"Arland! I can see it! There, in the distance!" Nury called out.

Arland glanced skyward, to where Nury flew just over his head. He stood in his stirrups and looked out over the stretching grasslands as he crested a hill, "Aye, I see it too! Gelala, the capital of Devilwood Wilds!"

As they crested the hill, he sat back down, reining in his horse. Nury circled back and landed next to him, "Hey, why do they call it the Devilwood Wilds? It doesn't seem too devilish nor too wild, overall."

Arland smiled as he dismounted his horse, "It's quite simple, really. Devilwood because this whole land used to be demon territory. They started a war with Cheecia who pushed back. The demons ended up being pushed to just the northernmost area of this land. Then a civil war within Cheecia broke out, and the newly conquered human territory split off, forming the area. Originally, it was wild, due to the demons not caring to settle areas outside of their cities."

Nury folded her arms and tapped her chin, "Ah, so Devilwood due to the previous occupants being demons, and Wilds being a remnant of its previous iteration as a truly wild area."

"Pretty much. But don't be fooled, it's less wild now, but there's still plenty of danger for a careless adventurer. Let's stop here for lunch."

Nury opened her mouth to agree when another voice sounded out from the bushes to the side, "Yes, let's."

A man stepped out, dressed in furs and ragged leathers. His eyes were sunken and his face was haggard. He carried a bow and wore a quiver across his back. In his right hand, he held a knife. He slowly walked forward.

"What do you want?" Arland asked.

The man's face broke into a toothy grin, "You're on a journey, right? Take me along, and I won't tell."

"You're a criminal. We don't travel with your kind. I won't report you or take you in, but neither will we assist you."

The man's grin grew even wider, into an unsettling cheshire grin, "Oh, come now. We're all friends here, aren't we? No? Then don't consider it a request."

He let out a shrill whistle, which was followed by even more bandits stepping out of their various hiding spots.

Nury and Arland went back to back as Arland drew his sword and Nury's hands changed to claws.

"Oh, big man and a cute little lizard girl think they're a couple of badasses. Watch out men, she might bite. We wouldn't want that filth mouth slobbering on us, would we?"

Nury met his gaze with a smile of her own. She inhaled briefly and let out a small jet of flame that singed his beard and reduced his eyebrows to nothingness.

He reached up and patted his bare face, his grin gone. "Right. Okay, well, I'm sure she'll warm up to us in time."

He raised his knife.

Before it could fall, Arland was on him, slicing through his forearm. The knife fell to the ground, and the bandit clutched his arm, letting out a shrill scream.

Arland cut the scream short as his sword bit deep into the man's throat, turning the shrill sound into a faint gurgle as little air escaped by the flat of the blade.

Arland withdrew his steel and turned, "Who's next?"

The bandits all shared a look as they barely saw the man move. One of them stepped forward, "You're a swordmaster, I take it?"

Arland met his gaze, "Aye. What of it?"

"The second I've met in as many weeks. The first wasn't too impressive. She was slain by a horde of goblins. You're nothing special."

Arland felt an icy hand grip his heart as his mind raced, "Her name. What was her name, bandit?"

The bandit tapped his chin, "The fuck would I tell you for?"

Nury stared hard at the man, "I... Recognize you..."

The man looked her over, "I'd remember if I'd met a banging body like yours."

Nury grinned, "Perhaps you'd remember my true form. A massive red dragon, right, Sir Knight? Oh, how far you've fallen."

Arland looked between the pair, "What's... going on here? Nury, do you know him?"

"Aye, I met him a while ago. shortly before you showed up in my cave."

The bandit lowered his blade, "You're the dragon? The one that had the bounty on her head from before? I thought you'd left. Not killing you was the biggest mistake of my career. I lost my rank and title because of that."

"So you turn to banditry? Fucking disgraceful. Assuming you ever had any grace in the first place."

One of the bandits called out, "Who gives a shit, Alryc?! I'm half fookin' starved! Let's kill the boy, fuck the girl, then-"

He was interrupted by a filthy, rusty sword slipping into his spine. He turned to one of the other bandits. Moments later, fighting burst out, with Arland and Nury defending as they backed out of the fray.

Arland glanced over to his mate, "No honor among thieves, huh?"

"Too true," she replied.

"Sorry, Miss Dragon. I didn't realize it was you."

The pair looked over to see the former knight standing next to them as his comrades slaughtered one another.

"Shouldn't you... y'know...?"

"Join in? Why, so I can catch a dagger to the back? Nah, I'd rather just wait here and slay the last fuck that tries to turn on me."

"Scum..." Arland said, glaring at him.

Alryc smiled back, "True, I am. I'm the disgraced guard captain that allowed a dragon to live. If I had chosen differently, I'd have died. but at least my honor would've been intact."

Arland frowned, "You've no honor at all."

"Maybe, but I'm alive, aren't I?"

"Yes, you are."

Arland turned his horse around and started, followed closely by Nury.

"Wait, where are you going?" Alryc asked.

"To Gelala."

Alryc ran over, "Mind if I join you? I'll tell you that swordmaster's name. Liar... Lyra... OH! Leera! That was it! I was there when she died. I could show you the way!"

Arland stopped his horse and glanced over, "You knew Leera...?"

"Aye. Not well, but she went to clear a goblin nest. She didn't survive."

Arland drew his sword, "If this is another trick, bandit, I'll have your head roll."

"I'm not lying. I've no reason to, after all. Look, you were this crew's first mark and they've already fallen to infighting. There will only be one left after they're done, and I'd aim to ensure it's me. but there's only so long a man can survive solo out here. My best chance for survival is to reform my bandit ways and join you."

Arland thought a moment, "You're not going to kill us, even if the opportunity arises?"

"I've already said I'm not. Even if it comes to basic survival, my best odds are with you two. Fuck these guys. No honor among thieves, right? I'd abandon them for strong companions in a heartbeat."

Nury nodded as Arland sheathed his blade. "Fine," She said, "But I'll devour you if you betray us."

"Deal. I'll just have to not betray you."

"That's wise. Let's go."

Arland shook his head and began leading the way. They continued in silence. Nury flew overhead and gave him the occasional call, letting him know she was still up there, following him.

They'd been riding for an hour when she landed next to him, "Hey, Arland, look. There's something odd ahead."

"Oh, I see it."

Alryc stepped up next to them, "That's it. The goblin cave."

Arland nodded, "Nury?"

The dragoness landed, inhaled, and roared out a near-solid beam of flame into it. Within moments, shrieks and gasps were echoing out as the creatures within died. A few ran out, which Arland and Alryc quickly dispatched.

Once the way seemed clear, they made their way to the entrance.

"Hold up there, adventurers," A voice called from above. The trio looked up to see a violet-scaled Dragoness descend, her wings wide to catch the wind.

She landed between them and the cave, "There's something sinister within. You, dragoness, I'm surprised you haven't caught the scent."

Arland glanced over at Nury to see her mouth agape and her eyes tearing up, "Nury? You good?"

"N... Nephy...?"

The dragoness glanced at her, "You know me?"

Nury nodded slowly, stepping up and holding her hand out. As her fingers touched flesh, she gasped and drew her hand back, "I thought... I didn't know if I'd ever see you again... Sister..."

The dragoness smiled and held her hands out, "I was just as shocked as you." She said something in ancient dragon, to which Nury responded in kind. After a moment, They turned to Arland.

Nury was the first to speak, "Arland, this is my sister, Nephy. She became a dragoness fifty years ago. She was cast out of the family and disowned. I left my family originally because I disagreed with their choice." she turned back to the violet dragoness, "Nephy, sister, how have you been these years?"

"Well, enough. My husband was killed in a raid after we had a pair of dragonlings. Then I got with his baby sister. How about you, though? You look like a dragoness, but you're considerably... Different. Where are your claws? And shouldn't you have scaled down your arms and legs? Like me."

Nury looked over herself, then held up a hand. It switched to a claw, "I thought this was normal. I hadn't seen you in years. I figured maybe different dragons react differently. Or perhaps the race you fall for changes it."

Nephy shook her head, "Nope. Every dragoness I've met looks like me, more or less. You're the first that was so vastly different."

Arland spoke up, "Could it have something to do with my blessing? I've been blessed by Seraphina, the goddess of dragons."

Nephy glanced over, "That could be. The full effects of a deity blessing still aren't fully understood. Maybe any dragon you love takes on a more humanoid form than standard."

"Y'all, are we gonna sit here all day or are we going to investigate the cave?" Alryc piped up.

"Right. Let's go. While our objectives may differ, I get the feeling they're aligned. I sensed something sinister nearby. The scent is strongest here, so I figured I'd check it out," Nephy said as she turned and strode into the cave mouth without concern.

Alryc followed, with Arland and Nury close behind.