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The Azure Lantern

“DAMMIT! HOLD THE LINE MEN! HOLD THE LIIIIINNEEE!!!”

Visibility: low. Wind speeds: over 70 miles an hour. Wave height: over 100 feet. Chances of survival?

Low...

The Crescent Saber wasn't an illustrious vessel. It was old and respected, yes, but if you said its name in a bar or a pub, you'd only garner confused and curious glances. It wasn't a ship that you'd hear sailors sing shanties about, or a ship that one hears rumors of, or anything like that, no. The Crescent Saber was a modest ship, one whose duties changed so long as the price was right. It was a shipping barge sometimes, a merchants ship other times, and a fishing vessel most of the times. But right now, it was a ferry, one being used to usher people of Kuvatis to the nearby land of Brastralle. And right now? Things weren't looking good.

Their trip started off well enough, with clear skies and cool winds. But as the sun vanished over the horizon and the moon took to the skies, a powerful stirring began echoing. The once calm ocean waves grew stronger, and the atmosphere became unbearably hot. Before anyone knew it, they had a storm on their hands... and a violent one at that.

Snarling winds struck the sails of the barge, and wood began to split beneath the feet of the crew. Left and right, humans and beastkin alike ran upon the ship's deck, grabbing ropes and tying them down to help reinforce their ship's hull. The crest of their boat usually cut through water with ease, but in this vicious storm, movement was weak. Every strike of the waves caused footing to slip, made even worse by the rain which pelted their bodies.

And yet, everyone worked together, not just to survive themselves, but to protect the travelers within the ship. Men, women, children; families of all sizes were huddled in the ship's hull, while wind and rain struck their boat left and right. Their lives laid in the hands of the sailors, and no one knew this better than--

“CAPTAIN BLACK! LOOK!!!”

Captain Jebodiah Black. He was a tall, stout, and hardened man, an individual who owned both the respect and love of his men. While he was in his late fifties, it was clear he was still far from done sailing the ocean waves. Even when in the middle of a storm as powerful as this, his gaze remained steely and stern. Hands on his boat's helm, he kept his vessel steady in the ocean, while looking up towards the crow's nest.

“WHAT IS IT, BASTON!?” he shouted to the young man in the nest.

“I SEE A LIGHT!!!” he shouted back, “I CAN'T TELL IF ITS LIGHTNING OR NOT, BUT I DOUBT IT! AAHHH!!!” he leaned in closer, “BY THE GODS! A WAVE'S COMING! IT'S LARGER THAN THE LAST ONE!!!”

“SHIT! EVERYONE! HUNKER DOWN! HERE COMES A BIG ONE!!!”

As Baston warned, a large wave was coming their way. Even through the low visibility of the night sky, wind and rain, everyone could see it. No, calling it a mere wave was too belittling; it was like a wall! A massive wall of water. Avoiding it was impossible. They could only keep going forward.

Everyone hunkered down, grabbing rope, or banister, each other; anything that could hopefully keep them grounded too the boat's deck. But they knew it was pointless. Captain Black knew it was pointless. The Crescent Saber was a surly boat, but nature is nature. Against a wall of water like this, the boat may as well have been a dingy.

For the briefest of moments, all of existence grew silent. The wind, the rain, the ocean waves; it all fell on deaf ears. No one could hear anything – not even their own breaths – as the wall of water raised higher and higher.

And then it crested... and then it fell.

“HOLD ON MEN!!!”

Captain Black's roar split the air, and everyone did as they were told. They hunkered down and closed their eyes, bracing themselves for the inevitable falling waves...

…

…

…

The inevitable falling waves that never actually fell.

Several long seconds passed before Captain Black opened his eyes, and what he say made his gaze grow wide. The wall of water seemed to be frozen completely still. Yes, the waters rushed and coursed, but they acted as if gravity did not exist. They didn't fall, didn't cascade; they stood there, taller and stronger than any mighty stone barrier.

One by one, the sailors all opened their eyes, gazing in shear awe of the gravity defying wave above them. Even the winds grew still. If the air had become quiet before, then it was doubly so now. It was so quiet, you could hear your own heart beat into your chest. And then Baston spoke...

“Captain...! Look!!!”

“By the gods...”

At the top of the wave there was a blue light. It glimmered like the stars in the sky on a clear night... only it was much, much closer. This light exuded a sense of warmth, a sense of life, which was at odds with the deadly waves around them. The deadly waves which were frozen solid.

“Carlon... pass me my telescope...” Captain Black said as he held out his hand.

“Here you go, sir...”

With his telescope in hand, the captain peered through its scope and gazed into the blue light, his eyes again widening. There was a woman standing on the wave's crest like it was made of solid earth. Her body was clad in a blue and red robes like an aristocrat from the eastern nation of Solaria, and she had skin that was almost white. From her head spilled blue hair which flowed and flowed all the way to her hips. And her eyes... her eyes glowed like gold.

But that's all Captain Black could see from this distance, even with his telescope to his eye. She stood there, erect and immobile, her face difficult to decipher. But when he looked at her hand, he realized that the blue light was coming from her lantern.

And that blue light grew brighter... and brighter... and brighter! It was so bright that everyone had to cover their eyes to stave off blindness! But the light grew brighter and brighter still, until--

VWOOOOOOMM!!!

The blue light suddenly dissipated, allowing everyone to see. Again, Captain Black was the first to open his eyes, and again his jaw dropped. The once tall, imposing, and impossible to cross wall of water, was suddenly gone. It had been parted, offering the vessel a path to clearer waters in the distance. Of all the wondrous sights Captain Black had seen over his long life, this was the most beautiful.

The blue light... it was in the distance. Bright enough to be seen, but far enough away that approaching it was impossible.

“The azure lantern...”

…

Picture this: a dragon. What do they look like to you? A wicked and scaly monster, right? Typically larger than any man, any beast, being equal in size to an elephant, though typically they're even larger than that! They have wicked wing spans that allow them to carry their big, burly bodies through the skies. And when they descend upon a land? Death follows.

Their shapes and sizes may change – some may be more serpentine, others may have their wings attached to their arms, others still may not breathe fire but other elements – but the typical attributes of a dragon still remain. The snouts, the scales, the serpent eyes, and their powerful abilities. For most, coming across a dragon is coming across Death himself. To others – those who stake their lives on battle and honor – coming across a dragon is coming across glory!

He used to think the same. When he was a young man with dreams of adventure, he too fantasized about slaying a dragon. Imagine it; a wondering bowman, appearing to slay a dragon with his pinpoint accuracy. They'd sing his name in bars and pubs across the country, and maybe even write a few books about his exploits.

That's what every young man dreams about at some point in their lives; don't lie and say it isn't true. And, again, he used to think the same way. Used to think the same way. Then, one day, he returned to a scene from his youth. He met a woman there in the mountains. A lonely apparition from years pass. A woman who... wasn't a woman at all. A woman who was a dragon.

Was a dragon. A woman who wasn't living anymore. A woman who changed him from a child to a man. A woman who completely altered his way of thinking.

Dragons aren't evil creatures. They aren't monsters, demons, beasts; anything like that! Dragons are like you and me. They have thoughts, feelings, they live, they laugh, they love, and yes, they eventually die. To say all of them are evil because a few can – and have – razed villages, is ignorance to put it bluntly. And he was going to prove it.

His name was Nicholas and he had a dream. He would improve relations between dragons and the people of the world, not by hunting them or by slaying them, but by befriending them. He would teach everyone that dragons were beautiful and majestic creatures, and not ones meant to be feared. And this dream would one day reach the corners of the world.

One day... but today? Today...

Pubs!

Nowhere could you ever find a more useful treasure trove of knowledge than a pub. A library? Pishaw! Libraries are filled with stuffy librarians who'd rather be doing anything than helping you. But a pub? Alcohol gets the lips loose, and loose lips love share information! Even when they really shouldn't be.

And then you get to happy hour. And happy hour? Oooooh, happy hour...

“AND THAT'S WHEN DARIN FALLS OVER, FACE FIRST, INTO A PILE OF SHIT! I WOULDN'T SAY IT IF I DIDN'T SEE IT!”

Sailors. They really don't know the first thing about modesty, do they? A hard and brash group of people, they've seen a lot of things, and done a lot of things. And when it comes to a bar so close to the ocean, expect to hear about all of those things, no matter who you are.

At this time of night – just a little over dusk when the moon was now high in the sky – the local pub was alight with the conversations of a two dozen or so drunk and soon-to-be drunk individuals. Some were singing, some were dancing, some were (failing) to gamble, and most were just talking. Everyone was drinking however, perhaps more than they'd ever need to!

Left and right, bodies pressed against bodies, with personal space being more of a concept than a rule. And yet the waitresses easily navigated the mess, delivering drinks and meals to those who paid, and swatting away hands that tried to get too feisty. But it was all in good fun. You'd need to be a stern and stiff individual to keep up with the madness going on in this room!

But there were whispers, and murmurs. Apparently, an adventurer was among them! While most of the sailors scoffed at this information (or were too buzzed to ever care in the first place), the waitresses certainly weren't. News travels, and when one hears stories of a traveling huntsmen recognized for his impressive skills with a bow, it quickly becomes to talk of the town. After all, stories are often wrote of swordsmen, and in this neck of the woods, swashbuckling sailors, but dashing archers? That's a rarity!

Doubly so when this dashing archer has more than a few accolades under his belt.

“I heard he was in town,” said a waitress to her co-worker, “That he was looking for a boat and everything.”

“Where do you think he's going? Is he heading out to sea?”

“I could only assume... ah... but I haven't seen him! There's just a bunch of sailors around!”

“Ah... just ignore it, Jane. Hurry up with those drinks, will ya? Take it to table 19th before these guys lose their minds!”

“Okay, okay, I'm going!”

Jane was a young rodent, a mouse to be exact. Recently moved from her forest home of Greendale, she had quickly made a reputation for herself as being quiet the firecracker. A blonde with snow-white fur, her hair was in pigtails, she had rounded cheeks, sharp green eyes that were like knives, a pointed nose, and a snarky disposition. Even though her height wasn't the greatest – she was easily the shortest of the waitresses at the bar – and her figure was soft and curvy, she made it known that she wasn't someone you could easily toy with. Having been hardened in her countyside home, she was more than used to the boisterous attitude of sailors. After all, lumberjacks are pretty much the sailors of a forest!

With a hard cup of mead in one hand, the pouting blonde pushed through the droves of men and beastkin, her ears ringing with their voices. So loud and obnoxious; she could only roll her eyes. What she wanted was a different kind of man, one who was preferably different from the likes of those around her. Made her wonder again about this supposed adventurer who was in town.

What was his name again? Nicholas, right? What type of man was he? Was he tall like these guys around him? Or was he young like she? He was an archer, right? So was he lithe like an elf? Or was he a beastkin? She heard avians were skilled archers, so could he be one like them? Or maybe...

Clank!

“Ah! I'm sorry!”

“Hey! Heh! Don't be!”

A mistake there, a trip here, a footstep gone off course. She probably tripped over one of the dozens or so drunk sailors in the bar right now. But instead of falling on the floor, she fell right into the hands of someone else, someone who held her up. And he held her in such a way that her drinks didn't spill all over the place.

Jane looked up, her green eyes falling on another pair of brown eyes. He was taller than her; a human man in his mid twenties. His hair was a dusty brown which curled in some areas, and spiked up in others. Unlike the other men in the pub, he was not a tall, big, beefy sailor, but instead a lithe, slender, and spry young man, one of a modest height and athletic build.

But it was easily the smile that was most calming of all. He had this chipper air to him; like an older brother, or a best friend. Somewhat soft cheeks, but sharp eyes, and this smile on his face that could melt the hearts of anyone. Seeing it made Jane's heart tense up a bit as a red blush formed on his cheeks.

“Say... are these drinks for me?” asked the man as he stared at the tray in her hand.

“Are you... table 19?” Jane asked, to which he smirked.

“Yeah... I think I'm table 19,” he answered with a chuckle, “As you can see uh... this place is a bit... messy. I'm not sure if I'm 19, 20, or 200!” he then tapped the table next to him, “But you... you work here, so... mind telling me if this is table 19?”

Jane looked down and over. This table he was at was like all the tables in the bar; marred by time and previous patrons. Seriously, each table in here had enough stab marks in it to drain several whales of blood! But this one in particular had both a notebook and tome on it, one she assumed to belong to the man before her.

Something else about this table? It wasn't table 19. But ya'know what? To hell with it.

“Here's your drink, Mr... um...?”

“Nick... just Nick,” he said with a chuckle as he sat down at his table, “And thanks for the drink. I've been walking all day; I really need something to ease the stress out.”

“Well... looks like you came to the wrong place,” Jane replied with a smirk as she gestured to the area around them, “I don't think these sailors are gonna quiet down any time soon.”

“Eh, I don't mind. Traveling around as much as I do, you come across your fair share of surly types,” Nick said with a smirk, “I'm just happy I was able to get inside and sit. Ahh...”

“Here... here's your drink, Mr. Nick,” Jane said as she placed down his mug, though he shook his head.

“Ah... don't have to call me 'Mr. Nick'. Sounds too formal,” he replied, “But, thanks for the drink.”

Grabbing the handle, he brought it to his lips and took a swig, sighing as its honey-soaked flavor traveled down his throat. It's rare to come across mead this good; it's always stowed away closest to beaches. Sailors really do love to get drunk, and if you don't have the good stuff, you're gonna have a riot on your hands!

As Nick drank down his mug of mead, Jane gazed upon his table. The notebook and tome were curious, but he also had a bow hanging on his chair, and a quiver of arrows. Wait... a bow and a quiver of arrows? Was he a hunter? And what's with that book? Wait, was... was this the guy?

“That tome you got there,” said Jane as she gestured towards it, “What is it?”

“Hm? This tome?” Nick replied as he picked it up, “Right, this tome. It's uh... actually...” he leaned in as he smiled at her, “Let me ask you a question first. Your name. What's your name?”

“Jane. My name's Jane,” she answered, a smile spread on her lips.

“Ah... Jane! Heh! Lovely name. Uh...” he looked back down to his tome and picked it up, “Well then, tell me Jane; have you ever seen a dragon before?”

“A... dragon?” she repeated, “Like... like... an actual dragon. The fire-breathing, flying around with wings, scaly beasts, right?”

“Yeah! A dragon! Have you seen one?”

He smiled at her as he asked, giving a beaming expression that made Jane cock her head. Not that his question was stupid or anything like that, it's just that he showed so much... passion in asking. Yeah, that's the word; he seemed passionate about... dragons of all things! The horrible creatures that raze villages to dust! The beast that require trained guilds to take down! The monsters that can – and will – kill hundreds if left to their whims!

Nick seemed passionate about them! Maybe he was a weirdo... and yet, she was genuinely curious to what he was talking about.

“I've... heard of them,” Jane replied, “Why... do you ask?”

“This book,” Nick said as he picked up the curious tome on his desk, “I traveled to a land called Ash Kingdom.”

“Ash Kingdom... I've heard of that before,” Jane said as she leaned over on the table, “That's... that's the place with all those steam engines and machines at, right? In the heart of the continent?” she cocked her head, “You've been to Ash Kingdom? I've heard tales of that place since I was a little girl!”

“I assure you, it's just as fantastic to be at as you've heard,” Nick said, “But beyond just its machines, it's filled with such smart people. I'd say outside of Mysteria, there's no one smarter in the world than the people from Ash Kingdom. Uh... no offense!”

“None taken,” Jane said with a grin, “I'm a country bumpkin anyway. We get some smart types around here all the time. So long as they aren't arrogant, I don't mind. Unfortunately, most are arrogant.”

“Tell me about it,” Nick chortled before tapping his tome again, “Anyway, while I was in Ash Kingdom, I came across these abandoned temple grounds in the territory known as Drakehelm. Eons ago, it was home to a religion that worshiped dragons, seeing them as creatures of beauty and majesty. They studied dragons like deities, and learned so much about them.”

“There's a dragon religion in Ash Kingdom?” Jane asked, to which Nick shook his head.

“No... there was once a dragon religion in Ash Kingdom. Then the crusades happened some 700 years ago, and they were ousted. If there's anyone who still remembers the religion, they only practice it in secrecy. Any other secrets the religion had, were burned by the church of Karton. Or, well, so the story goes.”

“'Or so the story goes'?” Jane repeated, “Why do you say that?”

“Because this book right here,” Nick said as he tapped the tome, “Comes from that old religion of dragons. I went to Drakehelm's ruins and scurried around there. Spent several days trudging through nothing but dirt and stone for hours upon hours, sleeping under the stars, and waking up early in the morning.”

“Really? You did?” said the blonde mouse, “Are... are you an adventurer, Nick? Just... traveling around?”

“Ah... I wouldn't exactly say I'm an adventurer,” replied the archer with a sheepish smile, “An adventurer travels around to the whims of nature, of life. The wind carries them to their destination, rarely with anything planned in advance. They just live life going from settlement to settlement. But me?” he palmed his chest and shook his head, “I have a plan. I have a destination. There's something I'm heading towards.”

“And... what is it? Does it deal with dragons?” Jane asked, hanging on his every word.

“It's more than just dragons,” he answered, his eyes leering into hers, “I... I don't think dragons are as horrible of creatures as people think. I think dragons are just... misunderstood. I think there needs to be a person who can bridge the gap. And I hope I can be that person. So...” he smiled and nodded, “I'm going to find them.”

“Find... who? Dragons? All dragons? How would you do that; how is that possible?”

“Hm... maybe I fumbled my words a bit,” Nick said in an apologetic manner, “I'm not going to find all dragons, just specific ones. This book – this tome I found in Drakehelm – taught me things that I'd heard from nowhere else. It speaks of four specific dragons, ones who carries lanterns.”

“Dragons who carry... lanterns?”

“Centuries ago, there were four dragons who carried lanterns. When the lands were still unexplored, mortals got lost in them all the time. These four dragons existed in he four corners of the land, and had mastery over certain elements. One of earth, one of sea, one of fire, one of air. When man would get lost in their domain, they'd be visited by this dragon. Carrying a lantern, they'd lead the mortals to safety. I plan on finding those lantern carrying dragons, and speak with them. Hopefully.”

“LANTERN!?!?”

The sudden roar caused both Nick and Jane to tense up. They looked over in unison, their eyes falling on a surly bear of a beastkin. He had a near empty mug of alcohol in his hand, and looked like he could barely stand! But he was looking at Nick intensely, causing the archer to lean back.

“Yeah... a lantern...” he replied, “Is... something wrong?”

“Hey Baston!” called the bear as he whipped his head over, “This guys talkin' about lanterns and dragons! Fuckin' lanterns and dragons!!!”

Nick cocked his head at the bear, who himself was calling to a man named Baston. At the table beside the one the bear was at, was a young human man. His hair was black, his flesh was a bit pale, and he too looked like he had one too many. But there was a look in his eye, this intense glare that made both Nick and Jane tense up. This man... he had seen some things...

“You're talkin' about a... lantern and a dragon?” he said with this growl. Jane was put off by it, but Nick leaned in.

“Yeah. Do you know anything about it?”

“Oh... I know,” said this man – Baston – as he leaned up and stepped over, “We ALL know about this lantern! We all saw this lantern, all at once! Every last one of us! I've been traveling on the Crescent Saber for two years now. I've seen sea serpents, I've been cooed by mermaids, I've seen the ocean reflect the stars like I was sittin' with the gods! But...” he took a swig of his beer, though most spilled on his chest, “GAH! But of all the things I've seen in my life, THAT was without the most amazin'.”

“Wh... what did you see?” Nick asked.

By now, the bar had grown quiet. Somehow, this conversation was enough to silence the once rambunctious and rowdy sailors. Everyone was focused on Baston who leaned over. His eyes – wild and crazed – peered into Nick's eyes, who stared back without flinching. It made him chuckle.

“Gotta an eye to ya,” he said, “You a sailor, bowman?”

Nick chuckled.

“I've been on boats before, but...” he shook his head, “I'd gladly trade water for grass any day.”

“Heh heh... I hear ya,” Baston replied as he took another swig of his beer, “Cuz what I saw – what we all saw – would turn any normal person away from the ocean forever. Maybe us sailor's ain't normal... cuz I still can barely understand it myself. Imagine it, bowman. A wave as big as a wall! You ever been to Vespara? Land of elves? Their capital has this huge, silver wall; the most opulent wall I've ever seen. And even that would pale in comparison to the giant wave that came crashing towards us. It was the kind of wave that would wash away entire legions of boats. Swallowin' up in sea, and reduce 'em to nothing but driftwood! We were all prepared to met our end... but...”

“But what?” Nick asked.

“But--” Grab! “Huah? Captain...?”

A hand fell on Baston's shoulder, gripping him tightly and pushing him aside. Pulling back, Nick and Jane's eyes fell upon another man. He was larger than the both of them, older too; a gruff and chiseled man, he had gray hair and a gray beard, but don't mistake that for weakness. His arms alone looked like it could break trees like twigs, and his eyes had enough power to pierce souls. Jane looked away, incapable of staring into this man's eyes for too long. But Nick kept looking, curious to him.

“Who are you?” asked the man, “And why are you asking about dragons and lanterns?”

“I'm... just a curious adventurer,” Nick answered with a chuckle, “Nothing more, nothing less. I've been investigating lanterns however, and the mystical phenomena that follows them. Is it true that... you came across them Captain...?”

“Black. Captain Black,” answered the man, “And if we did come across this lantern... what do you plan on doing with this information?”

“I plan on finding this lantern,” Nick answered with a smile.

Everyone looked at him, confused and bewildered by his statement. Even Jane looked at Nick like he'd grown a second head. He was planning on finding this lantern? How would he even do that? But Captain Black? He didn't flinch. He just leered at him... intensely.

“You plan on finding this lantern...?” he answered, “You're an adventurer, so I know you've heard this before. But there's a difference between courageousness, and stupidity.”

“Believe me, I know,” Nick replied, “I've been... in these shoes before, honestly. But finding this lantern is important to me, so... please, Captain Black... what happened?”

But the captain didn't answer, not right away. His eyes remained firm, glaring upon Nick and scanning him, as if trying to find a fault within his words. But the young archer remained affable, smiling up to the captain and not breaking away. The captain could tell that while Nick was young, he had resolve, knowledge, and experience. But was his experience enough for this?

Hmm...

“The wave froze still,” Captain Black stated, “One moment it was crashing towards us, the next it was solid like it was stuck in time. It did not fall, and sound didn't even escape it. We all stared at the top of the wave, confused as none of us had ever seen such a phenomena before. And at the top of the wave was a woman holding a lantern. It glowed a bright blue color, and was brighter than any star in the sky. This woman was too far away to look at however. And the blue light from the lantern grew bright. Blindingly bright. And a sound echoed out. When we all stared back, the waves had been parted, giving us a clear path to calmer waters on the other end. We sailed through a storm we had no right sailing through, and it was all by the hand of the azure lantern.”

“The azure lantern...”

Nick's face beamed upon hearing this information, a sight that further confused Jane at his side. He really was a weirdo! He heard such a fantastic story, and his face beamed with shear delight! Just what was his plan? What was his destination?

“You look like a man on a mission,” said Captain Black, “I've seen those eyes before. But this?” he shook his head, “For this, I assure you... don't go after the azure lantern. It's a fools' quest. Suicide.”

Even with his warning, Nick's face remained bright, excited even. Captain Black confirmed something he had been searching months for; how could he stop now? Again, Jane looked up at him, curious as to why he was like this, why he was so excited for something that could very well end in his death! But that's the life of an adventurer, isn't it? That's what she's heard.

“Thank you for this information, Captain Black,” he said, “I'll take it to heart.”

“Be sure that you do...” muttered the older man as he pulled back, “The azure lantern is nothing but a myth among sailors. A maiden who ferry's wayward ships through storms, and brings them to safety. Of all the myths in the world, I thought hers nothing more than a story. Still...”

But...

He did not finish his words.

Captain Black returned to his crew, drowning in their bodies. Several seconds later, the once quiet pub grew loud and raucous again. Conversations, singing, dancing; it all started up as if nothing had happened. But Nick? He sat there, grinning like a goofy fool.

Looking at him, Jane could see the elation, the joy that exuded from his face. It was like everything he had been searching for had finally revealed itself to him, much to her surprise and confusion. She'd seen such passionate joy radiate from the faces of others before, but this was different, this was unique. She had to ask...

“I'm confused... what... what do you plan on doing with this information?” Jane asked, making Nick look over at her.

He smiled. This great, beaming smile that made the waitress cock her head. She'd never seen a smile so... earnest before, so genuine. Was it stupid? Yeah, a little bit. But was it honest? Oh yes. It was so damn honest.

“I'm sorry,” Nick apologized with a dismissive wave of his hand, “I probably come off as an idiot, don't I? I didn't mean to. I'm just... excited, I guess.”

“No, no... it's... better than listening to sailors rant about bedding prostitutes,” Jane replied with a chuckle, “You uh... know a lot about these lanterns. Do you mind telling me more about them? I'm curious to what you're doing. If you go out to the ocean, and if you find the azure lantern... then what do you plan on doing after that?”

“I plan on talking to the owner,” Nick answered, “If I can speak to the owner of the azure lantern – the dragon of water – then I can hopefully convince her to help me in my quest. I want to show her – show everyone – that dragons and humans can coexist. We don't need to be at war with one another.”

“Do you think you can do it?” Jane asked, to which he shrugged his shoulders.

“If I'm to be honest?” he leaned in and chuckled, a sheepish, hapless grin on his lips, “I'm not sure. The elemental dragons are incredibly powerful and incredibly old. I'm sure they've come across plenty of adventurers in their days. There's no telling if the dragon of water would simply ignore me, or would even show up to talk to me in the first place! But...” he shook his head, “I can't give up. I've gotta go to her. I've got to talk to her.”

“You... you seem like... you act like you've done this before,” Jane said, “Have you... met any of the previous dragons?”

Nick didn't answer right away. Instead, Jane watched as he closed his eyes, reminiscing of days past. And it became clear to her that – while he was as young as she was – he had experience with him in his years. Putting it lightly, this wasn't something new to him.

“Hey, Jane... do you know any good inns around here?” Nick asked, not outright answering her question. But... she didn't seem to mind.

“Yeah. There's one nearby. It's got comfy beds, if I do say so myself.”

…

Jane would be the first to admit that – from afar – he looked a bit... silly. His smiles and cheery disposition, gave him the vibe of a kindly – though somewhat foolhardy – older brother. Gentle at times, willing to protect those they love all the time, and an earnestly stupid individual. And, yes, he was all of these things. He was gentle, he'd already proven himself incredibly honest, and she doubted that bow of his was just for show. But you know what else Nick was?

An efficient lover.

“Mmmf...”

“Hmmm... mmm... mmm...”

Their lips pressed to one another, tasting tongues and breathes, while her hands gripped his neck and shoulder. She didn't expect things to go on this far. They flirted at the bar, she took him to the nearby inn, he beguiled her with more tales of his adventurers, and...

And...

“Mmmff...”

Jane had a lovely and spry body. Smooth and rounded shoulders, wide hips, a flat stomach, and these lovely, juicy breasts. Feeling them press against his broad chest, drew groans from Nick's lips which further fed into her mouth. The blonde mouse shuddered, while her hand traveled down his back. His hand did likewise, sliding down her sides where it came to her hip and butt.

And then it squeeezeeeed!

“Nmmmph~!”

Jane's eyes shuddered. Nick's grasp was tight and strong, but also refined and practiced. He held her like he held a bow, and any archer will tell you that wielding such a weapon requires both strength and finesse. And now, that strength and finesse was being put to use on her. The way his fingers squeezed into her flesh, groping and kneading her hip and ass, caused Jane to twist slightly, offering more of her body to him. But when their lips parted with a--

“Fuaaah!”

Jane moaned and shuddered with an--

“Oooooh~!”

The moon pierced through the windows of the bedroom, illuminating them. Waveport Inn was it's name, being a comfortable little spot for travelers looking for a place to spend the night. While they had rooms that could comfortably hold up to four people in them, they weren't really the largest, being modest sized bedrooms at best.

But the life of an adventurer is a frugal one; Nick was just happy to have a roof over his head. That being said, nights with someone else were far better than nights alone.

Jane laid upon the bed beneath him, her lips hungrily pressing to his in kiss after kiss. He had a tawny strength to him; a body honed by years of hunting and traveling. He wasn't a burly sailor, or a hardy lumberjack, but she preferred his physique to any of them. It was easier to hold herself to him, easier to stroke her hands upon his body. And it was easier for him to do likewise.

His hands traveled away from her hips and butt, coming up to clutch upon Jane's chest. Her juicy tit filled his hand, drawing him to clutch his hand around her bosom. With one squeeze, he clinched hard around her bosom, causing the blonde mouse to arch her back into his palm even more.

Dropping his head, Nick pressed his face into the crux of Jane's neck, kissing, licking and nibbling upon her soft flesh. His attacks drew more moans from the blonde mouse's lips, who dragged her hands and nails down his back. Such passionate kisses: he dined on her body not like some horny man, but like a lover who hadn't seen her in a long, long time.

And his cock...

It stood between his legs, rubbing against Jane's legs. Groaning into her ear, he humped and rubbed his cock against her inner thighs, stimulating himself along her folds. Her pussy – hot and wet – dripped its nectar upon the bed beneath her, further permeating the air with her erotic scent. Every thumbing touch of his length against her mound, sent a quake through Jane's body, who shuddered and looked up to him.

There was a smile on Nick's face. A calm, warming, beguiling smile. It wasn't lustful or horny; it was sweet and kind. Seeing it made Jane bite into her bottom lip and avert her eyes, blushing furiously from embarrassment. She was used to the hungry gazes of stupid horndogs, but this? This was different.

“You... you don't have to look so hard...” she whispered, to which he chuckled.

“Sorry, sorry!” Nick apologized through his chuckles, his hand resting on her cheek, “Here, let me... mmmff...”

“Mmmm...!”

His lips pressed to hers again, taking Jane into a kiss which immediately disarmed her. She hummed against him, her tongue softly sliding against his own, trading their tastes. His hand meanwhile traveled down towards Jane's hip and thigh, coercing her leg open. When their lips broke, the blonde mouse looked down, staring at Nick's cock as it took aim with her mound. Its head – red and thick – ground against her. And even though the touch was slight, it made Jane croon.

“Hnggghh~!”

And then moan.

Nick's cock penetrated her folds, spreading them around his girth as it pushed in deeper and deeper. Grabbing the bed sheets beside her head, Jane threw her head back and moaned as his cock speared her deepest folds. Again, it begged repeating, but this felt so good! The push, sliding in so deep, reaching far deeper than her fingers, and previous lovers. Jane's eyes quivered as her voice grew higher in pitch, and her pussy quivered around him.

She was... hot. And, no, not just physically. Jane's tunnel was warm and moist, tangling his length in her juices and heat. Placing one hand on her hip, and the other hand on her tit, Nick began softly thrusting in and out of her, guiding his cock with precise aim. It scraped, and dragged, and pressed against her walls, widening them out, then retreating... widening them out, and then retreating... widening out, and then retreating; all at a steady pace.

Pat! Pat! Pat! Pat!

“Oh fuck~ That's... nnghh~”

Gasping for breath, Jane cut her moans short as her pussy again clinched around his length, milking it down to the base. The pace he set kept taking her breath away, triggering sharp gasps as pleasure surged straight to her brain with every successive thrust. And that pleasure she felt – the pleasure he was giving her – Nick felt in return.

Jane's pussy was so tight. It clinched upon his length, being alien to such a well-endowed lover. But for as strong as his hips and loins were, he wasn't a brute. Nick paid attention to Jane's body, groping her bosom and her hip, while softly guiding his length in and out of her.

And as Jane grew more accommodating to his length, he grew faster. The bed started bouncing beneath their melding bodies, with Nick gripping her, harder and tighter than he had before. Not only was his length strong, but his grasp was too, both working in tandem to send ruminations and twitches down Jane's body. Sweat flowing down her form, the blonde mouse let a sliver of drool streaked down her lips, while Nick's cock sent a wave through her.

“Cumming~” Jane stated through a drooling smile, “Hgnn~! C-cumming! Hngmph! Cumming!”

That declaration, that cry! Nick was an archer; he knew the importance of sound when on the hunt. So once that announcement came from her lips, and her cry danced in his ears, Nick knew it was the time to strike.

So he stopped. And when he stopped, Jane's eyes grew wide. His hands... his lithe yet strong hands... they grabbed upon her waist and held her tight, while his hips drew back to... well...

PATPATPATPATPATPATPATPATPATPAT!!!

“FUCK! AH! YOOOH~! OOH-HOOOH~~~!”

Those hips. Those strong, powerful hips! They drove his cock in and out of her pussy at a quickened pace, making Jane's head turn up. Her mouth was open, her plump tits bounced, her hair did likewise, and her wide eyes saw nothing but stars! His cock reached so damn deep, pressed against so many buttons, that even when Jane tried to hold herself back, she couldn't! And when it finally hit that blissful explosion--

“AAUUGHH~~!”

What an explosion it was!

From Jane's cunt she showered Nick's cock in her hot fragrance and odor. It stained him, marring his length in fluids, and trickled down his balls and pelvis. Meanwhile, her body continued to twitch, and moans continued leaving her lips, while her eyes rolled back in shear bliss. And her cunt, her tight, hungry cunt, it squeezed around his cock, desperate for his own climax as her body climaxed.

But...

Look, Nick was a passionate lover, but he wasn't a stupid one. The last thing he wanted were children to follow in his wake... even though adventurers were known for leaving little, ahem, bundles of joys along the countryside. All that aside, when he felt Jane tighten around his cock, he could also feel his own loins draw up close to him. And that feeling made him pull out just in time to--

“Aaaah!”

Jerking back on his length, Nick shot rope after rope of cum upon Jane's awaiting stomach, making her flinch, and then moan. Right there, she watched his dick launch his pearly seed, staining her fur in sticky, gooey lines. Panting for breath, the blonde mouse stared down upon her stained stomach, her fingers stroking through to clean some of his cum off of her white belly... but not enough.

“Aaah... ooooh... so good... hmmph...” Jane moaned, while Nick leaned beside her. “You... you're... really good at this... aaah... I've never slept with a human who... hooooh... who touched me half as good as you did... mmph...! Heh... that was the best sex I've had since moving here.”

“Heh... thanks,” Nick said as he looked Jane in the eyes, “I... had a good teacher... and plenty of experience.”

“Heh... I can tell,” she replied whilst turning over to face him, a smile on her lips, “I envy you, Nick. You get to go wherever you want, whenever you want. Meet so many people... heh... and bed your share of fair maidens. I wish I could do that. Well...” then she blushed as her tongue hung out, “Save for the whole, 'bedding fair maidens' thing. Strong men though... that's something different. But...” she raised an eyebrow, “Does it ever get... lonely? Going from place to place all alone?”

“Yeah... it does at times,” he answered as he raised his hand, placing it on Jane's cheek to clutch it, “But it's not too bad. After all, I have a mission that keeps me going, remember? And even if I didn't, I get to meet fair maidens like you on my journeys!”

Shit... why'd he have to be so charming? That sweetness in his voice was palpable, and it further warmed Jane's heart. She didn't know a thing about this man save for the information he shared with her thus far, and yet she could tell his heart was a painfully earnest one. She didn't think Nick had a dishonest bone in his body, and if he even attempted to lie, he'd be terrible at it.

“So uh... how long are you gonna be sticking around?” Jane asked as she bashfully twirled some hair around her finger, “You just arrived today, didn't you?”

“I did,” he replied, “But... now that I know that the water dragon is out there, I can't stick around for too long. I have to go and get a boat, and sail out as soon as I can.”

“You're... serious about this?” Jane said as she got up on her knees, “You don't have to be, you know. Trying to find dragons... legendary elemental dragons that may not even exist... that's a fools errand at best, and suicide at worse! Why... why are you even doing this? Why do you believe this so much? Because of some dead religion?”

Jane's words were poignant, but Nick stared at her with a soft smile on his lips. He wasn't annoyed, or hurt, or angered by her, because he knew they came from a place of genuine curiosity. Even he admitted that his quest was insane and perhaps even impossible! But he wouldn't stop now. Why?

“Because I've met one before,” he said to Jane, making the blonde mouse cock her head.

“You... have...?”

“I met the dragon of the amber lantern. The dragon of fire,” Nick explained, “The... phantom dragon of fire. I met her as a child, and as an adult, but time seemed to have frozen solid for her. Have you... ever heard of the Glaive Mountains?”

“I have...” Jane replied with a nod, “They're the mountains between the kingdoms of Tylis and Pithon, right? I've traveled through them before as a child...” she cocked her head, “Why do you ask?”

“Because that's where the dragon of fire once lived,” he replied, “Legends say that if you get lost in the Glaive Mountains, you'll be visited by a woman. She has red hair, green eyes, and is always seen carrying an amber lantern.”

“Like... the azure lantern?” Jane asked, to which he nodded.

“Yeah, like that... like... ah-ha! Like this! H-hold up!”

Getting off their bed, Nick walked over to his satchel and picked it up. Within were the things he's collected along his journey, including his tome on dragons, and his notebook. And it was his notebook he pulled out. Returning to the bed, he opened the book to a certain page where on it was drawn a lantern.

It was ornate and beautiful, drawn with so much detail that Jane could tell it was created from wood. It had a flowery design to it, its screen was glass, and its candle was like that of a gas-lit lantern, but not exactly. Looking at it, the lantern didn't seem to work like how a typical lantern would work! And going by the notes written on the page around the lantern, even Nick didn't seem to understand it.

“This is the lantern carried by the dragon of fire,” he explained, “Her name was Seriah.”

“How... how do you know this? How do you know that you're not mistaken? That this 'Seirah' you met was really a dragon, and not just some crazy mountain woman?”

“Because of the tome,” Nick answered as he pulled out the same book he had at the bar, “The Dragalia Opus. It may very well be the last surviving book from that dragon religion, and it taught me so much. It taught me the history of the lanterns, and the dragons themselves. Their names are lost to time, save for in these pages. Seriah was the name of the dragon of fire, and that is the name of the woman I met in the Glaive Mountains.”

“But you're here for the water dragon, right? Did... did the tome tell you her name?”

“Yeah, it did. Her name is Kia,” he answered, “Kia... the dragon of water, and owner of the azure lantern. I'm going to find her, and talk to her.”

“And if you do find her. If you do talk to her... then... what will you say? Why do you want to talk to her so bad? Do... do you really think you can bridge relations between humans and dragons? Do you believe you can do it?”

“Heh... I didn't say it would be easy,” Nick replied, “And maybe you and Captain Black are right; maybe I'm fool, and this quest is suicidal. But I have to try. Dragons aren't horrible creatures. They're majestic and beautiful. I feel like we can learn from one another, and grow as people. But we won't be able to do it without their help, I don't think. That's my dream, Jane. And I won't compromise on my dream.”

Jane was a firecracker. Everyone who knew her both here and in her home village, knew she was as spunky as she was short. She very rarely took anyone's bullshit, and had no qualms getting in verbal spats with anyone who dared cross her!

But for all of her snarky statements and crude mannerisms, when she looked into Nick's eyes, she felt humbled. He wasn't an idiot, even if many would write him off as one. This was something he had thought through thoroughly, and not just a spur of the moment idea. And when she looked at him, listened to his words, and read his body language, Jane believed him.

“No one's... no one's gonna convince you to stop, huh?” Jane asked as she looked away.

“Heh... believe me, I've already tried psyching myself out of this quest,” Nick answered earnestly, “But... I keep moving forward regardless. So... yeah... nothing's going to convince me to stop.”

Jane nodded.

“I figured you'd say that... haah... I guess it can't be helped. I know better than to get between a man and his mission... so...”

“So what...?”

“I... can get you a boat if you need one,” Jane answered, making Nick tense up, “Do you... need one?”

“I... I do!” he replied, “I was fretting about how I was going to get one when I arrived here! Can... can you get me a boat?”

“Yeah... heh... I can,” Jane replied with a smile, “Buuuuuuut... you have to make a promise to me, Nick.”

“And... what promise is that?” he asked, his eyebrow raised.

“When you eventually meet the dragon of water, and create this utopia where people and dragons get together and sing and blah, blah blah blah blah... hah...” she punched him playfully, a soft smile on her lips, “I want a castle in that new land of yours.”

“A... a castle?” he repeated, to which she chuckled.

“Yeah! A castle! I think one of your ageless dragon friends can get me one!”

Her face was beaming and bright, while her grin was a toothy one. It spread out from cheek to cheek, causing him to chuckle and smile along with her. She was toying with him, he knew she was! A castle? What would a country bumpkin like her even do with a castle, and where would it be in his supposed 'utopia'?

And yet...

“Yeah... a castle,” Nick said, making her smile vanish, “I promise you. If everything happens like I think it'll happen – like I hope it will happen – then I'll get you that castle.”

Jane was taken aback by his promise. Even with something like this – a stupid joke – he was being honest with her. Painfully honest, nonetheless. He wasn't answering her joke with a joke, he was being genuine. He will get her a castle someday.

“Then... heh... I'll hold you to it, Nick...”

“Yeah... I will too.”

…

Well, Jane promised to get him a boat, but she never said it would be a big boat.

Left and right, the calm ocean waves brushed along the hull of his sailboat, while a blissful wind blew against its sails. Up and down he felt his tiny vessel jostle against the whims of nature, though he wasn't put off by it. With one hand on the boat's tiller, and the other hand on its edge, Nick remained calm as he waded out at sea.

'The Silver Tail' was the sailboat's name. He got it from some fisherman in the city, but only after Jane spoke to him. What went on behind those walls, he'll never know, but he was thankful to the mouse for her aid. He wasn't sure if he had enough money to outright buy this boat, no matter how small it was!

But now all of that was behind him. Jane, the port town of Nonat, and the continent as a whole! He wasn't sure how far away he was from land, but he knew he had to be a few miles out by now. Once he got this boat, and he made sure he was properly prepared for a few days out in the ocean, Nick was off.

And now he was alone, surrounded on all sides by ocean waves.

Jane asked him the other night if it ever gets lonely traveling from place to place. He admitted to it of course, but the answer was more nuanced than that. Even though he was alone all the time, he never felt alone. When he was sleeping in nature beneath the stars, or staying at an inn in some new city, he didn't feel lonely.

But right here, on this small sailboat, surrounded by nothing but quiet ocean waves all around him, Nick felt utterly and truly alone.

He sat there for a few moments, drinking in the soul-crushing numbness of it all. All those stories of ocean madness suddenly came to his mind, making him wonder if he was going to succumb to it. He was used to green fields and forests, not oceans and wind! But Nick didn't come this far to chicken out, nor would he go mad from it all! Hopefully, anyway!

Closing his sails, the archer brought his boat to a halt, and pulled out his satchel. Reaching in, he pulled out the Dragalia Opus and his notebook. Flipping through the pages of the aged tome, he came to a map, one which detailed geography that would be familiar to those who live in the continent of Sonja... but things would be slightly off. Landmasses that should exist weren't there, while others that don't exist were. Why? Because this map was drawn centuries ago.

Reaching back into his satchel, Nick pulled out a more up to date map of Sonja, one which he had scribbled a variety of notes on in a haphazard mess. Currently, he was located in an area known as the Avitas Basin, which led out to the greater sea. But that's its current name. Its name in the past?

Kia's Domain.

The Dragalia Opus, Page 127, Section D:

In the southern seas of Sonja, her domain lays. White columns and beautiful architecture, besieged on all sides by ocean waves. The dragon of water, kind and gentle, comes to wayward travelers. Guiding them by azure light in hand, so that they may reach shelter.

Deflating slightly, Nick gazed around his surroundings, seeing nothing but ocean. According to the tome, he should see white columns and beautiful architecture, but he got none of that; just water and water and more water. Centuries of time probably buried it beneath the ocean waves, which would make his job ten times harder. He couldn't just walk up to Kia in her palace, if her palace was underwater!

But again, he did not come this far just to give up now. He needed to figure out a way to call Kia out of her palace, and he knew exactly how to do it!

By doing nothing...

Of course, Nick wasn't ignorant to how utterly stupid this plan was. He was going to lay here in this small sailboat, and just let the ocean take him? He had enough food to survive for several days out here, but after that, he had nothing to rely on by his – admittedly meager – fishing skills! Hey, he grew up in a forest in a landlocked region; cut him some slack!

Still, he couldn't visit Kia in her palace if it was under water, and he couldn't get her to leave. The Dragalia Opus does not speak of a way to call out the dragons, for it was written in a time when visiting them was as easy as walking into their domain! So he was going to have to make Kia come to him. And the only way he could do that, was by mirroring what he did to speak to Seriah years ago.

By getting lost.

Which, ya'know, was easy. He went out to sea with no skills in sailing whatsoever. He also 'accidentally' left his compass at port, meaning he couldn't rely on it either. The only thing Nick knew was that he was in Avitas Basin/Kia's Domain, and that's that... and he wasn't even completely sure about that. He had been sailing for hours; he could have possibly drifted into the southern seas by now and not realized it!

Was he afraid? Well, yeah, of course he was afraid! He'd have to be crazy to not be afraid! But as they say, courage is the ability to move forward despite one's fears. For Nick, nothing was too terrifying that he'd give up on this quest of his. So if he had to wade out here in the ocean, then so be it!

…

…

…

But...

…

…

…

Damn...

…

…

…

No one said getting lost in the ocean would take so long!

The relentlessness of the ocean bared down upon him and his small sailboat. He had been wading out here for, what, several days now? His bottles of water were running dry, his meals were running thin, and all of this despite the fact that he was rationing his things. Just one meal and one bottle of water per day, and if he ran out, that would be his sign to return to port.

That is, if he could remember where port was. Again, he left his compass back in town; he didn't know where north was anymore!

Again, many would call Nick foolish for this... and yeah, he was agreeing. Being in such a small boat gave him very little space to move in, and it's not like the floor made for a comfortable bed. His body was cramped, he felt aches running up and down his spine, and his mouth was dry from the overbearing sun.

But that was just during the day; what about the nights? The nights were chilling and cold, freezing him down to his flesh. The jacket he brought did little to defend himself from the cold air, and the even colder winds. His only solace was the moon and stars in the skies... they were so beautiful, no matter where he made his bed.

The ocean was truly a lonely place. He had heard of arctic lands that are cold and white, and he's heard of desert lands that are blistering and brown. But the ocean? It was nothing but blue. Blue waters, blue skies, blue horizons, blue everything. And with the silence save for the water brushing against his hull, Nick found himself surrounded in his own thoughts.

Maybe this was a fool's dream that had turned suicidal. Who's to say the other dragons operate like Seriah did? Sure, the azure lantern saved the crew of the Crescent Saber, but that was a massive vessel with innocent lives on it! Not the small sailboat of one man.

The Dragalia Opus described Kia as being the kindest of all dragons, and a tenderhearted individual, but that was written over centuries ago, and of course, before the age where dragons were seen as menaces. Why would she care about mortals? Why should she care about mortals? And why would she give a damn about an idiot like him?

But that's how the story goes, isn't it? When a sailor has all but given up hope, she appears.

The night sky hung high overhead as Nick leaned upon the edge of his sailboat. Exhausted and tired, he was looking forward to yet another long day of nothing when the sun arises. He had one meal and half a bottle left. After that, he'd truly be nothing more than fish food.

But...

As Nick's eyes started to blink in and out of consciousness, he saw something in the distance. Two golden dots, and an azure light. Seeing them made his tired eyes widen, and his heart rate increase. But he could not stop himself from blinking. And when he did, the golden dots got even closer, where he realized they were eyes. He blinked again, and again the eyes grew closer, now revealing themselves to be attached to the face of a woman. He blinked again; she was wearing a cerulean cloak, one that was wrapped around her body for modesty, and pulled up along her head like a hood.

Wait... this was all so very... familiar. The blinking, the light, the cloak, even the way they came forward. He had experienced this before, years ago. It was almost perfectly recreated, only the woman and location was different.

Nick blinked once again. The woman was now standing in front of him; standing on water. He stared weakly up towards the woman, incapable of speaking due to being in shear awe of her. In his silence, he watched her raise her lantern, casting her azure light upon their surroundings... and upon her face.

Her cute... youthful... face.

An angular face with soft curves, a small, cute nose that was pointed upwards, blue hair with blunt bangs like a princess, and... those eyes. Golden eyes... with black sclera.

She stared down upon Nick, her expression both confused and concerned for the human man. Why was he out at sea like this all by himself? Was he a fishermen blown off course by a storm and left to wade out at sea? Or was it more to it than that? She'd lead him back to land.

Suddenly, Nick felt the wind start to pick up behind him. This was her doing; she was going to lead him back! But he shook his head and reached out to her, saying,

“Kia...”

The woman's eyes widened, shock written upon her face as her name left his lips.

“Kia,” Nick called weakly again as he reached out from beyond his boat, “Kia... I've come looking for you... I...” he was so tired, so weak; even this was hard, “I've met Seirah... I...”

“S-Seirah?”

The woman was shocked before, but she seemed downright flabbergasted now! Her mouth was agape, her eyes were even wider, and she shuddered from head to toe! But Nick couldn't see any of it. His body had slumped over, leaning on the edge of his sailboat as he looked down upon the woman's cloak before him. He was too tired, too sleepy... he just... couldn't... stay... awake... any... moorrreee...

“Zzzzzz...”

The woman kept her lantern raised, illuminating the unconscious Nick and his boat. It was one thing for him to know her name, but to also know Seirah's name? Just thinking about it made her heart race.

But then she guided her eyes up, where she saw the Dragalia Opus. This... all of this... all of this was too strange. All of this was...

“Who are you?” asked the woman as she looked down upon Nick's unconscious body.

…

Triiickclckclkclkclkclkclkckllckl!

“Hnnn...?”

That sound. That wasn't the sound of water striking a boat. That was the sound of water reverberating through a tunnel. And that sound? That sound echoed all into Nick's ears.

Brown eyes opened. Above him was an arched ceiling made of white stone marble, and reflecting off of this ceiling was water in bright, blue lines. They wiggled and danced above him, while the sound of water bounced off the walls.

He was somewhere. He didn't know where that 'somewhere' was, but he had an idea.

“Hgnnn! Haah... ooh... deja vu...” muttered Nick as he pulled himself up and gazed around.

He was resting on a lounging sofa, one that was elegant in design, with a white frame, and blue cushions. All around him was an area that was equally as white, with white marble floors, walls, and ceilings. Pillars stretched from the floors to the roof, an ambient light was coming from somewhere, and there were long, rectangular windows all around that showed the outside.

And what was outside? The ocean floor.

“What the...?” Nick muttered to himself as he stood up from the couch he woke up on... only to fall over, “Aah!?”

Splash!

Quickly Nick pulled his head up and looked down, where he realized he was up to his ankles in water. There didn't seem to be any dry land around him, at least none he could stand on. As far as he could see, the floor was underwater.

“Ooookaaaaay... hm...”

Walking forward, Nick came to the windows of the chamber and stared through them. Just as he believed, outside was not ocean waves, or grass or anything he as used to. Through these windows was a landscape that was completely alien to him. Sand drifting in the sea breeze, kelp billowing in the currents, coral reefs with a brilliant spread of colors, and fish swimming through it all like birds in the skies.

Nick was in a palace that was underwater.

“Wow...”

How many people could claim to see a sight as brilliant as this? Even in his most wildest of stories, Nick had never read anything close to as amazing as this. It's one thing to hear about palaces that are underwater, but it's something else entirely to stand in a place that's underwater. How does he even begin to describe this? It was haunting, but beautiful! He felt like he was on a completely different planet.

“This is just like with Seirah,” Nick muttered to himself, “Which means...” then he looked over, “I've made it. I'm in Kia's palace.”

At the end of this hallway was an entrance to another chamber, one that glowed with a white light. Tensing up, Nick wondered if Kia was through that doorway. Even if she wasn't, he was getting nowhere sitting around here! Fortunately, his things were on the lounging chair he woke up on, so once he grabbed his satchel...

Splash! Splash! Splash!

He marched forward towards the entrance while looking around and scanning his surroundings. Through the entryway was a larger chamber, one which extended up several stories highs, and had a spiraling staircase raising to higher levels. The floor was also even deeper in here, causing the water to come up to his knees. There was also greenery here, with flowers of an unknown genus standing tall from pots. How they survived without sunlight, Nick didn't know, but he figured this place had... otherworldly properties to it.

The air here felt... crisp. It was hard to describe, but despite being in an aged palace that was no doubt centuries old, perhaps even over a thousand years old, the air tasted and smelled as clean as air on a mountaintop on a windy day. Again, he wondered if this was all Kia's doing.

Marching through the water, Nick came to the staircase and started climbing it. Oddly enough though, as he moved up step by step, the water beneath seemed to rise with him. At first he thought his mind was just playing tricks on him, because the room didn't seem out of the ordinary. But then he realized that, yes, despite climbing up the stairs, he was going nowhere.

“Ah... crap...” he muttered to himself as he looked around, “The book warned about this... ah...”

Reaching into his satchel, Nick pulled out the Dragalia Opus and flipped through its pages.

Page 130, Section C:

Shy was Kia, the dragon of water. Oft teased and chided by her sisters, followed by a fit of laughter. So to deny others entry to her hidden basin, she placed in her palace a hidden direction. The Palace of Kia is a box of mystery, but the answer to solving it is quite easy. Do not trust your eyes. Do not trust you ears. The current, the current, follow--

“The current...” Nick muttered to himself.

Placing the tome back in his satchel, he looked down at the water around him. For the most part, things were calm and still, save for the ripples he created with his body. But as he looked around at the few other tunnels that led from his strange chamber, he noticed one was different from the rest. The water seemed to flow into one of the tunnels. It was slight, but he saw it. And when he got closer, he felt it. There was a pull in this tunnel. So he walked forward into it...

And slipped.

“Oh man...” SPLASH! “MPH!?”

The tunnel suddenly dipped down, causing him to fall upon his body. It was a slide, and it guided him into the shadows of the tunnel where no light could reach him. For a few moments, all Nick saw was darkness. At the same time, the sound of rushing water got louder, followed by a bright light... and a drop!

“Aaah!?”

THUNK!!!

The slide gave way, dropping Nick into a large chamber of water which he quickly fell under, and just as quickly swam back to the surface of. Breaking up, he gasped for air and looked around, where he saw he was in a large square room, with a large square pool in the middle of it. Sunlight (or what he could only assume to be sunlight) poured through the roof of the chamber, while the windows continued to show the strange landscape of the ocean floor outside.

“This place...” Nick muttered to himself as he swam to a more shallow part of the pool, “Seriah's home was nothing like this...”

For a moment, he wondered if Kia too was nothing more than a phantom; a ghost from a forgotten age. Seirah appeared completely alive at first, only for her home to become derelict when he woke up in the morning. But before these dour thoughts could overtake him, he felt the current start to pick up again. It was guiding him to another tunnel, this one being square shaped. He walked into it.

Things continued on like this for several more chambers, with each one he entered being different from the rest. Some were round in shaped, others square, some even triangular and pointed. But all of them were just bizarre. Nick had never seen an area quite like Kia's palace. The white marble architecture made the palace confusing, making him feel like he'd been to the same area twice, thrice, some times four times over! If it hadn't been for the shape of the room – and the differing heights of water – Nick would have though he had gone insane!

Though he already felt crazy being in this place at all.

Alas, this new tunnel he was in led into a small hallway, which only had on entrance and exit. When he entered it however, he could no longer hear the waters of the room he was just in. This place really was a maze. For a moment he looked over his shoulder, scanning his surroundings. But when he looked forward.

“Ah...”

There was a woman there. She stood at the other end of the hallway, wearing a blue cloak that covered her from the neck down to her ankles, and had its hood up to her head, covering it. The only thing Nick could see was some of her blue hair, and her gilded eyes.

“What are you doing here?” she said as she kept her distance.

“Kia... I've come to--”

“DON'T SAY THAT NAME!!!” she shouted with such strength, that not only did the waters quake, but the entire palace seemed to shake as well, “You... you haven't gained the right to call me that name. I haven't given it to you.”

“I...” Nick muttered, before stopping and swallowing his spit.

The Dragalia Opus claimed that Kia was the kindest of all the elemental dragons, but this roar was anything but 'soft'. Seriah was more approachable than this! Seriah...

“What... what are you doing here?” she asked as she stepped back.

“Ki-- wait...” he took in a deep breath, “Water Dragon. I... I've come to talk to you. That is why I'm here.”

“You... you spoke of Seirah... no one should remember that name, no one but us... no one but...” she tensed up, “You... you're with them, aren't you!?”

“Them...? Who's them?” Nick replied, though the dragon of water shook her head.

“No... NO! Bringing you here was a mistake! I'll... I'LL!!!” she raised her hand, causing the waters in her palace to start rising, “I'll drown you! My domain shall become your watery grave!!!”

“No! Don't do that!” Nick said as he reached out for her, “I promise you, Kia, I'm not here to hurt you! I just want to talk!”

“TALK ABOUT WHAT!?!?!” she shouted back, “YOU ACURSED MORTALS! WE PROTECTED YOU! WE LOOKED OUT FOR YOU! EVEN AFTER ALL THESE CENTURIES, MY SISTERS AND I STILL GUIDE YOU TO SAFETY WHEN YOU GET LOST IN OUR DOMAINS! AND HOW DO YOU REPAY US!? YOU HUNT DOWN OUR KIND FOR GLORY AND HONOR! YOU LABEL US MONSTERS! AND WORSE OFF, YOU SLAYED MY SISTER!” she grew quiet... but her golden eyes glowed like demented lights in the distance, “I'll never forgive you.”

“Then don't forgive us!” Nick replied as he marched towards her in spite of the rapidly rising waters, “Because... you're right! We mortals don't deserve your forgiveness! Only forgive us when we've proven ourselves worthy of your forgiveness. But...” he kept marching forward, “I'm not here to hurt you, I promise! I couldn't even if I wanted to,” the water was up to his chest now, “I just want to...” and then up to his neck, “Talk to... you--” even higher now, “Gglrrlrggphoh!?”

He was completely up to his neck in water, but this one was different from the rest. The water in Kia's palace was already strange, feeling ephemeral and airy like he was in a cloud. But this water? This water was weighty and thick. It was like he had the entirety of the ocean bearing down on his body, and it made him crumble. But he kept... marching... forward... until...

He grabbed Kia's cloak... and pulled it down.

She stood still, completely unaffected by the waters which threatened to both crush and kill him. Her cloak removed, he could see the woman beneath it, and just how young she was. Her cute pointed nose, her soft yet angular head and chin, and her long blue hair that cascaded down to her hips. The front bangs were cut blunt like she was a princess, allowing him to gaze upon her face.

That cute face.

That cute face that held so much anger.

She was wearing a unique dress, one that was mostly blue and red, with white highlights on it. It came down to her thighs like a minidress, but was slightly longer than that. The dress had detached sleeves, which flaunted her curvy shoulders. In fact, all of her was curvy. Not thicc and round, but curvy in how a trained dancer would be curvy. He blamed it on her waist, which was narrow, her hips which were shapely, and her chest which was perky. And... oh my... the dress had a cutout in it. A cleavage cutout.

Her dress as a whole gave off an eastern vibe, like something a princess would wear form the island nation of Solaria. However, there were flourishes and additions to the water dragon's dress that looked downright... reptilian. It seemed to be made of scales, and clinching around her narrow waist looked to be the fangs of a dragon. Even her detached sleeves hung low like the fins of an aquatic being.

But nothing was as reptilian as the water dragon herself. Now that he was up close, he could see her eyes more definitely. The sclera were indeed black, her irises were golden, but her pupils were slit like that of a snake's. And... horns! She had horns! They were small yes, but no less dangerous. Triangular in shape, they were a dark blue against the light-blue of her hair, and were sharp to a fine point. He's seen horns before, not just on Seirah before, but on horned beastkin like rams or bucks. But her horns? They were one of a kind.

Kia, the dragon of water, and the owner of the azure lantern. She stood before him, radiating a beauty that the pages of the Dragalia Opus never detailed. She was as cute now as she was deadly; like a young princess who commands the might of armies. Or in this case, the entire brunt of the ocean.

Nick didn't know what to do. When he ran into Seirah, she wasn't hostile! Was it childish of him to say he wasn't expecting this much ferocity from Kia? Maybe Seirah was more accepting because she was already dead. Kia however? Kia wasn't budging.

But neither would Nick. Even as the full weight of the ocean bared down upon him, he kept his breath held and marched up to Kia. She flinched, but did not budge, and even seemed to increase the pressure falling upon him. And yet even with that, Nick still did not stop! He came up to her, nearly breaking down on his knees, while feeling his lungs start to burn for air! And then – just a few moments away from finally succumbing to the weight pushing upon him – Nick reached out and--

Grab!

His arms wrapped around Kia, grabbing her lithe body close, while his head fell into her chest. Having collapsed upon his knees, the archer could do nothing but brace himself against the water dragon, hoping these moments would not be his last.

And Kia?

She just stood there.

Who was this man that sought her? Who was this man that knew her name? Who was this man that knew Seirah's name? She thought he was a hunter who wanted to slay her, but she sensed no malice from him. Fear for his life, yes, but not hatred, or anger, or anything violent. It confused Kia, who looked at him, wondering if his words were true.

He wasn't with them.

Raising her hand, the dragon of water caused the ocean to quiver. And when it did, Nick's eyes opened wide. The weight. The oppressive, powerful, constricting weight that pushed down upon him... was suddenly gone. He felt the water around him, but this water felt like the water from the rest of the palace. It felt airy and soft, like a cloud.

Looking up, Nick's eyes met Kia's who stared back at him in a confused manner. She looked lost, wondering just who this archer was that came to her. And then she spoke.

“Breathe...”

He cocked his head back, now being the confused one. She spoke again.

“Breathe. It won't drown you. I won't drown you.”

It was a complete 180; had she forgiven him yet? No, that didn't seem to be the case. Nevertheless...

“HUAAAAAAAAAAHH!!!”

Nick took in a deep breath, feeling the water rush into his throat and lungs... where he didn't drown. Just as Kia said, she nor her ocean was going to drown him. Somehow, the dragon of water was letting him breathe underwater, a gift he didn't hesitate to abuse as he fought to catch his breath.

“Haaah! Haaah! Haaah! Kia...” he said, though she pouted and shook her head,

“I... I still have not yet given you permission to call me by my name,” she said, “Especially since I do not know your name. Who are you?”

“My... my name is Nick... he answered, “And... I've come to talk to you.”

“About what? And how do you know Seirah's name?”

“I've met Seirah,” he answered, though Kia shook her head.

“That's impossible, Seirah is--”

“Dead?” Nick said, “Yes, she is dead. But I still found her, I still met her, and... I made love to her.”

“Y-y-you what!?” Kia shouted, her face suddenly turning beet red, “You... you and Seirah... you... and her!?”

Turning away form him quickly, she looked into the opposite direction of the hall and gave him a view of her back. Not only did her dress have a cleavage cutout in it, but it was backless as well, giving him a view of her back. And for a good reason too; she had scales on her back, and dorsal fins that ran all the way down to her slithering tail.

How had he not noticed that before?

“I want proof,” Kia said, “I need proof. Your words... they're too impossible to believe, so I won't believe them until you prove to me you really met Seirah. You have the Dragalia Opus, I see that, so you could have gotten her name from that tome. Even the location of her home in Glaive Mountains could be gleamed by referencing its name in the past. So... prove to me you met Seirah. And prove to me you made love to her.”

“I... I can,” Nick said, causing Kia to look over her shoulder towards him, “But... uh...” he pulled up his satchel, “It's in my notes. The water is... it might ruin my notebook.”

“Hmm...”

Kia looked at Nick's satchel, then up to his face. He was smiling in this honest manner, even though he was still afraid of her and what she could easily do to him. Yet she never got a malicious vibe from him. Even now, he remained kind and earnest, with this hapless smile on her face. It made Kia blush...

“Okay... follow me,” she said as she leaped off of her feet.

With expert ease, Kia swam down the tunnel while Nick lingered behind. He could swim, he could even hold his breath underwater for minutes at a time, but he's not a fish. The dragon of water however – true to her name – swam through away as gracefully as a bird flies through the air. She was so enthralling, he almost forgot to move, even needing her voice to call him forward.

“Nicholas?” she called, snapping him back to reality.

“It's just Nick! Only old people call me Nicholas,” he said as he began swimming after her.

“'Nick' is far too informal for my liking,” Kia said as she turned to face him while swimming backwards, “So I will call you Nicholas. Besides, I'm older than those so-called 'old people', so it is only right that I call you 'Nicholas' as well.”

“Heh... that's what Seirah said...”

His statement made Kia blush and look away. It was slight, but if he really did meet Seirah, that sounds like a response she'd give. Of all the dragons, she was always the most motherly. Perhaps this man did meet her... but she was hesitant to believe. It was too good to be true.

Following behind Kia, Nick found himself being guided to a new chamber. This one was wide and circular, with pillars extending to the domed roof, and light pouring through holes in the ceiling. Entering into the chamber, the duo broke through the surface of the water, with Nick gasping for air... despite the fact that he didn't actually need to.

It's strange breathing under water...

The room was completely dry save for the ring of ephemeral water which surrounded it, and in the center of it were pieces of furniture, such as a lounging couch and chair... and a bed. It was a big bed, circular in shape like a clam's shell, but with glittering white and blue curtains hanging over it. Was this Kia's bedroom? Well... obviously; who else would own this bedroom in her palace?

“Okay...” said the dragon of water as she sat on her bed's edge and looked up at him, “Where is it...?”

“The proof?” Nick asked, to which she nodded.

“Yes. Prove to me that you met Seirah. I want to see it. I must see it.”

“Well... okay...”

Nick nodded as he walked up to Kia, his hands unzipping his satchel. Despite falling underwater multiple times while traveling through her palace, all the contents within his bag were left dry, as if they'd been soaking out in a desert. Kia's mastery over all things water was both staggering and horrifying. He really didn't want to get on her bad side, no matter how cute she was.

But, right, focus. Opening up his satchel, Nick reached inside and grabbed his notebook. It was an important book to his quest, as he'd scribbled hundreds, if not thousands of notes over its pages. This wasn't even his first notebook, instead being his fourth. Hey, he has to take a lot of notes!

But this note he had in mind? This was the most important. When he opened up his book, he flipped through his pages... before stopping and sighing in a blissful manner. Without a word, Nick handed the book to Kia, who gazed upon its pages... and her eyes grew wide.

Right here on these pages, captured by Nick's surprising artistic skill, was the image of a woman's face. The beautifully... alluring... seductive... image. The sharpness of her nose, the smoothness of her face, the reptilian eyes that pierced her very soul, and the horns that jutted from the tops of her head; all of it was copied, and all of it was familiar to Kia.

This? This was Seirah. And not just one picture of Seirah too, but many! Flipping idly through his pages, Kia saw multiple drawn images of the dragon of fire. And not just her human form, but her dragon form as well! The longer snout, the longer horns, the smooth scales; all of that was there. But the hair and the eyes? Those remained the same.

Kia could not believe her eyes. These weren't just faces copied from somewhere else like an old tome; these were faces and angles that could only come from the mind of a person and their memories.

“I still see her face at night,” Nick claimed, “She visits me in my dreams. I... I know it sounds silly – I only knew her for a night – but I miss her.”

“You... miss her...” Kia whispered, her hands stroking down the pages of his notebook, “I can't believe it. This is too unbelievable... I haven't seen Seirah in centuries. The last time I saw her – the last time any of us saw her – was when she was dying in our hands. But you come to me, saying you've met Seirah, and that you've made love to Seirah...” she looked up at him, “How?”

“Well... heh... I got lost in the Glaive Mountains,” he answered.

“You... got lost in the Glaive Mountains,” she repeated, “And Seirah came to you...” she closed her eyes, her lips curling into a smile as a tear streamed down her face, “Oh Seirah... even now – beyond your death – you help mortals. Even when you shouldn't. Even when they don't deserve your kindness. I... I envy that of you.”

She held her head low, her eyes closed as a few mournful sobs left her. The death of her sister may have occurred centuries ago now, but seeing this image of her was enough to bring back memories from the past. She wasn't an overly emotional wreck, but it was clear to Nick that this moment was bittersweet to her. So he sat down beside the dragon of water, causing her to look over at him.

“My apologies, Nicholas,” she said, “When you spoke my name, I was shocked, but when you spoke of Seirah, I was confused. For a moment, I feared you were with them, and was going to kill me.”

“'Them'? Who's... 'them'?” he asked, “You mentioned that in the hallway before, but I don't know this 'them' is.”

“Them...” Kia repeated, “Or more accurately, her. Her and her army.”

“Her and her... army?”

“Yes... the woman who slayed Seirah,” Kia dropped her head as her chest raised, “Her name was Juliet... Juliet Kaiser. Even after all this time, I still remember her. She was a menace, a monster, all born in the flesh of a human. They called her the Death Bringer in her age. Lady Juliet Kaiser... the Death Bringer. But... it was more than that...” she leaned back up and looked at Nick, “Juliet Kaiser was a warrior without equal. She slayed hundreds, if not thousands of men singlehandedly; a feat not seen before or since. But for Juliet Kaiser, what does she do when there are no wars to fight? When her nation is in a time of peace? She hunted, and nothing gave her more joy than hunting rare prey. Juliet Kaiser was a woman who hunted dragons like a normal person may hunt for boar, or deer. She slayed many beasts, even ones deemed impossible. She successfully killed a pheonix. No one thought such a thing was possible... but she did it. And after slaying creatures thought unkillable, she set her sights on us. Normal dragons were nothing to her; she wanted to hunt a legend. Hm... it was all my fault...”

Nick didn't know what she meant by it, but he could see the trembles of regret funnel through her form. Whatever happened all those centuries ago, it was still enough to affect the dragon of water, making her quiver in place as her head shook left and right. Memories were resurfacing, memories she didn't want to remember. Fun ones, painful ones, simple ones.

“Apologies, Nicholas,” Kia whispered as she returned his notebook to him, “I tried to kill you when you were being honest. That would have been a grave mistake on my end.”

“Hey, no need,” he said as he shook his hand, “You only did what you thought was right. I can understand why you reacted the way you did. And really, heh, I may have come on a bit strong there. I'm... still not sure how to go about approaching you and the elemental dragons; I'm just going by instincts, I guess. But...” he looked around, “You live here, right? This is your palace? The Dragalia Opus tells about how you and the other elemental dragons had many servants who tended to you, but the palace is empty...” he looked back, “Are you alone?”

“Does that surprise you?” Kia asked, “Knowing that I'm lonely in my palace. I'm sure this is a feeling shared by my sisters. We serve our duty of ferrying man to safety, while our race is continually slayed by glory-seeking mortals. And the dragons who can take on a human form like the one you see before you, can only do so in quantities. Our horns, our tails, our wings and backs, including our eyes... they remain like that of a dragon, perhaps rendering the whole point moot. I fear for the dragons who are not as powerful as us. Those who live among mortals in secrecy. It's only a matter of time until they're caught.”

“That's... that's why I'm here,” Nick said, making her look up at him, “I want to give them that haven so they don't have to hide anymore. I want to give them a home where they aren't feared. I think dragons are beautiful and majestic, Kia. I always believed that, but Seirah truly taught me this. I want to make a home for dragons, not just for you and the other elemental dragons, but for all of them, everywhere. And I'm sure with your aid, I can do it.”

“You're... you are...” Kia blushed, her hands coming up to her nose to block herself form his gaze, while her eyes looked elsewhere, “You are far too forthcoming, Nicholas. How would such a dream even happen? It sounds impossible.”

“I know... but I won't give up just because it sounds impossible,” he stated, “I think we can make it work. Alone, no. But together? That's why I'm here. I need your help, and the help of your sisters to make it happen. And even if you don't want to work with me... I can't imagine staying all alone in this palace can make you feel good.”

“I...”

Kia didn't answer right away, instead looking off to the distance once more as she blushed furiously. Damn him and his looks. She kept thinking that there was a deception, a lie somewhere in his words. But, no, he was being blatantly honest with her, to a stupid degree. Perhaps it was childish optimism that made him believe he could pull off this impossible dream, but Kia would be lying if she said it wasn't infectious. And if it is true that he did indeed meet, and sleep with Seirah – even an apparition of her – then on some level Nick was trustworthy. Still, Kia wanted her own proof, just a different amount of proof. If Seirah did it, then...

“I want to see what Seirah saw,” she said, taking Nicholas aback.

“Come again?” he said, to which Kia pouted at him as her cheeks turned red.

“D-don't make me repeat myself! This is embarrassing already! Just... I want to see what Seirah saw! What did you show Seirah to make her trust you? What did you show... what did you say to Seirah that made her sleep with you? I want to... I want to experience that as well.”

“You want me to... sleep with you?” Nick asked, again making Kia fume.

“I SAID DON'T MAKE ME REPEAT MYSELF!!!” she shouted, the palace quaking under her power, “I have been alone in my domain for centuries, very rarely leaving to see mortals outside of guiding them to safety. So...” she took in a deep breath, “I want to experience the touch of another. What you did with Seirah, I want you to do with me. I won't repeat myself again, and if you belittle me, I will drown you.”

“Well... heh... you don't have to tell me twice, Kia,” Nick said with a smile, “I promise, I won't betray your trust.”

Kia tensed up, feeling a bit flustered by him. This human man was surprisingly charming; she could sense he knew his way around the body of a woman. But she is no human despite her looks, nor is she like a beastkin. She's not even like a reptilian beastkin if he's bedded one before! She was a dragon; he needed to respect her as much.

But as his hand came up to rest on her shoulders, Kia didn't sense fear from him. No, that's not the correct term for it; it's more like Nick was treating her normally. To him, she wasn't a sea serpent who was to be feared, but a woman who was to be respected.

Gently, his hands kneaded her shoulders, running up and down them as he got a feel for her body. Kia tensed up further, becoming as rigid as a statue as he explored her body. These touches... the touches of another... the touches of a lover... when was the last time she felt such a thing? Centuries ago?

A shudder traveled through Kia, one she tried to stifle, only to fail. Nick felt it rumble through her core, and straight back up into his kneading hands. Looking down upon the dragon of water, he watched as a red blush formed on her face, and her lips curled into a pout. It was... cute!

“Heh... heh heh... hah hah hah!”

“Wh-what's so funny!?” Kia shouted, belittled by his laughter.

“I just... you and Seirah... you're just so different,” he said, “You're blushing like a tomato, but she was a bit more... cunning than you were!”

“Grrrgh! What!? Do you prefer her?”

“That's not what I'm saying,” Nick said as he shook his head, “She's like cinnamon. You're like... sugar. I like both cinnamon and sugar.”

“Cinnamon... and sugar...?” Kia repeated, before, “Mmf!?”

His lips... Nick's lips pressed to hers. His soft, thin, moist lips pressed up to hers, where he guided her mouth open. There was a time years ago where he was poor at kissing. Guess who taught him how to be better? Even though his moment with Seirah was years ago now, the fruits of her teachings remained.

Kia shuddered again as Nick's tongue pushed into her mouth. He tasted her, dipping his tongue into her saliva, and drawing back. Interesting, she tasted like salt water, but without any of the negatives associated with drinking actual salt water. It was a taste that drove Nick to kiss her more and more, with the dragon of water eventually licking back.

Ah... her tongue... it was serpentine, like that of a snake. It slithered along his tongue, stroking upon the surface of his, and drawing him in deeper into the kiss. Moans left the two, while Kia's hands suddenly grew lustful. They grabbed back at Nick's neck and shoulders, hugging him in close to deepen the kiss further.

But he broke it.

Nick's lips left Kia's, causing her to groan. But his body didn't leave her. He trailed kisses away from her lips, peppering them upon her neck. Leaning back, the dragon of water let loose a quivering moan from her mouth, while her face shifted into one of pure bliss.

These touches, this feeling; it lit a fire within her body, a fire which hadn't been stoked in centuries. Her hand cupping the back of Nick's head, Kia hugged him more to her, letting him lick, kiss, and nibble upon her flesh.

“Aaaaahh~”

Her erotic moans filled the air, sounding like the music of angels as it mixed with Nick's smacking lips. It felt good. It felt better than good. The feeling of a lover adorning her body with worship, kept drawing more and more moans from Kia's cute lips.

But Nick's hands did not remain idle. One reached down, curving around Kia's hip and sliding beneath her skirt, where it clinched upon her buttocks. The soft flesh of her bubble butt filled his palm, and spilled through the cracks of his fingers. His other hand meanwhile came around to the front, where it fell firmly upon her bosom.

Even through the bodice of her dress, Nick could tell Kia had perky tits. So when he clinched upon her bosom, he felt her shapely breast fill the palm of his hand. Around and around his hands moved, groping her body in tandem; one on her ass, the other on her bust. Eyes closed shut and mouth wide open, Kia let loose erotic moans that danced in the air around them.

“Hyeeeesss~” she moaned, her tongue slithering upon her lips, “Aaaaaahh~”

Amid his groping and kneading, Kia's eyes opened, gazing at him with those gilded looks. And her face... it shifted into this hungry visage. Seeing it made Nick tense up and stop, where he realized something about the dragon of water... specifically her teeth.

They were serrated... like a shark.

“Whoa!”

Reaching up, Kia grabbed Nick and moved in, pushing him over upon the bed so that she was on top. Her hands rested on his chest, while she straddled his hips. Laying there, he did nothing but gaze upon the blue dragon, watching as she panted for her breath.

“I'm sorry,” she apologized, “Did... did I take you off guard, Nicholas?”

“Heh heh... I'm fine,” he replied sheepishly, “Although... the Dragalia Opus described you as being the docile one.”

“The... docile one? Ooooh... that book...” Kia groaned as she blushed from embarrassment, “I'm sure one of my sisters wrote that about me. But...” she shook her head, “I'll prove it to you! I'm not docile! I'm not docile at all!”

Reaching down, the blue dragon grabbed Nick's shirt and quickly unbuttoned it. He didn't fight her off, allowing her to remove his shirt and unveil his athletic form beneath. Seeing it – the lithe form of an archer – caused Kia to blush again and slow down... but only so she could--

“Mmff!”

“Hm!?”

Kiss him again!

Trying to fight off her own embarrassment, the dragon of water pressed her lips to his, entering into a kiss with Nicholas. Her arms draped themselves upon his shoulders, her hands dragging upon his back. His hands likewise wrapped around Kia's waist, hugging her in close as their tongues wrestled for dominance. And, yeah, there was no competing; the dragon of water was superior. Shy though she may be, his human tongue just couldn't contest with her serpentine one! Not that he was too bothered by this, going by the hungry moans which left his lips.

As their ferocious kiss went on and on, Kia danced her hips upon Nick's waist. It didn't take long for her to notice the rather telling lump that was grinding up against her crotch. Hot and hard, it throbbed between his legs like a spire of lust, and told the blue dragoness everything she needed to know.

Kia pulled back, popping their lips from one another while her hands dragged down to his waist. Still laying there, Nick allowed her to do as she pleased with him; undoing his belt buckle, unzipping his pants, and then pulling it down to unveil his--

“Ah... oh my...”

Penis. A man's penis. A male's penis. It was standing tall between them like a long, thick, pulsating tower! Whatever bravado Kia had vanished in that moment as she came face to face with his dick. It was so hard... it looked so painful! Was this all for her? Did she get him like this?

And this... smell. This sweaty, musky, odorous smell. It hung around Nick's cock, and got into her nose. This was the smell of a man whose been cooking out in the ocean for days on end. The smell of a man who had to struggle through her palace just to reach her. The smell of a man whom she terrified with the force of the ocean. The smell of a man who lusted after her.

Pulling her hands up, Kia blocked her face from the nose down. But nothing could hide the furious blush which adorned her face as she gazed down upon his cock. Her golden eyes were a bit puffy, both aroused and embarrassed by the situation they were in. Nick almost found it hard to believe she was a legendary dragon... but perhaps its best not to tease a woman who could drop the ocean on his head! She may not be as reciprocal to such words.

Besides...

“I got this way because of you,” Nick said in a reassuring manner, making her look back at him.

“It's just so... big...” she commented, her hand gently wrapping around his cock, “Doesn't it... hurt?”

Nick didn't answer right away, instead focusing on the touch of her palm and fingers around his turgid length. Kia's hand was incredibly soft, and her fingers were remarkably dainty. Her slender digits wrapped around his dick, handling him with the same finesse a warrior would have when handling a spear. Just the way it ran up and down his dick, gracing upon the veins and the glands, coaxed grunts from Nick as he hung his head back.

“Aaaaaah... hooooh...”

Those sounds made Kia's ears perk, and made her look up at him. He was enjoying this? He was enjoying her touch? Were men this easy to please? She honestly felt like she was just fumbling around, but Nick didn't agree. His hips were softly thrusting up into her hand, making her jolt, while from the tip of his cock oozed this clear substance.

“Do you... really like this...?” Kia asked in a bashful manner, making Nick chuckle.

“A cute girl is handling my cock... of course I like it,” he replied, making her pout.

“Hnngh~”

Was this how mortals flirted these days? It was admittedly pretty crass referring to his penis as a 'cock'. But on the other hand, he called her cute, and she actually liked the praise. She tried to hide her enjoyment of it, what with her free hand still blocking half her face, but it wasn't working.

Her hand was only getting faster.

“Hnnn... hmmm...! Hhhh!”

Nick's grunts made Kia look up at his face, back down to his cock, up to his face again, and back to his cock again. His length seemed to have gotten even harder since she started her handjob, and it was jumping twice as hard. Reaching down with her other hand, both seized upon Nick's penis, attacking him all at once. One hand jerked at the base and shaft of his cock, while the other hand danced upon the head of it. Teasing it with her fingers which stroked around the glands, then outright rubbing it with her palm and smearing his precum all around his length. All the while, Nick watched and groaned, feeling the intense pleasure of Kia's amazing handjob.

He didn't think something so simple could feel so good.

More and more precum oozed from the head of his dick, sticking to Kia's hands even as she smeared it along his dick. It got so messy, the dragon of water pulled back, and looked at her palms as his nectar oozed down her fingers and hand. How it glistened in the lights of her palace, how it felt against her flesh, how it smelled... and eventually... how it tasted.

“Slick... slick... slrrk...”

Kia didn't know what came over her. Was she that curious? Was she that aroused? Yes, and yes.

Her serpentine tongue licked her palms clean of his precum, his taste dancing in her mouth. It left Kia shivering. This salty, bitter twang... she liked sweet things, but this taste wasn't bad. It just felt... good... like... like...

“Hmm...”

Kia looked down upon Nick's cock, then up towards the rest of his naked body. Meanwhile she was sitting here fully clothed, with the taste of his precum oozing on her lips. Biting into her bottom lip, the dragon of water attempted to stifle herself, but the arousal she felt was too much.

“Nicholas...” she whispered.

“Yes...?”

“Don't... don't you dare tease me for this,” Kia warned.

“Tease you for... what?” he asked.

His answer was a bright azure light that suddenly emanated from Kia's body. It sparkled like the stars in the skies, and grew brighter and brighter to the point that Nick needed to block his eyes from view. But as the light overtook him, he felt Kia's weight shift atop his body. The dainty princess of the ocean was being replaced with someone else, something else.

Yet that 'something else' was no less majestic.

Nick's hands dropped when the light show was over, and his eyes opened up to drink in the image of Kia. The transformed Kia. The true Kia. Gone was the blue-haired maiden with the cute features and gilded eyes. Replacing her was a dragoness. A tall, slender, but no less cute dragoness.

Sapphire scales adorned her body, running up and down. And on the sides of her body were these seemingly out of place red stripes. They pulsated and glowed, like a bioluminescent light on a jelly fish. Yes, that's it; Kia glowed with bioluminescence. It was muted – she was no doubt keeping it in to not blind him – but it was no less amazing, no less majestic.

Along with her increase in vertical height, Kia's dragonic attributes also grew more pronounced. Her once small, triangular horns, were now long daggers that could cut through flesh as easily as any blade. Or – more accurately – it could cut through ice like the sharpened bow of a mighty warship.

Her once slender and dainty arm, now had the fins of a shark-like creature upon them, and the already prominent dorsal fins on her back were bigger too. And lastly her tail, which was long and thick, slithered like a living snake all on its own.

And her face. Gone was her cute, human face with the soft yet pointed curves. Replacing it was the beak-like snout of a reptile, which was no less smooth and curvy. But those gilded eyes with the black sclera, along with her long, light-blue hair? Those remained the same.

Kia remained erect on Nick's waist, her cheek red with in an intense blush that stood out against her blue scales. Revealing her form like this before a male? This was so embarrassing. She remembered a time where their followers would sing praises of their beauty as dragons, so why did Nick's gaze feel so strange?

Probably because he wasn't looking at her with the same eyes as those long-since forgotten followers. Nick's eyes were like those of a lover. They leered at her with a lecherous intent, sending a pulsating warmth through her body. It made her feel uncomfortable... and yet she wanted to indulge in his gaze even more.

Is this what Seirah felt?

Leaning up, Nick placed his hands upon Kia's body, touching her directly. Her scales were as smooth and as flawless to touch as they were to look at. Gently gliding up and down, his hands appraised her body, marveling at it and her figure. These curvy shoulders, these sleek arms, this narrow waistline, these wide hips, and all with her great height which loomed to be well over seven feet tall.

“Wow...” said Nick, ruffling Kia's body.

“'Wow'...? Do you really like this?” she asked, to which he nodded, “I'm a dragon. I... I shouldn't... you shouldn't...”

“But I do,” Nick replied, “I do find it... I find you to be so beautiful. I've met plenty of reptilian beastkin on my travels, but Seirah – and now you – are still more brilliant than all of them. I swear, if everyone saw dragons as I see dragons – as beautiful and amazing creatures – then people won't fear them or you as much as they do. That's what I want to prove.”

“Your dream is... it sounds so impossible,” Kia said as she shook her head.

“Is it? Because... the Dragalia Opus speaks of a time where that dream wasn't a dream, but was the norm.”

“The Dragalia Opus... speaks of a time long since forgotten. What makes you think we can recreate it now?”

“Hmm...”

Nick closed his eyes, thinking about Kia's words. Things may have progressed well thus far, but the dragon of water had a point: even with her aid, who says they'll be able to change the way the world thinks? His dream was called impossible by more than just her: Jane was even incredulous to if he could create this dragon haven of his.

But, what, did Kia honestly believe he hadn't thought of this before? Of course he has! He's kept himself up at night wondering if this quest was a fool's errand! And if he didn't talk him out of it yesterday, or a month ago, or a year ago, then why would he talk himself out now as he laid with the dragon of water?

Because he won't. Because he knows this dream will come true someday.

“Kia... are you uncomfortable?” Nick asked, making her arm slump slightly.

“I... I uh... I...” she sighed, her tone defeated and embarrassed, “Yes. I admit, I am slightly uncomfortable. It has been centuries since I last unveiled my dragon form to someone.”

“But you do transform, right?” he asked to which she nodded.

“Yes, I do. Typically when I'm swimming in the ocean.”

“Ah... so you transform out in the ocean?” he straightened up, “Oh! I get it... you feel comfortable in water, don't you? Soooo... will bringing us underwater make you feel comfortable?”

“Bring us... underwater?”

“Yeah, like in the hallway!” he said, a beaming smile appearing on his lips, “You can take us underwater and let me breathe like you did before. Then we can continue. If it makes you feel better, I'll gladly endure it.”

“Hmm...”

Kia looked down, gazing upon Nick's still throbbing erection. Were all human men as virile as he was, or was this situation that arousing for him that he remained so hard? Again, she blushed, finding it odd how aroused she herself was with this situation. For a male to lust so much for her body, and so blatant with his lusts as well. The only person stopping things from progressing any further, was Kia herself.

Maybe Nick had a point. Maybe being underwater let her feel more comfortable. Hey, it was worth a shot.

Kia took in a deep breath... and then let it out...

“Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah...”

The room quaked.

Looking over, Nick watched as the ring of water that surrounded Kia's bedroom began to rise. It pooled over the floor's surface, and quickly expanded, filling more and more of the room. It came up to the bed's feet, then inched up the bed, further and further and further. When it rose upon the mattress' surface, he saw it creep up to his flesh, touching him and making him shiver... and then relax.

The water was rising up still; more, more, higher, higher! It came up to his neck, then passed his neck and up to his lips. Instinctively, Nick sucked in air and held tight, while the water finally surrounded his head as a whole.

In record time, the water filled out every orifice of Kia's bedroom. Completely submerged, Nick looked up at the dragon of water who was still straddling his lips. Eyes closed and mouth pursed, her once tense and embarrassed face was now relaxed as she basked in the feeling of the water around them. It made her scales shimmer, and the bioluminescence of her red stripes glow, while her hair floated about in the air behind her.

Kia felt alive!

Eyes reopening, she looked down upon Nick as a beaming smile adorned her face. But now it was his time to be blue, since he was still holding his breath!

“Nicholas, you can breathe, remember?”

“BWAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!! Oooooooohh! Haaaah! Ahaaah! Haaah! Hoooh... heh... y-yeah... hah hah! I... I guess I forgot you can let me breathe underwater!”

Smiling and laughing at his own forgetfulness, he caused a mirthful giggle to leave Kia's lips as well. This situation was laugh worthy to some degree; just from the absurdity of the situation. Under water in a forgotten palace, with this beautiful dragon of water sitting on his hips, Nick had to laugh at the direction his life had taken. And why? Because of a run-in he had with a mysterious woman in a mountain range some years ago?

Whatever caused this course in life to be his, Nick knew he'd never change it.

As their laughing grew subdued, the archer's gaze met Kia's. The shy dragoness was gone, being replaced with someone who was more relaxed and calm. Reaching down, she placed her hands upon his chest and dragged her fingers down him. A soft sigh left Nick's mouth as her claws scratched soft lines into him... was this a dragon thing? He wondered...

“Kia...?”

“Yes, Nicholas?”

“Excuse me if I'm wrong, but... isn't it a bit wrong that I'm the only one bearing his all?”

“Hm?”

Nick leaned up, his hands resting on Kia's sides. Up and down, she watched his hands drag upon her clothes, where she realized this was what he was talking about. Even when tranformed into a dragon, her clothes remained on her body. He was right, perhaps she should take it off.

So...

FWWEEEM!

She did.

In a brilliant flash of azure light, Kia's clothes shimmered... and then dissipated. Gone was the dress, gone were the dragonic markings, gone was everything... replacing it was nothing.

Nick laid there as Kia's nude form was exposed to him. Not only did the dragoness have red lines on her sides which glowed, but her stomach was completely adorned in snow-white scales. Moreover, her breasts... her pert and perky breasts. They stood proud from her chest, coated in scales that turned whiter they came to the tips, while her nipples were hard and pink.

Amazed by the beauty on display, Nick brought over his hands and placed them upon Kia's body. Up and down his palms stroked upon her hips and sides, exploring her illustrious figure. The dips, the curves, the straights; all of it. And unlike before, the dragon of water was not a bashful mess, but instead indulged in his touch, groaning with desire as the heat of lust built inside of her.

To feel the hands of another on her true form... it was an amazing feeling.

Licking his lips, Nick moved in and placed his hand between Kia's breasts, nuzzling her cleavage. A groan left her as he lovingly rubbed himself into her, feeling her smooth and flawless scales cradle his head. Her tits... her pert and perky tits... they were so firm, while at the same time being so soft. He groaned against her while his throbbing cock seemed to get even longer and harder, and certainly got hotter.

Kia groaned and gyrated her hips softly on his lap, while Nick's hands seized upon her body. One traveled along her back, stroking and marveling at her serpentine spine, and even thumbing her dorsal fins. His other hand came around to the front and palmed one of her tits, where he squeezed and groped her. Again Kia groaned, causing the water around them to quiver, while her human lover groped her body.

His nimble hands knew both how to handle a bow, and how to pleasure a woman. They didn't just squeeze and knead her tits, but also pinched and flicked at her nipples, making them stiffen even more! Raising her hand, Kia bit into her finger and shuddered as the pleasure made the water around them heat up.

He was touching her so much... she wanted to touch him too!

Reaching down between them, Kia wrapped her hand around his turgid length, drawing a grunt from Nick's lips. He pulled back away from her tits and looked down, watching as her slender digits began jerking his length off. As a human, Kia's hands were soft. As a dragon, they were smooth. Leather palms ran upon his cock from the base to the tip in quick and sensual strides. Briefly he bit into his bottom lip, only to lean back and moan as he enjoyed her handjob.

Yeah... he preferred this much more to her human form.

“You're gonna make me cum from your hand alone if you keep that up,” Nick remarked, making Kia grin.

“Cum from my hand? Such vulgarities, Nicholas...” she said, “I prefer the term 'climax'. Now then...”

Her palm on his chest, Kia pushed Nick into her bed. Then she swung her legs over, positioning her crotch right above his face. He looked up, his eyes meeting the pink labia of her pussy as it peaked between the sleek white scales of her pelvis. Even underwater like this, he could see her cunt glisten with nectar, and could feel the heat permeate from it. And this odor? Snifff snifff... mmm... yup! That's sea salt!

Down below, the feeling was mutual.

Kia came face to face with Nick's cock as it throbbed and towered before her. So long and thick and hard and hot! It jumped in her hand, and now it jumped before her eyes! Seeing this tool radiate with desire for her made the dragon of water shudder as she struggled to restrain herself. But not yet! Sex is more than just wild fucking, isn't it? She wanted to subjugate Nick to the feeling of her mouth and throat wrapping around his cock.

Oh... even thinking such a lewd thought made Kia desire him more!

She opened her mouth, spit and saliva oozing from her maw in a dripping mess. And then her descended...

“MMFFF!”

“Oh!”

So tight! So hot! So sticky! So wet!

Kia's mouth fell around Nick's cock, taking it into her maw, and slipping it past her serrated teeth. He felt them pluck and tease at his length as it pushed in deeper, with her tongue too coiling around his cock like a boa constrictor. Fuck, that felt so damn good! His head hung back as the pleasure took control over him, while Kia kept pushing her mouth down deeper.

He tasted good. It was the same taste she got from his precum earlier, only now more potent and refined. This wasn't just his precum, this was his cock as a whole, his flesh! All of that sweat he worked up was now going right into her mouth. The salty twang, the bitter taste; all of it. And it made Kia shudder as she pushed her mouth harder against him.

With barely any effort on her end, the dragon of water pushed his cock into her throat. Being a dragon, her elastic mouth and throat could easily handle his length, spreading open wider to swallow his cock whole. And he could feel his length bulge against her throat in an outline, showing just how tight her mouth could be when squeezing like this!

This pleasure! So much pleasure! Almost too much pleasure! And after enduring her handjob earlier, Nick was thiiiiiiiiisss close to cumming on the spot! Oh, sorry, not cumming, but climaxing on the spot! And damn, did he want to climax! He wanted to erupt in her mouth and throat right here and now!

But he didn't. He instead locked his gaze upward on her pussy as it hung right before his face. Her honey oozed out of her cunt and stained his face, being somehow heavier than the watery atmosphere around them. Not that he cared.

“Hmmmph! Slurrrrrrp!”

“Mmmmnnn~~~!”

Without warning, Nick pressed his face up against Kia's cunt, where he began to hungrily slurp and drink her juices down. It flowed into his mouth like an endless river of honey, giving him her raw and delicious taste! Like sweet sugar with a tang of salt, the dragon of water's pussy tasted unlike anything he's ever had before.

And that made him want more!

Mirroring Kia in how she deepthroated his cock, Nick pushed his tongue as deep into her cunt as it could go. Quickly she clamped down upon his invading tongue, squeezing it as the ridges milked him off. But even this wasn't deep enough for him! Placing his fingers on her labia, the archer pulled her pussy open as wide as he could, allowing his tongue to delve in deeper, while drawing more muffled moans from her lips.

His tongue... his cunnilingus... it all felt good! Even while sucking his cock, Kia's eyes rolled back as her human lover slurped, and licked, and swallowed, and ate out her pussy without end. His tongue wasn't just nimble, it was ruthless! Nick knew his way around a woman's body, especially her pussy. Once he learned the areas of her cunt that made her shudder with desire, he abused it without end, causing Kia to shudder more atop his body.

Together, the two entered a delirious loop of pleasuring one another. Kia sucking his cock, and Nick eating her out, both going on and on and on. Hungry slurps, suckles and moans echoed out from the two, while their bodies steadily grew hotter and hotter and hotter. Who came first, neither could really tell you... but they heard it... and they felt it.

“HMMMMM~~~!”

“NMMMPHH!!!”

SQUIRRT!

SPLURRT!

Even beneath Kia's ephemeral waters, their climaxes were audible and strong.

Nick felt the dragon of water cum all over his face, showering it in a glossy sheen of her glorious nectar. Feminine cum oozed down his features and even his hair, while her taste danced on his tongue like a hot spice. At the same time, his cock erupted into her mouth and throat, coating her walls in his white-hot spunk. The taste was like the taste of his precum, only multiplied tenfold! Bitter and salty, but also hearty and delicious! Kia moaned around his dick as she quaked slightly, letting his cum ooze down her throat, and cover her teeth and tongue.

The two held close to one another for a few long moments, just enjoying the other's taste. And then Kia began pulling back, drawing off of his cock with a loud--

Schlup!

Nick pulled back too, falling into the bed as he panted. He still tasted her on his tongue, and even swallowed it down. Kia meanwhile kept his cum into her mouth, savoring her meal. Her tongue swished his cum left, right, and back and again, even swirled it around, before finally leaning back and--

“Gulp! Glp...! Gulp! Aaah!”

Oh... that was very, very thick... but also... very, very virile. Nick's body wasn't just for show; he was an active young man. Kia forgot what this tasted like – what this felt like – and now that it was oozing down her throat, her desires ballooned. She needed a certain other area of hers fed now.

Swiping her talon against her lips to clean away some residing cum, the blue dragoness pulled her hips away from Nick's face, leaving him panting while she shifted herself. When he looked down, his eyes befell Kia's slender back, and the fins which jutted from her spine and shoulder blades. Her long tail swaying left and right, she kept it raised so that he could view upon her peach-shaped butt... and the fact that his cock was laying against it.

The aquatic atmosphere was heavy with lust and need. Even though he just came, Nick watched as his cock jerked, and then stiffened back into place. A little boon from his active lifestyle of traveling across the land. His dick grew hard and thick, with Nick sandwiching it between Kia's bubbly butt. Giggling, she wiggled her hips softly, battering his cock with her curved ass to further rouse it to maximum length. Chest pumping up, Nick audibly groaned out, while the dragoness of water rose her hips.

Her pussy... still so pink and wet and needy. She brought it in close, casting the heat from her cunt upon his cock. Again Nick stiffened,, and he even bit into his bottom lip, while Kia gripped his cock by the shaft. Angling everything up with her pussy, she grounded herself against his dick's head, bit into her bottom lip, and then--

Push!

“Hrrrrrnnnggghh~~~!”

A smile. A blissful, joyous, lustful smile. It spread out upon Kia's lips like a lewd portrait as she impaled herself on Nick's cock. Inch by inch she sank down, her tight, scaly pussy swallowing his dick whole. It was so thick, so burly; it widened her out, and reached in deep.

Too damn deep...

And Nick?

“Aaaaahh...”

He stared down upon Kia's back and butt, moaning as the blue dragoness' cunt suckled upon his dick. She was so fucking tight. Like an elastic glove, her pussy fitted itself perfectly to the size and length of his penis, meaning he could feel every finite detail of her womanhood. The bumps, the folds, the ridges, the everything.

And that nectar! That hot honey her cunt produced, drizzled and drooled around his dick, tangling it up, and further drawing him in. Reaching up, Nick couldn't help himself, and grabbed a hold of Kia's butt; one cheek in each hand. Then he squeeeeeezzzeeed, feeling that bubble and leathery scales of her ass press back against his palms. And that squeeze from such strong hands, garnered a lustful groan from Kia's lips.

But Nick's hands did not remain on her ass for long. Releasing, they slid up towards her lithe hips, and then gripped her just as tight. The touch alone told Kia everything she needed to know. In response, she raised her legs, squatting atop the archer as her pussy hugged his dick in deep. Once everything was perfectly aligned...

PAT!

“Kraaaaaah~!”

Nick thrusted up, launching his dick deep into Kia's folds. Her head fell back, while ruminations of pleasure surged straight up into her brain. The impact sent a wave through her body, making her perky tits bounce, and her hair do likewise. But Nick wasn't done yet! Hunching down with his hips, he pulled his cock out of her pussy, and then--

PAT!

“KRAAAAH-HAAAAH~!”

“OOOOOHH!”

Again his dick launched up into Kia's pussy with enough force to make her body bounce. But this time, he wasn't pleased with just one strong thrust, he performed several!

PATPATPATPATPATPAT!!!

“KRRAA-AAAAHH~! AAAUUGHHH~!”

His hips a well-oiled machine, Nick thrusted into Kia's pussy with wild and reckless abandon. Every inch of her pussy dragged against his dick, while he pounded back into her slick folds. Mouth split open, the dragon of water let loose an endless sea of moans and cries, her lusts obvious as Nick pleasured her. Up, down, up, down; erotic movements that made her body quiver, while her pussy tightened further around his burly length.

Nick knew how to pleasure a woman. He knew to listen out to her moans, her groans, and just how to force them out higher and higher. Like before with his cunnilingus, he committed Kia's most pleasurable spots to memory, and used that to further reduce her body to pleasure.

Thrusting and thrusting and thrusting, the lewd 'PATS!' mixing with the sinful 'SLURPS!' of the dragoness' pussy, while their combined moans filled the air. Her eyes lidded, Kia still had enough wherewithal to look forward, her eyes dropping upon her reflection in a nearby window. The dragon of water, her legs squatted and spread, sitting atop the body of a human lover, while that lover thrusted his burly length into her needy pussy. His hands didn't sit around either. Even while thrusting into Kia's cunt, Nick groped and kneaded at her body, dragging his hands up from her hips, along her sides and stomach, to her breasts, squeezing her breasts, and then slipping back down to her hips; all in a flawless movement.

Kia remained upright, but only for a moment as she started leaning back; further and further. Eyes closed and mouth agape, the dragon of water fell into the ocean of ecstasy that Nick was drowning her in. Yes, that's it! He was drowning her! Drowning her – the dragon of water – in this sea of pleasure.

It's been so long since she's tread these waters... it felt amazing...

Kia's sonorous moans were getting louder and higher in pitch, matching her cunt which was getting tighter and tighter. Nick really needed to fight to pull his cock out, and had to do likewise to thrust it back in! She was about to cum; he could feel it! And the feeling was mutual; his balls were drawing up closer to his body! Gripping her hips tight, he pounded away into her pussy, desperate to reach that blissful, blissful high!

And when it happened...

“OH!”

“KRRAAAAAAAAAHHHRRR~~~!!!”

The aquatic atmosphere they were surrounded in suddenly began to quake and quiver. Pulses traveled through the water, matching in tempo with Kia's throbbing pussy.

And then it exploded.

SPLAAASH!!!

“Aaaah!”

Water was thrown every which way as Kia erupted with an orgasm. From her pussy she squirted her thick and clear fluids, which stained and marred Nick's cock, regardless of the water which once covered them. At the same time, his dick launched his seed straight into her awaiting cunt, painting her pussy white with spunk.

Copious... virile... spunk!

It flooded her womanhood much like it did her mouth moments ago, making sure that not one inch of her cunt was left spared of his heated seed. Unleashing it inside of her, left Nick moaning deeply, as the pleasure surged straight to his brain... and then made his body fall back.

“Aaaaahh...”

Yeah... it had been quite the tiresome evening, hadn't it?

Thud!

“Mmmph!?”

But Kia fell atop him, pinning his body beneath her taller one. She too was left panting for breath, having not experienced the thrills and passions of sex in a long, long, long time. She needed a few moments to just catch her bearings, with Nick remaining under her.

So the two laid there on her bed, gasping for air following their tryst. Kia moved first, her body arching and her eyes looking down towards her crotch. Her pussy was still holding dearly upon Nick's cock, but once she pried her labia, she caused his seed to slide out of her in a thick, gooey mess.

The heat from his cock... it stoked a furnace within Kia that hadn't been lit in a long time. But by now, that's probably a given, isn't it?

“Is this... what you and Seirah did with one another?” asked the dragon of water.

“Hm? Come again?”

She shifted, turning around to look Nick in his eyes. Then she leaned in, pressing her snout up to his nose, and trapping his gaze with her golden eyes.

“Is this what you and Seirah did with one another?” she repeated.

Nick swallowed his spit.

“Yeah... that's what we did... though... when we did it, heh...” he smiled sheepishly, “I couldn't keep myself awake. Sex is tiring, ya'know?”

“Hmm...”

Kia closed her eyes... and then fell forward, taking Nick off guard. Her head dove into the bed beside his head, while her body flattened against his. Sucking in air through her nose, the dragon of water hugged him close, causing Nick to do likewise. And then they just laid there, silently enjoying the other's presence.

“So... will you help me?” asked the archer.

“Help you...?” she muttered back, “Do you really think you can do this? Even if you somehow manage to convince my sisters, who is to say the world will accept us, Nicholas?”

“Oh, they will,” Nick replied, “If your sisters are as kind as you are, the people of the world will have no choice but to accept you.”

“Heh... as kind as I am? Are you trying to butter me up?” Kia asked with a smile.

“Maybe... a little bit...” he answered, though his expression grew solemn, “Dragons are beautiful, Kia. They shouldn't be slayed for honor, or glory, or anything like that. They should be cherished. I'll cherish you, and I'll teach others to do likewise if need be.”

“Hmm...”

Placing her hands down, Kia pushed herself up, and again trapped Nick beneath her gilded gaze. He didn't say a word, and she didn't either, with the two just looking at one another. When she looked into his eyes, she did not see some young man who was way in over his head. She saw someone who truly believed he could do it. With Nick, this wasn't just a dream, this was a promise. So when he asked...

“Will you help me, Kia?”

The dragon of water nodded.

“I'll do my best.”

…

“Sailors, sailors, sailors... this place is always stuffed with fucking sailors...”

Thunk!

The kitchen door opened with a wide slam, and emerging from it was a blonde mouse. Her fur was snow-white, her figure was curvy, her hair was in pigtails, and her expression was indignant. Annoyed with her surroundings, she carried a silver platter in one hand, one that contained a burger and beer. And where was this tray headed?

To table 19.

It had been a week since Nick appeared and left. She aided the archer in his quest to meet with the dragon of water, and after that, nothing. She was there when he left port, and was the person who found his compass, of which was now hanging around her neck. She had to wonder, just what was his plan? Was it really to get lost out at sea and hope he was found?

It was stupid. Too stupid, even for him. But she didn't voice her concerns. It wasn't like he'd listen to them anyway. So she just went on with her life, still thinking about the archer she shared a night with, and nothing else beyond that.

The days went on: one by one by one. The bar she worked at was constantly filled with individuals, typically of the sailor variety, and even other adventurers, but none were him. The days just went back to normal, and though it had been only a week, it felt like a month.

Maybe Jane was being melodramatic. She'll even admit as much! But could you blame her? Nick wasn't like the others. He wasn't some surly sailor who was looking to just get drunk, or some wandering adventurer who was just passing through. He was a man on a mission, and no matter how unbelievable, or impossible that mission may sound, she believed he could do it.

Clank!

“Ah! I'm sorry!”

“Hey! Heh! Don't be!”

“Wh-what? Wait a mo...”

A mistake there, a trip here, a footstep gone off course. She probably tripped over one of the dozens or so drunk sailors in the bar right now. But instead of falling on the floor, she fell right into the hands of someone else, someone who held her up. And he held her in such a way that her drinks didn't spill all over the place.

Isn't this familiar?

Jane pulled up, and her green eyes met the brown eyes of--

“Nicholas!?”

He stood before her, a smile on his face. This moment was so familiar to the mouse, making her feel like they had traveled back in time to a week ago. The same fall into hi arms, the same smile on his face, hell, this may have even been the same exact table! But she remembered everything, remembered being at the port when he sailed off, and wondering if she'd ever see this mysterious adventurer with a dream again. And now that she was standing here with him, there was only one thing Jane wanted to do.

SMACK!

“Aah!?”

No hesitation; Jane slapped Nick right across his face. He stood there, his eyes wide and cheek red, and even clutched where he'd been smacked. But then he chuckled, laughed even, then turned to look the mouse in the eye.

“Did I... do something wrong?” he asked.

“Yes! Yes you did!” Jane replied, “Nick! Where have you been! I... I was worried about you, you know!”

“Well... heh! It's not like I could message you! I was out at sea by myself!”

“Don't you think I know that!?” Jane snapped, “And that doesn't forgive the fact that you just sailed out to your doom! You could've died out there, you know.”

“Yeah... heh... I know...”

For a moment, the air between them grew tense, as Jane looked away in an indignant manner. Some may say it's odd to get so worked up over some guy she knew for only a day... and yeah, she'd agree. But there was something about Nick that made him different from the others. He was kind and passionate, a combination that made him surprisingly hard to forget in this neck of the woods.

“So... did you do it...?” Jane asked as she looked back at him, “Did you find the dragon of water? That was your quest, right? So...” she leaned in, “Did you do it? Did you find her?”

Nick opened his mouth, ready to answer Jane, but cutting himself short. Instead he reached into his satchel, rummaged about within it for a moment, then pulled something out. And what Jane saw made her eyes glow.

It was a scale. Smooth to the touch, it glowed with this cerulean light to it, like a diamond on a ring, but even more brilliant. The mouse's eyes widened at the sight of the scale, the azure glow which emanated from its surface. Nick didn't need to say a word; she already knew this belonged to Kia.

“So... what now, Nick?” asked the mouse as he returned the scale to his bag, “Just gonna head off?”

“After a few days of staying in the inn,” he replied, “Wading out at sea for a week isn't really my definition of a vacation! So I think I'm going to relax at Waveport Inn for a few days. And then after that...”

“You're off?”

“Well... I've got to get to the other dragons sooner or later. I'm not sure who I'll visit first. I'll decide that while I'm here! But with Kia's scale with me, I'll be able to speak to them easily.”

“For your sake. Heh... I hope so!”

Jane smiled up at Nick, and he did likewise. She had to remind herself that he was just a traveler, and one with a quest. A passerby in the grand scheme of things. Sooner or later, she'll probably forget he'd ever existed! But for the time being while he was here, she'd enjoy his company. Again, he was unlike the others who came in and out of Nonat.

So maybe forgetting him won't be too easy. Maybe she'll still remember him in the future. Besides...

“I haven't forgotten about that castle you promised me.”

Nick smiled.

“I haven't either.”