Vynera descended the stairs to her catacombs, casting a spell of light. The dark, dank atmosphere was nearly reassuring. The walls were still as smooth to the touch as they were over a hundred years ago. While the world around them changed, these walls remained the same, just as Vynera remained the same. She stopped in the first of her many libraries. Walls were lined with shelves filled with many large tomes she had collected over her years of study. Lying haphazardly on the tables were more books filled with her own notes. Through these she poured, looking for something ideal to her plan. When she found nothing in these, she turned to the tomes on the shelves.
It was amongst these that she found the answer. Dragons were a creature lost in the mists of time, but there was enough evidence left of their existence, even now. Vynera wanted something worthy of her cause; something more useful than a powerless human. She had no intentions of leaving Jyshen the way he was, and her only worry was that he wouldn’t survive the transformation. Occasionally her subjects would die from her more powerful spells.
“A real dragon would be too powerful and too difficult to control. Besides, the chance of surviving such an extreme transformation isn’t good,” mused Vynera aloud after chewing thoughtfully on her bottom lip. “I suppose I’ll have to improvise and give him only some of the qualities of a dragon. Yes, that will do nicely, assuming his vanity doesn’t outweigh his common sense… or fear.” Laughing to herself, Vynera began to prepare a spell that would increase Jyshen’s usefulness to her.
The process promised to be a long one. The complexity and precision levels were high and would require Vynera’s full attention. It was a bit too risky for her to leave Jyshen with free reign of her home, so she quietly slipped upstairs to use a sleep spell on her guest. Leaving him slumped at the table, she returned to her lair. There she spent a long time at her cauldron, muttering incantations and moving her arms around in intricate patterns, funneling the magic required into the stewing liquid. By the time it was all over, beads of perspiration dotted her forehead and tiredness seeped into her limbs. She had drained most of her personal magic into the spell, and she could feel the emptiness inside of her. Wearied, Vynera returned to her bed chamber.
Vynera slept lightly, rising when her energy had replenished itself somewhat. After all, it was too risky to enter a full, deep sleep, and after her prolonged magical sleep, she found the idea of wasting more time in slumber unappealing. To her relief, Jyshen was still out cold, having only shifted slightly in his position during his unnatural slumber. Vynera restored herself further by nibbling on what food was left. Then she shook Jyshen awake. Disoriented, he nearly panicked, before his eyes came into focus properly and he remembered where he was.
“I think it’s time you tell me what it is you want from me,” Jyshen said bluntly. If Vynera was so mighty, why would she need a common criminal like himself? Not that Jyshen had a poor opinion of himself, in general, but he knew his limits. He had no magic at all, and got by with a mix of wits, strength, and luck.
“We already covered information, and there’s much more you can tell me, so I suppose you mean, what services I require.”
“That’s about it.”
“It’s true, I have a great deal of magic, but nothing in this world is free. Especially not magic. I need someone I can rely on to do some physical tasks. For even a sorceress or wizard of the highest degree can only be in one place at a time,” Vynera explained patiently. “But my ambitions are probably more than your present body can handle. So I’m going to have to modify it.” Her smile became ominous. “This time, I can promise you, it will hurt.”
True to Vynera’s word, when the spell hit Jyshen, he doubled over in pain. Much like Gerrest’s transformation, Jyshen’s skin began to darken and turn green, patches of it darker than others, as a striped pattern started to emerge across his body. But instead of shrinking as Gerrest hand, Jyshen started to put on more bulk, and a little more height. His neck and back became thicker, as did his arms and legs, the latter of which spread slightly. A dreadful, tearing sound filled the room as wings grew from Jyshen’s back, his screams soon drowning it out. The screams turned into a deeper howl, as his face and eyes elongated, his mouth sprouting sharp, vicious teeth. He crashed into the table, reaching to support himself, and as his fingers grew into claws, the table was scored with the marks of his agony. The tail that grew from behind him lashed out, making short work of the chairs. Vynera watched the entire process with a chill sort of glee, caring nothing for the pain he experienced, and only the effectiveness of the spell.
By the end of the transformation, he was no longer human, but certainly not a full dragon. Even curled up on the floor, still gripped with pain, Vynera could tell that he was physically powerful. If not for her skill in magic, she would have found him quite terrifying. As it was, however, he was simply a masterpiece: the result of a spell executed with precision. Murmuring a spell for pain relief, she focused a little of her will on him. She didn’t want to heal him too much, or too suddenly, but she didn’t want the pain to be the thing he focused on. Dragon parts were rare, and it would be hard to duplicate this spell. If Jyshen turned against her, it would be quite the waste, so she decided to show a modicum of care, even if it wasn’t for any sort of sentimental reason.
Slowly the dragonman got to his feet. Flexing, he surveyed his new body. His wings twitched often, and he seemed to have little control of them at first; his tail tended to lash at the slightest provocation. The expression he turned to Vynera was somewhat dazed, and definitely fearful.
“What have you done to me?” he rasped out, his voice deeper and rougher from the transformation.
“I’ve molded you into a form that suits my purposes. Once you get used to that body, you’ll be far more powerful than you were before.” Approaching him, Vynera put a hand on his chest. “Do you think anyone is going to be able to lock you in a cell now, when you look so magnificent?” she asked, her eyes lit with a look of fervor. “I think not; especially any of the locals. When you’re not carrying out my tasks, just imagine the sweet revenge you can take on any who have wronged you.”
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
“How do you know I won’t want revenge on you?” The growl in Jysen’s throat sounded reflexive.
“I can’t know it for certain, you’re right,” Vynera agreed easily. “Just remember, the magic I used to create you, I can certainly use to destroy you. On top of that, who took you from prison, fed you, and gave you strength. I mean nothing to you, and you mean nothing to me, so there’s little reason for either of us to betray, or feel betrayed. Have I lied to you?”
“I suppose not,” Jyshen had to agree. Already the memory of the pain was fading away, leaving behind a mix of strength and newness.
“Go on outside and have a stretch, get a feeling for the power you now possess. Then, come back and tell me that you really would want to pay my gift back with violent revenge,” Vynera said, her tone calm. She could easily turn the magic inside him into something much worse, but she would rather not throw away the investment of time and other resources. Jyshen eyed her suspiciously, but did take her advice, awkwardly moving his bulkier body outside of the little cabin.
While Jyshen was getting used to things, Vynera was preparing spells, just in case he didn’t like the changes after all. No matter how she looked at things, there was nothing she could truly do to prepare someone for such a change, nor could she ever guarantee that there would be no reprisal. Even if Jyshen proved to be a loyal servant, offensive spells were always good to keep in stock; Vynera’s intentions were far from peaceful, and she was certain to make enemies. She had no doubt that people would rise up to fight once again, even if the majority of them fled. But, she had a feeling there would be some differences this time. Since many of the other evil wizards had been weeded out, she wondered how many had been born in the meantime, and if any of them could stack up to her skills at this point.
It was several hours before she heard the sound of her door being opened again, and she made her way back to the main room. Jyshen seemed tired, but there was a gleam in his eyes that made Vynera believe it was a fruitful venture, even before he opened his mouth to speak.
“I could get used to this,” he said, the growl in his voice more pronounced now.
“I thought you might see matters that way.”
“Care to let me in on your plans yet?”
“I will, when I have the details sorted out. But, for now, how good is your history?”
“Decent enough.”
“Very well, you can fill me in on the history between the last sign of my magic and the present,” Vynera said. “While you are resting, we can talk; I’ll ask, and you’ll answer. When you are feeling up to it, you can go back outside and find your limitation, while I plan and prepare inside.” Although Vynera spoke in calm, measured tones, it was not a suggestion nor an invitation. With the furniture destroyed, Jyshen sat cross legged on the floor, far enough away from the wall that his new wings didn’t rub against it uncomfortably.
Over the next little while, Jyshen went over history as well as he could remember it. He was not of a scholarly disposition, and his education wasn’t high. So at first, his recollection was rather spotty and jumbled. But Vynera, reading between the lines, carefully directed the questioning to keep him on track, and slowly a picture of the past emerged through the bits and pieces of information. A lot of it was not important to her plans, but she wanted to know of the levels of technology and magic each country had, as well as the history of animosity between the two. As a clear picture formed, she felt she could use the information she gained.
“There’s a bed of sorts in the loft; you can use it to sleep in for now. I’ll get you more suitable quarters in due time,” Vynera said, effectively dismissing Jyshen. While he grumbled a little at her attitude, he didn’t fight her over it. Honestly, Jysen was intimidated by the sorceress, despite her smaller stature. The change in his body was real, perhaps the most real thing he had ever felt. And, strange as it was, he didn’t feel like it was no longer his. Instead, his mind seemed to reach and fill all corners of his new frame, and he soaked up the feeling of power it had. He might not look human any more, but it felt like a small price to pay. And Vynera could easily take that away; he believed this without reserve, and didn’t want to give her any reason to take back what she had given. The loft bed was mostly just straw, but at least he didn’t have to worry about breaking a proper frame or mattress.
Vynera didn’t bother to wait until Jysen was fully up the loft before heading back underground to continue her studies. By Jysen’s account, the war had ended with her. She had been the final contender, apart from Menym’s interference. She could have pushed through him and claimed dominance. It galled her that she hadn’t realized this, but she wouldn’t acknowledge that it was her youthful gratitude towards the man that stayed her hand in finishing him. She wouldn’t admit that she had seen only what she wanted to see. Still, that drive burned deep within her, it was what had filled her up when her fragile hopes had been taken away. However, without powerful wizards to combat her, she decided to take a different approach this time around. She needed a plan that could, after the initial set up, take care of itself with little interference.
The possibilities were many, and Vynera struggled to find exactly what she was looking for, something that suited her needs so perfectly that she didn’t feel the need to look further. Nothing snagged her mind, clicking into place, filling her with resolve. Instead she felt restless and impatient. Finally she grew weary of looking through books. She needed to find a source of inspiration elsewhere. Dragging her weary body to bed she tossed and turned until she found a comfortable position and went to sleep.
When she woke up, she was in a cold sweat. Although she couldn’t remember what she had seen in her sleep, she was aware of the sensations of a nightmare. Perhaps it was a side-effect of sleeping so long, or perhaps it was from using so much dark magic. But instead of feeling afraid, she felt elated. Inspired. Fear was what she needed. And, to sort that out, she had to find out the fear of the people and exploit it. She knew that the people of Solumina feared her, but they were also preparing for her. As for what the people of Ivelcour feared, she didn’t know that. Scrambling out of her bed, she clambered up the stairs to wake Jyshen.
She grilled him rather mercilessly, looking for things that people feared. Most of his answers weren’t terribly helpful, since a lot of them were quite mundane, and not the sort of threat that was generally created by magic. Loss of wealth or social status seemed rather petty, and it recalled back to Vynera’s mind the words that had set her down this path: an accusation of being the very same thing. Other problems were a little larger, such as drought, or thieves. While she could probably amass a gang of thieves, she didn’t think that was terrifying or large scale enough for her purposes. As for drought, she’d use that as a last ditch effort. She didn’t have a grudge against the land itself, and it could neither submit to her rule, nor fight against it. She had no desire to destroy the world, or even parts of it. The land was steady, rarely changing on its own. It couldn’t betray her or deceive her. People, on the other hand, were untrustworthy. She didn’t discount herself from that estimation.