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"Damn it all to the Abyss!"

Bael kicked at a rock near his foot. He watched it bounce down the trail irritatedly. It rolled to a rest further down the rocky pathway, one he and the others had been following for a couple of days.

He heard one of his companions stirring, but didn't turn to face him. "What are you yelling about now, Bael?" he heard him say.

"Oh, nothing, Farren, nothing at all. I'm just sunshine and sweets, in fact, just loving the idea of what I'm about to do. I'm just damn lovely!" Bael kicked another rock and watched its course.

He heard Farren sigh. "We went over the plan a thousand times already, what are you worried about?"

Bael scoffed and turned to give his friend an incredulous look. "What am I worried about? Are you serious? Oh, nothing of importance, not a lick of anything problematic. Oh wait, maybe I'm not too keen on the idea of being BAIT for a fucking BEAST!"

"Something tells me you don't have much faith in us." Another figure across from Farren stirred from his sleep, taking the blanket off of his body. He rubbed at his eyes tiredly. "Either of you get much sleep?"

"Just take one guess, Seth, one guess," Bael said sarcastically.

"I'll take that as a no for you, then."

"Someone give him a prize! Gods, I'm going to be devoured by a dragon in a matter of hours, how do you think I fucking slept?!"

"Would you just relax!" Farren said as he brought himself up to his feet, his own blanket dropping to the ground. His chestnut hair fell over his face and shoulders. He brushed it back. "You're not going to be eaten. We worked out a plan, already, remember? It'll be simple and easy."

Bael scoffed again. "Pardon me if I don't exactly believe that statement."

Farren pinched the bridge of his nose. This had been normal behavior for Bael for the last few days. It was a constant cycle of hearing him complain and calming him down, and Farren was starting to get sick of it. "Look, you and I both know what's at stake here. We already agreed on a plan, made every preparation, and GUARANTEED that nothing was going to happen to you. Since when have we not come through for you?"

"The goblin camp."

Farren winced. He had hoped Bael had forgotten about that incident.

"That was when we were all much more inexperienced, and without a serious goal in mind." Seth got up as well, his short-length blond hair in a mess all around his head. "This time is different on both accounts." Bael snorted and was about to give a retort, but Seth held up a hand. "We will go in the temple, and we will make a practice run of the plan. This will work, Bael; it has to, unless we want to leave this place empty-handed, and you know that that isn't an option for any of us."

Bael folded his arms and looked away. He couldn't deny what Seth said. The quest that they had been given was far too important for them to return without the item they seeked in hand. It was literally a life or death situation for them, dependent on if they succeeded or failed.

And yet I need to stick my neck out even more, Bael thought resentfully.

Seth walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder, and Bael looked at him with a sideways glance. "One practice run. If you don't like it, if you really feel that unsure that we will protect you afterwards, we won't do it. We'll figure something else out."

Bael looked at him incredulously, as did Farren. "What?! What the hell are you saying, we've been planning this for weeks, we can't just-"

"Farren." Seth cut him off sharply. "It's Bael who is taking the biggest risk here. He should be able to make the choice-" he looked back at Bael "-after he tries a practice run, that is."

Farren gave a frustrated sigh but said nothing. Seth ignored him. "Well? Is it a deal?"

Bael thought for a moment, then nodded reluctantly. "Alright, fine. We'll practice it. Then we figure out a different plan."

"We'll see."

* * *

After having breakfast and packing up their equipment, they set out again on the trail. They only had to travel for another two hours before the temple rose into view. It was an auspicious piece of architecture, especially due to it being located in the mountains. An ivory-colored dome topped a two-story structure, supported by eight pillars with gold trimmings. The doorway was large and easily visible from the distance that they were at. It sat atop a rise, and had a lengthy flight of stairs that led up to the entrance.

The temple shined brilliantly in the morning light, and Farren gave a low whistle. "That's one hell of a monument to have all the way out here."

"They took their idol seriously," Seth said as he came up beside him. "Many called the dragon a god because of its achievements. It essentially saved humanity from an apocalypse."

"Save the history lesson for somebody who gives a shit." Bael trudged on right past the two. "The sooner we get this over with, the better."

"Hey now, don't lose your head before we even get to the temple," called Farren, which was received with an elbow to the ribs by Seth. "Don't antagonize him. We're supposed to be convincing him that he won't be eaten, remember?"

Farren gave him a dirty look, but Seth ignored it and followed Bael. With a sigh, Farren continued after them.

In a matter of minutes they were at the doorway, and with a good shove from two of the travelers the doors gave way. Inside the temple was an atrium. Three raised half circles made up what seemed like seats for worshippers, all bisected by a hallway that led from the entrance into the center, where a flat, circular platform rose about five feet. On the platform were four chained manacles, presumably for the sacrifice.

Bael hadn't been keen on their plan ever since it was conceived, and the look of the temple only made him hate it even more. Still, he had agreed to at least see what the plan would look like in action.

"I suppose this is where I'm going to be?" Bael said as he walked up to the circular platform. He hopped up to it and examined the manacles. They looked to be made of solid gold, while the chains holding them were a durable but faded iron. "Where's the dragon supposed to appear at?"

"Right there." Seth pointed to a raised square base that rose about ten feet from the floor, twenty feet long by fifteen feet wide. On the front was the engraving of a dragon unfurling its wings, the tips reaching either side of the base. The base itself was about fifteen feet away from the raised platform.

Bael thought about the distance. There was enough to where he could at least see the dragon coming, but he had no way of telling how fast it would be. He might only have enough time to think about escaping before he was snapped up in its jaws, for all he knew.

He heard an "ow!" behind him and turned to see Seth bent down over one of the manacles and shaking his hand. "What are you doing?" Bael asked.

"Testing the magical properties of these bonds. They have strong spells attached to them."

"What for?" Farren inquired as he hopped up onto the platform.

"Signaling the dragon, probably. Hmm...looks like there's something else here too," said Seth as he examined the manacle like a watchmaker at his table.

"What else would they need on those?"

"Something to make sure the sacrifice is the right kind, apparently. The ritual calls for a male human to be strapped to these bonds. There's a spell on these that makes sure the sacrifice is both human and male."

"And if they aren't one or the other?"

Seth grimaced. "They burst into flames."

"Oh, that's just wonderful." Bael hopped off the platform.

"Where are you going?" Farren called after him.

"Out of here. This is crazy."

"Get back up here, Bael, we still need to test the plan, you agreed to that."

Bael whirled around. "I didn't agree to getting burned alive! I mean, gods, how do we know those spells are still working right? There decades old, they could be-"

"Bael." Seth, still crouched down, had one of his arms clasped in a manacle. "See? No flames. Now come back up here so we can go through the plan."

Bael swore under his breath. He was secretly hoping to get out of trying it altogether. Begrudgingly, he got back up on the platform.

* * *

It took some time for Seth to weave the necessary spell into the material of the manacles. The manacles also had a security measure to keep the spells already woven in from being tampered with, and it took several excruciating hours to work his spell into them.

"Why can't you just undo the spell that makes sure its a human sacrifice?" Bael asked as Seth worked the magic on the bonds.

"There's a difference between introducing a new spell and unmaking an old one. Unless you want to have gold shrapnel lodged into our heads, you should be content with what I'm doing now."

Bael inched away from the manacles in response.

Seth clapped his hands. "Done." He turned to Bael. "Now take off your shirt."

"What?! No, it's freezing up here!"

"We're following the ritual to the letter, and all of the illustrations we've seen show the sacrifice shirtless and without shoes."

"You've got to be kidding me!"

"The dragon hasn't been summoned in years. There's not even a guarantee that it will show up, so we need every advantage we can get. Shirt off. Now."

"As if we actually go through with this," Bael grumbled, but he did as Seth commanded. After discarding half of his clothes and already starting to shiver, he turned and reluctantly laid his back on the platform, and his companions began to lock the manacles in place.

"Comfy?" Farren inquired jokingly.

"Bite me."

"I'd have to get in line, then."

"Fuck you, you smart-ass little-"

"Enough," Seth said sharply. "Farren, go to the dragon's platform, now."

Farren gave him another dirty look, but this time Seth returned it. Hopping down the platform and climbing up to the square base, Farren pulled out a slingshot and small, fist-sized rock.

Bael craned his neck to see Farren pulling out the equipment. "Are you seriously going to shoot that at me?"

"Best way to test your reflexes."

Bael was about to let out a retort, but Seth interrupted him. "Now, the dragon is going to appear there. Farren will demonstrate its mouth with that rock. If it hits you, your dead."

He was answered by a thwack and a vivid curse from Bael. He looked down to see a rock skipping off of the platform. "Farren!"

"I was testing the distance."

"I'm going to shove those rocks down your throat, you bastard!" Bael shouted vehemently.

Seth sighed. It was like babysitting children. "Farren, wait until I give the damn signal, will you?"

"Of course," He said casually as he pulled another rock out of his bag.

Turning back to the grumbling Bael, Seth snapped his fingers. "Pay attention. I put a spell on those bonds that will release you the moment I finish the incantation. After that, all you have to do is be fast."

"And what the hell is Sir Arsehole going to be doing all the while?" Bael said heatedly.

"Bringing the dragon under control," Farren called. "I'm guessing that wonderful nickname was mine."

Seth sighed again. "He has arrows that he's going to coat with an especially powerful paralyzer."

"How are we so sure those are going to work?" Bael shot back.

"Because I worked on them myself, and we both know that dragons are especially sensitive to magic-based poisons."

"It's not exactly going to be peachy if we do that."

"Well, then we'll just have to exercise our negotiation skills afterwards. Are you ready?"

Bael let out a huff, but said, "Yes, I'm ready." He tensed his arms and legs in anticipation.

"Alright. Ready, Farren?"

"Ready."

"The incantation will end on a 'ra'. Be ready for that."

And with that, he begin the incantation. He didn't put any magic behind the words since they were testing the plan, but it made Bael nervous all the same. Seth droned on in a ancient tongue, dragging on for what felt like hours to Bael. Suddenly, Seth ended with a sharp "ra!". The bonds snapped open, and Bael was jumping off the platform in an instant, the rock that was to be the dragon's maw missing him by a foot.

He landed on the floor with a somersault and whirled back. Seth was staring at him, surprised by his speed. "That was...faster than I anticipated."

Bael looked over at Farren, who was displaying the same bewildered expression. Bael grinned. "Still think I'm going to lose my head?"

"So, you think this plan will work after all, then?" Seth said. Bael looked back over at him, ready to retort, but he stopped. He still thought the plan was ridiculous, but he had even surprised himself with his speed. He was the fastest of the three, and he felt somewhat sure now that the dragon wouldn't be able to touch him...at first, anyway. He had no idea how they would be able to get the item they came for after that, but he honestly had no idea what else they could try. He sighed. "Yeah, I'm on board. Let's do this."

In a matter of a few minutes, Bael was back in the bonds, waiting while Seth arranged candles at various points around the platform and Farren got up to a vantage point in the seats. Bael could see him pull out a quiver of arrows and a vial of what looked like a shining blue liquid. He took five arrows out of the quiver and began to dip them in the vial.

After setting up the platform, Seth looked over to Farren, who only nodded to him, one of the blue-tipped arrows nocked and ready on his bow.

Satisfied, Seth turned back to Bael. "Ready for the real thing?"

Bael blew out a breath. "As I'll ever be."

Seth smiled. "It'll be fine, I promise. Alright, you both remember what the incantation ends on. The dragon's going to appear the minute I finish, so be quick." He pulled back his sleeves and raised his arms. With a low voice, he began to recite the incantation again.

Since they were actually performing the ritual, the words carried much more than just sound with them. Bael could feel the air vibrating with energy as Seth charged the words with magic. The flames of the candles around him began to flicker as if blown around by a breeze. They changed color, from an orange and yellow glow to a brilliant light blue. The ancient dialect that came from Seth's mouth seemed to amplify as he went on, booming with a powerful echo in the grand atrium. Bael looked up to see Farren aiming the arrow towards the square base, his face set and ready for anything. Bael craned his neck up and bunched his arm and leg muscles, hoping he would be just as ready.

Seth arrived at the end of the incantation with a loud 'RA!' Before Bael could prepare for anything, however, a blinding white light emanating from the dragon's platform suddenly flooded the temple. The light burned his eyes, even when he closed them tight, and he screamed as the magically-charged air around him thrummed with intensity.

Seth tried to summon an energy shield to protect him and Bael, but the intensity of the light was too much for him to focus. He found himself teetering back off the platform, hitting the ground below on his back and knocking the breath out of his lungs.

Farren dropped his weapon and ducked down as the searing light penetrated his eyelids as well. He tried covering his eyes with his hands, but even then he could feel the incredible light and the energy that hummed in the air. After only a moment, though, the light vanished, and the vibrating sensation in the air ceased. Cautiously, Farren removed his hands from his eyes and tried to open them. It hurt a great deal, but after blinking away the tears he forced himself to stand up and survey the atrium.

Everything was still as it was. He noticed Seth lying on the floor, panting heavily. "Seth! Are you alright?" he called.

"Yes, I'm...ugh...I'm fine." he struggled to his hands and knees. His legs felt wobbly as he got one under him, but with some effort and support from the lip of the platform he was able to stay up. He looked up at Farren, but he noticed that the archer was staring at the platform. Following his gaze, he saw that the middle of the platform was empty. Seth looked around. "Bael? Bael, where are you?"

"Seth."

"What?"

"The manacles."

"I know, Bael's not on the platform. He might be unconscious, we need to-"

"No. Look at the manacles."

He looked back at the center of the platform. He then understood with a sinking feeling what his friend meant.

The shackles were still clasped.

Bael was gone.

* * *

"Gah! What in the holy fuck..."

It still felt like needles going through his skull as Bael tried to open his eyes. The light was stinging and painfully bright, but it seemed to have died down. He managed to inch his lids open slowly. It took him a second before he realized Seth had finished the incantation. There was something he was supposed to remember...

The dragon. "Shit!"

He tried to catapult off of the platform, but a tug at his wrists and ankles told him he was still in the bonds.

"What the hell-!"

He looked at one of the shackles on his wrist. It was different than what was there before. What was a faded gold manacle before was a shining silver one now.

"Silver? What-"

It was when he looked around that he started to realize he wasn't in the same place anymore.

It was still a circular temple, but smaller. Instead of a grand atrium, there was only open floor, a shining white marble. There were no walls, but only pillars that supported a domed ceiling, similar to the temple that he had been at. The platform that he was on was only slightly raised from the ground, though the manacles kept him in the same place as before.

The air was different as well. It was...warmer, a much more pleasant temperature to his naked chest and feet. He noticed that the sun was high in the sky and shining in, making practically everything in the temple reflect with a brilliant white light. It was enough to still make his head hurt. Trying to look past the headache-inducing marble, he saw mountaintops white with snow. The temple seemed to be at one of these tops, yet Bael pondered why it was inexplicably warm.

At the sound of a scratch on marble, however, Bael forgot about the warm weather and craned his head. He was not alone.

"Oh, fuck."

There, on a square base just like the one at the previous temple, stood the famed dragon. It stared at him with a piercing gaze of brilliant bright-blue eyes - or, rather, she stared, as her body was a sleek, slimmer figure that could only be a female's. The sunlight reflected off of her golden-colored scales, the glare giving her a radiant glow that outlined the curves of her body, while her underbelly was a stark pitch black. She had two ebony horns that sprung out from the back of her head, and her wings lay folded over her back, also golden, but with a much darker membrane on the undersides. She was...

...smaller than he had imagined.

The dragoness was about the size of a human, from what Bael could tell. It looked as if her shoulders would only go to his waist when standing on all fours. At the sight of her rows of sharp teeth when she licked her chops, however, Bael forgot about her size and began to panic about the situation.

*Fuck, small or big teeth, she's still going to eat me!* Bael fought to free himself from the bonds while his mind searched for anything that could help him escape. He heard the sound of claws scraping on marble again, and looked up to see the dragoness climbing off of the square base and heading towards him.

*Shit shit shit!* He tugged harder and harder on the manacles. He pulled on them with all of his strength, but still they held. He could hear the dragoness's steps as she came closer. *Think of something, dammit!* He tried to remember what was supposed to set off the spell in the manacles that Seth wove.

Ra, that was it! He shouted it out loud. The dragoness faltered a bit at his sudden outburst, but another tug at the shackles that still held him showed Bael that that was all it did. He began to panic and started thrashing his arms and legs wildly, continually shouting the useless word while the dragoness resumed her approach.

After struggling for several minutes, he gave up and dropped his arms, his throat raw from yelling. Panting, he looked up to see the dragoness standing there, her sky-blue eyes meeting his. He could feel fear settling in his chest as she stood over him, watching. Suddenly she brought her nose down to his forehead and flared her nostrils. She seemed to be smelling him.

*By the gods...is this seriously how I'm going to go? A fucking lamb to the slaughter?*

Her nose came down over to his right eye. He shut his eyelid as her nostrils flared again, and then her mouth opened to reveal her draconic tongue. It was long and thick, brushing over his eyelid and leaving a trail of saliva behind it. It was an odd feeling, but it made Bael's fear grow.

*Shit, is she going to start with my eyes?!*

His panic lessened slightly, however, when she brought her tongue back into her mouth and resumed smelling his face. She went lower, over his nose, his lips, his chin. As she arrived at the neck, she brought her tongue out again and licked. Bael gasped at the sensation of the warm mouth organ against his skin. She took a moment to lather his neck in her saliva, tasting the sensitive flesh. Where the first lick had been cursory, this one felt more deliberate, more...sensual.

*She's a fucking dragon! She's just playing with you before she starts!*

Despite the thoughts, however, Bael was starting to become more and more resigned to his fate. He hoped she would just bite him there and end it quickly, at least.

But that didn't seem to be the case as she stopped her licking again and started going lower down his body, her nose nudging at his skin all along the way. He was beginning to get frustrated at her teasing. *Why doesn't she just bite me and get it over with? Gods, do I really need to suffer through this?*

She continued to go lower and lower down his body, but then stopped at his crotch. His anger dissipated as she sniffed at the area between his legs intently, pushing her nose up against the fabric. He let out a sound as he felt her nose pressing against his member, but his fear was bubbling back up to the surface.

*Oh, fuck, no. Please, please don't start there...*

The dragoness hooked a claw around the waist of his trousers and pulled them off. She tugged until his unit and testicles were out in the open, and again pressed her scaly snout to his crotch. The feeling of the muzzle against his penis made Bael gasp; yet his panic rose at her increased interest in his genitals.

*Oh, fuck, she's going to start with my cock!*

The dragoness suddenly turned back to look at Bael. His eyes were wide with fear, his breath coming in short gasps. He was shaking his head slightly. "Please, no, no..."

He didn't know if the dragoness understood him or not, but the corner of her scaly lip turned upwards into a smile. A rumbling emanated from her throat.

*Is she...purring? What, does she get off from torturing me? Oh, to hell with it, what does it matter?*

He dropped his head back down and gritted his teeth while he waited for what would come next. It would likely be the most painful thing he had ever felt in his life. *Fuck. Eaten by a dragon...dick first, no less. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fu-WOAHHO!*

He suddenly felt a pressure on his penis. Where he expected the sharp point of teeth, however, he instead felt what seemed like leather around his unit. He looked up. The dragoness's mouth wasn't on his member, but her front paw was. The feeling was the leathery pads under her toes.

*What the-?*

Before he could finish the thought, the dragoness squeezed. He let out another gasp as she began to knead the mating tool, sliding her digits up and down its length as it began to stiffen and grow.

"H-holy shit..."

He brought his head back down as she continued to rub at his member. He had been bracing himself for what he thought would be the worst pain he ever felt, but instead he was still in one piece...and being stroked by a dragoness.

He moaned in pleasure as his unit was worked on. It grew to its full length and became rock hard, and the dragoness continued to pump her forefoot up and down. *Gods, who knew dragons were good at this sort of thing?*

Suddenly she stopped. Bael felt disappointed as she took her dragon paw off of his penis. He looked up, and was met with the sight of her reptilian tongue grazing over the tip of his member. "Ah!" His body jerked at the sensation of the warm mouth organ. The dragoness looked at him again, another pleased rumble coming from her throat. She locked eyes with him, and turned her head to the side, giving him what he thought was a seductive look.

*Gods, she's...she's wanting to get ME off...*

The thought was rather odd to him. He had seen dragons before, and many of those encounters were nonviolent ones, but he never had a dragon doing this to him, especially one he fully expected to be eaten by. He found it being a very strange experience.

As she turned her head and brought another lick across the tip of his penis, however, he decided with a moan that it was one he didn't mind having at all.

The dragoness brought her tongue down again, but instead of licking, she slid the mouth organ further south, wrapping his penis around in a warm, wet embrace. He sucked in a breath as her tongue coiled around the length of his unit, her tip brushing the pubic hairs at the base. She then began to bring her tongue up and down, squeezing the male appendage from the base to the tip. He groaned as he felt his penis coated in draconic saliva, the warm pressure from her tongue sending waves of pleasure coursing through him.

His hands clenched reflexively as her tongue worked him into a wonderful haze. He was feeling himself build up from the pressure. *Gods, am I going to come? No, not yet. Fuck, it's as if I'm a virgin or something...* His penis started to spurt pre-cum, which dribbled down onto the dragoness's tongue. She stopped the motions to taste the pre-cum inside her mouth, releasing Bael's unit for a moment. Bael let out a breath as the feeling died down a bit. He was still rock-hard, but he held back the floodgates. *Why am I caring whether I come early? She's a dragon, for gods' sakes!*

At the same time, however, he couldn't deny that he was enjoying this. He still didn't know if the dragoness would actually eat him or not, but for now she seemed to be content with pleasuring him. She looked back at his face and gave another seductive gaze, except this time her lips were stretched in a different kind of smile. A smile that was anything but kind.

*I had to remember the eating thing, didn't I?*

He felt a familiar panic rise in him as she stared at him with that look of hers. *Oh, shit, please don't tell me...what?* Instead of turning back to his crotch, the dragoness shifted her body. His panic was replaced with confusion as she put a clawed hind foot next to the left side of his head, and another to his right, so that she was standing directly over his body. Looking up, he could see her draconic slit.

What was black scales all over her undersides lightened and grew to a pink at the entrance to her vent. It was puffy and swollen, and he could see a liquid already oozing to cover the scaly lips. *Um...wow...* He cocked his head a bit to look back at the dragoness, who was still staring at him with that same smile on her muzzle. She closed her eyes, and he felt a thrumming in the air. Suddenly he heard a clink, and the pressure on either of his wrists disappeared. He looked up to see that both of the shackles around his wrists were unclasped. He rubbed at them with his hands, then looked over at the dragoness again. "Um...thanks...".

She only continued to stare. The smile was now gone, but her eyes remained transfixed on him. He lay there confused for a moment, but the realization began to dawn on him. He looked back up at the aroused vent.

*Wait, she wants me to...she can't be...Huh?*

His mind spun as he figured out where this was going. She had been pleasuring him, and now she wanted the same in return. While he had been grateful for what she had been doing for him, the idea of probing that entrance was very foreign and uncomfortable to him. He still saw her as a dragon above all things, and to do that to her?

*And yet she has me chained to the ground, with my dick out, inches from her razor-sharp teeth*

Bael sighed. There was no way of getting around this. The last thing he wanted to do was piss off this dragoness. He was at her mercy right now, and the best he could do was what she wanted. He looked back up at the draconic slit. *Come on, it'll be just like any other girl you've been with...* He only managed to convince himself of that halfway, but he still brought his hands up to the dragoness's hindquarters.

Her eyes widened as he rested his fingers against her rump, the scaly lips of her entrance just between them. Taking a breath, he began to knead the reptilian flesh, rubbing his fingers up and down her hide. *Might as well make it good...*

The dragoness closed her eyes at the human's touch. She brought her chest down to rest on his lower stomach and inched her backside lower, allowing him better access at her slit. Bael flinched a little at the feeling of her upper half resting against him. His penis was still half-erect, just barely touching her chest scales. He was still unnerved by the entire experience, yet he couldn't help but wish he had the feeling of her tongue on him again.

*Goddess-dragon pleasuring now, blowjob daydreams later.* Letting out a breath, he returned his attention to the dragoness's slit as it moved with the massaging from his fingers. Her lubricant continued to ooze out of her vent, enough so that it dripped onto his chin.

He flinched slightly at the liquid landing on his face, but continued with his kneading. He inched his fingers closer and closer to the lips of her vent, until he was teasing the entrance with his rubs. The dragoness growled with what he hoped was pleasure. He got his answer as she pushed back against his hands, waiting anxiously for him to take the plunge. The tips of his fingers soon became wet with the dragoness's fluids.

*Now or never...*

Spreading the scales of the slit with his right hand, Bael took the index finger of his other one and finally probed her entrance. He could feel her body shudder as his finger slowly pushed in, feeling the inner walls of her vent. They were warm and wet, and clamped over the invading digit with an erotic intensity. It wasn't long before he was able to push his finger in up to the second knuckle, buried in the clench of the dragoness's sex.

*Wow, that's...Gods, that is just hot*

He realized that seeing his finger engulfed by the draconic vent was turning him on. Normally, it would've unnerved him to be pleasuring a dragon in such a way, much less being aroused by it, but he found himself caring less and less. *Well, shit, this could be my last day amongst the living...*

He grinned as he pulled his finger out of the dragoness's depths. *Might as well enjoy it!*

Pointing two fingers at her entrance this time, Bael took another plunge in. What he took for a moan escaped from the dragoness's muzzle as he penetrated her once again, pushing the digits up to the second knuckle again. Slowly, he began to force his fingers back and forth in a deliberate motion, eliciting yet another moan from the dragoness. She looked back and watched him penetrating her entrance again and again, her body beginning to rock in a hypnotic motion, pushing Bael's digits farther into her slit as he fingered her.

His fingers soon became slick from the dragoness's fluids as he pumped into her vent. The natural lubricant began to drizzle down his wrist, another drip finding its way onto his lips. He didn't flinch like before, but instead found himself curious. *Hmm...I wonder...* Tentatively, he brought his tongue out and licked his lips. He wasn't sure what to expect of the draconic liquid, but he found the taste to be pleasant. It was sweet, as if from a fresh apple or peach, while having an earthy undertone to it. It was a flavor that he found pleasing, and it was starting to give him ideas.

He took his fingers out of the dragon vent. The dragoness whirled her head back with a glare, frustrated by the sudden absence in her slit. *Oh, I think you'll like this...* He gave a small grin, and held his index finger up. The digit was covered in the dragoness's fluids, and he could smell the scent of her sex coming off of it. Slowly, he brought his tongue out and licked the liquid off of his finger. The dragoness's eyes widened as he cleaned his digit, again tasting the sweet flavor that her lubricant exuded. He chuckled on the inside. *And now I'M surprising HER. Gods, this is just surreal...*

He looked back into her eyes for a moment, then up at her slit. She had inched it even closer to his face, anticipating what was coming and longing for it greatly. He grinned again as he propped himself up on an elbow, then wrapped an arm around the base of her tail and pulled. Slowly the dragoness descended her crotch down to his face, and soon his lips were just shy of touching hers. He gave a light lick across the entrance, feeling the rough surface of her scales, made slick by the liquids coming from her vent. Again the dragoness's body shuddered as he began to tease the scaly slit, brushing and feeling the pebbly texture, as well as tasting the flavor of her fluids play across the buds of his tongue.

He began to push past her lips as he continued to lick her entrance, gently parting the vaginal folds bit by bit while he lapped at her. The dragoness melted at the feeling of him entering her sex again, another moan escaping her muzzle. She leaned back into his face, meeting his lips with hers, and her inner walls squeezed his tongue, trying to bring it further into her vent. *Gods, this feels good...* Although it was still a dragon that he was pleasuring, Bael couldn't help but find himself intensely aroused by the whole experience, tasting the dragoness's sex while his tongue probed further in. He was even starting to think he was enjoying this more than he had with any other woman.

Bael paused at the thought. *...Okay, less thinking, more licking* Pushing his face further into the scales of the dragoness's crotch, he forced his tongue as far into her vent as it could go. The dragoness's vaginal muscles clamped again over the invading mouth organ, and her body rocked back into his face as she fell further and further into a euphoric haze. *There we go...now, where is your sweet spot...* He rubbed his tongue against her folds as he began to travel lower, exploring with both his mouth organ and his lips all along the way. The dragoness continued to rock her body against him while he journeyed to her apex, then jerked as the tip of his tongue found a little nub of flesh at the north end of her slit.

*There you are*

He casually licked across the clit hidden in the dragoness's folds, and again he felt her body buck at the sensation of his teasing mouth organ. Slowly he began to circle his tongue around the sensitive nub, then drew back and sucked with his lips. The dragoness made a low growl as Bael worked on her clit, alternating between suckling and licking across it. She pushed harder and harder against him, to the point that he couldn't keep supporting himself. His arm gave out beneath him, and his head fell back on the hard marble. "Gah! Son of a-mmf!" His curse was interrupted as the dragoness brought herself down on his face. He panicked for a moment as the dragoness smothered him with her rump, but managed to push her off for a moment. "Hold on, will you! Gods, I need to breath!"

The dragoness lifted one of her hind feet and looked back at him with an annoyed glare, but let up the pressure. He lay there for a moment with the reptilian slit hanging over him, the lips of both smeared with her fluids. Taking a breath, Bael nodded to the dragoness. "Okay, let's try this again..."

Satisfied, the dragoness lowered her leg and brought her crotch down upon him again. The scaly entrance mashed against his face as she rested her body against him once more. *Gods, she is aggressive!* As he brought his tongue out to probe into her vent again, however, Bael couldn't help but admit that he liked it.

With his arms now free, he took to exploring the rest of the dragoness while his mouth worked on her vent. He ran his hands over the golden scales that lined the sides of her hips, down her thighs, along her hindquarters. He kneaded his fingers around the base of her tail, just above his head, gripping and stroking the smoother scales that made up her black underside.

The dragoness purred at the feeling of his touch. Bael found himself excited that he was able to bring her to such heights of pleasure. He had let himself forget the implications of what he was doing, of what she was, and focused more on giving her what she wanted. Even as he realized that he was licking a dragon's vent, giving cunnilingus to what he deemed a creature, it seemed nothing more than a minor detail to him. In place of being repulsive, he was now seeing the entire experience as exotic and arousing, a forbidden luxury that few others had experienced.

*Gods, when did I turn into such a poet?* He thought amusedly as he brought his lips around the dragoness's clit once again. The golden dragon responded by growling and pushing harder against his face, grinding against his head as he sucked. Bael grunted as he felt the pressure increase on his skull, but it mattered little compared to the erection it was giving him. His penis was throbbing horribly, aching to feel the touch of that reptilian tongue again. *If I could just get her to-*

"Mph!!" he let out a muffled gasp as the dragoness seemed to read his mind, clamping her muzzle over his stiff member and bobbing her head. He moaned through her vent as the warm feeling of her maw rubbed against him, the euphoria from her pleasuring before coming back with a vengeance, causing his body to buck and jerk.

*Holy shit...* The intensity of her sucking and bobbing was bringing Bael to his own heights of pleasure, and he knew he wasn't going to last much longer. He began to suckle and lick at her clit furiously, wanting her to climax with him. The dragoness continued to rock against his face while she brought his member in and out of her mouth, squeezing it tightly between her roof and her tongue as she hilted him repeatedly.

Bael groaned as he felt the pressure growing inside of him once again. He began to thrust into the dragoness's mouth as she brought her muzzle down, his hips pushing up to meet the scaly snout as it nudged at his balls. The dragoness seemed to be on the verge as well, increasing the pace of both her bobbing on his unit and her grinding against his face. Her fluids continued to leak from her orifice, dribbling over his mouth, nose and chin. He had to fight to get a breath of air from her frenzied humping, only to have his face pressed by the dragon rump once more.

*Gods be damned!* The ferocious dragon was driving him to his peak, and soon he felt the euphoric oncoming of his climax. He licked furiously at her clit, coaxing her into joining him in his peak. Just as he was about to release, the dragoness bucked again, pushing her hips as hard as she could against his face and trapping his wandering tongue tightly against her walls as she finally orgasmed. It was the last push he needed, and with a muffled cry he thrusted hard into the dragoness's muzzle, shooting spurt after spurt of seed into her mouth.

Time seemed to slow for a moment as he rode the intense waves of pleasure. The dragoness continued to milk his penis as it spurt into her, while the liquids of her sex gushed over his face, filling his own orifice with the taste of her female cum. The two rocked into each other in a harmonic rhythm, each enjoying the fruits of the other's release. Bael swore that he could feel the air crackle around him as they rode their climax.

After what seemed to be an eternity, the pleasurable haze began to fade, and they both finally came down from the simultaneous peak. The dragoness rolled off of him and lay on her side next to him, her tongue lolling out the side of her muzzle as she panted. Bael could feel himself coated with both his sweat and the dragoness's fluids, yet he couldn't lift his arm to wipe at his face.

*What the?...* He realized that both his arms and legs felt like dead weight, almost like they were stuck to the floor. He gave up after a minute, deciding he was too tired to care anyway. The entire experience had drained him far more that he had expected it to, yet he was still reeling from the intense pleasure of it all. "Gods, that was just-"

"-Fantastic..."

Bael flinched at the sound of the new voice. It was a smooth, silky voice, that of a woman. He turned his head weakly from side to side, but saw no one else in the temple, save him and the dragoness. The voice chuckled.

"Over here."

*What the-?...* Bael lifted his head slightly to see the dragoness looking at him again. The corners of her reptilian lips were curved into a smile. "Hello there," he heard her say, though he noticed her lips didn't move when she spoke.

"Wait, you...you talk?"

Again she laughed. "Of course I talk! Have you never heard a dragon speak?"

"Um...no, actually..."

The dragoness laid back and stretched her body. "Oh, I see. I suppose you've never had any intimate moments with my kind up until now, have you?"

"Well, no-wait, what? That's how you can talk to me?"

The dragoness turned herself around so that she was facing him. "Of course. I doubt you speak my language, so a mental connection is easier."

"Mental-? Wait, so we're...linked?"

"Why, yes, we are..." She rested her forepaws on his chest, placing her own against his stomach as she locked eyes with him. "What's the matter? Don't you like me?" She feigned a hurt expression as she looked at him.

"Um, well..." He found himself floundering. *Gods, I just laid with her, what am I supposed to feel?!*

The dragoness chuckled. "Well, that's alright, you don't have to admit anything...yet." She licked at his cheek, which made him blush.

"Hey, wait, I'm not so sure...Ugh." He decided not to argue about it, feeling too exhausted to try.

The dragoness's expression turned from playful to worried. "Are you okay? How do you feel?"

"Um...well, half-dead, really. Gods, it's like my limbs are full of lead..."

"Dammit, I knew I should have been more careful. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to take so much out of you."

He chuckled himself. "You don't have to apologize. It's not like I haven't done this before, it's not your fault. I'm just so tired now..."

She looked away. "Well...It is my fault, actually..."

Bael was confused. "What do you mean?"

The dragoness looked back at him with a guilty expression. "Well, riding you wasn't the only thing I was doing..."

He looked at her with a blank expression, but the realization started to dawn on him. He thought back to their climax. *That crackle in the air...*

"You were using magic on me?"

"Yes. I'm sorry..."

*'Sorry'? Is she serious?* He didn't know if he was supposed to be mad at her, but instead he found himself curious. "What did you do, exactly?"

"I...I was draining your life energy. I'm sorry, I needed to do it!"

*Life energy?* "What do you mean?"

"What gives us life, the very gift of the gods. It's what I've needed to sustain myself..." She looked away, like she was staring at something in the distance.

Now Bael was really curious. "Was that what the sacrifices were for?"

The dragoness closed her eyes. "Yes. I suppose you know my story?"

Bael winced. In truth, he hadn't even bothered with the ancient scrolls that Seth had gathered about the dragoness's legacy. "Um, well, I'm missing a few details..."

She opened her eyes again, apparently not picking up on his lie. "I remember it well. A great cataclysm had threatened the land. It would've changed everything, brought death from the skies and the earth. It would have been the end for your race." Her eyes unfocused as she recounted her past. "I was the only one able to stop it...but it came at a cost."

Bael thought for a moment. "The magic that you had to use-"

"-Was too much. It would have killed me had I not brought myself to this realm." She looked up and around at the marble of the pillars around them. "And even then, I was still so weak. It went beyond the physical; sleep and food would do nothing for me."

"So you needed humans. For their...life energy?"

"For the energy that they had, yes."

_ _

"Why humans? Couldn't you just take it out of anything?"

The dragoness looked back at him. "A farm animal does not have the kind of life force that I needed. Only humans and dragons have that kind of ability. Why do you think we can use magic?" She turned away. "It honestly wasn't something that I wanted to do at first. I tried asking my dragon brethren for help, but they refused. They couldn't see why I bothered in the fate of humans, and they shunned me for my efforts."

_ _

"So you had to use humans...and you killed them?"

"I had no other choice. The sacrifices that were offered to me were hardly enough to sustain me. Imagine living for years on bites of bread instead of any actual sustenance." She let out a sigh.

Bael's eyebrows furrowed as he thought. "But you didn't kill me..."

The dragoness looked back at him and smiled seductively. "Well, as you may have guessed by now, I became lonely." She brought her muzzle closer to his face. "I found that taking the offered humans back here and mating with them did much more for me than simply absorbing them." Her expression turned sad. "Unfortunately, not many took kindly to the idea of having me as a mate. But you..." She licked again at his cheek. "You were more willing than I've had with any other offering."

Again, Bael found himself blushing. He was flabbergasted by the whole experience, and wasn't sure what to say. "Um...W-Well..."

"Shh..." She put a digit on his lips. "Just consider it a compliment." She chuckled. "Now then, about what you came here for." She pulled her head back and closed her eyes, and again he felt the air thrumming with energy. Suddenly a bright white flash filled the room, forcing Bael's eyes shut. The light subsided, and as he slowly opened his eyes, he saw a shining object floating between him and the dragoness. It appeared to be some sort of crystal, with several points jutting out of a bright glowing center. He sucked in a breath as he realized that it was the object that him and his friends had been looking for.

"The Apex Star!" He looked back at the dragoness. "But, how did you know-"

"I could tell by your panicking that you weren't meant to be an offering of mine. I guessed you were here to acquire the Star." She chuckled. "I just decided to have some fun with you..."

He stared at her for a moment. "Wait, you're just going to give this to me? Just like that?"

The dragoness tilted her head to the side. "It's what you came here for, was it not?"

"Well, yes, but..." He just couldn't believe that she was simply giving it to him.

"Don't worry yourself. I can tell this is something that you desperately need. For what or whom, I can't tell, but I trust you."

Bael let his jaw drop. "Um...thank you..."

"You're very welcome..." The dragoness licked at his cheek again. "Just remember to bring it back. It's very important to me."

"O-Of course..." To be honest, Bael wasn't sure he would be able to keep the promise, but it mattered little to him at the moment. What did matter was that he had the Apex Star.

The dragoness rose off of him. "Good. I'll keep you to your word. Now then..." She closed her eyes, and again the air started to vibrate with energy.

"Wait!"

The dragoness opened her eyes. "What's the matter?"

Bael paused. "Um, well...what was your name? I, uh, don't think I ever got it..."

He could tell that he surprised her with the question. "It's...Aurania."

Despite himself, Bael smiled. "Aurania. Thank you. I'm Bael."

The dragoness gave him another smile. "Well then. Until we meet again, Bael..."

Again she closed her eyes, and before long a bright white flash began to envelope the room. Bael squeezed his eyes shut as the light intensified.

*Until we meet again...Gods...*

* * *

"Seth, for gods' sakes, have you found anything yet!"

"Asking that every other minute is not going to make this any faster," Seth replied shortly, poring through the scrolls that he brought detailing the ritual that had just made Bael vanish.

"Bael could be dead already!"

Seth jerked his head towards him. "I'm already aware of that possibility," He said heatedly. "Unless you have something that could help the present situation, I suggest you STOP, TALKING." He turned back to the scroll without waiting for an answer.

Farren glared at his companion, but soon went back to pacing around the raised platform. He could tell that Seth was riddled with guilt over the whole event, and Farren himself wasn't feeling much better about it. *Gods, we probably just sent one of our only friends to his death...* The unsettling thought formed a knot in his stomach, and he looked back at the spot where Bael had been with worry. *Dammit, Bael, where are you?*

The unspoken question was answered with a blinding flash, the same one as before. Both Farren and Seth shielded their eyes as the light intensified. However, it didn't last as long as last time, and before either of them knew it the blinding light was gone.

Blinking away tears, the two looked up at the platform. Laying atop it was Bael, his feet still cuffed to the platform, though his wrists were free. He seemed to be holding something in his hands. "Hello, gentlemen. Did you miss me?"

Both Seth and Farren just looked at him with dumbfounded expressions on their faces for a moment. Farren was the first to recover as he jumped up on the platform. "Bael! By the gods, is that really you?!"

Bael grinned at him. "In the flesh!"

Farren couldn't help but stretch his face in a stupid grin. Bael was alive! He wanted to hug the man from the relief of seeing him in one piece, but one thing made him stop.

"...Um. Bael, why are your pants down?"

Before he could answer, Seth climbed atop the platform, staring intently at the object in Bael's hands. "What is that?"

Bael chuckled. "I'm glad you asked." He held out the object in the palm of his hand. "I give you, the Apex Star."

Seth felt a chill as Bael revealed the crystal. "Gods Above! You got the Star?!" he kneeled before his outstretched palm and carefully picked up the glowing gem. It shone with a brilliantly intense white light. "It's so beautiful..."

Seth's face broke out in his own goofy grin as he gazed at the crystal. "Gods, we've done it. Bael, how did you do it, what..." He trailed off as he looked at Bael's face, which seemed to be coated with some sort of clear liquid. He looked down at his hips, seeming to finally notice that Bael's crotch was exposed. His penis was also covered in fluids. "...in the Abyss happened to you?"

"Would you mind getting me off of the floor first?" He shook the chains still around his ankles.

After a minute, Bael was off the floor with his pants back on. He was surprised that he had any strength to stand up, but a quick survey of his limbs told him the fatigue had worn off. *How did that happen? Was it because of the Star?* He only pondered it for a moment, though, as he turned back to his companions, both waiting curiously to know what had transpired while he was gone.

"Alright then. First of all..."

He suddenly grabbed each by the side of the head and bumped their heads together. The two recoiled from the sudden attack and fell to the floor, holding their heads in pain.

"What the hell was that for?!" Farren shouted furiously.

"THAT was for the 'plan' that could've gotten me killed! It's a miracle I didn't get eaten!"

"Ugh...wait, so you did encounter the dragon?" Seth inquired, despite the pain in his head from the assault. "What happened, then? How did you escape?"

"That", Bael said while reaching down for his shirt, "Can wait until later. Right now I just want to get my clothes on and get the hell back home."

"You can't be serious!" Farren said as he got back up. "We thought you might've been dead, you can't expect us to-"

"Later, alright?" Bael said sharply. "And quit the dirty looks. I still have half a mind to shove those stones up your arse." Without another word, he hopped off the platform and walked towards the exit.

"That son of a bitch! After all-"

"Farren, just let it go."

He whirled around to face Seth. "You can't be serious!"

"He retrieved the Apex Star," Seth replied, still holding the crystal in his hand. "We don't know what he went through to get it. He needs some time." He put a hand on his shoulder. "Just let him be, alright?"

Farren looked back towards Bael but said nothing. After a minute he shrugged off Seth's hand and headed towards the exit, grabbing his equipment along the way.

Seth sighed. Truth be told, he did have his suspicions of what happened to Bael, but he kept them to himself. *He'll tell when he feels the need to...* he thought absently. He collected the scrolls in one hand and came off the platform. Once more he examined the beautiful crystal in his hand. *This is what's important...Now there is hope...* He closed his hand around the Star.

*Now there is hope...*

* * *

Back in her realm, Aurania looked out among the snow-topped peaks, basking in the warmth of her temple as the sun dipped down below the horizon. Her mind was still on Bael and their love-making. *By the gods, he was amazing...*

What had surprised Aurania the most was the kind of energy Bael had had within him. Even when she made her sexual advances, the other offerings she'd had were never able to satisfy her. They always seemed so miniscule, but Bael had been different. In all honesty, Aurania hadn't completely drained him because of the way he was able to fill her. *In more ways than one, no less...* She thought amusedly.

As she rested her head, she thought more about her decision to give him the Apex Star. She had no doubt that Bael would be able to return it to her, but what worried her was why he needed it. *Could it all be happening again?*

She felt a familiar pang as memories suddenly flooded her mind. She shook slightly as old wounds began to open back up, emotional scars that history had mercilessly inflicted upon her. With difficulty, she pushed away the memories and the pain that they held with them. A single tear ran down her scaly cheek as she tried to compose herself, not wanting to relive the tragedies of her past.

*Gods, I hope not...*