The cloaked figure jerks upright, startled by the sound of your voice. Her hood falls back to reveal a familiar face: it's Marthel, the great dragon princess. She glares at you defiantly, her eyes narrowed and her fists clenched.

"What do you want?" she snaps. "I thought I lost them outside the village." Her voice is rough with anger and exhaustion.

"I've been running for days," Marthel says through gritted teeth. "They're closing in on me." Her eyes dart around the room, searching for an escape route. "Why did you follow me?"

You know why you followed her, but there's no point in admitting that now. Instead, you decide to play it cool and act like you had your own reasons for tracking her down.

"Let's just say I have my reasons," you reply nonchalantly. "

The two of you made your way through the town, gathering supplies and information on the cave system. As you prepared for your journey, people began to take notice of Marthel's presence. Rumors spread quickly about her being some sort of princess in hiding, and it didn't take long before she was being treated like royalty by everyone in town.

Finally, after gathering everything you needed, the two of you set off toward the mountains and the cave system beyond.

The cloaked figure glanced at you out of the corner of her eye, then looked back ahead as she continued walking. "Oh, I'm just a wanderer," she said casually, trying to sound nonchalant. "I travel from place to place, looking for adventure and excitement."

Her answer seemed to satisfy you for now, but you couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to her story than she was letting on.

The cloaked figure turned to you as she caught her breath, a surprised smile on her face. "Not bad," she conceded with a nod. "I didn't expect anyone here to give me a run for my money." She flexed her hand, showing off the strength that had allowed her to hold out against your challenge earlier.

The orc groaned as he pulled himself up from the floor, glaring at both of you before stalking off towards the bar with an angry growl.

The cloaked figure watched you with interest as you approached the orc. "Well," she mused, "I guess it's only fair that I let you take your shot at me now." She crossed her arms beneath her breasts again and leaned against a nearby table, eyes fixed on the exchange between you and the orc.

The orc grunted as he took his seat at the bar, nursing his wounds with a mug of ale. "I dunno," he muttered, glancing in your direction before looking away again. "

The great dragon princess let out a small gasp of pain as Doug punched the tree, wincing sympathetically. She quickly moved to stand in front of him, placing a hand on his chest to steady him. "No," she said firmly, meeting his eyes. "It wasn't your curse making you feel that way. It was me."

She paused, considering her words carefully before continuing. "And even if it was just the curse... I still wouldn't change how I felt about what happened between us."

The great dragon princess studied Doug intently for a moment longer before stepping closer to him, her body pressing against his as she wrapped her arms around him. "Shh," she whispered softly into his ear. "It's okay. I understand now." She pulled back slightly, looking up at Doug with a gentle smile.

"Doug... I want to be with you too," she said quietly. "Blood or no blood, I've come to care about you and I don't think either one of us can deny our feelings any longer."

"The cool girl act? Oh, that was just an act I put on to protect myself," she explained softly, tightening her hold around you slightly. "But with you... I feel like I can be myself."

You make me feel seen and accepted for who I am.

Ah, an impressive blade and magical prowess you have there, Seraphim Asarkaya. It seems we shall make quite the team on this little adventure of ours. Very well then, lead the way to your horse or preferred mode of transportation. I'm sure we can find it soon enough before dawn breaks and everyone else in town is awake.

Well then, Seraphim Asarkaya, it seems we have even more in common than I originally thought. However, perhaps we should save that sort of talk for another time. After all, there's a treasure to find and a great adventure awaiting us.