I followed Raathgur down a ladder into the massive metal structure that had lifted my ship out of the water. Having thought it would at least be dry on the inside, my foot immediately slipped on the first rung. Instead of the pain, I found myself caught in a strong set of arms.

Raathgur set me down on the ground and then glanced down at my bare feet. “In addition to tails … do your people not have water, either?”

I blushed, never really anticipating that the basics of my anatomy would ever be such a practical disadvantage. “I mean … we don’t live in it.” I wiggled my decidedly non-stick toes.

“What about rain?” Raathgur asked, seeming a little skeptical.

“Okay, well yeah, there’s that," I said, admittingly. "But we have umbrellas ... and special boots for when it rains … and we make the ground out of rough stone so that we don’t slip and fall.” The longer I went on, the more ridiculous my own words felt.

"That sounds ... very dry." Raathgur frowned and shook his head. “I’m truly sorry your kind must endure that.”

I tried to think up some form of protest to his sentiment. When I couldn't, I just sighed and said, “Yeah … me too,” finally accepting his condolences.

Raathgur lifted his coat to reveal the back of his second, lizard-like torso. “Climb on and use my coat to hide. We need to find you something to wear. Hopefully, the right attire will help in making a good impression with the Queen of the North Arch.”

Trusting him ... a surprising amount ... I took a backwards seat on Raathgur’s lizard body, leaning my own back against his elven one. I then lifted my legs and covered myself with his lock coattails. Unable to help but feel the firmness of his muscles, despite any effort not to take advantage of the situation.

Raathgur finally opened a hatch door.

When he did, a soft light filled the room. Of course, I could only see little bits of the place we had entered. Even so, I was immediately struck by how lavish this place was. Brass and gold adorned all I could see. And more than once I spotted mosaics in an array of aquas, golds, and pinks.

Also ... everything was dripping.

I had thought that the first room had been wet just because it was a hatch to the outside. But no, it was as if the entire indoor world had just been hosed down from top to bottom with sea-water.

The few other circle dragons I saw were ornately dressed–much like Raathgur, but notably without armor. Some in beautiful dresses and others in trim coats–all ornamented with shiny silver and gold buttons, zippers, and pins. With no clear divide along gender lines.

Soon enough, we reached a staircase and descended. Once we reached the bottom, we immediately seemed to hit a dead end.

For a moment, Raathgur fiddled audibly with some mechanical device. Then he proceeded forward, past a heavy door. This, Raathgur closed with his tail as he entered. We were now in a living space-complete with kitchen, an open bathroom, and what looked like a bedroom beyond a door barely cracked open.

Finally, Raathgur removed his coat and helped me to dismount with his pink tail. I took it in hand and finally stepped onto the smooth ground beneath us.

Immediately, my attention was drawn to an open window.

At some point, we had risen even further into the sky than before. I could see an infinite expanse of ocean as well as the island below. Even see a bit of the metal scaffolding that connected the rising city to the island like a ferris wheel.

"Quite the view," Raathgur said, though his eyes hadn't left me.

I looked out the window and nodded in agreement. "So ... your people have two cities?"

“Not exactly,” Raathgur said, stepping next to me to gesture at the island below. “The city below … it belongs to the tail-less. The … other half of our kind. They are not permitted to ascend the arch. Just as we are not allowed to descend. We are, in essence, two worlds-living in parallel.”

I furrowed my brow, not understanding but also not sure if I understood enough for even a full explanation to make much sense. I sighed and finally asked, “So, I will actually get to meet a Queen?”

Raathgur nodded but then put a hand on the back of his neck. “But first we must make your clothing presentable for this place."

I glanced over at a nearby mirror ... seeing in my reflection someone who had very clearly spent the last few weeks at sea.

"Fresh clothing is a must," Raathgur said, taking the frayed edge of my top in hand. "More than that, however, I’m concerned that the Queen will misinterpret your ... tail ... as a sign of disrespect. And I don't want to risk anything that would lose a courteous traveler her vessel.”

My tail flicked anxiously at this, and I had to brush my hand through it so that it would settle. Then I turned and said, "Or a courteous pirate?"

Raathgur smiled and began to fumble with some latches on a box. It seemed like a puzzle to open some sort of intricate lock. After a few seconds, he got it open. “Lost and found … from particularly rowdy union nights,” Raathgur said.

“What’s a union night?” I asked, suddenly a lot more curious.

Raathgur bit his lower lip for a moment and then said. “A great number of our people still have … carnal cravings for the tail-less. So, for one night per cycle, we circle dragons are permitted on the island.”

I nodded, finding the whole matter a bit odd.

Raathgur stood up with a pink circle dragon tail in hand, this one was made of cloth. It had an appendage at the base whose purpose I could pretty well guess. It ... wasn’t my first butt-plug tail rodeo. The fact that I was wearing it as a matter of formality, however, very much was.

As if to assuage any doubts, Raathgur added, “It is sanitized. If you would like, I can ... help you with it. Only if you would like me to, of course.”

I blushed and gave the smallest of nods.

Raathgur gave a slighter smile that I could not help but melt a little at. He reached for a glass bottle and poured a bit of what was in it onto the plug. He then put his hand onto my shoulder and guided me until I was leaning over one of his front reptilian knees.

I felt him lift my skirt before gently wiggling the plug in.

“That was … nice,” I said, a little dizzy, and then looked in the mirror. While not a perfect match to a circle-dragon's scorpion-like appearance, I did feel a little less out-of-place somehow.

“You don't seem as shocked as I might have expected. Do you ... happen to be a sorcerer?” Raathgur again gave the slightest mischievous smile at the question.

I raised my eyebrows, surprised that he had figured it out already.

Raathgur reached back into the box to retrieve a chastity device–gold, ornate, and with a small aqua gem dangling from it.

"You have sorcerers here?" I asked, taking it in hand.

"Of course," Raathgur said. "We study the writings left by Kavtagro, as I assume all people must. Hoping that his promised magic will return to the world."

Promised?

Return?

I almost said that there was ... very much magic in the world. But the way he spoke about it made it seem like sorcery was almost more like a ... kink-based religion? Either way, I decided that it would be best that my own magic be primed ... just in case things with the Queen went South.

So I nodded at the offered chastity cage. "Would ... you like to help me with this too?"

Raathgur gave a sure but controlled nod, took the device, and arranged me inside. He then began to softly stroke the underside of my girlstick–which of course began to strain against the metal keeping her confined.

"Thank you," I whispered through a shudder.

“We’re not ... quite finished,” Raathgur said, returning to the box. “We still need to pick out your clothing. Do you prefer exuberant or subdued?” He gestured at his rather masc outfit with his latter word

“... exuberant?” I asked, hoping I was using the right term for what I thought of as femme.

Raathgur nodded and knelt to take one of my feet. He studied it for a moment, tracing his hand along my skin. “They are ... appealing … but we’ll need to modify the stockings.”

Raathgur retrieved some cloth and a pair of scissors. He cut out the elongated toes meant for giant reptilians and then helped me put them on.

Raathgur then retrieved a bra. Normally, I would have forgone this part of the outfit. But since it was to make a good impression, and because I was absolutely swimming at being pampered and dressed like this, I allowed him to put it on me.

Sure enough, it lifted my considerable chest to give the illusion of weightlessness.

Then came the corset. This was perhaps the least enjoyable part of the process, but I couldn’t argue with results, especially when I glanced in the mirror to see an hourglass figure for the first time in my life.

Raathgur then fastened a matching posture collar to my neck–which forced my body into an elegant stance. Finally, Raathgur helped me to put on a gold-colored dress It was mid-sleeved with ruffles everywhere, an extravagant hoopskirt, and an open front to reveal my framed breasts.

Exuberant, indeed.

“The restroom is over there," Raathgur pointed to less robust door. "With a box of makeup should you wish to use it. Let me know what you think. Anything can be changed.”

I tried to nod, but the posture collar prevented that. So I just smiled and walked over to the bathroom.

Staring at my reflection once again, it was hard not to be excited. Sure, it wasn’t exactly comfortable–in fact, it was rather restricting. But it was the most elegant sort of bondage I’d ever seen. The dress opened up right below my navel so that the ornate chastity device poked out as a visible part of the ensemble. The remaining fabric fell to my sides, doing little to cover any part of my inner legs.

This was considered proper clothing for meeting with royalty? Already, I liked this island more than the first two I'd been to.

I began to put on some makeup for the first time since I’d arrived in this world. When I was finished, I exited the bathroom and did a spin for him.

“As beautiful as before, but I do love the effect,” Raathgur said, making me blush.

“Lilly ..." Tab said, a certain urgence growing in her tone. "Please, I need this. Just get over yourself and ask sexy lizard daddy to fuck you senseless.” Tab licked along the length of my ear, which did not help matters one bit.

Another shudder went through me, but all I could do was stare at him longingly.

Raathgur stared into my eyes with his characteristically subtle intensity. “Did you enjoy the process?” he asked, stepping closer so that I was now balancing with my hands on his chest.

I tried to nod, but again the posture collar kept my head still. So, I was forced to reply, “...yes.”

“Did you want to keep enjoying it a bit longer?” Raathgur asked, leaning his head in even closer to mine so that I could feel his breath. I noted that his body smelled like coconut butter. Of-fucking-course it did.

“Yes,” I replied, knees wobbly.

Raathgur smiled, reached into his leather jacket and pulled something out. It was a double-sided dildo with a hooked end. He lodged this between my breasts and said, “Hold onto this for me, will you, Miss Pirate?”

I nodded quickly

Raathgur gently pulled me by my chastity cage, leading to the bedroom. In actuality, the floor was more like an enormous padded mat filled with water. Raathgur stepped onto it–allowing his pink lizard body to sprawl along the length. Then he pulled me into his lap.

I straddled his body as his lips met mine. Until I finally broke away to kneel on the floor. Finally seeing what I was dealing with. I pressed my face into his vagina–situated just above where the elf-like part his body ceased and the lizard part began.

Raathgur then pulled my head back and retrieved the gold dildo he’d stored between my breasts. Hooking the curved end inside himself, Raathgur then turned me around, inserted the other end inside me, and began to thrust.

I let out gasps, my pleasure building.

My magic circulating.

Until I was screaming.