Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
Blackdirge's Vignette Vagabonds & Homeless Heroes (Updated 12/12/16 - "Phylactery")
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="BLACKDIRGE" data-source="post: 6939404" data-attributes="member: 1953"><p><strong>The Dragon's Key</strong></p><p></p><p>Here's another flash piece I wrote as an exercise. This was another one-hour challenge, where you get a prompt and then have to write the story in one hour. I've gone on to publish a bunch of stories like that, but I there are a few I can't quite find a market for. This is one of them. </p><p></p><p>[HR][/HR]</p><p></p><p><strong>The Dragon's Key</strong></p><p></p><p>Edward’s gaze lingered on the ornate silver key in his hand, on the five words etched into its blade. <em>Open my heart. Release me.</em> The words had haunted him for over a decade, and he had searched every dark corner of the world for their meaning. He’d traded all he owned, including his land and title, to learn the key’s origin, and more importantly, where to find the lock it opened. Penniless, his will nearly broken, his search ended here, atop a high, windy peak on the edge of the world.</p><p></p><p>Before him yawned an immense cavern, its entrance a raw sliver of darkness that opened like a wound in the mountainside. From out the cavern wafted the stench of brimstone and the rancid odor of the beast—the last obstacle in his way. </p><p></p><p>His father’s armor and sword were all that remained to him. The armor covered him from head to toe in the best steel smiths could provide. The plate and chain would turn aside a foeman’s blade and perhaps even the steely claws and fangs of the beast. His father’s sword gleamed in the fading sunlight, its slender blade etched with the words of his house—words no longer rightly his. </p><p></p><p>Edward stuffed the key into a pouch and strode forward, taking his longsword in a two-handed grip. As he neared the cavern entrance, he saw within the blackness a soft reddish glow, fiery and alluring. The glow became brighter as he moved into the cavern, at last illuminating both the prize for which he had long sought and the beast that existed to keep him from it. </p><p></p><p>The dragon lifted its scaly head from the serpentine tangle of its limbs and opened its eyes, molten pools of swirling gold and scarlet. Behind the dragon, upon a plinth of shining onyx, rested an ornate coffin with a glass lid. His breath caught in his throat, and any fear he had of the dragon vanished. All he could see was her raven black hair and alabaster skin. His lips moved as he reverently whispered her words. <em>Open my heart. Release me.</em></p><p></p><p>“Have you the key?” the dragon said, its voice a bass rumble that seemed to shake the roots of the mountain. </p><p></p><p>The dragon’s question startled Edward and pulled his attention away from the glass coffin. Only now did he notice the scattered bones, cracked into shards, at the dragon’s taloned feet. Only now did he notice how large it was, that its scales glittered like a coat of mail, that its claws and fangs and fiery breath had spelled doom for dozens, possibly hundreds before him. </p><p></p><p>“You shall not keep her from me, beast!” he shouted, his voice wavering with both fear and longing. </p><p></p><p>The dragon opened its mouth and laughed, revealing many rows of ivory daggers, each a foot long. Its laughter filled his ears to bursting, caused his armor to rattle upon his body, and stole the strength from his limbs. He nearly dropped his sword and fled the cave, but he could still see her there, waiting for him, waiting for his key. </p><p></p><p>He stood his ground.</p><p></p><p>“I have no intention of keeping you from your prize, little man,” the dragon said. “That is not my role.” It glanced down at the charred bones on the cavern floor, and its fanged mouth split in a wide predatory smile. “I ask again, do you have the key?”</p><p></p><p>He did have the key; the others before him did not. He was the one chosen to free her from her slumber, to claim her for his own. He dug the key from his pouch and held it aloft. The dragon’s head shot forward on its long snaky neck until it was mere inches from his outstretched hand. The heat coming off the beast was suffocating, the radiant glow from its eyes blinding.</p><p></p><p>“That is the key,” the dragon said, obviously disappointed. It pulled its head back, rose to its feet, and stepped aside. “You may approach.” </p><p></p><p>Edward sprinted past the dragon to the plinth. He flew up the steps, his heart pounding in his chest, arms outstretched to touch his prize, to hold her in his arms. </p><p></p><p>When he reached the coffin, he flung open its glass lid and then stopped, struck dumb by the beauty of the woman laying within. She wore a thin white dress, gauzy and transparent in the reddish glow of the dragon’s eyes. Her face was unimagined perfection, her body young and supple. Her eyes were closed, and there was no breath in her body. Edward knew she was not dead, for upon her breast was that which held her in unnatural sleep. The locket was heart-shaped, its chain cleverly forged in the shape of interlocking hands. </p><p></p><p>Edward pushed the key into the locket, turned it once, and the locket parted and fell away in equal halves. He reached out to touch the woman’s face, and her eyes snapped open. Edward recoiled. Her waking did not bring the rush of joy and fulfillment he’d expected; instead, it brought a hungry surge of terror. Her eyes were the swirling scarlet yellow of the dragon’s, and when her hand locked around his throat with unbreakable strength he felt ragged talons bite into his flesh. </p><p></p><p>He tried to pull away, his feet scrabbling on loose stones beneath him. He looked down and saw, to his horror, there were no stones, only hundreds of keys, each like his own, each bearing the same words.</p><p></p><p>The dragon’s daughter opened her mouth and yanked him forward, down toward ivory fangs and the fire beyond them. Edward opened his mouth to scream, but her fiery kiss silenced him. The dragon’s booming laughter followed him down into darkness.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="BLACKDIRGE, post: 6939404, member: 1953"] [b]The Dragon's Key[/b] Here's another flash piece I wrote as an exercise. This was another one-hour challenge, where you get a prompt and then have to write the story in one hour. I've gone on to publish a bunch of stories like that, but I there are a few I can't quite find a market for. This is one of them. [HR][/HR] [B]The Dragon's Key[/B] Edward’s gaze lingered on the ornate silver key in his hand, on the five words etched into its blade. [I]Open my heart. Release me.[/I] The words had haunted him for over a decade, and he had searched every dark corner of the world for their meaning. He’d traded all he owned, including his land and title, to learn the key’s origin, and more importantly, where to find the lock it opened. Penniless, his will nearly broken, his search ended here, atop a high, windy peak on the edge of the world. Before him yawned an immense cavern, its entrance a raw sliver of darkness that opened like a wound in the mountainside. From out the cavern wafted the stench of brimstone and the rancid odor of the beast—the last obstacle in his way. His father’s armor and sword were all that remained to him. The armor covered him from head to toe in the best steel smiths could provide. The plate and chain would turn aside a foeman’s blade and perhaps even the steely claws and fangs of the beast. His father’s sword gleamed in the fading sunlight, its slender blade etched with the words of his house—words no longer rightly his. Edward stuffed the key into a pouch and strode forward, taking his longsword in a two-handed grip. As he neared the cavern entrance, he saw within the blackness a soft reddish glow, fiery and alluring. The glow became brighter as he moved into the cavern, at last illuminating both the prize for which he had long sought and the beast that existed to keep him from it. The dragon lifted its scaly head from the serpentine tangle of its limbs and opened its eyes, molten pools of swirling gold and scarlet. Behind the dragon, upon a plinth of shining onyx, rested an ornate coffin with a glass lid. His breath caught in his throat, and any fear he had of the dragon vanished. All he could see was her raven black hair and alabaster skin. His lips moved as he reverently whispered her words. [I]Open my heart. Release me.[/I] “Have you the key?” the dragon said, its voice a bass rumble that seemed to shake the roots of the mountain. The dragon’s question startled Edward and pulled his attention away from the glass coffin. Only now did he notice the scattered bones, cracked into shards, at the dragon’s taloned feet. Only now did he notice how large it was, that its scales glittered like a coat of mail, that its claws and fangs and fiery breath had spelled doom for dozens, possibly hundreds before him. “You shall not keep her from me, beast!” he shouted, his voice wavering with both fear and longing. The dragon opened its mouth and laughed, revealing many rows of ivory daggers, each a foot long. Its laughter filled his ears to bursting, caused his armor to rattle upon his body, and stole the strength from his limbs. He nearly dropped his sword and fled the cave, but he could still see her there, waiting for him, waiting for his key. He stood his ground. “I have no intention of keeping you from your prize, little man,” the dragon said. “That is not my role.” It glanced down at the charred bones on the cavern floor, and its fanged mouth split in a wide predatory smile. “I ask again, do you have the key?” He did have the key; the others before him did not. He was the one chosen to free her from her slumber, to claim her for his own. He dug the key from his pouch and held it aloft. The dragon’s head shot forward on its long snaky neck until it was mere inches from his outstretched hand. The heat coming off the beast was suffocating, the radiant glow from its eyes blinding. “That is the key,” the dragon said, obviously disappointed. It pulled its head back, rose to its feet, and stepped aside. “You may approach.” Edward sprinted past the dragon to the plinth. He flew up the steps, his heart pounding in his chest, arms outstretched to touch his prize, to hold her in his arms. When he reached the coffin, he flung open its glass lid and then stopped, struck dumb by the beauty of the woman laying within. She wore a thin white dress, gauzy and transparent in the reddish glow of the dragon’s eyes. Her face was unimagined perfection, her body young and supple. Her eyes were closed, and there was no breath in her body. Edward knew she was not dead, for upon her breast was that which held her in unnatural sleep. The locket was heart-shaped, its chain cleverly forged in the shape of interlocking hands. Edward pushed the key into the locket, turned it once, and the locket parted and fell away in equal halves. He reached out to touch the woman’s face, and her eyes snapped open. Edward recoiled. Her waking did not bring the rush of joy and fulfillment he’d expected; instead, it brought a hungry surge of terror. Her eyes were the swirling scarlet yellow of the dragon’s, and when her hand locked around his throat with unbreakable strength he felt ragged talons bite into his flesh. He tried to pull away, his feet scrabbling on loose stones beneath him. He looked down and saw, to his horror, there were no stones, only hundreds of keys, each like his own, each bearing the same words. The dragon’s daughter opened her mouth and yanked him forward, down toward ivory fangs and the fire beyond them. Edward opened his mouth to scream, but her fiery kiss silenced him. The dragon’s booming laughter followed him down into darkness. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
Blackdirge's Vignette Vagabonds & Homeless Heroes (Updated 12/12/16 - "Phylactery")
Top