It was getting late and the healers had sent the rest of them back to the Inn for the night. No one was really in the mood to talk and silently went to their respective rooms for the night. Vect considered sleep, but Erress insisted they continue his preparation for if they did join together.
"You know it's strange," Vect commented as he sat in the meadow he had created for his practice, "when I come out of meditation, I don't feel tired. I instead feel like I just finished a nap."
"That is because while in here, it is your spirit that is being used, while your mind and body are restored for the next day."
"But you said I should prepare my body aswell," Vect corrected.
Vect heard a low rumble in Erress's throat, her equivalent to an amused chuckle. "As I ease you into the joining a small part at a time in here, your body shall react and acclimate to the process. Here," she motioned to the mental landscape, "I can control how much I send to you. Wouldn't want you bursting into flames now."
Vect gave a nervous laugh as he unwilling imagined what that would look like.
"Now let's begin," Erress waved her large claw and a perfect copy of her heart, her vessel, appeared floating in front of Vect.
Vect reached out and held the beating heart in his hands. "So I just bite down right," he asked nervously, and heard Erress rumbling.
"Oh no of course not, not if you want to. That part was Shaman Gratz's little joke on everyone else." Vect scowled at her, "seriously? I've been worried over nothing?"
"Precisely. All you have to do is press it against your chest and it'll do the rest. This is a representation of roughly ten percent of how it will be, brace yourself boy for it will hurt a lot. To prevail, you must hold let it complete its merging with you for us to advance to the next step. "
Vect breathed a sigh of relief and removed the top of his kimono. He took a deep breath and held it up to his bare chest. "Now wha-," Vect's voice was caught in his throat as it felt like his blood was being set on fire. He wanted to rip the vessel away from his chest, but to do so would admit defeat. He fell on his knees and was horrified to see his skin beginning to encircle and pull the beating vessel into his chest. Steam was rising from his exposed skin, and smoke would leave his mouth as he exhaled each breath. 'Gods, I'm going to burn up. Please help me,' Vect silently prayed. After what felt like an eternity, the fire started to die down. Vect could feel the steam still rising up from his body as he straighten himself up onto sitting on his knees. Erress was more interested in something off in the distance and wasn't paying Vect any mind. When she caught him staring at her, Erress turned to him, "oh you're ok, good." Vect began to feel anger rising in him.
"Ok? Ok! Yes I suppose I am ok after feeling my insides catch fire! How are you," he yelled as he rose to his feet, his eyes changing from their bright green color to golden yellow with reptilian slits as his voice rose.
'The temperament was expected,' Erress thought as she looked down at the angry elf, 'with proper preparation he may be more even tempered.'
"I'm sorry Vect. I thought something felt off here, but it was nothing," she said calmly. "I was thinking your physical body may be in danger and wanted to be sure." 'His eyes have changed already at such an early stage. Do I tell him?'
Vect felt his anger subsiding and he unclenched his fists, "I cannot fault you for that, you were just protecting me," he said more calmly and his eyes returned to their previous appearance.
"Apology accepted. I think we should leave it at that for tonight, I do not want to cause too much trauma to your spirit."
"Well, what now," Vect asked as he put on his kimono.
"If you wish, you can ask me some questions until the morning."
"That sounds fine," Vect sat down in the grass. "Is there something you want to ask me?"
Vect and Erress exchanged questions throughout the night and into the following morning.
"There is one question I've been wanting to ask for a while now," Vect began.
"Go ahead."
"How did you die?"
Erress knew the question was coming eventually, but that still didn't make it any easier for her when it came. "Its....difficult to talk about."
Seeing her actually distressed, Vect decided to change the question. "Ok better question. What is it like to fly?"
Erress perked up slightly as she got an idea.
"Wait what are you? No stop! Put me down," Vect protested as Erress lifted hin up by his shirt and set him on her back between 2 of her spinal plates.
"Hang on boy," she squatted down and tensed her legs to push off the ground.
"No wait! This is not what I meANT," Vect yelled as Erress took flight and he was forced to hold onto the plate in front of him to stay on. He closed his eyes as he could feel the ground shrinking behind them as they climbed higher into the sky.
Erress leveled off from her rapid ascent and craned her neck around to see Vect desperately clinging to the spinal plate in front of him.
"You can't see very well with your eyes closed boy," she said amused, "You wanted to know how it felt to fly. Open up and see what many can only dream to experience. Trust me, I will not let harm come to you."
Vect steeled himself and opened his eyes slowly. Far down below them he saw trees and rivers flying by as they soared onward. Soon trees gave way to rock, then mountains. Clouds encircled peaks, parted beneath Erress's wings, and blended seamlessly with snow. The scenery took Vect's breath away. She banked hard right and came very close to the mountain face as though they would crash, but she let an updraft pull them away from the rocky surface.
"Where are we," Vect had to shout to be heard over the winds.
"I do not know what you would call this place, but to me it was home." She banked to the left and started to descend into a layer of thick clouds. Vect felt a small grain of fear as his vision was taken by the thick clouds, but took comfort in feeling Erress beneath him. Soon the clouds parted and Erress slowed herself as they neared a large cave entrance. Once she touched down, Erress knelt down to one side to let Vect off.
"That was incredible! I haven't felt so excited being high up before."
Erress gave her rumbling laugh.
"What's so funny," Vect demanded.
"A boy to join with a dragon, and he's scared of heights. Do you see the irony?"
"Heh, I guess so," Vect looked around the spacious cavern, "was this your home?"
Erress's voice grew solemn. "Yes. This was where I lived, where I raised my first children. This is where I died Vect."
Vect looked down sadly, "I'm sorry. I didn't want to upset you."
"It was long ago, and yet it still feels fresh to me," she walked further in.
"What...what happened?"
"I was raising my second litter of hatchlings, my first had grown old enough and left. I had left to hunt for them. When I returned with a kill," she paused, clearly troubled from remembering something traumatic. Vect walked closer and placed a hand on her leg to try and comfort the dragon.
"Another dragon had found my cave and was looking for a horde where there never was one. Instead, he found an easy meal," her voice was becoming angry. "I attacked the brute despite him being much larger than I. He had caused serious damage to me but still I fought on. In the end he impaled my chest with his horns. But I gutted him before I passed out."
"But how did you end up in the vessel as a spirit?"
"Your shaman Gratz had heard the brawl and came to see. He spared us both."
"Both....so the other also became a spirit," Vect looked about the cave.
"He is now joined with this Salazar Ortega that was at the ceremony," Erress explained.
"That would explain why he's been giving me more attention since the ceremony. You said there was no horde here, but you said you missed the feeling of laying on gold."
"Yes, the last time I was able to do that was as a hatchling myself, but can we not talk about that tonight? I feel tired."
"Yes, it is time for me to get up for today. Thank you Erress and good night," Vect eased himself out of the trance and got ready for the day.