Writing Post 10
Title: The Bridge
Series: Stand alone
Rating: PG
Word count: 898
A lone knight trod along a path taken by many of those who sought adventure and fortune before him. It was a path spoken of in hushed whispers in the darkest corners of the taverns and the dankest dungeons of the great castles. A path that led to a bridge that spanned a great chasm, guarded by a horror that demanded whatever payment it deemed proper at the time. None knew of how to grant payment to the beast, as its whim dictated everything. All those who’d come before this knight had never returned, lost to the annals of spoken history, told in stories of the bravest and most foolhardy men.
This knight had an ace up his armored sleeve. He’d listened to all the stories the crazy old men told, consulted the seers and soothe sayers, and because of this he came to learn that the keeper of the bridge was an undead dragon, one who’d had powerful magicks cast upon it in life so it could act as a guard for whatever treasure it kept long after it shed its mortal coil.
Dragons were not a common find in this day and age, in fact it was now commonly accepted fact that their were no more dragons. Those that knew better, of the undead guardian, felt it could be guarding the vast treasures its fellows had gathered, or even the fabled city of the dragons. Seeing the massive bridge that spanned the chasm as he rounded a rock face, the knight was determined to find out which it was. He took a deep breath as anxiety set in. If this didn’t work, he was a dead man.
“Come out, bridge-keeper! I have come to seek passage across that which you guard!”
“Who summons me!” The beast’s raspy and hollowed voice was unmistakable, as was the grinding sound of bone against bone as it crawled out of the chasm, alighting its massive form in front of the bridge. It was as large as a small fort, two heads perched upon long, spiked necks. Bits of rotted and diseased flesh still clung to its bones, the scent of rot hanging heavy in the air. Ancient armor that was rusted and worn hung adorned its body, the luster they once shown with all but faded away.
There was nothing that could’ve readied the knight for the sight of the dragon, for the stench it produced, and for the eerie sight of its empty eye sockets seeming to pierce through his very soul. “I-I have summoned you! A knight who wishes to cross this bridge!”
Hearing the knight’s words, the beast threw its heads back and let out a raspy cackle, the sound echoing throughout the surrounding mountains. The sound chilled the knight to the core, as did the dragon’s words, especially since each head spoke in turn. “Another knight?” “You must present payment for your crossing.” “And I deem what is proper payment.” “And for the first knight to seek passage in such a long time, you must pay with your life!” “You armor will be a nice addition to my collection!”
“What about this?!” Before the dragon could follow through on its threat, the knight reached into the satchel he carried, pulling a large orb from within it. The beast’s mad cackling ceased upon the orb being brought into its hollowed vision. Its heads snaked close to the knight to study the object.
“It cannot be…” “The last of the lost orbs…” Plucking the orb from the knight’s grasp with a delicate grip of its fore-talons, it sat on its haunches and took a heavy breath, the bones of its ribcage grinding together as it studied the object.
“Will that suffice as payment?” The knight asked boldly as he watched the abomination study the orb from every possible angle. As one head continued to study the orb, the other studied the knight for a few moments.
“…Yes. It is.” “Payment enough for you to keep your life.” “Now leave this place and do not return.” “I will take care to make sure you are dead if you return.” “Or if you think you can sneak past me now.”
“…That’s not fair! I gave you payment and you accepted! I should be granted passage!”
The dragon gave a dry laugh as it tucked the orb into its forepaw and leaned forward, its muzzles hovering in front of the knight’s body. “There are things beyond this bridge that your puny mortal mind cannot comprehend, boy.” “Be happy I’m letting you leave alive.”
“…So it is a city of--”
“Yes. Now leave before I kill you.” “And tell whoever you want.” “I cannot die and no one will believe you.”
“Yes they will, because I came back.”
“…A good point.” Before the knight could react, the dragon snapped him up into one of his maws, impaling him on rows of jagged teeth. With the knight now dead and the issue dealt with, the dragon spit him out into the chasm, turning to start lumbering across the bridge.
“Idiotic human.” “You’ve only saved us the trouble of finding the orb ourselves.” “Now we will be able to show your kind their proper place in the word.”
As the hulking dragon made its way across the bridge, its raspy laughed filled the air again, echoing across the mountains and through the surrounding plains.
Series: Stand alone
Rating: PG
Word count: 898
A lone knight trod along a path taken by many of those who sought adventure and fortune before him. It was a path spoken of in hushed whispers in the darkest corners of the taverns and the dankest dungeons of the great castles. A path that led to a bridge that spanned a great chasm, guarded by a horror that demanded whatever payment it deemed proper at the time. None knew of how to grant payment to the beast, as its whim dictated everything. All those who’d come before this knight had never returned, lost to the annals of spoken history, told in stories of the bravest and most foolhardy men.
This knight had an ace up his armored sleeve. He’d listened to all the stories the crazy old men told, consulted the seers and soothe sayers, and because of this he came to learn that the keeper of the bridge was an undead dragon, one who’d had powerful magicks cast upon it in life so it could act as a guard for whatever treasure it kept long after it shed its mortal coil.
Dragons were not a common find in this day and age, in fact it was now commonly accepted fact that their were no more dragons. Those that knew better, of the undead guardian, felt it could be guarding the vast treasures its fellows had gathered, or even the fabled city of the dragons. Seeing the massive bridge that spanned the chasm as he rounded a rock face, the knight was determined to find out which it was. He took a deep breath as anxiety set in. If this didn’t work, he was a dead man.
“Come out, bridge-keeper! I have come to seek passage across that which you guard!”
“Who summons me!” The beast’s raspy and hollowed voice was unmistakable, as was the grinding sound of bone against bone as it crawled out of the chasm, alighting its massive form in front of the bridge. It was as large as a small fort, two heads perched upon long, spiked necks. Bits of rotted and diseased flesh still clung to its bones, the scent of rot hanging heavy in the air. Ancient armor that was rusted and worn hung adorned its body, the luster they once shown with all but faded away.
There was nothing that could’ve readied the knight for the sight of the dragon, for the stench it produced, and for the eerie sight of its empty eye sockets seeming to pierce through his very soul. “I-I have summoned you! A knight who wishes to cross this bridge!”
Hearing the knight’s words, the beast threw its heads back and let out a raspy cackle, the sound echoing throughout the surrounding mountains. The sound chilled the knight to the core, as did the dragon’s words, especially since each head spoke in turn. “Another knight?” “You must present payment for your crossing.” “And I deem what is proper payment.” “And for the first knight to seek passage in such a long time, you must pay with your life!” “You armor will be a nice addition to my collection!”
“What about this?!” Before the dragon could follow through on its threat, the knight reached into the satchel he carried, pulling a large orb from within it. The beast’s mad cackling ceased upon the orb being brought into its hollowed vision. Its heads snaked close to the knight to study the object.
“It cannot be…” “The last of the lost orbs…” Plucking the orb from the knight’s grasp with a delicate grip of its fore-talons, it sat on its haunches and took a heavy breath, the bones of its ribcage grinding together as it studied the object.
“Will that suffice as payment?” The knight asked boldly as he watched the abomination study the orb from every possible angle. As one head continued to study the orb, the other studied the knight for a few moments.
“…Yes. It is.” “Payment enough for you to keep your life.” “Now leave this place and do not return.” “I will take care to make sure you are dead if you return.” “Or if you think you can sneak past me now.”
“…That’s not fair! I gave you payment and you accepted! I should be granted passage!”
The dragon gave a dry laugh as it tucked the orb into its forepaw and leaned forward, its muzzles hovering in front of the knight’s body. “There are things beyond this bridge that your puny mortal mind cannot comprehend, boy.” “Be happy I’m letting you leave alive.”
“…So it is a city of--”
“Yes. Now leave before I kill you.” “And tell whoever you want.” “I cannot die and no one will believe you.”
“Yes they will, because I came back.”
“…A good point.” Before the knight could react, the dragon snapped him up into one of his maws, impaling him on rows of jagged teeth. With the knight now dead and the issue dealt with, the dragon spit him out into the chasm, turning to start lumbering across the bridge.
“Idiotic human.” “You’ve only saved us the trouble of finding the orb ourselves.” “Now we will be able to show your kind their proper place in the word.”
As the hulking dragon made its way across the bridge, its raspy laughed filled the air again, echoing across the mountains and through the surrounding plains.