Disposable Hero Ch. 06 - Drow on the Move

She spits out the thief/mage and sees he is in three pieces and doesn't feel sorry about the dead man before her. She can sense his magical items, and as she returns to her standard size, she notices a medallion of a claw much like her own on one side, on the other, it had an image of a woman. It had a magical enchantment keeping it red, she takes his items and brings them back to her lair, she keeps the medallion figuring she could get some information from it. Not one to be embarrassed by her body she walks naked into the cave, leaves her new booty, seeing her clothes shredded it dawns on her just what happened. She heads for her ship and searches for some new clothes and comes across her old pirate garb that is still in good shape. Not wanting to return to town naked she puts on her old pantaloons and bustier that makes her curvaceous figure even more ludicrous, not the clothing of a Lady let alone a businesswoman, well a legitimate businesswoman.

Spending the next few days heading back to Belyre, she kept her eyes out for signs of thieves or mages, having dodged several such groups along the way back. She spent the time trying to figure out why they wanted her so badly, the only idea she had was that they wanted revenge for their dead friends. Little did she know that the Cult of the Red Lady was after her and would have taken her if it wasn't for the mages in the pub, or so they thought. The more she looked at the medallion, the more she knew it held some kind of clue, and she knew her beneficial friend would be able to find those answers, plus she didn't mind thanking him.

When she finally walked into the pub, she had done a lot of thinking about who and what she is. One thing is certain until she can control all of this she can't stay at the pub, Firewine walks up to Inga and asks her to meet up in Firewine's room.

When Inga arrives, she finds Firewine's bed in shambles and that she is changing and packing things from her apartment.

She asks, "What are you doing?"

Firewine says, "Somebodies after me, I found this on one of the bodies, this makes two times people have tried to kill me. I need to get out of here now, I won't put you or this place in danger."

Looking at the medallion, Inga thinks for a moment.

Inga says, "Why don't you sit down and explain everything to me, let's think this through so you don't do something rash."

Inga has always been like a little sister to Firewine and hopes she can talk some sense into her.

Firewine replies, "It is not just that, but something is going on with me here look at the bed."

Inga looks at the destroyed bed and figures it must have been an excellent night for her dear friend. Firewine focuses on her hand causing her claws to come out a little.

She continues, "Look at these, don't touch them; they are very sharp as well as long. Until I can control what is happening to me, I need to get away from here. I am leaving the pub in your hands until I can control this."

Inga can't believe her eyes as she sees the claws and as Firewine retracts them into her hand, she looks at the bed.

She asks afraid to hurt her dear friend saying, "What about Dima? Does he know? I'm sure he would help you, you know he loves you."

This breaks her usually flippant dear friend who has been holding on by not thinking about it, Firewine and she starts to cry.

Gathering herself, she says, "When I awoke and saw the bed my first thought was about him and how relieved I was that he wasn't killed by me. He doesn't know anything, and I am going to keep it that way. Until I can control this I can't be near people, I don't want to kill them."

Inga remembers when Firewine was first cursed with her fire breath she didn't speak for six months, she was so afraid of what would happen if she did, this was part of the real Firewine or Dawn as her friends knew her and her father had named her after the time of day when she was born.

Inga knew her friend's mind was made up and said, "Please, keep in touch with me. If you need anything at all, send a message, and it will be done. I mean it you had better, or I'll send bounty hunters to find your ass. You still haven't said what you are going to do about Dima, we both know he is crazy about you."

Inga hugs her friend to give her strength and notices that she doesn't hug her back as she looks down she can see that Firewine claws have come out on her hands about six inches. She drops the hug and steps away from a now terrified Firewine.

A visibly shaken Firewine says in a whisper, "I can't even touch my friends without running the risk of hurting them. Why does this keep happening to me? Who have I wronged to be punished in such a way? Don't touch me again, give this medallion to Dima and tell him I will be in the woods just north of the city near the road, I will meet him there."

With that, she storms out of the room and out of the city afraid of everyone and everything, as she gets to the woods, she finds a good vantage point to watch the main gate and waits for Dima. Inga Inga knowing how much Dima means to her dear friend runs to the weighing house that served as both a tax office and Dima's office, upon arriving she ran into Dima's office and interrupted his meeting with the Burgermeister.

Dima snarls, "What the fuck Inga, I'm in a meeting now can't you wait."

He grabbed her arm to throw her out of his office; he saw the medallion and asked with a mix of anger and shock in his voice, "Where did you get this?"

She answered, "From Lady Firewine, she said these people are after her."

The only person who called Firewine lady was Dima everyone else did it to make fun of the fact she was anything but a lady. Dima loved her, so he only saw a lady in her.

Shocked and furious Dima holding on to the last of his temper asked, "What?"

He grabbed his scabbard and pistol heading out the door fuming continues, "Where is she? Take me there NOW."

Inga smiled as he dragged her off, the one thing she liked about these people is how secret their passion was and once it was gone the slightest misspoken word could cause blood to be spilled by friends and meant death to those who weren't.

She answered, "She is waiting for you outside the north gate in the woods near the road. She said she didn't want to put us in danger, so she is out there safe."

He looked at her incredulously, the thought that the woman he loved more than the heart that beat in his chest was infuriating.

He roared his passions had the best of him as he said, "When you love someone danger is not an obstacle, she could have come to me, no she should have come to me right away, I will never figure out you foreigners."

Inga smiled to herself at the thought that this lawman was in love with the dreaded pirate Spitfire and had no idea. Inga waited at the gate to give them the chance to be alone, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was never going to see her friend again. Inga was half right; she would never see her again on this planet. As Dima walked towards the edge of the woods, he was watched closely by Firewine, who had no idea that this would be the last time she would ever see him again.

Firewine spoke softly from the woods, "That is far enough."

She stayed hidden, she couldn't take the chance of hurting him.

Dima's eyes were on fire with a mix of anger and passion as he said, "Come out you have no need to hide from me."

She stayed hidden, infuriated he asked, "Where did you get this?"

He held up the medallion.

She answered, "I took it off a dead mage who tried to kill me. What is that?"

When she said killed his eyes got big, he knew the mage's from the cult of the red lady were very good, or so he had been told, so she must have some skill.

He replied in disbelief, "You killed a mage from the cult of the red lady?"

She smiled if he only knew that she did so as a dragon he would probably have run in fear. The mere thought of that power she had as a dragon made her feel giddy, she was never one to shy away from power.

She asked, "So what is this cult of the red lady? What do they want with me? And where can I find them?"

'Good questions' he thought.

According to his information, they had been capturing women and performing some dark rituals on them. All the women had been from the farms and small villages along the coast.

He answered, "That is the question, all I know is they have been performing some dark rituals on the women for some reason, they have been taking women from along the coast with red hair."

She thought about his answer, and if they were sacrificing women for some dark ritual, then they might be looking for her because of what she can do or just because of her hair color. If they did know how would they know what she could do? What would that ritual have to do with her?

Happy with the answers she said, "Thanks Dima, I will come back after I have dealt with this problem."

With that, she started walking away from him.

Dima screamed, "If you don't come out here and explain everything to me I am going to have an Imperial warrant issued for you with a huge bounty that will rival what is on Spitfire's head."

She froze at hearing her old name, she remembered how hard it was to be wanted and in this land Imperial warrants could make a poor man very rich. Even giving him lands and titles, she knew better than to test him.

She walked out of the woods looked at him dead in the eye and said, "You would put such a price on me."

She could see him trying to hold his emotions together and knew that when those passions were fired up like now, he was dangerous.

He roared back loud enough to be heard at the gate, "I would pay ten times that to keep you from running off. You don't abandon those who you love. I love you, and I don't care who hears it."

She couldn't help but smile as she told him, "I am not running; I am hunting those who came after me twice. Isn't that good enough."

She saw it in his face, she had just hurt him more than words could ever express.

He spoke in a soft almost childlike voice saying, "I tell you I love you and you say nothing. What was I a plaything for you? A toy for your desires? Tell me do you feel anything for me at all?"

She turned on a dime and stepped nose to nose with him. He saw her red hair turn blue. She could feel her wings starting to poke out of her back and her tail beginning to poke out.

Her emotions were raw as she said, "I shouldn't need to say what you already know is true. Do I love you? You ask well yes, I do."

She could feel her claws starting to grow as she grabbed him and lifted him off the ground to look her in the eye.

As she continued, "Look at my hair, my clothes and think of who meets that description."

She waited for him to put it all together and as it dawned on him, she continued again, "Yes, I am the dreaded pirate Spitfire, I have lied to you and everybody there, so tell me do you still love the hated pirate now that you know the truth. Yes, my love, you have been sleeping with a cutthroat, and you even confessed your love to one. Now that you know the truth I will go and get those who are after me, and I will never bother you or your city again. Leave me be."

He answered her without a thought in his head, "I don't care, I'll follow you to the ends of Alirota if it means we are together and if I must hunt you then I will. Leave if you must, but I will follow to the abyss for the woman I love."

Something inside snapped, and she projected the fear that all dragons give off in their form she could feel the last of her will fading. As she watched him run from her screaming in terror from the effects of her fear. She ran to a nearby clearing and as she changed out of her clothes and transformed into a dragon flying off in the direction of Delliletum.

She thought 'Hunt me, my love. I will enjoy the chase.'

Landing in a clearing, she changed back into her human form dressed and got on the road. When Dima got to the city gates, he saw Inga and had a million questions for her.

He walked over and said, "You knew, didn't you?"

She smiled her dear friend had told him who she really was, Inga smiled at the fact that her best friend had finally found love.

She leaned in and showing her years of practice said softly, "She is my best friend, how could I not? What happened to you that you came running back in such a panic?"

She saw his eyes fly wide as he tried to grasp what had happened.

He gathered his thoughts before speaking, "I had this huge feeling that something very powerful and scary was in the area, it felt like I would be a mosquito around it if I didn't leave. Do you think she will be coming back?"

She sighed a heavy sigh and said, "I don't think we will ever see her again, but if anybody can come through all of this alive it is her."

With that information in hand, Dima went about gathering as much information as he could about the cult. This didn't sit well with the elders of the sect who wanted to remain a myth. The decision was made and the time had come to deal with this captain before he could get the Marshal to investigate. With the order given an assassin was sent to get rid of Dima and quiet the investigation.

One night after meeting with Inga, Dima had the feeling that someone was following him and got his information to her so that she could get that to Firewine in case something had happened to him. He was being followed by the assassin that was going to kill him, the plan was hatched after he and his men broke up a bar brawl on the wharf. The assassin saw his opening in that mass of confusion and got back to the cultists in Belyre. Four nights later a bar brawl was started, and as Dima waded into the mass to help his greatly outnumber men. At that moment the assassin struck with a lethal dose of poison on his blade he slaked his pray and slid his stiletto into the back of Dima piercing his heart, he was dead seconds later as his blood pooled out from underneath him, another victim of the cult.

*********************

In a cave not far from Belyre a beautiful woman walked into the cave that she couldn't have scaled dressed as she was, her perfect cocktail dress was spotless and left little to the imagination. Inside lay Ehecatl a young adult silver dragon sleeping in her new home having finally reached an age to have a nest of her own. The platinum blond woman walked in singing in draconian loud enough to wake the sleeping Ehecatl.

'Who would dare enter the lair of a dragon singing?' she thought.

The woman walked in and smiled at her child.

Ehecatl seeing her dress and knowing she couldn't have climbed up asked, "How did you get here?"

It was odd this woman was unaffected by her fear aurora.

Bahamut smiled and said, "I walked in just like anybody else my child."

She didn't smell of human as she looked, she didn't have her mother's scent either.

She replied, "Who are you calling child, I know my mother's scent and yours is not hers."

Bahamut grinned a bigger toothy grin and said, "My child do you have, but one mother or is there another who you would call mother as well."

Ehecatl eyes widened as it dawned on her that the only other mother she would have is the goddess Bahamut.

Bowing humbly she said, "Goddess, forgive my rudeness but why are you here in that form."

Bahamut smiled and said, "My child your home is too small for my natural form, and I have need of you, could you chose a smaller form my neck is hurting from looking up."

Ehecalt was shocked the goddess had need of her. She changed into a lovely young woman looking about eighteen years of age with silver hair and eyes and translucent scales that could only be seen up close she stood about six foot two inches with her tail and wings still visible her horns followed the contour of her head and blended perfectly with her hair being the same silver color that you would only know she had horns if you stood close enough to her.

She dropped to her knee and bowed her head again asking, "How can one as young as I help one as wise as you?"

Bahamut had chosen wisely, this one would be perfect for her father's wishes.

Bahamut looked down at the young dragon and said, "You may look upon me for it is I who should be bowing before you. I require a cunning young warrior and the consul has said that you showed much promise, now I see that they were right."

She was shocked the consul had recommended her, she couldn't believe that they even knew who she was. As she rose and looked at the mother of all of her kind, she couldn't help but blush at the compliments that had been hefted upon her.

She asked still reveling in the accolades that had been heaped upon her, "What am I to do that has earned me such praise?"

Bahamut replied, "Teach a new dragon unlike any you have seen or heard of. Accompany the guardian back to his home. Bear the guardian's child, nothing much really."

She was taken aback when she heard to teach a dragon. She thought, 'How does a dragon not know how to be a dragon.'

Puzzled she had to ask, "How does a dragon not know how to be a dragon? Was he or she raised by mortals? Is he or she sick from some strange illness?"

Bahamut answered, "She was raised by mortals, but not as you are thinking until a week ago she was a mortal and the most interesting kind of mortal, a human."

This news floored Ehecatl a human was now a dragon, she knew that humans hunted dragons and not just her evil cousins but her own kind as well. The more disturbing thing for her was the thought of how that was possible? What does that mean for her kind? Why would Bahamut do this to a human and to her own children?

She said, "Why would you make a human into a dragon? Have we offended you?"

Bahamut offered, "The time of renewal is upon us, and the world we are going to is full of humans, it is the world we left when dragons were young. She is a new start for us, she will be the mother of all half-dragons from a human, and this means a whole new future for our kind. Without this, our kind would be gone by the next conjunction as you are aware our numbers have been declining steadily."

Ehecatl new her birth was praised for the first child in nearly one hundred years, and no other child has been born in the fifty-one years since then of her kind that is.

Embarrassed she asks, "You said I must bear the guardians child but isn't he human? I was told our kind can't have children with them because they lack the magic needed to conceive with us."

She knew that if the goddess willed it, then it could be done, she just didn't understand how or what that would mean to all dragon kind.

Bahamut simply said, "I don't think he is human anymore, except in his appearance and that he still thinks like a human. As the guardian, he has the Great Creators magic in him, and the Great Destroyer is very fond of him as well. He would give you full dragon children with the gift of a higher birthrate, but your children won't live as long as you would. Humans in his world have the power to slay every dragon both my children and my sisters. So will you take this mission or not the choice is yours."

This news shocked Ehecatl, she knew humans could and did kill dragons, but the thought alone that humans could slay all the dragons was shocking and even terrifying to her.

Ehecatl just nodded in agreement as Bahamut explained what this woman looked like and where she could be found, Ehecatl was pleasantly surprised that she was so close. She was advised to appear as a smaller creature so the humans wouldn't be stricken with fear at the sight of her. She was reassured that Henri was a very good man and would give her many children. She was also told that she would be joined on this quest by a gold dragon of the same age, whose job would be to teach this new dragon magic.