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As the nights continued to pass and their travels grew faster, the initial awkwardness that had grown between them quickly passed. Ellowyn continued to service Kriss after he changed over and Calivara, who changed his name to Varren, had convinced Ashimaru to sleep with him more than once, as well. At first the drow was apprehensive towards the advances of the demon, but after his initial outburst of power, Varren managed to keep his seduction techniques down for them to talk without either one jumping the other. For the last two nights, once Ellowyn had transformed back into Ashimaru, the demonic drow had brought him into his bed before they resumed their tracking.

One morning as Ellowyn took off as usual, hearing Ashimaru's voice speak up after a few minutes. "So this has certainly turned into quite the trip," the drow said mentally as the dragon let out a scoff in reply. "Hey Ellowyn, can I ask you a personal question and have you promise that you won't get angry or upset?"

"Well normally someone says that before they're about to say something that will make who they're talking about either angry or upset," Ellowyn smirked. "But seeing how we're friends and you can pretty much read my thoughts, anyway, I don't see why not. What is it?"

"Are you jealous of Varren?" Ashimaru asked bluntly, catching Ellowyn by surprise and causing him to tailspin for a few seconds before he righted himself and began flying straight again.

"What do you mean jealous of Varren?" Ellowyn replied. "I was trying to get you to sleep with him when he was still a female drow, why would I be jealous now?"

"Well it's just about what you've said before," the drow explained. "I think you were fine when Varren was Calivara because he was a she before. Now that I've been with him as a male, I think you might get a bit envious because I know you wanted to get with me before, and don't try to deny it. I've seen your dreams and heard those surface thoughts you try to hide sometimes."

Ellowyn hung his head down slightly and looked down at the ground. Even though he didn't particularly feel like explaining himself, he knew every thought he had, the drow could pick up as long as it was near the surface, and the questions caused a lot of those thoughts to do so. For the dragon the truth was that he had been jealous that he couldn't have been the first male that Ashimaru was with. Though at this exact moment it was impossible due to their living arrangements, the fact he had been taken by an innocuous-for-now incubus for the sole purpose to help him get fed and slake his needs angered him. At first they worried that Varren was actually eating Ashimaru's soul, but after two days and no ill effects, it appeared the transformation had rendered that part of his feeding cycle inactive.

"Ellowyn..." Ashimaru's voice rang out inside the dragon's skull, which shifted his thoughts to the present.

"I know, I know," Ellowyn replied. "It's the situation, just like what I do for Kriss, but that still doesn't stop me from wondering what would have happened-"

"No, not that," Ashimaru quickly corrected. "Look out to your left."

The preoccupied dragon looked up and gasped slightly when he saw the column of black smoke rising up from a ridge set into one of the nearby hills. "That's definitely bigger than a bonfire," Ellowyn noted. "Do you think we should go back and wake the others to investigate?"

"By the time we get all the way back and travel up this way, whatever clues or evidence we need might not be there anymore." Ashimaru reasoned. "As much I hate leaving the two behind, I think we need to take the initiative on this one and at least check it out. Luckily we found this at the beginning of the day, it'll be easier for you to escape if there's trouble."

Ellowyn nodded and banked down towards the origin the smoke, flying in low and landing a couple hundred feet away from it. Once he had landed Ashimaru appeared next to him and together the two crept through the woods towards the source. About halfway to their approach they found a large, well-used cart path that made their journey easier, though they continued to keep to the side in case someone tried to use it. They continued to go unspotted as the trees turned to barren land, then coming across a cave cut into the side of the hill and a mess of burnt-up mining equipment.

"It's a dwarven mining encampment," Ashimaru said as they walked further in. "Or what's left of one at least. A similar one moved in near my tribe and stayed for a few years to mine for copper. They must have been doing the same thing here... but if this is our star-carrier's doing, then why would he go out of his way to come here? This way is the opposite of the capital, he probably lost a day coming here."

"I don't know," Ellowyn responded. "But if there's anything like those creatures we saw at the demon hunter temple, I'm getting out as soon as I see them."

The camp remained eerily quiet; however, as the two grew bolder and walked out into the open. As they walked out into the light they didn't see any of the miners, living or dead, nor any sign of the one they were pursuing. "Maybe this wasn't them," Ellowyn finally said as they looked in their fourth empty tent. "It could be a group of raiders or some mountain trolls that decided to come down and visit them, or they could have mined out the stone and decided to just burn out the equipment instead of taking it with them."

"No... I can sense the fallen star was here..." Ashimaru responded as his ethereal form looked around. "I just don't think it was here very long. If we could just find something around here that could give us a clue about what happened..."

Ellowyn shrugged and opened up one of sheds that had been built near the edge of the ridge, his eyes widening when something darted straight for him. "Yahhhh!" the shadowy creature cried out as the dragon rolled out of the way just in time to avoid a pickaxe getting buried in his skull as the dwarf looked at him with wild eyes. "Thought you'd come back to finish me off, eh?! I ain't afraid of no dragon, no matter what he looks like!"

"Wait!" Ellowyn screamed, only to have to jump backwards to avoid a second swing that nearly nailed him in the neck. "I'm not here to hurt you!" A third swipe at him nicked him in the shoulder, but the metal glanced off his scales and it allowed the dragon to get close enough to take a forepaw and smash the weapon out of his hands. "Will you stop it?!"

"Come at me, monster!" the dwarf shouted as he put up his hands in fisticuffs, only to fall backwards when Ashimaru appeared next to Ellowyn. "A shadow elf, too?! From what infernal pit did ya crawl out of to torment me?!"

"We're not here to torment you," Ashimaru tried to explain. "If anything we're here to help, we are tracking someone that has a very powerful magical artifact that we think may have come through this area. If you could just calm down for a moment and talk to us, you can see that we do not want to hurt you."

Both dragon and drow waited while the fallen dwarf continued to eye them up wearily, then when it appeared he no longer thought of them as a threat, the stout male got up and brushed himself off. "Perhaps I may have overreacted when I came at you like that," he admitted. "You have to understand though where I'm coming from, though. Not more than a few days ago a creature came into our encampment and promised us that if we helped him out, he could create weapons for us made of star crystal that would never break."

"So he was here after all," Ellowyn stated as he looked around. "But why?"

"I'll tell ya why," the dwarf said as he walked over and picked up his axe. "The bastard took our entire stock of powder! Everyone I know is gone over a few lousy barrels of explosive ordnance!"

"Whoa whoa whoa..." Ashimaru said as he could see the dwarf starting to get riled up once again. "Look, I know this is probably hard for you, but if you could start from the beginning and tell us what happened, we can get all the information we need in one go. Perhaps you could start with your name?"

The dwarf looked as though he was about to speak once more, but then sighed and stroked his beard before he motioned for them all to follow him as he walked further into the camp. They soon reached a large wooden structure near the edge of the mountain where the dwarf explained they had meals and sheltered themselves from inclement weather. When they got inside it looked like a major fight had broken out, tables were turned over and scarred with weapon gashes and chairs either were turned over or smashed into pieces. As they sat down at one of the few untouched tables, the dwarf introduced himself as Gavios.

"I had been down deep in the mine to assess if we had completely tapped the ore vein we had found here, as well as if there were any others, so I didn't see the stranger come into our camp," the dwarf started as he took a glass and poured a drink for Ellowyn, who just looked down at it as Gavios continued. "It's probably the only thing that saved my life that day, had I been up there with the rest of them... Anyway, I was just about to start on another tunnel when Darthir, a good friend of mine, came up to me and with much excitement explained that a drow had just traded them mining tools made of starmetal that cut through this stone like it was water. It sounded too good to be true, especially considering the composition of this stone has been chewing through our old picks near weekly."

"So this drow just decided to go ahead and give you these new mystical tools and no one bats an eye at it?" Ashimaru asked.

"I wasn't privy to the discussion of my kin up on the surface," Darthir replied before he downed his own glass and refilled it once more. "By the way Darthir talked about it you would have thought our dreams came true... but by the time I got up to the surface, I found out it had all turned into a nightmare."

Both Ashimaru and Ellowyn looked at each other then back at the dwarf. "I'm sorry, Gavios," Ellowyn stated. "Were they all... dead?"

The miner just shook his head and took another long swig of his drink before he continued on. "I wish they were dead," he confessed. "I knew something was wrong when I heard shouting further up the mine. By the time we got there the other miners that had decided to play with their new toys early had... changed. That accursed metal seemed to graft itself right into their bodies and twist their flesh until they became these terrible monsters. We managed to get by them, but further ahead there were more of those creatures and they... they slaughtered everyone that hadn't been turned into one of them."

"That is terrible to hear," Ashimaru conforted while the dwarf paused. "How did you manage to escape, if I may ask?"

"Darthir and I managed to sneak a minecart along the tracks back up to the entrance," Gavios explained. "Not the most noble or courageous of ways to escape, but our weapons were useless against these creatures. Then, once we made it back to the mine, I managed to use what little powder the thieving, backstabbing, murdering dark elf hadn't taken and blew the whole entrance to the mine so they couldn't escape. Once that was done I told Darthir to go to town for help and I stayed here to make sure none of them got out... that was a few days ago."

There was another long bout of silence between the three, but just as the drow was about to ask if he had heard from his friend yet, they all suddenly heard a loud clatter that caused them all to look up. They all suddenly stood up and stepped back as a creature that neither dragon nor drow had ever seen before suddenly barged into the room. Its entire body was either twisted flesh or glittering metal with a pick and shovel grafted where his arms would be. "Darthir?!" Gavios shouted before the corrupted dwarf let out a loud, guttural cry and charged at them.

Ashimaru shouted for them to run, but the other two needed little encouragement as they bolted for the mess hall door. The sound of wood splintering could be heard behind them as the starmetal-infused dwarf chopped and crashed through tables to cut a path. By the time they made it out of the building and started back up towards the clearing, the wall next to the door exploded outwards from the monster giving chase. With it right on their heels, Gavios quickly began to fall behind the powerful form of the dragon, and as soon as he saw that, Ellowyn stopped just long enough for the dwarf to get on his back before they continued once more.

Even with Ellowyn's superior speed they still found the deranged dwarf keeping pace with them as they ran up the dirt road towards the clearing where they had landed in the first place. "Ash, you need to distract him!" the dragon shouted as he dodged left to avoid the axe swung at him that cleaved into the ground. "I can't take off like this!"

"What do you want me to do?" Ashimaru shouted back, gesturing at his incorporeal form.

"Try something!" Ellowyn shouted as he avoided another blow. "Anything!"

The dark elf stood there as dragon and dwarf continued to try and avoid the powerful blows of the creature attacking them. It appeared his current form either couldn't be seen or was actively ignored by the corrupted monster and opted instead to continue to press an attack. Gavios pulled the hand axe off of his back, and with a loud battle cry, threw it at the creature as well, only to have the weapon bounce of the metal skin without making a dent. The action reminded Ashimaru of his own armaments, and when he reached back he found a spectral version of his own bow and quiver back there like it would have been in real life.

Though it was unneeded, Ashimaru took a deep breath and grabbed a translucent arrow from his quiver and nocked it on the string. The draw of the bow felt real as he aimed for his target, waiting for a clear shot that wouldn't endanger Ellowyn or Gavios as well. That opportunity came when the draconic tail slapped the creature backwards several feet and knocked it to the ground. Everything seemed to slow down for the dark elf as he uncurled his fingers and watched the arrow fly from him towards his target. A streak of silvery-white trailed from his bow where the projectile flew until it landed square in the corrupted dwarf's chest. As the creature stopped and looked at him, the drow feared he had done nothing until he saw the metal around the arrow's shaft smoke and dissolve like acid.

Ashimaru shouted for the two to take off as the creature's attention became focused on him. With practiced ease he fired a second arrow that landed close to the second one, then a third as the creature let out a howl of pain from each strike. When the metal-covered creature finally did close the distance between them, the drow dissolved away and caused the two weapons to sink into the stone where he had stood. Behind him the dust was kicked up as the emerald dragon took off, Gavios still secured on his back as they climbed quickly up into the air.

After they had reached a safe altitude Ashimaru reappeared next to them, all three looking down at the creature that dumbly tried to slash up at them. "I can't believe Darthir somehow turned into one of those things without me knowing," the dwarf sighed before his gaze turned further up and he pointed with wide eyes. "Look at that!"

The other two watched as the rocks that had been in front of the cave entrance exploded outwards, more of the malformed dwarven entities pushed their way out into the clearing. "By all of creation," Ashimaru stated as the swarm increased under them. "If they leave this area they're going to swarm the land like locusts, a new scourge that'll kill anything in its path. This is just what our foe wanted... a land of monsters and terror."

"Do you think you could just bow them all to death?" Ellowyn asked.

"Not likely, those three shots alone drained me quite a bit," Ashimaru explained with a sigh. "I'm glad I didn't use a fourth, I might not have gotten out of Darthir's path in time, and who knows what those weapons would have done to me. So unless you have a trick up your sleeve, we might have to leave it, I'm afraid."

"A new trick up my sleeve..." Ellowyn repeated as he looked down at the dwarves that continued to pour out of the cave. He took a few flaps to gain even more altitude and began to breath deep, heavy breaths. Ashimaru knew what the dragon was attempting, the scaly creatures had the ability to concentrate magical power inside them and breathe it out as elemental energy, but Ellowyn was still too young for such an ability.

Nevertheless, Ashimaru began to feel the swirl of magical power begin to draw inside the dragon's form as his brilliant emerald scales began to glow. The spectral drow quickly dissipated and his spirit rejoined their body as the light within Ellowyn quickly intensified. The air around him began to hum with energy and Gavios had to shield his eyes as the dragon beneath him grew as bright as the sun. Suddenly the pressure changed around them as Ellowyn opened his mouth and a beam of white light shot downward and struck the middle of the clearing. A dome of light encapsulated the impact site until the energy completely left Ellowyn, which then exploded outward and nearly knocked the flying creature and its rider out of the sky.

When the fireball subsided both Ellowyn and Gavios looked down at the crater that had just been the encampment, any trace of the creatures or that the mine even existed wiped away. Just as Ellowyn was about to suggest they should go down and look, he once more nearly fell out of the air before he managed to stabilize himself. The wave of exhaustion he felt threatened to overwhelm him, and with an extra passenger on his back, his flight time grew even shorter. Before the dwarf could ask what was wrong, the dragon pointed himself back towards the encampment and glided as best he could back there.

Varren and Kriss were already wide awake by the time Ellowyn arrived back at the campsite, nearly crashing into the ground as he landed as best he could. "I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess you had something to do with the explosion we heard," Varren asked as he watched the riding dwarf slide off the downed dragon. "And who are you?"

"Gavios," The dwarf replied wearily as he looked the two up and down. "They told me that they traveled with odd company, I guess a demon and werewolf certainly apply to that label. They didn't get around to names though, formal introductions being what they are and all."

"Cali- um," The demonic drow started to say before he looked down for a second. "Varren, my name is Varren. Still something I'm getting used to."

"Kriss," the werewolf replied with a growl. "Now that we're all friends, would one of you care to explain what in the hells just happened?"

Ellowyn explained everything that had happened, from the smoke that he had seen to the encounter with Gavios, all the way up to the beam of light that destroyed the creatures and the camp itself. The dwarf told his side of the story, as well, and once they were both finished, the other members of the party looked down with serious expressions on their faces. "Well as much as I don't want to underplay the suffering of our new companion here, this may be a good thing," Varren spoke up, which caused the others to look at him in concern and confusion. "Our mutual enemy had to go quite a bit out of his way in order to reach the encampment with the cart that contained the star crystal, not to mention the prep in order to contaminate all those items, which means his journey to the capital would have been delayed."

"Just where did he get all those metal items, anyway?" Kriss asked.

"I know where," Ashimaru, who had rematerialized next to the dragon as they reached the conclusion of their stories, said. "The demon hunter's temple. We were so busy looking at the carnage inside we didn't bother to check for where their weapons were, or whether they had an armory he cleaned out before he left. Then it was just a matter of infusing them with the stardust, which he probably did on his way to the encampment."

There were a few seconds of silence amongst the group as they digested the information they had just received, all of them either staring at nothing in particular or deep in thought. "But why attack the mine in the first place then and steal our powder?" Gavios finally asked. "If he could just infuse this infernal dust into metal, then why not use that if his target is the capital?"

"He's experimenting," Varren replied after a few seconds. "I don't think even he knows how to properly wield this power, which means he's trying to find a way to maximize the damage in the shortest amount of time once he gets there. He tried with water at the demon hunter's temple, item infusion at the dwarven encampment, and if he has enough blast powder, he may attempt to just blow the fallen star up and spread the dust. In any case, it's now more important to stop him than ever; if those creatures were as bad as you said, I can't imagine the destruction an entire city of them would bring upon the land."

Though it was clear that the others hadn't gotten nearly as much sleep as they would have liked, they decided the urgency of the situation warranted they press on early. The usual travel conversation was dominated instead with an uneasy silence, punctuated only with the occasional question that the group asked of Gavios. While he was forthcoming with information it was clear he was still ill at ease, which the others understood given his recent experience. For the rest they claimed their lack of conversation on being tired, though both Ellowyn and Ashimaru could tell they had more on their mind then they were letting on.

After a few days of hard travel they resumed their schedule of moving only at night, especially when they found out that the dwarf had worked in the mines during that time, anyway, and was usually awake. Though they used the path as much as possible, their ever-increasing proximity to the capital meant that there was more foot traffic to avoid, mostly during dusk and dawn when the werewolf and demon would have to disappear into the nearby foliage. As they came into the apex of their third night, Ashimaru and Varren both stopped dead in their tracks on the path and motioned for the others to do the same. When they were about to inquire about their sudden halt, the drow put their fingers to their lips and then motioned further ahead.

Down the road where the ground dipped into a small valley was a large cart set up by the side of the road with the remnants of a fire smoldering in front of it. Silently the two dark elves gestured for the werewolf to position himself even further ahead in order to cut off potential escape while the dwarf was to remain due to his lack of stealth. Once their roles had been decided, Ashimaru and Varren slowly made their way forwards, their weapons drawn as the shadow of a hulking beast disappeared around them. As they continued their approach it appeared they had not been spotted, an observation proven further as they heard the sounds of soft snoring inside.

As Ashimaru slowly slinked around the cart towards the back, he felt his heart pound in his chest. The vehicle was big enough that it could transport a large stone, and though he didn't feel the presence of the star's mystical energies, he thought that the other drow may have done something to mask the signature. Either way, he was about to find out as he and Varren once more met up at the back of the cart, giving each other a silent nod before they slowly opened the door and stepped silently inside.

Almost immediately the anticipation of finally meeting the one they had been chasing all this time was dashed when they saw that the star crystal wasn't there. Upon closer inspection it appeared they were in a house carts that merchants and those with special skills that traveled about in, and from the decor and artifacts lying about, it appeared they were in the presence of some sort of magic user. That alone was enough for the two to decide to leave, but as they tried to open the door again to make their escape, they found it locked. Varren nodded his head over towards the bed where the still sleeping person laid while he took out a pair of lockpicks to try and reopen the door.

Ashimaru swallowed hard and moved deeper inside the cart until he was standing next to it, the sheets slowly rose and fell with the breathing of the creature underneath. He was surprised that he hadn't even stirred since their intrusion, and eventually his curiosity got the better of him. Very slowly he hooked a finger underneath the corner of the sheet and slowly pulled it up to see what they looked like, only for his eyebrows to furl in confusion when he finally uncovered them. "What in all the hells," he muttered to himself when he saw the featureless face of a lifeless mannequin stare back at him.

Just as he was about to investigate further he heard the door open to the cart followed by a loud shout before Varren fell backwards. "That was just a warning shot!" a voice outside shouted as Ashimaru ran over and helped the demonic drow back up on his feet. "You two come out of my cart very slowly with your weapons down!"

As the two considered their options, Ashimaru realized that he no longer heard the sounds or saw movement from the bed anymore; the ruse no doubt part of a trap set by the figure outside. The cart had no other doors other than the one in back, and to try and create their own opening would alert the mage outside. In the end the drow sheathed their weapons, and one after the other, slowly walked out into the night air once again. A cloaked creature with his hood hiding his features watched them carefully, his hand raised at them with the occasional arc of arcane energy that crackled across his fingers.

"Well well well, look at what we got here," the mage said as Ashimaru and Varren continued to stand there with their hands raised. "Two drow skulking about my caravan in the dead of night. So did someone send you to take me out, or are you here just to try and rob me blind? Either way, you'll be bound until we reach the next village, but the answer you give will affect the treatment you receive."

"We'll tell you once you get the air back into your lungs," Varren replied as he lowered his hands and smirked. The cloaked figure's hood shifted with a slight tilt, but before he could ask anything about the comment, he suddenly found himself tackled to the ground. The werewolf above him growled threateningly as every pound of furred muscle kept the mage pinned to the ground, particularly his arms as the hood was torn from his head to reveal the grey hair and pointed ears of an elf.

"An urban elf," Ashimaru stated, kneeling down with Varren to examine the captured male more closely. "We must be getting close to the capital now."

"Get your dog off me!" the elf shouted, struggling until he was suddenly picked up and turned around by Kriss until his face was inches from the snarling canine muzzle.

"Who you calling a dog?!" Kriss barked as the elf's eyes widened in horror.

"Oh gods, you're a werewolf..." the mage said fearfully, his entire body frozen in place. "Please, I'm so sorry, don't eat me!" when the hulking beast just growled even deeper, the panicked elf looked back at the two drow who had their arms crossed. "I promise I won't do anything, you can have whatever you want to, just let me live!"

Varren grinned and glanced over at Ashimaru, who was stifling a laugh, himself. "What do you think?" he asked.

"I think we both may have gotten off on the wrong foot on this one," Ashimaru replied before he walked up to the terrified magic user. "I assure you that we're neither here to kill you nor steal your possessions, so if our friend lets you go, will you promise to keep this whole thing civil?"

The elf quickly nodded, and in the next second was dropped unceremoniously to the ground. He quickly got back up onto his feet and brushed himself off, breathing a sigh of relief in the process. "I think I saw my entire life flash before my eyes," he said once he had regained his composure, "which, as I'm sure you know for elves, is a very long time. My name is Alexandre Yuani, and as you correctly have deduced, I'm a sorcerer elf from the capital."

Everyone in the group introduced themselves to Alexandre including Gavios and Ellowyn, the dragon surprising the elf when he appeared next to him. "You have a guardian creature of the Astral following you?" Alexandre asked in awe as he leaned towards the creature. "Amazing... I've never seen one up close before. Of course I could say the same about an alpha werewolf, or anything from the demonic plane."

"It's all a very... very long story," Ashimaru sighed. "One that we would be happy to tell you if you're willing to give us a ride. We're in quite a hurry to get to the capital, and with your cart we can travel during the day and the night so we can play catch up."

"Well normally I don't allow hitchhikers aboard... but seeing as how you all together are an arcanist's wet dream, I can't imagine saying no," Alexandre beamed. "Plus I'm in a bit of a rush to head back to the capital myself; I've ran into a bit of bad luck as of late, and at this rate I'm never going to get back in time for the festival."

"Festival?" Varren asked.

"Of course, to celebrate the founding of the kingdom and the conquering of the wildlands that allowed it to flourish," Ashimaru explained. "It was part of the reason I was trying to finish my painting to begin with, the caravans would be looking for such things to sell there. It's the biggest event in the kingdom, all manner of people from neighboring cities and even other kingdoms will be there..."

Everyone in the group grew quiet as they looked at each other, save for the mage that looked at them in confusion. "We'll explain everything," Ashimaru reassured. "How fast can we get moving?"

"Well, there's the downside of it," Alexandre admitted as he gestured to the empty front of the cart. "My horses ran away a few weeks ago after a particularly bad thunderstorm crept up on us, and since then I've been using my magic to keep myself moving. Unfortunately the font of power is not limitless, so I have to rest a lot to not over-exert myself."

"...Kriss, you think you could take over for tonight?" Ellowyn asked. "I could probably continue on in the morning once Ashimaru and I switch back."

The werewolf looked at the cart, then at the spectral dragon. "It's a bit too big even for me," Kriss admitted.

Just as Ashimaru was about to say that they were stuck there for the night, the mage held up a finger and ran back into his cart. The others just stared in wonder until the elf came back with a vial of bright purple liquid that had a slight glow to it. "It's a strength and size enhancer potion," Alexandre explained as he handed it to the werewolf. "I always have one or two on hand in case of an emergency, though it can only augment the strength one already has, so for me it wouldn't do all that much. For someone like you, though, I think it's going to be far more effective."

Kriss shook the vial of liquid in his clawed hand, then shrugged and downed it in one swig. Before he could even hand the empty container back to Alexandre, every muscle in his body tensed and contracted at the same time. His already impressive physique grew even larger as his fur rippled with new muscle that popped and flexed into place. His claws dug into the ground as they lengthened slightly; his fingers pressed into his stomach as it grew into a chiseled eight pack that was clearly outlined even underneath the fur. When his transformation finished, the werewolf had gained a foot of height and dozens of pounds of pure muscle that made the canine look even more terrifying.

"Oh yeah..." Kriss said as he admired his newly upgraded form. "I could get used to this, I am a sexy beast."

"I feel real sorry for Ellowyn's tailhole come morning," Varren commented, which caused Ellowyn's head to shoot up and his eyes to widen as he let out a small noise. Kriss just winked at the ghostly dragon before he lumbered over to the cart and gave his arms one more flex before he reached down and picked it up. With his newfound strength the task appeared effortless, and he motioned for them all to get in.

"Hope we don't meet anyone on the road tonight," Gavios commented as he eyed up the smirking werewolf.

The rest of the group just nodded and gave a small chuckle as they boarded the large cart, all of them able to fit cozily inside. With the possibility of sudden bodily expansion, Ashimaru opted to sit in the driver's seat of the cart in order to hop off when the sun rose and to keep Kriss company. Once everyone was secured the werewolf surged forward, nearly causing everyone inside to fall over from the force as they sped off into the night.