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In days long past, conflict between dragons and the smaller races, especially humans, were frequent and bloody. The number of dead on each side of the battle were far too large for anyone to wish to count, and it was painfully clear to everyone involved that all those lost lives amounted to nothing for anyone. Perhaps a truce was inevitable...it was no formal thing, just a realization on everyone’s part that the continued strife served no purpose and no benefit. It wasn’t anything that was arranged in any way, just something that happened over time - what was once bitter hostility became mutual benefit, with dragons offering their aid and using their rituals to the benefit of the smaller races, while they in turn worked with the dragons and offered what they could. A much better system for everyone.

Unfortunately, even a culture of peace couldn’t root out all its bad apples. And the kingdom of Sauher had a very troublesome bad apple in the form of the blue dragon Azzuzu. As long as Azzuzu had been in the nearby mountains, he had been a nightmare for Sauher - razing villages, pillaging livestock, generally being a threat to people and indeed the kingdom itself. Although the raids were not frequent, they left significant scars. Entreaties had been made, and rebuffed violently...they had even enlisted the help of a dragon to try to reason with Azzuzu. The dragon had returned in a frothing anger, and told them that no dragon would judge them harshly if Azzuzu was laid low.

With that tacit permission, Sauher had turned to their last hope: Sir Aeru.

Among knights, there were few Aeru’s equal. A large man, a powerful man, and one of stout constitution and great heart. Although trade rather than war ruled the day in this age, there was still the roving band of creatures that refused to play nice, or the bandits that plagued the trade routes in order to make easy money, or the occasional eldritch threat that simply didn’t have the mind to be reasoned with. And even when none of these were going on, ensuring the safety of the kingdom, and especially the castle, was an important duty. Sir Aeru did it all, and he did it well and without complaint. He was looked up to by the other knights as an example to strive for, but his own attitude was naught but amiable modesty. And he was adored by the people of Sauher, as he worked hard to ensure their safety and went out of his way to do good deeds beyond his calling.

Such was he that King Pallus was loath to send him to face Azzuzu. He was such a good man, worth so much to the kingdom, that risking his life on such a mission almost seemed not worth it. But they had no other options. Only one attack would be possible - once Azzuzu knew they were after him, it was all but certain he would take the fight to Sauher, and there was scarcely a guarantee that they would come out victorious, to say nothing of the costs of such a victory. A cadre of knights would easily be sniffed out by Azzuzu and attacked before they had a chance to make their stand. Only a lone knight going in on an ambush would give them a fighting chance...and there was no one up to the task but Sir Aeru. So, with a heavy heart, but a glimmer of hope, the king gave the order, and as always, Aeru dutifully took it.

It was twelve long days that they waited for Sir Aeru’s return. Painful days, not knowing the fate of their beloved knight...as the days work on and no sign of Azzuzu was seen, belief was growing that the dragon had indeed been laid to rest by Aeru. But had he survived the confrontation? No one knew, and the more time passed, the more they feared that he had been lost.

Until the thirteenth day, when a messenger fetched Sir Galdun, the administrator of the royal knights to meet with an unknown figure who refused to show his face or body from under a heavy cloak laced with magic. Despite the misgivings of King Pallus, the administrator went...and within two hours, returned, with the figure in tow, to the throne room, a look of lingering disbelief laden on his features. Naturally, the sudden arrival created a bit of a stir, especially given the size of the cloaked figure, but the king’s hand prevailed - there was no reason to believe that his trusted commander had ill intent for him. But even his efforts at calmness were lost at the proclamation of Sir Galdun.

“My liege...Sir Aeru returns.”

Whispers and murmurs from around the court - what ordinarily would have been cause to rejoice was fraught with uncertainty. King Pallus’s voice carried the sentiments spreading around him. “This...is Sir Aeru? I know he is a man of stature, but this is too great a stature even for him.”

“I know what you mean, my liege, but he knew things that only Sir Aeru could have known. And he claimed to be able to explain this...unusual entrance.”

The king looked warily at the cloaked figure. “You...claim to be Sir Aeru, then?”

“Indeed, my king.” That voice...Sir Aeru’s voice had been broad and smooth, warming to the ear. This one had a guttural depth to it that was unlike the knight’s at all...though, oddly, that hint of smoothness to it seemed to linger. Something about it had King Pallus both assured and uncomfortable. “I am very sorry for the delay in returning...there have been...complications.”

“...Complications?”

“Azzuzu is dead. It was...a very difficult battle, but...I managed to prevail in the end. Narrowly, but decisively. At least, I thought so...but I...made an error. As Azzuzu lay dying, I thought he had already passed on, but for a few brief moments he still drew breath. As I turned to leave...he gave a Last Word.”

“Mercy…” King Pallus’s left-hand man, the court wizard Ralius, took a sharp breath in as the whispers intensified. A dragon’s Last Word was a feared thing - it was known from the ancient days that a dying dragon could give one last spell before the life faded from them, a spell that carried the power of their remaining life force. Such a spell could never be countered or reversed - it was unstoppable, and the bane of dragonslayers the world over. In earlier ages, those who went against dragons were taught to slay them fast and true, before they had a chance to get off their Last Word...but even if Aeru had known that, Azzuzu certainly had been prepared to sneak it in. “Is that why you’re under the cloak? Did he make it so the sun would fry you? Or turn you into a vampire?”

“I...fear the truth is more dire than that.” Under the cloak, the figure moved his hands, keeping them hidden as he shifted the hood of the cloak off of his head. As it was revealed, there were shocked gasps and cries at what was revealed - not the round, shining face of the human knight they knew, but a draconian visage of grave disconcert. The blue scaling almost glittered in the light, framed around a long and strong jaw with fangs nestled outside. A long feeler was extended on each side of his snout, giving him an almost aged look. Two sharp, ivory horns protruded from the back of his skull, gleaming over soulful, even despondent amber eyes with vertical-slit pupils.

“Dear gods…” muttered Ralius. “A Heritor’s Pact.”

“A what?” asked the king.

“It is a bestowment of power upon a non-dragon creature by a dragon. The process is more than just power...a fragment of the dragon’s soul is infused into the receiver. It changes them physically into a draconian form, and mentally influences them in the direction of the giver’s personality and attitudes. The power received...it’s almost as great as what the dragon itself bore. Something almost never done, and never done lightly…”

“It was meant to be a curse,” said Aeru sorrowfully. “To turn me into something...unpleasant. Untrustworthy. Azzuzu, in his last breaths...said he wanted me to be corrupted by power, to understand the thrill he felt in hurting those who couldn’t stand up to him. He laughed as he finally died...leaving me the legacy of his terror. And I am now beholden to it, unable to cast him away...”

“Has he...has he already affected your mind?” questioned King Pallus, with no shortage of worry in those words. The thought of Aeru coming back corrupted, it almost seemed worse than if he had died...yet, there was still a glimmer of hope, Aeru did not sound as if he was reveling in the changes. Maybe…

“I wish I could say for certain, my king. I have tried not to follow such a course as Azzuzu did, even in the early adjustment to this change...but I have no idea what might be happening underneath, that I might not even notice. Would I even notice the change, if it happened?”

“A Heritor’s Pact does not...definitively make you think like the dragon,” said Ralius. “It...has a subtle influence, may bring thoughts to mind that you wouldn’t normally have. There is nothing to COMPEL you to act on them, if you recognize the influence...some do, because they wish to, or because they don’t recognize it. If you diligently train your mind to know yourself, you may...you may be able to sense when Azzuzu’s soul is trying to push you.”

Aeru bowed his head. “But...what if I fail? What could I do to you...to this kingdom...to everyone? If I have even a tenth the capacity for monstrosity that Azzuzu had…”

“All humans have the capacity for great evil within them,” Sir Galdun declared. “Even as good a person as you could harbor a deep darkness within him. I trust the goodness that has always been so strong in you...if you can block out your own darkness, you can block out Azzuzu’s.”

“I don’t know if I would trust myself to do so…”

“I would be more nervous if you appeared confident about that.” Ralius stepped forward. “It is that sincerity of spirit that which gives me reason to believe that you can overcome this. But we have to be sure that there is nothing you are hiding under that cloak except your form...please, remove it.”

Aeru hesitated, but finally nodded and undid the clasp on the cloak. As the fabric fell off of him, it became clear why he looked so much bigger than before - the transformation had been remarkably comprehensive. Aeru had been a large man before, but now he stood at eight-foot-plus, and where he had been quite firmly muscular he was now even more endowed. Each of those thick limbs was coated in tough azure scale, while his torso bore a vertical line of longer pearly plates, accentuating his pectoral and abdominal muscles. Large wings stretched from his back, and a long tail swung and curled behind him, betraying his discomfort. He wore nothing but the scales, and although nothing impolite was visible, the sight still struck some of the attendants, with at least two females going light-headed at the sight and more than one male dutifully trying to ignore a stirring in their loins.

“Goodness…” Even King Pallus couldn’t help but be impressed. Aeru’s natural gifts seemed markedly accentuated by the change, and he no doubt had new endowments on top of that. If his allegiance could be guaranteed, he might be even more effective and capable as a knight...but could it be? And would the people accept him, even knowing what had happened? There was no question they would recognize the influence of Azzuzu; could they trust that the man was still the one that had served them so well?

Ralius seemed not to be so concerned about that, as he inspected Aeru with a scrutinizing eye. “Very good...I see nothing to be overly concerned about. You appear to be as true as ever. Very true, apparently…”

“I apologize...armor does not seem to survive this kind of size change very well.”

“Of course. I’m sure we can create something more suited for this appearance. Come, let’s get you into something at least…”

———

To say it was a period of adjustment was putting it lightly. Even though he’d spent several days in his new body before returning to the kingdom, Aeru couldn’t call himself comfortable in it. Well, that wasn’t quite accurate...comfortable WITH it was more the case. He was far TOO comfortable IN it, the thoroughness of the spell had made him perfectly attuned to it, the memory of his former human body barely a shadow within his brain.

And it was perhaps because of this that he retained a nervousness over his shape. Because he knew, all too well, the sheer power that was housed within him. Not just the physical attributes, which alone would have advanced him well beyond his previous form - the strength, endurance, and resilience of a draconic body was nothing to be scoffed at, some sought that power out for that alone. But the fearsome magical power of a dragon also lay within him - and he was not a man of magic before, so knowing how to channel and control that was not within him beyond the natural abilities he possessed. And Ralius was quick to inform him that that would be far below sufficient.

So his life had changed a bit, to put it lightly. While theoretically he could be a far more capable knight than before, his concerns about Azzuzu’s influence and adjusting to the alterations were enough to keep him from any such activities for a good long while. Until he had confidence that he wasn’t a danger to anyone else, the most that he was going to be doing was guard duty around the castle. Even that felt a bit dangerous to him, but if he did nothing he felt he might be more vulnerable to temptation - an idle mind was an open mind.

At first, most of the people around the castle kept a wide berth of him, glancing at him with uncertainty and suspicion. Aeru didn’t blame them at all - he would have done the same if the situation was reversed. To bear the visage of one of their most hated and feared enemies, how could anyone NOT be worried about what it would mean? He didn’t want to do anything other than talk to them - would he unleash some kind of trouble if he made contact with them, some magic release that he wouldn’t be ready to control? Would his strength accidentally hurt them from a touch he would have thought would be gentle? Would he feel a sudden urge to do something terrible to them without being prepared for it? He couldn’t give them any assurance of their safety close up...even from a distance it was questionable, thanks to the magic power he carried within him.

As the days passed, though, he noticed that that was slowly changing - he wasn’t sure he was getting more comfortable, but others were getting more comfortable with HIM. They were talking to him more, giving him fewer nasty looks, and in general starting to treat him more like how they used to. Maybe they trusted that he was the Aeru they knew, even if he looked different. He almost wished he could warn them not to, not until he knew what might happen...he couldn’t be sure Azzuzu’s soul wasn’t whispering to his, even if he’d not detected anything yet. Or maybe he wouldn’t ever notice it…

Knowing his power was key to controlling it, so during this period he was frequently in training. It seemed odd even to him that someone so experienced would need training, but he recognized the purpose of it entirely - knowing himself was the most important thing he could do. And it cast a stark light on just what kind of power had been bestowed upon him.

Physical training was where it was most obvious. He could heft solid blocks of stone quite a bit larger than him with relative ease, the only challenge being finding a grip. Hitched to a harness, he dragged the heaviest weights they had on hand and hardly broke a sweat. His punches shattered stone and brick, caved in sheets of iron, and sent an anvil flying. A score of knights struggled to overcome his bracing to keep from being pulled into him. The heaviest arms they had on hand were so light that they felt uncomfortable to wield, it felt like he was flailing cutlery around...and said arms bounced ineffectually off of his unarmored body, the blades failing to cut through his scales and the blunt weapons unable to bruise his superior musculature. Only specially enchanted weapons were proving to be a legitimate threat, and Aeru felt greater unease the more he realized it would be very difficult for anyone to counter him. Azzuzu wanted him to be powerful, to be unaccountable to anyone by even the threat of force...that, at least, he seemed to have succeeded on.

Other training time was spent with Ralius or another high-class wizard in the castle, learning the finer details of wielding magic. And there was an enormous amount to learn, that was for sure…hundreds if not thousands of pieces to remember, not to mention the mental exertion of maintaining control over the expression of that nebulous power. It was not something Aeru had had a natural mind for before, and it scared him just how easily he took to it now, every spell and expression seemed to be snapped right up. It was all too obvious shortly in that the potential Aeru carried vastly outclassed Ralius, who was essentially the apex magical figure in all of Sauher…that, at least, was not especially surprising to either of them. After all, it was well understood that humans could only dabble in magic, while dragons lived it. And there were limits to Ralius’s direct teachings - he could explain and demonstrate ritual and elemental magic, but there was a special class of draconic magic that he simply had no access to. And the power of that special class was greater than any other…it of course left Aeru anxious about what kind of threat he posed, when he didn’t even know the upper bounds of what he was capable of. Another means by which it was quite nearly impossible to oppose him…

The fear was getting to him at night. Laying in his bed, segregated from the rest of the castle, so that anything that might happen might be caught before he could act too far, he wondered if it was even worth the preventative measure. His mind wandering was taking him down unpleasant paths.

You could walk in there, stab people with your claws, bite their limbs off, leave a trail of blood and body parts behind you, and they could do nothing about it.

You could blow that entire castle apart wall by wall, marching forth like a concentrated storm obliterating every stone, without a hint of resistance from any of them.

You could throw the king out the window, place the crown upon your head, and they would have no recourse but to call you ‘your highness.’

All these ugly thoughts, warning him of what he was capable of if he went off the rails. Ones he could not argue against rationally, because it was entirely true that he could do all of that. But one night it got worse - not because of a new nasty scenario, but a briefer, much more terrifying thought.

Why don’t you?

It was enough to make him bolt upright, and wonder if he had been dreaming. But the way it stuck in his head, it had to be conscious. A simple question, yet a horribly disturbing one…yet one that clung to his brain.

You have the power to do anything you want. Satisfy every desire you ever had. What’s stopping you?

Aeru’s hands went to his head, as if he had a migraine. He tried to banish the idea, but it wasn’t going away…just lingering there, taunting him. Why were they coming into him? It almost felt like they were outside his mind, pushing their way in…was this Azzuzu’s doing? Was the dragon truly still alive within him? Was his soul trying to invade Aeru’s, trying to take him over and return to life again? Ralius had told him the Heritor’s Pact imbued a piece of soul into its target, maybe that was what was pushing these thoughts into him…he had to try to fight them, to beat them back and bury them. But it was no good - every night after that, the taunt came back, a subtle urge to wield that power to cater to his own whim. He tried to ignore it, tried to beg it to silence, tried to rail against it, to no avail whatsoever…and each and every night he failed, he got a little more anxious that the next day would be the one where his control was lost, and who knew what would happen then?

———

He found out not too long after. And the result was not what he ever would have foreseen.

Aeru had decided that he needed to be a little less idle to try to keep his mind off of the intrusive thoughts, and had taken to doing patrols late at night, when most people were asleep. It came at the expense of some sleep for him, but he wasn’t finding this to be that impactful, and it spared him from some of the unpleasant dreams he’d been having. Patrols were a fairly easy way to put his mind on something else, even if the chance of an intruder was fairly low. Plus, they were well-suited for his situation - the forgers still hadn’t come up with good arms or armor for him, but the chances of any sneak having anything to threaten Aeru in his current form were next to nothing, and anyone who might have been a potential threat wouldn’t be making a quiet entrance. So he could walk around with only the large robe that had been made for him, and step fairly silently to avoid disturbing anyone. Even though he was still largely alone, it was a task to focus on and that helped keep him from getting too wrapped up in his thoughts.

On this night, in had been a bit harder, his head having been swamped with the questioning thoughts he didn’t want before his patrol. Of course they lingered, even as he tried to shove them out…he found himself wishing, just once, that something interesting would happen to grab his attention. It was a wish he would soon regret, as his ears picked up on something unusual - the sound of footsteps, quiet and quick, not too far away from him. His heartbeat took a few steps up as he made his way towards where he’d heard them, now hoping it was just his imagination and deeply regretting wanting something to happen at all. True, it had captured his attention, but if someone was hurt…

It only got worse as he got close to what he thought was the original source of the sound…it was right near the bedroom of Princess Letitia, youngest of the king’s four children. She was a gorgeous young woman of nineteen, only recently old enough to be courted, and courted she was, though she turned many men away, some of them with quite a fire in her; it was clear that it would not be easy to meet her standards. While Aeru supported her choices, he also worried that some of the men she laid into would not take her words well, and might try to exact some kind of vengeance against her…there were quite a few with frail egos who did not think women should have such rights in their lives, and if they got to her undefended, who knew what they might do?

Stepping closer to the door, it seemed his worst fears had been realized - he heard strained voices, that of a man and a woman, unfamiliar groans and moans that stabbed panic in his heart. Forgetting himself for a moment, he barged through the door. “Princess! I-!”

Of course, by the time he realized what was actually going on, it was too late to take that back. He was met not with the sight of an attack, but an amorous display that was rudely interrupted by a massive hunk of dragon. Letitia broke away from the male in shock, allowing Aeru to see who it was with some shock of his own - he recognized the lad, a man about the same age as her named Noah, who made deliveries to the castle from the local grocers. In a brief moment, everything clicked together - the footsteps must have been Noah’s, invited into the castle by Letitia for a late-night tryst, away from the watchful eyes of her father who doubtless would not have approved of such things, regardless of how he felt about Noah generally.

He only had that brief moment to think about it, as what happened next took precedence.

It was a reaction that was so automatic he never even had the chance to think about it. A glean appeared in his eyes, a flash that radiated from him towards the two caught humans, so suddenly that Aeru had no idea what it even was. The two froze momentarily, and then Aeru saw their eyes glaze over…they recovered their sharpness a couple seconds later, but there was still a distant look in them, a color that was unnatural, clearly magical in nature. The shock dissipated from their features, changing to placid smiles…Aeru was no expert in magic, but even he could pick up that they’d had some kind of hypnotic charm put over them.

And…I’m the one that put it on them. I don’t even know how I did. Why did…how…what do I do?

Before he could mull on that at all, he heard Letitia’s voice, light and almost dream-like. “Oh…sir Aeru…it’s…so nice of you to join us...”

“J-join…what?!”

“My goodness, sir…” Noah’s voice sounded equally dreamy, and the look he was giving the dragon spoke of much more than the fear he would have expected. “It’s so good of you to come to help us…we need a big, strong…handsome dragon to show us what real passion is.” He rose from the bed and staggered forward a bit, looking unsteady on his feet but making his way to Aeru, almost drooling over the dragon’s body. “Letitia and I would be…so happy to serve you, sir…”

Never in his life would Aeru have expected to hear that...nor would he have expected to respond to it. His life before had been one of chastity and modesty, purely by personal choice - he held no contempt for those who enjoyed the pleasures of the flesh, but he had chosen to forego in order to avoid falling into distracting temptations. Perhaps if he hadn’t, he would have recognized the moans of pleasure and passion and not have entered the room in the first place…his decision had left him fairly ignorant about such things. But the change in his form had brought about another, a sharp increase in libido, one that refused to be ignored…he had found himself needing to achieve release multiple times a day to keep from putting himself on lewd display. Reluctant at first, he had justified it by saying if his choice had been to avoid distracting temptations, so too was his need to remove the lust from himself until he could rein it back in properly. But the desire didn’t ever fully go away…and this powerful come-on, the raw desire the two humans clearly had for him, the scent of their lust, the charm in their eyes that told of the total control he possessed over them, the raging energy in his body as it told him exactly what he wanted and how he could get it…

The strain was far more than any that he had faced, and his weary mind finally relented. His control slipped…and the dragon in him took over. The shocked and uncertain expression gave way to a salacious, hungry grin as he closed the door, sealing it tight and warding it to silence all sound that might try to escape. His eyes gazed down at Noah, taking on a fiercer, more intense tenor that was very much not like Aeru, as he slipped the robe off of his body, baring himself to his thralls. “Yes…then serve me you shall. You naughty boy, sneaking into the castle like this, consorting with our princess…but if she has deemed you worthy, then I suppose all I must do is judge you the same.”

“Ah, Sir Aeru, please…I do so desire your judgment…”

“Yes, Aeru, show me the trial you put those who seek my affection through…” Letitia simply laid on the bed, not at all bothered by the change of things under the spell. The two were so perfectly ensorcelled, putty in Aeru’s hands, and the blood pumping into his loins forestalled any concern he had about this. As Noah disrobed, the dragon’s cock pushed out and swelled to its fullest, displaying its impressive and imposing form and monstrous size, befitting the bestial image of its owner, a length and girth fit for a dragon. The shape was wildly inhuman as well, a pointed and spiky head giving way to a shaft that had thick ridges with rows of short spines along the top and bottom of each one, and bearing a thick knot at the base. All these embellishments were wonderfully sensitive and pleasurable to toy with even with his own hands, and the thought of them being enveloped in a tight hole where so many more of them could be flexed at once had him ever more excited, enough that the tip of his cock was already leaking its thick, salty fluid.

Not for long, though, as Noah knelt before him, now stripped of all that covered him, his obvious arousal stiff between his own legs. Yet he didn’t give any focus to it, instead his entire attention was directed at Aeru, both hands gripping that titanic tool and bringing it in front of his face. The lack of hesitation in the human’s part as he started to lick and suck at the tip, drinking down that potent precum without a hint of reservation, was immensely satisfying to Aeru, especially as he got the sense that the human had never before been inclined to males…such was the power he held over him, to draw out lusts that Noah had never even known, to make him revel in the power and pleasure of a dragon without any option to question or resist. It was a power that only compounded Aeru’s excitement, fueled his lust, and charged him to push Noah to work him harder…foreign feelings to him, yet welcome ones in the draconic mind that had taken over.

A hand went to the back of Noah’s head, pushing the human down onto his shaft a bit, the head rapidly getting wide enough to be hard for any human to handle quite quickly but he at least got enough in to ensure that Noah would have to taste and swallow his drooling pre without any chance for escape. Even without his audible direction, Noah was doing exactly what Aeru wanted him to, keeping a tight wrap of those lips around what he could and teasing those spikes with his tongue, flexing them around in the most delightful way, while his hands massaged the thick girth of his shaft and played with those ridges and small spines, getting guttural growls out of Aeru as bliss erupted through his loins, shooting up his spine to deliver rumbling shudders through his whole body. He definitely could have gotten used to being worshipped in this fashion…

But not now. No, there was one more thrill this needed, and that was Aeru exerting his power over Noah much more actively, to put the ‘insolent’ human in his place properly and show him exactly how little he was compared to a dragon. And that was why he pulled Noah off his cock, the human’s gaze unfocused and giddy even as he was deprived of that delectable flavor…Aeru’s dick demanded more, and it was going to get exactly that as the dragon yanked the human into the air, catching and turning him and pulling his back into that muscular scaly chest, holding him with an impenetrable grip as the tip of his cock nestled against the human’s ass. “I want to hear you glorify me while my cock is carving its mark into your ass, boy…show me how much you love this dragon conquering you.”

“G-gods…Aeru…take me and make me yours, your eager little plaything, a sleeve for you to use at your leisure!”

Who was he to deny that winsome plea? Aeru didn’t hold back even a slight bit, the magic coursing through him ensured that Noah would come to no harm - it didn’t serve him any purpose to break his toys so soon, not when he could get so much more fun out of them. He drove in without reservation, his thick cock spearing into Noah all the way up to that bulbous knot, a heavy growl of lusty desire rushing from his maw to provide a meaty undercurrent to Noah’s rapturous and wavering cry as he was made to take that dragon cock like a true bitch. Aeru didn’t hesitate for a moment, beginning a forceful pounding in and out, lifting as he pulled back and pulling Noah down as he drove in, making sure he gave the human nothing short of his full strength. And he made sure to spare a few looks at Letitia, who was laying on the bed now fully undressed, watching in wonder Aeru laid his claim on Noah, marveling at the distinct bulge in his gut from the cock plugging into him, his eyes burning into her that she would be the next to experience him.

It was unparalleled heaven for Aeru. A sexual naïf from his previous life, this was the first time his cock had ever invaded another’s personal sanctity, and he spared one fleeting thought for why he had ever waited so long…but surely it was far better as a dragon than a human, so he couldn’t have been missing nearly as much before. Everything about this was intensely pleasurable, from the tight and hot passage wrapped around his dick and squeezing it so wonderfully, and far more effectively than his hands ever could, to the tension and flexing of the spikes on his head and the spines on his ridges as they drew out of Noah’s ass, thunderous pulses of ecstasy cascading through the sensitive embellishments as they were worked like never before, to just the mere feeling of dominance, conquest, superiority, POWER that flowed through him as he imposed his will body and soul on the yielding human body, sustaining itself through this furious rutting only at Aeru’s will. If he could do this so easily, he could only imagine what else he could do with equally little effort…and being finally freed up to exert that pent-up energy was so pleasing, so satisfying on a deeper level than just the carnal delight he was feeling, it for the first time felt like he was RIGHT in so long.

He felt Noah clench down even harder on him, the human spurting his feeble load onto the floor in front of them, the forceful jets letting the white streaks get quite a ways out from them, almost all the way to the bed…but they were still as nothing compared to his own, and Aeru felt a surge of desire to show Noah up and show him what a REAL climax looked and felt like. Harder and faster he drove in, keeping Noah breathless and crying out his pleasure, professing his undying adoration for Aeru in ways that words could never have sufficiently expressed. Hearing that voice quiver and trill with euphoria was just so satisfying…he was a dragon, after all, didn’t he deserve to be admired and worshipped?

Finally, one last pull down, and Noah got the full Aeru experience as the dragon’s fat knot wrenched his asshole wide open and planted itself finally all the way inside. With a heart-thudding roar, Aeru announced his triumph to the room, Noah’s eyes rolling back in his head as he was pumped full with a withering barrage of dragon semen, his body having no choice but to take it all in as Aeru’s knot forestalled even a drop from slipping by. Aeru could feel his spunk backing up inside the human, Noah’s gut filling out a little more as all that fluid sought out whatever space it could find or make, his immense draconic virility on full display as he delivered his payload ruthlessly and liberally. It was so much better than using his hands, which itself had been a delightful thrill, and he knew on some level that this couldn’t be the only time he indulged in such acts, the thirst for this would build so much faster now that he knew what it was like. And he didn’t care one bit, this was too good to feel bad about, each pulse of his seed inside Noah was supreme satisfaction, marking the human on a level and at a depth that would linger for ages, perhaps for all time…

But he was hardly satisfied with just that. There was, after all, another human to play with, who had been patiently biding her time but was savoring the sight of his conquest with a hunger that would not be denied. And Aeru was just as hungry…the orgasm hadn’t drained him at all, he had far more left to give and he was going to give it for sure. Noah had probably not had his last experience with him either…he could probably go longer than both humans combined, and there was no reason not to try to prove that, was there? As soon as he felt his spurts fade off to nothing, he jerked his knot out of Noah, getting another weary cry out of the human and a messy glut of seed pouring from his overtaxed pucker. Aeru didn’t think twice about the mess, letting Noah down onto the floor to pant and moan as he leaked all over the stone. For now, the male was an afterthought, only the princess on the bed mattered…and the eagerness in her eyes as he approached was such a sweet treat to him. “Aeru…gods, you’re so wonderful…”

“But of course…” growled Aeru in reply, a salacious undertone to the aggressive voicing. “And you only desire the best, do you not? Not just anyone will do…”

“Ahhh…I don’t accept just anyone, but how could I ever deny someone as wonderful and powerful and desirable as you?”

Aeru grinned wider as he bore down on her, the big draconic form planting itself above Letitia, a stark contrast between the imposing beast above and the petite human below, a scene Aeru wished he could paint and see from without. “You can’t, of course. Rrrr, he may have proven himself suitable for you, but it would be a crime to allow him to introduce you to this new realm when you have THIS to bring you there…” The dragon’s cock flexed a bit below her; there was a wet slickness on it, no sign of Aeru’s actions just a minute before, clean and ready for action once again, He saw the princess shiver underneath him as she observed it closing in on her, looking for too large for her…yet, it had also looked far too large for Noah, and she surely had seen how little consequence that disparity had had. Nothing about her spoke of fear, only excitement and desire. The thought passed through his head that, with naught but a few thoughts and a simple spell, he could make her gravid, make another like him in his image…tempting though that was, he set that aside for now. There would be ample time to do so in the future, when he was more prepared.

His brief moment of hesitation, however, offered Letitia an opportunity to draw him in ever harder. “Aeru…I beg of you, take me like a dragon would claim a maiden!”

“As a dragon to a maiden, then?” rumbled Aeru, smirking down at the human. “Very well…you shall know the dragon’s power to your core!” He took hold of her, and swiftly plunged in, as far as he could manage, once again showing no quarter despite the delicate feminine form visibly stretching to take his mass. No regrets, she could have asked for it gently…no, she couldn’t have, not when faced with such a raw image of carnality before her, there was no chance at all that she could have wanted any less than what he wanted to give her. This was no fawning romance, this was a conquest, and he knew she desired to be conquered precisely as much as he desired to conquer her. And she would feel all he had to give, and love every second of it.

He bucked in and jerked out, letting his dick ravage Letitia’s virgin pussy and lay claim in an indelible way to the yielding flesh that wished for him. The spikes on his head slid across her insides, slipping in with ease and making their greatest impact as he drew out, spreading and clawing along her walls to make her wail in bliss. The shorter spines on each ridge were subtler, but provided a texture and roughness that primed her for the larger and thicker spikes of his head, as well as sending crashing waves of pleasure through him. The second time proved no less intense and exciting than the first, no less stimulating, no less thrilling…a dragon did not simply get used to sex, it was a primal thrill that always endured, especially if he took it as he desired.

Harder he thrust, trying to push deeper within her, finding her body not immediately surrendering to him. With so many inches still having not tasted her, he refused to relent, intent on giving her his knot when the time came, unwilling to be denied what he desired. Aeru didn’t mind the resistance, though, it gave him yet another chance to demonstrate his power and command, to make her yield to him in every single way…it mattered not that humans weren’t meant for such things, he was a dragon and his will absolute, and he would show her just what he was capable of. His thick precum spurted within her, tinged with energy that left a deep heat along her insides, especially where her own nectar joined with it. There was no way she would ever get truly loose around him, but she could still loosen further, and Aeru could feel Letitia becoming more yielding and freer, her cries getting higher and lighter as she relaxed into his thrusts, primed to accommodate him just as he commanded.

And Aeru wasn’t going to disappoint now. With a snarl, he took hold and thrust in hard, driving himself in up until that thick knot, piercing her deeper than any other male she could have considered would ever have reached, making her scream as she came around him. Now he began to truly ravage her, every thrust going in to the depths and making that bulge within her that much more prominent. His spiked head would catch within her much more forcefully, making him even more excited and aroused, the knowledge that he was touching nearly sacred ground giving him a perverse glee that made his cock throb eagerly, driving him to hump harder and claim this womb as his own.

And Letitia was clearly only encouraging him, even as her screams became weaker for lack of proper air, the fucking driving the breath right out of her. She squeezed him, twisted on him, worked his cock like she had been doing this for years, milking him and seeking more. His precum splashed inside her, her own fluids splashed around him, the fucking was slick and wet and each squishing splat made more of their mingled fluids spill out of her, tainted the bed with a sopping spot reeking of dragon musk, a scent that weighed heavy on the air and would no doubt linger for a long time, there to remind her of who had mastered her and introduced her to womanhood.

Aeru was less focused on this, though, and more on his throbbing tool getting ready to finish that experience properly. He leaned over her more, holding her tight to better rock in and out of her, working her to a proper dragon-delivered orgasm that he refused to allow her to leave without. His cock wasn’t pulling out all the way anymore, the spikes on his head having flared wide enough to be denied extraction until he had given her his payload. He didn’t mind that, though, as his focus was to force his knot inside her and make sure that he was truly hilted when he gave her his seed. Hard and fast he slammed in, her body slowly giving in to him, surrendering to the almighty power that Aeru possessed, until finally with one more powerful thrust it popped in, and Aeru’s roar and Letitia’s rapturous scream reverberated in the bedroom.

Aeru’s spunk rapidly filled the princess, and then rapidly forced her body to warp as she filled up beyond anything that she ever could have imagined. Even this swell couldn’t stop her greedy body from squeezing and milking the dragon of every drop of essence that he could offer her, working those spines and triggering more vigorous spurts here and there. And Aeru gripped her tight, grinding into her, determined to leave so much of himself inside her that it would soak into her, that anyone else would never be able to take her without having to compete with a dragon, and assured that none would ever successfully outdo him. That paunch in her midsection was proof of his superiority, proof of his incomparable virility, and he would make sure she remembered it, that she would crave him again, and he would give it to her. And perhaps he would give her even more, when he properly felt like it…would she even consider denying him? Even if she did, would he care? The thought of planting his spawn in her certainly thrilled him on the most primal level…even if he had chosen to deny that prospect now, the flood of semen within her certainly fueled the fantasy that even now they could be doing the deed at this very moment…perhaps when the time came, he wouldn’t even have the restraint to ask permission.

Finally their bodies settled once again, and once again Aeru’s was much less taxed than his partner’s. Letitia was sprawled underneath him, heaving hard as she drew in deep gulps of musk-laden air, ensuring no escape from the carnal prominence of the dragon. That would surely help her recharge for next time…just as it seemed to have helped Noah, who he now realized had been watching for a while, hard again and looking like he was eagerly awaiting his next turn. With a grin, he pulled himself out of Letitia, letting his knot pop once more with a lewd sound and accompanying exodus of dragon jizz which soaked deep into the bed. He wondered briefly how much of that he could clean up without removing every trace of his scent…well, he could consider that later, as he turned back to Noah, his cock not having been wiped this time, the traces of his and her climax spread liberally over it. “You wanted to taste her so much? Taste her…along with your better.”

Noah practically lunged for that cock, his tongue running along the surface and lapping up their fluids like they were ambrosia. Aeru’s clawed hands twitched, eager to take hold of that head and use it, but he held himself back a little bit…once he was cleaned up, then he could make sure Noah was fed properly, and would know the taste of Aeru better than anything else he’d ever smelled and tasted. He still had plenty of stamina left, and there would be no shortage of impressions left…on ANY of them.

———

In a weird sort of way, that night of depraved debauchery had saved Aeru.

The evidence of his actions had not been discovered by anyone else, his efforts to mask them unfailingly effective. But they certainly stayed with him…he had woken up back more to being himself, his head cleared of the takeover by his darker half. But that didn’t mean he was back to exactly how he’d been before…Aeru had mulled on it all the next day, how much more natural and how much less imposing everything felt. How, for the first time since he’d been cursed by the dragon’s Last Word, he felt like himself…even if himself meant something different from how it used to. How he recalled his subjugation and domination of the princess and her beau fondly, without remorse or regret, and he knew they did too, even if his spell wasn’t on them anymore the effects of it had lingered, the way they looked at him told him that his power had touched them on a deep level that wasn’t easily undone, even if he had wanted to - which he knew, deep down, that he did not. There was no argument to be made - he had enjoyed giving in, allowing the wilder, less inhibited nature within him to take control, to latch an invisible leash to the two humans that would allow him to easily take back over when he so desired.

He wanted to deny everything that had happened, reject it as a bad dream and as the product of someone else’s sick and twisted desired. And that was where his real weakness lied.

He had spent so much of his time fearing his power, and in some way trying to deny it. Refusing to accept the dragon in him, desperately trying to cling to his humanity as some kind of barricade against what he was capable of. And the response of the dragon side had been to whittle away at his defenses until they broke down, until he gave in to that part of him and acted on it. And he knew now, he saw the truth…it would happen again. And again. And again, until he broke completely, because he knew how good it felt now, how satisfying it was to surrender to it, to act with his essential impunity.

He couldn’t fight it that way…because, that was HIM. This was HIS power. Those were HIS desires.

Now Aeru saw, with grim clarity. Clinging to his humanity and denying anything else was his weakness, and would inevitably result in failure. Because he wasn’t a human. He was a goddamned DRAGON. He was a dragon with the power of a dragon, and the soul of a dragon. He was never going to be rid of that piece of Azzuzu’s soul - the reality was, to a certain degree, he WAS Azzuzu now. He was, at least, as much of Azzuzu as remained in this world. And as long as he was competing with the dragon’s soul, he couldn’t win, because everything else about him was dragon enough that it just fit better than his previous self. No, Aeru knew the truth, there was only one way to prevent Azzuzu from taking him over:

Embrace him.

The following days saw a transformation in Aeru, after he stopped trying to fight the dragon’s soul and accepted it as part of himself. The fear of his power faded, replaced by a celebration of it, a reveling in what he was capable of. He started to enjoy showing off how much he outclassed his human compatriots in feats of strength and durability. He started to demonstrate just what he could do with that magic of is, impressing and perhaps intimidating Ralius and the other mages with ostentatious displays. He became less withdrawn around the castle, more bold and brash, more cheeky and humorous, shedding both his early previous utterly straight-laced demeanor and the withdrawn and hollow one that had come more recently. It daunted a fair few people who had known him before, yet they warmed to this new version of him fairly rapidly as it proved to have the same warmth they had known in Aeru before, just a bit more gregarious. Also abandoned were his habits of chastity and modesty; he started to visit brothels, invite men and women to enjoy him, sometimes less with invitation and more with his hypnotic imposition if they were open to that - and the first time with the princess and her beau was certainly not the last.

And all of it, it felt amazing. He feel freer, higher, happier than he could remember being in a long time, perhaps even as his old self. It allowed him to accept himself, who and what he was - he was a dragon, a premier and powerful one, capable of doing just about anything he set his mind to. A champion with his body, a master with his magic, a charmer with his tongue, and among the more salacious gossip, a conquerer with his cock. His impressive literal and figurative stature surpassed his old self, and he welcomed the attention. Occasionally there were some who questioned him - all this power shown off so gregariously, they couldn’t help but be wary of it. What was stopping him from turning all that on Sauher?

And now Aeru had a ready answer: he didn’t WANT to.

Azzuzu had been wanting him to be corrupted by power. He had intended to use Aeru’s nature against him, expecting him to fight the darkness until the only thing he had to look forward to were the moments where it broke through. Make it so that Aeru would secretly crave those moments where he wielded his power without reserve, uncaring of who was damaged by it, all so that he could for a brief moment feel alive and happy. By embracing the dragon’s soul, Aeru now could see the plot clearly, and he had to admit, ghastly as it was, it was exceptionally cunning - after all, Aeru very well could have fallen into such a trap due to his honorable temperament. But he had spoiled it all by taking a different tack - by embracing Azzuzu, he didn’t need to fall to temptation to experience happiness, he could make his own his way. No more intrusive thoughts, no more fear and self-loathing, and no more temptation to take more than what satisfied him. Because, in the end, while a fragment of the dragon’s soul was with him always, the majority of his soul was still good old Aeru, and when they merged together, that was what dominated…he had always found happiness in defending and protecting others, ensuring their well-beings in the face of danger, and having a few more hedonistic desires hadn’t stripped that from him in the slightest. In fact, with his new, even more capable body, he was more effective than ever at doing so. Aeru had taken the power Azzuzu had intended for destruction and turned it into a force for good. And THAT was true victory.

———

From the edge of the forest, the small group of gnolls were gathering, eyeing some of the farmsteads outside Sauher and the wagons carrying the produce of those farms as they traveled towards town. They carried crude spears and wore nothing but loincloths, and each had a small satchel which was either empty or almost empty. “Should we go for that one?” one whispered anxiously, looking at the wagon through some kind of spyglass.

Another, the largest of the bunch, shook his head. “No. I see magic in those escorts. We wait for the next.”

“How many nexts are there going to be?” grumbled a third.

“Hush. We can’t afford to lose anyone on this. What the six of us can carry back is already barely enough to feed the clan. I won’t throw us against mages, we’d be defenseless.”

“This is a bad idea, I keep telling you!” urged a fourth, sounding quite jittery. “This is Sauher, man! They have that fucking dragon knight! Didn’t you hear what he did? Remember when that army from Banhalke came storming through our territory? He drove them back all on his OWN! We’re gonna die if we pull this!”

“Get a hold of yourself,” growled the second. “Even if he does actually exist, he can’t have eyes everywhere. As long as no one knows we’re here, we can raid one of the wagons, grab what we can, and hurry away before anyone finds out. And I will NOT suffer cowards who’d let our clan starve rather than face some risk to feed them, so either shape up or you’ll be the meat that feeds someone.”

“They’re not gonna get fed if we all die, either! We should have gone after Banhalke!”

“They’re struggling enough,” hissed the fifth of the group. “And if we raid them, they’ll attack, they’re still pissed about having their war turned back, you think they won’t take it out on us if we give them reason to?”

“Shut it, all of you!” The first turned his spyglass towards another wagon coming up the road. “Another one…I don’t see any escorts!”

“No escorts? Lunacy. But you’re right…” the second squinted at the wagon. “I don’t see any special magic either…this is the one. Everyone at the ready!”

There was a rustle of activity as the six gnolls got up and prepared to strike. As the wagon came down the road to the ideal point, the group burst out of the woods, charging towards the wagon, sights set on the goods inside…and then skidded to a halt as a blue blur shot out in front of them, and then swung around to land in their path, making them all take a step back with a mild shockwave. All eyes went to Aeru, the broadly grinning dragon crackling with energy; in one hand he held a rather titanic sword, which was directed off to the side a bit, not directly pointed at the gnolls but near enough to be a threat. His body was unarmored, adorned like the gnolls in naught but a loincloth - far less than he would wear to a more serious battle, but these gnolls were far below the point where they could pose any real threat to him. “Well, now, you weren’t the bandits they were expecting…but I’m guessing your goals were pretty similar. You might want to reconsider.”

“Gods above…” breathed one of the gnolls. “That power!”

“It’s him!” squealed the one that had been panicking over him earlier. “Dragon Knight Aeru!”

The big one in front, clearly the leader, growled and glowered at the dragon, but didn’t make any move towards him. “I won’t step aside. We cannot return empty-handed…it would be death here or death there. I don’t fear you more than I fear death itself!” So it was said, but Aeru could sense more fear than he was letting on; the leader of this band wasn’t an idiot.

“Heh…none of those spears you’re pointing at me has any chance of piercing my hide. They’re not enchanted against regular armors, much less dragon hide. And that’s if you even got close, which I would have no intention of allowing anyway. I wouldn’t even have to touch you with this sword, the charge running through it could send you flying a furlong away were I to unleash it. I can tell by your terror that none of you are fools…you wouldn’t last more than seconds against me.”

The gnolls hesitated, clearly not wanting to approach, but something was clearly keeping them from fleeing. Satisfied that they knew the score, Aeru withdrew his blade and stabbed it into the ground. “But…perhaps it doesn’t need to be that way. I was hearing your chatter before…” He grinned wider as all their eyes widened. “Not as hard as you might think, a pretty simple spell to create a familiar of sorts that can be my eyes and ears. After all, I was already looking for bandits…and it sounds to me like you and yours are in a rather serious situation. Which I suspect has to do with the blight that’s been going around, ruining crops across the countryside…am I wrong?”

The leader lowered his spear somewhat, as did the others as they saw that. “…And what if you aren’t?”

Aeru snickered a bit. “Well, perhaps we can come to some accords. Say, a way of clearing out the blight, provisions to help your clan sustain itself, maybe even a treaty of some sort…of course, I’d have to engage in some negotiations with one of you, if you were interested in hearing me out…” The dragon knight started to idly fondle his groin, swishing the hanging cloth around suggestively, in a motion that very clearly did not escape the sights of the gnolls. “If one of you might be bold enough to ‘engage’ with me in this, I’m sure we can find some…common ground.”

The looks of disbelief on their faces was pretty entertaining…but Aeru was pretty sure a couple of them carried a bit of interest as well. In some cases, it was far better to be a lover than a fighter, and if he could take advantage of that, he certainly wouldn’t hesitate to. After all, the power was his to wield…in the end, it was he who had the last word.