“What have you done little Tang?” The dragon asked. The pages of the books rustled in the foul wind of her breath. I had always imagined that we would kill this dragon if we ever met her, but faced with her reality, my only thoughts were of escape.

“It's all right, your majesty,” Tang said. Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

“What has happened, my little host?” She asked.

“Just a small skirmish your Excellency, nothing to worry about,” he said.

“I'm hungry, Tang,” she said. Her cavernous voice grew louder. Her rank breath blew through the room. Several books slid across the floor.

“I flew a dozen laps across this hideous land like you ordered, I want my dinner and aperetif,” she said. Her black and pitted teeth filled the window. She opened her mouth wide. The dark scaly tunnel of her throat stared at us.

“Help me up,” Tang said. Freya ran to him. He leaned against her. They walked to the cauldron. “We need to push this to the window. The rest of you see if any of my monks survived,” Tang said.

“Now you’re in charge?” Grundy said, "We gotta kill that thing!"

"Silence, you fool!" Tang snapped.

“This is no time for bickering,” Freya said. He and Freya slid the cauldron to the window.

“You may assume the position your greatness,” Tang said. Drexel's face looked hideously confused.

"What in all Chau is going on here Tang?" Freya asked.

"Orka is on a revitalizing retreat" Tang whispered. He turned to the rest of us.

"What are you waiting for? The Dragon doesn't care about this petty bloodbath, but if she thinks there is something amiss with the service here she'll melt us all in a heartbeat. Now go find my monks!" He commanded, softly.

Drexel was already gone. I ran down the stairs and into the courtyard. A few town guards moaned nearby. The dragon was slowly adjusting herself to sit on the ground underneath the window. She lay back. Her enormous body spread quickly across the compound. A gust of dusty air advanced in front of her belly as it spread over the corpses of the dead and dying. I saw no live monks within the walls.

I ran, out the gate. Two monks wandered among the bodies near a burnt catapult. The first monk had a broken arm. A sharp pink bone stuck from his elbow. His forearm dangled below the break. Blood streamed from a cut in the forehead of the second monk. When they saw me they walked toward me. I held up my hands.

“I don’t want to fight,” I said. The monk with the head wound looked down at me.

"We win" He said, weakly, "Tang's monks have triumphed"

"That doesn't matter anymore, The..the.." I stammered.

“We saw her land,” he said, "Is this the end for all of us?"

“The dragon wants something, Tang said we need all the monks, ” I said.

“We are all the monks,” the monk with the broken arm said. I looked around. We came back through the gates.

“We'll never pull it off,” the monk with the head wound said.

“What?” I asked.

“The after-dinner massage,” he said.

When we entered the compound the dragon lay on her back. Her six breasts flopped on either side. They reached the ground and spread across the dirt. Her tail whipped back and forth, leaving small craters in the dirt. A thick stream of black liquid poured from Tang’s window into her open mouth. Her thick black tongue lapped at the stream. She gurgled and belched as she swallowed the liquid. The stream thinned and then stopped. She ran her tongue across her long, sharp teeth.

“Seconds, I want seconds,” she said. She clawed at the air with her front leg.

“That’s all your wondrousness. We have a regimen to keep to,” Tang said.

“That was not enough Tang. You know it was not enough. Where is that special feeling? I don’t feel anything?” She asked.

“We are a little low of the special ingredient,” Tang said. He stuck his head out the window.

“Low?” She asked. Her belly rumbled, like an earthquake. “I want more food, little Tang.” She said.

“Don’t forget our beauty plan your highness,” Tang said.

“Don’t you forget our agreement. I’ll go and eat a bunch of Goblins if you don’t feed me right now!” She said. Her tail whipped back and forth. The tip of it struck the back fence and threw the boards high into the air.

“Be soothed, your Excellency,” Tang said,"We have a special aparitif tonight". His head disappeared in the window.

“Excellent.” The dragon opened her mouth wide. There was a clatter from inside. Freya and Tang grunted. A red neck, dangling a chunky sack of a head, dripped blood from the window. They pushed it further. The shoulders and then the arms of Barry Gorgon appeared, his white shag vest was dyed red. He dangled forward at the waist. Blood poured from his neck. The dragon lapped up the blood and snapped her jaws. Her teeth clacked together loudly. The two monks and I ducked out of reflex. Tang and Freya gave one more shove and Barry’s body tumbled out of the window and into the dragons mouth. She chewed twice. Bones cracked and guts gurgled. She swallowed.

“That was delicious,” she said. A stalactite of bloody drool dangled from her mouth.

“Roll over your Greatness,” Tang said. The dragon sighed. She flopped onto her side, kicking up another wall of dust. She sat there for a second and looked straight at the two monks and me. Her bloodshot eyes stared at us.

“I’m feeling very stiff,” she said, in her regal way. I looked at the monks. They just stood there. Then she closed her eyes and rolled onto her belly. The rank wind blew past us. Tang and Freya appeared at the top of the steps.

“You two, shoulders,” he shouted to the monks with me. The nodded and began to flex their legs. The took deep breaths and looked at the dragon. Neither of them made eye contact with me or anyone else.

Freya ran toward me. The blood had drained from her face.

“Telle, these may be our final moments.” She picked me up.

“Final what?” I asked.

“Just do as I say,” she said. She walked toward the dragon.

“Middle and back!” Tang said.

“I know,” Freya said. “Just a minute.” She looked me in the eyes.

“Telle, we have to get on top of that dragon and massage her with our feet,” she said. She swallowed.

“Climb on the dragon?” I asked, "Thats disgusting, not to mention horrific and certain death."

“Its our best chance, Telle. Tang tells me that if we do this right, she’ll fall asleep,” she said.

“I don’t know how to massage a dragon,” I said.

“Tang, I’m ready,” the dragon said. Her tail flicked from side to side. It thwacked against Cantick’s corpse and knocked it into the fence.

“Do it, you fools,” Tang said. The other two monks jumped and flipped into the air. They each landed on the dragon’s shoulders. The monk with the broken arm almost collapsed from shock and fatigue. Freya inhaled. She looked at the dragon. She held me sideways under her arm. Then she ran and jumped. The world went upside down as she flipped through the air. We landed on the center of the dragon’s back.

“Now get to the base of her tail. I’ll stay here,” she said. “Don't upset her,” Freya said. She set me down. “You’re a good gnome.” She bent down and kissed my cheek. I looked up and nodded. The monks on the dragon’s shoulder blades rocked back and forth as they shifted their weight from one leg to another. I ran down the dragon. The thick black scales were slippery under my feet. The smell was overpowering. It smelled like rotten fish and garbage. I reached the beginning of her tail and turned around. Freya rocked back and forth. She worked her way up and down the dragon’s back.

I leaned onto my right leg. My foot pressed into the scales on the dragon’s fat back. I leaned the other way and my other foot sank in. I rocked back and forth. I tried to focus on the movement, and not on the fact that I stood on the back of a giant dragon. I looked down at my feet. They squished in the fat, coming up through the scales. Maggots slid from under the scales and writhed around my toes. The stench was unbearable.

The dragon took a deep breath. The monks up front struggled to keep their balance as her body heaved. Her stomach was bloated with air. From somewhere below me, there was a blaring gush. A cloud of green mist boiled up around me. I choked uncontrollably from the stench. I stumbled, clutching two greasy scales to keep from falling. Maggots writhed out and over my hands. I couldn't see anything, my eyes were burning in the cloud. But I felt Orka's breathing became steady. I heard her tail stop twitching.

“Down,” Tang said. “Quickly, that cloud is toxic.” The monks flipped and tumbled off the dragon. I rolled down her side, still choking. My eyes burned and teared. I slid on the scales and fell. I crashed into the ground by her back foot. Her toes curled, and Six claws, each longer than me, brushed past me. Her foot twitched and stretched backward, rising up above me. Her heel nudged my chest. I tumbled over in the dirt. I slid at least ten feet. I came to a stop on my stomach with my chin in the dirt. I shook my head. When I looked up, Freya’s hand reached down. I grasped it and stood up.

“Lets get inside,” she said, "That gas is spreading." I licked blood off my scraped chin.

We walked to meet Tang on the steps of his library.

“What is this madness?” I asked. The two surviving monks stood at Tang’s feet.

“You are released,” he said to them. They looked at each other, and then back at Tang. “Go,” he said. He coughed. “I have failed you. We don't have any more food for her. Run while you can."

The monk with the broken arm turned and walked toward the gate. The monk with the head wound stared at Tang.

“We failed you, master,” he said. He untied the white sash from his robe and offered it to Tang. Tang took the sash.

“You may leave,” Tang said. The monk turned and walked out the gate.

“Fool,” Tang said under his breath.

"How long have we got till she wakes up?" Drexel whispered.

"If we do not disturb her, she might sleep for days or weeks"

"Great, lets get out of here" Drexel said.

Tang shook his head, "If I leave, she will simply track me and kill me. She may do the same to some of you if she took particular notice."

"We've been evading her fairly well" Jenna said. Tang looked at her.

"If that beast was looking for you, you would have been found." he said.

Grundy stood behind the stairs, glaring at the dragon. He looked at her with utter hatred.

“What in hell are you bastards doin round here,” Grundy said,"What are you doin to that thing?". He pointed at the dragon. She snored in long, grinding bellows. Dust swirled in front of her giant nostrils.

“Her son approached me some years ago,” Tang said.

“Jehosophat?” I asked.

“The one,” Tang said. “He despised his mother. He feared she would kill him sooner or later, and wanted to distract her. He said his mother was lonely. He wanted to find her a mate.”

“You're mating with her?” Grundy asked, disturbed.

“Not me, you idiot,” Tang said. Grundy stiffened. “Because of my skill with potions, I made a deal with the dragon. She would visit me, seasonally, for a luxury retreat and beautification seminar. I would feed her a brew designed to make her beautiful, and, after she has successfully mated, she will fly across the land and find the hidden town of goblins where my wife had been born,” he said.

"How appropriate for Heedon Springs" Drexel mused.

“That’s really all you want?” I asked. “To find the smooger town?”

“I still want to live with the people who gave me my wife,” Tang said.

"You have no interest in aquiring more power on the town council?" Jenna asked.

"I am only involved in that because it allows me to do some good for the city that supports me as I continue on my quest"

"I can't believe we ended up attacking you, you're the only decent guy for a hundred miles in any direction" Drexel remarked.

"Oh you think so?" Grundy asked, “What about makin deals with the dragon? What about the babies?”

“Yes, the babies,” Tang said. “I tried every potion I knew. None had the power to transform that. Look at her,” he said. He nodded. Her fat body oozed over the ground, and around the nearby barracks. Her wrinkled rows of breasts jutted out to each side. "It was a task only achievable by unholy means."

“She is not patient, and we cannot do anything that might upset her. I was becoming desperate,” he said. “Then Barry appeared.”

“Just in time,” Jenna said.

“That’s right. He said he had a bunch of infants without a home. I had always taken strays into the monastery, and perhaps I could take his. I agreed. I needed to increase my force,” Tang said. “Then he started asking for money.”

“That Barry, a finger in every pot,” Drexel said from behind me.

“But I refused to pay him.” Tang said. He spat on the steps. “My monastery was weak. A load of stilt babies did not make me stronger. My monks still needed training. Barry’s shipments of children continued even though I didn’t pay,” he said, "Many of those children were killed today in battle."

“When did you start eating them?” Grundy asked. Tang’s eyebrows twitched. He stared at Grundy.

“Jehosophat approached me. He warned me that his mother was becoming angry again. When I told him I didn’t have the power to help her, he gave me a book of recipes for potions he said was sure to work,” Tang said. “Babies were the primary ingredient.”

“The shipments still came. In each squealing, pink-faced human child I saw the face of the men who fought to destroy this land. Eventually I made the decision. I made the potion. It was the first thing that worked on Orka,” he said. He looked around, "It tones her, and releases a pheremone meant to attract other dragons."

"Ugh" The smell of the green mist still hung in the air. I almost retched.

"OTHER dragons?" Grundy stammered, "You're bringin a horde of horny dragons down on my adopted home?" He shook with anger.

“I was becoming desperate to find Town. The goblins there must be incredibly well-hidden. Falstaag aquired ownership of the town guard, became power hungry, and threatened to destroy my Monestary. Without the resources here, I would have no hope of finding Town. I realized that I could use the babies to empower other potions in the book to increase the strength of my monks. I brewed some into the gruel. Most monks did not know what they ate, but they liked it.” He looked at the sky. “Together we grew stronger. Eventually, all of Barry’s shipments were used for our strength, and we stopped raising monks entirely.” Tang said.

“Did Barry renew his demand for payment at that point?,” Jenna asked.

“Indeed,” Tang said. “Then I was willing to pay. I had the strength to challenge Falstaag. I had the power to survive,” Tang said.

“But you were eating babies,” Grundy said.

“If I learned anything from my wife’s death, it was that power and survival are the only important things,” Tang said. He stared at Grundy.

“Someday you may face the decision between power or death,” Tang said.

“What would my father have chosen?” I asked. Tang sat back.

“Telle,” he said. “That was so long ago.” He ran his fingers through his eyebrows.

“Throughout all this madness, I continued my search for Town. I found the book that you stole from me. It was a sickening recounting of Lengnil's destruction, written as if he were a hero. But of particular interest to me was the mention of his tomb. The description matched that of my wife’s stories of the temple of Kraken. It became clear to me that after the war of the races, the surviving goblins had taken up residence in the very tomb of their destroyer. In the years that followed, the land was so deprived that nothing would grow. There must have been some sustenance from the power of the pearl within Lengnil's tomb. They mistook his protector for their God, Kraken,” Tang said.

“I know,” I said. “I was there.”

“What?” He got to his feet.

“You have been to the tomb of Lengnil?”

“Yes. His pearl is in Chastity's bag,” I said. Freya shuddered at the thought.

“Then you have been to Town!” He said. He rushed forward and grabbed my shirt in his fists.

“You must tell me where it is.” He looked at his fists and unclenched them, releasing my shirt. “Please.” His voice was calm. A rumble shook the library, a plume of foul mist shot into the air.

“You really want to live there?” I asked, "You haven't even seen the place"

“It is all I have ever wanted since that day of death. The day Pusstown was destroyed,” he said.

“I remember it too,” I said. Tang looked at the dragon.

"I suppose it doesn't matter anymore" He said. "Orka will not be pleased when she awakes to no special breakfast. You people should get out of here."

"I don't feel right leavin here without killin that beast" Grundy said, "If she actually does find a bull, this towns gonna be worse off than when Lengnil was in charge."

"Keep your voice down" Tang said, "Orka has a special sensitivity when it comes to hearing people threaten her"

"Grundy, I know you want this beast dead." Freya whispered, "All of us do. But short of putting the staff in the hands of Chastity, I do not see how we could be victorious."

"Unless you count martyrdom as victory, which you shouldn't" Drexel added. Grundy was beside himself with frustration.

"Supply yourselves and go" Tang said.

"Go where?" I asked.

"Freya said, "We will need to part ways, at least for a while. The Dragon may come after some of us, as Tang suggested. We should separate the artifacts: hide the Pearl and destroy the Staff".

"I'll hide the Pearl" Jenna said.

"The pearl goes with Grundy." Freya replied.

"Good plan" Drexel chimed in.

"What do we do with Chastity?" I asked.

"I want to take Chastity with me and teach her the error of her ways." Freya said.

"Oh, she'll love that" Drexel chimed in.

"Do we have time for a last meal?" I asked.

“Later. We don’t know how much time we have,” Freya said.

"But, we might never see each other again." I said. She paused, and looked at me sadly.

"Tang, may I use your kitchen" She asked.

“This is not a good time for eating,” Tang said.

“There is never a bad time for eating,” Freya said. My belly rumbled. Even Drexel looked gaunter than usual. She had fasted us for days, in the past. Something about the occasion must have made her want to cook.

“How long will that dragon sleep?” Freya asked.

“Several days is the norm. This has been a departure from her routine however,” Tang said.

“I will cook up a farewell dinner quickly and then we can get out of here,” she said.

“I won’t argue with that,” Grundy said.

We walked back into Tang’s library. On the second floor was the monk's kitchen. Freya went through the cupboards quickly. She pulled sacks from the shelves and lit a fire.

“This won’t take long,” she said. “There’s hardly anything here.”

“Food is only for strength, not pleasure,” Tang said.

“Monks are supposed to wizen with age, Tang. You have become more foolish,” Freya said. She threw spices into a pan and moved it over the fire. An amazing smell rose off the hot metal. My belly growled.

"Remember when you made us fast for days after we killed Jehosephat?" I asked Freya, in a jovial way.

“What is that?” A voice boomed through the walls, shaking them. We all froze in our tracks.

"Did somebody say something about my son?" Orka's voice boomed. Everyone in the room was terrified, but still glared at me. My mouth dried up. I didnt speak.

"I heard someone say they killed my son!" The dragon's voice boomed. Spices fell from the rattling racks. No one spoke.

I looked at my friends. I couldn't bear to see them die.

"I did it!" I cried, "I killed him! I'm sorry! It was me! I killed him!"

The building shook again as the dragon let out a long howl. It sounded like a tornado.

"Come out here, you tiny beast" Her regal voice boomed.

"Telle, don't" Freya whispered. Drexel's face didn't agree with her. Neither did Jenna's. Tang's eyebrows were firmly set against me. Grundy, at least, looked torn.

"I'm comin out!" I cried. I swallowed hard and headed out of the room.

"Goodbye everybody...thanks for everything" I said, and slowly marched down the stairs. Freya had tears in her eyes. Grundy too.

"You're a hero, Telle" Drexel told me as I passed.

I walked slowly through the great hall and out the big doors. I walked down the entrance stairs, and turned right, looking at the ground the whole time. My entire life flashed before my eyes. I saw my Father and Mother in a memory I had long since forgotten. They held hands and sang to me together, some song of Kraken. I remembered my joy. By the time I saw the Dragon's giant claws in my line of vision, my teardrops were dripping from my chin.

I slowly looked up at Orka. Her gnarled head looked small from down here. The ground beneath her was torn and cratered. Her giant belly looked like a slimy hillside. She leaned towards me, her six breasts sliding down her rolling stomach. I gasped for air. A giant claw ripped through the air, bearing down on me. I stood silently. The scales of two fingers squeezed against me, as she lifted me high above the ground. I heard one of my ribs crack from the pressure. I saw her head, already gigantic, getting larger as she drew me close. Her mouth approached. I stopped, hanging there a few feet from the teeth. From my helpless position, I could only see one of her giant eyes. It scrutinized me carefully. I looked around. To my left, I saw to the horizon, vast fields of brown where my father had fought a war for smoogers. A small flock of birds flew in the distance. I looked to my right, and saw through a window into the third floor of Tang's library. Chastity was bound there amongst the books and crates. She looked very frightened. I stared into her eyes. She stuck her tongue out at me. I did the same.

A wash of air blew at me, it felt like a hurricane. I almost passed out from the smell. The laces of my vest blew open. The Dragon was whispering.

"I've been waiting for this ever since I felt the light of my son go dim" She whispered.

I braced myself as best I could as her scaly lips parted and headed towards me. Was my life complete? Had I done what I had set out to do? I had learned of my history. I had learned of my father. I had learned about family. I had learned about God.

She fluttered her eyelids. It sounded like Rivermongers sails, under the Spanton bridge.

"But...Gnorman," I thought, "Gnorman killed my mother. Gnorman...I know where he is. Gnorman beats Gnancy. Gnorman beats Gnancy! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!"

I was panicked when the lips began to wrap around me. The stench of the Dragon's maw was overwhelming. The cold lips pressed against my head and legs. I saw endless rows of teeth and a black tongue, dissapearing into the darkness. The dragon sucked in a quick gust of air, tearing my vest off. I watched my vest fly down the dragon's throat.

Then, my stomach was in my chest. I was heading for the ground. The dragon gently placed me back on the dirt. I heard another rib crack.

"There you are little thing" Orka bellowed down at me, "I award you one kiss for doing away with that cad." My mouth hung open.

"Well, off you go then" She sang down to me. Holding my hurt sides, I ran as fast as I could back up the stairs

The others were astonished.

I smiled and waved when I came into the room. Freya hugged me.

"All that worry for nothing" I whispered.

"Life can be like that" She replied.

"You are all very lucky." Tang said, "I suggest you finish this meal quickly and eat on the road. It seems you've put Orka into a good mood."

Freya got back to business. She worked quickly, speeding all around the kitchen.

Orka hummed a lazy song outside. Everyone was breathing easier.

I looked to the window. The entire window was filled with a giant bloodshot eye. A scaly lid dropped over the eye and then lifted again.

"Oh Taaang" Orka sang.

"Yes, your Majesty, I am at your service" He quickly replied.

"I'm very happy with yoouuu" She sang.

"Thank you, your Excellency, I am honored by your satisfaction" Tang said.

The dragon cooed, rattling all the windows.

"What is that marvelous smell that woke me up?" She asked.

“It’s nothing madam.” Tang leapt in front of the hole to block the dragon’s view.

“It smells delicious!” Her voice shook the building.

“It’s not for you ma’am. It would jeopardize all our work,” Tang said. We looked at each other nervously except for Freya. She was focused entirely on her cooking.

“I must know what that smell is!” She said. Freya did not up from her pan. Her muscles tensed.

“It’s just curry,” Freya said. She set the pan down and backed away.

“Oh, Elfin curry. How perfect!” The dragon said.

Freya blinked.

“No, Ma'am, it’s just regular curry." She said, matter-of-factly, "It is a human recipie, nothing Elfin about it.”

“Not Elfin curry, you fool. Elf in curry! How wonderful. I must have it,” the dragon said. Her eye pulled back from the window. The sound of breaking boards came from above. A giant scaled foot smashed through the wall above us. I could suddenly see the sky through the wall of the building. Two nostrils replaced the sky as the dragon’s snout closed in on us. We scrambled down the stairs. Everyone tumbled downstairs in a desperate escape, and ran across the great hall to the doorway.

“You can’t just leave me here to die!” Chastity’s voice came from above me. I looked at the others, then ran back upstairs as fast as I could.

As I passed the second floor, the dragon jammed her snout into the hole she’d clawed from the wall. She had clawed from the top, all the way down to the second story. Her leathery, forked tongue swished around the kitchen and library, knocking down bookcases and sweeping chairs and desks into the corners. I was almost up to Tang's library. Chastity sat on the floor with her hands bound behind her back. She faced the probing tongue and pushed herself desperately away with her legs. I bounded up the last few stairs and sprinted across the floor of the lab.

The tongue slid across the floor and whipped toward me. I jumped. The tongue slithered under me and slammed into a stone reinforcing wall. Cracks spider webbed up the stone. Boards fell from the ceiling above me. I climbed over a tangle of broken glass and smashed bookshelves until I reached Chastity. Her eyes were wild with fear. I picked the Goblinzer off the floor and sawed through the leather straps that bound her wrists and arms. I noticed that the blade didn’t try to find her flesh.

I pulled the strap from her wrist and unwound the binding. She sprang to her feet, knocking me backward. She didn’t look back as she leapt over the pile of rubble in front of us, dodged another blind swipe of the tongue, and sailed down the stairs.

"Chastity wait!" I shouted. I quickly located Chastity's bag and ran downstairs with it.

I climbed over the wreckage of Tang’s lab. The tongue suddenly slithered back from the hole in the ceiling. I lost my footing at the top of a pile of wood and stones and slipped headlong into the mound of books and broken bookcases. The eye filled the window again, I lay perfectly still. The dragon peered through the hole and scanned the lab. The eye withdrew. I heard shouts outside. Grundy’s chain whistled through the air. I scrambled over the rubble and made my way down the stairs.

When I reached the bottom I saw the Dragon lumbering after Freya to my right. She was dodging around the ruined Barracks. I looked to my left and saw Chastity heading up the ladder where we had entered the grounds.

"Chastity, please, you've got to use the staff!" I shouted. I hurled her bag towards the ladder in a futile attempt to rally her.

I heard Jenna shouting strange words. She stood by the ruins of the barracks. Her ears fluttered. Her eyes rolled back in her head. She snapped her arms in front of her. Her voice boomed through the compound. The dragon turned to face Jenna. A ball of black acid hovered in the air between Jenna’s hands.

“Acidith infortunate,” she said. The ball flew forward. The dragon turned to face Jenna. The sphere smashed into the dragon’s chest.

The dragon reeled backward. The acid burned into her third pair of breasts. Shattered black scales shot in slivers from the impact. Tendrils of smoke rose from the seared wound. The dragon hardly seemed to notice the smoking hole in the middle of her chest.

“Why would you do that?” She took a halting step forward.

Grundy rushed toward her right flank. The chain sang through the air over his head. He brought it to bear on the dragon’s right ankle. Sparks flew as the metal struck the moldy black scales. The chain bounced off her leg, bringing two scales with it. The flesh underneath was pink and beaded with blood. The spot looked like a nail bed after the fingernail has been pried loose.

Without breaking her gaze on Jenna, the dragon flicked her right leg toward Grundy. The back of her clawed foot swatted him, knocking the rightsizer into the air. He landed with a clang on his chain at the base of the wooden wall.

“Acidith eruptus,” Jenna said. Her voice echoed around me. The dragon leaned toward Jenna as another ball of black acid shot forward. Again the dragon was rocked backward. She took a step to keep from falling. The smell of charred meat and burring hair filled the air. The dragon’s curiosity turned to rage. She roared and snapped at the air. Jenna turned to run, but tripped and fell flat. Orka's teeth clacked with a deafening snap. Her neck whipped around with surprising speed, smashing through the ruins of the barracks, and she snapped again at Jenna.

Jenna looked utterly bewildered as the dragon’s mouth closed over her legs. Her form became a blur as the dragon shook her head like a dog with a bone, whipping Jenna from side to side. Jenna’s ears flapped against her head. Her head flapped against her shoulders. Drops of blood struck my face and chest. The dragon snapped her head backwards and released Jenna. Jenna spun slowly, end over end straight up into the air. She was almost graceful as she flipped higher and higher. She stopped and hung suspended in air for a second before she fell back toward us. Her fall was stopped short by another crunch as the dragon’s mouth closed around her. The dragon chewed once and then swallowed loudly. A small lump passed down her throat.

Grundy sprinted toward her, his chain whizzed over head. As the dragon licked her lips, his spiked chain sunk into the tender meat of her right ankle, exactly where the scales had been ripped free. The chain stuck to the meat for a second before he pulled his arm back. His muscles bulged with the effort as the chain tore free, taking ragged chunks of meat with it. The dragon roared and swung her head around. I ran toward her with all my might.

Overhead I heard two twangs in rapid succession. The dragon snapped her tail in the air. She twitched as two arrows sunk deep into her face. She turned her attention back to Grundy. She craned down with her neck. Her mouth closed quickly around Grundy’s head and shoulders. Before she lifted him off the ground, I jumped for her. I held the Goblinizer in front of me. My knife sent shocks up my arm as it sunk hilt deep into her neck. She lifted her head. I swung from the handle. I dug my feet into two fatty scales and rode her up. I twisted the Goblinizer until a scale tore free. I dug the blade deeper into her flesh. I sawed the dagger in her neck to the left and then to the right. A stream of black blood shot from the wound and burned my hand and wrist.

Her mouth opened and released Grundy. He fell to the ground, a bloody mess. I clung to the handle of my knife. She shook herself like a wet dog. My blade slipped from her neck and I tumbled through the air. I hit the ground on my back, knocking the wind out of me. The dragon’s head lowered toward me, her rows of teeth closed in.

“Skinned and gutted, fried and chopped!” Freya sailed over me, leaping from a building window. All four of her limbs struck the dragon on the snout with a crunch. The dragon swatted her away with her front leg. With a sharp smack, I heard Freya’s body hit the wall of Tang’s library. The dragon shook her head, her gaping eyes watered from Freya’s blow. I propped myself up on my elbows. I gasped for air. Sharp pains shot through my chest. I pushed myself away from the dragon, and fell twenty feet into the dirt.

Blood trickled from the hole I’d made in the dragon’s neck. She limped toward me, slightly favoring the leg that Grundy had torn. She opened her mouth and her teeth headed for me.

“Help me Kraken,” I prayed out of habit. Sheesha barked. I hadn't noticed her bounding through the gate. She flew at the dragon from it's other side. Her mouth closed on the tip of the dragon’s tail. The dragon twitched her tail and Sheesha flew into the air. She slammed into the ground with a yelp. The dragon turned back to me.

Behind me I heard a loud crackle. The hairs on my arm stood up. The teeth stopped, just a foot above me. Orka's face was shifting from rage to suprise and awe. The rancid breath of the dragon washed over me. I looked back.

“My pearl.” The dragon whispered. She rose up, "At long last!" There was fire in her eyes.

Chastity stood behind me with the Staff of Lengnil, her body covered in blue energy. She shouted and let loose with a bolt of blue. The lightning shot over me and struck the dragon in the throat. Orka was blown off her feet. She landed on her back, smashing the ruined barracks into dust. The ground shook.

Chastity hummed with power. The staff vibrated so violently that it became a blur in her hands. She shouted and leaned forward.

“I can’t control it!” She screamed. A column of light fired into the left leg of the dragon. The fire penetrated the black scales. Smoke and charred flesh exploded from the impact. Bits of skin, scales, and meat rained down from above. The dragon staggered to her feet and hobbled toward us.

“I must have my pearl.” The dragon said, "My pearl, my beauty.. I will be beautiful again" Chastity stood with smoking staff in her hand. She crackled with energy, but it was fading. The length of the staff was charred and smoking. The Pearl glowed warmly.

"Give it to her again, Chastity!" I screamed. I ran for the dragon's foot, and dove for it. I landed flat in the dirt. The foot had lifted up and over me. I got to my knees and turned. Orka stood in front of Tang's Library, raised to her full height. Her head was just a tiny black smudge in the sky. Her huge foot was raising up over Chastity.

Chastity looked up with resignation as the dragon brought her wounded leg down. Chastity looked at me. She mouthed a word.

“Smooger,” she said. She winked, kissed at the air and started to smile.

The clawed foot came squarely down on Chastity’s head, smashing her into the ground. The dragon lifted her foot and shook off the bits of Chastity that stuck to it. I knelt, stunned, in the bloody dirt. Wet flecks of gore splattered against my chest and face. The dragon reached for the pearl with her front legs. She grasped it, lovingly, and placed it into a worn notch in her scales, on her neck just above her right shoulder. The Pearl fit perfectly into the calloused pocket. A yellow glow spread out from the pearl over the dragon’s body. She looked around.

“My pearl,” she sighed.

The air around the dragon became blurry. Her wrinkles smoothed. Her skin tightened. Her breasts became firm. Her fat vanished. Her scales were shiny. She stood to her full height above us. She was taller than Tang’s library. Her six breasts jutted forward. Her rolls of fat had become tight slabs of muscle. Her wounds were gone.

“I am beautiful again,” she said. Her voice pounded into me. It vibrated the dirt and ruins. Her breath was sweet and fearsome.

"The staff is history!" Grundy moaned, "What do we do?"

The dragon reared back. She looked down at us. Her belly rumbled. A grinding came from deep within her.

“She’s going to spray!” Freya shouted. She lay at the base of the stairs. Her face was covered in blood. Grundy tried to crawl away.

The dragon opened her mouth. A familiar rumble came from her belly. I lay back and waited for the pool of acid to kill us all. I looked up. Drexel was perched outside of the top window of Tang’s library. He ripped something from around his neck and drew his arm back. The dragon's reared maw reached towards the sky. Drexel threw a small object into the air. It flew overhead into the dragon’s mouth, down her throat.

“Help me!” He cried in a high-pitched voice. Her neck suddenly bulged. The buzz of a fly came from inside her throat. Her eyes bulged. She staggered back. The grinding grew louder and a lump traveled up from her belly and into her neck. Her front legs clawed at her throat. The lump in her throat wriggled. She staggered sideways and knocked down what remained of the barracks. She clawed and scraped at her throat to no avail. Her wild eyes passed over us. She swiped helplessly at me one last time and then teetered sideways. She fell. Her lithe black body gracefully struck the ground, her head and neck splintering much of Tang's Library beneath her. Drexel jumped over her and tumbled through the air. As she leaned against the building, Orka's neck was welling up with fluid. The neck popped and a geyser of acid spewed from it's side. She coughed and gurgled through the steaming fluid. The rest of Tang's building collapsed. Orka dropped in, and was buried by rubble. Her body flailed on the ground. Finally, her giant chest stopped heaving. She lay on her back with her throat burst open. Acid steamed in a pool around her. The books, rubble, and bodies around her melted in the spreading pool.

“I hated giving that fly up,” Drexel said, suddenly behind me.

He reached down and lifted me to my feet. He placed his hand around my waist and helped me to the steps of the library. He leaned me against the wall. “I’ll get the others,” he said.

As I lay against the stone. I watched as Drexel gathered up Grundy and Freya. He even found Tang under some rubble in the library.

"Drexel you did it" I said, still amazed.

"Well, somebody had to" he said. I laughed. My ribs ached, but I felt an incredible sense of relief.

To everyone's amazement, Drexel washed and dressed our wounds. Freya, Grundy, and I all suffered from broken ribs, sprains and bruises. Grundy had deep gashes across his chest and back from the dragon’s teeth, and Freya had a broken leg.

“What a day,” Grundy said. "I feel like singing a Cloda song."

“Chastity saved us,” Freya said.

"She didn't!" Drexel said, "She just gave big mamma her favorite bauble back. I saved us"

"Well she gave it her best shot" I said.

"We will fast for her and Jenna both" Freya said. Drexel stopped cleaning her wounds.

"Oh no, not this time" He protested.

"They died for us, there will be two fasts" Freya said firmly.

Tang weakly stood up from the piles of stones near us. He looked old and weary.

“My monestary is destroyed." He said, "I have nothing left, but you can allow me to finally complete my quest. Will you tell me where the goblin town is?” Tang asked.

“Maybe,” I said.

“No more babies,” Grundy said.

“No,” Tang said. “None of that it neccessary anymore. I will hide with the rest of them.” His eyebrows looked a bit thinner.

“Without my potions, I don’t expect to live long, but it will be long enough,” he said.

We cleaned the gore from our wounds. Tang gave us robes to wear. The dragon lay on her back. Protruding from the destroyed library, her black tongue hung from her mouth and lay in the dirt. Yellow flies crawled on her tongue. Sheesha rolled in the muck around a pile of bodies. The air was thick with flies. Some of the corpses already squirmed with maggots. The air smelled like blood and bowels.

“There are so many dead to bury.” Tang said.

“That’s for sure,” Drexel said.

“We better start diggin,” Grundy said. Freya nodded.

"Right now?" I said. Freya shot me a harsh look. I noticed Tang staring at me with the same expression.

We were exhausted, but we spent hours gathering bodies, and digging a wide hole in the dirt. We stood in a circle around the grave in the midst of the carnage.

“For Reese, Jenna, and Chastity,” Grundy said. "And everybody else that died after tryin to live life right" He gave an awkward salute. We all looked at Freya.

“Say a few words,” Grundy said. Freya reluctantly nodded.

“As her Chau returns to the soil, may it be reborn in the stalks that will grow here, the beasts that will eat them, and the beings that will in turn feast on them,” Freya said. She bowed. We stood there in silence.

Sheesha bounded up and jumped into the pile of bodies.

"Sheesha! Bad dog!" I shouted. Freya shushed me.

"Telle, a moment of silence for our friends", she said.

"Chastity, I'll see you in hell!" Drexel shouted. I laughed. Freya snickered in spite of herself. Tang just stared into the fields to the west.

“I cant believe I'm half smooger,” I said.

"I always thought your toes were a little yellow, mister." Drexel said.

"Really? Why didn't you say anything?" I asked.

"Safety first, Telle, you know me." He said. "I didn't want dagger scars all over my knees for suggesting it."

"You're such a kidder" I said. He frowned.

Freya stood by the collapsed library, looking at the ground. Grundy walked to her, reached up and patted her on the back. He turned to the rest of us.

"I wonder if any of that curry survived the acid and collapse" He said. We scrambled weakly towards the wreck.

"I'm starving" I said. Freya sighed.

We left Freya at the stairs and helped each other climb our way back to Tang’s library. To our delight, we managed to salvage much of Freya's curry. We crawled back out of the books and boards and ate. Sheesha licked our bowls clean. I rubbed her neck.

“I thought I told you to stay,” I said. Sheesha cocked her head. Her tongue smeared saliva across my face. Freya smiled, but did not eat. Tang was limping toward us cautiously.

“Telle, will you show me where my wife was born?” He asked. His eyebrows drooped over his eyes.

“I’ll show you how to get there,” I said. Everyone looked at me. Tang closed his eyes and nodded.

“Thank you,” he said.

"Telle, we got awful lost finding our way back from there." Grundy mentioned.

“Tang,…” I said. He looked up at me. “You said Gnorman was the name of the traitor who told the smoo…I mean goblins to attack our town?” I asked.

“Gnorman,” Tang said.

“Didn't I hear that name in Peep?” Freya asked.

“Gnancy's husband,” I said.

“I thought that it sounded familiar,” Drexel said.

“Freya, Do you think Gnancy liked me?" I asked. Freya looked taken aback. She looked at Drexel as if for help, but he quickly looked away. She thought about it for a moment.

"If she didn't, Telle," Freya said, "then she must not truly know you". Drexel looked impressed.

I was quickly becoming obsessed with the idea of seeing her again.

"When can we leave for Town?" Tang asked, grimly.

"Everybody... what are our plans, now?" I asked.

"The future is looking bright!" Drexel said.

"Well there's no more dragons out to get us." I replied with a smile.

"More than that, more than that" Drexel beamed. "Our Bupinder troubles are over!"

"You're gonna get a pardon for this?" Grundy asked. He looked confused.

"Practically!" Drexel shouted, "This town was already remote enough to offer us refuge from the Goverment's thugs, you see. Hurrah! But the town council was, of course, reporting to the Bupindars. Curses! But, wait, what's happened to the town council? Why, it was Barry, Black Tang, Falstaag, and Jehosephat..." He laughed giddilly.

"Come to think of it, aint none of them in much shape for town councillin anymore" Grundy said.

Drexel twirled in the grass. "It's anarchy, beautiful anarchy, in our own little corner of the world, the revolution has succeeded!"

"Drexel, we are not working towards anarchy" Freya lectured. "There is much for us to do if we are to see the Bupinders dethroned. We must continue to act." The sun was setting.

Drexel was nonplussed.

"Cant we just stay here and enjoy our little slice of freedom, just for a little while?" Drexel pleaded.

"There is much work to be done." Freya spoke, "Before we can taste the fruit of our victory, we must first grow the tree that will bear it. We are only a sapling now. Our roots must first grow deep, if they are to reach far.

"We will need more than mere allies in this struggle. We will need great friends. I have an idea for way to meet many. Our work will take time. We can begin to cultivate our orchard here. It is a good place to start."

"Wait a minute" Drexel said, "Are you saying we can stay?"

"Only for a few dozen years, but yes." Freya said. Drexel clapped his hands.

Grundy was scratching his head.

"Look, I don't know much about gardening or anything," He said, "and now that my Uncle's family is all properly avenged, well.." His voice trailed off into a mumble.

"Whats that you say?" Drexel asked loudly.

"Well, I got no real place to be now. I aint really interested in the Bupinders, and my uncle's swineherd aint any less melted now that big Orka's dead. so, I reckon I'm just gonna head back up north." He looked down.

"Heedon Springs is going to need to rebuild, don't you think, Grundy?" Freya asked.

"Eh?" Grundy perked up. "That's true I suppose. Do you think I should stay and help?" Grundy asked.

Freya smiled. "Perhaps we can start rebuilding here. Tang! I have a request."

Tang had wandered back to the mass grave. He turned.

"Tang, what is to become of these ruins of yours" Freya asked, surveying the smouldering compound around her.

"What is left of this Monastery is yours, if you wish it" Tang shouted from across the grounds.

"Innnnnteresting" Drexel said, his face actively scheming.

"Rebuilding's a good idea" Grundy said, "Plus, somebody's gotta stick around and protect people from Falstaag, if he ever sobers up."

"We're going to rebuild the monastary, Freya?" I asked, somewhat disgusted.

"Actually, I was thinking about starting a restaurant, perhaps serving some goblin cuisine" She said.

"Ugh!" I said, "That's a terrible idea!" I felt ill.

"An upscale restaurant would be nice" Drexel said. "With your food, we could draw some pretty ritzy customers" He added, pinching imaginary coins from the air.

"With her food," Grundy said, "You could start a religion"

Tang was limping toward us.

"You will not win a war by starting a restaurant" Tang said. Freya glared at him. "Do not misunderstand." Tang said. "I speak now out of respect. You are misguided. Time is precious. Your enemies will eventually find you here. Your time would be better spent starting to assemble your power and army, if winning this war is what you truly want."

"Do you still consider your time here well spent, Tang?" Freya said coldly.

The black gnome met her stare. He stiffened in anger for a moment before his knees quivered and buckled. With a look of deep remorse, he knelt and lowered his old head.

"If a tree is to be nursed the way you suggest," Freya told him, "only a fool would wish to taste the flavor of it's fruit."

"Yeah!" Drexel said, "You told him, Freya."

"But, from what you saw, do you think Gnancy liked me?" I asked again. Freya laughed.

"Hey look at this!" Grundy cried. He was struggling to drag out a huge support beam from the ruin. The lumber shifted, and more of the building collapsed. Grundy fell on his back under the beam he was dragging, and a plume of dust enveloped him.

"Grundy!" Freya shouted, running toward the dust.

"Im ok! Im ok!" Grundys voice called.

"What in the world were you doing?" Freya asked.

"I was startin to salvage some lumber for the restaurant." Grundy said, "Look at this beam!" The dust was clearing as Grundy pulled himself out from under the beam. "It's solid mahogany, Im thinkin this would make a real nice bar if I do some work on it."

"Good eye, Grundy" Drexel said, nodding towards him.

"When you said she must not know me, did you mean she definitely didnt like me?" I asked Freya.

"Telle, perhaps you shouldn't think about it, and conserve strength for your trip" Freya said.

"Oh yeah, I've got to take Tang back to the goblins," I said, dejectedly. "I don't think they're gonna welcome me back with open arms after the horrible things I did." I thought about if for a moment. "Actually, yes they will, the morons".

Freya laughed, again. It was kind of disconcerting.

“I’ll take Tang to Town. You have your own journey to make I think,” Freya said.

"Huh?" I asked.

"To Peep" She said.

"Oh hell yes!" I shouted. The prospect of seeing Gnancy again was overwhelming. But I felt a little guilty.

"Are you sure I shouldn't stay here and help you on your mission? After everything you've done for me, Freya, you and the others... I can't ever pay it back." Freya was still smiling.

"What have we done for you, Telle?" She asked, "We've led you into one bad situation after another it seems to me."

"I guess. It's just..I dont know. I feel like I owe you so much."

"I owe you just as much, Telle" She bent down and kissed my forehead. "You're a good gnome." I blushed.

"I'll be back" I said.

"If all goes well, we'll be here and there will be plenty of action for you when you get back."

"Action?" I asked

"Well, culinary action" Freya replied.

"At least!" Drexel said, standing behind me, "Are you leaving us Telle?"

"Telle has some unfinished business in Peep, Drexel" Freya said.

"I'm gonna make a big splash." I said.

"Oh I have no doubt of that" Drexel remarked.

I whistled for Sheesha. She jumped up, shook some gore off her back and ran to meet me.

"Telle, I didn't mean that you should leave immediately." Freya said, "aren't you exhausted?"

"Telle, take some time off first, you've been through hell." Drexel said, "I plan to just frolic out here in the anarchy for a few days, before I even think about doing anything else. It will be great!"

"Sorry, Drexel, but I think if I don't go right now, I'm just not going to be able to think about anything else."

Grundy had noticed me riding Sheesha. He ran up, covered in splinters and dust.

“What are you doin, Telle?” Grundy asked.

“I’m going to meet Gnorman,” I said.

"Right now?" He seemed surprised.

"It's now or never." I said.

"I think the little fella's got his mind set" Grundy told Freya.

"I can't wait to finally meet Gnorman" I said, goading sheesha into a trot. Freya and Grundy jogged with me to the gates of the Monastery. I looked into the tall brown fields to the south. Past the fields was Hedon Springs. Past Heedon springs was a winding river. Far down that river was a little town, hidden by a swamp. Somewhere in that town was Gnancy, and somewhere near Gnancy was Gnorman.

I dismounted, and hugged my friends goodbye.

"This aint the last im gonna see of you is it, boy?" Grundy said. He looked sad.

"I'll be back" I reassured him, "Take care, Grundy"

"Take care, buddy, see you soon." He whispered gruffly.

“Good luck,” Freya said. I turned to say goodbye to Drexel but he was already gone.

“What are you going to say when you meet him?” Freya asked. Her eyes sparkled. I looked her in the eye. Slowly, I got on Sheesha’s back.

I slid my lance from its sheath on Sheesha’s side and pointed it in front of me. I smiled. “My name is Telle Smellme.”

***

The End