Ok, I reply, no reason to postpone I guess. Together we secure each bandit to a separate tree. Although I think that Carnelia would prefer that they can at least defend themselves a little bit, I don’t want them to gang up on her. After we’re done, I sit down cross-legged just out of reach of the first one, find the stillness in my mind, and begin to chant.

Guardian of my heart.

Watcher on the walls keeping me safe.

Guide me through my fears.

To find what is hidden within.

Unchain Carnelia’s emotions,

and shelter my own.

So that I may return unharmed.

When Kalea recalls me to this world.

Or the fire of Carnelia’s anger has burned out.

The world darkens, and the next thing I know is a voice piercing the darkness, RED! Consciousness returns to me slowly, and with it comes the feeling of pain. My hands hurt like crazy. And once I have adjusted to the light, I see that my knuckles are covered in blood. In some places, the bone is even showing through. So I quickly start to channel my healing energy, as I take in the scene around me. Kalea is standing over one of the bandit’s bodies, using her healing spell. She looks at me and grins. That … was quite a show, she whistles. If you’re done with your hands, see if you can patch up those 2. Their wounds weren’t as critical, but I don’t think they’ll make it through the night without help.

I take a closer look and notice that only 1 of the bandits is conscious. Considering that he’s barely injured, I guess that Kalea already healed him earlier. I move towards the other 2 and start healing them as well. Amazed by the damage I appear to have dealt with just my bare hands. Once I’m sure they won’t die, I join Kalea for something to eat.

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So, exactly what happened, I ask Kalea. She frowns at me, you mean you don’t remember what happens when you switch? That sounds quite annoying. I eye her curiously. You mean that you make similar switches and do remember? I ask. She nods at me. Yeah, I was surprised to see you switch elements. I didn’t know demons had that ability as well. Pretty limited compared to my awesome draconic self if you don’t retain your memories though.

I look confused. I didn’t change elements, just summoned Carnelia’s emotions while suppressing my own. Oh, Kalea replies, so you can’t use fire spells while in that state? That sounds like a pretty useless ability then. Although it does make for a good show. I smile at her, that wasn’t about power. That was about allowing Carnelia’s emotions the opportunity to vent.

It did seem like a nice stress reliever, Kalea replies. Can I have a round too after you’re done with them? Sure, I tell her, if Carnelia’s wrath is burned up, they’re all yours as far as I’m concerned. As long as they don’t survive in the end, I don’t care what happens. Although they didn’t treat you that badly in comparison, I won’t stop you from getting your vengeance personally. Great, she exclaims. By the way, for your next rounds, you were quite verbose about what you wanted. Cursing at me for having them in chains and weakened. You wanted to truly fight them, to conquer them. A sentiment I greatly approve of.

Hmm, I consider it. These men are proficient fighters, so the risk will be quite high. However, Kalea is here as well to keep an eye out. I close my eyes and focus on my intuition. Asking if this truly is what Carnelia would have wanted. The answer is a very clear and solid yes. It’s almost like her memories are speaking to me directly. I smile, as I open my eyes and look at Kalea. Would you be willing to help protect my body if she fails the challenge? I want to give her the opportunity, but I would rather not die in the process.

Hmm, Kalea replies, it wouldn’t be a true challenge then, it wouldn’t truly be conquering them on your own. I think about that for a while. And what if she didn’t know that she had a safety net? I’m not asking you to protect her, I’m asking you to protect me. You don’t need to intervene unless she goes down. And I’m pretty sure I can hide that you might help out from her. Kalea considers my words and nods. I guess that is a reasonable alternative for weak frail humans. I find the way you refer to your primal state as a separate being quite confusing. But I can’t expect you to live up to proper dragon standards. Very well, I will do my best to preserve your life if you go down and subdue the challenged one.

Thank you, I say sincerely, your help means a lot to me.

Now, since she wants to truly fight them, I guess that I’ll need to feed them again and let them rest properly for the night. Carnelia won’t be satisfied if they aren’t in their best shape. And I want both of us to have access to all our magic in case of an emergency. So I get up and start making a stew again.