Ovrik Stonebreaker was no greenbeard when it came to battle. The stocky man had seen more battles than he could count. So when word came of a dragon nesting nearby, Ovrik had been the natural choice of who to send to deal with it.
Ovrik hiked through the mountains that held the Stonebreaker mountainhome, Koganusan, for two days. It was arduous and tiresome, but Ovrik wasn't the type of dwarf to give up when things were difficult. Besides, it was impossible for him to lose his way. The sky always contained a marker to guide him to his destination; a plume of black smoke that stretched into the sky.
The trek ended at the entrance to a cave (of course). Ovrik could hear the dragon's snores echoing from inside, a thunderous sound. A grin crept over the face of the dwarf as he hefted the axe he carried, slapping the flat of the blade against his palm as he moved forward. The air was thick with smoke, but it was nothing to a dwarf who had spent many a day working the forges.
After a brief walk, Ovrik came upon his prize and foe. A humongous red dragon rested upon a hoard of gold and precious gemstones. It was a relatively small pile compared to the dragon. Barely a mound, really. The hoard was just large enough to make a pillow for the sleeping dragon. Obviously, this dragon had just moved in.
"Oi! Wake up, ye damned lizard! I got a bone to pick with ye'!" Ovrik bellowed at the dragon when he was within striking range. The dragon stirred with a yawn, stretching itself up to full height.
"Who dares to interrupt the slumber of Karithadeus the mighty?!" The dragon lowered itself back down to Ovrik's level, staring him in the eye. "A dwarf? A lone dwarf dares to enter my chambers and awaken me?" The dragon let out a laugh. Waves of heat washed over the dwarf. "Tell me, little one. Did you think waking me was a good idea before you did so?"
"I wanted a fair fight. Ain't no way I'm startin' a fight with a sleeping enemy. It ain't my way o' doin' things." Ovrik stated matter-of-factly. "Now let's do this proper like. My name is Ovrik Stonebreaker, and I'm here to kill ye'."
Another throaty laugh escaped the dragon. "Very well. I am Karithadeus. When I am finished with you, I shall use your bones to pick my teeth."
Ovrik charged forward with a yell. "For Koganusan!"
His weighty axe crashed against the crimson scales of the fearsom beast. Karithadeus roared in pain before unleashing a gout of flames from his maw. Ovrik dove sideways, escaping the blast with a roll. He came out of the roll with an upward swing of his axe. The mithril weapon dug deeply into one of the dragon's front talons, severing a digit.
A cry of rage escaped the dragon before another blast of flames erupted from him. Ovrik wasn't as quick this time. The flames washed over the unfortunate dwarf. When the dragon's breath attack had ended, there was nothing but blackened stone to mark where the dwarf had been.
***
Ovrik awoke on his back in the middle of a field. The fact that Ovrik was awake at all was a shock to him. Perhaps he had died and this was the afterlife? He sat up slowly, rubbing the back of his head. The dwarf was slowly reacclimating to conciousness. It was then that the scent of burnt hair reached his nostrils.
"My beard! My glorious beard!" The edges of Ovrik's magnificent chestnut beard had been burned by the dragon's last attack. "I swear on me ancestors, that dragon's gonna die!"
A tiny squeak of terror pulled Ovrik's attention from the mourning of his beard. A nearby bush rustled lightly, though there was no breeze to speak of. Ovrik searched the ground for a moment, finding his axe and picking it up before approaching the bush.
"Who's in there? Come on out an' face me!" Ovrik bellowed gruffly. "If I have to come in there I'll make sure to gut ye' like a fish, ye' hear me?!"
More rustling from the bush before a response came from within. "P-please don't hurt me. I didn't mean to startle you. I-I just... I heard you say there was a dragon nearby and I panicked." The voice in the bush was soft, and clearly terrified of the dwarf's challenge.
Ovrik sighed before stowing his axe in its belt loop. "That's all right, lass. Ye' just caught me unawares. Why don't ye' come out?"
"Oh, okay... Um... please don't hurt me."
"I promise not to hurt ye' lass. The name's Ovrik Stonebreaker. Might I have yer name as well?"
"I-I'm Fluttershy." The creature the voice belonged to gingerly stepped from her hiding spot, making Ovrik's jaw drop in the process.