The clearly defined path, and the thinning of the forest, meant that stealth would be impossible. There were places to take cover from an attack, large boulders and other obstacles, but nowhere to truly hide. While still moving quietly, instead of worrying about being seen, Dover focused on searching for traps. He carefully watched every step and looked for anything even remotely out of place.

No matter how hard he searched, Dover didn’t see anything suspicious. In fact, the area appeared to be carefully maintained. A person would have to try to injure themselves here. Dover couldn’t imagine how strong a dragon would have to be to neglect to defend its lair at all. He even began to wonder if the entire trail was simply an elaborate ruse. None of the rumors suggested that level of deviousness though.

On spotting a cave in the hillside Dover tensed and readied his weapons. Then he heard it...

CLOMP.

CLOMP.

CLOMP.

It was the sound of a large beast approaching. Dover waited, clearing his mind, and relying on his reflexes to take control.

The first thing he saw was the dragon’s head as it came out of the cave. When the light struck the scales, they gleamed like polished armor. On top of its head, between two short pointed ears, was a pair of vicious looking horns. Continuing to exit, the monster's long neck swayed side to side as if searching the surroundings for prey.

The dragon had a single row of spikes running down its neck. Along its back, between its folded wings, the spikes split into three parallel lines before once again joining together. Dover considered it a small blessing that they stopped halfway down its tail.

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As the dragon’s silver eyes locked onto his own, Dover could see the alertness and intelligence in its gaze. This was not a mindless beast.

Upon exiting the cave completely, the dragon's razor sharp teeth and dagger long incisors seem to curve into a cruel looking smile. Without releasing Dover from its gaze it reared up, stretching to its full height. Opening its jaws wide it unleashed an earth shaking roar.

The sound struck him like a physical blow, but he was already dodging and aiming. Landing in a crouch he pulled the trigger of his crossbow and launched three bolts directly into the monster’s mouth. The roar abruptly cut off as the monster reeled in surprise from the attack, almost losing its balance as the impact forced it to turn.

Without pausing, Dover dropped his now useless crossbow and launched himself directly at the dragon’s exposed side. Charging closer he drew his bow and began rapidly firing, hoping the explosive arrows would further push the dragon off balance.

As he got closer, he could see the arrows were doing some damage. The scales had lost their luster and were stained red. The beast still hadn’t recovered from the brutal assault and was beginning to stagger. Dover continued firing, almost out of arrows, when the beast started to tip and fall. The scent of blood and smoke filled the air as he launched his final shots. Bloodlust overwhelming him, Dover abandoned caution and his carefully laid plans. Tossing his bow aside he drew his dagger. Thirsting for the kill he lunged at the dragon, throwing his full weight behind the strike.

Unable to dodge as Dover propelled himself closer, the dragon roared once more and a blinding flash lit the hillside. Dover’s attack missed, striking the ground and piercing all the way to its hilt. The shock of slamming into the ground somewhat returned Dover to his senses. He slowed his breathing and carefully listened. He could only hope the dragon was equally blinded and also forced to rely on sound. An eerie stillness fell over the battlefield.

Though it was only a handful of seconds, the silence seemed to stretch for an eternity before being broken by the sound of a pained voice calling out. "Enough already! You win!"