I felt myself black out, however instead of falling unconscious I was awoken to a landscape that I would have never thought I could ever see even in my wildest fantasies. Standing atop a mountain that peers down at the landscape below I am at a plateau that makes up the peak while peering down at everything below myself like a ruler. My view consists of more mountains, though lesser than what I currently stand upon, the North and South appears to be a continuation of this mountain range with no end in sight. Looking East shows me a flat plain that appears to be cracked by rivers coming from the mountain range as they split up the landscape, when looking West there is a sea of trees with droplets of blue where a lake exists.
*Rumble*Rumble*Rumble
A sudden and violent earthquake send me sprawling on the ground, unable to rise I am forced on to my knees as the air becomes charged with static and the humidity rises. Clouds above me turn to a dark grey colour and swirl around, while streaks of lightning shoot from them and hit mountain tops at random while ignoring my own. The static charge in the air can be physically felt as a tingling sensation washes over my body, waiting to be released while I cower on my knees before the skies.
*Grrr*Rooaaawrrr
Loud sounds come from below my feet, causing the mountain to shake again but I am just barely able to hold on now that I am already so low that it makes being sent sprawling difficult. Shuffling over to the edge of the plateau shows me that at the base of the mountain there is a large circular hole with light pouring into it from above, when looking upwards another circular ring is made in the dark clouds allowing for the heavens, mortal plain and the underworld to be connected.
It is from below that a sudden gust of freezing wind catches my attention, staring back down at the hole I first see a serpentine head emerge, before the full creature flies out. The unknow being has a serpents head and body, with two pairs of wings along its body that are covered in shimmering feathers that go from the tip of its tail to the wings and head, only leaving the snout with scales. Gliding through the air without a single flap of its wings the red, blue and yellow feathered serpent stops in front of me at an eye level.
Serpent: “Mortal, thou dost stand afore Kukulkan”
At the mention of the name the skies begin to roil and the humidity increases drastically, luckily I am a lizard and therefore do not sweat, meanwhile the electric tingling all over my body now feels like light shocks as I fight the urge to keep my hands from jolting and fidgeting. Feeling a need to answer no matter my discomfort I try to appeal for help with my current situation.
Zutal: “My God, I wish to beseech of you to give me strength, for I have a tough enemy to fight.”
Kukulkan: “Dost not need solicit yours truly, for I am nought what used to be. Nameless thine pieces have become, Dragon God and Storm God, split from Kukulkan they haveth.”
My personal view of the world is made clearer, however I must still seek power in order to save those that still can.
Zutal: “I am at deaths door Kukulkan, I beg of you to show me the way out of my predicament.”
The serpentine creature stares for a while before leaning down, even closer than before at only a metre (3.3 foot) away with its golden scales in reach of my touch, however I refrain from moving and instead stare at its right eye before switching to the left. This moment lasts for a while as the snakes eyes look at me both outwardly and inwardly before coming to a conclusion.
Kukulkan: “Ye boast great constitution, so thee hast receive.”
Withing a split second the snake opens its mouth, fangs the length of Zutal pass him by as he is fully engulfed and then promptly swallowed.
Kukulkan: “Thee swallow mine and now I shalt correspond, taketh min doughty form, farewell ye.”
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The events of my mind have end and I am left with perfect vision once more, my constricted heart feels as free as a phoenix in the skies, and my thrumming chest feels as though it can shake the skies with its beat. I feel a distinct lack of ground beneath me as stare down below myself at Colberts execution, which seems to be halted as everyone including the general is staring up at me.
Feeling my body turn and twist causes me to realise that I am no longer bipedal, instead I have four sets of wings and a long slender body that is covered in a dense layer of grey feathers leaving my grey scaled snout exposed, my three horns atop my head are still there but have also grown large as has my entire body.
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20 metres (66 foot) long with a 10 metre (33 foot) wide wing span, while my nose horn now reaches 1 metre (3.3 foot) in length with the back two horns having grown to 2 metres (6.6 foot).
I am towering above these worms with my majestic for that seems to hover in the sky, the winds around myself so strong that no arrow could ever reach me.
General: “Well fuck, looks like I will be earning my pay today.”
Zutal: “This blatant disrespect shall not go unpunished.”
General: “Ah, shut up you flying chicken.”
The insults rile me up, as the wind around my form expands in order to fulfil my wishes of lifting the paladin off his feet and chucking him off the temple. The gale rises, without touching Colbert or Marie, it pushes armed men off their feet and to the floor like dominos.
Archers are sent into the sky as their lighter armour can not keep them flush against the ground, even as others around them try and grab at their ankles and hands the wind still proves too strong and only continues to pick up strength. The general is simply staring into my own eyes through his closed helm, without so much as leaning over and his weapon held firmly in his hand we continue to stare at one another.
Now the winds are all that those below can hear, screams for help are gone unnoticed as a hurricane forms within the confines of the underground space, while archers and full plate soldiers are lifted off the ground and thrown high into the air before coming back down around the temple with loud thuds. General of this little expedition still does not seem bothered as we continue to stare until our gazes are blocked by an unfortunate archer being lifted off the ground, the lack of awareness is all that the experienced man needs as while the archer is distracting me he holds his broad sword by the pommel behind his back with the tip pointing at me like a javelin.
When our gazes are finally back there is nought that I can do except stare wide eyed at a sword flying through the air at my head, its impact rattles my brain as it lands directly on my healed snout, piercing through the skull beneath and resting on my tongue with the sword being fully hilted within my mouth and the guard flush against my skin. Reeling back I can not stop but be enraged by this disgusting human being, as all the wind now focuses on the running coming off the temple.
Except for dropping down low to grab two single handed swords at 0.6 metres (2 foot), the general seems unstoppable as the running figure goes jumps off the temples edge without any fear, the wind whipping against armour to no noticeable impacts.
He flies through the air while I stare, eyes wide in disbelief and body unmoving from outrage, twin swords plunge into my underside through feather and scales with ease as the armoured figure holds on tightly to prevent me from bucking him off.
Coils roll over one another but the general acts like a tick, stuck and not wanting to be removed I have to take drastic measures.
‘Activate inspiration token’
The feeling of power courses through me, as my strength doubles along with the speed of my writhing body, colliding with the pest hitching a ride while I fly about the enclosed room still does not dislodge the swords or the man. Instead during a brief respite between my coils hitting him he pulls the right hand sword out and swings, before plunging it back into my body trying to inch closer to my head.
Realizing the losing situation I try to find anything that can help me, when I suddenly remember the thrumming in my chest, feeling it out I try to follow my instincts and bring it out of my mouth that’s pointed at the occasionally swinging metal man. Soon after the rising feeling I open my maw with swords length teeth separated I am able to spew out a fire whirl, unfortunately this causes little discomfort to both me and the moving figure of the general now a quarter of the way to my head.
‘I can not let him reach my neck, for he will sever it and I will be done for, so drastic times call for drastic measures.’
Feeling the heat in my chest I concentrate all of the power and aim upwards, a white flame engulfs the rooms ceiling as pieces of molten rock fall down on top of my form, however I ignore the trembling room and collapsing rock while focusing intently on the molten tunnel forming above me. Without a second though I charge through the lave while spewing out more flames, this creates a circular hole of flowing lave that coats me and the general.
Under all of this molten lava pushing down on me I find it hard to tell if the human is still climbing on top of me or if I was able to shake him off. It will all be clear once I reach the open air above ground.
Coming out to the sun at its peak warms me, the cold Autumn winds no longer bothering me as I have my own winds protecting me from the cold, however I do not enjoy freedom from the underground tunnels for long. After relaxing for a little bit I stare down at my body covered in Igneous rock along with a full covered lump right next to my neck.
I quickly wrap the tip of my feathered tail around the pest and pull, dragging bloodied swords out of my body and now holding the human covered in Igneous rock keeping his movements restricted. Without any air to circulate around his own body the lava cooled off on top of him allowing me to survive this encounter, and with me being the evil monster that I am I pulled back my tail while aiming at the horizon of Deep Woods. The obvious happened next as I flung away my problems to whatever unlucky monster happened to find the deranged human general.
Now with me above ground and with the ability to fly I could really go anywhere, however within the back of my mind there was a pull to a certain place within the world.
Did I even have a choice, going in my instincts direction was all that I had left now that the adventuring party I was a part of was so brutally murdered. I wanted to become stronger and come back for revenge against the Claret Confederacy for trying to wrong me.
‘Maybe I should make an army of dragons in a far away land, before returning to conquer and rule over the soft skinned humans. Maybe I will do just that after I find out where my mind wants me to go.’