This has to be a nightmare, I shouldn't have drunk so much of that dwarven mead before going to sleep, was all that went through the former dragon Aodhan's mind as he looked at the soft, pink, five-pointed piece of flesh that was supposed to be the claw of this body.

  A very pathetic claw, since the claws were barely there and not sharp anyway. He looked at his other claw, he thought he had heard from his servants that humans call it a hand, but it wasn't like he was very interested in human anatomy. After all, all he needed to know up to now was that they were small, weak, soft and highly flammable.

  Still slightly dazed, he looked at the mirror he held in his other hand. There he saw a small form of his own majestic body standing on all fours with its head bent forward in the reflection.

  Aodhan groaned in annoyance as he tried to examine his dragon body more closely in the mirror and noticed that his eyesight had deteriorated considerably.

  Stupid blind humans, how come they haven't died out long ago because they're always running into trees or missing cliffs, he thought angrily as he held the mirror almost directly in front of his eyes.

  After some time, when he got used to his new vision, he was finally able to look himself in the eyes. The dragon Aodhan's gaze was still slightly surprised with wide eyes.

  Apparently, I froze the moment he held this mirror or whatever it is in front of my nose, he thought thoughtfully.

  There was a human inside, yes when I looked in I saw a human in the mirror, that must have happened, that must have been where he swapped my beautiful body for this... this damn pile of mush, the only question is how I get my real self out of the mirror, the former dragon pondered to himself.

  Aodhan thought for a while and remembered the wanderer's words. You shall share the form of those you once tyrannized until true selflessness fills your soul.

  What is the bastard thinking, locking me up in this pink flesh prison and calling me a tyrant? I am a dragon, lower creatures like humans have to serve me, that is their right to exist, these better mayflies should be grateful that I have given their so-called lives any meaning at all through my rule, Aodhan thought angrily, while his hands clenched around the mirror and gradually turned white.

  And know that if this mirror is destroyed before your penance, your true form will cease to exist forever, the rest of the wanderer's words now spat around in his head.

  He had to swallow hard and immediately loosened his grip on the mirror. As a dragon, he knew about the existence of the magical currents that ran through the world, quite simply because he could sense them.

  Now, however, this feeling, this slight humming in the back of his head, had disappeared, undoubtedly due to his transformation. But that was the least of his problems.

  Feeling magic and using it yourself were two different things and he had to admit that, even with the best will in the world, he couldn't explain how you could turn a dragon into a human or what the mirror was all about.

  He certainly didn't know how to reverse the transformation, so all he had left were the wanderer's words.

  Until I know more, I'd better take good care of that thing, Aodhan thought and was now holding the mirror as carefully as a newborn baby.

  I must find out what that bastard did to me and I'm not going to be able to do that here. Dwarves were indeed gifted craftsmen and builders, but as far as I know they were never portrayed as particularly gifted with magic, he thought grumpily.

  The lazy bunch down there should make up for their failure and bring me every damn book, document or whatever that deals with transformation or something like that and while they're at it they should also bring someone who knows about that sort of thing, he thought angrily.

  Although he had learned to read a little while ago from an old djinn scholar who had also told him about the abandoned dwarven fortress, he had an inkling that wouldn’t be enough to reverse his transformation.

  With these thoughts in mind, Aodhan made his way to his servants' camp, in the direction of the elevator that they usually always used. Or at least he tried as best he could but was now confronted with the fact that he only had two legs.

  He took a few steps, struggling to keep his balance and staggering forward. After nearly falling a few times, he finally stopped, took a deep breath and tried again, carefully placing one foot in front of the other.

  This time he did fall and just managed to break his fall with his arms. Shaking in disbelief and anger, he lay there for a while before trying to get up.

  But he fell again because he underestimated the force that would be exerted on both of his knees.

  I have to keep going somehow, how does this body work? he asked himself angrily, but also with a touch of despair.

  Panting with effort, he started to pull himself forward with his arms and crawled towards the elevator before he stopped and realized what he was doing.

  I cannot face my servants crawling like a worm. It can't be that difficult if all the humans can do it. After all, a dragon can control four legs at once, so two shouldn't be a problem, he thought determined.

  It turned out to be more problematic than he thought, but after a few minutes of experimenting he managed to walk with a relatively steady gait, or at least not have to struggle to keep his balance every few steps.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  The walk to the exit of the Central Hall seemed endless on his two legs and he wondered how Humans with their short lifespans and slow pace managed to achieve anything at all before dying of old age.

  The ground felt strangely cold under his feet, and he looked down to see that he was barefoot.

  I miss my scales, it's ridiculous how sensitive this body is to the cold, he thought disdainfully and continued on his way.

  When he finally reached the cabin of the elevator, he took the horn hanging on the nearby wall, took a deep breath and blew into it, which produced a loud roar that seemed to echo throughout the depths and heights of the mountain.

  It's a shame I haven't figured out how to activate the old dwarven cabins, then there would be no need to make such a noise every time one went up or down, but humans are deaf to everything except trumpet blasts, he thought annoyed as he waited for the elevator.

  He still remembered the incomprehensible expressions on his servants' faces when he had ordered a small bell to be used as a signal during the construction of the elevator.

  If the deaf bunch hadn't come up to unload the gold, I could have devoured them whole every time, he remembered all the times the damn horn had given him a headache.

  When the elevator finally arrived, he got in and blew the horn again, and the elevator began to descend.

  They might not believe it's me, I mean, I hardly believe it myself, he thought as he held his hands to his eyes, again painfully noticing the absence of his claws.

  But then again, what else are they supposed to believe, that their master simply vanished into thin air? Besides, even if I'm stuck in this body, inside I'm still Aodhan the Green, the Flaming Terror, the Stormbringer, the Cunning Fire Serpent, the Free One, the Terror of the Djinns, the Master of Stones, rightful ruler of these halls and everything that surrounds them. If they don't recognize me, I'll remind them who stands there in front of them. At the end of the day, they're only humans, and they just have to obey a dragon when he asks them to, its simply the natural order of things, he thought confidently as he descended.

  When the elevator finally reached the bottom, he didn't have to look long to find his people. The dragon's men had all gathered in front of the elevator. Suspicious, confused and curious eyes looked at him.

  Well, most of them are already gathered here, then I can explain the situation to them directly, but first... He got out of the elevator and stepped in front of the assembled crowd and began to speak.

  "I'm glad to see that you all still notice when the elevator is moving, especially after you insisted on that annoying horn as a signal. What you didn't notice, however, is that an intruder, either without your knowledge or despite your resistance, made it to me and stole the most valuable thing I own, so I'm waiting for an explanation," he finished his speech with a smile that showed off his teeth.

  Which, as he noticed, had probably lost some of its intimidation factor, which is why he stopped and simply looked at them impatiently instead.

  After a while of silence, one of the bandits finally stepped forward and said: "Okay stranger, who are you, how did you get here, what were you doing up there and if something valuable was stolen from you, I would like to know what it is."

  Annoyed, he narrowed his eyes.

  "Your first three questions are easy to answer. I am your master, the ruler of these halls, which means I stay wherever I want! And my body was obviously stolen from me and now please tell me how that damned storm guy managed to get past you," Aodhan explained impatiently and angrily.

  There was a moment of confused silence until someone in the crowd called out: "Wait, the stranger knows the one from just now, maybe they're in cahoots!"

  "Are you stupid, I just said it, I'm your master Aodhan the Green, and I'm certainly not working with the man who put me in the body of one of the weakest of all races!" Aodhan practically exploded.

  "Wait, so you claim to be the dragon Aodhan?" asked the bandit who had stepped forward earlier.

  I hope I don't become that slow in this body, thought Aodhan, who looked at the man in front of him in disbelieve.

  "Yes, damn it, this... this Stephan Sturm, turned me into a weak little Human with some magic trick and now tell me what happened here!" he snapped at the man in front of him.

  The bandit fell silent again and one of the others spoke up.

  "It was scary. We were just about to search the guy when suddenly there were gusts of wind that blew us around like leaves in the wind, my lord."

  "Wait, do you believe him that he's the dragon?" a woman now asked, surprised.

  "Well, I think..." the man began, but he didn't get any further as everyone in the crowd soon started to voice their own theories and assumptions.

  I should pay more attention to the quality of my servants in the future, thought Aodhan, who looked incredulously at the debating mob in front of him.

  "Okay, now everyone please shut up for a minute," growled the bandit who had spoken to Aodhan first in a now strangely inhumanly deep voice, that reminded him of… well a Dragon.

  With this the man managed to create silence.

  After that he looked at Aodhan and asked in a normal voice again: "If you really are Aodhan and have been transformed somehow, then prove it, what is my name?"

  "Is that a joke question? As if I have remembered your name or that of any of you," he blurted out angrily.

  "Admittedly, he speaks a lot like the dragon," said the man who had previously doubted him, into the silence that followed.

  "Well, there is only one way to be sure, one of us goes upstairs and looks for our leader, he will know what is going on here and should then explain it to us. So, who's going?" asked the bandit who had previously commanded silence now into the crowd.

  I've been trying the whole time to explain to you scaleless wimps what is going on here, Aodhan thought angrily, but said nothing. Instead, he waited for one of the others to speak up and go upstairs to confirm his story.

  "You know, Bartold, I think you've always gotten on best with the dragon. I think it would be best if you went alone," one of the bandits finally said, to which the rest immediately agreed.

  Ah, they're scared, very good, after this tragedy I was worried about my leadership qualities and who is this Bartold now, Aodhan asked himself contentedly.

  He looked at the man a little more closely to see if he recognized him, which as expected was not the case.

  To him, humans almost all looked the same anyway. The bandit, whose name was probably Bartold, now looked uncertainly around the crowd, but finally sighed in resignation.

  "Okay, apparently I'm going... does anyone else want to come with me?" he asked, somewhat uncertain. After a few moments of silence, during which the other bandits did their best to examine the cave floor and walls and not to look in Bartold's direction, the latter finally groaned angrily.

  "Well, it seems I'll go and see what's going on by myself, just keep an eye on the stranger here, we've had enough surprises for one day," Bartold announced grumpily and went to the elevator.

  At least this bad joke will soon be over, and I can deal with the real problems, thought Aodhan, who started to smile when the horn sounded.