Standing before the now clean throne room, Umbravor smiled with a stuffed chest. He still hadn’t taken time to furnish the place, but the holes on the walls were patched, the windows remade and now he had an entire gigantic room to play around. Oh, such possibilities!

Thanks to the good Sir Cedric, he even had a piece of decoration already. Spending far too much time designing and building an articulated mannequin display for the arms, he now agonized over which pose would best work with the way he intended to decorate the room.

Taking a break from such arduous task, the dragon now enjoyed a nice cup of his favorite tea. He had bought the set three centuries before, from a street peddler who claimed it would never let any beverage go cold or warmer, whatever your preference. And much to his delight, the man had been honest on that.

The massive (but just carved out of the finest oak, all by hand) doors opened and a familiar scented figure emerged. “YOU BASTARD!” Said the Hero.

“Hello, Sir Cedric, the Loud. Would you fancy a cup of tea?”

The man clad in a new set of armor, as covered in powerful magics as the previous one, stomped towards the relaxed ancient one. “Tea my foot! Do you have any idea the hellish shit you made me go through?”

“Would you have preferred to be obliterated?” As no more of the sweet drink could be found in the kettle, the dragon pulled more from his trusted Spacious Pouch.

“I was naked, you son of a bitch!” The man slammed his fists on the desk, coming close to sending the prized porcelain to the ground. “My whole home town, including my parents, saw my unmentionable regions!”

Umbravor chuckled at imagining that. “One would think you would have learned the lesson after such experience.”

“Oh, but I did learn.” Once more, the man pulled a weapon, this time a warhammer and shield duo. “The court wizards have placed every anti-magic thing they could come up with into these beauties! This time, you’ll end up dead at my feet, for sure!”

“Oh, really?” With a childish smile, the dragon conjured the same spell as the first time. Unlike the events from before, the ray of energy got bounced off against the armor, before being erased by Umbravor’s own protections. “Quite clever incantations. These wizards must know a thing or two, indeed.”

“Now, you shall die, you gigantic piece of…” What manner of slur the good knight was about to conjure would never leave his mouth, for he went into a full shock state when the dragon stopped the full weight of his blow with a single finger. His pinky, to be more precise. “What…?”

“And do tell me…” A dark smile filled the ancient one’s face. “What gave you the impression I couldn’t physically handle you?”

What followed could not be put into words, for it would be too much a blow to the ego of our good Hero. Suffice it to say, it concluded with the pieces of his new armor spread around the place, his bottom bruised and tears coming out of his clean blue eyes.

“Well, that was a nice exercise.” Stretching his arms, Umbravor pointed a finger at the defeated man. “Now, you know what happens next, don’t you?”

“Have mercy!” The man got to his knees, bending his entire body so his forehead touched the floor. “Anything but a repeat of last time!”

“Oh, do not worry, sir knight.” Said the dragon, feeling ever so benevolent. “I promise, on my honor, that I shall not teleport you to your hometown again.”

“Really?” His eyes shone like the morning sun.

“Of course.” Umbravor then moved his hand, sending the man away. “Never said anything about your king’s throne room though.”

And so, another day transpired, with another exquisite armor set joining the fray.