Broken Chains

I wasn't the same after Moon escaped. In all honesty, I was pretty jealous that she had gotten out and not me. It was stupid, I know, but I couldn't help but feel that way. And as time went on, the anger that burned inside of me started pouring out in bits, like a volcano that wasn't quite ready to erupt. But I could feel it, deep inside of me, slowly burning. I knew that any moment I could erupt and I didn't know what would happen then. I knew it wouldn't be good.

Our captors were pretty angry when they found out Moon had escaped. I don't think they knew I had helped her, but that probably didn't matter that much to them, anyways. All that mattered was that one of their test subjects was gone and if their boss found out, he'd be angry. They worked me harder than I had ever worked as a result. Hours felt like days as I practiced my Plague magic. They just watched from the sidelines, their eyes judging me. Occasionally, they'd mark something on a scroll they were holding or whisper to each other in hushed voices. They thought I didn't see, but I paid a lot more attention than I had before Moon left. If they were planning to get rid of me like they were for her, I was going to escape too.

Finally one day, during my training sessions, a large Bogsneak who had been watching from his desk got up and approached me. He was tall, his deep black slimy scales glinted off the light from the glass roof above us. "Leemado, come here a moment," he said, flatly. There was no emotion in his voice. I couldn't tell what he was thinking or what he could have wanted with me.

Despite my aching body's protest, I made my way over to him. I hadn't been sleeping well because I was so sore from my training. Either that or the tattered blanket in the corner of our room that I had been sleeping on was becoming more tattered and uncomfortable. I sat down in front of him, my eyes on the floor, obediently. I'd learned to wait to speak until spoken to. They were very strict on that aspect.

The Bogsneak waited no more than a second to grab me by the throat and tilt my head up to face him. "You're not doing well, boy," he snarled into my face. I glared back at him. I knew he was trying to scare me, to break my spirit. But I wasn't scared of him. I knew he wouldn't kill me. His large claws were digging into my neck and tightened ever so slightly. "If you ever want to see the light of day, you'd better try harder." His eyes narrowed as I started to choke, before dropping me onto the hard, cold floor. I gasped for air as he turned to another Bogsneak in the room, a Crystal scaled dragon who's scales glimmered in the sun's light from above. "It's time we try a different approach. Go get me the experimental scroll."

I was still coughing, curled up on the ground, but I saw the other dragons eyes widen in shock for just a second. "But, you sure you want to waste it on him, sir?"

"I said do it!" he shouted, before turning back to me. The other scientist hurried out of the room. "You're going to be taking on a very ssssspecial assignment, Leemado." He grinned, his sharp teeth glistening.

Finally, I sat up and stared him straight in the eyes. I'd had many run in's before with this scientist. He liked to pick on me for most of the experimental things they were doing. He liked taunting me and I had had enough. "Bring it on," I growled. "I'm ready for whatever you got."

His eyes narrowed while his grin stayed put. "We've got something very special planned. Have you ever heard of Banescale's, Leemado?" He turned away from me to lumber around the room on his stocky legs, his tongue flicking in and out of his mouth.

I cocked my head to the side. 'Banescale's?' I thought to myself. "No, I haven't," I finally said, watching him turn back to me, his grin now wider.

"Ah, well," he said, pulling a scroll off the desk across from me and unrolling it. "Banescale's are a very ancient breed." He turned and headed back in my direction as he continued to read. "They were killed off long ago in the war between fire and ice." He paused as he stood above me with an unreadable expression on his face. I was confused about why he was telling me this, but before I could ask the question, he continued. "That's what we thought, anyways." He grinned again. "A few of our scout's found Banescale egg's deep in the Blacksand Annex of the Flamecaller's domain. We have plans to bring back the Banescale's and use them to our advantage."

My head was spinning. They were going to bring them back? What did this have to do with me? What special assignment was I going on? How did they find eggs of an extinct dragon breed that no other dragon in Sorneith could find? All these questions made my head hurt.

The Bogsneak's Arcane eyes narrowed as he watched me try to figure it out. "You don't get it, do you?" he asked in a condescending voice. Sighing, he tossed the scroll at me which bounced around in my large paws before I finally caught it. "Read."

I found where he had left off and continued. "Part one. Hatch Banescale eggs and raise them to be hardened warriors. Part two. Use Banescale blood harvested from the lair in the Blacksand Annex to create a breed change scroll. Use scroll on-" My eyes shot up to look into his. His grin was wide again as I realized his plan. "You can't do that!" I shouted, my voice cracking.

He only grinned wider, his face leaning in before it was only inches from mine. I could feel his breath on my nose. "Oh, but we can, and we will," he hissed, snatching the scroll from me and looking it over, before starting to roll it back up. "We will turn you into a Banescale. With your skills in combat from our training, you will be the perfect trainer for the young Banescale's." He locked eyes with me, his smirk widening ever so slightly as he added in a slightly lower voice, "And, perhaps, with your help we can find that 'runaway' Fae that you helped escape. Maybe we'll turn her into a Banescale, too." He chuckled at his words.

My mind was on fire. Not only were they threatening my life with this experiment, they were threatening Moon's as well! I felt the anger swell up inside me, but before I could act, the Bogsneak scientist had returned with the scroll and I was locked in wrist and ankle cuffs against the wall. "Let me go!" I shouted, trying to pull against the metal cuffs, but they wouldn't budge. "You can't do this to me!"

"As I said before," the Bogsneak grinned, unfurling the scroll and looking at it's contents. "You cannot stop us. We will revive the Banescale's and take over Sorneith." He started to read from the scroll. The words were unfamiliar to me, written in some ancient language I did not know. Moments later, I felt my body starting to change. My long fur started to shrink back into my body and was replaced with large, glossy scales. The scales were shimmering black, with tears of color, like someone ripped pieces away. My wings grew larger, nearly doubling in size, with tears of color running throughout them. Most dramatically, my front legs began to shrink bag into my body, causing the cuffs to fall to the ground with a clang. My hind legs grew long and skinny, sprouting the same glossy scales as the rest of my body. Two long horns sprouted on top of my head while a trail of long spines grew out of my back all the way down to the end of my long, hairless tail. I raised my thin, scaled head and snorted, a deep green smoke came out of my nose. I was now a Banescale, and it was time for my revenge. I wasn't afraid of my captors anymore. They. Would. Pay.

I roared, shattering the glass roof above and causing it to rain down on us. Flapping my wings, I lifted up off the ground, breaking the chains that held me to the ground. In my fury, I flew around the room blasting balls of Plague magic at my captors as they screamed and hid from me. The balls of magic hit walls and tables which started disintegrating instantly, like pouring acid on steel. "I will not be your experiment anymore!" I yelled, taking a turn and blasting another ball of Plague magic into the wall. Finally, with one last ear splitting roar, I flew vertically up through the shattered roof, and into the bright daylight. Finally, I was free.