"What?! Is that why you've turned into a worm?!" Riley blurted, his tiny dragon head shaking far too fast for someone with a developing spine.
"A worm?! I am still a snake!" Thyrran snapped back, scales puffing indignantly. "I simply lost access to the same amount of mana. That does not mean I turned into another creature entirely!"
The fat, glossy serpent reared up, or at least attempted to. It made him look like an angry caterpillar trying to lecture a lizard, but the indignation was definitely there.
Riley blinked at him.
The serpent looked personally offended.
Thyrran hissed the draconic equivalent of a tired sigh. "This appearance is because of the unusual situation that brought all the necessary conditions together. Nothing more."
Riley tilted his tiny dragon head. "And those conditions are…?"
Thyrran stared for a beat, then began explaining like a teacher who already regretted taking the job.
