“Don’t you think it’s about time we expand our home?” Yula asked as she decapitated a baboon that pounced at her from above a tree while sitting on the back of Henry.

“Rather than expanding it, I was thinking maybe we can move,” Henry answered as he crushed a giant rat with razor fangs flat underfoot.

Henry and Yula were currently on their usual morning rounds where they patrol the borders of their territory while also hunting for their lunch and supper. Sarynn and Rayne, of course, were house-sitting. Sarynn had become part of Henry’s impromptu household while Rayne’s status was unchanged but she no longer held back on exchanging jabs and barbs with Henry. It had gotten to the point where Yula had to use her position as the household mistress to shut the two up.

“Moving, huh? Never thought about it.”

“You don’t like the idea?”

“I don’t see why we should move. I mean won’t that upset the balance of whatever of Ulrum if you lay claim to a new territory.”

Henry chuckled. “I suppose something like that can happen if I move. You can’t expect me to stay in that single same old spot forever. In the first place, it was not by choice that I chose that cave as my home. I didn’t have any other options back then, but now I do.”

“Well, looking for a new place is certainly easier than expanding one considering none of us has any experience in house renovation. Do you?”

“I wish.”

“What kind of place do you have in mind?”

“A bigger space and room, for one. Must be near a large body of water and a source of materials such as wood, stone, clay, et cetera. Hmm, what else?”

“Near a food source?”

“No, that won’t work. Our prey would just run away if we settled down near their habitats. Ideally, two kilometres will be great, not too far and not too close. Let’s see… what else… Ah, yes. Our new home should be secluded and hidden.”

Yula tittered. “Antisocial much?”

“I’m all for socialising but socialising with them doesn't end with just that. Before you know it, you are roped into their schemes and plots. Every time they approach me, they are always asking for something. Something just doesn’t change no matter which you’re in. The methods changed but the foundation stays the same.”

“What about the Kivu Princess? She seems like she just wants your company.”

“She’s just a lure. No doubt her mother, the Queen of Kivus, is using her to ensnare me.” Henry sighed in exasperation. “It’s quite a shame…”

“A shame?” Yula’s lips curled into a playful grin. “Oh, you like the Princess?”

“I do find her kinda endearing and she’s just too… pure, for the lack of a better word. I won’t mind being her friend but sadly, she’s a princess and you know how the story always goes when a commoner befriends a princess.”

“But you’re no commoner. You’re a Dragon, the Guardian of Ulrum, and their saviour.”

“Those titles won’t matter much once I’m in their palms. I barely know them. As far as I’m concerned, I don’t think friendship is their true agenda.”

“Touche,” Yula shrugged. “Anyway, where would we find such a place that meets the criteria you mentioned?”

“No idea.” Henry shrugged.

As they talked and strolled, they emerged into a clearing where a small lake filled with plants and fishes greeted their sight.

“Oh, wow,” Yula gasped. “I didn’t know there was such a place here. Has this lake always been here?”

“Yes, it has always been here but I don’t come through here often as this was outside my territory and this is the first time I took you here.”

“We’re taking a detour?”

“Something like that. We’re not in a hurry, so I was thinking maybe we could take the scenic route.”

“Oh, my, Henry. Is this a date?”

“I have always considered our rounds together as a date,” Henry answered with a smile. “It’s just that this time is a little more exciting than usual.”

“How sly of you, Henry.” She giggled and hugged the back of his neck. “And how thoughtful of you. Thank you, Henry. I love this. This place is beautiful.”

“Glad that you like it, Yula.”

Together, they strolled at a leisurely pace along the edge of the lake. They bantered all the way as they circled the lake.

“Know any more places like this?” Yula asked.

“Oh, plenty. I saw a lot of interesting places from the skies but… they ain’t exactly close and I do not know what lurks in those places.”

“That’s what makes this fun, isn’t it? Exploration, adventuring, discovering new places and the accompanying dangers… How thrilling and exciting would that be.”

“Exciting alright, until we meet something out of our league.”

“That’s just part of the experience.”

Henry sighed. “I suppose it is.”

They were just about to finish circling the lake when numerous flowers with large leaves floating above the lake came into sight. They were water flowers but not lotuses. They had the appearance of a land flower with large leaves but they were somehow growing on water, defying physics.

“Hey, what are those?” Yula pointed at those flowers.

Henry narrowed his eyes. “Now this is ominously strange… This is the first time I have seen these flowers. These flowers weren’t here before. The last time I was here was… four days ago but these flowers weren’t here then.”

“Someone put them there?” Yula asked with a look of trepidation.

“I don’t think so. I would know if anyone has been here. Aside from the scent of the usual animals and beasts, I don’t smell any other scent. Moreover, I sense Murux emanating from these flowers.”

“What’s our move?”

“Well, this is a suspicious instance and it’s near our territory, this must be investigated,” Henry said and flicked a pebble with his claws at the water flowers. The pebble grazed one of the flowers before sinking into the pond. Immediately, Henry could feel a strong vibration coursing into the ground below his feet from the lake.

“Please tell me you feel that, Henry.”

“I do, Yula,” Henry nodded. Each of the water flowers began to shiver and their leaves started shrinking into the stems. “Something’s coming. Prepare yourself, Yula.”

Sharpened tendrils of darkness rose around Yula at the ready.

With the appearance of large ripples across the lake, the emergence of an elongated maw of razor fangs followed in a terrifying grandiose fashion, snapping shut on whatever had disturbed the flower.

“An angler fish-like monster?” Yula gasped.

“Okay, that’s impressive. It hid itself well. Other than its Murux, I could sense nothing else from it when it was hiding.”

“What do we do? Kill it?”

Henry’s nose twitched as he gave a sniff. “It doesn’t smell like it would taste good. In fact, it smells rotten but it’s still very much alive. Killing it for the sake of killing it would be quite awful of us unless it’s very hostile.”

The giant angler fish let its gaze wander around after clamping down its giant maw of a mouth. It knew it had caught nothing and it was now looking for the one responsible for tricking it. Its gaze eventually landed on Henry and Yula. It frowned. Much like a lot of other beasts and monsters before, its eyes showed wonder and confusion at the sight of Henry as it had never seen a Dragon before.

But the angler fish’s hesitation didn’t linger for long. Its gaze turned furious and its face contorted with rage.

“It’s hostile alright,” Yula said.

“Good riddance, then. It would be dangerous to leave this thing as it is.”

The Angler Fish threw its mouth wide-open, revealing its vast and nasty cavity, and sent out its dozens or so tongues that resembled floral vines at Henry and Yula.

“Oh, god, that’s horrifying!” Yula squealed. She quickly turned her fears into strength and retaliated by commanding her shadows to attack.

Slimy flesh met solid darkness. The result was a gruesome splatter of green blood and black essence which stained and smeared the surrounding lands and water. In no time at all, the once beautiful lake was turned into the semblance of a sewage pond.

“What the hell?!” Yula exclaimed. “It’s regenerating. Henry, help?”

Henry didn’t interfere because he wanted to see how far Yula had come and he had the inkling that the increment of his powers also had an effect on Yula. Though the change was minor, Henry could perceive the slight increment in her shadows’ strength and ferocity. His growth meant her betterment.

To that discovery, Henry grinned delightfully and triumphantly as he unleashed his Jetstream Breath at the humongous angler fish. However, contrary to his expectation, his breath attack barely scratched the giant fish. Blood was drawn but it was not cut into half per his confidence.

As if to mock Henry’s presumptuous belief, the shallow cut on its body mended itself whole.

“Well, that’s discouraging,” Henry muttered.

The angler fish screeched and leapt out of the lake, lunging straight at the two.

Yula’s shadow tendrils were overwhelmed by its mass, pushing all of her assault back.

“Hold on tight,” Henry shouted and flew into the air without a second wasted.

“Damn it, I’m not getting through his incessant hail of tongues!” Yula clicked her tongue. “If it’s that tough, why does it even need to use bait?”

“Maybe Sarynn would know something.”

“She ain’t here.”

“Unfortunately so,” Henry said wryly.

The angler fish showed no hint of retreating back into the water. Instead, it followed Henry and Yula with its gaze, hellbent on making the two pay for playing tricks on it. It did not look bothered that it was out of water.

“It looks very angry at us for tricking it,” Yula remarked. “That’s very hypocritical of it.”

“Even monsters have egos, I suppose,” Henry murmured in response. “To think it has no problem being on land.”

“That works in our favour.”

“That depends on what else it could do.” Henry then unleashed his Fire Breath just as the angler fish opened its mouth wide once more.

The blazing stream of fire crashed into the flurry strike of vine-like tongues. Henry’s expectation was shattered once again. The clash was a stalemate. Its numerous tongues were able to fend his Fire Breath off. The tongues that were charred into cinder were discarded like empty magazines and replaced by new ones which grew out from its throat.

“That’s just gnarly,” Yula winced in disgust. “Something this powerful has been lurking so close to your territory.”

“Not powerful enough,” Henry huffed and used his Corrosive Breath.

The angler fish snorted and sent out its scores of tongues again. This time, it was the angler fish who showed a face of astonishment. Its barrage of tongues was no match against the corrosive properties of Henry’s pale green breath. It immediately shed the tongues that had been corroded and closed its mouth before the damage could spread. It turned tail and began clambering back to the lake.

“Oh, no, you don’t!” Henry snarled and made a quick descent in the angler’s fish’s path of retreat.

“Easy, Henry!” Yula whined as she was caught off guard by Henry’s rapid descent.

The angler fish smirked and surprised Henry with spikes protruding from all over its body before hurling itself at the Dragon.

“Henry, watch out!” Yula cried.

Henry tutted, unfazed by the trap the angler fish sprang. Before it could get anywhere close to Henry, it lost all of its momentum and slammed straight to the ground as if pulled and bound by invisible chains. It struggled violently and thrashed wildly but it could barely lift its tail and move its head.

“You’re right, Yula. It did work in our favour.” Henry chuckled at the vainly floundering, however much it could, giant angler fish.  “A puffer fish on top of being an angler fish.”

The angler fish turned ghastly as Henry approached it with a devilish grin.

“What to do with this obnoxious fish?” Henry mulled in cruel wonderment. There was just something so thrilling about lording over a helpless predator-turned-prey.

Yula rolled her eyes. “Just kill it.”

“As you say, milady.” Henry bowed with its head and made short work of the angler fish by increasing the gravity around it until its own incredibly dense bones ruptured and crushed its own organs. The pressure built by the immense gravity exploded its belly, splattering its innards everywhere.

Thankfully, Yula was untouched by the gore and mess as Henry took the brunt of the splatter by moving in front of her the moment he heard the pressure building.

“How’s that for an adventurer?” Henry asked.

“Odious,” Yula answered with her nose scrunched up.