The dragon wasn't big, which made sense, given how it chose the cave as its lair. It was slender and built more for speed than strength, which reminded Bartlett of a cheetah or a greyhound. It had a light gray with pinkish or purplish hue color for scales, making it very regal-looking, though it was not a common scale color for a dragon. The dragon's wings were folded neatly beside her. What awed Bartlett was the fact that the wings were translucent, almost like an insect's, albeit still looking like a flight membrane should be. Her claws were sharp, with Bartlett surmising that they would be sharp enough to penetrate armor. Her horns were like corals, and she was covered in blonde-colored mane. Her eyes were a pair of beautiful blue, reptilian eyes, staring at him softly. They reminded him of a pair of feminine eyes, which, supported by the dragon's size and its angular face, further indicated that the dragon was, indeed, a female.

He wondered if the dragon came from the Hoki empire, beyond the desert and the Jubari Nation. Her characteristics were similar to the dragons the Hoki had, but with a body of a Manarithian dragon. A cross-bred, perhaps. Whatever the case, the dragon was still a dragon, and that meant danger.

Bartlett tried not to make sudden moves; the dragon's eyes were trained on him. He knew the dragon could react much faster than he was. One wrong move, and he would end up the dragon's dinner.

The dragon did not move, nor was she reacting. She was just staring at him, sometimes moving her long, thick tail. She seemed to be checking on Bartlett, to see what move he would do.

After a long, uncomfortable silence, Bartlett said, "So. We finally meet, dragon."

The dragon growled, nodding as if understanding what Bartlett was saying.

"Heh. As I expected," said Bartlett with a hollow chuckle. "You understand human speech. I didn't expect you to be proper, though. You've been someone's mount, then?"

The dragon let out a growl Bartlett could tell that it was an annoyed, slightly insulted one. She even bared her fangs.

"Wait. Calm down. I didn't mean to insult you," said Bartlett, holding out his hands. The dragon seemed to calm herself down.

"Now. You know why I'm here, don't you? Despite what they want, I won't kill you. I have enough of that already. I'll just get what I need, and leave, okay? I won't touch any of your gold. I just need the princess."

The dragon kept silent.

"There are men out there who wants to kill you," said Bartlett. "I don't want to be seen as a Wyrithian sympathizer, but I need the gold. I don't need your head for it."

The dragon kept silent. Bartlett thought this indicated that she was unconvinced. With a disappointed sigh, Bartlett unsheathed his sword. It was shimmering with magical energy, causing it to shine brightly.

"I...I have a sword that can slay magical creatures," said Bartlett, unsure whether this act could convince the dragon at all. "I won't hesitate to plunge this into your heart. Tell me where the princess is and I won't be forced to slay you, dragon."

The dragon kept silent. Bartlett was out of options. He anticipated the dragon to be stubborn, but he wished she wouldn't. He could tell that she could easily kill him and the Wyrithians in one fell swoop. Bartlett could fight her, but what's the point?

Instead, what he got was equally or even more surprising.

"That's nothing more than light show. I am not a fool."

The voice came as a shock to Bartlett, as he did not expect the voice to come from the one being in that room that shouldn't even have that voice: the dragon herself. The voice was raspy, but feminine.

"Y-you?" asked Bartlett, stammering as he was trying to comprehend what happened. "You can talk?"

"Evidently," said the female dragon. "Dragons talk, don't they?"

"No, they don't," said Bartlett.

"Well, I do. Deal with it. You should put that sword away before you make a fool of yourself."

"O-okay. I get your point." Bartlett sheathed the sword awkwardly, still unable to believe that the dragon just talked. "B-but then tell me. Where is the princess?"

"Oh, I don't know. Got lost in the caves, screaming at the top of her lungs waiting for her knight in shining armor to come galloping to her rescue. I've read variations of that tale." She growled. "Not my taste."

"Your taste?! This isn't about your taste, dragon! What did you do to the princess?!"

"Ate her," said the dragon nonchalantly.

"Ate...?! O-oh no.... Am I too...?"

The dragon chuckled, before letting out a raspy laugh that made Bartlett confused. This was the first time he had ever heard a dragon laugh

"You should see your face, man! I never thought you'd fall for that!"

"Y-you...you didn't...eat her, then?"

"Of course not!" snapped the dragon with a growl. "What am I, a cannibal? You don't eat beast people, so why should I suddenly gain a taste for human flesh? I haven't lost my dignity yet!"

"Dignity? What are you talking about? And cannibal? You're a dragon! Eating a human doesn't sound like cannibalism from where I'm standing!"

The dragon let out an exasperated groan and said, "Oh, screw this! This has gone far enough! Should've just listened to myself when I said not everyone can get a hint! There is no princess in this cave, knight. It's just me. And no, I did not eat her, I did not leave her somewhere for you to find, and I certainly did not run with the princess as the hostage. I am the princess. I'm the one you're supposed to save and slay for your knightly contest or whatever bloody thing you're in!"

This did not shock Bartlett as much as finding out that the dragon could talk and have quite a sass on her. In fact, he did not believe the dragon, even one bit. His expression was enough for the dragon to know what he was thinking.

Stolen story; please report.

"You don't believe me," said the dragon.

"How can I?! I should've laughed at the situation, but I don't want to be killed after hearing the sickest joke I have ever heard!" said Bartlett.

"At least I'm being honest about it, whether you believe me or not. You wouldn't know what to believe if you don't know what truly transpired. They got you because you're a foreigner, aren't you? Let me tell you this, if you know dragons that much. Since when did dragons set up traps?"

"Uh...since never?"

"Exactly! It took me two bloody years to learn how to use these talons," said the dragon, flexing her talons. "Even I was surprised when I realized how good they are at grasping things. Turns out having opposable thumbs is a boon."

Bartlett did not answer. Instead, he pondered about the questions the dragon put forward. The dragon waited until Bartlett reached a conclusion. She, however, was impatient.

"You know what? Fine. You don't believe me. So let me tell you something important. Those Wyrithians who employed you wanted to kill me before we can even have any conversation. They might even kill you when you realized that no princess needs saving. From the looks of it, they need a dragon slayer, and they got one who's none the wiser."

Without warning, the dragon immediately snapped her head towards the opening of the cave and said, "And it looks like they found a way in."

"I can try and ask them about—"

"No, don't try and negotiate with them. You are a victim of deception, and I intend to straighten the facts." The dragon then said, "Get behind me and stay out of sight. Listen to what they say, and make your choice."

"Oh, Why can't anything be as straightforward as it is?"

"That won't make the story interesting. Stop complaining and get behind me. Now, man."

Bartlett was still unsure if the dragon was only toying with him or not. At this point, the humans were more believable than the dragon, even if the dragon claimed to be the abducted princess and could speak, which it shouldn't be able to. But either already having doubts of his human companions or he was motivated to know the truth, Bartlett simply agreed to what the dragon was asking him to do and hid behind her when he heard the soldiers' voice.

The soldiers seemed disheveled and disoriented, but when they found the dragon, they soon regained their composures. Bartlett was tempted to call them, but he started having second thoughts when one of the soldiers looked at the dragon and said, "Well, well. I never thought you'd be waiting for us instead of running again, princess. Tired of running?"

"To think you'd find a way to escape our grasp," said Nolan. "How did you do it, exactly? Cursing yourself into a dragon? Your high mage changing you out of desperation? Well, I doubt you can even say anything despite of understanding what we're saying. Too bad that man's not here. A shame, though. He was a good company if he wasn't so oblivious about it. Guess being promised a hefty reward for your head makes it easy for him to be convinced. Well, that Manarithian's dead now."

The dragon made a threatening move while growling. One of the soldiers mockingly move away, pretending to be scared.

"Whoa, there. A little eager to taste human flesh, eh, princess? I doubt you even want to stoop that low, or even capable of killing anything. You're just a spoiled princess who can't do anything right in your life. I doubt you have ever carry a sword before this. Come on, then. Try and burn us with your almighty flame. Oh, right. You can't. Not with that collar around your neck, eh, princess?"

"Wait, Hirsch. Be careful," warned Nolan. "Even if she can't breathe fire, she's still a dragon."

"Who cares?" said Hirsch with a shrug. "I bet she doesn't even know what to do with those claws of hers. Being a princess is one thing, but to stoop so low to become an animal? She doesn't have the guts to."

"Hirsch, stand down," said Nolan. "A dragon is still dangerous, even if she's a bloody princess!"

"That's the thing, see? She's just a princess with the body of a dragon! And if that bloody Manarithian's right, then she understands everything we said and is mocking us silently! Even after we took everything from her, she dared to turn herself into a dragon! Just how insulting is--"

Hirsch's grievances were cut short when the dragon snatched him with her talon. Hirsch's arrogant attitude turned to fear when he realized that he was within the dragon's grasp.

"He's right, you know," said the dragon with a growl. "I'm still a dragon, spoiled princess or not. Besides, do you want to know what a spoiled princess do to their precious dolls?"

The dragon grabbed the smaller human's head with her other talon and pulled, glaring at him as she did so. Hirsch screamed in agony as his head was slowly being ripped out of his neck. Then, with a roar, the dragon ripped out his head and his spine like a person would a doll, spraying blood all over her draconic face. True to what she claimed the human to be, she threw the headless body away, not breaking sight with the intruders. She bared her teeth and let out a deep, guttural growl. Her monstrous appearance and act terrified the soldiers.

"By Vyrnius, she talks?!" exclaimed one of the soldiers.

An unfazed Nolan prepared his spell. The dark, swirling energy alerted Bartlett. He was attempting to cast a dark magick spell. This convinced Bartlett that something sinister was going on. He sprang out of his cover and immediately cast a counter spell, which interrupted Nolan's spellcasting. Nolan was surprised by the man's appearance.

"Evans?!" he exclaimed. "I thought you--"

He did not get to finish his words. Henrietta's bared claws, each as sharp as a razor, tore Nolan's throat. A chunk of flesh was ripped off, and along with it, a spray of blood that further caked the dragon's scales. He let out a gurgling sound, but Nolan was already dead where he was standing. All that's left for his lifeless body was to fall to the stony floors of the cave when his muscles failed and gravity took over.

The other members of the party lost their will to fight and began turning around to run from the murderous dragon. She was not going to let them get away.

"Kill them before they report to their master!" exclaimed the dragon.

Bartlett was still confused by the situation, and was also bewildered by the dragon's brutality. The dragon did not care. She jumped and pounced one of the soldiers. Despite him pleading for his life, the dragon bit his neck and bit down hard, blood gushing out of his artery. She twisted her neck, breaking his neck, as a predator would do to its prey. There was a loud crack, followed by abrupt silence and the soldier's body limping. It stayed in her maws before it fell out by itself. The other soldier, overcame by fear, fell as his knees buckled. He couldn't muster enough strength to stand and run. A perfect prey for a blood-caked dragon.

"No!" he pleaded. "No, no! Get away! Vyrnius save me!"

"There is no god in this cave," said the dragon, her voice coarse. "Only me."

The dragon promptly bit his leg, causing him to scream in both pain and terror. Then, utilizing body strength, she whipped her head and smashed the soldier to the wall. His armor crumpled, unable to withstand such force. Yet, he was still alive, undoubtedly thanks to the armor. However, it was over for him. His spine was broken, crippling him. The pain was unbearable.

And in his field of view, there was the dragon, caked with blood of her victims, approaching him. Undoubtedly aware that he was still alive. At this point, he wished for her to just kill him, but in his mind, he feared that she was going to toy with him.

His last thought was a vain attempt to ask for his dark god to curse the princess who shouldn't be alive in the first place. Why did she turn into a dragon and make things worse for them?

He wouldn't get the answer to his question as she raised her fore leg and slammed it down to the ground with all her might.

Bartlett could only watch, keeping his brandished sword out as the dragon, satisfied with crushing the man's skull, turned to him. Her visage was monstrous, and her act alone made Bartlett realize that this was no mere dragon.

This was a monster born out of a vengeance-drive desire. A very human thing to do. Dragons would not rip someone's head off like a doll. This was the act of a sapient creature.

In a twisted way, this convinced Bartlett that she was truly a human cursed into a dragon. And she was coming for him not out of instinct, but to tie up loose ends.

Yet, she did not attack. Instead, she spitted out the blood in her maws.

"I have no qualms against you," said the dragon. "Put your sword and shield away. Unless you want to join them."

Unlike these Wyrithian soldiers, he might stand a chance against this dragon, who used the shock of learning that she could talk to dominate the fight. He was an experienced warrior, one that had seen atrocities beyond what this dragon just did.

But 'might stand a chance' was not good enough. If he dies, all of it was for nothing.

With this in mind, he sheathed his sword, and put his shield on his back. The dragon let out a growl of approval.

"Smart man," she said.