Night had fallen by the time they reached a small cave in the hillside some ways outside of town. By now the dragon was limping with exhaustion, dragging his injured wing behind him. Lukas gazed out into the dark with worried eyes, still cradling Petra in his arms, but thankfully the cave was empty. With mobs beginning to spawn outside, they hurried in, and Lukas lit a fire in the back to light the area, laying Petra near it, while he dragon lay down at the other side of the fire. He looked wearily up at Lukas, watching him as he began to secure the cave.
"Of course it's night-- it had to be night. I don't know that I can make it back alone..."
The dragon gave a quiet rumble and pinned his ears, looking worried. Lukas sighed, finishing securing the entrance, and flopped down on the floor, staring into space. Was this it, then? Had they gone to all this trouble for nothing? Without potions, he wasn't sure how long Petra could hold out-- and should they fall under attack, he wasn't sure how long the dragon would be able to last without being able to fly...
"I'm sorry," he murmured, resting his head in his hands. "This... this was a bad idea... we should have just gone back..."
Scales shifted on stone behind him as the dragon rose, padding over to him and sitting at his side, watching him with a thoughtful expression. Lukas lifted his gaze. "I don't suppose you have any ideas, do you?"
The dragon pinned his ears and shook his head with a soft grumble. Lukas looked away. "I didn't think so..."
Suddenly, a loud snap came from outside, and both of them looked up. Lukas could have sworn he heard the faint sound of voices in the distance...
He rose quietly, creeping toward the barricade. "Stay here," he warned, and the dragon slunk back deeper into the cave. Cautiously he climbed over the barrier, slipping outside.
"I told you the cave was that way!" an indignant male voice protested. "We've been walking for hours, and have we found it? No!"
Lukas's eyes narrowed sharply-- realizing that taking shelter in this particular cave may have been a mistake...
"It is this way!" a second male argued, "I know it is! It should be right here! It's just-- been a while since I was here last!"
"'Been a while'? We don't have time for your 'been a while'!" the first voice retorted. "Those zombies over there? They'd like to make a meal of us, and your 'been a while' is going to be the hand that feeds them!"
"Come on, you two," a third voice, this one female, chimed in, "You both know that's not true. My hand will be the one that feeds them if you two don't quit arguing and figure out where we're going!"
Torchlight glimmered in the woods a short ways off, and Lukas quickly ducked into the bushes, drawing his sword. He could see the figures approaching, shadows making their way through the bush...
As they reached them, he vaulted out, thudding into the first of the group and sending the torch flying. It landed in the dirt and went out, stranding them in the darkness, as the man's shout of alarm split the silence. Immediately, chaos reigned. Someone kicked Lukas's sword out of his hands, and he found himself thrashing around on the floor with one of the intruders. They rolled over and over, bouncing through the grass. Lukas caught hold of something hairy and yanked, and was met with another shout and a smack to the side of the head.
Suddenly the torch hissed back into light and Lukas drew back quickly, squinting and blinking in the brightness. For the first time, he caught a clear glimpse of his opponent and gasped. "What in the name of sanity-- Ivor???"
"Yes-- it's me, you idiot!" the potion master blathered. "Now if you could do me a favor and kindly release my beard--"
Lukas quickly let go, sitting back. "Ivor, I'm sorry-- I didn't realize..." He quickly glanced around at the others. "Soren? Harper?? What are you doing out here in the middle of the night???"
"Looking for you, as luck would have it!" Soren replied, one eyebrow raised. "And it seems we have succeeded... no thanks to Ivor's navigating..."
Ivor growled under his breath, gingerly stroking his beard. It was hard to tell what had been more wounded-- his facial hair or his pride.
Lukas shook his head. "I'm so sorry-- I didn't expect you to be out here... I... heh... I was afraid you'd be someone else..."
"Soren told us you came to him," Harper told him, stepping forward and extending a hand to help him up. "We saw the whole fight from Beacontown, and we had a feeling you'd be out there in the middle of it... and when you didn't show up in town, we figured you must have headed out somewhere to shelter."
"Thanks." Lukas gratefully accepted her aid, rising. "That's... almost exactly what happened-- I've gotta say, you guys sure know how to puzzle things out..."
"In all fairness, Harper was the one who figured most of it out," Soren said. "I just told her about the dragon, and Ivor happened to know there was a cave out here where you might have been likely to shelter."
"Hey! I'm the one who led you all out here!" Ivor protested, crossing his arms sulkily.
Harper and Soren traded glances.
"You mean how you took us down the path through the skeleton dungeon?" Soren asked.
"And broke a silverfish block in the hills?" Harper added.
"And nearly knocked us all into that lava pit?" Soren finished.
"I got you here in one piece, didn't I?" Ivor huffed, grumpily getting to his feet. "And I was right, wasn't I? The cave is right here, isn't it?"
"Well, the cave we're staying in is right around the corner," Lukas confirmed.
"See? I'm not directionally incompetent!" He crossed his arms and glared at them.
"Anyway," Lukas interrupted urgently, "Please tell me one of you brought potions of healing-- we really, really need them!"
All eyes turned to Ivor. "Please tell me you didn't fall on them and break them," Soren muttered.
"I am not incompetent!" Ivor growled, producing a small assortment from his tunic.
Lukas heaved a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank goodness! Petra and the dragon are both hurt--"
"The dragon? It's here?" Ivor perked up a little.
With a sudden growl the dragon leaped out behind Lukas, eyes flashing purple in the darkness. All of them jumped a little at his unexpected appearance.
"Good heavens-- it really is here!" Soren looked awed. "What a magnificent beast!"
"And not even fully grown!" Ivor added, all traces of his grumpy mood fading abruptly. "To think-- after so long, here we are in the presence of what might be the first dragon in the Overworld for centuries!"
"Yes-- yes, it's exciting," Lukas agreed, "But would it be possible for you to hurry? Petra--" he hesitated a little, voice cracking. "Petra's in really bad shape..."
They quickly sobered, growing more serious.
"I'm sorry-- you're right," Soren murmured. "Where exactly is the cave?"
"It's this way-- follow me." Lukas stooped to retrieve his sword and headed quickly in the direction of the cave. In a few minutes, they were all gathered inside-- and just in time, for their loud bickering had attracted a group of zombies that came moaning and growling outside the barricade.
Harper looked worried, kneeling to examine Petra. "Lukas is right-- she's not doing well. We need those potions-- now."
Ivor quickly handed them to her, brow furrowed. "How bad is it?"
"Bad-- but too early to tell." She exhaled, looking to Lukas. "You said she fell off the dragon?"
"I..." He hesitated. "I think so, but... I think he caught her-- they were up so high when it happened... if he hadn't, I don't think she would have..." His voice trembled slightly and he broke off.
Harper nodded, uncorking the potion. "It's a good thing he did," she murmured. "A very good thing..." She gently propped Petra up against a rock, carefully administering the potion. Petra coughed slightly-- the most response she'd given since he'd found her, Lukas realized-- and then went still again with a little moan.
"This should at least get her through the night," Harper said, sitting back with a thoughtful frown, "But she's still going to need time to heal. Even so, she's lucky it wasn't worse... very lucky." Her gaze flicked to the dragon, who was watching them from the back of the cave.
Soren seemed pensive. "I wish we knew more of what happened," he murmured. "It all went by so fast, and we really couldn't see clearly... and the giant, what even killed it?"
"Fire," Lukas said. "He breathes fire, but it was... strange. Not like any fire I've ever seen-- it was purple, and it seemed more powerful. It melted the giant."
"Perhaps it's some kind of poisonous fire," Ivor mused, approaching the dragon curiously. "How intriguing! I've never heard of anything like it!"
The dragon lowered his head and bared his teeth, giving a distrustful growl.
"It's okay," Lukas assured him, "It's just Ivor. He may be a grump sometimes, but he does have a heart somewhere in there..."
Ivor shot him a withering glare and stood in front of the dragon, surveying it. "How remarkable-- how absolutely remarkable! To think that we might be the first humans in all this time... it's honestly unbelievable!"
"You want a better look at him?" Lukas asked. "His wing is still hurt from where he got shot-- maybe he'd let you put a potion on it."
"Oh-- oh yes, I see that," Ivor said, nodding slowly as he caught sight of the wound. "Yes, that looks bad... an expert shot, I must admit. It's fortunate dragons have such thick scales, otherwise it could have been much worse..."
"Yes... it is good..." Lukas bit his lip, flinching a little at the thought.
"Alright, come now-- let me see," Ivor said, squinting. He reached out for the dragon's wing, but the dragon hissed, taking a step back.
"He doesn't seem to like you much," Soren observed.
"Feh. No one but Harper likes me." He stepped forward again, firmly grasping the edge of the dragon's wing and extending it to see the wound better. "Besides, you're not exactly a ray of sunshine yourself!"
"What's that supposed to mean???"
Harper rolled her eyes from where she knelt at Petra's side. Lukas raised his eyebrows. "Have they been like this all day?"
"You have no idea," she sighed, pulling out some strips of cloth. "But, I suppose it'd be unfair to expect otherwise-- when you're friends with someone long enough, often you start acting more like siblings." She began to make a splint for Petra's leg, shaking her head as she did. "She must have come down on this leg-- it's a real mess. She's gonna have to stay off it for a while..."
Lukas scrunched his nose. "She's not going to like that..."
"No, she's not." Harper exhaled. "But she won't have much choice."
"Will it... heal?"
"It should. With potions, almost certainly. But it'll be sore for a good while." She shook her head. "She's a very lucky girl..."
"No kidding," Lukas murmured. "It all could have been so much worse if things had gone differently..."
Harper gave him an odd look. "I wasn't talking about that," she said quietly.
Lukas blinked, looking up at her curiously.
"She's got good friends, Lukas," Harper said softly. "If it weren't for you and that dragon... it's a safe bet to say she wouldn't be here right now. She owes you both her life..."
Lukas averted his gaze. "I... guess that's what friends are for," he murmured sheepishly.
"Are you daft? Of course it couldn't smash obsidian with its bare claws! Only diamond can break obsidian!" Soren's shouting broke the silence, and was quickly followed by Ivor's counter argument. The two began to bicker loudly again, while the dragon growled complainingly at their volume. Harper sighed and shook her head, but couldn't hide the half-smile on her face. "As I said. Friends."
Lukas smiled a bit as well, remembering the ridiculous debates he'd had with Petra when they were younger. That had been a simpler time, but while in a way he missed it, he couldn't deny that he was proud of how far they'd come.
Harper rose, stretching. "This is all I can do for now-- I'd best go step in before someone gets strangled. I'll leave you two alone." She headed off to intervene in the escalating banter.