‘How the hell did we manage to kill a Dragon?’ Adam thought as they made their way towards the forest edge.

He tried to recall the fight, how the Dragon soared down towards them without its lightning breath, and then it focused all its attacks on Jurot, the only one of them who could have taken the entirety of its blows and shrug it off.

Adam’s eyes fell to Jurot, who had rested up after the fight, and had been pumped full of magic from both himself and Dunes.

No longer was his body littered in the scars of the Dragon’s attacks, though there were still faint traces of the assault from the Dragon.

“Are you alright?” Adam asked.

“I am okay,” Jurot said, nodding his head.

He and the other three Iyrmen were full of excitement, after all, they had each helped to slay a Dragon. Jaygak wasn’t quite as positive though, as she hadn’t managed to land a single blow, but she had still been a part of the fight, and thus would still have her part in the story.

“That’s good,” Adam said, patting Jurot’s back.

“Healing magic is powerful,” Jurot said, glancing down at his body. “I was losing so much blood, but I am feeling much better now.”

“We should thank Lady Arya for that, I think,” Adam said, chuckling.

“It is a shame it will hide the scars from the Dragon.”

“Just be thankful you’re alive,” Adam said.

“Did you not say that you would not allow me to die unless it was to a Dragon?” Jurot asked. “If I had died to this Dragon, it would have been a good death.”

Adam slapped Jurot against his back, a little too hard. “What the hell are you saying? If I had let you die to a Dragon that small, how could I show my face back in the Iyr? To Aunt Sonarot and our adorable little sister, eh?”

Jurot did not respond, instead thinking about Adam’s story, and how hard he had tried to bring Jurot back to his mother.

“A Dragon is a decent death,” Jurot repeated, hoping Adam would understand.

Adam, understanding that Jurot would have been okay dying to a dragon, slapped the Iyrman’s back again. “A Dragon that small? Don’t even call it a Dragon! It was nothing better than a Wyvern, and I won’t let you die to one of those either. You can only die once you’ve reached Diamond Rank with me, and only if you’re facing against the most powerful of Dragons.”

Jurot wasn’t sure if he should laugh, wondering if Adam was joking, but finding out when Adam was joking and just stating ridiculous dreams was not something he had completely figured out, so he dropped the matter instead.

“Are you feeling alright?” Adam eventually said, walking over to the Devilkin.

“I am okay,” Jaygak said. “It is a shame I was unable to land a blow. I would have brought great honour to my family if I had managed.”

“Whether or not you landed a hit, you charged in to fight beside us,” Adam said. “We’ll have another chance to fight a Dragon, so keep your excitement up for that.”

“If it had been anyone else to say something so ridiculous, I would have laughed them off, but somehow, coming from you, I can’t help but think that we’ll come across another Dragon.”

Adam grinned wide. “I said we’d face a Dragon and somehow managed to make it come true in half a year. Perhaps there will be another Dragon by the end of the year?”

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“I would like to wait until I’m an Expert to face one,” Jaygak said. “Then, unless Fate is against me, I will be able to land a blow. I just… I just want one strike, damn it!”

“It doesn’t matter if Fate is on your side or not,” Adam said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “If you want to land a hit, I’ll make it so.”

Jaygak stared up at the Half Elf for a moment, seeing the joy in his eyes. “Seriously, Adam. How can you be such a weird guy, but also so manly at the same time?”

Adam puffed up his chest, his lips twitching into a smile. “It’s because I’m a Half Elf.”

“If only you had horns,” Jaygak said, sighing.

Adam laughed.

Fate’s Golden managed to arrive at the forest’s edge without much trouble, other than the extreme heat which had caused them to stop and rest several times throughout the days. Adam did his best to keep them all cool using his Tricks, but that only provided some short term relief under the sun.

Other than Jaygak, who was enjoying being toasted under the last of the Noonval heat.

“We’ll have to set up a temporary camp here,” Adam said, looking around to find some firewood.

“Jurot,” Kitool called, squatted down as she pointed to the ground in front of her.

Jurot squatted down beside her. “Wolf?”

“Dire Wolf?”

Jurot stared at the tracks for a long moment before nodding his head. They noted the blood, which had been here for a couple of days at most, before they followed the trail. The rest of the party followed, and soon the Iyrmen’s ears were twitching, and Jurot donned his shield.

There had been no need to don his shield, as they found the source of the noise.

Large and furry, it was a large wolf, a Dire Wolf apparently, with grey and white fur. It was as large as an Elder Wolf, perhaps a little larger, and far more vicious with how it glared at the party with its eyes.

Yet, even with that eye, it was fairly obvious that it posed no threat. It’s chest heaved with effort, and its entire body had been clawed to bits, and there was a large puncture wound against the middle of its body.

Kitool narrowed her eyes. “It was the Dragon,” she said with absolute confidence.

“How could you tell?” Adam asked.

“The wounds are the same as those found on Jurot’s body.”

“Oh.”

The Dire Wolf let out a low growl, but it was followed by tiny yips and squeals. Under its giant paws was cradled two pups, and as Adam’s eyes fell behind it, he could see the bodies of a few more pups, each unmoving.

“Damn,” Adam said, hearing the weak yips of the two babies.

Kitool stared at the Dire Wolf, having been eager to face a powerful creature, but to see a half dying Dire Wolf with her children against her, that was not something that filled her with any delight.

The Dire Wolf continued to snarl up at the group, but she had no strength to deal with any of them.

“What do we do?” Adam asked, looking at the Dire Wolf and the pups.

“We should put them out of their misery,” Dunes said.

Adam’s head snapped to the War Priest. “I didn’t expect you to be so cold.”

“She is dying, and the pups will be unable to survive without her.”

Adam stared at the Dire Wolf, and then towards the two pups, who had been born only days ago.

“What?” Dunes asked.

“How can you kill them? Look at them, they’re so cute.”

“We can’t just take a pair of Dire Wolf cubs with us.”

“Why not?”

“It will be difficult to raise them when we’re already in so much danger.”

“So? Are you really going to kill these adorable little puppies?”

“Is this where you draw the line?”

“No, but I don’t think we should kill them.”

Jaygak placed a hand on Adam’s back. “I agree. I think we should look after them. This is a great fortune for us. If we are able to raise them, they will be able to assist us.”

“Sure, but I still think they are adorable,” Adam said, stepping closer to the Dire Wolf, which barked at him.

Kitool stepped forward, crouching down before the Dire Wolf. “We will look after your cubs,” she said. “Leave it to us.”

The Dire Wolf growled at the woman again, but soon her growls fell quiet, and moments later, she fell still.

Kitool picked up the cubs, which yipped and whimpered. “It will be difficult to feed them. We do not have milk for them.”

“We can’t just let them die,” Adam said. “We’ve accepted them into our hearts, so we have to take responsibility for them.”

Jaygak took one of the pups from Kitool and stared at it. “You are really cute, aren’t you?”

“Two girls,” Kitool said, hugging the little pup in her own hands.

“Hold on,” Adam said, raising a hand. “Just because they are two girls, doesn’t mean you two get them.”

“I think that’s fair,” Jaygak said. “Two girls for two girls.”

“I want one too!” Adam took off his helmet, narrowing his eyes at the pair of them. “I was the one to keep them alive.”

“I promised the mother I would take care of them,” Kitool said.

“You can have one, obviously, but I want the other.”

“If Kitool gets one, I get the other,” Jaygak said.

“It is fair,” Kitool said.

“Fair? How is that fair?”

“If Jurot gets one half, you should get the other,” Kitool said.

Adam narrowed his eyes at them, but he couldn’t refute their words. “Damn it.”