Yes! The first thing that popped into my mind was a gathering of confused husbands waiting for their wyrm wives to buy clothes for some reason, I adapted it from there. These dudes have an army now, they can plan world domination

hahaha thank you very much, der! I had to rush the ending a bit cause I had to leave, wasn't sure if someone was going to like it because of that

I loved her. Of course, I did. How couldn't I? She was a counterpoint, a question, a poem in the flesh.

She was feral around the eyes and yet she smiled with the warmth of a long-since-longed hug. She held the fierceness of nature in her features and yet her voice was wrapped in a blanket softer than the singsong of the nightingale. She uprooted me with a kiss, sent my thoughts into a frenzy with a look, and took me back into the world with a whisper.

She was, by all accounts, the love of my life.

And so, despite the oddity of her question, I said, "Yes, I would still love you if you were a worm."

A silly game, I thought, until she cried tears of joy and told me she had bought two tickets to a secret place. I was confused but I accepted, after all, her happiness was all that mattered.

Two days later, we left our little abode in the forest and the cold embraced us when we descended from the plane.

"Here, I want this to be a surprise," Jane said and gave me a piece of cloth. "Cover your eyes and follow me."

A bit strange, I thought, but once again I went with it. Half an hour later, the wintry gales whirred in my ears, muffling Jane's words, and the dense snow turned my gait into a trudge. "Where are we?"

Jane reached for my ear and hugged me. At that moment, the cold thawed and melted into tender warmth. "We are here," she said and the whirring of the winds died down. "Count to ten, and open your eyes."

"Okay?" I hesitated, my heart beating fast.

There was a loud noise like the cracking of bones or the snapping of logs. I jumped in place.

"Don't worry, keep counting down, honey."

I obliged, and a moment later I removed the makeshift blindfold covering my eyes. Before me, enormous and immemorial, was a limbless and wingless creature. It was like a serpent, only a hundred if not a thousand times larger, with ice-blue scales the size of ten men and white, streaming whiskers at the sides of its vast, slobbering maw.

I screamed at the top of my lungs. I felt my whole world crumbling and shattering. Jane had betrayed me. Where was she? Why had she brought me to die here? What was this creature?

"Jerry!" the creature said, seemingly offended. "Am I that ugly?"

I recognized the voice. Of course, I did. "Ja--Jane? Is that you?" I shook my head and glanced quickly at the surroundings. We were in a frozen cave full of stalactites and stalagmites, and the remnants of what I could only guess were her clothes lay on the ground.

"Yes, Jerry, this is me!" The creature's tone had a clear edge of exasperation. It turned around as if offended. If it had limbs, I was certain it would've crossed its arms. "You told me you would love me if I were a wyrm. And so here I am, being vulnerable, showing you what I really am. A wyrm."

"A wyrm?" I said, confused. "I thought you said a worm."

She turned back around. "A worm? That's dumb. Why would you love me if I were a worm? I would be ugly and probably dumb too, worms don't think nor feel."

"Honey, I would love you if you were my worst nightmare. I love everything about you, you know this." I paused to take a look at her and drew a deep breath. "And this form of you is gorgeous, breathtaking. I'm sorry if I sound hesitant, it's because I have many questions, but I mean it."

"Really?"

"Really."

She smiled a smile full of fangs, fire, and drool. "Come over, I will introduce you to the others."

"Others?"

"Yes." She picked me up with her whiskers as though I was a lollipop and onwards she slithered into a vast circular room full of ice pillars.

At the center of the room, there were a dozen of other wyrms, and next to them a dozen of seemingly confused men.

The moment Jane set foot, or I should say belly in that room, they all faced me. The men looked puzzled, the wyrms thrilled.

"What a joy, Jane! What a joy! This must be Jerry," a wyrm with obsidian-black scales said. She was twice the size of Jane.

Jane swayed her head from side to side in what I could only infer was a delightful dance. "Yes! Thank you, Carla. As you all know, this is my beloved husband Jerry."

"Hello?" I said and waved hesitantly. "It's a pleasure to meet you?"

"The pleasure is ours, Jerry. Jane can't stop talking about how wonderful you are," another wyrm said.

I smiled. "She exaggerates, I'm very much not wonderful. In fact, she doesn't love me as much as I love her."

Their expressions shifted to something I could only describe as confusion.

"What are you saying, honey?" Jane said, turning her head completely around like an owl. "Of course, I love you more than you do."

"No, you don't. I have a secret. Something I've been wanting to confess to you."

"Jerry, are we doing this right now--"

Before she could finish speaking, I turned into a worm.

A storm of thundering gasps filled the room, making the pillars shake.

"What in the world," one of the husbands said.

"You said worms were ugly and dumb. Do you love me now?"

Jane hesitated. "Of course I do, you are still you. I wouldn't kiss you like that, though." Her expression shifted. "Wait, how are you a worm?"

"Ah, I see this is the Club of the Confused Husbands, Confused Wyrms, and Confused Husband Worm now," I said and shifted back into my human shape. "A secret is a secret. But I've always been a worm."

There was an uncomfortable silence that lasted for far too long.

"How are we supposed to react?" one of the husbands said. "First my wife tells me she's a wyrm, then transforms into one, takes me into an ice cave, and now someone just turns into a worm and then turns back into a naked man? What is this, a joke?"

"World domination is not a joke," Carla said and slithered to the center of the room. "Jerry your entrance has been spectacular. But now, it's time to plot."

------------------

Went full dumb. I don't regret it.

Come over, or else you'll turn into a worm -> /r/AStoryToRuleThemAll

The town was ablaze, and the chicken squawked with joy. "The gold, human! Pillage it all."

Claire's gaze danced across the slithering flames. The houses she once knew were now piles of ash and charred wood. The people she had grown up with were running and screaming at the top of their lungs, a parade of despair. Not too far from her, the gluttonous fire had engulfed the slow and unfortunate, turning them into featureless monsters.

Claire laughed, and she did so with turbulent delight.

"Human, the gold I said!" The hen's squawk cut through the roaring discord.

Claire shook her head, coming back to herself. She picked up the chicken and bolted toward Mr. Gunch's house. It was the largest of them all, and not far away. The flames were nibbling at the sides, and the door was wide open, which meant the Gunches had already left.

She made her way inside, and past the hallway, she entered Mr. Gunch's office. There, sitting and staring out the window, was Mr. Gunch. His eyes were covered in tears and his extremities trembled with unhinged fear.

Claire stopped dead in her tracks. "Mr Gunch? What are you doing here? The house is about to collapse."

"I can't leave. I'm too fat to stand up alone," he said. "My family left me here, on my command. I was going to slow them down. Death has come, at last." He turned to Claire, his stare beyond the veil of tears was ice-cold. "And if you have come for my riches, girl, know that they are not here anymore."

Claire nodded. "I thought as much." She dug out a butcher's knife from her pocket and without a word, sliced Mr. Gunch's hands with one swift swing. The obese man screamed as the blood poured out. "But these rings you've got are quite the bounty. As a payment, I'll give you the most honorable death of them all. Norbert, do your thing."

"You don't command me, peasant!" the chicken squawked but proceeded to vomit a cloud of fire onto Mr. Gunch. "You owe me, human! Let's leave. Too much smoke for you."

---

Far from the town, and with the rings extracted from the hands, Norbert spoke. "We need to be smarter, human. I bet there were treasures here and we only got five rings."

"Perhaps," Claire said, "you should have listened to me when I told you to trust me and be patient instead of incinerating everything on a whim. Dragons were wise not because of being dragons, but because of their age and you are young, very young. If we are going to restore your kin, and if you are going to make me queen of all things, you should listen to me until you grow older."

"Fair," Norbert said and shook little remnants of smoke from his wings. "I didn't think you had it in you. I was gonna use you until I found a good human to help me restore my clan. That of the Iztran dragons, sleepers of Iztrandross, once rulers of the world."

Claire paused for a moment. Her mind collected what she had done and processed it. She smiled then. "I didn't think I had it in me either. But it seems my morality is flexible given the right incentives. It's an interesting thing, though. How what I thought was unswerving turned supple when put to test."

"So much blabbering, where next?"

"Taritar, and this time, you follow my command."

Norbert huffed fire. "Fine. Only this time."

---

You can read more of my stories at r/AStoryToRuleThemAll

To rule them all?

Thank you very much, Roswyne! Glad you liked that >>:))

Thank you, shadowy >:)

Thank you very much, Vast >:)

Glad to hear that, Warturtle! It was a wonderful prompt

a cookie to rule them all

Demons, I've come to understand, have a knack, and I dare say obsession, for dramatism. At least, those who served the Dark Lord did. Their entrances were always flamboyant, always.

Some burst out of the depths of the very earth, screeching at me for the never-changing order of their Lord. "Pumpkin latte, grande!" only to be gone in the blink of an eye after I gave it to them. Others enjoyed the fine art of brief mystery. They entered disguised as regular customers only to melt down into fire and ashes and be rebirth as a charred abomination the moment they reached the counter. Others were performers, they danced their way in, juggling spheres of hellfire.

The latter dressed in fine costumes and wore featureless masks. They were also talkative and had voices that were somewhere between a singsong and a grate. Despite this, a conversation with them was seldom pleasant, for I had to constantly brace for their inexorable out-of-tune screech.

That night the clock marked 3:32 and the winter clouded the shop's window. No customers were here. They never were. Only my coworker, Carl, who slept through most of our shift provided me with some company. Demons didn't like Carl, when he was awake, they never came.

I leaned over the counter, latte in hand, and gazed at the deep night. What would it be this time? I was not in the mood for talking. I never was. I wished for a silent and reserved one, but those, it seemed, didn't exist.

The clock struck 3:33. The window's tarnish dispersed, and rings of reddish light like giant fiery owly eyes, filled the dark. I sighed. So much for hoping.

Yes, the hellfire handling of this demon was magnificent, a private show any person would empty their wallets to witness, but I had seen it a hundred times if not more. I knew it by heart. There, the eyes turned into spheres and then the spheres burst into drops that bobbed and swirled mid-air. At times, I enjoyed pondering whether they imitated the shape of souls. Demons must draw inspiration from somewhere.

But those were short-lived thoughts. The drops commingled into serpents and danced into the shop. They slithered across the air all the way toward the counter, caressing my skin with an odd heat even from afar. I took two steps back. The serpents hissed and pounced onto one another, stretching until the disguised demon rose from their entanglement with a sharp crack.

"Lady, I hope this gorgeous night treats you well," it said, its voice muffled behind the mask.

I flinched, bracing myself for the usual unexpected screech. "It's treating me well, yes. Here's the order of the Dark Lord."

He nodded and with gloved hands clasped the latte. "Is it really treating you well? You seem to be in a bad mood."

That last sentence he screeched. Its voice grated like claws eager to tear apart my skin. I trembled and flinched and covered my ears.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I forget our attempts at empathy hurt your kind," it said. "We are not great liars. But lady, you at this point should understand, we are envoys of the Dark Lord, and your latte-making abilities are critical for him in the Underworld. Whether you know it or not, this thing"--he pointed at the latte--"helps the Dark Lord make important decisions, and therefore you are a part of what shapes the Underworld. We watch you, carefully and from up close. His orders, not our will. You are always safe, and you are always welcome to come with us."

The demon paused. "See how I didn't screech? I was sincere."

I frowned. "First time one of you invites me. What should I do?"

"Well, there's only one way in, unfortunately--"

The clock struck 3:34 am.

"My time is up, lady, cheer up. Not that we care, but have a good night," it said and faded into nothingness.

I was left pondering. One way in, what did that mean? Death? Was that the way into the Underworld? Did I want to go? I shook my head. Of course, I didn't.

Minutes later, the door at the back opened. Carl came out stretching and yawning. He met my eyes, then stared at the floor in front of the counter. He sighed. "Again, Carla? I don't mean to be rude, but I don't think the night shift is good for you."

He moved almost routinely toward the back and brought back a mop and a bucket full of water. "The wood will only drink so much pumpkin latte. Here, throw this in the trash." He picked up a grande cup and handed it over to me.

I obliged. He didn't believe me. He never did. Demons did this. They are creatures of mischief, and so they always made it seem as though I had dropped the drink when they were gone.

Always.

--

rulethem hopes you like it >:)

I'm a bit new to reddit, but I think you can follow me if you liked my stories? I'll collect the stories I write in my personal feed.