Several hours have passed since we both fell asleep. Feeling safe enough I saw no reason to watch so I got to rest a bit, too. Aleiana is still dead asleep. Good, she’s going to need that energy soon enough.

  I wonder if it’s morning already - everything around here is so dark and gloomy that I can’t actually tell. Should it ever come to an ‘end of the world’ scenario, I would imagine it just like this - desolate landscape with nothing but small bits of dead vegetation, no signs of life anywhere around you and the only survivors being a violent bunch like the dragon hunters.

  The dragon’s lair - our goal - is very close. In fact, it’s so close that I can sense its aura. It has to be either a very powerful creature or just the proximity, but considering the fact we are in the Mortal realm, it has to be the latter. Still, it’s powerful enough to fill even the bravest warriors with fear, otherwise someone would’ve already slain the beast. There is a good reason why there are still some dragons alive, despite the titans’ rampage against my kin.

  Morning or not, it’s time to get on the move again. I grab my partner by her shoulder and shake with her a bit, trying to be as gentle as I can.

  ‘Aleiana, wake up. It’s time to go,’ I call out to her. She murmurs something and turns over to the other side, facing away from me. Lazy butt…

  ‘Hey, wake up! We have no time for games!’ I raise my voice.

  Few moments later, the familiar emerald eyes shine at me.

  ‘Heard you the first time, so stop shouting!’ Still half-asleep, her slim figure slowly gets up and stretches. Guessing she’s hungry, I throw whatever food we have left on us. It’s nothing but crumbs and tiny leftovers, but better than making her spend the day with an empty stomach.

  With her gratefully munching on everything edible left, I use the opportunity to speak:

  ‘The dragon’s lair is very close, I can feel its aura even from here. It is very likely that our pursuers will be waiting for us there, too, so stay on guard the moment we leave this cave.’

  A nod in response. A simple yet effective signal to show me she understands.

  With that, our last day of our joint questing begins. Thinking about it, I might miss the company of this adorable person. It is to preserve the smiles of those like her that we keep fighting.

  Being reminded of that motivates me for the battles ahead.

  Despite the freezing cold, the elven ranger somewhat keeps up with me while constantly observing our surroundings. What remains of the dragon hunter clan party we met yesterday could show up any moment, so it's for the best that she’s ready. I can sense a great deal of determination from her, possibly the desire to even the score with their archer? Just that thought alone makes me chuckle in silence.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  The scenery of a grey wasteland with a couple dead trees has quickly changed into a mountain range with a small rocky staircase.

  ‘This way,’ I declare while pointing towards the stairs. Aleiana gives me a pained look, but eventually starts following me upwards.

  ‘Do elves cope that bad with high places?’

  We have traveled about a third of the way towards the lair entrance when I stop, seeing how hard Aleiana’s been trying to catch her breath.

  ‘Not all of us, probably, but the air around here is different from the usual.’

  ‘You’ve got a point. The mana concentration in the air around here is much higher. I guess it pushes the oxygen out, making it hard for beings like you to survive around here. We can take a break if it helps you.’

  ‘No, no, it’s alright. Do you think the concentration is the reason for the dragon settling down here, of all the places?’

  I nod in response: ‘It has to be the shard emitting some of its power, which subsequently made this place a lot easier to detect for creatures sensitive to mana, like dragons. Some of the shards are said to emit the magic inside them in order to not overcharge themselves and - as a result - explode.

  If this is one of those, it has to be the strongest one I’ve seen so far. It might even be more potent than both of mine.’

  As we're conversing, a pair of new auras appears ahead, or, more specifically, above us. Not very strong ones, though, and - most importantly - familiar. It seems the dragon hunters really have decided to make camp around here, expecting us to show up. Kind of ironic that instead of killing the dragon alongside us, they attack us, effectively protecting the dragon.

  Oddly enough, I can only feel two of the three survivors above us. Did something happen to the archer from their party?

  ‘Let’s keep going,’ my partner declares and resumes the ascension. She’s right; There’s no time to waste.

  I follow her in silence for a while, carefully sensing the hostile auras in case they get on move. So far they have only been sitting in one spot with us getting closer and closer to their position.

  After a few moments our surroundings start being covered by a very thin layer of snow. No wonder she’s been cold in her current clothes, which are designed for the warm climate of the mainlands. I wish I could conjure her something warmer, but unfortunately I do not know such a magic. At best I could light a fire near her, but that means risking either her hair or clothes catching fire and that wouldn’t be a very pleasant experience I’m afraid.

  A sound not natural to this place - like an arrow being fired. I scan the area around us quickly and see nothing. A strong murder intent can be felt coming at us from our right.

  Of course! The archer must have hidden his presence for a sneak snipe! How careless of me to underestimate our foe like this. There goes my proud ‘I’m going to go all-out’ right off the start.

  Thanks to sensing the threat of a fatal blow, I act on reflex and pull Aleiana towards me.

  ‘Hey, what are y-!’

  Before she even gets the chance to get upset at me for grabbing her suddenly, an arrow barely misses her leg. She doesn’t respond any further, focusing on the enemy ahead of us rather than engaging in small talk.

  He’s located above us, that’s why I couldn’t see him before.

  Finally being able to sense his presence, I do not hesitate and call a lightning down at the place where I believe him to be. Hearing no reaction, I assume he has already changed position.

  ‘Try to get up there!’ I shout and teleport to the spot the lightning struck.

  Blink. A very handy spell, especially for someone who mainly depends on his mobility during combat. It allows the user to teleport a short distance. The only downside is its very impractical incantation, however, that can be bypassed by leaving your mana at a certain spot, allowing you to travel there in an instant with just a thought.