Chapter 7: The Betrayal

“Thistle, what the fuck are you doing?”, shouted Arafiel.

“Get her, that mangy druid is up to something!”, shouted Barns.

All of the tough types in the bar started charging Thistle’s way, but a wave of the druid’s hand surrounded her in a little whirlwind. The twirling wind was fierce enough to knock mugs off their counters and reduce the speed of anyone in it to about 5 feet every 6 or so seconds. It was more than enough time for her plans.

“I’m tired of watching the people of Igrisos chop down the forest and besmirch nature, and I’m tired of being powerless to stop it. I’m tired of being some tiny, scrappy druid who has to put up with you all just to survive in the world. Mangy druid? Oh no, I’m about to become something much more. No more turning into spiders and squirrels. The ultimate transformation awaits me, that of a queen of dragons!”

Laddleplug was stunned speechless. The other members of the party worked on getting free from Thistle’s vines. Meanwhile, she started chanting some strange, harsh words.

“What is that?”, shouted Arafiel over the roar of the whirlwind.

“I think that’s dragon language. She must’ve learned some words for this. Who knows how long she’s been planning it.”, shouted Laddleplug.

Thistle’s hair fluttered more than the wind would account for. Her bare feet lifted from the ground as she hovered. The dragon orb began to glow bright, too bright to see it anymore. The ball of light it became unfurled to the shape of a little dragon that seemed to protest as it passed right into Thistle’s body.

The brown haired woman let out a moan.

“Yes, it’s happening!”, she said.

Arafiel managed to reach her knife and, *schling*, cut the vines by her legs. She sliced herself free about the same time Barns cut himself loose. Grome managed to just rip the vines off with his strength. The three of them rushed Thistle.

“Too late!”, the druid shouted.

And it was.

Thistle’s body began to change. Black scales started forming on what part of her skin showed through her plant, bark, and cloth rags of an outfit. Her garbs started tearing and breaking as her entire body expanded. A hole in her pants formed as a long tail shot out and started swinging wildly. It knocked over some tough looking bar patron trying to approach her from behind.

“This feels... amazing!”, shouted Thistle. The party realized her voice was beginning to change. It was still Thistle’s, but it had a mild thooming overtone to it now. Her words oozed more power. She started outright grunting from the sensations of draconic energy and might infusing her.

Pretty soon she was stark naked, with black scales forming around her genitalia, the tops of her bosom, the outside of her arms and thighs. Still more were coming into view, but by then most people wised up that they shouldn’t stare. Thistle was growing rapidly, and the roof started to cave in.

“We gotta get out of here!”, said Arafiel.

“Your own druid betrayed you? The druid huh?”, said Barns as he ran with the drow, orc, and gnome to the back entrance.

“She was always a bit chaotic at times.”, murmured Laddleplug. “But evil? Neutral, maybe, but evil like this I never figured.”

“Thistle’s bad!”, grumbled Grome. He followed behind the two others as they left the bar just in time for it to collapse.

Others patrons were not so lucky. Intoxicated on the sensations of power, Thistle cared little for those overrun as she grew. One patron tripped and fell before her expanding feet. Thistle’s nails turned black, hard, and sharp just in time to puncture the man’s skin and then overrun him under a sole.

The swishes of her tail knocked over every table in the place and broke a few bones. It was natural for her to move the black-scaled tail, and not just cause she was used to tails turning into forest critters. No, her familiarity with it was as if she always had it. The form she was taking was as intuitive as can be.

Still, to test it out, a grinning Thistle worked the limb to snatch a patron.

“Got you. You’re a sturdy looking sort. I bet you’re not the kindest to the nature you take from. Let’s see if I can pop you.”

Thistle had just grown out of the bar by then, standing more than 30ft tall. Her tail tightened around that poor patron. As she grew, so did her strength, and soon she was able to squeeze tight enough to bisect him in two.

“Ha!”, she roared. “Such power. All mine!”

Laughing wildly, Thistle’s change kept on progressing. More scales covered her naked body, eventually stopping once they ran down most of her back, the top side of her tits, and the upper parts of her thighs and arms. They crept down the side of her limbs too, and protected her neck while decorating her face. Her fair skin became darker, a strangely alluring shade of green. It looked a bit like moonlight moss, only uniform and blemish free.

Her eyes were still green, though they had a glowing shimmer to them now. Her hands and feet were scaled on their tops with black sharp nails. As her growth continued, she felt a prodding sensation at her back. Nubs started protruding there. It felt tight, but not painful or even “bad”. Then, that feeling ended as two broad black dragon wings sprouted from her back.

Thistle grinned wide with her new sharp teeth. Almost every front tooth now looked like a fang, even though her head and face were in tact and like a human’s. As her growth came to a close, she at last sprouted two dragon-like horns from her forehead: pointy and black.

When all was said and done, the party and dozens of gawkers looked up towards the former druid. She stood 300 feet tall, far taller than most any dragon of legend.

“What have you done to yourself?!?”, shouted Laddleplug. “Look what you’ve done to this city too.”

Thistle’s growth wasn’t without causalities of course. A few structures near the bar collapsed beneath her expanding feet or against her tail during her spurt. Plenty of people were overtaken by her growth as well. The blood they split didn’t stick well to her scales or skin. Instead, it pooled in dry red stains by her feet.

“I’ve become more than a dragon, something more. The essence of dragons flows within me.”, bellowed the new and, in her mind, improved Thistle. “Death to this city, and to all civilizations that disrespect nature. I’ll get out of here, and I’ll do it without Veezla even noticing.”

She dashed her tail through the last few buildings in its reach. Wooden planks flew out in showers of splinters when met with her bulwark of a tail.

“Then, I’ll take on a new role in Igrisos: The Queen of Dragons. I’ll style myself as a guardian of nature. The other druids will worship me. I’ll lead them and every dragon I can find to purge the continent of mortal civilization. Every city will melt! Then, the worthy can live among nature as people were always meant to. Muwhahaha!”

“You’re stupid!”, shouted Barns.

“Thistle, if you destroy all the cities of Igrisos, the Continental barrier will falter. Mary will invade and slurp up your soul along with everyone else’s.”

“No.”, shouted Thistle. “You’re the dumb ones. I’ll be able to beat Mary as I am now, no matter how big that sorceress can get. This power... it’s overwhelming. I can feel it flowing in my chest.”

She moved her hand to her bosom for emphasis.

“I can just tell I’ll be able to get any dragon I see to do my bidding; just look at me. That army alone would be unstoppable. It certainly won’t be stopped by the likes of you or other mortals. Just to be safe though, I’ll wipe you out. I wouldn’t want any loose ends.”

“No!”, shouted Grome of all people. He pounded his bikini-armored chest and charged forward.

“I won’t let you hurt Grome’s friends!”

“Grome no!!!” shouted Arafiel.

The orc barbarian unsheathed a hand ax from his side and rushed at Thistle’s toes. The dragon-woman merely chuckled and lifted her foot up. Grome was tall, but to a 300ft dragon-woman he wasn’t even two inches to compare.

Thistle’s sole hung over the orc’s head. In a rare moment of intelligence and keen awareness, Grome realized he had made a mistake. He dropped his ax and had just enough time to pick up Laddleplug. He turned around and threw the gnome back towards his allies. That was all he managed to do before that foot came down.

“Grome!!!”, cried Laddleplug as he soared through the air. He had seen his good friend, snuffed out like a bug. The foot’s fall reverberated through the fleshy stomach floor of the tail gut similar to how any quaking stomp would.

Laddleplug landed on the living ground and stood up. He was too shocked to move. Grome was gone.

Barns picked up the gnome and shook him out of his stupor.

“We have to go!”, he said. While Thistle laughed, the three remaining party members ran away from her.

“She can get us too easily.”, said Barns.

“Laddleplug, let’s teleport out.”, said Arafiel.

“Of course.”, said the gnome. He waved his hands to cast the spell, but it fizzled out. Something was wrong.

“The circle!”, said Laddleplug. “The circle I drew must’ve got messed up somehow. Veezla might’ve moved her hand while sleeping and rubbed out the chalk.”

“And it’d be too risky to try and teleport out without it.”, said Barns.

“Very much so.”, said Laddleplug. The gnome turned to Arafiel, who seemed lost in thought.

“What are we to do?”, he said, dejected.

“Let’s split up, it’s the only way. We’ll split her attention through the city and try to get to that sphincter out of here. If we can get out, wake Veezla somehow, she’ll be able to deal with Thistle.”

“Good point.”, said Barns. “That dragon-druid’s big, but she’d only be a bit more than a bug to the titaness.”

“It’s settled then, let’s split through the city towards where we came in.”, said Arafiel.

Laddleplug waved his hands and cast a hasting spell on the three. He explained that would gave them all a bit more running potential and speed.

“Alright, let’s go!”

The three split up and dashed through the planked streets of the city. Thistle watched.

“Run as fast as you want, but you’re just bugs to me, I’ll catch you in time.”, she shouted.

She watched other citizens of Glainberg flee as well. They darted between buildings as thick, panicked mobs.

“I’ll get you all!”

Thistle raised her foot and took a destructive step onto a few buildings. She moved in the direction of the party.