Slay the Dragon! Side Stories

[nicktaken]

Though delayed, her reply signified that she could hear him and had indeed been listening to him. That was very good. On the other hand, the words sent a chill through his curled up spine. "You don't sound sorry." He commented, if only out of spite, and flinched slightly when he felt her hand on top of him again. The way she said she couldn't do it even if she wanted to strongly implied that she didn't want to. Of course; she expended quite a bit of effort to swallow him at that size, ignoring his protests, already aware that she wouldn't be able to cough him up. He could hear her sighing on the outside. It didn't sound like a sigh of regret or disappointment, just contentment. She was quite happy to be keeping him where he was.

The gurgling of her stomach sounded like an alarm. Considering she had bothered to accommodate him slightly, by taking away the sense of pain and swallowing some air for him to breathe more comfortably, he was starting to think she might just want to keep him in her belly for a while. To teach him that lesson she mentioned. But evidently not, as her next couple of sentences sounded positively insane. "You can't be serious." He stuttered in disbelief. She said she was going to digest him completely nonchalantly, as if it was the most natural thing ever. Granted, she did mention eating other adventurers, but not like this.

"Please tell me you're joking!" Panic was starting to show in his voice as he felt a hot and somewhat viscous liquid start dripping down his body. He heard her words about becoming hers, 'body and soul', but he had the more pressing issue of not dying first. "How was I supposed to know you cared when you were being so dismissive of me most of that time?" It was a bit of a shot in the dark, but he would love any excuse if it could convince her. "Besides, did you not say before that eating someone alive would be too cruel? I know I messed up, but do I really deserve worse than the people who just attacked you? Please, give me a chance to make it up to you!" He pleaded, not sure what else he could say.

Even as he talked, he felt around in the dark for the two exits from the stomach, but that was entirely pointless. The muscle ring above was supposed to keep food - in this case him - inside the stomach. The one below was far too tight for him to fit through even if he could position himself. And he could not; whenever he tried to readjust himself he just slipped along her stomach walls as gravity commanded. Struggling otherwise proved about as effective: her stomach was so tight around him he could barely move at all. His only hope was Zerechia showing him mercy. A small hope, considering she seemed to be thoroughly enjoying his predicament, made evident by her satisfied sighs and her fingers running over him.

[DarkPinkie]

She patted her gut as she smirked only slightly unhinged. "But I am serious." She said in reply. Only for him to ask almost the same thing but with different words. "Nope, no joke. You are all mine." The way he kept shouting and making her repeating herself was starting to become annoying. She was sure she had given him plenty of oportunities to see that she cared. With how dismissing she was of others she did show she had an attachment to him. Granted he might just have not realized it. "Tut, you will not getting to me like that." She said in dismissal. Then he tried to use her own logic against herself. Rolling her eyes at that she couldn't help but think it was adorable. "It is cruel of they have to feel the digestion. The long drawn out and painful death. But for you it will be painless." She rebutted. She wouldn't want to cause him undue pain. "And for your information. I ate most of the ones attacking me. Those unruly brutes would have been eaten as well had I not needed to get rid of them quickly.

She was content to simply lay in the field as snow fell on top of her. She even usdd her bracelet to remove her clothes and simply feel the relaxing sensation of the cool water crystals against her body. All around her the snow melted as soon as it touched the warmer ground, but on her body it would stay long enough to start a buildup. After a while of simply laying there rubbing her gut she eventually started to wonder why Kilian had gone quiet. Burping a bit and then swallowing new fresh air she looked at the gut. "So no more begging for your life? No more disbelief in my actions?" She shook her head as she looked up at the falling snow above her. "For someone who came before a dragon you are surprisingly cowardly." She had hoped he had more curage than was he was showing right now. But then again, there is a difference with being curageous and suicidal.

A deep gurgle of her stomach caused her to sigh. It seems her stomach was well on the way towards the process of melting him down. Soon he'd pass and she'll have to use her magic to keep his essence with her. She didn't want him to leave her just yet. Not until she had regained enough magic to make him a body. "Don't worry little Kilian. You won't die here. I'm just going to keep you with me for a while." She said softly as she rubbed her gut with the slowly softening man inside of it. Her magic already being formed in order to be ready to seal his essence once he passes. So much work. She was seriously starting to wonder if she should just not bother. To let him melt and vanish forever. But in the end, she knew she was lonely. And he was the key to dealing with that lonelyness.

[nicktaken]

As he listened to her replies Kilian had to put in mental effort not to start whimpering. She just wasn't hearing him, not really. Still pushing her own line of thought as if it made good sense, as if it was perfectly natural, as if it was... well, she was a dragon. Despite having taken on a human appearance and speaking the same language, it was foolish of him to expect her to have the same values. Her mild ignorance of mortal customs almost seemed endearing in light of her true nature. Not anymore though. Now she just felt entirely alien. He almost couldn't believe that he was wondering about being more than just companions no more than a day ago, when he talked to that odd man. Who, thinking about it, was probably Casandra in disguise. What a dumb bitch. If she had just taken the time to explain how dragons really were, he'd have gladly helped her take this one down. In fact, simply not attempting to disrupt the blood magic might have been enough.

"How is not begging for my life cowardly!?" He sounded irritated and angry. Like she said, there was no pain, and he supposed that was a blessing. With him filling her up so much, it only took a little acid to thoroughly smear him in it and for it to start pooling beneath him. And even if she stayed mostly still, her stomach still contracted on its own bit, sloshing the digestive juices all over him. Her hand constantly rubbing over his form wasn't helping. Well, depending on one's point of view, it was helping a little. With the digestion, that is. Just because it didn't hurt didn't mean he was ignorant of what was happening. His body was feeling odd all over, and he was loosing feeling in parts of his legs that ended up mostly submerged. Apparently being virtually indestructible only applied when the damage was localized. It sort of made sense, much like the immovability part didn't apply if force was applied his torso or something.

"Shows what you know." He scoffed. "Do you really think pain is the worst part of dying? Oh sure, it sucks, except I'd have passed out from shock by now if I had pain. But no, instead I am stuck here, feeling my body slowly disappear. Feeling myself gradually die. Try to imagine that for a moment." He growled softly, if only because he didn't have enough strength any longer. Like he just said, even if it didn't hurt, he could feel the cold embrace of death approaching. It was terrifying, but he resorted to his usual counter: hate. "You knew what you were doing from the start and you seem to be enjoying yourself. Would begging get me anywhere?" He was biting his tongue. He had plenty of choice words to share with her. About how he felt betrayed after finally finding someone he thought he could trust, at least as an ally. About how hypocritical it was, literally killing him because he had the gall to get scared when she almost killed him. About how he considered her a heartless monster.

But he was staying silent while her stomach gurgled all around him. Kilian was betting on what she said before, about making him a new body. He wasn't entirely sure what all of that meant, but she probably knew what she was talking about. She was clearly insane, but not in the talking nonsense meaning. He couldn't escape on his own and she had no intention of letting him free. Actually, at this point, being coughed up alone wasn't going to save him. So if there was even the slightest chance that she'd be able to bring him back, somehow, he wasn't going to throw it away by making her angry. As he thought that, he felt part of his body give when her stomach contracted again. That was both disgusting and terrifying; it wouldn't be long now. He could feel himself fading. It was almost like falling asleep, except he was perfectly aware of it and couldn't jerk himself awake.

For a moment he wondered whether he might have agreed to this same thing if she had just asked him properly instead of being forceful. But he didn't have enough time to find the answer.

[DarkPinkie]

She just shook her head and shrugged. "You know I could feel you shift around in there, touching at the base of my throat. Trying to find escape rather than trying to reason with what you find unreasonable. But I amnot unreasonable." Shs simply sighed. His human lovics were really grating her. She wasn't in the mood to argue really. In fact she hadn't been in the mood for arguments for centuries. While getting some sleep really helped, she was still behind on her hibernation and it really showed.

"Do not lecture me about dying." She snapped at him. "I have been waiting for my death for two centuries. Would you rather I keep you from being harmed by the acids and have you starve to death instead? Or maybe you want me to snuff you out instantly. If you say the word I will do it." She snapped. She highly doubted he would agree to being killed in one messy instant. Wouldn't matter to her as she just finished her preparations. "I may have taken a bit of enjoyment out of it, but even if I did not still would have done this." She took a deep breath only to release it as a sigh. She was enjoying it, but then he had to go and ruin it. "No. Begging would not have helped." She was content with allowing him to simply digest now.

She could see him, or his life energy wavering inside of her. She was waiting for the very moment he passed or her preparation would have been in vain. She wished this would be relaxing but it wasn't really. Instead she was stressed from having to be constantly ready and the worries that she would miss it. He had been quiet for a while now, but he was still alive. But she knew any moment his spirit would leave and he would pass, but she would need to use her spell only seconds before he passes, not after. The energy he was exuding was starting to shift and fade that's when she let her spell go. She could feel the tug of her own essance as the released energy was latched on to hers. She smiled, feeling the rewards of her success. With a little burp she giggled. Well he wouldn't be needing the air anymore.

Standing up from the field being slowly covered in snow she brushed the flakes of ice off her skin. She'd need to digest the remains. With a shrug she picked up her enchanted bracelet and golden bag and started trecking back to where she had left their pack. No sense in leaving it behind. Once enough of her magic had returned she would transform back into her normal form and start flying over the sea. She would have to hurry. She could only keep his spirit with her for a week before the spell would fail and release it, but it would only take half that to fly over the ocean, but she was unsure how long the second spell would take, she hadn't exactly had the ability to practice it. Hopefully she would get it right on the first try. With her track record of first tries she was almost kind of worried.

The day passed as she picked her pack and simply walked out into the woods. Content to digest Kilians remains and use the energy to refuel her recouperation of magic.

The next morning she awoke with a start as a bit of flatulence escaped her rear. Sitting up she looked at the forest glen. Everything was covered in a couple of inches of white snow, it caused her to smile. How she had liked the snow in her youth. With a shrug she stood up. The sun was shining, probably going to start melting the white powder shortly. But she was brought back by the feeling of pressure in her rear. Finding a lone birch she leaned against it as she tried to relax and release his remains. "Urgh. You wanted out so badly yesterday, but today you refuse to leave?" She grunted as she pushed. Eventually after much efforts the waste started leaving her. The coils started building a sizable pile underneath her, filled with the ocassional visible bone fragment. Once done she smiled and looked at it. This small foot high pile was all that remained of Kilian's human body. But his spirit was still connected to hers. She could feel his disgust at her thoughts about it.

But that mattered little. She had to go collect her hoard and start flying, time was limited. Stepping away she used her magic to transform back to her draconic visage and took to the wing flying back towards her cave. Leaving the steaming pile behind in the slowly thawing snow.

- - - - -

Days later the dragoness found herself laying down on her hoard in the chamber she was provided. These dwarves really are hospitable. Part of it was probably because she was technically one of their dieties but scemantics.

Her focus was instead on the magic she was working with. She had carefully tried a couple of times and as normal had her magic explode in her face violently. But she was really feeling it this time. If she didn't well then Kilian would be dead and gone forever. She could feel her worry resonate in his essence, probably mirrored by the one most likely feeling the tug of the afterlife calling him. With her magic focused on the scale she had ripped out of her own forepaw just a week ago she was trying to bind his essence into the object and shape it to her will at the same time.

After almost an hour of focus, a near meditative state, she was rewarded with a bright light surrounding it. This made her happy as she knew failures didn't light up like this. Or well, they usually didn't. But after a few moments of most of her magic and half her life energy pouring into the rapidly transforming object she guided the essence of her short lived companion into the forming body.

In a quick flash the spell ended and the dragoness found herself staring at a tiny silver dragon. Barely any bigger than a hatchling. This wasn't what she had expected. She had expected a large, adult dragon. But thinking about it she supposed that this would be accurate towards his age. He was an adult human after all.

Leaning her head forward she looked him in the eye. "Hello there Kilian. I did promise you a new body, and dragons keep their promises. Sorry if it's a bit unexpected" She smiled. Well she had taken care of wyrmlings in the past, this was going to be a bit different, but overall this wouldn't be so bad. The dwarves would protect them from Casandra while she had all the time in thw world to spend with Kilian. With a sigh she let her head fall to the ground. "I'm a bit tired. Don't stray beyond this chamber or you may confuse our hosts. I rather not have to explain to them about you right now." With that she allowed her eyes to drift to a close as she fell asleep. Exhausted from the heavy use of magic. Her last thought before sleep took her was how she had expected a mate, but became a mother.

[nicktaken]

After hearing her retort Kilian knew exactly what he wanted to say: that she should have killed herself instead of him. But he held it in. He had to. No matter how much he hated the life he lead up to this point, no matter how suicidal going after a dragon was, he didn't want to die. He just wanted something different. A life worth living. She showed him a promise of such only to cruelly snatch it away. If that were the case, he would rather never have met Zerechia. But it was too late for regrets. He could not save himself, but he wasn't willing to die just so she could have some fun.

At one point his state of being changed. He had no more body to feel and his thoughts were not entirely there. Rather, he had trouble thinking of anything, but he was vaguely aware that he existed and he still felt... something. He could pick up on thoughts and sensations that did not originate from him. He could not make the connection in this state, but he knew he was supposed to dislike it, all of it. And that was exactly how he spent... however long it was, since he had no perception of time either. Then, something started changing again. He was being separated from this large something and moved elsewhere.

Understanding of what was came around the same time as he could hear a voice again. Starting down at him was a huge silver dragon. Zerechia, the name resonated hatred throughout his body. He meant to shout in anger and lunge at her, but instead he just stumbled and fell over. Getting up was difficult. His limbs didn't move as he expected them to, and his whole body felt unusual. He tried to look down at his hands only to realize that his neck was no longer just a connection between his head and body. No, it was prehensile, flexible and quite long. He understood what must have happened before he actually saw his own silvery paws. He felt sick. Of all things, she turned him into something he hated the most: a silver dragon.

Kilian dug his claws into the ground as he attempted to calm himself. Really, there was no reason to think she'd bring him back as human in the first place. He wasn't sure why he assumed that. But that wasn't secondary. He was human, not some dumb lizard. He didn't need hundreds of years to figure out obvious things. He was stronger than this. He could endure. If there was one thing humans had that no others could match them in, it was tenacity. He could handle this, and eventually, he would have his revenge.

But first he needed to get used to this new body. It didn't behave quite the same way he was used to, and his senses were a bit different. Especially the new one that he couldn't quite make heads or tails of. It mostly just showed him the damn dragon, but he couldn't figure out in what way. And while he was quite eager to get outside while she slept, if only to spite her, it wasn't going to do him any good. Not until he had a better grasp of this body. Killing her in her sleep sounded like a good idea, but he was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to manage. Even if he had the body of a dragon, he wasn't that much bigger than a human. His teeth weren't long enough to get through her scales even if he could pierce them. He'd have to figure something else out.

He lied down and sighed heavily, his breath leaving a trail of ice shards on the ground. Oh yeah, that was another thing he'd have to get used to. Much like Zerechia, he was going to be able to breathe ice and cast... He practically jumped up. Magic! He could feel magic around him again! No, forget again, he could feel it like never before! It was everywhere, flowing through the air, exuding from the dragon and himself, as well. With a familiar mental exercise that he almost missed, he began to gather it from the surroundings, instantly finding that he could just keep absorbing it with no ill side-effects. Quite unlike a human, which could only store so much before having to use it or suffering mana poisoning. Perhaps... perhaps there was something to being a dragon. His Gift was likely gone with his body, but while it did save him many times, he actually kind of hated it. He loved magic, and while it was Theodore who ruined his dreams of being a renowned wizard, it was the odd phenomenon that took his magic.

Kilian lied back down with a grin. His situation just got a whole lot more bearable. Like hell was he going to thank that damn lizard for it, though. No, he had better plans for her. He'd behave himself for a while, learning his limits and practicing in the meantime, and when the time was right... But he needed to stay wary. This body of his was her creation; there was no telling how much power she held over him. Even disregarding that, she was so much bigger that he wouldn't be able to face her without due preparation. Knowing the extent of her resilience was probably even more important than knowing what he could do. It was going to take time for sure. So for the time being, he just practiced moving around at different speeds and casting minor spells.

[DarkPinkie]

The dragoness didn't wake up until the next day having been completely exhausted from the spell. She was unsure whether losing half her lifespan had anything to do with it. Peering open her eyes she looked at Kilian already up and about and smiled. "Good morning little Kilian. I hope you are not finding your new body too adverse." She sighed. Once more was she reminded that her spell didn't end as planned. But what is done is done. Once she recouperated she could always use magic to make him bigger if she wanted too. "If it is any consolation, I want to say I am sorry." She sighed. "I was not quite in my right mind when I forced my will on you. I was stressed, tired, lonely, and hurt." She looked at him leaning her head down to be on an even height to him, hard to do given her head was easily larger than his entire body. But that should change in time.

Rising up and stretching her limbs she could feel her body wanting to go back to sleep. That hybernation would have to wait though, at least until Kilian was set in his new body. Their hosts would take care of him while she slept and perhaps she could also make Jarvan babysit. "I see thst you're moving around better today. Good. Come walk with me." She said as she ever so slowly started to walk out the carved entryway. Her slow pace was to make sure he was able to keep up.

As she stepped through the gate and into the society proper she could see the short and burly dwarves move about. This was the temple district. With each temple just an imaculate carved entryway into a massive perfectly carved chamber. The one they just left was such a chamber. She smiled as she looked at the dwarves pausing their daily rutines just to gawk at her, and stare in complete shock at the tiny dragon following her. "I really could grow used to this." She said smiling as she turned towards the largest and most immaculate door. "Come now Kilian. We have someone to meet." She carefully ushered him through the gateway.

[nicktaken]

Eventually Kilian got tired from getting used to his new body and readjusting himself to the feeling of having magic, especially since it was more than he ever did before, and went to sleep as well. He was one of the better students back at that magic academy, but it wasn't because of his power. Pedigree mattered for those things, and he was the son of an ordinary doctor and merchant, from a family of people who traditionally stayed away from magic. It was because one of his ancestors basically screwed the whole family over with some dark experiments. His father, the direct descendant, wasn't very happy about the boy's decision to become a wizard. But he was a father first and a followed of tradition second. Too bad things had turned out this way.

"Stop calling me little." He couldn't help the irritation in his voice. He wasn't sure he really wanted to, either. "I am an adult." Just because he couldn't resist her physically when she freaking ate and digested him alive didn't mean he was going to be very compliant otherwise. She had already brought him back to life somehow, even if a different species. While she had the strength to kill him once more, he doubted she would do so over a tantrum or two. Then again, it also meant she could do so again, except next time she decided to teach him a lesson she might not take away his feeling of pain. That was not a happy thought; perhaps it would be best to watch himself moving forward.

"Oh, don't worry about it. It wasn't like you nearly killed me by mistake and then decided to finish the job slowly. I certainly didn't feel stressed, hurt or betrayed. Not for a moment. Why would you even think otherwise?" Just because he wasn't going to be obviously defiant didn't mean he wasn't going to let loose a few snarky comments here and there. Following that he just shook his head, which with his neck this long and flexible was a much larger motion than it used to be, and sighed heavily. "Whatever. Let's go." He said, following after her. He didn't feel like talking to her. He didn't feel like doing anything to her other than ripping her throat and guts out, but he couldn't. For the time being he had to obey.

He had no idea where they were and he found that he didn't really care. This was an underground city of the dwarves, a place usually banned to all outsiders. There were probably exceptions, but most people who were allowed entry - which wasn't everyone - could only go as far as the Market Hall, where all business with outsiders took place. The dragons were clearly special. In fact, judging by the decor of this place and how the people around gawked at them, dragons weren't merely guests in this place. He didn't know much beyond that since he never really cared to find out. "So who are we meeting?" He asked, partly curious and partly pretending to cooperate with her. Learning about this place and her own self could be useful for when he would try to kill her.

[DarkPinkie]

At his outburst for being called little she simply raised an eyebrow. "I guess it was just old habit, but alright. I will refrain from calling you little." She smirked, that did not mean she could 't call him small, tiny or any other words of the same meaning. After all she remembered how much her siblings had hated her teasing them just like that. After all, by the time he was a proper threat to her hus human self would have been dead from old age several times over. By then she hoped he would have forgiven her for her rash actions.

"Im... Sorry." She was a bit confused by that outburst. But that didn't change the fact that she did that to him. She wanted to tell him she had needed time to prepare in order to make him a new body. But in the end she simply sighed. If anything it would only anger him more. Instead A visit to an old friend would most likely be better. Zerechia was at least happy that he chose to follow without any issue. That relieved her a bit, thankfull that he wasn't going to be difficult even if he does seem resentful.

Walking through the massive stone corridors she basked in the attention. Perhaps it would have been aiser to go here after finding out that she couldn't revive her sister. The attention and amazing treatment by the hosts would have maybe made herself feel a bit better. Maybe. As Kilian asked about where they were going she was already about to pass through the gateway to their destination. One very similar to the one they left from, only much more decorated. "We're just going to go meet an old friend of mine." She said with a small smile as they entered into the chamber. She could really use the old sage's advice on the matter of Kilian.

Once inside there was a small tunnel which opened up into a massive chamber which was a lot more natural than the carved stone room that the two of them stayed in. The whole stone room have been worked on to turn the once natural cave into a wonder of art and stonecraft. Not a single part of the walls were undecorated, even the stalagtites and stalagmites of the chamber was carved into intricate scenes of dragons perched on cliffs or other similar art pieces. In the center of the room was the largest pile of gold and valuables which would make even the richest of kings and emperors envious of the literal mountain of gold. The pile was so massive that Zerechia's own pile was almost nothing in comparison. From a round opening in the roof of the chamber light streamed down causing the entire pile to shimmer and glitter.

Half perched and half burried in the top of the pile was the one Zerechia had come to meet. A dragon whose golden scales almost perfectly hides him in the large pile. Upon their entrance the massive beast moved, causing large amounts of gold and gemstones to be displaced from him standing up. As he stood up his immense size become instantly visible. In fact he is so large that he dwarfs even the massive Zerechia as she isn't even half the size he is. Then with his deep booming voice spoke something in the language that Kilian had heard Zerechia spoke before. Zerechia smiles and answers him as well. This caused the golden one to chuckle as he makes the move to get down from the pile and into proper conversation distance.

While her friend was making the move to get down from his pile Zerechia turned to Kilian spoke to him. "May I present to you Jarvan of the Shining Sun." She raised her wings to add more flare to the presentation, but it may have been lost on the former human. "Also, Jarvan speaks only draconic and Dwarven. He is far from as multilingual as I am." She still smiled a bit. "However I could translate for you if you wish. He gave me and my sister some pretty good advice." She offered him as the much larger dragon finished getting down from the gold and moved up to lay down of the cave floor making him seem at least a tiny bit smaller than his massive form makes him out to be.

[nicktaken]

He said nothing when she said she was sorry. As if a single apology was going to magically make everything better. As if anything would after what she had done to him. Sure, he was alive and as well as could be, he supposed, but was he even himself anymore? He didn't notice anything about his self changing from being turned into a dragon, but that didn't mean nothing changed. Technically she had digested and done away with him - that part stood out even in the state of relative consciousness he experienced when she bound his soul to her - and this was a completely different body. There was none of his old self in it, so he was no longer himself at all. Was his mind the same? Or was he a completely different entity that inherited the memories of a dead man known as Kilian?

He desperately wanted to know the answer to those questions, but he wasn't going to find one himself and he didn't feel like asking the dragon. Even if she knew for certain, which he kind of doubted, he wouldn't believe her. Not that she had a reason to lie to him, but he had no trust to spare. Not after her betrayal, not after she pretended to be his friend and then killed him. Even if he was around to tell the tale. In all honesty, it was extremely confusing. Whatever happened, the end result was that he was very much alive, so in a sense she had done no wrong. But he felt nothing but rage whenever he thought back to her actions. And after he had done his best to help her. Casandra was right; he was but a toy for Zerechia. She played nice when she felt like it, broke him when her mood shifted, changed his life forever on a whim. He expected she would discard him as soon as she grew bored - and he had no intention of entertaining her in any way.

The splendor and riches all around them only irritated him further. Stupid dwarves, keeping so much gold lying around instead of putting it to use. Bringing it before overgrown lizards, of all creatures, and worshiping them. Any respect he used to have for the earnest and hardworking people was gone like a desert mirage. Nothing could make up for the sheer idiocy of this hidden side of their tradition. He was practically fuming when the huge pile of treasure suddenly started moving. It took him a moment to realize it was not the treasure itself, but a massive dragon halfway buried in it. Which begged the question, just how long did that dragon stay practically still to achieve such an effect? What useless and selfish creatures they were. He was pretty sure they must have threatened the dwarves into worshiping them, countless generations ago.

When this Jarvan rose, Kilian had to hold himself back in order to not hiss at him. This one was even larger than his murderer. Was she not an adult yet? That could sort of explain some things. Regardless, he regained his composure pretty quickly: his slight fear was quickly drowned out by hostility. "Why are you pretending to care about my opinion now?" He replied to her suggestion and snorted. "Do whatever." He proceeded to look as disinterested in their conversation as he possibly could. He didn't even have to act; he cared very little about what was said between two reptiles, especially in a language he didn't know.

[DarkPinkie]

The dragoness sighed when Kilian just rebutted her. She was trying to be nice to him but he is making it so very difficult. She frowned before looking at the gold dragon, a few words in draconic left her mouth. Barely any time at all passed when Jarvan answered after getting a quick look st Kilian causing Zerechia to stare at the gold dragon dumbfounded. That is until she looked down at Kilian and started laughing. "Oh, oh my. He say you should noy show such resentment towards your mother." The words was amusing her. Of course in a way she technically was his mother. His body was made from part of her own after all.

After once more getting a snarky remark she sighed and turned back to Jarvan and started speaking the rough dragon speech again. The reply she got riled her up it seemed as the two started arguing over something. In the end, Jarvan does not make so much as an angry face at Zerechia the entire time while the silver dragon was entering through a whole slew of emotions. In the end she sighed deeply, nodded, then looked at Kilian. "Alright. I know you are hurt. I know you feel like I betrayed you. And to be fair, I did betray you, and I betrayed myself. I told myself to be nice to the human sho had the sense to talk instead of drawing swords, to at least try to see what my sister saw in humans. In the end I failed." She looked down at the ground unaure if she wanted to say the next line.

"If you want to leave then go ahead." She said after a long pause of staring at the floor. "I do not ask for your pity, nor forgiveness." She looked at her own reflection in the backside of a silver tray from the large pile of gold. Taking a deep breath she summoned up her magic. She was really not sure about using this much magic this soon. "Here. I'll even turn you back into a human... Kind off." She said as she casted her transformation spell on Kilian. A flash of light later the human Kilian stood before her as she sighed in relief. Granted his body is not entirely human. More like her own humanoid body was, but at least he looks the way he did as a human.

With an exhausted sigh she gave Jarvan a small nod which he returned then she turned to move back to her own chamber. "I am tired. I need that hybernation that's centuries late. I guess this is goodbye then Kilian. I hope you take this second chance to find what you are looking for in life. At least you have plenty of time to search." She said giving him a small nos before leaving. As she walked towards the exit of the chamber she was draging her feet across the ground. Her every motion just screamed exhausion.

As Zerechia left Jarvan looks down at the human before him, giving him an expectant look before shrugging and crawling back up the side of his good pile, feeling content with ignoring the little one for now.

[nicktaken]

Kilian almost choked on his own tongue when she translated the other dragon's words for him. Or pretended to, anyway. "Mother?!" He was positively outraged by those words. "You killed me!" He accused her angrily, realizing how ridiculous it sounded the moment those words left his mouth. He was alive and well, even if not the same, so obviously she wasn't very successful. He could also be angry about an attempt on his life, but his death was a means to an end, not the purpose of her actions. He wanted very much to be mad at her, but he couldn't find a good reason to. She did this without asking his opinion, but would he actually be against it if she had asked?

He didn't have time to find an answer as the two older dragons seemed to start arguing. He didn't understand the language, but he could still understand tone and body language. Of course, these weren't people, but some things still applied. Seeing Zerechia on edge he took a few steps away from her. Whatever her intentions were, she could easily crush him by just taking a wrong step or swinging her tail around. He didn't want that to happen. Now that he had started introspection anger was taking a step back, and he started thinking more clearly. Which made him realize that perhaps he wasn't behaving in the best way possible, whatever his long term intentions may be.

"What good is an apology if you're only giving me one because you were told off?" He brushed her off again. It wasn't something he could get over so easily, no matter the circumstances. Perhaps it would be best to add something else. Like he needed time to forgive her, whether he had any intention of trying or not. Before he could think of something, however, she offered for him to leave. He couldn't quite believe his ears. Was she seriously suggesting that, after everything? There was a handful of resentful remarks he wanted to make, but that was in turn interrupted by her casting a spell to give him a human shape again. That wasn't exactly helpful in the current situation.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me." He hissed and resorted to the familiar gesture of curling his hands into fists. In the end he had no choice but to chase after Zerechia. He could figure out a spell to turn himself into a dragon again and back, but he was going to need time, and there were things he had to say before the damn dragon went into hibernation. He wasn't sure what it meant, exactly, but it sounded like she wasn't going to wake up any time soon.

"If I leave now, I will find that Casandra woman and come back here to kill you." Kilian informed her as a matter of fact. "What the hell did you do... any of this for? You offered... I'm still a wanted man, no longer being human isn't going to change that. And weren't... Why are you telling me to leave? You, you ate me, and you told me that was because you cared, not that it makes a damn lick of sense. But now you're just telling me to leave? Then why not just let me walk away in the first place? Are you stupid, or crazy, or what?" He was beginning to ramble, doing his best to ignore some of the dwarves they passed.

"I mean... What am I, even?" He finally cracked. "I'm not actually Kilian, am I? I'm just an organic construct imprinted with his memories, I think. I'm right, aren't I? That's why you want me gone. Because whatever you thought of that human, I'm not him. I'm just an imitation. You thought it would be good but you miscalculated, so you're not interested. I'm just an eyesore, a reminder of your mistake. So you just want me gone now." He let out a chuckle. "Just how selfish can you get?"

[DarkPinkie]

Zerechia remained resolute in her walk as he chased after her. His words hurt her deeply but she kept her head high and kept moving. That is until they reached the chamber and he asked whether she was stupid or crazy. Whipping her head around she looked down at him. "I have been unable to sleep for two hundred years. Even dragons have limits. I want to see how sane you are after staying awake for two centuries!" She snapped at him. She offered him to leave and yet he kept chasing after her. This both hurt her and made her glad, which confused her a lot. If only he wouldn't be so angry all the time.

Laying down on her pile of gold she looked at him. Seeing the man about to break down from existential crisis. She had seen it before, in herself actually. When she first learned to teleport she got a very similar existential crisis. In the end it didn't matter, she was herself and if she killed herself only to move really quickly then it is what it is. "Enough!" She shouted. Her voice boomed through the chamber. "You are the Kilian that came up to my cave for some misguided reason of collecting a bounty on my head. You are in a body made from parts of my own but you still have his memories and his spirit." She looked at the door as armed dwarves came running in. Probaby in response to her shout. Seeing them as they approached Kilian with their weapons drawn she sighed and made a dismissive claw motion. The dwarves was a bit confused at first but eventually left. Who were they to not listen to a goddess?

There simply was no way to please this man. Was he really so paranoid that he couldn't see that people really don't mean as much as he think they do. "Kilian. I gave you half of my life. If I didn't care about you I would have simply absorbed your essance into my own and lived on knowing you were a part of me. But instead I decided to give you half my life. Half my immesureably long life." Granted most dragons didn't die of old age, they let themselves die when they feel they have had enough of life. "You will be able to fly, In some time you will be powerful enough to buckle Valiria to it's knees in revenge for what it did to you. In time you may get strong enough to kill me. When you do I'll finally go tell my misguided sister in the afterlife how right I was and that it was her own damn fault she got killed for believing in mortals, and... And..." She couldn't even finish that sentence as she slumped down on the gold and started sobbing. Or at least the dragon equivalent of sobbing.

[nicktaken]

Much like before, reasoning just wasn't working with her. There was much he didn't understand and she didn't seem very interested in explaining it, even though he'd say she owed him at least that much after ending or at least irreversibly and greatly changing his life. This just wasn't making any sense. Her eating him did make her seem demented, but she wasn't acting insane prior to that or right now. Difficult yes, perhaps odd by human standards, but not really insane. As she had told him before, she wasn't unreasonable. Except for at that exact time when she was digesting him and acting like it was all for his sake. Perhaps she wasn't entirely wrong, but she sure skimmed on telling him how and why.

"You say that so easily." Kilian let out a short grim laugh. He noticed the dwarves with his new sense that seemed to point out every living creature in the vicinity, but payed them no mind. He'd deal with them if they started getting too subservient to their stupid idols. "That doesn't even..." He sighed heavily and sat down on the floor, not finding it as uncomfortable as he normally would have, considering his severe lack of clothing. It didn't seem like there was any point in arguing with Zerechia. Whether she knew exactly what she was talking about or had no idea, she certainly believed the former.

All his annoyance with her was gone when she explained what she did. For a while he just had nothing to say. Did she really do that? He didn't know her well enough to tell if she was lying or not, but at least she didn't clearly appear to be. What reason would she have to lie to him? If she wanted him to shut up, there were plenty of other ways for her to achieve that effect, some with more permanent results than others. Besides, if she had resurrected him and turned him into at least the likeness of a dragon, then... "Why would you do that? For someone like me..." He trailed off and walked closer to the dragon. The promise of power did sound good, but it wasn't the first thing on his mind.

"I'm sorry about your sister." He said quietly and put his arms onto the scales of her snout in an attempted embrace; one that would be impossible with her size. After that declaration and her clearly breaking down in front of him, he just couldn't remain mad at her. "I want to set the record straight. First, being trapped in your stomach was terrifying. You think life is not worth living and you might as well try fighting a dragon to go out with a bang, but that changes when you're facing imminent death. The worst life suddenly looks very appealing by comparison. Though I am alive now, I have vague impressions of being digested and left in a pile under a random tree. It's not something I can just get over within an hour." He wasn't sure what his voice sounded like at this point. It was still so hard to believe that she actually did those things to him, and yet here he was. Somehow in one piece, even if none of his original body was left. None of the scars, either, now that he thought about it.

"Second, you not saying what you actually wanted to was what got us here. When you told me you cared about me after you had swallowed me whole? That was news to me, because you didn't show it in your actions." He tried to speak as calmly and clearly as he could. He needed her to understand this, and so far their conversations never did seem to be on the same page. "Perhaps you thought you did, but I just met you. I had no frame of reference. I was convinced we were just companions with a common goal. Perhaps friends. But you don't give half your life to just a friend, do you?" That question needed no answer. "I highly doubt you actually want me to leave, so say that instead." He wasn't sure about anything, but one thing was clear, at least: Zerechia had somehow managed to fall for him. That or she was actually completely crazy despite appearing reasonable most of the time and really did give half her life away on a whim.

"Third, you're a huge ass. I mean, if I'm a dragon now, or half a dragon, or whatever... In any case, my previous human life just isn't very relevant any more, is it? I needed the bounty removed because it was my only hope of having a decent life. But now... It doesn't really matter, I think. Even if nobody knows the wanted human Kilian was eaten alive and is now fertilizing grass, it's just... not really relevant. It will not be nearly as much of a bother, and eventually, I'll just outlive it, won't I? So while this isn't exactly what we agreed on, you did keep your promise. And you gave me more than I ever asked for... even if I still have doubts whether I'm myself or a copy of myself... I mean, you know what I mean." He shook his head a bit. He was getting sidetracked and rambling again.

"The point I'm trying to make is, talking would have helped. Like it's helping right now. I was really scared and now I'm very confused about a number of things. I'm also mad that you forced this on me. And in no small part because something I've struggled with for years, you resolved more or less on a whim. Even if it cost you dearly." He paused and bit his lip. "But in the end, it will pass. Because now that I've had a chance to think about it and you explained yourself at least partially... I am grateful. I just wish you had done so first, so I could have made the choice myself. To be eaten by you, and to... Well, I can still make the choice to stay by your side." He forced a small smile. It was a bit overwhelming to think that he was grasping at straws, thinking he might as well do or die, and she gave him so much more than just his life back. A completely new life, which would have been better even if he remained human. "Just as long as I don't have to refer to you as mother." He added with a short chuckle. He supposed she could be due to a few technicalities of his current existence, but he wouldn't be able to see her as such. He didn't think that was her intention, either.

[DarkPinkie]

Sobbing the dragon simply noticed his action more by her senses picking up his position rather tha his embrace actually being felt against her snout. Well,not a lot at least, and that was only because of the extra density and strength of his new body. All it took for him to not hate her was for her to emotionally break down. The action was surprising but not unwelcome as she accepted the hug. She wanted to nod in confirmation when he told her he wanted to set the record straight, but didn't as even such a small action could be potentially hurtful to Kilian with his close proximity. It made her wonder if this was how her mother felt when raising herself and her sister. When he mentioned how scared he was being trapped in her stomach she let out a very quiet "Sorry." Her voice way meeker than a creature her size had any right to. The rest she listened to quietly before letting out a sigh. Her cool breath flowing across his body, which would make any mormal human shiver from the cold.

Hearing his second point she couldn't help but agree. She hadn't been exactly the most talkative of people. Especially not about her own feeling. Of course it all came down of her being afraid of getting close. She knew how that had ended for her sister. "I was afraid. I was afraid of becoming attached. Afraid of caring. I held you at arms distance just so that I would not get any closer. But when I hit you while under Casandras thrall it was the second worst moment in my life. I thought I had killed you back there. I was so afraid, and angry. With my anger I managed to chase the woman off but I was still so worried about you. When you woke up I was so very happy. It was also the moment I knew I failed to not grow close." She took a deep breath to replace lost air. "Which is why I snapped when you left. I am sorry." She sobbed again. "I do not want you to leave. I just want you to be happy, and if you think you are more happy away from me..." She sighed again. This was quite a one sided conversation. She had no real footing to talk back instead she simply had to take his words, even if they hurt.

She was about to do a rebuttal about being a dragon not a donkey when she realized it was an idiom. She did however correct him, sort of. "You are a dragon... I think?" She wasn't entirely sure about that herself. But the most likely is that because she used a piece of her own body that his new body is essentially a male version of her own, albeight a century and a half younger. His confusion about his whole body situation caused her to be rather surprised. It seemed he spent a lot more thought into the whole thing. Sure she did the same when she had realized just exactly how teleportation works but in the end she stopped worrying about it. But the way he kept going about it just shouted unfamiliary and confusion. In the end he simply decided to shelf the subject. A decision she would agree on.

Talking. That was his entire point? She couldn't find any fault in the logic with that. Yet she, the most socially awkard dragon being asked to talk openly was no small task. "Alright. I will try my best." She said as she cracked a weak smile at him. The least she could do was try. She actually chuckled as he cracked the joke about being his mother. "In a way I might just be. You do not have to call me a such, but you might not have much of a choice in being refered to as my son by others. At least if what the chatter of the dwarves was anything to go by." She added with a bit of a teasing tone at the end. "Personally I saw you more as mate material before... You know." She closed her eyes and concentrated for a moment as Kilian's body once more returned to being the human sized dragon. "This." She smiled. A few moments passed as she looked down at him. Then she thought of an idea. Closing her eyes again there was a much brighter flash once it passed the two dragons was looking eye to eye. While they were both in dragon bodies they now both were roughly human sized. "This might just make it a bit easier to talk and see eye to eye." She said with a chuckle.

[nicktaken]

Kilian couldn't say he was expecting much when he started talking, but it seemed to actually be working. Then again, it took her breaking down into tears until she was finally willing to listen and told him the one crucial detail that painted everything she did in a different light. He wasn't going to forgive her in an instant. In fact, knowing himself, he was going to be rather pissed for a while. But there was no way he could sincerely hate her after learning what she had really done. In fact, he hated her for killing him in such a cruel way, seemingly having so much fun with it. Unaware that she had been rather stressed about preserving his spirit, or whatever it was. Of course, his hatred felt misplaced the very moment he woke up. Even if he found himself in a different body that he was given no choice about, he was alive. He couldn't very well hate her for murdering him when he wasn't dead thanks to her, now could he? Even if he wasn't the same person, the current him was alive.

"Well, at least give me a warning next time, alright?" He sighed softly. She was being a lot more agreeable than before. Her breath enveloped most of his body and felt cool, but he noticed it was almost pleasant. Not that the rest of these deep caverns were very warm, he assumed. He really was no longer human. Just like Zerechia, he'd probably have a harder time dealing with heat from now on. As he listened on all he could do was bite his lip. If bringing him back at the cost of half her life wasn't a confession, then saying she wanted him to be happy definitely was. And it wasn't like he hated the idea that she had fallen in love with him, it was just that he didn't really feel the same. At least not presently. He had entertained the thought of becoming lovers, even if he never really expected it to go beyond fruitless daydreams, but this whole situation was going to take some getting used to.

"That's a bit... backwards, but I think I can accept that." He commented when she informed him of the reasoning for her actions. He had told her why he was leaving at the very start: because he was afraid she might kill him. Which sort of was exactly what she proceeded to do, and not just by accident. But that was in the past now. "Well, last time I tried to leave you ate me so I wouldn't be able to." He added quietly. It was scary in more ways than one, but once again, he was presently very much not eaten. He could keep guessing whether he was really Kilian or not forever, but it didn't change the fact he felt like himself still. And she seemed convinced he was the same person, as well, not just a copy. That had to count for something, right? And even if not, did it really matter anymore? Was the death of a man on the verge of committing suicide worth ruining this new life? Rhetorical question, of course, as the answer was obvious.

The sudden change of body caused by her magic caused him to stumble and fall over on his side. "That's very disorienting." He grumbled as he got back on his feet. Perhaps this was the best indication he was the same person: even if his body was that of a proper dragon now, he was having some trouble even walking around, like a baby. "I don't think size matters for talking." He commented on her idea, but he wasn't going to complain. Speaking to someone of a similar size was definitely more familiar for him. "There's not much left to discuss. I'm going to remain here and wait for you to wake up. We'll just have to see what happens then, won't we?" He attempted a smile, but he wasn't sure what actually came out since the face of a dragon was also dissimilar to that of a human.

There was one thing that bothered him about what she said, though. "Actually, you said you saw me as mate material before turning me into a dragon. Does that mean you no longer do?" He hoped his voice didn't sound disappointed or fearful as he asked that. He didn't feel quite the same way about Zerechia as she seemed to, but he was no less desperate for companionship. He didn't want to see her as his mother and he wouldn't be able to either way. If she saw herself as such, that would be just the worst. A sibling or just a friend he could work with, especially since it was going to take him time to adjust to dragon standards of beauty and find himself interested in mating with one. But mother would be too awkward.

[DarkPinkie]

She smiled as she looked at him stumbling about with the shift of his body. "Sorry." She said, elbeit not sounding sorry at all. After all his awkward movements was both funny and cute to her. Now that the two was standing at the same height her slow purposeful movements was much more pronounced. No longer was a tiny motion massive compared to herself. "I just thought it would make you a bit more comfortable with interaction. You are used to dealing with people your own size after all." She herself wasn't very used to talking to those smaller than her but she understood that's how things is. At least once Kilian started speaking dwarven and/or draconic it would become a bit less awkward. However the other thing he said caused her to raise an eyebrow. "I was about to go into hibernation. I may be asleep for over a century. Are you sure you want to stay here while I'm asleep for that long? If you do at least the dwarves will take well care of you. I am pretty sure you are now part of their pantheon." She used a claw to boop him on ths snout.

She was so lost in the mirth of thinking about him as a fledgling god that she was unprepared for the question. She stepped back a bit, tripping over a silver chalice and falling with her rump onto the pile of gold. She was quite unprepared for just exactly those coins pushed against her rear. "I um... You see Kilian, dragon mating rituals are a bit different than human ones. Usually we find a potential mate and we bind ourselves to them for eternity. Seeing as there is a lot less interaction between dragons than between humans such a decision will be hastily made." She sighed as she stood up and shook her butt to remove the gold coin lodged in her ass. "But even if it is hastily made a bound pair stay true and loyal to each other. That is if both agree with the binding to begin with." She walked up closer to Kilian. "While I still see you as a potential bindmate your current form does have some minor... Complications." She sighed as she looked over his body. "Would you want to mate someone who looked like this?" She asked once more using her transformation to give herself a human disguise. But unlike before her body was now that of a young child. Not older than three or four years. "Hey mizzer Kilianth, I wanth to have babies wiff you." She said as to lay it on thick. It didn't take long before she shuddered and transformed back into a dragoness. As she did she stumbled much like Kilian did earlier. "Okay... I think that is enough transformations for now. I am getting kind of woozy." She said as she planted her behind on the cold cave floor.

[nicktaken]

"True, but you're not people anyway." Kilian tried to shrug and almost lost his balance again. It was worth keeping in mind that some gestures did not translate well between different body shapes. He repeated the near falling over when she pressed a claw to his nose. He was not prepared for such familiarity. "Oh." He said when she informed him of the duration of a hibernation. That was significantly longer than he anticipated. About two orders of magnitude longer, in fact. "Well, that sounds awfully boring, but at least I'll have plenty of time to think, right?" He tried to crack a smile, but it came out weak. A hundred years was a really long time. He hadn't even been alive for half that long, and had memories of only about a quarter of that time. It may have been fine for dragons, but his mind was still very much that of a human. He just might go crazy in that amount of time if he were to be stuck in this place. Even in the whole of dwarven city.

"I don't see a problem with that." He said when she revealed dragons mated for life. That had always been his intention anyway, to fall in love, get married and live happily ever after, cheesy as that may sound. Not with her, with Evelyn, back when he still entertained such daydreams. As she proceeded to explain the problem with that he couldn't help but make an annoyed huff. It actually made him a little sick, but he supposed that was her intention. "But I'm an adult human." He protested, but he realized it made little difference. He couldn't picture himself doing anything with an adult in a child's body without feeling nauseous. "But that's... That's not fair!" He stomped with one of his front paws, also flapping his wings for the first time. That unintended and unfamiliar action distracted him for a few seconds, but he just continued after.

"Then what did you turn me into a dragon for? So I could be even more alone than before? I had no friends among humans, but at least there's a lot of them around. Dragons, though, you're the first one I've seen at any distance. And you just said it yourself, your kind doesn't even communicate much when they are able to..." He shook his head and cut himself off when he realized he was basically whining. Whatever the case, his situation was a lot better than it used to be. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before looking into her eyes. "Fine, then. One hundred years. I will return in one hundred years. Then I'll have you either accept me or eat me again, for good this time." He declared and touched his snout to hers, imitating a kiss among mortals. With those words he turned and started walking away as proudly as he could, considering he wasn't entirely used to this body yet.

That felt good. With that, he would have no regrets. He wasn't sure if he would be of the same mind on either of those matters once a century had passed, but that mattered little. This ultimatum was more for him than her, a long term goal for him to achieve. In the meantime... He could go see the world, as he had always wanted. He had the rare opportunity to see all parts of a dwarven city, among others. Speaking of which, he didn't know of any on Zalaria, the continent he was from, which meant this was either a hidden one or Zerechia took him to another continent in her belly, sort of. And while he wandered around at his leisure, he could seek a way to mature faster as a dragon for her. The magic at his disposal was already far beyond what any mortal mage could dream of, and it might only grow from here on out. He'd certainly be able to find a way. Between his training, passion for magic and near limitless energy, he would be able to achieve heights he never dreamed of. She was certainly correct that he'd be able to bring Valiria down to its knees, but at this point, thoughts of revenge seemed petty and laughable.

He emerged into the grand hall with a smile and managed to express his desire to talk to a dwarf who knew Commonspeak. There was much he could learn from them, and their language wasn't the biggest thing.

[DarkPinkie]

The dragoness sighed. She knew it was unfair, but it wasn't her fault. She thought the spell would turn him into a dragon her own age given that she used part of herself and spent half her life energy. That his new body appeared to be that of a wyrmling was a bit unusual. However it was a barrier she could overcome. The fact that she constantly felt tired and sluggish was not. After all, she ciuld just change one or both of their bodies to match the other's, but with all the stress and her depression eroding away it left a kind of fatigue that she was unsure how to deal with. She assumed it was because of her lack of proper hibernation, or even sleep, but she didn't want to leave him for thwt long.

"I didn't know." She said looking at a silver coin on the ground. "I thought you would get an adult body, but I guess you got to be a thirty year old wyrmling." Which wasn't all that surprising even if it was an unknown and unwanted turn lf events. Granted she knew he was human, he'd figure out a way to styme the lonelyness, there was always Jarvan to speak to when. "Fine." She said with an aura of finality. There was a lot she wanted to teach him about being a dragon that humans could only dream of. Of course while hibernations lasts a long time a dragon is not quite asleep while under it's effect. If she wants to she could end hers early just long enough to mitigate the effects of her delays, then wait until Kilian would reach a point were he'd need to enter one too. After all, hibernating next to one you trust must be much better than doing it alone. She was about to tell him this when she realized that he had already left.

Alone... The thought scared her. She had never hibernated alone. She had always done it next to her sister. The dragon hyperventilated slighty. A quick burst of magic and she was back to her normal size, which only helped the problem a little, if only because of how dizzy the beginning of magic exhausion was making her. Did she perhaps give him part of her magic too? In either case. He had given her a century. Laying down on the gold and rolling herself up she thought about it. She'd surprise him in a few decades by finding him. Then teach him about the ins and outs of being a dragon, as he'd probably only figure out a few things until then. But once again, he was a human, they have a tendency to figure things out faster than most other races. In a way it would be interesting to see how far Kilian had come in half a century. With that she would close her eyes. Zerechia would just have to see. Perhaps he would surprise her.

[DarkPinkie]

Spoiler: show

What Seven Headed Lizard? - Page 13
Point of deviation: viewtopic.php?f=23&t=45364&start=240#p2443721

Zerechia started worrying for Kilian a bit... Evelyn too she guessed... But even between them she knew fighting a seven headed hydra would be tough. They usually didn't live past nine heads in the wilds as their natural life span seems to end at around the time time they would grow their tenth. She knew because her sisters aunt had one with fifteen heads which was the black dragon's pride and joy. "You two sure you can handle that? I can..." She stopped mid sentence. There was something else. Something big and powerful but with an aura different to that of the undead. "Wait there is something else. I am going to try to identify it."

She was thinking of climbing down when a particularly strong wind started blowing. It caught her long hair and splayed it across the ssky. But she gave the wind no mind she was focused hard on the new aura. With it's size she was impressed that she hadn't seen it yet. Then she saw it, breaking it's way through the eastern gate of the town. "There's another one! Alive, with nine heads!" She shouted through her spell. Then she saw the direction it was heading, straight towards her. "It's comming right my w-" She started to message but got cut off by a loud gong. The chyme of the clock tower had startled her, thankfully the spell would not transfer the ear piercingly loud chime but only her startled cry. She had jumped from the startling and that knocked loose the clay roof tiles she had stood on. As she was about to tip over she had half a mind to say a sarcastic remark but instead she focused on finding a solution.

As she fell she drew her magic and formed it into the first thing she could think of that would break the fall. Wings. A flash of light later she had a pair of large silvery grey feathered wings. With a flap she was happy to feel herself slow down just a little, even if it made her start to spin out of control. The last thing she saw before everything turned black was the cobbled road rapidly aproaching her face in a weird arc like motion.

[nicktaken]

"I'd appreciate any..." He started answering, hopeful that her talking in his head also meant she could hear his response, but then she cut herself off. Something was wrong, and she let him know what exactly very quickly. Did the wizard responsible for this mess manage to get more than a single hydra under his control, which was already no small feat? Not to mention there was a good chance the creature was already dead by the time he found it. But no, Zerechia said the thing was alive, which meant it was there for other reasons. Perhaps looking for its lost kin? Whichever it was, that was bad news. Contrary to popular belief, simple undead weren't all that threatening. These weren't just shambling corpses, but neither were they under direct control of the necromancer or advanced enough to retain reasoning. They were simply mostly thoughtless and tough to kill riffraff. And hydra, though in its case it was probably significantly less of a threat than a living one: peasants were peasants, but wild beasts had instinct to fall back on. Unless they were animated corpses, that is.

"Zerechia? Zerechia!" He shouted into open space, hoping to hear her voice again after that cry that was inaudible to anyone but him.

"What happened?"

"Nothing good." He paused. There was no time to explain the situation to Evelyn, and besides, how strong was she really? But facing a nine-headed hydra on his own was about as stupid as doing the same with a dragon. The difference being that dragons were intelligent creatures that could be reasoned with, which was exactly what saved his skin before. "Do you have a weapon I can borrow?"

***

The creature was enraged. These puny two-legged things invaded its home and dared take away its kin. Cowards. But they failed to cover their tracks. The scent led it straight to their own homes, the place where the last traces of the young hydra could be found. It would make these critters pay dearly for what they had dared do. It would respond in kind, invade their home and slay their young ones. It was with this express purpose that the creature broke through their strange nests.

But at that point it had discovered something strange. This place barely had any two-legs. Instead it was full of things that looked and moved similar to them, but reeked of death and rot. No living creature was supposed to have such smells. This overwhelming aura confused it and made it completely lose track of the scent it was following before.

But then it felt something else. Something oddly familiar and yet completely new. A small being similar to the two-legs, yet different. And very, very ripe. The fragrance of magic coming off it was borderline intoxicating. It was often a sing that such creatures were to be avoided, but surely such a small one was no threat. It followed this smell and saw the odd creature fall from a fake rock. It wasn't sure why and how, but it mattered little. It was right there, so close, so defenseless. There was no reason to pass up such easy prey.

Following its instincts, the hydra headed straight for the hurt winged thing. There was no point in giving it a chance to recover and escape.

***

It wasn't like he couldn't see it before, but as he ran out into the square and finally saw the full scale of the monstrosity he was about to face, Kilian stopped in his tracks. His fingers clenched around the handle of the energy sword he 'borrowed' from Evelyn. She was unwilling for them to split up and even less so to give up her main means of offense, but he reminded her of the beatdown he already gave her and managed to convince her it made more sense to split their forces this way. Sure enough, when it came to single combat, he was stronger. His ability gave him a unique advantage and he was very aware of the exact extent of his abilities, whereas his ex seemed to still be getting used to the power of the soul enchants. But if he were completely honest, he wasn't sure the same applied when fighting monsters. The increased mobility her magical armor provided would certainly come in handy here. That said, this was the only way. He could tell she wasn't willing to face the nine-headed hydra alone, and he knew she would prioritize the safety of 'innocents' over Zerechia. In simpler terms, she would keep heading for that inn, with or without him. At least this way his odds were better, and she still had regular magic to fall back onto. Unlike living hydras, imperfect undead ones were not resistant to it.

All of those thoughts vanished in an instant when his eyes fell upon the small white figure the creature was looming over. "Zerechia!" He shouted and charged forward, trying to think of a plan on the go. But his worries were unnecessary: the hydra paid him no mind. Instead it decided to finish what it got distracted for: lunch. With a frightening speed, one of its heads jerked down, jaws open. It grabbed the motionless woman and raised its head just as rapidly, tossing her up slightly and opening its maw wide below. "Nooo!!" Kilian yelled as he watched the lightly dressed silver haired female disappear behind two rows of terrifying teeth. One of the beast's heads turned toward him, but the one from before just leaned up and backward a bit. The young man felt his heart freeze as he watched the clearly visible bulge that quickly slipped down one of the hydra's long necks and vanished into its torso.

"AHHHH!!" He let out an inhuman scream as he leaped forward, the enchanted sword in his hand losing its orderly shape and becoming a large chaotic rainbow mess of spikes protruding in every direction. He didn't even notice as some of those pierced the skin on his shoulder and chest. He didn't know how to use a sword properly, and even if he had, he probably wouldn't remember it in that moment. So he just swung it in a wide arc. The air seemed to groan beneath the violent magic that left strange trails of light behind it. The hydra had finally reacted to him, but it was too late. The energy spilled over from the weapon, slicing three necks apart at different angles and leaving plentiful wounds all over the creature. It roared and reared from the sudden attack.

"Give her back!" He growled at the beast, not that he expected it to understand him. Not that he planned on negotiating with it, either. He brought the sword up for another attack, but it groaned and shattered in his hands. He tripped and fell forward from the shockwave. He recovered quickly, but all that was left in his hand was a half destroyed hilt. And above him hung the several heads of a very angry hydra.