For now, I struggled to get out of bed. I couldn't see any injuries, nor did I feel any broken bones. Something about being exposed to all that divine energy had really taken it out of me. I must have grunted while trying to move, because Cami's eyes shot open.

  "Nico? Are you Okay?" she asked, concern evident in her voice.

  I smiled at her and shook my head. "I'm fine," I said, "just need to right myself."

  For a brief moment I was tempted to say more, to admit just how weak I felt, but that didn’t seem wise. Admitting weakness is the quickest way for a dragon—or any predator, really—to die. And what were dragons, other than the apex predators of this world?

  Cami nodded in understanding. "I'm glad you're okay. We found you unconscious in the woods. I had to beg Modessa to let me come with her when they looked for Sir Galbrecht. Even then, I think she only let me come because she planned to sneak away the moment we were in the forest. That all changed, though, when we saw a bright flash of light in the forest. She stopped caring what I did and started running.

  "I couldn't keep up with her,” Cami said in a small voice, “but I could follow her. When I got there, three of her friends were already there. Apparently, their wizard friend can jump from one place to another using magic."

  I nodded, listening to her story. Normally, I would have said enduring it, but once again, that connection between us caused me to feel Cami's excitement, almost like it was my own.

  "You were all there after I fell?" I asked.

  Cami nodded. "Yes, we all were. We all thought you were dead, at least at first. The wizard, Serius, cast a spell on you to make sure you were alright. Galbrecht was unconscious and couldn't tell us what happened, either.” She paused, lips pursing. “Although he kept mumbling something about seeing the lightning."

  I pinched the bridge of my nose as I thought for a moment.

  Cami must have anticipated my concern. "Don't worry,” she quickly continued, “no one has a clue. Galbrecht didn't remember anything more than that and was unconscious, like you, until two days ago."

  That got my attention. "Two days?! How long have I been unconscious?"

  "Only three days. Serius—err... I'm supposed to call him Magus Serius—said that you were completely exhausted magically and that whatever you did had taken quite a toll on you."

  I thought about her words, but didn't really want to discuss what had happened. Perhaps there would come a time when I could share things like that with Cami, even if only to impress my pet. That time was not quite yet. Fortunately, she provided me with an out.

  I could feel the excitement bubbling up inside of her when she talked about Magus Serius. "You have news don't you?"

  She shifted so that she was sitting up in her chair, leaning forward with her hands on her knees, with one of her feet tapping rapidly against the floor.

  "Well, are you going to tell me?" I finally asked.

  "It's exactly like Sir Galbrecht said. Serius used a magic item. It was a small crystal sphere which he said would measure my potential to use magic as well as other things."

  The young girl was having trouble staying in her seat, she was so excited.

  "And you passed?"

  "Yes! Magus Serius said I was a natural. That I had a gift for it."

  I smiled at her enthusiasm. I could feel the energy coming from her and recognized its connection with me. As she spoke, I pondered what her future might hold.

  She was only a child—well, almost an adult by the standards of these people here. We had that in common. Strangely, I found the idea of being separated from her unpleasant.

  "What do you plan to do now?" I asked.

  "Well, I think I'd like to try and join the magical university. I've been talking to all the adventurers. Even Liam told me a bit about it—he's their ranger. Most of the time he stays outside and he doesn't seem to talk much, but he told me a bit about his time there.”

  “At the university?” I asked.

  Cami nodded. "It seems so much more exciting than living in a little town like Cloverdale and definitely better than marrying any of the men my da would pick out for me. Modessa and Lady Lisella and Sir Galbrecht have all said they'd help me, too—not that I suppose they would have to do too much, since the law says that all those with magical potential must attend the university."

  She paused in her torrent of words and looked up at the ceiling. A bit of tension passed through her and I had the oddest compulsion to put my arm around her.

  Finally, she added, "I'm really excited, but a little scared at the same time."

  I shifted my feet over the side of the bed so that I was fully sitting up. "I have no doubt that someday you'll become a powerful mage. After all, you have a spark of my magic within you."

  She frowned. "Wait. Aren't you coming with me? I thought you wanted to go to the university, too. Magus Serius was just waiting for you to wake up so he can test you… although Priestess Lisella told him that if he tried to get at you before she cleared you, that he'd find himself having to make extra late-night trips to the privy after her goddess cursed him for his impatience."

  I could only assume that Magus Serius was the older man who had led the attack on my home. It was he who was responsible for killing my sister and making me a prisoner in plain sight. Even then, I found it difficult to wish a terrible fate such as multiple visits to that disgusting privy on him.

  Oh, if I were in my dragon form, I'd gladly bite his head off—but some punishments were just too cruel. How humans managed to use that terrible place every day was beyond me. I couldn’t imagine having to use it in the middle of the night while half asleep.

  I shifted slightly in the bed, the rustling of the sheets reminding me how long I had been here. That feeling of claustrophobia came back to me once more.

  "We'll see," I said finally after taking a deep breath. "I do believe I will attend the university—at least for a while—but we both know that I'm not like their normal students. I won't do well with the idea of being stuck there for years."

  She looked thoughtful as she nodded her head slowly. "No, I don't think you'll be able to stay there permanently, either," she said quietly. "But at least it'll give you some time to come up with a plan and to figure out your next moves."

  We were silent for a few minutes until she suddenly stood and announced that it was time for her to go help her father pick out supplies for her trip to the university. She gave me a smile and a nod before quickly leaving my room, muttering something about needing to hurry, so as not to make him wait too long.

  I watched her leave, my heart pounding in my chest as a strange mixture of emotions washed over me; curiosity, fear, sadness... but most of all confusion. I was going somewhere no other dragon had ever gone. It was an opportunity that I couldn't pass up, no matter how much my instincts told me to get my revenge and return to the desert, so that I might begin building my hoard.

  No. This was important. I couldn't say exactly how I knew that, but it just was—and not just for me. What I found most confusing was my fear of being separated from Cami. I'd only known the young human for a couple of days and yet...

  I sighed. Best not to think on it too much. Dragons were more about doing, after all.

  Chapter 18 - Waking Up

  When she left the room, I thought I’d be free to get up. But no sooner had Cami left than she was walking right back in. She didn’t even knock, which even I knew was customary amongst humans. I was about to ask if she’d changed her mind but then realized that she wasn’t alone.

  Coming in right on her heels was a slender woman in white and blue robes. She had long flowing blonde hair and very smooth skin. It was exceptionally difficult for me to gauge attractiveness amongst humans, but something about her demeanor told me she was likely deemed beautiful by her kind. To me, she lacked the scales, firm tail, and long snout that made a female dragon attractive. Her face was just as squished and flat as the rest of the humans I’d met.

  Looking at her, I could see that she had much larger breasts than either Cami or Modessa. If she were actively feeding her young, that might be an advantage—but it seemed quite a curse now. As top heavy as they made her, I’m sure she experienced lower back pain—if not now, she would in the future.

  Not that all human females weren’t at a disadvantage in that regard. A female dragon wisely didn’t have such a flawed anatomy. Instead, they fed their young the flesh of lesser beasts—but human females were forced by the gods to have theirs sticking right out in front. It was simply more proof of how cursed the lesser races were and how blessed dragons were.

  “Nico,” Cami said, “this is Lady Lisella. She’s a priestess of Miseria. She helped to heal all your wounds and would like to check on you."

  I growled, "I don't need..."

  Cami cut me off. Her tone was far harsher than I'd ever heard before. "Don't be rude, Nico. She's a priestess to a goddess and she may have saved your life. You owe her enough respect to let her examine you."

  I started to argue, but Cami folded her arms over her chest and glared at me.

  I sighed. "My apologies, priestess. I do not mean to be disrespectful."

  The words tasted bitter in my mouth, but they seemed to make Cami smile. Of course, I couldn't just leave well enough alone, because I added, "But could we get this over with?"

  Lisella smiled all the same. "It's quite alright. I understand your trepidation. Many people are uncomfortable with healers. I just want to make sure you're healing properly. Besides, I owe you a debt, too."

  I nodded and allowed her to assess me. She was efficient and thorough and quite gentle. After she finished checking the various fading scars I had, especially the places where the horror's tendrils had pierced my scales, she held her hand against my head and I felt a slight warmth.

  I was instantly wary and jumped to my feet. She was using magic on me! Since I forgot my strength was significantly greater than most humans—even in my weakened state—she was knocked backwards.

  Cami jumped forward and kept the woman from falling over, top-heavy as she was, all while managing to give me a rebuking stare.

  "Those are quick reflexes you have there, Cami," Lisella complimented.

  "It's nothing, just years of working on a farm."

  "Somehow I think there is more to it than that. Perhaps you'll find that your pursuits lead you down a path which mixes the martial with the magical." Then, the woman gathered herself and looked at me. "I'm sorry, Nico. I should have warned you before I used magic on you. That was poor bedside manners on my part, especially given that, as a wild mage, you're most likely nervous around magic."

  I wanted to argue with her and explain that she had no idea just how comfortable I was with magic, but her next words shut me up. "Anyway, I was just checking on your health and I can declare you fit to travel—even if you will likely feel some lingering effects for the next few days. Being touched by a goddess is never an easy thing, although I find myself a bit jealous."

  "Thank you, priestess," I said. "It was quite the experience, but truthfully I think I'd rather forgo it in the future… if possible."

  She laughed at that. "You're very welcome. I'm glad I could help and think nothing of it. As I said, I owe you as well. For now, though, you should go downstairs and get some food. Healing or being healed takes a great deal out of the body and you'll likely find that you're probably hungrier than you've ever been in your life."

  I tried not to snicker at that. If only she knew how much I'd eaten as a dragon. Whatever this frail human body could hold would pale in comparison.

  Then she added, "I've already told the kitchen to feed you as much as you want and you don't need to worry about paying for it—Sir Galbrecht will handle all of that. But you should hurry. I can only keep Serius off of you for so long. He was only partially satisfied with the outcome of our mission, so the prospect of delivering not just one but two mage candidates to the university has him acting like he was fifty years old again."

  With that, she left.

  Cami turned to leave also. "You don't have to go."

  She looked back and frowned at me. Then her face softened from a scowl to a look of sorrow, perhaps even pity. With any other human I wouldn't have known what the expression meant, but our connection made her far easier to read.

  "I understand that you probably aren't used to any of this,” Cami said, “but it isn't right to treat an esteemed person like Lady Lisella so roughly. If you want to learn about humans, you're going to have to do a better job."

  I lowered my head at her rebuke. No one had spoken to me like that since my mother. It felt odd to hear it, but she did have a point. "Okay, I'll try to do better… for you."

  She stopped mid-step as I said the last two words. I thought for a moment she was going to yell at me again but she just kept walking. I could still feel her as she walked down the stairs and then out of the inn. Our connection became much more tenuous at that point.

  I instinctively knew that if I tried I could make it grow more, I could. I just had to ask myself if that was what I really wanted.

  My stomach made that growling sound again. Hmm… humans really were subject to the whims of their flesh. Eating sounded good, but first I needed to check my notifications.

  There were two of them—each important in its own way. The most straightforward of the two was also the one which carried the most danger with it.

  You have entered into a temporary pact with the goddess Miseria. She will imbue you with sufficient divine force to enable a body from your potential future to manifest. In return, you must use this power to destroy the horror which is before you. Failure to defeat this offense to creation will result in your soul being pulled to Miseria’s realm, where you will serve her for eternity.

  As a secondary aspect of your compact, you agree to keep the chosen of the goddess Miseria, Sir Galbrecht safe for the duration of this battle. In exchange, Miseria agrees to keep the secret of your true race and further to obscure it from others who might investigate your nature. She will not reveal what she knows to any other divine, celestial, fiendish, or mortal entity by action or omission.

  I hadn’t known how serious the pact was. I might have rejected it if I’d realized the consequences of failing to win the battle. That horror hadn’t been a slouch, but eternal servitude?

  That was enough to make me wish I’d rejected the deal. Then again, if I had, I’d most likely be dead. And, of course, I wouldn’t have gotten to experience what it was like to be a full grown wyrm. I wouldn’t reach a stature like that for at least a thousand years.

  No, I was smiling about that. I could never have passed that up. But, I did make a mental note to be extra careful and make sure to read all the fine print. At least she was just as stringent on the other aspects of the deal.

  The next notification was the results of the battle.

  You have defeated a horror. It was a mature adult equivalent. For defeating an enemy significantly stronger than yourself, you are awarded bonuses. DKP is awarded based upon the level of threat the situation presents to you and factors in the extreme measures you had to take.

  You have absorbed enough life force which had been stolen by the horror to move you into the adult power bracket when in your dragon form. The growth will take place a little bit each time that you return to your true form.

  Once you have fully incorporated the changes, your new stats will be:

  Nicosandumas

  Race: Blue Dragon

  Maturity: Adult (0% to Mature Adult)

  DKP: 6

  Length: 31’8” Weight: 12,303 lbs.

  Base Speed: 10 mph on land/128 mph in the air

  Stats:

  STR: 310

  AGI: 38

  DUR: 30

  MIND: 16

  HP: 300

  Regen Rate: 30 HP/day

  Immunities:

  Electricity

  Sleep

  Paralysis

  Resistances:

  Magic: 40%

  Physical Damage: 14.5%

  Combat Proficiency:

  Armor Rating: 28

  ATK: 24

  DMG: 2-12+12 (claws), 2-24+18 (bite), 2-8+12 (wings), 2-12+18 (tail)

  Critical Strike: 17%

  Racial Abilities:

  Breath Weapon:

  1: Spark storm 100’ x 10’ (12-48 damage)

  2: Lightning Bolt 300’ x 5’ (18-108 damage)

  Sprint: reach a maximum land speed of 80 mph for up to 30 seconds or maximum air speed up to 226 mph for 1 minute.