Lucinda spent several terrifying seconds cartwheeling through the air, before righting herself with the help of her feline instincts. Unfortunately, that also forced her to observe just how far off the ground she was, and just how quickly she was descending towards it. The collision that had knocked her off the mountaintop had done little damage to her, but she was sure her inevitable collision with the ground below would soon change that.

This is bad… Really bad! Oh, why couldn't I have access to flying forms?

A sudden loud noise from nearby brought a familiar fear back to the forefront of her mind, and that fear was then confirmed as a large taloned foot wrapped around her body. Her plummeting descent halted in an instant, yet her concerns for her wellbeing didn’t abate.

Unpleasant thoughts of becoming a light snack for the monstrous beast that held her filled her mind, as she was carried up and away from the mountain she’d so recently scaled. As tightly held as she was, movement was impossible, though Lucinda knew she could achieve little even if it had been.

Either way, I’m probably dead…

With little in the way of options, Lucinda focussed her mind on the large creature above her, in a last-ditch attempt to escape the fate she expected to suffer. Deciding calmness was unlikely to accomplish much, she attempted more complicated projections, including friendship, selflessness, and even pity. She maintained her efforts as she was carried through the sky, whilst silently praying for a positive outcome.

Unable to see much of anything thanks to the claw that had closed around her, Lucinda mewed in fright as she was suddenly released without warning. Thankfully, her cat reflexes once again came to her aid, and she landed safely on a stone floor after only a brief drop.

Glancing around at her surroundings, Lucinda saw she was in a large icy cave. However, the lingering threat of the creature that had released her demanded her attention. Spinning around, she caught sight of the large taloned foot that had so recently held her, and from there, her gaze travelled upwards. The creature’s body was immense, with pale blue scales decorating its exterior, while a lighter shade ran along its underside. It had four distressingly thick legs, and an equally large tail, as well as two wings that were just visible on either side of its body. Of course, those details were just distractions from the clearly draconic face that rested atop a scaly neck, and was staring down at Lucinda with a pair of deep blue eyes.

Please don’t eat me!

Lucinda involuntarily shrunk into the ground as the fearsome beast gazed upon her.

“Greetings, young one,” the dragon said in a deep booming voice that startled Lucinda quite severely.

…It can talk!?

As stunned as she was by the series of events she had just experienced, Lucinda made no move to respond.

“I believe there is a very fitting human phrase for this situation: Has the cat got your tongue?”

Shaking herself out of her fear-filled stupor, Lucinda shifted back into human form. The size of the dragon hardly changed as she did, and still towered above her, even as she regained her two-legged stance.

“It’s… an honour to meet you,” Lucinda stammered, as she conducted a clumsy curtsy.

“An honour, indeed,” the dragon rumbled. “Imagine my surprise when I saw a small furry critter scaling one of my mountains.”

“Your… mountains?” Lucinda asked.

“Quite so. And then my further surprise, when that small critter turned out to be a human. The most peculiar turn of events I have witnessed in some time.”

“…Are you going to eat me?”

The dragon’s forked tongue snaked out of its mouth and ran over its scaled maw, before retreating back inside.

“I was planning to.”

No!

“Wait, please! Don’t! Isn’t there something I can do? Something I can offer you?” Lucinda begged, in a near panic.

Her heart thumped in her chest, as the scaly mouth of the beast transitioned into a reptilian smile.

“I was planning to,” the dragon reiterated. “Fortunately for you, I have changed my mind. There is a familiar scent about you. One that I find most intriguing.”

“Umm, thanks?” Lucinda replied, having little clue as to how she should properly respond to such a comment, and being too consumed with relief at her change in fate to spend much time considering it.

“Tell me of your self, human. From whence do you hail? And by what name are you known?”

“… I’m Lucinda. I’m from Kloip.”

“Kloip, you say? That is not a place I recognise. Whereabouts is it located?”

“It’s a small town… A few days travel mostly south-west, in the Kingdom of Prilemia.”

A sudden shift in the dragon’s posture brought Lucinda’s pulse right back to the rapid pace it had only just recovered from. However, the beast’s movements only served to bring it into a prone position, where it laid its head upon its forelegs, and continued to gaze upon her. Even with the mighty beast lying down, Lucinda felt not unlike a rabbit sitting before a bear.

Relaxing somewhat as she realised she was probably still safe, Lucinda was drawn to the impressive scaly hide of the large creature before her. The blue scales were a very attractive colour, and glimmered whenever the light caught them.

“Curious,” the dragon said, breaking the brief silence that had risen up between them.

“You’re not… Umm… Planning on keeping me here are you?” Lucinda asked tentatively.

“Tired of my presence already are you, Lucinda the human?”

“Ah, sorry! I didn’t mean it like that… I just thought… When you said I smelt intriguing…” Lucinda’s voice trailed off as her cheeks heated up.

A deep rumbling noise boiled forth from within the dragon’s interior, and it took Lucinda a moment to identify it as laughter.

Lucinda realised how silly her reasoning sounded almost as soon as she’d voiced it, and was only further made aware of it as the dragon boomed out its laughter, but one of the few things she knew about dragons was that they possessed the ability to change their form, much like she could, meaning it was within the realm of possible outcomes. Or so she’d thought.

“While it is true that the females of my kind within the neighbouring areas consist of only a single foul-tempered hag, I have not as of yet stooped to the level of taking a human concubine, and nor do I have any intention of doing so.”

“Right, sorry…”

“You are young for your kind, are you not?”

“Yes, I had my eighteenth birthday just under two weeks ago.”

“Eighteen years old. How quaint! What brought you to my domain? And compelled you to scale one of my mountains?”

“Oh, I was looking for an animal companion. A large bird of prey. But, it was a lot of fun too… Umm, mostly.” Feeling less troubled as the dragon continued to show no signs of hostility, Lucinda began more freely expressing herself. “The getting knocked off the mountain part was pretty scary, and then I thought I was going to be eaten… But, now I’m talking to a dragon!”

“That you are,” the dragon agreed, with another draconic smile. “Are you in a hurry to return to your quest?”

“Umm, not really? Have you changed your mind about keeping me here?”

“No, but I am keen to detain you for a time. Provided you are willing to detail the events of your life for me.”

“You want to hear about my life?” Lucinda asked in surprise. “All of it?”

“Indeed, or a summarised version at least. I may even see fit to reward you, if your tale pleases me.”

Wow… Is he serious? A reward from a dragon…!?

“If that’s what you want… Where should I start?”

“From the beginning, naturally. Or, failing that, as far back as you can recall.”

Lucinda began recounting her short life in detail as asked. The dragon listened attentively throughout, while providing polite instructions for further elaboration, or greater summarisation. While speaking, Lucinda tried her best to dedicate some time towards considering what the dragon might be after, but with her limited knowledge of the creature and its kind in general, she made little headway in that regard.

While initially, she imagined the retelling would be over with before long, she was quite surprised to find herself still talking of her past several hours later. But, when she did finally run out of things to bring up, Lucinda was left feeling slightly ill at ease, largely due to her recollection bringing up some of the least pleasant of her recent memories.

“Thank you, Lucinda. You have satisfied my curiosity most agreeably.”

“You’re welcome,” Lucinda replied with a smile on her lips, having grown more accustomed to the dragon during her storytelling. “…Have I earned a reward?”

“Indeed you have. I shall offer you a tale from my own past. Are you familiar with the place known as Relocamia?”

“The capital of Prilemia? I’ve never been there, but I know where it is.”

“That will suffice. My tale begins many, many years ago. Two great human armies joined on the field of battle, near to your capital of Prilemia. For a sizeable sum of riches, I deigned to lend assistance to one of those sides.”

“You fought in a war in Prilemia?”

“Indeed I did. An opportunity to feast upon as much man flesh as I desired, and receive gold while doing so, was too enticing to decline for my younger self. Thus, I too joined the conflict. However, unbeknownst to myself, or the humans that had enlisted my aid, the opposition had likewise recruited a dragon.”

Why didn’t I learn about this in school!? Was it too long ago?

“She was a potent red, of comparable might to my own, and her presence was sufficient to shift the balance of power towards a more equal standing. As the battle commenced, we both chose to avoid each other, instead, supping upon the sea of feeble human combatants. Yet, as the conflict continued, we were inevitably forced into a confrontation. Our engagement was fierce, causing considerable damage to the surrounding area, and even the human settlement itself. For hours, we fought, even as the humans continued to war around us. But, by the time we were finished, scant few of your kind remained to bear witness.”

“…Did you win?”

“Neither I or my opponent claimed victory that day. Rather, we chose to cease hostilities once it became clear neither human army was capable of continuing. We did not depart as enemies.”

“Wow, I can’t believe I’ve never heard of that… Thank you for telling me! But… how long ago was it?”

“That, I shall leave for you to discover,” the dragon replied with the all too familiar smile upon its mouth. “If you are able.”

Ah… I wonder if Waflaw knows about it? Or Saseligan?

“Now, I believe it is about time for you to return to your quest.”

“Oh, sure. Umm, thanks for inviting me here… and not eating me!”

“Think nothing of it. Your company has been pleasant enough, as far as human company goes.”

“Ah… I don’t suppose you’d like to become my animal companion, would you?” Lucinda asked, unable to resist asking the question she hoped would amuse her host.

Despite her decision, Lucinda experienced a brief moment of terror, before the dragon dispelled it with another rumbling laugh.

“Perhaps it is you who should become my animal companion?” he countered, causing Lucinda to giggle quietly as she considered the strange notion.

“I don’t think I’d be of much use to you. But, maybe if you let me travel around on your back as you fly, it might not be so bad… Umm, I guess I’ll be going then.”

The opening to the cave was just visible past the enormous bulk of the dragon before her, though she could see little through it other than air. Offering another curtsy to the blue scaled creature, Lucinda made to move towards the exit.

“A moment, Lucinda,” the dragon called out, halting her after only a single step. “I have a further reward for you.”

“Oh, okay?”

“Place a hand against my snout.”

Lucinda paused briefly, before walking over to the dragon’s large head. Despite her increased familiarity with the beast, she felt a resurgence of discomfort as she drew closer to the mouth that was more than large enough to swallow her whole. Trying to hide her nervousness, and only partially succeeding, she reached out and placed one hand upon the creature’s scaled snout.

Ah… So cold!

The icy chill of the dragon’s scales was almost enough for her to pull her hand away, but she suppressed the urge, and then forgot about it entirely as a notification appeared before her eyes.

Shapeshifts Name Base Attributes Attribute Bonuses Base Level Rank Bonuses STR AGI END STR AGI END Dragonling 28 28 28 1.2 1.2 1.2 7 1 Frost Breath Frost Breath (Dragonling)

Breathe a small cone of ice that damages and weakens all caught within.

Effect scales with Base Level and Intelligence

Cost: 50% Base Mana. Cooldown: 1 Day

“Oh! But… how is that possible?” she exclaimed.

“Few things are impossible for we dragons,” the dragon replied, his mouth curling up into another smile.

“But, you’re not a dragonling! And can’t they fly? I don’t even have that unlocked yet! I don’t even know when I will unlock it!”

The dragon made no reply as he continued to stare at Lucinda with his deep blue eyes, and the same smile affixed upon his face.

“…Can I try it out?” she asked.

“By all means, do.”

Shapeshift: Dragonling!

Lucinda was quite used to sprouting hair while shifting, but it was her first time growing scales. The sensation was peculiar, with her skin hardening noticeably, and then fracturing, while what little hair she had upon her body disappeared entirely. The transition from two legs to four was not new, and neither was the addition of a tail. However, the two appendages that burst out of her back from just under where her shoulder blades had been, undeniably were.

Wings! I’ve got wings!

“A perfectly healthy youngling if ever I’ve seen one. See for yourself, why don’t you.”

At the dragon’s words, a sheet of ice coalesced out of thin air before him, forming a perfectly reflective surface for Lucinda to admire herself in.

Oh, wow! I’m a mini dragon!

A quick look in the icy mirror was all it took to confirm her suspicions. Her appearance was comparable to the large creature in almost every way. The same scaly hide, with its mixture of pale blue and lighter coloured scales, that even glimmered similarly; the same taloned feet, with three claws on her back legs, and three plus a thumb-like extra on her forelegs; and the same wings, with the hardened upper section, and thinner membrane-like area underneath. However, there were still a number of differences other than the massive disparity in their respective sizes. For starters, the large dragon had a great number of spiky protrusions sticking out from its body, including along its tail and spine, atop its head, and even underneath its wings, whereas Lucinda had none whatsoever. Another obvious difference was the ratio between body size and wingspan, that left Lucinda slightly concerned.

Tapping into her borrowed instincts, Lucinda flapped a pair of wings for the first time in her life. It was an incredible experience, that had her heart fluttering with excitement even at the first flap. Yet, as she increased the speed of her wing beats, her body remained stubbornly upon the floor.

It’s not working…?

Lucinda forced her dragonling form to work harder to achieve her new desire, bringing the pace of her flapping wings to as a rapid a rate as she could manage. But, still, her efforts achieved little, at least other than causing the large dragon watching her to begin laughing as her expense.

“I can’t fly, can I?” Lucinda asked.

“Indeed, you cannot,” the dragon replied. “Dragonlings are not yet developed to the point where their wings can carry them through the skies. The best you might accomplish is to slow your descent, were you to find yourself in need of doing so.”

“Wait…I can speak?”

“Naturally. Though, neither you nor I are speaking in the human tongue at this moment.”

What? But…

“I can speak dragon!?” Lucinda asked, as astonishment flooded her mind.

“Draconic is the proper term. But, is that truly unexpected?”

“…I guess not. Ah, this is incredible. Even if I do look more cute than deadly. Thank you… Umm…”

“Deihg’Bruagar. Though, I suppose you may call me Deihg.”

“I’m honoured to receive this gift. Thank you so much, Deihg!”

“Again, think nothing of it.”

“Then, I’ll be going. Thank you, Deihg. I, umm, hope we meet again, as long as you promise not to change your mind about eating me.”

“Goodbye, Lucinda. Be wary of venturing into unknown lands in the future, you never know what you may find within.”

“I will… Bye!”

With a last smile of her own at the immense creature, Lucinda hurried over to the cave opening. Scurrying along on all fours, it took her a while to cover the significant distance to reach it, but as she did, she was met with another impressive view of the surrounding lands. Yet, almost immediately she realised just how much higher up in the mountains she was, thanks to the sparse cloud coverage visible further down the snow-covered slopes beneath her.

Here goes…

Kicking off with her back legs, Lucinda pushed off from the lip of the dragon’s cave and into the cool mountain air. She experienced a few moments of panic as her body plummeted downwards. But, she managed to bring her wings to bear before long, reducing her descent by a noticeable degree, and giving her the chance to properly appreciate the position she was in.

I’m flying! Well, almost…

Further efforts with her not quite sufficient wings, revealed that she could adjust her direction somewhat as she continued to fall, and with that realisation, Lucinda began more carefully examining the ground below. Even through the sporadic clouds she was rapidly approaching, it didn’t take her long to find the forest she had visited earlier, as the sheer size of the place was far beyond what she had imagined, stretching far away from her to the east along the mountain range.

However, as she regained her bearings, it became clear that she was in fact west of the pass that led through the mountains, meaning she needed to direct herself a fair distance to return to where she had been before she’d been scooped up by Deihg. Thankfully, with her limited gliding capabilities, Lucinda was confident her wings could bring her to where she needed to be without too much difficulty.

With her course set, Lucinda felt safe paying more attention to the nearer scenery. The mountain the large dragon lived within, was clearly the tallest of the bunch, and stretched even higher up than where she’d emerged from. She was also able to see a number of likely locations for her to investigate as part of her continuing quest. Unfortunately, upon breaching the cloud cover, Lucinda could no longer ignore the gradual disappearance of daylight. Altering her course, she settled upon an uninteresting patch of snowy ground, that was still a fair distance above the plateau she’d been heading towards.

A spell of gliding later, she arrived, landing heavily upon the snow-covered slope. There really was little in the way of anything nearby, other than upwards and downwards slants of mountainous terrain. But, there was one discovery she made, and it was helped along by how deeply into the snow she’d sunk.

It’s not cold at all… I’m almost up to my neck in the stuff and I feel fine… This will come in handy, I’m sure! Still, I should probably dig myself a proper hole to sleep in.

Climbing out of the snow she’d fallen in, Lucinda shifted back to human form, and then transitioned into her badger shape. The coldness of the snow assaulted her almost immediately, but it wasn’t as bad as she’d expected, at least as a badger.

Almost as soon as she began digging, Lucinda was notified of a rank increase for her badger shapeshift, and after just a few minutes more she’d finished a nicely sized cave that was tucked away deep inside the snowy terrain. After a short meal in human form inside her temporary home, Lucinda eventually drifted off to sleep as a badger, with continued thoughts of battle waging dragons following along with her.

The following day, Lucinda set off in search of more birds almost as soon as the first rays of sunlight touched down upon the land. Her eagerness to find an animal companion had only increased overnight, something she’d previously believed to be almost impossible.

Having met what she was sure was the most dangerous creature within the area, Lucinda was far more confident travelling through the mountains as a result, though she wasn’t reckless. Using a combination of her goat and dragonling forms, she scaled and then glided between sections of the regions, until her explorations brought her to a peak that wasn’t much higher than the plateau from the day before.

Naturally, she didn’t choose to visit the peak on a whim, but instead was drawn there by sightings of the large birds that nested upon its sides. With the landscape of the area being only a few degrees shy of vertical, the nests of the birds were tucked into small crevices and nooks, rather than strewn about across a wide flatter area. As a result, there were considerably less of them for Lucinda to examine, and it was considerably more difficult for her to examine them up close.

However, climbing to within a reasonable distance of two such nests, Lucinda was able to ascertain all the information she needed on the second species of large birds of prey she had encountered, and her findings were disappointing to say the least.

The other birds were okay looking… But, these ones are hideous! I almost feel bad saying it… There’s no denying it though… They’re almost creepy.

The birds she was so critically judging, were covered in black plumage all over, except for some white feathers under their wings, and a complete lack on their feet and heads. While that fact only made them seem a bit dull, it was their heads that Lucinda had taken a strong dislike to, as the wrinkly, fleshy skin they possessed was in her opinion, completely unacceptable. Another issue she had, was to do with her determination to pick a female animal to be her companion, as the females of the particular species she was examining, were noticeably smaller than the males, which hadn’t been true for the other type she’d found the day before.

All in all, Lucinda was thoroughly disheartened by the discovery, and didn’t even linger long enough to introduce herself to any of the dark feathered birds. With no other birds of prey in sight, Lucinda reluctantly returned to the plateau that was home to the slightly more appealing species.

Despite the unique method of mountain traversal provided by her forms, the time it took to get around was still significant, and after having visited the nesting site of the unsavoury species, and then returned to the plateau, Lucinda was deeply regretting having skipped breakfast. As such, she decided to sup upon her diminished supply of foodstuffs almost as soon as she shifted out of goat form atop the not quite flat mountaintop. However, a sudden thought occurred to her almost as soon as she’d opened her pack.

The box! I must have dropped it when I was trying to escape from Deihg. Not that I value a gift from Nassach that much… But, it is useful, and probably valuable.

A quick glance around the plateau revealed the box was nowhere to be seen, though the uneven terrain made a full search difficult from where she stood. Deciding to investigate further once she was done eating, Lucinda sat down once more. Then, as she nibbled on her lunch, she reconsidered her opinion of the birds nestled nearby.

They look a lot more attractive now that I’ve seen that other sort… Still not anything special though. I could always try somewhere else… But, how long might that take? I’ve been looking forward to this for so long, can I really face waiting even more?

Ah, Waflaw won’t expect me back for another three days or so. I might as well get to know one of them a bit… It can’t hurt. Best look for the box first though.

Finishing her meal, Lucinda began weaving through the dips that housed the bird nests. Her presence didn’t go down too well, especially with how close to some of them she was forced to step. But, as she peeked within the last of them, she had still not found Nassach’s gift. Not willing to give up so easily, even with how hopeless her search seemed, Lucinda circled around the edge of the plateau, with the idea that she might find it on a hidden ledge not too far from the top she stood upon.

Starting from the side where she’d initially climbed up, Lucinda made it to almost the opposite edge when her eyes caught sight of something. A large bird of prey had its beak placed against the ground, a fair distance down the mountainside, and was clearly pre-occupied with something. Lucinda perked up at the sight, and then felt her excitement mount rapidly, as she realised the bird was different from the two types she’d seen so far.

Shifting to dragonling form, Lucinda pushed off from the edge of the mountaintop, and directed her descent towards the distant creature without delay. Unsurprisingly, her sudden arrival startled the bird, who spread its wings in an attempt at a threatening display, and with Lucinda being in her fairly small dragonling form, and the bird being more than half the size of her human body, the attempt mostly succeeded.

Lucinda began projecting calming thoughts immediately, as she shifted back into human form and examined the bird more thoroughly. Its body and legs were covered in dense plumage that was somewhere between white and tan in colour, while its wings were a mixture of browns, ranging from very light to very dark in shade. However, the bird’s head was perhaps most interesting, as it sported an impressive set of fluffed up white feathers along its neck to the top of its head, and two black bands that travelled from both eyes to a single point on the underside of its beak, where a tuft of black bristles hung.

Wow… That’s more like it! The first bird I found looked a bit dopey, the second ugly, but the third: imposing!

“Hi,” Lucinda called out quietly, but almost as soon as the words were out of her mouth, the bird took flight. “Hey, wait!”

Focussing her innate ability more firmly on the bird, Lucinda tried to will it back to her, but her efforts proved to be insufficient for the task, leaving Lucinda watching glumly as the impressive creature flapped away into the distance.

Aww. Time for more mountain exploring then I guess.

But, as Lucinda’s eyes confirmed the sight of Nassach’s box on the ground before her, and the state of the almost non-existent remains of the hare she’d left within, a new idea came to her.