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The room rumbled as the reptilian beast snored. The behemoth slept soundly in front of the altar of the castle’s chapel, air bellowing from its nostrils with each deep breath.
Our hero had two choices: he could sneak by the dragon and search for the princess as the beast slept; or he could slay the beast in his sleep and prevent a grueling battle. Now, most people would opt for option two. That would seem the most logical option, considering a dragon is quite the dangerous foe (let alone one with two heads). But option one had its perks. If one is quiet enough (or if the dragon is a hard sleeper) one could easily sneak by and complete one’s task without blood on their hands. But our hero decided to bypass both of these options and alternatively chose a third.
“Alright, you filthy beast! Prepare to die!”
The room fell silent as the monster awoke from its slumber. The beast lay still, its four amber eyes locked on the miniature man that stood before him. It was but a moment later that the creature made its first move, slowly lifting its twin heads from atop a single pew. Its left head reared back, gasping for air, as the right studied the small man curiously.
A nervous look of desperation filled the knight’s face as the man realized the grave error he had made. Thick black smoke fell from the nostrils of the dragon’s left head as the knight raised his shield in defense. Embers and soot shot out from the dragon’s nose, a stream of fire exploding from the beast’s mouth.
The knight ducked behind his small shield as the room fell into darkness. The man’s shield glowed orange as the stream of fire collided with the metal disc. The orange glow soon burned to a brilliant red, causing the metal of his glove to weld to the small shield. The knight screamed out in pain, diving to his left the moment the stream subsided. He ducked behind a pew, ripping the metal glove from his hand and tossed it and the molten shield aside.
Our hero peeked out from behind his pew and began to formulate a plan. The dragon roared violently, sucking more air into the mouth of its left head. Smoke billowed out once more as it thrust forward for another blast.
The knight threw himself under the pew and began to crawl. He made his way towards the beast from under the cover of the rows of seats. The beast howled in annoyance, flinging its right head towards the knight, lifting and hurling the vacant seats that blocked the monster’s path.
The knight squealed in freight as the dragon flung the pew he hid beneath to the side before thrusting its second head towards its foe. The knight rolled forward, narrowly missing the creature’s teeth as it thrashed towards him.
Our hero jumped to his feet and raised his sword. The monster reared back with a mighty roar, readying itself for another attack. The knight thrust his blade forward the moment the beast’s right head flew towards him. The blade hit its mark; splitting the monster’s face from its nose down to its chin.
The dragon cried out in pain, yanking its wounded face from the rusty blade. Its twin reared back in retaliation, throwing its mouth open wide and gasping for air. Smoke flowed from the beast’s nostrils once more as our hero leaped forward.
Embers showered the knight as he flew through the air. Fire erupted from the creature’s mouth as the knight swung his blade. The sword connected, slicing cleanly through the dragon’s scaly neck. The monster’s right head lunged towards the knight as he finished his stroke, flinging the carcass of the beast’s left head to the side before the man fell to his feet.
With a roar, the dragon chomped down onto the knight’s spaulder, its strong teeth digging through the metal and latching onto the man’s shoulder. The behemoth tossed the knight high into the air, eagerly extending its split tongue to catch its prey.
The knight’s face paled as he plummeted towards the dark pit of the beast’s throat. Our hero thrust out his sword as the monster’s split jaw clamped shut. In one swift movement, the beast raised its head and lifted its tongue, forcing its captured prey down its grim cave. The knight gripped his sword as he tumbled down the monster’s tongue, digging the blade into the hardened flesh of the dragon’s throat. The knight slid to a stop as the sword cut through the beast’s gullet. He planted his feet against the walls of the creature’s throat and threw his weight on the blade.
The dragon’s eyes grew large, its face gagging and spitting in agony. A river of blood spewed from the newly created hole in the creature’s neck as the beast clawed in panic to dislodge the knight’s sword. Our hero held true, thrusting his sword out as far as he could before pivoting to the side and turning the blade. The sharp metal cut through the monster’s flesh like butter, enlarging the narrow hole with each press.
The beast let out one last howl of pain as the cords of its voice splayed open. The creature slumped forward as the knight’s blade finished its cut. With a thud and a rumble, the knight was flung from inside the creature and thrown to the ground, the husk of the behemoth crumpling behind him.
The knight picked himself off the ground and dusted himself off before surveying the wreckage the two had caused. The room had filled with soot and smoke, making it hard for the knight to see. Small crackles and pops of embers danced about the room as small flames ate away at the remains of the wooden furniture that had lined the room.
The knight made his way over to the dragon’s corpse and plucked his blade from the creature’s stiff neck, causing its lifeless head to flop against the ground. The young man sheathed his blade and searched through the wreckage for his shield, finding the disc beneath a smoldering wooden board. He kicked the board aside and lifted the dented saucer; bringing with it the small gauntlet that had been welded to the shield from the beast’s fiery breath. The knight pulled and tugged on the metal pieces, determined to pry the two apart. Finding no luck in this endeavor, he tossed the junk aside in defeat.
ns 15.158.61.6da2
