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The next cycle went, well... routinely. Asporyx spent time experimenting (to little avail, honestly) and growing all sorts of herbs to try. Faistyve stayed by the nearly-black green drake while he worked; the Violet drame helped him consolidate his notes as well as kept the Golden Leaves' pollen from working on his mental state too much while they worked. They got permission to ask Bertuzza to place orders for them, too. Though, for the most part, he and Elrenlani used her to run to the Citadel's library. Ren, Asp's isle partner, spent a considerable amount of time fishing; Enoldria and her isle partner Srylumdar hunted and cooked; Dria was Asp's consort, a dragon who he was supposed to be dating... and would be if he didn't need to neutralize the pollen's effect. Sryl liked to cook, apparently, so Asp got another friend, Zecerwryt, to make a basic stove top alongside Dria in exchange for alchemical catalysts for formula writing.

As for the pollen problem... Dria was happy to help Asp out often enough, but they did not want to take any risks. More accurately, Fai didn't want them to for health reasons, so as Dria's season crept closer, they had to cool-off. Ren, though... Asp decided to continue their 'roleplay' with her as his 'siren' and him as her 'master,' though it really only was one of them needed release. Between the two drames, Asp's mental state didn't get anywhere where it was like it had been during the first few days at the Prismarc Isles. He was still annoyed that they had to treat mating as some sort of... medicine for an illness, but they did try their bests to make it more fun.

It also let Asp keep an eye on Ren. Or, more specifically, her health as their clutch grew within her. After a cycle had passed, she looked... well, someone who knew her could tell she'd gained weight somehow, and normally that wasn't until the second cycle of a drame's gravidity. Asp was concerned; he couldn't imagine what she'd look like at the end of the typical four-cycle period. Even if he did find the small drame's swelling form to be, well, alluring, he, and Fai, were worried about just how big the small drame would get: her clutch was nearly double the size the larger clutches. She claimed to feel fine, though, and seemed to enjoy herself. Particularly whenever Asp, Dria, or Fai rubbed against her belly.

At the start of the second cycle, Asp got something else he had to work on: the Meke Blossoms. The whole reason there were about... eight dragons who were islebound was avoiding a drake named Dilorphus. At one time, he and Ren had been close, but Ren broke it off. Asp slowly gathered it was because Dilorphus basically treated drames as toys; Ren was disgusted by this behavior (despite, Asp noted, that she quite liked being a toy for him, for some reason), so she tried to break off any future they might have had. Dilorphus ignored her, basically, and still considered her to be his promised mate. There was a very real threat of Asporyx being challenged to a duel that if Dilorphus won, he would, Ren and Dria theorized, demand Asporyx be excluded from the Prismarc Program and Ren would become part of the other blue's Isle Kyndom. They were on the fence if he would demand to terminate Asp and Ren's clutch, but agreed it wasn't out of the question.

The Meke Blossoms were part of Asp's answer. He was of the opinion that getting Dilorphus excluded from Prismarc was not the answer: he wanted to make sure Dilorphus's punishment would actually stand a chance to change him. And he'd gotten a flash of inspiration, albeit from a vivid, powerful fantasy: turn Dilorphus into a hermaphrodite like Dria. That, combined with a control collar that would basically control who Dilorphus could mount or even attack, would still allow him to contribute to the population problem, but it would also effectively make him a drame most of the time. And there were any number of drakes on the isles that were only marginally better than him.

So Asp had to cultivate the Meke blossoms and experiment: their effect was temporary. Thankfully, this turned out to be easy: combining them with Asp's toxin made the effect permanent. And, likely because of the Golden Leaves pollen that was basically a part of him at this point, it made the newly transformed drame or drame-herm much more susceptible to heat, apparently. Asp wasn't entirely sure what that meant, but Wryt's analysis formula seemed to detail effects pretty accurately. Wryt was apparently working on the control formula. Lytrina, the Citadel's head security and a Violet Drame, had volunteered to be Dilorphus's councilor, and, somewhat surprisingly, a white-blue helix named Marinolok agreed to be his warden; Faistyve asked the helix after explaining what might happen.

Now that things were moving on that front, Dria, Ren, and Fai all insisted that Asp needed combat practice, though Sryl stood in for Ren. They used Dria and Sryl's isle for that; it was essentially a craggy desert isle that was much more suited to be an arena. Likely even more challenging, at least some of them thought, for Asp given the lack of plants. He quickly showed that they had underestimated him; the botany obsessed dragon had all sorts of plant hybrids to fight with. The first fight left Dria wrapped up in large vines and the drame-herm was in a rather compromising position.

They really stepped up training after that. And Ren would coach him on what she knew of Dilorphus's combat style. He was a caster and had an excellent sense of water sources and favored water blades: sharp arcs of water he launched from his wings or tail. He also had copied Ren's surging technique: she used water to launch herself from point to point on the battlefield. Dria helped him counter that; Yellow dragons could do much the same with their element of earth, after all. Even so, every dragon's movement patterns were different.

It came none too soon, really: Dilorphus had been at work on his end. Having noted how Asp and his friends had been staying away from the Citadel, he had been petitioning to issue a challenge through supervisors. Their allies at the Citadel (or, well, they were really more Dilorphus's opposition) delayed it as much as they could, but the drake had presented a fairly powerful argument: none of them had attended classes, so they were not participating in good faith. While most classes were not mandatory, the dragons were not supposed to be lax about at least showing up at the Citadel, either. So, finally, Bertuzza had arrived with the challenge, and the predictable terms of combat and, essentially, exile from the Isles while Ren became part of Dilorphus's isle kyndom. Unexpectedly, there was a term they hadn't expected: Asporyx would be responsible for looking after any eggs Dilorphus sired that he didn't want. Apparently, he had tried to get them to allow him to terminate, but the program was steadfast on not allowing that. Besides the population problems, it would set a horrendous precedent. Asporyx really wanted to just get to it and get it over with, honestly, but the Meke blossoms were tricky to grow and had not quite fully matured enough. So he managed to delay it a phase; he used that time to learn how to harden plants from Nyferona with is breath.

However, his toxinist traits seemed to come out with this breath. Asp figured it was because of how much magic he had to put into it. It made the plants considerably harder and tougher, but it also gave them thorns and carried his toxin. Dria had been the one to find out about the toxin, getting grazed by a vine and, because of the effects of the Golden Leaves' pollen, wound up too wanton to continue. Not that Asp minded helping with that problem, though it was a bit close to the window of risk with his ability to kick start heats. Asp figured they really should talk with his consort about how to handle that particular aspect of their relationship after the duel.

Finally, the day of the duel arrived. Asp woke up early from the veritable cuddle pile; Dria, and Sryl, had decided to stay the night. Dria had snuggled against his back with Sryl on her other side. And Ren and Fai had curled up with him as well, though Ren's growing form was pointedly against his underbelly between him and Fai. Fai had some sort of circumstances Asp did not know the full details of, and despite his curiosity, he had not really pursued. He figured one of his newfound friends would tell him when, and if, he needed to know. But it did mean he and Fai could not get physically intimate or for there to even be a chance of it. Given how much time they'd spent together, they had gotten at least used to each other; Asp had caught himself being even affectionate with her a few times before he even thought about it. But with this veritable sword hanging over his continued involvement in the program, he just felt... stuck, unable to move forward with much of anything.

The reason for his waking up early, besides the nerves he hoped he was hiding from his friends, was to grow his armor. Greens didn't have the same type of armor as most Kyndoms: they used plants where others used metal. Granted, the plants were specially designed and bred, the latest versions even adapted from Asp's own work: his father had let him isolate himself away almost like a mad scientist. And then had other scientists use Asp's research and hybrids to refine them into something for the Kyndom's benefit. He did remember thinking it was odd his father wanted him to make flame-proof vines; that held potential to be a nightmare to clear if they overgrew anything. Now, though, Asp recognized those vines' traits, along with a few other creations, in the plants that grew and molded themselves to his form. Nyferona had also taught him how to do this, so he went through the poses at the right timings, maybe a little clumsily, to make sure the armor was flexible enough to move in once fully grown. When Asp saw his reflection, he thought he almost looked like a Verdant: a type of Kyn that was more plant than animal. Vines molded and twisted around his form, and once it was done growing, started to harden and dry out. Honestly, it felt weird, particularly between his hinds, but Dria seemed to appreciate the look. Indeed, he heard the golden drame purring behind him as he finished.

“Hmm... maybe I'll get you to wear that to nest one of these days~"

“I mean, if you want... could always just ensnare you in vines, though..." Asp had gotten more relaxed about teasing her back. And better at it; Dria just huffed.

“Nah, not a fan of being confined like that." She said, getting off the nest platform. She gave him a kiss on his nose. “Nervous?"

“About to be sick, really." Asp thought he'd done well playing it off, but the thought of leaving... that was rough. He'd gotten too used to having Dria, Ren, and Fai around, not to mention the others. He may have been something of a hermit before, but if that was ripped from him...

“Hey, just means you have something to fight for! He's only fighting for his cock and his pride, after all."

“A crude way to put it, but you are not wrong, Enoldria." Ren said. “But do not underestimate his pride: he has plenty of it." Asp nodded; he... honestly did not expect this to be easy. He had training, but Dilorphus was some sort of war hero. Ren said the stories about him were not particularly grandiose, but to his credit: he survived battles not many had. None of the stories had said anything about how he managed that, really. Asp finally affixed his battle bracers; they were effectively his ammo for his abilities. Hidden within folds of leather were seeds that he could scatter and grow with his magic: mostly vines he could use to attack or defend.

“You sure I shouldn't have any Deerflame?" Asp asked.

“Zecerwryt's formula said your toxin is not lethal, so I see no reason to." Ren's voice was cold. Asp did down some Ivylight tea, though: it'd add a paralytic effect to his toxin, too.

“I mean, I can't very well kiss you or Dria before I go."

“Plenty of time for that after, Master~" Ren said softly. Dria and Asp blinked: Asp because, well, he had been trying to keep the specifics of their relationship quiet out of embarrassment. Dria because, well...

“I knew it!" The golden drame seemed to had guessed, but she'd never caught them like that and had given them their privacy. She may be a horny drame-herm but she also wasn't about to invade on another's time with him. “Now I really want to join in sometime!" Not that she wasn't above trying to get an invite. “He's always way too lovey-dovey with me." Asp groaned and rolled his eyes; he got his bag, which contained a jar of the Meke Blossoms in-case he did win. He was anxious to get going, so he gave the two of them a nuzzle before he flew off.

Asp did calm his nerves with a hunted meal before arriving at the arena. Honestly, he wasn't sure he wanted to eat, but he figured it would be better to have something in his stomach... and the appointed time wasn't for a while yet. As he set down in the appointed arena, Asp gauged the field.

The entire top floor of the Citadel was composed of arenas, and as far as Asp could tell, they were all structured about the same, even if they weren't the same size. Hexagonal battlefields surrounded by seating. Even a small one, like the one he was in right now, felt large to the drake: the field seemed to be the size of one of the starter isles surrounded by seating meant to accommodate everything from dragons to smaller Wilds, though they were up high as a safety precaution. There were also rune magic barriers in place to keep the audience safe. Asp was surprised to see Li'red in the stands already alongside Wryt and his sister and Nyferona.

“Drake Asporyx, do you need anything?" A matte Yellow drame asked. “I am part of the Field Building team, so do not hesitate to ask." Asp looked behind her; there was another team that was working on what appeared half the field, though from Asp could tell, they were really just sinking it to just about second joint height and filling it with water.

“Uh... wow, okay." It was hitting him just how involved this fight would be. “Let me think... I guess a whole bunch of narrow, straight trees wouldn't be bad?"

“They can't be very large, is that alright? There are limits put in place to keep them from being lethal." Asp nodded and the yellow flew off. Asp flew up into the stands to meet with his friends, though, and to apparently give the team room to work. “You guys are early."

“Wanted to make sure things were fair, Asp." Li'red said. Asp shrugged off the bag with the Meke Blossom jar and handed it over to the Verdant; he figured it would be safe with his mentor. It also had some Deerflame jerky he could eat after to neutralize his toxin's actual effect.

“Can't go losing our friend because of some stupid cheat." Kastrimri said. Nyferona rolled her eyes a little.

“I think she's just more after your alchemy talent, Lord Asp." Kastri looked offended; Wryt just shrugged.

“I don't want Dria to be sad, either!" Asp had finally gotten that relationship clarified. Kastri and Dria weren't officially calling themselves each others' consorts, but they were close enough to be it. While Kastri seemed to want to make it official, Dria was weirdly evasive as to why she wasn't wanting to commit. Asp still wasn't sure what that would make him and Kastri, though, if that ever came to pass. Dria was a whole puzzle he still hadn't quite figured out: it was part of his motivation to stay, honestly.

“Well, I'm happy for the support anyways. Any last minute tips, Nyfe?" She was more trained and experienced that he was, after all. And stronger, physically, in theory.

“Try not to stand still too much? I know a lot of Green casters have problems with that." Asp did too: Dria, Fai, and Sryl had all pointed it out to him when he was sparring. He'd tried to create some sort of imitation of Blue and Yellow's quick-stepping ability, but had limited success with it. “Your armor does look decently grown, though... not the best, but it'd pass inspection." She looked at the field and nodded when she saw the quick grown trees that barely came up to Asp's shoulder surrounding his side. “Those trees were a good call, but try not to rely only on them unless you're really fast at pulling them out of the ground. Bamboo might've been a better call..."

“I know... nothing about that. I'll keep that in mind for another time, I guess." Asp said. He heard a loud, low sounding bell ring and sighed. That was his cue to go to the 'mediation area.' Supposedly, it was a place for dragons to try one last effort to talk it out, and then set the terms and be briefed on the rules. “Let's... try to talk this out I guess?" Wryt snorted, which only made Asp sigh. “It's not like I'm going into this wanting to fight-"

“Oh, you will want to. Dilorphus keeps up appearances well enough when there's someone around to impress." Wryt said. Asp had only met the drake in question, briefly, and had been ignored by him, so he really was only being influenced by that and what others had said. Those others, though, Asp trusted.

“Still, I do plan on at least trying to get him to stand down." Asp said, turning and gliding through one of the field's entrances, heading to the mediation room. His desire to talk Dilorphus down was faint, admittedly; there was a voice in his head that everything could be a misunderstanding, but he doubted it. That desire was also very quickly squashed as Wryt predicted.

“So it is the herm-fucker." Was the first thing Dilorphus said. “I wasn't even sure who you were, honestly. Bet you needed Enoldria on top of you-"

“Some decorum, Drake Dilorphus." Lytrina said. She, Toriltide, and another drake about Toriltide's size was there. Apparently as mediators. This one was a metallic Orange; he wasn't quite as scarred as Toriltide was. “Though, it does sound like you are not willing to stand down?"

“Nope; Ren's my future mate. It's only right I should have her as part of my Isle." Dilorphus said. The dark-blue, metallic drake was a little larger than Asp. He also wasn't quite dark enough to be a specialist, but his color did seem strong. He was also wearing the same type of armor Ren had brought with her: it seemed to be made of silver scales that molded around him.

“And you, Drake Asporyx?" The orange elder Drake asked.

“I mean, personally, I didn't have much of an issue with him. But between what he was saying about me and how he was using Dria as if I wasn't happy to have her as a consort changed that. And Ren doesn't want to go with him; it's not like she should be fighting in her state, either. If he's not willing to back down, I'm not just going to roll over and let him do as he wants."

“That sounds like reason enough. Drake Dilorphus is the one who issued this challenge after all." The orange drake said. “Now, as for the terms, it's first to surrender or the first to be incapacitated. No lethal attacks are allowed; should there be a hint of one, you will automatically lose and be subjected to the punishment the winner, and we, have decided upon. For Asporyx, that means returning home, unable to come back and to be responsible for any eggs Dilorphus sires that he does not send elsewhere. For Dilorphus, that would mean a temporary, but undefined limit, transformation into a hermaphrodite as well as being subjected to... essentially a collar to prevent studding at will and from harming anyone? As well as Drake Marinolok becoming his warden? Drame Argloni will remain as your partner, however."

“As if either of those were possible. Or that this unscarred Green'll win." Dilorphus said.

“Oh, both conditions are quite possible, provided the materials are on hand. And any intentional breakage of the collar will result in much worse consequences. As will any attempts to revert back to a drake before permitted." Lytrina said. Dilorphus frowned for a moment at that. “Including alchemical castration; Asporyx here might be your only way to restore any ability to perform in that case. And before you protest, we have the Blue Matriarch's permission." Dilorphus's face just grew... dark when that was mentioned. Asp also hadn't realized they'd gone that far. He'd already asked Wryt to ensure the collar was reinforced and as durable as possible; apparently whoever he'd found to do it was happy for the challenge.

“... Fine. Like I said, it's not like he'll win."

“Alright, now, as another precaution... Drake Asporyx, if you will submit your toxin to be analyzed? Any effects that show up that would be lethal or, if you managed to get the Meke Blossom into your system without becoming a hermaphrodite yourself, will need to be addressed." Toriltide said. “Your bracers as well."

“I'm not that good an alchemist, General." Asp said, but he did as was asked, manifesting his toxin into a liquid form on his talons and letting it drip into a jar inscribed with an old, classic analysis rune. His bracers were being examined as well. When they were returned without issue, Dilorphus had to submit his for poisons or acids... though his seemed to be the same metal as his armor and designed for more close-quarter attacks, Asp noted. He remembered how Ren fought and made a note to keep an eye out for those kind of tactics.

They were both told to return to the field and went their separate ways. Asp was getting more and more anxious, honestly. He almost didn't realize Faistyve and Ren were waiting for him; Ren had to nip his tail to get his attention.

“I take it you were unable to talk him down?" His partner asked; Asp shook his head.

“Managed to insult Dria almost the whole time, too. And tried to use her to insult me... somehow. Kinda lost the desire to talk him down after that. Can at least tell Wryt he was right." Asp admitted. Ren nuzzled against him a bit with an understanding purr. He was surprised when Fai did as well, no matter how right it felt.

“Be smart, alright? I consider this whole business reckless, so careful went out the den a while ago." Fai said. “And, well... don't be too intimidated." Asp raised an eyebrow at what she said, but the two drames went quickly to find their seats. He quickly got his answer, though: when he stepped out onto the field, he saw the stadium was packed, overflowing. Asp, briefly, thought that there wasn't near this many dragons at Prismarc... until he saw his father. And noted that Ren had not gone to sit with Dria, Fai, and Wryt's group, but to a... flock of blues. He caught Fai and Ren's weak smiles, as if they were apologizing for not being more upfront about what Fai had meant.

The Luminescence? He swore in his head. He thought maybe some of the other isle dragons would show up and the dorm drames. Just... how many higher-ups are here? Asp even noted that the 'VID' booth hosted what looked like a Violet Drame and a Shade Drake, who, judging by his coloring, was probably a specialist. He was almost blindingly white to look at. His horns and underscales were as dark as Asporyx, albeit without any color.

Just relax, Asp. I think most are here in support of you; drakes like Dilorphus are everywhere after all. He heard Fai's voice in his head as he got into position; he'd given her permission to establish a link phases ago. And, well, there's a bit to talk about after- She was cut off as the runes inscribed around the arena's wall seperating flared to life: a lattice work of light rose up towards a point at the top of the arena. Once it flashed, that was his and Dilorphus's signal to begin. Already, Asp could see the midnight-blue drake gathering water on the edge of his wings; he started using his magic to release his seeds into the field in front of him.

As soon as the dome flashed, Asp unleashed his emerald breath, quick-growing and hardening the vines he planted into a wall that just sprung up in time to stop the blades of water that came rushing towards him. He extended those vines around him more, careful to leave spots he could see through.

Dilorphus seemed to realize his aggressive, overwhelming offense hadn't worked, but he did seem to notice the view ports Asporyx left. Suddenly, Asp had to dodge spears of water shooting through them. With a snarl, he back flapped his wings, focusing his magic to pull some trees out of the ground at the same time, pulling them in front of him and hardening them with that emerald flame. Just as he was fired a scattershot of these new darts, he felt searing pain in his wings and lost his altitude. He crashed into the ground behind his vine-wall; he could tell his wings had been hit with waterblades, but he didn't pause to look at the damage. He just knew flight wouldn't be an option; it had been his advantage over Dilorphus from the beginning, after all. They were still attached, his armor seemed enough to prevent that much at least.

Asp was starting to recognize a hard limitation of his approach to plant magic: visability. He couldn't see where Dilorphus was to even aim at him. He could tell by the snarling, though, that some of his hardened darts must've hit and broken scale: the opposing drake would be feeling the burning-coldness of his toxin and the paralytic effect setting in. Even so, Asp had to assume that wouldn't be enough. Suddenly inspired by Ren's surging technique in a way, he threw a fresh set of vine seeds out and grew them with his hardening-quick growth breath. He poured his magic into it, feeling his strength recoil from it: his energy levels started to flag as he willed the toxic-hardened vines out in a wave with a simple instruction: Ensare and picturing Dilorphus wrapped up in them. At the same time, the vine wall in front of him gave way to a barrage of water blades, one of which slammed into his right shoulder enough to tear away the armor. Asp didn't feel any pain, but he certainly crashed and couldn't put a lot of weight on his right foreleg for the time being. He heard a number of roars; he could pick out Dria's angry one, at least. And Dilorphus's one of fury.

When Asp looked through the breach in the wall, he saw his opponent struggling... well, not a whole lot. It seemed like paralysis had set in. He was wrapped in vines and water blades were trying to get through them.

“What the hell is up with these? Why did drying them out only make them stronger?" He vaguely heard the drake say. Asporyx managed to calmly walk over on his three limbs, staring down the drake. The water blades were more like tentacles now, and poorly formed. Any attempts Dilorphus made to escape with the quickstep technique just drove thorns deeper into him: armor only protected so much and there were a lot of thorns on these vines.

Those water tentacles suddenly launched like spears at him, but Asporyx used the vines he was walking on to launch himself out of the way, though he landed clumsily while extending more vines from seeds on his bracer. More and more magic fired at him, but Asp managed to dodge... most of it. He did take something that felt like a punch to an eye, but he could still see out of it a few moments later. And a few more dull hits, but it was clear the immobilized drake was running low on magic.

Asp did feel... weird, at one point, like magic was channeling into him, trying to get at his blood. But he made a vine snake around Dilorphus's throat and squeezed just enough to press thorns into him and that seemed to stop whatever he was feeling. Finally, a full half-minute went by without the water so much as moving. Dilorphus certainly couldn't move either. Asp started to feel like his shoulder and wings were on fire, though. And there was a roaring in his ears.

At least that's what he thought until Faistyve and Dria were suddenly beside him; Dria was on his right side and seemed to be moving carefully. Then he realized the roars he'd heard weren't in his ears, just from the crowd. His father and Li'red were making their way over as well; Li'red with his bag. Fai got out the jar while he ate some of the jerky; it was horrendously bitter, but it would do what it needed to to neutralize at least the pain-inducing part of his toxin. With that, he used his breath to turn the jarred blossoms and stems into a liquid that had elements of his toxin in it. He was working mostly on auto-pilot, admittedly. At least until his consciousness blacked out.

When he woke up, he was on his back on an examination table in what looked like a medical healer's suite: there were a whole host of them on the floor beneath the arena level, he'd been told, but he hadn't had been to one yet. He felt tired, and hungry, but he was surprised that was the extent of what he was feeling. He let out a growling groan as he tried to get his head to move; he felt sluggish.

“Oh scales, he's awake!" He heard Dria say; suddenly her face was in his. “Dammit, Asp, do not scare me like that again."

“H-hey, we knew it wouldn't be an easy fight, calm down Dria." He heard Fai say. Dria actually snarled at her, though.

“He almost lost his leg, though!" Asp leaned up and licked at her, despite the heaviness of his head and tongue at the moment. That seemed to get her to think a bit. “S-sorry, Myra." Asp blinked. Who the hell is Myra? Wasn't that Fai?

Asp did move his right shoulder and winced; it was tight and felt... odd. “Careful with moving that for now, Asp. The healing drame did what she could, but she still stressed not putting much weight on that limb for a while." He heard Fai say; at least it was definitely her voice. “At least the cuts on your wings were cleaner; those were easy to fix, apparently. Just membrane tears; doesn't even seem to be a scar."

“How'd... everything turn out?" Asp managed to ask.

“It's... ongoing, apparently. Though, your Meke Venom and collar idea are certainly working." Asp furrowed his brow.

“Marinolok's up there hate rutting Dilorphus right now... Dilorphus had charmed and discarded a number of his family members. And assaulted his consort." Dria said bluntly. Well, that cleared that up; Asp had been surprised Marinolok had agreed to such a thing. “And apparently that 'susceptible to heat' thing meant that enough mating will trigger Dilorphus's heat." Asp winced; he'd sorta guessed as much, privately, but wasn't sure how true he wanted it to be. Asp also guessed enough time without mating would trigger one as well; if that was the case as well, he did feel... slightly evil for not working that effect out of the concoction.

“How are you feeling?" Fai asked.

“Tired, groggy... mostly fine besides my shoulder. And my eye." Asp said; that did ache. But he could see out of it.

“The healing Drame did say that she fixed any risky damage, but she was leaving at least some; some policy about not encouraging recklessness." Fai said. “Are you up for some moving?" She sounded... nervous, for some reason.

Asp really thought about saying no, but he did remember his father was here. And he really wanted to chew the old drake out in addition to thanking him. “Yeah, though I might be a bit... slow." He said, rolling onto his left side and carefully, with Dria's help, getting onto all fours, though most of his weight was off his right leg. He noticed his battle bracers nearby and pulled out one of few remaining vine seeds to grow into a brace around his right shoulder, almost looking like a wooden net that covered that whole region of his foreleg. He tested his wings as well; those felt fine, at least.

“So... where do I need to go- and who are you?" He'd turned towards Fai only to find a drame there who looked, well, fairly different. He was still reminded somewhat of a doe-like elegance, but her violet scales were more silver with a light violet glow at their tip. And her horns were more like his, wider at the base, instead of Faistyve's earfins. They were more deer-like as well, or at least more antler like with small offshoots as they got towards the tip. Her eyes were a dark violet as well, almost piercingly so. She had the same small fins along her form though.

“Yeah, so... this is part of what I was trying to hint at before. And what Ren and Dria have been tip-toeing around." This drame certainly sounded like Fai, too. “But to fully introduce myself, I am Myradona, daughter of the Shade Patriarch and Violet Matriarch, a Heavy Metallic Light White-Violet Helix Specialist. And, well... Spectral Matriarch to be." Fai said, though she made a face. “Gah, that's always a mouthful."

Asp had heard about the Spectrum Kyndom being set-up near the sight of the Luminescence event, or at least on the rim of it's crater-turned lake. It had been in passing, and had sounded interesting since it was supposed to be a Kyndom for helixi and just dragons who didn't care about colorations and elements.

“And Faistyve?"

“A purely visual overlaid illusion woven out of psionics and light." Myradona said. Suddenly, the purple on her scales seemed to grow into what Asp was familiar with and her horns changed shape. Her eyes changed color as well and Faistyve was standing there.

“... Politics?" Asp asked, realizing the reason for it. “And why reveal yourself now?"

“Yes, and, well..." Myradona shifted back to her regular self, blushing. “I had planned on waiting to officially enroll with the new wave at the end of the third cycle, and let Faistyve fade away, but, well, after the past few phases, that felt cruel to you. And you knew a few secrets that would've been hard to keep hidden." She said, motioning for them to follow. Asp sighed; he was feeling... mildly annoyed and too tired to feel much else, but with Dria's help, he followed.

“Alright, so... are there other secrets I need to know about? From anyone? Getting tired of this." Asp grumbled. Myradona nodded with a sigh.

“We figured as much, and unfortunately, there is. My circumstances about mating should be obvious now: as a new Matriarch for a new Kyndom, I can't exactly just mate whomever... or at least bear whomever's eggs." Asp frowned; he wasn't sure he liked where this was going, but he knew she was right. “So, Elrenlani and a few other drames were scouting out some of the drakes here among this group as potential mates for me." She emphasized that word pretty hard. “And well, everyone but you and Marinolok had been stricken from contention. Wryt, of course, could be a good political move, given his work with Rune Magic, but I'll be damned if I'm mating for politics alone. Or forcing a drake into such a thing who wouldn't be interested." She snarled; Asp could certainly respect that. He didn't envy his brothers or sisters who had to deal with the, essentially, nobility and all the different ties.

“... Alright then. I take it that means you've decided?" Asp asked.

“I'm deciding nothing; I'm hoping you're not too angry at me and that we can continue how we have been?" Myra sounded worried. Asp furrowed his brow a bit and then sighed.

“I mean, I'm not thrilled by the whole situation, but I understand it." He was starting to regret saying he could move, honestly. “... But I don't see why not, I guess? Though, do I need to call you Matriarch or something?" He heard Dria laugh and Myra just... looked stunned.

“Ellie did tell you he was dense at times and he's exhausted~" Dria said.

“Right, right." Myra said. “Asp, if you call me anything other than Myra, I will be very upset and angry with you." Asp furrowed his brow and then started when she gave him a lick on the nose.

“W-whoa! You just said you had to be picky about who you bond with!" Asp said. Myra rolled her eyes and kissed him, lightly. “B-but I've already got Dria... and Ren..."

“I said I had to be picky; my mate sure as Luminescence wouldn't have to be~" Myra said with a purr. Remember one of the things I said excited me, Asp~? Asp thought back before his eyes went wide.

“Ugh, no telepathic communications, Myra! At least that Ren and me aren't in on!" Dria growled.

“Oh, just reminding Asp of something I told him at one point. He seems to have remembered it, though." She laughed; she looked a lot more relaxed now. While Asp was happy about that, he was considerably worried about he was getting himself into.

“Wait... how much are you picking me because of my traits?" Asp wondered. Myra squeaked and blushed.

“I-well..." She sighed. “I mean, you and Marinolok both interested me in that regard. But he's got interests I that doubt would be conducive to being a Patriarch. His isle mate's had a hard time getting him to stay on land." She sighed. “So, I won't deny your traits are part of your appeal to me, I absolutely want to be your consort regardless, at the very least. I'm not demanding you become my mate if we start something, or even if we have a clutch together. That comes with... a lot, after all." Asp nodded. “I just... didn't want to keep this a secret any longer; I figured you'd be angrier the longer it dragged on. And it'll help preface what's about to happen." Asp blinked. “It's... kinda not just your parents who're here to see you." Asp stopped in his tracks; Asp remembered the Blues Ren went to watch the match with. And the White drake and Violet drame who seemed to be examining him before the match.

“I'm going back to bed." Asp said. Dria laughed but stopped him with a light headbutt. “No seriously, I do not need to be meeting so many rulers for the first time right after that fight... And whatever I caused upstairs."

“It'll be fine! It's only three new ones!" Dria said. “Mom wanted to come, but she had something else to do; she'll be here next month anyways!" Asp growled in distress; he'd forgotten Dria's mother was a Matriarch as well. “Besides, even if we fooled around, would you get good enough rest knowing that all this was waiting when you woke up?" Okay, his consort had gotten to know him way too well in such a short amount of time. Asp groaned, which only earned him an apologetic nuzzle from Myra.

===================

Myra and Dria helped him to one of the other arenas while he mentally prepared himself. He saw dragons trickling out of the one he'd fought in, but only briefly; it seemed the arena for the meeting was a ways away given all the different rulers in attendance. Once there, there was only one he focused on though: a large, vividly green metallic drake who was coming over.

“Aspy my boy-!" His father was saying.

“Don't you 'Aspy' me! You threw me into a rabid grove here!" Asp growled even as his father hugged him with his wings. He grimaced a bit when one hit his shoulder.

“I told you you should've told him more... and earlier." His mom said. He did nuzzle her lightly in greeting. “But rabid grove, really sweetie?" Asp rolled his eyes and motioned with one of his wings around. “... Point taken."

“He would've just gotten all anxious and overpacked. You're doing fine, right, Aspy?"

“Sure! Just ask Ren!" Asp growled. “Or Nyfe, or Li'red!" His father winced at those last two while his mother sighed. Dria slid under his wing; he hadn't even realized he'd been moved away from her.

“Fine, fine. I am sorry, for what it's worth. I knew there would be no good way to go about this. But we did need you get out and meet others, even if I hadn't realized how esteemed your company would actually be. Greetings, Drames Myradona and Enoldria."

“Just Myra is fine, Patriarch Falakrys"

“And I told you before, Dria!"

“It'd been so long, I wasn't sure you remembered me! I'm flattered." His father said. “But, please, at least drop the Patriarch bit... this isn't a formal affair. And this is Asp's mother, Mage Quinulra."

“Just Quin is fine, dears. And thank you for looking after Aspy for us." Asp was about to say something, but then realized... yeah, they had been.

“Well, he's been busy, it's the least we can do." Myra said; Dria nodded her agreement.

“... And, yeah, thanks for making me come here, Dad. Seriously." Asp said with a sigh. “But weren't parents not coming until next cycle?"

“Ah, well, we're not... technically here as parents. I guess this is 'official' business in that sense. Your... punishment for that young drake caused a bit of a stir." Asp winced. “But with Matriarch Osidialia's blessing, we still felt it only right we were here to witness it."

“Yes, truthfully we have had a struggle in our attempts to figure out how to control our more... aggressive and assertive drakes." A large blue drame said coming up beside his father. Ren came forward and nuzzled against him a bit, sliding beneath his wing between him and Myra. Asp, despite having four rulers looking at him right now, felt more awkward about Myra getting left out, honestly. Ren's mother was much more a stereotypical blue drame: she was considerably larger than even Asp's father, never mind Asp. Her coloring was vivid, reflective, and light, as well; she was probably borderline specialist, if not a specialist herself. “Your solution was... suitable, if harsh. But it might be just what is needed to send a proper message about that sort of behavior."

“I certainly believe it was harsh, but I did not want him to continue to challenge me over and over to force your daughter to be with him. And I had heard about his... prejudice towards someone I consider very close to me. Of course, I did leave conditions for him to, uh... be pardoned, as it were. I do feel bad about being unable to work out the heat side-effects before the fight." Asp squeezed his wing against Dria lightly. “Also, I feel as if I should apologize-"

“Asporyx, it is fine, really!" Ren said; he'd occasionally apologized to her for just how many eggs they'd conceived. He had been in the best position to realize how... productive their mating could be, he felt. She seemed to be getting annoyed with it.

“And there you have it; I will just have to trust you to look after her. Closely." The Matriarch's tone did make Asp... a little afraid. He bowed his head; he couldn't think of any way to properly respond to the intimidating drame vocally without sounding... well, immature. Instead, he just gave Ren a light nuzzle against the top of her head, right by her fin he knew to be a sweet spot; he felt her shiver beside him and her tail slapped lightly at his.

“So those were your motivations? I was worried when the match ended and you kept going." The White drake said. “Sarta reassured me, but still..."

“Such protectiveness~! I told you our future son-in-law wasn't some deviant~" The Violet drame said. Asp was too tired to even fully process what the drame was saying. “And I see you've forgone that ridiculous disguise, Myra~" Asp saw Myra shrinking, she seemed to want to hide beneath his wing, which... given their size similarities and Ren's presence, would've just looked ridiculous.

My parents, Patriarch Ehemeran and Matriarch Sartanita. Myra's voice sounded in his head; it sounded just about as tired as he felt. “Mother, I have told you, that disguise is-"

“Yes, yes, your way of getting an unguarded reading of someone, I know. But you're just so beautiful, it's a shame to hide that away!"

“What do you mean when the match ended?" Asp said, trying to help break the conversation away from Myra; he had also picked up on what the Shade Patriarch had said.

“Dilorphus's waterblade barrage that broke through your vine wall and got your shoulder." The white drake said. “If your vines hadn't been so thick and hardened, that likely would've been lethal. So the match was called right there." Asp grew cold. Suddenly, he wasn't feeling quite so bad about the heat-inducing part of Dilorphus's transformation.

“But you and Dilorphus didn't seem to hear the announcement." Dria said. Asp tilted his head.

“I... honestly didn't hear a lot of anything. Too much focus on what was going on, I guess. That surge of vines was... a lot."

“There also seemed to be some sort of malfunction... or they did not account for how powerful the nullification runes were in their formula." Matriarch Osidialia said. “Seems like a bad oversight on their part." Asp's father nodded in agreement. “Though, if that is all the business we have with Drake Asporyx for now, I believe we should let him get some rest. That was a splendid and... unforeseen battle." Asp saw how Matriarch Osidialia side-eyed his father, who looked way more nervous than he had seen him. Ever. Asp was honestly too tired as to ask why... plus, if his father was going to catch any sort of fire for this, well... Asp wasn't exactly torn-up by that idea.

“Indeed, nothing that can't wait until next month~" The Violet Matriarch said. “Who knows, Nin and I might finally have something in common~!" Dria squeaked and Myra just growled out “Mother!"

===================

Asp nearly fell asleep mid flight back to his isle; Ren had elected to stay behind, it seemed. She could now explore the Citadel freely, after all, and she wanted to talk with her mother some more. Myra and Dria were happy to see him back, though... even if Myra had to become Faistyve again; she still planned on formally enrolling as 'Myradona' when the new wave came in, it seemed. 'Faistyve' would be called back home, though. There were, apparently, details to work out about how she would excuse staying with Asporyx after that point, but Myra had put her claw down about needing to get Asp back to his isle.

As he landed, he was about to start watering his garden until Dria took the watering pan from him and Myra all but herded him back to the 'hut' of a nest: over the past couple of cycles, Dria's raised platform had turned into a three-walled hut with a roof. It was... a cozy fit for all four dragons, but Asp had grown accustomed to it. Whenever Sryl stayed over, they were a little more 'squished' than 'cozy', but it still wasn't awful.

“You, sleep!" Fai said. “I'll see if I can't do more about your leg, too," She settled behind him and Asp dozed off as she was working that wooden brace off. The next time he woke up... Asp's groggy mind thought that the sun had moved backwards. And only Ren was cuddled up against him, her egg-swelling belly between them. He found himself smiling and trailing his talon along the swell of her belly slowly, the drame cooing quietly in her sleep as he did. It slowly worked into his mind he must've slept... a lot. And his stomach certainly knew it. He slowly got up and was about to go fishing when he took note of a box nearby; nosing it open he found some roasted meals, smelling of Deerflame. He scarfed that down along with some water before he returned to lying with Ren and rubbing her belly again.

“Good, if you had gone back to work on that pollen..." Ren purred, her eyes still closed. Asp chuckled and kissed at her neck. “Myra still does not want you to put a lot of weight on that leg, by the way. And thank you."

“For what?" Asp purred; rubbing Ren's belly in this state... it was exciting and lovely, but it was also weirdly soothing to him.

“Because you are not... angry about the secrets and the... selection process." Asp thought about it for a moment and then sighed. He nuzzled her, though, to try and reassure her he wasn't upset.

“She choose a good moment to tell me. I might be a bit angrier if I hadn't gotten to vent to my dad about all of this." Asp admitted: that had been... a lot of anger he hadn't noticed. “And I am close with a few of my siblings, including potential heirs. I may have been isolated, but I'm not totally ignorant of politics. I know the types of plots they have to come up with to keep safe. Your belly is helping right now, too~" He purred.

“I am glad I could help, Master~" She purred right back, stretching a little to really emphasize her egg-filled lower belly; the swell was just enough to be noticed, but it was enough. “Though... my mother is upset with you. And your dad." Asp growled curiously. “It seems uncle did not tell her the number of eggs I will have. She was confused by your attempt at an apology that I cut short and demanded an explanation. As for your dad... apparently his, and his father's, strategy in the Wars was to let everyone underestimate the Green Kyndom; she had never seen fighting like that from a Green mage-dragon before. Maybe some poison and knock-out spores was the most anybody got to see. He claimed that it is only because of your plants that they have that kind of firepower, but my mother doubts that. Heavily." Ren explained.

“He could be right for all I know. But then, he never told me what was a state secret and what wasn't." Asp said with a sigh. “What did you think of the Bazaar?"

“Honestly, a bit plain, but I am sure it will get more lively as time goes on. On that note... Our isle will be expanding more." Asp blinked and growled a bit. “Relax, you got a significant number of points for the duel yesterday. And Dilorphus's punishment. I think our parents might have contributed indirectly so that we could expand." Asp sighed.

“Not exactly sure I want those points; I do feel a little bad about the heat side-effects. Even if he did go overboard." Ren shrugged.

“He was told of the potential outcome and still did not back down. He has more responsibility as the one who challenged in the first place." She said with a sigh. “But you will be quite well-known for this, I think. Maybe even feared."

“... Yeah, I kinda figured." Asp laid his head back down; Fai's reaction to his punishment idea when he initially suggested it told him as much, though even he hadn't thought Marinolok would go so far as to actually mate with Dilorphus. “So... should I ask?" Ren finally opened her eye, looking at him a moment, before she shook her head.

“Nope, it will be a surprise, I think. And I only used the points from the duel."

“Now I'm scared about just how many that duel got me." Asp joked.

“About 150,ooo?" Ren said. Asp blinked and sat up again. “As I said, that includes the punishment. It is listed as 'Personal Contribution to Prismarc' in the accounts. I did say I think our parents pulled some connections. Your father seems to feels responsible for how much stress you have been under. Particularly after Verdant Li'red and Nyferona told him some of what has transpired. It seems there have been some omissions from reports in transit. He did tell me that some of your unmated siblings would be coming with the new arrival wave as well; he did stress you did not need to look after them though." Asp... just laid back down. This time, though, he rested his head against her belly, which made her shift a little. “Master?"

“I'm going back to sleep." Asp grumped as he nuzzled into his 'pillow.' “Hearing all of that just tired me somehow." Ren's tail came around and curled lightly around his left foreleg and he nuzzled against it. He did, indeed, doze off again against his siren's egg-filled belly.

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And that's it for this chapter! If you find yourself wanting some dragon mating, even though it's a rehash of the first three chapters from a different point of view, check out Siren's Tale pt1 here!