Misunderstandings, multiple misunderstandings in multiple ways. Ahh, fuck, my insides still hurt, I really need to get to a hospital, but I also have to finish things up here and, nng, not worry Leda too much. Well, I say that, but her repeated apologies were not without reason.

“Please don’t be so angry that you leave me and I never see you again!”

A tad melodramatic, though. “Calm down, I wouldn’t do that just because I was angry.”

“You wouldn’t?”

“No, you would also need to betray my trust and/or do something against my core values.”

“Oh!” she says, relieved. Then she thinks about it.

“Oh.” She says, horrified. “Like what I did?”

“Yes, like what you did. Forcing yourself into someone’s mind…” I look at the still prone matron, and then glance at the other wyverns. Nope, not touching that topic just yet.

“As far as I can tell her mind is just rattled, not broken.” I turn my eyes back to Leda. “Hopefully.”

“Sorry!”

“I’m not the one you need to apologize for that. But that will have to wait a moment.”

I reach out a mind bond, throttling my side. “Share your memories and then what spells you used.”

…

“I see. We fucked up, all of us. First off, you should not do something so big without asking me, or at least telling me what you’re gonna do. It looked like you were gonna brainwash them or something.”

Well, that’s not too far from what she did, practically speaking, but still. The mind rape of Matron is one thing, but she forced the others as well, although more with a threat of force than ramming mind magic into their brain.

“Second, I panicked and did some fairly short-sighted things. Again.” Don’t attack the budding wyvern hivemind, bad idea. “Even when you didn’t respond I should probably have, I dunno, not punched you as my first choice to get your attention.”

“And thirdly… I- I think I had something to say here. Something about the other wyverns? Can’t really blame them for what they did, though, but how come you’ve been crowned Eternal Empress or something?”

“Huh? But I don’t have a crown?”

Sigh. “Joke, Leda.”

“I know, but they haven’t made me a crown yet, they need to do that before I can be crowned Eternal Empress.”

“Haha, you’re learning. But uhh, did you just order them and beat anyone who didn’t listen into submission?”

“Maybe…” I stare at her. “Okay yes, I did, a little bit!”

“What about the smell of burnt flesh from the pit over there?”

“Oh no, I forgot about him!”

“I weep for your future subject, oh Eternal Empress, Despot of Wyverns. Don’t worry, I’ll help you heal him soon. First though, how about we start with the Matron and heal and, uh, make them part of your empire from there? Heal and teach. One by one.”

She makes a subdued nod and weak yes.

Thought so.

I really should not have delayed it so long, even creating a little light orb is hard. At least Leda hasn’t noticed yet. That or she’s spontaneously learnt some etiquette, but I suspect the former is more likely.

At least the wyverns are no longer cowering in terror, and with some, uh, parental guidance this time we taught them all a number of magics, including mind and healing magic. The latter was sort-of and accident, and the former… I figured it’d be best for them to be taught properly so they don’t learn from Leda’s very bad example.

At least the mesh network idea works as well as I had hoped, and I will need to use that whenever teaching large groups. Maybe. I mean, it would be super useful for the wolves, but on the other hand, a magical wolf hivemind… would be interesting, hm. The bigger worry is them, intentionally or not, teaching people the magic. In the wrong hands…

On the other hand, the only defences I know is to completely block the magic, or to control it after it has been formed. Both require noticing and recognizing it. Well, sorta- For both Leda and me it’s almost automatic to put up some control, and it works even when asleep. Without the conscious mind to control and curate it’s a bit spotty, but still.

“Why did you stop the light? Lars? Your magic disappeared?”

“I know. I’m- I’m not okay. I need to get to a hospital. Can’t use magic.” I open up the bond for a moment, sharing my feeling (tl;dr: it’s shit), and she practically throws me on her back.

“Remember to say goodbye…”

I drift in and out of consciousness, and one time I see a wyvern and try to tell Leda we’re being followed, and the next time is when her puppet’s voice shouts.

“He’s injured, I need to take him to the hospital!”

There’s a bunch of voices and I think we pass through the portal, and there’s a guy with a medic armband.

Oh right, my status. “Blunt trauma, internal injuries, magic overload. Healed some, not enough. I feel terrible.”

“What should I do?” Leda asks.

“Grab him, mind bond, to hospital. Fast, please.”

We take off, and I let myself drift into myself.

“I see a hospital H, is it there?”

…

“…happened?”

“Likely …ies, …”

…

“Emergency!”

…

“…dis’car … leith-in …gluh’ah?”

Needle!

…

Floaty…

…

Talking? S’like vikings… magic? Mine. Stop that.

…

“…getur e’kki scar-i-i gehnum…”

Can’t move. Dead? No, vikings here. Portal? Oh. Help! Can’t feel- anything? I can magic! Maybe. Do magic! Help! Notice me! Magic! Magic Maaaaagic!

“…wakandi?”

Wrong year, I’m not a thousand years old! Magic! Magic!

“Hahn er wakandi!”

…

“…hear me?” Speaking. To me “If you can hear me, make the light again.”

Light? I can’t make light, but maybe he’ll see my magic. Magiiiic!

“Can you move?”

Magic?

Another voice, but they speak viking. So many vikings.

No wait, I’m in iceland, it’s icelandic, duh! Dumb dumb dumb!

Where is Leda? She’s worried, that’s not good. I must go console her… But I can’t move. Leda, bind me! The magic rope- thing! Leeeda!

Wait, what’s going on? Wyverns and magic… Am I haven’t a dying vision? Not seeing anything, though…

No, I can’t move, stop asking! And it’s bright enough even withooout lights! I need to console Leda.

…

“Lars!”

Oh, there she is. It’s okay. Even if I can’t talk to you, just be consoled, okay? It’s relaxing to be with someone close to you. Relaaaax.

“Why isn’t he moving?”

“He’s- we used medicine so that he wouldn’t feel pain and go to sleep.”

“But it seems like he’s resistant to it.”

Seems like your ass is not resistant to being kicked!

“Oh, I know!” Leda says, and connect to me with the magic, uh, rope.

Mind bond? Yes, thank you. What’s wrong? Don’t be worried, I can fix it. But you’re hurt? What!? Are you also hurt? No, you are! I liked it better when it was only me here. Why do you sound- think so funny? I dunno, maybe because I’m a kite?

“What are you doing?”

“I’m talking to him!”

“You- you have a magic for that?”

“Yeah, [Mind Magic]! I can talk right in his mind! But he’s all weird and says he’s a kite…”

“You mean… high as a kite?”

“No, he says-” Yes that! What he said! “Oh, that’s what he meant.”

Oh, ask them what the problem is, doctors should fix me! I think it’s your form…

“He asks why aren’t you fixing him?”

“We can’t do anything when he’s covered in plates like that.”

Told you!

Oh. But I can only magic like MAGIC! right now. Leda, you fix it. Fix what? The plates. Make them go away. How? Just make them go away with magic. But- shush shush, I made them with magic, then you just remove them with magic.

｢{Worried}Do you mean shapeshifting?｣

Yes! And you stopped being in my brain, that’s good, because that was confusing. Almost like when we used the mind magic rope thingy and-

｢{Guarded}I’m done.｣ Huh? “Is this okay?”

“Yes, that’s- oh, oh.”

And now they’re speaking icelandic again. My thoughts are clearing up, too. Must’ve botched the anaesthetics, somehow.

“Thank you for helping us, Leda, but you will need to leave so that we can work.”

“But-”

I think he’s telling someone to lead you out.

“Come with me.”

｢Don’t break the bond, please. I can’t move, I barely feel anything, and I don’t like it.｣

She’s okay with that, and the not-doctor takes her back to the place where you are if you’re not being fixed or a doctor.

Ow, needle. And now I think they’re moving me.

Beep beep, big machine. ｢Leda, check out this big machine!｣

She magics it, ｢{Guarded, unsettled}It’s very big.｣

I know, right? They’re really cool, all the things we can do with machines and stuff.

…

What are they doing! They’re cutting him! Are they trying to eat him? But- what does his- oh, so that’s a surgery. I wonder if they’ll eat the parts they removed… Whaaat, they burn them? But they could eat it!

Lucas is getting hungry too, but he said I shouldn’t break the bond… But he’s sleeping, so it doesn’t matter, right? Maybe Lucas could hunt on his own… yeah! But, no, there’s too many humans around and stuff, and if he scared or attacked anyone that would be bad.

Maybe there’s money in the bags?

…

It’s so unfair, he took the money I earned and gave it to ‘the bank’! And I don’t know where they took his belt and pouches… Maybe there’s something I can sell… Ahh, Lucas, no!

…

I’m so hungry…

…

Oh, they fixed him up again, that’s good. I should go and ask if I can see him.

…

I don’t want to wait until tomorrow! Maybe they have some food?

…

Lars!

Oh. He’s just dreaming. Why is he dreaming of food, not fair!

…

I can hold off hunger until tomorrow, I can! You too, Lucas. We’re strong! Stronger than any of the humans, and there was that one time Lars forgot to eat for two whole days, and humans are supposed to eat several times each day.

…

I’m so hungry I could eat someone! A whole person! Wonder if they all taste like that puppet’s arm? It wasn’t very good, but maybe if you cook it…

…

Why isn’t he awake yet? It’s night now!

…

Lucas, we’re going hunting, maybe he won’t notice if we’re fast!

I hear a groan only to realize it’s mine. I did not sleep well. Ugh…

Where am I, anyway? Hospital? Why can’t I remember anything…

Did I… fight the… wyverns? It was wyverns, right?

Came to iceland, wanted to do that lesson I owe, but they’re are missing, iceland set up base at the portal, which I… expanded? Leda found a place with a bunch of wyverns, and we went there. What happened then?

I remember doing some big thing with magic, or was that Leda…? What the hell happened after that? I seem to remember Leda becoming an empress, and… hungering for human flesh? Wait, did she eat someone? There was some military-looking folks, did they save me from her?

No, she’s- she’s in good health, sleeping in that direction. It’s not very far away. Didn’t she fight? But this hospital is running… so either she saved it because… saving me? Or…

Ugh, I’m gonna just…

“Are you awake?”

“Yes. Just… My head’s all fuzzy.”

“That’s pretty common after anesthesia, but you should take it easy the next few days.”

“Oh. Say, uhm, Leda…”

“The cute little ‘dragon-’, sorry, she says to use ‘wyvern empress’, that’s been stubbornly ‘guarding’ the hospital?”

I just stare at her as I feel my face pale.

“W-what happened, are you okay?”

“I- I- I-” is all I manage stutter out, taking a breath before I continue “My memory is all hazy, can you tell me what happened?”

“I can’t take too long, but I can tell you what the little empress told us. She was very excited, you see, climbed up on the back of the big wyvern and told the story.”

I am both very confused and/or worried now. Confurried, err, worrifused? Whatever.

“The two of you, and the two wyverns, went through a portal to another world, -should be what the government is doing to the east-, and used powerful magic to turn a flying island into a temple to magic. Then you flew off to look for some missing kids, and found a mountain filled with wyverns.”

Ok, so she’s not the most… accurate storyteller.

“You used magic to teach some of them about magic and not hurting humans, and then she used a huge spell to teach all of them at the same time, but it went wrong and you had to defeat all the wyverns before she lost control.”

I can roughly remember things up to we found the wyverns, but…

“You were injured in the fight, but you still fought on, and managed to break the spell. As she returned to her senses, she remembered that she’s your Dame and had to protect you, but even then you were hit by a big spell. She got really angry, and then she used her magic to beat the remaining wyverns and take them as her subjects and became an empress.”

…Well, if I was blasted by a wyvern-powered spell, then no wonder I hurt all over, despite that IV bag of what is probably a technical name for some painkiller. Or just some normal IV brand.

“You got back up, and used up all your magic to heal all the wyverns because you’re ‘magma-nious’, but used up all your magic. That’s when she found out you were actually gravely wounded, and rushed to get you back here to the hospital.”

“Riiight. I have fuzzy memories of some of that. So that’s why you’re calling her empress?”

“Yes, she insisted, and it’s quite cute so we agreed to go with it.”

“Huh, so she didn’t… hurt anyone?”

“She fell off the wyvern once, getting a bit too excited about her tale, but she seems to have cushioned her fall with magic.”

“I see. And now she’s-” I turn my head in her direction, not that I can see her through the building, “sleeping outside?”

“She was quite worried about you; I think she stayed awake the entire night. Red eyes, the poor thing, she must love you dearly.”

I get that warm fuzzy feeling which just tugs at the side of your mouth -and your heart strings- but then I frown

“So it’s morning now? When did she tell the story?”

“I came around eight o’clock, but someone told me she’d told it to anyone who’d listen since about six.”

“Wait, what time is it now?”

“It’s… ten twenty-four.”

“Oh. I must’ve been drugged pretty hard to sleep so long, then.”

“If you don’t need anything else, I will have to go now. Pull that string there for assistance, and I will notify the doctors that you’re awake.”

“Okay, thanks.”

And off she goes. Now that my mind has properly woken up after the conversation, I notice a few things about myself.

For one, why the heck do I have scales on my head, arms, and legs up to the waist, including plates on my limbs, but my torso is bare? Well, I can guess the why; if I armored up fully you’d need industrial-grade tools to get to my skin, not to mention any surgery.

And they’ve clearly done surgery; I seem to be, uh, patched together. No, that’s an insult to the craftsmanship of whoever did the work, but still. It’s harder to manipulate mana than usual, too, but reverting all those scales and plates to normal isn’t too much of an issue.

Let’s see if I can’t heal the surgery scars, too… Oh, gross! Well… it’s smooth now. Can’t say much about my insides, aside from an unpleasant feeling in my entire abdomen. I’ll need to get the memories about what happened from Leda…

Not now, though, I’ll let her rest. Staying awake out of worry? I love you too, little empress. My Dame, huh. I wonder if she spread that to enough people to gain a title or two? I should probably eat…

Or not. I hate being sick. Hunger and an aversion to food should not happen at the same time. I guess I’m confined to this room, huh. Might as well pass the time with something productive, my gear’s over there, so… Let’s enchant the place, I guess? That’s low intensity enough that I can do it in my current state. Probably. Ooh, I have suspendium dust.

Hmm...