His mind was clearer than it had ever been before.
Bathed in the pale glow of the black star above, the byakhee flexed his leathery wings as he peered over the tower's edge. The night air felt cool against his flesh. Where once there had been fur, there was now smooth and sleek scales covering his whole body. The wolfish tail had become a long prehensile tentacle. And all across his body his muscles had grown in larger and stronger. He'd been born a half-dragon... but ever since meeting his Master, that recessive side of his genes had grown increasingly prominent. Particularly the draconic trait of craving gold. Lusting after it, hoarding it, obsessing over the colour and texture.
Now there was next to nothing of the wolf he'd been left in him. Golden rings of metal adored his ankles, wrists and throat. They vibrated gently against his scales sometimes, they provided a conduit through which his Master whispered into his mind, and wearing them made it so, so much easier to sink down into the state of open-mouthed drooling trance that was now his nirvana. Every day his adoration of the colour became closer to worship. And the gleaming idol, the personification of his new devotion- was the Golden Goat himself. The very being sound asleep in a chamber beneath the spot he perched on right now.
A dragon protecting the most precious object in his hoard... it felt like second nature to him now.
And it was that sense of purpose that had been missing from his life. That sense of duty and feeling valued. Canthus had told him straight up to his face that he could leave if he wanted to. But he hadn't. At first it had been the goat's hypnotic charms and tentacles that had swayed him, paralyzed him and left him speechless as he was drawn in. But the only reason they'd had such power over him was because a part of him had enjoyed it... had wanted to submit, and accept the corruption being offered. His Master had helped him realize the kind of person he wanted to be. Now here he was, standing guard over the being who'd taken him in and changed the way he looked at life. Never before had anything felt as natural as this.
Slithering up the sides of the walls, the golden tendrils that spiderwebbed the colossal building writhed below. Extensions of his Master's will. As they stretched towards him, he smiled at them in greeting. Good, he thought. To see them stirring meant that his Master would probably be awake soon. There was a question he was just dying to ask...
*****
Another phenomenal piece done by Madness_demon on behalf of a dear friend! :D
Marek_Young generously volunteered himself to become one of Canthus' byakhee... and in the process, flesh out an aesthetic for what the goat's breed of the winged interplanetary messenger-beasts actually look like on a fullbody scale! In his unique case the result was a tentacle-sprouting draconic creature from beyond the stars. And I can't help but think that the finished design just looks so damn cool!
Bathed in the pale glow of the black star above, the byakhee flexed his leathery wings as he peered over the tower's edge. The night air felt cool against his flesh. Where once there had been fur, there was now smooth and sleek scales covering his whole body. The wolfish tail had become a long prehensile tentacle. And all across his body his muscles had grown in larger and stronger. He'd been born a half-dragon... but ever since meeting his Master, that recessive side of his genes had grown increasingly prominent. Particularly the draconic trait of craving gold. Lusting after it, hoarding it, obsessing over the colour and texture.
Now there was next to nothing of the wolf he'd been left in him. Golden rings of metal adored his ankles, wrists and throat. They vibrated gently against his scales sometimes, they provided a conduit through which his Master whispered into his mind, and wearing them made it so, so much easier to sink down into the state of open-mouthed drooling trance that was now his nirvana. Every day his adoration of the colour became closer to worship. And the gleaming idol, the personification of his new devotion- was the Golden Goat himself. The very being sound asleep in a chamber beneath the spot he perched on right now.
A dragon protecting the most precious object in his hoard... it felt like second nature to him now.
And it was that sense of purpose that had been missing from his life. That sense of duty and feeling valued. Canthus had told him straight up to his face that he could leave if he wanted to. But he hadn't. At first it had been the goat's hypnotic charms and tentacles that had swayed him, paralyzed him and left him speechless as he was drawn in. But the only reason they'd had such power over him was because a part of him had enjoyed it... had wanted to submit, and accept the corruption being offered. His Master had helped him realize the kind of person he wanted to be. Now here he was, standing guard over the being who'd taken him in and changed the way he looked at life. Never before had anything felt as natural as this.
Slithering up the sides of the walls, the golden tendrils that spiderwebbed the colossal building writhed below. Extensions of his Master's will. As they stretched towards him, he smiled at them in greeting. Good, he thought. To see them stirring meant that his Master would probably be awake soon. There was a question he was just dying to ask...
*****
Another phenomenal piece done by Madness_demon on behalf of a dear friend! :D
Marek_Young generously volunteered himself to become one of Canthus' byakhee... and in the process, flesh out an aesthetic for what the goat's breed of the winged interplanetary messenger-beasts actually look like on a fullbody scale! In his unique case the result was a tentacle-sprouting draconic creature from beyond the stars. And I can't help but think that the finished design just looks so damn cool!
Category Artwork (Digital) / Fantasy
Species Dragon (Other)
Gender Male
Size 860 x 1280px
I wonder where my ability to make dragons came from?
The most magnificent thing about me is my taste in friends.
This is incredible, and I love it! You guys always create such incredible pieces, and Madness_demon always brings them to life in such vivid detail. I love it, love it, love it! Though out of curiosity, does that mean that Canthus gives every one of his followers some gold ornamentation to bind them to him and keep them under his influence/thrall/call, even when they're on other planes of reality and dimensions?
Gold ornamentation and objects (much like the first piece of mine you ever got really into) are something I'm developing to play an increasingly important role in his lore. They've naturally over time grown to serve a more prominent role. With the metal itself serving as a kind of conduit for Canthus and a link between him and those who wear the objects, or even just touch them.
Also on a side note, and out of curiosity, does this mean he may be related to the original dragon guardian who watched over Canthus? Or is it just that Canthus has a soft spot for dragons and also wanted a protector, so his new Byakhee adapted according to those desires/whims the more he accepted the corruption his master offered him?
The transformations undergone by cultists are all unique in some way. But often their physical changes mirror their emotional ones. Personality traits Marek had repressed and emotions he'd denied himself were set free. While at the same time, a latent draconic heritage which had always gone ignored blossomed to life and achieved dominance over his appearance.
One advantage of being in the Canthus gang is the absolute style and fashion sense brought to the table. Such a stunning creature!
Style and fashion sense like the golden jewellery so often gifted! Just slip on one of those golden rings, and listen to the voice's instructions...
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