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The months had been long and painful for Dolus after escaping the castle in the valley. His master Nalothisal had been keeping him there for years, extracting the fluid in his veins that triggered magic use, bottling it and doing experiments on it the entire time. Dolus had tried to leave, saying he wanted to experience the world beyond the valley or the village within it, but every time he tried to leave, Nalo had given him some nonsense reason why he had to stay for more science.

Nalo was a friend to Dolus, a sort of father figure, but he wasn't the kindest or most understanding. He took care of his dragon assistant, but as time went on it became clear that there was something sinister going on beneath his scales. Dolus couldn't leave the valley, he was never privy to the detailed information regarding the research they were doing, and Nalo was always extracting more and more of Dolus' ademane for 'experiments' that Dolus was never allowed to witness. There was a word for that sort of relationship, but Dolus had forgotten it.

After a daring night-time tryst, the green dragon had disappeared into the skies between the twin peaks and was never to be seen again, at least not for a while, at least not in that valley, the castle, or the village he called his home. He may return some day, but the past few months had been quite liberating and he wasn't planning on going back until he was ready and had grown as a dragon. He took with him his coin, some personal items, and an amulet that would help him in the world beyond the castle int he valley.

That amulet would prove to be quite important in his journeys. It did two things, both of which would be key in his quest. The first was that it could detect honesty and identify liars and cheats. The second, which may have been more important, was that it could seek out strong magic users and high concentrations of ademane. Both of its functions were essential.

Now, he wanted to discover more about his own body and the fluids within it. He was raised with the mind of a scientist, so he was drawn to the promise of ademane research that Nalothisal was conducting. Upon finally leaving - quitting his job as the doc's assistant - he could have and probably should have immediately tried to find another job, but instead he decided to take a vacation.

The years he was with Nalo, he never once got so much as a weekend off. Luckily for him he loved learning and loved doing science so it never bothered him, but three years of no time off is quite taxing and he had a lot of vacation backlog built up that he needed to expunge.

First, he needed to explore. He wanted to see the cities of Saff'Rald and Kerolioa! He wanted to dine at the finest restaurants in the capitol, and he wanted to soak up the culture. Though he remained a scientist at heart, he loved watching live theater or magical demonstrations, even though he held a deeply secret joy in disseminating the subtleties of a fireball's trajectory to see if he could replicate it in the lab.

Everything is science. Magic is science. Entertainment is science. Culture and anthropology is science. Truly, every last thing is science, and he was curious to know it all. Even when he was trying to enjoy his vacation his mind reverted back to his analytical thought processes.

His time at the castle had earned him quite a keep's worth of coin, which he'd translated into jade currency - the highest value of all the coin - and stashed it in a satchel that he held around his waist at all times. He was well funded for his time away from work.

Months passed with him spending his days watching stage productions and eating high class meals with the coin he'd saved up. Though he was nowhere near the end of his money bags, his mind had shifted, reminding him of his ultimate goal when he finally reached Klyneth - the capitol. He was seeking answers about his form, his magic, and what made his ademane so special. Now that he was in the capitol, he knew that the parliament would likely fund his continued research.

Unfortunately, the powers that be had no interest in supporting what they felt to be 'mad science'. When he made his proposal to them, he sliced his wrist to drip a single drop of his fluid mixed with blood on the stone floor. The orange and yellow liquid fizzed and spattered, burning a patch of the ground beneath him, its volatile reactions splashing liquid-hot magma in every direction until an assistant dropped a bucket of water on it.

He was dismissed nearly immediately after that amidst protests that such a volatile reaction was precisely why he needed to do the research to find out what was so different or special about him. Other dragons of the region had a pastel teal colored ademane that was stable and safe to handle unless it was triggered with a plasma, while his seemed volatile all the time.

Depressed and a little downtrodden, he took to eating his cares away in the week after that. His greatest weakness was a creamy, sweet concoction known as 'iced cream'. His body was so hot that when he scooped it up into his maw, it immediately melted and he drank it, but it was just so sweet and delicious he couldn't stop.

"I've had enough!" He declared to himself midway through a bowl of the treat. He was in one of the inns for quads, listening to a spoken word story over one of the new radios that had been introduced to the capitol city. Only a few cities in the world had broadcast stations where listeners could hear tales and tunes in the comfort of their own homes and Klyneth was one of the first and most advanced.

He knew it was time for him to leave, to go out there and see if there was anyone out there with a mutual interest in science and magic. Surely someone would have the tools needed and the curiosity to risk it all on what could be an explosive enterprise. Once he'd cleaned his lips of the ice cream remnants, he looked in the mirror and stood his orange and yellow frills on end, assuring himself that he was going to make progress on this day.

Dolus had two options. He could head south to Old Klyneth, which was characterized as the poor part of town but highlighted by the massive marketplace that remained the biggest and most trafficked in the world. Or, he could head north to Upper Klyneth, which had been massively expanded to wrap around the great lake with a new gothic style architecture that housed the nobles of the city, but lacked a unified market for commerce. Upper Klyneth likely had more in the way of funds and money, but Old Klyneth was more likely to house someone with shared interest and will.

Old Klyneth first. If he couldn't find anyone there, he would head north and make himself more presentable to the nobles. If nothing else, he would get to experience the dichotomy of old and new that wasn't better showcased anywhere in the world than Klyneth.

He kept a few coins and the amulet in his satchel and left the rest in a safe he'd purchased that he had been lugging around with him all week. Best way to protect his wealth. Between the alchemy he'd experimented with when in the castle and the work he had done, he was filthy rich. Protecting his fortune was key, but he had to use those funds to either find someone willing to help him with the equipment, and he needed a place to do his work. Wealthy as he was, he couldn't afford real estate in Klyneth.

Dolus trekked southbound to the market, head held high and a smile on his face. He couldn't be somber, or the vendors and merchants would pick up on it and push to sell him everything from love potion to miracle tonic. No, he needed to focus more on the power of positivity and a can-do attitude.

Most of the buildings in Old Klyneth were flat and made of combinations of brick, stone, and wood. Simple, medieval style architecture, a remnant of the past - hence the title of Old Klyneth. However, near the middle of that area of town there was a tall fountain with six different pathways leading out, and from this epicenter lay the six different markets.

Food and Produce was the first market, filled with everything one could hope for when it came to meat, vegetables, fruit, and other delicious treats. There were also restaurants and an academy of culinary arts. This was the largest of the six markets.

The second was for all forms of clothing for anyone. Nobles could shop there to get ornate dresses and posh suits, while peasants could buy second hand from a reseller. That region even tailored to the military when they needed their armor crafted or repaired.

District 3 was right next to the clothing district and had a lot of overlap with it. There, one could buy or sell weapons such as swords, shields, guns, and bows. Like the clothing district, it was a balance of used, new, and repairs.

Dolus' favorite of the districts was the one he frequented the most - the entertainment district. There he could find books, watch plays, and enjoy magic demonstrations.

There was even a region dedicated almost entirely to the service industry. Some of the more common services were travel agencies or access to skilled laborers like construction workers and plumbers. However, the two most lucrative businesses seen in the service district were the whores and mercs.

The final of the districts was where Dolus was heading. The magic and potion district. There, merchants and mages would peddle their potions and also do magical services such as healing and invigorating shock massages.

His inn was closest to the service and magic districts, so both were quite easy to visit. When he arrived at the district, he was nearly immediately overwhelmed. Hundreds of people were milling about in the long hallway styled pathway that was lined with vendors on either side. This was just the first of many strips where merchants could set up shop and sell their potions, and he already had no idea what he was to do.

First he approached a green lizard and tried to ask him about working together, but he was immediately dismissed while he went on to sell more vials to others who were willing to give him money instead of ask for money. Made sense, really. The second, third, and fourth vendors all did the same thing, ignoring his proposal in lieu of paying customers.

He eventually found one vendor - a gold and black furred and feathered hybrid of sorts - that wasn't swamped with dozens of people pawning over his wares, which kind of made Dolus wary. Still, he figured he might as well approach him. Turns out his name was Satsierra, and the reason that so few were at his table was because his potions were immensely expensive. Like, 10 gold each. That's unheard of.

"Why so expensive?" Dolus asked, tapping on the glass that separated him from the vials that were laid out before him.

Satsierra leaned in close and grinned, the feathers around his neck standing on edge. "Well, they're probably the most expensive potions you'll ever lay your pretty little eyes on, because they're unlike anything you've seen before or since. This one here, that's a love potion. Can instantly make anyone fall in love with you. 12 gold coins is how much it costs. The love lasts a month, so what you do with them beyond that is up to you."

"Does it actually work?" Dolus asked, a squint of skepticism on his face. It wasn't until he had asked that he realized that it didn't matter if it worked or not, the seller would say it did. That's what merchants did.

Satsierra scoffed. "Yeah, of course it does. Do you think I would be selling it for 12 gold if it were a dud? Drew the raw materials from my own body and enchanted it myself. You won't find a more potent love brew anywhere in Dalon. That I promise you."

Dolus felt this was the best time to test his relic, so he reached into his satchel to hold the amulet there while questioning the merchant's sincerity. Evidently, he was telling the truth but Dolus decided to continue with his interrogation. "Well, I don't see anyone else at your stand, here. For all I know it's because your stuff doesn't work. Can you prove otherwise?"

The two shared an intense stare before Satsierra tapped on the glass. "Look, if you can't afford it, that's fine. I'll have others, and I only need to sell one potion a week to turn a profit, so I don't need people clamoring over my stall." Slick.

"That's fair, I suppose. So can you prove it works?"

"I could, but I'm not in the business of forcing people to love me. I have a few others I would be willing to share a sample of, like this potion that can make anyone float into the sky, or this one that gives them strength beyond their wildest dreams. Nothing is off the table when you're using a Satsierra potion. You wanna grow three cocks? I could make a potion for that. Wanna get rid of your cock and see what it's like to be a dragoness? I can do that, too. I mean, I don't have any here myself, but I can take special orders. Maybe you just wanna get real, real high? That one's easy and I'd give ya one for 5 silver."

Dolus clicked his tongue and raised an eyebrow. "How much for the gender swap potion? That sounds fun and more than a little kinky."

"You can't afford it." Satsierra dismissed, waving his hand.

"I bet I can. How much?"

"That depends, how long you wanna be a bitch?" He smiled and winked.

"Let's start with a week. No. How about a month? Are their potions that last that long?"

"No one potion lasts that long, but if you take a sip once a week I could sell you enough to last a month. You game for that, ya kinky perv?"

"How much?"

Satsierra rubbed his chin and tweaked his long, flowing whisker. "For you? One jade. Normally it's that and 50 gold, but I can tell by reading you that you'll need a lot less to have a positive effect. You got a lot of potential in ya, kid."

Dolus reached down into his satchel for the jade coin to prove he had one when he paused to stop. "Wait, what do you mean by that? I have potential?"

"I mean what I say. I can sense great power in your form. Lots of pure, high concentrate ademane. I'd be curious to extract some from you and see what it does to my potions. As an enchanter I can feel the magic in you, and it's definitely something unique. So, I'll give you a one third discount if you agree to come back and share your experience with me in the name of science."

Science. Yes, that was what he had come here for, and it seemed this hybrid fellow knew and appreciated such an endeavor. "You know, I actually came here to find someone who wanted to share in my curiosity. If your potion here proves to be as potent as you promise-" He stopped mid sentence to reflect on his poorly chosen alliteration before continuing. "If it's as good as you say, I'm sure we could work something out together. What do you say? Wanna help me out with my research?"

Satsierra scoffed again. "I ain't that curious, but I might know a couple who are. Buddies of mine, always looking for new subjects to work with. Tryin' to find out the secrets of ademane in its many forms. Tell ya what, you buy this potion and try it out, and I'll send a message via radio to them to have them meet you. Sound good?"

"I think we have a deal." Dolus agreed, reaching into his satchel to grab his jade coin and toss it across the table towards Satsierra, who happily grabbed a single vial of blood red potion. He mixed it up a bit and handed it gently to Dolus.

"Now be careful, a single drop could change you for an hour. A spoon full for a week. If you down the whole vial all at once, it might be permanent. Never had anyone that dumb. Anyway, now that I've made my sale for the day I'll head back to my home and give them a shout. Where are you staying? Where's your house? I'll have them meet you at sundown."

Dolus happily gave a nearby landmark close to the inn he was staying at and they made their arrangements. Despite getting a particularly creepy vibe from Satsierra, Dolus had a good feeling about this. Something about that hybrid seemed genuine, like he could feel the strength of magic in him.

Dolus made a quick detour to the food district to enjoy a seafood meal by the lake, hoping to distract his mind from the prospective deal that was to go down that night. Many thoughts swirled through his mind, questioning his rationale and going over the circumstances that had led to this peculiar back-alley potion deal. He felt like a criminal, or that he should have stopped by the service district to hire a couple of mercenaries in case it turned out Satsierra's magic-loving allies were as shady as he was. Years under Nalo had rendered Dolus numb to the threat of the outside world, and it wasn't until the time had nearly come to meet up that he realized how monumentally stupid he was being.

Still, after a week of steady failures trying to entice parliament and other government officials to fund his endeavors, he was ready to toss a scale to the bucket and throw caution to the wind.

He paced in the inn's room, walking around the bed one way then returning and doing the same. He had a radio on quiet in the background to accent his thoughts, a percussion heavy tune playing under a beautiful female's voice. The longer he waited, the more nervous he became. Who would be showing up? He hadn't been told what race or species they were going to be, so he had to play it cool and be very careful with his words so some hoodlum didn't take him for a fool and rob him or something.

The light from the setting sun was streaming in nearly horizontally through the windows, illuminating a trail of dust and smoke that had formed in the room due to the crackling fire that kept the inn warm. It was nearly the end of the day and he should be leaving soon if he wanted to make a good impression. Before he departed, however, he stopped to take a look at himself in the mirror, the low orange light accenting the green of his scales.

A curious thought bubbled up in his mind concerning the nature of the potion he'd purchased. When it changed him, would it just change him between the legs or would his entire form be altered to fit his female biology? What would it feel like? Would it hurt? He seriously was considering taking a swig before he left to see how it affected him. The potion was in his satchel and he was about to reach for it when he regained his senses and decided it would be better to not risk it in the event it had averse side effects.

The dragon rummaged around in the satchel to grab much of his coin, the vial of potion, his amulet, and some of his personal belongings and set them on the top of the dresser in front of the mirror. Then, thinking better of himself, he dumped everything out and kept only his inn key and the amulet in one of the pockets before darting eagerly out the door.

Though the sun was still poking over the horizon, it's cool orange light streaking between the pointed gothic buildings, the street level was quite dark. the street lamps hadn't turned on yet, so the entire path in front of and behind the inn was dark as night. Only the faint reflections of candles up on second story windows illuminated the evening.

"Probably not the best time for me to be here." Dolus commented to himself as he padded his way down the street. A few other avians and dragons walked by, each of them looking shadier than the last. At first he was hesitant to walk by them until he reminded himself that they were likely as cautious and worried about him as he was of them, since he was considerably larger than most of the bipeds in town and had more heft than many of the quads.

When he reached the end of the block, he squatted down on his hindquarters at the street corner, taking a moment to himself to contemplate his position. The more he thought about it, the less cautious he became. His ademane was quite powerful and he new how to use it in self defense, his only worry was if he spewed some of the fluid and it started a fire. He had no interest in being run out of town for causing havoc in the event of an accident, especially not with a dozen jade coins in the safe of the inn.

He noticed out of the corner of his eye that the lights down the street were all turning on, one after another down the strip towards him. In only a minute, every street post was lit up in a gentle blue-white, the streets fully illuminated. That's when he heard a hiss from behind him.

"Psst. You the mage we're lookin' for?" A serpentine voice called to him.

Dolus turned and squinted his eye, catching only the glimmer of the slick form of a naga, lightly highlighted by the lights of the street lamps. He leaned in and tried to get a better look, only to have her shift and writhe her form to completely hide in the shadows. "Hey, yeah. I'm a mage, who's asking?" He inquired, keeping his voice low to not attract any others while also doing his best to keep his gaze upon her. Where he came from, naga were not common and he had a specific penchant for snakes so he was disarmed by her natural beauty and the novelty of her race.

"The name's Leera. Satsierra tells me a green dragon is looking for some aid with learning about the intricacies of ademane. Are you that dragon?" She poked her head forward out of the shadows as her tongue flickered, revealing her colors to be a blend of earthy browns and cream colors with splotched black patterns along her lip, eyes, and sides.

Dolus paused a moment to clutch at the amulet in his satchel again and immediately was told of her honesty. She wasn't lying, but like with Satsierra he had to be cautious around her. At this point, even if she was lying he'd be likely to give her the benefit of the doubt, thanks to her sleek, serpentine body. "Yeah, I'm that dragon. Glad you said Satsierra's name, or else I wouldn't have believed you to be who you say you are. So, how do we go about this?" Dolus asked, casually turning his back to her in case any others were watching.

"Can you prove it?" Leera asked.

"Prove what?"

"That you're the one I'm looking for. Satsierra would have given you a potion before recommending you to me. Can I see it?" She leaned forward and blinked, an odd thing for a serpent to do since most snakes lacked eyelids.

That's when Dolus froze in place and gulped. He had deliberately left the potion back at his room with most of his other possessions, and he didn't wish to return there to pick it up because he didn't want to guide any prospective thugs to where he slept. "I, uh...I don't have it on me. I left it back at my motel room. On the dresser. I'm sorry, the chimera didn't tell me that I needed it to verify through that!"

"Calm down, calm down!" She hushed, stopping his impeding panic attack, tongue flopping out slowly before slipping back into her maw. "It's fine, I can smell and taste your sincerity. You aren't lying. Just, you'll have to follow me if you want to meet my mate. She and I both work together to study ademane, but we don't do it here in the city. Too many politicians gumming up the works. We operate on our own rules, and I get the impression you're willing and able to do the same." It was both comforting and a little disconcerting to see she was able to detect his honesty in much the same way his amulet did.

Dolus had to pause a moment before turning around to glance at her. His eyes caught her emerald irises, and right then he felt like he had been hypnotized. Against his better judgment, he nodded. "Yeah. I'm in. I have some questions I need answered about my body and I'm not going to be able to do it on my own and my old master seemed more interested in taking advantage of what I had to offer than sharing what he knew. Let's do this."

"Glad to hear it. Do you want to grab some of your stuff from your room? I imagine we'll be out of town for a few days, maybe even weeks." She hissed at him, her visage melting into a sincere smile, eyes growing softer than the intensity she had moments prior.

"Naw, I have that place booked solid for a good month or so. The doors are big and thick and I really don't have anything there that....I don't....wait, yeah. I really should make a quick detour there. Got some coin in a safe and that potion up there waiting for me. Sounds like a fun potion, too." Dolus meandered, mostly talking to himself now.

"I have time. Would you like me to wait here or can I come with you for company? Would love to get to know you better before you meet my mate." Leera's tone had shifted, and she had changed from being the protective, kinda shady black market mage to a more comforting soul. Perhaps it was her eyes, or maybe Dolus just had a soft spot for naga and a desire to learn, but he found himself accepting her proposals with ease.

"Sure, you can come with me. I'll just dart up into the room and fill my satchel. I won't be long."

The two of them walked and slithered their way back up the now-illuminated gothic road towards the two story inn that he had been renting. He happily zipped up the stairs and emptied the safe, filling his satchel with the dozen jade coins, the potion, and his other personal items. When he returned, Leera was nowhere to be found.

Nervous, he chirped and looked around the corner into an alley.

"Over here." She called out from around the building, once again in shadow. "Sorry for hiding, couple of gryphons walked by and I looked a little shady."

The dragon couldn't help but laugh at that. "Oh, big snake worried about getting caught?" HE stuck his tongue out at her as she slid out from behind the building.

"You joke, but you don't know what I've been through in the past. The Underground Mage community has to stay pretty well hidden. Hence the shadows I call my home."

"Well, I don't, but that doesn't mean I'm not willing to listen. Tell me, Leera, how far out of town is your workstation? I'd be happy to take some time to get to know you. Tell me all about you. What drives you to learn? What have you discovered thus far?"

She gently hissed as she smiled, mauve forked tongue hanging out from under her lip as she scratched at her chin. "We have quite a walk ahead of us, well, you do. As long as you're interested, I might as well share a thing or two. I hope I didn't scare you by being reclusive. I promise I'm not trying to preen or posture, I just have to be very careful when dealing with potential partners."

Dolus nodded as he padded along beside her, the thick bulges of her body sliding over the stone of the pathway in a wave of muscles and scales. "I suppose I can understand that. I take it from what you've been saying that what you're doing isn't exactly lawful." As they got close to each other and he was near her muscled form, he could hear and feel a buzz coming from his satchel. He looked down to see that his amulet was glowing and vibrating, indicating the immense power of the naga next to him. Not only was she sincere with her offers and desires, but according to his reader, she was also a powerful mage.

Perfect.

"It's not against the law, it's just easier to do what we do without the scrutiny of the outside world. Some find the magics we work with to be taboo and unnatural. That gender swap potion you got from Ssevarine was one such taboo. Clearly you don't mind. That was our first test, to see if you were okay with the kind of things we do." She explained, still guiding him through the dimly lit streets of Klyneth.

Dolus' frills stood on end as he thought back to the moment he purchased the potion. "So, do I get my money back for it? Spent some jade on it."

"Trust me, once you're done here, you won't worry too much about some jade coins. For now, let's head northwest. It'll be dark once we get past the center of town, and I will be guiding you by memory and scent." She pressed her hand to his shoulder and the two of them disappeared into the darkened suburbs with only a few sporadic torches to guide their way.

The walk took nearly two hours, and they were both moving at a rather brisk pace. Once they were out of town, they made it through the farmland and eventually into the nearby woods. Dolus expressed his concern, but Leera explained their home was a lodge carved into a cliffside near a small lake and river. It was quite out of the way, but it was a wonderful house that was equal parts home and testing lab.

When they arrived, Dolus was happy to see she was right. To get to her home, they had to slip through a pass in the foothills of the mountain, their house built into the rock with a plateau and a lake surrounded by a crescent-shaped cliff on all sides as their front yard. A terrestrial cove, with her home in the opposite end, waterfall flowing into a lake in the plateau, and a tiny stream trickling out through the pass. The lake in the cove actually was glowing from its underside, and it was emanating steam as well as reflecting light from the lights that were built into the rock wall above their lodge-styled front porch.

It was comfortable, it was cozy, and it looked nice. It would have been a hard property to find during the day, let alone at night with only the dim light of the moon and the stars to guide them.

"We're here." She announced as they both disappeared in through the pass and to the cove. All along the rock face were a series of small archways thay led into different 'rooms' surrounding the cove, some for relaxing, some looked like a rock spa, and one looked to have a barbecue built into a cave for smoking meat. Very unique.

Dolus took a moment to absorb the environment before they reached the front door of the actual house which Leera opened for him.

Inside, a black and white gryphon lifted her head from a book and perked her ears up with a smile on her beak. "Is this the one Satsierra was telling you about?" A calming, gentle trill reverberated from her chest.

"Yeah! And it turns out he's even nicer than we'd hoped!" Leera explained, nuzzling up to Dolus as she flicked her tongue again. Her arm draped over the dragon's shoulder and she gave him an encouraging shake before slipping off to slither over to Ceylon. Her gryphon mate was resting calmly on the area rug next to her short-legged desk, with a series of cushions around her for guests.

"So did you prepare him for his interview?" Ceylon asked, training her eyes on Dolus.

"In-terview? I don't recall being told about any interview." Dolus admitted, clutching his satchel to his flank, idly glancing down to see if the amulet was reacting to the gryphon. It wasn't the proper time or place, but he still wanted to test Ceylon and see if she was capable of offering him the research and knowledge he so desired.

"Well it's not so much an interview as much as it is us asking you a few questions about yourself. Kind of a more formal way to get to know you quickly. The details of your personality will certainly expose themselves in the coming weeks, assuming you are able to handle some of the tests." Ceylon got to all fours and walked over to Dolus, standing tall above the dragon. "Nothing to be worried about. I can tell there's something special about you. I can feel your ademane and it's very unique. I'm sure we'll have plenty of fun together, testing each other."

Dolus looked up and gulped a bit. Ceylon was notably bigger than he was, yet she seemed calm and kind, his amulet indicating that she was telling the truth with every word. Normally, he'd have paused to question the gryphon more thoroughly, but Satsierra had proven to be trustworthy despite their shady attitude, and so had Leera. Everything he was told by the trio had been true and accurate, so he had no reason to distrust them. "Alright, that sounds fair, but can we do it in the morning? It's late and I had to walk a very long time to get here. Had I been able to fly things would be different."

"Oh yes, yes of course. We don't plan on running you raw. If you noticed outside, we have a couple of guest rooms in the cliffs around the cove if you want to sleep there. Or, if you're so inclined, we'd be happy to invite you to our den." Ceylon offered with a sly grin.

"To your own den? Are you...are you proposing what I think you are? Little quick to do that, for tonight I'll happily rest in one of the guest rooms." See you tomorrow?"

"We shall see you tomorrow, and we look forward to it. We're not up at sunrise, and if you're hungry we have a pantry in the kitchen full of bread, meats, veggies, and fruits. Feel free to make yourself something."

The dragon nodded and smiled, bowing to Ceylon then Leera before slipping out the door to find the guest room. It was about the same size as his inn room back in Klyneth, so it was perfect for him as a quad. Naturally, he had a lot to think about before sleep took him, but found his fatigue catching up to him before he fully processed the situation.

Hopefully, things would go well from here. His amulet told him all he needed to know about this couple, and he trusted that gem enough that he was fully comfortable out there in the woods, alone in a guest room hidden in a terrestrial cove.

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The next morning, Dolus woke with a sudden jerking motion as he heard the crack of an explosion in the distance. He rolled off the nest that he slept on and lowered his head to the ground, ears perked as he waited to hear another. Minutes passed with him alert and ready, but no sound came. He had to convince himself it was either part of his dream or a one-off issue.

Once he'd relaxed and his frills flattened to his spine, he glanced over to the shelf next to the bed to see his satchel, which still had his coin and personal items. He grabbed the amulet out of it and draped the chain around his neck, letting it rest on his yellow belly scales before making his way out from the guest room and into the little cove.

Now that it was day he could see the property a lot better. The tiny lake or pond was no longer glowing - at least not visibly in the morning sun - and the details of the rim of grasses and pathways around it were more easily seen. The lake itself was perfectly round, with an evenly thick rim of grass between the shores and the base of the vertical rock faces that surrounded the cove. At one end, the door to Leera and Ceylon's home with the waterfall crashing down just beside it and trickling into the lake. On the opposite side, the pass to the forest and the creek that trickled out of the lake.

Quite pretty, if a little simple.

He hopped over to the front door of their home under the stained cedar awning, knocking lightly to see if they were awake.

"Come in!" Leera shouted. "We're in the back room, the lab!"

Dolus pushed the door open and made his way though their home. The main living room was surrounded on all walls by electric lamps, keeping it lit since their entire home was encased in the rock of the cliffs it was carved out of. To his left, the kitchen and living room. In front of him, a tall wall with a window leading to another opening, but from what he could tell it was a long and steep mountainside leading into a valley next to Lake Klyneth. To the right, the door to what looked like a lab or library. He saw books and beakers strewn about in stacks and piles on and around tables.

Of course he chose the room that seemed the most like a lab. He poked his head in to see Ceylon with a pair of goggles on her head and gloves on her talons. Leera was coiled up on a long bench that spanned the fifteen or twenty meters from this door to the back end of the room.

"Tally ho!" Ceylon called as she slipped her goggles up over her eyes to rest on her forehead. She raised her gloved talons to the sky and started cackling maniacally, a single bolt of electricity arcing from the end of her tail to the tesla coil behind her. When Dolus simply raised an eyebrow in confusion, she stopped and clicked her beak. "Science?"

"Yes, science. What are we doing right now? Where are you in the research? What do you need from me?" Dolus prodded, eager to start his day. He hopped in past the long table that lined the side of the room opposite the bookshelf, trailing along Leera's massive body. He took a moment to get a good, long look at the vibrant colors of her scales, his keen eyes noticing the twitching muscles underneath whenever he got close.

"Well, right now we're just extracting some Ademane for the tests. She's gonna go first, then you, then me. We only have the extracting equipment for one at a time." She lifted up a needle connected to a syringe to show, with the plunger pulled out. She felt around at Leera's side, using her talons to find the right spot a few meters down her form, prodding at the scales until she felt her target. In a quick stab, she plunged the needle in between Leera's scales and let the end of the syringe dangle down, a glowing teal liquid dribbling out into a beaker below.

"Careful there, sweetie." Leera hissed as her spine shifted in waves, the muscles contracting against Ceylon's touch. "We only need one liter today for our tests. One from me, one from you, and one from him."

Dolus paused to look down at himself as both Leera and Ceylon glanced over to him. "Do I have that much ademane in me? Won't that hurt me?"

"Skies above, we promise you will be fine. Perhaps a little weak, for a while, but you will regenerate it. Come on, this beaker is almost full, and once it is we can go to you." Ceylon advised.

"Well alright, if you say so. Tell me, what do you do with the fluid once it's extracted?"

Ceylon lifted her head high and chirped happily, eager to share her methods. "Well, we extract the ademane itself, we jar it and label it daily, then when we need to do tests, we do so with one species' ademane at a time. Our tests consist of mixing it with various chemicals while also infusing it with different energies. How ademane reacts is different when you mix it with liquid nitrogen and infuse it with electricity. Mixing iron in and using curative energy has a whole different effect. In time, we will find every mixture and chemical known to the races of Dalon, and you are an important piece of that puzzle."

"Me? What's so special about me?"

Leera flicked her tongue out and glanced over to Ceylon with a nervous look on her face before Ceylon began to speak. "Well, full disclosure, we've known about your existence for a while. You might know Doctor Vinnig Wingren?"

Dolus squinted. "Yes, what about him?"

"Vinn is one of our allies. A world-weary traveler who has an enterprise in potion making. He sells our inventions and discoveries for profit, and in exchange he sends us reports of interesting people with unique features. We knew about you and have been trying to find a time to get in contact with you for years, and by some long stretch of luck you approached Satsierra yesterday. We're overjoyed to know that you're as curious as we are." Ceylon explained, holding the beaker below the needle and syringe that was draining more of the glowing teal ademane from Leera's side. "Did you not find it odd that underground mad scientists such as the two of us were so eager to invite you into our home and just not care when you couldn't provide the potion of proof or wanted to delay the interview we wanted to ask you to do?"

Yeah, it was pretty obvious in retrospect, and that revelation only made Dolus a little hesitant. The amulet hanging around his neck was glowing, indicating that Ceylon was telling the truth, but that still didn't feel right to Dolus. "That was odd, sure. You're telling me you've been spying on me for...how long? And you never once thought to just ask me if I wanted to help you? What's so special about me?"

"Questions, my dear. Questions. Clearly you ask many, and we have answers for ya, but you have to trust us. That amulet there tells you that we're honest, so no point in wasting time. Your ademane is an incredibly rare strand. As you can see, Leera's ademane is a glowing teal, as is mine. Yours, however, shifts from yellow to orange to red to white, depending on how you use it. Very different, and I want to find out how it reacts when mixed with ours, or when it's exposed to non-fire or ice related magics." Ceylon tapped the syringe and gently pulled it out, now that the beaker was full with one liter of fluid.

Leera shifted her form away from him and leaned back to rub at the tiny hole between her scales, plugging it to keep the blood from flowing over her side and onto the table. "That doctor Nalothisal was extracting your ademane for years, selling it as a volatile weapon to the highest bidder. Whatever is inside of you, it's incredibly valuable. We bought some, but by the time we got it, the potency had dissipated since the good doc hadn't stored it properly and didn't give us a fresh batch. It loses potency over time unless perfectly sealed in a vial or beaker."

"You...okay, this is just weird, you two. What's going on here?" Dolus interjected, a sense of betrayal lodged in his throat.

Ceylon put the vial of ademane on a shelf to the side, cleaning up a new needle to attach to the syringe for Dolus. "It's not what it sounds like. I told you, we strive for knowledge and science. We wanted to see what was so special about your ademane, and now we have you here. Trust me, you'll learn as much as we will; this is a mutually beneficial engagement." She slipped in close, offering the needle to Dolus to pierce himself.

An extended, awkward pause descended on the three of them while Dolus contemplated just what he was comfortable with. The entire time, the amulet had been glowing showing their sincerity, and he did remind himself that he was here with science in mind. He had left his home in the valley for this precise reason. Once he'd gained the confidence, he reached out for the needle but stopped. "Wait, I don't actually know where my Ademane glands are. Do you?"

Ceylon nodded, leaning in to press her talon against Dolus' neck, feeling and rubbing up and down his scales. Eventually, she stopped just a few centimeters above his collar bone and pressed against the bulge of muscle between that and his clavicle. "Right there. Do you want me to do it, or would you like to do it yourself?"

After leaning into the touch and enjoying that little bit of affection, Dolus pressed his fingertip to his own neck and realized that he didn't actually know what was muscle and what was ademane gland, so he shrugged his shoulders and pushed the needle back to Ceylon. "I think you better do it. Seems you know anatomy more than I do. Will it hurt?"

"Won't hurt, no. Might feel a bit of a pinch and a prick, and when the gland is mostly drained you will feel weak and dizzy, but that'll pass as your body reverts its equilibrium. Just, hold still, okay? We gotta get both glands equally, one from either side." She leaned in close and pressed the tip of the needle against Dolus' scales, quickly stabbing it in and letting the syringe part dangle down, a marbled swirl of orange and yellow fluid quickly filling the vial that she held underneath it. "Fascinating." She observed.

Leera shifted her entire form on the table and slithered off the end of it, coiling up in the corner to rest just her head on the table next to the little ademane stain she'd left. She watched closely as the bubbling, steaming fluid trickled out of the dragon's chest and into the beaker, tongue flicking and emerald green eyes trained on the tiny little splatters against the glass. "This is peculiar. Are you sure this is safe, Ceylon?"

"Nope! That's the glory of science though, isn't it?" She chirped back, slowly pulling the needle out and plunging it back on the other side of Dolus' neck to get the other half. All the while, the fluid was hissing and spattering out in splashes against the side, reacting like an iron bolt had been dropped in a vial of acid as bubbles and steam billowed up from it.

After the final drop came out, Ceylon withdrew the needle and used his claw to heal Dolus up, ensuring he didn't bleed. She put the beaker on the table next to Leera's sample while she went to get on the table behind the two scaled ones. She stabbed the needle into her own wrist and let the fluid start flowing out into a bag and a beaker while Dolus and Leera looked closer at the two beakers of ademane.

"Very different, yes. Are you sure they are the same thing? Is this my ademane, or is this a wholly different fluid?" Dolus asked. However, in the name of curiosity and knowledge, he poured some of Leera's ademane in a graduated Cylinder, then took a dropper to suck a single drop of his own into it. Ceylon was about to reach out and stop him when he let that single drop mix with the normal ademane.

Instantly, there as a volatile reaction ending with a powerful explosion in Dolus' face followed by a billowing pillar of smoke and two broken vials in each hand. There was a black mark on his chest and his frill tips were smoking and smoldering as tiny splashes of the fluid spattered off his scales. He blinked twice and twiched his eye, glaring forward in between brief moments where he looked down at the table where a black crater had replaced the vial he was holding. His amulet was vibrating hard enough to pleasure a fullsized saurossin female for a moment before dying down.

Ceylon giggled from behind him, a smile on her beak as she watched the billowing, multicolored smoke erupt from the mess in front of Dolus. "I guess that's a bad idea." Ceylon said with a chuckle.

"Science!" Leera declared with a hiss, tongue flicking out against a stone-faced, embarassed Dolus. "So, I guess that's all the testing for today?"

Dolus kept staring forward, eyes twitching and front talons still up, holding the remaining neck of the shattered beaker. Another long, awkward pause descended on them as none knew what to do. Science had been learned, but the mood had died down the moment the chemicals reacted like that. Now they knew what not to do, but there was no rush to test all day. The ademane had been extracted enough to last them a week.

"Yep, I think it might be better to get my sample and call it a day!" Ceylon agreed, pulling the needle from her wrist and sealing up the beaker it was dripping into. "I think it's best for everyone if we just, you know, put this aside now. Practice some magics in the mean time, test some potions? Normally we do one day of extraction in a week followed by four days of testing, so, uh, perfect! We're on schedule!" She smiled awkwardly and hopped off the table with Leera following behind her. It was clear she was lying about that when the amulet glowed a deep pink instead of its usual blue.

Leera quickly followed in Ceylon's wake, leaving Dolus alone in the lab frozen in position as smoke billowed up off his chest. He felt somewhat foolish that he had let his eagerness get the better of him. Of course he would join them later, but for now he had to bask in his stupefied glory.

====================================

"Stupid! Stupid!" Dolus chanted to himself as he returned to his guest room. "How could you be so stupid? Oh, I'm just going to mix this incredibly volatile strand of my own very unique ademane with theirs! What could possibly go wrong?" He stomped around, pacing back and forth across the foot of his bed, occasionally glancing over at the dresser where his potion lay, leaning against some of his coins. He felt like he had to make up for suck a silly, overzealous mistake, but he felt the only way he would be able to feel better about himself.

He hissed and steamed, a deep growl emanating from his lips as steam bubbled out from between his teeth. Before he had the lucidity to realize what he was doing and how dumb his actions were, he grabbed the vial, popped the cork, and tipped a few drops onto his tongue. Satsierra had told him that he needed only one quarter of it for a single transformation, and evidently his body amplified effects, so a few drops would have an interesting effect.

Science, after all, was all about testing, and Dolus knew that if it didn't work he'd put more until it took hold.

Dolus barely had stopped the vial before he felt a lurching, gut-wrenching sensation in his lower abdomen. He doubled over and fell into the fetal position on the ground, clutching his belly as the amulet buzzed and pressed heavy against his chest. The dragon's frills were standing on edge and his wings were shifting underneath him as he rolled in discomfort.

What he was feeling was not pain, just very awkward; there was a sizzling burn in his cloaca that felt like it should have hurt but only tingled a bit as his lower belly scales throbbed and swelled. To him, it felt like someone had poured acid between his legs, though it didn't physically hurt; the pain was all in his head through associated limb syndrome. His front talons clawed at his belly, rubbing away the sensations, but that only made his new cloaca lips more tender and sensitive.

The process didn't take long at all, and when he brought his talon up from between his legs he noticed a clear, slimy mess between his digits. He gave it a taste to find it quite sweet, and the gentle sensations of his claws prodding at his tender flesh made him gasp.

Curious, he slipped a couple fingers into himself to find his cock, swishing them around back and forth only to find nothing; at first he was just testing his body, but the pleasure was real and he couldn't help but keep sliding his digits side to side against his velvety, well-lubed inner flesh. The realization quickly came to him that the potion worked and he was, at least temporarily, female.

"Wow. Hello? Helllooooo? Boobs. Penis. Vagina. Cloaca." He spoke a few key words to see if his voice changed but could tell that it was still the same him, just with a roomy, sensitive vagina between his legs instead of a slit for his cock. With that in mind, he smirked and let his tongue slip from his maw to drool on the ground.

His amulet was still buzzing as it detected the active magic that was working in his body, and his sensitive nethers begged him to take advantage of that. He pulled the gem and its chain from his neck to push it against his nether lips, the soft buzzing growing intense the closer to his vent it got. He pressed it hard and gently rubbed the soft edge of it up and down between his slit, the pleasant vibrations coaxing a steady stream of fluids from his depths.

Just as Dolus was really getting into the pleasure, his door swung open to show Ceylon standing tall over the dragon. "Oh, hi?" Dolus squeaked as he looked up, cheeks growing a rosy red. He didn't pull the amulet from between his legs, the vibrations were coaxing tiny little twitches and squeaks of pleasure from him and he didn't want that to stop.

"Good job, Dolus." Ceylon chuckled as she looked down at the writhing dragoness. After a moment of staring, she licked her beak and cocked her head to the side to get a better look under Dolus' tail. "But you know, while you're there, I'm sure we could put that delicious slit of yours to good use, what do you say?"

Dolus whimpered and rolled to his feet, hand still holding the vibrating amulet to his pussy, drips of his excitement plopping in a puddle between his legs and moistening his inner thighs. Without thinking about the consequences, he turned and lifted his tail to the gryph, exposing the cherry pink slit between his engorged ventral scales that was drooling a steady flow of viscous lubricant.

Ceylon happily chirped before sliding in next to the dragon, burying her head under his tail and tenderly lapping at his folds. She used the hook of her beak to knock the vibrating amulet to the ground, splashing in the puddle of feminine lubricant there. It stopped vibrating when it was far enough from the dragon's flesh.

"Oh wow! That tongue!" Dolus cooed, widening his stance and pushing back against her with the fervor of a bitch in heat. He was tensing his pelvic muscles to peel his lips apart and push down on the ridge of Ceylon's beak, eager for more.

The gryphoness moaned and brought both her talons up to Dolus' rump cheeks, using her thumb claws to pry his lips apart and prod at his depths like he were a flower and she a hummingbird. A sweet aroma wafted out from under her tail as her excitement grew, the flavors of Dolus tickling her just the right way. She leaned in close and heavy enough to nearly throw dolus off balance before pulling away and slipping a few fingers inside.

He pushed back and ground his hips to her beak, whimpering and shivering as he felt her talons poke and prod at his throbbing, tender flesh. His slit was soaking wet, leaking fluids all over the guest room and Ceylon's forearms, like she had an explosive orgasm. Problem was, Climax hadn't come, he was stalling at the plateau before the peak, and it wasn't getting any closer. Though he was male his whole life, he knew what that felt like and it was quite frustrating.

Ceylon pressed as hard as she could down against what would have been Dolus' G-spot - the wrinkled and engorged patch of erogenous tissue just inside his pussy along his interior wall, up against where his urethra would be. If Ceylon couldn't get him to splash fluid out from there, she wasn't sure what to do with the dragon's new form other than switch it back.

She rubbed and pressed, pulling against the flesh and thrusting back in with a series of aggressive motions, much like she was trying to paw at his insides and tug at her flesh. She walked two fingers back and forth in a walking motion, the dull fingertips pressing to the defined, engorged flesh for a few minutes before growing a little tired.

"You enjoying this?" Ceylon asked with a hushed panting voice.

Dolus huffed and whimpered back, not saying a word to the gryphon. Instead, he grabbed the amulet and rubbed it back against his sopping wet slit and pushed as hard as he could. If the amulet had lacked the splayed out metal that it was resting in, the whole thing would have disappeared into him.

"Well, I suppose that answers my question." Ceylon said, clicking her beak and huffing in frustration. She turned tail and disappeared out the door, telling Dolus to "Wait here." A moment later, she came back with Leera in tow, the snake's head resting gently against the ground between Ceylon's two front talons.

"Oh, hi Leera." Dolus whispered in a hushed tone as he kept rubbing the amulet to his slit. He paused for a moment to look up and watch as she pulled her whole body into the room next to him, her form wrapping around the bed and dragon in one fluid motion. Her massive body and smooth belly scales smeared the liquids he'd been gushing everywhere.

The naga quickly struck at his hips, knocking him over onto his back with the bluntness of her snout before flicking her tongue over his ventral opening. She nuzzled at his crotch and yanked the amulet away, instead slipping her tail up between his legs to prod at his opening with the very tip of it. The moment her soft scales touched his, Dolus gasped and curled his toes, arching his back and rubbing his cheek to the ground that he'd been moistening with his excitement.

With one powerful lurch, Leera's tail tip plunged deep into him, the tapered girth of it spreading his flesh apart and worming its way deep into his still developing womb. The texture of the nubs and scales was amazing to him, but it wasn't until he looked up to see Ceylon's pussy hovering over his head that he started to feel like maybe he was being distracted.

Of course, by then it was too late. The moment he went to open his maw to say something, the gryphoness squatted down on his snout, smothering his face from nostril to the brow between his eyes. Her pussy was swallowing him headfirst. The last thing he saw before her soft lips enveloped his eyes was a sinister grin on Ceylon's beak looking down at him.

-To be Continued...