FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Malone chapter 2: Lost Skies

Damryn stretched and yawned as he woke from a fitful sleep, his scales clinking as he stretched low and then returned to his regal standing. He looked over his domain and home, the gold and priceless treasures just before his nest of furs and pillows. Padding from his sleeping area into what could be considered the antechamber he looked over more treasures. Though these were rows of book shelves with another soft area of pillows to lay on. With a stand for his books when he would read, some for spells, others exciting stores, a few were chronicles of the Time of Dragons.

Though the only thing different was about 20 paces from the entrance of the cave was a human, sleeping peacefully under a multicolored blanket. With his head resting on his odd sack, Damryn opened his jaws to speak but closed them. He’d let the mortal sleep, it’d give him a respite from any questions. Or the constant watching of him gong about his day, it was strange to have someone watching what he did. It didn’t feel bad, just strange and different. Two things which Damryn prided himself in staying away from.

The dragon silently left the cave and upon exiting he stretched his emerald and blue striped wings. The vary tips a deep dark blue, rearing back he bunched his legs and leapt into the morning sun lit sky. He let out a soft roar of glee at flying spiraling high up and then diving back down over the trees, his paws snatching at pine bowls and dislodged a few squirrels. Who chirped angerly at his passing, Damryn tilted his wings and slowly raised. Giving a few flaps of his wings to maintain his glide, the dragon’s eyes peering out into the forest. Following the tree tops to the edge of the forest, his wings quickly swallowed up the miles in only a handful of minutes he found himself landing at the edge of the forest.

He sat on his haunches and looked over the fields and rolling hills, off in the distance he could make out the Eastern mountains, home of the dwarves of Karak Twelve Peaks. He remembered the book he owned written only 50 years ago, he obtained from a traveler lost in their forest. It was of the Black dragon, Dawn Fading who lived in 12 Peaks. He was raised by the dwarves and aided them in the wars against the goblins. But when word traveled to Bramor that a dragon lived in the mountains to the east among the dwarves, a black scaled acid spitting dragon. The Questing knights and the Aerial Corps were rallied, the humans feared the dragon had enthralled the whole Karak. So they assaulted twelve peaks and after six months the Dragon Slayers of the Glun family and a squad of questing knights broke through the Dwarven defenses and slew the dragon who guarded the Dwarven Runemaster and friend. After an hour of fighting Talen Glun, left the field with a pair of curved bloody dragon horns as trophies.

The Dwarven King Thoran wrote the Glun’s and Bramor down in the Ruby covered book of grudges, written in the blood of knights and gryphons who died that day. The dwarves of twelve peaks are defensive in nature like all dwarfs. So, no military campaign was launched, but no Bramorian will ever be let into the markets of the great Karak. The defenses on the mountains will shot down any airship that crosses their borders. The great black dragon Dawn Rising was entombed in the Royal Tombs for honor and service in the Goblin Wars, and up to his death in the Slayer War.

Damryn loved history and stories, but ever since the fall of dragons is kind has grown closer to extinction, his mother. A great seer, has always tried to steer the world for dragons, a slow process as she says. But as she has always said, “Dragons have nothing but time on their paws, while the mortal’s lives are but fleeting.”

The green dragon was distracted by his musings by the chugging sound of an air ship, the great iron sided beast of a vessel was lumbering toward the forest. Though in no great rush, and the dragon could see men casually milling about her deck. The Great ship was held aloft by magical focal points under the ship, while the ship was propelled by an energy crystal steam engine. Her bow chaser was a gruesome looking multi barreled energy cannon, while her broad side gun ports were closed around the long barrels of energy cannons. The railing had pintle mounted heavy energy rifles every so often.

Damryn slipped slowly back under the trees and called forth a spell changing his scales to the same color as the ground, he hoped the ship may turn away. But it never did, the great armored beast drifted over top the trees and slowly lumbered toward a clearing not two miles into the forest. Damryn ran along through the forest bobbing and weaving around trees, keeping pace with the massive air ship. He stopped at the edge of the field and crouched low behind a large tree log, his golden eyes peering out over the ship as it slowly descended into the clearing. Never touching the ground but coming close enough that multiple ladders fell, and knights began to climb down, fitted with thick plate mail and heavy shields. Some had energy rifles, bur every single one was equipped with a longsword at least. Black gryphon feathers poked from the back of many of the men’s helmets.

Though one man who climbed down was clad in fully black armor and had a one-handed Warhammer and a large black shield with a golden sun on it. He was barking orders and having the men fan out, setting up guard around the ship.

“Come on you dogs! 1st squad is with me, we will find the Seblian princess. Rumors have her in this here forest but fear not the rumors of these woodland’s curse is exaggerated! No dragon can live in Bramor undetected by our slayers. Any who live in these woods are cultists of dragons, Capture the poor brain washed souls, don’t kill them!” The man ordered loudly as men formed up before him, in a professional manner.

There is no princess in these woods…. Or did they chase her here? Damyrn slunk around the clearing staying in the shadows and keeping his spell active, his camouflage working flawlessly. The majority of the knights left with the Black armored man. Damryn decided to shadow them, on their search. A princess being hunted by knights, with a brave dragon coming to the rescue. My name will be sung throughout taverns!

The camouflaged green dragon, slunk stealthily in the wake of the soldiers, though to his fears they were patrolling closer toward his cave and the village. Why hasn’t mother unleashed the forest on them?

The whole situation bothered Damryn, normally a Bramorian would be killed by the forest spirits by now, Monstrous tree entities tearing them apart for even setting foot into her domain. But all was silent, birds and nature sung.

Just ahead of the squad of knights was a flash of green cloth, and crimson locks of hair, the dragon just saw the blur of a slender form passing gracefully between the trees. The knights saw it to and with a roar raced after her. Deeper into the forest and deeper toward the cave. The dragon’s heart sunk and filled with fear. The new human was there, they would think him a crazed cultist, haul him and the Princess away. Probably do terrible things to them, though Damryn found thought of having his cave back to himself would be a nice return to normality. The knights would think nothing was here if no dragon arbitrated the fight and it was still some distance to the humans he cared for. The ones who raised him and his brother. Taught them right from wrong, also what was good and evil. He sighed internally as he thought about it. I’m no better then those knights if I let them take Andrew and the red headed princess.

The dragon let out a soft sigh and with a bunch of his muscles bound forward, claws throwing up leaves and dirt as he charged the rear of the knights’ squad. His head low as he summoned 4 other illusions of himself. All roaring and pouncing from all sides into the humans, who struggled to leap out of the way knocking into one another.

“By the gods! There are five!” a voice cried out as the men screamed in fear, the black armored man barking orders to the men in pure chaos.

The effect was good, he rammed into the back of the milling unorganized group of knights. Slashing and biting like mad, but slowly his illusions were slain one by one, and soon he was the only one left fighting. He sunk his jaws into the neck of young knight and with a quick jerk of his head sent the young human sailing away with a gurgling cry. His talons rending the armor of three other knights before they formed a battle line focusing on him and him alone.

That’s when it came, the barrage of energy bolts, blue bolts hitting all across his body. Damryn quickly realized his mistake and tried to take flight quickly but with a startled roar found his right wing struck. The limb went limp and wouldn’t respond, his body was being struck all over and soon he fell under the fire. His last kill was a foolish man who tried to rush in and was swatted aside by one finally swipe of the dragon’s paw. Damryn fell flat struggling to move, but his body would barely respond, the black armored man strode from the shield wall. His gryphon beak shaped visor lifted above his head, a sneer across his face as he looked at Damryn.

“Ah well maybe those fairy tales do have some truth, but I guess the all-powerful part was a lie…” The man finished with a swing of his warhammer at the side of Damryn’s head. The dragon tried ducking only to have a black horn snapped off halfway down. A painfilled roar filled the air only to be cut off by a black boot to the snout. “Oh you think that is painful, we are only just started with you dragon!”

“Men! Spead out his wings!” The man billowed an order. The dragon tried to weakly pull his wings in, but they wouldn’t respond, three men per wing pulled out his wings showing off he blue stripes and deep blue tips. The green dragon growled weakly and tried pulling away as the black man passed an idle soldier. Pulling the long sword from the man’s belt and padding over to the wing.

“You see dragon, you think your better than because you own the skies. But before I kill you, I will take that from you. So, you will die, bound to the earth like man was so long ago. Besides I can mount these wings on the side of my ship.” The man sneered and plunged the sword into the wing, Damryn roared and screeched in pain. The black armored soldier pounded the pummel with his hammer driving it deeper into the ground and wing membrane. The Dragons cries filling the air nonstop until the hand guard was pinning the wing to the forest floor.

The man nodded to one of the three on Damryn’s other side and another solder a tall half orc raised his sword spearing the wing and began hammering it in with a stone. Until it to held the dragon’s other wing flush to the ground, tears poured down the dragons blue striped snout. Damryn was whimpering in pain and agony as he was spread out for all to see. His head shaking side to side as the man retrieved a two-handed sword, his eyes seemed to gleam with a sick joy as he looked down at the dragon. Bound before him by magic and force, Damryn was at his mercy, mercy that would never come.

With a great heave the man brought the sword down in a powerful arc cleaving the right wing away at the joint. “Now dragon feel it all leave you, take in the pain, beg me to kill you!” He yelled in anger. Hefting the sword onto his shoulder, the man walked over to the other side of Damryn. The dragon’s roars of pain only seemed to bring a bigger smile from the man. The blood from the sword steamed and dripped onto the moss of the forest floor. Staining it right in front of the dragon’s snout, the light in Damryn’s eyes must have fade as the human looked into them raising the sword a second time.

“Now that’s what I wanted to see”

The sword fell cutting the wing off at the joint again, the dragon roaring and crying in pain, as his life might as well be taken before his eyes. The main leaned on his sword looking over the dragon, obviously admiring his work. “Well dragon, it looks like you’ll be worth something.” He motioned for a large man to come over. The knight stood almost a head taller the man in black plate, and the leader handed the young knight his sword. “As inquisitor of Bramor I give you the right to slay this dragon, found guilty of murder, destruction, and enslavement of men. You will take this dragon’s life and earn the pauldrons of a Paladin.”

The man nodded with a curt “Aye sir! For Bramor!”

The inquisitor clapped the man on the back smiling, “Go on, we’ll make a Paladin and slayer out of you yet!”

The knight padded over to the dragon’s shoulder and Damryn closed his eyes. This is it, no blaze of glory, no saving a princess. No songs to be sung of my great noble deeds, just of my death…

There was a resounding loud bang, followed by the sound of metal singing and a sword falling onto the ground, Damryn’s eyes opened to see the knight who had held the long sword. He was laying on his side choking and a small bulge in the front of his plat mail. He was coughing up blood and his armor was leaking crimson between the cracks. The dragon watched his eyes pleading for help as the men formed a shield wall in the back ground. The dragon snarled a small internal victory as the life left the man’s eyes, his eyes focused on the backs of the knights. The black armored inquisitor yelled out. “Show yourself murder! Face justice!”

There was a brief pause before another loud crack came, and a man’s head was struck, the back of the metal helmet blown open. The energy rifle wielding man toppled over, and every knight collectively knelt behind their shields. The dragon could see over them at the small ridge that they faced, and a figure stood up from a bush. Tan and strange, looking holding a black long stick. A-Andrew…. T-They’ll kill you run…

Damryn heard Andrew’s voice easily, “Well you must be the pinnacle of justice, slowly torturing a prisoner before killing them. From where I’m standing you’re the criminal, and I’ll drop you right here if you don’t leave.”

The Inquisitor roared with anger “You damn craven fool, you will not tell the hand of the Bramorian King how to conduct his affairs! Who are YOU to speak to me peasant!”

The soldier on the ridge held his ground weapon at the ready and smiled, “I’m Andrew Malone United States Marine Corps! Why don’t you run back to your little king and play tea and dress up, before I kill every fucking one of you.” Andrew’s voice rang out.

Damryn couldn’t tell if Malone had wanted to face 16 knights and an inquisitor in battle, but he was now. The Inquisitor roared out a single command “Charge!!!” and rushed forward with his men. They were falling like flies to the Marine’s metal spitting weapon. Having to advance up hill took all their speed from them, and no knight made it within 30 paces, the inquisitor hadn’t even made it to the base of the hill. A hole in each one of the man’s legs had him laying on his face trying to crawl toward an energy rifle. Though he’d never make it, Damryn watched as Andrew ran down the hill and kicked the man in his side. Flipping the inquisitor onto his back, “You know I’m sick in fucking tired of dealing with cruel-ass motherfuckers. But hey you fought god’s favorite branch of the US Military, so you had this one coming.”

The dragon watched Andrew stand and fire point blank into the man’s chest plate repeatedly until his weapon made a sharp click, and the man changed out boxes. He quickly ran over to the dragon opened the large tube on the bottom of his weapon. The dragon watched him insert a cylinder into the tube and close it. Pointing it to the sky he pulled the trigger and there was a loud thump, followed by a bright red light rising into the midday sky.

Damryn tried to stand only to fall back with a pained growl, his teeth showing in a pained snarl. The human was kneeling before him quickly “Whoa there Emerald don’t move, just lay down your brother will be here shortly. I’m sure he heard the fighting and will see the flare.”

Damryn lay flat with a huff and rested his head on the ground, only to feel a gentle gloved hand resting on his head. The man was petting him while observing the surroundings, watching small tree monsters named Dryads swarming past back the way the Knights had came. The sounds of energy cannon fire could be heard in the distance, but Andrew never left Damryn. Standing over him protectively and shifting between the dragon and the fighting. Damryn looked at both wings and simply cried in anguish, his beautiful green and blue stripped wings gone. He reached out a paw and felt over the membrane still pinned by the sword, his snout nuzzling the wing and keening.

“You’ll be okay man, just-“ The sound of the tree tops above snapping and a large blue drake came to a rough landing nearby. Only to stop as he nearly stepped on a dismembered wing and then finally paused looking over his brother. Damryn never looked up, only started at the blue paws of his brother, Jaldrin.

“Damryn lets get you back to your cave, come now, up you go” Jaldrin said as he started nosing the dragon onto his feet, letting Damryn lean against him and the two began slowly walking back to the cave, the green could hear to boot steps of the human following them. Jaldrin turned his head to bare his fangs at the human, but Damryn snapped at his brother. Much to the blue’s surprise, the green bared his fangs at his brother dripping blood and glaring at him with golden eyes. “He saved me Jaldrin! He has every right to follow me if he wishes.”

Jaldrin hung his head and kept walking, the dragon was filled with anger and guilt, Damryn could see it. The green nudged his cheek and said “It’s not your fault brother, you can’t be there every moment of my life. I made a mistake, please don’t blame yourself…”

The blue nodded his head, letting out a sigh and curled his wing around Damryn as they walked side by side.

---

Malone walked behind the two brothers fiddling with his rifle as he listened, trying not to appear as though he was listening in on what could be considered private words. But he could obviously hear them, and he resigned to keeping an eye out in the direction of the fighting. Though the sounds faded into the distance, not from the three moving away but as the roar of engines signaled the ship’s leave. Malone could just see it through the branches, like nothing he had ever seen, the hull was almost like a Saint louis class ship from long ago.

Though the cannons fired lances of energy much more powerful then the hand-held weapons the knights had carried, though the crews seemed to be able to keep up a high rate of fire as they retreated.

Malone kept walking and fished out a camel cigarette pack from a pocket on his forearm, he pulled one out with his lips and put the pack back in the pocket pulling an old bronze zippo with USMC engraved in it from his chest pocket. It had been his grandfather’s during Vietnam and Korea, Malone flicked it open with a soft “Ting” and lit the cigarette inhaling and sighing. The prized zippo returned to it’s home in his chest pocket and the Malone enjoyed his post-contact smoke.

The soldier casually walked along, watching a few tree monsters returning to where ever they must come from. Many had scorch marks on their wooden, green rune covered bodies. Though it didn’t seem to affect them as they passed by, one was dragging another behind it missing both legs. Though the tree thing had its arms crossed in a more annoyed fashion of having to be dragged along. Malone smiled at the comical look and returned his gaze to the brothers, they were approaching Emerald Scholar’s cave and Malone saw the red headed princess standing in front of the cave. Her eyes were wide with horror, he had run into her when he was running to the sound of fighting. She told him that a dragon with green scales and blue markings was fighting a bunch of Bramorian knights.

Her words had only confirmed his suspicion of what was happening at the time, and he had only made it just in time to save the dragon’s live but not his wings. That failure felt bitter in his mouth, and it made him angry. Sure, he hadn’t known the dragon for more then a day, but the beast gave him shelter and despite not being a conversationalist. He still gave Malone respect to some degree and he liked that.

Malone watched the women cover her mouth with a fair skinned hand, her eyes wide as she looked at the stumps where wings of grace and magnificence would extend from. He’ll never fly again, like a man losing his legs to an IED. I wonder how he’ll cope….

The dragons stopped and Jaldrin left to get healers from the village, Malone padded up and dropped his backpack next to the dragon. He pulled out a roll of gauze and flicked his cigarette away, now a stub of its former self. “Hey big guy I’m going to bandage you up, you mind?”

Malone stood holding bandage, there was silence and the dragon didn’t look at Malone, he just kept staring out into nothing. But after a good few moments he spoke, “I do not mind Andrew…. You may also call me Damryn.”

Malone could hear the sadness in his voice, but he also new that the dragon’s real name must have only been handed out as a gift. The human nodded and stood at the side of the dragon and started wrapping the still seeping wound. Damryn growled as he attentively bandaged one joint and then walked around the dragon. Passing in front the dragon he looked down into the golden gaze of Damyrn’s eyes, the color and life was missing.

While he was working on the other stub, the dragon spoke not to him but to the princess. “So, Princess why did the knights chase you?” he asked with a steadier voice, almost trying to seem strong notwithstanding his position.

The Princess knelt and sat as she spoke, her green armored leathers not what Malone would have expected to see on a princess. Malone had thought that a princess would be some overly dignified women who wouldn’t be caught dead in the woods let alone undefended by guards. Yet here stood a princess or at least that’s what the dragon had called her.

“I… That’s not…. How did you know?” She asked in a sort of soft voice not very gruff and she almost glared at the dragon for being called a princess.

The dragon let out what almost felt like a forced chuckle as a weak smile graced his snout as Malone walked over to his bag watching the two as he stowed his bandages. Taking a seat of his own, to be honest he was surprised the dragon wasn’t crying over his wings, many of men would still be hugging their leg right now. Yet here was the dragon already in a way recovering from his loss, though Malone knew it would be a longtime before the dragon might fully be at ease with his life. He assumed wings didn’t regrow.

“I over heard the knights after they landed, they were hunting a Seblain Princess, and you’re the only fair-haired interloper not trying to chop my head off. So that narrows things down, Princess.” The dragon said with a hint of pride at his expert if not obvious deduction, a weak smile on his snout.

Malone watched the women huff and cross her arms across her chest, and the Princess glared at the dragon. “I wouldn’t expect a dragon to understand, but since you asked so ‘nicely’.” She dragged out the word nice with a biting air of sarcasm which only made the dragon show his teeth in a grin. I guess dragons love arguments for some god-awful reason, it’s like a game for him…

“I don’t want to be the ruler of my people, it’s not who I am. I want to be an adventure and have my name sung in taverns about my deeds and quest. Villains I kill and evil monsters I slay, make gold from exploring lost temples and braving danger. The adrenaline and joy of a life free of the trials of politics and leading a nation…. Though my travels have brought me to Bramor, and my identity was quickly revealed somehow. I’ve been hunted ever since I stepped foot in this nation.” When she finished Malone leaned back against his pack.

“And why would you not like to have people bowing and scraping to you? I find that rather enjoyable, wouldn’t you Andrew?” The dragon said looking toward Malone who raised his hands up in defense and shrugged.

“Not me, we don’t have kings and queens.”

“Oh you two are the strangest humans I know, swear you both are broken in the head.” Damryn spoke with a deep rumble.

“We just aren’t as vain as you are dragon, and by the way we didn’t attack an entire squad of Knights and an Inquisitor alone.” The princess spoke “Oh and you can call me Sevtla, Sevtla Vilenkin”

“Oooh you are a Vilenkin, didn’t one of your great grand fathers fight against a group of dragon slayers to protect a red drake living peacefully in your lands?” The dragon asked resting his head on his paws happily. The female nodded and chuckled a little seeming a little happy as she nodded.

“That was my father’s, father, Vuksan Sevtla. The dragon was Crimson Shield, he adopted the name 100 years ago after he defended our capital from undead hordes. He’s my uncle, or at least that’s what I call him.” She said happily.

At the word uncle Malone nearly spurted water as he was drinking from his canteen, he coughed and hacked for a few minutes to both the other’s amusement. “Don’t… *cough* ..mind me *Cough* dying loudly….”

“Oh, great and mighty warrior from another plain, slain by a sip of water.” The dragon chuckled and tapped his claws at the ground with amusement.

Malone recovered and smiled though he was the one to ask the more sobering and hard question. “Will you ever fly again?”

The dragon’s smile faded, but after a few moments of thought he nodded, “It’s not impossible, my mother is ancient beyond any dragon I know. But only time will tell.” The dragon said though with slight sadness he added “Any stretch of time without flight is painful for a dragon, our wings are our pride and joy I am merely a lizard without them.”

Sevtla snorted “A prideful, vain, speaking lizard.” She said with a smirk, and the dragon chuckled.

“so yes I am still unique all be it a little less for now.” Damyrn said with a smile and looked toward Malone.

“You saved my life, which could not have been brought back, take pride in that…. Friend”

Malone smiled when the dragon called him ‘friend’ and leaned back, he noticed a group of villagers and a familiar blue dragon leading them along. The blue dragon sat down on his hunches next to Malone and looked over the human before laying down next to him.

“Thank you” He heard the blue say, though the dragon never looked at him directly. Instead staring at his brother as villagers milled over him. The blue soon stood back up and nudged Malone’s side with the back of a paw.

“My mother wishes to speak with you” he said and turned waiting for Malone to follow, the dragon’s head tilted to the side expectantly. Malone stood, giving Damryn one last look of guilt. It was the same guilt he had when he lost men to wounds, the point man shot kicking in a door or loosing his legs to a pressure plate IED. Malone nodded to himself and turned toward the blue walking with the dragon, who was kind enough to keep his pace matched to the human’s.

Malone could see the blue’s mixed emotions, and the large drake tilted his head fixing a golden eye on the human. There was no definitive emotion in that gaze and Malone returned his gaze to the path ahead, trying not to trip over any roots. Malone looked at a gloved hand and wondered on a more philosophical note if one day he could build instead of kill. If he could truly find peace, but his thoughts were interrupted by a snort from the dragon.

“I wouldn’t feel to guilty about saving his life, Bramor has done worse things to dragons through out their history. They don’t see us as anything except a beast gifted with only the urge to kill or enslave humanity.” The blue dragon said while directly looking at Malone.

Malone nodded and looked up at the dragon “What is your title? Damryn never told me.”

The dragon chuckled and spread his wings, “I am Blue Skies, I know not very scary. But you can call me Jaldrin.” The dragon said with a slight smile. Folding his wings against his side, Malone noticed that Jaldrin looked exactly like his brother besides coloring.

“Well Jaldrin I think I noticed their dislike for you and your brother, the second I found him wingless and about to be murdered. In my world torture of an incapacitated combatant is illegal on a global scale. Also, not considered honorable in the least, a tactic only used by cowards and tyrants.” Malone said with spite in his voice, as his mind flashed back to a POW they had saved while ISIS had been transporting them to be murdered. His finger nails removed with plyers and his face and body littered with scars from a knife. He shivered at the thought of what these people would do if they had more time and a private place to torture Damryn.

Malone’s gaze was drawn to the familiar sight of the stone statues and as he thought of them, Bramorian garden gnomes. A fitting end for them seeing as what many would do to her or her children. Though he still questioned the other statues that weren’t knights and soldiers, the older more moss-covered statues. Some seemed to have been more innocent and noncombatant types of people.

The two walked up the shallow flight of stairs and the large familiar doors opened on their own, and Malone beside Jaldrin made their way down the hallway side by side. His boots tapping on the ancient stone floor, the two passed through another set of doors, and down a flight of stares to the room from before. As it was before the floor was covered in a thick mist that reached half way to Malone’s knee. I don’t think I’ll ever relaxing in this place, to stereotypical evil.

Malone thought as he stopped next to the dragon’s foreleg, his head almost level with the dragon’s shoulder. Though he made an effort not to use the dragon’s leg as cover as the Sapphire Queen once again rose from the mist. Blue wing unfurled, and her gaze fixed directly on Malone. Making his body fill with dread, she didn’t seem like the lady who you would enjoy staring you down. Not even a Drill instructor could instill such fear in a person.

Malone twitched nervously as she folded her wings and padded toward him, in a graceful manner. Her eyes never left him as she circled him, Jaldrin having retreated some little ways away merely watching. Malone stood as she circled him her gaze drawing up and down him, but unlike her children her gaze was blood red. It gave her a savage look, that sent shivers down his spine. Her threat from before to kill him slowly if he harmed her son, didn’t seem to farfetched in the end.

“It seems little human you have become useful, and you rescued my son. Though like it or not you are bound to this world as I see it. I do not know if you are to be a pawn or something greater, that has yet to be seen. But even though you may not see it, I am a mother who loves her children. For protecting my Son, even though he has lost his wings he lives because of you. So, I shall give you a gift.” The dragoness said and padded right up to him, his tried to take a step back but he couldn’t move.

He watched as she rested a paw on his helmeted head and her third eye opened, the human felt a voice leeching into his mind. In a soft voice it whispered, “Relax, I’m not stripping you of your freedom.”

The female voice said and he slowly relaxed and he felt like someone was shifting through his thoughts and knowledge, even peeking into his more private thoughts with giggles. It was like she was holding his hand and dragging him through his own mind. So, he knew exactly what she was giggling at. “s-stay out of there!” he mentally shouted only getting another soft chuckle in his head, it felt like it was next to is ear. But the invasion of his mind slowly retreated like the tide and he blinked, seeing the third eye closing and disappearing like it was never there.

The female stepped to the side revealing a few familiar things he never thought he’d see again. The Sapphire Queen padded away some flopped on her side looking tired and rested her head onto her paws, three prefab olive-green metal cargo depots, with strange rune carved into the sides of them and one of the up armored Humvee’s he had use to ride in. only this one was painted in woodland camo, with no turret.

The dragoness tapped her tail on the stone to get his attention and held out an up turned paw, with a stone on it. “come take the stone?”

Malone walked over to her and picked up the stone that was just bigger then his fist and turned it around in his hand. “What does it do?”

“It’s the teleportation stone for these, all you have to do too summon them is wave your hand in a circle around the stone and say ‘Quellar Mu’ve’. This can be done one time every 3 weeks.” She said, and Malone pocketed the stone in a chest pouch.

“Thank you, but why do this for me?” Malone asked looking at her, she looked so tired and even yawned before flicking a paw dismissively.

“It is kindness foolish human, now leave me I wish to rest.” She said, and her body melted into mist before disappearing, not giving Malone chance to ask more questions. Well at least she doesn’t want to make me into garden gnome…

Malone and the dragon walked back to the clearing in front of Damryn’s cave, it was more then large enough for Malone to set up shop. The human could see the Green dragon talking with the princess, his snout had a smile on it and he looked happy in a way. The red-haired lady was laughing loudly and bounding her thigh as the dragon smiled widely. Malone did the required motion over the stone and spoke the two words. “Quellar Mu’ve” Before his eyes the three structures and Humvee seemed to appear out of a swirling mist.

“Oye what are those!” he heard a soft voice calling to see the Sevtla and Damryn staring at what he summoned. Malone shrugged and walked over to one, popping the door open and peaking inside, his jaw almost dropped. Inside was an armory well over stocked, with plenty of ammo. A few launchers and even boxes that held more unique toys. He walked up in and next to him was rack of armor plates and some vests in Marpat woodland. Some helmets too and plenty of other items that would need to be replaced over time. He stepped out of the armory which had a symbol above the door, a shield with two swords crossed.

There was a loud clearing of a throat and Malone smiled sheepishly, turning to see the two dragons and Sevtla staring at him. “Well I guess your mother didn’t think I had enough weapons, so she gave me more, and a Humvee for transport. I don’t know what’s in the other two.”

To which Sevtla tapped her foot and motioned for him to go to the other ones. Malone rolled his eyes and walked over to the other two. “Yes, your highness, I’ll get right to it.”

His joke only got him a glare from the lady and he chuckled before moving down to the next building. In the row of three, he pulled the door open and stepped up into it. It was a very roomy building with a few beds against the back wall, and a table in the center. There was also a dresser next to the beds and the left corner closest to him was set up as a mini kitchen. With a stove, refrigerator and an oven. He scratched the back of his head, and the right wall had a couch. Specifically, one just like he had at home. He stepped out and made his way to the third quickly, ignoring any questions and found the other one was a basic shop for the Humvee and small section for basic gunsmithing.

On top of each building were solar panels and the shop had plenty of fuel for the Humvee and generators, with a battery bank that could easily hold enough juice for the buildings to run through the night. It was probably the nicest thing to happen to him in the last two days, he had a home, means of defense.

“She gave me a home… which is strange…” He said siting on the stairs in front of the shop door.

Jaldrin shrugged his wings and instantly turned to Sevtla, “Now if you would come with me dear princess, I think I know some place for you to stay.”

The blue dragon lead Sevtla away and the green dragon smiled as his brother walked off talking with the princess and Damryn chuckled. “So, no more human in my cave?”

“I guess not! Haha”

Malone smiled and watched as the dragon padded up to the center building and shifted his size down so that he was the size of a large dog. He was a little bigger than a Great Dane, Malone observed and Damryn opened the door with a forepaw. Malone walked over to the building as the dragon disappeared into it a little stunned at the size change. He found the dragon laying on the couch and Malone closed the door walking in and dragged a chair over to sit in front of the couch. Malone left his rifle and vest on the table and sat in the chair looking at the dragon who was laying on his back, paws tucked to his chest.

“Hmmm…. I think I need to claim this soft thing as mine.” The dragon rumbled happily and wiggled on his back. Only getting a chuckle out of Malone who looked at the dragon, who now looked like a cute, scaled, oversized version of a cat.

“You may be cute, but that doesn’t give you claim over my stuff. Plus, don’t you owe me for saving your life?” Malone said with a smirk tilting the chair back on two legs rocking back and forth.

The dragon tapped a talon to its chin in thought and hummed, “well… I suppose, but I like this soft thing so I’m staying here then.”

“Oh, now I have a dragon on a couch.” Malone said smiling and getting up before walking over to a bed and laying down on it. In the corner he could se a door to a small bathroom. I was open with a shower and the greatest of all things. An honest to god toilet, he smiled and lay back only hear rapid clicking of claws drawing closer. Just as he tilted his head up a green ball of scales leapt onto his bed and he was instantly entwined with tail and legs. A head resting on top of his and a purring sound filled the room. “Yessss I’ll just claim this as all mine, even you”

Malone grumbled and pat the scaled sides of the dragon with his bare hand, feeling their smoothness for the first time. “Nope, I’m a free man”

“Now that’s no way to accept the gift of dragon ownership” Damryn said as he held the human tight in his forelegs. The dragon smiled at his little joke and yawned before uncurling from the Malone and pouncing over to another bed curling up. His snout pushed under a pillow and frills relaxed against his neck.

Malone watched with a chuckle and lay back, “You have to earn the right of ownership” Malone joked.

“Oh, but I must have since, the noble human came to the rescue the great and resplendent dragon. Only by luck and after I weakened them did you manage to save my life”

Malone rolled his eyes and yawned too, finally being able to relax for once and stretch out. Though he looked over at the dragon’s wingless body and still felt a little guilt sink into his heart. I could have done better…