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The Dragon Warrior Part 1: New Power (Dragon TF)
Commission for Anonymous. Repost from Sune_N_Claws so we can get more exposure to the story!
Our most ambitious project we've undertaken- a story that we had to break it into two parts!
We hope you enjoy it! ^^
When looking at this city, it looks like what you’d imagine a city should look like. Tons of cars, tons of people, tons of buildings. This was the nation’s capital. Many prominent government buildings stood watch over the capital. Keeping a close eye on its citizens to ensure little trouble takes place, and whenever it does, they neutralize it. Yes, in this city, there is nothing unusual about it after taking a first glance. However, for those that delve deeper and know where to look, this city is home to a major secretive network hidden out of sight from the government. What was this secretive network one would ask? It’s something Zeke and Amy were about to find out.
Zeke and Amy were your typical citizens. Zeke, while he has a heart of gold, is quite a shy and nervous individual. In his relationship with his love, Amy, it is quite easy to tell who wears the pants between them. Zeke was not one for confrontation, and he would say and do almost anything to end an argument. Amy on the other hand is quite the confident and dominant individual. She is quite proud, but in a good-intentioned way. Her old town was dominated by males, and she had to work hard each day to earn their respect. This was her strength throughout life, but deep down, in a crisis, she would crack under such high pressure. She always was good at hiding any of her internal weaknesses, but if her defenses were ever to be compromised, it would expose her to vulnerability.
Right now, Zeke was taking up janitorial work to save enough money to pursue higher education. He hoped a degree would allow him to work for the government. It was always a dream to him to serve his country, but he wasn’t exactly cut out for the military as they rejected him before the first training session due to his inability to remain calm under immense combative pressure. If he couldn’t fight, he could still find something in government to do, and perhaps he would be able to grow his confidence finally. But now, for tonight, it was time to meet Amy outside. She was eager to show him something new for this date, so Zeke rushed to put his cleaning supplies away, change out of his clothes into normal clothes, and clock out as he headed outside to meet Amy who looked a little impatient waiting for him.
Amy looked as if she had been waiting forever as she said “finally you show up” as she put her hand on her hip. “Sorry a bit longer than I would've liked as well, “he admitted apologetically. Amy forgave him and they proceeded to walk back home to their apartment where she had a little gift for her boyfriend.
“Oh? This is a pleasant surprise! I will spare you the details, but work was just a complete shitshow today. Just frantic, frantic, frantic non-stop. I thought I’d never get it all done. But one day I won’t have to deal with this job anymore,” Zeke vents to Amy as she rolled her eyes at the same old song and dance Zeke did every Friday after work. Still, she knew he was trying his best and was doing it for them, so she wasn’t that hard on him.
“Well, since we’ve been going out for a while, and since you could use the breather, I figured we should try something a little different tonight. Tell me Zeke, you know about magic, right?” Amy snarkily remarks.
“Oh. Yeah, I’ve seen many of those magic shows on television. Are we going to one of those shows? Is Penn & Teller in town?” Zeke asks.
“Zeke, that isn’t magic what you see. Only illusions. Tricks of the mind. There is actual magic that can be performed!” Amy says.
“Hm? What do you mean real magic? What, like Harry Potter or something? Magic wands, potions? Fantastical Beasts and where to find them?” Zeke sarcastically quips as Amy gives him a little of an annoyed look as Zeke looks down at her glare.
“Joke all you want, but that type of magic really exists. But I guess to be fair, most people don’t know about it. I hear magic is highly scrutinized by higher organizations. People in this country still might see magic as pure witchcraft and would want to go all Salem on anyone who uses magic.” Amy explains as they continue walking to their destination.
“Ok then, so humor me, have you dabbled in any magic?” Zeke asks.
“Well, actually I have only browsed around the store, which is where we are headed. It’s very top secret, and you can only get in with the password “‘Suneclaws’” Amy whispers to Zeke. “Today though I was thinking we could buy out and maybe try out something since we will both be there.” Amy says.
Truth be told, Amy was afraid to try out magic for herself. If she messed up and she was alone, she would be liable to get run out of town and disowned by her family. Not only that, if it got back to Zeke… well, Amy didn’t want to think that far down the path, but with Zeke with her, she felt more sure about going through with practicing magic, even if it is just once.
“Well, we’re here. Doesn’t look like much huh Zeke?” Amy says as they arrive at what looks like a normal city shop. It sort of resembled a pawn shop at first glance.
“Uh, there are quite a lot of people inside?” Zeke asks looking through the window.
“Zeke, Zeke, Zeke. Of course, there’s got to be a “regular business” on top to hide the “real business” or people would get suspicious right away. Look, all the employees are aware and know the strict protocols. Just follow me, and whatever you do, don’t you dare talk until we get to ‘you know where’” Amy sternly instructs Zeke who nervously nods.
They enter hand in hand into the “pawn shop” as they see relatively normal looking people shopping around for junk. Some stuff did look like it had good value, but that’s not what Zeke and Amy were here for. Amy walks up to the store manager. “Hm, this selection isn’t exactly what I’m looking for. What stuff do you have in the back?” Amy asks, winking subtly at him as he understood what to do.
“Yes of course, just right this way, and when we get there and you see the selection, just let me know what you’re looking for and I promise to deliver.” he says as they walk past a beaded curtain and through a door that says
“RESTRICTED: EMPLOYEES ONLY”
Zeke’s heart was beating, this was a whole new world to him, and he couldn’t help feeling a little overwhelmed. “So, what exactly are you looking for?” he says as the manager makes a weak attempt to browse some of the other junk which acted as extra cover should the police get involved.
“Well, I’m looking for a fossil, kind of rare, but very well worth my collection. Supposedly made by two mythical beings but hasn’t been proven. I believe it’s called a… Suneclaw.” Amy says.
“Ahhhhhh… well, then right down here.” the manager says lifting up a crate that contained a ladder downstairs to the magic store. “I’ll keep watch until you’re down. And remember, go out the back way. It’s a one way exit. Have fun and enjoy yourselves, love potions are 25% off!” the manager says as Zeke immediately turned red from embarrassment.
“I hardly think we’ll need that, pervert…” Amy says chuckling while saying the last part under her breath as they climb down the ladder. They couldn’t see down, but it may have been for the best because the store was 3 stories down, or around 35 feet. Eventually though, they made it down to the store as many different magical items were present as Zeke stood in awe and silence. “Well don’t just stand there ZZ! Come on and look with me!” Amy says dragging Zeke to the spell books.
“Ooh! This is interesting! Hard to believe I’m looking at a real spell book. It’s even better than how the movies portray them!” Zeke says, showing a little bit of excitement as he picks a spell book out and browses through it.
“Looks like someone finally decided to get it. But one thing I hate to point out is the price, see how expensive they are?” Amy says pointing out the price.
Zeke audibly gasped as Amy covered his mouth as not to attract a crowd. “Now you know why I didn’t buy anything the first time.” Amy tells Zeke. Granted there were some things she couldn’t buy because of price, there surely were some things that were affordable.
“Well, do they come in individual spells? This book is two years of my tuition! Including room and board!” Zeke says quietly.
“Yeah, but they are still a few hundred bucks. Plus, you see that eyeball staring at us in the corner ceiling?” Amy points out.
“What the hell? Oh. It’s probably like a security camera or something.” Zeke observes.
“It’s more than that. You see, it can tell if someone is just glancing, or if they are trying to memorize a spell without buying it. If someone tries to pull a fast one, they will shoot a decision making spell that will either erase the spell from memory, or have the person buy it. Likewise, if someone accidentally knocks over a potion causing massive destruction or disturbance, it will shoot an undo spell that will revert everything back to normal. It’s one of the few spells that living beings cannot use since it would obviously be subject to significant abuse.” Amy explains.
“Well, well. Way to spoil the magic. And I was just gonna yeet one of those potions at the wall to see if it’ll break.” Zeke says sarcastically.
“Oh, shut up, Zeke. I’m only trying to teach you how things work here.” Amy says annoyed. “You should be lucky I took you here. First boyfriend I’ve ever taken here, so just listen and look.”
“Yes, Ames.” Zeke says submissively as they continue browsing the store. They did look at potions, but knowing how the neighbors can sometimes be noisy, they didn’t want to risk anything breaking. However, one thing that caught their eye were the bracers. They were each in individual plastic boxes, with descriptions on each.
“Oh! This one seems interesting! It looks like a warming bracer!” Zeke says picking up a red and white bracer box that had a dragon insignia in front. The description read:
“Fire 0: A perfect introduction power for fire magic. This bracer grants the power to generate heat in a room. No fire will actually be created since this is the weakest level bracer. But on a cold winter day, or for emergencies, Fire 0
can help keep you out of the cold.”
“Only $89? Um, Amy, can we get this one?” Zeke asks.
“Yes! Yes, this would be perfect!” Amy says now delighted. “I didn’t expect you to have an eye for magic right eye. Guess I underestimated you.” she says with a little wink. “It’ll be my present to you, how about that? You take the next one deal?”
“Deal! Let’s check out!” Zeke says as they go to the cashier as she hands them their item and wishes them a good day. They make their way to the exit as the minotaur manager walks in to check stock.
“Seems like we had a pretty successful day! Oh, who arranged these bracers? They’re all out of order!” he says annoyed as he starts to rearrange the bracers.
“Uh sir?” The cashier says suddenly worried. “We just sold one of the bracers.”
“Oh? Which one?” he asks.
“Fire 0: The red and white one. The one with the dragon insignia.” she says as a horrified look on the minotaur’s face.
“THE WHAT? OH NO! THAT WASN’T THE FIRE 0! THAT’S A... THAT’S A…”
“Relax boss! Relax, we can contact them and fix it.” the cashier suggests.
“No. We can’t. Those people don’t have the needed communication. The government would expose us in an instant. I’m afraid we have no choice. We must let what happens to the wearer play out. And whoever arranged the
bracers? They’re ass will get fired big time.” he says cracking his knuckles.
Zeke and Amy eventually make it back to Zeke’s place as they sit on the bed looking at the bracers they took out of the box. “Oh wow, this is something else!” Zeke says as they hold it. “Can I try it on now?” he asks.
“Sure, let me put it on you.” she says latching the bracer onto Zeke’s wrist as a little buzz sound was made when the bracer was attached. It startled both but figured it was nothing.
“Well, go ahead! Try the magic!” Amy says eagerly.
“Uh, how? I don’t know how to activate the magic. Maybe it takes a little bit of time before it’s ready?” Zeke asks.
“I guess that’s true, but how does it feel?” Amy asks.
“The bracer feels good, not too tight, loose, or uncomfortable. Maybe sleeping will give it time to charge or something. Maybe we can go back and ask how it works tomorrow. And maybe browse for other bracers to try.” Zeke suggests as he yawns.
“Yeah, I’m kinda beat too. I’m sure my family won’t mind me spending the night with you.” Amy says hugging Zeke before they got into bed. Little did they know what was going to happen during the night.
As they slept, the bracer started to glow dimly as Zeke’s wrist started to get covered in white scales. However, Zeke didn’t notice it because he was still fast asleep. He and Amy thought what they got was a warming bracer, but it was actually a highly advanced and powerful transformation bracer that would slowly transform the wearer into a powerful fire dragon. Forget Fire 0, at full potential, the wearer could master the 9 levels of Fire, Flame, Flare, and one of the ultimate spells a living being could cast: Atomic.
Zeke’s throat was feeling a little raspy and he felt his chest feel weird, so he quietly got up to get a glass of water. He goes to the kitchen and gets a glass of water, but it didn’t help so he feels his neck and his eyes shoot wide as he feels the scales. “What the hell?” he says in a raspy, almost reptilian like voice now. He rushes to the bathroom and sees the scales forming. “Something’s wrong...I... what can I do?” he thinks to himself. He can’t wake up Amy since she is pure rage when woken out of a deep sleep. The magic store was closed, and his parents would freak out. There was no place in town he could go where he’d be unnoticed.
“Maybe I’ll go in the forest a bit, I feel myself growing too. If I get too big, I might wreck the place and cause a noticeable disturbance. I’m sorry Ames, this will hopefully just be a bad dream and I’ll wake up in the morning next to you,” he says as he puts on a turtleneck sweater to hide the changes growing up his arm and neck, and sweatpants as he quietly heads on out.
As he walked, he was getting taller and bigger, but considering almost no one is out this late, he was fortunately unseen. He growled at these changes as it started to rip his clothes. He walks across the bridge leading to the forest area as he feels the white scales go down his belly and his voice becoming deeper and growly
“How am I going to explain this? That's the last time I’m messing around with magic.” he says as he stops to try and take the bracer off, but it was no use. “Damn bracer! Why won’t you come off? Oh, forget it for now, just gotta find a discreet place to rest and in the morning, I’ll figure something out.” he snarls as he finally makes it to the forest outside of the city and finds a little hill to rest on.
The next morning, Amy woke up and Zeke was not in bed. She thought maybe he was in the bathroom or somewhere else, but he was nowhere to be found. It wasn’t a work or school day and Zeke never goes out at this time. Amy was starting to feel worry.
“Zeke? Where are you? This isn’t funny if you’re hiding. If you have a surprise for me just be out with it.” she says as she still couldn’t find him. She decides to call her family and Zeke’s family to see if Zeke was with them. But alas, he wasn’t. Amy was getting freaked out now. She thought something happened to Zeke but didn’t know what. She tried to retrace what could have possibly happened. But she couldn’t piece it together. All she could briefly think about was she may have felt Zeke get up. Perhaps he had to take care of a family emergency? Either way, she had one possible lead.
She quickly got dressed and hailed a taxi to quickly get to Zeke’s parents’ place. Zeke was a sensitive person, and you could tell by his family. His mother and sisters all got along well with Zeke, and his mother will really go into you
if you dare mess with Zeke the wrong way. Amy nervously got out of the taxi and had to take some deep breaths as not to appear panicky. She knocks on the door as one of Zeke’s sisters calls out for Zeke’s Mom, or Mrs. Young
“Oh, hello Amy. Nice to see you. Can I get you anything? Lemonade? Cookies?” she offers.
“Very kind, but no. I wanted to see if Zeke was here.” Amy asks.
“No, why do you ask? I mean, I know you two have your differences, you’re more… what’s the word I’m looking for? Commanding than Zeke is, but they do say opposites attract.” Zeke’s Mom says rambling on like a mother would about her son.
“Well, uh, no, we were together at his place and…”
“You didn’t do anything, rash did you? I mean I want grandkids but…”
“Oh God No Mrs. Young! Nothing like that! Please don’t ask things like that this early in the morning! Zeke got up last night and he is nowhere in the house, no note, no nothing! No clue where he is!” Amy says blushing with a hint of disgust at the topic that was brought up.
“I’m sure he is fine. He’s probably out somewhere getting you a surprise!” Mrs. Young says hopefully.
“Well, him not being there when I woke up was a surprise. Either way, it’ll be a relief when I know where he is. Thanks Mrs. Young.” Amy says heading out as Mrs. Young says goodbye.
As she was waiting for another taxi, she decided to give her family a call. If it was a surprise, maybe Zeke went to them to ask what Amy might want. This was her only other lead. She dialed her Mom as she picked up the phone.
“Amy! Baby! How are you?” Amy’s Mom asks.
“I’m...alright. I wanted to ask if Zeke by any chance stopped by your place by any chance.” Amy asks.
“Oh… no, he hasn’t.” she says. Amy’s Mom wasn’t the warmest to Zeke, but she tolerated him if Amy still liked him. She wanted Amy to be with someone with a bit more standing, but she didn’t want to be a helicopter Mom. So
alas, she did her best to stay out of butting into their relationship. “Why do you ask?”
“Oh, nothing. Nice talking to you Mom!” Amy says abruptly hanging up as she finds a cab.
“Now what?” Amy thinks to herself. Zeke can be anywhere in the city at this point. Traffic was really bad getting back, so the cab took a little detour to get her back faster. As they were driving, they were stopped at a familiar location. It was the junk store they went to yesterday. Maybe they could give her a spell that would teleport her to Zeke.
Amy’s eyes suddenly opened wide. The magic shop. The bracer… Everything started to click. “STOP THE DAMN CAR!” she yells shocking the driver as she quickly paid the cab and got out rushing into the store. She had an angry
look on her face as the junk store manager pushed a button letting the magic store manager know trouble was coming. There was no point in asking questions as Amy already said the password and made her way to the magic
store as she asked to see the manager.
“Oh, hello there! You have a problem?” the minotaur manager asks innocently.
“You bet your sweet life I do. I bought a bracer for my boyfriend yesterday, and he is nowhere to be found! You didn’t give us a fire bracer, did you? What the fucking hell did you sell us?”
“Ma’am do you have a receipt? We keep our store as organized as possible. There has never been an incident at this store before, right?” he asks the cashier who nods.
“Bullshit! Zeke never leaves at night without a reason! He tried the bracer on, and it didn’t work, so he slept to charge it and he’s gone!”
“Bracers don’t need to be charged, lady. Don’t blame me if you and your boyfriend don’t know how to effectively use magic.”
“Excuse me!? You’ve got fucking nerve you COWard! I demand to know where he is!” Amy yells.
“Oh, if you want to know where he is, all you need to do is ask!” he says politely.
“Hmm. Ok, you’re finally talking sense. So, where is he?” Amy asks.
“Not here, so out you go!” the manager says grinning as he breaks a transportation potion at Amy’s feet, ejecting her into the junk store garbage dump.
“Rrrrrrr. That son of a bitch!” Amy says punching the garbage. Like that would help, but Amy was trying not to lose it as she not only has no leads, but she also knows that she can’t go back to that store for a while since she’d just be thrown out immediately.
She then started to cry once she got out of the dump. No one could see her, but she was now lost on what to do.
Meanwhile, the changes progressed significantly as Zeke slept, his whole body was now as big as a dragon's, his back and arms and legs were now fully covered in red scales. The bracer adjusted to Zeke’s growing size. Spikes were starting to grow on his back as that uncomforting feeling woke him up snarling.
“Hell, it’s not a damn dream. It’s still going.” he says getting up, only to realize he was on all fours. ‘Great, now I really feel like an animal on all fours like this.” Zeke complains as he tries to walk and adjust to his form when he tripped and rolled down the hill, crashing into a tree. He growled in a little pain from knocking into the tree, but when he opened his eyes, he saw the tree fall over completely.
“Wait, did I? Did I do that?” he says as he slowly walks to another tree, doing so his tail starts to grow out. “Admittedly, having a tail isn’t bad.” he says swaying it and wagging it and thumping it on the ground. He makes it to another tree and leans on it with his front legs, or arms, as he easily pushes the tree down. “Wow guess I don’t know my own strength!” he says as he tries picking up the 100 foot tree. To his surprise, he was able to lift it up with minor difficulty.
“If only Amy could see me now...oh wait, never mind…” he said, realizing Amy would surely freak out seeing him like this. He had no idea how accurate he was…
One of the reasons he could pick it up with less struggle was his red wings were starting to grow and expand into dragon wings. It created a pocket of air that allowed Zeke to be more upright so he wouldn’t always be quadrupedal.
He tries flapping his wings as he gets airborne, and soon enough finds himself tens of feet in the air. Looking down for once gave him no fear as he flew a little through the forest’s trees. He had an odd sensation of power and confidence. Like he could do just about anything. He grabbed a tree, took a deep breath, and instinctually thought about breathing fire as he tilted his head up and let out a burst of flame.
It was a gentle flame relatively, only a Fire 1, but it made Zeke feel, well, right. It felt natural to him to breathe fire, but what didn’t feel natural was his face getting scaly and growing into a muzzle of a dragon. His teeth becoming sharp fangs, his eyes becoming reptilian, his ears becoming dragon ears, and above all his senses were heightened. He could smell, hear, and see for miles. But when he tried talking to himself, all he could do was growl and roar.
“Grrmmf? Raaa...Raaawr?” was all Zeke could say as he tried talking, but the bracer took away his ability to speak. It left Zeke a little dejected as he couldn’t tell anyone or communicate his intentions and feelings properly. But he also couldn’t help feeling the power within him. Magical and Physical energy manifesting themselves and growing by the minute.
He was hungry as he forgot to eat dinner and breakfast, so he decided to do a little hunting. Zeke was never a camping kind of person, but at his size, he didn’t need to worry about shooting precisely. He saw a buck grazing and it was quickly over as he killed the buck and cooked him using Fire 2.
His first bite was absolutely scrumptious and juicy. The venison’s flesh and skin felt great in his mouth. The juices of the deer satiating his taste buds as he devoured the buck. As he left the carcass, he realized what he did, but didn’t feel as bad as his dragon instincts told him it was natural being a carnivore to kill other animals to eat and survive.
He snarled and humored himself a little as he walked and stalked for more prey. It was all easy for him now. This land outside the city, it felt like all of his now. He made his way to the lake for some water. Despite being a fire dragon, he still needs hydration. He saw his reflection in the water as he grinned looking at himself. He looked strong and powerful, shedding his meek persona. He sure made one heck of a dragon.
After Amy got herself together, she needed to think. Maybe some fresh air would be of help. There was a forest that would give her space to think. Once her head was clear, she would start again. Maybe Zeke would call her, and all would be resolved the moment she leaves the city. Taxis and Walking was out of the question for her at this time of day, so she would need to rent a bike to get there.
After she gets strapped in, she makes her way out of the city. Ironically, going faster than the cabs with all that traffic. “Suck it cabs!” she shouts as she makes her way out of the city and across the bridge leading to the forest. She parks her bike and locks the wheels near a tree close to the road. She has been to the forest twice before, both on school field trips, but always on a nature trail. Amy was nowhere near the trail she was familiar with.
Zeke’s dragon ears picked up the sound of someone coming into the forest. Even though he was at the lake, which was miles away, these steps sounded familiar. He decided to walk towards the sound to investigate. He could certainly take care of any problem if needed.
As Zeke got within a mile, Amy heard rumbling on the ground. She started to get nervous as this was clearly far from normal. She tried to run away, but she tripped, and she couldn’t get up. Zeke the dragon got closer and could smell it was Amy, but as soon as he realized it, Amy screamed when she saw the dragon’s eyes.
Zeke opened his mouth to try and speak but it was all growls, as Amy crawled away as Zeke made his way closer. Amy was screaming as she figured she was gonna die. She was almost certain of it, but then she saw something worn around the dragon’s wrist. It looked like… the bracer!
“Z..Z... Zeke?” Amy asks confused as the dragon gently smiles. Amy was in such shock that she immediately passed out. Zeke carried her to his clearing in the forest that he made a nice little cozy spot as Amy soon came to.
“Zeke? It really is you…” she says as Zeke warmly smiles. “I-I’m s-so sorry. I never wanted this to happen to you. I just wanted to get you started in magic. And look what I did to you. It’s...it’s all my fault…” she says crying hugging Zeke’s muzzle as Zeke softly growls.
As he growled, the area suddenly felt a little warm. And it made Amy slowly feel safe and relaxed. “Wha, what is this feeling?” she asks confused as Zeke draws a little zero on the grass. Even though he couldn’t speak, he could still write. “Is this fire magic?” Amy asks as Zeke nods. It was the fire 0 spell that Zeke originally was supposed to get.
“Y-you are you able to do magic?” she asks as Zeke demonstrates more fire magic, breathing fire of different powers in the air, ripping out trees from the roots with his massive strength, he was really happy with how strong he was.
But Amy was still feeling guilty about it all.
Zeke nuzzled Amy’s face to let her know it was ok. She seemed to calm down a bit more as tears were no longer falling down her face. Amy even cracked a little smile. She notices Zeke’s wings and curiosity got the better of her.
“So, can you uh… actually fly?” Zeke then backed up and turned around. He then laid his massive body down and motioned for her to climb on.
“O... ok…” she says as she climbs on Zeke’s leg and across his massive back as she gets close to his neck. Zeke spreads his wings as they take flight just below the top of the forest as Amy holds on tight. She felt the breeze from Zeke’s flight as they made their way to the lake where the sun was just starting to set. It created an exceptionally beautiful reflection on the lake as Amy dismounted.
“You seem, quite happy like this. I'm happy for you.” Amy says softly. “I still wish you could talk so I could understand you, but at least I know you’re safe and you’re here with me.” Amy says with a smile as Zeke presents his muzzle as Amy pets him. “It is a beautiful night, maybe we can re-do last night, and we can cuddle together?” Amy asks.
Zeke smiles as he wraps his body around Amy in a protective manner. “The bracer does look good around your wrist,” Amy says looking at the bracer. “Good Night Zeke. I Love You…” Amy says before falling asleep with Zeke. All was peaceful in the forest.
However, in the city, it was a different story. The magic store manager found himself in a room and he was handcuffed to a chair. A buff looking man in a military uniform was very mad and was carrying a baton. “Do you realize what you did? Do you know that because of your fuck up with the bracers, we have a wild dragon out there within a few miles of the city?”
“Mr. General sir, it was an accident. I had nothing to do with it!” the manager says nervously.
“Cut the crap. You know how powerful these bracers are! We know that it’s nigh impossible for the wearer to revert. We have confiscated all of your magic from your store and have shut your little operation down!” the general says.
The minotaur just sighed feeling defeated. This mistake has ruined his career.
“You still have a way to redeem yourself.” the general offers as the minotaur’s ears perk up.
“How? I’ll do whatever you want!” he says in desperation.
“There is one way to get the bracer off. We looked up the bracer in question, and we discovered that a direct attack on the bracer with Absolute 0, the most powerful Ice spell, will release the bracer from the dragon’s wrist and will revert them to normal.”
“With all due respect sir, finding that bracer is a near impossible task! It’s in a deep underwater cave in the south pole around Vostok that no being has entered in centuries!” he explains.
“Well, now is as good a time as any to reset that statistic. You got us all into this mess, you get us out!” the general yells.
“I can’ do it myself! I don’t have anywhere close to the magic or technological resources to retrieve it!” the minotaur shouts back.
“Hmmm…” the general was thinking of an idea. “Since you did tell us the location, perhaps I can assist you in loaning some of our team to help you retrieve it, but if something happens to you, we are not responsible. You get this for us, we will take care of the rest and clear you of all charges, AND we will legalize your store for magic dealing. Likewise, if by some miracle the dragon turns out not to be a threat, then we will consider this a special mission for our weaponry. If the stars align, then we will also allow your store to carry government level magic.” The general offers him.
“You got a deal sir.” the minotaur says as he is released from the chair.
“Our admiral will work with you on your mission. Please take him to the magic-naval floor. And make sure no careless leaks occur.” he directs his soldiers to take the minotaur to his mission.
Now that there was a possible solution in plan, there was still another more important question: How do they immediately deal with this dragon? And without causing too much of a commotion? Not to mention if the dragon were able to master Atomic, the ultimate fire magic, it could destroy the city to the ground. The man walked back to the war room as someone asked, “General, what is your plan of action?”
“Good question. We have two options. One, we neutralize this threat before it gets out of hand. Or two, and this is extremely high risk, but if by any chance, we could somehow tame the beast, he could be our most powerful weapon. And if we can get him, we will become the most powerful nation in the world.”
“Sir, with all due respect, you realize how hard it is to tame a dragon? Come to think of it, you also realize how hard it is to kill a dragon?” he asks.
“Indeed, but don’t forget, we have many magic tools at our disposal. Not to mention the most advanced technology out there. Wherever this dragon was, we were highly fortunate that it isn’t in the city. Our sensors would have detected it, so judging from the timeline of events, I reckon to guess that the dragon we’re looking for is somewhere in the forest outside town.” the general deduces.
Suddenly, an alarm started blaring throughout the facility, it was the barrier breach, and from the loudness, it was the most serious breach possible.
“What in the name of sweet hell is going on?” the general asks briskly walking to the command center.
“Uh General sir? Another dragon is flying and coming right after our city. At a dangerous pace.” he says.
“Then for heaven’s sake stop it!” the general orders.
“We are trying, but all of our barriers and repellents are failing, and it’s gonna arrive in town in a few hours!
“Attention! All available hands on deck! Potential Magical Breach in the core! Repeat Potential Magical Breach in the core!” the general says throughout the facility as the soldiers prepared to unleash the anti-magic barrier, but the shield malfunctioned and short-circuited.
“Fix it Damn it!” the general ordered, but it was already too late. The mysterious dragon was already in the critical zone. Within the next few hours, the dragon was going to attack the city.
“Get all military on the outskirts of the main city ready to attack, tell the mainstream press its regular military drills and that the citizens have NOTHING to worry about, but for their safety not to leave the city. Emphasize that they remain calm and do not panic.” he says to his chain of command.
While the general took care of keeping the real situation secret, he now had what seemed like an impossible problem to deal with. “How in God’s name are we going to resolve this?” he says to himself, but one of the computer’s picked it up without anyone seeing it. It had just one answer, and one line to his question:
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART 2
Our most ambitious project we've undertaken- a story that we had to break it into two parts!
We hope you enjoy it! ^^
When looking at this city, it looks like what you’d imagine a city should look like. Tons of cars, tons of people, tons of buildings. This was the nation’s capital. Many prominent government buildings stood watch over the capital. Keeping a close eye on its citizens to ensure little trouble takes place, and whenever it does, they neutralize it. Yes, in this city, there is nothing unusual about it after taking a first glance. However, for those that delve deeper and know where to look, this city is home to a major secretive network hidden out of sight from the government. What was this secretive network one would ask? It’s something Zeke and Amy were about to find out.
Zeke and Amy were your typical citizens. Zeke, while he has a heart of gold, is quite a shy and nervous individual. In his relationship with his love, Amy, it is quite easy to tell who wears the pants between them. Zeke was not one for confrontation, and he would say and do almost anything to end an argument. Amy on the other hand is quite the confident and dominant individual. She is quite proud, but in a good-intentioned way. Her old town was dominated by males, and she had to work hard each day to earn their respect. This was her strength throughout life, but deep down, in a crisis, she would crack under such high pressure. She always was good at hiding any of her internal weaknesses, but if her defenses were ever to be compromised, it would expose her to vulnerability.
Right now, Zeke was taking up janitorial work to save enough money to pursue higher education. He hoped a degree would allow him to work for the government. It was always a dream to him to serve his country, but he wasn’t exactly cut out for the military as they rejected him before the first training session due to his inability to remain calm under immense combative pressure. If he couldn’t fight, he could still find something in government to do, and perhaps he would be able to grow his confidence finally. But now, for tonight, it was time to meet Amy outside. She was eager to show him something new for this date, so Zeke rushed to put his cleaning supplies away, change out of his clothes into normal clothes, and clock out as he headed outside to meet Amy who looked a little impatient waiting for him.
Amy looked as if she had been waiting forever as she said “finally you show up” as she put her hand on her hip. “Sorry a bit longer than I would've liked as well, “he admitted apologetically. Amy forgave him and they proceeded to walk back home to their apartment where she had a little gift for her boyfriend.
“Oh? This is a pleasant surprise! I will spare you the details, but work was just a complete shitshow today. Just frantic, frantic, frantic non-stop. I thought I’d never get it all done. But one day I won’t have to deal with this job anymore,” Zeke vents to Amy as she rolled her eyes at the same old song and dance Zeke did every Friday after work. Still, she knew he was trying his best and was doing it for them, so she wasn’t that hard on him.
“Well, since we’ve been going out for a while, and since you could use the breather, I figured we should try something a little different tonight. Tell me Zeke, you know about magic, right?” Amy snarkily remarks.
“Oh. Yeah, I’ve seen many of those magic shows on television. Are we going to one of those shows? Is Penn & Teller in town?” Zeke asks.
“Zeke, that isn’t magic what you see. Only illusions. Tricks of the mind. There is actual magic that can be performed!” Amy says.
“Hm? What do you mean real magic? What, like Harry Potter or something? Magic wands, potions? Fantastical Beasts and where to find them?” Zeke sarcastically quips as Amy gives him a little of an annoyed look as Zeke looks down at her glare.
“Joke all you want, but that type of magic really exists. But I guess to be fair, most people don’t know about it. I hear magic is highly scrutinized by higher organizations. People in this country still might see magic as pure witchcraft and would want to go all Salem on anyone who uses magic.” Amy explains as they continue walking to their destination.
“Ok then, so humor me, have you dabbled in any magic?” Zeke asks.
“Well, actually I have only browsed around the store, which is where we are headed. It’s very top secret, and you can only get in with the password “‘Suneclaws’” Amy whispers to Zeke. “Today though I was thinking we could buy out and maybe try out something since we will both be there.” Amy says.
Truth be told, Amy was afraid to try out magic for herself. If she messed up and she was alone, she would be liable to get run out of town and disowned by her family. Not only that, if it got back to Zeke… well, Amy didn’t want to think that far down the path, but with Zeke with her, she felt more sure about going through with practicing magic, even if it is just once.
“Well, we’re here. Doesn’t look like much huh Zeke?” Amy says as they arrive at what looks like a normal city shop. It sort of resembled a pawn shop at first glance.
“Uh, there are quite a lot of people inside?” Zeke asks looking through the window.
“Zeke, Zeke, Zeke. Of course, there’s got to be a “regular business” on top to hide the “real business” or people would get suspicious right away. Look, all the employees are aware and know the strict protocols. Just follow me, and whatever you do, don’t you dare talk until we get to ‘you know where’” Amy sternly instructs Zeke who nervously nods.
They enter hand in hand into the “pawn shop” as they see relatively normal looking people shopping around for junk. Some stuff did look like it had good value, but that’s not what Zeke and Amy were here for. Amy walks up to the store manager. “Hm, this selection isn’t exactly what I’m looking for. What stuff do you have in the back?” Amy asks, winking subtly at him as he understood what to do.
“Yes of course, just right this way, and when we get there and you see the selection, just let me know what you’re looking for and I promise to deliver.” he says as they walk past a beaded curtain and through a door that says
“RESTRICTED: EMPLOYEES ONLY”
Zeke’s heart was beating, this was a whole new world to him, and he couldn’t help feeling a little overwhelmed. “So, what exactly are you looking for?” he says as the manager makes a weak attempt to browse some of the other junk which acted as extra cover should the police get involved.
“Well, I’m looking for a fossil, kind of rare, but very well worth my collection. Supposedly made by two mythical beings but hasn’t been proven. I believe it’s called a… Suneclaw.” Amy says.
“Ahhhhhh… well, then right down here.” the manager says lifting up a crate that contained a ladder downstairs to the magic store. “I’ll keep watch until you’re down. And remember, go out the back way. It’s a one way exit. Have fun and enjoy yourselves, love potions are 25% off!” the manager says as Zeke immediately turned red from embarrassment.
“I hardly think we’ll need that, pervert…” Amy says chuckling while saying the last part under her breath as they climb down the ladder. They couldn’t see down, but it may have been for the best because the store was 3 stories down, or around 35 feet. Eventually though, they made it down to the store as many different magical items were present as Zeke stood in awe and silence. “Well don’t just stand there ZZ! Come on and look with me!” Amy says dragging Zeke to the spell books.
“Ooh! This is interesting! Hard to believe I’m looking at a real spell book. It’s even better than how the movies portray them!” Zeke says, showing a little bit of excitement as he picks a spell book out and browses through it.
“Looks like someone finally decided to get it. But one thing I hate to point out is the price, see how expensive they are?” Amy says pointing out the price.
Zeke audibly gasped as Amy covered his mouth as not to attract a crowd. “Now you know why I didn’t buy anything the first time.” Amy tells Zeke. Granted there were some things she couldn’t buy because of price, there surely were some things that were affordable.
“Well, do they come in individual spells? This book is two years of my tuition! Including room and board!” Zeke says quietly.
“Yeah, but they are still a few hundred bucks. Plus, you see that eyeball staring at us in the corner ceiling?” Amy points out.
“What the hell? Oh. It’s probably like a security camera or something.” Zeke observes.
“It’s more than that. You see, it can tell if someone is just glancing, or if they are trying to memorize a spell without buying it. If someone tries to pull a fast one, they will shoot a decision making spell that will either erase the spell from memory, or have the person buy it. Likewise, if someone accidentally knocks over a potion causing massive destruction or disturbance, it will shoot an undo spell that will revert everything back to normal. It’s one of the few spells that living beings cannot use since it would obviously be subject to significant abuse.” Amy explains.
“Well, well. Way to spoil the magic. And I was just gonna yeet one of those potions at the wall to see if it’ll break.” Zeke says sarcastically.
“Oh, shut up, Zeke. I’m only trying to teach you how things work here.” Amy says annoyed. “You should be lucky I took you here. First boyfriend I’ve ever taken here, so just listen and look.”
“Yes, Ames.” Zeke says submissively as they continue browsing the store. They did look at potions, but knowing how the neighbors can sometimes be noisy, they didn’t want to risk anything breaking. However, one thing that caught their eye were the bracers. They were each in individual plastic boxes, with descriptions on each.
“Oh! This one seems interesting! It looks like a warming bracer!” Zeke says picking up a red and white bracer box that had a dragon insignia in front. The description read:
“Fire 0: A perfect introduction power for fire magic. This bracer grants the power to generate heat in a room. No fire will actually be created since this is the weakest level bracer. But on a cold winter day, or for emergencies, Fire 0
can help keep you out of the cold.”
“Only $89? Um, Amy, can we get this one?” Zeke asks.
“Yes! Yes, this would be perfect!” Amy says now delighted. “I didn’t expect you to have an eye for magic right eye. Guess I underestimated you.” she says with a little wink. “It’ll be my present to you, how about that? You take the next one deal?”
“Deal! Let’s check out!” Zeke says as they go to the cashier as she hands them their item and wishes them a good day. They make their way to the exit as the minotaur manager walks in to check stock.
“Seems like we had a pretty successful day! Oh, who arranged these bracers? They’re all out of order!” he says annoyed as he starts to rearrange the bracers.
“Uh sir?” The cashier says suddenly worried. “We just sold one of the bracers.”
“Oh? Which one?” he asks.
“Fire 0: The red and white one. The one with the dragon insignia.” she says as a horrified look on the minotaur’s face.
“THE WHAT? OH NO! THAT WASN’T THE FIRE 0! THAT’S A... THAT’S A…”
“Relax boss! Relax, we can contact them and fix it.” the cashier suggests.
“No. We can’t. Those people don’t have the needed communication. The government would expose us in an instant. I’m afraid we have no choice. We must let what happens to the wearer play out. And whoever arranged the
bracers? They’re ass will get fired big time.” he says cracking his knuckles.
Zeke and Amy eventually make it back to Zeke’s place as they sit on the bed looking at the bracers they took out of the box. “Oh wow, this is something else!” Zeke says as they hold it. “Can I try it on now?” he asks.
“Sure, let me put it on you.” she says latching the bracer onto Zeke’s wrist as a little buzz sound was made when the bracer was attached. It startled both but figured it was nothing.
“Well, go ahead! Try the magic!” Amy says eagerly.
“Uh, how? I don’t know how to activate the magic. Maybe it takes a little bit of time before it’s ready?” Zeke asks.
“I guess that’s true, but how does it feel?” Amy asks.
“The bracer feels good, not too tight, loose, or uncomfortable. Maybe sleeping will give it time to charge or something. Maybe we can go back and ask how it works tomorrow. And maybe browse for other bracers to try.” Zeke suggests as he yawns.
“Yeah, I’m kinda beat too. I’m sure my family won’t mind me spending the night with you.” Amy says hugging Zeke before they got into bed. Little did they know what was going to happen during the night.
As they slept, the bracer started to glow dimly as Zeke’s wrist started to get covered in white scales. However, Zeke didn’t notice it because he was still fast asleep. He and Amy thought what they got was a warming bracer, but it was actually a highly advanced and powerful transformation bracer that would slowly transform the wearer into a powerful fire dragon. Forget Fire 0, at full potential, the wearer could master the 9 levels of Fire, Flame, Flare, and one of the ultimate spells a living being could cast: Atomic.
Zeke’s throat was feeling a little raspy and he felt his chest feel weird, so he quietly got up to get a glass of water. He goes to the kitchen and gets a glass of water, but it didn’t help so he feels his neck and his eyes shoot wide as he feels the scales. “What the hell?” he says in a raspy, almost reptilian like voice now. He rushes to the bathroom and sees the scales forming. “Something’s wrong...I... what can I do?” he thinks to himself. He can’t wake up Amy since she is pure rage when woken out of a deep sleep. The magic store was closed, and his parents would freak out. There was no place in town he could go where he’d be unnoticed.
“Maybe I’ll go in the forest a bit, I feel myself growing too. If I get too big, I might wreck the place and cause a noticeable disturbance. I’m sorry Ames, this will hopefully just be a bad dream and I’ll wake up in the morning next to you,” he says as he puts on a turtleneck sweater to hide the changes growing up his arm and neck, and sweatpants as he quietly heads on out.
As he walked, he was getting taller and bigger, but considering almost no one is out this late, he was fortunately unseen. He growled at these changes as it started to rip his clothes. He walks across the bridge leading to the forest area as he feels the white scales go down his belly and his voice becoming deeper and growly
“How am I going to explain this? That's the last time I’m messing around with magic.” he says as he stops to try and take the bracer off, but it was no use. “Damn bracer! Why won’t you come off? Oh, forget it for now, just gotta find a discreet place to rest and in the morning, I’ll figure something out.” he snarls as he finally makes it to the forest outside of the city and finds a little hill to rest on.
The next morning, Amy woke up and Zeke was not in bed. She thought maybe he was in the bathroom or somewhere else, but he was nowhere to be found. It wasn’t a work or school day and Zeke never goes out at this time. Amy was starting to feel worry.
“Zeke? Where are you? This isn’t funny if you’re hiding. If you have a surprise for me just be out with it.” she says as she still couldn’t find him. She decides to call her family and Zeke’s family to see if Zeke was with them. But alas, he wasn’t. Amy was getting freaked out now. She thought something happened to Zeke but didn’t know what. She tried to retrace what could have possibly happened. But she couldn’t piece it together. All she could briefly think about was she may have felt Zeke get up. Perhaps he had to take care of a family emergency? Either way, she had one possible lead.
She quickly got dressed and hailed a taxi to quickly get to Zeke’s parents’ place. Zeke was a sensitive person, and you could tell by his family. His mother and sisters all got along well with Zeke, and his mother will really go into you
if you dare mess with Zeke the wrong way. Amy nervously got out of the taxi and had to take some deep breaths as not to appear panicky. She knocks on the door as one of Zeke’s sisters calls out for Zeke’s Mom, or Mrs. Young
“Oh, hello Amy. Nice to see you. Can I get you anything? Lemonade? Cookies?” she offers.
“Very kind, but no. I wanted to see if Zeke was here.” Amy asks.
“No, why do you ask? I mean, I know you two have your differences, you’re more… what’s the word I’m looking for? Commanding than Zeke is, but they do say opposites attract.” Zeke’s Mom says rambling on like a mother would about her son.
“Well, uh, no, we were together at his place and…”
“You didn’t do anything, rash did you? I mean I want grandkids but…”
“Oh God No Mrs. Young! Nothing like that! Please don’t ask things like that this early in the morning! Zeke got up last night and he is nowhere in the house, no note, no nothing! No clue where he is!” Amy says blushing with a hint of disgust at the topic that was brought up.
“I’m sure he is fine. He’s probably out somewhere getting you a surprise!” Mrs. Young says hopefully.
“Well, him not being there when I woke up was a surprise. Either way, it’ll be a relief when I know where he is. Thanks Mrs. Young.” Amy says heading out as Mrs. Young says goodbye.
As she was waiting for another taxi, she decided to give her family a call. If it was a surprise, maybe Zeke went to them to ask what Amy might want. This was her only other lead. She dialed her Mom as she picked up the phone.
“Amy! Baby! How are you?” Amy’s Mom asks.
“I’m...alright. I wanted to ask if Zeke by any chance stopped by your place by any chance.” Amy asks.
“Oh… no, he hasn’t.” she says. Amy’s Mom wasn’t the warmest to Zeke, but she tolerated him if Amy still liked him. She wanted Amy to be with someone with a bit more standing, but she didn’t want to be a helicopter Mom. So
alas, she did her best to stay out of butting into their relationship. “Why do you ask?”
“Oh, nothing. Nice talking to you Mom!” Amy says abruptly hanging up as she finds a cab.
“Now what?” Amy thinks to herself. Zeke can be anywhere in the city at this point. Traffic was really bad getting back, so the cab took a little detour to get her back faster. As they were driving, they were stopped at a familiar location. It was the junk store they went to yesterday. Maybe they could give her a spell that would teleport her to Zeke.
Amy’s eyes suddenly opened wide. The magic shop. The bracer… Everything started to click. “STOP THE DAMN CAR!” she yells shocking the driver as she quickly paid the cab and got out rushing into the store. She had an angry
look on her face as the junk store manager pushed a button letting the magic store manager know trouble was coming. There was no point in asking questions as Amy already said the password and made her way to the magic
store as she asked to see the manager.
“Oh, hello there! You have a problem?” the minotaur manager asks innocently.
“You bet your sweet life I do. I bought a bracer for my boyfriend yesterday, and he is nowhere to be found! You didn’t give us a fire bracer, did you? What the fucking hell did you sell us?”
“Ma’am do you have a receipt? We keep our store as organized as possible. There has never been an incident at this store before, right?” he asks the cashier who nods.
“Bullshit! Zeke never leaves at night without a reason! He tried the bracer on, and it didn’t work, so he slept to charge it and he’s gone!”
“Bracers don’t need to be charged, lady. Don’t blame me if you and your boyfriend don’t know how to effectively use magic.”
“Excuse me!? You’ve got fucking nerve you COWard! I demand to know where he is!” Amy yells.
“Oh, if you want to know where he is, all you need to do is ask!” he says politely.
“Hmm. Ok, you’re finally talking sense. So, where is he?” Amy asks.
“Not here, so out you go!” the manager says grinning as he breaks a transportation potion at Amy’s feet, ejecting her into the junk store garbage dump.
“Rrrrrrr. That son of a bitch!” Amy says punching the garbage. Like that would help, but Amy was trying not to lose it as she not only has no leads, but she also knows that she can’t go back to that store for a while since she’d just be thrown out immediately.
She then started to cry once she got out of the dump. No one could see her, but she was now lost on what to do.
Meanwhile, the changes progressed significantly as Zeke slept, his whole body was now as big as a dragon's, his back and arms and legs were now fully covered in red scales. The bracer adjusted to Zeke’s growing size. Spikes were starting to grow on his back as that uncomforting feeling woke him up snarling.
“Hell, it’s not a damn dream. It’s still going.” he says getting up, only to realize he was on all fours. ‘Great, now I really feel like an animal on all fours like this.” Zeke complains as he tries to walk and adjust to his form when he tripped and rolled down the hill, crashing into a tree. He growled in a little pain from knocking into the tree, but when he opened his eyes, he saw the tree fall over completely.
“Wait, did I? Did I do that?” he says as he slowly walks to another tree, doing so his tail starts to grow out. “Admittedly, having a tail isn’t bad.” he says swaying it and wagging it and thumping it on the ground. He makes it to another tree and leans on it with his front legs, or arms, as he easily pushes the tree down. “Wow guess I don’t know my own strength!” he says as he tries picking up the 100 foot tree. To his surprise, he was able to lift it up with minor difficulty.
“If only Amy could see me now...oh wait, never mind…” he said, realizing Amy would surely freak out seeing him like this. He had no idea how accurate he was…
One of the reasons he could pick it up with less struggle was his red wings were starting to grow and expand into dragon wings. It created a pocket of air that allowed Zeke to be more upright so he wouldn’t always be quadrupedal.
He tries flapping his wings as he gets airborne, and soon enough finds himself tens of feet in the air. Looking down for once gave him no fear as he flew a little through the forest’s trees. He had an odd sensation of power and confidence. Like he could do just about anything. He grabbed a tree, took a deep breath, and instinctually thought about breathing fire as he tilted his head up and let out a burst of flame.
It was a gentle flame relatively, only a Fire 1, but it made Zeke feel, well, right. It felt natural to him to breathe fire, but what didn’t feel natural was his face getting scaly and growing into a muzzle of a dragon. His teeth becoming sharp fangs, his eyes becoming reptilian, his ears becoming dragon ears, and above all his senses were heightened. He could smell, hear, and see for miles. But when he tried talking to himself, all he could do was growl and roar.
“Grrmmf? Raaa...Raaawr?” was all Zeke could say as he tried talking, but the bracer took away his ability to speak. It left Zeke a little dejected as he couldn’t tell anyone or communicate his intentions and feelings properly. But he also couldn’t help feeling the power within him. Magical and Physical energy manifesting themselves and growing by the minute.
He was hungry as he forgot to eat dinner and breakfast, so he decided to do a little hunting. Zeke was never a camping kind of person, but at his size, he didn’t need to worry about shooting precisely. He saw a buck grazing and it was quickly over as he killed the buck and cooked him using Fire 2.
His first bite was absolutely scrumptious and juicy. The venison’s flesh and skin felt great in his mouth. The juices of the deer satiating his taste buds as he devoured the buck. As he left the carcass, he realized what he did, but didn’t feel as bad as his dragon instincts told him it was natural being a carnivore to kill other animals to eat and survive.
He snarled and humored himself a little as he walked and stalked for more prey. It was all easy for him now. This land outside the city, it felt like all of his now. He made his way to the lake for some water. Despite being a fire dragon, he still needs hydration. He saw his reflection in the water as he grinned looking at himself. He looked strong and powerful, shedding his meek persona. He sure made one heck of a dragon.
After Amy got herself together, she needed to think. Maybe some fresh air would be of help. There was a forest that would give her space to think. Once her head was clear, she would start again. Maybe Zeke would call her, and all would be resolved the moment she leaves the city. Taxis and Walking was out of the question for her at this time of day, so she would need to rent a bike to get there.
After she gets strapped in, she makes her way out of the city. Ironically, going faster than the cabs with all that traffic. “Suck it cabs!” she shouts as she makes her way out of the city and across the bridge leading to the forest. She parks her bike and locks the wheels near a tree close to the road. She has been to the forest twice before, both on school field trips, but always on a nature trail. Amy was nowhere near the trail she was familiar with.
Zeke’s dragon ears picked up the sound of someone coming into the forest. Even though he was at the lake, which was miles away, these steps sounded familiar. He decided to walk towards the sound to investigate. He could certainly take care of any problem if needed.
As Zeke got within a mile, Amy heard rumbling on the ground. She started to get nervous as this was clearly far from normal. She tried to run away, but she tripped, and she couldn’t get up. Zeke the dragon got closer and could smell it was Amy, but as soon as he realized it, Amy screamed when she saw the dragon’s eyes.
Zeke opened his mouth to try and speak but it was all growls, as Amy crawled away as Zeke made his way closer. Amy was screaming as she figured she was gonna die. She was almost certain of it, but then she saw something worn around the dragon’s wrist. It looked like… the bracer!
“Z..Z... Zeke?” Amy asks confused as the dragon gently smiles. Amy was in such shock that she immediately passed out. Zeke carried her to his clearing in the forest that he made a nice little cozy spot as Amy soon came to.
“Zeke? It really is you…” she says as Zeke warmly smiles. “I-I’m s-so sorry. I never wanted this to happen to you. I just wanted to get you started in magic. And look what I did to you. It’s...it’s all my fault…” she says crying hugging Zeke’s muzzle as Zeke softly growls.
As he growled, the area suddenly felt a little warm. And it made Amy slowly feel safe and relaxed. “Wha, what is this feeling?” she asks confused as Zeke draws a little zero on the grass. Even though he couldn’t speak, he could still write. “Is this fire magic?” Amy asks as Zeke nods. It was the fire 0 spell that Zeke originally was supposed to get.
“Y-you are you able to do magic?” she asks as Zeke demonstrates more fire magic, breathing fire of different powers in the air, ripping out trees from the roots with his massive strength, he was really happy with how strong he was.
But Amy was still feeling guilty about it all.
Zeke nuzzled Amy’s face to let her know it was ok. She seemed to calm down a bit more as tears were no longer falling down her face. Amy even cracked a little smile. She notices Zeke’s wings and curiosity got the better of her.
“So, can you uh… actually fly?” Zeke then backed up and turned around. He then laid his massive body down and motioned for her to climb on.
“O... ok…” she says as she climbs on Zeke’s leg and across his massive back as she gets close to his neck. Zeke spreads his wings as they take flight just below the top of the forest as Amy holds on tight. She felt the breeze from Zeke’s flight as they made their way to the lake where the sun was just starting to set. It created an exceptionally beautiful reflection on the lake as Amy dismounted.
“You seem, quite happy like this. I'm happy for you.” Amy says softly. “I still wish you could talk so I could understand you, but at least I know you’re safe and you’re here with me.” Amy says with a smile as Zeke presents his muzzle as Amy pets him. “It is a beautiful night, maybe we can re-do last night, and we can cuddle together?” Amy asks.
Zeke smiles as he wraps his body around Amy in a protective manner. “The bracer does look good around your wrist,” Amy says looking at the bracer. “Good Night Zeke. I Love You…” Amy says before falling asleep with Zeke. All was peaceful in the forest.
However, in the city, it was a different story. The magic store manager found himself in a room and he was handcuffed to a chair. A buff looking man in a military uniform was very mad and was carrying a baton. “Do you realize what you did? Do you know that because of your fuck up with the bracers, we have a wild dragon out there within a few miles of the city?”
“Mr. General sir, it was an accident. I had nothing to do with it!” the manager says nervously.
“Cut the crap. You know how powerful these bracers are! We know that it’s nigh impossible for the wearer to revert. We have confiscated all of your magic from your store and have shut your little operation down!” the general says.
The minotaur just sighed feeling defeated. This mistake has ruined his career.
“You still have a way to redeem yourself.” the general offers as the minotaur’s ears perk up.
“How? I’ll do whatever you want!” he says in desperation.
“There is one way to get the bracer off. We looked up the bracer in question, and we discovered that a direct attack on the bracer with Absolute 0, the most powerful Ice spell, will release the bracer from the dragon’s wrist and will revert them to normal.”
“With all due respect sir, finding that bracer is a near impossible task! It’s in a deep underwater cave in the south pole around Vostok that no being has entered in centuries!” he explains.
“Well, now is as good a time as any to reset that statistic. You got us all into this mess, you get us out!” the general yells.
“I can’ do it myself! I don’t have anywhere close to the magic or technological resources to retrieve it!” the minotaur shouts back.
“Hmmm…” the general was thinking of an idea. “Since you did tell us the location, perhaps I can assist you in loaning some of our team to help you retrieve it, but if something happens to you, we are not responsible. You get this for us, we will take care of the rest and clear you of all charges, AND we will legalize your store for magic dealing. Likewise, if by some miracle the dragon turns out not to be a threat, then we will consider this a special mission for our weaponry. If the stars align, then we will also allow your store to carry government level magic.” The general offers him.
“You got a deal sir.” the minotaur says as he is released from the chair.
“Our admiral will work with you on your mission. Please take him to the magic-naval floor. And make sure no careless leaks occur.” he directs his soldiers to take the minotaur to his mission.
Now that there was a possible solution in plan, there was still another more important question: How do they immediately deal with this dragon? And without causing too much of a commotion? Not to mention if the dragon were able to master Atomic, the ultimate fire magic, it could destroy the city to the ground. The man walked back to the war room as someone asked, “General, what is your plan of action?”
“Good question. We have two options. One, we neutralize this threat before it gets out of hand. Or two, and this is extremely high risk, but if by any chance, we could somehow tame the beast, he could be our most powerful weapon. And if we can get him, we will become the most powerful nation in the world.”
“Sir, with all due respect, you realize how hard it is to tame a dragon? Come to think of it, you also realize how hard it is to kill a dragon?” he asks.
“Indeed, but don’t forget, we have many magic tools at our disposal. Not to mention the most advanced technology out there. Wherever this dragon was, we were highly fortunate that it isn’t in the city. Our sensors would have detected it, so judging from the timeline of events, I reckon to guess that the dragon we’re looking for is somewhere in the forest outside town.” the general deduces.
Suddenly, an alarm started blaring throughout the facility, it was the barrier breach, and from the loudness, it was the most serious breach possible.
“What in the name of sweet hell is going on?” the general asks briskly walking to the command center.
“Uh General sir? Another dragon is flying and coming right after our city. At a dangerous pace.” he says.
“Then for heaven’s sake stop it!” the general orders.
“We are trying, but all of our barriers and repellents are failing, and it’s gonna arrive in town in a few hours!
“Attention! All available hands on deck! Potential Magical Breach in the core! Repeat Potential Magical Breach in the core!” the general says throughout the facility as the soldiers prepared to unleash the anti-magic barrier, but the shield malfunctioned and short-circuited.
“Fix it Damn it!” the general ordered, but it was already too late. The mysterious dragon was already in the critical zone. Within the next few hours, the dragon was going to attack the city.
“Get all military on the outskirts of the main city ready to attack, tell the mainstream press its regular military drills and that the citizens have NOTHING to worry about, but for their safety not to leave the city. Emphasize that they remain calm and do not panic.” he says to his chain of command.
While the general took care of keeping the real situation secret, he now had what seemed like an impossible problem to deal with. “How in God’s name are we going to resolve this?” he says to himself, but one of the computer’s picked it up without anyone seeing it. It had just one answer, and one line to his question:
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART 2
Category Story / Transformation
Species Western Dragon
Gender Male
Size 50 x 50px
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