Blood of Dragons - The Protector

"You won't kill?" said Rek, his voice cracking.

"...no, I won't," said Altha. "But only because I'm curious. I still don't work for free, but I've never had a kobold ask for a job before. And... I guess I kind of owe you enough to hear you out after all that." She sat down on the floor, picked up the dropped bottle and took a swig. "Let's hear it...?"

"Rek," said the kobold.

"Rek," echoed Altha. "Alright, Rek. What's your story?"

"Is long story, is..." Rek tried to find the right words.

<Would it be easier in this tongue?> Altha asked.

Rek's eyes brightened. <Yes! Of course! You are a dragon, you speak Draconic! I was so nervous, I did not think to...> He hiccupped. <I am sorry.>

<It is alright,> said Altha. <And to be fair, I am only a half-dragon.>

<Oh,> said Rek, his eyes downcast again. <I had hoped to find a True dragon to aid me, but you are so fierce I would have sworn that you were one.>

Altha snorted. <You are not the only one around here who thinks so. So why do you need the aid of a dragon?>

Rek proceeded to tell her everything that happened back at the nest: the slaughter of the tribe, the slaying of Balthruzhax, the quest that his teacher Galax had sent him on. The bottle was passed back and forth as he spoke, and by the time he had finished, Rek was feeling a lot more relaxed and more than a little tipsy.

<And that is why I was led here to you,> he concluded. <I cannot return to the tribe without a dragon to protect them.>

<I suppose your little bauble does not distinguish between full-blooded dragons and... half-breeds,> mused Altha. <Sorry to disappoint you, Rek.>

<You would not happen to know where I could find a True dragon?> he asked. <The amulet says you are the only being with dragon blood for miles around.>

Altha shrugged. <If I knew that, I would probably be out to kill it myself. Ah, that is...> She saw Rek looking at her horrified. <What I mean is, if people know that there is a dragon in the area, they will most likely want it dead, and they would hire people like me to hunt them down.>

Rek spat on the floor and grumbled. <The lesser races are cruel bullies. Dragons are noble, proud, majestic titans! They deserve to be worshipped! If you people would just see that->

"Whoa, hold up there!" said Altha, indignantly switching back to Common. "Look, for most people, having kings and rulers is oppressive enough. Dragons are on a whole other level! The "lesser races" don't take kindly to kowtowing to something that will eat them on a whim, like you would!"

<Better to serve a physical god and earn a chance of survival, than to resist and guarantee death,> said Rek. <I was honoured to be next in line as shaman to Balthruzhax. He was magnificent, and we loved him. He protected us, kept us safe from the cruelty of the world.>

"Not well enough, obviously," retorted Altha.

Her words were like a dagger in Rek's chest. He wanted to respond, but no words came. He just drew up his knees again; there were no tears this time, he just stared at the floor. Altha held the uncomfortable silence for a moment, then stood up, adjusting the bedsheet around her chest.

"You're not going to find a dragon if you're just going to sit there," she said, pointedly not making eye contact. "Pick yourself up and get out."

<...very well,> said Rek. <Thank you for nothing... half-breed!>

Altha visibly stiffened, but she made no movement to stop Rek as he left the bar. Moments later, there was a shriek from the main hall; Altha realised that the kobold had not pulled his hood up before walking out.

*******

Rek scrambled up the stairs, his slightly drunken state gone in a flash as a storm of angry shouts and heavy footsteps followed close behind him. His pursuers were in various stages of undress, some completely naked, save for their weapons that had been hastily retrieved from the cloak room after the initial cry of alarm.

A shortsword stabbed downwards towards Rek, piercing through his cloak, narrowly missing his tail and pinning him to the wooden staircase. Rek snapped the clasp, freeing himself from the heavy cloth and dodging a meaty hand that tried to grab him as he ran. Now unhindered, Rek was able to manoeuvre his small, wiry frame between the legs of the human that had climbed the opposite staircase to cut him off; Rek took care to duck his head down to avoid a faceful of genitalia. He made a sharp turn to the side and found himself in a short corridor with two doors on either side. Rek opened the first one on his left and ran inside.

He was in a bedroom, tidy and well kept. The precise arrangement of the furniture and the simple yet charming décor was marred by the shattered bed in the centre of the room. The elf barkeep, Haevethad was inspecting the remains of the bedframe and tutting over the shredded straw mattress. He turned to look at Rek as he came through the door, raising his eyebrow in the same manner as before.

"Oh, found out were you?" he said uninterestedly.

"Help! Please!" cried Rek, too panicked to fully register that Haevethad had already known about him.

"Hmm..." the elf stroked his chin. "Help a kobold on the loose in my place of employment with no visible benefit to myself while all our clientele are intent on killing said kobold, as is their wont?" He considered for a moment. "I don't really care, but I'd rather not have to clean up after you." He snapped his fingers.

Rek felt every muscle in his body seize up, and his jaw clenched. He tried to move, but he was completely paralysed by Haevethad's spell. He couldn't even twitch as Haevethad came over and lifted Rek up by the scruff of his neck, before opening the door and being faced with a dozen, naked, heavily-armed mercenaries.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please calm yourselves," Haevethad said smoothly. "The kobold is contained, let us take this downstairs and sort this matter out like the civilized people we are."

"Get bent, Hav," said one of the mercs, a burly dwarf with a dark, frizzy beard. "Just give us the little runt."

"Sir Holrand, this is a place of business, and Madame Hilgya will not appreciate bloodshed in her establishment. I will be taking this kobold downstairs; the town guard will be alerted and they will deal with it as they see fit." Not waiting for a response, Haevethad swept through the crowd of blades and bare skin, holding Rek at arm's length as he made for the stairs. He had barely stepped beyond the group before the flat of a blade impacted with the back of his head, dropping him to the floor and causing Rek to tumble out of his grip. Two of the mercenaries lifted the unconscious elf and dragged him back into the bedroom. One of the others grabbed Rek around the throat and threw him down the corridor to impact with the wall at the far end.

"Now," said the dwarf Holrand, turning to the gathered goons, "we could leave the kobold for the guards to deal with, but we came here for a good time, and this little piece of lizard shit had to go and ruin it for everyone." He hefted a dull iron war hammer in one hand, tapping it against his palm and fixing Rek with an evil grin. "So we're going to have a different kind of fun, and the guards can deal with whatever is left!"

Rek felt his muscles free up, but couldn't bring himself to move. Tears streamed down his face; his throat was so thick with sobs that he couldn't even plead for his life anymore. He had known when he left the nest that he might not make it back alive, but having come so close to success only to fail and meet his end now, he desperately, desperately wanted to live.

Holrand stepped forward, planting a hairy foot on Rek's stomach and lined his hammer up with the kobold's face. "Let's start with a few teeth and work our way down." He pulled his arm back and prepared to swing.

"Let him go," came a growl from the other end of the corridor.

The mercenaries turned as one to see the tall frame of Altha, still wrapped in her bedsheet, standing at the top of the stairs. Her brows were furrowed and her lips drawn back to show off her fangs.

"Well look who it is: the dragon-slut!" sneered Holrand over his shoulder, not moving his foot. "This one belong to you, scalytits? You shove this thing out of that cavern you call a cunt?"

Altha let out another chilling growl. "Let. Him. Go." She flexed her clawed hands. "Now."

A few of the mercenaries took a cautious step backwards, but Holrand just sneered again. "Go stick it up your arse, Altha. You can't take all of us."

Altha shifted her weight, getting into a pouncing stance. "Try me, stump-sucker."

Holrand snarled and kicked, knocking the wind out of Rek as he lifted his hammer and turned. "Kill the dragon-bitch!"

The mercenaries raised their weapons, shouting as they charged forward. Altha countered with a roar of her own, leaping into the fray claws first.

Rek rolled over against the wall, gasping for air, his vision swimming from disorientation and tears. He was vaguely aware of the sounds of battle; cries of pain and the impact of weapons against bone and wood filled the corridor, accompanied by a roar and the smell of burning flesh. He tried to crawl away, in any direction he could, but the accumulation of everything that had happened in the past few hours suddenly rushed to his head and he passed out. The last thing he heard was Altha calling his name.

*******

Rek's eyes fluttered open. The room around him was dark, save for a small patch of sun streaming down in the far corner. He was on a bed meant for one of the tall folk underneath thick, comfortable furs. His body ached, exhausted from sobbing and running for his life. He shifted onto his side, grunting as pain shot through his ribs.

"Easy there, big guy."

Rek looked to find Altha sitting on a chair at the foot of the bed. Her hair was a tangled mess, caked with blood in several places. She was leaning forward with her arm across her chest, several painful looking cuts and bruises that had been crudely cleaned and dressed all over her upper arms. Her bedsheet was long gone, and Rek could see that her back was covered with similar scales to her hands and feet, trailing up from her tail to the bony protrusions on her shoulder blades. Altha winced as she sat up, but grinned through the pain.

"You took a knocking, but you should be fine once you get a bit more rest," she said.

"You... saved..." Rek coughed. <You saved my life.>

"Damn right I did," said Altha. "Took down twelve bastards that totally had it coming. And they've had it coming for a while now."

<Where are we?> asked Rek, looking around the room. There was not much space, barely enough for the bed and the chair, with one door and no windows.

"In Magmarock's little secret hideaway. She saw what happened and got us down here before the guards arrived. She said she'd get rid of them, but for now we have to stay put." Altha looked at the floor. "Even so, I'll probably have to leave town after this."

<But it was not your fault, was it? They attacked first,> said Rek.

"Doesn't matter," said Altha. "I still killed a dozen people, most of them with better reputations than me. Getting kicked out of town is the best case scenario at this point." She winced again. "Whatever afterlife they ended up in, hope they're satisfied that they got at least one shot at me."

<You are hurt!> said Rek, scrambling out of the bed, ignoring his aches. <You should be the one on the bed, not me!>

"Heh, that's sweet," Altha chuckled with a wheeze. "You were sleeping, and there's only one bed, so-"

<Please, lie down,> said Rek. <You need the rest more than I do!>

Altha sighed. "Well, since you asked so nicely..." She stood up, grasping the chair and the bedpost to steady herself, and for the first time Rek saw Altha completely exposed. Her breasts were large and firm, with very little sag, each topped with a deep red nipple. Her stomach was just as chiselled as the rest of her, a set of rock-solid abs that descended into the V of her hips, pointing down to a hairless sex between muscular thighs. In spite of himself, and the multitude of fresh cuts that covered Altha's superb form, Rek couldn't help but stare, captivated.

Altha caught his gaze and chuckled again. "Yeah yeah, they roughed me up, but don't worry. I heal pretty fast; I'll be fighting fit by tomorrow." She sat down heavily on the bed and clutched at her side. "Ah shit."

<What is wrong?> asked Rek nervously.

"Opened up the stab," Altha hissed. She pulled her hand back, revealing fresh blood flowing from one of the wounds just below her ribs. "Was a lucky shot; if he'd used anything bigger than a dagger, he might have actually done some real damage."

<Lie back!> said Rek. <I know some basic medicine, I can help.>

"You don't have to..." Altha started, but still did as Rek said, turning onto her side with her back to him to give him better access to the wound.

<I will have to clean it again,> said Rek, pulling the chair around the bed and hopping up to be level with Altha's back.

"Don't think there's any more bandages down here," said Altha, "but do what you can."

<V-very well,> said Rek. He leaned forward and ran his tongue across the stab wound, lapping up the blood.

"Rek? What are you doing?" said Altha.

<Cleaning... the... wound...> he replied between licks. Her blood tasted spicy, different from the iron-like taste of prey that the tribe would hunt. With each lap, Rek felt a shiver through his body, and his exhaustion seemed to ebb away. Even though the wound was thoroughly cleaned, he kept licking, attempting to draw more blood from the gash. He couldn't stop himself, the sensation was heavenly.

"Rek...?" said Altha.

<I... am... sorry...> said Rek, licking faster. <It... is... just...>

"Rek, enough!" Altha said sharply, sitting up to face him. The motion caused him to totter backwards in the chair and onto his rump. The heady feeling tingled down his spine, and he felt the blood rush to his groin. His hips began to shake and he gripped the edge of the chair to stop himself from falling off.

"Rek, what's happening?" asked Altha.

<Do not... know...> he gasped. He squirmed in his seat, the belly scales between his legs parting, and his organ began to swell through. And then it swelled more. And more.

Altha's eyes grew wide. Rek looked down at himself, still quaking, and his expression matched hers.

Protruding from his crotch was a swollen, tapered penis covered in ridges and pulsing veins, the skin an angry purple colour. It was also nearly the same length as his legs, and almost as thick too. It twitched and quivered like it had a mind of its own.

"Rek..." said Altha slowly. "Is that... normal?"

<N-no,> he stammered. <It has never been... that... big...> He shivered again, causing it to shake. Altha's eyes followed its motion, entranced by the heavy movements. <It... must be... your blood...>

"My blood did THAT to you?" said Altha, still not breaking gaze with the penis.

<Dragon blood is... magical. Half-dragon blood... must be magical... in different ways...> Rek managed to gasp. His own blood was rushing through him, and a lot of it seemed to be focused in his new endowment, making it difficult to think straight.

"Well, that's certainly a first for me..." murmured Altha. As she watched it sway, her tail started to twitch as well, moving in time with its motions. "Damn..."

<Altha?>

"You know," said Altha, "those mercs were pissed because they weren't done getting satisfied when you showed up." She shifted onto her stomach, bending her knees to fit broadways on the bed, bringing her face right up close to Rek's swollen erection. "But they weren't the only ones who weren't satisfied properly today. That orc tapped out long before I was done." She grinned toothily. "And he had nothing on this monster right here."

<Altha, what are you -> Rek's question became a shuddering gasp as Altha extended her tongue and ran it across the tip of his cock. It felt so sensitive, more than it ever had before. The sensation grew as Altha opened her mouth wider and more of her tongue slipped down his shaft, a good eight inches in all, and it barely extended halfway down. He shivered as she drew it back, running every bit of it along the underside of the head.

"Neat trick, huh?" she said with a wink. "Usually I can cover a guy's whole cock in one go. I'll have to try harder with this one." She opened wide again, letting her tongue loll all the way out, and brought Rek's pointed head into her mouth. It slid down her throat easily for a few inches, the next few took some effort, and the front of her neck was visibly bulging as she struggled down a couple more, allowing the tip of her tongue to flick around the exposed spot between the belly scales.

Rek squirmed as the sensitive area was tickled, his breath turning ragged; he had never felt anything like it. Altha gagged and pulled back, trailing her tongue over as much of Rek's cock as she could, gripping it with both hands as it pulled free of her throat, thick threads of drool connecting the throbbing flesh and her lips. She gulped in a lungful of air. "Nailed it," she gasped, and quickly took the head back in her mouth, slurping and sucking as she began to move her hands up and down. She felt every beat of Rek's heart as the blood pumped through the thick veins; it jumped and twitched in her grip, and she felt his muscles tensing.

<Altha... I'm...> Rek managed to say, before his frame shuddered uncontrollably, his claws gripped the chair tightly, and a torrent of cum burst into Altha's mouth. She clamped her lips around the head of his cock and sucked, swallowing as quickly as it came. It felt like a stream of lava as it flowed into her stomach, which surprised her; she was naturally resistant to heat and anything that she could regard as hot would have easily scalded anyone else. To feel such a warm, filling sensation for the first time was amazing, and she moaned around the cockhead in her mouth, her eyes rolling back in her head. Rek spurted again, Altha's cheeks ballooning from the sheer volume, forcing her to release the grip of her lips, and the thick pearlescent liquid spilled down her chin and onto the bed and floor. Rek flopped back into the chair, Altha pushed herself up onto her hands and knees, both of them panting heavily.

Altha sat back, cum dripping onto her breasts; her tongue snaked out to lap it up. The warmth of it spread throughout her body and she did not want to waste a drop. She looked down, making sure she hadn't missed any, and noticed something. The cuts on her arms and torso were healing, knitting and scabbing over before her eyes. As she watched, she also noticed that the warmth within her was invigorating. She felt energised, strong... and increasingly horny. It was frustrating; Rek had blown this massive load that had somehow restored her to peak condition, and she wasn't even close to satisfaction. And after that he wouldn't...

She looked at Rek's cock. It was just as erect as before, and still dripping.

Rek barely had the time or coherence to register what was happening before his was lifted bodily from the chair and thrown down on the bed. His eyes snapped back into focus as he saw Altha crouch over him, steadying herself with one hand and holding his cock in the other. Her eyes blazed with lust, and her sex was sopping wet. With the minimal illumination from the skylight, she looked like a massive, predatory animal, and her grinning fangs glittering from the shadows enhanced the effect to terrifying proportions.