The morning sun streamed through my window as I headed out early, waiting at the gate for the others. Once they arrived, I took the lead, pressing forward into the depths of the forest.

About 45 minutes into our journey, I heard a woman’s voice calling from behind. “Hey! Noomba grouped me with you guys! Sorry for the late notice!” She hurried to catch up, breathless. “I’m Jade. Nice to meet everyone.”

Jade’s dark brown hair, nearly black, shimmered in the dappled light, and light freckles adorned her cheeks. Her hazel eyes held a hint of curiosity. She was short and slim, with a warm smile, but I ignored her and continued on, focused on our path. Jade hurried to keep up, staying close behind me.

From behind, I overheard Halron mutter to Azkar, “Damn, dude, that new chick is h-o-t hot! I can’t wait to get to know her.”

Before they could continue, a powerful roar echoed through the trees, drawing our attention ahead. We emerged from the undergrowth to find a river stretching out before us, its calm surface disturbed by the presence of a water dragon, its scales glinting in the sunlight.

The dragon's roar shifted the atmosphere from tense anticipation to immediate action. Its massive form loomed over the river, scales reflecting the sunlight in a dazzling array. With a deep growl, it reared up, ready to fight.

I drew my longsword, its blade catching the light as I stepped forward. The dragon's powerful tail lashed out, creating waves that crashed against the shore. I ducked and dodged, closing in, looking for an opening. The dragon’s attention was momentarily split, giving me a chance to get close. I aimed a precise slash at one of its limbs, avoiding its thick, armored hide.

Jade, wielding a small, worn dagger, struggled to find a safe position. She darted around the battlefield, trying to land a hit but with little success—she was nearly useless.

Azkar charged in, swinging his glaive with wide, sweeping arcs, aiming for the dragon’s underbelly where its scales were thinner. Despite his efforts, each swing missed. Behind him, Halron fired arrows from a safe distance, but the dragon was relentless.

The dragon retaliated with a surge of water and a swipe of its claws, forcing us all to stay on our toes. I continued to engage the dragon up close, using my longsword to parry its attacks and search for openings. Jade managed a few quick jabs, further distracting the dragon, while Azkar grew increasingly frustrated as his glaive missed its mark. Halron’s arrows provided support, but the dragon’s strength was formidable.

As the dragon roared and thrashed, I spotted a critical opening when it reared up. Dodging its attack, I closed in and thrust my longsword into a vulnerable spot beneath its ribcage. The blade cut deep, and the dragon let out a final roar before collapsing into the river. Its body sank slowly, and the battle was won.

As the dragon’s form faded beneath the water, I noticed its eyes—once black—reverting to their original color as it returned to its true form. Drenched in water, I turned to face the group.

“Demon,” Azkar muttered, his eyes locking with mine briefly before he quickly turned away, moving closer to Halron.

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I take a seat on the nearest rock. Jade approaches me, her expression calm but with a hint of thrill in her voice. “Pretty cool stuff, huh?”

“Mmm. You could say that,” I reply as I look up at the sky. Glancing back down I scan the surroundings, I see nothing but tall trees. Suddenly, I hear Halron shout from a distance, “Hey, guys! Look! A secret hideout in a tree!” He sounds excited—maybe too excited. Annoying, I think to myself.

I pull myself off the rock and head over to where Halron and Azkar stand. Halron’s face is lit up with joy. “Ah, this feels like home,” he says, grinning as he peers into the hideout. The tree is enormous, hollowed out inside with a small opening. The hideout dips underground, concealed by the towering tree above. As I inspect the tree more closely, I notice a glowing essence emanating from it.

“It’s starting to get late, and it will take almost an hour to get back to the city. We should head out,” Azkar says authoritatively.

I agree and get a head start. “Alright, see you guys there,” I say as I set off.

I make my way to The Drunken Dragon and find a seat as the others trickle in. Christian, seeing me come in, starts preparing my ale. I signal him with the number four, and he nods in acknowledgment. We all gather around the round, uneven wooden table.

“Ah, here we are,” Christian says as he places the ale before us. “I see we have a new face in the group. I’m—”

I cut him off. “This is Christian; he owns this tavern. Yeah, yeah.” I wave him away. “We have stuff to discuss.” Christian looks taken aback as I shoot him a cold glare.

“Oh, uh, I’m Jade,” she says nervously, hoping he heard her as he heads back to the bar.

Azkar sits there, rolling his eyes at the interaction before him and sighing in disapproval. “Ugh, alright. After this, we should talk to Noomba about the dragon in the river.” He takes a gulp from his drink.

“Also!” Halron chimes in, his voice full of excitement. “I’m pretty sure that tree we saw was the work of a druid. I can just tell by the aura it presented.” He continues to go off on a tangent and my brain slips away, thinking of the black eyes fading on the dragon, I sip my drink, the room fades to silence as in deep thought.

“Noomba! Great to see you here!” Halron jumps out of his seat to greet her. I snap back to reality as he adds, “Please, take a seat! I’ll get you a drink.” He hustles to the bar while Noomba settles at the table.

“Noomba,” I say sharply, “during our travels, we encountered a water dragon in the river that divides the forest.”

Her eyes widen. “Oh, that’s my dear friend! I hope he didn’t cause you any trouble.”

I slam my fist on the table, annoyed. “Well, he almost killed us.” My eyebrows furrow. “He must have been possessed. After I slayed him, I saw the same black eyes I saw on the bugbear.”

Her face, once bright, quickly fell into gloom and sadness upon hearing the news. She sat in silence, absorbing the fact that her friend had passed. The table fell silent as a tear streamed down her face. The others were left to navigate the uncomfortable silence.

Halron, unaware of her mood, placed the ale down in front of her with enthusiasm. “Noomba! We saw a tree in the woods with a magical essence coming from it! I think it’s the work of druids. We plan on checking it out tomorrow.” His voice was full of excitement, and his face beamed with glee until he sat down next to her.

Noomba wiped her tears and managed a light smile. “Ah, that’s good news! Explore it when you can and take note of what you find.” She tried to mask her sadness with a smile as she spoke.

Halron still unphased by the silence at the table it smiles, chugs his drink looking forward to the next day ahead of him.