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Argentarius
The Dragon's Heart's Desire

The Dragon's Heart's Desire

Argentarius was very upset to discover that his prolonged absence had removed the lair effects in the swamp. Namely the fact the fish were back to copulating normally and not in a frenzy like before, the amethyst had also stopped growing. After he let of some steam by hitting the tentacle slime some more, it had eaten quite the number of his fish, he inspected his lair for any signs of intruders.

Besides the remains of a few unlucky adventures killed by his slime, nothing was out of place. He caught himself checking out every single gem lying in his lair, even remembering the angel in which he placed them. "Must be a dragon thing, anyway. My knights, prepare a feast for tonight! I will go out and search for more treasure." He spent the entire day visiting all the places, where something interesting had been hidden, but had laid beyond his reach without his spells. Or rather which he could not get without destroying them before. In particular the Locate Object spell proved very useful. He finally got his hands on a chest that he had lost in the swamp while fighting a monster over it. Very happy with his findings he returned and rushed to his lair where he called his children over.

Argentarius stood before the chest, looking down at it with a gleam in his eye. The chest was old and ornate, made of dark wood and inlaid with golden runes and symbols.

"Ah, my children," he said to his knights, who had gathered around him. "Behold the treasure of the ages. The power of magic lies within this chest." Hou Yi, the archer, raised an eyebrow. "What kind of magic? And how do you now that?" he asked suspiciously. Argentarius smiled enigmatically. "All kinds, my dear Hou Yi. Spells of every type and nature, from the most powerful to the most subtle. And now, with this chest, we have access to them all." Arminius, the barbarian, stepped forward, eyeing the chest with a mixture of curiosity and wariness. "And what do you plan to do with all these spells, Argentarius?" he asked hiding his exasperation. The dragon turned to him, his eyes glittering with excitement. "Why, we will use them, of course. To further our goals, to protect ourselves, to bring glory to our cause. With these spells, we will be invincible. Hell, we might even be able to return to earth!" Arthur sighed, but stepped up to partake in the play, his hand on the hilt of his sword. "But what of the risks?" he said in dramatic tone of voice. "What if we cannot control the power of these spells? What if they consume us?" Argentarius turned to him, his expression stern. "We must take risks, my child. That is the nature of magic, and the nature of life itself. But I assure you, we will not be consumed. We are too powerful, too skilled, too wise." With a wave of his clawed hand, the dragon opened the chest, revealing the shimmering scrolls within. The knights watched in awe as Argentarius carefully selected a few of them, his eyes glowing with a fierce intensity. "Now, my children," he said, his voice low and commanding. "Let us go forth and conquer. Let us show the world the might of earth!"

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Hou Yi was the first to break the uncomfortable silence. "Is this some sort of joke, father?" Argentarius looked irritated. "I don't understand. I thought this chest was filled with spell scrolls." Arminius just shrugged. "Looks like someone played a prank on you, oh great Archwizard." Argentarius glared at him. "This is no laughing matter. We need those spell scrolls for our mission." "Wait, there's something here. A well made one too." Arthur said after rummaging through the chest. He pulled out an ornate one and carefully unravel it." Hou Yi asked hopefully: "Finally! What spell is it?"

Arthur kept a straight face while reading: "Lady Genevieve is a beautiful noblewoman who is coveted by all the knights in the land. But she only has eyes for one: Sir Cedric, a brave and handsome knight who has just returned from a long campaign. As they begin a secret affair, jealousy and betrayal start to creep in...Amidst the political intrigue and danger, Genevieve and Cedric struggle to keep their love alive...Will their love be enough to conquer the obstacles in their way, or will their passion be their undoing? Find out in The Knight's Obsession, a tale of love, betrayal, and passion." The following silence was deafening. Arminius, tried to hold back laughter and looked cautiously at the seething dragon next to him. "That's the only thing in there?" Arthur rummaged some more and read aloud: "No we have, A Sorceress's Love Spell, The Rogue Baroness's Redemption, The Warrior's Maiden of Valour and, my favourite, The Dragon's Heart's Desire. Look at the illustrations, oh by Azuth, its so graphic!" He held the thick scroll against the light and tilted his head. Argentarius coughed and swiped the scroll. "Now get back to preparing the feast! I'm a bad mood so better make it extra large." He swaggered of with his eyes still glued to 'The Dragon's Heart's Desire'. The knights looked at each other but choose the diplomatic approach and stayed silent.

A few hours later when Argentarius returned with swollen eyes, his children tried and succeeded in lifting his mood by stuffing him with crispy trout, filled with herbs and wild vegetables. As the storm inside the dragon had calmed down, Arthur turned to Argentarius and said, "Father, we did manage to find a spell scroll in that chest after all." Argentarius, still feeling gloomy about the ending, looked up at Arthur with a raised eyebrow and said, "Oh really? And what spell did you find?"

Hou Yi chimed in, "It was Charm Monster, Father. We thought it could be useful in case we ever come across an unruly creature or two." Argentarius nodded slowly, his mood beginning to lift. "Ah, yes. Charm Monster can be quite a useful spell indeed. Well done, my knights." Arminius, who had been examining one of the romance novels, tossed it aside and added, "And if we ever come across any love-struck dragons, we'll be sure to have that spell ready to go." The knights share a laugh and Argentarius can't help but chuckle at the thought. "Yes, that would certainly be an interesting encounter. Perhaps we'll have to try it out sometime." They stopped laughing at the thought of having to feed two dragons.