[ WP ] Dragon . Wanted Alive . No bounty paid for a corpse .

This poster had been on the tree for years, stained and almost completely washed away. You could look right at it and not even notice it. 
 
 100,000 pounds of pure gold. Recognition by the king. Dukedom. Fame. It is burning inside me. It is too much for me to resist. 
 
 I had always been a failure. I lost every tournament and faced constant ridicule from my peers. They'd call me the Vulture. They used to throw half eaten food at me and tell me I would never be more than an ugly beggar. All because the accident left me disfigured. Through no fault of my own was I forever to be the object of burning hatred. Their families would laugh at my father's face and talk openly of his defective son. My own father had never shown any affection towards me. He's ashamed of me. He tells me I'm the son of the devil. I've had enough and this is my chance. 
 
 But I know there is no way anyone could ever bring a dragon into the castle alive, unless he wanted to come. No one ever had. No one ever will. Many have tried, none have ever come back. 
 
 That's when the idea came into my head. 
 
 Impossible as it may seem, maybe I could befriend the dragon. Maybe not befriend a real-life dragon, but at least beguile him to somehow get revenge on everyone else. 
 
 After a full night's sleep, I made the journey across the range and through the forest. It was there that I met a hermit. 
 
 I asked him what he knew about dragons. After some time of teasing the answers from him, he told me, cryptically, how to find the dragon I'm searching for. 
 
 I thanked the man and traveled down the river and up the mountain. The trek lasted three days. My feet ached and my legs burned with the dull pain of long miles behind. I had n't even told my father I was leaving. 
 
 When I finally made it to the mouth of the cave, I knew that I would only have one chance at making this work. 
 
 After some time slowly making my way down into the chambers, the heat began to rise and somehow I knew I was now in his lair. 
 
 Then the gleam of thousands, possibly millions of gold coins and jewels broke through the darkness, burning with a radiant glow. Never before could I have imagined that such an enormous amount of riches could exist in the entirety of the whole world. 
 
 `` Hello?'' escaped my breath, shaking. 
 
 No answer. 
 
 After a pause, `` Hello!'' I said again, with a bit more bravado. 
 
 `` There's no need to shout.'' whispered a voice very near behind me. `` You must be a very courageous... what are you?... to come here.'' 
 
 After a few moments of being shocked with fear, I mustered, `` I'm a man, just a man, a bit extra skin and hunched over. A humble man'' 
 
 `` Ha, never have I seen a man like you. You resemble a vulture,'' he laughed. `` I wonder if you taste like a man, or like a chicken. You certainly smell enough like a man.'' 
 
 How could he have known my shame? No matter. I can persevere a few more words of jest if it means my hopes come alive. His purpose is to become the agent of my glorious retribution. 
 
 `` Well, before you eat me, I bring you a message.'' 
 
 `` Pray, do tell...'' 
 
 I then started to pour out my heart and my plan to the vicious beast. 
 
 My plan is such to let him know that I know the dragon's weakness. Not any physical vulnerability, but a weakness in his mind; The monster had an eye for gold and riches of all kinds. I knew from the stories that he craves all glittery things. That his heart burns for precious stones and bullion from the farthest reaches of the world. 
 
 I then related to significance of what I am here telling him now. 
 
 I spoke of the townspeople, bored and complacent. The dragon has n't been seen for many years. The reward was nonsensical and people do n't notice the posting on the tree anymore. The children do n't even believe that the dragon is real, let alone had ever lived on this earth. 
 
 I explained that he must make his presence known again. He must show the world what fear is, what respect is. 
 
 And for his troubles: 100,000 pounds of pure, shimmering gold. Why should n't he have all the riches the world has to offer? It's as good as his. All he has to do is take it. 
 
 He is a willing pawn in my game. All he has to do is complete my revenge. My only prayer is that he lets me live long enough to watch them burn. To watch them all burn. To burn just as I had burned all those years ago.
