A Dumpy Tale (5)

 We left our story in the most literal of cliffhangers, with our hero, Dumpy, falling off a cliff. As this entry exists, it means that our hero also exists with the living. He managed to grab some branch that was there and pull himself back to the track. Probably he learned some low level spells during his long staying as an apprentice for Falcony the Wizard.

Let's pause for a moment here. The original plan for this series was to end it here, with the protagonist dead from an ordinary hazard, like a fall, without having achieved anything. The idea was to have a couple chapters that hinted a larger story before ending it abruptly in a complete anticlimax. That is the reason for the silly names. I did not want to spend time or ideas on a throwaway story.

However I could not gather the courage to did it. I guess that we have George R. R. Martin for that. I needed content, so I was not very kind to end a possible stream of posts. Moreover, the story grew a little bit by its own, doubling the initial intended space. And also it has been writing itself by its own in a way. I sat down before the computer with a very nebulous idea and start typing. And then I wrote whatever came to mind. I had a fun time writing it, and I did not want any potential reader to feel cheated. So I decided (or the story has decided) to give this silly story a proper ending, at least, if not a good ending, an ending in its place. Ok, time to continue.

Once again with his feet firmly on the ground Dumpy gathered his breath and carried on with the retrieval of the ore mission. It had no more complications, so a little after, maybe the day after they arrive back to the Tower they reside in, with all the components to finally forge the Magic Sword of Legend that Could Defeat the Tyrant Dragon or MSLCDTD Sword(tm). It took some time, mainly because the cyclops smith was busy with a paying order of 1000 silver spoons from some wealthy noble of a neighboring land (why spoons? I do not know). But finally, the wait was over, Dumpy had a MSLCDTD Sword. It was time to face the Dragon.

The search of the Dragon was easy, as it spend most of its time in the courtyard of the old's king palace, giving precise orders to his lieutenants, or in his cave, sleeping or eating over his hoard of gold. The choice of where to look for him was easy, as the cave was not warded. Nobody seemed fool enough to face the dragon, and even so the dragon was confident that he could fend for himself. Therefore, he needed no wards. It also seemed the best strategic choice, as inside a Cave the Dragon would not be able to fly. How to deal with the firebreath... well, we will see how that goes.

Warily, our hero sneaked into the cave, hoping for a surprise attack that might be his only chance. He was equipped with his brand new sword and some armor, and also had fire-protection magic in place, but he was unsure how to deal with that large beast. However, the hope for a sneak attack was lost as he encountered the dragon awake, and staring at him.

Wonderboy (in monster World) vs the Tyrant Dragon.
Showing this still is maybe the main reason Dumpy has made it so far.

- Well, well, what do we have in here? Some valiant knight in shining armor, perhaps? Show thyself, nobleman, and speak of thy family name, so I could know which lineage I will be digesting.

- I am no knight, but a peasant. The name is Dumpy McFarmy.

- Oh, that is new. And what does bring thou before my holy presence, peasant?

- I came here to slay you, foul beast. It is time that your reign of terror comes to an end.

- Mwahahahaha. That is hilarious. What could a single peasant do against me, the Fire King, Terror of the Storm Peaks, Ruler of the Eladian Valley? For I am a dragon, a powerful one, and thou art but a humble human with a large knife.

- This is not regular sword, this is the Magic Sword of Legend that Could Defeat the Tyrant Dragon or MSLCDTD Sword(tm). And I shall demonstrate why it has that name.

- Thou art quite amusing. And stupid. Mainly stupid. Thou could came with an excuse for coming here, maybe try to catch me offgard , but this is plain silly, stating your intentions and your trick under the sleeve. But I like thee, and I was a little bored, so tell me, young one, why should I be slain?

- Because you are a Tyrant (Dragon).

- Ok, and? What tells you that I will not be replaces by a tyrannical king? I give all you ants stability and protection, and ask for little in return. You can go on with your pitiful tiny lives, I do not really care.

- But maybe, just maybe, we will have a good king, or a better ruling system. And even in the case we end up with a bad one, that would last only a human lifetime, tops.

- Oh but you do not know how old I am, or how much dragons live. Should I be in my last years, with a life expentancy of some decades or a century, then, that would make me not a candidate of a sudden death?

- Spare me of your lies, you foul beast!

 

In my head the dragon is more like this one, from the same game. But red. Maybe this dialog makes more sense with this dragon.

- But think about it, what have I done that could be different from a another king? I raised taxes, but not much. I made sure that the gold that was not for my nest were well spent. And by the way, it has been decades since my hoard has been growing just from retributions from countries that tried to invade your lame piece of land that you call kingdom. I gave you peace, and some prosperity? What is not to like? What have I done wrong? Is not some things that is good enough to endure the same ruler for a few centuries?

- Well, that is a fair point. But humans cannot accept that. And that kind of stalling could be fatal for any kingdom. What will happen once your tight grip disappears? And also... you ate a lot of people! You ate two (or more) of my sisters!

- Oh, that, that is true. What was your name again?

- Dumpy McFarmy.

- McFarmy, McFarmy... yeah that is some tasty family. It will be a pleasure to eat thee, if there is anything edible of thy body after I crush thee, that is.

- That is disgusting.

- It is an uneven duel then. Prepare to die!

(It seems that I cannot cut short this series, but the end is nigh).