The unquenchable dragon's fire slowly began to burn itself out after consuming all nearby fuel. That was the only way it could die. Three Hills, still alight in many places, was a charred husk where once was a village.

The hoblings worked hard to salvage what they could from the blaze. At great length the last of the fires burnt themselves down to embers.

A crowd of hoblings soon gathered near Aubrey and the giant corpse of Balrung. It was obvious from looking at it that the dragon was dead; it's head was twisted at an odd angle and the whole body surrounded by burning dragon's blood.

Aubrey sat on the ground, staring silently into space.

"Is Balrung really something?" asked one of the hoblings.

"She something something did it!" exclaimed another.

The crowd's excitement at the death of their tyrant was muted. It had cost them nearly everything.

"It was very foolish of you to come back," said a familiar voice, in Dwarvish. "I think the world could do with more of your sort of fool."

Aubrey turned around, moving significantly for the first time since she realized the dragon was dead. Myrtyl smiled at her.

"Your village is in ruins..." said Aubrey.

"We can rebuild," said Myrtyl, "and when we do what we build will be ours and ours alone."

"But the people who died..."

"Yes, that is sad. Those lives aren't replaceable like holes or fences. But I warned you not to take on the sins of dragons. You didn't choose for Balrung to attack us, but it was your choice to come back and help. You have done what I thought could not be done. You gave us our freedom. Thanks to you after tonight there will never be another one of us who dies at the whim of Balrung."

Aubrey stood slowly, and wiped away tears. With the fires mostly out she could no longer make out the eponymous three hills from where she stood.

* * *

By the next morning the smoke had cleared and the last of the embers were long dead. Char and ash was all that remained.

The hoblings got right back to work. They cleared away wreckage, salvaged what they could, and dug graves. The hoblings gathered the remains of the fallen but in most cases this didn't amount to much. What they did find they buried and marked the plots with stones.

There were nine such graves. Aubrey promised herself she wouldn't forget a single one of them.

Myrtyl preformed a small funeral ceremony in Hoblish that Aubrey didn't understand and that was that. They hoblings all went back to work. Some of them even managed something approaching good cheer. She didn't know how they did it.

That night there was another bonfire, but this was a much more solemn affair that the cerebration from before. This time nobody expected Aubrey to drink or sing.

The boys, led by their dubious guide, came tromping out of the woods just before noon of the next day. They all grew silent upon seeing the devastation.

"Uh oh," said Daffodil. "This place doesn't look fun anymore. I'll see you later."

Just like that he was gone again.

"Good riddens," muttered Victor.

The three quickly found Aubrey outside with some hoblings sorting through smoke damaged bags of food, seeing what was still edible.

"Oh my god the dragon was here wasn't it!" said Ollie.

"Which way did it go?" asked Victor.

Aubrey pointed off in the distance, to where Balrung's corpse was.

The three boys turned around.

"What?" asked Hak-Kun.

"It's dead," said Aubrey.

"How?" asked Victor.

"I shot it," said Aubrey, matter-of-factly.

Victor narrowed his eyes at her.

Aubrey stood up and tried to dust from of the ash from her pants.

"I'll go get my things and we can head out," she said.

"We've been walking for days, and a lot of that on an empty stomach," said Ollie.

"Fine. I'll find you some food then."

Aubrey was far more terse than the boys were used to.

"Can't we stay here for the night?" asked Ollie.

"No," said Aubrey. "We can't. Come on."

Aubrey walked off. Hak-Kun gave Ollie a shrug and the three followed her.

* * *

Myrtyl saw to it that the boys were fed a lunch of stew and bread, the delicious hobling food tasting even better with their empty stomachs. They were all feeling very full and satisfied after.

As soon as they finished Aubrey was already rushing them to prepare to leave.

In addition to replenishing the food supplies they had originally set out with, each of the teens was handed a canvas bag filled with even more travelling rations.

"We couldn't possibly take this," said Aubrey. "After everything that's happened? How can you spare it?"

"Pah," scoffed Myrtyl. "Our food tithe is ended. We had stored enough food to feed a dragon. Fire damage or no we will eat well. Do not worry about us. We hoblings have a talent for feeding ourselves."

"Thank you, then," said Aubrey.

"Thank you," said Myrtyl. "Please remember my words. Life is hard. Do not hold yourself responsible for the deeds of others."

"Goodbye, Myrtyl," said Aubrey, smiling for the first time since the previous night.

"Yes. Goodbye. Be safe."

The four teens began their long trek from Three Hills, or perhaps just One Hill now, back to the main road.

"Well that was embarrassing," said Hak-Kun, after a while. "I can't help but feel like we came out of that looking like idiots."

"I know right? I can't believe after all that it was Aubrey who slew the dragon," said Ollie.

"Don't you see?" said Victor. "That was her plan from the start. She just told us not to attack the dragon because she wanted all the glory for herself. You know how she is."

Aubrey suddenly slapped Victor in the face. Victor touched his cheek, eyes wide with surprise. Aubrey shoved him with all her strength. Caught off guard he fell backwards.

"This was all your fault!" she screamed at him, not crying but still tearing up. "Do you have any idea how many people died because of your stupid fucking ego? Because you're too fucking stupid to leave well enough alone?"

"I-" started Victor, still on his back.

"Shut up!" Aubrey shouted. "Shut the fuck up Victor. Nobody wants to hear anything you have to say. You are a goddamn disgrace. I know you're entirely incapable of the emotion but you should be ashamed of yourself. You will never live this down. I will never forgive you for what you've done."

Aubrey took in several ragged deep breathes, tears still falling. She realized she was yelling at herself.

"I hope you're happy with all of this Victor," said Aubrey, a little more calmly. "I hope you're real proud. Because just like you wanted the glory for it is all yours. Hungo Kept. Mirabella Goodhouse. Kadie Longbottom. Brogan Stubtoe. Jilla Lowhill. Rulfo Lowhill. Endolynn Broadfoot. Ryce Stillwaters. Keo Sandybrook. Remember those names, Victor. Those are the people who died for your arrogance."

"I'm-" Victor tried again. "I-"

Aubrey just turned her back on him. Victor looked to the other two for support, but they couldn't look him in the eye. They, too, felt deeply shamed by Aubrey's words.

"Let's go," said Aubrey. "The sooner we get home the sooner I never have to see this waste of life again."

Without a word Victor climbed to his feet, and the four teens made their way back to the main road in silence.