Dragon Dance - MaxTul's Story

Part 33 - Empath and Conduit

Tul had broken out in a cold sweat since leaving the bathing pools. Empath? Max could feel something coming down the bond, but he was dealing with his own issues. As far as he knew, there had only ever been one other magical conduit in all of wyrm history and it had not ended well. 

Now, with the love of his life being an fucking empath, he would never know if he was feeding his feelings to Tul or if Tul was picking up on them or if Tul fell in love with him on his own or if Tul would have felt anything for him on his own, despite the fucking bond. 

Max was so damn  confused he wanted to tear his hair out. 

Tul decided there was one thing he could do. He could control the bond. He slammed it shut before it created a feedback loop putting them at risk. "Max! Pull yourself together. If you start having doubts, I'm going to start doubting myself. Do you want that?"

Max raised his beautiful eyes and met Tul's. His sleek beautiful head slowly shook back and forth, he was barely functioning, too scared to speak. 

Carefully, Tul crept closer. "I don't know what a conduit is. I barely know what an empath does. I know what empathy is, so I'm basing it off that." His tail snaked out and touched Max's tail. 

"Fuck this shit!" Max shimmered. Naked, Max stood before Tul. His limbs trembled. "Tul, I need you. I don't think I've ever needed anyone as bad as I need you right this instant."

Carefully, Tul eased the lock on the bond. He felt the lust mixed with need and doubt, creeping through the small opening. It threatened to overwhelm him. He slammed it shut again. A glow, the air hazed and his human form appeared. 

He answered in turn with his own naked body. Max wasted no time by gathering up the naked man now standing in front of him. Holding Tul tightly, his hands firmly on his tight buttocks, "For the next little while, let's just forget the changes in the world. I feel something more pressing I want to," He pressed a small, quick kiss on his lips. "Take care of."

With an answering smirk, Tul freed his arms. Raising his hands, he cupped Max's face and thoroughly kissed him. That pressing issue became very hard. For both of them. Max groaned into his mouth and Tul swallowed it. Growling, Tul opened the bond. 

Fire. There was nothing left in the bond but love. It was filled with passion. His body was on fire. 

His growl was deeper this time as Max's emotions flooded his body, filling him to the core. He pushed his lover to the floor, raking his nails down sensitive skin, paying attention to each sound. This is why they became human to have sex. In dragon form, they mated. 

In human form, they played, they caressed and they loved. Human's didn't know how fucking lucky they were... Max, for the first time, was engulfed. Tul held him, kissed him, and using his gift, showed him, exactly how special he truly was.

In turn, Max became his authentic self - a conduit. Opening up all of himself for the first time to another Tul, magic and emotions flowed THROUGH him, to create a feedback loop. It was different from the bonding. Max was drawing from outside of himself and feeding it to Tul via the bond.

 No other dragon had done that other than Queen Margueritha! All other sharing of magic was only between bonded dragons. 

Max howled in triumph. Even in human form, he threw back his head and howled. Tul could not resist in joining him, the power that sang through their two bodies. Blood still on fire, Max pulled more magic than he'd ever had before, and snapped his fingers, translocating them both to Grandmother. 

Tul collapsed on his knees in shock. Grandmother was once again still, with Prime, her bonded by her side. Healers surrounded her, trying to raise her energy levels. Prime's face was slowly draining. "Prince Max? Why?" His dull, aged eyes blinked. "I'm going to loose Pyre. It's too soon."

Tul crawled to his side, the feelings in the room threating to overwhelm him. He had to shut down the feedback loop in order to save Mother. Finally, he got close enough to the large green dragon. "Forgive me." He shouted and slapped his hand firmly on his haunch. Max, finally understanding, sent him a burst of magic and they closed Prime's bond. 

Max then booted the healer's out of Grandmother's body, instead, swiping their remaining magic and using it to replenish her depleted stores. The healers, not depleted, but close, collapsed into peaceful slumber. Prime stared in disbelief as Grandmother took her first shaky breath, and then another. 

His forelegs, which was all that had been supporting him in a lunge position, dropped to the floor, shaking the bathing pool cavern. His head hit the floor. Max sighed. Striding over to the lead healer, he sent a burst of magic, waking her. "Check Prime. Is it just shock? I don't need Grandmother passing out yet again."

"Prince Max! How? Why? Are you...?" The Healer stumbled, blinking her blue eyes. 

"Check Primus!" Max snapped. "Look after the fucking patient! Your questions can wait." Tul was already kneeling by Grandmother. Max sighed, looking at his man. Empath and conduit together. What else did that old bitch keep to herself? 

"I can still hear you, brat." Pyre muttered. "You've been leaking for years, or should I say, stealing magic for years? Pulling it from Mother Earth itself, and only being good by not taking from dragons." 

Empyrean pushed herself to sit. She felt every single one of her years. "I don't remember the names of the last Empath/Conduit bond but I do know they always show during wartime. I feel both guilty and sad that it's my grandson." She glanced at Tul, "I really like you, child. The empath has the harder job of the two."

Prime stirred. "Do you want to bring him out so I don't have to repeat myself?" Pyre's wing touched her bonded. Her nose twitched. "I did everything I could to avoid him, you know. I ran when I saw the twinning start. I thought I broke the bond. I guess you can't run forever."

Prime wanted to know too. He stayed still, listening. Max caught his eye and winked. Pyre sighed. "It's simple. It was war and bonded pairs are vulnerable. One dies, they both die."

"Stupid, Grandmother. It's incentive to live. You have a reason to fight for, a reason to live. That's the reason genetics makes us bond against our will. It's our ability to reason that makes them love matches and not procreation."

Max stood up. "Find us when you want to be married. We'll perform your ceremony."

"Wait! You need to learn how to use the Empath/Conduit bond!" Grandmother protested. "It's not that simple. I've seen empaths die from being drained!"

Tul took Max's hand. "Mother, we'll figure it out on our own. We've done alright so far."