We followed Aiden's directions and made our way deeper into the forest. The trees became denser and thicker the farther we went, giving us little room to manoeuvre. It was harder to move forward and we had to stop more frequently to avoid tripping over roots and fallen branches. Soon the sun began to set and we decided to set camp for the night. We gathered around a small fire to keep ourselves warm.

“This is a nice place, isn't it?” I commented.

“Yeah, it is. I haven't seen such a beautiful forest since I came to Draconia. It's a shame that we are here only for a short while,” Lidia sighed.

“Oh yeah, me too. I wish I could spend more time here exploring the area,” I added.

“Don't worry, we'll be back again before the year is up. There will be plenty of time to explore the woods then,” said Benzo.

We continued to talk amongst ourselves until Aiden interrupted the conversation.

“Are you guys hungry? I prepared dinner, so why don't you come take a look at it?” he proposed.

I jumped on the chance to try Aiden's cooking, so everyone agreed to give it a try. We followed him to his tent where he had a small table set up. On the table sat a large bowl full of steaming hot stew along with a basket containing bread, cheese, dried fruits, and some other delicacies.

“Wow! This looks delicious! You're a good cook, Aiden. Why don't you show us how you make it? We'd love to learn your secret recipe,” I said, excitedly.

“Oh, no need for that. I can tell you the ingredients; that way you can make it yourself next time.” Aiden took a ladleful of the stew and placed it onto a wooden plate. After placing the spoon in the middle, he took a bite out of the food. Then, using chopsticks, he picked up a piece of meat from the stew and put it in his mouth. When he finished chewing, he swallowed the entire thing down. I thought that was pretty gross how he ate.

Lidia and Benzo dug into their share of the food ahead of me, eating like a pair of wild wolves. I was impressed by how quickly they devoured the meal.

“You guys are amazing! I wish I had your appetite,” I complained.

“Sorry, it's not always like this. Most of the time my stomach is empty, so I have to eat a lot to fill up. Don't worry, you'll grow accustomed to it after a while,” Aiden advised me.

I waited a few seconds before I joined everyone else in eating. I picked up a fork and used it to scoop up a portion of the stew. I brought the food to my mouth and tasted the rich flavour. Delicious. I knew right away that this guy could cook well. He would probably make his future wife very proud.

“This is really good. So what kind of herbs did you use in this stew? I can't quite place it,” I asked.

“That's probably cumin, basil, oregano, parsley, and thyme.” He answered my question without even pausing.

“Cumin? That's interesting. Never would've guessed that combination would taste good together.” I tried another forkful of the stew, this time adding a bit of the bread to my dish.

“What kind of herb did you use?” I inquired again.

“That would be rosemary. I added it to bring out the flavour of the meat,” he explained.

I noticed that Aiden was keeping a careful eye on me. Almost as if he was annoyed by my many questions. But it wasn't that serious, so I let it slide.

“Thanks for the details. Now I get it. I see why you are so good at cooking. You have a natural talent for it.”

“Really? That's great, I am glad you like the food.”

“I do. I can definitely tell that you spent a lot of time preparing everything we're having tonight. It tastes great, especially the stew.” I complimented him.

"I can't complain either." Benzo rubbed his bloated tummy and gave me a big smile.

I turned around to face Aiden who was sitting on the opposite side of the fire. He seemed to be deep in thought. I was curious to know what he was thinking about.

“Is something wrong?” I asked.

“No. Just reminiscing about the dragon's whereabouts. We've searched the whole day and still couldn't find it. What if we never do? Are you sure you are up for the task?" He replied with concern in his voice.

“Of course, I am. I don't mind putting in the extra effort if it means helping my people. Besides, there is nothing to fear when I have you guys by my side,” I assured him.

Aiden gave me a reassuring nod. "That's good to hear. I'm glad we have someone as brave and determined as you on our team."

Just as I was about to blush at his compliment, we all heard a beastly roar coming from nearby, followed by human screams. It sounded like a hunting party was fleeing for their lives.

"Grah-aah!"

"Huh! Did you guys hear that?" I asked.

Everyone was startled by the sound of the screams and looked around in search of the source.

“Where is it coming from?” Benzo asked.

“Maybe we should investigate,” suggested Lidia.

“Yes, let's check it out. See if anyone needs our help. It might be a trap, so keep alert at all times,” Aiden warned us.

“Okay, let's go!” I immediately jumped to my feet and followed Benzo, Lidia and Aiden in the direction of the screams.

As we started walking, we heard louder roars of a beastly creature getting closer. There were also more screams coming from different locations within the forest. I was worried about what was happening. Were those screams real? I hoped that everyone was okay. We needed to hurry up and get to the scene before anything bad happened.

Before we arrived at the place where the sounds originated, we spotted 3 men running through the forest. Their faces were covered with black cloths, making them unrecognizable. They ran as fast as possible, which was unusual for men of their stature.

“Who are those men?” Lidia inquired.

“They must be bandits trying to rob the travellers in these parts,” Aiden remarked.

“Good thing we saw them, now we can stop them before they cause any harm,” I said.

“I wouldn't recommend it. We need to locate that dragon first.” Aiden expressed.

"I agree with him." Said Benzo.

Just as they spoke, I noticed a huge parting in the woods ahead. Trees were blown away. The ground was torn up by claws, revealing fresh earth underneath. I wanted to rush forward to inspect the area myself, so I hurriedly moved to the front of our group.

“Hey, wait up! I want to see what's going on too!” shouted Lidia behind me.

The rest of our group followed us as we rushed towards the opening in the forest. Before we got there, we came across a clearing with several bodies lying on the ground, dead.

“Did the dragon kill all of them or was it the bandits? What really happened here?” I asked.

“We need to find the dragon. Let's move quickly,” Aiden encouraged us.

“What about the victims? We should bury them properly.” Lidia insisted.

“We will take care of it later. Right now, we need to find the dragon. If it kills anyone else, then we will deal with it ourselves. But until it attacks us, we can't afford to waste time digging graves. Come on! Move!” commanded Aiden.

I didn't argue with him. I understood the urgency of finding the dragon. To be honest, I was curious to learn more about it myself. So I decided to follow Aiden.

We continued moving further into the thick forest. We kept our eyes peeled for signs of the dragon, searching for its lair. After a while of walking, we finally found a large cave at the edge of the forest.

“There it is!” I exclaimed.

“Hm.” Aiden nodded in agreement.

As we approached the cave, we heard strange noises coming from inside. We cautiously entered the dark chamber. My breath caught in my throat at the sight of the terrible monster towering over us. It was massive. Bigger than any dragon I had seen before.

It stood tall in the middle of the room. Its body was covered in black scales resembling obsidian. It had two heads, each with different sets of horns, and long yellow teeth. Also, it had long pointed wings that allowed it to fly. I could hardly believe that such a horrible creature actually existed.

We were all amazed by its terrifying stature.