Letting Go Is for Suckers

The prince's grin was too calm, like a cat who knew exactly how many mice were hiding in the walls.

Dermott: "I see that you’re looking for a quest!"

Paddy: "Well, yeah. Just a simple one. I’m not exactly up for a bloodbath just yet."

Dermott: "Good. Because I have something lined up that’s far from a light stroll."

Paddy squinted.

Paddy: "Is that right now?"

Dermott chuckled.

Dermott: "Of course. And I’m extending the invite, you and your unconscious lady are coming with me. It’ll be... entertaining!"

Balloon’s eyelids fluttered open while Paddy shifted his grip on her boot. She squinted up at the two standing over her. Paddy looking a mix of amused and annoyed, and Dermott with that infuriating grin.

Balloon: "What’s all this then? A royal reunion? Did I miss the invitation or just the part where I get up?"

She tried to push herself upright but gave up halfway, settling back on the ground with a sigh.

Balloon: "I don’t like where this is going."

Paddy shrugged.

Paddy: "Same, but you know what? Could be worse than the usual stuff. Besides, you owe me, prince."

Dermott’s grin flickered with amusement.

Dermott: "Ah, yes. How could I forget? That drunken night when you and I accidentally stopped the demon attack-"

He waved a hand as if brushing away the memory.

Dermott: "-and later when I was promptly dragged off by the guards to my chambers before I could finish my heroic monologue…"

Paddy smirked.

Paddy: "There was nothing heroic about that monologue."

Dermott chuckled, eyes sparkling with mischief. He walked ahead, hands behind his back, humming a tune no one else seemed to know.

Dermott: "I should warn you, this won’t be your usual fetch quest. The stakes are high, and the players... formidable."

Paddy snorted.

Paddy: "You mean like a dragon or something?"

The prince simply smiled, but said nothing, letting the question hang in the air.

Paddy shot a glance at Balloon.

Paddy: "You ready for whatever this royal pain drags us into?"

She smirked.

Balloon: "Born ready. I hope."

Dermott turned, eyes gleaming.

Dermott: "You’re both going to need every ounce of courage you have. Because this time, the game changes."

Paddy sighed, gripping the lamp tighter.

Paddy: "Well, here we go again."

The road stretched out before them, but it wasn’t just any road. It was another giant road. The path was formed by the footprints of ancient giants who had wandered the earth long before anyone cared to keep track. He squinted ahead, eyeing the massive caravan clogging the path. Carriages, horses, guards, servants, enough people to field an army.

Paddy: "Jesus, Dermott, why are you bringing so many people? We’re supposed to be on a ‘light’ quest, right?"

He looked at Dermott, who was riding ahead with a forced grin.

Paddy: "Where did you even get all these folks from? I thought you said it was just you and us."

…

Dermott’s smile faltered for a moment, then he cleared his throat.

Dermott: "Well… I might have... borrowed them."

Paddy raised an eyebrow.

Paddy: "Borrowed?"

Dermott: "Let’s say I was standing outside the castle gates, and every eager adventurer that showed up... I convinced them I was the one who’d been summoned."

Balloon scoffed.

Balloon: "You basically kidnapped half the town."

The prince looked genuinely sheepish.

Dermott: "A prince’s gotta have his entourage! Even if it’s a bit... enthusiastic."

Paddy shook his head, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Paddy: "Well, looks like I’m the only sober one on this quest."

He leaned close to Balloon as they walked, voice low and dripping with dry humour.

Paddy: "Imagine the amount of free labour we could’ve had off these guys."

Balloon smirked, eyes glinting.

Balloon: "We’d be aristocrats by now, if we’d just kept them busy with, I don’t know, sweeping floors or something."

They shared a quiet laugh, the massive caravan rumbling like a beast they barely controlled.

Far off in the distance, a dense grove of trees stood oddly out of place against the rocky wasteland surrounding the giant road.

Paddy frowned, shading his eyes.

Paddy: "What’re those trees doing out there? Looks like someone forgot to tidy up the place."

Balloon narrowed her eyes.

Balloon: "Yeah, something feels... off."

Dermott didn’t answer. Instead, he took out his weapon with a casual flick of his cloak.

With the giant sword slung over his shoulder, he raised it high, the blade catching the sunlight.

Dermott: "Watch this."

He slammed the sword down, and with a crackling surge of magic, a blazing fireball shot from the blade straight at the grove.

The trees exploded in a burst of flame and smoke.

Then, from the inferno, a massive shadow broke free.

A dragon, scales glinting, wings unfurling with a terrifying sweep, soared into the sky.

It circled above, eyes sharp and hungry, before locking onto the group below. With a ground-shaking thud, the dragon landed on the ground, nostrils flaring and smoke curling from its jaws.

Paddy’s heart hammered in his chest. He and Balloon both exchanged a look.

Both: "OH SHIT!"

Paddy swallowed hard, gripping his lamp tighter. Balloon just cracked her knuckles.

The dragon thrashed free with a furious roar, smoke billowing even harder from its nostrils.

Without warning, it unleashed a torrent of fire at the caravan. Carriages bucked, horses screamed, and people were thrown everywhere like ragdolls.

Screams filled the air, it was a chaotic mess of yelling and scrambling.

Paddy grabbed Balloon by the arm as a second fireball hurtled toward them. He yanked her down behind him, raising the lamp just in time.

The flames slammed into it, sparks flying everywhere, the heat pounding against them but failing to burn through.

Paddy gritted his teeth, voice raw and angry.

Paddy: "I hate this world! I just want to go home!"

Balloon peeked around him, eyes wide but steady.

Balloon: "Well, you’re stuck here for now. So, what’s the plan?!"

Paddy clenched his jaw, lamp humming fiercely in his grip. He opened his mouth to shout again, but before he could, a heavy strike landed against the dragon.

With a heavy thud, someone slammed a massive shield into the side of its head, snapping its neck away from Paddy and Balloon. The beast staggered, momentarily stunned and roaring in frustration.

Balloon, seeing this, seized the moment.

Balloon: "I've got a plan!"

Before Paddy could speak up, she grabbed him by the collar, grabbed the lamp free from his hands, and hopped on it like a skateboard.

She zipped around the dragon’s massive flank, weaving fast, light gleaming beneath her boots.

Paddy: "Let me down, you mad woman! You are going to get us both killed!"

With a flick of her foot, she shot up the dragon’s side, skating right onto its thick scales.

She aimed a handful of frost magic, blasts of icy blue light swirling around her fingers and striking the dragon’s hide.

The dragon snarled but barely flinched. Balloon’s eyes widened.

Balloon: "It’s mana resistant!"

Paddy: "You didn’t know this!?"

Balloon: "I’ve never fought a dragon before!"

Balloon gritted her teeth, sliding down the dragon’s side before it could fling them off.

Paddy cupped his hands around his mouth.

Paddy: "Wait, resistant doesn’t mean immune!"

He looked toward the front line, spotting Dermott locked in a flashy sword duel with the dragon’s claws.

Paddy: "Oi! Pretty boy!"

Dermott glanced over, confused.

Paddy: "Tell everyone to hit it with whatever magic crap they’ve got, ALL of it!"

The prince blinked, zoned out for a second or two, and then smirked.

Dermott: "You heard the man! Pour it on!"

A moment later, the air lit up with fireballs, lightning bolts, ice shards... and a few spells that looked suspiciously like someone had just thrown their weapons really, really hard.

The dragon bellowed in frustration, each blast slowing it as the relentless magic chipped away at its defences.

Balloon zipped back, pulling Paddy by the collar, breathless but grinning.

Balloon: "Your plans are usually stupid… but this one might actually work!"

A massive cloud of smoke billowed up, swallowing the battlefield. The dragon’s roar echoed from within, then... silence.

Relief washed over the battlefield. Adventurers clapped each other on the back, Dermott raised his sword in triumph, and someone even started unpacking ale. Paddy straightened up, brushing ash from his coat.

Paddy: "See? Easy."

That was when the smoke ripped apart like paper.

With a furious screech, the dragon shot forward without warning, jaws snapping shut not on flesh, but around the lamp.

Paddy: "HEY! THAT’S-"

The beast jerked hard. Paddy refused to let go.

Paddy: "Over my dead body!"

The dragon flapped its colossal wings. In an instant, the world went sideways as the beast wrenched him off his feet and skyward.

Dermott: "OLD MAN!!!"

Balloon: "LET GO, YOU IDIOT!"

Paddy thrashed helplessly, as the ground fell further away.

Paddy: "MY LAMP!  No, wait-  MY LIFE! MY LIFEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!"

The dragon’s wings beat faster, carrying him higher and higher until all the people were far below.