Setting the Trap

The following day, things started as planned. With a quick breakfast of fried lizard—again—we went over the strategy a final time and even shared a few jokes and excited conversation about what we were going to purchase with our current earnings.

Eventually, packing up our gear and leaving the pets with enough food and water for multiple days, we loaded ourselves onto the cargo platform.

With a flick of the security card, I activated the ancient device, and it began to hum with magical energy. Over the next ten minutes, it slowly lowered itself down the long, diagonal shaft before eventually emerging in a grand cavern. The dim blue glow of arcane lights dotted the walls, casting odd shadows and giving the uncomfortably warm space an eerie feel.

Nearby, the stream that had been working its way through the complex reached its end here as a waterfall. Splashing down not far from the elevator exit, it created a pool of water that disappeared into a river of wet sand before gradually drying the farther it moved from the thin falls.

Remaining off the dunes, so as not to alert the dragon to our presence, we travelled along a stone path following this earthen stream. Eventually, both sand and stone came to a small set of docks capable of mooring two or three shimmer ships—keelboat-sized vessels that travelled across the sand sea using magic-infused shimmer crystals.

But that was where we came across a problem—a strange and unexpected phenomenon. The heat of the sand and the moisture of the water that collected beneath, saturating it, had created a low-lying fog that obscured the floor up.

It feels like I’m back playing laser tag, sans nineties music. I thought, struggling to see anything through the curtain other than the faint blue glow along the walls.

But this is also very bad. I was betting on seeing the sand moving when the dragon was nearby.

“Iz, this isn’t good.” Rionriv’s voice whispered, mirroring my own thoughts. “How am I supposed to make it to the other side if I can’t see the stone platform?”

“Check the wall formations against the battle map,” I whispered with my hand on my temple. “Jump to that wall and hope it’s there.”

“Hope? Reassuring. Want me to use a sonic tsunami to clear the fog?”

“No, that would definitely alert the dragon to everyone. Plus, you need every drop of magic for the final strike. Remember that. Just necessary spells.”

“Grr—‘kay.”

Rionriv waved her hand, and I felt the full strength of her empowering magic wash over me. The faintest lime green shield enveloped my body, bathing me in a sickly glow. I observed it for a moment, clenching my fist and feeling a sense of confidence take me. This would be my first layer of defence.

She then pulled out the battle map before drawing a sigil in the air. Concentrating, Rionriv disappeared in a blink of silent, blue lightning. In the distance, there was an arc flash moments later as, on the other side of the harbour, she reappeared near the proposed small rock outcropping.

“Ha, perfect landing.” She boasted in the back of our minds.

“Good job, get ready. We’re counting on you.”

“You can rely on me, oracle. Good luck.” There was a moment of pause before she apprehensively added. “Don’t die.”

“Not planning on it.”

Releasing a nervous sigh, I looked back at Aesandoral and Sharzin. I could barely make out their anxious looks through the fog.

“Don’t be nervous; we’ve trained for this. We’ve got it. You two have the easy parts away from the danger. Let’s get to our starting positions and keep our eyes open. Aes, your potion is now crucial—”

“You should take it.” She insisted, extended a hand with the bottle.

“It’s not advised to take more than one at a time. I’ve got my strength potion, and Sharzin has her precision one. We’ll be relying on your perception to spot the dragon. Trust in yourself, number one. I trust in you.”

She revealed a nervous smile before pulling the bottle back to her side.

“Alright. Go time.”

Giving me a nod, the two began to move. Aesandoral immediately doubled back to the dock entrance, where she was set to take up position behind some abandoned crates. Meanwhile, Sharzin and I followed the southern wall towards a small crevice.

We moved slowly, our backs to the cavern’s rockface as we carefully felt our way along the narrow lip of stone we had to move across. Eventually, and quite suddenly, Sharzin stopped.

We were not yet in the alcove, but, based on how she hesitated, our way forward had disappeared.

“We’re out of path,” Sharzin reported in the back of my mind. “It looks like a smaller boulder came down and broke away the lip.”

“How can you see that?”

“Short legs. Closer to the ground than you. Try and follow me. I see a path.”

I watched as Sharzin’s blurry form hopped into the fog. Straining my eyes, I caught her shadow as it jumped across three barely visible stones half buried in the sand before jumping back towards the wall, landing flush with it.

“Your turn.”

Looking forward at the places where Sharzin had jumped, I was barely able to see the outline of the stone. I released an anxious chuckle before inhaling slowly and taking my leap of faith. A rock appeared beneath me as I landed. The space was barely big enough for me to plant both feet, but I had managed. Breathing a sigh of relief, I adjusted my angle towards the next, faintly visible stone.

Much smaller than the last platform, I anxiously inhaled a deep breath once more before making another lunge. This time, I caught the edge, and my foot began to slip.

Bah-dump! Bah-dump! Bah-dump!

Tightening my core, I tensed my body, shifting the center of gravity forward. Catching myself, I managed to balance atop the stone.

Phew! Go exercise. No way I’d been able to manage that without hitting the gym. The magic of muscles!

I waited for a moment, my heart racing as I glanced at the blurry form of Sharzin and then towards where the third stone should have been. With a jump, I caught the stone firmly with my left foot, but my right missed completely. Dropping through the fog, it sank into the sand.

Though it had only been for an instant, I knew that the game was now on.

“Go time, everyone!” I tapped my temple and announced as I slipped the potion from my bag. “Pop your potions. Zin, run!”

Chugging the elixir, I tossed the empty bottle out into the sandy marina before readying myself on the rock for the dragon to emerge. Scanning the fog in my defensive stance, I prepared for the attack to begin at any moment.