The Dragon's Hoard Part 2

The dragon opened his throat wide, black flame swirling within. I braced myself for the searing heat.

Imalor’s spear soared through the air, catching the dragon in the eye. He screamed, belching fire as I gunned the truck between his front two legs. I twisted the steering wheel, smashing into the dragon’s back left foot.

A sickening crunch, followed by another agonizing howl from the dragon met my ears. I set the truck in reverse and began backing out from under it as fast as I could. The dragon rolled, trying to crush me beneath his body but I managed to get free.

Ser Erik approached, sword held high. He slashed up at the creature’s neck, but his blow merely bounced off the tough scales. One of his arms was limp at his side.

Atlas reappeared, bounding over a pile of gold coins. He dug in his paws and slid down the side of the mound, leaping as he reached the cavern floor and vaulting onto the dragon’s back. The dragon returned its attention to Atlas and I regrouped with the Heroes.

“How are we meant to defeat this thing?” Lyessa asked, panting. Her face was flush with sweat. “All of my spells just bounce off of its scales!”

“I can see a weak point in the scales.” Said Arthur, “Just behind the jaw where the head meets the neck. If you can expose that point, I can take it out with a well-timed shot.”

“It’ll have to be the left side.” I decided, “Imalor stabbed out its left eye.”

“And you crushed the rear foot on the left side.” The dwarf added.

“Okay, so left is the side we have to attack,” said Ser Erik, “But how do we expose its weak spot?”

“I’ve got some Delver’s Rope.” Said Imalor, “Stronger than any chain and fire resistant to boot. I could get it around the beast’s neck and wrench it to the side.”

“You wouldn’t get close enough to put it on.” Lynessa said, “Not without help. You’re too slow to make it yourself.”

“You ever heard of a lasso?” I asked. Imalor grinned. He hopped up on the bed of my truck.

“Let’s go catch us a lizard.” He said.

I swept around, driving hard at the dragon. He was still occupied with Atlas, though for how much longer, I couldn’t tell. I hoped the tiger was being cautious. The last thing I needed right now was one of my legs breaking.

We roared up alongside the dragon’s left flank and Imalor threw the rope as we rounded its head. The rope flung over the head and caught on the dragon’s jagged horns. I cut right hard, taking us swerving around the dragon’s front.

The dragon’s neck bent. Almaxor’s sole remaining eye fixed on the truck with rage. He tried to pull back, but I pushed the pedal all the way to the floor, locking us in place.

The dragon jerked and I held the gas.Sweat beaded Imalor’s face as he held the dragon in place. I could see Arthur on the other side of the dragon lining up his shot. Just a little longer. Just a little longer…

Arthur fired. Almaxor’s pupil dilated, then widened. A final, ragged breath escaped from his jaws. The fire died from his eyes. The slack on the rope loosened and I killed the engine. For a long minute everything was silent.

Ser Erik whooped in excitement. Imalor cackled like a madman. Arthur unstrung his bow and bowed like a performer who had finished his act. I couldn’t stop a wide grin from overtaking my face.

Atlas slid down from the dragon’s back, licking the wound on his leg. He gave the beast a long glare, then smacked it on the nose with a paw as if to check that it was really dead. It gave no indication to the contrary.

Locating the Staff of Dowsing was much harder than I thought. The dragon’s hoard was vast and the fight had disorganized whatever semblance of order had existed before. We spent several hours searching through the cavern.

“This is a fine stash of wealth.” Imalor commented as we searched through mounds of silver goblets, “It is truly a shame we won’t be able to take it all back with us.”

“We could let the citizens of Daletopia know where the stash is.” I said, “They could use the treasure to rebuild their village.”

“That sounds like a brilliant idea!” Exclaimed Lynessa, who I hadn’t realized was following us, “The Legendary Hero is so kind!” She was beginning to annoy me. Especially since all she did was follow me around and say everything I did was amazing. Did she ever have an original thought in her life?

I sighed and turned back to digging through the stacks of treasure.

“I’ve found it!” Shouted Arthur. He appeared atop one of the treasure piles holding a worn wooden staff in his hand. He ran down to join us and handed the staff to me. Several large white and red feathers adorned the top of the staff.

“To use the staff is very simple,” he said, “All you have to do is form a picture of the item that you seek in your head, and the feathers on the staff point you in the direction you need to go.”

I looked across the room at a large set of plate armor and tried to envision it in my head. The feathers on the staff fluttered as if they were being moved by some unfelt gust of wind. As the image in my head sharpened, they stuck straight out, pointing directly at the armor.

“This is it, alright.” I said, “Now, load up everything you want and let’s get moving.”

The party took turns acquiring pieces of gear from the stash. Imalor grabbed a new spear and a sturdy handaxe, both of which he claimed were of excellent craftsmanship. I wasn’t able to tell myself, but the smile on his face as he looked at both of the items told me all I needed to know. Lynessa grabbed a few tomes of exceptional age, while Ser Erik and Arthur found a pair of magic bows that shot bolts of concentrated magic in place of arrows.

For myself, Ser Erik insisted I take a set of leather armor for basic protection, and he worked with me to find one that had the right fit. Atlas located a nice bearskin that he wanted for bedding.

When the looting was done, we set out on the road once more. Ser Erik held the Staff of Dowsing and gave me directions. I needed my head clear in order to drive. The feathers on the staff indicated a southeasterly heading. I drove using the simplest possible method, following the roads south until the feathers on the staff indicated that we were to head east.

The location of the Gem of Traversal ended up being a large mountain in the middle of Folona. We circled it several times before coming to the conclusion that it was indeed our final destination. I approached from a thin gravel road on the northern side.

As we began to drive down the road, I noticed that the trail we followed rarely gained elevation. Instead, it led us deep within a rocky draw on the mountain’s exterior. As we continued, walls of stone rose up around us, eventually leading into a pitch black tunnel.

I flicked on the headlights. The tunnel was barely wide enough for my truck to fit through. Fortunately, it did not narrow, and when light appeared at the other end I breathed a sigh of relief.

We exited into a large, open area. When I looked up, I saw the walls rise up on all sides. The mountain was hollow, and at its very center, atop a wide cliff, stood a grand stone temple. Banners emblazoned with the image of the sun flapped in the breeze outside it.

Ser Erik gasped. “That’s the hidden headquarters of the Order of the Golden Sun!”

An intense feeling of unease took hold in my stomach. If this was where the assassin had returned to, then the orders to steal the gem must have come all the way from the top. But why didn’t they want me to leave this world? That was the part that made no sense.

“Okay guys,” I said, “We’re going to have to be very careful. We need to sneak in and out. I don’t want to cause any more trouble than is necessary.”

“That’s the first smart thing you’ve said.” Atlas commented dryly, “Hell, if we can get our hands on that stone, we can leave this world here and now.”

I nodded. Home was so close, just a few more miles, and then I could be free.