The impossibly even stones of Clam Wharf's streets made pushing the wheelbarrow easy work for Tammel. The wheelbarrow was full, items hanging precariously from its rim. An enormous scroll as wide as a man’s leg, a monstrous suit of plate armor no man would ever be capable of wearing, and a great sword four men combined couldn’t wield. Tam was a thin man, reasonably tall, but certainly incapable of using the items in his wheelbarrow.
"Alright then," Tammel mumbled to himself, "Where did I put that list?"
He set down his wheelbarrow in front of the grand entrance to King's Library. His hands patted the pockets along his Sage Green vest, checking each one before finding what he was looking for.
"Here it is." Tam said, as he unfolded the note and ran his finger down the list, reading aloud to himself.
"Primary antagonist… Dragon…"
"Dragon keeps killing the hero… Right of course…"
"Dragon doesn't appear in the keep… I wonder how I'd solve that."
"Dragon keeps-… falling in love with the hero? Oh my."
Tam returned the note to his vest, "Routine day." he said, picking the wheelbarrow back up and approaching the attendant outside the library.
The attendant waved a hand, "Hello Mister Tammel Ves- Vestr-"
Tammel cut him off, "Don't yell my name, authors don't like people knowing we exist!" he insisted in a harsh whisper.
"My apologies sir, let me show you to your room." said the attendant, opening the large oak door. Tammel pulled the wheelbarrow into the vestibule just inside the library's doors. The attendant was telling him about the book he was here to edit, but Tammel was more focused on the wheelbarrow getting caught along the carpet. Blasted thing, what purpose does this carpet even serve
"Mister Ta-… Oh sorry right… Excuse me… Sir… did you hear what I said?"
Tammel looked up from the wheelbarrow after unsnagging the carpet from its frame. The attendant was standing astride an open door giving way to an incredibly long table. Sunlight crept through high windows illuminating the long chamber's pale stone.
"No. My apologies, what did you say?"
The attendant opened the door a bit further to allow easier passage of the wheelbarrow, "I said, the author will be here shortly. He's been pulling the last few volumes of The Dragon's Man from our shelves."
Tammel set the wheelbarrow down next to the long table and turned back to the attendant. "Right well, I will begin setting up. You just send him in when he's done."
"Good luck sir." said the attendant. As the door clicked shut Tammel approached the table. With a grunt, he hefted the large scroll onto the table's surface. He gave it a careful push and the scroll unrolled down the stretching length of wood.
Tam began to meticulously place the items from his wheelbarrow along the rolled-out scroll, again mumbling to himself.
"Alright, pauldrons, gauntlets… Oh! Can't forget the vambraces."
With a final heave he placed the massive great sword at the end of the table, sitting parallel atop the scroll. He walked back down the length of the scroll, ensuring each item lay perfectly on its surface, not a sliver of armor or sword hung over the parchment.
When he returned to the beginning of the table, a knock on the door was followed by the entrance of portly man. His hair was thinning in the middle, but a bushy brown beard made up for the lacking top.
"Brono Stonesign," the man said, extending an outstretched hand, "I presume you are the editor…"
Tammel noticed the man seeming rather exhausted. He readjusted his vest and stood a little bit taller, "That would be me," he said, shaking the man's sweaty palm, "Let us get to work eh?"
Tam led Brono to the near side of the table where a large rectangular outline was inscripted on the scroll. "If you would, place the original copy here please." he said, gesturing to the outline.
Brono placed a copy of The Dragon's Man in the outline, this copy had jutting unmatched pages, and a very worn leather cover. Unmistakably an original version. Tammel swiveled his bag around his shoulder and began to produce his instruments of work. A large quill, a thin knife, and a curious bottle of ink labeled, "Corrections". This bottle of ink was an intense purple, with golden flakes seemingly mixed with the ink.
Tammel stood at the end of the table facing Brono. "Alright Mister Stonesign, I've been given a few notes of some…problems…your readers are experiencing, but could you just tell me everything you know?"
Brono's face showed signs of frustration and exhaustion. "I am just so tired of all this… Why can't books just cooperate?" he said, looking down.
"It's quite alright sir, we will get this book back to where it needs to be, please just tell me what's been going wrong."
"Alright. The first reports I received were that the dragon was killing the hero, and ruining the conclusion of the book, every page after was blank. All my plot lines just ceased!"
Tammel nodded, "That's a common one, anything else?"
"Well another that I've heard is that the dragon just never showed up, and the book continued on in boring fashion, none of my characters finding closure." Tammel just continued to nod.
"In the worst version…" Brono said, looking sheepish, "The dragon falls in love with the hero…" Tammel held back a smirk and Brono continued, "You do not want to read the rest of that version, trust me lad."
Brono buried his hands in his face, "I knew I shouldn't have named the book 'The Dragon's Man" he said through muffled speech, "Poor word choice… I was just trying to be original, it's so hard these days! Everyone calls you derivative… What if I just wanted to write something interesting!"
Tammel held a hand up to the author, "It's alright sir, we'll get this sorted. Just a simple case of slaying a dragon."
Tam grabbed the sparkling purple inkwell and uncorked its top. He slid the bottle near Brono, and grabbed the small knife. "Alright, this will only hurt a bit, but I'll need a drop of blood, preferably of the writing hand."
Tam held his own hand outstretched and made a pinprick with the slim knife on his thumb. A bubble of blood surfaced, and he held the ink bottle up letting a singular drop of blood fall in. The inkwell appeared to swirl, mixing with the new substance.
Brono held out his right hand in a similar fashion. After a small prick to the thumb, a drop of Brono's blood was added to the swirling mixture. The combination of blood droplets caused a violent reaction in the inkwell. The once sparkling purple began to writhe and fold over itself, turning green and looking like dragon scales, before calming to a sparkling sage.
"Almost there, just a few finishing touches." said Tammel, grabbing his quill. He dipped the quill into the inkwell, and began to write next to the copy of the book. He spoke to Brono, not looking up from his writing. "If you would, please flip to the chapter where the story begins to stray off course."
As Brono flipped to the chapter, Tammel muttered aloud as he wrote a character description on the scroll next to the book.
"Tammel The Gilded Warrior…"
"Standing tall with broad shoulders this warrior of ages feared no man, beast, or god…"
"…with his trusty great sword that was light as a feather he…"
"…and he is popular with fair maidens..."
"What was that last bit?" said Brono, with a raised eyebrow.
"Nothing mate, is it open to the right chapter?" said Tammel, setting down his quill as he finished his character description. Brono nodded, and Tammel stood back from the table.
The scene was set, Tammel's character description laid atop the parchment in sparkling sage green. "Alright Mister Stonesign, I am going to begin the editing process. Please return in a bit and hopefully I will have good news for you."
Brono strode out of the chamber, after wishing Tammel good luck. Tammel turned back to the open book and grabbed his quill a final time. At the top of the chapter heading he wrote,
This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.
Editor's Note:
The room suddenly spun violently, swirling into black before Tammel's eyes. His vision twisted in color, before re-materializing in a dingy stone hallway illuminated by torchlight.
He looked down at his body, he was wearing the suit of grey plate armor he once struggled to place on the table. In the book, the armor felt as light as his clothes he wore just moments prior. In his hand the mighty great sword dazzled in the torch light. This massive blade of steel felt like an old friend in his hand, familiar, and as light as his quill. His body was different. He could feel that the long lanky frame he possessed in the real world was replaced with rippling muscle beneath the plate. This new strength was always a welcomed addition in his editing process.
Tammel looked around the hallway, checking for signs of movement and saw nothing. He heard a clamor from a position in the keep just above the chamber he stood in, the sounds of combat.
"Alright, I suppose the hero is coming down the keep from that direction," he spoke to himself. He turned around, ahead he faced a darker hallway leading to a staircase. "Dragon must be that a way."
He broke into a slight jog, his green cape, the same color as his vest, swept dust along the floor as he ran. He quickly descended the spiral staircase, and at the bottom, the arched stairwell gave way to a sprawling cave with vaulted ceilings.
The cave floor was illuminated by a sea of shining gold coins, baubles, and gemstones. The luster was incredible, but Tammel's seasoned eyes weren't drawn to it. He scanned the cave from the treasure floor up to the stalactites.
He let out a low groan, "…No Dragon… lovely…"
Kicking gold coins, he strode to the center of the chamber floor, assorted treasure parting halfway up his steel greaves. The sound of footsteps coming down the staircase interrupted the stillness of the treasure trove.
"Identify yourself knight!" yelled a well muscled man coming from the base of the staircase. The man stood in just a loin cloth, fur boots, and a battle harness. His long dark hair waved in heroic fashion, though there was no wind in the cave. His hand clutched a stern great sword much to the effect of Tammel's.
A smirk appeared on the editor's face, "Rah. I am the evil protector of this gold," said Tammel in a sarcastic tone. "Face me and you will perish hero."
Tammel took a few trudging steps back through the sea of gold towards the hero, causing a cacophony of clinking coins. Note to author, he thought, less blasted coins.
"Come no further wicked knight! Lest ye be cut down by my blade!" yelled the Hero, his rippling muscles flexed as he moved into a battle stance that was useless in the real world.
"Oh no! I'm trembling in my britches!" called Tammel through a laugh, no longer able to contain himself.
The hero lunged towards him. Tammel dropped his sword and raised both arms above his head. The hero's blade sunk into his chest through his steel plate. Before he could feel any pain, the scene around him twisted in black and shining gold. He was standing in the Library Chamber once again, looking down at the scroll.
"Okay, Dragon didn't show. Let's try this again." said Tammel, grabbing his quill.
He crossed a sage green line through his previous Editor’s Note and wrote
Editor's Note Two: Less coins please
Once again, his vision wrapped together in a blur of color until he was standing in the same chamber again, with the sound of the hero approaching. He ran down the staircase, and this time the shining treasure illuminated the green scales of an enormous, winged beast. The Dragon was fast asleep atop its glimmering bed.
"Sleeping Dragon, Typical." Tammel muttered to himself, as he broke into a sprint moving swiftly through the lesser quantity of coins. The Dragon stirred to life its large red eyes reflected the shining ground, and it blew a warning of flames up into the dark cave.
"Just need to soften this thing up a bit before my well muscled friend arrives." Tammel again said to himself.
He leapt into the air, soaring an impossible distance, before landing atop the Dragon's back. His blade sung through the air as he cut the Dragon in a few places. He stabbed his blade into its wing and rode down like a pirate cutting a sail. At the Dragons foot he sliced into a tendon of sorts, causing a scream of pain from the beast.
"That ought to do it!" said Tammel, as he ran behind a pile of gold bars, hidden from sight. He watched from his concealed position as the Dragon writhed around in pain, crimson blood dripped from its green scales. The injury to its foot appeared to be hampering its mobility.
Suddenly, the loin clothed hero burst from the stairwell, his flowing dark hair again waved though the windless cave
"Taste my blade winged beast!" Called the hero, as he lunged forward towards the wounded Dragon.
"Yes! This is it-" Tammel's words were interrupted as the scene unfolded in front of him.
The hero was mid leap, sword pointed towards the Dragons head, but the Dragon sucked in a mighty gulp of air. Before Tammel could react, the Dragon's fire enveloped the Hero's body. All that remained after the fiery expulsion was a set of bones.
"Blast!" yelled Tammel, "This meat wad is incompetent."
His exclamation drew the attention of the Dragon, who sucked in another deep breath. As the fire drew towards his body, Tammel closed his eyes, opening them to the chamber of the library once again.
"This is proving tougher than I anticipated," he said to himself, "What to do…"
Tam wheeled his wheelbarrow back to the end of the table and hefted his great sword back into its rim. In the large open spot created by the sword, he replaced it with a simple spool of rope.
"Here goes nothing." he said, crossing another green line through his last editor's note. Before writing another, he moved his quill to the character description section writing,
Tammel the Gilded Warrior possesses a spool of rope that is magically unbreakable
Under the second crossed out editor's note he wrote,
Editor's Note Three: Make the Hero more thoughtful
"Hopefully this rock-brained moron will figure something out.", he muttered, spiraling back into the scene once again.
This trip down to the Dragon's treasure was a careful one, ensuring he was quiet not to wake the sleeping beast. At the base of the stairs, he surveyed the scene. Dragon is here, still too much gold, hero is on the way. I hope this works.
Tammel moved silently to the Dragon's snout stepping strategically in spots of empty stone not completely covered by clinking gold coins. He produced his now 'magic' spool of rope, pulling it from around his shoulder. The rope's fibers appeared to have golden thread now woven into its wrappings.
"Go for the snout!" he said, tossing the rope towards the Dragon's head. The rope snapped to life in the air, slithering like a snake, before wrapping itself a few times around the Dragon's mouth with a locking knot for safety.
The winged beast roared to life, opening its eyes and swiftly investigating the entanglement around its mouth. This distraction provided Tammel with just enough time to run and hide behind the same stack of gold bars from his previous attempt.
"This is going well, almost too well," he muttered to himself, "now all this 'Hero' has to do is kill the blasted lizard."
From his vantage point, Tammel watched as the Dragon continue to writhe and scratch at the rope, it stopped suddenly when the Hero burst from the stairwell.
The Hero stood in a ridiculous, back-arched stance facing the Dragon. Sweat gleamed from his rippling tan skin, reflecting the strong lines of his arms and shoulders. Again, his long dark mane waved with life in an absent wind.
"Alright kill it. Finish the story!" Tammel said, gripping the gold bars from his viewpoint.
"Prepare to meet your fate foul-", The Hero stopped himself mid heroic monologue.
"Oh… You're… You're tied up…" The Hero said, slow and smooth with his deep, rumbling voice.
"What?" Tammel said, his eyebrows pinching closer.
The Dragon stopped writhing around and laid in front of the man, placing its head between its forefeet like a dog at rest. The Hero approached with a sense of delicacy. As he strode towards the Dragon, he dropped his sword with a clang on the stone floor, eyes wide with desire.
"My sweet, delicate girl… who did this to you?" said the Hero rubbing his hand down the Dragon's large snout.
"Is this a joke?" said Tammel his hands fell from his perch in the hiding spot, hanging to his sides in defeat.
Tammel's mouth fell agape as the Hero leaned in for a kiss with the Dragon. The scaled beast let out a low moan of enjoyment as the man embraced her.
Tammel's palm met his face when he remembered a painful detail. “I wrote ‘make the Hero more thoughtful’ in the editor’s note. Horrible word choice Tammel!”
He moved his way to the edge of a cliff in the cave, far from the scene unfolding in front of him, not daring to look backwards.
"I think I've found a natural stopping point for today." He said, glancing down at the sharp stalagmites in the pit below him. With a step, his foot caught air and he closed his eyes.
In the next few moments, his feeling of falling was replaced with the still calm of the library chamber once again. Tammel turned towards the door, he pulled the latch to see Brono sitting on a stone bench next to the door.
Tammel made a fake coughing noise to get Brono's attention. For whatever reason, he couldn't bring himself to say much to the author.
"Finally! Have you completed the story?" said Brono, his face showing signs of optimism
Tammel didn't speak, instead he motioned for the Author to come into the chamber quickly. Brono complied and hurried in, closing the door behind him.
"Alright… So… I am not yet complete. The story turned an odd direction a few times…" Tammel said, not giving too much.
"Well Lad, what happened?" said Brono, his optimism fading quickly
"The story unfolded in the previous ways, but… I saw the.... Lusty version… and decided to call it a day."
Brono released a large sigh and sat down at the table looking at his book with glossed over eyes. Tammel stood across from him, palms down on the table.
Tammel felt bad but was honest with the author. "Mister Stonesign, I have to go away for a few days to visit family for Pinefest, but I will get back to this as soon as I can."
Brono didn't move his eyes away from the book. "That's alright lad. I didn't have a good feeling about this one anyways. Why did I name it The Dragon's Man?"
Tammel pondered the title for a moment, it made sense why the Dragon kept falling in love with the Hero.
"That's what I get for trying to be original." Brono said, running his fingers through his hair.
Well, it is certainly original now. Thought Tammel.
The Author continued, "Regardless. The book is a lost cause at this point Lad. Enjoy your holidays, we will adjust course when you return."
The next few days passed. Tammel spent time with family drinking vanilla pine cider with his brothers and exchanging pastries. His journey back to Clam Wharf was a mix of groggy post-drinking symptoms and worry about his coming editorial process.
As he approached the grand library the stone pillars glowed with the morning sun. He made his way to the grand doors but was stopped when they burst open unexpectedly.
"Tammel! Go home! Your editorial skills are no longer needed!" Brono yelled, as he ran towards Tammel's wheelbarrow.
Tam raised an eye, "What do you mean? The book ended with a grotesque love fantasy."
"Aye, that it did lad. But over Pinefest my book sold out. Every merchant in town has been sending courier after courier to my home asking for reproductions. I have my apprentice scribes rewriting the original you worked on now!"
"Well I'll be damned to the great abyss." said Tammel, his mouth remained agape at his last word.
"I told myself I'd never delve into the realm of romantic writing but… the money doesn't lie, lad. That's the way of the world now I'm afraid."
Tammel was still speechless, the prospect of the scene he witnessed turning into a popular literary work was baffling to him.
"A fine job Lad," continued Brono, "I will come to you for all my editorial needs."
Tammel just looked at Brono and began to laugh.