The pitch-black night was silent except for the distant chirping of crickets and the soft click clack of her dragon’s claws on the cobble pathway.

“Easy,” she murmured when the dark green beast huffed, making sparks fly from it’s furnace lungs. “I know. We’re almost there.”

She pulled on the reins gently and it turned towards the right side of the forked pathway. They were in the middle of a dark and lush forest; one that was clearly untouched by any humanoid for the past few years. The only sign of civilization was a cracked and mossy cobblestone pathway, which was glowing a slight blue below the full moon. She decided it must be moonrock, or some variety, layed down specifically for people like her who had to walk it during the night. Not that it did much; forests like these were still dangerous-- especially at night-- but she took her chances. Besides, very few creatures would dare confront a dragon like Talick.

Eventually, the path began to become less crumbled and more polished until they were in a huge town with houses, shops, and various establishments packed next to each other and sleek, smooth roads that she was sure Talick was happy about.

As was custom, she hopped off Talick and stayed on the main roads, away from the main cluster of buildings. Although she had full trust in her dragon, he was an ignitei, a fire-breathing breed of dragon, and nobody would fancy their home turned to ash just because some outsider’s dragon had allergies.

She stopped outside a row of metal stables-- stables made specifically for dragons-- and opened the gate to one. He huffed again, but eventually went inside.

“I’ll be back soon,” she promised him, and slid a few gold coins onto the counter.

The sun was starting to rise by the time she arrived. She stood in front of a huge mansion made out of rotting wood and mossy stone. The house was on a hill near the town; the overgrown trees had gnarly roots that submerged out and back into the ground like sea serpents.

She cautiously approached the door, making the rotting wood panels on the porch creak. Before she knocked, she straightened her posture and took a deep breath, assuring herself that everything would go smoothly.

The address to the house was sent to her in a letter, with sloppy cursive inked underneath: “Be there in five days.” That was five days ago, and anyone with any sense would know not to do exactly as she had done, but the position she was in as one of the most infamous criminals on her contient meant she had a lot of people she met regularly for dirty work. These people couldn’t sign the letters or give any hints as to who they were or what business they were asking for incase the letters were stolen or found. Best case scenario, she was offered a fair job that paid her well. Worst case scenario, she was murdered. But that was a possibility for most things she did.

She knocked firmly and assertively, a knock that said “You’d better not waste my time.” The door slowly creaked open, but nobody was visible under the light that spilled into the darkness.

“Hello?” she called, stepping inside.

Something rustled behind her. Before she could turn around, there was a sharp pain on the back of her head, plunging her into darkness.