A Dumpy Tale (4)

 We left Dumpy McFarmy, our unlikely protagonist in a quest for defeating the Tyrant Dragon that tyrannized the land, when he convinced the cyclops to forge him a Magic Sword of Legend that Could Defeat the Tyrant Dragon or MSLCDTD Sword(tm). Now it was time to get the final piece of that sword puzzle. It was time to get the special ore from the top of the Mountain With an Ominous Sounding Name (MOSN Mountain for not so short.

 

If that is not a MOSN Mountain I do not know what a MOSN Mountain is.
No, really, I could use some help with that.

This time Dumpy was better prepared. He had the necessary tools and indications. He took his fellow, Gnomi the Gnome and a beast of burden, one of those that is a hybrid, half horse, half donkey and that cannot be named because Google could think something strange of this post. This time transportation was not going to be an issue.

The journey was still long, because otherwise this entry would be quite short. Gnomi, bored atop of It That Shall Not Be Named (beast of burden), started some small talk. We will skip some several hours of elevator talk, political truisms, and general chit chat to focus in something just slightly more relevant to our story.

- ... and that is what I would do if I ruled this land. That is the problem of politics and political parties.- ended Gnomi.

- Remember there is no such thing around here. Democracy is not to be expected in a Fantasy setting and, more importantly, this land is tyrannized by the Tyrant Dragon, remember?

- True, true. I do not know what I was thinking. Speaking of which, why have you decided to risk your life trying to defeat the Dragon?

- Well I do not know. I was bored I guess. I feel that is better to die burnt by a dragon than farm a life away. And maybe I was born with some kind of adventure impulse and fearlessness. - Farmy shrugged his shoulders.

- I would call that a death wish and foolishness. And for most people just living is more than enough. Is the Dragon that bad? Do you have any personal grudges against it, something that can raise the stakes and make this feel a little bit more epic?

- Well, let me think... usually the dragon does not involves himself with commoners affairs. Taxes were a bit high and he had some special law to retrieve any golden objects, but we were poor and had none of those... Mmm, oh well he annually eats some young maidens and I think he ate a couple of my sisters although I lost count some time ago of how many siblings I had.

- There you go! Even if you are a horrible human(oid) being and will probably go to hell for not caring for something so terrible, that is a very reasonable grudge. So... have you seen the Dragon? How is it?

- Well... a classical Dragon, you know. - Farmy answered, vaguely.

- No I do not know. There are many classical dragons. Some with wings instead of arms, some with arms and wings, some without legs at all, some without wings, some with many heads, some evil, some divine, some godlike, some intelligent, some wild...

- A dragon without wings and with many heads would be a hydra.

- And sometimes hydras have been called dragons.

- No they did not.

- Well, I have seen this recently, and for the record, this post series had already started:

- Ok, ok, whatever you say. Good luck in a couple of years when that video becomes a broken link. Anyway, this is a regular Dungeons and Dragons/Tolkien/MTG Dragon. Intelligent, with four limbs and a pair of wings, one head, fire breath and red. Just like that one in the sky... oh no! The dragon! Quick! Hid somewhere!

Our brave warriors run into the thickness of the mountain forest, and remained there for a long, long time.

- I cannot see it anymore - said Gnomi.

- Well, I guess it was a little pretentious from our side to think that the Dragon would think we pose a threat or even know of our existence.

The couple and their It That Shall Not Be Named beast of burden continued the slow ascension until they find a mountain wall that only could be climbed. Fortunately, someone more experienced was there before and left some kind of climbing aides. Dumpy then left Gnomi to take care of It That Shall Not Be Named. The wall was not very hard to climb and Dumpy continued, alone.

 Soon he saw the cave that he was looking for. It was not very far away, but the only path was very steep and very, very narrow. Once he retrieved some ore he could throw it and retrieve it down the path. But first he had to traverse this. The fall would be fatal. Armed with its fearlessnesh (and a good chunk of his foolishness) he put his back against the wall and began traversing the path. And he fell.

Is this a cliffhanger or a clifffaller? Even I do not know. We will see... or not. If there are no more entries that means Dumpy is a splat between some spiky rocks.