CHAPTER X
The women are lying, size does matter!

"Oh shit…" Merrel stammered, desperately trying to hold back his natural instincts,* as he watched the huge red form of Za-Bor-Nog tare his way out of the mountain in an avalanche of destruction.

Gharzia drew her sword with one swift gesture of her hand and turned to her teammates, "Come on, people! He’s already been killed twice today and it’s just a little past noon!"

Thorn braced her feet as the dragons wings emerged from the rock face, hitting them with a gust of wind. "What the hell, I’ve got some anger to vent, and his smelly old hide will do!"

"HEH HEH HEH! FOOLISH MORTALS! YOU SHALL PAY FOR YOUR ACTIONS AND INSULTS… WITH YOUR MEAGER LITTLE LIVES! AHA HA HA HA!" The dragon thundered sinisterly as he continued to pull himself through what was once a small hole higher up on the mountainside. Trying his best to look menacing, he laughed again in triumph as he pulled the rest of his ass out of the enlarged hole, completely unaware that there were still bits of regurgitated horse stuck to his jaw.

Gharzia gritted her teeth and dug her feet further into the ground. Za-bor-nog arched up spreading his wings and bellowing out a tremendous roar. And with that he sprang from the mountainside and onto our heroes. Engulfed in its shadow they raised their weapons to attack, and then it all went to hell…

In a manner of speaking… Actually, they just ended up a little closer to hell… that is if you believe that Hel

l resides in the bowels of the earth. For you see, over the past couple centuries the great red dragon had gotten out a lot less than he intended, and had put on a few more tons than he had expected…** And further more the underground stream which Akiyo had theorized about earlier had eroded more of the ground below than anyone could have guessed. And so as the huge dragon came down upon his enemies the ground went down to… so to speak.

"GERRAUGHHHHHHHHHHH… OH BLOODY HELL!" He screamed as the earth collapsed beneath him and the others sending them tumbling down into the darkness.

Thorn shook her head as she regained her footing. The force of the blast had knocked her back into the tall grass and away from the hole. Stepping forward she looked out at the newly formed pit. And sighed in relief as a cloud of dust rose up from it’s depths as the sounds falling rocks disappeared into the cavern. If she listened hard enough she could hear the sounds of running water and splashing, but what she didn’t have to strain for were the sounds of an unhappy dragon. A very unhappy dragon!

"THIS HAS NOT BEEN A GOOD DAY…" He moaned trying to more himself, "HED THIS WARNING THOUGH MORTALS ONCE I CAN GET MY CLAWS OUT OF THIS MUCK I’M GONNA MAKE YOUR LAST MOMENTS FEEL LIKE AN ETERNITY OF PAIN!"

"YOU HEAR ME? AND ETERNITY…" Za-bor-nog paused and listen for any sort of cry of fear or insulting reply , but the cave had grown silent as the party members floated downstream and away from his vengeful grasp. Alone and in an extremely uncomfortable position "OH POO…"

*Fenwick’s Notes: Which are: To wet himself and cry for mommy!

**Fenwick’s Notes: About five years ago after a decade long snooze Za-bor-nog ate a town filled with chubby little dwaves and halflings, and then failed to exercise properly afterward. Which resulted in the dragon gaining a bit more ‘Middle Girth’ than he had planed.