What's next?

Playing With Magic; Making New Friends

I galloped as fast as my four legs could carry me with the occasional PUSH with my wings to give me some extra momentum as I hurried back towards the camp where the sounds and smells of magic filled the air. Within the warm glow of the enchanted campfire I saw the anthro-wolf woman and demi-human teenager each in the midst of a seizure. Bonius and Sofiel were trying their best to use healing magic on the pair of escaped slaves, but from the smell of it, all they were doing was repairing the damage without treating the root cause of the malady. It was a war of attrition and the archmage and the fallen priestess were losing. "It is their Anduvian **** bindings, Andea's hold on someone is not something easily broken."The archmage said. Bonius's glance darted over at Sofiel for a second before he returned his eyes to me while his hands continued to work complex to form complex array theurgic symbols. "These two must have triggered a runaway protocol designed to **** them to find an Anduvian priest and receive purification." The mention of 'purification' made the aroma of fear wafting about Sofiel take on a sudden and dramatic pungency. "The only hope these two have is to remove the bindings. To do that, I require your assistance, my dragon." The arch mage said.
"Please, my dragon." Sofiel said. An ashen pallor overtaking her complexion. "Zatha and her daughter are good people. They were always kind to the orphans..." I placed my hand on Sofiel's shoulder before brushing the hair from her face.
<Dry your tears, my sweet Sofiel. There is no need to cry. Daddy's got this.> I reassured the girl before I opened a mind-channel with Bonius. <What do you need me to do?> I asked my archmage.
What came next was a cavalcade of diagrams for fluid motonic structures, dynamic compositions for theurgic arrays, and what I can best translate as multi-dimensional origami wave-harmonics. I let out a roar as what I thought might be the beginnings of a migraine began to form behind my eye. <UGGH! I have no idea what any of this means, speak dragon.> Bonius apologized and what followed was something that my brain could understand which I find impossible to translate into mortal parlance.

Magic is like many things and like nothing else. Dragons and mortals alike have struggled for millennia across countless worlds to find ways to explain magic to those born without mana sense. I am not going to succeed where others have failed.
But thinking back on that moment, newly hatched with a past life as a human still fresh, if a bit scrambled, in the forefront of my mind, the moment Bonius opened his thoughts to me and showed me what he needed me to do, I thought that it was like music. Bonius had a song, some of the parts of the song were familiar to me, portions of spells I knew like Stasis Field, Counter Spell, and with some rhythms that seemed similar to Summon Undead, for the most part though, this music was wild and new. The composition had a melody and harmonies and required that the two of us switch off who was singing each part depending on what the music required. It was a complex Working which Bonius later told me would have required a minimum of thirteen mortal magi of the highest caliber to pull off. Luckily, it is well established that dragons can, magically speaking, do the equivalent of sing with twelve throats.

What followed happened slowly, then all at once. Bonius and I built a complex moving structure of magic that folded back on itself around spacetime allowing effect and cause to become disjointed. At the climax of the Working the tactile illusions that appeared as the **** collars around Zatha and her daughter's necks shattered into motes of light. The sign of Andea began to burn between their breasts as the pair screamed in agony. Anduvian **** bindings are designed to be self-recasting, it is a trick that prevents something as simple as a counterspell from causing full scale **** revolt within their theocracy. Such magics require some sort of entity to craft and recast the spell. Isolating that entity is a challenge beyond the abilities of most mages, luckily for us, Bonius was not most mages. As soon as the ****-collars started to reappear around our patients' necks, the trap was sprung. The symbol of the goddess was bound within a runic circle before the divine brand disappeared. Though the burning had stopped, the two felt a new unpleasant sensation overtake them. Zatha and her daughter had needed help rolling onto their bellies so that they could wretch up the skittering spirits which had been infecting them. First the teenager, then her mother made violent vomiting noises before finally expelling the entities which had been feeding upon their souls.

"Catch them!" Bonius shouted. With a thought and a gesture both of the creatures were trapped inside of stasis fields. The things looked like gold plated crabs encrusted with gemstones. The things smelled like perfume that was so saccharine as to make me feel queasy.
"Are those what I think they are?" Ilithyia asked Bonius with a treble of fear leaking into her tone.
"Spell imps." Bonius confirmed. "In this particular case, Anduvian cherubs. Sapient magic spells designed to make sure that the non-humans obey Andea's **** codes." The archmage place the two imps inside of a pair of jars. I cut the stasis field and watched as the two beings went mad searching for a way out of their prison. "These tesseracts ought to hold them, at least until I can get them back to my lab for study."
Sofiel already on edge from seeing her friend in mortal peril began to scream and cry at the sight of the two magic constructs. "Shhh. Its okay sweetheart. Mommy is here. They cannot hurt you any more."
<Listen to your mother sweetie.> I said placing my hand on Sofiel's shoulder. I forwarded the message to all of my female companions. <That goes for all of you.> I reiterated.

The anthro-wolf woman rose to her feet and to my and everyone else's surprise began to change shape. The woman's fur began to flow and melt away as her bones softened and shifted around. The woman's form went from a half wolf half woman to that of a full on human woman with raven black hair down to her ass crack. Only her eyes, still the yellow of a lupine, gave away her inhuman nature. The woman let out a laugh of joy as her form began to shift once again. This time into that of a massive direwolf. The beast was nearly as large as I was bearing a ferocious array of teeth she showed us before and after letting out a great howl to the moons. the direwolf's cry echoed in the night for all to hear who had the ears for it.
<Congratulation!>
<Welcome to our forest!>
<Intruder! We see you hunting on our turf, we will rip your insides out.>
Were a small sample of the response howls that went up that night.
Zatha snarled at all of us before giving a growl to her daughter <Child, come.> The demi-human girl got on laid down on her mother's back and held onto her thick, black, fur coat. <Gratitude.> Zatha said before running off into the night.

After a long pregnant pause, I galloped after them. Finding their trail with my senses was easy, catching up to them even easier <Wait a minute, that is it?> I said once I had overtaken them. I had adjusted my size to be slightly smaller so that I could talk to the direwolf on a slightly more on her level. . Seems a little taciturn, don'tcha think?>
<What did you expect? That I spent the rest of my life licking your cloaca? Close my eyes while you **** me and my daughter? Well that is NOT happening. You dragons are all the same, thinking that you can do whatever you want with mortals like us.>
<Not exactly.> I said sheepishly. In truth, the last part of what she said ran true even then. Dragons are immortal beings composed of more magic than matter, much closer in kind to a god or demon than to a human or direwolf. Among the mortal races, elves were the only ones that did not instinctively feel more like pets than people, and at that time the elven races subsisted in a diminished existence, a pale shadow of their true selves before The Sundering. Indeed, Zatha was correct. I did think of all mortals regardless of their species the same way that humans think of animals. I loved my companions, just like most humans love their pets. The thing of it was, what I wanted from Zatha at the time was not to own her. <So, what is your plan? Where will you go?> I asked.
<Kaldgrim.> Zatha said. <My grandmother's pack was from there. I will find my people.>
 I snarked.
Zatha said.
<Do you know anything about sailing or were you planning on doing whore-work the whole voyage?> I asked.
<We will do whatever we have to to get home.> Zatha said.
<Okay. and say you do find a kindly sea captain going to Kaldgrim who does not put your daughter and you into **** bindings and sell you back to Anduvia to collect the premium they have on runaways. Say that you do get to Kaldgrim. Then what? It is a continent...> I showed Zatha images of my descent and the scale of the places she was talking about. <You could search for the rest of your life and never find them.>
<Why do you care, dragon?> Zatha asked snarling at me in an almost challenge. The direwolf took up a defensive posture.
 I said.
 The direwolf growled. <If you are going to **** your eggs into me, then get on with it. Stop playing these mind games.>
<They are not mind games. and will you stop it with all the talk about **** what is it with you and...>
Zatha showed me some of her memories. In her lifetime as a **** to the Anduvians, Zatha had spent a portion of her youth living as confessional attendant for the priestesses. Zatha would watch as the avatars of the divine feminine would be **** by the priests tasked with purifying them before they would discard their human forms and reveal their true nature. Zatha showed me what Andea's priests did with the physical embodiments of their goddess.
<The worst part was watching the same girls go through it every day. Every day they have to experience the horror of it all for the first time. Every day they discover the terrifying truth that the priests meant to make them pure are nothing more than monsters who revel in their defilement. Monsters who use their goddess as a camouflage so that the humans have no idea that they are even being preyed upon.> Zatha let out a whimper of sadness and grief.
 I said. 
<Don't say that you are sorry. They do not need your pity.> Zatha said snarling at me.

I looked at the young nubile inu girl riding in her mother's back. The girl smiled with her eyes closed, snuggled into her mother's thick fur coat. <Say you do find your pack. Will they accept her?> I asked. Zatha's tail went down. The direwolf let out a whimper. <She is more human than wolf.> The shapechanger admitted. <Fixed in a single form. Small, fragile.>
<Not exactly the sort of girl who thrives in the harsh northlands.> I said.
<What other choices are there?> Zatha asked with desperation leaking into her tone.
<Run/travel/join/ride with me.> I proposed. < Come with me as far as Yalehart. Once there, Bonius can arrange for your daughter's enrollment as a first year academy student along with the rest of the girls. She spend five years finding herself before she decides what she wants to do with an education from the best school in Andor.
<Once the girls are settled.> I continued. 
<You can fly all the way to Kaldgrim yourself?> Zatha asked incredulously.
<Fly all the way, maybe. Flying by day and swimming by night, definitely. It would take us two or three days depending on air and sea currents. Way faster than if you took a mortal ship. My route might be a long way around, but chances are it will get you where you want to go a lot quicker than if you tried using mortal means.> I answered her.
The direwolf gave me a sniff. Regardless of whether or not she was aware of it, I began to notice the subtle changes in the female's scent and affect. <What is the catch? I will owe you no favors, dragon. I am not about to owe you a debt only to have it collected by some warlord who wants to use me as cannon fodder.> Zatha said defiantly.
<The catch, as it were, is that while you choose to run with me, you acknowledge me as your Alpha/Chief/Leader/Dragon.> I said. <You are not bound, but this is my pack, that means you follow my lead.>
<And my daughter,? Will you...?>
Before Zatha could finish her question, I answered <She is a free woman and an innocent; she poses no challenge to me. Just like with you, I am not going to go sticking my eggs where they are not wanted without a challenge.>
 Zatha said. 
<You want to want them before some dragon starts a scrap with you that ends in babies?> I asked
<Exactly!> The direwolf said as she rubbed her body against mine. <Alright. I will run with you, for now. But remember, dragon. I am a free woman. I will come or go as I please.>
 I said.
Zatha gave me a growl that sounded like an invitation. We turned around and started trotting back towards the encampment.

I turned my attention to the nubile demi-human riding her mother's back. <And what is your name little one?> I asked her.
"I do not have a name. Everyone just calls me 'Zatha's-daughter' or '****'. My master said that my next owner would give me a name. Is that you?" the girl asked.
<No, I am not your owner.> I told her. <You are free now. That means that you own yourself.>
"Huh?" The girl said. "I don't understand. I am a demi-human. If I am not owned my a human, then my soul won't be able to get pulled up to Her in Heaven." The girl suddenly grew panicked. "Mommy, is Malgoroth going to eat my soul?"
<<<No!>>> We both answered her in unison.
<The scriptures are all lies sweetie.> Zatha said.
<Malgoroth does not eat souls.> I told the girl. <He does. Other things with them, but people only go to The Infernus for what they have done, never for who they are. As long as you treat people with kindness, charity, and respect, Malgoroth will not be able to put his hands on your soul. Dragon's honest truth.>
"If I own myself." The girl thought aloud. "Does that mean that I get to name myself?"
<Usually, your parents give you your name.> I said.
<You name her.> Zatha said to me. <The old howls say that receiving your name from one of the starborn is a great blessing.>
<In that case, how about...> I looked at the young raven haired girl with her fluffy ear and her happy tail and out of nowhere, draconic instinct kicked in and I said "Zelda." With my voice. The name twisted itself through higher and lower planes to fold into the shape of a magic spell. The spell infused the nubile Inu girl with its power. With my mana-enhanced senses I could see and smell the powers at work on the girl, slowly but methodically laying the groundwork within her body and spirit to form the biological and metaphysical systems required to perceive and manipulate mana.
"Zelda." The girl said experimentally. "Hello. My name is Zelda. Nice to meet you, I am Zelda." There was a long silence before Zelda declared. "I love it! Thank you, my dragon."
I patted Zelda on the shoulder before scratching Zatha behind the neck. <Let's not keep the bipeds waiting.> I said before picking up the pace. Zatha sped up and moved to overtake me. We raced through the darkness of the forest. The aroma of pheromones and desire filling the night as we made our way back to my awaiting companions.

We arrived back at camp. Sofiel hugged her friends with tears of joy. "Maid Sofiel. I have a name now! The dragon named me Zelda."
"That is wonderful sweetie." Sofiel said. "But you should not call me 'Maid' Sofiel, I am not a priestess anymore. I am. I don't know what I am anymore."
"You are Sofiel, My daughter." Azralynn said. "And you are going to become one of the most powerful mages in the world. That made Sofiel smile.

<We should leave.> I said as I placed my hand upon my egg and portalled the multi-tonne dragonite orb into my pocket dimension. <It is just a matter of time before more enemies arrive. I would rather be somewhere else when they do.> I turned my attention to the teal and orange dragons. <If you fly with me, then you do so as my followers/betas/subordinates/flyers.>

<We will go our own way.> Sundrop said.
<Good hunting to you.> I told them.
<That human.> Sundrop referred to the necromancer in chains. <Is it trained?>
<Mostly, why do you ask?> I inquired.
<Camouflage.> Sundrop said. <When I go into a mortal settlement alone or with my sibling, it causes a panic and we get attacked. But when I go with mom, she pretends that she has me in a **** binding and people leave us alone, some of them even give me treats. It is a good way to scope a town before a raid, or just to lie low since hunters do not attack dragons they believe are tamed/bound/domesticated/broken.> Sundrop said the last word with such a sneer. Though I knew that such things were possible academically, like all dragons I found the idea of being dominated by a mortal to be an incredulous notion.
<It will cost you another favor.> I said.
<Done.> I said.
After releasing the necromancer from her bindings, I informed her of her new role as a faux dragon tamer as I worked to ingrain my influence deeper into her mind. I wanted my first customers to be satisfied with my merchandise. By the time she mounted Sundrop, she was as devoted to serving dragons in general, her current owner in particular, and me above all others as if she were Ixtacotaki.

With the dragons gone, I turned my attention to my companions. <Are you ready to travel in style?>
"Style?" Ilithyia asked incredulously. "Excuse me, I don't meat to brag, but my daddy has one of the finest stables in The Republic. I have been flying since I was old enough to sit in a saddle, which is something that you are lacking. So when you say style. I fail to see..."
The blond noble's words were cut off as I grew to dwarf any creature any of them, save Bonius, had ever seen. I did not just grow in size, I also grew a flight cabin. An enormous hollow shell larger than some castles in this world sat on my back. I mutated my tail into an enormous escalator. <You were saying, my pet? Step aboard.> Iliythia was the first aboard, followed by Azralynn and Sofiel hand in hand. With Bonius taking up the rear all of my companions boarded the luxurious flight lounge I had grown for their comfort.
"Very art-deco. I love the wood paneling." Zynthia said as she sat down in the fur-lined chair.

The cabin had two floors with the downstairs being dominated by the lounge area and cargo holds while the upstairs was given over to bedrooms and a bathhouse. <Each of you has your own bedroom.> I informed them. <Azralynn, Zatha, I have made your rooms adjoined to Sofiel and Zelda respectively. >
"This is amazing." Bonius said. Marveling at the gas fire that burned in the middle of the room after having found the cold beer taps.
<You can enjoy the amenities after take off. For now, I suggest you all make your way to your rooms and strap yourselves in.> My guests found contouring futons in their rooms. As they laid down, my tentacles tightened snugly around them. Once my mortals were secure. I spread my wings and took to the skies. My companions felt themselves pressed into their seats as I accelerated towards a cruising speed of mach one point five.