Scales and Honor: Swirling Storm
Chapter 6
Ramakox sat in silence for a moment as he watched the Emerald Lady lick one of her forepaws carefully, her tongue tracing along her fine scales, making sure they were clean. Her tail flicked behind her casually as her eyes focused on him. He was surprised by her sudden shift to the topic of Jandar, it was like the past few hours of passionate mating had not happened at all.
“He is a void as it were.” She said sigh with a sigh, dropping her paw softly to the ground as she stared off behind him as if she could see something he could not. “It means that unlike most things in this world, Jandar lacks the connection to the magical energy that runs through every living thing. That is why no matter how much you teach him, the boy will be unable to cast magic.” She returned her gaze to him, her eyes softning for a moment.
“A void?” the name rolled of the tongue with a hint of confusion. “I have never heard of such a thing before.” He wrinkled his snout in irritation at his ignorance. He lightly tapped his tail against the stone. “Why is he a void? How did this happen?” he growled lightly, not liking the idea that his little adventurer idea might go up in smoke.
“Not surprising you have not heard of it. It is a very rare condition that can effect mortal and dragon alike.” She gave him an amused look as he asked the second line of questions. “There was nothing done to the boy Ramakox. It was how he was born, if you want to blame it on anyone blame it on his very creation.”
“So....” Ramamkox tapped one of his talons against his chin, mind swirling around for any ideas that might help. “Is there anything that can be done to cure him of this curse?” He imagined some sort of magical artifact that he would have to retrieve. Ah yes, a magical maguffin that I will need for Jandar, a grand adventure for a dragon such as I...
“It is not really a curse.” She replied quickly, raising one of her claws to inspect it casually. “ Him being void actually helps him at times. It would make him more resistant to magical spells. Even those that would harm him.”
“So is there a way to cure him of this voidness?” he asked, striding over to take a seat beside the Emerald Beauty. “You have not said if there is one.”
“Ever on point.” She chuckled deeply in her throat, looking down to him with a grin. “The spell is an old one that I learned ages ago while I mastered my craft.”
“How long ago was that?” he raised an eyebrow as he tilted his head to the side. He had always known she was far older than he was, but how much older he did not know. “If you do not mind me inquiring about that little bit of information.” He watched her the moment after the question left his snout. She at first did not say anything, simply staring at him intently with her tail flicking around him.
“A thousand years give or take now.” She replied flatly, looking casually away and holding her snout up. “This spell will require effort on your part of course.”
Effort? “What kind of effort?” he groaned softly with irritation. He knew spells that required payment existed, that one needed the right amount of coin,items, or even life essence to summon the magics required.
“Your essense will be required for the ritual....Your blood..Semen..things of this nature must be used.”
“Why me specifically?” he asked, feeling like a curious hatchling infront of the towering dragoness. “It seems rather convient that it would need to be me.”
“Ah...Ramakox..” She sighed, laughing to herself quietly. “It is true that the payment does not need to be from you. It could be from any dragon after all. Even I could provide the payment for the spellcraft. The spell will infuse the target with the blood of the powerful magical being that is used as payment.
“That is all?” he asked, his mood brightening. “You either need my blood or seed? I will gladly give you another sample if that is required.” he growled lustfully in the back of his throat.
“There...” She snappd her vision back to him, her eyes glowing a bright royal purple. “Is some risk involved with this spell, just like all the old spells like it.”
“What kind of risk?” he backed his head away until his neck was in the shape of an S. He then wrinkled his nose in disgust. He stretched out his limbs when she rose to all fours, and started to stride away from him. Her tail swished side to side before him, raising slightly to briefly flash him once more. Damn..I forgot how fond of me she was. He bounded after her without another thought, quickly closing the distance and taking postion beside her as they walked in tandem. “Now what kind of risks were involved?”
“It can have a wild and varied effect on the enchanted. It is different each time that the spell is cast. Some are apparent on the spells completion, some are revealed later in life....Honestly it would be easier to just transform the boy into a dragon.”
“Could you do that?” he asked as they passed below a large archway of dark green vines. He thought to Jandar transformed into a blue scaled wrymling, laughing and playfully darting around his limbs. But what of your plans? The voice in his head whispered to him as he focused on the little blue wrymlings snout, and his white spikes. What of the great tales spread by him in your name?
“In time perhaps..” She said with an emotionless tone. “I don't want to use the spell just on anyone. Only mortals that have proven themselves worthy should be turned into dragons. After all it takes just one dragon to make us all look bad, and have armies of dragon hunters sent at our gates.”
“So your saying that eventually you could turn him into a dragon.” He asked, watching her arch her head around with a smile.
“You are that fond of the boy? I thought he was a way for you to spread your word far across Drenedar and beyond?”
“There are multiple ways to do that.” He placed a hand to his chest, looking away as he heard her chuckle. “When can we start the ritual?”
“After we retrieve a sample from you.” she brushed his chin with the top of her tail, letting out a lust filled growl pass through her maw. “I will send word to my servants to collect the little ones.” She tapped a claw to her green scaled head. “I believe they are currently playing some sort of game called catch the human.”
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“Really?” he laughed, imagining Jandar sprinting for joy from the two scrambling wrymlings. Who had their maws open in happyness, as their claws dug up the earth below their paws. He followed her back to her chambers from before. There she collected another sample from him with her skillful claws and few licks from her tongue. He had gasped, and trembled in her grip, causing her to chuckle at him. She proved that she was a master at her craft, and had him practically begging and singing her praises to let him loose himself. When he had shot his essense into the air, she waved a claw, causing the white sticky globs to hover in mid air, suspended by soft purple magic. He watched them slowly hover towards her as his maleness retreated once more into it's fleshy resting place.
The Emerald Lady eyed the numerous hoving white globs, and with a flick of her tail they exploded into an amber light that danced around their heads. “Now...that's complete.” she chuckled, letting go of his maleness with a smirk. She settled down onto her haunches with her tail curled around her, resting on her paws. She unfurled her wings, and took a deep breath that rose her chest with a soft clink. She closed her eyes when her tail trembled, and thumped the ground softly. She extended her green forelimbs, and spread her claws wide. Her room seemed to shift around them. The collection of furniture, treasure, and other various things spun around them in a blur of multicolor.
Ramakox held his head as the twisting scene made him dizzy and stumble in place. He closed his eyes tightly, finding it helped with the dull throbing pain that now worked it's way into his skull. He shook his head lightly,finding it odd that despite the swirling nature of the room, he felt no movement on his scales. He found that with his eyes shut, the throbbing in his head faded away with each passing breath. When he finally opened his eyes he found they were back in the cauldron room with Cordenth, Lyyreth, and Jandar smiling. It seemed that Lyyreth and Jandar were chasing Cordenth around the room with a series of happy cries.
“Quick Jandar! Get him!” Lyyreth shouted as he and the human sprinted after the cackling Cordenth. The pair were closing the distance rather quickly, despite the wrymlings insistence to keep changing direction at the last second.
“You two will never-” the green dragon cried out in surprise as Jandar tackled him to the ground. He was about to squirm away from the struggling human, but Lyyreth pounced on the pinned dragon and helped the human hold down the wrymling.
“Gotcha!” Lyyreth shouted out with a smile.
“That's right, we win!” Jandar smugly smiled down to the wrymling, who had wrinkled his nose.
“Jandar.” Ramakox spoke loudly to get the boys attention. It occurred to him that he sounded like a concerned parent then anything else. His words caused the three giggling younglings to cease their playfully activities. They unwound themselves from one another and stood back upright before the blue dragon.
“Yes?” the boy asked, the green wrymlings settling onto their haunches on either side of him.
“We have a way to make it so that you can use magic.” he smiled warmly at the boy, anticipation building in his own chest.
“Really?” Jandar shouted out, his voice cracking as a smile spread to his face.
“Yes, yes.” he smirked, looking away from the jumping for joy human. Who had turned to the two young dragons.
“Didja hear that Cordenth..Lyyreth? I'm going to be a mage!”
“Yay!” Lyyreth nudged the human playfully, his tail wagging behind him. “Now we can cast spells together!”
“Then maybe you will be good at hide and go seek.” Cordenth smirked, turning his snout away as he resettled his small wings onto his back.
“That was unfair!” Jandar crossed his arms, and gave the wrymling a wrinkled brow. “You used invisibility! That was cheating!”
“No it was not!” Cordenth snapped his snout back to the human. “I just did what comes natural! Not my fault you can't!...Hey!” the dragon recoiled his snout as it was playfully smacked by Lyyreth. “That's it soft scales...Imma gonna-”
“Settle down little ones.” Emerald Lady bumped the two wrymlings with her larger snout, then gave them an affectionate lick across their snouts as the magic still danced around her claws. This seemed to work as the two green dragons broke apart from one another, with cute pleased rumbles.
“W-will it hurt? The spell I mean.” Jandar gulped,his eyes tracing the magical energy spinning around the dragoness' claws.
Ramakox looked up to Emerald Lady that towered over them all,her gaze shifting to his. They locked eyes for a brief moment, waiting for his answer. There will be risks. Her words snaked through his mind as he returned his own view to the patiently waiting boy. “The spell won't hurt at all.” he smiled, “No risks what so ever.” he lied through his teeth. There was no need to worry the child after all. “However...life itself is full of risks Jandar...How badly do you want to cast magic?” he watched the boy think it over for a moment, his foot tapping on the stone.
“I want it more then anything.” the child finally said with a large smile. Jandar turned to the towering dragoness and gave her a quick and polite bow. “Can you preform the spell for me please?”
Those were the words he was waiting to hear when he shifted his view to the Emerald Lady with a quick nod. “You heard the boy, he wants it more then anything.”
“You are most polite Jandar.” she let a pleased croon pass through her maw as she lowered her head closer towards the mortal. “I wish more mortals had your manners when dealing with me.” She offered him a genuine smile, before giving him a lick across his face just like the ones she had given her wrymlings. “I will of course preform the spell that you want...and when I am done” she quickly brought her snout back to her full height as the magic spread from her claws and turned into a vortex of purple, speeding around the room. “You will finally be able to cast magic...Well with practice anyway.” She fluttered her frills as she traced several white runes into the air that looked like jagged lines and dots.
“Ramakox.” she hissed softly in draconic. “Think to the boy, focus on him, let nothing else appear in your mind...Let your very soul spread forth into the child.”
Ramakox nodded and did as she asked. He closed his eyes and focused on the burning fire of magic within him. With his next breath he felt the warm sensation start to build within his chest. He held out one of his claws as he pictured the power flowing from that and into the boy. He opened his eyes when he felt the warm sensation start to do how he imagined it. There was a cerulean light of magic that flew from the dragon's claws and swirled around the amazed human. It circled him again and again,the magical light taking on the appearance of a flying dragon as it neared his head.
“Wow..” Jandar gasped as he followed the blue light with his eyes, watching it dance and fly with grace around him. “So...Warm!” he excalimed when in an instant, the blue light flew into his chest and enveloped the child in a soft cerulean glow. The magic then rippled over the boy's skin, causing it to sparkle for a moment or two. It then shot out his back to form the image of a large blue spectral dragon towering over him with it's wings wide. “I...can feel it!” the boy shouted out, his face practically a full smile. He closed his eyes and shivered when the dragon opened it's maw and descended onto the boy, fully encasing him in blue magic for several seconds before exploding and shinging a brilliant blue light through the room.
Ramakox shielded his eyes with a claw. Clenching his eyes shut from the near blinding light that had filled his vision. When he heard little gasps from the wrymlings he opened his eyes. Jandar was standing before them all, with a circle of blue runes at his feet in the shape of dragons. The boy was holding up his arm, with his hand cupped and holding a small orange-red flame within it. His eyes looked to Ramakox with pure joy.
“I CAN DO IT!” he shouted, turning his head towards the Emerald Lady. “I CAN DO IT!”
“That you can.” the dragoness said softly, returning to her fours and strutting around the gathering of dragons and mortal. “You have been given a great gift this day Jandar.” she lowered her snout and licked him once again. “Don't squander it little one.”
“I won't Emerald Lady.” he hugged her snout, causing the dragoness to flutter her frills in surprise. “Thank you SO much.”
Ramakox watched the conflicted look in her purple eyes when she looked to the boy and then to him. She closed her eyes for a moment and gave a long drawn out sigh. “You are most welcome Jandar, you will do great things.” She gently shook the boy off as she rose her head to stare at Ramakox. “The deed has been done. You may stay the rest of the week if you wish to help practice the boys growing magic.”
Ramakox nodded as he saw the wrymlings start to play with Jandar again, nudging and brushing against him. “I think we will take you up on that offer.” he bowered his head respectfully. “You have my dearest thanks.”
“Don't thank me yet.” she said gesturing to the hallways. “We will setup accomidations...The boy can...”
“Can he slumber with us mother!” Cordenth suddenly said as he turned with a smile.
“Oh yes can he?” Lyyreth added, “It will be like we have another brother!”
Emerald Lady gave her wrymlings an amused smile, clearly their cute eyes guiding her decision. “Yes..You and the boy can stay in our chambers for the week.” she nudged the pleased wrymlings. “How does that sound?”
“Fantastic!” Jandar exclaimed, clapping his hands together. Ramakox could see once again he was having trouble containing his excitement.
The dragon smiled as he watched the human hug the two little green wrymlings, who seemed to be just as excited as Jandar. The blue dragon looked to the Emerald Lady, catching her eyes once again, and causing a tremor of guilt to spread into his hide. He knew he had lied to the child about the danger, but look how it turned out. No matter the somewhat selfish decision of his, the boy had appeard better off for it. He will be able to use magic now.....Become an adventurer...spread my name far and wide.. He laughed as the young-lings started to tag one another again, bounding down the hallway with sounds of happiness. He will thank me the rest of his life for this moment. The blue dragon gave a pleased snort as Emerald Lady brushed his snout with her tail once again.
“Care to go for a flight within my forest?” she asked licking his snout. “There are plenty of things you did not see or experience on your last visit.”
“I would be glad to see anything that you are willing to share my flower lilly.” he nuzzled her snout with a pleased rumble, and followed the dragoness out of her palace into the vast domain she called her own.