Raymond set out early, heading south, right after having breakfast with Samantha.
She walked with him as far as her late father's cottage. She needed to gather her things for her move to the academy.
After giving her one last kiss, he began his journey in earnest. It would take him about a day to get to LaSpania on foot, so he decided not to push his pace.
It was the first time he was by himself since he arrived, so he appreciated the quiet. He took the time to marvel at the landscape as he walked.
There were miles of green everywhere he looked. Swaying trees and whispering grasses reminded Ray of so many paintings Ray saw on earth.
The horizon was punctuated by sharp mountains in the distance. It was a picture that would have made Bob Ross cry.
It was around mid-day when Ray stopped to rest for lunch.
He had come up on a small river that flowed down the middle of a mini grove of fruit trees.
He sat and ate a bit of the food he brought in his magical bag. As he finished, he went to pick one of the fruits for dessert.
The moment he had the fruit in hand; he heard a loud voice call out behind him.
"THIEF! HOW DARE YOU!"
Raymond whirled around, fruit in one hand, spell sword in the other. To his surprise, he saw no one.
"Who's there?" Ray yelled fully on guard. "Show yourself!"
"Up here thief." The voice said.
Ray looked up. About ten feet above his head, hovering on wide red dragon wings, was a well-muscled, angry-looking woman holding a bow, arrow nocked and aimed right at his face.
Ray dropped the fruit and put his weapon away. He raised his hands, palms out, to show he meant no harm.
"I'm just passing through." He called out. "I didn't know this grove belonged to anyone."
"Ignorance is no excuse, human. You dare attempt to steal The Mother's fruit and discard it like so much trash! You must be dealt with!"
Ray glanced at the fruit on the ground, then back up at the arrow pointed at him.
"Let's be reasonable here." Ray began. "I'm sure my life isn't equal to one piece of fruit. there has to be a better way to settle this."
After a moment, the woman descended to the ground and walked toward Ray with a haughty look on her face.
Once she didn't have the sun behind her, Ray could see she was quite pretty.
She had red serpentine eyes and long black hair. She had short, sharp horns on either side of her head. She had the body of a female bodybuilder with wide hips and a long thick, reptilian tail.
she stopped about an arm's length from Ray and seemed momentarily shocked at how tall he was. She stood only about as tall as his chin.
"You are correct, human, your life isn't worth a single piece of The Mother's fruit." she said, her voice dripping with disdain.
"Instead of taking your life where you stand, I will let you fight for it. If I win, I'll take your hand as your penance. If you win, you may take your life and go about your way."
Ray blinked. That was not at all what he had in mind, but it seemed he didn't have much choice. He shook his head.
"Weapons? Magic?" he asked
"You don't look like a magician, but no. No weapons, no magic."
Raymond shrugged. He took off his weapon belt, magic bag, and vest. He shook himself to loosen up, then got in a boxing stance.
"Let's go then."
The woman was shocked for a moment. First, this man had an impressive physique for a human.
Second, there was no fear or apprehension in his face. Most human men would express distaste for fighting a female, those that didn't, would fear fighting a Dragonkin.
This guy showed none of that.
Lastly, she had never seen a fighting stance like his. His body was relaxed and loose, hands up near his chin, bouncing on his toes ready to move.
The site made her, a highly skilled warrior of the Dragonkin, a little apprehensive.
"Do you not fear the Dragonkin, human?"
"No. Should I?"
"You have no problem fighting a female?"
"I didn't wanna fight at all. You literally asked for this. What, you're scared now?"
She raised her claws and set her feet. If nothing else this would be interesting.
Ray closed in, throwing a couple of light jabs testing his range. This would be his first fight in this body, so he had to get used to it quickly.
As expected, she evaded easily and answered with a short burst of claw swipes aimed at his face.
Ray ducked under them then stepped back, eyes never leaving her.
Appraising Eye activated.
-Adult Dragonkin: age 27
-Name: unknown
-Class: Aerial Warrior / Elemental Archer
-Element: Fire
-Racial Skills: retractable claws, flight, quick step
-Spells: Fireball, Flame Breath
-Status: Maiden
-Weakness: flanks/feet, overextends when attacking
Ray smiled inwardly at the information, he would have to remember to show Tawny some extra love for this.
He had been dodging claw swipes while listening to the spell rattle off. Once it was done, he could see the slightest hint of cross-hairs marking weak points to strike.
Ray ducked under another burst of claw swipes and let his fist ride his momentum into a heavy hook to her ribs.
He stepped back as she stumbled and grunted as air was driving from her lungs.
She glared and bared her sharp fangs at Ray. She quick-stepped, expecting to tackle the big man.
Instead, He side stepped her and grabbed her tail. He yanked hard, pulling her backward into a clothesline strike that put her face in the dirt.
She rolled on her back and thrust her clawed feet into the air, spinning to her feet with a flourish.
Ray had already backed off. He smirked watching her turn herself into a buzz saw. She didn't seem to notice that the move had tossed aside the piece of cloth she wore to cover her chest.
That smirk really pissed off the Dragonkin. How dare he mock her. She darted toward him then took to the air. She folded her wings and dropped at him like a missile, both clawed feet aimed at his face.
He stepped past her and hopped up in the air. He put a hand on her chest and shoved her body to the ground.
She slammed down kicking up a plume of dust. Sharp pain shot through her shoulder as she felt her left wing crack at the base.
She dragged herself to her feet, coughing and breathing heavily. She turned to face the man.
She had never met a man that could match her. This one was dominating her. She liked it. A lot.
"What is your name stranger?"
"Now you wanna know?" he chuckled. "I am Raymond, Spell Sword of the Storm."
"Spell sword? Well, that explains a lot. I am called Alecia of the Fire Sect. Well met warrior."
"Well met indeed. Are we done here?"
"Not even!" Alecia dashed forward, snapping a flurry of kicks aimed at Raymond's face. He deftly evaded the first volley.
Alecia stepped back and reset. As she went to fire off another kick, Raymond dropped and swept her other leg. Alecia fell back and kipped back up, then brought her tail around to bash Raymond's flank.
Raymond caught her tail then dropped his weight on it. Alecia screamed as it cracked loud. She fell to her knees then to her hands. She gritted her teeth and bore through the pain.
She whipped her head around to Raymond, a wild look in her eye. She rose up on all fours and pounced on him, quick as lightning.
Raymond caught the girl in a bear hug and spun and slammed her to her back, dropping his weight on her at the same time.
She screamed and sparks of pain shot through her already broken tail and wing.
He was on top of her, her legs wrapped tightly around his waist. She reached her claws at his face, ready to scratch his eyes out. He grabbed her wrist and pinned them roughly to the dirt.
"Yield." Raymond commanded, his face inches from hers. She squirmed beneath his bulk, succeeding in nothing but grinding her chastity against his crotch.
She flushed and grew still when she realized.
"I yield." Alecia said softly, her cheeks red as she averted her gaze from his face.