My thanks to my supporters, without whom this would not have happened.
High-Riding Nerdosaurs: Jcotton, The Mediator, and KaousuShin.
The Fifth Degree: MIMI.
Dollar Nerd Club: Absolute Zero and Snow.

The Fire Down Under

Flashwing hated her job.

The moments the fit and curvaceous dragoness could find to sit and relax during her work day were welcome reprieves, not because the work was physically exhausting, but because she had higher aspirations in life to daydream about, and every moment spent working at Alvar's restaurant was a reminder that she hadn't yet achieved her goal. However, she couldn't spend her break daydreaming if she shared her shift with Flame, because the cheeky nerd was so very excited to be friends with an athletic girl, his lukewarm friendship with Spyro enough reason for Flashwing to put up with him every time. Afterall, he would occasionally have something to say which was mildly related to her obsession, and her ultimate goal: to be one of Spyro's pampered mates.

"Guess who scored with Sheila last night?" Flashwing had read the biographies, listened to the news broadcasts, and followed Spyro's social network profiles. She knew that he knew two Sheilas, and was instantly intrigued by Flame's boast as they sat down and took off their hats.

"The faun or the kangaroo?" Flashwing questioned at once, tilting her head.

"The 'roo, actually." That didn't pass easily. Flashwing knew the fauns were fairly loose in spite of their distaste for digital realms. She expected to see them when word reached of Spyro's availability, and she wouldn't be surprised if they played with other dragons when they came to town, but the kangaroo had higher standards as far as she knew. Flame was attractive enough that it was possible, but Flashwing was still skeptical. "That rude look on your face says you don't believe me."

"You're not a chad, Flame." Flashwing said with a slight smile, observing her own claws. "You're a nerd, and an honest one. A chad would have worried about getting evidence, but I'd bet you were way too focused on Sheila herself to pull anything like that. So, how was she?"

Flame quirked a brow at her, not that she was looking at his face. "Do you actually care?"

"No, but you're going to keep blabbering on anyway so I might as well humor you." Flashwing gave a teasing flutter of her perfect lashes as she looked back up at him, smirking deviously.

"I'm glad you understand how this works by now. Anyway, she was amazing. For a girl who's never had a drake before, she held up pretty well."

"Says the drake who was a complete virgin going into that night." Flashwing pulled out a claw-file and innocently began working on her claw-tips.

Flame was not at all fooled, his eyelids twitching in mild irritation. "Touché, but I am trying to tell a story here."

"As if I'm just going to let you brag for our entire break about how amazing your dick is." Flame's huff of annoyance was short-lived, as he caught Alvar glowering at them briefly from a nearby table, where he'd been speaking to some customers. Flame cleared his throat and pounded his chest with his fist, Flashwing taking the message as they both lowered their voices significantly. "By Tiamat's perfect curves, I can't wait to leave this place for good."

"At least the food we make here is actually worth eating. You do not wanna know what it was like working in a fast food joint. Anyway, she was all over me last night."

"Here we go..."

Sheila couldn't seem to keep her hands to herself, tracing the scales on my body with careful fingers, feeling me up as I worked my way toward the bed. I was having a good chuckle at how engrossed she was. "Oh Flame, you're so hot." She said.

"Bull's balls, Flame."

"That is exactly what she said. Dragons are a lot warmer than other creatures and she was excited about that."

Flashwing shrugged her wings, not disputing that point. "Makes sense, but there is no way you were all calm and collected while she was fondling your muscles. Shadow's teeth, I bet she was dragging you to the bed by your horns."

"She did give my horns a squeeze. She thinks they're awesome. Now shut up or we'll never get through this before the break ends."

When we reached the bed, she laid out on her back and spread her legs for me, giving me a sultry look. She never wears a bottom, since kangaroos find pants uncomfortable with their wide hips and strong legs, so her sex was already exposed to me, now that I had a good angle and the fur couldn't cover it. "Fancy a taste, young buck?" I knew what she wanted right away, and didn't hesitate to dive right in, sliding my clawed hands over her supple thighs. I tightened my grip when I heard her moaning, and got another for the effort. She was clearly developing a fetish for sharp, draconic claws.

She was squishing her tits through her vest when I lowered my face, lapping at her pussy lips eagerly. I won't lie: I was awestruck by the taste. Something about her being a mammal made it so good. She tasted so much like a meal to me, like prey, and I was out of my sheath and throbbing in seconds.

That was when she squeezed my horns, guiding me closer, really mashing my face into her pussy and wiggling her hips. She also used a lot of slang I didn't understand between panted breaths, certainly speaking more to herself than to me. I'd only ever daydreamed about giving a girl that kind of treatment before, but I was apparently much better than what she was used to. There was a lot of mention of the bucks back home and how much better I was than them.

"Oh, I believe that." Flashwing cut in, frowning. "Mammals lack the patience to do foreplay as well as we do."

"I'm not convinced you're giving them enough credit, but anyway..."

I was definitely getting her worked up, because when I finally started to crawl up her form she released my horns and got right to opening her vest. She lifted her arms for me when I was in position and I took the hint, yanking it and her shirt right off her. I didn't feel like fiddling with her bra so I just ripped it off with my claws. She didn't seem to like that at first, but I could see her cheeks light up as I did it. Spyro's advice was coming in handy. I shut her up by giving her a firm kiss on the lips and she just melted for me after that. I gave her the rutting of her life, if what she said after wasn't just to fluff my ego.

In all seriousness, she'd obviously been missing out until me. Dragons are just better in every way, as they say. I finished in her four times that night, and didn't give her a break for a second. She's still lounging around at my place now. Says she'll be back tonight. She doesn't have to pay to use a hotel during her visit this way, and she gets to take my dick so it's really a huge win for her. I'm being super generous in allowing it.

"Could you fellate yourself any harder?"

"You're one to talk, miss 'I'm gonna seduce Spyro himself.' As little attention as you pay to your job, it's a wonder you still have it." Flame's words just made Flashwing scoff and check her claws again.

"Please. Do you know how many of these males come here just to stare at me? I bring in too much business to be fired. When I quit to be with Spyro, patronage is going to take a dive." That brought out an eye roll from Flame as he stood up, making his way toward the counter to clock back in.

"Well, break time is over and I have money to make. You can sit there and get yelled at if you want." Flashwing did not want that, groaning in agitation as she followed Flame to return to work. Though she did her job well, her mind was elsewhere, with Spyro.


"Well well well..." Hunter spun his bow in a relaxed posture, slowly pulling an arrow from his quiver and bringing it into position. It was a protective threat, a warning of a possible reaction, as his weapon remained downturned. Ready, but not aimed. "Look who decided to show his ugly mug at my house."

Red resisted laughing openly at his gesture. Even without dark magic, the Elder dragon was a formidable sorcerer. He could easily deflect projectiles, and typical arrows were useless against his scales. He didn't blame the cheetah for being so defensive, either, considering the time Red had captured his wife to use as a hostage.

As for Bianca herself, she seemed almost as relaxed as Red was. She didn't even have her wand out. She patted Hunter on the shoulder and stepped past him, bowing deeply to her former captor. "A visit from a member of the Elder Council is a great honor, my Lord." Hunter gave a faux gag before she stood straight again, still giving the drake a fierce look. "To what do we owe this pleasure?"

"It is a social call. You may cease with the formalities. We are friends, aren't we?" Bianca blushed and giggled, her mental tally of her impression on the dragon community going ballistic.

Hunter squeezed his bow tighter and gestured angrily. "Oh come on! He's a bastard! This guy has tried to take over the realms three times now."

"As is a dragon's right, cat." After Red's biting reply, his staff impacted the ground, a bubble of magic emanating around them. When Hunter shot his arrow in response, Red just allowed it to shatter against his scutes, narrowing his eyes. "Has my sound-dampening spell offended you somehow? I believed you might appreciate the privacy."

"Hunter, put the bow away! You're embarrassing me."

"Fine!" Hunter forcefully shoved his door open and looked over his shoulder in spite. "Play buddy-buddy with your kidnapper if you want, but I'm not going to watch." Another stride and the slam of the door completed his dramatic exit, Bianca openly wincing at the noise.

"Sorry, Red. Hunter has been in a bit of a mood lately. I'm not sure why, but he's been really short-tempered this past week."

"I understand, but his departure still puzzles me." Red squinted at the door and snorted smoke. "He either doesn't suspect I'll do anything, and thus attacked me out of petty spite, or he is a coward who knows he is incapable of stopping me. I suppose he'd beg Spyro to save you again, should the latter be his thinking."

"I'm sure he's just being defensive and emotional." Bianca tried to reason in defense of her husband. "We shorter-lived species don't always consider our actions as rigorously as dragons do, my Lord." Starting to fret about the fact that Hunter had assaulted a Dragon Elder with a deadly weapon according to the law, Bianca fidgeted her fingers and looked sheepishly up at the old drake. "You aren't going to charge him with anything, are you?"

Red smiled and shook his head. "My dear, why would I put you under such stress?" Red gestured with his staff and wing to the street, his opposite wing rising to shield Bianca from the sun, bathing her in his shadow. Bianca noticed that the sound dampening spell was still emanating from the staff as it moved. "Walk with me. We have much to discuss."

The young sorceress hopped forward excitedly, trying and failing to hide her emotions from her experienced companion. "Of course, my Lord! Spyro trusts you, so I do too, regardless of what Hunter thinks."

"It is wise of you to defer to his judgment." Red guided her down a side road, when he was sure no one could see them he cut the air with his claws. Bianca felt a sense of vertigo, like the first time she'd traveled as a magical light, only far more intense. She faltered and gripped a golden wall, falling to her knees and trying not to be sick. As she raised her head, she realized she was in the home of a very wealthy dragon indeed, though one that was strangely clear of mounted art or other furnishings, save for a plain couch in the center that did not match with the golden walls. Red had teleported them. A proper and instantaneous teleport that had taken them a great distance, though the dragon seemed unfazed. "I do as well, which is why I have spirited you away this evening. If you believe me too forward, you may leave, but I'd have you hear my words first."

Bianca shakily got back to her feet, grimacing. "You lied when you said this was a social visit. Trying to throw off eavesdroppers, I bet."

"Yes. Very astute." Red ignored the couch, coming to Bianca and holding her in his firm claws until she was standing steady. "I am sorry I could not warn you in time. I had to be sure we could leave without the signature being traced. Ironically, I doubt any will suspect I was bold enough to bring you to my home. Spies will likely be searching in places meant to be secret first."

"What is this really about, Red?"

The Elder dragon took a step back and straightened himself, assessing her. "Three times now, Spyro has bested me in battle. His conviction is strong, and I trust in his judgment. As such, my loyalty has shifted from myself to him. I meant it when I said that a dragon has every right to take control of the many realms, and I believe Spyro will be the best fit for the job. Perhaps it will be very soon, or centuries from now, but either way Spyro will attempt to take the long-empty throne. The balance of power between the Elders on the Council has been upset by Spyro already, and they will seek to stifle him before he gains any further ground."

"I don't understand." Bianca shook her head in confusion, scratching an ear out of agitated habit. "Spyro has always done what the Council wanted. He didn't always agree with them or their methods, but they taught him new skills and he stopped all of their enemies."

"The political situation is more complex than it appears on the surface. Spyro was being used by the Council to eliminate problems, so he could be groomed into a figurehead to represent the strength and goodness of the Council. They wished to improve their public image in the eyes of younger dragons, but I'm sure you know that Spyro didn't allow this to happen. Instead, he absorbed most of the credit for his accomplishments, and openly challenged the policies of the Council in the process. In their eyes, he has outlived his usefulness, and has become a threat to their position. Each of them would rather take the position of King for themselves, but if they cannot achieve this then they will fall back on the institution of the Council. They wish to maintain their own power and control over the realms, and would feel insulted to give it up to such a young drake as Spyro.

"Yet, he is not without friends. Cho Lei may seek to boost his position and counteract sabotage. She seems to be in full support of Spyro's eventual rise to power. Whether this is a front or genuine, I cannot say." Red gestured with his staff at Bianca and grinned, a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. "You, however? I know you are in his corner with absolute certainty. He will need our support in the struggles to come. Spyro does not yet possess the raw strength to defeat the entire Council in combat, but they know he could one day become so formidable, so they will try to force the conflict to happen as early as possible. Their key to success is to frame a battle between Spyro alone and all of them as a fair measure of who deserves to rule, and dragon culture is on their side there. Our counter-measure is to show that he has already earned the fealty of others. We must sell ourselves as mere extensions of his will. Then, we can fight beside him."

Bianca began to pace in worry, scratching her head as she thought over Red's words. After she'd had some time to process what he'd already said, he continued. "There will be much political posturing and debating before an actual battle takes place, of course. We may even manage to swing this firmly into Spyro's favor before claw meets scale, but a potential brawl with the Council is the least of our concerns. The Sorcerer, the one who recruited me to his cause on his last visit, is sure to return. Every Council member knows it is to pass. Spyro has become known as the Mage-Slayer, and has always triumphed in his crusades. Before, the entirety of the Realms was at stake, but The Sorcerer still lives and possesses a personal vendetta against Spyro in particular. The Council may now risk setting up Spyro to fail, to damage his reputation, or remove him from this world altogether."

Bianca stopped dead in her pacing, staring up at Red as if he'd grown a second head. Her mouth opened to form some rebuttal or protest, but Red's expression offered no room for questioning. He was right. He knew with the certainty of experience far beyond Bianca's years, even beyond her capacity to fully comprehend. With a solemn nod, she faced him fully. "Spyro is emotional and vulnerable now, because of his romantic pursuits. Hunter is really unstable lately. I don't know all of the details as to why things are playing out this way, but I can see that this would be a good time to strike at Spyro."

"Indeed. Which is why you must be ready." Red fanned out his wings and snorted smoke in Bianca's direction, staring her down with an intense, calculating gaze. "Your last teacher was a fool driven by her ambition and greed, using you for her own ends. She obviously had no interest in sculpting your considerable talents into refined ability. I have no ulterior motives. Spyro's court must be guarded by the very best that the realms have to offer, and you could be one of the greatest spellcasters of our era. Bow to me, call me your Master, and swear to obey my every command, taking only Spyro's authority above mine, and I will teach you all that I know about magic."

Bianca slowly pulled forth her wand, watching Red's reaction. His breathing was calm and assured, and she thought back to her time as his captive. Not once had she feared for her personal safety in his clutches, save for when Spyro had arrived to save her, and the full might of the dragons had been on display. He had understood her value; dragons were often the best judges of such things. She knew he would not squander her talents. She drew the sign of submission with her wand, pledging her magic to him, and then knelt before him. Her voice was quiet, just loud enough to reach her new teacher. "Master Red, what must I do?"

"You must learn, Bianca. To prove that your trust in me is mutual, I shall tell you my true name, the one that was stripped from me at the time of my exile, to be replaced by the color of my scales. The name Spyro will permit me to use once again, after he takes the throne. For once, my name was Ignitus, Guardian of Tiamat's Sacred Flame. Now rise, Bianca, as Sorceress of Spyro's Court. Our journey is just beginning."

Bianca stood, noting that Red's expression was softer now, that there was an air of longing and desperation about him that she hadn't noticed before. "If we're going to be trusting each other so much, R- Ignitus… Tell me why you served The Sorcerer. I need to know."

Ignitus nodded, frowning at the memory. "Very well. He swore to me that, under his leadership, Tiamat's former glory would be restored. He is not an enemy to take lightly. He has an uncanny connection to Her, you understand. He can wield Her might as no other can in these days. Yet, I can see that Spyro is the better leader, a more compassionate dragon. He sees the flaws in the old church, and will not repeat the mistakes of the past. I will do all I can to convince Spyro to see Tiamat's positive qualities, but… I will not speak against him again. If Tiamat must fade in favor of some other divine dragon, then I will accept it, even if her remaining sibling should be chosen. I have lived in a world that favors her brother, and it is not so terrible as I imagined it might be in my youth."

Bianca nodded along to this, but something in the Elder's words stalled her, and she tilted her head. "I thought she only had one sibling: Bahamut. What do you mean when you say he is the only remaining sibling?"

Red shuddered and closed his eyes. "It pains me to think about it. We will speak of it no further today. We have wasted time that could be better spent on your training. Ready your wand, and listen closely."


Basil the Explorer had a long and successful career, for a human's lifespan. He had used the funding of his expeditions to upgrade his equipment first, then to support dating in his off time, and finally to care for his wife and children after marriage. Had he been a thief, selling off artifacts that he pilfered, he would have had more money, but he didn't explore only for money. He had not taken, but cataloged places and artifacts. The many peoples he interacted with had agreed to give tokens from their culture to museums, and had taken part in interviews to let the wider world know more about them. Wars between realms had grown less common over his career, though he gave Spyro most of the credit for that change.

Basil had been following Spyro's career with great interest long before they first met, and they had exchanged many letters before their first face-to-face interaction. Basil had traded Avalarian Orbs in exchange for Spyro's help in a tight situation, as Spyro considered his problems trivially easy to solve and Basil knew Spyro would put the Orbs to good use. Having a strong affinity for dragons after that, Basil had bought a manor house near the edge of dragon territory and had retired there with his family.

It was from that manor house that he fled in his truck, tears streaming down his cheeks and a six-shooter in his hand. A beast straight out of the Shadow Realm had apparently been hunting children in the area, not that the Peace Keepers had mentioned such a thing. Basil's only information on the matter had come from the whisperings of younger dragons, of zeroes affiliated with the various gangs of the Dragon Realms. It had struck out at his family in the night, and it had not been alone. Long into the morning he drove with one dragon on his mind, one solution to his problem, one vessel for his revenge.

He glanced down at his phone, finally receiving a return to his message. "We will destroy it. Meet us at the Professor's Lab in two hours." Spyro was ready, and so was Basil.

"We're coming for you, monster."


"Are you as deaf as the old oaf you were named after!?" The green-scaled Elder Astor yelled at a Peace Keeper with purple hair and orange scales, poking him in his scutes with a firm claw. "I said there will be no involvement from you, nor from any other enforcer from your realm. This beast is alone, has caused minimal damage, and operates at the fringe of our territory. There is only one thing that chasing it down will achieve, and that is drawing your people into an ambush."

Titan shook his head and turned away, taking deep breaths to control his temper. "That doesn't make any sense, Astor. The enemy is alone, insignificant, and weak. We're dragons. We can take that thing out, even if the rumors of its mutations are true."

"You are not understanding me, though I should expect as much. Your father was just as gunge-ho and rash as you are when he was younger. If you destroy this mere nuisance then we've accomplished nothing of substance, but if this nuisance is a front to draw you into a trap-"

Titan spun around and brandished his battle-axe furiously, but found himself immediately disarmed by two swift kicks to the shaft where he held it, a magical blast knocking him down to his rump. Despite how quickly the Elder had asserted his dominance, Titan scowled and gave his protest. "Children are being killed in our realms! How are they not 'of substance'?"

Astor chuckled and shook his head, stroking his beard. "There's a reason I replaced my senior on the Council and you did not. Our young are as likely to kill each other as die to some shadow beast. The value of a life is measured in the wisdom of experience. That's why all those young species aren't of any concern to us. It is why we treat with and respect the fairies. Your Peace Keepers are too valuable to risk on this, even if the risk is minimal. The gangs might have more trouble with just one of those things, but at least they won't be much of a loss if it does turn out to be a ploy. Everyone already knows that those unsavory Knifetails are on the job, and deaths on either side in that fight are a net positive for us."

"You're an amoral jackass, Astor. Why you were the drake blessed with your kindhearted father's name I'll never know."

"Among other things you won't know." Astor smirked, waving his staff. "I speak with the authority of the Council. I accept that I am a not well liked, but you must accept your own stupidity. It is best that you defer to my judgment."

Titan growled, but his expression was defeated as he stood, using the haft of his axe as a crutch while he straightened himself. "I suppose you have a very good reason to be keeping Spyro out of this, then?"

"Why, it's the same reason I'm keeping you out of it. He's too valuable to put at risk. Just focus on policing the protesters of the lesser species. If they get out of hand then we'll have to put them down and that's bad for business."

Titan may have been of the opinion that they wouldn't have so many protesters if they better policed their own youths, but he nodded his assent anyway, storming off before Astor could come up with anything else infuriating to say. He'd gotten his answer, even though he didn't like it.


A slender drake with dark purple scales surveyed his realm in silent contemplation, tapping his staff with his fingers idly. He sat upon a throne of hewn dragon bones, watching twisted and malnourished dragons skulking across a barren landscape in search of prey. They were the descendants of the lost souls who had been cast away to this combination of prison and tomb, this malignant realm of despondence and woe. Known in modern times as the Shadow Realm thanks to historical revisionists and the facts they wanted to leave buried, but long ago called the Dragons' Graveyard. The Dark Sorcerer had taken over leadership of the realm to the best of his ability, making the disparate monstrosities of the realm rally to his cause. Using the Shadow beasts to enact his plans had seemed a smarter move than bringing any of the lesser dragons along, as he would have to worry about conspirators seeking to usurp his power.

A wicked grin split the Sorcerer's face, for he knew that would not be an issue next time. He had always known he was better than other dragons, his family having well-explained why during his upbringing, but they had left out an important detail in the telling. As great a sire as his father had been, his mother was all the greater. He had had many conversations with her over the past few years, as a conqueror well should with his conquest. His mother had once ruled the Dragon's Graveyard, but no longer, a reclusive and melancholic shadow of her former self. She had not the will to do what the Sorcerer had planned for herself, not anymore.

Still, he thought that this could be the moment for him to get her fully on his side, to secure her allegiance in the coming conflict. Afterall, if she agreed to follow his command, she would be freed by his disciples in the mortal realm. Already were the Sorcerer's contacts enacting the preliminary measures. He gazed briefly into the orb on his new staff as he considered the communications he maintained with those persuaded to his cause. Soon, he would be the King of Dragons in the mortal realm, not just a ruler of dying shadows.

"Lord Malefor?" A muscular, young black drake was bowed before the Sorcerer's throne, addressing him by his true name, a privilege only granted because he acted as one of his mother's messengers and consorts. "Lady Tiamat has accepted your request. She will see you now."

"She always does, doesn't she? I'm the last of her offspring, afterall." The others did not like hearing their Goddess spoken of so flippantly, especially concerning the matter of her lethargy, but the Dark Sorcerer had proven his supremacy in combat many times. The messenger knew better than to oppose anything that Malefor said, and led the Dark Sorcerer through the clouded sky. Magical lanterns lit the realm from the ground, powered by the souls of the dead as they drew in and trapped the wisps. Above the clouds were only more wisps gradually falling to the ground, with no sun and no moon, no distant stars nor dazzling colors. They were accustomed to flying in such bleak conditions, so they reached the fissure they were flying to without any complications.

Weaving down to a system of caverns branching from a hole in the side of the fissure, the pair landed and began to walk. When they neared the entrance to Tiamat's private chambers, Malefor lifted a hand and shook his head. "Only I shall enter now. Be on your way." Another bow, and then the consort was gone. Malefor tapped his staff on the monolithic double doors, watching them begin to part for his magical signature. Each door had a core of volcanic rock with steel on either side in thick sheets, but the visible exteriors were golden, rare gems and metals laid in to form an abstract art. Some said that only Tiamat herself fully understood the meaning of her creation, but Malefor suspected that it was just a mish-mash of the most valuable things she could hoard.

Finally, he stepped inside, beholding the Goddess of dragons and the dark arts on her intricately carved stone slab. The treasures in her doors and on her person had been kept because her consorts pleaded for it, to maintain her dignity and glory, but the other treasures had long-since been traded off to the mortal realms for the commodities the Shadow Realm now had. Life was hardly livable, but it would not be so at all without what Tiamat had sacrificed, all in the name of not aging eternally on her own. All around the massive circular room were the skeletal remains of her past consorts, who had willingly died by her claws before they could become old and frail. Malefor had plans for them.

The tip of her tail was the bulbous black stinger of a wyvern, potent with a cocktail of toxins and poisons. It swayed back and forth at a slow pace, but gradually moved faster as the Goddess took note of her company, jangling the five golden circlets that hung there, each inlaid with a single gem of different colors. Malefor followed the fiery red scales up her tail, catching glimpses of her faded golden scutes as it moved, though the golden hue of her sclera was not faded in the least, if one looked to the central head. She had five. Malefor looked over her shapely hips, accented as they were by a golden waistband and white silk, and also over the valley of her curved back, past the lazily hanging red wings and up that red neck, seeing the black membranes stretching between red fins that formed the crest of that head. The black of those membranes matched her dark claws, and another head had red membranes connected to the black fins that matched the scales there. At last he was looking her in the eyes.

She shifted to better face him, ten eyes gazing with a mother's fondness. Each pupil was slanted and pitch black with a vibrant iris, the sclera likewise colored but less saturated. Ira Ignis Amor was the name of the central head, and her golden eyes complemented the scutes they all shared well. Unlike the scutes, the smaller scales were different colors for the other heads, and they had the pure morphology of their respective dragon sub-species before hundreds of thousands of years of interbreeding had created the mixed morphology of modern dragons. Her two horns curved back from her eyes in the feminine counterpart to Malefor's own dominant pair of horns, a pattern he shared with the ever-insufferable Mage-Slayer. Aside from their proportional slimness and that they grew back more than up, they were also differentiated by their ivory color and the shaped silver rings that were pointed to match each flare of the horns. Her neck was adorned with three golden chokers with a rhodolite garnet inlaid to the front of each, the middle of which was more purple than red.

To Ira's immediate left was Perfura Tempestus Fulgur, whose royal blue eyes and scales were captivating. She had only one horn and at the center of her snout between her nostrils, as blue dragons once all had, and the curved horn itself was entirely covered by shaped gold. Two large golden frills on either side of her head were her ears, similar to Ira's, but Perfura's did not follow her jaw, instead sprouting behind it, and each had golden earrings with sapphires reaching just below her jaw. To her left was Niveus Salus Glacies, whose ear frills were smaller, curved, and as white as her scales. Niveus' eyes were sky blue and soft, a silver tiara in front of her small crest with three prongs, a turquoise in the central prong and moonstones in the other two.

Next to Ira in the other direction was Sylva Halitus Illicio, her first name modernized to 'Sylvia' most of the time. Sylvia had no ear frills and four extremely small horns over each eyebrow, giving her face a very slender aspect. Her yellow-green sclera made her emerald pupils pop, and her green frilled crest faded to gold at the top, and a necklace of gold terminated at a massive emerald that hung below her smiling face. She was the most seductive of the five. At the right of Sylvia was Nympha Inundo Lustrum, who had the red membranes connected to black fins. Her horns sprouted from the back of her upper jaw and jutted out just a little before pointing straight forward, framing her lips with their sharp tips. Her irises were like rubies and her sclera a calm fire. Each horn had two silver rings, from which hung smoothly polished rubies, terminating in one star garnet for each of the four.

Each of them was an individual, yet each was also one individual, part of the whole that was Tiamat. On each of her hands, feet, and the secondary hands of her wings were golden rings, each having a gemstone to represent each head. From her left to her right was represented on her hands and feet corresponding to looking from the furthest digit in to the closest. Quartz for her pinkie fingers, then sapphire, then imperial topaz, then emerald, and finally star garnet at her thumbs and largest foot-claws. Where her necks met her body there was white silk to match the piece at her hips, a golden band making a v-neck pattern around each neck. The white silk did not fully cover her chest scutes or pass her shoulders, the translucent material only worn to accent her natural beauty.

"Mother," Malefor greeted, smirking to himself.

"My lovely little Lord." Ira responded, delicately lifting a hand toward him. The Sorcerer approached and took it, kissing her wrist. Then came Niveus' soft voice: "To what do we owe this pleasure?" While Sylvia kissed his head, Nympha narrowed her eyes and spoke. "You've already taken our place as ruler of this realm. My realm. What more could you want?" Sylvia tsked and shook her head. "What Nym means is that we owe you a lot, little Lord." Perfura tilted her head, frowning. "The questions are still apt. You always have something important to discuss." All of them turned up their snouts and quirked their brows, Tiamat speaking with all five voices. "Why are you here?"

"There are many reasons this time, but we'll start with the easiest. When I told you where I came from, you said I was your firstborn." Malefor knew he was treading dangerous ground. The Shadow Realm had made Tiamat infertile over several hundreds of thousands of years, and the last of her children sired by mortals had perished tens of thousands of years prior. Only her progeny could dare to broach the subject of themselves. "That clutch I came from… was I the only egg?"

Ira closed her eyes and lowered her head, Sylvia resting her jaw on her head and cooing to her. Niveus stared at the floor while Perfura nuzzled her cheek, Nympha lowering her face to Malefor's level and shifting in front of the others protectively, her voice much softer than before. "You were the only fertile egg, my son. The other… it had no life."

Malefor stroked Nympha's face and dipped his head in apology, watching her eyes shut as she relaxed into his touch. At the peak of her power, Tiamat had been immense in size, but now she was barely a head taller than he stood where she lay. Malefor had developed a long-term spell to shape-shift into a smaller approximation of his true form, something better suited to interacting with mortal dragons, but if he released it then he would be even larger than his mother was now. She sniffled and stood from her slab, stepping toward the edge of the room. Malefor enjoyed his low vantage point for a moment before releasing his spell, gaining a level of bulk that made a quadruped stance feel more natural, two extra pairs of horns sprouting behind his first. He carefully placed his staff on her slab, his mass no longer magically contained in it, and it resonated with something under the slab.

Malefor then followed his mother, thoughts of power and control roiling in his mind. His lifespan was beyond that of even a fairy, and back when he was hatched there was no cultural taboo for incestuous unions. It was no concern for Gods, and mortal peoples had only just begun to form. He knew that if he claimed Tiamat as his mate that his claim to Kingship would be massively strengthened, and it seemed that she was opening herself to him more with each visit. He was determined to stake his claim before he left her chambers.

Finally, he sat beside her, surveying her as she surveyed the bones of her cannibalized consorts. Her wings drooped as she gently pet one of the skulls, magically preserved as it was. Niveus turned to him and smiled sadly. "Many of these noble drakes were my children before they were my consorts. There were more like them when the Hells existed, before Asmodeus was destroyed."

Ira growled and lifted her head, scowling. "Those crusades threw the realms into chaos. I asked Ignitus to do something about it, but lost all connection to the mortal realms after that." "It wasn't your fault." Niveus called back, and Perfura nodded. "Niv is right. Blame lies with our brother."

Malefor's claws dug into the stone when her brother was mentioned, and he cleared his throat while he tried to calm himself down. "Let us not speak of that coward. You say that your children were your consorts?"

"Yes!" Sylvia exclaimed with excitement as Tiamat and Malefor faced each other fully once more. "Our children were always the best suited to pleasuring us." Nympha smirked, a sparkle in her eyes. "The best of them could put dozens of their mortal-lain kin to shame in several ways."

"At my suggestion, you gave Kingship to me. Under my direction, the Shadow beasts were able to breach the barrier and return to the mortal realm, as I was." Malefor stepped closer to her, reaching between her necks to unclasp the gold bands around them, watching the silk and gold fall away from her scales. "Forsake your consorts. Solidify my position by becoming my mate, my Queen. Submit to me now and I will free you from this prison."

Perfura was torn between shock and contempt as she responded. "Many have dedicated themselves to freeing me, and none made such a demand who lived through their insolence."

"I do not dedicate myself to the problem, Perfura, because I have already solved it. Within two months of mortal realm time, I can free you."

Ira stared him down, but her expression was showing hints of hope, all of their expressions were. "How can you do this?"

"The barrier targets you specifically. Valenar, a dark sorceress of some repute, discovered how to undo this. She simply did not have the raw power to cast such an incredible spell."

Sylvia began to pant, a smile splitting her face. "Really? Is it true?" Nympha shook her head and stared at the floor for a moment, before turning her gaze back up to Malefor, suddenly more aware of just how huge his true form was. "As our son, you would not dishonor us nor our values with lies, would you?" "It is true." Niveus said. "It must be!"

"I am the fruit of your loins." Malefor could feel it, his moment approaching. He almost had her. "Even my father fears my immense power. My disciples in the mortal realms can free me again, and from there I can cast the spell Valenar devised. It will not simply allow you to project an avatar, but to once again roam free in your true form as the Queen of all dragons!"

Ira shook her head, the others already peppering Malefor's neck with quick kisses. "The mortals, they will resist us. And what of the one who stopped you before?"

"I shall kill the whelp myself, proving my superiority, while you lead our armies to destroy the Elder Council. When their botched democracy falls, we will take their place." Ira kissed Malefor directly on the lips, the others nuzzling him and giggling in approval, but when they parted she took a step back and frowned.

"It is telling that you would make demands of me before making good on these promises."

"Indeed," Nympha continued. "We are not so foolish."

"Only an absolute power can claim to be above our brother," Perfura said. "Above even us."

"It is the unfortunate truth that you have been defeated, dear, and recently." Sylvia seemed saddened to say it, but her sympathy did nothing to quell Malefor's anger.

"You will free us, regardless of your threats." Niveus declared, and they all nodded. "You need our help."

"We can take on the Council without you." Ira said. "And keep all of their servants busy, which will leave this little Lord who gave you such trouble without the aid of Bahamut's chosen."

"You will take a large enough force to penetrate any defenses arrayed against you," Nympha declared, "and then you will issue a challenge to him, to face you alone in honorable combat."

Any other dragon in the Shadow Realm would have immediately agreed to Tiamat's terms with the promise of becoming her King so close at hand, but they would never have been bold enough to secure that possibility in the first place. "Your plan and mine coincide, mostly. However, I don't plan to let the whelp slow me down, and I will rejoin your attack when he is taken care of. Furthermore, the manner in which I defeat him is up to me. This is still my invasion. So..." Malefor was beginning to circle her, watching as she did not turn her body to follow him, letting him reach her rear and swaying her tail as he did. "Do we have a deal, Mother?"

There was a long moment of silence, Tiamat's faces stoically hiding her emotions, while looking to one another as if communicating with each glance. It was said that she was of one mind, long ago, but that did not seem to be the case any longer. The passage of time must have deeply frayed her thoughts, the losses she'd faced taking their toll on her, making her vulnerable enough to finally give Malefor what he wanted. "Yes." She lowered her chest, raised her hips and tail, and looked back over her shoulders at her new King, signaling her total submission with the deft removal of the golden band over her waist. "Take us," Sylvia said. "And make it hurt," Nympha added. With her sex fully exposed, Malefor could see it wink for him, eager for the touch of a confident male, one who was not intimidated by her.

"Oh, I will." His promise was accentuated by his grip on her hips, his face lowered to greet her fragrant sex. He nibbled teasingly on her folds, listening to five different feminine voices moaning and panting for him, among mutterings from Nympha that he ought to get on with the main event already. Niveus hissed when he suckled on her clit, and her taste was certainly helping to raise his mood. Soon, she was gyrating against his snout and his cock was hanging free at full mast. He lifted his face and licked his lips, lining her up with his tip, setting her in the traditional position for what came next.

His first thrust was from behind as he lorded over her body, a primal declaration of domination. All of her was arcing in pleasure and submission from his sheer size and audacity. She could feel the spark of divinity in him through their physical connection, their damned but powerful souls resonating together while Malefor began to fuck her properly.

In the next moment, Nympha felt his hand over her skull, shoving her down to the floor, Perfura shoved down similarly by the back of her neck. "Aaaugh!" Ira turned about with a growl, but it died as he bit her neck, just hard enough to make her gasp in shock and arousal. "Goodness..." Niveus panted with excitement, Sylvia giggling and nuzzling Malefor's cheek. "Yes, honey," Sylvia soothed into his ear, cooing at him; encouraging him. "Just like that."

Malefor plowed her down relentlessly, animalistic in his approach. The meeting of their hips was like thunder cascading through the chamber as he poured eons of frustration and ambition into this one moment of passion. With every vicious stab of his cock a cascade of past pains were driven away from him, and likewise his mother's loneliness was fucked right out of her, bit by bit. There was plenty of healing to do, so on they went, rutting like mad. He lifted Nympha and Perfura and released them to hug her chest, satisfied that his point had been made. The new leverage let him drill her into the floor more easily, and he released his bite to grunt in triumph without harming her, his jaw compulsively clenching tightly with each squeeze of her eager pussy.

"Oooo~ He sure showed you, Nym!" "Shut up, Syl. F-fuck!" "He's so warm," panted Niveus, tears of joy coming to her eyes. "Just like his father!" "No… ooooohh! He is better than Bahamut ever was, Niv." "Perf is right, by the Nine Hells!" Ira realized she was drooling, but could do nothing to stop it, sucking in shaky breathes as she tried to think through the powerful dicking she was taking. "A male with our magic, with our strength!"

Malefor could feel her divinity too, felt her souls becoming more distinct, his intervention speeding a process that had taken ages. He didn't understand it, but he didn't care, too lost in the moment to think it through, and too focused on his cause. He stretched a hand out between her necks and called his staff to him, feeling it levitate magically into his grip. Still pounding into Tiamat, forcing his mother down to witness what came next from a place of powerlessness, he began to chant. The tongue was toxic, conjuring an evil that even Tiamat, Queen of Evil Dragons and Paragon of Greed, did not condone.

Necromancy, and not targeted at the bodies of creatures Tiamat saw as beneath her noble species, but seeping into the bones of her lovers and children all around her. Regret and confusion painted her frantic faces as she gazed around the chamber, dracoliches slowly assembling, their skeletal forms seeping with black clouds and billowing smoke. Said Niveus, "This cannot be!" Said Nympha, "Stop this! Please stop this!" From Sylvia's lips, a groan and a sob. Perfura hissed, sparks traveling between her teeth. The steely look of disgust Ira gave Malefor made his cock throb within her.

"This is… nnngh… unacceptable."

"Silence, all of you!" Malefor gripped her side and spun her around onto her back, using his knees to force her legs into a full split. Her tail impulsively lifted to strike, but he batted her tail away with his own, green threads of lightning snaking over her necks as he cast another powerful spell, green snakes of spiritual energy forming to bind her necks together. With but a thought he tightened the bindings, bringing her necks together and slamming them back into the floor with the push of his staff. She still had ways to fight, but he'd gone right back to fucking her, giving her no chance to think. "There has been enough creeping in the shadows. We are dragons, the greatest beings to ever exist! I am the greatest of us, and I shall be King! Those of the lesser species will be our slaves and nothing more, as they always should have been. Nnnn… Rrrraaaaa!"

Malefor didn't let up, feeling himself nearing his peak. Dracoliches were filing out of the chamber, needed for further rituals elsewhere. Still more came to restrain Tiamat's limbs, her tooth marks still on their skeletons from where she'd consumed the flesh gifted to her in their deaths. A typical dracolich would have been an abomination to begin with, but these were assembled with souls that had wandered loose in the Dragon's Graveyard for far too long. They were parodies of parodies, barely more than extensions of Malefor's will.

Chained, restrained, and held down in a world that was already her impenetrable prison, Tiamat decided she had had quite enough of this whelpling's power trip.

Sylvia swiftly and accurately recited a counter-curse, disintegrating the snake spirits instantly. Perfura fired a controlled blast of lightning that arced over the dracoliches and Malefor, making her son shudder and grit his teeth as his limbs twitched. To let out her frustrations, Nympha spat acid on the floor, Ira shot flames toward the ceiling, and Niveus spewed shards of ice over the stone. She had not attacked Malefor, as she easily could have, and she had done nothing to the dracoliches beyond making them release her, but her display of might still gave her son pause.

In that moment of hesitance, she shoved him onto his back and straddled his hips, broadly smirking down at him. "You are right, dear one." Ira spoke seductively, her voice dripping with madness and need, Tiamat firmly impaling herself on Malefor's dick still. "Aaaah! Yes, we do need this."

"Oh, thank you, Malefor." Sylvia giggled, Tiamat's tail swaying manically. "We finally see the truth."

"Too content were we with this damned prison and these dead bones." Nympha added, laughing and moaning girlishly as Malefor's sheer girth made her feel numb.

"Uuuuhn… Y-yeah, right there." Niveus stuttered, staring lovingly into Malefor's eyes. "Fuck me. Fuck mommy!"

"You can do it, and you will!" Perfura roared, screwing her eyes shut and drooling over her chin. "You can release us! Set us loose on the worlds beyond this one!"

"And cum!" Niveus returned frantically, needily. "Cum for us, honey!"

"Not like this." Malefor muttered acidically, his hands sliding over the curves of her beautiful form and settling on her chest. "Never like this. Submit to me!" He shoved her with all his strength, and she let him do it, not resisting at all as he slammed her onto her back, reversing their positions once again. He roared at her and dug his claws into her shoulders, and she returned his show of force and domineering disposition with all the affection of a proud mother, doting over him with a barrage of kisses and gentle coos. They took turns accepting his tongue into their maws, letting him taste and dominate each of them individually, before he pulled back to growl in satisfaction.

He lifted her hips to get a more vertical angle for his thrusts, fucking her into the floor mercilessly. "Never resist me, mother! I will not be restrained by you, by misguided honor codes, nor by any lesser dragons with lesser wills! With this seed, I claim my place as King, so beg me to do it!"

"Please, honey-" "Lord Malefor, Bringer of Shadow-" "So strong. So devious..." "End our imprisonment!" "Fuck us. Claim us. We surrender!" Malefor looked around at her crying, yet smiling faces, hope and love glistening in her eyes. In his own, lust and ambition. Together, Tiamat's voices spoke. "Finish inside us, my King."

"Yes!" He slammed into her one last time, allowing himself to relax as he planted a load of his spunk deep in her clenching pussy, watching her thrash and twitch throughout his release, her eyes shut tight as she squealed or moaned or groaned or gasped in orgasmic bliss, and mostly all at once. "You are mine, and the rest of the universe will follow your example, or they will die. Mortals will cower beneath you once again, mother."

Malefor grinned down at her, knowing he had a lot more fucking to do if her legendary libido was to be sated by only him rather than a host of consorts. "This is only the beginning."