sick animals do that sort of thing.¡± I replied. ¡°Here, put this on.¡± Fafnir said taking off the brooch attached to his horn and placed it on mine. ¡°Now say, speak.¡± ¡°Speak,¡± all of a sudden those random elf noises that had been bothering me since I entered made sense. ¡°And what will you have sir?¡± the serving elf asked as he looked at me. ¡°I have no clue, and I¡¯m female.¡± I replied looking at Fafnir. ¡°How about I just order for you?¡± Fafnir asked, saving me from trying to figure out what to order. ¡°Sure, I just know I want some of the stuff in Therin¡¯s silly cup.¡± I replied; Therin started to choke as he stared at me. ¡°Why would you want wine?¡± Therin asked; cleaning the drink from his mouth. ¡°It smells as sweet as mana so it must me delicious.¡± I replied, wondering what the strange liquid looks like. ¡°What do you mean it smells like mana?¡± Therin asked; instantly sitting up straight, I could smell the mana flow out of the elf as he cast a spell. He frowned as he looked at his glass and then waved a servant elf over. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Everything to your satisfaction, lord Therin?¡± The servant elf asked. ¡°Drink this.¡± Therin command as he shoved the glass at the server. ¡°Lord Therin, I would never presume¡­¡± the server started to say . ¡°Drink,¡± Therin repeated in the same tone of voice mom uses on me when I¡¯m not lesioning. I could smell the fear on the servant elf as he slowly some of the stuff from the silly glass thing. When the last drop had vanished the servant elf fell to the floor his black skin turning a very bright pink. ¡°Looks like I win again.¡± Therin said with a smile. ¡°What happened to the elf person¡± Azazel asked as she jumped from the chair and started to poke the fallen elf. ¡°It¡¯s a game that me and the owner play. Don¡¯t worry, the server is ok. The poison will just turns his skin a hilarious shade of pink. He just needs to sleep it off.¡± ¡°Azazel, stop poking the elf,¡± Fafnir said in a low growl, ¡°do we have to worry about being in the crossfire of this ¡®GAME¡¯?¡± ¡°No,¡± Therin quickly replied, ¡°this is a bet strictly between myself and the owner; you have nothing to fear. ¡° ¡°Therin, you do realize the attitude I have towards poisons since the wedding, right?¡± Fafnir said in a low voice. ¡°Fafnir, they prepare and cook everything in front of us and I will check each dish for poison.¡± Therin replied, trying quell Fafnir¡¯s anger. ¡°Can I eat the elf?¡± I asked wondering if it tasted better than dwarf. ¡°What is wrong with you?¡± Fafnir asked horrified. ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked a bit confused. ¡°You don¡¯t eat people.¡± Fafnir yelled at me with disgust. ¡°Me and mom eat humans and dwarves all the time at home¡± I refuted, ¡° and I want to know if elf tastes better than dwarf.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just eat what we ordered and then get out of here.¡± Therin quickly interjected just in time as the chef was just arriving.¡± I looked over and saw a fat elf pushing a wooden box with a black metal top towards us. I sat quietly watching the cook elf as he brought out two large slabs of red meat and tossed them on the black slab. My stomach grumbled as the tantalizing scent of roasting meat filled the air around us. He pulled out a bowl and poured from a pot that was sitting on the blackboard and poured a dark red liquid with chunks of meat that smelled divine and placed the steaming food in front of Azazel. He picked up the two cooked pieces of meat and placed them on the plate things; setting them in front of both me and Fafnir. ¡°Where¡¯s your food?¡± Fafnir asked. ¡°They are probably still butchering it, would be my guess.¡± He replied as he sipped his new bottle of wine. ¡°What are you eating?¡± Fafnir tentatively asked eyeing the elf. ¡°It is a classic dark elf dish, freshly killed cave crawler.¡± He replied, ¡°It is a predator that is found in caves and abandoned mines. The belly meat melts in your mouth, the only problem is that cave crawlers release a deadly toxin after death, making the meat inedible after two hours, but until that point it is divine.¡± ¡°You know what¡­ I don¡¯t care anymore I¡¯m just going to eat my food and then I am going to grab Ryan and head home. I¡¯m can¡¯t deal with this crap anymore.¡± Fafnir said. We ate in silence for a few minutes as we enjoyed our food. During our meal I watched an elf stumble towards our table, I caught a strong whiff of that alcohol stuff my mom warned me about when interacting with the races. ¡°I shallange you to a, to a fight¡­ to the d-death¡­ dragon.¡± The stumbling man slurred as he pointed between me and fafnir. ¡°Which one?¡± Therin asked as he put his glass down. ¡°The only one there!¡± he replied pointing once again to between us. ¡°There are two of them.¡± Therin replied. ¡°I don¡¯ts care if-if there¡¯s ten of ¡®em, ¡®em¡­ dragons¡­. I¡¯m going to go kill the overgrown lizard.¡± He hiccuped, as he steadied himself against the table. ¡°Daddy, are you going to turn him into the blue stuff?¡± Azazel asked poking her head out to get a better look at the stumbling elf. I thought for a second,reflecting on what mom would do, and, remembering mom¡¯s words, I finished the bite I was on of my meal, and bit the elf¡¯s head off. The sweet taste of mana flowed into my mouth as my teeth broke through the skull. I swallowed, enjoying the after taste of my mid meal snack and noticed all the elf noise had stopped. ¡°The man issued a challenge and it is the challenged party¡¯s right to pick the time and place.¡± Therin said in a loud voice. Silence reigned for a few more seconds before the chattering began again. ¡°That¡¯s it, Azazel finish your food, we¡¯re leaving.¡± Fafnir said as he tossed the rest of his meat into his waiting maw. He picked Azazel up with his tail and left the restaurant. ¡°A perfect distraction so that he would not burn the town down.¡± Therin chuckled as he looked at me, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be following him?¡± I tossed what was left of my dinner into my mouth and, with my tail, stole the bottle of the sweet smelling drink that Therin was drinking as I walked out of the elf lair. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- as always me mejinzs and rouge are mostly human so let us know if we missed anything and tell me what you think. the real question is how did Therin arrange all this¡­ Chapter 58 – Forests here is another exciting episode of dra¡­ what wrong job¡­ here is another great chapter fresh off the¡­ keyboard¡­ i give up on making some sort of grand statement. I want to thank rouge and mejinzs for their work. also for anyone who was blind sided by last chapter, remember Therin¡¯s family is minor nobility for their poisons¡­ no normal society would promote poisoners¡­ you also don¡¯t piss off the guests of nobel¡¯s house or large dragons. without further ado Chapter 58 ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨CFafnir POV¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Ryan, you can stop screaming now, we¡¯re home.¡± I said as I gently placed Ryan on the stone floor as I landed. ¡°Daddy, what¡¯s that?¡± Azazel asked; jumping from my back she ran and pointed at a large red crystal formation that was jutting from the room. ¡°I might not be a geologist but I know that it takes longer than a day to grow crystals¡­¡± I muttered as I moved beneath the strange rock formation. ¡°It¡¯s seems to be some crystal¡± I replied. I examined the cluster closely and I deftly use my tail to break off a small piece. I turned it over a few time recognizing the familiar scent of magic. ¡°Can I have it?¡± Azazel asked staring at the rock in my claws. ¡°Sure, it¡¯s just a silly rock.¡± I replied as I passed over the crystal. She then ran into our shared cavern. Ignoring the random appearance of the crystals, I walked into the kitchen and, hanging on the roof, was another one of the crystal blooms, except this one was a dark blue where the other was red. ¡°I¡¯ll ask Aesthyra when she returns if she knows anything about it.¡± I mumbled ignoring the weird crystals. I deftly open the larder door with my tail and instead of the normally empty larder this one was full with all sorts of meats and other food. ¡°The crystals? I can write them off as dragon magi, But I can¡¯t ignore that someone came in and filled the pantry.¡± I replied. ¡°Azazel, come here!¡± I called wondering if the thing that filled the pantry was still around. It only took a few seconds before Azazel poked her head in wondering why I called. I told her to stay put as I searched the cave for any intruders. While I didn¡¯t find anyone but there was a crystal formation now in every room except the bathroom. Just as I was finishing I heard the dull thump of Aesthyra landing. ¡°Aesthyra, do you know what these large crystal things are?¡± I asked while entering the main chamber. ¡°I don¡¯t know, whenever they popped up at home mom would just break them complaining that they looked ugly.¡± Aesthyra replied as she examined the crystal formation. ¡°Did you ever notice them fill up the larder?¡± I asked wondering if they were connected. ¡°We didn¡¯t have one, mom likes fresh kills better.¡± Aesthyra replied, ¡°but I wouldn¡¯t worry about it, we¡¯ll just ask mom when she comes back in two weeks. ¡° I sighed while looking at the suspicious crystals and left them alone as Aesthyra and I went back to carving the tunnel between our two lairs. ¡°Hey bro, can you take me to the mage dude on top of the mountain?¡± Ryan asked right after we finished another section of tunnel. ¡°You know where he is?¡± I asked. ¡°My guess is that there aren¡¯t too many people living on top of the mountain¡­¡± Ryan replied looking at me with his eyebrow raised. ¡°I guess,¡± I replied as I noticed all the half melted stone sticking to my scales, ¡°but I need to wash off this rubble first.¡± ¡°Sure, I will be waiting in the kitchen.¡± Ryan replied. I left Ryan and headed to the bathing cavern. I entered the large cavern and was surprised to find that there was no new crystal formation in this room. Ignoring it, I quickly jumped into the small pool spraying the cool water across the floor. ¡°I really have to figure out a way to heat this large pool¡± I mumbled as the cold water hit my snout. I tried to scrub off all the liquefied stone off my scales with my claws but I quickly gave up on that and used my breath. I rinsed off the last few motes of dust and left the cavern. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. I dropped by Aesthyra¡¯s cavern and got her to look after Azazel while I took Ryan. I met up with my brother and carried him in my claws towards the roof of my home. ¡°So¡­ where is the mage guy we are looking for?¡± I asked my brother; flying over a sea of green sitting on the top of the mountain. ¡°Well crap¡­¡± Ryan shouted; holding on to my claws. ¡°Come on Ryan, where is the mage; I mean how many people live up here?¡± I teased as we glided over the forest. ¡°Ok! I get it.¡± Ryan snapped, ¡°Let¡¯s just head home before you drop me.¡± I turned towards home when the sound of a light thump reached my ears. Scanning the horizon I noticed a break in sea of green. ¡°Hold on, I have to answer an age old question.¡± I said as I twisted my serpentine body and wormed through the sky as I descended towards the break in the canopy. I watched another tree disappear below the canopy widening the hole. Loud cracks disturbing the peaceful forest, I snap my wings open as I plunged below the canopy. I narrowly dodged an ice spear that whizzed past my snout. My eyes snapped towards a wizened old elf, his white hair stood in stark contrast to the large brown bear cowering behind him. I could feel the elf gather magic; I leaped to side maneuvering Ryan¡¯s limp body between me and the insane elf. ¡°Stop!¡± I shouted. The elf froze in mid-sentence; the cowering bear dashed off from behind the elf and valiantly repositioned itself deeper into the forest. ¡°What?¡± the old elf asked; mana arced between us as I put Ryan down. ¡°Stop, I come in peace.¡± I said, holding up a claw. ¡°You can talk?¡± the old elf blinked, freezing in place. ¡°Of course I can what did you expect?¡± I snapped. ¡°I knew they were faking it¡± I caught him muttering; he stared me for a few seconds, ¡°Every other scaly piece of crap I¡¯ve met always wanted to eat me and my little Nibbles.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s Nibbles?¡± I asked eyeing the potentially crazy elf. ¡°Oh, he¡¯s the bear that¡­ took position behind me but it seems he¡­ strategically repositioned himself deeper in the woods.¡± The elf replied. ¡°Ok then, I was told you could help my brother with his magic problem.¡± I said, dragging Ryan¡¯s limp body into view. ¡°That is either the weirdest mutation I have ever seen or he was adopted.¡± The elf remarked. ¡°It¡¯s complicated.¡± I replied not wanting to get into that whole story again, ¡°Ryan was just treated for hypermanaosis,¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not often that people get romantically involved with a rock monster, but I don¡¯t judge.¡± the elf replied, ¡°It happens from time to time. So worry not I can make a mage out of just about anyone.¡± ¡°You think he did what with a what now?¡± I asked wondering what he is talking about. ¡°We all have our kinks. So don¡¯t worry young dragon, I¡¯ll tell you when you¡¯re older. ¡± the elf replied; he stood over Ryan checking him over. ¡°Good news, I can help your flirty friend here, but if he is having digestion issues there is nothing I can do.¡± The elf stated standing back up. ¡°So what needs to be done?¡± I asked. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll need a few things,¡± he replies, ¡°I need you to get him empty mana crystals, a magic staff, and a place to sleep.¡± ¡°Where should I meet you?¡± I asked noting what I needed to get. ¡°Right here¡¯s fine; my house was sorta taken over by dryads, so I was looking for some place new anyways.¡± The elf nonchalantly replied. ¡°Sound good¡­ my name is Fafnir by the way, I hope you can take care of Ryan.¡± I said; relieved that Ryan was going to be ok. ¡°The hell¡¯s a Ryan?¡± ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- as normal; mejinzs, rouge and i are mostly human so let us know if we missed anything and tell me what you think in the comments. PSS. would ryan do better as a wizard or a sorcerer... chapter 59 - - drop off -------------??? POV------------- ¡°Shardlord, we have received unexpected news from an Aggregate of guardians.¡± A shardling said, interrupting my meditation. ¡°Mis¡¯drasyn, what could be so important that you had to barge in here and interrupt me?¡± I pointedly asked, knowing the shardling¡¯s temperament. ¡°They have located Tanixathera¡¯s wyrmling, she was named Aesthyra, but there was another unknown wyrmling there as well.¡± The Mis¡¯drasyn blurted out. ¡°Wait, another wyrmling?¡± I exclaimed my mind racing at the implications of the unknown progenitor. ¡°Yes, he has taken the name Fafnir and is about the same age as Aesthyra.¡± Mis¡¯drasyn enthustaly replied. ¡°Could there be eggs hidden from the fall?¡± I mumbled, my shards shimmering with excitement. ¡°Mis¡¯drasyn, I need you send a message to the other Shardlords. Tell them that we need to meet.¡± ¡°Yes, Shardlord!¡± Mis¡¯drasyn replied, then ran out the door. ¡°We can¡¯t take a chance with this,¡± I thought to myself as I left my chamber, ¡°I need to expedite the moving process, we can¡¯t let any harm to come to these two.¡± -----------------------------------------------POV Fafnir--------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°Come on Ryan, man up! So what if you are being accused of¡­ geophilia, that sounds like the right word, by an oldman?¡± I chuckled. ¡°You need to learn some magic or else you¡¯ll get magic cancer.¡± ¡°But you don¡¯t have to live in the woods with some old crazy elf! Sure, becoming Merlin will be real fun but why can¡¯t I learn from somebody normal? I mean, is anybody normal in this universe?¡± Ryan huffed, packing food into a sack that looked like a feedbag. ¡°Calm down, I¡¯ll pick you up in a few days.¡± I said trying to placate my brother. ¡°Let¡¯s get you to that old guy so you don¡¯t die.¡± I watched as Ryan finished packing some dried meats. Ryan winced as my claws wrapped around him. I spread my wings and launched us into the azure sky. It only took a few minutes of flying before we arrived. I carefully landed in the improvised clearing, avoiding the cursed tree branches that like to try and rip my wings apart. ¡°If I ever get back home, I am going to make Mrs. Peterson¡¯s life a living hell. I never would have been dragged to a dimension filled with psychos if it wasn¡¯t for that accursed math test. ¡± Ryan grumbled as he picked himself up from the ground. ¡°Mrs. Peterson... the math teacher?¡± I asked, ¡°She wasn¡¯t that bad, just a little strict.¡± ¡°It¡¯s her fault that I¡¯m even here, so of course I am going to get revenge when I get home.¡± Ryan swore. I just backed away letting Ryan blow off some steam. ¡°Ryan, if it¡¯s anyone¡¯s fault it would be Alexandarax¡¯s because he accidently snagged you with us.¡± I reminded him. ¡°I can¡¯t go against a giant dragon-god-thing, but I can beat my math teacher.¡± He replied. It only took a few minutes before the old elf walked into the clearing accompanied by the same brown bear and what looked like a baby wyvern. ¡°Well look the Ryan and the dragon showed up¡± the old elf stated gleefully. ¡°Is that a wyvern?¡± I asked wondering why he had one with him. ¡°Yes, His name is lord Snaps, and this is Nibbles, my two brave companions.¡± The elf declared. ¡°Stupid long ear, crazy¡± the wyvern grumbled, ¡°still hungry.¡± ¡°Did the wyvern just talk?¡± I asked. ¡°Despite my best efforts Wyverns can¡¯t talk.¡± The old elf replied.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°Stupid long ear no understand.¡± The wyvern replied, ¡°I mostest smart nestmate.¡± I stared at the wyvern for a few seconds as I tried to comprehend what he was saying. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re the smartest of your clutch.¡± It stared at me with blank expression for a few seconds, ¡°You knows what saying?¡± ¡°Somehow¡­¡± I replied wondering what it was thinking. ¡°I join you rage?¡± the wyvern asked with a pitiful face. ¡°I guess¡­¡± I replied wondering what a rage was. ¡°Me be good rage-mate¡± the wyvern said jumping up and down. ¡°Who are you talking to?¡± Ryan asked. ¡°I am talking to the wyvern.¡± I nonchalantly replied. ¡°I knew I wasn¡¯t crazy, I knew lord snaps could talk!¡± The elf shouted. ¡°Ok, bye Ryan, see you in a few days.¡± I said and jumped into the sky followed by a small wyvern, ¡°I¡¯m not dealing with that level of crazy.¡± I chuckled. It only took me a few minutes to return home, with my new pet wyvern. ¡°Daddy, did you bring me a pet?¡± Azazel asked as she ran into the main cavern. ¡°No this is¡­ what is your name.¡± I asked ¡°I Niperax¡± the wyvern responded. ¡°This is Niperax he will be protecting you. I guess.¡± I replied not knowing what exactly a rage mate was. ¡°Your wyrmling?¡± Niperax asked studying Azazel. ¡°Yes she is my¡­ wyrmling.¡± I replied. ¡°I keep nest, wyrmling safe.¡± Niperax stated as well as I could tell. ¡°Fafnir, why did you bring a wyvern here, you know that they are stupid.¡± Aesthyra said as she left joined us. ¡°I no stupid.¡± Niperax retorted. ¡°Fafnir, did the wyvern just speak?¡± Aesthyra asked ¡°Yes it did.¡± I replied. ¡°Well, I stand corrected¡­¡± ¡°This mate?¡± Niperax asked. ¡°No!¡± Aesthyra and I simultaneously responded. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s play Niperax.¡± Azazel said as she dragged the wyvern into our cavern. ¡°Scared!¡± Niperax yelled as he left our view. A few days passed as we continued to work on the lair, when it was time to pick Ryan up. I flew to the clearing and found Ryan passed out next to the crazy elf. ¡°The dragon returns. I have great news; your adopted brother is officially a sorcerer.¡± The crazy elf announces as I land. ¡°That¡¯s good news¡± I replied, relieved that Ryan was out of danger for the moment. ¡°I only had to resurrect him 48 times.¡± He replied, ¡°The fastest of all my students that survived.¡± ¡°What do you mean by ¡®resurrect¡¯?¡± I asked, wondering what he did. ¡°I brought him back from the dead, what do you think I mean!¡± He replied. ¡°Oh, thank God you¡¯re back. Don¡¯t ever leave me with this psychotic elf ever again.¡± Ryan pleaded as he picked himself off the ground. ¡°What happened?¡± I growled at the elf. ¡°I awakened his draconic bloodline.¡± He states as if it was obvious. ¡°He doesn¡¯t have any draconic blood.¡± I replied. ¡°Well, apparently he does or he wouldn¡¯t have awoken as a sorcerer. I have seen people sleep with stranger things, right Ryan?¡± The elf retorted. ¡°Can I tell you what happened at home? I want to go far away, quickly.¡± Ryan pleaded as he eyed the elf. ¡°Sure, I will deal with the elf later.¡± I replied as I picked Ryan up and returned home. Chapter 60 – Ryan Tales ¡°Ryan, what happened with the elf?¡± I asked, sitting next to him, worried about his moping around for the last half an hour. ¡°Hell. Glorious hell¡± Ryan sighed as he picked himself up off the lair floor. ¡°Glorious hell?¡± I asked a bit confused. ¡°Yes, glorious hell: like that time I got the sugar mixed up with mom¡¯s meds.¡± He chuckled, ¡°Except with more death and less¡­ other stuff.¡± ¡°What did he do?¡± I growled, worried about my brother. ¡°Well¡± he said, grabbing a cup of wine that Therin kept in the larder, ¡° it started off with us traveling to a revine, me and the bear set up camp next just a stone throw from the gaping maw. I never would have guessed that a bear could set up a lean-to that quickly.¡± Ryan chuckled his face plastered with a large smile. ¡°Wait, so let me get this straight, you -and the bear- set up camp¡­ what was the elf doing.¡± I interrupted. ¡°He was killing off a group of flesh eating dryads.¡± Ryan replied before he began again. ¡°Anyways, after me and the bear setup camp, the elf said that it was time to begin training.¡± I watched Ryan shutter, ¡°He picked me up and threw me off the cliff yelling, ¡®be free my young not-dragon dragon.¡¯¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Yup, he threw me off a cliff and yelled at me. But that¡¯s not all, the best part is that I don¡¯t remember hitting the bottom. I just woke up back at the camp.¡± Ryan chuckled. ¡°OK, this might be a case of the pot calling the kettle black but that is ridiculous. How does throwing you off a cliff help you learn magic?¡± I inquired. ¡°I asked the same question. You want to know the answer?¡± Ryan chuckled. ¡°Yes¡­?¡± I hesitantly replied. ¡°Magic.¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°We spent the night at the ravine as I recovered from dying for the first time. The bear cooked a delicious stew while the elf was hunting the man eating dryad¡¯s tree.¡± He recounted. ¡°I ate the stew while the bear helped clean the sap off the elf. The next day was mostly spent throwing me down the ravine and hitting me with lighting.¡± ¡°So why didn¡¯t you want me to skin him alive?¡± I asked, my anger starting to boil at the abuse to my brother. ¡°Because I don¡¯t think any of it actually happened, I mean even though magic exists do you really think an elf would be able to resurrect me almost 50 times?¡± Ryan replied. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know¡­¡± I replied, his comment like a bucket of cold water. ¡°So like I was saying, we spent half the next day with me dying until something finally broke and I was able to redirect the lightning bolt with magic.¡± His smile almost giddy. It was more than creepy. ¡°Soon I will have my revenge on Mrs. Peterson.¡± ¡°Ok¡­ well so what else happened?¡± I asked deciding that this might not have been the best idea. ¡°Well, after I cast my first spell, he said we were going to expand my spell repertoire or something like that. So he started to show me various spells by chucking them at me.¡± He calmly replied. ¡°He cast all sorts of spells and I managed to figure out how he was doing it and in no time at all I was dishing out more than I was taking.¡± ¡°So you are a good sorcerer?¡± I asked stupefied. ¡°Yes. Check it out¡± he said. I could feel as he gathered the mana in himself, and, before I knew it, he had a large fireball above his hand. ¡°I guess you are safe ¡­¡± I started to say as my mind wandered. ¡°So, after I started to magically kick the behind of that old elf, the bear interrupted and served us dinner. Later that night the bear woke me and stared into my eyes.¡± Ryan said. ¡°After what seemed like an hour the bear sighed, ¡®Well I can¡¯t put this off much longer, it is only a matter of time before you get roped into the elf¡¯s curse as well. When your brother comes back you need to leave, or terrible things will happen. ¡®Like what?¡¯ I asked. The entire exchange freaked me out. The bear explained that the elf was cursed by none other than Steve, the god of normalcy, to constantly meet variants of every species. If you are not careful you will be dragged with him on his travels until either you die or a god takes you away.¡¯¡± ¡°Bro, though sometimes you act like you look, I am glad you are technically counted as a god, or else I would have been stuck with that insane elf for centuries.¡± Ryan said after downing another glass of wine. ¡°So let me get this straight, the elf is cursed to meet only variant creatures by the god of normalcy, who is named Steve, and you could only leave if a god helps you.¡± I asked, trying to figure out how a simple lesson turned into a web of crazy.¡± ¡°Yah, I mean how normal is it for a god to visit and take your friends away.¡± Ryan replied,turning red from all the alcohol. ¡°You know what, Ryan, we will talk about this later, also I am telling mom that you were drinking under age.¡± I started to chuckle as I lead him to his room Chapter 61- normal days

----------------------------------------Azazel POV------------------------------------- ¡°It¡¯s almost time to wake daddy up,¡± I excitedly whispered as I watched the beam of sunlight creep across the cavern floor. ¡°Only a little bit more and I can wake up daddy and have a good breakfast.¡± Just as the light hit the line I rushed into daddy¡¯s room, ¡°Daddy it¡¯s time to get up!¡± I shouted; hugging daddy¡¯s nose. ¡°Azazel, just two more hours.¡± Daddy mumbled in his sleepy voice as he does every morning. ¡°No daddy, you told me that I have to get you up no matter what because you need to finish making Aesthyra¡¯s home and I¡¯m hungry so it¡¯s time to get up.¡± I replied, trying to lift up Daddy¡¯s nose. I kept trying to push up when Daddy sighed, ¡°Ok I¡¯ll get up, go wake up Ryan and tell him it¡¯s his turn to cook.¡± ¡°Yay!,¡± I replied. I jumped off Daddy¡¯s hoard and ran to Uncle Ryan¡¯s room. I stopped just before I entered and tiptoed right up next to Uncle Ryan. Sneaking up I leaned over and just like every morning I yelled in uncle Ryan¡¯s ear, ¡°Uncle Ryan it¡¯s time to get up! And Daddy said it your turn to make breakfast.¡± ¡°Jesus!¡± Ryan swore as he bolted awake, ¡°Why do you do that every morning?¡± ¡°Because if I don¡¯t you won¡¯t get up and will miss breakfast making him grumpy all day.¡± I replied trying not to laugh at Uncle Ryan¡¯s silly face. I left after Uncle Ryan gave me the scary face that he always uses when he wants me to go away. I walked back to my room played with the blocks from daddy¡¯s home until Ryan finishes breakfast. I had just finished assaulting the castle I made when daddy called me for breakfast. I jumped up and headed to the kitchen. I quickly ate the omelet that Ryan made and headed back to my room to play. After a while I was bored and went to see if daddy was ready to take me to the lake. I walked over to the big hallway that connect daddy¡¯s lair to Aesthyra¡¯s lair. I was just about to enter when I heard Uncle Ryan shout a stream of bad words. I tiptoed over to Ryan¡¯s room and peeked around the corner and saw Uncle Ryan putting out a fire. ¡°Why is it whenever I try to make a new spell it''s always fire.¡± Ryan complained as he finished putting out another fire. I stood hidden by the mouth of the cavern as I watched Ryan sit down and cross his legs. I tried not to giggle as I watched Uncle Ryan make funny faces. I was just about to leave to find Daddy again when Ryan started to laugh. ¡°I¡¯ve done it, I¡¯ve finally done it, now all will fear the great Ryan sorcerer extraordinaire, Mrs, Peterson will tremble before my might and wish she never made that math test.¡± Ryan laughed in a funny way. I looked back around and there were three little fires flying around Ryan¡¯s head. ¡°Wow, Uncle Ryan, how did you do that?¡± I asked running to play with the lights; I took two steps when a loud boom shook the room and made me fall on my butt. I could feel my eyes start to be all wet as I tried not to cry. ¡°What happened?¡± Daddy said as he ran into the room. Daddy picked me up with his tail and let me hug him. ¡°My¡­ spell¡­ ex¡­¡± Uncle Ryan mumbled. ¡°Let me guess what happened,¡± Daddy said, ¡°you were practicing and started to role play an evil sorcerer, you cast a spell and Azazel saw you and wanted to play. You lost your concentration and the spell exploded, sound about right?¡±This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°Yes,¡± Ryan sighed, ¡°though, I will never admit that I was roleplaying.¡± ¡°Azazel,¡± Daddy said as he moved me away from his nose, ¡°did you interrupt Ryan when he was doing magic, even though you aren''t supposed to?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± I sniffed, ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Daddy looked at me for a few second before he sighed, ¡°Azazel, you should leave Ryan alone when he is practicing magic. didn¡¯t I tell you that we¡¯ll go and play after lunch and that you should play with your block till then?¡± ¡°Yes, but I wanted to go now,¡± I huffed. ¡°We¡¯re almost finished so we can go to the lake after lunch.¡± Daddy said as he let me hug his nose for a little bit longer. After we left Ryan¡¯s room we went to have a sand-witch but I still don¡¯t get why you want to put the yummy meat on bread. ¡°Fafnir¡­ Fafnir.¡± Uncle Ryan whispered as he quietly entered the kitchen where we were eating our sandwitch. ¡°Why are you whispering?¡± Daddy asked as he put his sand-witch down. ¡°The crazy dragon-mom turned the bathroom into a sauna and it¡¯s taking a nap in there.¡± Ryan said, while I tried to take some of the meat off daddy¡¯s sand-witch. ¡°Come on, you¡¯re a big bad sorcerer now, why are you afraid of Tanixathera¡­¡± Daddy said but then he made that funny face he makes when he is thinking, ¡°Scratch that, I could see why you would be afraid of her.¡± ¡°What is wrong with you, you are seriously more concerned about my fear of a crazy god-dragon-mother-thing than the massive boiling inferno in the bathroom.¡± Ryan groaned. ¡°When you put it that way I should probably go check on that¡± Daddy replied and stood up, ¡°Azazel, knowing tanix it might be a while, why don¡¯t you play a bit in your room and when I am finished we will head to the lake.¡± ¡°But Daddy!¡± I said wanting to go to the lake now so I have more time to swim. ¡°Azazel I¡¯ll be back before you know it.¡± Daddy said and left to go see Aesthyra¡¯s mommy. I walked back to my room, mad that we didn¡¯t get to go to the lake right now, and that I had to wait forever before he would be back. I heard a loud crash right before I go to my room. I rushed inside to see if my castle was ok and in the center of the room was the roof crystal thing broke all over the floor. ¡°Crystal thing, why did you fall and break?¡± I asked as I started to clean my room before daddy came in and says we can¡¯t go to the lake until I clean my room. I went and get the broom thing that Ryan likes a lot and started to gather the shiny crystals. As I was cleaning I saw an extra shiny one buried that was slightly glowing. I picked up my new glowing treasure and found two other of the glowly extra shiny crystals and put them in my pocket next to its sisters. I jumped as I heard someone say, ¡°Azazel, could you put me and my sister rocks down?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s there,¡± I said as I jumped into my blanket hoard. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, I just want you to put me back with all the other crystals¡± the voice said, I quickly dig out the three extra shiny glowy crystals and examined them for a few seconds, ¡°How are you talking, Daddy says that rocks can''t talk.¡± I said as I watched the rocks. ¡°And your Daddy¡¯s right, rocks can''t talk, but I am a crystal and not a rock so it¡¯s fine if I can talk.¡± The rock said, ¡°Now can you put me with my sister rocks so we can move back to the ceiling tonight?¡± ¡°But why would you want to be on the ceiling?¡± I asked wondering why it likes it up there. ¡°It is hard for me and my sister crystals to protect you if I am in your pocket so that is why I like the ceiling.¡± The crystal replied. ¡°Well then I can hold you and we can play, that way it will be easier to see me as I am closer.¡± I replied, ¡°Maybe we can even go to the lake.¡± ¡°We can play for a bit but then you have to promise to put me back with all the other crystals on the floor.¡± The crystal said. ¡°Fine, but you have to be my friend and play other times too. Uncle Therin says it¡¯s important to have friends,¡± I replied. ¡°Ok we can play other times just as long as you put me with the other crystals.¡± The crystal replied, ¡°by the way my name is Nar¡¯theradumo¡± ¡°Ok, Narthefoma, I¡¯m Azazel¡° I replied, smiling that I just made a new friend. chapter 62 - childs play ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-Azazel¡¯s POV¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Let¡¯s go play at the lake Tas¡¯Theragoma,¡± I said as I put my rock friend back into my pocket. ¡°Azazel, just call me shard, and you know that you need another person to go with you to the lake and it can¡¯t be Ryan.¡± Shard said in the same tone that Aunt Lilith uses when she reminds me of the rules. ¡°You¡¯re a person, so you can take me,¡± I said patting my pocket. ¡°No Azazel, I¡¯m sure your daddy would get mad if I take you to the lake as it would be very hard for me to watch you as I don¡¯t have eyes. How about we play a game that both your daddy and uncle Therin like to play?¡± shard said, making me wonder what kind of game. ¡°What sort of game?¡± I asked. ¡°It¡¯s called Chess,¡± Shard replied, ¡°so let¡¯s get a few of my crystal friends from the pile and I can set up the board and we can play.¡± ¡°Yes, I like new games! But I don¡¯t know how to chest¡­¡± I said worried that we wouldn¡¯t be able to play. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I can teach you. I have taught many other Crystallins.¡± Shard replied still in my pocket. ¡°Ok,¡± I headed over to the large pile of crystals, which I made, and picked the rocks that shard told me to. ¡°Now how about we go over to your hoard so you can sit down and I can make the pieces.¡± Shard said. I pulled my shiny rock friend from my pocket and walked over to my fluffy hoard and set shard down in front of his crystal friends. I then jumped into my soft blanket hoard and wiggled my way until I poofed out of the pile. ¡°Wow¡± I said as I watched shard¡¯s crystal friends start to fall apart. Forming little pieces that look horses and towers, and funny hats there was even two that were shaped like daddy, which look very important. ¡°Ok Azazel, let¡¯s play chess.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ªFafnir POV¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Thank God, Tanis is gone.¡± I sighed; right after she vanished. ¡°I have never seen mom so scary,¡± Aesthyra said as she rubbed her tail, ¡° I almost prefer aunt Tenabrexa, while she¡¯s crazy she¡¯s not as scary as mom.¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°I feel bad for you as I not even related to her, you must have it ten times worse.¡± I shuttered as I tried to forget the screams. ¡°We have two weeks to set up the wards to prevent her from coming back to our lair,¡± Aesthyra stated with a determined look in her eye, ¡°we must be able to fend her off, my tail can¡¯t take another one of her¡­ reeducations¡± ¡°Agreed,¡± I said wondering if we can somehow get Alexandarax to help us dragon proof our lair. ¡°We will start first thing tomorrow morning; I promised Azazel that I would take her to the lake today.¡± I suggested; heading towards the main cavern. ¡°Why can¡¯t you have Ryan take her, we really need to get started as I don¡¯t want to be caught rolling in my hoard,¡± Aesthyra said; following me. ¡°Didn¡¯t you clear all the trees in front of the lair for this very reason? I mean why else would you go through the hassle of all that tree removal you have been doing.¡± Aesthyra suggested as she followed me. ¡°Are we talking about the same Ryan?¡± I asked, thinking back to earlier this morning. ¡°Your brother is getting better.¡± Aesthyra sheepishly replied, ¡°I mean he can now do some magic and he should be more than capable of watching Azazel.¡± ¡°The same Ryan, who screams almost every night when he hears some new sound from the forest?¡± I asked. ¡°Come on give the guy a chance, we really need to get these wards up,¡± Aesthyra urged. ¡°No, not yet, when Ryan has killed something bigger than a fly, I might consider it, but right now he is too much of a wimp for me to trust him with that.¡± I replied as we finally entered the main cavern. ¡°Fine, I will start working while you take Azazel, just be quick!¡± Aesthyra snapped. She then turned around huffed as she walked back down the tunnel. Deciding not to chase an angry dragon, I walked over to Azazel¡¯s cavern. ¡°Azazel, what are you doing?¡± I asked, looking over the rather nice looking crystal chess set, that I don¡¯t ever remember owning. ¡°I am playing with Shard! She taught me how to play chess.¡± She replied as she moved what looked like a knight. ¡°Who is Shard?¡± I asked wondering who she was talking about. ¡°My rock friend,¡± she replied, before pausing, ¡°I¡¯m sorry crystal friend.¡± ¡°Well, it nice you found a friend, why don¡¯t you introduce me to her?¡± I asked, playing along with Azazel¡¯s little game. ¡°Ok!¡± she replied as she jumped out of her blanket hoard. She gently grabbed the large blue crystal which was sitting across from her, ¡°Daddy, this is Nar¡¯ferathoma but you can call her Shard. She said that she is not allowed to talk to you because the Shardlord would get mad, and she doesn¡¯t want the Shardlord to be mad at her.¡± ¡°Well, nice to meet you, Mrs. Shard, thank you for keeping Azazel company while I was busy meeting with Tanixathera. Where you two playing chess?¡± I asked playing along. ¡°Yes, Shard taught me how to play.¡± she replied with a large smile. ¡°Oh, who is winning?¡± I asked. ¡°Well Shard won the first two games,¡± she replied as she placed Shard back where it was sitting, ¡°but I won two games after the first two and I am about to win this game.¡± She replied as she moved what look like a king. ¡°Check.¡± ¡°Well, I am glad that you were having fun, why don¡¯t you tell your friend that you have to go now.¡± I replied smiling at how cute she¡¯s being. ¡°We can play later, after the lake. Don¡¯t move any of the pieces while I am gone.¡± Azazel said to the rock and ran to put on her makeshift swimsuit. ¡°I really need to find her a friend,¡± I grumbled while eying the chess board.