+Notable Author: [Amnoartist] A Court of Dragons

[Amnoartist]

A Court of Dragons
Written & edited by Amnoartist
Chapter I: A Precarious Situation

My attempt a contemporary fantasy series. Let me know what you think guys

“Another!”

Gem slammed the flagon down hard, making sure it got the bartenders attention. It did that for sure; from the corner of his eye he clocked the small gathering of empty flagons by Gem’s drunken side. He’d never known her to drink this much, let alone how much of the particular beverage she knocked back carelessly. She burped loudly but cared not. Lacking patience, the girl rapped the counter with her bloodied fist before giving the bartender the glare from Hell.

“Jesus, Gem, don’t you think you’ve had enough already?” The bartender, whose name Gem forgot and, frankly, didn’t really care for, gathered the previously used glass flagons - all six of them - and stashed them to be cleaned by the waitress. Gem laughed, swaying somewhat side to side, the unmistakably ginger scent of Firebreather permeating the air from her contrasting pearly whites. “Six Firebreathers is quite the feat, but you should be out for the count by now.”

“I just took out that ogre everybody’s been complaining about, you know.” Following her success in the apparently difficult endeavour, Gem was of the mind she was owed at least seven Firebreathers, and a bed for the night. Some company wouldn’t hurt either, whether it was male or female, but the innkeeper probably wouldn’t allow it. “Besides: I pay, you pour, right? Isn’t that the bartender’s code of honour?”

The bartender held a hand out with a strict look painted across his face, staring right into Gem’s golden eyes knowingly. They both knew what he was getting at, but Gem— did or didn’t she give her last piece of gold to that passing orphan? In fact, she doubted he was really an orphan at all.

“Show some coin first, girl.” Even though he himself hadn’t drank - yet - the smell of booze still burst from the bartender, like it was his own smell. It was powerful and, frankly, almost made Gem gag. She reached into the inner pocket of her leather jacket in the hope that even just one coin was still there. Daylight burst through the window and reflected off the sharp steel of her blade she religiously sharpened whenever the opportunity arose. Contrasting with the swords of old, the hilt of her weapon was contemporary in design. No luck came from her search for that one coin. She swore she had it. But then remembered the other orphan who palled up with the one she offered charity to.

She was robbed, by kids half her age, no less. With no coin, the silver-haired nobody muttered a curse word under her breath, luckily too quiet for the bartender to hear. Of all the kinds of spells known to the world, why wasn’t there one that made money magically appear?

“I swear I had a coin here.” Gem knew she wouldn’t get anywhere with lack of gold now. She couldn’t even afford to go home by tram. She still had bronze and silver coins, but neither of them amounted to either another Firebreather or for travel. In other words, she’d have to hike it home - drunkenly.

“No coin, no booze.” The bartender sharply turned and serviced another customer, doing whatever he could to keep his attention of the low-life that was Gem. At least, he thought she was a low-life, when in fact, she was a bounty hunter by profession. Ogres, drakes, thieves… whatever needed killing Gem killed, provided the coin was decent. Presently, she was just unfortunately low in currency, not mention the victim of thievery.

There wasn’t much point being in the inn now, was there? Gem was just taking up space more than anything else. Hazily, she stumbled free from the stool, nearly tumbling over a nearby table taken up by parched denizens. There was the odd smell of piss she picked up, probably coming from herself, admittedly, but the girl pushed onward to the door with incoherently mumbles, caring not for the evident protesting from the other customers she bumped into.

///

Firebreather is different from other alcoholic beverages. One of its most interesting effects comes from its name. When under the influence of almost every other alcohol, one vomits naturally. But with Firebreather it’s different: the consumer literally belches fire from their lungs, almost like a fire-breathing dragon…which is what Gem did in the comfort of an alley after she left the inn. The horns of passing vehicles left an insufferably constant din in her ears from the effects. It was ironic in a sense for Gem. She liked Firebreather for what it was - a means to loosen up - but hated the after-effects.

Recovering from her latest fiery belch, the girl saw the shadow behind her grow. At first, it was a single, albeit menacing bulk of black enveloping her, but soon broke into smaller chunks. So it was a group, making the situation all the more dire for Gem. She was drunk, after all, and presumably no good in a fight when under the influence. But that didn’t stop her from clutching the hilt of her blade. She could see, but her movements were still erratic, unpredictable - she could swing her sword in one direction and fall back in another. Nevertheless—

Her hand clawed, a small fire billowed from her palm as a grimace formed in her youthful visage. Gem faced her presumed attackers, only to be confronted by a small gathering of knights encircling her. Contemporary outfitting made them blend in well with the passers-by, but Gem had met knights before on several occasions. They were only dressed as such when business was conducted in the city.

She was right to presume the largest of the group was the leader.

“You’re a big guy. I like big guys.” Brandishing a cute yet still drunken smile, Gem stood down from her defencive stance, the fire in her palm dying out with her anger. She paced over to the knight in a sultry manner, something she would otherwise never do if not under the influence, with boozy breath. She pressed a palm over his chest and could tell he found the situation uneasy. He was only supposed to escort her, yet her golden pierced into his soul.“I’m pretty sure I saw you once before, actually. Oh, that’s right - in my dreams.”

The knight coughed, hoping that would help diffuse the tension, even just a little bit. “Gem.”

She cocked a brow. He knew her name? That was interesting. Might even have been cause for her to be a little bit more flirty. But then she saw the coat of arms on his lone pouldron. He was a member of the Queen’s guard. Not good, at least in Gem’s eyes. She awkwardly backed away without saying a word. Hopefully the knight would be understanding and not reprimand her for having gotten so close to him.

“Honestly, if this is about that necklace I stole, I had no idea it was hers.”

“What necklace?”

Gem’s heart sank. They didn’t know, did they? Well, not until now at least. She’d just backed herself into the corner without realising, didn’t she? But the necklace was so pretty, and it wasn’t as if it was the only one the queen had. Hell, she even had her own necklace maker.

“You’ll have to discuss that matter with Her Majesty personally. Right now, we’re tasked with escorting you to the palace.” Whoever this big knight guy was, he could tell Gem was surprised by his words. She’d been to the palace only once after the new queen was sworn in. Well, only the one time in which the queen was aware of her presence anyway. The knight gestured to the street leading directly to the palace. “This way, please.”

Gem groaned. Frankly, she’d rather do some blade sharpening than visit royalty right now. But it didn’t look like she had much of a choice. She looked down at her knee-high boots pitifully; fresh mud splattered over the sides and toes. Not to mention the equally muddy jeans.

“Lead the way, big guy.”

[draight]

That was a fun start.  We only get a small hint of the world and characters but I'm definitely interested to see where it goes.  Its always cool to see stories in somewhat more niche genres.

[Trinitus]

Please don't kill any dragons whatever they have done.  On a more serius note.
How strong are firebreathers? Are we talking something like 50% alcohol or more, less? I'm presuming Gem is a big girl even though we didn't get any descriptions of her muscles. Great start and i'm just hoping that this does not end with someone either fucking or getting fucked by a dragon.

[Amnoartist]

Please don't kill any dragons whatever they have done.  On a more serius note.
How strong are firebreathers? Are we talking something like 50% alcohol or more, less? I'm presuming Gem is a big girl even though we didn't get any descriptions of her muscles. Great start and i'm just hoping that this does not end with someone either fucking or getting fucked by a dragon.

I never did consider going into specifics about Firebreathers, to be honest, but they are pretty high in alcohol count. And actually, Gem is presently an average girl who manages to keep her booze down. You can rest assured there won't be any dragon fucking though. However, it coukd potentially be a different story in regards to fucking dragons up, if you catch my drift

[Trinitus]

Please don't kill any dragons whatever they have done.  On a more serius note.
How strong are firebreathers? Are we talking something like 50% alcohol or more, less? I'm presuming Gem is a big girl even though we didn't get any descriptions of her muscles. Great start and i'm just hoping that this does not end with someone either fucking or getting fucked by a dragon.

I never did consider going into specifics about Firebreathers, to be honest, but they are pretty high in alcohol count. And actually, Gem is presently an average girl who manages to keep her booze down. You can rest assured there won't be any dragon fucking though. However, it coukd potentially be a different story in regards to fucking dragons up, if you catch my drift

Well I got half of it right atleast, haha. Glad there won't be any dragons fucking, just hoping that when/if they get fucked up it will be swift and mercifull. The firebreathing effect does it look like the ones in Scooby Doo? Atleast thats what I am imagening.

[Amnoartist]

A Court of Dragons
Written & edited by Amnoartist
Chapter II: By Royal Plea

    Dusk. Queen Aelesia always found some kind of peace at this time of day, when the sun would set to allow its sister form the moon to rise over the hills with illuminating light, guiding the denizens during the otherwise worrying darkness of the night.

    A gentle breeze swept over her layered blonde hair as, from over the gilded balcony, she heard the gentle hustle and bustle of the nightlife beyond the palace and hoped that, maybe one day, she could be amongst that, be dancing in the nightclubs and go to the cinema without being singled out as a royal, let alone the queen. But the days of naivety were numbered for the girl - she would have to start thinking like the Queen she was; to start thinking like her mother, God rest her soul. But Aelesia never wanted to rule, never had the mindset for it. Why did she have to be the queen anyway? She was far too fresh-faced for that kind of thing; she lacked ‘the look’ and experience.

She turned from the balcony and crossed the threshold of her chambers, passed the large linen bed—

There was a sharp knock at the door, startling the girl. Damn it, couldn’t the guards be quiet for once?

    The guard spoke softer than his knuckles hit the door beyond him, announcing the arrival of one Gem— well, that was it really. Gem didn’t have a surname because, well, she’d need a family for that. She was raised in one of the shoddiest orphanages, Harrow’s Hall, and when she finally reached that fated age of eighteen, left to fend for herself. The rest, at least to those she knew, was a mystery.

    At any rate, Gem was in the palace grounds. The silver-haired bounty hunter might have a worrying fondness for drink, but she was no joke when it came to blade work. News of her decapitating Urek the ogre at the border with her trusty sword and magic spread like wildfire and reached the palace that same day. Neither the palace guards nor Royal court was not clued in on why a bounty hunter was sought after for the youthful ruler, however. Only a very select few knew - those the Queen trusted, which, admittedly, wasn’t a lot of people.

    “Thank you.” Her voice was as youthful as her skin, and though her personality often showed otherwise, also bore a weight of nobility. Those traits came from her mother, while almost everything else, including the more unconventionally-natured traits, was from her father.

    The muffled steps from the withdrawing guard allowed Aelesia to permit herself a sigh of relief as she turned sideways to the mirror. The relieving exhale was deliberate - the queen didn’t quite fancy the idea of the guard walking in unannounced to her presently naked form.

    With the twirl of a finger and a few unclear words in Elvish, an elegant gown appeared out of nowhere and wrapped itself around the girl’s slender frame. Despite her lack of experience in such matters, she put on a brave face and, with a personal escort, made her way to the throne room for her important dealings with Gem.

///

    The throne room was quieter than Gem last remembered. Back then, no less than a year ago, it teemed with joyous yells and music of all kinds. The girl then didn’t know what the occasion was, and frankly, cared not to know, far too busy stashing a very particular necklace into her bag. Gem was, of course, by no means a thief – depending on one’s point of view – but that necklace was just too pretty to pass up on. At the time she didn’t know what she would do after taking it, but now—well, afterwards, she was a good couple of hundred gold coins richer...before buying her new pair of jeans; before being robbed by those faux orphans; before downing those six Firebreathers—

   One of the guards coughed, forcing the bounty hunter to break free from her train of thought. Just what did the Queen want with her, because from logical thinking was Gem able to figure out it was not about that insignificant necklace. She would be in jail by now otherwise, saving the youthful Royal from dealing with such a petty matter as thievery. There were more important things at stake. Gem just wasn’t aware of that.

   She was lucky enough not be handcuffed. Not that she wouldn’t be able to free herself with a little magic. But that big knight she teased was too entrancing for her to even think of escaping before it was too late. Wherever did he scarper off to? Now all the silver-haired beau could do was wait.

   “What exactly am I here for anyway?” she quipped. Her words were met with silence, save for an occasional cough from the same guard. Irritated, Gem checked over her jeans. The mud had dried in now and would be a pain to remove. Just what she needed. “Don’t tell me I’m the Queen’s new jester. I don’t know what any jokes, seriously. Well, not fit for royalty anyway.”

   The silence somehow strengthened and drilled into Gem’s ears. Someone had better say something soon or there’d be Hell to pay. If it weren't for the situation she already found herself in, Gem would’ve been home by now, either watching TV or search the online bounties list for her next big payday. She eyeballed the job of taking down that werewolf beyond the walls, but that’s as good as someone else’s takings now. It was easily three thousand gold – at least – enough to keep the girl on her feet for the next three months.

   Then, as if to answer Gem’s inner prayer, the large door to the throne’s side peeled open, ushering the guards to straighten. Gem didn’t budge though. That wasn’t to say she was disrespectful or anything. It was just—she knew it wasn’t the Queen who came through the door. Unless she’d recently used some form of sex change spell and transformed into a middle-aged man more bald than tall. Gem was quick to surmise he was the Queen’s steward, and with him making his presence known, it meant she wouldn’t be that far behind. Maybe it was a good idea for Gem to straighten up after all.

“Her Royal Highness, Queen Aelesia the First.”

   Aelesia soon emerged from the door, in turn, predictably clad in her royal attire. To call her elegant would be quite the understatement, and the moonlight that burst through the window only sought to emphasise the Queen's beauty. Aelesia remained silent. Presently, Gem still had no clue why she was brought before her but tried with confidence to figure that out. That, plus it was impossible to deny the mystery from that fact.

“I have an urgent need for you, Gem”

    Her interest was piqued. It wasn’t often a Queen came with a “need” for her. It went without saying a great deal of money would likely come from the success in this task. Arms folded over the front of her jacket, she cocked her brow. “I’m listening.”

The Queen gestured toward her small steward, who offered a small cough before he spoke.

“While you were away Ogre hunting, there was the matter of a string of towns being laid to waste by a dragon beyond the walls.”

    Gem blinked at first after hearing the news., believing it to be some kind of joke. Believe it or not, bounty-hunting was a very serious line of work and not something to jest over. She expected the Queen to know better.

The youthful Royal glimpsed Gem’s hesitance and frowned. “Is something wrong?”

Gem scoffed. Of course, there was “something wrong.” In fact, everything just seemed to go wrong from then on.

“You expect me to take down a damned dragon?”

    “You will be compensated, of course.” Aelesia was naive to presume the thought of money would be enough to sway Gem’s decision, but it wasn’t. Dragons were fucking hard to kill and she barely survived her last contention with one. And believe it or not, the smaller the dragon, the harder it was to kill. Gem always had a motto went it came to fighting them: bigger is stronger, smaller is faster. And those in between--

“Money isn’t the issue here,” she pointed out. "Do you have any idea how fucking hard they are to kill?"

“Then what is the problem exactly?” the Queen inquired with curiousness.

    “I’d need at least ten of myself to make it feasible, let alone a success." I only survived my last bout with a dragon because it was a fucking half-footed cripple.”

“The villages beyond the walls are being ravaged—”

    “Not my problem. Gem's words felt heartless, but she wasn't. It was just—less harm would come her way if she didn’t let her feelings be known. The suffering over the years had hardened her. “Neither is the amount of gold.”

“We can pay double, if that would help sway your decision,” Aelesia revealed quickly, anxious sweat trickling down her brow.

    Gem scoffed. Double, triple--it didn’t matter how much she was offered, the job wouldn’t be done. “Money’s no good to a corpse, much less a burnt one.”

    Aelesia turned to her steward for guidance but all he offered was a blank stare for a moment before turning back to Gem wordlessly. What was to be done then? If the best bounty hunter wouldn’t help, who would?

    “Can I go now? Or are you going to imprison me for having refused?” Gem flashed quick glances to the guards at her sides, a hand slowly reaching for the pommel of her blade, readying herself for an attack that many come. But—

    Aelesia raised her hand in defeat. Reflecting on the past, she knew her mother wouldn’t give in so easily, would command the guards to seize those who disobeyed. But doing that so often was why she met such an untimely death. Aelesia, though only a Queen for barely a year, sought to prove not everyone in her bloodline was a tyrant.

“Fine. You may go.”

    Easing out of her defensive stance, Gem pulled at the lapels of her jacket as she made an 180-degree turn to the door, reaching into the pocket of her jeans, pulled out her earphones, and plugged them into her phone just as a text message from Fox, her cop buddy came through:

Just got out of an early work shift. Catch you @ da pub?

Gem smirked as the throne room doors clanged shut behind her.

    Aelesia sighed. It felt like she failed in that moment; it felt like Gem was in direct control of the situation - and she was. The Queen turned to her steward solemnly. “There must be something we can do to persuade her.”   

    The steward pitied the young girl for her attempt to lead. “There may be something we can do.” That got Aelesia’s attention. His hands clasped together, the black-robed man continued “With Your Majesty’s approval, we could aid the girl with a little something.”

Aelesia turned cocked her head sideways with intrigue. “Do tell.”

///

    The rain pattered off the window in sync with the sporadic flashes of violent lightning. The clouds only seemed to grow darker as time passed. It was the early hours of the night, but when storms hit the atmosphere only got bleaker and bleaker. The winds only added to the weather’s ferocity, battering off gates, knocking off bins—

    Fox was lucky for having found herself in the comfortable warmth of the pub just as the storm came in, her large breasts snuggly fit into her tight blue policewoman’s uniform, the badge of the city expertly stitched onto the shoulder. She sat with a half-empty glass of red wine and barely eaten the meal at her side.

“God, am I glad we managed to get here before the rain rolled in.”

    Leaning back on the chair, Gem arrogantly pulled her feet up on the table, the leather of her boots creaking as she leaned forward to grab her pint glass of that drink again. It might’ve been her second pint since meeting Fox, but it was her seventh that day. At any rate, the bust policewoman was markedly impressed.

    “What is it with you and those Firebreathers? Didn’t you say you had at least five earlier?” She watched her silver-haired friend of ten years chug the pint greedily, offering loud gulps as the gingery liquid ran down her throat, every so often missing her mouth and trickling down the front of her neck. But the girl didn’t care. “Where does it all go? You’re as slim as anything.”

    The pint now gone, Gem slammed the glass down triumphantly before, in turn, offering a loud burp to celebrate the success of her feat. Fox smirked. She knew the girl long enough to know another pint wouldn’t be that far behind.

    “I drink so much of them to compensate for my cold bitch’s heart,” the bounty hunter jested. She clocked something—no—someone with curiosity, eyeballing their firm figure from head to toe—no—head to ass. Fox followed her friend’s gaze with a curious, cocked brow and scoffed. It seemed Gem had found her company for the night: one of the pub’s waitress’. The steel-haired girl certainly wasn’t all that picky when it came to night’s company. Humans, Elves, sometimes even Dwarfs…

    The waitress was an exquisitely shaped Human with what seemed to be an hourglass figure—it was hard to tell from behind all that black and white attire. A few bad jokes and compliments later and it would likely all be off anyway, revealing the girl in all her naked beauty.

“    I take it she’s your “guest” for tonight?” Although Fox was Hetero, she couldn’t deny Gem’s finding for the night was indeed beautiful. “Or is she number two of your three?”

“That’s the hope” Gem answered confidently. She was just about to make her move on the girl, during her shift or not, when—

“Gem.”

    The voice came from behind. Directly behind, within arm’s reach, no less. It was gruff, drunken. Familiar. Knowing that, Gem stealthily reached for her blade while feigning to drink from her dregs of her pint, taking that moment to contemplate her response: a single word.

“Chase.”

    Chase’s breath quickened, perversely rolled down the nape of Gem’s neck. He could see her reaching for her sword but didn’t do anything to retaliate. It was a fight he was looking for, after all. Fox mirrored her friend’s motion, reaching for her pistol, but Gem winked knowingly.

“You killed my brother.” Chase’s rage boiled. It sickened him to know he had to say those words out loud, in front of all those other patrons.

    “Half-brother” Gem coldly corrected, her back still defiantly turned to the drunkard, confidence still on her side. She wasn’t under the influence like Chase, which meant the advantage was on her side. “That tends to happen when a demi-orc gets a bounty on his head for violating women.”

    The surrounding patrons murmured in response to the news broken to them. Chase, obviously, wasn’t having it, though; his hand tightly grasped the pommel of his sword, ready for a strike.

    “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Gem put her feet down on the floor, positioning herself squarely to mock her supposed attacker. “But if you do feel so inclined, I could do with a little trim at the top. A fringe maybe?”

“Bastard.”

    Bastard: Gem hated being branded a bastard. It wasn’t her fault she was one. But it didn’t matter much now; it was said, revealed to all around her. And it pissed her off. She hoped she wouldn’t have to hurt Chase, but—

    Pushing off from the table, she turned to face Chase too fast for him to properly react in turn, and before he knew it, the drunkard was pinned against the wall, his own blade unsheathed and turned against him, pressed to his throat.  His eyes bulging in fear for his life, he whimpered like a dog, catching Gem’s fiery gaze staring at him. The patrons clamoured in fear, shock and surprise all rolled into one. Anything could happen at this point.

“I hate that word.” Gem cut at Chase’s throat only slightly, just enough for a trickle of blood to run down his Adam’s Apple. She was almost ready to kill the man. In fact, maybe she should.

“Gem!”

    Gem turned to Fox’s pleading visage staring at her, the other patrons now more fearful than ever. If a fight broke out or someone was murder, the first call of action would be to call the Royal Guard. That wouldn’t look particularly good on Gem’s resume.

    Reluctantly, she discarded Chase’s sword, tossing it carelessly onto a nearby table took up by two patrons. She didn’t immediately relieve him afterwards, however, still invading his space, practically breathing down his neck now. How the tables had turned….

“Beat it.”

    Chase certainly didn’t overstay his welcome, stumbling over chairs in his quick getaway attempt, piss staining his trousers. Gem watched him frantically reach for the door before his worthless visage disappeared behind it and into the thundery night. When calmness finally filled the girl, Gem returned to her chair and offered her sincere apologies to those who had to witness her outburst. Luckily, they were forgiving. She did just confront the brother—no—half-brother of a rapist, after all.

    “You really have to control that anger of yours. I'd hate having to take you into the station for a murder charge - my own friend.” Fox pointed out with worry. Gem silently agreed. Then, from the corner of her golden eye, she saw the firm waitress approach with a full pitcher of Firebreather.

    “You really showed him, didn’t you?” the nameless girl rather deliberately bent over the table as she poured the alcohol into Gem’s glass. Drawn to it, Gem leaned back to take in the girl’s perfectly shaped ass, tempted to slap it. Instead, in a means to play it safe, she placed her hand over it.

“You think?” the silver-haired beau answered with a cocked brow.

The raven-haired woman turned with a half-smile.

Fox rolled her eyes.


///

    Gem rolled over to the side of the bed, revealing the naked, sexed-out dainty waitress, revealed to be named Maya. Sweat matted her fringe as heaved breaths of disbelief filled her lungs. She could scarcely believe Gem was—

    “Fucking hell, that was great.” Maya cupped her breasts in her hands slowly, savouring the last few moments of her declining excitement, fingers gracing her erect nipples. The storm had since stopped, but when the two young women started fucking, the rhythmic slaps of their pussies as they tribbed initially synced with the crashes of thunder. The first rays of the morning sun were now starting to cut through the clouds. “Did we really do it that long?”

    Sat upright, Gem slipped into her underwear, the modestly firm muscles on her back bulging as she leaned back. A lone ray of sunlight burst its way into the hotel room, casting emphasis on the years-old scars whipped across the girl’s spine and the rear of her left arm. Even after so long they still nipped, but Gem wore them like armour; they made her who she was.

“You’ve got some hidden talent, I’ll tell you that” she complimented, offering a smile as she reached for her shirt.

    The door knocked, surprising the two women. Hopefully, it wasn’t Chase coming back to settle the score again, this time with a clear head. And given Gem wasn’t fully kitted yet, this time he would be at the advantage.

    “Miss?” A somewhat familiar voice again, although it luckily wasn’t Chase. Still male though. It couldn’t quite be placed who the person was. She definitely recognised the tone though. Another knock at the door, harder this time. “Miss?”

“Who is it?” Gem gestured for Maya to hide under the covers for safety’s sake.

“Open up.”

    Even though she was half-naked, the bounty hunter complied, slowly pulling the door open to reveal the same large knight who escorted her to the palace yesterday. He carried with him a sheet of paper tucked under his arm. Admittedly, all Gem could do was show a smirk.

“Here for some booty? You’re a day late, babe. You had your chance.”

    “The Queen wishes to adjust the bounty.” It was clear the knight wasn’t there for fun and games, offering an unimpressed expression to the half-naked girl before unfurling the paper held under the pit of his arm, revealing what seemed to be— “She offers you an enchantment to help.”

    Gem sighed. She was well past caring about that damned dragon job, and frankly, was honestly looking to just move on with other things. Like, spend the day with Maya. But the stamp on the paper helped draw attention to it: it came from the restricted section of the Royal Library. “What is it?”

“Her Majesty claims it to be a strength spell of sorts.”

    Gem scoffed. Spells like that were risky. Especially when they were temporary in their effects. She knew the spell would help, but that didn’t necessarily mean she’d pull through on the job. Plus, she didn’t quite fancy going head-to-head against that dragon and lose all that magic strength mid-fight. “No way; I don’t mind being a little stronger for the sake of an advantage, but it’s a risky move on its own. I can’t vouch it will even work.”

“It’s already been tested” the knight revealed.

    “On who—In fact, don’t tell me.” Gem sighed, taking the enchantment from the knight. Just from that act alone, she’d agreed to take the job. There was no going back now. “Payment?”

“Your weight’s worth in gold post-bounty.”

    Her weight’s worth in gold? That was interesting. With a perfunctory nod, she accepted the job, much to the knight’s relief. Without so much as a proper ‘thank-you’ or ‘good-bye,’ though, she blankly closed the door on him.

“Who was that?” Maya called from underneath the bed sheets.

Gem sighed. She didn’t want to do this but now was hard-pressed into otherwise. Why couldn’t she just be left alone?

“You have my number, right?”

“Uh-huh,” Maya cheerfully chirped.

    “Good.” Gem turned to her gear sporadically sprawled across the room, then to her sword, Nightshade, neatly placed up against the wall. “I gotta do something.”

[Trinitus]

Well things got alot more interesting now. I think this will tourn out to be one of my that you have made. Love Gem's personality, if you will excuse my bad pun it's quit a "gem". Keep the great work up and looking forward for then next part.

[Amnoartist]

A Court of Dragons
Written & edited by Amnoartist
Chapter 3: Dragonwing

Gem always liked speed. The rush of adrenaline that filled her whenever her customized motorbike sped through a crowd of stalled cars made the girl feel free, without bounds. Right now was no different. There might not have been any oncoming vehicles this time, but that same charge of energy coursed through her as she sharply turned around the corner, an eye every so often glancing ahead at the distant pillar of smoke where her bounty would most likely be.

She hadn't properly prepared for the impending confrontation with the fabled beast. There was no real way one could plan ahead for such an encounter; dragons were terribly unpredictable regardless of their size. the bigger they were, the more threatening in battle. Even though she somewhat struggled with it some time ago, Gem's showdown with the half-footed crippled dragon would no doubt be a walk in the park in comparison with the one she was due to face. Some of the biggest dragons ranged up to a hundred feet tall; those would be Grand dragons. Luckily, Gem knew she wouldn't be facing one of those.

That didn't necessarily mean things would be any easier.

The fierce wind battered her crash helmet, forcing her neck to jerk sharply to the right and affect her performance on the road. Passing through might've been the quickest path but also the most dangerous. But Gem, ever being the daredevil that she was, found a sense of enjoyment in that danger. It made her feel alive, like when on the road.

Before long she came to a halt near a ditch and disengage her bike's engine. Gem didn't immediately set off on her quest, taking a moment to contemplate the nature of what she was about to jump into. The idea of her weight's worth in gold as payment definitely was appealing, but might not be so if she burned to a crisp. However, she couldn't back out now; Queen Aelesia depended on her. She placed a hefty amount of trust on a near total stranger as she only knew Gem through reputation.

Gem removed her helmet, allowing her silver locks of hair to flow freely when a gust of wind caught them, her golden eyes flickering for a moment when the morning sun came to meet them. Nightshade was strapped to her back, sharpened religiously overnight to the point where the blade literally reflected off the sunlight. The sword wasn't the only weapon she had her side, however, with an titanium-limbed bow stashed near the dashboard beside a quiver storing arrows with electric points. Gem might not have been ready mentally but she was in regards to equipment.

And then there was that spell, carelessly stashed in the glove compartment. Gem honestly couldn't understand why she agreed to have the spell at her disposal in the first place. Sure, it was to stop that hot knight from practically begging her to help the queen, but that was it. Gem didn't think she'd need the spell.

Regardless, she pulled out the parchment and couldn't stop herself from offering a dry giggle. Was she actually considering saying the words just for the fun of it? "Can't believe I'm doing this."

The words on the sheet of paper were Elvish, a language Gem didn't exactly have a degree in. She knew a few words and phrases but likely not enough to woo someone. It didn't help that the spell was written parchment arguably decades older than her. Maybe even older. Her eyes squinting, she even struggled with making out what the actual words were. Would it even be worth Gem's time to try? Actually, yes. Natural curiosity played a part in the young woman's endeavour.

She uttered the charm's words slowly, making sure to get those accents right, not to mention the evident tongue-twisting contractions. But--nothing. Gem didn't even feel different let alone start to look it. So it was a bogus spell and she'd been duped into working for the Queen? Great. It made Gem question whether there was even a real dragon on the loose burning villages. The anger she felt--how it filled her.

"Fucking great." She re-engaged her bike's engine to turn back home, but---

It might've been distant but that roar was definitely real. There was no way it could be faked. The trees themselves shook as if in fear of the creature gracefully gliding in the distance; a large black beast with sharp-pointed wings tall as a giant, teeth filed to points rivalling the sharpness of Gem's own blade.

There was no questioning it now: the dragon was real.

Gem hastily grabbed her bow and arrow quiver, sliding down the ditch carefully to ensure the rocks jutting from the wet mud didn't hit her. She'd already done that often enough in the past and paid dearly by losing nearly half her equipment, even Nightshade. Looking upwards, she followed the dragon's path to what seemed to be an open field with a large hill in the centre. The dragon perched itself delicately on the rocks before extending its long, thickly scaled neck to its full height as Gem came into view, bow at the ready.

But she stopped.

She didn't expect the dragon to be this big. But then, she didn't expect to be facing off against one either. At least, not really. It must've been at least fifty feet tall and those thick scales implied it was heavily protected. Her weapons might help but would not be enough to offer a proper success in the upcoming conflict. Why did the spell have to be bogus?

Before she could come up with even a decent offensive strategy against the beast, the dragon's scaly gut started to glow a vibrant orange-red hue building up to a fierce outburst of flames, prompting Gem to hastily roll behind the safety of a boulder. She only just managed to reach it in time - a second too late and--

Not thinking straight, she fired a blind-eye shot at the dragon's right shoulder, the electrically charged arrow piercing the skies before ultimately bouncing off the beast's seemingly indestructible hide. If anything, Gem just wasted an arrow. How many did she have again? The untimely fate of her bolt didn't deter the young woman's confidence, however; swiping a hand over the face of her opposing forearm, a pulsing purple light burst to life to create a magic shield covering the length of her arm. It was weightless, fortunately, but as always, spells either lasted for so long or were prone to fault under excessive damage. Gem was yet to find out how much damage a shield could take when going up against a dragon.

She was blindsided, however, as the dragon's tail took Gem by surprise and whipped around the boulder she took refuge behind and smacked her clean off her feet. Gravity took hold and pushed her forward until she landed in a ditch flat on her back. Admittedly, the sheer force of the dragon's strike should've outright killed Gem, but at best it merely winded her. That wasn't to say it didn't hurt though. God, her ribs: did she still have them?

The dragon paced forward, its nostrils flaring and leg tendons bounding. Its breath quickening, Gem could tell the beast was readying for another attack but she was still recouping her will to breathe. Rolling onto her front, she blinked hazily for a moment before reaching for Nightshade - and then she saw it.

It wasn't there the last time she looked. That said, Gem didn't exactly expect to see it all for that matter. It probably busted her sleeves when she flew through the air, cutting through them like scissors through paper to reveal the bulging bicep underneath, the gentle hint of a peak split running down the centre. She was worriedly shocked at first but soon smiled at the potential advantage there might be now. Nightshade felt lighter in the silver-haired girl's grip, suggesting her strikes might come faster.

"About time."

So the spell did work. Sure, it took its time but better late than never.

Persistent, the dragon hissed in preparation for its next attack, wings extended as if to suggest it would take flight. No, it wasn't scared by Gem's changes, simply adapting its tactics somewhat, taking to more aerial based strikes. Not on Gem's watch, though. She readied another arrow, using her newly-acquired strength to draw the string back further than usual for more distance and potential damage, her bicep quivering with the motion, biting her lip to suggest concentration. She released her shot, aiming for the same shoulder as before but this time the arrow stuck and chipped away at the dragon's scales to expose its weaker flesh.

A piercing roar filled the skies, disturbing what remained of the hidden wildlife and cut through Gem's ears. She fell to her knees, hands over her eardrums. God, she had no idea a dragon's screams could be so loud. Not even the half-foot was that powerful. Even though the agonised roar persisted, Gem planned her next move. The bones on the wings: maybe she was strong enough to pull one off and use it to her advantage? It was risky, but battles were won by taking risks.

"Come on!" Taunting her enemy, Gem led the dragon on by gesturing towards herself. Thankfully it took the bait, giving Gem the opportunity to dive-roll underneath the creature's fatty gut and blindsided with a swift strike to the underside of its wing near the exposed shoulder. Keeping herself hidden underneath its belly, the dragon grew irritated at its inability to seek out Gem before an irked outburst of flames came thundering from its mouth and burned the surrounding grass, encasing the two opponents in a ring of fire.

As life-threatening as it was, Gem enjoyed this.

Then she saw a bone protruding from the wing. Decently damaged enough to do some real damage to her opponent. With the dragon still blindly looking for her, she seized the moment given to her and gripped the bone with both hands, sucking her teeth as her biceps bulged with the effort applied to what she thought would be an easy task. Every so often the bone loosened up, but doing so also gave away her position. The dragon ducked its head under to find the struggling Gem hastily pull and pull, listening to the fleshy squelches as the bone almost came free. The beast felt the bone shift but didn't scream like before, rather persistently bite away at Gem, potentially building up to another torrent of fire.

When the bone did finally break free, it did so so quickly that Gem staggered backwards until she tripped over a small rock and fell flat on her back - again - directly under the dragon's gut. Time was against her: the dragon was persistent enough now to twist its head under its own neck in an effort to reach in even closer, eyes bright and large. fear overcame Gem. This was the moment where she stood between life and death, awkwardly balancing herself between both potential fates. If she succeeded in piercing the dragon's gut with the sharp bone pulled from its wing the beast would die, but the sheer weight of the monster would also collapse atop her. That or the dragon would just outright burn her before she even got the chance. Either way, death was most likely the outcome for Gem.

"Fuck it." Gem didn't go through all that trouble not to at least try killing the beast. With all her strength she cut the bone through its belly, every so often thrusting more of her own arm into it for added depth. Before long the dragon started to jerk sporadically and release choke-like roars that weren't as powerful as before. If anything, they were pathetic whimpers. But Gem wasn't out of the clear just yet. In fact, this was it. Looking at the small opening, she knew it would be impossible for her to make it out in time before the dragon collapsed over her.

Before long, darkness came over Gem as the deceased dragon's weight started to flop over and collapsed over her, causing a column of dust to form over its massive corpse.

///

Night came. When its fight with Gem took place, the dragon's roars could be heard for miles. But nobody came to help. Not even when silence seemed to suddenly replace the dreaded noise.

The dragon's corpse just laid there, already starting to show signs of decay, its scales brittle and wings curled. Again, the beast just laid there; anyone could've claimed ownership of it and sell it on for heaps of gold if they passed by, but---

The dragon's weight shifted as if to wake from slumber, the left side of its body jerking before the other followed suit in advance of its full scaled torso moving as if to stretch skyward. Before long, its gut moved off from the ground, taking its tail with it to reveal Gem underneath, slowly pulling the full weight of the dragon over her head. Her outfit had been torn and split to reveal the newly-grown muscles and battle wounds; striated pectoral meat decorated with bleeding scratching from the dragon's claws, teardrop quads enhanced with gentle veins. Her biceps quivered in response to the beast's absurd weight. Even with her new muscles she still struggled but that didn't mean she disliked the challenge behind her predicament. If anything, the struggle only aided her body, making it even stronger than it already was; her trunky quads quivered as the dragon's mass endeavoured to hold her down but only ultimately forced her legs to swell powerfully, allowing the girl to pull the dead beast even higher, making it all the easier.

When strong enough, she carelessly tossed the dragon's corpse to her side and perfunctorily shrugged, feeling the ever thicker mass on her shoulders roll before brushing the dust off.

"Fuck you."

Looking over the dragon's corpse, Gem postulated her next move. The beast might've been killed but she needed to provide proof of that to the Queen, else there would be no payment. And then she saw the beast's head before a crafty smile formed on her lips. Gripping the horns at either side, she started pulling, feeling that same tautness in her biceps as before, listening to the creature's head slowly but surely strip away from its thick neck.

"Well, you won't be needing this anymore."

[Trinitus]

Great chapter! 
The battle scene was nicely written and the slight tease of Gem's muscles was well.. teasing. Looking oh so forward to the next part and if you keep on writting this good I might need to start supporting you on Patreon.

[Lupus753]

I hope her muscles last a while.

[Amnoartist]

A Court of Dragons
Written & edited by Amnoartist
Chapter 4: Her Weight’s Worth

The royal court was divided. While news of the dragon’s demise at the hands of Gem had spread fast and wide, it was mere hearsay until she returned with solid evidence. It didn’t help that other certain developments proved more important than the death of a mythical creature that once terrorised the locals of an otherwise peaceful village.

Aelesia’s personal bodyguard Enid Woodhall, stood by her side silent as a grave yet fiercely confident with her signature deadpan expression as the forum incessantly squabbled over a trivial matter, yet their ever-raising voices made it feel all so important. Enid was always sharply dressed—even now—in a suit and tie, a blonde mane flowing over her back. She always hated the court for its unimportant bickering, just as the Queen did now.

“This change you’ve made, Your Majesty, is contrary to your personality.” Jaen Lurin, one of the court’s most dependable members, more often than not spoke his tongue even if it might prove to be a backlash in the future, a grizzled and bearded soldier-turned-politician—and a good one no less. “The rashness of this adjustment to your character might prove to backfire on you with the people.”

There were resounded murmurs of agreement to Jaen’s words, much to the Queen’s surprise. On most occasions the vast majority of the loyal committee agreed with her—although, that might’ve been due to their concealed anxiousness over the reminder her mother was a tyrant when on the throne. Aelesia had, regardless of that hard fact, repeatedly reassured the court she wouldn’t go down the same path as her. In spite of that—

“Sometimes Mister Lurin, change is seen as a positive, whether drastic or not.” Her words barely helped, only seemed to stoke the fire of disapproval already hanging high in the air. Enid shared the Queen’s dissatisfaction, rolling her eyes derisively turning them towards the door, hoping ever so slightly for the bickering to end. “The people may find a sense of security in this change.”

“At the very least, Your Majesty, wait a few days before—”

Aelesia threw her palm down onto the throne’s armrest in anger, clearly irked by Jaen’s repeated opposition. Her decision was final—how hard was it to see that? The court remained silent even afterwards, with the Queen’s abrupt action more powerful than a thousand words. “I will hear no more on this matter. My body is mine. I will do with it as I see fit.”

Jaen wordlessly sized the youthful royal up from calf to neck, asking himself why she saw the need to use the strength spell. There might’ve been a bit of truth in her words about testing its validity, but why did she feel the need to perform it on herself and what good could it possibly do her? The court member was at least thankful his Queen’s garments still fit her after the initial exposure to the spell—albeit only just—else the situation at hand would prove more unreasonable.

“Now, unless there’s something else to attend to—”

The throne room burst open, revealing a half-naked Gem casually dragging the decapitated head of the dragon she struggled with not a couple of hours earlier, her arms swollen and bulging from the weight of the creature that would otherwise be ridiculous to other people. Her clothes had been ripped to shred to expose just about every major muscle group: abs, pecs, delts, traps, lats, biceps, triceps, quads… She barely wore anything but didn’t seem to care. The royal court was once again divided: some were utterly amazed at the feat, while others were repulsed by the blatant lack of modesty Gem flaunted. Her cuts and bruises were still fresh and ached but didn’t hinder her determination in the slightest way.

The dragon’s head was carelessly tossed to the edge of the throne’s step just a few yards away from Aelesia’s feet, who couldn’t help but smirk at the bounty hunter’s resilience and boldness in the face of the royal court. The silver-haired girl didn’t care much for anything at this point but—

“There’s your dragon.” She swivelled to face the onlooking members of the court with a half-smirk, knowing they were even just slightly impressed by her feat. Of course, it all came down to using the spell, which Gem—from the corner of her golden eye—could tell the Queen had definitely used. So that’s who it was tested on, she thought. Not that she cared. “Now I expect you to uphold your end of the deal. My weight’s worth of gold.”

Aelesia couldn’t deny the tinge of disappointment in her heart from hearing the hunter’s words. Admittedly, she hoped Gem would have even just a slight change of heart and not bring up the subject of payment so soon. But the Queen was—even after her drastic physical change—still naive.

Astrid had a few words to say though.

“You really do only care about the money, don’t you?” She peeled away from the Queen’s side to stare directly into Gem’s irises. They might’ve been golden as goblets, but they didn’t reflect her grey and self-serving personality. To Astrid, Gem was no better than a criminal.

Gem scoffed, holding her palm out. “So long as it’s my weight’s worth, yeah.”

If it were up to her, Astrid would refuse to pay Gem as otherwise agreed upon, but she could feel her Queen’s gaze, knowing it was best to just hand the gold over and leave Gem be. The bounty hunter had thoughts of her own, however: knowing the Queen had gone through some much-needed “changes,” meaning Gem wouldn’t—thankfully—be pestered by her again.

Aelesia nodded at Astrid, giving the go-ahead to hand over the agreed payment, which painted an all-too greedy smile on Gem’s face.

///

It was a tradition for Gem to celebrate her victories in the local pub. It was even more so for her to spend just about every penny she earned that night, be it on booze, women or men. Or all three at once. But this night was different—this night she wanted to not spend her money, but flaunt her transformed self and gain even more gold through means she knew would ever be in her favour: arm wrestling.

The regular patrons looked in befuddlement, hard-pressed in their efforts to understand how Gem transformed into the sight before them in only a couple of hours. It had to be magic surely—that of the most unsafe kind. She revelled in her changes, casually downing yet another pint of Firebreather as her fourth opponent was thrust to the floor with the strength of her wrist alone. It was clear Gem had to understand where the boundaries of her strength lay, but it certainly wasn’t within the realms of the ordinary.

The confident bounty hunter hadn’t bothered to change out of the torn outfit worn when duelling the dragon, quad meat spilling out from the deep blue denim jeans whilst her expansive chest had been laid bare for all to gawk at and be hopelessly envious of.

One of the observing patrons looked on as a solitary vein snaked across the length of Gem’s arm, throbbing lightly as if it were a metaphor for the true extent of her strength screaming to be let out, close to bursting. She could actually feel it; like the blue tubing was an external entity that latched itself onto her, not something inside the silver-haired beau crucial to keeping her alive.

She pulled her arms up into a triumphant double-bicep pose, much to the growing number of spectators’ amusement, cheering her on and passing over not only fresh pints of Firebreather, but bags of gold too. Her weight’s worth in it excluded, she must've earned around another four hundred pieces. And the night was young yet.

“Here’s a real challenge for you, lass.” An off-duty knight passed his sword over to the mighty Gem, far too sloshed to care what his superiors would say in the morning. The blade in question looked relatively new, sharp as a sword could be, which might’ve hinted at how experienced this knight actually was. “See what you can do with this. Made of Binerium steel.”

Gem knew she wasn’t offered that much of a challenge, even in the face of it. She was more than content with raking cash off all those booze-riddled men, knowing Firebreather somehow just didn’t seem to affect her performance. “Best get that gold bagged now chaps.”

She didn’t hesitate to grab the weapon even if it was sharp enough to cut into a Woodling, smiling as her hand gripped the blade’s tip with unwavering confidence. The patrons merely looked on as Gem took the sword to her chest, pressing its expertly -crafted beauty into the inches-thick beefiness that was her pecs. Quicker than one could count to three in Elvish, Gem began warping the sword with the power of her chest, the steel visibly and audibly warping before those who watched, all magnetically drawn to the girl’s magnificence. It wasn’t long before the crowd submitted in advance and laid forth all their money to Gem. Some even threw jewellery in her direction as the sword slipped from her cleavage and carelessly clattered to the knight’s feet.

“Another ‘challenge’ maybe?” Gem looked into the eyes of the patrons in the hopes that her question would be met with an honest and worthy answer. But she was met with only eyes filled with awe. She was amazing, and it was all thanks to the spell the naïve Queen gave her. Gem was quick to think that with her new strength and power, she could take on every bounty job imaginable, even intimidate other bounty hunters into giving their contracts up if she felt like it. Simply put: nothing could stop her from doing what she wanted—

--right?

[Amnoartist]

Really well written story as usual Amno. Really like how Gem just does not care about being basiclly nude and just uses it for her advantage.And the scenen with the sword A+.

Heheh, thanks for thekind words, Trinitus. yeah, I'll admit it was a hoot to write the scene with the sword

[Amnoartist]

Started work on chapter 5 of A Court of Dragons today. I felt it was time to explore Gem's softer side.

[sgsg69]

Amazing story, great writing talent............KARMA to you. I like the blend of modernism wrapped around the age of magic, knights, dragons, days of old. Very cool style.

[Amnoartist]

A Court of Dragons
Written & edited by Amnoartist
Chapter 5: Auntie Gem

It’d been months since Gem last visited Little Blossoms Orphanage, the place she’d taken to call home for almost twenty years. Countless friendships were formed there, like Katherine who now ran the establishment, memories of which never failed to swarm Gem and force her emotions out.

Stood at the front door, she looked around the porch. The dahlias Jasmine planted the last time she visited were starting to blossom now and the scarecrow was mostly intact, with straw jutting from its waist and neck. The wicker chair directly to Gem’s left definitely needed a bit of work though. The poor thing had been neglected for years. Gem would’ve offered to fix it if she wasn’t always on the road.

Looking down, she noticed the fresh mud on her boots. Perfect. Sister Katherine would have a field day with that and Gem wouldn’t hear the end of it. In fact, it probably wouldn’t just be the mud that’d set her off, but the complete physical change that Gem went through. Although their opinions on it certainly differed, the two women didn’t come to blows over Gem’s profession. It kept the place safe, after all.

As for her sword. Gem couldn’t exactly just leave it at home. Threats could come from anywhere at any moment. Besides, the sword was pretty much part of Gem, an extension of herself. Without it, she’d feel naked. Not to mention the kids liked to look at it, much to Sister Katherine chagrin.

The door opened and there she was, clear as day. Confusion took hold of the young abbess for a moment, looking at Gem as though she were a stranger. Had the spell changed her so much that she was completely unrecognizable? Or was Sister Katherine just pulling Gem’s leg as she often used to do? Preferably, it was the latter.

“Come on, Katherine. Don’t tell me I’ve changed that much.”

“Gem?” Katherine sized Gem up from head to toe, then shoulder-to-shoulder, taken aback by her childhood friend’s drastic changes. “My, you’ve certainly changed a bit since we last saw each other.”

“Is it a bit much?” Gem checked herself over, taking into consideration how the kids would react to seeing ‘Auntie Gem’ look all buff so suddenly. “Maybe the kids’ll be freaked out by it.”

Katherine chuckled. Knowing them better than Gem did, she was of the mind the kids would probably feel a little bit surprised by their favourite visitor’s new look, but eventually come to accept it in the sense that it would become a constant topic of conversation. “They’ll certainly be inspired by it in some fashion.”

Katherine glanced at Gem’s hand and smirked at the dried blood smeared on her knuckles. Another fisticuffs bout probably, not to mention one-sided in the silver-haired beau’s favour. “Another fight?”

Gem caught Katherine’s glances and panicked at the smudge of blood. What would the kids think if they saw that? More to the point, what would they think of her? All they knew was that she catches bad guys,’ an otherwise obvious double entendre for the fact she kills them. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her gloves and slipped them on.

“There,” she smiled, “almost like nothing happened.”

Katherine chuckled. “It definitely is you, Gem. Come on, let’s go meet the kids. Take those boots off before you do, though.”

Gem chuckled. "I might've changed in the last few months, but doubt you ever will."

///

“Tell us more, Auntie Gem! How’d you beat the dragon?”

Gem scoffed. How did the kids hear about that? The skirmish with the dragon was almost a day’s ride from here. Her struggle with the scaled beast surely was that renowned? There were far better fighters out there than her. But looking at their marvelled faces, Gem realized the kids didn’t care about them - they weren’t her; they weren’t Auntie Gem.

Gem knelt near the fire as she always did, even as a kid, quads casually swelling outwards against the denim of her jeans, simply fascinated by the children’s enthusiasm. The number of tales she could tell outside of that regarding the dragon was near endless. There was that time she duelled atop a subway train, expertly dodging ongoing tunnels and fireballs; the moment when she scrapped with a Lycan who sought revenge - all before she changed.

“Oh, okay. I used a little bit of magic that I, honestly, thought wouldn’t work and was a waste of time.” Just with those two sentences, Gem had near doubled the youngsters’ spark of excitement. Gem had always known them to be a lively bunch, but there was something about the way she recalled her tales of adventure that they were forever magnetized by the young woman.

“Is that how you got the muscles?” one of the girls asked.

Gem chuckled. The girl who asked was named Petal, one of the brighter kids who would probably amount to good things when older, aspiring to be a politician even at such a young age. Petal had better aspirations in life than Gem ever did, but that wasn’t why the two were nigh inseparable when together. That was reserved for the fact Gem saw herself in Petal, mostly for the miserable upbringing by abusive parents.

“Yes, Petal, that’s right. I didn’t think the spell would work but have to count myself lucky that it did. I wouldn’t be here otherwise.”

The children murmured and let out a dramatic ‘Ooooh’ in unison. Gem chuckled even at that.

Unfortunately, that brought an end to the day’s storytelling, signalled by Sister Katherine standing behind the children near the door with someone who Gem swore she recognized, but there was an odd feeling gnawing at her brain trying to remember her name. Even the snowy white hair draped over her black top or black eyeliner didn't do much to help. Was the goth look back in or what?

“Okay kids, that’s a wrap for today. Go have some fun.” Gem seemed to have a remarkable effect on the young ones, as they would otherwise complain if Sister Katherine asked them to scatter.

Gem stood up, the fact she couldn’t place the name of the white-haired stranger still gnawing at her. Sister Katherine seemed to notice Gem’s unease and offered to break the ice that, honestly, shouldn’t even be there. The odd thing was that this snow-maned stranger recognized Gem, even if she herself wasn’t called to mind.

“Come on, Gem, don’t tell me you’ve forgotten Midnight?” Sister Katherine stood in wait, hoping the awkwardness between the two women melted away, but that wasn’t exactly the case, unfortunately. It was true Gem recognized her old roommate when mentioned by name, but it also helped resurface the memories they shared; the memories Gem would prefer to keep shrouded. Knowing this, it made Gem wonder why Katherine would accept Midnight back for whatever reason.

Regardless, Gem decided to keep the past buried for the kids’ sake. Extending her hand, she smiled, hiding the rage she would otherwise ever so wish to release. “Of course, how could I forget?”

“It’s been years, hasn’t it, Gem?” The women shook hands, but Gem made it a point to show she was the one in charge, tightening her grip around Midnight’s knuckles to make it feel as though a vice closed around her hand. Midnight managed to slip her hand free, much to Gem’s irritation, smiling as though nothing had happened, even if she could feel the throbbing pain in her joints.

“Too long,” Gem quipped. Katherine was aware of the sarcasm in Gem’s voice, while Midnight was evidently innocent of it. Or, at least, she appeared that way. The Sister scolded Gem by way of a brisk glance, but the silver-haired bounty hunter didn’t care. The three were all friends at one point, back when they were orphans, but it was clear Katherine chose to forget certain things.

“Midnight’s been working here as a tutor for the last four months.” Katherine patted the pale-haired girl on the back as if to suggest there was a sense of pride in the fact. Had the Sister forgotten what happened or did she just not care? Granted, everyone’s allowed a second chance, but Midnight had several.

The ensuing silence implied Gem wasn’t particularly happy with the news Sister Katherine otherwise seemed pleased to share. Midnight though—

“You been working out a bit over the years?” Midnight looked at her former roommate with what seemed to be a form of respect, reaching out to grope Gem’s rippling arms. Gem didn’t give a shit about that, rather more interested in the fact Midnight had been given a job at the orphanage, of all places, around the kids.

Gem yanked her arm back swiftly.

“Gem, what’s gotten into you lately?” Katherine was starting to get annoyed by Gem’s cold-shoulder attitude.

Gem scoffed, finding it hard to believe Katherine actually had to ask that. “You can’t be fucking serious…”

“Language,” Midnight scolded.

“Aw, fuck you!"

Shocked gasps came from a group of youngsters peeking out from behind the wall listening in on the women’s conversation. Gem took the fact she swore in front of them to heart and gasped in shock. They expected better from her than that. Gem let herself down.

“Can we talk for a minute? In private?” Gem grit her teeth, glaring at Katherine.

Katerine nodded. “My office.”

Gem started following Katherine but stopped upon realizing Midnight was shadowing them. Gem made it a point to poke the dishonest woman in the chest as each fiery word burst from her lips. “Not. You.”

Sister Katherine turned to Midnight and nodded. This conversation was best held only between the Sister and Gem.

///

“What the hell are you thinking, letting her be around the kids like that?” Gem’s rage was close to reaching boiling point. At that moment, it was anyone’s guess what could happen. Her otherwise beautiful golden eyes sparkled as if they exemplified the towering rage she sought to drive off, fist clenched. “Do you have any idea how dangerous that is? How dangerous she is?”

“She says she’s better. It certainly reflects in her work around the young ones.” Sister Katherine, it seemed, was steadfast in her position to oppose any argument against Midnight, presented by a long-time friend or not. Nonetheless, it certainly didn’t do anything to change Gem’s views. “Wouldn’t be surprised if they end up calling her Auntie Midnight sooner or later.

Auntie Mid— Gem rolled her eyes in disbelief, an obviously irritated sigh bursting from her lungs. Katherine truly had forgotten what happened once upon a time, didn’t she? Perhaps she needed some reminding for the kids’ sake, but Gem didn’t want to come across as a troublemaker after all those months away. What good would not reminding her good friend do, though? If something happened on account of that, Gem probably wouldn’t live it down.

“She burnt the fucking orphanage down, Katherine! Maybe not deliberately, but it happened.” Gem flinched, remembering the scent of charred flesh as though the accident occurred only yesterday. Gem wished there was a way she could somehow forget what happened forever, but it was always there in the back of her mind. The poor girl even had the scars to prove it. “Had to pull Jinx out from under the wardrobe, while everything was collapsing around us. He spent months in the healer’s care—”

“—I remember what happened!” Katherine’s head was now in her hands, sharing the same dark memories as her friend. Regrettably, that Midnight reduced the orphanage to nought but cinders was an unfortunate truth, but it was beyond her control, as were her powers at the time. “But everyone deserves second chances. You know that.”

“She is way past that. Besides, Nolan didn’t get a second chance, did he?”

Katherine was close to tears but Gem didn’t care. The truth hurt: a fact Gem learned early in life. Truthfully, she hated seeing her friend crumble like this, but it was an instance of tough love.

“Kat. I love the kids with all my heart. If necessary, I’d lay down my life for them.” Gem stopped herself. Was what she planned to say next perhaps the best thing to do, or should she just quit while ahead? “But if you want what’s best for them, you’ll let Midnight go before I tell the authorities you’re sheltering a killer.”

“You wouldn’t. Pot kettle black!”

Gem smirked. “Right. Difference between us is, I don’t kill kids.”

Katherine had been put between a rock and a hard place: to do the right thing or prove to Gem that Midnight was a better person. Arguably, even better than Gem.

“So…” Gem leaned in closer, gripping Katherine’s desk so tight that the wood casually started to split and crack under her palm, finally starting to release that pent-up rage. “…what’s it gonna be?”