“Alright, Charlie, well, you’ve made it through the first two tasks, good work,” said Ted to Charlie from the bench of the second break room they were still resting in in the cave. “But this is the part where you must be extremely careful. This last room requires your every move. Everything I have taught you you must use in this task. It is a very dangerous task.”
“Well I’m ready, I haven’t gotten tired yet,” he replied, confident he will make it out of the cave alive.
“Remember, you’re destined, Charlie,” said Ted. “I am sure of it. You will make it. It is possible though that I may not.”
Charlie just nodded. He’s heard this at least three times now.
“I’ll have your back when needed, but you must run when I tell you, the portal should be on the other side of a gate at the very end of the room,” said Ted. “But...there’s a catch. There are a couple of things we will need to do first. There are two levers on each side of the room which will activate the gate to the portal out of the cave to lift. We must pull each of them and get to the portal as soon as possible, even if it means leaving me behind. You understand?”
“I understand.”
“Then let’s do this.”
They stepped up to the solid black door leading to the dragon’s lair, the final room. On the wall next to the door was a lever. Ted pulled it.
The big door in front of them then slowly began to raise up so that Charlie and Ted could enter the lair.
Ted signaled Charlie to keep quiet. Quietly, they entered the dragon’s lair.
What sounded like snoring caught Charlie’s attention right off the bat. “Is that-?” he whispered.
“The dragon, yes,” answered Ted. “We must be very quiet. This way.”
He led the way through a maze of giant rocks, turning left, then right, then left again. Then he stopped.
Ted peaked through what was a small gap between a couple of rocks. The snoring was extremely loud now. “There he is,” he whispered. He then moved aside and Charlie looked through the small gap... there was the dragon.
It was probably the most demonic-looking dragon Charlie has ever seen in his life. Well, the only dragon he’s seen in real life. But in books, this is not the ordinary dragon. Those only belong in fairy tales.
Thick horns were risen up from the beast’s skull, curving into killer-sharp ends. Its skin color was a sort of dark-brown color. Its wings were huge and red. Its eyes were black with red pupils. And its tail was fiercely long.
Its neck was chained to the floor. It could probably only move a limited distance in each direction of the cave.
The dragon continued to snore.
“We need to get to higher ground,” whispered Ted.
“Okay,” replied Charlie.
“This way.”
Ted continued to lead the way through the maze of rocks, and shortly he pointed out what appeared to be one of the levers he was talking about earlier in the distance. “That’s the first one over there, Charlie.”
Charlie nodded.
“Come on.”
Then it happened... Charlie did possibly one of the most dangerous things he’s ever done in his life. Bumped into a loose rock.
Ted and Charlie dodged out of the way of the path as multiple rocks then fell from the side... and the dragon awoke, roaring loudly and breathing fire.
“Crap,” responded Charlie nervously, standing back up.
“You idiot,” snapped Ted, getting up as well, covered in dirt.
“What now?”
“Well, we can’t go this way anymore, this path is blocked!”
ROAR! Fire burst into the air from the other side of the wall of rocks to their right.
Ted and Charlie both glanced at each other, as if hinting to make a run for it, and they did. They ran back the other way again as rocks fell from behind them.
I wonder how many times these rocks have to get re-stacked, Charlie thought. But there was no time to think.
They continued to make the run for it, and eventually ended up back at the entrance to the lair.
Charlie glanced over at the path leading to the right. It was blocked as well.
Ted met up with him.
“What do we do?” asked Charlie impatiently. “Both paths are blocked!”
The dragon then came stomping up over the pile of rocks in front of them. They were cornered.
It let out another roar, breathing fire into the air.
Ted paused for a moment, catching his breath. “Well, I’ve had to do this once before, and I’ll do it again.”
“What?”
Ted then ran towards the dragon.
“What are you doing?!” yelled Charlie. “Are you crazy?!”
But Ted had a plan. With his sword out in front of him, he aimed it up high, and with a giant leap, he landed on top of the dragon.
Brilliant, thought Charlie.
The dragon then turned around, trying to fight Ted off of him.
“Run, Charlie,” he said from atop of the beast. “I’ll get the left lever, you get the right. Just climb. I’ll control the dragon.”
“Alright,” he replied.
“Go.”
And with that, Charlie made a run for the pile of rocks to his right, finding the easiest way up to the top.
The dragon then spread its wings and took off into the heights of the cave, Ted controlling its direction.
Charlie eventually made his way to the highest point he could get to, and there it was. The other lever. The one he had to get to.
He looked carefully for a path that would get him there, plotting out the best possible way.
He figured it out. The wall of rocks alongside the wall ending with the lever was almost like a puzzle. The rocks closest to him weren’t stacked as high as the ones closest to the lever. He needed to knock the rocks over... and climb.
He quickly ran over to where the lower tower of rocks were placed and looked for a loose rock to budge... there it was.
Carefully, he pulled on the loose rock with his right hand, using his left hand to direct where the rocks would fall.
I hope these rocks don’t fall on me, he thought.
Then it happened. Just like he had planned. The rocks fell into each other like dominoes, and eventually all were down, providing a good climb towards the lever.
Now it was time for the climb. Charlie carefully lifted himself up onto the fallen tower of rocks. And it was time to catch his breath.
All I have to do is pull the lever and get to the portal and wait for Ted, he thought.
Then he began the climb. Higher and higher Charlie climbed, pieces of rocks crumbling to the ground as he made his way towards the lever. From a distance he could hear Ted on the dragon, anxiously waiting for his chance to jump for the other lever.
Just a little further, thought Charlie.
The lever was only a few feet away now... and finally, he had reached it.
The lever was sort of like a handle, but one you would pull up instead of down.
With the tip of his sword, Charlie tried to pull the handle out and upwards. But it wouldn’t budge.
“It’s not moving!”
Meanwhile, Ted continued to fly the dragon. “Come on, come on, you evil beast, turn around!” he ordered from atop of it.
He then got the idea of blinding it. Quickly he reached his arms around its neck, pulled himself up towards its head, and with his hands he blocked the dragon’s vision.
The dragon then began to gain height, its nose pointed upward, and there it was. The other lever!
“Come on, come on,” Ted continued to say to himself impatiently.
He then swiftly leaped off the dragon and onto the stone platf
orm where the other lever was placed on the gravel wall.
The dragon continued to fly upward, no longer blinded, and as soon as it realized Ted was off of him, it turned around, ready to spit fire at its enemy.
“Charlie!” shouted Ted across the room.
Charlie could hear Ted’s voice in the distance. “Yeah?” he replied.
“Have you reached the other lever?!”
“Yeah?!”
“Okay, on the count of three!”
“Okay!”
“Ready, one...two...lift!”
And together both levers were lifted at the same time, Charlie’s by sword, Ted’s by hand. And a noise was heard in the distance. The gate leading to the portal home was being lifted open!
“It’s opening!” exclaimed Charlie.
The dragon seemed to notice too. It stared evilly at the exit door from the stone wall it was planted against, breathing fire in anger. It then turned to face Ted again, ready to charge at him.
Ted noticed the dragon, carefully dodged its breath of fire, and flung himself once again onto its back. This time with a powerful stab he dug his sword into the dragon’s side.
The beast fell in pain towards the lair floor, hitting multiple rocks on the way down as dust and smoke built up around the room.
But Ted wasn’t thinking too clearly. He was still atop of it as it made its dangerous fall....
“TED!” cried Charlie.
Chapter 22