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Legend of Spyro: Gifted Curse

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CHAPTER 5

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Morning brought an early wake-up call. Basic stretches and exercises to wake them up and loosen their bodies, a modest breakfast of bread, meat, and refreshing citrus juices, and they were led through the massive library to some underground chambers where magic was researched. Crystal balls lined the walkway to the testing area, where quite a few elders and apprentices were waiting. Spyro gulped nervously and Flame strutted with a smug grin at the sight of some young ladies eyeing him. Already, Spyro could feel a lot of attention being given to his undertail, but it lacked the giggly or lustful nature he was used to, the apprentices giving hushed whispers and comparing notes between intent glances at his swaying sack.

"Spyro, stand here, Flame, in this box please." Equal rectangles were laid out with lines of glowing gems set into the floors. "You may sit or stand, but do try your best to hold still. This will tickle and probably feel uncomfortable in places." The elderly lady stepped back when they were situated, Flame standing and striking a pose with a toothy grin while Spyro just flexed his wings and watched as the apprentices surrounded them. There were Dragons, there were Cheetahs, there were Manweersmals and Atllawas and several other species Spyro didn't recognize. Some were holding up crystal balls as if scanning the two dragons with them. "Left paw, please," their teacher requested, modeling for them, and Spyro and Flame held out their paws. Curious hands, paws, and fingers started holding them, squeezing them lightly, feeling all over and pressing in to feel the tendons and bones. Flame gritted his teeth and tried not to laugh, but Spyro distracted himself by trying to listen to what they were all whispering about. Something about bone densities? One girl in particular seemed to be fascinated by his claws, talking to her companion about their luster and some of the battle gouges that hadn't yet been shed off.

It went on like this for quite some time, the two males being asked to hold out their wings, lower their heads, hold out a hind leg...and lift their tails. Spyro couldn't help blushing in embarrassment, especially with the audible fascination and curious touches to his sheath and sack as they weighed his testicles a few times and very gently felt over them. At least he had the confirmation that he did not have cancer back there. Flame was already sporting quite the erection, and some of the girls were feeling along it, making note of his ridges and fleshy barbs. The exploration of their masculine bits ended rather abruptly with a switch to studying their spines and wing shoulders, much to Flame's visible disappointment at being blueballed.

The strength and stamina tests were coupled together, using magically contrived weights and treads. The two were asked to lift weights from various positions, or push them along the floor, run on the treads as fast as they could, drag the weights, and various other applications, all the while having eyes intently examining them and a few occasional paws feeling their legs or backs for muscle tone. It was so awkward for Spyro, he just wanted the day to be done with already! Flight speed and agility were handled with magic wind, and Spyro got quite the high marks compared to Flame, though the students were quick to note that it was expected from Spyro's extreme combat background.

Exhausted from the exertion, they were allowed to rest and recharge with another, much more bland lunch while crystal balls and other magic implements were used around them. "Alright, everything's good so far as we can detect," the eldest lady announced as the two finished their meal. Cold water and a saline gargle were supplied to wash their mouths. "Final collections. Scales, claws, saliva, blood," she listed off while the students prepared the necessary equipment. Scales were as easy as a few shavings off the edges of somet hat were ready to shed, and for their claws, a few snips of the tips where they were most cracked from use, even giving the courtesy of sharpening them with some files to collect the dust and bottle it. The solids were mixed with a clear preservation fluid that smelled like piss, making Flame scrunch his nose. Blood drawing, though, made the fire dragon squirm in anticipation and Spyro felt himself seizing up in apprehension. Some red Health Crystal shards were held nearby as sharp scalpels were used to lightly nick them on the foreleg right between the hard banded scales, letting their blood drip into collection bottles already filled with a different preservation fluid.

"Isn't...isn't that enough?" Flame asked nervously, watching with wider and wider eyes as his leg was held securely and a girl kneaded his elbow to keep the blood flowing.

"We'll heal you with the crystal when it's enough," she replied. "We do need a larger sample than usual since we need a portion of it for allergen testing too. And it's a pretty big gamut."

"But what's the rest used for?" Spyro asked.

"Blood typing, immune testing, sugar and fat levels, other indications of your various bodily systems." Spyro felt there was more to it than that, but it wasn't being mentioned. "Alright, elemental strength and stamina tests, and then we finish up."

"Huh?" Flame asked, and Spyro smirked, knowing full well what was on his mind. Flame didn't get a chance to verify the last collection though as some targets were presented at the far end of the room. Flame's side of the elemental test was pretty standard. Accuracy, range, duration of holding a gout of fire, and how much he could control it. He managed to get several explosive dragon heads to form and track onto various floating targets. Then a test of his Fury power. For this he was allowed to move to a deeper, more open area of the underground chamber, and was seated on a steep pillar of stone to isolate him. Pulses of ether swept through the room, but Spyro could distinctly tell Flame was nowhere near the level Ignitus had been at when he'd first shown a Fire Fury to the young purple. Flinging his wings apart Flame roared and the air around him burst with fire, popping and crackling like fireworks. Panting, he trudged back up and flopped, the apprentices supplying him with some more cold water and a few sweet snacks while Spyro moved out to that platform. "Hey why's he out there for his test?" he asked before even thinking about it.

"For your safety."

Spyro's test was much, much showier, even without him meaning to, and Flame sat aghast with his mouth gaped at what he was seeing. Fire, Ice, Electricity, Earth, Wind, Water, Shadow, Light, Crystal, Poison, and even Convexity itself, all sorts of elemental powers popping and whooshing and fizzling and snapping and shattering left and right, the purple dragon even managing to throw off separate elements from each of his limbs and focus them on surrounding targets without even using his breath! Even from the distance he was at, Flame felt rather uneasy. Seeing this really put into perspective what the stories of Spyro and Cynder had spoken of, their hardships and accomplishments and dire battles...and even now he had the distinct feeling Spyro was holding back so as not to destroy the place. There were a few moments where Spyro would melee a target...but Flame could've sworn he'd also been at the other end of the platform? Or...no, wait, hadn't he been over there just now? Something felt very off about the way Spyro was moving, like conflicts of memory.

"Excellent usage of Time control," muttered one of the girls by him, and then it clicked and left him even more amazed and self-conscious. Spyro was manipulating Time to move around so fast?? For all his strutting, Flame felt very small compared to the purple dragon. And yet, he also felt a little heartache too. Spyro kept all this power bottled up? No wonder he was so reserved! He must've been terrified every day of accidentally letting his power slip and hurting someone...no wonder he was sometimes so distant and quiet.

"At this point we would ask for a Fury demonstration," the elder called, "but I don't think even our most powerful magic would protect the facility or us from harm. You may return."

Spyro walked back up with an apologetic half-smile. "Yeah...sorry. Better safe though. Not even I know how strong my Fury attacks are anymore." Again, Flame felt awkwardly small in comparison. He was so wiped out from his elemental expenditure, yet Spyro's display had easily dwarfed his in output, yet he barely looked tired after it all. Returning to his rectangle, he lapped at some water and shot Flame another apologetic grin. "I hope you're not hurting after seeing that."

"It's...not what I was expecting, no."

"Beyond our expectations too," the elder remarked, jotting some notes onto her parchment with her fluffy quill. "Alright. The final step." At that, most of the male apprentices stepped back and went to do other things while some of the girls giggled. Flame's head shot up attentively and he looked around, hope gleaming in his eyes while Spyro's gut sank in apprehension again. Collection jars were being lined up. Grinning, the fire dragon stood up, showing off his maleness already making itself known. "Now girls, remember, this is strictly for research."

"Yes, Matron," they mumbled back, some of them staring eagerly at Flame's throbbing pole leaking pre under him. The more studious ones were already noting the reaction. Spyro coughed nervously, getting erect as well, if only due to the anticipation. He eyed the jars still being lined up near him, out of Flame's line of sight. Had the other Matron already told them about his expected volume? She must have.

Flame groaned out and Spyro glanced over to see him with his eyes closed and mouth partly open, hips bucking lightly with a soft blue light surrounding his shaft. A similar light enveloped Spyro's sheath and peeking tip, making him gasp at the warm, tight sensation coaxing him into full view. This was the part he was most afraid of, but the magical touch on his bits also extended to his hefty stones, cradling and fondling them expertly, feeling almost identical to Cynder's lovemaking attentions. He couldn't help a low groan of pleasure as he was stroked off slowly. He closed his eyes to imagine Cynder, tuning out the girls around him, though he didn't see the blue light also surrounding his ears to help him tune them out as he sank into his fantasy memories of his mate. Around him, the girls were squealing in awe and jealousy and arousal at the sight of his stiff, pulsing member pressed up along his belly and chest to almost peek out past his forelegs. Whoever was controlling the magic stroking his dick had two tight grips on his length, simulating Cynder's vaginal walls and tighter cervix, and was even moving it against him like the curves of eggshells. Having gone a few days without release, it didn't take long before the purple-scaled male was panting and huffing, gritting his teeth and then growling out with a low roar as he thrust wildly with his hips, tail flagging and heavy jewels pulling up tight against his crotch as he ejaculated. He opened his eyes to hazily watch as his copious seed flew through the air, stream after stream gushing through pale blue magic to fill the jars around him. Flame was staring slack-jawed again, coming a second time from the display and catching his stunned helpers off-guard with the hot splashes of seed on their scales and robes. One of the girls tried but failed to get Flame's flagging shaft back under control to catch his streams of seed, torn between gathering Flame's semen and gawking at Spyro's incredible volume, while another was giggling and licking it off herself. Shakily, Spyro sat down to catch his breath as the last few spurts dribbled into the air, floating over to join the rest of his essence in the crystal containers.

"Girls," the Matron warned sternly. Flame glanced around blearily, noticing most of the female dragons around them had their tails raised and a few were openly rubbing themselves. Some were approaching Spyro with a heat-drunk expression Flame knew all too well. Panting to himself, he filed that away mentally to ask about later.

More water was supplied, as well as some tasty meat cuts, both of them downing the offerings eagerly while suppressant armoatic herbs were passed around, in some cases forcibly applied to the girls' noses to calm them. It was a struggle to keep some of them from trying to get at Spyro's essence in the jars before the lids were affixed, or to have them simply clean up Flame's mess rather than licking at it. Post-orgasm clarity was sinking in heavily and Spyro felt guilty about the display and the awkwardness of the girls around him now. The two Matrons were conversing with each other with hushed voices.

At long last, they were dismissed. It was evening, twilight in fact, and the air outside was crisp and cool with a north wind promising rain overnight. "Thank you for participating," the Mage Matron said with a slow nod, which they returned. "Outstanding results, both of you, and enough for us to come to some conclusions ahead of schedule. Spyro, we will inform you of the results soon."

"Thanks..." he replied, feeling distant again. He just wanted to go home.

"I just have a question about all that," Flame asked. "Was that actually all cum? From Spyro?"

"Flame what the hell??" he whispered.

"No you what the hell! That was awesome! But impossible! What the actual hell was all that?!"

The Matron chuckled. "That was indeed Spyro's semen, Flame."

"Whoa..."

Spyro coughed and turned away. "I uh...yeah. Thanks. Sorry but I've gotta get going."

"Have a safe flight, dears, and Spyro, give Cynder our regards."

Sweeping into the air, Spyro was half-tempted to leave Flame behind, feeling very embarrassed after all that showcase of his abilities. "Hey Spyro wait up!" the fire dragon called, flapping madly to keep up. "What's the rush dude?"

"Can't believe I agreed to go through with all that..." Spyro grumbled to himself. "Sent them all into heat too, fucking hell..."

Flame opened his mouth to ask, but then his smile flattened. Something was bugging the purple dragon, badly. At the border of the village, he finally spoke up. "Hey bro, I know you wanna get to Cynder fast, but it's gonna rain soon. We should bed down at the inn like we planned and at least get a nap to wait it out."

Not really giving much indication of hearing him, Spyro did at least let himself fall to the street and alight, shaking himself off. Flame led the way to the inn and got them two separate rooms. Before they split up, he tapped the purple with his wing, catching his attention.

"Look, dude...sorry if I've been a bit pushy. Was just...excited to see a familiar face again. If you need some space, go ahead. Won't hold it against ya if you head off without me, you've obviously got your own drama you're dealing with."

Not really sure how to take the sudden spike of maturity from the fire drake, Spyro just nodded halfheartedly and went down the hall to his room. Giving a contemplative frown, the red drake sighed and fanned himself with his wings, then glanced out the window in his room. He still had some time before the rain hit. With a little grin he wandered back out onto the street.

Perhaps it was the exhaustion of the exercise gamut, or just being drained from his inner struggles, but Spyro slept like a log, passing out early and waking up a little later than he'd intended. Laying on his back, he glared at the ceiling, his mind foggy with fatigue. Looking down himself, he glared even more at his morning wood idly throbbing along his belly. For the first time in a while, he didn't want to bury it in Cynder. He didn't want to be aroused. He was angry with his body, with Malefor, with all the unfairness of the world around him. There had to be a way around this. And yet, for all his mental wracking, he couldn't think of anything, there were just too many unknowns. Nothing was set in stone, but he was afraid of them confirming he was a Patriarch, that Flame's semen was sterile, that his own was super potent...

But, again forefront in his mind was this revelation that sex outside of mateship was okay, even expected. He honestly didn't know how he felt about that. But, his biggest concern was how Cynder would take it. Would she be fine with casual fun with friends, with his potential duty of breeding other dragons? Or would she be heartbroken or resentful? He'd worked so hard to give her a life of happiness, it hurt his core to think that some leftover of Malefor could drive a wedge between them.

He was running himself in circles with worries over what-ifs.

Normally he could shrug it off.

But this had such a drastic impact...

Was it really right to be worrying, to be trying to plan ahead?

Or was he even doing that at all and just draining himself?

"Fuck..." he grumbled, pawing at his face and groaning long and slow. "Okay, fine, whatever. Can't do anything about it until the Matrons verify things. Surprised they didn't ask me to stay for the results but...meh. Guess it might take them a while." Getting up, he tried to breathe slowly and focus on anything other than this problem or his somewhat low desire for his mate's intimacy. Some wandering thoughts here, a few attempts at mentally recreating the icy cold feel of the water from the lake, and finally his enormous maleness retracted into its fleshy scaled pouch. Heading out into the hallway, he paused by Flame's room and found the red dragon in bed with a beautiful watery dragoness, spooning her and gently grooming her neck. By the smell of things they'd been having sex all night long, or most of it. Rolling his eyes, he walked past, Flame catching the motion and giving her a peck on the cheek.

"That was fun..." he whispered, his partner giggling and nuzzling him. "I've gotta get going."

"Don't be a stranger if you stop by again," she replied, then ducked under him to give his balls a teasing lick as he slid off the bed.

"If your family gets that jewelry store running, I might be able to stop by more often than just these boredom visits."

"I'll let him know I was in good paws while he was gone." She winked and purred, Flame grinning back with a nod and slipping out into the hallway, spotting Spyro's tail slipping around the corner of the inn door. Rather than jog to catch up, he ambled out slowly to see what state the purple dragon might be in after such a sound sleep. The drake in question glanced over his shoulder and caught sight of Flame, then paused to let him catch up.

"You good?" he asked, keeping just a bit of distance. It still felt a little overwhelming to be near Spyro after that elemental display the day before.

"I don't know. I just wanna go home and forget about all this crap going on."

"Hey...if you need an ear, I can listen."

"It's not an issue I can talk about right now until more things are confirmed...which is why I was out here."

"Your call dude, but don't bottle it up too much. It's gotta be real serious." Spyro's attitude, all that sex stuff yesterday, and every young female dragon in attendance at their tests going into heat all at once had the red dragon very suspicious. Spyro gave him a weary look, one of intense internal struggle. He looked ready to break. Steeling himself again, Spyro shook his head.

"Let's just get going."

Another long flight back to Warfang, but the day promised a pleasantly cool cloudy day throughout. They took a break in the afternoon, close to the dam, to try to snag a bite to eat. Some roasted mushroom cuts and assorted fruits were all they could find on short notice, but it was better than nothing. Spyro was unusually quiet and introverted the whole time, until Flame finally broke the quiet. "Is it really so dire that you can't tell anyone else, not even Cynder? I can't help but get the feeling you're the only one shouldering all this."

Spyro snorted sparks at the fire, making it briefly dance blue. "Yeah...it's that bad."

"And yet I'm now complicit in it by virtue of participating in that test."

"Only so they had fresh data of an average male to compare me to." Tossing a fruit core at their small roasting fire, he sighed heavily, looking like he was ready to melt away. It hurt so bad having to coop everything up to himself like this, for something so dire.

"I guess a promise of keeping things quiet won't help. But...it's not something you can talk to the Guardians about either, is it?"

"They're the ones who sprang it on me and then told me to think on it. Other than...Ignitus...I just don't feel like I can really open up to them. Not like they can help with it either...Volteer just rattles on like a thesaurus enchanted with a voice, Cyril won't stop praising his bloodline and comparing everything to Ice pride, and Terrador...just kinda...no bullshit and very hard to read. It's hard to get meaningful conversation with them."

"Eesh...yeah. That's gotta really suck..." Flame sighed, chewing on a woody mushroom stem piece and using it to pick fruit strands between his teeth. "But I do promise that if something's really heavy for ya, I won't tell anyone else. You're killin' yourself like this. It's painful to watch."

"I didn't ask you to come with me, you know."

"You kinda did. You had all the chance to fly away but waited. Now if you really don't want to talk about it, that's fine, but...it's eating at you whether you talk about it or not."

Silence fell as the purple dragon looked away, contemplating it. "But are you sure you want to hear something that could be devastating to social stability?"

"Whaddaya take me for? I'm Flame the fire dragon!" came the chest-puffing reply. It was so much like talking to Sparx, Spyro couldn't help rolling his eyes. "Hey, by the way, where's uh...what's his name, your dragonfly pal?"

"Sparx?"

"Yeah why'd you have a dragonfly following you around like that?"

"He's my brother." The dumbfounded look of confusion finally cracked a little smile from the purple dragon. "It's...weird. The night of the Temple raid, Ignitus managed to get my egg to the river and I apparently floated down to where a dragonfly family had their home. They took me in and raised me with their son. I didn't know I was a dragon until the Apes attacked the Swamp and I came across Ignitus hiding from Cynder there. Sparx was with me for all my adventures...up until recently."

"Oh...is he okay?"

"Yeah, he's fine but...he feels out of place at the Temple and went back home to check on mom and dad, try to find his calling like I found mine. It's been weird without him, honestly, but with how needy Cynder is...I haven't had much time for anything else other than her."

"Needy...good or bad?"

"I thought it was good...might not be...I just don't know." Rubbing his face, he lowered his voice. "You have to absolutely promise me that you won't tell anyone else if I tell you. I'm not joking, Flame...it could cause mass panic and possibly even get me or Cynder targeted."

"Geez. Yeah. You really need to get it off your chest."

Giving Flame a glare of appraisal and hesitation, he finally gave a deep breath to steady himself, looking around out of reflex to see if anyone else was nearby. "Malefor might have cursed us when he died. By purpose or accident, we'll probably never know. But the short of it is I might be the only dragon in the world able to father eggs. And...Cynder is pregnant with our first clutch. The first eggs in four years. I...might be a Patriarch on top of being purple, and Cynder might be a Matriarch."

If Flame's jaw could drop any lower, he might've had a drink of the planetary magma ether far below the land mass. He gulped nervously, his gut tightening with dread as it sank in. "Holy...shit..."

"Yeah. It's not fair! We won! That should've been it!" he rambled, repeating himself from the previous outburst. "But now I might have to spend my days breeding girls because I'm the only male on the planet with any virility! Or that's what the Guardians worry but fucking hell, four years, an entire planet and Cynder's eggs are the only recorded ones? That alone is hard to argue and you saw how much I've been cumming! That's the signature of a patriarch dragon! And Cynder is pregnant with six eggs! Her first clutch! The average is one for that, and two at most for future clutches! We were ready to settle down and raise a family in peace and quiet, but now I..." He groaned and clawed at the ground. "Fuck! I just wanna spend my life with her quietly, not wonder if I'll be the only breedable male into the future! What happens if I die or have a sickness and can't breed anymore? What about my sons, having to watch their sisters and mates get their eggs from me? Our grandchildren? Their kids? No one knows anything about this! Will virility return to males over time or am I just permanently stuck as the only one? Will the kids get it at least? I don't wanna spend my days having sex with females I might never see again, I wanna spend them with Cynder raising our kids! And I can't tell Cynder because the stress might hurt our eggs before she lays them!"

Flame was only half-hearing everything. "Shit..." was all he could whisper, his throat catching. Spyro finally settled enough to just growl in frustration, fuming at the fire. Flame broke the silence with a cough. "That's...um...wow...that's heavier than heavy."

"Yeah no shit."

"But you said nothing's been confirmed."

"No it hasn't. But the evidence so far is directly pointing at it and the Matrons' tests are just gonna be the rotting icing on the compost cake of this issue. I just wanted Cynder to be happy, I just wanted to have a nice quiet life with her..."

"So you're just kinda waiting for those final nails...fuck, I wish there was a way I could help."

"I wish there was a way anyone could help..."

"Well, y'know it might not be as bad as you having to whore yourself out to the world." Flame smirked at the withering glare he received. "I'm serious. You make so much cum! Any other guy could just smear it on his dick and fuck his mate and bam, eggs. Hell, if you want, Ember and I could try that and see if it gets her pregnant! She's been badgering me almost daily for eggs, she wants a family so badly. You make so much cum you could probably get like, I dunno, fifty other guys to put it on their dicks or up in their mates and then fuck them to their hearts' content while you screw Cynder. There might be other ways than just taking on every problem yourself."

Spyro didn't want to admit it but that idea gave a flare of hope in his chest. Could it really be that easy? If so, all he had to do was have sex with Cynder and have her collect a load or two per day for others to share? "I hope that's one of the things the Matrons plan to look at..."

"We're not far from the library. Want to swing back and ask them about it? I mean, if time really is so short, we don't have the luxury of waiting for their results before we try anything. If I can get Ember pregnant with your cum, it'd be a proof of concept but I'd hate to overstep the boundary of their tests and such."

"It's a good point...a very good point..." Spyro finally shrugged. "What the fuck. Why not. We're already out here."

"Cool!"

"Are you sure it's not just you wanting to bed that girl again though?"

"Hey, that'd be a bonus! She's in heat and wanted someone to help her while her mate's out. We've met before too. Not like I'm boning total strangers. Just partial strangers I don't get to see often."

"Not really helping your case here," Spyro remarked as he jumped into the air with a sweep of his wings. "I feel awful coming this far out though just to double back."

"Well, you kinda were stuck in your own head. You should see if any of the Matron's apprentices wanna suck your dick or volunteer to try breeding ahead of schedule."

Spyro grimaced. "Not until I know Cynder will be fine with it."

"Your call, but you're gonna have to do something about that spire."

"What-" he started to ask, peeking down and spying his dick unsheathing itself. "Dammit...not like I can control that, you know."

"Oh I know, but your restraint is slipping. Should learn to roll with it instead of fight it!"

The flight back was a lot faster with Spyro more motivated and less brooding. They arrived before nightfall, though Flame had to arrange for rooming other than the inn due to their low funds. Spyro had promised to go shopping for Cynder but he too had forgotten his cash belt at their house, so he'd have to find some way of procuring funds or favors to get Cynder a trinket and some new spices. Flame finally got them some lodging at none other than the water girl's house. She was all blushes and giggles at seeing Spyro, clamming up a bit with girlish shyness and jitters at having a living legend in her house, one with such huge balls as well. Jewelry projects and all kinds of documents littered just about every surface that wasn't a main walkway, with several mannequins of carved wood and ivory here and there displaying various prototypes of her work. Spyro saw a few silvery pieces with floral red insets that looked like they would complement Cynder very nicely. "Th-that one...ah, that one's not finished yet," she stammered, catching Spyro's attention. "Well, I mean, none of them are but...I uh...you two must be hungry!" She shuffled to the kitchen and squeaked when she dropped the wood for the roasting fire.

"So, yeah, awkwardness of the legend aside, Spyro, this is Jeela, one of Ember's classmates with the Warfang jeweler. She just got back from hiding and is trying to get her own jewelry shop set up."

"H-hi!" she squeaked.

"Jeela? That's an ice name for a water dragoness?" Spyro asked, canting his head a bit.

"Yeah when we were young my brother and I looked identical so we were both named along ice veins, but I turned out to be water instead. But I can breathe very cold water! Most other water dragons can't so...uh...yeah, there's that, um..." She busied herself with getting some meat and mushrooms roasting. "If you wanna buy that piece you were looking at I can try to finish it tonight and price it!"

"I don't have any money, but thanks." Spyro was looking at some of her other work. She had a good eye for faulty gems, most of her work was using amorphous or otherwise odd gemstones. The settings and designs complemented the faults rather than trying to hide them.

"I think she'd take a longer-term investment as payment," Flame whispered with a playful grin and wink as he walked past, Spyro blushing at the implication.

"I can't just knock up a girl as a favor for a trinket!" he hissed.

"Whaaaat? You want that for Cynder, she gets the kids she's been longing for! Win-win!"

"I already said, not until I know Cynder's stance on it."

"Um," she interrupted as she peeked around the doorway, Spyro freezing like a deer in headlights, hoping she hadn't overheard them. "if you wanna rest, I can get some blankets and make a bed here in the living room, we don't have a spare bedroom just yet."

Flame padded over to her and nuzzled at her neck with a playful grin. "What, and leave a defenseless girl all by her lonesome, vulnerable and cold in her bed?"

"You snake-charmer," she shot back with a grin, lightly batting him with her tail, but Spyro and Flame could both smell the surge of estrus-laced lust at the idea. "I suppose I could deign to allow my guests to warm my bed for me."

"I think I'm gonna head out for some...change or something," Spyro muttered.

"Oh...I'm sorry...did I say something wrong?" she asked, glancing between Flame and Spyro. Flame shook his head.

"Nah, I'm sorry. Got a bit caught up in the moment. Spyro's very committed to his mate so..."

"Ooooohhh...I didn't realize, I'm sorry! But I'd feel bad having you sleep here in the living room by yourself..."

"I'm fine with it. It's a roof." Truth be told he wanted to slip away back to the library and sleep there for the night, knowing full well these two would inevitably get going at it again.

Dinner was awkwardly quiet, with her heat raging but both of them trying to keep themselves civil for the purple dragon with their lusts sharply tugging at their bodies. Spyro eventually headed out for some air away from her scent and they took the opportunity to get comfortable in her bed. Even with some distance, Spyro could dimly hear her moaning out as Flame tended to her needs. Sighing to himself, the purple dragon decided to make good on his idea and head over to the library. It was fairly late by the time he arrived, but the door opened for him regardless and one of the male assistants greeted him and saw him to a sleeping chamber for the time being while someone was brought for consultation. Eventually, the old mage Matron appeared, Spyro nod-bowing to her. "Hello dear, what seems to be the trouble?" she asked.

"Flame had an idea that I wanted to talk to you about. To be honest...this entire thing has been weighing too heavily on me with uncertainty."

"I can see that plain as day. Unfortunately, it will take us some time to process our data and samples and give you an answer."

"Well I mean, I wanted to ask about a possible solution to the...actual...um...breeding problem. Flame brought it up. What if...I..."

"There's no need to be squeamish about the subject here, hun. Though, I do know you are unused to the subject. The Guardians did not do you justice there."

"Yeah...I guess. But Flame was wondering...since I make so much...y'know...cum? If other males could like...use it on themselves to put it in their mates? That way I'd only have to have sex with Cynder and I'd have time to help her raise our kids."

Readjusting her thick glasses upon her muzzle, she sighed softly. "Dear boy, I truly wish I could offer you an answer. But that is exactly one of the venues we wish to examine."

"Flame said he and Ember would be more than happy to help prove it."

"I'm sure they would. But there are certain things we need to make sure of first. Namely, we need to make sure there are no hexforms or other fell magic weaves or fragments being carried in your semen that might impede male children from become virile, or from likewise assailing other males. If it truly is an active curse placed on the world through males, there also runs the risk that their contact of penis or semen to your production could nullify your blessing within their mate. Conversely it's also entirely possible some small part of your blessing, if it exists, mind you, could also restore a male's virility through contact or exposure. It is...harrowing, with the uncertainty, but these things take time and there are some significant potential risks being taken if you decide to experiment. Your devotion to Cynder helps contain any variances or anomalies, for now."

Spyro groaned and facepawed. "Well what other options are there then? It's...the idea that I might have to cheat on Cynder all day every day for years unknown that's tearing me up the most. I just wanted a quiet life with her...just wanted to raise a family...but I can't do that if I'm stuck being a breeding stock all day long!"

"We are aware, Spyro," she said softly, laying a paw on his shoulder. "Trust me, young one, we are aware of the implications and stresses and possibilities too. But we need to verify safety, and this is a completely unorthodox magic, if it exists."

"You can tell me it exists, there's already too much circumstantial evidence over too long a time for it to be anything else."

"I cannot tell you in good faith until we know for sure. But...Flame's idea was our foremost idea, yes. It stands the highest chance of succeeding, second only to you directly seeding females."

"What about...that thing you all were doing, levitating my cum like that? Couldn't that...y'know...um..."

"Artificially inseminate?"

"Y-yeah...that."

"That is another angle to study, but much more difficult. It would require a magician per female to properly coordinate the levitation spell. And, the most it could safely do is smear the semen against the vaginal folds or canal if the female were to hold herself open, which would still require a physical object to push it deep enough to have an effect."

Spyro grumbled, blushing at the brusque nature of the replies. "What about...if Cynder is a matriarch? If she can get pregnant multiple...um...what was the term? Superovate?"

"What of it?"

"Would she...be able to take care of our kids?"

"That depends on your level of restraint during her pregnancies, if she does have that broodmother ability. If she becomes too encumbered...then no. Some broodmothers have been recorded growing too gravid to move, requiring multiple assistants to move the body to prevent flesh under the weight from going necrotic from lack of bloodflow. It would be a good use of your semen to fertilize other females. But if Cynder is truly a broodmother, she has quite a few years to go before superovitation occurs. It will not simply happen overnight. You and she are still growing, after all, and have not quite yet reached the final phases of bodily maturation. Only when she reaches her full adult height will she have such an ability. Again, if she possesses it at all. There have been some broodmothers who simply have enormous clutches without superovitation."

"I'm just...very concerned for our future. And our kids. We want to raise a family but Cynder also seems very enamored with her pregnancy. She loves it. And...I'm concerned we might end up having more kids than we can handle."

Nodding, she sighed again. "This is something you will have to take up with her, Spyro, but it is a valid concern. There may also be the option of adoption, giving up your excess eggs to those who cannot have a family of their own for whatever reason. As to her biology... There is a chance Cynder simply had a large batch of ova released for her first heat and you managed to fertilize every one of them. It's not unheard of, but indeed rare even without matriarch heritage."

"So many chances...how long will it take to get the results, do you know?"

Shaking her head, she frowned sadly. "I would love to alleviate your fears, Spyro, trust me it pains me to have to make anyone wait for something so important. But these things will take time. Perhaps another week, perhaps another month. It depends on how many of our questions and theories we can filter out and how many new questions or problems might arise with the answers. The easiest and fastest answer? That you and Cynder are normal, she happened to have a burst release of ova for her first time, your semen production is simply a physical manifestation of your overflowing etherics, and that all this will fade with time or can be worked with. I am honestly grateful you brought Flame with you, though. Having a fresh semen sample from Warfang's district to compare with yours gives us better insight to possible curse spread or concentration, as well as a very fresh sample to experiment with for attempting to work against such a hex or whatever is causing such mass impotence. We could procure from the males here of course, but the contrast is indeed very beneficial."

"Don't tell him that or he'll puff up and explode."

"I know the type, dear. Do you have any other questions?"

Rubbing his foreleg nervously, he sighed heavily, contemplating his concerns. "I...don't know how to take any of this about...dragon sexuality. I didn't grow up as a dragon."

"Yes...raised by dragonflies and then thrust into world conflicts as a child, and only having a normal life once you sexually matured with Cynder."

"Uh...y-yeah." Coughing in embarrassment, he continued. "I'm seeing a lot of...pressure, I guess? to indulge in freer sexuality, and I want to get Cynder's approval or denial because her comforts are important to me. But...I'm afraid of...cheating? on her. Like...I just want to be devoted only to her. Would sex with others get in the way of that? I'm just...I guess, kinda paranoid that having sex with someone else might...interrupt me mentally when trying to focus on her."

The old dragoness smirked. "For being so young and naive you are also incredibly wise, young one. Yes...that is a very valid concern, and yes, that very much does happen. With any memory stimulus, your memory connections of sex can interlink memories of times with other individuals. Memories and emotional strength go paw in paw with each other. And some do indeed accidentally visualize a previous partner when trying to be with their beloved. And such things can cause bouts of jealousy and anger or confusion or depression. The key to it all, Spyro, is communication with your mate. Communication, understanding, and sometimes some small amount of mutual compromise. But I understand your fear. You feel forced into breeding and don't want that duty to overtake your internal devotion to her."

"Yeah...that's why I want to find a way to avoid having sex with other females. And...I don't just want to be used for their gratification either. I feel like...having to be a breeder...just makes me a toy, a means to an end."

"Another reasonable anxiety, and yes, there are many females who would see you as such. At the end of the day, Spyro...it's in how you choose to deal with it. It may take some training with a counselor, but you can train yourself to dismiss it and view things positively. But yes, I do very much suggest talking things out with your mate. When she is physically ready for such news. I hope to have our results ready by the time she's laid her clutch, or at least shortly before so they're developed enough to withstand their mother's stresses. We are doing all we can as quickly as we can to help you avoid these stressful situations and potentials, but you must also be ready for the worst, which is why the Guardians gave you a heads-up ahead of the confirmations."

"I feel like I would've been better off not knowing, I can't stop thinking about it and worrying, and I know Cynder's picking up on it...I don't want to worry her."

"I know, and it feels wrong to inform you only and then drop the confirmation on her. But unfortunately, that's the timing of it all. It was her pregnancy that led us to this theory, but she cannot know until the eggs are developed. You may tell her of these suspicions when she's close to laying, if we have not contacted you with the results."

"How will we know she's close?"

"She'll have intense desires to nest, to gather soft things and arrange them, perhaps in a secluded spot. Having a small nook in the house where she can curl up with pillows, blankets, and fiber puffs will be very good for her. After a week of such brooding she should be ready for the news."

Nodding, the purple dragon wracked his mind for anything else related. "Will she...be able to deliver the eggs safely?"

At that, she gave him a warm grin. "Given the dimensions of your penis? I'd say she has a better chance than most other females, especially the cervical dilation, which is often the most painful. Just be careful. Laying eggs is very hormonal for females and she might be driven to cry, to lash out, or to orgasm, or some combination of those." Spyro couldn't help the fierce blush that darkened his face. "After the eggs are laid she'll probably want some alone time with them, or to sleep and rest after the exertion, especially since she's laying seven eggs. I hope the dud is the first one out, because she may run out of strength if it's the last. It's small enough that it could stay in her womb without her feeling it during the time it takes her uterus to return to normal size, but large enough that if it lingers in her belly it might spoil and make her terribly ill."

"Eesh...and how would that be taken care of?"

"A very unpleasant process that I shan't haunt you with. But we will tell her all this in detail, a messenger will be arriving in a week or so to converse with you two on these matters so she knows what to expect."

"Thanks."

"Are you feeling any better after our discussion?"

"A bit, I guess...I was hoping for more concrete answers but...time, I guess..."

"Yes. Just try to find a way to overcome the stressing, Spyro. Stress is a literal killer. You are not alone in this problem, we're all trying to figure out the best approach to it to help you. And some of that help does require time, patience, and experimentation." Giving him a nod, she moved to leave. "You may stay the night here if you wish. I would imagine the 'super specimen' may be exemplifying his studding prowess, since he is absent?"

"Ugh...yes. Thank you. I didn't want to head back to find him balls-deep in our hostess."

She snorted a laugh at that. "It is normal, Spyro. But you have your legitimate reasons for aversion, and not everyone is mentally geared. Monostable relationships are still quite common for dragons, even with the free nature of sexuality for us. Your love and respect for your mate are not an alien concept. I will say don't be shy about trying new things with others for the sake of testing your boundaries, but don't be afraid to assert your boundaries if someone gets pushy. If you do not wish to experiment, you do not have to."

"That helps to hear...thanks."

"Good night, young one, and have a safe return to Cynder."

Getting comfortable on the bed he'd used the previous night, Spyro sighed to himself as he stared absently at the gently glowing gem set into a metal frame in the wall.

Flame was right.

It did help a lot to have others to talk to about these things.

Maybe he should get Cynder out more often to have her connect with other girls...she probably needed the social outlet more than he did for when she inevitably received the news. Or, maybe he was underestimating her? Maybe she'd be ecstatic to be a matriarch and supportive of the idea of casual sex with others? That aspect of her was hard to read. He was afraid it might hurt her terribly...but perhaps she'd bounce back?

That was something to settle later when he got back.