Searching for a mystical water to save her ill sister.

Dreams of ****.

That is essentially the disease that ails Nathraena's sister, Malril. The only way to cure the torturous disease is to find mystical water within Madness; water that is buried deep within the mountain that Nathraena believes will help cure her ailing little sister. It is surprisingly personal as you imagined that she was here for the clan instead, but you found that her clan would not help her in this journey as she traveled alone.

"...similar to your wife, my sister, Malril became sick with a strange disease that hit her out of nowhere. We have no idea what or who caused it, but we were able to identify that it is a rare disease you can only receive from one who survives Madness and comes back. As far as we all knew, nobody in my clan came near this dreadful mountain. Yet, the signs were there. Fever, hallucinations, but the worst part is when you fall asleep, you imagine your ****. It is always ****, never seemingly ending and causing those afflicted to fear sleep, yet you're **** to sleep if you want to see the next day. It is a terrible **** that causes people to lose their minds and eventually crumble.

"Once I realized my sister had the disease, my clan panicked, fearing that they would pick up the disease as well. They kept us away even though it is known from other stories that only the original carrier who survived this mountain can spread the disease. While I intended to go to this mountain to search for the cure, I didn't expect to receive any help from my own brothers and sisters..."

Nathraena gives a sad smile. "...I do not hold that against my them, but I do what I have to do. "

You listen, saddened by the drow's story and it only adds to the dangers of this mountain. It appeared that even in the outskirts of civilization, Madness seems to be able to spread its dangers out to others, and your wife is only one incident out others.

"You're certain that this water exists underground?" you ask.

The drow nods. "Yes. It is described as a sweet liquid that illuminates purple. It may look like poison, but it is not harmful. The only problem is I do not know how far I had to travel and I...encountered trouble."

Her lips curls and her eyes narrows in annoyance as she stars into the fire. Instead of coming out straight with her trouble, she turns her head to you and softens her gaze, giving a playful smile.

"Can you guess why you found me naked and in a mess?" she asks.

You furrow your eyebrows as you thought and couldn't think of a reason. Seeing that you wouldn't know much about Madness considering you just arrived, her face turns serious and she went back to looking at the fire.

"A dragon," she answers.

Wyvern by TheBlack-Arrow

Your eyes widen and you gasp silently. There is a dragon in Madness?!

Maybe you should have expected this as dragons usually dwell in mountains, especially one so big and dreadful as Madness. Subconsciously, you probably avoided thinking about any other monsters as you only wanted to find the specific being who took your wife away from you.

Your reaction is priceless to the drow and she couldn't help but make the situation worse.

"Dragons are known to be wise and powerful in magic as well. They can also take the form of a human making them inconspicuous. I wouldn't know much about a magic that can take away someone's soul, but I wouldn't doubt if a dragon could do it either," she adds, unable to help but grin.

You groan, planting your head into your hands as you realize how dire this mountain of Madness truly is. You can handle trolls and most humanoid beasts, you've handled elementals with some help, and you've arrested bandits, but you've never imagined you would ever have to deal with a dragon. They were pretty rare nowadays and kept to themselves. You are inclined to do so as well.

Raising your head, you took another deep breath and turned your attention back to the drow.

"So, how did you survive?" you ask.

The drow's smile vanishes and her expression turns grim. "I thought I could sneak past as I excel at hiding in the shadows, but the dragon's sense of smell is too great. Luckily, I found an opening before he...or she noticed me and had to flee. The beast blew fire through the small cavernous opening and caught me on fire. I was quick to dispose of all my clothing as I found out I couldn't dampen the fire. It was...strange. I never saw anything like a fire that couldn't be extinguished.

"I didn't look back and I couldn't afford to be cautious when the beast could blow another breath of that strange fire. Before I knew it, the ground underneath me crumbled and I fell, then you found me. I've been here for only four days, now five, before I encountered the winged beast."

You shiver and focus on steadying your breath. You can't give up now. While you aren't planning on fighting a dragon, you know that you would have to find a way to avoid it and move on.

"...you can't avoid either. I've tried other routes but they all seem to lead nowhere. It's no wonder that others who tried to conquer this mountain are never to be seen again."

Well, fuck.

The drow seems to be pleased that you are now sharing her troubles, but she didn't want to make plans at the moment. She puts a hand on your shoulder reassuringly.

"For now human, we must rest. If we are going to move underground, we will have to make a plan but even assassins need to sleep from time to time and I would prefer not to sleep amongst trolls," she explain.

She is right, but you worry about your current location.

"Are we safe here?" you ask.

She nods. "I've traveled through these tunnels and cavernous once, so I can tell you that this is the safest area. Near us is a goblin camp, but apparently, this is an established neutral area for the trolls and goblins. They usually meet around here to discuss land and other issues. Surprisingly diplomatic, really."

You hum, but now you were worried whether goblins would surprise you. Seeing your concern, she dismisses it with a grin.

"The goblins will be busy. I killed their chief while he was asleep a few days ago. They will likely fight amongst themselves in their own territory until a new chieftain comes out on top," she reassures.

You raise your eyebrows in surprise and is reminded that she really is an assassin. Of course, they would go for the top.

"That's not really diplomatic of you," you chuckle.

She smiles, pleased with herself. "...only if it's to my benefit."

For a moment, you almost forgot that you were in a mountain full of dangers and ****. You never imagine yourself talking to a drow, but she is surprisingly friendly. How could anyone believe drows to be evil? You figure it is better to say that they only served themselves, being mostly assassins and wizards. Evil is pretty subjective.

"You're surprisingly easy to talk to, human. I believe I'll be able to sleep better tonight now that we are companions. Now, if you would remove your clothes..."

You stare blankly at the drow and then blink a few times.

"Uhm...what?"

"Don't play dumb with me, human-"

"It's Daeel," you repeat, a little annoyed now. You figure it was easier just saying human for her, but it really seems she forgot already!

Nathraena raises her arms dismissively. "Fine Daeel. You should know that I've been naked for a while and while the temperature is relatively warm compared to outside, I could get sick if I don't have a closer heat source while I rest on the ground. We can't keep the fire unless we want to risk attracting attention. Keeping our bodies closer will also reduce our chances of a goblin or troll stumbling by our presence."

Well, that does make sense.

The drow smirk. "...and besides, you've already seen me naked. Whether you have a wife or not, I believe you wouldn't want to miss the chance of sleeping with a beautiful drow, would you?"

She is certainly full of herself, although that confidence is starting to rub on you. Did you feel guilty? Yes, but this is a matter of survival which you knew all too well. The only problem is that you met your wife like this when you and her needed to sleep the night and had to also keep close so that both of you didn't lose any warmth after the fire was extinguished.

Nathraena could see the trouble on your face as you couldn't help but remember the pleasant times of your past. She stopped being playful and grew serious.

"Let's not be wandering, Daeel. You are a ranger excelling in nature while I excel in the shadows. We both know what it takes to survive. If you wish to save your wife, then it is best to not think of her less it gets you killed. I have to worry about myself even though I know my sister is dying as we speak. This is all for her sake," she reminds.

The drow is right. You can't get distracted. Sighing, you unbuckle your belt and swiftly remove your clothes, revealing your toned chest and body.

Nathraena did the same, only having the cloak to remove. As soon as she removes it, you pause to see the dark drow shivering a little. She is trying to contain herself, not wanting to appear weak before you. You didn't plan on judging her, though. She proved herself to be full of dedication and strength that you hoped you could match in the days to come.

You feel conflicted though since as much as you try to ignore it, Nathraena is a beautiful and developed woman. Is it wrong to admire her beauty as well when saving your wife?