The dragon’s aura bore down on the group, preventing a response from all but one.

“Squawk!” An untimely Pengu responded to the dragon’s roar.

Alexander hurriedly gripped Pengu’s beak, stopping her from making anymore noise. He cleared his throat to catch Thomas’ attention and motioned for him to do something.

Puffing out his chest, Thomas proudly called out to the dragon. “Mr. Dragon, sir. We come in peace. We have traveled through Kedra and braved the ocean’s storm, all to undergo your ruin’s challenge.”

The dragon growled in response. The sheer volume of its snarl causing its displeasure to echo throughout the cave, threatening to rupture everyone’s eardrums. Choosing to ignore Thomas’ words, Nidra dove back into the lake.

Alarmed by the dragon’s indifference, Thomas frantically yelled. “Wait, wait! I have a… Alexander! HELP ME!” Midway through his words, Thomas realized he had teleported into some quicksand. Half of his body was already sucked under the treacherous soil.

Above him, Alexander was teleported into a seated position on a tree branch with Pengu in his lap and Pola next to him. “Oh, crap. Oh, crap. Oh, crap. I’m coming, Thomas!” Alexander handed the chick to Pola before scrambling off the tree. Breaking a branch on his way down, he extended it towards Thomas to use as a rope.

“Pull harder! I’m gonna sink!!”

“I’m pulling as hard as I can! Just keep holding on.” Alexander bent his knees and squatted low as he used his legs to leverage Thomas out of the quicksand.

Thomas stood at an impasse for a few moments before he finally felt himself being dragged out. Once he was out, he laid on his back and cursed. “FUCK! I almost died, and all because of that stupid dragon!”

Wiping some sweat from his forehead, Alexander heaved a sigh of relief on the ground next to Thomas. “I’m sure it wasn’t like, dude. Don’t badmouth the dragon, or we’re gonna end up in a world of pain. What if this is the challenge already? Like we need to prove we are worthy of the dragon’s strength.”

Revitalized by the words, Thomas shot to his feet. “That’s it! How could I be so stupid? Of course a majestic creature like Mr. Nidra would need to test a potential inheritor to his power. I probably got dropped into the quicksand because he saw me as the worthiest. I need to be tested more! Get off your asses, everyone. I must go show the dragon I’m worthy.” Speeding down the shore, Thomas jumped into the air and clacked his feet together.

“Hey! That’s the wrong way, bro! Mr. Nidra’s cave was by a lake which means we need to go against the river’s current.”

Without skipping a beat, Thomas u-turned and began running the correct way. “No matter! Race you guys to the cave! Jijijiji.” The child’s giggle accurately portrayed the joy Thomas felt as he sprinted back towards the lake.

Alexander soon caught up to Thomas who was now jumping from one foot to the other. “I know you’re excited, but you need to slow down a little. Pola and Pengu can’t sprint like that. “A coughing fit from Pola further proved Alexander was right. “The ocean fiasco and all this walking are worsening her disease. Look, I’ll administer a treatment to Pola and then we can head into cave.”

Pressing his hands unto Pola’s back once more, Alexander guided the white flames into Pola. Slowly her coughing seized and her breathing improved. “Thank you, Alexander. I feel much better now! I’m ready for more running around with Mr. Nidra!”

Seeing Pola look so peppy, Alexander figured she was well enough to continue now. During the time the group stopped to heal Pola, the ghastly rowboat had docked on the shore once more. Alexander gave Thomas the okay signal, and everyone boarded the boat.

The trip into the tunnel was identical to the first. The fire braziers lit one after the other, illuminating the historic murals; the boat’s journey began to diverge as they approached the dragon’s cave, however. As soon as they passed the final mural, the rowboat jerked downwards as if a giant hand was dragging it underwater. Alexander and the kids were raised into the air, the rowboat holding still just long enough for him to grab Pola and Pengu and hold on to his seat. Thomas was offered no such mercy. Once the rowboat was pulled down, he was immediately flung overboard.

Shocked by the turn of events, Thomas haphazardly moved his arms around in the water. After he calmed down, he swam over to the rowboat and tried to climb on, but every time Thomas tried to hang on to the side, the rowboat would vanish and reappear a few feet away. Frustrated, Thomas yelled into the cave. “Mr. Nidra, this is uncalled for. Please, I’m only here to challenge your ruins. I swear I’m worthy!”

The dragon’s voice echoed down the tunnel. “GO…. AWAY!” A large wave poured into the tunnel, sweeping everyone back to the shore of the lake.

Thomas rolled on the grass completely drenched. Taking of his shirt to squeeze out the water, he looked around. He was sitting on the ground in the midst of a pride of sleeping lions. He breathed out softly. “Fuckkkkkkk”

About 30 feet away, Alexander and the kids had been teleported behind a rock, dry as can be. Hearing Thomas’ whisper, he poked his head over the rock and peeked towards Thomas’ direction. Taking in the dangerous situation, he slid down and faced Pola. “Take care of Pengu, okay? I’m gonna go try to save Thomas, but there’s a good chance this goes incredibly wrong. Follow the river here back to the lake. We’ll meet up with you in a few minutes. Even if we take longer, do not leave the lake. Understood?”

Pola nodded her head affirmatively. Alexander handed her a bag of snacks and watched as she wandered towards the lake, holding on to Pengu’s flipper.

Exhaling through his nose, Alexander suppressed his nerves as he soldier crawled through the grass, heading to Thomas. After a few feet, he was as close as his wildly thumping heart would allow him, and he signaled Thomas to crawl around the lions to his hiding spot.

Not one second later, an aggrieved meow woke up the adult lions as Thomas had accidentally stepped on a cub’s tail. “Run, Thomas!” Alexander threw a couple pebbles at the lions before running away.

The dragon had now transported them to the grasslands, and because of that, they were lacking proper hiding spots. Alexander ran in an infinity pattern allowing Thomas to catch up to him while attempting to get the lions off his trail. Only one of those was accomplished.

Gasping for air, Thomas was straining to keep up with Alexander’s pace. “Are you some sort of sprinter? How are you running so fast *Hah Hah*.”

“I think even your body’s strength has been put on lockdown. Heh, if we weren’t running for our lives, I would totally arm-wrestle you right now. The Senior-Apprentice surpasses the Grandmaster.” Alexander snickered.

“Quit your laughing, stupid. If you have so much extra energy, why don’t you try to light a fire. Aren’t cats supposed to be scared of fire?”

Wind shot out of Alexander’s mouth as he panted. “The most I could do is probably warm some leaves. I swear I’m getting better with the heat, though. Pretty soon I’ll be able to smoke things. Plus, is that even a thing? I’ve never heard of cats being particularly scared of fire. There are so many lion and tiger tamers at Agni.”

“I’m just trying to brainstorm here. It doesn’t matter, though. No more talking. My lungs and shins burn too badly.”

The chase continued for several minutes as the duo managed to stay just far enough from the lions to reach the safety. The lake before their eyes, they let down their guards and slowed down a little bit. This was the only opening the lions needed as one of them lept into the air and clawed Thomas’ back.

Alexander turned rapidly as he caught Thomas. Both of them tumbled on the ground, but Alexander reacted quickly and began to drag him back to the lake. Luckily, it seemed he had crossed some sort of barrier as the lions lost all interested in the prospective dinner. Free from the danger, Alexander healed Thomas completely. “You’re good to go, but geez. We almost died back there. That seems to be happening more and more frequently these days. I miss the days all we did was the Cactus Warrior bit.”

Unfettered by the challenges, Thomas got up off the floor. “No pain, no gain, my friend. If we are facing death, that only means the pay off will be so much higher. Let’s head back into the cave. I bet Mr. Nidra is thoroughly impressed by us now.”

Concerned over the dragon’s attitude, Alexander tried dissuading Thomas. “Maybe we shouldn’t go back inside. He literally just yelled at us to go away before teleporting you straight into a lion’s den. I’m starting to think the dragon has no interest in testing us.”

Thomas laughed confidently. “You jest, Alexander. Mere humans like us can’t possibly understand the infinitely wise approaches to challenges a respectable dragon like Nidra would take but remember, my grandma always told me the owner of these ruins was a friendly dragon. He’s not messing with us. He’s probably just a peculiar dragon.”

Unable to convince Thomas otherwise, Alexander could only agree. “I guess. Let’s just keep our eyes peeled for signs that he really doesn’t want us here.”

Walking towards the shore where Pola and Pengu were sitting down. Thomas caught sight of the rowboat. “You see! If Mr. Nidra didn’t want us to go back, he wouldn’t have put the rowboat here.”

“Umm, Thomas?” Pola meekly tugged at Thomas’ pants. “The boat isn’t working anymore.”

Alexander walked towards the boat. “Why would you say that, Pola? Oh, nevermind.”

Floating in the water, the ghastly boat was currently face down. A spectral sign was planted on it reading: Currently out of order, please come back never.

Circling back to Thomas, Alexander propped his elbow on Thomas’ shoulder as he leaned on him. “Well, I would definitely call this a sign we aren’t wanted here.”

Angered by the situation, Thomas finally snapped. “Listen up you idiot dragon! We are here to undergo your stupid challenges because I need the stupid strength you provide. Now, stop being such a moron, and let us in!”

The outburst was met with only silence. The boat continued to bob into the shore, and the braziers within the tunnel remained unlit. With no way to vent his frustration, Thomas took the necklace from his pocket and tossed it into the lake. “I have a key you dumb dragon! You’re supposed to let me in! This isn’t how this was supposed to go.” Defeated, Thomas slumped to his knees. “I’m supposed to finally get strong enough to protect my people.” As the necklace began to sink into the depths of the lake, Thomas punched the ground over and over until his knuckles bled.

Suddenly, an earthquake descended on the lake. Alexander quickly hugged Pola and Pengu while Thomas backed away from the shore. The earthquake moved from the mountain housing the dragon to the main body of the lake and soon reached the shore the group was standing on. The titanic shadowy outline of the dragon was visible underneath the surface of the lake, but when the Nidra actually surfaced out of the water, he was only 8 feet long.

“Why didn’t you mention Hilda had sent you, and here I was fucking around with you.” A sharp laugh escaped the majestic dragon. “I can’t wait until she hears about how I bullied her kin. She’s gonna be so mad.”

Looking up at the dragon, Thomas inquired. “You know my grandmother?”

“Know her? I’m her husband! Welcome home, my dear grandchild.”

Alexander stared wide-eyed at Thomas. “How could you keep this a secret from me this whole time? Oh my gosh, one of my best friends is half dragon. This is the coolest thing that’s ever happened to me!”

Pola started dancing around Thomas with Pengu following her example thinking it was a game. “Uncle Thomas, can you turn into a dragon or is it more like a half transformation?”

“Squawk.”

“I can’t see any scales on you, so are they maybe on your butt?”

“Squawk.”

“Some of the kids in the pirate’s den told me about how kids are made, and I just want to know-”

“Enough!” Fed up with the barrage of questions, Thomas moved to interrogate Nidra. “Are you really my grandfather? Grandma never spoke about him. It was one of the only things she kept hidden from me.”

“BAHAHAHA! You should hear yourself. A scummy kid like you thinks he could be the offspring of one as great as me? Why are you so gullible? Did no one ever teach you about a practical joke?”

Grinding his teeth, Thomas held back his anger. “Fine. I don’t care about your stupid jokes. Am I allowed to take on your challenges or not?”

“Aww, did I hurt the little baby’s feelings? Are you gonna cry? Go back and cry to your grandmother, you twerp!” The dragon erupted into laughter once more as it flew pesteringly around Thomas.

Stepping up to save his friend, Alexander intervened. “Sir, all we want to know is if we can accept your ruin’s challenges. It is very important to my friend here.”

The dragon froze in midair and gave Alexander a sidelong glance. “Hmm, that was weird. I could’ve sworn I heard a voice, but all I see is a fire dumpster that’s no hotter than an ice cube. BAHAHAHA!”

Walking towards the dragon, Pola asked a question. “Mr. Dragon, are you related to an old man who lives with a goldfish and a sea lion? You’re so much like him?

The dragon landed on the ground beside Pola. “Why hello there, little darling. I see you’ve meet, Luca. Yes, you could say I taught that lad everything he knows. Boy am I proud to hear he’s grown up to be just like me.”

Thomas muttered under his breath. “That’s not exactly a compliment. He’s just as trashy as you are.”

“What did you say, you imp?!”

Pengu wobbled her way between the dragon and Thomas and squawked.

“Oh… alright, let’s chat inside.”

Alexander felt a hint of mana graze his body before he realized he was now standing on the marble platform inside of the cave. The entire group had been teleported by the dragon into his cavern. Hovering before them in his original size, Nidra floated peacefully within the lake. Once everyone had settled down, he spoke. “I’ve actually retired my ruins. It’s been decades since I allowed anyone to participate in my challenges.”

Flustered, Thomas sputtered out. “But we traveled all this way! Surely you can make some sort of exception. I’m willing to do anything. I really need to grow stronger. My people need me!”

“Settle down, scummy boy. Just let me finish, and I guarantee you’ll be a lot happier.” The dragon exhaled an icy mist as he cleared his throat. “My ruins have been inactive for decades, but it just so happens you guys have traveled here under the direction of three of my favorite beings. For whatever reason, Hilda chose to gift you with the key to my sanctuary, and even more baffling to me is the fact Luca decided to actually give away the secret to entering my domain. Due to the exceptional circumstances, I’ve decided to allow you to attempt my challenges. Don’t be all angry with me later, though, if you suck too much to gain anything.” The dragon laughed raucously as it imagined Thomas’ inevitable failure.

Overcome with curiosity, Alexander stepped forward. “With all due respect, Lord Nidra, that was only two people you mentioned, but you said we were given direction by three beings. Who is the third?”

Nidra floated down, coming face to face with Alexander. “The third is the most important of all. She’s sitting right there next to you. The penguin, of course.”

“HUH!”