As the previous events finished playing in his head, his eyes widened in surprise and fear. He remembered how he got beaten to death and barely survived. The thought of a near-death experience sent a chill down his spine.
"Wait, I survived? Did I really survive? If I remember clearly, the hit was so hard, and damn, it was so painful! I only remember slipping into darkness... Then the next thing...?" his thoughts were frenzied and loud, to the point he doubted himself for talking out.
One could see the obvious reflection of his disarrayed thoughts on his face.
Alexander was in a deep, confused state. He could not make out what exactly was happening to him. Many questions swirled in his head, making it impermeable to depict his next step.
How did he end up being alive?
Why was the dragon still asleep?
Or Was it all a dream?
If it was, how could he explain his battered state?
It was definitely not a dream.
As reality started sinking in, Alexander exhaled sharply. Getting up, he dusted the dirt off his ass, which did nothing in dusting off his heavily soiled and soaked in blood clothes. Walking around the cave, he checked his premises without disturbing the sleeping monster.
Messing with that monster almost made him visit the gates of hell, and disturbing her was the last thing he wanted to do at this very moment. If she can harm him this mercilessly, she can do much more.
Walking further into the darker side of the tunnel, which is on the left side of the cave, he noticed green-colored lights around the cave. Narrowing his eyes, he realized that the glow was the result of glow worms' presence in the lanterns.
"Wow." He admired the shimmering lights, forgetting his pains. The tunnel seemed to lead to a treasury of some sort.
'It must be the place where that dragon accumulated her treasure,' he thought.
Walking further, he found some bigger bugs. Their color had transitioned from the normal yellow-green to a warm amber that resembled gold. There were some as big as his palm, and some were much bigger, as long as his arm and as wide as his torso. Peering closely at them, He noticed that they had scales and their color looked familiar to him. The way their various colors glowed around the cave made the place look beautiful and homely.
"You know.." he heard a soft voice that made him jump in fright. Turning around he stared at the figure in the darkness.
'Who else would dare come into the dragon's cave?' he asked himself.
Looking closely, he noticed It was a female, in that a very beautiful one.
Her long black hair cascaded down her pale white skin, and her entire being glowed ethereally under the light of the bugs. Parting her thin red lips, she ran her pink tongue over them, glossing them. Her beady eyes looked like the crescents of the moon. He was so enthralled by the beauty in front of him.
"If you keep staring at them that way, you will rile them up." She finished. "Did I startle you?" her brows tugged together in a frown.
Alex chuckled wryly, scratching the back of his head. Did she not see him jump? Of course, she did! But he wasn't going to tell her that. If she was going to pretend not to see his reaction, he was also going to pretend he didn't give that reaction.
"Who are you? How did you get in here? Most importantly, how did you get past that giant monstrosity lying there in the cave? Pretty as you are, you shouldn't be doing such dangerous stuff." Alex said. His darkened features combined with his platinum blonde hair seemed golden under the glow bug warm amber light.
"I literally watched you walk by me while I was playing possum. Yet you ask who I am. At this point, I am beginning to question your intellect." She said with the lightness of a woman holding back her anger, eyes narrowing slightly.
"Huh?" Alex wondered aloud. Was she there all the while? Did she watch him get beaten mercilessly by the dragon? Why didn't she do anything then?
"I am 'that' huge monstrosity." She air quoted before holding out her hand. "They call me Krystal."
"You are indeed a crystal," Alex muttered. "I don't understand how you are that huge monstrosity over there. You know what? I'll just go and check myself." he added further with disbelief.
"You don't believe me?" Krystal asked amusedly. She turned around making her long hair brush past his arm. Only then did he realize how close she had gotten to him. Her hair was so soft and smooth as silk, he could not believe this was the same roughly scaled dragon who had beaten him to near death.
Frowning, he followed her as she walked. Her gait didn't resemble a dainty woman but rather an unwavering, confident warrior yet a lazy one. Alex had his undivided attention on her.
Her dark storm blue colored clothes covered every inch of her, and more for practicality than modesty. The material looked almost priceless. Alex couldn't understand how one person could give off such opposing vibes to what he was used to, finding himself a little star-struck. Regardless, he followed her back to the main cave where the dragon had been sleeping earlier.
He stopped in his tracks when he noticed that she was no longer there. The spot was empty now. How?!
"I don't believe it!" Alex muttered. "You mean to say that dragon is you?" Krystal chuckled.
Alex's eyes followed her action as she tucked her hair behind her ear. The lustful man in him was fighting to come out. But she could definitely hurt him if he even dared to lay a hand on her. She sent a sharp look, letting him know that his obvious intentions did not go unheard. There was even a tiny hint of disappointment, and he pulled himself up straighter, somehow more disturbed at the thought of displeasing her.
"How did you become this?" He asked again, gesturing to her form. Alex was calmer this time, coming to the conclusion that he'd made it so far without dying. He could probably last a bit longer.
"Dragons can polymorph into the human form. It's what helps us to procreate." She explained. Right after speaking, her cheeks turned slightly red, dropping her gaze for only a split second before snapping up sharply.
Alex watched the lady fumble under his gaze for a few seconds. He gradually began to regain his confidence and his tentative smile turned into a smirk. The kind he used on the other ladies in the village to have them melt under him. Krystal pressed her lips thinly, and for the first time, he couldn't interpret her body language to be attracted to him or mildly disturbed.
"You said you wanted to serve me." She began. "Why do you think I will need a frail human like you?"
Alex stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I can think of many things you might require aid for. Since you will mostly be in your dragon form."
"What is your name?" She asked, staring hard at him, making him lose his confidence again. How could she control his feelings so easily?! He didn't like it a bit!
"Alexander." He replied gruffly.
"Alexander, are you willing to serve me? In all honesty, are you willing to do any and everything I ask?" Alex stared at her.
The question struck him by its forwardness of it. The way she asked made him believe that things could get messier than he had ever thought they could. Should he back out? He couldn't! He was a brave man!
"Yes, I am willing to do whatever you ask." He said firmly making her smile, which instantaneously boosted his confidence. He struggled greatly to ignore this.
"Come with me." She said, holding him by the wrist, and leading him out of the cave to the hill. Alex followed her to a vast area behind the cave where she lived. Since it was surrounded by hills, one would consider it to be a valley. The hillside was filled with wonderful plants and flowers that had grown well without the tampering of human civilization. Some glowed brightly during the cool evening, which Alex never had seen. Making him wonder if the fruits were edible. They likely were. How else was Krystal supposed to survive?
"This is the dump. Look around. Tell me what you can make out of this place."
"Is that poo!?!" Alex asked dumbly, eyes wide as he stumbled back a few steps. "Why is it moving?" his voice quivered in confusion and terror. "Wait, is it alive?! How is that sentient?!" He could see things moving around in the dump. It would only make sense if her poop was also alive. Even if it was the case, what could he possibly do about it?