The sun beat down on the line of people as they waited outside the solid steel and concrete door that separated them from the city behind the massive walls. The area that they had stood on had once been a desert, but when precious and rare minerals were found beneath the sands the area was terraformed from a barren wasteland to a lush oasis, the 'emerald of the dunes' as it was called. What was strange though was that the area, which had grown to the size of its own small country, had not been founded by the human population but rather by a mysterious race that called themselves 'Draconians'. No one knew where they had come from or how they managed to set up such an expansive area in such a short time but as soon as they had made their presence known they were quick to utilize their stranglehold grip of the area and the minerals it held to gain significant world political presence and its own sovereignty in such a short time. Thus the kingdom of Tierana was born and its citizens quickly, if not still cautiously, accepted into the global fold.
But Rick cared little about any of that, as he drank the last of the water from the bottle he had bought with the last of his credits all he wanted to do was get inside those city gates. People had begun to flock to the new country from many other lands, not only because of the wealth and resources that were pouring into the city due to their domination of the rare minerals market but also to marvel at the sudden appearance of a new species and even just to have vacation. As a result the people of Tierana had imposed strict immigration policies that grew harsher and harsher with each week as the downtrodden of the nearby countries hoped to find a new start in the prosperous land. Rick was one of those people; he had left a rather large, very poor family to try and find fame and fortune in the new country, unfortunately he didn't have any specialized skills that they called for to get a priority work permit so he had to try and get in with the masses that lined up with him. In the two weeks he had been there he had been able to see the immigration control officer only to be shot down both times for insufficient paperwork that had changed while he had waited in line.
This time as he heard the 'NEXT!' ring out into the courtyard he strode up confidently to the border office with everything he needed. Inside the office was air-conditioned and rather small, the only thing in it was the door he came in, the door that led into the city, and a hole in the wall that contained a rather bored looking glassy-scaled Draconian that just looked at him with reptilian eyes as he strolled up to the small slot between the concrete and glass. "Papers please." He said, his voice deep and reverberating as his clawed hands took the documents from Rick and examined them closely. "What is your purpose?"
"Work." Rick replied almost reflexively now.
"Duration of stay?" The Draconian asked.
"Six months." Rick stated. He had originally wanted to go for five years but when he said that the first time he had tried he felt like the immigration officer had frowned upon such a length and he had decided to shorten the duration and hope he could work something out later. Despite the coolness of the room he could feel sweat began to bead down his back as he watched the reptilian creature look over his paperwork with careful scrutiny. In his mind the human screamed at the officer to just let him through, let him finally pass, and continued to do so until the flicker of those slit pupils directed at him made him stop.
"Your entry pass is expired." The creature said calmly as he reached for the red stamp that would ultimately seal his fate. Rick felt his entire being shatter right there on the spot; he had been so preoccupied with making sure all his ancillary paperwork was in order he had completely lost track of time and didn't get his entry pass updated. That meant he would need to get a completely new one, which cost money and time he didn't have.
"No, wait, please!" Rick pleaded as he darted forward and grabbed the polished stone of the small dividing shelf between them as the Draconian held the stamper in the air over his papers. "You don't understand, I don't have any credits left, not even to get home. If you reject me now I can't get another pass much less survive until I can get in front of you again. I'm begging you, let me in, I can get the proper paperwork-"
There was a dull ka-chunk as the stamper was pressed against the paper of his passport, Rick could see through the tears in his eyes the familiar red ink of the entrance denial print. "I'm finished..." The human said numbly as he took back his passport. "Finished..."
"Sir, if you are having problems please refer to the last page of your passport in order to rectify any future immigration issues." The Draconian replied, and though Rick was just about to walk away he suddenly realized the officer was prompting him to open the book and actually look at it. Hesitantly he opened the leather booklet, the angry red stamp still glaring at him before he turned to the back of it. On the last page was the rules and regulations of how to get into the country, the words scribbled out and rewritten in his own handwriting every time a rule was changed on how to get in. When he flipped the page over he realized that there was a small note taped to it, one with a strange symbol emblazoned on the front in blue ink. Rick gave the Draconian a weary look, the other male motioning for him to hurry up, before he opened the letter and began to read it.
Traveler,
If you are reading this message then you have been deemed both desperate and willing enough to gain an alternative means to enter the city. If this is true then I have the means to grant you permanent citizenship, all you have to do is give this passport back to our agent and he will do the rest. You have to be willing to give up everything though, and once you start down this path there is no going back. If you tell anyone about this note or our agent then gaining access to the city will be the least of your worries.
Shadowscales
Rick's hands shook as he read over the words; more than once he had to stop because his hands shook until he finally reached the end. When he looked up at the Draconian again he motioned his head to the door and the slot, prompting the human to make a choice quickly on the matter. Even though he didn't like it Rick knew that he was extremely short on options; he had heard horror stories of those who had used every last credit in a gamble to get into the city, only to be found dead days later either still at the city gates or in the desert in a desperate attempt to get home. There were also others who tried to force their way through the gates, which either ended with their death or they disappeared into some hole after being carried off by the Draconians that guarded the gate.
After a minute of careful deliberation he finally handed the passport back to the officer, who merely gave him a curt nod and slid what looked like a bronze pin to him. The human picked it up and looked at it quizzically, then followed the Draconian's continued mimicry and pinned it on his shirt. "Hey, wait a second." The reptilian said suddenly, which nearly caused Mark to jump as the officer stuck something on top of the official Tierana seal on his entry papers. "This document isn't just expired, it's forged!"
"Wait, what?" Rick said in confusion before the alarm suddenly began to go off and a metal curtain fell down between the human and the Draconian as well as the door that led to the city. Before he could even process what was happening he suddenly heard a deep, booming voice shout for him to get out. In his panic Rick turned back to the immigration window and banged on the steel while he shouted for help. As he pleaded for help he failed to see the other Draconian enter the room and rush at him until he turned just in time to see the wooden butt of a rifle smash into his face before everything went black.
*********************************************
When Rick awoke again he found himself in a sitting position, his arms handcuffed to the back of a chair as his senses slowly returned to him. There was a dull throbbing in his forehead as he looked up to see the imposing figure of a blue and black scaled Draconian that appeared to stare back at him. "Mr. Rick Telvaris, welcome to my prison." The Draconian said with a gravelly voice as his gaze shifted down to a small stack of papers on his desk. "From the looks of the charges filed you tried to get into our fair country through the use of illegal documentation. From what I could see it's a rather good forgery, though you may want to consider getting your money back since the forger you used left the transfer film on the seal."
"What... transfer film..." Rick replied groggily, his mind desperately tried to catch up with the situation that seemed to be unfolding around him. "You must be making some sort of mistake, I spent the last of my credits making sure I had the proper paperwork." He was about to go on with what the border guard and the note he had been shown in his passport before he remembered the threat on it and decided against it.
"Ah, what a desperate maneuver, you aren't the first to pass through my halls." The warden assured. "As you may not know, the penalty for forged documentation is five years in our prison-work facility before you are deported back to your own county. Think of this as our way of having you earn back your ticket to your homeland, you're welcome."
Rick's eyes widened but before he could get another word out the Draconian stamped a piece of paper and ordered the guards to move him to the detention center for processing. He was picked up roughly by his arms and dragged out of the room as he saw the warden hand one of them a file filled with the papers from the desk. The human could do nothing but try and keep up with the guards' pace once he had managed to get his footing once more. Despite the direness of the situation Rick kept his mouth shut; he knew from the stories he heard at the gate that once you had been processed there was no amount of begging that one could do to get out of it. The only thing he couldn't figure out was why the border guard thought it would be prudent for him to be tossed into prison, unless it was some sort of con all along? But before he could figure out the why he found himself suddenly stopped and he looked up to see that he was in front of another steel door and a Draconian behind glass, except this gate he didn't want to go through as his escort handed the guard the paperwork.
"Ah, another one for processing." The Draconian said as he flitted through the paperwork for a few seconds before he looked down at Rick. "Please remove all personal belongings, jewelry, and anything else for holding during the duration of your sentence."
Rick could feel himself tremble slightly as he removed what few possessions he had on him, just as he was about to say he was finished he suddenly remembered the pin the guard had given him and he took that off as well. The prisoner processor picked up every item and wrote down the description on a piece of paper before he placed it into a clear plastic container. When he got to the pin his clawed hand hovered over it for a second before he picked it up and examined it, holding it up to the light before he documented it and placed it in the bin as well. Before the Draconian turned around Rick swore he seemed to give him a knowing glance, but that feeling faded quickly when he returned a minute later with a bright white jumpsuit with the number '704' on it.
"This cell is free." The processor replied. "The suit is going to be a bit big since we only have Draconian sizes left but it will do until he's placed. It's going to be about two weeks before we can assign him a work duty, had another reshuffle in the departments so naturally no one knows where anyone is anymore. You can leave the folder here, I'll make sure the paperwork is ready for him when we find a proper placement."
The two guards just nodded and once more pulled Rick away and led him to the first of several doors that would lead them into the facility, and as they walked through the open threshold and the steel door closed behind them the processor glanced around a few times before he took the file along with the inventory list he had just created and ran it through the nearby paper shredder.
***************************************
Rick found himself inside a small cell several hours later, his back against the hard mattress after he had been stripped down, searched, and then hastily redressed in an overly-large jumpsuit before put into the tiny room. With the chaos that had been the time since he had woken up behind him he now properly had time to think, though all his thoughts were focused mainly on how he had managed to end up in a Tieranan prison when all he wanted to do was come into the country to work. Well working was apparently what he would do for the next five years, he thought to himself with a sigh, though all it was going to do was get him right back to where he started except with a criminal record.
As he looked around again the cell itself was just a bed and a toilet, not even a window to the outside world since the facility was completely underground. The only portal was the heavy steel door with a small flap that he couldn't open, though the view to the facility beyond was just as depressing as the one inside. As he looked at the door he suddenly heard the clank and scraping of metal as what looked like a tray made out of aluminum foil was slid into his room. When the flap closed again he scrambled up to it and opened the flimsy lid marked '704', his stomach growling as he realized he hadn't eaten in some time.
When he opened the lid he was surprised to find a rather well-prepared meal steaming in it, a small rack of ribs and some sort of seasoned mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables in sauce. It was better than the food he had at the hostel he stayed at in the area around the city gates, but before he dug in he noticed that there was something attached to the lid as well. It looked like some sort of pen and a note, though when he removed the plastic wrap from it he realized it was an autoinjector that were used for vaccinations and quick medicine delivery systems. He carefully set it aside and opened the note, the writing different from the first one he had received but with the same symbol.
Traveler,
Congratulations on taking the first step on your journey and keeping the secret we had entrusted you with. Had you told the processor or anyone else about it you would find a tray of poisoned prison food instead of the meal before you. I wish that we could avoid this step but it is necessary to insure our safety and yours during your transition, we can only try to make your stay as comfortable as possible while it happens.
Now, if you are reading this you will have already noticed the autoinjector that our inside man in the kitchen system has provided you. It is important you do this before or while you eat, the food will help your body interact with the serum inside. Place the tip against your neck and move it around until you hear it activate, then hold it there for approximately five seconds. When you hear the click the serum has been delivered and you can put the empty injector back into the tray and flush the note down the toilet. Once we have confirmation you have completed this step you will hear from me again, just make sure to do it quickly as we have a tight timetable to adhere to and failure to do so will result in dire consequences.
Good luck, my friend.
Shadowscales
Rick read the note twice before he crumpled it up and threw it into the toilet before he flushed it, the paper dissolving before it disappeared into the small hole that opened up. He took the autoinjector and hesitated as it hovered inches away from the skin of his neck. Even though he knew he would do it just to avoid any further incarceration he was still unsure about putting a strange substance from a mysterious benefactor into his body. Still, the consequences for not following through seemed far direr and he put the air syringe to his neck.
It didn't take him long to find the spot that was needed, and five seconds later he felt a tiny pinch as the device went off and delivered the liquid into his system. When nothing seemed to happen he put the injector back in the lid and began to eat the food in the tray. As he continued to consume it he began to feel a heat suffuse through his body that started at the injection site. At first he was unsure of what he felt but as his teeth tore into the meat he realized that he felt like he hadn't eaten in a week. Even when he had finished everything and had licked the metal tray he still like he hadn't eaten all that much.
Once everything was finished Rick put the tray back against the slot and laid back down on the bed, his stomach gurgled loudly and the warmth that had spread through his body caused his skin to tingle. He thought that it would keep him awake but the strange sensation had the opposite effect. As it pulled him down into sleep the only thing that he even registered was the throb of his own member against his thigh before he drifted down into darkness.
He awoke again with a gasp and felt a heaviness on his chest as he bolted upright. The room was pitch black, even when his eyes adjusted all he could see was the dull gray of the air around him. He could feel a thin sheen of sweat on his skin as he sucked in the stale air around him, trying to calm himself down even though he felt as though his heart was about to leap out of his chest. As he put his hands against his chest to try and calm himself his skin felt... thicker there, as though he had somehow grown a number of callouses against his flat muscles. He wished he could see what it was but in the complete darkness the best he could do was feel his body.
As Rick examined himself further he felt several patches of the same textured skin, which concerned him until he accidently brushed against his erect groin. He was at first surprised that he had an erection and that he hadn't noticed how hard he was until just now, but as he wrapped his hand around it all thought immediately turned to the jolt of pleasure he felt. During his entire trip he had been around other people in some form or another so he hadn't had a chance to do anything of that nature, but now that he was alone it seemed to consume his higher thoughts with need and he began to stroke the sensitive flesh.
Rick grunted in the dark as he began to pump his member, the metal of his bed groaning from the repeated motion of his hips bucking slightly up and against his palms. As he curled his toes in pure pleasure he could swear he heard them crack loudly, but the only thing he truly focus on was his quickly approaching orgasm. With a few final hard tugs his entire body arched on the bed, his seed flying out into the darkness as he came harder than he ever had in his entire life. After what felt like a minute his cock finally calmed down enough to stop shooting, and though the cell now smelt of sex and there was fluids everywhere he could scarcely care enough to do anything but turn over and fall into a pleasure-induced sleep.
****************************************
The next day Rick awoke once more, this time his eyes filled with bright light as he heard the sound of the metal slot opening. Once his eyes adjusted he looked around with the slight hope that everything he had endured up to this point had been a bad dream and he was in his hostel, but once more the drab grey walls and red steel door were what greeted his gaze. As he got out of the bed to get his breakfast he nearly felt to the floor; not only did he feel completely unbalanced but his muscles and joints were sore as if he had ran a marathon. It concerned him until the rumble in his belly focused him back once more on the food tray, his nose smelt the delicious aroma of eggs and sausage even before he pulled back the opening.
Despite his want to start shoveling the unusally large meal into his mouth he caught another note and autoinjector pen taped to the lid. Begrudgingly he pushed the food aside and placed the injector in front of him before he opened the note:
Traveler,
You have done well, of the few that we have given this offer you have shown little hesitation in your desire to complete your path. This is good, it will give you strength for the trials to come. You will continue to get autoinjectors for the next week with your breakfasts and dinners, I can not stress enough how important it is to use them as soon as you can. If you miss a dose too long or end the treatment your body will be unable to take the stress and you will die; don't worry on our end, we will make sure that you get your serum to you in an efficient manner. I apologize for the lack of other amenities but with the extra food and the serum already being smuggled I'm afraid there's not much room for other pleasantries. Just keep to your doses and eat everything, though I think the latter will be rather easy for you.
Good luck my friend, soon you will be able to reap the benefits of your actions,
Shadowscales
Rick once more disposed of the note in the toilet and grabbed the autoinjector, this time he didn't hesitate for a second to put it against his neck. Once he heard the liquid get delivered into his bloodstream he tossed the device aside and dove into the tray of food. Like his previous dinner it was delicious, almost as good as the cooking back home as he made quick work of the eggs and tore into the sausages. All he needed was a cup of coffee and it would be just like-
His thoughts were suddenly interrupted as he bit into something hard and immediately tasted blood midway into one of the sausages. It caused him to snap out of his feeding frenzy and he slowly backed the sausage away, then carefully spit the rest of the masticated meat into his hand to see what he bit into. After a few passes with his fingers he found the cause that caused his eyes to widen, what appeared to be a human tooth rested against the skin of his palm and against the meat. His mind immediately turned to the worst thought he could think of, that people were being ground up and fed to him and the other prisoners. When he could still taste a bit of blood however his tongue found another piece of missing evidence, or rather the space where he was missing a tooth.
Rick tossed the tooth and accompanying food in the toilet and flushed it and saw his reflection in the metal. Although it was distorted by the curve he could see himself enough to investigate and pried his lips open to expose his teeth. Sure enough there was a black spot where his tooth had been and as he put his tongue against the gap he saw that the front tooth next to it wiggled unnaturally as well. He hesitantly brought up a finger and pressed against it and found that with very minimal effort he was able to remove that one as well. As he tossed that one in the toilet as well the shock of what he had done once more hit him like a ton of bricks and he felt his heart begin to beat quickly.
As the human put his hand against his chest to try and slow it down he suddenly remembered what he felt last night and opened up his jumpsuit. With the lights on he could see where his skin had grown darker in patches, though it could have been explained as a blotchy sun tan there was no mistaking the feel of the thicker texture as he ran his fingers over it. He had never heard of such a thing and could only point to the serum as the culprit, but he then started to wonder why this clandestine group would go through all the trouble of smuggling him poison when they could have killed him in far easier fashions. There was also the odd side-effects it seemed to have on him, mainly his throbbing maleness in his pants that seemed to beg to be released.
Before Rick's fingers dipped into the inside of his jumpsuit to tend to his needs the smell of food once again drifted into his nose and he found himself trapped by his baser instincts. Very quickly though food took an immediate priority and he wolfed down the rest of the breakfast in less than a few minutes, which also almost included several more teeth that he spat out along the way. Part of him wondered while he ate if he should shout to the guard when he picked up the tray that something was happening to him, but to do so at that moment would likely get him killed faster than whatever could be coursing through his veins.
His attention turned back to his manhood once more as he felt it pulse against his thigh once more for attention. With the food gone and the tray disappeared under the slot in the door he decided that he may as well give himself some more attention. He unzipped the crotch of his jumpsuit and let his member flop out, though when the half-hard flesh bounced out against his stomach his eyes widened in surprise. Though he couldn't measure it he could guess that he had gained at least another few inches of length and a bit of girth to it. The skin itself seemed to have the same thickening effect as the spots on his body, though as he wrapped his hand around it he confirmed it was as sensitive as ever.
After yet another session of self-pleasure Rick finally managed to pull enough focus together to take stock of what happened to his body. The patches of rashy skin had turned into an angry red color and hardened considerably, much like the hide of a Draconian, and when he went to scratch it he noticed his fingernails had been pushed out of their beds and replaced with the tiny points of black claws. He found the same had happened to his toes as well, as well as the digits themselves had swollen considerably. When his fingers went back to the empty spots where his teeth had been he found that the gaps had already been filled with a set of new, much sharper fangs.
"What... what's happening to me..." Rick said to no one as he wiggled his fingers in front of his face as though it were a dream. Before he had a chance to freak out any further a sudden wave of fatigue hit him and he was just able to crawl up onto the bed before he passed out. The next time his eyes opened, the pupils of which had grown points and the irises expanded out into the whites, a tray of food had been slid through the opened slot in the door before it was once more roughly shut.
Thoughts swam in Rick's head as he flopped onto the floor and crawled over towards the tray of food. When he opened it he hoped there was another note, something to tell him what was happening to him, but the only thing in there was a generous helping of spaghetti and meatballs along with another auto-injector. Once he had made sure that there was nothing else there, which grew harder by the second with the delicious smells making his hunger go into overdrive, he pulled the autoinjector off the lid and looked at it.
While the changing human stared at the device his mind wandered to how he got there, from being in the city with his family to alone in a cell with an unknown chemical transforming him. Part of him wanted to stop the dosage and just work the five years but he remembered the words that Shadowscales had told him. Even if it was just a bluff to make him continue to take the medicine if he was wrong the jailors would likely find his dead body once they opened the cell. Though he now realized he may have made a hasty decision the consequences for not following it through to the end were dire enough that he held the autoinjector to his neck and let it find a vein.
Five seconds later the device was discarded and Rick wolfed down the food, sauce splattering on his face and hands as he shoveled it down as fast he could. Once he was done he realized he had made a bit of a mess and moved to the small sink on top of the toilet to try and wash himself off. As he did he could see himself once more and found his face to be slightly red and swollen, especially around his lips. He touched at them for a little bit until he found his arousal come to attention once more and he went back to his bed to take care of it.
The cycle continued for the entire week; he would wake up with the sound of food, inject the serum into his body, eat the entirety of the ever-increasing meal he would get, and then masturbate before falling off into a deep slumber. Every time he finished eating he would notice something else had changed about him, such as the bump that had grown out of the base of his spine just above his buttcrack or that his toes had almost completely merged together into a large, three-digit foot. He had also grown a substancial bit of muscle and the red skin had covered a large portion of his body and begun to crack into the scaly hide of a Draconian. He realized that he probably looked horrendous, if the guard took the time to look inside the cell he would probably run screaming from what he looked like.
When dinner time came around a week later Rick pulled himself off of the bed and groggily went to the aluminum container, though any tiredness quickly left him with he pulled the lid off and found no food inside. His heart skipped three beats when nothing but the glistening metal of the bottom of the tray looked back at him and his thoughts immediately turned to the worst. Had they found out about the treatments and immediately stopped them? Had the kitchen staff mixed up the trays and now someone else was going to get his dosage and the food that came with it? His mind continued to race until he flipped over the lid and saw the injector and a note taped on the underside, his panic melted somewhat as he ripped it off and opened it to read.
Traveler,
Your time here has almost come to an end, which means that the greatest changes are about to come. Unfortunately you can't have any food in your stomach for this, you'd likely throw it up anyway. All the food that you've eaten so far and the injections you have received have prepared you for this last push, which is going to be quite intense. Luckily for you we have perfected this process, when it was initially introduced in cells much like the one you occupy the process took months and was extremely painful. Now not only have we significantly decreased the time it takes but we've added a few additional stimulants to provide a far more... pleasurable experience, much like what you've been getting already.
Good luck my friend, I look forward to seeing you on the other side,
Shadowscales
Once Rick had fully read the note and destroyed it he picked up the injector and though he saw nothing different about it he knew that what it contained within would be vastly different than anything he had felt before. Despite any remaining trepidations he had about the process he put the injector into his neck and let it click, this time it took a bit longer as he tried to avoid the scaly parts of his skin to find a vein. Finally he heard the telltale click and five seconds later his fate was sealed, with a sigh he put the injector into the rather disappointing tray and climbed back onto bed. Instead of the usual hunger followed by horniness sleep overcame him like a wave crashing against the shore. No sooner had he settled in and closed his eyes did he fall asleep, his arm fell to his sides as the powerful narcotic in the serum took effect...
Suddenly Rick bolted upright with a sharp gasp, his entire body sweating profusely in the darkness of his cell. He tried to pull off his jumpsuit but his fingers felt clumsy and uncoordinated, all he was able to free was his cock which had become hard as a bar of steel as he panted uncontrollably. His entire body writhed as he could feel every muscle and bone in his body shift, growing larger and thicker as his skin stretched around his frame. He wanted to call out for help but his throat and face were unresponsive and as he opened his jaws his tongue slid out and hung past his lips at an impossible length. As he tried to push the thicker appendage back in his entire skull began to shift, several points grew out into what he could only guess were horns as his jaw and face stretched like taffy around his slobbering tongue.
Despite his bodily mutations more and more of his attention began to focus lower where his dripping tool had begun to rub against the cool metal of the bed. It was all Rick could do not to completely lose himself as his jumpsuit began to tighten around his scaled groin, which continued to increase until he realized what the problem was and guided his growing tail out of the previously unused hole in his suit. He began to pant as he flipped himself onto all fours with one motion, letting his backside continue to stretch and conform as his legs thickened considerably. Even without external stimulation his cock continued to receive pleasurable tingles better then he could administer himself, his toe talons dug deep into the bed as they became proper draconic feet.
Unable to stop himself, Rick let out a cry of pleasure as his voice deepened, his mouth stretched out into a wide yawn as his entire head shuddered from the final formation of his muzzle. When he opened his eyes again he could see the flared, reptilian nostrils as he breathed heavily, the new heavy muscle of his form twitching as he once more got on his back. Despite the transformation seemingly finished his cock continued to pulse and twitch as Rick grabbed the sides of the bed. His hips thrusted up in the air and his tail thrashed between his spread legs as each hump against the air brought him closer to completion. Once again the only thing he could focus on was his impending orgasm, his now internal testicles churned out the last of his human seed as his thrusts grew more frantic.
Finally with a roar that he knew would likely be heard he came hard, his scaled form writhing in pure bliss as jets of hot Draconian seed splattered against the wall and ceiling of his cell before he collapsed back onto the bed. His mind wanted to comprehend what just happened but the blackness of sleep pulled him forcefully down. Despite his urge to fight it so he could examine himself further he hardly got his head up before it came right back down and his cell with filled with the loud reverberation of his snores.
****************************
This time it was a loud clang that had awoken Rick from his slumber instead of the usual sliding of a metal tray against concrete. When he looked up he saw a Draconian in a guard uniform stand over him, his scaly lips curled in a frown as he looked at the stains on the wall and bed. "Come on, let's go." He said gruffly, taking a step back as Rick hoisted his new body off of the bed and nearly fell onto his face. "What, your first day walking?"
"In a matter of speaking." Rick replied gruffly, still unused to his new, deeper voice as he started to follow the guard out of the cell. Though he didn't want the other Draconian to know part of him was still freaking out about his new form, everything from the balance he got from his tail to the way his feet hit the ground was something new and strange to him. Unfortunately he didn't think the guard would believe that the reason he was so uncoordinated was because he had formerly been a small, rather weak human that got transformed into a hulking reptilian creature, so instead he just kept his mouth shut.
Even as a thin veil of sleep continued to be settled on his brain he noticed that the guard had neither handcuffed him nor ordered him to walk in front, his hands and legs swinging free in his now tight jumpsuit. As they walked up the stairs into the main office Rick was forced to put his arm up and winced slightly when sunlight hit his eyes for the first time in the week. Everything went blurry and he could just hardly see enough to follow the fuzzy shape that was the guard in front of him. His reptilian pupils finally adjusted to the light when he was told to sit down by a familiar voice that caused a shudder to run down his spine.
"Let's see, what do we have here?" The same Draconian that had initially sentenced him said as he sat in the same spot as he had before and opened a similar folder. Rick tried not to swallow hard or shake in fear as the adjudicator looked him over before his eyes returned back to the papers. "Mr. Talvin Dysono, you were in quarantine for the last week after coming from one of the human settlements, how are you feeling?"
It took Rick a few seconds to realize what was happening before he was finally able to reply. "Feeling great, no ill effects at all." He managed to lie, his mind still unable to comprehend that the Draconian couldn't recognize him even with his new body. "I feel that I can return with no danger to the populous."
"Very good, Tierana thanks you for your service in the outside world." The larger male said as he took a stamp and pressed it against the last paper in the folder, the bright green ink something that Rick had wanted to see for the longest time. Once he was handed the folder and given a hearty handshake he was let back down the same hallway he had traveled a week ago to find the same processor that he had met initially. Rick was about to say something when the other male gave him a small shake of the head before he handed him a bag marked 'quarantine cell 704: Talvin Dysono' and told him that should be everything that he came in with.
Another half an hour of signing paperwork and getting changed into new clothing the guard escorted Rick out of the prison, giving him a small nod that Rick reciprocated before he closed the door behind him. As the fresh air hit his Draconian nostrils the former human looked up to see the wall that he had so desperately tried to get through was now behind his winged back. What lay before him was a bustling cityscape, Draconian of all shapes, sizes, and colors moved back and forth through the oasis-like streets while a large water fountain glittered in the a nearby plaza. It took several minutes for Rick to get over his awestruck nature before he realized that he was just standing there with his jaw agape, and after he took a minute to recompose himself he walked down to the area that looked like a shopping plaza.
As he walked to the square with package in hand he couldn't help but stare at the other Draconians that went about their daily business. Some deep part of him feared that they could see he wasn't one of them, that they could sniff out he was human. Despite that it appeared he had nothing to worry about, which caused him to breathe a sigh of relief. Though he was still a bit unwieldy with his new body he had started to get the hang of it, to the point where he didn't look strange walking or looking around. At one point a group of young Draconians had kicked a ball his way, which caused him to smile as he picked it up and tossed it back to them before he continued onward to his destination.
Once he was there Rick sat down at one of the benches that surrounded the fountain and opened the manila envelope, finding a Tierana Identification Card and Travel Passport, as well as a debit card, a house key with an address tag attached, a smartphone, and a rather nice watch. When he looked at the two documents they both had not only his new name but new picture as well, something that caused him to raise an eyeridge in question as he ran a scaled finger over the glossy surface. Though it piqued his curiosity he turned his attention to the smartphone, only to have it ring before he even had a chance to open it. Rick looked around for a few seconds before he pressed the answer button and put it up to his head.
"It's good to see you acclimating well, Mr. Dysono." A voice said on the other end of the line. "What you have in your hands right now is a blank slate, a life that has been scrubbed clean for your use. There is enough money on the debit card for you to live comfortably for the next few days while we get you situated, as well as lodgings that are now yours."
"Is this... Shadowscales?" Rick asked, slightly dumbfounded. When there was no response on the line Rick wondered if he perhaps said the wrong thing and quickly tried to backtrack. "Look, thank you so much for this, I don't know what I would have done if it wasn't for your group."
"Don't worry, you're going to have many chances to earn the life that we've given you." The voice replied simply. "Keep those personal effects on you for the time beings, once we deem it safe you will be approached and we can continue on with a more personable conversation."
Rick tried to ask another question but heard the telltale beep of the phone disconnecting and he sighed as he slipped the device into his pants. "Looks like I'll be working here a little longer than I thought." He said to himself before he head a the jingle of a bell and saw a Draconian selling ice cream, his reptilian pupils darting down to the debit card he still held. "Looks like permanent naturalization will have its perks."