That Baleful Myth

[but_can_i_be_trusted]

Character: Original Character
Fandom: Original Fiction
Theme set: Zeta
Rating: PG
Warnings: Vaguely disturbing concepts; brief innuendo; implied character death
Notes: Crossposted to ficlet_zone



#01 - Swords: Sword in hand, he entered the Border Region, the stoic expression on his face not showing a trace of the fear in his heart.

#02 - Sorcery: Fear itself was a dark sort of sorcery, eating him away from within; a mental sorcery that he had no desire to admit to being affected by.

#03 - Rogue: Nonetheless, he found his courage going rogue as he approached the lair of the dragon that he'd been commissioned to slay.

#04 - Particolored: Already, from several yards away, he could see the smoke of the particolored beast, pluming forth from the cavern in which it resided, like an enormous and scaled nightmare waiting to claim a fresh feed.

#05 - Divination: Diviners had claimed wild premonitions stating that he, and none other, would be the one to destroy the wretch.

#06 - Pillory: To come back a failure would be to condemn himself first to the pillory in the village square, subjected to the living Hell of the townsfolks' derision, before being enwrapped, still living, in a shroud and buried in a sarcophagus before breath could leave his body.

#07 - Chant: To succeed in slaying the waiting monster would earn him the love and renown of all for many leagues around, for troubadours to chant of his great deeds, to be surrounded by piles of cold gold and warm women.

#08 - Castle: But those comforts, and the castle of his liege lord, were worlds apart from this barren, cliffy area.

#09 - Brocade: Far from maidens garbed in brocade, he stood baking in gleaming armor, fearful that he might not survive the endeavor.

#10 - Priest(ess): Deep within, he cursed the rulers and the priestesses who'd commanded and blessed the enterprise, for trapping him within a rite of passage that he had no choice but to see through to the end.

#11 - Dark Knight: Gladly would he go far from here, and become a dark knight, a wanderer who served none, though it might cost him a noble name.

#12 - Evocation: But a curse, a bleak evocation lay on him, should he follow that inspiration: To be forever followed, should he not return home, by tempests, torrents of bitter rains, regardless of the climate in which he'd find himself.

#13 - Market: Even now, he could see those dark clouds if he should depart this land, or the caged form of the pillory in the marketplace back home; neither prospect brought his heart joy.

#14 - Ordeal by Fire: Suddenly, he heard a deafening roar; amid great flickering flames, the creature emerged from its lair.

#15 - Ordeal by Water: Regarding it, he felt everything within him turn almost as weak as water as terror tried again to claim his soul.

#16 - Dragon(fly): With another ear-splitting roar, the dragon took to the air.

#17 - Giant: Even there, it towered over him, looming like a vision from the Pit, waiting either to burn him alive or devour him in one swallow.

#18 - Trickster: Feeling his heart turn trickster coward, he almost turned to flee.

#19 - Dungeon: But determination held him firmly on the spot, like chains in the deepest dungeon; and he found he could not flee.

#20 - Scroll: "Nature's balance must be restored," he muttered to himself, taking a scroll out of his knapsack, and opening it.

#21 - Elemental: Read the spell contained on the parchment, and he would summon an aqueous elemental that would go forth and serve him, weakening the dragon enough for him to land the fatal blow.

#22 - Ale: In so strange a moment, he found himself wishing for one last tankard of ale; fear was making him oddly thirsty.

#23 - Stew: Or for another bite of the stew at the inn where he'd spent last night.

#24 - Staff: The staff of the inn had been so accommodating, in anticipation of what all feared might be his final trial, his final service to the realm; they'd even let him share the bed of their most popular barmaid, granting him her most intimate services in exchange for the services it was intended for him to render; and, convinced that he'd not make the return voyage, that barmaid had done more than was advertised.

#25 - Lore: But, even then, he'd found his mind distracted, straying back to the lore of the beast that he now was facing

#26 - Artifact: It was told that the dragon was a living artifact, a leftover from days gone by.

#27 - Guild: Supposedly, it had been summoned by a guild of rebel sorcerers who had desired to take over the land.

#28 - Lantern: The story went on to claim that, once summoned, the dragon had burned them all like the wicks of so many lanterns, and that none had been able since to deliver the land from its depredations.

#29 - Chest: Remembering that legend, he felt his heart pounding painfully in his chest; it felt almost as though it might burst.

#30 - Alchemy: What cruel and bitter alchemy those sorcerers of legend must have worked, to bring this monstrosity forth to threaten all.

#31 - Potion: Now, he wished for all the potions that he could buy, if such existed, that might protect him from the beast's might and fury.

#32 - Doppelganger: Barring that, he wished that he could have a doppelganger to serve in his place, and let he himself have whatever glory might come from the hoped-for slaughter.

#33 - Arrow: "Would that I had a set of poisoned arrows," he muttered, watching the dragon hovering above him.

#34 - Map: Now, with it so close, and looking so hungry, he sensed that no map could guide him out of the situation.

#35 - Coin: Were he to toss a coin, surely both sides would have the same result: Death in some agonizing form, be it by burning or by digestion.

#36 - Crusade: "This crusade is doomed to fail," he realized in a horrified whisper.

#37 - Witch: Had he been sent out to crush a witch, he sensed that he'd manage it easily enough.

#38 - Duel: And a duel against some foul and wayward knight who'd devoted himself to evil...yes, that would be simplicity itself.

#39 - Boots: But against the dragon, he quaked in his boots.

#40 - Chalice: He knew that, once the dragon made its move, there would not be enough of him left to fill a chalice.

#41 - Offering: "I'm nothing but an offering to you," he declared, enraged.

#42 - Sacrifice: "I'm merely a sacrifice upon an altar," he continued, the dragon remaining unmoved by his emotion.

#43 - Stained Glass: No stained-glass-decorated temple had he been trapped within, though; the altar was scrubland soil.

#44 - Diadem: And no diadem would grace him, should he succeed; for now he knew that success was not intended.

#45 - Epic: The epic poetry that had been sung at court, telling of attempts to slay the dragon...he knew now what they truly were.

#46 - King: This dragon must merely be some pet of the King, awaiting a fresh meal.

#47 - Servant: And he, the loyal servant, had made himself that feast.

#48 - Fae: This was no fairy trickery, but a betrayal all too human.

#49 - Prophecy: The prophecy that had claimed him as the one who'd slay the dragon...it had been false, all along, constructed by architects of diabolical cleverness, to give an excuse for him to reach this space that he would otherwise never have entered.

#50 - Destiny: It had been the instrument, that baleful myth, of his destiny.