Dragonite - Chapter One - The Awakening1

Chapter One: The awakening


"Where's that bloody torch!?"
There was a sizzling sound, and a moment later, the passage filled with flickering light. Cod blinked, his eyes rapidly adjusting to the dimness.
"Gev' it here you idiot!" snapped the figure to his right, snatching the torch out of his hands. Rising it high above his head, he made a quick count of the men present.
"Eight!" he barked. "EIGHT!? Is that all you miserable land-rats are capable of?! Thirty of my men against a couple of weed-chewing pointy-ears and an oversized pussycat, and all that remains is EIGHT???"
A few of the men took a cautious step backwards. No one answered.
"What ye all staring at, you pack of gutter-rats?" he hauled, his face swelling with rage. "Where's Ree?" he suddenly snapped, his eyes darting around with a ferocious look.
The men remained silent, those nearest him slowly edging even further away.
"I asked: Where - Is - Ree?!"
His fingers nervously fidgeting the strap of a once fine armband, Rusty took a tiny step forward.
"H-he's dead capt'n. G-got an arrow right throu-"
"WHAAAA'?!?" roared the captain, eyes popping out of his skull. For a moment, a menacing silence filled the cave's damp air, the only sound being the crackling of the torch, droplets of burned-out tallow dripping red-hot onto the clammy ground.
"WHY THOSE MOTHERLESS SONS OF A-...!"
The men jumped against the walls. The torch swung around in a wide arc, and with a crazy zigzagging spin, flew out of the captain's hand, heading straight towards the man right in front of him. Thar made a desperate dive backwards, but even so the torch hit the side of his bald head, smearing blistering grease upon his bare scalp. Howling with pain, the man tried to scrap off the still burning substance clinging to his skin, only to have his arms flapping all over the place a moment later, the boiling hot tallow now coating them as well.
No one tried to help him. All eyes were on the captain. Rusty had already lifted the quivering torch, and was holding it out to the captain. His gratitude came in the form of a large, bony fist, colliding head on with his stomach, hurling him into the cavern's wall.
After several seconds and a few rather painful-sounding groans, Rusty scrambled to his feet. Spitting out a mouthful of earth, he whirled around, his glare slashing through the air, his long, carved knife rising for a thrust. But the moment his eyes met those blazing, blood-filled ones of the captain, his fierceness evaporated as if never existed, and he slumped wordlessly back onto the ground, rubbing his stomach with a sour expression.
The captain let out a low, guttural growl, his gaze bearing challengingly at the skinny man before him. Rusty didn't move, but just sat there, shoulders hunched, clutching his stomach, trying to look at the captain while at the same time avoiding his gaze.
Finally, a long snarl-like breath escaped through the captain's teeth, and the maddening redness slowly dispersed from his eyes. Bending down, he lifted the half crumbled torch from the ground, and with a disdain-filled snort, strode off into the depth of the dark passageway, taking no notice of the still bleeding cut bedecking his leg.
"Come on you maggots, move yer arses!" he bawled back over his shoulders.
Rusty and Thar exchanged a filthy look, Thar's lips silently forming curses dup up from the darkest corners of his heart. Then scrambling to his feet, Rusty trotted off after the already fading light. Wordlessly, the others in the group followed.

Chapter 2, remembrance in the hut: This corridor... He looked up, and around. Shining bright walls, reflecting the light of the burning fire...the occasional long, winding fissure... smaller cracks here and there... but apart from that the place looked like it was built yesterday. Not a single spider or cobweb. He glanced down at the equally polished floor. His eyebrows creased together into a frown. Not even dust?...
Here and there, the occasional long, winding fissure, definitely made by age, twisting and curling in the walls. But apart from that the place looked like it was built yesterday. A cracks here and there... the long winding fissure on the ceiling... definitely made by age... but not a single spider or cobweb?... or anything else of the sort, Cod noticed..... Cod came to a halt. Not even dust?... Another scream, this one filled with fury rang through the halls.

Deeper and deeper they descended into the mountain, the staleness of the air hanging like thick fog around them. As they went on, the natural grayness of the rocky cave was gradually replaced by brownish-black walls, and before long, they were trotting down in a square-shaped tunnel, clearly not the work of nature. The passage was so old that the walls seemingly consisted of nothing but cracks, and large parts of the ceiling had caved in, revealing the rather unstable-looking earthy mass above them. Before long, the passage came to an end, gaping into a large, darkness filled room.
For a moment, they all stood there, crowded in the wan torchlight.
"What's this?" mumbled Ksalvar, moving towards the nearest wall. Protruding from the stone was a hollowed out ledge, filled to the rim with some sort of liquid, and apparently running all along the wall and into the darkness beyond the torchlight. Bending closer, Ksalvar dipped in his finger, and licked it with the edge of his tongue. For a second, his features were completely blank, but then his body gave a small jolt, his face lighting up like an enormous lantern.
"Rum!" he exclaimed with startled surprise, and without any hesitation, plunged his entire head into the gently swirling liqueur, sucking it in thirstily.
Blackale and Thar were just about to follow, when a loud whoosh made them abruptly jump aback. Ksalvar barely managed to get his face out in time before there was a large flash, and a moment later the surface of rum was engulfed in fire. Cod watched as the flames raced all along the walls and down to the other side of the room with dazzling speed. Within mere moments, the chamber filled with the smell of burning spirits, accompanied with an eye-hurting brightness.
"Come on ye rum-o-maniac bunch of street-rats!" the captain growled, tossing the remains of the torch into the now blazing liquid. A hail of dark looks bombarded his back as he strode of towards the shut double-winged doors, carved into the far end of the room. Cod cast a glance around the chamber as he followed. Nothing special so far, the walls and the high ceiling being just as brown and dusty as the passageway.


It took three of them to force the reinforced construction open, but finally the doors swung inward, grating on their ageless-old hinges. And the moment they did, Cod gasped. No trace of the blackish rock beyond the archway. The whole room was clad in marble. Pure, shiny marble. Not the yellow or the rose-tainted kind, and neither the cheap grayish one, but rich, sinew-white marble. The rum-fire filled ledge continued within this room as well, the frolicking flames reflected upon the perfectly smooth surface like within thousands of mirrors, filling the room with almost daylight like brightness.
For a moment, they all just stood there, staring in bedazzled awe. The room itself was a large, square-shaped hall, with tall, narrow-mouthed archway opening from each of the four walls, connected by the flaming ledge that ran all along in between them. In each corner, a massive, thick pillar towered out of the floor, shooting upward towards the far-off ceiling, their tops half-shrouded in darkness in spite of the brilliance below them. No design, no carvings, just simple, shining elegance.
Only one thing occupied the entire room apart from the pillars. In the middle of the room though slightly back was a statue. Over nine feet tall, made of the same marble as the entire room, it portrayed a warrior, clad in a massively built armor, standing firmly with his legs apart, his eyes staring sternly at the newcomers. Except, they were not the eye of a man. Nor was its face. For instead of the humanly features, what gazed down upon them resembled much more a lizard, if anything at all:
Narrow, inhuman eyes, lengthy, scaled head, with a row of razor sharp teeth. Thick, muscular arms, with a set of four spread-out claws instead of fingers. Like a lizard. But then again, not. Fan-like ears protruding from the side of its head. And the large, powerfully built wings sprouting out of its back, curving towards the rear of the chamber, then turning back to the front, ending half-lying on the ground at its feet. Just as the face, they were bony, leathery-looking structures, more like a reptile's than that of a bird. A lizardman? Like in the books? Lizardmen didn't have wings. Cod cocked his head to the side. Nor ears. And since when could they build anything more complicated than a hut?
The creature's hands were halfway stretched out towards its side, each carved into a half closed fist. A small chain of some sort hung down from the right, with what seemed to be stone rings attached to each link. What was in the other could not be seen, for it was above the head of even the tallest among them. . A simple, stone circlet was set upon the creature's head, yet despite the headpiece's plain looks, it gave off the air of once representing indisputable authority. The crown.
"Wha' the heck is this thing?" Scowled Ksalvar, his gaze fixed upon the creature's hypnotic eyes. Either because of the reflection of fire, or through some other sort of illusion, the eyes seemed as if to be constantly in motion, jumping from one of the man to another.
"All righ' you bunch of headless landrats, time to spread out!" reverberated the hoarse voice of the captain throughout the hall, drawing Cod's attention away from the creature. "You know the deal. Get your arse in there, search every darn corner, and find me that darn crown! Anything else you find is all your, after I have the crown! And whatever you do, do not touch nothin' else on that pedestal! Your puny nutshell of a rat-brain managed to get that?"
The reply was a clear unison off 'Aye-aye, capt'n!'
The captain frowned, and, face curled into a fierce grimace of determination, set off towards the nearest of the three archways leading out of the room. The rest of the crew didn't lose any time either, quickly pairing up into groups of twos and threes, and darting out into a direction of their liking, Rusty, Blackale and Halfeye0 trotting obediently in the wake of the captain.


***


Cod took the gap on the left, followed by Thar.
"Darn that bloody capt'n!" Thar grumbled as soon as they were out of his earshot. He felt the ugly welt on his head, slowly turning from rosy-red to yellowish purple, snatching his hand away with a loud 'Ouch!' His right palm wasn't in a lot better shape either.
"As if that beast and a bunch of tree-huggers weren't enough! Overgrown pussycat... Pussy my arse! That thing's teeth were as big as my knife! Seen what it did to Billy?? Darn me if I'm ever setting foot in that wretched forest again!"
"Oh, come on Thar, quit whining. You sound just like my grandpa." Billy... yeah, he's seen Billy all right... " Still, sure was quite a show you gave us back there." Grinned Cod, nudging Thar in the side.
"Ouch!" growled Thar. "Watch it! I've got burns there too!"
"Ow, sorry about that. But anyways, all those ain't half as bad as what I've got here." Winked Cod, pointing down at his leg.
Thar looked down, surveying the shreds of blood-soaked trousers that covered Cod's leg. A large, crudely shaped gash ran all the way from Cod's right thigh, over his knee, and halfway down to his foot. It no longer bled, and strangely enough didn't hurt half as much as it looked, but he couldn't keep in the faint hint of a hiss every time he had to put weight on it. Thorn smirked up at him.
"Not bad. At least now ye finally got something to boast around in the tavern, eh? Was getting really fed up with the way you get out of every scrap with barely a scratch. But ye can't deny this one here is a tad better." Turning the other side of his head towards Cod, he pointed at his ear. A hollow hole gapped in place where half of it should have been, blood already crusting on its edge.
"Ouch! I felt that."
"Heck you did!"
"Heck I did." Nodded Cod, grinning. "And sure am glad about it. All right, all right, you win." Digging out a silvery coin out of a pocket, he flipped it over to Thar.
Thar grinned back, catching the coin in mid-flight, admiring it adoringly before sliding it safely away into the depths of his pants.
"Don't worry, you'll have your chance on the way back."
"Eee, thanks, but I'd rather pass." chuckled Cod, rubbing his elbow into That's side again.
"OOUU! I said watch it mate!"
"Oops. Sorry. Forgot."
"Forgot my arse!"



They continued along the passage, their way lighted by the zigzagging line of the fire, following the equally zigzagging wall. Thar let out a plaintive sniff, eyeing the burning ledge. Cod smiled to himself, guessing full well what it was Thar was thinking about.
"Who the heck might have built this?" he wondered out loud, looking about with amazement. Even the ceiling was smooth as a mirror.
"Hell knows." Shrug his shoulders Thar. "Maybe the pointy-ears?"
"Wood-elves? Nay, come on!" shook of the idea Cod. "They're running in stitched leaves, for goodness sake!"
"Yea, got a point there. Maybe it's that thing from the statue, whatever it-"
A twist, and the corridor came to an abrupt end. They both froze dead still, mouth falling wide open. They stood on the brim of a large chamber. A chamber that literarily sparkled with shining bright light. But not the white-tainted light reflected from the smooth marble walls, but the yellowish gleam of...
"Blimey me..." gasped Thorn. The two man looked at each other, mouths still gaping. And then, exactly at the same moment, they both flung themselves inwards, burning heads and sliced legs all forgotten.
Gold. And not 'just' gold. Piles and heaps and mounds of it!!! Cod nearly broke his tooth as he bit into a coin to see if it was real. Definitely gold, no doubt about it. And not only: Rubies, emeralds, sapphires, jades... all sorts of gemstones and jewels, jewelry, precious items, diamonds by the chest-full, anything he could have ever imagined!
Thar fell on his knees, so awestruck that if his mouth was open any wider, his chin would have brushed the floor.
"Cody..." he whispered, but for a long time, that was all he could say. Cod just stood there, gazing this... all this.... And then it burst out of them:
"We're rich, we're rich!!!" screamed Cod, flinging himself into the nearest pile. Thar made no hesitation to follow.
"We're rich!!!" they screamed together, throwing up coins and gemstones into the air, digging themselves deeper and deeper into the golden sea, cuddling every necklace and jewel that came into their grasp. Thar's eyes were filled with tears that shone so bright, the blazing fire around them seemed as mere candlelight in comparison.
For long moments, all they could do was hop around like crazy, jumping from one pile to the other, jewel after jewel passing through their restless hands faster than their eyes could possibly follow,; until all they had energy left for was to lie on their backs, panting like mad, but the shine in their eyes never dimming for even one split of a second.
"Darn that bloody capt'n..." Thar whispered, his exhausted hand still inching towards a diamond-clad ring. "When he told us we'd be bath in pure gold, I thought he meant it sim...sim...simbi...
"Symbolically." Helped him out Cod.
"Symblicly... ee.... Ah, whatever! We're rich Cody, we're filthy darn rich!"
"Rich, Thar?" grinned back Cod. "Rich? You've any idea just how much gold is lying here? We're bloody kings, that's what we are!! And that's just the gold Thar, I mean, just the gold, I'm not even talking about all the jewels and the other stuff that's lying around here!"
"My, if momma could see this! Makes my head swirl even to think of what this is worth! Darn you Cod, just how the heck are we going to carry it all back to the ship?!?"
"Darn the carrying, Thar. We pile it all on the ship, it'll sink within seconds!"
"Damn are ye right... Just think about it.... A ship-full of gold... A ship-full-of-bloody-gold Cody!"
Their faces turned into a bright, scarlet color as their brains boiled to the limit, trying to picture all the possible things they could do with such an incredible amount.
But thinking of a ship, something else crept along into Cod's mind, pulling a shroud of dark blanket over his eyes. Seeing this, Thar lifted his head slightly up.
"What is it mate?"
Cod smirked, expressively. Thar's face went dark as well.
"Why that damn son of a...." he snarled, hands clenching into tight fists.
Cod grinned wanly back at him, then shrugged, resuming his usual cheerful expression.
"Come on, Thar. You know the captain. Just have to find that crown of his first. He says no plundering till we find that crown, then we'll just have to wait till that crown is found. And then we will plunder till we're green in the face."
"To hell with that wretched capt'n!" burst out Thar his face growing rapidly redder. "He's been tossing us around like a bunch of brainless meatbags for already almost three years! And not once, not once did we manage to get so much as a decent pursefull of coins that would last us a month! And now that all the gold on the earth lies right here at my feet, I'm not allowed to take it!! Just because of some rusty old crown that bastard's obsessed with!!! Ye know what Coddy, screw it, I'm going to go to him right now, right at this moment, and tell him exactly where I think he can shove that bloody crown of his into, and-!!!"
"Yea, sure" chimed in hurriedly Cod "And then the next thing you know you're lying beside Jigwig. Or inside Jigwig. Or mixed together. You remember what happened to Jigwig, right?"
It was clearly visible Thar tried very hard not to. And it was clearly visible that he failed.
Boiling in himself for several more seconds, Thar finally stood up. Spitting bitterly onto the ground, he began cursing out loud, throwing at the captain every foul word he could dig up in his excessively dirty vocabulary. Cod scrambled to his feet as well, and although he didn't say anything, he agreed with every single word that left Thar's mouth.
"Come on." he said. "The sooner we find that thing, the sooner can we start stuffing our pockets. Let's split up, and skim over the room. That pedestal might just as well be in here. And then at least we'd be the first to take a look at what exactly is so special about that infamous chaplet."
Thorn just gave out a loud growl in reply, and set off towards his left, still cursing under his breath, shady eyes eagerly jumping from pile to pile of the unimaginable riches. Releasing out a slight sigh, Cod trotted off into the other direction.

So unreal... He navigated his way among the golden piles, some so high he couldn't even see over their top. Not once did his hands instinctively reached out to pick up a shinier goldpeace, his teeth biting into the soft, cool metal. Definitely real...
Time and again a more precious necklace or jeweled ring managed to find its way into the depth of his pockets, only to be fished out again, and wistfully dropped back onto the pile. The words of the captain loomed threatening inside his head. Never mess with what you can't understand, Cody. And Jigwig. There was no forgetting Jigwig.
With a slight groan, he leaped over a sapphire-rimmed chest posing glamorously across his path. Its alluring contents jingled with a nigh irresistible sigh as Cod's heel brushed against the lid. Cod grunted. By now his leg was already starting to throb pretty badly. Sod that. For years now he'd been collecting injuries, alike and even worse, whatever Thar and some of the others might say. A mere scratch is not going to slow him down. He grinned to himself. Especially not now. Not with a room filled to the brim with the glister of treasure.
Again and again swallowing down a large gulp of temptation at the sight of an especially eye-pleasing masterpiece, he continued his way, searching for anything that might even distinctly resemble a pedestal. He had zigzagged around almost the entire lengths of the room, when he finally met Thar.
"Anything?" Thar growled, his mood clearly not improved by the long walk through the untouchable riches.
The glitter in his eyes was completely gone, replaced by the gleam of deep-rooted annoyance. He was constantly spitting left and right, calling the captain with all sorts of names that existed, and even a few that did not, none of which he'd ever dream of saying to his face.
"Nay. Nothing. Not even a single crown, yet alone one that sits on a pedestal. Ah well. Must be in one of the other chambers."
"If it even exists..." Snarled Thar.
"Yea, if it does..." agreed Cod. "Although the witch-"
"Darn that witch! That old hag just as likely as not merely bled the captin's greedy pockets dry, and sent him to rot here in this tomb, with us right beside him! To the ruddy abyss with both of those bastards!"
"Got a point there... but anyway, no use just hanging around here, cursing the hell out of ourselves. Let's return to the hallway, and see if the others had any more luck than we did."
Reluctantly, Thar nodded.
"But let's head back the same way we came." Added Cod. "Just in case we missed something."
Thorn gave him a menacing look, gritting his yellowish teeth with frustration, but nonetheless turned around, and stomped off back to from where he came from, kicking up piles of gold on his way. Grinning to himself at the sight, Cod turned around, and set out upon his own path.

He tried to hurry, making Thar wait in his current mood not being a very smart idea, but the closer he got to the exit, the less his legs would carry him. All the gold... All this gold!... Finally, his eyes coughed a glimpse of a beauteously decorated goblet, and his legs ceased to respond altogether. (His palm began to itch, and a delightful shiver ran down his spine. Ain't you a beauty! Just a tad too long and slim for your comfortable drinking cup, but boy was it a stunner!
Silvery stripes wreathed its delicately curved golden body, running over its surface in eye-grabbing fashion, twisting and twining like a dozen of minuscule serpents, to the point they actually seemed to move and slither as he rotated the cup. Thumbnail-sized emeralds dotted the surface between them, and pairs of tiny rubies were embedded on the goblet's rim, placed right where the silvery stripes ended, giving them an even more snake-like appearance. Whoever made this peace of marvel, they sure didn't skimp any material or effort in crafting it. If it's not for a crown but a chalice they would have been looking for, Cod would have sworn that this was it.


It took Cod quite a few large gulps before he could finally force his mesmerized eyes to avert from the majestic cup, and get his feet back in motion. But barely did he make a few steps though, when again he came to a halt. Something in the corner of his eyes... Curiously, he turned around. Yes, something about the coins. But not the coins themselves, but rather the way they shone... A bluish-green, peculiar kind of tint, barely visible, but unmistakably present...
Climbing over a heap of gold between two larger piles, he finally spotted what the cause of it was: It was the pedestal. The pedestal, for Cod had no doubt whatsoever that this was the one they were after. Ascending down from the pile of coins, and regaining his sure footage, he leaned closer to examine it.
It was made of stone. A stone surrounded by the same bluish-green color as the coins around it, except here the colors seemed... sort of... more intense, even though not one bit brighter. Cod squatted down next to it, scratching his head. There didn't seem to be a light-source of any kind. Yet... yet the faint glow seemed to be coming out of the pedestal. As if the light was emanating from the stone itself. Just like a strange, intangible aura... not quite like the glow of the sun or a fire, but more like the shimmering surface of the sea... the moment the morning sunlight breaks through its wavering waters... yes... just like the sunbathed beaches of the Valoar islands...
Shaking himself out of the sudden flood of memories, Cod crept around the pedestal without standing up, examining it from all angles. Upon the pedestal, right in the center lay what the captain was so feverishly after: the crown. But the crown was not the only thing that rested on its surface. Around it lay rings, nine pieces of completely identical rings, placed in a perfect circle. Both the rings and the crown bathed in that strange light, as if submerged underwater.
So here it is. The famous crown that the captain was so much after. Three years worth of searching, thirty-nine shipmates lost for its sake. Finally here in his grasp...
Slowly, Cod reached out towards the crown. Inches above it, his hand came to a halt, a faint trace of fear vibrating through its surface. What is this glow? And just where the heck does it come from? Could it be magic?
Something caught his attention, and he lowered his hand. There were engravings on the pedestal's surface, right there on the border. Some sort of symbols. Now, what could-... Cod blinked. No, not symbols. Words. Words he could read....
Cod shook his head. He could have sworn they were picture-like symbols a moment ago, but no, it was clearly writing. Those same longish, crooked lines, that same, slightly squashed overall shape of the letters... Just like that of his homeland...
Bending even closer, Cod frowned as he tried to recall and put together the long-time-not-used letters:

Power's around you, yet power there's none.
Power's in circle, yet freedom is gone.
Power's on top, but will bring no gain.
Power's is under, but power is pain.

It made him no wiser, for he hadn't had the slightest shimmer of what the text might mean. He stared lengthy at the meaningless words, his mind throwing up all sorts of ludicrous ideas. And the letters themselves... Slowly, his focus shifted once more towards the pedestal, and the crown lying upon it.
That glow... What if it's some sort of a protective shield against intruders? Would it burn him alive the moment he touched it?
Cod sneered at the thought, hushing away the idea. Protective shield, oh please! It's probably just made of some sort of crystal that reflects the light in a peculiar way. Waving the last remnants of his doubts away, his hand reached into the shimmering shine, and without further ado, clasped its fingers around the crown, lifting it up.
Immediately, a wave of disappointment swept over his body. He expected the crow to consist of the same glowing material as the pedestal, but the moment it was out of its imminent glow, it turned out to be naught but simple gold, its previous gleam now merely a reflection on its mirror-like surface. And not even a very impressive crown at that! It was perfectly simple, totally plain, and completely undecorated. So simple in fact, that one could hardly call it a crown at all. More like a cut-priced circlet, if anything...
"Bah!" Cod snorted. Is this what the captain was so much after?
He turned it round and round, examining it from every possible angle. Nope, plain and barren no matter from where you look. Why give a rats tail about all this treasure for something like this? Not even a single gem or precious stone!
With a frown he threw it in the air, catching it after a few spins. But what if it is magical? It was a witch after all that sent them here. He played around with the thought for a while, his eyes wandering over to the pedestal's glimmering surface. Nah, can't be... such a plain thing?... and if it is?... what would it do?... is it dangerous?... But if the captain wants it so much, it must... unless that old hag did really just took all his money, and ditched him off... but what if she hasn't?... what if... and if so, why should it be him...?
His hand was already moving upwards, and in a moment, the crown set neatly upon his head.
Then he waited...
Nothing happened. And neither did he feel anyhow different. Nothing apart that his head was rather uncomfortably squeezed into a cold piece of disappointingly unspectacular metal.
"Huh!" he grunted, smirking at himself. Knew it! Just a piece of junk, nothing else! That's what you get from dealing with witches. Serves the captain right...
Catching a glint of a polished golden plate in a nearby pile, he stepped in front of it, admiring his own reflection. Well, all right, it was a pretty darn fine golden circlet... He grinned. Lord Codor... Just imagine...
"Cod, ye bloody idiet! Where the heck are you!?"
Hastily, Cod snatched the crown of his head.
"Over here!" he shouted back, looking around so as to make sure Thar hadn't seen him wearing it.
"Here where? And what in the blimey hell are ye doing?"
Soon Cod heard the clinking of coins, yielding under the approaching heavy footsteps.
"I've found the crown!" Cod shouted, turning expectedly towards the pile to the right. The footsteps got faster, and shortly after Thar's cursing figure came into view.
"You what?!?"
Grinning till his ears, Cod stuck the crown under Thar's nose, swinging it from a finger.
"This?!" frowned Thar incredulously, taking the crown from Cod, turning it between his fingers. "What on earth makes you think this is it?"
"Well, dunno... perhaps that glowing thingy over there?" suggested Cod, pointing at the pedestal.
"Blimey hell..." breathed Thar, noticing it for the first time. For a few seconds there was silence, as Thar's mind tried to register what it was he was looking at. Taking a step forward, he squatted down if front of it, just as Cod had a few minutes ago.
"Blimey hell..." he repeated, his brain still lost for words. He never was the quickest. "Just... Just what in the ruby hell do you think this thing's made of?"
Cod shrugged.
"Beats me. Some sort of glowing rock, I suppose."
"You don't say!" Snorted Thar, eyes transfixed upon the glimmering surface of the pedestal, dabbed with the nine rings. Slowly, his hand reached out towards one of them. But halfway there he apparently though otherwise, standing up instead, and taking a large step backwards.
"It was... lying upon it?" he mumbled, his eyes jumping back at the crown.
"Yup." Nodded Cod.
"And ye... you just picked it up?"
"Yup."
"Ye don't... ye don't think... it really is... magical?"
"This, magic?" sneered Cod jeeringly. "Just look at it Thar."
"Well, it could, I mean, how would you know it's.... wait a sec... ye haven't...?" looked up Thar suddenly with sharp suspicion in his eyes.
"Who, me? Never!" Grinned Cod sweetly, blinking a set of innocent eyes.
"Oh, cut it out, ye look like a rats ass from behind! I'm serious here!" Thar snapped. "Have you, or have you not-"
"Hey, do I look like a bloody idiot?!" snapped back Cod, allowing his face to turn all sharp.
"Depends when I look at you." Mumbled Thar, grinning, the suspicion slowly ebbing from his face. "All right, all right, I believe you. No need to get so worked up."
The lines on Cod's brow softened a little, his grin returning upon its usual place. Thar was just too credulous. One reason Cod liked him. The other was that he was darn good with a sword, and despite all his cussing, he readily jumped to the help of anyone he considered his mate. Good old Thar.
"So, what's now?" asked Cod, his tone as cheerful as ever.
"What, what? Grab the crown, and get the hell out of here, that's what! Can't wait to get my hands on all the goldies here!"
"Sound plan. I'm in."