"I don't like it," Snowcloud said, shooting a worried look at the sleeping dragon. "It's too dangerous."

"I don't like it either," Arran replied truthfully, "but we're not exactly spoiled for choice, and if Crassus is right, time is running short."

Snowcloud sighed deeply. "We could at least wait until nightfall. At least then, it won't be able to see you."

Arran shook his head. "It's another eight hours before the sun goes down. By then, the dragon will be even stronger. Every hour we wait is another hour it has to recover."

Snowcloud hesitated briefly, but then, she gave Arran a reluctant nod. "All right. Just… be careful. This isn't the fight we planned for."

Arran knew that all too well, of course. They had expected there would be at least another week before they had to face the dragon, with plenty of time to plan and prepare. And in their original plans, they would attack in the dead of night, using their Sense and Arran's Shadowsight to gain an advantage over the beast.

But then, Crassus had informed them that the dragon was already beginning to recover, over a week ahead of schedule. And although Arran had some doubts about the fat guide, from what he could tell, the man was right.

Which meant that they had to attack immediately, with nothing but an improvised plan and the hope that the dragon had only recovered a tiny portion of its strength.

Arran did not despair at the prospect — he didn't have the time for that. All he could do now was perform the task ahead as best he could, and hope for the best. If he survived, there would be time to worry after the battle.

He quickly hurried along the edge of the valley, hiding between the rocks as he moved. Even though the dragon should still be fast asleep, he didn't want to risk waking it — not until they launched their attack, at least.

When he finally came to a stop, he was on the opposite side of the valley, in an area filled with rocks and outcrops. While the cover would offer little protection if the dragon attacked, he hoped that hiding should buy him some time until he accomplished his task.

He grabbed his Duskcloak from his void bag immediately and wrapped it around himself. Then, he produced his weapon — the dragonbone bow Lord Jiang had given him years ago.

While the 'dragonbone' from which the bow was crafted was really just wood, the weapon was still a formidable one. Even now, with his body many times stronger than it had been when he received the bow, it still took him effort to fully draw it. And while he wasn't sure how much it would accomplish against an adept, it could rip through a novice with ease.

But of course, he wasn't facing novices or adepts right now. He was facing an adult dragon — strong enough to effortlessly kill novices and adepts alike.

Arran took out half a dozen arrows, then spent several moments getting his position just right. In the battle to come, he needed every advantage he could get.

Finally, when he was certain he had done all he could, he raised his hand and waved briefly toward the rocks that hid Snowcloud.

A moment later, a man-sized boulder at the far edge of the valley began to roll, seeming to move all by itself.

This, of course, was Snowcloud's doing. She was using Wind Essence to apply an invisible force to the rock, causing it to move even though she herself was several hundreds of paces away.

Despite his anxiety, Arran could not help but be impressed by the feat. Although he was physically stronger than Snowcloud, this was something he wouldn't be able to do using just magic — both his skill and control were clearly still a level below hers.

The rock steadily rolled toward the motionless dragon, picking up speed as it moved, and soon it was hurtling toward the beast as if it was rolling down a hill, moving forward with a thunderous sound. But despite the noise, the dragon did not react — it simply lay there like a scaled, rust-colored hill, still unmoving.

A moment later, the rock struck the creature, crashing into it with enough force to flatten even a strong mage.

Yet although the boulder cracked into several pieces when it struck, the dragon itself was completely unharmed, its steel-like skin easily resisting the blow.

Arran had expected this, of course. If the beast were that easy to injure, their task would be an easy one. All he needed was for the dragon to be awakened from its slumber.

For a few brief moments, the dragon did not react, as if it hadn't even noticed the savage impact. But then, it began to stir, sluggishly raising its head.

As the dragon moved, Arran waited with bated breath, arrow nocked to his bow. The moment was almost there…

The giant beast moved its head several times, as if trying to shake off the poison's daze. Then, it opened its eyes.

That was the moment Arran had been waiting for. At once, he loosed an arrow that soared toward the dragon's head with staggering force. Before the arrow struck, he loosed a second, then a third.

Before his Tempering, he would not have been able to shoot so quickly and still be accurate. But now, it was a simple matter, even from a distance of several hundred paces. The only question was how much the dragon would move before the arrows struck.

The moment the third arrow left Arran's bow, he sent a surge of Essence into his Duskcloak, and like that, he disappeared from sight. Hit or miss, he did not want to give the dragon a chance to find him.

As Arran hid, the first arrow struck, ramming into the side of the creature's head with devastating power… and harmlessly glancing off its scales.

Yet the sudden impact caused the dragon to turn its head, and the second and third arrows struck only a moment later, slamming into the beast's left eye with enough force to shatter a stone wall.

While the dragon's scales were like steel, its eyes had no such protection, and the creature roared in pain as its eye was torn apart.

Arran breathed a quiet sigh of relief. The first half of the task was completed. Now, all they would need to do was wait for the dragon to calm down, then repeat the feat and fully blind the creature.

Between the force of the arrows and the three types of poison Snowcloud had applied to them, it should be at least several days before the beast's injuries healed. And while it was fully blinded, they should have a far easier time causing it further injuries.

Arran's relief was cut short an instant later, however, when the giant beast turned its head toward his hiding spot. The creature let out an anguished roar, then slowly raised its massive body up on its legs.

Then, it took a step toward Arran, its clawed foot hitting the ground with a booming crash. Another step followed, and slowly though the beast moved, Arran paled at the sight.

A feeling of dread set in when he understood this beast wasn't as stupid as its juvenile cousin. Even if the dragon had not seen him, it seemed to realize from where the attack had come. And now, the colossal creature was heading straight for him.

Arran cursed silently, his mind racing as he tried to think of a way to escape.