As Andy and Morwen descended back down the hill, the rest of the group was huddled behind a small mound, crouched oddly.

Andy called out, "What's going o–"

Arlene shushed him silently, holding her finger to her closed lips and widening her eyes.

"Wait," Morwen whispered. "There may be a threat."

Sure enough, after a few seconds, Andy saw what the group was hiding from. A large, green reptile, about the size of a horse, lumbered around in the field just a few yards away.

"A green dragon," Morwen whispered, crouching down.

The monster had thick, stone-like scales and large, leathery wings that it held close to its back. Its hind legs were large and powerful, while its front legs seemed more dextrous.

Someone, it sounded like Sven, coughed.

The dragon immediately went rigid, its head popping up and scanning for the source of the noise. A low rumble came from its throat.

It would've been an otherwise beautiful afternoon. It was bright and clear, the field shimmering with golden grass. A light breeze circulated underneath the open sky. It was almost idyllic, except for the two-ton death machine that now stood in their way.

"What do we do?" Andy asked. "Wait for it to pass?"

"That'd be ideal," said Morwen, "but green dragons… they're most often employed by wizards of ill repute… there's a good chance this one is evil. And it may in fact be searching for us."

Andy slowly drew his sword, keeping the majority of his body out of the line of sight from the fearsome dragon.

"Who would be searching for us?" Andy asked.

"Well, you're the first new arrivals in the region in a long, long time. Word travels fast. The nobility aren't the only ones who may feel threatened. The wilderness is home to all sorts of people, including powerful mages…" Morwen trailed off.

"Great," Andy said. "First the nobility, now random wizards?"

"It's not always easy being an otherworlder," Morwen said. "You tend to attract attention. At least in these parts."

The dragon still had its head raised, scanning the area for the source of noise. Then, it spoke loudly: "I know you're there."

Its voice rumbled sub-audibly, booming in Andy's chest even as he heard it with his ears.

"I have been watching you," the dragon spoke again.

Morwen stood up.

"Wait," Andy whispered as she walked into plain sight. "What about–"

"Stay here," Morwen said. "Follow my lead."

She walked toward the dragon, who relaxed as she came into view.

"What do you want with us?" Morwen said, her katana aimed at the creature.

"Ah," the dragon said, his tail curling wildly. "I come with an offer."

"We're busy," Morwen said. "Let us pass and we will spare you."

The dragon's laughter rumbled as small plumes of vapor escaped his nostrils. "The mission you are on is not all that important," the dragon said. "Accompanying a petty noble on a leisure trip. Please."

"I have my orders," Morwen said.

"And I have mine," said the dragon. "Here is the offer I am to communicate to you: I offer to accompany the otherworlders to the nearest exit portal."

"We refuse your offer," Morwen said flatly.

"That would be unwise," the dragon said, his wings spreading wide as he inhaled and sighed a puff of vapor. It wasn't smoke, exactly, but it was almost certainly some kind of breath weapon. "I have been tasked with ensuring that the otherworlders leave the Infinite Plane, whether voluntarily or by death." The dragon blew a small ring of vapor which turned phosphorescent green. The vapor cloud morphed into the shape of a skull before dissipating. "Please, come out and have a discussion with me," the dragon called. "I won't bite… as long as you remain civil."

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Andy cringed as Kermit skipped out from behind the mound that the group was crouched behind.

"No," Arlene hissed, but it was too late.

"Hello mister dragon!" Kermit said.

"Goddammit," Morwen whispered audibly enough for Andy to hear. "Who sent you?" She asked, turning back toward the dragon.

"It is not relevant," the dragon said. "You can entrust the otherworlders to me. It will only take a few hours to get there by wing."

"We don't want to leave," Kermit said. "We're getting powerful so we can find my brother."

Andy stood up and drew his greatsword, walking out into the open. Their cover had been blown, so he figured it would be better to protect the kid as much as he could. He stepped in front of Kermit, brandishing his giant weapon.

"If you fell to a disorganized group of bandits, you will surely not withstand me," the dragon said with a haughty tone. "But I am growing tired of this tedium. Shall you come with me, or shall I exterminate you?"

"On whose behalf?" Andy said.

"Like I said, it's not relevant," said the dragon.

"And why should we trust a wyrm like you," Andy asked, impressed with his own deft use of fantasy terminology.

"Oh no," said Morwen. Her face sank as she looked pleadingly at Andy, as if to request that he take the words back.

"What… did you call me?" the dragon said, his wings spreading wider as he began to lift off the ground.

"Is that not… should I have not…" Andy began to stammer.

"You've really done it now," Morwen said as she backed away from the dragon. She looked back toward Arlene, Sven, and PL, and then to Andy and Kermit. She belted a Command. "Get into position!"

Morwen's Command sent an instant jolt of energy into Andy, as well as an instant comprehension of her intentions. Apparently, the rest of the group experienced the same as they gathered instinctively into formation.

The dragon lifted into the sky, green glowing vapor escaping its maw. It reared its head back and roared before throwing itself forward, spewing a green beam of plasma from its throat.

"Dodge!" Morwen Commanded.

The group scattered just in time to avoid the dragon's breath weapon. It bore into the ground, vaporizing the grass and displacing hundreds of pounds of soil. The force of the shock reverberated through Andy as he narrowly avoided harm.

"Ranged attacks!" Morwen called with her Command.

Arlene notched an arrow and let it fly, striking the dragon in the shoulder. The shaft of the arrow remained lodged in its scales, but it did not seem to hurt the creature.

Kermit loaded a clobbershot round into his slingshot and launched it toward the creature. Astonishingly, the round made contact with the dragon's chest and knocked it back several yards. A burst of vapor escaped the dragon's mouth as the wind was knocked out of it.

The dragon began to spiral down to the ground, but at the final moment, it righted itself and shot back into the air. "You have made a foolish decision," it said. "You do not understand the power of a green dragon!"

"Ranged attacks!" Morwen Commanded again.

Before either Arlene or Kermit could launch more projectiles, the dragon dove toward Morwen, whipping its tail to knock her feet out from under her.

Morwen fell prone as the dragon descended on her. She held her katana between her and her assailant, but it would do little to stop the creature.

Instinctively, Andy leapt toward the dragon and raised his greatsword. As soon as he came within range, Andy allowed himself to enter a meditative state, triggering Fluid Strike. The world slowed down and he observed his options.

The dragon was just above Morwen, who was on the ground. It seemed that the creature was intent on taking a bite out of her with his razor sharp teeth.

Andy spun, gaining momentum, as he brought his giant sword toward the dragon's neck. The sword made forceful contact, but then bounced off. Andy snapped back to regular speed.

"Never met a dragon before, huh?" the dragon said as Andy backed away. "Scales of stone!"

The dragon then reared its head back before slamming into Morwen's shoulder.

Morwen screamed as the dragon's dagger-like teeth, each one half a foot in length, pierced her neck and shoulder. The dragon thrashed its neck like a dog intent on killing it's prey. Morwen flailed helplessly, completely at the whims of the dragon, as her katana fell from her hand. Her screams faded as her body went limp.

"No!" Andy called. "Let go of her!"

Kermit let another clobbershot fly, hitting the dragon in the chest and causing it to drop Morwen, who fell back to the ground. Blood quickly began to pool around her.

The dragon retreated back to the air and Andy ran over to Morwen. Her wound was serious. Most of the muscle and flesh between her right ear and shoulder had been shredded. Blood was spilling out of her jugular. Andy dragged her body back a few feet.

"Kermit, you need to heal her, OK?"

Kermit nodded and put his hands above Morwen's wounds, beginning an Intercession.

Andy turned back to face the dragon, who was circling low overhead. "Sven, you and PL cover Kermit."

Sven nodded.

Andy turned to Arlene.

"Let's kill this fucker."