...but the reflection...

~

Just like that, I had a shaky, temporary, and highly volatile partnership. But I'm falling into a pattern befitting of the phrase: "curiosity killed the cat," so it was only fitting to continue on and see what my future held.

Either way she knew her way around these caverns and she knew of a potential way out. Those are both things I'm in desperate need of. So I suppose I'll compromise with the constant nagging.

"Why didn't you sleep, anyway," she scowled. "You some kind of creep? Fantasize preying on a barely-clothed woman in her sleep?"

I let out probably the millionth sigh since I've met her.

"I'm a demon. I don't need the sleep."

"That's... not how that works. But I'll give you bonus points for creativity, creep."

I clenched my fists. I literally got up and got us food!!

I found it harder and harder to argue with her because she just didn't seem to care. It was like when Violet and I used to get in arguments. She just... won. Women shit I guess.

In the end I just had to keep reminding myself that I needed her. Even though she's intriguing, I absolutely would take my blissful solitude over her. It's hard to press my ear to the ground and relax to the deep rumbles when my other ear is filled with scrutiny and hate.

Part of me wanted to really nag her about it and figure out what it was that scarred her so badly, but it really just wasn't worth it.

The lair wasn't far off, and we entered it, quietly, expecting company to be around any corner.

I drew my knife right away, and she took out her scrappy one. No I am not offering her mine. I say that because she was looking at it intently.

"It's mine. Get your own from the hoard or something."

"Where did you get that...?"

"Toys R Us. On clearance too."

She had only a confused look to give, but shook her head to say we'd have to save it for later. For now we waded through a blue-hazed, slightly carved tunnel that was a strange mix between natural and man-made.

Stalactites hung still in some places and the rigid edges of the rocky walls were noticeable in others, but then there were points that were smoothed or even flattened, bookshelves and rooms everywhere - even a kitchen and a fireplace.

It was cool and eerie on so many levels. This clearly has been a vacant little cave home for quite some time, yet in some ways it felt preserved, like how grandma's house is always old and squeaky but anything in it is dust-free and shiny.

There were lots of odd trinkets and devices. A crude telescope, even. There seemed to be a workstation - one with papers and artistic utensils everywhere. Parts of the lair seemed to accommodate humans while others dragons.

One thought that struck me was the sheer density, in a more general sense. I wandered this infinite labyrinth for only who knows how long, only to eventually stumble upon that underground city, and from there I've found all kinds of manmade stuff like the abandoned caverns and the mines and now this lair.

One room held two beds, one seeming like a blown-up dog bed, and the other a comfy human bed, the same size as Myu's. I felt like at any moment I'd see ghosts roaming through these halls; it was so surreal.

The woman herself seemed too preoccupied with her own amazements to even think about me being here, and we moved along to the true centerpiece of the lair: a massive, bookshelf-filled room with a decently-sized pile of coins, valuables, and a slumbering, ashen-colored and rather ugly dragon.

I can't say it was the hugest thing in the world, but a formidable beast nonetheless. At its feet slept a handful of boars that seemed demonic in a way. Were there demon animals too?

"Careful of them," the woman whispered in my ear, leaning close so as not to wake them. "And careful of the noise you make."

She seemed weary as though she had never seen something of their nature before.

We snuck along the shelves of books, taking maybe a step every ten seconds so as to make absolutely zero noise. I had at least a little bit of experience from my time stalking around in that research cavern, so I wasn't entirely out of my element.

Even though death and his pets slept beside me, I was really just having fun, feeling like a silent assassin as I crept through long halls of book-filled shelves. This was a library not to be sneered at, especially given its time and place.

The lady was on the other side, her form freely displaying not only her practice in stealth, but also her amazing figure. I'd pity her in a high school like where I came from.

I can't even begin to imagine how fearsome she'd be in proper gear and a good weapon.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

I also can't even begin to imagine how good I must look in my own stealthy crouch, hood up, red eyes, horns, tail, all the fixin's. When I glanced up, she was rolling her eyes and shaking her head like I was disappointing her. Sorry you don't have the eye for style like I do, miss.

She seemed ready to attack, and the dragon's head was perfectly bared for me. Its breathing was a deep rumble, fearsome, yet childishly comical. This powerful beast was soundly sleeping without a care in the world while its predator was soon to close in on its prey.

I felt my tail tense and my mouth water, thinking of how magnificent its heart must be - the taste of its blood and how filling it would be.

Wasting no more time, I lurched forward and ran at the beast, swiping my blade where its artery clearly was. It collided and I followed through, but it felt like dragging metal along stone. My knife would not pierce to save my life.

Literally.

Moments later, I heard a rageful shout from the woman as the ashen monster shook my ribcage with the loudest screech I've ever heard.

The boars woke, their eyes seeming to be flaming, as the dragon swooped its wings, fluttered backwards in this small space, and its neck began to glow red.

Oh of freaking course it breathes fire.

I dove to the side as one of the muscular hounds lurched at me, saliva-dripping fangs bared. It was kind of like fighting the white wolf, only these were out to kill, not eat.

"I'll kill you!" The woman screamed gutturally as she downright punched a boar lunging at her to the side. "How could you!!"

I was spending every ounce of my focus on the now two hounds simultaneously trying to end me, and couldn't reply. I blocked with my arm, tried punching one like she did, but it had far less rebound, and swung my knife, but they were far faster than I.

The best I could come up with was letting one bite into my arm so I could put my knife in it. It lurched with its fangs bared just as before, but I threw my arm in front of it and backed up. The first thing I was surprised by was the intense weight of the animal, but then the feeling. The pain.

The adrenaline.

As soon as it bit down, I about blacked out, like something in me snapped. I let out almost a guttural roar of my own, taking my knife and slowly, crudely, and barbarically removed the demonic boar's head from its body. The other went for its own attack, and by pure, unfiltered reflex, I swiped my tail from behind me, and turned around to see the other boar in half at its center, not having felt even the slightest resistance.

The lady had taken out three, and was giving me the death stare as another one came after her.

My attention was pulled away from her as the dragon opened its mouth, screeched, and let out a stream of crimson flame that was searing hot even after ducking behind a bookshelf several feet away from it.

I dashed across the gap between her hall and mine, and helped her finish off the boar.

"I'll deal with you later," she seethed, raising her hands up. She chanted out a rapid-fire set of ice and wind spells at a speed that would put even the best rappers to shame.

I didn't have any bigger weapons, but what I did have was raw, unfiltered adrenaline and a life-or-death need to end this dragon. So, the best thing I could come up with was picking up the hound's dead body (which at this moment weighed nothing) and whip it at the dragon with all my strength.

It collided with its thorax, and the winged demon looked at me, reared its wings back, and screamed at me, only then flipping around and whipping its massive tail right at me, sending me flipping through the air and landing on my head, which did NOT feel good. I'd hit my horns, which were connected to my skull. So I was left with a radiating pain across the entirety of my cranium, and now I was just pissed.

"Get down!" I heard my comrade shout, then felt something push at my side. She dove into me and threw us both to the ground, barely behind a bookshelf in time to evade another round of dragon's breath.

I stood while she already was firing a barrage of spells. By this point I could only wait for her to tell me what I should do because I'm out of ideas and I hate to admit it. But, her casts were slowing and moments later she was on the ground.

Just like that, she'd fainted and now I was left dashing beside her to make sure she was okay, because if she wasn't then I'm definitely screwed.

Her eyes were a little bit open.

"Hey sleeping beauty, now's not the time," I halfheartedly joked as the dragon charged another breath, moving towards us.

She reached out her knife, a cut on her wrist, and while her voice was weak, it carried the same determined strength. "Stab yourself. Right in the chest."

I frowned and blinked a couple times.

"Ok." I snatched the knife and drove it straight into my chest like it was nothing. If I die I get to blame it on her and I get to die, so I see win/win here.

That was a feeling that would definitely wake you up in the morning, but compared to my transformation, it wasn't bad. The pain seemed to dissipate quickly, anyways, as the room was filled with a blinding, pinkish light in an instant.

Before me stood the same woman, but she seemed much fresher, wearing a long, silky white dress, and glowing the same pinkish color.

"I guess I was right," she said, not so much in the usual angry scowl, but in a sheepish mumble as she looked away a little.

The glow around her faded to a reddish color and she looked me back in the eye, fiercely.

Every moment with her leaves me more and more confused. But it's interesting. Something new.

"What's all this?"

"I'll explain everything to you when we're done with this. Promise."

I'd never heard her sound so sincere. Whether it was the fact that we both could legitimately die here, or that maybe there's just a little heart in her, I couldn't tell you. She came closer and said, "hold out your hands."

So I held them out. She gives them a small touch, then I blinked and was right back in reality only moments after leaving it, now with hands which were in a blazing crimson magic flame, much more violent and untamed than then strange oozy type that Lasory showed me.

No, this was intended to kill. This was the dart you put in the tank to put down not just the bird, but Godzilla himself. The woman was standing next to me as though she'd never fainted.

"Imagine blasting it at the dragon," she commanded, the tiniest hint of pleasure seeping through her tone.

A surge of dark red flames bursted forth from my hands and assaulted the dragon. It squirmed and screeched while the cracks in its scales glowed orange and it tried to escape the powerful blast.

One single scale managed to chip just the smallest bit, which the woman used to charge at the beast at lightning speed and drive her little knife right up its neck. Just like that, we'd slain a dragon.

+ 10 points for being cool? That's not a sentence you hear every day.

~

[A/N]

Alright y'all. I'm finally unpacked and settled down. I have a few weeks before I'll be working or starting school so you can absolutely expect lots of chapters to make up for the big hiatus.

Definitely never doing that drive again. I had to pack all my stuff Christmas night, fit what I could in my car, and then drive for 2 and a half days and drag it all back out. Not even to mention unpacking. But it's ok, I'm living in a cold, dark, musty basement..... heaven. (it's actually a nice finished basement)

See you guys around.