He moaned and started to roll over as he started to awaken, the piles of hay he was laying on rustling with his movements. As he opened his eyes and lifted his head, he nearly gagged and had to swallow back the bit of vomit that threatened to spew out of his mouth due to the sickening feeling of vertigo he was feeling. Sitting up, he found himself leaning against a rock wall. As his eyes began to focus in the low level lighting, he noticed that he was inside a very large cave and lying on a pile of straw. As he moved to get up, he heard the clanking of a chain and it was then that he noticed that he had a manacle around his ankle, with a long chain connected to it with the other end of the chain permanently connected to a spike that had been driven into the wall that he was leaning against. The feeling of vertigo gave way to a feeling of panic as he suddenly jumped to full alertness.
"What the...? Where am I? How did I get here???"
He strained to remember what had happened to him as he grabbed the chain at his ankle, giving it a hard yank. He had been traveling through the wild lands that stretched out between the kingdom of Mirrcine and the Kingdom of Tin`der. The moon was bright as he traveled the ancient path. Suddenly, as he was walking along, the hairs on the back of his neck began to rise, signaling some form of danger. A large shadow began to blurt out the moon and he felt a sudden wind blowing at him as his ears picked up the sound of what sounded like huge flapping wings. Spinning around and looking upward, all he had time to see was the silhouette of a huge reptilian body with a set of open talons coming right at him. Then nothing... but waking here in his present state. Again and again, he yanked on the chain, trying to pull it from the wall. But it was obvious that he was just wasting his time. Sighing out loud, he just sat down, leaning against the wall with his hands in his lap.
"Well, I see you're awake now. Good. Now maybe we can get down to business."
He turned his head to the right, peering down the long dark corridor toward the sound of that voice. At first, he could make out nothing but eventually he was able to make out two luminous orbs that seemed to just hang in mid air, floating in the distance. As he looked at them, the started to float toward him, growing larger in size as they approached. Soon, it was apparent what they were. Eyes! Large, yellow eyes, planted inside a MUCH larger head. He knew immediately what it was that approached him. A dragon, and a very large one at that. As it approached him, he could see that its scaled reptilian skin was dark in color. All he could see of it's face was those two yellow eyes and when it's lips parted, two rows of jagged, yet bright white teeth held within a maw that appeared large enough to be able to swallow him in one gulp, which he believed was its intention. The dragon approached, but stopped at a certain point, choosing to remain in the shadows so that it could not easily be seen. All that he COULD see of the dragon were those glowing eyes, silhouetted in the shadows of a reptilian face with gleaming white teeth. And one other thing was apparent. It breathed out a breath that stank with the smell of rotten meat.
"And what business would that be, Dragon? As if I didn't already know."
Oh, he was frightened all right. Who wouldn't be frightened when looking into the jaws of a dragon and imagining your body being crushed and mashed into pulp between those teeth? Or even worse, swallowed whole and alive, only to die a slow torturous death within the dragons' innards as your body slowly melted away in its stomach acids. Yes, he was scared, but also proud. Proud enough to not give this beast the satisfaction of seeing him tremble in fear, if he could help it.
The dragon could smell fear, no matter how well one tried to mask it, and wanting to drive his point home bent his neck real low, bringing his muzzle just a few inches from his prisoners face, and grinning in that special way that only dragons can as he spoke while purposely letting his lips and jaws open a little more than was necessary for normal speaking.
"Why, the business of feeding me, of course." he replied.
The man said nothing, but the quivering of his lips along with the wide eyed stare at the dragon's jaws as beads of sweat began to form on his forehead was just the reaction the dragon was looking for. But then surprisingly, the dragon backed off.
"But no.", said the dragon. "I have my meal already picked out, and you aren't it. You, my friend, are here for... a different purpose."
Now he was truly confused as the stammering in his voice showed.
"Wha... what do you mean? You mean you aren't going to ea... what purpose are you talking about, dragon. Don't toy with me. Just come out and tell me. Are you going to kill me or not?"
"Well, that depends entirely on you. As I said, I have already got someone else in mind for dinner tonight. Now, I have a little proposition for you. It's just a little game I like to play. Call it a test of morals if you will. If you will indulge me, I assure you that you WILL walk out of here alive. But if you refuse me, I have a double helping of man for dinner tonight.
"That's some choice. Play your game or die. I guess I'll choose to play. Now tell me. What are the rules?"
The dragon said nothing but started to walk away from him down the long dark length of the cave. A little while later, he returned, carrying something in his talon. He placed the object down at the mans feet. It was a rather large wooden chest. Once again, the dragon gave him that leering grin.
"Go ahead. It's not locked. Open it."
Almost hesitantly, he reached out, running his fingers along the front of the chest. He found the latch, and lifting it he opened the lid. The sight that greeted his eyes made him gasp louder than he did when he first stared face to face with the dragon. Inside the chest was a king's fortune. Gold coins, rubies, emeralds, diamonds... more wealth than he could ever have imagined he'd see in his lifetime. And laying on the very top of the pile of wealth was one strange object. It was the horn of a great bull, all layered in gold, silver and gems, with an onyx mouthpiece.
"Take out the horn and close the chest, please."
At first, he was so lost in the sight of the treasure that he was scarcely sure he had heard the dragon talking to him.
"Hmm.. what?
"I said, take out the horn and close the chest. Don't make me repeat myself."
He did as he was told. He took out the horn as instructed, and hesitantly closed the chest.
"Now..", said the dragon, "Here is how the game works. Tomorrow at sunrise, you are free to walk out of here. Now, there are two ways you can walk out of here. You can walk out of here a VERY wealthy man, or you can walk out of here with nothing but the clothes on your back, and you'll never see me again."
"Huh? I don't get it."
"Don't interrupt me and I'll finish explaining it. Now...YOU hold on to that horn. I'm going to go sit outside and wait. Remember when I told you I had somebody else in mind for dinner tonight? Well, if before sunrise you blow that horn, I'm going to go out and have my meal and you get to leave here tomorrow with that treasure. If you do NOT blow that horn before sunrise, Well then... then I will go hungry tonight and you still get to leave, and you'll never see me again. But you leave here as the obviously poor wretch you are."
"And THIS is your game? What kind of a game is this?
"I thought it was simple enough to understand. Whether or not I eat tonight, and whether or not another man lives or dies is up to you. Tonight, we are going to find out just what is more important to you. Whether the life of a complete stranger... somebody YOU don't know is worth that chest of riches I showed you."
For just a moment there, the man was enraged...
"You're sick! Only a dragon could dream up something as wicked as that!"
The dragon grimaced in a snarl, moving his face right in front of the man again...
"Oh? Are you volunteering to take his place perhaps?"
He said nothing as once again he was treated to a nice partial view of the inside of the dragons mouth and another nose full of his fetid breath. But his silence and scared look was answer enough for the dragon. So he quickly changed his subject to a more agreeable tone.
"So just let me see if I understand this. Tomorrow, I can just walk away? Just like that?"
"Yes."
"And if I don't blow this horn, you are willing to NOT eat either myself or that other man and I'll never see you again?"
"That's clear enough, isn't it? But remember. I don't eat, you get no treasure."
"And if I DO blow this horn, then... you go off and eat somebody else, and I get to leave here unharmed and WITH that chest of treasure?"
"Correct. And hey, although you blowing that horn condemns another to my hunger, if it's any consolation to you just remember, it's just somebody that you don't know. And also, I'll tell you this. I've done this more times than I can count. And so far, nobody has ever NOT blown that horn."
He remained silent for a bit while he considered the dragon's words. But after all, he WAS a prisoner at the moment and really didn't have any other choice but to play the dragons game. All he could do was to play along.
"Ok then. I guess the game is on."
"Excellent. Ok, no more talk. I'm going to go perch outside now, and I'll just leave you to your decision.
With that, the dragon turned away and started to head out towards the mouth of the cave. But before walking away, he paused and turned around one last time. He reached out his talon to the chest of wealth, and opened its lid, exposing the contents once again. Then, leaving it open, he walked away leaving the man alone.
For moments that seemed to turn into hours he sat there in thought about what to do. His eyes staring into that chest of gold and jewels. More than once he reached out his hand into that chest to feel the coolness of the precious metals, lifting up handfuls of coins and listening to them plink as he let them pour back into the chest. Many thought running through his head.
"Wow, this is a true fortune within my grasp. I could become a king with this. I could be a ruler of my own lands. I could have power... prestige... anything I could ever want..."
He slowly raised the horn to his lips and sucked his lungs full of air and...
"What in the name of the gods am I doing? I.. I can't do this. If I blow this horn, am I not responsible for what happens to whoever that dragon has in mind? It would be as if I personally tossed some poor man right into his mouth to be chewed up alive and die a painful death."
He lowered the horn, convinced for a moment that he would not blow it. Treasure or no treasure, he was NOT going to help feed that foul dragon. Better to remain poor and let two walk away in safety. That dragon could starve to death for all he cared. But then, he had another thought as he gazed at the treasure...
"But...What if he lied to me? What if on the morrow, he is so hungry that he backs out on his word and decides to eat ME anyway? I don't want to die like that. No. The only way to have a chance at not becoming his breakfast is to ensure that he has a full belly tonight. And I mean...is that so wrong? Doesn't self-preservation justify the death of another? Besides, it is somebody I don't know anyway. I have a right to my life. And so what if I get to profit as well? It's not like it's blood money."
He raised the horn to his lips again, and before he could talk himself out of it, he blew....
He awoke to the sound of a clanking chain and opened his eyes to see the dragons face leering over him as its talons undid the shackle about his ankle. At this close range, he could see what he knew to be fresh blood on the dragons lips and even see a few strands of tattered clothing between a few of his teeth. The sight sickened him almost as much as the fowl stench of his breath.
"Well", said the dragon. "Game over. I knew you would blow that horn. They always do. So, never let it be said that a dragon doesn't keep his word. You are free to go, and that chest of treasure is yours. I thank you for last night's dinner."
"So that's it then? Just like that? I'm free and the treasure is mine?"
"Absolutely."
There was that leering grin on the dragons face again. The man was convinced that there was more to it than this.
"You're not telling me something. What is it?"
The dragon chuckled mischievously.
"Oh, it's nothing really. I was just going to ask you another question. I got another choice for you to make if you're interested."
"Wha... what is it?"
"Oh, it's just a matter of the chest of gold you have coming to you. I was wondering. Do you want the one I originally offered you, or.. would you like to have THIS one instead?"
He opened his talon to reveal another chest. And the man couldn't help but notice that it was identical to the one he had been offered in every way.
"Where... where did you get that?", he stammered.
"Where indeed? From somebody you don't know, of course. From the man you so willingly allowed me to eat when you blew that horn."
"It... it looks an awful lot like the one you just gave me."
"And so it should. I gave it to him. Just like I'm giving you one now. I gave it to him just yesterday morning in fact. Shortly before I found you. He earned it, after all. When he was in your place I offered him the same deal I offered you. He made the same choice you did. He blew the horn giving me permission to eat somebody HE didn't know."
"But... but... you told me that I would be free to go and I'd never see you again. Did you lie to me? Are you going back on your word?"
"Weren't you paying attention to me? You even repeated it yourself. I believe my exact words were, You can walk out of here a VERY wealthy man. And THEN I said, Or you can walk out of here with nothing but the clothes on your back, and you'll never see me again."
He had doomed himself, and he knew it now.
"So now what? I walk out of here only to have you hunt me down and... devour me? Is THAT how this works? Is THAT how your game ends?"
"Why no. Not at all. The game is not over yet. As I said, you are free to go and you get the treasure. I'm a dragon of my word. So off with you."
"And what are you going to do when I leave here? I have a right to know at least that."
"Well, if you insist. Here is exactly what I'm going to do. I'm going to go off and catch myself another tasty morsel of a man, and I'm going to bring him right back here. And I'm going to make him the same offer I made to you... as I did with the man you so graciously sold out to me last night. And I assure you, it will be somebody YOU don't know. Now don't look so glum there. You never know. Maybe this next man won't blow the horn. I AM a dragon of my word. So you still have a good chance, don't you?"
The man said nothing as he turned away and started to walk toward the mouth of the cave to what he knew was only a temporary freedom. He didn't even bother to take his prize with him.
"Aren't you forgetting something?", said the dragon. "Aren't you forgetting your treasure?"
"Why bother carrying the extra weight? We both know what will be the outcome of your horrid game. As you said, EVERYBODY blows the horn. After all, for a treasure like that, it's pretty easy to justify condemning another man to a horrible fate. Even easier when... it's somebody you don't know."
"See you soon.", said the dragon as he flew off to get his new player.
Written by Dekadens