I Struck the water and my world went black; a feeling of dread threatening to consume my mind. My very soul. I thrashed and squirmed, but that inky-dark was relentless and unending; I didn’t know which way was up; I didn’t know which way was down.

And I was losing air fast.

Then I felt… something warm; small, at first, but soon, like a raging fire. I dared to open my eyes to see the Dragon's-Eye burning brightly in all its glory. It illuminated the water, and looking, I saw Vekrem below me, his clothing caught on a downed tree that lay at the bottom of the river.

I fought the current, swimming down and down with all of my strength. Dragon reached out in my head, but he was a distant thing in that moment. A whisper; a nagging feeling. He didn’t matter; the only thing that did was saving the person in front of me. I couldn’t focus on saving the world, not now—

Just focus on saving those within reach.

That determination propelled me as I reached out, grabbing a root of the tree, and pulling myself the rest of the way towards him. Vekrem appeared limp, as if he’d knocked his head during the crash. I was out of air and out of time—I hoped beyond hope he was still alive.

Then, surprisingly, Vekrem’s eyes sprung open. They were sharp; determined. He reached out, grasping the Dragon's-Eye, but then slumped again, those determined eyes rolling in the back of his head. I wasted no more time as I pulled the dagger from my belt, cutting the piece of his clothes that bound him. Letting go, the river swiftly took us both in its momentum, forcing us forward as roughly as if bound by chains.

Grabbing the back of his hood, I hauled him up towards the surface, the light of the Dragon’s-Eye guiding my way. But, before I could make it, my own body failed me. My mind drifted aloft, caught in the flow. I had tried again to save someone, and failed to do so—

Was I always destined to come up short?

***

Water exploded from my mouth as rough hands violently pressed down on my chest. I opened my eyes to the darkness of night, but, feeling the hands press down on me again, I pushed them aside, turning my body to cough up the rest of the water in my lungs.

“You’re actually alive!” Asema said with some surprise, and then, she laid next to me, apparently exhausted herself. Her chest rose and fell as quickly as my heartbeat, which pounded violently in my chest as if it’d burst through my skin.

But, remembering my last thought before I’d passed out, I said, “Vekrem! Where’s Vekrem?” I saw the silhouette of her gesture, but I couldn’t actually see it. However, knowing what I knew, my heart dropped into my stomach—

He didn’t make it.

Sensing my sorrow, Asema sat up, placing her hand on my shoulder. “Your friend, he was—“

“Don’t say brave,” I replied, shoving her hand back. “Don’t say heroic. Or fearless, or anything of the sort. He died… that’s the only thing he is now. And he died because of me.”

“Because of us,” Asema said. I felt as if she would place a hand back on me, but my body language warned her off, and, instead, she added, “If I’d not gotten caught stealing then none of this would have happened. For that, I am sorry. Sorry for your loss. Sorry for humanities loss.”

I found that last curious, but, having no heart for the conversation, I replied, “None of that matters now.” Then, suddenly, I felt an old “friend” tugging at the back of my mind. Not Dragon, but something far more powerful. So powerful in fact, that I’d never defeated it before—

My own self-loathing.

“We need to move,” Asema offered as she forced herself to stand. “They’ll be on us soon. Even in the dark, the Rodrants have superior vision. They’ll be slowed, for sure, but not as much as we will.”

“What does it matter?” I replied. “The quest is over—Done. There’s no point for me to be here now.” Dragon smoldered in the back of my head at my self-pity. “Right… You.”

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“I,” Dragon boomed in my mind, sparing no sympathy for my feelings. “And stop your brooding. Your sulking—It is not fit for someone who carries my will! Your traveling companion, the rodent, Vekrem, he is not dead. In fact, he is quite alive and currently enjoying a very warm fire, to which I myself would very much like to acquaint myself with.”

I stood, leaning against the edge of a tree. “Wait… How do you know?”

“I can feel him,” Dragon replied. “Can you not?”

Focusing, truly focusing, I felt that I could. Almost, it was like there was an extension of myself out there, somewhere, enjoying the warmth of a fire, just as Dragon had mentioned. Turning to Asema, I couldn’t hide my excitement as I said, “let’s go! Looks like the quest isn’t over yet.”

“What do you mean?” She asked, then added, “And where are we going?”

***

I had run into no less than three tree’s on our romp through the forest. Behind me, I could hear the ever raging river, and in front, the sounds of scattering wildlife as we trampled through like blind bears. The mushrooms provided little light here, and the moon, shrouded by dark clouds, proved to set the scene for ill-tidings. Worse, from the pressure in my head, I suspected rain.

“How much longer?” Asema asked, nudging me in the back. Not paying attention, I hit the branch of a tree which snapped back, cutting a clean line on the edge of my neck.

The sense I had of Vekrem was small and fleeting, and even Dragon wasn’t sure how or why it existed at all. Rubbing my fresh wound, I said, “I don’t know. We just need—”

“Wait!” she said, excitedly. Squinting, I could just make out the outline of her hand as she pointed in a direction between some distant trees. “There, do you see it? Light!” At the very edge of my vision I saw a faint light, like a lone firefly in the darkest of nights. But, it was there. It existed.

“Let’s hurry,” I said, but Asema was already running ahead of me, heedless of any danger that threatened ahead. I understood why I wanted to find Vekrem so badly, he was my friend; the only one I had here in this distant world. But her… She hardly even knew him. Why did she care so much?

The light became brighter and brighter and, eventually; we found its source. Inside an abandoned stone tower, likely a remnant of some village lost to time that had been used to scout for enemies, was a small fire. Inside, our traveling satchels were in a bunch near the fire, and Vekrem, snoring quietly, was propped up against the edge of the wall with what appeared to be a brown blanket draped over him.

“Vekrem!” I yelled, rushing towards him.

But, before I made it to him, a voice in the darkness stilled me as they said, “Leave him be.”

I peered around, hand hovering above my dagger. As I did, I saw nobody else in the stone tower, so I asked, “Who’s there?”

“An old enemy,” they replied. “But now a new ally. Promise you won’t attack me?”

Fingering my dagger, I lied, saying, “I promise.”

I noticed movement out of the corner of my eye, and as I spun, I drew my dagger, ready to strike, but in a moment of recognition, I stopped. My blade hovered a few inches from her throat, and, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand, I said, “Saise?”

“Aye,” she replied, coming into the full light. “Glad to see you remember me. Would have to kill you if you didn’t. Remember, you made me a promise—”

“A promise?” Asema cut-in, glancing between the two of us, confusion plain on her face. Then, putting a hand on my shoulder, she asked, “How do you know a Chitik?”

Saise answered before I could. “He tried to kill my mate, Kech.”

“He tried to kill me first!” I replied. “How was I supposed to know that the gunk from the mushroom would cause Radiant Rot?”

Asema removed her hand and glared at me with all the hatred one could muster. “You inflicted him with the Rot? I wouldn’t even wish that on my worst enemy.”

The Chitik, Saise, nodded in approval of her words. “Reckless. He is stupid and reckless… but strong as well.”

Shrugging, I slowly moved towards Vekrem. “And why are you here?”

“Why?” Saise replied incredulously. “To make sure you complete the quest, of course. The cure for the rot is a boon to us all, not just humans. There are those less civilized who still continue to use it for purposes of war.” Reaching down, I tried to rouse Vekrem, but Saise added, “Just leave him be; he’s fine. I was on my way to meet you both in Hollowfield, but I heard distant shouting, and, when I investigated, I saw the crash. I was about to jump into the river when I saw Vekrem’s body float up from beneath the water. It took me far longer to save him than I hoped, so, when I did, I decided to make a fire, assuming your life was lost to the river.”

“Thanks a lot.”

Saise merely shook her head as she sat on a stone slab that had fallen from the roof of the tower.

Looking over, Asema still glowered at me, as if she had something to say, but wouldn’t. Annoyance pried open my mouth as I asked, “What’s your problem?” She crossed her arms, and, feeling a bit disrespected, I amended the question, asking instead, “Why are you even here?”