So I'll be writing a short story today, since I have the time.

Of flames and fear

Roderick gripped his shield tightly. Sweat was pouring down from his head as he inched closer and to the cavern that housed the dragon. He was reluctant and afraid.

The townspeople had requested for him to slay the dragon as a means of payment for his stay in town. Having no choice, since he was both tired and famished on his journey back home from the long war he had partaken in. Roderick agreed hastily when they asked for his agreement.

Now he regretted doing it.

Slaying a dragon was not easy. Its scales are as hard as steel, its wings twice the size of a full-grown man, its fire-breathing mouth and its long, hard, claws. By agreeing to slay the dragon, Roderick was risking his life, and he did not exactly find ending his life early a very attractive thought.

Mustering every bit of courage in him, Roderick entered the cave.
Inside the cave, the dragon lay tranquilly on its comfortable nest, sleeping peacefully.
However, that did not change the fact that it it was fearsome just by looking at it.
Roderick put his hand over his sword, ready to draw his trusty sword when the time came.
Roderick cautiously stepped closer to the dragon, careful not to make any sound in case he alerted the dragon. He had formed the plan of taking a pre-emptive strike on the dragon to tilt the situation to his advantage.

Too tensed to notice, Roderick accidentally kicked a pebble too hard.
It flew a distance away from him and landed near the dragon. The sound of the pebble hitting the ground resounded in the cave. Roderick froze. The dragon stirred. The smoke emitting from his nostrils stopped coming out, and slowly his eyes opened. The emerald eyes shimmered in the dark cave.

Then the dragon gave a loud, echoing roar.
Roderick felt like he was about to go deaf from the sound. With such a sudden change of battle situation, the only thing Roderick thought of was to charge. He was clearly taken aback by this beast that stood before him. The dragon watched as Roderick came charging, yelling: "Dieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Opening his mouth wide, the dragon let loose a stream of flames towards Roderick. Roderick hastily put up his shield, just in time to block out the flames from scorching him to ashes. However, the shield turned hot very quickly, and Roderick quickly side stepped away from the flames.

With a great leap, Roderick hit the dragon with the blade of his sword. The dragon was unfazed by this, and seemed rather irritated by it instead, and swiped at him with his huge claws. Roderick rolled away safely from the counter-attack. He found himself losing confidence. The scales were too hard, the sword could not even make a dent. Roderick was devastated.
The dragon was starting to get annoyed at Roderick, and he breathed its flames at him once more. Roderick could only dodge it by a hair's breadth. He charged again at the dragon, this time aiming for it's eyes. With a thrust of his sword, the dragon's eye was stabbed, and blood gushed out from the eye. Roderick pulled out the sword without hesitation, and jumped up on the dragon's back. With great strength, Roderick plunged the sword in the space in between scales.
The dragon howled painfully and threw Roderick off his it's back. The sword was still left driven in the dragon's back. Fuming mad, the dragon tilted its head back, and with his mouth blazing, he shot out fireballs at Roderick. With no time to evade, Roderick once again hid behind his shield. The impact of the fireball was so great it almost threw Roderick off his feet.

The dragon rushed towards Roderick and charged at him, ramming Roderick so hard, he flew , with his shield still in hand, and knocked against the walls of the cave. Roderick was feeling pain all over his body now. Even his chainmail could stop nothing of this degree. Slowly, Roderick stood up on his feet again. His head throbbed, his hands numb, his feet weak like jelly. He knew he had to get his sword from the dragon's back if he ever wanted to get out of this alive. Staking everything he had on this one move, Roderick ran towards the dragon, dodging the dragon's swings and rolled under the dragon. Roderick was now behind the dragon. He jumped onto it's back before his tail could sweep him off, and pulled out the sword with great effort. Blood spilled out from the wound. Roderick aimed at the section between the head and the body and drived his sword into the gaps between the scales again, with all the strength he could muster. The dragon yelled out in pain, but Roderick did not stop there.

He pulled out the sword and plunged it yet again at the same spot, deepening the wound each time he stabbed into the dragon. The dragon collapsed weakly onto the ground, and Roderick was now stained with blood from the dragon, all over his armor and helmet. Roderick laughed. He had won! He could not believe it. The giant beast now lay on the ground, when it was spewing fire just awhile ago. However, his victory was not for long as the dragon, with the last of his breath, grabbed Roderick with its mouth. Biting hard into Roderick's armor, Roderick was now bleeding. He coughed out blood as his body was crushed. Roderick was helpless now. His sword and shield were on the ground, away from his reach. The flames were welling inside the dragon's mouth now. And with one last breath, the dragon breathed fire.

Roderick was burned alive, and he screamed while his whole body was combusted, his armor acted as conductors, which further cooked him alive while still being held in the dragon's mouth. The cave was filled with flames for an instant, before it was all gone again.
The sound of something sizzling could be clearly heard if you were there witnessing it all. The dragon gently closed it's eyes as it slowly died from its wounds.

Roderick had slain the dragon, but he never had the chance to celebrate that victory.
His body was charred beyond recognition. He could not finish his journey back home.

His family continues to wait for him, unbeknown of his bitter death.