by Virlyce
Erin furrowed her brow as Stella appeared over E’s shoulder, peeking at her with unblinking eyes. “I don’t believe you,” Erin said. She glanced at the dragon-shaped holes in the clouds and sighed. “How did I make the mistake of polymorphing a blue mage? No, how does he have enough mana to transform into a dragon? He shouldn’t be able to hold it that long.”
“Well, he’s a bit abnormal,” E said and sighed. Stella continued shifting with E’s head, blocking Erin from her view.
“But you’re definitely a culprit too!” Erin said, flying towards Stella. Stella squeaked and flew to the opposite side. The fairies chased each other around E’s head, giving him a headache.
“I just want to beat you up! Stop running!”
“Stop chasing me!”
Twenty minutes later, the two fairies were lying down on E’s shoulders with sweat dripping from their faces. “Are you two done yet?” E asked.
Before either of the fairies could respond, a voice shouted from up above, “Ah! My wings! My scales!” Vur and Lindyss plummeted towards the trio. The transformation had ended, cancelling Vur’s flight of joy midway. A pair of batwings sprouted out of Lindyss’ back, and she lowered herself along with Vur to the ground. Vur pouted and looked at his hands. “I feel dizzy.”
Lindyss placed her hand on Vur’s forehead. Her eyes widened as she tilted his head back and stared into his eyes. “You ran out of mana? You!?”
“So dizzy,” Vur said before slumping forward onto Lindyss. His eyes closed as he collapsed, his body barely held up by the cursed elf.
“Hey, fairy,” Lindyss said, turning her head towards Erin. “Tell me about your polymorph spell. What’s the mana upkeep like?”
“Secret,” Erin said as she flew into the air and crossed her arms over her chest.
Lindyss scowled. “Don’t make me fight you again.”
“Bring it on! I’m not scared of you,” Erin said, placing her hands on her hips.
Lindyss turned towards E and Stella. “Stella,” she said. “Fight her.”
Stella sat up, tilted her head to the side, and pointed at herself. “Me?” she asked and blinked twice. “I’m too weak.” She patted E’s ear. “Fight her, E.”
“Stay out of this, Mr. Retired,” Erin said.
“I’ll tell Vur you bullied me,” Stella said, tugging E’s ear.
E sighed. “Why am I being dragged into this?”
“Help Vur,” Stella said, tugging harder. “You’re his friend.”
E sighed again and snapped his fingers. Dozens of armor sets appeared in the air behind him as Erin’s face paled.
“You’re really going to fight me?” Erin asked. “What happened to the peace treaty between the dwarves and the fairies? Shouldn’t you recognize the consequences as king?”
“I told you,” E said. “I’m not the king anymore. Why does no one ever believe me when I tell them that?” He shook his head and pointed at Erin. “Seize her.”
Erin gritted her teeth as the armor sets marched towards her. They marched through the air, yet their feet still made sounds with every step they took. “Fine,” Erin said as she retreated backwards. She wrinkled her nose at Lindyss. “I’ll tell you.”
“Couldn’t you have said that from the start?” E asked and shook his head. The armor sets disappeared as he took a seat on the ground and stretched out his legs, not caring about dirtying his clothes. “Ah, I hate standing.”
Erin ignored the dwarf and spoke to Lindyss, “The mana cost of polymorph depends on the target being polymorphed and what they’re being polymorphed into. A person with no mana is easier to polymorph than someone with a lot of mana. It costs less mana to turn someone into a squirrel than it does into a bear. Even I can’t polymorph someone into an adult dragon unless I have all my mana, and it’d only last a few minutes at most.” She glanced at Vur, who was sleeping against Lindyss. “For him to last so long as a dragon, it’s no wonder why he could drink my fountain and still be alive.”
Lindyss nodded. “I see,” she said and glanced down at Vur. She smiled at him before her expression returned back to normal. She slung him over her shoulder and muttered to herself, “Well, time to fulfill my quest.”
“Wait!” E said as wings appeared on Lindyss’ back. “Where are you going?”
“Who are you?” Lindyss asked, furrowing her brow at the dwarf. “Why are you speaking to me?”
“I’m Vur’s friend,” E said. “I used to be the dwarf king until Vur came along and took my position.”
Lindyss stared at E before turning her gaze onto Stella. “Is he delusional?” she asked, her eyes narrowing at the fairy. If only I hadn’t clashed with Erin earlier….
“Vur’s the dwarf king,” Stella said with a nod.
Lindyss scowled at the teen draped over her shoulder. “What’s wrong with you? Is it a hobby to take over kingdoms?” she asked and rolled her eyes. She shook her head and spread her wings, readying herself to leap into the air.
“Hold on!” a voice called from the sky. E, Stella, Erin, and Lindyss raised their heads. A silver dragon was rapidly approaching. She crashed against the ground, causing the four to fall over. “I knew I recognized you!”
“Lulu?” Lindyss asked as she sat up. “What are you doing here? I was under the impression that you were a basement dweller.”
“Rude,” Lulu said with a snort. “Well, there was an explosion and I got kicked out of the house by Mom. But the explosion wasn’t even my fault! It was like a volcano erupting or something, so I came to apprehend the culprit. But then I saw this really, really handsome dragon, and I had to check him out. But I lost sight of him for a second and he disappeared. Then I saw you nearby and thought you might’ve seen where he went.” The silver dragon nodded twice as she stared at Lindyss with expectation painting her face. “So did you see him? Where’d he go?”
“Damn it, past self,” Lindyss muttered as she hung her head. “Why didn’t you stop that silly fairy’s polymorph? Look at this mess I have to clean up now.”
21
Lulu reached forward and poked Lindyss’ stomach, causing the cursed elf to fall over with Vur. “So? He was pretty big; how’d you not notice him?”
Lindyss sighed as she dropped Vur onto the ground and raised her head. “It was him, alright?” she asked while pointing at Vur. “He’s the handsome dragon you’re looking for.”
Lulu tilted her head to the side and blinked. She nudged Vur with her claw a few times, causing his limp body to rise and fall. Without a word, she straightened her head and turned her gaze onto Lindyss. Her reptilian eyes blinked. Silence filled the space between her and the cursed elf. Seconds passed. Lulu blinked again. She used her claw to nudge Vur like he was a dead fish while maintaining eye contact with Lindyss, but the elf kept her mouth shut.
E and Stella exchanged glances with each other. “Do you know who she is?” E asked Stella while gesturing towards Lindyss with his chin.
Stella’s face scrunched up until her eyes were crossed. She ground her teeth together before shaking her head, causing her hair to whip E’s face. “I don’t! I know her, but I don’t!” Stella said as she squatted on E’s shoulder and clutched her head, tugging on her hair. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she looked at E with wet eyes. “Why can’t I remember?” She bit her lower lip and hung her head. “My chest, it hurts….”
Before E could respond, the fairy sobbed and disintegrated headfirst like a pile of sand blown away by the wind. She turned into motes of purple light, which flowed into Vur, causing the tattoo on his chest to flash. Lulu flinched at the sudden disturbance and lowered her head, bringing her snout closer to Vur. She sniffed him twice before furrowing her brow. Her head tilted to the right and then to the left before she sniffed him again. This time, her eyes widened as she reared her head back and said, “He smells like a dragon!”
Lindyss nodded.
“Was it really him?” Lulu asked. “Really? Really?” She whipped her head towards E. “You saw the
dragon, right? Was it him?”
“Yeah,” E said and scratched his head. He pointed at Erin. “She polymorphed him, and then he polymorphed himself…?”
“Huh?” Lulu asked and stared at Erin. “You polymorphed a dragon into a human? Didn’t you learn your lesson last time when you turned Leo into a goat?”
“No,” Erin said and shook her head. “You misunderstood. I polymorphed him into a squirrel, and then he polymorphed himself into a dragon.”
Lulu blinked at Erin. “But he’s a human now,” she said and pointed at Vur’s unconscious body.
“That’s right,” Erin said. “When the caster runs out of mana, the polymorph is undone. I thought you knew that.”
“Right, but he’s a human now,” Lulu said again. “If he was a dragon to start with, why did he become a human when he turned unconscious?”
“But he wasn’t a dragon to start with?” Erin asked and furrowed her brow. “Are you that dense from staying home and never exploring the world? This is why you should go outside more often, to understand what people are saying when they’re talking to you.”
“No, I’m not dense, and it’s not because of my lifestyle!” Lulu wrinkled her nose and tilted her head towards the sky to look down on Erin. “Look, he smells like a dragon. You know what they say: if it has the aura of a dragon, smells like a dragon, and sleeps like a dragon, then it’s a dragon.”
“Are you blind, lady?” Erin asked and placed her hands on her hips. “Look at him. He’s a human! If it looks like a human, snores like a human, and has the class of a human, then it’s a human!”
Lindyss stared at the sparks flying between Erin’s and Lulu’s gazes. She sighed and hung her head. “Can I just turn him in for my quest reward?” she asked and draped Vur over her shoulder again while standing. “You can talk to him all you want at your mother’s place. Besides, you said you were looking for the person who caused the volcanic eruption. It was him.”
“Wait!” E said and raised his hands. “You can’t take Vur away. He has a coronation ceremony he has to attend in a few weeks’ time. How am I supposed to coronate him if he’s not there?”
“A few weeks? That’s plenty of time,” Lindyss said. “I’ll bring him back by then.”
“No,” E said and shook his head. “My intuition is telling me to prevent you from taking him to the holy dragons. And my intuition is never wrong.” He stood up, took in a deep breath, and snapped his fingers. Dozens of armor sets materialized in the air behind him, and metal hands shot out of the ground, grabbing Lindyss by her ankles.
“Do you really want to fight me?” Lindyss asked, narrowing her eyes at the dwarf. Inwardly, she cursed Erin for expending so much of her mana.
“To ensure my peaceful and lazy future, I’ll even fight gods,” E said, sticking his chest out. It was a shame he was only as tall as Lindyss’ waist or he would’ve looked much more valiant.
Lindyss glared at the dwarf before sighing. “Alright,” she said. “For now, I’ll leave him be, but I’m coming with him to this kingdom of yours.”
E nodded. “That’s fine,” he said as the armor sets dispersed. The metal hands dissolved into motes of blue light. “As long as Vur stays with me.”
“I can come too, right?” Lulu asked, lowering her head to try to meet E’s gaze. The dwarf couldn’t even reach her lower lip.
E furrowed his brow. “You know the dwarves hate dragons, right?”
“What about him?” Lulu asked, pointing at Vur.
E coughed. “He’s special. Special people get privileges.”
“Well, as his future mate, I should get privileges too, right?” Lulu asked with a smile.
“Excuse me?” Lindyss asked and nearly fell over. But Lulu ignored her and continued to stare at E.
“Vur’s married,” E said. “He has a loving wife.”
“Well, that’s fine. I just have to chase her away and claim him for myself,” Lulu said with a nod. “That’s how dragons do it.”
Lindyss’ expression darkened. Sorry, Tafel. It looks like you have a tough future ahead.
***
Tafel sneezed and rubbed her nose with her finger. “Is it just me, or did it suddenly get cold out here?” she asked and shivered. “I feel like something dangerous is targeting me.”
Alice looked around before shaking her head. “The only dangerous beasts out here are phoenixes, and you wouldn’t feel a chill if one of those wanted to eat you,” she said. “I imagine it’d feel like falling into a furnace if you attracted the attention of a phoenix.”
“Maybe it’s an elf,” Tafel said and sighed. “I feel very uneasy right now. Could something have happened to Vur?” Her face scrunched up as she contemplated it for a second before she shook her head. “No, that’s impossible.”
“What’s wrong?” a gravelly voice asked.
Tafel raised her head. Mr. Skelly was standing over her, carrying a squirming elf with one hand, his bony arm looped around the poor man’s waist. The moonlight shone down on them, illuminating the metal fetters binding the elf’s arms and legs. Tafel shook her head and leaned forward to pick up a stick. She pointed it at a pile of kindle and firewood, causing a blue flame to burst into life. “It’s nothing,” Tafel said. “Did you find a ginger elf yet?”
“A-are you going to cook and eat me?” the elf in Mr. Skelly’s grasp asked with wide eyes. He had been sitting with the other elves a few minutes ago before Mr. Skelly brought him over. Then the human with horns lit up a bonfire right next to him with a temperature high enough to harm him. “I, I don’t want to die this way!”
Mr. Skelly used his free hand to smack the elf’s head. “Oh, quit squirming,” he said. “No one’s going to eat you. You’re of more use to us alive than dead.” He rummaged through a bag by his waist and shoved a dim blue crystal into the elf’s mouth. “Here, charge this for me.” Mr. Skelly’s bones contorted as he smiled at Tafel. “No ginger elf yet, but through some interrogation, we discovered that there is indeed a tribe with red hair. They live close to the phoenixes though, so it might be difficult to kidnap them.”
“I’ve been wondering,” Alice said and furrowed her brow, not letting Tafel speak. “Does this make me an accessory to kidnapping?” She pointed at the elf that had tears streaming down his face. The crystal was brightening with every tear that fell. “I mean, look at this. This is barbaric.”
“Accessory to kidnapping?” Mr. Skelly asked, one eye socket widening. “That’s the least of your worries. How about blaspheming the holy dragons, invading the territory of the phoenixes, and waging war on the elves, humans, and dwarves? Did you forget about those?”
“I guess I’m in too deep now, huh?” Alice asked. She stiffened. “Wait a minute. Waging war on the humans and dwarves? When did I do that?”
“Uh.” Mr. Skelly scratched his head and pulled out a shining blue crystal. He spoke into it, “Begin the operation!” He cackled and put the crystal away before smiling at Alice. Dread filled her as she swallowed her spit. “Since you’re on our side; I took some liberties and created some documents under your name with your signature. As of now, the church of Damnedism is at war with the humans and the dwarves.”
“That’s forgery!” Alice shouted and rose to her feet. “I never signed any of your doc—I’ve signed some of your documents.” Her brow furrowed as she tried to figure out why she had interrupted herself. “Truth curse? But why don’t I remember signing anything?”
“Well, most people don’t remember things correctly when fairies are involved,” Mr. Skelly said with a grin. His eye sockets twinkled. “Think of all the documents you signed back at the adventurers’ guild. Are you sure none of them were enchanted?”
“That’s it,” Alice said with a growl. “You’re dead.”
Mr. Skelly cackled and held up the elf in his arm to block Alice’s view. “You’re right. I am.” He peeked his head around the elf’s torso and grinned at Alice. “You wouldn’t harm a poor innocent elf, would you?”
Alice hesitated as the elf pleaded with her through his eyes. “I hate your guts so much,” she said. “Cancel the declaration of war or whatever it is you did.”
Mr. Skelly rubbed his chin with his free hand. “Mm, well, you see,” he said, causing Alice’s stomach to drop. Something told her she wasn’t going to like the skeleton’s next words. “You know the saying, ‘words can’t be unsaid?’ Well, here’s another saying: You can’t unransack an empire. Two empires, actually.”
“What did you do?” Tafel asked while Alice bit her lower lip and trembled while staring at the ground. The demon turned her head and frowned at Alice. Did Mr. Skelly break her?
“Nothing much,” Mr. Skelly said. “I just created a giant army of skeletons and volunteers, split them in half, illusioned one side to look like dwarves, and illusioned the other side to look like humans. Then I sent them off to attack the other race’s border towns while simultaneously sending out a declaration of war signed by our very own Alice.” He chuckled. “I imagine the dwarves’ retaliation will be swift, and while their cities are defenseless, I’ll send in some squads to deal with them that way. I have thousands of spies to help orchestrate this; undead insects are very useful, you know?”
“You’re a monster,” Alice said through gritted teeth.
“Why, thank you,” Mr. Skelly said, a blush forming on his face. “You’re too kind.”
A rune shone on Alice’s forehead as a yellow aura rose up around her, taking the shape of a lion. Her eyes turned red as she snarled, baring her teeth. Her canines became pointed, more pronounced, while her hair fluttered around her like a mane.
“Oh, she’s awakening,” Mr. Skelly said. “Is this her first time? How interesting. Well, Tafel, I’ll trust you to handle this. Oh, and figure out a way to confront a nest of phoenixes since you want those ginger elves so badly. Toodle-oo.” He dropped the elf in his arm and vanished without a sound.
