That night I had a dream.

  In the dream I was in Tangle, thriving Tangle, not the hollow shell that it is now.

  Across from me was the tall Dark Elf, with the sad amber eyes; he was wearing the gold-green cloak that originally was his. He was in an attack stance, holding a smooth wooden dagger. We were training and I was his opponent. In this sparring match all I had were my claws and talons, no spear.

  But I wasn’t helpless, far from it. Between my horns, I felt a pulsing heat – not heat, rather it was a coldness, so intense that it felt like fire! It didn’t hurt though. I could project this freezing energy directly from my horns if I chose.

  As if sensing my understanding, the elf broke out into a blazing sprint right towards me. His training dagger was held at the ready.

  I projected the freezing energy directly at him! It manifested as a glacial-blue streak which collided with the elf mid-stride. He immediately slowed and tumbled to the ground, before quickly rolling to his feet.

  I was afraid I’d hurt him, but he wore a satisfied smile. This was Frost Ray. A basic cantrip. But our lesson wasn’t over!

  Next, he lunged at me with the dagger, aiming low. This attack could be handled with another spell!

  A much simpler spell, at least in theory. With this mystery spell I instantly empowered myself; an invisible aura engulfed my legs. Just as the elf was about to deliver a devastating stab, I launched myself upwards, my talons effectively acting like compressed springs. The dream-world blurred as I was shot into the air –3 times higher than my normal jump. I must have been 30 feet in the air!

  The elf was like a little dot below me…and then I started falling. Instead of turning into a lizard pancake, I was unharmed! This spell would empower my jumps for a full minute, an eternity in battle.

  With that I’d learnt the spell Jump. The elf bowed deeply and our lesson was concluded. I wanted to ask his name, about his people, and about any connection to Windthrow. A few more seconds, please...

  I awoke to the enticing smell of spiced meat as Windthrow cooked us breakfast.

  “Good morning my scaly friend!” Windthrow said. “Did you sleep well? Because I had a wonderful rest, in no small part due to the very cozy companion I had.”

  He looked up from the sizzling pan and winked at me. Wow, he was adorable.

  “Glad I could help! I did sleep well because my partner was even cozier and even warmer than I am, and they have very firm muscles,” I said. “Ah, sorry that last part was a little much.”

  “I don’t mind, I’m glad my daily training has some benefits.”

  My scales were already pleasantly warm from the sun as I climbed off Windthrow’s bedroll. I must have slept in. Either I was exhausted yesterday (which I kinda was) or it had something to do with the dream.

  “Windthrow, I had a dream where I learnt some spells. Like the dream where I got Tanglewood,” I said. “I think they were…um – Frost Ray and Jump, maybe? God, I must sound crazy.”

  “Not at all! It’s not unusual for people to have meaningful dreams when they get stronger.” He gave the meat one final flip before kneeling next to me.

  He took a single arrow from his quiver and held it in his hand.

  “Imagine that your progression is this arrow, it’s flat. A plateau! Sure you might make marginal improvements as you train and fight battles…” Windthrow slowly tilted the arrow upwards. “But your progression is still relatively flat. In time, after fighting and training for a while–” He lifted the arrow by about a foot. “You’ll make a sudden, and large, improvement!”

  “When that happens some people dream of their ancestors, some have visions of their gods, and for others it happens without any sign at all. It sounds like you dream about that elf…for some reason.”

  “I’m just a big fan of elf men.” I gave his ankle a playful tail smack. “That was a joke by the way!”

  Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

  “I know, I know,” he said. “But if I remember correctly, if you really can use both magic and a spear, you might be a Spellblade. A warrior who can use certain types of magic during battle.”

  “At least that’s what the Imperials used to call it,” he added.

  A Spellblade huh? I would be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about how to classify myself. Even a fantasy world couldn’t remove my disgusting RPG instinct. So I was willing to embrace that title. Windthrow’s explanation made perfect sense too, the imps we defeated must have pushed me past the plateau.

  I imagined my progression as a TTRPG character sheet.

  Vylet - Level 3 Spellblade

  Species Ability: Arcane breath, Natural Weapons (Claws, Talons)

  Class Abilities: Action Surge

  Spells: Jump, Frost Ray

  Weapons: Tanglewood (Magic spear)

  It was a useful tool to imagine, but of course not all my progress could be reflected in simple RPG mechanics.

  “Hey, breakfast is ready if you want to stop staring into space,” Windthrow said as he handed me my plate.

  I snapped out of my thoughts and started eating. It was delicious, but I was starting to miss the simple gaminess of raw meat.

  We discussed our plan for the day as we ate: We’d be heading east, tracing the river and hoping to run into potential settlements along the way. From here on it’d be uncharted territory!

  Around midday, we found ourselves hiking among towering dark trees and thick twisting vines. Huge hanging pink flowers emitted a sickly scent. Giant butterflies of blues, reds and yellows sucked up the flower’s nectar with their straw-like proboscis, ignoring our presence.

  The ground squelched with each step; I had to take the soaking wraps off my talons as the sticky mud clung to them.

  Windthrow didn’t bother to gather as we walked, he was focused on guiding us. I followed, occasionally testing out my new spells –which I did learn in reality. My Frost Ray could be used as many times as I wanted, but did take a few seconds to cast. While my Jump spell could only be used 2 times before I had to wait till the next day. This experimentation meant that I’d have no more uses today. Not my smartest move.

  Luckily, because of Windthrow’s twisting route, we’d avoided several unseen (to me) threats. But, on one occasion he did gesture to me, signaling an enemy ahead.

  He pointed through the vines towards a thick patch of rot and undergrowth.

  “Looks like rotting vegetation, right? See what happens if you get close,” Windthrow said.

  He tossed a small pebble near the pile. Before it even made contact with the ground several serrated vines had already whipped it out of the air, launching it into a nearby tree.

  “Those vines hook into flesh, then the creature tears its trapped prey into pieces for digestion.”

  “Guess I’d be fine with my scales,” I said.

  He sighed, and buried his face in his hands.

  “Can’t believe I forgot about that, this one is less of a threat to you…”

  We laughed together and then came to the uncomfortable realization that we had to continue onwards.

  After the brutal day, as the sun was giving way to the twin moons, we decided to camp out under a small outcropping. Roots twisted down from the tree above us, but the spot was dry and sheltered. There would be no cuddling tonight (sad), we’d have to keep watch.

  I took out the Figurine, the raven had returned to its pedestal, signaling that it could be used to send a message to Cleyre.

  I described the Draciars, our stay in Tangle, and my newfound ability to use spells. Again the raven flew off into the dark night, delivering our news to Cleyre.

  It was my turn to take first watch while Windthrow slept. I looked over the stinking muck surrounding our camp, trying to spot any lurking threats. A swamp bubble, a breeze through the trees, some bats, an owl hooting. In other words…nothing!

  I was tempted to slip in behind Windthrow on the bedroll, it would be so easy. He wouldn’t even wake up. But no, my instincts demanded I protect my mate in this hostile environment. Thanks for that instincts!

  The hours slowly crept forward, then I heard a distant groan. I grabbed Tanglewood and pointed it towards the noise. Even with darkvision I couldn’t spot the thing. But I heard it. Croaking out words in a language I didn’t understand. The sound of its steps splashing into the water. It was somewhere out there. The noise slowly passed our camp, then it was gone.

  There was nothing else for the rest of my watch. I told Windthrow; he nodded and told me to get some sleep. I climbed onto my bedroll, still thinking about whatever pathetic creature I’d heard, imagining it muttering and stalking just out of sight.

  The next day we both hoped to be done with this awful swamp. Sure enough, the ground started to become more firm, the trees less warped and dark. Whatever gods were out there had listened!

  Windthrow even felt safe enough to give me some hand holding time. I know it's cringe, but I enjoy it a lot.

  Suddenly, we heard a scream, distant but still clear. Before I could ask if Windthrow heard it too, he’d already taken out his bow. My ever heroic crush…

  “This way! Let’s help them!” he said, as he started sprinting towards the source of the scream.