“Ta-da!” Cleatus spun his hands around in a circle. In a flash he produced the emerald dragon heart. Once again fully formed with all it’s imperfections.

“That’s what we’ve been waiting for!” Haagut’s jaw dropped open. “You HAD that already!”

“Yeah but it was broken and now it’s not!” Cleatus presented. Trying to keep his momentum.

“Why was it broken?” Haagut rubbed his face.

“I smashed it on the ground,”

“WHY?”

“Cause I can bring it back,” Cleatus’ fur puffed up proudly. Haagut drew a long sigh. “So, what do you need me to talk to the ogres about?”

“The thing that will kill us all in the courtyard!” Haagut frustratedly hissed.

“Ah! Right, right.” Cleatus nodded. He got up and snuck the gem back into his jacket. Odelia packed her torch away and the party slipped through the corpse infested halls once again to get to the front doors where the pounding originated.

“How are we going to do this?” Shaynen asked. Cleatus ran his claws through the fur of his chin for a second. Pacing the door.

“Hey, you two magic users.” He asked over a shoulder. “One of you able to make me loud?”

“Sure. I can make your voice loud.” Haagut nodded.

“Good, do it if you can. I have an idea.” Cleatus said Haagut looked around then dug into his bag. He brought out his little skull and handed it to Cleatus. He knocked twice on the space where the jaw bone used to be. Cleatus felt his neck muscles strain for half a second. He cleared his throat and the sound reverberated in the space like a crack of thunder. He nodded gratefully at Haagut and turned to the door. Cleatus crept a large crack in the door he took a deep breath and looked into the crack and cupped his hands around his muzzle against the crack.

“WHO GOES THERE!” His voice boomed. The ogres on the other side of the door dropped their battering ram.

“What d’you mean who goes there? I’ve been here the whole time!” The biggest ogre smacked the smaller one on the back of the head.

“I didn’t say anythin!” The smaller one blasted.

“Yes y’did!” The bigger ogre snapped. “Who els would’ve said somethin?”

“I did.” Cleatus’ voice boomed.

“Oi! It’s a magic door!” The smaller ogre pointed. Cleatus smacked his head against the wood of the door.

“Hey, we been bangin on this door for a while. How come you’re just now speakin to us?” The bigger ogre asked.

“I have only just awoken.” Cleatus stepped back and continued.

“Dumbasses.” Odelia scoffed. Shaynen and Haagut snickered.

“Why have you come?” Cleatus demanded.

“Why’ve we come? We’ve come for the sword.”

“What sword?” Cleatus asked.

“The sword to kill the flappy thing,”

“What flappy thing?”

“The flappy thing that the sword kills.”

“What.” Cleatus slammed his head against the door a few more times.He took a deep breath to recenter himself. “Okay. The sword kills the big flappy thing.”

“Yeah” The big ogre agreed.

“What is the big flappy thing?”

The ogres both looked at each other and shrugged. Cleatu covered his face with his hand.

“Ask them to describe it,” Whispered Shaynen. Cleatus nodded and turned back to the crack in the door.

“What does the big flappy thing look like?” Cleatus asked.

“Well. It’s. Uh,” The biggest one started. “Well it has wings.”

“Yeah and it’s big,” The smaller ogre said. Cleatus stared through the wall as his face went blank.

“Ask if it had scales,” Shaynen said. “If it’s a dragon it would normally have scales.”

“Does the large flying thing you seek have scales?” Cleatus asked. The ogres looked at eachother quizzically.

“No. It can’t have scales. Tt’s cold so it’’s gotta have like.. Fur or summin.” The biggest one said.

“They have no fucking clue,” Odelia shook her head with a frustr5ated sigh. Cleatus shook his head.

“Okay. I shall let you in.” Cleatus said. “In two days,”

“Two days?!” The ogres whined. “Why not just let us in now!”

“I’m a very old door. My hinges are rusty and covered in ice.”: Cleatus snapped shortly

“Oh, I guess that’s true…” The biggest ogre scratched his head. “Guess we’ll be back in two days.” The ogres started to drag their feet down the mountain. Cleatus sighed as the magic enhancing his voice faded away.

“That was painful,” He said.

“Hey, at least we know it isn’t a dragon.” Haagut said.

“No. It’s a dragon.” Odelia said dismissively.

“They said it didn’t have scales. Dragons have scales!” Haagut insisted.

“Not,” Shaynen started with a far away look. “Not always.”

“Exactly. If it looks like a dragon and it acts like a dragon,” Odelia crossed her arms. “It’s a damned dragon.” ***

“Let’s go see what we’re dealing with,” Cleatus said. Odelia and Haagut stared at Cleatus with dumbfounded looks.

“I th-think it’d be k-kinda cool to s-see a real living d-dragon,” Shaynen stuttered in awe. Haagut sighed.

“A quick look then. Quickly!” Haagut hissed.The party entered the screaming wind of the courtyard; nearly thrown off their feet from the force of the wind itself.

“If we’re gonna look for anything, look for the sword” Cleatus yelled over the wind. Attempts at being quiet were lost in the deafening wind. The wall of white was broken as the party stumbled into a looming creature encased in ice. It loomed up with the body of a chitin covered centipede with a thousand sharp legs. All leading up to a flared cobra-like head

“If that thing turns to look at me, I’m fucking leaving,” Shaynen pointed.

“Shaynen,” Haagut called over the wind. He reached out and Shaynen took his arm. Haagut brought out his blindfold again and tied it around his eyes.

“It’s there,” Haagut said and pointed toward the center of the courtyard. The party huddled together and kept away from the center of the courtyard. The ground beneath them crunched like gravel. Not sparking any attention until Odelia kicked a sizable chunk and sent it skittering across the ground with a sound that sounds more like glass than rock.

“Are these… diamonds?” Odelia said in awe as she looked down. The ground was covered in glittering sparkling diamonds of varying sizes. Haagut pulled his blindfold up so that he could see with one eye. He knelt down slowly. Holding onto Shaynen. Haagut held his breath as the tips of his fingers brushed a single tear drop sized diamond.

He froze solid. Hearing the breathing in the courtyard sharpen. Haagut squeezed Shaynen’s hand as tight as he could.

“Run.” Haagut said. “RUN!” The party turned and bolted for the nearest exit. In the second it took them to run, the wind changed directions sharply,something large passing over their heads. Smashing the ice creatures and throwing ice shrapnel across the courtyard. They pressed themselves up against the walls of the ruin’s halls.

“Let’s get out of here,” Haagut said breathlessly. The group slipped out the door they came in and hurried up the mountain.

“Dragons tend to live in areas that resemble their scale color.” Odelia said as they hiked. “Creating more of the effect to protect their horde. Like all the poison plants on the green one’s corpse. Based on all that? It’s a white dragon. Fantastic hunters, dumb as shit, and very. VERY proficient killers.”