We were adventurers, self proclaimed dragon slayers and as it turned out, in the end, fools. The trading village had put quite the bounty out on the head of the beast that for several months now had been terrorising the traders coming in and out, by road or by river, it didn't particularly seem to matter, It had developed a taste for gold and extracted its tolls on those who wished to pass through its territory, to deny the beast was to face its wrath and the occasional burnt out skeleton of a wagon littered the path to the town gates.
Negotiations with the local lord where swift, it was hitting him in the treasury as much as anyone else, several thousand gold pieces upon proof of the beasts demise, a kings ransom for a group such as ours even with what renown we'd gathered to our name stopping the rampages of an orc tribe several months ago, combating a troll that had taken up residence on one of the few trading routes permitted into elven lands and dealing with the machinations of a noble house that had turned out to be less than loyal to the crown.
We steeled ourselves, ready for this challenge, gathered our supplies and made for the beasts cave high up among the mountains, at first we achieved great success, the dragons minions, kobolds, pale imitations of true dragonkind at best seemed caught by surprise as we delved into their tunnels seeking their master, we slaughtered several of their number without resistance. Then the first of us fell, our sorceress taking a fatal step too far as we scoured a room just cleared of its former kobold infestation before the floor gave way beneath her, a sharp scream, quickly silenced by the sharpened stakes beneath, a grizzly and ignoble way to die and yet we where no strangers to death and could not spare the time to mourn, with gold in our eyes we pressed on.
Our bard sung his last tune next, as the walls of a seemingly empty corridor came down to either side of us and a flood of small scaled bodies poured over us, spears and knives flicking in the lights of the torches that where our only illumination, we never did discover his body after we drove them off, I suppose his bones decorate the bottom of some kobold soup pot by now, such are their ways. It was just myself and our paladin there after, my axe and fury and his divine gifts as we fought our way tooth and nail into the dragons chambers.
There she was, before us, as magnificent as any of the tales I had ever heard, if perhaps smaller than the tales of the terrified villagers had led us to believe, the size of a small horse perhaps, able to look me in the eyes at my six foot height without counting the pile of gold and other ill gotten treasures that she seemingly used as her bed, a beast of red and golden scales, of cat like grace, violence and rage and blessed by the gods or not the last of my companions fell then, for the armour of his gods seemed insufficient protection against dragon flame as with a single fierce exhalation it seemed to flow over him, through the cracks of his heavy armour, turning his flesh to so much ash and cinders beneath.
Was I to share the same fate? If so, I would at least go down trying to bury my axe in this creatures vile heart and so even as my friend died beside me I charged forth, howling the savage war cry of my people. I suppose I should of seen the hint of amusement in the creatures glowing orange eyes, the way it toyed with me as its lithe body flowed with improbable grace away from each of my savage swings but my bloodlust blinded me to the way the beast toyed with me, preparing me for my ultimate humiliation for when she finally tired of this game she acted with blinding speed and a deep draconic laugh that almost froze me in place alone, lunging forwards as my sword passed through the space where her neck had been moments before and allowing the weight of her body to slam into my chest, bringing us both to the ground.
