Toast

Dr.Vincent Priceless, that eccentric and reclusive desert mage, was humming a merry tune as he slit the skin just below the bottom eye lid of the very dead dragon that lay sprawled before him. A yellowish ichor oozed forth and spilled onto Vincent's white gloves. But the magician paid it no heed and continued with his work.

Elsewhere in the broken and splintered cavern Bobo, one of Vincent's toaster-headed apes, was collecting choice pieces from the piles of glittering gold and gems which lay all about. But Bobo was not the only ape with a toaster-head that had come on this little field trip. His younger "siblings", Dada and Lulu, were also somewhere about. Exactly where though wasn't clear. But Vincent thought little of the fact that they were nowhere in sight. He had told them to go and explore the place; he was sure that something of value would be discovered. And also, he knew how curious his creations were and how much they enjoyed exploring new places. It gladdened him that he could oblige them. And he had no worries that they would be in any kind of danger. They were big and strong; they could take care of themselves.

He would not have been so unconcerned though if he had known that one of his pets had just discovered something that, regardless of his great size and strength, was most definitely a very real danger to him.

..........

Dada stood within a wide chamber high above the battered hall in which his master could be found. On one wall of this chamber was a large opening. This opening led up to the very tip of the mountain where it allowed a ready access to the outside world. Few knew of this secret tunnel into Minestus' lair for it was cunningly disguised, but there were a few whom Minestus had entrusted with its knowledge. Landru for instance.

And so it was that Dada found himself staring up at this opening with a strange kind of wonder. It wasn't the opening itself that he found so interesting though. It was the extremely large reptilian animal which perched, wings folded back, within the dark recess of the opening. And the extremely large reptilian animal was just as dumbfounded by the sight of Dada. With a calm and hairy hand Dada reached out and touched the animal's foot. For his part, Landru reached out with one sharply clawed finger and tapped Dada's head. He wondered if it was a helm of some kind, but if so, then this odd creature had a remarkably small head for such a large body.

Who can say how long these two strange beasts would have stood there, silently regarding each other? But alas Fate stepped in, or perhaps Blind Chance, and this little harmless tableau came to a sudden and frightful end.

"Damnations Dada!" Vincent scowled as he hurried into the chamber. "You know I can't lift a dragon's heart by myself, it's too damn heavy. I need you!" And then Vincent looked up and noticed the extremely large reptilian animal that was perched in the opening before which Dada silently stood. "Oh my," Vincent whispered. Landru said nothing in reply, instead he reared back and then suddenly lunged his head forward, the jaws spread wide. A huge gout of flame exploded from that open maw and filled the chamber with heat and flame. Only a quickly recited spell saved Vincent's life. Dada was less fortunate. The only thing that remained of him after that hellish flame dispersed was a smoldering metal box that looked, not surprisingly, like a toaster.

1. Things are warming up now!

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