To say things didn’t quite go as planned would be an understatement in Loraya’s eyes. In fact everything had gone to hell in a handbasket very quickly. She didn’t understand, the plan they had worked out should have gone off without a hitch. No one should have even suspected her team sneaking into the palace, they’d plotted for weeks and figured out every guard rotation, every staff change down to the minute. Yet when they made it to the King’s chambers there was a small army waiting for them.

Lor’s tribesmen didn’t even stand a chance as the battle ensued, there were twice as many guards as them. She fought right alongside them, trying to find them a way out. She was prepared to die for them, but then stupid Koravir forced her to flee. He said one of them needed to live and it needed to be her. She didn’t want to obey his orders, but he was her master. He taught her everything she knew and she couldn’t justify ignoring his last command. So she fled as her tribesmen held off the guards for as long as they could. She escaped, but not without injury. The crossbow bolt protruding out of her left side was evidence of that.

She had no choice but to leave it there until she was to relative safety and could remove it. So she fled into the forest, her strength leaving her quickly as the adrenaline began to fade. Just when she thought she was safe she crossed paths with a most unexpected creature. In front of her was a fairly large dragon and she couldn’t help the fear that rose in her. She’d never been this close to a dragon before nor did she really know anything about them, yet here she was face to face with one. Every instinct in her body told her to run as this dark creature looked her over as they began moving closer to her. Lor was too weak to act on her instincts, however, and instead stood there fully expecting this dragon to end her.

That’s when something unexpected happened as the creatures head lowered to inspect the crossbow bolt and Loraya stared on in confusion. “Wait what are you-ack!” She screamed out as the creature deftly snapped off the back end of the bolt. Lor was beginning to see spots from the pain, but it didn’t stop there. The dragon proceeded to shove the bolt the rest of the way through her body in order to remove it safely. The caused Loraya to scream loudly in agony as the spots returned and her vision began to cloud. She collapsed and fought to keep consciousness, her hand going to her wound as she tried to staunch the bleeding some. “Now what’s your plan, let me slowly bleed to death.” She asked the dragon weakly which only caused the creature to huff at her before it’s head snapped up as if it had heard something.