The castle was silent as Kallan ascended the stairs. It remained so while she struggled to
shove and shoulder the front door open. When the door finally cracked, Kallan squeezed through
bracing for attack, or at least for a shrill shriek of the unoiled door. But yet again, all she was met
with was silence. She found this odd, as a decrepit castle is bound to have squeaky hinges. A
quick look back at the door showed that its hinges were stuffed with overgrown vines,
demonstrating its lack of use.
And so, she moved on, touring the castle with quick sweeps of the eyes. The only thing
Kallan sought to find were possible exits or hidden foes, which made her unawareness of the
danger ahead ironic.
Kallan almost passed by the first time she saw it. But the shimmer of the dragon’s scales
alerted her to the immense danger she had put herself in. The green glint of its back blended in
with the ever-growing plants, attacking the derelict castle by sprouting up through cracks in the
floor and replacing the crumbled cobblestone architecture with walls of vines.
If she had just watched her step, maybe taken a breath before continuing on, Kallan
wouldn’t have tripped. But as frazzled at seeing a simple quest flicker out into oblivion, Kallan
had yet to adjust her plans. Maybe she should’ve done so before lifting her foot up. But Kallan
didn’t, and whether dragon or root, she stumbled and fell to the floor, slamming her sword and
shield along with her.
The sound of metal clanging bounced off the stone and stunned her. She froze, unable to
decide whether to flee or hope to melt into the floor.
The dragon’s eyes opened.

And with that, Kallan uttered a word that echoed among the ruins, “shit.”