A Fight for Survival

**Currently busy with exams, so updates and corrections can take a little while, sorry!**
>The scholars in the pearly cities spoke a lot of virtue, of what made a man righteous.
>Yet, the only thing that ruly matters at the end of the day is whether your stomach is full or not.
>You never knew your family, never got anything for free. From the day on that you could really understand what people were saying they were using your innocent appearance to swindle others.
>The only thing that matters is whether or not you get paid for it and can survive.
>Gerbrandt, the old bastard, raised you to be a master of stealth. To always be unseen, in daylight or under the cover of night. In crowds and in barren solitude.
>Risks always had to be taken, but the bastard did teach you to not take unnecessary risks.
>Why then did you take on this task? Why did you agree upon slaying one of the most powerful creatures this world has ever seen?
>Why did people dig down deep into the earth, no matter how many were crushed beneath the mountains?
>Money, why else?
>There might be something else in it too, besides the various rewards.
>If you succeeded, you'd go down the history books as a Dragon Slayer. Your name would be honored. You'd never be sneaking through the dung-crusted streets for a few measly coins.
>Just a few more days, a quick, well-placed thrust of your dagger while the Dragon slept and that was all.
>Your trusty, musty mule wasn't particularly fast, but he made the trip a lot easier as long as he wasn't refusing to walk.
>Almost all of your money that you had saved and what the bastard has saved up went into buying the mythril dagger.
>What little remained went into supplies and the stubborn old animal
>If you failed, you'd be left with no supplies, an animal that would probably refuse to go on any further and a dagger that no-one would consider to be the real deal without the Regal Smith's Seal.
>The road became less and less traveled as it split off into the various roads that led to squalid villages
>*two days later*
>It started raising a day ago and hasn't stopped since
>The sky is perpetually grim
>You reached the forest surrounded the mountain, atop of which lies your goal
>The forest was getting more and more dense
>You were getting into monster territory, alright.
>You got off the decrepit road and started looking for a place to sleep, cover from the continuous rain
>finding a seemingly abandoned animal burrow, you pull out your dagger
>You considered giving it a name, but Destiny seemed a weak name and Damocles was far worse, considering you weren't planning on exacting any justice with it
>Finding the burrow abandoned, you tied up your mule to a nearby tree and crawled inside
>Soaking wet and cold to the bone, you almost prayed for some relief of this cold
>But praying hasn't done you much good in the past, so why would it start now
>Hoping you would survive the night unscathed, you closed your eyes and eventually slipped into an uncomfortable slumber
>An oppressive dark
>Vaguely, you found yourself standing in a hallway
>It could've gone on forever for what little you could see
>There was something in front of you
>Something ungodly. A being whose blows were like fired cannonballs
>How could you be this foolish? Why were you here?
>Too late. One of it's claws reaches out from the unyielding dark and rends you asunder
>You wake up with a start only to headbutt the ceiling of the burrow at full force
>Face covered in dirt, still cold and heart beating madly, you crawled out of the burrow, reciting every curse you had ever heard
>Finding a puddle of water, you rid your face of the dirt and are quickly reminding of the apparition from the dream
>Dreams had come true before. This one time you dreamt of a precious stash, hidden away in a house
>During one burglarly job, you recognized the house and found it
>The Bastard took most of the money, as he always did. But for a little while the food he gave you was just a little less bad.
>But this wasn't a dream
>This was a nightmare
>Turn back? To what? With what? How?
>There was no going back.
>Succeed, or die.
>If the Dragon did find you, if the Dragon did kill you, at least it would be fast.
>If the Bastard got his crooked claws on you, you'd be dying over the course of at least four days, hoping for death every single second.
>No going back.
>Your determination was quickly damaged as the old mule was nowhere to be seen
>So where the supplies it carried
>You should've removed it all from its back before going to sleep. Why didn't you?
>The hunger, the cold, the solitude, the nerves....
>Your sanity had to hold out until you succeeded.
>It had to hold out until you got your reward.
>You briefly wondered if the Dragon had any food in its fortress
>Then you remembered that if it had any meat, it would probably be human.
>Through the forest, you could never see the fortress until the trees thinned, halfway up the mountain
>Had your stomach permitted it, you would've admired its magnificence
>Windows and murderholes beyond count
>Towers that tore the clouds asunder
>The fortress was practically a mountain on its own
>And you'll enter it soon enough.
>The train wasn't going down as powerfully as a day ago but it was more than enough to make you watch your step and shake from the cold
>the ascend was slower than you had hoped
>You'd have to reach the fortress unseen, or you'd be burned to a crisp before you realized you had been spotted
>When you finally did reach the entrance, the enormity of it all was staggering
>The height of the gate arch seemed designed to allow titans to freely come and go
>No time for this. If you didn't reach the Dragon soon, you wouldn't have the strength to silently approach it, let alone strike de coup de grace.
>The halls were desolate
>The size of them only added to the effect
>Banners, torn and rotten hung from the walls and the shadowy ceilings
>You turned left into a smaller hallway
>Most people would't have been able to see a thing in this void, but your eyes had been trained since you were young
>Feeling a bit less vulnerable, you started to discard your wet clothes
>The wet flopping noises of your torn boots was going to alert the creature from a mile away
>As you got to your undergarments, you hesitated.
>Not very heroic, was it? The naked assassin sneaking up on the monster before striking?
>But then the actual Dragon Slayers out there were probably not entirely honest about their stories either...
>Pride is nice, but let's try and survive this.
>Discarding your undergarments, you take use your dagger to silently remove a banner from the walls
>it felt cold, but dry enough. You wrapped the banner around you and pressed on into the dark
>the familiar, oppressing dark...
>No point in hesitating
>No point in going back
>Thread on.
>...
>the Apparition didn't come.
>You were still alive.
>Your breathing was slow and deliberate
>Every soft step felt like it took an eternity
>turning a corner, you saw a glow
>the halls were getting warmer
>It was deep night outside, so light meant only one thing: Life.
>As you got closer you see large pair of sturdy doors, cracked open
>Your breath stops
>Kneeling, you gaze through the crack in the door
>King Midas himself must've been here for the piles of gold you laid your eyes upon
>Each pile was carefully stacked, yet beyond count
>Enchanted by the gold, you're broken out of your reverie by a repetitive sound
>A soft snoring
>You had expected the bellows of hell, but it made no difference
>It was asleep, you were here at the perfect moment, it was time to strike.
>You thanked the heavens as doors didn't make a sound as you opened them far enough to go through
>The room was in perfectly fine condition
>Floors were sparkly clean, as if they had been cleaned a minute ago
>The vast walls were decorated with intricate weapons than shone oddly, but beautifully
>Warmth of the room made you a little lethargic, but your willpower makes you press on
>One well-placed thrust, and that's it.
>You follow the sound down a corridor
>The snoring felt a little familiar, in a way.
>It didn't sound all too inhuman, to be fair
>But that must be the mistake that costed many a man their life.
>You find the room the snoring is coming from
>The door was wide open
>The door wasn't particularly large, a bit larger than a normal door
>How was a Dragon lying in here?
>No matter, this is it.
>You snuck into the room without a sound
>Scanning the room, you only find a somewhat large shape on the bed
>It was hard to tell what it was exactly, but it wasn't human
>Step by step, you get closer to the bed
>You change the grip on your dagger for a downward stab
>It is sleeping softly
>It's without a care in the world, not realizing its life is about to end
>This abomination was going return to the depths from which it came
>Yet you hesitated
>Your eyes were getting used to the dark again
>It was inhuman, this much was true.
>But in some inhuman way, it was fair
>It... She...? Was wearing some fine regal clothes
>What skin wasn't covered by the fabric seemed soft and smooth
>The womanly scent Her body emitted was stimulating your instincts, and not your instinct to fight.
>The claws, however. You recognized them.
>They'll tear you asunder if you do not strike
>Her face was perfectly peaceful
>Her modest chest rose and fell
>Your internal war was broken by a bone-rending screech coming from the doorway
<"MISTRESS!! WAKE UP!!!"
>Before you could make up the shape in the doorway, you were launched against the wall
>You vaguely remember hitting the floor before blackness takes you
>...
>A comfort that you haven't felt in a long time embraces you
>Through the haze of sleep, you feel the fine linen you lie on and the soft blanket that covers you
>For a moment you wondered where you could be, but decided it did not matter for now and fell asleep again
>...
>You wake up some time later
>the back of your head hurts a little, scratching it you find it merely bruised, along with your back
>Your eyes roam around the strange room
>You were lying in a large bed, the type that royalty would use
>The room is similarly decorated as the rest of the fortress, but in much better condition
>That's right, the fortress.
>You found the Dragon
>You failed to kill it, yet you were alive.
>What was that creature that woke her?
>You hear someone fiddling with the door the door swings open
>Speak of the devil...
>A small, monstrous women stands in the doorway, carrying a tray of "food"
<"Ah, you're awake, sir Assassin"
>"..."
<"Did you sleep well?"
>"I suppose, thanks.."
<"I hope you're hungry" it said,
>As it got closer, you could see her features more clearly
>She has strange, floppy ears, similar to what some dogs would have
>Similarly, her legs were paw-like and her lower arms were covered in shiny fur
>As it reached your bed, you couldn't help but glare at this strange creature
>It was rather short, somewhere around 5ft tall
>Going by the slight curve of its chest, the curve of its hips and the the sound of its voice it was a female of its species
>If all that hadn't convinced you, its unmarred face was as feminine as they came
>Had it not been for the ears, you might've thought it was human at first glance
>Putting down the tray next to you, it grabbed a spoon, scooped up some of the soup-like substance
>It blew lightly on the spoons contents before bringing it to your face
<"Aaahh.."
>The smell of the creature reminded you of the Dragon
>Unnatural thoughts and desires crept over you
>"I can feed myself, thank you."
>The creature seemed disappointed by this, but relented and handed you the spoon
>"What is this?"
<"It's pumpkin soup, sir."
>Sniffing at the soup, it certainly did smell like the pumpkin soup you knew, although better
>"It's not poisoned?"
<"Had we the mind to poison you, we could've done so while you were unconscious, sir."
>The logic of her words and your hunger won over your caution, and you began eating the soup
>Halfway through your soup, the monster begins to speak
<"May I ask why you were trying to murder our mistress?"
>You paused before replying
>"For money."
<"Yet you've never done any such thing before."
>How did she know?
>You scoffed "What makes you think that?"
>Finishing the soup, you began eating the bread and fruit on the tray
<"It's in our nature to know."
>You swallow the last hunk of bread
>"What do you mean "our" nature?"
<"Mamono nature. A philosopher from the Far East has written about it. We Mamono... or 'monsters' as you call us, know on an instinctual level how violent a man is."
>You felt the tiny monsters eyes boring into you
<"And you, you've never so much as scratched someone for money, have you?"
>"...Mind letting me eat in peace?"
<"I have strict order from our mistress to make sure you eat everything."
>You quickly ate the remainders of the apple hoping that would make the monster leave all the sooner
<"What made you think you are cruel enough to take our mistress' life?"
>"I don't know! I didn't think the Dragon would look like... that."
<"I see." she grabbed the empty tray and put it aside
>She walked over to the closed locked it
>What was this monster planning?
<"You might think otherwise, but you're not a bad man."
<"You did frighten me when I saw you standing over Her, but now I know..."
>The monster turned around to face you
<"You want to live an honest and comfortable life."
>Her... its words seemed innocent enough on their own, but the way she whispered it hid ulterior motives
>If she hadn't been a monster, you would've considered them to be lewd
>Discomfort crept over you as she walked closer
>Discomfort turned to shock as she crawled onto the bed on all fours
<"Forgive me, but men are so very rare around here..."
>You looked for a way out as she crawled atop of you
>There it was again, that inhuman visage
>Inhumanly pretty
>"W-what are you trying to do? We're not even of the same species!"
>She giggled at that
<"Ahh...Being surprised by our Mistress' appearance and now this... You're not familiar with mamono, are you?"
>you tried to push her off but she possessed a surprising amount of strength for such a lithe frame
>She inched closer and started violating your neck with her lips and tongue
>You began panicking as she brought her mouth close to your ear
<"Us mamono capture handsome men like you. We make them ours, and ours alone. We make them scream to the high heavens in extacy over and over as we milk them dry and breed with them."
>What the hell was this woman saying?
>Her ragged breathing was seeping into you
>Against everything that you knew, your member was growing harder and harder
>She brought her face close to yours
>Tilting in, you prepared for the moment that her soft lips would meet yours...
>Both of you were pulled back into reality by a loud crash on the door
<"Sana! Why did you close the door!?"
>The woman, or Sana, was frozen in fear atop of you
>She stuttered for a few seconds before the yelling from the other side of the door resumed
<"Open this door now!"
>Sana jumped off of the bed and rushed to the door
>Her shaking hands fumbles with the lock for a few seconds before it opened
>She opened the door, brought her arms down to the top of her skirt and looked down at the ground
>Your would-be victim walked into the room
>Tall, horned and with large wings and brutish claws. It was no wonder that Sana was shaking in fear.
<"Leave." she bid to the dog-monster without looking at her.
>Sana raced out of the room and left the two of you in an uncomfortable silence
<"Why did you try to kill me?"
>"If I tell you, will I suffer the same treatment as I was given by your servant?"
>"suffer" wasn't perhapt the right word
>She didn't seem to understand what you meant
<"Don't play smart with me. You're lucky you're still alive. Now, my would-be assassin. Why did you come to kill me?"
>"Money, fame. Why else? If I had succeeded, I would've been set for life."
<"I see..."
<"I am but worth a few pieces of lifeless gold, am I?" she approached the bed
>As she reached the bed, she lashes out and grabbed you by your collar
>with indomitable might, she pulled you to her
<"Then allow me to return the favor." she hissed, her slitted blue eyes piercing into your soul
<"From this day on, you're my thing. You'll never leave my home again."
>Carelessly, she released you to fall back into your bed
>...a few days later...
>Being the Dragon's "Thing" mainly seemed to entail being her loyal dog
>It might've not been too surprising considering how her entourage of "kobold" servants were awfully similar to dogs
>You had asked the kobolds for the Dragon's name, but they refused to tell you. Apparently it was an "honor" to know it.
>She spend most of her time in the grand library of the fortress, reading various books and ordering you to do the same
>"Why do you want me to read all these books?"
<"Because I have no use for stupid servants or playthings." she answered curtly
>You would grumble something underneath your breath if you didn't know that she would almost certainly hear it with her senses
>After finishing the third book of the day, the dragon spoke to you without looking
<"Whatever happened with you and Sana, don't let it happen again."
>"I didn't have much choice. What does it matter what we do?"
>Unusual for her, She actually seemed to need a moment to answer
<"It would inconvenient to me if my servant and my property were doing whatever all the time."
>"What do you mean by 'whatever'?"
>Her face became agitated
<"You know!"
>"No, I don't know. What are you talking about?"
>"Do you mean sex?"
>She stood looked at you, stunned that you'd utter that word in front of her
>"It's only natural to want to f-"
<"SHUT UP"
>Her face was red and
<"Hold your perverted tongue."
>Before you could respond, she put down her book and flew out of the library
>Oh well
>Over the next few days She seemed to grow progressively more annoyed
>She was being rather secretive about the tome she was currently reading
>With a well-timed glance you read the title
>Mamono Physiology, IIth edition
>...
>The sun began to settle
>"We done here for today?"
>She was completely absorbed in the book, as your question startled her
<"Uh, yes.." she replied as the closed the tome
>She seemed to be walking around with a perpetual blush on her face these days
<"Anon...."
>"What?"
<"Don't forget what I said. You don't touch Sana or anyone, alright?"
>You felt an urge to talk back to piss off your captor, but she wasn't wearing her usual air of authority
>On her cute visage was a pleading look
>She wasn't demanding it, she was actually asking it
>Your heart stirred a little under those innocent-seeming sapphires
>All you could do was mumble a "Sure" which seemed to please her enough to stop staring at you so
**work in progress**