The portal roared and whirled like a hurricane, spinning him round and round for what seemed like an eternity in the cold dark nothingness. It finally spat him out with a force that bruised his lungs. The ranger teetered and collapsed on the floor, panting trying to catch his breath with difficulty. The floor wobbled underneath him and Beorn felt all the contents of his stomach rise his gullet and come spewing out of his mouth. He retched up a stream of vomit and coughed hard after it finally ended. With no strength left in his body, he collapsed to the side on his back.

‘I am never doing that again. And you can’t make me.’

‘Are you planning on being stuck here? You have to take the portal back, you know?’

Beorn nearly cried at the thought of going through that again, his whole body shivered, ‘I’m never going through another portal after this one.’

‘I heard you get used to it, the more you travel through them.’

‘Never. Again.’

Wilhelmina brushed him off, ‘Very well. Stop dilly-dallying about and look around you. Tell me what you see.’

Beorn strained himself to get up off the floor and get as far away from his vomit as possible. What he saw stunned him. More spectacular than the sight of lava or the crystal pillar. It was a massive cavern with a domed roof. Fist-sized stones glowing yellow were placed along the walls illuminating the magnificent interior. The dome was held by bone-white pillars that tapered at the end, looking like the ribs of a giant creature. The smooth stone walls were decorated with images of dragons made from veins of gold running along the walls. They spiralled upward along the dome coming to a rest at the apex.

In the center of the cavern was a pedestal shaped like the arms and ending in the 5 claws of a dragon. It was very much like the one below Draigkyn manor but made from a dull grey metal that barely shone in the light with golden claws clutching an empty space, where Beorn presumed he would have to place the Dragonstone. Veins of shiny red metal pulsed with light along the dragon's arms, like blood flowing through veins, making the arm feel like it was alive.

Beorn's assumption was proven correct when Wilhelmina instructed him to place it on the claw after he described the place to her.

With trepidation, he removed the Dragonstone from his pack and slowly approached the pedestal. The pulses of light accelerated as he got closer. He placed the orb between the claws and panicked when the claws closed around his right hand, their points piercing his skin. Beorn tried to wrench his hand but it was stuck fast to the orb.

'Wilhelmina my hand is stuck!'

There was no answer.

The pulses of light accelerated in sync with his rapid heartbeat. They flowed along with the tips of the claws and into his skin. Beorn's eyes widened at the development, 'Mina! There's some kind of light going into my hands. Help!'

Wilhelmina sounded solemn as she answered him, 'Do not worry Beorn. This is a blessing, be patient, and accept our gift.'

'What gift?'

…

'Wilhelmina?!'

….

'Wilhel--' his thought was interrupted by the golden dragons suddenly peeling off from the wall. They turned into streams of light and flew in endless circles around him. Round and round they went, the glinting gold of the dragons turning into ribbons wrapping Beorn in a cocoon of gold. A strange thumping sound echoed through the cavern, like the beats of a drum, like the beats of a giant heart. Slow at first, and then quicker. Faster and faster it went, accelerating rapidly. Beorn found his heartbeat accelerating with the beat.

Then came the music, a deep haunting melody that seemed to echo within him, his blood seemed to thrum with the tune. It filled his mind and soul with sounds. Words of a forgotten language, Beorn recognized them but their meaning escaped him. He heard Wilhelmina sing the song, her freezing aura filling the space around him. Beorn found himself mouthing the words along with her, swept along by the inexorable cadence.

The deep pulse of music was so strong that it vibrated within his bones and made his skin tingle and the air shimmer. A dragon separated itself from the golden cocoon, appearing before Beorn.

At first, Beorn thought his eyes had deceived him, until the creature blinked, raised its wings, and clenched its talons. A crimson burst of flame erupted from the dragon’s maw as it climbed into the air above Beorn, where it hovered, flapping its wings. The dragon strained toward the dome and roared a deep untamed, unadulterated roar. Beorn found himself weeping as he looked upon the magnificent creature.

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It stopped and turned its gaze upon Beorn. As the dragon’s baleful eye fell upon him, Beorn knew that the dragon was no mere apparition but a memory of the past. Alive but not, existing in spirit, in memory. It peered into Beorn's eyes, engulfing him in an endless, whirling gaze. It studied his entire being. After an eternal moment, it was satisfied by what it saw and plunged into Beorn's right hand that still clutched the Dragonstone.

A spark flowed through his hand and Beorn went rigid as incandescent heat poured into his veins and traveled to his heart. His vision flashed crimson and gold, as the spark reached his heart. The scorching hot pain erupted from his heart and spread throughout his entire body. Beorn's mind could not handle the pain and so it shut down, letting Beorn fall into blessed unconsciousness to spare him the pain. Before the darkness grasped him a majestic voice echoed in his mind, 'Child of ancient blood, this is our gift to you. Let it aid you in the journey to fulfill your destiny.'

***

‘WAKE UP!’

Beorn's eyes shot open. He came to beside the dragon claw, which looked like it was on the verge of collapse. The whole cavern was on the verge of collapse. The walls no longer decorated with golden murals, had cracks running through them and the ground was shaking beneath him. The dome was on the verge of collapse with chunks of rock falling all around him.

'Quickly the space is imploding. You must go through the portal before it destabilizes completely.'

That awakened Beorn from his daze. He clutched the Dragonstone and shot up.

"What…"

Beorn found himself much higher than anticipated, he braced himself and landed on the ground barely feeling the impact. He felt amazed at the sense of well-being. He had never felt this good before. All the pain from his injuries had disappeared, it was as if the agony from earlier was only a memory. Before he could notice more, Wilhelmina's voice sounded once again radiating panic.

'Hurry!'

Beorn felt as if he could feel her emotions. If before he could only hear her voice as if it was muffled through a sheet of cloth, now he felt as if she was standing next to him.

'BEORN! INTO THE PORTAL'

Beorn shook himself, clutched the Dragonstone close to him, and took one last look around the cavern before jumping through the portal.

***

It felt even worse than before. The portal felt more violent, angry. It tossed him around and battered him like the winds during a thunderstorm. Beorn held the Dragonstone close to him and prayed. He felt sharp cuts on his skin as he curled in closer engulfing the orb with his body. He held onto it as his anchor as the portal persisted in its violence. After spending what felt like a lifetime in the cold abyss of the portal, he was spat out violently onto the stone platform.

Beorn skidded across the ground before crashing headfirst into the corpse of the basilisk. He heard the crystal pillar explode behind him. He rolled over the corpse and curled in underneath the corpse to shield himself from the debris.

Finally out of immediate danger, Beorn groaned and unclenched himself, lying spread-eagled on the ground. Apart from the slight pain from the numerous slashes on his body, he felt remarkable unhurt. No nausea, no pain from the various injuries he'd suffered fighting the basilisks. He looked at the Dragonstone in his hand, it seemed to hum with energy.

'Wilhelmina, what happened?'

He could feel Wilhelmina's concern mixed with a slight bit of hope?... As she answered him, 'You were bestowed with our blood… my people have suffered a calamity and they have blessed you in hopes that you can help us.'

...

Beorn went silent, pondering the implications of what Wilhelmina had just said before grinning,'I won't grow wings or a tail will I?'

The relief was palpable in Wilhelmina's voice, 'No, you won't. Though it would be an improvement in your case. You'll be faster, stronger, react faster, heal faster, tire slower, be more resistant to the elements, and your skin will be harder to pierce. You will also live far longer than any human even if you do not use essence.'

He stretched and nearly toppled over before regaining his balance. It looked like he would need time to adapt. He unsheathed his sword and went through a few forms before he felt comfortable with his newfound prowess. Beorn felt much stronger and faster but he was still unable to control it fully. He noticed the basilisk corpse and decided to test his strength. He slashed at it with full strength. His arm blurred and the blade cut deep into the scales, whereas before it had just skated across the hardened scales. His eyes lit up, 'That's a lot to take in but it seems to be good. And you mentioned something happened to the dragons…'

'Yes, I suspect it is the reason they are no longer found, the memory -- I was left with a message to aid you on your journey, it will help us...somehow…"

Beorn resheathed his sword and patted his thighs.

'Okay'

'Okay…?'

'Let's get moving. I need to get to the tower and find my brother. Then we head into the Wyrmfell Mountains and search for your clan.'

Wilhelmina was elated, 'Thank you Beorn. This princess is in your debt.'

'Oh. No more mentioning how you saved my life?'

Wilhelmina stayed silent. Beorn smiled at that and picked up his fallen pack and walked to the entrance and to the tunnel that led to the surface.

'I suppose this would be a good time to mention that it is a small miracle you survived the blessing? Good thing you had a hint of dragon's blood in you.'

'WHAT!!!'