dell stood at the mouth of the cave the villagers had directed him to. he had been passing by looking for a lord to serve or a noble to protect when the villagers had begged him to rid them of the dragon who lived at the top of the mountain just a few miles outside the village. they all mustered what little they had to pay him for the job. in all honesty it wasn't nearly enough for the task at hand but something told him if he were to fulfill this task he would be paid in something other than gold or silver. so he accepted and climbed the tall mountain until he found that cave. it was a the traditional cave which you heard about as a child. the only sort of cave a dragon ever lived in really. "dragon!" dell exclaimed as he unsheathed his great sword, "i have been commissioned by the village below to rid them of thee, so meet me now, at the mouth of your cave and let's have this over with!" dell waited with impatience for the dragon to emerge. normally he would have snuck into the cave and hope to ambush it, for he had never been one for morals or ethics, but once again something told him that this time he should be different. he should act differently. and so he waited.

soon the slithering sound of the dragon was heard and dell readied himself for the fight of his life. he buckled down, flexed his body, and gritted his teeth. the emerged the grey dragon. it was a large beast with even toned muscles and two sharp, but short horns that sat above it's head. "who, are you?" it inquired with a soft and slow voice.

"dell son no one" he replied as he always did. "let us get on with it beast!" he screamed out as he begun to charge at the hulking monster.

"why?" it inquired in a sincere voice.

dell felt his legs begin to weaken at the sound of the beast's voice. until he stopped just a few meters before the dragon. "you've been terrorizing the people of the village below have you not?"

"yes" it replied without having to think.

"the men and women of that village have asked that i end your reign of terror and i come here to fulfill the quest that the set upon me!"

the beast grunted at that, or was it a chuckle? "well then what if i doubled what they paid you and set you to eradicate them for me?" it asked with a knowing smile. it knew all to well the nature of each man's heart and it knew, quite well, that this little man would do as it asked soon enough.