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What a joke Mother Nature had made - a monster slayer, the best of the knights of Hyperion, but he turned out to be known not for how many he killed, and not for how many villages he saved from vile monsters, but for the fact that, according to rumors, he "Falls for those he is afraid of."
Tim himself, of course, denied it, but it sure was very, very noticeable. Especially now.
When he crawled through the enchanted caves for the third time.
And he also came not with a sword, an axe or a bag of potions, but with some strange bundle of old cloth, inside which a treasure was hidden - a treasure that cost him all the gold that the Sorcerer gave him for this quest.
As soon as he stepped out of small, narrow passages into the spacious main cave that was illuminated by bright orange crystals, his body was picked up and squeezed in a steel grip. (Not literally, because if the dragon used his right hand, Tim would’ve already been dead.) The knight screamed, unclear if in surprise, or from the fact that this pathetic sound was literally squeezed out of him, and dropped the bundle that he had been carrying in his hands.
“Ughh. You again. What is it, what is your problem? Are you really that tired of living? I let you go twice and you keep coming back…” a tired voice sounded, getting closer.
He wanted to answer something petty, like, "Maybe I am tired of it!”, but under this strict gaze (Oh gods, the lights from the crystals that reflected in those eyes are just too beautiful.) he couldn't say anything this cynical and sad.
“I... well... in-in fact, I even kind of brought you a gift - or is it supposed to be called an offering? They worship you here, don't they? Ugh, whatever- You caught me so quickly that I immediately dropped it, and I have no desire to look down to find where the hell it is now… I’d prefer looking at you, since there is such an opportunity. I’m… kinda afraid of heights, after all.”
Well, now it is sad, because he sounded so pathetic that someone probably would and should cry. But nevertheless, Timothy just smiled stupidly.
“So you came here twice to try to kill me, and now you're trying to flirt?”
“Well, somehow it just had to be this way - those I'm afraid of also attract me, at least that's how people talk about me. And no, the second time was not for that! I wasn't even armed!”
"That’s a shitty quality for a monster slayer, you know.” The grip of the clawed paw started to loosen a little, as if he was about to let him go, but it still was too early to breathe out - the dragon, looking somewhere to the side, froze suddenly, and his pupils narrowed in a split second. “Wait. So you’re saying that the second time you came just to peep?” Slowly, he turned back to the knight.
“Yes? Wanted to figure out a better way to approach you - not in a violent way, of course.”
He was squeezed even harder, and a lightning flashed between the dragon’s twisted horns. Tim should really be careful with what he’s saying. Even though the dragon had soft, cute paw pads on his palm, just like a kitty, they did not soften the grip at all. Tim was barely able to say something intelligible, either from pain crushing his ribs, lack of air, or from the fact that someone's charm was still working on him.
“G-gods, you’re so, so b-beautiful…” - the knight babbled.
The dragon opened his palm, and Timothy flew down a couple of meters before landing face first onto the surface of a huge desk.
“That's it! I’m done! I don't even want to waste spells on you, get out of here yourself. I've got enough work to do even without you. And where do such idiots come from, it’s just unbelievable, I can’t even…”
The knight sat up, all trembling, peering at the figure walking away from him. Is that blush on his face, or just the light of the crystals? The door slammed shut before Tim could understand. Oh.
Finally, he looked around - damn, and he didn't even notice that this room was a huge parlor of some kind, as it should be, with a desk and other things.. Almost like the sorcerer’s, but at least fifteen times bigger, and is located in a cave.
Tim suddenly remembered about his lost “cargo” -after all, real treasure was wrapped in all that rag. A huge ruby, obviously created not without magic. Dragons love shiny stuff, don't they? Well, he won't know if he doesn't figure out how to get it up from the floor, as well as how to get to that damn door.