Vyria_Durav

CW: Violence, death, implied attempt at sexual assault

We had another day still before the hunters could reach the lair, at the earliest. Onyx guided me through exercises that helped me get used to the differences between my old body and my new one. We talked about unimportant things as we passed the time. Onyx was keen to know more about what my life had been like (although I think she was also just curious what Maple had been up to the whole time) and I in turn was curious about her many adventures. She told me how she reunited with Maple after her transformation and how they rebuilt their friendship and later started dating in earnest. I wondered how Onyx could visit towns and cities without causing a fuss but she told me that there were a few tricks to disguise one’s draconic nature but that it was a little uncomfortable and also difficult to do when you were newly hatched.

“While the transformation of your human body is swift, there are other aspects that take time to develop fully. You can almost think of this like dragon puberty. How long it takes to complete the process varies but it is usually a few years or more. Sometime tomorrow, I’ll walk you through how to shift into your full dragon form and how to manifest your wings.” Onyx smirked as she spoke and I wondered if this might have to do with the surprises she mentioned. I was too excited to worry about it however.

I asked her how she was staying in contact with Maple as I had yet to see her leave the cave. She told me that they mostly exchanged letters via a secluded place just outside of Rivermist but that they had talked a few times via magical methods. I was curious about that as I didn’t know of any long distance communication spells and I asked her to teach me her secrets. She told me that she would in time but that it was dangerous at the moment since the Duke was able to eavesdrop through his court mages. I was a little disappointed but mostly because I was excited to talk to Maple and show her the real me.

As the day turned to night, Onyx led me to another part of the lair that contained a spiral stairway leading upwards. At the top was a hatch that opened to the surface, near the summit of the mountain. It was hidden in a cleft of rock covered in scraggly bushes. I felt the chill of the wind for a moment before my body adjusted, heat spreading from my core to keep me at a comfortable temperature. Another delightful perk of my transformation.

Onyx nudged my shoulder and pointed out past the peak. I gasped as I realized I could see all the way to Rivermist. The stars were shining brightly and the moon was full so I could pick out all the little details of the town from my temple to the library to even the hunter’s hall. The view was incredible and I felt overwhelmed at how beautiful it all was. Onyx teased me a bit as tears streamed down my face, my emotions much stronger and vibrant than before. We sat quietly for a time, simply enjoying the pleasant evening. After a while I yawned and stretched, the excitement of the day finally hitting me. We made our way back into the lair.

I stopped outside my room and turned to Onyx. “Thank you so much. For everything. I really cannot tell you how grateful I am and how happy I am to have met you.”

She gave me a knowing smile and wrapped me in a gentle hug. “Your joy is my joy and I am so glad I was able to be there for you. Rest well, Valora. I’ll see you in the morning.”

I entered my room and stripped down to my undergarments and wriggled beneath the covers of the bed. A delighted sigh escaped my lips as I enjoyed how wonderful the soft blankets felt on my smooth skin. It took me a little bit to find a comfortable sleeping position, my new tail making some positions awkward, but I finally curled up on my side in a nest of pillows. I smiled as I felt sleep take me. I dreamt of walking through town with Maple and Onyx as we shopped for various things, the details unimportant as I basked in the joy of spending time with my mothers as myself. Various townsfolk greeted me by my real name and wished me a good day. The dream only soured near the end when I tripped and smacked into Abel who looked at me with disgust.

I raised the lights in my room as I slowly got up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I grabbed some clothes from the wardrobe and made my way over to the bathroom to wash up. I caught myself staring at my reflection again with that goofy grin on my face.
“Good morning, Valora. It is a beautiful day and you are looking great!” I giggled as I spoke to myself, enjoying the sound of my own voice.

I strode into the main chamber wearing an outfit similar to the one Onyx had worn when we first met, though my half skirt lacked the armor hers did, and I wore some sturdy boots over my leggings. It felt a little strange to walk around with my shoulders and back bare, I had always worn clothing that tended to cover up as much skin as possible, but I no longer felt the need.

My dragon mother was dressed in typical adventurer garb, sturdy leathers and a short vest, and it made for an interesting contrast as she sang softly and busied herself with preparing breakfast. I quietly walked over to the cutting board and chopped the vegetables while she cracked the eggs and heated her iron slab. I caught myself humming along to her tune and she smiled at me when she noticed. We finished breakfast and put away the dishes before speaking.

“As much as I would love to spend the day teaching you more and working on some projects, I’m afraid our guests will be here soon. They wasted no time at all and will likely reach the entrance of the lair in an hour or two. I have some ideas on how I wish to greet them, but you are the one they hurt and I leave it up to you to decide how you wish to handle this.” Onyx’s face was calm and composed, showing none of the anger I’m sure she felt.

It was difficult to decide how I wanted to respond. Emotions swirled within me, happiness from finding myself and the transformation, sorrow that such an event was being followed by conflict, rage at the hunters who had tormented and abused me, so much rage that just kept burning and burning and growing and-

“Valora, are you ok?” Onyx’s arms were around me and she was rubbing her hand along my back. I seethed with anger like I had never felt before. My emotions were definitely much stronger and deeper since my realization and subsequent transformation but I was still shocked at how much had been buried within me.

Like a crack of thunder, my rage coalesced and transmuted into a cold fury. I would see what the hunters had to say. I would give them a chance to plead for my mercy. And I would judge them. I considered the potential reactions and what my options were. Unlike Onyx, my new body wasn’t much more suited for close combat than my old one was. But my magical reserves had increased by quite a bit and I could feel magic swirling around me, ambient magic that I had never considered tapping into but it called to me, the magic resonating with my own core. I had rarely used my magic for combat purposes, preferring to heal and create. But my unchained rage begged to be used and satisfied.

“I’m alright, Onyx. I am...dealing with how strong my emotions are now and how much thinking of the hunters affects me. I’m calm now.” I let out a deep breath and was surprised to see little arcs of lightning leave my mouth. “I wish to see how Abel and his gang approach this. Maybe they are worried about their poor little priest and are only trying to rescue me.” I let out a bitter laugh at this. “But I doubt it. Greed is likely all that is on Abel’s mind and his cronies will follow suit. I’ll let them measure out the rope they wish to hang themselves with and then I will respond in kind. Truthfully, the rage inside me wants to see them all broken and scattered before me, justice for the years they’ve tormented me. But the town needs them to keep the monsters at bay and doesn’t deserve that. But I don’t think the hunters will be turned aside. They want you dead, Onyx. The Duke promised great rewards for your head and they are foolish men.”

I looked up at Onyx as I pulled away from her. She had a pensive look on her face as she considered our options.

“Well, daughter, I can ease your mind about one thing. If it comes to wiping out the hunters, the town will not be in danger. This region has an abundance of monsters due to the stagnation of magic locally. I’m sure Maple was doing what she could to improve the flow of mana but a single mage is often not enough. With us here however, the number of monsters should dwindle to much more manageable levels. We can discuss the details later but rest assured that the town will be fine even if we destroy all the hunters.” Onyx understood my feelings in a way nobody else ever had and I loved her for it.

I nodded. “I’ll try to talk to them first. I can try wearing my old vestments over my outfit, they are large enough now and would go a ways towards proving who I am. But I’m unsure of how the hunters will react to the rest of me.” I gestured towards my horns and scales. “And I’d rather not test how quickly I heal now so I might borrow a little of your ritual ink and see if I can make some wards to blunt their arrows.”

“A good idea, your skin and scales will harden in response to physical trauma so a typical arrow is often a minor threat at best. But at least one of those hunters knows how to pierce dragon hide and I’m sure the rest took notice the last time they faced me. As far as your appearance goes, I can probably come up with a glamour in the time we have that will disguise your changes. However, I’ll need to know just how much of your changes you wish to hide.” Onyx set about grabbing various things from the kitchen and handed me a jar of ritual ink.

Her question was a good one. Just how much did I wish to hide from the hunters, at least for now? Was it wiser to show them the face of Sa-- my old self or should they meet Valora, albeit without the draconic aspects? The prospect of a glamour of my old self didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would but then again it would be in appearance only and my body would remain true. Still, I would have to tell the world who I am eventually and the hunters might respond better to a confident Valora than a meek priest they were used to pushing around.

I relayed my decision to Onyx and she guided me to a section of her library that contained useful combat magic including wards. She left me to handle my protections while she fetched components from her garden for the glamour. When she returned, I had drawn glyphs onto parchment with the ritual ink and prepared them with charges of my own magic. Onyx helped me apply them to my back and I felt a tingle as the ink transferred to my skin in the form of temporary tattoos. As we worked, Onyx gave me a brief lesson in how I could utilize the ambient mana I had noticed earlier to empower my magic and I tested a few of the concepts to find that doing so came naturally and melded with my casting style easily. I worried briefly that using ambient mana might drain the environment and cause problems but Onyx stated that using mana in this fashion was more akin to passing magic through a filter rather than burning it as fuel. The mana would return to the area but would be energized as a result of passing through me. I pondered the implications of this as she finished the glamour. I fetched my old vestments and chuckled a little at how baggy and large they were on me now.

Our preparations were complete and we spent the remaining time checking the glamour and going over our plans. I felt another brief surge of euphoria fill me when I saw the glamour in a mirror that Onyx summoned. It hid my draconic aspects and colored my hair and eyes to match my old self but even still I could see my face in that mirror. Not quite as striking perhaps as my true appearance but anyone looking at me would see a woman in the prime of her life, gray eyes shining and my hair gleaming like dark polished wood. I was ready.

We stepped out of the lair and looked down the mountain trail to the woods below. I could already pick out the faces of Abel and his men as they made their way towards us. Gent was there as well, an uneasy look on his face. He spotted us first and started to unsling his bow but halted when I held up a hand showing we were waiting to talk rather than fight. He looked confused to see me, recognizing my vestments but shocked to see the rest of me. Gent tapped Abel’s shoulder and leaned in close, filling him in on the situation.

The entrance to the lair was a cleft in the mountain but in front of it was a large flat space where the hunters gathered as they left the trail. All told, there were thirty or so men shuffling their feet in the noon sun and looking tired but prepared. Abel stepped forward, flanked by Otto and Henrik, and Gent close behind.

“We are here in the name of Duke Arent to challenge the dread wyrm that dares to infringe on his domain. You threaten the safety of the good town of Rivermist and we are empowered to discuss the terms of your withdrawal.” Abel delivered his speech in his usual booming voice but clearly was unhappy about the situation. He and his cronies gave no sign of recognizing or even noticing me, unlike Gent. Gent cleared his throat behind Abel and Abel sighed.

“We also wish to know what you have done with the town priest, Sarric. He was nowhere to be found after your last vicious attack and we would like to know what you’ve done with him.”

Onyx remained where she was, with her arms crossed and her tail still, as I stepped past her. I felt a mischievous urge and smiled as I spoke.

“Abel, it’s only been a week and you don’t even recognize me? I’m hurt! I thought we were such good friends.” I enjoyed how wonderful my voice sounded even when it took on a mocking tone. I put my hands on my hips and look him right in the eye with a stern expression.

Abel tilted his head and stared at my face, muttering to himself. His eyes roamed up and down, lingering for a rather unnerving while on my chest before meeting my eyes again. His cronies and the hunters overall whispered to each other, trying to make sense of the situation. Gent stared at nothing, his stance stiff and his jaw set.

Abel spoke again. “I don’t know what kind of trick you are trying to play, Ma’am, or what hold this dragon has over you but rest assured we will see you safely home, wherever that may be.” His oily words were delivered in a smug, patronizing tone. “But we also seek our priest, a valuable member of our expedition. We are fond of the lad you see and are worried for his safety, in fact the whole town is so worried they pitched in and offered a reward for his return.”

I snorted disbelievingly. The absolute nerve to try to lie right to my face. The fiery rage in me surged for a moment before subsiding as I steadied myself.

“That is rich, coming from you. Did you care about my safety when you left me stranded in the woods in the dead of night ten years ago? Or how about the time that you and Otto pelted me with rocks while mocking me after I wore my vestments for the first time? These same vestments in fact. Were you concerned about me when Henrik tossed me off a cliff and I nearly died? Did you care as I exhausted myself time and time again healing the victims of your little ‘games’, including your wife? Where was your fondness then?” I hurled my accusations at him, walking toward him and jabbing my finger into his chest with each venom filled utterance. I pulled out my holy symbol and waved it in his face, daring him to answer me.

His face was initially confused but as I went on it twisted into an angry leer. Gent turned his face away as Abel spoke. “So your true nature is revealed at last. I always knew something was wrong behind that pitiful face of yours. Not man enough to stand tall and strong with us, eh? Too weak to handle the pressure so you decided to give up and pretend to be a woman instead?” He turned towards his hunters with his arms outstretched. “Well, none of us are surprised, are we? Always knew Sarric was a little bitch and now he dolls himself up like one too.”

He turned back to me with a smile. “Don’t worry little priestess. We’ll free you from this dragon and then we can have some fun with you. I’m sure a girl like you is just dying to know the attention of a real man. We’ll have our sport and return you to the town but who knows in what condition you’ll be. Some of the men like to play a little rough with their pets, you know how it is. Boys will be boys.” The hunters all chuckled in amusement as Abel puffed himself up in front of me, trying to loom but failing. I snorted in amusement, glad that the glamour covered up the little puff of stormcloud.

“You always lacked imagination, Abel. Every problem boiled down to whether you can kill it, fuck it or ignore it. I’m not surprised. Let me clear a few things up however. The dragon, Onyx, isn’t holding me prisoner. She saved me. And I’m not pretending to be a woman, I am a woman. I always have been. I certainly have no interest in a pathetic man like you, if I had any interest in men to begin with. Gent, I see you hiding back there. Is this just ‘the lads having a bit of fun?’ Is this the order you’ve given your life to?”

Gent finally met my eyes and I was surprised at how dead they looked. “I don’t know who you are, witch, or why you speak to me in such a familiar manner. The young priest must have died because I see nothing of him before me. These men are here to put a stop to the dragon’s desecration of their homes and I see only one of its minions running its mouth like we should care.” He spit at my feet. No sign of the hunter who had treated me with respect and kindness remained. In the end, his heart was as rotten as the rest of them.

I looked at him for a moment longer and stepped back from him and Abel. I tore off my vestments and released the glamour. The crowd of hunters fell silent in shock as my tail slashed the ground in simmering rage. I felt my vision sharpen and my claws extend as I spoke again, little sparks of lightning escaping my lips.

“You face not one, but two dragons now. I wanted to give you all one last chance to be better men but you failed. Every last one of you is a rotten and pathetic excuse for a person. I have endured your abuse and your vitriol for my entire life. I’ve healed you as you tried to drive me to suicide. I told myself that it was worth it, to keep the town safe. But I lied. I was afraid of what you would do to me. You were right in one respect: Sarric was weak. But I’m not Sarric. You face Valora, daughter of Onyx and I am DONE BACKING DOWN FROM THE LIKES OF YOU!”

My roar took the hunters by surprise as they fumbled to ready their bows. I could feel Onyx gathering her power behind me as I stoked the flames of my core higher than they had ever burned. I pulled on the mana swirling around me and set the air ablaze around the hunters before they could scatter. I felt the wind rush past me as Onyx once again singled out Gent and crashed into him as he blocked with the spear he had readied instead of a bow.

Onyx grunted as the spear sliced her arm, its edge glimmering with the magic that Gent had imbued it with. But this did nothing to stop her fury as she tore into him with her claws, her tail pulling one of his legs from under him. I lost track of their struggle as I turned my attention towards my prey.

Too long had I suffered. Too long had I endured. The hunters cowered in terror while Abel loosed arrow after arrow at me, his voice hoarse as he tried to shame them into fighting. The arrows bounced off my skin as even still he disdained the use of magic and his ordinary arrows failed to even trigger my wards. Pathetic. I stalked towards him slowly, my hands gesturing as I wove spell after spell and the hunters were torn asunder by spears of lightning and dragged into the earth to be entombed. Otto and Henrik leaped at me together, their knives keen with Gent’s magic. I neutralized the magic in a single breath, my senses focused and my magic responding like never before. I was rage incarnate, a goddess among mere mortals. I grabbed their knives by the blades as they went to stab me, shattering the poorly maintained weapons into glittering shards. The mana around me responded to my will as I conjured water from air and drowned them with spheres of fluid spite. In what felt like no time at all, I stood before Abel and had my hands around his throat, his arms flailing at me ineffectually as I cut off his air.

I leaned in close to whisper in his ear. “This is how a dragon toys with her prey. You had your chance to back down but now I will have my justice.” My claws sunk into him and tore out his throat. Hot blood splashed against my face. I stood up straight and let my anger drain. I was free at last. Free to be me. And the town was free of their cruelty. Well, almost free. I turned to where Onyx and Gent had been fighting.

Gent was bleeding from wounds all over his body and he swayed from blood loss. Onyx was clearly toying with him, unharmed apart from a small scratch and she appeared to be watching me as she smashed him to the ground with her tail. She stepped on his chest, holding him down.

“This one is done. So much for the vaunted hunters of Rivermist. The Duke should have known this would be a slaughter.” She looked disappointed but unsurprised at how things had played out. Gent struggled uselessly beneath her, spewing curses at me as he tried to shift her. She got tired of his squirming and finally pushed down, shattering his ribs before piercing his heart with her tail. She walked towards me and grabbed my shoulders gently. “It's over, Valora. They won’t ever hurt you again. Are you alright?”

I collapsed into her arms, my rage gone and exhaustion in its place. I sobbed quietly into her shoulder, letting out all the pain I had kept bottled up for years. It was over. I felt her pick me up and carry me back to the lair as I passed out.