Hours passed as Selene led Oswald through the forest. He stepped over roots and fallen branches carefully, boots sinking slightly into the soil with each step.

  Oswald exhaled sharply, raking a hand through his hair. Ain't like I expected an easy road, but a warning would've been nice. He kept his grumbling to himself, though, no point in complaining. Not when Selene had that unreadable expression of hers, the one that told him she was focused on something only she could see.

  The trees thinned as they pushed forward, giving way to a jagged cliff face draped in moss. At its base was the entrance to a large, dark cavern.

  Selene stopped, tilting her head slightly toward the cave. "Inside lies the creature that will save you."

  "Yeah? You sure there's a monster in there worth thirty souls?" Oswald shot her a sideways glance, searching her face for any sign of hesitation.

  "I am, and truth be told, the creature inside is worth more than thirty souls. I can promise you that much at the very least."

  Oswald clicked his tongue, shifting his weight from one foot to the other as he considered her words. More than thirty? "So what, we just march into its nest and kill it?"

  Selene turned to face him fully. "Precisely, it's a simple task."

  Oswald let out a short breath, shaking his head. "Alright, then. Guess we better get to it."

  Selene inclined her head, then stepped forward. "Follow me."

  Oswald stared after her for half a second longer before pulling his cloak tighter around himself and following. Yeah, this ain't ominous at all.

  The moment Oswald stepped into the cave, the damp chill wrapped around him like a second cloak. Everytime he took a step, it produced a faint echo that drifted into the yawning blackness ahead. Otherwise, there was only the sound of water dripping from unseen stalactites.

  “You’ll need your Animus, take off your eyepatch.” Selene said, stopping just a few steps ahead of him.

  "On it."

  Oswald reached up, undoing the strap before tucking the eyepatch into his cloak. The moment his right eye opened, his vision improved drastically.

  The pitch-black cavern unraveled before him like ink washing off a page. Stalactites hung like jagged teeth from above, their damp surfaces catching the eerie red glow of his Animus. Shadows deepened and sharpened, curling at the edges of his sight in unnatural ways. The uneven ground stretched forward into a twisting tunnel, marked by cracks, scattered bones, and the faintest drag marks leading into the depths.

  His gaze flicked back to Selene, and that’s when he noticed it. The legendary adventurer's eyes gleamed in the darkness, the five-pointed sigil in each of them glowing faintly. Her Animus was already active.

  She must’ve caught his stare because her lips quirked into an easy smile. “Better?”

  "Way better." Oswald said, smiling.

  The two moved deeper into the cave, but the further they went, the more Oswald's instincts gnawed at him, whispering that they were walking into something’s home, something dangerous. I'm damn sure somethin’s down here.

  Then, suddenly, something brushed against his shoulder. Oswald tensed, spinning on his heel, only to find nothing. Just empty air.

  A soft hum drifted to his ears. He turned back to Selene, catching the way she tilted her head slightly, looking far too pleased with herself.

  “You alright?” she asked.

  Oswald’s eyes narrowed. “...Did you just mess with me?”

  Selene lifted a hand to her chest, feigning offense. “Me? Oswald, please. Would I ever?”

  Before he could answer, another sound scraped behind him. A faint tap, tap, tap, just barely audible over his own breathing.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Oswald’s shoulders stiffened. He turned again, scanning the cavern. Nothing moved, but that unease still clung to him, digging into his spine like hooks.

  “Strange, I could’ve sworn I saw something right behind you.”

  “Alright. Real funny.”

  Selene couldn't help but smile. “You are too easy,”

  Oswald dragged a hand down his face, exhaling sharply through his nose. “Y’know, maybe now ain’t the best time to be messin’ around?”

  "Relax, I simply do not want you walking into this fight all tense. This hunt is not meant to be a source of stress.”

  "Huh? What’re you goin’ on about?"

  "Listen to me, Oswald. Were this hunt truly beyond your capabilities, I would have informed you."

  “Yeah, ‘cause what’s easy for you is totally the same as what’s easy for me.”

  “That is not incorrect. However, that doesn't change the fact that I believe in you, Oswald. And I am not one to say that lightly.”

  Oswald faltered for half a step. The words weren’t spoken just to make him feel better. Selene wasn’t like that. If she said something, she meant it. "Thanks. I’ll… keep that in mind.”

  Gradually, as they walked, the air grew colder. Selene then suddenly raised a hand that made Oswald stand still.

  “Stop, look ahead,” she whispered.

  Oswald did as she instructed, then squinted his right eye, focusing past the jagged outcroppings of rock, past the stalagmites that jutted from the cavern floor like broken spears. Then, he saw it.

  A hulking creature was sleeping, its massive body coiled partially around itself. Its flesh was dark, ridged with hardened scales that looked more like fused plates of rock than anything living.

  It had an elongated, sinuous body, as well as powerful forelimbs tipped with curved claws, long enough to carve trenches through stone. Its head rested near its front limbs, with jagged horns curving backward, its maw lined with teeth that could crush bone with ease.

  “What… is that?"

  “A Crawling Dragon. One of the apex predators of deep cave systems. They lack wings, but their size and power compensate for it. If you kill it, you should have more than enough souls to satisfy your Animus Spirit for this payment cycle.”

  “Wait, so it’s really a dragon?”

  Selene arched a brow, tilting her head slightly. “Not quite. The technically correct name is Megalovaranus Terrestris, a distant relative of draconic species, but not a true dragon. Though I suspect that distinction makes little difference to you.”

  Oswald let out a dry chuckle, shifting his grip on his sword. “Yeah, no chance I’m gonna remember all that. So why’d you just call it a Crawling Dragon, then?”

  “It is significantly easier to pronounce. And besides, that is what most people know it as.”

  “Alright… fair. So, what’s the plan?”

  Selene pointed toward the Crawling Dragon’s massive limbs. “It’s heavily armored, and the scales are hard to penetrate unless you strike at the right places. But, the joints are vulnerable, especially at the ankles. Sever the tendons there, and you’ll cripple its movement.”

  “Its throat is heavily reinforced with thick plating, but the underside of the jaw lacks such protection. A well-placed attack there would grant you a direct path to the brainstem. Its final vulnerability lies in the eyes, though reaching them in the midst of battle will be easier said than done.”

  Oswald absorbed her words, mentally mapping the weak points in his head. Joints. Jaw. Eyes. He flexed his fingers, steadying himself as he studied the sheer bulk of the creature before him. Even with its weaknesses, taking it down wasn’t going to be easy.

  “You think I can do this alone?” Oswald asked.

  “I do.” Selene said.

  “That confident, huh?”

  “Confident that you won’t die, yes. That being said, if you look like you’re about to get eaten, I’ll step in.”

  Oswald huffed, shaking his head. “Real comforting.”

  Selene smirked. “I thought so.”

  Oswald took a breath as he let his focus sharpen, blocking out everything but the Crawling Dragon before him. Alright, let’s do this.

  He moved as quiet as he could towards the massive monster. The damp stone beneath his boots was slick enough that he had to tread carefully, forcing him to shift around with each step to avoid unnecessary noise.

  The Crawling Dragon remained motionless, its massive form sprawled across the cavern floor in heavy slumber. Up close, its sheer size was staggering, each breath shifting the ridges of its plated hide.

  Oswald exhaled slowly, steadying his grip as his fingers wrapped around the hilt of his longsword. Inch by inch, he drew it free. Easy does it, just need to get a good hit.

  Then the air shifted as the Crawling Dragon raised its head. Oswald’s breath caught in his throat as the monster turned toward him, nostrils flaring as it tasted the air. No, no, no—

  Its eyes snapped open. Twin slits of molten gold locked onto him, gleaming in the darkness.

  For a single heartbeat, nothing moved. Then, with a deep, grating scrape of scale against stone, the Crawling Dragon uncoiled its massive body.

  Its limbs shifted, claws grinding against rock as it rose to its full height. Its maw stretched open, revealing rows of serrated fangs glistening with thick saliva.

  And then, it roared. The sound ripped through the cavern like an avalanche, a raw, guttural bellow that made the air itself vibrate.

  The force of it slammed into Oswald’s chest, rattling through his bones as if the beast had reached inside him and shaken his very core. Dust and loose rock trembled from above, cascading in streams as the cavern walls groaned under the sheer magnitude of the sound.