AN: This update is much shorter than usual, but due to combination of my headache and other things I decided that this is the best place to end the chapter. Also, those of you who have been asking about the story I showed in a special bonus chapter a while back can go to Impossible Devices

to read the first chapter. I did not intend to post it up until Earth Tactics Advance and Galactic Fist of Legend reached the end of their first volumes, but I have been promising the story since December. The second chapter will be out sometime this weekend.

Chapter 44.3: A Bloody Mess

The fire crackled merrily as its light pushed back the darkness of the night. While its flickering flames caused shadows to dance strangely about the area, two people held each other close and spoke of simple things.

Ashton nuzzled against Scott's cheek then hotly pressed her body to his. The dragon in the form of a man breathed heavily as the pheromones began to wear off. He had made good on his promise to spend a bit of intimate time with his foxy companion, but it had been a difficult process.

Recently they had discovered that she could help him overcome his mental trauma through her special pheromones, but it was not a method that he wanted to use forever. There was no tenderness in it. It drove him to a lust-filled madness.

Scott ran his fingers through her hair then kissed her softly on the forehead. Her ears perked slightly and her tail swished a little in response. While the actual sex had lacked intimacy, she was perfectly content at the moment.

While he stroked Ashton's hair he could not help but notice that the light of the fire caused it to take on a reddish tone. He immediately felt horrible. It was Ashton's time, but his thoughts were of someone else.

His eyes closed softly and he sighed a little. Ashton made a soft, sweet, noise as she snuggled against him once more. Yet, his thoughts were of Shara and the conversation that they had recently had. Had he said the right thing? Was he being honest, or had he just lashed out at her?

Everything was so complicated in his life at the moment. Sure, he was living the dream or whatever someone might want to call it. There were beautiful women who each wanted to be with him and were willing to tolerate the others. He was in charge of a faction that counted a few thousand people as beholden to it, and he even had his own damned castle.

What more could a dragon want? Scott stroked Ashton's hair once more then frowned. He should be delirious with joy.

While there were forces on Earth that could harm, even kill him, there were probably no human beings alive there who could directly challenge me. People who had changed races might be a problem. There was also the matter of the people who had taken control of those murderous religious nuts a while back.

It made no sense that he would be at the center of things like factions or a group of women were interested in him. Most of his life had been spent alone. Now he was responsible for the lives of thousands of people. He was sitting in judgment over evil-minded people.

Things had moved too far, too fast. It was hard for him to understand what was going on sometimes.

People depended on him now. It was strangely uplifting, but at the same time it was worrying. No one had ever depended on him before. Until recently he was not even certain that he could depend on himself.

Scott had many things to consider that night, but it would not be long before Ashton began to wriggle around. They had not planned to go to sleep during their trip, so they could not afford to become too comfortable.

The night continued onward. Soon they were both refreshed. They did not need to sleep when in this world in their dream bodies. So, they had decided to take advantage of Scott's dark bonus to fight even stronger monsters at night.

They had set up a small series of illusion barriers to help bring the nocturnal monsters down with greater ease. Scott shifted into dragon form and became Blackthorne, the ever scaly.

Due to the fact that the monsters that came out at night were a good bit stronger in the forest than the daytime beasts, Ashton was not sent out to lead any prey back to their location. She would have a much tougher time navigating in the dark even with her enhanced animal senses. Instead they hung chunks of bear and boar meat up from the tree branches and waited for the prey to come to them.

Blackthorne and his foxy lady sat hidden behind illusion barriers and the night-clad branches of the trees that surrounded them. He was a large creature now, but they had found a decent spot to lie in wait.

While they waited for their prey to take the bait, they spoke in low soft tones. They would need to speak quite loudly to be heard through the barriers.

"Never?" asked Ashton, surprised. Her ears flicked gently and her tail swished to the left.

"No, I never have." said Blackthorne softly.

Ashton shook her head. "You've really never left the state?"

Blackthorne dipped his head and lifted his shoulders in an approximation of a shrug. "We went to the beach a few times when I was a kid, but that isn't really leaving the state."

The fox girl nodded gently then took a breath. "Guess there aren't any states left."

"Who knows? Maybe the government is slowly reclaiming the land. It's not like it would be impossible." said Blackthorne before dropping down to place his chin down atop his forepaws.

"You really think so?" asked Ashton, a hopeful tone in her voice.

"It's possible. If they didn't decide to run on movie logic I'd welcome it." he admitted.

"Movie logic?" she asked with a smile. "Do tell."

"Well, you know. In the movies that take place after the end of the world, the government always turns out to be a bunch of assholes, or it's a rogue element of the military in business for itself."

"Oh yeah, I get it. Most of the time it's some wanna be king of the world or something in charge." said Ashton with a chuckle.

Blackthorne and Ashton spent a good bit of time chatting that night while they waited to see if anything would come for their bait. Little by little they became closer, and slowly the dragon shifted his thoughts from the red haired ninja girl to the blond business fox by his side. He could do nothing about Shara and their complicated situation at the moment, but he could certainly focus his attention on the sweet and fun girl who had been looking forward to this trip since he had mentioned it.