《The Glassmaker》


 The Glassmaker <1>

    There was once a great glassmaker whose crafts were supreme amongst others'' glasses. His glasses sparkle and shine like no other. This made other great glassmakers jealous of him.


    So one night, the jealous glassmakers decided to intrude his workshop to uncover his secrets. The glassmaker was asleep in his quarters and the workshop was left unguarded. The jealous glassmakers found nothing but expected items for a fine glassmaker. Fine sand, exotic sand, black sand, glass shards, and lime. They thoroughly searched his workshop and soon his home but nothing came to light.


    Then, they found a crystal in a glass chest hidden underneath his bed. It sparkled and shined in an enviable sheen. Some parts of it has been filed. Clearly an evidence of dust of this very crystal has been used in his recipe. It must be the secret ingredient.


    The jealous glassmakers opened the chest and prepared themselves to take the shimmering stone, but before they could take it, somebody spoke and stopped them.


    "Stop! You cannot take the crystal," somebody said in a deep and loud intimidating voice.


    "Who are you to stop us?" The jealous glassmakers replied. They looked around but they saw nobody.


    "I am the one that guards this place and everything in it. It belongs to none of you. Only its rightful owner can take and use it safely," the voice answered.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    "It''s not like we need to actually touch it to use it. We could use gloves and tongs," the jealous glassmakers mockingly replied. "Show yourself, fiend."


    "I am right in front of you," the voice answered. They squinted in the dark murky workshop and saw a cyan salamander with a pair of sparkling fiery eyes on the counter in front of them.


    The jealous glassmakers were surprised and stepped back. They never expected a creature only spoken in legend to appear before them.


    "What''s wrong? I don''t believe my appearance is that jawdropping," the salamander remarked.


    "If this crystal is that valuable to legends such as you, why not take it for yourself instead of that pitiful glassmaker?" The jealous glassmakers said.


    "You really want the glassmaker to fail, is it. As I said, the crystal you seek to own can only be handled safely by its rightful owner, which is the glassmaker you spite. Even I, a legend you speak, cannot touch that shining treasure," the salamander answered.


    "What if you''re lying?" One of the jealous glassmakers asked. "Legends always speak of creatures such as you use cunning to trick thieves from stealing their riches."


    "Legends-smeagends. Not all stories of legends you hear are done by agents such as me. If I were a cunning dragon hoarding this valuable gem, why would I hide it in a poor place always near the prying eyes of pitiful thieves," the salamander replied. "Go on and take it if you want. The day is nigh. Just leave a piece for the glassmaker to cry."


    Despite the salamander''s warnings and request, the jealous glassmakers took the entire cache, chest and crystal. The salamander stood on its hind legs to see them go. The salamander only sighed.

 The Glassmaker <2>

    The mighty sun thrusted itself above the horizon and shone sunlight onto the sleeping glassmaker''s face. The bright buttery light aroused him from his sleep.


    He went downstairs to prepare his meal and saw the legendary salamander waiting vigilantly for his arousal.


    "It''s not often I see you waiting," the glassmaker cheerfully said.


    "Anthony, a crew of despicable men came last night and stole your precious gem," the salamander reported.


    "What?!" The glassmaker nearly choked in his glass upon hearing. "And you didn''t stop them?"


    "Indeed. They didn''t heed my warnings despite the consequences. I''m sure they''ll return your crystal anytime this day," the salamander answered.


    "I know you''re at least a hundred years old, but sometimes, I question your wisdom," the glassmaker replied.


    "It is good to question. Pointing out the holes and flaws of others can keep you from being beguiled by deceitful men," the salamander replied.


    Anthony turned to his workshop to make profit on his wares. His new batch of cooling glass was just as good as his previous batches yet he finds it difficult to concentrate on the spark of his creations that his sparkling treasured crystal was taken away from him.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    Meanwhile, in the workshop of one of the jealous glassmakers, the jealous glassmaker held a piece of the sparkling crystal at the end of his tongs. They divided the shimmering crystal into pieces for each of them. They had trouble dividing it as they couldn''t hold them without being shocked and burned.


    The jealous glassmakers mixed his piece in his glass recipe. He put the mixture into his fiery crucible. He created a glass vase of extraordinary sheen and gloss. He was extremely proud of it and couldn''t resist to continue staring at it while it cooled.


    When it finally cooled, he lifted it but dropped it immediately. He nearly broke it. He fell down as a severe shock flowed through his body. It created an ugly burn scar that covered half his arms.


    The jealous glassmaker stood and once again stared at the shimmering vase.


    "How could this be? I thought the fire should have gotten rid of this horrendous curse," the jealous glassmaker thought.


    The jealous glassmaker quickly ran to his wardrobe and put on his coat. It was the only clothing he had that can hide his ugly scarred arms.


    With thick gloves, he lifted the vase and brought it on display, hoping that it only burns those that had stolen it away, but alas, when an interested customer marveled its beauty and decided to lay a touch, his hand was burnt to a crisp.


    "What in the world?! That bloody vase just burned my hand! It feels nothing but a charred chunk!" The unfortunate customer shouted when he was knocked away by the cursed pain. "Keep me away from the blasted vase! In fact, get it away from my sight!"


    The jealous glassmaker''s business slowed to a turtle''s pace. The news of the grand cursed vase ran wild in the block. People that once visited his meager shop to admire the vitrines within avoided his shop. All were too afraid of the baleful glassware that lies within.


    This infuriated the jealous glassmaker. Instead of making much gold from the glimmering gem, he received a curse of impaired attraction.

 The Glassmaker <3>

    The jealous glassmakers met together in a hearty bar. All of them wearing gloves and coats to hide their embarrassing burns and scars.


    They also brought over their failed lovely creations. They covered them in canvas or carried them in bags.


    "This is all Anthony''s fault. It''s his gem after all. Behind our backs, he must had it cursed to be much more severe," one of them spoke out an irked complaint.


    "You''re right!" Another agreed. "He is in acquaintance to magical creatures. How far-fetched is it for him to know ill spells?"


    "Sigh. Yes, indeed, but we''re stricken with a horrible curse, making it difficult to strike back. At least we took away his precious improver. That''s going to bring him down with us."


    "I am afraid that is not the case." A jealous glassmaker replied as he chugged a pint of beer. "I have my shop a few lots away from Anthony''s store. His wares were still as glistening as it was before, but only a bit less beautiful. The only impact we inflicted upon him was making the populace wary of  his wares."


    "Darn. Not only we failed in coping with his beauties, we botched our faces and now no one wants to buy our glasses."If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "This is all Anthony''s fault. I''m going to throw stones at him for this misery he had induced."


    Everyone agreed and marched to the doorsteps of Anthony. Anthony was confused at their attire, and the bags, and vases they bore.


    They threw the vases, pots, and also stones at his shop, smashing the glass displays. The sound of glass shattering filled the air with temporary discord.


    "What are you doing? You''re breaking my shop!" The glassmaker shouted at them.


    "That''s for cursing our glass. Now look at us, burned, and scarred." They said in chorus, showed their horrid injuries. "You did this to us, now it''s our turn to do it to you."


    "What?! You dare to thieve me, and I let get away with, yet you blame me of whatever disaster it has brought you. You''re petty monsters!"


    "Isn''t that enough to you for us to be cursed?"


    "I did not curse you. You cursed yourselves."


    "We are in no way have any knowledge in the art of magic. You, however, are adept in it. The magical creature you keep is evidence of it."


    "What magical creature? I''m not lying. I''m just a glassmaker, I don''t do spells and hexes."


    "Anthony that''s enough." The salamander spoke. "I or Anthony are neither wizards nor witches. Your predicament are not our fault for the gem you stole was cursed before you laid eyes on it. It is your actions and greed that led you to this form."


    "The drivel you speak is full of lies and nonsense! I don''t believe you even try to deceive. Both of you are immune to the curse."


    "It is because I did not touch it, and Anthony is the owner. Do you even understand? You are blinded by your jealousy. Open your eyes and see the mayhem you and us are," the salamander raised a paw as it said the last lines.

 The Glassmaker <4>

    Anthony, the glassmaker, stood nervously in the doorsteps of his shop. Beside him was the salamander, speaking forth wisdom. Before them were jealous glassmakers who despised him.


    His shop was in disarray for the jealous men trashed his workshop with stones. The windows were shattered, and his glassen works were destroyed into many pieces. The jealous glassmakers still had the gall to express their hate through accusation of cursing.


    The chaos continued for quite a while. Their argument with the slightly tipsy jealous glassmakers was causing such mayhem, such din, that the order had to be forced in between them. The jealous glassmakers were sent home by cops.


    Anthony looked at the his pitiful workshop, trashed and dirty with may glass shards strewn about. The glassmaker had to be careful so he may not step on a shard and bleed. He then swept them away later when got his hand on a broom.


    The glassmaker went to bed, but found it hard to fall asleep. He was filled with fear and dread of what the following days may bring forth. He sweated. He tried to coax his mind to sleep but failed.


    "Don''t fret nor panic, glassmaker. Everything is fine," the salamander sitting on his bedside table spoke with a soothing voice.


    "But we only got two more weeks, we lost his gem, and smashed many of our prepared pieces," the glassmaker replied.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    "Don''t worry. All will be fine, Anthony. You did splendidly today despite you lost the crystal. You can surely create something just as splendid as the crystal or even something more beautiful."


    "Sleep, glassmaker. You''ll need it in an upcoming ordeal," the salamander said as it neared to Anthony to close his eyes.


    The night had exchanged with the day. Bright beams jostled the glassmaker awake. Even though it''s still quite early, the industrious glassmaker began to make more glassware to sell. He made cups, glasses, plates, and bowls as crisp as clear ice and clear as dry air. He also made orbs and statues fit to populate tables and cabinets as decor.


    Business was slow but started to pick up pace next day. The jealous glassmakers continued to be jealous for the glassmaker''s creations continued to be more beautiful than their own. It glimmered like the surface of a still lake. It shimmered like a nobleman''s jewelry.


    The jealous glassmakers thought of making other glassmakers in town against the glassmaker, but the others were too friendly to him. He only sold clear plain glass as opposed by the others who sold colored and stained glass with some selling opaque glass. Some glassmakers attributed their success to the existence of the glassmaker for he had shared some of his secrets of his procedure to them. Even the people who made porcelain and glazed clay were friendly toward him.


    It was suggested that they ask the glassmaker for help, but they were ashamed and too prideful to ask him. They continued to envy the glassmaker. They occasionally attacked his shop and smashed some pieces.


    Meanwhile, the glassmaker''s skill  of making glassware improved. He started making some experiments. Some of his glass had specks within that made the glass sparkle like there were real stars inside. His glass statues began to shaped with such style that it appeared to have fire, life, as if it were ready to move, fly, and jump around.

 The Glassmaker <5>

    In the night after two weeks, the jealous glassmakers held an envious cookout. They invited noone but themselves for they see that noone else was fit to join their merrymaking. In the midst of their merriment, they spotted a bright sparkle in the distant woods like a star had fallen there, but it wasn''t stationary, it was moving like planet across the sky.


    It had piqued their interest greatly. They followed it into the darkest parts of the woods until they found its source. It was cartful of glassware in the middle of a clearing. Piles of clear glass orbs, statues, and various pots, plates, and cups sat in the cart like glistening treasure. The glistening crystalline glass rivaled the sheen of the most precious of gems.


    The jealous glassmakers stared at the pieces, almost drooling at their beauty. They wish to make the stranger''s treasure their own. They looked at the man carting the glass away, and they shockingly found out that it was the glassmaker they despise. The salamander was sitting on the pile, guarding the glasses from falling off.


    The jealous glassmakers watched with envy. The glassmaker halted in the middle of the clearing, as if waiting for someone to appear. The jealous men planned a wanton ambush to steal the glassen gems as theirs.


    The clock soon threatened to strike midnight. The bright full moon hovered in the fair sky peacefully. The wind refused to blow in such tense air. The stars above twinkled with uncertainty. The glassmaker sweated, anxious for something that''s yet to come.


    "Rest your thoughts, Anthony. All will be well," the salamander spoke, showing its speckled purplish back.


    "All will be done after this ordeal, but I have fear that I may have failed," the glassmaker answered.


    "Pay no heed to such thoughts, Anthony. He chose you, therefore, he believes you are capable of succeeding the task," the salamander replied and moved to sit on Anthony''s shoulder.


    "How, salamander? What if I''m not good enough?"


    "Glassmaker, he gave you years. He gave you aids. He wanted you to succeed. You''ve come a very long way since you were found. Have confidence in your handicraft."The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    "I try."


    The jealous glassmakers was about to set their nasty plan to action, but a sudden boom broke their train of thought. Almost from nowhere, a wyrm of gigantic proportions appeared. The jealous glassmakers fell back into the dark bushes.


    The glassmaker and salamander were visibly nervous. They rattled lightly as they stood before the mighty serpent of glass. Its head was as high as three grown men standing on each other''s shoulders. Its eyes were giant glossy globes reminiscent of the moon. Its translucent scales were like hard and colorful opal. Two antlers pointing backwards grew like gnarling spiraling leafless trees on its head. It rested before itself its glassy forelimbs that was stout like ancient trees. It casted no shadow but its mere presence under the moonlight created a dazzling display of rainbows and colorful sparkles and rays.


    The mighty wyrm looked upon Anthony, the glassmaker, and the salamander as if it was judging them. The serpent lowered its head so it may look upon his subjects in eye level, but its head was too large and the glassmaker and salamander still had to tilt their heads up so they may look upon him in the eyes.


    The jealous glassmakers stood bedazzled in the bushes. Their jaws dropped as low as the ground. They were mesmerized by the beautiful lightshow before their very eyes.


    "Your brilliance, glad to--," the salamander started, but the jealous glassmakers interrupted.


    "Aha! We should have known. We knew that such beauty you make was humanly impossible! You sold your soul to that glass devil," the jealous glassmakers shouted and jumped out of their hiding.


    "That''s untrue, fellow glass--" the glassmaker tried to explain but the jealous ones wouldn''t listen.


    "We won''t let your words twist our wills. We''ll burn the evil off of you," the jealous glassmakers howled. They wielded their weapons of broken branches and stones. They charged and growled into the clearing.


    The glassmaker and salamander stared with fear. The jealous men''s presence were not seen beforehand. They fear that it would ruin their impressions on the glassen one.


    The wyrm raised his talons and blocked the way the jealous glassmakers, making them halt in their paths. The serpent raised his head and bared his ivory teeth.


    "Who are you to interrupt this ritual? You have the gall of showing yourselves before me, proclaiming me a devil, my consort, witches," the wyrm growled.


    The jealous glassmakers paled. They had not thought this through. The wyrm''s shadow was shimmering instead of enshrouding. They just felt how truly afraid they were.


    "The true witches are you. You did not sell your soul to the devil but let it be consumed and purchased by your spite. I can feel it emanate from frail bones. Leave now before I decide it''s best to get rid of your existence."


    The wyrm huffed and a cloud of glass dust came out. The jealous glassmakers turned tail and fled back into the darkness of the forest. When the jealous men could no longer be seen and sensed, the glass serpent hid his ivory teeth and turned his attention back to the couple, Anthony and the salamander.

 The Glassmaker <6>

    The salamander and the glassmaker stood before the mighty serpent wordlessly. The wyrm expected them to speak, but the appearance of the jealous glassmakers wielding weapons compounded their fear. The wyrm tried to alleviate their fear by wearing a friendly face, but had a difficulty in doing so for his flesh was stiff and rigid. Though his aura had changed to a bright and comforting one rather than the angry and fiery one he wore towards the jealous men.


    "Y-your b-brilliance," the salamander stuttered. "We p-present to you th-this c-cartload. F-fruits o-of our l-labor just as you w-wanted."


    "Speak no more, little salamander. Tiny is your body and power, should your words be too."


    "Do not be in fear, Anthony and salamander. This will not take long. After this, I promise that you''ll be set free."


    The wyrm set his claws before him. He lifted a few items before his eyes and inspected them. It isn''t clear whether it met his expectations or not based on his expressions.


    The wyrm held a large glass statue. It was sparkling and starry inside. Fire glowed within as if it were alive and ready to jump.


    "Is all well, your brilliance?" The glassmaker asked.


    "All is well, glassmaker. They''re  just as I expected them to be. The clarity, the luster, the quality, the fire, all spectacular. Although it lacks the distinct fire of the gem I had given you," the serpent answered as it felt the piece in his paws.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    "Ah. About that... a group of envious men broke into my shop and stole your gem. They melted it into cursed pieces. I believe they have buried them away. I am sorry for it."


    "Yes, indeed. I am disappointed for it, but I am thoroughly impressed that you were able to create such quality as great as the gem I had given you."


    "Indeed? Thank you, your brilliance," the glassmaker blushed a bit from the wyrm''s comment.


    The wyrm closed his eyes and returned the glass orb to the pile. He reared and curled his neck as a bow before the glassmaker and salamander.


    "Anthony the glassmaker, ever since my eyes rested on your innocent and pure heart, I immediately knew that you could be the perfect one. The one I can entrust my kind''s future and will accomplish said task."


    "What?" It was all Anthony and the salamander could say. They were flabbergasted by wyrm''s speech.


    "My kind has been dying out. I may be the last left alive. I have not heard or felt another of my kind through the leylines for decades. They have gone silent, possibly gone and dead. I can''t make more of ourselves with only one."


    The wyrm left his bowing position. He brought glowing irregularly-shaped crystalline stone, and gave to the glassmaker. "I have found another way for us to multiply. Take this, Anthony, for it is an egg, a wellspring of the essence of my kind. Use it to make You may shape them, raise them as you like."


    The wyrm held the cartful of glassware with his forelimbs.


    "Farewell, glassmaker. I''ll be taking this cart now. Please take care of yourselves, and my eventual children."


    The glass serpent slowly slunk into the darkness of the woods. His brilliant dazzle of opalescent scales leaving with him, lighting the dark shadows with rainbows which soon disappeared.


    The glassmaker and salamander stood in the deserted clearing. The crickets soon started playing their song. The glassmaker noticed that the wyrm left some scales behind and pocketed some up.


    The glassmaker and salamander went for home. It was quite late. He longed to be in bed, sleeping. He yawned as he was on his way to town.

 The Glassmaker <7>

    The glassmaker and salamander continued their trek, and soon their town appeared in their view. They expected the town to peaceful and asleep, but they were welcomed by an unwelcome mob bearing torches, spears, and pitchforks.


    "Is this the witch you saw?" One angry man asked.


    "Yes! We saw them seal a deal with a crystal devil in the clearing in the woods," a jealous glassmaker in the front answered.


    The glassmaker wanted to explain it all, but they wouldn''t listen. The salamander tried to help the glassmaker by telling the villagers of the truth, but they did not listen and called him a familiar.


    The glassmaker and salamander was soon turned to flee as the mob of angry folk against witchcraft soon moved forward. The glassmaker didn''t go far and was soon pinned down and captured. His clothes were getting rips, his flesh were scratched and wounded. The contents of his pockets spilled onto the floor. The glass scales and strange stone convinced the glassmaker was a witch.


    The salamander was thrown to the ground, groaning with pain. The people paid it no heed; the glassmaker was the main attraction. It saw the glassmaker being beaten up by angry folk until his face swelled and orifices bled.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    The salamander could do nothing. It was tiny and weak, unfit to fight a mob. It thought of asking friend to help, but the glassmaker or itself didn''t have many friends and some of them were in the mob beating him up.


    The glassmaker was taken away. The people soon began to pick up the spilled pocket goods. Some scolded them from picking them up, but many were unfazed and picked some scales up. One of them picked up the stone, the glassen wyrm''s egg. The person was one of the jealous glassmakers. He wore a sinister smile as he inspected the mystical stone. The salamander found it urgent to retrieve the stone from the man''s hands.


    The salamander bit hard into the man''s ankles. The salamander''s sharp teeth deep into the man''s skin and drew blood. It sucked the man''s life-giving blood like it was siphoning the life of a fire, trying to make as much pain as possible.


    The man flinched and the dropped the glowing crystal. It shattered into three small shards and a cloud of dust. The salamander let go of the man''s wound and ran for the shards. The man pressed the wound so it wouldn''t bleed any further.


    "The witch''s familiar! It''s getting away!" The man shouted. Many folk turned their heads toward the salamander.


    The salamander tried to carry all three shards with it. Each shard was as long as its mouth to its throat. It held two of the shards in its mouth, and held the third with its left forelimb.


    The salamander ran as a mob began to chase it. It clumsily ran and the mob easily gained on it. It had to get rid of third shard. It hid away the shard in one of the town''s numerous drains.


    The salamander fled up the walls, and disappeared in the shadows of the night. The villagers could not locate it anywhere, and gave up a few hours later.

 The Glassmaker <Epilogue>

    The battered glassmaker was forced to march barefoot on hot cobblestone. People watched him suffer on the sides of the street. A whip lashed and broke his skin and made him bleed.


    They came to a special square. It was used to hang the guilty and criminal. The battered glassmaker, bloody and weakened, was pushed into the searing pavement. There were gallows standing before him, but it was not for him, he was going to treated with something special. He was dragged by stout men to be tied to a stake. A man in black robes with a leatherbound tome took center stage and did a religious speech. The battered glassmaker didn''t bother to listen. It was stale and pungent; it would hurt him more if he''d listen. He had come to terms with his punishment.


    In the distance, a glint of happiness was seen in the middle of a sea of sorrow. It was the purple speckled salamander waving to the glassmaker. It sat in the gutters of the house opposite to the stake. It endured the searing sun and metal so it may see the glassmaker for the last time.


    The salamander had a feeling that this was somehow partly its fault. It visited the glassmaker in his cell the other night, and he was very weak, barely conscious, barely breathing, and barely living. It bore weight in its heart.


    The man in black robes finished his speech and the stake was set aflame. There were cheers from the crowd, and screams from the glassmaker. The salamander winced as the fire went ablaze. It wished it could run to the pyre and consume the flames, but it knew that was an unwise action. The salamander could only watch teary-eyed from far away.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    The glassmaker''s body was soon thoroughly burned to ash. There was nary a bone or chunk of flesh spared from the flames, all that was left ash. A smoking pile of ash, embers, and charcoal was soon only what''s left. The crowd soon dispersed and the square was soon devoid of people. It was a pocket of space near the outskirts after all.


    Noone had yet come to clean the litter left behind. The salamander came down from roofs to the smoking pile to pay its respects to the soul of the recently burnt man.


    The wind blew lazily, lightly blowing the dirt and dust off the pavement. It was fair and mellow day. No wonder they chose this day to burn an accused witch.


    The salamander finished its respects before someone were to notice of its presence in the square. As the salamander was about to go, something shifted from under the ashes. The salamander grew curious and dug under the ash.


    The salamander saw a small critter in the ashes. It was another legendary salamander, just like itself. It was ashy green with a triangular head. It eyes were big compared to its head, bulging in its sockets. Its skin was moist and rough. It had many hooks made of hardened skin around its head. It reminded the salamander back when it was still young.


    The little green salamander stirred, and opened its big yellow eyes. The little one mewled at the sight of the salamander. The salamander felt pity and adopted the little one. It carried the little one on its back, careful not to drop the soft slippery salamander.


    ***


    [The End.]

 The Glassgiver <Appendix>

    News of the witch burning soon spread across the land, carried by messenger and talebearers and taken by listeners and gossipmongers. It was heard by both man and beast. The glassmaker''s name was spoken with spite.


    The news of the glassmaker''s death soon reached the ears of the glass wyrm. The news greatly disheartened him. His plan had gone wrong so badly so early. He had invested so much in this plan, but it all went to smoke. He thought he had perfected it! All the resources and time he took, all wasted, went up to smoke.


    The wyrm sat in his cave. The hallowed cavern he resides was dim, lit only by the faint glow of quartz columns.


    The cave became dimmer as the wyrm''s power was leeched by the earth. The crystal columns periodically brightened and dimmed like they''re breathing. The cracks in the glassen serpent showed themselves as the wyrm relaxed himself.


    As the serpent tried to rest, he saw a glint of metal in the shadows. As he moved to see the shining object, he heard faint steps resounding in the cave. He came close to glint and found it to be a few shiny coins.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    From behind the glass wyrm, a man holding a hammer came, and swung it to his head. The wyrm''s glass head shattered, his eyes fractured. The serpent wailed in pain. The cave shook, and the man flinched.


    The wyrm winced in pain. The hammerman swung his spiked warhammer and more of the serpent smashed to bits. Shards and opalescent scales scattered all around.


    The fight was fierce. The man swung his hammer and hit a large quartz column. The column cracked and soon collapsed, bringing down loose rock and dirt.


    The man was jostled. The wyrm thought of taking the chance, and tackled the man with his mouth wide open. He unfortunately missed the man and crashed into a large column. The cavern was jostled rocks began to fall from the roof. As the column crackled and shattered, so did the roof. The man was put into distress, and started to run for the exit. The wyrm was also about to do so, but the column collapsed, bringing down the roof onto him. The wyrm screamed his last scream as he was buried under dirt and stone to be silenced forevermore.