Kalaman burst through the tavern doors and walked hastily to one of the tables where three adventurers sat. Two of them were casually making conversation, while one was fast asleep. He placed a piece of paper on the table so forcefully that it even woke him up.

“I found us a quest!” he said excitedly. The three adventurers had varying reactions.

The first one, a yuan-ti pureblood paladin named Shultli, gave out an exasperated sigh. Her violet eyes had slits like a snake, and her neck was covered in scales.

The sleeping guy, a half-elf wizard named Raforin, rubbed his eyes and stretched himself to wake up.

And the third, who sat across from Kalaman, was the wood elf Emerina, who simply had her elbow on the table with her face resting on her palm, closing her eyes tiredly.

It’s already been close to year since Kalaman and Emerina’s alliance. Since then, they managed to pick up two other party members. Like them, they were eccentrics who couldn’t find a party to join.

“Green dragon extermination,” he continued. “It’s hiding in a forest to the east, and it’s young. If we slay this, we’ll become legends!”

“Really, Kalaman?” Shultli said. “I knew you were desperate, but damn...”

“Same old stuff, right?” Raforin yawned. “Chief comes in with an absolutely absurd quest, and we have to deescalate it so we don’t all die horrible deaths.”

“Where’s your motivation, guys? C’mon, we can take it!” Kalaman said, trying to persuade them as best he could.

“It’s a goddamn dragon, dude. Young or not, it will tear us to bits and pieces faster than we can regret our decision. Denied.” Shultli crossed her arms.

“I’m with Shultli on this one, chief,” Raforin, still half asleep, raises his hand lazily. “I’m fine fighting with owlbears and basilisks, but I’d rather not meet a dragon if I can help it. I choose life, thank you very much.”

Kalaman scratched his head. “All of you are lacking in ambition. Fine! If none of you are going, then me and Emer’ll slay it ourselves!” He looked to the elf girl, waiting for her approval.

But she still had her eyes closed and her brows furrowed. Everyone in the party turned to her since she was being uncharacteristically quiet.

“Hey, Emer, what’s wrong?” Kalaman asked.

“...Sorry, it’s a no from me too,” she finally replied, which took him of guard. Even Shultli and Raforin were surprised, considering she was usually his prime sympathizer. Every now and then, she’d even come in with a ridiculous quest of her own.

“No? What are you talking about?”

“A no is a no.” She finally opened her eyes. “If we do that quest, we will die for sure.”

“W-we don’t know that for certain! We’ve been able to manage this entire time, right? Weren’t you the one who said we needed to play risky?”

“...Sorry, Kal. Not this time,” she said softly. “Green dragons are very powerful, even when young. What you’re trying to do isn’t ‘risky’, it’s a suicide. We can barely take on a wereboar, for crying out loud. We don’t need to roll the die every time.”

She seemed resolute in her stance. Kalaman was fully aware of how stubbornly willful she could be. But that willfulness often manifested in an ambitious roar. “Playing safe” wasn’t her game.

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“You’ve been acting weird, Emer. Lately, you’ve begun to agree with them when I try to get us these big game quests. Are you getting scared or something now?”

“That’s right.”

She admitted it so bluntly and calmly that Kalaman and the rest were at a loss for words. She was usually giddy and all smiles, yet right now, her face was serious. Kalaman knew her well enough to know that she would not budge, no matter what.

“...Fine, then,” he said after calming himself down. “There was a goblin nest extermination quest. Five goblins and two hobgoblins hiding in a cave to the east with stolen loot. That good?”

Emerina pondered for a bit, before sighing and saying, “that’s fine. We’ll do that.”

“...No objections here,” Shultli said quietly, noticing the awkward tension.

“S’fine with meee.” Raforin didn’t seem to care much, though.

Still, Kalaman wasn’t really fine with it at all.

“What happened to burning ourselves up, Emer?” he said to her with disappointment before leaving.

Emerina didn’t say anything back.

†

The party all traversed the forest on foot. Kalaman had tried to lead them using a map, but after they got lost three times in a row, Raforin stole the map from him and was now leading, with Shultli assisting him. As a result, Kalaman and Emerina were stuck in the back, following them. Both of them were notoriously bad at reading maps, after all.

Yet, during the entire journey this far, neither have said a word to the other. Still, fights like this were common between them every now and then, and Kalaman expected them to be back to normal in due time.

Perhaps those two took the lead to give Kalaman and Emerina a chance to reconcile.

He just couldn’t understand why Emerina would choose to start being all cautious now when back then, she was even crazier than him. In fact, being around her so often changed Kalaman too. He was far ballsier than he’d ever been before. “Her crazy is spreading to me”, he’d tell himself.

To be completely honest, he was more worried for her than mad. She wasn’t acting like herself. Something was clearly bugging her, and he didn’t know what.

“Something bothering you?” he asked.

“I’m fine. Why?” she replied normally. No, rather, it was strange how normal that was. Emerina was usually more energetic than this.

“You’re not.”

“I am.”

“You’re not. I can tell.” Kalaman decided to be stubborn about it, otherwise they’d never get anywhere. “Just out with it. Why would you, of all people, suddenly be scared?”

“...It’s just, lately, we’ve been fighting stronger and stronger enemies,” she finally answered. “Of course, we’ve been getting better, too. I’ve learned how to use a bit of healing magic, and you’ve found confidence in yourself and all that. But with each quest, our aim gets higher and higher, and...”

“And?”

“I’m afraid we won’t be able to keep up. That I...”

She hung her head in shame. It looked like it was getting to her a lot. It was honestly disheartening to see her like this.

“Hey, chin up, Emer,” he patted her back. “That’s why we made this party, isn’t it? We’ll push ourselves until we become heroes and prove them all wrong.”

“I know that! I know...”

That drive inside her was gone, and Kalaman didn’t know what to do. He wanted to do something for her. Anything. But he was never the smart type, so he doesn’t know how to get her out of this dump she was in.

“...After this, we’ll take a break,” he said. “No questing or adventuring for a bit, or something.”

Emerina looked up at him. There was a bit of relief in her eyes. “Mm. Thanks,” she said with a soft smile. Seeing her like that made something in him lighten up, too.

“We’re here!” Raforin yelled at them.

Right in front of them was a large cave entrance. Because of the trees’ canopies that surrounded the cave, it was impossible to see inside. If they followed the map right, then this cave should be where the goblin nest was.

“Strange,” Shultli said. “Didn’t know there was a cave here.”

“Apparently, it’s newly discovered,” Raforin replied to her. “For the most part, we’re probably the first adventurers to enter.”

“Guess we better be careful, then. That means no crazy shit, you two!” Shultli turned around and pointed to Kalaman and Emerina.

“Stop it, Shultli. You’d have an easier time trying to conquer this kingdom than doing that,” Raforin sighed. “Let’s just get this over with. I’m starting to get sleepy.”

The two of them entered the cave first, with Raforin casting a light spell on one of Shultli’s weapons as she led the way.

“Let’s get this over with, yeah?” Emerina said, having regained some of her vigor already. She followed the rest of them into the cave.

Kalaman stared at the cave’s entrance. It almost looked like a beast’s gaping mouth, ready to swallow him up.

Deep down inside him, that little boy from the desert was still there. “Kalaman Kampus” was screaming at him.

Don’t go inside that cave.

“...”

Kalaman took a step forward and entered the beast’s maw.