I remained where I sat and continued watching the cave exit in fear of Banin returning to finish the deed now that Master Dagg revealed himself in such a weak state; but, to my relief, there was no further sight of the slayer.
“Master Dagg?” I looked over to him, concerned. “Are you all right?”
He managed a weak smile. “I've never been better.”
I briefly glanced towards the exit again then returned my attention back to him. “You let him escape. Aren't you worried that he might return with reinforcements?”
A hint of a chuckle escaped his lips. “Hardly, my dear. He is no longer … a Dragon-slayer. He is the very man they will consider a traitor and outcast to their cause. He will be the new prey … soon enough.”
I began to smile at the thought. I would have loved to see the tides turn with my own eyes. The smile suddenly faded, however, when Master Dagg's form slumped further over the table.
“This body is … too weak to maintain any further,” he murmured tiredly then looked at me with heavy eyes. “I've given you … the last part of me. Always keep it close to your heart. Protect it … with your very life.”
I tilted my head curiously. “With my life? But I am dead, aren't I?”
He shook his head and with his shaky fingers, picked up the similar-looking phylactery which hung around my neck.
Slowly, I cupped my hand around the glass charm and felt its warmth. It was made of pure magic, but it also felt as though something was actually living inside.
“Achieving Life Preservation does not come without a price …” Master Dagg continued. “I have sacrificed much; but, at least I will be able to fulfill my desires and explore the many, hidden treasures of the world.” He gestured to the remainder of his beloved laboratory. “This, Jasmine … All of this is yours. I've taught you the foundations of the Art of death and undeath. It is up to you to master it on your own, just as I have….”
I opened my mouth to protest, but I was rendered speechless. He sounded as though I would never see him again. Frowning from the thought, I got up from the examining table and walked over to him. I knelt down beside him and embraced his weak form, resting my head upon his shoulder and closing my burning, tearless eyes.
“Master Dagg …” I shuddered, “Are you leaving me?”
His voice shifted between a low, growling tone and his own human voice as he spoke. “I am leaving to never return. Perhaps, in another life — or death, we will meet again.” He suddenly gasped and his body shook as it started to transform.
I held him tighter in an attempt to suppress the process. “What … What is happening to you?” I asked worriedly.
“It is … my punishment for having challenged the work of the gods,” he said. “It is a curse of my own form … the result of many years as an arcanist — my life preserved….”
I could no longer hold him when his skin hardened and his form grew larger, nearly encompassing the entire laboratory.
He let out a terrifying howl as he broke free of his tattered robes and his body molded into the shape of a Dragon once more. The ebony scales which were once beautiful and majestic had now rotted away into pieces of flesh. His bones, yellowed with age, poked through the shoddy skin effortlessly. Much of his face had rotted away until there was but half of a skull still exposed, with the scaly skin around the other half eroded, torn and barely clinging to the bone. While his human eyes faded away, his draconic eyes never appeared in their place. Instead, the two empty sockets contained green orbs of glowing light that pulsed with a new type of life within. His wings were reduced to bony frames, with the webbed membranes merely rotting pieces of torn and hanging flesh.
Overall, Master Dagg looked like another undead creature. He had all the features as one; yet, I somehow felt a sense of life still left in him. All I could do was gaze at him in awe when his frightening transformation was finally complete.
“Master Dagg! Can you still hear me?” I called up to the grotesque form. “Are you still a Dragon? Are you still alive?!”
The Dragon's green eyes stared at me intently. I had feared Master Dagg would no longer remember who I was and perhaps attack me out of instinct; but, I tried to remain calm.
“I am as much of a Dragon as I will ever be,” he spoke in a ghastly tone, though his voice was still recognizable to my ears. “I have shed my draconic skin of the past in order to embrace the new unlife that awaits me. Ironically, I feel very much alive in this new body as I did the last.”
He turned and started for the cave entrance. Despite his frightful form, he walked normally as any Dragon would. His bony tail slithered along behind him, revealing the last of his once-beautiful, obsidian scales that hadn't yet rotted away. I watched for a few moments before chasing after him out of the cave.
Master Dagg stood in the midst of his beloved swamps among a heap of corpses of men and rotting harpy alike and gazed at the sky. He extended his bony wings to test the winds.
I was skeptical about him being able to fly, but the magical aura that encompassed him seemed to render it possible.
“Goodbye, Jasmine and thank you.” His hollow voice was morbid, yet gentle.
I couldn't form the words to speak. The phylactery around my neck pulsated in random intervals, reflecting the pain my heart was feeling.
After saying his goodbyes, Master Dagg took off in a single leap towards the cloudy, night sky and the stars beyond. The sound of his wings flapping and the air rushing through his skeletal form was heard, then grew faint as he drew further away.
I fell to my knees in the cold, murky waters of the swamps, my head still tilted towards the sky. Pleasant memories of Master Dagg's company flooded my mind and I couldn't help but smile. He had truly helped me — and I, in turn, helped him.
Perhaps I am not dead, after all. I thought. Perhaps, this is only the beginning of a renewed life.
When Master Dagg's great form had finally disappeared, I clutched the phylactery once more, closed my eyes and for the first time, felt a single tear roll down my cheek.