On the way back home, Deebus discovered another lair in the swamps at the southern feet of the Mountains. The sun was heading towards evening, so he figured that maybe he should kill whatever lay inside and stop for the night. Climbing down, he found it was a small, damp, sandy burrow, yet it strangely widened as we went in.
Here, at the feet of the mountain, and of such enormous size. It had to be Wory the Fiery Sparks, devourer of the clan of Lradlader. Over 30 years he had hunted and destroyed all the members of that family. Now here he was, the terror of the Southlands. Deebus knew that this would be a true test of his abilities. He knew also that he could not leave until one of the two in this place was dead. Now, to avenge those legendary thieves, he fitted an arrow to his bow and let loose.
The arrow, made cave dragon bone, bit deep through the scales on Wory's tail. Another one flew into his side, sinking into some organ in the belly. Deebus loosed yet a third arrow, which from the gasp must have pierced a lung. No mere troglodyte was Wory, though, and in a moment of bad luck he spotted Deebus. The lung injury did not stop him from unleashing a torrent of flames that Deebus barely avoided by leaping down the passage.
Wory had lost sight of his adversary in the inferno, though from the lack of a pile of charcoal, the kobold must have escaped. There was only one place that little worm could have gone, though; to the exit! Wory poked his head around the corner, ready to send an inescapable torrent of fire down the narrow passage, when suddenly there was an unbearable sharpness in his neck. Deebus emerged from behind the dragon, watching as Wory writhed from the arrow in his spine and then fell over, unable to stand the agony.
It was time to end the dragon's pain. Though he had not the strength to deliver a quick, fatal blow, Deebus punctured the throat of the paralyzed Wory and watched as the near-boiling blood poured onto the floor. It was all over in minutes. He waited for his own heart to stop pounding in his ears. This was probably the most dangerous creature he had fought yet. And he had won so quickly. A cave dragon in the morning and a true dragon in the evening. This was a day to remember.
Deebus now turned to the dragon's hoard. It wasn't as impressive as that of the two trolls, but then again the legendary thieves of clan Lradler had plundered it long ago. What was left was still interesting, however. There was a great cage of tin, much too large for a kobold to haul away, and a flask of tin beside it. That would come in handy on his journey. There were also two drums. The first was of copper, unadorned yet perfectly round and well crafted. The second was of iron, covered in many polished mica stones and hung with small rings of bone. Deebus gathered the drums and flask, and then began hacking the great dragon's heart from his chest. It was huge enough that he divided it into two portions, one of which he ate then and there. He could absorb the rest of the strength of his fallen enemy tomorrow. For now, though, he lit a watchfire at the entrance of the burrow and settled in for the night.
Day 7 3rd Galena, 200
It was dawn. Deebus ate the other half of the heart to relieve the aching of his belly, and drank some of the dragon's blood to relieve the dryness of his mouth. After eating he lost no time in journeying northwards. He would cross the mountains once more. This time, he headed straight due northeast, taking him through miles of snowy passes. Despite sometimes wading through an awful slurry of snow and mucus, he came down into the basin before midday, and continued northward, stopping to wash himself in a river. It began to rain soon after, though he passed out from under the clouds when he reached home. He was greeted by Elder Tholdis.
He told Tholdis of his latest victories, and asked where chief Grakakakalis was. Tholdis did not know. He then asked if the Elders knew where any more monsters were, but Tholdis did not. With that, Deebus stopped only to deposit his treasure, including the cave dragon eggs, and to talk with some friends. Then he set off once more.