As we walk through the streets of the trade city, I find myself curious and two things stand out. The first being where we’re going. I have no idea where we are and the streets all look the same, aside from the alchemist’s row. I think Plague Doctor is leading the way, but we might be in a situation of just following each other. The second thing is whether he has flowers in that beak of his. I recall that being a thing to keep disease out, and that must smell quite lovely.

  Standing still for a moment and letting him move ahead, I give him a quick nudge and ask about the flowers.

  “Quite right! Though rather than keep disease out, it keeps my magic from escaping. The herbs in this particular case are Hydra’s Flatulence, a wonderful but malodorous flower with a bulb at the base of its five stems. It holds the function of absorbing ambient magic, though it is restricted in doing so by my garments. To keep it contained within the mask, I added Shadow Wort. A rare, yet potent flower capable of limiting the sensory detectables in the immediate area. As such, it does not have much of a fragrance on its own, additionally, it cloaks the odor of the Hydra’s Flatulence.”

  As the plague doctor explains his flowers, he pulls out examples from a pouch at his waist. And true to its name, the Hydra's Flatulence smells like ass. But as he holds the Shadow Wort close to it, the stench lessens. Unfortunately it lingers...

  Oh, maybe the Shadow Wort was why I booped him. I’m gonna hold him responsible for it, in any case. The Shadow Wort does remind me of that stupid potion… Wait, we’re in a city with a lot of adventurers of mixed disposition and a lot of alchemists... Joras could create the potion in Tuiran, so what if it’s commonplace here? Have we secretly been surrounded this whole time? I haven’t seen anyone stand out, but I haven’t smelled or heard anyone either.

  Now that I’m feeling a little extra paranoid and suspicious, the folks whispering around us stand out and they’re definitely muttering about a disaster being on the loose... I’m not a disaster, and it’s rude to call me that. So I'm gonna go ahead and not focus on that and instead turn my attention to the plague doctor, since he's still talking.

  “And the fifth flower, oh I do like this one. It’s a common Hearthbloom. Aside from a pleasant scent and a resistance to the effects of the Shadow Wort, it is entirely mundane as far as we can tell. So mundane, as a matter of fact, that it can be used as a thickener in brews. It does result in a dilution of the resulting potion.”

  The doctor’s voice draws me away from my suspicious thoughts, and I can’t help but notice that he skipped the third and fourth herbs. I’ll have to ask about them later, but for now, Raya is looking at me with an exasperated expression. Nudging her about it, she sighs and speaks up.

  “You’re both nuts. He hasn’t noticed that you aren’t paying attention, and you got distracted and didn’t hear his explanation.”

  “I don’t want any criticism from the booger vendor.”

  “Sorry, my coin pouch is too loud, I can’t hear you, Kira.”

  "Well, tempting me like that, I'll just have to eat your treasure, Raya. I'm a fierce dragon, after all, and you're tempting me with your delicious wealth!"

  With a mischievous grin, she sets off while shouting that I won't be able to catch her. I'm sure she's right, since all she has to do is walk into an alley and then I'd have to break down buildings to follow. And we're not here to be a demolition crew. Nevertheless, I chase after her at a light trot.

  As we move through the well-lit streets, Raya's laughter is barely audible over the noise I make as we run. I have no idea where she's taking us, but we didn't have a clue where we were going beforehand either, so it doesn't matter.

  The streets are empty as we pass through them, and the ones that aren't soon become empty as the sound of my approach rings out. I'm quite easy to detect, given that my talons impact and break rocks underfoot.

  As Raya stops, I follow suit, and I can barely tell that she's just been running. She's in dang good shape, unlike the leather-clad plague doctor wheezing behind us.

  "This is where I got my clothes, Kira."

  Walking up to the door, she gives it a gentle knock. Lowering my head to see, the obvious thing I notice is that it looks quite closed. But their large display windows showcase a lovely assortment of outfits ranging from practical pants, shirts, and vests to excessive dresses.

  The craftsmanship is impressive, and even with my dragon sight, I can't see a stitch out of place. I'm no expert on the matter, though, so who knows. We should look into arranging a trip for a few of the folks back home to come here on a shopping trip. As I look at the surrounding shops, they sell a variety of goods, ranging from simple trinkets to more elaborate brooches and jewelry. I bet this place would smell amazing during the day.

  With a more forceful approach, Raya knocks again with obvious impatience. As the knocks continue, I focus my attention on Doc for a while. I can't tell whether he's out of shape or he shouldn't be running in a plague doctor outfit, but either way, he seems exhausted.

  "Doc, walk farther ahead to stand next to my head."

  Looking up, he does as instructed while I lay my head low. With him in the right position just at the base of my skull, I turn my head so that one of my horns is next to him, and I tell him to hold on to it tightly. He does so, and I turn my head, lifting him up and allowing him to sit on me.

  He's sort of low on my neck, and that's not an ideal place to sit since I'll squish him between the spines if I move too much. Instead, I tell him to climb higher until he's between my horns as I lie down. The moment he reaches the spot, he sprawls out, and I feel the impact of his beak against the spot between my eyes.

  "I fear I must admit that running is not an activity to which I'm used. I do hope such a thing won't be required of me again any time in the near future."

  We'll need to get the guy in shape if that knocked him on his butt.

  "Cease your incessant knocking, or find yourself without the capacity!"

  Oh, we have an angry voice shouting from the store. It appears that Raya has managed to get the attention of the shop owner. It doesn't take long before an elegant elf in a nightgown descends the stairs within the shop, but instead of coming to greet us, she just stands there, looking at us.

  As she gathers her courage, the approach to the door begins, and upon reaching it, she removes a stick from behind the handle, allowing the door to swing open. The scent of fear billows out of the shop, and I'm not gonna take the blame for a bad first impression. I haven't done anything.

  "See? I told you I knew the Dragon!"

  "So you did, child. Though I must admit, as you stood in my shop, horns and scales displayed with pride, I had not dreamed of thinking such a thing possible, yet the likeness is undeniable."

  Somehow growing brave, she steps out of her shop in bare feet and approaches me. With an outstretched hand, she touches my nose and begins stroking my scales. I'm not sure what's going on here, but I'll tolerate it because it feels nice.

  The elf appears mesmerized by me for some reason, but that doesn't stop Raya from launching into a rant about our exploits. Raya seems to be quite fond of this person, and the voices permeating the night turn from being dominated by Raya to an open discussion between the two. As they chat, the plague doctor stirs from his momentary rest.

  "I find myself envious of the ease with which the ferocious tailor extracts information. I would like to ask a question or two as they ramble, if I may."

  "Sure, but you have to present information as if you were asked a similar question. And it should be interpreted in a way favoring me."

  "Oh! A delightfully faewynn restriction! Are you certain you do not have ties to the fairy folk?"

  It becomes apparent that he did not consider that a question as he gets ready to ramble again, but I'm gonna interrupt him!

  "To the best of my knowledge, I have no ties to any fairies, pixies, or any others of the sort."

  "A devious ploy! I had not intended to ask such a question and meant it merely as rhetorical. Yet I find myself bound by the restraints of our premise. Though I do not have fae blood, I do find myself cursed by the instability of magic, which fae lineage could both account for and stabilize."

  Oh, maybe he needs some sort of solution like Tiffy has with her conductive sword. We might be able to figure something out and give him a less restrictive life. I'm sure wearing that leather plague doctor outfit gets exhausting, even though it looks incredible. I wonder if my saliva/venom/poison would help him. We really need everyone to settle on a name for that goop...

  For his actual question, he seems to be interested in how I acquire magic, throwing around mentions of passive accumulation and food for beast and folk alike.

  "The same goes for me. Food is a good way to recover, and I do gain magic from the surrounding world, but the best way seems to be to rest on my hoard. Everything I do appears to have a magic cost associated with it, and if I don't rest once in a while, I have to restore my magic by eating. And the more magical my food is, the better it is for me. I think that's why undead things are so delicious."

  Rather than let Doc ask again, the elf appears to grow interested in our topic as she turns to us and inserts herself into our conversation with an interruption.

  "Repeat that, please. You consume the risen?! I sense no corruption in you, yet there is no falsehood in your statement. How is such a thing possible?! Explain!"

  Okay, so she's a little forceful. The sensation of Doc's beak scraping across my scales indicates that he's focusing on her as well. He seems to quite like his temporary perch. Ooh, if I could bring home a plague doctor and Foreman's dwarves, I'd have quite a lovely collection of people. I'll have to think of a way to entice them since I don't want to kidnap them against their will.

  As my attention wavered, Raya started talking about what we know of the undead and my interest in them. For some reason, her attention turns to me as she asks me to open my mouth. As I do, she climbs right in and walks on my tongue. Judging by the taste of mud, she didn't even wipe her feet...

  There's a sensation of something dislodging from between my teeth as Raya turns around and leaves my mouth, allowing me to close it again. She's holding part of an arm. The radius and ulna, connected to most of a hand and distinctly rotten. I have no idea how she even knew that was stuck in there since I didn't feel it until she pulled it free.

  Not one to waste time, she begins wiping my saliva from the rotten arm, and it slowly begins wiggling as it tries to grasp anything nearby, but the only leverage it has is Raya holding onto its wrist.

  Handing it off to the elf, Raya walks a distance before reaching a small puddle and washing the debris of rot and spit off as best she can. Even dipping her shoes in to get the worst of it. I do have to know, though...

  "How did you know it was stuck in my teeth, Raya?"

  "Your breath was stinky. You normally smell like smoke and fire, but I could smell the undead on your breath, so I figured something was stuck."

  She dragged mud into my mouth on a hunch...

  With the prospect of inspecting the undead up close, Doc gets up and with my mouth closed, the angle appears to be just right for him to scoot down my face on his butt. As he hits the ground, landing on his feet, he joins the elf in inspecting the remains of my food.

  "Magnificent! The remnants of this monstrous being appear quite drained of magic! I have not heard of such an ability. Does it pertain to your being, or a substance within-"

  The doctor's enthusiasm is cut short as he stares at his glove covered in a light layer of wrist saliva. The scent of fear grows as he continues to stare at his glove. Nudging him and asking what is going on, he turns his attention to the elf.

  "Tailor, I must ask, though I fear the answer. Do you barter in materials to restrict the flow of magic? The enchantments within my glove appear be to failing and as they do, my magic will become unrestrained..."

  Before an answer can be given, Raya just grabs his hand and pulls him back toward me. The height difference and her strength nearly has him stumbling, but she doesn't seem to care. With a quick gesture for me to lower my head all the way to the ground, she shoves his hand into my mouth, yielding obvious mixed feelings from the unsteady man.

  Pulling his hand out again, it's covered in a layer of saliva, and Raya looks quite pleased with herself. Doc's expression seems to settle on curiosity as he begins inspecting the viscous fluid. I have other things to focus on, though.

  "Raya, I feel like that could've been handled in other ways, like spitting or drooling some spittle."

  "Can you spit?"

  I actually don't know... Most times I've spat things out, I've just pushed it out of my mouth with my tongue or let it fall... We're getting distracted, dang it!

  "Stop focusing on silly things like that, Raya! We have to find Henry so I can make his hammer and go find some late-night lunch in whatever city the branch leader mentioned."

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  "You can't do it, can you?"

  Her smug expression deserves a puff of smoke. But, as is the norm by now, she responds by laughing instead of submitting to the punishment. The elf is staring at Raya with an intense look, and the tingle of magic makes me think she's up to something.

  "Might I ask that you release another plume of smoke, Dragon? And I would advise you to pay attention, alchemist."

  A request to buffet Raya with puffs of smoke?! How can I deny such a thing? Prepare yourself, Raya! For I am about to perform a public service! Drawing in a breath, I unleash a mighty cloud of smoke, cloaking the area in darkness. So impressive is my performance that bells ring out to signify my achievement! Or, given the shouting getting closer, it might be alarm bells.

  As the smoke clears, the scales tip toward it being alarm bells as squads of guards rush to our position carrying buckets. Among them, there are robed figures bringing the magical tingle and forming orbs of water above their heads.

  "I think you went too far, Kira."

  Well, when she's right, she's right. And there's only one thing I can possibly do to make this right. As a very angry-looking man clad in armor and a guard's uniform approaches, I do the best I can to mitigate the trouble I'm in. With a talon pointing at the elf-

  "She made me do it."

  "I did no such thing! I requested a plume of smoke for clarity as-"

  "See? She admits it."

  "You treacherous beast! Captain, you cannot let such a devious beast run loose! You must fine her hundreds of gold coins for the crime of orchestrating a false emergency!"

  What?! I've never orchestrated anything, especially not a false emergency!

  "Don't let her trick you, Captain! She's trying to hide the fact that she's an ork in disguise by pinning the blame on me!"

  Oh, everyone's leaving... Well, that does solve the situation. The mages among the guards let their orbs of water fall to the ground, flooding the immediate area, but the water flows toward drainage ditches. They're quite subtle, but they appear to work well as the cobbled roads refuse to remain flooded.

  "I must say, I have never had to deal with guards in such a manner, what great fun that was! I do hope I did not offend you."

  "We'll call it even if you tell me where Henry is. He's a half-giant, and he loves to punch things so much, in fact, that he got arrested for punching some fancy-pants noble."

  "I do not know of his whereabouts, but the guards ought to, and we do know where the guards are at this time, don't we?"

  It's true, we do know where the guards are since we summoned them. And we do need to get a move on. As I get up, I get a look at the elf, and she visibly flinches. I'm not smelling any fear from her, so... I'm not smelling anything from her. She's using one of those dang potions to hide her scent! I'll allow it this once, since she has been treating Raya well. And for that, she deserves a nudge of appreciation.

  It doesn't do much to calm her, but she gets the message, I think. In any case, we need to get moving before all the guards disappear. They've been quite nice about leaving me alone ever since Foreman's workshop.

  "Raya. We need to get moving, show me to the nearest guard!"

  "Of course, Kira! There's one right over there!"

  She's pointing to someone behind me, and I might have been too fast to draw the conclusion of being left alone. Given that I can't turn my head backward in a regular horizontal fashion, I'll need to bend my neck and look under me. And sure enough, there's a guard! He does not look pleased to be the focus of my sight.

  "Guard! We need directions to the tavern where Henry is being kept, please lead the way."

  Without saying anything, he motions for us to follow as he starts walking. I'm not getting the impression that he has thought it through. It should be pretty obvious to anyone that I'm far too big to turn around here. The streets in this city aren't too cramped, but they aren't built for true dragon accessibility.

  As he turns around, he starts walking toward my head, though he doesn't seem too keen to walk under me. As a result, he presses himself against the wall by my side. It would be faster if he'd just walk under me, or at least not so close to the wall, given that there's room enough for even Henry to walk by.

  Losing her patience faster than I do, Raya joins the guard by the wall and starts pushing him. It does speed up the process, but it might count as assault of a public servant. Ooh! Attorney Kira! Dragon at law! I'd represent the heck out of her.

  "Kira, whatever you're doing, I need you to stop and get back to the square. Now."

  The sudden message from Lauren sounds far too sober and worried. It's pretty obvious that I need to find out what's going on with her. And it better not be the damn adventurers again.

  "What's going on, Lauren? Weren't you plastered into mindlessness?"

  It isn't often that I get a groan across our bond, but it seems that her lack of drunkenness warrants one.

  "Merciferus purged me of alcohol... Just please hurry back here. I'm sure you're lost by now, so go straight ahead and take a right, continue along that road until you reach a house marked by a painting of a flower covering the facade. Then turn right again until you reach the square. We'll be waiting."

  She's definitely anxious, and given that Merciferus interfered with her night, it must be important.

  "Change of plans, Raya. Get on, Lauren says we need to go."

  Lowering my head to the ground, Raya climbs on as Doc approaches. I can't tell what expression he has, given the bird mask, so if he hurries, I'll hear him out.

  "Before your departure, may I request a sampling of your saliva, should I need it on my journey to return home? Given the development of my glove's enchantments breaking, I fear I must break my promise of magical reinforcements."

  Lifting my head a little, I open my mouth and let the saliva pool at the bottom of my jaw. Raya chooses this moment to climb down again to help him.

  "Take some from around the teeth, look for a hole like this. That's where the good stuff is. It's stronger than the rest."

  Oh, she knows where my glands are. So I guess it isn't just a trait of my saliva in general. Curious. As Doc pulls out a waterskin, he empties it onto the ground and Raya helps him collect the venom. That might be for the best, so it doesn't splash onto any of his other equipment. It wouldn't be ideal if he ended up covered in enchantment-ruining goop.

  Having not been passive, the elf tailor returns with a bucket. I hadn't even noticed her leaving, but Raya just accepts it and starts filling it with more venom. Apparently, I'm feeling very generous since I haven't objected to this at all.

  With the two containers filled, Doc steps away alongside the elf, and Raya climbs back on me again. We're ready to get moving, it seems.

  "Sorry for leaving so abruptly. I'll try to visit again, but you're both welcome to stop by Tuiran and see our town!"

  Given the urgency of Lauren's message and having spent time we didn't seem to have, Raya and I get moving before our two new buddies get a chance to say anything other than farewell. If we don't rush it, I'm sure I'll get distracted again, and Lauren doesn't seem to want that.

  To make extra sure we get it right, I repeat the instructions given to me, so Raya can help keep me on track. The instructions were simple and I wouldn't have a problem remembering them, but given the urgency in Lauren's mental message, we can't be stopping. We've only just reached the first intersection and taken the first right, so the flowery building should be coming up soon.

  "We will be there any minute now, Lauren. What's the plan?"

  "The Guild has supplied a company of mages and they're going to empower you with magic and then we need to leave. Merciferus assures me that it's safe, but you need the power for the coming battle."

  Okay, that sounds intimidating... If I remember right, a company is like a hundred or two hundred people. Geez, and they're actual mages, not just random citizens. What's their power like if forty alchemists basically recovered my magic? We'll find out, I guess.

  A few taps on my head draw my attention to Raya and she's quick to point out the flowery building. It looks like a lovely blue rose drawn to grow out of the street, ending just below the roof. And now it is a right again, and we should hit the square momentarily.

  I can see it up ahead, rubble from my previous visit, and moving at a decent pace for me, we reach it in no time. Lauren sure did not disappoint when I asked her to gather mages, there's a freakin' ocean of them. People of all sorts of species in robes and vests, all wielding a variety of staves and the smell... There's so much delicious power here, and it's all for me.

  Ahead of the group stands Lauren. She's looking stern and composed, giving me a clear impression of a leader.

  "Kira, stop drooling and lie down. Mages, form eight lines in accordance with your affinities and channel magic into the Dragon. Fighters, the mages will be fainting, collect the unconscious and move them out of the way. Keep each other safe, and we will fight the scourge of the Undead!"

  Showing no hesitation, the mages line up around me, and the first group to touch me yields a significant burst of magic. Each individual alchemist has more, but the magic of these mages feels like it has a higher quality. With the first wave of mages down for the count, the next wave of mages advances as muscle-bound fighters collect their friends, creating room for the cycle to continue.

  Looking inward, my internal lake isn't just full, it's flooding. I have no idea how much magic I can contain, but as the mages continue the process, my flesh begins to sting. I don't think whatever we're doing here is natural, but it is intoxicating. I want more.

  "Kira, look at me. Remember that you don't want to make Raya sad, so keep yourself under control. We believe in you."

  Easy for her to say, she isn't the one with burning scales. Freakin' hell, I want to bite something. The mages are thinning out as a ringing noise fills my ears. The painful sensation of my scales recovering draws my attention, but I didn't tell them to do that. As I try to stop it, I find myself without anywhere to put the magic. There's so much magic...

  "Secondaries! Gather up and climb the Dragon! Kira, these people will be going with you. This is Karlon, he will show you where to go."

  Standing next to her is a cloud of light blue magic that feels electric. I'm not sure how a cloud is gonna show me the way, but whatever. If it lets me have as much magic as I want, I'll tolerate it.

  As the company of mages comes to an end, I find myself surrounded by more clouds and somehow, they're climbing onto me. I think that might be what Lauren was talking about. Although I've never been climbed by clouds before. Gaseous weirdos.

  "Raya, you need to stay here. You and I cannot join Kira for this. We're too susceptible to her magic, and she now contains more than we can handle."

  A small, comfortable cloud climbs down my nose, leaving tiny cloud spots in its cloudy wake.

  "Yeah, I could feel it... Please be safe, Kira."

  "Can you hear me, Kira? I'm sure it's overwhelming, but Karlon will show you where the treats are. If you fight back against the undead, you can have as many as you want, okay? Just follow him."

  For some reason, the comforting cloud sounds sad, but if there are treats, there's happiness, so it doesn't need to be sad at all. We just need to fight these undead things. And the cloud Karlon is gonna float us to the desert party! As I spread my wings to take us there faster, something shouts out a command to run away, but we're not running, silly shout, we're flying!

  There's a tingle of magic from above me as I bat my wings to take off. In an instant, I'm in the skies, and Cloudlon starts stretching his gaseous tendrils into the distance, making it very easy to find treats. I definitely need a treat-detecting cloud of my own.

  For some reason, the magic around me is torn away as I make my way through the sky. The magic of the winds parts before I even reach it, and it feels more like I'm floating upwards.

  "Kira, we are approaching the target. Prepare for battle!"

  The gooey wobbles of Cloudlon's voice are accompanied by another tendril directing me toward a brown mass in the distance. It has the shape of a rough circle, and throughout it, there are spots of sickly purple goop. Ooh... Even from here, I can tell that the goop will be delicious.

  Both my teeth and my claws itch to take hold of the treats, and my scales are getting hotter. I wonder if the clouds can handle that without evaporating. They seem nice, so that would be a shame.

  Flying over the circle of brown, the clouds begin raining down sparks of magic. Standing opposite the goop are more clouds. Many of them look alike, and most are unimpressive. Cloudlon is the best cloud I can see. The area beneath us is being bombarded by magical sparks of all sorts of colors. I want to keep staring at the display of pretty colors, since it looks like fireworks, but Cloudlon is shouting for some reason.

  Beneath us, the mass of sickly purple goop starts shooting at us, but the sticks pelting me don't do anything other than bounce off my scales. I don't like that, so I'm gonna roast them!

  Unleashing my flames, the night turns bright with blue flames lighting up the place. That's so pretty! I should do it again! Going for a swoop, I keep my flames going, scorching the area in a delightful display of- Oh no! The goop is gone! Then I can't eat it! This is terrible news!

  "Cloudlon! The goop is gone! I want the goop back so I can eat it..."

  "Once we return to Esfjord, I will spend my fortune buying goop for you, Kira! This goop is of inferior quality, unworthy of a Dragon like you!"

  I don't know... I'm not that quality minded, but maybe Cloudlon is rich... Ooh, that's a lot of goop. Fine, I'm sold! Flying over more purple, I continue burning the place, reducing the purple to whatever color represents not existing. Smoke fills the air and I'm feeling a headache growing... Better be some good treats and goop when we get back...

  "Kira, if you can find any more goop and burn it, the Guild will pay for any goop or treats you want!"

  Ooh... Ice cream... I can see more spots of purple, but they're hidden beneath clusters of brown. That's what claws are for! I'm so great at preparing. Seven points to Kira for bringing her claws.

  Landing with a thud, I begin digging as the clouds descend from my back. They're surrounding me as they keep attacking specks of purple, but there's a lot more purple down here, I just need to reach it.

  As I dig, I hit some sort of barrier. It hurts to touch it, but that's what burning it to dust in the wind is for. Focusing my magic into my belly, I unleash my flames and create a path through the meshy barrier. As an added bonus, there's a path of glassy dirt on the other side, and I didn't even notice! How fortuitous!

  I need it a little bigger, though. Climbing further in and ripping the glass from the sides, I crawl into a space beneath the brown mass surrounding me and there's the purple! Ooh, I get bonus points for burning the purple, so readying my flames again, I burn the rest of it! Hah! Take that, purple, you can't hide from me!

  The stupid headache is getting worse, though... I'll have to find Cloudlon now that I'm done down here. Luck is on my side again as the space of shimmering glass is big enough for me to turn around, so I don't have to climb backward out of the hole.

  As I get out, one of the clouds is turning purple and goopy. I'm pretty sure that cloud used to be entirely yellow, so I'm just gonna go ahead and burn it too. I'm gonna collect as many points as I can to earn all the treats!

  "Kira! Stop!"

  "But it is purple. I have to burn the purple goop."

  Unleashing my flames, I make short work of the goop, and now I can continue on to the next cluster. The other clouds did a good job of keeping some distance from my flames to prevent themselves from evaporating.

  "I pray for the Gods to bless Alextri in his next life..."

  There's a large cluster up ahead, but it isn't as deep as this one. For some reason, it feels more solid, though. And there's a mix of blue in it as well. It feels somewhat familiar... I hope this headache goes away soon, though. Maybe I should get home to my hoard and rest. I'll do that after I get my treats.

  As I approach the cluster, it rises from the ground and stands as tall as I am. It's big! And it looks vaguely dragony. Dragoopy. You will burn too, Dragoopy! Focusing my magic into my belly again, I light up the sky with blue flames, scorching everything ahead of me. Well, almost everything. Dragoopy appears to be able to handle it, but that just means I have an excuse to cheat! I'm gonna eat it and get more treats!

  Charging it, I launch myself at what little throat it has, biting into its bony bits. It doesn't want to get eaten, though, so in response, it claws at my face and belly. The impact of its claws draws blood as it scratches up my beautiful belly scales. Unfortunately for Dragoopy, I'm feeling extra strong today, so I focus my magic into my belly scales and heal the wounds.

  As it pulls its leg back, the sensation of tugging on my belly becomes prominent and twisting my head, jaws still clasping its neck, I notice a minor mistake on my part. Its claws were still in my flesh as I healed, and now I've trapped it. It wasn't purple, but was it a mistake? It seems like I have it caught in two ways now! Ooh, that might be a point to Kira.

  The delicious taste of purple dragoopy is a delight, but the headache is getting worse and I'm getting sleepy... I want to sleep, but I don't think the dragoopy is going to let me.

  Pushing it forward, it resists me and as it does, I push my head upward, dragging it off balance. With a twist, I force the dragoopy to the ground, resulting in the claws being pulled out of my belly as an added bonus. With my jaws still clamped around its neck, I'm about to make it toasty. Unleashing my flames again, blinding blue flames scorch through its neck, leaving blackened, goopless bone behind.

  It doesn't taste good anymore, so letting it go, I look for somewhere else to chew. Its head dangles as it tries to steady itself, but writhing on the ground is a terrible way to escape my flames.

  Looking at it, the next obvious point of attack is its rib cage, and as I climb on top of it, I give a jump and slam my claws into the rib cage, but it doesn't seem to want to crack. Instead, I give it some distance and turn my side to it. With a... freakin' headache... with a mighty whip of my tail, I slam my tail blade against the bones, and with a delightful crack, the treasure of purple within is revealed to me. It's snacking time!

  It feels familiar, and as I bite into the soft, bone-covered, chewy center, I'm flooded with the delicious flavor of the undead. There isn't much of it, but at least I get to have some now that Cloudlon isn't looking.

  I'm just... just gonna take a quick nap. That sounds like a good idea... I'm so exhausted for some reason...