The night was damp and raw, the full moon peeking out the intermittent clouds and shining its eerie glow on the foggy swamp.
Lightening of nearby storms flashed in the distance, the low rumbling of thunder emminating across the lands.
Between the gnarled, twisted trees a large green dragon was making his way across the muddy path, his paws sinking into the soft soil.
He paused for a moment to gaze across the forsaken landscape before he turned around and growled.
"Hurry up!" he snapped at his servant.
The sound of pots clanking against other metal objects increased as an overweight pigman came running towards the dragon, huffing in exhaustion as he struggled to carry the large, heavy backpack.
"S-so, Sir Brumug," the flustered swine apologised, sweating.
"What's ths matter with you, Hamlet?" said Brumug in frustration, showing his fangs. "You are even slower than usual!"
"N-nothing, s-sir," said the Hamlet quickly, fearing his master's wrath. "It's just..."
He looked around himself nervously.
"What is it?" said Brumug, his patience wearing thin.
"They said this place is c-cursed," said Hamlet, biting his lower lip. "Haunted by the spirit of a vengeful dragon overlord. They say it rips apart anyone that dares wonder these lands."
Brumug rolled his eyes, saighing in exasperation. "Nonsense!" he said, "That tavern keeper has been filling your head with tall tales. Stop being skittish and move faster."
Hamlet only nodded, gupling as he quickened his pace behind Brumug.
They soon spotted what they had came here for: in the distance an old crumbling castle stood, half sunken into marshes, as if the swamp was slowly devouring the decrepit structure.
Hamlet started to shiver, his knees knocking against each other, as the two approached the entrance.
He stopped and stared at the two stone gargoyles peering down at him from their pillars, and he swore he could feel their ominous gazes rest on him.
"Would you stop standing there and help me!"
Hamlet meeped as he rushed to help his master push opeb the entrance of the castle.
The rusty hinges gave a terrible cry as the doors were forced open in the first time in years.
Hamlet struck a match and used it to light a lantern. Unlike his master, he couldn't see in the dark.
The yellow light illuminated half flooded rooms as they made it down the long hallway, eventually stopping when they reached a dead end, their way barred by a large door, which was as tall and wide as a two storey house.
It was sealed by a massive, intimidating lock, but Brumug leaned forwardand whispered a few words into the keyhole.
The lock shook and started to vapourise into thin air, leaving the door unlocked.
Brumug grinned, saying to himself, "The right lock spell can get you pretty far."
He pushed open the door and his grin grew even wider at what waited on the other side.
Hamlet gasped, astonished.
Around them in the cavernous hall were hills of golden coins, treasure chests filled with rare gems and diamonds and rare weapons pertroding from the said golden piles.
"Jackpot!" said Brumug happily.
Hamlet nodded along...until his eyes fell on a sight spooked him a bit.
On the stone floor was the skeleton of a dragon, nearly twice as big as Brugmug, who was already the size of a horse.
Gingerly, while Brugmug marveled at the splendor around him, Hamlet approached the skeleton, as if he was afraid that the old bones would jump back to life.
In its skeletal hands it was clutching an amulet with a blood red jewel fixed in it.
It flashed at him and Hamlet was allures by it. He didn't know why. It was like some strange voice was calling to him, encouraging him to pick it up.
He did, placing ot inside his pocket vest.
"Hamlet, get your ass over here!" he heard his master call to him.
The pigman shook his head and said, "Yes, sir."
"Hurry up!" he ordered, "Before any other grave robbers find out this place is open."
As Hamlet began to fill up sacks full of coins, Brumug watching on, little did they know that they had triggered and ancient trap.
They room began to shake, dust raining down from the ceiling.
"What the hell?" said Brumug in confusion before it seemel like the entire castle gave a voilent shake, nearly knocking him off balance.
Coins slid off their golden piles as massice cracks snaked their way up the walls of the room.
The stone startes to crack, puling apart and revealing quicksand underneath.
It was clear that they duo had to escape before the entire structure collapsed on them!
"Come one!" yelled Hamlet to Brugmur, who snapped out of his horrified trance.
The two ran as quickly as the could, the entrance to the treasure room collapsing shut right behund them.
Large stones fell from the roof as the two managed to escape the crumbling castle just in time, watching it sink away into the marshes.
The two huffed, overcoming the shock of nearly being crushed to death and swallowed up by the mud.
Brugmur stood up and growled. He wasn't warned that the castle would try and swallow him up. He was going to have a nice chat with that cloaked figure that gave him the spell at the inn, provided he was still there.
"Let's go!" he barked at his servant, and the pigman climbed shakily to gis feet, grabing the sack with the little amount treasure he managed to obtain.
As they left the swamps, the amulet in Hamlet's vest glowed sinisterly....
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