Lizard Troubles

Even with the knowledge of his nigh-invincibility, Ahsch still had to work through his terror at the sight of the massive, powerful beast. He watched the drake, and it watched him, a stalemate of caution rather than of being evenly-matched. The beast's black eyes swept over the hrafthi, who wracked his brain trying to remember what little he'd learned about drakes. This one's rust-colored scales were meaningless, like most drakes' scale color; the huge, shovel-like claws indicated it was a burrower; the pale, green-blue highlights...

I don't think that's a color I've ever heard of, Ahsch thought to himself. Electric-blue is lightning-aspected, minty-green is air-aspected, but this...

Even as that question played through the mage's mind, something else worried him, though he couldn't figure out what it was.

But on the bright side, he knew that drakes were territorial creatures, so the presence of this one precluded any other beasts from inhabiting the Canyon. Which was really good, because it meant that using magic wouldn't bring a whole swarm of other beasts down on his head. He quickly decided on Dollify; drakes weren't known for being particularly mana-sensitive, so it shouldn't notice him casting the Innate Spell, and even if the spell failed to overcome the drake, he would at least have an idea of how strong he'd need to make his attacks.

And, on the off chance that Dollify simply worked, then the fight would be over and he and Kira would be safe. He could still hear the girl limping away as quickly as she could, but the drake made no move to pursue her, Ahsch's defiance taking up the beast's attention.

Gathering his mana, the hrafthi prepared to cast Dollify, but before he began, he suddenly realized what the unknown anomaly that was worrying him was: the ambient mana of the Canyon was flowing in a very peculiar way - it was condensing around the drake!

Except, not really, Ahsch noted. Yes, the drake seems to be the epicenter of the mana flows, but the beast isn't absorbing the mana - it's simply consolidating around it. Although, the amorphous mass of mana seems to be feeding into the drake. But... I don't think it's some sort of beast Mana Generation Method. So then what...?

With a jolt, Ahsch realized that he wasn't paying attention to the present threat. But oddly, the drake hadn't taken advantage of the lapse. Which was beyond peculiar. The hrafthi stared harder at the beast, trying to puzzle out why it wasn't _doing _anything. And then another realization struck. The drake wasn't housing all that mana like a person, monster, or normal beast - it was made of mana.

Still on guard, the mage glanced down, seeing a small stone by his foot, which he kicked up at the drake. Ahsch held his breath as the stone arced up through the air...

And passed through the drake - or rather, the image of a drake - without pause, leaving ripples behind like a pebble would on the surface of a pond.

He stared for a long moment, then, slowly, he started laughing, quickly getting loud enough to draw Kira's attention as he laughed so hard he began to cry. He was starting to regain control of himself when the girl reached his side, giving him a bewildered look, which set him off again, even as he reached down and tossed another rock through the illusion.

The relief, the catharsis, of his laughter was infectious, and Kira soon joined him, the girl having to sit down before she fell on unsteady legs. Several minutes passed as the two celebrated their survival, and mocked their own fear of a fake, before they finally regained control of themselves, though for a while after, they would occasionally chuckle a little at random moments.

"How - heheh - how did you know?" Kira managed to ask.

The hrafthi explained what he had noticed during the tense standoff, which caused her to frown. "So, if the drake is an illusion, what's the danger of the Canyon?"

Ahsch frowned, the peered at the false drake in thought, examining the mana. "I'm not sure. Maybe something to do with the mana itself? There's so much here, after all."

Kira peered around as well, frowning. "But its not doing anything."

She was right, since aside from the drake illusion, the ambient mana of the Canyon was simply drifting around like normal. Even if they had a dozen adventurers, unless something would change at a certain number or...

He blinked. "Because we're not giving anything to react to," he said. He gestured his companion away. "Give me some space, I'm not sure what will happen here..." Once Kira had backed a few steps away, the mage thought for a moment more, then cast his simplest, smallest spell, Torch.

As the floating ball of light formed near his head, casting useless light in the daytime, Ahsch felt the trap that the Canyon held come active as his mana, foreign to the demesne, began to burn, and the bond between the mana which made up the torch and his [Mana Pool] being used as a vehicle for that burn to transfer to him. At the same time, the illusory drake became more hostile, crouching down in preparation to attack.

With a hiss of pain as something inside him began to burn, he canceled the spell. The burning and the aggressive behavior of the illusion both ceased. "It's a mana burn!" he said. "The entire Canyon probably causes mana burn, and it probably scales based on the size of the spell it can react to."

Kira's eyes widened. "So adventurers who come down here, clad in magic armor and casting massive attack spells..."

Ahsch nodded gravely. "They probably burn all their mana within seconds, and maybe even kill themselves from the damage it causes before they can even realize what's going on and stop it. And even if they did, if you were under attack by a Tier Four beast, you'd probably go all out, mana burn be damned."

The two were quiet for a few moments, imagining how all the previous expeditions to the Canyon must have ended, with adventurers unwittingly killing themselves with their own spells.

Shaking himself from the dark thoughts, Ahsch turned back towards the temple. "Makes you wonder what's so precious to be guarded by such an insidious trap."

Kira had a greedy grin. "Probably some kind of powerful artifact, or heaps of treasure!"

The hrafthi suppressed a frown. Sure, he hoped there was something good to be gained from this whole debacle, but his curiosity was stronger than his greed. Plus, he's prefer if there was knowledge within the temple; he was pretty well-set for power thanks to his whole reincarnation bullshit, and obscene riches wasn't a big motivator for him. Magical expertise held much more appeal than mere wealth.

With unspoken agreement, the two headed towards the structure, walking at a decent pace, as Kira's leg had continued to heal the whole time, and she now could move with only a moderate limp; amusingly, the drake illusion followed, letting out its predatory growls every once in a while, which the two ignored as best they could. Despite their good pace, they walked significantly further than they expected, the temple growing far larger than they thought it would as they neared, and the distance shrinking at a snail's pace.

Kira's enthusiasm was dampened by the delay. "This has to be another trick!" she spat.

"Spatial magic," Ahsch grumbled. "I think the whole Canyon's affected, since we 'reached' the end of the Canyon much sooner than we should have, given where we fell down here."

They kept walking, the temple looming in the near distance. That thing is going to be absurdly massive by the time we actually reach it, the hrafthi realized.

"Probably another way to make adventurers kill themselves," Kira growled.

"What?"

"They think it's close, a safe, defensible structure, to hide from that," a gesture back towards the following drake, "so then run, sprinting to reach it. But it takes ten times as long!" she screamed, "to reach than they think, so they exhaust themselves trying to get to safety."

"...I sort of hate whoever designed this place on principle," Ahsch said.

Eventually, they did reach the structure, and Ahsch found he was correct - it was obscenely huge. The door, which he initially thought was maybe about twice his height and half-again his 'wingspan,' was actually about twice his height in width and roughly six times his height tall. It did still appear to be carved of a single slab or strange, dark marble, and the light of the threshold still shone, neither from inside nor from the frame of the entryway.

"Who the fuck built this place, a giant?" Kira growled, glaring around at the massive structure. "And what's up with that light?"

"It's solid mana," Ahsch said, drawing the girl's glare onto himself. "There's so much raw mana packed so densely it's... bleeding over to the mundane side of things."

"Another trap?"

The hrafthi shook his head. "I don't think so. It's just... compressed mana. A door made entirely of magic." Carefully, he reached out a hand, feeling a bit of resistance as he touched the mana. A tingle spread throughout his whole body, rushing around almost like electricity. "Seems safe," he said.

Kira stepped through without another word, and, with a sigh, Ahsch followed.

...

He stood, but felt no pressure on his feet.

He breathed, but no air passed through his body.

Well now, one of you has potential, but the other is just an above-average human. How fascinating. droll.

He heard the bored, feminine voice, but no sound touched his ears.

He knew he was the former, and his companion was the latter.

Hmm... ahh, that's why you are so intriguing. That meddlesome cunt, sticking her nose where it doesn't belong. Though I should thank her, she brought me such an interesting specimen.

Not to mention you passed my test, little immortal, and without even knowing it either. That deserves a reward.

An image, more of an impression, was forming in his mind. A tall woman. Pale blue-green hair and eyes and lips, dusky skin. Horns. Long, pointed ears. Naked save the black scales which covered the ends of her limbs, her privates, and her throat and cheeks. Long, claw-like nails. A bored, haughty gaze on her regal face.

A massive dragon. Pale blue-green eyes and highlights on black scales. A rack of majestic horns. Wings that seemed as though they could encompass the sun. That same bored, haughty gaze.

That cunt ruined most of my options for rewards though. Immortality... power... even the gift of my blood would mix poorly with what you are, little immortal. Then I suppose I should simply look, and see what it is you desire.

And I should see what worth - if any - your companion has.

Something was in his mind, sifting through his memories, his thoughts.

A single huffed laugh.

Heh. I'll forgive your careless insult, for it matters not if mortals despise me - you being effectively immortal does not change the base nature of what you are, little immortal. And besides, it is indeed an insidious, clever trap I crafted, and I can tell you respect that. Respect and hate can coexist.

But my, such a nuisance your companion is. I suppose I'll just extinguish the human. Her thoughts are offensive without even looking at them, and I haven't the inclination to put her in her place.

Panic gripped him. She was his to protect. His responsibility.

No...!

...Oh?

More sifting through his mind.

How curious...

But I hardly see why you would object. She is rather annoying; even you think so.

Though I suppose her body is worth appreciating. It is no wonder you wish to possess her.

He saw it, her body. Lithe and lean. Pale, rosy skin. Golden hair. Thick, dark pink nipples on her generous, C-cup breasts. Her angular, aggressive face.

Wait... what...

Peculiar that you feel so protective of such a troublesome creature. In the face of what you have endured - and who I am - none could blame you for her ****. She's not your worshiper, nor your thrall, so you should feel no need to protect her.

Although... she could be both, it seems. And such a dynamic befits one such as her, and you, little immortal.

There was a purring, humming sound, a small laugh.

Little... godling.

He wondered why the voice called him that for a moment. Right, Object of Worship.

Then I suppose I'll make my reward threefold.

First, I won't extinguish the human. More's the pity, though it's only a passing inconvenience.

Secondly, I will bind her to you. I can see you desire her submission along with her body, and it is doubtful she would give either to you without a great deal of trouble. And having one of her position in your thrall will be a benefit to you in you silly little kingdom.

Finally, I will tweak that one part of your primary Mana Generation Method that you dislike. Though that is a game of balance, taking away a restriction means I must restrict it otherwise.

Hmm...

Ah, that should work. A limit I believe you - and your pets - will enjoy.

He felt another link form, access to an extradimensional mana pool, and an increase in the amount of mana he would generate over time. There was no mental link though.

Hmm... yes, you are a fascinating little godling... perhaps...

Yes, I believe I shall.

...

Be well, godling. I shall be keeping watch on you. I am eager to see what you do. What you become.

There was another purr of laughter.

Though I believe I already know the general flavor for your future domains. Yes, you will be a thoroughly distracting diversion at worst. And much, much more at best.

I will see you again.

Do not disappoint me.

...

Ahsch fell, collapsing at the threshold of the temple, fighting down nausea. Beside him, he could hear Kira coughing and wheezing.Finally getting control of his stomach, the hrafthi took a deep breath, his mind reviewing the alien experience. He froze, forgetting to breathe, when he realized that someone had been thralled to his Dominant's Tithe.

But who...?

"What the fuck..." Kira gasped.

"I... I think that was..."

That was Phashak, Master.

Ahsch felt his throat go dry. "So... Mahat says that was Phashak..."

The girl slowly turned to stare at him. "Pha-Phashak. The Dragon Goddess of Magic? _That _Phashak?"

He just nodded. "I'm inclined to believe her, given what just happened."

Kira frowned. "What do you mean? I was just... floating silently in a void for a few minutes, then felt a... presence. A... a massive presence. Then we got spat out here."

Ahsch blinked. "She didn't speak to you?"

A glare. "No. She spoke to you? What did she say?"

He thought for a moment. "Well... she said something about me having the potential to... uh... be a god? And she was thinking about killing you - for some reason, she really didn't like whatever you were thinking when we were in there. And I guess she..."

He trailed off when Kira crossed her arms, an unimpressed glare on her face. "Cut the bullshit."

Ahsch sighed. "Fine. According to her, I passed some sort of test - given that she apparently looked through our minds, I think she looked at our memories here and saw that I was the one to figure out the illusion and mana burn." The girl's face twitched, but she didn't say anything. "She's supposed to give me a reward for passing that test, but I... sort of already have most of the things she would give me, like the immortality. That's when she looked through our minds, and I guess something you were thinking was offensive to her, because she wanted to kill you." Now Kira was the one who looked offended, but she again didn't interrupt. "But as part of my 'reward' she didn't. She seemed... surprised that I cared at all... but you _are _my client, so you're my responsibility." He pointedly avoided mentioning that Phashak had shown him an image of the girl's naked body. "She seemed to think that only people who... okay, so, you know I have some... 'gifts,' I suppose."

"I'd call being rather unkillable and able to reincarnate more than gifts," Kira growled.

"Right. Well, another of my 'gifts' is that I can..." he sighed. "I can gain power from people worshiping me. Potentially to the level of a minor deity, I guess? So Phashak was surprised that I cared since you obviously don't. Worship me, that is"

There was a pause. "There was something else there, wasn't there."

Ahsch flinched. "...Yes. My Mana Generation Method... it draws power from others who... swear an oath of obedience to me. My 'thralls,' as they're called. Same thing with the worship, you're not my thrall, so she seemed to think I shouldn't care."

Another pause. Then Kira's glower deepened. "And?"

"So... fuck, she bound you to me. You obviously didn't make the oath, so I have no idea how she did it, but she's a goddess, so," the mage shrugged helplessly.

Surprisingly, rather than look murderous, Kira's eyes widened slightly, and... Is she... blushing?

With a cough, she looked away and gestured at the hrafthi. "There's more?"

Ahsch stared for a moment, then cleared her throat. "Uh... not much. Or, wait, she said she'd change how my Mana Generation Method worked...?" He reflexively recalled the System Description, even though he knew it was a memory and wouldn't change due to Phashak's 'tweaking.'

Just as he thought, it was exactly...

Wait, what?! The mage re-read the last paragraph carefully. _Wasn't that something about not having free will and needing to follow my commands! I thought she said she was getting rid of a restriction, not a 'benefit!' And that other part... she did say something about 'balancing it out,' but what the fuck kind of balance is that?!_

"What is it?" Kira snapped.

"Uh... okay, so it's always been that my Mana Generation Method... it removed my thralls' free will. Which is why I haven't tried to get any, my familiar being counted as one and already being insanely loyal by default, so I have mana, and I'm not interested in... Yeah. But now it... fuck. My thralls will keep their free will and individuality, but my commands are... well, they'll want to follow my commands..."

"...And?"

It was Ahsch's turn to glare at her. "How the fuck would you know if there's more?!"

"I can just tell. Now talk!"

Another long sigh from the hrafthi. "I... my thralls... cntrgsmwithoutmyprmshin," he quietly mumbled the last part, his face heating up.

"What?"

Ahsch closed his eyes. "My thralls... can't orgasm without my permission."