The Dragon Pet

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Disclaimer: Contains horn/scale/ovary removal

Story by : Flagcatcher : https://www.furaffinity.net/user/flagcatcher/


The Dragon Pet

Vala opened her eyes after what felt like a long rest. And she was shocked by what she bore witness to: All four of her legs were bound at the ankles by cuffs, which were in turn fastened by chains to the four corners of a glass prison... Her container. Four walls without a ceiling.

The dragoness didn't have much slack to move with her legs, but her wings were free to flap about and her neck craned. Beyond, were countless shiny metal surfaces, whereupon she could glimpse at the dark luster of her scales. The woman's hide was replete with strong black scale, ridged gray plating on her underbelly, and blue accents to her back fins and wing membranes. Vala's horns were steel gray, crooked and framing her face.

And her face? She looked aghast...

"What is this place..." The dragon-lady stammered, mostly to herself. The technology on display was beyond her ken... Past polished chrome and glass, there were a variety of humming, thrumming, spinning things. Countless intricate mechanisms moved in the corners... And strangest of all, it felt like the entire room moved.

Vala was cargo...

Her captor presented itself, moments later. From a door that opened itself as though possessed by a daemon, a deep purple thing revealed itself. The size and shape were vaguely humanoid, it even wore a cloak, white with golden accents. But what she could see of the thing was anything but human... The creature had two appendages where arms ought to be, and these limbs were actually several more limbs, coiled up together in tangles of tentacles.

The lower half, too, was a mess of tendrils. It shambled about like a snail on over two dozen vividly purple tendrils of various thickness. From this angle, it was hard to distinguish where the thing's tentacles ended and the trunk of its body began. Though, it had a head... A round one, tendrils where a maw ought to be. And two deep yellow eyes, which had no pupils or whites.

"A fascinating creature..." The thing remarked, itself a fascinating thing.

Its words carried deep reverberations. As it approached, it appeared to be quite smaller than the larger dragon, but still held a menacing presence. Her tentacled captor did not immediately acknowledge her, instead it opted to examine one of its machines, which itself seemed to scan over her with one large, glowing eye.

"I-I am no creature!" Vala protested, uneasy about the whole situation. Just earlier, it felt like she was enjoying a warm bask in the field. But now? The cold, sterile metal of the floor chilled her scales, the lights shone every which way, uncomfortably bright, even blinding. Her wings were extended, and so they offered her some protection against the light and machine eyes, but the gazes seemed to pivot to take a better glance at her.

"Then, what are you?" The tentacled captor asked, an honest inquiry. This genuinely perplexed Vala, what kind of question was that? Did it not have eyes?

"None other than a dragon--A dragon of thunder!" She punctuated her words with an exhale, and that breath let electricity crack audibly, moreover interference began to mess with the machinery, because the lights flickered and a couple of devices in the remote corners audibly stuttered.

"Curious." The tentacled researcher stroked a few of its facial appendages together. It worked a few knobs on a control panel, maybe making a preparation or two. "What is a 'thunder dragon' capable of?"

Vala scoffed. It felt as though her intelligence was called into question! Or worse, her pedigree. So Vala inhaled deeper this time, and let her breath spill forth at half strength. It'd serve as a suitable demonstration... And hopefully, prove the folly of capturing her! Her exhale came with a loud boom of thunder, like being mere steps away from the epicenter of lightning's strike. Arcs of lightning leapt out of her maw, the raw energy struck the glass with full-force... And Vala found herself surprised, because it was neither brittle nor conductive.

The material resisted the brunt of her breath, but the sparks that danced on the exhales of the cone of lightning? Those flittered off and wreaked havoc on the electrical system. That is, electricity jumped into the bright lights and made two of those bulbs pop. Then all the lights blinked rapidly, threatening to shut down, while the machines whirred, nearly powered off. But, backup power kicked in.

"Interesting." The tendril creature noted, his words cold. By all means, the squid-like entity did not appear frightened. He simply made a mental note of that, while Vala furrowed her brows.

"Yes, well..." The dragoness stirred, she pulled at the cuffs just enough to test their strength. They were secure, but could they stand a dragon's might? She remained confident that she could escape, but opted for a patient approach. "...I am not certain why you've taken me... Aboard, but I assume you've learned all you need to know. Now, when do you intend to release me?"

The tentacled humanoid shook a few facial tendrils. "That will not be necessary. I have a battery of tests left to perform. You are... Vala, correct?"

This made the dragon-lady's tail flick nervously. How could he have known? What first came to mind was some manner of scrying spell. But a dragoness like herself could smell magic, as easily as blood. And there appeared to be no magic at work here, everything seemed to be powered by the machinations of clockwork... Or, as she sensed, some kind of captive, living electricity that flowed through the machinery.

"I am..." She hissed, at the mention of... Tests? "And what of it, sea spawn? I did not consent to any tests, either, nor--Being abducted in the first place. My patience wears thin... You had better release me... And not even consider approaching!"

The dragoness threatened, because the tendril creature slithered closer. He left the control panel, and now his slimy appendages slapped atop the transparent, glass-like walls of her prison.

Here, a few slimy lengths danced upon the edge of the barrier. His yellow gaze fixated onto her, and instead of blinking, a few smaller tendrils wiped across his large eyes. He spoke, curtly:

"There is nowhere to release you to."

Vala barked out, her maw opened and let her voice crash like thunder. A few sparks even flew out of her vicious-looking muzzle, lined with fangs sharp as daggers:

"Nonsense! Return me to the fields of Noestra! Do not tempt my wrath..."

The thunder dragon residually crackled.

But the slimy abductor? He corrected, "There is no longer a Noestra. Your planet was destroyed."

This left Vala dumbstruck. Her maw remained slack, her azure eyes darted about. Incredulous.

He divulged. "It was the work of the cosmic entity, Eld'thuru. The planet disintegrated, like a mere bug crushed underfoot. Eld'thuru did not even notice."

Then, the tentacled researcher swiped his right arm-tendril through the air, gesticulating:

"I had observed the destruction in passing and deigned to slow down. There was not much to salvage, for everything was reduced to powder. However... As luck would have it, I had sifted out a single scale from the great cloud of dust. That scale was yours. You were reconstituted... And here you are, now."

Vala shook her head. It was a load of nonsense... Eld'thuru, planetary destruction... Reconstitution!? She rejected all of it, outright:

"Drivel! The Gods would never allow such a thing to transpire! You deceive me with a yarn, but nothing more. Nary a shred of evidence!"

The tentacled observer paced around her container, this time he stood before her head. His arm extended over the barrier and the great length of his arm stretched out. It extended to an absurd length... Several meters, at minimum. The slimy appendage writhed closer to her face like a tangle of worms!

Vala balked, her long neck craned to pull her head away from the encroaching tentacle, and her wings extended to shield herself. But, it managed to touch her brow.

When the dragoness blinked, her eyes opened to the scene. The fields of Noestra... Verdant, beautiful, serene. But the sky was darkened, for a great rift tore through the heavens. The void tore the land asunder, like an invisible maw that ripped chunk after chunk from the earth itself. Everything, small and high, found itself eventually drawn into the void, and what it spat out was a cosmic spray of debris, scathing the surface as it returned from the sky... A meteor shower of regurgitated debris.

As one chunk hurtled right for her, Vala shielded herself beneath her wings, closed her eyes tight, and screamed!

Once her eyes reopened, she was once more in that cold, metallic prison, but found herself... A little grateful. The lady dragon struggled to process what she just saw.

The observer's tentacle drew away slowly. "Now do you believe? If you still have your misgivings, then I shall allow you to leave--Once my tests are complete. But you'll find that the cold void of space is quite unforgiving."

Vala's mind reeled, and bit by bit, she... She accepted it. Noestra, her homeland--The entire planet, even, was gone. That included everyone she ever loved and despised. All of that... Erased. By the cosmic equivalent of a sneeze.

Her heart was heavy, but her mind remained agile. What would become of her, now? Vala could leave, start over, contend with whatever other horrors awaited her in the depths of the cosmos. Things hitherto completely unknown to her, except for those passing mentions of the heavens in old texts and tales.

Or she could stay. At least, until she understood the workings of the strange new world she found herself in. Surely this tentacled thing did not mean her undue harm...

Right?

Vala lowered her head, she had no choice in the matter. Lost and alone, she would rather remain in this slimy thing's good graces.

"I'll... Acquiesce to your proposal. For now. It may be--Subject to change, depending on what exactly these 'tests' entail..."

"A prudent decision." The tentacled observer assured her. His expression, however, was inscrutable due to a lack of much to express with. Moreover, the monotone reverb of his voice made his motives hard to discern. Was it even a 'he', even?

Vala couldn't believe she had to trust this strange, abyssal creature. It was even harder to imagine that she owed him her life. A tinge of curiosity struck her, so she asked: "What is your name, in any case?"

"Zeltan." He did not skip a beat, and busied himself by casting a trick of light. Before him, these runes appeared in the air, and he seemed to rearrange them with the tips of many facial tendrils. He looked to be briefly lost in thought, then his attention returned to her... The test subject.

The tentacled creature extended one, long and lonely tendril from his left 'arm'. The wavering length edged towards Vala, and she relented, despite the fact she was supposed to obey... After all, she agreed to this. Yet, something deeply repulsed her about the worm-like writhing towards her face, the smooth and glossy length's tip slithered mere inches away from her snout... Her nose scrunched and her displeasure was palpable:

"Wh-what exactly is the first test?"

"...A simple oral exam. Do not fret, you need only open wide. Normally this would be unnecessary, but your hide interferes with the imaging of my scanners."

Vala had no clue what any of that last part meant. But, hesitantly, her maw parted. This allowed the wet depths of her slender, draconic maw to reveal themselves. Her inner lining was this deep blue shade, just like much of her flesh tones. The interior glistered with her saliva, yet it also held this slight glow. One might imagine it was a lingering electric charge, either way a steady crackling noise escaped her muzzle.

"Are the restraints necessary?" She protested, then returned to the obedient parting of her maw for him.

"Just in the event that you squirm. I will do some very delicate work here..."

Vala swallowed, a lump pushed down the length of her throat. Her eyes closed tight as she tried to push away the thought that this strange, wriggling appendage was going to probe into her throat. It seemed like a rather primitive way to go about it, as well, did Zeltan not have a proper device for this!?

Then, the very tip touched the dragon-woman's palate. The slimy tapered end of the tentacle stroked her inner maw, tracing from the palate's ridges over to her teeth. The dancing tendril stroked between a few of her fangs and felt a little ticklish, given the lightness of those strokes. Soon, the appendage rolled lower and slithered atop the bed of Vala's tongue. This gave her little choice but to... Taste it.

That tentacle was bitter, a little salty. The bitterness soaked her tongue, the thing's natural slickness was thanks to this viscous slime that clung to the appendage, and rubbed off onto her tongue. It formed a film on her taste buds and made the flavor -linger-. The rubbery texture glided over her tongue, each writhe felt like a worm's dance upon her wet muscle. Eughhh... Vala only hoped it'd be over, fast.

At last, the appendage's slow roll towards her throat was met by her gag reflex. Mind you, the thunder dragoness almost retched from the taste and texture of the oozing tentacle. But now that it tickled the back of her throat? Her neck rippled with repeated flexing, she did her utmost to not gag on the spot, or do even worse! While Vala's eyes watered, her gag reflex almost won out, and it would've made her expel her lightning breath all over that tentacle! But the invading length shoved deeper at once, and it plugged her throat.

Her neck bulged with the outline of the slimy intruder, and Zeltan's extended tentacle just seemed to have infinite length to stuff down her gullet. Bit by bit, he plunged that writhing length down her esophagus. Vala clenched her jaw the whole time, and she wondered where the hell that tendril was going... To her windpipe? Stomach?

Vala gurgled audibly, she cringed at the texture and depth, over a couple dozen centimeters deep. The writhing appendage continued to squirm inside of her oral tract as it pushed deeper. This made her gag reflex go absolutely wild, and her claws trembled below herself, a couple tears streamed down her face as trying to hold back felt agonizing. Despite her best attempts, a little bit of her breath magic spilled from her gullet, coursing through the invading appendage with the mildest current, which warmed up that invading, otherwise cold length.

"You've done well." The tentacled researcher then urged, "Now be still. Allow me to remove this pesky thing..."

The dragon's eyes opened then widened, because she initially puzzled over what there was to remove. But now that his invading tendril was way deep in her gullet, the tip approached the source of her breath... A ball of energy. The sizzling, roiling maelstrom of electrical energy was around the size of a fist, and yet it produced so much elemental power!

Through the length of his submerged tendril, the tentacled one channeled his psionic powers. What followed was this subtle purple glow, it flowed through the base of his tentacle 'arm' and coursed towards his tip. And though he lacked the raw chaotic power of a storm in his maw, the being's more subtle arts manifested as this pull, like gravity, upon the globe of energy inside of her.

Vala felt this tugging pressure deep inside of her, like a yank at her very soul, but not quite. Despite how her elemental breath was tied to her very essence, a part of her much like any fire daemon was one with fire, the psionic pull interrupted the resonance between herself and her breath. It felt like the lightning, the excess energy receded from the extremities of her body... Instead of diffusing throughout every fang and claw, all of that crackling energy pulled inward... Towards the ball.

And the ball swelled, but it also pulled away. By the time the dragoness figured what was happening, her eyes went wide and she tried to take a deep breath through her snout, to breathe life through her crackling orb of lightning just like oxygen to a fire. But the orb felt ever more distant, and the globe's glow could be seen in her neck as it slowly pulled through her throat... Away from her, away from her maw!

With a mere trick, the tentacled one extracted the bulk of her vigor, her -power- with the psionic hold over her orb of energy. The last flows of current tapered off, and all at once, Vala felt the core of her power... Ripped away from her. She gagged, then she retched, then she exhaled, as hard as she could muster. And yet the only thing that sputtered out were these weak sparks of electricity, the last embers of a dying flame.

Vala went cross-eyed as the orb pulled all the way out of her, along with the tendril, and remained suspended in the air before her. Zeltan contained it by grace of his psionic powers, and his facial tendrils rubbed together deviously.

Only now did the dragoness realize she had been duped!

"My--My breath!" She stammered out, breathless, both out of air and out of power. At once, she jerked at her restraints, which finally put the strength of her cuffs to the test. The chains rattled and the cuffs rustled, but they did not budge. Although she still retained the strength of a large dragon's bulk and muscle, the titanium chains remained stronger.

Vala cried out, "How dare you! You--You heinous, scheming thing! I demand my breath back this instant!"

Zeltan inched back, and found himself safe behind the barrier... Now that the pesky breath was dealt with. "And why would you need this, a perfectly useful power source for my ship? Here I had thought you would understand the sacrifices necessary... Did you not wish to see Noestra restored? How could that happen without reserve power for my vessel?"

The dragoness stopped rattling at the chains. She had no idea it was possible... Could it be? If this creature restored her body, then maybe the others could be brought back, as well... The seductive idea was the only thing that prevented her from outright slipping into feral rage. Her temper cooled, but she panted, and heaved, shaking with residual anger.

Her glare was intense, the azure eyes stared dagger at the tentacled bastard. To think, her precious source of power, it was as if he had stolen her very soul. The woman was now just--Just a big overgrown, flying lizard! He hoarded her glowing, swirling energy like naught more than extra oil for a lantern! And with a gesture from the psionic scientist, he directed the orb to float elsewhere... Towards a more secure compartment of the ship.

"You--You... You could do that?" Vala panted. It took all of her willpower and that added amount of honeyed hope from his offer, just to not collapse into dismay. The dragoness felt violated, her head hung in shame now that the bloodthirsty rage ebbed away. It was as if she couldn't sustain it, anyway, as though the energy to remain enraged, joyful, inspired, all escaped her body.

"...Do you know? That all life has a common ancestor, Vala?" Zeltan demonstrated with a sweep of his tendril, which showed a succession of vaguely creature-shaped lights and swirls. Another trick of light, which he used to elaborate:

"Through the analysis of your tissues, specifically... Your reproductive organs, the mysteries of your kind's origins can be revealed. And through that, like the work of a detective, one can deduce how to create other beings like yourself. Other 'dragons', as you say. Now imagine the creation of a new Noestra, one without the flaws of the old. I need only find a suitable planet, and create suitable life to populate it... And you shall serve as the template."

The dragoness felt uneasy about the idea. It perturbed her, the idea of altering the Gods' creations. It reeked at playing at being a God, what insolence. Part of her hoped, somehow, through the recreation of Noestra, she could be reunited with the ones she loved. Or at the least, enjoy a new life, possibly one in paradise. She imagined a world without pain or hunger, even. Without the violence between the races and the brutality of tyrants and dark magicks.

And she realized what the stakes were. Zeltan... He was going to experiment with her sex, wasn't he? The thought of trusting him anywhere near her womanhood, moments after he stole her breath... It appalled her. And yet she wondered if she had any real choice. Vala huffed... What would her ancestors think? If she were to turn her back on Noestra and her bloodline? To let everything go extinct... No, she couldn't.

Vala was not the paragon of virtue and sacrifice. But even she couldn't turn her back on the possibility of restoration, however faint and suspect it was.

For what could the void of space offer her, as an alternative?

"I-I'll do it. Whatever it takes, if it's in the realm of possibility. Bringing everyone back..."

A couple tears welled up in Vala's eyes. But she remained brave!

"--But you must keep your word." She insisted, eyes finally daring to meet his.

The tentacled thing smeared its facial tendrils together, in a great big squirming mess. He was thinking.

"...As you wish. I can only promise to try." Zeltan then slithered over to a table upon which sat countless, mysterious devices. First, he pressed a button, which caused a cage of metal to manifest around Vala's former orb of energy. Next, he crept over towards the dragoness from behind, and this time he opened a door within the barrier that let him step right through.

The ostensibly solid wall had a door so well-hidden that the gaps were nearly invisible. And so, Zeltan now stood within her prison and contemplated his options.

A few tendrils from his arm danced and played alongside his facial tendrils, so deep was his thought. Zeltan's other 'arm' moved beneath the sleeve, and from that sleeve, one tendril slithered out and edged towards Vala. He had waltzed over and placed himself within a few paces of her, so the meandering appendage went the rest of the way.

"Just try to relax." He ordered.

Vala's nostrils flared as she looked anything but relaxed. This time, his tone struck her as more authoritative, there was this strange, compelling boom to the cadence of his command. It would probably go a little easier if she relaxed, wouldn't it? So the scaled woman eased her chest lower, letting it lay upon the cold floor. Her tail lifted, the large length flagged as her knees bent, enough to let them rest on the ground as well. This would be interesting to make note of, the 'Thunder' Dragon's natural mating position.

The dragoness was torn between this morbid curiosity and resigned shame. The tip of that length flitted over her femme sex, perhaps tasting her like a serpent's tongue. The appendage lingered so agonizingly close to the scale of her underbelly, and the protective gray plates that surrounded her sex. The subtle ridges of her outer sex protected the glistering blue flesh between them, the valley of her inner slit! But could she bear to look? She feared making one false move and interfering with... Whatever his strange designs were, but at the same time, Vala seethed at the idea that this thing was going to be within a few feet of her, never mind touch her!

She could never forgive him for stealing her dignity, her breath. But Vala had no choice but to abide.

The slickness of that writhing tentacle's slime smeared over her scales, they were pretty dense and tough so she barely felt that, except for the slight trickle of their moisture between the segments. But when the length finally did stroke the fringe of her flesh, the outer blue edges of her femme slit? Vala cringed...

The cold slimy length's texture felt chilly against her warm sex. Her slight slickness mingled with the creature's slime, making their fluids... Eugghhh... Mix. It felt like a worm's crawl towards her cunt, and once the tip curled into the opening herself... Vala couldn't help herself. The dragoness squeezed by reflex, her folds tried to push out the intruding tentacle but the length just delved deeper and moved more nimbly. It wedged between the walls just in time, and all her clenching served to do now, was keep that invading tentacle trapped inside.

Vala had a sour look on her face, but the wriggling thing just chided her. "I did tell you to be at ease."

"It's... Reflex... Guhh, just--Make it quick, you worm..." The dragoness muttered that last part, but Zeltan seemed to ignore it.

Instead, he was much more concerned with delving into that sex. Just as the first length slithered a few inches deep, another tendril snaked beneath it, rather sneaky in its approach. Zeltan's exploring tendril then rolled along the dragon woman's inner walls, swirling against the lining like the swipes of a tongue. A really smooth one. There was almost no friction between warm velvety walls and rubbery tentacle, especially given how Vala was quite wet on the inside. It was hard to place exactly why, but she was actually halfway towards full arousal, and the strokes of that... Vile... Oozing... Pleasurable appendage helped.

"A-are you tasting my insides?" The dragoness quickly had her answer.

"Nonsense... Gauging width... It appears to be sufficient." The creature remarked tersely, and within moments, the other tentacle dipped inside. The two tendrils proved to be pretty damn strong, because they parted from another within Vala's pussy. That of course spread the woman's cunt right open, the subtle slit now yawning open and letting all that glistening deep blue reveal itself. The dragoness shuddered, the cool air now caressed her exposed insides.

"Oh Gods..." Her snout quivered.

One could see her agape cunt ripple down the length of its walls, grasping around nothing in particular. And barely visible in the darkness of her depths, the tight blue ring of her cervix. By all means, Vala appeared pretty wet and roomy, which meant that Vala was ready for what was to come next. Physically, that is, because mentally she couldn't quite cope with having her vulnerable depths spread out and probed by this scheming, slimy thing.

Zeltan had many tricks up his sleeve, and that included a third & fourth tendril that each shot out of his robe. The researcher's tendrils whipped through the air and before Vala could react, she was treated to the sensation of a third appendage spelunking into her cunt. Her claws dug against the ground, because that length reached deeper into her than the other two, and licked at the entrance to her womb... That tight cervix.

"Wh-what exactly are you--You--You aren't going to..."

"--Not quite." The tentacled thing corrected her.

That stroking tentacle traced around the slight bulge of the cervix and squeezed itself in where the walls of that cunt met the edge of that protrusion. As it did, it pushed harder on the end of her cunt and forced the walls to recess, to really spread that extra little bit wider and farther away. This drew out that protruding cervix and the tentacle formed a loop around the base of it, squeezing firmly and slowly isolating that tunnel.

Needless to say this perplexed Vala, who felt this sort of pulling, plunging pressure threaten to draw out her cervix even further. It also left her totally unprepared for the other tendril, which darted towards her tailhole! Several inches away from her slit, that wriggly appendage nudged the divot of her scales, sinking into the hidden passage between the plates. The tendril really had to shake and jostle to writhe itself into her other hole, spreading the creases of her warm orifice.

The dragon lady's rump was taut and rarely used, so that meant that despite her size, the invading length had a tight fit ahead of it. It was greeted by hot, gripping inner walls, squeezing that plunging appendage harder than her cunt managed to. The drier depths were lubricated by the slow encroachment of that tentacle, which had one goal...

That length snaked deep, rather precise in its motions as it fit itself just around as deep as the cunt-plunging tentacle did. It moved in concert with the tugging, pushing of the tendril in her cunt, and this anal tendril focused on pushing.

It squeezed upon the wall between ass and pussy, pressing down just behind where Vala's womb ought to be. The pressure behind her womb nudged that chamber a little more forward, and the muscular tendril exerted surprising force. It rolled slowly, curling in towards Vala's cunt and womb as it pushed for every bit that the tentacle in her cunt pulled.

Slowly but surely, Vala's guts were displaced by the members acting in rhythm, which really agitated her womb, all this pressure built up behind her womanhood, as though it were about to pop!

"Push. Now, Vala..." Zeltan beckoned, his ropey appendages more tense than ever. It took some work to exert a decent amount of strength for the job, what with the arduous task of -forcing- the large thunder-less dragon's womb to descend!

The dragoness shook her head, much as she trembled and the tentacled thing compelled her, she--She wouldn't! Her back arched and this hiss of tension escaped her maw, but the scaled lady wouldn't yield. The tugging was so strong, it felt like she was tearing apart from the inside! With every bit of cervix that protruded farther and farther, she knew she was so close, so agonizingly on the edge of finding release, if she'd only push... No matter the consequences.

Vala took a deep breath, the squeezing was unbearable... Her wings bunched up and she finally seized as hard as she could muster... She... She just wanted to get it over with.

One good push.

What followed was the spreading of her cunt around the shape of her womb, cervix-first, as the approximately fist-sized organ was forced to -drop-. Vala's eyes were wide, she must have pushed too hard, too powerfully... Because the combined flex of her innards as well as bearing down on her womb's other end made the whole chamber descend through her cunt! She was turning inside-out...

"K-Kuhhh!?"

The dragoness rasped, sensing how her ovaries -rattled- as the poor things were also tugged by the intense pressure of the pull. Now that the organs started moving, they -kept- moving thanks to the pinch around the entrance of her cervix along with the roll of the anal tendril. For Vala, it felt like something deep within her cramped so hard, organs rolling out of their proper place and squeezing through her cunt. That blue cunt was spread around the lumpy, creased flesh of her womb as the whole thing-uterus, ovaries, and all-were extruded! Like the squeeze of a tube of toothpaste, this soon had a bulge of flesh sticking out of her parted cunt, the tiny opening in the bulge unmistakable...

Her cervix, jutting out like a small donut, flanked by the creased and protruding flesh of her inner walls. That blue flesh, trembling. It felt so tense, so tender, that Vala's mighty haunches quivered as she could hardly hold herself upright, given she felt like her womb was going to -fall- right out of her insides!

"By the Guh-Gods!" The dragoness heaved, for who else could save her now?

And now that her womb was hanging out of her cunt, looking more like a sleeve or a worm than any neat anatomical diagram? Zeltan finally drew his tentacles out of her holes, letting the wriggling limbs slither free from her rump, and the three that rummaged through her cunt now plopped out with all the squelching noise you'd expect. The tentacles retracted into the researcher's sleeves as he vibrated with speech.

"It's fully extruded... And it would appear we have much to work with." His tone was curt as usual.

Vala, still trembling from the intensity of having her insides turned to outsides... Still confused, incredibly nervous too, it was no wonder she demanded, "What'd you do!? What-What happened to my sex...? My womanhood!"

"If you insist on seeing for yourself..." The squid-like creature motioned.

Then, a pulse of psionic energy flowed from the tip of a tentacle and dispersed through Vala's chains. Now, her restraints didn't tug so tightly at her wrists and ankles. The thunder-less dragon's first instinct was to curl her neck beneath herself and try to peer at what happened. But her neck strained, given the demanding angle.

So Zeltan suggested, "Roll over. Onto your back, if you would please."

The dragoness promptly did so, dipping lower and bending knees, followed by how she pulled at the chains to roll herself onto her spine. Such size and weight, the chains rattled in the proces! Here, all four limbs up, thighs spread, she could peer at what had happened to her. And... Her mortified expression revealed her dismay. Worsened by how quick those chains were to tighten back up, now leaving her supine and squirming like a worm!

"No need to writhe." Zeltan wiggled a tentacle, dismissive of the whole notion. "I will simply need to extract this, and this will only sting ever so slightly."

Vala had hardly a moment to dwell on how -ruined- her womb was, sticking out of her bluish slit like this well-worn sleeve. Because Zeltan's tendrils returned, this time with a slow, languid slurp of two wriggling tendrils along the outer creases of her everted uterus. Much as Vala's hind end rocked and her hips jerked to try and pull away, or otherwise resist another toying with her abused and aching sex? He kept going.

"N-No more... Please..." Vala couldn't imagine herself being reduced to pleading... But here she was, begging to have her womb spared... From whatever machinations he had in mind.

There was no delay on the alien's part, however. The two wriggly tips shoved into her cervix, no need to even plunge into that cunt, first. The opening yawned a little, and so both lengths easily pushed in, one after the other, with the accompanying squelching noise. Inside, Vala could sense how the oozing, blunt ends traced over the walls of her womb, rubbing the smooth lining. It felt unsettling, that deeper chamber hardly sensitive to pleasure, unlike her cunt... So, simply leaving her with that raw feeling of violation, of unrelenting rummaging through her womb for what it was worth.

And then... They snagged two things deep within her. The dragoness could feel her ovaries ache with the ferocious tug upon them! The tendrils grasped her poor gonads by the tubes and tugged as hard as they could muster. They were dislodged and pulled inwards, dangling in her uterus before the slow, measured yanking by tentacles drew them right out. Given their size, their peculiar shape, they had to pop out of her cervix one after the other... And when they did, Vala nearly fainted at the sight.

Those two squelching sounds... Pwop... Pwap...

Being that they were internal and they didn't exactly have medical textbooks for dragons back on Noestra? This was the first time Vala had ever seen her, well, woman-bits hanging out. A tentacle gripped each of their cords, and the ovaries were still glistening, slimy from a trip through her innards and further slicked by the tendrils' slime. These lumpy egg-sacks were reptilian, so each ovary looked like a bunch of grapes. About ten round yellowish orbs protruded from each fleshy tube, all of the flesh squishy, dimpling beneath the tips of tendrils as Zeltan's appendages licked over her inverted innards.

"The taste is fertile..." Zeltan remarked, making note of that. "These will be quite useful for producing more... Dragons, was it? And more... Now I believe I will be taking these."

"No... Nonono... NO!" The dragoness protested, utterly helpless to stop him from claiming her precious bits.

With that unearthly swiftness, the tentacled creature's appendages danced over the orbs of her ovaries. Slathering them with another coat of slime, then stopping their trembles, their slight twitches with a loop of tentacle coiled around each gonad... Right behind the last orb of each 'grapevine', as he wanted to seize every one of the dragon-woman's eggs.

All of them.

What followed was tightness, like a vice. Vala was squeamish as she stared, mortified and agonizing over every moment of this. Every stroke, every slight tug at her ovaries felt so raw, like a pull right at the tangles of her nerves... Her stomach churned as all of her claws clenched... She dared not even move, much as she wanted to thrash or otherwise resist. That'd only make things worse.

But it didn't matter. With each moment, the tightness reached its apex, it felt like pliers seizing on the delicate cords of her gonads, cutting off the circulation and causing these tingles down their glistening, grape-like masses. Nearly nauseous, Vala's mind was spinning as the pinching at her terribly tense cords was followed by this slow pull... The flesh was stretching, the cords were straining and visibly trembling as the tubes yielded, bit by bit... Stretching like a rubber band, then she could feel the sting of tearing, how badly her ovaries THROBBED, yet they grew numb nonetheless.

The slightest twinge was agonizing... Vala could bear it no longer. As resilient as her dragon flesh was, somehow holding together despite the strength of a man-sized squid drawing the tubes so taut... It was yielding... It would only be a matter of time...

Until her eggs were -gone-. Completely plucked from her pussy. Plundered.

The whole time, Zeltan watched her instead of his work. Gauging her pain, her tenacity...

Vala's breathing was labored, her eyes fluttered as she was on the edge of fainting. Imagine the worst cramps a woman could imagine and multiply that tenfold. Anyone else's ovaries would've torn right off like plucked grapes. Unfortunately for Vala, her innards were nearly as durable as her outsides... She had to bear the entirety of it... Gasping, clenching her teeth to the point that she heard a crack. And then... The dragoness gave in, before her flesh did.

"J-Just... Just take them... Please..."

And so, after an entire minute of pain that shot up her back and the incredible cramping of her guts, this final added notch of pressure did those whelp-makers in.

SLAP!

Her left fallopian tube SNAPPED with the force of a rubber band, nearly the same sound too. The severed tube promptly rebounded back into her cervix, whereas Zeltan's tendril was left with the whole mass of her ovaries, even a little of the 'stem' for those plundered 'grapes'. Hardly a drop bled, as the circulation was cut off for so long... Vala's eyes shot open wide, sure, but she only felt a small trickle of wetness inside of her abused uterus. Yet the pressure, the ache pent up behind the sole remaining ovary was so much, nearly as awful as tugging both. So, silently, Vala begged to be stripped of both... To finally have reprieve from this gut-wrenching pain. And, with a whimper on her part, she was granted her desire.

SNAP!

The other cord tore in two, seconds later. Nearly all of that stretched-taut, loosened tubing drawing right back into her cervix, though this time a couple inches of severed cord were left hanging from the widened opening. And as Vala's gonads were stripped away, so was the pain... In part. It turned from a mind-melting agony worse than labor, to what only felt like several daggers stabbed deep into her womb, complete with this dull throbbing pain, which itself complemented shooting, searing needles up her spine.

But at last, those troublesome things were gone...

"It is fascinating..." Zeltan murmured, holding the dragon-woman's eggsacks aloft. They were so large... Each bundle was nearly the size of a head, who knew how many ova were contained within? All of Vala's potential spawn were within, all of the millions of possibilities of her fertility... Stripped away from her. And yet she was so grateful to be relieved from the pain, to finally be done with it. The dragoness offered those dangling ovaries a dim look, too dazed from residual pain to fully comprehend what she had lost... By all means, she was simply thankful.

Having already lost her breath-her dignity, the essence of her dragonhood-what good were eggs? She would not even have a breath to protect her spawn with, if she even had any... And with who? There would first need to be dragons to have a clutch with. Vala would need to make that so, she assured herself. So as her gaze wearily fixed onto the sight of her severed gonads, her stolen femininity, she reminded herself of the sacrifices she would have to continue to make.

One day it will all be worth it...

One day she will be whole again...

One day she will return to Noestra...

And all of this pain would be forgotten, for it was only fleeting.

"Your bravery is commendable." Zeltan offered some praise, as he took a few moments to admire her gonads, a few more of his tendrils stroking across ovoids and slipping into the gaps between each lump. The smallest tendrils dipped into the remnants of the cords, delving inside of the ovaries to inspect their interiors, perhaps taste their fertility.

All the while, the tentacled creature drew closer. He had the nerve to crawl beside her shoulders, 'standing' next to the supine woman's head, which let her take a gratuitously close look at what she had lost. And here, he spared just one tentacle on her, letting the length caress the fringe of her jawline.

This time, Vala did not turn her head away. She did not protest. The dragoness gazed up, visibly exhausted. She was in this sort of stupor, really. A dream-like state after so much intense, overwhelming sensation; she would've been soaked in sweat, if dragons could be. Relative to what she had just been through... A mere stroke on her cheek was nothing. So, she met his stare with her own.

Zeltan spoke, in rhythm with the swipes of his tendril upon her jaw. "You are such a good girl. Do you understand that?"

The dragoness, barely coherent, head still spinning from residual nausea, mind unable to really process what just happened, not just yet... What could she say, really? Was it not true? To give so much... Only a good girl would do that.

"Yes..." Vala's closer eye lidded as her breathing slowed.

"...You will be Empress." Zeltan hesitated, as he drew that same, moist tentacle so slowly across her scales. How strong, rigid, shiny those scales were... How vexing, too. "Empress of Noestra. The entirety of it. It shall be your realm to rule. Do you understand?"

The dragoness's eyes closed, but she continued to listen. She was trying to imagine it, however briefly, and it drew her attention away from the fading pain at her nethers. "...I... I understand..."

"You deserve it." That single tentacle swerved, so as to stroke over the woman's scaled brow. "For what you have given to me. You will be the mother of all things, Vala. But until then, you will continue to be a good girl. Understand?"

Vala swallowed, the graceful crane-like length of her neck flexed with the gulp. Her reply was so hesitant, but came nonetheless. "...Yes."

"There is simply one last request." The tentacled one vibrated with a hum, as though he terribly hated to impose. "To recreate a 'dragon' like yourself... I will need to understand all of the-Inner workings. Fortunately, I can simply scan instead of vivisect you... And from that, I can derive an image of every tissue within you, every bone and organ... The only issue, your scales impede with the scanner."

The dragoness's eyes were still shut, but they squinted. Vivisect, scanner, tissue, none of this made any sense to her. Especially not in the state she was in. Yet, she still replied, "...I understand."

Zeltan's tone showed the slightest hint of emotion, for once. "...That's a good girl."

And so, Vala relaxed into this haze of endorphins. Her exhaustion won out over her ache, and she drifted into an uneasy rest...

Though it was brief. And it was cut short by this twinge of pain that came from her skull. A tugging pressure, one that came from the right side of her head-One of her horns! Vala's eyes shot open, and her head stirred, but she could barely move it.

The dragoness, still sprawled out onto her back, now had her neck restrained. Whereas a cuff of exotic metal chained her other limbs to the enclosure's corners, the loop around her neck was fastened to the ceiling. The angle forced her neck to remain arched over, bent like a semi-circle as the chain's short length chafed. There was this squeezing pressure just behind her head the entire time, as the collar's tautness challenged her circulation, itself worsened by the 'leash' that was nearly choking her the entire time. When Vala tried to pull, the cuff dug deeper against her muscle and scales, refusing to budge. It held steady...

"Wha... Why... What is that!?" Her words tumbled over each other, as she glanced back to see the edges of... Chain around her head, neck? No, these were chains fastened to each of her four, steely horns. She couldn't quite see, but they looked to be attached to the wider base of each protrusion. A little grayish horn-dust remained on the fringes of her head as well as a few flecks on her snout, which made her wonder... Were they filed down? And if so, how much?

Little did she know that the base of each had been ground down just enough, allowing metal loops to snag each, making sure they were nice and securely tied.

"Nothing that would warrant your concern." Zeltan's words spilled from several feet behind her, as she could hear him work the levers of some kind of... Machine. One with plenty of torque, because the seizing at her skull only grew stronger. All four horns were subjected to this incredible force, this insistent pulling at each base. They were getting pulled... Just like teeth.

Vala's own teeth ground against each other as the tug intensified and her neck strained. The cuff around it was doing a lot of work, digging against her scales so deeply as her entire head was getting yanked by the rumbling machine. The woman's head was pounding, then came this sickening, wet crunching sound... Bone was splitting from bone, as all the flesh and nerve-endings at the base of each horn tore, tissue by tissue. Vala could feel a wet trickle down the back of her head, and she could only whimper.

Schleck!

One of her smaller horns finally popped right out, leaving an empty, oozing socket! This searing pain shot into the base of her head, and Vala could hear the tumble of her plucked horn across the cold, shiny floor. Chains jingled as the pressure let up... Though it only heightened elsewhere, offering Vala no relief.

The dragoness rasped, "Why!? Th-They're just horns!"

"You are well on your way towards becoming a proper pet." Zeltan assured, working the levers with no hesitation, each tug at the lever accompanied by a tug at the horns. "...Though, I simply despise sharp and pointy things. It's unbecoming of a 'dragon'. What do you say? Would you not rather imagine how much more lovely you'd become, bereft of all those edges and angles? You'll soon be perfectly smooth, round, and safe. You will be able to roam about freely, without need for restraints. And you will have no need for your cumbersome strength, once you are fully settled into your new role... As a pet."

But just as Vala's maw opened with protest, she heard another, moist POP!

The socket of her stolen horn was left so raw, so aching and tender. She could hear the scrape of her second lost horn across the ground, and all she could do was hiss in pain. The dragoness couldn't even fully grasp what he said right now, not with the plucking at her skull, the prying of her horns as the remaining two horns trembled at their roots. They were jiggling a little, loosened by the consistent yank of the machine. And since they wouldn't budge, Zeltan opted for a different approach... Vala could hear the device's gears crunch and strain as he pumped the levers back and forth, alternating between mighty tugs and brief release on those two remaining horns.

CRNCH!

The dragoness's eye twitched as the steel-like horns were pulled tight. It felt like so much pressure on her entire skull; her brows ached and her vertebrae throbbed so fiercely.

SKREEHHH...

This pull was long, thorough, testing how long her horns could hold on at maximum pressure, maximum force. And it was now that a tear ran down Vala's eye, because the moment the pressure let go, she could feel how loosely the right horn jiggled in its socket.

SCRUNCH!

The next pull was so strong, it finally made her horn yield. The pop was so loud and powerful that she heard it in her skull! Vala's right horn had been ripped free from its proper place and promptly cracked the moment it hit the ground. It left an incredible gouge across the floor, given it was ripped free with an absolutely reckless amount of force, like a bullet.

POP!

The final horn was seized from the dragoness, mere seconds later. This socket oozed more heavily... Vala's blue blood, itching her as it trickled down her jawline... And the last horn joined the others, discarded.

The dragon-woman's eyes closed as she was left trembling by the whole ordeal.

She sniffled, holding back the second tear from leaving her eye. "Is... Is that all...?"

"Your scales, Vala..."

"...And you will take no more?" Outright pleading, given her tone.

"There would be nothing else I'd need. But perhaps, things you may come to want..."

Vala kept her eyes shut tight, but she'd rather not imagine. The machine no longer cranked or ground, and she could hear the wet smear of the tentacled researcher across the ground. He was coming closer. And once he was by her chest once more, she could feel the roll of tendrils across her withers, tracing up to her shoulders. And then, to her breastplate.

The dragon's dusky gray underbelly trembled. Vala's 'breastplate' was one of many natural armor segments that ran from her jawline all the way to the base of her tail. Obviously, the dragoness had no breasts, but the protrusion of her chest was pronounced, as was the case with most any lady dragon. The hump was covered by the largest plate, which itself interlocked with each incredibly hard segment after another. This made sense; dragons were flying creatures, and that meant most any threat was to come from below, so a reinforced hide was crucial!

On Noestra, nothing could penetrate this plate, except, by stroke of luck, another dragon. It was the strongest material in the land, and even Zeltan, with the incredible technology he had only shown a sample of, was foiled by it. Of all the features of this strange 'dragon' creature, it insulted him most of all. More than the breath, the wings, the claws, the -bones-, he held particular contempt for the plate, the scales. Bereft of this hideous hide, Vala would finally be a good girl. A good pet.

The roll of tendrils no longer hesitated. The tips of many tentacles, some tiny, some particularly long but rather thin, slithered into the gaps between plates. The armor was so tightly packed, the plate fit together so exactly, that it was as if it were crafted by the gods of Noestra themselves. Living proof of the divine and their design... All the more reason to dispose of it.

Barely, just so very slightly, the writhing ends of the lengths wedged their way into the gap of the armor. And whereas before, Vala only felt the tentacles for their moistness and their so slight pressure on the plate, now she felt the slightest tickle of slimy flesh between her plates. BENEATH her plate. Wetness seeped into the crevices, heralding the approach of slimy flesh. Somehow, the tentacled creature's deft appendages squeezed their way in. And it was now that the dragoness found herself unsettled by the sensation of what mimicked tiny tongues slurping at her tender flesh beneath. Her face contorted with distress, having never felt the raw sensitivity -beneath- her plate before, but today was a day of many new experiences.

Here Vala imagined the creature was only going to... 'Test' things, feel it out, her flesh...

Then came pulling.

From corner to corner of the seam between plates, tentacles of all sizes had lodged themselves in. And instead of that chaotic squirming, that strange slithering like an orgy of long and tiny worms beneath her plate? Across hitherto untouched flesh? There was a precisely measured tug.

The dragoness winced, confused... This was a fool's errand, her plate was fused to her skin like the scales of a fish, there was no way that Zeltan could simply-

SCHLURRR...

Vala choked on her gasp, sickened by the sound. The edges of her two plates ground like ceramic, her breastplate jiggled just a little, and she could feel her plate... Sliding right off. The underside of the plate peeled away from the dragon-woman's skin proper, allowing air to circulate over sensitive smoothness. That sound... It was the slow separation of plate from skin, from corner to corner of her plate. And when it was almost fully separated... The weight of the plate did the rest.

Clink...

Her plate, barely hanging on, fell the rest of the way off. Just as the metal-like clatter rang in her ears, the dragoness's gaze finally pivoted to her chest... She rasped: "G-Gods..."

This vivid shade of blue skin was now exposed. It was tender, feeling as though it throbbed. It was sensitive, so delicate that Vala felt the slight waft of cool air over the flesh. And it was a little wet, glistening from not only a natural moistness to it, but the many laps of invasive tendrils across the surface just earlier. And the dragoness could hardly handle it, as she felt those same tentacles now stroke over the skin... Every touch was electric, raw, not even painful-Not really, just intense sensation. Vala was left shuddering, one frontal leg twitching as she felt so violated, so -naked-.

"I can't bear to look... You-You can't leave me like this..." Vala protested, but her words were ignored. For she was just a pet.

Rather, the tentacles slid lower and higher, converging at the edges of the plates that once met the discarded breastplate. No real need for finesse now, not with how the huge gap in the armor made the rest of it pointless. No, what followed was an outright -shucking- of the dragoness, no time wasted as tendrils snaked beneath the protruding edges of plate and wedged beneath. The next two plates were loosened up with a succession of wriggles and writhes, all the while Vala's eyes rolled back. Her claws seized up and her back arched sharply as jolts of sensation ran up the length of it.

Clink... Clank!

Segment after segment of plate was dislodged from the dragoness, so swiftly that the discarded armor tumbled upon itself. Several feet of raw, throbbing dragon skin were exposed at a time, moist plates nearly steamy with how humid they were. The strokes of tentacles across the spreading expanse of achy blue skin, from neck towards tail, maddened the dragoness. Vala was sucking air through her teeth, her chest heaved with a ragged exhale, and then she sputtered, utterly incoherent.

"Cuhhhh... Guh, haaahfff... I... Puhhhh... Please..."

It felt like an eternity, and she was losing her mind amidst the tenderness and twinges of her flesh. Much as she twitched, trying to hold still, trying to not move a single muscle lest she end up making her raw-feeling skin stretch or-even worse, touch something sharper or rougher than slimy tentacles-Vala couldn't help but squirm, like a worm. On her back like a bitch. Just... Letting every large steely plate from chin to tail-base drop into the scrap heap around her.

The last plate to be pried was not at the base of the tail, no, a little closer. This segment of grayish plate which split around the slit of her sex... This one came off less easily. And it was being peeled in two pieces, tendrils seizing the edges of the crotch plate and wrenching it off with such force, such squelching noise. Vala cringed her hardest at this sensation, the subtle blue folds of her cunt being mashed between the two halves of crotch-plate. With all the grinding, the prying, it wasn't long until finally... One half was -plucked- right off and discarded, after the other.

The jolt from that was intense, the dragoness even briefly saw stars! And her cunt clenched so fiercely that the cervix protruded once more, descending from the dragon's shucked sex as she seized. Having already been turned inside-out before, it now happened so much more easily... And her womanhood totally stripped -bare-, no semblance of decency now. Just... Shivering in the open, and clenching, protruding. Just like her tailhole mere inches away, unplated and so, easily seen winking in her duress.

"Fuhhh..." The thunder-less dragon winced, trying to cope.

Now that the clinking stopped and the last tentacle stopped its strokes, she could feel it... Vala finally knew-It was done.

She dared not look, but her entire underbelly was just... Naked. Moist, shiny, blue, nearly steamy. Before, she had the strongest armor that Noestra had to offer. Now? A single touch from the most pathetic creature, that's all it would take to have her shrieking, writhing, and aching. Even with the receding of tentacles from her body, the -air- alone, in its coolness and dryness, was driving her mad. Just the sensation, the sheer sensitivity of being was now intolerable.

Vala couldn't imagine laying on her belly, what torment that'd be. She couldn't imagine staying like this, with her supple, squishy rawness exposed. With the tone of her muscle showing so prominently without the plate, and with the shapes of her ribs clear as day beneath her skin. Vala could see her every exhale, even see her heart pump, given how powerful it was! Or so she swore. But she only peered briefly, and found herself too mortified to look again.

No, perhaps she would be fitted with a second skin? A new arrangement of plates? Something? Anything better than just leaving her like this, indefinitely?

But before she could ponder it over any more, she heard the humming of vibration.

Zeltan had taken a moment to retrieve a most powerful instrument. This simple-looking blade, pale white, but bearing some kind of enchantment that made it vibrate so powerfully that the edge was a blur. So loudly that Vala could hear it all the way from here. And she heard it draw closer, finally making her eyes shoot open.

Was this it? He was going to end her... Plunge his blade into her and end her indignity...

It had all led to this, the final betrayal...

SCHIRRRRRR...

The blade sank into her, but nowhere vital. Instead, it cleaved through her scale, striking her side at an angle. Just a test cut. The choice of angle... It only sliced past scale, leaving skin unharmed below, but perfectly exposed. More of that rawness, more of that tender skin being revealed to the air. Oh, did the aching intensify. And it spread, with each swing of the knife.

Vala couldn't believe it... She was being peeled, being descaled like-Like some kind of common FISH! Or a thick-skinned fruit. Without so much as a single nick to make her bleed, she was nonetheless bursting into uncontrolled sobbing. Thanks to not only the maddening, tingling rawness of so much vulnerable skin exposed... But the knowledge that she was going to be completely, utterly bare. He wasn't going to spare a scale.

"M-Mercy..." Vala begged, drool trickling down the edge of her maw. Her eyes shut tight, her teeth clenched to the point she heard them crack, and she tried to seize so hard, but nothing could distract herself from the intensity of the sensation... And the vibration only made it worse.

"Be calm..." Zeltan chided, "And do not fret. You will finally be perfectly safe..."

The dragoness would not watch any longer, she simply couldn't. It was either the exhaustion, the mad thumping of her chest, or an outright sensory overload... Because she passed out, to the music of vibrations and the shaving of scales.

Bzzzzzz...

***

OPTIONAL EPILOGUE

The strangest vessel touched land at last. This ship cut through the void of the heavens like water, yet it possessed no sail, no rows. From the vessel's ends burned a great many fires and billowed so much strange, effervescent smoke. The geometries of the thing defied comprehension, it was no shape known to man or beast, and no mere words on a page could fully articulate the corners, the edges, and the folds upon itself. The jet black craft, as though cut from obsidian, as though this perfectly fragile thing, a sick-minded origami project made by the hand of a dark god, unfolded itself.

And from the folds, stepped... No, crawled forth two figures.

On the right, this purple thing, this shifting and shapeless creature, but if the shape must be so, then it was the shape of a man, or just about. It was robed in white with traces of gold, playing at regality despite being a mockery of creation, an offense to the senses. The wriggling, tentacled, glistening and violet thing pulled along another, by leash and chain.

This one, alike in almost every way, except in shape (or lack thereof). It was also made of a mess of tentacles, coiled up on themselves and roping together. But it stood upon four stalks of bundled tendrils as opposed to two. And it was larger than its master, but nonetheless subservient. This thing, which paced slowly, hesitantly, despite its size, was practically pulled onward by the master.

And unlike the master, it had no robes to offer any semblance of decency; all the writhing, glistening shapes were exposed, so many strange undulations of tentacles, every limb woven out of other limbs, as though the thing were naught but tentacles, not even a core. Yet it had eyes, without pupils, simply pools of azure. It had no wings except these tentacles on its back that swayed like the notion of those; it had no claws, no teeth, no fins, no bones, and certainly not any scales or plate.

And it wasn't a female either, was it? For any trace of that was pried, and pulled, and ripped, and scrubbed clean, erased. If anything remained, it was irrelevant and useless.

No, this creature was simply a pet. And pets are safest spayed.

Yet it had a maw, or some shape that opened like such, as it spoke, in the strangest reverb:

"This... This isn't Noestra..."

No, this world bore no resemblance to that one, same as this creature bore no resemblance to the thing it once was. What lay before them was an alien landscape, with a violet sky in which strange shapes and notions danced about in the aether. Beneath, the 'ground' was strange and sifting dunes which, if you squinted closely, might bear the resemblance to the impression of the color 'orange'. There were things, which did not move, which if you were to really suspend disbelief... Perhaps, you'd consider them flora. Except when they did move.

And there were things, which always moved, but in ways that defied sensibility, paying only lip service to the idea of movement. Some slithered, some drifted, some floated, and some did not move so much as move the world around them. And these things spoke amongst each other, in the most bizarre of bazaars, with structures even stranger still looming over the harsh landscape, offering shade and shelter. They had pets of their own, and they sought to bargain.

Zeltan chuckled. "You truly believed a word I said?"

The wriggling dragon-shaped thing stood there in crushed silence.

The leash was pulled once more, and she moved, unable to fathom doing otherwise.

"Come. Let's see what price you might fetch..."