The road to Dragon's Peak was less a journey and more a string of cosmic jokes at their expense.
Mishap One: The Shortcut Disaster
It began when Tessa—ever composed, ever confident—announced she knew the most efficient path.
"I studied maps during my clerical training," she said proudly. "Follow me, and we shall save ourselves half a day's travel."
Arlo, still green to this world, and Sari, who was more concerned about snacks than direction, didn't argue. They followed her into the trees.
Two hours later, they were back where they started.
Sari blinked at the familiar crooked oak they'd passed that morning. "...Didn't we just passed this tree earlier?."
Two hours more later.
Sari shouted, "Hey! this is the same tree as before! We're lost!"
Arlo squinted at Tessa. "So... church training doesn't include wilderness survival, huh?"
Tessa's jaw tightened. "I must have... misread the terrain."
Sari smirked. "Ugh!... we've walking around in circles for four hours."
Tessa refused to answer.
Mishap Two: The Ambush That Wasn't
The second disaster came.
Bushes rustled ahead. Arlo drew his sword, Tessa gripped her dagger, and Sari crouched low with a fist-sized rock.
The tension built—until a raccoon shot out of the bushes, hissing like a tiny demon.
It stole Sari's ration, glared at them with glowing eyes full of malice, and waddled away like a conquering warlord.
Sari dropped to her knees. "That... was my breakfast."
Tessa sniffed. "A lesson in humility. Even the smallest creatures can take from you what you value."
"Translation," Arlo muttered, "you got mugged by a raccoon."
Mishap Three: Arlo Summons the Wrong Fire
That night, cold and hungry, they decided to camp.
"I'll prove I'm not useless," Arlo said, puffing out his chest. "I'll start the fire."
Tessa arched an eyebrow. "Do you even know how?"
"I seen someone do it once," he muttered, already crouched with two sticks.
He rubbed them furiously. Nothing. Tried again. Still nothing. Sari leaned against a log, smirking. "At this rate, you'll die of blisters before we get a flame."
Frustrated, Arlo did the thing he always did—he willed fate to bend. This matters. Just a spark. Just give me fire.
The sky cracked open.
Lightning slammed into a dead tree nearby, exploding it into flames. Fire leapt to the brush.
All three froze.
"...That's not what I meant," Arlo whispered.
The fire spread quickly, crackling as smoke rose.
"Uh," Sari squeaked. "That's getting bigger."
Tessa opened her mouth like she'd say something saintly and wise—then shut it. She looked at the flames, then at Arlo and Sari. "...Run."
They ran.
Branches whipped their faces, roots snagged their feet, smoke stung their eyes—until they tumbled into a damp clearing, where the fire couldn't follow.
The three of them stood in silence, staring blankly at the growing inferno in front of them.
For a long while, no one spoke.
Finally, Arlo croaked, "...Well, at least we're warm now."
Sari turned her head slowly, glaring. "Warm!? we we're almost barbecued."
Tessa massaged her temple. "If we survive this quest, it will be a miracle greater than any I've ever performed."
The Mountain
After that, they traveled in relative silence, every step punctuated by awkward glances. Arlo tripped over roots he should've seen, Tessa second-guessed every decision, and Sari mostly complained about the lack of snacks.
By the ninth day, Dragon's Peak finally loomed above them. A jagged mountain of stone and shadow, its summit cloaked in swirling clouds.
At its base stretched a barren wasteland—blackened earth, silence, and the faint smell of ancient fire.
Arlo swallowed. "Well. This looks... cozy."
Tessa's voice was cool, but her knuckles tightened around her dagger. "We've reached it at last."
Sari clutched her cloak tighter. "I was really hoping Dragon's Peak was just a metaphor. You know—like, 'the dragon inside us all.' Not an actual lizard with wings and fire-breath."
"Too late for that," Arlo muttered.
The three of them stood there, side by side, staring up at the mountain that would decide their fates.
The wind howled, carrying the faint, acrid scent of smoke.
None of them said it aloud, but all three felt it.
This was only the beginning.