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Spike wanders through the forest with another beast of another strange kind in his mouth. This beast has the head of a jellyfish and the legs similar to that of a spider. He traveled south east towards more familiar things though he would not know that yet. The beast screams its final scream somehow still alive but none will save it; it's taken by a dragon. the ultimate being. The beast dies there and then Spike feasts.

The words of the mysterious being speak. "Evolution to 'adolescent night dragon' begins now." 

Suddenly Spike grows tired. He doesn't register why. He must find a place to sleep. He sees a castle on the horizon.  He walks in a daze. Skipping steps, too tired to fly. When he gets there he smashes the door open. When he walks in he finds a carpet. He falls asleep on that carpet not noticing the piles of assorted wealth around him.

  -Voice-

Deep in under the stars at the strike of midnight by the village of Halfsoil villagers move forward in a cage. The villagers are far, far away from any civilization so no one will hear their screams for help. They are all surrounded by the worst of the worst, bandits. They will never return home unless their family can pay. And if their families pay when they return they will have nothing. The bandits will take everything. 

The bandits themselves are proud. Proud of a job well done. They laugh happily and maniacally because they will be eating nicely for a long time now. 

They're traveling back to their home base, an abandoned castle on the hill. They travel through a well traced desire path. The foliage has parted revealing the ground underneath in a long line. Anyone could see how to go from the village to the castle. though no one would anymore because of the bandit's presence. 

It's dark in the middle of the night. The road is long and the villagers are in a cage. A cage lit by magic flames cast by the bandits. Meant to carry slaves eastwards taken by the bandits on the trip back westwards. 

This situation would be too much for any child. So a child cries and a bandit smiles.

The child snorts and cries "mommy"

The smiling bandit is their leader and he says. "If you know what is good for you then you will shut your little mouth."

"Calm yourself dear." says her mother.

But the child continues to cry. And in response the bandit pulls out his sword. 

"You will shut your mouth." 

"No please," says the mother.

"AH!" The air is filled with a scream. But not the scream of the village child. The scream came from the castle

"What is it you lark?" says the bandit leader. 

"Sorry" the bandit whispers 

"What was that?" says the leader.

"You have to be quiet."

"And why's that? Are you ordering me around?" says the leader

"No," he pleads, "there is a dragon."

"No there is not"

But then the bandit leader looks in the castle. Beyond the shattered doors. He sees it, a real dragon. the dragon had made their lair his den. But luckily for them he is asleep. So they are not to be afraid, for now. But either this operation ends and they leave their wealth to the dragon or they fight the dragon, A fight which is nigh impossible to win.

The bandit leader tells one of his minions to go and see if there is a way to kill the dragon. But the minion will not approach.

"Fine, I'll do it myself," he whispers, annoyed.

He looks at the dragon's sleeping neck. To see it looks like interlocking blue pieces of steel. So like steel armor all he will have to do is slide his sword in between the armor pieces. 

So that is what he does: he slides the sword under the armor and slowly pushes down but the dragon pulls away. In its sleep? The bandit hopes. But when he looks at the dragon he sees it staring back at him.

The leader of the bandits flies across the castle hitting the wall breaking a bone. 

  -Spike-

What is happening to me? Why is there a sword in my throat? Who are these people? I must be lucky that humans actually exist. But I cannot understand them. I take the sword out from my throat scales. The sword in the throat is the most discomfort I have had in both my lives. 

One of them screams some words but I don't understand him. He just yells and yells. I look around to see a strange site. Men with various weapons, and a cage full of helpless humans. 

The one I threw screams something and I think I understand him. I think he says attack because the other armed men attack. Not all of them though, a few run. 

A fight? They don't know who they are messing with. I don't feel mad this time though. I only feel pity. They are so pathetic but because of the humans in the cage I believe that these people are not worth sparing.

One bandit attacks and tries to attack in between my scales but his stab misses and his sword rebounds. So I slash at him. My claw passes his armor and enters his flesh like a knife stabbing through a thin sheet of paper. 

As the armed men yell at eachother I learn more and more words. The words also don't seem to be passing me by. I'm learning and not forgetting. I believe I'll be able to speak soon enough. 

I look for the man who attacked me as the other ones fail to damage me. I roar and breathe blue fire on the men under me. They get burned and run away. 

I look to see that the one leading the men is the one who attacked me first so I let the others go and grab him.

"Why are you here?" I believe I say

"This is our home,"  he screams

"It belongs to me now."

"No, it's ours!" he says, struggling against my talons grip.

"Why are they in a cage?"

"Get out of our castle."

"Why are they in a cage!" I roar, spitting in his face. "What gives you the right!?"

"They couldn't fight back so I took them."

"That gives you the right?"

"Yes."

"Then what could I do to you?"

I get no response, only a look of hate. This man is unforgivable. So I should remove him. No I cannot do that to a sentient animal. 

"Leave here." I roar

"You leave here!" he screams in terror.

"Leave here!"

I drop him And breathe fire around me to get those pesky humans away from me. 

"Leave!" I roar.

The armed men obey, running in the other direction. I grab the cage where the unarmed humans are and tear it open. And roar "leave" once again. 

They do not need to be told as they scramble out of the cage I laugh as they do it. They all crawl over each other trying to escape. The cage fell as they scrambled. It injures none but scares the hell out of them. 

Their fear made me very happy so I roared some more to scare them. Before reflecting. Why was I doing that? Since when do I enjoy scaring people?

  -Spike-

As they all run into the foliage I look around me at all the wealth that likely belonged to those armed humans And now to me. This is my home and this is my wealth. Would I have had qualms with stealing as a human? Yes, I would have, but I'm a dragon now I've lost my humanity.

I look at the doors I smashed. Should I hire someone to fix them? Are there dragon repairmen? If they are as territorial as me that is unlikely, that's a bummer I'll have to hire a human. But I don't want to part with my wealth. But those doors need to be fixed. But I don't want to part with my money. Why am I having so much trouble with this? 

Then an ancient image from his childhood appears in his mind. A dragon sitting atop a pile of gold. It appears in kids stories, video games, movies and in novels. He comes to the realization that dragons are hoarders in all media that he has seen. And now he is a hoarder.

Maybe being a dragon isn't all just fun and games

"Who am I kidding? this is great!"