A Dumpy Tale(3)

 Now that Dumpy McFarmy obtained a neatly stacked log pile of magic wood, the Magic Sword of Legend that Could Defeat the Tyrant Dragon(tm) that terrorized the land was a step closer. Falcony the Wizard told Dumpy of his next objective. He would need a Magic Hammer and Anvil, because, of course, only Magic stuff can be used to forge a Magic Sword of Legend that Could Defeat the Tyrant Dragon or MSLCDTD Sword(tm) for short.

The objective was to steal the Hammer and Anvil of the cyclops giant Monophemus, skilled smith and son of the correct smith god of whatever pantheon this world operates on. Dumpy McFarmy armed himself with a spear, but really hoping to not having to engage in combat with a humongous humanoid creature as his chances of survival in that case would be very slim.

Concealed in a dark cloud, choosing a moonless night to attempt this not very honorable feat, our protagonist infiltrated in the cave of the cyclops. He soon heard the thundering snores of the large body that was lying there. Although this was not a hole in the mud, it was a comfortable home, with exquisite furniture. Thinking about it, probably someone skilled enough to be a great blacksmith would not live in a cave like a wild beast.

 

Tiptoeing his way past a bed that was larger that some small cottages, he followed a waterfall sound to the forge. This was a huge space, with a myriad of tools hanging from the walls. It had more than one anvil and one hammer. And it had a huge mechanism connected to a water mill that moved a gigantic hammer. As Dumpy was trying to figure out which hammer was the magical one, if any, he heard something really big clearing his throat behind him.

- Ehem, excuse me, who are you and what are you doing here?

- Me? Err I'm lost, yes lost.

- Well you know, it is very to enter a house uninvited. I could crush you like a little twig, but if I was your size I would be scared to death finding an intruder in the middle of the night.

- Amm I just entered this regular looking cave in the dark, I was not expecting such a beautiful house inside.

- Ooo, thank you, I made some arrangements lately. Do you like how the dark and light themes mix?

- Yeah, yeah, sure...

-Ok, I know you are lying, there were no dark and light themes and you could not see them in the dark. What exactly do you want? And how come the writer resorted to using dialogue when he bent over backwards to avoid it?

- Well it was so big of a scene that he was not confident that he could deliver it using only indirect speech. He did not want to use it before he did not wanted to develop my character or the reader to empathize with me, as this was supposed to be a throw-away story and a short-lived character, but it seems he could not find any way around it.

-Aaaand...

- Oh, yeah! I really need your tools for forging a MSLCDTD Sword.

- Aha, and you planned to sneak past me and retrieve some tools that weight more than you could handle? Ha, ha ,ha , ha! Haven't you considered that a giant would have giant-sized tools even for doing human-sized weapons? You are so funny that I would let you live a little longer. What do you want a MSLCDTD Sword for?

- Oh well, to Defeat the Tyrant Dragon that tyrannizes this lands.

-Mmm, that makes sense. I do not think you could succeed, but I guess it is worth a try. That pesky dragon is hurting my business and would not let me tyrannize the villages that I used to sack, so I would want him out. Ok, I think I have nothing to lose and it is been ages since I forged a MSLCDTD Sword. I would do it for you for a very friendly fee if you can bring me the materials.

Dumpy agreed and left the cave. Well that was scary. Easy and scary. Easy, scary and a little bit anticlimatic.

Now it was time for the last piece, a Magic Ore that could only be found in the top of the Mountain With an Ominous Sounding Name (tm) or MOSN Mountain for its friends.