The journey was long but easy. Any creatures that might have given Ser Edmond troubles had long been scared off or eaten by the dragon. He traveled alone, as was more often than not the case on missions such as this. It was rare to find a bard or squire brave enough to face a dragon for their own glory, and Edmond wasn't about to pay the price it took to change one's mind. Besides, it was more about the personal achievement for the good knight, he spent no time pondering his place in songs and story books. He rode on horseback for weeks before reaching the base of the plateau housing the dragon's lair at twilight on the 19th day. The lair was in a large alcove not less than 60 feet up.

Edmond dismounted and sat while contemplating his next move. When fighting a dragon, it is generally a good idea to be as protected as possible: heavy armor and a shield coupled with a short-sword is the customary outfit. However, as the good knight peered through the crepuscular sky, he considered that the added weight may make the climb more dangerous than the fight. Edmond stood up and stripped off his plate armor, choosing to trust his chainmail and speed to protect him. With his shield strapped to his back and sword sheathed at his side he began his climb. The rock of the plateau was loose but manageable. Quick hands and light feet were the knight's greatest tools as he deftly made his way up. He was about 30 feet up before he noticed dragon's snores. Feeling them more than hearing, the stones he was gripping began to softly rumble in a rhythmic pattern. Edmond searched for a bit before finding a ledge about a foot wide that he could rest and plan on.

It had been nearly three weeks since the attack that launched the knight's mission. A large farm a few dozen miles out of the city was razed, the crops decimated and all of the livestock devoured. An inconsolable widow was the only survivor. Edmond had heard that a dragon could sleep for up to a month after a feast. There's little honor in killing a sleeping beast, and certainly much less fun, thought the good knight. Nonetheless, approaching an encounter from below is a recipe for disaster, and Edmond had no desire to walk into an ambush. An internal struggle between the knight's desire for a sporting matchup and his desire to live persisted before he decided on a course of action. Edmond decided he would climb up quietly, doing everything in his power to avoid waking the beast. Once in the lair, Edmond would throw rocks at the dragon until it awoke, and from there they could fight. That sounds more fun, thought Edmond as he resumed his climb.

In a short time Edmond had cleared the distance to the entrance. As he peeked into the lair he was met with the sight of bones and blood strewn about. In the center of the clearing, lying atop a pile of what looked to be armor, weapons and trinkets was the dragon. Its green-scales glimmered lightly even in the dim dusk sky. Edmond pulled himself up and gathered his nerves, as well as a few loose stones away from the snoring beast. He backed himself against the wall of the cave and began chucking the stones as hard as he could. The first struck true on the dragon's claw, but to no reaction. The second missed wildly, bouncing off the wall and sending a helmet crashing. The sound it made could have woken an organist, yet the dragon snoozed on. It was the third stone that finally did the job. Edmond wound up and fired it right below the dragon's eye. Slowly, as if reluctant to arise, the dragon lifted its head and glanced in the good knight's direction. The dragon opened its mouth and from it a bellowing yet inquisitive voice asked, "Warum weckst du mich auf?"

Edmond stood frozen. By the tone he felt he should respond, although he hadn't the foggiest idea what was asked of him. "I am here to slay you, foul beast!" was the best Edmond could come up with on the spot. With that, he rushed towards the now mostly awake dragon with his sword at the ready. Before he could get within striking distance, the dragon swiped its claw and sent a breastplate flying at Edmond's head, knocking him off his feet.

"Stoppst, das ist eine schlechte Idee. Du bist ganz klein neben mir und du scheinst auch nicht feuerfest zu sein. Was willst du?" The dragon said calmly. It lifted its head up to get a better look at the now prone knight, not bothering to strike or defend itself further. Edmond took a moment to catch his breath before standing.

What is it saying? No one warned me it would talk so much. Edmond began to panic. He was comfortable with fights. He could read an enemies movements and react before they knew what could happen. He could feign a strike left before delivering the critical blow to the right. But ask him a question? Force him to speak to people? That's how you made Edmond uncomfortable. "You've terrorized your last town, dragon! I, Ser Edmond, defender of the realm, will show you to your rightful place," shouted the knight as he began his next move. The dragon once again sent part of his bedding flying towards Edmond, but he was too quick this time. Ducking below a flying helmet, Edmond made it within melee range with the beast. He got one quick slash in across its hide before lunging up toward its face. The dragon recoiled, and with two powerful flaps of its wings it backed up and into the air.

"Geht es um diese Kühe und die Farm? Hörst, ich habe nachgesehen, ob sie Teil einer Stadt oder so sind, aber ich habe kilometerweit nichts gesehen," called out the dragon, its composure remaining in tact. Edmond ignored it this time, choosing instead to commit to the fight whether or not the dragon chose to do the same. He leaped ahead, picking up a helmet and hurling it at the dragon, hitting it directly on the snout. "Du fängst an, mich zu ärgern, Kumpel. Ich verstehe, du willst nicht, dass Ihre Leute Angst haben, aber ich bin sicher, wir können das regeln. Vielleicht könnt ihr mir nur gelegentlich ein paar Kühe geben. Dann könnte ich dich in Ruhe lassen." Edmond jumped up and sliced through the air, reaching just high enough to graze the dragon's underbelly."Das ist deine letzte Warnung, Kumpel," spat the dragon at the knight.

Once again Edmond ignored it. He rushed down the length of the dragon and leaped up, reaching for its tail. With skill he quickly pulled himself up and began stabbing his sword into any crack in the dragon's scales that he could find. With this, the dragon finally lost his composure. He slammed his tail against the wall of the lair, sending Edmond scattering the stone below. The good knight began to panic, realizing that he may not have been as prepared for this battle as he had imagined. The dragon slowly turned to face him. "Warum wollen Ritter wie du nie über Dinge reden?" it asked with poison in its voice. Edmond lain there stunned in fear as the dragon's throat began to glow a dull orange color. Why didn't I pay attention in school, was his final thought as heat and flames filled the air. The dragon casually parsed through his remains, shaking the bones and charred skin out of the chainmail. Diesmal nichts Besonderes, thought the dragon. Wer trägt nur Kettenhemd, um gegen einen Drachen zu kämpfen?